On a day when BCCI’s old guard fought in the court for its existence, thousands saw the two Test teams practice with return of Kane Williamson and Gautam Gambhir likely for Indore’s debut Test

Sidharth Monga in Indore06-Oct-20161:58

Williamson likely to return for Indore Test – Jurgensen

By the time the New Zealand team arrived at the Holkar Stadium for an optional training session at around 10am, about 500 people were already in the stands. They cheered Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain who had missed the last Test because of illness, on. They were happy Williamson was batting in the nets. If Williamson played a good shot or raised his bat to them, they clapped. If he missed, they ooh-ed and aah-ed. By the time the Indian team arrived in the afternoon this number had swollen to about 4000. Mostly students, they queued up patiently outside the ground, and proved to be no hindrance to the preparation of either the teams or the ground staff once they got in. They sat patiently in the stands and watched.The Holkar Stadium apparently has a tradition to let the fans enter the ground for even the practice sessions. This is a luxury in India. Other stadiums generally consider the fans an inconvenience; going by the BCCI ticketing practices these grounds would rather look after only the broadcasters and the VIPs, who are given complimentary passes. On a day when the old guard of the BCCI was fighting for its existence in the Supreme Court, a ground that was gearing up for its Test debut was showing the way.Out in the middle, preparations went on regardless. Williamson batting in the nets, and having a bit of a bowl was good news for New Zealand. “It’s looking positive,” Shane Jurgensen, New Zealand’s bowling coach, said. “Final confirmation on that will probably be tomorrow. We trained today, and he did some batting and had a decent hit and a run around. We’ll have another look at him tomorrow, but it looks positive.”India welcomed a senior face as well. Gautam Gambhir, who last played for India in 2014, was the first one to pad up for India. India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar empathised with Gambhir’s situation; he gets one Test, and it is quite possible he is usurped by both the injured openers by the time England come. Bangar, however, refused to rule him out for the rest of the season. “Gautam Gambhir is a quality player; what he has done really for himself, for the time he was out of the Indian team he kept on performing for his franchise and state side,” Bangar said. “When he got an opportunity in the Duleep Trophy, he was one of the top scorers there. That too against the pink ball, which certain batsmen found was difficult to pick. Yes, he ticked all boxes. Untimely injury to KL Rahul Shikhar Dhawan made sure that there is a place for him. He is something of a quality performer. Proven record against spin bowling. And the number of Test matches we are going to play in India, he becomes an important player right at the top of the order.”Gautam Gambhir is set to play his first Test since August 2014•Getty Images

Gambhir has come back with runs in Duleep Trophy, and with an open stance, at least half the way to what Shivnarine Chanderpaul had. Gambhir has worked on it with Justin Langer and Langer’s personal coach Neil Holder. The need of the hour, though, might be a change for the New Zealand spinners to work on. Their batsmen have shown a lot of discipline to make India’s bowlers work hard, a fact R Ashwin has acknowledged in his interview with , but they have been undone by natural variation for the India bowlers. India exploit it more because their spinners bowl with the seam parallel to the ground whereas the New Zealand spinners – like others who visit Asia – bowl with the seam pointing to fine leg at 45 degrees.”It was certainly something we were working on before we came to India,” Jurgensen said. “It doesn’t come as naturally, we bowl a different way where we come from. But the boys have been working on it to get that natural variation. Every game we’ve improved.”It was refreshing to see the talk return to seam positions and India’s mindset of not even thinking of losing in crunch situations, thus, according to Bangar, being clear in their minds. It must not be easy for the players from either side to be clear in these times. India’s players are used to answering to the BCCI even though the money in cricket is public’s and generated because of them. They must be wondering what lies ahead. New Zealand’s players must be aware the BCCI is capable of carrying through with its threats of pulling out of a series, and would have spent the two days after the Kolkata Test in limbo. There was no information from their hosts, the BCCI.Once again, though, if the practice sessions and the response two days before Indore’s debut Test are anything to go by, on the field it is almost certain to be business as usual.

Centuries from Callum Ferguson and Tom Cooper put South Australia in a dominant position as they ended the second day of their day-night Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia with a lead of 203

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2016
ScorecardTom Cooper headlined South Australia’s day of dominance with a rapid century•Getty Images

Callum Ferguson marked his 100th first-class match with a century to help South Australia establish a first-innings lead of 203 on the second day of their day-night Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia at the WACA.Ferguson was left with the unenviable task of pulling South Australia out of a spot, after they had been reduced to 2 for 16 at stumps on the opening day. South Australia ended the day on 8 for 474, after Western Australia had declared on 9 for 271, courtesy a half-century from Shaun Marsh, who returned from a hamstring injury. While Ferguson took the team close to the 200-mark, it was Tom Cooper who helped them surge ahead, scoring a century of his own and putting on 198 for the seventh wicket with wicketkeeper Alex Carey to frustrate Western Australia.Ferguson collected his runs at 79.52 per 100 balls, while Cooper was even more severe, striking at 89.61 as South Australia slammed 458 runs in 93 overs on the day. Ferguson added 60 more for the third wicket with overnight partner and nightwatchman Joe Mennie, who struck 32. Ferguson was then joined by South Australia captain Travis Head, and the duo added 122 for the fourth wicket at nearly a run a ball. Ferguson was dismissed by left-arm paceman Jason Behrendorff, who had rocked the visiting team late on the opening day. He had faced 127 balls for his 101 and struck 18 fours. Head fell three overs later for a 61-ball 66, 52 of which came through fours.Cooper started off by adding 55 for the sixth wicket with Jake Lehmann. After Lehmann’s dismissal for 29 – his strike rate of 59.18 was the lowest among all South Australia batsmen to record double figures – Cooper and Carey took charge and punished the home team’s bowlers for 38.5 overs, going at nearly five an over during their stand. The carnage ended with Cooper’s dismissal, bowled by Agar, for 138 off 154 balls, a knock that featured 10 fours and a six. Carey was dismissed by the same bowler, caught behind in his next over, for a more sedate 121-ball 79. A rare slow passage followed thereafter, with Kane Richardson and Chadd Sayers adding 12 unbeaten runs off 26 balls for the ninth wicket, before stumps were drawn.Benrendorff was the most successful bowler, with 3 for 70, and also the most economical of the main Western Australia bowlers. Marsh and Agar took two wickets each, but were both expensive, as was David Moody, the right-arm pacer, who accounted for Head.

Khulna Titans went to six wins off eight matches as they beat Barisal Bulls by six wickets

Mohammad Isam25-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahmudullah’s 36* was his fourth 30-plus score in eight BPL matches•Raton Gomes/BCB

Khulna Titans took sole lead of the BPL after their six-wicket win over Barisal Bulls. Khulna’s bowling returned to its parsimonious ways, rattling Barisal with early wickets and remaining disciplined as they notched up their sixth win in eight games. Junaid Khan, Shafiul Islam and Mosharraf Hossain took a wicket each, and their fielding was mostly tight.Barisal lost their openers by the fifth over before Shahriar Nafees and Mushfiqur Rahim added 42 runs for the third wicket. But once Nafees fell lbw to Mosharraf, Barisal further lost Nadif Chowdhury and Mushfiqur to run-outs, with Nadif falling to a cheeky bit of work by Khulna wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran.It could have been worse had Junaid latched on to an easy chance at long-on, offered by Thisara Perera who, along with Enamul Haque, helped Barisal eke out 38 runs in the last five overs.Khulna’s first chase in the tournament started poorly after they lost two wickets cheaply. Mohammad Hasanuzzaman and Rikki Wessels were both unlucky, having been bowled by deliveries that kept low.Taibur Rahman and Shuvagata Hom got the chase on track with a 33-run third-wicket stand, before Shuvagata and Mahmudullah got them closer to the target with their 57-run fourth-wicket partnership.Shuvagata’s 40 off 34 balls was his highest score in the BPL. His boundaries came mostly on the leg side, pulling fours over mid-on and fine leg, while hammering Monir Hossain for a big six over long-on. Mahmudullah struck a four over cover apart from hitting two beautiful straight sixes. The win was achieved with eight balls to spare.

Eoin Morgan has said he remains ‘comfortable’ with his decision not to take part in England’s tour of Bangladesh due to his concerns over the security situation

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2016Eoin Morgan has said he remains “comfortable” with his decision not to take part in England’s tour of Bangladesh due to his concerns over the security situation.Morgan and Alex Hales made themselves unavailable for the tour following the terror attacks in the country earlier this year despite the unprecedented levels of security the team were granted for the visit.Andrew Strauss, the managing director of England cricket, who gave the players the right to choose, said an individual’s decision would not be held against them in future selection. Morgan, who is currently in Australia for a spell at the Big Bash for Sydney Thunder, has been recalled to captain the limited-overs squads in India next month. Hales has also been included with Ben Duckett, who made two half-centuries in the one-day series win over Bangladesh, losing his place.”I wasn’t comfortable travelling because of security concerns and I weighed up the question ‘would I be able to perform as a captain and as a player given the security concerns in Bangladesh?'” Morgan said. “I’m still comfortable with it. It is something I considered before confirming my decision to the ECB. I tried to imagine all the different circumstances and didn’t feel comfortable enough in my mind to go and be able to perform.”I have had a great deal of support, everyone who I trust in a tight-knit circle has supported me, everyone within the game that I trust has supported me, players ex and current who I lean on for big decisions. It’s been really good, it was a difficult decision to make and I don’t think a lot of people would have made it but I am certainly happy with the decision that I have made.”Shortly before Morgan confirmed his decision not to tour he cited being involved in previous security scares in both Bangladesh, when he played domestic cricket 2013-14, and India, during the 2010 IPL, as a factor that was weighing heavily on his mind. He has since returned to India on both international and IPL duty but explained that his concerns over Bangladesh also stemmed from the fact that England were the first western team to tour there since the attacks in Dhaka on July 1.”I think one thing that had changed from 2010 in India was that other teams had travelled there and security had increased, also since then there had been no terrorist attacks or sightings or threats in regard to either a tournament or a national team,” he said. “I think going to Bangladesh and being the first western team to travel there since the terrorist attack and the fact that Australia had pulled out even before the terrorist attack happened, was another reason.”England’s three-match one-day series begins in Pune on January 15 and is followed by a three-match T20 series. The first half of 2017 is entirely one-day focused for England with a short tour to West Indies followed by series against Ireland and South Africa in May ahead of the Champions Trophy.

KL Rahul fell one short of a maiden double-hundred after leading India’s response to England’s 477 in excellent batting conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:11

Chopra: Signs of a ‘very, very special’ player in Rahul

KL Rahul fell one short of a maiden double-hundred after leading India’s response to England’s 477 in excellent batting conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. India dominated the first and third sessions of day three, thanks to two big partnerships involving Rahul: 152 for the first wicket with Parthiv Patel, and 161 for the fourth with Karun Nair. At stumps, India trailed by 86 with six wickets in hand, with Nair batting on 71. With him on 17 was M Vijay, who came in at No. 6 rather than his customary position at the top of the order because of a shoulder injury sustained while fielding.Having been at the crease for more than 100 overs, Rahul fell with stumps imminent. He walked off distraught, after reaching for a loopy, wide ball from Adil Rashid and spooning a catch to cover point, but by then he had ensured India were the likeliest of the two sides to force a win over the last two days.The draw, though, still seemed the likeliest result. It took until the 102nd over of India’s innings for England to call for their first review (another followed in the very next over; both were unsuccessful), indicating how friendly conditions were to bat in. But given the skill of India’s spinners, they may yet coax more life out of the Chepauk soil than their England counterparts.Rahul has had a stop-start series, missing the first and third Tests with injury, and had only made a top score of 24 in his three previous innings. He had been out to loose shots in all three innings, and he made at least one noticeable adjustment here, standing with his feet either side of the crease against the seamers rather than outside it. Perhaps the extra time this gave him allowed him to judge his off stump better, and he was far more certain when tested in the corridor.But his best work came against the spinners, against whom he laid down an early statement of intent, hitting Liam Dawson for sixes in the third and fifth overs of the morning. He continued to use his feet decisively thereafter, and reverse-swept with authority. Rahul’s mastery of the spinners played a big part in Rashid and Moeen Ali ending day three with a combined economy rate of 4.19 across 41 overs. Dawson, who offered more control but less of a wicket threat, bowled 23 overs, getting through more work than Alastair Cook may have wanted from his left-arm spinner.Nair joined his Karnataka team-mate Rahul at 211 for 3, after India had lost three wickets for 59 runs. This mini-slump began before lunch, with the wicket of Parthiv. Both openers had scored freely – at a run-rate of 3.63 overall, and at 4.21 on the third morning – and had looked in no trouble, with Parthiv playing some stunning straight and on-drives, showing the full face of his bat, off Stuart Broad. Then, having entered the 70s for the first time in his Test career, he fell in a moment of overconfidence. Having stepped out and whipped Moeen Ali over wide mid-on two balls previously, Parthiv left his crease again. This time, the ball drifted in a touch further, making him aim squarer and close his bat face. It also turned more, and looped to cover off the leading edge.On a pitch that offered them little help, England’s seamers took the key wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. Pujara had begun ominously, hitting Adil Rashid for two fours in one over, but fell to an uncharacteristic shot in the third over after lunch, poking at a shortish, fifth-stump ball from Ben Stokes and edging to slip.Then Stuart Broad sent back Kohli, who hadn’t been dismissed for under 40 in his seven previous innings in this series, for 15. With Broad moving around the wicket and slanting the ball across him, Kohli had looked intent on putting bat to ball, leaving only occasionally, more often moving across his stumps to defend punchily into the off side. Then Broad slipped in a full, wide slower legcutter. Failing to spot the change of pace, Kohli drove early and into the lap of short cover.Rahul, who had by then moved to his fourth Test hundred, made a strategic retreat once Kohli fell, quietly picking up the runs offered to him by England’s defensive fields and cutting out the reverse-sweep entirely. Every now and then, he reminded England of his range of strokes: an inside-out drive through the covers off Rashid, a ramp over the slips when Stokes banged it short, and a beautifully placed flick off the legs, off Joe Root, when he deigned to bowl to him without a deep square leg.That shot brought up Rahul’s 150, in the 83rd over of India’s innings. England took the new ball two overs later, and the runs flowed quicker. Both batsmen sent edges flying through the slips – a loose drive from Nair was edged close enough to Cook at first slip to count as a half-chance – but there were also some pretty shots: a square-cut from Rahul off Broad, and a straight drive from Nair, also off the same bowler. This was the second time he had hit him in that direction, though this time it was the full-faced version rather than the wristy whip that had brought him his first boundary, before tea.India scored 35 runs in the eight overs that Broad and Jake Ball bowled with the second new ball, and continued to score quickly when the spinners returned. Nair reverse-slapped Moeen to the point boundary, then Rahul launched him for a straight six. A swept four off Rashid took him to 199, before he played, as he later put it, “a horrible shot”.

Quetta Gladiators started off strongly last year, losing only two games during their run to the final – but eventually fell short against Islamabad. Can a refurbished side go one better?

Danyal Rasool08-Feb-20170:48

Will Quetta Gladiators fight their way to the top?

Inaugural season results
Quetta Gladiators were the form team of the group stages last year, demonstrating what could be achieved with savvy recruitment as opposed to throwing money at the big names. After six wins in their eight group-stage games, they eked out a thrilling one-run victory against Peshawar to qualify for the final. That was as good as it got, the Gladiators finding themselves outplayed by an Islamabad side which was flying by that stage, ending a dynamic first season somewhat meekly.Team assessmentOf the five franchises in the format last year, Quetta Gladiators had, by far, the lowest profile. However, their 2016 results mean they won’t be flying under anyone’s radar this time around. They are led by Sarfraz Ahmed, who looks like the clear favourite to take over Pakistan’s limited-overs captaincy, and whose chances were certainly done no harm by his ability to make an unassuming Quetta side click last season.Quetta have retained their biggest foreign stars Kevin Pietersen and Luke Wright, as well as a large number of local players who exceeded expectations 12 months ago. But a number of new players have been drafted in, including Sri Lankan allrounder Thisara Perera, South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw, and Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah Riyad.Exciting English quick Tymal Mills, who can comfortably exceed speeds of 90mph in addition to possessing a devilishly disguised slower ball, has also been brought in. With Umar Gul well past his prime and David Willey replaced by Nathan McCullum, proven fast bowling resources are scant for Quetta, meaning Mills is almost guaranteed a starting berth.Opener Ahmed Shehzad is another concern for the team from Balochistan. When recruited last year, he was one of Pakistan’s most valuable limited-overs players, and ended up being the fourth highest run-scorer of the tournament. But his stock has fallen sharply since. He has lost his place in the national team, having played almost no international cricket since last year’s PSL. Should he struggle this time around, it could put a lot of pressure on the likes of Mohammad Nawaz and Anwar Ali, last year’s brightest local boys, to simply pick up where they left off last February.Ahmed Shehzad was the tournament’s fourth-highest scorer last season with 290 runs at a strike rate of over 140•Chris Whiteoak

Key foreign player
It would be neither informative nor original to say Kevin Pietersen’s performance will be important to Quetta Gladiators’ success this tournament, but his countryman Tymal Mills’ T20 performances have also begun to catch the eye. In the recently concluded Super Smash, a T20 competition in New Zealand, Mills was among the top ten wicket-takers, and, at 6.61 per over, had the best economy rate of anyone who bowled more than 16 overs. After a pair of impressive games for Brisbane Heat during the Big Bash, he was called up by England for the T20 series against India. He mixes express pace with cunning slower deliveries, making him a useful asset at both top and tail of an innings. With the Gladiators looking rather thin in the fast bowling department, Mills could quickly establish himself as leader of the pace attack.Under the radar local lad
Not much is known about 18-year old slow left arm bowler Hasan Khan, and the numbers aren’t particularly impressive. But ask Quetta Gladiators head coach Moin Khan which player fans should watch out for, the response is immediate: Hasan Khan. He’s an Under-19 Pakistan international who Moin thinks has potential to go all the way. On paper, his brand of cricket – left-arm spin bowling – is well suited to the slow wickets of Sharjah and Dubai. Just ask his teammate Mohammad Nawaz.Availability
Carlos Brathwaite and Rovman Powell of the West Indies will miss the tournament, after the WICB made it mandatory for players seeking national selection to play in the Reigional Super 50, the domestic one-day cup. Moeen Ali was initially drafted, but he withdrew to undertake the Umrah pilgrimage, so Mahmudullah Riyad and Thisara Perera have been called up to replace the West Indian duo. International commitments mean Mohammad Nabi misses out, replaced by Rilee Rossouw. In addition, David Willey was dropped in favour of Black Caps allrounder Nathan McCullum.Coaches and Staff
Moin Khan (head coach), Sir Vivian Richards (batting coach/mentor), Abdul Razzaq (bowling coach), Julien Fountain (fielding coach)Quetta Gladiators squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c, wk), Kevin Pietersen, Ahmed Shehzad, Luke Wright, Anwar Ali, Tymal Mills, Umar Gul, Zulfiqar Babar, Mohammad Nawaz, Rilee Rossouw, Mahmudullah, Asad Shafiq, Saad Nasim, Umer Amin, Hassaan Khan, Noor Ali.
Supplementary players: Nathan McCullum, Thisara Perera, Bismillah Khan, Mir Hamza

PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell believes the proposed new T20 competition in England is likely to dilute the quality of domestic 50-over cricket and provide “another kick” to its future

George Dobell17-Feb-2017The proposed new T20 competition in England is likely to dilute the quality of domestic 50-over cricket and provide “another kick” to its future, according to new PCA chairman, Daryl Mitchell.While Mitchell, the Worcestershire top-order batsman who was recently elected to the PCA role, regards the launch of the eight-team T20 competition, scheduled for 2020, as “inevitable” he has reservations about several aspects of it and promised to work hard to ensure the interests of all 400 PCA members are protected.”The new T20 competition looks like a great opportunity for the 90 to 100 lads selected to play in it,” Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo. “But the role of the PCA is to look out for the other 300 players, too.”The plan at the moment is to play the 50-over competition during the window when the new T20 competition will be on. But if you take the best 100 white-ball players out of the tournament it is pretty inevitable there will be a dilution in quality.”We’re told players not in action in the new T20 competition may be made available to their counties, but 50-over cricket is probably already the format given the least priority by the players – something that is reflected in the prize money – and this will be another kick for it.”Our role will be to ensure the money we’re told will come into the sport trickles down for the benefit of everyone.”Mitchell’s personal views would appear to conflict quite sharply with the ECB’s approach in several areas. He believes a partial return to free-to-air broadcasting is essential if the game is to reach a new audience, he preferred the idea of a two-division solution (with promotion and relegation) in the T20 debate, and he argues for a need to increase the wages of young players.He accepts, however, that the ECB has “an incredibly difficult job” in trying to “look after so many stakeholders” and that his role is to communicate not his own views but those of his membership. “It’s about feeding back the views of the collective,” he said.”One of the challenging parts of the job is the need to balance the long-term health of the game with the short-term benefits to our current member. We have to remember that, if we don’t look after the game, we might not have any future members.”We appreciate that the ECB are trying to ensure the health of the game in the long-term and we appreciate we’re one of many stakeholders. We know we have to balance our aspirations with the aspirations of everyone else and I’m looking forward to working with the ECB to that end.”But he believes the players may have been “a bit naïve” in their enthusiasm for the new T20 competition and that reality has “hit home in recent times”.”As a Worcestershire player, we really look forward to the T20 competition as it provides us with a chance to play in front of packed houses and on big grounds,” he said. “As things stand, we go into that competition each year with a chance of winning it. To have that taken away from us is a bit of a blow.”When the new competition was first talked about, I think everyone thought they were about to become millionaires. Now people are realising that only about a quarter of us will play. We’re going to need quite a lot of info from the ECB.”From a personal point of view, I liked the two-division idea and, from a personal point of view, I think we need to get some cricket back on free to air. I think the ECB recognise that, too, and they are very clear about trying to raise the profile of the game.”Responding to the ECB’s reported attempt to change the mechanism by which the domestic salary cap is calculated, Mitchell suggested his attention was more on players at the lower end of the salary spectrum.”The salary cap isn’t relevant to many clubs,” Mitchell said. “I’m more worried up upping the minimum salaries. There are players in county cricket earning around £15,000 a year, which I don’t think reflects the skill and dedication required to be a professional athlete.”I’m told that nothing is decided about the salary cap yet, but I think our main priority will be making sure some of the money coming into the game filters down to the lower ends.”

After announcing nine months ago that he was retiring from Test cricket, West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor has once again made himself available for selection

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2017Jamaican fast bowler Jerome Taylor has informed the West Indies Cricket Board that he is ending his Test retirement to make himself available for selection with immediate effect. Taylor, 32, initially called time on his 46-match Test career ahead of India’s tour of the West Indies last July but may be in line to return against Pakistan for the three-match series beginning April 21.”I believe I still have a lot of cricket left in me and I know I can still offer a lot to West Indies cricket in the Test arena,” Taylor said in a WICB press release. “If selected, I will look to put my best foot forward and give my all for the team. We have some young players in the group at the moment and I believe with my experience, I can add to the team going forward.”Despite remaining available for selection in the T20 and ODI squads for West Indies, Taylor was not picked for either series against Pakistan that preceded the upcoming Test series. His last match in any format for West Indies came in a T20I against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last September when he took 0 for 19 in an eight-wicket loss.Taylor’s last Test match was more than a year ago against Australia in Sydney where he bowled just four overs in a heavily rain-affected draw. The Jamaican has 130 Test wickets at an average of 34.46 since making his debut against Sri Lanka in 2003, though his record at his home island ground of Sabina Park is outstanding with 29 wickets in five matches at an average of 13.58. Three of his four five-wicket hauls have come at Sabina Park, site of the upcoming first Test against Pakistan, including a career-best 6 for 47 against Australia in June 2015.West Indies selection chairman Courtney Browne welcomed Taylor’s decision to make himself available once again for Tests.”It is good to see that Jerome has decided to come out of retirement and make himself available for Tests once again,” Browne said. “When you look at the volume of cricket we have this year, we will need to look at all the resources we have available, and having someone of his ability and experience adds value to our player pool.”

A century from Samit Patel helped propel Nottinghamshire into the knockout positions in the north group of the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network14-May-2017
ScorecardHaseeb Hameed made an unbeaten half-century but Lancashire’s total was comfortably chased down•Getty Images

A century from Samit Patel helped propel Nottinghamshire into the knockout positions in the north group of the Royal London Cup.Patel scored an unbeaten 103, getting his runs from 104 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes, as Notts defeated Lancashire by seven wickets at Trent Bridge.The 32-year old was joined in an unbroken fourth- wicket stand of 183 by Steven Mullaney which spanned 28.3 overs.Mullaney finished on 77 not out, with four fours and four sixes as Notts chased down a victory target of 261 to win with 24 balls to spare.Earlier, Lancashire scored 260 for 6 after winning the toss and opting to bat first. They lost their way somewhat after a fine opening stand of 98 and were indebted to Haseeb Hameed’s unbeaten 75 to hold the innings together. Mullaney, with 2 for 31, was the pick of the home attack, although Australian international James Pattinson’s 2 for 38 altered the course of the contest with his initial, fiery burst.Notts had lost their three previous one-day matches at Trent Bridge but overcame the early loss of Alex Hales to successfully chase down a sub-par target.Hales followed up Thursday evening’s century against Durham with a quick exit as he tamely helped James Anderson into the hands of Stephen Parry at mid-on.Danny Lamb, a 21-year old medium pacer on debut, experienced a harsh introduction to first-team action as Michael Lumb despatched his second delivery into the stands.The young seamer from Preston bounced back in style, bowling Riki Wessels for 25 before having Lumb, who made 47, caught at mid-on.Mullany and Patel both gave difficult caught and bowled opportunities as they looked to rebuild the innings, with Parry spilling Mullaney on 11 and then the ball just wouldn’t stick in Anderson’s out-stretched right hand as Patel drilled the ball back towards him.Patel reached his 50 from 60 balls and his partner got there from one fewer, reaching the landmark with an enormous six off Stephen Croft.As the finishing line came into sight both batsmen began to find the ropes with increased regularity and Mullaney’s fourth six, off Parry, settled the contest.At the start of the day Lancashire’s openers made the most of friendly batting conditions to put on 98 in 17 overs before both fell in quick succession.Karl Brown had just brought up his third 50 of this season’s competition, getting there from 54 balls, when he pushed hard at Stuart Broad and picked out the safe hands of Patel at extra cover.Alex Davies made 45 before being knocked off his feet by an explosive yorker from Pattinson which thudded into his boot and gained a positive leg before verdict from umpire Baldwin.Pattinson’s pace also accounted for Liam Livingstone, who had a brief and frenetic stay at the crease before nicking behind. The catch was Chris Read’s 258th one-day catch for Notts, a county record, taking him past Bruce French’s tally.Mullaney, playing against his first county, bowled a miserly spell from the Radcliffe Road End that tempted Dane Vilas to hit straight to mid-off and then he knocked back Steven Croft’s middle stump.Ryan McLaren made 42, during which he struck Patel away for the only six of the Lancashire innings but was bowled to become Harry Gurney’s 100th one-day victim.Hameed improvised to good effect towards the back end of the innings, hitting five fours in his 79-ball undefeated knock.Lancashire’s acceleration possibly came a few overs too late and in the end they were well short as Notts clinched victory with four overs to spare.Notts travel to Northants on Tuesday, knowing that victory will guarantee their spot in the qualifying phase.Lancashire finish their programme away at Durham on the same evening and must win and hope other results go their way.

India have missed the April 25 deadline to submit their Champions Trophy squad to the ICC

Sidharth Monga and Nagraj Gollapudi26-Apr-2017India have missed the April 25 deadline to submit their Champions Trophy squad to the ICC. ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI told the ICC that it could not submit the squad for “operational” reasons. The other seven countries have all announced their squads.According to a BCCI official, the delay was inevitable. With the BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhury and CEO Rahul Johri attending the ICC meetings this week, and captain Virat Kohli playing the IPL, all concerned parties couldn’t be in one place at the same time to pick the squad.”We have told the ICC the reason behind the delay,” the official told ESPNcricinfo. “We have told them we will announce it soon.”However, the delay is being seen as a message from the BCCI to the ICC that it can still withdraw from the Champions Trophy should its demand to retain its share of revenue not be met. The ICC had earlier initiated reforms to undo the big-three revenue model, which could have brought the BCCI’s share down from $570 million to $290 million.Earlier in the week, ESPNcricinfo revealed negotiations in the lead-up to the crucial ICC meetings, in which the ICC offered to raise the BCCI’s share to close to $400 million.

Can India withdraw from Champions Trophy?

6.4 Member may terminate this Agreement as a whole (but not in part only)
(c) if there are any material changes that are materially adverse to Member to (i) the structure of the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee of the IDI Board; (ii) the structure of the Executive Committee of the ICC Board; (iii) the membership of (i.e. the ICC Members represented on) the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee of the IDI Board or the Executive Committee of the ICC Board; or (iv) the percentage of “Contribution Costs” of IDI receivable by Member as approved by the IDI Board; or
(d) if there is any other material change to any of the resolutions passed by the ICC Board in Singapore on 8th February 2014 (as amended by the ICC Board in Dubai on 9th April 2014) that (i) has not been approved in advance by Member; and (ii) has a materially adverse effect on Member.

The ICC board meets on Wednesday and Thursday to ratify the proposed reforms. These changes are part of the draft constitution, which comprises key resolutions like the latest finance model and the governance structure reforms devised by a five-man working group led by ICC chairman Shashank Manohar.Although the BCCI official denied there was any realistic chance of India pulling out of the Champions Trophy, there has been growing speculation that the BCCI might issue the threat. The ICC will not be perturbed at this juncture: the threat has to be presented in a written form, and neither of the BCCI office bearers attending the ICC board meeting has the power to renege on the Members Participation Agreement (MPA). The Supreme Court has given that power to the Committee of Administrators (COA).”To pull out you have to revoke the MPA, which is a legal document,” the board official said. “All the legal authority sits with the COA. The office bearers will need to consult the COA. You can make a threat, but you have to follow it up with a letter to become a reality. Then if the COA approves then it will direct Johri, who is the only one authorised to sign such a letter.”The ICC said it was “working with the BCCI to ensure that it meets its obligation under the MPA”. According to the MPA, which has been signed by all eight participating teams, the squads had to be submitted – but not necessarily publicly announced – a month before May 25, which is when the tournament’s support period begins. During the support period, teams will play warm-up matches leading up to the start of the tournament proper on June 1.Teams are free to make changes to their submitted squads until May 25. From then on, changes can only be made on medical grounds, and only after they have been approved by the event technical committee.The April 25 date was not necessarily a deadline for boards to announce their squads publicly. The BCCI could have submitted a provisional squad to the ICC by April 25 without making an announcement. The main reason for the early deadline was to ensure the smooth completion of flight and hotel bookings, promotion, publicity and merchandising. This practice is similar to those carried out before other major world events.In the past, teams have asked for extensions of a day or two, and have been granted that extension by the ICC, but the BCCI had not made such a request. There is no sanction or penalty if a member board fails to meet the deadline. The BCCI has not told the ICC when it will submit its team.