Tag Futebol

The 17-man squad will be trimmed to 13 ahead of the series opener

Deivarayan Muthu04-Jun-2021Trinidad & Tobago fast bowler Jayden Seales has bolted into West Indies’ provisional squad for the forthcoming two-match Test series against South Africa in St Lucia. The 19-year-old’s only first-class match so far was for West Indies A in New Zealand last December, and in all, he has played only ten professional games at senior level.Seales was particularly impressive in the Team Hamilton vs Team Blackwood four-day intra-squad game more recently, taking 4 for 40 in the second innings, including the wickets of Shai Hope and Darren Bravo. He had first made an impression in the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa last year, claiming ten wickets in six matches at an average of 18.30 and economy rate of 3.89. He went on to bag a CPL deal with the Trinbago Knight Riders, who have retained him ahead of the upcoming season.Hope, Roston Chase, and Kieran Powell were also rewarded with spots in the 17-member squad. The trio was not part of the squad for the recent home Test series against Sri Lanka. Jahmar Hamilton is the second wicketkeeper in the group behind Joshua Da Silva.Hope’s last first-class game was the Manchester Test in July 2020, but in the intra-squad fixture, he scored 106, the highest score of the match.Chase, who missed out on a West Indies central contract last month, sparkled both with ball and bat. After taking four wickets in the first innings for Team Hamilton, Chase closed out a three-wicket win with an unbeaten 45 off 50 balls in the second. Powell, who top-scored with 95 in that innings, too, earned a recall, after having played the last of his 40 Tests in Bangladesh in 2018. He replaced John Campbell who had managed only 68 runs in four innings at an average of 17 against Sri Lanka.Related

• WI back to full training as players test negative

• Mayers, Bonner win WI contracts

• Test whites the ultimate dream for Seales

Seales bolsters the seam attack that already includes regulars – Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder and Kemar Roach, who is back from his stint with Surrey in county cricket. Roach brings with him strong form, having bagged a match haul of nine wickets in his most recent first-class game, at The Oval. As for Chemar Holder, he was unavailable for selection due to injury. Jomel Warrican will be assisted by Rakheem Cornwall and Chase in the spin attack.Marquino Mindley, who had recovered from Covid-19, will remain in St Lucia along with fellow seamers Keon Harding, Preston McSween and Nial Smith to “assist the Test squad with their preparations”, a Cricket West Indies media release said.The squad will be trimmed from 17 to 13 on June 7, three days before the tour opener at the Daren Sammy Stadium. The second – and final – Test of the series will be played at the same venue from June 18. This series will be the last in the inaugural cycle of the World Test Championship. West Indies are currently sixth on the table and their opponents South Africa are seventh.Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-capt), Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican

You could make the case that Smith has never had to work hard for his runs, yet while it has been the summer of Labuschagne he has been there when it matters

Andrew McGlashan in Sydney03-Jan-2020The crowd cheered and Steven Smith acknowledged them. But this was a landmark of a different sort. Smith had finally got off the mark.After 38 balls, he tucked a ball off the hip against his nemesis Neil Wagner and scampered through for such a sharp single that Marnus Labuschagne had to get the dive out. The SCG roared, Smith smiled, raised a sheepish glove in mock celebration and got a pat on the back from Wagner.”I actually had no idea he was on zero until the 38th ball. I actually thought we were rotating the strike quite well, which is quite funny,” Labuschagne said after the day’s play. “I came to the middle and though what was the carry on for, there’s a lot of noise, and he’s like ‘I’m on zero’ and I had no idea.”Runs have not come easily for Smith this season, the fluency of the Ashes rarely being on view except in the T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, with the series against New Zealand (strike rate 34.13) and the Test season (strike rate 36.23) of 2019-20 comfortably the slowest of his career. Since 2000, no Australia batsman who has faced more than 500 balls in a home season has scored slower than Smith.The tone was set by his two Sheffield Shield hundreds earlier in the summer which were valuable but grinding affairs on slow pitches, the second against Western Australia the slowest of his career. In the Tests against Pakistan he twice entered on the back of mountainous partnerships, playing around Yasir Shah in Brisbane and edging a swipe against Shaheen Afridi in Adelaide. There was little riding on those situations, but against New Zealand it has been a little different in the first innings of these matches.The final scorelines are heavily in Australia’s favour, but in each of the three Tests Smith has walked in with New Zealand buoyed by removing David Warner who, like Smith, fell to Wagner for the fourth time. Another wicket and there would have been an opening, but each time Smith has stood firm when it mattered, often riding in the slip stream of Labuschagne who has had the summer of his life.In Perth he batted 164 balls across more than three hours adding 132 with Labuschagne in the first innings. In Melbourne it was a more modest stand of 83, with Smith eventually being bounced out by Wagner for 85 by when New Zealand’s energy had also been zapped.At the SCG, Smith again entered with Warner not converting a start into something more substantial – he has not quite built on the prolific form against Pakistan – when he flicked to leg gully and what transpired was the latest installment in the fascinating contest between Smith and Wagner.The first ball (short, of course) took Smith in the stomach and Wagner sent down another 19 dots to him. At the other end Colin de Grandhomme and then legspinner Todd Astle did their part, Smith’s frustrations growing by the moment as he kept hitting the fielders when he tried to work Astle away. The crowd were getting into it, the absorbing nature of watching the best batsman in the world being kept scoreless. The moments in Test cricket where nothing, but everything, is happening in unison.Smith had got to 4 off 48 balls when he danced down the pitch and lofted Will Somerville over wide mid-on and steadily the runs came a little more freely as he picked off errors in length from the spinners. From getting off the mark, he added 41 in another 62 deliveries to tea, the stand with Labuschagne again grinding New Zealand down in what was a re-run of the first two Tests.And then things stalled again. He was kept on 49 for 17 balls – unsurprisingly with Wagner in the midst of another spell – before grabbing the single to bring up a half-century that brought another ovation from the Sydney crowd.The second new ball did for him, edging an outswinger from de Grandhomme to slip, to give the depleted New Zealanders something to cling on to. It was the first time this series Smith hadn’t fallen to Wagner, his series tally against him 27 runs from 159 balls. “They’ve come prepared, come at the best batter in the world in a different way. He’s still countering it, he’s still putting runs on the board. It’s just testament to him as a player,” Labuschagne said.You could make the case that Smith has never had to work hard for his runs, yet while it has been the summer of Labuschagne he has been there when it matters.

Aditya Verma, who has sought to depose before the panel looking into the sexual-harassment allegations, slams the language used by the panel

Sidharth Monga & Sharda Ugra09-Nov-2018The independent inquiry committee looking into allegations of sexual misconduct against the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has been criticised for using language that will “dissuade and discourage people from coming forward”. That’s the view of leading women’s right lawyers contacted by ESPNcricinfo after Aditya Verma, who sought to depose before the committee, said he felt the first response he received from the three-member panel was trying to “scare away complainants”.Verma, the whistleblower whose original litigation resulted in the Lodha reforms, had earlier written a letter to the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA), accusing it of “hushing up” a previous complaint of alleged sexual harassment against Johri from a BCCI employee. The CoA has never acknowledged such a complaint. Now, Verma aside, former Mumbai captain Shishir Hattangadi has also offered to help out with a fresh complaint of alleged sexual misconduct that pertains to a time when Johri was the board CEO.Responding to the messages received from Verma and Hattangadi, the committee said in an email: “At the outset we expect from you to demonstrate your bona fides and locus standi to put forth your statement, material before the committee.” ESPNcricinfo has seen this email, which goes on to ask of the complainants: “Are you friend/guardian, close relative, husband of the alleged sexually harassed lady or woman, employee of BCCI or a visitor to the premises office or in some way associated with the affairs of BCCI? How are you connected with the subject matter?”In his response to that email, Verma has objected to both the language used and the concept of locus standi (as defined by the Cambridge dictionary, locus standi is the right or ability to bring a legal action to a court of law or to appear in a court). ESPNcricinfo has seen Verma’s response, in which he has also pointed out that a member of the independent committee, Veena Gowda, had been excluded from the mail sent by the committee. Gowda is also an external member of internal complaints committees at the BCCI and other corporations under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Moreover, the committee has failed to maintain confidentiality in communication by marking both Verma and Hattangadi on the same email.”This committee needs to appreciate the fact that the principle of locus standi does not stand the test of public interest,” Verma wrote, referring to earlier Supreme Court rulings that have found the BCCI to be “discharging public functions”.”In the case of BCCI, which is a body that performs some public functions, the organisation cannot hide behind the veil of locus standi, especially in the case where their top functionary is accused of sexual harassment or worse. An attempt by the committee to thwart a member of the public from bringing to its notice information that may be relevant flies in the face of the judgments of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”Verma went on to write: “The message that your email carries seems to be one to scare away complainants rather than to make it conducive for them to complain about being harassed. It lacks the basic sensitivity required to deal with such situations.”This is a sentiment that finds resonance with prominent women’s rights lawyers. Vrinda Grover, lawyer, researcher and human and women’s rights activist, told ESPNcricinfo: “The communication of the committee should encourage people to come forward because the probe is against a very powerful, high-profile man. The tone and tonality should not dissuade or frighten the person putting the statement forward. The way this [email] is crafted, the presumption is that I am a motivated person if I am giving a statement out. The presumption should be otherwise, because I am not the one you are inquiring into.”The committee is completely right in asking the person to present a statement and/or material evidence that is relevant, but to ask a person to first demonstrate their bona fides (as per the Cambridge dictionary, bona fides refers to the abilities and experience that make someone suitable for a particular job or activity, or proof of these abilities and experience) is quite unwarranted. Under any proceeding, whether it’s an inquiry or a trial, the witness must be relevant, but to ask a witness to prove their bona fides is in my view counter-productive. That will dissuade and discourage people from coming forward and the objective of the committee will be lost.”I would go to the extent of saying that they [the committee] should be asking that person, ‘Would you want us to provide you confidentiality? Do you apprehend any retaliation? Do you need any support?’ That is how you encourage witnesses.”Also for a committee examining a complaint of sexual harassment, it is imperative that all communications and proceedings of the committee are sensitive and respectful. For instance, it’s a bit baffling why the email insists on making a distinction between a lady and a woman. Also, why does the email specifically ask if the person is the husband, when it has already asked the person to clarify whether they are a family member or relative. Surely that would include a husband too? It’s very crucial for all communications of the committee to demonstrate gender sensitivity, respect and impartiality.”Abha Singh, a former civil servant and a lawyer in the High Court of Judicature in Bombay, told ESPNcricinfo: “Such types of emails by an official committee are uncalled for. An inquiry committee should themselves exhort a person to provide information and leads, which may help unravel the hidden evidence. If a person has some incriminating information against the delinquent, it is the duty of the committee to call him for a statement and to interrogate him, in case they find there is something amiss or if they feel that more evidence or clarifications are necessary.”In short, the disposition of the committee should be to welcome informers and those who possess incriminating evidence. To send such discouraging emails would not be conducive to a complete and in-depth probe. They are a regrettable aberration on part of the committee.”Gowda aside, the three-member independent committee includes Rakesh Sharma, former judge at Allahabad High Court, and Barkha Singh, former chairperson of Delhi Commission for women.Today is the last date for people – within or outside BCCI – to reach out to the inquiry committee on the e-mail address provided ([email protected]). Over the next two days, the committee will study the material it receives and then call people it “considers necessary to appear and depose”. It is understood that if the committee seeks more time, the CoA will be willing to extend the time frame to complete the probe.

Jack Leach began the season with a remodelled action and doubts about his effectiveness. He finished it with 50 Championship wickets as he bowled Somerset to safety

George Dobell at Taunton28-Sep-20171:11

ECB officer explains ‘below average’ Taunton pitch rating

Of course it was spin that sealed Somerset’s victory. And of course it was Jack Leach who took the final wicket.Less than a year after his career was threatened by suggestion that his action was not legal, Leach clinched his fourth five-wicket haul of the campaign to secure his side’s third victory in the final four games of the season. As a result, he passed 50 wickets in the season and Somerset avoided relegation. Matt Maynard, Somerset’s departing director of cricket, said he “couldn’t make sense” of the decision not to take him to the Ashes.Leach wouldn’t see many pitches like this in Australia, of course. Pitches where spinners open the bowling in three of the four innings and take all 10 wickets in the fourth innings. Somerset have made a point of preparing such surfaces in the last couple of years and, in Leach and Dom Bess, they have two bowlers well equipped to take advantage.The Somerset players took a lap of honour at the end of the game. It wasn’t so much a sign that they were content with their low position in the table; more a reflection of their relief in retaining their decade-long stay in Division One (no side in the land will have been in the top division so long when the 2018 starts) and gratitude to their 2000 supporters. Cricket still matters in Taunton.This pitch was marked “below average” by the Cricket Liaison Officer (CLO), Wayne Noon, as it showed signs of “excessive turn” from the start. Crucially he could not see any uneven bounce on days one or two. As a result there will be no points deduction and Somerset’s place in Division One is assured.That isn’t quite the get out of jail free card it might appear. The ECB regulations state that, should a pitch be marked “below average” twice within a 12-month period in the same competition, penalties can be applied. While Somerset have not had another such mark this season, they will, Noon said “have to be very mindful” of their surfaces in 2018.There is a slight caveat to all this. Phil Whitticase, a senior CLO, will arrive in Taunton on Friday and conduct a further investigation into the pitch. He will, as part of that investigation, speak to the umpires and the groundsman and it remains theoretically possible that he will increase the penalty. He could also decrease it.But it would be a major surprise – and an astounding own goal from the ECB – if they should, for the second season in succession, alter the table after the campaign has finished and change the relegation positions. But, not so long ago, it seemed impossible that a hotel magnate with comic hair would become US president; life is full of surprises and not all of them are good.Adam Voges, the Middlesex captain, was frank in his assessment of the pitch. “We knew we’d get a spinning wicket,” he said. “And I’ve no problem with teams preparing pitches to suit their strengths.”But we were surprised by how much disturbance there was before a ball was bowled. There was excessive spin from ball one. There were rake marks at both ends. There should be a line and whether that line was crossed is the match-referee’s decision.”He remains more upset by the two-point deduction for a slow over rate following the crossbow incident at The Oval last month. He feels his team were assured by officials at the time that the nature of the incident would be taken into account and no penalty levelled.”It was such an extraordinary circumstance,” he said. “We had every intention to rectify our over rate and were assured at the time that it wouldn’t be an issue. Whether there is anything that can be done now is up to the administrators.”Voges admitted, though, that to leave themselves in a position where they were hurt by such moments was a reflection of their disappointing cricket over the course of the season. Champions in 2016, they end 2017 with rumours of deep dressing-room discontent. They still look a very strong side on paper, though, and might reflect in time that they have simply been victim to a league which relegates a quarter of its participants a season. Over-reaction would probably be an error.”You look at the season as a whole and it’s obviously been disappointing,” Voges said. “It’s not just the last week or the last month.”It took less than two hours to wrap-up victory on the final day. Leach and his fellow left-arm spinner, Roelof van der Merwe, utilised the conditions expertly with the latter finishing with career-best figures. Leach, in particular, bowled beautifully with his subtle and wonderfully disguised changes of pace causing many of the problems. And, for all the talk about this pitch, it wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow in Asia. England really don’t play spin very well.Marcus Trescothick salutes the crowd after Somerset secured Division One status•Getty Images

Leach may yet feature in the Ashes. He can expect to be named in the Lions party that will train in Perth as the Test series is played and, should anything befall Moeen Ali, could well be called into the Test squad if required.”I’d prefer to see him there instead of Mason Crane,” Maynard said. “Crane can’t get into the Hampshire side all the time. I can’t understand it. If he gets called into the team he won’t know anyone there. They’ve missed a trick in not picking him”One thing is sure: for Leach to recover from the low he was in only a few months ago is testament to impressive resilience. To re-model an action without missing a game and then emerge as a better, more skilful, more mature bowler bodes well for his future.He had, he admits, some “dark moments” on the Lions tour of the UAE last winter. There were times, as he tried to bowl with his new action, when he feared he might never recapture the bite and consistency of previous days. Just nine months later, he is back to winning games for his side and pushing for an England spot.”I’ve shown good resilience,” he said. “Something like that can’t be fixed overnight and, from a mental perspective more than technical, there were some dark moments on that tour. I wanted to make a really good impression but it was hard.”Now I look back on it as part of the journey. I think I’m probably a better bowler now. I can bowl a bit quicker and I’ve learned a lot. About myself and my action. At the start of the season I wasn’t sure if I could keep doing this, so to have finished with more than 50 wickets…. Yes, I’m proud of how I’ve reacted to the challenges. It was tough.”Leach was one of eight academy products in this Somerset side. Well, academy or equivalent. They didn’t have academies when Marcus Trescothick was growing up. Hell, they didn’t even have the Quantocks. But it means that Maynard’s successor – and it still seems likely that Andy Hurry will be named as such next week with Jason Kerr as his deputy – inherits strong foundations ahead of next season.”I’d love to have stayed and seen the project through,” Maynard said. “We did have discussions about me doing the head coach role, but decided there could be friction if I didn’t agree with the new director of cricket. So a settlement was agreed and we part very amicably. The club have handled it well.”The club have undergone quite a transition under Maynard. The over-reliance upon imports has improved and the trust in home-grown youth has improved. And it was his idea that Trescothick, at slip, should field on his knees to the spinners in certain circumstances. “When the ball is dying, we felt he could get that bit lower,” he explained. It wasn’t, perhaps, a perfect stay but the club went within an ace of winning that elusive first Championship title a year ago. Memories in cricket have never been shorter.It transpires the review of the club structure was led by James Taylor, the England batsman who retired through illness at the start of last season, who felt it was necessary to employ a head coach and director of cricket. Maynard, who described cricket as his passion, will now consider more “backseat” roles such as batting consultancy positions. He is unlikely to be without offers for long.So, Somerset will play in Division One in 2018. And that means Trescothick could yet fulfil that Championship-winning dream. If he does, it would be a success popular far beyond the borders of the county.

No team has won two games in a row in the tri-series so far, and they are all tied on points. Australia and South Africa will want to be the ones moving ahead

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale18-Jun-2016

Match facts

Sunday, June 19

Start time 1300 local (1700GMT)1:15

South Africa riding high before Australia game

Big Picture

The points table for this series would be best read by Richie Benaud: 2-2, 2-2, 2-2. That is to say, Australia, South Africa and West Indies have each won two and lost two. Not only that, but after the first two legs of the series in Guyana and St Kitts, every team has beaten every other team once and no more. That will change in Barbados on Sunday, when either Australia or South Africa will jump ahead on the points table and give themselves a strong chance of qualifying for the final.South Africa enter this match buoyant after posting 343 for 4 in their most recent match, a thrashing of West Indies at Warner Park. It was a win centred around Hashim Amla’s century, although Imran Tahir ended up Man of the Match for his seven-wicket haul. Australia are coming off a loss to West Indies in St Kitts. During that match the captain Steven Smith tweaked his quadriceps, and he did not train on Thursday or Friday in Barbados. However, the Australians are confident Smith will be available for Sunday’s game.As a side note, remarkably this is the first ODI to be held at Kensington Oval for more than five years. The most recent was played on May 2, 2011, when West Indies beat Pakistan in a rain-affected game. In fact, if you were to look at the results of the five most recent ODIs at Kensington Oval, Australia’s World Cup final win over Sri Lanka in 2007 would be part of that list. Only four ODIs have been played in Barbados since that final nine years ago. This is Australia’s first one-dayer at the venue since that final with its bad-light fiasco.

Form guide

Australia LWLWL (last five completed games, most recent first)
South Africa WLWLW

In the spotlight

It is only this year that Usman Khawaja has finally been given a decent run at ODI cricket, and his numbers keep growing. A maiden 50 came in New Zealand in February, then 59 against South Africa in St Kitts, then 98 against West Indies at the same venue. Opening in the absence of the injured David Warner, Khawaja has the perfect opportunity to build innings of substance. He just needs to shake off the fielding woes that afflicted him in the previous game, when he dropped two straightforward chances in the first 10 overs.Imran Tahir not only claimed the best figures by a South African in an ODI on Wednesday, he also became the fastest South African to reach the milestone of 100 ODI wickets. Nobody in world cricket has taken more ODI wickets in the past three years than Tahir’s 91 at 24.60, and it is perhaps surprising that he is not ranked higher than No. 5. Given Australia’s well-documented struggles against spin, Tahir will fancy his chances of adding a few more victims to his collection in this game.

Team news

Nathan Coulter-Nile will make way for Mitchell Starc, as Australia continue to manage his workload. Glenn Maxwell, too, is set to return after he was picked in the 12-man squad on the eve of the game in place of Travis Head. Maxwell was dropped for Australia’s two matches in Basseterre after scores of 0 and 3 at the start of the series. The Australians appear confident that Smith will play but if he were to miss out, George Bailey would likely captain the side.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodSouth Africa’s bowling coach, Claude Henderson, floated the idea of playing three spinners in Barbados, but after their comprehensive win in the previous match they may wish to use the same XI.South Africa (possible) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

There was some grass evident on the Kensington Oval pitch in the lead-up to the match, but it is expected to be a good batting surface. The players will also need to adjust to the bigger boundaries after the much smaller Warner Park in St Kitts.

Stats and trivia

• No team in this tournament has yet won consecutive matches
• Mitchell Starc needs five wickets to reach 100 in ODIs, and if he does so in his next four games he will be the quickest man in history to the milestone

Quotes

“I know it’s all precautionary and he’ll be ready to go for Sunday’s clash. I’m sure he’s raring to go and to hit a few cricket balls.”
“Barbados, I’ve been told, is a better batting wicket with a bit more bounce. I also believe the boundaries are also a bit bigger. Who knows, do we go in with three spinners, is that an option?”

At the Oval 3351 days ago, Kevin Pietersen arrived at the crease with the Ashes at stake. His first ball, from Glenn McGrath, was nasty, brutish and short

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval03-Jun-2015
ScorecardA quiet finish? Kevin Pietersen is unlikely to play in whites again•PA Photos

At the Oval 3351 days ago, Kevin Pietersen arrived at the crease with the Ashes at stake. His first ball, from Glenn McGrath, was nasty, brutish and short. Pietersen looked like he got his gloves and bat out the way, but he, a heaving crowd and millions distracted in offices and schools, had to endure a few painful seconds before Billy Bowden turned down the vociferous Australian appeal.They were worth it. As England tried to regain the Ashes after 18 years marked not just by defeat but frequent humiliation, Pietersen took to saving the game in the only way he knew how. He attacked. And then he attacked some more, slog-sweeping Shane Warne and launching a staggering assault on Brett Lee.A decade on, and Pietersen’s team were again batting in the third innings on the final day. There the similarities ended. Instead of Australia, they had to face a worthy Lancashire attack neutered by a docile pitch. The ground, a sell-out then, seemed rather desolate now.
Pietersen was not even needed to bat. Zafar Ansari and Rory Burns batted with such assurance that 61 overs did not yield a single chance.One innings, two runs and three balls over four days added up to a deeply unsatisfactory way for Pietersen to end his involvement in first-class cricket. The fact that Pietersen will not play in Surrey’s next Championship match, against Leicestershire at Grace Road on Sunday, makes it highly likely he will never play red-ball cricket again. He will, however, play for Surrey in their T20 game at Arundel next week just before heading to the Caribbean Premier League.This was not the first-class comeback Pietersen envisaged. Buoyed by comments from Colin Graves that he could yet be considered for Test cricket again, Pietersen surprised Surrey and everyone else by announcing his intention to return to County Championship cricket. Instead of earning £250,000 for an IPL stint, Pietersen preferred to play for Surrey for free instead.He believed his chances of an England recall would be determined solely by the amount of runs he scored in county cricket. So he scored plenty.Having endured a grim spell in T20 cricket for Surrey last year, there were legitimate concerns over whether Pietersen could still score heavily in Championship cricket. One hundred and seventy runs against Oxford MCCU, even in a non first-class match, amounted to an awesome indication of intent. A half-century followed against Glamorgan before that astounding unbeaten 355 against Leicestershire.None of this, it is true, amounted to irrefutable evidence that Pietersen was ready to take on Australia and their Mitchells. But Andrew Strauss, the new director of England cricket, was in no mood to give him the chance. On the day of his triple century against Leicestershire, Pietersen was informed that he would never be allowed to add to his 8181 Test runs.Alec Stewart, the Surrey director of cricket, did not want to say Pietersen would never pull on whites again. “What I’m saying is ‘it’s not the end’,” he said. “I’m not saying ‘that’s it, the door’s shut’. It’s always open here for him. At the same time, we’ll have discussions to see what fits for us and what fits for him.””The arrangement was very much while Colin Graves – whether he did or he didn’t – intimated that perhaps that door was open for him, that’s why we have see him back playing county cricket again. Before that, his England career was well and truly dead.”Then, whatever the perception of what Colin had said, it meant that the door had been pushed open a little bit – play county cricket and score runs, which he did. Then it was shut.”But, to Surrey’s surprise, he still wanted to play this game against Lancashire. Perhaps he imagined that a repeat of that innings against Leicestershire would unleash a tidal wave of public pressure, leaving Strauss facing what even Sepp Blatter could not ignore.It was not to be. Still, no one at Surrey speaks ill of him. Over six seasons, Pietersen has played 13 first-class games for Surrey. Each appearance has been marked by the unstinting professionalism that has been a hallmark, albeit one too easily forgotten, of his career. Pietersen’s record for Surrey – 1395 runs at 93 apiece – is testament to as much.”We didn’t expect to see him again,” Stewart said. “We’ve had a good relationship with him here, and he said ‘I’m available if you want me to play’. I said ‘we’ll have you straightaway’. That’s the relationship we have here.”He has gone above and beyond the original verbal arrangement. It was great that he wanted to play, and it shows that he has respect for us and the dressing room here. We have good respect for him too.”He’s not just a player who pulls on an England shirt and does it. He has huge self-respect and self pride, but pride in playing for Surrey. The record he’s got in the games he’s played in the last three or four years is unbelievable. He’s been a credit to himself when he’s played for Surrey. We want good players, but we want good people, whether it’s a Pietersen or a Sangakkara. In our dressing room, he’s been that.”If this was not the farewell Pietersen envisaged, perhaps it was apt that Ashley Giles, Lancashire’s director of cricket, was there. Together, the two had shared the partnership that secured the Ashes that resplendent day a decade ago.”I’ve got very fond memories of playing with Kev and probably here most – that last day in the Ashes in 2005 we batted together for about three hours,” Giles said. “Memories don’t get any better than that. He’s been a terrific player and a very good servant to the game.””He’s a different player, a clear match-winning player. For someone to do what he did here a couple of weeks ago – go out and get 350 when he’s having that meeting that night shows the class of the man.””There’s an element of sadness if he doesn’t play first-class cricket again, because he’s a special player.”Surely that is something that even Pietersen’s most vehement detractors could not dispute. For one of the most intoxicating cricketers of the 21st century, the strong likelihood is that only domestic T20 – in Australia, the Caribbean, India and perhaps sometimes England too – remains.

Mark Greatbatch, the former New Zealand coach, has called for NZC chairman Chris Moller to resign in the wake of Ross Taylor being dumped as captain

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2012Mark Greatbatch, the former New Zealand batsman and coach, has called for NZC chairman Chris Moller to resign in the wake of Ross Taylor being dumped as captain.Moller publically apologised to Taylor and his family for how the situation was handled after Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, told Taylor that he wanted a change of captain during the Sri Lanka tour but did not specify that he meant in limited-overs cricket only. However, Moller added that nobody in the NZC management would lose their jobs over the controversy.Greatbatch does not agree with that and believes the only way for New Zealand to move forward is for some drastic changes and hinted at other poorly handled situations over the years.”For me, the chairman of the board has been involved with too many underhand dealings in the last two or three years. I think it’s time for him to move on,” he told LiveSport, a New Zealand radio station, on Wednesday. “We’ve got to do something that is actually going to make us better and it’s got to start from the top.”Greatbatch had sympathy for Taylor who has opted out of the tour to South Africa following his demotion but aims to return to domestic cricket in January with a view to being available for the visit of England from February.”He’s been trying to play for his country while people have been at him behind his back,” he said. “It’s sad, he’s our best player. It doesn’t seem right, but I don’t blame him.”He showed as a player while he was captain that he was leading from the front, which is a huge part of leadership. He’s only captained 30-odd times for New Zealand, that’s not a lot of games.”I think the players have to get better. Ross Taylor, in the last 18 months, has got better with his performance. Maybe if half a dozen other guys had improved their game to that level we wouldn’t be in this mess.”If they think a change of captain in all forms is going to magically improve our game, they’re kidding themselves.”

The PCB is likely to conduct a wide-ranging internal review into the spot-fixing fiasco and a broader look at the turmoil the sport is in in the country

Umar Farooq05-Nov-2011The PCB is likely to conduct a wide-ranging internal review into the spot-fixing fiasco and take a broader look at the turmoil the sport is in in the country. Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the PCB’s chief patron, has asked the board to deal with the issue on an urgent and stringent basis.”It’s a sad incident for the country,” Farhatullah Babar, the President’s spokesman, told ESPNCricinfo. “The PCB has been asked to suggest appropriate steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”It’s not about just finding the facts in the spot-fixing affair but also the larger issue of finding a solution to the problem of corruption in the sport. This is what the PCB has been directed to do.”The PCB had rejected the ICC’s Task Team report on Pakistan cricket, which had recommended what amounted to a root and branch reform of the game in the country. The report was partially rejected on the grounds that circumstances in Pakistan are unique, calling it “a scholarly exercise” rather than being a Pakistan-specific document. However, the PCB has taken a number of anti-corruption measures already, as directed by the ICC in October.In its immediate formal reaction to the conviction and sentencing of the three Pakistan players, the PCB said it had suggested to the government the enacting of a law making corruption in sports a criminal offence. The law would not only be a deterrent but also allow proper prosecution and punishment for criminal behaviour.Meanwhile, allrounder Shahid Afridi claimed he was approached on several occasions by the players’ agent Mazhar Majeed – now serving a sentence for his role in the case – but refused to speak with him because of “suspicions”.Afridi, who handed over the captaincy to Butt after losing the first Test to Australia on the same tour last year, said Majeed had tried to befriend him. “He always tried to contact me personally in the hotel and wanted time to meet me but I avoided him all the time because I had my suspicions that he was not trustworthy and involved in betting,” Afridi said in a television interview.

Kulamani Parida, the veteran Railways offspinner, has announced his retirement after his bowling action again came under scrutiny in Railways’ Ranji Trophy match against Assam

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2010Kulamani Parida, the Railways offspinner, has announced his retirement after his bowling action was deemed suspect – for the second time in two seasons – in a Ranji Trophy match against Assam. Parida, 33, took 320 wickets at 28.68 from 108 first-class games in a career spanning 15 seasons.On Friday, he was called by umpire S Ravi on the fourth ball during his only over in Assam’s second innings. He had earlier bowled nine overs in the first innings without being called from the end where umpire Shavir Tarapore was officiating.Parida had gone through the roughest time of his career since being called at a Ranji Trophy game against Tamil Nadu last season. It is believed he’d wanted to retire at that time but was urged by his team-mates to try and remodel his action. He did so but found it difficult to find his old rhythm. However, Abhay Sharma, the Railways coach, had been confident about the offspinner’s abilities after Parida bowled in a local tournament and emerged without any question marks over his action.Against Assam, he couldn’t contain the runs in the first innings on a track on which scoring was difficult. He was not brought on to bowl in the second innings until the ninth wicket had fallen, in the hope that he would end the game on a positive note.The sudden turn of events took his teammates and peers by surprise. Railways captain Murali Kartik said it had been a very emotional day for the team, particularly for the Railways stalwarts like Yere Goud, Sanjay Bangar and himself, who had spent more than a decade with Parida. Kartik and Parida teamed up as teenagers when they joined the Railways together as 18-year olds. They had been room-mates ever since – in the Under-19s, in Ranji Trophy, in Duleep Trophy, in Deodhar Trophy. “I will miss him, we will all miss him,” Kartik said.Kartik said he’d always thought of Parida as “internally flawless”, adding that it was the name given by experts to diamonds of the highest carats, clarity and cut. “That’s what Parida is to me as a team-mate and a friend. I wish him a great and happy life ahead – he’s a good soul, he has always been generous and for his whole life always given. He deserves the best. He has carried the Railways attack for so long, we could always rely on him, and he has been one of our best.”Abhay, also a former Railways captain, said that he had been with Parida right from the offspinner’s teens and had also led him. “It is very unfortunate that his career had to end this way, and the entire team is feeling sad. The boys wanted to win against Assam for him, but were thwarted by the weather on the final day.”Amol Muzumdar, the Assam captain and former Mumbai batsman, who was at the crease when Parida was called, walked up to him at the end of the day’s play and told him not to look at this dark spot on his career. “Look at the match-winning spells you have bowled, and go out on a high.”

Angelo Mathews has admitted he was emotional after missing out by one run on his maiden Test century but said the experience would help him improve his game and be more careful the next time around

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009Angelo Mathews has admitted he was emotional after missing out on his maiden Test century by one run, but said the experience – he was run out – would help him improve his game and be more careful the next time around.”A first Test hundred is a big achievement for any cricketer,” he said. “It was very unfortunate I could not get it. But then that’s how it goes.”Mathews was short of his crease going for a second run after he pulled a ball from Sreesanth and set off for two but failed to beat Sachin Tendulkar’s throw from deep square leg to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni. The decision was referred to the third umpire and after what must have been an agonizing three minutes, Mathews was given the red light.”I thought there were two runs but I creased the bat deep on my first run, which is why I was run out.”Back in the dressing room I thought about for a bit longer. Then I recovered when we went out to the field. There were a few tears in my eyes as well but all the senior players rallied around me and said that it was part of the game. They told me I’d get more opportunities to score runs… It will make me more determined to score runs and to be careful the next time.”Mathews’ wicket led to Sri Lanka’s innings folding after 27 minutes in the day, after which India, led by Virender Sehwag, pulverised 443 off 79 overs by stumps. However, Mathews was optimistic that Sri Lanka could make a comeback in the Test.”India haven’t won this game, it’s just a matter of two to three wickets tomorrow morning and then we can get right back into it. There are three more days left and anything can happen.”When Sri Lanka resumed their first innings at 366 for 8, the plan was to score as many runs as possible. “I knew that Murali and Chanaka (Welagedera) can hang around a bit and with their support I wanted to get as much runs as possible for the team,” Mathews said.He came into the Test on the back of several batting failures but said he was not under any pressure from outside. “I was under pressure when I came into the Test as I had failed in my last three innings. I had to score some runs and get into some form and perform for the team. [But] There was no pressure for me to perform from outside or from the team, it was just that I had to prove that, playing as a number six batsman, I should score runs.”The team management doesn’t put pressure on me. They tell me to go out there and enjoy the game. I personally felt that I needed to score some runs for the team.”