All posts by h716a5.icu

Warwickshire sneaked into the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals with the easiest of victories over Leicestershire – and a helping hand from 120 miles to the north.

Press Association25-Jul-2014
ScorecardVarun Chopra, seen here for England Lions, made his second T20 fifty in three innings•Getty ImagesWarwickshire sneaked into the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals with the easiest of victories over Leicestershire – and a helping hand from 120 miles to the north.Nottinghamshire’s thrilling win against Yorkshire in Leeds meant the Bears took fourth place in the North Division with a point to spare after their 52-run success at Edgbaston, setting up a trip to Essex on August 2.Varun Chopra’s fourth half-century in this season’s tournament helped them to 160 for 6 and for the second time inside a week the Foxes’ batting imploded as they mustered only 108 after losing their top four in the Powerplay.By their own admission, the Bears have a habit of making things unnecessarily difficult and this Twenty20 campaign has been no exception. After reeling off four straight wins, they lost the next four completed fixtures and found themselves in the last chance saloon.They needed to win the last three games – and then hope the Headingley result went their way, which it did when Yorkshire failed to defend a total of 200 for 5.Leicestershire, three-time winners of the competition, never got into contention this season and they arrived at Edgbaston on a new low after their dismissal for 90 when replying to Nottinghamshire’s 121 for 9 last Sunday.Their lowest total in the 12 seasons of Twenty20 cricket ratcheted up the desire to make amends on the last night of the group phase. It simply did not happen.Skipper Josh Cobb exposed the batsmen to another dismal run-chase by choosing to field first and Chopra’s single-minded management of the home side’s innings ensured it would be a testing target.Aside from an opening stand of 50, there was only modest support for Chopra once Jigar Naik had bowled William Porterfield for 28 with his fourth delivery. The canny Scott Styris picked up a wicket and also ran out Laurie Evans – and the case for taking the pace of the ball was further justified by Naik, who took 2 for 23, when Rikki Clarke was well caught by Matt Boyce in front of the midwicket rope.Chopra reached a well-paced half-century from 67 balls with half-a-dozen fours and had just hit his only six when he was caught at long-on off Cobb, one of only two survivors from the successful Foxes team in the 2011 final on this ground.The Bears pushed Jeetan Patel up the order and he promptly smashed 15, including two sixes, from the first four balls he faced and then drove Ben Raine to long-on from the fifth.The match was over as a contest before Leicestershire could raise a whimper. A fired-up Clarke bowled Cobb with his sixth delivery and when Greg Smith set off for a single after surviving an lbw appeal in the allrounder’s next over, he was run out by Patel. Dan Redfern was quickly leg before to Oliver Hannon-Dalby and the innings was in a complete mess when Niall O’Brien drove Recordo Gordon to Clarke. Boyce raised the only obstacle with 41 from 43 balls until he was bowled by Recordo Gordon.Birmingham’s acting captain Varun Chopra said the best-laid plans at shutting out news of Nottinghamshire’s run-chase at Headingley misfired: “We had a chat about not paying any attention to it, then the score was announced every five overs on the scoreboard, so that proved somewhat difficult, but luckily we heard what we wanted to hear.”We played very well. Obviously we had a lot to play for, Leicestershire not so much, and once we got up and running we were always in a strong position.”

Lancashire did not suffer the ignominy of being relegated from Division One on the same day that Yorkshire lifted the Championship but their fate is no longer in their own hands

Alan Gardner at Hove12-Sep-2014
ScorecardEd Joyce prolific form helped Sussex comfortably reach their target•PA PhotosLancashire did not suffer the ignominy of being relegated from Division One on the same day that Yorkshire lifted the Championship but their fate is no longer in their own hands. Caught betwixt and between trying to set Sussex a steep enough chase for them to get vertigo or batting their way to safety, Lancashire managed neither, a target of 251 in 59 overs proving insubstantial on a hard, sun-baked surface.Their hopes now rest on Middlesex continuing a tailspin that has seen them fail to win in the Championship since May. In one respect, Middlesex’s defeat at home to Durham allowed Lancashire a guilt-free tilt in this match, though there will be those who rue missing out on a potentially crucial five points that the draw would have been worth. With the ball, they never looked likely winners and some will question whether they have the requisite fight left even if the next round of matches, which they will sit out, does go their way.The gap is currently 12 points and should Middlesex manage a draw with maximum bonus points at Taunton, Lancashire will be down. However, if they were to lose for the third time in four, then Middlesex’s trip to Old Trafford in the final round will become a shootout to avoid the second drop spot alongside Northamptonshire. Sussex have no such concerns after hustling victory with a cool confidence that belied the fact they would have been only a couple of points above Lancashire, with a game in hand, if they had lost.Lancashire needed inspiration and they turned to a man used to shouldering a heavy load for his country. James Anderson has been sporting a Morrissey quiff this season but it began to droop in the Hove sunshine as Sussex’s batsmen thrummed along as if on a Sunday drive through the countryside. Anderson bowled 12 of the first 27 overs but only managed one wicket and will not be available for the Middlesex game. Heaven knows he’ll be miserable (or at least grumpy) now.Having removed Luke Wells with a short ball that was gloved to slip, Anderson proceeded to pound the middle of the pitch, breaking the helmet of Ed Joyce and roughing up Craig Cachopa. His effort was palpable but the support at the other end was unthreatening, despite Simon Kerrigan removing Chris Nash for 57 with a ball that turned and bounced to take the edge.Chapple clings to one last chance

Glen Chapple hopes to have a “final crack at staying up” even though defeat at Hove left Lancashire reliant on results elsewhere if they are to avoid relegation to Division Two of the Championship.

Lancashire were bowled out shortly after lunch on the final day, leaving Sussex requiring 251 for victory in less than two sessions, a target they comfortably chased with seven wickets and a dozen overs to spare. Chapple, Lancashire’s captain, acknowledged that his side were now relying on Middlesex to slip up if they are not to go back down after a single season in Division One.

“We were prepared to take a risk, we really needed a victory,” he said. “A draw would have kept us in with a chance but the prospect of a victory was tempting. It was always going to be difficult, I thought we set them a reasonable challenging score but they played really well and made it look easy in the end.

“We’ve got a week off and we’ve got to watch what happens between Middlesex and Somerset. Somerset are a good side and if they beat Middlesex then we’ve still got a slim chance. It would be nice to have a final crack at staying up, definitely, but it is out of our hands.”

Lancashire could be depleted for Middlesex’s visit in the final round, when James Anderson will not be available. Chapple hurt a finger on his left hand while in the field and Tom Smith was unable to bowl due to a back spasm. “It’s not my bowling hand so even if it is broken there’ll be a chance I could play,” Chapple said, of what could be his final Lancashire appearance.

For the first hour of the morning, Lancashire played with a sense of manifest destiny, piling on the runs in a manner that suggested they were not just confident of batting Sussex out of the game but a bold declaration could also be on the cards. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, after a difficult season, confidence ebbed with the fall of wickets and when Tom Smith had to retire hurt after receiving treatment on a back injury – he was also unable to bowl – their old fragility reappeared.At lunch, the lead was just 214 with 69 overs left in the day – far too cushy a chase for Lancashire to be comfortable. Anderson, the last man, was at the crease but after he had bashed a few boundaries, Smith returned with a runner and it seemed a certain postprandial pragmatism had set in. In the end, as a sparkling third-wicket stand worth 105 in 20 overs between Joyce and Cachopa proved, Lancashire were effectively faced with Hobson’s choice.Optimism was more readily available at the start of the day and it had only taken a few overs for Jos Buttler to carve himself a slice of Ashar Zaidi’s left-arm sling-spin, twice hitting the bowler back over his head. Zaidi was hurt in the line of duty, injuring his hand attempting to stop another Buttler drive, but his replacement, Nash, was treated just a brusquely, Steven Croft testing the reinforced media centre windows with another straight thump.Croft might have been removed on 62 but Luke Wright, again proving himself to be a good egg, admitted standing on the rope when taking a catch at third man. Lewis Hatchett was the unlucky bowler but he did pick up a wicket in the same over, when Buttler sent a hack skywards and Chris Jordan sprinted from mid-on to square leg, ignoring Nash’s call as he came in from the boundary, to take an excellent diving catch.Lancashire had thrashed 74 from 12 overs but Buttler turned out to be the stalking horse, Croft the genuine contender. Having notched his 50 from 140 balls, he rattled up 37 from his next 30, before miscuing in similar fashion trying to hit across the line against the new ball. Five overs later, Smith limped from the field after being treated by the physio for a stiff back. “That’s from carrying Lancashire all season,” someone joked.It was during the break caused by Smith’s injury that the news of Yorkshire’s title was announced over the PA. For Lancashire, things went downhill from there.

Bangladesh A took their time against Zimbabwe A on the second day of the first unofficial Test in Cox’s Bazar. At stumps, they were 162 for 3 on a day when nearly two hours of play was lost to rain

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2014
ScorecardBangladesh A took their time against Zimbabwe A on the second day of the first unofficial Test in Cox’s Bazar. At stumps, they were 162 for 3 on a day when nearly two hours of play was lost to rain.Despite the interruption, the hosts could only add 132 runs in 79 overs. Litton Das made 54 before being caught behind off left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza in the 34th over, after adding 76 for the first wicket with Shadman Islam.Shadman made 40 in almost fours hours, scoring just two fours during his 179-ball knock. He was eventually dismissed by the legspinner Tinotenda Mutombodzi. Marshall Ayub got out for 20, also to Mutombodzi, after being caught by Kudakwashe Munyede.Raqibul Hasan and captain Naeem Islam then added 37 runs in 29.1 overs during their unbroken fourth-wicket stand.

Radical plans for a domestic player draft have received short shrift at a national talent identification forum in Sydney

Daniel Brettig17-Oct-2014Radical plans for a domestic player draft have received short shrift at a national talent identification forum in Sydney.State talent managers, cricket operations staff and a range of CA figures including the team performance manager Pat Howard, the National Cricket Centre manager Belinda Clark and Alex Wyatt, who was appointed executive general manager strategy, government and people earlier this year, were all present for discussions at the SCG on Thursday evening.They ran through numerous ideas for the earlier identification of young cricketers and the better spread of talent around the six states. Howard had spoken about the concept of a draft earlier this week, telling the that he was open to the idea as a way of ensuring the best players gained contract opportunities across the nation.”We’re not after all athletes but we want to make sure we keep the cricketers. I’m open to things like drafts,” Howard had said. “We’re going to throw a whole heap of things on the table.”However, ESPNcricinfo understands the draft option was “knocked on the head in the first 10 minutes” of the forum, largely because the current network of talent managers means that state players, their capability and likely opportunities, are now discussed far more openly than before, with a view to ensuring that the best 66 state players were taking part in domestic competitions.The greater focus of the evening’s discussions centred on measures to ensure that players were identified and granted opportunities at a younger age, as CA has warmed to the idea that they can no longer allow talented primary and high schoolers to drift towards AFL and other sports before reverting back to cricket in their later teenage years. The battle for talent must be fought more actively.”You want to keep the pointy end at the top of the pyramid with the national team but you want to broaden the base underneath and create more opportunity,” said one forum attendee.To that end, some of the ideas thrown around in recent months, not only at Thursday’s forum, have included the possible inclusion of a National Performance Squad team for talented younger players in the domestic second XI competition.Other options, such as the inclusion of an extra NSW team in youth championships to reflect the size of the state’s talent base, and the possibility of a combined Under-17 team playing in the Under-19 championship to better expose younger players to a higher standard of competition, have also been weighed up.Fundamental to the discussions is the idea that CA and the states need to be more conscious of affording opportunities to players on a basis of skill as opposed to age.The range of ideas suggested and the number of cricket figures involved in talks suggests a more holistic and consultative process than the introduction of the Futures League in 2009. That concept, which was designed to advance opportunities for young players, served to strip an enormous amount of experience from grade, second XI and state competitions.No ideas or concepts were finalised at the forum, which was intended mainly as a primer for further talent identification discussions over the course of the 2014-15 season.

A second unofficial test at Loughborough University has found Saeed Ajmal’s action for his stock delivery, the offspinner, and his faster balls to be legal

Umar Farooq25-Nov-2014A second unofficial test at Loughborough University has found Saeed Ajmal’s action for his stock delivery, the offspinner, and his faster balls to be legal. His action for the doosra, however, is still not below the 15-degree limit. Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy head coach Mohammad Akram confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo.Ajmal will now undergo a third unofficial test, before returning to domestic cricket in Pakistan if cleared to bowl these two deliveries again. Once he gets enough bowling time there, the PCB will apply for him to be officially reassessed by the ICC.”He worked so hard to reduce the flex,” Akram told ESPNcricinfo. “The latest test in the biomechanics lab on Monday revealed that he has started bowling within the ICC’s 15-degree limit. His conventional offspin and faster deliveries are very well bowled within the limit now, that’s the good news.”Ajmal’s average elbow extension was found to be more than twice the permissible limit of 15 degrees, going up to 42 degrees on average in the official tests conducted before he was suspended from bowling in September. Following that, Ajmal underwent extensive remedial work over six weeks, but had still not fallen under the 15-dregree limit when he first underwent an unofficial test at Loughborough University earlier this month.Akram said Ajmal’s medical history and several cricket injuries have been hindering his bowling action. It is understood that the PCB had maintained Ajmal had a medical condition following an accident which affected the movement of his elbow when he was previously reported in 2009, and that had been accepted by the ICC when his action was cleared then.”There is no doubt that he is a true fighter. He, despite his medical history, has achieved a significant result in reducing the flex in his elbow.”But at the same time I would like to request ICC to give him a benefit of doubt as his chronic injuries forced him to bowl [differently], with the wrist collapsing and shoulder dislocating. This is something which is exceptional in his case.”Akram said the new testing methods were very stringent, but the PCB fully supported the ICC’s stance. “It very hard to clear tests under the ICC’s new protocols, with 3D software. Some of the very clean-looking actions via the naked eye can be questioned. There should be a benefit of doubt in testing protocol, and consideration for the exceptional cases.”But PCB has been working extensively to weed out the illegal bowling actions from the domestic circuit. We have already cracked down on all bowlers with suspect action and are presently working with them on their actions. We always stand with the ICC and support the no-tolerance approach in dealing with suspected illegal bowling actions.”

AB de Villiers produced the outstanding innings that the Cape Town Test craved, but even his redoubtable efforts have yet to shake off West Indies

The Report by David Hopps04-Jan-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:43

Game on at Newlands

AB de Villiers produced the outstanding innings that the Cape Town Test craved, but even his redoubtable efforts have yet to shake off West Indies. Facing a first-innings deficit of 92 runs at tea on the third day, they battled doggedly to clip that deficit to four runs by the close of the day. Eight wickets still stand. It has been a respectable effort.If one leading bookmaker regarded West Indies as 12-1 outsiders at change of innings, it owed as much to the perceived imbalance between these two sides as the state of the game. But if this dry, cracked surface deteriorates at the right time for West Indies, they are still in this game. As yet, despite occasional uneven bounce and some slow turn, it is biding its time.De Villiers’ 148, his 21st Test hundred, was a gem. He was last out, finally silenced when he tried to deposit Marlon Samuels into the crowd and Shannon Gabriel caught him, second attempt, at long-on. He had become the first batsman to make good his start after eight had fallen between 42 and 68, most because of a lapse in concentration. But West Indies had hung in the match by removing the last five wickets for 37 runs in 14 overs.De Villiers’ progression to his century was another career highlight. In six balls, he introduced the reverse sweep, once and for all, into polite society: at least when he accompanies it anyway. Perhaps it takes the No. 1 ranked Test batsman in the world to play the shot with no sense of risk when a century is on his mind, a first-innings lead is beckoning and a Test is in the balance on a testing surface. Or perhaps it was all done by computer graphics.De Villiers achieved that mood in one memorable over against Samuels, moving from 87 to 103 as he took 16 off the over, 10 of them with reverse sweeps so authoritative that had they been witnessed for the first time the shot would have seemed as politic as the straightest of forward defensives.AB de Villiers’ 21st Test century gave South Africa a vital lead•Associated PressHe displayed his rare ability to meld two distinct forms of the game, to introduce a daring approach borne of T20 cricket into a Test in the balance without the merest hint of ill-judgment. First came an assessment of the field, then a perfectly-timed adjustment of his bottom hand, finally a faultless execution. He fancies he can attack Samuels: it was both forthright and appropriate.Quite why Samuels was bowling the fourth over after lunch with the Test so keenly poised and the second new ball only 15 overs old was a mystery, even allowing for West Indies’ limited options. He didn’t bowl another one. De Villiers welcomed him with a crease-scrubbing reversed sweep for four, rocked back to cut the next ball to the boundary, and polished off the over with another reverse – his third – which scooted away to the fence.With South Africa still 102 behind at start of play, and a new ball just over 10 overs away, it was a period in which a lack of concentration could hand over the initiative. Fortunately for West Indies, Samuels’ start to the day – three successive desultory full tosses – did not set the tone.A ball change five overs into the day provided succour. Holder immediately dismissed Amla, finding just enough away movement from a tight line to find the edge. At the non-striker’s end, de Villiers shook his head, not just at the wicket but at recognition that his job had become harder. Holder, recognising the opportunity, tightened his line and bowled the best spell of the match, finally resembling a third seamer’s worth.It was a tough entrance for Temba Bavuma, the diminutive kid from Langa, a Cape Town township, playing in only his second Test; the first black African batsman to play Tests for South Africa. A push through mid-on to get off the mark was warmly greeted. But Gabriel picked up Bavuma in his second over, the batsman playing on, minded to leave.When West Indies were not confronted by de Villiers, they fell foul of some mediocre umpiring. Quite how Sulieman Benn maintained a sunny disposition when Simon Harmer was not given out for his own version of the reverse sweep was a mystery.Harmer swept the left-arm spinner out of the rough and, although umpire Paul Reiffel declared not out, a West Indies review clearly showed the ball deflecting off the glove as it looped up to the wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. The TV umpire, Billy Bowden, was not convinced. West Indies were bemused. was a TV series in the 1960s involving an orphaned bear, but for a few seconds there seemed to be the chance of a remake.It fitted a frustrating pattern for Benn as South Africa edged towards supremacy. Van Zyl’s unconvincing innings ended on 33 when he fell lbw to Samuels, but he needed two reviews to get that far. A South Africa review spared him when he padded up to Benn and then West Indies failed to overturn a decision when he botched a sweep. Finally, they got him – but even that needed a review.De Villiers apart, South Africa’s first innings malfunctioned. Vernon Philander was run out without scoring, failing to steal a single to Jason Holder at midwicket; Harmer’s debut innings ended when he fell lbw to Jerome Taylor; and Steyn became the third South Africa batsman to be run out, well short as Leon Johnson hit direct from mid-off.There was much work for West Indies’ batsmen to do to complete a battling day; indeed, a battling Test. When Morne Morkel had Devon Smith caught at the wicket and Kraigg Braithwaite was bowled by Harmer – his first few overs showing good, attacking purpose – it looked bleak for West Indies, but Johnson and Samuels saw out the final 20 overs to leave this Test still full of possibilities.

Dave Richardson, the ICC chief executive, has reiterated the governing body’s commitment to clamping down on illegal actions.

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2015David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, has reiterated the governing body’s commitment to clamping down on illegal actions.Richardson, who as a player reached the semi-final of the last World Cup to be staged in Australia and New Zealand with South Africa, said the ICC will remain proactive to purge the game of illegal actions.Several high-profile bowlers have been found to be operating illegally over the last few months, including Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal.”We want to make sure that we don’t lose ground on what I think has been significant progress over the last few months,” Richardson said. “The game realised that we had a significant problem and there were just too many bowlers, from all teams, bowling with suspected actions. So, I think we have made very good progress in identifying those bowlers, sending them off to be tested and, where necessary, suspending them until they can remedy their actions.”There might be one or two who were suspended and who are now coming back into international cricket and the challenge for them will be to make sure that they maintain their remedied action. The instructions to the Match Officials will be no different and these matches will be treated exactly the same as any other international match. And if there are bowlers who are bowling with suspect actions, they might be reported,” he continued.”The ICC-accredited testing centre in Brisbane is on stand-by so that if somebody is reported early on in the tournament, he can go straight off to Brisbane, get tested within five or six days, and we can have the report so that he can either continue bowling if he’s found to be legal, or if he’s illegal, then he will be suspended.”There also remains a threat of corruption to world cricket but Richardson insists the ICC is well on top of that problem too.”It’s safe to say we’re the best prepared we’ve ever been,” Richardson said. “Our anti-corruption personnel have done a lot of work in entering into agreements, associations and arrangements with the local police and law enforcement agencies in both New Zealand and Australia.”As the years have gone by, our intelligence and information on who these corruptors are, and who may try and fix matches around the world, has grown. We know exactly where these people are and we have got a list of more than a hundred names that we will be passing on to these law enforcement agencies. It will be very difficult for anybody outside of the game to come and even attempt to try and corrupt players, umpires or anybody involved in the World Cup, to try and fix a match.”In addition, the New Zealand and Australia governments have introduced specific legislation which makes attempting to fix, or fixing matches, a criminal offence. This enables, not only us but the police themselves to take much more specific and direct action against these people who are trying to corrupt the game.”

Leicestershire have signed New Zealand batsman Grant Elliott as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast.

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2015Leicestershire have signed New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast.Elliott, the 35-year-old whose international career has come almost exclusively in one-day cricket, is currently part of New Zealand’s World Cup challenge. He will be available for 10 matches but potentially more pending his selection on New Zealand’s tour of England.He has scored 1102 T20 runs at 26.23 with a strike rate of 136.04. He will hope to help Leicestershire into the quarter-finals, having previously enjoyed great success in the shortest format as a largely unfancied outfit.”I’m really excited to be a Fox this season and I’m looking make some valuable contributions with both bat and ball,” Elliott said. “Leicestershire will have a new look for 2015 and I’m ready to play my part.”Wasim Khan, chief executive of Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket added: “We are delighted to have somebody of Grant’s calibre with us for our NatWest T20 Blast campaign. His experience will be invaluable to us in the new era for Leicestershire.”Grant is a fine middle-order batsman and also offers us good options with the ball and in the field. We have two high quality overseas players in Grant and Clint McKay and it will be great to see them in action together.”

Mashrafe Mortaza blasted a 33-ball 50 to help Prime Bank South Zone to a two-wicket win over Walton Central Zone in Fatullah

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2015Mashrafe Mortaza blasted a 33-ball 50 to help Prime Bank South Zone to a two-wicket win over Walton Central Zone in Fatullah. He was adjudged man of the match for his effort.Batting first, Central Zone posted 213 runs in 45.3 overs with South Zone’s Rubel Hossain picking up five wickets. Central Zone were reduced to 90 for 5 before Dhiman Ghosh’s unbeaten 64 helped them past the 200-run mark. Abdur Razzak and Enamul Haque jnr took two wickets each while Mashrafe picked up one wicket.In reply, South Zone were in disarray at 143 for 7 in the 40th over when Mashrafe and Razzak added 73 runs for the unbroken eighth-wicket stand. Mashrafe struck four boundaries and three sixes in his 50 while Razzak made 28 with two fours and a six.Elias Sunny took three wickets while Shuvagata Hom picked up two wickets.

Australia and Mumbai Indians seamer Josh Hazlewood has opted out of the IPL to keep himself fit and fresh for the West Indies tour and Ashes later this season

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2015Australia and Mumbai Indians seamer Josh Hazlewood has pulled out of the IPL to keep himself fit and fresh for the West Indies tour and Ashes defence later this season.Keeping in mind the lengthy IPL schedule, which clashes with the Australian players’ resting time, and a tight international schedule ahead, Cricket Australia has opted to place him in cotton wool.”Josh’s workload has changed significantly since he first began attending the IPL,” Pat Howard, general manager of Team Performance, said. “The IPL is the players’ leave period and in Josh’s case it was deemed that not playing was the best use of that time in the lead up to a busy winter. “This was agreed to with the IPL following discussions at the end of the Test series.”Australia begin their West Indies tour with a tour game in Antigua, starting May 27, three days after the IPL final. The teams face off in a two-Test series, which will be followed by the Ashes, beginning with the first Test in Cardiff on July 8.Hazlewood, who claimed figures of 5 for 68 on Test debut against India in Brisbane, had been a vital cog for Australia this summer. He finished the Test series with 12 wickets in three matches at an average of 29.33 and backed it up with some impressive performances in the World Cup, most notably his 4 for 35 against Pakistan in the quarter-final in Adelaide, after replacing Pat Cummins.He capped off the World Cup with seven wickets in five matches at a thrifty economy rate of 4.10. Hazlewood, who was not with Mumbai Indians during the IPL opener against Kolkata Knight Riders, was earlier retained by the side, and was expected to bring his excellent form to the tournament. He becomes the second Australian after Kane Richardson to opt out of the IPL but Mumbai have well-stocked pace bowling options in Lasith Malinga, Corey Anderson, Marchant de Lange, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Abhimanyu Mithun and Vinay Kumar.