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Full transcript of Ashish Nehra’s post-match interview with host broadcaster Star Sports following his final international appearance

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-20172:13

‘Can’t wake up and train just for IPL’ – Nehra

Sanjay Manjrekar: It’s nice after retirement when you can take a lap of the ground, walking. You don’t have to run anymore and train for your next game.Ashish Nehra: I will miss all this. That’s what you train for. Like I have said earlier also, the one thing which will definitely be at peace and relaxed will be my body, because I really pushed myself. Earlier, I said I could have pushed myself for another couple of months or years, who knows? But I thought it’s the right time when you’re playing. You can’t get bigger than this or better than this when you’re retiring in blue clothes.Must also be a nice feeling to bowl the last over with 60 runs to win because that doesn’t happen very often in T20 cricket.I must be one bowler who bowled the last over most number of times for India. But maybe the pressure on those occasions was different, with 6, 8, 10 or 12 to defend. Today, there was no pressure. And it’s a good feeling. Virat was on my case from the last two-three overs to bowl one over; I said I’ll bowl the last one for sure.Your journey started in 1999. You almost went through two generations of Indian players. How did the game change from the time you started playing to now?It’s a big change. I have seen the last 18-19 years. I played my first game here in 1997, which was 20 years ago. And the game has changed drastically since then. The rules have changed and so many runs are being scored. But one thing’s for sure: this team is here to stay; doesn’t matter what the rules are, because this is an amazing team. Indian cricket is in good hands for the next six to eight years. I hate comparisons. It’s very difficult to compare that generation to this generation. Earlier also we had superb players; I can’t name one or two. I have played under Sourav Ganguly, MS [Dhoni], played with Sachin [Tendulkar]. All in all, it’s been a great journey.Your most memorable performances? What about against England in Durban where you took six wickets, because that is something that I remember especially.More than the performance, I would definitely say it’s a memory. In India, they remember your memories more. I was telling Viru earlier also; Viru scored so many runs, but when it comes to Virender Sehwag, people say , 300. Or you played so much cricket, but people will always remember that Pakistan double-hundred. So that is one memory with me. You could also say the Karachi last over [in 2004], or people will remember that Ashish Nehra bowled the last over when we lost against South Africa in the [2011] World Cup. So it’s difficult to pick one performance.Sometimes you bowl 10-20 overs and pick one wicket or you don’t pick even a single wicket. But when you go back to your room, you feel today I have bowled well and I’m comfortable. At times, you pick wickets even off a full-toss or because somebody takes a brilliant catch. Those things will always be there, but as a cricketer, ultimately it’s on you when you stand in front of the mirror to realise how well you’re doing or what else you can do.In my case, with my body – I had so many injuries and so many surgeries. So many people have asked me, ‘definitely you would have liked to play more Test cricket?’ And I always say, yeah, but it’s up to you how you see it: glass half-full or half-empty. I played my last Test match 13 years back when I was 24 or 25, but that’s a part of life. In the end, I don’t think there’s anyone more fortunate than me, standing here retiring after 18-19 years at your home ground in blue clothes. I have no regrets.And look at the crowd as well. They were so happy for you when you bowled the final over as well. They were right into it, so this is a great end. Not too many people have the kind of privilege you had today.I just want to thank the crowd. They have been great supporters of Indian cricket. I have been playing on this ground for the last 20 years, they have been great supporters throughout.Well done, Ashish, and have a happy retired life. Enjoy yourself.Thank you very much. I am always happy, retired or otherwise.

It appeared Jake Ball’s chances of playing the first Test had disappeared when he rolled his ankle in Adelaide, but he could still pip Craig Overton to the final bowling slot

George Dobell in Townsville17-Nov-2017Jake Ball is giving himself “a great chance to play” in the first Ashes Test, according to England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace.Ball looked as if he had slipped out of contention after he sustained a sprained ankle while bowling in the first innings of England’s warm-up match in Adelaide last week. He subsequently left the ground on crutches and was seen wearing a ‘moon boot’ in the last couple of days.Now Farbrace has revealed that the “aggressive” manner in which England’s medical team treated Ball’s injury – which was diagnosed as strained ligaments in his right ankle – might have made it appear worse than it actually is and that he retains realistic hopes of playing in the first Test at the Gabba that starts next Thursday.To that end, he appeared as a substitute fielder in Townsville on Friday and, between further stints as a substitute, will bowl 15 overs in the nets on Saturday in an attempt to prove his fitness.”We wanted Ball to get some time in the field,” Farbrace said. “If he’s going to be available to play next week, he has to spend some time on the field. So we told the umpires Alastair Cook has an upset stomach – and he does have a slightly upset stomach – so Ball can get on the field.”He bowled in the nets today and he will bowl 15 overs in the nets tomorrow. He therefore gives himself a great chance to play next week. He is absolutely, definitely in the mix for the first Test.”England were clearly impressed by Ball in the opening days of the tour. He was, James Anderson apart, the most impressive of the bowlers in Perth where he generated decent pace – Jonny Bairstow, the keeper, said he was the quickest of the England bowlers – and hit a perfect length. It does appear that, if he can prove his fitness, he may be England’s first choice option for the fourth seamer spot.James Anderson also bowled in the nets on Friday and is expected to bowl 15 overs in the nets on Saturday. “We’ve no doubts about him,” Farbrace said.Ball’s re-emergence as an option would appear to spell bad news for Craig Overton. Overton has bowled increasingly well on the tour so far, mixing decent control with a sharp bouncer. England experimented with him bowling round the wicket with a leg gully, short leg and two men out for the hook towards the close on Friday evening and, although it proved an expensive spell, he generated sharp pace from a docile surface.He has had something of a nightmare with the bat, though, thereby losing one of his potential advantages over Ball. Overton was dismissed first ball on Friday, meaning he has been out for a duck in each of his three innings on this tour.”It was a pretty awful dismissal,” Farbrace said. “It was a short ball he should have hit over the trees. But he’s turned it into short leg’s box. Not ideal. You can’t say he’s out of form as he’s only faced 13 balls in three innings.”But he’s here for his bowling – which has been outstanding – and any runs he contributes is a bonus.”Farbrace was not especially impressed by England’s cricket on Friday. While Dawid Malan completed his first century in an England shirt and the side passed 500, Farbrace was disappointed by a series of “soft” dismissals that saw them lost five wickets for 38 runs at one stage.”It was a bit of a mixed day,” he said. “We’ve had two really good days but today we’ve slipped a fraction from the standards we would have expected. We got ourselves in a good position in the game but in terms of going into next week we have not quite been as good as we could have been.”There were one or two soft dismissals. The lads have worked hard – they’re not machines; they make mistakes – so perhaps it’s a good timely reminder that we have to be on our game all the time. It’s quite a good reminder with the Test starting next week that we’ve got to be fully focused every day and every session.”

The opener became the first batsman to make three T20I hundreds and lifted New Zealand to their highest total as West Indies ended a horror tour with no wins

The Report by Varun Shetty03-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Colin Munro became the first batsman to make three centuries in T20 internationals as he laid the foundation for New Zealand’s battering of West Indies by 119 runs in their final match of the tour at Mount Maunganui. The left-handed opener followed up his two fifties from the previous games with a 53-ball 104 as the hosts swept the series 3-0. West Indies failed to register a single win on a New Zealand tour for the first time since 1999-00.West Indies began much like they have begun all series – by feeding New Zealand everything they wanted. This time, Martin Guptill – who had made two single-digit scores previously – made use of the offerings too. He provided a scintillating start to the match, getting forward to the first ball and caressing an outswinger from Jerome Taylor wide of mid-off. He finished that over with an expert dab to beat short fine leg, and from there the carnage began.Colin Munro soaks in his third T20I hundred•Getty Images

Carlos Brathwaite entrusted his spinners with keeping New Zealand quiet in the Powerplay. Samuel Badree’s first ball was an early indicator of what was to come. The legspinner dropped one short and down the leg side, and Munro duly wafted it over the long leg boundary. He crunched Taylor over midwicket with a slog, and when Ashley Nurse replaced him from the other end, he welcomed him with boundaries on either side of extra-cover. By this point, he was set up to better his career boundary rate – he hit a four or six approximately once every five balls before this match – for the rest of his innings.Guptill wasn’t as destructive, but he kept up the pace that allowed the openers to put up a century stand and get to their respective fifties inside ten overs. With the pitch offering nothing, West Indies’ bowling was reduced to offerings of straight balls at different paces. The spinners didn’t attempt to slow their pace down, and on the rare occasions that they tried it, Guptill had no problems hitting them through the line. The pain of conceding 51 runs in five overs of spin was momentarily alleviated when Brathwaite’s first over – the eighth of the innings – went for only seven runs. A West Indies bowler had finally avoided being hit for a boundary first ball.But all of 36-year-old debutant Rayad Emrit’s experience couldn’t help him or West Indies keep that up. He started with two overpitched balls on the pads; Munro flicked the first one over square leg to bring up fifty, and carted the next over midwicket. It was more of the same for the rest of the innings. Brathwaite’ only conceded one boundary off the bat in his next over, but went for 22 anyway. Length balls kept coming into Munro and he kept putting them away, evidenced by a wagon wheel that showed 55 runs in the midwicket and long-on regions.Guptill survived a caught-behind appeal in the 11th over, first on-field, and then on the review despite a mysterious disturbance on the audio check for the edge. It was against one of the few yorkers West Indies bowled, and it came from Nurse. Guptill edged Emrit to the keeper in the next over.New Zealand managed a half-century stand for the second wicket, as a modified middle order added quick runs around Munro’s march towards a record hundred. Each of them managed to hit a six – Kane Williamson’s loft over long-on was the most handsome one of the innings – as New Zealand made 243, their highest score in T20Is.West Indies’ propensity for poor starts seeped into their batting as well. Chadwick Walton chased Tim Southee’s outswinger with hard hands and chipped one to cover first ball of the innings. Five balls later, Southee lifted a short ball up at Chris Gayle, trapping the batsman with his gloves covering his throat and his eyes looking at the floor; the ball lobbed up for wicketkeeper Tom Phillips and both openers were gone for ducks.Rovman Powell was promoted to No. 4 to cover for Shai Hope, who had damaged a ligament in his right shoulder while diving in the field. The immediate effect of that change was Trent Boult going for 17 in a disastrous first over, in which he bowled back-to-back no-balls, followed by Southee conceding 19 to Andre Fletcher and Powell in his second over.Williamson did what Brathwaite had done earlier, and brought Anaru Kitchen on to bowl his left-arm spin. He got one to straighten off the pitch and take the top-edge as Powell swiped across the line. Shimron Hetmyer began brightly, hitting Mitchell Santner for six next over, but was run out minutes later, Fletcher’s ball-watching causing just enough indecision to leave them both hopping aimlessly outside their creases.The visitors threw in one final effort to come close to the target, hitting through the line like Munro and Guptill had as they monopolised the cover boundary to make 24 off the seven balls following Hetmyer’s wicket. The introduction of Ish Sodhi’s legspin put the brakes on that streak. He went for just two off his first over, and bowled Fletcher with a googly when he heaved at him to relieve the pressure created by a tight over from Santner at the other end. The end was swift from there on, with West Indies folding in the 17th over. Boult and Southee dipped into the West Indies wicket pool for one last time as New Zealand completed their biggest T20 win.

Apartheid denied him a chance to play for South Africa, and he went on to captain Netherlands in the 1982 ICC Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2018Sulaiman ‘Dik’ Abed, the prolific South African allrounder who went on to captain Netherlands in the 1980s, died on Friday in the Netherlands aged 73.He was the youngest of five brothers, all of whom were talented sportsmen. But his cricket career coincided with Apartheid, as a result of which he never got to play for South Africa. The South African Cricket Association (SACA) did ask Abed and another player of colour, the left-arm spinner Owen Williams, to join the team for a tour of Australia in 1971-72 but the government refused to let them go. In any case, both of them declined the offer, and the entire tour fell by the wayside.Abed, known as a capable batsman and a fast bowler with a fine legcutter, gained a lot of his acclaim playing in the Lancashire Leagues in England, scoring more than 5000 runs and taking over 800 wickets over a 10-year period from 1967 to 1976. At home, he represented the Western Province Cricket Board with great distinction.Abed eventually settled in the Netherlands and led the team in the ICC Trophy in England in 1982. He also attended several trials with English counties but never got the opportunity to play first-class cricket.CSA’s acting chief executive Thabang Moroe paid tribute to Abed: “On behalf of the CSA Family I extend our deepest condolences to his family, his friends and his many cricketing colleagues. He was an outstanding all-rounder who, like many before and after him, was denied the opportunity to play on the international stage that his talents merited.”

With centuries from Liam Banks and Will Jacks, England handed Canada a 282-run drubbing to now face Australia in the quarter-final

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2018Liam Banks guides the ball into the off side•ICC/Getty Images

England romped to their third straight massive win on the back of centuries from Liam Banks and Will Jacks, and confirmed their quarter-final berth. England handed Canada a 282-run drubbing, which meant Bangladesh also qualified from Group C and will play India in the quarter-final. England, on the other hand, will face Australia.England made the most of being asked to bat when openers Tom Banton (27) and Banks put on 54 in under seven overs. Once Banton was caught behind, Banks and Jacks combined for 27.2 overs to score 186 runs at nearly seven runs per over. Jacks was slightly quicker of the two in his 102 off 82 balls that included 11 fours, to score his third 50-plus score in his last five Youth ODIs. Banks, on the other hand, hammered 12 fours and a six in his 120 off 114. Offspinner Tiaan Pretorius dismissed both batsmen within a span of five overs before Jack Davies struck a quickfire 57 off 36 to rally them from 263 to when he was their seventh wicket to fall at 373 in the penultimate over. They eventually finished on a massive 383 for 7.Pretorius finished with 3 for 69 and medium-pacer Faisal Jamkhandi also chipped in with as many wickets but conceded at more than seven runs per over.Canada never got going in the steep chase. England’s opening bowlers did the early damage when Roman Walker dismissed both openers and Adam Finch got rid of middle-order batsmen Akash Gill and Kevin Singh for ducks to leave Canada reeling on 20 for 4. They crossed 50 after a brief period of resistance but left-arm spinner Prem Sisodiya stifled the lower order with three wickets and four maidens to finish with an impressive 10-4-23-3. Captain Arslan Khan just about managed to help them cross 100 but he retired hurt for 21 and Canada were bowled out for 101 in 31.5 overs.

Cricket Australia’s chief executive has put the national team on notice to improve its on-field behaviour, acknowledging the widespread discontent among cricket followers about the way the Durban Test played out

Daniel Brettig in Port Elizabeth09-Mar-20180:49

Start of Warner-de Kock clash revealed

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has put the national team on notice to improve its on-field behaviour, after the CA board discussed the unsavoury events of the Durban Test match.While David Warner has hung on to the vice-captaincy after his ICC sanction for bringing the game into disrepute alongside Quinton de Kock, captain Steven Smith and coach Darren Lehmann have been reminded of the behavioural standards expected of their team, not only in accordance with cricket’s laws and the ICC code of conduct but also the spirit of the game.At the same time, Sutherland acknowledged widespread discontent among cricket followers about the way the Kingsmead Test played out in terms of behaviour.”The events of day four in Durban have unfortunately marred an otherwise very good Test match and a dominant performance by the Australian men’s team,” Sutherland said. “CA supports the sanctions imposed on players from both teams by the ICC, and commends match referee Jeff Crowe for his handling of a difficult situation.”CA has reminded the team of the standards of behaviour expected of players representing Australia. Those standards are spelled out in the ICC Code of Conduct and also the Preamble to the Laws of Cricket. As the Preamble states, cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its laws, but also within the Spirit of the Game.”This includes the need to be respectful of opponents, and CA expects this to be observed by players at all times. Unfortunately neither team met this standard in Durban. The Australian team understands that fans expect better.”Lehmann had defended Warner most ardently, saying he “did the right thing” in response to de Kock’s words in the Durban stairwell. “When it crossed the line he defended his family and women in general, so from my point of view I thought he did the right thing,” Lehmann told . “Obviously not a great look with the CCTV, if he had his time again it’d be different, but he’s still going to defend his family, and it’s pretty offensive what was said to him. So for him to cop a lot of criticism I think’s unwarranted.”Sutherland said that Australia’s “highly competitive” game style would not change, and that in ICC code of conduct terms, Smith’s team has maintained a fair disciplinary record since the introduction of the demerit points system in 2016. After accepting his ICC sanction on Wednesday, Warner will spend the next two years being only one disciplinary infringement away from a ban.”Australia has always prided itself on taking a highly competitive approach to international cricket. This will not change, however, CA is confident that what occurred in Durban will remain an aberration,” Sutherland said.”Under the period of the current team leadership, Australian players have received fewer sanctions under the ICC Code of Conduct than players from the majority of the nine top-ranked Test-playing nations. CA is confident that the rest of the series in South Africa will be remembered for enthralling cricket played in the right spirit by both teams.”Warner has also made a public apology for his actions. “I just want to apologise for the way it played out,” he told CA’s website. “I regret that
situation that happened. I’m sorry for the people I may have let down, our fans and people back home. and even my family. But at the end of the day when there’s a vile comment that’s made I’ll keep continuing to stick up for my family because that’s the most important thing to me.”

As one of the most competitive ICC tournaments in recent times comes to a close, we take a look at four big talking points from the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2018The Associates can compete with Test teamsThere were three victories and one tie for Associates over Test teams in the tournament. Scotland beat Afghanistan and tied their group game against Zimbabwe; Hong Kong upset Afghanistan in the group stages; and then UAE, ranked 14th in the ICC ODI rankings, beat Zimbabwe in a crunch Super Six game, knocking them out of the tournament. The tournament was more competitive than many expected, with 13 victories for lower-ranked teams against higher-ranked ones and every team winning at least one game.
This meant there were no easy rides to the World Cup. Before the tournament, West Indies were heavy favourites to qualify, with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan expected to duel for the second qualifying spot. But West Indies were left staring at an early exit when they fell behind in a tight Super Six game against Scotland – they eventually won by five runs on the DLS method. Afghanistan just about made it to the Super Six round after two losses to Associates in the group stages. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s tie against Scotland and shock loss to UAE left them out of the World Cup for the first time since their first appearance in 1983.Nepal’s win over PNG and Hong Kong’s loss to Netherlands secured them ODI status•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nepal’s remarkable rise culminates in ODI statusAs recently as 2010, Nepal were playing in the sixth tier of world cricket. In less than a decade, they have risen to become one of 16 teams with official ODI status. They made the final step in the World Cup Qualifier, beating Hong Kong to finish fourth in their group and then Papua New Guinea in a playoff match to guarantee an eighth-place finish and with it ODI status. They will now be an ODI team until at least 2022, and while this does not guarantee fixtures against Full Members, it is a remarkable achievement.Crowds prove cricket is still alive in ZimbabweIt has been 15 years since Zimbabwe hosted a major ICC tournament, and there has been a steady decline in their cricket since, causing concern over the future of the sport there. But the crowds throughout the World Cup Qualifiers ranged from encouraging to vociferous, especially when the home side was in action. Attendances were so good, tournament organizers were forced to move a crucial game between Zimbabwe and Scotland from the smaller Bulawayo Athletic Club to the better-equipped Queens Sports Club. They were rewarded with a thrilling tie.

With a number of games not being televised, fans took to social media to give a sense of the atmosphere at the grounds during Zimbabwe’s games. Merna Cremer, wife of Zimbabwean captain Graeme Cremer, became a minor celebrity among cricket fans when she live-tweeted scores from the Scotland game during a long powercut at the ground, a period when nobody, not even the ICC, had updates to share.Playing conditions come under scrutinySince not every game was being televised, the ICC decided not to implement the DRS during the tournament, despite there being World Cup spots at stake. Scotland were left bemused after two crucial decisions went against them and played a significant role in their narrowly missing out on qualification.Another questionable move was not having reserve days for any of the matches. The tournament was played in the middle of Zimbabwe’s wet season, and both the West Indies-Scotland and Zimbabwe-UAE Super Six games were affected by rain. Interestingly, Scotland had qualified for the 2015 World Cup after winning a crucial Super Six game on a reserve day, but were denied by the lack of one this time around. The ICC’s decision to cut the number of teams in the World Cup from 14 to 10 had already caused disgruntlement among lower-ranked teams and Associates, and that this tournament did not have some of the playing conditions other ICC events do only heightened that ire.

Banger became Becks at Old Trafford and a broken metatarsal will have the whole of Somerset fearing for the future of their favourite son

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford04-May-2018
ScorecardUntil just before three o’clock on the first day of this game one of England’s best and best-loved cricketers was enjoying yet another lovely afternoon. Once again Marcus Trescothick was holding a Somerset innings together. He had batted with increasing assurance against a Lancashire attack including Jimmy Anderson and was only five runs short of his 96th century in all top-level cricket. Then Trescothick played defensively to a ball from Matt Parkinson and collapsed at the crease with what was later confirmed as a broken fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot.Scarcely half a mile from the other Old Trafford he had sustained an injury made famous by one of English football’s more famous sons. Though we didn’t know it, Banger had become Becks.After treatment on the field Trescothick carried on batting and managed to garner the runs he needed for his hundred. However, clearly tethered by pain, he was caught at the wicket off the very next ball and hobbled off Emirates Old Trafford accompanied by his runner, Matt Renshaw, and the good wishes of everyone in the game.”Marcus will be out for the foreseeable future but it’s too early to say whether he’ll be back later in the season,” said the Somerset coach Jason Kerr. “We need to get clarity on the extent of the fracture. If it’s a clean break, it’s just a few weeks’ recovery and then we’ll get him back on his feet. He’s broken his metatarsal so we’ll be calling him Beckham from now on.”Yet while this day will undoubtedly be seen as an unpleasant setback in the late career of one of Somerset’s most steadfast servants, it might be scarcely less significant in the development of one of the county’s youngest talents. Barely two hours after Trescothick had left the field George Bartlett was celebrating his maiden century in only his 11th first-class innings.Having added 134 for the second wicket with his very senior colleague, Bartlett took on a more dominant role, first by lifting Matt Parkinson straight for six and then by accumulating the runs which took him to three figures in 189 balls. It was tempting to think that a mantle was being passed from one generation to the next.The long-term consequences of Trescothick and Bartlett’s experiences at Old Trafford this lovely Friday afternoon have yet to unfold. For the moment they have certainly put their team in a commanding position in this game. Although Bartlett was eventually brilliantly caught by second slip Liam Livingstone off Joe Mennie for 110, his team ended the day on 321 for five, their satisfaction only slightly impaired by the dismissal of Steve Davies, who was caught down the leg side off Jordan Clark’s final ball of the day.The loss of Matt Renshaw for 21 and James Hildreth for five could be viewed as acceptable damage. Only the persevering Mennie had taken more than one wicket. Anderson had dyed his hair some variety of blond and bowled from his own End but had really made no other impression on events. The Somerset skipper Tom Abell finished the day on 48 not out and his confident side clearly have power to add.As the day ended it was testing to recall that it had begun with the news that Haseeb Hameed had been dropped for the first time in his Lancashire career. But while Hameed was adjusting to not appearing in what would have been his 47th first-class match, another England opener, Trescothick, was preparing for his 378th. You do not need to hail from Combe Florey or Stogumber to hope that there are still a few more to come.

The allrounder takes over the leadership from Kumar Sangakkara after missing the previous season because of a doping ban

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2018West Indies allrounder Andre Russell will lead two-time Caribbean Premier League champions Jamaica Tallawahs during the 2018 season. Russell, who missed the previous season because of a doping violation that earned him a year-long ban, will take over from Kumar Sangakkara. The former Sri Lanka captain led the franchise to the Eliminator in 2017.”It’s a good feeling, honestly, I missed out last year due to one-year suspension. I’m looking forward to it,” Russell said. “Not just looking forward to play but looking forward to being the captain for the Jamaica Tallawahs, as well and looking forward to doing a good job.”Russell has been fairly busy since his suspension ended in January, having played an entire season for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL despite a hamstring niggle. Russell’s addition lent Knight Riders depth, with the allrounder scoring 316 runs in 14 innings, apart from picking up 13 wickets.Apart from Russell, Tallawahs’ roster is full of big names including Ross Taylor, David Miller and the Pakistan allrounders Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.”We have a very good, balanced team. We have a team that is not just about the names, it’s all about what they can do as well and how quickly they can change the game,” Russell said. “I truly believe in allrounders in T20 cricket and I think that’s what we have. I think we have guys that can bat and bowl and once you have eight guys in a team that can do that, I think you have a good team on paper.”He was particularly excited to be captaining a T20 stalwart like Afridi, who continues to be a regular in franchise T20 leagues despite having retired from international cricket.”It’s going to be interesting, I’ve played against Shahid before, he’s a good guy. Even in Dubai after we played, we went out on a boat together, we just enjoy each other’s company,” Russell said. “To be around a guy like Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad and all these guys, it just show a different type of how they live, and how simple they are apart from the game.”But, it’s good to have [Afridi] in the CPL this year and not just playing against him, playing with him as well, because I hope I can learn a few things and take it along with me.”Russell has a few personal targets for the tournament, but doesn’t want to make it public. “I always set personal goals but I don’t let it out loud because I don’t want to say I want 20 wickets, 30 wickets and I only get 10,” he said. “It’s always good to have your personal goals but I don’t like to say it out loud. Every player want to get wickets, take a lot of catches, score runs, but I have my personal goals and I just hope I can achieve them.”

New captain says “win at all costs” posturing didn’t suit the characters that currently make up the Australian team

Daniel Brettig05-Jun-20181:28

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Langer has a picture of Steve Waugh in his bedroom’

“Berating and belittling” opponents is out of bounds in the new era of Australia’s cricketers according to their new captain Tim Paine, who has admitted that the side previously led by Steven Smith had at times been trying to live up to the perceived, ugly image of the national team rather than being themselves.The incoming coach Justin Langer has on several occasions spoken of the difference between banter and abuse on the cricket field but Paine, who was thrust into the captaincy amid the Newlands ball-tampering scandal that saw Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft banished from the team, has gone to another level of frankness to explain what would no longer be part of Australia’s tactical repertoire.Paine said that although the team had discussed pulling back from their aggressive ways prior to the South Africa series, they seemed to be set on an unpleasant path from the time that they took on a particularly hostile and “win at all costs” posture ahead of the home Ashes summer “because that’s what it feels like the public want”. Australia face England again in a looming ODI series with a vastly different understanding of the public’s expectations.”We border-lined on abuse and going too far,” Paine told Wisden Cricket Monthly. “We don’t want to be abusive by berating and belittling our opposition like at times we’ve attempted to. We want to be more respectful and we think we can still play hard and successful cricket doing it that way. Banter is part of the game but abuse isn’t. We want to be known as a competitive and hard team but we want to do it in a way that our fans and our public like. Through a really dark period is a silver lining that we get to reset that.”Under Steve, a few of us had sat around a few times with myself and a couple of the other guys and spoke about the need to change the way we were going about it at times. We felt we were getting a little bit too aggressive. We don’t want to pretend we are like ex-Australian cricketers. What we probably got caught up with over the years is trying to play a way that people have always perceived Australian teams to be, and that doesn’t suit this current side.”With the benefit of several months’ hindsight, Paine observed that a mentally stretched team’s best hope of winning the Test series in South Africa may well have been to take the opposite approach, conserving mental energy by avoiding unnecessary confrontation and concentrating all their efforts on bat and ball. This, however, would have been a major departure from the team’s recent history.Tim Paine during Australia’s pre-series training camp•Getty Images

“We should have recognised that guys were knackered and some of that energy could have been saved through not getting involved,” Paine said.”[Sledging] really does take its toll after a while, both on and off the field. Then there is media around it, you are in trouble with the umpires, there are meetings you need to go to for that. So, it spirals on and on. Whereas, if we can play the game hard and fair then all that extra stuff, you can save mental energy.”There are going to be times where it is going to get heated, but as Justin has said, we know what is right and we know what is wrong. We’ve just got to stick to that. Do we want to play exactly like New Zealand did then? No. We want to play a way that suits our team and the individuals in our team. We want to create an environment where people can play their cricket and be themselves.”The sharp change in the team’s attitude can be illustrated by Paine’s own words in the days after the ill-tempered Durban Test that started the series, and where the Australians felt they had landed a knockout punch by winning the opener. As the man who separated David Warner from Quinton de Kock, Paine heard what was said between the two, and at the time drew a distinction between efforts to make the South African batsman “uncomfortable” and his riposte.”From where I was, which was right nearby the whole time, there was nothing we said that was inappropriate,” he said. “We were trying to make it an uncomfortable place for Quinton to bat, no doubt, but we didn’t cross the line. We spoke about cricket stuff and a few little things with his fitness. Our stuff is the way we’ve always played our cricket. Certainly it’s hard, and we like to make them feel uncomfortable out there. But we don’t cross the line and bring people’s wives and family into the cricket game. And we’ll continue to do that for as long as we play.”