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Ian Bell termed Alastair Cook’s display on the third day in Abu Dhabi a “masterclass” and said he had been an inspiration for him during his own struggles

Andrew McGlashan15-Oct-20151:22

Cook did exactly what we want to do as a batting unit – Bell

Ian Bell has called Alastair Cook’s display on the third day in Abu Dhabi a “masterclass” and said how his performances throughout the year have provided inspiration for him during his own struggles.Cook is now the leading global run-scorer in 2015, having started the year trying to break a century drought that stretched back two years. A hundred came in Barbados, followed by a marathon effort in the second innings against New Zealand at Lord’s to set-up a remarkable victory but this innings stands out.He finished the day unbeaten on 168, flicking the final ball to deep square leg then taking the generous congratulations of every Pakistan player, having faced 329 deliveries in more than seven-and-a-half hours at the crease.There was a tight lbw review off Zulfiqar Babar on 101 and he was dropped once, top-edging a sweep off the same bowler on 147, but other than that handled the spin with utmost skill, heeding the pre-series advice of Paul Farbrace and Mahela Jayawardene to use the sweep judiciously.”He’s so organised,” Bell said. “When I watch him against spin his defence is incredible. He executed the sweep today as well as I’ve ever seen him through a day of Test cricket. The way he works out his angles, for left-handers the rough outside their off stump can be tricky, but it was a masterclass today: how to defend, how to come down occasionally to chip over midwicket but also sweep from a full length.”This is the fourth year Cook has passed 1000 runs – equalling the England record held by Kevin Pietersen – and he is now second, behind Jacques Kallis, in runs scored by non-Asian batsman in Asia. Bell said Cook’s durability to fight through the tough times was a reminder to make the most of the days which go your way, which left Bell frustrated he had fallen for 63.”To play the amount of Test cricket he has, you aren’t always going to be at your best but you have to show some character at times to get through them,” he said. “What he’s done well, especially last few months, is when he gets in he makes scores like this. They do cover your bad days. What he’s been through, and what I’ve been through a little as well in the last few months, he’s a good role model to watch. When you get days like this, cash in, and he does that as well as anyoneBell was 1 off 35 balls, a period which had included a drop catch and tight shout for lbw, and it was not until he reached double figures that he started to look more secure.”It’s difficult to start, we know that from last time here. In the subcontinent, your first 40 to 50 balls are tough and if you get through that it will get easier,” he said. “It was nice to bat long, but I was gutted not to go on – or certainly be there overnight with Cooky – I know that on a pitch like that you want to get in, make the most of it and get a big one.”Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistan’s bowling coach who worked with England until 2014 so has witnessed previous Cook epics from the opposite dressing room, also lauded the innings.”He’s got a great record in Asia, he played it beautifully,” he said. “He has a lovely temperament and the way he played took the pressure off the other batsmen. He killed the zip of the spinners and seamers nicely. It was a brilliant innings once again.”Cook’s career best of 294 – made against India at Edgbaston in 2011 – is still some way off but he may never get a better second chance for that maiden triple hundred.

The lawyer of arrested cricketer Sreesanth has insisted his client is ‘totally innocent’ and that he will seek bail during the next hearing

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2013The lawyer of arrested cricketer Sreesanth has insisted his client is ‘totally innocent’ and that he will seek bail during the next hearing. On Thursday, a judge had remanded Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan Royals players to five days in police custody after they had been arrested by Delhi police on corruption charges.”I asked them what is the evidence you have against him, they failed to give any kind of paper against Sreesanth in the court,” Sreesanth’s lawyer Deepak Prakash said. “Please support Sreesanth, the person is innocent, we are doing a crime right now giving the wrong news about him. I clarified from him, he is never involved in this, he is totally innocent.”He never talked to any bookie,” Prakash said. “No money is received, no telephone call, nothing is established, he is innocent.”Police alleged Sreesanth had promised bookies that he would concede at least 14 runs in his second over against Kings XI Punjab on May 9 in exchange for Rs 40 lakh (US$73,024). The police alleged that Sreesanth made the appropriate signal, which was to ask for a towel that he would tuck inside his trousers before bowling the over. Prakash dismissed the charges. “A person can use a towel in any way, how is this evidence?” he asked. “It is a matter of luck. He can use a towel whenever he wants.”Sreesanth can only apply for bail after his time in police custody, which means he will have to wait at least four more days. The Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar had also suggested that the police could invoke the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, offences under which are non-bailable.

Nicola Browne, the New Zealand bowler, has decided to return to international cricket. The decision is a remarkable U-turn after retiring seven months ago

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2012Nicola Browne, the New Zealand bowler, has decided to return to international cricket despite announcing her retirement seven months ago. She discovered she was suffering with celiac disease, changed her diet and is now hungry to play for New Zealand once more.Browne, 28 from Waikato, felt “the flame inside her had been extinguished” when retiring in August 2011. The news came as something of a shock after rising to sixth on the world bowling rankings and being named Player of the Tournament at the 2010 Women’s World Twenty20.”I wasn’t tracking where I should have been,” Browne said. “I was plagued with health problems and just couldn’t get my energy levels right.” She thought her health problems stemmed from Temporomandibular joint disorder and reached a low point after the Christchurch earthquake of February 2011, prompting her departure from the game.But a joint disorder proved not to be the problem. Browne changed doctors and was found to be suffering with celiac disease – where gluten in the body damaged the lining of the small intestine causing fatigue.A simple change of diet did the trick. “I had more energy that I could ever remember having,” Browne said. “It was like I had been living my life at only 70%.” Pasta and pizza went off the menu as part of her new gluten-free regime that provided new-found energy and a reignited passion for cricket.Browne returned to action with seven wickets at 16.85 for Northern Districts and now has her sights on an international recall and becoming a professional. “I’ve found myself,” she said. “And I’ve found the energy to go and achieve beyond where I reached before, and bring others along for the journey.”

Alviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, while Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl first at Newlands

The Report by Nitin Sundar03-Jan-2012Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlviro Petersen and Jacques Kallis made a mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl•Associated Press

Alviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, and Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl at Newlands. Kallis had a sense of occasion, converting his 114-ball century into a 150-plus score in his 150th Test. His first ton against Sri Lanka, and his first in a year, was all the more significant since it silenced murmurs of failing form following the first pair of his glittering career, in Durban.Kallis’ century reaffirmed his love affair with Cape Town, a venue where he now has nine Test hundreds and over 2000 runs. But one man who might be happier with his day’s work is Petersen, whose fluency during his second Test ton glossed over the fact that he was returning to the side after a year. The pair’s dominance yielded 205 runs in under 50 overs, and negated any advantage Sri Lanka had gained from Dhammika Prasad’s early breaches.Regardless of the ease with which South Africa progressed, there was merit in Sri Lanka’s call to bowl; their historic win in Durban did not mask their problems against pace and bounce, and was founded upon South Africa’s own abject batting display. Dilshan’s decision shielded his weaker suit, and gave his seamers the mandate to attack South Africa in marginally helpful weather. He was, however, let down by a sketchy plan of action, and conditions that quickly played into the batsmen’s hands. Sri Lanka were too full in the first hour, too short in the second, and all over the place in the afternoon, before tightening their act after tea.

Smart stats

• Jacques Kallis became the sixth player overall and the first South African to feature in 150 Tests. Among South African players, Mark Boucher is next with 144 matches.

• Following his first pair in the Durban Test, Kallis scored his 41st century in his 150th Test. It is also his first century against Sri Lanka. Among batsmen with 10000-plus runs, Kallis has the highest average (56.98).

• In the course of his innings, Kallis passed 2000 runs in Cape Town. He becomes only the third player after Mahela Jayawardene and Graham Gooch to score 2000-plus runs at a particular venue.

• Kallis’ present strike rate of 73.95 is his third-highest for a 100-plus score. The highest is 74.44 during his 201 against India in Centurion in 2010.

• Alviro Petersen, making his comeback, scored his second century in his 10th Test. He has now scored 681 runs at an average of 37.83.

• The 205-run stand between Kallis and Petersen is the third-highest third-wicket stand for South Africa in Cape Town since their readmission. It is also South Africa’s best third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka.

• Rangana Herath was the most economical bowler conceding just 63 runs off his 26 overs. The remaining bowlers conceded 282 runs in 64 overs (economy rate 4.40).

In between-times, though, Prasad managed to hit the in-between lengths. His ability to ramp the pace up to 140 kph – a rare feat in an attack missing Dilhara Fernando – earned him success against Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. Both batsmen began well, but perished to familiar failings – Smith chopped on while attempting a reckless cut, and Amla was trapped in front as he walked across the stumps. Amla consulted with Petersen, and rightly chose not to review the decision. That wasn’t the only instance of Petersen’s solid judgement in his comeback innings.A couple of early drives down the ground and a nudge through square leg signalled that Petersen had carried his domestic form into the big league. Thereafter, he built steadily, before summoning the spirit to thrash Prasad over square leg for a six. He brought up his fifty with a brace of boundaries against Thisara Perera, before receding into the background.Kallis came out throwing punches in all directions, reminiscent of his half-century against Australia in the recent Johannesburg Test. He nearly pulled his fourth ball straight to fine-leg, where Chanaka Welegedara inexplicably didn’t go for the catch. Another pull off Angelo Mathews spiralled towards midwicket and landed safe. Encouraged, Mathews persisted with the short stuff, and Kallis pounded him into pulp with a raft of murderous pulls in front of square. Sri Lanka had missed their chance to nip him out early, and Kallis proceeded to enjoy himself.Sri Lanka’s discipline faltered dramatically after lunch. The early-morning moisture had evaporated, and with it all traces of sideways movement. Kallis rushed to his fifty off just 42 balls, and went on to expose their lack of pace, and Rangana Herath’s lack of spin on the first-day surface. A 21-over phase without a single maiden suggested Sri Lanka’s afternoon could not get any worse, but it did when they wasted both their reviews in desperation.Petersen’s signature shot was easily the straight drive, a shot he executed with an assured forward step and exemplary timing. Kallis, on the other hand, went on to produce shots of immense beauty in every direction. The punchy pulls gave way to picture-perfect cover drives and sublime straight hits, but the stroke that stood out was an astonishing whipped on-drive from the line of off stump when Thisara Perara was looking to angle one across defensively.That shot came after Petersen’s fall, sucked into an uppish drive by a Welegedara slower ball. The run-rate dropped below four for the first time in the 66th over, with de Villiers struggling to deal with Welegedara’s offcutters. Having batted out of his comfort zone all day, Kallis seamlessly shifted into accumulation mode and chugged past 150. The stand was worth 86 by stumps, leaving Sri Lanka wondering if they had lost the Test even before it had started.

Ricky Ponting has rued his team’s batting lapses in the second innings of each Test which cost Australia the series

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2010In Mohali, the width of a stump – the one Steven Smith had a shy at and missed – separated Australia from a famous victory. In Bangalore, in front of a passionate crowd that was worth at least half a man to the home side, there was no Heartbreak Hotel room to check into. This was a comprehensive defeat, the manner of it all the more galling after Australia had matched India for three days and more.”It’s probably a little bit harsh, isn’t it?” said Ricky Ponting, when asked about the 2-0 scoreline. “We played very well for the majority of the first Test, and pretty well for the majority of this one. It just goes to show that unless you play five good days of Test cricket – and that’s five, not four or four-and-a-half – you don’t win games.”The first Test was a great example of that. Even this Test here … our inability to break the M Vijay-Sachin Tendulkar partnership on day three was crucial to the outcome of this game. There was also our inability to bat for three sessions in the second innings of a Test match. We needed to bat for one hour longer to put India under some pressure. Then it would have been a really good game of cricket.”Ponting, who has now lost two series as captain in both India and England, fought valiantly for the series-levelling win on the fourth evening, but a classy innings of 72 was cut short when Zaheer Khan once again exhibited his mastery of reverse-swing. “I was really disappointed and down last night to get out when I did,” said Ponting. “I probably played as well yesterday as I ever have in Indian conditions. I did it for three quarters of the day but didn’t get across the line. When you get those starts, you have to capitalise.”Little went right for him when India batted. Virender Sehwag’s poor run in the fourth innings of matches continued, but India found a new hero in Cheteshwar Pujara, who stroked the ball with tremendous fluency and showed great poise on his way to 72 on debut.”I was hoping we’d take some early wickets and I was hoping we’d get Sehwag out early, which we did,” said Ponting. “We knew Sachin was going to be a big wicket for us. I guess the Pujara-Vijay partnership put us a bit behind the eight-ball. They scored at nearly a run a ball and had the momentum going their way. That’s what I spoke to the boys about at lunch. It was about stemming the momentum and slowing the scoreboard down. We got one wicket, but we weren’t good enough to maintain it through the course of the day.”He admitted that Australia were a little surprised to see Pujara stride out in the No. 3 position that Dravid has occupied for so long. “I’m not sure what the reasoning was behind it,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll hear from MS [Dhoni] later on. I imagine it was something to do with him being fresh and not doing much batting in the first innings. I also had a look at Dravid’s record in Bangalore, and it’s not great. Maybe they were trying to be pro-active and send someone out that was willing to keep the scoreboard ticking over at a faster rate, rather than someone who was under a little bit of pressure.”Having nearly made a hash of a similar run-chase in Mohali, India went about things rather differently on this fifth-day pitch, with Pujara’s belligerence the best example of a refusal to get even slightly bogged down. “They seemed to have a bit more intent,” said Ponting. “We were able to get four wickets late that night [in Mohali]. It was a tough little period for them to bat.”That’s the sort of start we needed to have today. It seemed their approach was a bit different. Even Pujara, playing the way he did, showed great intent. He showed he was willing to take a few risks to try and get the momentum going India’s way, and it paid off for him today.”And while there was a lot of criticism of his own tactics, especially the fields set when Nathan Hauritz came on, Ponting admitted that any dreams of parity pretty much disappeared with his frontline spinner conceding 76 in just 12 overs. “Nathan’s disappointed with the way he’s bowled this game,” he said. “Saying that, I thought even our guys yesterday handled the Indian spinners well. It was the reverse-swinging ball late in the day that got them two wickets. There’s no doubt that we have some work to do, on how we bat against reverse-swing bowling and also how we deliver it when we’ve got the ball. Zaheer and Sreesanth, again today, have done that a lot better than us this series.”India now haven’t lost a Test series since Sri Lanka in 2008, but Ponting suggested that any ambitions of replicating the sort of dominance that West Indies and Australia enjoyed for so long would depend entirely on how well they dealt with the changing of the guard. “What I know about the Indian team at the moment is that all their batsmen are very experienced, bar Suresh Raina. When VVS Laxman comes back in, one of Vijay or Pujara’s going to have to go back out.”The greatest challenge they’ll have is how they maintain the standards they’ve set over the last couple of years when some of those guys start to move on. That’s been the biggest challenge for Australian cricket over the last three or four years. When those very experienced and very good players move on, how long does it take for the next crop of young guys to stand up and start playing the way those players did in winning games for their country? It’ll be interesting to see how India cope with that.”

Harbhajan Singh has said India won’t lose their focus in the Asia Cup after the high of beating Pakistan

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla21-Jun-2010Harbhajan Singh, who hit the winning six in the see-saw match against Pakistan, has said India won’t lose their focus in the Asia Cup after the high of beating their arch-rivals. He had launched the penultimate ball of Saturday’s contest to pull off a thrilling victory which secured India’s place in the final against Sri Lanka.”You obviously feel proud and happy that we won the game against Pakistan, but this tournament isn’t over yet,” Harbhajan said after India’s practice session on Monday. “There are two more important matches to play, and we are looking to finish the tournament on a good note.”Harbhajan also stressed that his focus was mainly on his bowling and not on his batting. “I’m not an allrounder,” he said. “Firstly, I’m a bowler who can bat a bit and I want to keep it like that. I don’t take too much of pressure on myself by being called an allrounder.”Ahead of the Asia Cup, MS Dhoni had spoken about the dearth of quality fast-bowling allrounders in India, and Harbhajan also highlighted the lack of multi-skilled cricketers. “There was only one allrounder India has produced, that was Sir Kapil Dev,” he said. “After that forget Kapil Dev, we haven’t even produced an allrounder half as good as Kapil.”India have a decent record against Sri Lanka in bilateral series over the past few years, but have fallen short against them in several multi-team tournaments. Harbhajan said India needed to be wary of the Sri Lankan side. “They are a very good side, if you see their batting line-up, they have a very good line-up, Mahela [Jaywardene], [Kumar] Sangakkara and [Angelo] Mathews,” he said. “Their bowling is also quite good, we need to play as well as we can.”The visitors’ chances received a blow when experienced opener Virender Sehwag was forced out of the tournament by a hamstring injury. The Indian squad had a new member joining them on Monday morning after Dinesh Karthik was flown in as a replacement. Karthik and Saurabh Tiwary, one of whom is likely to take Sehwag’s place in the XI for India’s two remaining matches, both had lengthy batting sessions in the afternoon.Harbhajan remained confident of a good performance despite missing three of their most experienced players. “All the players who are here have performed well whenever given the chance, whether it’s Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik or Virat Kohli,” he said. “I think we shouldn’t think of them as youngsters, they are here because they are good enough.”

Sanath Jayasuriya admitted it was a “big challenge” for him to return to his old position in the middle order

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Dec-2009At 40, challenges still exist for Sanath Jayasuriya. The Sri Lankan team management, led by captain Kumar Sangakkara, has decided to push Jayasuriya down the order to make better use of the allrounder. Jayasuriya admitted it was a “big challenge” for him to return to the position where he had started his career.”Since 1995, I have opened unless I was coming back from an injury. So it is a big challenge, which for the last 15 years I haven’t faced,” Jayasuriya told Cricinfo on the eve of Sri Lanka’s first ODI in Rajkot. “But I have taken up the challenge and I will work hard to perform.”Jayasuriya was a regular middle-order batsman before being asked to open in the World Series Challenge in Australia in 1995 by the then captain Arjuna Ranatunga for the first time. Jayasuriya lapped up the new job with an intensity that would make him a household name in the years to come and completely redefine the role of an opener in the 50-over the game. But with age Jayasuriya’s reflexes have thinned down, resulting in the dip in his ODI form. To avoid the issue becoming a growing concern, the Sri Lankan think tank decided to push him down the order. The new job came with a disclaimer: there was no security.Interestingly, Jayasuriya’s previous performances in the role have been far from impressive: in 39 innings, he averages 13.13 with no fifties. He last batted in the middle order in 2005 against India, scoring an unbeaten 43 at No. 6 to help Sri Lanka chase 206.Despite the pressure building on him, Jayasuriya indicated he was not in a desperate situation. “Nobody is guaranteed a place if you don’t perform,” Jayasuriya said. “It doesn’t matter if you are an allrounder or an opener. So whenever I get an opportunity I have to perform.”Comparing the two roles, Jayasuriya said facing the new ball was a completely different equation as against negotiating the old ball in the middle-to-end overs. “It is unlike batting as an opener where you have the license to play your natural game and go after the bowling. The field is up and you are looking to get runs on the board so you are attacking from the very beginning,” he said. “In the middle order, you need to play according to the situation and occupy the crease for longer periods.”Despite the change in his job profile, Jayasuriya remains a dangerous proposition for the opposition, a fact the Indian captain MS Dhoni agreed with. “Whenever he has played a long innings, batting through the middle overs, he emphasises more on running between the wickets,” Dhoni pointed out.Dhoni said Jayasuriya is not as brutal while batting in the middle order, where the focus is to run hard and then go after the bowling at the end of the innings. According to Dhoni, the key to arrest Jaysuriya’s development was to restrict him from converting the singles into twos and threes.”He is a very good runner, (who) tries to put pressure on fielders,” Dhoni said. “The key is not to give him easy singles and doubles.”Sri Lanka have announced that Upul Tharanga will partner Tillakaratne Dilshan at the top.

Fast bowler says he is unable to commit to all formats “mentally and physically” at this stage of career

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2025Jamie Overton, the England and Surrey fast bowler who was a permanent member of the Test squad during this summer’s series against India, has announced an “indefinite break from red-ball cricket”. The decision effectively rules him out of this winter’s Ashes campaign, a development that has left his white-ball captain and Test team-mate, Harry Brook, “shocked”.Overton, 31, played the second and last of his two Tests at The Oval in July, claiming two second-innings wickets in England’s thrilling six-run loss. His previous match had come at Headingley in 2022, when he made a match-turning 97 in partnership with Jonny Bairstow, in the first summer of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s stewardship of the England team.Despite his infrequent appearances, Overton was a near-certainty to feature in England’s Ashes squad, given his sturdy build, strong action and ability to bowl at 90mph – all attributes that the selectors have been identifying in their bid to win in Australia for the first time since 2010-11.However, in an interview with the Telegraph, he spelt out his reasons for the shock decision, saying that at this stage of his career, it was “no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally”. He will be in Australia this winter, but as part of Adelaide Strikers’ squad in the Big Bash, a team with whom he has spent the past two seasons, and for whom he was named MVP earlier this year for his haul of 11 wickets and 191 runs at 95.50.Related

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“After a great deal of thought, I have decided to take an indefinite break from red-ball cricket,” Overton said. “I feel very fortunate to have played 99 first-class matches, including two Test matches for England. Red-ball, first-class cricket has provided the foundation for my professional career and has been the gateway to every opportunity I’ve had in the game so far. It’s where I learnt the game, and it fuelled the goals and ambitions that have driven me for so long.”However, at this stage of my career, with the demands of cricket across a 12-month calendar, it’s no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally. Going forward, my focus will be on white-ball cricket, and I will continue to give everything to play at the highest level for as long as I can.”Overton is currently at Headingley, as part of England’s white-ball squad, with their first ODI against South Africa coming up on Tuesday. Speaking on the eve of the match, Brook admitted he was taken aback by the announcement, and its timing.”A little bit shocked to be honest,” Brook said. “I thought he did well in that last Test, he bowled quick. Obviously you’ve got to respect that decision that he’s going to have a little bit of a break from red-ball cricket. Hopefully at some point we’ll see him again in the future.Overton arrives at training ahead of the Headingley ODI•Getty Images

“I’d heard rumours but I hadn’t heard it from him until today. You’ve just got to respect the decision, he obviously doesn’t feel like he wants to play red-ball cricket at the minute and we can’t do anything about it. He’s made the decision now but it’s unfortunate. I thought he did really well in that last Test match and it would have been nice to have him there in the Ashes.”From his perspective as white-ball captain, however, Brook acknowledged that the singular focus could be of benefit to his team. “Absolutely,” he said. “When he is fully fit and firing he bowls thunderbolts and he can whack it out of the park. Hopefully he can upskill even more from what he’s got now and be the best white-ball player he can be.”Overton had only played once in the County Championship for Surrey this season before being recalled to the Test squad. Overall, he has made four first-class appearances for his county since the start of 2024, with injuries limiting his availability.Rob Key, England Men’s director of cricket, said: “Jamie’s news came unexpected and it is sad to see, as he would have been part of our red-ball plans for the foreseeable future. That said, it serves as a reminder of the cricketing landscape we now operate in. We respect his decision and are grateful to him for informing us when he did.”

West Indies coach said the match officials admitted there were errors made during the first Test in Barbados

Andrew McGlashan02-Jul-2025West Indies coach Daren Sammy said that the match officials have admitted there were errors made during the first Test in Barbados, but insisted he holds no grudges against Adrian Holdstock, who will move from being the TV umpire to on-field in Grenada.Sammy was fined 15% of his match fee and handed a demerit point after he questioned the work of Holdstock, particularly decisions against Roston Chase and Shai Hope, adding he had held concerns from the recent England tour. Chase was also highly critical after the match but has escaped any ICC sanction.”I said I wouldn’t want my players to do that press conference because of the questions I think that would have been posted at them,” Sammy said. “I strongly believed in what I said.Related

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“We’ve had further chats [with the officials]. They’ve clarified some stuff. There has been some admission of error as well. This was Barbados and we’re now in Grenada, so we’ve left that behind.”Asked whether he regretted his comments about Holdstock, Sammy said, “I don’t hold grudges. I said what I said, based on what I saw. I’ve been punished for it. I wish Adrian all the best, to be honest. I mean, we’re all human. I have nothing against the umpires. I really wish he has an awesome game.”Australia have not been drawn into any debate around the umpiring, although they have admitted they came out on the right side of it in Barbados. But Alex Carey had fears his diving catch to remove Hope would be given not out when he saw the replays on the big screen.Carey dived full-length to his left to take an inside edge off the bowling of Beau Webster from Hope, who was well-set on 48 in his first Test for three-and-a-half years. Carey was convinced he had taken the catch cleanly.West Indies were unhappy about Roston Chase’s lbw in Barbados•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

It was eventually confirmed as out by Holdstock. Earlier in the game, he had ruled a low catch by Hope from Travis Head in Australia’s first innings as not out.”I thought it was out straightaway, yes,” Carey said. “I wasn’t confident it was going to stay out when I saw the replay, to be honest. It’s been a really difficult shift in the third umpiring in what’s out and what’s not out. Your opinion is different to my opinion.”I thought that was a pretty difficult game, to have five, six, seven 50-50 examples for the third umpire. He’s not going to please everyone up there, but I thought he did a really good job. We obviously know the other side and the other camp was a little bit disappointed with some of them. I understand that.”But I did think it was out. I never thought I fumbled the ball or had any reason to question the decision. It was a pleasing one to take. A good batter as well, who was scoring some runs.”Holdstock will stand with Richard Kettleborough in Grenada and then with Nitin Menon in Jamaica. Kettleborough will be standing in his 93rd Test, going past David Shepherd’s count of 92 as the most by an English umpire.

His left knee has minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2024Mohammed Shami will not be considered for the fourth and fifth Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to swelling on his left knee.The BCCI press release on Shami’s fitness came days after India captain Rohit Sharma called on the National Cricket Academy to provide an update on the fast bowler’s progress upon being asked once again about it at the end of the Brisbane Test.”Shami bowled 43 overs in the Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in November,” the BCCI said in a statement. “Following this, he played in all nine games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he also engaged in additional bowling sessions on the sidelines to build his bowling volume in order to get ready for the Test matches.Related

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“However, his left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload. The swelling is on the expected lines, owing to the increased bowling after a prolonged period.”Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads. Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.”Shami has not played for India since the ODI World Cup final in November last year, after which he underwent surgery for a heel injury in February. The BCCI said he had “completely recovered” from the heel injury and would “continue to undergo targeted strength and conditioning work under the guidance of the medical staff at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence and build his bowling loads needed to meet the demands of the longest format of the game”.Shami was not included in Bengal’s squad for their first game of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 21 and the BCCI said his participation in the tournament would depend on the state of his knee.