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Andrew Strauss has described England’s defeat against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi as among the most painful of his career

George Dobell in Abu Dhabi28-Jan-2012Andrew Strauss has described England’s defeat against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi as among the most painful of his career.Strauss, the England captain, top scored with 32 as his side was dismissed for 72 in pursuit of a target of 145. It was England’s lowest total against Pakistan and only the second time they failed to chase a target of under 150 in the fourth innings in more than a century. The result condemned them to their first series defeat since losing in the West Indies in 2009 and jeopardised their reign as the world’s No. 1 Test team. If England fail to win the final Test and South Africa inflict a 3-0 defeat upon New Zealand, then South Africa will usurp England.To make the defeat all the more galling, England had several opportunities to win. Not only was their target modest but, had Kevin Pietersen hit the stumps with a simple throw on day three to run out Asad Shafiq, Pakistan’s key second-innings partnership would have been ended. In the context of a low-scoring game, the extra 49 runs the pair added were vital.”It is a struggle to think of a loss that has hurt more than this,” Strauss said. “It’s bitterly disappointing to lose a game you should have won. These are the games that hurt the most, because you feel like you’ve done everything you can to win the game – and then you aren’t able to nail the final nail in the coffin.Strauss’ disappointment was increased by the sense that England had failed a significant challenge. Winning in Asian conditions remains the Holy Grail for England and, after the success of the last couple of years, they felt they had an excellent opportunity on this tour. He was, however, frank when assessing where England had gone wrong.Andrew Strauss was one of two batsmen to make it past single digits in England’s second innings•AFP

“I said at the start of this tour, this is the final frontier,” Strauss said. “England teams haven’t done very well out here [in Asia] in the past. We felt like we had a great chance to win this series, but I think the fact that we got rolled over twice in Dubai meant that there was some baggage there going into this final innings. Test
cricket is hard and it exposes any vulnerability or weaknesses you have.”As a batting unit we have to hold our hands up and say we haven’t done well enough. We have been rolled over three times in four innings this series. There are no excuses – we need to be better than that.”We just didn’t play well enough, individually or collectively. Individually we’ve not been clear enough in our game plans against spin, we’ve not been clear enough in our methods of where our scoring areas are, and we’ve allowed pressure to build.”Strauss admitted that England’s cautious approach might have contributed to the defeat. England were almost strokeless at times, with Alastair Cook labouring for 15 overs for his seven runs.”It is easy to get caught between two stools,” Strauss said. “You don’t know whether to be patient or to take the bull by the horns. There is always a balance to strike between attack and defence and ultimately we didn’t do it right. I’m a strong believer that players should play their natural game in positions like this, but it was a bit unfortunate that our attacking players were out very quickly.”Strauss was also keen to credit Pakistan for their performance. “It’s very important in circumstances like this, and particularly after this game, to give a lot of credit to Pakistan,” he said. “They were outstanding. They’ve been a good, close-knit unit – and they’ve got some very good spin bowlers. Ultimately, they’ve played better cricket than we did.”

Growing differences between Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif appear to have given rise to the acknowledgment that wrongdoing was committed

Osman Samiuddin in Doha10-Jan-2011Growing differences between Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif in the spot-fixing hearings in Doha, Qatar appear to have given rise to the acknowledgment that wrongdoing was committed during the Lord’s Test last summer, but that complicity in the act and blame for it have not yet been settled.The pair, along with Mohammad Amir, have pleaded not guilty to charges of bowling deliberate no-balls in the fourth Test against England, allegedly at the behest of player-agent Mazhar Majeed. But on day five of the hearing, during which Asif presented his defence and was then cross-examined by ICC lawyers, the explanations of why a no-ball was bowled suggest that it was the result of a direct or indirect instruction from Butt.It has slowly become clear over the course of the hearing that the equation between how Butt and Asif defended themselves in particular was going to be pivotal in the case. In his opening statement, Asif is believed to have said that the no-ball came about because of the extra effort required to bowl a faster ball as instructed by Butt, who was captain at the time.As a result, Butt was questioned by Asif’s lawyer, Alexander Cameron, during his defence earlier in the hearing; in turn, on Monday, Butt’s lawyer Yasin Patel questioned Asif. Amir on the other hand was not questioned by either of the other players’ lawyers.There is a suggestion that Butt wasn’t in the courtroom, on the 12th floor of the Qatar Financial Centre, during Asif’s questioning. As has been the case through the week, the players arrived separately; Asif was the first to do so and the last to leave.Given that the possibility of deliberate wrongdoing is strengthened through the interplay between Butt and Asif, the situation does not appear too bright for the players. The probability that the ICC, which is keen to establish its credentials as a body with zero tolerance for corruption, will push for harsh sanctions must be high. As Pakistan’s captain at the time, Butt faces the possibility of the sternest sanctions.He was under cross-examination for the longest period of the three players and one witness’ statements in particular are thought to have hurt his case. Equally, stern action against Asif and Amir cannot be discounted if guilt is established, even though the latter’s youth and unblemished disciplinary record might provide mitigating circumstances.After Asif’s cross-examination, the ICC began its closing statements. On Wednesday the players will deliver their closing statements. Thereafter the tribunal of Michael Beloff QC, Albie Sachs and Sharad Rao is expected to deliberate over the judgment. There is no indication yet whether a judgment and verdict will be made public on Tuesday or whether they decide to reserve the judgment till later.

George Bailey’s maiden one-day century and his astute use of the spinner Xavier Doherty kept Tasmania’s FR Cup season alive

Cricinfo staff13-Feb-2010Tasmania 5 for 264 (Bailey 112*, Cowan 53) beat Queensland 245 (Reardon 79, Doherty 4-28) by 19 runs

ScorecardGeorge Bailey’s century set up Tasmania’s win•Getty Images

The captain George Bailey’s maiden one-day century and his astute use of the spinner Xavier Doherty kept Tasmania’s FR Cup season alive with a 19-run win over Queensland. Bailey scored 112 as the hosts reached 5 for 264 and then opened with Doherty, the left-arm orthodox, who finished with 4 for 28 off 10 overs.Nathan Reardon’s 79, which included three sixes and took 84 balls, and 36 to Craig Philipson gave the Bulls hope, but Doherty proved too much of an obstacle and they were dismissed for 245. The result left a jammed table, with the leaders Queensland on 21 points with Victoria, Tasmania one behind in third, and the bottom-placed South Australia on 17. All the sides have one match remaining to determine who progresses to the final on February 28.With 66 needed off the last 10 overs, Queensland took the Powerplay and soon lost the crucial wicket of Reardon to a fine run-out from Bailey, who hit the stumps from cover. In the next over Chris Simpson fell without scoring when he found deep square leg off Doherty.Calling the spinner for the PowerPlay was as brave as opening with him, and Doherty was soon celebrating again when he bowled Ben Cutting. The game was effectively over when Philipson was caught by a diving Michael Dighton at backward point in the 48th over.Doherty started the second innings and the ploy worked after four balls when he had Ryan Broad lbw. Chris Hartley was also undone by a spinner, falling to Jason Krejza on 41, and the Bulls were in more difficulty at 4 for 141 when Chris Lynn became Doherty’s second victim.Tasmania’s innings began cautiously but picked up after Bailey joined Ed Cowan when the hosts were 2 for 43. Cowan left with a measured 53 and Bailey really picked up the tempo late in the innings when joined by Dan Marsh (24 off 25) and Krejza (32 off 22).Bailey’s hundred came up with a six flicked off his toes from Cutting, who was unfortunate to give up 17 in his last over, while he also gained eight fours during his 108-ball innings. His use of Doherty and a vital run-out added to the captain’s fine day.

Travis Head returns to add more batting power but South Africa are able to call on Kagiso Rabada

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-20252:34

The best of Cameron Green from the West Indies series

Big Picture: International cricket returns to Darwin

There was a little more riding on the outcome when these two teams met a couple of months ago at Lord’s, where South Africa wrote a new chapter in their history by claiming the World Test Championship title. This series is very much a stepping stone to the next global tournament: February’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Both sides are in T20 mode. Australia have recently completed a 5-0 sweep of West Indies where their batting power stood out – and it’s been strengthened further for this series by the return of Travis Head – while South Africa were part of a tri-series in Zimbabwe where they fell short in the final against New Zealand with an experimental side.Related

• Rabada ruled out of Australia ODI series with ankle inflammation

• Rickelton 'won't change' approach as he looks to make T20I opening spot his own

• Should Nathan Ellis be a first-choice Australia T20I bowler?

• Rabada excited by the new generation of South African players

A few key names have returned for this trip, notably captain Aiden Markram and pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, but it also continues to be an exploration of South Africa’s depth and potential options ahead of the World Cup alongside getting further games into the likes of Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka.”Zimbabwe [T20I tri-series] was a valuable exercise and we obviously want to build on the good things in particular the form of our two young batters and someone like Kwena as well to continue to grow his stocks in T20 cricket,” coach Shukri Conrad said.Australia are staggering the return of their all-format quicks with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc continuing to rest ahead of the home summer, while Josh Hazlewood is back, although he is likely to have his workload managed. However, Nathan Ellis’ performances are raising the question as to whether it’s time to permanently split up the big three in this format.The other significant aspect of the opening matches of this series is that it sees a return of international cricket to Darwin in Australia’s Top End for the first time since 2008, when Bangladesh were the visitors. The opening match is a sellout with the second on Tuesday heading that way, too. The city is a likely host of a Test match against Bangladesh next year as Australia’s home season extends into the northern summer.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW
South Africa LLWLW

In the spotlight: Mitchell Marsh and Dewald Brevis

Australia’s batting order came together impressively in the West Indies, but captain Mitchell Marsh was the one player to not make a significant contribution, with 81 runs in five innings. It won’t be a major concern with plenty of T20Is ahead for Marsh to hit his stride – and he’s locked in at the top alongside Head – but it would be an unwanted distraction should Marsh remain short of runs, especially given the plethora of top-order options available.South Africa have clearly earmarked Dewald Brevis as a likely World Cup player in the middle order•SA20

There were some promising signs for Dewald Brevis in the Zimbabwe tri-series as he finished as South Africa’s leading run-scorer with 133 at a strike rate 187.32, although he couldn’t quite see them home in the final. Those were Brevis’ first T20Is since his debut, which came against Australia in 2023, a year after he flayed an astonishing 162 off 57 balls in the domestic one-day competition. South Africa have clearly earmarked him as a likely World Cup player in the middle order.

Team news: Hazlewood likely to return, Pretorius may miss out

Matt Short continues his recovery from the side strain he picked up in the West Indies, and will miss the first two games of the series which partly eases the batting squeeze for now. Marsh confirmed he and Head would open – and are set to be the duo for the World Cup – which will see Glenn Maxwell return to the middle order and Mitchell Owen potentially being as low as No. 7. Hazlewood will strengthen the pace attack, although he may not play every match. Matt Kuhnemann is part of the squad should an extra spinner be needed.Australia (possible): 1 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Cameron Green, 5 Tim David, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Mitchell Owen, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodSouth Africa’s top order is bolstered by the return of Markram and Ryan Rickelton, which may see 19-year Pretorius squeezed out of the XI. Left-arm spinner George Linde took on an allrounder’s role at No. 6 in Zimbabwe and could continue in that capacity.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 George Linde, 7 Prenelan Subrayen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi NgidiMitchell Owen could bat as low at No. 7•AFP via Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

Given Darwin is effectively starting again as an international venue after such a long gap, there is some uncertainty over what the conditions will be like, although there shouldn’t be anything untoward in the surface. The forecast, for both matches, is good with mild, dry evenings.

Stats and trivia

• The last time Darwin hosted an international, Australia were captained by Michael Clarke.
• These two teams have not met in T20Is since 2023, when Australia came out 3-0 winners in South Africa.
• Maxwell needs four wickets to reach 50 in T20Is. He will become just the fourth men’s player to score 2500 runs and take 50 wickets in the format.
• Since the start of 2024, Australia have the highest batting strike rate in T20Is.

Quotes

“They’ve some young guys that have, I guess, burst onto the scene over the last couple of years. That’s always exciting for international cricket, and provides us with a different challenge, but certainly looking forward to coming up against them.”
.”You can see these guys are raring to go. It’s great having the experience back – Aiden’s leadership and then obviously the leadership roles that someone like Kagiso plays. So, really excited about this next couple of weeks. We know it’s going to be a great challenge.”
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The table toppers will fancy their chances against a Mumbai attack that, barring Jasprit Bumrah, has largely looked toothless

Srinidhi Ramanujam21-Apr-20243:33

How can Mumbai address their bowling issues?

Match details

Rajasthan Royals (P7 W6 L1; 1st) vs Mumbai Indians (P7 W3 L4; 7th)
Jaipur, 1930 IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture – Mumbai bowlers need to chip in

After losing three games in a row, Mumbai Indians bounced back with three wins in their next four matches. However come Monday, against the high-flying Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance alone might not be enough to guarantee a win.Table-toppers Royals have won six of their seven games with Sanju Samson (276 at a strike rate of 155.05), Riyan Parag (318 at 161.42) and Jos Buttler (250 at 147.92) contributing 844 runs. Up against a strong batting side, Mumbai will need other bowlers to chip in as well if they are to move up in the points table from sixth position.For the visitors, Bumrah has led the attack with 13 wickets at an economy rate of 5.96. Their new-recruit Gerald Coetzee has been inconsistent in this IPL, but he stepped up against a spirited Punjab Kings with 3 for 32. Though guilty of leaking 9.92 runs per over in his first IPL season, he has accounted for 12 wickets in seven games, joint-second in the wicket charts.Related

• When Head and Abhishek caused carnage at Kotla

• 125 in 6 overs: Head and Sunrisers shatter T20 powerplay records

• IPL 2024, a turbo-charged, batter-dominated season like no other

• Bumrah: 'You want to make an impact early on when the ball does something'

However, barring the two seamers, Mumbai’s bowling has disappointing. Their overall economy of 10.11 is the third worst among the teams and they average 31.67 with the ball.Hardik Pandya and Akash Madhwal bowled in five games, both conceding more than 11 runs an over for a combined nine wickets. Shreyas Gopal replaced Piyush Chawla in the spin department, but has not found his feet yet. The under-utilisation of Mohammed Nabi has also hurt Mumbai – the Afghan spinner has bowled just six overs in four matches, with no wickets to show.On paper, Royals start as favourites and would look to end their final game in Jaipur on a high.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals WWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)Mumbai Indians WLWWL

Previous meeting

Earlier in the competition, Royals beat Mumbai by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in a low-scoring game. Trent Boult’s 3 for 22 rattled Mumbai and they were restricted to 125 for 9. In reply, Parag’s unbeaten 54 off 39 helped Royals chase down the target inside 16 overs.

Team news and impact player strategy

Rajasthan Royals
One of Yashasvi Jaiswal or Jos Buttler will sub out when the team is bowling, with seamer Kuldeep Sen coming in as an impact player. It is still not clear if Sandeep Sharma will be available for the game.Probable XII 1 , 2 , 12 Yuzvendra Chahal.Mumbai Indians
Since Suryakumar Yadav’s comeback from injury, he has been used as an impact sub, with seamer Akash Madhwal replacing him when the team bowls. Mumbai could continue with the same approach in Jaipur also.Probable XII 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 , 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Tim David, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Gerald Coetzee, 12 2:51

Do the results justify Ashwin’s promotion in the batting order?

In the spotlight – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Gerald Coetzee

Yashasvi Jaiswal had an impressive season in the IPL last year, scoring 625 runs at an average of 48.07 and a strike rate of 163.61. More than half of those runs came inside the powerplay where he scored 361 runs. However, in this IPL, he has been going through a lean patch, having scored 121 runs at an average of 17.28 and a strike rate of 145.78. Though Parag, Samson and Buttler have shouldered the bulk of the responsibility in batting, Royals would hope Jaiswal gets his mojo back.Gerald Coetzee has ramped up his performance in the recent times, to be the second highest wicket-taker for Mumbai behind Bumrah, with 12 scalps. In an otherwise misfiring bowling unit, Mumbai will depend on him and Bumrah to keep Royals at bay.

Stats that matter

• Jaiswal has been dismissed six out of seven time inside the powerplay this IPL.
• Bumrah and Coetzee combinedly have taken a total of 25 wickets so far in IPL 2024.
• Parag has hit 20 sixes in seven innings, the most for a Royals batter.
• Buttler’s strike rate drops to 95.38 against Bumrah in IPL. The Mumbai fast bowler has dismissed him two out of eight times, for 62 runs off 65 balls.
• Yuzvendra Chahal has picked up a wicket in each of his seven matches. In Jaipur, he has seven wickets from four games thus far.
• Royals have the third-best average of 27.79 and second-best economy of 8.73 with the ball, behind Chennai Super Kings.

Pitch and conditions

Sawai Mansingh Stadium has hosted four games so far and when Royals had batted first in three of those, they posted scores of 193, 185, 196. It has been a batting-friendly venue with some assistance for spinners. The final game in Jaipur is also expected to be a high-scoring one.

Spin-bowling allrounder expected to play majority of 2023 Blast season

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2022Michael Bracewell has signed a contract with Worcestershire for the Vitality Blast, effectively replacing Moeen Ali in their T20 side.Moeen has joined Warwickshire on a three-year contract and his departure left a hole in Worcestershire’s top order for a left-handed batter and offspinner.Bracewell, the late-blooming allrounder who has made his New Zealand debuts in all three formats this year, has signed a contract that will see him play county cricket for the first time in the 2023 Blast.Worcestershire did not specify his availability but he is expected to be available for the majority of the tournament. He is likely to spend April and May in the subcontinent – either in Pakistan for a white-ball tour, or in India if he is picked in Friday’s IPL auction – with Worcestershire’s first Blast fixture on May 24.Alan Richardson, Worcestershire’s head coach, said: “It’s always good to have someone of his calibre, but the fact he is a true allrounder means we are really getting two players.”Michael’s international white-ball cricket record is outstanding, but he also has a very healthy first-class record and will offer great experience.”Bracewell will extend a recent relationship between Worcestershire and New Zealand players, with Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Martin Guptill, Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner among the Kiwis to have spent time at New Road in recent seasons.Worcestershire will hope he can play a part in reviving their T20 fortunes. They were champions in 2018 and losing finalists the following season but struggled badly in 2022, finishing rock-bottom with two wins in 14 group games.”I’m really looking forward to my first experience of the Blast, a competition in which Worcestershire [have] had a lot of success in recent times,” Bracewell said. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about Worcestershire from a lot of New Zealand players who have recently played there, and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to join up with the group next summer.”

Pandey, Gowtham, Kishan and Deepak Chahar also ruled out of the last two T20Is against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2021Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, K Gowtham, and Deepak Chahar are the eight players identified as close contacts of Krunal Pandya, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. Although all eight have tested negative for the virus, they have still been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka.The BCCI didn’t announce the names of the eight players in a media release sent out on Wednesday, but their identities became obvious once head coach Rahul Dravid told the host broadcasters that the Indians had been left with only 11 players to pick from in the main squad, and all 11 would be playing the second T20I, which had originally been scheduled to take place on Tuesday but had to be pushed back on account of the disruption caused by the pandemic.”It was felt medically that some of the guys who were his (Krunal’s) close contacts shouldn’t be participating in the series,” Dravid said. “We’ve got 11 to choose from, and all 11 are playing! Brilliant. (laughs)”Dravid, however, emphasised that he didn’t buy the arguments that India caps were being handed out easily, contending that anyone who came on tour with the team was there as potentially a part of the playing XI.”Truly I think when I look at the squad, and look at the 20 guys that have been selected here, each one of them has got here through sheer weight of performances,” he said. “It’s not easy in India, there are a lot of people playing cricket, there are lot of very good performances. People earn the right to come here. It’s not every time you’re going to be able to give every one of them a chance, but it’s really nice to be able to give as many as you can a chance if possible. Due to various reasons we’re probably able to do that this time.”They are earning their India caps. I don’t get that argument… what do you mean by ‘earning’ your India cap? Like I said, if you are selected in a team of 15, obviously with Covid now it’s become 20, you are selected keeping in mind that you may need to play in the XI at any given point of time. Could be because of injury or lack of form to any other player. So you’ve certainly earned the right to get that cap. It’s up to you to take the opportunity and you know, perform. I truly believe everyone who is here has earned it.”The Indian selectors also added the five reserve bowlers who had been taken to Sri Lanka into the main squad, upon request from the team management. The five reserve bowlers are Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, R Sai Kishore and Simarjeet Singh.The XI that took the field for India in the second T20I had six bowlers. Only five batters were available for selection with Bhuvneshwar Kumar slated at No.6. Dravid acknowledged that the balance of the team was compromised, but reiterated his faith in his men.”To be very honest, I don’t think there’s any need to be sorry for us,” Dravid said. “The squad’s great, like I said everyone deserves to be in the XI. Our balance might be a bit compromised this game, but it’s a Twenty20 game and I truly believe we have the quality to really put up a good show.”Question marks over Shaw and Suryakumar’s England trip
The development puts a question mark over whether the pair of Shaw and Suryakumar will be eligible to travel to England to join India’s Test squad. Both batters, who were added to the Test squad as replacements, were scheduled to fly out to the UK after the Sri Lanka series, which ends on Thursday with the third and final T20I. The BCCI stated that the entire Indian squad, out of of Krunal, had returned negative tests on Tuesday, but the eight close contacts of Krunal would “continue to remain in isolation” at the team hotel. How long the isolation period will be remains unclear.Recently Sri Lanka assistant coach Grant Flower and the team analyst who had both tested positive for Covid-19 upon returning from England tour had to isolate for 10 days. Those that had been identified as the pair’s close contacts had to isolate for a week.

Club will not hire new CEO after decline in profits, stress Hundred not determinant of financial success

Matt Roller04-Mar-2020Worcestershire have confirmed that they will play their first County Championship home game of the season at Kidderminster CC, with “unprecedented” levels of flooding leaving it impossible to stage the fixture at their New Road base.The county played two Championship games at Kidderminster last year after disruption due to floods, and after two more floods since the start of 2020, the first home fixture against Sussex has already been moved to the ground.Confirmation of the switch came in Worcestershire’s annual chairman’s report, in addition to the news that:

• The club is not looking to recruit a new chief executive to replace Matt Rawnsley
• There are “no excuses” for poor recent showings in the County Championship
• “Disappointing” commercial performance had necessitated a restructure
• There is no immediate intention to install floodlights at New Road, which is the only main county ground not to have them
• The club does not expect the £1.3 million guaranteed to each county by the ECB between 2020-24 to be supported by the Hundred alone

Hira, who was appointed chairman in September 2018, admitted that the increased regularity of floods at New Road was a “concern”, stating that since the end of October 2019, the ground has been under water for 62 days. He also cited the fact that since the start of the 20th century, there have been only three years in which the ground has flooded five times: 2007, 2012 and 2019.”Due to assistance from the ECB and our insurance policies, our results were not negatively impacted by flooding in 2019,” Hira wrote. “That said we cannot continue to rely upon others to assist us.”Our focus in the next year is to mitigate the losses of flooding by making sure our cellars, retail, disability access and museum are all above the flood plain.”The club is also anticipating an extension to the Graeme Hick Pavilion, but does not have plans to install floodlights. New Road is currently the only main county ground not to have floodlights after Taunton installed them ahead of the 2019 season, and their absence led to a farcical exit in the 2015 T20 Blast.ALSO READ: Worcestershire chief executive departs in unclear circumstancesThey had targeted an improved year commercially, but Hira confirmed that “regrettably these improvements did not occur”.Worcestershire recorded a statutory loss (before tax) of £89,000 in 2019, compared to a £124,000 profit in 2018, but after eliminating the impact of flooding, and the positive effects of on-field success in reaching T20 Blast Finals Day to compare like-for-like performance, the club estimated on an underlying basis “that for 2019, the loss increases to £492k which is a very sharp £627k decline in profitability compared to the 2018 results”.Chief executive Matt Rawnsley left the club without explanation in October 2019, and Hira’s “working assumption” is that he will not be replaced, with poor results leading to a decision to restructure with “more focussed, specific roles and responsibilities”.Worcestershire pose for their team photo on the only part of the outfield unaffected by floods in 2018•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

With regards to the Hundred, Hira stressed that he did not believe Worcestershire’s financial status was dependent on the new competition being successful.”One of the key slides I have seen from the ECB is the expectation that all formats of cricket will grow in 2020,” he wrote. “I hope that is the case but this needs to be supported by active marketing and promotion of all formats of the game.”I do not believe the Hundred is the determinant of financial success for cricket as it is portrayed, it is merely a possible contributor. The often sighted laudable aim is to open the sport up to new audiences. The new TV rights deal secured for 2020-24 at vastly higher levels than the previous agreement (a credit to the ECB) shows that the Hundred accounts for a relatively small component of secured TV revenues (<14%) – it is however pleasing that some cricket at least will be shown on terrestrial TV."The justification often mentioned when discussing the impact of the new Hundred competition is the additional income of £1.3m per year between 2020-24 which all first-class counties like ours are guaranteed to receive. The economics of The Hundred over this period (at least) will not support these levels of payments – it is unlikely to generate enough to pay each county £1.3m."Therefore cross-subsidisation is occurring through other income streams secured by the ECB (of which other TV rights accounts for 86% of revenues). My calculations indicate approximately 40% of these additional payments to counties are from other ECB income."The largest and most important component of income for the ECB and therefore for ourselves is currently through red-ball, Test cricket. To the purist, hopefully this supports the need and our desire to preserve this format of the game as well as the ongoing need to invest in county cricket."With regards to on-field performance, the report lauded Worcestershire's achievements in white-ball cricket – the club reached the quarter-finals of the One-Day Cup and only failed to retain their T20 Blast title on the last ball of the final – but stressed disappointment at their County Championship struggles.The club finished ninth in Division Two having targeted promotion, and have won only 23 of 74 games across the last five seasons."There are no excuses for 2019 performance but the path to achieving any goal is rarely linear and not immediate especially in sport," Hira wrote. "The Cricket Steering Group (CSG) led by Paul Pridgeon have reflected and been very self-critical."There have been changes and the expectation and hope is of improvement in the coming year."

All his deliveries on BPL debut were reported to be illegal

Mohammad Isam12-Jan-2019Two days after picking a hat-trick on his BPL debut, Dhaka Dynamites offspinner Aliss Islam is under the scanner for a suspect bowling action. No sooner than a few hours after the game, the Rangpur Riders team management realised that the 22-year old had a “faulty action.”According to the Bengali daily , all his deliveries in Thursday’s clash between Dhaka and Rangpur were found to be suspect.Aliss took the tournament’s third hat-trick by removing Mohammad Mithun, Mashrafe Mortaza and Farhad Reza. Then, he picked the key wicket of Rilee Rossouw, who made a 44-ball 83 to put Rangpur on top. Then, with Rangpur needing 14 off the last over, Aliss only conceded 11 to give Dhaka a two-run win over the defending champions.Jalal Yunus, head of BPL’s Technical Committee and BCB’s bowling action Review Committee, confirmed that the on-field umpires had reported Islam’s action to the BPL governing council. The 22-year old will have 14 days to report to the review committee.”He will have a test and if we find something, he will be off from all forms of cricket unless his action is corrected,” Yunus confirmed.In fact, Yunus had also revealed that he thought Islam’s action was suspect even when he played in the Dhaka First-Division League last year, but that he had rectified it.He is the third bowling to be reported in the BPL. In 2016, West Indies allrounder Kevon Cooper and Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny were reported for illegal actions.

Arindam Ghosh’s half-century helped Railways set a target of 94, following which Anureet Singh and Avinash Yadav ran through the Uttar Pradesh batting order

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2017Railways defended a target of 94, skittling Uttar Pradesh out for 72 on the third day in a come-from-behind win in their first-round match in Lucknow. It was the second-lowest fourth-innings defence in Ranji Trophy history.Anureet Singh and slow left-arm spinner Avinash Yadav reduced UP to 28 for 6 inside 11 overs, and left-arm pacer Deepak Bansal joined in to pick up two wickets – including that of UP captain Suresh Raina – as Railways wrapped up a sensational 21-run win.Railways began the third day 27 for 3 in their second innings, still trailing UP by 46 runs. Overnight batsmen Arindam Ghosh (57) and Vidhyadhar Kamath (30) added a further 69 runs in the morning, before Kartik Tyagi dismissed Kamath to end an 86-run fourth-wicket partnership. Abhishek Yadav (20) scored crucial runs after that, but the recovery was ended by Ankit Rajpoot and legspinner Zeeshan Ansari. Railways eventually folded for 161.UP’s top order faltered in their chase, with Avinash and Anureet removing both openers inside three overs. Himanshu Asnora fell in the fifth over, before Anureet trapped the next two batsmen lbw. By then UP were 28 for 6, staring at defeat. Raina top-scored with 29, and was seventh out with 45 still to get. Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 23, but received no support from the tail, and UP were all out in the 26th over. Avinash finished with a match tally of seven wickets, while Anureet ended the game with six. Barring Rinku and Raina, the other nine UP batsmen scored 15 between them, including four ducks.Delhi increased their advantage over Assam at Feroz Shah Kotla after fifties from Anuj Rawat (71) and Manan Sharma (69) helped the home side finish their first innings on 435 from an overnight score of 269 for 4. Delhi bowlers, led by Navdeep Saini’s brace, then took three top-order wickets before stumps as Assam were struggling at 60 for 3 at the end of day’s play. They trail by 117 runs.Gautam Gambhir could add only one run to his overnight score of 136 before he was bowled by Abu Nechim in the day’s second over. Pulkit Narang was the next man to go, but Rawat and Manan then put together 122 runs for the seventh wicket to take Delhi past the 400-run mark. Nechim returned once again to break the partnership, and then cleaned up the tail to finish with figures of 7 for 68, but by then Delhi had already taken a 177-run lead.Assam looked to wipe out that deficit in their second innings, but both openers fell cheaply to Saini. Kulwant Khejrolia then dismissed Assam captain Gokul Sharma – with the visitors at 26 for 3 – but Sibsankar Roy (28*) and Tarjinder Singh (8*) saw the day off with no further casualties.Meanwhile, for the third day in a row, there was no play possible in the match between Hyderabad and Maharashtra in Hyderabad.