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Yorkshire and England legend passes away after long battle with esophageal cancer

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Dec-2021Ray Illingworth, England’s Ashes-winning former captain, head coach and chair of selectors, has died at the age of 89, following a battle with esophageal cancer.As an offspinning allrounder, Illingworth’s professional career spanned a remarkable 32 years, from his debut for Yorkshire in 1951 aged 19, via a decade at Leicestershire from 1969 to 1978, and ultimately to his final trophy-winning season as Yorkshire captain in 1983, when he guided the club to the Sunday League at the age of 51.In between whiles, he represented England in 61 Tests between 1958 and 1973, most memorably on the triumphant tour of Australia in 1970-71, where he led his side to a 2-0 series win in an uncompromising campaign that spanned seven scheduled Tests as well as the sport’s first ODI, in Melbourne in January 1971.After retirement, Illingworth remained a pivotal figure in English cricket, first as an uncompromising pundit on the BBC’s TV coverage, before rising to become national “supremo” in the mid-1990s, a position of unrivalled authority in which he served as coach and national selector.”We are deeply saddened to learn that Ray Illingworth has passed away,” wrote Yorkshire County Cricket Club on Twitter. “Our thoughts are with Ray’s family and the wider Yorkshire family who held Ray so dear to their hearts.”Aside from the tactical acumen with which he forged his reputation as a captain, Illingworth was a fine player in his own right, completing the 1000-run/100-wicket double in Test cricket, and finishing with 1,836 runs at 23.24 and 122 wickets at 31.20.Overall, he amassed 24,134 first-class runs and 2,072 wickets, and led Yorkshire to three successive County Championship victories from 1966 to 1968.ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said: “It’s always incredibly sad to lose a person who has given so much to the English game, and to the sport of cricket in general.”Ray was a superb cricketer, and his deep love, passion and knowledge for the game meant he continued to contribute long after his playing days had finished. We send our sympathy and warmest wishes to Ray’s friends and family at this difficult time.”In his final interview last month, Illingworth revealed his cancer diagnosis, and called for assisted dying to be legalised in the UK after witnessing the way his wife Shirley had suffered from the same disease.”I don’t want to have the last 12 months that my wife had,” Illingworth told the Telegraph. “She had a terrible time going from hospital to hospital and in pain. I don’t want that. I would rather go peacefully. I believe in assisted dying. The way my wife was, there was no pleasure in life in the last 12 months and I don’t see the point of living like that, to be honest.”

Players from both teams will arrive in the UAE on September 17, he says

Nagraj Gollapudi and Varun Shetty20-Aug-2020There is a likelihood England and Australia players may not need to skip their teams’ initial matches in the upcoming IPL as long as they undergo “stringent” testing processes once they land in the UAE. The group of players from both teams, which will be involved in a limited-overs series from September 2 to 16, will arrive in the UAE on September 17, according to Sanjeev Churiwala, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chairman.According to Churiwala, the Royal Challengers squad’s Indian contingent, led by their captain Virat Kohli, will land in Dubai on Friday. The squad, Churiwala pointed out, would also be joined by the South African trio of AB de Villiers, Chris Morris and Dale Steyn, who will fly out of South Africa this weekend. Sri Lanka pacer Isuru Udana, meanwhile, will join the squad on September 1.Also, the squad will have a preparatory camp from August 29, with support staff receiving clearances to fly to the UAE and set to arrive soon.There has been uncertainty over the participation of England and Australia players for the first few matches as the IPL had recently indicated to franchises that it was unlikely to relax the mandatory seven-day quarantine period that players had to undergo after arriving in the UAE. That period also includes team members clearing three tests before they can start training.A total of 29 Australian and English players are set to feature in IPL 2020•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As many as 29 England and Australia players are spread across the eight IPL squads. The worst hit could be Rajasthan Royals as some of their main players – such as Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Steven Smith, Ben Stokes and Tom Curran – could be playing the bilateral series in England until September 16. The Royals COO, Jake Lush McCrum, had recently said even though those players “may miss the first match due to the protocols”, the franchise would benefit overall as the England-Australia players would be “competing against each other in a high-quality series right before the IPL, which has many positives because it’ll enable them to be at full match fitness”.Churiwala clarified that the as per the final set of the tournament’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the players travelling from the England-Australia series will need to follow strict protocols to ensure they seamlessly pass from one biosecure bubble (in England) to the other (in the UAE).”For the players landing after the England and Australia series, on September 17, that is very close to our matches,” Churiwala said. “The BCCI have also issued very detailed SOPs and procedures to be followed by these players in terms of their participation.”What the SOPs say very clearly [is] that they can participate without quarantine, provided they satisfy certain very stringent conditions. And they’re very, very stringent. Very clearly after the players have played the [international] series, they have to continue to be in the biosecure bubble. Right from the biosecure bubble, they have to go straight to the charter flight without getting into the extensive migration procedures, and without getting in touch with the general public.”Churiwala said if any member from the travelling group breached any protocol, that person would need to undergo the six-day quarantine upon landing in the UAE and clear three Covid-19 tests in that week before joining the squad.”All these players will be travelling by exclusive charter flights. They will undergo tests before arrival and if everything is [fine], they’ll be fit to play the game. If not, of course, they will have to quarantine and have to undergo three rounds of tests before participating.”Churiwala said he was optimistic only because all the boards and the IPL had placed safety as a priority and the safety protocols were “mutually aligned”. “Given that they [the group from the England-Australia series] are already serving a bio-bubble requirement, it will be an extended bio-bubble for them as and when they land. Under no circumstances are BCCI or franchise owners saying we will compromise on the procedures. I am very clear.”Churiwala said without the IPL schedule in hand it was difficult to predict to “what extent” the players from England and Australia could possibly miss out. “At the moment, even the [IPL] schedule has not been very clearly announced, we will just see if all players can play or some of them will have to miss matches. We don’t know as yet.”Barring English and Australian players, most of players would be available on time for the games. We’ll have to see the exact schedule of the matches and to what extent our English, Australian players can participate. We just hope they don’t breach any of the bio-bubble procedure requirements, so that they can make themselves available as and when we start our first match.”De Villiers, Morris, Steyn to reach UAE on August 22
According to Churiwala, Royal Challengers’ South African contingent will arrive in the UAE by August 22. ESPNcricinfo understands the trio of de Villiers, Morris and Steyn have got the permission from the South African government to travel for the IPL, and they are expected to take a flight this weekend to join up with the Royal Challengers squad in Dubai.Churiwala said it is “all clear” as far as the South African players participation was concerned – de Villiers, Steyn and Morris are currently without central contracts and hence do not need to participate in the ongoing culture camp organised by Cricket South Africa for contracted players. ESPNcricinfo understands that non-contracted players were free to leave earlier than the contracted players, who will be at the camp until August 22.

Off his last ball, when Shivam Dube needed to hit a six to take the game into a Super Over, Malinga overstepped, but the umpire missed the obvious no-ball, leaving the home side shaking in disbelief

The Report by Mohammad Isam28-Mar-20194:15

Dasgupta: Hand all front-foot no-ball calls to third umpire

Lasith Malinga was not even supposed to play this game. But he did, and he sealed Mumbai Indians’ first win of the season in controversial circumstances, defending 17 runs off the last over against Royal Challengers Bangalore.Off his last ball, when Shivam Dube needed to hit a six to take the game into a Super Over, Malinga overstepped, but the umpire missed the obvious no-ball, leaving the home side shaking in disbelief. The result was particularly harsh on AB de Villiers, who was stranded at the other end on 70*. Before this match, de Villiers’ team had never lost in the IPL when he remained unbeaten during a chase.Despite an outburst from RCB’s captain Virat Kohli, the result stayed, meaning Mumbai had ridden their luck for a five-run win – their first of the season. RCB held the edge at various points in the match, but Mumbai withstood a four-wicket burst from Yuzvendra Chahl, and later a 49-run partnership between Kohli and de Villiers, to eventually come out on top.Jasprit Bumrah delights in dismissing Virat Kohli•BCCI

Mumbai start brightlyRohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock were both quick off the blocks after RCB chose to field. They reached their fifty partnership during the Powerplay, with Rohit bringing out his silky drives and flicks, and the walking front-foot pull. De Kock, who was dropped by Colin de Grandhomme in the sixth over, was also timing the pace bowlers well, but Chahal’s crafty googly snuck past his attempted reverse-sweep in the seventh over.Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav added 33 runs in the next 4.1 overs before Rohit, who had struck eight fours and a six in his 48, fell pulling Umesh Yadav. Suryakamar then began a rush of big hits, most notably smashing Moeen Ali for a four and six at the end of the 13th over, before Yuvraj Singh struck Chahal for three big sixes over square-leg and long-on.Yuvraj, however, fell the next ball trying a fourth consecutive six. Thankfully for Mumbai, Suryakumar kept finding the boundaries as the visitors eyed a total in the vicinity of 200.

Chahal disrupts the inningsSuryakumar fell midway through the 16th over, caught by Moeen who ran back from cover. Chahal then dropped Krunal Pandya but made up for it by removing Kieron Pollard next ball, and eventually got Krunal in his next over. At 147 for 7 in the 18th over, Mumbai were staring at a below-par finish, but Hardik Pandya provided a much-needed counterattack, slamming a 14-ball 32 to power the visitors to 187. Bumrah v Kohli When RCB began their chase, the battle within the battle was a very one-sided one as Kohli cracked Jasprit Bumrah for consecutive fours off the first three balls he faced. He hammered Hardik for two fours too, before Parthiv Patel went after Krunal in the sixth over.Even after Parthiv fell to legspinner Mayank Markande in the next over, Kohli and de Villiers added 49 runs for the third wicket. Soon afterwards, however, Bumrah, brought back for one over, nailed a superb bouncer at Kohli who miscued the pull and was caught at square-leg.AB to the rescue, untillJust before Kohli got out, de Villiers, who was dropped on 0 by Yuvraj Singh, had found his gear with a six each off Markande and Malinga. He then smashed the veteran Sri Lankan for 20 runs in the 16th over with a four and two sixes, over long-off and midwicket.De Villiers also went after Hardik, collecting 18 off the 18th over. The big hits included two sixes going over cover and square-leg. RCB would have fancied their chances at that point, but Bumrah bowled an exceptional penultimate over, conceding just five runs and dismissing de Grandhomme. It left the hosts needing 17 off the final over, to be bowled by Malinga. Malinga hangs on, just aboutDube blasted the first ball over long-off for a six, before Bumrah dropped him running back from short third-man. Malinga, however, used his decade-old muscle memory of bowling full accurate balls, leaving both de Villiers and Dube flustered with deliveries going under their bat. Malinga had just about done his job, even if the umpires hadn’t quite done theirs.

The Scorchers coach also lashed out at Cricket Australia for releasing D’Arcy Short, Travis Head and Alex Carey from the national team squad to play in Sunday’s BBL final

Daniel Brettig04-Feb-2018Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer has attacked critics of the Big Bash League club’s list management, saying his efforts to keep a strong West Australian group together over time were justified by the development of the players. Langer also lashed out at Cricket Australia for releasing D’Arcy Short, Travis Head and Alex Carey from the national team squad to play in Sunday’s BBL final.Responding to accusations of contract “bundling”, whereby players receive generous state contracts to counterbalance lesser payments within the BBL salary cap, Langer said the performances of players such as Andrew Tye should mean Western Australia and the Scorchers should not be questioned as to whether they were flouting CA’s regulations, which outlaw states from offering any “inducement” for players to choose a particular BBL club.”Give me one example and then we can talk about every single one of these practices of bundling contracts,” Langer told when questioned about the Scorchers’ contracting. “It’s tougher, to be fair, for the states with two teams, but they also have huge populations. So they’ve got the opportunity to do what we do.”Let’s use AJ Tye [for example]. The same AJ Tye we took off the scrapheap of club cricket about six years ago, the same guy who went to Sydney Thunder, didn’t like it and wanted to come home, who loves Perth and Western Australia, who just got $1.5m in the IPL auction, who just took five wickets because he’s improved in our programme. If we’re doing the wrong thing by that, I’ll cut my leg off. It’s unbelievable.”We had 21 guys play for us in 10 games this year which is extraordinary, and five or six of them are young Western Australia kids. We didn’t have Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff or the Marsh brothers play the whole series for us. We do proudly want our guys to stay but along the way we lose D’Arcy Short and Marcus Harris, and Bradley Hogg and Craig Simmons and Mike Hussey because we can’t afford to keep them. That’s the truth. We’re really fair on our players. All this dialogue I’ve been hearing this series, I guarantee now we’ve lost the semi-final, no-one will talk about it again.”ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that the Scorchers are not under investigation by CA for their contracting practices, despite queries being raised with the governing body by at least two other BBL clubs and public questions being asked by the likes of Brad Hodge and Dirk Nannes. At the same time, Langer denied he had pressured members of the WA state squad to stay with the Scorchers, saying “they’re all big boys” with managers to negotiate on their behalf.Langer said that any players who chose to stay in WA rather than taking bigger contracts with other BBL teams in the eastern states did so because they loved playing for the Scorchers and staying in their home state. He also said that the club had benefited from hard work done over the past five years – since Langer became state and BBL coach in 2012-13 – to foster a culture that players wanted to be a part of, irrespective of how much they were paid.Getty Images

“So D’Arcy Short’s left, Marcus Harris has left. Mike Hussey and Brad Hogg, who are two of my best mates, they left. Craig Simmons left. What, so I’m coercing players? Give me a break,” Langer said. “If they don’t want to stay – every professional has a manager these days, they’re all big boys – if they don’t want to stay, they can go. If they want to stay because they love being here and they love the WACA family, and we win a lot, so why wouldn’t they want to stay here?”The problem is you’ve got to work really hard to do that [create a winning culture]. But it’s easy to point fingers and say ‘they must be cheating’ or ‘JL must be coercing players’. Are you joking? All winter when our coaches are in the cold WACA indoor centre, keeping an eye on our Under-17 and Under-19s kids, no-one’s telling us then we’re coercing them to stay.”Or we’re keeping an eye on our whole programme, we’re watching club cricket all day – that’s the hard part of it, to develop this culture. But let’s not worry about doing all of that, that’s too hard, let’s just point our fingers and say they’re doing the wrong thing. Give me a break.”On the subject of CA’s decision to release Short, Carey and Head for the tournament final, Langer said he was disappointed by the inconsistency after his team was unable to pick Tye or Ashton Agar for the semi-final. He also claimed that the decision contravened MoU discussions during last year’s fractious pay dispute where players were ruled out of playing T20 matches on consecutive days. Carey and Short will both play in Adelaide on Sunday after playing for Australia in Sydney on Saturday night.”What I don’t like is the inconsistency, I find it phenomenal really,” Langer said. “We were told at the start of the Big Bash that none of the players who were in the Australian team would play the Big Bash and now all of a sudden they are. There’s no doubt the scheduling’s an issue and we’d like to see our best players, but we also know at the start of the season that Australian international cricket takes priority.”I’m not pumped about the inconsistency of it, I sort of get it, but there were all of the arguments that went on about the MoU and we didn’t enjoy some of that dialogue that they don’t play the next day and all that sort of stuff. I’d just like to see things consistent, that’s all. We would’ve loved to have Ashton Agar and AJ Tye playing for us the other night and now al of a sudden that changes. Even if D’Arcy Short played, I’m happy with that because I never worry too much about the opposition, I worry about us”That’s where it’s difficult for me, one of the hardest things about the Big Bash competition is trying to forecast and contract who you might have and who you might not have because of international commitments, and we all do that. That’s where list management is so crucial, and so to change what we understand, that’s pretty disappointing.”

The ECB has declined a request from the BCB to include a reserve day for the third ODI in Chittagong, a spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo

Mohammad Isam11-Oct-20161:09

‘Very un-cricketing weather in Chittagong’

The ECB has declined a request from the BCB to include a reserve day for the third ODI in Chittagong, a spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. The offer was made due to the inclement weather conditions which are threatening a washout of the series decider.On Monday, 30mm of rain was recorded in the port city which is experiencing unseasonal rain. Tuesday also saw plenty of rain, and the drizzle continued in the evening. Both teams were forced indoor for training while the ground was mostly under covers. The forecast for Wednesday isn’t encouraging but there is chance of rain abating after 4pm which could offer a shortened game.The ECB said that they did consider the request but the nature of the tour didn’t allow them the last-minute change. The trip has been subject to unprecedented levels of security planning following the July terror attacks – with multiple agencies working together to create a bubble around the teams – while the schedule is also very condensed with England’s Test warm-up matches starting on Friday.”The ECB were asked today whether it would be possible to schedule a rain day – we did consider the request. At this late stage, and on a compact tour, it is sadly not possible,” said the ECB spokesman. “The majority of our one-day players return to the UK on Thursday and the Test players are already preparing for upcoming Tests next week. We would clearly love to conclude the series and hope to get the game in tomorrow.”The BCB’s cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan said that they put forward the offer because of the weather. “We asked if they would want to have the reserve day but they said no,” said Akram.

While this T20 series victory will be savoured it is still just the beginning. The bulk of the tour’s cricket is yet to be played and the challenges will only get bigger.

Firdose Moonda08-Oct-20151:32

‘I still have much to contribute’ – Duminy

In a strange way, perhaps there is something positive that can be taken out of the wash-out at Kolkata for South Africa. Although they are disappointed that they did not have the opportunity to play at the iconic venue, South Africa had plenty of time to process their position heading into the game and don’t want to get ahead of themselves despite the early success on tour.”We have only played two days of cricket and there’s 25 days of cricket left. We shouldn’t get too cocky and confident on what has happened as we India are a very quality side,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said.While this T20 series victory will be savoured – because as Faf du Plessis explained in his post-match press conference, “It is really important to acknowledge how hard it is to come to India and to win any series,” – it is still just the beginning. The bulk of the tour’s cricket is yet to be played and the challenges will only get bigger. Already, Domingo, who is on his first trip to India, has found some elements overwhelming.”There’s lots of media, lots of questions,” he said when asked what makes India a particularly difficult place to tour. “The crowd support is immense, the passion for the game, the constant scrutiny from the media and public. So dealing with the all the noise, I’m not talking about the crowd noise alone but even the media noise. I put on the TV and the only thing I’m watching is the highlights of the game and constant analysis. Keeping our focus amidst all this noise is what is main goal.”South Africa have a mixed record on the field when it comes to dealing with such intensity. In limited-overs cricket, too much pressure has often undone them, especially in major tournaments. In Test cricket, it has brought out the best in them, especially recently. Slowly, they are starting to move away from the former, with more solid showings under stress in shorter formats as they set themselves them up for what they hope will be an eventual shedding of the chokers’ tag.Their performances so far will give them reason to believe they can, especially after the first game. South Africa came back from what seemed a lost cause in the chase to complete it successfully with some of their lesser lights – JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien – finishing the job. “The first one was a big one for us… 200 was a stiff target and chasing that gave us a lot of confidence going into the second T20,” Duminy said.In the second match, South Africa put right what they did wrong in the first. “We knew going into the second game that we needed to improve as a bowling unit. That was a big plus for us, the way we bowled, the discipline we showed within our bowling department,” Duminy said. “That is going to be a big tick for us in the T20 format. With the results that we have got here now, will give us a lot of confidence going into the T20 series against England and Australia and obviously the World T20 coming in a few months.”Before that, South Africa have this tour to concentrate on and they still have nine more matches to play. That equals 25 days of cricket and almost double that number traveling, practicing and being together. That’s a lot of time to rack up more good results or to drive each other mad but on the evidence of their first few days, there could be more of the former and almost none of the latter.”We enjoy each other’s company. It doesn’t matter which part of the world we are in. There are not too many arguments going on in the team room. We find ways of enjoying ourselves in a long tour,” Duminy said. “That is important for us especially when you are coming to a place where there is not a lot to do outside the hotel and you are coming to a place for such a long period of time. It can get you down at times so it is important that we gel as a unit and gel as a team.”We have got a great camaraderie within the team and everybody plays for one another. Everybody wants each other to do well and we enjoy each others’ successes. That is an important component for a successful team.” So far, so good.

Leicestershire have signed Australia batsman Joe Burns as an overseas player for part of the 2013 county season

George Dobell07-Mar-2013Leicestershire have signed Australia batsman Joe Burns as an overseas player for part of the 2013 county season. Burns will stand in for Ramnaresh Sarwan once the latter leaves for international duty with West Indies.Burns, 23, scored 145 runs, including a century, for Australia A against the touring England Lions in February. He was voted the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year by his fellow Australian players for his achievements in the 2012-13 season. All cricketers who have won the award since its inception in 2000 have gone on to represent Australia in at least one format. While Burns has yet to play international cricket, he can gain a work permit through a UK passport. He appeared briefly for Sussex second XI in 2010.Sarwan is expected to play the first five and last four Championship games of the season, leaving Burns to cover the middle of the campaign and the FLt20 competition. He will arrive on May 15 and leave on August 30 and his spell will comprise seven county championship games, the whole of the FLt20 competition and 11 CB40 matches.”I’ve heard great things about the club’s set-up and players and I am very motivated
with the ambition of promotion in the county championship,” Burns said. “I’m looking forward to joining up with the team in May and contributing to a successful and enjoyable
season.””We are delighted to have signed the up-and-coming batsman Joe Burns,” Leicestershire’s chief executive, Mike Siddall, said: “We are hoping he will have a similar impact at Grace Road as previous Australian overseas players, Brad Hodge and Michael Bevan. Joe is on the fringes of the Australian team and will be keen to impress during an Ashes year in England.”Leicestershire are expected to add another overseas player for the FLt20, with Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan believed to be a frontrunner for the role.

Full coverage of former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns’ libel suit against former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2012January 7, 2010
News – Chris Cairns to sue Lalit Modi
March 23, 2010
News – Distressed by Modi’s claims – Cairns
March 5, 2012
News – Accusation reduced my career to dust – Cairns
March 6, 2012
News – Cairns’ former team-mates allege fixing demands
March 7, 2012
News – Rumours made Cairns ‘barking’ angry
March 7, 2012
News – ICL officials had their own ‘agenda’March 8, 2012
News – Cairns fixing investigation ‘shambolic’ – Beer
March 9, 2012
News – Cairns’ fury as Modi fails to give evidence
March 12, 2012
News – Players stand by Cairns accusations
March 14, 2012
News – Judge refuses late witness for Modi
March 16, 2012
News – Cairns a ‘scapegoat’ court hears
March 26, 2012
News – Cairns wins libel case against Modi

Damien Wright, the Victoria fast bowler, has announced his retirement from Australian first-class cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2011Damien Wright, the Victoria fast bowler, has announced his retirement from Australian first-class cricket. Wright was part of the Australian first-class circuit for 15 years since his debut for Tasmania in 1997-98. He’s been part of three of the last four Sheffield Shield-winning teams, for Tasmania in 2006-07 and twice for Victoria, where he moved to in 2008-09. He joined Worcestershire in January this year and will be part of their domestic season starting April.”I guess I wanted to go out on my own terms whilst feeling satisfied and happy,” said Wright, who picked up 375 wickets in 116 first-class games. Victoria’s final Sheffield Shield game of the season, against Queensland, was also his last. “When our match against Queensland finished, I realised it was my time and the right moment for me to go out. I’ve been really lucky to be a part of several titles and achieve what I have during my career; it’s been an amazing journey and a ride I’ve really enjoyed.”Wright said he was grateful to Greg Shipperd, his coach at Tasmania and Victoria, for his mentoring. “I’ve been very lucky to have Shippy as a coach throughout my career in both Tasmania and now in Victoria,” Wright said. “He’s provided me with many opportunities, he started my first-class career off and now ironically I’ll finish it under him. I’m extremely fortunate to have him as a mentor – he is someone who has played a huge role in my career and I thank him for that.”Apart from his skills as a pace bowler, Wright was also an effective batsman in the lower order. He averaged 24.08 with the bat and among his all-round highlights was his performance for Tasmania in their Sheffield Shield win in 2006-7, where he claimed eight wickets and contributed 67 and 47 with the bat in the final. In 2009-10, he overcame injury after missing Victoria’s first five games to play a significant role with the ball in his team’s eventual success.He’s also Victoria’s bowling coach and hopes to continue that role.

On the eve of the opening clash against Deccan Chargers, Sourav Ganguly made his point straightaway that the best way to progress is by “executing” and not wasting time “planning

N Hunter11-Mar-2010On the eve of the opening clash against Deccan Chargers, Sourav Ganguly made his point straightaway that the best way to progress is by “executing” and not wasting time “planning.” The Kolkata Knight Riders captain felt there was no point dissecting the past, and the better alternative was to go out and play. It was trademark Ganguly – he did not spell out his enemy, but he made his point, subtly, leaving no doubts in anyone’s mind as to what he was referring to.Ganguly, along with the new coach Dav Whatmore and the entire Kolkata management have been working hard on an entirely new platform, which from the outset has been more transparent and importantly, simpler, compared to the Sudoku grid John Buchanan had asked the squad to solve in order to excel in Twenty20 cricket. Ganguly hasn’t forgotten the confusion and controversy that was created in the first two years of the IPL, but as the team’s seniormost player, he understands he cannot afford to create any further haze when his primary job is to lead the team in the right direction.”One needs to plan, especially when you are on the park. But I believe in execution. I don’t believe in too many ideas or team meetings,” Ganguly said, with a stern face, after a two-hour long training session at the Bandra-Kurla Complex ground. “I believe planning is 10% and execution 90%.”So batsmen played with straight, slanting and even upside-down bats as Whatmore offered them the freedom and space to understand what they were doing. At the other end, Wasim Akram mentored the bowlers including Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Mashrafe Mortaza and Jaydev Unadkat, the Under-19 bowler. Clearly, there was a sea change in the way the training session went about in the past.In the first two years, various coaches would be spotted, busy noting down various things, just like a nurse records a patient’s heartbeat, pulse etc. The paraphernalia was conspicuously absent today, replaced by more word-of-mouth signals, creating a different kind of buzz.”I would like to leave the player to play to his strengths. That’s how everybody has played and been successful. Maybe you can just tell them the amount of runs needed on the board or what has to be chased,” Ganguly said. “Other than that, if I keep changing (the player’s style) at this minute, it’s not going to help.”While the majority of the teams managed to devise the right processes, along with the right combinations in the first two years of the IPL, Kolkata were affected by a lack of clarity. As a consequence they have underperformed in first two editions. Still, there is hope. Ask Adam Gilchrist, the Deccan Chargers captain, who said he could relate to his opponent’s circumstances as he had been in the same spot that Kolkata now find themselves in: bottom of the barrel.”I know that feeling. I’ve started the tournament like that before,” Gilchrist said, denying the opening clash of the IPL tomorrow was a mismatch considering Deccan, the defending champions, are playing last year’s wooden-spoon holders. “I don’t think you can take it for granted that there are any mismatches in the tournament. Everyone starts afresh.”Ganguly has been stressing the same in his interactions with the squad, out in the open and behind closed doors. It is now up to the players to go out and express themselves.