Mushtaq Ahmed named Pakistan bowling consultant

	Mushtaq Ahmed is coming off his stint with England © AFP Enlarge
Related Links News : Mushtaq Ahmed loses England role Players/Officials: Mushtaq Ahmed Teams: Pakistan

Mushtaq Ahmed, the former legspinner, has been named Pakistan's bowling consultant. His appointment was made on the recommendation of the PCB's coach selection committee and approved by newly-appointed head coach, Waqar Younis, the Pakistan board said in a release. Mushtaq has been appointed with immediate effect and his contract will extend until May 2016.

Since 2008, Mushtaq had worked as a spin-bowling coach with England and was recently released by the ECB, which is likely to bring in Peter Such as a replacement. This is Mushtaq's second stint with Pakistan - he had earlier served as bowling consultant during home series against England and India between 2005 and 2006.

The PCB said former offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq was also short-listed for the job, but lost out to Mushtaq.

Mushtaq was one of the players implicated in the Justice Qayyum commission report in 2000, after which he was fined Rs. 3 lakh. The commission had recommended that Mushtaq be censured, kept under close watch and not be given any office of responsibility [selection or captaincy] in the team or on the board.

His appointment, despite a six-year association with the ECB, is being seen as controversial due to the report. However, his fairly successful stint with England - in an era when Graeme Swann rose to prominence - has meant that the PCB is willing to take him on despite the criticism.

"There is no concern shown by PCB at all and I am excited to work with my own country," Mushtaq told ESPNcricinfo. "I always wanted to work with Pakistan and if a country like England can support me, then why not my own country. England is a country that is very sensitive [about match-fixing] and they had utilised my services, then how come the critics in Pakistan are raising a finger on me.

"I have a contract according to which I will be working at the NCA, on the development of the upcoming spinners, apart from the national role. Obviously, the present lot [of bowlers] in Pakistan is established but I am aiming to carry on the momentum, which is important in the longer run."

Mushtaq, last played for Pakistan in 2003 but extended his county career and retired from first-class cricket in 2008. In 2003 he became the first bowler in five years to take 100 wickets in the English season. He played 52 Tests and 144 ODIs, taking 185 Test wickets and 161 one-day wickets in 14-year international career.

Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @kalson

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D/L doesn't work in T20s - Steyn

	Dale Steyn - "The rules regarding rain-affected matches are the subject of ongoing discussion in IPL changing rooms" © BCCI Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Dale Steyn | Praveen Kumar | Daniel Vettori | Kieron Pollard | Allan Donald Series/Tournaments: Indian T20 League Teams: Bangalore T20 | Hyderabad T20 | India | Mumbai T20 | Sunrisers Hyderabad

Steyn speaks out on D/L method

Dale Steyn, the Sunrisers Hyderabad seamer, has become the first major player in the IPL this season to speak up about the much-debated Duckworth-Lewis method, admitting that it was an "ongoing discussion in changing rooms".

Steyn snared two wickets on Saturday to help restrict Delhi Daredevils to 143, and after a couple of rain interruptions, the Sunrisers' task was made even easier as the target was revised to 43 from five overs.

"No doubt the Daredevils would have felt hard done by the last game when the Duckworth-Lewis method gave us a five-over target of less than 50," Steyn wrote in his column for the Times of India . "The rules regarding rain-affected matches are the subject of ongoing discussion in IPL changing rooms.

"Let me skip straight to the conclusion. The way D/L is calculated at the moment, it doesn't work in T20s. But until they, or somebody else, comes up with an improved formula - or even something completely different - we have to stick with it. It's better than tossing a coin or drawing a target out of a hat."

Shastri tips Praveen for England tour

One of the few positives for Mumbai Indians during their defeat to Chennai Super Kings which all but ended their hopes of reaching the playoffs, was a spirited showing from their seamer Praveen Kumar.

Praveen, who went unsold at the IPL auction in February, was roped in by Mumbai as a replacement for the injured Zaheer Khan, and he marked his first appearance for the franchise by picking up the crucial wickets of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum.

Ravi Shastri, writing for Times of India believes that an in-form Praveen warrants selection for the upcoming tour of England, where the bowler's late swing could be a potent weapon.

"This is important for Indian cricket. Praveen is excellent with his control and swing either way; notably late swing. He has the heart of a lion. His Test figures are good," Shastri wrote. "In English conditions, which are expected to be colder this year, he could form a healthy pair with state-mate and protégé, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"The fact that he is a genuine swing bowler is something that you must take into account as they are a breed who are getting rarer by the day and hence have to be nurtured."

Been a legspinners' tournament - Vettori

While the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Dwayne Smith and David Miller have hogged the limelight this season for their big hitting, Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach, struck a different note, insisting that this year had been a "legspinners' tournament".

"I think this has been a legspinner's tournament - Pravin Tambe and Rahul Tewatia today for Rajasthan Royals, Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Yuzvendra Chahal for us," Vettori told iplt20.com . "We've seen the rise of the legspinners, which is great because everyone loves watching a leggie in action. It's a really tough art to master, but when you see these guys do so well, it inspires youngsters."

"Arrogant" Pollard got away lightly - Donald

One of the biggest flashpoints of this season's IPL was the ugly altercation between Mitchell Starc and Kieron Pollard, with both players eventually admitting to a level two offence under the IPL's code of conduct.

Pollard lost 75% of his match fee, but Allan Donald, the bowling coach of the Royal Challengers, had strong words for the Mumbai allrounder, branding him "arrogant" and worthy of a bigger punishment.

"I have a fairly strong opinion about what happened the other day at the Wankhede Stadium. It's not something that should be tolerated," Donald told Mid Day . "As far as I am concerned, Pollard pulled out deliberately at the last moment and that's not acceptable. Pollard is a fairly arrogant individual. I can't stand a player who wants to throw his bat at the bowler.

"It's just not on. There's space for a bit of niggling but beyond that, I don't think these things should be allowed to take place on the field. And from the fines that were imposed, I must say that Pollard got away pretty lightly."

RCB quash Gayle injury rumours

The Royal Challengers Bangalore dismissed reports that Chris Gayle had been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL. Gayle, who was dismissed for 19 on Sunday, had missed the Royal Challengers' first few games with a back injury, and speculation was rife that he would miss the franchise's remaining games as well.

"Gayle is not ruled out and no replacement is sought," the Royal Challengers said in a statement.

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Cardiff hosts Ashes opener

	Cardiff's early forays as an international venue have had mixed weather © PA Photos Enlarge
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Cardiff will host the opening Investec Ashes Test Match next summer, reviving memories of the ground's inaugural Test in 2009 when England's last pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar clung on for a famous draw on the final day of a nervewracking Ashes encounter.

The chance to launch the series is another fillip for Cardiff, which has had mixed results with weather and attendance levels since financial support from the Welsh Assembly raised its profile as an international venue.

The city is also in contention with London and Singapore as a potential headquarters of the ICC in succession to Dubai.

The commitment to award Cardiff an Ashes was made three years ago, since when the ground's ability to implant itself as a major international venue for cricket has had a mixed reception. The city was also chosen as one of the three venues for last year's Champions Trophy.

Lord's, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and The Kia Oval will also stage Tests as England attempt to recover from their 5-0 mauling in Australia last winter and regain the famous Ashes urn. That would demand that they won a fourth successive home Ashes series following their previous triumphs in 2005, 2009 and 2013.

Confirmation of the schedule is again a sharp reminder of a creeping north-south divide in English cricket. An Ashes Test is the premier attraction in English cricket, but there are no Ashes Tests for Old Trafford, Headingley, or Chester-Le-Street - even though the first two grounds are replete in history and expensively upgraded.

Headingley, which is the only venue where Australia have beaten England in the past two tours, does not appear by mutual consent because Yorkshire, heavily in debt, dare not risk the financial outlay. But Old Trafford will feel in absence heavily. The city is on the up, the ground transformed, but the Australians elsewhere.

After the Ashes, England and Australia will do battle again in a NatWest IT20 in Cardiff before five 50-over matches at the The Ageas Bowl, Lord's, Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley hosting matches in the Royal London One-Day International series.

New Zealand's tour of England will begin in May with tour matches against Somerset and Worcestershire before the two countries meet in Tests at Lords and Headingley. ODIs are scheduled for Edgbaston, The Oval, The Ageas Bowl, Trent Bridge and Chester-le-Street. Old Trafford hosts a NatWest IT20.

New Zealand itinerary: May 8-11: Somerset, 4 days, Taunton; May 14-17: Worcestershire, 4 days, New Road; May 21-25: 1st Investec Test, Lord's; May 29-June 2: 2nd Test, Headingley; June 6: Leicestershire, 50 overs, Grace Road; June 9: Royal London ODI (D/N), Edgbaston; June 12: ODI (D/N), Kia Oval; June 14: ODI, Ageas Bowl; June 17: ODI (D/N), Trent Bridge; June 20: ODI, Emirates Durham; June 23: NatWest T20I (F), Emirates Old Trafford.

Australia itinerary: June 25-28, Kent, 4 days, Canterbury; July 1-4, Essex, 4 days, Chelmsford; July 8-12: Investec Test, Swalec Stadium, Cardiff; July 16-20: 2nd Test, Lord's; July 23-25: Derbyshire, 3 days, Derby; July 29-Aug 2, 3rd Test, Edgbaston; Aug 6-10: 4th Test, Trent Bridge; Aug 14-16: Northants, 3 days, Northampton; Aug 20-24, 5th Test, Northants, Northampton; Aug 27: Ireland, ODI, TBC; Aug 31: NatWest T20I, Swalec, Cardiff; Sep 3: Royal London ODI, Ageas Bowl; Sep 5: ODI, Lord's; Sep 8: ODI, Emirates Old Trafford; Sep 11: ODI, Headingley; Sep 13: ODI, Emirates Old Trafford.

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IPL schedule reveals BCCI home truths

	The defending IPL champions will not get to host the IPL final this time © BCCI Enlarge
Related Links News : No IPL matches in Chennai, final moved to Bangalore News : Second phase of IPL in India from May 2 Series/Tournaments: Indian T20 League Teams: India

 The allotment of venues for IPL matches is predominantly a political game between the BCCI and its associations; the recent shuffle of the playoffs' hosts suggests as much

On Sunday night, Kolkata Knight Riders played an 'away' game against Kings XI Punjab in Cuttack. On Wednesday, they will return to the venue for a 'home' game. It's just one of those quirks of scheduling that seem to fit right into the IPL's nomadic format. Elections, court cases, international politics have all affected the allotment of venues in the tournament, which of late has become a tool for political manoeuvring within the BCCI - most evident in the recent changes to the venues of the IPL playoffs, including the final.

The announcement of the original IPL schedule of the India leg hinted that the venues had been finalised keeping an eye on the September election of the BCCI; recent changes, including Saturday's announcement of the shifting of the playoff matches and the final, have only firmed up that belief, with several politically significant state bodies having been showered with multiple IPL games.

For a state body, hosting an IPL match is as financially rewarding as it is prestigious. Each member unit earns approximately Rs 2 crore from the BCCI for staging an IPL game. Add to that the variable sums that are charged for letting out practice facilities to the home teams, and the state bodies' desperation to host IPL matches is understandable.

The original IPL schedule had ensured that two of stood-down BCCI president N Srinivasan's most trusted lieutenants from the east zone - Orissa and Jharkhand bosses Ranjib Biswal and Amitabh Choudhary - had been awarded IPL games, completely out of turn. Ranchi and Chennai are located at two different corners of the country. So are Chandigarh and Cuttack. Still, Ranchi - hometown of Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni - was originally awarded two of Super Kings' home games, and then got two more when the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association conveyed its inability to host any games this season.

Cuttack's Barabati Stadium, meanwhile, was awarded two of Kings XI Punjab's home matches, and got one more when Kolkata Knight Riders' home game on May 14 had to be moved from Eden Gardens - thus making it perhaps the first ground to act as an adopted 'home' of two teams in the same season. Why are Biswal and Choudhary - and their home grounds - significant? Both are supporters from the east zone of the ruling faction led by Srinivasan and hold top positions in the BCCI. While Biswal is the IPL chairman, Choudhary heads the powerful BCCI marketing committee.

The key, though, is that it is the east zone's turn this year to nominate a president for three years from October 2014. The BCCI constitution allows the candidate to be from outside the east zone if he is nominated by an east zone member and seconded by another.

And so matches and venues are used as carrots and sticks. If Cuttack and Ranchi benefited from their proximity to the power centre, venues that came under BCCI officials critical of Srinivasan and his tenure were left out in the cold.

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha had informed the BCCI that there would be no problem in playing IPL matches at their respective venues anytime after the date of voting. However, the BCCI turned a blind eye on the associations of Ajay Shirke, the Maharashtra Cricket Association president who had resigned as BCCI treasurer protesting against the handling of the IPL corruption scandal; Jyotiraditya Scindia, the MPCA head who was the first to question Srinivasan after the corruption scandal broke last year, and Manohar from Vidarbha, the most vocal detractor of Srinivasan after Modi.

The case of Mumbai, which lost the final to Bangalore, is more complex. In the original schedule, the IPL had followed the set norm of allotting the last two games, including the final, to the home ground of the defending champion. Saturday's announcement of the change offered no explanation for it, and there has been none since - the truth will probably be hard to explain. The main factor has been the prevailing acrimony between the MCA and the BCCI hierarchy.

Sharad Pawar's return as the MCA chief last October has made the ruling regime in the BCCI wary of the MCA. To add to that, ever since Pawar's return, Ravi Savant, the MCA and BCCI vice-president, has time and again questioned the BCCI decisions in the public domain. Pawar's public criticism of the suspension of the Rajasthan Cricket Association on May 6 is being considered the key reason that led to the change of the venue for the final.

Mumbai's loss has been Bangalore's gain. But Bangalore hasn't benefitted only due to its ostensibly luxurious hospitality boxes. Five months ago, the power centres in the Karnataka State Cricket Association experienced a shift from Anil Kumble's group to Brijesh Patel's. Since then, the BCCI top brass has been doling out all sorts of favours to the new KSCA regime. The team managers for India's last two overseas assignments - the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 - were both KSCA representatives, and the allotment of the final is being seen as yet another step by BCCI top brass led still led by the sidelined N Srinivasan to keep a key south zone member happy.

Similarly, allotting an IPL playoff game each to the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium and Eden Gardens are seen as measures to keep two more voting members on the right side ahead of the BCCI elections in September.

Awarding IPL games to units close to the president isn't new. The DY Patil Sports Stadium, a private stadium in Navi Mumbai, hosted two IPL finals, thanks to its owners' close links with Modi, the then IPL chairman, and Pawar, who was the BCCI president when the IPL was launched. Similarly, when Deccan Chargers had to play their home games away from Hyderabad in 2010, Nagpur - the home city of then BCCI president Shashank Manohar - was one of the three home venues of the franchise.

Similarly, Kochi Tuskers Kerala played two of their home games in Indore, the cricketing base of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, in their only season. Sanjay Jagdale, the most influential personality from MP cricket, was then the BCCI joint-secretary and soon took over as the secretary. Before this season, Dharamsala, the home of BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur, was the favoured adopted home of Kings XI Punjab.

Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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Yuvraj's blast from the past ends in heartbreak

Yuvraj Singh finally delivered. He put on a vintage show with the bat, and then cut through Rajasthan Royals' middle order to almost single-handedly take his team to victory. Almost

He had come bounding out and was more than halfway to the non-strikers' end before the M Chinnaswamy Stadium realised what was happening. Yuvraj Singh simply wanted in, and the ensuing hours detailed why. The embattled batsman produced two potentially match-winning displays on the same night - 83 vintage runs off 38 balls, and a 4 for 35 of similar yore. There were the effortless pick-up shots over the leg side, the drives through off, sweeps and slog sweeps; there were also the same old loopy innocuous-looking-but-dangerous left-arm offbreaks and a deadly arm ball. However, there was no win in the end.

The big screen flashed Virat Kohli clutching his knees in despair, but the more poignant image was Yuvraj walking away, his shoulders slouched and his resolve reeling from Steven Smith and James Faulkner's punch to the gut.

Yuvraj had been carried by his team for seven matches, his captain vouching for him, his team-mates backing him. Six of his innings had been well under his tournament strike rate of 102. Royal Challengers lost four of those games, and needed an AB de Villiers special to win another. Tonight, for 36 overs, Yuvraj would have seen redemption within his grasp. Cruelly, though, flawed lengths in the final few overs helped Rajasthan Royals take 65 runs off 17 balls, and serve Yuvraj and his team a cold, painful heartbreak.

Prior to the jail break, there was something of a flashback to Durban, seven years ago, when a restless Yuvraj burst onto the field and in the course of six balls wrote his name into cricketing lore. The recent past has not extended the same kindness. The man who played a key role in India's 2011 World Cup triumph froze in the 2014 World T20 final. In the IPL, before this game, he had been slow against pace, clumsy against spin and desolate on the field. Royal Challengers' Rs 14 crore investment seemed to have crashed.

	Yuvraj Singh's innings directed the mind back to Durban 2007 © BCCI Enlarge

However, on Sunday night, none of Royals' quicks could make Yuvraj hop and their two specialist spinners bowled into his hitting arc. Pravin Tambe, for all his success, was still a rung below international level. Rahul Tewatia was playing only his second T20 game of note. And both of them bowled wrong'uns on Yuvraj's pads.

There had been success for the legspinners with the same plan, but Yuvraj - unlike Chris Gayle and Vijay Zol before him - was reading the googly from the hand and not off the pitch. He got one sweep away, then another and one more, and suddenly the Chinnaswamy was on its feet. It wasn't a cry of "Yuvi, Yuvi" yet, but they got the "R-C-B, R-C-B" chant going.

It is probable that Yuvraj's price tag has been haunting him, but just as clear was how he seemed to have put it out of his mind for tonight. His side was in trouble at 40 for 3. He was one of their last hopes. He had to deliver. And that is where he played with the freedom that has deserted him of late. He possibly did not venture into the "or else" territory. The fans, though, were still cagey. They seemed to hold their breath every time he got on strike and released it only after he got to the other end.

Gayle had come and gone. Virat Kohli had endured a fruitless promotion and Zol's sparkle was quite brief. It was the 11th over, and the crowd was restless. It demanded that Yuvraj get going. "We want six," was the chant around the ground. A young boy was being educated on the nuances of form in cricket as his father tried to temper expectations. Would the same conversation have happened had the other batsman, de Villiers, been on strike?

It didn't matter because, languid as the batsman of old, Yuvraj picked a Tewatia googly and hurled it into the hundreds of outstretched hands beyond the midwicket boundary. And so it began, "Yuvi, Yuvi." And it didn't end. Yuvraj faced only 38 balls, but in that time, the fans realised just why their franchise shelled out Rs 14 crore for him.

Those who hadn't were persuaded by a stand-out bowling performance. He stayed within his limitations, but he strangled the batsman's momentum. He was fierce in his celebrations after flummoxing Watson with an arm ball. If he allowed himself such liberties, that could have been because he envisioned leading Royal Challengers to victory single-handedly. This was Yuvraj's vindication. The DJ then somewhat spoiled what we were trying to savour with a thoughtless belting out of "Singh Is King". No Singh is allowed to do well in India without being made to listen to it.

The bigger spoiler, though, came after he ended his spell, prying out half-centurion Karun Nair in the 14th over. Yuvraj will appreciate having regained his touch, but it will be hard to not brood over what was so near he could taste it: a victorious return to form.

Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Astill takes Cricket Society award

	James Astill has won the Cricket Society book of the year award © Marylebone Cricket Club Enlarge

James Astill, the political editor of The Economist, has won the Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year award for 2014. Astill received the award in the Long Room at Lord's for his book about the rise of Indian cricket: The Great Tamasha: Cricket, Corruption and the Turbulent Rise of Modern India.

Astill, who was similarly honoured by the Cricket Writers Club, received certificates and a £3000 award, presented by England's fourth oldest living Test cricketer Hubert Doggart.

This 45-year-old competition, which has been run in partnership between The Cricket Society and MCC since 2009, has become a highlight of the cricketing year. Friday's audience heard that it has been extended for at least another three years to 2017.

Five of the shortlisted authors, and a representative of the sixth, spoke about their work. A delighted Astill said: "I am thrilled to win the award and hope I have shed some light on much that is often hard for outsiders to India to fathom. The shared experience of cricket there could sometimes be the only shaft of light in the grim lives of ordinary people."

Chair of judges Vic Marks, cricket writer and former England cricketer, complimented Astill's first cricket work for its exploration of India as well as its cricket.

The competition, run by The Cricket Society since 1970, is for books nominated by members and not publishers. A previous winner, former Wisden editor Scyld Berry, hailed his award as "cricket's seal of literary approval." Another winner did not realize the award had monetary value too and a prolonged search of the Lord's dustbins failed to locate his excitedly discarded winning cheque.

Shortlist: James Astill: The Great Tamasha, Cricket Corruption and the Turbulent Rise of Modern India (Bloomsbury); Authors Cricket Club: The Authors XI, A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon (Bloomsbury); John Barclay: Lost in the Long Grass (Fairfield Books); Brian Halford: The Real Jeeves, The Cricketer Who Gave His Life for His Country and His Name to a Legend. (Pitch Publishing); Malcolm Knox: Bradman's War (Robson Press); Robert Winder: The Little Wonder, The Remarkable History of Wisden. (Bloomsbury).

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'Started pondering Test future after NZ series' - Sammy

	Darren Sammy says it's time the West Indies Test team "moves in a new direction". © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links News : Darren Sammy retires from Test cricket News : Ramdin named WI Test captain Players/Officials: Darren Sammy Teams: West Indies

Darren Sammy, the West Indies all-rounder who announced his retirement from Test cricket yesterday, has said his decision wasn't a fallout of his being replaced as captain by wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin.

Sammy, whose decision to call time on his Test career came hours after he was axed as captain, said he had been thinking about it for a long time. "After the New Zealand series [which West Indies lost 2-0] I sat down with the team management and the selectors and then told myself that we cannot continue like this. Probably my career is on the line. I was very serious about it," Sammy told ESPNcricinfo.

"It was a difficult decision. If you have been playing cricket as a kid, all you have been dreaming of is to represent your team in Test cricket and I have been fortunate enough to do it. But I thought it was the right time for me to move on. I feel it's time the West Indies Test team continues to move in a new direction, under a new leader."

Extending his support to Ramdin, who led Trinidad and Tobago into the semifinals of the regional four-day championship, Sammy had a word of advice for him as well. "Denesh has been captaining regional teams with distinction but it (leading West Indies) is a difficult job," he said. "Leading guys who come from different cultural backgrounds and getting the best out of them. I wish him all the best as he tries to the lead West Indies Test cricket forward into a new era."

Despite marking his Test debut with a seven-wicket haul in the second innings at Old Trafford or having been heckled as perhaps the slowest-ever West Indies new-ball bowler, Sammy, the first cricketer from St Lucia to play Test cricket, will be most remembered for having led the West Indies when a player revolt marred Caribbean cricket in 2010.

"When I was asked to lead the team when it was in disarray, it was the most challenging phase for me," Sammy said. "There was no way I could not have accepted the job. To get the bunch to play as a unit, earn their respect and then lead them towards a new direction has been a memorable journey. From what I have contributed, I hope I have done my bit and it's time for somebody else to carry on."

Sammy, who has had a moderate run in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad this year, stressed that his best as a limited-overs cricketer was yet to come. "I am sure we all have a part to play to take West Indies cricket forward in whichever format we are playing in," Sammy said. "I am pretty much available in one-day and T20 cricket and hope my services will be utilised. I have my best years of cricket ahead of me and look forward to contributing to West Indies cricket. I am still fit. Probably I might not look fit but I am fit. I wish I can keep on playing my role in West Indies cricket."

Sammy thanked the West Indies cricket fraternity and his family for their support. "I respect this great game a lot and I have always given my best, whether it was in the dressing room or when I have trained," he said. "I thank all my teammates and support staff and administrators for all their support. I would also like to thank all my friends and family for standing beside me, especially my wife Cathy."

Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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