Category Uncategorized

The PCB also decided to increase the player salary cap by USD 25,000 after all six franchises unanimously agreed

Umar Farooq13-Nov-2017The PCB has decided to increase the number of players per PSL franchise from 20 to 21 and raise the player salary cap by USD 25,000. Earlier, the purse allowed per team in the PSL was $1.2 million. Along with the existing squads of 20 players, each team will now be allowed to include a local player from the domestic circuit. The minimum squad of each franchise will consist of 16 players and can be extended to 21 with five supplementary players.”All franchises unanimously decided to increase the player salary cap by USD 25,000 allowing teams to pick a squad of 21 players for this season,” a PCB release said. “The newly inducted players will be from Pakistan and may include players unearthed through talent hunt programs or top performers from the National T20 Cup taking place in Rawalpindi currently.”A day after the draft was held in Lahore, the PCB held a meeting with all six franchises at the National Cricket Academy, touching upon a variety of issues for the improvement of the league going forward. The highlights of the meeting included the stance against anti-corruption, counterfeit merchandising and talent hunt programmes.Each franchise has a spending cap as players are picked through the draft system from five different categories – platinum, diamond, gold, silver, and emerging. But each category has a varying range and limit. A player can earn in the range of $140,000 to $230,000 for one full season.The players picked in the diamond category can earn between $70,000 and $85,000 while players selected in the gold category can take home up to $60,000 with the baseline of $50,000. Similarly, players selected in the silver category can earn from $22,000 to $33,000. Emerging players from the Under-19 circuit can be bought in the range of $10,000 and $12,000.

Eoin Morgan, and any other players still uncertain over whether to tour Bangladesh, have until Saturday to make up their minds, according to Andrew Strauss

Andrew McGlashan07-Sep-20162:20

Will Morgan travel to Bangladesh?

Eoin Morgan, and any other players still uncertain over whether to tour Bangladesh, have until Saturday to make up their minds with Andrew Strauss, the team director, saying there can be no guarantees given to anyone who relinquishes their place.Morgan has been among the players with the most reservations about the trip but Strauss, who had called for a full-strength squad to commit to the tour as soon as it was given the green light last week, reiterated that he would “absolutely” want both England’s captains to undertake the Test and ODI legs of the trip.
Alastair Cook has given private assurances that he will lead the Test side, but Morgan’s uncertainty seems set to linger into the weekend when England’s central- and incremental- contracted players gather for two days of end-of-season fitness assessments and appraisals.Over the course of those two days, Strauss will ask for a ‘yes or no’ over a player’s willingness to be available for the Bangladesh tour, with the squad now due to be named at the end of next week. The announcement has been pushed back to give players more time after the conclusion of the series against Pakistan.Though Strauss did not issue any ultimatums – the ECB’s stance continues to be that touring is an individual choice – he did acknowledge that being captain brings other responsibilities”Would I like both our captains to be on that tour? Absolutely, definitely,” Strauss said. “The captain has certain roles and responsibilities that are greater than just looking after themselves. He obviously has a duty to the team. But they’re still human beings – and I think that’s an important point to make. They have their own thoughts, concerns, issues and views on life – and we’ve got to understand that.”I can’t force anyone onto that plane. I cannot literally force people up the steps and say ‘you have to go to Bangladesh’. People have their own decisions to make.”Though Strauss insisted he was not delivering any ultimatums, Morgan may nevertheless wish to consider the subtext in his comments. Writing in the Daily Telegraph last week, Kevin Pietersen – who was faced with a similar situation during his time as England captain in India in 2008-09 – warned that Morgan would “have a red cross against his name” in ECB circles if he refused to make the trip.”When the going gets tough for him in the future, with the team losing, or a run of personal low scores, then he will find that the loyalty from his bosses will not be the same because he went against them,” Pietersen wrote. “That is just the way it is. In the end it will come back to haunt him.”Alex Hales, another player reported to be uncertain about the tour, has previously said how it is a difficult decision because you are forgoing your place in the side. This is especially true of someone such as Hales, who is struggling to cling to his Test berth, while there are an abundance of young players striving to get in the one-day side even if Hales has just become England’s individual record-holder in ODIs.”I think, at its most simple, the big consequence for not going is you are giving someone else an opportunity to step into your shoes and stake a claim for themselves,” Strauss said.”That’s just the same as if someone gets injured, you are out of possession of that spot in the team for a certain period of time, and if someone does really well then you can’t give any guarantees.”But that’s a choice people have to make themselves, and they have to weigh up all sorts of different things when they come to this decision. Everyone has a different attitude to risk, different thoughts about what their priorities in life are. That’s fine – that’s their decision.”Strauss stopped short of saying that a player’s decision on the Bangladesh tour would affect their position for the India leg, a situation more relevant to the Test team where the seven matches in Bangladesh and India are being seen in their entirety, but again encouraged them to take heed of the security assessment put together which got the tour approved.”I’m very assured by the report that Reg gave to me and translated to the players. But everyone will look at that and take their own observations,” Strauss said. “I’m still very hopeful that everyone gets on that plane because I believe the security plan we have in place mitigates the risk to an acceptable level.”I genuinely believe that and that is why I’m encouraging every player to use that incredibly detailed and experienced view point from Reg to make a judgement.”

A string of fifties, and a particularly brisk one late in the day from captain Ambati Rayudu, has pushed India A into the lead at stumps on the second day of the second unofficial Test in Wayanad

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Ambati Rayudu struck a rapid fifty to push India A into the lead•Getty Images

A string of fifties, and a particularly brisk one late in the day from captain Ambati Rayudu, has pushed India A into the lead at stumps on the second day of the second unofficial Test in Wayanad. South Africa A have fallen behind despite offspinner Dane Piedt’s four wickets. With the series still in the balance at 0-0, India A have four wickets including wicketkeeper-batsman Ankush Bains to work on the 82-run advantage come the third day.Much of the hosts’ good work with the bat came from the top order, with Abhinav Mukund and Jiwanjot Singh striking half-centuries in an opening stand of 96. Jiwanjot, in his first first-class fifty since January, struck seven fours while Mukund extended his good run – it was his third fifty-plus score in four unofficial Tests against Australia A and South Africa A.The visitors needed a lift and Piedt provided that, taking three wickets for 56 runs. Mukund was trapped lbw for 72, B Aparajith’s patience ran out for 34 and Sheldon Jackson was bowled for 25 as India A’s one-way traffic was threatened. The other success for South Africa A was Lonwabo Tsotsobe taking his 200th first-class wicket, as he picked up 2 for 38.But India A captain Rayudu helped himself to a breezy 81-ball 71 which included eight fours and three sixes and ensured South Africa A did not gather momentum. He looked set to take control of the match too, but Piedt fought back again when he had Rayudu caught by Bavuma eight overs before stumps.Bains, who had been Rayudu’s partner in a 56-run stand for the sixth wicket, took India A to stumps and will look to rally the tail around him tomorrow.

Warwickshire are expected to confirm Dougie Brown, their assistant coach and Academy director, on Thursday morning

George Dobell30-Jan-2013Warwickshire are expected to confirm Dougie Brown, their assistant coach and Academy director, on Thursday morning as the successor to Ashley Giles as their new director of cricket.Brown has fought off other leading candidates for the job such as Graeme Welch, his former Warwickshire team-mate and the county’s bowling coach, and the West Indies coach Ottis Gibson, who has also been discussing the details of a promised new contract with the national side.Brown, who worked in close association with Giles as Warwickshire won the Championship last summer, and also reached the final of the CB40, is a former England and Scotland allrounder who can be sure to bring a passionate approach to the role. He is also a former PCA chairman.Other candidates for the Warwickshire role included David Parsons, the ECB performance director, David Hemp, former Glamorgan and Bermuda captain and now coaching at Solihull School and Andy Moles, the former Scotland, Kenya and New Zealand coach, who was discounted before the interview stage.

Somerset have signed Albie Morkel, the South Africa allrounder, as one of their overseas players for this year’s Friends Life t20 campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2012Somerset have signed Albie Morkel, the South Africa allrounder, as one of their overseas players for this year’s Friends Life t20 campaign. Another South African, Roelof van der Merwe, who played for Somerset in last year’s Friends Life t20 and in the Champions League T20, had been expected to join the county from the start of June, from the Friends Life t20 onwards; but difficulties in obtaining a work permit for him led Somerset to seek an alternative.Morkel, who has scored 2285 runs and taken 131 wickets in Twenty20 cricket, as well as played in 31 Twenty20 internationals, will join Chris Gayle as Somerset’s overseas signings for the Friends Life t20. Somerset have finished as runners-up in England’s domestic T20 competition in each of the last three seasons.”The club has signed Albie Morkel from South Africa as our second overseas player for the T20 competition this season,” Somerset’s director of cricket Brian Rose said. “Albie is an immensely gifted cricketer and especially exciting one-day player, and fits in well with our setup in the T20. The combination of Gayle and Morkel is a mouth-watering prospect for our supporters.”Rose said that visa problems had delayed Somerset’s signing of van der Merwe and bringing in another player for the latter stages of the season would become a priority, should the left-arm spinner fail to get clearance.”As we went through the detailed paperwork process it became apparent that Roelof van der Merwe was highly unlikely to be granted a work permit due to current Home Office legislation, though the door remains open for him at Somerset if the situation can be resolved,” Rose said. “In the event of Roelof being unable to gain Home Office clearance in time for this season, I will be actively looking for an overseas replacement for July, August and September.”

New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram, who missed the final one-dayer against Pakistan after injuring his ankle while warming up for the game, has been cleared for the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2011New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram, who missed the final one-dayer against Pakistan after injuring his ankle while warming up for the game, has been cleared for the World Cup. Oram was relieved to get the go-ahead following an MRI scan, x-ray and independent medical assessment.”I developed ankle pain and although it didn’t feel serious I wasn’t able to bowl without discomfort,” Oram said. “The medical staff got the necessary assessment done and I was sweating on the results but pleased when the doctor let me know that I was fit to travel with the team to the World Cup. I have inflammation around the joint so not a significant tear or break.”I’ve worked hard over the last six months to get fully fit so it is extremely disappointing to pick up another niggle. However I am confident it isn’t too serious and am determined to do everything I can to be fully fit for the first match.”New Zealand Cricket medical staff will continually assess and treat the ankle while Oram is in India. He is expected to be available for selection for the warm-up match against Ireland on February 12. New Zealand play another practice game, against India on the 16th, before kicking off their tournament against Kenya on the 20th.

Netherlands and Scotland will be playing a one-dayer against Bangladesh in June

Cricinfo staff26-Feb-2010Two further one-day games have been added to Bangladesh’s tour of England, Ireland and Scotland, with Netherlands and Scotland announcing that they will play a one-dayer each against the touring side in June. Scotland will play Bangladesh on July 19 in Glasgow, which will also serve as the neutral venue for the match against Netherlands the following day.Prior to these games, Bangladesh will be in Ireland, where they will play two ODIs at Stormont in Belfast on July 15 and 16.Richard Cox, the Netherlands board chief executive, believed the games would be an important benchmark for the sides. “This is an exciting opportunity to play an ICC Full Member in Scotland at the end of what will have been a long tour for the exciting Bangladesh squad,” he said.”This game will be a big test for our side and they will be relishing the opportunity to play Bangladesh whose footsteps we hope to follow in years to come. The game will come on the back of the ICC World Cricket League to be held in the Netherlands in June and we therefore hope to be well and truly ready for the challenge.”Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive, said the team would be looking forward to the clash, scheduled after England’s visit on June 19. “These games are always a major test for our players and they will be relishing the opportunity to play Bangladesh on home soil,” he said.Richard Holsworth, the ICC Europe regional development manager, also welcomed the fixtures. “Bangladesh agreeing to play Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands in one-day internationals this summer is great news for Europe and these countries. Now that all three high performance countries have a number of professional contracted players it is a hugely important they have regular competition with the Full Member countries.”