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India’s Supreme Court has told the BCCI that it might be inclined to send a few of the recommendations proposed by the Lodha committee back to the three-member panel for review

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Mar-2016India’s Supreme Court has told the BCCI that it might be inclined to send a few of the recommendations proposed by the Lodha committee back to the three-member panel for review. The two-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifullah, did not, specify, however, which recommendations it could ask the committee to review.The court made this observation on Thursday afternoon after hearing the arguments presented by BCCI counsel, KK Venugopal, who said that majority of the recommendations made by the Lodha committee ought to be reconsidered. The court set March 18 as the next date of hearing and has asked the BCCI and state associations to submit audited accounts of the expenses over the past five years through separate affidavits.As reported on Tuesday, the BCCI had expressed its reservations about the recommendations of the report. In an exhaustive affidavit, a copy of which was accessed by ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI listed it was against the following major recommendations proposed by the Lodha committee: one state one vote; drastic reduction on advertisements; inclusion of Comptroller & Auditor General of India’s nominee on managing committee and apex council; representatives of two franchises on the IPL governing council; prohibition on re-appointment for members of managing committee and cooling-off period; prohibition on association of ministers/government servants/persons holding posts in another sports body in honorary capacity; restriction of simultaneously holding office in a state association and the BCCI; age cap of 70 years for an office bearer; formation of players’ association funded by the BCCI; doing away with existing BCCI committees; bringing the board under the Right To Information Act; and legalising betting.

The Supreme Court’s sharp retorts

• BCCI: Yes Minister. Court: No Minister – The BCCI had also objected to the recommendation that barred ministers from holding a position in the board or in a state association. When the board’s counsel raised this point on Thursday, while pointing out the example of former BCCI president NKP Salve, who was also a government minister, Justic Thakur retorted: “So just because NKP Salve was there, you want every other minister also to be there? You are finding fault with having a nominee of the Comptroller and Auditor General on your governing council, but you don’t mind a minister?” Chief Justice Thakur said.

• “At 70, sit at home, watch TV” – The BCCI had also stated in its affidavit that if an office bearer was elected in democratic fashion, then there should not be an age cap of 70 years imposed, as had been recommended by the Lodha committee. “Merely because a person has attained the age of 70 years it does not mean that he ceases to function efficiently,” the BCCI affidavit said. When the BCCI counsel KK Venugopal raised the point, the court told him, “Lawyers like you get better with age, is that so with cricketers too? I don’t know. We feel 70 is a good age for retirement. At 70, they should sit at home and watch cricket on TV.”

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who signed the affidavit, said that although the Lodha panel had sent the board office bearers an exhaustive questionnaire, it had not consulted the top brass while finalising the recommendations. “During my interaction with the Lodha committee, the committee did not seek my views on the proposed recommendations which ultimately find place in the [Lodha] report,” Thakur wrote.Chief Justice Thakur, however, was unimpressed by that statement. “It was international news that we had formed the Justice Lodha committee to suggest reforms in cricket. The whole world knew it. Now you come to us and say the recommendations were a bolt from the blue for you and you were not consulted… What were you doing? Waiting at the fence for a written invitation?” the Chief Justice told the BCCI’s legal counsel, according to the .On the one-state-one-vote recommendation, the BCCI feared that some states could easily “abuse” their vote, which would encourage corruption. “For instance, the one-country-one-vote system followed by FIFA has resulted in the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal where countries where there is little or no football activity were allegedly bribed by FIFA officials to vote in a particular manner.” To this the bench said: “If this is the first scandal in 50 or 100 years, it is hardly a test on the workability of the policy.”When Venugopal argued that it would disrupt the voting process practised for decades by the BCCI, the court suggested that the state associations should vote by rotation.The BCCI also argued strongly against the presence of a nominee from the CAG’s office on the proposed apex council, saying it was “contrary to law”, since the BCCI constitution does not allow a non-member to sit on the managing committee of the society.Venugopal also said that the ICC rules did not allow government representatives to be part of the Full Member boards and the global body may take the appointment of a CAG representative as government interference and, hence, derecognise the BCCI.The BCCI counsel said the board would accept a CAG nominee in an advisory role without any voting rights. The court, however, did not relent. “You don’t even want the CAG nominee on the outside as your conscience keeper?” Chief Justice Thakur said. “Suppose we ask you to put this nominee on the board, you fear that the ICC will disenfranchise you for complying with an order of the Supreme Court of India to have a person who gives you good advice… surely you don’t grudge good advice, do you?”The BCCI also disagreed with the recommendation to restrict advertisements during a match telecast to drinks and session breaks, instead of advertisements between overs and at the fall of the wicket. The BCCI said such a move would “cripple” its income as the broadcasters would pay a “fraction” of the sum being paid for ODIs while paying nothing for a Test match.According to Anurag Thakur, Star India, the host broadcaster, had apparently sent an e-mail to the BCCI on February 21, seeking “renegotiation of the amounts currently payable by them under the existing contract if advertisements are restricted as recommended.”When Venugopal read out figures accrued as profits from broadcasting revenues that were later disbursed to state associations, the court asked the BCCI and the state associations to file individual accounts for the past five years. “The prominent spirit should be viewer enjoyment. Do you mean that your commerce should overtake the enjoyment of the game?” Chief Justice Thakur asked.In addition to the BCCI, various state units – Mumbai Cricket Association, Maharashtra Cricket Association, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association – filed their individual presentations objecting to the Lodha committee report.When prominent lawyer Kapil Sibal, representing the Baroda association, said that his client would want approach the Lodha committee directly to suggest “certain amendments”, Chief Justice Thakur brushed the suggestion aside.”There is no question of you wanting it. We, the Supreme Court, will decide whether we are inclined to send some restricted issues back to the committee for its decision, that too within a limited span of time… Lodha Committee costs a lot of money for BCCI. It is not an easy committee,” the Chief Justice said.

Simon Jones, the former England seamer, is going to pursue a career as a T20 freelance after announcing his retirement from first-class and List A cricket from the end of the season

Alan Gardner12-Sep-2013Simon Jones, the former England seamer, is going to pursue a career as a T20 freelance after announcing his retirement from first-class and List A cricket from the end of the season. He is expected to play for Glamorgan in the Yorkshire Bank 40 final on September 21 and will then focus on securing potentially lucrative contracts to play in T20 competitions around the world.Jones is coming to the end of a two-year deal with Glamorgan but will discuss a potential T20 contract with the county’s incoming chief executive, Hugh Morris, in the close season. Injuries have blighted Jones’ career since he became an Ashes winner in 2005 but the 34-year-old is not quite ready to follow his former England team-mate Matthew Hoggard into full retirement just yet.”If I get the gigs I want to get I won’t be resting much,” Jones said. “T20 is the option that we’re looking at and I’m excited at the prospect of playing in different tournaments if I can. Getting back on the park is something I’ve worked for a long time and for me to carry on playing it’s the obvious choice, to go down that route, as the likes of Shaun Tait have done.”There’s a lot of opportunities out there but you’ve got to get a gig. I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully I get the opportunities I feel I deserve, because I still feel I have a lot to offer the game.”Jones will certainly be the first Welshman to take the path of the T20 itinerant. Andrew Flintoff, another of Jones’s 2005 team-mates, planned to end his career that way, before injury had the final word, and while Tait, the former Australia bowler, is among several one-time internationals – such as New Zealand’s Scott Styris and Jacob Oram – to play just the shortest format, few England-qualified players have seriously entertained the idea.The choice may seem a little surprising, given that Jones only made his senior debut in the format in 2008 and managed one T20 appearance for Glamorgan in 2013. His T20 record comprises 43 wickets at 21.46, with an economy of 7.43.”It’s giving me the opportunity to play for another couple of years,” Jones said of his decision. “I still feel good in my body, I still feel good in my mind and I still feel I’ve got the skills and the pace to perform at the highest level. We’ll see what happens.”Despite plans to play Championship cricket this year, Jones has only featured in Glamorgan’s limited-overs teams, missing the early part of the season due to continued problems with his knee. But he hopes to end on a high with victory at Lord’s a week on Saturday and could still be turning out in Cardiff next summer.”If Glamorgan do want to keep me for the T20 I’d be delighted to stay but if they don’t I’m going to pursue other options,” he said. “I’ve had some niggles this year, which have happened in the gym. Glamorgan have a settled team in the four-day stuff and I wasn’t quite going to get in there. It has been a frustrating season but this will hopefully be another chapter in my cricketing career.”Glamorgan’s head of elite performance, Matthew Mott, who will be leaving the county at the end of the season, added: “Simon has shown great character and determination to keep pushing himself despite his time out of the game at Glamorgan. We wish him well in his endeavours to concentrate on T20 and thank him for his contribution both on and off the field.”It is a smart and well-thought out decision and I am sure that a number teams around the world will be keen on him given his increased availability for T20 competitions. He is still in great shape and has the passion to keep playing and bowling quick for a few more years to come. Hopefully he can sign off his one-day career with Glamorgan in a winning team at Lord’s.”Simon Jones was speaking ahead of the Yorkshire Bank 40 final at Lord’s on Saturday September 21. Tickets are available from tickets.lords.org

Usain Bolt has spoken of his desire to play in the Big Bash League this year, and the Melbourne Stars are keeping the door open to potentially sign him

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2012Usain Bolt has spoken of his desire to play in the Big Bash League this year, and the Melbourne Stars are keeping the door open to potentially sign him. The possibility was first raised in June when Bolt was interviewed on Australian TV by Eddie McGuire, a presenter who is also the Stars president, and the team’s marquee player Shane Warne has also asked Bolt whether he was interested.Fresh from an Olympic campaign in which he won three gold medals, Bolt said at the weekend he was still open to the idea. “He [Shane Warne] contacted me and asked me about if I am serious and if I really want to do it then he can put in a few words that should get it done,” Bolt said on Channel Nine.”So we will see if I get the time off. I will try. Twenty20, I love it. Just the fact that it is so exciting, it’s about going hard the whole time, not just about playing shots. It’s about being aggressive and I like that style of batsman. If I get the chance I will definitely try because I know it’s going to be a lot of fun. I don’t know how good I am. I will probably have to get a lot of practice in.”One of the major issues would be whether Bolt could hold his own as a cricketer. Although he played junior cricket and famously bowled Chris Gayle in a charity match in Jamaica in 2009, facing the likes of Brett Lee and Pat Cummins would be another matter entirely.In 2006-07, the rugby league star Andrew Johns turned out in two Big Bash matches for New South Wales in an effort to boost crowd numbers and attention for the competition, but the move backfired for the Blues. On debut, Johns batted at No.11 and was at the crease when New South Wales needed 13 from the final over to win, but his partner Simon Katich refused to put him on strike and the Blues lost.The stakes have risen considerably since then, with the eight BBL franchises all competing not only for the trophy but also for two spots at the Champions League T20, where the winning team earns $2.5 million in prize money. Cricket Australia is cautious about the idea of Bolt playing in the BBL, declaring that the competition has moved past the “novelty factor” and that he would need to be able to play to the appropriate standard, but the Stars remain keen on the idea.”We’re going to wait until the Olympics is over and re-engage with him and his management company,” Clint Cooper, the Stars CEO told the . “We’ve got a couple of spots left on our list.”

Two bowlers who have been injured for most of the last two seasons helped Hampshire to their first Championship win of the season and inflicted a serious blow to Durham’s title hopes

13-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Two bowlers who have been injured for most of the last two seasons helped Hampshire to their first County Championship win of the season and inflicted a serious blow to Durham’s title hopes.With two innings forfeited in the rain-ruined match at Chester-le-Street, Durham were set what looked a generous target of 276 in 82 overs. However, the title hopefuls were all out for 225 with Dimitri Mascarenhas taking six wickets for 62 runs and Kabir Ali 3 for 69.Although he was playing only his third championship game in two years following his Achilles injury, Hampshire must have sensed conditions were tailor-made for Mascarenhas when they declared on 275 for 7. The former England one-day allrounder’s medium pace always proves very effective in the north-east whenever there is any moisture around and in his first eight overs he took 3 for 11.Although Michael Di Venuto had less than his share of the strike, he had faced 23 balls when he tried to cut a ball which was moving into him and edged to second slip to depart for 1. In the last over before lunch Mark Stoneman padded up to a swinging delivery from Mascarenhas and was leg before wicket.Then, straight after the break, Gordon Muchall played back to a ball which skidded on to him and lost his off stump. Will Smith made 31 before edging Ali to first slip and Durham were rocking on
79 for 5 before Dale Benkenstein and Phil Mustard revived them with a stand of 45.Both batsmen were on 28 when Benkenstein drove at left-arm seamer Chris Wood and Hampshire’s acting captain Jimmy Adams took a fine catch high to his left at wide mid-off.With Callum Thorp coming to the crease there were still 45 overs left and survival was not really an option. He took 10 off Wood’s next over, prompting the introduction of legspinner Imran Tahir.
Thorp hit him for two fours in each of his second and third overs to move to 29 off 22 balls at tea and with Mustard on 36 Durham were 163 for 6, still needing 113 off 37 overs.The target was down to 88 when Thorp departed for 43, replicating Ian Blackwell’s dismissal by trying to pull a short ball wide of leg stump from Ali, only to glove it to wicketkeeper Michael Bates.
In the next over Mitch Claydon drove at Mascarenhas and also edged to Bates, who completed his maiden first-class half-century in the morning.It was as good as over for Durham when Mustard fell for 56, cutting low to Michael Carberry at backward point. Finally Rushworth hooked Mascarenhas to long leg and Durham had taken only two points from the match. They lead by eight points from Lancashire, but their three title rivals can all overtake them next week, when Durham are not in action.Hampshire took 18 points but are still 32 adrift of safety and faced an unwelcome coach trip to Aberdeen after the match for a Clydesdale Bank 40 League match against Scotland, knowing the ground had been far too wet to stage today’s game against Leicestershire.

The spoils were shared between Australia, England and South Africa while Pakistan, led by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, were not too far behind

Siddhartha Talya24-Aug-2010Australia and South Africa have the best bowling attacks in world cricket today, with Pakistan, led by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, and England not too far behind, according to Ian Chappell, Allan Donald and Sanjay Manjrekar. Speaking on the latest episode of , they also agreed that India and Sri Lanka didn’t measure up to the rest.Among the parameters used to rate the line-ups was their effectiveness in all conditions. The ability of Australia and South Africa’s bowlers to challenge batsmen on placid surfaces gave them an edge over the others, said Manjrekar. “When you look at bowling attacks from around the world Australia will still perhaps be No.1, because you can imagine that attack being pretty good on Indian conditions, in Sri Lanka as well,” he said.”Getting everything in the air, trying to beat batsmen in pace and not using the surface at all by bowling the ball full – that’s where Australia are good. They have got Mitchell Johnson who uses the length well. Doug Bollinger is also quite happy pitching the ball up. Australia and South Africa to me are the attacks that can perhaps make an impression in all sorts of conditions.”England, with a strong pace attack and a successful spinner in Graeme Swann, Donald said, were formidable in home conditions. But he felt they would be tested in Australia later in the year. “It’ll be very interesting for them to go to Australia during the Ashes and bowl on those flat pitches,” Donald said. “With the new ball, they’re pretty good. James Anderson is the bowler for me who really stands out in that regard. Stuart Broad is pretty much a line bowler, he’s quite aggressive. But in conditions with the Kookaburra ball, they’re going to need something off the deck as well. So they’re going to be tested during the Ashes.”

The success of the Pakistan seamers in England would have earned them more points among the experts had it not been for some poor catching and a “horrible” slip cordon. “You never know what you are going to get from Kamran Akmal, some days he has got bricks in his gloves. So that makes it very hard for the bowlers, when sometimes you have to get the guy out three times,” Chappell said.Donald rated Dale Steyn as the best fast bowler in the world, though Chappell had his doubts. “There was a classic example when Phil Hughes got his hundred in Durban. Steyn did not go after him, after Hughes at all until he got the hundred. I was starting to wonder when you had a handicap in Test cricket where they let you get a hundred before they get after you. So that’s my query with Steyn. When he is good, he is very good; but he is a little bit moody.”The uncertainty with Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh’s lack of form in the recent past meant India were among the bottom-placed teams while Sri Lanka had much to thank Lasith Malinga for. “These are the sides that will struggle bowling people out,” Donald said.

Alec Stewart, the Surrey director of cricket said that signing up Shakib on a one-match deal was an “easy decision”

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2024Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said it was “an easy decision” to sign Shakib Al Hasan on a one-match deal as the club confirmed his arrival for their vital County Championship fixture against Somerset at Taunton this week.Surrey are on the hunt for a third consecutive Championship title in Stewart’s final season as director of cricket and are 24 points ahead of second-placed Somerset with three matches remaining this season. They have eight players missing on England duty this week, due to clashes with the end of the Sri Lanka Test series and the start of the Australia T20Is.Those players include Will Jacks and Dan Lawrence, who have been used as spin-bowling allrounders this season. “We’ve been aware for a period of time that this fixture was likely to be one where we would have a significant number of players away on England duty and, in particular, missing two of our spinning allrounders,” Stewart said. “When the opportunity to bring a player of the quality of Shakib to the club came along, it was an easy decision to make.”Shakib brings a wealth of experience and outstanding skill with bat and ball and we look forward to seeing what he can do for Surrey.”Related

• Sai Sudharsan returns to Surrey for two County Championship games

• Tom Curran steps away from red-ball cricket to focus on white-ball opportunities

Shakib effectively replaces Sai Sudharsan, who has returned to India for the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy. For Shakib, the fixture also represents the chance to play competitive cricket before Bangladesh’s upcoming Test series in India.”Surrey are one of the most prestigious clubs in the world and I am pleased to get the chance to represent the club,” he said. “I’m coming here to have an impact and help the team achieve their goals for the season.”With so many players unavailable, Surrey have also convinced Tom Curran to play first-class cricket for the first time in two years. Curran announced in February 2023 that he was stepping away from red-ball cricket “for my body and for my mental health” but has been named in a 15-man squad to travel to Taunton this week.Along with Jacks and Lawrence, Surrey are also missing Ollie Pope, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith, Sam Curran, Reece Topley and Jamie Overton – although they have still named seven international players in their squad. Somerset’s squad includes Brett Randell, a seamer from New Zealand who has signed a short-term deal.Elsewhere, Lancashire have signed Anderson Phillip, the Trinidadian seamer, for their final three Championship games as they bid to avoid relegation. They had been working on a deal to sign Pakistan seamer Mohammad Ali, but the move has fallen through.

Kasey Aldridge contributes half-century to unbeaten sixth-wicket stand of 116

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2023Somerset 196 for 5 (Rew 77*, Aldridge 55*, Abbott 4-20) vs HampshireYoung guns James Rew and Kasey Aldridge batted Somerset out of a deep hole created by Hampshire seamer Kyle Abbott on a rain-interrupted opening day of the LV= County Championship match with Hampshire at Taunton.The experienced Abbott, who boasts a prolific record against the Cidermen, claimed 4 for 10 from seven overs and a run-out as the hosts slipped to 80 for 5 after winning the toss on what looked an excellent batting pitch. But sixth-wicket pair Rew and Aldridge, with a combined age of just 41, then showed impressive maturity to put together an unbroken stand of 116 in 26 overs before the weather had the final say with Somerset 196 for 5.Abbott ended the day with figures of 4 for 20. Altogether, 39 overs were lost, including 19 at the end of the day, but what action there was provided positives for both teams.Somerset rested Craig Overton, Lewis Gregory, Matt Henry, Ben Green and Tom Kohler-Cadmore ahead of Saturday’s Vitality Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston. Dom Bess returned to their team at the start of a short-term loan from Yorkshire as one of two specialist spinners, the other being Shoaib Bashir.It was no surprise when home skipper Tom Abell elected to take first use of a dry looking pitch. Tom Lammonby and Sean Dickson took the total to 26 in the seventh over before Abbott, who had replaced Keith Barker at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End, made his first impact.Lammonby, on 15, drove at a good length ball and edged a catch through to wicketkeeper Ben Brown. Soon it was 36 for 2 as Abell got a leading edge to Abbott and was caught and bowled for 5.With five runs added, Dickson connected with a sweet straight drive, only to see Abbott deflect the ball onto the stumps at the bowler’s end with George Bartlett out of his ground backing up. The crestfallen Bartlett departed for a duck to make it 41 for 3 and without addition Abbott pinned Dickson lbw for 21, playing a across a full delivery.Andy Umeed, making his first Championship appearance of the season, took 19 balls to get off the mark before registering a four to third man.Not for the first time, 19-year-old Rew looked more solid than some of the players higher up the order and the pair gradually set about repairing the early damage. At 50 for 4, Hampshire introduced spin in the shape of Liam Dawson from the River End and his first delivery to Rew turned sharply from outside off stump.Rew and Umeed had added 33 for the fifth wicket when it started raining at 12.55pm and the umpires ordered an early lunch with Somerset 74 for 4. The game resumed after the interval, but for only a matter of minutes before a more persistent shower saw the heavy covers put on. Twenty overs were lost before another restart at 3.30pm.Between then and tea, which was taken at 4.50pm, Somerset added 91 for the loss of Umeed, who had to drag himself off after carelessly pulling a short ball from Abbott straight to Felix Organ at midwicket and falling for 16.Rew and 22-year-old Aldridge then batted positively on a blameless surface, the former looking particularly strong off his legs in moving to a 105-ball fifty, featuring seven fours. Already with four Championship hundreds behind him this season, Rew again demonstrated his huge potential in red-ball cricket, while Aldridge leant valuable support in a stand worth 85 by tea.The final session saw Aldridge take the partnership past 100 with a top-edged pull for his sixth boundary and then move to an attractive half-century with four overthrows, having faced 73 balls.Rew continued to accumulate steadily with few alarms and had faced 142 balls when the rain returned at 5.45pm. The covers were removed again shortly afterwards, but with more drizzle in the air and the floodlights casting shadows, umpires James Middlebrook and Ben Peverell abandoned play for the day..

Fazle Mahmud and Mohammad Naim dropped from Test squad; Khaled Ahmed in ODI squad

Mohammad Isam03-Mar-2022Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have returned to Bangladesh’s Test squad for the forthcoming series against South Africa. Tamim missed the Test leg of the New Zealand tour due to multiple thumb injuries while Shakib skipped the trip for personal reasons.Shakib’s comeback into the Test fold comes after BCB president Nazmul Hasan had said that the 34-year-old would tour South Africa even though he had initially planned to skip Test cricket for six months.”Now that he is not going to the IPL, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t play the Test series in South Africa,” Hassan had said last Monday.” So forget about it. This is no longer in my mind. The IPL was preventing him from playing [the two Test series], but now he will play [both series].”However, Fazle Mahmud and Mohammad Naim have been dropped from the Test squad. Fazle had previously earned his place in the side on the back of chart-topping numbers in domestic first-class cricket while Naim was a left-field pick as he is more of a T20 specialist. Naim had made his debut in the second Test in Christchurch, but didn’t make much of an impression.Bangladesh stuck with the ODI squad that recently beat Afghanistan 2-0 at home. Fast bowler Khaled Ahmed, who is uncapped in ODI cricket, is the only addition to the squad. The 29-year-old has played three Tests so far, managing just one wicket.Bangladesh will play three ODIs, part of the World Cup Super League, on March 18, 20 and 23, while the two Tests, part of the World Test Championship, will start from March 31 and April 8.Test squad: Mominul Haque (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Yasir Ali, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Nurul HasanODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Khaled Ahmed

“I think we probably just felt that we were just going to get the runs easily,” says captain after 12-run defeat to Kings XI Punjab

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2020After a spectacular collapse in which Sunrisers Hyderabad went from needing 27 runs from 24 balls with seven wickets in hand to losing by 12 runs against Kings XI Punjab, David Warner said his batsmen had been “complacent” in the middle overs.The Sunrisers bowlers had restricted Kings XI to 126 for 7 on a slow, turning pitch in Dubai, and Warner himself provided a fast start in the chase, smashing 35 off 20. When he was the first wicket to fall after the powerplay, the Sunrisers needed 71 runs from 83 balls. But a middle-overs strangle meant they were eventually bowled out for 114 in 19.5 overs.”In regards to our batting, obviously very disappointed,” Warner said at the post-match press conference. “We didn’t get the job done. We were probably a bit complacent in the middle. We didn’t take the game on enough like we did the previous game (their victory against the Rajasthan Royals). I think we probably just felt that we were just going to get the runs easily, and then we sort of let the balls get ahead of the runs. That’s what happens in a game of cricket, if you give your opposition a sniff it can get taken away from you very fast.”Warner felt the batsmen should have assessed the conditions better and looked to play sensibly, especially with the required rate below six.He was fulsome in his praise for the bowlers, however, having pulled Kings XI back from their own brisk start.”I think our bowlers did an incredible job to bowl them out [restrict them] for under 130,” Warner said. “I felt that they did an exceptional job through the middle period to take wickets and to use the pitch to their advantage. I think in previous games we probably didn’t do that as well as we would have liked [with the ball], and today was a special day for them.”Warner himself adopted a changed approach while batting. In IPL 2020 so far, he had played more of an anchor role for the Sunrisers, averaging 37.22 before this game but at a strike rate of 124.07, well below his career strike rate. However, on Saturday he went hard at the bowling from the start, judging that it was the best time to score runs on this pitch.”Yeah, I was going back to my old-school days,” he said with a hint of a smile. “I was opening my front leg and just taking on the powerplay, something I haven’t done for a long time. It’s one of those things, where I felt that the best part of the powerplay was to try and go after it, go after their main bowler who swings the ball and is a very good bowler – [Mohammed] Shami. So I just tried to apply a little bit of pressure. And yeah, it’s fair to say that I’ve probably been quite reserved the last few years, so it was nice to open the front leg and show that I’ve still got that.”The Sunrisers have eight points with only three games in hand – and those are against the three teams currently at the top of the table: the Delhi Capitals, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians. They will not only have to win those for a realistic shot at making the playoffs, but will also probably depend on net run rate to go through.”I would like to think that the team will do that, definitely,” Warner said. “We’ve got three challenging games coming up, one here and two in Sharjah. If you want to win the tournament, you’ve got to beat the top three teams and that’s what we face in our next assignment.”

England’s leading players will be made available for the first couple of weeks of The Hundred, as well as the tournament’s final

George Dobell09-Aug-2019The ECB is set to confirm a window for The Hundred which will allow England’s best-known players to participate in the first few games of the tournament next summer.A 13-day window in England’s international schedule will enable some England stars to participate early in the tournament, giving it a better chance to attract public interest. Several games in the tournament will be shown free-to-air on the BBC.The first match in the competition will be played on Friday July 17 (the day after England play Australia in an ODI) with two games on each of the following days. The final will be held on August 15, with a reserve day in case of rain. England players are also expected to be made available for the final.The new format could have implications on the legislation that allows foreign players to participate in it, with the ECB having second thoughts over a request to the Home Office to change the eligibility for work permit criteria specifically for the competition. The ECB have now asked the Home Office to grant work permits for all competitions if players have “played 20 ICC Full Member country domestic T20 matches between October 2017 – September 2019 (appearances are aggregated across all ICC Full Member T20 competitions)”, in addition to the existing criteria which relate to international appearances. The Home Office have yet to confirm that criterion but are highly likely to do so.The ECB has also relented on a previous decision to bar cricketers unqualified for England from next season’s 50-over competition. While they had said previously the tournament should be viewed as a “development competition” – with no overseas players eligible to participate – they have subsequently had a change of heart on the grounds that the standard of the competition, which is taking place at the same time as The Hundred, could be diluted beyond an acceptable level. As a consequence, one unqualified player will be allowed per team, per game.In recognition of the crowded schedule and the time required to register players, counties will be permitted to increase the number of overseas players registered at any particular time from the start of next year. It will not affect the number permitted to play in each game – which will remain two in T20 and one in the Championship – but next season counties will be allowed to have three overseas players registered at any one time in recognition of the crowded schedule and the time required to register players.In a new look to the English season, the first Test of the summer of 2020 will start on June 4, with the final one starting on August 20. The schedule will also see a return to more T20 Blast games taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays – the counties’ favoured days for the tournament – with 105 of the 126 fixtures played on those days. The first round of Championship cricket will start on April 13; the final round is scheduled to finish on September 30.The ECB are expected to announce in the coming weeks that there will be limited-overs games between the National Counties – the new name for the Minor Counties – and the first-class counties ahead of the 50-over competition that starts in mid-July, though games between counties and university centres are to have their status downgraded.