Tag Futebol

The West Indies batsman said his match-winning 91 off 58 balls played out according to his plans in the first ODI against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-20171:40

‘Wanted to play myself in’

A better understanding of his own game and knowledge of coping with specific match situations has helped Jason Mohammed transform his game over the last year, leading to a knock like the unbeaten 91 off 58 balls in the first ODI against Pakistan on Friday. Mohammed’s half-century, his third of the year, was the bedrock of West Indies’ record chase of 309, as they rallied from 158 for 4 in the 34th over to complete a four-wicket win with an over to spare.

West Indies were brave in chase – Arthur

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur said West Indies’ come-from-behind win in a record chase of 309 was very brave but conceded his team should have been able to defend their total.
“I think we should probably have got 20 more, with the bat,” Arthur said. “But, saying that, we should be defending 308 or whatever it was. But, you know, credit to West Indies; I thought they played really well. They took their time and they chased beautifully, they put us under pressure at the back end and then got over the line.
“I think from about 35 overs – that’s when West Indies put us under serious pressure. I thought they were brave: they took the game on and hit the ball extremely well, put us under pressure in the field took the game away from us. It was disappointing that we couldn’t close it out. Really disappointed we couldn’t execute properly there. Some of our main bowlers fell short of the mark today, and that’s the disappointing thing.”

“Starting from CPL [2016] with Guyana Amazon Warriors, my whole game has changed a lot,” Mohammed said after the match. “I have really gained a lot of confidence and momentum and I did well with the A team as well. I think I just know my game a little better now, in terms of maturity, and knowing how to play certain situations has definitely brought me a long way.”With 287 runs in 12 matches, Mohammed was the second-highest run-getter for Amazon Warriors after Chris Lynn, and played a few key knocks in the side’s successful chases during the tournament. Last month, in the home series against England, he played his first ODI in a year and a half, and was one of the few bright spots in West Indies’ 3-0 defeat, scoring fifties in the first two matches.On Friday, West Indies needed 128 off 13 overs with Mohammed batting on 15. He quickly switched gears, bringing up his fifty off 31 balls, and dominated the 70-run fifth-wicket partnership with Jonathan Carter, which revived the chase. That was followed by an unbroken 50-run partnership with Ashley Nurse for the seventh wicket.Nurse, who took 4 for 62 in Pakistan’s innings, slammed 34 off 15 balls, while Mohammed ended the match with 11 fours and three sixes. Mohammed said he was a momentum player, who needed to settle in before going for the big shots.”It was a very good innings. Coming in to bat early, there was a little bit of pressure in terms of strike rate and stuff but I knew that I had to play myself in and rotate the strike and gain momentum, and take it down to the end as much as possible. That’s exactly what we did as a team.”As I always say, I tend to start off a little bit slower. I am a momentum player and I know that so long as I get my game right, it’s going to come off. Try and work the ball around till I get a start and then I can hit the ball when I get in. That was my plan today and everything worked out excellently.”Nurse was pleased that three of his four wickets came in the last 15 overs of Pakistan’s chase, with the opposition looking for big overs. “My job first and foremost is to bowl and get people out so I was very happy with the wickets,” Nurse said. “I won’t say I was happy with the bowling because I bowled some bad balls in between but it was nice to get the Pakistan wickets when they were really going helter skelter at the back end, and it was nice to come back even in the last 10 overs and get some wickets.”Coming in to bat with West Indies needing 50 off 33 balls, Nurse went after Pakistan’s quick bowlers in the end overs, buoyed by the fact that he had been striking the ball well in the nets.”Jason was hitting the ball really nicely and he came out to rotate the strike,” Nurse said. “I was hitting the ball well in the nets so I knew my form was good and I just kept trying to hit the ball nice and straight and I backed myself to get the ball past the boundary and also give him the strike.”The second ODI will be played in Providence on April 9.

Kevin Pietersen has tried to put to bed talk about his future in one-day cricket by insisting that he wants to play for England until at least the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2011Kevin Pietersen has tried to put to bed talk about his future in one-day cricket by insisting that he wants to play for England until at least the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Pietersen is back in the ODI set-up for the series in India, having been rested for the last month of the home season, but is under pressure to perform after a lean two years in the 50-over format.Pietersen is likely to slot back in at No. 4 when the series starts next week following two warm-up matches although in his absence the likes of Ravi Bopara and Jonny Bairstow have staked their claims. Before leaving for the tour Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, spoke about wanting Pietersen involved all the way to the next World Cup but also said that players had to earn their selection with consistent performances. Pietersen hasn’t scored an ODI hundred since November 2008 and over the last two years his average has languished in the low 20s.”I don’t know how many times I need to say it till you stop asking the questions,” Pietersen said. “I want to continue playing until the 2015 World Cup, and then we’ll reassess. No one’s ever guaranteed their place – for their country, for their county, for their club side.”There’s a lot of different permutations and different things that can happen. It’s just a case of enjoying every day, and also realising how fortunate we are. If there’s any place you want to come and play one-day international cricket, it’s here in India.”Pietersen used his break from the game – which included missing the one-dayers against India and the Twenty20s against West Indies – to completely get away from cricket. He moved house in London and spent time with his family, which has become an increasingly important part of his life and the main reason he has admitted to not being a fan of long tours.He has also said that, while retaining the hunger to play all three forms of international cricket, he enjoyed not having a gruelling schedule of training. “I wanted to take a complete break, and get that bug back for training. That’s the first break I’ve had without an injury for England. It was much appreciated.”The hardest part of playing all three forms of the game is turning up on training day and doing warm-ups – I think it takes a couple of years off your career. To not have to turn up to training days was an absolute blessing. But you do miss the cricket, participating and competing – because we’re all competitors.”After he was left out of the one-day squad last month, it emerged that Pietersen had a wrist injury that required some management and he had an injection before leaving for India. “I’ve got something in my wrist,” he said. “I had a cortisone injection a few days ago, and cortisone just before I left. It’s just a case of getting through this tour and seeing where we are at the end.”Pietersen, though, will need to fight through some minor discomfort because England won’t wait for him to rediscover his one-day mojo forever.

Mohsin Khan has expressed concern over finding ideal replacements for Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif if they were not cleared by the ICC ahead of the series against South Africa in UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2010Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, is concerned about finding replacements for Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, the trio suspended by the ICC in the spot-fixing scandal, for a tough, upcoming series against South Africa.The three players were served notices on September 2 after the ICC felt they had “a case to answer”, and were initially given two weeks to respond, though this has been extended on the players’ request. Of the three, only Salman Butt has filed a formal appeal, while the other two have until October 15 to do the same.The series of two Twenty20s, five ODIs and two Tests will be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and kicks off on October 26; Pakistan are scheduled to leave on October 23. It is highly unlikely any of the trio will be cleared – if at all – in time to take part in the series. In any case, Asif would not have played at all, as he is barred from entering the UAE after he was detained at Dubai airport in June 2008 for being in possession of a banned substance.Butt’s suspension leaves Pakistan without a Test captain as well and contemplating the prospect of appointing a fourth different captain for Tests this year. “They are three of our key players, and will be in the squad if cleared to play,” Mohsin said. “It will be really tough for us to find their replacement in case they are not available to play against South Africa.”We are waiting for the chairman [of the PCB, Ijaz Butt] to return from England,” Mohsin said. “He is expected to return later this week after which we will sit down and finalise the team.”The absences mean that former captain Shoaib Malik, who was dropped for the ODIs against England after a poor show in the Tests, can realistically harbour hopes of another return. “I know my form was not very good in the Test matches but I will be back to playing domestic cricket and I am sure I can convince the selectors to give me another chance against South Africa,” Malik said.With the World Cup around the corner, Malik said Pakistan had to identify a core group for the showpiece event. “I think the time has come for the selectors to decide on a nucleus of say 18 to 20 players who can play in the World Cup. We don’t have much time now to experiment, we need to start forming the World Cup combination.”

Nottinghamshire’s County Championship aspirations took a hammer blow after being bowled out by challengers Yorkshire in their first innings for 59 – their lowest total in 22 years

07-Sep-2010
ScorecardAndrew Gale’s outstanding hundred built a big lead for Yorkshire•PA Photos

Nottinghamshire’s County Championship aspirations took a hammer blow after being bowled out by challengers Yorkshire in their first innings for 59 – their lowest total in 22 years. England seamer Ajmal Shahzad picked up the first two wickets on his way to 4 for 21 while Oliver Hannon-Dalby ripped out the tail with 4 for 18 as Nottinghamshire collapsed in just 33.2 overs.Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale then hit an unbeaten 147 not out to deepen their misery as the visitors racked up 260 for 8 in reply, giving them a lead of 201 and putting them right back in the race for their first Championship pennant since 2001.Andre Adams added to his career-best season haul of 58 wickets with 4 for 82 but Nottinghamshire already face a massive challenge to rescue anything from the game and stay ahead of second-placed Somerset.With heavy overnight rain leaving the pitch looking extremely green, it was an easy decision for Gale to insert Nottinghamshire after winning the toss and Trent Bridge once again proved to be a seam bowler’s paradise. Shahzad struck in the opening over as makeshift opener Paul Franks chased a ball outside off and edged to third slip, while Alex Hales also hung his bat out six overs later to offer Adil Rashid an excellent diving catch at fourth slip.Academy bowler Moin Ashraf, making his Championship debut at 18, showed excellent control to claim two notable scalps in removing Adam Voges and Samit Patel in consecutive overs. Hannon-Dalby then had Ali Brown, Chris Read and Steven Mullaney lbw in the space of seven balls either side of lunch, with Shahzad returning to dismiss top-scorer Mark Wagh for 22 and the tail subsiding swiftly.Needing to pick up early wickets to stay in the game, Nottinghamshire instead offered up easy runs, with Darren Pattinson particularly culpable. He was hauled off after three overs for 19 and his replacement Adams struck twice in two balls, Jacques Rudolph and Adam Lyth edging to gully and second slip respectively.But Gale rode his luck in the early stages before punishing width with increasing confidence to post his third century of the season from just 85 balls, slowing down in the final session.He was the only batsman to truly master the conditions all day, dominating a partnership of 111 for the fourth wicket with Jonathan Bairstow (36), who was the third of Adams’ victims, with Franks picking up three and Patel one.

Jasprit Bumrah named vice-captain; Shardul Thakur rested for both Test and T20I series

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2022Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson have returned to India’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which begins in Lucknow on February 24.Both Jadeja and Samson have recovered sufficiently from injuries while Shardul Thakur has been rested for both the T20I and Test series. Jasprit Bumrah, who had been rested for the white-ball series at home against West Indies, also returned to the squad, as vice-captain. He will lead a seam attack comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj and the uncapped Avesh Khan.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, who had exited the Kolkata bubble after helping India wrap up the T20I series against West Indies, have been rested for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.Pant’s absence created an opportunity for Samson but he is not there in mere place-holding capacity. Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said: “Sanju is in our scheme of things. Most importantly we have to see which is a cricketer who will be useful on Australian wickets. He is definitely in our scheme of things [for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year].”Related

• Injured Deepak Chahar, Suryakumar Yadav ruled out of SL T20Is

• Kohli, Pant exit Kolkata bubble

• Pujara, Rahane, Ishant, Saha dropped for Sri Lanka Test series

Allrounder Hardik Pandya, who will be captaining the new franchise Gujarat Titans in the IPL, was not considered as he was not yet fully fit. “Hardik was a very important part of the Indian team,” Chetan said. “But after the injuries, until he is 100% fit, until we get a confirmation he is 100% fit, ready to go and that he is bowling and is match fit, we can’t consider him.”Hardik has not played any domestic cricket since being left out of the Indian team but his IPL team named him the captain despite the fitness record. Chetan was asked if the selection process was being compromised if Hardik comes back to the World Cup squad based on his performance in the IPL. Chetan said runs in IPL was no guarantee to get his place back, but asked for support for Hardik. “What Hardik has done for the country, you shouldn’t forget in one minute.”

BCCI president also confirms that day-night Tests would be played in every home series going forward

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2021Tickets for the third India vs England Test, a day-night affair to be played with the pink ball in Ahmedabad from February 24, are already sold out, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed on Tuesday.”Ahmedabad is totally sold out, the day-night Test match, because it’s the first game there after a long period of time,” Ganguly told Star Sports in an interview. “So, happy to see normalcy back. It’ll be fantastic, it’s sold out. I speak to Jay [Shah, the BCCI secretary] who’s very keen on these Test matches. Just for him also cricket is coming back to Ahmedabad after six-seven years because they built the new stadium, and I’ve told him we’ve set an example with pink-ball Test last year in Calcutta [Kolkata], so it cannot go beyond that and we want to see every seat and stand full. And that’s what it is, the tickets have gone, as well as for the T20s [which will follow the Tests].”We wanted them (fans) back. We could have had them in the first Test in Chennai but we decided to go with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, who said let’s see how it goes for the first one because it’s our first game after a long time and we’ll open it up for the second [Test for fans].”The renovated Sardar Patel Stadium is now the world’s largest cricket amphitheatre with a seating capacity of over 110,000, but is expected to fill only to 50% of the capacity, just like the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai for the second Test, because of concerns around Covid-19. Although the Indian government, in its directive issued in late January, had allowed outdoor sports events to have full-capacity crowds, the BCCI has decided to ease that measure by restricting the spectators at the venues during the England series to 50%.Ahmedabad last hosted international cricket in 2014 – an ODI between India and Sri Lanka – and will also host the fourth India vs England Test from March 4 and all five T20Is on March 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 before the three ODIs are played in Pune.Ganguly also confirmed that day-night Test matches would be played in every home series going forward. “Absolutely. One Test a series is ideal. Every generation goes through changes, pink ball is one of the main changes for Test match cricket, and to keep Test match cricket alive,” he said. “I think with Ahmedabad packed stadium in the next week will be another great sight for everyone.”I know the Gujarat Cricket Association will add a bit more to the cricket, not just with the game but a lot of other things around the game. It’s going to be a great Test match for everyone.”There are also plans for spectators for the 2021 IPL, which the BCCI is hoping to host in India, and not in the UAE like in 2020. “This year is going to be big as well because of what it is,” Ganguly said. “We’ll see whether we can get the crowd back into the IPL, it’s a decision we’ll have to take very shortly. But it’s going to be another great tournament.”On the personal front, Ganguly, who had been hospitalised twice in Kolkata last month, said he was “fit and fine” and back at work. His bout of ill-health had coincided with part of the Indian team’s historic Test series win in Australia. “I think Australia was remarkable,” he said. “That’ll always be very, very special. What they did in Australia gave all of us goosebumps. To watch that fight on the last day in Brisbane was remarkable.”

India captain questions the decision to make qualification for final a percentage-based system

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Nov-20202:24

Australia can be a very intimidating place if you aren’t up for it – Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli has questioned the ICC for altering the points system of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC), saying the change is “confusing” and the governing body has a lot to explain.India slipped to the second in the WTC standings after the ICC decided last week to rank teams “in order of percentage of points earned” from the contested matches.Australia (296 points from 3 series) toppled India (360 points from 4 series) in the standings after the revision with a percentage of 82.22 compared to the latter’s 75 percent.Speaking during a virtual media briefing from Sydney on Thursday, a day before India start the white-ball leg of their tour of Australia, Kohli admitted he was trying to wrap his head around the ICC’s decision.ALSO READ: Kohli: ‘Lot of uncertainty’ about Rohit injury“It is definitely surprising because we were told points are the matter of contention for the top two teams qualifying in the World Test Championship and now suddenly it has become percentage out of nowhere,” Kohli said. “So it’s very confusing, very difficult to understand why.”Kohli is the first Test captain to react to the decision, which was ratified recently by the ICC’s chief executives committee. A self-admitted fan of Test cricket, Kohli had previously suggested that a better way to find more balance in the WTC could be by teams alternating between home and away series.According to Kohli, it would have been better for the ICC to give some advance notice to teams on the new methodology devised in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to determine the WTC finalists. “If these things were explained to us from day one then it would have been easier for us to understand the reasons why such a change has happened. But it has happened out of nowhere. I think further questions about this should be asked to the ICC and understand why this has been done and what are the reasons behind it.”ALSO READ: Kohli: Younger players will feature a lot in Australia tourUntil recently, Kohli’s team were favorites to make the WTC final. With 360 points, India were atop the points table, comfortably ahead of England (296) and Australia (292) their two closest competitors. However, after the WTC got disrupted by pandemic, which caused massive imbalance between the nine teams in terms of the series played (each was meant to originally player six), the ICC recently approved modifications to the process to determine the two finalists. Instead of overall points, the ICC approved the recommendation of its Cricket Committee which said that the two finalists will be determined by the highest percentage of points earned from the matches they contested.Consequently, as explained here by ESPNcricinfo, India will need to ensure they win most of the eight Tests in their remaining two series – in Australia, followed by at home, against England – to book their place in the final scheduled for next June.

Kumar Sangakkara’s eighth century of the county season, compiled with draining inevitability, was enough to bring Surrey a 24-run win in the Royal London Cup play-off against Yorkshire at Headingley

David Hopps13-Jun-2017
ScorecardKumar Sangakkara notched his 100th hundred in all formats•Getty Images

Everywhere he goes in England this season, Kumar Sangakkara makes runs, and makes them with utmost serenity. He has eight centuries now, spread between Championship cricket and the Royal London Cup. The latest, compiled with draining inevitability, was enough to bring Surrey a 24-run win in the Royal London Cup play-off against Yorkshire at Headingley.That this was his 100th hundred in all formats made it extra special, but if it was not that it would be something else. The records are falling upon him in his closing years like gifts of commemoration.Not that this was a one-man show. Sangakkara, a team man to the core, was quick to observe as much. Lots summed up Surrey’s superiority: Ben Foakes batted intelligently alongside Sangakkara in a stand of 180 in 28 overs that was the centrepiece of their innings; Sangakkara, who does not really need another magnum of champagne, suggested Foakes deserved to win it. Surrey were also sharper in the field and more adept at their variations with the ball.Surrey are now pitted against Worcestershire in a daytime semi-final at Worcester on Saturday, with the winners of the other play-off, Nottinghamshire, who outdid Somerset in a high-scoring contest at Taunton, now heading for a floodlit encounter against Essex at Chelmsford the previous day.The Royal London Cup has increasingly struggled to gain much attention, and especially this summer – a great shame because the 50-over final at Lord’s should fittingly be one of the finest days of the summer. This summer the competition has less chance than ever with these two group play-offs, plus the semi-finals, submerged by the final stages of the Champions Trophy.Perhaps it was fitting therefore that this tie was tense rather than compelling, observed by an increasingly serious-minded Headingley crowd, which rarely cheered its approval, but preferred to study the game quietly with in-built match awareness that told them Yorkshire were always slightly off the pace.Serenity, a gift given to few, exudes from every pore when Sangakkara is at the crease. If his career is on the down slope, he is managing it quite beautifully. His international retirement came two years ago. Last month, he announced that this will be his farewell season in first-class cricket. All that might remain is a gig or two in Twenty20 judging by his aside that he has not entirely killed the mercenary within him.In his last summer in England, he is gorging on runs. He struck two hundreds in the 50-over group stages, averaging 88, and in the Championship, even more remarkably, recorded five successive first-class hundreds, one of them a double, to give Surrey visions of a title challenge.He gave a semblance of a chance here, on 17, when Alex Lees, a bulkier figure these days, made decent ground at deep midwicket to get a hand on the ball, but no more. To have fallen to a rank long hop from Azeem Rafiq would have been a frustrating way to go.It was a better ball from Rafiq that had him stumped for 121, from 121 balls – a slower delivery that drew him down in search of another drive. Before then, he had been easy on the eye, mixing orderly deflections with judicious off-side drives. A severely weakened Yorkshire attack rarely put him under pressure, however generous his assessment.After his innings, he kindly praised Yorkshire’s young spinners, not just Rafiq but the slow left-armer Karl Carver, hidden as ever behind multi-coloured shades. Neither had shone in Yorkshire’s nerve-jangling Championship win against Somerset at Taunton. A combined return of 4 for 103 in 20 overs in this match was a solid response on a docile pitch, but it was not to prove enough.Rafiq grew into his spell, having Scott Borthwick lbw when he trusted unwisely to the back foot and Foakes caught at long-on. His 86 from 88 balls, strong through the leg side, was in keeping with a season where in the group stages of this tournament he averaged 131 but after Rafiq removed him and Sangakkara in successive overs it took some zestful reverse-sweeping from Ollie Pope to bring Surrey’s closing overs to life.Last August, Foakes also scored heavily in Surrey’s semi-final win here in the same competition. On that day, he was outshone by another wicketkeeper, Steve Davies, who at the end of the season moved on to Somerset to take up the gloves again. Now Davies can’t get a run and Foakes is seen by influential figures in England’s set-up as a future Test wicketkeeper.Yorkshire marshalled their reply stoutly but the energy gradually fell from their innings. Adam Lyth fed on off-side width in making 75 from 83 balls before he drove Ravi Rampaul to deep cover, but Lees pulled Jade Dernbach to deep square and Jack Leaning, on 42, edged one that bounced to give Rampaul a second wicket.All three had survived narrow escapes: Lees a run out when Rory Burns’ shy was off target, Lyth’s pull against Rampaul, on 63, palmed aside by the substitute Stuart Meaker at long leg, and Foakes’ appeal for a catch against Leaning ignored by the umpire and the bowler, Sam Curran, who merely stuck his tongue out thoughtfully.But Yorkshire became becalmed, weighed down by a lack of faith in their lower order. Tom Curran, who spent some time off the field injured, proved fit enough to bowl in the closing overs and a potential Yorkshire escape route was blocked off. For all his nous and experience, it is questionable whether Tim Bresnan, orthodox at No. 6, should bat above the lively Matthew Waite when a mounting run chase demands something exceptional. By the time Waite produced a breezy 34 it was too late.Yorkshire’s fading hopes realistically departed before Waite’s entrance with Peter Handscomb, who fell for 60, from 52 balls, to a great running catch at long-on, a metre in from the line, by Burns as he tried to haul Dernbach into the crowd. A ball earlier, Burns had been involved in an energetic two-man retrieve at long-off before dashing 100 yards to take up his new position at long-on.Slick work which, along with the mastery of Sangakkara, summed up Surrey’s night.

Eoin Morgan, England’s one-day captain, says that his family were “very offended” by the criticism that he received after withdrawing from the tour of Bangladesh

Arun Venugopal in Mumbai09-Jan-20171:47

‘Don’t regret’ skipping Bangladesh tour – Morgan

Eoin Morgan, England’s one-day captain, says that his family were “very offended” by the criticism that he received after withdrawing from the tour of Bangladesh on security grounds last year, but has expressed his excitement at returning to national colours with a heavy diet of white-ball cricket in the build-up to the Champions Trophy in June.Morgan, 30, has not played for England since the visit of Pakistan in September last year, after he and Alex Hales chose not to travel to Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series in October, following terror attacks in the country earlier in the year.Although Andrew Strauss, the managing director of England cricket, had assured the players that there would be “no consequences” for missing the tour, there was a considerable backlash in the English media over Morgan’s failure to lead his side from the front, especially in light of the unprecedented levels of security granted to the team.Morgan, however, maintained that he didn’t regret the decision, insisting that he had been unaffected by the furore even if his family were less comfortable with the backlash.”My way of dealing with it was to get away from things, which I did,” he told BBC Radio. “My family saw a lot of it and were very offended, but that is part and parcel of being in the limelight.”As a decision, I am very comfortable with [it] and it’s a decision I considered all consequences when I did, and sitting here or sitting at home, wherever I would have been sitting, I’d have been very comfortable with it.”Eoin Morgan found his form for Sydney Thunder in the BBL last week•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

In Morgan’s absence, Jos Buttler led England to a hard-fought 2-1 series win, and the regular skipper was full of praise for the manner in which his stand-in had stepped into the breach.”I think he [Buttler] really enjoyed the leadership role within the group,” Morgan said during his earlier press conference. “The proof was in the performances. I thought he was outstanding [in] the way senior players reacted, Ben Stokes in particular. In the first game when Ben played a screamer on a wicket that wasn’t that easy for us to come on and start the series. The younger guys reacted well and the senior guys led the way.”While Morgan believes, with some justification, that his success in leading England’s revival in white-ball cricket has earned him some leeway with the selectors, his absence in Bangladesh not only came at the end of a year in which he averaged less than 30 in 25 matches across all formats, it offered an opportunity for other candidates to stake a claim to a middle-order berth.In particular, Jonny Bairstow and Sam Billings can expect a fair hearing ahead of the Champions Trophy, while Ben Duckett, who scored two fifties in Bangladesh, was deemed by coach Trevor Bayliss to have been “desperately unlucky” to miss out on the limited-overs tour to India.”We’ve a couple of series in the next five-six months which is going to be a big part in our lead up towards the [Champions Trophy],” he said. “It is exciting that we’ve only white-ball cricket between now and then. The major part of that is getting some cricket under my belt in the run into the series, which I’ve managed to do. I am really excited, and everybody within the group is as excited as I am.”If there were any doubts about Morgan’s current form and focus, then his sign-off performance for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League last week was a good indicator. His final innings before departing for India was an unbeaten 50-ball 71 that culminated in a match-winning last-ball six. Despite that, however, he knows not to take his England place for granted.”Nothing is a certainty. Absolutely nothing,” he said. “I’d like to think that things have gone pretty well for us, and over a small period of time we have had a little bit of success, like I have added. But, again we have a fantastic group of players – very talented, very driven and they want to do well.Right up there in the “little bit of success” were England’s series wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh. After England had made 444 against Pakistan in Trent Bridge, Hales said he had to pinch himself in disbelief. Morgan believed England’s mindset had remained positive in the past as well, but their recent consistency had caught even him by surprise.”I think before we played a game together as a group, which was just under two years ago now, there’s always that nerves and anticipation about what’s to come,” he said. “I think the general mindset and attitude in which we went about our business was the right way, but the skill level doesn’t always deliver behind that. I’ve been surprised that the level of skill and consistency we’ve shown between now and then… I think it is impressive.”Everybody within the group, and how well we’ve grown and learnt in that time, has been accelerated by the bit of success. Obviously, playing abroad is different challenge, a challenge which everybody is looking forward to. India is a great place to come and win the series. It means that much more because they are very, very good at home.”The scars of the drubbing in the Test series, he felt, wouldn’t have a bearing on this team. “I think they are very motivated individually. Regardless of which format has been played first, the side has generally improved as the tour has gone on. Since the side has been together, there has been no backlash or repercussions from any performance earlier in the tour. I don’t expect it to have any effect.”

Test aspirant Cameron Bancroft fell cheaply for the second time in Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the MCG, where the Warriors were set a chase of 390 for victory

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2015
ScorecardFawad Ahmed took five wickets in the first innings and added another early in the second (file photo)•Getty Images

Test aspirant Cameron Bancroft fell cheaply for the second time in Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the MCG, where the Warriors were set a chase of 390 for victory. At stumps on the third day they still needed a further 365 with opener Will Bosisto at the crease on 15 alongside nightwatchman David Moody on 0, with the total at 1 for 25.They had already lost Bancroft, who was lbw to Fawad Ahmed for 6 to add to his 4 from the first innings, hardly the kind of audition he was hoping for after Usman Khawaja’s hamstring injury opened up a place in the Test side. His team-mates and fellow Test contenders, Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger, had scored fifties in the first innings and will likely bat on day four.The day had started with the Warriors on 7 for 217 in their first innings, and they added 55 for the loss of their final three wickets. Ashton Agar scored 54 and Fawad finished with 5 for 105 after claiming two of the last three wickets in the innings.Victoria extended their healthy lead through opener Rob Quiney, who top scored in the second innings with 79. Peter Handscomb (36), Glenn Maxwell (38) and debutant wicketkeeper Aaron Ayre (36) all made contributions before the declaration came at 7 for 238.