All posts by n8rngtd.top

According to laws, West Indies were in the right with their appeal even though it left Virat Kohli fuming

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Dec-2019On Sunday, Indian captain Virat Kohli said he was miffed at the Ravindra Jadeja run-out being referred to the third umpire. He felt the on-field umpire Shaun George changed his original not out decision only after West Indies players, prompted by “people outside” appealed to him to review the incident. It now turns out that George was also prompted by the third umpire Rod Tucker to refer the decision “upstairs”.ESPNcricinfo understands that immediately after George had turned down the initial run-out appeal by the fielder Roston Chase, Tucker asked his colleague, via the radio that wires all the match officials, to refer it “upstairs” as the decision was “tight”. All this happened at the same time as replays of the incident were broadcast on TV. As soon as he had seen the replays, Tucker decided to intervene.George, who is from South Africa, then signaled he was referring the run-out to the third umpire, Tucker, who then relayed to George that Jadeja was indeed short of his crease.The incident took place on the fourth delivery of the 48th over of the Indian innings. Having dug out a yorker-length delivery from Keemo Paul, Jadeja set out for a single. Chase, rushing in from cover, broke the stumps in a brilliant piece of pick-and-throw fielding.George, who had witnessed the throw from the side-on angle, felt Jadeja had made his ground and ruled not out when Chase inquired if it was out. But the decision was soon overturned, something that Kohli disputed instantly by walking up to the fourth umpire who was standing outside the ropes.During the post-match presentation, Kohli told commentator Harsha Bhogle that “dismissal ends there” once George had told Chase it was not out. Kohli suspected George only referred the decision after the West Indies players, prompted by “people sitting outside”, who had seen the replays. “People sitting outside can’t dictate what happens on the field and I think that’s exactly what happened then,” Kohli said.The ball was not deadAnother key question asked on air immediately, but one that went unanswered, was whether it was valid for West Indies to raise an appeal after replays were already shown around the ground. The simple answer is yes. The MCC’s Laws of Cricket says a team has time until the next ball to make an appeal.Law 31.3, which deals with ‘Timing of the Appeals’ says “for an appeal to be valid, it must be made before the bowler begins his/her run-up or, if there is no run-up, his/her bowling action to deliver the next ball, and before Time has been called.”

Bacher mediated talks between CEO Moroe and Graeme Smith, which could have led to Smith becoming director of cricket

Firdose Moonda05-Dec-2019Ali Bacher, the former South African Test captain and managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (now CSA), has called on CSA’s current administration to take responsibility for recent events which has seen the game teetering on the brink of crisis.Bacher called on the board to be held accountable and CEO Thabang Moroe to consider stepping down after initially mediating talks between Moroe and former captain Graeme Smith, which could have led to Smith taking on the director of cricket role on October 1.Smith and Moroe met at Bacher’s Johannesburg home on August 28, where Smith’s deal was all but finalised, but 11 weeks later Smith withdrew interest in the role citing lack of confidence in the administration. Now, with CSA putting out fires with the players’ association, sponsors, the media and facing collapse in their own board, Bacher has decided to speak out.”I have been involved in cricket administration at varying levels from 1981 to 2003. In 2003, after the Cricket World Cup, I decided to call it a day. It was my call. I decided I would not interfere in the future running of South African cricket and I kept my word. However recent developments have made it obligatory for me to go public and express my most serious concern about the current administration in South African cricket,” Bacher told ESPNcricinfo.While Bacher was not involved in the Gerald Majola or Haroon Lorgat era, he has been sought after for counsel under Moroe’s administration in recent months. Bacher oversaw the meeting between Smith and Moroe, and was thrilled with Smith’s interest. “Graeme is a legend not only in South Africa but around the world and I was excited to see him consider going into administration in South Africa full-time,” Bacher said.Bacher was optimistic Smith would be able to start rebuilding of the national side that had just been whitewashed in a Test series in India, under a revamped management. The tour was the first since CSA announced a structure that did away with a head coach and installed a team director in his place. The job was given to Enoch Nkwe, who had a successful run with the Lions and Jozi Stars in the 2018-19 summer, winning three of the four trophies available in his first season as a franchise coach. Vincent Barnes travelled as the bowling coach and Amol Muzumdar from India was hired on a short-term deal as a batting consultant.Though CSA put the poor results down to a transition period following the retirements of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, there were deeper problems than personnel. “It is a well-known fact that the current highly respected captain of South Africa, Faf du Plessis, was not consulted over the appointment of the coach or three assistants for the tour to India. South Africa got a 3-nil drubbing. Are you surprised?” Bacher asked.Few were, including Smith, who used much of his on-air commentary time to explain where South Africa were tactically erring. While CSA continues to attempt to draw Smith into the tent – and discussions between him and president Chris Nenzani are ongoing – Smith has admitted to having “real concerns,” with the way cricket is being run. Smith did not go into detail but an obvious issue is lack of communication. More than two months after Smith and Moroe met at Bacher’s home Smith “had still not received a contract for consideration”, Bacher said.Similarly, now, with little more than three weeks to go before South Africa host England for four Tests, three ODIs and three T20s, the director of cricket appointment has been delayed, there is no selection panel in place and no coaching staff have been confirmed. CSA’s board will hold a special sitting on Saturday in an attempt to resolve these issues but Bacher believes it is too late for them to seek redemption: “The current CEO is out of his depth and I strongly suggest that he resigns imminently in the best interests of South Africa cricket.”

Boris Johnson confirmed the UK government is “considering” banning sporting fixtures on Thursday

Matt Roller12-Mar-2020England’s Test series in Sri Lanka has been cancelled due to the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and their home series against West Indies in June – as well as the T20 Blast – is under threat, with both events scheduled for a period that the UK government has identified as the likely peak of the virus in the country.Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that sporting fixtures will not be banned with immediate effect, but said that such a move is under consideration, which could wreak havoc with the English cricketing summer.England confirmed the series in Sri Lanka had been postponed on Friday, walking off the field on the second day of their tour match against a Board President’s XI moments after the decision was announced.”Due to the Covid-19 pandemic worsening globally, and after discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have today made the decision to return our players to the UK and postpone the forthcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and England,” a statement read.”At this time, the physical and mental wellbeing of our players and support teams is paramount. We will now look to bring them home to their families as soon as possible. These are completely unprecedented times, and decisions like this go beyond cricket.”We would like to thank our colleagues at Sri Lanka Cricket for their outstanding support and assistance throughout this situation. We look forward to returning to Sri Lanka in the very near future to fulfil this important Test series.”The global sporting calendar has already been thrown into chaos by the spread of the virus, with hundreds of events postponed, cancelled, or played behind closed doors. In England, four counties have cancelled their pre-season tours overseas, while at least two more are expected to return home early.ALSO READ: Newsfile – ICC Board to hold March meeting via conference callSir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, said during the Prime Minister’s press conference that the peak is “10-14 weeks away, maybe slightly longer”, leaving the English cricket season in a nightmare situation which could result in a huge number of fixtures cancelled or played behind closed doors.England are scheduled to play three Tests against West Indies, with the series starting at The Oval on June 4. That date is currently 12 weeks away, in the middle of the expected peak period. The T20 Blast is scheduled to start on May 28, with the group stage running until July 12.”We are considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures,” Mr Johnson said, describing the virus as “the biggest public health crisis in a generation”.”The scientific advice, as we’ve said over the last couple of weeks, is that banning such events will have little effect on the spread,” he said.”But there is also the issue of the burden that such events can place on public services, so we’re discussing these issues with colleagues in all parts of the United Kingdom. We’ll have more to say shortly about further action in that respect. At all stages we have been guided by the science, and we will do the right thing at the right time.”The cancellation of a whole home Test series would be a significant financial blow for the ECB, while the T20 Blast generates a major proportion of most counties’ income. It is possible that the tournament could be pushed back further in the summer – possibly at the expense of the final rounds of County Championship fixtures – but there is precious little room in the schedule for change.More immediately, the County Championship is scheduled to start on April 12. While crowds are typically relatively low, they regularly exceed 2000 at certain grounds, and the main demographic of match-going fans is elderly, increasing their vulnerability to the virus.It is possible that games – almost all of which are streamed for free online – could be played behind closed doors, and the ECB is in close contact with government to discuss its options.Sir Patrick explained that the nature of the virus means that a blanket ban on sporting fixtures is unlikely to have a major impact on its spread. “On average one person infects two or three others,” he said. “You therefore have a very low probability of infecting a large number of people in a stadium, or a rather higher probability of infecting people very close to you.”And that means that most of the transmission tends to take place actually with friends and colleagues in close environments, not in the big environments. So, it is true, of course that any cancellation can have some effect.”But if you get a displacement activity where you end up with everyone congregating somewhere else, you may actually have perversely an increased risk, particularly in an indoors environment.”

The confusion was because the umpires wanted to ensure Irfan’s injury was genuine

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2021A strange passage of play briefly left the Peshawar Zalmi fielding with ten men during the second PSL 2021 eliminator against the Islamabad United on Tuesday, after their pacer Mohammad Irfan left the field because of an injury.Haider Ali, the substitute sent out by the Zalmi, was asked to leave the field by the umpires, who were apparently not convinced that Irfan was injured, leaving Zalmi down by a man.In the 11th over of the United innings, Irfan, who was bowling the final over of his spell, went down after his penultimate delivery. Following a delay, he got back up to complete the over, but fell to the ground again. During the 12th over, Irfan was taken outside the boundary for treatment, with Ali coming on to replace him.However, at the end of the 12th over, bowled by Amad Butt, Aleem Dar, the onfield umpire, signalled that Ali should not be allowed to field, causing another lengthy delay.After a break in play, with Irfan still receiving treatment, Ali also stepped out of the field, meaning the Zalmi had to bowl the 14th and 15th overs without Irfan or a substitute fielder.Eventually, at the start of the 16th over, after a conversation between Dar, the Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz, and Shoaib Malik, also of the Zalmi, the team was allowed to bring in another substitute, Khalid Usman taking the field.ESPNcricinfo understands that the delay was caused because the umpires wanted to ensure Irfan’s injury was genuine, and when they got a confirmation of the same from the paramedics at the ground, they allowed the substitution.During a timeout in United’s innings, Irfan’s team-mate Butt suggested that the pacer’s injury was only a case of cramps.

James Bracey among those flying home despite fourth-innings hundred against Australia A

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2021England’s management have opted not to keep any of the 14-man Lions squad on with the Ashes squad in Australia, with the majority of the touring party flying home on Tuesday.The England Lions squad travelled to Australia in early November along with the members of the Ashes touring party that were not involved in the T20 World Cup in the UAE. They were due to shadow the main squad and provide opposition in internal warm-up games, but inclement weather limited their preparation to seven full sessions.During the first Ashes Test at the Gabba, the Lions played Australia A in a four-day fixture at Ian Healy Oval. They were heavily beaten after being bowled out for 103 in their first innings. Despite 113 from James Bracey and half-centuries for Ben Foakes and Josh Bohannon in the second innings, and 5 for 58 from Liam Norwell in the first, none of the squad have been kept on to provide cover for the Ashes squad.Four members of the team that played against Australia A will remain in the country. Dom Bess, the back-up spinner to Jack Leach in the main squad, was picked for the four-day game ahead of Matt Parkinson and Mason Crane – two of four Lions players not involved, along with Sam Cook and Jamie Smith – while Tom Abell (Brisbane Heat), Harry Brook (Hobart Hurricanes) and Saqib Mahmood (Sydney Thunder) are all involved in the BBL.Related

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Bracey, whose 113 off 295 balls marked a successful return to an England shirt – albeit a Lions one – after he struggled in his first two Tests against New Zealand in June and was promptly dropped, said that being kept on for the main tour had not been “at the forefront of our minds”, with three back-up batters (Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence) already part of the Ashes squad.”It’s a big squad, the Ashes squad, and there’s a few batters waiting in the wings,” he told reporters in Brisbane. “It’s not been a huge thing at the forefront of our mind. But if it’s now, or in later years, it’s great to put a case forward in a Lions Test, and to get a hundred was really pleasing.”I’m going home with one more first-class hundred than I had going out. In a year with a lots of ups and downs I’ve really backed myself technique-wise. Where my head’s at is probably the big thing. There has been a lot to process, lots of stuff thrown at me.”That was my aim coming out on this tour, [to] put a few things I’ve been working on into practice and this last couple of days caps it off. I’m really pleased with how it’s gone and really happy with where my head is at currently. After what has happened it’s good for me to relax.”If I continue to put labels and targets on things and put everything on trying to get back in the Test team it wouldn’t be good for me or for my game. Obviously I have that desire… to play Test cricket again and hopefully that happens sooner rather than later, but if it doesn’t I’ll keep working and see where my career takes me.”

While the tournament is set to be played between October 5 and November 19, the BCCI is yet to finalise the schedule

Nagraj Gollapudi27-May-2023The schedule for the 2023 World Cup will be unveiled during the World Test Championship final at The Oval, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has said. The board has prepared a list of more than a dozen venues across India, and the final shortlist will be shared with the ICC soon.Shah made these comments during a media briefing after the BCCI’s special general meeting in Ahmedabad which will host the IPL final on Sunday. While the ten-team World Cup is set to be played between October 5 and November 19, the BCCI is yet to finalise the schedule, with just about four months left for the start of the tournament.Related

• ICC: 2023 World Cup fixtures to be released 'as soon as we possibly can'

• World Cup 2023 likely to start on October 5 and end on November 19

A total of 48 matches, including the three knockout games, are set to be played across the 46-day period. Ahmedabad aside, the original shortlist of cities on BCCI list comprised: Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Mumbai and Trivandrum. It is understood that Nagpur and Pune, too, are under consideration. It is likely that the league matches will be hosted across 10 cities, with two more cities staging the warm-up fixtures preceding the main tournament.

Asia Cup to be formally discussed at ACC meeting

Shah, who is also the current president of the Asian Cricket Council, said an emergent meeting of the ACC will be held to finalise whether the hybrid model proposed by the PCB for the 2023 Asia Cup is feasible.On Sunday, Shah will be meeting his counterparts from Sri Lanka Cricket, Bangladesh Cricket Board, and Afghanistan Cricket Board to informally discuss their views on the Asia Cup.Pakistan are the hosts of this year’s Asia Cup, scheduled for September, but with India declining to travel there, the ACC has been looking at alternatives. Recently, the PCB had suggested a hybrid model for the six-team tournament, where four of the 13 matches will be held in Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan are grouped together along with Nepal. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are part of the second group.The biggest challenge about the hybrid model concerns the travel involved. Shah said “two or three countries” had sent in their views, which will be formally discussed at the ACC meeting in the next ten days.Shah said, in his capacity as ACC chairman, he wanted the Asia Cup to go ahead this year. The tournament has not been be hosted in Pakistan or India since 2008 due to the political differences between both countries.

Senior batsman wants team to draw inspiration from Nurul Hasan’s performance in first Test

Mohammad Isam09-Jul-2018The Bangladesh dressing room was “shocked” after their embarrassing defeat to West Indies in Antigua.First, they were bowled out for 43, their lowest-ever total and the lowest Test score in 44 years. Then they followed that with a marginal improvement to make 144 in the second innings, eventually losing by an innings and 219 runs. This was the least overs a side had bowled to take 20 wickets in a Test in 66 years.Tamim Iqbal, one of their senior-most players and batting mainstay who made 4 and 13 in that Test, doesn’t want to dwell on what has gone by. Instead, he insisted the team has drawn positives from Nurul Hasan’s counter-attacking 64 on the third morning, their only bright spot, looking ahead to the Jamaica Test starting July 12.”Like all of you, we are also in a shock about our last Test match,” Tamim said. “Our performance is by no means acceptable. We are a better side than this. We are not looking for excuses. We made mistakes which caused this performance. We hope to do well in the next Test.”We have to keep on believing as a team and as individual players that we can do well, we can win. The way Sohan (Nurul) and the lower-order batted, it proves that if you can stay in the wicket, you can score runs. I hope that Jamaica Test will be a much better performance.”Steve Rhodes who sat through the entire ordeal on his debut as Bangladesh head coach, felt the team should have reacted better during their first-innings deterioration. In the first innings, Kemar Roach took five wickets in just five overs – the shortest spell to win a Player of the Match award – to leave Bangladesh tottering at 18 for 5 even before the first drinks interval. The last five didn’t do much either, even as Liton Das tried to slog his way out of trouble.”We potentially did not adjust quick enough to the circumstances put in front of us in either innings. But you can take nothing away from the Windies bowlers and catchers. They bowled and fielded admirably on a pitch that suited their bowling,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Rhodes also assessed the need to have more firepower in the bowling. “As far as our bowling is concerned, I thought Rahi (Abu Jayed) bowled admirably in his first Test match. It is very clear that we could do with some real pace to throw at the West Indies batsmen but that is not an overnight option for us. But we would definitely look to have some pace when we tour in the future.”

Durham downed despite totalling 207 for 8 in Headingley run-fest

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2022Yorkshire raced to a record 208 target to beat Durham in a mesmerising Vitality Blast clash at Headingley as Adam Lyth and David Willey starred with brilliant innings of 77 and 75 not out.Vikings were rocked by Durham’s 207 for 8, including 65 off 37 balls for opener Graham Clark and a career best 56 off 34 for on-loan Kent wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson. But their mood was quickly turned by opener Lyth, who broke the back of the chase with 10 fours and three sixes in 33 balls before England allrounder Willey saw his side home by six wickets with 2.2 overs to spare, crashing eight fours and three sixes in 39.Never before had Yorkshire, who survived the loss of England’s Harry Brook for 4 following his release from the Test squad, chased 200, and this was their second win in five in the North Group. Their previous highest successful chase was 196 against Derbyshire here in 2005.Earlier, Jordan Thompson’s career best 4 for 32 had been crucial as the Vikings limited the damage late on.Belligerent opener Clark was expertly backed up by second-wicket partner Robinson as Durham excelled with the bat on a glorious pitch, the pair sharing 92 inside nine overs to advance from 34 for 1, putting pressure on a Yorkshire side who lost back-to-back home games against Leicestershire and Derbyshire earlier this week.Clark’s only six was slog swept off Adil Rashid over midwicket, while Robinson hoisted Dom Bess over long-on into the second tier of Headingley’s Howard Stand before slicing left-arm quick Dominic Drakes over backward point.Clark reached his fifty off 27 balls before uppercutting Bajan overseas debutant Drakes out to deep cover as the score fell to 126 for 2 gafter 12 overs. Shortly afterwards, Robinson’s fifty came up in 29 balls.From there, Thompson claimed all of his wickets from the 15th over onwards as Yorkshire turned the tide. He uprooted Robinson’s leg stump as he shuffled across and played to leg – 148 for 4 at the start of the 15th – before getting Brydon Carse caught at deep cover at the end of the next.Carse had usurped Robinson by finding the top tier of three-tiered Howard Stand off Matthew Revis, a shot brilliantly caught one-handed in the crowd.In Thompson’s last over, the 19th, he had Durham captain Liam Trevaskis caught at short third and bowled Ned Eckersley off his pads as the score fell to 192 for 8.Yorkshire then put Durham’s batting into the shade, with Kiwi Finn Allen clattering Carse for sixes over long-on and midwicket at the end of the second over. Seventeen runs came off each of the third and fourth overs, but Allen was caught at mid-off for 29 off 12 balls off Andrew Tye towards the end of the latter, leaving the hosts 54 for 1.Lyth was strong square on both sides of the wicket as the score moved to 79 for one after six overs. By the time he reached his fifty off 23 balls, Yorkshire were 97 for 1 in the eighth and things were looking ominous for Durham, who lost their third game in five at the start of the group phase.Lyth had whipped Paul Coughlin for his first six, uppercut Carse and despatched Coughlin over long-on. Such was the ease with which runs were coming that even when Lyth miscued Ben Raine’s seam high to wide mid-off, leaving Yorkshire at 124 for 2 in the 10th over, the result was in little doubt.Lyth had shared 70 in six overs with second-wicket partner Willey, who continued the assault with leg-side sixes off Carse and Trevaskis and reached his fifty off 27 balls.Brook was caught at deep backward square-leg off Ben Raine – 160 for 3 in the 13th over – but it did not matter.

Injury concerns aside, CSK have begun well, squeezing out maximum points so far. Now they run into a revamped Kings XI Punjab, captained by an old friend

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu14-Apr-20185:03

Agarkar: Out of form Yuvraj on shaky ground

Big Picture

Two matches, two last-gasp wins and two injuries. Having squeezed out maximum points so far, Chennai Super Kings now run into a revamped Kings XI Punjab side captained by an old friend in R Ashwin. Kings XI have had a seesawing start to the season: they mowed down Delhi Daredevils but came up short against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday. They have a little less than 48 hours to address their weaknesses, particularly their batting.Despite losing wickets in a cluster, Kings XI’s batsmen kept going after the bowlers and were ultimately bowled out with four balls unused in their innings. Such an approach works only if you have a fail-safe option in the batting line-up. Yuvraj Singh is past his prime while Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, and Marcus Stoinis are largely hit-or-miss batsmen. Ashwin, however, has indicated that the side will not curb its aggression after just one loss.Super Kings’ middle order is rickety as well, and the injuries to Suresh Raina and Kedar Jadhav have forced them to dig deep into their reserves. Ambati Rayudu has given the team bright starts in both games, so, perhaps, there is a case for him to stay at the top. Super Kings will have to choose between a fit-again M Vijay and Delhi’s Dhruv Shorey, who is uncapped in the IPL, for the middle-order slot thrown open by the absence of Raina.

In the news

• Raina will miss a Super Kings match for the first time in his career.
• Jadhav’s replacement David Willey joined the squad on the eve of the match.
• Lungi Ngidi will not be available for Sunday’s clash, having flown back home to South Africa following the death of his father.
• Ngidi’s captain at South Africa Faf du Plessis, who is recovering from a finger injury and a side strain, is “close” to full fitness, according to coach Stephen Fleming.

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The likely XIs

Kings XI Punjab 1 KL Rahul (wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Aaron Finch/David Miller, 4 Yuvraj Singh/Manoj Tiwary, 5 Karun Nair, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin (capt), 9 Andrew Tye, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mujeeb ZadranChennai Super Kings 1 Shane Watson, 2 Ambati Rayudu, 3 M Vijay/Dhruv Shorey, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Sam Billings, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Imran Tahir

Stats that matter

• Axar Patel has a perfect record against Shane Watson, having dismissed the Australian allrounder five times in five IPL matches
• MS Dhoni has struggled against spin, managing only 367 runs off 349 balls with a dot percentage of 45.6 since IPL 2015. Ravindra Jadeja has fared worse against spin, scoring only 157 off 161 balls in the same period.
• Mohit Sharma has bagged 25 wickets between overs 16 and 20 in 43 IPL games since 2015. He also tends to leak runs in the same phase, though, as his economy-rate of 9.4 suggests.

Strategy punt

If Rayudu continues to open for CSK, Ashwin could do well to bring himself on right away. The spinner has dismissed Rayudu four times in 48 balls while giving away only 53 runs.

Fantasy pick

That he can bowl legspin with accuracy too has amplified the threat posed by Ashwin. He struck with a loopy legbreak in the 12th over on Friday, removing Sarfraz Khan, and bowled a total of four legbreaks in the match for just one run. In Kings XI’s tournament opener against Delhi Daredevils, Ashwin had ventured four legbreaks and conceded three runs.

Quote

“There is obviously a lot going on. The positive is we have two wins out of two. There haven’t been great performances but scrapping and fighting wins, which at the start of a tournament is more valuable.”

Allrounder eyes player-coach role after setting up fairytale tie against old club Leicestershire

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2022Darren Stevens has admitted he was “gutted” that Kent decided not to offer him a contract extension and confirmed his intention to play county cricket next season, after helping to set up a fairytale Royal London Cup quarter-final against his old club Leicestershire.Kent announced two weeks ago that Stevens would be released at the end of the season after struggling to make an impact this year, but after hitting 49 off 41 balls to help them to a two-wicket win against Lancashire on Tuesday, he laughed off the suggestion that retirement is looming, even at the age of 46.”I didn’t think I’d be released,” Stevens told the ECB Reporters Network. “I’d hoped it would be down to me pulling the pin on it, but that’s not the case. They [Kent] have got other ideas and want to go in a different direction and that’s fine. It’s gutting, it’s disappointing, but that’s fine. I respect the club, I love the club and I just want the best for the club.””I love the game. I wouldn’t be playing now if I didn’t love it as much as I do, but I love it. I love the challenges of batting and bowling and red-ball cricket as well. I’ll keep playing until I think it’s right, and at the minute I don’t think it’s right [to quit].”Related

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Stevens said that Kent had not given him “a proper reason” for their decision to release him but that he could understand the logic. “They’ve signed Joey Evison, who’s a talented all-round cricketer, and I’m guessing that’s my spot in the Championship,” he said. “He’s a good little player from what we’ve seen so far and I’m sure he’ll be good for Kent for the future.”My job is to take wickets and get runs for Kent, so that’s what I’ll do until I finish. I want to [play next season]. I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well and the ball’s coming out alright, so I feel like I can do a job for a club somewhere. I’d like a player-coach role but at the moment I still feel I can do a job with the bat and the ball.”He has struggled with the ball this year on flatter pitches, with four wickets at 92.75 in the Championship in 2022 after five consecutive seasons averaging below 20, and had to rush back from injury in order to play in Kent’s final group game in the Royal London Cup.”Two injuries haven’t helped me,” he said. “Getting a collarbone strike put me out for longer than I was expecting… that was hard to take. Getting back for the one-day stuff, I was pleased and I was ready to go, but then pinging my calf at Glamorgan was gut-wrenching; I’ve never done a calf before. It’ll be three weeks this Thursday, so I’ve done well to get back.”You couldn’t have written it, could you?” he said about the quarter-final draw, which pits Kent against his old club. “It’s a different challenge, a different place to play. We haven’t played white-ball cricket there for a long time.”Stevens has become a cult hero among county cricket fans•Getty Images

The romantic outcome would be a return to Grace Road next season, where his first-class career started some 25 years ago. Ben Mike’s impending move to Yorkshire means there is a hole for an allrounder: have Leicestershire been sniffing around before Friday’s quarter-final?”No, nothing yet,” he said, when asked if he had been offered a deal anywhere. “We’ll see what happens. We’ve got a quarter-final to play at the end of the week. If people call and offer things, we’ll have a sit-down as the weeks go on and decide, probably towards the end of the year.”He is also an improbable entrant for this weekend’s Big Bash draft. “My agent put me in for that,” Stevens said. “He called and said ‘I’ve put you in!’ I was like, ‘yeah, great, cheers.’ I think he’s put me in for everything. Why not? I still want to play. It’d be good, wouldn’t it? It’d be a good way to go out.”