England will not take their Test series in New Zealand lightly with a full-strength squad expected to be named on Thursday

Andrew McGlashan23-Jan-2013England will not take their Test series in New Zealand lightly with a full-strength squad expected to be named on Thursday for the three matches in March although not all the players who were on duty in India will earn another trip.The selectors covered many bases with their squad for the India series, which ended up consisting of 19 players after the addition of Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Meaker for a period and later James Tredwell to the party. The squad for New Zealand is set to be a more streamlined 15 names so there will be fewer reserves kicking their heels on the sidelines.From the original players included for the India tour, Eoin Morgan and Samit Patel are the likely ones to be disappointed this time. Joe Root’s impressive Test debut, and continued emergence as an international cricketer, will earn him a run at No. 6 while Nick Compton, although he did not make the major score to make his place impregnable, did enough to warrant at least the three matches in New Zealand.Jonny Bairstow is expected to be available again following his compassionate leave which means he will return for the T20s and ODIs then provide the batting and wicketkeeping back-up in the Test squad. Bairstow’s stock has fallen a little since he replaced Pietersen against South Africa at Lord’s, where he made 94 and 54, now finding himself behind Root.Morgan and Patel will remain fringe Test players. Morgan has stated his desire to return to the longer format, but also said he would assess his IPL commitments when his short-term future in the side was clearer. Omission from this Test squad puts him well down the pecking order again and he may well decide on another lengthy spell in India.Patel was always likely to be a horses-for-courses selection. England began the India tour wanting someone to provide a fifth-bowling option to balance the side, but it soon became clear his left-arm spin was not Test standard and he sent down fewer overs as the series progressed. Neither did he fully take his chance with the bat, albeit he was on the end of a couple of rough decisions, and further scores of 26 and 33 were not sufficient.The bowling attack is set to consist of familiar names although the third-seamer’s slot in the final XI remains up for grabs. Tim Bresnan will be able to count himself fortunate to travel after a barren second half to 2012. Since the start of the South Africa series he has two Test wickets at 210 apiece. There is a strong case to have a look at one of the younger pace bowlers – Meaker, Chris Woakes or James Harris – but that does not appear to be the approach.Bresnan, Stuart Broad and Graham Onions will again be competing to support James Anderson and Steven Finn. Broad has ground to make up after a troubled tour of India and his performances in the preceding one-day games could well have a bearing. Onions is the type of bowler who could flourish in New Zealand but will have only one warm-up game to press his case.Monty Panesar, who sparked England’s revival in India, will have to be content with a back-up role again behind Graeme Swann.Probable England squad Alastair Cook (capt), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Graham Onions, Monty Panesar

Preview of the first semi-final between Chittagong Kings and Duronto Rajshahi in Mirpur

The Preview by Mohammad Isam15-Feb-2013

Match Facts

February 16, Mirpur
Start time 1800 (1200 GMT)

Big Picture

Brendan Taylor’s absence will hurt Chittagong Kings•Chittagong Kings

Duronto Rajshahi have enjoyed good luck in the competition, their latest piece of fortune being Rangpur Riders’ loss to Barisal Burners on Thursday. The result put Rajshahi, Riders and Burners on ten points each, and Rajshahi qualified because they had won the highest number of matches – three – against the other two teams.In the upcoming knockout game, Rajshahi’s top order will need to play to their potential. Charles Coventry, Simon Katich, Dilshan Munaweera and the captain Chamara Kapugedera will be expected to come good, because often Jahurul Islam has had to resurrect a chase after a top-order collapse. Much will be expected of him too. Allrounder Mukhtar Ali and left-arm spinners Monir Hossain and Naeem Islam jnr have done well, but this will be the biggest game of their careers.Chittagong Kings have had their ups and downs in the tournament. They won matches with the highest margin, yet at the start of the campaign, they failed to chase 99, against Rajshahi. The loss of Brendan Taylor will also be a blow to them as the Zimbabwean had captained them through a turnaround and scored important runs too.The winner of this match will have to play another knockout contest to reach the final.

Form guide

(Most recent first)Chittagong Kings LWLWWDuronto Rajshahi LLLWW

In the spotlight

Ryan ten Doeschate has had a fruitful first BPL so far. He has a high score of 95 not out and two other fifties. He has also hit 17 sixes, so a lot will depend on him for the Kings to progress.Jahurul Islam is the standout performer for Rajshahi in the tournament, and the team’s highest scorer despite batting lower down the order. His strike-rate of 127 is also remarkable because aggression isn’t his strength.

Team news

Although Taylor will not be available for the Kings, Jacob Oram is back and Naeem Islam is also fit to play after stepping on a ball during their second last game.Chittagong Kings (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Naeem Islam, 3 Ryan ten Doeschate, 4 Mahmudullah (capt), 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Nurul Hasan (wk), 7 Kevon Cooper, 8 Enamul Haque jnr, 9 Arafat Sunny, 10 Shaun Tait, 11 Rubel Hossain.Rajshahi will have a full-strength squad barring Tamim Iqbal.Duronto Rajshahi (possible) 1 Charles Coventry, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Dilshan Munaweera, 4 Chamara Kapugedera (capt), 5 Jahurul Islam, 6 Sean Ervine, 7 Ziaur Rahman, 8 Mukhtar Ali, 9 Abul Hasan, 10 Monir Hossain, 11 Naeem Islam jnr.

Pitch and conditions

The match is scheduled to begin at 6.00 pm and the biggest concern for teams bowling second is the dew. It is late winter in Bangladesh, so it won’t be surprising if the ball becomes wet even in the first innings.

Stats and trivia

It was all one-way traffic on the opening day in Galle as Sri Lanka’s batsmen, with varying levels of experience, set the platform for a massive score and never allowed the initiative to slip

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran 08-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKumar Sangakkara showed no signs of discomfort after returning from injury•AFP

It was all one-way traffic on the opening day in Galle as Sri Lanka’s batsmen, with varying levels of experience, set the platform for a massive score and never allowed the initiative to slip. Kumar Sangakkara had been out of action since injuring his finger in the Melbourne Test in December. The lack of match practice over the last three months – he was forced to pull out of the tour game in Matara due to the contracts crisis – didn’t matter as he eased back into Test match action with a positive century, getting to the landmark inside two sessions.Tillakaratne Dilshan’s attacking fifty had eased the pressure not just on Sangakkara but also the inexperienced middle order, which was missing two stalwarts ahead of this series. One of the newer players to benefit from the pressure-free scenario was Lahiru Thirimanne, who remained unbeaten on a steady 74.It was a deflating day for the Bangladesh bowlers, with the exception of the offspinner Sohag Gazi, who took all three wickets. He didn’t have adequate support from the other end and from day one, Bangladesh were left to regret the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, missing the series due to injury. Aside from the lack of wickets, what hurt the visitors more was the inability to check the scoring. An innings run-rate of close to four and a half after two sessions was intimidating enough for the bowlers.At the toss, neither captain fancied bowling first. Mathews wanted his new-look batting order to make first use of the pitch before it started to get slower and lower. Dilshan maintained a healthy strike-rate of close to run-a-ball, scoring 36 runs off boundaries alone, but not all came off the middle of the bat. In between a few edgy boundaries were crisply driven fours through cover, a sweep and an effortless drive past mid-on that brought up his fifty.

Smart stats

• Kumar Sangakkara’s century is his 31st in Tests taking him level with Mahela Jayawardene among Sri Lankan batsmen with the most centuries. Sangakkara is joint-eighth on the list of batsmen with the most centuries.

• Sangakkara also became the first batsman to pass the 1000-run mark in Tests against Bangladesh. He has now scored 1018 runs at an average of 78.30 with three centuries and five fifties.

• For only the second time, Sri Lanka had four fifty-plus stands for the first four wickets in an innings against Bangladesh. The previous such occasion was at the SSC in 2001. Overall, they have done so nine times.

• Sri Lanka’s run-rate (4.22) is the second-highest in the first innings of a match in Sri Lanka since 2000 (min 80 overs bowled). The highest is 4.94 for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh at the P Sara Oval in 2005.

• This is the 11th time (since 2005) that three or more of the top four Sri Lankan batsmen have passed fifty in an innings. Overall, it is the second such occurrence for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh since the SSC Test in 2001.

• The 124-run stand between Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne is the fifth-highest third-wicket stand for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh and their fourth-highest third-wicket stand in Galle.

Bangladesh turned to spin from both ends from the 13th over, but there wasn’t much purchase for them straightaway. Dilshan was intent on using his feet to disturb their rhythm and Bangladesh to their credit took the first real opportunity that came their way. Gazi tossed it up wider, Dilshan came down the pitch and spooned it to mid-off off the toe of the bat.Sangakkara walked in when Karunaratne was forced to retire after hurting his arm when trying to pull a short ball. It took Sangakkara just one ball to find his rhythm as he slashed a wide delivery past point for four. He was strong against the spinners, rocking back and cutting when they dropped it short and wide, and it was a pattern through his innings. He survived a stumping chance when he was beaten in flight and bounce off Gazi, managing to drag his back foot back just in time. He was luckier to survive a close shout for lbw off Gazi on 38 and replays showed the ball striking him in front of middle stump. In the absence of DRS, Bangladesh had to accept the umpire’s call and move on.Shahadat Hossain attempted the bouncer, but the lack of pace on the pitch enabled Sangakkara and the returning Karunaratne to stay back and pull. Gazi’s drift into the left-handers from round the wicket kept the batsmen in check, but when he dropped short or too wide, he was punished through the off side. Two such cuts past point brought up two milestones for Sangakkara – his fifty and took him past Sunil Gavaskar’s tally of 10,122 runs.There was temporary relief for Bangladesh when Karunaratne was trapped lbw on the back foot to Gazi, who was rewarded for his drift. Sangakkara’s was the wicket they needed, though. Thirimanne had the benefit of a set batsman at the other end, and after a watchful start – he scored only 4 from his first 25 balls – took on the spinners. Sangakkara smacked a six and a four off the part-timer Mohammad Ashraful, and then reached his 31st Test century with a clip wide of midwicket.There was no letting up after tea. If it was tossed up, Sangakkara was down the pitch to loft; if it was banged in short – not recommended on this surface – it was clubbed over midwicket. A sloppy effort by Ashraful at mid-on – he mistimed his jump – gave Sangakkara another life, on 111. Ironically, it was a sound reflex catch at cover that ended his innings. Gazi bowled it wide and Sangakkara tried clearing the off side but Jahurul Islam jumped, fumbled and managed to turn around and take it on the second attempt. The drop cost Bangladesh 31 runs, but the damage had already been done.Thirimanne matched Sangakkara shot for shot particularly through the off side against the spinners. The cover drive in particular stood out for its poise and follow-through. Mathews found his timing against the seamers when the second new ball was taken. None of the seamers managed any movement, despite the persistent cloud cover. The heavens opened with less than five overs left, but Bangladesh, after a draining day in the field, would have been relieved to pack it in early.

Simon Katich and Ashwell Prince put on a 181-run stand that could be the sign of thing to come for Lancashire’s opponents in Division Two

Tim Wigmore at Old Trafford13-Apr-2013
ScorecardAshwell Prince has been joined by Simon Katich in a strong Lancashire middle-order•PA Photos

On the basis of their performances in this game, and a palpable hunger for runs, both Simon Katich and Ashwell Prince might still be playing Test cricket. As it is, their 181-run stand in the draw against Worcestershire might just be the start of the damage they inflict upon Division Two attacks this season.After a fluent 84, Katich, the former Australia batsman, put his move from Hampshire, where he lifted two trophies last season, down to the persuasive abilities of Peter Moores. “I felt that at this stage of my career, if I was going to get the best out of myself, I needed a bit more prodding,” he said. “I thought he was probably going to be the guy to be able to do that. When you do finish playing international cricket, there’s something that has to keep driving you.”I thought he would be able to extract the best out of me at this stage of my career. Obviously you need to extract it yourself, but it helps if there’s someone there to prod you as well.” Katich described leaving Hampshire as “tough” but added: “I felt for me to have a good summer and to keep going, I needed to do something slightly different.”Katich and Prince, who last played a Test for South Africa in 2011, will surely underpin Lancashire’s challenge for Division Two promotion. In a thrilling spell in the morning, they added 110 in 16.1 overs to raise Lancashire hopes of a victory, although rain – which accounted for 111 overs in the game – soon ended those. There were no pyrotechnics but a mixture of positive batting and relentlessly aggressive running was enough to score at seven an over. An almost nonchalant Prince pull for six into the building site and Katich’s classy late cuts particularly stood out.For the entertainment they provided the crowd, perhaps both deserved centuries, but Prince was denied his after being caught at midwicket on 95 attempting to hit a third six and Katich, somewhat surprisingly after the authority with which he’d played, fell attempting to cut Moeen Ali. After mislaying their discipline a little in the first hour, Worcestershire regained it impressively and will be content with a draw from what Division Two counties will regard as the season’s hardest fixture.Last season Prince averaged 44, too often mounting lone resistance amid a top-order collapse. It was a matter of mild surprise when he was ostensibly replaced as overseas player by another left-handed Test veteran in Katich. Except, he wasn’t, really: Prince signed as a Kolpak after his Cricket South Africa contract expired last month, and so two overseas players have become one. Lancashire can hardly be blamed for assembling the strongest side possible – and there are several home-grown young players at the club, notably Luke Procter and Karl Brown, who will benefit from the presence of both Katich and Prince – but it remains an anomaly in the complex player eligibility rules.Moores explained that the rationale behind Katich batting at No. 5, rather than opening as he often did for Australia, was to strengthen the middle-order alongside Prince. “There’s a lot of flexibility – they can pretty well bat anywhere,” he said. “We decided to go down the route of four-five because we thought it made it a very solid middle order. They’re two big hundred-makers to give us some continuity.”Moores said selection before the game had been extremely difficult. “It’s the toughest side I’ve ever picked, I think, to leave out Tom Smith – I don’t think we’ve ever left out Tom in my time when he’s been fully fit. And also for Stephen Moore not to play – and Stephen’s been playing well. So testament to the guys who’ve been picked, they’ve been picked because they’ve been playing very well, but we also know we’ve left out two or three people out that have been playing well.”He also confirmed that James Anderson would play in Lancashire’s next two games, against Kent and Glamorgan. “Jim’s been training with us for the last week and a half, he’s great to have around,” Moores said. “And it will be exciting to put him back in that team. Who we put him in for, that’s a different question. But he’ll play.”

Several counties have been practising in sub-zero temperatures, leaving footprints in the snow on their way to nets in a marquee of transparent plastic sheeting

Charles Randall02-Apr-2013This is the wintry scene that Eoin Morgan left behind as he set off for the razzamatazz of the Indian Premier League. While his team-mates were enduring near-freezing temperatures in Middlesex’s bubble at Radlett, he was setting off for the more hospitable cricketing climes of the IPL.Even the counties which preferred to prepare for the new season with trips to Barbados and Dubai, are now suffering one of the coldest England Springs on record, braving early-season friendlies which are bound to test the hardiest county stalwart.Middlesex can at least claim to be acclimatised. Along with the more thrifty of the counties, they have been practising from the outset in temperatures around zero, leaving footprints in the snow on their way to nets covered by a marquee of transparent plastic sheeting.Essex started a trend in 2012 by erecting a steel-framed structure on their square at Chelmsford and practising ‘outdoors’ on grass pre-season. By happy coincidence, the weather in 2012 was blazing hot. This year, with players facing snow and wind chill temperatures of -2C, Essex have been joined in the experiment by other counties such as Middlesex, Kent, Worcestershire and Glamorgan.Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said he was thinking about ways of conducting covered outdoor practice last year. “Lo and behold they did it at Essex,” he said. “We went over there to have a look and it seemed to work.”Fraser’s logic about the advantages of Radlett is persuasive. But for all that Middlesex’s marquee at Radlett Cricket Club, their training facility, has proved to be a learning process for Fraser, the head groundsman, Nick Searle, and his New Zealander assistant, Regan Sinclair.Fraser said: “We’ve obviously made an investment at Radlett and want to base ourselves here. Nick, the groundsman, is as keen as mustard to help so we said we’d go ahead with it. In a sense it has been a challenge because you learn as you go along.”For example, you forget the fact that when it rains the water goes off the roof and collects in a small area. If you are on a little slope, the water can start to roll underneath. There was a frantic day last week when I had to rush out to Costco to buy towels to stop the water coming down. But we pulled the sides out slightly and it’s okay now.”Standing inside the marquee – Kent call it their “greenhouse” at Canterbury – there is constant noise as the wind rattles rope and material against the metal framework, but the light is surprisingly clear. In fact, in sunshine the transparent plastic has produced glare, so that the sightscreen has to be moved further back to reduce the effect. The struts throw shadows across the mown strips, but the batsmen hardly noticed.The Radlett marquee was erected in early February to ensure the soil had dried by the time net practice started a month later. The use of four hired industrial heaters helped the process after the heavy winter rain, and the players were glad to have one heater on duty during practice to keep them tolerably warm. Beyond the mouth of the nets the air remained almost freezing cold. Woolly hats and multi-layers were required for the stroll over the crusty snow to the middle.The surface played true and easy-paced and not dissimilar to an early season Championship pitch, though sounds were deadened and deliveries from fast bowlers occasionally proved hard for the eye to judge in overcast conditions. Fraser and his assistants, Richard Johnson, Richard Scott and Mark Ramprakash, were hoping the side sheeting could be removed, but the persistent cold ruled out that idea.Middlesex had used Loughborough University’s indoor elite centre for the previous few years, but this time Fraser decided to take a gamble for meaningful practice, having pre-empted any possible player mutiny by arranging a few days of light training in Spain. Fraser and the players felt the adventure in the cold was worthwhile.”There are two reasons for doing it,” Fraser said. “One is financial. If you send a group of 25 people to South Africa for a week or 10 days, it costs you the thick end of £40,000 or £45,000. This net here is probably going to cost us in the region of £12,000 to £15,000. And also I question whether training in Dubai or Barbados, places like that, on dead, shirt-front pitches in 40-degree heat prepares you for the sort of conditions we’re training in today, when it’s quite cold and soft underfoot and the ball is nipping around. It’s a completely different sensation of bat on ball.”So there a cricketing aspect and a financial aspect. I think this is going to be the way forward. If we don’t go on a pre-season tour and we use this, we can almost afford another player on the staff. There’s a trade-off angle too.”We just want to get out there on the square. We’ve been practising over the winter in indoor schools where there is bounce and consistency. It’s a completely different feel to what you experience in the middle. The earlier we can get our players used to what it’s like outside the better.”Middlesex allrounder Gareth Berg reckoned the experiment at Radlett, his home club, was a “huge help”. He said: “In an ideal world we would love to have been in Barbados playing a bit of cricket and to have a few cocktails but, in terms of moving forward and being a better team, this is much more important.”When the County Championship starts on April 10, Nottinghamshire (Barbados) meet Middlesex (Radlett marquee) at Trent Bridge in Division One’s opening round, while in Division Two there is Lancashire (Dubai) versus Worcestershire (Kidderminster marquee) and Glamorgan (Cardiff marquee) versus Northamptonshire (Barbados). The die-hards will take on the sunshine boys and it will be interesting to see what happens.

Lancashire may be tipped for promotion and Glamorgan to feature in the bottom half of Division Two but it was roles reversed for much of the first day at Colwyn Bay

Paul Edwards at Colwyn Bay01-May-2013
ScorecardMichael Hogan’s three wickets helped fire out Lancashire•Getty Images

The annual consensus about Division Two of the County Championship is that it is composed of four or five teams capable of winning promotion and a similar number who make up the numbers. Glamorgan are frequently placed in the second group and most pre-season tipsters identified Lancashire as an outfit likely to be bidding for a swift return to Division One.Such predictions were made to look rather daft for much of this blissful spring day at Rhos-on-Sea, where the May blossom on the tiered embankment, the smiles on the faces of the club officials and the quality of the bowling more than made up for scoreboard malfunctions and technical glitches.And by the end of May 1, traditionally a socialist holiday, it was the Glamorgan workers who could look back on their labours with just slightly greater pleasure. Having striven hard to bowl Lancashire out for 123, they were handily placed on 110 for 4, a deficit of 13 runs.It is nothing like a winning position, but for Mark Wallace and his players it will do very nicely, despite the late departure of Marcus North, lbw on the front foot to Jimmy Anderson for 22 immediately after he had been switched to the Penrhyn Avenue End of this proud, well-appointed ground. That left Anderson with 3 for 28 from 15 overs, figures to reassure Andy Flower that his spearhead is near his finest fettle. If he hits his straps on Thursday, Glamorgan’s advantage could be slender or nothing at all.”May called to the year to come dancing” wrote the poet and Anglican priest R S Thomas, a resident of the Lleyn peninsula, in Runes, and it was Glamorgan’s bowlers who showed the slickest moves having lost the toss on the first morning of this match.Lancashire’s travails began as early as the second delivery of the day when Paul Horton left a ball from Michael Hogan which clipped his off stump. This misjudgement rather set the tone for an innings conspicuous for its absence of solidity or control. Glamorgan’s bowlers, by contrast, always seemed to know their business: it was to stick to the game’s timeless verities and let any early moisture or movement from a well-grassed pitch confound the batsmen.It worked. The rangy Hogan followed up the wicket of Horton with the scalp of Karl Brown who played a copybook front foot drive but neglected to hit the ball with the bat, something of a weakness, he will probably admit. Luke Procter and Ashwell Prince then added 40 in 15 overs but this brief period of reconstruction was followed by major subsidence as both batsmen fell lbw, Procter to Jim Allenby for 26, Prince to Mike Reed for 19, in the space of seven balls. When Steven Croft slapped a short ball from Reed high but within reach of the leaping Murray Goodwin at midwicket, Lancashire were 66 for 5 and the travelling supporters were well into their pre-prandial grumbling.Things descended from the poor to the abysmal in the hour after lunch as Glen Chapple’s side lost 4 for 7 in 27 balls. Allenby deserves plenty of credit for the delivery which moved off the pitch to claim Katich’s wicket but other batsmen – Cross and Chapple maybe – were complicit in their own downfalls. A last wicket partnership of 20 between Anderson and Simon Kerrigan took the total to 123 but no one was claiming that this was anything like adequate. The attraction then lay in seeing what Anderson et al would make of the same pitch and the same atmospheric conditions.At first they made not too much of them. True, Ben Wright gloved a vicious lifter from Anderson to Cross just after tea and Stewart Walters lost his off stump, but there was never the sense of incipient crisis that had existed in the Lancashire innings. The determined Will Bragg and the more expansive Marcus North had taken the score to 82 before Bragg, aiming to play to leg, was lbw to Simon Kerrigan’s fourth ball. That brought Murray Goodwin to the crease and his battle with Anderson on the second morning may do much to determine the architecture of this engrossing contest.

Some of the most serious documented instances of litigation in the IPL or investigation involving the BCCI and/or its officials

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2013Lalit Modi was suspended by the BCCI in 2010 over ‘alleged acts of individual misdemeanours’. The Enforcement Directorate also issued him with a showcause notice in 2011•Associated Press

April 2010: The BCCI suspends Lalit Modi following ‘alleged acts of individual misdemeanours’, including the the bidding process for IPL franchises, mid-over ad breaks, and the sale of theatrical rights. The issue of an $80-million facilitation fee agreement between Lalit Modi and Multi Screen Media also influences the BCCI’s decision.April 2010: Former BCCI president AC Muthiah files a petition in the Supreme Court of India challenging the BCCI’s rules – tweaked in 2008 – that allow N Srinivasan to hold a post in the board and own an IPL team.September 2010: Modi files a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to remove IPL commissioner Chirayu Amin and BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley from the an independent inquiry into his ouster from the BCCI. The petition is dismissed a year later.October 2010: Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab sue BCCI for unfair termination of contract. The BCCI alleges that both franchises have violated their franchise agreements, while the franchises deny the allegations. The Bombay High Court directs the cases to arbitration. An interim order allows Royals and Kings XI to participate in the 2011 auction, subject to certain conditions, such as retaining its shareholder pattern, fulfilling pending player payments and paying the BCCI guarantee money in case the final judgement goes against them. In 2012, the BCCI finally settles all pending legal issues with Kings XI . There is no definitive outcome in their issues against Rajasthan Royals.January 2011: Senior members of the BCCI appear before a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance on alleged foreign exchange violations during IPL 2009, held in South Africa.April 2011: A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court delivers a split verdict on Muthiah’s petition challenging Srinivasan’s right to hold a position in the board while also holding a stake in an IPL franchise. At this point, Srinivasan is the BCCI’s secretary. The split verdict means the petition is to be referred to the Chief Justice for allocating it to a larger bench.July 2011: India’s Enforcement Directorate issues 19 showcause notices to the BCCI and Lalit Modi after conducting year-long investigations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The Directorate probes the alleged transfer of funds to domestic and offshore locations, and the violations total Rs 1077.43 crores (approx. US$ 207.52 million).September 2011: The Supreme Court clears N Srinivasan’s election as BCCI president, but the decision is subject to the outcome of Muthiah’s petition against his election. The court rules that their decision to stop Srinivasan from being president could affect the outcome of a pending trial. However, there has been no final settlement on the matter.February 2012: Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, owners of the annulled Kochi Tuskers franchise, approach court to save the franchise after BCCI terminates the franchise. The court rejects their plea and the franchise is terminated.August 2012: Enforcement Directorate issues fresh showcase notice to BCCI for committing FEMA contraventions in acceptance of performance deposits amounting to Rs 60 crores (approx. US$ 10.8 million) for awarding of contracts for the conduct of Indian Premier League (IPL).September 2012: The BCCI terminates Deccan Chargers franchise. After a legal battle, the Supreme Court of India upholds Chargers’ termination.February 2013: Competition Commission of India finds the BCCI guilty of indulging in anti-competitive practices relating to the grant of IPL franchise, sponsorship and media rights, and slaps it with a penalty of Rs. 52.24 crore (approx. US$10 million). The Commission observed that BCCI had abused its dominant position and ordered it to ‘cease and desist’ from denying potential competitors market – the ICL is mentioned here – access in the future.February 2013: Rajasthan Royals are fined Rs 100 crore (approx. US$18.8 million) by Enforcement Directorate for FEMA violations.

James Anderson has praised Kevin Pietersen as “an extraordinary player” and a “vital” part of the England dressing room

George Dobell06-Jul-2013James Anderson has praised Kevin Pietersen as “an extraordinary player” and a “vital” part of the England dressing room.At the height of the unrest in the England dressing room in 2012, Anderson was believed to be one of those opposed to the manner in which Pietersen conducted himself. While there was never any doubting Pietersen’s ability with the bat – he scored a century of rare class and skill in the Headingley Test before England dropped him – there had been persistent murmurs of discontent behind the scenes and the suggestion that the disruption he caused within the team compromised his worth as a batsman.But whatever issues there may have been, Anderson confirmed they have been consigned to the past and provided an unmitigated show of team unity as England head into the Investec Ashes series.”We’re definitely a better team for Kevin’s inclusion,” Anderson said. “He’s just an extraordinary player. There’s not really any down side at the minute.”We saw it this week in the match at Chelmsford. I know he only got 49, but it just seemed far too easy for him. He seemed in great form. An in-form Kevin Pietersen is vital to our team going forward.”We had a really good week at Essex. The dressing room was relaxed when it could be and switched on when it needed to be. On the field I thought we were very professional. But generally there is a really relaxed feel in the camp and real excitement of what is about to come.”Perhaps due to issues in the dressing room, England failed to do themselves justice in the key series against South Africa last year. That manifested itself, among other things, with some poor catching in the slips. They were errors which were severely punished by South Africa’s batsmen.While Anderson accepted that England had produced a disappointing display against South Africa and, more recently, in New Zealand, he hoped that such memories would spur them on to do better this year.”I don’t think we played as well as we could have done against South Africa,” Anderson said. “Actually, we didn’t play anywhere near to the level that we know we can. If you do that against the top team in the world then you’re going to struggle. And we struggled.”We’re aware of what that slip in form did to our standing in the rankings and that’s something we’re going to try and put right. We showed determination when we got there a couple of years ago, a lot of determination, hard work and a lot of skill and quality, and that’s what we’re trying to get back to is get our standards back up to where we know we can get them. And I think we’ve come a long way in doing that the last 12 months.”Slip catching has not really been an issue for us. We are generally pretty good there. It might just have been one of those series where we were not quite on the ball. We’ve tried to constantly improve. We had a great result in India and a good result at home against New Zealand, so we feel like we’re in good shape.”Anderson agreed that Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, was a daunting opponent, but suggested that Jonathan Trott, not Clarke, was currently the world’s leading batsman in Test cricket. Both men have scored two centuries and three half-centuries in their last 10 Test innings and both have Test averages in excess of 50. Clarke, however, scored successive double-centuries against South Africa in 2012, while Trott failed to register a century in England’s series against the same opposition.”Clarke is right up there among the best,” Anderson said. “He’s been in great form and scored lots of hundreds over the last year. But the best in the world? That’s a bit harsh on Jonathan Trott. I’d say Trotty is at the minute.”But Shane Watson is as good an opening batter as I’ve bowled at in international cricket and Chris Rogers is an extremely experienced cricketer. So we’ll have to try and figure out some plans to and execute them well. If we don’t play well there’s a very good chance we’ll lose.”Hundreds of local cricket clubs will #RISE for England by holding open days over the five Investec Ashes series weekends. Find out about your local club and their event at ecb.co.uk/clubopendays

Mickey Arthur and Cricket Australia have reached a confidential financial settlement over the circumstances of the former coach’s sacking in June

Daniel Brettig31-Jul-2013Mickey Arthur and Cricket Australia have reached a confidential financial settlement over the circumstances of the former coach’s sacking in June. After lengthy conciliation talks at the Fair Work Commission in Sydney, Arthur and CA emerged on Wednesday evening to confirm an agreement had been reached following a protracted and at times ugly severance battle.Arthur said he had accepted a “significant” reduction in his financial demands, which had reportedly been in the realm of AUD 4 million in compensation. “For me this was never solely about the money, I just wanted to be treated fairly and with dignity and respect,” he said. “I have significantly reduced my claim, as it is being settled tonight, and is not dragging on at any significant cost. Importantly I’ve been very mindful of protecting the Australian cricket team from any further publicity surrounding this dispute. With this fair and reasonable deal, we can now all get on with our lives.”CA said in a statement that the resolution had been timely: “Cricket Australia and Mickey Arthur are pleased to announce that they have reached a confidential settlement. Both Mickey and CA agree that it is unfortunate that the dispute was not settled prior to the issuing of legal proceedings.”Both parties agree that a resolution now is in the interests of the Australian cricket team and cricket generally in Australia. Cricket Australia appreciates the efforts that Mickey applied to his coaching role, and wishes him the very best in his future career.”Details of Arthur’s list of claims had been leaked two weeks ago, including damaging allegations about problems between the captain Michael Clarke and allrounder Shane Watson, plus the South African’s allegations that he had been discriminated against due to his foreign background. The leak occurred as the national team prepared for the Lord’s Ashes Test, which the tourists went on to lose by 347 runs.Arthur was sacked at a meeting with the CA chief executive James Sutherland and the team performance manager Pat Howard in Bristol a mere two days before the official start of the Ashes tour. He was replaced by Darren Lehmann, who had been an assistant coach on the Australia A tour that preceded the Ashes.Sutherland had admitted that Arthur was to some degree a “scapegoat” for the disciplinary and performance problems that had engulfed the national team in recent times, as a 4-0 hiding on the tour of India in February and March was followed by a poor Champions Trophy campaign that featured David Warner’s suspension for punching the England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar.

Australia summoned long-dormant reserves of application and patience to force England’s bowlers to slave at a hot, humid Old Trafford

The Report Daniel Brettig01-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Clarke led Australia into a commanding position•Getty Images

What a difference a day’s batting makes. Clueless, hopeless and helpless at Lord’s, Australia summoned long-dormant reserves of application and patience to force England’s bowlers to slave at a hot, humid Old Trafford. In doing so they breathed belated life into an Ashes series that now seems a fraction less inevitable in outcome than it did 24 hours ago.It was no surprise to see the captain, Michael Clarke, at the centre of it all, marrying grit with glitz in one of his best and most satisfying innings, the first century by an Australia batsman since Clarke himself seven Test matches ago. But there were also critical contributions by the well-travelled Chris Rogers, a sparkling 84 that set exactly the right tone, and by the precocious Steve Smith, helped by a liberal supply of the luck that had previously deserted the tourists in the series.Australia had felt much harder done by in the minutes before lunch, when Usman Khawaja was given caught behind and then had his referral rejected despite ample evidence that he had not touched Graeme Swann’s offbreak. That verdict, reached by Tony Hill and upheld by Kumar Dharmasena, will serve mainly to batter the reputation of the serving umpires and the protocols of the DRS, which place a heavy weighting on the on-field umpire’s initial call.Khawaja’s exit enhanced Australia’s sense of injustice in a series where the wide margin so far has been hurried along by numerous questionable decisions but England were to join their opponents in feeling they had been wronged, as Smith was escaped three times in all, twice for lbw and once on a raucous appeal for a catch at the wicket. James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Swann were all showing signs of fatigue by the end, as Clarke and Smith capitalised on Rogers’ bridgehead.Anderson took the new ball at his home ground, though its reconfiguration in the middle and in the stands made it something of an unknown quantity for players on both sides. Watson collected a single and Rogers a boundary from the first over, a pattern that would be maintained throughout their partnership in conditions quickly revealed to be the most friendly for batsmen all series.Rogers and Watson had trained together in London between Tests rather than travelling down to play against Sussex, and their new approaches reflected plenty of thought. Watson was largely conservative, battling to value his wicket and also to avoid the lbw fate that had befallen him three times in four innings. But Rogers showed far greater intent to score than simply survive and punished all but the most minute errors of line and length.Sequences of boundaries pushed Rogers along in between the deliveries he gave their due respect, a brace off Tim Bresnan through gully and down the ground, then a trio to the fence in a single Anderson over took him to a second Test fifty. All these shots were played with assurance and no great sense of haste, but Rogers’ intent had given Australia an ideal start.At the other end, however, Watson was becalmed, and though he did not fall lbw it was less of a surprise to see Bresnan find a way through, coaxing an edge from a firm defensive blade that flew straight to Alastair Cook at first slip. Watson wandered off having again made only a start, his wicket drawing England back into the morning.Khawaja was greeted by the introduction of Swann, and in his second over an optimistic lbw appeal was followed next ball by a more convincing shout for a catch at the wicket. Khawaja’s bat brushed his pad well before swishing at the turning ball but Hill’s finger was raised. After a brief pause to consult Rogers, Khawaja referred, shaking his head as he did so.Despite replays that offered no evidence whatsoever of an edge, the third umpire Dharmasena upheld Hill’s original call. Khawaja walked off with the air of a man found guilty of a crime he did not commit. Heated discussion of the incident, both at Old Trafford and around the world, extended well beyond the lunch interval. On resumption, Rogers lost some of his earlier fluency and Clarke dealt in edges as often as the middle of his bat. The combination of a looming century and inattentive stewards behind the bowler’s arm did for Rogers, who lost concentration when facing Swann and swished across a straight ball to be lbw.Smith came to the crease in halting form, despite a century at Hove, and gave England hope of another wicket. They thought they had it when Swann spun an offbreak sharply to strike Smith in front of the stumps, only for Hill to decline the appeal and then Hawk-Eye to deny the decision review by a millimetre. Happy to be reprieved, Smith gathered in confidence alongside Clarke, who had shed his earlier uncertainty to purr past 50.As the tea break neared England had another moment of frustrated jubilation, when Smith drove at Anderson and a loud sound accompanied the sight of ball passing bat. Anderson and Matt Prior were utterly convinced, abandoning their usual tact to gesture for a review from Marais Erasmus even before the captain Cook had done so. But in the absence of a Hot Spot or a visible deflection Smith survived, leaving England to enter the final session without any reviews left to call on.It would not be long before this came back to haunt the hosts, Hill declining an lbw appeal by Broad against Smith that struck the batsman in line and would have plucked out middle stump. English exasperation was to be heightened with every subsequent run, as Clarke and Smith established the most productive union between two Australia batsmen all series. Smith’s effort was never quite fluent but showed plenty of gumption, while Clarke rediscovered the confident batting groove he had sat in throughout 2012.At times Clarke could be seen to stretch his back, an ever-more-present handicap for Australia’s captain, but his discomfort was no more evident than that of several Englishmen. Swann resorted to painkilling tablets on more than one occasion, while Broad spent a decent chunk of the final session off the field and receiving treatment for a tight calf. Given the toll taken on Australia’s bowlers by earlier poor batting displays, it was a source of relief to Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and company to see their opposite numbers starting to struggle.A handful of overs before the second new ball was due, Clarke tucked Swann away to the leg side for his 100th run, and minutes later Smith paddled the same bowler to fine leg for his 50. They were to negotiate the new ball ably, settling in for further occupation tomorrow with a stand unbroken at 174. While Cook’s men remain in charge of the series, Rogers, Clarke and Smith have at least ensured they will have a steep task ahead to seal it in this match.