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Chhayakar was a key figure in the corruption case involving UAE cricketers in 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2022Mehar Chhayakar, the man linked to the corruption cases involving UAE cricketers in 2019, has been banned from all cricket for 14 years after an ICC tribunal found him guilty of seven breaches of the ICC and Cricket Canada anti-corruption codes.The offences for which Chhayakar was banned relate to matches during the Zimbabwe vs UAE series in April 2019, and the Global T20 Canada in 2019. “Mr Chhayakar’s offences are linked to the previous cases of former UAE players Qadeer Khan and Gulam Shabbir,” the ICC said.”Both Qadeer and Shabbir accepted sanctions for admitted breaches of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code relating to approaches they received from Mr Chhayakar.”Related

• UAE's Qadeer Ahmed handed five-year ban

• UAE duo 'stood to make US$272,000' in successful fix

• UAE's Naveed, Anwar, Ahmed suspended for corruption

According to the ICC, Chhayakar had breached the following provisions of the ICC and Cricket Canada anti-corruption codes:

• Article 2.1.1 (on two separate occasions) – Fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly or being a party to any agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any international match, including (without limitation) by deliberately underperforming therein.
• Article 2.1.4 (on two separate occasions) – Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1.
• Article 2.4.6 (on two separate occasions) – Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperation with any investigation carried out by the ACU in relation to possible corrupt conduct under the anti-corruption code (by any participant), including (without limitation) failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the ACU (whether as part of a formal demand pursuant to Article 4.3 or otherwise) as part of such investigation.
• Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU in relation to possible corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code (by any participant), including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code)”.

“We first encountered Mehar Chhayakar through his involvement in organising a corrupt cricket tournament in Ajman, in 2018,” Alex Marshal, ICC general manager – integrity unit said in a statement. “The charges for which he has now received a lengthy ban are further examples of his continuing efforts to corrupt and damage our sport.. With a ban of 14 years, the tribunal has sent a clear message to anyone intending to corrupt our game.”

Earlier, Klaassen and van Beek picked up three wickets each to bundle out Ireland for 163

Hemant Brar07-Jun-2021Fred Klaassen and Logan van Beek picked up three wickets each before Stephan Myburgh anchored the chase of 164 with a 111-ball 74 to give Netherlands a 2-1 series win over Ireland in the third ODI in Utrecht.After opting to bat, Ireland were jolted by left-arm seamer Klaassen, who castled Kevin O’Brien for a duck on the fourth ball of the day. In his next over, Klaassen had Paul Stirling caught behind to make it 6 for 2. Andy Balbirnie didn’t last long either and fell to Vivian Kingma in the tenth over.At 28 for 3, Harry Tector and George Dockrell got together and tried to revive the innings. The two added 89 off 138 balls for the fourth wicket before van Beek provided Netherlands with the breakthrough by bowling Dockrell for 40. Soon after, he had Tector too as the batter tried to push at a length ball only to nick it behind for a 100-ball 58.From the remaining batters, only Simi Singh (21* off 35) reached double digits as Ireland lost their last seven wickets for 46 runs and were bowled out for 163 in 49.2 overs.Myburgh started the chase by dispatching the first ball of the innings, bowled by Barry McCarthy, for a six over deep square leg. Alongside Max O’Dowd, he broke the back of the chase by adding 66 in 14.4 overs for the first wicket.O’Dowd scored 36, with five fours, before Singh breached his defence. Scott Edwards fell soon afterwards and when Josh Little dismissed Musa Ahmad, Netherlands still needed 68. But with more than 25 overs left, Myburgh and Bas de Leede had the luxury to play out a few overs.The two brought down the equation to 30 required from 63 balls before Myburgh hit offspinner Andy McBrine for 4, 4 and 6 off successive deliveries.With six required for victory, Myburgh tried to slog-sweep Singh only to be bowled. Netherlands lost de Leede and Pieter Seelaar too in the next two overs but the result was a mere formality by then. In the 46th over, van Beek finally sealed the win with a four off Singh.

Middle-order batsman’s belligerence helped the county reach Finals Day in 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2020Corey Anderson, the New Zealand middle-order batsman, has re-signed for Somerset for this summer’s Vitality Blast.Anderson, who will join Babar Azam as the club’s second overseas signing in T20 cricket, was the fifth-highest run-scorer in the competition in 2018, scoring 514 runs at a strike rate of 169.07 as Somerset reached Finals Day. He also appeared for the county in 2017, though had his stint cut short by injury.He last played international cricket in November 2018, with persistent injuries effectively ruling him out of the 2019 World Cup, and is a beneficiary of visa regulation changes pushed for by the ECB in order to ensure the world’s best players would be eligible to play in the Hundred.Previously, players needed to have played at least one Test or 15 white-ball internationals for a full-member country in the past 24 months to qualify for a ‘governing body endorsement’, but the ECB successfully had that criterion extended to those who had played at least 20 domestic T20 fixtures in recognised leagues in that time period, in order to ensure that players like Sunil Narine and Sandeep Lamichhane would be eligible for Hundred deals. That qualification extends to all domestic competitions, which means that Anderson will meet the new regulations.Anderson will form part of an imperious batting line-up that also includes Babar, Tom Banton, Tom Abell and Lewis Gregory, and will be available for all 14 group games and a potential quarter-final.Andy Hurry, the club’s director of cricket, said: “Corey has made a big impression both on and off the field for the club in his two previous stints with us. He was one of the first names mentioned when it came to considering our overseas players for next season because he is one of the best T20 players in the world and he was extremely popular with the playing staff and also with our members and supporters.”His contributions in 2018 were absolutely outstanding and he was one of the main reasons that we reached Finals Day that year.””I’m looking forward to playing for Somerset again next summer,” Anderson said. “The club has a great squad and the atmosphere in the dressing room is one of the best I’ve experienced.”The supporters are very knowledgeable and get right behind the team. It’s a great place to play cricket and hopefully I can help the Club go one better than we did in 2018 and make the Vitality Blast final.”

Comilla Victorians overcame a stuttering start on the back of Thisara’s 26-ball 74 not out, before Mushfiqur powered the Vikings chase for victory with two balls to spare

The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Jan-2019How the game played outChittagong Vikings withstood Thisara Perera’s blistering assault at the end of the first innings to pull off a thrilling chase of 185, on the back of Mushfiqur Rahim’s sensational 75 off 41 balls to win with two balls to spare.A stuttering start to the match by the Victorians cost them in the end as they managed just 33 for 2 in their first six overs, with Evin Lewis struggling to get going before eventually retiring hurt. Thisara gave them hope with his thunderous six-hitting, but he was outshined by Mushfiqur, who paced his innings brilliantly after taking over from the hot start offered by Mohammad Shahzad.Robbie Frylinck, who had been hammered by Thisara for 30 runs off the 19th over of the first innings, redeemed himself by scoring the winning runs. Entering after the fall of Mushfiqur at the end of the 19th over, Frylinck hammered a six over midwicket with two balls to spare to seal the match.Turning points

• Four Comilla batsmen departed in the 12th and 14th overs, bowled by Khaled Ahmed: Imrul Kayes bowled by an inswinger, Evin Lewis retiring hurt after pulling a hamstring, Liam Dawson bowled while backing away to drive, and Shahid Afridi stepping on his stumps while going back to hook, to stunt any momentum.
• Thisara counterattacked with a 20-ball half-century after entering at No. 8, which included 30 runs off the 19th over bowled by Frylinck.
• Shahzad rocketed the Vikings chase by scoring 43 off 21 balls in the Powerplay to take Vikings to 61 for 1.
• Under pressure from a rampaging Mushfiqur, Mohammad Saifuddin came unglued in the 19th over of the Vikings chase by bowling a pair of no balls that made the resulting equation of 13 off eight balls more manageable.

Star of the dayMushfiqur trumped Thisara with his phenomenal anchor role in the successful chase. It seemed Mushfiqur might have slipped on a banana peel when umpire Alex Wharf gave him out lbw on the last ball of the 18th over. But the decision was overturned on review after replays showed Mushfiqur had got some bat on the ball. It allowed him to score another 13 runs in the next over to take Vikings closer to victory.The big missThe Comilla management’s decision to send Thisara in at No. 8. Thisara is only three matches removed from his 140 off 74 balls against New Zealand. He had followed that up with two more blistering innings of 80 off 63 balls and 43 off 24 against the Kiwis prior to landing in Bangladesh. Despite being one of the most in-form batsmen in world cricket, he didn’t enter until the 14th over, missing out on key scoring opportunities as a result.Where the teams standVikings broke a deadlock with Comilla, Rajshahi and Rangpur to move into sole possession of second place with six points, two behind league leaders Dhaka Dynamites. Comilla are on fourth place, equal on points with Rajshahi and Rangpur, but ahead of Rajshahi on the net run rate.

Australia used the swing on offer under lights to claw their way back after a 104-run stand for the second wicket had threatened to take the game away

The Report by Daniel Brettig09-Nov-2017Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ellyse Perry kept the pressure on England at the start•Getty Images

England held sunlight sway before Australia’s bowlers regathered vital ground under lights on day one of the inaugural day-night women’s Ashes Test at a vibrant North Sydney Oval.Winning a good toss under blue skies, England’s captain Heather Knight joined Tammy Beaumont in a considered 104-run stand for the second wicket. It seemed to place the visitors on the path to a major tally, in a match they must avoid losing or leave the Ashes in Australian hands, ahead of the final T20 leg of the multi-format series.The Australians persisted, however, aided by some terrific catching, and with the additional help of the extra swing to be gained at night, left only three wickets remaining for England to build further on their first innings when play resumes. The experienced Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen shared four wickets between them, with another two falling to the debutant Tahlia McGrath. Another playing her first Test, Amanda Wellington, claimed the key wicket of Beaumont.McGrath had been the first change to the Australian bowling attack after Perry and Megan Schutt shared the new ball, and she was soon able to coax a becalmed Lauren Winfield into driving airily, leaving the chance to be superbly snapped up by a diving Nicole Bolton at cover. That wicket was to be the only one for quite some time, and the shadows of the Oval’s venerable stands were growing long by the time Beaumont and Knight were separated.It was to be the other bowling debutant, Wellington, who found the right delivery with the last ball of the 53rd over, a delectable, looping leg break that drew Beaumont forward and then had her thrusting her hands at a delivery that bounced and turned just enough to take the edge to slip.If Knight was annoyed to have seen that partnership broken, she was mortified to be given lbw 16 runs later when trying to sweep Jonassen’s left-arm spin. Knight was well forward and the ball did not appear to be straightening enough to hit leg stump, but the wicket arrived at another vital juncture for Australia, bringing fresh players to the crease shortly before the lights came into use.Jonassen then struck again after the dinner break, this time pinning Nat Sciver on the back foot for a far more obvious lbw verdict, after which the second new ball reaped three further victims for the hosts. Georgia Elwiss chanced a hook and watched the top edge safely pouched by Schutt, Sarah Taylor stopped her shot and offered a return catch to a juggling Perry, and Katherine Brunt chased a wide delivery from McGrath and was well taken by Jonassen.Wellington returned for the night’s final over, and though unable to find the right variation for another wicket, the Australians walked off happy with their work. England, by contrast, rued a missed opportunity.

And so, after six months and 16 games, after memorable fightbacks and outstanding performances, it goes down to the last day of the season

George Dobell at Lord's22-Sep-2016
Scorecard1:34

A draw no good at Lord’s

And so, after six months and 16 games, after memorable fightbacks and outstanding performances, it goes down to the last day of the season.There were moments on the penultimate day when it seemed both Yorkshire and Middlesex were falling back into the pack. But while Yorkshire emerged just about on top – Nick Gubbins’ sustained excellence continues to keep his side’s head above water in this game – it is not impossible to envisage a scenario whereby Middlesex could still win.If they are able to bat until tea – and somehow score some runs against an unrelenting attack – and set a demanding target (perhaps 220 off 32 overs), Yorkshire will have little option other than to pursue it. Neither of these teams has come this far to be consoled by prize money and both these teams know that a draw is no use to either of them. It is all or nothing now.If Yorkshire do go on to clinch their third successive title – the first team to do so since the Yorkshire team of 1968 – they will owe a huge amount to Tim Bresnan. When he walked to the crease on the second afternoon, Yorkshire were 32 for 3 with their title hopes hanging by a thread. By the time he was done – seven-and-a-half hours later – he had not only helped his side to the vital fourth batting bonus point they required to ensure they could finish ahead of Somerset, but earned them a 120-run first innings lead.Bresnan is a pretty decent embodiment of Yorkshire Man. His batting is pragmatic rather than pretty; his bowling is relentless rather than flash. He could hardly be more no-nonsense, quietly reliable and undemonstratively excellent. In this game, when his side needed it most, he has bowled better than anyone – largely without reward – and produced the innings that could prove crucial.It was surely fitting that it was a partnership with Ryan Sidebottom, another man steeped in Yorkshire cricket, that took their side to the crucial fourth batting point that kept their hopes alive. By the time the ninth-wicket fell – Jack Brooks chipping to mid-on – there were still 16 runs required.But, single by single, scamper by nudge, they inched Yorkshire ever closer. There were many nervous moments. Twice Sidebottom jabbed his bat down to keep out well-directed yorkers from Tim Murtagh; twice he edged short of the cordon; twice he survived huge appeals for leg before. One of them, against Toby Roland-Jones, looked dead for all the world but replays vindicated umpire Rob Bailey’s decision by showing a thin edge.It was a brilliant, breathless passage of play. Even the rain that kept the teams off the pitch for around an hour with Yorkshire one run short of that bonus point only added to the drama: the cliff-hanger at the end of an engrossing serial.On the resumption, Ollie Rayner beat Bresnan twice in successive deliveries – once as he attempted to cut a long-hop and once when one left him down the hill – before Sidebottom (who had faced 51 balls for his 7 at the time) was finally given one on his legs which he tickled to the fine-leg boundary. The roars from the stands – this match has attracted around 15,000 spectators over its first three days – and punched fists in the middle told the story of how vital it could prove to be.”When we came off last night knowing exactly what we had to do, it kind of made it a bit easier,” Bresnan said. “We needed someone to do that and luckily enough it was me. 350 to keep the dream alive: getting there was a massive effort.”Might Middlesex have missed a trick, though? Had they allowed Yorkshire to race to 350 – very much against the grain of play might they not have allowed themselves more time to score the runs required to have an opportunity to bowl out Yorkshire in the fourth innings and ensured Yorkshire had an incentive to chase? The passage of play, though enthralling, probably benefited Somerset more than Yorkshire or Middlesex. If this match is drawn, Middlesex will be the first unbeaten (top division) side not to win the Championship since Lancashire (who were eighth) in 1974.With their primary target reached, Bresnan and Sidebottom allowed themselves some more aggressive options. By the time Sidebottom skipped down the pitch and was bowled, the Yorkshire lead was potentially match – and competition – defining. It was all a long way from 32 for 3 or even 53 for 4.Middlesex, however, will surely rue two more dropped chances. Having reprieved Andrew Hodd on the second day, Nick Compton then put down Azeem Rafiq on 33 before Rayner and Sam Robson combined to put him down again on 38. While neither chance was easy – Compton had to run in from short third man and dive in an attempt to take the upper-cut off Steven Finn, while Rayner deflected the ball out of Robson’s path off an edge from James Franklin – Middlesex would have expected both to be held.Rafiq, – who would probably have missed out had Adil Rashid felt able to play, finished with a priceless 65, surviving a hostile spell of short bowling from Steven Finn by a mix of pluck and good fortune and taking a blow on the helmet from Toby Roland-Jones. On such moments are Championship campaigns decided.”I was an absolute nervous wreck up there in the dressing room,” Sidebottom said afterwards. “I think I was averaging two this year so to go out and get those runs was really nice. We all stuck at it.”Bressie was absolutely brilliant. That was arguably his best innings. His batting has come on so much the last two years and that innings typified it.”It’s been such a long season and to go down to the wire on the last day is amazing. It’s great for the County Championship and for everyone watching.”When Middlesex subsided to 2 for 2 within the first four overs of their second innings, it seemed a three-day victory was possible. Robson, perhaps inconvenienced by the hand he hurt while dropping the Rafiq chance, hung his bat out at one he could have left before Compton was punished for some slow footwork by a peach of a ball that left him just a touch to hit the top of off stump.But Gubbins, not for the first time, stopped the rot. While progress was at time torturous – punctuated by a pull for six when Brooks dropped short – he has kept his side in with a chance of earning the title on the final day. “Even if it’s 200 off 10 overs we’ve still got to swing and get them,” Bresnan admitted. “So the ball’s in their court.””It was important that we got through two down,” Murtagh said afterwards. “But the catches we dropped were costly. That last-wicket partnership was frustrating having got ourselves in a good position. It’s been a draining three days.”We’re a little bit confused up there as to the options and what we want to do. We obviously want to win the game and try and win the title; that’s a massive thing. But we don’t want to just hand it to Yorkshire and set them something ridiculous. So who knows what might happen tomorrow?”Indeed. And while agony awaits for two clubs – all three of the sides still in contention would be worthy champions – it reflects well on this great competition that, going into the final day of the season, six teams are still fighting for either silverware or to avoid relegation.It is here the skills, the resolution, the experience is learned that has helped England to victory in five of the last seven Ashes series. It is here England’s Test team is forged. But it’s not just about being worthy: it’s also wonderful entertainment. Cricket, any form of cricket, doesn’t get much better than this.

Michael Yardy’s hundred helped marshal a strong Sussex response against the champions and was warmly recognised by the home crowd as he prepares to retire

Tim Wigmore at Hove23-Aug-2015
ScorecardMichael Yardy made his 22nd first-class hundred•Getty Images

The standing ovation that greeted Michael Yardy’s century oozed warmth that cannot be faked. It celebrated not merely his century against Yorkshire, timely as that was, but also the impact an admirable cricketer, who will retire this year, has had over 16 seasons of Championship cricket for Sussex.Many of those applauding would have remembered the state of Sussex in 2000, when Yardy made his first-class debut. The new age of two division Championship cricket began with Sussex the worst first-class county in the land, just as they had been in 1997. Yardy averaged just 9.14 in his four first-class games.No one would have envisaged what has happened to player or county since. Used to being caricatured as an amiable but rather lightweight club by the seaside, Sussex became the most formidable Championship team in the land. They finally ended their wait for the Championship crown in 2003, and added titles in 2006 and 2007 for good measure.If the leadership of Chris Adams, the batting nous of Murray Goodwin and above all the brilliance of Mushtaq Ahmed were the abiding memories of those triumphs, Yardy’s contribution to the last two victories was invaluable, albeit typically understated: 1646 first-class runs at 44.48 across the summers of 2006 and 2007.It was during 2006 that Yardy was first selected for England. He always retained the air of being an accidental international cricketer, his left-arm darts acting as an antidote to an era of mystery spin. But they were unremittingly accurate and, especially in Twenty20 cricket, fiendishly difficult to hit boundaries off. In the Caribbean in May 2010, Yardy became a critical part of the only ever English side to win a global ICC event.It was the most notable professional achievement of Yardy’s career. Yet it could not halt his outbreak of depression, which led him to pull out of an ODI in September 2010 and then fly home from Colombo three days before the quarter-final of the 2011 World Cup.Sussex, who he captained from 2009 to 2013, helped to sustain him through these challenging times. Often it was not easy: Yardy once had to leave the pitch midway through a game against Middlesex, sensing “danger” in the field. He still battles depression today.Just as Sussex are grateful for what he has given them, so Yardy is grateful for what the club have given him. When he kissed the club helmet after reaching his century, it did not feel premeditated or inauthentic. In an age of uncertainty over the county game, with a growing chasm between the quality of the cricket in the divisions, the age of the locally-reared, one club player may be nearing the close. This century, there have been few better than Yardy.It was a truth acknowledged by the Yorkshire players who shook his hand both after Yardy had reached his landmark and after he was dismissed playing across the line to Ryan Sidebottom for 124. The sight of Yardy, eschewing elegance for effectiveness, manipulating the ball into gaps and scything anything wide through point, has become familiar indeed to Yorkshire: this was his fifth first-class century against the champions.And how Yardy’s first hundred since May 2014 was worth savouring. Rain had delayed the start until 2pm, so the applause Yardy enjoyed as he removed his helmet and trudged off came from only a few hundred spectators. In its way that was apt: at its core Sussex remain a familial club, and few members of it have been more valued than Yardy. “It’s a very special club and as Sussex players, coaches and support staff we’ve got to keep it that tight club but also a competitive club that continually achieves,” he said.It was revealing that, asked about the highlights of his career, Yardy first cited being awarded his county cap. “To get the opportunity to play for your county and stay all your career at one county is very special. There’s been plenty of highs and a few lows but that’s the rollercoaster you’re on. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”Having begun his career with Sussex at the bottom of Division Two, Yardy’s resilience has gone a long way towards ensuring they remain in Division One, where they have spent all but one season since 2002.The docility of the Hove wicket highlights the value of a draw to Sussex. But, even so, to reach full batting points against an attack with Yorkshire’s quality and variety was quite a feat, and owed to much more than the efforts of Yardy. Oli Robinson played fluently for two hours as nightwatchman. And in the final session Ben Brown reverse-swept with such alacrity that he reached a century in just 84 balls.With crucial games against Worcestershire and Somerset looming, Sussex’s challenge is to ensure that they do not need to produce something similar in Yardy’s final Championship game, at Headingley next month.

Glenn Maxwell might be the very model of the modern cricketer, raised on Twenty20 and thriving on the short format’s fast pace, but he insists he has the patience to make it as a Test cricketer as well

Brydon Coverdale02-Feb-2013Glenn Maxwell might be the very model of the modern cricketer, raised on Twenty20 and thriving on the short format’s fast pace, but he insists he has the patience to make it as a Test cricketer as well. On Thursday, Maxwell was named as the main spinning allrounder in Australia’s Test squad to tour India, meaning he is likely to earn a baggy green on the trip, and the following day he crunched an unbeaten 51 from 35 balls in Australia’s one-day annihilation of West Indies.Promoted to open the batting Maxwell scored nearly three-quarters of Australia’s runs in their tiny chase of 71, racing to the target within the first ten overs. Maxwell’s brisk scoring is nothing new to those who have watched him at domestic level over the past few seasons, but he has also managed to average 42 at first-class level and believes his technique can stand up to the challenges of the five-day game.”I feel like I’m definitely a genuine batsman,” Maxwell said in Perth ahead of Sunday’s second ODI. “I’ve done a lot of work on my technique over the last few years. [Victoria coach] Greg Shipperd has been a big believer in my technique and I feel that’s shone through in Shield cricket.”I’ve played some good Shield innings where I’ve played technically really good cricket. I’m hoping I can showcase that when the opportunity arises, but yesterday wasn’t really the time to do it. I’m sure if I get the chance to play Test cricket I’ll probably be a bit more reserved.”Maxwell has spent some time in India in the past, visiting the country in 2010 for a training camp as part of the Centre of Excellence intake, and enjoying a short stint with the Delhi Daredevils in last year’s IPL. He said his plan, if he was given the opportunity in Test cricket on the upcoming tour, would be straightforward.”I’ve thought about how I’m going to be playing spinners over there,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play over there a little bit, I had the Academy a couple of years ago and had the IPL experience last year. I know my game plan over there is going to be pretty simple, using my feet against the spinners and hopefully that will hold me in good stead.”Although Maxwell is considered a batting allrounder, his offspin has developed over the past few months and the selectors would expect significant overs from him if he was slotting into the Test outfit. Maxwell said he had worked with Shane Warne this summer on the mental side of spin bowling, as well as Ray Bright and Shawn Flegler, and he was confident that the sharp turn expected on the Indian pitches would allow him greater margin for error.”With the wickets and the way they spin, you can bowl a lot faster over there and really use your pace variations to your advantage,” Maxwell said. “In Australia you’ve got to be a lot more accurate, a lot more consistent in a certain area, where India allows you a lot more margin for error just because of the way it spins.”

Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid have denied media reports of a rift in the Indian team over MS Dhoni’s leadership and a lack of unity when under pressure

Sidharth Monga in Perth11-Jan-2012Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid have denied media reports of a rift in the Indian team over MS Dhoni’s leadership and a lack of unity when under pressure. Reports suggested the team was split over Dhoni’s captaincy style and even suggested that one group wanted Sehwag, the vice-captain, to take charge.The Indian team is under gag orders that bar the players from speaking to the press outside the designated media interactions but Sehwag responded directly to the allegations of his own role, which appeared in Australian papers on Tuesday.”When teams start losing then these kind of things come, but there is nothing true in that,” Sehwag told the . “We are playing as a team, and we are fine. I can’t talk about anything else because there are rules, but you asked me about this and I can say it is rubbish. We are a unit, and we are carrying on for the next Test.”Dravid, who spoke at Wednesday’s press conference, echoed the sentiment. “When you are down 2-0, all these things happen,” he said. “Suddenly there’s all sort of stuff floating around. There is absolutely no truth to any of these things. Like I said, the spirit in the team is pretty good.”Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain, also said before the Sydney Test that he felt Dhoni was not getting the on-field backing of his senior players. “Captains need help because they are under pressure every time,” he said on NDTV. “They need a vice-captain or a senior player who is going to come up at regular intervals and say, look, maybe try something different. And I don’t think Dhoni is getting that … Everybody is in their own cocoon, and that’s where Dhoni needs a lot more interaction from the group itself.”More recent was Brad Haddin’s observation that the Indian players “can turn on each other”. When Haddin’s team-mate and former captain Ricky Ponting was asked on Tuesday if he had actually seen anything on the field that might have led Haddin to feel that way, he said: “I haven’t seen that as such. And I haven’t really been looking for it. Whenever I have been batting, I have been trying to get myself into a zone, and try to focus on the next ball I have to face. Once again, I don’t think any of us has worried or focussed too much about what the Indian team has been doing.”

It’s been a difficult summer for Mitchell Johnson but he is back on a happy hunting ground for the last home game ahead of the World Cup

Andrew McGlashan in Perth04-Feb-2011It’s been a difficult summer for Mitchell Johnson but he is back on a happy hunting ground for the last home game ahead of the World Cup. Perth was the scene of his one match-winning bowling spell of the season, where he took six wickets in the first innings of the third Test and nine overall, to set up Australia’s 267-run series-levelling victory.That, though, came to look ever more anomalous as he took 2 for 134 at the MCG and claimed 4 for 168 at the SCG as England retained the Ashes then won the series with innings victories. Since then, Johnson has had a stop-start one-day campaign hindered by illness which forced him to miss three matches and in Sydney he took 1 for 43 from six overs while overall has conceded 5.76 per over.However, at the SCG Johnson also showed the other valuable skill he can bring to Australia’s one-day team after he was promoted to No. 4 at the behest of captain Michael Clarke and responded with 57 off 59 balls to help them chase down a record 334. Johnson was initially pushed up the order to clear the boundary but, although he struck two sixes, he showed the ability to build a proper innings.”The plan worked. Michael and Cameron [White] talked about it that night to keep the momentum going and get after Yardy,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t quite get after him as he bowled pretty well but I stayed out there and built a good partnership with Callum Ferguson then a little bit of a stand with Michael to get him going. I really enjoyed batting at No. 4 and hopefully I get more opportunities.”After the match Clarke said Johnson’s ability to attack the spinners could make his batting a valuable asset during the World Cup. Although Australia expect to have Ricky Ponting back in the top order and hope that Michael Hussey recovers from his hamstring injury to play a part Johnson is ready for a top-order role.”Michael and Ricky have spoken to me in the past about it, there have been games where I have been padded up in the past and looked to take on that roll,” he said. “I probably don’t look at it as a pinch-hitting role, but just go out there and be my aggressive self.”However, Johnson won’t be able to survive in the team on the back of runs alone – his job is to take wickets as part of a probable four-pronged pace attack on the subcontinent. He has always brought a wildcard element to the line-up, but with Shaun Tait always likely to prove expensive Johnson also needs to control the run rate for his captain.Despite his high economy in this series Johnson thinks he has enough time to sharpen his game before Australia’s opening World Cup match against Zimbabwe on February 21. “I got the ball to swing back which got [Matt] Prior out which is a pretty good sign for me,” he said. “I’ve worked hard with Troy [Cooley], I was probably five or six days behind with my bowling because of being ill so leading into the World Cup if I play this game and a couple more before it starts I think I’ll be right.”Johnson will be a major name in Australia’s Perth line-up, but overall it will be a much different team than is likely to face Zimbabwe in little more than two weeks after Clarke and Shane Watson were left in Sydney to rest, while Steve Smith picked up a hip injury. Smith joins Hussey, Ponting, Xavier Doherty and Nathan Hauritz on the current injury list at the end of a long home season.England, meanwhile, have been left with a second-string bowling attack but Johnson believes Australia’s problems have allowed them to show the strength and depth available. “There are bound to be injuries along the way, they’ve had a few disappointing injuries and so have we,” he said. “It’s not disconcerting, there are guys coming in that have played one-day cricket for Australia and done well for their states. We’ve got a lot of talent and a lot of back-up.”