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Several of Australia’s Test cricketers will be made available for Big Bash League matches between the first and second Tests against West Indies, Cricket Australia has confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2015Several of Australia’s Test cricketers will be made available for Big Bash League matches between the first and second Tests against West Indies, Cricket Australia has confirmed.The BBL begins on December 17 and some of Australia’s Test cricketers will be available for at least the first four days of the Twenty20 tournament, given the lengthy gap between Tests. The first Test against West Indies will be played in Hobart from December 10 to 14, and there is then a 10-day break before the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.However, the Test fast bowlers will not take part in the BBL matches and opening batsman David Warner, who is yet to sign with a team for this season, will sit out to spend time with his pregnant wife Candice. Allrounder Mitchell Marsh’s availability is yet to be decided, with his workload in the coming Tests likely to determine if he will play in the BBL during that period.Steven Smith, Joe Burns, Peter Nevill, Nathan Lyon and, fitness pending, Usman Khawaja, will be available from December 17 to 20. There is also a possibility the Perth Scorchers players in the Test squad – Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh – will be made available for their team’s first game on December 21.The Test players will gather in Melbourne on December 22 ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

The opening T20I went down to the final where a dropped catch proved costly for West Indies

Andrew McGlashan05-Oct-2022Matthew Wade continued his golden run as Australia’s finisher and Aaron Finch, batting at No. 4 for the first time in his international career, scored a welcome half-century to nurse Australia to an untidy three-wicket win with a ball to spare on the Gold Coast.In a rather chaotic finish, it came down to Australia needing 11 off the final over from Sheldon Cottrell. Wade swung the first ball for four but West Indies had a chance when he was dropped in the deep by Raymon Reifer next delivery. Mitchell Starc, too, was missed two balls later before scampering back for the winning runs off the penultimate delivery and almost having a nasty collision with wicketkeeper Johnson Charles.Quite how much there is to read into Finch’s positional switch which enabled Cameron Green, who isn’t part of the World Cup squad to stay as opener, remains to be seen, but his performance followed the encouraging signs from the India tour. Even amid the horror run that ended his ODI career, Finch’s T20 form had not taken the same hit but having a captain in the runs would remove one issue heading into the World Cup.Given that seven of West Indies’ squad had been in Australia barely 24 hours, some rustiness could be forgiven. There were times when they were on top and to take it to the final over, and be in a position to snatch the game, can give them heart. Some of the six-hitting was breathtaking, Yannic Cariah had a very encouraging debut with 1 for 15 from four overs and Alzarri Joseph was a handful with his slippery pace.Mayers’ wow moment
It’s early in the Australian season, but you’ll do well to see a better shot than the one Kyle Mayers produced in the fourth over against Green. Against a short delivery, he drove it magnificently off the back foot, more than 100 metres into the stand over deep point. It was an astonishing show of power and timing. It quickly went viral. He had shown intent from the start of the innings with early boundaries off Starc and Josh Hazlewood but, as was the case with West Indies’ whole batting display, the momentum was lost after the powerplay.Kyle Mayers played a great shot over the off side•Getty Images

The non-review and the review
Brandon King was the leading run-scorer in the CPL and played one lovely stroke, lofting Adam Zampa over long-off, but was left ruing not taking a review when he was given lbw against Hazlewood. The appeal looked good live, but replays showed the bounce in the pitch had it going over the stumps. When the DRS called for the 11th over, it had what appeared a curious moment when the ball tracking showed that a very full delivery from Starc which speared into Nicholas Pooran’s pad and looked to be sliding down was, in fact, taking out leg stump.Boundaries dry up
Alongside Mayers’ memorable effort, there was no shortage of well-struck sixes from West Indies, not least Odean Smith’s monster effort the 19th over. However, in what is not a new talking point about their batting, the skill of working the ball around in the middle of the innings was lacking. They made 53 in the powerplay and 50 in the last five, which meant just 42 runs came in the other nine overs. The six overs between Zampa and Glenn Maxwell cost just 29 and included one boundary, which was the powerplay six by King off Zampa. There was a 54-ball period after the fielding restrictions without a boundary before Jason Holder cleared the ropes. On the larger grounds in Australia it feels like an area that will have to improve, regardless of how long they hit the ball.Do we need to talk about Maxwell?

Australia were intent on going hard from the start of the chase. Cottrell found the edges of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh in the second over but they were cantering along at 10s. Either side of the powerplay the wheels nearly came off. Green gave himself room once too often, Maxwell swiped high into the off side and Tim David picked out deep square leg. Maxwell’s dismissal continued a lean patch: since the start of the Zimbabwe ODI series, albeit a different format, he has a top score of 32 in nine innings. In T20Is his last six innings read: 19, 16, 1, 0, 6, 0. His value as a bowler in the set-up is as high as ever, and he’s the type of player who can flick the switch at any moment, but it is something to keep an eye on.Wade there again
When Wade came in Australia were wobbling at 58 for 5 and he joined Finch as the last pair of frontline batters. Since taking on the middle-order role for the last World Cup he has enjoyed phenomenal success: in 12 innings he has made 310 runs, being dismissed just three times, with a strike-rate of 160.10. This time, back-to-back boundaries off Cottrell in the 12th over, which cost 18 runs, brought the requirement close to a run-a-ball. After Finch fell he struggled to get the strike – facing just six of the last 17 balls – but it didn’t cost Australia.

After he was forced to wait for the toss for 26 minutes by Sylhet Superstars captain Mushfiqur Rahim as two of his players did not have NOCs, Tamim alleged that he was abused

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur23-Nov-2015Chittagong Vikings captain Tamim Iqbal had a placid expression as he waited 26 minutes for the toss to happen against Sylhet Superstars, whose captain Mushfiqur Rahim was delayed as a result of two of his players not having NOCs.Then, while walking out to open with Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tamim was left confused as he spotted Josh Cobb and Ravi Bopara in the Sylhet team. The pair did not feature in the team list that was given to him at the toss. Somebody then informed Tamim that they had the “permission” but Tamim wanted confirmation and walked off with Dilshan.”I didn’t know at first why the toss was delayed, so I asked the match referee [Raqibul Hasan],” Tamim said. “He informed me that the technical committee has raised questions about some of their players. I didn’t have a problem waiting to do the toss. It was supposed to take place at 1.40pm [the match referee is understood to have told both captains that the toss would initially be delayed by 10 minutes because of the NOC issue] but it eventually took place at 1.55pm [1.56pm]. The match referee and the technical committee member said that a player without NOC cannot play the match.”I saw the team list which had Munaweera and Mendis [as the only foreign players]. Normally there are three copies of the players’ list but I saw only one. The match referee told me that they will send it to me after the toss. When we went to bat, I saw they had four foreign players. I asked what happened here? They said there’s permission. But I left the field and everyone came down; the match referee, umpires and board [members] were all there. The match took place later, as you saw.”Mushfiqur, however, didn’t come forward with an explanation of the issue. He kept repeating that he wasn’t the person to be answering questions about why Sylhet went onto the field with two players who were not named in the playing XI at the toss, and why his signature wasn’t at the bottom of the players’ list that was handed out to the opposition captain. Mushfiqur said he signed a team sheet, but that had not been sent to the scorers or the press box.”There is no use asking me a question about this subject,” he said. “I did what we were supposed to do. I followed the instructions. I was told to do the toss, I did. The coach and I selected the XI.”Possibly there was miscommunication from all sides. I think they have to investigate the matter. They can answer you, there’s no point asking me. My signature was in the team list. I can’t do the toss without a signed playing XI. The match referee can tell you why the toss was delayed. My job was to do the toss. He said come after 10 minutes, and that’s what I did.”When Tamim walked back towards the dressing room to know who gave Sylhet the go-ahead to field Cobb and Bopara after their names had not been listed in the team sheet, discussions were already taking place between the BPL officials, franchise owners and officials from both sides near the boundary at the Grandstand.As Tamim sat down, the Sylhet Superstars’ owner Azizul Islam went up to him and a heated exchange between the two ensued. Later, at the end of the game, Tamim alleged that he was abused.”I want to say something to everyone: the national cricketers have to be respected. You can’t treat them like beggars because you have money. I have come here to play, not to listen to your abuse about my family.”I respected him enough by calling him ‘sir’,” Tamim said. He asked me to stand up and talk to him, I did. But then he said something very unpleasant about my family. I have seen richer owners in the IPL and I saw how they valued the cricketers. I don’t want to name him. You saw him.”Tamim said he hoped that the BCB would take action, besides admitting that he wasn’t in the “mentality to play” after the delayed start. Tamim, however, managed to make his second successive half-century, which set up Vikings’ narrow win. “I feel I am a part of the BCB whose disciplinary committee will take action,” Tamim said. If they keep treating us like beggars then we should just stop playing cricket. I didn’t have the mentality to play, after all this happened. I am lucky to have played such an innings.”

Windward Islands wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher has reportedly been arrested at the Douglas Charles airport in Dominica on possession of ammunition, Dominica News Online reported

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2015West Indies and Windward Islands wicketkeeper-batsman Andre Fletcher has reportedly been arrested at the Douglas Charles airport in Dominica on possession of ammunition, (DNO) reported on Thursday.According to the news report Fletcher, 27, had been in Dominica practicing with the Windward Islands team and was leaving the country when he was arrested. DNO reported he would appear in court on Friday.Lockhart Sebastian, the Windward Islands manager, said he was aware of the arrest, according to the report. “I will support him, I will not abandon him … that is the job of a manager,” he was quoted as saying by DNO.Fletcher, a national of Grenada, has played 15 ODIs and 22 Twenty20 internationals for West Indies; his most recent appearance being in a T20 game against South Africa in Durban in January this year. He has played 60 first-class matches and was a regular in the Windwards Islands side during the 2014-15 season.

Angelo Mathews’ excellent form with the bat and consistent performances with the ball, have earned him four major Sri Lanka Cricket awards

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Oct-2015Angelo Mathews’ excellent form with the bat and consistent performances with the ball, have earned him four major Sri Lanka Cricket awards, including his second successive Cricketer of the Year prize. He also won the Test batsman trophy, and the ODI batsman and allrounder awards.

SLC Award Winners

• Cricketer of the Year – Angelo Mathews

• Test Batsman – Angelo Mathews

• Test Bowler – Rangana Herath

• ODI Batsman – Angelo Mathews

• ODI Bowler – Ajantha Mendis

• ODI Allrounder – Angelo Mathews

• T20 Batsman – Kusal Perera

• T20 Bowler – Nuwan Kulasekara

• Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Kusal Perera

• People’s Choice Award – Kumar Sangakkara

• Women’s Batsman – Chamari Atapattu

• Women’s Bowler – Inoka Ranaweera

• Women’s Allrounder – Eshani Lokusuriyage

Mathews’ stretch of good form has extended into 2015, but he received his prizes for last year’s work. The period under consideration was January 2014 to December 2014, in which he hit 1160 Test runs at 77.33 and 1244 ODI runs at 62.20. He claimed 18 ODI wickets at 36.16 during this period.Rangana Herath won the Test bowler prize for a 2014 that brought him 56 wickets at 27.17. Ajantha Mendis was the Best ODI bowler for his 38 wickets at 21.63. Mendis was not picked for Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad this year, however, and has since been out with injury ever since. Kusal Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara won the T20 batting and bowling awards respectively. Kusal also won the Emerging Cricketer of the Year award, having recently flourished in ODIs and made a bright start in Tests.Mathews could not budge Kumar Sangakkara’s six-year grip on the People’s Choice Award, which was voted through online and text message polling. However, Mathews’ award for Test batsman of the year broke Sangakkara’s five-year streak for the award. Both Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were in attendance.Chamari Atapattu won the batting prize in the women’s category, with Inoka Ranaweera and Eshani Lokusuriyage taking the bowling and allrounder awards. The team had recently lost to West Indies in home T20 and ODI series, but had defeated Pakistan in an away ODI series prior to that.As for the domestic awards, Badureliya Sports Club’s Milinda Siriwardana, who recently made his Test debut, won the batting award for the Premier League Tournament, in which he struck 1144 runs at 67.29. Left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara, who took 70 wickets at 16.72 playing for Ports Authority Cricket Club, claimed the Best Bowler award.Saracens CC’s Umesh Karunaratne won the allrounder prize. Pushpakumara also won the prize for List A bowling, with batsman Lahiru Milantha and allrounder Asela Gunaratne also picking up awards for the Premier Limited Over Tournament.The visiting West Indies team was in attendance, along with support staff. Clive Lloyd, Curtly Ambrose and Richie Richardson all presented awards.

New Zealand coach pleased with Kyle Jamieson prioritising Tests by not putting his name in IPL auction this year

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2022New Zealand coach Gary Stead is confident that Kane Williamson will be able to withstand the rigours of Test cricket when he returns from a long-standing elbow problem against England next month.”Absolutely, yep,” Stead said when asked if Williamson would be ready for the start of the series. “He’s going really well. Been talking to him regularly the last week or so and he has no issues at all, training almost completely unrestricted now.”Still just being careful around the overloading side of it so if that means he has a really big day batting just making sure he’s not doing too much the next day. It will be an ongoing thing probably for the rest of his career that we will need to keep managing.”Related

• Jamieson on sitting out IPL auction: 'About time to work on my game'

• Bracewell earns NZ Test call-up for Eng tour; Williamson nears return

• New England captain Stokes calls for team to revive Test fortunes

Williamson has missed New Zealand’s last five Tests, and sat out the entire home season due to the tendon injury in his left arm. His recovery was very carefully managed by the NZC medical team, which included being limited to 20-minute batting sessions. He has now returned to the action in the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad – where he is averaging just 24.37 at a strike-rate of 99.48 – and as soon as his participation there is finished, will be heading to England for the three-match series.One remaining unknown for Williamson – and the other New Zealand Test players at the IPL – is how long they will have to prepare for the first Test once they reach England. They will certainly miss the two warm-up matches In late May, and if any are involved in the final on May 29, they would likely arrive just three days before the Lord’s Test on June 2, although it is a balancing act New Zealand have been through before.”That may cause us some discussions if we have a number of players who are in [the final] but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Stead said.One key player who will benefit from the full warm-up period in England is fast bowlerKyle Jamieson as he opted not to put his name forward for this year’s IPL auction after bagging a US$ 2 million deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021.”Think it’s a very brave move for someone of Kyle’s age to make,” Stead said. “He’s had some experiences there and worked out what he needs as a cricketer. He wants to play all forms for New Zealand if he can, but Test cricket being the pinnacle for him is really important to him.”He identified that, we had some conversations, and I think to not put his name in the hat was something not many cricketers would do. But I congratulate him on looking after what he thinks he needs to play Test cricket.”New Zealand, who beat England 1-0 last year ahead of the winning the World Test Championship final, will be facing a side going through upheaval in the format, and now under new captain Ben Stokes.Stead, who was Canterbury coach when Stokes made a brief appearance for them in 2017 during his ban from international cricket, is hopeful his team can make life tough as soon as the series gets underway.”I imagine there will be an immediate steel to their group,” Stead said. “Think the abrasive way he plays will probably have a rub-off to the group as well. Part of what we will be trying to do is making things very, very hard for Ben Stokes as immediately as we can. And if we can do that then hopefully that might nullify the strength of the English.”But they are still a quality team. You look through the list, there’s world-class players throughout the team so it’s certainly not that we are going over there expecting just to roll them over.”

Matthew Boyce, the 29-year-old Leicestershire batsman, has announced his immediate retirement from the game to take up a new career in the financial sector

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2015Matthew Boyce, the 29-year-old Leicestershire batsman, has announced his immediate retirement from the game to take up a new career in the financial sector.Boyce has been associated with the club for 20 years, was awarded his county cap in 2013 and made his 100th first-class appearance earlier this season.His final match was the Championship fixture against Gloucestershire, at Cheltenham, where he made 18 and 22 to leave with him a first-class tally of 4882 runs at 27.89 with six centuries.He also made 67 List A and 55 T20 appearances, although one of his most notable performances came when he was not actually named in the playing XI. In the 2011 T20 final at Edgbaston he took four catches as the substitute fielder to help Leicestershire lift the trophy.Boyce, who has a degree in Management and Economics, will now set up his own wealth management firm.”I’d like to thank the club, including the coaches, support staff, players and supporters, for making my career in cricket so enjoyable,” he said. “Although it is not easy knowing I am not going to play again, I’m excited about the next chapter in my life and taking on a new challenge.”I’ve been fortunate to plan and prepare for life after cricket and would like to thank the PCA, in particular Charlie Mulraine, and club sponsor Peter Wilcox for their support. I’ve been coming to Grace Road for 20 years and nothing would make me happier than seeing my current team-mates do well in the future. Finally, I’d like to thank my family and close friends for all of their help and support.”Wasim Khan, the chief executive, said: “Matthew has spent his entire career at Leicestershire and we thank him for his immense contribution to the club.”Matthew scored a lot of runs for the club and was also an excellent role model for our younger players. He was somebody who always played the situation and put the team first. I know Matthew will enjoy success in his new career in the financial industry and I’d like to wish him all the very best for the future on behalf of the entire club.”

Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will undergo shoulder surgery on August 11 in London, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board

Mohammad Isam06-Aug-2016Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will undergo shoulder surgery on August 11 in London, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Andrew Wallace of London’s Fortius Clinic, who was recommended by the ECB to the Bangladesh board, gave Mustafizur the appointment for the surgery. The recovery time could keep Mustafizur out for at least six months.”The operation will take place in London on August 11,” BCB’s media committee director Jalal Yunus said. “After Mustafizur had met him yesterday, he gave the appointment. We are confident that Mustafizur is in good hands. We want this to get over as soon as possible.”BCB president Nazmul Hassan had said on Tuesday that Mustafizur was sent to Wallace after the surgeon who was the board’s initial choice went on leave. There was talk of sending Mustafizur to Australia for the surgery, too.Mustafizur had complained of pain after his second match for Sussex on July 22. He was ruled out of the rest of their one-day and T20 campaign with a SLAP (Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior) tear, and did not return to Bangladesh, instead meeting specialists for the injury to his left shoulder.

Michael Klinger and Chris Dent smashed big centuries as Gloucestershire finally rekindled their Royal London Cup form of last season with a ten-run victory over Hampshire at Bristol.

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2016
ScorecardMichael Klinger notched his highest one-day score in Gloucestershire’s huge total•Getty Images

Michael Klinger and Chris Dent smashed big centuries as Gloucestershire finally rekindled their Royal London Cup form of last season with a ten-run victory over Hampshire at Bristol.The holders had lost their first three group matches. But an opening stand of 242 in 38 overs between Klinger and Dent led the hosts to 352 for 3 from their 50 overs and ensured points on the board at last after the visitors had won the toss.Dent outscored his captain to make his second ton in this season’s competition off 116 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes, while Klinger went on to a career-best List A score off 150 balls, with 16 fours and six sixes.In reply, Hampshire managed a creditable 342 for 8 without ever looking like winning. Gareth Andrew contributed 70 not out, Liam Dawson 57, Sean Ervine 53 and Tom Alsop 50.Dent was in top form from the outset with a series of sweetly-struck boundaries through the off-side. The left-hander has rarely looked better as he moved to a brilliant 95-ball hundred, with Klinger content to play a supporting role.The Gloucestershire skipper only took charge after Dent had fallen to a skied catch at extra cover by Shahid Afridi off Dawson at the end of a memorable innings.From then on Klinger moved into top gear himself, reaching his 15th List A century off 115 deliveries. He then smacked a six and two fours in an over from Ryan Stevenson as the 300 was brought up in the 45th over.Klinger passed his previous best List A score of 140 not out by blasting his biggest six off Tino Best, the ball smacking against the top floor of the flats at the Ashley Down Road End.Ian Cockbain contributed a breezy 29, but it had basically been an exhilarating two-man show as Gloucestershire took a grip. Only Afridi, who conceded 44 from ten overs, exerted any measure of control.Hampshire began their reply solidly with an opening stand of 41 before Jimmy Adams fell to Liam Norwell for 22.Alsop went on to an impressive half-century off 39 balls, with five fours and a six, but the very next delivery from Benny Howell saw him carelessly drive a catch to extra cover.Ervine blasted successive sixes off Howell in the 19th over as he moved to the quickest fifty of the match off 32 balls, with three sixes and two fours.Will Smith helped add 78 in 11 overs before driving Kieran Noema-Barnett to mid-on where Tom Smith initially fumbled, but grabbed the ball at the third attempt.Noema-Barnett then struck the key blow with his innocuous looking medium-pace as Ervine miscued a cross-batted shot to short fine-leg. And Hampshire’s last realistic hope was dispelled when Afridi fell cheaply to Craig Miles.Dawson’s 47-ball half-century and Andrew’s blistering late assault were spirited efforts, but too little too late as 30 were still required off the final over. Andrew picked up two more sixes in it to take his five in a 41-ball blitz that deserved more reward.

The presence of like-for-like replacements is exactly what captain MS Dhoni desires but the inevitable upshot of such squad dynamics is that a few players are not going to play even a single game

Arun Venugopal in Kolkata09-Mar-20161:06

Harbhajan targeting hat-trick of World Cups

India finally find themselves in the possession of a luxury they have craved for some time now – a settled combination topped up by a bunch of all-rounders. The presence of like-for-like replacements in the squad is exactly what captain MS Dhoni desires as India head into the World T20. But the inevitable upshot of such squad dynamics is that a few players are not going to play even a single game in the tournament.In the Indian context it is hard to see how Ajinkya Rahane and Harbhajan Singh can force themselves into the first XI. For Rahane to get a look in, one of the openers – Shikhar Dhawan or Rohit Sharma – would either have to be injured or suffer a sudden form slump. The team’s batting order is so well grooved that it can’t accommodate him in the middle order.

Want to be like Kallis – Pandya

India allrounder Hardik Pandya has said he wants to play a role similar to the one former allrounder Jacques Kallis played for South Africa. The 22-year-old allrounder, who made his international debut against Australia earlier this year, said he wants to emulate Kallis’ impact.
“Big things start with the dream only. This was the dream. Yes, it’s fulfilling. I want to be like Jacques Kallis. What he has done for Proteas in batting and bowling. I want to do the same thing for India,” Pandya said during a media session in Kolkata.
Pandya, who first came to the fore as an allrounder for Mumbai Indians, said the Indian Premier League had changed his life.
“IPL has changed my life big time,” he said. “Same time last year, I had posted a photo saying that I was sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 10 lakh. This year on same day, I won the Asia Cup. Just imagine playing for the national team within a year and winning the Asia Cup. The journey has been quite amazing.”
Pandya said he was eager to repay the faith India captain MS Dhoni had shown in his batting abilities. One such instance was the second T20I in the home series against Sri Lanka last month, when Pandya was promoted to No. 5, ahead of Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, and smacked a 12-ball 27.
“When you see your captain promoting you ahead of big names, [it] is really a good thing. It helps a lot. I quite like the faith he is showing. I want to contribute as many times as I can. I don’t take pressure [on myself],” he said.

Harbhajan, similarly, would find it hard to dislodge the team’s frontline spin options, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. He would have reason to feel hard done by given that his recent performances have been impressive; he picked up nine wickets from five games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20 tournament. While India have played 11 T20Is since January, Harbhajan got his solitary opportunity against UAE in the Asia Cup where he returned figures of 4-1-11-1.Rahane, on the other hand, has had luckier circumstances: he got to play the entire Sri Lanka series with Virat Kohli being rested and turned out against Pakistan in the Asia Cup after Shikhar Dhawan was out with a niggle. However, he hasn’t really pushed his case with a tally of 51 runs from four games.What has helped India’s cause though is neither Harbhajan nor Rahane has appeared to harbour any feelings of negativity or frustration. Instead, both the players have sought to derive happiness from contributing to the team in some form, be it mentoring, sharing ideas or running drinks. Rahane insisted there was no need for him to feel disappointed.”For me, even if I am not in the XI, it’s important to be of some help to the team. I think kisi ko paani pilaana bhi bahut badi cheez hoti hai [even carrying drinks for someone is a very important thing],” Rahane said at a media interaction in Kolkata on Tuesday. “If you do anything from your mind, whether you are in the XI or not, if you are offering drinks or helping someone by being the 12th man it’s of some value to the country.”Getting the team combination right is the best priority. I am quite happy that the ones who have got opportunity have done well. It only gets difficult [to deal with being dropped] when you don’t prepare but if I prepare well and practice with purpose I am sure I will do well when I get the opportunity. “Harbhajan said he gained satisfaction from sharing his knowledge, and that a receptive bunch of team-mates made the process even better.”It’s important to share your knowledge. If you don’t, you haven’t done much in your life,” he said. “If my seniors have helped me to become the player I have become then it’s important to share my knowledge on what to do in different situations, not just on the field but off the field.”Guys like me understood many things late; I would get angry a lot but with time we all learn. So I share my knowledge even when I am not playing. If someone is looking to do something as a bowler help him out with things he wants to achieve in the net sessions. Luckily this team has those sort of guys who are good listeners. They believe in sharing thoughts.”A naturally introverted person like Rahane has found his voice in team-meetings. He attributed that to the enhanced confidence level gained from constantly working on his game.”Whoever is playing now I try to learn from them about their shot-selection in different conditions,” he said. “In Bangladesh, the ball was moving around quite a bit initially, and I was noticing how our openers and also the batsmen in the opposition were playing. Specifically how Rohit took some time initially but after 10 overs began opening out. It’s about how quickly you analyse a situation and adjust mentally that’s most important.”My wife told me many times that I need to talk a little more. My nature is such that, even during the days I used to practice karate, I was very shy. Sometimes you end up not saying things that are right and which ought to be said that also you don’t end up speaking. I think it’s important to speak for yourself. We all speak in team meetings and it is very important to speak your mind and if what you say helps the team it is important. Like you said my confidence has also improved and because of that you express your mind better.”Harbhajan said two things, faith and satisfaction, played a huge part in him keeping pace with youngsters. He even has the word ‘faith’ tattooed on his hand to reinforce the message.”I have done one and only thing – I have worked really hard on my fitness which has kept me going,” he said. “If I have to compete with a 25-year-old then I have to have the same sort of fitness. You need to have the will along with the skill. If the will is big enough you can achieve anything.”Playing for India satisfies me the most and playing anywhere gives me pleasure. This is a very important part of my life. Till the time I can play I must play, whether it is 40 or 45 or 50. I don’t know anything else other than playing. [The tattoo refers to] faith in God, faith in your ability, faith in everything you do. There is a reason behind your working hard.”