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As expected, Rashid was retained by Strikers, while Sixers were able to bring back Jordan and Vince from last season

Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-2022Liam Livingstone and Trent Boult were big early signings in the inaugural BBL overseas draft, but five of the 12 platinum players went unselected, including Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis, as clubs put a strong emphasis on availability while working within their salary caps.As expected, Rashid Khan was retained by Adelaide Strikers when Melbourne Stars picked him after Melbourne Renegades had taken Livingstone with the first selection of the night. Sydney Sixers were able to bring back two players from last season, Chris Jordan and James Vince, while Perth Scorchers also had a familiar feel with Laurie Evans and Tymal Mills after passing on a platinum pick as had been suggested they would.Related

• Liam Livingstone withdraws from BBL in major blow to the tournament

• Melbourne Renegades sign Andre Russell in short-term BBL deal

• Melbourne Renegades sign uncapped Sri Lankan spinner Ruwantha Kellapotha

• BBL and WBBL to finally have DRS; Bash Boost and X-Factor scrapped

• 'Look after local players' – Smith wants better BBL deals for Australian cricketers

“Our plan was always to retain Rashid. Wonderful player, wonderful person,” Strikers head coach Jason Gillespie said. “He’s been brilliant for our franchise over a number of years, and absolutely delighted to have him back.”The tournament will go head-to-head with the new South Africa and UAE T20 leagues during the congested January window with many of the bigger names having already signed for one of those competitions which, for the leading players, can still provide more money for a shorter tournament. Alongside Russell and du Plessis, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Jason Roy were the platinum players not selected.The one platinum player with full availability, England’s David Willey, was taken by Sydney Thunder, who will also have Alex Hales again, in what looked like a good night’s work.There was a strong Pakistan connection at Hobart Hurricanes, who have Ricky Ponting as head of strategy, with all three of their players coming from the country as they utilised Darren Berry’s PSL knowledge after he joined Hurricanes’ new coaching staff earlier this year. They went for legspinner Shadab Khan as their platinum pick before taking Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf.Andre Russell was one of the platinum players not picked•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“He’s a high-class international leg spinner, he’s very handy with the bat as well, and he’s a gun in the field,” Ponting said of Shadab. “So we think we’re bringing in a three-dimensional cricketer. It looks like he’s got reasonable availability.””The challenge the BBL teams have faced the last few years has been the international players coming in and out,” Ponting added. “You get two or three games out of one, and then you have to try to fill that slot with someone of a similar role and ability, and that’s pretty hard to do. And if these players are coming in and out, you’ve got to have money to fill their voids as well. When you’re trying to balance the salary cap, it’s not easy to do.”On Scorchers’ decision to not go for a platinum player, head coach Adam Voges said: “Availability is a real key for us. We know what type of player we want, the skill set we want…we love guys coming back who have played for us before and fit into our group really well.”Aaron Finch, Australia’s limited-overs captain and a Renegades player, was delighted with his team getting Livingstone.”It was a no-brainer for us,” he said as he joined the coverage from Townsville. “What he offers with the bat is exceptional. And what he delivers in the field and with the ball, being able to bowl legspin and offspin, I think he’s a beautiful fit for the Renegades.”There were certainly some intriguing selections throughout with Strikers taking Colin de Grandhomme in the gold round and Sixers going for young Afghanistan spinner Izharulhaq Naveed as their final selection.English county players with good availability were popular with Luke Wood (Stars), Adam Hose (Strikers) and Ross Whiteley (Brisbane Heat) getting picked up while West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein was Renegades’ last selection as they went spin-heavy after getting Livingstone early on.There was some movement, too, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman going from Heat to Renegades, and Heat getting Sam Billings who could have been retained by Thunder along with Colin Munro who was with Scorchers last season.From Monday, teams can start signing replacement players, who can come from anyone nominated in the draft, to fill spaces created by initial selections who will miss parts of the BBL. With each team having taken three overseas in the draft, they have four slots for replacements.How the draft played outMelbourne Renegades Liam Livingstone, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Akeal Hosein
Melbourne Stars Trent Boult, Joe Clarke, Luke Wood
Brisbane Heat Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Ross Whiteley
Sydney Sixers Chris Jordan, James Vince, Izharulhaq Naveed
Adelaide Strikers Rashid Khan (retained), Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Hose
Perth Scorchers Laurie Evans (retained), Phil Salt, Tymal Mills
Sydney Thunder David Willey, Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw
Hobart Hurricanes Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf

With England’s Ashes preparations hit by a rash of injuries, bowling coach Steffan Jones has called for a shift away from gym work and strength training

George Dobell13-Nov-2017English cricket is facing an epidemic of bowling injuries due to poor training and development policies that threatens to “kill the art of fast bowling”, according to one highly respected coach.Steffan Jones, whose recent spell with Hobart Hurricanes won praise from Stuart Broad and Dan Christian, has warned fast bowlers are not being looked after properly despite the increase in medical staff, physiotherapists and strength and conditioning coaches working in the game. The issue has come into focus again with England suffering a spate of injuries to players who would have been in contention for the Ashes.While Jones, who enjoyed a long career as a fast bowler and has subsequently coached at Somerset and Derbyshire, accepts that some injuries are all but inevitable in the “massively stressful” pursuit of bowling fast, he fears the “modern-day preparation of bowlers, which has millions of pounds spent on it” is proving counter-productive.Jones, who has documented his thoughts in a paper titled “The Stress Fracture Epidemic” on his LinkedIn page, believes that a lack of knowledge from strength and conditioning coaches, in particular, is limiting the potential for the game to produce 100mph fast bowlers in the future.Jones also played professional rugby and is currently director of sport, performance and wellbeing at Wellington School in Somerset. He feels the mistakes start early – for example, bowlers being made to specialise on the game in their early teenage years. So, while some coaches might stop young bowlers playing other sports to prevent injuries, this only delays the “inevitability of injuries due to a lack of athletic robustness further down the line”.”Young bowlers are forced to specialise before they reach peak high velocity and miss out on the large amount of neural benefits that comes from simply playing other sports,” Jones says. “The modern-day bowlers are clones and look clunky and robotic in their bowling actions. This is a direct consequence of a lack of athleticism.”The physical traits they miss out are not inputted into their training programmes. Natural athletic training like jumping, falling, rolling, running are missed out and static, fixed plane, heavy barbell training in a stable environment is emphasised in its place. There is a distinct lack of athleticism developed from a variation of sports and activities.”Jones also warns that the current environment for young bowlers is “utopian” and does not prepare them for the real world. By limiting workloads, he feels there is “a generation of fast bowlers who have no ‘work capacity’, resilience and body awareness”.”We are building fragile bowlers, not anti-fragile bowlers,” Jones says. “Any variation and variability in their training or match days they can’t cope with and break down. Physiologically and mentally. It’s simply not what they are used to.”If you [always] run on a treadmill, the first time you slip on a pothole, you tear a ligament. But if you run on uneven surfaces, your ligaments are stronger and you can handle the stress.”Young bowlers turn to you and say ‘What? You want me to bowl with that foot hole, to a batsman who’s on 100, without a net stopping it from going for six, when I’ve got lactic acid in my legs and uphill into the wind. No way, let me check my spreadsheet!'”I don’t think bowling workload management is working. Stopping a fully developed 15-year-old from bowling more than his/her allocated amount is insane. One year they can’t bowl more than seven overs but then the next there are no guidelines, which produce a huge workload spike. Which we know is a key factor in injuries. We need to match game regulations based on stage of maturation and not chronological age.”Developing the ability to drive [through a bowling action] takes repetition, just like any other skill. And guess what? If you don’t keep practising it, you will lose it. A good way to get strong through the hip and ankle is to bowl! Unfortunately, with the culture of under bowling due to over monitoring, bowlers have not the ability to ‘drive’ and severely lack the stiffness, robustness and work capacity to bowl quickly when those ‘shackles’ of workload directives are removed. When this happens, there is a huge spike in their workload which causes injuries or at least contributes to injuries.”Jones was especially scathing on the role of the strength and conditioning coach in the modern game. Suggesting they are “judged on the improvements their athletes make in the confines of the weight room”, he concludes that their influence has “led to a decline in the performance levels of fast bowlers”.Steffan Jones enjoyed a long county career•Getty Images

“Their ‘gym numbers’ are through the roof,” Jones says. “Until coaches are judged by on-field gains this trend will continue to kill the art of fast bowling.”The main problem is a lack of knowledge. Due to the reductionist approach to cricket coaching, where coaches focus on isolated traits like technique, strength, power, tactics and conditioning, the preparation of fast bowlers isn’t a synergistic process. Everyone is working in different directions.”What currently is being taught in coach education programmes is not accurate and change needs to happen. I worry for the future of fast bowlers in the game. I am genuinely concerned that an eight-year-old coming into this great game of ours will never experience the thrill and adrenalin rush of watching a 100mph bowler bowling again.”Jones’ comments come as England are reeling from a succession of injuries to their seamers. With Toby Roland-Jones (stress fracture), Jamie Porter (stress fracture), Steven Finn (torn knee cartilage), Jake Ball (strained ankle ligaments), Liam Plunkett (hamstring strain), Tom Helm (hamstring strain), Mark Wood (ankle) and Jamie Overton (stress fracture) all currently considered unavailable, the England management called-up 20-year-old George Garton into the Ashes squad as short-term cover in the last few days.While some criticism from coaches on the fringes of the game might be dismissed as personal frustration, Jones’ reputation suggests it should be taken more seriously. He has a huge amount of experience – not least as a player, when he wholeheartedly headed down the ‘strength and conditioning’ route in the hope it would add pace to his bowling and concluded it would not – and professional qualifications and is generally respected for his easy-going nature and fastidious attitude to his work. Kevin Shine, the ECB’s lead fast bowling coach, once said: “Anyone lucky enough to work with him will benefit from this fabulous mindset.”

Bangladesh captain wants to “revive Test culture in the country” and make sure the team starts winning more at home

Mohammad Isam28-Jun-2022Captain Shakib Al Hasan has said that Bangladesh didn’t show enough character against West Indies in the St Lucia Test. West Indies completed a ten-wicket trouncing of the visitors on the rain-interrupted fourth day. Bangladesh, six-down overnight, lasted just over an hour on the day, getting bowled out for 186 to leave the home side a target of 13 to complete the 2-0 series sweep.Bangladesh came into the fourth day on 132 for 6 after their top and middle order once again caved in against a disciplined pace attack. Shakib said that his side’s inability to hold on to their wickets showed a lack of game awareness at this level.Related

• Simmons hails Roach's 'exceptional influence' on young bowlers

• Domingo: 'Very disappointing' to see Bangladesh's 'basic errors'

• Why is Bangladesh's batting on the decline in Tests?

• Domingo: 'Bangladesh need players who are hungry for Tests'

“Considering this Test, we tended to lose wickets just before a drinks break, a lunch break or before the rain. If we didn’t lose these wickets, things would have been quite different. This is a part of game awareness. We weren’t as tough as we could have been, in terms of showing character in this Test match,” he said.Shakib felt that the Test players must work on their game before they meet India in December. Bangladesh go into their T20 season later this week, leading up to the T20 World Cup scheduled to begin in Australia in October. They will be playing T20Is against West Indies and Zimbabwe, before featuring in the Asia Cup and a tri-series in New Zealand before the global event.”We have to improve in every department to do well in Tests. It is good that a big gap is coming up [before we play the next Test]. Those who are interested in playing Tests can improve themselves during this time. We really don’t have a new set of players who will do well immediately after coming to this level.”If all of us, and a couple of the players from outside, can plan together, we might do well. Otherwise, we cannot expect a lot of changes if we continue to play the same way. We have to bring changes in many aspects, including our thinking.”Shakib believes the team must stop losing matches regularly at home to regain confidence. Bangladesh have now lost three Test series in a row: home series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka , before this away series against West Indies.”Teams are mostly underdogs on away tours. Take New Zealand, for example. They are losing abroad. England lost in the West Indies. Australia are losing when they play abroad. The same for India. Teams lose in India too.”So, we have to make sure that we don’t lose at home. Either we win or draw the matches. This improvement will help us when we are playing overseas. Maybe, we won’t win, but we will be competitive.”Shakib spoke of lack of Test culture in Bangladesh, something that head coach Russell Domingo had also pointed out last year. He said that the team need to plan early and execute well to revive the culture.”You can’t really blame the players. The system in our country is this. Did you ever see 30,000 people come to see a Test match? It happens in every game in England. We don’t have a Test culture in our country. But we can’t give up on it.”We have a responsibility to bring Test culture back to the country. We have to plan ahead, otherwise, we can’t get too far. I wouldn’t say that we don’t value Test cricket. But we don’t have good results. These two go hand-in-hand.”Shifting gearsA challenging series awaits Bangladesh as they begin their preparation for the T20 World Cup with three T20Is against West Indies, starting on July 2. After the T20 World Cup last year, where they were knocked out in the second round, Bangladesh went down to Pakistan 3-0 in November and drew 1-1 with Afghanistan.”It is an important series as far as our preparation for the T20 World Cup is concerned,” Shakib said. “We have the Asia Cup and the World Cup coming up. We don’t have much time left. Playing against West Indies will be a major challenge.”If we do well in the T20s here, it will help us go to Sri Lanka [for the Asia Cup] with a good mindset. The Asia Cup will be tough as we will take on India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.”

Brett D’Oliveira batted Worcestershire into a strong position on a used New Road pitch upon which they will look to R Ashwin to capitalise on the second day

ECB Reporters Network28-Aug-2017Brett D’Oliveira batted Worcestershire into a strong position•Getty Images

A dusty, used surface awaits R Ashwin when he finally gets to bowl at New Road on his Worcestershire debut, but on the opening day he had to satisfy himself with a useful supporting role for Brett D’Oliveira, who celebrated a new county contract with a top-score of 93 on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Gloucestershire.Ashwin has started a four-game spell at New Road as Worcestershire strive to reinforce their promotion credentials, with Sussex, Kent and Northants all vying to join runaway leaders Nottinghamshire in the top two, and he looked full of class in making 36 in the middle order on a sun-soaked day.But the main innings of the day came from D’Oliveira who, along with Ed Barnard, has committed his long term future to the County with new deals.The 25-year-old fell just short of his third Championship hundred of the campaign but his efforts were a key component in Worcestershire totalling 338 for 7 from 98 overs on a used pitch.There were useful contributions all down the batting order and now Worcestershire will be hoping Ashwin can work the kind of magic with the ball which has brought him 292 Test wickets.Gloucestershire opted for a toss but lost out as home skipper Joe Leach decided to bat first on a pitch used for the England Under-19 v India Under-19 four-day ‘Test’ and a NatWest T20 Blast fixture.Paceman Liam Norwell struck an early blow as Daryl Mitchell went for a drive and Cameron Bancroft held onto a low chance at first slip. But he then dislocated the little finger on his bowling hand fielding a return shot from new batsman Tom Fell and went for a hospital x-ray and did not return to the attack until after tea when the second new ball was taken.Spin was introduced as early as the 13th over via Tom Smith.Fell has experienced a poor summer with the bat but he looked in good form during a stand of 72 in 26 overs with D’Oliveira. He went past his previous highest Championship score of 35 in 2017 but added only three more before he was lbw to Smith.D’Oliveira was not afraid to use his feet and lofted Jack Taylor for a straight six and repeated the stroke against Smith. Joe Clarke reeled off a series of exquisite drives in making 32 but would have been disappointed with the way a casual flick off his legs from Kieran Noema-Barnett ended up in the hands of short midwicket.Smith enjoyed a second success as George Rhodes played back and nicked to George Hankins at first slip. D’Oliveira continued to score freely but on 93 he played forward to Smith and Hankins completed the catch after Will Tavare had initially got a hand to the ball at second slip. His 188 ball knock contained two sixes and 10 fours.Ashwin was warmly applauded on his way to the wicket in what is arguably Worcestershire’s most high profile overseas player since Glenn McGrath in 2000. He looked full of composure and class and it soon became evident why he often bats in India’s top six.He made 36 off 50 balls with a six and four fours before being undone by a ball of extra bounce with the second new ball from Norwell which was edged to Chris Dent at second slip.But keeper Ben Cox (56 not out) and Barnard ensured Worcestershire remained on top during a partnership of 86 in 15 overs before the former on 46 from 49 balls was run-out after a mix-up.

Toby Roland-Jones, the fast bowler, has become the first current England player to speak publicly since Ben Stokes’ arrest for alleged assault in Bristol on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-20170:52

Police appeal for key witnesses to Stokes incident

Toby Roland-Jones has become the first current England player to speak publicly since Ben Stokes’ arrest for alleged assault in Bristol on Monday, saying that there are lessons to be learned both for England’s players and management in the wake of the incident.Fast bowler Roland-Jones, who was omitted from England’s Ashes squad on Wednesday after suffering a stress fracture of the lower back, said that the challenge of being a high-profile figure in the age of social media was something that all sportspeople needed to be aware of, after video footage emerged that allegedly shows Stokes throwing punches at two men outside a nightclub.And for Roland-Jones, who made his England Test debut this summer and so has been privy to a dressing-room culture that encourages the players to take responsibility for themselves on and off the field, the Stokes incident is a warning of how quickly events can escalate if players are not on their guard at all times.”I think it’s a timely reminder,” Roland-Jones told BBC Five Live. “These days with phones, social media and the access that people have, at any time when you are in the public domain, you are there to be seen and recognised, particularly someone as high-profile as Ben is in our sport.”England’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, has expressed his disappointment that both Stokes and Alex Hales were still out drinking at 2.35am, midway through an international series, but the England management is understood to be reluctant to impose curfews on their players, for fear of blunting their freedom of expression.”It breeds a culture in sport of self-governing within the dressing-room, on and off the field, and I think that has really aided this England team, certainly from the little I’ve experienced of it,” said Roland-Jones. “I think the key thing is firstly timing, and knowing that if you drink too much that can impact your performance and preparation, and that is in no way accepted by the management.”But when you are celebrating a series win, or enjoying casual beers in the dressing room, that breeds I think a really positive culture as well. But there’s a line there and unfortunately in certain instances it becomes pretty black and white when it is crossed.”It’s a difficult one when situations arise like this, because naturally people start to query decisions, but as sportsmen we are adults and at some stage everyone has to be held responsible for their own actions.”You want to be able to celebrate at the right times but also it’s about finding a way of keeping an element of control when you are in the public eye, and knowing that every action can have a repercussion.”Obviously this is quite an extreme example, but there are different ranges, and guys in the public eye in sport have something to answer to with their actions away from the game. It is something for the guys these days to get used to, and it will take a bit of understanding and potentially a bit of learning from the powers-that-be to make sure guys are ready for that.”Stokes’ participation in the Ashes remains a major doubt. On Thursday, he was suspended indefinitely by the ECB, pending a full inquiry, and is expected to be recalled by Avon and Somerset Police for a second interview under caution within the next few days.And even if he does make it onto the plane to the Ashes, Stokes can expect a tough time both on and off the field, as Roland-Jones conceded.”We’ve had various small chats about their media and my little understanding is that they’ll certainly try and make a target of him and the most they can out of the situation,” he said. “Knowing him a little bit, as I do, I would have no problems about him going over there and still being able to perform and having a massive impact for that England team.”

Ashleigh Gardner a big gainer across all three charts after key contributions in both Australia’s games so far

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2022Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten 42-ball 63 against Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games has taken her one spot up to third in the women’s T20I rankings for batters.Mandhana’s power-packed half-century helped her go past Sophie Devine into the top three, and within two rating points of Beth Mooney, who is placed second. Meg Lanningis top of the pile.Related

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Mandhana has been No. 3 on the T20I batters’ list previously as well – first in 2019 and more recently in October last year.The rankings were updated after six T20Is at the Commonwealth Games. Suzie Bates, on the back of her 91 not out off 64 balls against South Africa, jumped two slots, leapfrogging Alyssa Healy and Chamari Athapaththu to move to sixth place.Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored a half-century in the CWG opener against Australia, moved four places to 14th position.Ashleigh Gardner, the Australia allrounder, was one of the biggest gainers, moving in all three T20I lists. Her match-winning 52 not out in the opening game against India propelled her five places to 11th on the batters’ list. She then shone with the ball against Barbados, returning 2 for 6 in a crushing nine-wicket win that saw her jump from 45th to 26th on the bowlers’ list. Gardner also moved to a career-best third on the allrounders’ rankings – a jump of four places.On the bowlers’ table, Jess Jonassen, who returned 4 for 22 against India, moved up two spots to fourth position, with Sophie Ecclestone still in the lead.Megan Schutt and Amelia Kerr have moved up one spot each to seventh and eighth respectively. Hayley Matthews is the lone new face in the top ten of the bowlers’ rankings, replacing Ayabonga Khaka.

AB de Villiers made a jaw-dropping 89 off 46 balls, but the rest of Royal Challengers Bangalore was so woeful that Kings XI Punjab won with 33 balls to spare

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu10-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers marked his return from injury with a breath-taking innings•BCCI

AB de Villiers, returning from a back injury and replacing Chris Gayle, made a jaw-dropping 89 off 46 balls, but the rest of Royal Challengers Bangalore was so woeful that Kings XI Punjab won with 33 balls to spare.De Villiers arrived in the second over but by the end of the 15th, he had faced only 28 balls and scored 31 runs. Mandeep Singh and Stuart Binny had taken most of the strike and scored at less than a run a ball. In the last five overs, though, de Villiers faced 18 deliveries and scored 58 off them. He helped RCB double their 15-over score of 71 and was the sole reason they got 148.A measure of how poor the rest of the RCB batsmen were, though, was how easily a collective effort from Kings XI overhauled the target. Manan Vohra, Hashim Amla and Glenn Maxwell timed the ball sublimely under lights and took the RCB seamers for more than ten runs an over. Kings XI’s eight-wicket win was their second in two games, while RCB suffered their second defeat in three.RCB strangled in the Powerplay
In their previous match against Rising Pune Supergiant at the same venue on Saturday, Kings XI bowled 14 dots in the Powerplay. Against RCB, Sandeep Sharma alone bowled 14. In all Kings XI sent down 22 dots, limiting RCB to 23 for 3; only four times in the past had RCB made a lower Powerplay score.Before this match, Axar Patel had dismissed Shane Watson every time they had faced off in the IPL. So it made sense for Axar to take the new ball against Watson and he maintained his perfect record when Watson dragged an arm ball back onto the stumps. Sandeep sent down a volley of swinging deliveries but it was the short ball that coaxed a top edge from Vishnu Vinod.De Villiers repairs damage
De Villiers rusty? You’ve got to be kidding. He deftly guided his first ball to the point boundary. He then watched his team-mates starve him of the strike, and fall into the hole Kings XI had dug for them. The pitch was quicker than the one used for the match against Rising Pune. Varun Aaron, picked in place of left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh, Axar, and Marcus Stoinis tucked RCB up, and ensured they did not score a boundary for 38 balls in the middle overs.De Villiers then switched into super-batsman mode: carving near-yorkers for fours and launching length balls on to the roof – or over the roof – of the stadium. He even struck a six over cover despite being off balance and having to reach far away from his body. He hit eight sixes and a four in the last five overs of the innings.Nailing the chase
Vohra likes pace on the ball. Before this match, he scored at 8.39 an over against pace in the IPL, and 6.78 against spin. He kick-started the chase with three fours in four balls off Watson. Amla also prospered, hitting on the up, as Kings XI shaved 50 off the target in five overs. Tymal Mills came into the attack next over and pinned Vohra lbw with a slower legcutter, but Amla progressed to a typically serene fifty. At the other end, Maxwell produced more unorthodox shots – ramps and golf-swings – and a chastening loss was inevitable for RCB.

Kavem Hodge’s century and offspinner Shane Shillingford’s match haul of 6 for 88 consigned Trinidad and Tobago to an innings-and-37-run defeat in their clash against Windward Islands

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2018
ScorecardSportsfile/Getty Images

Kavem Hodge’s second first-class century and offspinner Shane Shillingford’s match haul of 6 for 88 consigned Trinidad and Tobago to an innings-and-37-run defeat in their Regional 4-Day Tournament clash against Windward Islands at St George’s. It was Windward Islands’ first win of the competition.T&T invited Windward Islands to bat, but could not put up a score of substance after the opposition amassed 366, managing scores of 172 and 157. Even so, they could probably have asked Windward Islands to bat again had they not allowed them to stage a recovery from 37 for 2 in the first innings.Hodge’s arrival steadied them thereafter, as they recovered through a third-wicket stand of 81 between him and Devon Smith. He later found an able partner in Kyle Mayers, with whom he added 107 for the fifth wicket. Hodge, in fact, played second fiddle as Mayers took over the scoring, slamming his 74 off just 68 balls and with the assistance of 10 fours and three sixes. After Mayers’ dismissal, Hodge batted around the tail to haul the total past 350.T&T’s new-ball bowler Daniel St Craig was wrecker-in-chief, snaring 6 for 62.T&T were reduced to 13 for 2 in reply and went into a shell thereafter. Denesh Ramdin, their captain, fought alone, holding up his end for 75, but the scoreboard remained stagnant for long periods. Yannic Cariah batted 70 balls for seven runs, while Tion Webster laboured for 32 balls for his 3. Tyrone Theophile nipped out Ramdin in his ninth over, before Shillingford put T&T out of their misery by dismissing the last man Bryan Charles in the next over.Shillingford finished with 3 for 36 and found ample support all around, with each of Windward Islands’ six bowlers, making an entry into the wickets column.Like in the first innings, T&T had a solitary batsman fighting after being asked to follow-on. This time, it was the opener Amir Jangoo, who had struck over half his team’s runs when he was dismissed for 69 with T&T slipping to 122 for 6. They folded for 157. Shillingford and Sherman Lewis shared six wickets between them equally, while the left-arm spinner Larry Edwards, and the opening bowlers Mayers and Delorn Johnson accounted for the rest.

Australia “don’t have much intel” as they get ready for their first trip to Pakistan in 24 years, but the No. 1 Test batter is being innovative with his prep work for spin

Andrew McGlashan21-Feb-20221:10

Marnus Labuschagne explains how Steven Smith helped with his spin mat

Marnus Labuschagne is keeping an open mind over what conditions will confront Australia on their tour of Pakistan but is relishing the prospect of playing overseas again after a gap of two-and-a-half years.It will be Australia’s first trip to Pakistan in 24 years and just the third full Test series Pakistan has hosted since the format returned in 2019 following visits by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (aborted due to the pandemic) and South Africa.Related

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Matches in those three series have been held across Rawalpindi and Karachi which will both host Australia, while Lahore will stage its first Test since 2009. It has made for limited data for players, coaches and selectors to analyse ahead of the tour – although Pakistan’s first-class matches have also been delved into – but in the five Tests since 2019 pace has averaged 29.61 and spin 39.41.”It’s a really exciting challenge to go over there. We don’t really know what we’ll get, we don’t have much intel on the wickets,” Labuschagne said. “If the wickets are what I’ve heard they are – they’ve got a good pace attack and they have some pace in their wickets – well we’ve had plenty of practice on fast, bouncy wickets at the Gabba, so think we’ve got that covered.”One part we don’t have covered is spin. We don’t necessarily have too many wickets around our country that spin. You can only do your best with recreating conditions that you face, then from there you try to make sure you are prepared when you get out there.”Labuschange has got inventive ahead of the tour with a homemade mat with aluminium strips taped to it, to try and replicate the ball skidding through inconsistently, which he showed off via social media last week. The final design had come after some advice from Steven Smith whose experience in the subcontinent will be vital. Australia have not played in such conditions since facing Pakistan in the UAE in 2018-19, a series Smith and David Warner missed due to their bans but which marked Labuschagne’s Test debut.”I thought what is the best way I can recreate spin,” Labuschagne explained, “but not just consistent spin because that’s quite easy to recreate…but where some [balls] spin, some slide and where you can’t really predict what it’s doing.”