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I Was Made Scapegoat For Strauss To Stamp Authority Samit Patel Lambasts Ecb

I was made scapegoat for Strauss to stamp authority: Samit Patel lambasts ECB

Former England all-rounder Samit Patel sent a barrage of questions towards the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) about him being neglected and not given due chances to represent the national team, dong injustice to his talent.

“No, it just got chucked out there which I was pretty disappointed about,” said Patel mentioning the incident when Hugh Morris, ECB director of cricket in 2009, decided to omit the left-arm spinner from a tour to West Indies, just when he had made his debut in the previous series in 2009.

Patel, now, 36, believes that had been in this generation, where every player is treated on the merit of their skills, things would have been different. “In my opinion, [it was] handled poorly by the ECB. [It was] not entirely their fault but if you put it now, things would be handled way differently by the ECB and captains and coaches. Maybe [I was] a little bit of a scapegoat, first up, but you live and you learn with this kind of stuff,” said the Nottinghamshire player.

Blaming the crossover period in which the newly appointed skipper Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower wanted to make a statement, Patel said, “We went through a period where we were losing and Straussy came in and wanted different standards with Flower. It was that crossover period where people need to make some kind of statement and stamp their authority in different roles and I copped it for that.”

The right anded batter who has a strike rate of almost 100 in the 33 ODIs that he has played and is more than capable enough bowler on spinning tracks, said that he was distraught at not being selected for the 2011 Word Cup. “To not make it, knowing that you should be there and you’re not there, it didn’t sit well with me,” he said.

“It’s very stereotypical but it was the same. They didn’t think I was fit enough and that’s why they weren’t going to select me,” added Patel who will be representing Nottinghamshire and Trent Rickets in the upcoming t20 Blast and The hundred respectively.

The last game in England colours for Patel came in 2015 in a Test against Pakistan. However, his last ODI was in India in 2013. Since then, he claims, the ECB didn’t even bother to explain why he wasn’t selected further. “I’ve had no conversations after 2013, 14 really, in terms of one-day cricket, at all. I don’t know what’s happened,” said Patel who has 822 runs and 38 international wickets to his kitty across formats.

“The face doesn’t fit, fizzled out, you call it what you want. But yeah, I’ve not really heard from anyone post my last one-dayer, I can’t remember when it was, but I’ve heard nothing,” lamented the man who for the past 20 years has served the game of cricket playing 231 First-Class games, 245 List A matches and 305 T20s including the franchise cricket across the world.

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BCB Chief confirms renewal of coach Russell Domingo’s contract

Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan confirmed that Russell Domingo, who was made in charge of Bangladesh teams as a coach would get his contract renewed at least till the upcoming T20 World cup. Speaking at a press conference, Hassan was disappointed by the team’s batting in the first ODI, especially with the shot selection of few players. "If we don't renew his contract, we would be needing someone as a backup,” the BCB Prez said. “We don't have any such thoughts in this Covid situation with a World Cup coming up. This is the reality,” he added. Digging deep into the shot selection matter, the 59-year-old administrator further said, “If we ask him [Domingo] why they batted badly, he will point towards their shot selection. What will be my reply? We first have to find out the problem.” Blaming Covid for not having a fruitful conversation with players, he further said, “I can't even sit with the players due to Covid. They don't even allow me into the bio-bubble. What can I do?" Sitting in the Board President’s chair for the last nine years, Hassan criticised the team’s approach to playing Liton Das at the top. He said, "[Liton] can open in T20s, but my personal opinion is that he is better at No. 5 or 6. We have to sit with them. I don't want to force anything on them. I don't do that anymore. I think we will have a solution." Hassan, a parliamentarian further questioned the tour planning of the national team and the lack of practice because of the quarantine. "Is this any type of preparation? He asked listing how Bangladesh played Tests before going to New Zealand and then even before the start of this limited vers series, they played Tests in Sri Lanka. “We played ODIs and T20s in New Zealand after playing Tests. Then we played Tests in Sri Lanka. We are not having our usual procedure of preparation,” he said. The Bangladesh team though won the first ODI comfortably by 33 runs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka to lead the three-match series 1-0.

Mehidy Hasan reveals bowling plans for opening ODI after match-winning impact

Mehidy Hasan proved to be the game-changer for Bangladesh as they ended their 10 match losing streak across formats and managed to register a 33 runs victory to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The off-spinner who bagged 4 wickets for just 30 runs said that he didn’t try to alter his bowling plans which eventually helped him and his side to register a convincing win. He finished with figures of 4/30 and was instrumental in pushing the visitors on the back foot right from the word go. His spell helped Bangladesh control the game in the middle overs and despite a late assault from Wanindu Hasaranga, the bowlers held their nerves and sealed the deal. Mehidy Hasan bagged the wicket of Danushka Gunathilaka in the powerplay followed by the wickets of Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera and Ashen Bandara in his second spell which broke Sri Lanka’s backbone. ''All I tried to do was contain the runs and bowled dot balls because if the batsman make mistakes, there is a higher chance of earning success,'' Mehidy told reporters after the game. ''I am bowling in the nets and I am communicating with the local coaches and taking their advice. Besides that Fahim Sir called me three or four days ago and has been giving guidelines on various aspects of bowling,'' he further added. Mehidy felt that Bangladesh were well on top despite a late resurgence from Hasaranga which gave the visitors a glimmer of hope of an unlikely come from behind victory. ''He (Hasaranga) batted very well and was hitting cleanly but we always believed that if a wicket falls, we would get back into the match,'' said Mehidy. "The only thing in our mind was that whenever the wicket falls we would come back because after that there was no batsman as that was their last pair,” the off-spinner concluded. Riding on a brilliant 84 from the blade of Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh went onto post a competitive 257 on the board in their allotted 50 overs. He was supported well by Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah as both chipped in with crucial half-centuries. Eventually, the target proved to be way too much for the Lankans. The two sides will lock horns in the second ODI on 25th May.

Jaydev Unadkat feels that age is still on his side, hoping to make cut for Sri Lanka tour

A stalwart in the Indian domestic circuit, Jaydev Unadkat has expressed his disappointment after not receiving a call-up for the England tour despite being one of the most successful bowlers in first-class cricket. Unadkat had a dream run with the ball in the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy but a national call-up is still eluding him. Unadkat who picked up 67 wickets in the previous Ranji Trophy said that despite being disappointed he is frustrated. Unadkat who made his Test debut for India against South Africa back in 2010 is yet to don the India whites again. The left-arm pacer has played one Test, seven ODIs and 10 T20Is but has been out of the national team since 2018. With the emergence of several pacers in the Australia tour including the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Natarajan, Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini, Unadkat doesnt find himself in the scheme of things despite consistent performances. "I felt (exclusion from) Australia tour was fine because everyone was fit in the main squad. But later on, (looking at) those who got chances due to injuries, I felt I deserved one," Unadkat was quoted as saying by The Hindu. "I was hoping to make it to the England tour. As simple as that. I have said in the past that the guys who are at the top are doing well, so I have to wait for my chance. This time around, I have been honestly disappointed. I’ll still take the disappointment positively to motivate myself to do better,” he further added. India will play as many as 6 Tests during the tour of England. They will start the tour with WTC final followed by 5 Tests against England starting from August. Barring Bumrah, Shami and Ishant the likes of Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj are also part of the squad. Besides the ones in the squad, India have also added Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna and Arzan Nagwaswalla as the standby pacers. The left-arm pacer has played 89 first-class matches so far and has been around the circuit for a long time. Having made his international debut as a teenager, Unadkat still likes to believe that he hasn’t reached the stage of frustration and hopes of playing for the national team in the future. "I haven’t reached that level of frustration for sure. As I look at it, it’s not now or never for me. When I say I am at my peak, it’s still four or five years more to remain at my peak. I am 29 and because I made my debut early (in 2010), people consider me ‘old’. I was a teenager when I made my Test debut a decade ago, so I still have a lot of time. I am not that frustrated for sure." With India likely to send a second-string side for the tour of Sri Lanka in July, Unadkat is hopeful of making the cut and get some game time. "To be honest, I don’t know what’s next. Had the SPL (Saurashtra Premier League) gone ahead, there was some cricket to be played. Let’s see, the Sri Lanka tour is coming. If that (call-up) comes, it’ll be nice,” Unadkat concluded.

New Zealand bowling coach warns his team against Rishabh Pant ahead of WTC final

New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen has rung the warning bells to his team ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final against India slated to be played at Southampton between 18 and 22 June. The coach stated that the Kiwis need to be on the top of their game when they counter Rishabh Pant in the biggest match of their Test history. "Well, Pant is an extremely dangerous player who can change the game on its head. We saw how well he did it against Australia and England. He’s extremely positive-minded, but with that comes potentially the opportunity to take his wicket," Jurgensen, in his second stint as the Black Caps bowling coach, told The Telegraph. "Our bowlers need to execute well, stay calm and make it as difficult as possible for Pant to score runs. He’s certainly a free-flowing batsman and a tough one to stop, which we should keep in mind,” he further added. The hard-hitting left-handed batsman has been in sublime form in the longest format. He has been going through a purple patch which saw him conquer Australia during their historic series victory in January. Pant smashed a sensational 97 in the 3rd Test in Sydney and got India close to an unlikely win. He went a notch further in the deciding Test at the Gabba remaining unbeaten on 87 and taking India to a once in a lifetime victory. He carried on his rich vein of form in the home Test series against India amassing 270 runs in 4 matches which included a century and a couple of half-centuries. He will be key to India’s chances if the No 1 Test team hopes of winning the inaugural World Test Championship. Jurgensen feels that Kyle Jamieson will be a crucial cog in New Zealand’s defence when they meet India in the all-important final. Jamieson who recently plied his trade in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to pass on some crucial information surrounding Virat Kohli. The New Zealand pace attack looks in good space with the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner looking to get some much-needed game time in the two-match Test series against England. "Well, Kyle has played with Virat at RCB and no doubt they would have exchanged some comments potentially leading into this final. So interesting times ahead," Jurgensen said. "I’m sure it’s going to be great to watch Kyle. His Test career too has been outstanding so far. He has got a great opportunity to prepare really well in the lead-up to the final, beginning with the two Tests versus England,” he further added. India have a star-studded bowling line-up. In all likelihood, the pace attack will be spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah followed by Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. The likes of Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj has also done well in the past and will look to seize the opportunity if they are presented with a chance. "It’s a challenging bowling attack that India have. A lot of options are available for them. It’ll be a very, very stiff challenge we could face from (Jasprit) Bumrah to Shardul (Thakur), who’s an all-rounder and has done well in Australia too,” Jurgensen stated. "There’s Mohammed Siraj and even their spinners, who can spin it both ways. It’s a group of formidable, outstanding Test bowlers,” he concluded. The Kiwis will play a practice game and two Tests against England ahead of the WTC final. It should serve as a much-needed preparation for New Zealand who should consider themselves favourites if the conditions are seam friendly. New Zealand are scheduled to play two Tests against England before the WTC final. The first match will be played at Lord's from June 2, while the second Test will take place at Edgbaston from June 10.