The Supreme Court of India has reserved its order regarding the Lodha Committee’s status report, which had recommended that the BCCI office bearers be “superseded”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-20162:25

What went down in the Supreme Court today

The Supreme Court of India has reserved its order regarding the Lodha Committee’s status report, which had recommended that the BCCI office bearers be “superseded” and a panel of administrators be appointed to implement the court-approved recommendations.The hearing began at 2pm and lasted two hours, after which the judges informed the parties that they were reserving the order, pending further deliberation. It could be passed any time in the coming week.On Monday the court heard from amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium that the BCCI’s “consistent attitude of defiance” warranted the appointment of a panel of administrators. The board’s counsel Kapil Sibal, however, asked for more time to “persuade” the state units to accept the recommendations, but also suggested that in certain cases the Lodha Committee was going beyond the original judgement.The court observed that replacing the BCCI’s office bearers would be an “extreme measure” but did not rule it out, and also asked Subramanium for other methods that could be used. Subramanium asked for all funding to be stopped to states that refused to comply, that office bearers disqualified under the Lodha Committee’s recommendations be removed immediately, and that future BCCI contracts go through the Lodha Committee. The next major contract is for the IPL broadcast rights.When the court asked if Subramanium meant the BCCI could do whatever it wanted “through the approval of the Committee until such time that the reforms are implemented”, the amicus curiae offered no objection. Another option discussed was to “appoint a committee or an officer” who reports to the Lodha Committee.The BCCI’s counsel continued to argue that constitutional changes could only be made to the board through a two-thirds majority of its members. “We have not defied any judgement,” Sibal said in response to the court. “We are just finding some of the recommendations difficult to implement.”The BCCI president Anurag Thakur said that the board needed more time. “You need 3/4th majority to adopt these recommendations. We have done our duty to go back to the state associations and they have to take a call on that. If you don’t have 3/4th majority, you cannot adopt these recommendations,” he said after the hearing. “Right now there is more confusion in the state associations on how to implement the recommendations, I think we need more clarity.”The board had cited the unwillingness of its state associations as the primary reason for not accepting the Lodha Committee’s recommendations in totality. The contentious recommendations were the one-state-one-vote policy, the nine-year cap on administrative careers, the cooling-off period, and a 70-year age cap.The court asked the BCCI’s counsel if he could give an undertaking of what recommendations had been implemented, and what the BCCI planned to implement and by when. Sibal responded affirmatively and said he would also list “the ones that they cannot implement and what problems we are facing in their implementation”.The court asked why the BCCI had not done so when the Lodha Committee had provided it various opportunities to argue its case. Sibal argued that the Lodha Committee had begun to pass directions that were not part of the original judgement. According to him the committee had said that those BCCI officials who were disqualified on the basis of time served could not represent the board at the ICC either. This could not be independently verified.Subramanium had pointed out the inconsistencies in the affidavits provided by Thakur and the BCCI’s general manager games and development Ratnakar Shetty. The affidavits were in regard to whether Thakur had asked the ICC for a letter stating that the court order was tantamount to government interference in the BCCI and provided grounds for disqualification from the ICC.”I have never seen anyone or any organisation so stoically, disdainfully blocking a Supreme Court judgement being carried out,” Subramanium said. “The court should consider using the powers it has now to take this matter to its logical conclusion.”Subramnium said that during its last hearing the court had given the BCCI and its state association ten days to fall in line. “Everybody wants to give the board a fair opportunity,” he said. “The fact is that BCCI has not produced a single affidavit of compliance. Less said about their interviews in the media the better.”

The South Africa opener believes his partner will be desperate to get among the runs and can take confidence from the side’s win in the first Test

Firdose Moonda in Hobart10-Nov-20161:06

‘Everybody shares Cook’s frustration’ – Dean Elgar

Stephen Cook will be in the spotlight in the second Test against Australia in Hobart as the only South African batsman still to prove himself on this tour. Apart from Amla, Cook was the only other member of the line-up who did not get a score over 20 in the first Test in Perth. Fellow opener Dean Elgar believes Cook will be desperate to set that straight.”I’m sure if I was in that position I’d be a bit frustrated because as a player in this environment you want to make a contribution. And I know a guy who’s just started his international career wants to make a big play for South Africa,” Elgar said. “Everybody shares his frustrations. As his opening partner, I share his frustrations with him. I am frustrated on his behalf. Hopefully he can feed off the good form of us winning the first Test and make a big play for us in the second Test.”Cook’s problem is not so much the lack of runs as it is the method of dismissal. In the first innings, he fronted up to a hostile opening over from Mitchell Starc and was caught in the slips off the fourth ball. In the second, he lasted an hour and 13 minutes before pulling a bouncer to short midwicket.Starc exploited a weakness that has showed in Cook’s game throughout this tour. In the two warm-up matches before the series, too, Cook was dismissed caught behind, prompting work on his trigger movement and foot positioning. Neil McKenzie, South Africa’s batting consultant and a long-time team-mate of Cook’s at the Lions domestic franchise, worked with the opener on staying on the ball of his front foot, so that he would splay the foot, open the back hip and not get caught playing down the wrong line. Cook was unable to rectify that in time for Perth but is likely to get another chance in Hobart, despite the presence of Rilee Rossouw in the squad.Rossouw’s fine form in the one-day series at home against Australia – he scored 311 runs in five matches – earned him a spot in the Test touring party but it is unlikely he will play unless there is an injury. “Rilee is a different dynamic player. He’s a bit more of a middle-order player. He’s not really an opening batsman. His role is a lot different to Cookie,” Elgar said. “He will bring in another dynamic of aggression. That’s the way he approaches his cricket. I don’t think Rilee is going to be needed just yet.”Another option before South Africa is to push Quinton de Kock up and use Rossouw in the middle order but they may be wary of adding to de Kock’s workload or making a rash decision on Cook. The 33-year old waited more than a decade to play international cricket and has only played in four Tests. After a century on debut, he also scored fifty against New Zealand in August and is likely to be given a longer run to show what he can do.It helps that Elgar has cemented himself in the role and has graduated to some level of seniority. No longer seen as the new kid, he has even earned the respect of the Australia side after his Perth hundred. Josh Hazlewood called him “a bit of a grinder and very patient” and put him in the category of batsmen whose wicket you have to work for. Elgar will take that. “That’s just my nature, to try and irritate the opposition. I’m not practising it. It just comes naturally,” he said. “If that’s the way they feel about it, it’s not a bad thing.”

Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal also suffered minor injuries during the third T20I against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2017Bangladesh’s limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza has been diagnosed with a fractured thumb and ruled out of action for four to six weeks after he was struck on the right hand during the third T20 against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui. Mashrafe was injured after a Corey Anderson shot hit his hand during the hosts’ 27-run win to sweep the series 3-0.”Mashrafe had an X-ray done immediately after the match and the report has confirmed a fractured right metacarpal,” team physio Dean Conway said. “Recovery is expected to take between four to six weeks and will be followed by a short rehab. The injured area will be put in a cast as he recovers.”The incident occurred on the second ball of the 18th over of New Zealand’s innings, when Mashrafe bowled a full-toss and stuck his hand out after Anderson belted the ball straight back. Mashrafe had to abort the over and left the field after getting attention from the physio. He finished with figures of 3.2-0-42-0.Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal also suffered minor injuries during Bangladesh’s fielding effort. Tamim hurt his left thumb and also underwent an X-ray after the match. “The thumb is sore but the X-ray has come clear. We will review his condition after 48 hours,” Conway said.Kayes, who tripped over the advertisement boards while trying to attempt a catch, also hobbled off the field after falling on his left knee and did not bat during Bangladesh’s chase of 195. He did not require a scan but will be assessed after 48 hours.

Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala announced that Angelo Mathews would remain Sri Lanka’s captain until the 2019 World Cup in England

Sa'adi Thawfeeq19-Jan-2017Sri Lanka Cricket and Sanath Jayasuriya, the head of the national selection committee, have backed captain Angelo Mathews after SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala announced that he would remain captain until the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The decision came despite criticism following Sri Lanka’s recent 3-0 Test series defeat in South Africa.Addressing a media conference on Wednesday, Sumathipala confirmed that the opinion of his administration was shared by Jayasuriya and the rest of the selection committee.SLC and the selectors had a post-series review with Mathews, coach Graham Ford and manager Ranjith Fernando soon after the Test losses, to discuss their preparations for the T20I and ODI series against South Africa, which start from January 20.Sumathipala also denied rumours that Mathews’ captaincy was discussed, and stated that he remained the most suitable candidate to lead Sri Lanka at the 2019 World Cup in England.”Mathews too, must understand this responsibility and should work to rebuild the team,” Sumathipala said. “We hope that the South African pitches for the T20I and ODI series will be more familiar to our players.”Sumathipala praised the Sri Lanka pace attack, especially Lahiru Kumara, who bowled consistently at close to 145kph throughout the series. “We have selected the best 11 out of 20. If we are afraid of losing, we will not learn to win. It is quite pathetic to accept that we could not go beyond the 150-mark in three innings. We not only failed in the batting, but we missed some crucial catches where we could have put pressure on the South African batting.”The truth is that we were not capable of facing the pace and bounce. We have to find a solution to this. We are quite satisfied with coach Graham Ford’s service. Instead of pointing fingers at people, we have to re-unite to get the team on a winning path,” Sumathipala said.Jayasuriya said it was not surprising that Sri Lanka lost to South Africa on their fast pitches. “We had included a bunch of young cricketers to South Africa, thinking about the future of the national team,” Jayasuriya said. “They need time to mould. So we have to accept the loss. We have just begun.”As the Sri Lanka team is full of young blood, it is not a surprise that they faced a setback in South Africa. Even though we have given them the best squad, things did not turn out as we thought. We wanted one of the top-four batsmen to play a long innings and score a hundred. At least two or three batsmen should have played a long innings. But it did not work,” Jayasuriya explained.He added that the blame should not go to the captain for the loss. “This is not a time to blame and destroy Mathews’ captaincy. This is a time when we have to strengthen Mathews,” Jayasuriya said. “As a former captain I know how these allegations can badly affect Mathews’ morale, especially during a series. We have to support Mathews, correct our faults and face the T20I and ODI series’ with confidence.”

Shakib Al Hasan said he felt satisfied “overcoming different situations” to finish with a record-breaking 217 in Wellington

Mohammad Isam at Basin Reserve13-Jan-2017Shakib Al Hasan registered his top score in Test cricket on day two in Wellington. The best part of his 217, he said later, was that he “overcame different situations” to get there.The first of those situations involved dealing with being offered a life late on day one: he was dropped on 4 by Mitchell Santner, and went to stumps unbeaten on 5. The mis-hit that caused that drop – an uncontrolled pull – made Shakib contemplative, and he had a chat with his wife about it back at the team hotel.”Yesterday when [Santner] dropped my catch, I started talking to my wife who is understanding cricket these days,” Shakib said with a smile. “I told her that maybe I can go on to get a good score, since big players make use of these chances. I was just thinking about it.”That he had been thinking about his batting was obvious in his demeanour on the second day. He hardly showed any emotion, focusing all his energy on his batting, making his way to a maiden double-century, becoming only the sixth batsman from the subcontinent to hit a two-hundred in New Zealand.He overcame several hairy moments – more of those “different situations” – on his way there: he was pinged on the thigh by Tim Southee; he was struck by a throw while completing a single; Ross Taylor dropped him at backward point on 189. But he just kept on going, piling up the biggest partnership in Bangladesh’s Test history, with Mushfiqur Rahim for company.It wasn’t a scrappy effort though, and the innings had all the hallmarks of a typical Shakib effort. The 75 singles he ran were spread evenly throughout the 276 balls he faced, but he also struck enough boundaries to smother the New Zealand bowling attack. His 31 fours was another record for Bangladesh, beating Mominul Haque’s 27 during his 181 against New Zealand in Chittagong in 2013. He also tackled the short ball very well, particularly when ducking under or weaving away from the line of the bouncer.Speaking on facing up to the short stuff, Shakib said his aim was to not get stuck on the back foot. “What if he slipped in a yorker?,” Shakib asked. “We follow the rule of always pressing forward to a short ball. It is not easy when you have one bouncer after the other being aimed at you; you go backwards automatically. [But] this mindset makes it easier to play bouncers.”Shakib said he enjoyed breaking the records he did today. He was caught off guard, though, when he saw Tamim Iqbal applaud him from the dressing room after he had crossed 206, which was the previous best score by a Bangladesh batsman in Test cricket.”It was great to hear about all the records we were breaking [on the PA system]. It inspired us to make the partnership bigger. [But] I thought Tamim’s score was 214 not 206; when I ran that single, I saw Tamim was clapping and I thought, oh, this is the highest score.”Mushfiqur, who made 159 and at times looked to be the more dominant partner, noticed that Shakib had reined in his emotions today. When Shakib reached 100 and 200 it was Mushfiqur who started celebrating first, from the non-striker’s end, before Shakib raised his bat.”I never thought he was too troubled during his innings; he coped with everything and survived everything,” Mushfiqur said. “But there is no emotion. He didn’t even want to raise his bat and it didn’t seem like he was scoring a hundred or 200.”Still, Mushfiqur said he enjoyed the partnership immensely. “I love to bat with him. He doesn’t talk too much, just gives little hints and that helps me all the time. There were a couple of hiccups in our running between the wickets today, but that can happen. We did well for our nation.”

Cricket Ireland has appointed Peter Johnston to run its National Academy

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2017Cricket Ireland has appointed Peter Johnston to run its National Academy. Johnston’s promotion from within comes after two previous appointees – Chris Adams and Toby Radford – pulled out at short notice.Johnston was previously Ireland’s assistant coach and performance analyst. He has an ECB Level Four coaching qualification and has worked for Cricket Ireland for over a decade.Scott Irvine has been named as full-time performance analyst, succeeding Johnston. Ben Smith and former Ireland allrounder Andrew White will share assistant coach duties until the post is filled on a permanent basis.”Peter moved over from the men’s team to an acting manager role three months ago and has immersed himself in the Shapoorji Pallonji Academy,” Cricket Ireland’s performance director, Richard Holdsworth, said.”He’s been instrumental in setting up a new senior and emerging player programme with Ryan Eagleson. He is Ireland-based, has great knowledge of our fringe players and young talent coming through, and with 10 years’ experience with the senior team, understands what it takes to become an Irish international cricketer.”He is not only one of a few Level Four coaches in Ireland, but has great knowledge of talent development and the pressures which a player can undergo trying to make it to the top, and with this understanding is well placed to help develop our young players into Test players of the future.”Johnston’s role as National Academy and Performance manager will include coaching the Ireland Wolves – the joint academy and A side.”Working with the academy players, coaches and specialists such as Ed Joyce and Andrew White over the last few months has been very enjoyable and rewarding,” Johnston said. “I’ve been encouraged by the work-rate, drive and ambition of the players and coaching staff, and it is a delight to take on this pivotal role in a full-time capacity.”It is our vision to continually challenge the best emerging players so that they are robust and ready to perform at the highest level. Already this winter we have seen academy players Josh Little and Lorcan Tucker touring with the senior squad.”The opportunity for our next ‘cabs off the rank’ to play for the Ireland Wolves in the summer will no doubt help more players to gain senior honours and graduate from the academy to become full-time professionals with Cricket Ireland.”Former Glamorgan coach Radford took over at the National Academy last year, only to leave after a month in the role. Adams, the former Surrey coach, had been appointed in May but withdrew his acceptance almost immediately due to family reasons.

Afghanistan’s first full series against a Full Member other than Zimbabwe will include three T20Is and three ODIs against West Indies, beginning in early June

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2017Afghanistan’s first bilateral series against West Indies will include three T20Is and three ODIs, beginning in the first week of June. The series will be played concurrently with the Champions Trophy, which begins on June 1 in England. West Indies, who haven’t won a bilateral ODI series since 2014, beating Bangladesh at home, failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy.

WI v Afghanistan schedule

June 2 – First T20I
June 3 – Second T20I
June 5 – Third T20I
June 9 – First ODI
June 11 – Second ODI
June 14 – Third ODI

All three T20s will be played at Warner Park in St Kitts, beginning from June 2. The ODIs, all of which will be played at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia, will begin a week later, on June 9.The tour’s original schedule included five ODIs and three T20Is. This series will also be Afghanistan’s first full series against a Full Member other than Zimbabwe.”It will also be an important series for our side,” Roland Holder, WICB Manager of Cricket Operations, said, “as they look to move up in the ICC World Rankings in the two formats, and continue their quest to qualify for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales.”West Indies are currently placed ninth in the ODI rankings, followed by Afghanistan. West Indies will be hoping to climb up the rankings as only the top eight teams as of September end this year will gain automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup. They lost their last ODI series 3-0 to England earlier this month and have three more coming up against Pakistan in April.West Indies and Afghanistan have never played an ODI against each other and the last time they squared up in a T20I, Afghanistan won by six runs, in a league match in the World T20 last year.The upcoming three T20Is will start at 7pm and the day-night ODIs will start at 2.30 pm.

Crucial innings from Corey Anderson – 39* off 22 balls – and Sam Billings – 55 off 40 – helped Delhi Daredevils post their second win in three matches

The Report by Shashank Kishore15-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:42

Hogg: Kings XI need to get Shaun Marsh in

No side had chased down 189 to win an IPL game at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Having conceded 28 more than the average first-innings score at this venue, Kings XI Punjab needed their batsmen to pull off a heist. Instead, they sunk to 64 for 5 in the 11th over, with Glenn Maxwell, Eoin Morgan and Hashim Amla all dismissed. From there on, it was a no-contest and Delhi Daredevils won their first home game of the season by 51 runs.Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner, did the early damage by removing Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha. Amit Mishra used the Kotla surface well, and got rid of Maxwell for the fourth time in five innings. The Kings XI captain came in at No. 6 and fell for a duck. The final nail was though was hammered by Corey Anderson, who trapped David Miller lbw for 24 off 28 balls, to go along with a robust cameo earlier in the day. Axar Patel pocketed his highest IPL score of 44, but it was merely academic.Kings XI ‘Indians’ control first half
Daredevils have preferred to invest in young Indian batsmen to take charge upfront. Kings XI Punjab have done the same on the bowling front. This was therefore a contest within a contest.While Karun Nair was snaffled down the leg side for a duck, continuing his wretched form since scoring a Test triple century in December, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant wasted starts. With Daredevils reduced to 120 for 5 in the 16th over, it was left to Chris Morris and Corey Anderson to provide the final flourish.Until the last five overs, Kings XI had won the battle of the Indian players, with all of Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Varun Aaron, Axar Patel and KC Cariappa among the wickets. But doing half a job is rarely good enough.Daredevils’ overseas players deliver
The platform was set by Sam Billings, who found 40 of his 55 runs on the leg side. He hit six of his nine fours in the Powerplay – all on the leg side – and his belligerence was crucial to Daredevils posting a massive total on a slow pitch.Billings was not the only batsman who defied the surface though. Anderson, who missed the previous season after going unsold, along with Chris Morris and Pat Cummins had great success muscling the ball in the slog overs. Anderson’s unbeaten 39 off 22 balls was particularly damaging for Kings XI. He came in at 103 for 4 in the 13th over and turned it into 188, with three sixes and a four in the last 12 balls of the innings.Aaron gamble fails
Varun Aaron had an IPL economy rate of 8.79 across 39 matches prior to this game and despite two average outings this season, he was persisted. His erratic lengths, often on the shorter side, were perfect for batsmen looking to exploit the shorter legside boundary.Billings hit Aaron for three successive fours in his first over – two pulls and a flick behind square leg. Then Iyer hit him for two fours in three deliveries soon after Nair’s dismissal. It meant Kings XI couldn’t build momentum despite getting wickets.Aaron conceded 45 off his four overs, with two wickets being scant consolation. Eventually Kings XI paid the price for conceding 68 off the last five overs.

Heavy rain cut short the first ODI of the series between West Indies and India

The Report by Sidharth Monga23-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Shikhar Dhawan made his fourth 50-plus score in six ODI innings•AFP

The way India bat to the template of 300 in ODI cricket nowadays, it sometimes feel only some external factors can stop them. They were on their way in the first ODI of the series when the rain in Trinidad had its say.India followed a slow start with steady acceleration, but rain cut their innings short at 39.2 overs, in which they managed 199 for 3. The rain did let up for a bit, and the water and the covers were cleared too, West Indies were then set 194 in 26 overs, but more rain arrived before they could begin their chase.During the play possible, India almost sleepwalked towards 300 on a slow pitch. Ajinkya Rahane replaced the rested Rohit Sharma, but it was as if nothing had changed for Shikhar Dhawan. The two added 47 in the first overs, which in about two off India’s average 10-over score since the 2015 World Cup, and then they both began to impose themselves, putting together their fourth century stand in 14 attempts at the top of the order.Rahane will be frustrated he didn’t convert this into a big hundred: he is yet to seal himself a slot in the XI, and once KL Rahul is fit he is expected to be the third opener in the squad, not least because he can effective in the middle order too. In the end, his 62 off 78, ended by a Miguel Cummins slower ball when Rahane had started to take the odd risk, did set India up.Dhawan continued as if this too was a Champions Trophy match, falling for 87 off 92. Devendra Bishoo, the extra spinner West Indies played, kept India tied down through a spell of 10-0-39-1. India were looking to Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni for a big finishing kick when the rain arrived.

Alex Wakely led the way with 83 as Northamptonshire defied the elements and sealed a dramatic two-wicket win with one ball left in the Specsavers County Championship match at Chester-le-Street

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2017
ScorecardSkipper Alex Wakely led the way with 83 as Northamptonshire defied the elements and sealed a dramatic two-wicket win with one ball left in the Specsavers County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.With the floodlights on for the last ten overs and steady rain falling in the final ten minutes, the visitors finished the task of scoring 100 in 17 overs by scampering a bye to the wicketkeeper.Needing 161 with nine wickets standing, no play was possible until 3.05 and tea was taken after 35 minutes when 56 had been added in nine overs. That meant a further 105 were required from 33 overs, but only one over was bowled after the break before the rain returned.The 5pm resumption favoured the NatWest T20 Blast holders against Durham’s inexperienced attack, who were bravely led by Paul Coughlin, who finished with match figures of 10 for 133.Rob Newton cut and pulled Gavin Main for two fours in the second over of the final chase to reach 50 but then miscued Coughlin to deep mid-on to end a stand of 123.Wakeley, who had begun the day on 18 and raced to a 58-ball half-century before the break, continued to score at the required rate and had the target down to 47 when he was narrowly run out attempting a second run to deep point.Rob Keogh skied a return catch to Coughlin and Rory Kleinveldt holed out at long-off. But Barry McCarthy was denied a second wicket when, with 26 needed off four, Josh Cobb was dropped at long-on by Michael Richardson.The last ball of the over soared over the same fielder for six and Cobb, the match-winner against Durham in last year’s T20 final, had all but finished the job when he was caught at third man in the final over.Alex Wakely did the job for Northants•Getty Images

Wakely said: “We tried our best to lose it at the end, but we had the upper hand from the first day and it’s a good feeling to come away with a win we really needed.”The weather threatened to deny us, but we were always holding on to a hope that there would be an opening and we felt 20 overs at the end was all we needed.”With his side even further adrift than at the start of the season, Durham coach Jon Lewis said: “We were well aware of the size of the points deduction, so that’s not an excuse. The loss of personnel is a bigger factor. We are a bit light on battle-hardened campaigners and need to work on maintaining standards over four days.”