India opinion on day night cricket pink balls crucial in longer run Rosy start to pink ball cricket

India opinion on day night cricket pink balls crucial in longer run Rosy start to pink ball cricket, India opinion on day night cricket pink balls crucial in longer run Rosy start to pink ball cricket.KOLKATA: The pink ball debuted in India on Saturday with a nothing delivery outside the off-stump which Mohun Bagan and Bengal opener Jayojit Basu let go to the Bhowanipore wicket-keeper Santosh Sabanayakan. The next ball from Ravikant Singh, a sharp in-swinger, beat Basu. By the fourth over, Geet Puri had snared Basu, Sabanayakan taking a simple catch.

“There was a lot of swing. The ball felt much lighter. I really enjoyed bowling with the pink Kookaburra. It had much better control,” said Puri, who also bowled Vivek Singh.
At the tea break, the first scheduled break after a 41-minute rain delay, umpire Abhijit Bhattacharya had pointed out that B how a nip ore skipper Writ tick Chatterjee doesn’ t spin the ball, but before the night was done, he got a wicket. That happened in the 49th over when Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman S ah a committed ha ra- kiri and was caught in the deep. Bhowanipore then had spin from both ends.
The seamers got good purchase, as the ball skidded, but remained firm and was perfectly visible. However, the spinners got less assistance. Umpire Premdip Chatterjee said he was "really surprised". "I never expected the ball will remain so firm. It was perfectly visible. The seam remained intact," said Chatterjee. At the end of the day, Mohun Bagan notched up 276 for 8 after batting for 85.2 overs. The highlight of the Bagan innings was a 131-ball 83 by Anushtup Majumdar. Sanjib Sanyal was in the middle with 51 at draw of stumps. Msajumdar was all praise for the pink ball. "It was a nice experience. Visibility was not an issue. Initially I faced a bit of difficulty as the ball skidded and seamed, but was also coming on to the bat. Once I was settled, it was easy to bat on." On the other hand, Bhowanipore pacer Ravikant Singh, who had represented India in the under-19 World Cup, finished with three wickets. Bhowanipore left arm pacer Geet Puri got two wickets. He claimed the day's first victim in the form of Mohun Bagan opener Jayjit Basu as the ball moved away after pitching. Puri said the ball felt lighter, and swung a lot. "It was great bowling with the pink ball. I could control it better."
It is a new page in Indian cricketing history, as the first-ever day-night multi-day match is all set to be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Eden Gardens is also scheduled to be the venue, where the day-night Test between Indian and New Zealand  is to be played later in 2016. The four-day match between Bhawanipore Club and Mohun Bagan Athletic Club beginning from Saturday is a huge match as the pink kookaburra ball will be tested for the very first time in India. Many players had expressed concerns ahead of the first ever day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand and some after the game.

Read more »

ICC moots inception of ODI league to add relevance to bilateral contests Highlights 2016

ICC moots inception of ODI league to add relevance to bilateral contests Highlights 2016, ICC moots inception of ODI league to add relevance to bilateral contests Highlights 2016.In a conscientious attempt to give context and relevance to the 50-over contests, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is said to be planning on creating a new One-Day International (ODI) league of the world's top-13 cricket playing nations, starting 2019.

According to an ESPNCricinfo report on Saturday (June 18), the 13-team ODI league - believed to comprise the 10 Test playing nations along with Ireland, Afghanistan and Nepal - will see teams play each other over three years, with the top two nations playing a play-off series, constituting either three or five games, to determine the league champion.
The said league could also incorporate the promotion/relegation system with the World Cricket League Championship, the second tier of one-day cricket, with the team finishing bottom of the ODI league at the end of the three-year cycle facing demotion to the lower division.
The ODI format could undergo a huge change should the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) members vote in favour of a proposal to do so in it’s annual general meeting this month in London.
The proposal involves a formation of a new league of 13 teams in order to make 50-over matches more relevant. It could be implemented as soon as in 2019, in which each of the 13 teams would play a 3-match series, either home or away, against each other over a 3-year period. At the end of the period, the top two teams will play the final much like the Test championship.
If implemented, this could see powerhouse nations such as India and Australia play more frequently with the likes of associate nations including Afghanistan and Ireland.
As per the current ICC ODI rankings, 12 teams feature in it. The 13th side could be determined by the winner of the 2015-17 World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) - the second tier of one-day cricket – a competition featuring Netherlands, Scotland, Nepal, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea amongst teams.  The ICC is pushing for the creation of a new ODI league for the world's top 13 countries to give 50-over cricket new context and relevance.
Plans are well-advanced to create a new league from 2019 for 13 nations - believed to be the ten Test teams, Afghanistan, Ireland and one other Associate, with Nepal advocated by some as a favoured option in a debate that still has some way to run.The league will see all countries play each other over three years, with the top two nations playing a play-off series to determine the overall winner of the league.
It is hoped that the proposals will give ODI cricket a new context and sense of purpose, amid fears that the format fits awkwardly between Test and Twenty20 cricket, insufficiently loved either by traditionalists or newer fans.
Under the plans, each team would play a three-match series either home or away against every other country, amounting to 36 ODIs each over a three-year basis. The fourth year of each cycle would be reserved for World Cup preparation.

Read more »

Watch Cricket Highlights Zimbabwe vs India Match Highlights 2016

Watch Cricket Highlights Zimbabwe vs India Match Highlights 2016, Watch Cricket Highlights Zimbabwe vs India Match Highlights 2016.HARARE (Reuters) - Elton Chigumbura smashed an unbeaten 54 from 26 balls as Zimbabwe stunned India with a two run win in the first Twenty20 International at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

Chigumbura pummelled seven sixes as he took Zimbabwe to 170 for six in their 20 overs having been sent into bat by the tourists.India lost opener Lokesh Rahul on his Twenty20 debut in the first ball of their reply, but they went into the final over from seamer Neville Madziva needing eight to win.
That was reduced to four off the last ball with Mahendra Singh Dhoni on strike, but he could only bludgeon the ball to deep point and Zimbabwe celebrated a second consecutive victory over India in the 20-over format.
Aside from Chigumbura, Malcolm Waller (30 from 21 balls) and opener Hamilton Masakadza (25 from 15 balls) gave Zimbabwe their highest score against India in Twenty20 cricket.
This is where you have to personally tell them as to ‘this could have been done at that point of time.’ And also that’s how you learn. It is not that you have to commit a mistake to learn.”The loss was a rude shock for the team that steamrolled Zimbabwe in the preceding three ODIs. Dhoni said the result proves every international team needs to be respected.
“It doesn’t matter which team you are playing. It is a levelling experience. What I mean by that is you need to give a lot of respect to cricket and when you go in to bat or bowl in the field, irrespective of the opposition, you have to be at your best.
“You can’t play with your reputation or playing eleven that looks good on paper. What is important is how well you play on the field, how well you are executing. It is the cricket that wins you the games, not the teams. I felt we were way off today, both in the bowling and the batting department,” he added.
The BCCI, on its part, refused to comment, claiming that it is yet to ascertain the exact facts of the issue. "We are keeping a close watch on the development. It is a serious issue. Being aware of the sensitive nature of the issue, the BCCI won't make comments without ascertaining facts," said a top Board official on condition of anonymity.

Read more »

India vs Zimbabwe 2nd T20 live streaming highlight Sports Live icc

India vs Zimbabwe 2nd T20 live streaming highlight Sports Live icc, India vs Zimbabwe 2nd T20 live streaming highlight Sports Live icc. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hopes the youngsters in the squad learn from their mistakes after a shock loss to Zimbabwe in the opening T20 International in Harare.

The young Indian batsmen thew their wickets away at crucial junctures as the visitors ended up losing the game by two runs in Harare on Saturday.Dhoni hopes the fresh faces don’t make the same mistakes in the second game here tomorrow.“I feel, though we lost the game — it is disappointing — it is still a learning curve for the youngsters, provided they are learning out of it,” said Dhoni.
“You have to take it in a serious manner because whenever you will represent the country, whenever they get a chance to be part of the proper Indian team for a consistent period of time, they will feel the pressure. That will be the time when a game like this or a tour like this will really help them ease out that pressure,” he said further.
The captain himself failed to get his team over the line as India could not get eight runs off the final over with pacer Neville Madziva holding his nerve. He said he should have completed the job but expected a more sensible approach from his batsmen.
NEW DELHI: India's cricket tour of Zimbabwe was today hit by a massive controversy after an official associated with one of the sponsors of the series was arrested for alleged rape even though he pleaded innocence to the charge.
The storm erupted after the Zimbabwean media reported that an unnamed Indian cricketer had been arrested on charges of rape. The reports stated that India's ambassador to the African nation, R Masakui, had tried to prevent the player's arrest last night at a Harare hotel.
I felt the last ball was brilliant but that is what my job is, so maybe I am the person to finish the job. But at the same time, we kept losing wickets and what happens at that stage is that you are losing wickets and you are giving one dot ball and at the same time, the set batsman is not getting strike.
“I felt the batsmen will have to take the responsibility. The reason being, few of them, they were set, they were batting well. When you are chasing targets, you need to take it to the end and then look to play the shots. That was something that was lacking in this game,” Dhoni pointed out.
The second string squad for the tour was picked in the absence of seniors and Dhoni said the rookie players must make the most of the opportunity. The skipper said he batted at six to give others more time in the middle.

Read more »