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Seamer suffered injury during T20I series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2020Kagiso Rabada has sustained a groin strain and will take no further part in the Australia tour to South Africa. He has been further ruled out of the team’s subsequent tour to India starting early next month, and faces a race to get fit in time for Delhi Capitals’ IPL opener on March 30.Rabada suffered the injury during the recent T20I series against Australia, according to a Cricket South Africa press release. He played all three games, bowling 11 overs and conceding 114 runs, while taking two wickets. He is expected to be ruled out for around four weeks.While this is Rabada’s first significant groin injury, he has regularly suffered with back problems throughout his career to date. In 2018, he missed the IPL with a stress injury, and last year he left the tournament early after a niggle. Faf du Plessis would later bemoan Rabada’s presence at that tournament during the World Cup, suggesting his pace was down following his knock.”Kagiso sustained a groin muscle strain in the T20 series against Australia,” said Dr Shuaib Manjra, CSA’s chief medical officer. “He was assessed by the medical staff, assisted by an MRI scan.”The significant injury means that he will take approximately four weeks to heal, which effectively rules him out of both the Australia and India ODI series. The CSA medical staff will ensure his effective and expeditious recovery.”Delhi’s opening game in this year’s IPL is at home to Kings XI Punjab, and takes place on Monday, March 30. According to the suggested timeframe, his groin will likely have healed by that time, though it is by no means certain that he will have returned to match fitness in time to play. Last year, Rabada was the side’s leading wicket-taker with 25.Rabada’s replacement has yet to be named. South Africa’s three-match ODI series against Australia begins in Paarl on Saturday, while the series in India starts on March 12.

Toby Radford and Esuan Crandon also named among coaching staff for England series

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2019Vasbert Drakes, the former West Indies allrounder, has been named as one of three assistant coaches for the forthcoming Test series against England by the interim head coach ,Richard Pybus.Drakes, who played 12 Tests and 34 ODIs between 1995 and 2004, was the head coach of West Indies women when they emulated the men’s squad in winning the 2016 World T20 in India – a tournament that Pybus oversaw in his role as Windies team director.Drakes will be working alongside the former Guyana allrounder Esuan Crandon and the former Middlesex and Sussex batsman Toby Radford, who was the men’s assistant coach during the 2012 World T20, another campaign that ended in silverware for the men’s squad.”It is an honour to be back working with West Indies cricket again,” said Drakes. “As someone who played the game at the highest level, it has always been my wish to contribute to West Indies cricket and give back to the young players.”We have a tremendous group of players here, full of ambition and hungry for success. Our role as coaches is to offer leadership and sound advice and to share knowledge and create an environment of learning. I want to see West Indies cricket grow and flourish.”Crandon, who coached the Guyana Jaguars to four consecutive Regional First-class titles, will complete the coaching set-up alongside the former Pakistan spin bowler, Mushtaq Ahmed, who will continue in his role as spin bowling consultant.”I am passionate about the game of cricket and a true supporter of West Indies cricket, so ultimately I want to make a contribution to the game in the region and see the players perform at their best,” Crandon said. “I am a calm individual and I’m here to do what is required to help the team succeed … that’s what I enjoy doing, coaching and helping others.”Pybus’ appointment as interim coach was last week ratified by CWI despite a protest from the Leewards Islands Cricket Board (LICB) who claimed that he had been “handpicked” by the CWI president, Dave Cameron after not originally appearing in the shortlist for the role.

Mayank Agarwal’s maiden triple-century drove Karnataka to 628 for 5 and a first-innings lead of 383 on the third day against Maharashtra at the MCA Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2017Mayank Agarwal’s maiden triple-century drove Karnataka to 628 for 5 and a first-innings lead of 383 against Maharashtra at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Agarwal, who came into this match on the back of a pair, notched up an unbeaten 304 off 494 balls that included 28 fours and four sixes. Agarwal had put on 259 for the opening wicket with R Samarth (129) on the second day and resumed on 219. He stretched his third-wicket partnership with Karun Nair to 279. Nair, who was not out on 56 overnight, struck a century of his own, finishing with 116. Karnataka declared shortly after the pair was broken up. Thereafter, medium-pacer Abhimanyu Mithun took Karnataka closer to an innings win by dismissing Maharashtra’s openers cheaply and leaving them at 135 for 4 at stumps.T Ravi Teja continued to have a memorable debut, following his 63-ball 70, with 5 for 49 that helped Hyderabad limit Railways to 246 and enforce the follow on in Delhi. Railways’ openers survived three overs in their second innings and went to stumps unscathed.Resuming their first innings on 35 for 1, Railways began the day well with opener Shivkant Shukla and Nitin Bhille stretching their overnight stand to 78 before legspinner Akash Bhandari pinned Bhille in front for 43. Ravi Teja then had Shukla lbw and went onto slice through the middle order. From 93 for 1, Railways tumbled to 135 for 7. Anureet Singh (60) and Manish Rao (33) then put on 85 for the eighth wicket to haul the score beyond 200. Left-arm spinner Mehdi Hasan pitched in with two wickets as Hyderabad claimed a 228-run first-innings lead. Anureet’s maiden first-class fifty contained nine fours.

Sunday was the third time New Zealand were denied parity by India’s lower order, but Trent Boult has said that the visitors are not doing much wrong

Sidharth Monga at Eden Gardens02-Oct-2016Sunday was the third time New Zealand were denied parity by India’s lower order, which has been crucial in a low-scoring series. In the first innings in Kanpur, India’s sixth wicket added 52 and the last 41. In response New Zealand lost their last five wickets for seven runs. In Kolkata, Wriddhiman Saha led the lower-order fightback, taking India from 200 for 6 to 316. In the second innings, India have exceeded those last two comebacks by converting 106 for 6 into 227 for 8. New Zealand’s leading bowler, Trent Boult, though, feels they are not doing much wrong against the lower order.”Not necessarily,” Boult said when asked if they could have done much differently to prevent another frustrating resistance from India’s lower order. “We are trying to apply the pressure for as long as we can and not let off at all throughout the whole innings. But we know and realise they are going to put partnerships together, and we just can’t afford to get frustrated by that. It is still a challenge as a bowling unit to not drift and release that pressure, but it is something we are trying to get much better at.”Some of it could be put down to the exhaustion in the heat. “I have to put these down as some of the tougher conditions I’ve ever played in in my career,” Boult said. “I’m not too sure what it looks like on TV, but it is pretty taxing. Obviously the dryness in the wicket and in the air is pretty tough. The last session is probably the easiest session in terms of heat. [But] You are just sapped by the time that comes around.”The guys did extremely well to put the balls in the areas we did and apply that pressure. It was spoken in the huddle that we weren’t just going to let them drift away with the game with a figure in mind. We wanted to put pressure on them and make them earn every run. I think we did very well.”Thanks to Jeetan Patel and BJ Watling’s batting at the start of the day and the six early wickets, New Zealand fought their way back, but perhaps it was that deficit that meant India weren’t under the pressure New Zealand would have wanted to put them under. It was mostly on day two that they let the game slip with India’s lower-order runs and their own collapses with rain and bad light around.”It’s very disappointing but that is done now and we can’t do anything about it,” Boult said of the second day. “They had some good conditions there last night to put us under pretty big pressure with the ball. Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took five wickets] bowled very well, and that has played a big part in the game. But we are not just going to roll over, we’ve fought very nicely to get ourselves back in the position we are in now.”Boult said New Zealand would need every bit of skill with the bat to fight back again in this Test. “We have the guys with the ability to bat long periods of time,” Boult said. “In terms of the wicket there is a little bit of variation in bounce and that is obviously going to be in the back of a few of our minds. We have to take it small steps at a time. If we can tick off our goals of trying to bat for half a session, then a session and just keep them out there and try to build like that. Anything that is set is definitely achievable.”They could learn from Jeetan Patel’s innings in the morning, Boult said. “He did very well. It’s his first in a wee while and to come back and play an innings like that was good to watch. The rest of us can take a leaf out of his book and try to apply yourself like he did because they were valuable runs.”

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was hospitalised on Thursday evening in Kolkata after suffering a heart attack, is now stable

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Sep-2015BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was hospitalised on Thursday evening after suffering a heart attack, is now stable. According to the fresh medical bulletin issued by the BM Birla Hospital in Kolkata, Dalmiya was “clinically better”, but was still in the coronary critical care unit.”Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya was admitted last night with chest discomfort and underwent coronary angiography. Clot was aspirated out to establish good flow in coronary arteries,” the medical bulletin issued at 10.30 am on Friday stated. “Today, he is clinically better with improvement in ECG. He is being monitored at the hospital with medication as per protocol.”According to one of the senior officials at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), where Dalmiya was elected as president for an eighth consecutive term in July, doctors had indicated there were still some clots that needed to be cleared: “We have been told that although one of the clots has been removed, it is only partially removed. There are few more.”In the first bulletin, issued late Thursday evening, the doctors had said that “multiple lesions were observed with total occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery.”The CAB official said Dalmiya was talking, but was not allowed any visitors since he was under critical care. The official added that doctors had indicated if the recovery goes smooth Dalmiya will likely be out of the hospital “within 72 hours” from today.But according to the hospital spokesperson it was too early to determine as to when Dalmiya would be discharged.

Eoin Morgan is a doubt for England’s second T20 against New Zealand after jarring his back in the field during their 40-run win in Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2013Eoin Morgan is a doubt for England’s second T20 against New Zealand after jarring his back in the field during their 40-run win in Auckland on Saturday. Morgan, who was England’s top scorer with 46 from 26 balls and took a brilliant running catch to dismiss Brendon McCullum, tweaked his back later in the New Zealand innings.The team have moved on to Hamilton, venue for the second T20 on Tuesday, and the England management will assess Morgan’s fitness on Monday. If he is unable to train, Morgan’s place in the side is likely to be taken by Joe Root, who came on as a substitute fielder in Auckland.Losing Morgan would leave England without one of their most experienced T20 players as they look to secure the three-match series with a game to spare. Morgan has played 33 times in T20 internationals, putting him sixth for England, with Stuart Broad and the rested Kevin Pietersen among those above him. The most-capped England batsman in the shortest form, however, is Luke Wright, who has played 40 times since his debut in 2007.Wright joined Alex Hales in making 99, the highest score by an Englishman in T20 cricket, at the World Twenty20 in September. In the first New Zealand T20, Wright hit four sixes in a blistering 20-ball 42, confirming his value at No. 3, and then picked up a useful 2 for 29 with the ball.With Ashley Giles recently installed as England’s limited-overs coach, Wright hopes his consistent T20 form since a recall last year can also push him into Giles’ thoughts for the ODI team. “I have huge ambitions to get back in the one-day side,” he said. “It’s something I’m desperate to do.”I’ve just got to keep knocking on the door, and keep badgering Gilo and saying ‘Look mate, I’m scoring runs – what have I got to do?’ If there’s a spot for me, I hope he’ll pick me. If there isn’t, I can’t do much else. Maybe come the end of the tour, it might be something I could sit down and have a chat with him about, to find out what he wants to see from me or where I can improve and give myself better chances to get in.”The Champions Trophy is a major target for England this year and much of the preferred XI is in place. However, with a technically adept top three of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott followed by the power of Pietersen and Morgan, England could do with an allrounder to help balance the side. Wright’s ODI bowling average of 57.53 weighs against him but, with Tim Bresnan undergoing further elbow surgery and the likes of Chris Woakes unproven, he could still make a case for his inclusion.”It’s quite tough obviously at the top of the order – with KP, Cookie, Belly and Trotty to come back in,” Wright said of his ODI chances. “But I’d like to come into that middle order if there’s no role for me at the top, and obviously my bowling might help. Batting at number three [in T20], I’m getting a key role in an England side – a responsibility that gives me a lot of confidence, and it’s great to repay that faith.”Wright and Morgan helped England to their record T20 total in Auckland and with the small boundaries at Seddon Park – scene of the fastest T20 hundred, by Richard Levi a year ago – the next match could be another high-scoring one. New Zealand will have allrounders Ian Butler and Grant Elliott to choose from, after they were passed fit, and may be tempted to make changes.The game will provide another opportunity for Ross Taylor to continue his international comeback. Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, was pleased to have the batsman available again, although he agreed with Taylor’s assessment of their relationship, after a controversial change in the captaincy. “It was certainly good to have him back,” Hesson said. “I think ‘work in progress’ is a good term. We’re working well together … and the longer we do that the better that relationship will be. But it’s going to take a while before we’re going out for coffee every week.”

England will name their Test squad to face Pakistan in UAE on Friday as they embark on the challenge of maintaining the No. 1 spot in Test cricket

Andrew McGlashan08-Dec-2011England will name their Test squad to face Pakistan in UAE on Friday as they embark on the challenge of maintaining the No. 1 ranking. In 2011 they played eight Tests, winning six and drawing two, but in 2012 that number swells to 15 so the much-vaunted depth of England’s resources will be tested again.A mark of England’s success in climbing the rankings has been how seamlessly players have slotted in when changes have been made through form or injury, Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan being the stand-out examples. The players who are currently outside a likely first-choice eleven are vital to the make-up of the squad. If the selectors follow the same pattern as for Australia they will favour those players ready to step up to Test level at a moment’s notice rather than those with potential in the future. The England Lions trips of the subcontinent will allow those players on the fringe to play regular cricket in case reinforcements are required.The key position is which spinner (or even spinners) accompanies Graeme Swann in the squad. There needs to be at least one option who, if the worst case scenario struck and Swann was ruled out of a match, could be the frontline spinner in a Test. Currently that man remains Monty Panesar who toured Australia as Swann’s understudy but wasn’t required. Last season he was the highest wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship in 2011 with 69 victims at 27.24.Scott Borthwick, the Durham legspinner, Hampshire’s Danny Briggs and Simon Kerrigan from Lancashire, who took 9 for 51 against Hampshire last year, are the rising stars so it is shaping as now or never for Panesar, who has spent the last couple of months playing club cricket in Sydney, to resume his Test career.Yet, whether Panesar makes the first eleven will depend on if Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower are willing to move away from the current balance of six batsmen, the keeper and four bowlers – albeit in conditions that haven’t demanded a second spinner, or specialist fifth bowler – unless they opt for the risky strategy of two quicks and two spinners.The prolific form of England’s top five, Matt Prior’s consistency in Test cricket, plus the developing allround skills of Bresnan and Stuart Broad, suggest England could cope with the shift in strategy but don’t be surprised to see the balance remain the same. However, there is no doubt that at some point next year – whether in UAE, Sri Lanka or India – England will need two spinners in the same attack.England’s previous Test team, against India at The Oval in August, was without Jonathan Trott due to injury and Ravi Bopara was in the middle order. Trott, the ICC International Cricketer of the Year, will be back at No. 3 against Pakistan and Eoin Morgan will expect to retain his spot if he completes a successful recovery from the shoulder surgery that ruled him out of the one-day tour of India.At the end of England’s home season Bopara’s stock had risen considerably after a successful one-day series against India, but the return contest on the subcontinent didn’t see further development as he became one of a number of England batsmen to struggle against spin. The other options include promoting James Taylor or even taking Samit Patel to cover a number of bases with his spin bowling.In the pace-bowling department there are plentiful options to choose from. The depth available is highlighted by Tremlett’s situation. He began the year by helping seal the Ashes series then starred in the dramatic victory against Sri Lanka, at Cardiff, before bagging career-best figures of 6 for 48 at The Rose Bowl. Yet, so seamlessly did Bresnan replace him against India after injury struck that he was hardly missed.Now, having lost his place to injury he will need someone to break down – or Bresnan to not recover from his elbow surgery – for a spot to open up. Then there’s Steven Finn who was England’s one bright spot during the one-day series in India. He bowled with pace and hostility having developed his game away from Test cricket and looked primed for another opportunity.The final spot will be a reserve keeper and Steven Davies could fill the same role he did during the Ashes. That would mean only one change – Bopara for Paul Collingwood – from the original 16 that travelled to Australia last year. Davies hasn’t featured for England since the one-day series in Australia, at the start of which he was omitted from the World Cup squad in favour of Prior. He scored 1035 runs at 39.80 in the County Championship for Surrey although another option could be Jonny Bairstow if the selectors want to have a look to the future.Possible squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn, Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Steven Davies

Imran Tahir, the Nashua Dolphins legspinner of Pakistani origin, has been granted South African citizenship by naturalisation and is now eligible to play for the country

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2011Imran Tahir, the Nashua Dolphins legspinner of Pakistani origin, has been granted South African citizenship by naturalisation and is now eligible to play for the country. Tahir has also fulfilled the ICC’s regulations for representing his new country, having not played for the country of his birth at any level for more than 4 years.Tahir, 31, has been one of South Africa’s most prolific domestic bowlers in recent times, with 535 first-class wickets at 25.09 from 127 matches. He was picked in the South Africa Test squad to play England in January 2010, but was left out at the last moment owing to issues over his residency paperwork. Those problems have been resolved now.”Imran has made South Africa his home and has been married for some time to a South African,” Gerald Majola, CEO of Cricket South Africa said. “He has been a leading wicket-taker in the top South African domestic competitions for the past few seasons and is highly respected by both his colleagues and his opponents. He certainly becomes a contender for selection to the Proteas squad now that he has met all the government, ICC and CSA regulations regarding his new nationality.”Tahir, however, won’t be considered for the Cape Town Test against India that begins on January 2. “That will not be fair on anyone since the squad has prepared, but he will be considered for the one-dayers,” CSA’s convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson told ESPNcricinfo.

Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, is upbeat about his international prospects after returning to the national side for the second Test against Australia in Sydney

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2010Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, is upbeat about his international prospects after returning to the national side for the second Test against Australia in Sydney. The Test was Sami’s first in more than two years – he had participated in the ICL in the interim – and he impressed in the first innings, taking 3 for 27 to help his team bowl out Australia for 127. However, he was left out of the third and final Test in Hobart but Sami, though disappointed, claimed he was a much-improved bowler and had the wherewithal to succeed at the highest level.”It was great being back among friends in the Test squad and representing my country. Wearing the green cap of Pakistan made me feel a proud man” Sami told Pakpassion.net. “It felt like I was on debut once again even though it was my 117th match for Pakistan. Naturally the nerves were there and it felt like I was playing for the first time. The international cricket gap for myself had been more than two years and I had missed playing for Pakistan so much.”Sami is currently playing for Karachi Blues in the Pentangular Cup. In Sydney, he grabbed three top-order wickets in favourable conditions to hand Pakistan the edge in a game they eventually lost. “For my return to the Pakistan team, conditions were great for fast bowling in Sydney and removing the top three of the Australian batting order was fantastic,” he said. [Mohammad] Asif bowled really well too and we were on top for most of that Test match. The fact that we lost the Test made me and my team mates feel very sad.””Like any other cricketer, I want to play all of the time and I was disappointed that I didn’t play in the third Test in Hobart, but that is something you have to accept at times.”Sami, who made his debut in 2001, has a busy domestic season ahead of him and hopes to make a mark to warrant selection for the World Twenty20 and Pakistan’s tour of England. “I feel I am a rejuvenated cricketer, I am more mature and I feel very strong and fit these days, possibly fitter and stronger than I have ever felt. My rhythm is good, I’ve been working on a few things with my coach and I have done well in domestic cricket this season for Karachi Blues and I want to continue the good form in the upcoming 50-over competition and then the Twenty over competition.”I think I am good enough to play in all three versions of the game for Pakistan and that is my aim. I want to perform well and be selected for the matches in Dubai, the Twenty20 World Cup and then the tour of England to play against Australia and England”.

Most recently, Moroney worked as convenor selector for the Under-19 men’s side, which included last year’s World Cup selection

Firdose Moonda17-Jul-2025Patrick Moroney, a former national selector, has been appointed as South Africa’s new convenor selector for the men’s senior side. Moroney will begin work on August 1. That means his first series in charge will be South Africa’s white-ball tour of Australia, which starts on August 10.Moroney has had a long involvement in selection which dates back to 2001. He has worked with the South African National Academy, the emerging sides, and was in the running to become South Africa’s convenor of selectors in 2019. Then, he lost out to Victor Mpitsang but was appointed to work alongside him.Most recently, Moroney worked as convenor selector for the Under-19 men’s side, which included last year’s World Cup selection. Both Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius were among his picks at that tournament.”His deep understanding of the game, combined with decades of experience in talent identification and selection across various levels, makes him the ideal person for the job,” Enoch Nkwe, director of national teams and High Performance, said in a statement announcing Moroney’s appointment.This is the first time coach Shukri Conrad will have to work with a selection convener since his appointment in January 2023. At the time, Nkwe did away with the selection panel, which was chaired by Mpitsang and also included Moroney, the national coach, and the captain. That left the duties of picking squads and teams solely with the national coaches.Conrad was put in charge of the Test side, and made several left-field selections, including most recently putting Wiaan Mulder at No. 3 – though Mulder now holds South Africa’s highest Test score – while Rob Walter had the white-ball job. Walter faced criticism from various quarters over taking a squad with only one black African player to last year’s T20 World Cup, where South Africa reached the final.It is learnt that CSA’s board had since insisted on the reinstatement of a convenor of selectors, albeit not a full panel. Interviews were concluded in May, when Conrad was given the all-format coaching job, and at the time Nkwe explained the reason to bring back a convenor of selectors to offer “support” to a coach who would already have a lot on his plate.”We needed to review, and look at areas in terms of where we can actually support the coach,” Nkwe said. “We need to have more eyes on the ground as the coach is going to be focusing on performance.”Also at the time, Conrad said he was happy to work with someone, and hoped that person would be a “like-minded person, and that has got South African cricket and the Proteas at heart”.Earlier, Mpitsang and Moroney had worked together in the selection panel from late 2019 until early 2023, and that period coincided with Mark Boucher’s tenure as South Africa’s head coach. Among the most debatable choices that panel made was changing a winning XI on the tour of England in 2022. After South Africa won the first Test at Lord’s, they picked a spinner to play on a seamer-friendly pitch in the second Test at Old Trafford, which forced South Africa to bat first on a difficult track. As a result, they lost that match and then the series. The panel also selected a then-unknown Marco Jansen, who has since gone on to represent South Africa in all formats.