14 SPORTS
Saturday, 22 February, 2014
Broad 'not deeply involved' in Kp axe S
SPORTS DESK
TuART Broad has said he did not have a major involvement in the decision to sack Kevin Pietersen despite his role as Twenty20 captain but believes that changes had to be made after a "disaster" of a tour in Australia which meant England "lost a lot of good men." No single reason has been given for Pietersen's departure with the ECB talking - through press releases - about "team ethics" and the need to back Alastair Cook, who has been rested from the one-day leg of the West Indies tour, as the Test and ODI captain but the topic was not off-limits at England's pre-departure press conference as they flew out to the West Indies. It has been reported that Broad wanted Pietersen in his side for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next month but while he acknowledged the role Pietersen had played he was keen to talk about "moving forward." However, he did offer a hint that the environment behind the scenes had become difficult during the debilitating stay in Australia. "I was aware of discussions towards the end of the Australia tour but I was not deeply involved particularly,'' Broad said of the decision to end Pietersen's international career. "It was a decision made by guys that
have the English cricket team at their heart, and they want the team to improve. "The guys that made the decision are very keen for England cricket to move forward, there's no egos involved in making decisions like this. It's about improving performances on the field and atmospheres off it. All I can focus on is this trip now." The last time England were in the Caribbean was for the 2010 World Twenty20 when they secured their only piece of global silverware in a team captained by Paul Collingwood who has been appointed assistant coach for this trip and Bangladesh. Pietersen was Man of the Tournament in that event and Broad remembered the good times he had helped bring to English cricket. "There's no doubt Kev was a fantastic player for England, part of a hugely successful era," he said. "I have fond memories of KP from 2010 when he was the kingpin in helping us win that World Cup. But it's time for the guys in that changing room to realise they can be match-winners and can step up now." Broad admitted he did not spend much time with Pietersen in Australia but was also keen to mention others who suffered on the tour. "To be honest, I didn't see a lot of Kev in Australia. We crossed paths going to the middle," he said. "I'll repeat that KP has been a fantastic player for England - he's scored a lot of
BangladeSh are not panicKing: JurgenSen
Dhaka: The defeat to Sri Lanka in the ODI series will not make Bangladesh panic, according to their coach Shane Jurgensen, ahead of the Asia Cup and World Twenty20. Bangladesh collapsed in the first ODI and then conceded too many in the second, leaving the third game a dead rubber. "I think our [Bangladesh's] one-day form has been outstanding previous to this series," Jurgensen said. "Here we have lost two matches in a row. There seems to be a lot of people outside the group who are panicking but I am not panicking at all. We were in a good position in the last game, but we couldn't finish it off. It was the same in both games. "If we can tidy things up a little bit, we can get the result we want. It is a good thing that there is a quick turnaround, there isn't a big break between matches. All the boys are physically good too." Bangladesh have not lost an ODI series 3-0 since Pakistan's visit in December 2011 and this defeat to Sri Lanka is Jurgensen's first since taking over as coach in 2012. "We have a lot to play for tomorrow. We need to just come and play really good cricket," Jurgensen said. "I will highlight the positives. When you have a younger team and such things happen, confidence goes down quickly. "This is my first series loss on home soil. We are playing against a strong team like Sri Lanka but we haven't played our best cricket. It is still to come. We have to make sure we remain positive tomorrow." While Bangladesh have had problems with their batting and bowling in the past, what has been surprising is their poor fielding and through it their body language, which has been indifferent from several players. Jurgensen defended his players, saying they have been creating chances against Sri Lanka. "I think sometimes in these situations, people will over-analyse things. We have been creating chances. We haven't quite nailed it. The boys are copping a bit of flak at the moment. "We can't take any pressure. We are a good one-day team. We know what we have to do, but we have to come out and do it. No explanations for what we are doing, we have to look forward." Bangladesh might make changes to the XI, Jurgensen said, because of their workload in the next month. Their first match in the Asia Cup is on February 26, against India, and they would like to have Mashrafe Mortaza (swollen knee), Tamim Iqbal (neck strain) and Abdur Razzak (injured hamstring) fit. "The team has been pretty much the same as the New Zealand series," Jurgensen said. "We must stay calm at this stage. We need to have a holistic approach [to selection] because we have a couple of guys playing a lot of cricket. There might be a change or two. We want some guys to get out in the middle, at the same time we want to play the best team." AGENCIES
match-winning runs but a decision was taken by guys who are desperate for England to improve in the future not just over the next four or five months but going forward in to the next few years. "It was heartbreaking to go to Australia and lose 5-0 and we've lost a few good men in doing that - [Andy] Flower has stepped down and [Graeme] Swann retired and obviously [Jonathan Trott] Trotty went home and [Steve Finn] Finny. It's a winter that was a disaster, but as an England side we have to look forward now." The new era begins with three ODIs and three T20s in the Caribbean before England head to Bangladesh. Although the West Indies leg includes one-day matches, the squad is very much geared towards the 20-over campaign. The squad contains three uncapped players in Moeen Ali, Stephen Parry and Harry Gurney although the latter is only part of the one-day team. "We don't spend a lot of time together as a T20 side, so we've got to make use of these next three weeks," Broad said. "We are going to Bangladesh in three weeks' time with an opportunity to show something different. "When you've lost so many games over the last six months, it hurts, so we've just got to get back to winning to be honest. Twenty20 is about match-winners and taking the game by the scruff of the neck, so that's the challenge for this young group now."
KEEN TO BE PART OF 2015 WORLD CUP SQUAD: PRAVEEN
SPORTS DESK Praveen Kumar, the India fast bowler, expressed his disappointment at not being bought during the IPL auction, stating the tournament would have helped his chances of a comeback. The pace bowler last played for India in the Asia Cup in March 2012 but said he was aiming to play the 2015 World Cup. Since his exclusion from the Indian team, Praveen has struggled with fitness and disciplinary issues. He couldn't play a full domestic first-
class season in 2012-13 due to injury and his comeback was marred by a suspension, earned by an angry outburst against a player during a Corporate Trophy match in February 2013. He returned to play a few List A games and the 2013 IPL season but injuries kept him out of the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy. The bowler said he would go back to domestic cricket to try and fight his way back into the India side for the World Cup. "Frankly, I didn't expect to go unsold. I have done well at all levels, be it IPL, Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy,
Deodhar Trophy or international cricket," Praveen told Times of India. "It's just that my shoulder injury took a long time to heal. "IPL is a great tournament and it would have given me the opportunity to make a comeback. I was disappointed, but I am prepared to work hard again. I reached this level by working hard and that's what I need to do again. "I will go back to the domestic circuit, prove myself again and make a comeback. Last time I missed out playing the World Cup narrowly.
BOLLINGER AGREES KENT DEAL SPORTS DESK Kent have signed Doug Bollinger as an overseas player for the 2014 season. Bollinger, the 32-year-old left-arm fast bowler, has enjoyed a good Sheffield Shield season, claiming 21 wickets at 25.47 to date. While he has been the recipient of lucrative IPL deals in the past, he was overlooked in the bidding for this year's tournament thereby rendering him more attractive to county sides. He endured an undistinguished spell as overseas player with Worcestershire in 2007 - his 16 Championship wickets cost 44.56 apiece - but has improved markedly since. In 12 Tests, between January 2009 and December 2010, he took 50 wickets at an average of 25.92 and his form in the 2013-14
season, when he bowled with impressive pace, was good enough to earn him a recall to the Australian squad as a stand-by player during the Ashes series. Meanwhile, Worcestershire are in talks with Junaid Khan with a view to him joining the club as a second overseas player for the T20 Blast. The club have already secured the services of spinner Saeed Ajmal and could well confirm the signing of Junaid, his Pakistan team-mate and a left-arm fast bowler, shortly. Junaid, 24, played for Lancashire in 2011, claiming 12 wickets in eight matches and conceding just six runs an over. With Pakistan players overlooked for the IPL and with few international commitments in the coming months, several are expected to sign for county sides in the coming weeks.
CMYK
There's still time left for the World Cup and I am keen to be a part of the squad." Praveen, who was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2008 to 2010 before a move to Kings XI Punjab in 2011, said he had recovered fully from the shoulder injury he had suffered during last year's IPL. "The shoulder is in good shape now. I don't have any pain and have been bowling well," he said. "People said I could have opted for surgery a bit earlier, but I followed the advice of the experts at the National Cricket Academy and got it done when they told me to go for it." When asked if fitness concerns prompted franchises to avoid buying him, Praveen said he could only prove he was "still useful". "I don't know. Only they can answer," he said. "Getting selected in any team is not in my hand. What I can do is to work hard again and prove that I am still useful. "I was keen to play Ranji Trophy this season. I have always enjoyed playing first-class cricket. It gives an opportunity to bowl long spells but unfortunately my surgery happened during the season."