All posts by h716a5.icu

Shreyas Iyer’s 57-ball 96 steered Delhi Daredevils through a tense chase of 196 and consigned Gujarat Lions to yet another defeat while batting first

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy10-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:08

Bangar: Iyer’s use of the crease was impressive

Before Wednesday, Gujarat Lions had only won one match while batting first in the IPL, in 12 attempts. The last time they had played Delhi Daredevils, they had failed to defend 208. Now, sent in to bat, they made 195, and ended up on the losing side yet again, their bowling falling apart at critical moments.Daredevils’ match-winner, yet again, came from their group of young, sometimes inconsistent, but undoubtedly gifted Indian batsmen. At the Feroz Shah Kotla, Daredevils had romped home with 15 balls to spare, after Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson added 143 in 63 balls.Here, at Green Park, they had to pull off a different sort of big chase, where they kept losing wickets right through. Shreyas Iyer’s 96 was a different sort of innings to Pant’s 97. Daredevils were 121 for 6 at one point, with only the lower order left to give Iyer company.Then, out of the blue, came some of this season’s most exhilarating batting, as Iyer and Pat Cummins plundered 52 from three overs. Suddenly, Daredevils only needed 23 off 18 balls.There would, of course, be some late tension. Cummins holed out when he may not have needed to hit in the air. Iyer fell in the last over, leaving Nos. 9 and 10 seven to get off four balls. Amit Mishra, though, kept his head, pulling off two ice-cool fours off successive balls to haul Delhi over the line with two balls to spare.Finch, Karthik lift Lions out of early troubleGreen Park provided a flat batting pitch for its first game of the IPL season, and Lions, despite losing their top three inside the first seven overs, kept scoring at a healthy rate. A lot of this was down to the bowling; in this game, Daredevils’ bowlers seemed to have caught the contagion of bowling too straight – and often too short – and leaked runs behind square on the leg side.In all, they would concede 52 runs, and 10 boundaries (out of 26 overall), in that region. Mohammed Shami provided an early instance of this, bowling one ball full and leg-stumpish and another short and leg-stumpish to Ishan Kishan in the fourth over – with fine leg and square leg both inside the circle – giving away six and four.Still, Lions had to fight from 56 for 3, and they did so via a 92-run stand, in 58 balls, between Aaron Finch and Dinesh Karthik. Both batsmen played some eye-catching shots, the highlights including a straight six by Karthik off Shami and some ruthless pulls from Finch, who finished with 69 off 39.Run-outs imperil Daredevils chaseSanju Samson hit two sumptuous fours through the covers before dragging a pull onto his stumps in the second over of the chase. Then Rishabh Pant, having sauntered absentmindedly out of his crease after surviving an lbw appeal from Pradeep Sangwan, was caught out by a direct hit from Suresh Raina at slip.That left Daredevils 15 for 2. Iyer then put on the first of his two substantial stands, 57 off 34 balls, with Karun Nair. Right from the start, Iyer’s placement stood out – he kept finding gaps in the infield, particularly through the off side, and particularly through or behind point. Then Nair, having just hit three successive fours off Dwayne Smith’s slow-medium long-hops and reverse-lapped Ravindra Jadeja for another four, miscued a James Faulkner slower ball.Then came two run-outs, both from direct hits powered by Jadeja’s priceless left arm. First, Marlon Samuels was slow responding to Iyer’s call for a single after a push towards point. Mistake. Then Corey Anderson wandered out of his crease after bunting Basil Thampi towards backward point. Another mistake. When Carlos Brathwaite fell to a short ball from Dhawal Kulkarni in the 14th over, Daredevils were sinking. They needed 75 from 37 balls at that point, with only four wickets in hand.Iyer, Cummins blast offDaredevils didn’t have time for a slow-burning comeback. They duly hit four fours in the next over, two each by Iyer and Cummins, all of them hit along the ground, into off-side gaps. Then Iyer drove and flicked three successive fours off Kulkarni. The biggest over, though, was still to come. It would come – as it has more often than he’d like to admit – against Faulkner. Cummins, expecting and getting the slower, length ball first up, clouted him over long-on. Then Iyer lifted Faulkner over long-off before drilling a drive between the bowler and mid-off.To recap Daredevils smashed 17, 14 and 21 runs off the 15th, 16th and 17th overs.Mishra the finisherWhen Cummins picked out long-on in the 19th over, Daredevils needed 14 off 10 balls. When Iyer played all around a Basil Thampi yorker in the final over, they needed 7 off 4. In walked Mishra, a vastly improved long-format batsman, but not one counted among T20’s most dangerous lower-order hitters.Mishra knows the game inside-out, though, and probably guessed that Thampi would bowl a yorker first up. Down the track he went, surprising the bowler into a full-toss, which he flicked nonchalantly past midwicket. Then, with three to get off three balls, he walked across his stumps, with the knowledge that fine leg was stationed rather square. Thampi’s slower ball may have surprised some batsmen, but not Mishra. He waited, kept his shape, waited some more, and unfurled a deft little scoop. The fielder chased hard, dived, got his body behind the ball, but couldn’t help deflecting it into the rope.

Everton are one of the teams that currently in the running to land Allan Saint-Maximin on a deal this summer, according to a report from 90Min.

How many goals has Allan Saint-Maximin scored for Newcastle?

The 26-year-old has been with Newcastle for the last four seasons and has regularly produced the goods in front of goal for the Toon. He burst onto the scene back in 2019/20 and became an immediate first-team player, featuring on 26 occasions for them in the Premier League and bagging three goals with four assists.

He matched those totals a campaign later too, despite having less minutes on the field. With the club making gradual improvement, he then featured 35 times – his highest amount since his move to St James' Park – and rewarded Newcastle for their faith by hitting a double-digit amount of goal contributions for the first time (five goals and five assists).

In 2022/23 though, he struggled to maintain his place in the team and as the Toon fought for European football, Saint-Maximin's tally tailed off as well. He started just 12 league games and produced only one goal for the club, although he still managed five assists.

However, it led to his worst ever total in a Newcastle shirt and he could now be on the chopping block given Eddie Howe's penchant for playing either Alexander Isak or Joelinton in that left-wing role at St. James' Park.

Are Everton signing Allan Saint-Maximin?

It's led to suggestions that he could now be sold off this summer, with the Frenchman having fallen down the pecking order. According to a report from 90Min, there is certainly interest in his services and one of the clubs that is in the race to sign him is Everton.

The Toffees have "checked on" the situation of the winger and could therefore make a move if they think it is feasible to do so this summer window. However, they aren't the only club that seemingly want to try and sign him.

Crystal Palace also have an interest in keeping him in the top flight, whilst AC Milan could offer to take him to Italy. Most recently too, there is now an offer from Saudi Arabia on the table – so the player may have some decision making to do when it comes to selecting whether to stay with Newcastle or to head to a new team this window.

He clearly has talent in his locker when he gets on form too, with football journalist Josh Bunting stating that Saint-Maximin is "intelligent" and is "so good" at finding "pockets of space" while scout Jacek Kulig calls his dribbling "unstoppable".

It shows that the Frenchman is a winger who is not only excellent in one on one situation but also has the composure to pick a pass at the end of it. If Everton did seal a deal for the 26-year-old then, it would be a real boost to their forward line next season and certainly get the crowd off their feet at Goodison Park.

Shahid Afridi has announced, via Twitter, that he is leaving Peshawar Zalmi and is open to playing for another team in the Pakistan Super League

Umar Farooq25-Mar-2017Shahid Afridi has announced, via Twitter, that he is leaving Peshawar Zalmi and is open to playing for another team in the Pakistan Super League. The franchise’s owner, Javed Afridi, told ESPNcricinfo that he was “clueless” in the matter and would speak to Afridi about his “surprising” decision.

Won d with 1 team,Time for another.Im announcing my end of service as president&player of PeshawarZalmi Team due to my personal reasons1/2

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) March 24, 2017

My best wishes with Peshawar Zalmi nd as far as my Peshawar fans r concerned I know they are with me wherever i go.

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) March 24, 2017

Incidentally, Afridi had talked about the importance of Peshawar Zalmi to his local region, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, yesterday, during the Emirates Airline Twenty20 Trophy in Dubai. “We have not created the Peshawar Zalmi team to play just a month’s cricket in the PSL and then sit at home,” Afridi had said. “Our work goes beyond the cricket field and we want to change the lives of the underprivileged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”After security operations there, the situation is a lot better in the province, but there are few opportunities or facilities for the youngsters. The Shahid Afridi Foundation works in the health and education sector, but the focus of the Peshawar Zalmi Foundation is towards sports. We want to provide facilities to people who don’t have it.”Team owner Javed Afridi said of Afridi’s decision: “Like many, I am also surprised after reading his tweets. I have no clue and am not aware about the reason he wrote this. But definitely I would like to speak to him before making any further comment.”Peshawar Zalmi won the PSL title this season, defeating Quetta Gladiators in the final held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Afridi had missed the final with a finger injury that he picked up during the playoffs in the UAE. In all, in ten matches in PSL 2017, he had scored 177 runs at 25.28 with a strike rate of 173.52, and taken two wickets with an economy rate of 6.75. He had captained the franchise in the inaugural edition of the tournament, before handing over to Darren Sammy this season.During the group stage of this PSL, Afridi had also announced that he would not be playing international cricket anymore.

Near-full-strength teams face off in what is likely to be a run-fest in Bangalore

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro13-Apr-2017Match factsRoyal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians
Bengaluru, April 14, 2017
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)4:13

Agarkar: To leave Chris Gayle out must be a tough decision

Head to headLast season Mumbai Indians, bowling first on both occasions on chasing-friendly grounds, won both games.Overall Mumbai have an 11-8 winning record against Royal Challengers in the IPL. At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Mumbai have won six of seven games against RCB.Form guide

Royal Challengers Bangalore (sixth): lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs, beat Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs, lost to Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets

Mumbai Indians (third): lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets

In the newsRoyal Challengers captain Virat Kohli is available, having recovered from a shoulder injury. AB de Villiers, who missed the first two games with a back injury, struck a 46-ball 89 against Kings XI in the previous game. This means Royal Challengers will have their strongest squad, save for KL Rahul. Kohli, at a press conference, said Chris Gayle is a “top-contender” to play in all home matches. Vishnu Vinod may therefore be left out, and Jadhav could resume wicketkeeping duties.Kohli also said Royal Challengers are unlikely to bat first again at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. “We decided to strengthen our bowling and then back that part of our side, but now with me coming back that might change again,” Kohli said. “Bangalore has generally been a ground where you can chase down high totals. Tomorrow, being a day game, really matters because the wicket plays much better under lights than during the day time.”Since Lasith Malinga’s return from international duty, only Ambati Rayudu’s absence does not let them be a full-strength side. Their headache is the form of fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan, who has conceded 129 runs and taken three wickets in three games this season. In a like-for-like replacement, Mumbai may bring in Tim Southee for McClenaghan.RCB will be led out by their full-time captain on Friday•BCCIThe likely XIsRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Mandeep Singh, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Pawan Negi, 9 Tymal Mills, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Aniket ChoudharyMumbai Indians: 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit BumrahStats that matter On a small ground, chasing seems to be the preferred way to go. In 10 T20s at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium before Royal Challengers’ successful defence of 157 against Delhi Daredevils in the previous game, five scores of over 200 were defended and the five totals under 200 were successfully chased. Chris Gayle’s weakness against right-arm spinners has been accentuated in the IPL. He has scored 771 runs in 574 balls in the IPL, at a strike rate of 134, and has been dismissed 19 times in 56 innings in which he has faced right-arm spinners. Against Harbhajan Singh, Gayle has scored just 65 runs in 65 balls in the IPL, with three dismissals. Using left-arm spin to limit damage against AB de Villiers, Against left-arm spinners, de Villiers has scored 448 runs in 330 balls, at a strike rate of 135.75. He has also been dismissed nine times in 46 innings.
Who can Mumbai use? Krunal Pandya has conceded just seven runs in 10 balls against de Villiers. Krunal dismissed him twice in the last season. Royal Challengers have been Lasith Malinga’s only nemesis in the IPL. He has taken just 13 wickets against Royal Challengers at an an average of 36 – his worst average against any team in the IPL.
At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Malinga has taken 5 wickets in 20 overs, at an average of 31.80 and an economy rate of 7.95, his worst at any venue where he’s bowled at least 20 overs. Malinga v de Villiers? De Villiers has scored 71 runs in 42 balls against Malinga without being dismissed. Malinga has a T20 economy rate of 6.74, compared to 10.14 against de Villiers. In the 2016 IPL, Virat Kohli had a single: dot ball ratio of 1.58 (291 singles: 184 dot balls). By contrast, Gayle had a single:dot ball ratio of 0.322 (29 singles: 90 dot balls).

Leeds United are keen on a move to bring Maccabi Tel Aviv star Djordje Jovanovic to the Championship, according to reports.

Who is Djordje Jovanovic?

Jovanovic is naturally a striker who plies his trade at the Bloomfield Stadium having moved there from FK Cukaricki back in February 2022, where he’s since gone on to make a total of 62 appearances to date, but his future is currently up in the air.

The Serbia international’s contract with Aitor Karanka’s side expires at the end of next season, meaning that the ongoing window will be his manager’s final big opportunity to cash in, not to mention that due to his situation, a cut-price deal could be available.

Are Leeds signing Jovanovic?

According to SportsWalla (via Football League World), Jovanovic is on the "radar" of Leeds, who have been "linked" with a move ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Maccabi's centre-forward has reportedly been a target "for a while", but it was his performances on the international stage at the recent European Championship qualifiers that have caught the eye once again.

The 24-year-old and his club are both "open to a transfer" and have "already held talks" with several unnamed suitors, once of which could well be at Elland Road.

Leeds will know that they are likely to lose Rodrigo this summer amid reports that his agent is set to hold an imminent meeting regarding a departure, so the 49ers will need to recruit a new centre-forward for their incoming manager to replace him, and Jovanovic could be the perfect successor.

He clocked up an impressive 17 goal contributions (13 goals and four assists) in 25 Ligat ha'Al outings last season, highlighting his prolific form in the final third, which is something that was blatantly missing during the previous campaign in Yorkshire.

The Leposaviq native is also a versatile operator with his ability to play out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside his usual role through the middle, so he could be deployed in a variety of positions should the boss ever want to switch up his formation or rotate the squad.

What Jovanovic's price tag or salary demands look like yet remain to be seen so it's difficult to figure whether this deal would be financially affordable, but should it turn out that it is indeed doable, the hierarchy shouldn't even have to think twice about recruiting him given his age profile and impressive goal return.

A round-up of Bangladesh Cricket League games played between February 19 and 22, 2017

The Report by Mohammad Isam22-Feb-2017Surviving a draw against South Zone on the last day helped North Zone retain their position on top of the BCL points table.Asked to follow on after trailing by 259 runs in the first innings, Farhad Hossain and Naeem Islam added 136 runs for the third wicket, as their individual centuries helped North Zone survive the fourth day on 403 for 8.Farhad’s 119 was studded with nine fours and three sixes, while Naeem remained unbeaten on 129, having batted for more than six hours. Naeem is now the second-highest run-getter of the tournament – averaging 106.25 – behind Tushar Imran, whose double-hundred helped South Zone post 501 in 144.4 overs.Tushar, the No.4 batsman, added 215 runs for the fourth wicket with Shahriar Nafees (74) and later strung a 96-run stand for the sixth wicket with Mosaddek Hossain, who chipped in with a 65-ball 57.Tushar knocked off 220 runs – his highest first-class score – to improve on his unbeaten 203 in the National Cricket League in 2015.Suhrawadi Shuvo returned the best figures for North Zone, picking up 4 for 105, before their batting line-up folded for 242 in the 63rd over.South Zone offspinner Nahidul Islam’s successive five-fors in the game earned him his maiden first-class ten-wicket haul and kept his team’s pursuit of victory alive till the end. He found able support in Abdur Razzak and Al-Amin Hossain, who claimed five wickets between them, but their efforts proved insufficient as North Zone managed to retain the last two wickets.Central Zone, meanwhile, registered their first win in the tournament, after crushing East Zone by 227 runs at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium.Put in to bat, Central Zone were bowled out for 328 in the first innings, despite fifties from Nurul Hasan (65) and Mohammad Sharif (70). East Zone seamer Abu Jayed picked up 5 for 77, while Saqlain Sajib and off-spinner Afif Hossain took two wickets apiece.Central Zone later snatched a first-innings lead of 117 runs, as Sharif, Shuvagata Hom and Mosharraf Hossain fetched combined returns of 8 for 143 to skittle East Zone for 211.Half-centuries from Marshall Ayub and Taibur Rahman then helped Central zone add 282 in their second innings; their overall lead soaring to 399 runs.With his side chasing 400, East Zone captain Alok Kapali (71) found little support from other batsmen, as Central Zone’s bowling attack – led by Hom’s four-wicket haul – strangled East Zone to 117 all out in 56.2 overs.Sharif’s all-round performance – 6 for 78 coupled with 71 runs – earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.

Manchester United have reached a £60m agreement with Chelsea to sign Mason Mount, Fabrizio Romano reports.

Is Mason Mount signing for Man United?

The Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for Mount in recent weeks, with an approach first made at the beginning of the month.

Personal terms were quickly agreed between United and Mount, however, shaking hands on a transfer fee with their Premier League rivals has proven to be complicated for the England international, who is out of contract at Stamford Bridge next year.

An opening £40m offer was turned down by the Blues in recent weeks, as was an improved £50m bid. A third offer worth £55m remained on the table in recent days, however, and an agreement has now finally been reached.

Romano took to Twitter in the last 24 hours to share a breakthrough when it came to Mount and a move to Manchester. The transfer expert said that an agreement has now been reached following face-to-face talks between the two sides.

“Manchester United agree £60m package deal for Mason Mount with Chelsea — it’s done, here we go!

“Personal terms agreed weeks ago and face to face talks between clubs made it clear: the agreement is done. Mount becomes Utd player — they NEVER left the race.”

How much will Mason Mount earn at Man United?

Romano stated that personal terms have already been agreed on, and it looks as if Mount will get a huge pay rise from his current £80,000-a-week salary. Reports have suggested that the player will pocket £250,000-a-week at Old Trafford, although that could rise to £300,000-a-week with bonuses.

Dubbed a "mad player" by Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand, Mount will arrive at Old Trafford and provide manager Erik ten Hag with a versatile midfield option.

Still just 24 years of age, Mount can play as an attacking, central or left midfielder. He’s also made 129 appearances in the Premier League and has turned out on 36 occasions for England so will add experience to United’s midfield.

Mount has shown that he can shine in all midfield aspects. As per FBref, the player ranks in the top 7% for midfielders when it comes to progressive passes, the top 1% for shots blocked and the top 15% for passes into the final third, so Ten Hag may see him as the ideal addition to potentially play alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, occupying a box-to-box role.

Aston Villa have been scanning the resources of newly relegated clubs, with Youri Tielemans already in the bag from Leicester City.

The Midlands side have opted to recruit Monchi as president of football operations to team up with Unai Emery to prepare for a busy summer in the transfer window.

The latest star linked could bolster the Spaniard’s squad in a player that excelled in the Premier League last term.

What’s the latest on Tyler Adams to Aston Villa?

As reported by the Daily Mail earlier this week, Aston Villa have emerged as one of the clubs chasing Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams.

The report names Villa along with Brighton, Everton and Nottingham Forest as the clubs that have ‘enquired’ for the 24-year-old, who is likely to depart following The Whites’ relegation.

It’s stated that Leeds value the American at £25m, with him contracted to Elland Road until 2027.

What could Tyler Adams offer to Aston Villa?

Trading the Bundesliga for the Premier League last summer, Adams departed RB Leipzig in the hope to make a name for himself in England.

While the 24-year-old cemented himself as a key performer in the side, supported by him ranking as their second-best performer via Sofascore, the United States international could not save his club from demotion to the Championship.

Operating as a defensive midfielder for Leeds, the New York-born gem has earned his plaudits for being a “machine”, as dubbed by journalist Wes Rucker, winning 57% of his total duels this season.

As per Sofascore, Adams won six total duels per game in 24 Premier League appearances this term, making a monstrous 3.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions to support the reason why clubs are swarming at his potential availability.

For Villa, the midfield commander could equip Emery’s side with significant depth and particularly challenge those deployed in the engine room.

Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn have stepped up to the task in rotation in midfield at Villa Park this campaign, and the introduction of the American could spice up the competition in that area.

Kamara, who was signed by the Villans from Marseille last summer could be taken to the next level by having a duel with the Leeds star for a starting spot in the squad.

In his introduction season to the Premier League, the Frenchman missed a significant number of games due to injury with the 2023/24 campaign providing an opening to fully assert himself at Villa Park.

As highlighted by Sofascore statistics, the 23-year-old has similar strengths to Adams, however, the numbers present a case for who would be a stronger starter in Emery’s side, with the American performing at a higher average per game.

Having both made 24 appearances, Kamara fell short of the former Bundesliga ace in terms of tackles and interceptions per game, averaging 2.4 and 0.8 respectively for those metrics.

While the debate of who takes the starting role in the engine room bears a potential headache for Emery, adding quality to the side can only better the club in providing depth ready to prepare for a season with the inclusion of European football.

Chris Jordan impressed upon the need to remain calm and have self-belief while bowling in the end-overs, qualities he exhibited to deny MS Dhoni in the first T20 in Kanpur

Vishal Dikshit in Nagpur28-Jan-20172:31

‘Hope to keep momentum on our side’

In the last two overs he bowled in Kanpur, Chris Jordan stuck to his plan of bowling yorkers throughout. He bowled 10 of his last 12 balls to MS Dhoni and conceded 16 runs off them, a strike rate of 160. What those numbers don’t tell you is that Dhoni struggled to hit eight of those 10 balls cleanly. The moral victory was Jordan’s.This attacking and fearless bowling style makes him a vital cog in England’s pace attack in the limited-overs formats. It was a testimony of how Jordan has become Eoin Morgan’s go-to bowler in the slog overs, either to pick wickets or limit runs, or often both. It was reminiscent of how Jordan had bowled a barrage of yorkers to Pakistan’s tail in his final two overs at Headingley in September, and a few months before that had helped England defend 171 in the World T20 semi-final against Sri Lanka in Delhi.His first spell there read 2-0-16-1. He then returned to bowl with Sri Lanka needing 40 off 24 balls. He walked away with a fine second spell that read 2-0-12-3. It showed why he was rated highly as an end-overs bowler. Jordan, who addressed the media on the eve of the second T20I in Nagpur, was asked of what it takes to succeed in the end overs. He impressed upon the need to remain calm and have self-belief.”Although T20 cricket can be a fast-paced game, I believe at the back-end of the innings you have to give yourself time,” he said. “You have to try and take the sting out of the game, try to keep a very clear mindset especially when guys are trying to hit you over the ropes every single ball. That calmness and that whole notion of trying to give yourself time is something I try to use and luckily it works.”Plans can change literally every ball because you’re trying to stay one step ahead of the batsman every time, and at the back-end of the innings it could be a lot of commotion. You have to try and stay clear and think about simple things and executing them, that’s what I try to do.”‘Calmness, self-belief key to bowling in end-overs’ – Jordan•Getty ImagesJordan’s yorkers have been a fundamental aspect of his end-overs bowling and are something he falls back on when summoned. Jordan said developing the wide yorker too was a result of increasing his variations to keep the batsmen guessing.”It is a skill that I have worked on very, very hard whether it’s in the nets or actually in games,” Jordan said. “Most batsmen obviously want the ball in their arc and if you bowl at the stumps a lot, that’s in their arc so you’re backing yourself to execute the skill anyway. But I find that with that wide yorker, bowling the ball outside the batsman’s arc even when you do bowl there still has to be some precision with it. I find bowling that ball more often than not buys you some dots and time, and helps you get ahead of the batsman and also pick a wicket in the innings.”It came from first and foremost using variations. When I look at death bowling I think you can’t be predictable, you have to use different variations and that doesn’t necessarily have to be pace, it can be line or length and that’s how I developed that ball. So instead of maybe bowling my slower one more often, I use the variation in line and bowl a wide yorker, straight yorker, at the back end of the innings.”Despite this expertise and the role he played in England’s march to the World T20 final last year, Jordan was dropped for the ODIs against Bangladesh, India, and more recently the three ODIs against West Indies in March. His last ODI series was against Pakistan at home, where he produced figures of 2 for 42 from nine overs and 0 for 52 from 7.2. When asked to self-assess why he had been dropped, Jordan said it was about consistency.”You are always disappointed when you have ambition and then do not get selected,” he stated. “Disappointment is an emotion that I think is warranted. I would want to get back into the ODI and the Test team as soon as possible and am working very hard to do that. But obviously, we have a very good set of players, very strong depth. It will be quite tough getting back in, but I don’t think it is beyond me.”Possibly consistency wasn’t as I’d like it to be and I do set my standards very high,” Jordan said of his exclusion. “If I look at it I can say that my consistency at that particular moment wasn’t to the level I wanted it to be but that’s not to discourage or dishearten me. I do still have opportunities and I hope to push my case to make it back.”Jordan will hope he displays more such impressive efforts, the way he did in Kanpur, in the remaining two T20s of the series and stakes a claim for the Champions Trophy in June at home. After the West Indies tour, England are scheduled to play two ODIs against Ireland and three against South Africa – all in May at home. Jordan said he was looking at every game he would play from now as a “chance to impress and a chance to stake a claim”.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has informed the BCCI of their decision not to host two Under-19 Tests between India and England next month

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Jan-20175:35

Ugra: Unsavoury that cricket is being affected

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has declined to host the two Under-19 Test matches between India and England, scheduled to be played in Chennai in February. The state association sent a brief note stating “domestic programs” as the reason, to the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri informing them of the decision, on January 7.The two four-day matches, scheduled from February 13-16 and February 21-24, are part of the seven-match tour which also includes five ODIs in Mumbai before the Tests. “At the outset we thank you for allotting the India – England Under 19 matches at Chennai between 13th and 16th February and 21st to 24th February 2017. However, we regret to inform you that we are unable to host the matches at Chennai due to various domestic programs scheduled during the period,” the TNCA letter said, as quoted by the The note was sent on a TNCA letterhead that listed several office bearers of the state association including N Srinivasan as the president and Kasi Viswanathan as secretary. It is understood that RA Palani, the joint-secretary and interim caretaker of the TNCA, signed the letter.Both Srinivasan and Viswanathan were disqualified as office bearers by the Supreme Court order of January 2, which stated an administrator could not continue in office if he had completed a cumulative period of nine years at either the state level or the BCCI. Both Srinivasan and Viswanathan have been at TNCA for more than a decade each as office bearers.Palani told the : “It was my decision and I take the responsibility for it. We have a heavy backlog of matches because of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and the Vardah cyclone.””We have to conduct the TNCA first division matches, lower division games and inter-university matches. We need grounds to hold our own matches. At a time like this, it will be extremely hard for us to take the responsibility for two under-19 Tests.”It is understood that the Lodha Committee was displeased after having received a copy of the TNCA letter. The committee felt the former office bearers could be charged with contempt of court order. When asked about the letter, Viswanathan said he was no more with TNCA.Ever since the January 2 judgement, there have been murmurs of disgruntled office bearers trying to find ways to counter the court order. On Saturday, a host of prominent former office bearers including Srinivasan, Anurag Thakur, Ajay Shirke, Rajiv Shukla and Niranjan Shah met in Bangalore to discuss their next step in an informal meeting. The meeting was organised by Srinivasan and attended by 24 state associations. Although one of the officials present at the meeting indicated cricket would not be affected, the TNCA letter could be the first step towards a possible rebellion.