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Queensland collapsed badly in their second innings at the Gabba but their strong first-innings effort ensured they finished the third day with a 272-run lead over New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2014
ScorecardSean Abbott finished the day with 3 for 23•Getty ImagesQueensland collapsed badly in their second innings at the Gabba but their strong first-innings effort ensured they finished the third day with a 272-run lead over New South Wales. At stumps the Bulls were on 7 for 102 with James Hopes on 21 and Ryan Harris on 9, and the wickets had been shared for New South Wales by Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger and Gurinder Sandhu.First-innings centurion Joe Burns made 22 before being removed by Sandhu and the No.3 Greg Moller scored 12 before being bowled by Abbott, who claimed three wickets, but they were the only batsmen to reach double figures until Hopes. It was a far cry from the first innings when Queensland had declared at 9 for 472, a total which set up a healthy advantage over the Blues.New South Wales began the third day on 6 for 217 but the loss of Nic Maddinson for 118 early in the morning hurt their chances of getting anywhere close to Queensland’s score. He was one of five wickets for Luke Feldman, and Australia’s selectors will have been pleased to see Harris finish off the tail and end up with 3 for 59.

Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain, has defended himself against accusations of remaining ‘silent’ during the ongoing crisis in Indian cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2013Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain, has defended himself against accusations of remaining ‘silent’ during the ongoing crisis in Indian cricket following the spot-fixing and betting controversies. Gavaskar said he has made his views known and that it was not up to him to advise N Srinivasan, the current president of the BCCI, on what’s to be done to deal with the crisis.”Ever since the three Rajasthan Royals players were taken into custody, I have been on the TV channel that I am contracted to, and have given my views on the episode as it has unfolded,” Gavaskar, who is a cricket expert on the channel , wrote in his Sunday column published in various newspapers. “So to say that I have been silent is totally erroneous and downright mischievous.”Two top BCCI officials, Ajay Shirke and Sanjay Jagdale, resigned from their posts as treasurer and board secretary respectively, followed by Rajiv Shukla, who stepped down as IPL chairman. There have been calls for Srinivasan to resign, until the BCCI’s inquiry into his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals’ owners is complete. But Gavaskar isn’t among those asking Srinivasan to step aside.”What maybe immoral to one may not be immoral to another, and as long as it is within the framework of the laws that govern our country, nobody should be forced to say or do anything against their will is what I believe in,” he said. “So whether Mr. Srinivasan should stay or step aside while the probe committee does its job is a moral issue, and it is for him to take a call on that. That has been my stand, and since it is not one that resonates with most TV channels and the print media, I am accused of being silent.Gavaskar said it was “for the BCCI and Mr. Srinivasan” to take a call on what was a “moral issue” facing Indian cricket. “It is not for me to advise them what to do as everybody else seems to be doing, and if that is taken as being bought then good luck to democracy in our country.”Gavaskar is also contracted with the BCCI. “The reason why such contracts are done is to obtain exclusivity from the contracted entity so that he/ she does not appear on a rival channel and that is why good money is paid to the former players. That is also why I have not appeared on another TV channel excepting the news channel that has a contract with me.”

The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has stepped up its education programme for young players in the country about the dangers of spot-fixing and corruption in cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2013The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has stepped up its education programme for young players in the country about the dangers of spot-fixing and corruption in cricket. Players from various age groups will attend sessions with officers from the ACSU during the ongoing National Cricket Academy camps and the programme will be extended to other cities from next month.”The anti-corruption unit of the BCCI has recently begun the education course for cricketers during the national camp for the Under-19 and U-15 players, held in Bangalore and Mysore. Ravi Sawani, director of anti-corruption unit, has planned the educational course. From July onwards these courses will start in every state association along with anti-doping procedures,” BCCI game development manager Ratnakar Shetty told the .The development follows the recent spot-fixing scandal during the IPL where three cricketers – Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila – and 11 bookies were arrested and charged with fraud, cheating and criminal conspiracy. Sreesanth and Chavan have since been released on bail.Sethu Madhavan, a senior investigation officer with the ACSU who held a session at the Mysore camp, said an ACSU officer will accompany each team during the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. He instructed the players not to discuss team combinations or disclose any information before the match starts, even to family members.Madhavan has told players they could be punished for agreeing to fix even if not proceeding to do so, as well as failing to report an approach by a bookie. Players have been told to either inform the ACSU or the team manager when they receive a call from unknown people. The issue of failing to report approaches by bookies was highlighted with the news of Siddharth Trivedi, another Royals player, facing possible suspension for the same offence, even though he has said he did not pay heed to their demands and will be a witness for the Delhi police.

Allrounder Marlon Samuels returns to the West Indies squad after a two-month injury break, having been picked for the first Test against Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2013WI squad for the first Test v Zimbabwe

Darren Sammy (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk & vice-capt), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieron Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels and Shane Shillingford
In: Shannon Gabriel, Shane Shillingford
Out: Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Kirk Edwards, Fidel Edwards, Assad Fudadin

Allrounder Marlon Samuels returns to the West Indies squad after a two-month injury break, having been picked for the first Test against Zimbabwe that begins on March 12. Offspinner Sunil Narine did not feature in the 13-man squad, and in his place Shane Shillingford came in.Samuels had missed the limited-overs leg of the Zimbabwe series after picking up a facial injury during the Big Bash League, Australia’s T20 competition, in January.Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who debuted in the Lord’s Test last year but was then sidelined by a stress reaction in his back, made a comeback. Two exclusions of note on the fast-bowling front included Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards. Rampaul had returned to the domestic circuit in February after two months out due to knee trouble and had said at the time that he was “100% fit”. Edwards had taken a match-haul of seven in his previous Test match – against Bangladesh in November. His last competitive match was on February 14, in the Bangladesh Premier League.The other players to miss out from the squad that played the Bangladesh series, which was West Indies’ previous Test assignment, include batsmen Kirk Edwards and Assad Fudadin.Narine had had a poor run in that series, taking three wickets in two Tests at an average of 114.33. Twenty-three-year-old left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, who had a relatively better series with eight wickets at 31.62, retained his place.Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin kept his role as Test vice-captain, while Chris Gayle returned after asking to skip the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe. Experienced batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, who returned for West Indies on last month’s limited-overs tour of Australia after a contentious 18-month break, was not handed a Test comeback.West Indies and Zimbabwe will play two Tests in all, and the hosts’ squad for the second Test will be named at a later date.

A round-up of the Faysal Bank T20 matches on March 28, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2013
ScorecardMisbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 85 off 47 balls took Faisalabad Wolves to a seven-wicket victory over Karachi Dolphins at the Gaddafi Stadium. The victory ensured Wolves reached the semi-finals, while the Dolphins were ruled out of the final four.Batting first, Karachi lost opener Fakhar Zaman in the first over, but Shahzaib Hasan (51) and Khurram Manzoor (42) added 100 runs for second wicket to take Dolphins to a commanding position. Offspinner Khurram Shahzad broke the partnership, and the Dolphins lost three wickets quickly to be reduced to 157 for 8.In reply, Faisalabad began nervously, with Farrukh Shehzad and Khurram Shehzad out cheaply, leaving Misbah and Ali Waqas (39 off 40 balls) to do the repair work. The two added 67 for third wicket; Waqas smacked four boundaries, including two sixes, before being caught brilliantly at long-on by Anwar Ali, who dived forward to pouch a blinder.Faisalabad needed 69 off 45 balls. But Misbah kept his nerves to steer Wolves home safely with Imran Khalid (18); they added 73 runs for the fourth wicket. Azam Hussain and Akbar-ur-Rehman took one wicket each.
ScorecardSohail Tanvir’s all-round performance led Rawalpindi Rams to a 20-run victory over Bahawalpur Stags in a rain-affected match. Rawalpindi were put in to bat first in overcast conditions. Naved Malik (29 off 24) and Awais Zia (26 off 13 balls) put on 43 runs for the first wicket. Bilal Khilji (3-24) snapped two quick wickets to slow them down, but Umar Waheed’s run-a-ball 20, and Sohail Tanvir’s 28 off 16 balls helped Rawalpindi post an imposing total.Bahawalpur lost wickets regularly in reply. Besides Imranullah Aslam (15) and Kashif Siddiq (45), no other batsman scored in double figures. Seamer Hammad Azam was the most productive bowler for Rawalpindi, taking three wickets, as Bahawalpur were eventually bowled out for 96.
ScorecardIn a topsy-turvy contest, Lahore Lions limped to a three-wicket victory over Abbottabad Falcons. Abbottabad, after choosing to bat, lost wickets in a hurry. Besides Sajjad Ali and Hammad Ali, both of whom scored 20, the rest in the line-up didn’t provide much resistance, and Abbottabad were eventually bowled out for 94 off the final ball of the innings. Offspinner Adnan Rasool was the wrecker-in-chief, taking four wickets.In reply, Lahore lost an early wicket, that of opener Nasir Jamshed for 7, but a 51-run stand between Ahmed Shehzad and Umar looked to be taking them to an easy win. They then lost six wickets for 22 runs, but eventually reached their target in 17 overs.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has been barred from bowling in competitive cricket after his action was found to be illegal

Amol Karhadkar27-Dec-20144:02

Agarkar: Ban answers question why Akshar picked over Ojha

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has been barred from bowling in competitive cricket after his action was found to be illegal. ESPNcricinfo understands that following a request made by the Hyderabad Cricket Association, Ojha’s home association in domestic cricket, Ojha’s action was tested at the ICC-recognised centre in Chennai. The tests, it is understood, concluded that Ojha’s elbow flexed more than the permissible limit of 15 degrees.The BCCI informed the HCA in a letter on Friday that Ojha cannot bowl in competitive cricket till his action is cleared, and the bowler was subsequently withdrawn from Hyderabad’s squad for their Ranji Trophy game against Services, which begins on Sunday.It is understood that Ojha’s action had been under the scanner for more than a year now, which was one of the reasons why he disappeared from the selectors’ radar despite being one of the quickest Indian bowlers to reach 100 Test wickets. Ojha is believed to have discussed the issue informally with the national selectors, which resulted in him getting his action tested in Chennai.Purshottam Agarwal, the HCA joint secretary, admitted that the association had “received a letter” from the BCCI, but denied that the HCA had asked for Ojha’s action to be evaluated. Hyderabad’s coach Abdul Azeem, meanwhile, said he was surprised by the setback to his team, particularly since there had been “no whispers about it”.Former Test umpire AV Jayaprakash, a member of the BCCI’s committee to eradicate suspect bowling actions, had told ESPNcricinfo in October that Ojha had been asked to undertake corrective measures in the past. Following Jayaprakash’s claims, which came during the Duleep Trophy, Ojha started bowling in half-sleeves. In the Ranji Trophy this season, he bowled 133.4 overs in Hyderabad’s three matches, picking up four wickets at 75.25. It is understood that Ojha did bowl his arm-ball throughout the season, a delivery which is believed to have come under the scanner.Earlier this month, Ojha was released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2015 IPL season.

Javed Miandad, PCB’s director general, has been given the responsibility of supervising Pakistan’s domestic and international cricket operations

Umar Farooq08-Aug-2012Javed Miandad, PCB’s director general, has been given the responsibility of supervising Pakistan’s domestic and international cricket operations. Miandad was appointed DG in Ejaz Butt-era, but his position lacked clarity and this is the first time PCB has given him a formal administrative role. He will now precede Intikhab Alam and Zakir Khan over international and domestic cricket operations in PCB and will also oversee the selection of the teams.”The post of director general has been empowered to oversee the cricket operations,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “Under the new protocol the director general will oversee the operations of the international, domestic and game development and Academies.”Miandad will precede the entire cricket operations leaving Alam – director international cricket operations and games development and Khan – director domestic cricket operations, to work under him. With the move, Miandad has gained more influence on the selection of the teams and game’s development in the country. He will be based in Karachi but will operate from PCB headquarters in Lahore and will report directly to the chairman and chief operating officer of the PCB.In the past, Miandad has been in contention for the coaching role, which he ended up refusing, eyeing a more extensive role in cricket administration. His third and last stint as Pakistan coach ended in 2004 after a home series loss to India. In 2008, he was appointed the director general by Butt, a job he quit after two months amid growing differences with the board over the scope of his role.Both Butt and Miandad were at loggerheads over Miandad’s demands. Butt, the then chairman, had alleged that Miandad demanded more money, interfered with matters concerning selection, and was an incapable administrator. Miandad, however, returned in the role a month later but has been anonymous throughout Butt’s three-year term, though occasionally turning up as batting consultant during national conditioning camps apart from being a member of governing board.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Anamul Haque will lead a 15-member Bangladesh squad in the Under-19 World Cup in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2012Anamul Haque, the wicketkeeper-batsman, will lead a 15-member Bangladesh squad in the Under-19 World Cup in Australia. Nurul Hasan will be Anamul’s deputy. Anamul toured Zimbabwe recently for the Twenty20 tri-series with the senior side and was not part of the junior team which was knocked out by Afghanistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup.Bangladesh Under-19 squad for the World Cup

Anamul Haque (capt), Nurul Hasan (vice-capt), Asif Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, Salman Hossain, Noor Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Naeem Islam jnr, Nasum Ahmed, Dewan Sabbir, Abu Haider, Al-Amin, Taskin Ahmed, Liton Das, Abu Jayed

There are four changes from the Asia Cup squad whose failure prompted the BCB to ask the captain, coach, manager and selectors for an explanation. Bangladesh finished third in Group B, behind Afghanistan, and lost out on a semi-final berth.Bangladesh have been grouped with South Africa, Sri Lanka and Namibia in Group D. They will face Sri Lanka in their opening match on August 11.

IPL franchises are likely to have two options to keep the core of their teams intact ahead of the 2014 season: the usual practice of player retention, and a new system of ‘right to match’ cards that can be used during the auction

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Dec-2013Salient points from the Singapore meeting

IPL teams could be allowed to retain five players, and they could be given ‘right to match’ cards in order to buy back more players at the auction

The auction is likely to be held on February 12 and 13

The salary cap for the 2014 auction is likely to be Rs 600 million (approximately $10 million) and could increase by 10% each year. For the first time, the purse is in Indian Rupees and not dollars

If a franchise chooses to retain five players, it will likely lose Rs 390 million from its auction purse

The contracts for players retained or signed at the auction will likely be valid for three seasons, with the franchise holding the right to renewal at the start of each of season

The number of players in a squad is also likely to be reduced from 33 to 27, and the number of foreign players cut from 11 to nine per team

IPL franchises are likely to have two options available to keep the core of their teams intact ahead of the 2014 season: the usual practice of player retention, and a new system of ‘right to match’ cards that can be used during the auction. A team is expected to be able to retain up to five players and the IPL has recommended three ‘right to match’ cards per franchise, which means up to eight players could be retained, salary cap permitting. The auction is likely to be held on February 12 and 13 at a yet-to-be-decided venue.The franchises were also informed that the 2014 general elections in India will have an impact on the venue for the tournament. Once the Indian government announced the election dates, the IPL will work out a feasible venue for next year’s edition, the franchises were told.The idea of the ‘right to match’ card was discussed during a two-day IPL workshop in Singapore on November 28 and 29 that was organised by the BCCI. A card would allow a franchise to buy back a player during the auction by simply matching the highest bid. For example, if two or more franchises were bidding for a player who had represented a different team in the 2013 season, then that team’s owners could buy back the player if they wanted to by matching the highest bid for him.During the discussions in Singapore, one suggestion was to bring all the players back into the auction but the IPL was not interested in abandoning the retention policy. Although officials did not specify the reasons, the feeling was that a retention policy allowed certain powerful franchises to hold on to the players that formed the core of their side over the previous seasons.It is understood that the idea of a ‘right to match’ card was floated to offset the retention rule, which some franchises felt was detrimental to their chances. Before the 2011 auction, franchises were allowed to retain up to four players from their old squads, but for every player retained, the franchise would lose a certain amount from the salary cap of $9 million available for spending at the auction. For the first player retained, $1.8 million was deducted from the salary cap, for the second player it was $1.3 million, the third $900,000 and the fourth $500,000. However, these were not necessarily the amounts paid by the franchise to the retained players. So a team that kept four players went into the auction with only $4.5 million to spend.”There were some franchises that did not retain any players, but still ended up paying more money [for four players in the auction] than a franchise that retained four players and paid just half the salary cap,” a franchise official said. “In fact these teams [which retained players] obviously paid more money although that was never made public. So that was a perfect way for teams to go to an auction with half the purse and also circumvent the salary cap.”Not all franchises were in agreement about the ‘right to match’ card, though. “It works for teams where players are asking for a big price [to be retained],” an official who did not agree with the concept said. He felt it was unfair that a franchise, which had not participated in the bidding for a player, could walk away with that player only because of a ‘right to match’ card, when there were other teams actively involved in the bidding. “If two franchises are locked in a bid to buy a player and then suddenly a third franchise comes and says he has the right to buy the player, you might end up paying more [in order to discourage teams from using the card].”The salary cap for the 2014 auction is likely to be Rs 600 million (approximately $10 million) and is likely to increase by 10% each year. For the first time, the purse in is Indian Rupees and not dollars. If a franchise chooses to retain five players, it is likely to lose Rs 125 million from the purse for the first player, Rs 95 million for the second, Rs 75 million for the third, Rs 55* million for the fourth and Rs 40 million for the fifth – a total of Rs 390 million, leaving them with Rs 210 million for bidding during the auction.It is not clear at the moment whether there is a restriction on the number of Indian or foreign players that can be retained. “There is nothing definitive,” a BCCI official said. “All five can be Indians or all five can be overseas. Or there could be a mix of both.”According to the official, a higher purse was unhelpful for the smaller teams, as they had lesser money to spend compared to sides like Mumbai Indians or Chennai Super Kings. With the 2014 purse likely to be capped at Rs 600 million, the playing field will be more level because that was the average expenditure of the smaller teams in terms of player payments and operation costs. The salary cap had been $12.5 million (approximately Rs 750 million at current exchange rates) in 2013.The contracts for players retained or signed at the 2014 auction are likely to be valid for three seasons, with the franchise holding the right to renewal at the start of each of season. The number of players in a squad is also likely to be reduced from 33 to 27, and the number of foreign players cut from 11 to nine per team. Another important change is that all Indian domestic players, who have either played first-class or List A cricket, will be eligible for sale at the auction. Previously only players who had played for India or played a certain number of games for their IPL teams could be auctioned.All these suggestions and recommendations will now be discussed by the IPL governing council, which has to ratify the changes for them to take effect. The Singapore meeting was the first gathering of IPL officials and franchises since the betting and spot-fixing scandal marred the 2013 season. Ravi Sawani, the head of BCCI’s anti-corruption unit, addressed the franchises and gave a presentation on the various corruption-related events in the past two IPLs. Sawani also spoke of the various measures his team would put in place to protect the integrity of both the players and the tournament.December 3, 2013, 05.50 GMT: This figure was earlier stated as 50 million

A round-up of the action from the Logan Cup 2011-12 matches

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2011Phil Mustard began his first-class stint with Mountaineers with a century to help set up an innings win against Southern Rocks in Mutare. Mustard – the Durham wicketkeeper who has played limited-overs matches for England – hit a 115-ball 105 to help his side to a healthy 467 along with his captain Timycen Maruma who made 149, enough to ensure they batted just once. When Rocks were bowled out for 207 on the penultimate day, they were 114 short of making the opposition bat again.Rocks collapsed to 146 on the first day to the Mountaineers seamers, led by Tendai Chatara’s 3 for 50. No.11 Taurai Muzarabani’s 24 was the top score of the innings. Mustard and Tino Mawoyo all but matched Rocks’ first-innings effort, adding 142 upfront. Mawoyo made 53 before he was run-out. Maruma ensured that his side never let go of the initiative. He added 199 with Prosper Utseya, who made 94. Faced with a huge deficit, Rocks only did marginally better than their first-innings effort. Roy Kaia managed 69, but he was the only batsman in his side to muster a fifty. Natsai Mushangwe was the most effective bowler, taking 3 for 65.Some solid batting from both sides ensured the Mid West Rhinos v Matabeleland Tuskers match, in Bulawayo, ended in a draw. The result keeps Tuskers at the top of the Logan Cup points table, while Rhinos are stuck at No. 4 – the second-to-last spot.Rhinos chose to bat and were set-up by a patient 197 from Riki Wessels. This was Wessels’ 10th first-class and highest score. Captain Gary Ballance got 62 to finish as the innings second-highest scorer, and declared with the score on 407 for 9. Glen Querl picked up his third five-for in as many first-class games, to finish with the best figures for Matabeleland.In their first innings, Matabeleland got 320 for 5 before declaring. Their innings was steered by half-centuries from Terry Duffin, Craig Ervine, Adam Wheater and Steven Trenchard. Tuskers, in a bid to force a result, score their second-innings runs at a quick pace – 4.78 runs an over. They looked in a bit of trouble at 49 for 4, but Wessels and Roland Benade both made unbeaten 80s to take them to 220 for four, declared.With a target of 308 in little over 50 overs, Matabeleland were set-back early. They lost Duffin for a duck, and then played out time for the draw.