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England’s Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Chris Woakes are among seven players who have listed their prices as INR 2 crore in the upcoming auction for IPL 2017

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Feb-2017England allrounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes and their limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan are among the seven players who have listed themselves at the highest base price of INR 2 crore (approx US $298,000) for the IPL player auction scheduled in Bangalore on February 20. India seamer Ishant Sharma, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, and the Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins are the rest of the players in this set.

Also in the top bracket

INR 1.5 crore: Jonny Bairstow, Trent Boult, Brad Haddin, Nathan Lyon, Kyle Abbott, Jason Holder

*INR 1 crore = INR 100 lakh = INR 10000000 = USD 149 thousand approx
INR 1 lakh = INR 100 thousand = INR 100000 = USD 1490 approx

A total of 799 players were part of the initial roster which would be pruned once the franchises submit their choices before the deadline this weekend. There were 160 capped players from eight countries – leaving out Bangladesh and Pakistan – and 639 from India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Of the 24 capped Indian cricketers, everyone barring Ishant has listed their base price at INR 30 lakh.Considering they will have to put a majority of their players back into the auction in 2018, some franchise officials said they would not be too aggressive in buying players this season. However, they did agree that there would be considerable interest in the English players.Although the IPL is yet to decide on the retention rules, franchises expect the right-to-match option to be available. This allows franchises to buy back a specific number of the players they have released for the auction, by matching the highest bid those players attract; if they match the bid they win the player.With the impressive all-round skills he showed during England’s recent tour of India, Stokes tops the list of marquee players that several franchises have said they would like to have.0:47

Quick Facts: IPL 2017 Auction

After Andrew Strauss took over as the ECB director of cricket last year, he has allowed England players the freedom to play in domestic T20 leagues like the IPL to gain wider exposure. Morgan, who has played for three different teams, Jos Butler (Mumbai Indians), Sam Billings (Delhi Daredevils), Chris Jordan (Royal Challengers Bangalore) have all commented on the positive influence of playing the IPL.Many England players who attended media briefings during the six-match limited-overs series in India last month spoke about the attraction of the IPL. Wicketkeeper batsman Jonny Bairstow (INR 1.5 crore), hard-hitting opening batsmen Alex Hales and Jason Roy (INR 1 crore) and fast bowlers Jordan and Tymal Mills (INR 50 lakh) have put their names up for auction.Franchises retained a total of 140 players and released 89 ahead of this IPL auction. Among those released and now trying to make a return are Johnson (Kings XI Punjab, INR 6.5 crore), Mathews (Delhi Daredevils, INR 7.5 crore), Ishant (Rising Pune Supergiants, INR 3.8 crore) and Morgan (Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 1.5 crore).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Former South Africa fast bowler Kyle Abbott, who recently moved to Hampshire as a Kolpak player, has listed his base price at INR 1.5 cr. Abott was bought by Kings XI in 2016 for INR 2.1 crore but was released in December. Another player attempting to make a return is New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult, who was hired by Sunrisers in 2015 for INR 3.8 crore. Boult has now listed his base price at INR 1.5 crore.West Indies ODI captain Jason Holder has also kept his price at INR 1.5 crore. He was with Kolkata Knight Riders, who had bought him for INR 75 lakh in 2014, until last season. India left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who was the second-most expensive player bought at last year’s auction by the Daredevils for INR 8.5 crore comes into the auction with a base price of INR 30 lakh.

Pakistan will want to cap off tour with a T20I series win on Friday to add to their ODI trophy

Firdose Moonda15-Apr-2021

Big picture

The end of South Africa’s summer is approaching and they have everything to play for. Although victory in the fourth and final T20I against Pakistan won’t give them a second trophy this season, it will mean they will share the spoils in a series where they were without seven first-choice players, and could be a reason to go into the winter with at least some satisfaction after another tough period.South Africa started the season with defeat against England in their first bio-secure fixtures, then beat a depleted Sri Lanka, before losing to Pakistan, away and at home. Their rebuilding phase has settled into a semi-permanence of sorts, with continued experimentation in personnel and combinations. One thing they seem to have discovered is that teams they put onto the field regularly compete, even if they don’t win.Related

• Babar becomes No. 1 ODI batsman, ends Kohli's 41-month reign

• Klaasen: Babar, Rizwan 'made a lot of good balls look bad'

For Pakistan, that’s an interesting consideration because they have brought their best and they have been challenged. They will take comfort from knowing they have come out on top and will want to seal the deal with a T20I series win to add to their ODI trophy. It’s no small accomplishment to win in South Africa, and to do it across formats is something they will be aiming for.To achieve that, they will want to tighten up on their bowling in the early part of the innings against an opening pair with little to lose. Aiden Markram was not even supposed to play in this series but then captain Temba Bavuma got injured, while Janneman Malan found himself warming in the bench until the five IPL-bound players had left. In the third match, Pakistan conceded 65 runs against these two in the powerplay, the most they have leaked in that period since 2007.Though they have routinely pulled South Africa back, twice in this series Pakistan have had to chase record targets. A more disciplined bowling effort upfront will avoid that becoming three times. South Africa have the opposite problem. They are trying to perfect their death bowling to avoid letting Pakistan get completely away from them.Both sides will want more from their middle orders, if needs be, with Pakistan heavily reliant on their top three and South Africa carrying a long tail. In that sense, they have some similarities across their squads, which is what has made for such an entertaining and engaging contest, which is perfectly poised for a grand finale in the fourth T20I.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWLLW
Pakistan WLWWL

In the spotlight

Instead of marking his run-up with his initials, Lizaad Williams writes the words “thank you” on the grass in a show of gratitude to a game which has given him a career. Now, he has the chance to ensure it’s an international career he continues to have. He is the series’ leading wicket-taker and although his economy of 9.12 might read a tad high, among seamers only Hasan Ali has been less expensive. Williams has been identified as a death-bowling prospect and although South Africa also have Sisanda Magala in that role, with Andile Phehlukwayo not being used, Williams could make a big statement in the final game.Lizaad Williams is pumped after picking up a wicket•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa probably can’t wait to see the back of Mohammad Rizwan, who has been a nemesis to them all summer, at home and away, and the Pakistan opener probably wishes he could play against them forever. Rizwan has scored a Test and a T20I century, and three T20I fifties against South Africa since February. His T20I average against them is 74.60, almost double his overall average of 38.64. Although he played a supporting role to his captain Babar Azam in the third T20I, his contribution was crucial to ensuring Pakistan cannot lose the series and he has the chance for a last hurrah against his favourite opponents.

Team news

If South Africa make any changes, they are most likely to be in the bowling department after Boucher confirmed that Kyle Verreynne was included as a back-up wicketkeeper. Lutho Sipamla could come into contention, most likely at the expense of Beuran Hendricks, who has been expensive.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Pite van Biljon, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 George Linde, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Sisanda Magala, 9 Beuran Hendricks/Lutho Sipamla, 10 Lizaad Williams, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiBarring any more allergic reactions, Pakistan should remain unchanged with Azam and Mohammad Rizwan opening the batting and Fakhar Zaman to come in at No.3. Usman Qadir may not be able to find his way back in just yet with Mohammad Nawaz doing the spin duties among four quicks.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Haider Ali, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Haris Rauf

Pitch and conditions

After the run-fest of the third T20I and Heinrich Klaasen’s admission that defending a score is difficult in Centurion, it’s safe to say we can expect more runs. South Africa’s Indian summer continues with mid-April temperatures in the upper 20s and and the thunderstorms put on pause until the spring.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have not lost a T20I match at SuperSport Park, winning on all three occasions they’ve played there.
• Aiden Markram has joined Hashim Amla as the only two South African batters to score three fifties in consecutive men’s T20I games. If he repeats the feat in this game, he will equal Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle’s record of four successive fifties.

Quotes

“We went from an absolute high three days ago to last night. The realisation that it’s T20 cricket and when things go bad, it can look really bad. And I’m not making any excuses. As quickly as it can happen, it can turn around again. If we arrive with the right attitude and control what we can control – which is attitude, intensity, the energy we bring – things can turn around very quickly.

India’s target comfortably chased by South Africa’s top order in the final over

Annesha Ghosh20-Mar-20211:31

Harleen Deol – ‘Our plan as batters was to react to the ball’

A maiden unbeaten fifty in T20Is from Anneke Bosch in the series opener on Saturday helped South Africa extend their four-match winning streak on their tour of India. Aided in no small part by the second-wicket stand between Bosch and stand-in captain Sune Luus, South Africa’s superlative fielding and the five wickets between Bosch and Shabnim Ismail, the visitors closed out a 131 chase with eight wickets in hand in the first T20I in Lucknow.With South Africa needing 14 off the last two overs, Bosch lent the closing minutes of the chase an air of imminence that had characterised the best part of their innings – and their batting since their arrival in India – bunting two insouciant fours in that period, the second of those sealing their win with five balls to spare.India, led by stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana in the absence of designated T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur, were pegged back at various points of their defense by their uninspiring fielding, which had also played a decisive role in their 4-1 loss in the ODI series. Allrounder Harleen Deol’s maiden international fifty and 1 for 21, Jemimah Rodrigues’ 27-ball 30, and 21-year-old debutant Simran Bahadur’s wicketless four overs for 21 runs, however, might inspire a better performance as they look to break out of their funk in the second T20I, on Sunday, even as concerns over the availability of both Mandhana and Kaur loom.Bosch and Luus steer South Africa
The early dismissal of the dangerous Lizelle Lee had little bearing on the chase thanks to the 90-run stand off 81 balls her fellow opener Bosch stitched together with No. 3 Luus. The pair blunted a spin attack, which, save for the addition of Deol, was still recovering from the hammering it got in the ODIs.With medium-pacer Bahadur, and Arundhati Reddy in patches, briefly offering any check to the run flow, Bosch and Luus plundered runs square of the wicket at will, cracking powerful blows off anything short that was offered. Luus freed her arms in the 11-run fifth over, tonking Reddy for a four and six off back-to-back deliveries while Bosch made deft use of her feet and the slog-sweep in particular, the latter also fetching her the only six in the innings, off Deol, in the 11th over.Anneke Bosch made 66 off 48 balls•BCCI/UPCA

Deol, Rodrigues steady India before Bosch, Ismail apply the brakes
After being put in to bat, India finished the powerplay on 41 for 1, with Mandhana having holed out to Bosch for 11 in the second over. Deol, promoted to No. 3 in place of Rodrigues, countered the early blow with a brisk 45-run stand with opener Shafali Verma, who was playing her first match since the T20 World Cup final last year. Following Verma’s departure for a 22-ball 23 in the 10th over, Deol, who had had a decent run as an allrounder in the Women’s T20 Challenge in the UAE in November, dropped anchor again as Rodrigues, dropped from the ODI team after the third match, played herself in with risk-free along-the-ground strokes.At 104 for 2 in 15 overs, with Deol and Rodrigues on 46 and 20 respectively, India looked set for a strong finish. But the introduction of pace-bowling allrounder Bosch, the Player of the Match in the final ODI and in this game, decisively altered that possibility. Her six-run over, followed by Ayabonga Khaka giving away as many in the 17th over crowned a boundary-less sequence of 13 balls.The dip in the scoring rate translated into the departure of Deol and Rodrigues, one ball apart, in Bosch’s next over as both were found wanting for power in their attempt to clear an unerring Ismail at long-off. That pegged India back as they managed only 26 runs in the last 30 balls, with Ismail taking two of her three wickets in the final over.”Yes, definitely. We were set at the time. It was our responsibility to get it done in the end. We got out, so obviously it will be difficult for the next batter to understand the wicket,” Deol said after the match when asked if their wickets in quick succession was the turning point in India’s innings. “We were batting at that time, and should have batted till the end.”A tale of two fielding units
Lee, the leading run-scorer in the ODIs, flicked medium-pacer Reddy to open South Africa’s chase on the first ball with a misfield by a diving short-fine leg fielder Poonam Yadav. Four dots subsequently prompted Lee to loft one over mid-off only for it to be dropped by Deepti Sharma, who ran in from extra cover but could only get her fingertips to the ball.That was only the start of a poor outing in the field for the Indians compared to their opponents, whose team 50, too, came via a misfield from Deol at deep square leg, in the eighth over. Three overs later, Bosch, on 30, received a lifeline in the penultimate ball, with wicketkeeper Nuzhat Parveen, coming in for Sushma Verma who kept wickets in all five ODIs, unable to hold on to a thick outside edge off Deol.A more worrying drop on the penultimate ball of the 16th over nearly quashed all hopes for any come-from-behind victory for India. They still had 26 runs to gamble on, but as Rajeshwari Gayakwad dropped a head-high sweep to reprieve Luus, the eventuality of the match gathered further inevitability. Deol, however, sent back Luus for 43 the very next ball with an errorless caught-and-bowled, but a misfield from Richa Ghosh at point the following over saw South Africa add four vital runs to their tally.By contrast, the four catching opportunities that came the visitors’ way materialised into wickets and their ground fielding helped chip off a good 20 runs from the eventual target, which proved inadequate for India to defend.

A last-minute bid by Glenn Maxwell to move from Victoria to New South Wales for the 2016-17 season has been blocked by the Bushrangers, who chose to enforce the terms of his CA contract

Daniel Brettig15-Sep-2016A last-minute bid by Glenn Maxwell to move from Victoria to New South Wales for the 2016-17 season has been blocked by the Bushrangers, who chose to enforce the terms of his Cricket Australia contract.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Maxwell expressed interest in leaving Victoria for New South Wales during the recent Sri Lanka tour. The approach followed his dumping from the ODI team and the accompanying message from the selectors that he had to become a more consistent batsman to regain his place in 50-over matches and also to challenge for a Test berth.By way of addressing this, Maxwell sought a move to New South Wales for a change of scene and a chance to advance his maturation as a batsman. New South Wales are believed to have been open to the offer at first, but not pursued further once it became clear Victoria would enforce Maxwell’s contract.All CA-contracted players have a six-week window from the time their deal kicks in on July 1 of each year to state which domestic team they will be playing for in the forthcoming season. However, after that point they are bound to the state they had played for the previous season – Maxwell’s request to move states was effectively delivered six weeks too late.”Glenn is an integral member of the Bushrangers squad,” a Cricket Victoria spokesman said. “We’ll be working closely with Glenn this season to help him achieve his targets and ensure he is operating at a level to be consistently in contention for Australian selection.”The failed bid to depart creates a conundrum for the newly-appointed Victoria coach Andrew McDonald in terms of working with an unsettled member of his state squad in the forthcoming Matador Cup and then the Shield matches to follow.In Sri Lanka, Maxwell’s star regained some of its former lustre with a pair of explosive Twenty20 innings, taking advantage of the chance to open alongside David Warner. Following his outstanding 145 not out in the first match, he spoke with typical energy about playing Test cricket in the future.”West Indies was pretty disappointing,” Maxwell said. “I felt like I was a bit out of luck there. I just couldn’t get a break through that. To not be on the Sri Lanka Test tour probably hurt more than anything. I understood why they dropped me. I had no issues with that. And my scores were quite pitiful, by my standards, for the Australia A team. I think I scored more in this innings than in all my A team innings put together.”I’d like to think, on the back of my four-day form in Australia, I don’t think it should matter where my Tests are played. I wouldn’t want to be pigeonholed as a subcontinent specialist, because I know how difficult it is here. All my red-ball runs have been made in either England or Australia. On the back of that I’d like to be picked in Australia.”Numerous players have lifted their Australian prospects by changing states in recent times. Their number has included Ryan Harris (South Australia to Queensland), Chris Rogers (Western Australia to Victoria), Peter Nevill (Victoria to NSW) and Usman Khawaja (NSW to Queensland).

Century stand between Joe Root and Dawid Malan raised English hopes, only for hosts to end up 237 ahead in first innings

Alan Gardner18-Dec-2021Australia opted to turn the screw on England after taking a huge first-innings lead in the second Test of the series in Adelaide. Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon shared seven wickets as the tourists were unceremoniously bundled out following a century stand between Joe Root and Dawid Malan that had briefly raised English hopes, with Australia extending their lead to 282 after braving a half-session of batting against the pink ball under lights.Steven Smith’s decision not to enforce the follow-on meant the Test continued to follow the template set in the day-night game at the same ground in 2017-18 – on that occasion, England had been dismissed for 227 in response to 8 for 442 declared. But at this point the course diverged, as England’s seamers were unable to make any inroads with the new ball. Their only success came via a run-out, and that after David Warner and Marcus Harris had put on 41, Australia’s highest Ashes opening stand since the 2017 Boxing Day Test.With two full days left in the game, the potential to put England’s beleaguered batters through further floodlit examinations and the likelihood that Lyon’s spin will carry even greater threat in the fourth innings, Australia were already in prime position to press for a 2-0 lead in the series.It marked a remarkable – though not totally unexpected – turnaround, with the performances of Root and Malan during a third-wicket association that eventually realised 138 suggesting that Australia would not have it all their own way. But after Cameron Green provided the breakthrough, taking the key wicket of Root for the second week in succession, Lyon and Starc seized the moment. From 150 for 2, England lost their last eight wickets for 86 runs – a painful echo of shipping 8 for 74 after a similar stand between Root and Malan in Brisbane last week.Starc struck twice in a seven-over spell with the old ball, and at 6 for 169 there seemed a very real possibility that England would be batting again later in the night. Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes steadied the innings through to tea but there was very little batting to come; Lyon ended the stand at 41, finding appreciable turn to bowl Woakes off an inside edge, and although Stokes briefly threatened a counterattack, he dragged Green on to his stumps to be the ninth man out.Joe Root and Dawid Malan put on 138 before England lost 8 for 86•AFP/Getty Images

There may have been a degree of relish as Australia took the fresh pink pill with the lights beginning to take effect, ready to dole out some medicine to the last-wicket pair of Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Starc finished the innings with 4 for 37, the wicket of Broad his 50th in day-night Tests – at a cool average of 18.10 – while Lyon reinforced his status a week after becoming the third Australian to reach 400 Test wickets, his 3 for 58 leaving him two shy of equalling Shane Warne’s aggregate of 56 as the most prolific bowler at Adelaide Oval.The workloads of his bowlers was probably the key concern for Smith, even though the control provided by Lyon – who wheeled away through a spell of 19-10-30-3 – meant he did not have to ask much of Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser, the two enforced replacements to the attack from Brisbane.After a wicketless afternoon session – the first time a visiting team had achieved that in a day-night Test in Australia, when facing a minimum of 15 overs – the reversal in fortunes following the dinner break was swift. Root took his tally of half-centuries without converting in Australia to eight, his departure precipitating a slide of 4 for 19 during what was supposedly the most benign time of the day for batting.Green, held back by Smith until the 38th over, was the man to disturb England’s tranquility, luring Root into playing needlessly outside off stump once again. Root punched his bat before walking off, fully aware that this was the sort of day on which England needed someone to go big. Australia immediately cranked up the pressure, with Green and Lyon stringing together four maidens before the return of Starc brought about Malan’s downfall for 80, slashing profligately for another catch in the slips to Smith.With Lyon finding his groove having switched ends, England entered a familiar spiral. Ollie Pope’s struggles against spin continued as he was caught twice at short leg in the space of three balls from Lyon. He successfully reviewed the first, Rod Tucker’s decision overturned after replays showed the ball had deflected off Pope’s forearm, but then fell trying to use his feet as a thickish inside edge squirted to the lurking Marnus Labuschagne, waiting eagerly for another chance.Stokes took a dogged approach to starting his innings, waiting until his 24th delivery to get off the mark, but there was little support forthcoming, Jos Buttler’s miserable Test continuing as he threw the hands through an ambitious drive at Starc to be caught in the slips for a 15-ball duck. Out of a clear blue sky, Australia had grabbed the game by its scruff.

Sri Lanka Cricket is looking into the possibility of having Tharindu Kaushal’s doosra cleared, as the offspinner has now remodeled his action in his time away from international cricket

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Jul-2016Sri Lanka Cricket is looking into the possibility of having Tharindu Kaushal’s doosra cleared, as the offspinner has now remodelled his action in his time away from international cricket.Kaushal was reported for a suspect action after the SSC Test against India in August last year. Although there was little doubt about the legality of his stock offbreak, his elbow was found to exceed the permitted 15-degrees of flex in nine of the 18 doosras delivered in the biomechanical test.Kaushal has since simplified his approach to the crease and worked on delivering the doosra with a straighter arm, while also adding a topspinner to his repertoire. There is the suggestion he maintains focus on delivering the offbreak and topspinner more accurately to the exclusion of the doosra, but SLC’s high performance manager Simon Willis said the option of having the doosra cleared may be explored.”Kaushal’s been working really hard over the last four weeks – since I’ve been there,” Willis said on Wednesday. “We’ve been working on a couple of little technical modifications that we hope can help him. We’re convinced that his offspinner and his topspinner are in good shape. The only question is the doosra. Until we get that filmed – which actually we’re going to do a little this afternoon – and see where the doosra is at, it’s tough to tell.”Willis has also spearheaded the launch of a “Brain Centre” at SLC’s headquarters, for purposes of research and development. It is hoped the Brain Centre will provide data and statistical analysis to the national team, a centralised database on domestic players, and also match footage of domestic cricket, which can then aid selection and development of players, as well as monitoring of playing surfaces and umpiring.”I believe this potentially is going to have a massive impact on Sri Lankan cricket for years to come. Aravinda de Silva – the cricket consultant – has backed this 100%, and a lot of time and investment is going in here.”

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Deivarayan Muthu and Saurabh Somani18-Feb-2021