Category Uncategorized

BCCI president Anurag Thakur today slammed former selection committee chief Sandeep Patil for revealing confidential details about Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and others

PTI27-Sep-2016BCCI president Anurag Thakur today slammed former selection committee chief Sandeep Patil, saying it was “unethical” on his part to reveal certain confidential details about Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and others after his tenure ended earlier this month.Thakur stopped short of saying that action will be taken against Patil but said “right people in the BCCI” will speak to him soon over the issue which has created a major controversy.Patil, a former international cricketer, recently disclosed that the selection panel would have dropped Sachin Tendulkar before he eventually quit international cricket and that it had also considered removing MS Dhoni from ODI captaincy ahead of the 2015 World Cup.”Let me make it very clear. Sandeep, being a former chairman, should not have made these comments. When he was the chairman, he replied differently to the same questions. But after that [his tenure], it was different. It was totally unethical of him to do that,” Thakur told .”One should refrain from making such unethical and unwanted comments in this area [selection matters]. It is because he has been trusted to become the chairman, because he has played enough cricket. There were four more selectors with him; they did not say anything. He should have avoided that,” the BCCI president said.Asked whether any action was being contemplated by the BCCI against Patil over the breach of confidentiality, he said, “The right people in the BCCI will speak to him soon.”Thakur went to the extent of saying such a breach of confidentiality would make it difficult for any of future employers of Patil to trust him.”Any organisation, if they hire him, will think ten times that after leaving the organisation, he will speak about the organisation,” Thakur said.Patil’s four-year tenure ended when the panel announced the 15-man squad for the ongoing Test series against New Zealand.

Brendon McCullum will lead a 13-man New Zealand squad for the home ODI series against Australia beginning February 3 in Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-20161:18

‘Important McCullum plays if fit’ – Hesson

Brendon McCullum will lead a 13-man New Zealand squad for the home ODI series against Australia beginning February 3 in Auckland. McCullum has been out with a back injury since the second ODI against Sri Lanka on December 28 but is set to return to the side for the third ODI against Pakistan on Sunday. The series against Australia will be McCullum’s last in limited-overs internationals.If McCullum isn’t ready by the start of the three-match ODI series, Tom Latham has been named as cover for the New Zealand captain. Coach Mike Hesson is counting on New Zealand’s depth to come through in their bid to retain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy as they continue without the services of Ross Taylor, Tim Southee and Mitchell McClenaghan due to injury.Southee is expected to recover from his foot in time for the Tests, and has begun training with the New Zealand team. He may also play a Plunket Shield match against Central Stags, from February 5-8. Taylor’s recovery is more difficult to predict, Hesson said.”Ross is making progress. It’s a little bit hard to put a time-frame on it. He’s still seeing a specialist and making some good progress. We’re hopeful for the first Test, but it’s certainly not guaranteed at this stage.”New Zealand have had several players affected by injury over the past three weeks, but have won four out of five completed ODIs in their home summer so far. The tour against Australia represents the climax of their season.”This is a pinnacle event for us and we’ll look to get our best side out on the park each time we play,” said Hesson. “We’ve been lucky enough to use a big squad over the summer and although we’re missing a few key players, we have guys who can step in and we know are up to the task. The Chappell Hadlee Trophy is something we want to hold on to. The rivalry between these two sides is huge and it’s going to be three intense games in front of some big crowds.”New Zealand ODI squad: Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi (wk), Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne, Matt Henry

The BCCI has retained a base price of Rs 2 crore (approx. $320,000) per international match while inviting bids for a series-title sponsor for all the major matches played in India

Amol Karhadkar19-Sep-2013The BCCI has retained a base price of Rs 2 crore (approx. $320,000) per international match while inviting bids for a series-title sponsor for all the major matches played in India, in place of Bharti Airtel, the telecommunication company that decided not to renew its contract for the same.The board decided to float a tender for the period beginning October 1 to March 31, 2014, which includes at least 13 international matches. The winning bidder, though, will then get the first right to extend the agreement till March 31, 2018.After Bharti Airtel decided not to extend their contract, the BCCI’s marketing committee, which was presided over by president N Srinivasan in the absence of its chairman Farooq Abdullah, finalised the invitation to tender (ITT) document. The ITT will be available to “only corporate entities with a turnover of Rs 100 crore, for performance deposit of Rs 3 crore” at Rs 2 lakh. The bids will be opened in the presence of all the bidders on October 3.While the media statement issued by BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel didn’t specify the base price, a summary of the ITT document that was finalised at the meeting, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, recommended “to have the same base price of Rs 2 crore as the tender done in 2010”.While barring agents from representing corporate houses, the BCCI decided to allow consortia bids. “It is recommended that the consortia is allowed to bid for the title sponsor with consortia members nominating the title sponsor and other associate sponsor during the time of the bid,” the marketing committee suggested.Besides being awarded the title sponsorship of all the senior domestic tournaments barring the Challenger Trophy, which will be played in September, and the domestic Twenty20, the winning bidder will also be able to avail 28 other rights. Some of the prominent ones include: “Integration into the event logo and the use of all official marks; right to put up to 12 advertising boards of standard size (approx. 3ft x 20ft) in the stadium at all matches and the right to nominate the positioning of these 12 boards; exclusive branding on the stumps; and non-exclusive branding on the BCCI’s website”.The marketing committee also took into consideration the current title sponsorship deals of Cricket South Africa, Cricket Australia and the ECB. It noted that CA awards Test sponsorship for $2.4mn and ODI sponsorship for $0.8mn, the ECB awards Tests for $1.07mn and ODIs and T20s for $0.25mn, and CSA’s sponsorship is priced at $0.45mn per Test, $0.5mn per ODI and $0.3mn per T20.

Top cricketers in Bangladesh have threatened to “stay away” from this season’s Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League after the BCB proposed a change in the players’ transfer system

Mohammad Isam17-Jun-2013Top cricketers in Bangladesh have threatened to “stay away” from this season’s Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League after the BCB proposed a change in the players’ transfer system. The Dhaka Premier League is a city-based domestic one-day competition and is the country’s most popular league.Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh, the players’ body, announced the decision after a long discussion with the players on Monday afternoon. They complained about the lack of communication from the BCB, which announced on Sunday that the new system of player transfer – similar to the draft system that is used in American sports – will take place on June 23. The league is slated to begin on July 3.Former Bangladesh player Rajin Saleh read out CWAB’s letter, but Debabbrata Paul, the secretary, said that there was never any official discussion between the two sides, which was one of the reasons for their plan to stay away.”We gave our observations to the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) in a letter, but they never replied,” Paul said. “We got to know of it from the media that they will start a gradation and rotation policy. So today we took a decision after speaking to the players that we will stay away from the competition.”The BCB never sat with us, so we don’t really know where our differences are. There was no official discussion with them. I had a personal talk with Jalal Yunus, the CCDM chairman.”The main reason for the row is the new players’ transfer system, which replaces the traditional way in which the players negotiated a fee for one season with a Dhaka-based club to play in the tournament.Instead, the players were divided into categories according to a pay structure that started from Tk 22 lakh ($28,300 approximately) for the A+ group of players. A lottery would decide which club gets to pick first from the top category, and after all 12 clubs picked players from that particular category, the next pick would go to the club who selected last in the first category. From there it would proceed sequentially in the next categories.According to CWAB, clubs picking players was against the spirit of the competition and also curbed the players’ freedom to choose which club to play for.”The new system was forgoing the traditional way of players’ transfers and replacing it with a new system of grading and rotation,” CWAB’s statement said. “There was not only financial loss for the players, but professional freedom was hampered.”The BCB didn’t take any immediate action, merely saying that they want an official letter from CWAB. It is also not clear what action the BCB are likely to take against their contracted cricketers, including Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, who have effectively opposed the board’s decision.Acting CEO Nizamuddin Ahmed said that they still haven’t received any word from the CWAB regarding their latest action. “We haven’t received the players’ decision formally. We will discuss the situation once we receive it.”Otherwise we have pitched a tentative date for the Premier League to start, which is on July 3. We have spoken to players and the players association informally.”

A round-up of Regional Super50 matches played on March 11, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2013
ScorecardCombined Campuses and Colleges scraped to a three-wicket win over Leeward Islands in a low-scoring match in Bridgetown on Monday.Set a paltry target of 116, CCC struggled with their chase, losing seven wickets before they passed Leewards’ score in the 33rd over. Shacaya Thomasplayed an important role in the victory: his 61 accounted for more than half of the team’s runs, even as the other batsmen failed to reach a score of 20.Earlier, Leewards Islands were bowled out for 115 after choosing to bat first. Offpsinner Ryan Austin, who played an important role in CCC’s victory over Leewards in the Regional Four Day Competition, once again led the bowling attack, conceding 24 runs in his 10 overs and picking up two wickets. Left-arm spinner Derone Davis picked up three wickets, while Nekoli Parris picked up two wickets.The win helped CCC move to third place in the table, behind Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.
ScorecardJamaica’s bowlers set up a 78-run win after a collective batting failure led to Windward Islands folding for 151 chasing 230 for victory.Windwards never recovered from their poor start and were struggling at 2 for 2 early on in the innings, before Andre Fletcher, Miles Bascombe and Liam Sebastien tried bringing some momentum into the chase. The partnerships they added, however, failed to put Windwards’ chase on track and the team were eventually bowled out in the 39th over. Odean Brown’s domination over Windwards’ batsmen continued as the legspinner picked up 3 for 19 in 7 overs.Earlier, Jamaica, who were put into bat, lost opener Simon Jackson in the second ball of the match, but recovered through an 88-run second-wicket partnership between Nkruma Bonner (39) and Danza Hyatt (59). Carlton Baugh and Andre Russell added some important runs towards the end, as Jamaica posted a total of 229.
ScorecardTrinidad & Tobago won a close match against Guyana by two wickets in Port of Spain. Although T&T chased down the Guyana target of 235 in 45 overs, they lost eight wickets in the process, giving Guyana a chance right till the end.Fifties from captain Christopher Barnwell and Devendra Bishoo helped Guyana put up 234 on the board after they were struggling at 117 for 7 in the 28th over. The pair added 107 runs for the eighth wicket, to help Guyana pass 200. Barnwell, whose last significant innings for Guyana came in the Caribbean T20 competition, struck a solid 66 off 100 balls, including four fours and two sixes. Bishoo excelled in the supporting act, hitting an unbeaten 52 with four fours and one six.In reply, T&T kept up with the chase in spite of losing regular wickets. Adrian Barath guided the chase, scoring 65 off 80 balls. T&T stuttered briefly after Barath fell with the score at 180 for 6, but a brisk 28 from Sunil Narine ensured that T&T remained unbeaten in the Regional Super50 Competition.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav is unlikely to be fit in time for final match of the India-England Test series, which begins in Nagpur on December 13, as he is taking longer than originally expected to recover from a lower back injury

Amol Karhadkar08-Dec-2012Fast bowler Umesh Yadav is unlikely to be fit in time for final match of the India-England Test series, which begins in Nagpur on December 13, as he is taking longer than originally expected to recover from a lower-back injury.With India all but certain to reach Nagpur in a must-win situation, this comes as a blow for an Indian attack that that has been plundered over the last two Tests. Yadav was the pick of India’s fast bowlers in the first Test in Ahmedabad, but was then ruled out with injury for “at least for 10 days”.The prognosis for the injury has been ambiguous; while one specialist had put forward the 10-day recuperation period, another had advised him rest for three months. Now, a day before the selectors are to choose the squad for the final Test, ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the fast bowler will surely be unavailable for the game. He is also unlikely to recover in time for the England Twenty20s and the Pakistan limited-overs series’ that follow.”This will be disappointing for him not just because it [the Nagpur game] is his home Test, but also because the team needs him badly,” a source said, adding it would be “a miracle” if he features in the Pakistan series.With Yadav unavailable, Sandeep Patil and his colleagues in the selection panel don’t have much to choose from as far as pace bowling is concerned. But it remains to be seen if the selectors take tough calls on a batting line-up that has faltered time and again in the series.

Chris Gayle has pulled out of his Twenty20 contract with Somerset, declaring himself committed to playing for West Indies in all forms of the game

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2012Chris Gayle has pulled out of his Twenty20 contract with Somerset, declaring himself committed to playing for West Indies in all forms of the game. The move could smooth the way for Gayle to return to the West Indies side for the upcoming tour of England, which would end a year-long standoff between Gayle and the WICB that stemmed from comments he made about the board in a radio interview last April.Gayle was not chosen in the Test squad for the England tour but after progress was made in reaching a resolution between the two parties, he was considered to have a chance to be selected for the three ODIs that follow the Tests. However, those matches clash with the Friends Life t20, a tournament for which Gayle had agreed to play with Somerset, and the WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire said Gayle could not be considered unless he categorically made himself available.”I wish to advise that as of today, May 2nd, 2012, I have written to Somerset CC and advised them that I will not be honouring the commitment I made to them when I signed a contract with them for the 2012 [Friends Life t20]. I made it clear to them that my decision was made because of my commitment to West Indies cricket and to West Indies cricket fans, and because … I believe that it is time for the WICB to make a decision which will provide a clearer view of my own future,” Gayle said in a statement.”I understand that by making this decision, it may place me in a position of considerable risk, since I am foregoing a signed contract, without any guarantees whatsoever, with only the hope that I will be selected to play for the West Indies again. I have now satisfied all of the requests of the WICB and their selection panel, with whom I met via teleconference yesterday, and to whom I reiterated previous assurances given to the board regarding my availability.”So that there is no doubt, I confirmed to the selectors that I was available for West Indies duty in all forms of cricket, immediately following the conclusion of my contractual obligations to my IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore. This has been a difficult time, and I wish to sincerely thank everyone who has supported me, my family and friends, and in particular cricket fans worldwide who have continued to show appreciation for me wherever I have played. I look forward to once again putting on the maroon, and resuming my international career and my service to West Indies cricket.”Gayle has not played for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup, but he has been in outstanding form in the IPL. He is third on the tournament’s run tally and has scored 81, 87, 4, 86 and 71 from his past five innings.Edited by Brydon Coverdale

The Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi has been stripped of its right to host Railways’ home games for the 2012-13 season due to poor pitch conditions, the BCCI has said

Kanishkaa Balachandran17-Feb-2012The Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi has been banned from hosting Railways’ home games for the 2012-13 season due to poor pitch conditions during a match in the current season. The BCCI’s Technical Committee, which took this decision at its meeting in Mumbai on Friday, also let off Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) with a warning for the state of the pitch for the Plate match against Maharashtra in the same season.The committee also decided, as part of its recommendations to improve the game, on a two-point penalty for any hosting association if its pitch is deemed “underprepared” by the match referee.The Railways match in question was the Elite group stage match against Saurashtra, which was over in two days. Eighteen wickets had fallen on the opening day, primarily to the spinners. Though Saurashtra went on to win by 97 runs, their coach Debu Mitra was reprimanded for criticising the playing surface. The match had scores of 175, 81, 152 and 149.The technical committee meeting was attended by representatives of the HCA and Railways Sport Promotion Board (RSPB) based on the reports submitted by the match referees.According to Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI CAO, the match refereee for the Hyderabad match, the former Tamil Nadu batsman S Sharath, had noted the pitch was not up to the mark and hence the technical committee called up the HCA official for explanation.The match had only three completed innings, with scores of 124, 184 and 54. Maharashtra won by an innings and six runs, with the left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar taking 8 for 20 to send Hyderabad crashing to an embarrassing 54 at their home ground.

England Women wrapped the T20 series with an easy seven-wicket win over South African Women

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland Women’s bowlers suffocated South Africa Woman before their batsmen completed a comfortable victory with 4.1 overs to spare in the third and final T20 game and claim the three match series 2-0.Rain forced the abandonment of the second game, giving South Africa a chance to square the series, and Cri-Zelda Brits and Trisha Chetty started brightly. Brits drove Aaran Brindle twice through the covers while Chetty worked Danni Hazell to the long leg fence. The introduction of Georga Elwiss and Laura Marsh put the brakes on the scoring and Chetty and Brits were reduced to taking singles and twos. The pressure finally told on Chetty, when she holed out to the deep mid-wicket area of Jenny Gunn, having made 33. Brits progressed to 50 before she was bowled by Brindle and though South Africa did not lose any more wickets, they weren’t able to accelerate and posted a below-par total.Masabata Klass bowled Laura Marsh for 2 and one ball later Chloe Tyron did the same to Charlotte Edwards to reduce England to 27 for 2, but Sarah Taylor and Lydia Greenway steadied the ship and with the asking rate always under control, even Taylor’s departure for 39 was not going to stop England cantering home.

Eldine Baptiste has stepped down as Kenya’s coach two months before his current contract expires

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Eldine Baptiste has stepped down as Kenya’s coach two months before his current contract expires. The news was not unexpected following Kenya’s wretched performance at the World Cup where a string of poor displays on the field were accompanied by reports of rows off it.Baptiste’s departure comes in the wake of the performance review being conducted by Cricket Kenya after the country lost all of their six World Cup league games and finished bottom of their group. Tom Sears, CK’s chief executive, said that as part of the review, the coach’s position had also come under scrutiny.”Both Cricket Kenya and Eldine Baptiste have decided that there is a need for change. I would like to commend Eldine for his professionalism and honesty during the review process,” Sears said. “We will now conduct an extensive recruitment process to find a new national coach and will be inviting applications from both within Kenya and overseas. It is vital we find the right person to take us forward and this is a crucial appointment.”Sears explained there would be far-reaching changes at every level of the game in Kenya as the review process would assess each operational area. “We expect to make public the full findings of the review in mid-May once we have consulted with the ICC. We have to use this opportunity to change for the better and fulfil the undoubted potential of cricket in Kenya.”Baptiste took over as Kenya coach in September 2009 after coaching stints in South Africa and the West Indies. But he was unable to turn round a team in long-term decline and despite bullish assurances, little seems to have changed in the last 19 months.