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The chief selector said Kohli’s experience was valuable to India’s T20 squad and that there was enough muscle in the middle order

Shashank Kishore02-May-20241:03

Agarkar: Someone with Kohli’s experience matters at World Cup level

“Are you concerned about Virat Kohli’s strike rate?”India’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar was asked that question at a press conference to discuss the squad for the T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Thursday. Though he didn’t specify, it’s possible the questioner may have meant Kohli’s strike rate against spin.”I don’t think we’ve been discussing it,” Agarkar said. “Look, he has been in great form fortunately in the IPL, so there are no concerns there at all with regards to how it’s going [for Kohli] in the IPL.”Kohli is currently the second highest run-scorer this season, with 500 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 147.49. But, among 16 players who have scored at least 100 runs against spin in IPL 2024, Kohli ‘s strike rate of 135.66 is the fifth lowest.Agarkar, however, said that Kohli’s experience was valuable and that they had made selections to give the middle order more power. “I mean we’ve obviously got some reinforcements. That’s the whole thing, but you want some experience in your team,” he said. “I mean these guys [Rohit, Kohli] have been around because they’ve been good enough to be around. That’s the reason they played. They have played multiple World Cups.Virat Kohli has 500 runs at a strike rate of 147.49 after 10 innings in IPL 2024•BCCI

“But look, like Rohit spoke before, we have tried to get in players who are going to bat a certain way in the middle of the innings where just presuming that a lot of teams will use spin sometimes. That has been an issue. We have tried to address that with some of the guys that we picked. We have tried to get in some left handers as well through the middle of that innings. Surya has been the number one T20 player in the world for a while. I don’t think he’s too bad through the middle either.”Last week in the IPL, Kohli played one of his best T20 innings against spin, scoring 70 not out off 44 balls against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. He scored 61 runs at a strike rate of 179 against Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Sai Kishore, the most he has ever scored against spin in a T20 game.”All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff,” Kohli said after that innings. “But for me, it’s just about winning the game for the team. And there’s a reason why you do it for 15 years – because you’ve done this day in [and] day out; you’ve won games for your teams.”I am not quite sure if you’ve been in that situation yourself to sit and speak about the game from a box. I don’t really think it’s the same thing [as playing out there]. So for me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done it day in [and] day out know what’s happening, and it’s kind of a muscle memory for me now.”

Yorkshire bring in Australian Mickey Edwards as a local player

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2023Somerset have signed Matt Henry, the New Zealand seamer, as an overseas player for seven County Championship games and the duration of the T20 Blast.Henry has been hugely effective whenever he has played Championship cricket, taking 87 wickets at 15.94 across two spells at Kent, and has also represented Derbyshire and Worcestershire in his English domestic career.Somerset hope he will complement a seam attack that includes Peter Siddle, Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton. “We’ve got a nucleus of bowlers who are capable of ensuring that we take 20 wickets in red-ball cricket alongside a group of talented young bowlers who are incredibly aspirational and have already shown what they are capable of,” Jason Kerr, their coach, said. “Matt’s arrival will bring us even more potency.Related

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“He is a world-class performer who has demonstrated what he can do across all formats already within the English domestic game. He’s got good pace and can swing the ball. What he will provide off the field will be equally as important. He has experienced playing all over the world and will be able to share a vast amount of knowledge.”It’s important that we can rotate the bowlers throughout the summer to ensure that we can compete across all formats. Being able to rest players in order to keep them as fresh as possible will give us the best chance to remain really competitive.”Henry is due to arrive in time for Somerset’s Championship match against Lancashire on May 11, after New Zealand’s ODI series in Pakistan, and will leave the club on July 31. “I enjoy playing in English conditions and I’m looking forward to joining up with Somerset,” he said. “They are a club that are held in high regard, and I’ve heard only good things about the setup there.”

Mickey Edwards joins Yorkshire as local player

Meanwhile, Yorkshire have signed Mickey Edwards, a 28-year-old Sydney Sixers and New South Wales seamer, on an 18-month deal as a local player, thanks to a British passport. He will be unavailable for his Australian teams next season unless they register him as an overseas player.Edwards has a modest career record – he has only made 18 appearances across formats – but declared his ambition “to fight for a spot in the England team across all formats” in a press release. “I am confident that being at Yorkshire is the best place for me to achieve that,” he said.Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s managing director, said: “We’ve been tracking him over the winter and are excited to be welcoming him to our side. He’s got pace, height and skill and will present a real challenge for batters in all formats.”

CSA and BCCI took a joint decision, prioritising the safety of players and integrity of bio-bubble

Firdose Moonda20-Dec-2021Spectators will not be allowed into stadiums for South Africa’s home series against India, despite regulations in the country allowing for a maximum of 2000 fully-vaccinated fans in sports venues. Cricket South Africa and the BCCI took a joint decision to hold the matches behind closed doors for the safety of players and the integrity of the bio-bubble.Hospitality suites will be open as CSA seeks to fulfill contractual obligations with corporate partners. However, they will be subject to current restrictions for indoor venues, which limit capacity to 50%.”Regrettably, CSA wishes to inform the most ardent fans of cricket as well as all sports lovers that owing to the increasing Covid cases around the world, and the fourth wave locally, the two cricketing bodies have taken a joint decision to protect the players and the tour by NOT making tickets available for the India vs Proteas offerings,” a CSA statement read.  “This decision was taken in order to avoid any breaches that could compromise the tour from a Covid-risk perspective and to also maintain a hazard-free bubble environment.”Instead, CSA is exploring other viewing facilities for members of the public, which appear to be akin to fan parks.”As part of ongoing efforts to increase the reach of cricket, CSA is exploring other alternative public viewing activitations which will ensure that a limited number of fans are able to enjoy the summer cricket atmosphere with other fans via activation sites, while still observing the strictest safety measures and exercising duty of care. CSA will announce the available alternative public viewing activations as soon as the relevant approvals have been secured.”This will be the second summer of cricket that takes place with no fans in South Africa after they hosted two Tests against Sri Lanka in the 2020-21 festive season and a white-ball series against Pakistan at the end of last summer. Spectators were briefly allowed back in, during last month’s limited-overs series against Netherlands, which was postponed after just one game. Most recently, the 2021 edition of the Mzansi Super League (MSL), which was scheduled to be played in February 2022, was cancelled amid Covid-19 concerns.South Africa is currently in the midst of a fourth wave of the pandemic, fuelled by the Omicron variant, and was recording more than 20,000 positive cases a day last week. That number has since come down to under 17,000 but the bulk of positive cases remain in the Gauteng province, where two of the three Tests against India will take place.

Opener thrashes 100 to put himself in frame for ODI debut

ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2020Phil Salt boosted his hopes of a call-up ahead of the Royal London Series against Ireland after putting the same opponents to the sword with a 58-ball hundred in England Lions’ seven-wicket win at the Ageas Bowl.Ahead of Monday’s squad announcement, the uncapped Salt and James Vince flayed 141 in an explosive 13.5 overs after Jason Roy was dismissed for a golden duck at the start of their pursuit of 297 under lights.It is understood there is little concern about the sore back that has restricted Roy to this sole outing so far but if there are any doubts ahead of Thursday’s opener then England could look to Salt after his sparkling role. The Sussex opener had made just 26 runs in three previous warm-up innings but he crashed 14 fours and two sixes here, which could lead to his inclusion ahead of the three-match series which starts on Thursday.Ireland, featuring eight players who took part in their most recent ODI, had made what seemed a competitive 296 all out in 49.4 overs, captain Andy Balbirnie top-scoring with 60 while Paul Stirling and Harry Tector also made half-centuries, but the total was overhauled with 15.2 overs to spare in this 12-a-side match.While Roy nudged behind off Mark Adair, the Irishman and fellow seamers Josh Little and Boyd Rankin were routinely dispatched to the boundary, with Salt and Vince either piercing the gaps or hitting over the fielders.There was little unorthodox about the pair, Salt mixing some pleasing on-drives with muscular pulls while Vince scored all around the ground, the pair’s sensible aggression bringing 19 fours in the first 10 overs alone.Salt was first to his 50 off 28 balls while Vince required six more and only the emergence of captain Eoin Morgan after 14 overs broke the partnership. Vince was the one to make way after a sublime 66 not out from 43 deliveries.Morgan hit five fours in his 20-ball 22 before he too retired not out at the drinks break, the Lions beyond halfway in their chase. Salt, meanwhile, cleared the ropes off Rankin then Little, who conceded 71 in his 6.4 overs. Salt slowed up a touch before getting to three figures with a push down the ground, carrying on walking after completing the single which carried him to the milestone, with the target now down to double digits.Sam Billings made sure there was no late collapse in a fantastic 30-ball 50, eventually finishing on 54no from 36 deliveries while Liam Livingstone contributed 28 and Laurie Evans 18, as England reached their total in twilight.Earlier on, Tom Helm bowled with accuracy after Ireland had won the toss and collected 3 for 49 while Henry Brooks took 3 for 52 as the tourists were unable to make 300, having been 210 for 3 in the 39th over.Stirling took Tom Curran the distance twice and the opener and Balbirnie were largely untroubled en route to half-centuries. Only when Liam Dawson was introduced did Stirling start to come unstuck, dropped at square leg by Brydon Carse before Billings was unable to gather after the batsman had wandered out of his crease.Stirling’s luck ran out when he swept the slow let-armer to Evans on the boundary for 53 from 55 deliveries to end a 92-run stand, while Balbirnie carved Livingstone to backward point, the first occasion he had mistimed in his 73-ball innings.Tector’s straight drives were a feature of his innings, with Dawson twice and Carson once seeing the ball fly back over their heads for six, but he departed for 55 off 49 deliveries after lumping a Curran full toss to mid-off. Kevin O’Brien’s cameo of 28 from 14 balls livened up proceedings but Ireland lost their way in the last 10 overs, with wickets falling at regular intervals and two balls left unused.

Roy is likely to be a key performer in England’s attempts to win the World Cup but he is aiming to be involved in the Ashes, too

Alan Gardner01-Apr-2019The coming English summer is set to be dominated by two events, and it is a marker of how priorities have changed that the Ashes following the World Cup is not merely a matter of chronology. While Jason Roy is likely to be a key performer in England’s attempts to finally lift a global 50-over trophy, he is also hoping to press his case as a candidate to take on Australia, too.There was a time when England’s one-day team was viewed as largely as a proving ground for those with Test aspirations. Now the format has moved front and centre, with Roy among a buccaneering batch who have propelled England to No. 1 in the rankings; but while their World Cup prospects have rarely looked more promising, the Test side remains a riddle wrapped in an enigma.Chief among England’s conundrums is the make-up of the top three, and even Roy admits it would be a step into “the great unknown” for the selectors to drop him in as a Test opener – though his director of cricket at Surrey, Alec Stewart, suggested he would cope with the switch from white ball to red. Having been touted as a potential Test tourist in the Caribbean, where England variously used Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings and Joe Denly to open the batting, there is a sense Roy believes his time will come sooner or later.”It’s the great unknown, really,” he said of his capabilities as a Test batsman. “I don’t know. I think my technique’s shown to be pretty good against fast bowling early on. It’s got a lot better, I’ve progressed quite a lot in the last two years. Who knows? It’s so difficult to say because I’ve never been a part of the Test team, even the squad, training or whatever. But if given the opportunity, let’s hope I can.ALSO READ: From Test debut to forgotten man – Mason Crane on his lost season“I’ve had conversations [with the England management] over the last couple of years. It’s just a case of being patient and waiting for my turn. It’s all talk, I’ve kind of got used to that side of things. Until I’m actually there, putting my cap on, then I’ll be excited. But I’m taking each day as it comes.”Stewart, an attacking former opener in Test and ODI cricket himself, was more forthright in backing Roy for involvement in the Ashes, possibly as a partner at the top of the order for Burns, another Surrey player who finally won recognition over the winter.”Jason is opening in one-day international cricket. Twenty20 and Test cricket are miles apart, but in the first 10 or 15 overs of 50-over cricket you still have to respect that new ball,” Stewart said.”I don’t see it as a big issue for him and he’d cope with the stepping stone up to Test cricket. The Australia attack is a challenging attack, but Jason’s method is a solid one. He’s a good stroke player and a good hitter of the ball, but he can defend well too, which you have to be able to do.”However, while the theory is sound enough, in practice it could be fiendishly tricky. Surrey only play once in the Championship before May and Roy will by then be in exclusively one-day mode until after the World Cup. As Stewart noted, with Roy currently recovering from a hamstring injury – though still hopeful of facing Essex at The Oval next week – a call-up ahead of the Ashes could see him playing his first first-class innings of the summer in a four-day Test against Ireland in late July.Roy only played twice in Surrey’s Championship-winning 2018 season, though a sparkling hundred against Essex in the final round, batting at No. 3, helped fuel speculation about whether he could transfer his ODI form – where he averages a little under 40, with seven hundreds – into the Test arena. It is seemingly a challenge his is keen to embrace.Jason Roy acknowledges his hundred•Getty Images

“It’s more just a mental switch. The physical side of things, the technique side of things stays the game. Not a huge amount changes, just a game plan change, that’s all it is. It’s always fun going from T20 – even T10 this winter – into a longer format, because I’m under less pressure to score at ten an over. It’s actually quite nice to be able to bat, watch the ball and hit the ball, and be really relaxed about it, instead of having to score.”In the more immediate term, his importance to England’s World Cup campaign will be the overriding concern. Having missed three ODIs against West Indies with injury, before coming home early for the birth of his first child, Roy will not be rushed into action for Surrey. “I wanted to push myself for the university game starting on Thursday but the trainers were realistic about it and didn’t want me to push too hard, especially with the World Cup coming,” he said.He is relaxed, too, about seeing Alex Hales step into his one-day spot and immediately crack 82 from 73 balls, helping set up England’s latest 400-plus total in Grenada, suggesting that the friendly rivalry between himself, Hales and Jonny Bairstow can only benefit the team.”It keeps you on your toes but it’s also extremely comforting. I tweaked my hammy over there [in the Caribbean] and it wasn’t a question of ‘I’ll play on fifty percent’, because I know we’ve got a player that can come in and do a great job for us. So it’s really comforting to know that even if someone’s injured, there’s someone to come in a do well. It’s a good thing.”Healthy competition at the top of the order – not something the Test team has been used to. Perhaps picking players on one-day form might not be such a bad idea after all.

Despite a strong English presence in the IPL auction pool, franchises are having a keen look at these players’ availability over the next two seasons before deciding on whether to pick them at all

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jan-2018The IPL franchises are taking a careful look at the availability of England players over the next two seasons before deciding on whether to pick them at all. The franchises’ concern is serious because England’s Test players will leave the upcoming season on May 17, ten days before the final. Next year, the ECB has told the IPL that the players will need to leave by May 1 to prepare for the 2019 World Cup, which will be played from May 30 in the UK.There is a strong English presence in the auction pool – 21 players across both the capped and uncapped categories. Chief among the lot are allrounder Ben Stokes and Test captain Joe Root, both of whom are part of the two sets of marquee players who will come up first for bidding on Saturday. Other prominent England players who will come up for bidding on the first day of the auction include Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Alex Hales, Sam Billings, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow.Stokes remains a hot pick after his phenomenal IPL debut last season with Rising Pune Supergiant, who finished runners-up. However, Stokes’ availability has been clouded by the legal proceedings concerning a charge of affray against him. Stokes is likely to appear for the first hearing of the trial on February 13. The IPL has already assured the franchises that in case Stokes is not available for the entire season, a replacement can be sought. However, that won’t be applicable if he’s unavailable for only a part of the tournament.Stokes is one of three England Test players, along with Root and Woakes, that the franchises are likely to be keen on procuring. Unlike Stokes, and Woakes, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Root has never featured in the IPL. However, various franchises have said he is a “good” player and will be a part of their auction strategy.In an e-mail sent to the franchises last week on the availability of players from various countries, the IPL had a special alert on the English contingent’s participation for the next two seasons. “If the Player is selected for the 1st Test Match vs Pakistan commencing on 24th May 2018, he will be required to return to UK by 12 noon on Thursday, 17th May 2018,” the IPL said. “If not required for England duty as outlined above, the Player will have full availability for IPL 2018 through to 27th May 2018.”In 2019, when the IPL would be played for the first time before the World Cup, the ECB wants England’s players to leave by May 1 to prepare for the tournament, as well as the home limited-overs series against Pakistan that precedes it.Considering it is a World Cup year, the IPL would need to end two weeks prior to the global event, as per the Supreme Court of India judgement. ESPNcricinfo understands that the 2019 IPL is likely to end by May 15, which means England’s players would depart two weeks prior to the final. “It is anticipated that any players selected in the England ODI squad will be required to return to UK by 1st May 2019 to participate in 5 ODIs and 1 IT20 vs Pakistan in the lead up to CWC 2019,” the IPL said.On the eve of the two-day auction, there was mixed reaction from the franchises. “Stokes is a tricky one because, from the availability point of view, the English players are a huge challenge,” a franchise chief executive officer said. “They have to return well before the tournament is over.”Next year is going to be a huge challenge too. World Cup starts on May 30. We are told England players have to leave in early May. If that is the case, there is no point picking an English player in your squad because you can’t be picking players for less than half the tournament and then start worrying.”The franchise CEO admitted Stokes was on his list of prospective buys, but the trial was another hurdle. “The trial is about to start. We never know where he stands.”One franchise official said he will not “take the risk” to hire a Root in case of partial availability. “If you are leaving 10 days before the final… I wouldn’t take that risk. If I take, say, a Root, and he is leaving on May 17, then I need a back-up too.”Incidentally, the ECB recalled England’s players last season, too, to prepare for a limited-overs series against South Africa. Stokes, Buttler and Woakes were allowed by the board to play the entire league phase of the IPL only. Hence, a franchise analyst reasoned, the case wasn’t any different now. “If he [Stokes] plays 14 matches, then it is fine. He will once again end up as a top-buy if franchises are ready.”A team director at a franchise said Root could be a smart buy and could come handy if he is bought cheap. A good price, he said, would be INR 3 crore (USD 472,000 approx). Root has set his base price at INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx). “People could think of buying him because he will come cheap. He is good. Although he has not played too much T20, he is capable. He can bat for sure, and he can be a part-time bowler as he showed recently against Australia in the ODIs.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder put their one-run loss against Sri Lanka on Wednesday down to the relative greenness of his squad

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo23-Nov-2016The Queens Sports Club has witnessed a tie, and a one-run defeat, but still no cigar for West Indies. For the second time in two matches, they went into the final over of a chase with a chance to win. But yet again, they fell just short. Captain Jason Holder put their shortcoming against Sri Lanka on Wednesday down to the relative greenness of this squad.”I think it’s inexperience,” Holder said. “There’s obviously situations that we’re not accustomed to being in. We’re still a relatively young side. Everybody’s trying to make their mark. And I think it boils down to inexperience, and having that know-how at the end to get us across the line. We had set up the game nicely, and Evin Lewis played an exceptional knock to put us in the situation that we were in.”Lewis, playing in just his fourth ODI, brought up a maiden fifty in the 12th over, and then reached a 91-ball century, with 12 fours and a six, to leave West Indies well placed at 177 for 3. This was the first time he had opened on the tour, and it seemed to have paid off.”He’s one of those guys that likes the ball coming on, so we just felt that with 330 on the board we needed to get off well in the Powerplay and make use of that first up,” Holder explained. “Him and Johnson Charles did a great job there and put the Sri Lankan bowlers under pressure, capitalising on every bad ball that was bowled.”He wasn’t done there, opening up to smite three more sixes as wickets fell around him, and he reached 148 (second only to Chris Gayle’s 153 not out for the highest ODI score by a West Indian in Zimbabwe), battling cramps in the latter stages of his innings. “He was there out in the field for 50 overs fielding, and then came back to bat through most of the overs,” Holder said. “It was a bit of cramp, and I don’t think it was anything too serious.”Lewis was eventually run-out after a horrible mix-up with his captain. It was the third run-out of the innings, and left West Indies needing 69 off 57. In the company of Carlos Brathwaite, Holder took the game into the last three overs with his side still within touching distance of the asking rate. With 10 needed from the final over, Holder could only manage a single off the first ball to put No. 10 Sulieman Benn on strike. Holder would not see the strike again until the final ball, when three were needed but a pinpoint, 144kph yorker from Nuwan Pradeep secured Sri Lanka’s win.”I was just trying to get on strike, but credit must also be given to the Sri Lankan bowlers,” Holder said. “I thought they hit their yorkers really well, and the ball was also tailing in to the right-hander. Benn did a tremendous job to hit the six that he did, to bring the game back closer, but unfortunately he got out afterwards. The last ball was a very good ball.”The defeat means West Indies face a must-win game against Zimbabwe on Friday if they are to reach the final. They may have to play that game without their opening bowler, after discomfort in his hamstring meant Shannon Gabriel could only bowl five overs today.”We’re managing some niggles, and Shannon wasn’t able to finish his overs today, so we’re waiting to see if he’s good to go for the next game,” Holder said. “We’ll see in the next few days.”

Mohammad Nabi was thrilled that he was part of cricket history after Afghanistan recorded the first instance of an Associate Nation beating a Full Member in a bilateral ODI series

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2015Mohammad Nabi claimed his maiden ODI hundred in this series. He was named Man of the Series as well, with 223 runs from five matches. And he seems to have found purpose in the Afghanistan batting order again since being promoted to No. 3. But very little compared to the high of a series victory over a Test-playing nation.”We made history. It’s the first time in 200 years of cricket that we [an Associate team] has beaten a Full Member in a series, I think. I’m very happy with my team’s performance and my performance. After a very long time I have performed very well. It’s very good for me and also for my team.”Newly appointed coach Inzamam-ul-Haq’s decision to promote Nabi up the order not only shook the batsman out of his dismal spell of form, it also afforded Afghanistan a stronger team combination. “There was a big change in the batting order. I was at No. 6 and the coach put me in the top order, at No. 3. Credit goes to the coach Inzamam-ul-Haq for supporting me,” Nabi said. “It improved our top-order batting and that was a big change in the series.”Afghanistan were able to put 245 on the board after being inserted in Bulawayo. They had batted the entire 50 overs and Nabi had been out there for 28 of them to score 53 off 70 balls. Having spent that much time on the pitch, he knew his team had put up a “big target”.”When we batted first, we decided that if we scored 250 it would be difficult to chase on that pitch. That’s why the boys played very well. The openers and then the middle-order batsmen, they played very well.”That the target was so ably defended was thanks to Dawlat Zadran’s spell of 4 for 22 in eight overs, his career best figures in an ODI.”It was my best performance against a Full Member and hopefully in the upcoming matches I can also continue my good bowling. I’m very excited and happy and satisfied with my performance in the series,” Zadran said. “The coach and captain have given me simple plans to follow. ‘With the new ball, you should just go for the dot and if the batsman makes mistakes you will get wicket. So just get us one or two wickets with the new ball.’ And yes, definitely I have the skills to reverse the old ball, so I bowl better with the old ball than the new ball.”The team manager, Shir Agha Hamkar, ensured the achievement’s context was not lost. “You cannot imagine the celebrations back home because they are following each and every ball wherever we play. Even club matches and trial matches, they are following their heroes. Cricket has really brought change in Afghanistan. It’s not just a game, it has turned into [a medium that brings] peace and stability to Afghanistan. It brings more people together. It’s very famous and leading sport in Afghanistan. You cannot imagine the welcome they are preparing for this team.”Looking forward, we are a good team. Just need a couple of more series with Full Members to stay on track because with one or two matches you can never decide who is a good team but a series can give you a clearer idea. We are a good team, and now our goal is to become a Test nation and we are trying all we can.”

A dominant bowling display from Sui Gas handed them an eight-wicket victory over Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Cup semi-final in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2013
ScorecardA dominant bowling display from Sui Gas handed them an eight-wicket victory over Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Cup semi-final in Karachi. HBL were put into bat and lost wickets from the outset, reduced to 22 for 4 in the 10th over. Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi led a temporary revival, until Afridi was ousted on 26. Bilawal Bhatti took the best figures in the innings with 3 for 31, and was ably supported by the other bowlers, who all took at least one wicket. Only Abdur Rehman matched Afridi’s score as HBL were bundled out for 111 in the 36th over.Sui Gas’s openers started well, putting up 70 for the first wicket. Mohammad Hafeez led the way, scoring a timely 62 off 70 balls to ensure he stuck around and rotated the strike accordingly. Fellow opener Taufeeq fell for 23, before Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal helped them romp home in the 24th over with an eight-victory win. They’ll contest the final on April 19.

Australia’s cricketers are satisfied with the new performance-based components of their forthcoming pay deal, Michael Hussey has said

Daniel Brettig07-Apr-2012Australia’s cricketers are satisfied with the new performance-based components of their forthcoming pay deal and expect the MOU to be signed by Cricket Australia and the players’ union within the next two weeks, Michael Hussey has said.While Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association and the players’ chief negotiator, was more guarded in his assessment of talks, Hussey indicated confidence that the potentially tricky bargaining between the players and CA, represented by the team performance manager Pat Howard, would soon be at an end.”I think they’ve agreed on most things, they’re just trying to nut out a couple of issues that are left. I believe by the middle of this month they’re expecting everything to be negotiated and completed and the MOU finished,” Hussey said. “I spoke to Pat Howard during the practice game and he said he and Paul Marsh were really happy with how negotiations were going on both sides.”Ever since the publication of the Argus review into the performance of the national side, the players’ major concern about its findings has surrounded the addition of greater performance weighting to the central contract system. The review was critical of the landscape created by the current system, suggesting Australian cricket had lapsed into a “county cricket mentality” where simply doing enough to earn another annual retainer was enough.”The panel has real concerns, shared by many stakeholders, that the MOU is not fully aligned with the current needs of Australian Cricket,” the review said. “In particular it rewards relative performance among CA-contracted players, but not absolute performance of the team and its players against international peers.The result is that today’s players are being paid substantially more in real terms than their counterparts in the dominant teams of recent times, despite far inferior results. A number of stakeholders have suggested that this is negatively affecting the culture of Australian Cricket, in that players can make a very comfortable living without necessarily achieving excellence.”Both parties quickly agreed that the number of CA contracts should be reduced, and will likely be pared down from 25 to 18. However the issue of performance-based contracts took time to be smoothed over, leaving Marsh and Howard to discuss the matter in great detail after the players responded coolly to CA’s first offer, explained to a general meeting of the team on the day of the Allan Border Medal towards the end of the home summer.”From what I hear I think both sides are going to get what they want out of it,” Hussey said. “I know through the Argus review there was a strong performance-based component of that. How much was I think what the discussion was about. Players are open to the performance-based part of the ACR. That’s fine, it’s just about how much.”That’s where the negotiation was from that particular point. I believe that they’re pretty much there on that particular point. There’s a couple of other issues that are taking more discussion than that particular one. I think the players are comfortable with the way things are going.”Marsh said his talks with Howard had reached a key point, with a meeting to follow later this month at which the MOU had the potential to be resolved. “We have an important meeting in the week after next,” Marsh told ESPNcricinfo. “We have made some good progress but there are still some key issues to resolve. At this stage we can’t predict when or if the issues will be resolved but we believe negotiations are heading in a positive direction.”In February, the CA chief executive James Sutherland pointed out that Australia’s players would have been paid the same amount if they had lost 4-0 at home to India, rather than winning by the same margin as they did. “No one likes change but we’re really confident we’ve got a proposition that’s in the interests of the Australian players and the players who do the work and win the games,” he said. “Players get paid the same amount if we win four-nil against India or we lose four-nil. Does that make sense to all of us?”