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Rahul Chahar likely to be replacement, while status of Rahul Tewatia – who had also failed fitness tests – is unclear

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Mar-2021Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is set to miss India’s five-match T20I series against England that will take place from March 12 to 20. Chakravarthy is understood to have failed to clear the mandatory fitness tests set by the BCCI. It is likely that the selectors will draft in Rahul Chahar as a replacement, with the legspinner having already been named as one of the net bowlers for the series.Related

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• Doubts over Natarajan's availability for England T20Is

Meanwhile, Rahul Tewatia is currently training with the national squad in Ahmedabad. Tewatia, who received his maiden national call-up for the series, had also failed in his initial fitness test. It is not yet clear whether Tewatia – picked as a bowling allrounder after his exploits for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 – will get another chance to clear his fitness test or be asked to continue as a net bowler only.For Chakravarthy, 29, it’s the second time he’ll be missing out on an opportunity for a potential India debut, having been initially picked in the T20I squad for the tour of Australia, but ruled out due to a shoulder injury then. Chakravarthy was picked on the back of his IPL 2020 performances, where he emerged as one of the standout uncapped Indian players. However, the shoulder injury meant Chakravarthy never even travelled to Australia, which allowed T Natarajan to make his international debut.Chakravarthy had a lengthy rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, following which the selectors picked him for the England T20Is – subject to everyone being picked clearing their fitness tests, whose targets the BCCI had revised recently.It is understood that to be part of India’s limited-overs squads, clearing the fitness tests is a key selection criteria imposed by the BCCI at the behest of the team management and the selectors. In the new fitness standards, players have the choice to either clear the yo-yo test, whose level has been increased to 17:1, or run two kilometres in 8.15 minutes (for bowlers) and 8.30 minutes (for the rest).It could not be confirmed which of the tests both Chakravarthy and Tewatia had failed to clear. While Tewatia travelled to Ahmedabad from Jaipur after representing Haryana in the league phase of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (the domestic 50-overs competition), Chakravarthy’s whereabouts could not be ascertained.As for Chahar, this will be the second time he will part of the T20I squad after he made his debut in the Caribbean, where he played one T20I and picked up 1 for 27.

The former Australia captain retires from his role as CA’s national talent manager on Monday, having been involved in the game for more than 50 years

Andrew McGlashan30-Sep-2019Greg Chappell walks from the field at Lord’s during the 1972 Ashes Test where he made 131•PA Photos

Batsman
One of Australia’s greats. Chappell started and ended his Test career with centuries, against England and Pakistan respectively, in all amassing 7110 runs at 53.86 – which remains the sixth-highest average for a batsman with at least 80 Tests – with 24 hundreds in a career that spanned 1970-1984. It won’t show in official records, but some of his most dominant batting came during World Series Cricket when he scored 621 runs in five “SuperTests” against a West Indies side that had an attack of Holding, Garner, Croft and Roberts.By the 1977 Ashes, Greg Chappell was Australia’s captain, a role he continued after World Series Cricket•PA Photos

Captain
His captaincy stint came either side of World Series Cricket, in which he was a key figure, and in total it encompassed 48 matches with Ashes series in 1977 (a defeat) and 1982-83 (a victory). He scored centuries in each innings in his first match as captain against West Indies in Brisbane. However, his captaincy career is most famously remembered for when he instructed his brother, Trevor, to bowl underarm against New Zealand at the MCG in 1981.Greg Chappell’s time as India coach was not always a happy one•Getty Images

Coach
Chappell had a five-year spell as South Australia coach from 1998-99 to 2002-03, and in 2008 headed up CA’s centre of excellence, which included being involved with Australia’s Under-19 team. He has also worked with the Australia A side and U-19s in his latter role as national talent manager. But his headline stint as a coach came when he was in charge of India between 2005-2007. It became a controversial spell, which included crashing out in the first round of the 2007 World Cup and falling out with captain Sourav Ganguly.Greg Chappell talks to coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine•Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Selector
His first spell as an Australian selector came straight after he finished playing and lasted from 1984-1988. It was a time when the team struggled in Tests – although it included the 1987 World Cup victory – but during that spell names who would lead an era of great success, including David Boon and Steve Waugh, made their debuts. He was again appointed a selector in 2010, although it was a brief stay; he was part of the Argus Review clear out and in 2011 moved into his role as national talent manager. In 2016, following the upheaval created by the crushing defeat by South Africa in Hobart, Chappell returned to a selection role alongside Trevor Hohns.As national talent manager, Greg Chappell kept watch over the next generation•Getty Images

Administrator
After finishing his playing career, Chappell became a member of the Australia Cricket Board alongside his first selection role. During his most recent stint as national talent manager, Cricket Australia’s methods have not always been met with approval, particularly around the fast-tracking of young talent and the formation of a CA XI to play in the one-day competition, but Chappell remained a voice of experience at a time of considerable change. In an interview with last year to mark his 70th birthday, he was asked what he would like his legacy to be. “Someone who cared for the game,” he said.

A five-wicket haul for Deepak Chahar limited West Indies A to a total of 221 before Mayank Agarwal’s century underpinned the chase

Jon Culley at Grace Road25-Jun-2018
ScorecardGrace Road had a preview of the batting strength in this India A side last week when they blazed their way to 458 for 4 in a 50-over match against a Leicestershire team, albeit one that bore very little resemblance to the first XI.It was the second-highest List A total in the history of limited-overs cricket, at least for a few hours (bizarrely, it was overtaken the same afternoon when England ran amok against Australia, just up the road in Nottingham). Regardless of the inexperience of the opposition, it was quite an achievement.No feat of that nature was needed on their return to the Leicester ground, where they overhauled a modest West Indies A total with almost 12 overs to spare to register their first points in the tri-series with England Lions, who beat both on consecutive days at Derby last week and take on India A for a second time on this ground on Tuesday.The chief architects of the seven-wicket victory were the seam bowler Deepak Chahar, who took 5 for 27 as the West Indies side were dismissed for 221, and Mayank Agarwal, their opening batsman, who added an elegantly constructed 112 to the unbeaten 151 he made here last week.The Kings XI Punjab batsman, at 27 one of the senior players in a young Indian team, completed his 10th List A hundred from 88 deliveries, having just hit the mountainous 6ft 5in offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall for a towering six into the car park at the Bennett End, extending his boundary count to 11 fours and two sixes before he was caught at mid-on off the pacy left-armer Dominic Drakes.The 18-year-old Shubman Gill, who with opener Prithvi Shaw was a member of the India team that won the Under-19 World Cup in February, was next-highest scorer with an unbeaten 57 after being dropped on 8.It was a disappointing effort by the West Indians, who have brought an experienced group of players and, having beaten the Lions in a three-match series at home earlier in the year would have hoped to do better than lose both their opening two fixtures.They won the toss and chose to bat first under a cloudless sky but made a poor start by losing the key wicket of Jermaine Blackwood to only the third ball of the innings.Caught at slip off a needlessly extravagant stroke outside off stump, Blackwood was the first of right-arm seamer Chahar’s five victims on the way to his best figures in List A cricket.He is the bowler who burst upon the scene eight years ago with figures of 8 for 10 on first-class debut in a match in which Rajasthan bowled out Hyderabad for 21.Regular injury setbacks have not helped but his career since but he now seems to be on an upwards path. He was the leading wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 competition this year as Rajasthan reached the final, after which he was picked up by Chennai Super Kings for the IPL. This is his maiden India A tour and he has 11 wickets in four matches thus far.He also produced good late movement to have Andre McCarthy caught behind in his opening spell and returned to break a building partnership between Rovman Powell and Devon Thomas, the wicketkeeper, whose unbeaten 64 – the best moment of which was a slog-sweep for six off spinner Krunal Pandya that threatened the windows in The Meet – was the only half-century of the innings.Thomas apart, Chandrapaul Hemraj, who had survived a difficult chance to slip on 15, was the most impressive of the West Indian batsmen and his run-out on 45, thanks to a superb piece of fielding by Gill, was a key moment in the innings.

A double career-best performance from Nathan Buck was the highlight of another hard fought day between Derbyshire and Northamptonshire

ECB Reporters Network15-Apr-2017
ScorecardA double career-best performance from Nathan Buck was the highlight of another hard fought day between Derbyshire and Northamptonshire in the Division Two match at Derby.Buck followed figures of 5 for 68 with 43 out of a ninth wicket stand of 89 with Max Holden who made an unbeaten 68 as Northants recovered from 171 for 8 to reach 291 for 9 at the close in reply to Derbyshire’s 281.Will Davis with four wickets supported by sharp slip catching had put Derbyshire in charge before Buck and Holden kept their side in the game with a fighting partnership in the final session.England batsman Ben Duckett and opening partner Rob Newton made half centuries to give Northants a solid platform but rash strokes transformed the contest after lunch.Buck had taken two of the last four Derbyshire wickets in the morning as the home side added 62 runs with eighth-wicket pair Alex Hughes and Tom Milnes contributing 42 in 11 overs.Northants had the best conditions to bat in and when Duckett and Newton were together in bright sunshine, it looked ominous for the home side until poor shot selection allowed Derbyshire a way back.Duckett had reached 50 with successive fours off Sri Lankan legspinner Jeevan Mendis but he then aimed a big drive at Shiv Thakor and was well taken at second slip by Daryn Smit who did well to knock up an edge from Alex Wakely for Wayne Madsen to take a good reaction catch.Madsen did even better with a one-handed grab to hold Newton’s top-edged cut at Davis and when Northants lost four wickets in eight overs after tea, Derbyshire were poised to take a substantial first innings lead.But Holden and Buck displayed the selectivity the recognised batsmen lacked to frustrate the home side for 20 overs with Buck straight-driving Mendis for six before he went back to the spinner and was lbw.But that was not the end of Northants’ resistance as Holden and Ben Sanderson gave their side a slender lead which had looked highly unlikely when Rory Kleinveldt was caught behind off Davis.It all added up to a disappointing evening session for Derbyshire who also lost Thakor when he left the field with what appeared to be an ankle injury after he went over in his follow-through.

It was on the back of “one or two mistakes” against England and West Indies that South Africa’s campaign turned sour, said captain Faf du Plessis

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Delhi28-Mar-20163:07

‘Bittersweet win for us’ – du Plessis

It was on the back of “one or two mistakes” against England and West Indies that South Africa’s campaign turned sour, said Faf du Plessis after his team had secured victory over Sri Lanka. South Africa failed to defend 229 against England, then scored only 122 for 8 against West Indies, despite having come to the World T20 as one of the favourites.They were comfortable victors against Sri Lanka, however, restricting the opposition to 120 for 8, before running down that total with eight wickets and 14 balls to spare. As a result, South Africa finished third in Group 1, ahead of Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.”We played good cricket leading up to the tournament and we were consistent in the subcontinent, but a World T20 is a do-or-die tournament,” du Plessis said. “If you make mistakes, it’s not like a series where you can come back into the series. We made one or two mistakes against England and they punished us for it. Against West Indies, we made one or two mistakes as well. The teams in a T20 world cup are so close to each other, if you’re not on top of your game, teams will punish you. Tonight was a good example. Sri Lanka made one or two mistakes in their batting, and we capitalised.”Sri Lanka had moved to 45 for no loss in the fifth over, before Aaron Phangiso claimed two quick wickets to slow them. South Africa continued to strike after the ninth over, taking the last eight Sri Lanka wickets for 45 runs. Hashim Amla then led the chase with an unbeaten 56 from 52 balls. Du Plessis said it was disappointing that his team only put on their most complete performance after they had already been knocked out.”We’ve had signs of playing really good cricket through this tournament,” he said. “The England game was as good a batting performance as you will see, but obviously not a great bowling performance. Same thing with West Indies – we didn’t bat as well as we wanted to, although, on that wicket, 10 more runs would have been par. In both games we did one half of the game really well.”Tonight, bowling first – as a team that’s our strength – the bowlers did really well, and we chased down a small total, which is never easy on these wickets. It was really important for us to have a really good partnership to start off with. That was the only way the team will be in trouble – if they get wickets up front. So after the run-out, it was nice that we could make it a bit stable. It is very bittersweet to be going back to South Africa after the World T20. It was not where we wanted to be. We’ve only got ourselves to blame.”There is the possibility now that several of their older players may already have played their last World T20 match. Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers and Amla are all 32, and the next World T20 is scheduled for 2020.”The sad thing is that it’s now four years to the next World Cup – it’s not just two,” du Plessis said. “A few players here won’t be there then. That’s going to be the challenge now for the squad: to try and rest some of the senior players, to see if they want to go to the next World T20. With that you can breed some young players. There’s not a lot of T20 cricket coming up this year, so it will probably take a backseat.”

Saqlain Mushtaq has confirmed his return to Bangladesh as the team’s spin bowling consultant later this month

Mohammad Isam01-Sep-2013Saqlain Mushtaq has confirmed his return to Bangladesh as the team’s spin bowling consultant later this month. The former Pakistan offspinner will continue the 100-day contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board for 2013, which saw him accompany the side to Zimbabwe earlier this year.”I look forward to joining the Bangladesh camp by the end of September. If not, (by) October 1 is a must,” Saqlain told .It is a busy time for Saqlain. He will conduct a three-week spin-bowling clinic for a group of current and emerging West Indies spinners from September 3. After that, he will be in Bangladesh for the series against New Zealand, which starts in early October with two Tests followed by three ODIs and a Twenty20 international.Saqlain first joined Bangladesh in 2012 when Richard Pybus was the head coach, and was part of the coaching staff in Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20 and the West Indies home series later in the year.During his time with the side, Saqlain has worked extensively with Sohag Gazi, and played a significant role in the young offspinner’s success against West Indies in his maiden series. Gazi bounced back from an early assault from Chris Gayle to dismiss the batsman on his way to 4 for 29 in his debut ODI. Saqlain has also worked with the senior spinners in the side such as Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan.According to these players, Saqlain has added more than just the odd word of advice. In the case of Gazi, he set specific fields for the newcomer, down to each batsman. Gazi, however, missed Saqlain’s input when he struggled in Sri Lanka in March this year, but as soon as the consultant returned to the Bangladesh dressing room, for the Zimbabwe tour, Gazi found a way to strike. He has since credited Saqlain for much of his success.It is unlikely that Saqlain will be working with emerging spinners in the country. However, Bangladesh’s next international series after New Zealand is only in January, so there is an opportunity for the BCB to utilize his knowledge to find the next crop of slow bowlers in domestic cricket after the New Zealand series is over in early November.

Farhad Reza, a pace-bowling allrounder, is the only new inclusion in an otherwise settled 15-member Bangladesh squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam16-Aug-2012Farhad Reza, a pace-bowling allrounder, is the only change in an otherwise settled 15-member Bangladesh squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Farhad replaced Nazmul Hossain in the team that will also be touring Trinidad and Tobago in early September for a four-nation tournament, though it will play under the name of Bangladesh Cricket Board XI.Chief selector Akram Khan said Farhad’s all-round abilities led him to be picked. “We said ahead of the Zimbabwe tour [in June] that 90% of the team would be the same,” Akram told ESPNcricinfo. “We made one change to the squad that toured Europe by bringing in Farhad [Reza] in place of Nazmul [Hossain]. Farhad gives us a batting option down the order apart along with his role as a seamer.”Nazmul went wicketless in the two games he played during Bangladesh’s tour of Europe last month. Abul Hasan, who also didn’t pick a wicket in Ireland and the Netherlands, was preferred due to his extra pace. Farhad could have been chosen as a backup for Ziaur Rahman as it is unlikely for the team management to pick more than two seamers in Sri Lanka.Bangladesh toured Zimbabwe in June and Europe in July and played ten matches against Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands, giving the selectors ample opportunity to assess the T20 side. They picked new faces like Ziaur, Hasan and Anamul Haque while the team management also experimented with the batting order.Ziaur, who bowls fast-medium, was promising with his ability to play as a big-hitting floater in the middle order, as he showed during a quickfire 40 against Ireland. Mohammad Ashraful’s strike-rate – 91.20 in four matches in Europe – remains a worry but he did score enough runs to convince the selectors to retain him as an opener alongside Tamim Iqbal.

Bangladesh squad for World Twenty20

Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Ziaur Rahman, Elias Sunny, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam, Farhad Reza, Abul Hasan.

Bangladesh’s fortunes will depend heavily on Shakib Al Hasan, who will continue to bat at No. 3 as he had done during the Europe tour. Shakib is currently recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him from the SLPL. He has started bowling in the nets and will be working closely with Saqlain Mushtaq, who has joined the Bangladesh coaching staff for four months as the spin-bowling consultant.Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny will be facing his first major Twenty20 challenge, having made a record-breaking debut against Ireland last month while Mashrafe Mortaza will have a key role to play as the most experienced seamer in the bowling attack.Bangladesh will take on New Zealand on September 21 before meeting Pakistan on September 25. Both matches will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Yorkshire have been dealt a blow after their captain, Andrew Gale, was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2011Yorkshire’s hopes of avoiding relegation in the County Championship have been dealt a blow after their captain, Andrew Gale, was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist.Gale was hit in the nets by Oliver Hannon-Dalby and x-rays confirmed the severity of the injury which means he’ll be sidelined as Yorkshire try to retain their Division One status. They are currently eighth, four points behind Worcestershire who have a game in hand, and play Sussex this week in a vital game.”It hurt badly at the time but not for one minute did I think it was a break. I was happy to keep on batting,” Gale told the . “But Sunday morning I woke up and it had stiffened and I knew then something was seriously wrong.”Before this injury I’ve only ever missed one game through my career. When you look at it like that, I’ve been lucky to have got to the age of 27 without any serious injury. Given the situation we are in, though, this is awful timing.”Gale is Yorkshire’s second-highest Championship run-scorer with 769 at 40.47 in a season where their top-order has struggled. The loss of the captain has also been compounded by the absence of Jacques Rudolph who has been called away to a South Africa training camp.

Ryan Harris, the injured fast bowler, is desperate to prove his fitness for the India one-day series in October so he can enhance his Ashes credentials

Peter English18-Aug-2010Ryan Harris, the injured fast bowler, is desperate to prove his fitness for the India one-day series in October so he can enhance his Ashes credentials. There were fears for Harris when he left England in July for knee surgery less than a year after a previous operation, but he has already started running and plans to be bowling in the next fortnight.”I’m definitely aiming for India,” Harris told Cricinfo. “I was hoping to be up for selection for the Test series but I’ve been told that’s a bit soon. I won’t have had the volume of bowling I’d need to go into a Test match, so I’m aiming for the one-day series.”Harris transformed into a dependable international bowler during a highly successful six-month run and is one of a core of fast bowlers on the comeback trail. Ben Hilfenhaus returned from knee tendonitis against Pakistan in England last month and Peter Siddle has been picked in Victoria’s Champions League squad for the upcoming event in South Africa.If Siddle goes well in that tournament he could also be a contender for a spot in the one-day squad for the three ODIs in India, which begin after the two Tests in the first half of October. Harris won his initial promotion due to Siddle’s injury but quickly became a valuable member of the limited-overs side, as well as appearing in his first two Tests against New Zealand.The knee injury was poorly timed, coming just before the Pakistan Tests, and he knows where he now stands in the pecking order. “At the moment, [Doug] Bollinger, Hilfenhaus, [Mitchell] Johnson, Siddle, I’m definitely behind those four and me and Clint McKay are vying for that next spot,” he said. “I always said I was in there as a replacement for those guys who were injured and those guys were doing pretty well before they were injured.”After the unscheduled lay-off Harris is “refreshed and ready to go”. He is pleased he got a longer break following a busy campaign, while being disappointed that the cartilage in his right knee forced him to give up his Test spot. “I really wanted to try and push through those Tests [against Pakistan] because I saw those as leading into this series against India and into our summer,” he said. “I guess when I look back now it has been good, but I look back to Christmas last year and I hadn’t played any cricket. So I was fresh and keen to play as much as I could.”Harris entered with consecutive five-wicket hauls against Pakistan in January and remained in form until the injury intervened following 10 wickets in the England series. In between those ODI engagements he collected nine victims in Tests at Wellington and Hamilton, an initiation which included bowling into a 100kph wind at the Basin Reserve.”That was probably the hardest spell of bowling in my career,” he said. “I wouldn’t take it back though. If it means bowling in a Test, I’ll do it.” The gutsy contribution earned him more respect than the batch of wickets.Over the past couple of years Harris has gained a couple of kilograms and a few kilometres of pace, putting him in the mid-140s. Add in some late swing and seam and he is an extremely tricky prospect. He will definitely be considered for the Ashes, although the selectors seem to be leaning towards an initial pace trio of Siddle, Johnson and Hilfenhaus.”The best thing for me is to hope I’m fit for India, and if I get picked for the one-day series to try my best over there and hopefully get back to where I was bowling,” Harris said. “If not, the season for Queensland looks exciting anyway. I’ll try to bowl my heart out there and be ready to go if someone isn’t performing or gets injured.” Just like he did last season.

“It’s a complex situation with what’s going on but the biggest positive can be that group of women being talked about,” the England captain said

Valkerie Baynes11-Jan-2025Heather Knight has urged the cricket community to lend its voice to the Afghanistan women’s team amid concerns that the group had been largely “forgotten” until a row broke out last week over the England men’s team playing Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy.England are due to play Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 in their second match of the tournament and the ECB has faced calls from UK politicians to consider boycotting the match. UK prime minister Keir Starmer and ECB chief executive Richard Gould have called upon the ICC to show leadership on the issue.Women’s cricket in Afghanistan has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Further restrictions have included banning the sound of women’s voices from being heard in public.Related

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Some 22 women contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board before the Taliban took control fled to Australia and are now based in Melbourne and Canberra. A number of them will play for an Afghanistan Women’s XI against a Cricket Without Borders XI in a T20 match at Melbourne’s Junction Oval on January 30, the same day England and Australia begin their Women’s Ashes day-night Test at the MCG.Knight, England Women’s captain, plans to meet a number of exiled players, who are now based in Melbourne, when they attend the second Ashes ODI at Junction Oval on Tuesday.”I think it’s a really good thing that people are talking about it and it’s been in the news again because honestly, I think it’s been forgotten a lot which is a really bad thing,” Knight said. “Obviously, it’s a really complex situation with what’s going on but I think the biggest positive can be that group of women being talked about.”They’re playing a game at Junction the first day of our Test match so I’d love to see that broadcast far and wide. Let’s get that voice out there that those women are playing cricket, which is a really cool thing. I think that could be a really positive message from a pretty heartbreaking situation going on in their home country.”