Buzz: 'Third umpire should be able to spot no-balls'

Australian great Adam Gilchrist feels the third umpire should be able to spot no-balls although he is all for the fourth umpire to take the call in the IPL, provided correct decisions are made.

Gilchrist made the comments after the IPL governing council proposed to have a dedicated "no-ball" umpire to reduce the number of howlers in the lucrative league.    

"It is pretty challenging for the on-field umpire to look down there, look up there, have everything else going on. Surely there was a replay last year that showed it was a no-ball.

"That should be allowed, whether you need a fourth umpire, may be not why can't the third umpire just look at the replay and just go not out," he said.

"That is the simpler version I would have thought. If it means having a fourth one (umpire) and he is going to get the right decision I am all for it," said the former wicketkeeper batsman.

Will the extra umpire slow things down?

"No because they can make the decision in an instant. I work in broadcast, they can have a replay within five seconds," Gilchrist added.

There was a lot of hue and cry during the last IPL, when some debatable decisions were made with regards to front-foot no-balls.

India skipper Virat Kohli even had a heated word with Indian umpire S Ravi, who failed to spot a no-ball by Mumbai Indians' Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga, which proved costly for the Royal Challengers Bangalore during one of the IPL matches.

It is understood that the concept of having a 'no-ball" umpire could be tried in a domestic tournament before a final call is taken on the matter.

Gilchrist also said T20 cricket is a bit of lottery but pinned India as one of the favourites to lift the format's ICC World Cup in his country next year.

Besides India, Gilchrist picked England, his own country and New Zealand as the front-runners.

"Probably they (India) will be featuring in semi-finals and the finals. I can't predict who is going to win but I suspect that the usual suspects like India, England, Australia and New Zealand will probably make the long way, semi-finals of course," Gilchrist said.

Insisting that current World No.1 T20 side Pakistan too cannot be counted out, Gilchrist said even though he has listed his favourites, it is hard to predict anything in the shortest format of the game.

"Pakistan are number one ranked team in the format, so you cannot rule them out. But T20 cricket is a bit of lottery so it is hard to predict the winner until the final runs are scored or wickets are taken," he added.

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup begins from February 21 with hosts Australia taking on India at Sydney and the final us slated for March 8 -- the International Women's Day -- at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The 45-match ICC Men's T20 World Cup too will be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 next year.

The two events will be played across eight Australian cities -- Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Ashwin and KXIP have decided to part ways amicably: Ness Wadia

Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia on Wednesday said the franchise and former skipper Ravichandran Ashwin have amicably decided to part ways even though Delhi Capitals is still not a done deal.

Stylish opener KL Rahul is expected to lead the side after Ashwin's departure.

KXIP has been negotiating with Delhi Capitals for the past two months but now it has come to light that a few other teams are also interested in Ashwin, who captained the Punjab franchise for the past two seasons but could not take the side to the play-offs.   

"I know there is a lot of speculation but we are still talking. Ashwin is a very good, versatile player. Any team would love to have him. We are talking to a few different teams (including Delhi) and as soon as we are clear, we will announce it," Wadia told PTI.

"We (Ashwin and KXIP) have amicably come to a conclusion that we should part ways and now we are trying to get the best fit, best solution for everyone. We are talking to a few teams to see where the best fit is and the best value comes for both Ashwin and ourselves. We want the best deal for everyone," he added. 

Wadia had last month said that the KXIP board had a re-think on Ashwin and decided to retain the premier India spinner following the appointment of Anil Kumble as head coach. Now it has come quite clear that negotiations over Ashwin trade-off have resumed.

The announcement will have to be made before the IPL transfer window closes on November 14.

Under Ashwin's leadership, KXIP showed a lot of promise in the first half of the past two seasons before losing momentum in the second half. They finished seventh in 2018 and sixth in 2019.

The off-spinner, who only plays one format for India, made a strong comeback in the home Test series against South Africa after warming the bench in the West Indies, where Ravindra Jadeja was preferred as the sole spinner in the playing eleven.

KXIP reached the semifinals in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008 before making the play-offs just once in 2014 when they finished runners-up. Now with the legendary Kumble on board, the franchise is aiming to end its title drought.

Derbyshire signs Australia pacer Sean Abbott

Derbyshire County Cricket Club has signed Australian paceman Sean Abbott for the first half of the 2020 season.

The 27-year-old will be available for up to ten County Championship matches, as well as the Vitality Blast group stage, subject to final approvals.

Since making his first-class debut for New South Wales in 2011, the Australia pacer has claimed 137 wickets in 50 first-class matches at an average of 33.10.

Abbott claimed 37 wickets in the 2018-19 Sheffield Shield at an average 22.29 including six in the final against winners Victoria.

In T20 cricket, Abbott has taken 91 wickets in 79 matches across the Big Bash League (BBL), for Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, and the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Abbott was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2018-19 BBL, claiming 22 dismissals at an average of 20.13, while he also finished as runner-up in 2014-15.

For Australia, Abbott has featured in three T20 matches and one ODI, claiming a wicket in both formats.

"We were keen to strengthen our bowling attack and Sean will do just that. He is an international bowler and has a good record across all formats, and that kind of versatility will be key for us next season," Head of Cricket, Dave Houghton said in an official statement.

"I'm really excited to join Derbyshire and have the chance to play some good county cricket with them," Abbott said.

"It's a good mix in the squad and I want to lead from the front and hopefully help the younger lads in their development at the same time, whilst having team success along the way," he added. (ANI)

Gloucestershire Cricket signs Afghanistan's leg-spinner Qais Ahmad

English county club Gloucestershire Cricket has signed Afghanistan leg-spinner Qais Ahmad.

The 19-year-old will play in all of Gloucestershire's Vitality Blast matches in 2020 and will also be a part of the club's County Championship season for the final six matches of the campaign.

Ahmad is elated over his signing for Gloucestershire Cricket.

"I am extremely happy to have signed for Gloucestershire for the T20 Blast and then the County Championship. It is a great honour for me to join Gloucestershire after they had such a successful 2019," said Ahmad in a statement on Wednesday.

"Having played T20 cricket around the world I have always wanted to play the first-class cricket in England to develop my red-ball skills. I am looking forward to working with Richard Dawson," he said.

"I'm delighted that Qais has agreed to join us for next season as the Club enters its first season in Division One since 2004. We had a very strong season in 2019 and Qais will help take us to the next level in both the long and short formats with his game-changing skills," Gloucestershire Head Coach Richard Dawson said.

"He's one of the most exciting young spinners in the world and I'm looking forward to seeing him add a new dimension to our T20 and County Championship squads," he added.

In February 2019, he was signed by the Hobart Hurricanes for the BBL season. Ahmad took seven wickets in his three matches including a best of 3/33 in the semifinal against the Melbourne Stars, where he bowled one of the balls of the tournament to dismiss Marcus Stoinis.

He made his Test debut for Afghanistan in September this year in their one-off match against Bangladesh where he claimed his first Test wicket by scalping Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Ahmad was drafted by the Rajshahi Kings in the 2018/19 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and took six wickets in six matches.

In December 2017 he became the leading wicket-taker for Afghanistan in the U19 Cricket World Cup 2018 with 14 wickets.

Following the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Ahmad as the rising star of the Afghanistan squad.