All posts by n8rngtd.top

Ramifications likely to be felt by Misbah-ul-Haq, Urooj Mumtaz and Wasim Akram among others

Umar Farooq15-Jul-2020The PCB has introduced a clear-cut code of ethics which could have far-reaching effects on various employees. Its ramifications are likely to be felt by the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq, head coach and chief selector of the men’s senior team, Urooj Mumtaz, head of the women’s wing, and even Wasim Akram, a member of the cricket committee. The move comes as a result of increasing scrutiny on multiple roles held by various stakeholders, and the potential conflicts of interest in those roles.The scope of the code extends beyond identifying roles solely within PCB, covering officials working for the PCB in any capacity, including those involved in any business activity outside of the board, either directly or through family members. Under the new code, all employees must share these details with the board. Then, based on the information provided, the PCB could call upon ethics officers Salman Naseer (who is the board COO) and Areeba Khalil (from the PCB’s legal department) to conduct further investigation.While the PCB is comfortable with Misbah’s dual role as head coach and chief selector of the men’s senior team, his role as head coach of PSL franchise Islamabad United, already under a conflict cloud, could be affected. Misbah is on a one-year contract with the franchise, but the new code allows PCB to prevent that from continuing. Misbah’s predecessor, Mickey Arthur, who was not only head coach of Pakistan but also PSL franchise Karachi Kings, faced conflict of interest allegations and objection from other franchises during his tenure.

The questions being asked to all employees

Directorships and business interests held in addition to the PCB
In case of Staff Members: Business interests of your affiliated person(s) if they are in any manner linked to cricket or with anyone who is a supplier of goods and services to the PCB.
Employment and/or Consultancies apart from PCB
Investments in unlisted companies, partnerships and other forms of business, major shareholdings and beneficial interests
Any contractual relationship with the PCB, the PSL Franchises and/or any commercial partner of the PCB.
Gifts of hospitality offered to you by external bodies and whether these were declined or accepted.

Mumtaz, meanwhile, holds three roles within PCB, as head of women’s cricket, chief selector of the women’s team, as well as a place on the board’s cricket committee. But it was her PSL commentary stint which raised eyebrows, as well as the spectre of similar conflicts in the early 2000s, when Ramiz Raja and Aamer Sohail worked as TV commentators, while they were the board’s CEO and chief selector, respectively. In another such instance, in 2003, then PCB chairman, retired Gen Tauqir Zia resigned from the position, after accusations that his son played for Pakistan due to his influence.Akram is on the PCB’s cricket committee and is also the president at the Karachi Kings franchise. He is also a shareholder and director at since March 2018 (joined the PCB’s cricket committee seven months later), a website that holds the digital rights of the PSL. That partnership is currently under a cloud, but as per the original terms of the deal, hold those rights until the conclusion of the 2021 season.Since Ehsan Mani took over as PCB chairman in September 2018, he has spoken about the importance of forming a uniform policy to deal with the issue of conflict of interest. A limited version of the code has always been in place but it had applied mostly to the Board of Governors.The latest 27-page ethics code essentially covers every single official within the PCB and PSL, whether on a contractual basis or full-time employment. Each official, according to the document is bound to comply with this code ‘whether or not he is asked to sign such acknowledgement and whether or not he signs the acknowledgment if asked’.The issue has cropped up regularly in Pakistan cricket over the years. In 2013, for example, while Misbah was captain, he was interviewed by the then head of PCB Najam Sethi on Sethi’s own TV show on , one of Pakistan’s most-watched TV channels. Only months earlier, one of the network’s channels had also been awarded the rights to Pakistan’s series against Sri Lanka. At the time, Sethi dismissed accusations of a conflict by claiming that the bidding process was fair and had been carried out by a neutral, independent arbitrator – Mani, in fact.Not that long go, PCB removed their then-chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq from the PSL player draft committee because of a potential conflict of interest since he was involved with a talent-hunt programme run by one of the tournament’s franchises, Lahore Qalandars. Tauseef Ahmed, who was also part of the national selection committee while also being Islamabad United’s spin coach, was also left out of the PSL draft committee.Under the new code, all employees will be asked to submit a declaration form to the ethics officers. The information will be used to assess whether the declared interests constitute an appreciable real, potential or apparent conflict of interest.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Delhi Daredevils in Kochi

The Preview by George Binoy29-Apr-2011

Match facts

Saturday, April 30, Kochi
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Virender Sehwag’s team is in desperate need of a turnaround•AFP

Big picture

Delhi Daredevils are eating with the IPL’s wooden spoon at the moment, dwelling at the bottom of the league table, after five defeats in seven matches. Their margins for error are thin and they need to win a substantial number of their remaining games to have a hope of finishing in the top four.Delhi have just suffered two defeats at home, on a Feroz Shah Kotla pitch transformed to suit their seam-heavy attack and their hard-hitting batsmen. The first loss was against Royal Challengers Bangalore, a match they were in until the very end. The second, against Kolkata Knight Riders, was a thrashing. Their firepower lies in the top order but Virender Sehwag and David Warner have fired in unison only once. The bowling, though, is the problem. In the absence of a quality spinner, their attack is one-dimensional and opposition teams thrive on the lack of variety.Kochi Tuskers Kerala are seventh in the league. They are a defeat away from being in Delhi’s boat. They are a victory away from landing close to the top four. In their previous game, chasing Deccan Chargers’ 129, Kochi collapsed for 74. It wasn’t a one-off either, for before that game, they were dismissed for 109 by Rajasthan Royals: two collapses that eroded the platform built by three consecutive wins. The fact that Ravindra Jadeja, who’s scored 185 in seven innings, is their second-highest run-getter, ahead of Mahela Jayawardene and Brad Hodge, reveals the extent of their batting woes.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kochi Tuskers Kerala: LLWWW (eighth in points table)
Delhi Daredevils: LLWLW (tenth in points table)

Team talk

In their previous game – the loss to Kolkata – Delhi fielded David Warner, James Hopes, Morne Morkel and Travis Birt as their overseas players. Morkel was the spearhead of a five-man seam attack also comprising Irfan Pathan, Hopes, Umesh Yadav and Ajit Agarkar. Given that the present composition isn’t working, Delhi could considering giving season debuts to either Colin Ingram or Andrew McDonald. Roelof van der Merwe’s left-arm spin is another option they might consider to diversify their bowling options.Kochi’s overseas players against Deccan were Jayawardene, McCullum, Hodge and Thisara Perera and that is unlikely to change, unless Muttiah Muralitharan plays for Perera. Both Raiphi Gomez and Kedar Jadhav have not impressed with the bat so far, so perhaps it’s worth giving Tanmay Srivastava a go.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Jayawardene and McCullum v Warner and Sehwag: Of all the IPL teams, Kochi and Delhi probably rely on their openers the most. Kochi’s pair bats with imagination and places the ball into unusual areas. Delhi’s duo simply smashes it. In their varying styles, all four are proven destroyers of attacks and the pair that prevails tomorrow is likely to decide the contest.Venugopal Rao v Ravindra Jadeja: Rao is Delhi’s second-highest run-scorer, with 209 at a strike-rate of 129. Jadeja is Kochi’s, with 185 at a strike-rate of 130. Both play similar roles for their teams, shoring up a top-order wobble or providing an aggressive finish. In top-heavy batting orders, they perform vital supporting roles.

Prime numbers

• The 55-run margin of Kochi’s defeat against Deccan was the largest in IPL 2011.
• Delhi’s 231 against Kings XI Punjab is the highest score of the season, evidence of what their batsmen can do.
• Sehwag’s strike-rate of 168 is the season’s highest for batsmen with at least 200 runs.

The chatter

“There was grass on the wicket, there was moisture too. I don’t want to discuss the wicket factor too much, but it was not the wicket that we wanted.”
.

Former captain says he was ready to leave after the 2019 World Cup, but nothing came of those discussions

Mohammad Isam07-Jun-2020Mashrafe Mortaza wasn’t “prepared for such a hasty arrangement” to give him a farewell game and push him into retirement from international cricket, especially because, as he said, he was willing to quit after Bangladesh’s exit from the 50-over World Cup last year anyway.Mortaza, the former Bangladesh captain, said that while there was talk of him retiring after a disappointing performance at the World Cup, discussions were shelved after a point, but a couple of months later, the BCB reportedly tried to arrange an ODI against Zimbabwe to allow him to bow out. At the time, the schedule had Zimbabwe coming to Bangladesh to only play a T20I tri-series in September, also involving Afghanistan. It was reported that the BCB waited for Mortaza’s word on whether he wanted to retire or not before arranging the ODI, the only format he was active in. At the time, Mortaza wanted to play on, especially the BPL, so the plan was shelved. When he resigned from captaincy in March this year, it was during a pre-scheduled ODI series.ALSO READ: Life in the time of Mashrafe Mortaza“To be honest, I was ready to go into retirement after the last match of the World Cup,” Mortaza, who still hasn’t announced his retirement from the game, told ESPNcricinfo. “But somehow there was talk about [creating] a better atmosphere. So I wasn’t prepared for such a hasty arrangement [for a farewell match]. I spoke to (BCB president Nazmul Hassan) afterwards. I told him that I want to play the BPL, and then leave the captaincy after the Zimbabwe series.”The 36-year-old allrounder’s poor returns during the World Cup had led to renewed calls for his retirement – they had begun earlier, after he became a member of parliament in Bangladesh. In the immediate aftermath of Bangladesh’s last match at the World Cup, the BCB sacked coach Steve Rhodes. Mortaza was prepared to travel to Sri Lanka for the ODI series in July, but missed out because of an injury.Back to the retirement-that-wasn’t, and Mortaza also felt that spending a lot of money and energy on arranging just one match for a farewell wasn’t the best plan.”It was such a busy schedule that a match was being planned to remove me, and it would cost them BDT 2 crore [$235,500 approx.], Mortaza said. “It worried me. I also wondered what would have happened had I gone to Sri Lanka just after the World Cup. There was no discussion at that time. But, all of a sudden, Zimbabwe are coming to play T20s, and these things started to show up in the media.”It was embarrassing for me because they were talking about the BDT 2 crore that it would cost the BCB, for that ODI against Zimbabwe, while first-class cricketers are not getting enough money, and our Test cricket isn’t improving. You have all written about it, and the players have also spoken about it. So rather than investing two crore on a player like me, it would have been easier to involve that amount in first-class cricket.”Bangladesh’s lopsided schedule following the World Cup, which had only three ODIs for the rest of the year, complicated matters.
“I thought that I could have retired from a normal series,” he said. “See, prior to the Sri Lanka tour, nobody spoke to me about it. So to talk about it in such haste all of a sudden was worrying.”Ahead of the third ODI against Zimbabwe in March this year, Mortaza announced his decision to step down from the captaincy, ending an illustrious career as captain, and part of the motivation was to give his successor – Tamim Iqbal, as it turned out – time to prepare for the 2023 World Cup.”We have around three years before the next World Cup,” Mortaza said. “BCB would get a better platform as the World Cup is being held in the subcontinent. BCB would get enough time to prepare a new captain. I am sure Tamim will do well.”

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2020Half-centuries for Matt Critchley and Anuj Dal kept Derbyshire top of the Bob Willis Trophy North Group as their clash with fellow pacesetters Yorkshire finished in a draw at Emerald Headingley.Both sides have now won two and drawn their other fixture. With only two games remaining, the race to finish top of the group for potential Lord’s final qualification intensifies.Only the two best-placed group winners from the North, South and Central advance, and Derby have a two-point lead over Yorkshire.While Yorkshire have had the better of a heavily weather-affected fixture which saw 138 overs lost across four days, Derbyshire dominated the second half of the final day when play began at 2.30pm.Replying to Yorkshire’s first-innings 400 for 6 declared, they advanced from 198 for 6 from 70 overs to close on 300 for 7 declared from 107.1.Critchley and Dal frustrated the hosts in impressively calm and assured fashion, sharing 104 for the seventh wicket inside 36 overs. It was Derbyshire’s first ever seventh-wicket century stand achieved in matches at Headingley.The pair came together late on day three, Derbyshire on 174 for 6, with the 201 follow-on target still in doubt. That was passed three balls into the fourth day when Critchley uppishly drove Duanne Olivier for four, securing a first batting bonus point in the process.Batting points two and three were to follow, with the added bonus being that they prevented their hosts from sealing a third bowling point which would have come with taking nine wickets.Critchley and Dal did not encounter too much trouble from the home bowlers in reaching their first fifties of the summer.Critchley was first to that milestone in the final 20 minutes of the afternoon, off 127 balls with five fours. Dal was more positive in reaching his fifty shortly after tea off 86 balls with nine fours.The evening started with 16 overs left to accrue bonus points, and Critchley and Dal began to expand.Yorkshire’s breakthrough came via 19-year-old new-ball seamer Dom Leech when he uprooted Critchley’s off stump, leaving the visitors at 278 for 7 in the 101st over. But when Dal drove Harry Brook through the covers for four to reach 300, the declaration came immediately to end the match.

The latest news from around the Women’s T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2020March 2Thailand allrounder Nattaya Boochatham believes that the group-stage exit in the ongoing T20 World Cup has been a “wake-up call” for the team to improve their playing standards as they look to “set the benchmark” for the future cricketers in the country.”We want to play our best cricket and show how well we’ve prepared,” Boochatham said. “In the past few games, we haven’t been firing and haven’t demonstrated how well we’ve been working.”Some of the games have been a wake-up call for us that motivates us to go home, improve our skills and various areas of cricket, so the world can see that we can play. It’s a good motivation for us to set the benchmark for the new generation of Thai cricketers coming into the team, that this is the level you have to be performing at. Hopefully we can set a good role model.”Thailand women made history by making it to their first-ever global event as they qualified for the tournament in Australia. They faced a tough challenge being placed alongside England, South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies in their group, but put up a fight against most of the teams, even causing an early scare against England. With one more match to go against Pakistan – who have already been knocked out – Boochatham hopes the side can make a “big statement” as they bow out of the tournament.”We have got off to good starts in games and we’ve learnt about the need to capitalise on that, because if you don’t, teams like England and South Africa run away from you,” she said. “It would be a big statement if we were to win the last game.”We’ve been exposed, but that’s not a bad thing. We have room to improve and come back stronger.”Laura Wolvaardt had yet to be bat in the World Cup and is still new to the middle-order role but produced one of the innings of the tournament to take South Africa into the semi-finals with an unbeaten half-century against Pakistan.It was Wolvaardt’s second T20I fifty, brought up off the last ball of the innings, and only her second innings at No. 5 having played all her other matches as either an opener or No. 3 although she had taken up the middle-order position for her domestic team.”It’s been quite a journey for me to kind of get my spot here on this T20 side, and it’s been something that I’ve been working on pretty hard,” she said. “I guess I always focus on my basics, and I guess if the base is really good, you can kind of go on from there. It is something I’ve been working on really hard on figuring out my approach and my plan. I’m happy it’s finally showing in the games now.”It really meant a lot to me. I think it’s probably the biggest contribution I’ve made to this team, if I think about the importance of today and the World Cup. So I’m really happy things that worked out the way they did.”Nahida replaces injured Bismah for remainder of World CupPakistan have suffered a blow with captain Bismah Maroof ruled out of the remainder of the women’s T20 World Cup because of a thumb injury sustained during the 42-run loss to England.Opener Nahida Khan has been approved as her replacement, while Javeria Khan has been named captain.Maroof was caught behind while attempting a ramp shot as she wore the ball on her thumb, in the sixth over of their 158-run chase. She had top-scored for Pakistan in their eight-wicket win against West Indies in their first game of the tournament. Nahida, who has 603 runs from 53 T20Is, last played for Pakistan in the limited-overs series against England in Kuala Lumpur.Pakistan are currently second from bottom on the Group B table and are scheduled to play South Africa and Thailand in their last two group-stage games.Australia will monitor a hip niggle that Ellyse Perry picked up towards the end of the match against Bangladesh but are confident she will be available for what is likely to be a crunch group decider against New Zealand on Monday.Perry, whose shoulder has also been managed during the tournament, dived in the outfield in the latter stages of Bangladesh’s innings in Canberra and left the field a short while after”She’s incredibly resilient, she’s had a lot of niggles over the last few years and still managed to get through,” coach Matthew Mott said. “We’re very confident, especially with a day off tomorrow, that she’ll have plenty of time to get ready for a huge game against New Zealand.”Any time you get a niggle there’s doubt, I suppose, but I’ve seen her push through what seems to be worse than that. We’ll just have to assess her over the next 24-48 hours and make sure she’s alright.”Even in the worst case scenario of Perry not being fit, Mott was confident that Australia would have the resources to cover for her.”The beauty of this squad is we have a number of options we can bring in. We don’t feel like we lose a lot when we lose different players. Obviously we’d have to change, we’d look at our squad and match up the best we can against New Zealand, but we’ve done that all tournament from the day we lost Tayla Vlaeminck we had to change our strategy slightly.”Thailand must improve ‘to be taken seriously at this level’ – BoochathamWhile bringing plenty of smiles to the tournament and savouring every moment of the World Cup, Thailand’s vice-captain Nattaya Boochatham said it has been a harsh reality check as to how much they need to improve.Thailand have suffered heavy defeats against West Indies and England, making just 78 on both occasions, while against England they were plundered by Heather Knight’s century.”We are obviously very excited to be involved in the World Cup but things aren’t going our way, we have to take a hard look at ourselves and really improve to be taken seriously at this level,” Boochatham said. “We’ve been exposed and if we don’t get things right we are punished for it. It’s a matter of figuring out the situation on the field as quickly as we can and changing our plans.”After a promising start against England, where they had them 7 for 2 in the second over, the bowling became ragged under pressure. Boochatham believes Thailand can advance their game over the next two of three years, but need regular cricket against the stronger nations.”We need to be better at reading the batsmen because at this level they are shifting [around], so you can’t really have one stock ball, you have to be creative. That’s the part that comes with experience playing a lot of high quality cricket. If we get to play consistent at this level in two or three years [we can be competitive], but it has to be day in and day out at this level to be able to compete.”Winfield admits she would like to bat higherLauren Winfield has admitted she would like to be higher up England’s batting order but is happy to buy into the team ethos of having deep resources to allow the top order to play with freedom.Winfield has been at No. 8 since the series against Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur late last year, a tactic that has continued into the World Cup, which has raised questions as to whether England are wasting the position which would be better served by an allrounder or a bowler.”It’s obviously a different role,” Winfield said ahead of the match against Pakistan. “I’ve batted a lot at six and seven over the last couple of years in T20 cricket. You can’t hide from the fact that I’d like to be able to contribute more and be higher up the order but the way we’ve set out our batting is to have an extensive line-up to give people that freedom to let themselves go and really play with that positive intent throughout the 20 overs.”If we get into the back overs and we’ve lost wickets we still have batters to come. We need to keep pushing those big totals, making sure we get 150+ as often as we can.”India ‘more balanced’ because of Verma – MandhanaShafali Verma, the big-hitting 16-year-old India opening batter, has grabbed the attention of most people following women’s cricket, and Smriti Mandhana, her partner at the top, can’t stop raving about Verma’s impact.”Shafali has been a huge positive coming into the T20 side,” Mandhana said of the youngster’s 17-ball 39 against Bangladesh. “I used to have a major role in Powerplays, but Shafali is getting quick runs in those first overs now too. She’s made a huge impact and the team has become more balanced thanks to her.”Next up for India are New Zealand, and Lea Tahuhu, the opening bowler, is aware of the Verma threat, and relishing it too.”Personally, I love the thought of facing Verma,” Tahuhu said. “It makes me fire up a little bit more and I’m really looking forward to playing her. I actually played her in the T20 Challenge in India last year and I know she’s not going to take a step back.”Molineux injury frustrating – LanningMeg Lanning has admitted frustration at Sophie Molineux’s extended period on the sidelines at the start of the World Cup as the allrounder takes longer than expected to recover from a corked thigh.Molineux hasn’t played since the final group game of tri-series with England and India and wasn’t available for selection in the first two matches of this tournament. She faces another fitness test ahead of the game against Bangladesh in Canberra on Thursday.”She’s coming along well, she’ll train today and assess how she pulls up from that and see if she’s available for selection,” Lanning said. “It’s a bit of a wait and see, it’s been very frustrating for her and us to not have her available but she’s doing everything she can to get back.”Lanning also said that Ellyse Perry was managing the shoulder that she damaged during the WBBL late last year but that it would not impact her participation in forthcoming matches. “I’m sure there are a few players in this competition who are managing injuries and she’s a professional, she’s dealing with it very well so we’re not expecting anything major out of that.”Winfield at No. 8 gives us security – KnightHeather Knight has defended the make-up of England’s batting line-up, which has seen Tammy Beaumont moved into the middle-order and Lauren Winfield picked as a specialist No. 8 batter.Only Nat Sciver impressed against South Africa with a half-century as England suffered defeat in their opening match, meaning they face must-win matches from here on, but it would appear they will hold fast with their batting game plan.”We have set [order] in our mind that we want to go with, but there will be certain match-ups that we feel will have more impetus – for example someone is better against spin – we have a clear guideline on the starting order and we’ll be flexible from there,” Knight said ahead of the match against Thailand in Canberra. “The one big positive is the depth of our batting line-up, playing eight batters, and they have different skillsets and talent. We obviously didn’t show it the other night but we are determined to turn it around.”On using Winfield, who doesn’t offer any bowling, so low down, Knight said her fielding also comes into the equation.”We feel like another bowler would be wasted, that batter at eight gives us added security. I know she didn’t have a great night the other night, but Lauren is one of the standout fielders for us and at some point we are going to need a batter down at the back end to win us a game and we feel Lauren can do that.”England would never run out a batter backing up – SciverNat Sciver has said that England would never run out an opposing batter backing up after Katherine Brunt declined the chance to do so in their opening defeat against South Africa.With the match on a knife edge in the final over, South Africa needing 7 off 4 balls, Brunt gave Sune Luus a warning when she backed up well out of her crease before Brunt had barely entered her delivery leap. Whether it would have changed the game is up for debate as the ball itself wouldn’t have been counted if the run out had taken place, and next delivery Mignon du Preez launched the six that levelled the scores, but England have made their stance on the matter clear.”She was never going to run her out,” Sciver said. “A bit of drama, isn’t it? I mean one of their bowlers did it to me. I don’t know if she stopped because I moved around and she wanted a bit of a reprieve or she was keeping the other batter in there. I know that none of our team would ever do that. It’s just part of the game, isn’t it?”South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp tweeted “fair play from both teams” after the contest with both sides declining the hotly-debated form of dismissal. ‘We know how dangerous she can be’ – Haynes on AtapattuChamari Atapattu is not just Sri Lanka’s greatest woman cricketer, but she has a particular affinity for the Australia bowlers. That 178 not out in the 2017 50-over World Cup remains one of the great innings in the game, while, more recently, she hit her maiden T20I century against the same opponents.Australia are in front of Atapattu again, and this time a big innings from her could well rock the hosts’ T20 World Cup campaign, stuttering as it already is after the opening-day loss to India.”We know how dangerous she can be,” Rachael Haynes said a day off from their game in Perth. “We’ve got ideas on how we want to counter her attack. We’ll plan for her, because she clearly enjoys the ball coming on to the bat at the WACA.”Atapattu is also the only Sri Lankan player to have taken part in the WBBL, and that should help her.”I’ve tended to play my best cricket against Australia, but I try to do that against every team,” she said. “I love playing in these conditions and I love playing under pressure, which I think is why I always score against Australia.”I always say to myself ‘play freely, with courage and be positive’. That’s all it is.”‘We trust our fielding a lot to get us far’ – Thailand’s BoochathamThe seven-wicket margin did show up the gulf between West Indies and newbies Thailand, but for a while, with the favourites at 27 for 3 in their chase of 79, Thailand might have dreamt of a bit of the improbable.”We think our performance will make people take us more seriously,” opener Nattaya Boochatham told the ICC. “We have an aggressive mentality and we know it only takes ten balls to create wickets. That’s the plan we stick to.”We trust our fielding a lot to get us far in the competition. It has given us motivation to do better and show we can compete on the global stage.”That was on show early on in the West Indies innings when Naruemol Chaiwai knocked down the stumps to run Lee-Ann Kirby out, and though a debut win eluded them in Perth, the show against the 2016 T20 world champions would have ensured that none of their remaining opponents take Thailand lightly.‘We love a bit of pressure, that’s fine’ – HealyJust one day into a tournament where they are, or were at least, considered favourites and much is pinned on them reaching the final at the MCG, Australia know they are in a position where they probably can’t afford another mistake.The 17-run defeat against India at the Sydney Showground means they flew to Perth on Saturday chastened and needing to find a balance between reflecting and moving on. The next two matches against Sri Lanka (at the WACA) and Bangladesh (in Canberra) be more comfortable affairs, which leaves the Trans-Tasman clash against New Zealand in Melbourne as a potentially mouth-watering occasion.”We love a bit of pressure, that’s fine,” Alyssa Healy said. “We always talk that you can’t go through this tournament undefeated. Obviously you don’t want to lose the first game, but you often take more out of a loss than a win so we’ll take all the positives and leave the negatives aside, one of the blessings of our crazy schedule is that we don’t have a lot of time to dwell on it.”Australia have never been beaten by Sri Lanka but they have the threat of Chamari Atapattu at the top of the order who takes her game to a new level when playing them. On last year’s tour she scored a T20I and ODI hundred which followed her magnificent unbeaten 178 at the 2017 World Cup.”We aren’t taking any team lightly, it’s a really tough pool, and we love that,” Healy said. “Charmari loves facing our attack, has hit us to all parts of the ground the last couple of years. We’ll prepare as best we can, get our plans in place, and if we do that we’ll be okay.”Australia favourites but India no pushover – Mithali RajFormer India captain Mithali Raj has backed the current team to give Australia a run for their money in the opening match of the T20 World Cup in Sydney on Friday.”Australia go in as favourites, but India will be no pushover,” she said in her ICC column. “They have some very talented players and I think it will be a very close, high-scoring game. Both teams have exciting players, particular in the batting units, and it will be a case of whoever can score the runs that their country need on the day.”I do think Australia have the advantage because of their T20 record and have a slightly better chance of winning the first game against India but no matter what, it’s going to be a very exciting way to open the tournament.”Raj, who played 10 Tests, 209 ODIs and 80 T20Is, said that more and more teams were now becoming competitive in the women’s game.”The gap between the top and bottom teams is closing. You can’t go by the practice matches alone, but it does give you a rough indication of how the tournament could play out. Take Sri Lanka beating England for example — there is a possibility that could happen again. When you see these scores, and tight games, there is so much more quality now in the game, even just since the last edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Teams like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh can compete too.”Strano replaces Vlaeminck as Australia suffer big blowAustralia have called offspinner Molly Strano into their World Cup squad after it was confirmed that fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck would miss the tournament with a stress injury to her right foot.Vlaeminck reported pain in her foot, with scans revealing a stress response of the third metatarsal and signs of an early stress fracture of the navicular – a bone in the top inner side of the foot.”Tayla has been in brilliant form of late and established herself as one of the premier fast bowlers in international cricket,” Australia coach Matthew Mott said, “No one ever wants to see a player miss a major tournament in these kinds of circumstances, but I have no doubt she will bounce back from this setback and play a leading role in Australian squads for many years to come.””We are fortunate to have great depth across Australian cricket and Molly enters the squad in great form having recently been named the domestic player of the year.”Strano has played five T20Is for Australia having debuted in 2017 and comes into the side off the back of a good season that saw her finish as the leading wicket-taker in the WBBL.Vlaeminck set to miss World CupAustralia fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck looks set to be ruled out of the T20 World Cup after picking up a foot injury just 48 hours before their opening match against India.Vlaeminck, one of the fastest bowlers in the game, was wearing a moon boot during a team function in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon. More information is expected when Australia train at Sydney Showgrounds on Thursday, but team-mates are preparing for the news to not be too good for Vlaeminck, who has previously suffered a torrid injury list and has had two knee reconstructions.”The medical staff are working through [it] but anything that requires a moon boot isn’t overly great,” Ellyse Perry said. “The whole squad has their fingers and toes crossed for Tay, but I don’t think it’s overly positive.”Vlaeminck, who made her T20I debut during the previous World Cup in the West Indies, took seven wickets in three matches during the recent triangular series with England and India, rattling batters from both sides with her pace which was set to prove a telling point of difference to Australia’s attack.England humbled during warm-up defeatChamari Atapattu inspired her Sri Lanka side to a surprise ten-wicket thrashing of England in both team’s final warm-up game before the tournament. England’s reshuffled batting line-up never got started, with Shashikala Siriwardene and Atapattu taking 4 for 22 and 3 for 21 respectively, before Atapattu crunched a 50-ball 78 to seal a ten-wicket win with 45 balls to spare.Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone in particular came in for some rough treatment, being hit for three sixes by Atapattu, while Freya Davies and Anya Shrubsole both proved expensive. While the game was not an official T20 international, Sri Lanka have never beaten England in the format, and have won only once in 15 completed ODIs against them, marking this out as a major upset.”It was a disappointing performance, but I’d rather we got it out of the way ahead of the World Cup,” said England’s captain Heather Knight. “Chamari batted really well for Sri Lanka and she just took the game away from us. It might give us a little kick up the backside, which might not be a bad thing.”We’re still in a good place. We’ve played a lot of good cricket over here and we need to take that into our first game against South Africa.”Kulasuriya cleared of serious injuryThere was a scary moment during Sri Lanka’s warm-up match against South Africa in Adelaide on Sunday when Achini Kulasuriya was struck on the head as she misjudged a catch as the two teams practiced a Super Over following the completion of their full game.Kulasuriya lay on the ground for a period of time as she was treated by medical staff before being taken off a stretcher and sent to hospital. However, she was released back to the team hotel later in the day without a serious injury.Speaking at the captain’s day in Sydney on Monday, Chamari Atapattu said Kulasuriya would miss Sri Lanka’s next warm-up match against England tomorrow but is expected to be fit for the start of the tournament itself when Sri Lanka face New Zealand in Perth.

Kiran More has said the decision to recall 38-year-old Rahul Dravid to the limited-overs side for the England tour reflected poor planning by the current selection committee

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2011Former chairman of selectors Kiran More has said the decision to recall 38-year-old Rahul Dravid to the limited-overs side for the England tour reflected poor planning by the current selection committee.”I think they have made a lot of changes recently,” More told . “And the changes they have done are not looking ahead. I don’t know what their thinking is but I know things have not gone very correctly.”More said that while the decision to recall Dravid was because a batsman of his calibre was needed to hold the batting together in tough conditions, it wasn’t a forward-thinking decision. Dravid scored two centuries in the first two Tests in England but last played an ODI for India in September 2009, during the Champions Trophy in South Africa. Dravid, who was surprised at his recall, said he would retire from ODIs after the England series.”They needed an experienced batsman, looking at some of the players who have been exposed on this tour. In English conditions you need to have a batsman who can carry the innings and that’s the reason he [Dravid] has been picked.”After the World Cup they (selectors) should have taken a call and thought about building a team for the next World Cup also,” More said. “To win another World Cup or dominate world cricket, there needs to be proper planning but that’s not happening. It’s been a little haywire.”India’s pace attack for the limited-overs leg of the England tour comprised Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel and Vinay Kumar. Zaheer was subsequently ruled out of the series and left-arm seamer RP Singh was named his replacement. The selectors – led by chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth – left out fast bowler Sreesanth, who is part of the Test squad, from the 16-man limited-overs squad and More said such decisions would send out wrong signals to the players.”The players are also confused. Now Sreesanth is not part of the one-day team though he is bowling well. I don’t know what confidence you are giving to Sreesanth. He was part of the World Cup team but he is not part of the [current] one-day team. Yusuf Pathan could have played a few games … he’s not a bad player. They are not sending proper signals to the players.”

Australian left-arm seamer set for fourth stint at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2019James Faulkner, the Australian left-arm seamer, will return to Lancashire for his fourth stint at the club for next year’s T20 Blast.Faulkner first appeared for the county in 2015, and has been one of their overseas players in the Blast since 2018. This season, he took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.88 as Lancashire topped the North Group, but were beaten by eventual winners Essex in the quarter-finals.”I am thrilled to be returning to Emirates Old Trafford for next season’s Vitality Blast,” Faulkner said. “It feels like a home away from home for me and I cannot wait to get started again in May.”We were unlucky not to progress past the quarter-finals last year and we are all determined to put that right in 2020. We will be going all out to repeat the success of 2015, which remains one of the proudest memories in my cricketing career.”Emirates Old Trafford is an amazing place to play cricket and I can’t wait to reunite with the squad next summer. I’m determined to win the Vitality Blast trophy back for the Club.”Paul Allott, the club’s director of cricket, said: “James is a fantastic, well-rounded cricketer of significant experience and we are delighted to welcome him back to Emirates Old Trafford for a fourth season in 2020.”He is the very definition of an all-rounder. He can bowl in any situation, which he has done successfully for us at both the beginning and back end of an innings, and is still a powerful batsman, not to mention his outstanding ability in the field too.”His enthusiasm in representing the Red Rose is evident and he has established himself as a key figure in our T20 side. He is a proven winner and a great role model to the younger players.”

Hosts UAE got a second victory, while Bermuda and Namibia secured their first wins, in the second round of matches of the ICC World Cricket League Division Two

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2011An 118-ball 123 from Shaiman Anwar helped UAE to a 114-run win against Papua New Guinea in the World Cricket League Division Two in Dubai.Coming in after Swapnil Patil fell early, Shaiman helped steer UEA after a middle-order collapse saw them lose three wickets for two runs. It was down to Amjad Ali to provide some resistance at one end while Shaiman blazed at the other. In all he hit 13 fours and five sixes, sharing a 117-run stand with Amjad. After he fell, the lower order dragged the score up to 284 which always looked likely to be enough.In reply, PNG’s Chris Amini started the side off well after the departure of Tony Ura for 7, but tight bowling by the UAE attack saw the side slip to 68 for 5 by the 20th over and the game, despite some spirited lower-order batting, was as good as up. UAE coach Kabir Khan said: “PNG are newcomers. They did succeed in putting pressure on our team, however I think in this case it’s clear that experience prevailed.”

After a disappointing loss to PNG on Friday, Bermuda secured a 69-run win over Hong Kong at the Global Cricket Academy ground. Their match-winning total of 242 for 7 was set up by wicketkeeper Jason Anderson’s unbeaten 106 and a late blitz from Lionel Cann, who struck two sixes in a 35-ball 50. Hong Kong’s reply never got going, with opener Roy Lamsam the only batsman in the top six to pass 20. Captain Najeeb Amar helped to rally the lower order after Hong Kong had slipped to 89 for 6, but once his partnership with Irfan Ahmed had been broken the tail fell in a heap, Rodney Trott and Dion Stovell helping themselves to three wickets apiece with their offspin.”Today we played incredibly well; you always hope that one of your top four batsmen will bat through, creating a platform for a high score,” Bermuda captain David Hemp said. “We played well and we stuck with it. Anderson laid a great foundation for us to keep pushing through while defending a target.”Today we were far more consistent in our bowling: in terms of lines and lengths. We had a superb start, which gave us momentum for our bowling Powerplay. This also ensured that some pressure was relieved off our bowlers; so they could focus on doing their job right. The great beginning meant we gave ourselves a chance to bowl well.”

Kola Burger picked up five wickets as Namibia sealed a comprehensive 205-run victory over Uganda at the Dubai International Cricket stadium.Namibia’s victory was set up by a solid performance from their middle order, after they were sent in to bat. Openers Ewald Steenkamp and Jan-Berrie Burger started steadily adding 40 runs in 12 overs before Deusdedit Muhumuza dismissed Steenkamp. Muhumuza struck again in his very next over, taking a smart return catch to send Jan-Berrie Burger back. Sarel Burger fell on the same score, in the next over, and Namibia looked to be struggling at 42 for 3.However, Craig Williams and Gerrie Snyman combined to wrest the initiative from Uganda with a mammoth 183-run fourth-wicket partnership. Williams, who reached his century off 97 balls, was finally dismissed by Muhumuza in the 46th over. Snyman, who made a half-century in the last match, against UAE, fell 15 runs short of a well-deserved century in the 49th over; his 85 included five fours and four sixes. Louis van der Westhuizen hit some big shots in his 26 as Namibia reached an imposing 272 for 5.Uganda needed a solid start and some big contributions from their batsmen if they were going to make a fist of the chase, but they failed miserably. They lost four wickets within the first six overs with just 16 runs on the board, with Kola Burger picking up three of them. Benjamin Musoke (28) and Lawrence Sematimba (15) – the only two batsmen to reach double figures – tried to offer some resistance, but it was to no avail. Kola Burger picked up two more wickets to end with figures of 5 for 25, his best List A figures, as Uganda slumped to 67 all out in just the 27th over.

The position was created following South Africa’s horrific World Cup 2019 campaign

Firdose Moonda09-Nov-2019Graeme Smith, South Africa’s former captain, is in line to be their first director of cricket, a position created in the aftermath of their 2019 World Cup exit. Smith confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he was interviewed by the board this week.Suspended interim director of cricket, Corrie van Zyl, and former national selector Hussein Manack were also interviewed for the job, which is expected to be filled inside two weeks, leaving enough time for the appointee to settle in before the home series against England that begins on Boxing Day.The director will be responsible for overseeing all cricket played under CSA’s ambit, which includes the national teams, high-performance teams, age-group structures and the domestic set-up as well. While similar to the ECB’s post – first occupied by Andrew Strauss and now Ashley Giles – it also requires skills in human resources, financial management and managing CSA’s transformation strategy. The CSA’s advertisement required interested candidates to have a qualification in sports management and at least 10 years experience either working in sports or media management, coaching or playing at a first-class level or above.Smith, van Zyl and Manack were interviewed by a five-person panel which included CSA board members Jack Madiseng, Shirley Zinn, Tebogo Siko, and Dawn Makhobo, along with board CEO Thabang Moroe.Smith has the highest profile among the three candidates. He had more-than-a-decade-long playing career with South Africa and was both their youngest and longest serving captain. Since retiring in 2014, he is best known for his commentary but has also dabbled in the business of cricket as well.Six months after quitting the game, Smith joined financial services company Momentum – who were sponsors of South Africa’s ODI team at the time – as part of their corporate social responsibility team. He was involved in the setting up of a cricket sixes event, the proceeds of which went to a conservation charity involved in saving the much-poached rhino. Later in 2014, Smith was named ambassador of the Ram Slam T20, South Africa’s domestic 20-over competition, which was attempting to attain the same status as some of T20 leagues around the world. The tournament no longer exists and has since been replaced by the Mzansi Super League.While Smith would appear as the frontrunner, both van Zyl and Manack have adequate experience and credentials which will leave the panel with a tough decision to make, one that may ultimately come down to how much money CSA is able to spend on this position. The board is forecasting debt of R654 million (approx USD 44 million) over the next four-year cycle and has put cost-cutting measures in place, including a proposed restructuring of the domestic system that is being challenged by the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) in court at the moment.ALSO READ – ‘The financial thing is a hurdle,’ says Faf du Plessis as ex-players stay away from CSAVan Zyl, who has served as general manager to CSA since May 2009 – which included a stint as head coach during the 2011 World Cup. He has extensive knowledge of how the board works and was appointed as interim director of cricket post the 2019 World Cup, only to be suspended late last month for alleged dereliction of duty.Van Zyl’s suspension did not prevent him from being interviewed though. Apart from his experience with CSA, van Zyl was also head coach of Free State from May 1994 to April 1998 and of the Eagles and now Knights franchise from September 2003 to April 2009. He also has a Certificate in Sports Management from Royal Holloway, University of London.Manack has significant experience in the South African system as well, having most recently served on the selection panel whose tenure ended after the World Cup. Hussein was a national selector for seven years from 2012 to 2019, was the convener of selectors at the Lions franchise from 2011 to 2014 and served on the Gauteng Cricket and Lions board. He has both a Level 3 coaching certificate and UK National Cricket Association coaching qualification, a new Manager’s Programme in Business Administration and Sport and Event Management from the University of the Witwatersrand and has worked as the Managing Director of a manufacturing and retail company for more than a decade.Manack is a regular voice on radio commentary in South Africa and also has a long playing career behind him, the bulk of which fell during the Apartheid years, which denied him the opportunity to progress through the ranks in the same way van Zyl and Smith did. Still, he was part of history when he was selected as a non-playing member of the South African squad that toured India on the original Friendship Tour in 1991.No international candidates were in the mix for the director of cricket role.South Africa are also expected to confirm a men’s team director soon. Enoch Nkwe occupied the position on the recent tour to India and though they lost the Test series 0-3, he remains the leading candidate after assurances he would not be judged on the results of that series.CSA has also conducted interviews for a new convener of selectors and Linda Zondi was among those under consideration. Despite a successful tenure which brought through players like Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj and elevated Faf du Plessis to the captaincy, Zondi is understood to have had a falling out with members of CSA and may not be reappointed.

Martin Guptill’s century powered New Zealand to 32-run win despite a spirited chase by Ireland in the World Cup warm-up match in Nagpur

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2011
ScorecardMartin Guptill raced to 130 as New Zealand reached a big total•Associated Press

Martin Guptill’s century powered New Zealand to a 32-run win despite a spirited chase by Ireland in the World Cup warm-up match in Nagpur.Opening the innings, Guptill struck 12 fours and three sixes on his way to 130 from 134 deliveries after being inserted by Ireland’s captain William Porterfield on a flat track at Nagpur. Despite sliding to defeat, Ireland showed enough to suggest they could be a dangerous side in Group B, with Porterfield leading Ireland’s chase with a 74-ball 72.Ireland’s seamers suffered at the hands of New Zealand’s top order despite Brendon McCullum falling in the second over to Boyd Rankin. Jesse Ryder’s return to form continued with a breezy 48 with Ross Taylor (33) and James Franklin (49) also making starts.Guptill was the rock though and after a frustrating series against Pakistan, where he looked in good touch without going on to make the telling contribution, this innings will please him and the New Zealand management greatly. George Dockrell, the much-heralded 18-year-old left-arm spinner was Ireland’s most economical bowler, but couldn’t make the breakthroughs that his hero, Daniel Vettori, did for New Zealand.Vettori’s four wickets ensured his side were not embarrassed, but not before they were given a scare by Ireland’s top order. Opening pair Porterfield and Paul Stirling raced to 93 in the first 13 overs with Stirling giving a demonstration of his abundant talent by striking three sixes in his 33-ball 39. At that stage, Ireland looked well placed for a tilt at the chase but Vettori broke through by trapping Stirling in front.Ed Joyce, back in Irish colours after playing for England in the 2007 World Cup , was less fluent but no less certain as he partnered Porterfield in a stand of 37. Hamish Bennett took the first of his three wickets by dismissing Porterfield and Ireland’s chase, though competitive, never really threatened from there on.Kyle Mills took the first of his three wickets when Joyce edged behind for 41 and wickets fell steadily from there. Trent Johnston had a late dash at the chase by swishing his way to 33 but was the last man out with Ireland still 32 runs short.