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Organ shares strong partnerships with fellow opener Ian Holland and Rilee Rossouw

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2019Felix Organ celebrated his maiden first-class century as Hampshire ended day one of their Specsavers County Championship fixture slightly on top against Kent.Academy graduate Organ, making just his third Championship appearance, showed a delightful mixture of defensive resolve with a pinch of flair to score 100. The 20-year-old Sydney-born Organ enjoyed sizeable partnerships with fellow opener Ian Holland and middle-order batsman Rilee Rossouw, who both collected half centuries of their own.Despite Hampshire bossing the day, evening wickets with the second new ball gave Kent rewards for their toils as the hosts ended the day on 340 for 6.With James Vince and Sam Northeast away with England and England Lions respectively, Kyle Abbott stood in as Hampshire’s captain. The South African fast bowler won the toss and elected to bowl on an almost identical track to the one they scored 539 on against Warwickshire last week.Hampshire appear to have stumbled across two young openers, in Holland and Organ, in the wake of Joe Weatherley’s fractured ankle. The new-look top order worked against Warwickshire a week ago, when Holland churned out his first professional hundred. But this was Organ’s turn to prove his worth.Together they saw off the new ball with relative ease, neither offering a chance, with Holland playing a series of glorious off-side shots. While Holland played with a glimmer of attacking intent, Organ curbed his aggression – with his wicket prized more than runs in the morning session.American-born Australian Holland followed his century a week ago with a 74-ball fifty. But he fell, after a 92-run stand for the first wicket, when he edged Harry Podmore to Sean Dickson at first slip.In the next over, Ajinkya Rahane, on his last outing as Hampshire’s overseas player, drilled a cut shot powerfully to point only to see Daniel Bell-Drummond produce a stunning low catch.That mini-wobble would have concerned the Hampshire dressing room, who had elected to bring in Mason Crane as an extra bowling option in the absence of batsman Northeast. But they needn’t have worried as Organ and Rossouw eased up and down the gears in a 166-run partnership.Organ’s innings was particularly curious as he reached his half-century in 158 balls, but with three sixes to his name. At one point his strike-rate dipped below 20 to hint at a watchful vigil but a penchant for the odd attacking shot meant there was plenty of entertainment.Rossouw showed maturity in his innings to restrict his usual swashbuckling efforts, leaning on his timing rather than raw power to lift his bat on an 80-ball fifty. The South African passed his highest score of the season but his departure, caught well at first slip attempting a reverse sweep, saw three wickets fall for 22 runs in five overs.Among the collapse, Organ ran the happiest three of his life to reach three figures in 234 balls; his enthusiasm was matched by a loud reaction from the crowd. But next ball he nibbled outside off stump and edged behind before Gareth Berg was bowled two balls later – handing Darren Stevens two wickets in an over with the second new ball.Aneurin Donald furnished the evening session with a quick-fire 40, but before he could match the heights of his 225 runs at a rate of 118 last week, the Welshman mistimed a pull and saw Joe Denly run back from mid-on to take a great catch.Keith Barker and Lewis McManus saw Hampshire to close without further troubles.

Rashid Khan led an inspired bowling performance to restrict Daredevils to 163 after a bright start, and Sunrisers’ batsmen just about managed to overhaul that total

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy05-May-2018How do you beat Sunrisers Hyderabad? It may have felt like a distant memory before Saturday, but Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings showed the other teams a way early in the season: bat first, set a challenging target and expose a slightly suspect batting line-up.On Saturday, Delhi Daredevils did most of that, and put Sunrisers under plenty of pressure, but fell short at a few key moments. Having won the toss and pushed on to 95 for 1 in their first 10 overs, they only managed 68 in their last 10, as Sunrisers’ bowlers reeled them back on a slow, dry track.Still, 163 was the biggest total any team had managed against Sunrisers this season, and they didn’t always look convincing while chasing it. They profited from a couple of dropped chances, went without a boundary for 36 balls at one point, and eventually needed 14 off the last over. It could have gone either way, and Yusuf Pathan – who had been dropped on 0 by Vijay Shankar on the square-leg boundary – sealed the deal with two meaty hits off Daniel Christian: a straight six off a full-toss, and a four, swiped over short fine leg, off a short ball.Those hits may also have sealed Daredevils’ fate in the tournament. With only three wins from ten games, the playoffs are all but out of reach for them.The Shaw must go onThat’s what the big screen at the stadium said after Prithvi Shaw hit his first boundary of the match, a straight six off Sandeep Sharma. By the end of the 10th over, Shaw had made 65 off 35 balls, out of Daredevils’ 95 for 1. The other end, despite some sparkling shots from Shreyas Iyer, had only made 30 off 25.Part of the reason for Shaw’s rate of scoring was the hardness of the new ball, which made up somewhat for a slow pitch. But it also had something to do with Shaw’s range of strokes: case in point the last over of the Powerplay, delivered by Siddarth Kaul.Before this game, Kaul had conceded only 59 off 62 short and short-of-good-length balls this season. After a fullish knuckle ball that Shaw launched over the long-on boundary, Kaul pulled his length back, delivering three short or shortish balls. Two were angled into the body to try and cramp Shaw for room, and the other was only marginally outside off stump. None of them was a rank bad ball, and Shaw put all three away for four, to three different parts of the ground.The slowdownThe Shaw, however, didn’t go on past the first ball of the 11th over, an attempted sweep off Rashid Khan looping to short third man off the outside edge. Daredevils slowed down considerably after that.This was partly down to the older ball becoming difficult to hit, and mostly to Sunrisers’ bowling and tactics. Rashid bowled three of the seven overs from the 11th to the 17th, varying his pace and getting some balls to grip the surface while others hurried on; Bhuvneshwar Kumar sent down his third over in the 14th to try and keep the pressure on; and Kaul and Sandeep varied their pace excellently.The changes of pace were particularly effective against Rishabh Pant, who kept losing his shape while trying to launch himself into slower balls angling away from him. He only scored 18 off 18 before falling to Rashid in the 17th over. By that time, Daredevils were 135 for 5.They went without a boundary for 18 balls before Shankar clattered a six and a four off Bhuvneshwar in the 20th over to move Daredevils past 160.Hales v AveshThis was only Alex Hales’ second match of the season, but belatedly or not, his inclusion has given Sunrisers the top-order muscle they possibly lacked without David Warner. Today he muscled 45 off 31 balls, and 28 off 9 came off one bowler. Avesh Khan. The 21-year old kept bowling short, and kept getting hit by Hales and, occasionally, Shikhar Dhawan. There were two fours in the second over, and four sixes in the sixth.Perhaps it was a plan, for Hales miscued one pull, on 9, only for Glenn Maxwell to drop a sitter at deep square leg. That apart, it didn’t work, and the opening pair added 76 in nine overs.One piece of magic, and a pair of expensive bowlersIt took a beauty to end the opening stand, an Amit Mishra legbreak that pitched on leg, beat the outside edge, and hit the top of off, its flat trajectory rooting Hales to the crease. Dhawan played all around a full ball in Mishra’s next over and was bowled for 33 off 30, his strike rate reflecting the not necessarily straightforward batting conditions as well as a conservative, let’s-get-our-eye-in approach from all of Sunrisers’ top order barring Hales.The third-wicket stand between Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey – which featured lots of singles to deep fielders and not a lot of high-risk shots – brought only 21 runs in its first 22 balls, at which stage Sunrisers needed 57 off 32 balls. But Pandey struck a pair of fours off Christian, and Williamson followed up with an uppercut six off Avesh in the next over, suggesting these were the bowlers Sunrisers wanted to target. It was a fairly well-executed strategy. The two of them ended up conceding 84 in 6.5 overs, and the rest of Daredevils’ bowlers just 80 off 13.

The fast bowler’s maiden first-class hundred led Victoria to a 176-run first-innings lead against Western Australia in Alice Springs

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2017
Scorecard Chris Tremain unleashes a slog sweep•Getty Images

A century for the fast bowler Chris Tremain delivered a major first-innings lead for Victoria over Western Australia on day two of the Sheffield Shield match in Alice Springs.In reply to the Warriors’ measly 146 in the first innings, the Bushrangers slipped to 7 for 184 when Seb Gotch was out to David Moody, one of his five wickets. However Tremain, who had never previously made a first-class fifty let alone a hundred, formed a key stand of 108 with James Pattinson to grow the Bushrangers’ lead.Four sixes punctuated the innings, which ended when Tremain was last out for 111. Jason Behrendorff claimed three wickets for the Warriors, who reached 0 for 29 at the close.

Tamim Iqbal and Tillakaratne Dilshan struck fifties and toyed with Sylhet Superstars’ attack as Chittagong Vikings broke their four-match losing streak with a 10-wicket win, their first at home

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong02-Dec-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTamim Iqbal stroked eight fours during his 51-ball 67•BCB

Tamim Iqbal and Tillakaratne Dilshan struck fifties and toyed with Sylhet Superstars’ attack as Chittagong Vikings broke their four-match losing streak with a 10-wicket win, their first at home. This was only the second 10-wicket victory in the BPL since the inaugural match in 2012.Shahid Afridi had earlier hit his first T20 half-century after three years to resurrect Sylhet after they were reduced to 22 for 4. Afridi’s 41-ball 62 set Chittagong a 140-run target but his effort ended in vain as Tamim and Dilshan helped Chittagong ace the chase thanks to the biggest opening partnership in this year’s BPL and the third 100-plus opening stand in two days.Tamim set to work immediately, clattering three fours off Mohammad Shahid’s first over. Tamim then took Dilshan Munaweera for back-to-back fours in the fourth over. Tillakaratne Dilshan soon laid into Abdur Razzak who had returned after recovering from a hamstring injury. Dilshan followed a slog-swept six over midwicket with a brace of fours through the offside. He then unfurled his signature Dilscoop for another six, this time off Rubel Hossain, as Chittagong raced to 69 in 6 overs.Afridi was welcomed into the attack with a cut past backward point and Tamim reached his third fifty in the competition, off 36 balls, when he drove Sohail Tanvir past cover. An over later Dilshan brought up a fifty of his own and went on to claim six fours, the last of which was the winning blow, to add to three sixes.The match would have finished much earlier had Afridi not hauled Sylhet from trouble. Dilshan Munaweera, Nurul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Ravi Bopara all fell inside four overs. Munaweera was run out, courtesy some brilliant direct hit from Mohammad Amir. Bopara was also run out while Nurul skied Bilawal Bhatti and Mushfiqur was out leg-before to Taskin.Mominul Haque and Nazmul Hossain Milon also failed but Afridi rallied with the lower order to give his side some late boost. The first of his four sixes came off Shafiul Islam in the seventh over before the same bowler was creamed over mid-on in the eleventh over. Afridi also struck two sixes off Asif Hasan and Bhatti and reached his fifty off 33 balls, after being reprieved at square leg and fine leg on 14 and 25.Amir finally got rid of Afridi with a peach of a ball that skidded from outside leg to hit the top of off, in the 18th over. Dilshan and Tamim then combined to hand Sylhet their fifth loss in six games.

Rajiv Shukla has resigned as IPL chairman, following the scandal over alleged corruption in the league

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2013Rajiv Shukla has resigned as IPL chairman, following the scandal over alleged corruption in the league. His decision to stand down comes less than 24 hours after the resignations of two top BCCI officials, secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke, and on the eve of a crucial BCCI working committee meeting in Chennai, where the future of N Srinivasan as board president is expected to be decided.On Saturday evening, Shukla told : “I have decided to quit as IPL chairman. It is a decision that I was pondering over for some time. I think it is time to step down. Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke resigned in the best interest of Indian cricket. I thought this is the right time.”Shirke, responding to news of Shukla’s resignation, said the challenge now lay in how to move forward. “It is his decision. He’s in the eye of the storm, he must have realised the gravity of what he felt,” Shirke told . “It is never too late, the question is what are the steps being taken from now on to restore the faith and restore transparency. No one is able to pinpoint the faults and what steps should be taken.”Shukla took over as IPL chairman at the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting in September 2011, from Chirayu Amin. The tenure is for a year, but can be extended at the board’s AGM. Shukla, who was reappointed as chairman in 2012, had gone on record saying he would not extend his term at this September’s AGM.IPL 2013 has been plunged into controversy over the past two weeks, following the arrests of three Rajasthan Royals players for alleged spot-fixing, and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan – the the son-in-law of board president N Srinivasan, who is also the managing director of Super Kings’ owner, India Cements – for alleged betting.Apart from Shukla, the IPL’s governing council comprises Arun Jaitley (Delhi District Cricket Association), Anirudh Chaudhary (Haryana Cricket Association), Amitabh Chaudhary (Jharkhand CA), Sanjay Patel (Baroda CA), Ganga Raju (Andhra CA), MP Pandove (Punjab CA), and former India Test cricketer and current television commentator Ravi Shastri.Meanwhile Jagdale, who resigned as BCCI secretary on Friday, said a “massive clean-up job” is necessary following the controversies. “The spot-fixing and betting scandal has badly dented the image of cricket. A massive clean-up job is required to overcome this,” he said. “But this will take time as the damage done is very big.”It is very difficult to stop fixing in cricket and BCCI has its own limitations, but the the board can strengthen its surveillance and curb the menace of fixing. At the same time, the BCCI will have to take strict action against cricketers who are found guilty. To earn the faith of fans, the BCCI administrators will have to show determination and work as a unit.”Whether Srinivasan, under mounting pressure, will step aside as board president – at least temporarily, until the inquiry into Gurunath, India Cements and Rajasthan Royals’ owners is complete – is likely to be answered on Sunday, following the BCCI’s emergency meeting. Jagdale said he would not consider returning to the BCCI even if Srinivasan resigned: “I am not even looking at the possibility of coming back into the BCCI’s fold. I think I am done with my innings.”

A tinder-dry Queen’s Park Oval pitch drew comparisons to Kanpur as West Indies and Australia weighed up the possibility of decking their teams with spin when the second Test begins on Sunday

Daniel Brettig in Port-of-Spain15-Apr-2012A tinder-dry Queen’s Park Oval pitch drew comparisons to Kanpur as West Indies and Australia weighed up the possibility of decking their teams with spin when the second Test begins on Sunday.Having initially offered a slightly damp, tacky appearance when viewed by the tourists on their first visit to the ground on Friday, the strip had dried considerably by the time they took a second look the day before the match, while also showing evidence of surface cracking. Oil stains left by the heavy roller gave the wicket a slightly mottled look, and gave Darren Sammy and Michael Clarke much to ponder ahead of a match the hosts must win to stay in the race for the Frank Worrell Trophy.Nathan Lyon and Michael Beer both bowled lengthy spells in the nets, Lyon frequently in discussions with the coach Mickey Arthur, and Clarke said both would be considered. Having not chosen two specialist spin bowlers in the same team even when confronted by the sharply turning Galle pitch in Sri Lanka last September, playing both would be quite a departure for the visitors, and would also force the omission of one of Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus or Peter Siddle – a difficult call in every case.”It [two spinners] is definitely worth thinking about, for sure,” Clarke said. “The wicket looks very dry, yesterday as soon as they took the covers off it looked a bit tacky, but no doubt there’s a big possibility we could play two spinners on that wicket for sure.”Arthur mentioned Kanpur when asked to name a pitch of similar appearance. He was coaching South Africa in 2008 when they were confronted by a sharply spinning track on which India levelled the series at one match apiece. After South Africa were rolled for 121 in the third innings to lose in three days, Kanpur’s officials were warned by the ICC for preparing a strip rated as “poor”, just as Galle’s was last year.The Port-of-Spain pitch has returned a series of low scoring results in recent times, and offered plenty of assistance to spin bowlers. The hosts included the offspin of Shane Shillingford, in addition to Devendra Bishoo’s leg breaks and Narsingh Deonarine’s part-timers, in a squad of 14 in anticipation of more of the same. However its low and variable bounce means that fast bowlers can also reap rewards, provided they are straight and accurate. Shane Watson and Sammy are two such men who will be capable of hitting the same spot ball after ball.”[There has been] a lot of first-class cricket played here [this season] and so far there’s been a result. So we expect this pitch to be one that will have a [result],” Sammy said. “When we play here it is a little bit low as well, so I think bowling straight would be the key.”You’ve got to be accurate and I think that’s what we’re going to look to do. We have Fidel [Edwards], [Kemar] Roach, bowling quick. If they’re accurate, like they were in Barbados, and a few decisions that were close end up in our favour, it could be a different story. We’re looking to go out and play another good Test match, hopefully we can be on the winning side.”We’ve included Shillingford in the line-up, everyone in the 14-man squad is eligible for selection, the chairman is here so we will make some decisions on the best combination to help us win the Test match.”Rain is predicted to intervene on most days of the Test, leaving Clarke to also factor that into his team selection and tactics. “I think rain’s definitely going to play a part, the forecast is for rain for the first three days of the Test match,” Clarke said. “They say the drainage here is very good, and it rained a fair bit yesterday but the ground was still fine to play on. So it’s going to be more the lack of time in the game [that could effect the result]. Come 5pm, I think it’s going to be quite dark as well.”

Former Australia batsman Stuart Law has been asked to be interim coach of the Sri Lanka team for the tour of England starting next month

Sa'adi Thawfeeq06-Apr-2011Former Australia batsman Stuart Law has been asked to be interim coach of the Sri Lanka team for the tour of England starting next month. Law had assisted outgoing Australian head coach Trevor Bayliss since November 2009 and is expected to take over his a full-time successor.Bayliss, who was head coach for the past four years, had stated that he would be quitting the job after the 2011 World Cup, where Sri Lanka were losing finalists. “We have requested Law to take over as coach for the England tour until we finalise our headhunt for Trevor Bayliss’ successor,” SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said.The last two days have been a period of upheaval for Sri Lankan cricket, with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene stepping down from their leadership roles, and the selection committee resigning.Sri Lanka commences a tour of England on the second week of May and the itinerary comprises three Tests and five ODIs.

Pakistan’s selectors have recommended that Mohammad Sami and Abdul Rehman replace the injured Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat in the World Twenty20 squad

Osman Samiuddin19-Apr-2010Pakistan’s captain, coach and chief selector were forced to backtrack on their choices for replacing injured players in the squad for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. A day after the trio said Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan had been approved as replacements for Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat – without the approval of the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt – the board announced that Sami and Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, will now be the replacements instead.The confusion had begun early yesterday morning, when Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis and then Mohsin Khan, held press conferences in Lahore ruling out Gul and Arafat and bringing in Sami and Irfan, a decision that didn’t have unanimous backing among the selection committee in any case.Further, Butt had not been informed of the replacements and his approval wasn’t sought – as is the procedure – and the board immediately issued a release clarifying that no replacements had been approved.The lack of communication is believed to have irked Butt and soon after meetings were held in Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium HQ between selectors, coach, captain and board officials. Though both captain and coach were keen on Irfan, the main objection to his selection was that he hadn’t been picked in the list of 30 probables that Pakistan had sent to the ICC.Though a final decision wasn’t taken last night – Butt had by then flown to Dubai for an ICC meeting – the name of Rehman as an alternative had been agreed upon. The team management was keen on another fast bowler, but only left-arm paceman Wahab Riaz was in the probables list and he is not fully fit. Today it was decided Rehman would be picked ahead of Irfan.”After Gul and Arafat’s injury we wanted another fast bowler, but from the list of 30 probables, we didn’t have any others,” Mohsin told Cricinfo. “The problem with Irfan’s selection was that he wasn’t in the 30 and that is where the problem was. Rehman’s name has been approved by the chairman.” The ICC clarified, however, that a player can be picked from outside the probables list.Rehman has been one of Pakistan’s leading domestic spinners for the last few years now and was particularly successful in the season just gone. He has played two Tests as well as a number of ODIs, though the last time he stepped out in Pakistan colours was back in November 2007.The turnaround denies Irfan what would’ve been a dream entry into international cricket, not even a year after his first-class debut. Irfan’s height – he is said to be near 7 feet tall – has attracted attention and his bowling has impressed many this season, including Afridi. “I’ve faced him and he is really good,” Afridi told today. “We can actually use him as a surprise package in the World Twenty20. He is quite fast but it’s his height that can really trouble a lot of batsmen. He extracts good bounce.”

“All I am thinking about is about playing for Bengal. I have forgotten everything that happened in the past”

Sreshth Shah12-Aug-2024Wriddhiman Saha has said that he wants to bury his past issues with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), as he looks ahead to a fruitful reunion with the team that he represented from 2007 to 2022.Speaking to the media at the Eden Gardens, Saha was clear that he did not want to discuss the past at all, and instead had his focus on serving Bengal cricket for the remainder of his career. Saha, 39, said, he was keen to take the field as a Bengal cricketer but was also open to a coaching stint in the future.”I don’t think of the past or the future, but only stay in the present. And on that note, currently, all I am thinking about is about playing for Bengal. I have forgotten everything that happened in the past,” he said. “But I am open to help Bengal in any capacity possible. Since I am a cricketer, I would be better off helping Bengal in coaching instead of any administrative role.”Saha had parted ways with the Bengal team before the 2022-23 domestic season following a clash of words with CAB joint-secretary Debabrata Das, who in a statement had made references about Saha “giving all sorts of excuses” to “skip” Ranji Trophy games for Bengal.Related

• Saha: 'Ganguly pushed me to play and finish with Bengal'

• Wriddhiman Saha to retire from cricket after Ranji Trophy season

• Shami in Bengal's probables list for 2024-25 domestic season

• Rahul, Pant, Suryakumar, Gill set to play Duleep Trophy

• 'Want to play for India in all three formats' – Suryakumar hopes to make a Test comeback

At the time, Saha had sought an apology, and even though the CAB selected him for subsequent games, he didn’t back down from getting the NOC (No-Objection Certificate) that would take him as a player-mentor to Tripura.The incident happened around the same time that Saha, then 37, was also informed by the Rahul Dravid-led India team management that he would not be considered for upcoming Test squads following India’s return from the away tour of South Africa in January 2022.”I am not looking at retiring at the moment,” Saha, wearing a cap with the slogan “Never Give Up”, said when asked about his prospects of working in the media or participating in various T20 leagues. “When I will retire, I will leave all forms and all formats of cricket, but right now, I am focused on red-ball cricket, white-ball cricket, the IPL, and I’m available for everything. I will be managing my workload with one eye on my age, but I still have the drive to play cricket and see Bengal do well.”While CAB president Snehasish Ganguly was tight-lipped about whether Saha would be handed the Bengal captaincy now that Manoj Tiwary has retired from cricket after the 2023-24 season, he did say that someone of Saha’s experience was necessary for Bengal to fill the gap left by Tiwary. Ganguly also said CAB were delighted in not only getting Saha, a “son of the soil”, but also former vice-captain Sudip Chatterjee, who had left for Tripura around the same time as Saha.However, Saha’s availability for Bengal now leaves the team with two high-quality wicket-keepers in their ranks with Abishek Porel also in the mix and potentially only one place in the XI for either player. On finding the balance between grooming a young wicketkeeper like Porel and using his experience to help Bengal, Saha said he would support Porel’s growth wholeheartedly and ensure he doesn’t fall by the wayside just to accommodate the senior pro.”Even before I left Bengal, I was grooming Abishek from the sidelines, and that will continue,” Saha said. “I have been seeing his growth from his young days, and have been having conversations with him. I am sure the management will also aim to give Abishek all the opportunities possible.”Wriddhiman Saha had signed with Tripura for the 2022-23 Indian domestic season, before making a return to Bengal•PTI

Bengal have been knocking on the doors of a Ranji Trophy title for the last four years, reaching the final twice but losing on both occasions to Saurashtra in 2019-20 and 2022-23. However, one concern among the fans of Bengal cricket has been the lack of Bengali cricketers in the team. Saha, though, felt players should mainly be selected only on merit.”When you get selected for India, there is no quota of having these number of boys from North Zone or South Zone or East Zone or West Zone,” he said. “If you play well, you will get an opportunity, and that’s what has been happening in Bengal. Even if some of our players have originated from outside Bengal and may not be Bengalis, it does not make them any less part of the Bengal team. Shahbaz [Ahmed], Akash [Deep] and [Abhimanyu] Easwaran, I have seen them training here from their young days. They haven’t just come here overnight. They are as much a part of the Bengal side [as others].”I can understand that some people may feel that the Bengal team should have more Bengalis, but I don’t feel that’s enough reason as talent and hard work should be the primary criteria. If you see that way, then you’ll also say Manoj Tiwary is not a Bengali. But that’s obviously not true. So I do not feel that’s such an issue in Bengal cricket, especially when you’re doing so well, like we have seen the team in the last four to five years.”Last season, Bengal failed to qualify out of their Group in the Ranji Trophy, finishing third behind Mumbai and Andhra in Group B. In the List A Vijay Hazare Trophy, Bengal were eliminated in the quarter-finals. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, they were knocked out in the preliminary quarter-final.

Lead swells to 275 at stumps on day three, despite Dubey scoring a century for Madhya Pradesh

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2023
Services offspinner Pulkit Narang picked up a four-wicket haul to help dismiss Madhya Pradesh for 294 and hand Rest of India a first-innings lead of 190 on the third day of the Irani Cup in Gwalior. Mumbai batter Yashasvi Jaiswal followed up his first-innings double-hundred with a 46-ball half-century to swell Rest of India’s overall lead to 275 at stumps. Jaiswal was unbeaten on 58 along with Abhimanyu Easwaran, who made 26 not out off 51 balls.From an overnight 112 for 3, MP fought their way towards 300, thanks in no small part to Yash Dubey, who scored his fourth first-class ton. However, his dismissal by Narang sparked a collapse as MP lost their last five wickets for 53 runs. Narang also accounted for Saransh Jain, who was the second-highest scorer for MP with 66 off 150 balls. Jain and Dubey added 96 for the sixth wicket before Narang ran through the lower order.Earlier in the day, Harsh Gawli converted his overnight 47 into a half-century, but Navdeep Saini cut his innings short at 54 off 149 balls. Saini, who is working his way back from injury, proved his fitness and form by taking 3 for 56 in 20 overs. As for Narang, he ended with 4 for 65 in 25.5 overs.Rest of India then had a wobble at the start of their second innings, losing their captain Mayank Agarwal for a duck to left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya. However, Jaiswal and Abhimanyu struck up an unbroken 84-run stand for the second wicket off 102 balls to help their team re-establish command over MP. Jaiswal struck eight fours and a six, including three in a row off fast bowler Avesh Khan in the fourth over. Jaiswal was also severe on Ankit Kushwah, taking him for 19 off 13 balls.