All posts tagged: red-ball cricket

Why England’s rising star Jamie Smith is actually relieved to be snubbed by the IPL | Cricket News

Why England’s rising star Jamie Smith is actually relieved to be snubbed by the IPL | Cricket News

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 19, 2026 03:02 PM IST England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith believes missing out on the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year might turn out to be “a blessing in disguise” as he prepares for an important red-ball season in his home country. The 25-year-old, who went unsold at the auction for IPL 2026, said that he still aspires to play in the cash-rich league, but due to the unexpected time off from the game, he is now focused on preparing to play his best possible cricket in the longer formats ahead of England’s Test matches this summer, beginning in June against New Zealand. “At the time, I would have definitely liked to have gone, it’s an ambition of mine to strengthen all sides of my game, and I see the IPL as something that can really enhance the white-ball side and does have benefits for the red-ball game,” the Surrey gloveman said on ESPNcricinfo. “But in hindsight, it’s fantastic to have a block of red-ball cricket. Towards the back end of the summer …

From Baramulla to Ranji stardom: Meet Auqib Nabi, Jammu and Kashmir’s silent strike weapon | Cricket News

From Baramulla to Ranji stardom: Meet Auqib Nabi, Jammu and Kashmir’s silent strike weapon | Cricket News

Published by Webster

P Krishna Kumar, Jammu and Kashmir’s bowling coach in Ranji Trophy, never doubted that Auqib Nabi Dar was the sharpest arrow in his quiver. But the warrior needed his charioteer to guide him with direction. “When I came to J&K as coach, it was evident Auqib had a beautiful natural bowling action, like Md Shami’s wrist position. But his outswinger needed variations for him to become effective. Not only is he a skilled bowler, he learns quickly,” coach Krishna says about the leading domestic wicket-taker, though it’s early days in the Ranji season – only two matches old. Yet, his 17 wickets, including a 7/24 match haul against Rajasthan in the second round, and an average of 9.25, make Auqib a fast bowling talent, to sit up and take notice, if you can look past a speed gun and the fixation with 140 kph. Krishna puts Auqib’s range at “125 – 131 kph”, though the bowler who collected his third 5-wkt haul of 2025-26, including one in the Duleep Trophy, politely nudges decision-makers to consider …

Ranji Trophy: How unlikely Shivam Dube instigated a Vidarbha collapse | Cricket News

Ranji Trophy: How unlikely Shivam Dube instigated a Vidarbha collapse | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Two weeks after England captain Jos Buttler criticised India’s decision to substitute the concussed Shivam Dube with outright quick Harshit Rana during a T20 game, Dube proved his bowling chops with a five-wicket haul against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy semifinal in Nagpur. His 5 for 49 on the track which didn’t offer much assistance to seamers bowlers, helped Mumbai restrict Vidarbha’s first innings tally to 383, even though Mumbai squandered the advantage with a shoddy batting performance. “Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting.It is not a like-for-like replacement,” Buttler would say. Here he didn’t crank up the pace or bend the ball around the corners. But he probed tight lines and length to prise out his third five-wicket haul in this format. He felt he bowled a few yards quicker than he normally does. “I have noticed that earlier in red-ball games I used to bowl in the mid-120s but in this game, many of my balls have crossed the 130 kph …

Duleep Trophy: Sanju Samson wins battle with self, Shreyas Iyer self-destructs | Cricket News

Published by Webster

When twilight set in, the beat of the drums quietened and the bowlers waited for stumps on an exactingly hot day at Anantapur, Sanju Samson embarked on his most testing battle of the day. The one with the self, the one that he had often lost. He had breezed to 80 off 70 balls without breaking much sweat. But with a century in sight, the tussle was no longer with the bowlers and conditions, but one with his own mind. The temptation of a hundred must have teased, as it would for most batsmen. The dilemma would have winked in—should I wait for the next day and start all over again or should I just swing for glory? The vicinity of a milestone plays bizarre tricks on a sportsman’s thinking. But Sanju chose the path of patience. Sensing the irresistible momentum he had worked himself into, India B sensed an opportunity and conceived traps. Spinners fed him with floaty invitations to clear the fence, fielders were stacked on the leg-side for leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, enticing …

Push for red-ball cricket: BCCI considers hike in Test match fees | Cricket News

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WITH THE recent trend of players opting to save themselves for the Indian Premier League (IPL) while ignoring red-ball cricket, the BCCI is now considering a hike in the match fees for Tests, thus putting a premium on the long-form game. It is learnt that the board decided to redraft the salary structure in the wake of wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan ignoring the team management’s calls to play domestic cricket, and instead opting to prepare for the IPL that begins next month. Explaining the new remuneration model, a source in the Board said: “For example, if someone plays all Test series in a calendar year, he should be rewarded additionally, apart from the annual retainer contract. This is to ensure that players turn out for more red-ball cricket. This would be an additional perk for playing Test cricket.” If the new remuneration model is approved, it will be implemented after this IPL season. The BCCI is working on the additional bonus a player will receive if he plays all Test series in a season. Currently, …