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New Zealand go into SA T20s with 'optimism'

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Twenty20 cricket is where teams like New Zealand hope to compete when they come up against a side with the reputation and form of South Africa, and assistant coach Bob Carter said they go into the T20s with optimism

Firdose Moonda17-Dec-2012Adapting to foreign conditions is the test all touring teams want to pass on the road. South Africa have become masters of that art, having not lost a series away from home since 2006. New Zealand, with wins in Hobart and Colombo in the last year, are still learning.The shortest format may be the ideal place to do that. With conditions only playing a small role and margins between teams much smaller, Twenty20 cricket is where teams like New Zealand hope to compete when they come up against a side with the reputation and form of South Africa.”We can go into the T20 series with a great deal of optimism” Bob Carter, the New Zealand assistant coach, said. “We’re very much up for it. The boys have gone into their training really well, with lots of energy, and we’re really looking forward to the challenge of playing in South Africa. Who wouldn’t? It’s a good place to tour and there are exciting times here with cricket.”The sport has captured the attention of the public after the South African Test team rose to No.1 on the Test rankings in August with victory in England and stayed there when they beat Australia in their own backyard. Since scaling those heights, South Africa have not played in front of their home fans, who are eager to watch their team in action again.But they will have to cheer on a new-look side. South Africa’s T20 squad contains four uncapped players and a new captain as they attempt to revolutionise things ahead of the next ICC tournament.It’s with that in mind that New Zealand go into the series. Allrounder James Franklin does not think there is “too much to fear” even though his team is the clear underdog. “We have to pick our ranking up and the only way we can do that is by winning,” he said.New Zealand too have five uncapped players in their squad, some of whom will get a run in the practice match on Tuesday against South Africa A. For them, having these fresh faces around is “exciting”, as Franklin and Carter put it. “Theirs is youthful exuberance, they’ve got no baggage and they just want to get stuck in and see where they fit in terms of the team and international cricket,” Franklin said. “You’ve got to run a little bit faster and try and keep up with them. But hopefully it will rub of both ways. They rub off on me in terms of me trying to keep up and from me, if they want, a little bit of guidance.”These young players bring a fresh energy to the squad, which had been weighed down by internal strife, including the withdrawal of Ross Taylor, before the tour. “Their enthusiasm, their joy at being picked for New Zealand and the way they have gone about their business has been really good,” Carter said. “They have really flung themselves at training and it’s good to have them on board.”Carter also had a word of warning for the team about their opposition. “[Even with the newcomers] South Africa have still got a very fine side with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and others,” he said. “That will be a really good test for us and a really good challenge. Every South African side is a good one.”

Sinha, Gokul put Assam on top

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A round-up of the action from the second day of the fourth round of matches in the Ranji Trophy Plate Division 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2011Group B
Assam put on a solid batting performance to take firm control of their match against Jharkhand in Dhanbad. Overnight batsman Amit Sinha went on to score a maiden first-class hundred, Gokul Sharma followed up his effort with a fluent ton of his own and Tarjinder Singh made 75 as Assam piled up 502. Abu Nechim then knocked over two quick wickets, reducing Jharkhand to 25 for 2 at stumps, to consolidate Assam’s position in the match.A 141-run stand between Akshath Reddy and Bavanaka Sandeep carried Hyderabad to a comfortable 298 for 6 against Goa in Porvorim. Hyderabad began the day on 61 for 2, with Reddy and Sandeep at the crease, and Reddy went on to hit his second century in two matches while Sandeep made 68. After the pair was dismissed, the lower middle order built on the platform with cameos that took Hyderabad’s first-innings lead to 151, with four wickets in hand, at stumps.Some stout resistance from Jammu & Kashmir‘s lower order pushed the side from an overnight 302 for 8 to 388, against Maharashtra in Ratnagiri. The boost was courtesy an 86-run stand from Nos. 9 and 10, Samiullah Beigh and Abid Nabi. Beigh made 69, the innings’ second-highest score, before becoming one of left-arm spinner Akshya Darekar’s five wickets. Maharashtra’s openers – Harshad Khadiwale and Chirag Khurana – were steady in reply, putting on a century stand. Khurana fell for 81, after putting on another steady partnership with Sangram Atitkar, who was unbeaten on 56 at stumps. Maharashtra finished on 204 for 2.Group A
Driven by an unbeaten century from No. 7 Amit Kumar and an all-round show from Rishi Dhawan, Himachal Pradesh took charge of their match against Services in Dharmasala. Himachal began day two on 262 for 6, and the overnight pairing of Amit and Dhawan put on a century stand to push the team towards the 350-run mark. That Services bowled 63 extras helped, and they finished with 364. Dhawan then came good with the ball, taking three wickets as Services slipped to 134 for 6.Twenty-one wickets tumbled on day two of the Kerala v Andhra match in Kochi. Kerala began the day on 110 for 6, but their Nos. 8 to 11 managed only two runs among them as the side folded for 130. Atchuta Rao was the pick of the Andhra bowlers, finishing with 6 for 43. Sony Cheruvathur bettered, however, bettered that effort, taking 6 for 25 to ensure Kerala took the first-innings’ lead. Andhra were shot out for 74 as none of their batsmen managed to get past 22. The wickets fest continued in Kerala’s second innings, as they slipped to 81 for 7 – a lead of 137 – with Syed Sahabuddin and Shankara Rao picking up three wickets apiece.Tripura looked on course to take the first-innings’ lead against Vidarbha, reducing them to 204 for 7 after making 281 in Agartala. Udit Patel went on to score a fifty for Tripura at No. 8, ensuring they finished with a competitive total. He eventually fell for 56 to Sandeep Singh, who was the pick of Vidarbha’s bowlers with 6 for 79. Tripura’s bowlers then struck at regular intervals, not allowing the visiting batsmen to build on starts – five of the top seven got into double figures without going past Shiv Sunder Das’ 45 – to give their side the edge going into the third day.

Cook has 'point to prove' against Australia

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Alastair Cook, the England vice-captain who has a modest record against Australia, has said the experience gained since his first visit Down Under should help him do better on the current tour

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2010Alastair Cook, the England vice-captain who has a modest record against Australia, has said the experience gained since his first visit Down Under will help him do better during the 2010-11 Ashes. Cook averages 26.21 in 10 Tests against Australia, and could manage only one significant score when England were blanked 5-0 in 2006-07, a second-innings 116 in Perth, but was confident of better returns this time.”The one side I haven’t played as well as against than the other sides has been Australia,” Cook told . “I have got that point to prove over the next three months. Last time [in Australia] I was obviously 21-years old; to come here as an opening batter, as a youngster, was a very tough learning curve. It was my first year in international cricket as well. So to have 50-odd more games under my belt, seen a lot more, I think that experience will help.”Cook, who will open with Strauss, was mindful of the importance of good starts to compete in Australia, something England struggled to do in recent visits. “Obviously Straussy and I have been at the top of the order for a while now, we’ve done reasonably well and there’s always the pressure as an opener to set the tone,” Cook said. “We’ve got that job, we’ve had that job for a while and we’ve done it well. It’s an area we appreciate we’ve got a lot of responsibility. Obviously as captain and vice-captain as well, we like to set the tone for the rest of the team.”Cook also backed his under-fire team-mate Kevin Pietersen to shrug off his indifferent form and be a force during the Ashes. Pietersen has struggled in the longer formats, and has not hit an international century in nearly two years. Despite his effectiveness in the 2010 World Twenty20, the England selectors dropped him from the limited-overs side against Pakistan, leading to a Twitter outburst that resulted in him being fined by the ECB.”He has obviously had a difficult 12 months with his form, but his work ethic over those 12 months has been the hardest I’ve seen him work at his game,” Cook said. “Talent like that and the stats he’s got behind him show what a great player he is. Great players might lose their form for a little bit, but they come back and a big series like this, I think it’s just about the right time to come back. I know he’s desperate to prove to people he’s still a great player.”Pietersen has been at the centre of most of the banter between the sides in the lead-up to the Ashes. John Buchanan said Pietersen could be a ‘major problem’ for England, to which he retaliated by calling the former Australia coach ‘a nobody’. Michael Clarke was wary of Pietersen’s ability to turn things on in big matches, while Andrew Strauss rubbished suggestions that he had a divisive influence on the squad. On Friday, Australia fast bowler Doug Bollinger talked about his plan to keep quiet while bowling to Pietersen since “I think that’s what he likes”.

CSA asked Kenya to foot series bill

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Cricket South Africa is understood to have demanded almost US$100,000 to play two one-day internationals against Kenya last month

Martin Williamson and Andrew Miller02-Dec-2009Cricket South Africa is understood to have demanded almost US$100,000 to play two one-day internationals against Kenya last month.The news is a blow to leading Associates who are already struggling to arrange matches against Full Member countries and completely goes against the ICC’s aim of the game’s leading sides helping in the development of the game.South Africa played Kenya twice at the end of 2008, and it is understood that a similar arrangement was discussed for two matches in South Africa in late October or early November.However, Gerald Majola, the chairman of CSA, contacted Cricket Kenya with the demand and gave it three days to come back with an answer, even though that included a weekend. Although he was asked for more time to consider his proposal, Cricinfo has learned that arrangements were already in place for Zimbabwe to play the matches. It is not known whether Zimbabwe had to pay the same fee.”The simple story is that Kenya wanted to play some games against South Africa, but CSA would have incurred costs to host those games, so we were prepared to meet them halfway on the costs,” Majola told Cricinfo. “Unfortunately, they could not make up that amount, but there was no money paid out from Cricket Kenya whatsoever.”While the Kenyan board declined to comment, the fact that its total funding from the ICC is less than US$1 million a year, something known to CSA, means the request was never likely to be a serious option. As the Kenyans would also have paid for their flights and accommodation, had the games gone ahead then they could have accounted for up to 20% of the board’s annual budget.CSA needed to play matches to help fulfil its current broadcast contract. In the event, the two games against Zimbabwe were one-sided affairs played out in front of almost empty grounds.

Ghazanfar out of Champions Trophy and IPL; Afghanistan name Kharote as replacement

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Afghanistan are also without Mujeeb Ur Rahman at the Champions Trophy, though he played the entire SA20 for Paarl Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2025AM Ghazanfar, the 18-year-old right-arm fingerspinner who has made such a bright start to his ODI career, has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025 because of a “fracture in the L4 vertebra”. Left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote, who was originally in the list of reserves, has now replaced Ghazanfar in the main squad.The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), which tweeted out the news on Wednesday morning, said that Ghazanfar sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe late last year, and “will be sidelined for a minimum of four months and will remain under treatment during this period”. That means he will also be out of the IPL that is set to be played from March 21 to May 25. Ghazanfar had bagged his maiden IPL contract recently, with Mumbai Indians.Ghazanfar, who has 21 wickets from 11 ODIs so far, played three games for MI Emirates in the UAE’s ILT20 league in January after the tour of Zimbabwe. He wasn’t as effective as MI Emirates would have hoped him to be, though, bowling 7.1 overs in those three games, and picking up just one wicket with an economy rate of 9.48.

Twenty-year-old Kharote, who hasn’t played for Afghanistan since the ODI series against Bangladesh in Sharjah in November last year – he starred in Afghanistan’s win in the second game with 3 for 28 – has played seven ODIs and six T20Is since making his international debut in March 2024.Afghanistan have a group of top-notch spinners in their line-up – Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi – but continue to be without Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Mujeeb, who played the full SA20 season with Paarl Royals through January and early February, hasn’t played for Afghanistan since that tour of Zimbabwe and was not named in the original Champions Trophy squad. He has not played ODIs since the 2023 World Cup in India and will be out “until he has fully recovered”, the ACB statement said.

Afghanistan squad for the Champions Trophy

Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fareeh Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharote, Naveed Zadran, Noor Ahmad

Axar, Bishnoi, Rinku give India series win

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India’s new middle-order batters starred before Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi left Australia in a tangle

Deivarayan Muthu01-Dec-20234:49

Takeaways: Rinku’s stocks rise, spinners take centrestage

India were limited to 174 for 9 by some accurate death bowling from Australia, but they still defended the target and wrapped up the series, with one game left. Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel were central to India’s successful defence, returning combined figures of 8-0-33-4, on a two-paced Raipur track.Travis Head, who was the only player from Australia’s World Cup-winning XI in this T20I, dashed out of the blocks in the chase, taking Deepak Chahar for 4,4,0,6,4,4 in the third over. Just as India’s fans were beginning to feel a sense of déjà vu, Axar cut Head’s innings short on 31 off 16 balls.At the other end, Bishnoi let rip one wrong’un after another, posing a threat to the pads and stumps. Despite the absence of Glenn Maxwell, Australia’s middle order battled, but the rapidly rising asking rate was too much to overcome.Related

  • Kohli and Rohit rested for white-ball games in SA; Suryakumar to lead in T20Is, Rahul in ODIs

  • Five-horse race – who will open for India at the 2024 T20 World Cup?

  • Takeaways from India's squads for SA: Axar's future, Prasidh's height factor, and a new role for Rahul?

That India got to a decent total was down to the attacking enterprise of Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who had replaced Ishan Kishan. Rinku and Jitesh were the only Indian batters to strike at over 150.

Gaikwad’s go-slow

In the third T20I in Guwahati, Gaikwad was on a run-a-ball 21 at one point, but he then hit higher gears to finish with an unbeaten 123 off 57 balls. In the fourth game, Gaikwad had a similar sluggish start, but he couldn’t find those higher gears. He managed 32 off 28 balls and attempted to hit a boundary only five times.Jaiswal was more aggressive at the other end, scoring 37 off 28 balls before Aaron Hardie had him holing out on the last ball of the powerplay. Shreyas Iyer, who returned to the T20I side, then fell to legspinner Tanveer Sangha, as did Gaikwad.Rinku Singh fell four runs short of a half-century but played a handy knock nonetheless•AFP/Getty Images

Rinku, Jitesh crank it up

With captain Suryakumar Yadav also perishing cheaply, the onus was on Rinku to repair the innings along with Jitesh, who had made his T20I debut at the Asian Games earlier this year. Rinku, who came into bat in the ninth over, briefly tapped the ball into the gaps before he unleashed a ferocious reverse-swept six off Matt Short. In the next over, he charged at Ben Dwarshuis and smote him for a 100-metre six over wide long-on.Jitesh, who is among the most explosive batters in the IPL and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament, also kept taking risks and kept the scorecard ticking. He hit three sixes and holed out in the 19th over when he attempted another one.Dwarshuis and Jason Behrendorff were right on the money with their variations in the last two overs as India lost five wickets for only 13 runs during that period.

Spin to win

Bishnoi and Axar both fronted up to bowl in the powerplay and ended up giving away only two boundaries between them.Bishnoi struck with his very first delivery, knocking out Josh Philippe’s off stump for 8. Philippe was among five changes for Australia and in all both teams made nine changes on Friday.In the next over, the fifth of India’s defence, Axar drew a top-edged sweep from Head. Axar proceeded to dismiss Hardie and Ben McDermott with his stump-to-stump darts.Axar’s T20I future is uncertain – he is not part of the squad for the upcoming tour to South Africa – but he reminded the selectors that he’s around as well with a statement performance.Chahar, who was playing for India for the first time since December 2022, then did his bit with the old ball, dismissing Tim David (19) and Short (22) with his slower variations. Wade hit an unbeaten 36 off 23 balls, including two fours and two sixes, but it was not enough to keep the series alive.

Zimbabwe riding high after T20 triumph but reinforced Bangladesh a fresh challenge

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The hosts will also be without a raft of familiar faces as they look to snap a 19-ODI losing streak against their visitors

Mohammad Isam04-Aug-2022

Big picture

Zimbabwe have enjoyed a month of rare success. After dominating the T20 World Cup qualification tournament, they registered a maiden T20I series win over Bangladesh. There was a lot of fun and partying at the Harare Sports Club. The focus though now has to quickly shift to the ODIs, a format in which there’s a massive gap between the two teams this year. Bangladesh also come in with a 19-match winning streak against Zimbabwe.This also includes the 3-0 win last year. That series was part of the ICC ODI Super League, but this series isn’t. Still, Tamim Iqbal has made it clear that Bangladesh can’t afford to take any series lightly these days.Related

  • Burl, Nyauchi and Evans secure landmark series win for Zimbabwe

  • 'Disappointed' Khaled Mahmud slams listless Bangladesh: 'Disgrace'

  • Fractured finger rules Bangladesh captain Nurul Hasan out of tour

Zimbabwe will be without key players Craig Ervine (hamstring and knee injuries) and Sean Williams, who has been given a break due to personal matters. Regis Chakabva is the stand-in captain in Ervine’s absence.Also missing are established seamers Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani. The less experienced Bradley Evans and Victor Nyauchi, who bowled effectively in the third T20I couple of days ago, are in the new-look ODI squad. The pair will combine with Richard Ngarava and Luke Jongwe in the pace-bowling attack, while Wellington Masakadza is the lead spinner. Zimbabwe will have to rely heavily on Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere and Ryan Burl in the batting department, which has a number of inexperienced players.Bangladesh meanwhile will hope that their Zimbabwe tour will improve with Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim back in the batting line-up. They will expect the likes of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mosaddek Hossain to shine with the bat, while Tamim may prefer three seamers for the early morning starts in Harare. It would mean Taskin Ahmed returns to the ODI line-up after missing two ODIs in the West Indies.Overall, Bangladesh will remain on high alert after Zimbabwe showed so much heart in the T20Is.

Form guide

Zimbabwe LLLLW (last five completed matches; most recent first)
Bangladesh WWWWL

In the spotlight

Ryan Burl became one of the most talked-about cricketers this week when he struck 34 runs in an over against Bangladesh. It was the joint-second highest runs in a single over in T20Is, as Burl helped Zimbabwe to a 2-1 series win. He doesn’t have great numbers in ODIs this year, but Zimbabwe will hope he carries some of this confidence into the longer format as they start a long ODI run against Bangladesh, India and Australia.Taskin Ahmed was Bangladesh’s Player of the Series against South Africa in March but a shoulder injury has taken the sting out of him. Taskin has been wicketless since the South Africa tour, having played just one ODI in the West Indies, and two T20Is in which he went for 88 runs in seven overs. Tamim Iqbal would expect a stronger showing from Taskin, as a three-man pace attack is warranted at the Harare Sports Club.

Team news

Zimbabwe have to make at least five changes to the side that played their last ODI against Afghanistan in June. Takudzwanashe Kaitano could bat in the top order while Luke Jongwe, Evans and Nyauchi may be the three seamers.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Innocent Kaia, 2 Wessly Madhevere, 3 Takudzwanashe Kaitano, 4 Sikandar Raza, 5 Regis Chakabva (capt & wk), 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Milton Shumba, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Brad Evans, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Victor NyauchiFor Bangladesh, Mushfiqur Rahim will slip back into the middle order after missing the West Indies tour, but the lack of allrounders means there is likely to be a long tail.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Taskin Ahmed, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Shoriful Islam

Pitch and conditions

The pitches at the Harare Sports Club were quite batting-friendly during the T20I series earlier this week, but in ODIs over the last five years, teams batting first have averaged a lowly 225. Probably why 12 out of 21 teams have lost when batting first. The weather is supposed to be dry during the series.

Stats and trivia

  • Bangladesh are on a 19-match winning streak in the format against Zimbabwe, dating back to 2014.
  • Zimbabwe have won just one bilateral ODI series – against UAE – in the last five years.
  • Bangladesh will be playing their 400th ODI during this series.

Chadd Sayers announces retirement from first-class cricket

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The South Australia pace bowler earned one Test cap and was unlucky not to play more

Andrew McGlashan01-Apr-2021Chadd Sayers, the South Australia seamer who earned one Test cap for Australia, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket at the end of the season.Sayers, 33, will play his final game when the Redbacks take on Victoria in Melbourne over Easter weekend. With one match remaining in his career, Sayers has 319 first-class wickets of which 278 have come in the Sheffield Shield with South Australia.He will finish as the state’s third-highest Sheffield Shield wicket-taker – and leading pace bowler – behind Clarrie Grimmett (504) and Ashley Mallett (344). He is also among a rare group of players from the current generation never to have played a T20.”I believe the timing is now right for me to step away from first-class cricket at the conclusion of this season.” Sayers said. “I have enjoyed every moment, the highs and lows, and all the memories in between, but I feel that it is time – I now have a young family and there were no guarantees of a contract next year.”It has been an absolute honour to play for my home State of South Australia all this time, and I’m looking forward to taking the field with the lads one last time this weekend.”His best season came in 2016-17 where he claimed 62 wickets at 19.00 which helped South Australia to the Shield final where he claimed 7 for 84 in the first innings. The 61.2 overs he bowled in that match was the most of his first-class career.His career-best match and innings figures came last season against New South Wales when he took 13 for 131. As with all the South Australia bowlers success has been harder to come by this season but he is still the team’s highest wicket-taker with 12 which included the notable return of 29-17-27-3 against Tasmania out of a total of 493.His consistency in domestic cricket kept him around the fringes of international selection. He was included in the Test squad to tour New Zealand in 2016, came close to a debut in the 2016-17 Adelaide Test against South Africa and was also part of the squad at the start of the 2017-18 Ashes.Eventually his Test debut came at the Wanderers, a match overshadowed by the fallout of the ball-tampering scandal that emerged the game before in Cape Town, where he would take both his Test wickets in the space of three deliveries – the first being the notable scalp of AB de Villiers.However, as Australian cricket set about rebuilding and with a strong hand of pace resources Sayers drifted back down the pecking order. Given his ability to move the ball he can consider himself unlucky not to have had more chances, especially an opportunity to showcase his skills in England.”Everyone at SACA congratulates and thanks Chadd for his impressive and unwavering service to the State for the last decade and wishes him well for the next stage of his life, including enjoying time with his young family,” head coach Jason Gillespie said.”Chadd will always be welcome through the gates of Adelaide Oval, and he will remain a benchmark for our bowlers and young players for years to come.”

Mark Boucher open to asking AB de Villiers to come out of retirement

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‘If I feel he is one of your best players, why wouldn’t I want to have a conversation with him?’

Firdose Moonda14-Dec-2019Mark Boucher, South Africa’s new head coach, would welcome the availability of Kolpak players and recent retirees, including AB de Villiers, as he plots the national team’s way forward.Having worked in the franchise system for the last four seasons, Boucher has first-hand knowledge of the calibre of players available to the national side and acknowledged that the country’s talent pool could do with deepening. Asked whether he would like to be able to select players based abroad, Boucher said: “If I can answer from a coach’s perspective, absolutely. If you look at rugby, the way the Springboks won the World Cup, the experience they got from players playing overseas was invaluable. From a coach’s perspective, I’d love to have the opportunity to deepen and strengthen the squad. It will keep everyone on their toes and will bring more excellence into the game in this country.”While Boucher is not in control of the regulations around Kolpak, he may be able to have a say among recent retirees, especially those whom he has a close relationship with. Boucher played with de Villiers and currently coaches him at the Tshwane Spartans, who will play in the Mzansi Super League final on Monday. De Villiers is fourth on the tournament run-charts and has demonstrated strong strokeplay and innovation throughout the tournament. His white-ball form remains consistent and his ability unmatched.De Villiers retired from all formats of international cricket in May 2018, citing a heavy workload, but with a T20 World Cup 10 months away, Boucher was not averse to trying to convince de Villiers to come back. “When you go to a World Cup, you want your best players playing for you,” Boucher said. “If I feel he is one of your best players, why wouldn’t I want to have a conversation with him? I’ve only just got into the job, I might have conversations with quite a few players and see where they are.”He also indicated players may be allowed greater flexibility if they can add value to South Africa cricket. “You want your best players playing in the World Cup and if there’s a couple of issues you need to iron out, with media, with team-mates, and if it’s for the good of South Africa, why not, let’s do it.”

Mark Wood hopes lengthened run-up will lengthen his run in England ODI side

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Fast bowler seeks sustained run of match fitness ahead of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2018Mark Wood hopes that a new lengthened run-up could be the secret to a sustained run of match fitness, as he prepares for the start of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.Wood’s ability to generate sharp pace from a short and explosive run-up has been a key reason why he has been considered a point-of-difference bowler in recent seasons, but it has also contributed to a spate of injuries, not least in his troublesome left heel, on which he has undergone numerous bouts of surgery.And now, with the World Cup looming next year, and his fitness restored after another interrupted summer, Wood hopes that a longer, smoother run-up could lead to a longer and smoother run in the England team.”It’s something I’ve worked on in the second half of the season in England and brought it here,” Wood told . “It’s a trial, something I can go back to if I want to do the step-back run-up.”I spoke to Kevin Shine, the head bowling coach, and Chris Silverwood, who’s out here, and said that off my short run-up I felt I was having to force it all the time. That meant I was putting more stress on than I needed to, having to ramp it up to get my top speed.”So pushed my run-up back, so that it felt like I could cruise into it a little more and look for more rhythm, rather than trying to be at the top end all the time, and putting more stress on my body.”Wood hasn’t had much of a chance to put any stress on his body just yet, however. England have faced monsoonal conditions since their arrival in Sri Lanka, and their planned two days of practice in Colombo was reduced to a single contest against a Board XI. It did at least give the bowlers an inkling of how the pitches might behave come the start of the series.”We’ve had a lot of rain so far. Some days are red hot, sweaty humid conditions, and quite nice to bowl in and there are some days when it’s rained a lot and it’s coming from the ground up. It’s different conditions to deal with.”The pitch didn’t feel as subcontinental like as you might think,” he added. “It’s subtropical here in Sri Lanka, not like India or the UAE. It’s more humid and a lot greener than you might expect. The one-day wickets have had a bit of tennis-ball bounce and have swung a bit for England for three or four overs, so we have to use that to our advantage.”Thanks to their plethora of allrounders, England’s one-day squad is packed with seam-bowling options, which means that Wood envisages being used in short, sharp bursts to conserve energy and mix up the modes of attack.”It is ridiculously hot, so coming from a seam bowling point of view, it’ll be two or three overs, smash it as hard as you can, then get off. The spinners are the ones who are going to attack here, but that new ball is key for us. If we can get wickets up front when it’s doing a bit, that’ll be brilliant, but if not, we’ll sit in, try to dot up and make it hard, then let the spinners attack from the other end.”Reverse swing is a traditional factor in Asian conditions, but Wood said that England may need to adapt their methods to obtain the contrast between the rough and smooth sides of the ball to unlock that particular weapon.”Being quick through air will be key with reverse swing, but this ground at Dambulla looks lush and green, so I’m not sure how much reverse there’ll be. But the Sri Lankans tend to wet one side of the ball, and keep it smooth. They know better than anyone in their own conditions, so maybe we can take a leaf out of their book.”

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