The BCCI will solicit the views of current Ranji Trophy captains and coaches on senior domestic cricket at a meeting in Mumbai on March 22, the board has said

Tariq Engineer13-Mar-2012The BCCI will solicit the views of current Ranji Trophy captains and coaches on senior domestic cricket at a meeting in Mumbai on March 22, the board has said. The board used to hold an annual meeting at the end of each season with players and coaches, but the practice had been discontinued for a few years.The meeting will give the players and support staff the chance to air their views on the domestic game, potentially ranging from the kind of ball that is used (Kookaburra or SG) to the quality of pitches to whether Ranji games should be played over four or five days. “The views of the captains and coaches, with regard to senior domestic cricket, will be discussed during the conclave,” Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, said in a statement.The meeting comes at a time when the BCCI’s technical committee has recommended a number of prospective changes to domestic cricket. The committee, chaired by the former India captain Sourav Ganguly, has recommended a revamp of the domestic calendar, including advancing the Duleep Trophy to the beginning of the season, playing the Ranji Trophy knockouts over five days and revising the points system in the case of incomplete matches where a team fails to take the first-innings lead. The recommendations still need to be approved by the board’s working committee, if they are to be implemented.Sairaj Bahutule, the captain of Vidarbha, welcomed the board’s decision to revive the meeting this year. “Players and coaches are getting involved, this interaction is very good,” he told ESPNcricinfo. Bahutule, who has also captained Mumbai, said it was important for the players to have the opportunity to present their idea and opinions on the game. He also felt it would give the representatives of teams in the Plate league a chance to draw attention to their concerns and possibly put forward ideas that could improve their standard of cricket.

Robin Peterson, who scored 15 off four balls against Kings XI Punjab and helped Mumbai win by four wickets, said he focused on staying calm during his match-winning knock

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2012Robin Peterson, who scored 15 off four balls in the penultimate over against Kings XI Punjab and helped Mumbai win by four wickets, said he focused on staying calm during his match-winning knock.Mumbai were chasing 168 and needed 32 from 12 balls when Peterson entered the fray. He reverse swept Piyush Chawla’s first ball for four, and then switch hit Chawla for another four off his second delivery. Peterson then slog swept his third ball for a six. His partner Ambati Rayudu continued the onslaught in the over by hitting Chawla for two sixes.”I just tried to hit it as hard and as far as I could. I realised that it’s best not to think too much in such situations and kept it really simple and stayed calm,” Peterson said. “Ambati must take credit for the way he played and the advice he gave me.”Peterson said that though Mumbai lost wickets they always felt they were in with a chance. “The outfield was quick and it was a venue where you could chase [such a target],” Peterson said. “We didn’t get the start we wanted but we thought we had players coming down [the order] that could make a difference. We were happy to chase anything under 180,” he said. “Last year, I hit the winning runs against India in the World Cup, it was the only match they lost [in the tournament]. So I have done it before in my career.”Kings XI’s coach and captain Adam Gilchrist, who didn’t play due to a hamstring injury, said that Peterson’s innings was the turning point. “We should celebrate the amazing cricket we saw. I must admit I thought we would get home but there was amazing batting from the last two guys at the end,” Gilchrist said.Gilchrist also defended Chawla saying that bowlers are bound to be hit for runs in the T20 format. “There should not be any focus on Piyush [who conceded 27 in the 19th over] but on Robin Peterson. Chawla is a legspinner in a T20 competition, on a tiny little ground. Of course he will get hit for sixes,” Gilchrist said. “He bowled very well in his first three overs [conceding 19], it was just those last six balls [that he got hit]. Looking at past records, I have been impressed with Chawla. David Hussey was right to show faith in him.”

Michael Clarke, Australia’s captain, has all but guaranteed Ricky Ponting his place in the team’s next Test assignment, at home against South Africa in November

Daniel Brettig in Roseau22-Apr-2012Michael Clarke, Australia’s captain, has all but guaranteed Ricky Ponting his place in the team’s next Test assignment, at home against South Africa in November. Ponting has looked in good touch in the Caribbean despite not making many runs and Clarke, who is also a selector, indicated Ponting’s place would be safe for the first Test of the home summer, more than six months away.Having staved off a run of slim scores in Sri Lanka and South Africa before enjoying a storming series at home against India, Ponting joined the majority of his fellow batsmen in struggling to make a major score in the West Indies. Only one century was made in two Tests, by Shivnarine Chanderpaul in Barbados, and Clarke said Ponting was arguably the man most likely to make one should the Dominica pitch offer a little more encouragement to stroke play.”He’s hitting the ball well, probably hasn’t got that big score that he’d like but none of us have. Conditions haven’t been great for making big hundreds,” Clarke said of Ponting. “If you wanted to make runs here you had to bat for a hell of a long time, and need a bit of luck as well along the way. Ricky’s one of the guys that has put the team above himself and sacrificed his wicket or tried to take the game forward because we’ve needed to, to try and help us win the game.”If he continues to play the way he’s played throughout the last 12 months, he had a wonderful summer, then I see no reason he won’t be in the team come the first Test against South Africa. There’s a lot of cricket to be played from now until then. Ricky’s not currently in our one-day squad but we also have some first-class cricket leading up to that first Test so I’m confident Ricky’s batting well and he’s not far away from a big score. If we get a decent wicket here I wouldn’t be surprised if he finished the summer on a very high note.”For his part, Ponting has no thoughts of the finish line, proving it by staying on at Windsor Park for throw-downs from the assistant coach Justin Langer after the rest of the squad had returned to the hotel. “Not yet no, one more game here,” he said when asked about retirement thoughts. “We’ll wait and see how many I get this week, if I get 200 this week you probably won’t be asking me that question.”Seven months and 13 Tests since he led Australia onto the field in Sri Lanka, Clarke called for one final push from his men to ensure the series against West Indies was won. He also pointed to the fact that so many of his men will be going direct from the Caribbean to the IPL as a reminder that fatigue should not be a problem as they play at Roseau’s Windsor Park for the first time.For the first time, Clarke will be joining them, having signed with Sourav Ganguly’s Pune. The IPL will reduce the break available for those playing both Test and limited-overs cricket, before the Australians start travelling again on a 20-month odyssey that will take them to England and India twice each, either side of home Tests against South Africa and Sri Lanka, and rounded off by a home Ashes series in 2013-14.”I think the closer you get to the finish line the more excited you actually get. We know we’ve got no Test cricket now until the Australian summer after this last Test,” Clarke said. “I’m pretty sure all the boys will want to make this Test a good one for themselves personally and for the team because we’ve had a really good summer, we want to finish on a high before we get stuck into one-day cricket and the Twenty20 World Cup before Test cricket comes around.”And guys can’t be too fatigued. 95% of the blokes are going to the IPL, so we have no excuse not to come out and play our best cricket once again in this Test match and finish what has been a very good summer of Test cricket on a high.
I think we’ve done really well in these conditions. We’ve pushed hard to get results, it could have quite easily been two draws but I think our attitude has helped us win the first Test and we thought we’re going to win the second Test.”A lot of the guys hadn’t seen the West Indies conditions as well so it’s been a good eye opener for the guys who haven’t played Test cricket over here. Your No. 1 goal is to win every series you play, there’s no doubt about that, that’s what we plan to do in this third Test. In saying that we’re trying to win every Test as well.”

India’s domestic, uncapped cricketers will be part of an auction ahead of next year’s IPL, the league’s chairman Rajiv Shukla has said

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2012India’s domestic, uncapped cricketers will be part of an auction ahead of next year’s IPL, the league’s chairman Rajiv Shukla has said. Only those who had played for India in one format or the other were part of previous auctions among Indian players, but that rule, Shukla said, will be changed as a measure to prevent corruption in the game.”It was the proposal of Shashank Manohar (former BCCI president) to auction all the domestic cricketers to avoid any form of corruption in the game,” Shukla told . “All domestic players will be auctioned from the next edition.” The auction purse for each franchise, Shukla added, will be raised accordingly though the details were still to be worked out.In a recent sting operation by news channel , at least three uncapped Indian cricketers were shown on camera, allegedly seeking more lucrative deals – including extra money that would have violated their IPL contracts – with other league franchises through an undercover reporter posing as a sports agent. Five players in all have been suspended by the BCCI pending investigations.Uncapped Indian players are paid a maximum of Rs. 30 lakh (US$54,500 approx). In an interview with channel , when asked why uncapped players didn’t feature in previous IPL auctions, Shukla said, “This was done to open up opportunities for little known domestic players as teams normally go for the known faces only.”With regards to the participation of Pakistan players in the next IPL, Shukla said, “We have not decided about Pakistan for IPL-6. The Governing Council of the IPL will take a call.”

The fast bowler Mark Gillespie has missed out on a national contract despite being New Zealand’s leading wicket taker in their most recent Test series

Brydon Coverdale20-Jun-2012The fast bowler Mark Gillespie has missed out on a national contract despite being New Zealand’s leading wicket taker in their most recent Test series. New Zealand have named their 20 contracted players for 2012-13 and five new names have appeared on the list for the first time – Dean Brownlie, Doug Bracewell, Andrew Ellis, Tarun Nethula and Kruger van Wyk – while James Franklin has regained his deal after being cut last year.But the inclusions meant there was no room for Gillespie, 32, who made his return to international cricket in March having not played for New Zealand in more than three years. He proved the value of his recall by collecting 11 wickets in the Test series against South Africa, despite playing only two of the three Tests, and only South Africa’s Vernon Philander had a more productive series.New Zealand Cricket uses a set criteria to rank its players across all three forms of the game, with Test cricket given twice the weighting of ODIs and Twenty20 internationals. But that wasn’t enough to put Gillespie, who is currently battling an ankle injury, in the top 20.Kim Littlejohn, the national selection manager, said the contracted players were those likely to add the greatest value to the national side over the next year. Littlejohn and the NZC director of cricket John Buchanan were the men in charge of awarding contracts this year, with the outgoing coach John Wright not taking part in the process.As reported last month, Jesse Ryder did not have his contract renewed, and the other men who lost their existing deals were Hamish Bennett, who missed all of last season due to back surgery, Neil Broom, Andy McKay, Luke Woodcock and Reece Young. Michael Bates, Ronnie Hira, Graeme Aldridge, Brent Arnel, Colin de Grandhomme, Jeetan Patel and Tom Latham all played for New Zealand during the past year but did not win a contract.

New Zealand contracted players for 2012-13

Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Andrew Ellis, Daniel Flynn, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Kruger van Wyk, Daniel Vettori, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson

“We have five new contracted players and their addition reflects the strong performances they have put in over the past 12 months and the value they are expected to bring to the Black Caps this coming year,” Littlejohn said. “It’s an exciting time for the Black Caps with a number of important series in the 2012-13 season including the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.”We believe the contracted players will be integral to the success of the team in what will be a demanding period against highly ranked opposition. There were some difficult decisions and it’s disappointing for the players who did not have their contracts renewed. We are confident they will continue to work hard and look to force their way into the team through performance.”The players who missed out on national deals will now have to wait for major association contracts, which will be announced on July 22.

Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain who quit international cricket in 2008, has said he could have extended his career by a couple of years

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2012Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain who quit international cricket in 2008, has said he could have extended his career by a couple of years. Since ending his 113-Test career four years ago, Ganguly has played four seasons of the IPL besides domestic cricket for Bengal.”I do regret my decision (to retire) sometimes, that I should not have acted in anger,” Ganguly said, in an interview to the Kolkata-based on the occasion of his 40th birthday. “But I did and … That bit is done and dusted … Yes, I could have played for another two years.”Ganguly had a poor tour of Sri Lanka in 2008, averaging only 16 in the series where India’s batsmen found it hard to pick the variations of Ajantha Mendis. He was then left out of a full-strength Rest of India side for the Irani Cup in what was widely seen as a signal that the selectors wanted to drop him from the Test team. Less than a month later, Ganguly announced his retirement.”I didn’t have one good series (in Sri Lanka) and, when the Irani Trophy squad was announced, my name was missing,” he said. “I’d stopped enjoying my game because I was thinking about things not related to my game, to my cricket. I could have probably just said ‘Let them do what they want’ and wait for my time.”After his international retirement, Ganguly has been in four seasons of the IPL. There has been speculation over whether the 2012 season would be his last as his side Pune Warriors finished bottom of the table. Ganguly didn’t rule out playing another season, though. “We have three-year contracts (with Warriors) and I have a year to go … There’s time, let’s see.”

Marlon Samuels, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, dedicated the victory, during which he scored 123 and 52, to his country

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2012″Nothing difficult right now as I had two years of runs put down,” said Marlon Samuels after his Man-of-the-Match winning performance in the second Test in his country Jamaica, which also sealed a 2-0 series win for West Indies. Samuels was alluding to his two-year absence from cricket as a result of a ban for alleged links to an Indian bookmaker.Samuels, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, dedicated the victory, during which he scored 123 and 52, to his country. “Most definitely, this is for Jamaica, the die-hard fans.”West Indies secured their first series win against a team other than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe in the last three years. They conceded a 51-run lead in the first innings, when Samuels took them closer to the New Zealand score with a century, but bowled out their opponents for 154 in the second and completed a chase of 206 on the fourth day. “It’s a feeling we are getting used to, and it feels quite good,” West Indies captain Darren Sammy said. “The way Marlon held the innings together in both innings, that spell from Narsingh [Deonarine, who picked up four wickets in the second innings] yesterday, the performances are coming from different players at different times, that’s the hallmark of a good team.”We have bowled them out every time we have played them this series, the efforts of Tino [Best, who took two wickets in the first hour of play] yesterday morning set the tone for us. Last year or two has been tough for us, we are going to celebrate this day, but it is about continuous hard work.”Kemar Roach was named the Man of the Series for his 12 wickets at 18.25. He picked up seven wickets in the first Test, five in the second and made an attacking 41 in West Indies’ chase in Jamaica as nightwatchman. “Of course as a fast bowler I’d like faster, bouncier wickets,” he said. Roach, despite his success, has had problems with the no-ball. “I have a couple of weeks off, will spend it with the coach (working on the no-ball problems).”

A round-up of the ninth-place play-off quarter-finals of the Under-19 World Cup on August 20

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2012In one of the most one-sided encounters of the World Cup, Nepal crashed to 79 on their way to an eight-wicket drubbing at the hands of Sri Lanka at Peter Burge Oval. It was a combined bowling effort by Sri Lanka, led by the offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who took 3 for 13. Only two Nepal batsmen passed double figures, with extras (18) as the second-highest scorer. Subtract the 16 wides and Nepal would have folded up for much less. Sri Lanka raced towards the target thanks to an aggressive opening stand of 71 between Sebastian Perera and Shehan Fernando. Fernando was the Man of the Match for his 48.Ireland qualified for the ninth-place playoff semi-finals after getting past Namibia in another low-scorer in Brisbane. Namibia limped to a painful 128 for 9 in 50 overs and though Ireland chased it down in less than 25 overs, they lost six wickets in the process. Graeme McCarter, the right-arm seamer, took three early wickets to reduce Namibia to 35 for 4 by the 11th over. Namibia struggled to put on partnerships of note, the highest being 29 for the 10th wicket. Jason Davidson and Christopher Coombe were the only two batsmen to pass 20. McCarter finished with 4 for 32, while George Dockrell was the most parsimonious, with figures of 1 for 8 from 10 overs. Ireland’s Ryan Hunter led the chase with a quick 42 off 37 balls, taking his side to 83 for 2 in the 14th over before he was dismissed. Namibia managed to sneak in a few more breakthroughs, but their score of 128 was never going to seriously test Ireland.Namibia and Nepal will face each other tomorrow for the 13th-place playoff semi-final at Peter Burge Oval.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Clydesdale Bank 40 final between Hampshire and Warwickshire at Lord’s

Alex Winter14-Sep-2012The decline in attraction of cricket’s domestic cup final has parallels with football’s FA Cup final – shifting time slots and sponsors, the rising importance of more valuable competitions – but while the Football Association will always be able to shift tickets for Wembley, the ECB has been forced into some blue sky thinking to try and boost the profile of an occasion where not so long ago, the cricket did all the talking.Friends Life t20 finals day saw a host of comedians keep the crowd chuckling but for the CB40 final, Lord of the Dance will provide the supplementary entertainment. More than 500 young people from schools around the country will perform a “unique choreographed dance routine” – the largest ever staged at Lord’s. One can only assume there have been others.Whoever bats second will be hoping a mass of young children do nothing to affect the condition of the outfield, as chasing has been the path to victory in each of the last four finals. Chasing has also been very successful for Warwickshire; five of their eight victories in the group stage came via bowling first and only one of those pursuits was tight. Only once did they lose batting second.Their success with the bat has gone hand in hand with Varun Chopra’s excellent season. He has made 446 runs at 55.75. Chopra’s opening partner William Porterfield has also been in form with 395 runs, although he is at the World Twenty20 with Ireland. When you add Tim Ambrose’s average of 59 in eight innings into the order, it is easy to see why they won the second-highest number of games of any team in the group stage. And they needed those wins, qualifying only on countback ahead of Kent – who inflicted Warwickshire’s only batting aberration, when the Bears were shot out for 96 at Edgbaston.The bowling attack also boasts the names that have been lauded as Warwickshire took the County Championship title. Chris Wright’s 19 victims have cost 21.15 apiece; Chris Woakes’ 13 just 16.92. Spinner Jeetan Patel has also replicated his Championship influence in the CB40, going at fewer than four runs per over and picking up 11 wickets.The spin department may prove the widest gap between the teams: Hampshire are without Danny Briggs, their leading wicket-taker with 19 victims, who is also at the World T20 in Sri Lanka, with England. But Hampshire do welcome back Neil McKenzie. He flew home after the Friends Life t20 final but has travelled back to try and help Hampshire to a one-day double, which would prove ample compensation, financially if anything, for failing to win promotion in the Championship.Also missing for Hampshire is Dimitri Mascarenhas, one of their most experienced campaigners. He aggravated an injury in the FLt20 final and is now resting ahead of the T20 Champions League in October.But Hampshire have become used to the big occasion, winning the FLt20 in two of the last three seasons. Four of this year’s squad – Jimmy Adams, Michael Carberry, Sean Ervine and Liam Dawson – also played in their last final appearance in the longer one-day competition, when they beat Sussex to win the 2009 FP Trophy, although talisman Dominic Cork, who took four early wickets that day, is no longer around. Ervine is also a veteran of the 2005 final, in the old 50-over format, and he scored a 93-ball hundred as Hampshire defeated this year’s opponents, Warwickshire, by 18 runs.Also returning from that match is Warwickshire’s Neil Carter, hoping for one last tilt at glory. His five-for and pinch-hit 32 were in vain in 2005 but he got his hands on the inaugural CB40 trophy in 2010, when Ian Bell’s hundred saw them to victory. And it is the likes of Bell, Chopra, Wright and Woakes – players in form, who have played high-quality cricket all summer – that give Warwickshire the edge. Hampshire, however, will hope their underdog spirit can produce the sparkle this flagging tournament desperately needs.

Raja Ali, a former Madhya Pradesh and Railways batsman, has died of cardiac arrest. He was 36

Amol Karhadkar22-Oct-2012Double Ranji Trophy champion Raja Ali, a former Madhya Pradesh and Railways batsman, has died of cardiac arrest in Bhopal. He was 36.Ali started his first-class career with Madhya Pradesh in 1996-97, before moving to Railways in 2000-01. He was the third-highest run-getter in the 2001-02 Ranji Trophy-winning Railways squad. He also scored an important half-century in the 2004-05 Ranji final, which Railways won. He played 87 first-class matches, scoring 4337 runs at an average of 38.38 with nine centuries, and 54 List A games for 1312 runs with one century.”He was one of our specialist middle-order batsmen,” Chandrakant Pandit, the former Test wicketkeeper who played for Madhya Pradesh, said. “A very stout and strong-minded player, he had the ability to hit the ball out of the ground at will. As a result, he was the go-to man for Madhya Pradesh when it came to one-dayers. Later on, he had to move to Railways but he remained a very useful cricketer all along. It’s very sad that he is no longer with us. May his soul rest in peace.”Sanjay Bangar, the Railways allrounder, remembered Ali as a person with a big heart who was a key member of the Railways squad. He said the news of Ali’s death has come as a big shock. “Even though he announced his retirement recently, we were constantly in touch over the phone,” Bangar said. “In fact, I had visited the coaching academy that he had started in Bhopal not very long ago. He was seriously trying to get into coaching and had done the NCA’s Level A course as well. It’s a big shock that he is not with us anymore.”Murali Kartik, Ali’s Railways team-mate, said that he had the amazing quality of fighting out a tough situation. “I remember when I joined Railways ahead of the Plate Group semifinal (in 2007-08), the kind of words he spoke to me egged me on,” Kartik said. “When I joined him in the middle, the chips were down and we had to come up with a partnership to be back in the Elite. And we did it in memorable fashion. But to see our partnership end in such a manner – I am 36 just like him – is a big shock for me.”During our decade-long association as team-mates, I hardly saw him wearing a sad look on his face. In fact, his sense of humour was amazing and he had a terrific sense of timing, both on and off the field. Sometimes people used to be scared of him since he had that streak, but everyone has it. As good a person he was, he was equally good a cricketer. For someone to average 40 in both forms of the game speaks for himself.”The Central Zone team wore black armbands to pay their respect to Ali during the ongoing Duleep Trophy final in Chennai.