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“Initially when I started the tournament, I wasn’t over-thinking, I was just going and batting, like I used to do”

Shashank Kishore11-May-2022Ishan Kishan admits having “lost focus” in trying to deviate from being an early enforcer to a finisher. Having gotten into a rut, he’s trying to revert to his original style that has brought him T20 success.Currently, his strike rate of 117.15 is the fourth lowest among batters who have faced at least 150 balls in IPL 2022. There has been some improvement though over the past three games, with Kishan contributing scores of 51, 45 and 26. Kishan’s struggles have mirrored Mumbai’s struggles.”What worked well for me was, initially when I started the tournament, I wasn’t over-thinking, I was just going and batting, like I used to do,” Kishan said. “My focus was on giving a good start to the team. But I think later, somewhere I was trying to finish the game and do the job for others who were supposed to do it, and maybe I lost my focus in the first six overs.Related

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“I had a chat with the coach and captain also, and they just said, ‘If you can give us a good start, it will be helpful for the team, so you don’t have to think about finishing the game. If you are set there in the middle, you will anyway do that.’ So right now, my focus is just on giving good starts and making sure that I don’t get out easily. And if I’m the set batsman in the middle, I’m making sure that I have to be there to finish the game.”Much of Kishan’s focus lately has been inwards. Known to be a prankster around the team, he hasn’t let the fun element dry out. He insists key lifestyle changes and an improved focus towards diet and fitness have helped him make wholesome changes that he hopes will pay off going forward.”During the earlier seasons, I didn’t follow diet plans and stuff a lot, but now I’m following it,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of senior players around me do that. I’ve also had chats with trainers as to how the body helps you with your cricket, something I hadn’t realised until now. Like, while wicketkeeping, my movements are still good because a lot of it is liked to diet and how you train and form your routines.”In the IPL, matches keep coming, sometimes you tend to miss the training bit outside of the game. But now I have a proper plan in place that I’ve formed in discussion with the trainers. And we’re following it to ensure fitness is maintained and we feel good at the same time. Most of the guys who are in the Indian team are also following the same plan.”Players feel quite nice about it. In a bubble, we’re only looking at how we can utilise the time. The body is used to the bubble life now. We’ve got all the facilities given to us by the Mumbai management – gym, trainers – three of them who are always behind us. So, we’re focused on how to keep the body in best shape and how we can perform at our best.”Kishan’s lack of form has invariably been linked to IPL auction pressure. He was the season’s costliest signing at INR 15.25 crore. He admits while it did play on his mind early on, he has moved on and chats with senior players around the subject have helped bring clarity.”Price tag pressure lasts for a certain time,” he said. “Maybe on auction day, or maybe a day or two after that. But at the level you’re playing and having played for a while, I know what is most important. Do I keep that pressure on your mind or do I focus on how you can win matches for the team? Obviously, price tag pressure will be there for a while but if you have good seniors around you, if a player around you feels that way, a lot of seniors are around you.”Rohit, Virat, Hardik – all of them said the same thing. ‘Don’t be worried about the price tag pressure, it’s not something you have asked for. Instead of thinking about that, think of cricket and be in your zone. That is important.’ It’s possible they would’ve also faced such a situation before. How have they handled it then? These are things I’ve spoken about.”I feel very light now, I don’t even think about it. Price tag is secondary. The focus – whether you’ve been sold for 1 crore, base price or 15 crores – what matters is how you make the team win. Or if you’re not in form, how you’re helping others bring out their best. The focus has been on that.””Rohit, Virat, Hardik – all of them said the same thing. ‘Don’t be worried about the price tag pressure’•BCCI

Has he been affected by the external noise and chatter about his form, auction price? Not at all, if Kishan is to be believed.”I don’t really check who is saying what,” he said. “I know that they aren’t in our situation. If I was sitting on the outside, maybe I would have also written a lot of things about everyone. It’s the easiest thing to pick your phone and type away.”I saw some players, new to the team, who were checking the comment sections after the match. I told them, ‘There’s nothing to be gained by reading this. Those people aren’t playing, and they don’t know what pressure we have gone through.’ It’s easy for them to write that there should have been a six hit, they might want 36 runs in six balls. But cricket isn’t so easy.”What the situation is in the middle, what the team requires at that time… every player likes to play shots, but sometimes you will see several big-hitting players also playing on the merit of each ball, for 25 balls. Because that is a situation where you need a partnership.”It’s easy for the public to write. But yes, there are some fans who know what you’re going through also and who will back you. If you see on social media, or get to see through your manager, you’ll see you get backing also in your down time.”But I don’t get affected by the other comments people make, and I don’t think anyone else does either. People will talk. If you have fans, you’ll have haters too. They’re getting fun while writing, it’s okay. It doesn’t affect us, and we don’t even see those messages.”

From looking like favourites to win the Adelaide Test, India crumbled spectacularly on day three

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-20207.6 Cummins to Bumrah, OUT Got him, Cummins has taken very little time to take out the nightwatchman. Fullish, angling into off stump and straightening. Was it the slower legcutter? Possibly. Either way, he gets Bumrah to push at it in front of his body, without much of a stride prior to that, and the ball pops back for a return catch at waist heightJJ Bumrah c & b Cummins 2 (17b 0x4 0x6) SR: 11.76; India 15 for 2James: “I wonder if this game might turn out a little bit like the Leeds test Ashes test match last year, not in regards to the drama and the Stokes innings, but in the sense that the game moved so fast that the pitch was actually at its best for batting during that 4th innings.”Virat Kohli walks back, the key wicket in the middle of an India collapse•Getty Images

11.2 Cummins to Pujara, OUT Cummins is bringing Australia right back into this game. Superb delivery, angling into middle and off and straightening. Pujara absolutely has to play, the length is perfect. The feet don’t go anywhere, and even though he plays as close to the body as possible, it moves just enough to take his edge and no more. His bat face is ever so slightly closed, suggesting he was playing the initial angleCA Pujara c †Paine b Cummins 0 (8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0; India 15 for 311.5 Cummins to Kohli, no run Back of a length in the corridor, straightens past the edge as Kohli steps back and across to defend. This is fiery stuff12.1 Hazlewood to Agarwal, OUT And he strikes first ball. Wow. The most Josh Hazlewood dismissal you’ll see. Extra bounce from a length, and the initial angle – much like the Pujara dismissal – isn’t even attacking off stump but going slightly inside the line of the stumps. Then it straightens to take the edge, with Agarwal squared up in defenceMA Agarwal c †Paine b Hazlewood 9 (40b 1×4 0x6) SR: 22.5; India 15 for 412.5 Hazlewood to Rahane, OUT I said the length was more or less perfect the previous ball. This one was a few inches fuller, along the same line, and the ball straightened again to take the edge. India are effectively 68 for 5. Rahane doesn’t get a stride forward, just pushes at the ball, in front of his body, and pays the priceAM Rahane c †Paine b Hazlewood 0 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0; India 15 for 5India’s lowest ever Test Score•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Adithya: “Who would’ve thought thought that Bumrah could start a batting collapse as a batsman”orkydd: “Easier batting at night d’ya think?”Silva: “I’m still thinking about that run out [Kohli-Rahane mix-up in the first innings]”13.5 Cummins to Kohli, OUT Now Cummins has the Kohli wicket. I think all the wickets at the other end have unsettled Kohli, and made him decide he has to take on the bowling. Fullish in a wide-ish channel outside off, and Kohli does something he didn’t do at all in the first innings, attempt a cover drive against such a ball. Slices it to gully, where Green seems to have taken a clean catch low to his left, but they’re checking anyway. Soft signal is out. He caught it a few inches above the turf, but the issue is whether it slipped momentarily from his grasp on his way down. There seems to be a bit of a juggle, but it’s hard to tell, given he’s landing in an area of shadow, so it stays with the soft signalV Kohli c Green b Cummins 4 (8b 1×4 0x6) SR: 50; India 19 for 6A jubilant Josh Hazlewood is congratulated by team-mates after his devastating strikes•Getty Images

18.4 Hazlewood to Saha, OUT Chipped straight to midwicket! There is no stop to this carnage. What a treat to watch this guy bowl. Not his best delivery of the morning by any stretch, but everything around this delivery means Saha has gone with hard hands at a ball dipping into his leg stump. It’s a good length delivery, he reaches out and looks to close the face. He’s not close enough to do that and that’s off the inside part of a turning batWP Saha c Labuschagne b Hazlewood 4 (27m 15b 0x4 0x6) SR: 26.67; India 26 for 718.5 Hazlewood to Ashwin, OUT There’s a sound and the umpire’s heard it too. Ashwin reviews the catch behind. Good length, landing on the seam in the corridor. Jags away the tiniest bit from the surface. Ashwin is caught inside the line on the forward defence…there’s nothing on Hotspot. But Snicko has the slightest murmur. Ashwin will go first ball. Wicket number 200 for Hazlewood and now he’s on a hat-trickR Ashwin c †Paine b Hazlewood 0 (3m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0; India 26 for 820.1 Hazlewood to Vihari, OUT That’s five for Hazlewood! Take a bow, you absolute beast. What a spell. So persistent, near-perfect this morning. It’s another trademark dismissal – draw the batsman in with the angle in at the stumps, straighten it off the surface to draw the edge. And the edges are carrying today. Vihari on the front foot, thick outside edge, and Paine lunges to his right with two hands to hold onGH Vihari c †Paine b Hazlewood 8 (44m 22b 1×4 0x6) SR: 36.36; India 31 for 9Cummins to Shami, no run Can’t get out of the way. Short ball, doesn’t quite rise as much. It’s headed down leg side. Shami is backing into the leg side and trying to evade. Cops that on his right forearm and the team doctor is outMohammed Shami retired hurt 1 (6m 4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25; India 36 for 9

Henry Nicholls has suggested that it was his and Ross Taylor’s mental capacity to deal with balls that beat the bat that helped New Zealand recover from three quick wickets

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Aug-2019On a day in which a 100-run fourth-wicket stand formed the centre piece of New Zealand’s progress, one of the architects of that partnership suggested it was the mental capacity to deal with balls that beat the bat that helped the team recover from three quick wickets.Three wickets had fallen in the space of four overs just before lunch. When Henry Nicholls joined Ross Taylor after the break, the innings was at risk of spiraling into collapse – a frequent phenomenon at Galle.But Nicholls and Taylor resisted Sri Lanka’s best bowler of the day – offspinner Akila Dananjaya – to lift their side to a reasonable position. Nicholls made 42 off 78.”We know on these surfaces in the subcontinent when you do get a wicket sometimes it can turn into two or three,” Nicholls said after rain had forced an early finish to the day. “When Ross and I went out after lunch it was a case of keeping it simple and expecting that the ball was going to turn and beat the bat sometimes. It’s just being comfortable with that. We did a nice job for a while there.”Conditions were tough at times. The ball certainly spun a little earlier than we thought, but we expected it to be turning.”Countering Akila’s offbreaks were especially difficult for Nicholls, a left-hander. Akila had dismissed left-handed openers Jeet Raval and Tom Latham in quick session in the first session, on his way to 5 for 57 from the day. He was the only Sri Lanka bowler to take wickets.”With the ball turning away from left-handers he’s got a few options,” Nicholls said. “He’s a very good bowler as well. He deserved a five-wicket bag today. For me, trying to find a balance between defence and being comfortable with the ball turning the way it did, was important.”The game ebbed and flowed a bit through that middle session. Ross and I were able to score between 3.5 to 4 an over for a while there. We expect it to be like that – ebbing and flowing. When the ball’s a bit harder and it’s turning a bit sharper, it will be tougher. But when you bring the seamers back, while they bowled well at times, you were also able to score a bit faster.”Galle pitches are known to deteriorate quickly, on account of the strong sea-breeze that blows across the ground. Although 203 for 5 does not immediately appear a commanding score, New Zealand remain capable of getting themselves into a strong position on a famously bowler-friendly surface. Taylor ended the day at 86 not out off 131 balls.”First-innings runs in this part of the world are massive. We’re expecting it will get harder to bat on. It’s nice that Ross is not out overnight and is batting so beautifully.”

England’s women struck an early psychological blow ahead of Sunday’s tri-series final at Chelmsford, by easing to an seven-wicket victory

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-20182:13

Knight delighted with impressive England win ahead of final

England 130 for 3 (Taylor 51, Sciver 38*) beat New Zealand 129 (Devine 52, Shrubsole 3-16) by seven wickets
ScorecardEngland’s women struck an early psychological blow ahead of Sunday’s tri-series final at Chelmsford, by easing to an seven-wicket victory over their fellow finalists, New Zealand, in a low-key dress rehearsal at Bristol.Much like the England-Belgium World Cup fixture taking place at the same time as this match, there was rather less at stake than might have been anticipated beforehand, thanks to New Zealand’s earlier dispatching of South Africa, a result that confirmed the identity of the finalists.And in a further parallel with Kaliningrad, both sides rang the changes with a view to broadening the squad’s experience, but it was a familiar set of names who put the seal on England’s win.Anya Shrubsole starred with the ball, grabbing the key early wicket of Suzie Bates for a duck, en route to figures of 3 for 16. But Sarah Taylor and Nat Sciver broke the back of a sub-par target of 130 with a third-wicket stand of 81, before Heather Knight joined Sciver to wrap up the match with 4.1 overs to spare.Taylor, who dropped an early catch off the pacey left-armer Katie George, resumed normal service with yet another leg-side stumping, this time off Sciver, before easing to a 35-ball half-century, with seven fours. She had scarcely a moment of alarm until she herself was stumped off a fine googly from Amelia Kerr, a crafty piece of bowling that earned the teenager an appreciative clap from the outgoing batsman.New Zealand’s only real hope had come early in the chase when Jess Watkin struck twice in her first seven balls to extract both openers, Danni Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont, to similar inside-out drives to mid-off.But ultimately New Zealand paid the price for a lop-sided innings in which Sophie Devine, the opener, was also the last out, for a battling 52 from 45 balls. Beyond her, however, only Amy Satterthwaite offered much long-term resistance with 37 from 26, but she was trapped by a full-length inswinger to become a richly deserved maiden wicket for George.Thereafter England’s spinners, Sophie Ecclestone and Danni Hazell, ripped through the lower order. Ecclestone suffered a scare in the field as she twisted her ankle after throwing the ball in from the outfield, but she returned to the fray after a brief break for treatment.

Harbhajan Singh has asked for India’s domestic cricketers to be given contracts in order to ensure their financial security

Nagraj Gollapudi17-May-2017Offspinner Harbhajan Singh has asked for India’s domestic cricketers to be given contracts in order to ensure their financial security. The uncertainty over income, according to Harbhajan, was forcing some players to reconsider their future in the game.To ease such concerns, Harbhajan sought the intervention of India coach Anil Kumble, who is scheduled to meet the Committee of Administrators and BCCI office bearers in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21 to discuss the contracts of the international players.Harbhajan said he became aware of the issue while playing for Punjab over the last few years. “I hate that I’ve found constant struggle around me in the financial situation of my first-class team-mates,” Harbhajan told Kumble in a phone message reported by . “Even though Ranji Trophy is hosted by the richest cricket board in the world, I appeal to you as a player, who is an inspiration and role model for all Ranji players.”Harbhajan told Kumble that former India players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag needed to push for a hike in the match fees of domestic players. “Imagine in today’s day and age, how can you call yourself a professional if your ‘job’ doesn’t even tell you how much you will earn yearly?” he wrote. “How can you sign up and commit your life to a job which doesn’t promise you a fixed income every year. And that too, you are paid one year after you complete your work.”It is understood that Kumble acknowledged Harbhajan’s message and said he would look into the matter.The issue came to Harbhajan’s attention when a former Punjab team-mate highlighted his plight. Harbhajan realised the player had no money to support himself or his family. He was still young but not playing anymore, having been injured for two years. Harbhajan said the player had no insurance if he got injured during the season.”The guys can’t even plan their future because they don’t know whether they would earn Rs 1 lakh or Rs 10 lakh in that year, and it leads to huge issues in their lives and families and (affects) state of mind,” Harbhajan said. “Anyway, let’s try and gently make a change for our brothers.”According to Harbhajan, other countries have a support system in place for domestic players, something that the BCCI also needs to consider.”An international player has a contract, he has everything. But there are domestic cricketers I have played with who don’t have money to pay EMI,” Harbhajan told ESPNcricinfo. “There are some who played just two matches in which they did not perform well and then were in doubt about playing in the next season.”Harbhajan said he would be happy to talk with the COA if given an opportunity. “We need to make sure that the domestic players earn enough to run a household. We need to have domestic contracts in place, regardless of whether the cricketer plays or not. In case the player gets injured, the state association should bear his expenses and assure him about his future on his return.”A BCCI official agreed with Harbhajan but said it was the responsibility of the state association to create such contracts. “The BCCI does not have any control on the selections of players and such stuff. It is the state associations that manage that. The BCCI only pays the money to players.”The money paid to domestic players is in the form of two components: the match fee and a percentage of gross revenue from the media rights income the BCCI earns annually from the home season. The match fee is not standard and depends on the media rights income. The BCCI allots 13% of the media rights income to domestic players and junior cricketers. Domestic players get 10.40% and the rest goes to the junior cricketers. On an average, a domestic player might earn anywhere between INR 80,000 and 100,000 per first-class match.

Don Robson, the driving force behind Durham’s emergence as a first-class county, has died at the age of 82

David Hopps11-Mar-2016Don Robson, the driving force behind Durham’s emergence as a first-class county, has died at the age of 82.Durham became the 18th first-class county in 1992, the first since Glamorgan in 1921, defying the general assumption that county cricket was certain to decline rather than expand bravely into what became its most northerly outpost.After difficult beginnings, they went on to dominate the professional game, winning six trophies between 2007 and 2014, including three Championships, and also staging international cricket at their purpose-built Chester-le-Street ground.The death of the man who was chiefly responsible for delivering that dream comes at a challenging time when Durham are under considerable financial strain, inviting questions whether regular England cricket in the north-east is sustainable.Robson, immensely proud of the north-east, would have had no truck with such pessimism. As leader of Durham county council (the youngest ever when he was appointed in 1973) and an influential member of the regional assembly, he had political clout in the region and he put it to good use in a straightforward, immensely committed style.His ambition was to provide a home for the succession of cricketers developed in the north-east but who had previously had to leave the county to fulfil their ambitions to play professional cricket.Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating officer, knew Robson well from his time as commercial director at Durham.He said: “Don played a leading role in gaining first-class status for Durham prior to their inaugural season at the top table in 1992. The north-east was going through a really tough time economically and Don’s efforts therefore didn’t just help cricket, they also helped the region regain some pride.”The success of Durham on the field, the development of several England players and the staging of international cricket at the Emirates Riverside are all achievements that would not have been possible without Don’s contribution”Don was equally committed to the recreational game – I would often see him watching Greenside CC play in the Tyneside & Northumberland league on a Saturday afternoon.”Robson became Durham’s first chairman as a first-class county, but this was no political sop. He led the fundraising drive, lobbying extensively and continuing his involvement in cricket in the north-east.He was involved when Durham were England’s dominant minor county through the 1970s and ’80s – going 65 games unbeaten between 1976 and 1982 – managed the Under-19 team for a while and represented the county at several committees on the Test and County Cricket Board – the forerunner of the ECB.In April 1992 they played their first match as a first-class county – a Sunday League fixture against Lancashire at the Racecourse Ground in Durham. Ian Botham and Wayne Larkins, two high-profile signings, opened the batting and Durham won. It was a decade and more before winning became a habit.Most importantly, Durham secured land for a permanent headquarters on the outskirts of Chester-le-Street, adjoining the River Wear and with Lumley Castle providing a striking backdrop. A Chester-le-Street farmer had been willing to end his lease because the land was too wet. In May 1995, Durham played their inaugural game on the ground against Warwickshire and the pavilion was named in Robson’s honour and opened by the Queen in 1996.Geoff Cook, Durham’s director of cricket – the longest-serving county coach in the game – said on the their website: “You had to be involved at the time of Durham’s emergence from minor counties cricket to appreciate the enormity of Don’s involvement in the whole scheme.”To be the first new county for 70 or 80 years was a big thing in its own right, but the practicalities of getting the finance and the ground in place were vital to us having a realistic chance of succeeding.”A tremendous amount of balls were up in the air at the same time, but Don remained completely focused throughout the process and at the same time he progressed his business as well as his political career.”It was amazing to be on hand to witness his mental and physical energy and the way he was able to pull things together. He really was a remarkable man. He had a ferocious energy and a determination to satisfy his vision.”No matter the size of the hurdles that got in his way, he always felt he could surmount them. He was formidable, but he had a lot of warmth and he was a caring person.”Before awarding first-class status, Durham had to have at least £1m in the bank and guarantee to secure a permanent ground within five years.Robson used his political contacts to win major support from such companies as Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, but he was a politician who also had a strong connection with the public and they trusted him with a rush of small donations and offers of help in the belief that he would achieve his goal.He was awarded a CBE for services to local government in 1997 and received an honorary doctorate from Sunderland University in 2002 in recognition both of this and his role in securing Durham’s first-class status. He also played professional football as a centre-forward with Doncaster Rovers and Gateshead.

Fast improving Warwickshire registered their third Friends Life t20 victory in a row when beating Midlands/Wales/West group leaders Northamptonshire by three wickets at Edgbaston

20-Jul-2013
ScorecardRikki Clarke was the difference between the sides•Getty Images

Fast improving Warwickshire registered their third Friends Life t20 victory in a row when beating Midlands/Wales/West group leaders Northamptonshire by three wickets at Edgbaston.For a long time it seemed that Northamptonshire’s flimsy-looking total of 111 might be too good for Warwickshire as a tense, low-scoring contest unfolded on a sluggish pitch.David Willey put them on the back foot with wickets from the last two balls of the third over and they were seriously wobbling when William Porterfield was caught on the boundary off Steven Crook.It took the experience of Rikki Clarke – and one bad over – to keep them in contention. Clarke targeted offspinner Matthew Spriegel for three sixes in four balls, twice clearing long-off before lining up a much bigger hit to long-on.Although Willey came back to have Clarke caught at long on for 36, Northamptonshire had run out of seam options when Spriegel had to bowl the last two overs from the pavilion end. That proved to be decisive when Jeetan Patel, a player who thrives on spin bowling, smashed a six over midwicket with three balls to spare.Northamptonshire’s earlier struggle was largely caused Steffan Piolet, first with a brilliant piece of fielding and then with a spell of 3 for 24, a personal-best return in the competition.The 24-year-old all-rounder ran out Cameron White with a direct hit from mid-on when the Australian was backing up at the non-striker’s end. This meant Northamptonshire had lost their two overseas players from the first 15 balls. South African Richard Levi’s off stump was sent spinning by Clarke’s first delivery and the initial six-over power play yielded only 29 runs.A minor recovery was under way before Piolet intervened by taking his three wickets in 10 balls. The dangerous Crook holed out to long off and in the medium pacer’s last over, top scorer Kyle Coetzer fell at mid-wicket and Willey made too much room when he was bowled.Willey targeted the shortest boundary at long on for three of the five sixes in the innings but on a difficult surface for batsmen Northants were able to hit only three fours.