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England brace for update this week on fast bowler’s elbow injury

Matt Roller03-Aug-2021England are braced for an update on Jofra Archer’s elbow injury, with the fast bowler due to see a specialist later this week amid fears he could miss the whole international summer.Archer returned home from England’s tour to India ahead of the ODI series in March due to the injury, which deteriorated over the course of the five-match T20I series and forced him to pull out of the IPL. He briefly returned in mid-May after a period of rest and rehabilitation, playing a second XI fixture and a County Championship match, but managed only 18 overs in the latter and had surgery on the advice on a specialist the following week.He spent two months rehabbing under the supervision of Sussex and England medical staff and bowled nine overs – three in a T20 Blast fixture and six in a 50-over friendly against Oxfordshire – in mid-July, but has not joined up with Southern Brave during the Hundred. He will see a specialist later this week to determine the severity of the problem.Related

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• Jofra Archer not expected to link up with Southern Brave this week

The reported on Tuesday that Archer is at risk of missing all five of England’s Tests against India, though he tweeted later in the day that a report in another newspaper – which suggested his prospects of taking part in the T20 World Cup and Ashes were “in jeopardy” – was “click bait at best”. Archer had previously written in his column that he was “quite prepared” to miss the India series if required, with his “primary focus” on England’s winter schedule.Archer was not included in England’s squad for the first two Tests and with the next round of County Championship fixtures not starting until August 30, there will be scant opportunity for him to play competitive red-ball cricket in time to be considered for the final three. His last international appearance was in the fifth T20I against India on March 20.James Vince, Southern Brave’s captain, said last week that he was hopeful Archer would be made available for the second half of the group stage of the Hundred – which runs until August 19 – but it appears increasingly unlikely that he will play any part in the tournament.

The England seamer will play no part in the Test series against India, the T20 World Cup or the Ashes

George Dobell05-Aug-2021Jofra Archer has been ruled out of all cricket for the rest of the year following a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.Archer, the England fast bowler, was forced home from the tour of India at the start of the year and subsequently forced to pull out of the IPL due to pain in the elbow. He underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment from the elbow in May.After returning to bowling with his county side, Sussex, in recent weeks he felt increasing discomfort and was sent for further scans. These revealed he had suffered a recurrence of the stress fracture that first became apparent in South Africa at the start of 2020. The ECB insists that the operation and stress fracture are not connected.Related

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As a result, the ECB has announced he will play no part in the LV= Insurance Test series against India, the T20 World Cup or the Ashes.Given that he has only played six Tests, three ODIs and 11 T20Is since he was first troubled by the problem, the news is bound to raise question marks about Archer’s future career. While he is, at 26, young enough to come again, it remains to be seen if he will opt to limit himself to a career in white-ball cricket in a bid to alleviate further such issues.The news is a crushing blow to England’s Ashes hopes. They had aimed to utilise an attack including Archer, Mark Wood and Ollie Stone in Australia with hope of exploiting the pace and bounce in the surfaces. Stone, too, is currently recovering from a stress fracture of the lower back.Whatever occurs in Archer’s future, his place in England’s cricketing history is assured. As the man who led their attack throughout the 2019 World Cup – including bowling the Super Over in the final – he played a huge part in their success. He produced several spells in the Ashes series that followed – notably at Lord’s – which were as quick as anything produced by an England bowler in many, many years.At that stage, it seemed Archer and England were at the start of an exciting journey. This news will raise concerns over how much more there is to come from him.

The three-year broadcast deal with state television broadcaster PTV was signed in 2020

Umar Farooq18-Nov-2021A landmark cricket broadcast deal that was expected to fetch in excess of USD 200 million for the Pakistan Cricket Board is understood to be cancelled. The PCB has opened a new tender inviting bids for new media rights for home internationals for their upcoming series against West Indies and Australia.The PCB had signed a three-year broadcast deal in 2020 with the state broadcaster PTV. The board had also signed an agreement with the Cable Association of Pakistan, which ensures the PCB’s broadcast content is not redistributed without proper authorisation. The official signing of the deal had taken place at the Prime Minister’s House in the presence of Imran Khan, who is also the PCB’s patron-in-chief.The deal allowed PTV to broadcast all Pakistan’s home bilateral commitments as well as all domestic cricket. It was a step that effectively snapped the PCB’s ties with long-time partner Ten Sports, who had covered Pakistan cricket since the 2000s. The PCB’s broadcast rights had resided mainly with Ten Sports until last year while PTV broadcast home games as part of a joint consortium with Ten Sports from 2012 until December 2019.The PCB had also roped in I-Media Communications Services for cable distribution and securing the transmission of PCB content broadcast on PTV Sports. The redistribution of cricket without proper authorisation was understood to be the main reason the value of PCB content was undermined. It was meant to put an end to the illegal distribution of cricket matches in the country.The deal carried significant value. Last year, after the outbreak of Covid-19, the broadcast market was shrinking and PCB’s five-year deal with Ten Sports had ended. The PCB, however, managed to work out a deal for distribution in Pakistan, but sold its international rights separately to various channels around the world. The deal reached in 2020 was supposed to end that period of uncertainty and the ad hoc nature of the arrangements the PCB was forced to cobble together since the end of the PCB’s broadcast deal with Ten Sports.ESPNcricinfo contacted the PCB and PTV. Both chose not to comment.

Series moves to Cape Town for the decider, with the contest tied 1-1

Hemant Brar06-Jan-20224:51

Manjrekar: ‘India’s bowlers attacked the stumps too much’

Dean Elgar struck a gritty, unbeaten 96 as South Africa chased down 240 with seven wickets in hand to consign India to their first-ever defeat in Johannesburg. The victory also meant South Africa kept the three-match series alive, going into the final Test in Cape Town.On Wednesday, Elgar had put his body on line, taking blows on the gloves and shoulder as he tried to save his wicket. He was more fluent today, especially towards the end of the chase, when he and Temba Bavuma struck a flurry of boundaries to wrap up the chase.Earlier, the rain had washed out the first two sessions and play started only at 3.45pm local time. A minimum of 34 overs to be bowled in the day. As it turned out, South Africa needed only 27.4 over those to knock off the remaining 122 runs.Jasprit Bumrah kicked things off with a jaffa, beating Rassie van der Dussen’s outside edge with a ball swinging away, but otherwise he didn’t look as threatening. R Ashwin started from the other end, bowled two overs before Mohammed Shami replaced him.With the outfield still wet, India struggled to keep the ball dry. In the third over of the day itself, they made a request for the ball to be changed but the umpires didn’t entertain it.After multiple requests, the umpires finally changed the ball in the ninth over of the day. However, the subsequent over, bowled by Shami, produced 14 runs. van der Dussen first flicked him to the square leg boundary and then unleashed a ferocious pull to deposit the next ball in front of square leg. Shami went even shorter but ended up conceding five wides as the ball sailed over Pant.Related

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Shardul Thakur replaced Bumrah from the other end and got a couple to rear up towards van der Dussen from the cracks around the good-length mark. van der Dussen not just kept them out but also found two boundaries in the over.Shami, who had earlier beaten both Elgar and van der Dussen’s outside edges, got his reward when the latter nicked one to second slip. South Africa needed another 65 at that point.Bavuma got a life on the second ball he faced when hit one back towards Thakur. The bowler stretched his right hand out and even had the ball in his hand momentarily but it popped out.Elgar took over after van der Dussen’s departure and struck Shami for successive fours to bring the target down to 50. From the other end, Bavuma hit two cover-driven boundaries to further chip away at the required runs.By now, the wheels had come off for India. Elgar hit three fours in Mohammed Siraj’s one over, which also included five wides. That was the third time in the innings a wide flew over Pant. The pitch was still misbehaving but India didn’t have enough runs left to play with. A couple of overs later, Elgar flicked Ashwin to the midwicket boundary to take his side home.

Sarah Glenn opts out, Lauren Bell, Mady Villiers named as travelling reserves

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2022Newcomers Charlie Dean and Emma Lamb have made it to England’s 17-player touring party for the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup, scheduled to begin on March 4.The Heather Knight-led squad also includes travelling reserves in the young right-arm fast bowler Lauren Bell and spin-bowling allrounder Mady Villiers, who was part of the Ashes.Related

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Kate Cross, Katherine Brunt, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole and Freya Davies will provide the pace-bowling options, alongside Tash Farrant, who recently earned a place back on the list of centrally contracted England players after two years on the fringes.Sophie Ecclestone will spearhead the spin department with Dean as the second-choice. The 20-year-old Southern Vipers offspinner Dean made her international debut against New Zealand over the English summer, featuring in all five ODIs. In just her second match at this level, she claimed 4 for 36 to help England to victory. She has picked up 10 wickets in seven ODIs so far.Lamb, who made her international debut during the Ashes where she was out for a duck and was a part of England A’s squad along with Bell, will be the back-up opener to Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Winfield-Hill.England have omitted batter Maia Bouchier from the squad that toured Australia for the Ashes, while legspinner Sarah Glenn opted not to make herself available, after initially being chosen as a travelling reserve.”All players and staff were asked to opt in to the tournament having fully considered the quarantine period and living protocols in place after quarantine,” a team spokesperson said. “The well-being of our players and staff is our number one priority and we support Sarah in this decision.”Jonathan Finch, director of England women’s cricket, said that the World Cup provides a chance to “refocus our intentions immediately after the disappointment” and “embrace the challenge of a global event”.”The England Women’s A series that ran alongside the Ashes enabled a wider group of players to compete for a place in the squad which has made for some tough calls on selection,” Finch said. “Emma Lamb, a consistent performer across domestic cricket, comes into the squad after making her international debut last summer and offers multiple options with the bat and as an allrounder with her offspin bowling.”The defending champions enter the global event on the back of a 3-0 loss to Australia in the ODI leg of the Ashes and will open their World Cup campaign against the same opponent on March 5 in Hamilton.Squad: Heather Knight (Capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Amy Jones (wk), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt. Travelling reserves: Lauren Bell, Mady Villiers.

“There are some general guidelines that are required, but we’re asking players and teams to just be sensible,” says Geoff Allardice

Shashank Kishore28-Feb-2022Strict bio-bubbles and daily Covid tests have been done away with for the 2022 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, with the ICC planning to stage the tournament in a “managed environment” instead. The rules have been put in place after considering the fact that all teams and officials in the host country would have undergone Mandatory Isolation Quarantine (MIQ) upon arrival.”I think the approach is around having a managed environment around the tournament,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice explained in a chat with the media. “Testing will be infrequent; it won’t be daily testing. It’s really about players taking responsibility knowing they are in the country for a month and living away for that period not locked into a very tight bubble. It’s not going to be practical; it’s certainly not going to allow teams to play their best on the field.Related

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“There are some general guidelines that are required, but we’re asking players and teams to just be sensible, stay away from areas that are likely to create transmission. The other thing is, we found out in last few tournaments – like at the Under-19 World Cup [in the Caribbean in January-February] – is even though we had number of positive tests, the number of people displaying symptoms were very low. We want to focus on keeping people safe and healthy. It’s a bit of a change from where we may have been six months ago.”Allardice stressed on how tough the logistics of ensuring all teams reach New Zealand – whose borders are only partially open – first and then facilitating adequate preparation time following MIQs have been.”In November, the New Zealand government increased quarantine period to ten days, so we added extra time for teams to prepare. Then it went back to seven days. So, logistically, it has been challenging with dates and timings,” Allardice said. “They are now restrictions on number of people who can attend matches. We’re hopeful as the situation unfolds, we might be able to get a higher capacity at venues during the second half of the tournament.”With Covid still a major concern, the ICC has tweaked the playing conditions to ensure that all games go ahead as planned. One of the measures is to allow teams to take the field if they have a minimum of nine fit players available. Teams have been allowed extra travelling reserves to prevent such a scenario from cropping up.Allardice said learnings from staging the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe last November, and the men’s Under-19 World Cup this year, had been taken into consideration while formulating regulations for this tournament.”I hope it doesn’t apply,” he said. “It was something we had to do over the last few months since the Omicron outbreak. In almost all of our tournaments, we have been challenged with number of players being unavailable due to isolation for positive Covid tests. We had quite a close call in the West Indies with the men’s Under-19 World Cup, where a number of teams had outbreaks.”We needed to have some contingency plans. I know they have attracted a bit of attention, but in terms of having to think these things through, how you give teams the best chance to prepare knowing what might happen, that’s the reason we came up with that protocol. The bottom line is, we want 11 vs 11. We have squads of 15, all teams are travelling with reserve players as a contingency.”The announcement or introduction of those protocols was very much given the uncertainty of the event we were dealing with. We had the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe where one team was marginal in terms of players available for some of the matches. We had the same situation at the Under-19 World Cup [in the Caribbean]. Fingers crossed we don’t have to get anywhere near it. But there may be situations where if a team doesn’t have an XI available, we needed protocols to deal with that.”

Says Australia’s spirits remain high despite an online threat against Ashton Agar

Tristan Lavalette01-Mar-2022As he prepares for the final hurdle in his recovery from concussion, Steven Smith hopes a long-awaited Test tour abroad can help shrug off an “odd couple of years” and rekindle his vintage form during Australia’s historic visit to Pakistan.With the first Test in Rawalpindi starting on Friday, the 32-year-old needs to get through Australia’s first training session of the tour on Tuesday to guarantee his availability. Smith will face pace bowling for the first time since suffering a concussion on February 13 after landing on his head following a spectacular diving attempt to save a six during the second T20I against Sri Lanka.During Australia’s training sessions in Melbourne ahead of the tour, Smith faced side-arm bowling and spin on his return from the nasty head knock, which ruled him out of the remainder of the five-match series.”It’s about ticking off facing pace bowling,” he said. “Once that’s done everything should be fine. It’s progressing nicely.”Smith detailed his recollection of the scary incident at the SCG, where he dived full length back on the deep midwicket boundary, and the side effects he’s endured since. The vice-captain has a history of concussions, most notably after being struck by a bouncer from Jofra Archer and needing to be substituted out of the Lord’s Ashes Test in 2019.Related

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“I knocked myself out for a few seconds,” he said. “When I came to, I was in a weird state. I knew straightaway I was likely concussed having had a few knocks to the head.”I’ve had headaches and drowsiness. A couple of Fridays ago, I had a vertigo incident where I was struggling for a bit that day. I’ve had the Epley Maneuver and got the crystals back where they’re supposed to be in the inner ear.”After that, things sort of settled down and progressed really nicely. I’ve been able to do the exercise stuff I need to get myself back to that ready to play state.”It has made for a difficult preparation for Smith, who is eyeing a return to form after a lacklustre Ashes, where he managed just 244 runs at 30.5. This was the first time since September 2017 that his Test average dropped below 60.While his struggles against England were perhaps excusable amid bowler-friendly conditions, Smith’s rut started after his heroic Ashes in 2019 – the last Test tour for Australia.Steven Smith needs to get through Australia’s first training session of the tour to guarantee his availability for the first Test•ICC via Getty

Even though his lean 14-Test run includes just one century at 36.86, Smith remains confident believing Australia’s disrupted schedule since the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to his lack of rhythm. Australia have been limited to nine Tests over the past two years, while Smith has played only 18 Tests since the infamous Sandpaper scandal four years ago resulted in a 12-month ban for him.”I love getting on a roll and being able to play a lot of cricket and finding my groove,” said Smith, who averages 57.1 from 39 Tests away from Australia. “It’s been an odd couple of years having not played away since the Ashes in 2019…it’s hard to fathom.”I pride myself on my performance away from home. The last away tour I performed really well in the Ashes and hopefully I can replicate something similar in this series.”Smith said Australia’s spirits remained high in the aftermath of an online threat against spin-bowling allrounder Ashton Agar, which was investigated by authorities and not deemed a risk.”We are feeling incredibly safe here in Pakistan and we’ll be guided by our security and people we trust around us,” he said. “We had a team barbeque last night, it was amazing. The food was sensational. It’s been really good so far.”I’m just excited to be here in Pakistan and bringing Test cricket here as an Australian team.”

Wyatt added 116 with Dunkley before Ecclestone’s career-best ODI figures polished off South Africa

Annesha Ghosh31-Mar-2022Few occasions can be more fitting than a World Cup knockout match for the defending champions to deliver a perfect game. Against South Africa in the 2022 ODI World Cup semi-final, England achieved that feat with an emphatic 137-run win in Christchurch.Danni Wyatt’s 129, Sophia Dunkley’s 60 and a career-best six-for by Sophie Ecclestone orchestrated the fifth straight win in England’s astounding turnaround at this World Cup and powered them into Sunday’s final against favourites Australia.Anya Shrubsole’s two early strikes, too, played a pivotal role in England’s successful defence of 293, as they skittled South Africa out for 156 in 38 overs. In a rematch of the 2017 World Cup semi-final, Thursday’s victory extended England’s incredible comeback in the tournament after three consecutive losses and sealed their sixth appearance in the final in 12 editions of the ODI World Cup.Related

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South Africa were no match with the bat or in the field as Wyatt and Dunkley’s 116-run partnership ensured they would need to pull off the highest successful chase in Women’s ODIs in their pursuit of a maiden appearance in a world tournament final. Against an opposition that consigned them to a heartbreaking loss in the semi-final in Bristol five years ago, South Africa bore the brunt of slipshod fielding. Five dropped catches off Wyatt alone meant the England opener got lifelines on 22, 36, 77, 116 and 117 en route to her maiden World Cup century.Wyatt’s fifth-wicket stand with Dunkley steered England to the second-highest total in a 50-over World Cup knockout game after South Africa sent them in in slightly overcast and windy conditions at the Hagley Oval. Dunkley, who scripted a match-winning rescue act with a fifty in England’s final league-stage game on Sunday, compiled a confident 72-ball 60 before Ecclestone carted three back-to-back fours off Shabnim Ismail in the 50th over during her 11-ball 24 at No. 8.South Africa started off reasonably well in their new-ball burst on a fresh surface which had a fair amount of bounce, carry and movement. A well-directed outswinger from Marizanne Kapp had opener Tammy Beaumont edge to keeper Trisha Chetty in the fourth over.Masabata Klaas created an opportunity off the first ball of her spell. Wyatt leaned in and offered a thick edge to first-slip Lizelle Lee, who couldn’t hold on to a low catch and the ball raced away for four. Wyatt bludgeoned an authoritative cover drive one ball later and England finished the powerplay on 44 for 1.Captain Heather Knight, who scratched her way to a 19-ball 1, was then adjudged lbw via the DRS off an Ayabonga Khaka inswinger. Nat Sciver initially proved up to the task of keeping up the tempo when she joined Wyatt in the 13th over. But her stay was cut short to an 18-ball 15 as Ismail picked up the first of her three wickets, with a bouncer, reducing England to 77 for 3.Danni Wyatt scored 129 after surviving five dropped catches•ICC via Getty Images

Wyatt responded to South Africa’s ploy aimed at targeting one of her strong suits with aplomb, early in her innings. Their quicks sent down a barrage of short-and-wide deliveries, backed up with a well-patrolled arc between extra-cover and backward point. But it didn’t deter Wyatt from unleashing the cut at will, her most productive shot on the day, which fetched her 34 runs.With No. 5 Amy Jones, she led a sizeable rebuild, their 51-ball 49 stand taking England past 125 inside 26 overs. Striking at over 90 for the best part of the innings helped Wyatt ensure England’s run rate was never quite a concern in batting-friendly conditions, though the regular loss of wickets was.After Chloe Tryon took an agile catch running back to dismiss Jones for 28 off 32, Dunkley superbly complemented Wyatt, who reached her half-century off 56 balls and her hundred with a single off the 97th delivery of her innings. The England dressing room lauded her effort with a standing ovation as Wyatt raised her fist upon reaching the milestone. When she was dismissed in the 45th over, congratulatory pats on the England opener’s back and handshakes from the South Africans came thick and fast.England rounded out a supercharged performance with the bat with 75 runs in their final 10 overs. It wasn’t long before Shrubsole, who hit the winning runs against South Africa in the 2017 World Cup semi-final and was the Player of the Final in that edition, further swung the game their way. She took a return catch to remove Laura Wolvaardt, the leading run-getter of this World Cup, for a duck off the second ball of her spell and had the other opener, Lee, caught by Sciver in the next over.Sophie Ecclestone gestures after dismissing Shabnim Ismail•Getty Images

On a belter of a surface that had plenty for the quicks to capitalise on early, Kate Cross was the next to strike, bowling captain Sune Luus, who was making her 100th ODI appearance alongside Lee, through her defences. It was largely an Ecclestone show thereafter as the ODI No. 1 bowler ran through the middle and lower order with wily variations.The top-score from the South African line-up was 30. With seven wickets down inside 30 overs, even a miracle seemed unlikely to avert a second elimination at the hands of England in a World Cup knockout.Either side of completing her maiden international five-for, Ecclestone sent Ismail off with a finger-on-the-lip celebration and had Jones stump Chetty for her sixth wicket. For a team that became the first in women’s ODI World Cup history to make the final after three consecutive defeats at the start of their campaign, it was fitting that England’s win marked the first-ever women’s ODI to feature a century and a six-wicket-haul.

“We make sure that we stick to the basic plan. If I see a flaw in a batter, we will discuss it in a break”

Mohammad Isam26-May-2022Bangladesh’s fast bowling coaches have been nothing short of star quality over the years. The BCB has regularly hired the best in the business to groom their fast bowlers, such as Courtney Walsh, Ottis Gibson and Charl Langeveldt. Allan Donald, a modern great, who inspired a generation of fast bowlers in South Africa, is the latest addition to lead Bangladesh’s fast bowling think-tank. But like all of his predecessors, Donald, too, is quickly finding out that the team’s inexperienced fast bowlers will have more bad days than good.The Bangladesh pacers’ first innings, in Mirpur, was a mixed bag. Ebadot Hossain finished with 4 for 148, the team’s most expensive four-wicket haul at home. Khaled Ahmed’s figures after bowling 23 overs read 0 for 85, as his wicketless spree in the series continued. But a bowling coach will always harp on the positives, and in this innings it is likely to be the 61 overs the two pacers bowled, making them Bangladesh’s first two-man fast bowling attack to bowl 50-plus overs in a home Test, since 2002.Related

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At the end of the third day’s play in Mirpur, Donald said that he was happy with some parts of his pace bowling pair, but not entirely.”I am not an overload bloke,” Donald said. “My way is to reiterate. I don’t give 16 plans in one day. It is just about the simple things that we do well. Our process with the new ball is not to look for outswinger or inswinger. The process is to find Litton’s gloves. That’s the Test match process I grew up with, and that’s how you build pressure. We make sure that we stick to the basic plan. If I see a flaw in a batter, we will discuss it in a break.”Donald is a clear speaker and has little trouble getting through to the young fast bowlers under his wing. He usually keeps a translator handy during long discussions, with team director Khaled Mahmud or media manager Rabeed Imam helping him out. The 55-year-old said that he tends to stick to simple messages so that it doesn’t complicate the thinking of the bowlers ahead of or during a match.”Ebadot and Khaled are busy learning their trade. We are constantly busy with other factors in terms of mindset and alignment. I thought today, Ebadot was fantastic. He ran in all day long. I told him after tea to ask (Mominul) for the ball nicely. He did that again, and caused problems,” Donald said.”We, in South Africa and here, have not asked enough questions with the new ball. We are working on that attitude and skill. We are maybe slightly apprehensive, whereas the Sri Lankan guys were spot on in execution.”Ebadot Hossain brings out his customary celebration after getting rid of Dinesh Chandimal•AFP/Getty Images

Donald admitted that the Sri Lankan fast bowling duo of Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando bowled better than his charges, but believed that Khaled and Ebadot’s lack of experience means that they are at times playing catch-up with overall skills.”I thought the Sri Lankan quicks on the first day were awesome in terms of their consistency and asking questions. They were rewarded by 24 for 5. They got the ball to swing. They hit the areas. I said that on these wickets in Bangladesh, the new ball is massive. They exploited that really well.”The fast bowling coach also rued missing the consistency of Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed, who are both nursing injuries. “Shoriful, unfortunately, fractured his finger. Taskin is a great miss. He is a lovely kid. He has a serious sized engine in him. You just know he will run through a wall for you. But sometimes someone missing a game is another one’s opportunity,” Donald said. “Ebadot and Khaled have another opportunity to learn, and I want people to be vigilant and patient with their process. Khaled is learning all the time.”Ebadot finishing with a four-wicket haul must have pleased Donald, though the South African surely knows he has his work cut out to put the Bangladesh pace attack in order.

Day one of the Ranji Trophy final was a test of Jaiswal’s patience for large parts and, though he missed out on a landmark ton, he was up to the challenge

Shashank Kishore22-Jun-2022Two months, two big finals.Yashasvi Jaiswal missed winning the IPL with Rajasthan Royals last month but hopes the Ranji Trophy can be Mumbai’s this month.Coming in on the back of three straight centuries, he had a great opportunity to make a fourth, and join an elite Mumbai list occupied by two legends – Vijay Merchant and Sachin Tendulkar. But after digging in and battling it out for nearly two sessions against Madhya Pradesh, he fell 22 short of the landmark, out to a loose drive to gully.Related

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The recent upturn in form has been particularly satisfying for Jaiswal because he had been dropped for the Ranji Trophy league phase prior to the IPL. The Mumbai team management had preferred Aakarshit Gomel to do the job. But scores of 8, 21 and 15 in the face of stifling competition didn’t do him any favours.Come the knockouts, Jaiswal had an opportunity to make amends. A combination of batting time at the IPL and the confidence he exuded during match simulations in the build-up forced his inclusion, and the runs haven’t stopped flowing. Over the past three weeks, he has racked up scores of 35, 103, 100, 181 and 78.On Wednesday, it was a test of Jaiswal’s patience for large parts. Early on, he attacked the spinners, particularly Kumar Kartikeya. But against pace, he shelved that flair for the hard grind, leaving deliveries alone and ensuring he was almost always playing a tight game in trying to see through bowlers under overcast skies.Having bought into the plan of trying to wear out MP’s four-pronged attack, Jaiswal took an eternity to walk off after his loose dismissal. But, after stumps, he appeared a lot more at peace with the dismissal. He wasn’t going to beat himself up over it.”Yes, I’m a little sad, but that’s cricket,” he said philosophically. “Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. I was trying to stay as long as possible at the wicket and play as per the team’s needs. I knew the longer I bat, the more the team will benefit.”Jaiswal loves pressure. He is learning to embrace it, he says. In the IPL, he was left out after three games and brought back in late in the league phase with Royals trying to cement a top-two spot. He averaged 33.28 and struck at 137.05 in the last seven games, forming a fearsome opening combination with Jos Buttler. Coming into the Ranji Trophy knockouts, those runs have given him plenty of confidence.”A final is different,” he said. “The mindset is different. People are telling you a lot of things. They want you to do well, but they put pressure on you. I’m happy to take that pressure, I enjoy it and when I do well [under pressure], I feel proud. I go with that mindset of wanting to do it and I fully trust myself and believe in myself to do that.”One of Jaiswal’s hallmarks is his ability to shut out the noise between balls. He isn’t the one to be bogged down by mind games. He doesn’t respond to chirp but instead focuses fully on his idiosyncrasies. Like having his helmet in the best position, ensuring his gloves are strapped tightly, the shrug of the shoulder and a series of taps before he is ready. And after he plays a ball, he is quick to turn his back to the bowler, leaving no scope for words to be exchanged.MP tried their hand at gamesmanship very early in the day, first handing the ball to Anubhav Agarwal, as if trying to play up that they were opening with a fast bowler, before bowling the spin of Kartikeya first up. Jaiswal knew what was coming and made his intentions very clear. His first boundary was a skip down the track for six off Kartikeya.”They were trying to play tricks, with the keeper going back [to suggest they would open with a fast bowler], but we knew a left-arm spinner is going to bowl and were ready. It’s normal. We know whoever is going to bowl, we need to watch the ball. At the start, I thought the wicket was pretty damp and it was easier to hit the spinners but not the fast bowlers. I was trying to score, because I knew I could get them but not the fast bowlers, because it was difficult. I was thinking this is the way I need to approach it.”I knew whenever we score runs, they will bowl way outside off our outside leg to try and restrict. I wasn’t worried with my dismissal. The ball wasn’t moving then, and it wasn’t an easy shot, I just played it and didn’t cover the line properly. It’s okay.”The surge in form has boosted prospects of a possible India A call-up sometime soon. Jaiswal, though, isn’t thinking that far ahead. There is a job to do in the here and now. “I don’t keep thinking that will happen in the future,” he said. “The focus in the process. What I do in daily life is important.”I just keep working hard at training, on my fitness. It’s not easy playing a five-day game and then coming back for another five-day game after two days in between. You need to be fit, you need to eat and sleep well, be disciplined. I’m just focused on that.”