Raina may break his IPl attendance
new delhi: India batsman Suresh Raina holds the record for not missing an Indian Premier league (IPl) match since its inception in 2008 but the left hander may finally miss a game as he is expecting the birth of his first child in Holland. Raina, under whom the Gujarat lions beat hosts Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in Kolkata on Sunday, said that he will fly to Holland on Monday to be with his wife in labour Priyanka Chaudhary. “I’m flying to Holland to meet my wife tomorrow and I’m all excited,” Raina said.
‘Surprised to get a seaming wicket’
Kolkata: Gujarat lions were pleasantly surprised to see a seaming track on offer at the Edens Gardens and made full use of the conditions to set up a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPl match, said veteran seamer Praveen Kumar. “We were surprised to see this wicket. We were expecting a rank-turner. There was a bit of juice in the wicket initially, with a bit of grass that made some difference. We bowled in the right areas and got early breakthroughs so it helped us. It was a double-pace wicket,” Praveen Kumar said. Praveen took two wickets in three balls which included that of in-form Gautam Gambhir (five) as KKR were tottering at 24/4 in 5.5 overs before Shakib Al Hasan (66 not out) and Yusuf Pathan (63 not out) staged the recovery.
Sehwag’s inputs has helped me: saha
new delhi: He has had poor run of form in the Indian Premier league since his century in the 2014 final but Kings XI Punjab wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha feels that interactions with Team Mentor Virender Sehwag has helped him improve as a batsman. “Viru bhai (Sehwag)’s role as a mentor of Kings XI Punjab has really helped me personally as I have learnt a lot about batting in various conditions. It’s not any specific tips but when you interact with a legend on a day to day basis, you pick up a lot. It did help me as I have again found some form going my way,” Wriddhiman said.
Hogg reprimanded
new delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) spinner Brad Hogg was on Monday reprimanded by the match referee for using inappropriate language during an IPl match. “Brad Hogg of Kolkata Knight Riders was reprimanded by the Match Referee for using inappropriate language, actions or gestures which disparage or provoke an aggressive reaction during a match,” said a release from the oraganisers. “He (Brad Hogg) admitted to the level 1 offence (Article 2.1.7 of the IPl Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials) and accepted the sanction,” the release added. For level 1 breaches of IPl’s code of conduct, the match referee’s decision is final and binding.
Mustafizur sparks Bbl interest
melbourne: Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman could ignite a bidding war between several Big Bash league (BBl) cricket franchises as the promising pacer has caught the eyes of many in Australia. The 20-year-old is one of the hottest T20 bowlers in the world right now, dominating the Indian Premier league (IPl) at the Sunrisers Hyderabad with lively left-arm pace, deceptive slower balls, hostile yorker and cutters. Seven BBl clubs have at least one overseas vacancy; only the Melbourne Stars have already filled their quota with English pair luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen. The Melbourne Renegades may have got an early jump on their rivals in the race for Mustafizur.
‘Fresh wicket gave lions the edge’
KOlKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders leg-spinner Piyush Chawla said Gujarat lions got the advantage of bowling on a fresh wicket to secure a five-wicket win in the Indian Premier league T20 cricket tournament here. “Wicket was good and maybe because of the last night’s rain it was fresh and seaming a bit during the first innings. They got the advantage of first wicket,” Chawla said after their loss to Gujarat lions on Sunday night. “We lost a few early wickets but recovered well. They batted really well. I don’t think many things went wrong, it’s just that they played better cricket,” Chawla said.
Ecb announce North vs South series
london: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday announced a new pre-season North vs South tournament in the United Arab Emirates featuring selected players from the County Championship. The first three-match series will take place in Abu Dhabi next March, with two more series to take place over the following two years. In a novel element, the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s (PCA) Most Valuable Player ranking system will be used to select five members on each team, drawn from counties in England’s north and south. “This is a good opportunity for England, domestic players and the game,” ECB managing director Andrew Strauss told a press conference in london.
‘Steyn, Broad toughest I have faced’
bengaluru: Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has said pacer Dale Steyn and England seamer Stuart Broad are the toughest bowlers he has faced in Test cricket. Watson recently retired from Tests. He is currently playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier league. “The one that consistently comes back is Dale Steyn, especially in Test cricket. Just how relentless he is with the new ball, he doesn’t really give you anything to hit, he swings the ball very late,” Watson was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Monday. “He’s got an incredible engine as well. His ability to keep coming back, his energy in his last spell when the ball starts doing something is pretty amazing.” Broad has been fairly successful against Watson, dismissing him several times in Tests. Speaking about him the Australian said, “Stuart Broad I always found very challenging.” Agencies