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Dr Vanessa Guthrie, who has also served as deputy chair of the Western Australian Cricket Association in recent years, is likely to be offered the spot

Daniel Brettig14-Oct-2020Australian cricket’s owners will be asked to vote on the addition of a 10th director – the fourth independent director – to the Cricket Australia Board in a significant change to the governing body’s constitution at its AGM later this month.CA’s intention is to hand the new position on the board to the ABC and Santos director, Dr Vanessa Guthrie, who has also served as deputy chair of the Western Australian Cricket Association in recent years and is the former chair of the Minerals Council of Australia.While the state associations of New South Wales and Queensland have been successful in pushing for closer links between their nominated directors and the CA board itself, with the NSW director and former premier Mike Baird to join the board while Richard Freudenstein moves sideways into one of the independent spots, a counterbalance has been devised.This will be in the form of adding a fourth director independent of the states, the better to fulfil the range of skills and backgrounds required of the CA board under the terms of its reshaping into a commission-style group in 2012, as opposed to the 14-member direct representative model that had existed for more than 100 years up to that point.”New South Wales wanted to put up Mike Baird, so went through a number of discussions around that, we also think Richard Freudenstein’s been an outstanding director, even more so at the moment given his media background, so we’ve moved him across as an independent and Mike Baird comes on,” CA’s chairman Earl Eddings told ESPNcricinfo.”It’s always very difficult with nine seats trying to meet all the requirements of diversity, ex-international players and skill sets. So we felt it was a prudent thing to take a bit of pressure off the states to put another independent there, so it gives us a bit more flexibility going forward. Vanessa’s an outstanding candidate, so I think it’s a win-win.”Such a change to the CA constitution must be agreed to by a two-thirds majority of the states, who at the AGM will each be represented by three voting representatives. This measure was itself a product of the political maneuvering required to move to an independent board, as the increase of all states to three votes – by a simple majority vote – was devised to circumvent South Australia’s opposition to the removal of direct representation. Eddings is confident the move will be supported.”All the directors have indicated to me they’re keen to support it, they know Vanessa’s the outstanding candidate and it gives us more opportunity to bring skill sets in and meet those other requirements,” he said. “Most of the directors have come from state land, you look at Lachy Henderson [WA], John Harnden [SA], Paul Green [Tasmania], Michael Kasprowicz [Queensland], so we just want the best people we can possibly find on the board.”It’s very exciting to have Mike Baird come on and Vanessa. We’ve already got a good board, but this gives it more diversity and also geographic diversity too. For a range of reasons some of the state directors have come and lived in Melbourne for career choices. Having Vanessa on board from WA will be great geographically as well.”Guthrie’s entry to the board would follow the exit of CA’s first ever female board member and Bendigo Bank chair Jacquie Hey. It would also avert the possibility of leaving only two female directors on the board – Mel Jones (Victoria) and Michelle Tredenick (independent). This would contravene CA’s own diversity target of 40% female representation at board level by 2022.”Jacquie Hey was a fantastic director, she was high quality,” Eddings said. “So it is fortunate we’ve got someone like Vanessa who we can call on. Jacquie would’ve stayed but with her roles with Bendigo Bank and Qantas she couldn’t put the time into it that’s now required. It is a time-consuming board compared to most others, so she’ll be sadly missed but we’re looking forward to welcoming Vanessa on.”With any board you’re looking at succession plans, we’ve already got a number of people on our board who can take over as chair, so it’s always good to have more candidates, the more the better. It’s one thing to have the ability to do the job but it’s also the capacity to do it, knowing how time-consuming it is. So having more candidates on the board who have the capability to do that is fantastic.”Belinda Clark, who recently announced she would be exiting CA’s executive after nearly 20 years in cricket administration, is widely seen as a likely board director in the future, while it is believed that CA’s list of potential directors this year had included the former federal foreign minister Julie Bishop.However the governance hackles raised by NSW and Queensland this year, to the point of questioning whether the CA board should move to a system of six direct state representatives on the board – eg. all concurrently members of state boards – have led to something of a compromise in allowing their chairmen John Knox and Chris Simpson to nominate current state directors for CA positions, meaning they will have strong relationships with their respective states even though they will still need to resign from those boards.Baird is set to join the CA board in time for the AGM, while the process for Queensland’s new director to replace Michael Kasprowicz, most likely the former Test wicketkeeper, commentator and Australian Cricketers Association president Ian Healy, will be completed shortly afterwards.The other director up for re-election this year, Tasmania’s Green, is set to continue after replacing Tony Harrison in 2018 and retaining the full confidence of the island state’s association to be a link between state and national levels. Green is also chair of CA’s audit and risk committee, and worked closely with the chairman Eddings on the often-fraught funding negotiations with the states this year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bracey hits 64 to chase down Hampshire’s 139 after bowlers find rewards by taking the pace off

Matt Roller13-Aug-2019Gloucestershire overcame Hampshire on a slow, sluggish Bristol wicket to go fourth in the Vitality Blast South Group, thanks to a canny bowling performance and an impressive 64 from James Bracey.With Rilee Rossouw (ill), Brad Taylor and Mason Crane (both side strains) all missing, Hampshire looked light on batting at the toss, and so it proved. After Aneurin Donald’s eyecatching innings had taken them to 54 for 1 after the powerplay, their innings fell away horribly as Tom Smith found purchase on a turgid pitch, and their seamers used their usual variety of slower balls and cutters.A target of 140 was never likely to be easy to defend, and after a cautious first four overs of the chase, the fifth broke its back and meant Gloucestershire could stay in third gear for the remainder.The beneficiary of those absentees was Ryan Stevenson, the redhead seamer who came in for his first game of the Blast season, but he must have wished he had spent the night in the dugout as usual.His first ball would have seen Michael Klinger caught behind but for an umpiring error, and things quickly got worse. Klinger chipped a six over midwicket, then got off strike with a three; Stevenson threw in two wides, was smashed for four twice by Bracey, including once off a no-ball, and then had him out caught off the free hit. One last boundary followed, meaning 25 had come off it, and the asking rate shot down to below six.From that point, Hampshire were toast, as Bracey and Klinger knocked the ball around easily with little pressure on them to score. This was Klinger’s highest T20 score in just under a year – the situation could hardly have suited him better.This pitch had seen Gloucestershire only squeeze past Kent’s 125 for 8 last week, and from the moment David Payne started to bowl his cutters in the game’s third over, it seemed clear that this pitch would suit their attack.The conditions could only have been more perfect if they had been able to call upon the services of Benny Howell, who will miss the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring diving in the field against Surrey last week.As cover, Gloucestershire brought in Zak Chappell on loan from Nottinghamshire, the young fast bowler with a big future and an even bigger reported salary. He struck early to dismiss James Vince – who he gave a roaring send-off – but proved the most expensive bowler on show; perhaps he was overzealous in his efforts to impress after an underwhelming debut season at Trent Bridge.Hampshire’s selection – while hampered by injury – looked particularly strange when Chris Morris strode out to bat at number five. It was just the 14th time that Morris had batted in the top five in a T20, despite his 180 matches, and he struggled badly to eke out an unbeaten 18 off 24 balls. That they left out Tom Alsop, while having seven bowling options, seemed curious.This was the sort of surface on which Gloucestershire tend to thrive, and it was apparent that Andrew Tye’s influence in his several stints as an overseas player has extended beyond just his wickets. Chris Liddle spoke at the interval about the work the club’s seamers do with one another to develop more slower balls and variations, and he, Tye, and Payne went for just 78 from their 12 overs; Ryan Higgins, so impressive in the win at Surrey, never even made it into the attack.At the interval, it had looked clear that Liam Dawson would be the key man if Hampshire were to come close, but by the time he came on the asking rate had already fallen to 5.46. He was characteristically frugal, but the game was effectively up by the time he had the opportunity to influence it.Bracey, who has quietly impressed for the best part of three seasons in the Championship, has only recently nailed down a spot in Gloucestershire’s T20 side, but shone with a mature innings in the chase. He was particularly impressive combating the fiery Morris, nailing an early cover drive and pulling him for four in his second spell. He was a recent call-up for the England Lions, and at 22 looks like an old-school batsman with serious promise.”I’m really pleased with how we’ve come back from a defeat,” he told Sky. “We just wanted to take the initiative with the new ball, which slid onto the bat nicely. It came off for us and made it easier for us at the back end. I’ve started to find my feet in the last few games, so it’s good to play a match-winning knock.”Gloucestershire’s campaign thus far has been a stop-start affair, with two no-results and a tie in their first four games keeping them in the bunch of teams competing for the quarter-finals. But with three wins in their last four – and a trip to fourth-placed Somerset on Friday night looming – they are now set to be part of the South Group’s qualification narrative.

The ECB has extended deals with two of its current commercial partners after being forced to find a replacement for Investec

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2018The ECB has extended deals with two of its current commercial partners, NatWest and Specsavers, after being forced to find a new sponsor for the Test summer. Investec announced last year it was pulling out of its sponsorship of Test cricket, having initially signed a 10-year deal in 2012.NatWest, the banking group whose logo appears on all England kit, will be the ECB’s title partner for the two-Test series against Pakistan, which starts next week. The arrangement will be encompassed within the “Cricket Has No Boundaries” campaign, aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion within the game.From the India series until the end of 2019, a period including next summer’s Ashes, England’s home Tests will be sponsored by Specsavers. The opticians is currently the title partner for the County Championship, having taken over from LV= in 2016.”These new deals show two key partners developing even deeper relationships with the game,” ECB commercial director Rob Calder said. “It also means that, for the first time, we have specific partners at men’s international and men’s domestic level with Specsavers focusing on red-ball cricket, Royal London owning 50-over cricket, and Vitality driving T20 cricket.”It is great news for our sport that the Pakistan Test series will celebrate cricket’s inclusive nature under the #NoBoundaries campaign – showing that cricket truly is a game for everyone no matter your background, culture or location.”The second Test against Pakistan, beginning at Headingley on June 1, will also feature a focus on diversity. Broadcaster Sky will cover club and community initiatives being spearheaded by the ECB, including the All Stars Cricket programme, the work of Chance to Shine, the board’s new South Asian Action Plan and England’s disability teams.

Shakib Al Hasan has said his century on the third day stemmed from a lot of “thinking overnight”

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo17-Mar-2017Shakib Al Hasan was cagey about what drove him to recklessness on the second evening, but conceded he had done some hard thinking overnight before he resumed his innings where he went on to score a vital hundred on the third day of Bangladesh’s 100th Test against Sri Lanka.Bangladesh had lost two quick wickets and would soon lose a third when he had arrived at the crease yesterday, and though they were in danger of being dismissed well short of Sri Lanka’s 338, Shakib was nevertheless aggressive: he hit 18 off eight balls, and would have been out for 11 had Upul Tharanga held on to a chance at deep square leg.This morning’s session saw a different Shakib, however. He would hit only two further boundaries before lunch, and though he could have been run out on 40, he was largely content to push the ball around for runs into the outfield – relying on the paddle towards fine leg and a back-foot punch through the offside to bring him runs. At lunch he was at 57 off 78 balls, and progressed to his fifth Test century off the 143rd ball he faced.Shakib was unwilling to dwell on why he had been so belligerent on the second day, providing curt answers, or stonewalling the question completely whenever the topic was breached. But he did concede that there certainly had been a change in his mindset.”Yesterday, as I was not out, there was time at night to think about it. And in that time I thought about what approach would be good, especially the way Dinesh Chandimal batted in the first innings,” Shakib said. “I think there was a lot to learn from that knock with respect to how to bat in this innings. That helped. I had to work really hard to get those runs.” Chandimal’s innings had been uncharacteristically measured where he took 300 balls to score 138.Shakib’s century took Bangladesh to a strong position in the Test, as they imposed a lead of 129 at the end of two innings. Bangladesh’s batting saw them move onto unfamiliar territory, having only once earlier taken a first-innings lead after batting second away from home.”If in any situation you can score a hundred, from a personal viewpoint it is a special thing,” Shakib said. “Since there was a big need to score runs here and I could do that, I am very happy. Now the situation is very good, it is in a balanced state.”Sri Lanka cut that lead down to 75 by stumps – their openers combining for 54. In the past, Sri Lanka have overturned two first-innings deficits against Australia last year although they did not have a three-digit deficit in either of those Tests.”I think the first session tomorrow will be the most important session in the whole Test,” Shakib said. “It is very balanced, but if tomorrow if they bat well, the match may get away from us, and if we bowl well and take wickets we will be in the driving seat. A lot depends on that period.”Though there was significant turn on the pitch from the first day itself, there has been less in the surface for the bowlers since. However, Mehedi Hasan and Rangana Herath did get some bite out of the pitch towards the end of day three, which suggests the surface will increasingly begin to favour the slow bowlers as the Test continues.”I think the wicket gives enough assistance, but we have to bowl in very good areas. I won’t say that it is in a very bad state, neither is it in a good state. There is enough help, but for that we have to be patient.”

Doug Bracewell has been ruled out of the second Test against Australia in Christchurch after picking up a right shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2016Doug Bracewell has been ruled out of the second Test against Australia in Christchurch after picking up a right shoulder injury.New Zealand will not call a replacement into their squad ahead of the Test starting on Saturday with pace duo Matt Henry and Neil Wagner already with the team.Bracewell has been diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff muscle after reporting pain following the first Test in Wellington where he took 2 for 127 off 33 overs. Bracewell was also the bowler to suffer when Richard Illingworth incorrectly called no-ball to deny him the wicket of Adam Voges late on the opening day.”Doug has been a consistent performer for us this summer and put a lot of work into his game, so to miss out on the final Test against Australia is very disappointing for him and us,” Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said. “He’ll be given time to recover and we’ll work with him to get him back training as quickly as possible.”Bracewell joins a New Zealand injury list which already included Ross Taylor and Mitchell Santner who will both miss the second Test – which will be the last international appearance for Brendon McCullum – after being ruled out of the Wellington encounter.

England may have struck an important blow in future Ashes series after Sam Robson qualified to represent England.

George Dobell04-Aug-2013England may have struck an important blow in future Ashes series after Sam Robson qualified to represent England.Robson, the Australian-born opening batsman, is currently the leading run scorer in Division One of the County Championship and is considered one of the brightest batting prospects in England or Australia.A right-handed opening batsman much in the style of Mike Atherton, it had been thought that Robson would qualify for England early in 2014 but his status was recently reviewed by Middlesex and the ECB have confirmed he is now eligible to play for England or England Lions in all formats.He was born in New South Wales and represented Australia Under-19s but, taking advantage of a UK passport courtesy of his Nottingham-born mother, he moved to England as a teenager in 2008 and has now completed the requisite residency period.Now aged 24, Robson has become a regular at the top of the order in the Middlesex team and must be considered a candidate for the Test side. While England’s top three appears settled, Robson’s temperament and technique combined with his heavy run scoring may prove hard to ignore.While Robson has always been somewhat equivocal about his allegiances – he has dismissed talk of a call-up to either England or Australia as “unrealistic” and suggested he would cross that bridge when he came to it – he is committed to Middlesex and declined opportunities to play first-class cricket in Australia. His status as an England-qualified player will enable Middlesex to gain performance-related fee payments from the ECB each time he represents them.”England is where it is at for me,” Robson told ESPNcricinfo earlier this season. “I came to London as soon as I finished school. I love living here and I love playing for Middlesex. There have been opportunities to play first-class cricket in Australia but it would jeopardise my future with Middlesex and I can’t do that.” Robson would have to play as an overseas player if he represented an Australian state in first-class cricket.His brother, 21-year-old Angus Robson, is also involved in the county system and is currently playing second XI cricket for Leicestershire. Their father, Jim, played second XI cricket for Worcestershire in 1979.Robson’s qualification does not rule him out of playing for Australia and, until he actually represents a full England side, he will remain eligible for the nation of his birth. It is believed that Australia’s selectors have followed his progress closely but were only recently made fully aware of his eligibility – an oversight considering his background in the Under-19 team – and have done little to compete with the opportunities offered by county cricket.That will be a concern to Cricket Australia. In a country that is currently struggling to produce batsmen who thrive on occupying the crease for long periods of time, losing a player of Robson’s calibre to the old enemy may create a certain amount of soul searching.But while the top Australian players earn more than their England counterparts, normal county players enjoy far more playing opportunities in England and greater job security. Had he remained in Australia, Robson may have struggled to break into his Shield team or develop his career so quickly.The 18-year-old Sam Hain, who has been described as the best young batting talent in Australia, has also utilised his UK passport to sign a contract with Warwickshire.

Rahul Dravid’s retirement earlier this year has spared the current selection committee major headaches as they sit together to pick their last Test team before the end of their term

Sidharth Monga09-Aug-2012Rahul Dravid’s retirement earlier this year has spared the current selection committee major headaches as they sit together to pick their last Test team before the end of their term. After the eight straight losses overseas, the demand for change and youth was natural, but the vacancy created by Dravid’s retirement will allow them to pick three new batsmen for the New Zealand series without having to make a tough call. Tough calls will be left for the team management who will prune the 15 to 11 on the eve of the first Test, which begins on August 23.Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are likely to continue as the preferred openers, VVS Laxman is almost certain to retain his middle-order place, and Cheteshwar Pujara will be the only addition to the batting group that toured Australia. Rohit Sharma, who was the next man in should India have made changes in Australia, is likely to retain his Test slot despite a desperately disappointing limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka. The selection of the XI is some way off, but Pujara’s return from injury and his mature knocks on tough West Indies pitches during the A tour might have pushed him ahead of Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane in the pecking order. As expected, Sachin Tendulkar will make his return to international cricket after he last played in the Asia Cup in March.R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, who formed a successful spin duo in home Tests against West Indies last year, are likely to be backed up by Rahul Sharma in the reserves. Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav will be the two first-choice quicks. Ishant Sharma, recovering from an ankle injury, is not expected to pass fit, which means Ashok Dinda might find a place in the reserves.Although the BCCI’s release didn’t say so, the selectors are also likely to discuss the squad for next month’s World Twenty20. They might or might not make the announcement tomorrow, but this is likely to be a more complex discussion. For starters, they will have to take a call on the emotional favourite Yuvraj Singh’s return after his recovery from a rare germ-cell cancer. Yuvraj has been training in Bangalore, but is yet to test his match fitness, so he remains a long shot if only because of the risk involved and the magnitude of the tournament.There is room for discussing various combinations in the Twenty20 squad, especially in the bowling department. They could look at other T20 specialists, but the 15 who played in Sri Lanka start off as favourites for retention.Likely Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Rahul Sharma, Ashok DindaLikely T20 squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Rahul Sharma, Ashok Dinda

Trying to come back from being 2-0 down in the series presents MS Dhoni with his toughest challenge as captain

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge01-Aug-2011For the second successive Monday, England emerged the superior side. The more happy unit. The more confident team. India, the world’s No. 1 Test side, were never able to entirely dominate on any of the nine playing days. In his three-year stint as Indian captain MS Dhoni has never lost two Tests in a row, nor have India lost a Test series. But now, Andrew Strauss’s men are not only threatening to win the Pataudi Trophy, but also are marching towards the title of the best Test team in the world.On evidence at Lord’s and in these four days at Trent Bridge, Her Majesty’s men might just be able to snatch the crown from India. As they have done over the past two years, England played like a domineering team. The depth in their batting, which Dhoni said he was envious about, plucked them out of a precarious position on the first day at Trent Bridge after they slipped to 124 for 8. The local boy Stuart Broad hit a steely half-century to guide England to a more respectable 221, 97 runs which “really mattered,” according to Dhoni. On the second afternoon, Broad restricted India’s lead to 67 with a fierce spell of seam bowling that included a hat-trick.India needed quick wickets on the third day to keep alive the hope of levelling the series, but one by one, the England batsmen, toyed with the bowling. The Indian attack was down to three specialists as Harbhajan Singh bowled only 13.4 overs in the match due to a stomach muscle injury.”I didn’t have any tricks left,” Dhoni said after the 319-run defeat. “I tried everything I had left. They bat quite deep, [James] Anderson is the only one who doesn’t bat to some extent. They were eight down for 120 and were able to score 100 more runs (in the first innings). The bowlers tried what they could. We were not really successful and that happens in cricket.”Dhoni said he couldn’t blame his bowling attack, especially the new-ball pair of Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, who have now played five Tests since June 20. “Our bowlers were a bit tired. That was one of the reasons. Their batsmen played some big shots. Their mis-hits landed in between the fielders. The bowlers tried everything but nothing really went our way.”But the biggest concern for India is the failure of their esteemed batting order to construct big totals. In the last five Tests, India have crossed 300 only once, at Roseau in the third Test against West Indies. In England, their highest so far has been 288.MS Dhoni’s advice: “Have belief in yourself and the team, in what you do”•Getty Images

The most damning stat is the performance of the Indian lower order (last five batsmen) as compared to their English counterparts. The England lower order comprising Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Broad and Anderson faced 710 deliveries and lasted 1059 minutes over the two Tests, while the Indians could barely survive 356 balls spanning 487 minutes.”It’s important to put runs on the board and we are slightly lacking that. Right from the last series we played, we haven’t scored consistently so that’s also a bit of a concern,” Dhoni said. “One of the big areas of concern is the lower-order; we haven’t been able to see the second new ball through. Hopefully it will get better and we won’t be exposed to the new ball.”Adding to India’s batting problems was the fact the neither Suresh Raina nor Yuvraj Singh could respond convincingly to the short-ball strategy emplyed by the England fast bowlers. Both men had hit fighting half-centuries (Raina in the second innings at Lord’s and Yuvraj in the first innings at Trent Bridge) but today they succumbed cheaply to short-pitched deliveries.Dhoni, though, backed his batsmen and their technique against bouncers. “That’s often said to us but there have been games when we’ve done well in Perth, Durban and Barbados. We will get caught out once in a while but most of the batsmen are used to the short-pitched stuff.”A lot was written about India’s determination and their ability to bounce back after starting poorly in a series. Coming back from 2-0 down, could be the biggest test of Dhoni’s captaincy. And for Duncan Fletcher, who is barely two months into the India coaching job. “We are very confident in the talent in the dressing room and we’ll make the most of the next 10 days,” Dhoni said. He will have some reinforcements for the third Test: Gautam Gambhir is certain to play, while Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag could also return.Dhoni said India needed to remain mentally tough in the nine-day break before the Edgbaston Test. “When you play at the top level you face tough situations and this is one of those. And that is what you are supposed to do: have belief in yourself and the team, in what you do. We will definitely make it tough (for England).”

Yorkshire have been left needing to slash their spending after poor crowds for the neutral Test between Pakistan and Australia led to a significant short fall in revenue of up to £750,000

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2010Yorkshire have been left needing to slash their spending after poor crowds for the neutral Test between Pakistan and Australia led to a significant short fall in revenue of up to £750,000 ($1.16 million).It had been expected that the local Pakistani community would support the match but crowds failed to materialise as only a few thousand watched the action each day at a venue capable of holding 18,000 spectators. This was despite Pakistan’s strong performance where they skittled Australia for 88 on the opening day and won the Test by three wickets on the fourth morning.Although advanced sales for the match were poor it was hoped that walk-up fans on each day would swell the crowds – and Yorkshire’s finances – but the Test failed to capture the imagination of the locals.While Yorkshire have conceded the returns for the game were a major blow to the club they have insisted there won’t be any panic measures and that the county’s playing budget for coach Martyn Moxon will remain untouched.”We don’t see swingeing cuts at all – there is no alarmism here,” Colin Graves, the Yorkshire chairman, told BBC television’s Look North programme on Monday. We had a board meeting last Thursday while the Test match was going on, anticipating what was going to happen.”And Graves admitted being surprised by the lack of last-minute support for Pakistan. “I think we expected them to be using credit cards in January, February, March,” he said. “Unfortunately, they didn’t. But they also didn’t turn up on the day – which was a surprising thing, from our point of view.”Tickets for a full day’s play cost £30 and, although prices were cut after tea on each day, Graves believes the pricing structure was fair. “Yes, we could have reduced the prices – that can be levelled at us – but we think 30 pounds was fair value for a good day’s cricket.”Stewart Regan, the Yorkshire chief executive, put a figure on the losses the club will face as more than half a million pounds. “The match has cost us several hundred thousand pounds in terms of lost ticket revenue,” he told the . “I would say we’re in the region of 500,000-750,000 pounds short of what we were expecting, which is a big disappointment.”

He said that he decided to go all out for the catch the moment he saw that Rohit Sharma, at long-on, wasn’t going to get to the ball

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2024Suryakumar Yadav knew he “hadn’t touched the rope” and that he’d made the split-second decision of going all out for the catch the moment he saw Rohit Sharma further away from the ball at long-on as compared to him at long-off.The topic of discussion was the catch he took to dismiss David Miller in the final over to tilt the T20 World Cup final in India’s favour, decisively, as it turned out.”Rohit usually never stands at long-on but at that moment he was there,” Suryakumar told the . “So when the ball was coming, for a second I looked at him and he looked at me. I ran and my aim was to catch the ball. Had he [Rohit] been closer, I would have thrown the ball towards him. But he was nowhere close. In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can’t explain.”Related

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Was the catch clean? Did Suryakumar’s foot tickle the advertising skirting? Replays have been inconclusive so far.”When I pushed the ball [up and inside the playing area] and took the catch, I knew I hadn’t touched the rope,” he said. “The only thing I was cautious about was that when I pushed the ball back inside, my feet don’t touch the rope. I knew it was a fair catch. In hindsight, anything could have happened. If the ball had gone for six, the equation would have been five balls, ten runs. We might have still won, but the margin would have been closer.”Suryakumar revealed the method behind taking such catches, while also crediting fielding coach T Dilip for motivating the entire group by introducing the fielding medal after every match, which has ensured “everyone wants to do something extra on the ground”.”The catch I took, I have practised it at different grounds, depending on the wind,” he said. “I was standing a bit wide because Hardik [Pandya] and Rohit had put a field for the wide yorker, and Miller had hit straight. My mind was clear that I have to catch it come what may.”A day before the game, we do a quality fielding session where for 10-12 minutes, we have more than ten high catches, flat catches, direct hits, slip catching. It’s not a one-day exercise, I practise these kinds of catches during IPL, during bilateral series. Yesterday’s catch was the reward of the hard work done over the years.”Getty Images

Suryakumar said that such balance and agility wouldn’t have been possible without working on his fitness. He spent four months on the sidelines from November 2023 to March 2024, recovering from a sports hernia and an ankle injury. It was during this period that he worked on slimming down as part of his fitness regimen which also included working with a nutritionist.”I remember last August, I was at around 93kg, maybe because I was having too much local food,” he said. “I got injured and then had a hernia operation. I went to NCA [BCCI’s National Cricket Academy] from January 1 to April 1 [this year]. Even during off days, I used to not go home because I knew Monday morning would be my session. I couldn’t waste time.”I ate proper food prepared by my chef. I used to sleep sharp at 10pm and get up early in the morning. Even now, I have decided on my meals for the next week with the help of the chef and nutritionist; they decide how much protein and fat I will have daily, how much water I need to take with my food. We have a group for it which also has my wife. They decide and I just follow. It helped me here.”How has he soaked that moment in, along with the euphoria of being a world champion?”In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can’t explain,” he said. “The amount of reaction I have been getting for that, people have been calling, messaging; there are more than 1000 unread WhatsApp messages on my phone. The catch is all over social media. I’m grateful that I was there in those five seconds of play.”