All posts by csb10.top

ScorecardKent all-rounder Darren Stevens left Trent Bridge to undergo a scan after a nasty blow to the back of the head during the night session forced him to retire hurt as his side delayed Second Division leaders Nottinghamshire in their quest for another comprehensive win.The 41-year-old, who ducked into a short ball from the left-arm pace bowler Harry Gurney, never lost consciousness but his helmet was split and Kent decided to take the safety-first option after he was still suffering from a headache two hours after suffering the blow.On the field, he was passed fit to continue initially, with a replacement helmet, but left the field shortly afterwards, after facing seven more deliveries, which he was struggling to pick up under the lightsStevens was able to speak to reporters as he left the ground but Kent head coach Matt Walker said: “Darren won’t take any further part in the game. Early assessment suggests a concussion.”He’s struggling with a bit of vision in his left eye and he’s got a raging headache, so we’ll get him off to hospital and get him checked out because he’s not 100 per cent at all.”Gurney, who is friends with Stevens, like him a former Leicestershire player, was unsettled by seeing the popular veteran struggling.”He came in and was playing some shots so I tried to make life unpleasant for him because he’s not a spring chicken any more,” Gurney said. “I ran in and bowled a bouncer and caught him on the head, which as a bowler is tricky because you want to intimidate the batsman and encourage them to make a mistake.”But Stevo is a mate of mine and it wasn’t nice to see him down on the deck like that, although I’ve just seen him and he’s ok.”Stevens was the second player in the match sent for a scan after England fast bowler Jake Ball, who is still being assessed after suffering a knee injury on Tuesday.Darren Stevens went to hospital for a scan•Getty Images

The results were “still being studied” according to the final medical update of the day issued by Nottinghamshire, who will monitor both Ball and Stuart Broad before deciding, in consultation with England, whether either can play in Saturday’s Royal London One-Day Cup final against Surrey at Lord’s. Broad had a brief workout in the middle after stumps.Earlier, Nottinghamshire reached the brink of seeing off one of their closest rivals in the Second Division promotion race only to be denied the satisfaction of doing so inside three days by a stubborn partnership witnessed by barely more than 100 spectators.Wicketkeeper Adam Rouse and New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne had added 47 for the eighth wicket – effectively the ninth with Stevens ruled out – when play finished at 9.46pm, which means Kent will resume on the final day with a lead of 23.A horrible evening, cold as well as damp, could be held accountable for the lack of spectators rather than any rejection of the day-night concept. That 40 overs were played was a bonus, given that heavy rain had persisted well into the afternoon.There will be question marks, though, over whether the pink ball under lights poses an unnecessary hazard for batsmen after the Stevens scare.The odds were against Kent salvaging anything from the contest had been forcibly lengthened at the close of play on Tuesday when Sam Billings, 39 not out and the batsman who had looked most capable of leading a Kent fightback, set off to join the Lions squad in Worcester.His place at today’s start – delayed until 5.45pm – was taken by 20-year-old Joe Weatherley, playing in only his seventh first-class match.Weatherley helped Will Gidman add 25 to a fifth-wicket partnership worth 42 overnight before Steven Mullaney beat Gidman with an inswinger with the sixth ball of his first spell of the day, maintaining his reputation as a partnership breaker.The young right-hander, who stands tall at the crease, appeared to wind up James Pattinson, who was given a talking-to by umpire Neil Bainton after a shy at the stumps off his own bowling struck Weatherley on the leg.The Aussie pace bowler had the last word, yorking Weatherley shortly before Stevens left the field. Matt Coles, the all-rounder’s replacement at the crease, lasted two balls before feathering a catch to Chris Read off Gurney.At that point Kent still trailed by 24 runs and the assumption was that, with Stevens ruled out, two more wickets would clinch victory for Nottinghamshire. But then another shower took more time out of the game and after play resumed at 9.10pm, Rouse and Milne were able not only to survive the 12 overs left but to require the home side to bat again on the final day.

Captain Virat Kohli has clarified that the Indian team offers its suggestions to the BCCI only when asked, as the board continues to look for a new coach after Anil Kumble’s resignation 10 days ago. Kumble had stated his partnership with Kohli had become “untenable”, even though Kohli had said at the beginning of the Champions Trophy that there were “no issues whatsoever” between the two.Kumble later said in his resignation that he was informed by the BCCI that Kohli “had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”.”From a personal point of view I can’t pinpoint anything or give details,” Kohli said a day before the third ODI against West Indies in Antigua. “We as a team, contrary to a lot of perceptions, only voice our opinions when asked by the BCCI for suggestions. So that is something we have always gone through as a process and that’s something we respect as a team. It’s been asked together, it’s not like segregation of anything so we respect that process and that same procedure, if and when it takes place, we’ll give our suggestions to the BCCI.”The suggestions are given to the board who handle the procedure and there’s no point saying anything out in the open because that is for us as a team to convey to the board as and when we are asked, and it’s something I’ve mentioned before.”It became clear in Kumble’s resignation that there were “misunderstandings” between him and Kohli and ESPNcricinfo had reported a month ago that the captain, and possibly a few other senior players, had expressed a lack of confidence in their coach. Kohli has hardly opened up on the issue since then, mainly saying he has “total respect” for Kumble as a cricketer, and did not want to divulge details to “maintain the sanctity of the change room”.Kohli stated on Thursday that the team was a “very closely-knit unit” and the players got along with each “really well”. He also said their focus right now was on the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, which the visitors lead 1-0 after the first match was washed out.”Right now we have a series at hand and this is what we are focused on,” Kohli said. “The process [of selecting the coach] is taking place and that is something that is in control of the BCCI and the process has always been in place. We, as a team, are focusing on this series right now and we are not focused on anything else at the moment. Our priority is coming here and winning this series, and preparing for the games that lie ahead of us.”Once Kumble resigned, the BCCI decided to invite more applications for the position of the coach, extending the deadline to July 9. Among the newer applicants is Ravi Shastri, who had applied for the position last year too but lost out after the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, picked Kumble for one year.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore has been released from his Worcestershire contract and will join Yorkshire immediately.ESPNcricinfo revealed a week ago that Kohler-Cadmore, who was out of contract at the end of the season, had agreed to join Yorkshire for 2018. When he informed Worcestershire of his plans, their director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, was furious and threatened not to select him in first- or second-team games for the rest of the season.Rhodes has now partially relented and allowed Kohler-Cadmore to move on. It is understood he will, initially at least, play in Yorkshire’ssecond XI. He is thought unlikely to be selected in the Yorkshire side for the Royal London Cup play-off.”Worcestershire County Cricket Club have mutually agreed with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and his representative of the immediate release from his contract with the club,” Tom Scott, the Worcestershire CEO said. “We would like to thank Tom for the contribution he has made at New Road and wish him continued success in the future.”The timing of the news may unsettle Worcestershire supporters. The club is due to play in the semi-final of the Royal London Cup(possibly against Yorkshire) in little more than a week – their first semi-final appearance for 13-years – and Kohler-Cadmore was an important part of their white-ball team.It is understood that neither the player or Yorkshire sought an early release from his contract. Indeed, Kohler-Cadmore is understood to bedistressed that a happy spell at New Road has ended in sour circumstances. There is no suggestion that Yorkshire in any way actedinappropriately.While Kohler-Cadmore graduated through the Worcestershire academy – he was attracted to the area by a sixth-form cricket scholarship at nearby Malvern College – he had, until then, developed through the Yorkshire system and is understood to value a return to the north of England.Aged 22, he is a fine prospect. He scored the fastest century of the English domestic season, off 43 balls, in 2016 and made the onlycentury of the Worcestershire campaign – against Yorkshire – to help the county top the North Group in this season’s Royal London Cup. He also averaged 48.40 as the club won their first four Championship matches of the season.Since the news of his departure broke and he was dropped from the side, Worcestershire subsided to an innings defeat against Sussex.”Producing players who are qualified for England and could go on to play for England is what we’re all about,” Rhodes told ESPNcricinfo.”That won’t change.”It’s a delight to watch guys you’ve seen from the age of 13 play first-team cricket and enjoy success together. We’ll carry on trying to produce players and our aim will be to keep them, too.”We’ve a semi-final coming up and everyone here is very excited by that. Hopefully it shows you can play here, enjoy success and furtheryour career.”

Andrew Gale has admitted he was “disappointed” by the ECB decision to rest Jonny Bairstow from Yorkshire’s opening rounds of Championship action.Gale, Yorkshire’s new head coach, accepted the absence of Joe Root due to his heavy workload in international cricket. But Bairstow, who has hardly played since the conclusion of England’s Test tour to India in mid-December, has also been rested despite having been made available for the IPL.When Bairstow was not picked-up in the IPL auction, Yorkshire might have presumed he would be available for them. But, despite having played just three days of cricket this year (a warm-up game and an ODI in India, and a warm-up game in St Kitts), Bairstow has instead been rested from the opening two matches of the Championship season, appearing instead as an analyst on Sky’s IPL coverage.That has left Yorkshire, who wrapped up a crushing win over Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Monday after losing their opening game, confused and disappointed.”I can see why someone like Rooty would want a rest given the amount of cricket he’s played,” Gale said. “But Jonny has played one one-day international since Christmas. I think he’s played three days of cricket.”For me, he should have been available right from the first game of the season. He had enough time off from the end of the West Indies trip. I felt he should have been available.”It’s not the first time that Yorkshire, and Gale in particular, have expressed their discontent with decisions made by the England management. At the end of last season, with the Championship title at stake, Gale was frustrated by Adil Rashid’s decision to miss the final match of the season (Rashid claimed that a family member was ill), while the club also requested the release of players from the England touring squad in the Caribbean at the start of the 2015 season. That squad contained several Yorkshire players who were deemed surplus to requirements from the Test side.Both Root and Bairstow will be available for Yorkshire’s next Championship game which starts on Friday. Liam Plunkett, who has a calf strain, is not thought likely to be fit to return.Gale’s concerns have been eased somewhat by the emergence of Ben Coad, who had played just one Championship match before this season, but is currently the leading wicket-taker in the country with 18 from the first two matches, including his maiden five- and ten-wicket hauls.Only winning a place in the side due to the absence of several first-choice bowlers (Plunkett, Jack Brooks, Ryan Sidebottom and, for the opening match, David Willey and Rashid), he has again demonstrated the depth of the Yorkshire squad and the success of their youth development.”When you have fine seamers injured you are a little worried,” Gale agreed. “But it creates opportunities and Coady has grabbed the bull by the horns and put his name in the hat for the rest of the year. I’m sure the lads will looking over their shoulders thinking how they will get back in the team.”He’s surprised himself. He’s always had the talent and done well in the second team but to come in and take 18 wickets, I didn’t expect him to lead the attack.”We pride ourselves on bringing through homegrown players with the time and money we put into the academy. We don’t want to be signing guys from around the country or abroad. We want to back our home-grown players. We will always give them the chance first and then the academy lads can see a path into the first team and that gives them hope.”This is part and parcel of being part of Yorkshire. We’ve always wanted to bring our homegrown players through, but if we do that, they are going to get picked for England. We want our players to play for England, but when they’re available we want them to play for us as well.”

Lions won their second consecutive game to climb to third place with a 59-run win via Duckworth-Lewis method against Knights in Johannesburg. Lions’ victory was set up by opening batsman Reeza Hendricks, who scored an unbeaten 142 off 144 balls to help them post 294 after being put in. His knock was supported by fifties from Rassie van der Dussen (51 off 82), with whom he put on 145 for the opening stand, and Mangaliso Mosehle (59 off 47), who dominated a second-wicket stand of 90. Lions’ innings ended on 294 for 4, cut short by rain with one ball to go. Knights were handed a revised target of 294 in 49 overs, and lost openers to Beuran Hendricks (3 for 40) within the eighth over. Rudi Second (43) and Leus du Plooy put on 80 for the third wicket, but Aaron Phangiso (3 for 52) struck in consecutive overs and Beuran returned to remove Patrick Botha in the next to reduce Knights to 114 for 5. Du Plooy eventually fell for 74 after putting on 51 with Aubrey Swanepoel for the sixth wicket. There were no other significant partnerships as they were restricted to 234 for 9.Sixties from Heino Kuhn and Henry Davids, and cameos from Albie Morkel and David Wiese lifted Titans to 324 for 6 before they bowled Warriors out for 289 at Buffalo Park to move to the top of the table. Their innings was built on an opening stand off 100 between Aiden Markram (45) and Davids (66), before Tony de Zorzi (41) and Kuhn (61) carried them to 215 for 3 at the end of the 40th over. Morkel (34 off 16) and Wiese (44* off 26) then led the slog-overs charge as 109 came off the last ten overs. Warriors started their chase with a 150-run opening stand, but Markram removed the openers – JJ Smuts for 81 with his offspin, before running out Gihahn Cloete for 65 – to start a collapse of five wickets for only 22 runs in five overs. Lower-order cameos from Lesiba Ngoepe (41), Kelly Smuts (26) and Jerry Nqolo (26) kept Warriors in the hunt, but Malusi Siboto (2 for 33) took a brace to cut their resistance short.

Stuart Broad confirmed that he has held talks with the ECB, as the board launched its search for Alastair Cook’s successor as Test captain, but insisted he has “not specifically” thrown his hat into the ring for the role.Speaking to reporters at Buckingham Palace after receiving an MBE from Prince Charles, Broad said that he backed Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, to make the right appointment, after it emerged that the frontrunners for the role – Broad, Joe Root and Ben Stokes – had all held meetings with Strauss and James Whitaker, the chairman of selectors, on Thursday.”I’ve played for England for a long time, over ten years, so as a senior player you are going to share views and talk to coaches and hierarchies about how the team moves forward,” said Broad.”It’s important that players who’ve been involved, and who you see leading the team forward in the next few years, are consulted.”When he was captain, Andrew Strauss was one of the best decision-makers I’ve ever played with and, now he’s moved into the top of English cricket, I’m sure he’ll consider all options and malke a very sensible and good decision.”While Root remains the overwhelming favourite to lead England in their next Test series, against South Africa in July, there are legitimate concerns about the workload on both him and Stokes, two players who are deemed indispensable to England in all three formats.And that could yet be a reason to hand the Test captaincy to Broad, 30, a senior player with established leadership qualities (he was England T20 captain for three years until Eoin Morgan succeeded him in 2015), but who has played only two limited-overs matches since the 2015 World Cup.Moreover, with England’s defence of the Ashes fast approaching in November, Broad’s proven appetite for the heat of battle in Australia – where he has recently completed a successful stint with Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash – could be another reason to entrust him with the captaincy.

Broad sympathy for de Villiers

Stuart Broad believes that AB de Villiers has made a wise decision to postpone his return to Test cricket until after this summer’s England tour, as he seeks to regain full fitness after a long-term injury lay-off.
Broad, who has dismissed de Villiers ten times in Test cricket, more than any other bowler, admitted he would miss “testing himself against the best”, but said that de Villiers had to do what was right for his long-term career.
“He needs to get it right, because what people don’t realise when cricketers get injured, it’s not just the physical pain that it can cause you, it’s the mental strain of actually getting up every day and playing through pain.
“It’s like playing with a headache every day, and it wears you down over a period of time. I’d always encourage any cricketer who has had long-term niggles to make sure the body gets right, so it would certainly be wrong of me to encourage AB to come over and play through an injury that has hampered him for a little while.
“But if he does have a change of heart come July it’d be lovely to see him at Lord’s. The lunches are still as good.”

Not only has he produced series-winning spells in each of England’s last three home Ashes series, most memorably with his 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge in 2015, he was also one of the few players to emerge with his reputation enhanced on the disastrous whitewash tour Down Under in 2013-14, finishing as England’s highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Broad recalled how the events of that tour helped to “make him as a cricketer”, most notably during the opening exchanges of the first Test in Brisbane, where a local newspaper, the Courier-Mail, instigated a vendetta against him as a consequence of his refusal to walk for a catch at slip during the Trent Bridge Test in 2013.Throughout the contest, the paper referred to him only as “the 27-year-old medium-pacer”, and encouraged the crowds to let him know what they thought of him, but after claiming first-innings figures of 6 for 81, Broad walked into that evening’s press conference with a copy of the paper under his arm.”That really helped make me as a cricketer,” Broad told ESPNcricinfo. “It made me quite a steely character, made me know how to deal with crowd pressure, put it to one side and work on your performance.”It was an experience for sure, I played there in the Big Bash against Brisbane, and got a bit of crowd interaction but certainly not as much as in an England shirt. To walk away with that sort of reaction but with a six-for was a pleasing feeling. I told myself I can deal with everything that’s thrown at me externally and still deliver a good performance.”Obviously the Test didn’t go our way but I know I am a competitive bloke, I thrive in competitive situations, and there’s no better situation than an Ashes series away from home, and it’s a hugely exciting challenge for us.”We’ve got a lot to get through but we are building a team that can challenge Australia in Australia. I spent some time there and there’s no doubt they are formidable in their own conditions, but we have players of the likes of Root and Stokes, Jos Buttler’s such a dangerous talent with the bat, and Moeen Ali too.”These are guys who are delivering on the big stage, plus a few senior guys who’ve been there and done that. We are growing as a team and this will be an exciting Test team to follow over the next few years.”Stuart Broad had to endure hostility from the fans and the media during the Brisbane Test in 2013•Getty Images

Despite speculation that he might be in line for a return to the ODI squad for the forthcoming tour of the Caribbean, Broad was last week overlooked in an unchanged squad, and appears to recognise that county cricket will be his priority for the foreseeable future, as he readies himself to face South Africa, Test opponents that England have not beaten on home soil since 1998.”I’ve got a great period now with no Test cricket until July,” Broad said. “I haven’t had that for about eight or nine years, so I’m looking forward to the next period of time, doing my pre-season with Notts, heading over to Barbados, and setting high standards for myself come July.””South Africa are always a tough team, that’s what made winning in South Africa so special,” he added. “I’ve played in two series against them at home, they beat us in 2008, when I got dropped towards the end of the series, then Hashim Amla got a triple at The Oval [in 2012] and they beat us in that series too.”They are always great competitors, very skillful in our conditions, and that makes this summer a huge one. It’s important for us to get back to winning ways after a tough tour of India. Everyone expected that – five back-to-back with no warm-ups was going to be tricky – but England in our own conditions, at grounds that we are used to and where we have very good records, should encourage us to really take South Africa on.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrisbane Heat’s asking rate had climbed very high by the time Andrew Tye’s hat-trick came•Getty Images

Brisbane Heat became the first victims of Cricket Australia’s selection policy, choking on a run chase of 157 against Perth Scorchers that their big-hitting opener Chris Lynn would normally have devoured for breakfast.Instead, having created the sensation of this tournament by forming the opening pair known as the Bash Brothers with former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, Lynn was a spectator after being picked for Australia’s ODI series against Pakistan.It was a stark reminder of how uncomfortably these two forms of limited-overs cricket currently coexist in the Australian summer schedule. The unstoppable side of recent weeks was bowled out for 129 in the last over, finished off by an Andrew Tye hat-trick as the pace-change specialist finished with 4 for 22.In Lynn’s absence, the Heat could not create a sense of threat at the top of the order. His opening replacement, wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson, lasted all of three deliveries before left-arm menace Mitchell Johnson slanted a ball across him that took the edge to a well-placed Ashton Turner at slip.Johnson’s next over had Sam Heazlett miscuing a straight hit to Ashton Agar at mid-off, and from this unaccustomed position of disadvantage, McCullum skied a straight hit to mid-on one ball after pulling Jhye Richardson into the square-leg stands.From there the mounting run rate kept the pressure high, and wickets fell regularly. Test opener Joe Burns and former Adelaide Striker Alex Ross put on 43, but when Burns tried to force the pace, Agar grabbed a brilliant catch running back towards long-on.Michael Klinger held another running catch to get rid of Nathan Reardon, giving the microphone-wearing Scorchers captain the chance to chat breathlessly to Australian coach and selector Darren Lehmann as the latter moonlighted in the television commentary box, curious given Klinger is vying for national T20 selection.While Ross attempted to bat through the innings with a 40-ball 39, he got very lucky in the 12th over when his reverse sweep against Agar rolled back solidly into the stumps. Like a home-series umpire, the heavy Zing bail was unmoved.Nonetheless, Agar’s four overs for 18 runs were instrumental in slowing Heat’s chase, which looked over long before Tye could snuff it out.Earlier, Klinger had played to perfection the role Ross was attempting, batting through most of the innings for 81 in a knock that combined consolidation and counterattack.Conditions were trying: opening partner Shaun Marsh slashed a catch to third man, then Sam Whiteman hooked another, two overs after being struck a vicious blow to the head by English speedster Tymal Mills. Under a rare use of the concussion substitute rule, Cameron Bancroft entered the fray to keep wicket when Heat batted.Young legspinner Mitchell Swepson bowled his four overs unchanged for 22 runs, picking up the normally silky Ian Bell at long-on and the destructive Ashton Turner off a top edge.Around that damage, Klinger muscled sixes and fours down the ground and over midwicket, including one that Burns caught but carried over the rope. Klinger was finally out with seven balls left in the innings, and recent Test selection Hilton Cartwright could not ice the innings with 13 from 17.The Scorchers total shouldn’t have been enough, but the Lynn-less Heat were not able to keep up, loosening their hold on top spot with Sydney Sixers level on eight points, and Melbourne Stars on six with a game in hand.Perhaps as significant as the loss, though, was news that McCullum now faces suspension for a slow over rate, a punishment that Heat has indicated an intention to protest. They had better. To lose one Bash Brother may be regarded as misfortune. To lose two begins to look like carelessness.

Parthiv Patel has made a scathing assessment of England’s spinners after India reached 146 for 1 on day two on a pitch that offered ample help for them. All 11 wickets on the first two days have fallen to spinners, with several balls turning sharply, but India made a confident start in reply to what looked like a daunting total of 400, given the conditions underfoot.After the first day’s play, R Ashwin had said he expected the pitch to become better for the batsmen on days two and three before disintegrating for good. Batting certainly seemed easier as M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara batted out the first wicketless session of the Test on the second evening, but Parthiv felt that was purely down to quality of the bowlers.”More than the surface, I think the quality of our bowling is far better,” Parthiv said. “Our bowlers get definitely more revolutions on the ball than what their spinners are doing. And obviously, we vary our pace very well. We have deceived a lot of players in the air, rather than just waiting for the help off the wicket. I think there’s definitely a lot of difference in the quality.”Asked what is it that the India spinners have done differently, Parthiv said the England spinners had been “exposed” in Mohali.”We have definitely tried to spin the ball more than what they have tried to do, for sure,” Parthiv said. “That’s what even I felt in the last game also. Last game, the way our bowlers bowled in Mohali, where there was no turn and you could see how they bowled in Mohali when we were batting second, where they actually got exposed because there was no help in it.Parthiv, left, believes England were outclassed by India’s spinners•AFP

“And we definitely have traditional bowlers who can vary their pace brilliantly. That’s what [R] Ashwin, Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] and Jayant [Yadav] have been doing. That’s why we have kept them quiet. As you know, on a red-soil wicket, it is very, very difficult to contain the scoring rate, and we did that in the second session [on day one] and that is the reason we got wickets in the third session.”England coach Trevor Bayliss had asked his players to bat positively coming into the Test, but to do so they had to take a few risks, which resulted in a collapse on the first evening. Parthiv felt India didn’t need to do so because a release ball was always around the corner with England’s spinners.”That is definitely one of the reasons,” Parthiv said, when asked if the India batsmen need not take risks because they can expect loose balls. “We don’t have to go over the top and try and play a sweep or a reverse sweep because we know that a bad ball is coming soon.”There is certainly some truth to what Parthiv said about the spinners of both sides – and there’s no doubt that Jake Ball, England’s No.10, rode his luck in helping Jos Buttler take England to 400 – but this press conference also seemed a conscious attempt at a psychological blow.Behind the babyface of Parthiv is a cheeky wicketkeeper, who as an 18-year-old got under the skin of Steve Waugh with his sledging. You could imagine he was doing the same when asked about his Mumbai Indians team-mate Buttler’s effort, full of restraint, that has kept England competing in the Test.”I think, honestly, he was very lucky yesterday,” Parthiv said. “There were a lot of balls when there were inside-edges, and [some] missed [the] stumps by a very little distance, but I thought he batted well today. When you don’t have any pressure, you tend to play well. Once wickets fell, he had to play with the tailenders and he played his game. I would love to see him defending a few in the second innings if it turns and bounces.”There was half a cheeky smile on his face as Parthiv said that.

Both matches on the opening day of the Bangladesh Premier League 2016-17 were abandoned without a ball being bowled in Dhaka. The only match-related action was the toss at the first match, where Rajshahi Kings opted to bowl first against Comilla Victorians. Twenty minutes after the toss took place, however, the ground was covered and the match ultimately called off at 4.50pm.The second match, between Khulna Titans and Rangpur Riders, was abandoned at 9.25pm local time after the ground was inundated.Unseasonal showers, caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal, had affected Dhaka and different parts of the country over the past 24 hours. The weather was clear for three hours on Friday morning but the rain returned 10 minutes before the first match and did not relent.Popular local singer Ayub Bacchu held his concert under umbrellas between the two scheduled matches but there was no more fun for the crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Rain is also forecast for Saturday, with two matches scheduled in Dhaka.

Jermaine Blackwood, whose innings of 62 and fourth-wicket partnership of 81 with Marlon Samuels were rare bright sparks in West Indies’ first-innings total of 196, said the match could have changed complexion had he not been dismissed in the last over before lunch. Having been reduced to 7 for 3, West Indies had recovered to 88 for 3 when R Ashwin had Blackwood lbw with only three balls left in the session.”When I went out [to bat], he [Samuels] was just giving me a lot of advice about staying positive and running well between the wickets and try to score runs and wear down the bowlers,” Blackwood said. “As scoring chances came, I played my shots. If I had come back after lunch, it would have been a different ball game, because me and Marlon had a nice partnership. For me to get out, it set the team back and put the bowlers back on top. So I guess you have to learn from your mistakes.”Blackwood said the counterattacking approach he adopted from the time he stepped in was just his natural game. “That is just normally how I play, ever since I started playing. So that’s my natural game. I try to score my first 20-25 runs quickly, and tried to use the pace of the ball. So that is how Jermaine Blackwood plays his game.”Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, had sprung something of a surprise at the toss, when he chose to bat on a damp, grassy pitch. Blackwood said there was nothing wrong with the decision to bat, but West Indies’ batsmen simply hadn’t batted well enough.”Normally, at Sabina Park, the wicket is going to have a little bit in it for the pace bowlers for a couple hours. This track is different and has some grass, so they will get assistance right through the match for pace bowlers. It wasn’t a wrong decision to bat first, but we just didn’t bat for a long period. I guess next time we will have to do that.”