Working on increasing pace - Sandeep

Working on increasing pace - Sandeep
Kings XI Punjab seamer Sandeep Sharma has said he is working on increasing his pace, which will complement his impressive swing that has troubled some of the best batsmen in the IPL. Sandeep, 20, has ten wickets in five games this season, including two consecutive three-wicket hauls.

"I was bowling around 125 kmph last year but now I am consistently hitting the 130 mark," Sandeep told Indian Express. "My pace has increased and I will continue to work in this direction. My pace will definitely increase as I have age on my side. The bones and muscles will only get stronger. In my interactions with the coaches, I have learnt that no matter how good the batsman is, he will struggle against the swinging ball."

Sandeep said he had learnt by observing Dale Steyn that a bowler needs to crank up the pace a bit more when the ball gets older and stops swinging. "When he (Steyn) operates with the new ball, he bowls around 135-137 and as it gets older he picks up speed. It is with the old ball that I will look to get extra yards because the ball doesn't swing and one has to get the yorkers and bouncers right at that stage."

When asked about his interactions with his team-mates, Sandeep said Mitchell Johnson has been helping him with the mental aspects of the game, while Virender Sehwag has helped him plan against opposition batsmen. "He (Sehwag) helps me read the wicket and informs how it has behaved in the past. He also helps me plan for a particular batsman, by discussing their strengths and weaknesses."

Batsmen not converting starts - Albie Morkel
Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Albie Morkel has said his team's main batsmen would have to step up and make bigger scores in order to rise from their current position at No.5. In seven games, RCB have had only three half-centuries - from AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel and Yuvraj Singh - while the captain Virat Kohli has a highest of 49*. Chris Gayle has not carried on after making starts in three innings so far.

"Most of our batsmen got good starts. But we didn't convert," Morkel said on the eve of Royal Challengers' home game against Kings XI Punjab. "The best innings was of AB who hit 89. And if you want to win T20 games, out of top five-six batsmen, one has to go out and score a big one. Thirties and 40s can win you games on occasions."

Royal Challengers play their next three games at home and Morkel was confident the side would fulfill the expectation of winning at least five of the next seven games to qualify for the playoffs. "It is a blessing in disguise to play three matches (in Bangalore)," Morkel said. "We haven't yet peaked. Hopefully, that happens tomorrow. We all know Virat Kohli is a feisty character and he will be up for it."

Enjoying bowling with Steyn - Bhuvneshwar
Sunrisers Hyderabad seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has said he is enjoying sharing the new ball with Dale Steyn and that his interactions with the South African have helped him improve as a bowler. Bhuvneshwar is currently tied with Mohit Sharma on top of the IPL wicket charts with 14. He has been one of the most impressive Indian bowlers this season, troubling batsmen with his swing with the new ball and maintaining an impressive economy rate of 5.45.

"He (Steyn) is the one who always talks and shares experiences regarding the different situations in a match. Bowling at the death has been great as of now. I am glad I have been taking wickets and have been economical at the same time," Bhuvneshwar told iplt20.com.

Bhuvneshwar said that patience is key for a bowler, irrespective of the format. "It (patience) is the key while bowling in different situations. And as a bowler, there will be days when you go for runs and don't get any wickets. But one needs to realise that patience pays off, and with time, it will get you results. I feel a bowler should learn to be patient come what may."

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SA franchises face higher quota requirement

Franchises teams in South Africa could be required to field a minimum of five players of colour per match, and provincial teams at least six players of colour, for the 2014-15 season as part of ongoing efforts to accelerate transformation. ESPNcricinfo understands CSA are looking to implement the new quota in addition to the current regulation that requires franchise XIs to include at least one black African player, which was introduced last season in response to concerns from the department of sport about the slow rate of change in South Africa's major sports.

The proposal is being considered after a directive from the country's sports minister Fikile Mbalula initially threatened to impose a quota at national level; that was retracted after Mbalula reached an understanding with federations over their development plans. While there are no official targets for South Africa's national team, the franchises will be required to show increased commitment to change.

The South African Cricketers' Association is believed to have preferred a target that would require franchises to field an average of five players a season, because that would allow more breathing room in case of injuries or loss of form. However, they will not oppose the motion, which is likely to be ratified at CSA's board meeting on June 3. CSA did not respond to questions.

Three of the six franchises already meet the proposed requirement. Dolphins, Cobras and Lions regularly fielded five players of colour in last season's first-class competition, with Cobras never fielding fewer than six. On three occasions, the Warriors' first-class XI had five players of colour, while Titans and Knights fielded four players of colour throughout.

A source revealed that both Titans and Knights are spending the off-season trying to contract players of colour. Titans have already secured the services of Tabraiz Shamsi, a left-arm spinner from Dolphins. The source said there was an emphasis on signing black African players, rather than just players of colour, in anticipation of a greater requirement to represent the country's largest demographic group, which makes up 80% of the population.

While Lions often fielded three black African players at first-class level, none of the other franchises matched that number. Dolphins, Titans and Knights had two black African players in their starting XIs at least 60% of the time, Warriors only managed more than one black African twice, and Cobras had only one black African in their first-class XI.

In early April, Mbalula had announced the government would implement a 60% quota in favour of players of colour in its national teams. Sporting federations that failed to meet the criteria would run the risk of being barred from international competition and their state funding being cut.

Following his announcement, Mbalula met with officials from cricket, rugby, athletics, netball and football to discuss the government's expectations. On April 22, Mbalula retracted the statements but said he had reached an understanding with the federations concerned. "Talking is not endless, but we need to find each other," he said. "I am not imposing any 60-40 onto anybody. I've talked to the federations."

The ministry report, compiled by an eminent persons' group, ranked the five sporting codes mentioned above along the following lines: if more than 50% of the national team was made up of players of colour (labeled generic black in the report), it considered the sport 100% transformed and gave it a mark out of 10. Sports then received another score for their black African player percentage, as opposed to mixed-race or Indian descent. If half of the 50% players of colour were black African, the sport would receive 10 out of 10 in the black African section.

Cricket received 10 out of 10 for its transformation in the generic black category and just 3.5 in the black African subsection, which was deemed poor. The report noted that at under-19 level, cricket teams to England and India scored 5 and 8 out of 10 in the black African category, which was regarded as an improvement. It also said, "Cricket is now ready to raise the target for generic black representation from its current 50% level to higher levels (60%)," because "this will further strengthen its longer term human capital base." That explained the reason for the five players of colour requirement, which is 45% of a cricket team.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

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McMillan joins New Zealand as batting coach

Craig McMillan has been named New Zealand's batting coach for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. In April the position was vacated by Bob Carter, who quit to take up a high-performance role in New Zealand's setup, and although McMillan's appointment is temporary at this stage, he could earn the job full-time if he impresses on the Caribbean tour.

McMillan, 37, played 55 Tests and 197 one-day internationals for New Zealand between 1997 and 2007, and since his retirement has worked in both commentary and coaching. He was the batting coach for Canterbury when they won the Plunket Shield last season and worked with New Zealand during the Wellington Test against West Indies in December when Carter was absent.

"It's a career path I'm looking forward to pursuing," McMillan told the Dominion Post this week. "I really enjoyed those few days and that's part of the reason why I applied. It's a great group of guys with a strong work ethic and they want to improve."

Lindsay Crocker, the head of cricket with NZC, said McMillan was the right man for the job. "We had a number of strong applicants from New Zealand and abroad, but overall we felt that Craig was the best fit for the role," Crocker said.

"Apart from being a former player himself, Craig's worked with Canterbury Cricket and also spent some time in the Black Caps' camp. His commentary work has also given him extensive knowledge of both the Black Caps and West Indies squads and those qualities placed him ahead of the other candidates."

A full-time batting coach will be named after the end of the West Indies tour. New Zealand fly to the Caribbean in late May for three Tests and two Twenty20 internationals.

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KKR-Mumbai match moved to Cuttack

Kolkata Knight Riders' home game against Mumbai Indians on May 14 has been moved from Eden Gardens to the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack because of security constraints during the elections in West Bengal.

"The decision was taken after the Kolkata Police informed the Cricket Association of Bengal and the Kolkata Knight Riders representatives that they would not be in a position to provide security cover at Eden Gardens on May 14, owing to the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal," an IPL statement said. "The Kolkata Police have assured that they will provide security cover for the remaining three matches scheduled to be played in Kolkata, on May 20, May 22 and May 24 respectively."

Those three matches will be the only ones Knight Riders have at their proper home venue this IPL season. The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Kolkata's home venue for the game against Mumbai, has also been playing home to Kings XI Punjab this season. In fact, on May 11, Kings XI will be the home team in Cuttack, when they take on Knight Riders.

"Kolkata Knight Riders will be playing an 'away' game in Cuttack, against Kings XI Punjab, on May 11," said the IPL governing council chairman Ranjib Biswal. "KKR will then stay back in Cuttack, and play a 'home' game against Mumbai Indians, on May 14. Both sides can expect the support of the spectators, and the spectators in turn can expect some fantastic cricket."

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England avoid Scottish slip-up

 England 167 for 6 (Bell 50, Cook 44, Davey 3-28) beat Scotland 133 for 9 (Leask 42, Tredwell 4-41) by 39 runs (D/L method)
Scorecard

Just for a moment it appeared there might be sunshine on Leask. Just for a moment it appeared England could be upset by a 23-year-old who has just given up his job in a bank to take his chance with a summer contract with Cricket Scotland. Just for a moment, as Michael Leask thrashed five sixes in an innings of 42 from 16 balls, it seemed the nightmare of defeat against Holland could be revisited in Aberdeen.

But in the end the romance of an underdog victory was outshone by the professionalism of an England unit who had a bit more nous, a bit more quality and a bit more experience. Leask had to be content with a man of the match award and the people of Aberdeen had to be content with the fact that they had somehow, against all the odds, pulled off an enjoyable fixture in which their team had given a more than decent account of themselves.

So England's new era began with a workmanlike victory over Scotland. It was not, perhaps, the dominant performance that some might have liked but, in wretched conditions that England captain, Alastair Cook described as "the wettest I've ever played in" a disciplined, professional England held off a rapidly-improving Associate side who they next meet in the World Cup in Christchurch in nine-months time.

Perhaps Alex Salmond knew what to expect. The leader of the Scottish independence movement was invited to the match but stayed away, quite possibly having taken one look at the weather forecast. Aberdeen has many charms, but watching cricket in bitterly cold, wet conditions is not one of them. Staging such a match at such a venue at this time of year was an accident waiting to happen. And sure enough, one of the groundstaff, Ken McCudie, sustained a dislocated elbow when slipping on the outfield in a mopping-up process that went well beyond the call of duty.

Certainly conditions could hardly have been more difficult to those anticipated in the World Cup. Rain delayed the start until 4pm, reducing the match to a 23-over encounter. It then intervened again during the Scotland innings to see the contest reduced to 20-overs a side with drizzle continuing for much of the game.

So it was never likely that England, without white ball cricket so far this season and put in on a pitch that had been under cover for a couple of days, would produce the aggressive top-order batting that their critics say will be required if they are to prosper in global events.

Instead they produced a measured, mature performance. The sort of performance that has served them pretty well in England over recent years. The sort of performance that may infuriate those who want them to bat with more urgency but that was a sensible tactic in conditions that Cook rated as "one of the worst I've ever played in."

They adapted and, through Ian Bell and Cook, posted an opening stand of 83 in 11.3 overs that laid the platform for a decent total in these circumstances.

Bell was the dominant partner. While Cook thrashed around without ever finding his timing - it sometimes looked as if he were using a broken bat - Bell sped to a 33-ball half-century and in the process overtook Alec Stewart to become the second highest run-scorer in ODI cricket for England. Twice he drove straight sixes - once skipping down the pitch to loft the offspin of Majid Haq back over his head and once punching Rob Taylor over long-off - and also reverse-swept, drove and pulled other boundaries.

"On a wicket where no-one else could time it, it just flowed for 'Belly,'" Cook said afterwards. "It was just class."

But the late acceleration never quite came. When Bell was dismissed, bowled round his legs attempting to flick over the legside, Cook became bogged down and finally departed to a fine, running catch on the long-off boundary and Jos Buttler was brilliantly caught by Taylor, jumping high on the midwicket boundary.

England pacemen rested England announced that the majority of their squad will be available for the round of Championship matches starting on Sunday. The exceptions are fast bowlers James Anderson, Chris Jordan and Harry Gurney, who will be rested.

"Scotland's fielding was exceptional," Cook said. "We were struggling to stand on our feet. There was standing water at mid-off and I was struggling to grip my bat, so for them to take running catches was exceptional."

Eoin Morgan, who thrashed two full tosses to the boundary and one more over it, and Joe Root, improvising cleverly, pushed the score forward with bright contributions. But when Morgan edged a wide one and Root and Ravi Bopara fell to successive deliveries, Cook admitted England "weren't sure if that was a good score."

Scotland never threatened to overhaul the target. James Anderson was too quick for both opening batsmen and both Harry Gurney, who made a quietly impressive debut as a death bowler, and Chris Jordan, maintained their lengths well enough on to prevent Scotland ever getting on top of the rate.

Only when Leask, a 23-year-old from Aberdeen playing just his third ODI, was at the crease did a Scotland victory appear possible. Leask thrashed five sixes and two fours in a breezy innings of 42 from just 16 deliveries.

Just for a few minutes, with England's bowlers struggling to grip the slippery ball, it seemed the former banker might pull-off a memorable heist. But when James Tredwell, the unfortunate victim of most of the six hitting, held one back and caused Leask to drag the ball to wide mid-on, Scotland's challenge was over. Of the rest of the batsmen in the top eight only Matt Machan, who scored 33 at almost a run-a-ball, made double-figures.

There were a couple of areas of concern for England: Buttler missed a fairly straightforward chance when Kyle Coetzer had 1 and they will know that these conditions bear almost no comparisons to those expected in Australia. But in circumstances where some England sides might have gone missing, they did enough to avoid any potential embarrassment and ensured the new Peter Moores era started smoothly.

George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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Overlooked Mohsin slams PCB

Mohsin Khan, the former Pakistan batsman, has called the procedure adopted by the PCB to hire Waqar Younis as head coach a 'total farce'.

Mohsin was among the contenders for the job, which he held briefly in 2012 when he oversaw Pakistan's famous 3-0 Test victory over England.

Last month, the PCB decided to not renew Moin Khan's contract as head coach and started the hunt for a new coaching panel. The PCB placed a newspaper advert, kept the opportunity open for 18 days for anyone to apply and appointed a three-man committee to evaluate the applications until May 5.

Mohsin and Waqar were in the race for the top role and on Tuesday, the PCB appointed Waqar, who returned for a second term after his previous stint between March 2010 and August 2011.

"They lied in their own house," Mohsin, who was rejected without interview, said. "They had said that the candidates will be shortlisted, then there will be interviews but they trashed the whole process and made fun of everything. They threw dust in everyone's eyes. There were no criteria. I was a deserving candidate but I was getting messages that the whole process was a total farce."

There was a perception that the board was already in contact with Waqar and that he was the only one in line for the job. Though Waqar's appointment was made official only on May 6, his name was unofficially doing the rounds before the deadline for candidates ended.

"They should have picked whoever they wanted as coach and appointed him but they should not have made a fool of the others. It happened before as well before the Asia Cup and World T20. It happened to Waqar as well at that time. Without any process they made Moin Khan coach. Moin is like my younger brother, but that was also not correct. PCB is not their personal property; it is the board of 18-19 million people of Pakistan. They spoiled two years of the team by bringing a so-called qualified coach (Dav Whatmore). They threw dust in the fans' eyes. They have played with Pakistan's name, with its respect."

Mohsin was the chief selector in 2011 when Waqar quit after his first stint as head coach and the PCB was forced to go with the former as interim coach before he was replaced by Whatmore in March 2012. Though Mohsin was given a makeshift role, he wanted to carry on in the job but the then chairman Zaka Ashraf opted to engage Whatmore instead.

Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @kalson

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England's no-win trip north

 Scotland will aim to take advantage of England's vulnerability in a fixture that does little to aid the long-term planning of Peter Moores and Alastair Cook

Win and it is only to be expected; lose and it is a humiliation. Peter Moores' second stint as England coach begins with as close to a no-win fixture as is possible.

England should prove too strong for Scotland. Despite recent setbacks, England are No. 4 in the ODI rankings and reached the final of the last global ODI tournament. Their players enjoy every advantage of modern professionalism and several of them have played more than 100 ODIs. Some of Scotland's players have to fit cricket in around their day jobs.

But this game has many of the ingredients for an upset. Scotland, highly motivated and resurgent having recently qualified for the World Cup, have nothing to lose and know that, after a chastening winter, England cannot be high on confidence. It would be stretching things a bit far to say they smell blood, but they certainly sense vulnerability. Netherlands' victory over England has shown what is possible

England, meanwhile, have not played any white ball cricket this season. They have never played an ODI so far north - Kyle Coetzer, Scotland's captain, proudly described it as the most northerly ODI venue in the world - and, in doing so in early May in a match starting at 10.30am and incorporating two new balls, know that batting could be something of a lottery at times. Poor weather could also intervene - it would be a surprise if it didn't - increasing the prospect of a shortened run chase, bowlers struggling to grip slippery balls and Duckworth-Lewis inspired frustration.

It would be wrong to decry the pitch, though. New Zealand scored 400 here in an ODI in 2008 and seven men have registered ODI centuries on the ground. But the boundary is small, the outfield on Thursday surprisingly wet and the sell-out crowd likely to be heavily partisan. It all faintly evokes memories of first-class sides being embarrassed at the home of minor county teams in the Gillette Cup.

One thing England should not be is complacent. Indeed, after the shock of the Netherlands defeat - a defeat that might well have cost Ashley Giles his job - and the thrashings in Australia, it remains to be seen if England's scars have healed. It was a lack of confidence, not a surfeit of it, which was their main weakness in Bangladesh.

There is a sense that Moores, at the start of this new era for England, is keen to help the team rediscover the simple pride and joy of representing their country and playing a game they love for a living. As Alastair Cook admitted, there were times in Australia, in particular, when they forgot that.

"You have to remember how lucky we are to wear the shirt and play for your country," Cook said. "Sometimes after a long period away, you forget that. Last winter is probably a reminder of that. When you lose games of cricket it becomes very hard.

"Now we've all had bit of time away from the game, it's been a good time to reflect and realise how special it is to be playing for England. We have to remember that at all times. Chatting to a few of the guys who are no longer playing, they say it's the best days of your life even in tough times."

Coetzer evokes England's winter turmoil Kyle Coetzer, the Scotland captain, has called on his team to "bring back some bad memories from the winter" for England in Aberdeen. Coetzer, born and raised in the city, used his pre-match press conference to remind England of a chastening few months, which included a whitewash defeat in the Ashes and an embarrassing loss at the hands of Holland in the World T20. "England didn't have the winter they would have liked," Coetzer said, "so hopefully we can bring back some back bad memories. They have some fresh faces, a new coach and a few players trying to prove themselves. "No one's place is cemented, so they may feel under a bit of a pressure to prove themselves. Hopefully we can prey on that and bring back a few bad memories." Coetzer is also relishing the opportunity to prove the strength of Scotland and Associate cricket. "A game of this magnitude is great for the whole of Scotland," he said. "We would like to see more games of this level, so it is hugely important for us to make most of days like this. We are always trying to prove a case for Associate cricket and we want to show what a high level it is. The progression we have made over the last 12-18 months has been outstanding and now is our time to prove ourselves."

Furthermore, with 21 ODIs to play until the World Cup starts, places are at stake in both sides. This England team has only been assembled for this game so performances here will influence selection for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, which will be named on Tuesday.

Most urgently, England need to find some reliable 'death' bowlers - not a strong area in county cricket at present - and decide on their top-order batting tactics.

Harry Gurney, a left-arm bowler of sharp if not express pace, might be one answer. He has developed a good record in domestic white-ball cricket and could partner James Anderson or Stuart Broad in Powerplays and at the end of an innings. Ravi Bopara, who Alastair Cook revealingly named as one of two colleagues (Broad was the other) he consulted before deciding to continue as captain, is another underutilised 'death' option. Chris Jordan, who has looked the most dangerous new-ball bowler in England this season, rarely does the job for Sussex and struggled when pressed into service in the role in the Caribbean.

There is a sense that England would like to take a more aggressive approach to the first 15 overs of their innings. The argument for such a tactic is that, on the batsmen-friendly tracks anticipated for most of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, England's traditional steady approach will not generate the huge totals that may be needed to prevail.

But Aberdeen in May is not the place to experiment with aggressive top-order batting. It may well be that the games played against Sri Lanka offer little more help, either. England continue to be hindered by their scheduling.

Besides, Cook believes that the best players have the ability to adapt. So those players who are suited to seeing England through the new ball in Aberdeen should, if Cook is to be believed, also prove the men to get them off to a flyer in Perth and Brisbane.

"One of skills you need as an international cricketer is the ability to play in different conditions," Cook said. "You're challenged wherever you play in the world. The best players adapt and find a way of delivering results. The wicket here looks good, but it won't be an absolute belter, so going hard would be foolish."

But preparing for a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by playing in Aberdeen in May is like preparing for a sprint by going ice-skating.

All of which begs the question: why is this game taking place? The politically correct answer is that the ECB and ICC want to provide some encouragement to an Associate neighbour. But the fact that England have played only two of their previous 616 ODIs against Scotland, does not suggest that encouragement is especially effusive.

If the ECB really wanted to support Associate cricket, it would lobby the ICC to push for cricket to be accepted as an Olympic sport. Until it does, matches like this are little more than a perfunctory sop.

George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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