Tag Futebol

The injury in the match against Mumbai Indians on Sunday was the third injury to the same shoulder in less than two years

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2017Chris Lynn’s IPL campaign appears in serious doubt after the Queensland and Kolkata Knight Riders batsman suffered yet another shoulder injury when diving in the field against Mumbai Indians on Sunday night.In what is the third injury to the same shoulder in less than two years, Lynn clutched the joint in obvious pain after attempting to claim an outfield catch to dismiss Jos Buttler. He was attended to by Knight Riders’ physio Andrew Leipus and was later seen with an ice pack strapped to his shoulder. On Monday, the franchise said Lynn had undergone an MRI scan and the results were due in two days’ time.Following the match, Lynn tweeted “Dear Cricket Gods, did I do something wrong?”. He had appeared set for a major impact at the tournament, having opened with a startling innings of 93 not out against Gujarat Lions, followed by a rapid 32 when Knight Riders batted first against Mumbai.Andrew McShea, the Brisbane Heat general manager, said the Big Bash League club were seeking further information about the extent of the injury to Lynn, who turned 27 on Monday. “We’ll stay in close contact through this initial process as we get an idea of what the extent of the injury is and what the options are for him,” McShea said.”It’s unfortunate for Chris to sustain another injury to the shoulder that has troubled him in the past. It’s not the sort of birthday you would wish for, and the best wishes of the club and our fans go out to him.”During the Australian summer, Lynn was a standout player in the BBL and also made his ODI debut for Australia. However it was also a season blighted with injury, with speculation growing that he may soon choose to opt out of playing first-class cricket and purely pursue Twenty20 roles to lengthen his career.

The Madras High Court dismissed a petition from Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd challenging the Lodha Committee order to suspend IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings for two years

PTI20-Jan-2016The Madras High Court dismissed a petition from Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd challenging the Lodha Committee order to suspend IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings for two years.The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice PS Sivagnanam, who had reserved their order on the plea on December 14, dismissed it as not maintainable. The bench also dismissed a PIL filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the suspension of Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals on the same grounds.Both teams were barred from playing the next two editions of the IPL after a three-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court and headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha found top officials from both teams having engaged in illegal betting. Super Kings’ Gurunath Meiyappan and Royals co-owner Raj Kundra were banned for life from any match conducted by the board.Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd had sought a stay on the committee’s order issued in September last year, contending the order was against fundamental principles of natural justice and a fair hearing.Opposing the petition, the BCCI had argued that Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd was not a legal entity and hence could not file the case. Senior counsel AL Somayaji submitted that CSK Cricket Limited was only a brand name of the franchise owned by India Cements Limited. He submitted that the franchise agreement was between BCCI and India Cements and that the latter had no right to assign or delegate ownership and even if it did should be done so with prior permission from the BCCI.He had argued that CSK Cricket Limited was not the aggrieved party and hence the liberty given by the Supreme Court that the aggrieved could approach the appropriate forum for remedy would not entitle it to file the present petition.

Scotland improved their chances of World Cup qualification by defeating Kenya on Duckworth-Lewis

The Report by Callum Stewart in Aberdeen03-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNeil Carter claimed three wickets on the first day to help restrict Kenya•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Scotland improved their chances of World Cup qualification by defeating Kenya on Duckworth-Lewis in a match that was completed on the reserve day due to poor weather. The win moved them above Netherlands into second place in the ICC’s WCL Championship, with the top two teams gaining automatic World Cup spots for 2015.After a nail-biting 12-run victory on Sunday, Scotland’s second win over Kenya was just as close but under very different circumstances. Captain Kyle Coetzer made a half-century before another rain interruption meant Scotland’s target was revised down to 139 from 35 overs. They got there with eight balls to spare but not without a few scares on the way.After Tuesday’s rain delay, the match continued with Scotland openers Coetzer and Freddie Coleman on 22-0 chasing 184 for victory, Kenya having been reliant on Tanmay Mishra’s 59 to give them a competitive total. However, what looked to be a straightforward task became a little harder when Coetzer was bowled for 57 by one that kept low. Three of the top four were bowled under their bat, and Matt Machan was caught at mid-off trying to accelerate the run-rate.The flurry of wickets gave Kenya hope but with the fall of Calum MacLeod, leaving Scotland 106 for 4, the rain started to fall again. Scotland were ahead by nine runs after 28.2 overs on D/L. When the players came off at 1.20pm, everyone thought that was it but just over an hour later the covers and sheets were removed with the rain still falling lightly. By 2.45pm, the players were back out and the rain had stopped.Calculations were made, leaving Scotland needing another 33 runs off 40 balls with their remaining six wickets. Some thought it was safe and some thought it was madness to return with a damp outfield but Scotland nerves grew when Preston Mommsen was caught behind after managing only 5, the requirement having risen to 22 off the final four overs.Rob Taylor didn’t hang about as he hit a quickfire 16 off eight balls, including a maximum off Ragheb Aga into the sight screen that just about saw Scotland home. He was caught trying to hit the winning runs but two more singles wrapped up victory by four wickets.Kenya’s innings began the day previously, with Scotland winning the toss and electing to field. Duncan Allan opened the batting for Kenya after being left out of the side for the previous game but could only make 18. His partner, Alex Obanda, was trapped lbw by Neil Carter for the second time in as many matches.Carter also got rid of Morris Ouma and Kenya’s captain Collins Obuya, in at No. 4 and playing his 100th ODI, spooned a leading edge to midwicket for 25. That was to be the second-highest score of the innings and the last boundary came in the 27th over, as Scotland bowled tight lines and fielded well on long boundaries. Mishra was again the only player to offer a decent tally as he scored his second consecutive fifty but Kenya were bowled out with 21 balls to spare.Netherlands, who play WCL Championship leaders Ireland in two crucial qualifiers next week in Amstelveen, are a point behind Scotland in third, while fourth-placed Afghanistan can make up the four-point gap when they play Namibia next month. Scotland have played 12 games, two games more than the rest, and have to take on Ireland in the final round of fixtures in September. Kenya, in fifth, cannot finish in the top two but will seek a measure of revenge in the first of two T20s in Aberdeen on Thursday.

England are a win away from securing their seventh consecutive home one-day series victory

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan03-Jul-2012

Match Facts

July 4, Edgbaston
Start time 2.00pm (1300 GMT)Xavier Doherty is under pressure to provide control for Australia’s attack•Getty Images

The Big Picture

England are a win away from securing their seventh consecutive one-day series title at home and, if they achieve that at Edgbaston, it will also give them a new record of nine ODI victories on the bounce. Whatever problems exist overseas, they are tough to beat at home.Their wins against Australia at Lord’s and The Oval were impressive all-round displays and showed how England are becoming more confident, whether they bat or bowl first. They have gambled somewhat with five frontline bowlers, leaving Tim Bresnan at No. 7, but so far neither West Indies nor Australia have knocked over the top order to test the strength of what follows.There is no great secret to England’s success with at least one top-order batsman in every match making a sizable contribution. It was an area both Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur indentified as why Australia are struggling. Four of their batsmen have passed fifty so far in the series, but none have gone beyond Shane Watson’s 66.Australia are also in a muddle about their bowling attack. Mitchell Johnson’s poor comeback has added to the headaches, while Xavier Doherty is not close to matching Graeme Swann’s effectiveness. In this corresponding series two years ago, Australia left their revival too late to save the series and they will have to improve in all areas to keep this one alive into the weekend.

Form guide

(Completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWWW
Australia LLWLT

Watch out for…

Craig Kieswetter has taken a couple of superb catches in this series to remove David Warner and Peter Forrest but there remain question marks around his place in the team. He struggled to time the ball at Lord’s – although Eoin Morgan’s onslaught meant it was not costly – and did not face a ball at The Oval so, for the longer-term benefit of the team, it would be useful if he was needed to play a substantial innings. Although, if he is not needed, it means England’s top order is still doing the business.In the absence of his brother, Michael, David Hussey is crucial to Australia’s middle order. He was worked over by the short ball at Lord’s, but was just starting to motor at The Oval when a brilliant piece of fielding by Steven Finn sent him packing. However, it would benefit him if he was not left needing to improve a flagging run-rate when he came into bat.

Team news

England will not risk James Anderson if any doubts remain over his groin strain so Chris Woakes, who has been repeatedly drafted into the squad this season, is set to play his first ODI since facing Ireland last August. Jade Dernbach has been ruled out of the series with a side strain, although both he and Stuart Meaker were always going to miss this match because of Tom Maynard’s funeral.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steven Finn.Australia may consider an all-pace attack – leaving the spin to David Hussey and Michael Clarke – and Mitchell Johnson could make way for either James Pattinson or Ben Hilfenhaus. There is not much they can do with the batting.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Peter Forrest, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 David Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty.

Pitch and conditions

It rained on Tuesday and showers are forecast for match day as well, although it does not look like washout potential, which will be relief for Edgbaston after three abandoned days during the West Indies Test. After so much poor weather, the pitch could be on the slow side, while the day/night element may influence what happens at the toss.

Stats and trivia

• The teams have met eight times at Edgbaston, with England ahead 4-3 and one no result.
• That no-result was the most recent meeting, in 2005, when Simon Jones and Matthew Hayden went chest-to-chest ahead of the Ashes series.
• Jonathan Trott needs eight runs for 2000 in ODIs. Alastair Cook needs 49 for the same landmark.
• Brett Lee needs one wicket to become Australia’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs with 381, level with Glenn McGrath’s overall tally but one of McGrath’s came for the World XI in the 2004 tsunami fundraiser.

Quotes

“I’m sure they’ll fight back They’re the No. 1 team, so I’m sure they’re obviously going to come back strong – and we’re ready for that.”
“The exciting thing is we feel we haven’t played very good cricket yet, or as good cricket as we can. So that’s the opportunity we have for the next three games. The risk is you get on the bus and it’s a really quiet group and it’s down thinking ‘what do we do now’, but it’s really upbeat. There’s joking, there’s talking, there’s banter about what we can do differently, what we’re going to try, and that suggests to me there’s a team that certainly believes they can still come back and win this series.”

The ICC will look for sponsors for the DRS to overcome the financial hurdles that less wealthy cricket boards will face in implementing the cost-intensive referral system

Sharda Ugra in Hong Kong30-Jun-2011The ICC will look for sponsors for the DRS to overcome the financial hurdles that less wealthy cricket boards will face in implementing the cost-intensive referral system now mandatory in international cricket.”There is the possibility that we could raise a sponsor to cover the cost of the DRS,” ICC CEO, Haroon Lorgat, told ESPNcricinfo. The chief executives’ committee agreed on Monday to make a modified version of DRS mandatory in all internationals, with the use of the ball-tracking technology made optional, and Lorgat said he could see a situation “where we may well cover all costs of the technology”.The cost of the DRS is currently estimated at $5000 per day, with broadcasters, technology providers and home boards in a constant debate about who should bear the cost.The minimum requirements for the tweaked DRS are the expensive infra-red cameras and the audio tracking devices, and Lorgat said the resulting uniformity – which doesn’t exist in ball-tracking technology – was adequate to seek commercial support for the system. “It is still sufficient to be able to commercialise it and find a sponsor that would be interested.”The uneven acceptance of the DRS in the past, with the BCCI resisting its implementation in bilateral series involving India, had made financial backing for the system difficult, Lorgat said. “You cannot sell a product if there’s uncertainty around its use and that was a stumbling block in the past.”Lorgat said he did not believe that the new ruling, which omitted the ball-tracker technology from the list of mandatory requirements, would make the system inconsistent. The ICC, he said, had worked its way through a process that had begun with differences over an aspect of the review system and was keen to address the concerns of its doubters, in this case the BCCI. “It is incumbent on all of us who are trying to implement (it) and trying to find agreement to work towards getting there … if that means we have to convince certain people who are unconvinced about the accuracy and the reliability of the ball-tracking technology, that’s what we have agreed to do. But where we have got absolute agreement, we’ve all agreed to install that.”The question of using only one part of the ball-tracker technology, like the pitch mat to check where the ball had landed, was not raised, Lorgat said, “There wasn’t complete satisfaction with the use of the ball-tracking technology and we’ve just left that out.”The use of the ball-tracker based on bilateral agreements between boards, Lorgat said, would let those who believed in its veracity use the system. Over the next few months, he said the ICC would carry out an independent assessment to provide the back-up of the ball tracker’s accuracy and reliability. “I think we must just be patient for the next few months until we’ve done that exercise and hopefully we come to a point where everybody is satisfied with its accuracy.”The assessment, he said, would be thorough, because “if there are people who are happy or unhappy about the technology, we have got to disprove that and so I’m not keen to take (only) elements of it (the ball tracker) before we come up with a scientific evaluation.” He said there was no time-frame for this assessment of the ball tracker.

James Franklin fell one run short of becoming the first Gloucestershire player this season to hit a County Championship century

29-Jun-2010

ScorecardJames Franklin fell one run short of becoming the first Gloucestershire player this season to hit a County Championship century as his side took control of the game against Middlesex at Bristol. The New Zealand allrounder was caught off a top-edged pull shot for 99, his third score in the 90s this summer. But it set up a first-innings total of 404 for 8 and a lead of 168 going into the third day. Hamish Marshall contributed 68, Alex Gidman 61 and Chris Dent 53.It was a tough day in the field for Middlesex, who were without Owais Shah for much of it because of a back problem. Pedro Collins also suffered a back injury when diving for a ball, but was able to take the second new ball after treatment. Gloucestershire began on 81 for 2 and progressed sedately as overnight batsmen Marshall and Dent consolidated with half-centuries. Marshall was first to his fifty off 75 balls, with seven fours and a six.England Under-19 player Dent has played some valuable innings in his first season of championship cricket and the left-hander again showed good temperament in facing 112 deliveries for his half-century, which featured six fours and a six. The partnership of 126 was broken when Dent fended a chest-high ball from Toby Roland-Jones to Scott Newman at short square-leg.That brought in skipper Gidman, who helped take the total to 193 for 3 at lunch. Marshall then fell to the second ball of the afternoon session, bowled pushing forward to Neil Dexter without addition to the score. When Chris Taylor was also bowled, shouldering arms in Dexter’s next over it was 199 for 5 and Gloucestershire were still 37 behind.But Gidman was well set and reached his fifty off 86 balls, with eight fours as he and Franklin produced a partnership of 76 to put their side 39 runs ahead. It ended when the captain played across a topspinner from Dawid Malan and departed lbw. Middlesex immediately took the second new ball, but neither Collins nor Tim Murtagh could force another breakthrough.At tea it was 319 for 6, with Franklin on 45. Jon Lewis made a valuable 30 and by the time he was run out by bowler Tom Smith attempting a suicidal single Gloucestershire’s lead was 88.Franklin hit five fours in a composed 87-ball fifty and then added two sixes. He looked sure to reach three figures when miscuing a short ball from Dexter and watching in horror as Smith claimed a good catch at deep square. Gloucestershire still went on to maximum batting points and look well placed to boost their promotion challenge.

Sri Lanka captain and debutant revive team from early collapse, but England unbeaten at close

Andrew Miller21-Aug-2024England 22 for 0 (Duckett 13*, Lawrence 9*) trail Sri Lanka 236 (de Silva 74, Rathnayake 72, Woakes 3-32) by 214 runsDhananjaya de Silva justified his own decision to bat first with a gutsy 74 from 84 balls, while Milan Rathnayake followed his captain’s lead with a startlingly composed knock of 72 from 135 balls, the highest by a debutant at No.9 in Test history. Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, however, even those exceptional efforts couldn’t quite atone for a dreadful top-order collapse that had handed England control of the first Test by stumps on day one at Emirates Old Trafford.By the time Vishwa Fernando was last man out, run out for 13 from 61 balls in an innings that echoed his famous tail-end defiance in partnership with Kusal Perera at Durban in 2019, Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 236 in gloomy half-light that had caused England to rely exclusively on spin bowling for the final hour of their bowling stint – an early challenge for Ollie Pope’s tactical acumen on his first day as Ben Stokes’ captaincy stand-in.And, even though that total was seemingly below-par on a hard and dry surface that Pope anticipated would stay true for the first half of the match at least, it was riches compared to what had been anticipated after the first half-hour of the contest. At that point, Sri Lanka’s innings had been in tatters at 6 for 3 after seven overs, with all three wickets falling in the space of ten deliveries to Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes.Related

• Dhananjaya: Sri Lanka wanted extra warm-up but were denied

• Pope vows to lean on Stokes as he begins stand-in captaincy reign

• Lawrence accepts his top billing even as middle-order wait goes on

• What does Bazball without Ben Stokes look like? We're about to find out

• Jayasuriya: 'Karunaratne is a strong-minded player. He can do something major on this tour'

The first blow was landed by Atkinson, who had limited Dimuth Karunaratne to a solitary scoring stroke in his first 17 deliveries, only for the batter to fluff his first shot in anger, a swish across the line to a well-directed lifter. Four balls later, Nishan Madushka’s early discipline also deserted him as Woakes served up a juicy outswinger that he could only scuff straight to Joe Root at first slip, who clung on in the heel of his palms.And with the final ball of the same over, Woakes had his second courtesy of a ghastly misjudgement from Angelo Mathews. The hero of the 2014 series win was gone for a five-ball duck, burning a review in the process as he offered no stroke to an inducker that was shown to be hitting the top of middle.Kusal and Chandimal showed some gumption in a limited counterattack, with the first five boundaries of the innings all coming in the space of 12 balls, four of them to Kusal off Matthew Potts, whose wide angle into the stumps offered the chance to free the hands through the off-side, and who would finish as the attack’s weakest link with 48 runs from his nine overs.But, after limping to drinks on 37 for 3, there was another challenge waiting for the second hour. Wood tore into his opening spell with typical gusto, and struck with his seventh ball – a gruesomely quick lifter to Kusal that crashed into his left thumb and looped to Harry Brook at second slip. Much like the snorter that broke Kevin Sinclair’s wrist in the West Indies series, Kusal left the crease wringing his hand, and looking in urgent need of an ice-pack at the very least.Out came de Silva to shore up the listing innings, but with lunch approaching, his measured stand of 32 in seven overs with Chandimal was undone in cruel and unusual fashion. Shoaib Bashir entered the attack for an exploratory pre-lunch spell, and struck in his second over with an unplayable daisycutter, reminiscent of Nasser Hussain’s viral moment against Carl Hooper in Trinidad in 1998. Though Chandimal gambled on the review, hoping against hope that he’d been struck outside the line, Bashir’s sheepish appeal and celebration could have told him everything he needed to know.That would, however, be the nadir of Sri Lanka’s innings. De Silva himself grew into his role either side of the lunch break, farming the strike well in between a diet of eight well-struck boundaries, each of them showcasing his sharp footwork and delicate balance, not to mention his pre-toss faith in the surface’s true nature.Though there would be some more guileless dismissals to come – with both Kamindu Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya snicking off with uncertain footwork after Woakes and Atkinson had varied their lines and lengths – Rathnayake would not prove quite so gullible in his shot selection.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Despite channelling a bashful schoolboy while being presented with his Test cap by Kumar Sangakkara before the start of play, Sri Lanka’s debutant was more than man enough to withstand England’s eager attempts to dislodge him. His first role was to act as de Silva’s doughty sidekick, which he did to superb effect, picking off the first of his four fours in an eighth-wicket stand of 63.And then, when disaster had seemingly struck just before tea, with de Silva fencing a Bashir offbreak to Lawrence at leg slip to leave his team on 176 for 8, Rathnayake took up the cudgels for his team with impressive results. Despite boasting a previous best of 59 in 52 previous first-class innings, he picked the perfect moments to cut loose, first with a lusty swing over long-on to reach his half-century, and then a sweet drill over long-off to move along to a new career-high.England did at one stage attempt to bring Wood back into the attack to break up his burgeoning 50-run stand with Vishwa, but with his jumper halfway over his shoulders, the umpires stepped in to insist that the light was too poor for the pace bowlers. And though it took a while, Bashir eventually did the needful, tempting Rathnayake into one lofted launch too many, as Woakes back-pedalled at mid-off to end his fun.With half-an-hour to the close, Sri Lanka also turned instantly to slow bowling as the reply got underway, with two spinners sharing the new ball in a men’s Test in England for only the second time since 1970. With Lawrence opening the batting in place of Zak Crawley, he and Ben Duckett showed the probable riches still on offer in the surface, in clattering along to 22 for 0 in four overs.Prior to the start of play, both sides lined up on the outfield for a tribute to the late Graham Thorpe, who died on August 4, aged 55. England will be wearing black armbands throughout the match in memory of an England great who averaged 44.66 in a 100-Test career, and went on to play a key role as a batting mentor to many of the current team, including Pope, Root and Stokes.

Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma win Test player of the year and ODI player of the year awards respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2023Quicks Anrich Nortje and Shabnim Ismail were named South Africa’s men’s and women’s cricketer of the year respectively at the Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards that were held in Midrand on Friday. The pair had previously won big at the CSA awards in 2021. In all, this was the third time that Ismail had taken top honours.The recently-retired Ismail had picked up eight wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 5.86 in South Africa’s run to a home T20 World Cup final in February. Nortje has been a strike force for South Africa across formats while his partner-in-crime Kagiso Rabada was named men’s Test cricketer of the year. Temba Bavuma scooped up the men’s ODI player of the year award while the men’s T20I award went to Reeza Hendricks who had struck back-to-back half-centuries against West Indies at home in March.Related

• Shabnim Ismail retires from international cricket

Nonkululeko Mlaba was named women’s T20I player of the year while Laura Wolvaardt claimed the women’s ODI player of the year award. Mlaba, 23, often fronts up to bowl in the powerplay in T20Is and in the home T20 World Cup earlier this year, she came away with six wickets in as many games at an average of 24.16 and a strike rate of 6.59.The MLC-bound Gerald Coetzee was adjudged men’s newcomer of the year. Coetzee had made both his Test and ODI debuts in March this year. In only his second Test, the 22-year-old fast bowler bagged a match haul of six wickets to cap South Africa’s home Test summer and their World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a 284-run victory over West Indies in Johannesburg. Coetzee was also Faf du Plessis’ go-to bowler at Joburg Super Kings during the inaugural SA20 earlier this year.”On behalf of Cricket South Africa, I would like to congratulate all the winners on their awards,” Chief Executive Officer Pholetsi Moseki said. “There were so many strong performances and outstanding candidates for awards over the past season; it really made the task of the judges exceptionally tough.”We have seen a real improvement of all our national teams over the past season, the proof of which are in the results.”

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: NATIONAL

SA Women’s Player of the Year: Shabnim Ismail
Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Laura Wolvaardt
Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
SA Men’s Player of the Year: Anrich Nortje
Test Player of the Year: Kagiso Rabada
ODI Player of the Year: Temba Bavuma
T20I Cricketer of the Year: Reeza Hendricks

International Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Gerald Coetzee

SA Men Players’ Player of the Year: David Miller

SA Fans’ Player of the Year: Sinalo Jafta
Best Delivery Fuelled by KFC: Kagiso Rabada

The first-class competition will resume after the IPL in a bio-bubble, with the final scheduled for June 20-24

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2022Bengaluru will host the Ranji Trophy knockouts from June 4, with the final scheduled to run from June 20-24, in a bio-bubble.It is understood that there will be no mandatory quarantine, but all teams will have to arrive with a negative RT-PCR test.Forty-one-time Ranji champions Mumbai will face Uttarakhand while Karnataka are pitted against Uttar Pradesh. Bengal will face Jharkhand and Punjab will run into Madhya Pradesh in the other two quarter-finals. Both the semi-finals are then scheduled for June 12-16 following three days of rest.The first phase of the Ranji Trophy, which consisted of the league phase and one pre-quarter final, was held before the start of IPL 2022. The Ranji Trophy was shelved in 2020-21 because of the pandemic. It was the first time that India’s premier first-class competition had not featured in the calendar since its inception in the 1934-35 season.

Ranji knockouts schedule

June 4-8, First quarter-final: Bengal vs Jharkhand
June 4-8, Second quarter-final: Mumbai vs Uttarakhand
June 4-8, Third quarter-final: Karnataka vs UP

June 4-8, Fourth quarter-final: Punjab vs MP
June 12-16, First semi: Winner of QF1 vs QF4
June 12-16, Second semi: Winner of QF2 vs QF3
June 20-24: Final

He also isn’t too perturbed about talks around having to deal with the short-pitched stuff from Australia’s quicks

Shashank Kishore22-Nov-2020Rohit Sharma is all but likely to partner Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order should he be cleared to fly for the Tests in Australia, but he isn’t too fussed over his batting position.”I will tell you the same thing that I have told everyone all this while. I will be happy to bat wherever the team wants me to, but I don’t know if they would change my role as an opener,” Sharma told PTI.Having started his career in the middle order, Sharma transitioned to become a Test opener during India’s home series against South Africa last year and found immediate success. He topped the series charts with 529 runs in four innings, including three centuries.The combined tally of 525 runs between Sharma and Agarwal across both innings of the first Test in Vizag is a national record, bettering the 414 by Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan. Along the way, Sharma also became the first Indian to score two centuries in his first Test as an opener, having slammed 176 and 127.After that, he opened just twice in the subsequent series against Bangladesh before an injury ruled him out of India’s most-recent Test series in New Zealand, which they lost 2-0 in February.”I am sure the guys already in Australia must have figured out what are the options when Virat [Kohli] leaves and who are the guys who will open the innings,” he said. “Once I reach there, I will probably have a clearer idea of what’s going to happen. I will be okay to bat wherever they want.”Sharma wasn’t included in the original Test squad for Australia due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the recent IPL in the UAE, which forced him to miss four games for the Mumbai Indians. He was, however, added to the Test squad once it emerged that his injury wasn’t that bad. He is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for rehabilitation. On Saturday, he said the “hamstring is feeling absolutely fine, just started the process of getting it nice and strong”.ALSO READ: Ian Chappell: Australia-India series might hinge on who makes better selectionsSharma had featured in just two of the four Tests on India’s previous tour to Australia in 2018-19, scoring a highest of 63 not out with India looking for a declaration in the first innings of the third Test in Melbourne. But having been on every tour to Australia since 2008 – where he first burst into the ODI scene with a match-winning partnership with Sachin Tendulkar in the first of the tri-series finals in Sydney – he felt the surfaces are a lot more batting-friendly now.”We talk about bounce, but except for Perth, over the past few years, the other grounds (Adelaide, MCG, SCG), I don’t think have that much bounce,” he said. “Nowadays, especially while opening the batting, I will have to think about not playing the cut or pull shots and focus on playing in the ‘V’ and as straight as possible.”Among the better players of the pull shot currently, Sharma isn’t too perturbed about talks around having to deal with the short-pitched stuff from Australia’s pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.”We talk about bounce on Australian tracks. But tell me how many people got out on bouncers during the last series?” he asked. “When we played in Perth in 2018-19, it was Nathan Lyon who got eight wickets including a five-for. In Australia, half the job is done if you can start well upfront.”With new ball, whoever bowls – whether it’s Starc, Cummins or Hazlewood – they will obviously pitch it up, swing the ball and the bouncer would be used sparingly. They would try to ensure with the new ball that they would get some movement off the air or off the pitch. With the new ball, everybody in the world loves to bowl up and send down one odd bouncer here and there. So majority of the deliveries will be up and towards the bat and not short.”Sharma admits playing red-ball cricket after more than a year would be a challenge, but the key is to not think too far ahead.”It’s going to be challenging. In general, international cricket is never easy, whichever format it is,” he said. “When you had such a long layoff [from international cricket], it becomes all the more difficult. So I would be focusing on basics of red-ball cricket and then you can top up with other things. That’s how I would like to take it forward. You can’t just jump the gun and think too far ahead.”