Lucknow Super Giants pacer Naveen-ul-Haq urges players to brush past the resounding defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders. | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Naveen-ul-Haq urged his team to brush past the resounding defeat it suffered against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL in Lucknow on May 5. “It happens. Every team gets a bad day. All we can do is focus on the next game as this one is in the past. We can’t reverse it however much we think about it. We have to look into the areas we can work on and prepare for the next game,” said Naveen at the post-match press conference. LSG bowlers had a day to forget as KKR became the first team to register a 200+ score in an IPL game at the Ekana Stadium. Naveen, who was LSG’s best bowler with figures of three for 49 in four overs, admitted that Sunday’s surface favoured the batters, while also conceding that his team’s batting performance left a lot to desire. “In the games we have played here, I think this was the best wicket to bat on. It wasn’t stopping or gripping. They bowled well and we didn’t. We didn’t quite do the same thing we did in the chases we pulled off,” said the Afghan pacer.

Upgrade: The side pitches have improved thanks to the injection of synthetic fibres into the surface. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Soon after the ODI World Cup got over last year, the officials at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) had a discussion with the players on how to improve the practice facilities. The players stated that with too much cricket happening throughout the year, there was quite a bit of wear and tear on the practice pitches, which needed urgent attention. Led by Indian Premier League’s Governing Council chairman Arun Dhumal, the HPCA decided to install four hybrid pitches on the square of the scenic venue at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, and SISGrass, a UK-based synthetic turf manufacturer, was tasked with the project. Under the guidance of former England international Paul Taylor, his team worked round the clock from the second week of March this year and injected five per cent synthetic fibres into the natural surface to ensure the pitches were stronger and ready before the Indian Premier League. “During a game, your centre wicket is always protected, but the load is high on the side wickets that are used for practice sessions. So, our objective was to provide good practice wickets to the teams and that’s why we decided to use this technology,” Dhumal told The Hindu on Monday. “The soil binding remains the same, the quality of the grass improves and the wickets are better. With this, we can take care of any wear and tear on the surface. For now, we have used this technology only for practice pitches and if and when the ICC gives approval for it to be used in international games, we will react accordingly,” he said. The players from Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings had long sessions over the last few days and according to Dhumal, the players were happy with the practice pitches and ‘did not even realise that there is five per cent fibre injected into it’. According to Taylor, “We use polyethylene monofilament fibre and the fundamental thing that is different about our pitch, is that it’s still 95 percent a natural turf surface.”

File photo of Indian women captain Harmanpreet Kaur. | Photo Credit: The Hindu India continued its dominant run against Bangladesh with a 56-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis method in the rain curtailed fourth women’s T20 in Sylhet on May 6. A late start and then over an hour-long delay due to persistent rain and hail meant that the contest had to be shortened. Harmanpreet Kaur (38) and Richa Ghosh (24) shared a 44-run stand to help India post 122 for six Bangladesh after persistent rain reduced the contest to 14 overs a side. The hosts had to chase 125 in 14 overs under the DLS method to secure the first win of the series. But the batters, barring opener Dilara Akter (21), Rubya Haider (13) and Shorifa Khatun (11 not out), failed to reach double digits as Bangladesh kept losing wickets in clusters. India handed a maiden debut to 33-year-old leg-spinner Asha Sobhana, who returned with figures of two for 18 in three overs. Senior all-rounder Deepti Sharma picked up two wickets, while Radha Yadav and pacer Pooja Vastrakar took a wicket each as India restricted Bangladesh to 68 for seven. India now leads the five match series 4-0. Earlier, playing her 300th international game, Harmanpreet was involved in a crucial partnership with the big-hitting Richa (24) to boost India’s total. The duo came out after the rain break with positive intent and shared as many as eight boundaries and a six in a span of 28 deliveries. India lost opener Shafali Verma (2) early on. Shorifa Khatun bowled a fuller length ball and the opener tried to clear the in-field but couldn’t middle it as the ball went flying in the hands of Ritu Moni at extra cover. Dayalan Hemlatha (22) smashed a couple of fours and sixes before her rampage was stopped by Marufa Akter, who trapped the Indian leg before wicket. Play was stopped with India at 48/2 in 5.5 overs. Smriti Mandhana (22) restarted the game by hitting a classy boundary. But the opener, who looked scratchy throughout her innings, couldn’t stay in the middle for long, falling victim to Rabeya Khan. That is when Ghosh (24) and Kaur joined forces to inflate India’s total before Ghosh was caught at long off. Kaur to was run out in the last over.