Wadekar to get BCCI lifetime achievement award

Ajit Wadekar, the former India captain, will be the recipient of the BCCI’s CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. Wadekar will receive the award, which comprises a trophy, citation and Rs. 15 lakhs (approx. $ 30,000), at the annual BCCI awards ceremony in Chennai on December 10.Having made his Test debut in 1966 under MAK Pataudi, Wadekar enjoyed instant success as captain when he led India to maiden Test series wins in West Indies and England in 1971 in his first two assignments. He won his third series as captain too, beating England when they came to India in 1972-73.The 1974 tour of England brought a premature end to his career at the age of 33 as India were thumped 0-3, which included getting bowled out for 42 at Lord’s. Wadekar played just one more first-class game after that tour and retired, having represented India in 37 Tests, and scored 2113 runs. He also scored 15,380 runs from 237 first-class matches, and led Bombay to Ranji Trophy triumphs in 1968-69, 1969-70, 1971-72 and 1972-73.Wadekar was part of India’s first overseas Test series win, against New Zealand, in 1968. He was also the manager of the Indian team from 1992-93 to 1995-96, and chairman of selectors in 1998-99.The other notable recipients are Jhulan Goswami – for the Best Woman Cricketer of 2010-11 – and Rahul Dravid for the Polly Umrigar Award in recognition of his Test batting over the year.Other awardsMadhavrao Scindia award for the highest scorer in the Ranji Trophy 2010-11 – S Badrinath
Highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy – Bhargav Bhatt
Lala Amarnath Award for the best allrounder of Ranji Trophy – Iqbal Abdulla
Best Umpire in domestic cricket – S Ravi
Best Under-19 cricketer – Avi Barot
Best Under-22 cricketer – Suryakumar Yadav
Best allrounder in domestic limited-overs – Sumit Narwal
Best woman cricketer (junior) – Mona Meshram

Martin Guptill's ton leads New Zealand to series win

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBoth of Brendan Taylor’s back-to-back centuries rescued Zimbabwe from trouble but eventually ended in defeat•Associated Press

Had it not been for Brendan Taylor’s century, which rescued a Zimbabwe innings that had floundered after a slow start, New Zealand would have beaten the hosts much earlier and more comfortably than they eventually did in Harare. Taylor became the first Zimbabwe batsman to score back-to-back ODI hundreds, and while he rescued his team from 83 for 4 in the 25th over, he watched helplessly as his bowlers once again struggled to take wickets, primarily because his fielders dropped as many as four catches.New Zealand, for the most part, were clinical on either side of Taylor’s century and secured the series 2-0 with one to play. Their disciplined seam attack forced a cautious start from Zimbabwe after which the increasing pressure to score yielded several wickets and allowed them only 259 despite Taylor’s strong finish. New Zealand’s batsmen were not as untroubled during the chase as in previous matches but Martin Guptill launched and then anchored the innings with his second ODI century. He had Brendon McCullum, who benefitted from all four dropped catches to score 87, for company during a 157-run partnership. Though New Zealand lost three wickets for 16 runs and stuttered late in the innings, the top order had already done enough to prevent a shock Zimbabwe win.Zimbabwe’s bowlers faced a familiar struggle. They had taken a total of three wickets in two Twenty20s and the first ODI, and they were able to take only one in the first 37 overs of New Zealand’s chase. They should have had more.Guptill had got New Zealand off to a brisk start with powerful cuts to the boundary and drives on both side of the wicket. In the sixth over, however, he survived a close lbw appeal from Keegan Meth, who was troubling the openers with his ability to swing the ball both ways. Guptill and Rob Nicol, who had also survived a strong lbw appeal from Meth, added 49 for the first wicket before Nicol was splendidly caught down leg side by the wicketkeeper in the eighth over.Meth could have got McCullum four balls after Nicol fell but Hamilton Masakadza could not hang on to a firm flick at midwicket. New Zealand went into a bit of a lull as only 12 runs came between overs eight and 13 but Guptill and McCullum soon stirred out of it. McCullum charged Price to loft over long-on for six and Guptill cut Chris Mpofu to bring up a run-a-ball fifty. On 23, however, McCullum popped a catch back to Elton Chigumbura, who failed to latch on during his follow through. Soon after, on 31, he gave Chigumbura another opportunity, slashing towards sweeper where Malcolm Waller spilled a sitter.With both batsmen well set, and 114 needed off 120 balls, New Zealand took the batting Powerplay in the 31st over. McCullum began to tee off, and flicked Meth over the square leg boundary. When he tried the shot a second time, on 59, he picked out Waller at deep square leg, but the catch was dropped once again. McCullum promptly clobbered the next ball far over square leg as Meth watched in anguish. McCullum ended the Powerplay with a straight six off Price – 46 runs had come off five overs and the contest was all but over.Zimbabwe’s marginally improved bowling but abject fielding effort had come after Taylor played a blinder for the second time in two matches. At 53 for 3 after 17 overs, Zimbabwe’s hopes of competing depended on their captain.Zimbabwe’s fightback was launched in the 28th over, when Taylor swung James Franklin over the long-on boundary for the innings’ first six. He had the plucky Waller for a sidekick. The surge came against Nicol, who bowled innocuous offbreaks and conceded 17 in the 30th over. Waller drove through the offside and slog-swept for fours. So did Taylor.Taylor reached his half-century off 55 balls with a classy straight drive off Doug Bracewell and Waller brought up the fifty partnership, off only 6.5 overs, by cutting a short and wide ball for four. Waller was dismissed in the second over of the batting Powerplay, bowled by McKay who ended on a career-best 4 for 53.Taylor, however, maintained the momentum Zimbabwe had acquired through that 86-run partnership with Waller. McKay delivered a series of full and very wide balls outside off, but Taylor chased and drove a couple to the boundary, forcing the abortion of that strategy.Zimbabwe needed a strong finish and Taylor provided it. He paddled the third ball of the final over to the fine-leg boundary and lofted the next over mid-off for four, before watching Ray Price clout the last delivery to deep midwicket to round off a 14-run over. He ended on 107 off 105 balls, but it would be another valiant century in vain.

Shoaib Malik targets Test return

Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, has said he is targeting a return to Test cricket, starting with the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE. Malik was speaking after his unbeaten 88 off 49 balls gave Sialkot a commanding victory over Lahore at the National Stadium in Karachi, and with it a place in the final of the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup.”I am targeting Test cricket. Once you hit [form] in the format you certainly [improve] your chances to be successful in other formats as well,” Malik told reporters. “Test cricket is the real form of cricket and I am more concerned about it.”Malik, who has played 32 Tests, has been at his best against Sri Lanka in the past. He averages 59.75 from nine Tests, far above his career average of 33.45, and both his Test centuries have come against them. He was recalled to the national team by the PCB during the recent tour of Zimbabwe after being cleared by the board’s integrity committee, more than a year following Pakistan’s controversy-filled tour of England.”I don’t know what selectors have decided for me but I am optimistic,” Malik said. “I was actually feeling rusty during the Zimbabwe tour but after playing the domestic Twenty20 I feel I’ve regained my touch.”While focusing on cementing his place in the national side in all forms of cricket, Malik said regaining the captaincy wasnt a priority. “I am focusing on my form and captaincy is secondary for me.”Malik expected a tough series against Sri Lanka, who are coming off a 0-1 loss in their three-Test series against Australia at home. “They are a tough side to play,” Malik said. “We need to chalk out special plans to take on Sri Lanka and must execute them accordingly. Otherwise you can’t expect positive results.”The Pakistan selectors are currently in Karachi to pick the side for the Sri Lanka series. Pakistan will play three back-to-back Tests against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE from October 18, and are scheduled to depart on October 15.

Debuts for Copeland and Lyon; Khawaja to play

Seamer Trent Copeland and offspinner Nathan Lyon will make their Test debuts for Australia in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Usman Khawaja edged Shaun Marsh out of the side, and will get his chance to bat at No. 6 in a line-up that was named one day early.Lyon, who won the tussle for the lone spinner’s spot with Michael Beer, is trained as a groundsman, and was seen in conversation with Greg Chappell, the selector on duty, before making a close inspection of the pitch. He extracted useful turn from the practice wickets either side of the match strip, though, appeared no more dangerous than Copeland, who beat the bat frequently.It has been a most extraordinary rise for the 23-year-old Lyon, who until the first day of the tour match against Sri Lanka Board XI had never bowled in front of his captain Michael Clarke. Lyon made his debut for South Australia in the domestic Twenty20 tournament last year, where his performances won him rapid promotion to his state’s Shield team and the Australia A team on the limited-overs leg of a tour of Zimbabwe. To date, he has taken 14 wickets in five first-class matches.While there, he impressed all with his flight, loop and spin, and these aggressive attributes pushed him ahead of Beer, who played his first Test at the SCG at the conclusion of the Ashes. Lyon becomes the 11th spin bowler to be tried for Australia since Shane Warne retired in 2007. He will be used as an attacking, wicket-taking option by the tourists, who have arguably been given that option by Copeland’s emergence as a stingy seam-up type not seen in Australian colours since Stuart Clark’s time was up.Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said that while the surface will take spin, its dry nature would aid reverse-swing. The breeze from the Indian Ocean is also known to help the fast bowlers. Copeland is likely be used for long, tight spells while Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris tear in at the other end.Michael Clarke acknowledged Copeland’s strengths, which have also been cited by numerous locals, as likely to be exceptionally useful in Sri Lankan wickets. Also central to his thinking is the fact that Johnson and Harris will be more capable of slipping in quick, aggressive spells with the support of Copeland.”The greatest advantage Copes has is his statistics in first-class cricket don’t tell a lie,” Clarke said. “There’s a reason he’s had success there and I’m certain it’ll be the same reason he [will] have success for Australia. He’s got great control. Very rarely do you see too many blokes hitting him with the middle of the bat consistently and I think that’s because he’s got good height and he just wobbles the ball enough. I’m a big wrap for him – I love his control, I love the way he bowled in the first game.”He bowls a lot of overs for not many runs, so that’s a great strength. In these conditions if the wickets are flat, it gives you the option to set fields he can bowl to. Because his pace is a little bit slower, he generally has more control so he can bowl more to a field than someone who is bowling at 150km/h.”There have been 12 outright results from the 17 Test matches played at the Galle International Stadium since 1998, nine of them enjoyed by the hosts. Only when rain intervenes, as it did when the Australians first played here in 1999, do the chances of a firm outcome dissipate.Clarke, in his first Test as Australia’s fully-fledged Test captain, could not help but notice the lack of grass on a good length at either end of the pitch. Whatever excess foliage remained in the middle had been shaved off by the ground staff by the time the Australians returned for their final training session.”It looked dry at the ends yesterday; it looked like they had cut the grass off the ends but left the grass in the middle of the wicket,” Clarke said. “But I got a phone call last night saying when we left the ground they shaved that as well. I don’t know what happened after training but the wicket seemed to have changed.”It’s pretty hard as well; it will definitely spin but I don’t know if it will spin [from] day one or day two. There might be a bit more pace and bounce than what we had in the practice game. It will spin, but it is just a matter of how early or how much.”Australia have misread overseas pitches before, no more disastrously than the dry surface for the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval in 2009, when no specialist spinner was chosen. However Clarke said it was important the tourists did not get spooked by the perceived threat of the conditions, and chose the combination most likely to succeed in the team’s first Test since the horrors of the previous home summer.”I just think with the first match of the series we’ve got to get the right combination,” Clarke said. “If we think the quicks are going to be our best solution to take 20 wickets then we have to go with three fast bowlers no matter what Sri Lanka do, or no matter if we think it’s going to spin. Looking at that wicket yesterday looks quite hard and dry and that will bring reverse-swing into play … if it’s hard there might be a bit more carry into play as well.”Australia XI for Galle: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phil Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Usman Khawaja, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Trent Copeland, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon. (12th man – Michael Beer)

Australia had to change – Holding

Michael Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, has said that the changes Australia has made in the wake of the sweeping Argus review were necessary. “If you think that something is working for you and you don’t need to change, while everything around you is changing, you will get left behind. So Australia had to change,” Holding told .”When things work a particular way for a long time, people tend to think ‘it has been working, don’t change it – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.”It might work for a long time. But all the wealthy people will tell you, if you don’t change when things are changing around you, people will go past you and you are no longer a millionaire. You lose all the fortune you have got – the same thing with sport.Holding, who was part of the all-conquering West Indies team of the 1980s, said that it was not surprising that teams slip after dominating for an extended period of time and expects India to struggle as well in the future. “You see Australia going through that right now,” he said. “And I can tell you India, two years from now, won’t be in the top five either. I think you get complacent when you are winning and, if you don’t follow a plan, it (a fall) will happen.”He also felt that the kind of dominance established by West Indies and Australia would not be repeated again because of how much easier technology has made it to study opponents. “Those days are over. You could never dominate for 15 years. It is impossible for any team to dominate for that period of time – when I say dominate, I mean win everything.”You can be the top-ranked team for a decade as Australia was but, even in that decade, Australia lost some series. Because the technology available to people now, where you can study the opposition, where you can plan and use all the graphics and all the technology … you can’t dominate like that again.”

Bangladeshis fight after making 188

ScorecardMushfiqur Rahim stood head and shoulders above the rest of the Bangladeshi batsman in their first three-day outing as a team in 14 months. The Bangladeshis were shot out for 188 runs in 60.1 overs on the opening day of their practice game against Zimbabwe XI at the Harare Sports Club. But by the end of the day they made a comeback, taking four quick wickets to leave Zimbabwe XI struggling by stumps.Mushfiqur’s dogged 64 and small contributions from Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah ensured the Bangladeshis at least got close to 200, which looked unlikely when they were 31 for 5. Zimbabwe XI looked uncertain from the very start of their response. Off the first ball of the innings, Tino Mawoyo was dropped at gully off Shafiul Islam. Shafiul then clean bowled Sikandar Raza and got Mawoyo’s edge again, with Mushfiqur taking the catch this time. In between, Robiul Islam bowled Regis Chakabva and Tatenda Taibu was run out, leaving Zimbabwe XI four down at stumps and still 146 behind the Bangladeshis.The last phase of play emphasised how important Mushfiqur’s half-century was in the context of the match. He came in to bat at No. 7, and worked hard on a two-paced wicket. His initial toil of leaving as much as possible and playing with soft hands paid off as he gently took the Bangladeshis out of a terrible position and possible embarassment.After Shakib Al Hasan decided to bat, openers Junaid Siddique and Imrul Kayes were dismissed by the fourth over. Kayes had his stumps disturbed by a Keegan Meth inswinger after Junaid edged a simple catch to the slips off Kyle Jarvis. Mohammad Ashraful was next to go, taken low in the slips before Shahriar Nafees also edged to the slips.When Shakib fell leg-before, the Bangladeshis were reeling. Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah led the fight by adding 36 for the sixth wicket before Mahmudullah fell to seamer Njabulo Ncube. He made 21 off 64 balls with the help of two boundaries.Mushfiqur continued his good work, hammering boundaries, and reached a well-deserved half-century. What also stood out was Nasir’s contribution. He added 72 for the seventh wicket with Mushfiqur, striking four confident boundaries in his 38 off 60 balls.After Mushfiqur became the eighth Bangladeshi wicket to fall, the tail added 21 runs with Shafiul Islam hitting 16 off 13 balls.Among the bowlers, Ncube ended up with three wickets but it was the first spells of Meth, Jarvis and Tendai Chatara that had the Bangladeshis in trouble. Meth and Jarvis had two wickets each while Prosper Utseya too ended with a couple.

de Bruyn steers Surrey towards semi-finals

Scorecard
Surrey strengthened their bid for a place in the last four of the ClydesdaleBank 40 with a nail-biting three-wicket win over Warwickshire at Guildford.The result was sealed with just seven deliveries to spare when Zander de Bruyn,who made an unbeaten 84 off 92 balls, cut Neil Carter through extra cover forfour.Yasir Arafat, who took five for 45, also starred for the Lions, who were madeto work hard for their victory after Rikki Clarke hit a dazzling 76 off 61 ballsfor the visitors.Having won the toss, Warwickshire posted 225 for 8, which looked barelyadequate given the compact surroundings. Arafat struck twice in the sixth over, with Carter caught at deep square leg and Varun Chopra snapped up at backward point – both by Matthew Spriegel.Will Porterfield was caught at the wicket four overs later off Tim Linley, butthen Tim Ambrose (39) shared in stands of 53 and 55 with Jim Troughton andClarke respectively.The visitors only sparked into life when former Surrey man Clarke came to thecrease in the 23rd over, following the loss of Troughton to Zafar Ansari’sleft-arm spin for 27, though the Bears’ skipper had previously swept ChrisSchofield for six.Clarke lifted Ansari over extra cover for a maximum on his way to a 51-ballhalf-century, which the former Surrey man brought up with a cover drive for fouroff Jade Dernbach.Arafat’s return to the attack produced the wicket of Ambrose, who, backingaway, had his bails trimmed by the Pakistan all-rounder. Clarke and Chris Woakes added 55 in five overs, during which Clarke clipped Arafat over wide long-on for six. But then Arafat had Woakes caught at extra cover and Clarke at deep mid-wicket to register his best figures in one-day cricket for three years.Surrey’s reply got off to the worst possible start when Rory Hamilton-Brown wasbowled for a duck by Jeetan Patel and Jason Roy (seven) danced down the pitch toWoakes and cut the ball on to his stumps.Steven Davies (23) was caught at short extra cover off a leading edge, but TomMaynard and De Bruyn then set about laying the foundations for a successfulassault.Surrey were up against it when Maynard (39), Matthew Spriegel (20) and Arafatall fell to catches in the deep but Ansari’s 22 in 16 deliveries, which includedtwo pulled sixes, finally provided the impetus his side needed. And De Bruyn completed the job in tandem with Schofield (13 not out).

Langeveldt signed up by Kent for Twenty20s

South Africa seamer Charl Langeveldt has been signed up by Kent County Cricket Club for the Friends Life t20 tournament that gets underway on June 1. Langeveldt is expected to arrive in time for Kent’s opening game against Somerset at Tunbridge Wells on June 3.He has been on the fringes of the strong South African seam attack since his debut in 2001, and has played 72 ODIs and six Tests, in addition to nine Twenty20 internationals. He has had recent Twenty20 experience, having played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise that reached the final of IPL 2011. Langeveldt got to play only three matches in the IPL, and picked up five wickets.”I am delighted that Charl will be playing for Kent,” Paul Farbrace, Kent’s director of cricket said. “His considerable experience in Twenty20 will give us a boost, and we look forward to welcoming him into the team.”Langeveldt said he was looking forward to his time with Kent, and the opportunity to play in the tournament.

ICC to examine tapes on Indian bookies' network

The ICC is in the process of procuring tapes from after the magazine published a story in its May edition on the illegal bookies network in India. The tapes include 400 minutes of conversations the magazine had with people involved in bookmaking – in some cases, the conversations are actually part of police operations.One of the main points of interest to cricket investigators is likely to be a conversation the magazine recorded with a bookie in which he alleges that he has taped conversations of him with an international player in which he is detailing a fix. He also claims to have another taped conversation with the same player after the arrangement fell through, which the magazine claims to have heard (but doesn’t have access to).”Our official line is if anybody offers us evidence of any wrongdoing, we will of course look at it and evaluate it,” an ICC official told ESPNcricinfo. The ACSU will then take over and study the tapes further.The BCCI said they cannot take any action unless there is “concrete evidence” at hand. “So far we have not received anything from them [Sports Illustrated]. They are saying they will give us the tapes, but so far they haven’t,” BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told . “Unless there is concrete evidence, we can’t take action in this issue.”The main thrust of the magazine’s investigation – which it said lasted six months – revolves around how easy it appears to be for bookies to have access to top players. In the magazine’s own words there are no startling revelations of the kind cricket saw with the sting last summer. But the recorded conversations with police officers, officials and players offer a number of starting points for further investigations.Cricket is not alone. Football is currently tackling its own problem – possibly more severe and widespread – of match-fixing. FIFA, the world’s governing body, on Monday launched a global initiative along with Interpol that will investigate the suspected manipulation of more than 300 matches in 20 European countries, including games in World Cup qualifying groups and the Champions and Europa Leagues. It has also pledged $20 million to Interpol over the next 10 years to spend on programmes intended to stop players, match officials and administrators being targeted by fixing rings.

Roberts calls for complete WICB overhaul

Andy Roberts, the former West Indies fast bowler, has said that the West Indies cricket board needs a complete overhaul if the region’s cricket is to improve. He called on the board president Julian Hunte and the chief executive Ernerst Hilaire to resign and was also critical of the way the West Indies players’ association approaches its role. Roberts said today’s players spend too much time in the gym and not enough time in the nets.Having coached West Indies in the 1996 World Cup and been on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) cricket committee as recently as 2008, Roberts understands how the existing system functions, and lashed out at the board, saying they were damaging cricket in the Caribbean. “The board does what it pleases them,” Roberts told ESPNcricinfo. “They don’t have a clue how to move West Indies cricket forward. They don’t have a clue. Some of the board members should resign otherwise the same problems will keep appearing in the future also.”When asked specifically if he thinks Hunte and Hilaire should resign, Roberts said, “Both should resign. Some of the top people in the board should resign. We need a different approach.”The West Indies board recently decided to take cricket in the region in a new direction with an emphasis on playing younger players as the last 15 years have not produced significant improvements. Roberts, however, warned that this “new direction” could lead West Indies cricket into another cul-de-sac. “Fifteen years is a long time and we haven’t seen much progress but if we don’t change the current approach, another 15 years will go down the drain.”He feels that the board is erring by just focusing on a few players rather than thinking of developing cricket at the grassroots levels across the entire region. “You can’t just concentrate on few players playing in the Test team. I have been saying this from 1995. The problem is that the board seems to view few players as the problem in West Indies cricket. That is wrong. The entire cricket in our region is in a mess. It’s not about [Ramnaresh] Sarwan, [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul, [Chris] Gayle or [Dinanath] Ramnarine. Don’t focus on two or three players.”Focus on the lack of development of cricket and lack of advancement in players across the region. For 15 years, they have been just trying to focus on few players in Tests and haven’t done much for the development of the game. Develop the regional sides, improve the system.”He believes that the real truth behind the on-going controversy between the board and some of the senior players might never be known. Gayle and Chanderpaul weren’t selected for the Pakistan series, with Chanderpaul claiming the selectors asked him to retire, while Sarwan was only drafted in for the fourth ODI. “We have three sides on this issue – your side, my side and the truth. I don’t think we will ever know the truth. Both parties have been presenting different versions.”However, Roberts thinks Chanderpaul should retire from the one-day cricket and focus solely on Test cricket. “It’s not totally clear whether the selectors asked him to retire from all forms of cricket. Personally, I think Chanderpaul should retire from one-day cricket and focus on Tests. West Indies needs him in Tests.”At the same time, he thinks the board has not handled the situation properly. “I am not clear on the Gayle issue. Both parties’ version differs so much. I wouldn’t like to comment without knowing the truth but all I can say is that it’s not being handled properly.”Roberts also had some advice for the WIPA, which he thinks is too focused on the monetary rewards from cricket rather than the quality of the players. “The president [Ramnarine] needs to get the players to improve their cricket. If they are good enough, they will get the money. If they aren’t good, there will be confrontation and trouble as you are asking for something you don’t deserve. The players should focus on setting their game right. Else we shall just keep having these problems.”The players did not escape criticism either, mostly for their attitude to personal development. “My advice to the players is to look at their cricket and take personal development seriously,” Roberts said. “Work on the attitude, skill, fitness, technique and work on them yourselves. Don’t wait for the board to do it. Don’t indulge in blame game. If the players can improve their skills to the highest level, and improve the attitude, West Indies cricket will improve. They have to change their attitude. That can only come from within.”The emphasis on fitness at the expense of actual cricketing skills has led Roberts to believe the thinking in West Indies cricket has sunk to a new low. “The new thinking is not the old way. I know cricket has changed, thinking has changed but the basics are the same. The technique remains the same. You can’t hold the ball across the seam and hope to bowl outswingers, for example.”He was critical of the approach of some players and the atmosphere fostered by the board that makes the players act in that manner. “Attitude and work ethic has changed. Lots of players don’t practice cricket much. Some spend more time in the gym than in the nets.”I heard Gayle being quoted as saying that the board says, ‘If you are not fit, you can’t play for West Indies’. That’s not the wholesome approach. If you aren’t technically and mentally good, and physical fit, then you can’t play at the highest level. Less time in the gym and more time in nets is what is needed.”

Game
Register
Service
Bonus