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Like the first Test in Wellington last week, the second Test in Christchurch could boil down to a second-innings shootout if New Zealand don’t get too far ahead of Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam in Christchurch21-Jan-2017Like the first Test in Wellington last week, the second Test in Christchurch could boil down to a second-innings shootout if New Zealand don’t get too far ahead of Bangladesh in the first innings.New Zealand were reduced to 260 for 7 on the second day at Hagley Oval, trailing Bangladesh by 29 with three wickets in hand. They had been comfortably placed at 252 for 4 but Shakib Al Hasan took three quick wickets late in the day to level the contest.”I think the Test match is pretty even,” New Zealand opener Tom Latham said at the end of the second day. “The first hour tomorrow morning is going to be crucial for both teams, we’ve got Henry Nicholls in there on 50-odd and batting really nice. If we can build some partnerships with the tail, hopefully we can put the momentum back in our favour.”If [the pitch] keeps flattening out, hopefully it should, then you never know. If you look back at that last Test, it came down to the third and fourth innings. If we can get ourselves in a handy position and get as many as we can in front, hopefully we can put the pressure on them with the ball.”Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed, whose only wicket on the day was that of Latham, targeted a clinical effort on the third morning. “All the bowlers contributed in different ways. Some bowled good spells, some took wickets while some checked the run-making,” Taskin said. “We bowled in the right areas, but we have to finish it better tomorrow.”I am not too bothered about the dropped catches off my bowling. Some went through slips and gully, but it wasn’t my day. I might end up with seven-eight wickets when it is my day.”Despite Bangladesh taking seven New Zealand wickets on the second day, Taskin said the job was far from done. “We are not entirely pleased since we have some work left in the innings. We will try to bowl them out early. I think our batsmen also have to give us a big score in the second innings.”Latham, who had made 68 off 111 balls and added 106 for the third wicket with Ross Taylor, said the pitch might provide turn later in the Test.”Still a bit of movement for the bowlers and tended to swing more than Wellington,” Latham said. “It quickened up from yesterday and might take bit of turn towards the end. Looks like the Test match is going to be a good one.”

Gautam Gambhir was heavily critical of KP Bhaskar’s selection policies, particularly the treatment of Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana during the Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2017Batsman Gautam Gambhir has criticised Delhi coach KP Bhaskar for “creating an atmosphere of uncertainty” among the youngsters in the side. Gambhir said he had an argument with Bhaskar after Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh on Monday, but insisted that he was standing up for the younger players in the side, who felt insecure, and had not abused Bhaskar as had been stated in a few news reports.Gambhir was also critical of Bhaskar’s selection policies, particularly the exclusions of batsmen Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana during the Vijay Hazare Trophy”If protecting a youngster is a crime, I am guilty. If making 20-22-year-olds feel secure in an insecure environment is a crime, then I am guilty. But I could not have let this man (Bhaskar) play with careers of young players like Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana,” Gambhir told PTI on Tuesday.”Dressing room is a private environment. It’s like a bedroom. There may be many discussions but that’s not supposed to be discussed with media. I never spoke what all he (Bhaskar) said after we lost a T20 match in Himachal as to what laurels he had brought to Delhi cricket and where these youngsters are taking it to? Is it how you deal with youngsters?”I know how to deal with people. Lot of things have been said about him, about how I abused this man or that man. Lot of things are blown out of proportion. I backed certain boys for 2-3 years as these were the best boys to back. It is irrelevant from which club they come and we need to get this culture out of the way.”For last three years, I have been trying to give security to these young players who are all 23 or 24. There has been a culture in Delhi cricket about making players insecure. I have myself faced that when I was a youngster. When I got into the Ranji Trophy team, I was made to feel insecure. Then only I had decided, if I ever take charge I will never make young boys feel insecure.”Rana played only the first three matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was dropped after scores of 5, 5 and 0 while Chand was brought in for the last two matches, against Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, where he struck half-centuries.Chand had captained Delhi in three Ranji Trophy matches this season, while Gambhir was on national duty. For the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Delhi’s selectors chose to appoint 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant as captain in place of Gambhir. The decision, Bhaskar had said at the time, had been taken by consensus and with a view to manage Gambhir’s workload.”Look at somebody like Unmukt Chand. He was an India A captain recently, captained Delhi when I wasn’t a part of the team,” Gambhir said. “Suddenly you don’t even pick him for Delhi’s one-day side. Look where you have got his career to. Look at Nitish Rana, he played Duleep Trophy, he has played IPL for Mumbai Indians and suddenly three bad one-day games, you send him back.”I don’t have problems with people being dropped from the playing XI but don’t send them back. Look how insecure they will feel when they come back next into the side. How much insecurity have you put in Unmukt and Nitish’s mind? They are 23-year-olds for god’s sake.”Delhi doesn’t have a good cricketing structure and already players feel they are one match away from getting dropped. I told Bhaskar throughout the season, just don’t make players this insecure.”Delhi had middling results in the first-class and List A tournaments this season. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, they finished fourth among seven teams in Group B, winning three of the six matches. They had a mid-table finish in the Ranji Trophy, too, winning two of their eight matches with two losses and four draws. They did well in the Inter-state T20 tournament, however, topping the North Zone table with three wins in five matches.”When Unmukt got dropped, he (Bhaskar) kept on lying in front of the whole team,” Gambhir alleged. “Unmukt called him to ask why he has been dropped from the team and he said ‘I was not happy that you are keeping wickets’. If he was not happy he should have said that in a selection meeting. Had Nitish scored one 50, would he have called Unmukt on SOS basis then?”It was decided at a selection meeting that Unmukt would be picked as a wicketkeeper because he kept wickets previous year as well. When Unmukt confronted him, Bhaskar said he was referring to zonal team and then Unmukt told him on his face he was lying. Unmukt had just played for a North Zone team 15 days back. That team had Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Shikhar Dhawan. If you want to tell me that zonal team was inferior to a Delhi team, good luck to these people.”Bhaskar told that he had “discharged his obligations with honesty” and would file a report shortly.”I have been told to restrain. Wait till I submit my report. All I did was discharge my obligations with honesty. Beyond that I can’t comment on anything now,” Bhaskar said.

ESPNcricinfo previews Yorkshire’s prospects for the 2017 season

David Hopps05-Apr-2017Last season:

In: Azeem Rafiq
Out: Andrew Gale
Overseas: Peter Handscomb (Aus), Travis Head (Aus, T20)2016 in a nutshell
For much of the season, Yorkshire were in contention not just for a third successive Championship, but also a coveted treble in all three formats. Instead, they ended up with nothing. As well as their defeat to Middlesex on the last day of the season with the Championship at stake, they lost in the semi-finals on NatWest Blast finals day when only Adam Lyth made much of a fist of a target of 157 and went out at the same stage in the Royal London Cup as Steve Davies’ hundred spearheaded Surrey’s victory. In the Championship, Lyth and Alex Lees were strong up top, but the middle-order failed repeatedly. Jack Brooks’ 60 wickets was a tally unmatched by Division One pace bowlers and Ryan Sidebottom strove as valiantly as ever, while Tim Bresnan had a redoubtable summer with bat and ball, all concluded with his unavailing 142 against Middlesex at Lord’s, to underline his popularity within the county.2017 prospects
Yorkshire should challenge strongly again in all competitions, but they do have vulnerabilities. They have immediately been exposed in the Championship by Brooks’ absence from the first month because of a calf injury. That puts the onus elsewhere. Sidebottom will want a final hurrah in his last season, but Liam Plunkett and David Willey had a joint tally of only 19 Championship wickets in 12 matches last season, and Willey, whose much-trumpeted arrival at Yorkshire has so far been a bit of a dud, is recovering from a shoulder operation. Matt Fisher has huge potential but hamstring and groin injuries demand he is used conservatively until his resilience is proven. England’s withdrawal of Jonny Bairstow from early games (even though he was free to enter the IPL auction – work out the logic in that) will ask also questions of the middle order, although the prospect of Australian Peter Handscomb at No. 3, followed by Gary Ballance, means the pressing issues are at No 5. Travis Head will expect to make a bigger impact as he returns for the NatWest Blast.In charge
Andrew Gale steps up from captain to first-team coach as Yorkshire put faith in their own, a similar decision to that over the Pennines with Lancashire handing the coach’s role to Glen Chapple. It will be intriguing to see how Gale’s passionate and demanding leadership style translates, but his retirement was judiciously timed and, like Chapple, he has the advantage of being highly respected within the county. Ballance, Gale’s choice as captain, still harbours hopes of an England return, but as long as he commits himself fully to the role it can prove to be a good decision. All overseen by the wise counsel of director of cricket Martyn Moxon, who may keep a closer eye on first-team affairs until the new team bed in.Key player
Much will rest with Ballance as Yorkshire seek to rid themselves of last summer’s disappointment. A prolific season with the bat would offset Yorkshire’s middle-order issues in the Championship and, with a few injury concerns around, he will need to manage his pace-bowling resources shrewdly. Man-management skills will involve getting the best out of Lees, who he replaces as captain in the limited-overs formats after only one season, and Adil Rashid, whose eyes will be on Champions Trophy success and whose relationship with Gale had its ups and downs.Bright young thing
Most eyes will be on Fisher, with good reason, but Matthew Waite’s appetite for the fray, whether with bat and ball, created an excellent impression during two high-pressure limited-overs matches in 2016 – a quarter-final victory against Glamorgan in the NatWest Blast and in the Royal London Cup semi-final defeat against Surrey at Headingley. Such are the advantages, the Yorkshire dressing room will testify, of learning how to put his contact lenses in the right way round. Waite, a former Yorkshire Academy captain, is a combative seamer and lower-middle order batsman and should make further progress over 20 and 50 overs this summer.ESPNcricinfo verdict
Yorkshire look bound for a top-three finish in the Championship, but a third title in four years will depend on finding a winning blend in a pace attack that is heavily stocked with over-30s. With a new £32m stand to fund – negotiations, although delicate, seem to be reaching fruition – they also need the sort of NatWest Blast season that pulls in big crowds for more than just the Roses match.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship Div 1 11-5; NatWest Blast 9-1; Royal London Cup 13-2

Calling for the “uncertainty” over India’s participation in the 2017 Champions Trophy to end, the CoA has directed the BCCI to select the squad immediately

Nagraj Gollapudi04-May-2017Calling for the “uncertainty” over India’s participation in the 2017 Champions Trophy to end, the committee of administrators (CoA) has directed the BCCI to select the squad immediately.India were the only country to miss the April 25 deadline, by when all eight participating countries had to submit their Champions Trophy squads to the ICC. The BCCI had said the delay was because of “operational” reasons, but events since then have led to doubts over India’s participation in the tournament.”There has been more than enough negativity surrounding Team India’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy and the sooner the same is put to rest the better,” the CoA told BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, in an email sent on Thursday.”You are aware that the squad representing India at the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 was to be submitted by 25th April 2017 but the squad has not even been selected as yet. Please convene a meeting of the selection committee for selecting the squad immediately. The squad can then be submitted to the ICC without prejudice to BCCI’s legal rights.”The BCCI has called for a special general meeting (SGM) on May 7 to discuss the outcomes of the ICC Board meetings last week, when a new constitution, governance changes and financial model – in which the BCCI’s share of revenue was greatly reduced – was passed by an overwhelming majority.A segment of the BCCI, unhappy with the cut in its revenue from the ICC, wants to revoke the Members Participation Agreement (MPA), which would mean India missing every ICC tournament in the current rights cycle starting form the 2017 Champions Trophy to the 2023 World Cup.Three days before the SGM, the CoA told the BCCI it needed to provide the best environment for the Indian team to defend the title.”We believe that any decision taken at the SGM should be predicated on the fact that India has the best team in the world today,” the CoA told Choudhary. “Team India should be provided with a supportive environment to showcase Indian cricket instead of being surrounded with uncertainty and confusion. The players’ interests are paramount and they must be given the best chance to prepare for, defend and retain the ICC Champions Trophy. The focus should be on enabling our team to achieve even greater heights and further laurels, which will automatically attract higher revenues.”The BCCI appears to have lost sight of the fact that it attained a pre-eminent position in the ICC not by a combative approach but by building consensus and ensuring a positive image, including by helping other cricket boards in their time of need.”The CoA also warned the BCCI that any “drastic steps” taken at the SGM could lead to the Supreme Court getting involved in the matter.

Tim Southee, the New Zealand fast bowler, has signed for Middlesex as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2017Tim Southee, the New Zealand fast bowler, has signed for Middlesex as their second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast. His arrival to play under the captain and coach combination of Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori – both former New Zealand team-mates of Southee – gives a strong Black Caps feel to Middlesex in the shortest format.Southee, who is currently playing for Mumbai Indians at the IPL, will link up with Middlesex in early July and is expected to be available for 13 group matches (out of 14), as well as the knockout stages, potentially.”Tim is one of the leading fast bowlers in the world. He has plenty of experience in T20 cricket and looks to bowl in the periods where we feel we could be better,” Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, said. “We look forward to welcoming him to Lord’s.”Southee previously played county cricket for Essex in 2011, when he took 22 wickets during the Friends Life t20, as well as scoring his only T20 half-century – 74 off 34 balls opening the batting against Hampshire. Overall, he has taken 139 T20 wickets with an economy of 8.26.”I’m excited to be joining Middlesex this year for the NatWest T20 blast and helping the club throughout the T20 competition,” Southee said. “When the opportunity come up to play for Middlesex it wasn’t a tough decision to make and I’m looking forward to calling Lord’s home while I’m there.”

Surrey are currently working on development plans which would make the ground the largest dedicated cricket stadium in the country

George Dobell09-Jun-2017Surrey hope to increase the capacity of The Oval to 40,000 in time for the 2023 Ashes. The club are currently working on development plans which would make the ground the largest dedicated cricket stadium in the country and increase capacity sharply on the current 25,500. Their aim, subject to planning permission and funding agreements, is to begin work after the 2019 World Cup.The centrepiece of the project would be a replacement for the Bedser Stand which could add up to 8000 seats. There would also be an enlargement of the existing OCS Stand. Surrey already have planning permission for a large development next to the pavilion – No. 1 Oval Square – which will incorporate additional capacity and facilities.The Oval has an outstanding record of attracting spectators. Surrey have led the way in optimising the domestic T20 market – their first Friday night fixture of this season’s campaign, versus Kent, has already sold out – and hope to host one of the newly branded teams in the competition scheduled to start in 2020.”The time is now right for cricket to think on a bigger scale,” Surrey chairman Richard Thompson said. “This summer we have seen unprecedented levels of demand for cricket at the Kia Oval. We need to build on this success and have a ground that can satisfy the unprecedented demand we have created.”Richard Gould, the club’s CEO, said: “Our business has taken off over the last five years and our reserves have quadrupled in size along with significantly higher profits. This has largely been driven through T20 cricket and an increase in our non-matchday business, but sales for international cricket also remain very strong. Most of our major games now sell out, either for county cricket or international cricket, and we need more seats to meet demand.”The schedule for the 2023 Ashes has yet to be announced but it is anticipated that the Ageas Bowl, near Southampton, will be competing with The Oval for the right to host a Test. The Oval’s staging agreement with the ECB (whereby they are guaranteed a Test a year) expires in 2022 and Surrey may fear that their opposition to the new-team T20 competition has done little to ingratiate them with the decision makers at the ECB. They are understood to have consulted with the ECB over their new plans, though it is unclear if they have been given assurances over future major match allocations.Certainly there seems to be increasing competition for the major match market. With the ECB looking at cutting the number of Tests each summer, the existing venues will be fighting harder than ever to retain the level of cricket they require to sustain themselves. And with talk of utilising other venues – such as the London Stadium (formerly the Olympic Stadium) – continuing, even the bigger grounds such as Lord’s and The Oval are not immune to these changes.It is telling that the news comes as the MCC announces the timetable for its planned redevelopment of Lord’s. While both MCC and The Oval are wealthy, it is possible that both will borrow heavily to fund the schemes, reviving memories of the ‘arms race’ of a decade or so ago that saw grounds across the country sink heavily into debt as they sought to build venues that would persuade the ECB to grant them more major matches.

Joe Root was eager to take the attention off himself after winning his first Test as England captain, saying his team-mates showed a lot of ‘character’ in a 211-run victory over South Africa at Lord’s

George Dobell at Lord's10-Jul-2017Joe Root has praised a “fabulous” team performance as he started his reign as England captain in almost perfect fashion at Lord’s.”Everyone has played their part this week,” Root said after England completed a crushing 211-run victory. “It might not have been a six-for or a fifty, but there were crucial periods where guys showed character.”Everything I asked of the lads, they were very open to and responded to it. I wanted us to be proactive, to stay ahead of the game and when there was an opportunity, to take responsibility. Everyone at certain points did that and it’s important we continue to do that if we are to take this side forward.”England have already named the same 12-man squad for the second Test at Trent Bridge, which begins on Friday. Barring injury to any of the seamers – and the fact they were barely used in the fourth innings and have an extra day off now suggests they should be fine – an unchanged team is expected. While it would be unusual for England to play two spinners at Trent Bridge, they would argue they are playing only one – Liam Dawson – with Moeen Ali picked as a batsman.In truth, England’s surplus of allrounders – Chris Woakes will be pressing for a recall before the end of the series – leaves them with something close to a luxury position to fill as they see fit. At Lord’s, they could have chosen a legspinner, a specialist keeper, another batsman – perhaps a specialist in the top three – or even a match-winning but potentially unreliable seamer such as Mark Footitt.As things stand, they have chosen to go with Dawson. Though few would claim Dawson is the best spinner in England – he may well not be the best at Hampshire – he offers a good all-round package topped by his ability to offer his captain control in the field, a trait that complements England’s seamers, while his presence also alleviates any expectation upon Moeen to fulfill a holding role. It’s not ideal and it won’t always work as well as this, but as this was the first time two England spinners claimed 14 wickets in a home Test since 1972, it can only be considered a success.Root credited the presence of his two key allrounders – Moeen and Ben Stokes – for giving his side enviable depth with bat and ball.”That’s the great thing about our top seven,” Root said. “We have two really good bowling options with Moeen and Ben and that’s a real luxury.”There were two obvious standout performers in England’s win: Root and Moeen.Root’s batting was a level above anyone else’s in the match. He enjoyed some fortune in scoring his first 20 runs, but he took advantage in ruthless fashion. Before this match, Root had converted only one of his last seven Test half-centuries into a three-figure score but the captaincy seemed to add an edge to his game: a hunger; a determination to push on and register a match-defining total. While he modestly referred to his form as “nice” afterwards, it is telling that Moeen was the only other man in the match to reach 70.The statistics relating to Moeen are staggering. Having reached the double milestone of 100 wickets and 2000 runs in fewer Tests than Sir Garry Sobers, et al, on the second day of this match, he subsequently claimed the first 10-wicket haul by an England spinner at Lord’s since Derek Underwood in 1974 and the first by an England offspinner since Roy Tattersall in 1951. He also became the first England player to claim a 10-wicket haul and score a 50 in the same Test since Ian Botham in 1980. While Shane Warne was never able to earn a place on the Lord’s honours boards, Moeen – who has often been referred to as a part-time bowler by Warne – now does.These are great names and significant achievements. While nobody – least of all Moeen himself – would claim he was a spinner in the class of Underwood or Warne, or an allrounder in the class of Botham or Sobers, he has developed into a very valuable player nevertheless. The bowling average has moved below 40, the batting above 35 and there’s no reason why they should not continue to improve.Liam Dawson may not be the best spinner in England, but fills a key holding role for Joe Root’s England side to balance the bowling unit•Getty Images

Here, partly as a result of his work with Saqlain Mushtaq – for whom he dedicated this performance – he showed ever more cunning in his variations of pace. The delivery which bowled Temba Bavuma was significantly quicker than those that preceded it. At one stage, he threatened to equal Wasim Akram’s record of a wicket in six consecutive overs before falling one short.Rather typically, he described some of the attention surrounding his achievements as “embarrassing”, though he did concede that the match represented “the best all-round performance of my career.””Maybe in India I was trying to fire the ball in a bit,” Moeen said. “I learned a lot from that tour. My natural pace is quite quick anyway. Here I had a different mindset and I was trying to attack the batsmen more. It’s nice to do this at Lord’s. It means a lot.”There were other important contributions. Jonny Bairstow’s second-innings half-century shut South Africa out of the match, while some of his keeping was outstanding. The diving take down the leg side to dismiss Heino Kuhn was the most eye-catching moment, but the wicket of Kagiso Rabada – an edge held off an attempted cut – was impressive too. The hard work he has undertaken with Bruce French and others is clearly starting to pay off. A debut for Ben Foakes, which really might have been quite close a week or so ago, suddenly looks distant.And, as 19 wickets fell on the fourth day, the value of England’s obdurate batting the previous evening became more apparent. Alastair Cook, one of only two men to reach 35 in the third and fourth innings, made the most valuable contribution. But Gary Ballance’s second-innings 34 and Keaton Jennings’ 33 were worth more than a quick glance at the scorecard might suggest. Root reckoned they were “worth double.”There is a caveat to all this. South Africa, it has to be said, made some basic mistakes with their catching, their use of the DRS, the over-stepping of the bowlers resulting in no balls and, most of all, their batting against spin. It is improbable they will play as badly at Trent Bridge.But this was pretty much a perfect start for Root and his team.

Leicestershire completed a second win in two days to put themselves firmly back in the hunt for quarter-final qualification, beating Yorkshire by four wickets with two balls remaining

ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2017Luke Ronchi hit a rapid half-century to put Leicestershire on their way•Getty Images

Leicestershire completed a second win in two days to put themselves firmly back in the hunt for quarter-final qualification, beating Yorkshire by four wickets with two balls remaining.A spectacular half-century from New Zealand international Luke Ronchi, hit off just 19 balls and including seven fours and three sixes, set the Foxes on their way, and although they lost wickets regularly in an increasingly nervy reply, Colin Ackermann’s unbeaten 58, made off 47 balls, saw them cross the line in the final over.”The batting was outstanding. Luke Ronchi has been unbelievable for us, and although Ackermann has had a bit of a lean patch over the last few games, he showed what a class player he is,” Leicestershire’s captain, Clint McKay, said.”I think the bowlers fought back well towards the end, though I was a bit disappointed with how we went about our work in the field earlier in their innings, we weren’t at our best. But the boys keep bouncing back, and to keep it to 182 when it looked like they were going to get over 200 was a great effort.”Remarkably, it was their first victory at home in the competition this season, with their previous five wins all coming away from the Fischer County Ground. Their two remaining fixtures see them face Derbyshire at home next Thursday, before they travel to Trent Bridge to play Nottinghamshire the following evening.Yorkshire, who arrived with their spirits – and chances of qualification – lifted by beating Roses rivals Lancashire at Headingley the previous evening, must now beat Northants at home on Thursday, their final group fixture, to have any chance of qualifying.Yorkshire’s total was based on an explosive 75 from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, the right-hander’s best T20 score since joining Yorkshire from Worcestershire, made from just 40 balls.Placement and timing was the key, particularly through the off side, in a 30-ball half-century which included ten fours. Two maximums followed, muscled through wide midwicket off Callum Parkinson, but the young left-arm spinner had his revenge when he deceived and bowled Kohler-Cadmore in the last of his four overs, his 14th wicket in the competition this season.Their other major contribution was made by Shaun Marsh, whose half-century came seven balls more slowly, with four of his seven boundaries cut behind square on the off side. Having been 129 for 3 off 14 overs, a total of 200 looked well within their capabilities, but tight Foxes bowling, notably from Matt Pillans, and an unexpectedly effective four overs from occasional offspinner Aadil Ali, took some of the pressure off the Leicestershire batsmen.Ronchi’s wonderfully clean hitting reduced it further – the highlight an uppercut six high over third man off David Willey – and although he slog-swept Azeem Rafiq to into the hands of Jack Leaning on 57, Ackermann’s sensible innings ensured Leicestershire got over the line.Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale: “It was a real blow to lose this match. I felt on this occasion it was our bowlers who didn’t perform as well as they should, we bowled too many four balls. We knew Ronchi was the danger man, and he duly got them off to an explosive start. I was actually pretty pleased with our score, but giving away too many boundaries cost us dearly.”We’ve played some good cricket in the competition but we’ve not put it together in both disciplines consistently enough.”

Saeed Ajmal, who last played first-class cricket in 2015, will play for Faisalabad Region in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Umar Farooq06-Sep-2017Saeed Ajmal, who last played first-class cricket in 2015, has been picked up by Faisalabad Region for the upcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier domestic tournament. As many as eight regional teams selected their squads, with eight players out of 20 selected through the draft process for the very first time in the history of Pakistan cricket. A total of 12 players, including two emerging players, were selected through the traditional process of picking players from their own senior inter-districts.

A list of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy teams

Regional: Lahore Blues, Lahore Whites, Karachi Whites, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, FATA, Peshawar
Department: WAPDA, HBL, UBL, SSGC, SNGPL, NBP, KRL, PTV

Ajmal, 39, last played for Pakistan in Bangladesh in 2015 after remodelling his bowling action, which was declared illegal by the ICC in September 2014. He struggled to maintain his performances ever since, and is yet to play for Pakistan since that ill-fated Bangladesh tour, which saw Pakistan lose all three ODIs and the solitary T20I. His personal performances on that tour were also a sharp diversion from his high standards before being sanctioned. They included figures that read 10-0-74-0 in the first ODI, the worst of his career.He earmarked the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2016 as a stepping stone from which he would make a national comeback, but was never able to establish himself as an automatic selection for his franchise, Islamabad United.The method to pick players via a draft was a radical change this year, but then again, Pakistan’s domestic cricket has been the subject of an overhaul almost every second year for the past decade. The format remains intact for the second year running, with 16 teams (eight regional and eight departments), but the selection process was tweaked in spite of strong objections raised by Karachi, the largest cricket association in the country.The move initially came under heavy criticism, leading to the board to agree to a compromise of the balance of players picked through the draft. The PCB had initially intended for 12 players to be selected through a draft system, leaving regions to pick only eight players from their districts. Facing pressure from cricket quarters within the country, the PCB found a middle ground by allowing associations to pick 60% of players through more conventional routes from their respective regions.Eight players were picked through a draft and 10 through the usual selection process, with two set to be emerging players from the region’s Under-19 circuit. The model, according to the PCB, was introduced to counter the problem of selections not based on merit, making it more competitive when competing with departmental teams, who can field much stronger players. The PCB wished to enhance the competitiveness of regional sides who have struggled to compete against department sides in the QEA; historically, when regional and department sides have been grouped together in the tournament, the latter have fielded the better players, enabled by greater financial resources at their disposal.”The eight regions expressed their satisfaction at the smooth conduct of the ceremony and wholeheartedly accepted the new system which encourages meritorious selections,” the PCB said in a statement. “The regions are our arms; we want to give them maximum support since they produce talent at grassroots level and are the reason for Pakistan cricket’s success at the highest level which has recently culminated in the historic Champions Trophy success. Our domestic system is on the road to improvement and that’s the reason that the Player Selection Ceremony was introduced this year to add a new exciting dimension for the players besides further encouraging the role of new blood through induction of two Emerging Players in each squad.”The year’s domestic calendar is also yet to be unveiled, with several dates decided only to be pushed back. The PCB had earlier scheduled to start the season with the National T20 Cup and forced all the players playing in the Caribbean Premier League to return home, before deciding to postpone the National T20 Cup to November.

J&K player Samiullah Beigh has written an e-mail to Vinod Rai, chairman of the CoA, to resolve the “genuine grievances” with their “careers at stake”

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore11-Sep-2017Virtually every domestic cricket season in the last five years has begun with controversy and crisis at the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). With less than a month before the Ranji Trophy is scheduled to begin, the JKCA and players are waving the red flag as the state’s participation in the tournament remains in severe danger if the BCCI fails to inject fresh funds.Both the JKCA and the players have communicated their plight to Vinod Rai, the chairman of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), seeking his urgent attention. Earlier this year, the CoA, at the behest of the Supreme Court, had asked the BCCI to stop disbursement of funds to the state associations unless they made written submissions in the court stating they would implement the Lodha Committee recommendations.Although the JKCA gave verbal assurances about implementing the reforms, there has been no written submission yet. With the JKCA talking about “pulling out” of the Ranji Trophy, the players, the biggest stakeholders, have now decided to intervene themselves.On September 7, Samiullah Beigh, J&K’s senior-most player, and a few other players met Iqbal Ahmad Shah, the JKCA secretary, at the Sher-i-Kashmir ground in Srinagar. Shah told the players that JKCA’s funds were frozen in the bank, which could only be released subject to the BCCI sending a letter.On Monday, Beigh sent an e-mail to Rai, asking him to resolve the “genuine grievances”, saying: “Esteemed sir, I on behalf of all Ranji cricketers of J&K is addressing this plea to a man with impeccable record of honesty and delivery with a hope that our genuine grievances would be redressed on top priority,” Beigh wrote in the mail.”Few days back, we as senior players had a meeting with JKCA office bearers regarding upcoming season and its preparations. It is very unfortunate to say that they claimed they are without any funds to run the show. They even said that unless BCCI gives ‘letter of authority’ in our favour which we have to produce in the court, we may not be able to get released the money already present in our JKCA accounts.”Beigh pointed out in his letter that with the first-class season “just 20 days away”, JKCA had not conducted pre-season preparatory camps citing non-availability of funds. The importance of pre-season camps, Beigh said, could be seen during the 2013-14 Ranji season – it was conducted three months prior to that tournament – when J&K made their maiden quarter-finals.Shah claimed he informed Rai recently that without fresh funds, JKCA would be forced to pull its teams out of domestic competitions. Since the corruption scandal involving misappropriation of the board’s money was unearthed in 2012, the BCCI has been strict about disbursing funds to the JKCA.”Since 2012, when the scam [financial misappropriation] was unearthed, funding has stopped,” Shah said. “Then, we received some funds which we used to run the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. But, after the Supreme Court judgment [on freezing funds to state associations not compliant with Lodha recommendations], funding was stopped, and our reserves have been exhausted. We have been severely hit.”Consequently, the players have suffered the most. The JKCA has not been paid its dues for the 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons. According to Beigh, most of the J&K players are “unemployed” and they need the money to keep their passion for cricket alive. “Most of us are unemployed and cricket is our sole source of income, and we are subsequently unable to even buy our cricketing equipment due to non-payment of dues by the BCCI. As such, I on behalf of all aggrieved players of J&K state humbly request your good self for personal intervention into the matter and direct the CEO of BCCI to resolve our issues on priority,” Beigh told Rai.Beigh told ESPNcricinfo that the J&K players were in favour of reforms being implemented but not at the cost of their livelihood. “We all want the Lodha orders to be implemented, there is no doubt about it. It is for our good, but not at the cost of players’ livelihood. Our careers are at stake and we’re all worried. Unlike other states where many cricketers are employed, we don’t have too many players who have employment. Cricket is their bread and butter. We have to also bear expenses like for gyms, training, diet. None of these are taken care of by the association.”