Ben Stokes hopes to recover from hand injury in 9 weeks but rules out joining IPL 2021

Tim Paine backs Steve Smith to regain Test captaincy; hints of retirement after Ashes 2021-21

Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine has endorsed Steve Smith as the candidate for captaincy after he leaves the role somewhere at the end of this year. Piane backed Smith saying his tactics are as good as it gets and that he was thrown into captaincy in the first spell when he was not ready to tackle it. Paine said that the events in South Africa in 2018 will not happen again for sure and he will duly support Smith’s reinstatement as the skipper of the Australian Test team. “I think so. Obviously, I don’t make that decision but the time I played with Steve as captain he was excellent. Certainly tactically he is as good as you get,” Paine said. He’s probably a bit like me when I was at the start of my captaincy journey in Tasmania — he was thrown into a very big role at a very, very young age and he probably wasn’t quite ready for it,” News Corp Media quoted Paine as saying. “But by the time I came in he was growing into that role and getting better and better. Then obviously South Africa events happened and he’s not doing it anymore. But yeah I would support him getting that job again.” Addressing the question of how long he will be there as the captain of the side, Paine said that he will be there at the helm for at least six Tests and that his fate will be decided after the completion of the Ashes series scheduled for the end of this year. “At least another six Tests,” said the 36-year-old, who is locked in for a home summer featuring one match against Afghanistan and the five-Test Ashes series. If I feel like the time is right and we’ve beaten the Poms 5-0, what a way to go out. But it might be a tight series and we might be chasing 300 on the last day and I’m 100 not out and hit the winning runs — and then I might go again,” Paine added. Following a home series loss to India, pressure mounted on Cricket Australia and Tim Paine but the Tasmanian has survived in his job and will lead the side for a six-Test long Australian summer starting with a solitary Test against Afghanistan.

Dwayne Bravo reveals Pollard's entry to Mumbai Indians on his 34th birthday

The inseparable love affair between Kieron Pollard and Mumbai Indians is for everyone to see. Mumbai Indians without Kieron Pollard is simply unimaginable but what transpired the MI team owners and the management to pick Pollard in the squad? He has been a stalwart for the five-time champions and has been part of the triumphant campaigns on all five occasions. He has been a phoenix for the most successful team in the competition and has played an instrumental role in their rise to the top. As the mighty fellow turned 34, Harsha Bhogle conducted a video session with Dwayne Bravo for Cricbuzz, where the all-rounder revealed how he persisted the Mumbai Indians to pick Pollard in 2010 Auctions. Bravo was part of the Mumbai Indians set-up and had insisted them pick the hard-hitting Pollard and the rest as they say is history. During the conversation, Bravo also recalled the fact that how MI owner Nita Ambani always thank him for his contribution in bringing Pollard to the Paltans squad. “For me whenever I see talent, I know talent and you know (sighs) Pollard, the first time I asked when Mumbai needed a replacement for me I suggested Pollard’s name. I also recommended Dwayne Smith and that’s how got into the squad. He was my replacement. The following year when there was the Champions League in Hyderabad, I called Rahul and said come and sign Pollard. Rahul and Robin Singh, from Delhi and Mumbai. Bravo recalled the fact that how he had called Pollard to the lobby. Not all cricketers can afford to leave a life of an Indian cricketer. So for a young 19-year-old guy to get a huge contract coming from Trinidad, it was indeed a big thing. Ever since his introduction to IPL, Pollard has never been released by the Mumbai Indians. “The contract was around 200 USD and I called Pollard in the lobby. He saw the contract, 200 USD, for us coming from Trinidad, 19 year old getting these big amount is wowww, he said Dwayne are you serious, I said yes. They gonna sign you for now. And in that Champions League Pollard had a sensational time. Everyone wanted to know that who was the new kid in the block?” Bravo quipped. “When the scouts came around and Mumbai already signed him, I think it was forced to go into a mini-auction and IPL had set that no franchise can go more tha 750 sonething to get him. Mumbai bid for them and got him and now see Mumbai are inseparable without Pollard,” Bravo added. Bravo also recalled the fact that how Pollard started to get affected when he was getting picked in favour Bravo. However, he gave him signs of encouragement and told him to justify his decision to back Pollard. He also expressed his happiness at the fact that the dynamic powerhouse is one of the best. “We started playing together in the team and then I started getting dropped and he started getting picked. It affected him so I told him don't worry, as long as you perform then I can justify my decision that I backed you,” Bravo said. “I am very happy that this guy is one of the best going around. Mrs Ambani still thanks me for Pollard, thankyou thankyou because of you we got Pollard and all those things. And our friendship also developed from there,” the all-rounder signed off.

Greg Chappell feels Rahul Dravid's nurturing of talent have taken India to new heights

Former Australian legend and former Indian coach Greg Chappell heaped praises on Rahul Dravid and said that his mentorship and ability to nurture talents has taken India to a new height. He feels that Dravid has picked the Australian brains to create a solid domestic structure which hs helped India immensely. Chappell also added the fact Australia is badly missing in this regard and has cannot call themselves as the undisputed champions of talent scouting. "India have got their act together and that's largely because Rahul Dravid has picked our brains, seen what we're doing and replicated it in India and with their much larger (population) base," Chappell was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. Chappell who is regarded as one of the finest batsmen to have ever graced the game felt that the domestic structure makes it very difficult to nurture the young talents. While Indian cricketers coming into the international circuit are already tried and tested in overseas conditions, some of the Australian guys who get picked on the basis of their Sheffield Shield record hardly get a chance to play outside Australia. "Historically, we've been one of the best at developing young players and keeping them in the system, but I think that's changed in the last couple of years," he said. "I'm seeing a bunch of young players with great potential who are in limbo. That's unacceptable. We cannot afford to lose one player. I think we've already lost our position as the best at identifying talent and bringing it though. I think England are doing it better than us now and India are doing it better than us,” Chappell was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. A second-string Indian side managed to create a historic upset against Australia earlier this year. With as many as seven to eight frontline players out of the playing XI, India managed to beat Australia in their own den, also breaching the Gabba fortress in the fourth and the deciding Test. Chapell feels that it was only possible due to the grooming of the young talents. Chappell felt that an extensive and highly effective player development system in India has meant that even the uncapped players are coming into the foray with enough international experience under their belt. Most of the players selected for the Indian senior squad has done well in the A tours which has resulted in a smooth transition to the next level. "When you look at the Indian team that played in the Brisbane Test that had three or four fresh players, and everyone said, 'This is India's second XI' – those guys had played (extensively) for India A," said Chappell. "And in all sorts of different conditions, not just in India. So when they get picked, they're not tyros at all, they're quite hardened international cricketers." While the Indian players have enough experience playing across the world, young Australian talents like Will Pucovski and Cameron Green came into the series against Australia without any substantial experience outside Australia. Though it was a home series, both were tested in front of a quality Indian bowling line-up sans most of their premier fast bowlers. "We picked Will Pucovski out of Shield cricket. Will has hardly had a game outside Australia. That's the difference." Chappell further added. He was the national talent manager in 2019 for Australia and wants a structural change in Australia’s men’s domestic schedule.

Laxman Sivaramakrisnan disappointed with Kulcha's dramatic fall

Former India leg spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan came hard at the wrist spinning duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal for their dramatic fall in international cricket after a sensational start to their respective careers. Sivaramakrishnan stressed the fact that not many were aware of what they were doing at the early parts of their careers but now they have been found out. “Nothing really pained me more than witnessing the fall of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. The duo was very successful in the early part of their career. Batsmen were not aware of what they were bowling but now they have been found out,” Laxman Sivaramakrishnan wrote in a column for cricket.com. Back in 2018, the pair of Kuldeep and Chahal took the world by storm with their exceptional display in the Rainbow Nation. While spinners had ruled the roost earlier but hunting in pairs, especially wrists spinners is not something that has been prevalent among modern-day bowlers. They finished with 33 wickets in the 6 match series and played a significant part in India’s first ODI series win in South Africa. Sivaramakrishnan feels that the spin duo is not adding variety to their repertoire which hasn’t helped them in the long run. A generation where the wrist spinners have hogged the limelight, both Kuldeep and Chahal has fallen off the radar and it remains to be seen whether they are picked in the T20 World Cup slated to be played later that year. “There are computer analysts with every team to help batsmen study bowlers. They’re studying the spinners mainly because a lot of foreign players struggle against the spinners. To be successful consistently like an Anil Kumble or a Muttiah Muralitharan or a Shane Warne, you have to keep developing different deliveries (variations) as you progress every year in your career. I found Kuldeep has become inconsistent with this line and length and Chahal is not adding more variations to his bowling and has become predictable,” Sivaramkrisnan added. With Rahul Chahar slowly gaining into prominence with his consistent performances for the Mumbai Indians, both Chahal and Kuldeep might feel the heat if the team management decides to go with a solitary wrist spinner. Sivaramakrishnan feels Chahar could be picked ahead of Chahal and Kuldeep. “If the T20 World Cup takes place in India or the UAE, the spinners will have an integral part to play in the middle overs. I think Rahul Chahar has been more impressive than Chahal in the IPL 2021 so far,” Sivaramakrishnan concluded.