Home
Cricket News
Pakistan Appoint Matthew Hayden Vernon Philander As Consultant Coaches For T20 World Cup

Pakistan appoint Matthew Hayden, Vernon Philander as 'consultant coaches' for T20 World Cup

Pakistan have announced two prominent additions to the support staff for the upcoming T20 World Cup with former Australian opener Matthew Hayden and South Africa pacer Vernon Philander joining the side as "consultant coaches".

It is believed that the duo will replace the Pakistani duo of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis who resigned from their post of the head coach and bowling coach earlier this month.

These developments have come on the day when former Pakistan cricketer and a prominent voice in the world of cricket, Ramiz Raja has taken over the chairmanship of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

“One of my key focuses will be to help introduce in the Pakistan men’s cricket team the same culture, mindset, attitude and approach that once made Pakistan one of the most feared cricket playing nations,” Raja said after taking over the reins of the PCB and one could argue if someone can be better than Hayden to instil a fearless attitude in players.

“The Australian can bring some aggression into the team. He has experience of World Cups and was a world-class player himself. Having an Australian in the dressing room will be of great benefit for us,” Raja said of Hayden.

It was always expected the Raja’s elevation to the top of the PCB will bring some changes in the side with two global events coming up and the signing up of Hayden and Philander is a perfect start to the expectations.

Interestingly, Hayden has also signed up for commentary in the second half of the Indian Premier League due to start on September 19 and hence it is unlikely that the left-hander would be able to do the dual role in such a quick time.

Discover more

Australia Test skipper Tim Paine to undergo neck surgery, but insists will be fit for Ashes

Australia Test captain Tim Paine is set to undergo neck surgery in the coming days but expressed confidence in becoming ready for the first Ashes Test against England scheduled to start on December 09 in Brisbane. Paine said that the decision of going under the knife has been taken after discussion with the spinal surgeon and Cricket Australia’s medical team. “The consensus of the spinal surgeon and the CA medical team was to have the surgery now which will allow plenty of time to fully prepare for the summer. I expect to be able to restart physical activity by the end of this month and be back in full training in October. I will be ready to go by the first Test and am very much looking forward to what will be a huge summer,” Paine said. There will be a lot at stake for Paine and his Australian Test team after a devastating series loss against India the last summer. Paine would be hopeful of having a full-strength squad to pick for an all-important Ashes series at home which they have not lost since the 2010-11 edition. It is also being speculated that Paine will announce his retirement from international cricket or at least give up the captaincy of the national Test team. He had taken over the reins from Steve Smith in the aftermath of the Newlands Test where the trio of former captain and vice-captain Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were penalised for the ball-tampering offence.

Sourav Ganguly refuses to blame 'dead scared' players for Old Trafford Test cancellation

The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that the offer to reschedule the final Test of the series between England and India that was supposed to be played at Old Trafford will be treated as a standalone game and not part of the series. He conceded that the Lancashire county and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suffered losses but assured that the BCCI will “discuss and decide” over the issue. "The Old Trafford Test has been cancelled. They (ECB) have incurred a lot of losses and it's not going to be easy on [them]. Let things settle down a bit, then we can discuss and decide. Whenever it's held next year, it should be a one-off match since it cannot be a continuation of the series anymore," added Ganguly. Discussing the development inside the Indian dressing room leading to the cancellation of the game, Ganguly said that the players were “devastated” and “dead scared” after hearing that the second physio of the team tested positive for the Covid-19 infection. He sympathised with the players and refused to pin the blame on them for the fate of the final Test. "The players refused to play but you can't blame them. Physio Yogesh Parmar was such a close contact of the players. Being the only one available after Nitin Patel isolated himself, he mixed freely with the players and even performed their Covid-19 tests. He also used to give them a massage, he was part of their everyday lives," Ganguly told The Telegraph. "The players were devastated when they came to know that he had tested positive for Covid-19. They feared they must have contracted the disease and were dead scared. It's not easy staying in a bubble. Of course, you have to respect their feelings." India refused to play the final Test of the series scheduled to start on September 10 in Manchester and it lead to clamour on social media about the various reasons that would have forced them to ake the decision. Some section of former players expressed their solidarity with Indian players after Covid-19 cases were reported from the camp while some blamed them for choosing to play in IPL as the reason behind the pullout from the last game of the English summer. India were ahead by 2-1 in the five-match series going into the final Test of the series.

Ben Dwarshuis joins Delhi Capitals in place of Chris Woakes for IPL 2021 remainder

Delhi Capitals have roped in Ben Dwarshuis as a replacement for Chris Woakes. Woakes had pulled out of the competition citing personal issues. “The Delhi Capitals have announced Australian fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis as Woakes' replacement for the remainder of the IPL 2021 season,” DC said in a statement. The left-arm bowler has played 82 T20 matches and has picked 100 wickets at an average of 23.73. Dwarshuis is a part of the Sydney Sixers side in the Big Bash League and is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the history of the tournament with 85 wickets in 69 matches. The Indian Premier League was earlier suspended on May 4 after there were Covid-19 cases within the franchises. The competition will now resume in the UAE from September 19 where Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings. Delhi Capitals had a good run in the first half of the season and were sitting at the helm of the points table with 6 wins and 12 points in 8 matches that they played when the tournament was halted. They will now resume the campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 in Dubai. The Delhi-based franchise would be looking for some fruitful results in this edition of the IPL as they ended as runners-up in the last season after suffering a defeat in the final against Mumbai Indians.

BCCI rubbishes reports suggesting Rohit Sharma will take over captaincy from Virat Kohli

The BCCI’s treasurer Arun Dhumal has rubbished reports suggesting that the board is thinking to implement the split captaincy method and that Virat Kohli will step down as the white-ball skipper after the conclusion of World T20 2021. "This is all rubbish. Nothing (as) such is happening. This is all what you guys (media) are talking about. BCCI has not met or discussed anything on this issue (split captaincy)," Dhumal told IANS. "Virat will remain as the captain (of all formats)." According to a TOI report, a BCCI source has said that Kohli will make the announcement himself as he wants to focus on his batting but will continue as the Test captain. “Virat himself will make the announcement. He is of the view that he needs to concentrate on his batting and go back to becoming what he’s always been — the best batsman in the world,” TOI quoted a BCCI source as saying. “We realise spin-masters will be at work, giving their own twists to these developments. That’s the reason BCCI is planning this well in advance. In the end, Virat and Rohit are on the same page,” the sources added. Kohli took the captaincy baton from MS Dhoni in limited-overs cricket back in 2017 after the World Cup-winning captain stepped down from the post himself.