Ashes-winning captain, autocratic “supremo”, Farsley CC groundsman – “Illy” was one of the game’s true greats

David Hopps25-Dec-2021Raymond Illingworth had a fair claim to be considered the most competent English cricketer since the war. He was not, as Yorkshire’s pointed out, a great batsman, nor a great bowler, nor a great fieldsman. But he was a professional’s professional, “sufficiently expert, in his employment of experience, knowledge, tactical insight and psychology as a captain to be remembered without qualification as a great cricketer”.In fact, there was little Illingworth (known throughout his career as “Illy”) did not know about cricket and virtually nothing he could not do in the game. As a small boy he would help prepare his local club ground for a match and when his race was run, and he had a distinguished record as a former England manager and captain, he still enjoyed rolling the grass and marking the pitch at his local Bradford League club, Farsley. He had opinions on groundsmanship as he had opinions on everything else that was cricket related. He was truly a cricket man for all seasons and for all moments, critical or contemplative.The son of a cabinet-maker and joiner, he inherited strong hands, long fingers, powerful arms and an attention to detail. He left school in Farsley at 14 with a batting average of 100 and a bowling average of two. He furthered his cricketing education on the damp pitches and in the stinging winds of the Bradford League which encouraged in him a pragmatism that never wavered. When he was only 15, he scored 148 not out in a Priestley Cup Final spread over several evenings.Related

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Illingworth was playing for Yorkshire’s 2nd XI before he gained wider prominence during national service when playing for the RAF and Combined Services. He was 19 when he scored 56 on his debut for Yorkshire in 1951 but was unable to compete for a regular place until after his release in 1953 when a series of mishaps to Yorkshire’s bowlers left a vacancy.Illy had bowled right-arm medium until he discovered, in a league match, a talent for offspin and it was as an offbreak bowler, with a well-disguised “arm” ball that he would be mostly remembered. His smooth, contemplative approach and curl of his bowling arm before delivery imposed an impression of order and he resented every run he conceded. His versatility was such that for a quarter century he was numbered among the world’s most reliable allrounders, as reflected in his career figures: 24,134 runs at an average of 28.06, 2,072 wickets at 20.28.He hit 22 first-class centuries and took 446 catches, usually at gully from where he kept an eagle eye on the play, as analytical as any player in Yorkshire’s history. As a young player, he had to withstand a bullying Yorkshire dressing room where senior players held sway. He was no more than an average fielder when he entered the Yorkshire team and suffered some sarcastic outbursts from the acerbic Johnny Wardle until, after a confrontation, he became Wardle’s favourite fielder in the deep.Many of Illingworth’s runs were made at a critical juncture in the innings when either defiance or dash was needed and his ability to provide either made him a major figure in Yorkshire’s seven trophies, including five Championships, in the 1960s. Cricket was a job and the job was to win, from the outset. Throughout he was captain Brian Close’s right-hand man and the story goes that when one of the ebullient skipper’s cunning wheezes went awry the team naturally turned to Illingworth to restore order. They were a potent blend, Close possessed of a gambler’s instinct, Illingworth shrewd and intense. They were solid friends, each convinced they knew more than the other.Judged a batting offspinner by the England selectors, he had to compete for a Test place with several expert practitioners, including his fellow Yorkshiremen Bob Appleyard and Jim Laker, who played for Surrey, and did not play for the first of his 61 Tests till 1958. He toured Australia in 1962-63 where public comments about the captaincy and the tour management made him a suspicious character to cricket’s establishment.

“Playing under Illy was a marvellous experience, going to school under a stern and humorous headmaster whose own foibles made him that much more of a human being”David Gower

His future at Headingley seemed considerably more stable when he followed Close as Yorkshire’s captain, but he was not a man given to gamble in cricket or in life and, in 1968, at 37, he sought some insurance from Yorkshire through a written contract. By a piece of mismanagement spectacular by even Yorkshire’s history he was sacked, became Leicestershire’s captain and transformed them into one of England’s leading teams, taking them to the Championship for the first time in their history.David Gower, a young aspirant when Illingworth arrived at Leicestershire and who was to one day follow him as captain of England, later remembered: “Playing under Illy was a marvellous experience, going to school under a stern and humorous headmaster whose own foibles made him that much more of a human being.”Above all this headmaster had standards. And only if you observed those standards were you admitted to the inner circle of his confidence. You had to look after yourself in what he considered to be a proper manner on and off the field. If you did all that he loved you; if you didn’t, he would be down on you. His attitude to any and every game of cricket was 100 percent effort.”Even the establishment was impressed and, strikingly late in his career, the England captaincy followed, a run of 31 successive Tests, plus five against the Rest of the World, which culminated in the regaining of the Ashes in Australia in 1970-71. It ended with his team triumphantly chairing him from the field in an obvious show of respect, but it was a controversial series and Illingworth’s demeanour and attitude brought criticism from the more traditional pundits. He argued on the field about short-pitched bowling with the Australian umpire Lou Rowan in the Sydney Test, and when bottles and cans were thrown on to the outfield in protest, Illingworth led his players off the field in protest. England played in his manner: tough, pugnacious, shrewd.The Yorkshire committee, beset by argument and furore over the future of Geoffrey Boycott, invited him back as manager in 1979 but such was the acrimony that by the end of the summer, he admitted he wished he had never returned from Leicester. Whatever the regrets he persevered in trying to restore the county’s fortunes and in 1982, 15 days after his 50th birthday, he found himself appointed Yorkshire’s captain, a post that should have been his more than a decade before. Yorkshire finished that summer bottom of the Championship for the first time, but Illingworth bowling many a crafty over, took them to the Sunday League title, their first trophy for 14 years.Devon Malcolm bowls as Ray Illingworth looks on•Getty ImagesThat triumph failed to save him from a sacking at the next annual general meeting when the Committee was overturned by Boycott supporters so Illingworth once more departed to the media where his printed and on-screen comments were trenchant and wise. Even then his career was far from over for such was his prestige that he was invited to become England team manager in 1986; he looked at the terms, felt that the authority granted was insufficient and demurred.Ten years later with England desperate for a saviour and with previous disagreements forgotten, Illingworth became chairman of selectors. While his brusque Yorkshire independence was enough for him to be the anti-establishment candidate, it was hardly a revolution – he became the oldest chairman of selectors for 40 years and had little patience with progressive ideas. Where he wanted assistants, he preferred old trusties.When he added the position of team manager, he became one of the most autocratic figures in English cricket history, Jack Bannister wrote in , a joint undertaking with Illingworth: “No one man has had so much power in English cricket at selection and managerial level.”The players, alas, were not of the kind he knew and he found it hard to adapt to changing social attitudes. Some of his selections might also have benefited from a stronger challenge from others. His most controversial run-in came with the fast but wild Devon Malcolm, who was dismayed by his hostility, but who later expressed regret at speculation that their fall-out had been racially motivated. Michael Atherton, a young captain with equally firm views, was not impressed. “My view was that the captain was there to make the important cricketing decisions and the manager was there to reduce the hassle,” he wrote in his autobiography. “Raymond obviously thought it was the other way round!”Illingworth became a CBE, and after his retirement he was a regular visitor to Headingley’s press box where he enjoyed a good moan, his uncompromising opinions laced with humour, and shared his knowledge on every nuance of play. Yorkshire made some reparation for previous injustices by electing him club president in 2010-11, a position he took up diligently until he had a heart attack in his second year. He loved cricket to the end. Afflicted late in life by esophageal cancer, in one of his last interviews he suggested that he would like nothing better than to finish his life by watching a game of local cricket before walking home on a sunny day.

Everything is in place for the BPL’s big return, but onus is on the stakeholders to make sure restrictions are not breached in any way

Mohammad Isam21-Jan-2022This, the eighth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), will be the first to be staged since the pandemic began, and it has already been impacted. The BCB has admitted to there being “a few positive cases” already from the first round of tests before teams entered their hotels, and given that testing will continue until the start of the tournament, today, more bad news cannot be ruled out.This season of the BPL is of great significance for Bangladesh, particularly in light of their poor performance in last year’s T20 World Cup. With another on the horizon in Australia, a high-profile domestic tournament becomes a prime testing ground.Related

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It is also extremely important for the BCB to successfully stage its first BPL in two years, given it has brought in profits of approximately US$ 23 million since 2012, and is easily their most lucrative product. That has never stopped the BCB from experimenting with the tournament’s model or format and that has at times hit the league’s reputation adversely. All of which means that – with the added hazards of a pandemic – there is very little room for error.Foremost among the challenges is the pandemic itself. Bangladesh is currently experiencing an Omicron surge, with the daily case count rising 25-fold between January 1 and January 19. The positivity rate stands at 25%.The BCB has so far struck confident notes on the matter. Instead of biobubbles, it will use a managed event environment system, allowing everyone part of the BPL to move around without restriction in tournament hotels and training facilities at the three stadiums.”We are trying to apply guidelines from the Tokyo Olympics,” Dr Debashis Chowdhury, the BCB’s chief physician, said. “We have managed health protocols quite well during previous international series. It went by mostly without problems.”But here a lot of it depends on the stakeholders, like franchise officials and players. If we are aware of what’s going on around us, we can complete the BPL successfully.”

“With the travel restrictions, the technicians were also unable to fly [into Bangladesh]. The technicians are now working in two different countries and they won’t be able to come to Bangladesh in this situation”BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick explains why there won’t be any DRS

But therein lies a potential problem. Several teams have held unofficial practice sessions, together, at the academy ground adjacent to the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The jersey-launch programmes held in private hotels over the last week have also seen players and staff come in close contact with people who are not part of the BPL.”We must be careful when we are in a crowd if we want to end the tournament successfully,” Chowdhury stressed.Ultimately, how franchises manage their own spaces is going to matter the most. The BCB has put in place a Covid-19 compliance officer in all the hotels to ensure proper measures are followed. And there is also now a template that the BPL can draw from: Australia’s Big Bash League has kept going despite around 40 positive cases during the ongoing season, with continuous tweaks to the schedule and venues.One of the smaller side-effects of the pandemic is that there will be no DRS for the tournament.”We cannot keep DRS in the Covid situation, and with the travel restrictions, the technicians were also unable to fly [into Bangladesh],” BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick explained. “The technicians, divided into two teams, are now working in two different countries and they won’t be able to come to Bangladesh in this situation.”No one wants to come because of Omicron. We will host Afghanistan after BPL. We have to talk about whether we can include DRS in the series or not.”Despite the many disruptions over the years, the BPL continues to attract big stars from around the world•BCBIf there is any disruption, it won’t be new for the BPL. It has dealt with its fair share of problems since its inception, from corruption to player-payment issues, to sudden rule changes to unruly behaviour from team owners.In the last edition in 2019-20, for example, Krishmar Santokie bowled a no-ball so massive in the first game it attracted the attention of the BCB’s anti-corruption unit (he was cleared). The BCB-run teams were found to be disregarding selection rules put in place by the board itself. There was also talk of sponsors meddling in selection matters.This season hasn’t been problem-free either, and we haven’t even started.The BCB had to remove the Dhaka owners after they failed to pay the required bank guarantee within the stipulated time. The BCB took over the franchise, picked a team, and then another company came forward to sponsor the team.The league still manages to attract its share of big stars, though. Though figures have not been made public, according to many, the league is one of the highest-paying ones. Andre Russell, a BPL regular who is reportedly getting US$ 250,000 to play this time, skipped the BBL last season to play in the Bangladesh league. He has also gone on record saying the BPL is “more fun”.It might not be as much fun this season, within managed environments and, crucially, empty stadiums. The BCB is following government orders in not allowing crowds at games. But that’s not to say the BPL will not, once again, be the centre of attention in Bangladesh cricket.

Four capped Indians, one uncapped player, and some decorated overseas players are among the front-runners

Nagraj Gollapudi and Gaurav Sundararaman08-Feb-2022Shreyas Iyer
Set 1 – Marquee players
Base price: INR 2 crore
Role: BatterAge, batting talent, brand potential and success as a leader have made Shreyas Iyer such a compelling choice, that franchise officials believe he could end up being the most expensive buy at the auction. As a batter, Iyer has not done much since 2015, when he made his debut for Delhi Daredevils and finished as the Emerging Player of the IPL having scored the most runs – 437 – by a debutant (a record he held until 2018). Handed captaincy midway through IPL 2018, Iyer showed character and led the Capitals to two successive play-offs, including their first final (in 2020). But once the franchise had decided to retain Rishabh Pant as the captain last IPL, Iyer opted to head to the auction this time. IPL teams prefer an Indian player as a long-term captaincy option. Moreover, Iyer is also part of the bunch along with Pant and KL Rahul, who are looked at as future India captains. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders could be on the lookout for captains. Even the likes of Chennai Super Kings will look for a replacement for MS Dhoni, who is likely to be playing his final IPL this season. Don’t be surprised if the Capitals, too, express interest as that would help them nearly retain the core from the past few seasons.David Warner
Set 1 – Marquee players
Base price : INR 2 crore
Role: Opening BatterNot many would have predicted David Warner to go under the hammer. Warner is an IPL legend. He is the most successful overseas player in the history of the league. Between seasons 2014 to 2020, Warner amassed 3819 runs at an average of 52.31 and strike rate of 144.98. Virat Kohli was next on the runs tally, with 3605 runs, but at a strike rate of 135.27. But the truly astonishing thing was that Warner achieved his tally despite missing out entirely on IPL 2018. He won the orange cap twice and led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the title in 2016. Warner’s biggest strength in the IPL is his ability to play spin and his consistency. Warner has scored over 500 runs in six successive seasons he was part of, and sored them at a healthy strike rate and average. One bad IPL season in 2021 and a few off the field events changed his fortunes. However, Warner was back among the runs as he won the player of the tournament award in the T20 World Cup that took place immediately after IPL 2021. An overseas opener and a seasoned IPL player, Warner still has a lot to offer. There could be some teams who might not be keen on Warner in the set-up, but there will be more teams that do want him, and all of them will have to budget well to get him. Being an IPL-winning captain to boot, Warner could easily slip into the leadership group, if not the leading role itself.He’s back. Ishan Kishan unfurls the big hits once again•BCCIIshan Kishan
Set 4 – Wicketkeepers
Base price: INR 2 crore
Role: Wicketkeeper-batterScouts believe he hits the ball much harder than Pant. That he has a better base than Pant during his set-up. And like Pant, he is short, but recognised as one of the most dangerous powerhitters. He is just 23, but Ishan Kishan has a powerful CV as a wicketkeeper-batter. In IPL 2020, Kishan clubbed a record-breaking 30 sixes, which played a huge role in him ending up as Mumbai Indians’ highest run-getter in their title run. Kishan had shown he was well worth the INR 6.2 crore Mumbai had paid him at the 2018 auction, nearly 35 times the price Gujarat Lions had bagged him for in IPL 2016, after he had emerged as a young talent having led India to the Under-19 World Cup final that year. In the last two IPLs, Kishan scored 757 runs for Mumbai with six fifties, averaging over 40 and striking over 140. Last IPL, he demolished the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack on the way to a 16-ball half-century, the fastest last edition as well as being quickest ever for Mumbai. Kishan’s greatest success has come as an opener at Mumbai, but he showed he could bat in the middle order too, something he has also done in red-ball cricket for India A. As a power-hitting wicketkeeper-batter, Kishan is an allrounder that virtually every franchise would covet. Consequently, despite not featuring in the opening rounds of the auction, franchises are likely to dedicate a massive sum for him.Deepak Chahar
Set 5 – Fast bowlers
Base price: INR 2 crore
Role: Fast bowling allrounderTwo of the best batting performances in ODI cricket in the last year come from the flashing blade of Deepak Chahar. Both heroic performances, one which ended in a win – against Sri Lanka – and the other nearly won India a match – against South Africa – showed that Chahar has added another string to his bow. He will be looked at as a bowling allrounder now. A Powerplay specialist with the ball at Chennai Super Kings, the franchise he played for since 2018, Chahar picked up 42 of his 58 wickets in the first six overs. That was 15 more than the next best, Trent Boult, in the last four IPL seasons (2018 to 2021). During this period, Chahar was also the leading wicket-taker for Super Kings, who won the IPL twice. Chahar can swing the ball early, and also has a killer knuckle ball which he is not shy to employ with the new ball. Historically, barring the record sum of INR 11.50 crore that Rajasthan Royals paid for Jaydev Unadkat in 2018, no Indian fast bowler has ever fetched an auction price above the 10-crore mark. Then again, there have been no proven Indian fast bowlers who showed they could win matches with the bat either, till Chahar came along.Jason Holder
Set 3 – Allrounders
Base price: INR 1.5 crores
Role: Fast bowling allrounderJason Holder’s stocks are rising, and rising rapidly. Chennai Super Kings (2013) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2014) picked him very early in his career at low prices. Then in 2020, he went unsold and was picked up as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh by Sunrisers. Holder’s IPL performances went to the next level, taking 30 wickets at an average of 16 and scoring 151 runs, often at crucial times. However, most of his wickets have come in the UAE, so the question of whether he can replicate that in India remains. His height allows him to extract bounce from a good length and his ability to play spin is a big strength. Not many players can give you four overs across phases and bat in the top six. Holder was the player of the series in the recently concluded T20Is against England, taking important wickets at the top of the order. Among the first 170 names in the auction roster, there are only nine overseas players who have listed themselves as pace bowling allrounders. Holder’s competition are Pat Cummins, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Marsh, Dominic Drakes, Marco Jansen, Chris Jordan, Jimmy Neesham and Odean Smith. Marsh does not bowl and is injury prone, while Bravo is 37. With teams wanting to lock up their playing XI as soon as possible, one can expect some fierce bidding for Holder. He is also likely to cross the 10-crore mark.Yuzvendra Chahal – will he fetch more than any wristspinner has ever got?•RCBYuzvendra Chahal
Set 6 – Spinners
Base price: INR 2 crore
Role: Lead wristspinnerNo bowler has more than the139 wickets Yuzvendra Chahal has taken in IPL since 2014, the year he joined Royal Challengers Bangalore. It is remarkable that Chahal has managed that despite playing a healthy proportion of his matches in the pocket-sized Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Only Rashid Khan stands in front of Chahal in terms of consistency and impact as a wristspinner. Chahal might have lost the speed and confidence in the last couple of years, but recently he has shown his rhythm is back. While the Royal Challengers did not retain Chahal – unless the legspinner wanted to head to the auction – it would not be a surprise if the franchise bid for him keenly again. Virtually each of the 10 franchises will be on the lookout for a wristspinner, a category that does not have too many quality options, especially when it comes to Indian players. In 2018, Royal Challengers retained Chahal using the right-to-match card for INR 6 crore. Chahal has now shown the potential that he can become the first wristspinner to breach the 10-crore mark.Shahrukh Khan
Set 8 – Uncapped allrounders
Base price: INR 40 lakhs
Role: Power-hitting finisherFinishing a T20 innings is one of the hardest roles to play. Very few have had consisten success in that role. The likes of Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya are a few names that come to mind. On an average, batters at 6 and 7 get just 7-10 balls an innings. To create an impact in such a short time is hard. To fill that position with a specialist in a 10-team IPL becomes critical. With not many overseas finishers around, franchises might look for an Indian to play that role. That is where Shahrukh Khan’s promise and performance becomes critical. At over 6’4″ Shahrukh is a towering presence and is muscular like Pollard. Not many in Indian cricket can hit the ball as hard and far as Shahrukh, according to franchise scouts, who have witnessed his batting for Tamil Nadu in domestic white-ball cricket. His strike rate of 181 in the last two seasons of the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali is the fifth-best, and his strike rate of 139.62 in the last two seasons of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy is the second-best after Suryakumar Yadav. He has also smashed 29 sixes in the Vijay Hazare over the last two seasons, the joint-highest with Venkatesh Iyer. All that prompted Punjab Kings to pay Shahrukh INR 5.25 crore in the 2021 auction. However, they couldn’t find him a regular spot in the team. In the opportunities he has got in the IPL, he has scored 153 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 134.21. Indian cricket has been trying hard to find a back-up for Hardik as a finisher who can bowl, and Shahrukh’s selection for the ongoing ODI leg of the West Indies series will come as a boost for the uncapped player on the eve of the auction.Kagiso RabadaSet 1- Marquee players
Base price : INR 2 crore
Role: Fast bowlerKagiso Rabada has taken the most wickets in the IPL in the last three seasons: 70 wickets at a strike rate of 14.4 and an economy of 8.13. When you look at the stats on the surface, it reads very well. However, when you dig a bit deeper, 45% of his wickets are of batters at six or below and he has conceded 55 sixes – the most by any bowler during this period. While Rabada is a wicket-taker, he could leak many runs as well. The gap between Rabada’s best and worst is significant. But the reason Rabada features in this list is because he can generate 140-plus speeds consistently, not break sweat while bowling Super Overs, something he did more than once at his previous franchise Delhi Capitals, and is one of the fittest bowlers. A fast bowler who can bowl extreme pace and take wickets is one of the most sought-after commodities in the IPL. Multiple teams will be seeking a fast bowler on their first XI sheet, and that automatically means Rabada will gain traction considering he is also among the first 10 players in the auction.

Lancashire batter set for middle-order opportunity on home ground as Ben Stokes’ replacement

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Jul-2022Get a spot in the XI, make an impression. As Phil Salt says himself, “that’s about how complicated it gets in my mind”.The 25-year-old looks set to replace Ben Stokes in England’s team in second ODI at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday. He will probably bat at No. 6, with Moeen Ali moving up to No. 4 as England look to pull back level with the Proteas after losing the opening match of the series on Tuesday.This seventh ODI cap – it would be his 11th overall in international limited-overs cricket – would be the continuation of a trend for Salt: throughout his career, he has adjusted to different situations and opportunities. Born in Wales, he started out as a keener footballer before his family relocated to Barbados and, naturally given his new surroundings, picked up an affinity for cricket. It was in the Caribbean he became friends with Jofra Archer, whom he later joined at Sussex following a scholarship to Reed’s School, Surrey.The switch to Lancashire this season was, in many ways, an easy decision to make. Beyond the pull of moving to a Test-venue county that contests for red and white-ball trophies, Salt grew up a Lancashire fan. “This is the ground where I watched my first game of cricket,” he revealed. “Back when I was eight or nine – [Andrew] Flintoff’s testimonial.”

“It’s my first time being in around it with the full-strength squad, being in the conversation for being in the XI.”

During that period, he has batted anywhere and everywhere. His red-ball work used to be at the top of the order until this season with a regular spot at No. 6 for Lancashire. As it happens, he has batted in every top-seven position aside from No. 4.There has been far more clarity in white-ball cricket, with a huge back-catalogue as an opener, particularly in the shortest format. Likewise when it comes to his List A record, though there have only been 22 appearances in that format. Then came the step-up to internationals, where four out of his 10 innings have come at No. 4, 6 and 7.Like many others, Salt’s approach to opening was inspired by the manner in which Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy have conducted themselves up top over the last few years. The defeat at Chester-le-Street featured the pair’s 14th century stand. Both aged 32, it is a combination that will certainly be in play for this winter’s T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup next year.Thus the two options for Salt are to either bide his time for his usual spot or simply get busy elsewhere. And of course, he is opting for the latter.Related

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“It is the best opening partnership in 50-over cricket,” he said of Roy and Bairstow. “There’s no doubt about that. Look at the numbers, the way they play and the way they’ve changed how the game is played. There’s a lot of people in international cricket that want to copy them and follow how they play. In my opinion, they’ve set the bar for a good few years now. But wherever my opportunity comes, that’s where it comes.”As far as a Stokes replacement, a right-handed opener who keeps wicket on the side isn’t quite like-for-like. But in terms of attitude, there is plenty of crossover: a punchy young cricketer who never shirks a challenge, whose attacking style comes from wanting to impose himself on opposing bowlers.You could also argue there is a selflessness in the way he approaches batting. Though he prefers to face the new ball, he has always focused on being as fluid as possible.”I’m very aware that the best players in the world can bat anywhere,” Salt said. “You see that when look around all the top domestic leagues in international cricket. You know, the best players are the ones who can adapt and improvise and find different ways of getting the job done for most situations.”He credits the T20 circuit for not just allowing him to interact with those kind of players and pick their brains, but also show him the level he needs to be. “Franchise cricket, for me showed me the level that I needed to be at,” he said. “When I first played when I was only 21 or 22.”I’m very grateful for that, playing all sorts of different places all over the world in different conditions against different bowling. I’d say the biggest thing that gave me was a reality check of how good the top level is. And if you want to do it and you want to be the best, this is what you’re gonna have to do.”Salt looks set for an opportunity in England’s middle order•PA Images/GettyMaybe you could argue there’s a degree of selfishness in covering all bases, thus giving himself the best odds when it comes to selection. But Salt’s position as the next man in is entirely on merit, albeit partly aided by the fact Harry Brook is engaged in a County Championship match for Yorkshire against Somerset.Salt currently averages 58.66 across his six ODI caps, with two fifties and one century, which he scored against the Netherlands last month. But number seven would be the most meaningful of all his caps so far: for the first time, he will be part of a first-choice team rather than as part of the Covid-19 replacement group who took on Pakistan last summer, the rotated T20I squad against West Indies earlier this year and the parallel squad out in Amsterdam while England were playing a Test series with New Zealand.As such, Friday could be the most meaningful day of his international career so far. “It’s my first time being in around it with the full-strength squad, being in the conversation for being in the XI,” he said. “That’s exciting for myself, 100 percent. That’s all I can say: I’m excited if the opportunity does come and I’ll be looking to take it.”I’ve been on the fringes for a while. And I want to get in there and show people what I can do.”

For once, the sport is not the primary unifying agent in a country now wracked by economic and political crisis

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Jun-2022If you were watching on TV, you might wonder what the big deal was. Khettarama, one of cricket’s great party grounds, overflowing as it almost always is for T20 internationals, roaring for Sri Lanka lbw appeals, vibing to even through rain breaks, generally being its regular rambunctious self. On the field, a dramatic batting collapse is unfolding. Even this feels like a familiar and comforting companion to Sri Lankan life. Even this only slightly dampens the mood.But right now this is just a snatch of normalcy in an otherwise relentlessly upsetting time in the history of the island. The kilometres-long fuel queues on the way to the ground are the most obvious signs, but there is much worse. Businesses are shutting down all over, no longer able to afford the imported supplies they depend upon, or failing to hold on to staff who can no longer afford the commute. Hospitals are so desperately short of life-saving medicines, doctors in one of the most vaunted medical systems in the developing world have been forced to beg for basics.Children have been hit particularly hard. Working- and lower-middle class families have been cutting back on nutrition for many months. With transport costs what they are, and the price of school supplies having soared, survival is a daily struggle, and education has become an afterthought. Don’t even start on the plight of tourism operators. In 2019 there were the Easter Attacks, then two pandemic years, and now an economic crisis and associated political turmoil, which is once again keeping visitors away.Related

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What is cricket up against this much suffering? Some Australia players wondered that themselves, and asked whether it was appropriate to play cricket in a country that is gasping for air the way Sri Lanka is right now. When the tour began, and videos of Khettarama’s heaving stands made its way around the internet, Sri Lankan voices also began to throw shade at the crowd’s merrymaking.Let’s start with what cricket isn’t. At this moment, it is no longer the primary unifying phenomenon on the island. This is a good thing, since silver linings are at a premium right now. Cricket has long been the one Sri Lankan passion that cuts across ethnicity, religion and class, but it has too often been merely an icebreaker – something that strangers from opposite sides of the various Sri Lankan spectrums can talk about, while being aware that they are not talking. We might agree that a certain burly left-hander played too many ODIs for Sri Lanka, for example. But that gets us no closer to agreeing on matters of real importance.

What is cricket up against this much suffering? Some Australia players wondered that themselves, and asked whether it was appropriate to play cricket in a country that is gasping for air the way Sri Lanka is right now

Right now, thanks to protests across the island, cricket is not having to do the “national unity” heavy lifting it is largely unqualified to do. The minority grievances that have been aired at protest sites have in many ways been unprecedented, because for the first time, majority Sinhalese appear to be receptive to (or at least tolerant of) calls for justice for the devastation the state has inflicted on these communities. The idea that politicians intentionally seek to exploit divisions in order to gain power has become a mainstream conversation. The universal appeal of a Muthiah Muralidaran spell, or an Aravinda de Silva hook shot, are great, but in the most heartbreaking way, they do not stand up to the shared experience of struggling to feed your family.And as long as Sri Lanka Cricket is in charge of the sport, matches will also struggle to be a site of anti-establishment sentiment, because there are few organised bodies in Sri Lanka that are more subservient to the political establishment than the cricket board. At Khettarama, fresh signs across the stadium banned horns, helmets and cigarette lighters, but also, snuck in near the bottom, was a ban on placards and banners. Don’t bring your anti-government signs here, was the directive, with police (who have water-cannoned and tear-gassed protesters all around the country in recent months) gleefully confiscating any materials that could be used to show dissent.Empty gas cylinders line the street outside a filling station in Colombo that has been closed for lack of fuel•Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesThey couldn’t stop spectators shouting, of course, but when chants of “Go home Gota”, aimed at president Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, began, the Khettarama DJ would quickly intervene to drown out their voices with stadium pop. It may be worth noting here that SLC is not merely an extension of the Sri Lankan government, it is a manifestation of its worst inclinations, controlled as it is by elites who have long been deaf to calls for serious reform.So what can cricket do? Well, not a lot really, but perhaps what little it can do is enough. The tour is clearly bringing some money into the country. Not only are local hotels, caterers and transportation staff getting much needed work, the broadcast earnings from a full Australia tour are also significant. (This is why, despite consternation, the matches are being played at night; earnings from playing the games during India’s prime-time television slots are thought to be worth the diesel that powers the generators running the floodlights.)But in a nation that wakes up to fresh hurt every day, the normalcy that watching their men’s team play (or as the case may be, suck), is not for nothing. People going through difficulty deserve this too. If in a country that lurches from crisis to crisis to crisis, cricket is a distraction, then let it be one.