First Test pitch in Pune ‘poor’, says match referee Broad

Match referee Chris Broad has rated the Pune track as poor after the first Test between India and Australia ended inside three days on a sharply turning wicket, the ICC said yesterday. Australia won the Test by 333 runs with spinner Steve O’Keefe claiming 12 wickets at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, which was hosting its first-ever Test.
India, the world’s number one Test side, were bowled out for 105 and 107 on a pitch which took spin from day one, sparking criticism of the quality of the track. “Broad, in accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, submitted his report to the ICC in which he expressed concern over the quality of the pitch,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.
Broad’s report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which has 14 days to respond. Its response will be studied by Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s General Manager — Cricket, and Ranjan Madugalle, a member of the elite panel of match referees, before a final ruling on whether the pitch was sub-standard.
Pune could escape with a warning since it was hosting a Test for the first time, or a fine of not more than $15,000 along with a directive to take corrective action. The second Test starts in Bangalore on Saturday followed by matches in Ranchi and Dharamsala.
Ex-Test players to develop young Aussie talent
Former Test stars Ryan Harris and Matthew Elliott were yesterday appointed to nurture young Australian talent, with the pair’s first assignment an under-19 series against Sri Lanka.
Fast bowler Harris and batsman Elliott beat off competition from 38 other applicants to be picked as high performance coaches at the National Cricket Centre, entrusted with developing the country’s future stars.
“We have undertaken a thorough process to find the best coaches to mentor Australia’s emerging talent and we are extremely excited to have both Matthew and Ryan joining,” said Cricket Australia executive general manager Pat Howard.
“Both have come through the Cricket Australia coaching pathway and have a strong understanding of the challenges that lie ahead in developing Australian cricketers to be ready for first-class and international cricket.”
Former high performance coach Graeme Hick has since been appointed as the Australia team batting coach, while the second coaching role is newly created. The pair start work next week. Their first assignment will be leading Australia’s under-19 side in a home series against Sri Lanka in April, with Elliott to coach the team and Harris his assistant.

Goel, Shivalkar to get Lifetime Achievement Award
Former left-arm spinners Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar have been nominated for the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Monday.
“The committee consisting of N. Ram, Ramachandra Guha and Diana Edulji believed that BCCI needs to recognise the services rendered by Goel and Shivalkar who were not fortunate enough to play for India,” a release said.
The two left-arm spinners traumatised the batsmen picking wickets in a heap. Rajinder ended his career with a staggering 750 first-class wickets, including 637 scalps in the Ranji Trophy, the most by any bowler in the tournament’s history. Shivalkar played 124 first-class games and claimed 589 wickets. He picked up 42 five-wicket hauls and on 13 occasions registered a 10-wicket haul.
The BCCI also introduced the Lifetime Achievement Award for Women to “recongnize the contribution of women cricketers”. Former captain Shanta Rangaswamy, who led India in 12 Test matches and in 16 ODIs, has been nominated for the award. BCCI also announced that Vaman Viswanath Kumar and late Ramakant Desai have been nominated for the BCCI Special Award in recognition of their services to Indian cricket.
Meanwhile, it was also announced that the fifth MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture will be delivered by former India wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer on March 8 in Bengaluru. Engineer represented India in 46 Test matches and five ODIs. The lecture will be followed by BCCI Annual Awards 2016-17.

Gunaratne, Dickwella named in Test squad
Batsmen Asela Gunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella have been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, following their success in limited-overs internationals over the past month.
Gunaratne hit two match-winning fifties in the recent T20 series in Australia, and had also struck a maiden ODI hundred in South Africa earlier in the month. Dickwella, meanwhile, has been effective at the top of the order in the shorter formats.
Among those omitted from the squad include Kusal Perera, who has been in poor form  and opener Kaushal Silva. The Test series begins on March 7 in Galle.
Sri Lanka squad: Rangana Herath (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Asela Gunaratne, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep, Vikum Sanjaya, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Malinda Pushpakumara.