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Trevor Jesty brings out a box of balls after the on-field umpires called for change© Getty Images

The fourth and final Test took an unsavoury and controversial twist midway through the afternoon session, as the umpires changed the ball after becoming unhappy about how its condition had altered. At the end of the 56th over, bowled by Danish Kaneria, Darrell Hair went over to Billy Doctrove and was seen pointing at the quarter seam. The fourth umpire, Trevor Jesty, then brought out a box of balls and the England batsmen, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood, were allowed to choose the next one to be used, in accordance with the Laws.Law 42.3 states that in “the event of any fielder changing the condition of the ball unfairly … the umpires shall award five penalty runs to the batting side.” The Law explains that it is “unfair for anyone to rub the ball on the ground for any reason, interfere with any of the seams on the surface of the ball, use any implement, or take any other action whatsoever which is likely to alter the condition of the ball.”The only exceptions to this rule are polishing the ball, removing mud from it and drying a wet ball on a towel. Playing regulation 42.1.2 (b) for this series also says: “In the event that a ball has been interfered with and requires replacement the batsman at the wicket shall choose the replacement ball from a selection of six other balls of various degrees of usage (including a new ball) and of the same brand as in use prior to the contravention.”To confirm that this had been the umpires’ decision to change the ball five runs were added to England’s total, which umpire Hair signalled by patting his right hand to his left shoulder. Soon afterwards, Bob Woolmer was seen marching towards the match referee’s office before returning to the dressing room where he talked to Waqar Younis.Inzamam-ul-Haq appeared visibly incensed during the ball change and though it isn’t clear what was said, Umar Gul was withdrawn from the attack thereafter. The incident caught the commentary team by surprise as well and Rameez Raja, the Pakistan expert on the team, sounded clearly upset. Others, including Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton stressed the hope that the umpires had actually spotted someone in the act of tampering with the ball rather than presuming that marks on the ball indicated that it must have been tampered with. There is no TV footage of anything untoward being done to ball.This isn’t, of course, the first time a ball tampering controversy has disrupted cricket contests between the two countries. Pakistan’s victorious tour in 1992 was blighted by a stream of accusations and inferences that they tampered the ball to obtain the reverse swing which ultimately helped them clinch the series.Before these intriguing moments, Pakistan had struck a third blow when Gul trapped Alastair Cook lbw, breaking an impressive third-wicket stand of 103 with Pietersen. Cook had played with more assurance after lunch while Pietersen had continued with his ultra-aggressive intent. However, the ball was starting to reverse swing and Cook was beaten by an excellent delivery. But that was just the start of the drama.

Brad Williams, the Australian fast bowler from Western Australia, has joined Durham as a replace for Mick Lewis for the remainder of the season. Williams, 30, has played four Tests and 25 ODIs for Australia and his career-best first-class figures are 7 for 64.Martyn Moxon, the Durham coach, said: “It’s great that we have been able to secure someone of Brad’s talent and experience to join the Club at this stage of the season.”The closing weeks will be hugely important for us, especially as the fight for promotion to the first division is remarkably close and with just six National League matches left we’ve got everything to play for. Brad’s international experience will undoubtedly contribute to the continued development of the younger members of the squad.”Durham are top of the Second Division of the County Championship as they chase promotion to the top flight. Williams is the third Australia fast bowler to play for Durham this summer after Lewis and Ashley Noffke.

Tamil Nadu 481 and 306 (Ramesh 97) drew with Railways 342 and 117 for 5 and progressed to the Ranji trophy final
Scorecard
At Chennai, Sadagoppan Ramesh made up for his first-innings failure with a steady 97, as Tamil Nadu cruised into the final of the Ranji Trophy. No result was possible in their semi-final against Railways, so Tamil Nadu’s first-innings lead took them through. Having gained a 139-run lead, Tamil Nadu didn’t try to force the issue. Sridharan Sriram (38) and Dinesh Karthik (48) chipped in with useful knocks as Ramesh steered the ship to complete safety. Kulamani Parida, the offspinner, and medium-pacer Jai Prakash Yadav snapped up four wickets apiece, and Tamil Nadu finally finished with 306. A target of 446 was never on the cards, and Railways were reduced to 15 for 4 within the first eight overs. However, Raja Ali and Siddharth Varma held on and the match petered out to a tame draw. In the first innings, Sriram and Karthik had starred in a 211-run stand that put Tamil Nadu on course to a huge total. Railways fell short by a long way, despite Yadav’s fighting 116. Tamil Nadu, for the second year in succession, will take on Mumbai in the final and will be out to avenge their loss at the Wankhede Stadium last year. The final will be played at Chennai from March 26.Madhya Pradesh 258 and 315 for 5 (Abbas Ali 90*, Ojha 54) beat Orissa 318 and 253 by five wickets
Scorecard
Madhya Pradesh chased down a target of 314 on the final day at Cuttack and got the better of Orissa in an absorbing contest. They began the day at 84 for 2, and all the batsmen played their part. However, Syed Abbas Ali clinched the issue with a crucial 90 off just 75 balls, and MP cruised home with five wickets to spare. Ali smashed eight fours and four sixes in his fiery knock. The pendulum had swung each day, with Pravanjan Mullick and Sanjay Raul the star turns for Orissa. Yogesh Golwalkar, the legspinner, led MP’s fightback in the first innings with 6 for 95, then Ali shut Orissa out completely with his timely innings on the final day.Maharashtra 592 and 11 for 0 beat Haryana 236 and 364 (Adhav 5-125) by 10 wickets
Scorecard
Maharashtra romped into the Plate Group final with a comprehensive ten-wicket win over Haryana at Pune. Kiran Adhav, the left-arm spinner, finished with a five-wicket haul as Haryana managed 364 in their second innings. That left Maharashtra a target of only nine runs, which the openers duly knocked off. The victory, though, was made possible on the second and third days as Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Deeraj Jhadav and Satyajit Satbhai amassed hundreds and helped Maharashtra pile up a massive 592. Shafiq Khan’s 114 in the first innings was the standout effort for Haryana, but it wasn’t enough in the face of such a daunting total. Maharashtra will face Madhya Pradesh in the final of the Plate Group. And both teams, by virtue of their semi-final wins, will now play in the Elite Group next season.

The following are the arrangements for the South African ICC CWC squad from17th to 23rd FebruaryMon 17th Feb: No practice.Tue 18th Feb: No practice. Media access upon request through media managers.Wed 19th Feb: Travel to Bloemfontein.
Development clinic Grey College.
2pm-4pm. Media InvitedThu 20th Feb: Practice at Goodyear Park from 9am. A player may be available to media after practice.Fri 21st Feb: Media Conference at Holiday Inn Garden Court Bloemfontein 9am.
Practice at Goodyear Park from 10am. Session closed to all media.Sat 22nd Feb: South Africa vs Bangladesh, Goodyear Park 10am.
Post match media conference.Sun 23rd Feb: Squad to go to respective homes.

ICC Trophy tournament newcomer Uganda has delivered the shock result on day two of warm-up action here in Toronto. The Division Two team, ranked second-last in the official seedings for this event, confounded all expectations with an exciting 31-run win over highly fancied Ireland at the Eglinton Flats West ground.For most of the morning, though, the Africans – who have formed a team in their own right this year after previous experience as part of the East and Central Africa combined side – had looked to be struggling. In the face of typically accurate pace bowling from Mark Patterson (4/23), Paul Mooney (3/28) and Adrian McCoubrey (1/20), they crashed to a dismal 5/37 at one point. In the end, it was effectively only spirited lower order resistance from Frank Nsubuga (37) and Richard Mwami (23) which saw them reach a total of 144. A stubborn last wicket partnership of 17 between Tendo Mbazzi (14*) and Richard Okia (3) was also crucial.Notwithstanding the stabilising effect of a plucky innings from Desmond Curry (22) in its middle stages, Ireland’s chase never progressed smoothly. Intelligent bowling from the Ugandans – especially a brilliantly economical Mbazzi (2/16) and J Kwebiha (3/19) – frustrated their normally unflappable opponents into error. The Irish also made a strong contribution to their demise with disappointing running between the wickets; the loss of three of their top seven batsmen to run outs indicative.Following a disappointing exhibition with the bat yesterday, Fiji swung its order around to useful effect in its 20-run victory over Germany at the adjoining field at Eglinton. Taione Batina (43) and Iniasi Cakacaka (30) constructed an excellent partnership of 64 runs for the fourth wicket while all-rounder Neil Maxwell (19*) swung the bat lustily, even causing a five-minute hold-up for a lost ball at one stage from his lower-than-normal station of number nine. Germany’s bowling was persistent; leg spinner Jakob Bumke (2/31) and lightly-built medium pacer Badar Munir (2/17) particularly impressive during the closing stages of the innings.For a time, middle order batsmen Younis Khan (30) and Gerrit Mueller (26) raised hopes of a second upset in the space of the one sunny afternoon at tree-lined Eglinton. But superb bowling from Johnny Hussain (3/20) quickly caused the innings to unravel.Namibian opener Riaan Walters (72) continued his impressive personal lead-up form with the key innings in his team’s five wicket win over Malaysia at King City. After electing to bat first, the Malaysians were restricted to a modest 8/153, only Mohammed Yazid Imran (35) and Marimuthu Muniandy (29) truly coming to terms with the conditions. Backing up fine form from twenty-four hours earlier, Bjorn Kotze (3/41) and Lennie Louw (2/16) again bowled brilliantly, and excellent support came from Rudi Scholtz (3/28) with the new ball.Inspired by Walters, the Namibians’ victory then arrived with more than ten overs to spare. Albeit that two wickets from Chew Pok Cheong (2/31) and tidy spells from Yazid Imran (1/15) and S Vickneswaran (1/20) ensured that it never became a totally one-sided stroll in the King City park.Pre-tournament favourite Scotland rounded out the day with a convincing 133-run win over Papua New Guinea at Kitchener. Greig Williamson (58) was the chief contributor to the Scots’ total of 202, but only three players failed to reach double figures in an even overall performance.Aukoma Nova (23) and Rarva Dikana (18*) fought valiantly amid the reply, but the Papua New Guineans were never really a match for their opponents. This was confirmed in emphatic style by the pace bowling of John Blain (4/17), whose return of four wickets in the space of just four overs scuttled all prospects of a close finish. Asim Butt (2/25) and David Cox (1/10) also bowled well.The on-field action pauses tomorrow to make way for the tournament’s opening ceremony. Play in the tournament itself then begins on Thursday, with the match between Scotland and Fiji shaping as the most appealing fixture among the six scheduled.

While Jesse Marsch will quickly be making an assessment of his current group of players at Leeds United, he will no doubt also be keeping a close eye on the players who are away from Elland Road at the moment.

One of those is Helder Costa, who joined La Liga side Valencia on a season-long loan last summer with an option-to-buy included for the Spanish giants.

Reports last summer suggested that the Whites were open to letting him go on a permanent basis, seeing him as someone who could be sold for decent money to then be reinvested into the squad.

Costa had a woeful campaign in the Premier League last season for the Whites, scoring just three times and providing only three assists in 22 games – indeed, he has found the back of the net only eight times in 71 matches altogether for Leeds.

His time on loan at Valencia has been worse even than that, managing no goals and just the one assist in 19 La Liga games, with his poor form now seeing him completely drop out of the first-team picture and being restricted to stoppage time cameos in recent weeks.

After a particularly disappointing performance in the Premier League against Liverpool last season, former Leeds striker Noel Whelan criticised the Portuguese winger, telling Football Insider: “The one player that disappointed me was Helder Costa. Once again he was poor. There is something there that is not right because Poveda came on and did more in that short time than Costa did in the 60 minutes he was on the field.

“He is fourth in the pecking order in terms of wingers for me. Poveda has to come before him now. He plays it safe and he’s negative. For a player that cost £16m, I need to see a hell of a lot more from him. At least Poveda runs at people. He is positive and that is what a winger should do. Costa has been a massive flop. A real disappointment again.”

Indeed, former Leeds player Carlton Palmer has previously said of Costa to FFC: “You look at things and say, if you’re looking to spend the type of money that Leeds are looking to spend, if you’ve got someone there on decent money and they aren’t playing regular football, then those are the type to move on enable you to use his salary to bring in the players that you want, who are going to make your squad a better squad.”

Earning around £70k-a-week, Costa is one of the Whites’ highest earners at Elland Road, but he has done nothing to suggest that he is worthy of being in that category of players, and he is simply burning a hole in Andrea Radrizzani’s pocket.

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Given that his record overall at Leeds has been shocking to say the least, this summer must finally see the end of Costa’s time at the club.

AND in other news: “We’re told…”: Graham Smyth drops big Leeds United update that’ll delight supporters

Match facts

Friday, February 12, 2016
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

Well, that’s put the cat among the pigeons. Just when it seemed that England’s 50-over fledglings were set to spread their wings and secure a hugely impressive second overseas series victory of the winter, they were clawed back to earth by a performance that AB de Villiers, South Africa’s captain, rightly described as “hungry”. With local knowledge spilling out of a team containing six Titans players, South Africa hunted down a stiff target of 319 with disdain, thanks almost entirely to a record-breaking opening stand of 239 between Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla.So, at 2-1 up with two to play, England know they are suddenly in a contest – and life is unlikely to get much easier in the equally stratospheric conditions at the Wanderers. The Bullring comes into his own for floodlit one-day games, and South Africa’s record at the venue is hugely impressive – 19 victories in 27 completed matches including, ten years ago next month, the jewel in the crown: their astonishing chase of 435 against Australia.On the evidence of the series so far, there could be similar scoring feats in prospect on Friday. England’s total of 399 at Bloemfontein might have been challenged more closely had the weather not intervened in the first match, while their apparently hefty 318 for 8 at Centurion proved to be at least fifty runs shy of par. With power-hitters on both teams, including some – such as AB de Villiers and Jason Roy who haven’t entirely got going as yet – there is unlikely to be much let-up in the thin, six-friendly, air of the Highveld.South Africa’s fightback at Centurion was made possible, in part, by the improved balance of their team, with the inclusion of the allrounder David Wiese at the expense of Rilee Rossouw allowing de Villiers to use the part-time seamers of Farhaan Behardien more sparingly. But England in return struggled to use their own options, with Chris Jordan’s erratic seamers proving particularly expensive once again. One thing is clear: it has not so far been a series for the bowlers, so whichever team’s attack holds its nerve the best when the fur begins to fly is liable to claim the spoils.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa: WLLWL
England: LWWWW

In the spotlight

England have one imperative above all others if they want to sew up the series without having to win a decider at Cape Town on Sunday. Stop de Kock. Quinton de Kock‘s preposterous form has harvested three centuries in his last four innings, including a maiden Test hundred at Centurion last month. In one-day cricket, however, he is in overdrive. His match-smashing 135 on Tuesday was his tenth in 55 innings . No ODI player in history has ever reached that milestone so quickly, or so young either – at 23 years and 54 days, he pipped Virat Kohli to the mark by four months. The power and purity of his strokeplay is extraordinary, and seemingly unstoppable when he gets on one of his rolls.Adil Rashid has been quietly going about his business in the series so far, and if his figures to date, 2 for 130 in 26 overs, don’t look like an awful lot to write home about, then they are perhaps best expressed alongside those of his legspinning counterpart in South Africa’s ranks, Imran Tahir – 2 for 193 in 28. Following coolly on from his breakthrough stint with Adelaide Strikers in the BBL, Rashid has applied a tourniquet to his previously leaky economy rate, and South Africa’s willingness to see off his spells rather than take the long handle to them is a testament to his control and variety. He’s got the confidence to be a trump card in the closing stages of this series.

Team news

South Africa have given no clear indication as to whether they will make changes to their XI but the balance provided by Wiese served its purpose at Centurion. A continuation of that policy would mean no room, once again, for the specialist slugger, David Miller, although the million-dollar man, Chris Morris, might believe he would be worth a shout for that extra allrounder’s role. Morne Morkel is due a rest and could miss out for Marchant de Lange but, since he is not playing the T20s, he may just keep going for now.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Wiese, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirEngland’s big dilemma is the form of Chris Jordan. His value in the field was demonstrated by the stunning running catch off AB de Villiers at Port Elizabeth that could prove a pivotal moment in the series. But he has so far taken one wicket in 17.3 overs in the series, at an average of 143 and an economy rate of 8.17. The obvious replacement is also the odd man out in the squad. Stuart Broad’s recall for white-ball cricket was made all the more curious when he was yesterday omitted from England’s World T20 squad. However, with a series to win, and fond recent memories of Johannesburg, a recall would seem to be the pragmatic approach.England (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

A typical Wanderers ODI pitch is packed with runs and consistent bounce and carry. South Africa have scored over 300 in their last four matches at the venue and won three. The pitch is off-centre for this match which means one boundary will be shorter. A fast outfield and thin air will also aid the batsmen. Thundershowers are forecast between 4pm and 6pm.

Stats and trivia

• With scores of 46, 55 and 33 not out so far, Faf du Plessis has returned to form after a tough Test series and is within 90 runs of reaching 3000 in ODI cricket.
• If selected, Stuart Broad will play in his first ODI since England’s victory over Afghanistan at Sydney in March 2015, their last match of a dismal World Cup campaign.
• At 1633m above sea level, the Wanderers Stadium is at an unusually high altitude. Scientific models have worked out that a shot that would just reach the boundary at the Wanderers (approx. 65m) would fall some four metres short at lower-altitude venues.
• South Africa will take the field in pink kit as part of an annual breast cancer awareness day. That could be ominous for England. The last time de Villiers wore pink for an ODI, he slammed 149 from 44 balls against West Indies.

Quotes

“It’s key for us to assess conditions very early; what is working on the day. AB is fantastic in picking up the rhythm of the batsmen and where they’re looking to target areas. We’ve done our research into exercising our skills to keep them quiet.”
Kyle Abbott believes South Africa can keep England’s line-up quiet. “Stuart’s played more than 100 one-dayers for England and has huge amounts of experience. If he comes in, that’s just one of a few things he’ll bring – that experience and knowledge of one-day cricket.”
Joe Root, for one, welcomes the prospect of Stuart Broad reclaiming his berth in the one-day team.

Chris Gayle already has the only Twenty20 hundred. What’s next? © Getty Images

After Chris Gayle murdered the South African bowling for the first Twenty20 century, West Indies bowled with such indiscipline against a rampant Herschelle Gibbs that a game that should have been won was lost. They need to sort out their catching, and their bowling, and the Bangladesh game could well be the chance to do it. On the other hand, already with one loss, and Bangladesh having some batsmen who can do some serious damage over short periods of time, West Indies can’t afford to take the result for granted.Bat play: Mohammad Ashraful’s biggest problem in Test and ODI cricket has been his inability to curb his natural stroke-making tendencies. There will, however, be no need to hold back in the Twenty20s and in Aftab Ahmed he has another batsman capable of hitting the ball clean and long.West Indies have Gayle powering them at the top of the order, but the likes of Dwayne Bravo, who did not have a good first game, and Dwayne Smith, are good bets to hit the cover off the ball. And there’s Marlon Samuels, that eternal mystery of West Indian cricket, sublime some days and rather silly on others.Wrecking ball :Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell bowled with genuine pace on a flat deck at the Wanderers and in most conditions they can trouble batsmen. The problem is, there’s a good chance they’ll go for runs as well. Bangladesh have a line-up full of strokemakers, and sheer pace could play a big part.If West Indies have pace Bangladesh have swing in the left-arm of Syed Rasel. He bends the ball back into right-handed batsmen and if conditions help him, can be hard to negotiate.Keep your eyes on: Mashrafe Mortaza has been a taslismanic all-round cricketer for Bangladesh and has played a part in more than one upset. And there’s Gayle – can you really afford to keep your eyes off him in this version of the game?Pitching it right: A good batting track, a touch on the dry side, the Wanderers is a place where you get bang for buck as far as playing shots goes. A quick outfield means that batsmen only have to beat the infield to pick up four.West Indies (likely) Chris Gayle, Devon smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Smith, Daren Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Fidel EdwardsBangladesh (likely) Tamim Iqbal, Nazimuddin, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Farhad Reza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzaq

‘As a finger spinner there is probably no one to match him in world cricket at the moment’, Duncan Fletcher talks up Monty Panesar © Getty Images

Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, has called Monty Panesar the best finger spinner in the world after Panesar produced another impressive display against Pakistan.Panesar, 24, took three for 39 in the second innings at Headingley and six wickets in the match in all as the hosts completed a 167-run third Test victory and with it secured an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.”As a finger spinner there is probably no one to match him in world cricket at the moment – his control is very, very good,” said Fletcher of Panesar, whose tally for the series now stands at 16 wickets heading into next week’s fourth Test at the spin-friendly Oval.After Panesar took eight wickets in England’s innings and 120-run second Test win at Old Trafford, Fletcher was lukewarm in his praise of the Northamptonshire bowler saying Panesar had to work on his fielding and batting as well as perform on less helpful pitches.And Fletcher made it clear that Ashley Giles, England’s Ashes-winning left-arm spinner currently out with a hip injury, could come straight back into the side on account of his batting and fielding even though most observers regard Panesar as the more attacking bowler.But Fletcher said of Panesar: “He bowled very well again. This has been a different pitch to the one he did well on at Old Trafford, a lot slower.”And he insisted Panesar, the first Sikh to play Test cricket for England, had always been in the selectors’ thoughts for the Ashes’ defence, which gets underway in Brisbane in November. “We never said we weren’t going to take him to Australia. There will be 18 players going to Australia and there was always a very good chance that he would be included. Now he is staking a stronger and stronger claim.”Also in contention is Sajid Mahmood, the Lancashire quick whose Test-best four for 22 against Pakistan at Headingley suggested he could fill the gap in England’s bowling attack left by the injured Simon Jones.”We have always been pretty confident in Saj [Mahmood],” said Fletcher. “I’ve seen some real potential in him, especially considering who he is replacing in Simon Jones and what we need as a priority in Australia is to bowl them out twice.”What also impresses me a lot about him as a quick bowler is that he tried things and if they didn’t come off he didn’t become reclusive on those attempts, he was happy to try it again.”But the key thing is speed, I have always believed you have to have someone who can bowl at 90 miles per hour,” added Fletcher of Mahmood, 24, who a few weeks ago was dropped from England’s one-day side for collective figures of 21-0-173-3 against Sri Lanka.Both Panesar, whose family hail from northern India, and Mahmood, the son of Pakistani immigrants, received backing from Norman Tebbit, the former Conservative cabinet minister and close ally of Margaret Thatcher, who 16 years ago caused controversy with his ‘cricket test’. Tebbit said one way to judge how well ethnic minorities had integrated into British society was to see which side they supported at cricket.”What cheered me enormously was not only that Monty was playing so well for England, but the attitude of the crowd towards him,” Tebbit told the . “I was cheering both for him and Mahmood.”Meanwhile Fletcher said the bowlers had benefited from the captaincy of Andrew Strauss. But the coach indicated that Andrew Flintoff – currently out with an ankle injury – would lead the team in Australia even though Geoffrey Boycott, the former England opener, has said Strauss should retain the captaincy.”Andrew [Strauss] is a really strong character and nothing has highlighted that more than the fact that being captain hasn’t really affected him,” said Fletcher after Strauss’s 116 in the second innings at Headingley.”Every time we meet as selectors we debate certain positions but at this stage we have spoken about Freddie [Flintoff] being a natural leader in Australia – we will have to talk more when the time comes.”

Sairaj Bahutule: looking for greener pastures © Getty Images

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has announced that their Trophy cricketers would be put under a contract system from the coming season. The grading will depend on their seniority and number of matches played.”It will be a graded system of payment by which the players would be contracted and paid varying amounts depending on the seniority and number of matches they have played,” said Lalchand Rajput, the MCA joint secretary was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India. “We are trying to work out a system and this would be introduced before the new season. The senior players as well as the senior selection committee chairman [Milind Rege] are a part of the process.”Rege clarified that apart from Sairaj Bahutule, who is reported to have shown interest in joining Maharashtra, no other Mumbai cricketer had spoken to him about leaving in search of better financial prospects. “I have been reading media reports that some players are planning to leave us. We cannot stop anyone if they feel they would be getting better financial reward. But none, barring Bahutule who has talked to me informally, has even approached the MCA on this count,” he said. “If there’s a need to change the scenario [of payment] we will do so as we are trying to do with the contract system.”