Ben Stokes will be available to his new IPL franchise, Rising Pune Supergiants, for the full six-week group stage of the competition

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-20172:37

England players attract big bids in the auction

Ben Stokes will be available to his new IPL franchise, Rising Pune Supergiants, for the full six-week group stage of the competition, after he was given clearance to miss England’s two-match ODI series against Ireland that takes place in early May.Stokes, who was yesterday signed by Supergiants for USD 2.16 million, a record fee for an overseas player, will instead be required to return to England on May 14 to prepare for three ODIs against South Africa in late May that serve as a warm-up for the ICC Champions Trophy.

England IPL availability

Due back May 14 Stokes, Woakes, Buttler
Due back May 1 Morgan, Roy, Billings
Available all matches Mills, Jordan

Jos Buttler, who has been retained by Mumbai Indians after playing in the 2016 IPL, and Chris Woakes, who was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for USD 625,000, have also been cleared to take part in the tournament until May 14. Should their teams finish in the qualification slots, it would mean missing out on the knockout stages as well as the final, which is scheduled to take place on May 21 in Hyderabad.As anticipated, England’s captain, Eoin Morgan, will be recalled to England duty sooner than his team-mates, with his availability for his new franchise, Kings XI Punjab, limited to the first month of competition. He is due to return to England on May 1 to prepare for the Ireland matches that take place at Bristol and Lord’s on May 5 and 7.
Jason Roy, who was picked up by Gujarat Lions for USD 150000, will also return to England on May 1, as too will Sam Billings, retained by Delhi Daredevils, who may see the Ireland matches as a good opportunity to press his claims for a starting berth in the Champions Trophy, following a decent showing on the recent tour of India.Tymal Mills, who was signed by Bangalore Royal Challengers for USD 1.8 million and who is limited to T20 matches due to a congenital back condition, is available to his franchise for the duration of the tournament, as is his fellow Sussex seamer, Chris Jordan, who seems unlikely to be back on England duty until the South Africa T20s in late June.

Kevin O’Brien fought through a hamstring injury and launched a fine counter-attack to give Ireland a come-from-behind win that helped them level the series

The Report by Akshay Gopalakrishnan22-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin O’Brien hit eight fours and two sixes in his 60-ball knock•Associated Press

Kevin O’Brien fought a hamstring injury to club an unbeaten 72 that helped Ireland chase down a 221-run target with three wickets in hand in the fourth ODI against Afghanistan.O’Brien had limped off on 9, with Ireland having lost ground after a solid start. When he returned, they were reeling at 130 for 6 with Afghanistan ready to apply the choke through spin. But he responded with a half-century, built on brute force, to help Ireland draw level in the five-match series in Greater Noida.The effort followed on from his four wickets, three of them in an opening burst that broke Afghanistan’s back after they won their fourth successive toss in the series. That they were lifted to 220 was down to handy contributions from Mohammad Nabi and the lower order.Crippled by the injury, O’Brien struggled to run between the wickets, leaving him with the sole option of clearing the fence. He did that to great effect on a slow surface no less. He particularly favoured the leg-side boundary with his muscular slog sweeps.Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s best bowler of the series, bore the brunt of a few such hits in an 18-run over off the 35th to swing the momentum in Ireland’s favour. Rashid ended up suffering the worst of Kevin O’Brien’s onslaught, conceding 28 runs in the 17 balls he bowled to him.With Gary Wilson buckling down at the other end, the duo ate into the target with a 66-run seventh-wicket stand that took Ireland to the brink. Wilson picked out deep midwicket off one that skidded on from Rashid with Ireland still 25 away. It could still have been Afghanistan’s game but for Usman Ghani letting one burst through his hands at short third man to reprieve Kevin O’Brien. Unsurprisingly, Afghanistan did not get lucky after that, and Kevin O’Brien sealed the game with successive fours off Dawlat.Before the late charge, Nabi scythed through the middle order with four wickets. Paul Stirling closed the bat face early and tamely chipped a catch to mid-on off the leading edge to end a 48-run opening stand. Mohammad Shahzad’s lightning reflexes then had William Porterfield stumped after Nabi got one to turn outside off. Balbirnie lost his stumps to one that refused to sit up and McBrine played down the wrong line to one that straightened.Mohammad Nabi’s regular wickets troubled Ireland•Associated Press

Like Ireland, Afghanistan lost wickets in the early exchanges. With the ball keeping low, Ireland’s bowlers reaped the benefits of sticking to accurate lines and lengths.Returning from injury, Kevin O’Brien found seam movement and made telling inroads. Off the fourth ball, he pinged the pad of Shahzad, who paid the price for playing across the line of an in-dipper. In his next over, he got one to shape the other way to Rahmat who edged behind for zero, before Usman Ghani, playing his first ODI since 2015, stepped out to a short ball and slashed it to extra cover.He was denied a fourth wicket when Wilson missed a regulation catch, Hashmatullah Shahidi’s outside edge flying to the right of him. Shahidi was yet to get off the mark, but Afghanistan hardly found respite. The presence of cracks meant it didn’t take long for the spinners to find turn. With the ball occasionally stopping on the batsman, Afghanistan could not play to their boundary-hitting strengths.Shahidi and Asghar Stanikzai had just about begun to stem the rot with a 46-run fourth-wicket stand when a sharp legbreak from Jacob Mulder sent back the former. Mulder had done a nice job of drawing the batsman into the drive and exploiting the cracks. Shahidi, playing the angle, did not account for the sharp turn from outside off and was bowled.Mulder then had Gulabdin Naib in two minds and trapped him lbw, and with Andy McBrine sending back Stanikzai and Rashid off successive deliveries in the 24th over, Afghanistan were 83 for 7.But Shafiqullah mounted a late fightback, dominating an eighth-wicket stand of 59 with Nabi. He dealt with McBrine’s hat-trick ball with a four down the ground to get off the mark, and benefitted from cuts, sweeps, pulls and drives that ensured the score moved along briskly.Nabi and Dawlat Zadran then joined hands for a ninth-wicket stand of 57 to further frustrate Ireland. Dawlat took his time, scoring 9 off his first 21 balls before breaking loose with a straight six off the left-arm spin of George Dockrell. He was handed a reprieve on 20 when Ed Joyce spilled him at long-on. He used the life to score an unbeaten 41 that pushed the score past 200, but in the end, Kevin O’Brien’s carnage proved too much.

Mickey Arthur shares on the challenges of coaching Pakistan as he completes one year in the role

Danyal Rasool12-Apr-2017That Pakistan cricket has faced a unique set of challenges over the past decade or so is not in dispute, and Mickey Arthur believes its effects on the international team were obvious when he walked into the role one year ago. Speaking nearly 12 months on from his appointment as head coach of the Pakistan national side, Arthur said that Pakistan had been playing cricket “that belonged in the 20th century”.”This isn’t just dressing room speak,” Arthur said. “I’ve told the players that we were playing cricket that belonged in the 20th century. We hadn’t embraced the new modern game yet, and that was for a number of reasons, like not playing at home, or [not] having the exposure to the IPL that the rest of the world has had. So there were a lot of mitigating factors, but the fact is, if we’ve got to compete with them, we have to start embracing the modern trend.”One aspect of the modern game that remains absent in Pakistan cricket is the presence of power hitters. Their scarcity has been noticeable in the Pakistan side, both at the top and tail of the innings, with Pakistan’s ODI run rate in the first and last Powerplay the lowest of all Full Members, save Zimbabwe. Arthur acknowledged it was not something that could be coached into players overnight, and such players needed to be developed and groomed over time.”It [lack of power hitters] is a worry. When we get on good wickets, we can’t match the other countries. In Australia, I felt we always started 20-30 runs behind them because they could maximise the last ten overs. Teams are getting 100 runs in the last ten overs now. We’re getting 70, at best. We didn’t get a run-a-ball in the last five overs the other day in a T20 [against West Indies]. That’s not good enough; that’s not going to win us games. We don’t have the ability to take on the power players, which is so disappointing, because we did with Sharjeel [Khan], so to lose him is a massive blow.”But along those lines, those are things we have to get better at, and it’s not going to happen overnight. You’re not going to wake up one morning and become a power hitter. We’re training it; we’ve got drills and techniques that we’re putting into play. Hopefully, all that comes to fruition, because we’ve got two years till the World Cup, and in the World Cup, we’ve got to be as good as we can possibly be.”Mickey Arthur said losing a power hitting like Sharjeel Khan was a ‘massive blow’•Associated Press

Arthur also talked about the cultural challenges of managing an Asian team for the first time, saying he was fully prepared to embrace the culture around Pakistan’s cricket. He clarified, however, that accepting the culture was not tantamount to tolerating mediocrity, and that he didn’t believe his role as coach could be boiled down to a win-loss ratio, stressing that his main priority was setting up a professional structure in Pakistan’s cricket, with fitness at the core of their preparation.”Comfort zones are not tolerated within our environment anymore. We’ve tried to push the players, we tried to challenge the players, take them to limits they haven’t been before in terms of fitness and preparation.”I like to think that when people look at what happened for the last one year, they look at structure. You are always going to be judged as coach on win-loss ratio but for me it’s a lot more than that. It’s about the environment, it’s about the standards and it’s about challenging players. It’s about not tolerating mediocrity and that’s the stuff I would love to leave behind so the next coach that came in would come into a structure that functions. Players know what standards are and live up to those standards. Otherwise I’m wasting my time. Hopefully that’s going to be my legacy – a thoroughly professional structure.”With Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan having announced that the Test series in the West Indies will be their last, Pakistan look set for a period of transition without two of their stalwarts. While that might be intimidating for some, Arthur said he was excited by the opportunity of managing a new team, pointing to his time with the South African national side, where he oversaw a young team emerge as a unit that is presently ranked No. 2 and No. 1 in Tests and ODIs.”That’s what you live for as a coach. I’ve been lucky in my team with South Africa, where we inherited a team with a couple of senior players, and we put in players like [AB] de Villiers, [Morne] Morkel, [JP] Duminy, [Dale] Steyn. To see them grow and get better is the most fulfilling thing that can happen for you as a coach. I’m hoping the same happens with this Pakistan team, and I’m incredibly excited about the future.”

South Africa have recalled fast bowler Morne Morkel and included the uncapped spinner Keshav Maharaj in their squad for the Champions Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2017South Africa have recalled fast bowler Morne Morkel and included the uncapped spinner Keshav Maharaj in their squad for the Champions Trophy. There was, however, no place for Dale Steyn, who will continue his recovery from injury with South Africa A, or Vernon Philander.AB de Villiers is fit to captain, despite injuries disrupting his participation at the IPL, while South Africa found room for a quartet of bowling allrounders in Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius. Dane Paterson and Tabraiz Shamsi were the squad members to miss out from South Africa’s tour to New Zealand in February.

South Africa ODI squad

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (capt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Keshav Maharaj, Dwaine Pretorius, Farhaan Behardien, Morne Morkel

Morkel has not played an ODI since June 2016 but made an encouraging return from the back injury that had threatened his career during the Tests against New Zealand, taking 11 wickets at 26.72 during the three matches. He will provide added experience in a squad that will rely on Kagiso Rabada as the attack spearhead.Maharaj has won his maiden ODI call up, edging out left-arm wristspinner Shamsi as support for Imran Tahir, after impressing with the Test side. He was the series leading wicket-taker, with 15, in New Zealand, which included match figures of 8 for 87 to set up victory in Wellington.”We have been working with this group of players for the last two seasons where our key emphasis has been consitency in selection,” CSA convener of selector, Linda Zondi, said. “That has shown in how this group has performed over the last while, which has resulted in winning three consecutive ODI series.”We feel we have a squad that covers every scenario that we could possibly be faced with on the tour. Most importantly, every player knows and understands their role and value within the squad.”Keshav has had an exceptional debut season for the Test side and his inclusion in the squad gives us a spinner with a different skills and extra batting depth. We have seen how important it is to bat deep in ODI cricket, this option will give us that cover if needed.”South Africa’s tour of England will begin in May, with three ODIs leading into the Champions Trophy. They are currently the No. 1-ranked one-day side, having won 3-2 in New Zealand, and have the top-ranked batsman and bowler in de Villiers and Tahir.During the tour of New Zealand they equaled their record for consecutive ODI victories (12), having whitewashed Australia and Sri Lanka 5-0 in successive home series. They will arrive in England as one of the form teams – although their only success in global limited-overs competitions remains the 1998 ICC Knockout (a precursor to the Champions Trophy).

James Vince, on his return to The Oval, provided a perfect distillation of why England picked him and why they then dropped him

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval03-Jul-2017
ScorecardJames Vince gave Surrey a cup final hangover•Getty Images

Eleven months ago James Vince trudged off at The Oval. He had made one and nought in the match as Pakistan levelled a thrilling Test series. It was a performance that convinced the England selectors that, after an initiation to Test cricket marked by some gorgeous offside shots but plenty more injudicious ones, and seven matches that failed to produce a solitary half-century, they would have to look elsewhere to add solidity to their middle order.On his return to The Oval, Vince produced a perfect distillation of both why England picked him and why they then dropped him. First, the good. And there was much that was very, very good: above all that sumptuous drive through the offside, a shot so picturesque and pure that it would have been cherished by cricket lovers a hundred years ago and will, whatever the shape of the game, surely be savoured a century hence too.There was much else to behold too: the cuts, hit anywhere between third man and extra cover, which require no foot movement to locate any small vacancy in the offside field; the efficient clips whenever a ball wandered onto his pads; and, more than anything, the abiding sense of a batsman playing in a spirit of merriment.It was certainly too much for Surrey, as was a second, less elegant but equally effective Hampshire century-maker Jimmy Adams, as they came to terms with three Royal London final defeats in a row.For all the purity of Vince’s shot-making there is always a slightly ethereal sense to his batting, too; his supreme shot-making is imbued with jeopardy. Which brings us to the bad. It was not so much his dismissal, flashing behind for 104 – Vince had just made a century, after all – as the copious hints of what was to come that preceded it. After a rollicking square cut to move to 98 off Tom Curran, Vince almost fell in consecutive balls attempting to repeat the shot. Seldom has a plan from the opposition been so unsubtly telegraphed, but it did not need to be any more covert for Vince to oblige.Still, watching Vince’s 19 boundaries had been a treat – if not for Surrey’s bowlers, then for all but the most partisan spectators, as well as his partner in a third-wicket alliance of 161. “Vince was very hard to bowl at today,” Adams said. “You feel a little inadequate at times the way he leans into the ball.”Even after being afforded a 25-over headstart, Adams was still beaten to his half-century and then hundred by Vince. Yet the roundhead ended up outscoring the cavalier by a full 40 runs.Adams’s innings was always pervaded with altogether more permanence than Vince’s contribution. If it was defined by an austere spirit until lunch, which he took with only 24 to his name, Adams showcased some delightful driving thereafter, using his feet with alacrity against Amar Virdi’s offspin, and thrashing anything that offered offside width. It came as a matter of considerable surprise when Virdi had the satisfaction of uprooting Adams’ offstump in the final over of the day.Still, that could scarcely dilute Hampshire’s satisfaction; Adams professed that the team were “delighted”, all the more after enduring a tetchy morning. Surrey’s new ball bowling combined discipline and swing, and they could well have claimed more than two wickets – Lewis McManus bowled by a wonderful late-swinging yorker from Sam Curran, and Rilee Rossouw slashing the elder Curran to second slip – before lunch.But as the evening shadows extended at The Oval, Surrey, notwithstanding the flat pitch, increasingly looked what they were: a slightly patched up attack comprising three teenagers, a 22-year-old who has long been accustomed to being the leader of the attack and a senior bowler who, for all the threat he can pose, bowled wides on both sides of the wicket.Both Virdi, playing in lieu of skipper Gareth Batty, who has a calf strain and Conor McKerr, preferred to senior bowlers Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker and Ravi Rampaul, were attacked under the afternoon sun; the Currans were admirable and indefatigable; and, for Mark Footitt, this was not one of those days when it all clicks. How Surrey seemed in need of a reliable and gnarled senior pace bowler, who could double as an on-field bowling coach: think Ryan Sidebottom, Glen Chapple, Alan Richardson or, a little further back, Surrey’s own Martin Bicknell.The upshot was that, two days after a 50-over cup final defeat that is rapidly taking on the feel of unwanted summer ritual, Surrey had little to cheer. The absence of Kumar Sangakkara, who has split webbing in his hand, invites the question of whether the coming days at The Oval will be equally taxing.

Ridiculed roundly after the innings defeat in Edgbaston, the team sat down to recognise what was needed of each player and the youngest of XI delivered a truly special performance

Melinda Farrell at Headingley30-Aug-2017Shai Hope shrugged the monkey off his back with a maiden Test century and then brutally booted it from the room with a second as he led West Indies to a thrilling victory – their first in England since 2000 – fulfilling the promise that led Clive Lloyd to present him with his cap as a 21-year-old two years ago.Hope became the first batsman to score centuries in both innings of a first-class match at Headingley, and the first West Indies player to perform the feat in a Test in England since Gordon Greenidge in 1976, as he helped his side pull off the second-highest chase at the ground.It was Hope’s partnerships with Kraigg Brathwaite – the two Barbadians have batted together since their early teens – in both innings that provided the foundation for a West Indies victory that was made all the more remarkable in coming just a week after their innings defeat in three days at Edgbaston.But Hopes was as cool in victory as he had been at the crease, seemingly unaware of his record in his post-match interview on Sky and exuding cool during the following press conference.”It was just clear mind, clear game plan,” Hope said. “I knew what I wanted to do in the middle and I just executed as best I can.”It was mainly about winning the game, especially after the loss at Edgbaston. Knowing how much the fellas really wanted this win, you could see the fight and belief in the dressing room on the faces of the guys.”I feel elated. We’ve worked hard as a team and we’re pleased to get over the line. I am a professional cricketer for a reason so I always believe in myself. We fought hard throughout the game, so we needed to do well with the bat.”Hope and Brathwaite came to the crease in the first innings with West Indies at 35 for 3 and then in the second innings at 53 for 2, steadying their side on both occasions before steering them towards victory with partnerships of 246 and 144. But while Brathwaite has shown his stubbornness at the crease in previous Tests, Hope’s twin centuries, following a lean run in his first two years of Test cricket, encapsulated the dramatic turnaround by a side that was publicly derided by former England and West Indies greats after the first Test.”I said if he gets one (hundred), he’ll get plenty – well he got one and he’s got another,” West Indies coach Stuart Law. “He’s been going through the form dip but he’s looked in good nick.”The stinging criticism from former players such as Curtly Ambrose and Geoffrey Boycott, who described the current team as the worst West Indies Test side he had seen, clearly struck a nerve with Jason Holder’s men in a similar way to Colin Graves’ infamous dismissal of them as “mediocre” ahead of England’s 2015 tour to the Caribbean.”It did something,” Holder said. “We had plenty of time to reflect, being in Birmingham three days. Each and every member of the team felt it, we were really hard on ourselves but it wasn’t a situation where we had to panic, it was a time for us to find solutions.”We sat down as a team and we had a really, really good meeting after the Edgbaston Test match and felt from there I could see most of the guys understanding a lot more about what was required of them and where we needed to be in terms of coming into this Test match and performing.”West Indies now head to Lord’s for a decider few would have foreseen with a confidence borne out of a victory that came despite dropped catches that allowed England back into the game after conceding a 169-run deficit in the first innings.”We have to be confident,” Hope said. “We’re Test cricketers for a reason and we know we have the ability to perform. We’ve got to make sure we put that almost perfect performance together because it’s very unlikely you play that perfect game but just try to string as many good consistent performances as possible in one game to get that win.””For many of us it’s a childhood dream to play a Test match at Lord’s and to come into Lord’s with a chance of winning the series,” Holder said. “Remember the first press conference we had people asked what are our chances. I gave us the same chances that England probably give themselves to win the series and that’s what we set out to do. It doesn’t always happen that way but the main thing for us is to keep progressing as a side and I think we’re showing that.”

Richie Richardson, the former West Indies captain, is currently a part of the ICC’s Elite Panel of match referees

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2017Former West Indies captain Richie Richardson has been appointed match referee by the ICC for the three-match T20 Independence Cup between Pakistan and the World XI side – the first instance since 2009 of an ICC match official overseeing cricket in Pakistan.Richardson has been a member of the ICC’s Elite Panel of match referees since January 2016 and has officiated in 11 Tests, 19 ODIs and 18 T20Is till date. The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the ICC’s decision in a press release on Tuesday. “The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced that the International Cricket Council has appointed Sir Richie Richardson as match referee for the Independence Cup to be played between the World XI and Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium on 12, 13 and 15 September.”The ICC has thrown its weight behind this series, working closely with the PCB to tackle security which satisfied the standards of the players’ body, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).Zimbabwe’s tour in 2015 – the only international tour by a Test-playing team since the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009 – had gone ahead with local umpires and match officials. Prior to Zimbabwe’s tour, several countries had refused to play in Pakistan, in the aftermath of the attack in Lahore. The PCB, however, has been gradually pursuing more matches in the country. Earlier this year, a few international players turned out in Lahore for the final of the Pakistan Super League.

The left-arm spinner has been replaced by Fawad Ahmed in Victoria’s JLT One-Day Cup squad

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2017Jon Holland, the left-arm spinner, has been ruled out of Victoria’s JLT One-Day Cup opener because of a precautionary knee surgery due to “wear and tear.”He will be sidelined for up to a month. The vacancy created by Holland’s injury will be filled by Fawad Ahmed, the legspinner.Holland, who played two Tests on the tour of Sri Lanka last year, reported discomfort in his right knee more than a week ago. The injury flared up in Perth during Victoria’s first net session, leading to a “minor surgery” on Wednesday.”Jon reported some discomfort in his right knee following training last week. Initial scans proved inconclusive but Jon continued to feel some discomfort while bowling in Perth and we decided surgery would be the best option ahead of the season,” said Nick Adcock, Cricket Victoria’s Sports Science and Sports Medicine manager.”The surgery on his right knee was successful, and we’re hopeful Jon can return to training after two-four weeks recovery.”Ahmed is the second injury replacement for Victoria in this tournament. Earlier in the week, Xavier Crone was called in to the squad after fast bowler John Hastings injured his back at training.

Head coach Hemantha Devapriya is optimistic about Sri Lanka’s batting prowess after a demonstrable improvement in the Women’s World Cup earlier this year

Madushka Balasuriya 05-Oct-2017Sri Lanka women have left for their tour of the West Indies, beginning from October 11, in high spirits, boosted by a positive showing with the bat in this year’s Women’s World Cup in England.Despite losing six of their seven World Cup matches, the team crossed the 200-mark four times – one of which was a winning total of 221 for 7 against Pakistan in their final game – and came close in two other losing causes, with the only real blemish being their drubbing at the hands of South Africa when they were bowled out for 101.”[Prior to the tournament] a concern was that we were not getting close to 200. The team used to average 130, which was not good enough. But in the seven matches in the World Cup, we averaged 190 [195],” said head coach Hemantha Devapriya.This drastic improvement was in part down to the fine form of Chamari Atapattu, who was responsible for one the highlights of the tournament when she bludgeoned an unbeaten 178 in 143 balls against Australia. The rest of the team more than held their own though, thanks to a new-found focus on rotating the strike.”We developed a range of shots to increase the number of singles. We were therefore able to increase from an average of 40 runs, to 80 at the World Cup through singles,” Devapriya explained.The inclusion of wicketkeeper-batsman Rebeca Vandort in the 15-player squad travelling to the West Indies highlights the team’s intent of doubling down on their batting strength. Seven specialist batsmen in total have been included in the squad, while the likes of Shashikala Siriwardene, Atapattu and Sripali Weerakkody offer options with both bat and ball.The team will face the West Indies in three ODIs and three T20s.Sri Lanka squad: Inoka Ranaweera (capt), Sripali Weerakkody, Rebeca Vandort (wk), Prasadani Weerakkody, Chamari Atapattu, Dilani Manodara, Nipuni Hansika, Hasini Perera, Yashoda Mendis, Chandima Gunaratne, Hansima Karunaratne, Shashikala Siriwardene, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani

New Zealand”s James Pamment, the former Northern Districts coach, has been announced as Rhodes’ replacement for the three-time IPL champions

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2017Jonty Rhodes has been replaced as Mumbai Indians’ fielding coach, thus ending his nine-season relationship with the three-time IPL champions. New Zealand’s James Pamment replaces Rhodes as Mumbai’s new fielding coach, after the former South Africa international expressed his desire to move on from his role with the team and focus on other ‘personal business ventures.’Rhodes joined the current IPL champions in 2009, and has been an integral member of the franchise’s support staff ever since. Team owner Akash Ambani praised Rhodes’ efforts with Mumbai Indians and said that his contributions would remain invaluable to the team.”Jonty has been a pillar of strength and energy in Mumbai Indians,” Ambani said. “His contribution cannot be valued in words. We respect his decision and wish him the best for the future.”Pamment has worked with the New Zealand national team as fielding specialist and was also Northern Districts’ head coach before this. Pamment, however, isn’t a new face for Mumbai Indians. He was the Northern Districts coach when the team faced Mumbai at the Champions League T20 three years ago.”What impressed us was the way James had coached Northern Districts in [the] Champions League T20 in 2014,” Ambani said. “And to be honest, his side’s fielding unit was one of the best Mumbai Indians had ever faced.”Pamment said he was excited for his new role with Mumbai, but said it was a big task to fill the shoes left behind by Rhodes.”It will be a great challenge and at the same time a privilege to fulfill the duties of a role that was held by someone like Jonty,” he said. “Jonty has instilled a brilliant work culture among the players, on and off the field, and the results are out there for everyone to see. Mumbai Indians is a champion outfit and I am grateful to the team’s ownership on giving me this opportunity.”