The selectors have left out Barry McCarthy and Craig Young from the squad that took part in the recently concluded tri-series in Deventer

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018

Joshua Little and Andy McBrine have been recalled to a 14-man Ireland squad that will take on India in two T20Is on June 27 and 29 in Malahide. Gary Wilson will continue to captain the side.Little, 18, is a left-arm fast bowler who has played only four T20s so far – two of them T20Is – and was part of the Ireland team in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January this year. McBrine, 25, is an offspinning allrounder who has already played 30 ODIs and 19 T20Is, though his last T20I was in March 2017.Ireland squad

Gary Wilson (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, George Dockrell , Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Stuart Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson
IN: Josh Little, Andy McBrine
OUT: Barry McCarthy, Craig Young

Ireland have played only one T20I against India, back in 2009 at Trent Bridge during the World T20 that year. India won that game by eight wickets with 4.3 overs to spare, thanks to Zaheer Khan’s 4 for 19.The Ireland selectors have left out Barry McCarthy and Craig Young from the squad that took part in the recently concluded tri-series in Deventer, where Ireland won one match, lost two and tied one game.Before the series against India, Ireland will play a T20 against Sussex Sharks at the Arundel Castle Cricket Ground on June 24, which will also be Ed Joyce’s testimonial match. Joyce announced his retirement after Ireland made their long-awaited Test debut.Andrew White, the chairman of selectors, said the squad for the India matches had been chosen with a view to giving exposure to players for the future as well as being competitive, and the game against Sussex would help finalise Ireland’s XI.”The selectors have chosen what we believe to be a strong, in-form squad for this format of the game that balances experience with youth,” White said. “Our deliberations were around finding a side that was competitive now, but with an eye on the future.”Many in the squad will be either travelling to Sussex this weekend for the Ed Joyce Testimonial match on Sunday, or will be re-joining the senior squad from their English County sides. We had a good look at a number of players on the recent tri-series in the Netherlands and this weekend’s match in Sussex will firm up the decisions made on the final playing eleven for the first fixture on Wednesday.”White identified building a good group of players for the World T20 qualifiers as one of the aims.”We will continue our approach of providing opportunities for a wider pool of players to gain experience in T20 cricket on the international stage,” he said. “With around 12 months to go to the World T20 Cup qualifiers, we are looking to build a competitive squad for that qualification stage and hopefully propel us into the main tournament in 2020.”

Taylor has created herself a portfolio of superb leg-side stumpings including two this season

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018Adam Gilchrist rates England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor the best in the world across all formats of the game.Responding to a question in a interview during the ODI in Durham, Gilchrist highlighted Taylor’s work up to the stumps which has regularly been world-class.Taylor has created herself a portfolio of superb leg-side stumpings, alongside other examples of outstanding glovework, including two this season one of which was a breath-taking effort to remove Dane van Niekerk when she gathered a half volley from pace bowler Katherine Brunt.”I tweeted, no longer than a week ago, that she is the best wicketkeeper in the world at the moment – male or female,” Gilchrist said. “She’s done some work over the years in the Big Bash in Australia and with social media now you can see these little snippets.
“It’s a pretty bold statement, because there are a lot of fine wicketkeepers around – Alyssa Healy is another from the women’s game, just so skilful with soft hands effecting these leg-side stumpings.”[They] spend so much time up to the stumps with a little less pace on the ball in the women’s game [and are] so skilful, I’ve seen a lot and a couple in the internationals over the last week or two have been brilliant pieces of work.”

The former New Zealand has asthma and needed more than the usual dose of his medicine while playing in Delhi during IPL 2016, which had triggered scrutiny

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018

Brendon McCullum has cleared the air about a positive drug test during his time with Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016.The former New Zealand captain has asthma and, in light of heavy pollution in Delhi at the time, he needed more than the usual dose of his medicine. As a result, McCullum’s urine sample was found to have exceeded the allowable limit for salbutamol, a drug that is part of inhalers used to treat asthma. The BCCI approached McCullum with these findings following which he secured a retroactive therapeutic use exemption from a panel of independent medical experts in Sweden to close the matter and clear his name.”There was a bit of a process to go through to make sure they had all the information and ticked off the areas they wanted to see, but we went through it all and [the BCCI] were actually pretty good to work with in the end,” McCullum told .”I certainly don’t see it as a failed drug test. It was just a case of we just need to seek clarification and apply for this. I have no ill-feeling about [the process] and I also have no guilt or remorse about it because I needed a puff of my inhaler at that time.”McCullum hit 60 off 36 at the top of the order in a one-run win for the Lions against Delhi Daredevils in the game that day. But a test after the game resulted in an “adverse analytical finding” because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules state any dosage that is not consistent with therapeutic use will be considered a violation.McCullum’s doctors and legal team then prepared his defence, which had proven successful last January itself, but he chose to go public with the information now because he wanted to quash the rumours.”I’ve heard this sort of rumbling around in the background for a while and I actually said to my wife, ‘I don’t know why we don’t just deal with this now, I’ve got nothing to hide and it is better off just talking about stuff rather than having other people talking about it’. Otherwise it just grows and festers.”As far as I am concerned it was just a matter of making sure we got everything signed off properly, rather than it being a failed drug test.”McCullum, who has had asthma since childhood, found the going particularly tough in Delhi whose pollution levels have touched dangerous levels in recent years. In November 2016, a first-class match between Gujarat and Bengal had to be abandoned due to smog, and in December 2017, a Test between India and Sri Lanka was severely affected by pollution, with several Sri Lankan players taking ill.

The former England wicketkeeper was in charge of Worcestershire for 11 years and oversaw their promotion into Division One of the County Championship recently

Mohammad Isam and George Dobell05-Jun-2018Former England wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes is set to become the Bangladesh head coach for all three formats later this week. His appointment will end the BCB’s search for a new coach that has lasted eight months following Chandika Hathurusingha’s resignation last October.ESPNcricinfo has learned that since the other candidates have not been called up for a face-to-face interview, Rhodes is BCB’s No. 1 choice. It is also understood that Rhodes is Gary Kirsten’s recommendation. Kirsten was recently appointed BCB’s short-term consultant to find coaches. The BCB is also in talks with Lance Klusener as a batting consultant.Rhodes, who will turn 54 next week, played 11 Tests and nine ODIs and is now known for his talent-spotting skills. Hehad been in charge of Worcestershire since 2006, having played for them from 1985 to 2004. But he was sacked last year by the county and relieved of his duties as head coach of the England Under-19 squad just before the World Cup, after it emerged that he had failed to report the arrest of a young allrounder – Alex Hepburn – in a timely fashion.He also oversaw the promotion of Worcestershire into Division One of the County Championship at the end of the 2017 season and had been recently made an England scout. His work with Worcestershire involved promoting a young and homegrown squad.”I can confirm I’ve had talks with Bangladesh,” Rhodes told ESPNcricinfo. “And I can confirm I’m interested in what I think is a really prestigious role. But nothing is confirmed at this stage and nobody should jump the gun and presume it is.”BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that Rhodes’ experience, especially in English conditions, gave him a distinct advantage over the other shortlisted coaches. With the World Cup in England under a year away, the BCB had been seeking someone with that specific background, which is why they had initially almost confirmed Paul Farbrace. Rhodes was also part of the England coaching staff during their Test series in Bangladesh in 2016.”Steve Rhodes is in our shortlist as a head coach,” Chowdhury said. “We are hoping that he will meet us in Dhaka in a couple of days. We shared our tentative candidates list with Gary Kirsten so this is a joint effort. The list is made up of his recommendations and our list, which is why Rhodes is coming this week.”We had initially approached big names and experienced coaches but they couldn’t come because of various reasons. Among the currently available coaches, Rhodes is the most experienced. Also, the 2019 World Cup will be held in England which is another reason that we are looking at him.”Chowdhury further said that Rhodes will be making a presentation about his plans with the Bangladesh cricket team, similar to Richard Pybus and Phil Simmons’ interviews in December.”We have already communicated with him that we would like to know what plans he has for the Bangladesh team for the 2019 World Cup and 2020 World T20,” Chowdhury said. “Generally, when someone is appearing for an interview here, it is assumed that we have had some basic discussions with him.”Without naming Rhodes, Chowdhury said that the new coach will be joining the Bangladesh set-up during the training camp for the West Indies tour later this month. “During the break between the Afghanistan and West Indies series, we would expect the new coach to join the training camp ahead of the West Indies tour.”The BCB’s search for the new head coach began in November last year when they first approached Tom Moody, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Andy Flower and Justin Langer but all five turned the offer down. Then they interviewed Pybus and Simmons but the BCB didn’t contact them back and both were soon appointed by Cricket West Indies and the Afghanistan Cricket Board respectively.Then the BCB nearly confirmed Geoff Marsh and Farbrace before asking Kirsten to help them find a new coach in a tough market where T20 franchise assignments are turning out to be more attractive.

Scotland mark their return to action after World Cup elimination with a historicvictory over England

Andrew Miller10-Jun-20180:42

‘I was running around crazy as soon as the finger went up’ – Sharif

Scotland’s final-wicket hero, Safyaan Sharif, said that his team’s actions spoke louder than any words could, as they marked their return to competitive action after the heartbreak of World Cup elimination with a historic, and nerve-shredding, victory over England at The Grange.Sharif, who nailed England’s last man, Mark Wood, with a pinpoint yorker to seal a six-run win, insisted that the jubilation of the achievement – in front of an ecstatic home crowd, many of whom joined in a good-natured pitch invasion at the moment of victory – atoned for the misery of their decisive five-run defeat against West Indies in the World Cup qualifiers in Harare in March, when a contentious lbw decision effectively sealed their exclusion from next year’s ten-team World Cup.”Definitely it does,” Sharif told Sky Sports. “I mean England’s a brilliant side, everyone knows that, and to get a victory, scoring 370 against a top quality side, means the world to Scotland, so well done once again.”I’m not going to say anything,” Sharif added, when asked if the achievement sent a message to those at the ICC who decided to reduce the size of the World Cup. “They’ll have seen it all today so hopefully they’ll click onto that.””It was just an incredible effort from the lads, they’ve just proven once again that they are capable of playing at this standard, and they did really well throughout the innings. Up top, it was tough in the second half but we managed to pull things back and did the job, so really… I’m lost for words, I don’t know what to say.”Kyle Coetzer, Scotland’s captain, echoed Sharif’s sentiments, particularly in light of their successful bounce-back from the disappointment in Harare.”I was extremely proud first of all, but it is a trait we are starting to get very, very good at,” he said. “With ball in hand, we’ve been very good over the last few years, and especially coming off the back of Zimbabwe, this being our first game of the year, it’s been an outstanding performance.”Look, 371 played 365, it’s an outstanding game, bowlers found it hard on a flat wicket with small boundaries, but it’s great to be this side of the fence.”In spite of the tough conditions for bowling, Sharif said that he had backed his burgeoning ability at the death, particularly having obtained some reverse swing late in the innings.Safyaan Sharif sprints off after the final wicket to seal a historic maiden win over England•Peter Della Penna

“I just knew if I bowl the right line and hit my yorker, it’s going to tail [in], and luckily once again I managed to hit that yorker and got that wicket, which was an absolutely great feeling to get over the line,” he said.”Definitely, I’ve been working hard on [reverse swing] towards the end of an innings and we managed to get that wicket there. It’s unbelievable.Coetzer admitted that there had been moments during England’s run-chase, particularly when Jonny Bairstow was teeing off during an outstanding hundred, that he had been powerless to respond.”Especially in the first Powerplay, when you’re only allowed two guys out, literally whenever we moved a fielder, he hit it somewhere else,” Coetzer said. “He’s obviously in fine form, he struck the ball cleanly from the start of his innings. Basically I was just hoping he mishit one, and thankfully that happened.”We knew it was tough,” Sharif added. “The wicket was good, it was a fast outfield, we just needed to keep bashing our lengths, keep mixing it up and we’ll get the wickets, and luckily we did.”It means a lot to the crowd and a lot to us. We’ve been waiting so long for this victory and we managed to do that today with the positive attitude that the lads brought into the game, so well done.”

Newcastle United have lost one of their first-team regulars to injury ahead of the trip to Milan, and a fresh report has revealed the exact number of games that he’s expected to miss.

Who is injured for Newcastle United?

Joe Willock, Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth are all currently sidelined with injuries, but Eddie Howe did receive a boost with a few of his stars having returned from the treament room over the weekend.

During Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League victory over Brentford, Sven Botman, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali all staged their own individual comebacks which is helpful considering that the northeast outfit are set to compete in their first Champions League fixture vs AC Milan at the San Siro this week.

However, Joelinton won’t be able to participate under the bright lights of Europe's elite competition because of a recurring knee injury that he first sustained during last month’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, which saw him missing from the matchday squad for the recent win over Thomas Frank’s side.

The Magpies’ central midfielder was named as part of Brazil’s team during the international break alongside Bruno Guimaraes and he even featured as a substitute during both matches, but upon returning to the northeast, the 27-year-old has suffered a setback due to continually playing with his problem.

How long is Joelinton out for?

According to Newcastle World it goes from bad to worse, as Joelinton is expected to be on the sidelines for at least the “next six matches” after sustaining a knee injury during international duty for Brazil.

Speaking to the media, Howe previously said: “Joe had a recurrence of his knee injury playing for Brazil in the second game so he won’t be with us for a few weeks”, and the outlet claim that the earliest he’s expected to return to action is for the Premier League game vs Crystal Palace on October 21.

How many goals does Joelinton have for Newcastle?

Following his arrival at Newcastle, Joelinton has posted 33 contributions (22 goals and 11 assists) in 161 appearances, form which has previously seen him described as “immense” by journalist Josh Bunting, so the fact that he’ll be missing for over a month will be a massive blow to Howe.

The ROGON client, who earns £85k-per-week, has also recorded 12 shot-creating actions so far this season which is the second-highest total throughout the squad, via FBRef, not to mention the different dimension that he adds to the centre with his height and physical presence, standing at 6 foot 1.

In addition, Alianca’s native is a versatile operator having been deployed in seven various positions since the start of his career, including three roles in the midfield and even everywhere across the frontline, though this is another attribute that the manager will have to cope without having at his disposal.

Joelinton was named the club's Player of the Year for the 2021/22 season so it’s clear to see how much he’s appreciated by his fellow teammates, the staff and supporters, therefore, everyone associated with the club will be hoping for his return to action as soon as possible.

Ishan Kishan has replaced Sanju Samson in the India A squad for the 50-overs tri-series in England, which also features England Lions and West Indies A. A BCCI release stated that Samson failed a fitness test prior to the squad’s departure, but did not mention any further details.A report said Samson had failed the yo-yo test. In recent months, India’s team management has used the yo-yo test as a benchmark, setting a minimum score of 16:1 as a prerequisite for players to be eligible for selection.A BCCI official has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Samson failed the test. It is understood that his yo-yo reading was well short of the benchmark of 16:1.Samson isn’t the first Indian player to fall short of the yo-yo standard in the last year; Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh were the first high-profile players who failed to meet it, after it was introduced. In October 2017, the teenaged allrounder Washington Sundar failed it and missed out on selection for a T20I series against New Zealand.5:39

Taking on the Yo-Yo Test

Samson, 23, had been chosen as a specialist batsman for the England tour, with Rishabh Pant taking the wicketkeeping gloves. His selection came on the back of a strong IPL season for Rajasthan Royals, in which he made 441 runs at an average of 31.50 and a strike rate of 137.81. He has been capped once for India, in a T20I against Zimbabwe in July 2015.Kishan, 19, was India’s captain at the Under-19 World Cup in 2016. He had a productive IPL season too, finding a settled place in the Mumbai Indians top order and scoring 286 runs at an average of 22.91 and a strike rate of 149.45. He is also a regular wicketkeeper; at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, however, it was Pant who took the big gloves ahead of Kishan.India A squad for tri-series: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Shubhman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Vijay Shankar, K. Gowtham, Axar Patel, Krunal Pandya, Prasidh Krishna, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shardul Thakur

Thomas Frank was pleased with Brentford's performance against Chelsea as he claimed his side "battered" the Blues in the second half.

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• Frank responds to Brentford fans' jeering
• Claimed they 'battered' Chelsea
• Brentford and Chelsea played out a 2-2 draw

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Brentford held Chelsea to an exciting 2-2 draw on Saturday in a Premier League clash at Gtech Community Stadium. Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring for the Blues but the Bees responded strongly in the second thanks to goals from Mads Roerslev and Yoane Wissa. Axel Disasi then netted the equaliser to secure a point for the visitors.

  Frank was left impressed by his team's performance, especially in the second half as he claimed that they "battered" giants Chelsea and could have sealed all three points from the game.

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• WHAT THOMAS FRANK SAID

  Speaking to reporters after the match, Frank said, "I would have loved three points. It was a relatively even game in terms of chances. I’m very pleased with the response from the players. I asked about a bounce-back mentality. Especially after a bad performance against West Ham. That was not us. It’s very rare we don’t put a performance in.

  "Today I must say, impressive. When we got promoted, Chelsea won the Champions League (on the same day). They have done quite well in terms of renewing their squad. We played a game where we had seven of our key players out and it was a strong side they put out. The way I think the way we battered them second half was fantastic and extremely impressive. I’m a very proud head coach today because I think the players have been fantastic this week."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite an impressive result against a team like Chelsea, Frank and his men were jeered by a section of the home fans which left the manager perplexed as he said, "You know what, I thought I heard that as well. Is that true? I would like to personally speak to the ones who boo. Is that support? We are talking about Brentford against Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, 1-0 down. I know I can’t swear but what the…"

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The Bees will be next seen in action against Arsenal on March 9 in the Premier League while two days later, Mauricio Pochettino's side take on Newcastle United.

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez said compatriot Darwin Nunez is one of the best strikers in the world after his winner against Nottingham Forest.

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Nunez scores winner for LiverpoolHelps Reds stay top of Premier LeagueInter Miami's Suarez lauds compatriotGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds striker scored a 99th-minute winner against Forest on Saturday to earn a vital three points and maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League. And after the victory, fellow Uruguayan Suarez, who played at Anfield between 2011 and 2014, sung the praises of Nunez.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT LUIS SUAREZ SAID

Following his brace for Inter Miami in their 5-0 win over Orlando City on Saturday, Suarez said: "Yes I saw [the goal]. I am so happy for Liverpool and I am so happy for Darwin. He is one of the best strikers in the world today."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Nunez has been criticised for his performances and profligacy in front of goal during his time at Liverpool but he has still scored 14 times this season and bagged 11 assists. He has proven to be an important player in the Reds' bid to win an historic quadruple.

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WHAT NEXT?

Suarez's Miami take on Nashville in a round of 16 first-leg tie in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Friday, whereas Nunez's Liverpool are back in Europa League action away to Sparta Praha in the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.

With a year to go for the World Cup, the India A coach believes his players are progressing well enough to serve as excellent back-ups to the senior team should the need arise

Alan Gardner at The Oval03-Jul-2018Rahul Dravid, the India A coach, has hailed the “bench strength” being developed for the senior side ahead of next year’s World Cup after his players secured victory in the tri-series final on Monday. Led by a strong bowling performance and Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 64, India A overturned England Lions’ home advantage for the second time in a week to make it four wins in a row and take the trophy.Dravid on India in England

“It should be an interesting series. The India batting line-up has been here before, which should give them a lot of confidence. Hopefully the bowlers, if they can keep them fit, we’ve got a very good attack; the spinners have been here before, too. India is well placed to do well, but make no mistake, England in these conditions are a very good side. I’m hoping for a great series.”

Victory at The Oval had several authors, as has been the case all series. Deepak Chahar claimed 3 for 58, including a wicket with the new ball and that of Sam Hain, the Lions centurion; Khaleel Ahmed also picked up three wickets, while only Krunal Pandya, who removed Liam Livingstone for 83, went at more than a-run-a-ball. Pant then sealed the chase with a sprightly half-century, after 40s from Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer laid the platform on a sometimes-tricky pitch.Overall, India A had four hundreds by three batsmen – Agarwal, with two, was second only to Hain in the run-scoring charts – and four players averaging more than 50. They also piled up a record 458 for 4 in a warm-up match against Leicestershire. With the ball, Chahar claimed 10 wickets at 14.70, while Shardul Thakur, Khaleel and Axar Patel also impressed in unfamiliar conditions.

I think we’ve got a really strong bowling attack at the moment, with the India side, a lot of variation and depth, and it’s nice to see we’ve got another batch there in case of injuries

With the 2019 World Cup taking place in England, Dravid said he had been encouraged by the strides the team had made after losing to the Lions in the opening match of the tri-series at Derby last week.”A lot of these tours aren’t necessarily about winning, but I think the quality of cricket we’ve played throughout this tournament – except for the first game where we didn’t bat particularly well – has been really good,” Dravid told ESPNcricinfo. “A lot of the boys have had their first-time exposure to these conditions; we tried to rotate the squad as much as we could and give everyone decent opportunities.”It’s been quite satisfying, some good performances. A tough game today as well, we had to fight back with the ball and the bat – so good to see them fight, good to see them compete in these conditions. Definitely some positives, as well as seeing some of the boys get into the national side as well, irrespective of the result.Rahul Dravid watches the India A side•Getty Images”Especially with the World Cup in a year’s time, it’s nice to have bench strength, for the selectors to know there are good young players if the situation does arise. It’s nice to replicate this experience leading into the World Cup, to give these boys some exposure in these conditions.”Chahar, who claimed career-best List A figures of 5 for 27 against West Indies A following an impressive IPL, and Krunal have already been rewarded with maiden calls to the full India squad, for the T20I series against England starting on Tuesday. Dravid was particularly pleased with the performances of the team’s pace attack during the tri-series, which he suggested had matched that of the Lions, notably in the final and in their 102-run win in Leicester.”There’s a good bench strength being developed and I think it gives people a lot of confidence that there are players, if the situation arises, who are in good touch and playing well,” Dravid said. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve done really quite well in white-ball cricket at this level, built up quite a few players – so that’s a good thing for Indian cricket.”All the quicks were really good, we rotated the four of them and all of them had their moments and did well in the series. I think we’ve got a really strong bowling attack at the moment, with the India side, a lot of variation and depth, and it’s nice to see we’ve got another batch there in case of injuries. Especially with the fast-bowling department, you need back-ups and people who can come in – we’ve got Deepak and Shardul [in India’s last series before this tour] joining the national team due to injuries. It’s good to see the fast bowlers coming through and almost out-bowl some of the English seamers in these conditions, which is a really good sign for us.”