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Seamer’s quad stiffness the latest injury setback for England after they lost Topley for the entire World Cup

Tristan Lavalette21-Oct-2022England seamer Chris Woakes is in doubt for the side’s T20 World Cup opener against Afghanistan as he battles quad stiffness. His injury might further stretch England’s options in the powerplay and the death.After England were rocked this week by the loss of in-form seamer Reece Topley for the entire tournament, Woakes was tipped to be a starter for the clash on Saturday at Perth’s pace-friendly Optus Stadium.But he faces a race against time to be fit and went through what appeared to be a fitness test on the ground on Friday afternoon. Under the watchful eyes of England’s medicos, Woakes had an intense workout, including several sharp sprints, while just metres away left-armer Tymal Mills – who replaced Topley in the squad having recovered from a toe injury that had sidelined him in recent months – marked his run-up, adding to the intrigue.”He [Woakes] is not someone you’d want to take a risk on. But I think he’s feeling good,” England captain Jos Buttler said. “He’ll take full part in training today and hopefully pulls up well.”He’s obviously a key player for us.”Related

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Woakes looms as an especially important cog of the attack during the powerplay. He issued a reminder during the third T20I against Australia in Canberra that he might be England’s best new-ball bowler with three wickets, including Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh with the first two deliveries of the innings.Woakes has endured an injury-riddled year, including surgery on his left knee, before returning in style recently in Pakistan. In the seventh T20I, he claimed 3 for 26, including Babar Azam in the first over, helping England to a big victory.In that match he also claimed Shan Masood in the penultimate over to further showcase his versatility at the death. He won’t be easy to replace if ruled out with Mills, David Willey and Chris Jordan fighting for a berth alongside speedster Mark Wood and Sam Curran, who starred against Australia with clutch death bowling marked by canny slower deliveries.While Woakes and Topley were originally earmarked to be England’s new-ball bowlers, Willey could now be a powerplay option along with Ben Stokes, who recently returned to T20Is after an 18-month absence.England have already been dealing with the headache of losing Topley on tournament eve, in what is a significant blow, given his flexibility and versatility to bowl at every phase.”We’re all so bitterly disappointed for him,” Buttler said of Topley, whose 17 T20I wickets is the most by an England bowler this year.”The amount of setbacks he has had already in his career…to come back and be in the position he’s in on the eve of a tournament, being in such great form, and to have that cruelly taken away from him is really tough.”Even though England have entered the tournament with bad injury luck, much like 12 months ago, there is an air of confidence in their camp that has been evident since they initially arrived in Perth earlier in the month.It manifested in an impressive series victory over Australia, which probably would have been a clean sweep if not for a washout in Canberra, but Buttler has managed expectations in his first major tournament in charge.”Far from it,” Buttler said when asked if he believed England were favourites, preferring to give the tag to Australia. “I think we’re a dangerous team who have players who can win games on their own and that’s a huge thing in T20 cricket.”We have plenty of options as to whichever way we want to go. I’m very confident in the team.”

Yorkshire left to rue first-innings failures as gutsy defence of 162 falls just short

ECB Reporters Network14-Sep-2022Essex made heavy weather of chasing 162 either side of tea but Shane Snater’s aggressive unbeaten 65 secured a thrilling one-wicket LV= Insurance County Championship win over Yorkshire inside three days at Headingley.Essex took eight wickets during the first half of the day to bowl Yorkshire out for 252 in their second innings, including three apiece for leg-spinner Matt Critchley and fast bowler Jamie Porter (four for 64).But they later slipped from 51 for two to 64 for six in a crazy 13-ball evening spell, in which veteran seamer Steve Patterson struck three times for the hosts.Patterson, who has not been offered a new contract beyond this season, following 17 years of first-team cricket, finished with a brilliant five for 46, including the ninth wicket with the scores level.But Snater heaved Ben Coad through midwicket to secure 20 points for his side – their sixth win of the campaign.Snater, who also hit 46 in the first innings, successfully turned Essex defence into attack amidst a nail-biting finish. Essex are now four points behind Lancashire with two to play.Battling Yorkshire, meanwhile, lost for the fourth time this season and are not yet out of relegation danger after only taking three points. Their position will be clearer when Warwickshire versus Somerset finishes on Thursday.They started the day on 87 for two in their second innings, trailing by four, and were bowled out for 252 midway through the afternoon, as Critchley and Porter combined to good effect.As impressive as Patterson was with the ball, Coad’s third-day contribution was just as significant in taking this game down to the wire.
But perhaps not in the way you would expect.The new-ball seamer, who earlier in this match took his 200th first-class cricket, crashed a entertaining 69 off 70 balls with 10 fours and a six over midwicket to give himself and his bowling colleagues something to work with. He later struck twice with the ball.Five morning wickets, including two for Critchley, left Yorkshire 158 for seven and with a lead of 69 after they resumed on 87 for two.Young opener Fin Bean had been trapped lbw by a Porter yorker for 53, his maiden first-class fifty in only his second game.But Coad changed things. He dominated an eighth-wicket partnership of 80 with Matthew Revis, the highest stand of the match. And his score was the highest individual score of the fixture as well.He played a stand and deliver innings, taking the view, ‘If it’s up, it’s off’.He was then bowled by one that skidded through from Critchley, while Porter claimed two of the last three wickets to fall to leave Essex with 52 overs of batting to do before close.The last of those wickets was Patterson caught behind. He had earlier received a warm ovation from the Headingley faithful as he walked to the crease. But it wasn’t as warm as the one he received as he left the field to get a breather with four wickets under his belt after tea.Given Essex’s caution in the early stages of their chase, Yorkshire’s hopes remained high.Jordan Thompson had Nick Browne caught at third slip before tea and Tom Westley sliced Patterson to backward point shortly after, leaving the score at 35 for two in the 20th over.Then came the turnaround as Patterson wheeled away from the Howard Stand End and Coad from Kirkstall Lane.Patterson yorked Dan Lawrence playing to leg and superbly held a one-handed diving return catch later in the 26th over – 51 for four.Coad then trapped Feroze Khushi lbw and Patterson got a flashing Cook caught at slip. Essex were six down 98 short of their target.By now, Essex had realised they had to break the chain and started to attack. And it worked, but not before George Hill had Adam Rossington caught at short midwicket (93 for seven).Snater powered Patterson for six over long-on and later showed finesse by twice steering Thompson to the third-man fence.Snater, who faced 51 balls, dominated an eighth-wicket partnership of 63 with Allison and reached a 38-ball fifty, by which time Essex needed only 20 and the game was seemingly back in their control.But Coad got Allison caught behind and then Patterson bowled Sam Cook, leaving Essex 161 for nine and scores level. But Snater held his nerve to hit the winning run to cap a remarkable conclusion.

He has not been charged or issued any show cause notice with PCB’s General Manager Legal Salman Naseer confirming that his appearance was “nothing out of the ordinary”

Umar Farooq08-Dec-2017Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) anti-corruption unit (ACU) summoned Mohammad Sami as part of their ongoing investigation into the PSL spot-fixing scandal and will assess the information gleaned from the player on Friday afternoon to determine a further plan of action.Sami has not been charged or issued any show cause notice with PCB’s General Manager Legal Salman Naseer confirming that his appearance was “nothing out of the ordinary”, and that he was not being investigated for any wrongdoing.The investigation into alleged attempts to corrupt the PSL had already led to the arrests of former Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed in UK, who was released on bail afterwards. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were banned for five years each on various corruption charges while Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Nawaz were banned for one year (six months suspended) and two months respectively due to a failure to report corrupt approaches. Shahzaib Hasan is currently defending himself in front of a PCB tribunal over two charges of corruption.”The PCB’s anti-corruption unit summoned Sami as a part of their investigation,” Naseer said while talking to media after the meeting. “He was called for questioning and to obtain information which he has given. He is now going to play a T20 league in the UAE while Col Azam (ACU head) will be assessing the information and will determine if there is any need to investigate any further based on information we got from him.”The meeting was nothing out of the ordinary and such summons are commonplace. It is nothing significant, it was just a notice of demand seeking some information. When a show cause notice is handed to a player, then it is something to worry about so you can relax now.”Sami, 36 and recently retained by Islamabad Untied for the third PSL season, was in Dhaka representing Rajshahi Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League. He last played for Pakistan in the World T20, where he picked up four wickets from three matches.The National Crime Agency (NCA) in UK is simultaneously investigating the spot-fixing case and the PCB’s own investigation is working closely with them. The NCA had already been helping the PCB in their probe of the PSL, providing evidence on the two central figures in the fixing saga – Jamshed and bookmaker Yousaf Anwar – who are based in England. During the PCB’s tribunal proceedings against Sharjeel and Latif, NCA’s operation manager Andrew Ephgrave had appeared before the three-man tribunal via Skype video call to record his statement.

Allrounder earns reappraisal from Anderson after crucial match-turning innings

Osman Samiuddin02-Jul-2022You’d think an allrounder who averages over 35 with the bat and under 25 with the ball (and takes four wickets per Test) across 60 Tests might not need the validation of a century to boost his confidence. You’d think Ravindra Jadeja might not need that boost of confidence. You’d be wrong.Jadeja’s first Test hundred outside India, and especially because it was in England, is one that he will draw from. “I’m feeling really good, to do it outside India, especially in England to hit a hundred as a player is a really big thing,” he said. “I can really take some confidence in myself as a player from this, to score a hundred in England, in swinging conditions, so yeah it feels really good.”The innings was overshadowed by Rishabh Pant’s 111-ball 146 but was marked by a discipline and sense of game-management that spoke of the work of a proper batter. Which is precisely what James Anderson identified as a shift from previous encounters with Jadeja – and the pair have, of course, history.”In the past he was coming at 8, bat with the tail so he had to chance his arm a little bit,” Anderson said, “whereas now at 7 he can bat like a proper batter. He leaves really well and made it difficult for us.””In England you have play close to the body,” Jadeja added. “The ball swings here so if you look to play the cover- or square-drive there is a chance you can edge to the cordon. My focus was to initially not play at too many balls outside off-stump.”When the cover or point is vacant there is a temptation to hit the ball through that area for a boundary, but then you can get out in the slips. My thought was only to hit the ball that was really close to me and to hit it straight. Luckily, all the balls that I picked were in my areas and converted them into boundaries. If you know where your off-stump is, then you can leave the balls outside that line.”And Anderson’s assessment?”See, when you score runs, everyone says they think of themselves as a proper batter. But I’ve always tried to give myself time at the crease, to set a partnership with whoever is at the crease, to play with him. It’s nice Jimmy Anderson has realised that after 2014… so I’m happy.”Facing opposition bowlers is one thing but long partnerships with a batter like Pant brings its own questions and decisions. The pair put on a record 222 and Jadeja said that, while batting with Pant, he understood Rahul Dravid’s line about the difficulties of batting with Virender Sehwag: such was Sehwag’s attacking game that it was difficult for the partner to not get swept alongside in a similar vein.”Yes totally,” he said. “A little pressure goes off because he’s hitting every bowler in the same way. He wasn’t leaving anyone alone. At the non-striker’s end it feels good because they then don’t focus too much on me.Related

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“But as a batsman you still have to come to [a place like] England and concentrate and focus because it is never easy here. You’re playing on 50 or 70 and you can get a good ball anytime. Me and Rishabh were talking about this, that we just try and put on a long partnership. When I came to bat we had to take the team to a good position and really had to put some effort in. Hopefully we’ve put a good total on the board.”With England 84 for 5 at the close of a rain-hit second day, that total of 416 was looking even more imposing. Three fast bowlers have done all the bowling and the wicket-taking thus far, but with England’s engine room this summer of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes at the crease, it may be that Jadeja’s second suit is called upon as well.”It might be that I have no role to play at all which will be a good thing,” he said. “The way our four fast bowlers are bowling, Bumrah, Shami, Siraj and Shardul, I want that I don’t have a role. That’ll be best for the team.”My job is to do whatever the team needs me to do. As an allrounder, sometimes the situation is that you need to make runs and save the team and help them win. In bowling you sometimes have to provide the breakthroughs and break partnerships or chip in with one or two wickets. I consider myself only a team player who does whatever the team needs.”

Macgill is the board’s “No. 1 choice” for spin-bowling coach, while Ramanayake is discussing a role as bowling coach in the High Performance Center

Mohammad Isam30-Jul-2017Stuart MacGill, the former Australia legspinner, is the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s “No. 1 choice” for spin-bowling coach, while Champaka Ramanayake, the former Sri Lanka fast bowler, is in talks with the board for the role of bowling coach at the High Performance Center.”We are in discussion with Champaka Ramanayake for the HP unit on a long-term contract,” Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president said after a board meeting in Dhaka on Sunday. “Our first choice for the spin-bowling coach is Stuart MacGill, initially for three months.”We had spoken to 10-12 coaches for the spin-bowling role, almost all of whom responded and are interested. We have shortlisted two coaches for bowling coach positions. We haven’t had an agreement with either.”The position of spin coach has been left vacant since Ruwan Kalpage’s resignation last year. Venkatapathy Raju, the former India spinner, has, however, worked as a consultant. Earlier this year, talks between Sunil Joshi and the BCB didn’t materialise.Mark O’Neill, meanwhile, joined the Bangladesh team as batting consultant on Sunday on a one-month contract. “Mark O’Neill has come for just a month. We are looking at improving our lower-order batsmen, which we struggled with during the Champions Trophy,” Hasan said. “We heard he is quite good at working with the bowling machine. We might extend his contract with mutual consent.”Contracts of the national selectors were also extended by a year, although at least one selector may be sent to the junior panel soon.

With India needing eight runs to win, Sri Lanka fans, clearly displeased with their team’s show, began to throw plastic bottles into the ground causing a 35-minute disruption

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Aug-20173:52

Maharoof: Crowd behavior unacceptable

Bottle-flinging fans in Pallekele caused a 35-minute disruption, and prompted the intervention of riot police, in the closing stages of India’s six-wicket victory on Sunday. In the 44th over of India’s innings, plastic bottles began to be thrown from the two grass embankments that flank the ground – many of these projectiles made their way on to the playing area. Ground staff were seen clearing the bottles, but more continued to be flung, thereby forcing the Sri Lanka fielders to move to the centre of the field in order to avoid being hit.At one stage, there was doubt as to whether the match could even be concluded, because the bottle-throwing persisted for so long. Having spent about 20 idle minutes near the pitch – MS Dhoni even finding time for a nap – players eventually shook hands and made their way off the field. Later, however, after the embankments were cleared of spectators, match referee Andy Pycroft decided the match could continue. India required only seven further deliveries to close out the game.This is the second crowd-related incident in Sri Lanka in the space of two years. In 2015, a fight between two groups of fans had broken out in the stands at Khettarama, and had subsequently degenerated into stone-throwing. That incident had also caused a disruption of play, though on that occasion, no projectiles had been thrown towards the players.Earlier in the month, fans in Dambulla had also held up the team bus in order to voice their displeasure after the first ODI. That incident, however, had not been marked by any violence.

The BCCI has said it is getting closer to narrowing down its list of difficulties in implementing the Lodha Committee’s reforms to “three or four”

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2017The BCCI has said it is getting closer to narrowing down its list of difficulties in implementing the Lodha Committee’s reforms to “three or four”. The seven-member panel set up by the BCCI to study their implementation met on Saturday, and achieved a “huge amount of unanimity”, according to its convener, the BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary.The panel is set to meet again on July 7, when it will look to finalise a report that it will present before a Special General Meeting (SGM) that the BCCI will have to conduct before July 14, when the Supreme Court will next hear the case. Following the SGM, the BCCI will hand over its final list of difficulties to the Committee of Administrators, the court-appointed panel tasked with running the BCCI until fresh elections under the Lodha guidelines.”I can tell you that there was a huge amount of unanimity among all members including [Cricket Association of Bengal president] Sourav Ganguly, who was present through Skype,” Choudhary said on Saturday.He added that the members had agreed unanimously on “six or seven” points, but did not want to reveal what they were until they had been narrowed down to a final “three or four”. He indicated that the unanimously agreed-upon areas of difficulty were ones the BCCI had already spoken about in the past.The board is understood to be inclined to incorporate most of the Lodha committee’s recommendations, except for policies such as the age cap of 70 years for office bearers, the tenure cap of nine years with cooling-off periods in between, the one-state-one-vote policy, and the trimming down of the number of selectors from five to three.”I could well do that [reveal the six or seven areas of difficulty], but I think all of you know it,” Choudhary said. “We are trying to reduce the gamut of difficulties to three or four, and in that exercise we have succeeded very substantially today. The small bits which are left we will finish them [on July 7].”[By then,] instead of talking about 5-6-7 points, I’m certain that I will be talking about three or four only. The other three will unnecessarily get attention [otherwise].”Choudhary was confident the BCCI would be able to conduct a Special General Meeting (SGM) before July 14.”I’m sure you’ll have a copy of that one-page document which states clearly, delineates, that the honourable Supreme Court of India’s next date on the subject is the 14th of July,” Choudhary said. “It also says that we have to dispose this matter expeditiously, and it’s a matter of urgent nature. We exhausted the dictionary, so to say, and we are acting upon it.”On the question of Niranjan Shah’s presence in the BCCI’s committee, Choudhary clarified that the former Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) president was only part of it as a “special invitee” rather than one of the seven full members. Shah is at present disqualified from holding office either in the BCCI or any of its state associations since he is over the stipulated age limit of 70. Choudhary dismissed any confusion over Shah’s role in the panel as an issue of “semantics”.”He’s a special invitee,” Choudhary said. “You are getting into semantics. By trying to distinguish between the technical status of a person who’s attending the meeting… I have answered your question, whether he is a member or an invitee. I said he’s an invitee.”

England opener has agreed a white-ball only contract with Nottinghamshire until the end of the 2019 season

George Dobell20-Feb-2018Alex Hales has become the latest England player to choose a future as a white-ball specialist.Just days after Adil Rashid announced he would play only white-ball cricket for Yorkshire this season, Hales has agreed a white-ball only contract with Nottinghamshire until the end of the 2019 season. A club statement clarifies: “He will not play red-ball cricket.”While Hales and Rashid had both lost their places in England’s Test team (Hales played the last of his 11 Tests against Pakistan in August 2016), a recall for either of them was far from impossible. Hales had been considered for a place in the Ashes squad and will have noted that none of his rivals took the opportunity to make that spot their own.But with the growth in T20 leagues promising a lucrative future for those with the talent – and Hales, as the first England player to make a T20I century and, until recently, the holder of the highest score by an England batsman in an ODI, clearly has the talent – he may have concluded that the benefits of improvement in red-ball cricket do not match the rewards for his continued success in white-ball cricket. He may also have reasoned that the ability to concentrate on white-ball skills without the complications or demands of red-ball cricket would allow him greater scope for improvement.It might also be relevant that Hales missed out on an IPL deal this year. If he can demonstrate improved T20 form – and assure potential bidders that he will not be required to leave the tournament early to report for county duty – he will surely make himself more attractive to potential suitors in future years.”Alex is entitled to make himself available for whatever format he wants to play, and we respect his decision,” Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, Mick Newell, said. “He’s an outstanding white-ball player and we look forward to him helping us win more trophies in that format of the game.”Hales had previously vowed to reinvent himself as a middle-order batsman in first-class cricket. Having accepted that his game was just a little loose for the demands of opening, he had talked of moving back down the order – it had always been his preferred place to bat in first-class cricket – and aiming for a spot in England’s Test middle-order. The reality of that, however – long days in the field; long days working on technique and negotiating the moving ball in early-season conditions without any guarantee of success – has lost out to the possibilities presented by a future as a limited-overs specialist.”For the next 18 months I’m excited to focus entirely on limited-overs cricket,” Hales said in a post on his Twitter account. “The decision to focus on my white-ball game wasn’t taken lightly or on the spur of the moment; it’s one I’ve thought long and hard about. It’s also one I’ve discussed at length with the Notts management. I’d like to thank them for their continued support.”While Hales and Rashid have been at pains to state they have not retired from red-ball cricket, this news will reinforce the impression that the first-class game faces an uncertain future. Struggling to attract crowds (in many parts of the world, at least) and often more demanding of the participants, it is now clearly struggling to retain some of its more attractive players. The suspicion remains that, once the 2019 World Cup is finished, the 50-over game, may also struggle to retain the involvement of the best players.All of which leaves the obvious question: who is next? The attractions of specialising in limited-overs cricket, for fast bowlers in particular, are obvious.

Neser, Hogan claim four wickets each as Derbyshire make 368

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2022David Lloyd led from the front as Glamorgan fought back on the second day of the LV=Insurance County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire at Derby.After Michael Hogan and Michael Neser each took four wickets to bowl Derbyshire out for 368, the Glamorgan captain scored 84 from 104 balls, sharing an opening stand of 103 with Andrew Salter.Marnus Labuschagne made an unbeaten 53 and Sam Northeast 49 as Glamorgan closed on 240 for 4, 128 runs behind.Glamorgan’s bowlers completed the recovery started by the second new ball on the previous evening with Neser striking in the second over of the morning.Mattie McKiernan edged a defensive push into the gloves of Chris Cooke and Neser continued to cause problems in tandem with Timm van der Gugten.The runs dried up until a wayward spell by James Harris from the Racecourse End relieved the pressure on Leus du Plooy and Anuj Dal.Harris leaked 22 runs in four overs and the seventh wicket pair had added 50 before the belated introduction of Hogan broke through.The 40-year-old found just enough away movement to have Dal taken at first slip and du Plooy followed two overs before lunch when he was lbw shuffling across to the off-spin of Salter.The game meandered after the interval with Derbyshire adding only eight more runs in seven overs with Suranga Lakmal’s attempt to raise the tempo by hitting Salter over the top ending in a well-judged catch by Labuschagne running back at midwicket.When Neser had Ryan Sidebottom snared at first slip, Derbyshire had lost their last eight wickets for 92 runs which was a disappointing decline on a good batting pitch.Even so, it was still a total that could put pressure on Glamorgan if they lost early wickets but Lloyd and Salter batted watchfully before accelerating in the afternoon sunshine.Salter survived a big appeal for a catch behind off Sam Conners but the makeshift opener grew into the role as the pair passed Glamorgan’s previous best opening stand this season of 41.Lloyd drove fluently to reach 50 from 79 balls and Salter swept Alex Thomson’s off-spin for four to bring up the century stand in the 26th over.But a farcical mix-up in the same over gifted Derbyshire a wicket when Salter set off a second run and found himself stranded at the same end as his captain.Lloyd looked in no mood to throw his wicket away but after driving Conners for three fours in an over, he went for another big drive at Dal and Wayne Madsen held a sharp catch at slip.Madsen has been one of the best slip fielders on the county circuit but he missed several chances in the previous home game against Sussex and he spilled another catch here to reprieve Northeast.Conners was the unlucky bowler as Madsen failed to hold on at second slip with Northeast on 5 and the score 126 for 2.That was proving to be costly as Labuschagne and Northeast added 93 in 22 overs but Madsen responded by beating Northeast’s attempted sweep.Labuschagne drove Madsen over the ropes at long on but Kiran Carlson edged a loose drive at Lakmal to leave the match finely poised

The Australian batsman was unfazed by the prospect of a law that could put a limit on bat sizes

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-20170:51

David Warner on the proposal to restrict bat sizes

David Warner, who is likely to be among the batsmen impacted if the MCC’s proposal to limit bat sizes is passed into law, has said playing with a slimmer piece of willow would not to make too much of a difference to his game.”We’re just going to have to adapt to the changes,” Warner said on Saturday. “And, you know what, the ball’s still going to go the same distance, the ball will still go to the fence, and we’re still going to get our ones and twos, and the odd nick might not carry this time.”Warner’s T20 bat reportedly measures 85mm at its thickest part. Under the proposed rule, bats will be limited to a thickness of 67mm at the spine and 40mm at the edge.Warner reckoned that these limits would force a number of batsmen to trim down their bats. He said he had been to his bat-maker to have his bats checked by a gauge, and that even the bats from the start of his career did not go through it. He still reckoned he would cope with a slimmer bat, referencing the double-sided model he had used a few years ago in domestic T20 cricket.”I was down there previously, about six months ago, and I had a look, and we put a whole various range of bats, from when I started and a few other guys started, and I’m not sure if they were the correct measurements , but they weren’t going through the measurement thing they were doing,” he said. “But at the end of the day they’ve got to govern that as well.”For us, we’ve just got to use whatever the bat-maker brings us, but remember, I used a double-sized bat which wasn’t even 30 mils or 40 mils. I used that quite well as well.”