Apart from 37 cricketers, men and women, coaches, physios, security personnel and others were tested by CAB

Press Trust of India30-Sep-2020Bengal fast bowler Mukesh Kumar and left-arm spinner Shreyan Chakraborty have tested positive for Covid-19, it emerged on Wednesday, after the state association conducted RT-PCR tests on 63 people, including 37 cricketers – male and female.”The Cricket Association of Bengal [CAB] today held a Covid-19 Test Camp where 63 persons, including 21 senior Bengal cricketers and 16 women cricketers, were tested maintaining strict Covid protocols,” a statement from the association said. “Incidentally Shreyan Chakraborty and Mukesh Kumar tested positive during the drive.”After obtaining no-objection certificates from all relevant departments of the government, the CAB on Wednesday conducted the camp following the approved SOPs, with CAB president Avishek Dalmiya explaining that the tests were done for people “who will be directly and indirectly involved as the association gets ready to begin its staggered gym sessions at the indoor facility within the Eden Gardens premises”.The process was conducted under the supervision of Naresh OJha, the CAB vice-president who has also been made chairperson of the Covid Task Force at the association. Ojha confirmed that those tested included, apart from the cricketers, “the coaching team, physios, housekeeping boys, security staff and Dr Ujjal Banerjee, who is also a grade one umpire, he has been appointed as a doctor for the camp”.

Bangladesh coach, however, feels criticism of batsmen not scoring enough runs in the tournament is “unfair”

Mohammad Isam22-Oct-2020Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo has said he is impressed by the performances of the fast bowlers in the BCB President’s Cup, a tournament which he has classified as just a part of players’ easing into competitive cricket, and not something from which big assumptions can be drawn.”I am very excited about what I have seen [in the fast bowlers],” Domingo said in a press conference on Thursday. “You look at the way Taskin [Ahmed] bowls. Every international team in white-ball cricket has a fast bowler that they call on, when they need a wicket. England calls Jofra Archer, South Africa calls [Kagiso] Rabada, Australia calls Mitchell Starc and India calls [Jasprit] Bumrah. It is great to see that we have some options now that when the game is tight we can call on someone to bowl quickly. Someone like Taskin Ahmed and Khaled [Ahmed] to bounce one or two guys out.”It is very pleasing for me. If we take one thing out of this one-day tournament, [it] is the performance of the fast bowlers. The media and public should be excited by that as we don’t want to be a one-dimensional side, especially when we go away from home. If they are making the life of the batsmen hard, I am excited. That’s okay. To win games, you have to take 10 or 20 wickets.”Domingo said quicks like Taskin, Rubel Hossain and Khaled have made most of the pandemic-induced break to work on themselves.”I can’t compliment the players enough for the work they have done in the last six or seven weeks. Look at the shape of Taskin and how Rubel is going, and Khaled who came back from a big injury; the guys have really worked hard on their fitness levels. We are trying to improve their skills and make sure that they can perform at international level.”The biggest thing Taskin has done is change his work ethic. He is working so much harder. He is in a very good physical condition. He can bowl more than one or two spells. His comeback spells are also quick, so that’s very pleasing for us. We are pushing hard to make sure guys are bowling at good pace at 5pm and at 10am,” he said.Domingo was also full of praise for Shoriful Islam, the young left-arm quick who starred in Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year.”He has got some work to do and has to be taught to get the ball to swing back into the left-hander. He has some good pace and bounce and a good attitude. He is impressive. He is always smiling and wanting to learn, which are good attributes for a young fast bowler. He took a great catch yesterday [against Najmul XI in the BCB President’s Cup]. He is a confident young man, and it is always good to have left-arm seamers available.”However, Domingo said that criticism of batsmen not scoring enough runs in the tournament was not fair, calling the expectations “unrealistic” and adding that the performances in the tournament aren’t that important.”You have to remember that the guys haven’t played cricket for seven months, which is a long time without competitive cricket,” Domingo said. “There’s no doubt that the guys will get better. They will play together as a unit.”I think it is a bit unfair to say they are consistently failing. It was just six or seven months ago that we scored 320-plus against Zimbabwe in [all three games in] the one-day series. Liton got 180 [176, in the third ODI], Tamim got two hundreds, so I think it is a bit unfair. Most important thing is the guys are getting some game time.”The performances [in the BCB President’s Cup] are not important, as far as I am concerned. I think the obsession with trying to win this tournament and media wanting guys to win and perform all the time, is unrealistic considering the guys haven’t played for six or seven months,” he said.The BCB President’s Cup final, to be played between Mahmudullah XI and Najmul Hossain XI, which was due to be played on October 23, is shifted to October 25 due to inclement weather in Dhaka.

Jimmy Peirson raced to a maiden first-class hundred before South Australia suffered another horrid first innings

Alex Malcolm09-Nov-2020Former Test opener Matt Renshaw reached his first Sheffield Shield century in over two years while Jimmy Peirson produced his maiden first-class century to put Queensland on top as South Australia collapsed at Glenelg Oval.Mitchell Swepson claimed his third consecutive five-wicket haul, albeit with some helpful umpiring decisions, to again press his credentials for a call-up to the Test squad as the Redbacks disintegrated late on day two.Renshaw’s last Shield century came in March of 2018 just prior to his last-minute recall to Australia’s Test team for the infamous final Test in South Africa. He made three more first-class centuries in the first three months of the 2018 county season for Somerset but had since endured a stretch of 41 first-class innings without reaching three figures, during which time he was dropped by both Australia and Queensland and took a break from the game.Batting at No. 5 for just the fifth time in his career, Renshaw began the day on 84 alongside Peirson, who was 60 not out, following a dominant opening day. Renshaw nudged his way to a century, bringing it up with a thick edge to third man while Peirson cruised to his maiden hundred from just 116 balls before falling just one run shy of a 200-run stand.Renshaw then teed off on legspinner Lloyd Pope, clubbing him for 23 in an over to race past 150 and set Queensland up for a lunchtime declaration at 5 for 496. South Australia’s bowlers suffered another hiding. In five bowling innings in four matches this season the Redbacks have taken five wickets or fewer four times and are yet to bowl a side out. They have conceded 480 or more in the first innings of all four matches.Queensland’s attack took 9 for 154 on the same surface in the afternoon. The extra pace of Brendan Doggett and sharp spin of Swepson did the damage. Travis Head continued his outstanding form striking seven boundaries in 37 but was unfortunate to be given out lbw to Swepson when a big spinning leg-break from around the wicket appeared to strike him outside the line.That sparked a calamitous collapse. Will Bosisto faced 139 balls for 38 before holing out to point and then Harry Nielsen nicked the second ball he faced attempting an expansive drive on the up. Swepson got another fortuitous decision when Liam Scott was given out lbw despite a huge inside edge, but he was too good for Chadd Sayers and Wes Agar to bag his fourth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.The collapse was complete when Daniel Worrall was run out for a diamond duck. The retiring Callum Ferguson was left stranded 11 not out at stumps with the Redbacks still 342 runs behind.

Australia have been bowled out for 191, 195 and 200 in three of their four innings so far this series

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2020Australia captain Tim Paine lamented his side’s ongoing batting woes after they sank to an eight-wicket defeat at the MCG against India, which put the series on an even footing at 1-1 with two Tests to go.The home side scraped to 200 – for the first time in the series – in their second innings, but could go no further than that, setting India a target of just 70, which was achieved with ease. That followed first-innings totals of 191 and 195 in the two matches, with Melbourne being the first time since 1988 that Australia have not had an individual half-century in a home Test.Tim Paine congratulates Ajinkya Rahane after India’s win•Getty Images

“We are very disappointed, we played pretty poor cricket, pretty sloppy cricket, for the majority of the match,” Paine told the host broadcaster after the match. “That’s to take nothing away from India; they put us under pressure and forced us into making a number of mistakes, especially with the bat, and in the field, and when you do that against good side it makes it very hard to win.”You’ve got to give the Indian attack credit, they’ve bowled beautifully to us, there’s no doubt about that. We haven’t adapted as well as we would have liked. As a batting group, there’s no doubt we are very disappointed with what we’ve put up in the first two Test matches, but there’s still two to go so we’ll work hard and try to rectify it for the next Test.”Related

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Australia would be desperate for the return of David Warner, who has spent time netting at the MCG during this match while he awaits his return to the bio-secure Test bubble, as he continues his recovery from the groin strain suffered in the ODI series. During the Test, Australia coach Justin Langer said Warner was not certain for the third match but the continued batting problems of the incumbents may force the selectors’ hands.One glimmer for Australia was the performance of Cameron Green in the second innings, as he made a composed 45 in nearly three hours at the crease.”Think he’s started his career really well,” Paine said. “We knew the talent he’s got, we can see the temperament he’s got, and with more and more Test cricket he’s going to blossom into a pretty outstanding player, which is exciting for us as a team and the Australian public to watch.”

Perth Scorchers set up 189-run chase but never really threaten to overhaul the target

Daniel Brettig06-Feb-2021Finally on home soil after the Covid-19 summer kept them at neutral venues for all 15 of their previous games, the Sydney Sixers rode on the back of another James Vince special to become the second Big Bash League club to claim back-to-back titles. Fittingly, at a joyous SCG, they defeated the Perth Scorchers, the only previous club to claim two crowns in a row, to get there.The Sydney Sixers players celebrate after clinching victory in the BBL 2020-21 final•Getty Images

Vince’s contribution was elegant as ever and summed up why the Sixers had the measure of the Scorchers in both of their finals meetings. This is not to say things could not have been different. Perhaps overly influenced by showers that passed through Sydney comfortably before the 7.40pm start time, the Scorchers had decided to bowl first upon winning the bat flip and then did not use the full allocation of the wristspinner Fawad Ahmed, comfortably their best bowler on the night.Those mis-steps aided the Sixers in compiling a total that, while not match-sealing, was going to be unreachable if the hosts put in a solid shift with the ball and in the field. Blessed with plenty of experience to bowl the right spells at the right times, the Sixers were never seriously challenged after the exit of Liam Livingstone.The seasoned trio of Jackson Bird, Steve O’Keefe and Dan Christian all put in excellent displays with the ball. Christian has now been part of nine domestic T20 title-winning combinations; the coach Greg Shipperd was at the helm for his sixth Australian T20 tournament win spanning both state and club-based eras. Old blokes do indeed win stuff.Vince turns platform into launchpad
Back against the Scorchers after his decisive 98 in Canberra which vaulted the Sixers into the final, Vince carried on almost as though he was continuing the same innings. Commanding through the off side as ever, but also feasting on short stuff from Jhye Richardson, Vince was almost totally at ease, even if the Sixers’ early progress was pockmarked by a horrid mix-up to end in the run-out of Josh Philippe after he and Vince ended up at the same end.One of Vince’s sixes, an inside-out lofted drive well over the cover boundary on the long side of the ground, was almost worth the price of a ticket alone, and the rest of the Sixers order contributed a series of complementary cameos around him. Denied a century by a possible accidental wide from Andrew Tye at Manuka Oval, Vince began to look a little ragged as he neared the milestone for a second time in as many innings, being dropped twice. He fell when slicing Ahmed to gully, a dismissal that hinted at how the wristspinner might have been better used.James Vince led the Sixers’ batting effort with a 60-ball 95•Getty Images

Fawad Ahmed: 3-0-16-1
On an SCG pitch that had to offer some assistance for spin, the Scorchers’ captain Ashton Turner appeared to get his sums wrong. How he managed not to find room for Ahmed to bowl his full four overs, conceding just 16 from three and also claiming the wicket of Vince, while bowling Livingstone’s occasionals for two that cost 21, stretched credulity. Certainly the exit of Daniel Hughes opened up a vast array of right-handers for Ahmed, and they proved far more adept at attacking pace.Richardson’s late-tournament fade continued with his most expensive analysis, while Aaron Hardie was also notably expensive. The final over of the innings had Carlos Brathwaite coming to the middle for his first ball and finding himself able to cosh a pull shot and then a straight drive after a typically effective contribution from Christian ended with a tight call on a full toss that may or may not have been worthy of a no-ball call. The Sixers walked off satisfied with what they had to defend.Sixers correct early errors in line
The sight of Cameron Bancroft walking out to open the batting must often cause intriguing thoughts for opponents, who respect his dogged attitude but can question his shot-making ability. Bancroft tried to clear the boundary in Bird’s opening over but saw the ball mistimed and plugged short of the rope, but he was to be rather more successful in subsequent overs as the Sixers bowlers drifted too short and straight, allowing him to ping the leg-side boundary numerous times.At length, the hosts made the requisite corrections, and Bird had Bancroft skewing a pull-shot attempt to mid-on. After having scored 36 from three overs, the Scorchers managed only 22 from the next four and lost the vital wicket of Colin Munro. Josh Inglis was promoted, and for a time he and Livingstone appeared to be rebuilding for a well-positioned dash at the target, doing just enough to keep the required rate around 10 per over.Jackson Bird removed both the Scorchers openers after they had settled in•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

A successful squeeze to the title
Bird returned for the 11th over of the innings with the game very much open. His subtle variations in length and line were successful in slowing the Scorchers, however, and made a pivotal contribution when Livingstone was pouched on the midwicket boundary. What followed were a pair of outstanding overs from the wily O’Keefe, who went from figures of 0 for 17 from two overs to a critical 0 for 26 from four: four dots and seven singles in those final 12 balls put an extreme squeeze on the Scorchers.Suddenly the required rate was pushing 13, and wickets followed inevitably even as the Scorchers took the Power Surge. Mitchell Marsh was wonderfully caught off Ben Dwarshuis – who picked up three overall – by Vince moving as smoothly in the field as he had done at the crease, and Inglis’ muted final innings of a successful campaign was ended with a miscue to mid-off. Christian delivered a typically canny follow-up over, and though Brathwaite conceded 16 from the 17th over, the Sixers always appeared to have enough in reserve.Having had to make homes away from home this summer, they celebrated as though the SCG decider was a long-awaited Saturday night house warming.

Extended time away from home ended Test career early, but former opener ready for new role

George Dobell01-Mar-2021
Marcus Trescothick has confirmed he is “ready to jump back” into touring life, but accepts he is still “building up” to the long trips usually undertaken by England players and support staff.Trescothick was named as the ECB’s elite batting coach on Monday. As a result, he is expected to spend time on tour with various England teams as well as working with players throughout the talent pathways during the English summer.But Trescothick, whose international career as a player was curtailed by issues with anxiety and depression that appeared to be exacerbated by periods away from home, admits adapting to the touring lifestyle is part of “an ongoing process”. As a result, he expects to spend no more than five weeks away from home on each individual trip.”It’s an ongoing process for me,” Trescothick said when asked about the issue. “I think I’ve learned to adapt and progress where I’ve gone. I’ve gradually built it from a couple of days in Spain, to then going to Spain for a week. Then I did two weeks in Abu Dhabi.”I’m gradually cutting my teeth on it just to get more confident. Every trip that I do, the more I realise how much I enjoyed the touring life. But that’s not to say I’m ready to jump back in and do six weeks or two months or three months away. That’s not what I’m ready for yet. And we’ve discussed that.”Trescothick’s role is not quite the same as previous batting coaches. While Mark Ramprakash, for example, was with the senior England teams nearly all the time – which could mean three months on tour in a single stretch – Trescothick is also is also expected, at times, to work with players at U19 and Lions level as well, and with those identified for attention in county cricket. The likes of Graham Thorpe and Paul Collingwood will remain regular faces on England tours, with Trescothick utilised for shorter spells as required.”Do I know how much touring I will do? Not exactly,” Trescothick continued. “We have discussed it and I’m ready to jump back on and do bits and pieces.”Do I want to do three months in a row? No, I don’t. I’m building up to that sort of point. The little journeys I’ve done for a couple of weeks here or a month there: that works really well.Related

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“I said I would do three, four, five weeks, I’m open to all that. It’s gradually getting easier for me. My kids are growing up and are less dependent on me and I’ve grown more and more confident to deal with it.”While Trescothick was due to arrive in India last week with the England limited-overs party, he was obliged to pull out due to a family bereavement. But he has dipped his toe in the water of his new role already. He was part of the support staff on the limited-overs tour to South Africa just before Christmas and found that, without the pressures that plagued him as a player, he was much better placed to enjoy the experience. But while the anxieties may be diminished, he says the thrill of representing his country – albeit it in an indirect way these days – remains undimmed.”I’ve loved it,” he said. “I know South Africa is a great place, but I really enjoyed my time doing those tours again. And it reminded me of the good bits that I did.”It felt different because of the stresses and strains of playing the game and the intensity that goes with it [had gone]. As a coach, you work hard but in a different way. And that’s what I’ve really enjoyed. It’s given me the opportunity to be there, enjoy it for the right reasons in comparison to what I did before.”I remember going to South Africa and walking out at the Wanderers with your [England] kit on. It feels so special. You dream of it. You look forward to it all your career. That’s not changed from being a player to being a coach.”I was given an England helmet the other week and I took it home and I was like, ‘Oh, wow’. Just small things like that. The appreciation of what a special environment you are involved in. It’s still no different for me.”

The squad will be permitted to train and play, while otherwise abiding by the current lockdown in Victoria

Daniel Brettig13-Feb-2021Victoria’s squad for one-day and Sheffield Shield fixtures against New South Wales in Sydney will be travelling north on Sunday morning after agreement was reached to allow them to escape the current Covid-19 lockdown in the state.Following lengthy talks involving Cricket Victoria (CV), Cricket NSW, Cricket Australia and the NSW and Victoria state governments, the squad will be permitted to train and play, while otherwise abiding by the lockdown conditions currently being applied in Victoria until at least Thursday.NSW are set to host Victoria in a one-day game at the North Sydney Oval on Monday with up to 1100 spectators allowed, before a Shield match between the sides at the SCG from Wednesday.Related

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“The Victorian men’s team will travel to Sydney under the Victorian Government’s essential workers provision for professional athletes,” a CV spokesman said. “The squad will be permitted to train and play, and will adhere to current Victorian lockdown conditions while in Sydney as per NSW Government requirements.”Cricket Victoria would like to thank the NSW Government, the Victorian Government and Cricket Australia for their support and guidance on the matter. The squad is scheduled to depart Melbourne on Sunday morning ahead of their first Marsh One-Day Cup fixture on Monday against NSW at North Sydney Oval.”The Monday fixture is also significant for being Australia national team’s current vice-captain Pat Cummins’ state captaincy debut, as he will be leading NSW in the white-ball games, while Peter Nevill retains the Shield leadership role.

One-two barrage was shelved in South Africa but has returned with great effect in India

Matt Roller17-Mar-2021England’s new-ball attack had been as toothless as a pangolin heading into their T20I series in India. Across the previous 18 months, they had taken 18 wickets at an eye-watering average of 48.05 in the powerplay, all while leaking 9.30 runs per over. T20 bowling is a trade-off between attack (taking wickets) and defence (keeping scoring rates down) but England were doing neither.But one match was the exception that proved the rule. Only once in that period had they taken three powerplay wickets, and the secret on that occasion was quite simple: pace. England paired their two fastest bowlers together and let them off the leash, with Jofra Archer passing 95mph/154kph and Mark Wood close behind in a four-over burst that had Australia’s top order ducking for cover at the Ageas Bowl as they banged the ball into the pitch at blistering speed.Related

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It was curious, then, that the Archer-Wood combination which had worked so effectively – not only that day, but in the ODI World Cup in 2019, too – was shelved without much comment. England rotated their bowlers for the final game of the Australia series (powerplay score: 61 for 1) and then overlooked Wood throughout the three matches in South Africa at the end of last year. Across that series, England managed only four wickets in the first six overs, conceding 8.38 runs per over.Against an Indian side packed with top-order options, this was a problem that Eoin Morgan needed to solve. He had previously tried to cover the weakness by using Tom Curran and Chris Jordan – both specialist death bowlers by trade – in the first six, but has opted to front-load with his best bowlers in this series.He used Adil Rashid, his legspinner, to bowl the first over in the first and third T20Is supplementing his skill with Archer and Wood’s aggressive lines and hard lengths. Sam Curran, seen as the long-term replacement for David Willey, has only been entrusted with two overs in the first six, but used intelligent variation in his seam position to bowl a wicket-maiden to KL Rahul in the second T20I.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The results have been clear throughout the series. While Ishan Kishan was able to get hold of Tom Curran and Jordan in Wood’s absence in the second T20I, India have managed only 22 for 3 and 24 for 3 after six overs in the two games that he has played in. It is a truism that taking three wickets in the powerplay tends to win you a T20 (after all, nobody has invented a format where early wickets are not helpful just yet) but doing so while conceding only four runs per over puts the opposition in a chokehold.”We’ve played together so much now we just play each other’s roles,” Wood said of his partnership with Archer on Wednesday. “We enjoy playing together. It brings the best out of me as I’m sure it does out of him.”Jofra starts a lot of the time and because he keeps the pressure on, it allows the other team to try and take risks against other bowlers. When they did try and take a risk, if we were on our game, then we got the wicket. It’s just about bowling well in tandem and trying to back each other up – keeping the pressure on for each other.”For Wood in particular, England’s early dominance has proved beneficial during the second half of his spell in the middle overs. Generally bowling to middle-order batsmen, who tend to be stronger against spin but more vulnerable against back-of-a-length bowling at high pace, Wood has conceded only 7.12 runs per over in that phase of the game across his last five T20Is.Mark Wood produced a hair-raising display of pure pace•BCCI

It is a tactic that England may employ frequently as they build towards the T20 World Cup later this year, particularly if Rashid continues to excel in the powerplay. Morgan has highlighted the trend of genuine fast bowlers coming back in vogue in white-ball cricket since the 2019 World Cup, and the prospect of having his own version of Lockie Ferguson as a ‘shock’ bowler in the middle overs is a tantalising one.One ball he bowled on Tuesday night – a bouncer to Rohit Sharma – was clocked at 96.4mph/155.2kph, which Wood believes to be the fastest he has been clocked at in a televised game, and it has been noticeable that he is yet to change things up with a slower ball in the eight overs he has bowled. While his final over was taken apart, that owed more to Virat Kohli’s genius than to any fault on Wood’s part.There remains one lingering doubt: Wood’s fitness. He missed the second T20I with a bruised heel – he explained it was a minor injury caused by some supporting tape sliding off and choking his feet – but his mixed injury record means that in a year which will see him in demand across formats, he will need careful management. It is a small mercy for England that he has turned down the IPL in consecutive years, rebuffing Mumbai Indians’ attempts to sign him as a replacement for Lasith Malinga before last year’s tournament and opting out of this year’s auction at the 11th hour.”There will be a conversation at the end of this tour about what I do in the build-up to the Tests in England, obviously playing games for Durham and getting my fitness right,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes on my own fitness with a strength coach.”I’m getting myself in a good place… [but] I’d rather me charging in and bowling as quick as I can to keep my performance level up rather than being at 50-60% and not doing myself or the team justice.”

Ian Holland shines with bat and ball, Mohammad Abbas takes nine as hosts roll Middlesex by 249 runs

Alan Gardner18-Apr-2021Having wrapped up the spoils from this game a minute or two before the scheduled lunch break on day four, Hampshire’s players were able to belt out their victory song in the dressing room and sit back to drink in the moment – perhaps even enjoy a beer in the sunshine, too, given it is practically government-mandated now.There were no home fans around to enjoy the scene, but the Ageas Bowl nevertheless basked in a summery sense of optimism as James Vince walked down the steps to reflect on a second emphatic victory in a row. Not since 2004 have Hampshire won their opening two games of a Championship season. That year, Shane Warne’s side saw off Durham and Leicestershire in a couple of low-scorers, on their way to promotion from Division Two. The following summer, they finished as runners-up to Nottinghamshire by two-and-a-half points – as close as Hampshire have come in recent times to hoisting the Championship pennant last raised in these parts back in 1973.Vince, of course, will not be looking that far ahead. Squinting impassively in the bright April sun, he was happy to praise his players for two dominant displays against Leicestershire and Middlesex, before concluding: “Delighted with the start, but I’ll be boring and say on to the next game.”That is perfectly reasonable, with the first goal for all of the sides competing in this year’s Championship being to secure a top-two finish in their conference and qualification for Division One. Already Hampshire and Gloucestershire have pulled out in front, and the two will meet here next week for a contest that will give further indication of each team’s relative strength.Related

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There’s no doubting that Hampshire are in rare form, though. Five of their top six have already scored hundreds, while the new-ball pairing of Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas – whose exemplary match showing of 31-16-39-9 was chiefly responsible for cracking open the game against Middlesex – looks as potent as any in the country. Factor in Ian Holland’s burgeoning utility as an allrounder, and the spin options provided by Liam Dawson and Mason Crane, and the first XI has depth and variety.There is also the prospect of Keith Barker, the experienced left-arm seamer, returning to fitness in the next couple of weeks; and while Aneurin Donald has suffered a setback in his recovery from knee surgery, Cameron Steel has signed on loan from Durham for April and May, having impressed with a century for Hampshire’s 2nd XI in a friendly against Surrey.”It’s good signs. With the ball everyone’s contributing, and with the bat pretty much everyone’s made a contribution now,” Vince said. “We know here the pitches can get flat and we’ve got to work hard, but with the balance of side we’ve got, with two spinners and four very good seamers, we do feel like we’ve got all conditions covered.”Vince pinpointed his side’s efforts in the first innings as key to victory here, after the batsmen were made to work hard by a strong Middlesex attack. “Making 300 on a pitch that started off pretty tough for batting and got progressively easier as the game went on, that effort on the first day set the whole game up,” he said.A double-Dutchie breakthrough on the final morning, with Holland’s medium-pace accounting for both overnight batsmen, Robbie White and Martin Andersson, before the arrival of the second new ball, quickly extinguished any faint hopes Middlesex had of dragging out the contest. Abbas could not quite conjure a tenth wicket to cap his home debut, but Abbott accounted for Nos. 8 and 9 before Dawson ended a stubborn last-wicket stand.”Over the last few years we have built more belief in the side,” Vince said. “Everyone within the group here knows what we’re capable of, but I guess other counties and people around the country might start to see we’ve had two big wins and expect us to do that more often.”It’s been our goal over a decent period of time, where we’ve not been up there competing in four-day cricket as we’ve wanted to do. The last three or four years there’s been a big push to try to get into a position where we are competing. We’re only two games in, so I don’t want to say too much at the minute, but everyone in the dressing room and at the club is really enthusiastic about doing well in red-ball cricket. It’s been a good start, we’ll see if we can sustain it.”For Middlesex, who threw away a commanding position in their opening match against Somerset, back-to-back defeats already threaten to stymie their hopes for the season. Stand-in captain Steve Eskinazi, who will hand over the reins to Peter Handscomb for next week’s London derby – pending a negative Covid test for the Australia batsman – said players had been “on the verge of tears” during a team debrief following Friday’s disastrous 79 all out, and called for a response against Surrey.”We’ve spoken about honesty for a lot of pre-season, spoken about our culture, and just like we were very happy to talk about how well we played on the first day here and last week, we had to sit down and take accountability and responsibility,” he said. “It was unbelievably confronting for the group of players in that room, hugely emotional. It means a lot to everyone in the dressing room, and if anyone out there doesn’t believe that, they’re kidding themselves, because if they were in there they would have seen people on the verge of tears.”We came out and we showed character in the fourth innings, I was massively proud of the work we put in there. There can be no hangover in county cricket, as we start again in four days’ time. If we can bridge the gap between our good and our poor cricket, I don’t think we’re far off at all.”

There is also a reduction in the number of centrally contracted players from 32 to 24

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-May-2021Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella have been offered the most lucrative deals in Sri Lanka Cricket’s new player contract scheme for men, which sees players take significant cuts to their base salaries. The players do, however, have more to gain via performance-based incentives, compared to previous contracts. There is also a reduction in the number of centrally contracted players from 32 to 24.The players have not signed these contracts yet, and are understood to be negotiating with the board for better base payments. As SLC is set to have its election on Thursday, it also remains to be seen whether the new board members stand by this contract scheme.Related

• Karunaratne, Hasaranga among 18 players to sign SLC contracts as months-long standoff ends

• Sri Lanka players agree contracts for India series, Angelo Mathews only one to decline offer

• Sri Lanka players agree to tour England without contracts

• Aravinda de Silva on Sri Lanka players protesting their new contracts: 'They should win games and not complain'

• Kusal Perera: Contract concerns on our minds but priority is to win the series

But as it stands, the scheme seeks to reward team victories. It was largely devised by director of cricket Tom Moody, as well as the technical committee headed by Aravinda de Silva.”A thorough review of what was being practiced around the world was taken into consideration,” Moody said of the contracts. “A lot of countries are trying to find what is the right process for them. This was not pulled out of thin air. This was done after thorough research – looking at other countries and their examples of how they contract their players. We put together what we thought was the best, most effective and fair system for Sri Lanka,The proposed contracts see the retainers of senior players hit especially hard. For example, Angelo Mathews – by far the most experienced player on the list – has been offered a contract worth $80,000 this year, which is roughly $50,000 less than his base salary had been in the last round of contracts. Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne’s retainer has dropped from roughly $100,000 to $70,000 this year. Fast bowler Suranga Lakmal, meanwhile, sees a cut of roughly $35,000, with his base rate set this year at $65,000.But there is more on offer for series wins against highly-ranked opposition. Where in the previous contracts, the team would be paid $25,000 for each Test won against top seven (according to rankings) opponents, these contracts offer $150,000 for a series win against the No. 1 ranked side, $125,000 for beating the No. 2 ranked team, $100,000 for No. 3, $80,000 for No. 4, down to $30,000 for the team ranked seventh. Sri Lanka only occasionally play three-match series – they largely play two-Test series, particularly against non-Big Three (India, Australia, England) opposition. Where the previous contracts had also seen players take financial penalties for series losses against low-ranked opposition, the proposed 2021 contracts do not recoup funds from the team.The ODI and T20 series victory incentive scales are similarly structured, though the payouts for those are substantially lower. Test cricket has been financially prioritised. Even the match fee for a Test has gone up slightly, to $7500 per player from $7000. The ODI and T20 match fees remain where they had been, at $5000 and $4000 respectively.Among the new players who will be offered contracts are batsmen Pathum Nissanka and Ashen Bandara, as well as allrounder Ramesh Mendis. Kusal Mendis, who had been left out of Sri Lanka’s teams for all three formats, will be offered an A3 category contract – the third-most lucrative available.

Proposed contracts scheme:

A1 category ($100,000 base salary)Dhananjaya de Silva
Niroshan Dickwella A2 ($80,000) Angelo Mathews
Kusal PereraA3 ($70,000) Dimuth Karunaratne
Kusal Mendis B1 ($65,000) Dasun Shanaka
Suranga Lakmal B2 ($60,000) Lasith Embuldeniya
Wanindu HasarangaB3 ($55,000) Lahiru Thirimanne
Pathum NissankaC1 ($50,000) Kasun Rajitha
Dushmantha Chameera C2 ($45,000) Dinesh Chandimal
Lakshan Sandakan C3 ($40,000) Isuru Udana
Vishwa Fernando D1 ($35,000) Oshada Fernando
Ramesh Mendis D2 ($30,000) Danushka Gunathilaka
Lahiru Kumara D3 ($25,000) Akila Dananjaya
Ashen Bandara