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The ECB hope that the All Stars Cricket scheme will inspire around 50,000 new cricket lovers in its first year

George Dobell10-Feb-2017The ECB are to launch an ambitious project designed to attract a new generation of supporters to the game.With evidence suggesting the sport has slipped to something approaching irrelevance in the eyes of children (research suggest pictures of wrestlers are more recognisable to children than England’s captains and that only 2 percent of children between the ages of 7 and 12 rate cricket as their favourite sport), the ECB hope that the All Stars Cricket scheme will inspire around 50,000 new cricket lovers in its first year.The nationwide initiative, which is based upon the Milo Cricket scheme pioneered in Australia, is aimed at children between the ages of five and eight. Parents will be required to pay £40 per child (the ECB are understood to be exploring the possibility of providing financial aid for families in need) for which the children will receive a rucksack full of kit and eight weeks of introductory sessions at a local cricket club starting in May. Clubs will receive £5 for every child that signs up and will be encouraged to run summer camps in the school holidays as part of ensuring a lifelong involvement in the game. The ECB hope around 1,500 clubs will sign up to All Stars in its first year with each club attracting at least 30 children.If all that sounds familiar – and many clubs do already run such admirable schemes – the emphasis of All Stars will be more towards enjoyment (“competition without exclusion,” as the ECB call it) than some comparable courses. There will be no hard ball or full-size pitches, for example, with bean bags used instead of balls for some, with progress badges awarded as skills such as ‘catching’ or ‘hitting’ are achieved. Instead of coaches, ‘activators’ will run the sessions and children will receive emails from England players congratulating them on their progress. As other commitments allow, there will also be personal appearances by England players as the ECB build on research underlining the value of “heroes” in inspiring a new generation of cricket lovers.But it’s the method that the ECB will use to reach this new generation of potential players and supporters that differentiates this programme. Determined to reach beyond cricket’s normal audience, the ECB plan to invest heavily in advertising – the scheme will, for example, be pushed on popular radio stations around the time of the school run – while they also hope to agree partnerships with various lifestyle publishers and websites such as Mumsnet. They are also expected to announce a celebrity ambassador – likely to be a woman with young children – in the coming weeks. Research has convinced the ECB that it is, in general, mothers who make most of the decisions over which hobbies children of such ages.The project is part of the ECB’s wider ‘Cricket Unleashed’ programme, which aims to re-establish the sport’s relevance to all sections of society. In the longer term, they hope their new-team T20 competition – which looks likely to be partially broadcast free to air – will play a leading role in the expansion, but with little cricket currently broadcast free to air (there are some clips and highlights on-line and on TV), they are investing heavily in the department run by Matt Dwyer, the ECB’s director of participation and growth, who now has around 80 development officers around the country. Dwyer was also heavily involved in the Milo programme that has run successfully in Australia.Dwyer’s team will aim to work closely with the County Boards in driving growth in four key areas: kids, clubs, communities and casual cricket. With staff based in regional locations as well as at Lord’s, the team will be backed by increased investment in marketing and digital support to strengthen connections with county cricket boards, clubs, leagues, volunteers, coaches and officials.The All Stars scheme is not without its critics. Some have expressed concern at the failure of a pay-as-you-go option (thereby reducing the impact of the one-off outlay for parents), some at the negative impact on clubs already running such projects, and others on the failure to deal with the substantial problem of teenagers dropping out of the game. There is an issue, too, with volunteer disillusionment and weariness. The ECB state that a few teething troubles are inevitable and the project can be tweaked as it develops. They also say they are working on plans to combat the drop-out issue.But whatever other faults may be levelled at the ECB, they have acknowledged the game has a serious problem in England and Wales and they are investing heavily in trying to find a solution. Whether that can be done without a serious realignment of the broadcasting landscape – a key factor in Australia’s success with the Big Bash – is debatable.Clubs or individuals who wish to be involved can sign up here

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive said that Steven Smith’s team could not blame their preparation for the poor results achieved so far this summer

Daniel Brettig in Hobart13-Nov-2016James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, has claimed the national team had near identical preparation to South Africa despite the facts telling a rather different story.As the hosts came to terms with another disastrous batting display on day one of the Hobart Test, Sutherland said that Steven Smith’s team could not blame their preparation for the poor results achieved so far this summer, following on from a 5-0 ODI defeat in South Africa and a 3-0 away pasting at the hands of Sri Lanka before that.”I’ve heard a little bit of commentary around preparation and I think it’s interesting. The first thing is that every summer is a little bit different,” Sutherland said on ABC Radio. “If we cast our minds forward to next year there will be more opportunities for Shield cricket, that’s a different schedule again because the season will start later.”But also that criticism around the preparation, I don’t think the preparation is anything that Australian cricket can complain about because South Africa have had the same schedule in terms of preparation as we have. We have both played each other in one-day matches in October, came through here, had various forms of long-form or other preparatory matches.”They played a game in Adelaide under lights as Shield cricket played under lights. So if you draw that comparison the team we are playing against hasn’t had any different preparation. So yes, ideally you might have a different preparation but the fact of the matter is you can’t.”In contradiction of Sutherland’s words, Australia’s players did not get the chance to play even a single match with a red ball in between the Sri Lanka and South Africa Test series. By contrast, many of South Africa’s players – those not taking part in the ODIs at home – were able to play first-class cricket during this period, and then had two warm-up matches in contrast to the one (pink ball) Shield game played before the Perth Test.Sutherland noted that there was a wider effort currently being undertaken at ICC level to reduce the amount of international cricket played while adding the context of league structures across each format. Such a move would in turn allow more room for domestic schedules to breathe.”The reality is the future tours program requires us to play a certain amount of cricket at home and whatever we play at home we’ve got to reciprocate away,” he said. “So the complexity around that is greater because most countries share the same season as us. So we have to find ourselves playing matches like we did this year in October against South Africa. We couldn’t play them earlier because that’s not their season, their season is October. We are having them and then Pakistan later in our peak season.”From that perspective the schedule is difficult and at ICC level it’s something we’re working very hard on to try and get more structure to refine the way in which international cricket is played and to be honest ultimately play less international cricket so that it’s more valuable and is not these random series that crop up all the time. That we have context through some sort of a league structure. The hope is there will be less international cricket which allows gaps in preparation but also ideally for international cricket to be more valuable and precious.”Responding to criticism directed at the captain Steven Smith, Sutherland said that while all were impatient for immediate success, there was a strong belief within CA that Smith was the right man for the job – as evidenced by his steely innings while the rest fell around him on day one at Bellerive Oval.”We’re certainly very conscious of the fact that Steve has come into the role much younger…than any of his four or five predecessors,” Sutherland said. “I had a look the other day – you go back to Border, Taylor, Waugh, Ponting, Clarke…between 29 and 34 I think they came into the captaincy of the Australian team. Steve was 26. All of them came in being world-class batsmen. But I don’t think if you look back in history, certainly in my time [as CEO], none of them have made an easy or smooth transition into the job.”It’s a big step up and it’s a real challenge and even more so if you don’t have the players around you that are performing as well as they might or could or whatever. So that added challenge is there. But we have a very high regard for Steve Smith as a person, as a leader, and obviously as a cricketer and we think that with his support and as he builds the team around him and they perform he’s got a very bright future as a leader for a long time.”

The WICB has agreed to release captain Jason Holder, Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, and Denesh Ramdin for the Caribbean Premier League, starting June 30

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2016The WICB has agreed to release captain Jason Holder, batsman Darren Bravo, allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, legspinner Devendra Bishoo, and wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin for the Caribbean Premier League, starting June 30, which is four days after the tri-series final in Barbados. They can remain with their franchises until July 11, ten days before West Indies’ first Test against India in Antigua.WICB announced a confirmation of the India tour last December, but they released the full itinerary only last week. A possible clash of dates with the CPL had been one of the main reasons for the delay.According to the WICB policy, the head coach and the national selectors had final say in determining whether their players would be free to participate in the CPL. It is understood that head coach Phil Simmons had no objections with his men playing the tournament’s initial stages, provided they returned in time to prepare for the four Tests against India, which are the only Tests in West Indies’ home season.Damien O’Donohoe, the CPL chief executive, welcomed the WICB’s decision and said that the players’ availability would would be a “tremendous boost”.”Our thanks to the West Indies Cricket Board, coach and chairman of selection committee for facilitating the release of the players for the opening weeks of the CPL,” he said. “It’s a tremendous boost for the competition and I have no doubt that each of the players will be motivated to add great value to their squads.”Ramdin, who is part of the onging tri-series against South Africa and Australia, was announced as the replacement for injured fast bowler Fidel Edwards, for St Lucia Zouks. Edwards had suffered a fractured ankle in the lead up to the final day of Hampshire’s County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley in April.

Saeed Ajmal, playing only his second T20 since November 2015, struck with his first ball and then produced a double-strike in his last over to help Islamabad United defend 132 against Karachi Kings in a last-ball thriller

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSharjeel Khan got Islamabad off to a good start with a 27-ball 28•PCB

Saeed Ajmal, playing only his second competitive match since November 2015, struck with his first ball and then produced a double-strike in his last over to help Islamabad United defend 132 against Karachi Kings in a last-ball thriller. With Karachi needing 16 off the last over, bowled by Shane Watson, Usama Mir was run-out off the first ball, which was called a wide. The next ball was sliced away for four by Mohammad Amir before Watson rebounded with a dot. The fourth ball of the over was bizarre: wicketkeeper Sam Billings hit the stumps, after Amir had backed away and failed to connect, but the bails refused to budge. Ravi Bopara then launched a six off the penultimate ball, but Watson held his nerve as Islamabad edged out Karachi.This meant that Islamabad secured their first points in the Pakistan Super League, after two straight losses. Chasing 133, Karachi lost their openers within four overs. Imad Wasim, who had batted at No.7 in his previous match, was promoted to No.3, and put Karachi back on track with six fours. Wasim’s dismissal, however, sparked a collapse as Karachi fell from 35 for 2 to 87 for 7.It was Ajmal who hastened the collapse with two wickets in three balls in the 15th over. He had Shakib Al Hasan holing out to deep square leg for 20 and then forced a leading edge off Saifullah Bangash. This left Karachi needing 46 off 30 balls with only three wickets in hand. Bopara, who had taken two wickets with his slow rollers and cutters, forced the pace with the bat, hitting an unbeaten 32 off 19 balls, but couldn’t get his side over the line.Earlier in the day, Islamabad had endured a collapse of their own. They gave away five wickets for only 19 runs. But impetus at the top, courtesy a 45-run partnership between Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, and late blows from Mohammad Sami pushed Islamabad to 132, which eventually proved just enough.

Josh Hazlewood and Doug Bracewell have won the final places in their respective attacks for the first Test in Brisbane, preferred over Peter Siddle and Matt Henry

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane04-Nov-2015Josh Hazlewood and Doug Bracewell have won the final places in their respective attacks for the first Test in Brisbane, preferred over Peter Siddle and Matt Henry. Siddle had replaced Hazlewood for the last Test of the Ashes this year and was impressive in collecting 6 for 67 in the match, but Australia’s selectors were swayed by the bounce and pace that a refreshed Hazlewood should offer at the Gabba.It was at this venue that Hazlewood made his Test debut last summer, and although he suffered whole-body cramps in the heat on day one, he finished with five wickets in the first innings. Hazlewood has had an excellent first year in Test cricket, with 40 wickets at 21.75 so far, and the Australians were keen to have him back in the side after a decent post-Ashes break.”I think we saw it last year against India, the way he could hit high on the bat and bring those keeper and slips into play I think this and the WACA will certainly suit him,” captain Steven Smith said. “He has come a long way. He has learnt a lot out of England and he bowled really well last week in the Shield game. He’s in a good place and hopefully he can have similar results to what he had out here last year.”The move means that Siddle again finds himself on the fringes of Australia’s Test team, having played only one of the home Tests against India last summer and one on this year’s Ashes tour. Siddle may be released from the squad to take part in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales, starting at the SCG on Friday.”Disappointing for him, he bowled extremely well in the last Test match at The Oval against England, but that’s the team we’ve gone with,” Smith said. “Josh Hazlewood had a lot of success out here last year against India. I think he’ll complement both the left-armers really well. There’s going to be a bit of extra pace and bounce on this wicket, like we’d normally expect.”New Zealand similarly had only one real decision to make at the selection table ahead of this Test: Henry or Bracewell. Henry picked up eight wickets at 42.50 during this year’s Test series in England; Bracewell took five in his last Test, against Sri Lanka in Wellington in January, and was the decisive player with nine wickets in the win over Australia last time the teams met, in Hobart in 2011.”They’re both very similar bowlers,” New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said. “Matt Henry got an opportunity in England and did a pretty good job. The Test before we went to England, Doug Bracewell played and did a pretty good job for us as well. It’s a bit of a coin toss with them but we were comfortable either way. In the end we had to make a decision and we thought Doug was bowling just a touch better at this point in time.”

A pitch almost as green as the outfield made Kent captain Sam Northeast’s decision to bowl first a simple one, and he would have been satisfied after his side bowled Leicestershire out for just 159

ECB/PA05-Jul-2015
ScorecardMatt Coles picked up a six-wicket haul as Leicestershire crumbled for 159•Getty Images

A pitch almost as green as the outfield made Kent captain Sam Northeast’s decision to bowl first a simple one, and he would have been satisfied after his side bowled Leicestershire out for just 159 on day one of their Championship Division Two encounter at Grace Road.Leicestershire’s total could have been even fewer had the visitors held all their chances, particularly during a morning session throughout which the ball seamed and swung, but which ended with the home side on 109 for 4.Ned Eckersley was the only Leicestershire batsman to offer any defiance as he made 41 from 52 balls and, after the rest were skittled inside 52 overs thanks largely to Matt Coles’ six-wicket haul, Kent reached 44 for 2 in reply by the close.Three of the morning-session wickets fell to Coles, and first to be dismissed was Matt Boyce, who pushed hard at a rising delivery and was well held by Adam Ball at second slip, the ball flying quickly and at chest-height.However Angus Robson and Eckersley then added 58 for the second wicket, taking advantage of a series of wide or over-pitched deliveries, before Robson drove loosely at Coles and thin-edged a catch to wicketkeeper Sam Billings. Only one more run had been added when Greg Smith, returning to his former county on a month’s loan from Nottinghamshire, pushed forward at his first delivery and edged a comfortable catch off Calum Haggett to Coles at second slip.Darren Stevens dropped Eckersley off Haggett but Coles, having switched ends, bowled Eckersley with a pitched-up delivery as Leicestershire lost three wickets for just seven runs.They were seen through to lunch by Andrea Agathangelou and Aadil Ali, the latter a 20-year-old academy graduate making his first-class debut for the county. But Kent bowled with a lot more accuracy after the break, and picked up the last six wickets for 65 runs. Coles took three of them, ending with figures of 6 for 55 to take his season tally to 48.Agathangelou led the procession, edging an attempted cut at Stevens to Ball at first slip. Ali had applied himself with determination, going to 13 before edging a Stevens outswinger to Coles at second slip.Lewis Hill and Clint McKay miscued attacking shots off Coles’ bowling, which resulted in their giving off-side catches to Sam Northeast and Joe Denly respectively. Ben Raine was bowled by Coles and Ollie Freckingham top-edged an attempted hook off Haggett to leave Leicestershire all out for 159.To add to their woes, a heavy shower forced the umpires to call an early tea before their bowlers could look to put the Kent batsmen under immediate pressure in reply.When play did restart, only 14 overs were possible before the rain returned to end play. Kent lost the wickets of Denly, caught at bat and pad off Raine, and Daniel Bell-Drummond, leg-before on the back foot to a delivery from McKay that kept low.

AB de Villiers, slinking menacingly around a flat Wankhede pitch, set about the most vicious sustained attack of this IPL, reaping 133 runs at a strike rate of 225.42 to effectively bat Mumbai Indians out of the match

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando10-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:11

O’Brien: AB de Villiers just doesn’t miss

AB de Villiers, slinking menacingly around a flat Wankhede pitch, set about the most vicious sustained attack of this IPL, reaping 133 runs at a strike rate of 225.42 to effectively bat Mumbai Indians out of the match.Virat Kohli was in sublime form himself, but his 82 from 50 balls from the other end was little more than a sidelight, as a rapturous Mumbai crowd suspended regional loyalty to chant de Villiers’ name. The pair remained unbeaten at the close of the innings, having hit a T20-record 215 in each others’ company. Royal Challengers’ 235 for 1 was also the highest score of the season, beating their own previous record, while de Villiers’ was the highest individual score of the season. The visitors’ score would be 39 too many for Mumbai Indians.De Villiers barely mishit a ball throughout his stay, but Mumbai will rue their own shambolic fielding in the third over of the innings, when a straightforward chance off Kohli was spilled off Mitchell McClenaghan at slip. Kohli would hit 76 more runs from his own blade, but it was the support he provided to de Villiers that made this spill truly costly.Mumbai delivered too many knee-high full tosses and overpitched deliveries to such high-quality batsmen, but when de Villiers began to flit around the crease to launch the ball to almost any region of his choosing, the hosts were understandably battered to breaking point. Lasith Malinga, for example, had figures of 1 for 13 from his first three overs. He came back when de Villiers was in full flow and had a near-yorker scooped over fine leg for four, then was cracked almost casually over cover for four soon after. His final over cost 14.De Villiers began with five dot balls to Malinga, to complete a wicket-maiden, before his expansive game clicked into place with successive square fours – one either side of the pitch – off J Suchith’s left-arm spin in the sixth over. When Mumbai’s spinners failed to generate significant turn from the surface, de Villiers began to hot out with more intent. In Harbhajan Singh’s first over, de Villiers creamed him through the covers, then came down the pitch to clobber him over the long on fence. Suchith came in for more punishment, conceding three more fours – de Villiers once pretending to move toward the off side, only to return to his original position to sweep the confused to the square leg fence – but soon even the quicks were being mauled. De Villiers ran at McClenaghan to drill him to the straight fence, reaching 50 from 29 deliveries, then dropped deep into his crease to crack him past point next ball.Kohli spent much of the early and mid-innings turning strike over to de Villiers, scoring smartly enough himself, but rarely hitting out against balls that did not deserve punishment. De Villiers, meanwhile, made very good deliveries seem woeful. He made room to drive Hardik Pandya for three consecutive fours in the 15th over, then when McClenaghan sent a ball at his chest, hit it behind square leg for four. It was only after Kohli reached his own fifty, off 39 balls, that he moved to match de Villiers’ aggression. Royal Challengers were 160 for 1 after 15 overs. The pair plundered Jasprit Bumrah’s 17th for 25. The second of de Villiers’ sixes in that over took him into triple figures, off 47 balls, before Kohli sent the last ball of the over beyond long on to collect a six for himself.That over was the most expensive in the innings, but there was plenty of mayhem to follow. Pandya’s next two overs were carted for 19 and 17. That he was even given the final over of the innings reflects the chaos that the pair had unleashed on Mumbai’s strategy. When the hosts’ torment finally came to an end at the innings break, Kohli and de Villiers had hit 25 fours and eight sixes between them.Kieron Pollard and Llendl Simmons clobbered 70 runs in 37 balls for the third wicket, to restore a little hope for Mumbai Indians, but even their most productive overs were barely staying in touch with the required run rate. When Pollard holed out on 49 to leave the hosts needing 103 from 40 balls, the match was effectively secure for Royal Challengers. Simmons remained unbeaten on 68 from 58 balls when the innings fizzled out at 196 for 7 from 20 overs.

Channel Nine has retained the rights to broadcast Australia’s home international matches after agreeing to a deal worth $500 million over five years

Brydon Coverdale03-Jun-2013Channel Nine has retained the rights to broadcast Australia’s home international matches after agreeing to a deal worth $500 million over five years.Nine saw off a bold bid from Channel Ten to claim the rights to Test, ODI and Twenty20 international cricket but Ten is believed to have secured a deal worth approximately $20 million a year to broadcast the Big Bash League, which will appear on free-to-air television for the first time.Ten had made a significant play for the full cricket schedule but Nine had the right to match the bid, although that was complicated by its reluctance to sign up for the BBL.However, in order to keep international cricket on Nine, where it has been broadcast for more than 30 years, Nine was forced to more than double the amount it paid per year over the previous seven-year deal.The expiring deal had cost Nine $45 million per year; the new five-year agreement will cost $100 million a year for Test, ODI and Twenty20 international cricket, as well as approximately $10 million a year in free advertising.The two deals will provide a major windfall for Cricket Australia, which will earn about $120 million a season in broadcast rights, nearly three times what it received under the previous arrangement.

Cricket Australia has moved to revamp its strength and conditioning structure by appointing Andrew Weller to the newly created position of physical performance manager

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2012Cricket Australia has moved to revamp its strength and conditioning structure by appointing Andrew Weller to the newly created position of physical performance manager. Weller, 48, has spent the past decade working with AFL clubs and has been the high performance manager at the Gold Coast Suns for the past four years.In his new role he will oversee the strength and conditioning programmes across all Australian teams, which will mean working closely with the state associations as well as the national squads. A physical performance coach, who will be responsible for the Australia team when on tour and during their home summer, will be appointed in the coming weeks and will report to Weller.”Andrew has been at the Gold Coast Suns from the beginning and was instrumental in creating their strength and conditioning programme,” Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s general manager, team performance, said. “Previous to this he was the rehabilitation manager at the St Kilda Football Club.”Andrew will be responsible for all strength and conditioning programs across all of the Australian teams, both male and female. He will be a key liaison person between these national programs and their home state programs. Andrew will implement a consistent long term delivery across all of Australian cricket working with the states, the youngest elite players all the way to the national teams.”Weller said: “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of working with Cricket Australia, its high performance squads and the sports science teams within the states. Over the last decade I’ve worked in AFL and I’m sure I can bring innovations from that sport to cricket as we continue to develop the high performance culture around the Australian cricket teams.”Keeping Australia’s young players – especially the fast bowlers – fit and firing will be one of the key challenges of the new physical performance manager and coach.

On a gloomy day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Punjab became the first team to take the first-innings lead against Karnataka this season

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium15-Dec-2011
Scorecard
On a gloomy day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Punjab became the first team to take the first-innings lead against Karnataka this season. Mayank Sidhana’s second half-century of the match, and bad light that ended play more than an hour early made a draw the likeliest result as Punjab ended the day nearly 200 ahead with only three wickets down.The odds on the draw were even shorter than the scoreline suggested, as Karnataka lost two of their frontline bowlers to injury – S Aravind struggling with a knee problem, and Stuart Binny having hamstring trouble after completing his second century of the season. Robin Uthappa came into the match as a batsman, but had a surreal day in which he first shared the new ball and then took over as wicketkeeper after the specialist gloveman CM Gautam went off with a bruised foot.Karnataka began the day with only a slim chance of overhauling Punjab’s first innings total, but with overnight pair of Binny and Gautam starting with a bunch of boundaries, the chase was on. Gautam reached his fifty with a cut behind point and Binny moved into the 90s with a six over long-on. Left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh snapped the stand with Karnataka still 139 behind, getting Gautam lbw with a delivery that stayed low.Binny reached his hundred with a sharp run to point – raising both hands in celebration even as he began the single – but Punjab hit back with the second new ball. Fast bowler Harmeet Singh struck three times, including the wicket of Binny for 119, as Karnataka lost their final four wickets for nine runs, to give Punjab a crucial 76-run lead. If this game ends in a draw, as seems probable, Punjab will get three points which will be vital in a tight race for the third and final qualifying spot – four teams are currently separated by one point.Like Karnataka, Punjab’s top order made a wobbly start. Karnataka’s only fit quick bowler, NC Aiyappa – playing his first match in three years – bowled Ravi Inder Singh for 2, before Sarul Kanwar was run out and Karan Goel chipped a catch to mid-off leaving Punjab at 32 for 3.If Karnataka briefly had hopes of a glorious turnaround, they were crushed by Sidhana’s attacking innings. A flurry of driven fours from Sidhana took him to 50 off 73 deliveries, as he dominated in an 87-run stand with Uday Kaul. Kaul was more subdued, surviving several loud appeals for lbw.Barring some major drama on the final day, Karnataka will end up being second best in a Ranji match for the first time this season. But with qualification more or less guaranteed, it won’t affect them as much as the news that they will be without their main fast bowler, Aravind, for four weeks.