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Sri Lanka were meant to start their pre-World Cup fine-tuning in Edinburgh, but the weather wasn’t kind enough

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Edinburgh18-May-2019
For the second time in eight days, a rare Scotland home ODI against a Full Member was affected by rain as the series opener against Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball bowled. After waiting through close to five hours of on and off drizzle, umpire Gregory Brathwaite called both captains together to deliver the news, turning Tuesday’s second ODI into a series decider.It was a major blow to Cricket Scotland, who had hired temporary bleachers to accommodate a sellout crowd of 1500 and will now have to issue refunds as a result of no play taking place. It was also a dent in Sri Lanka’s World Cup preparation, leaving the second ODI as their only official action before their World Cup opener against New Zealand on June 1.While clear skies are forecast for the next two days, rain is scheduled to return on Tuesday, putting the entire series at risk of being washed out.

The Sri Lankan opener carried his bat to score 158 as Kagiso Rabada caused trouble at the other end

The report by Firdose Moonda12-Jul-2018Dimuth Karunaratne raises his bat after reaching a century•AFP

An unbeaten century from Dimuth Karunaratne neutralised the South African threat on the opening day of the Test series in Galle, after the visiting attack burrowed their way through Sri Lanka’s middle order. Playing in his 50th Test, Karunaratne was the only Sri Lankan batsman to score more than 26 runs and featured in five partnerships of over 40 – the last stand of 63 with Lakshan Sandakan – to ensure that even though Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 61 at one point, they ended the day on top.Kagiso Rabada emerged as a the spearhead of the South African pack, with 4 for 50 on a surface that offered scant assistance. He outbowled both his seniors – Vernon Philander, who only delivered eight overs, and Dale Steyn, who took one step closer to breaking Shaun Pollock’s record as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker. For Steyn, two more remain. Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-arm wristspinner who was included alongside Keshav Maharaj, was the other threat, which only suggests it will become tougher for batting as the match progresses.That places even more value on the runs Sri Lanka’s lower order provided. Their last two pairings put on 111 runs to push their total towards 300. At 176 for 8, even 200 seemed distant, and South Africa will rue their inability to finish off the tail, especially as they had an early chance to do so.Three balls after the eighth wicket fell, Shamsi appealed for lbw against Suranga Lakmal, after pitching one on off stump that struck the stand-in captain in front of middle, but umpire Paul Reiffel gave it not out. South Africa had a review in hand but did not use it and replays showed the ball would have gone on to hit the inside of leg stump.South Africa also failed to review one in the first over, when Danushka Gunathilaka flicked Vernon Philander down leg and there was an audible sound. Reiffel gave it not out but replays showed a spike on Ultra Edge. But, that missed chance did not prove too costly. After Gunathilaka and Karunaratne achieved Sri Lanka’s best opening stand in their last 16 innings, Rabada removed Gunathilaka when he found his outside edge with some extra bounce.Still, Karunaratne ensured Sri Lanka had a productive morning and took advantage of any width and the short ball. He provided the only six of the innings, albeit almost by accident, when he hooked Steyn over the gap between long leg and deep-backward square leg.Sri Lanka were initially circumspect against spin, and Dhananjaya de Silva was hesitant to get his front foot across to Keshav Maharaj, but that cost him his wicket when Shamsi came on. De Silva tried to drive Shamsi through the covers but left a bat-pad gap and was bowled for 11. Shamsi continued bowling from that end for the entire second session but more success only came after the major damage had been done.Steyn returned after lunch to an aggressive Karunaratne, who went after the short ball again and with more control, but got a wicket unexpectedly when the new-to-the-2,000-Test-run-club-member Kusal Mendis chipped him to mid-on. Rabada received the catch and four overs later, replaced Steyn and rocked Sri Lanka. Angelo Mathews and Roshen Silva were dismissed in three balls to leave Sri Lanka teetering on 119 for 5.And Rabada continued to threaten. In his next over, he had Niroshan Dickwella given out lbw but the batsman reviewed and the ball was found to be pitching outside leg. With the next ball, Rabada hit Dickwella on the helmet. South Africa sensed they may be able to rip through Sri Lanka when Quinton de Kock thought he had Dickwlla caught behind in the next over off Shamsi, and reviewed after Reiffel disagreed, but the on-field umpire was proved correct. Shamsi had the last laugh when Dickwella edged him to first slip – reward for a spell in which he demonstrated consistency of length.A rain break delayed the third session but it began with Shamsi thinking he had another wicket when Dilruwan Perera was given out lbw. He reviewed and ball-tracking showed the ball – which pitched outside off – would have turned past leg stump, perhaps explaining South Africa’s reluctance to review against Lakmal later on. Philander got rid of Dilruwan in the next over, returning to the action in the 48th over, after bowling four of the first eight overs, and provided the throw that ran Rangana Herath out but from there, it was the Karunaratne show.He brought up his century off 159 balls with a straight drive off Shamsi, whose consistency waned as the afternoon wore on. Steyn provided a few more short balls for the Sri Lankan to tuck into before 150 came up off 215 balls (his third fifty taking just 56 balls), also off Shamsi. Karunaratne eventually ran out of partners but his job was complete.And just as South Africa’s openers would both have wanted to emulate Karunaratne, only one was able to. Dean Elgar, also playing in his 50th Test, survived the four overs but Aiden Markram, on his first tour of the subcontinent, did not. He was caught at slip off Herath, who opened the bowling, to hand Sri Lanka the advantage.

Hampshire were made to follow-on after they found Surrey’s four-pronged pace attack too much to handle

George Dobell10-Jun-2018
ScorecardRory Burns has earned his Surrey side a great opportunity to go to the top of the table and won the support of Dale Steyn in his bid to become a Test player.Burns, the Surrey opener, became the first man to reach 500 Championship runs this season on the way to making 151 against Steyn’s Hampshire side. That left Hampshire following-on and Steyn, who is playing for them in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of the South Africa tour of Sri Lanka, deeply impressed.”Rory Burns batted bloody nicely,” Steyn told ESPNcricinfo. “He looked really good. I think he looks like a Test batsman. And I’ve opened the bowling to a lot of opening batters.”When I blinked he was on 150, so he did it pretty quickly too. I always watch guys on the way they leave the ball and I thought he left the ball really well.”It’s always easy to come at the ball: you can nick one for four or hit it through the covers; it still says four in the scorebook. But I watch the way guys leave the ball and he left the ball with good intent. He watched it very carefully and, when the short ball came, he got out of the way or took it on.”Burns’ century – his second of the season – provided the platform for a Surrey innings that saw only one other man make 50. And while he had a little fortune on the second day – he was badly missed at slip by Sean Ervine of Kyle Abbott when he had 126 – it was an innings that underlined Burns’ patience, temperament and technique. Ben Foakes, with a stylish 90, was the only other man to offer a sense of permanence.While this match was billed as a contest between the South African seamers – Morne Morkel is playing for Surrey and Kyle Abbott and Steyn are playing for Hampshire – it was actually a veteran English allrounder that stole the show.Rikki Clarke, surely bowling as well aged 36 as he ever has, claimed the fifth five-wicket haul of his career and, in the process, earned Surrey an excellent chance of securing their third victory of the season. Hampshire, conceding a deficit of 233 on first innings, had just been asked to follow-on when bad light forced an early close.But well though Clarke bowled (and the delivery that dismissed James Vince – pitching on off stump, lifting sharply and leaving the batsman – would have dismissed most), the key to this performance has been the relentless nature of the Surrey attack. But for an exploratory over from the spinner, Amar Virdi, the four Surrey seamers rotated throughout the Hampshire innings, each of them banging out an impeccable, probing length.That has been one of the key differences between these dies. While Fidel Edwards bowled some lovely deliveries – and finished with a five-wicket haul – Hampshire were unable to sustain the pressure with their three main seamers going for at least 3.5 an over.By contrast, none of the Surrey bowlers went for as much as three-an-over and, in the case of Clarke, many of the runs he conceded were thick edges to third man. Only one man in the Hampshire side – Rilee Rossouw – reached 15.The days have has long since passed when Clarke might have won consideration by the England selectors. He would be the first to admit it took him some time to complement his talent with the rigour required to optimise it.But, by luring him back to The Oval mid-way through last year, Surrey have gained the services of a highly experienced, hugely talented all-rounder who provides depth with bat and ball and can still catch the wind in the slips. It is 16 years since he last played a part in a Surrey side that won the County Championship; it may well be that he experiences it once more this year though those docile home wickets may yet come back to haunt them.It won’t stop them strengthening, though. Despite having Matt Dunn and Stuart Meaker in reserve – both are currently recovering from blows to the ribs sustained while batting – Surrey are one of at least six clubs understood to have made formal approaches to Leicestershire about talking to Zak Chappell. Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire are understood to be other front runners, with Nottinghamshire the favourites at this stage.Such issues can wait. With two days left of this game, Surrey – through their relentless seam attack and Burns’ high-class batting – have given themselves an excellent chance of victory. Hampshire, by contrast, have only Worcestershire below them and are up to their neck in a relegation battle.

A packed crowd at the Gabba was treated to some sensational hitting as McCullum, Burns, Ross, Cutting and Stoinis took centerstage

The Report by Alex Malcolm at the Gabba20-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNo Chris Lynn, no worries for Brisbane Heat.Last season’s semi-finalists threw down a marker in their opening match against Melbourne Stars with a win that was more comprehensive than the scoreline suggested. They destroyed the Stars’ well-balanced attack and dismembered the Star-studded top order to show that Lynn is a value add to the Heat rather than an irreplaceable member of the Bash Brothers two-man band.But the Stars have so much talent that they never gave in thanks to a remarkable innings from Marcus Stoinis, who made 99 off 51 balls to take the game to the last over.Stars’ captain John Hastings gave the Heat a leg up early, making the curious decision to bowl first on a superb pitch for batting. He would have felt good after two overs when the Heat were 1 for 10 with Jimmy Pierson back in the shed and Lynn absent as he continues to recover from his shoulder injury.But Hastings’ mood soon soured when Brendon McCullum lit up the Gabba. Scott Boland’s first over, the third of the innings, went for 24. McCullum found the rope three times and cleared it once. He raced to 40 off 22 balls before he was deceived by a Stoinis slower ball.Getty Images

But the Heat never lost momentum despite McCullum’s exit. Joe Burns (50 off 28 balls), Alex Ross (51 off 36 balls) and Ben Cutting (35 off 18 balls) climbed into the Stars’ seamers to keep the run-rate above 10 an over through to the end of the innings. Hastings and Boland gave up 96 runs from six combined overs, including 10 fours and six sixes.Strangely, James Faulkner opened the bowling and conceded just seven runs in the opening over but did not bowl again. By contrast, the spin of Michael Beer and Adam Zampa took 2 for 45 from seven overs. Beer did not concede a boundary and McCullum scored just nine runs off 10 balls against Beer in the Powerplay.The Heat’s plans for the Stars’ world-class top order worked a treat. Josh Lalor lured last year’s leading scorer Ben Dunk into a thick outside edge that was caught on the second bite by a perfectly placed Mitch Swepson at deep gully. The plans to remove Kevin Pietersen and Glenn Maxwell cheaply were cold, calculated and perfectly executed.Pietersen played the world’s most feared quicks extremely well in his prime but his lack of match practice against them recently may leave him exposed. He scored just four runs from 11 balls against the genuine pace of Mohammad Amir and Steven Finn in his only two T20 matches during the English summer, with Finn taking his wicket.McCullum instructed Lalor, Mark Steketee and Ben Doggett to bowl as quick and aggressively as possible at Pietersen. He hopped, ducked and weaved through his first seven balls to score just four runs before launching a length ball into the stands. But he holed out to mid-off next ball.The Heat had also scouted Maxwell. In four straight innings during Australia’s limited overs tour of India in October, Maxwell fell to the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal. He also fell to Hobart Hurricanes legspinner Cameron Boyce in a BBL warm-up game after Boyce was introduced immediately upon Maxwell’s arrival.McCullum called on Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan in the fifth over when pace had already removed Dunk and Pietersen. Maxwell hit the first long-hop for six but holed out to long-on two balls later. Shadab bowled Wright shortly after to seemingly kill off the game.But Stoinis produced an innings of the highest quality to once again confirm his credentials for further international honours. He struck six sixes and six fours, mixing power with touch and supreme fitness in warm conditions during a 137-run stand with Faulkner to take the Stars to the brink.Stoinis was run out trying to complete his hundred but he was a thoroughly deserving Man of the Match in a losing cause.

A sensational display of power-hitting from Delray Rawlins helped England recover from 126 for 6 to post 256, a total they defended by 23 runs at the Wankhede Stadium

The Report by Nikhil Kalro in Mumbai30-Jan-2017
ScorecardFile photo – England Under-19s captain Matthew Fisher claimed 4 for 41•Getty Images

A sensational display of power-hitting from Delray Rawlins helped England recover from 126 for 6 to post 256, a total they defended by 23 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rawlins, a languid left-handed batsman who has previously represented Bermuda, hammered eight fours and five sixes in his 88-ball 107 to lead England’s stunning fightback. He followed that up with 2 for 46 from his 10 overs as England took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.England were precariously placed at 98 for 4 in the 26th over when the debutant Rawlins walked in and he was forced into strike rotation early against India’s nagging spinners. But even after two more quick wickets sucked out the momentum and fluency from England’s innings, Rawlins was keen to attack spin.He got to his fifty with a slog-swept six that just cleared deep square leg, sparking an acceleration that helped England pass 150. Rawlins’ batting became increasingly exuberant as his innings wore on, as he stepped out against spin to hit three sixes over long-on. He added 116 with Matthew Fisher for the seventh wicket, of which the England captain contributed 26. Rawlins offered just one chance, on 80, when he top-edged a hoick off a low full toss, but the short third man fielder dropped the catch.India’s discipline soon gave way to errant bowling towards the end. Fast bowler Yash Thakur hardly missed his yorker in his final spell, but wayward lines in his attempts at variation helped England pick off plenty. Rawlins plundered 53 off his last 33 balls.
Unlike the end, India were accurate at the start. Their seamers used a patchy green surface and nippy morning conditions to reduce England to 13 for 3 in the seventh over, all batsmen caught behind the wicket.Opener Harry Brook and Ollie Pope played some impressive strokes to lead England’s recovery, putting on 85 for the fourth wicket. On an atypically grassy surface, India’s spinners didn’t extract much turn but, with England’s inability to find the gaps regularly, a tight line was effective. Brook was involved in a nasty incident in the 12th over. He stepped out to fast bowler Thakur, only for a bouncer to break his helmet, raising concern among India’s fielders who rushed to his aid.Chasing 257, opener Himanshu Rana continued his stellar form with his third 50-plus score at the Under-19 level, striking an 87-ball 101 to push India close. Rana faced no trouble in finding the boundary early in his innings even as the rest of India’s batsmen struggled with the bounce in the pitch.Prithvi Shaw, a Ranji Trophy runner-up with Mumbai, was consistently hurried by Fisher. He finally wafted at a length delivery outside off and the England players celebrated. The umpire raised his finger almost instantaneously, to the dismay of Shaw.Shubman Gill shovelled a drive to short midwicket to fall for 29 off 27, a result of hard hands through the line of the ball. Captain Abhishek Sharma cut a wide delivery to Rawlins at point, giving Fisher his third wicket. India’s struggles got worse when Rawlins trapped Salman Khan and Mayank Rawat in front off consecutive balls, both non-turning deliveries.Rana was proficient with cross-batted strokes, as well as jabs at straight deliveries to accrue singles. At no stage did he look out of place. Soon after a fatigued celebration for his second hundred in three games, he gloved a pull to the keeper, a blow that all but sealed England’s win.Led by Fisher, England’s attack kept to their plans, employing a consistent back of a length, and the short ball sparingly. Their fielding was discernibly better than India’s, saving several boundaries with athletic stops, a characteristic that – along with Rawlins – helped prove the difference in a close contest.

Chris Gayle’s red hot T20 form carried over to Warner Park in St Kitts on Tuesday night where his unbeaten 72 led Jamaica Tallawahs to a seven-wicket win against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Gayle struck six fours and two sixes•Caribbean Premier League

Chris Gayle’s red hot T20 form carried over to Warner Park in St Kitts where his unbeaten 72 led Jamaica Tallawahs to a seven-wicket win against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Australian import Chris Lynn pitched in with 52 as part of an 85-run partnership for the second wicket, which put Tallawahs on course to overhaul 160. Gayle finished the chase with a pulled four, taking his team to their second win of the season.Gayle’s aggressive knock, which included six fours two sixes, was not without shaky moments though. After drinks were taken with the score at 71 for 1 in 10, play resumed with Gayle, on 28, hitting the third ball of the 11th over from Marlon Samuels to long-on where Martin Guptill’s one-handed effort nearly produced a sensational catch.Gayle offered another chance on 49 to start off the 17th over bowled by Shahid Afridi and Tallawahs still needing 10 an over but Orlando Peters had trouble spotting a skier, running in from deep midwicket and nearly overrunning before eventually grassing the chance. Gayle then brought up his second successive half-century off 46 balls and carried on to add an unbroken 50-run stand inside five overs with Andre Russell.Having opted to bat, Patriots had posted a competitive score, with Guptill assembling half-century stands with Tonito Willett and Samuels for the second and third wickets. Guptill got off to a quick start, boosting the Patriots to 49 for 1 in six overs, but he went more than 11 overs without hitting a boundary – a streak that started in the sixth over – before a second six brought up his 50 off 47 balls.Krishmar Santokie accounted for Guptill two balls into the 18th over. Samuels and Afridi then took Patriots past 150 and Samuels brought up his own half-century with a six before Santokie wrapped up the innings, dismissing Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite off consecutive balls. Santokie ended with impressive figures of 4 for 37.

South Africa have been forced to experiment this series, with Jacques Kallis’s calm head missing from the top of the order, and captain Graeme Smith unable to rely on the menace of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with the ball due to a slew of injuries

Liam Brickhill at Bloemfontein15-Oct-2010South Africa have been forced to experiment this series, with Jacques Kallis’s calm head missing from the top of the order, and captain Graeme Smith unable to rely on the menace of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with the ball due to a slew of injuries.But an authoritative 64-run win in the first one-day international against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein has eased worries about South Africa’s second string, and Smith urged the newer members of the squad to make the most of their opportunities and “make those positions their own”.”You’ve got two guys [Morkel and Steyn]”, explained Smith. “One has bounce and he can hit 145 km/h, the other has swing and can hit 140 to 150km/h. They are wonderful assets to have. At the moment we don’t have that, but it’s an opportunity for guys to still get their skills right.””Some of these guys are going to be performing in the next games, and when those guys are back and fit these guys will be looking to stake claims, so it’s important that they show their worth.”While Smith made sure to mention David Miller’s expressive half-century – which came from just 30 balls and included five fours and two enormous sixes – he held special praise for the stellar knock from Colin Ingram. He became the first South African – and the sixth batsman overall – to strike a century on ODI debut and his aggressive 124 boosted South Africa’s total well out of reach.”I think he [Ingram] was pretty nervous walking in today, but he remained calm and stuck to his game plan. He’s done a lot of work at domestic level, and he was able to bring that here. He trusted himself out there today and that’s an important mindset to have. If you put the work in, it’s about going in there and allowing yourself to trust yourself, and I think that was quite evident today.”Smith confirmed that South Africa will be without Morkel’s services at least until the final game of the series in Benoni on Friday and suggested there were times at which South Africa’s replacement bowlers let Zimbabwe’s batsmen dictate terms. Nevertheless he insisted that the bowlers had, on the whole, progressed from their unconvincing performances in the Twenty20s.”It’s always difficult to rate a performance like that,” said Smith. “We put 350 on the board, but it was a very quick outfield and a beautiful batting wicket. I think in patches with the ball we were very good. There were times we drifted a little bit. Maybe the first ten overs was an area we were a little bit loose.”We let them get away a bit but from then until about the 35th or 36th over I thought we were very good. From there, once you realise a team is not being competitive anymore it makes it a little bit tough in the cold like that. There are always things to improve on, but compared to Sunday’s bowling performance, it was a lot better.”

Waqar Younis has said the damage caused to the team by the turbulence of the last few months was the worst Pakistan had suffered in the last few decades

Cricinfo staff09-Jun-2010Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has said the damage caused to the team by the turbulence of the last few months was the worst Pakistan had suffered in the last few decades. Waqar, however, hoped the influx of young talent into the team for the Asia Cup would help the side move on and be ready for future competitions.”I think what has happened in the last three months, it has damaged the team more than it did in the last 25-30 years,” Waqar told reporters in Lahore. “Now is the time to look forward and see how we could perform well and win international matches.”The recent problems in the Pakistan team surfaced after their winless tour to Australia, following which the PCB conducted an inquiry and punished several players. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned indefinitely, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for a year, while Shahid Afridi, Kamaran and Umar Akmal were fined. No reasons for the penalties were forthcoming from the PCB at the time, but a leaked video later revealed the extent of discord within the team. However, all the players apart from Yousuf, who retired from international cricket, appealed against their punishments. The bans on Malik and Younis were overturned by an arbitrator; Afridi’s fine was removed while those of the Akmals were reduced.The selectors then included Malik, who had been slated for his attitude during the inquiry, in the squad for the Asia Cup, and recalled injury-prone fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. The 15-man list, though, also includes three uncapped batsmen in Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Amin and Asad Shafiq, and Waqar predicted a bright future for them.”They [experienced players] are great players,” Waqar said. “But I think it’s the right time to indulge new players, and I believe Umar and Asad are no doubt very talented and have a bright future. We have not won anything significant over the last two-three years, but with youngsters in the side we have a hope to get back on a winning track.”Waqar also said he wouldn’t be rushing Shoaib, who last played for Pakistan in May 2009, back into action. “He is fit, but I know it’s not easy to make a comeback because I have gone through this when I used to play international cricket,” Waqar said.Pakistan depart for Sri Lanka on Saturday and open their campaign against the hosts on June 15.

She needs to get her action tested within 14 days of being reported. In the meantime, she can continue bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2025Ireland Women left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire has been reported for a suspect bowling action following the first ODI against India in Rajkot, where she picked up 3 for 57 from eight overs.As per the ICC regulations, Maguire, 18, needs to get her action tested at an ICC-accredited testing centre within 14 days of being reported. She can continue bowling until the results of the test are known.Last month, Maguire was named in Ireland’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. Since the assessment window falls in the middle of the tournament, she had to be withdrawn from it. Genevieve Morrissey has replaced her in the squad.*Graeme West, the director of high performance at Cricket Ireland, said, “The staff and players are rallying around Aimee, reassuring her that she will return with a stronger action and will continue to shine on the international stage for many years to come.”The experience and expertise that we possess within our High Performance Coaching and Support Services at Cricket Ireland will provide Aimee with the care, support and guidance to deliver the remedial programme which will begin following the team’s return from India.”Maguire made her international debut in 2023. So far, she has played 11 ODIs and nine T20Is, taking 25 wickets in all with a best of 5 for 19 against England in a one-dayer last year.Having lost the first ODI by six wickets, Ireland trail the three-match series 1-0. The remaining two ODIs are also to be played in Rajkot, on January 12 and 15.

The India coach was asked whether the lack of BBL experience was a factor in India losing the semi-final to England

Sidharth Monga10-Nov-20221:39

Dravid: ‘If you allow Indian players to play overseas leagues, our domestic cricket will be finished’

India can’t send their players to overseas T20 leagues, their coach Rahul Dravid has said, because a lot of these leagues are played during India’s domestic season. The topic came up when Dravid was asked whether India had been at a disadvantage during their semi-final defeat to England because their players don’t have any BBL experience in Australia, while England’s do, and if India would look to send players to the BBL in the future. The tenuous link between the experience of playing the BBL in the Australian summer and doing well there in early spring conditions notwithstanding.”I mean, sure, there’s no doubt about it, the fact that England… a lot of their players have come here and played in this tournament,” Dravid said, “and it certainly showed. It’s tough. I think it’s very difficult for Indian cricket because a lot of these tournaments happen right at the peak of our season.Related

• 'India have to consider playing overseas T20 leagues'

• Tacky pitch and old habits haunt India in semi-final flop show

• Alex Hales and Jos Buttler carry England into final with 10-wicket mauling of India

• Rohit Sharma: 'We just didn't turn up with the ball'

• Moody: India were 'very conservative and lacked intent' in the first half of their innings

“I think it’s a huge challenge for us. Yes, I think a lot of our boys maybe do miss out on the opportunities of playing in a lot of these leagues, but if you were to… it’s really up to the BCCI to make that decision, but the thing is it’s right in the middle of our season, and with the kind of demand there would be for Indian players, if you allowed all the Indian players to play in these leagues, we would not have a domestic cricket. Our domestic cricket, our Ranji Trophy, would be finished, and that would mean Test cricket would be finished.”I know a lot of people talk about it [no Indians in overseas T20 leagues], but we have to be very careful when we… we have to understand the challenges that Indian cricket faces or the BCCI would face in a situation like this. You’d see all our boys… like a lot of boys being asked to play leagues right bang in the middle of our season. We’ve seen what that’s done to West Indian cricket, and I would definitely not want Indian cricket to go that way. It would certainly affect our Ranji Trophy; it would affect Test cricket. Indian boys playing Test cricket is pretty important for the Test game as well, I would think.”England’s captain Jos Buttler was also asked about this, but he quickly went on to praise Alex Hales, who ran away with the chase on the night. “I think Alex would have played as much Big Bash cricket as anyone, and his performance tonight was amazing,” Buttler said. “I think it’s some huge strengths of his, square of the wicket, which obviously today on this kind of grounds really is great. No, he’s a tough guy to bowl at. He’s been obviously performing really well for a long period of time. Unfortunately hasn’t been able to get back in due to other players playing brilliantly well as well. A few circumstances and that opportunity has arisen, and he’s come in, and the last three matches especially, his form has been brilliant.”The topic of participation in overseas T20 leagues has been a sticky one in Indian cricket. The bigger fear perhaps is that even if the BCCI allows only those with no ambition for a place in first-class cricket to play these T20 leagues, it will result in more and more players opting not to play first-class cricket, thus weakening the structure that has resulted in a formidable Test side. Other teams do have to deal with this friction, too, but the demand for Indian players for commercial reasons would be much higher.