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Russell Domingo has been given the safety of a contract extension until the end of South Africa’s England tour next August

Firdose Moonda26-Oct-20161:44

Firdose: Domingo gets another crack at an ICC event

From having his position as head coach under scrutiny seven months ago, Russell Domingo has now been given the safety of a contract extension until the end of South Africa’s England tour next August. Domingo, whose contract was due to expire at the end of April 2017, will be in charge for the next 13 Test matches and the Champions Trophy in June 2017. Team manager Mohammed Moosajee has been given the same extension.”As part of the domestic cricket review, we are currently evaluating the entire coaching framework in South Africa and the Board believed the best approach at present was to extend the tenure of Mr Domingo until the end of the England tour in 2017,” Haroon Lorgat, the CSA CEO said.”Naturally the performances of the Proteas was a key factor in the Board’s unanimous decision. The recent 1-0 Sunfoil Test Series win against New Zealand and the impressive 5-0 win in the Momentum ODI Series against world champions Australia, resulting in us being the first nation to achieve a clean sweep against them, were noted. In addition, the excellent Proteas discipline and the positive culture throughout the coaching team, the player leadership group and the rest of the players were viewed as exemplary.”The domestic review is separate from the abandoned but soon-to-be resurrected national team review, which was due to take place after South Africa’s World T20 exit. Former national rugby captain Francois Pienaar was the highest-profile person on the four-man panel that was due to begin work in May. When they failed to agree terms with CSA, the committee disbanded and the review was abandoned. However, another process is now underway, which will review the performances of all national teams, which is unconnected from the domestic review that was concluded earlier in the year.Among the domestic review’s recommendations was the formation of an eight-team T20 premier league to revamp the format in the country but, if that suggestion is implemented, it will only happen in the 2017-18 season. It was not known that Domingo’s position was also part of the domestic review panel’s scope; however, there was a pressing need for certainty over Domingo’s future because of the timing of the Champions Trophy.If Domingo’s contract was not going to be renewed at the end of April, South Africa’s new coach would not have enjoyed any game time with the team ahead of the ICC event in England. South Africa do not have any fixtures scheduled between the end of March, when they tour New Zealand, and the England tour in May. As a result, a decision on Domingo had to be made at the earliest opportunity and after South Africa failed to make the final of the Caribbean triangular tournament in June, it was being speculated his time was up.However, Domingo enjoyed the support of Test and ODI captain AB de Villiers and was given the chance to redeem himself in the home series against New Zealand and Australia. A team culture camp preceded those series in which South Africa plotted what they call a new path.Stand-in captain Faf du Plessis also revealed that the coaching staff had been a major part of the discussions over changing the direction and credited them with South Africa’s turnaround. Although they have only climbed to No. 5 on the Test rankings from slumping to No.7 at the end of last summer, they are up to No. 2 in ODIs and have managed that without de Villiers, who is out injured. Importantly, Domingo has embraced the transformation targets and South Africa have unearthed some depth, which has seen them get back on track and earned Domingo a contract extension.

Inzamam ul-Haq has agreed to continue as head coach of Afghanistan till 2017 following the team’s recent success in Zimbabwe, where they clinched both the ODIs and T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2015Inzamam ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain who had originally agreed to coach Afghanistan on a temporary basis, is believed to have agreed to a new two-year deal period following the team’s recent success in Zimbabwe, where they clinched both the ODIs and T20Is – their first series win against a Test playing nation.”I spoke to Inzamam and he has accepted a two-year contract with the Afghanistan team which will do them a lot of good,” Kabir Khan, the former Afghanistan coach, told PTI. “Inzamam is satisfied with what he saw in Zimbabwe and believes that the Afghanistan team has good cricket talent and can move ahead.”Kabir, who is now a national selector in Pakistan, said Inzamam was happy with his first stint with the team, and that his experience and cricketing acumen will help improve the team’s batting standards. “Inzamam is a cricket great and he can do a lot to improve their batting standards,” Kabir said. “And his calibre and stature is such he will remain above any petty politics which have hurt Afghanistan cricket.”Inzamam, who played 120 Tests and 388 ODIs in a career that spanned over a decade and a half, was offered a similar position by the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2013, which he declined.

Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh batsman, has said the biggest inspiration for his century was his Test opening partner, Jahurul Islam

Mohammad Isam in Hambantota23-Mar-2013Tamim Iqbal had a long talk with Jahurul Islam on the eve of the first ODI against Sri Lanka. In the discussion between one batsman who hasn’t scored an international hundred for nearly two years and another who is known to possess a perceptive mind, the dominant topic had to be the hundred that wasn’t coming for Tamim.When it finally came in the form of 112 runs that gave Bangladesh a genuine chance to win the first ODI, Tamim was quick to thank his opening partner from the Colombo Test and someone he has known for a long time.”The biggest inspiration for this hundred was Jahurul Islam,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “We stayed up till 11.30 last night and discussed some important points. It really worked for me.”I was talking to myself every ball after reaching 50. I wanted to keep my process in shape but then after I had hit a boundary, a current passed through my body. I gave a catch but it got dropped. Riyad told me to go to the 70s and then think clearly. Nasir helped out too.”Jahurul’s advice wasn’t just from outside the field. When he would walk in with the drinks as one of the substitutes, there were more words of encouragement for Tamim. “He reminded me of what he had talked about last night. He told me to that if I try to bat for 40 overs, I can score a hundred. So I would like to thank him. Jahurul is a big part of this century.”He also said that if a batsman makes 30, he starts thinking of a 50. So when you will reach 70 or 80, you will automatically start thinking of a 100. There was a gap for a long time, but I hope it won’t be a longer gap next time.”Tamim hadn’t scored an international hundred since June 2010, and no ODI hundreds since February 2010. In the meantime, he had scored 18 fifties in all formats, and eleven in ODIs and his batting average during the hundred-less period has actually been better than his career averages.His first three hundreds came in 74 games, but the fourth one has taken him another 45. He has often batted at a high strike-rate, but hasn’t played the long innings often enough. There was no serious criticism of his inability to convert half-centuries into hundreds but it was a concern for him and he had mentioned it a few times over the past year.He took his time on Saturday, moving from 80 to 100 in 41 deliveries and moved from nine to ten boundaries in 45 balls. Before and after however, he was at his best. He brought out some excellent shots, and though he survived an easy drop by Angelo Mathews on 54, he didn’t want to look back or give it away again.”I got a hundred after two and a half years. Someone asked me if I have the passion to be one of the best players in the world. That stuck on my mind and I continued to think about it.”I was sharing with [Jahurul Islam] Omi last night the wrong things I have been doing or what I should do. I was a bit lucky today, I got a life on 54. I think I batted brilliantly after that.”On the day that he ended his century drought, Tamim suffered a hairline fracture while fielding which will sideline him for the next four-six weeks.

Toby Radford, the former Middlesex and Sussex batsman, has been named West Indies assistant coach in place of David Williams

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2012Toby Radford, the former Middlesex and Sussex batsman, has been named West Indies assistant coach in place of David Williams.Radford has previously been in charge of the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Barbados and will now work with the senior team, which is coached by Ottis Gibson, on a tour-by-tour basis beginning with the home series against Australia which starts this month.After a brief playing career which amounted to 14 first-class matches, Radford was made Middlesex coach in 2007 before moving to the Caribbean in 2010.Williams, the former West Indies wicketkeeper who played 11 Tests and 36 one-day internationals between 1992 and 1998, said he still hoped play a role in the future of Caribbean cricket.”I am disappointed, but these things happen in life and you have to pick up the slack and move on,” Williams told the . “Just a couple of days ago they called me about the position. They wanted a coach to work with the younger batters.”I enjoyed my time. It was really a great experience and I want to thank the West Indies Cricket Board for that experience. It is not the end of the road. I hope the West Indies Cricket Board knows that I still have a lot to offer West Indies cricket.”Edited by Andrew McGlashan

Imran Tahir, South Africa’s Pakistan-born legspinner, has been advised ten days’ rest to deal with a fractured left thumb

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2011Imran Tahir, South Africa’s Pakistan-born legspinner, will require ten days of rest after sustaining a chip fracture on his left thumb. He remains available for South Africa’s match against India on Saturday and could start his recovery after that.”The selection committee will decide whether that 10-day period will start before or after the game,” Mohammed Moosajee, the team manger said. “He will still be a part of the World Cup going forward.” Moosajee could not confirm when a final call will be taken on Tahir, saying that it may be “on the morning of the game.”Tahir sustained the injury during last Sunday’s six-run defeat to England, when he took a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Stuart Broad. His thumb has been immobilised, is in a splint, and he was X-rayed on Wednesday in Nagpur. The scans were sent back to South Africa, to hand specialist Dr Mike Solomons, who recommended the 10-day rest period.The fracture is not on Tahir’s bowling hand and he was able to bowl in the nets on Thursday, an indication that he may be considered for the match against India. Tahir was part of South Africa’s squad that defeated India 3-2 in January, but did not play a game because he was being preserved as a secret weapon for the World Cup. He has since impressed, with 11 wickets in three matches, and is the leading wicket-taker in the team.
In the ten-day period after the India game, South Africa play Ireland and Bangladesh – a possible opportunity to rest Tahir – before the knockout stage. Johan Botha is in line to replace Tahir when his rest period begins.Tahir is not South Africa’s only injury concern. AB de Villiers has been unable to keep wicket in the last two matches because of a stiff back but was seen practicing specific drills to test his flexibility on Thursday.

West Zone turned in an allround effort that totally outclassed Central Zone in an exceedingly one-sided 216-run victory , at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara

Cricinfo staff08-Mar-2010
Scorecard
West Zone turned in an all-round effort that totally outclassed Central Zone in an exceedingly one-sided 216-run victory, at the Moti Bagh Stadium.Central won the toss and little else, on a day when they were dominated almost from the outset. Chirag Pathak’s early dismissal gave them a handy start after they decided to field first, but Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara weighed in with classy knocks that easily nullified the early loss. Rahane dropped anchor and kept one end up while Pujara unleashed an attractive array of strokes. Both batsmen hit a couple of sixes each and a handful of boundaries, but were unable to go on to three figures. Pankaj Singh stalled West’s progress, picking three quick wickets after the 154-run partnership, to finish with creditable figures of 4 for 38. However, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja changed the complexion of the game completely in the last ten overs, off which West plundered 126 runs. Both the India allrounders took a liking to the length-offerings from Sudeep Tyagi and RP Singh, as well as Suresh Raina’s part-time offspin. Yusuf raced to a 24-ball 59, while Jadeja was unbeaten on 42 off 18 balls.The stuffing had been knocked out of Central and their token effort at chasing the mammoth 336 never took off. Despite early drops from Rohit Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni, the top-order could not capitalize, and wickets fell at regular intervals. Munaf Patel was unlucky not to be rewarded in his tight spell, but Dhawal Kulkarni and Jayesh Odedra chipped in with two scalps apiece. Central were in deep trouble when the in-form Mohammad Kaif fell to a leading edge after closing the face of his bat too soon against Kulkarni. When Suresh Raina dragged his foot out of the crease, in front of an alert Parthiv Patel, the chase was practically over. Jadeja hastened the end with his incisive brand of left-arm spin, as West marched into the final to be played tomorrow, where they will face North Zone, at the same venue.

Both players were off the field for large portions of the second innings against Sri Lanka

Shashank Kishore26-Sep-20252:05

Is captaincy affecting SKY’s form?

Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, has allayed concerns around the fitness of Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma leading into Sunday’s Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai.Hardik held his left hamstring and walked off the field after bowling the first over of Sri Lanka’s innings on Friday, in which he dismissed Kusal Mendis for a first-ball duck. Hardik didn’t return to take the field for the remainder of the innings.”Hardik had cramps, he will be assessed tonight and tomorrow morning, we’ll then take a call on that,” Morkel said at the post-match press conference. India’s bowling coach was merely reiterating what India captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match presentation.Meanwhile, Abhishek too spent the entire second half of Sri Lanka’s innings off the field. Abhishek showed signs of discomfort in the ninth over, when he clutched onto his right thigh while running. He eventually left the field in the 10th over, just before a Pathum Nissanka six was signalled dead ball because he hadn’t left the field before Varun Chakravarthy began to run in to bowl.Like Hardik, Abhishek too spent the rest of the innings being iced and treated with pickle juice to ease cramps. Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Jitesh Sharma came on as substitute fielders at different points. At one point, even Tilak Varma was briefly off the field, but he soon returned after a hydration break.With the Sri Lanka game stretching way beyond its scheduled close due to the Super Over finish, India are left with an even shorter turnaround time before they take the field on Sunday. Morkel stressed on the need for the players to recover, and stay away from training on Saturday.”The key for the boys is to rest,” he said. “They’re in an ice bath already. The recovery started straight after the match. The best way to recover is sleep and stay off your feet. Hopefully they can get a good night’s sleep.”There will be individual pool sessions for the guys organised. Then some massages before they get mentally ready for the big battle on Sunday. It’s a quick turnaround, and playing smart is going to be the key. There will certainly be no training.”

‘Arshdeep, Harshit are X-factors’

Morkel also touched upon the challenges players like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana face when being called upon to deliver at a crucial stage in the competition. On Friday against Sri Lanka, the pair returned combined figures of 2 for 100 of eight overs in India’s defence of 202, before a nerveless Arshdeep delivered in the Super Over to seal victory.”In our environment we want to move away from an excuse culture,” he said. “The effort they put in at training, we expect them to go out there and deliver. Yes, sometimes lack of game time is a factor. You can bowl as many overs as you like in the nets, but nothing beats game time.”The quality of work we put in, we expect the guys to deliver. At the moment, things aren’t happening for them but the team is winning, they’re all X-factor players and real match winners.”

The tournament will take place in Amstelveen from May 18 to 24

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2024Netherlands will host Ireland and Scotland in a T20 tri-series as part of the three teams’ preparations for the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 2. The tri-series will take place in Amstelveen from May 18 to 24, with matches on all days other than May 21.The all-European tri-series will follow a pure round-robin format, with no final, with each team meeting the others twice.

Tri-series fixtures

• May 18 Netherlands vs Scotland

• May 19 Netherlands vs Ireland

• May 20 Ireland vs Scotland

• May 22 Netherlands vs Scotland

• May 23 Ireland vs Scotland

• May 24 Netherlands vs Ireland

Ireland, who completed an all-format home series against Afghanistan earlier this month, have three home T20Is lined up against Pakistan in May before they travel to the Netherlands this tri-series. For Scotland and Netherlands, who have recently played 50-overs games in World Cup League 2, the tri-series is their last chance to tune up their T20I plans before they head to the West Indies and the USA for the World Cup.”We are excited to host this Tri-Series as part of our preparation for the T20 World Cup played in America and the West Indies in June,” Roland Lefebvre, high performance director at the KNCB (Royal Dutch Cricket Association), said. “Twenty teams will be competing in this year’s event which makes this World Cup a truly global event, with more than a billion TV viewers worldwide. The Netherlands team will be aiming to emulate the success they had in Australia in 2022.”In the World Cup, Ireland have been drawn in Group A alongside Canada, India, Pakistan and USA; Scotland in Group B alongside Australia, England, Namibia and Oman; and Netherlands in Group D alongside Bangladesh, Nepal, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Opener’s run-out for 60 turns rain-hit game as India win thriller to go to the top of Group 2

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Nov-20223:19

Tom Moody: ‘Virat Kohli looks at the game differently from 99.9% of batters’

Litton Das run out. How many people will be talking about it tomorrow? In Dhaka, in Chattogram, and in Sylhet. India had made a commanding total of 184 for 6, thanks mainly to a superlative return to the runs for KL Rahul (50 off 32), and another chapter in Virat Kohli’s spectacular form, as he made 66 not out off 44. Suryakumar Yadav’s 30 off 16 helped too.But when Litton blasted seven fours and three sixes inside the first seven overs, Bangladesh had an excellent foundation. They were 66 for no loss when rains interrupted and curtailed the match. At that time, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton’s opening partner, was seven off 16.They should have been confident of scoring the 85 needed off the last nine overs (54 balls) upon resumption, particularly as the field was likely to be greasy following the downpour. But when Shanto called for a tight second, two balls into resumption, Litton’s spikes failed to adequately grip the damp surface he was running on, and he was out by a about a metre to an outstanding Rahul direct hit, from just beyond midwicket.Bangladesh lost their way after that, even if they rallied slightly towards the end to keep the last over interesting. They lost six wickets for 40 runs, in 33 deliveries. Nurul Hasan did his best to perform a miracle, but his 25 off 14 was not enough. Arshdeep Singh delivered excellent yorkers at the death, and India secured a hard-fought five-run victory, which took them to the top of Group 2.Related

• A journey of labour and love: how Arshdeep Singh became India's match-winner

• Emotion: Bangladesh's superpower as well as kryptonite

• Rahul: 'I didn't feel like my form or my confidence was low. I just didn't get the runs'

• Litton comes out of his shell and shows the way for Bangladesh

• 'We didn't talk about it being fair or unfair' – Shakib on resumption of play in slippery conditions

Litton’s hope-giving barrage
Man really set Bangladesh up. Then got out in an incredibly frustrating manner, which he bore little blame for.The game was on when he hit Arshdeep for three fours in the second over – the first past backward point, the second down the ground, the third crashed through extra-cover.He kept nailing them. Bhuvneshwar Kumar got swivel-pulled into the stand beyond deep square-leg. Then, the best shot of the game, perhaps, came: Litton got low and scooped Bhuvneshwar over the shoulder for six in the bowler’s next over.By the time the Powerplay ended, he had completed a 21-ball fifty, and Bangladesh were flying. After seven overs, they were 66 for 0 – 17 runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score, when the rains came down and forced a long break. Litton had 59 off 26 then.But then, second ball after resumption, he ran a second upon his partner Shanto’s insistence, and he slipped on the now-damp surface, causing him to lose valuable metres. The direct hit from Rahul caught him a metre short. This was when the chase turned.1:36

Moody: Litton aside, Bangladesh went about their power-hitting the wrong way

Rahul’s resurgence
He’d made three single-figure scores in a row, but given his half-centuries in the warm-ups, could you really call this a dip? Either way, Rahul smote two spectacular sixes in the powerplay to suggest he was never out of touch. The first was a languid pick-up shot over deep square leg off Shoriful Islam. The second – the best of them all – was a supremely timed square-cut off Hasan Mahmud that flew into the stands. He hit two more sixes later, and was out in the 10th over, having proven his worth.Kohli’s anchor
If you’re going to drop anchor, this is the way to do it. You bat in your more-aggressive team-mates’ slipstream. And then you make sure you catch up. Even at the end of the 14th over, Kohli was 32 off 28 – not a particularly impressive score. But then where other anchor-role players frequently fail to kick on from here, Kohli excels at surging through the late overs. This time, he struck four fours and a six through the last six overs, to end up a strike rate of 145.45. This tournament, he has 220 runs at a strike rate of 144.73 and has been dismissed just once in four innings.Bangladesh’s post-Litton fade
Before Litton was run-out, Bangladesh struck 67 from 43 deliveries, and they’d lost no wickets. In the 34 balls after he got out (not including the dismissal delivery), Bangladesh lost five wickets and made only 40 runs. This essentially, was where Bangladesh truly lost it – Arshdeep and Hardik Pandya bowling double-wicket overs.Shanto tried to revive Bangladesh’s hopes, but India always seemed the likelier winner.

The tour will consist of one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is

Firdose Moonda22-Jun-2021Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has given Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) permission to host Bangladesh in July despite a government directive to suspend all sporting activity in the country as part of measures aimed at containing Covid-19.The tour will consist of one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. All matches will take place behind closed doors in Harare.This will be the second men’s international series Zimbabwe will host since the pandemic began, after successfully staging two Tests and three T20s against Pakistan in April. Zimbabwe have also hosted the Pakistan women’s side and the South Africa A side, although both those series were cut short.The Pakistan women’s side left Zimbabwe because of flight restrictions while the South African A team left before completing their second four-day fixture last week when stricter restrictions were introduced. At the time, ZC petitioned the SRC to allow the match to be completed, and they agreed, but South Africa A had already departed the country.Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 infection rate has remained relatively low, with less than 50,000 cases in the country to date but numbers are on the rise. Restrictions are in place in several districts in the country, including a ban on all gatherings, while schools also remain closed. However, several industries are allowed to continue operating, including professional sport, with a small Olympics contingent continuing to prepare for the Tokyo Games, and the national cricket team now gearing up to play Bangladesh.The tour will begin with a Test match from July 7-11 followed by three ODIs which form part of the World Cup Super League. Bangladesh are currently at the top of the table, with 50 points from nine matches, while Zimbabwe are at the bottom, with 10 points from three matches. The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup, while the rest will go through to a qualifying event. Zimbabwe hosted the qualifier for the 2019 World Cup, and missed out on the showpiece event. The tour will conclude with three T20Is.Zimbabwe and Bangladesh last met in March 2020 when Zimbabwe traveled to Bangladesh. Zimbabwe lost all the matches on that tour: one Test, three ODIs and two T20Is. Bangladesh were last in Zimbabwe in April and May 2013. They drew the Test series 1-1, won the ODIs 2-1 and drew the T20I series 1-1.