Latest news with #MikeAtherton
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First Post
12-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Mike Atherton, Michael Vaughan criticise slow over-rates during India vs England Tests: 'Umpires have lost control'
Mike Atherton hit out at umpires and India captain Shubman Gill for receiving a massage on the field as the Lord's Test match lost valuable time. He accused the umpires of losing control of the match. read more Mike Atherton and Michael Vaughan have been highly critical of teams failing to complete 90-over quota during the ongoing India vs England Test series. Images: Reuters Former England captain Mike Atherton and Michael Vaughan have expressed frustration at the excruciatingly slow over rate of the ongoing Lord's Test between India and England as teams are failing to complete the 90-over quota. India bowled 83 overs on Day 1 of the third Test in London, while only 75 overs were bowled by India and England on Day 2. Continuous ball changes and unplanned breaks have been the major reasons behind the teams missing the 90-over target. Mike Atherton has criticised umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula for losing control over the game and questioned by India captain Shubman Gill was allowed to receive medical treatment on the ground. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Atherton slams umpires, Gill for on-field massage Gill received a leg and back massage on the field during the 110th over of the England innings on Day 2. Atherton feels umpires should have asked Gill to leave the field of play. 'At one stage, towards the end of England's innings, Gill lay down for treatment on his back, and the umpires condoned a lengthy stoppage, instead of instructing him to leave the field, to allow play to resume,' Atherton wrote in The Times. 'From stoppages for minor injuries, to delays for attempted ball changes, to fussiness over the state of the popping crease — once the groundstaff were called on to flatten where the batsmen were standing — the umpires have lost control of this issue,' added Atherton. Speaking to the BBC, the former English cricketer Vaughan feels issuing fines to captains and players would not help improve the situation. 'I don't think fines work. I think these lads are quite rich,' Vaughan said. 'I don't think the cash is going to affect them. Been a problem for Test match cricket for a while. I know it's hot. I know we've had a few injuries, but when we get to the fifth day, we have to bowl the 90 overs,' he added. 'I have no idea why on days one, two, three, and four, we can see the game played at a snail's pace. Surely the game moves on by saying on day one there's 90 overs. Guess what we're going to do? We're going to bowl 90 overs on day two exactly the same,' said Vaughan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Vaughan says make bowling 90 overs per day mandatory Vaughan added that making 90 overs per day mandatory would help things improve. 'You watch on day five when the players, the umpires, know that 90 overs have to be bowled. They'll be running around. There won't be as many drinks breaks, there won't be as many delays because they know that 90 overs have to be bowled. So I'd make it very, very simple. You have to bowl the 90 overs. I would guarantee that would improve the pace,' Vaughan said. Meanwhile, England batter Joe Root has proposed that a team should only be allowed three challenges to replace a ball during the 80 overs, as it would help in speeding up the day's proceedings.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘England not good enough to draw on flattest pitch': Atherton and Hussain say Edgbaston pitch suited India more
The talk on the fourth day of the second Test at Birmingham was whether England would curb their attacking 'Bazballism' and think about playing for a draw. A day later, former captain Mike Atherton has noted that that philosophical musing was wrong as England have shown that they aren't good enough to draw even on the flattest pitch. 'In the end, the philosophical dilemma and chin-stroking mattered not a jot. It was not so much a question of whether this England team, so disdainful of the concept of the draw, would contemplate playing for it but whether they were good enough to do so.' Atherton wrote how England did get the lifeline of time courtesy Shubman Gill's decision to bat a touch too long in the second innings before declaring and by the rain on the final day that shaved off further 10 overs. 'On a still true pitch, it was so dispiriting that England did not make a better fist of surviving what was essentially a day's worth of cricket. Indeed, on one of the flattest pitches seen in this country in recent years, they lasted only 157 overs across both innings, collecting seven ducks in all, four of them for the top six.' For his part, another former England captain Nasser Hussain chose to contrast the performances of the two bowling attacks, and wrote why he felt the Edgbaston pitch suited India more. 'Even though it was still pretty dead on day five, the Indian seamers were getting the ball to move about off the cracks and dryness in the surface. Some of that was down to the toss. A pitch naturally dries out over the course of a game and is therefore at its driest at the end of the match. India's bowlers were brought up having to cope with those conditions. 'I don't think it was the pitch England wanted. It was much more akin to what Indian players are used to. England's bowlers were hitting the deck hard but a lot of pace was being taken off the ball, whereas India thrived with their skiddier trajectories. They needed the kind of mode of attack that Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj provided, where kissing the surface got more out of it.' Hussain also wrote about the Bumrah decision. 'There will be some people nodding contentedly in the away dressing room, saying 'we got it right' by leaving out their attacking spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in Birmingham. He will now head to London fresh after a fortnight's rest.'
Al Arabiya
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
With Bat-Tossing and Flamboyant Sixes, Rishabh Pant Thrills During England-India Cricket Test
The bat went one way. The ball went the other. One of the wildest innings in test cricket from India star Rishabh Pant came to a suitably extraordinary end against England at Edgbaston on Saturday. Attempting to pull offspinner Shoaib Bashir for six, Pant miscued his shot while also letting go of his bat, which flew toward midwicket – close to England fielder Brydon Carse. Meanwhile, the ball looped high in the air and into the deep on the offside where it was caught by Ben Duckett. Carse collected the bat and returned it to Pant, who walked off to an ovation after an incident-packed knock of 63 off 58 balls just after lunch on Day 4 of the second test in Birmingham. 'An extraordinary innings,' said former England captain Mike Atherton, who was calling the match for British broadcaster Sky Sports. 'And it was an extraordinary end.' Pant, one of the most flamboyant batters in world cricket, brought the kind of chaos rarely seen in the often-sedate test format in an innings containing eight fours and three sixes. Off just his fourth ball faced, Pant advanced down the track and smashed England pacer Josh Tongue for a straight six. There was a flick for another maximum off his hips and a shovel shot over the field for four that ended with Pant rolling on the ground in the crease. He was also dropped twice – by Zak Crawley and Chris Woakes – either side of his first bat-throwing episode just before lunch when, on 41, he went for a pull shot, missed the ball, and released his bat. It flew about 20 meters into the leg side – again missing any England fielders – and sparked laughter on and off the field. He did it again hours later, but this time he wasn't so lucky after connecting with the ball. By the time he was dismissed, Pant had reached a half-century in a test for the 10th time against England.
Associated Press
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
With bat-tossing and flamboyant sixes, Rishabh Pant thrills during England-India cricket test
The bat went one way. The ball went the other. One of the wildest innings in test cricket from India star Rishabh Pant came to a suitably extraordinary end against England at Edgbaston on Saturday. Attempting to pull offspinner Shoaib Bashir for six, Pant miscued his shot while also letting go of his bat, which flew toward midwicket — close to England fielder Brydon Carse. Meanwhile, the ball looped high in the air and into the deep on the offside where it was caught by Ben Duckett. Carse collected the bat and returned it to Pant, who walked off to an ovation after an incident-packed knock of 63 off 58 balls just after lunch on Day 4 of the second test in Birmingham. 'An extraordinary innings,' said former England captain Mike Atherton, who was calling the match for British broadcaster Sky Sports. 'And it was an extraordinary end.' Pant, one of the most flamboyant batters in world cricket, brought the kind of chaos rarely seen in the often-sedate test format in an innings containing eight fours and three sixes. Off just his fourth ball faced, Pant advanced down the track and smashed England pacer Josh Tongue for a straight six. There was a flick for another maximum off his hips and a shovel shot over the field for four that ended with Pant rolling on the ground in the crease. He was also dropped twice — by Zak Crawley and Chris Woakes — either side of his first bat-throwing episode just before lunch when, on 41, he went for a pull shot, missed the ball and released his bat. It flew about 20 meters into the leg side — again missing any England fielders — and sparked laughter on and off the field. He did it again hours later, but this time he wasn't so lucky after connecting with the ball. By the time he was dismissed, Pant had reached a half-century in a test for the 10th time against England. ___ AP cricket:
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First Post
01-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Mike Atherton, Mark Wood analyse India's best plans to manage Jasprit Bumrah's workload: 'They cannot afford to go 2-0 down'
Mike Atherton and Mark Wood have shared their opinions on what India must to do to manage Jasprit Bumrah's workload and whether he should play in the second and third Tests against England or not. read more Team India's biggest conundrum ahead of the second Test against England in Edgbaston, Birmingham, is going to be whether to play Jasprit Bumrah or not. Head coach Gautam Gambhir has already confirmed that Bumrah will only be playing three out of the five matches in the series. Now it's about deciding which three matches. Despite Bumrah taking a five-wicket haul, India lost the first Test at Headingley by five wickets as other bowlers did not provide him the proper support. So, will he play in the second Test at Edgbaston? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said Bumrah is available, but the final decision is yet to be taken . 'He's available for the game obviously. We know from the start he's only going to play three out of the five. He's had eight days to recover from the last test. But given conditions and workload and how we think we can best manage for the next four games, we haven't made a call on that. We're going to see what the other guys are with their workload as well,' Doeschate said. 'India cannot afford to go 2-0 down' England pacer Mark Wood and former captain Mike Atherton feel Bumrah must play the second Test in Edgbaston and probably also the third Test at the iconic Lord's. Wood said that India cannot afford to go 2-0 down, hence Bumrah must play in the second Test. 'They cannot afford to go 2-0 down. So you want your best bowler,' Wood told the Sky Sports podcast. 'There's no way he's saying, 'I'm not playing at Lord's.' I don't think so. I think he'll want to play both games. Even if, let's just say, India win the next one, and it's 1-1, I still think they'll want him to make the difference, to get them ahead. I think every overseas bowler wants to get on that board, and he'll be the same.' Atherton added that Bumrah would not want to miss the Lord's Test and that could be the crucial factor in deciding his participation in the Edgbaston game. 'They have got a decision to make over Bumrah, first of all, because every overseas player wants to play in a Lord's Test. The Lord's Test is three days after Edgbaston. In cricketing terms, he should certainly play at Edgbaston, and I'd think very carefully about Old Trafford, because that's the kind of ground where pace and reverse swing are really important. But as you say, every cricketer wants to play at Lord's and get on that honours board,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
