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Thisara Perera is the seventh man to captain Sri Lanka in 2017, a year in which the team has suffered three ODI whitewashes

Madushka Balasuriya29-Nov-20172:57

Arnold: Thisara as captain is exciting

Thisara Perera will lead Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I teams in India next month*, replacing Upul Tharanga. It is yet another change in leadership for Sri Lanka this year, and as the appointment is only for this series, it is hardly a stabilising long-term appointment.Nevertheless, it will be the 28-year old allrounder’s first experience of the role in 50-over international cricket; he was in charge of a depleted T20I side that took on Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium last month. Thisara is the seventh different man to captain Sri Lanka in 2017, following Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Dinesh Chandimal, Tharanga and Chamara Kapugedera, who have borne the responsibility in one format or the other.”All teams go through tough patches, it’s upto each of us to get past our mental barriers and perform best for our country,” Thisara said after his appointment on Wednesday. “The goal for each one of us is to bring glory to our country. This must be clearly stated. I can confidently say that although India are currently best in the world in all three formats, if you compare each player of our team with any player in the world [not only India] we are on par with the best of the best.”My policy as captain is to stop dwelling on the past and failures, and to march forward together with my team, with our eyes firmly planted on the goal of bringing glory to our motherland,” Thisara said. “I believe that if each player can perform to his individual potential, we can easily win this series.”Thisara’s captaincy, for the time being, is only guaranteed for the India series, as the role of captain will be evaluated on a series-by-series basis going forward until a long-term appointment can be made. With Mathews having relinquished captaincy duties and Chandimal’s position in the limited-overs unit a persistent doubt, the unusual stance taken by SLC to not name a long-term captain with the World Cup less than two years away speaks towards Sri Lanka’s lack of outright leaders in the camp.SLC, however, was impressed with Thisara’s commanding of a young outfit when several first-choice players expressed reluctance to travel to Lahore, with SLC CEO Ashley De Silva noting that it was Perera’s “aggressive” captaincy that had caught their attention.”The selectors noticed that he got a lot of support from the players during the T20 series in UAE and Pakistan, and we expect the same support and cooperation to be extended by the players,” de Silva said. “We felt that he carried out his duties very effectively, and he was also a very aggressive captain. So I think when it comes to ODIs and T20s, that is what is required and the selectors have identified his capabilities.”Chairman of selectors Graeme Labrooy further said: “We are keen to implement our selections policy across the board in all aspects of the game, and Thisara’s appointment is one such move. We believe this is the leadership skillset the team needs right now, and have made this decision specifically with our long-term goals in mind.”Thisara, while acknowledging his poor run of form in limited-overs cricket, pointed to his success in franchise T20 cricket as well as his recent exploits with the World XI for reasons behind his selection. He also expressed hope that the added responsibility of captaincy would signal an upturn in form and consistency going forward.”Even though I’ve played less than half of the limited-overs matches the team has played in 2017, I’ve played a lot of cricket abroad in that time. It’s with those performances in tow that I returned to play for Sri Lanka. Yes, my performance level has been low, and I have been in and out of the team. But now as captain, I am a permanent member of the team, so I hope that means I’ll be able to perform better going forward.”Thisara, who made his debut in December 2009, has played 125 ODIs, with a formidable strike-rate of 108 but an average of only 17. As a bowler, he has taken 133 wickets at 32.62 apiece. His form in recent series, though, has come under some scrutiny. Thisara made only 91 runs – at 18.20 – and picked up a mere four wickets in the ODIs against Pakistan and followed that with 19 runs and three wickets across three T20Is.Sri Lanka’s limited-overs cricket has undergone plenty of upheaval this year. They lost an ODI series for the first time to Zimbabwe, which prompted Mathews to resign. Tharanga was then appointed captain, but under his watch Sri Lanka were whitewashed 5-0 at home by India and 5-0 away by Pakistan.The team was beaten 5-0 in South Africa as well, when Tharanga had been a stand-in captain. His batting form, however, was one of the few bright spots during this period. Tharanga carried his bat, scoring 112 not out against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, and also flayed 119 off only 90 balls against the South Africa attack in Cape Town.Speaking on Tharanga’s role in the team, Labrooy said: “Quite contrary to the baseless speculation on social media sites, Tharanga had not failed us in any way. We want him to keep making big scores and want him to concentrate on his game without burdening him with the captaincy. This is merely a strategic move, and we have discussed it with Tharanga too, who being the 100% team player he is, understands our reasoning and requirement.”We are keen to implement our selections policy across the board in all aspects of the game, and Thisara’s appointment is one such move. We believe this is the leadership skillset the team needs right now, and have made this decision specifically with our long-term goals in mind.”*1345GMT The news was updated after Sri Lanka Cricket issued an official release

“He keeps telling me the same things as he did when I played under him – stand still, be aggressive, and just have some fun,” Munro said after smashing his third T20I hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2018With Martin Guptill suffering from injuries and a lack of form, New Zealand were missing their typical belligerence at the top of the order after Brendon McCullum’s retirement. On New Zealand’s tour of India, Colin Munro was promoted to open, a role he is beginning to master, particularly in T20s.With an aggressive approach similar to his ‘mentor’ McCullum, Munro smashed his third T20I hundred against West Indies in the final game in Mount Maunganui. “He keeps telling me the same things as he did when I played under him – stand still, be aggressive, and just have some fun,” Munro said. “I’ll keep using Brendon McCullum as my mentor, and the experience of Martin Guptill as well. Batting with him day-in, day-out. As long as I can stay in a clear frame of mind, I think I’ll be alright.”I’m enjoying my cricket at the moment, being in this environment. We’re being given the freedom to go out there and express ourselves. I’ve got to take the good and the bad when I go out and play the way I do. I’m fortunate enough now that it’s going well, but it’s not always going to go well, so I’ve just got to ride this wave as long as I can.”The one factor Munro attributed to his success was the experience of having faced most of the West Indies bowlers at the Caribbean Premier League this year, where he was named Trinbago Knight Rider’s MVP in a victorious season.”Quite a fair bit to be honest, playing against most of those guys for two years in a row has gone a long way,” he said. “I’m confident. Without sounding cocky, I’m hitting the ball well and getting into good positions. I’ve played against every single player, I knew what they’d try and do. I was just lucky enough that my preparation has been good enough.With ten ODIs remaining this summer, including a five-match series against Pakistan which begins from January 6, Munro’s goal is to improve his returns in the format. In six ODIs as an opener, Munro has scored 213 runs at an average of 35.50, with a highest score of 75.”It’s still pretty new in the one-day format, so I’ll still keep working hard with that,” Munro said. “I think a lot of talk has been about how bad the West Indies are, but no-one’s really given us the credit.”The way we’ve played as a team, we’ve raised the bar every single game and got better and better, and I think if we can keep doing that against Pakistan, we’ll go a long way to winning that series.”

Aaron Finch pinpointed Australia’s middle-overs game as an area of improvement, as their tendency to lose wickets in clumps has often hurt their ability finish off innings strongly

Daniel Brettig10-Jan-2018If 4-0 was a clear statement about the gap between Australia and England during the Ashes, then another figure says plenty about the fact that Steven Smith’s team have a lot of work ahead of them to become genuine contenders for the 2019 World Cup. Last year, Australia won only five of 15 ODIs, endured a winless Champions Trophy, where two of their three games were washed out, and slid to No. 3 in the ICC rankings.Aaron Finch, a fixture in the team for most of the past five years, witnessed a pattern of batting collapses over that period, in New Zealand, England, and then in India. With the benefit of a few months’ worth of reflection, he reasoned that this was the key area Australia had to address in order to start building for the next global tournament.On the selection front, the replacement of Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell with Tim Paine and *insert name here* appears to be directed at addressing those mid-innings wobbles, something Finch said had prevented the team from building the sorts of high totals now considered non-negotiable, given the hyper-aggression shown by teams such as India and England.”Being still 18 months out, there’s quite a lot of cricket to come before that World Cup, so I’m sure there’ll be a little bit of experimentation with the key seven, eight or nine of the squad going forward,” Finch said. “Probably still going to be in and around the squad anyway. When you look at guys who are bankers in the side, Smith obviously, Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood, Davey (David) Warner, who no doubt will be there in the future, but I think there’s a chance to tinker with a few things and make sure we get our balance right.”In the Champions Trophy, we probably didn’t put enough partnerships together with the bat. A lot of back-to-back wickets, and we know how important that is in stalling run rates and creating momentum. So we were probably losing too many early wickets through that middle period of the game and not allowing us a real big platform to take into that last 10-15 overs to put a real assault on the opposition.”When we were playing in India, a similar thing happened, we’d lose clumps of wickets. And we know playing India in India is very tough, starting against spin on some wickets that had a bit of turn in them. That’s one part we can improve and probably through that middle part just bank it a little bit more and really load up for the back 15 overs.”The balance of the squad intrigues, given the inclusion of both Mitchell Marsh, after his standout batting displays during the Ashes series, and Marcus Stoinis, following a series of stout performances in losing efforts in New Zealand and India last year. At the same time, the ambiguity over Maxwell’s future, given that the selectors are yet to decide on the replacement for Chris Lynn after his withdrawal with a calf injury, had Finch describing how he had seen his fellow Victorian prepare with the sort of diligence Smith has asked for.”He’s disappointed, he backs his ability and game to be very successful in international cricket,” Finch said of Maxwell. “He knows that averaging 22 over his last 20 games wasn’t what the side needed from him. But he’s gone back and he’s in great form, he’s peeled off runs and that’s all you can do. They say make runs and make a statement, and he certainly has done that.”He’s playing some really good cricket at the moment. The way he’s batting is as good as I’ve seen in terms of his tempo and stuff like that. He’s changed a little bit from being all guns blazing from the first ball to giving himself a little bit of time, and I suppose the Stars have been losing a few early wickets, so it’s allowed him to bat for that little bit longer before he has to take a risk. If the opportunity comes, he’ll take it with both hands.”In the lead-up to the Shield season, his training was fantastic. I think his results have reflected that over the last couple of months in terms of his pure output of runs in that format. Now he’s getting runs in the T20s as well, consistent runs, which has been one part he would’ve liked to address a bit earlier, and just make sure when he is in good form he’s backing that up. You can’t really argue with a couple of 60s, a 290 and then a 96 in three back-to-back games in the Shield.”England, meanwhile, went on their own journey of reinvention after failing to contend for the World Cup, won by Australia at home in 2015, settling on a more heavy-hitting style that Finch said had been a subject of plenty of interest among Smith’s men, not least when they were soundly beaten during the Champions Trophy. “They’ve played some great one-day cricket in the last couple of years, a different leader with Eoin Morgan leading their side,” Finch said.”I think the one-day and T20 formats really suit the way they play: ultra aggressive. Beating us in the Champions Trophy, there’s still a few scars there for the boys. But, overall, they’re a pretty good side, plenty of guys who can give it a smack with the bat, so I’d expect them to play hard. We’ve played them a few times over the last couple of years, and the structure of their side hasn’t changed a hell of a lot. They’ve got similar players, and anyone who’s come into the side has played a similar-type role to the ones that have gone out.”You have guys like Hales and Roy and Bairstow at the top of the order, who can give it a smack. They’ve got a side that takes risks their whole innings and looks to put the foot down for a long period of that 50 overs with the bat. With the ball, they’ve been very similar for a long time now. So we do have a lot of knowledge there, but there’s always a chance to continue learning and come up with some new plans for different players.”

A 19-run win ensured UAE pipped Canada and Namibia to second place on the basis of net run rate

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2018Half-centuries from Shaiman Anwar and Muhammad Usman laid the platform for UAE to beat Namibia by 19 runs and qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Windhoek by the narrowest of margins. UAE ended their WCL Division Two campaign with six points, the same as Canada – who narrowly lost their last match to Nepal – and Namibia, but with a better net run rate than either.Sent in to bat, UAE initially struggled to force the pace and were 97 for 4 in the 31st over when Usman joined Shaiman. They proceeded to transform the mood of the innings, putting on 120 in 103 balls before being dismissed in the slog overs. Usman made 59 off 57 balls, with three fours and two sixes, while Shaiman struck five fours and three sixes in his 77 off 59. JJ Smit was Namibia’s most successful bowler with figures of 3 for 57.Set 248 to win, Namibia slipped to 48 for 3 before Lohan Louwrens (43) and Craig Williams steadied them with a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket. Williams then put on 47 for the sixth wicket with Gerhard Erasmus before falling for 54 off 79 balls. It left Namibia six down and quite a way off the pace, with 94 still to get in 73 balls. They lost Smit soon after, too, but the in-form Erasmus and captain Sarel Burger (21) kept them in the hunt. When the offspinner Rohan Mustafa dismissed Erasmus for a 63-ball 58, Namibia needed 28 from 14.They had only two wickets left, however, and Amir Hayat and Mustafa – who finished with three wickets apiece – ended their innings in a hurry, Namibia eventually bowled out for 228.

Fawad Alam’s 149 ensured Karachi Whites chased down 348 to beat Islamabad to the Regional Cup title

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2018Fawad Alam puts power into one•PCB

The Regional Cup final was a high-scoring thriller, with Karachi Whites chasing down a mammoth 348 in the final over to pip Islamabad to the title. Pakistan’s forgotten man Fawad Alam was the hero again, masterminding the chase with a superb 149. By the time he was dismissed, his side needed just seven runs to win, and they had one hand on the title.Islamabad looked to have established a position of dominance in the first innings, Shan Masood setting the tempo with a brisk half century. Babar Azam rose to the occasion with his second century in three days, a 95-ball 105 the backbone of the Islamabad innings. Shahid Yousuf contributed an explosive innings, smashing an unbeaten 96 in 74 balls, and was unlucky to miss out on three figures himself.The match threatened to become a no-contest when Karachi lost their openers within the first eight overs with the score on 38. Akbar-ur-Rehman stabilised the innings the company of Fawad, but his 41 off 67 balls took time that such a huge chase simply couldn’t afford. It was a stunning fifth-wicket partnership of 192 between Fawad and Danish Aziz, who blasted six sixes on his way to an unbeaten 65-ball 86, that carried the side to the brink, against all odds.By the time Fawad fell, his side needed seven off the last over, and Anwar Ali ensured there would be no last-minute drama, smashing a six off his first ball to seal the title for Karachi.

South Africa will be buoyed by the availability of No. 1 Test bowler Kagiso Rabada while Australia hope to have Mitchells Starc and Marsh fit

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale21-Mar-2018

Big Picture

Two pieces of news regarding Kagiso Rabada have emerged since the Port Elizabeth Test. One is that he is free to play in Cape Town, courtesy of a partially successful appeal against his Code of Conduct charge for brushing his shoulder against Steven Smith. If you’re reading this preview then it’s safe to assume there is no possible way you have missed that news.The other tit-bit, though, may have passed you by. And that is that Rabada has regained the No. 1 Test bowling ranking from James Anderson, thanks to his 11 wickets at St George’s Park. Rabada has been the stand-out bowler in the series so far, and it is possible that his successful appeal will be the deciding factor in the campaign. It is premature to say that he is free to play the remainder of the series – he remains perched on seven demerit points, so even a minor charge in Cape Town could see him suspended for the final Test – but it is notable that he has 19 wickets at 21.00 from his three previous Tests at Newlands. One more good Test there could be enough for South Africa to take an unbeatable 2-1 lead.But of course this Test is not all about Rabada. Several other factors are at play in Cape Town, and few of them favour Australia. Even if Rabada doesn’t fire at Newlands, there is still the small matter of Vernon Philander, whose record there is even more imposing. Philander has piled up 47 Test wickets at 16.34 in Cape Town, where the conditions suit his seaming and swinging style. Australia know this all too well, because when they were humiliated and bowled out for 47 at the venue, Philander took 5 for 15. They must also find a way past the defences of AB de Villiers, whose hundred in Port Elizabeth was one of his best. By contrast, Australia’s batsmen have so far failed to score a single century in this series, and unless they can turn that trend around it is difficult to see them halting South Africa’s momentum. They can at least take heart from the fact that when they last played a Test at Newlands, David Warner scored a hundred in each innings.Whatever happens in Cape Town, this has already been a compelling series, and not always for the right reasons. There has been an undeniable tension between the two sides, from send-offs to sledges to shoulder bumps to stairwell argy-bargy. Don’t expect a nine-day break between Tests to have cooled things down at all.Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada at a training session•Getty Images

Form guide

South Africa WLLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LWWDW

In the spotlight

AB de Villiers was unlucky not to be named Man of the Match in Port Elizabeth. Rabada’s 11-wicket haul was unquestionably outstanding, but in a Test where nobody else seemed to find batting easy, de Villiers looked as if he was playing another game entirely. His unbeaten 126 from 146 balls in the first innings changed the match. It was his first Test hundred in more than three years, and if there was any question as to how he would return after missing most of 2016 and 2017, that innings alone was an emphatic answer.After taking nine wickets in the first Test in Durban, Mitchell Starc could only manage match figures of 1 for 125 in Port Elizabeth, and the possibility of extra grass on the pitch at Newlands could make it challenging for him to find reverse swing. Starc struggled with a calf problem after the second Test but is expected to take his place in Cape Town, and Australia desperately need him back to his best if they are to prevent South Africa getting away.

Team news

Temba Bavuma has recovered from injury and is likely to replace Theunis de Bruyn, while there is also a question surrounding Lungi Ngidi and a possible toe injury, which could bring Morne Morkel back into the mix.South Africa: (possible) 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Morne Morkel/Lungi Ngidi.Starc and Mitchell Marsh both had injury niggles after the second Test, but the long break between matches is believed to have allowed them sufficient recovery time, and an unchanged line-up appears likely.Australia: (possible) 1 Cameron Bancroft, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

There is expected to be some grass on the Cape Town pitch, which may play slow and low. The forecast for the match is mostly fine.

Stats and trivia

• Australia’s two most recent Cape Town Tests could hardly have been any more different: in 2011, they were bowled out for 47 and beaten comfortably, but in 2014 they piled up 494 and 303, and emerged victorious.
• Steven Smith has now gone three Tests without a hundred, a significant drought by his lofty standards. Last time he played three consecutive Tests without making a century was against South Africa in 2016.
• Rabada is currently sitting on 902 ratings points on the ICC Test bowling rankings, the 20th highest rating by any bowler in Test history. The highest rating of all time was the 932 retrospectively calculated for England’s Sydney Barnes in 1914.

Quotes

“It’s important for me to make runs. Forget the captaincy, I always say you need to score runs – that’s the most important job for any player or any captain or leader.”
“I feel really good. My hit today was the best for six months.”

Foster, who briefly contemplated retirement last year, added 103 with Simon Harmer to take the game away from Lancashire

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford21-Apr-20182:11

Mixed fortunes for India duo

ScorecardBatting at this time of year in England is often a frisky business, as can be ascertained by a quick glance at scorecards from around the country (with the honourable exception of Grace Road). Eighteen wickets fell on the first day at Chelmsford, and another two followed in short order, but thereafter Essex showed some grit worthy of their status as Division One champions to leave the visitors looking at a hefty fourth-innings chase.Essex managed to pass 200, somewhat fretfully, and then 300 with increasing panache as James Foster became the first batsman in the match to record a half-century. A few days on from his 38th birthday – and six months after briefly contemplating retirement following Essex’s surprise title win – he was fox-like and tenacious as ever with the bat in hand, even if (whisper it) a couple of sharp stumpings had passed him by on the first day.Foster appeared set to be emulated by Simon Harmer, the Kolpak cult hero who was awarded his county cap at lunch after completing his first five-for of the season in the morning. The eighth-wicket partnership between Foster and Harmer, worth 103 in 25 overs, came late in the day and left Lancashire flagging. Harmer brought up 300 with a thump for four of Graham Onions, was promptly dropped at second slip from the next ball, before becoming the second Essex batsman to be out on 49.Although the pitch seemed to have eased a little, Essex will likely feel confident they have enough in the bank; Lancashire, having been dismissed for scores of 158, 73 and 144 so far this season, have a sizeable task on their hands if they are not to head back north with two defeats from two.For two-and-a-half hours during the afternoon, there was a growing sense that Tom Westley might be about to make a mark – both on the game and in a slim field of England candidates looking to impress the new national selector, Ed Smith. But Westley chipped wastefully to extra cover for 49 off the bowling of leggie Matt Parkinson – who might claim some credit for deception having served up a few full tosses – and rapped his pads in frustration before walking off.While the glorious weather again suggested a good batting day, the surface has been receptive throughout. What Essex would have given to be able to deploy Alastair Cook for a couple of sessions of barnacle immovability and steady accumulation. “He needs the practice,” opined one of the locals, down by the River End before play got started; but Cook has been rested by England for the first two rounds, and few in the game now seem to possess his reserves of patience.Foster remains invigorated by the challenge of first-class cricket, however, chivvying and hustling valuable extra runs. When Ryan ten Doeschate was pinned lbw by Onions, the ball keeping a touch low, Essex’s lead was 180 but that swelled quickly during the evening session.Until Foster took charge, the most fluent passage of the day came when Westley and Ravi Bopara were adding 57 for the fourth wicket – although the fact they ran two off an overthrow as Lancashire were unsuccessfully appealing for lbw against Bopara tells you something about the nature of play. A slow outfield continued to hamper run-scoring, but Westley did unfurl one trademark whip through the leg side for four, like the first ice cream of the summer – good enough to stick a flake in.It was a case of “sun’s out, guns out” in the morning, and Lancashire were soon all out, too, Jamie Porter and Harmer wrapping up five-wicket hauls apiece in the first nine balls of the day. That gave Essex a slender first-innings lead, which had seemed unlikely when they were 113 for 9 on Friday.With batting bonus points out of the equation, Essex went in search of bonus runs. Varun Chopra, who also received his county cap some 12 years after making his Essex debut, cracked 28 of his 32 in boundaries during an opening stand of 48 – the second-highest in Division One to date – before comprehensively losing his off stump to Onions. Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence were both then sent on their way after disputed low catches but there was little argument about who was on top by the close.

Chief executive returns with the PCA facing a number of pressing issues, not least about its response to “The Hundred”

George Dobell06-Jun-2018David Leatherdale is expected to resume his role as chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) within days. His return comes at a time when the players’ union faces a number of pressing issues, not least about its response to the ECB’s proposed 100-ball concept for 2020.Leatherdale was forced to step back from his position in February, having struggled with stress in the aftermath of a heavy workload and family health problems. But now, having had just over three months away from the game, Leatherdale is poised to go back to work. While no date has yet been put on that return, it is possible it will be as early as next week. If not, the PCA are hopeful it will be the following week. He is expected to start with a day a week and slowly build-up his workload.Leatherdale’s return will be warmly greeted. Not only will there be relief that a well-known figure in the game is firmly on the road to recovery, but he has been much missed in his absence. At a time of great flux in the game, the PCA has been criticised in some circles for failing to support its members as vociferously as it might have done in the past, and for the closeness of its relationship with the ECB. The union’s founder, Fred Rumsey, recently told ESPNcricinfo that he wondered if the organisation was “doing enough to look after the interests of players”.In Leatherdale’s absence – and with the position of deputy chief executive having been abandoned with the departure of Jason Ratcliffe 18 months ago – the organisation’s two chairmen, Daryl Mitchell and Matthew Wheeler, have assumed his responsibilities. But both have had to combine their PCA work with other roles: Mitchell is a senior player with Worcestershire and Wheeler fronts a couple of companies involved in sports marketing.Foremost among the issues likely to confront Leatherdale on his return is his members’ apparent opposition to “The Hundred” and an increasing realisation from players that the new competition will involve a relatively small number of them.A new pay deal for centrally contracted England players is also on the agenda, while the PCA has just learned that the County Partnership Agreements (CPA) with counties – the agreement that includes salary cap levels, minimum salary levels and performance related fee payments among many other things – for the period 2020 to 2024 will not be finalised by the ECB until the autumn. That makes it hard for counties and players to agree the value of contracts beyond the end of the 2019 season.But it is discussions around “The Hundred” that may remain most contentious. A sizeable number of players remain unconvinced by the format, underwhelmed by the manner in which information has been divulged to them by the ECB and unhappy that the current PCA executive is either not inclined or not able to mount any meaningful resistance.There was talk of a vote of no confidence in the current PCA leadership a couple of weeks ago – a move that failed to gain enough support to progress – while it is understood the ECB’s chief executive, Tom Harrison, was given a torrid time at the recent meeting with the players. His insistence that the new competition was only “a concept” at this stage appears to have been contradicted by his chairman, Colin Graves, stating it was “set in stone”.All of which is likely to leave Leatherdale with plenty on his plate upon his return.

Australia bounced back from a terrible tour of England with a resounding victory in Harare

The Report by Daniel Brettig02-Jul-2018
Billy Stanlake is mobbed by his team-mates•AFP

One centimetre taller than Joel Garner’s lofty 203, Billy Stanlake towered over Pakistan’s top order at the Harare Sports Club in a spell that delivered Australia their first international victory in any format since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, by nine wickets with a gaping 55 balls to spare.Making the most of what early-morning life existed in a dry surface, Stanlake blasted out the top-four Pakistani batsmen in a spell of 4 for 8, helped by three fine catches from his captain Aaron Finch, who had granted his young spearhead the chance to bowl first by winning the toss and kept him going for four consecutive overs.The game was more or less decided by Stanlake’s burst, with all four wickets falling to catches behind the wicket. If Fakhar Zaman seemed nonplussed by his dismissal, adjudged caught down the leg side when attempting a hook shot at another high bouncing Stanlake projectile, then there was no broadcasting budget room for DRS to determine whether or not he was right to quibble. A pair of lbw appeals, by Jhye Richardson and Usman Khan, might also have attracted referrals.Chasing a mere 117, Finch, D’Arcy Short and Travis Head galloped home, for a win so emphatic as to belie the fact Australia had lost eight matches in a row in all formats since Cameron Bancroft, David Warner and Steven Smith were mixed up in a ball-tampering plot against South Africa in Cape Town a little more than three months ago. With a 10am local time start, the victors were able to celebrate their result over lunch.Stanlake’s impact was further evidence of his potential to become a major handful for all international opponents, following a similarly eye-catching display against England in the fifth ODI at Old Trafford in Manchester. Such was his steep trajectory that he made the Harare surface seem more reminiscent of the WACA Ground more than two decades ago – certainly Garner would have approved of the different game he compelled Pakistan’s batsmen to play.Having trounced hosts Zimbabwe in the tournament opener on Sunday, Sarfraz Ahmed named an unchanged team to tackle the Australians. Finch’s XI featured the left-hander Nic Maddinson, who was included in the squad despite losing his state contract with New South Wales. Maddinson relocated to Victoria and will play for the Melbourne Stars in this summer’s Big Bash League.Taking the new ball, Stanlake had to wait for only three balls before Mohammed Hafeez flirted fatally with a bouncing ball outside the off stump, sending a comfortable edge through to Finch at slip. In his next over, Hussain Talat was unable to ride the lift of another steepler, which took the shoulder of the bat and hung in the air just long enough for Finch to run across from slip and take a neat one- hander nearer to where gully might have been.Zaman’s dissmisal in Stanlake’s third over will remain a matter for debate, as Alex Carey’s appeal from behind the stumps was met with an affirmative answer from the umpire Jeremiah Matibiri, but there was no doubt about the exit of Sarfraz, offering a slightly open defensive blade and edging in the vicinity of Finch for another alert snaffle.The remainder of the innings was always going to be a faltering salvage operation, not helped by a horrid run-out when Shoaib Malik loafed the first run and was then stranded when he realised too late that a more industrious Asif Ali was eager for a second. Asif’s innings then ended when he completely misread the length of a Marcus Stoinis delivery, and though some late punishment was handed out to Andrew Tye, the West Australian still finished with a trio of mop-up wickets.Finch and D’Arcy Short set out after their modest target as though eager for an early lunch, punching gaps in the field with something like impunity before the left-hander miscued to midwicket.Head came in to provide all the support required as Finch closed in on the win with a succession of meaty blows, raising a half century from just 27 balls in the process. Zimbabwe, who already looked the third best of these sides by a distance, have been warned.

The ICC board has ‘agreed a package of measures’ that will allow ZC to pay its debt while still receiving funding ‘on a controlled basis’

Firdose Moonda02-Jul-2018Zimbabwe Cricket has given a lifeline by the ICC, whose board “agreed a package of measures” that will allow ZC to pay its debt while still receiving funding “on a controlled basis”. The ICC has also offered to work with ZC “to develop a plan for managing its cricketing, management and financial structures which will be reviewed on an ongoing basis”.The decision came at the ICC’s annual conference in Dublin where ESPNcricinfo understands Zimbabwe were at risk of suspension unless they were able to provide proof of reduced or restructured debt. ZC, through working with the Zimbabwe Asset Management Corporation, has been able to renegotiate its debt, which totalled around USD 18 million, and will be able to service this debt even though it will not receive its scheduled July payout from the ICC.Instead, a plan of action will be put together to ensure ZC is drip-fed funding via a more regulated process to ensure it can meet its committments in paying staff and players – who are owed two months’ salaries – as quickly as possible. Already, players have received the match fees they were owed from their tour to Sri Lanka last July/August, and all outstanding salaries are expected to be paid by the end of this month.As a result of these collective actions, ZC was deemed to have complied with a number of conditions set by the ICC, which has committed to assisting ZC in getting back on its feet.”I am satisfied we have mapped out a way forward to enable Zimbabwe Cricket to get back on track,” Shashank Manohar, the ICC chairman, said. “It will require significant change to their financial, managerial and cricketing operations, along with support from the ICC, but we saw the latent potential of cricket at the recent ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe and this gives us the opportunity to build on that.”All this takes place as Zimbabwe take the field without five big-name players in the ongoing T20 triangular series against Australia and Pakistan, and while the organisation is without a Managing Director. Former captains Brendan Taylor and Graeme Cremer, allrounders Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, and senior batsman Craig Ervine all opted to sit out the matches after the non-payment of the monies owed to them while Faisal Hasnain, who left the organisation at the end of April, has not been replaced. ZC have appointed Vince van der Bijl, the former ICC umpires and referees manager, as a consultant on a short-term basis.Player representative Gerald Mlotchwa has yet to respond to a request for comment.