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Abdul Samad and Shahrukh Khan also score tons for their respective teams; Pujara out for a four-ball duck as Saurashtra struggle

Saurabh Somani19-Feb-2022Hanuma Vihari followed up a first-innings half-century with a second-innings 106, as Hyderabad put themselves in a strong position to gain an outright victory over Chandigarh on the third day of the first round of matches in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22.The day also saw aggressive centuries from two men who have made headlines for their short-form batting more, with Abdul Samad hitting 103 off 78 balls for Jammu and Kashmir against Pondicherry, and M Shahrukh Khan smashing 194 off 148 balls for Tamil Nadu against Delhi.Vihari, who was selected in India’s Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka, had been Hyderabad’s top-scorer in the first innings too, with 59 runs even though every single batter made it to double figures to drive the total to 347 all out. In contrast, Chandigarh had Manan Vohra playing a lone hand with 110 in a total of 216 in an Elite Group B match at the Vikas Cricket Ground in Cuttack.In Hyderabad’s second innings, Vihari hit his 22nd first-class century, as Hyderabad declared on 269 for 8, setting Chandigarh an unlikely 401 for victory. Tilak Varma shared in a 130-run stand for the third with Vihari, before he was out for 63. Chandigarh had already lost two wickets in the eight overs and were 21 for 2 at stumps.In the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Tamil Nadu held the advantage against Delhi in an Elite Group H match, thanks to Shahrukh’s swashbuckling innings, the standout century in a game that had Yash Dhull hitting a hundred on debut to rescue Delhi from 7 for 2, then Lalit Yadav’s maiden first-class century that swelled to 177 as he took Delhi from 253 for 7 to 452 all out. B Indrajith also hit 117, but it was Shahrukh’s 194 that stole the show. With only a day left, a draw seems most likely but Shahrukh has ensured Tamil Nadu will get first-innings lead points, a prospect that seemed unlikely when they were 162 for 5.In an Elite Group C match in Chennai’s SSN College of Engineering ground, Jammu and Kashmir were on the brink of victory against Pondicherry.Qamran Iqbal fell on his overnight score of 96, but Samad’s whirlwind century drove J&K to a first-innings lead as they were bowled out for 426 in reply to Pondicherry’s 343. Parvez Rasool’s spin then had Pondicherry tumbling to 113 for 9 at stumps, a lead of only 30 runs.File photo: Cheteshwar Pujara walks back•Shailesh Bhatnagar

In Ahmedabad, Cheteshwar Pujara was out for a four-ball duck as defending champions Saurashtra were made to follow on against Mumbai in an Elite Group D match.Overnight 18 without loss, Saurashtra were bowled out for 220 after Mumbai had piled on 544 for 7 declared. Pujara came in at No.4, and was lbw to Mohit Avasthi shortly after. Sheldon Jackson’s 61 was Saurashtra’s highest score in the first innings, but they put up a better show when following on, with openers Harvik Desai and Snell Patel having shared a 105-run stand that is still unbroken. Even so, given their massive deficit in the first innings, Saurashtra are trailing by a sizeable 219 runs.Three games finished on the third day, with Kerala beating Meghalaya by an innings and 166 runs in an Elite Group A match, Chattisgarh defeating Jharkhand by eight wickets in an Elite Group H match, and Manipur victorious by an innings and 25 runs against Arunachal Pradesh in a Plate Group match.Playing his first first-class match since his ban in 2013 for spot-fixing, S Sreesanth didn’t have a good outing for Kerala, although his team overwhelmed Meghalaya.In the first innings, Meghalaya were bowled out for just 148, with Eden Apple Tom taking 4 for 41 on debut. Sreesanth took the wickets of the No.9 and No.11 batters, returning 2 for 40 in 11.5 overs. Centuries by P Rahul, Rohan Kunnumal and Vatshal Govind then propelled Kerala to 505 for 9 declared, before they bowled out Meghalaya for 191. Sreesanth went wicket-less, giving up 57 runs in nine overs.

“Kohli is central to many of their batting plans as they go later and deeper in the tournament,” says Ian Bishop

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-20222:10

Bishop: Kohli is central to all of RCB’s batting plans

Virat Kohli has been moved to the opening slot by Royal Challengers Bangalore, at least for the Tuesday-night game against Rajasthan Royals. He will open alongside captain Faf du Plessis. And Daniel Vettori, head coach to captain Kohli at the franchise between 2014 and 2018, expects the plan to work, saying that the two “are equals”, and that might free Kohli up to get back among the runs.”I think Virat’s a contemporary [of du Plessis], and someone who is probably on the same level as him,” Vettori said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out. “[With du Plessis as his partner], the focus is not just on Kohli to do the job, and possibly at times he has felt like that – that he has to be the be-all and end-all in that opening partnership. But I think they are equals.”Faf’s record is amazing – he’s captain, [and] the predominant leader – so those two coming together with that mutual respect will take that pressure off Kohli, and hopefully we’ll see him at his aggressive best. Because that’s what everyone wants to see – him be aggressive because that’s when he is at his best.”Kohli was slotted in at No. 3 in all his eight innings this IPL season, and scored just 119 runs at an average of 17. This, despite scoring 41* to start off the tournament, against Punjab Kings, as well as getting 48 against Mumbai Indians. Four out of his seven dismissals have been in single digits, with back-to-back golden ducks in his last two innings.”I am hoping he can make a better fist of it; because if he can’t make a fist of this, they’re in real, real trouble,” Ian Bishop said on the same programme, “because Kohli is central to many of their batting plans as they go later and deeper in the tournament. So they need him in the team, and need him in form.”Kohli opened for Royal Challengers in all 15 innings last season, and his 405 runs came at an average of just under 29 – a stark contrast to him accumulating 973 runs as opener in 2016, including bashing four centuries and striking at 152.

Netherlands, Thailand, PNG, Scotland and USA have earned ODI status

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2022Bangladesh and Ireland have been added as the ninth and tenth teams in the 2022-25 Women’s Championship, where finishing in the top six will ensure direct qualification to the ODI World Cup, which will next be played in 2025.Related

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In this, the third Women’s Championship cycle, each team will play eight three-match ODI series – four home and four away – over the next three years. At the end of it, the top five sides and the hosts [not decided yet] will automatically qualify for the World Cup. The other four teams will then take part in a qualifier against the 11th- and 12th-ranked teams in the ICC rankings, and the top two from that event will complete the line-up for the World Cup.”As we saw at the most recent ODI World Cup, there are a number of nations really starting to emerge so we’re going to have to be at the top of our game. We pride ourselves on finding ways to keep evolving and it’ll be more important than ever over the next period,” Meg Lanning, who recently led Australia to their seventh 50-over World Cup title, said in an ICC statement. “To have Bangladesh and Ireland involved, will not only be great for us to have the chance to play more cricket against them, but also to expose them to more cricket against the top nations.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We want to see the women’s game as strong as possible and developing the next tier of nations is a big part of that.”Pakistan’s three-game home series against Sri Lanka, starting June 1, will kick off the latest cycle, with Ireland taking on South Africa at home from June 11 next. India and Pakistan will have fixtures against all the other sides except each other.ODI status to five associates
ODI status has been given to Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand and USA with immediate effect.”Increasing the number of teams in the ICC Women’s Championship and awarding ODI status to five additional teams will help us to accelerate the growth of the women’s game,” ICC CEO Geoff Allardice said. “More teams playing more regularly creates a more competitive environment as we saw at the recent ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.”

The former New Zealand batter has emerged as the frontrunner following the first tranche of interviews

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2022Brendon McCullum has emerged as the frontrunner for the vacant role as England’s Test coach following two days of interviews at Lord’s, and may be unveiled in the role this week.McCullum, who is in his third season as Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach at the IPL, has never coached a first-class game and was widely expected to be a candidate for the white-ball job, with the ECB splitting the main coaching roles down format lines due to England’s jam-packed schedule and the growing divergence between their sides.However, several British newspapers reported on Tuesday night that McCullum is now in line for the Test job following the first tranche of interviews at the start of this week. It is possible that an appointment will be ratified before the end of the week, with England’s first Test of the summer against New Zealand – McCullum’s home country – on June 2.McCullum’s coaching experience has come exclusively in the limited-overs game but as a captain, he was a key part of the leadership group that brought about New Zealand’s revival as a Test side along with coach Mike Hesson from 2012 to 2016.Rob Key, the ECB’s new managing director of men’s cricket, has led the interview process and revealed during his first press conference at Lord’s that he had sought opinions on the Test side from Eoin Morgan, McCullum’s close friend and Knight Riders’ captain last year during their run to the final.”I’ve spoken to Eoin about red-ball cricket as well,” Key said. “I asked his opinion. You want good people with good brains around you to work stuff out, so Eoin Morgan is someone I would speak to about so many different things.”McCullum’s attacking style would chime with how both Key and Ben Stokes, England’s new Test captain, play the game. After scoring 145 off 79 balls in his final Test against Australia, McCullum said he wanted to be remembered “as a good team man… a guy who played for the right reasons and who, if in doubt, was prepared to take the positive option”.Key has also previously confirmed that he would be willing to let an England head coach work in the IPL if necessary, saying: “I would much rather have the best person for 10 months of the year than someone not as good for 12.”Whether such logic applies to a Test coach as well as a white-ball coach remains to be seen, while McCullum’s job at Knight Riders may come under scrutiny after a poor season to date in which they seem highly likely to miss out on the playoffs.Other leading candidates for the Test role are understood to include Gary Kirsten, Simon Katich and Graham Ford while Paul Collingwood is among the applicants for the white-ball job.

First-innings parity approaches after hoodoo-breaking 90

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2022Lancashire 280 for 9 (Croft 90, Norwell 4-78) trail Warwickshire 292 (Hain 130, D Lamb 3-43, Balderson 3-68) by 12 runsSteven Croft ended his recent Warwickshire hoodoo to lead Lancashire’s defiance on the second day of an absorbing LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.Croft’s previous three red-ball innings against the Bears had brought just three runs, but his gritty 90 (183 balls, ten fours, one six) led his side to 280 for nine in reply to 292.On an intensely competitive, hard-fought day, Lancashire’s first innings was a mirror image of Warwickshire’s the day before. Where Sam Hain’s century had underpinned the home side’s batting with only sporadic support, Croft formed a similar backbone for the Red Rose with similarly bit-part contributions from his colleagues.Liam Norwell, playing his first game back after injury, led the Bears’ bowling with four for 78.With Lancashire 12 runs behind with one first-innings wicket left, the match could hardly be more finely poised at the halfway point.Having bowled Warwickshire out in the penultimate over of the first day, Lancashire launched their innings at the start of the second and lost Keaton Jennings, caught behind off Olly Hannon-Dalby, to the 17th ball.Norwell took the next two wickets. Josh Bohannon edged a drive and was well held by Will Rhodes high at third slip and then Luke Wells (36, 87 balls) mishooked to mid off.Croft took root though and added 69 in 15 overs with Dane Vilas (37, 51 balls). The latter looked in good nick but stalked off the field in an state of angst having been adjudged caught by Hain at leg slip off spinner Danny Briggs. Lancashire’s captain evidently felt that he did not hit the ball – video evidence suggested he may have had a point.Rob Jones (28, 67 balls) helped construct another half-century stand with Croft but then mispulled Henry Brookes to mid-on. Jones thereby joined the lengthy list in this game of batters to get in then get out, as did George Balderson (19, 35) when he chipped Rhodes to extra cover.That left Lancashire on 226 for six with a new ball due. Danny Lamb twice pulled it into the Hollies Stand off Norwell but the paceman got his revenge via an edge to first slip.Norwell then flattened Tom Bailey’s off stump before, just as Hain had been uprooted right at the end of the first day, Croft fell, edging the deserving Brookes to first slip, just as the Bears groundstaff were getting ready to put the cat out.

Umpires in A+ and A category will be paid Rs 40,000 a day for a first-class game

PTI22-Jul-2022ICC Elite Panel member Nitin Menon is among ten officials grouped in the newly introduced A+ category of BCCI umpires. The others there include four international umpires: Anil Chaudhary, Madangopal Jayaraman, Virender Sharma and KN Ananthapadmanabhan.Rohan Pandit, Nikhil Patwardhan, Sadashiv Iyer, Ulhas Gandhe and Navdeep Singh Sidhu are also part of the A+ category.Twenty umpires – including C Shamshuddin – form the A group, while 60 are in Group B, 46 in Group C, and 11 in Group D, which falls in the 60-65 age bracket. The complete list was tabled at the Apex Council meeting on Thursday following the work done by former international umpires K Hariharan, Sudhir Asnani and Amiesh Saheba, and members of BCCI umpires’ sub-committee.Umpires in A+ and A category will be paid Rs 40,000 a day for a first-class game, while Rs 30,000 a day are paid in the B and C category. Though the list was presented as “gradation of umpires”, a BCCI official clarified to PTI that the board has created groups.”It is not grading. There are groups, with A+ being the new category,” the official said. “A+ and A, one can say, form the cream of Indian umpires. Umpires in B and C category are also good.”When it comes to assigning duties across domestic events starting at the top with Ranji Trophy, preference will be given group wise. The grouping has been done after reviewing the performances of the 2021-2022 season.”The board has not added to its umpires’ list since 2018. With the threat of Covid-19 reducing, the BCCI has decided to conduct a full-fledged domestic season in 2022-23 after two years.It plans to organise as many as 1832 games across age groups in men and women’s cricket, a massive exercise.The standard of Indian umpires is often criticised in the highly-watched IPL. Only one Indian, Menon, is currently part of the ICC elite panel.Asked about more umpires graduating to the highest level, the BCCI official added: “We put too much emphasis on the elite panel. Only England has three umpires in the elite panel, Australia has two and rest only one. You can only have so much there.”The focus should be on improving standard of umpiring at all levels.”