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Full text of Michael Clarke’s tribute to Phillip Hughes at the funeral in Macksville on December 3

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-20145:24

Michael Clarke farewells Phillip Hughes

I’m deeply honoured to have been asked by Phillip’s family to speak today. I am humbled to be in the presence of you, his family, his friends and his community. He was so proud of Macksville and it is easy to see why today.Taken from the game, his family and loved ones at the age of just 25, he left a mark on our game that needs no embellishment. I don’t know about you, but I keep looking for him. I know it is crazy but I expect any minute to take a call from him or to see his face pop around the corner. Is this what we call the spirit? If so, then his spirit is still with me. And I hope it never leaves.I walked to the middle of the SCG on Thursday night, those same blades of grass beneath my feet where he and I and so many of his mates here today have built partnerships, taken chances and lived out the dreams we paint in our heads as boys.The same stands where the crowds rose to their feet to cheer him on and that same fence he sent the ball to time and time again. And it is now forever the place where he fell. I stood there at the wicket, I knelt down and touched the grass, I swear he was with me. Picking me up off my feet to check if I was okay. Telling me we just needed to dig in and get through to tea. Telling me off for that loose shot I played. Chatting about what movie we might watch that night. And then passing on a useless fact about cows.I could see him swagger back to the other end, grin at the bowler, and call me through for a run with such a booming voice, a bloke in the car park would hear it. The heart of a man who lived his life for this wonderful game we play, and whose soul enriched not just our sport, but all of our lives.Is this what indigenous Australians believe about a person’s spirit being connected with the land upon which they walk? If so, I know they are right about the SCG.His spirit has touched it and it will forever be a sacred ground for me. I can feel his presence there and I can see how he has touched so many people around the world. The tributes to him from cricket lovers kept me going.The photos, the words, the prayers and the sense of communion in this loss from people across the globe have shown me his spirit is in action. It has sustained me and overwhelmed me in equal measure. And the love of my band of baggy green and gold brothers and sisters have held me upright when I thought I could not proceed.His spirit has brought us closer together – something I know must be him at work because it is so consistent with how he played and lived. He always wanted to bring people together and he always wanted to celebrate his love for the game and its people.Is this what we call the spirit of cricket? From the little girl in Karachi holding a candlelight tribute to masters of the game like Tendulkar, Warne and Lara, showing their grief to the world, the spirit of cricket binds us all together. We feel it in the thrill of a cover drive. Or the taking of a screamer at gully, whether by a 12-year-old boy in Worcester or by Brendon McCullum in Dubai. It is in the brilliant hundred or five-wicket haul, just as significant to the players in a Western Suburbs club game as it is in a Test match.The bonds that lead to cricketers from around the world putting their bats out, that saw people who didn’t even know Phillip lay flowers at the gates of Lord’s, and that brought every cricketing nation on earth to make its own heartfelt tribute.The bonds that saw players old and new rush to his bedside. From wherever they heard the news to say their prayers and farewells. This is what makes our game the greatest game in the world. Phillip’s spirit, which is now part of our game forever, will act as a custodian of the sport we all love.We must listen to it. We must cherish it. We must learn from it. We must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on.So rest in peace my little brother. I’ll see you out in the middle.

England’s top order was not entirely convincing on the opening day of their warm-up match against a New Zealand XI in Queenstown

Andrew McGlashan in Queenstown27-Feb-2013
ScorecardJimmy Neesham picked up four wickets, including that of Kevin Pietersen•Getty ImagesEngland’s top order was not entirely convincing on the opening day of their warm-up match against a New Zealand XI in Queenstown, but Ian Bell’s hundred ensured they posted a reasonably healthy 357 for 7 while Jimmy Neesham was the most successful of the bowlers, taking 4 for 65.Bell played neatly during the one-day series but before this match spoke of the importance of shifting tempos between the formats. He did as he said, playing out periods where the bowling was tight and picking off the loose deliveries. Although the bowling was inconsistent at times, these were not freebie runs.His hundred, his second in consecutive first-class innings dating back to the Nagpur Test, came in the final half an hour of the day when he cover-drove his 13th boundary, to bring hearty applause from a small group of England supporters on the grass banks. He then expressed himself with a string of crisp fours. After his problems early on the India tour, with the distraction of waiting for the birth of his child, he now looks a batsman at ease again.”Some of the one-day wickets we’ve played on here have been absolutely flat,” Bell said. “So to play on a wicket a little bit more in the bowlers’ favour was a good test – and it was nice to come through that. There’s enough grass on there, a lot left on that pitch, so I think the new ball will be key. There was just enough seam movement all day, and I hope it will be the same throughout the game.”The five frontline bowlers in the opposition have all played for New Zealand at international level and the seam bowling in particular kept England on their toes. Nick Compton and Kevin Pietersen, two of the players who have joined for the Test leg, fell in the morning session during which there was movement for the pacemen on a well-grassed surface.It may well be a sign of things to come. Like in England there can often be some early help, but as the ball grew softer and the day warmer, batting became easier. At times the main issue for the batsmen was a plane landing at the neighbouring airport. The opportunities for that perfect picture were plentiful.By opening with Compton, England confirmed that there will not be any changes to the top seven on duty for the Test series. They also rested James Anderson and Steven Finn, leaving Stuart Broad and Graham Onions to compete for the final spot in the bowling line-up. That will be the interest for tomorrow.Compton’s 21 continued the trend from India where early hard work was not built into a more substantial innings. Although on this occasion, he received a decent delivery from Neesham, a nippy medium-pacer, which bounced from a length.Jonathan Trott played a loose drive to be caught behind and Neesham’s productive morning continued when he had Pietersen athletically caught by Hamish Rutherford, who grasped a sharp chance above his head. It had been a skittish innings from Pietersen, who did not middle much during his 36-ball stay, but he does not put much stock behind warm-up innings.Alastair Cook fought through the tricky first session, picking off loose deliveries with trademark authority, but after lunch was given a life on 56 when Neil Broom spilled a chance at second slip when the ball burst through his hands, struck his forehead and left him with mild concussion and sizable lump. However, Cook could not build on the let-off and edged a cut against Neil Wagner.Progress slowed as Bell and Joe Root took a cautious approach. Root had 4 off 27 balls before lifting the tempo, showing once again that he can shift comfortably between the formats. By tea he had almost caught up with Bell. The partnership was 97 when Root played inside the line against Carl Cachopa, who has a reputation for a golden-arm in domestic cricket, and lost his off stump.Matt Prior was bustling from the moment he arrived, getting his first boundary with a sweet clip through midwicket, and scored at a run-a-ball during his stay. It was the most fluent batting by the new arrivals and the type of innings he so frequently produces until he lent back on a cut shot and picked out point to hand Neesham his fourth.From New Zealand’s perspective, this match was meant to be between two bowlers – Wagner and Mark Gillespie – with a spot in the Test squad up for grabs, but both were outshone by Neesham, although he is unlikely to be in Test consideration.Wagner, though, picked up his second wicket when Chris Woakes got a leading edge to mid-on as Gillespie remained wicketless and expensive, although he was convinced he had Bell caught behind late in the day.

With Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith missing from the team, Robin Peterson and Hashim Amla have put their hands up to perform advisory roles for AB de Villiers

Firdose Moonda27-May-2013Robin Peterson and Hashim Amla have put their hands up to fill South Africa’s leadership vacuum at the Champions Trophy. In the absence of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers has been left without two of his most important advisors, and the self-confessed uncertain leader will have to rely on other names in a largely inexperienced squad.De Villiers is the most capped player in South Africa’s squad and will shoulder tremendous responsibility in the competition. He will have to captain, keep wicket and be the senior-most batsman in a line-up that includes two players, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy, who are making a return from injury.Although that duo is part of South Africa’s new leadership core – du Plessis is the Twenty20 captain and Duminy is the next most experienced member of the squad – they will doubtlessly have their own form to focus on. It will be up to Peterson and Amla to be de Villiers’ consultants, and both have expressed a willingness to assist.Peterson is South Africa’s first-choice spinner, and his 11 years as an international cricketer will come in handy in pressure situations. “I always take a leadership role where I can and I’d like to continue to do that,’ Peterson told ESPNcricinfo, before the squad left for a training camp in Amsterdam at the weekend. “But we’ve created an environment where everyone is a leader, and I think that’s the secret to [our] success.”However, it is Amla’s desire to contribute as a leader again that may seem surprising. After he stepped down as vice-captain in February, it seemed Amla had walked as far away from seniority as he could. Now he finds it drawing him back in and this time, because the team needs him, he is not likely to shy away from it. “If I find the need to add value in a certain way, then I will go ahead.”We’re in a good space. Most of us are pulling in the right direction. Jacques hasn’t been around the one-day game for the last year or so, so maybe the team has had a taste of it. Graeme’s experience and assistance to AB will be missed but we will conduct ourselves as we normally do and keep building the team.”With a unit still in transition, outgoing coach Gary Kirsten indicated that South Africa do not enter the competition under as much pressure as they usually do. But the players are still smarting from the manner in which they exited the 2011 World Cup and last year’s World T20, and are desperate to prove they can win.”Maybe the expectations of people [are] a bit less, I’m guessing,” Amla said. “But that doesn’t affect the team itself. Every tournament we’ve been to, we’ve been as best prepared as we can and there’s no excuse … you can’t put your finger on why we haven’t won. Obviously, we want to win. We want to send Gary off with a smile and fond memories of the team. It will be great for him to have an expression of the value he has given to us. It’s important for us to win.”Peterson, too, believes South Africa will not be forgiven too many more slip-ups by their fans, especially as Kirsten was thought to be the man who could change their fortunes. “There is no less pressure than going to any other world event,” he said. “It’s going to be very tough for us, especially because a lot of [the] guys [are] going to their first world event, but this is a different team from 2011. We have grown significantly since then. Gary has added a whole new dimension.”Careful following of processes is Kirsten’s biggest legacy and Peterson believes the self-belief Kirsten has gifted the unit will change the way South Africa’s Achilles’ heel often operates. “People talk a lot about our middle order, but they are mentally tougher than people give them credit for,” he said. “It will be great to see them out there doing what they are capable of and winning matches for us.”

Dhaka Gladiators were too powerful for a depleted Khulna Royal Bengals in the BPL opener

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2013
ScorecardFlashes of spectacular cricket marked the first innings of BPL’s second season but the difference in strength between the star-studded Dhaka Gladiators and the hastily gathered Khulna Royal Bengals, who played with just one foreign player, was stark. Owais Shah’s blast with the bat and Mosharraf Hossain’s good form with the ball exacerbated the difference and Dhaka’s margin of victory in Mirpur was 62 runs.After faring poorly for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, Shah found form immediately in Bangladesh, hammering six sixes and four fours in his 48-ball 84. He targeted the on-side in his typical method, using the angles even while lofting the ball. Shah added 90 runs for the third wicket with Anamul Haque, who batted with utmost freedom against a bowling attack that lacked direction.Anamul scored 50 off 39 balls with four boundaries and three sixes, and thrived on Shah’s aggression at the other end. He was caught off Dolar Mahmud in the 15th over, letting Shakib Al Hasan take the crease for the first time since he suffered a shin injury in late November. He blasted his first ball for six over wide mid-on, and gave support to Shah in their 64-run stand for the fourth wicket. Shakib was unbeaten on 27 off 14 balls.Royal Bengals depended a lot on Riki Wessels and though he delivered a 23-ball 30, it was never enough when the asking rate was above ten an over. When he fell in the ninth over with his team on 67, Khulna lost their way, with Mohammad Mithun and captain Shahriar Nafees also falling on the same score.Left-arm spinner Mosharraf took four wickets, all important ones in the context of the innings, and it masked the gaps in the Dhaka bowling attack, which is based mostly on spin. Asif Ahmed made 29 low in the order, but it was too late in the day to turn the game.

Ajit Chandila, the only Rajasthan Royals player yet to be out on bail in relation to the IPL spot-fixing case, was remanded to judicial custody until July 2.

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2013Ajit Chandila, the only Rajasthan Royals player yet to be out on bail in relation to the IPL spot-fixing case, has been remanded to judicial custody until July 2.A Delhi court had sentenced Chandila to police custody for three days on June 17 and also deferred his bail plea, along with that of five others including former Ranji player Baburao Yadav, till June 22 after being informed by the police that some statements of the bookies arrested in the same case had to be placed on record.The Delhi Police said they had completed their custodial interrogation, following which a vacation judge ruled that Chandila would be sent to Tihar jail for 12 days.Ajit Chandila, Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan were arrested, along with 11 bookies, on May 16 and charged under the Indian Penal Code section 420 and 120B, which deal with fraud, cheating and conspiracy.Sreesanth and Chavan had applied for bail before Chandila and were released from Tihar jail on June 11.

Australia’s selectors and board will deliberate overnight on the choice of captain for Wednesday’s second Test at the Gabba, after Michael Clarke’s frank admission about his clouded future gave all parties reason for pause

Daniel Brettig14-Dec-20143:38

Who can replace unfit Clarke?

Lehmann lauds Lyon

The metaphor was a little mixed but the sentiment was not. Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann spoke warmly of Nathan Lyon’s fifth day efforts in Adelaide, suggested his fourth-innings breakout performance would be the catalyst for many more.
“The big thing is the carrot of not bowling teams out on the last day and he dispelled that,” Lehmann said. “Really pleased for him. It was an emotional day for him.”
Lehmann and the spin coach John Davison worked closely with Lyon at breaks in play on day five, after he also spoke with Shane Warne before play. Lyon can be slow to accept new ideas, but adapted well in Adelaide.
“We told him to bowl around the wicket for a couple of overs [after tea], which was nice,” Lehmann said. “I think he might have had an opportunity there as well. He bowled really well from over the wicket as well but sometimes you have got to change. That is the pleasing thing, that he’s starting to learn the game.”
As former South Australia cricketers, Davison and Lehmann were both confident that wickets would come in a rush at some point of day five. “Lucky enough to have played a bit of cricket in Adelaide, so you know that it does change very quickly in Adelaide the last two days,” Lehmann said. “It is about doing the basics we have been doing all game but knowing it is a bit harder to get 160 in a session. If you can open up an end and get a new bat in, wickets can fall quickly. But credit to India for way they played. Kohli and Vijay were unbelievable.”

Australia’s selectors and board will deliberate overnight on the choice of captain for Wednesday’s second Test at the Gabba, after Michael Clarke’s frank admission about his clouded future gave all parties reason for pause.The longtime deputy Brad Haddin took up the role when Clarke was indisposed by another hamstring injury on the final day in Adelaide, and had been mooted earlier this summer by the team performance manager Pat Howard as his preferred recommendation for stand-in leader.However the uncertain nature of Clarke’s return date beyond the end of the India series, plus the burgeoning leadership skills of Steven Smith in particular, leave the selectors and board to ponder whether now is the time to be thinking longer term than Haddin, given the fact the wicketkeeper has planned for next year’s World Cup and Ashes tour but no further. The coach Darren Lehmann said discussions may stretch beyond Haddin.”He brings experience and his knowledge of the game – really pleased with what he did on the last afternoon,” Lehmann said. “From our point of view we will have to work that out as a selection panel and then go to the board and see what they say. There’s always change, isn’t there, sometimes, you never know.”It will be a case of getting ready for Brisbane with a short turnaround of three days. Outstanding Test match, India were fantastic as well, but we have to move on reasonably quickly, and get prepared for life without the captain for the next few Test matches. I think he will be back. You have your fingers crossed. We will wait and see.”Smith, David Warner and Shane Watson all took turns manoeuvring fielders and cajoling bowlers after tea on day five in Adelaide, where an eight-wicket denouement concluded what Lehmann called “probably the best” Test match he had been involved in. A probable compromise between present and future would be the appointment of Haddin as captain and Smith as deputy, the same roles they shared on the Australia A tour of England in 2013.Clarke was included in Australia’s World Cup preliminary squad of 30, and Lehmann said the selectors had perused tournament regulations, which would allow him to be replaced should his back or hamstring issues rear yet again.”We have already looked at those rules, that’s not the case,” Lehmann said when asked if a pre-existing physical issue would preclude Clarke’s replacement. “For me, we want him fully fit. He knows he has to be fully fit for one-day cricket.”He was magnificent in this Test match and he has been magnificent the last few weeks with what’s happened with our team and what has happened with Phillip and his family. He needs to get it right. He knows that. We know that. One day cricket is an explosive game and we need guys fully fit all the time.”Fitness will also be a point of discussion for Australia’s pacemen, after all of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle looked short of their best in Adelaide. Josh Hazlewood is waiting in the wings, while Mitchell Starc has also been added to the squad for the Gabba. Siddle battled a stomach bug during the early part of the match, while Harris was understandably somewhat ginger in his first Test match after extensive knee surgery.”I don’t know, I literally don’t know, he’s just come back in the side,” Lehmann admitted when asked whether Harris could be back up for Brisbane. “You’d like to think so at the Gabba. Having said that if they are not 100% they won’t play. We might need to [make changes].”We will see how they pull up. If they are 100% they will play. A couple of them are sore but the next day or two will tell. [Siddle] was a little bit unwell first innings. Second innings it was the nature of the game. He bowled tightly which is what we need from him. Getting some more wickets if possible. He knows that but he is doing everything he can behind the scenes.”Another man in the spotlight during the match was the opener Chris Rogers, who has not passed 50 in four Test matches since making a stubborn rearguard hundred against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. While agreeing he needed to find some runs, Lehmann spoke strongly of Rogers’ value as an equable partner for Warner and a useful character around the team.”The thing is he is a great foil for David Warner,” Lehmann said. “That’s what I do like, and we like that as a selection panel. But like everyone, you’ve got to make some runs. He knows he’s got to make some runs. There is no hiding from the fact.”But he has put on some really good partnerships with David Warner over the last 18 months and been a great foil behind the scenes, a lot of things you guys don’t see. So we are really pleased where he’s at, we’d obviously like him to make some more runs though.”

Herschelle Gibbs and Mitchell Marsh provided the batting fireworks before a double-wicket maiden from Ben Edmondson sucked the momentum out of the Stars’ chase

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Herschelle Gibbs was the driving force behind Scorchers’ innings•Getty ImagesPerth Scorchers became the first team to secure a place in the finals of the Big Bash League, and the Champions League T20, after a convincing victory over Shane Warne’s Melbourne Stars at a packed WACA ground. Herschelle Gibbs and Mitchell Marsh provided the fireworks at the start and end of the Scorchers’ innings, before a double-wicket maiden from Ben Edmondson sucked the momentum out of the Stars’ chase. Marsh also chipped in with two wickets and two catches to walk off with the Man-of-the-Match award.In the first half of the chase, Luke Wright and James Faulkner put the Stars on course to overhaul the target of 175, reaching 88 for 2 after ten overs. Enter Edmondson, to swing the match the Scorchers’ way. He had Wright swinging a catch to midwicket before getting the vital wicket of David Hussey for a golden duck courtesy a diving take from wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi. The perfect time for Edmondson to bowl his first maiden of the tournament.There was still plenty of batting to come for the Stars’ but they slipped further off course as Marsh removed Adam Voges and Cameron White in successive overs. Matthew Wade reeled off a few sixes to keep the Stars’ fans hoping, but it proved too tall a target.The Stars’ would have been chasing a more modest total if they had been tighter in the field. Both the Scorchers’ openers, Gibbs and Marcus North, were reprieved early in their innings, though both were difficult chances. Wade then fumbled a simple stumping that would have sent back Paul Collingwood.Gibbs was the driving force behind the Scorchers’ innings till his dismissal in the 17th over. He gave them a bright start by dispatching the first ball of the match through cover for four, and then smashing the first three deliveries of the second to the cover boundary. His stroke-filled innings ended when he top-edged a catch back to the bowler, but there was hardly any slackening of the pace as Marsh clubbed four sixes in the final three overs.The Scorchers now await the winners of Sunday’s clash between Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Sixers in the final, at home next Saturday.

Greg Chappell has criticised Virender Sehwag’s work ethic, calling him one of the great frustrations of his time as India coach

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2012Greg Chappell has criticised Virender Sehwag’s work ethic, calling him one of the great frustrations of his time as India coach. Sehwag’s lackadaisical attitude threatens to squander his great god-given gift, Chappell wrote in the . Chappell coached India from 2005 to 2007, a controversial stint just after which Sehwag was dropped from the national side.Sehwag made a stirring comeback from that low, but is currently in an extended lean patch. His last Test century came in November 2010, but outside the subcontinent that date extends back to January 2008. His fitness and fielding have been a worry for the team management, and he has played only 13 ODIs since the World Cup, with only two innings of note – the double-century and a 96 against Sri Lanka.Sehwag was “rested” for India’s second league game in World Twenty20, one of India’s more complete T20 performances. That has brought Sehwag’s form into focus once again. “To say that Viru was one of the great frustrations of my time with the team is an understatement,” Chappell wrote. “Sadly, he continues to disappoint and is in danger of squandering his God-given talent. The person who is least likely to be fazed by all of this is Virender himself.”What I soon learned about him was that Viru did not want to dedicate himself to taking his talent to its zenith. He was happy to turn up and play and accept what came his way. No amount of cajoling from me could shift him from his insouciant way.”Only lack of runs, according to Chappell, could make Sehwag work hard, but that wouldn’t last. “This often happens to those with the greatest gift,” Chappell wrote. “Because he had never had to work hard at developing such a skill, Viru did not know how to dedicate himself to disciplined training. It was only during periods of relative poor form that he was prepared to spend time getting things back on track. As soon as he made some runs he slipped back into old habits and appeared content to practise in the same old profligate way; until his form evaporated again.”Chappell also spoke of a lack of responsibility and fitness. “The other area of frustration for me was that he did not keep himself in good shape and would often be troubled by a back ailment that restricted him in the field and made him even less likely to want to put time into expanding his ability. Apart from his batting skills, he is a very talented offspin bowler and he should have been the best slip fielder in the team, but he eschewed the responsibility at every opportunity.”Chappell said not much has changed on that front. “Seven years on, nothing much has changed,” he wrote. “He has worked on his fitness and appears to be in better condition, but on the evidence of his training in Australia early this year, he still practises the way he has always done and the results, unsurprisingly, are similar.Chappell also had a dig at Sehwag’s reported captaincy aspirations. “Strangely, for someone who only wants to play the game on his terms, he harbours a desire to captain his country,” he wrote. “I have no doubt that he could do it for he understands the game well, but what he fails to grasp is that with the honour comes responsibility. In fact, the responsibility to show personal leadership has to come before one can earn the higher honour. He wants the prize, but has been unwilling to pay the price.”More damningly, Chappell suggested that his selfish attitude towards batting cost India matches. “The surprising thing was that when Viru got runs in 50-over cricket, India often lost,” Chappell wrote. “For one thing, he seemed more concerned with his strike rate than the bigger picture. He would play shots from the first ball and not stop until he got out, which was often just when the team needed him to go on to a big score.”Usually, if he got a start, he would get away to such a flier it would get everyone at the ground excited, including his team-mates who would then think that they should score 300 plus. Once Virender got out, the good start was often squandered by the loss of multiple wickets as others tried to maintain the frenetic run-rate and generally the game would slip away.”However, like the rest of the world, Chappell admired Sehwag’s talent, and also said that the opposition will only be relieved if he plays no part in the upcoming matches. “Despite my frustrations with him during my tenure as Indian coach, I could not help but love him,” Chappell wrote. “He is, after all, a loveable rogue. And he can bat better than most. In fact, he is the most gifted ball striker that I have seen…”It is unlikely that Sehwag will ever change. It is probably too late now. But if Dhoni and the selectors have decided that enough is enough and that they have a better chance of winning the World Twenty20 without him, I reckon the Australian bowlers will breathe a little easier on Friday.”

Geoff Marsh has reached an undisclosed financial settlement with Sri Lanka over his sacking as coach of the national team in 2012

Daniel Brettig10-Dec-2013Geoff Marsh, the former Australia vice-captain, has reached an undisclosed financial settlement with Sri Lanka over his sacking as coach of the national team in January 2012.Marsh was relieved of his duties only four months into his tenure as head coach following the tour of South Africa, where Sri Lanka won one of three Tests – their first victory in the country.His exit coincided with a number of changes happening at SLC’s board level, with the captain Tillakaratne Dilshan as well as the selection panel being replaced around that time. Marsh subsequently initiated legal action against SLC for wrongful termination of his contract, lodging his claim via Sri Lankan legal representatives in Colombo in May last year.Upon his return to Australia, Marsh was appointed development coach for Western Australia, where he coached the state’s Futures League and second XI teams, while also overseeing the growth of cricketing talent in the state. His two sons, Shaun and Mitchell, both represented Australia in recent times.Marsh’s manager and solicitor, Stephen Atkinson, said Marsh was pleased to have put the whole issue behind him.”We were successful in negotaiting a settlement prior to the commencement of the trial,” Atkinson said. “Geoff is delighted that this matter has now been resolved and he can fully concentrate on his various coaching roles in Australia and in particular his coaching duties with the Western Warriors.”The South African Graham Ford was chosen to replace Marsh, seeing out his own two-year contract before taking up the coaching job with Surrey in England.Speaking after the settlement was reached, SLC chief executive Ashley de Silva defended the board’s decision to sack Marsh and said: “The committee took the decision at that time, and it was the right one for Sri Lanka cricket.”

Shannon Gabriel, the injured West Indies fast bowler, has said that he is not likely to be fit in time for the home Test series against New Zealand, which begins on July 25

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2012Shannon Gabriel, the injured West Indies fast bowler, has said he is not likely to be fit in time for the home Test series against New Zealand, which begins on July 25. Gabriel is recovering from a stress reaction in his back, which he picked up during his debut Test against England in May.”I’ve been [recuperating for] three weeks now, the pain is not there anymore,” Gabriel told the . “So [it’s about] getting more fit and stronger now, and [then it’s] back to cricket.”I don’t think I’ll be ready for the New Zealand series. [Closer] to the end of the year, there’s a tour to Bangladesh … hopefully I can be on that team.” West Indies are scheduled to play Bangladesh in November.Gabriel took 3 for 60 in the first innings at Lord’s, dismissing Ian Bell, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann. In the second, he bowled only five overs, during which he removed Kevin Pietersen. Subsequent scans showed a stress reaction in the lower spine, ruling him out of the remainder of the tour.Adjusting to the standards of Test cricket, Gabriel said, had been a challenge. “Over there [in England], it was international cricket,” he said. “It was a big step away from regional cricket. You have to concentrate a little more on what you want to do and the actual planning. It’s every cricketer’s dream to play at Lord’s and it just happened to be me. [Now I must] get back from injury and address the selectors once more.”