Category Uncategorized

The ECB are shortly due to confirm the major match allocations for 2020-2024 which will also include the host venues for the new T20 tournament

George Dobell07-Feb-2018Hampshire look set to be one of the main beneficiaries when the ECB announce their major match allocation next week.They are expected to be awarded one of the most coveted games in the schedule – an Ashes Test in 2023. While the club hosted their first Test against Sri Lanka in 2011 and a second against India in 2014, the opportunity to host a Test against Australia would represent the culmination of many years’ work – and many millions of pounds of investment – for the club’s benefactor, Rod Bransgrove.While it is not anticipated that Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl ground will host any other Tests during the period, it is likely it will be given a couple of international T20 fixtures each year and confirmed as the base for one of the teams in the new T20 competition scheduled to start in 2020.The allocation – which will account for major matches staged in England and Wales from 2020 to 2024 – was originally scheduled to be announced on February 14, though it is possible that deadline could slide if the ECB board demand more explanation before ratification.

England fielding coach

The ECB is understood to have offered the job of fielding coach to the former Sussex batsman Carl Hopkinson. He is currently Sussex Academy coach.

There could also be good news for Lord’s in the allocation. While the reduction in England’s Test programme (they will play six Tests per summer from 2020 rather than seven as is the case at present) looked likely to harm them, confidence within the MCC remains high that they will continue to host two Tests a year. In summers where a team plays five Tests against England – a scenario that is currently only relevant to India and Australia – Lord’s would host one match in that series and a further Test against a side outside the ICC’s Test Championship. Lord’s is also likely to be confirmed as a host for a new team in the T20 competition.The other likely host venues for the new T20 competition are The Oval, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Cardiff, Manchester and Headingley though it is possible a few games will be played at other venues including Bristol and Durham.The remainder of the Tests will be split between England’s traditional Test grounds. With Durham no longer eligible to host Test cricket as part of a raft of penalties imposed on the club following their financial problems and Cardiff understood not to have applied to host any Test cricket during the period, the competition for the remaining three Ashes games will be limited to Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, The Oval, Old Trafford and Headingley.But with the ECB having altered the process by which games are allocated, it is the grounds with the largest capacity – The Oval, Old Trafford and Edgbaston – which are best placed to win the fight to host those Ashes Tests in 2023.Whereas clubs used to bid against one another – sometimes being seduced into over-spending in their desperation to host games – they now apply for packages of matches on the understanding that ticket sales (but not catering or hospitality revenues) will be shared with the ECB. For the most popular games, such as Ashes series, that revenue share is understood to be 50% of ticket sales.

Middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been ruled out of the fourth and fifth Tests against England with a finger injury

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-20161:01

Quick Facts: Manish Pandey

Middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been ruled out of the fourth and fifth Tests against England with a finger injury, while fast bowler Mohammed Shami is an uncertain starter for the Mumbai Test, beginning Thursday.Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey replaced Rahane in the squad, while Shardul Thakur was brought in as back-up for Shami, who has a sore knee. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is likely to be the first-choice replacement in the XI for Shami, while Karun Nair is likely to take Rahane’s place.Pandey and Thakur had to be pulled out of ongoing Ranji Trophy matches and flown to Mumbai. Pandey was playing against Maharashtra in Mohali, and Thakur against Punjab in Rajkot.The BCCI said Rahane had suffered “an avulsion fracture on his right index finger” after getting hit by a ball during a practice session on the eve of the Mumbai Test. He managed only 63 runs in five innings in this series. The board also said that Shami’s fitness was being monitored and a decision on his inclusion in the XI would be taken on the morning of the match.Shami has had trouble with his leg since the start of the series, when he was seen clutching his hamstring on the first day in Rajkot. The team management, however, said he was merely suffering from cramp and he continued to play the remainder of that Test and those that followed in Visakhapatnam and Mohali. Shami was especially potent with reverse-swing, taking 10 wickets at an average of 25.20.If Shami doesn’t make it, India are almost certain to play Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took a five-wicket haul in the last Test he played. That was why Kohli wasn’t too worried about Shami’s availability.”If you see, whoever has stepped in has given match-winning performances,” he said. “You speak about Bhuvi, he has come in at St Lucia once and in Kolkata once, and both times he has picked up five wickets, and he has been the match-winner for us. I am not worried because the guys sitting outside are waiting for opportunities. It is not like that they are not looking forward to playing, which is I think a great sign for the team and that is why whoever has played at any stage has given those performances for us. As I said they are pretty keen to step on to the field to grab the opportunity with both hands.”Pandey, Rahane’s replacement in the squad, had himself hurt his finger while playing a Ranji Trophy game in November. He returned to action last week, making 75 and 58 against Saurashtra. Thakur, meanwhile, has been a more consistent presence this season, claiming 13 wickets in six matches, including a six-wicket haul against Bengal last week. He had been picked in the 17-man squad for the four-Test tour of the West Indies in July-August, but did not get a game.

Shashank Manohar is set to be elected BCCI president unopposed on Sunday, replacing Jagmohan Dalmiya who died in Kolkata on September 20.

Nagraj Gollapudi and Amol Karhadkar03-Oct-20154:48

Ugra: BCCI’s legal wrangles the challenge for Manohar

Shashank Manohar is set to be elected BCCI president unopposed on Sunday, replacing Jagmohan Dalmiya who died in Kolkata on September 20. At 3 pm on Saturday, the deadline to file nominations, only Manohar’s name was filed as a candidate for the election that will be held during the special general meeting in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon.Manohar received backing from all the six members from East Zone – Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), National Cricket Club, Odisha Cricket Association, Jharkhand Cricket Association, Assam Cricket Association and Tripura Cricket Association. It is understood all six East Zone members nominated him, as it is the zone’s turn to nominate the president for the period till 2017. Soon after Dalmiya’s death, there was talk of the East camp wanting one of its own to stand for the elections, but there was no consensus, thus paving the way for Manohar.Confirming the East zone’s stand, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, representing the CAB, told the media at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai: “A lot of important people have led BCCI in the past and Manohar has also done it quite well. I am sure he will do a good job.”Dalmiya was the first BCCI president to die while in office, thus necessitating the unprecedented action of the board choosing a replacement at a special general meeting. This will be Manohar’s second stint as BCCI chief – he served as president between October 2008 and September 2011. He had first emerged as the consensus candidate when the ruling political party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party, backed him and opposed Sharad Pawar’s candidature.

Nasir Hossain was pleased to have reached his maiden Test century, after squandering a couple of chances late last year

Mohammad Isam in Galle11-Mar-2013Bangladesh finished their most productive innings in Test cricket with three centuries in Galle – the first time they had achieved that. Nasir Hossain was the last of the three centurions, but his performance was as important to the team as those of their captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Ashraful.Nasir scored 100 and helped Bangladesh pass Sri Lanka’s 570 for 4. His 106-run stand with Mushfiqur helped the captain worry less about the scoring rate as he approached his double-hundred, the first by a Bangladesh player. The pair batted at 3.87 runs per over, and by the time their stand ended, Bangladesh were dictating terms.Nasir also added 31 and 37 for the seventh and eighth wicket, with Sohag Gazi and Abul Hasan. His maiden century came on the back of scores of 96 and 94 in the last two Tests, against West Indies at home. On both occasions he was the ninth batsman out, though he spent just five and two balls in the nineties respectively in those two innings. So he took extra care this time, but he did offer a chance when his lofted on-drive just missed the fingers of mid-on. That shot took him from 90 to 94. He took only singles in the next ten deliveries to reach the milestone.”I am very happy that I could see it through this time,” Nasir told ESPNcricinfo. “It wasn’t a great feeling to be dismissed in the 90s. I got out just before tea in one of the innings, so it was really important that I got a hundred when I had another opportunity today.”Tamim bhai was telling me that you could have had three centuries if you had scored those hundreds. I was telling myself that yes, it could have been three hundreds on the trot. But everything happens for a reason.”During his short career of six Tests before this game, Nasir has had to curb his natural instincts by playing to the situation. Chief selector Akram Khan, after picking him for the first time in 2011, said that was Nasir’s strength.On this occasion, Nasir padded up on the third morning, when Mushfiqur and Ashraful got together, and sat like that for an entire day. On the fourth morning, he was called into action after 17 minutes, when Ashraful fell. Coming in to bat with the team on 444 for 5, it is easy to slip into a casual mindset. Nasir, however, made it a point to enjoy the challenge.”We have some very good batsmen in the top and middle order. I enjoy batting at this number. But it is not without its challenges,” he said. “I am presented with different situations every day. I sometimes have to face the second new ball, adjust between old and new balls and also sometimes I have to make runs quickly.”Nasir has bigger challenges to face this year and in the future. His biggest advantage is his ability to withstand pressure, and though it is just his seventh Test, such traits often help in the most difficult situations.

Runs from Gary Wilson and Ed Joyce combined with some tight bowling at the death helped Ireland sneak a two-run win over Kenya and wrap up the Twenty20 series 3-0

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2012
ScorecardRuns from Gary Wilson and Ed Joyce combined with some tight bowling at the death helped Ireland sneak a two-run win over Kenya and wrap up the Twenty20 series 3-0.With 13 balls of the innings remaining, Kenya had six wickets in hand and only 11 runs required for victory. But after Tanmay Mishra was dismissed for 37 off the final delivery of the 18th over, Ireland ruthlessly strangled the lower order. George Dockrell removed Ragheb Aga and conceded just four off his final over, leaving John Mooney to defend seven: he leaked four, and had Alex Obanda caught, to seal a nail-biting win.Kenya had failed to defend the same total in the first T20 on Wednesday but looked to be well set for a consolation victory at 59 for 2 in the 13th over. However, Boyd Rankin’s dismissal of Collins Obuya for 42 checked the hosts’ progress and despite a 35-run partnership between Mishra and Aga, Ireland held their nerve.The tourists’ effort had been built on solid middle-order contributions from Wilson and Joyce but they were the only Irishmen to reach double-figures on another spin-friendly pitch. Slow left-armer Shem Ngoche claimed his best T20 figures of 4 for 14 but in the end the 55-run stand between Wilson and Joyce provided the central plank of Ireland’s victory.

Lord MacLaurin, the former chairman of the ECB, has laid into the “crazy” schedule that England’s cricketers have been subjected to in Australia this winter, but believes it will have little bearing on their performance in the World Cup

Andrew Miller07-Feb-2011Lord MacLaurin, the former chairman of the ECB, has laid into the “crazy” schedule that England’s cricketers have been subjected to in Australia this winter, but believes that their 6-1 thrashing in the one-day leg of a four-month tour will have little bearing on their performance in the forthcoming World Cup.The England team arrives back in the UK on Tuesday afternoon, almost exactly a month after retaining the Ashes in style with an innings-and-83-run victory in the fifth and final Test at Sydney.At the time, the achievement was rightly hailed as one of the most meticulously planned successes in the history of English cricket, with the ECB’s planners and the team’s back-room staff earning as much credit for their efforts as the players themselves. However, in the wake of their one-day drubbing, the team’s welcoming committee is unlikely to be as rapturous as might have been the case in the immediate aftermath of the Test series.What is more, the players themselves are unlikely to be particularly high-spirited either, seeing as they will be reconvening at the airport on Saturday after just three days with their families, ahead of their departure for Dhaka and a further seven-week stint at the World Cup. England’s coach, Andy Flower, voiced his own frustration at the end of the Australia tour, and called for a greater say in the team’s future plans.”I think it’s a crazy itinerary,” Lord MacLaurin told ESPNcricinfo. “You are asking a load of guys to go out to Australia for 100 days, and concentrate on a Test series in which they did extraordinarily well, so I’m sure they would say that the one-day series is after the Lord Mayor’s show. Do you really want to go into seven ODIs when you’ve been at high-pitch Test cricket for a number of weeks, especially when they did supremely well?”During his tenure as the first chairman of ECB from 1997 to 2003, MacLaurin was credited with a number of initiatives that transformed the standing of English cricket, including the standardisation of the team’s uniform and a better presentation of the players when at home and on tour. In many ways, the 2010-11 Ashes was the ultimate statement of the team’s new-found professionalism – however, no-one has been able to legislate for an itinerary that has been designed to exhaust.On the morning after the series win in Sydney, the players were sent on a long-distance coach trip to Canberra to prepare for the ODI series, and amid an itinerary that included a further eight internal flights, they have succumbed to a host of injuries – the most recent of which is the broken finger that now jeopardises Eoin Morgan’s participation in the World Cup.”I think we’d all agree that the past seven matches have been a bit futile, and I don’t think anybody’s learnt too much about each other from that,” said MacLaurin. “The Ashes campaign was a magnificent effort from all concerned – it was very, very well planned and all credit to them – but I wouldn’t worry about the one-day defeat, to be quite honest with you. I think the team needs a bit of a break, and I think they will do reasonably well at the World Cup.”The situation mirrors that which England encountered in the winter of 1995-96, shortly before the start of MacLaurin’s tenure as ECB chairman, in which they went to an Asian World Cup on the back of a tiring Test series in South Africa and a subsequent 6-1 ODI defeat, and were humbled by Sri Lanka in a seminal quarter-final in Faisalabad.While MacLaurin maintained that, ultimately, the volume of international cricket was an ICC concern, he believed that the professionalism of the current squad was such that they would be more than capable of rising to their next challenge.”I think the whole thing is better managed these days,” said MacLaurin. “I don’t think anyone particularly wanted these seven matches, but I’m sure there’s a lot of steel in this side, a lot of determination, and a lot of very good leadership, and we probably didn’t have that all those years ago – in fact I’m sure we didn’t have it.”Mike Atherton, England’s captain during that 1996 campaign, reiterated MacLaurin’s faith in the current set-up. “This squad is better able to cope with the itinerary, because they have been very successful over the last two years,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Beating Australia in the Tests, actually hammering them, will give them a deep well of confidence going into the World Cup.”A pounding in the ODIs is not ideal, but they are better able to come back from that, for a number of reasons,” Atherton added. “They are far more experienced in the subcontinent than our squad was, and these days, they are playing a style of game all year round, in England and abroad, in which they go out and try to whack it from ball one. You just feel it’s not going to affect them as much as it would have done ten or so years ago.””I have huge confidence in the abilities of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower, and all those associated with the ECB,” added MacLaurin. “I’ve been vocal about one of two things about the ECB since I left office, but you have to give credit where credit is due, and the set-up there now is good, and to win the Ashes is a huge, huge achievement. I still think we might surprise a few people in the World Cup, and I wouldn’t take too much notice of this last 6-1.”

A round-up of the third day’s action in the fifth round of matches of the 2009-10 Regional Four-Day Competition

Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2010The final day at the Guyana National Stadium promises to be gripping after tournament leaders Jamaica and Combined Campuses & Colleges played out an engaging third day. From 37 for 2 Jamaica crashed to 164 to leave CCC a target of 206; by stumps they were 91 runs away at 115 for 4. Kavesh Kantasingh’s four wickets did most of the damage for Jamaica, who were indebted to Donovan Pagon’s second half-century of the match. Three wickets down the order to the legspinner Gavin Wallace further dented Jamaica, who failed to cash in on a first-innings lead of 41. CCC’s openers Omar Phillips and Jamal Smith put on 62 before Tamar Lambert, Jamaica’s captain, picked up 3 for 18 from 16 overs. The match remained interestingly poised with CC captain Floyd Reifer’s presence on 25.Omari Banks continued to be the main player for Leeward Islands against Windward Islands at the Bourda. After snaring a career-best seven-wicket haul on day two, Banks hit a half-century to help Leewards reach a poor score of 198. With a lead of 143 overnight, Leewards – yet to win a game this season – collapsed in 63 overs. Banks’ 93-ball 57 was crucial and he added 82 for the fifth wicket with his captain Steve Liburd (48). The other men to reach double digits were Kieran Powell (29), Mali Richards (20) and Montcin Hodge (19) as Nelon Pascal and Rawl Lewis shared the spoils. Pascal picked up 4 for 4 and the veteran Lewis 3 for 39. That helped set Windwards a target of 320 and they were 128 for 4 at the close with
Andre Fletcher (46) and Pascal (11), sent in as nightwatchman, at the crease.Barbados remained on top of Guyana at the Albion Sports Complex despite a fightback from the hosts on day three. Guyana, chasing 329 to win, were 59 for 3 at stumps to give Barbados hopes of their third win of the season. Devendra Bishoo’s 5 for 45 – making it ten in the match – was followed by a declaration with Barbados 154 for 9; soon afterwards Guyana lost three wickets for 18 runs. Tino Best, who picked up six wickets earlier in the day, struck first when he dismissed the struggling Guyana captain Sewnarine Chattergoon caught at square leg for 20. Sulieman Benn and Pedro Collins then struck as Guyana fell from 35 for 0 to 53 for 3.Guyana had resumed play on 189 for 7 and were bowled out for 229 to give Barbados a lead of 174, with Best in good form with 6 for 65 and Ryan Hinds claiming 3 for 49. Barbados’ decision not to enforce the follow-on surprised many and there was not much to speak of from the batsmen apart from a cameo 36 from Veerasammy Permaul. Bishoo’s five game him match figures of 10 for 120, the first such instance in his career, and Chattergoon brought himself on and bowled 28 consecutive overs either side of lunch for figures of 2 for 35.

The ICC match referee is believed to have said to Pakistan that he was merely the messenger of India’s decision not to shake hands on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2025Andy Pycroft, the ICC match referee at the centre of the controversy that nearly derailed the 2025 Asia Cup, was told only minutes before the toss of the India-Pakistan match on September 14 that the two captains were not to shake hands.At that moment, he believed he was conveying the message rather than issuing instructions. Pycroft was subsequently the subject of a complaint made by the PCB, which accused him of breaching ICC codes as well as the spirit of cricket, and demanded his removal from the tournament.Details have begun to emerge of the frenzied nature of events between the two Pakistan games on September 14 and 17. The controversy was sparked, according to an official, “four minutes before the toss” in Sunday’s game between India and Pakistan. As Pycroft walked on to the field, he was told by the ACC venue manager that the BCCI had communicated – with the Indian government’s approval – that there would be no handshake between the captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha.Related

• BCCI lodges complaint with ICC against Farhan and Rauf

• Pycroft to stand as match referee in India vs Pakistan Super Fours game as well

• ICC says PCB breached protocol, objects to apology video

• The Pakcroft drama: everything, everywhere, all at once

• PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised

PCB officials argued that Pycroft should have alerted the ICC about this unusual request; Pycroft is believed to have said he did not have time to do so. With enough time, he would have consulted the ICC. Instead, moments before the toss, he told Agha of the situation in the belief he was avoiding a potentially embarrassing public moment if Agha went to shake hands with Suryakumar only to be snubbed.Pycroft’s decision has not been seen by the ICC at any point as a breach of any code of conduct but as an action he was authorised to take in his remit as a match official deputed to manage the game.The issue came to a head on Wednesday with uncertainty swirling around Pakistan’s must-win game against UAE and the PCB threatening to pull out of the tournament if Pycroft, who was rostered for the game, wasn’t reassigned. The match eventually went ahead after an hour’s delay following a hastily arranged, clear-the-air meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team hierarchy.The PCB subsequently claimed in a statement that Pycroft had “apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team”, though sources familiar with the situation maintain it was not an apology, but an “expression of regret over the misunderstanding and miscommunication” around the incident.

PCB vs ICC

The PCB had sent an official complaint to the ICC’s general manager of cricket Wasim Khan between Sunday night and Monday morning after Pakistan’s defeat to India. In it, the board spelt out the sequence of events before the toss and accused Pycroft of misconduct, saying it was alarmed “to note that an ICC-appointed and supposedly neutral match referee opted to indulge in conduct which clearly violates the spirit of cricket and MCC laws”.The PCB said Pycroft “failed to discharge his responsibility to ensure that respect was extended and maintained amongst the captains as well as between the two competing sides, and to create a positive atmosphere by his conduct and encourage the captains and participating teams to do likewise”. It called for his immediate withdrawal from the Asia Cup.In its first response on September 15, the ICC told the PCB it had “carefully investigated” the complaint, but “concluded” there was “no case to answer on the part of Mr Pycroft” and he was “not at fault” in any way. In its review, the ICC had spoken to Pycroft, the other match and tournament officials, and the tournament director Andrew Russell.Pakistan captain Salman Agha and team manager Naved Akram Cheema had met with Andy Pycroft before the game against UAE•AFP/Getty Images

The ICC explained that Pycroft’s communication to Agha not to shake hands was “following clear direction” from the ACC venue manager. Having received the message at such “short notice”, Pycroft, the ICC said, had dealt with the situation professionally. “In acting as he did, the match referee was committed to preserving the sanctity of the toss and avoiding any potential embarrassment that might have arisen.”The ICC said the match referee’s role was not to “regulate any team- or tournament-specific protocol that has been agreed outside of the area of play” and that the “real issue” was the handshake not taking place, which was a “matter” to be addressed and resolved by the tournament organiser and “those who took the actual decision”.The ICC’s email to the PCB also stated that changing match officials at the “request or insistence” of a participating country would set an “extremely dangerous and unfortunate precedent”.The PCB then expressed “disappointment” at the ICC’s decision to absolve Pycroft, pointing to “glaring discrepancies”. The board said the ICC had failed to seek out “complete evidence/version of events” from witnesses that had “actually seen” what it described as Pycroft’s “offensive conduct”. The PCB said the ICC had not spoken to Agha or the team management during its probe, which it called a “one-sided process”.The PCB questioned how a match referee could be only a “messenger” and convey directives that violated the spirit of cricket. Pycroft, the PCB said, should have offered an “unequivocal refusal” when he was asked to tell Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar. In a separate email on Wednesday, the ICC said the PCB had every opportunity to “provide any supporting documentation or evidence” to back their case against Pycroft, but none had been received.

The events before the delayed start

During this back and forth with the ICC, the PCB raised the prospect of withdrawing from the Asia Cup, saying the Pakistan government had advised it to do so if Pycroft was not removed.The PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is the country’s interior minister, a senior figure in the government.A tense stalemate ensued, with the Pakistan team training on Tuesday evening ahead of their game against UAE but cancelling the pre-match press conference. On Wednesday, after a flurry of emails in the morning, a video call was arranged early afternoon Dubai time between senior ICC officials, their counterparts from the PCB and the Emirates Cricket Board. The ICC offered the PCB an opportunity to talk through its case and arguments but both sides stood their ground: the PCB continued to call for Pycroft’s removal, the ICC insisted he hadn’t breached any rules.PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi gave the Pakistan team clearance to continue their Asia Cup campaign•Associated Press

Around 4pm Dubai time, two hours before the scheduled toss, another video call was arranged between the same people. It again began with both sides unrelenting. Around this time, the Pakistan players were told to remain at the hotel and not go to the ground, having originally been scheduled to leave at 4.30pm. This was the first time the world outside discovered how serious the situation was. With time running out, it was on this call that Wasim Khan and ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta are believed to have suggested a meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team. PCB officials, keen on the idea, took it to Naqvi, who was consulting with former board heads Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja on the matter. He agreed, the ICC was told, and the Pakistan team left for the stadium at 5.40pm Dubai time.

Miscommunication and misunderstanding

The players arrived at Dubai International Stadium half an hour before the rescheduled toss at 7pm local time, and Pycroft immediately met with Agha, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson and team manager Naved Akram Cheema in a room with Wasim Khan also present. Pycroft is believed to have begun the conversation by asking the Pakistan participants about their precise grievances. In response, he explained to them why he acted the way he did, that he was merely the messenger rather than the man responsible for the no-handshake directive.He expressed regret for the “miscommunication and misunderstanding” around the situation and, in particular, for Agha to find himself in such a situation moments before a big game. It was here that Pycroft explained his worry that not telling Agha and letting him go to shake hands with Suryakumar would have been more problematic.Soon after the meeting, the PCB released a statement claiming Pycroft had apologised. The ICC is believed to have been unhappy about it and the idea of a response “clarifying” the situation was discussed, though it isn’t certain whether one will be made. The PCB also released a short video of the meeting despite concerns raised during the meeting about such a video being recorded. It was eventually allowed on the condition that no audio be recorded.The PCB also said the ICC had “expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match”. The prospects of that remain slim, not least because it isn’t clear what the inquiry would focus on, given the ICC has repeatedly asserted to the PCB that there was no misconduct on Pycroft’s part.

“It’s more [about] getting used to the tactical side of it. I haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last couple of years”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-20240:54

Starc: ‘Taken me longer than I would’ve liked to get back into rhythm’

Until Sunday evening, Mitchell Starc had only two wickets across four IPL matches this season, while averaging 77 with an economy rate of 11. That after he became the most expensive player ever in the IPL, in the last auction, with a salary of INR 24.75 crore. But Starc turned his form around with 3 for 28 against Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens, as Kolkata Knight Riders eventually dominated the chase of 162 for an eight-wicket win.”I don’t read anything, so that doesn’t bother me,” he said after the match about the expectations and the noise around him.Starc returned to the IPL this year for the first time since 2015, and since the T20 World Cup in 2022, he had played just two T20s in one-and-a-half years before coming to India for the ongoing tournament. Starc admitted that he was still getting used to the “tactical side” of the shortest format.Related

• Aussies at the IPL 2024: Starc sizzles, Marsh flies home, Fraser-McGurk fires

• The constant and universal appeal of Mitchell Starc

• Phil Salt and Mitchell Starc headline KKR's thumping win

“It’s T20 cricket; for the guys who have played a lot of Test cricket, this is definitely a lot easier physically,” he said. “It’s more [about] getting used to the tactical side of it. I haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last couple of years, so it has probably taken me a little bit longer than I would have liked to get back into the rhythm of things and make a better impact. So today was nice in that regard.”Against LSG, Starc bowled three overs in the powerplay, and conceded 23 as he was hit for four fours. But that spell also included eight dots and the wicket of Deepak Hooda. When brought back to bowl the last over, Starc gave away just six runs, and struck twice. On the first ball he had Nicholas Pooran, LSG’s best batter this season, for 45. And on the last ball, he swung one back into Arshad Khan and cleaned him up.The next T20 World Cup begins just six days after the IPL ends on May 26 in Chennai. As every team plays 14 league matches while travelling around the country in the IPL, Starc said games coming in thick and fast is “a feature of T20 cricket”, and he can look after his workload even with the World Cup looming.”I’m 34, so I’m pretty good with my workloads”, he said. “I’ve been doing this [for] a long time. We play again on Tuesday, and I think that’s a feature of T20 cricket. Whether you have a good day or a bad day, games come around so quickly that you can’t really think about what’s been; you quickly focus on the next game.”

The lowdown on Adani Sportsline and Capri Global, who own teams based out of Ahmedabad and Lucknow

Vishal Dikshit25-Jan-20232:43

WPL: BCCI rakes in big money on historic day

Following the sale of five Women’s Premier League (WPL) teams on Wednesday, there are two new players on the franchise cricket market in India. Here is the scoop on both of them.

Adani Sportsline

Adani Sportsline is the sports arm of the Adani Group, an Ahmedabad-based conglomerate. They have been trying to get their hands on an IPL team for a while, and now that they have, they wasted no time in picking a name: Gujarat Giants.Adani offered more money than anyone – INR 1289 crore (US$ 158 million approx.) – at the WPL auction and will base their team out of Ahmedabad, which houses the Narendra Modi Stadium which can seat over 100,000 people.They had bid for one of the two new men’s IPL teams in 2021 as well, when the BCCI expanded the tournament from eight to ten teams, but weren’t successful.Founded in 2019, Adani Sportsline already owns two cricket franchises: Gulf Giants in the ILT20 which kicked off this year in the UAE, and Gujarat Giants in Legends League Cricket (LLC), a competition running for two seasons and played between former players.Related

• England national coach Jon Lewis appointed head coach of WPL team UP Warriorz

• Mithali Raj roped in as mentor and advisor of WPL team Gujarat Giants

• Owners of Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, RCB win bids to own Women's Premier League teams

Gulf Giants are led by England batter James Vince and coached by former Zimbabwe captain and England coach Andy Flower. Gujarat Giants were captained by Virender Sehwag and included big-name players such as Chris Gayle, Daniel Vettori and Graeme Swann.”The Indian women’s cricket team has been doing exceptionally well – and a cricket league for women is a significant step in creating more opportunities for women through sports,” Pranav Adani, director of Adani Enterprises, said in a statement on Wednesday after their winning bid. “Cricket is an inseparable part of the country’s fabric and Adani Sportsline was keen to begin their association with the sport with the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League.Adani Sportsline has also forayed into kabaddi, boxing and kho-kho all under the name Gujarat Giants with plenty of success. Their kabaddi team finished runners-up in the Pro-Kabaddi League in 2017 and 2018. Their boxing team won the inaugural Big Bout Boxing League in 2019 with some of the top boxers from India such as Amit Panghal. Their kho-kho team topped the table in the Ultimate Kho-Kho League in 2022 but lost in Qualifier 2.9:43

Moonda: WPL a game-changer for unearthing the depth of Indian cricket

Capri Global

Capri Global Holdings is part of Capri Loans, an India-based NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company), which spent INR 757 crore ($92.85 million approx.) on Wednesday for the cheapest women’s franchise in the WPL. They will be based out of Lucknow, which also has a fairly new cricket stadium and can host nearly 50,000 people.Like Adani, Capri already owns a cricket team and a kho-kho team. Their cricket team in the ILT20 is called Sharjah Warriors, who were initially captained by England’s Moeen Ali before he had to leave on national duty.Capri Global Group, which owns a number of subsidiaries, has a net worth of around INR 5400 crore ($700 million approx.) and is a listed company on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. They were part of the auction for the two new men’s IPL teams a couple of years ago but were unsuccessful. But despite the setback, Capri continued their efforts to break into the lucrative franchise cricket space.”Capri Global’s association with WPL has been strategic in achieving our vision of encouraging sports across all strata and genders and establishing a deeper connect with our stakeholders and customers,” Rajesh Sharma, managing director, Capri Global, said. “We believe cricket is the most natural route to further that vision given its history in India.”Capri’s kho-kho team is called Rajasthan Warriors, which finished last among six teams in 2022. They also have a minor presence in kabaddi, as one of the sponsors of the Bengal Warriors since last October.