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Departure for England tour could be brought forward as PCB mulls options

Umar Farooq09-Jun-2020Plans to create a bio-secure environment for Pakistan’s training camp ahead of their tour of England have been shelved following the rapid growth of coronavirus cases in the country. A press release from the PCB on Tuesday said “keeping the players in a safe and secure environment” would have been “a challenge” after ESPNcricinfo reported that it had become increasingly difficult for the board to construct a secure bubble between player lodgings and the training facility.The Pakistan squad had been expected to fly in the first week of July, with their first four weeks in England meant for quarantine and training, but the PCB and ECB are in discussions with to move the travel date forward by one week. Under current UK government rules, those arriving from outside the country will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period.ALSO READ: Younis Khan to be Pakistan batting coach in EnglandPakistan’s rescheduled tour is expected to feature three Tests in August followed by a series of three T20Is, with the matches taking place behind closed doors as part of unprecedented measures to combat Covid-19. The ECB has come up with extensive plans to keep Pakistan’s players in a bio-secure environment – likely to be in Birmingham initially – from the moment they land in the country. Prior to that PCB was hoping to hold a training camp in Lahore, at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and Gaddafi Stadium, where a 25-man squad would reside and train in a completely isolated area.However, the plan to bring Pakistan’s players out of lockdown hit a snag first with the fact the NCA isn’t capable of housing a large group. The PCB then considered making players stay at a five-star hotel about 8km away from the training facility. But with the sudden hike in coronavirus cases, concerns have been raised about the ability to maintain a fully secure environment and the need to tightly regulate player movements.Pakistan’s government has recently eased the lockdown situation in the country, encouraging the public to follow health guidelines despite a worsening situation in Lahore and Karachi and expectations the peak of the virus will not come for some weeks. Pakistan has currently more than 100,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and more than 2000 deaths.On Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the reopening of many businesses and industries, including tourism. However, all contact sports, indoor sports clubs, indoor gyms, indoor sports facilities, and sporting tournaments/matches (indoors and outdoors) remain shut.All sport, including cricket, in the country has been on hold since March 16, when most players were last active in the PSL. There have been reports of a few centrally contracted players going for nets on their own. In the last three months, their fitness has been monitored by the national trainer with detailed guidelines and customised workouts to stay fit. Players also underwent fitness tests via video link and over 90% reached the required benchmark, which was lowered due to being in isolation with limited facilities.

Draft letter to ICC prepared, government ministries to be consulted after internal discussions

Nagraj Gollapudi and Sidharth Monga21-Feb-2019In a dramatic and unprecedented move, the BCCI has prepared a draft letter asking the ICC to ban Pakistan from participating in the upcoming World Cup. ESPNcricinfo understands the letter, which was prepared on Wednesday, will be discussed at a top-level BCCI meeting on Friday and then taken up with the concerned ministries of the Indian government.In the draft, the BCCI argues that Pakistan should be banned from the World Cup given the Indian government’s stand that the country is supporting terrorism in India – the latest incident being the Pulwama militant attack where 42 Indian soldiers died after a suicide bomber rammed into their convoy in Kashmir. Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister and Patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has denied that allegation and asked India to share actionable evidence.The draft is believed to have been overseen by Vinod Rai, the chairman of the Committee of Administrators (COA), who asked BCCI chief executive officer Rahul Johri to address it to ICC CEO David Richardson and Steve Elworthy, the World Cup’s tournament director.That the letter has not reached Richardson and Elworthy already is because Diana Edulji, the former India women captain and the other member of the CoA, wanted the matter to be discussed at Friday’s meeting before taking a final decision. Neither the letter nor the World Cup issue was on the meeting’s agenda, which was originally going to discuss the IPL and other routine issues. Along with Rai and Edulji, Friday’s meeting will be attended by Johri along with the senior IPL and BCCI officials as well as the BCCI’s legal team.Neither Rai nor Johri have made any public comments yet and neither has responded to ESPNcricinfo’s queries.Edulji, who was in Delhi on Thursday to attend a hearing in the Supreme Court concerning the implementation of Lodha Committee recommendations, said all stakeholders including the Indian government would be consulted on the matter. “We will discuss the procedures to be followed and the way forward,” Edulji said. “We will consult the ministry of external affairs, ministry of home affairs and the sports ministry. We will also look at how things have been done in the past.”The Pulwama militant attack has triggered a strong reaction from the Indian public and many, including prominent cricketers, have called for the BCCI to boycott playing Pakistan in the World Cup. India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet on June 16 in a World Cup group match in Manchester. This week, Elworthy revealed that close to half-a-million applications for tickets were received once the ballot was opened, easily the most sought-after game with twice the demand for the final on July 14.Fans enjoy the Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan•PA Photos

At the event to mark the 100-day countdown for the World Cup, Richardson had told ESPNcricinfo that the ICC had not received any communication from either the BCCI or the PCB on the World Cup. He said the ICC would continue to monitor the developments.The matter is not on the agenda of the ICC’s quarterly meetings, scheduled from Monday in Dubai. Johri will represent the BCCI at the chief executive committee’s meeting while the BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhury will be on the ICC Board meeting, where the issue is likely to be taken up.Quite how the process for banning a team at the request of another works is not clear. There is not known to be any clause in the ICC’s constitution that allows such a step; on the contrary, article 2.3 (H) states that “each Member [is] entitled (subject to meeting any relevant qualification criteria) to participate in certain Cricket events organised or sanctioned by the ICC”.Neither would there appear any straightforward contractual method to do so. Under the Members’ Partnership Agreement (MPA) that governs the participation of Full Members in global events, and signed by all boards in 2015, it is contractually binding that all countries participate in these tournaments. Excluding one country would carry significant legal and commercial consequences. The commercial consequences of an India-Pakistan game not happening would also be significant.Richardson had pointed out that if India wanted to forfeit points, the ICC would review the tournament guidelines and the MPA to ascertain whether it was for a justifiable or non-justifiable reason. It is understood that to make its case stronger, the BCCI would need a clear government directive even in the scenario of forfeiture.Many of these issues are likely to come up during the CoA meeting on Friday, including whether the BCCI has the legal cover if it takes any drastic step. Another significant point is likely to be whether the BCCI’s three office bearers and by extension the several board members (state associations) were consulted, or should be consulted, before the BCCI takes a final decision. The members are the biggest stakeholders as they will eventually be back at the helm once the BCCI conducts fresh elections. Some heads of state associations have confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they had not yet been consulted.

Nathan Coulter-Nile is out of Australia’s Ashes calculations, after an early stage aggravation of a previous stress fracture of the back

Daniel Brettig10-Nov-2017Josh Hazlewood looks to be in the form of his life before the Ashes, which is just as well, because Australia’s pace-bowling stocks are starting to look far thinner than the national selectors, coaches and medical staff would prefer them to be.Cricket Australia confirmed on Friday that Nathan Coulter-Nile had suffered a recurrence of back trouble, specifically a “hot spot” on a previous stress fracture. That injury takes him out of Ashes calculations, and means Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are more or less shorn of any high-speed back-up should injury intervene during the five Tests against England.Having been withdrawn from the most recent Sheffield Shield round out of fears his recuperating back could not yet cope with the rigours of successive first-class games, Coulter-Nile dismissed Alastair Cook in England’s opening tour fixture in Perth, but then complained of acute soreness afterwards. Cue another round of rest, rehabilitation and speculation about his long-form future.”Nathan experienced some pain in his back following the two-day tour match against England last week,” Alex Kountouris, CA’s head of sports science, said. “Subsequent scans have revealed an early stage aggravation of his old stress fracture. Whilst this is a setback, the good news is that it has been picked up early so we are only considering a short break from bowling while we monitor him. We expect he will have further scans over the next month which will determine when he can return to bowling.”Four years ago, it was Coulter-Nile and Doug Bollinger who served as reserve spearheads in the event of injuries to one of Ryan Harris or Mitchell Johnson, meaning they were involved in Australia’s celebrations of a 5-0 sweep but did not actually take the field. This time around, Jackson Bird is now the fourth bowler in line and the South Australian Chadd Sayers is likely the fifth, particularly for the pink-ball Test match in Adelaide.But the lack of too many other high-speed options around the country – Jhye Richardson reportedly hit 148kph for Western Australia against New South Wales in the recent Shield game but is not considered close to Test selection, while Bollinger is yet to play for first-class cricket NSW this summer – means the selectors and medical staff must think carefully about their resources.For one thing, Cummins must now be seen not only as a third fast man but also the back-up “enforcer” should Starc succumb to injury. That may mean reconsideration of how many Test matches he can be risked in this summer, having already stated he is unsure whether or not his body will be able to cope with the rigours of five in a row.More positive for the Ashes hosts is the fact that Hazlewood returned to first-class ranks in supreme rhythm at Hurstville Oval, twice dismantling the techniques of Hilton Cartwright, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh before Starc blasted out the WA tail. While he felt for Coulter-Nile, Hazlewood was pleasantly surprised with his own progress, meaning he readily agreed to head into training camp with Starc and Cummins without needing to play a second Shield match”Felt the rhythm pretty early on,” Hazlewood said in Sydney. “Things went pretty well the whole game. From ball one I was pretty surprised with how well the ball was coming out, how good the run-up felt, how good everything in general. I’m pretty happy with where it’s at now so I don’t think there’s a need to play another game. I’m ready to go now and we obviously talk with the coaches and selectors and physios and whatnot, everyone is on the same page and ready to go.”You always feel for a fellow fast bowler, especially his run the last couple of years. I feel a bit sorry for Nath, but he’s done a lot of hard work to get back from different things and I’m sure he’ll put tin the hard work again and come back from this one.”Observers at NSW training on Friday were treated to the sight of Starc steaming in at Steven Smith, at one point sitting the Australian captain on his backside with a swift bouncer. “It’s always good fun and they’re two world-class players so it always keeps you on your toes and makes sure you get everything out of the session,” Hazlewood said. “There’s no real going through the motions when you’re bowling at those two guys.”That’s what they’re always like. They’re always into each other and Patty and I just do our thing. It’s pretty easy to fire Starcy up, so Smithy takes it on.”

Upul Tharanga will captain Sri Lanka in their ODI tri-series against West Indies and Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2016Sri Lanka have named Upul Tharanga as captain of the ODI side for their tri-series in Zimbabwe, which includes West Indies, as regular captain Angelo Mathews and vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal are both absent through injury. Kusal Perera will fill the role of vice-captain, while veteran seamer Nuwan Kulasekara has been recalled to the 15-man squad.Tharanga scored a century in Sri Lanka’s victory in the first Test against Zimbabwe at Harare this week – his first in more than a decade. He made a comeback to the one-day team earlier in the year, during the tour of England and Ireland, but was dropped for the home series against Australia, only playing in the fifth ODI after the series was lost.Mathews pulled out of the Zimbabwe tour with “multiple leg injuries” and was replaced as captain for the Tests by Rangana Herath. Chandimal has been recovering from a thumb injury but was not deemed fit enough to take part in the series with Zimbabwe and West Indies. Nuwan Pradeep has, however, recovered from a hamstring strain and returns to contention.Kulasekara’s last ODI came on the tour of New Zealand at the start of the year. He announced his retirement from Tests in June, in order to prolong his limited-overs career, and took 2 for 65 for Sri Lanka A against West Indies A last week.Jeffrey Vandersay is also back in the squad after a finger injury, having last played for Sri Lanka at the World T20. Allrounder Asela Gunaratne and seamer Lahiru Kumara, who both made their Test debuts in Harare, were included and could win their first ODI caps; Kumara, 19, has yet to even play a List A game.There was no place for left-arm spinner Amila Aponso after an impressive debut series against Australia. Sachith Pathirana, Lakshan Sandakan, the chinaman bowler who has played ODI previously, and the recalled Shehan Jayasuriya make up the spin options alongside Vandersay.Sri Lanka’s first match in the tri-series is against Zimbabwe on November 14.Sri Lanka ODI squad: Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga (capt), Kusal Mendis, Shehan Jayasuriya, Asela Gunaratne, Sachith Pathirana, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dasun Shanaka, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Lakshan Sandakan, Jeffery Vandersay

The Jaipur bench of the Rajasthan High Court has approved the BCCI’s appointment of selection committees to pick Rajasthan teams for various domestic tournaments in the upcoming 2015-16 season

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2015The Jaipur bench of the Rajasthan High Court has approved the BCCI’s appointment of selection committees to pick Rajasthan teams for various domestic tournaments in the upcoming 2015-16 season. The court approved the committees on Friday during the hearing of a writ petition filed by a section of Rajasthan’s players, in which they sought help to play the forthcoming season.The uncertainty over the participation of teams from Rajasthan is the effect of the dispute between the BCCI and the Rajasthan Cricket Association. The board has had to appoint selection committees for Rajasthan teams for a second consecutive year, after it suspended the RCA following Lalit Modi’s election as association president in May 2014.

Selection committees for Rajasthan teams

• Seniors: Rajinder Singh Hans (national selector), Sanjay Vyas, Vivek Bhan Singh, Najmul Hussain, Vinod Mathur, Bharat Bhushan

• Juniors: Pritam Gandhe (national selector), Sukhvinder Singh, Pramod Yadav, Kuldeep Mathur

• Women: Hemlata Kala (national selector), Megha Gour, Shabana Khan, Pratima Bharti

All three selection committees for the 2015-16 season include national selectors. Rajinder Singh Hans is a part of the men’s selection committee, while Pritam Gandhe and Hemlata Kala are in the junior and women’s committees respectively.Amrit Mathur, a former manager of the Indian team, has been appointed coordinator of the selection committees and will be assisted by Taposh Chatterjee. Mathur is also the coordinator of the BCCI’s ad-hoc committee that was appointed earlier this month to run cricket in Rajasthan.The Jaipur bench of the court also observed that the appointed selection committees would continue to exist until the RCA matter is resolved. Last year, the tenures of the court-appointed committees and coordinator had stretched only until the end of the 2014-15 season.The BCCI legal counsel, led by its senior lawyer Ushanath Banerjee, informed the court that the board has taken the steps to ensure players’ welfare. It is understood the court had no objection to approving the selection committees put forth by the board’s ad-hoc panel. “The court was happy and mentioned that the main motive – the players’ interests – were not hurt,” a BCCI official said.On Thursday, a group of nearly 60 players, including senior cricketer Pankaj Singh had urged various stakeholders, including the court and state government, to resolve disputes related to the RCA and allow players to participate in domestic cricket. A section of the players had also filed writ petitions with the Jaipur and Jodhpur benches of the Rajasthan High Court. The second writ petition will be heard before the Jodhpur bench on September 14.According to the official, the second petition is unlikely to create any further hurdles for the BCCI. He said the BCCI’s ad-hoc panel will now discharge duties the RCA ought to have fulfilled as the court had taken the “significant” decision to allow the selections panels and the coordination committee to continue until the matter was resolved.”At the end of last season, all activities ceased so there were no off-season camps, fitness camps. Selections tournaments were not held as the tenure of the selection committees approved by the court last year ended after the 2014-15 season. Now that is not the case. You will not have the suspense and uncertainty at the beginning of the season, which has been the case for the last two years. The players would not need to raise a cry for help,” the official pointed out.According to Mathur, the coordination committee has already set the wheels in motion. “We have started work straightaway. We have decided to organise selection trials for the Under-19 women’s team on September 14 and 15 so that they can play the domestic tournament starting soon,” he said.Mathur also said the coordination committee would meet on September 14 in Jaipur to decide on the plan for the men’s teams, including selection trials and preparatory camps ahead of the Ranji Trophy, which starts from October 1.

Pakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2013
Scorecard
Abdur Rehman’s unbeaten 35 dragged Pakistan out of trouble and guided them to victory [file photo]•Getty Images

Pakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley. After choosing to bat, the hosts began well, with captain Stephen Cook and his opening partner Quinton de Kock adding 55 at better than a run a ball. De Kock went on to make a half-century and it seemed, at 170 for 3 in the 32nd over, that the South African side would be able to reach 300. In a final score of 266, de Kock was ultimately the only half-centurion; Temba Bavuma was next to him with 43, and Pakistan were able to give themselves a good shot at a successful chase.Their openers delivered a strong start, Imran Farhat and Nasir Jamshed adding 53 in 9.4 overs. Kamran Akmal then made 47, adding 49 with Misbah-ul-Haq for the fourth wicket after Younis Khan had been dismissed for a duck. At 139 for 3 in the 26th over, Pakistan were on track, but they slipped to 189 for 7; two of those four wickets were claimed by legspinner Imran Tahir.But Pakistan’s lower order showed a lot of mettle, and Abdur Rehman and Umar Gul built a stand that revived hopes of victory. Rehman batted patiently to make an unbeaten 35, while Gul at the other end was more attacking, scoring 30 off 34, with four fours and a six. Pakistan were still in trouble when Gul fell with the score on 234, and the hosts were on the brink when they claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the 46th over to make it 242 for 9. But Junaid Khan was reliable company for Rehman, and though the required-rate had touched almost six with just a wicket in hand, the pair guided Pakistan home.In the final over bowled by Lizaad Williams, victory was sealed off the fourth delivery.

Kyle Jarvis, the Zimbabwe fast bowler, has signed up with Central Districts for the remainder of the Plunket Shield

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2012Kyle Jarvis, the Zimbabwe fast bowler, has signed up with Central Districts for the remainder of the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s four-day domestic competition.Central Districts coach Alan Hunt said Jarvis was recruited as several of the team’s fast bowlers were unavailable. “Of the bowlers contracted at the start of the season we have had Doug Bracewell selected for New Zealand,” Hunt said, “Adam Milne and Ben Wheeler needing to see specialists to determine whether they can bowl again this season, and Michael Mason only available for short-form cricket.”Over the past six months, Jarvis, 23, has established himself as one of Zimbabwe’s leading fast bowlers after being out of the international scene for a year and a half due to a combination of injury and poor form.”It is very exciting to have the opportunity to stay on in New Zealand and play some more first-class cricket,” Jarvis, who was part of Zimbabwe’s touring squad to New Zealand, said.”The Plunket Shield is a very tough competition and I am sure that I will learn a lot from the
experience. With the Stags having just won the Ford Trophy they are playing great cricket and I am looking forward to making a real contribution as they chase another title.”With six rounds of the Plunket Shield remaining, Central Districts are in third spot. Their next match starts on February 17, against table-toppers Northern Districts at Rangiora.

Round-up of the second day’s play in the first round of matches in the Faysal bank Pentangular Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2011Fourteen wickets fell on the second day of the match between Federal Areas and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, with Federal Areas edging ahead. Federal Areas led by 85 runs at stumps with two wickets in hand, after bowling Khyber out for 111 and then reaching 196 for 8. Khyber had ended the curtailed first day at 82 for 4, and only managed to add another 29 runs to their total on Monday morning. Federal Areas’ seamers did all the damage with Nasrullah Khan and Saad Altaf taking two wickets each on Monday to finish with figures of 5 for 34 and 3 for 53 respectively. Khyber seamer Imran Khan came back with a strong reply, with three early wickets, but Federal Areas captain Bazid Khan steadied their innings with his 64. Once his 71-run partnership with Awais Zia was broken, though, Federal Areas lost three more quick wickets, and found themselves 136 for 6. Lower-order resistance from wicketkeeper Naeem Anjum, who finished the day unbeaten on 32, allowed Federal Areas to extend their lead. Khyber legspinner Yasir Shah took 3 for 79 in the day, while Imran took 4 for 44.Baluchistan’s seamers gave their side control of their match at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, bowling Sind out for 105 in the first innings. The batsmen then built on the 68-run first-innings lead, and ended the day 170 ahead with seven wickets remaining. Sind, who had bowled Baluchistan out for 173 on the first day, were in trouble from the outset on Monday morning. Abdur Rauf and Mohammad Irfan ran through their top order, reducing them to 32 for 6. The third seamer Rizwan Haider got in on the act, picking up two wickets, as did left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar. Rauf finished with figures of 4 for 52, while Irfan took 2 for 23. Baluchistan then had a rocky start to their second innings as they slumped to 13 for 3, but Sohaib Maqsood scored an unbeaten half-century and put together an unbroken 89-run stand with Naved Yasin, to help them end the day at 102 for 3.

Half-centuries to Jess Cameron and Shelley Nitschke kept Australia in the series as they snatched a two-wicket win from the final ball of the first ODI

Cricinfo staff03-Mar-2010Australia 229 for 8 (Cameron 68, Nitschke 51) beat New Zealand 228 for 6 (Devine 74*, Lind 68) by 2 wickets

ScorecardShelley Nitschke set up Australia’s chase with 51•Associated Press

Half-centuries to Jess Cameron and Shelley Nitschke kept Australia in the series as they snatched a two-wicket win from the final ball of the first ODI in Queenstown. Chasing New Zealand’s 228 for 6, Australia were in difficulty a couple of times before the tail-enders Erin Osborne and Julie Hunter were able to seal a thrilling result.Australia’s chase was healthy when Nitschke was in charge, but she departed for 51 as part of a collapse of 3 for 3 that left them at 90 for 5. Sophie Devine (2 for 63) had picked up Sarah Elliott when she forced Nitschke into a catch for the wicketkeeper Rachel Priest.The game seemed over but Cameron turned up and kept the visitors in sight of the total, with them needing 27 off the final four overs. However, Ellyse Perry departed for 27 and Cameron went in the penultimate over for 68 off 81, leaving Osborne and Hunter seeking 16 from nine deliveries. They whittled down the target and wanted four off the last ball, with Hunter finding the boundary off Devine.New Zealand had struggled to 85 for 5 after winning the toss but life became easier once Victoria Lind was joined by Sophie Devine. The pair put on 74 in 15.3 overs before Lind was out for 68 off 100 and then Devine sped forward with Nicola Brown as the innings concluded.Devine, who has been a big problem for the Australians, was unbeaten on 74 off 82, with two sixes, while Brown had 26 off 24. Perry had the best figures with 2 for 44 of 10 while Sarah Andrews, Hunter and Nitschke gained one victim each.New Zealand have ruled the Twenty20s, winning all five at home and away over the past month, but Australia took their recent advantage in the 50-over games to 6-0. New Zealand currently lead the home Rose Bowl series 2-1, following their Twenty20 successes, and the second and third ODIs will be played in Invercargill on Saturday and Sunday.

Jadeja marshalled India’s lower order before they fell 23 short of the target in the final session

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2025

Mohammed Siraj was inconsolable after he was the last man dismissed in the final session•Getty Images

India captain Shubman Gill took pride in his team’s resilience during the gripping final day of the Lord’s Test.After India were reduced to 82 for 7 just before lunch, their lower order fought valiantly to drag the game into the final session. India eventually fell short by 22 runs as England took a 2-1 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.”I’m extremely proud, this is as close as a Test match can get,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. “Five days of hard-fought cricket, comes down to the last session, last wicket. I’m extremely proud.”Related

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When Shoaib Bashir dismissed Mohammed Siraj to seal victory, Ravindra Jadeja was left stranded on 61, a heroic vigil that lasted 181 deliveries, with the standout aspect being his marshalling of the lower order. He put on 30 with Nitish Kumar Reddy, 35 with Jasprit Bumrah, and 23 with Siraj.”He’s very experienced,” Gill said of Jadeja. “We didn’t want to give him any message. He was batting brilliantly with the tail. Wanted him and the tail to bat as long as possible.”Gill said India had let themselves down late on the fourth day when they lost three quick wickets – Karun Nair, Gill himself and nightwatcher Akash Deep – in a dramatic last half-hour, slipping from 42 for 1 to 58 for 4. Gill felt that one “50-run partnership” from the top order could have helped them knock off the target.3:47

Gill: Pant’s run-out was the turning point in the Test

“The last one hour that we played [on day four], I think we could have applied ourselves a bit better, especially the last two wickets that fell,” Gill said. “Even this morning, the way they came up with a plan, we were hoping for one 50-run partnership, if we got it from the top order, it would’ve been easy for us.”Did they have any hope after Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Washington Sundar all fell in the first half-hour on Monday? “There was always hope, as long as there’s batting,” he said. “[Needed] one 50-run partnership. The target wasn’t massive, one 50-60-run partnership and we were right back into the game.”Gill also identified Pant’s run out in the first innings, by a direct hit from Ben Stokes, as a pivotal moment in the game. Pant and Rahul had added a century partnership, putting India on track for a sizeable lead. However, in a bid to get Rahul on strike so he could reach his century before lunch, Pant attempted a quick single only to be run out for 74.”Definitely,” Gill said when asked if the run out proved crucial. “At one point, I thought if we get a lead of 80-100, it might be crucial. We knew on the fifth day on this wicket, it won’t be easy to chase 150-200. Thought if we can get a lead of 80-100, we would be in a good position.”