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The batsman had come into the quarter-final with an average of 18 this season. His team was five down, with a lead of only 45. He struck a half-century that changed the game

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2017
ScorecardCM Gautam celebrates his fifty•PTI

Karnataka recorded their largest first-innings lead over Mumbai – 222 runs – as four of their batsmen made robust half-centuries on the second day of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Nagpur. Resuming on 115 for 1, Karnataka went to stumps on 395 for 6, with Shreyas Gopal’s unbeaten 80 adding to the good work done by CM Gautam (79), Mayank Agarwal (78) and Kaunain Abbas (50)Things had looked reasonably good for Mumbai in the morning when they got an early breakthrough. Seamer Shivam Malhotra had Agarwal caught behind in the ninth over of the day, denying him a sixth hundred of the season. Fellow debutant Shivam Dubey then dismissed Karun Nair cheaply by trapping him lbw and finished the day with a five-wicket haul.Karnataka were only 45 runs ahead by the time they lost half their side but Gautam and Gopal put together a vital 103-run partnership to pull away from Mumbai. Gautam came into the quarter-final on the back of a dismal run of form. He averaged a mere 18 after seven innings this season but ensured he came good when his team needed it the most. He was trapped lbw by Dubey after spending 111 balls at the crease, hitting 12 fours and a six. Another big partnership followed for Karnataka as captain Vinay Kumar put on an unbeaten 74 runs with Gopal, who ended the day 20 short of his fourth first-class hundred.

India have never lost a Test in Johannesburg, and they have never been whitewashed in South Africa. Both those records are under threat as the hosts push for 3-0 with a green pitch and overcast conditions to aid them

The Preview by Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg23-Jan-20185:36

Cullinan: South Africa will win 3-0

Big Picture

“A lot of big names have played for 20 years, they have come here many times, and they have never done it. But this team has done that. This team is used to doing things that a lot of other teams haven’t done, and that too overseas.”This is a slightly abridged version of a quote from India coach Ravi Shastri in Sri Lanka last year. He was talking about India winning the three-Test series 3-0.There is a real threat that it could be adapted for use in the current climate. Many weak Indian teams have come to South Africa since the first tour in 1992-93, and none has been whitewashed. This “strong” team, with so many options that the team management has admitted to the inevitability of highly debatable, even controversial, selections, now needs something special to avoid a whitewash. If there is any consolation, they are making this attempt at a venue that should inspire them: the Wanderers is where they won a World T20 final and also brought up their first Test win in this country. India have played four Tests at this venue, and have never lost.The series is gone, but neither side is seeing this as a dead rubber. Not only is it a matter of pride for India to avoid a whitewash, it is also about bragging rights in a world where it is the mark of a good side to lose less poorly away from home. South Africa, still smarting from the ambush in India in 2015-16, which ended their nine-year run of never losing a series away from home, are in no danger of treating this as a dead rubber either.The hosts not only want to avenge their defeat in India with an identical scoreline, but also want to close in on the No. 1 ranking, which will be only a few decimal points away from them should they win on the green Wanderers pitch. The weather has been overcast in the lead-up to the Test, and there has been more than a bit of rain forecast, so this should be a difficult Test for batting, in conditions where both sides could choose to go without a spinner.India see the green pitch as an opportunity. It brings their seam bowlers into the game, and if their batsman can do something special – which they have been waiting for since the start of the series – they feel they can come close to winning a Test.

Form guide

South Africa WWWWW (last five completed games most recent first)
India LLDWDAFP

In the spotlight

One way to look at this series is to say the batting of AB de Villiers has been the difference between the two sides. He has dragged South Africa out of crisis on two occasions, and has contributed 35 and 20 on the other two. He has also been superb in the slips and wherever he has been posted in the outfield. India will be tempted to imagine what it feels like to get him out of the way, but to do that in reality they will need to work harder.The only man certain to play for India, and hence in the spotlight, is Virat Kohli. He scored a superlative 153 in the last Test, but that wasn’t enough to prevent his first series loss as captain. Between the Tests, questions have been raised about his leadership. Kohli needs to replicate some of that batting form, and also to select properly and motivate his side out of this mire. The test of his captaincy is only just beginning.

Team news

There has been talk that South Africa might go without a spinner – as they have done in their two previous Tests at the Wanderers – and beef up their batting, but the injury to Temba Bavuma might have changed the equation a little bit. If Keshav Maharaj is indeed left out, it could open the door for batsman Theunis de Bruyn or allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo. Chris Morris is away on paternity leave. Aiden Markram, who was off the field for parts of the Centurion Test with a left quad strain, is fit and will open.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Theunis de Bruyn/Andile Phehlukwayo/Keshav Maharaj, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lungi NgidiIndications are that Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar seem set to make their way back into the side, but at whose expense? The men under threat are Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin (because of the pitch) and one out of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. Don’t count against an all-seam attack. Parthiv Patel, ordinary with the big gloves in Centurion, could lose out to Dinesh Karthik, who doesn’t have too much long-format match practice behind him: he only played four first-class matches in the 2017-18 domestic season, and only kept wicket in two of them .India (probable): 1 and 2 Two out of M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 3, 5 and 6 three out of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, 7 Parthiv Patel/Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 to 11 four out of R Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at Wanderers is unmistakably green. The head groudsman Bethuel Buthulezi might be tempted to not shave any of the 6mm grass because there is rain expected on every day of the Test. The sun has beaten down in the lead-up to the Test to create some cracks, but it has also helped the groundstaff roll the pitch nice and hard. Faf du Plessis said his side didn’t ask for anything over the top but a track with pace and bounce. Kohli expected the pitch to do more than the one at Newlands for the first Test. There are some cracks on offer, but it is possible overhead conditions will play an equally important role in this Test.

Stats and Trivia

• Hashim Amla is one catch short of becoming the fourth South African to 100 catches as a fielder, joining Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers. Amla will be the slowest to the mark.
• Contrary to reputation, the Wanderers has historically not been a graveyard for spinners. Among venues that have hosted at least 20 Tests, spinners have worse averages in 15 grounds than their 35.76 at the Wanderers. Those 15 grounds include Lahore, Port of Spain and Adelaide.
• Apart from Virat Kohli’s 153 in the first innings in Centurion, India’s specialist batsmen haven’t scored a single fifty in this series. The top six batsmen have averaged 20.45 – their third-worst in any series of two or more Tests. If Kohli’s 153 is discounted, the average of the 23 innings played by the top six drops to 14.08.
• Rohit Sharma’s difference of 60.09 between home and away averages is the worst for India batsmen who have scored a minimum of 500 runs each home and away

Quotes

“They’ve played some good cricket here. The last Test match we played against India here was a fantastic Test match. Their bowing is good. They’ve come this time around with a very good seam attack and if you have that you will be able to compete. We have got a fantastic seam attack as well so it will be the battle between those two. The pressure is in making sure we keep their batsmen under pressure. It’s been a pretty quiet series for most of them and if we can keep doing that, we will change that stat.”
“As a team we are looking to correct all the mistakes that have happened, Wanderers has been a special venue for us, hopefully we can play the same kind of cricket.”

Both players went for USD 160,000, with Jamaica Tallawahs picking the New Zealand opener and St Lucia Stars making the West Indies batsman the first pick of the draft

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Mar-2018Lendl Simmons and Martin Guptill fetched the biggest bids while Kieron Pollard was the biggest transfer in the CPL draft on Thursday in London. Simmons and Guptill, along with the quartet of Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Sohail Tanvir, were paid the maximum price of US$160,000 by their franchises.Having been released by the Jamaica Tallawahs, Simmons put himself up for a base price of $70,000 in the draft. He ended up as the first pick of this year’s draft after the St Lucia Stars, who finished bottom last season, picked the hard-hitting Trinidadian opener. Guptill, who smashed a 49-ball century in a T20I against Australia recently, had set his base price at $90,000. The New Zealand opening batsman had represented the Guyana Amazon Warriors last season, and was bagged by the Barbados Tridents this time around.The Tallawahs meanwhile retained Russell, who missed last year’s CPL since he was serving a one-year doping ban. Also retained were Gayle (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots) and Bravo (Trinbago Knight Riders). Tanvir, the highest-wicket taker in the previous edition of the CPL, was retained by the Amazon Warriors.This CPL draft saw the maximum transfers in the tournament’s five-year existence. None was bigger than that of Pollard. The Trinidadian had led the Barbados Tridents for the past four seasons, but this year asked the franchise, which is owned by the Indian businessman Vijay Mallya, to release him. The Stars were quick to grab Pollard in the marquee round, which has a price point of $130,000.The pre-decided marquee set of players did not enter the draft – the franchises directly negotiated contracts with them. Former Pakistan captains Shahid Afridi (Tallawahs) and Shoaib Malik (Amazon Warriors), explosive openers Evin Lewis (Patriots) and Chris Lynn (Knight Riders) completed the marquee set.While Afridi welcomed the news of being retained by the Tallawahs on his 38th birthday, Malik moved on from the Tridents. The Patriots retained Lewis with Lynn returning to the CPL having last played in the 2016 final for the Amazon Warriors.All six teams had to fill a total of 108 slots with squads limited to 18 players each. Having retained a total of 61 players, franchises had to pick 47 new names from the draft. Incidentally the first seven new picks were all batsmen: D’Arcy Short, Simmons, Hashim Amla, Guptill, Ross Taylor, David Miller and Cameron Delport. Pakistan quick Rumman Raees was the solitary fast bowler among the first 10 new picks, signed by St Lucia Stars in the fifth round for $70,000.Lack of availability was the key reason behind franchises opting to pass on almost all England and Afghanistan players. Alex Hales, Adil Rashid and Tymal Mills (along with Ashar Zaidi and Recordo Gordon) had put their names up for the draft despite the CPL running parallel to the Twenty20 Blast, with the finals of both tournaments separated by a day. Mills had set a base price of $70,000, Hales $40,000, and Rashid $30,000.With Afghanistan scheduled to play in the Asia Cup in September, as well as a recently scheduled series against Ireland that runs from August 20-31, the CPL had cautioned the franchises that the likes of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman would only be available for the start and end phases of the tournament. Rashid, who had represented the Amazon Warriors last season, did not put himself up for the draft. Nabi, who played for the Patriots last year, set his base price at $60,000. Mujeeb, a first-timer, set his base price at $30,000.The only Afghanistan player chosen was 17-year-old legspinner Qais Ahmad, who went in round 11 for $7500 to Stars. Qais claimed 14 wickets in five matches at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, including 4 for 33 against the hosts in the tournament quarterfinals. But with the logjam of spinners occupying main roles in the senior team – Rashid, Nabi, Mujeeb – Qais has yet to make his senior debut and is likely to be available for the whole of the CPL.In January Sandeep Lamichhane made history by becoming the first Nepal player in the IPL when he was signed by Delhi Daredevils. Lamichhane, a legspinner, also became the first Nepal player in the CPL, after the Patriots signed him in round 13 for $5,000. Incidentally, Lamichanne did not set any base price before entering the draft.Barbados Tridents
Martin Guptill, Shakib Al Hasan, Hashim Amla, Dwayne Smith, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Raymon Reifer, Ashley Nurse, Roston Chase, Shai Hope, Tion Webster, Imran Khan, Dominic Drakes, Shamar Springer, Sunny Sohal, Chemar HolderGuyana Amazon Warriors
Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Malik, Chadwick Walton, Cameron Delport, Rayad Emrit, Imran Tahir, Jason Mohammed, Luke Ronchi, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshon Primus, Shimron Hetmyer, Devendra Bishoo, Gajanand Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Saurabh Netravalkar, Akshaya PersaudJamaica Tallawahs
Andre Russell, Shahid Afridi, Imad Wasim, David Miller, Ross Taylor, Rovman Powell, Samuel Badree, Kemar Roach, Glenn Phillips, Andre McCarthy, Krishmar Santokie, Johnson Charles, Steven Taylor, Kennar Lewis, Steven Jacobs, Oshane Thomas, Elmore Hutchinson, Kirstan KallicharanSt Lucia Stars
Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, D’Arcy Short, Darren Sammy, Rumman Raees, Andre Fletcher, Mitch McClenaghan, Kesrick Williams, Niroshan Dickwella, Rakheem Cornwall, Qais Ahmad, Kavem Hodge, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Dasun Shanaka, Chris Lamont, Obed McCoy, Jaskaran Malhotra, Odean SmithSt Kitts & Nevis Patriots
Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Ben Cutting, Carlos Brathwaite, Mahmudullah, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tom Cooper, Sheldon Cottrell, Brandon King, Devon Thomas, Graeme Cremer, Fabian Allen, Sandeep Lamichanne, Shamarh Brooks, Jeremiah Louis, Alzarri Joseph, Ibrahim Khaleel, Glen JavelleTrinbago Knight Riders
Dwayne Bravo, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Brendon McCullum, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Khary Pierre, Ronsford Beaton, Junior Dala, Javon Searles, Terrance Hinds, Kevon Cooper, Nikita Miller, Anderson Philip, Hamza Tariq, Amir Jangoo

Who from the PSL’s foreign contingent will travel to Pakistan for the playoffs and final?

Umar Farooq17-Mar-2018On March 20, the Pakistan Super League will move from the UAE to Lahore, which will host the two Eliminator matches, and then to Karachi for the final on March 25. This will be the highest-profile match in Pakistan’s most populous city in nearly a decade. Which overseas players, however, will make it to Pakistan for these marquee clashes?

PSL playoff schedule

Qualifier – Islamabad v Karachi, Dubai, March 18
Eliminator 1 – Peshawar v Quetta, Lahore, March 20
Eliminator 2 – Lahore, March 21
Final – Karachi, March 25

The independent security consultant Reg Dickason has briefed the overseas players from the four teams that have made the playoffs – Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators – about security arrangements in the two Pakistani cities. Now it is up to the players themselves. Some have confirmed they will travel, some that they will not, while others remain undecided. Watch this space for further updates.

Quetta Gladiators

ESPNcricinfo understands that Quetta will once again suffer an exodus, as a majority of their overseas players have either said no or remain undecided about making the trip. Their marquee player Kevin Pietersen has already made it clear that his tournament is over.”It’s with a heavy heart that I have to leave Dubai and go back to London,” he said in a video message. “I wish i could travel and unfortunately family is very important and it’s a family decision and I hope you can respect it. But we have an opportunity to win this tournament, we are still in the competition, and please support the purple team. I will keep on supporting and am totally on top of everything we do over the next couple of days.”Quetta were badly hit last year as well, having to make do with a last-minute draft of foreign players, and went on to lose the final to a full-strength Peshawar. Their coach Moin Khan isn’t pleased with the situation.”I blame the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for this sad situation,” Moin said on Saturday. “I know the board will not like my comments. However, in future, only those overseas players should be included in the player draft who commit to also play in Pakistan, if required by their franchises.”Overseas players who refuse to play in Pakistan, Moin said, cannot be seen as supportive of Pakistan cricket. “The franchises pay them well to play in the PSL. However, when they refuse to travel to Pakistan, it upsets the balance of the concerned franchises, and also deprives our people of seeing competitive cricket.”They, however, signed up Yorkshire opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore and West Indies batsman Johnson Charles as late signings for the playoffs. Chris Green and Mahmudullah have also been confirmed as signings to fill the Quetta roster in the absence of the original overseas players. Thisara Perera, meanwhile, will join the team for the Pakistan leg of the tournament, with Sri Lanka now out of the Nidahas Trophy tri-series in Colombo.Kevin Pietersen (OUT), Rilee Rossouw (undecided), Jason Roy (OUT), Shane Watson (undecided), Thisara Perera (IN), Mahmudullah (IN), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (IN), Johnson Charles (IN)

Karachi Kings

There is good news for Karachi fans: the owner Salman Iqbal has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that other than Eoin Morgan, their entire foreign contingent is ready for the trip.Eoin Morgan (OUT), Colin Ingram (IN), Ravi Bopara (IN), Lendl Simmons (IN), Joe Denly (IN)

Peshawar Zalmi

Just like last year, Peshawar, led by Darren Sammy, are are all set to feature in the first Eliminator in Lahore with a close-to-full-strength squad, with Dwayne Smith the only one of their overseas players not travelling to Pakistan.Darren Sammy (IN), Liam Dawson (IN), Andre Fletcher (IN), Riki Wessels (IN), Dwayne Smith (OUT)

Islamabad United

The table toppers after the group stages have a fair bit of uncertainty surrounding who will travel. JP Duminy was originally denied an NOC by his home board but the batsman has decided to make a trip at his own risk by signing an indemnity form with CSA.Luke Ronchi and Samit Patel are ready to travel while Sam Billings, who was recently appointed Kent captain, and Alex Hales are undecided and are likely to pull out.Sam Billings (undecided), JP Duminy (IN), Alex Hales (undecided), Luke Ronchi (IN), Samit Patel (IN)

Alastair Cook knows that he still has much to prove at the top of England’s order despite a memorable double-century in Melbourne

Andrew McGlashan18-Mar-2018
Alastair Cook knows a bit about being under pressure in Test cricket. He has come through it to the tune of over 12,000 runs but is aware that some team-mates will be playing for their futures in the two Tests against New Zealand which start next week.As recently as two matches ago, Cook had to dig deep into his resolve to overcome “dark times” in Australia, coming through with a double century in Melbourne that, while maybe not career-saving, was certainly career-reaffirming. This series in New Zealand is much lower-key, but the focus will be on two of Cook’s fellow batsmen.Mark Stoneman and James Vince have been given a show of faith after mediocre Ashes, benefitting from this series being seen as part of the same touring block rather than the chance of a fresh start. A new selection team is unlikely to be so forgiving come the summer if they don’t make runs here.”The selectors have picked pretty much the same squad of players,” Cook said. “It’s given the guys an opportunity who have experienced the Ashes and did okay – it may sound funny, but if you marked a series that we lost 4-0, a lot of people did okay – the chance to make the jump to become fully fledged international players or someone else gets another opportunity. The next two weeks, like every series you play, could define people’s futures.”Cook will empathise with the feeling. There was 2010 and a barren run of form which put his place on the line, then 2014 when he was on the brink of quitting the captaincy before a dogged 95 against India at the Ageas Bowl. And less than three months ago he spoke of the significance of his Melbourne double century, saying he had been “embarrassed” by his earlier form on the tour and felt he was in “last-chance saloon”. Two months to reflect on it hasn’t dulled the memories.”To be able to bat like that, you’ve got to be doing the right stuff mentally and still be on it,” he said. “There were some dark moments on that tour, but to keep going like that and then deliver shows you have something.”Stoneman, who at the start of the week in Hamilton spoke of what he has to learn from Cook, will walk out alongside him to open the batting in this series regardless of the make-up of the side because there is no other opening option. He settled himself with a positive 48 in the red-ball warm-up in Hamilton after two failures against the pink ball he will face from Thursday.The situation is not quite so clear-cut for Vince at No. 3 and could yet depend on how many overs the management feel Ben Stokes can get through. He did not bowl in the middle in Hamilton and will be put through his paces in Auckland on Monday. If he can’t act as a frontline fifth bowler, and it is sounding unlikely at the moment, he would still play as a batsman but probably at No. 5, and to allow an extra bowler that would mean dropping a batsman. That would be Vince.”That’s the quandary,” Cook said of the balance of the attack, of course no longer the man who has to be part of the decision-making process. “Personally I think we need five bowlers with the make-up of our bowling attack.”It could be, therefore, that the side in Auckland, although only subtly different in personnel, will have quite a different feel to the one in Sydney in early January. Alongside the potential of Stokes being a batsman at No. 5 is Stuart Broad not taking the new ball alongside James Anderson. There is a sense that Joe Root wants to start making this his England team, rather than the team of the man he inherited off.”When he took over, he had South Africa and West Indies in the summer but was probably not going to shake it up too much and make big decisions,” Cook said. “But I do think in his mind after the Ashes he was thinking, ‘How do I re-build the side?’ I still wouldn’t be surprised if Stuart did take the new ball, I don’t know that, but I think there is a really good opportunity to see other people because with 900 wickets between them, that you know what you’re going to get.”Root will hope the same can be said of Cook.

Gopal Subramanium has also asked if the three current BCCI office bearers should demit office since their tenure has expired

Nagraj Gollapudi16-May-2018

Who is an amicus curiae?

Amicus curiae means “a friend of the court”, tasked with assisting in a case. In his role Subramanium, a former solicitor general of India, is a neutral arbiter and does not represent any party involved in the case.

One state one vote

The issue: As per the Lodha Committee, and seconded by the CoA, each Indian state could have only one Full Member association that would have a vote at the BCCI table. In the case of Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have multiple state associations due to their cricket history, the vote would be rotated annually. These associations – the Mumbai Cricket Association, the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the Vidarbha Cricket Association in Maharashtra, and the Gujarat Cricket Association, the Saurashtra Cricket Association and the Baroda Cricket Association in Gujarat – have opposed such a move.Subramanium’s response: The amicus curiae said he approved the Lodha Committee’s reasoning to allocate a vote to each state on a “territorial” basis. He also said the court had “mandated” that each of the three associations within the state would get a vote on annual basis, which “brings parity and fairness”.Subramanium said the one-state-one-vote reform provided “democratic equality” which was essential. “Unless sufficient prejudice is shown that a member by annual rotation is not able to effectively participate in the affairs of the BCCI, the Amicus is unable to recommend deviation from the position adopted by the Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee, and as modified by the Principal Judgment.”

Railways can have a vote

The issue: The Lodha Committee and the CoA had also determined that the member associations that were either run by the government or had limited participation in BCCI events – such as the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the Railway Sports Promotion Board (“Railways”) and the Services Sports Control Board (“Services”) along with the National Cricket Club (NCC), Kolkata, and the Cricket Club of India (CCI), Mumbai – would lose the vote they had enjoyed under the old BCCI constitution.Subramanium’s response: The amicus said Railways ought to be treated as an “exception” based on the fact that the institution provides “at least 90%” of the players who play for India women. “In view of the security of employment of the players from Railways as well as the ability to demonstrate playing skills and having regard to women’s cricket as an integral part of Indian Cricket, it appears necessary to consider this as an exception.”Subrmanium, though, said that the person from Railways casting the vote at the BCCI table would need to be a former player and not someone “nominated” by the government. “Such a decision must be undertaken by an association of former players who belong to the Railways.”The rest of the associations in this group – the AIU, Services, NCC and CCI – did not qualify for full membership criteria, Subramaniam said.

Selection Committee strength

The issue: The BCCI has argued that the vast volume of cricket it conducts and the number of teams and tournaments under its jurisdiction justify a five-member selection panel for all three categories: men’s, women’s and junior. The Lodha Committee and the CoA had instead felt three-member panels were good enough.Subramanium’s response: The amicus has recommended that the selection panel strength could be “increased” to five. He has also set a fresh set of criteria for to be a national selector: the candidate should have played a minimum of: a) seven Test Matches; or b) 30 first-class matches; or c) 10 ODIs and a minimum of 20 first-class matches.The amicus felt an enhanced selection committee was “imminent” to “relieve” the burden of the existing three-member panel. This enhanced committed, Subrmanium said, should be finalised by the CoA in consultation with the cricket advisory committee.AFP

Cooling-off period

The issue: The office bearers and administrators in both the BCCI and the state associations do not want a cooling-off period of three years after every three-year term as recommended by the Lodha Committee. The break, the administrators say, does not allow them enough time to advocate and execute plans and could hamper continuity.Subramanium’s response: Subramaniam noted that the thrust of the Lodha Committee – which was “distressed” by the continued presence of office bearers, some for decades – was to “militate against self-perpetuation.” Subrmanium said the court has allowed office bearers to serve nine years each at state and BCCI separately, which he found to be a “substantial “period. “A period of 18 years by any stretch of imagination is indeed a substantial period,” the amicus said. “It is necessary that the expression ‘cooling off’ must necessarily mean that after a period of 3 years, the person is not able to migrate to the other Association and occupy the position as an office bearer or occupy any other position in the same Association.”

Division of powers between general body and professional management

The issue: Under the existing system, the BCCI secretary informally carries out the role of the CEO and shares power with the board president. Under the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, and as part of the new constitution, the role of the office bearers would be diminished while the CEO would be granted significant independent decision-making powers. Many of the BCCI members are against ceding control.Subramanium’s response: According to the amicus the general body, which comprises the state associations, needs to be separate from the nine-person Apex Council through which the board’s chief executive officer directs the professional management of the BCCI. “It is necessary that this recommendation of the Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee, as reflected in the Constitution, must be maintained and the professional management must be undertaken by the Apex Council through the CEO (who is also the custodian of the interests of players and fans), CFO and such other instrumentalities who are recruited on a totally transparent and professional basis.”Subramaniam also stated that it would be “appropriate’ for the Court to consider whether the current BCCI office bearers – acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry – be asked to demit office as they had completed their “legally valid tenures of office”.

Australia’s new T20 start reflects on his “whirlwind” rise from the fringes of the domestic scene to pushing for a World Cup spot

Andrew McGlashan05-Jun-20181:01

‘It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for me’ – Short

D’Arcy Short has reflected on a “whirlwind” rise from the fringes of the Australian domestic scene to pushing for a place in next year’s World Cup squad.Since the beginning of the last Australian season he has helped his state, Western Australia, win the JLT one-day cup, enjoyed a prolific Big Bash with Hobart Hurricanes, where he was the tournament’s leading scorer as they reached the final, made his T20I debut and earned an IPL deal.Now an ODI debut is on the horizon, with Short the favourite to take David Warner’s opening spot alongside Aaron Finch when the one-day series against England starts next week.All this for a player who, having first played state cricket in 2011 before drifting to the margins of the set-up over the next six years, almost packed it in.”I was probably close to giving it up for a while,” Short said after training at Lord’s on Tursday, his first experience of the famous ground. “It’s been quite a whirlwind experience in the last 12 months.”His BBL exploits earned him an Australia call-up for the T20 tri-series involving England and New Zealand plus an IPL contract Rajasthan Royals. Internationally he was an instant hit, making 196 runs in five innings, including 76 off 44 balls in the world-record run chase at Eden Park.The IPL proved somewhat less successful – a brace of 44s the peak of his seven outings – but he hopes to put the lessons to good use.”The IPL experience was quite a different one for me, I struggled a little bit at the start – got run out twice which wasn’t the greatest start for me – but it was definitely a good experience in the end and hopefully I’ve learnt a lot from it.”I faced a lot of spin over there so hopefully I can put that to use. Working on that and different parts of my game rather than being one-dimensional.”He spent time developing his left-arm wristspin by working with Shane Warne. “It’s come a long way in a short amount of time and I’m feeling pretty confident with it,” he said, a hint, perhaps, that it will be seen during the one-day series.One of the key figures in the revival of Short’s career has been the man now in charge of the Australia team – Justin Langer. It was Langer who implored Short to get fit and then brought him into the WA side for the JLT Cup. No wonder he’s comfortable around the new man in charge.”It’s definitely familiar, just feels like it’s different colours. I get along with him well,” Short said.Short’s story is significant for more than just the fact he has rejuvenated his career. He is also the first Indigenous Australian batsman to represent his country and just the sixth Indigenous cricketer overall after Dan Christian, Jason Gillespie, Scott Boland, Faith Thomas and Ash Gardner.Short was due to be part of the historic Indigenous tour of England, which is currently being undertaken by men’s and women’s teams, marking the 150-year anniversary of the first tour made in 1868.His full international call superseded that trip – which includes Christian, Boland and Gardner – but Short remains very aware of its significance. It was playing for an Australian Indigenous XI during a tournament in Brisbane last year that helped Short on his way back.”I think it puts a little bit of belief into them [Indigenous players] that they can go further,” Short said when asked about being a role model. “It certainly did for me, getting a go there then making my way into the state side and then the Aussie side. It’s certainly a good pathway for them.”It means a lot that they have the opportunity to come over here.”

Jos Buttler is a “devastating” batsman who ranks in the “top echelon” of players, according to the England coach

George Dobell25-Jun-20182:26

Social story: Buttler’s brilliance seals the whitewash

Jos Buttler is a “devastating” batsman who ranks in the “top echelon” of players, according to England coach, Trevor Bayliss.A day after Tim Paine, the Australia captain, said Buttler may be the best wicketkeeper batsman in the world in limited-overs cricket, Bayliss suggested “there can’t be too many better”. Praising his cool head and game awareness, Bayliss believes Buttler’s qualities can provide an example to other players in the squad.”How well is Jos playing? It’s unbelievable,” Bayliss said. “I can’t really describe how good it is. Red ball, white ball, T20 – there are not too many better in the world at the minute.”He’s right up there in the top echelon. He’s a bit different to some of the guys I’ve worked with before, but he’s devastating. He can play that role he did on Sunday, in smart fashion, but when he needs to, he can pull the power out and put the foot down.”And he’s a smart guy. One of those players who looks at the situation of the game. And he’s a winner. He doesn’t like losing, not even in the football matches before the start. He hates to lose. Hopefully that can rub off on some of the other guys higher up the order, who themselves have played some bloody good cricket this series.”Jos Buttler brought up his hundred as the target neared•Getty Images

Although Sunday’s century was Buttler’s slowest in ODI cricket – it was the first time he had faced more than 100 balls in an innings – it was also one of his best. Showing he was far more than the instinctive player who can improvise and thrash, he marshalled an unlikely run chase from a position of near impossibility at 114 for 8. But while Bayliss accepted England’s top-order had “stuffed up”, he felt Buttler’s contribution could provide them with an example of how to handle such situations in the future.”We obviously stuffed up in the beginning,” he said. “But I think for the first time one of the guys showed the rest how we should be doing it and how we should be approaching it in that situation.”If we are in that situation in the future, where we lose a few quick wickets, then hopefully that approach happens a bit earlier in the order so we are only a few down, not eight.”We still have work to do. If we didn’t have work to do, we wouldn’t have been 114 for 8. To me that’s a bit of a reminder that there are still some things to work on. In one way it’s a good reminder to the guys: don’t get too comfortable with where you are, because there will be other teams out there striving to get better, and it will be difficult to stay in the form we are in.”The good thing is we were able to win eventually from a poor position. Hopefully that sets a standard and an example to the rest of the team.”

Cricket Australia has confirmed the allegations relate to “historical matches from 2011”

Daniel Brettig28-Aug-20183:05

Watch – Alleged spot-fixing in the India-Australia Ranchi Test

Fresh allegations of spot-fixing against “current and former Australian players” are set to be aired by the television news network Al Jazeera in a follow-up to the investigative documentary aired earlier this year.Cricket Australia has confirmed the allegations relate to “historical matches from 2011″, a year in which the national team concluded an Ashes series, then took part in the 50-over World Cup, bilateral tours of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa, then home matches against New Zealand and India. The chief executive James Sutherland said a CA integrity unit investigation had been conducted into the claims.Acknowledgement of the allegations arrived on the same day the ICC requested information from the public about the identity of an individual filmed in the original documentary, named as Aneel Munawar and claiming to be the organiser of spot-fixing for illegal Indian betting syndicates. According to the ICC, the follow-up programme is set to air recorded conversations involving Munawar and illegal bookmakers about spot-fixing arrangements.”We are aware of the new investigative documentary by Al Jazeera into alleged corruption in cricket,” Sutherland said. “Since the broadcast of Al Jazeera’s first documentary, the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit has been conducting a thorough investigation into the claims made, however this has been hampered by a lack of cooperation from Al Jazeera.”Although not having been provided an opportunity to review any raw audio or footage, our long-standing position on these matters is that credible claims should be treated very seriously, and investigated. Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit have conducted a review of the latest claims by Al Jazeera, from a known criminal source, and, from the limited information provided by Al Jazeera, our team have not identified any issues of corruption relating to current or former Australian players.”We have handed all material over to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit to enable them to fully investigate and we will continue to cooperate with the ICC.”Alex Marshall, head of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, said that attempts to properly identify Munawar had so far been unsuccessful. “We have identified every other person in the original documentary and have spoken to a number of them in connection with match fixing, including those who are not deemed to be participants under our Anti-Corruption Code,” Marshall said.”However the true identity of Aneel Munawar remains a mystery. He plays a significant role in the programme, yet enquiries with law enforcement and immigration sources have not identified or located him. As such we are appealing to the public or anyone from within the cricket family to contact us with any information that will lead us to identify and locate him. Police investigations often use such an appeal to locate people of interest and we are exercising the same approach.”The absence of any cooperation from the broadcaster has slowed the investigation, but to date we have made good progress in identifying people of significant interest including people already of interest to the ACU. We have been able to discount a number of claims made in the programme and continue to pursue other aspects. We will provide a full update at the conclusion of the investigation.”The ICC and Al Jazeera remain at odds over the network’s refusal to hand over to the governing body all raw footage recorded during their own investigations. One of the sticking points has been the fact that among Munawar’s allegations was the suggestion that the ICC’s anti-corruption unit itself had been compromised by financial links to illegal bookmakers and Indian crime figures.”We are aware that there is a second documentary in the offing, this time based on historical recordings between a fixer, suspected to be Munawar and bookies in India,” Marshall said. “As with the first programme, we will investigate any claims made in a full and thorough manner and we take any allegations of corruption, historical or contemporary, extremely seriously.”Based on what we already know, we have engaged the services of an independent betting analysis company to examine the claims made about particular matches. As with the first programme we have, and will continue to ask for the cooperation of the broadcaster. Access to the raw, unedited footage enables us to build a complete picture around the claims in the documentary and ensure our investigation is as fair and thorough as possible.”Sutherland outlined the significant education programmes undertaken by all players regarding their obligations to avoid corruption. “It is important to reiterate that Cricket Australia and the ICC take a zero-tolerance approach against anyone trying to compromise the integrity of the game,” he said. “We urge Al Jazeera to provide all un-edited materials and any other evidence to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit.”Australian cricket is proactive with its sports integrity management and Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit oversees and maintains all domestic cricket in Australia, including BBL and WBBL matches. In addition to this, prior to the start of each Australian season, all professional cricketers are required to participate in thorough anti-corruption education sessions before being eligible to compete in CA’s domestic competitions.”The Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Alistair Nicholson, meanwhile, called for full information sharing from the news network to help bring the matter to a conclusion. “The players have zero tolerance for any behaviour that may impact upon the integrity of the game,” he said.”However, enough is enough when it comes to people making unsupported accusations that have the ability to unfairly tarnish players’ reputations. Whoever is making these allegations should provide all the information they purport to have to the ICC to allow them to assess it.”

Half-centuries from the duo lead Essex’s reply to India’s 395, even as Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma stood out with two wickets each on a blistering day in Chelmsford

The Report by Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jul-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUmesh Yadav bowls•BCCI

A flat wicket, another scorching day with “abnormal” temperatures, and some stodgy batting from Essex made India’s bowlers work hard on the second day of their warm-up match in Chelmsford. India wouldn’t mind a day like this today rather than in the middle of a Test match, their fast bowlers having been put through a good test of both character and skills.Thursday was hot, with temperatures hovering around the mid-30 degrees centigrade, which the MCC called “abnormally high”, and led to them relaxing the imposition on members to wear jackets in the Pavilion. Having experienced much higher mercury back home, the Indians did not wilt easily.Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma were the pick of the five-man pace contingent, which also had Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya. Umesh bowled his first spell form the Hayes’ End and attacked the bat relentlessly. He got the ball to swing and seam away consistently, and trapped Nick Browne with a ball that skidded into the pads.No other fast bowler in this Indian line-up has more overs clocked over the past few months than Umesh. Little wonder that he hardly took a ball to catch his rhythm. A first spell of 7-4-9-1 showed both his accuracy and steadfastness to stick to the plan.Ishant came in after the first hour in the afternoon. His first ball, fuller in length, seamed straight away into the other Essex opener, Varun Chopra, who was beaten by pace and movement. Chopra tried to slog the next ball and was lucky not to be bowled, getting a bottom edge that raced to fine leg. Having played for Sussex recently in the county championships, Ishant understood the lengths that work on England pitches.Off the first ball of his second over, Ishant opened up Chopra, who shuffled across to his off stump but was beaten by the delivery moving in to hit his pads. Ishant appealed strongly and the umpire raised his finger promptly. Chopra might have felt a little hard done by as the ball might have moved down leg.No such luck was in store for Shami, returning to the Indian fold after the South Africa tour. The team management was concerned about Shami’s readiness, considering he had not played much cricket in the last six months. He was injured during the IPL and failed a fitness test that ruled him out of the one-off Test against Afghanistan. He was also entangled in domestic issues as he faced various allegations from his wife.Still, Shami would be optimistic. He struggled with the right length and line with the new ball and gave away 26 runs in his first spell of 7 overs. However, when he returned late afternoon, he could reverse the ball while maintaining a fuller length. Also scratchy was Hardik Pandya, who gave a lot of width and room for the batsmen to take advantage of.There were only two overs of spin from the Indians, both by Ravindra Jadeja, who retreated to the dressing room around tea time and never came back. R Ashwin was hit on the index finger of the bowling hand while batting in the morning and did not take the field through the day. The team management confirmed that it was just a precautionary step. Ashwin did bowl in the nets during the lunch break.That explained why Ashwin had not come out to bat in the morning even as India tried all the available specialist batsmen, most of whom fumbled barring Rishabh Pant. Karun Nair, despite having played for over the past month in England while touring with the India A team, attempted a drive far from his body only to see a bottom edge roll on to knock off the bails.Pandya’s overnight struggles continued before he hit straight to cover, which exposed his impatience in addition to a false stroke. Dinesh Karthik, 18 short of a century overnight, was the first to depart, playing an upper cut into hands of deep point.