Northants top three eclipse Slater's 148*

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Fifties from Josh Cobb, Ben Duckett and Rob Keogh saw Northamptonshire move closer to a quarter-final spot in the Royal London Cup with an easy chase against Derbyshire at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network31-Jul-2016
ScorecardJosh Cobb top-scored as Northamptonshire completed a comfortable chase•Getty Images

Fifties from Josh Cobb, Ben Duckett and Rob Keogh saw Northamptonshire move closer to a quarter-final spot in the Royal London Cup with an easy chase against Derbyshire at Wantage Road. Cobb and Duckett shared an opening stand of 116 as Northants chased 273 with seven wickets in hand.Victory takes them to nine points in the North Group and, with a very healthy run-rate, it should be enough for qualification. Derbyshire now have to win their final game against Leicestershire and hope other results go in their favour.The day began well for the visitors with Ben Slater making an unbeaten 148 – the third-highest List A score for Derbyshire and highest against first-class opposition – as they posted what appeared a competitive 272 for 7 but Northants made very light work of the chase, winning with eight overs to spare.Cobb and Duckett broke the back of the chase with Northants’ best opening partnership in the competition this season of 116. Cobb was able to find boundaries at will and he cleared his front leg to swing his first six over long-on. Another followed as Jimmy Neesham returned to the attack. In between, Cobb slog-swept Matt Critchley only just over the head of deep midwicket.A century seemed to be waiting for Cobb but he fell for 88 in 91 balls in a bizarre dismissal when his bat – slipping from his grasp – flew further than the ball.A hundred was also at Duckett’s mercy as he continued a truly remarkable run of form. He survived a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to Shiv Thakor on 26 before slapping the next ball over mid-on for four, driving another past extra-cover and finally carving over the covers for his second six – the first having come with a straight drive off Ben Cotton.A scoop off Thakor and another drive through extra-cover brought a fine fifty in 43 balls but he was yorked by Alex Hughes for 70 in 56 balls – his fourth score over 50 in six innings in this season’s competition.Slater’s impressive 148 not out was consigned to a losing cause. With a hundred against Durham earlier in the competition, he arrived in form and looked very assured. After moving past fifty in 73 balls, he accelerated well, using Azharullah’s sixth over to provide some middle-innings impetus with three fours flicked over the leg side.Slater survived another flick that nearly carried to long leg diving forward but was otherwise chanceless in going to a hundred in 120 balls with 10 fours and a six. His only trouble came playing the left-arm spin of Graeme White, who again provided excellent control and threatened with the help of some turn on a used wicket. He produced the opening breakthrough after a first-wicket stand of 69 when Billy Godleman reverse-swept to backward point.White’s second wicket came to end the second-wicket stand of 96 after Slater and Wayne Madsen that had Derbyshire nicely poised at 165 for 1 in the 33rd over. Madsen miscued a drive to point for 39. White took 2 for 32 from his 10 overs.But it was the return of Richard Gleeson that prompted Derbyshire’s slide from 204 for 2 to 209 for 5. He clean bowled Neil Broom and Thakor, trapped Jimmy Neesham lbw and then also bowled Wes Durston to finish with 4 for 66. He leaked 15 from his final over but it was still not enough for Derbyshire.

Surrey overcome Ryder ballistics

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Jesse Ryder slammed 131 off 110 balls, but could not prevent Essex falling to their first Royal London Cup defeat of the season

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2016
ScorecardJesse Ryder’s hundred was in vain for Essex (file photo)•Getty Images

Jesse Ryder slammed 131 off 110 balls, but could not prevent Essex falling to their first Royal London Cup defeat of the season.Essex paid the price for losing half the side for 119, chasing Surrey’s 313 for 8, though while Ryder was at the crease anything looked possible, particularly when he was putting on 91 in 11 overs with Ashar Zaidi for the sixth wicket. Once both went in the space of three balls to Jade Dernbach, Essex resumed their earlier dismal form and finished 66 runs short.Dernbach returned figures of 4 for 41 as Surrey, finalists last season, won for only the second time in this year’s 50-over competition. His colleagues had been thrashed around Chelmsford by Ryder, who struck four sixes and 13 fours in his innings, accelerating from fifty to his hundred in 33 balls.The base for Surrey’s large total was laid by Steven Davies, who hit 82 from 81 balls and was ably supported by fifties from Jason Roy and Rory Burns, as well as 41 from Aaron Finch and 45 from Ben Foakes, after they had elected to bat.Finch put on 94 for the first wicket with Roy before he was beaten by one that kept low from David Masters. Masters, Graham Napier and Zaidi kept the shackles on the openers until Matt Quinn returned for the 13th over and Roy hit him 6, 4, 6 from successive balls to put the Surrey innings into full swing.Roy reached his half-century off 52 balls with a reverse-swept four off Dan Lawrence. But eight balls later the England batsman fell victim to an incredible sleight of hand by James Foster, who whipped off the bails when Roy reached for a ball down leg side from Lawrence.Davies and Dom Sibley posted fifty for the third wicket in nine overs before Sibley drove Bopara to midwicket where Zaidi held on to the catch. Davies then moved to his personal fifty, from 52 balls and with only three boundaries.He found another willing partner in Burns and together they put on 92 in 14 overs. Davies departed for 82 when he moved well outside off stump to try and deflect Ryan ten Doeschate towards third man and was caught by Foster. Burns pulled Napier for his seventh four to bring up his half-century in 47 balls, but next ball tried something similar and was caught on the midwicket boundary by Nick Browne.Matt Pillans lofted one down Bopara’s throat at long leg to give ten Doeschate a second wicket, and then Gareth Batty followed suit – ten Doeschate taking the catch on the same spot and Bopara claiming his second wicket.Surrey were helped past the 300 mark when Quinn was hit for a third six to long off by Foakes as he condeded 56 from his six-over spell. Bopara restricted himself to just five overs but took a third wicket when his last ball found Foakes looking to heave the six that would have brought up his fifty, and missing the ball completely.Mark Footitt broke the Essex opening partnership when he had Tom Westley caught in the covers by Stuart Meaker, and then Browne swished outside off stump at Dernbach to give a catch behind. Bopara went to an outstanding catch by Davies, diving low down to his right at first slip, and Lawrence wafted at Meaker to give Foakes a catch down the leg side.Ryder lofted Batty over deep mid-off for his sixth four to bring up Essex’s hundred and his own fifty, which took 53 balls, and then drove the same bowler high over long-off for six. But after a 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket, Essex lost ten Doeschate lbw to Pillans.Zaidi cleared the sightscreen at the Hayes Close End for six off Batty but played second fiddle to Ryder. The Kiwi added two more maximums off Pillans, one straight, the other over midwicket. He went to 99 with his final six, pulled over midwicket off Meaker, and then chopped the single that took him to his century from 86 balls.The returning Dernbach broke the rampant partnership when he had Zaidi caught down low by Foakes, and then Ryder taken on the midwicket boundary. Foster went lbw to Sibley, Napier provided a fourth catch behind for Foakes and Masters gave Batty a wicket to end the game nearly nine overs early.

Viljoen makes immediate impact for Kent

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Hardus Viljoen has struggled for credibility in international cricket but he made an immediate impact in his debut for Kent in Bristol

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Bristol23-Aug-2016
ScorecardHardus Viljoen made an immediate impact for Kent [file picture]•Getty Images

It was the sort of impact county fans rarely expect of an overseas player, least of all one that drops in for the latter part of a season, with little international credibility behind them. But Hardus Viljoen, on Kent debut, became on their fourth bowler to take a five-wicket haul this season, as his 5 for 55 helped dismiss Gloucestershire for 221 in their first innings. It was the South African’s 20th fifth-wicket haul in first class cricket.It is a stint that will provide something beneficial for Viljoen as much as Kent, who are looking to keep the pressure up on Essex at the top of the table, ready to pounce from third if any stutter is forthcoming.The 27-year-old is looking to build on what is so far a one-Test career that started with the wicket of Alastair Cook, first ball. That was as good as it got for Viljoen in the third Test of England’s series away to South Africa earlier this year as his robust, aggressive style was successfully countered. The winter has been spent finding form in Zimbabwe and Australia as part of South Africa A, ventures that haven’t quite reaped the rewards he would have wished. A week at home followed before he flew over to Canterbury for the rest of the season.With Kent testing the limits of their seam bowling reserves, Viljoen’s acquisition has added further breadth to a broad-shouldered bowling line-up of Matt Coles, Mitchell Claydon and Darren Stevens. A foursome you would not wish to meet down a dark alley. Then again, no alley could house them unless they greeted you in single file. And they were in no mood for courtesy today.Kent opted against the toss and decided to give Gloucestershire first go on a pitch that looked used, with a brownish-green tint that looked more like an Olympic pool than a four-day pitch. With the odd ball zipping through, Viljoen hammered away at a length to take the key wickets. The usually unflappable Michael Klinger was rushed with a delivery that moved sharply into him, trapping the right-hander in front of middle and off. Hamish Marshall, who top scored with 58, was also given the hurry up by Viljoen, just as he looked set to take his side out of the red.It has been an interesting summer for Gloucestershire, one which many locals regard as their best since 2011, when they finished fourth in Division Two. Their white ball aptitude, culminating in last year’s Royal London Cup success, also carried over this season into a quarter-final spot in the NatWest T20 Blast. And, going into the game, Gloucestershire sat fifth, 12 points behind Kent, with a game in hand. If Kent’s promotion hopes were still alive, so logically were theirs.Members have been mightily impressed by the upturn in fortunes since Richard Dawson look over at the beginning of 2015. But their subsidence to 67 for 4, with Darren Stevens moving the ball both ways to account for Chris Dent (played on) and returning skipper Gareth Roderick (lbw), brought a sense of disappointment around the ground that there may be an early finish to their competitive season.Gloucestershire battened down the hatches in the afternoon, 60 runs were added in 33 overs. It was, however, a necessary trudge, with Gloucestershire’s season hanging in the balance. They need not have taken the closed curtains of the flats at the Ashley Down Road End personally.The evening session brought with it runs, wickets and dashings of brilliance, as those who sought the sun were baked into a slumber. Marshall used a reprieve on 37, when Stevens dropped a simple catch at first slip off Viljoen, to move to his half-century from 166 balls. A reprieve might have been enjoyed, too, by Phil Mustard, caught down the leg side, for Viljeon’s second wicket. The reaction told the story: rarely has a man pointed at his own thigh guard with more apoplexy.

BCCI firm on AGM agenda despite Lodha panel's warning

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The agenda for the BCCI’s annual general meeting could attract the ire of the Lodha Committee

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Sep-2016On September 21 the BCCI will conduct its 87th annual general meeting in Mumbai; a routine affair, according to its various officials. What the board considers routine, however, differs significantly from what the Lodha Committee, which has been tasked with reforming the BCCI by the Supreme Court, considers routine.In August, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke had met with the Lodha Committee and said the AGM would concern only routine business. On August 31, however, in an email to BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri, the Lodha Committee spokesperson said the AGM should be limited to “routine business concerning the past year (2015-16)” and that “any business or matters relating to the next year (2016-17)” be dealt with only after the BCCI implements the Committee’s recommendations.

Issues on the BCCI’s AGM agenda

  • Adoption of the annual budget for 2016-17

  • Appointment of auditors for FY 2016-17

  • Election for the post of board secretary

  • Election of working committee, standing committee, special committees for 2016-17

  • Appointment of an ombudsman

On the agenda for the BCCI’s AGM, though, is the election for board secretary, the picking of the selection committee, adding new members to the board’s working committee, electing standing committees, choosing a new ombudsman, nominating a representative to attend ICC and Asian Cricket Council meetings, approving the budget for the next calendar year, and appointing auditors for the next financial year.The above might be routine AGM agenda for the BCCI but, according to the Lodha Committee, unless the board adopts the new Memorandum of Association and Rules, any appointments could be considered contempt of court. It is understood that if the BCCI makes any appointments – a person or a committee – for the future, the Lodha Committee will do everything within its power to remove them.The Committee has repeatedly reminded the BCCI of the powers vested in it by the Supreme Court order on July 18, and if the board and state associations fail to comply, the panel can approach the court again.The BCCI appears to be in a defiant mood, though. Having issued an advertisement last week inviting applications for selectors in the men’s, women’s and junior committees, a round of interviews was held in Delhi on Monday, and another is scheduled in Mumbai on Tuesday.At the AGM, the BCCI will select five new members to be part of its next working committee according to the zonal rotation system, and also appoint a new ombudsman because the tenure of Justice AP Shah ends on September 22. Shirke is also likely to be elected unopposed as BCCI secretary, though the board said it was accepting nominations until Tuesday. The election for secretary was necessitated because Shirke had been nominated to the post when Anurag Thakur took over as BCCI president in May, after Shashank Manohar had left to become the ICC chairman.All this is likely to draw the ire of the Lodha Committee. Shortly after the Supreme Court had approved most of its recommendations for the overhaul of the governance structure of the BCCI and its state associations, the Lodha Committee had given deadlines to the BCCI to implement the reforms in two sets.The first deadline is September 30, by when the BCCI and state associations need to amend their constitutions and adopt the new Memorandum of Association and Rules. The second is December 15, by when the board must hold elections to form a nine-member Apex Council to replace the working committee and hold its AGM.The BCCI’s defiance is backed by legal counsel from Justice Markandey Katju, a former Supreme Court judge. Katju was appointed by the board to advise how it should view the Supreme Court judgement that directed the board to adopt the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. His report called the committee “unconstitutional and illegal”. The BCCI then filed a petition seeking a review of the Court’s order of July 18.Katju said there was nothing wrong with the BCCI conducting the AGM. According to him, the BCCI was governed by the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 and only the Registrar could take action against the BCCI, not a court-appointed committee. “It is well settled in law that the court cannot take over or usurp the functions of a statutory authority,” Katju had said in his report, and reiterated the same on Monday.Most state associations are also not too concerned. When asked whether there was anxiety over the approaching deadlines set by the Lodha Committee, a BCCI office-bearer, who also is a high-ranked official at a state association, said: “The BCCI has told all the state associations to follow their directives. No state association is party to the dispute. How come any recommendation is applicable to the state association?”Another state association official said: “The Lodha Committee cannot interfere with every step we take. Asking us is also overstepping their brief. The state associations’ parent body is BCCI. Whatever directions the BCCI gives us we will follow.”When asked whether there had been any directive from the BCCI, he said: “Nothing.”If anything, the Lodha Committee’s directives seem to have brought the BCCI together. Shirke travelled to Chennai last month to meet former BCCI president N Srinivasan, under whom Shirke had served as treasurer before stepping down during the 2013 IPL corruption scandal.The state official said that after Manohar’s departure to the ICC and the death of Jagmohan Dalmiya there were not many experienced hands for the BCCI to call on. “They want his advice, his support,” the official said. “Srinivasan will side with the BCCI, not Lodha.”A BCCI official said the AGM had been called “as per the existing rules and regulations of the board”. When asked about the Lodha Committee’s warning, he said: “We keep reading about that in the newspapers.”

Rabada bowls South Africa to 1-0 series lead

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South Africa will go to Hobart 1-0 up in the series after Kagiso Rabada bowled his team to a 177-run win over Australia on the fifth day at the WACA

The Report by Brydon Coverdale07-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:26

Chappell: New SA boys have got the old SA resilience

When Dale Steyn walked off the field clutching his broken right shoulder on Friday, you had to wonder if South Africa would remain competitive. It was not yet lunch on day two, and Australia were 1 for 166 in reply to 242. Already the visitors were without their captain and best batsman AB de Villiers, who did not make this tour due to injury. Now 417 Test wickets were leaving the field, not to return in this series. What could South Africa possibly do from there?Everything.From that moment on, they won virtually every session of the Test. They did so with no further contributions from Steyn, none from de Villiers, and all but none from Hashim Amla, the No.2-ranked Test batsman in the world, who in this match scored 0 and 1. And they did so against a team that since 1988 had not lost the opening Test of a home summer. At the WACA, that 28-year drought ended in emphatic fashion as South Africa won by 177 runs.At the heart of the victory was Kagiso Rabada, the 21-year-old fast bowler to whom, for the past year, Steyn has symbolically been passing South Africa’s pace baton. Here, Rabada simply ran away with it, destroying Australia in the second innings with pace, bounce, seam, conventional swing, reverse swing, searing yorkers, and the ability to target cracks in the pitch. In short, almost every weapon that makes a fast bowler dangerous. He finished with 5 for 92, and seven wickets in the Test.But he had plenty of assistance. Vernon Philander, the most experienced bowler in Steyn’s absence, led in the first innings with 4 for 56, and added one more in the second. He also struck an invaluable 73 with the bat. Keshav Maharaj, the only spinner ever to make his Test debut at the WACA, was accurate and tight, claimed three first-innings wickets and the match-winning dismissal before tea on day five. Dean Elgar, JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock led with the bat.And then there was Temba Bavuma, who couldn’t be kept out of the action. Having scored a fighting half-century in the first innings – remember, South Africa were 4 for 32 on the first day, and then 5 for 81 – Bavuma produced one of the all-time great run-outs on day four to end any hope of David Warner saving Australia. When asked to bowl to give the strike men a rest on day five, Bavuma hit a crack first ball and would have had Usman Khawaja lbw for 84 had he not over-stepped.It didn’t matter. Khawaja was accounted for three overs later when he played back to another part-timer stepping up to share the load, the offspinner JP Duminy, and was lbw for 97. He was Australia’s last specialist batsman and with him went any lingering hope they may have had of hanging on for a draw, though Peter Nevill did his best to fight as the day wore on. But Australia had been outplayed by South Africa since the end of day one.Their victory target was 539, but it was an irrelevant figure. It might as well have been 539,000. Never was this Australia XI going to rewrite Test history on a cracking pitch. Batting out nearly five sessions for a draw would be almost as hard. Australia began the final day on 4 for 169, with Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh at the crease, and it took only until the eighth over of the day for Rabada to break that stand.Using reverse swing, Rabada hooped a yorker in to Marsh, who was rapped on the foot and survived an lbw shout. However, South Africa asked for a review and despite the late swing, the ball was shown to be crashing into leg stump, overturning the umpire’s decision and sending Marsh on his way for 26. The Khawaja-Marsh partnership had been worth 50 and occupied almost 16 overs, but those numbers were trifling compared to what Australia required.Khawaja was the next to fall, and Rabada confirmed his five-for by trapping Mitchell Starc lbw to another inswinging yorker for 13 before the lunch break. In the next session, Philander had Peter Siddle lbw, before Josh Hazlewood joined Nevill for a partnership that frustrated the South Africans for 20 overs. It was Australia’s third-highest and third-longest stand of the game, but only served to highlight the failures up the order.Nevill and Hazlewood were threatening to make it to tea when, shortly before the break, Hazlewood closed the face and his leading edge was caught at cover, and at length Bavuma had his maiden Test wicket. The half-hour extension of the session was taken, and Maharaj eventually finished the job by trapping Nathan Lyon lbw. Nevill remained unbeaten on 60 from 153 balls, one of few Australians who will take much from this Test.The reality is that this match slipped away from Australia on day two, when they lost 10 for 86, beginning with Steyn’s only wicket of the match. South Africa will go to Hobart 1-0 up the series, and remain undefeated in Tests at the WACA. And all this without their best batsman and having lost their finest bowler to injury on the second morning. What could South Africa do from there? A better question: what they do?

'I'm embarrassed to be sitting here'

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Steven Smith has conceded that the time may have come for “getting some younger guys in and getting some experience at this level” after Australia’s crushing loss in Hobart

Daniel Brettig in Hobart15-Nov-20163:20

Chappell: Smith needs to step up and take charge

Angry, embarrassed, frustrated, disappointed, upset, hurting. These were the words synonymous with Steven Smith’s Australians in the aftermath of defeat to South Africa in Hobart. Another, resilient, is not.Smith cut a bewildered and downtrodden figure as he sorted through the wreckage of a humiliating fifth Test match defeat in succession, the national side’s first innings loss at home since the fateful Ashes summer of 2010-11. Clearly angry with the performances of his players, he suggested it may be time for widespread personnel changes.”I am embarrassed to be sitting here to be perfectly honest with you,” Smith said. “Too many times we have lost wickets in clumps, 8 for 30 today, 10 for 85 in the first innings, and you are not winning any games of cricket when are you doing that. And it is happening way too consistently for my liking.”We are not being resilient, we are not willing to tough it out and get through tough periods and the longer you spend out there things get easier, albeit the wicket was doing quite a bit and it was hard. But, the boys have got to start being a bit tougher and getting in a grind and getting in a contest and try to build a few partnerships because right now it is not good enough.”Asked directly about the tenure of the national team coach Darren Lehmann, who signed a contract extension in August to take him through to 2019, Smith was adamant in his support. “I think he’s been terrific over a long period of time,” he said. “It’s not his fault we’re not playing well, it’s up to us to go out there and do the job. He does everything he can for us in training and preparation.”We prepare well, it’s just at the moment when we get out in the middle we’re not executing our skills well enough and not handling the pressures of international cricket well enough. As a playing group that has to change, and from my point of view I have absolutely no problem with anything Darren is doing at the moment.”Smith was less effusive in his words about the way the selection panel was operating, declining to answer the question of whether he was getting the teams he desired. “It’s obviously talked about and I do talk to the selectors quite a bit and in the end it is up to them to pick the team that they think best,” he said. “I have got to back their job and go out there and support our guys and do whatever we can to win cricket matches but obviously we’re not doing that and it is not working.”With the knowledge that Australia are currently mired in the sort of slump that costs careers, Smith admitted that all manner of issues, from selection and schedules to the personnel in and around the team and at Cricket Australia would all be under heavy scrutiny.”Yeah, it is not working,” Smith said when asked if the time had come to rip up existing plans and start over. “So, obviously on the back of five losses there is going to be a lot talked about in regards to selection and things like that. And we’ve got to start finding a way to turn things around.

Hapless batsmen to be sent back to Shield

Australia’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it defeat to South Africa in Hobart has had the consequence of ensuring the team’s out of sorts batsmen will now have time to play in the Sheffield Shield round due to begin on Thursday.
The captain Steven Smith said that in a change from original plans, the likes of David Warner, Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Callum Ferguson and the gloveman Peter Nevill will be set to appear in the Shield in an attempt to regain confidence.
“The next week I reckon there’s actually a pretty good chance that a lot of the batters are going to go back and play some Shield cricket,” Smith said. “Try and spend some time out in the middle and score some runs. it’s not happening at the moment, so we’ve got to try and find a way to get better and spend some time in the middle and I guess concentrate on some of the things that I’ve talked about to the team.
‘That’s being able to be resilient, spend long periods out in the middle and get some big scores and put some big partnerships together. I think a lot of the batters, I’m not sure about the bowlers, I don’t think they’ll play. but I think the batters are going to end up playing Shield cricket this week.”

“Whether the ball is seaming or spinning or swinging we don’t have an answer at the moment. We are not resilient enough, we are not digging in enough, we are not having the pride in our wicket, we’re just not being resilient enough and something has got to change. We have got to play a lot better than we have been if we are going to beat any opposition around the world at the moment.”Smith agreed that the present batting rut suggested the team had not earned the right to play with the sort of flair and aggression usually associated with Australian cricket. In conditions conducive to bowlers but far from impossible, he said that the players in the team had to think more keenly about their approach.Thirty-two years apart, two Australian captains had to face the media after losing five straight Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I think that depends on conditions, if the wickets are flat and there is nothing happening fine you can play aggressively and positively,” he said. “But if there is anything in the wicket: spin, swing, seam, at the moment we are not adapting well enough, we are not willing to grind it out and spend enough time out in the middle to be positive.”It comes down to that resilience and having a good defence, at the moment our defence is being challenged and it hasn’t been good enough. You can play that positive brand once you get in and things get easier, but we have got to be willing to do the hard yards to be in a position where we can be positive and drive the game.”Looking more widely around Australian cricket, Smith said he wanted to see more evidence of hungry batsmen in domestic cricket. “There’s some guys there that are scoring some big runs on occasions and then probably not being as consistent as they would like to put their names up there,” he said. “That’s what I mean when I say no one is really jumping out of the pack and getting big hundreds or three hundreds in a row.”At the moment what we’ve got going on is not working so it might be about getting some younger guys in and getting some experience at this level, you never know, guys might really step up to the plate and step up to the level of international cricket.”

Brian Vitori's action reported again

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Brian Vitori had been suspended from bowling in international cricket in February this year

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2016Zimbabwe’s left-arm fast bowler Brian Vitori has been reported for a suspected illegal action during the tri-series final against Sri Lanka on Sunday, which the hosts lost by six wickets .The match officials handed over their report to the Zimbabwe management, citing concerns about the legality of Vitori’s action during the final. He bowled nine overs in the match for figures of 3 for 52 in his first ODI since July 2015.Vitori had been suspended from bowling in international cricket in February this year after he was reported for a suspect action during a T20 against Bangladesh in January. He underwent assessment in Chennai and found all his deliveries exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under ICC’s regulations. His action was later found legal in June, after remedial work and a re-test performed at the University of Pretoria. The tri-series final is the only international match he has played since then.With Vitori being reported again, he will be required to submit to further testing within 14 days. He is, however, permitted to continue bowling in international cricket until the results of the testing are known.

Sutherland extends olive branch to players

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James Sutherland has made the first conciliatory noises since player pay talks with the Australian Cricketers Association broke down last week, stating the two parties “have a lot more in common than they have not”

Daniel Brettig27-Dec-20163:07

Brettig: Conciliatory words from CA in recent times

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has made the first conciliatory noises since player pay talks with the Australian Cricketers Association broke down last week, stating the two parties “have a lot more in common than they have not” and expressing hope for compromises in what are widely divergent positions at present.CA have made it plain in their submission to the players that they want to break up the revenue sharing model that has existed for the past 20 years, limiting it to only the top 20 male players and excluding domestic cricketers and also women from a guaranteed share of the money earned by the game down under.Other contentions, including questions over whether it is “appropriate” for CA to fund the ACA, have raised eyebrows among the players. Bitter exchanges of views over various clauses in women’s contracts culminated in the suspension of talks by CA last week, leaving the players’ delegation all dressed up at the board’s Jolimont headquarters with nowhere to go.Having worked closely on the relationship with the ACA in the past, principally with the former chief executives Tim May and Paul Marsh, Sutherland said he was hopeful that talks would resume in the new year on a less adversarial basis after both sides had time to reflect on the past few weeks. Kevin Roberts, the former board director and now senior executive widely thought to be Sutherland’s likely successor, is leading CA’s delegation this time around.”It was probably an opportune time, the right time, just to take a little bit of a deep breath with a couple of issues circulating, and to be honest we haven’t properly got into discussions or negotiations,” Sutherland told ABC Radio. “It was really just some formalities at the start in terms of putting each other’s perspectives or proposals on the table.”We haven’t gone into any detail with that, I think it’s a long haul in terms of detail we need to go through, but I think the facts of the matter are that both organisations have a lot more in common than they have not, and from that perspective it’s all in the interest of the game, ensuring the game’s better.”And as I’ve said before, the opportunity around these sort of agreements which come around every five years or perhaps a little bit less sometimes, is to come to a better agreement. An agreement that helps the game to be better and helps all the relevant stakeholders to be supported.”The players are seeking the retention of the revenue sharing agreement, which guarantees around 26% of Australian Cricket Revenue (ACR) goes to the players. At the same time they want the definition of ACR to be expanded to counterbalance the inclusion of women in the same MOU for the first time. Last week Australia’s players were addressed by May, who told them about the history of the accord between players and board.”I talked about the historical battles of 1997 and the incredible similarities that are bobbing up now,” May told the . “I told them that they weren’t selfish then. Yes, they wanted a benefit, but also wanted a system to last into the future. You owe it not only to yourselves, but to future generations and to the players 20 years ago.”Meanwhile, Sutherland also stated that a Christmas Day Big Bash League match was becoming increasingly likely, though probably not as soon as next summer. “The more I think about it… then you see the next day, the NBA and the audiences they get… I think the growing sentiment is that that’s a possibility,” he said.”We’d need to think about the right venue for it, and we also need to consult widely. We understand that it’s not just a narrow-minded cricket decision. There’s a lot more to it than that. And we’ll think that through. But I think it is an opportunity and it would be a good thing for the game and for cricket fans around the country.”The Australian cricket team come in a few days before Christmas and they’re here. I know in Women’s Big Bash League, our daughter, she was on a lunch-time flight to Sydney, Christmas Day. It’s part and parcel of what happens as a professional cricketer today, so I think that’s a concern or a matter that we’ll talk through, but cricketers are on the move at that time of year anyway.”

SL coach 'confident' of qualifying for Women's World Cup 2017

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Sri Lanka women’s coach Hemantha Devapriya said finishing in the top four at the World Cup qualifiers – which will allow them to play the World Cup in England – is the team’s utmost priority

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Feb-2017Finishing as one of the top four sides in the Super Six stage of the Women’s World Cup Qualifier – which allows teams entry into the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England – will be the Sri Lanka women’s utmost priority, according to coach Hemantha Devapriya.Sri Lanka are one of 10 nations playing the qualifying tournament which began in Colombo today. Sri Lanka are grouped with India, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Thailand in Group A. Group B has South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage. Sri Lanka play India in their opening game.”India is the toughest team in our group and we have to win at least three matches to qualify for the next round,” Devapriya said. “It’s an advantage playing under home conditions but there is also a bit of disadvantage because of the pressure, as expectations are high for us to do well.”However the players are ready to perform and take up the challenge. In the last three months since I took over I see about 20% development in all areas, which is a surprise for me.”Their attitudes have changed and we worked hard. It was a hectic three months and the players also coped up very well to the demands. We had good preparations. We played a lot of practice games with the Under-17 boys and they are ready for it. Now it’s all about putting it into practice at the matches and showcasing their talent. They are confident and I can see it in them.”Chamari Atapattu will be crucial to Sri Lanka’s chances•IDI/Getty Images

Sri Lanka played a warm-up game against Pakistan on Sunday which they lost by three wickets. But what was pleasing to the coach was that Sri Lanka were able to cross 200 in their innings. “It’s a plus point scoring over 200. We couldn’t win because Pakistan batted well and at the same time we didn’t bowl well. We didn’t have the pace to bowl on that wicket,” Devapriya said. “The result didn’t matter much because both sides were trying out various things ahead of the tournament. The players know what to do, they have identified their roles and I am confident they will do their best.”Devapriya, a wicketkeeper of the pre-Test era, said that his team will be banking on senior players like Eshani Lokusuriyage, Chamari Atapattu, Prasadani Weerakkody, Dilani Manodara and Chamari Polgampola to lead their batting while Udeshika Prabodhani and captain Inoka Ranaweera will need to excel with the ball.Devapriya was also pleased to see that the programmes being carried out by Sri Lanka Cricket to raise the standard of women’s cricket in the country were proving to be a success.”There about 2000 students keen to play cricket. SLC is organising an Under-21 district tournament for them. At the same time there is a group going around picking talent. That’s a good indication that we will have good players coming through,” Devapriya said. “A lot of schools start playing cricket around the age of 16. I have seen young players who are not yet ready to make it big, but they have the talent. It’s our responsibility once this tournament is over, to identify these players and get them into the main stream and groom them.”

Kuggeleijn found not guilty in rape trial

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Scott Kuggeleijn has been found not guilty of rape by a jury at the Hamilton District Court

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2017Scott Kuggeleijn has been found not guilty of rape by a jury at the Hamilton District Court.Kuggeleijn, 25, an allrounder, plays for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s domestic circuit and is the son of former New Zealand Test cricketer Chris Kuggeleijn.The case dates back to an incident that occurred on May 17, 2015. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before coming back with the not-guilty verdict.In a release following the verdict, Northern Districts’ chief executive Peter Roach said: “This has been a terribly difficult situation for all concerned. Northern Districts is an organisation which embraces inclusivity and promotes respect towards women. As such, the charges against Scott were a grave concern.”The case had to be re-tired after a jury could not reach a verdict in August 2016.