The Australian spearhead looks forward to playing in his first Boxing Day Test, having missed all opportunities since his debut back in December 2011

Brydon Coverdale23-Dec-20162:39

Maddinson should get another chance – Starc

Four years ago this week, Mitchell Starc received cricket’s equivalent of a lump of coal for Christmas. He was rested for the Boxing Day Test. Not dropped. Rested. Starc was 22 at the time, and was entering what team management called a “danger period” due to his heavy workload. “We don’t want a high-risk strategy,” chairman of selectors John Inverarity said at the time. Australia’s then coach, Mickey Arthur, said Starc “took it very well”.Perhaps Starc was just a good actor, because that decision still irks him. Four years on, Starc is the leader of Australia’s attack, the No.6-ranked Test bowler in the world, and the owner of 136 Test wickets. And he is still waiting for his first Boxing Day Test. He enters this year’s Melbourne Test having sent down 56 overs in Australia’s win over Pakistan at the Gabba – his highest workload in any first-class game – but don’t expect Starc to rest this time.”It’s happened before. He’s in the other camp now, I think,” Starc said in Melbourne on Friday, referring to Arthur, now the coach of Pakistan.It is perhaps surprising that Starc has not played a Boxing Day Test, for it feels that he has been a fixture in the side for many years. But in 2012 he was rested; in 2013 he missed the whole home Ashes due to a stress fracture of the back; in 2014 he was dropped from the XI that beat India in Brisbane to accommodate Ryan Harris, who was returning from injury; and in 2015, Starc missed the second half of the summer due to an ankle injury.”There’s a few of us in the rooms that are yet to play one,” Starc said. “Personally, as a kid growing up watching the Boxing Day Test, it’s always been a dream of mine to play in front of a full house at the MCG on Boxing Day. If I get the chance this week I’ll tick that one off and it’ll be a fantastic experience to walk out and sing that anthem. To play a Boxing Day Test will be pretty special.”The heavy workload of Starc and Josh Hazlewood in Brisbane – Hazlewood also bowled 56 overs, his highest tally in a first-class match – has led Australia’s selectors to include uncapped allrounder Hilton Cartwright in the squad. There is a chance they could bring Cartwright in at the expense of No.6 Nic Maddinson to ease the burden on the fast men, although Starc said he felt fine after the Gabba Test.”Whether we’ve got three quicks and a spinner or three quicks, an allrounder and a spinner, there’s going to be times when we have high workloads and times when we dont” he said. “So I guess it comes back to us and making sure we can take ten wickets quicker than 130 overs, and then no one’s asking that question. Whichever way they go this week, we’ll prepare to bowl a lot of overs if we need, and if not, perfect.”The last ball I bowled in that Test match, which was in my 56th over, was 149 clicks, so no issues on my end. I can only speak for myself. You’d have to ask the other quicks if they’re any different. A Boxing Day Test just gets everyone up and ready to go.”Should the selectors decide not to change their winning XI, it will mean another chance for Nic Maddinson, who has made 0, 1 and 4 in the three innings of his fledgling Test career. Starc knows all too well how difficult it can be to gain traction as a Test cricketer without being given a decent run in the side – for the first few years of his career he was often in one Test and out the next – and he hopes Maddinson is given another chance.”I guess I’ve been in a similar position in a way, where I’ve been in and out quite often through the start of my career,” Starc said. “There were some times when I was back more and given more of a chance and a longer run of cricket, where my performances started to pick up and I got that consistency in my game.”I definitely think ‘Maddo’ should get another chance. In the end it’s up to the selectors, but continued cricket at this level can only help him. It would be a great opportunity for him on Boxing Day after we’ve had a couple of wins together as a unit, so it would be nice to stick together.”It would also give Maddinson a chance to prove his credentials against the red ball, for so far he has played only pink-ball Test cricket, against South Africa in Adelaide and then against Pakistan in Brisbane. Starc is pleased to be returning to the red-ball game, with the pink Kookaburra having proven hard work for the fast bowlers at the Gabba.”We won’t have to worry about a pink one for the rest of the summer, thankfully,” Starc said. “I think they’ve come a long way with the pink ball where it’s improved a lot since they first introduced it, but it still doesn’t wear like a red ball. It’s a ball that’s really hard to get to go reverse because the leather is different. When it wears it sort of cracks and splinters off, whereas the red one scratches and creates a rough side where you can reverse it.”I still think there’s a way to go where they’re very similar. But look, Kookaburra are working really hard and I’m sure they’ll get there eventually. And the product is a fantastic thing, when you see the numbers and the spectacle that is day-night cricket. It’s definitely here to stay. The ball’s just got to catch up.”

Andrew Flintoff has urged the ECB to resist the introduction of new teams into the domestic T20 tournament and rely instead on a restructured tournament involving the current 18 first-class counties

George Dobell10-Feb-2017Andrew Flintoff has urged the ECB to resist the introduction of new teams into the domestic T20 tournament and rely instead on a restructured tournament involving the current 18 first-class counties.Flintoff, the former England captain and current PCA president, believes some supporters will be “alienated” by new team identities, especially if they named after cities, and warns that the charm of the game will be diminished if players’ loyalty towards their local side is abandoned.”I wanted to play for Lancashire all my life,” Flintoff told former England team-mate, Rob Key, in a Sky Sports podcast. “I didn’t want to play for Manchester. I’d play for Preston, don’t get me wrong. But Manchester doesn’t have that same thing for me. You look at Yorkshire: are you going to play as Leeds and alienate everyone from Barnsley? If you call it Manchester, you’re going to alienate the Scousers.”You turn it into a football scenario. Loyalty goes out of the game. You just go to the highest bidder. Year in, year out, you’re playing for a different teams.”This is where cricket is separated from the likes of football. Look at the top football teams: you’re telling me Sergio Aguero, as a kid, wanted to play for Man City?”Why does it matter? Because I find in football, the fans are the most loyal people. Not the players or the managers or anybody else. In cricket, we still have an element of loyalty. You played your whole career at Kent; I did the same at Lancashire. The Yorkshire lads are the same. There’s a real pride in playing for your county. I wouldn’t want that to be lost. It’s something that is quite charming about cricket.”Claiming the standard of the Big Bash League was no better than the NatWest Blast – he has appeared in both in recent years – Flintoff cautioned against applying the Australian model in England.”Everyone looks at the Big Bash and says ‘this is brilliant’ and ‘this is what we should do in England’ but I don’t think the standard is any better,” Flintoff said. “The pitches are a lot better.”But the worst thing you can do is compare the Big Bash. Let’s get ours right. The Big Bash has been six years in the making and has started making a profit in the last two years. Before that it was running at a loss.”And, 9pm on Friday at Old Trafford: if you’re watching Lancashire or Manchester, it’s still going to be cold. The weather isn’t going to be any better.”Flintoff did suggest that some aspects of the Big Bash League could be copied, though. But while he appreciated the briefings from commercial teams about the importance of the players understanding the need to reach out to a new audience, he still concluded that a system of promotion and relegation involving all 18 first-class counties would serve English T20 better than a new team competition.”Before we bowled a ball at Brisbane Heat, the commercial department came in and told us what was required of us on and off the field to grow the fan base,” he said. “I’ve never done that with Lancashire. They sat us down and told us about all the interviews we would be doing and what we were expected to do. All the players bought into it. I’d never had that in the county system. Nobody had ever told me what they expected beyond a few runs and wickets.”Why do you need city cricket? I don’t think the NatWest Blast has been done as well as it could. Let’s get the NatWest Blast right, let’s get the format right and put a load of energy into that rather than worrying about a new tournament. Play it in a block. Two divisions, up and down.”Northamptonshire won last year. But will Northants, the best team in the country, be one of the cities? Will they heck. And another thing: you’ll have 200 lads, during the summer, not playing cricket. What are they going to do?”I don’t know if they’ve done this, but they should go to Surrey and see what they’re doing. They play in front of packed houses week in, week out. You see a Surrey game on TV and there’s life and atmosphere and they get full houses.”While Flintoff is a bit loose on a few details – the ECB are looking more at regional rather than city identities for the new teams and those players not involved are scheduled to play a 50-over tournament instead – his words will strike a chord with many traditional cricket lovers. That is not the audience the ECB is targeting with the new team competition, however, and it seems all but inevitable that the new tournament will be launched in 2020.It must also be noted that the company that manages Flintoff is chaired by Surrey chairman Richard Thompson. Surrey have been the strongest opponent of the new team competition among the counties.

The second Test of their tour of Sri Lanka will be Bangladesh’s 100th. Having begun their journey in November 2000, they will have taken little over 16 years to their century

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2017Bangladesh will play their 100th Test match, against Sri Lanka, on March 15 in Colombo. Having played their first Test in November 2000, Bangladesh will be the last of the Full Members to complete the century, having taken little over 16 years to the mark.The visitors will begin their tour with a two-day practice game in Moratuwa before the first Test in Galle on March 7 and their milestone match at P Sara Oval a week later.The limited-overs leg begins with a warm-up game on March 22, before Dambulla hosts the first and second ODIs on March 25 and 28. The series concludes in Colombo – unusually at the SSC, which has not hosted an ODI since 2011.Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva said the decision to play this match – a day game – was made on the basis that Bangladesh were not a major drawcard. The SSC has a capacity of about 10,000.”The reason we don’t host one-day games at SSC when we play other teams, is because we feel we won’t be able to accommodate the crowds there – the capacity is very limited at SSC,” de Silva said. “But when we play against Bangladesh, though there will be crowds, it will not exceed the capacity which can be accommodated as SSC, I’m sure.”When you play at a smaller ground also, it would seem like there are crowds – even for a Bangladesh tour. We can market it better.”The two T20Is to finish the tour, however, will be played at Khettarama.The Bangladesh squad is expected to be announced by February 20, while training begins in Mirpur on February 24. This is Bangladesh’s first bilateral tour of Sri Lanka since 2013, when they drew the Galle Test and also secured a 1-1 result in the three-match ODI series.

Leicestershire have signed New Zealand’s Luke Ronchi as a replacement overseas player for Sharjeel Khan

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2017Leicestershire have signed New Zealand’s Luke Ronchi as a replacement overseas player for Sharjeel Khan, who was last month charged with corruption by the PCBPakistan opener Sharjeel had been due to appear for Leicestershire in this year’s NatWest T20 Blast before he was provisionally suspended during the PSL for alleged breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code. A tribunal has been formed to examine the case against Sharjeel and Khalid Latif but could take up to three months from the date of the players’ suspension to have its first hearing.The county said in a statement: “The contractual status of Sharjeel Khan is a private matter between Leicestershire CCC and the player, and so unfortunately it is not something that we are able to comment on at this stage.”Ronchi, who has previously played county cricket for Warwickshire and Somerset, will instead join Clint McKay as one of Leicestershire’s two overseas signings. He is expected to be available for the whole of the Blast.”I am delighted to have signed with Leicestershire Foxes for the NatWest T20 Blast,” Ronchi said. “I love playing county cricket and can’t wait to get started with my new team-mates. It seems like an exciting time at the club with a few personnel changes and talented additions to the squad. I hope I can make a difference both on and off the field and contribute to a successful campaign.”Wicketkeeper-batsman Ronchi has a T20 strike rate of 141.89 from 114 matches. He has played all three formats for New Zealand (having been initially capped for Australia) and is particularly experienced in white-ball internationals, featuring in every match of New Zealand’s run to the 2015 World Cup final.Leicestershire’s head coach, Pierre de Bruyn, said: “We’re delighted to sign Luke, who will offer power and dynamism to our batting line-up. He has played a lot of games around the world and his experience in the shortest format of the game will also help our youngsters.”We are determined to improve in white-ball cricket in 2017 and Luke will help us to do that in NatWest T20 Blast. Luke has played for a very good New Zealand side over the last few years and we are excited about him joining us in July.”

Northamptonshire and Worcestershire played out a thrilling tie at Wantage Road in the Royal London Cup with Adam Rossington narrowly failing to score the 14 runs required from the final over.

ECB Reporters Network03-May-2017
ScorecardAdam Rossington couldn’t quite haul Northants to victory in the final over•Getty Images

Northamptonshire and Worcestershire played out a thrilling tie at Wantage Road in the Royal London Cup with Adam Rossington narrowly failing to score the 14 runs required from the final over.Rossington paddle-swept two boundaries off Joe Leach to leave two required from the final delivery, but he couldn’t connect with the last ball and Leach’s full delivery escaped wicketkeeper Ben Cox for a bye that tied the scores and left each side with a point each from a wonderful game in bitterly cold conditions.Northants were in control of their chase of 278 with Rob Newton making a maiden List A century in 109 balls – opening the batting in one-day cricket for the first time since 2013. He shared a stand of 106 with Alex Wakely to steer Northants to 198 for 3 in the 39th over.But Newton dragged a lofted drive to long-on, Wakely was run out attempting a sharp single to short third man and Steven Crook edged a cut to Cox for a golden duck as Northants slid to 219 for 6.Rossington only had the bowlers for company but cut and drove with his usual excellent timing to keep Northants in touch. Thirty-nine runs were needed from 30 balls before Rossington pulled and then drove Leach for boundaries but couldn’t find a big over to take complete control of the situation. When only five runs came from the penultimate over, 14 were needed from the final six deliveries and Rossington couldn’t quite deliver, ending 63 not out from 45 balls.Newton’s innings looked to have handed Northants a much-needed victory, after losing their opening two matches in the competition. He drove and cut well in an opening stand of 55 with Josh Cobb before Cobb, having lifted Leach almost onto the upper tier of the Spencer Pavilion, dragged Jack Shantry into his stumps. Richard Levi then pulled Ed Barnard with perfect timing straight to deep square and when Rob Keogh tamely chipped a return catch back to Brett D’Oliveria Northants were in a sticky spot at 92 for 3. Newton and Wakely’s subsequent fine recovery was almost wasted.Worcestershire needed two recoveries of their own to post 277 for 9. From 118 for 5 after Daryl Mitchell made a season’s best 75, Cox made his List A best score. Dropped on 5 by Sanderson running around from long-on, he made a second successful attempt at the stroke and lifted Cobb for six. Another lofted drive cleared mid-off and he cut another boundary to take 17 from Cobb’s sixth over and drove some momentum back into the innings.He went past fifty for the first time in List A cricket in 54 balls with three fours and two sixes – the second over long-on off White.When he fell – caught at third man attempting to paddle sweep Richard Gleeson – Worcestershire were 199 for 8 and in danger of being bowled out well inside the allocation. But Barnard played a gem of an innings from No. 10 to rally the innings for a second time. He struck the ball cleanly down the ground, taking Azharullah for four, then six in an unbeaten 42 from 27 balls. It proved a decisive knock.Northants centurion Rob Newton said: “We feel we’ve outplayed them for 85 overs and a couple of patches have let us down in a big way. We should have nailed them for 230 or 240 and looking back we probably didn’t mix up the bowling enough against the final partnership.”We felt with 12 overs to go that was the time to nail the chase, I unfortunately got out, Alex went when he was just getting into his stride and that put us on the back foot. Adam played an unbelievable knock to almost get us over the line but we feel this is a game we should have won.”Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: “It’s been a really exciting enthralling game, just a shame the weather prevented too many coming along.”We did really we to get the score we did, we thought we were a little above par and at one stage Northants should have won comfortably but we kept going and managed to take something from the game and maintained our unbeaten record.”

Marcus Trescothick passed Harold Gimblett’s record with his 50th first-class century for Somerset as he helped ensure a draw against Warwickshire

George Dobell at Taunton22-May-2017
ScorecardThere is a rumour in Taunton that when Marcus Trescothick first visited the county ground, the Quantocks hadn’t been formed and the tower of St James’ church hadn’t been built: they were still waiting for the birth of Jesus and the formation of Christianity.While that is probably a slight exaggeration, it is certainty true that Trescothick has become as much a fixture at this old ground as the hills and towers that border it. Since his first-class debut, back in 1993 – the year there was a false start in the Grand National and the Princess of Wales denied any intention of divorcing Prince Charles – this ground has altered almost beyond recognition: the Colin Atkinson Pavilion remains, but the Botham and Somerset stands, and the Somerset, Caddick and Ondaatje pavilions (they like a pavilion round here) have all been added and the place has been transformed from something of a sleepy backwater to a thriving club that produces high-quality players and packs them in for T20 matches. And he now plays at a ground with a stand bearing his name.He is also now the only man in Somerset’s history to record 50 first-class centuries for the club. He equalled Harold Gimblett’s record of 49 against Nottinghamshire in July 2016 and passed it here to help his side to a battling draw. His status as a club legend is absolutely assured.He does not remain through sentiment, either. As he showed, he continues to justify his place in the side as a fine batsman and the most-prized wicket for the opposition. Without him, Somerset might well have subsided to an innings defeat. After his 106 and Peter Trego’s 52 – a stay that contained several strong leg-before shouts and what appeared to be a clear slip catch that was given not out – the next-highest contribution in Somerset’s first innings was 16.Even then, he was still obliged to come out once more to save the game. With Somerset losing their final five first-innings wickets for 22 runs, Warwickshire enforced the follow-on and Trescothick was the man – of course he was the man – who shielded an out-of-sorts middle-order to safety with another two hours of defiance. Tom Abell’s unbeaten innings of 35, easily his highest score of the season to date, might prove quietly significant, too.But this day was all about Trescothick. He batted for all but seven overs of it and the clenched fists and bat raised to all corners of the ground upon reaching his century hinted at how much the individual landmark meant to him. And the fact that it saved his side from defeat meant even more.You won’t hear a bad word about him in these parts. In any parts, really. And it is not just for his runs. It is for his obvious enthusiasm and commitment to the cause – his upset after Somerset finished as runners-up yet again a few years ago was painful to witness – his openness with supporters, his bravery in confronting his mental health issues and trying to help others with theirs. And, perhaps, his vulnerability, too. Somerset are as protective of him as they are proud.There are, as Trescothick accepts, aspects of his story and Gimblett’s that are “not too dissimilar”. Both were local lads who, for many years, plundered runs for their county but were then afflicted by dark moods over which they had no control. But while Trescothick, in time, found sympathy and understanding, Gimblett took his own life. One day, we may well reflect that it has been Trescothick’s work improving the awareness of mental health issues in sport that has been even more significant than his runs. Certainly, he has made life easier for those who come after him.”The cricket gets forgotten quite quickly,” Trescothick said. “The team and the club moves on. But hopefully the mental health work will be remembered a bit longer. Hopefully we have educated a few people and given them hope that they can talk about it and gain help. That will probably live on for longer. In 10 years, that might be what people remember.”Trescothick continues to battle his demons. “Even this week, I’ve had sleepless nights. I’ve not been feeling quite right. You have to manage those feelings and get through those periods. I can still cope and play cricket when I don’t feel right. I’ve learned to manage it a bit.”Such has been his struggle for confidence this season, Trescothick called his sponsors last week for a new batch of bats. Whether the change was real or psychological, 152 runs for one dismissal in this match suggest something clicked. He gave one chance in the second innings – a pull for six that Grant Thornton clung on to but on the wrong side of the boundary – but generally looked wonderfully assured against a ball that was turning sharply by the end of the match.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Of course I still doubt myself,” he said. “Absolutely I doubt myself. That will never go away. I felt a million miles away from form this season. I’ve been really battling for rhythm. But you fight through and I desperately wanted to reach this milestone at home. As a professional sportsman you pride yourself on days like this. It’s what I want more than anything. It’s why I’m still playing at 41.”There’s no reason why there should not be a few more centuries to come. His hunger for the game is such that, even in the last few days, he has been asking to play 2nd XI games to ensure he remains in form – an experience he describes as “brilliant fun”. His days as a white-ball player behind him – it is the fielding that has become the issue – he will appear a fair bit more for the seconds in the coming weeks as T20 dominates the domestic schedule. His young colleagues are lucky to have him.”He is a fantastic bloke and great role model,” Warwickshire’s captain, Ian Bell, agreed. “All the young players here can tap into him and this is a great achievement.”There was a moment in early afternoon when Warwickshire seemed far from convinced what a fantastic bloke he was. Trego, on 34, appeared to have edged to Jonathan Trott at slip but the umpires said they were unsure the ball had carried and Trescothick, naturally, backed his team-mate. He appeared to exchange a few words with Trott, in particular, and perhaps disturbed by the combination of that incident and reaching his century, he fell to a loose drive against a wide delivery a few moments later.His departure precipitated a collapse. Roelof van der Merwe was bowled first ball, attempting an oddly lavish drive, while with 38 more required to avoid the follow-on, Jamie Overton hooked straight to long leg. Thornton finished with four wickets on debut and looks certain to win an extension to his three-month contract. His action is far from pretty but, as Lasith Malinga proved, unusual does not necessarily mean unhelpful.So Warwickshire enforced the follow-on. But two hours was never going to be enough to force victory on this pitch. Still, this was comfortably their best performance of the Championship season and news that Boyd Rankin is back in 2nd XI action and Olly Stone is continuing to improve might encourage them further.Few who were present will recall many of those details, though. This was a day to marvel and celebrate Trescothick’s longevity and excellence. And don’t go thinking that he is coming to the end. A man who knew he required 29 in the first innings to reach 25,000 first-class runs will know he needs just over 2500 more to overhaul Gimblett’s record tally of 21,142 for Somerset. Few would bet against him.”That seems a long way off,” he said. “But I don’t envisage stopping any time soon. There are a lot more years yet to continue with what I’ve got to do. Hopefully I can continue to tape the body up. As long as I’m good enough, I’ll continue to play. I still love playing cricket.”

Eoin Morgan “is the single biggest factor in England’s success in white-ball cricket over the last two years”, according to the team’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace

George Dobell at Edgbaston08-Jun-2017Eoin Morgan “is the single biggest factor” in England’s success in white-ball cricket over the last two years, according to the team’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace.Morgan, the side’s captain, could easily have been sacked after leading England through a dismal World Cup campaign at the start of 2015. Not only was the team knocked out at the group stages, but Morgan himself suffered a run of form in which he scored just two runs from four ODI innings at one stage and five ducks in 11 innings at another.Instead, the team management recognised that he had inherited the position in far-from-ideal circumstances – just a few weeks before the tournament when Alastair Cook was sacked just before Christmas – and retained faith in his leadership.It is a decision that has paid off. While the England team are only No. 5 in the ICC’s ODI rankings, their white-ball cricket has been revolutionised. They were the first team in this tournament to qualify for the semi-finals, they reached the final of the World T20 last year, and they have – among an array of broken records – set the highest ODI total in history: 444 for 3 against Pakistan in Nottingham last August. It is all a far cry from the stuttering mess of the World Cup campaign.”I think Eoin Morgan is the single biggest factor in England’s success in white-ball cricket over the last two years,” Farbrace said. “Andrew Strauss took a lot of credit in that he talked about the emphasis being on white-ball cricket. And Trevor Bayliss has come in as a very experienced coach, and been very successful in white-ball cricket.”But for me, Eoin Morgan is the single biggest factor.”The resurgence started at Edgbaston, the scene of Saturday’s Group A showdown with Australia. Coming out of a World Cup campaign in which New Zealand had thrashed England in Wellington with embarrassing ease – there were an eye-watering 226 deliveries of the New Zealand innings remaining when they completed an eight-wicket victory – you might have expected confidence to be low.But Morgan revived flagging spirits, welcomed in new faces and insisted that – come what may – England should look for the positive option. Despite losing a wicket to the first ball of the match, and another in the eighth over, Morgan attacked from the start and, with Joe Root and Jos Buttler contributing centuries, helped lay the platform for a total of 408.So, as England return to the ground to take on Australia, it was only natural that Farbrace’s mind should look back on the seeds of the recovery.”We all thought we were doing the right thing at the World Cup,” Farbrace said. “And quite clearly we weren’t.”We made some mistakes, we didn’t play with much confidence. We were all part of it, and I was fortunate I was one of the ones that continued.”At the time the thought was that Australia and New Zealand were the first two games, we should get them out of the way. Then win the rest of our games and qualify for the quarter-final and build momentum for the semi-finals.”But I don’t think we ever recovered from those two games. I think the mauling we took from Australia in Melbourne, and then the absolute hammering from the Kiwis, it knocked the confidence of all of us, players and staff. Then it became a very tough few weeks.”In the build-up to that game here at Edgbaston, where we got 400, Eoin talked to the players about going and playing their own way and backing themselves to play their own way. His words at that stage were ‘go and play, go and back yourself to play. We’re right behind you and there’ll be no one getting stuck into you if you come out having played an ordinary shot’.”Then he went out and did exactly that in the first game. And then he continued to do so throughout the series. I think players started saying ‘It’s okay to do it … not only is he saying it, but he’s actually living it, doing it’.

The BCCI has successfully narrowed down to three its list of Lodha Committee recommendations that it wants reviewed by the Supreme Court

Vishal Dikshit08-Jul-2017The BCCI has successfully narrowed down the list of Lodha Committee recommendations that it wants reviewed by the Supreme Court to three. The points that the special panel which discussed the recommendations in Mumbai on Saturday wants the court to reconsider are: the three-year cooling off period for office bearers and members of the apex council, the one-state one-vote policy, and the demarcation in roles of office bearers and professionals.The seven-member panel was appointed by the BCCI on June 27 with a view to identify the “few critical points” in the implementation of the Supreme Court order. India’s finance minister Arun Jaitley, also a former vice-president of the BCCI, had met the panel earlier this week and asked them to narrow down the points of difficulties from seven to three or four, before presenting them to the Supreme Court. As a result, the new list did not feature an objection to the age cap of 70 years for office bearers, and the number of selectors being brought down from five to three.Given the panel has decided not to challenge the age cap of 70, it might seem that veteran officials such as N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah – who himself, incidentally, was an “invitee” to the special panel – will be on their way out. However, the age-cap recommendation only extends to office bearers, and not nominees or invitees to any committee of the BCCI or state associations – like in the case of Shah in this panel – and that could be a loophole unless the Supreme Court specifically says otherwise.BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, who convened the panel on Saturday, said these three points would now be sent to the board, which will hold a Special General Meeting (SGM) before the Supreme Court’s next hearing on July 14.The BCCI, according to Choudhary, wants the one-state one-vote policy to be reconsidered “with the view that the present members of the BCCI continue to remain members; at the same time, enroll new members, including those from the north-east, after following the due process”.For the cooling off period, Choudhary stated since a cap of nine years had been placed on the cumulative duration any office bearer held office for, the panel thought the cooling off period may be “put in abeyance”. He also said if the rule of cooling off period for office bearers could be done away with, it should apply to the membership of the apex council too. “All we are saying is, once you’ve placed a cap of nine years, this cooling off can be removed. And that should also apply to the apex council,” he said.The third point, which Choudhary did not elaborate on, deals with the demarcation of functions as set out between the elected office bearers, for example a secretary, and the professional appointees, like a board CEO. The Lodha Committee had suggested there be a segregation between the powers of the two, which the BCCI has objected to since its office bearers, such as the president and secretary, have wielded power historically and the appointment of a CEO is a more recent concept. When asked if the BCCI wanted this recommendation to be removed entirely, Choudhary only said, “it needs a review”.The panel to shortlist the recommendations for review comprised IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, vice-president TC Mathew, Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly, Naba Bhattacharjee of the Meghalaya Cricket Association and Jay Shah, the joint-secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association. The panel had been asked to submit a report with the list of difficulties by July 10. Ganguly and Mathews, though, did not attend the meeting on Saturday as they were traveling.

Kemar Roach, who took 3 for 17 on the second day of West Indies’ three-day warm-up match against Essex, shed light on the efforts he has been taking towards a Test return ahead of the three-match series against England

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2017Kemar Roach took further steps towards playing his first Test since January 2016, carrying over his promising domestic form into West Indies’ first warm-up match, against Essex, ahead of the three-Test series against England. Following his 3 for 17 on the second day of the thee-day warm-up fixture, Roach shed light on the efforts he has been taking towards the Test return.”I’m looking to make the ball go both ways. I always had it in me, but I need to perfect it even more and I’ve been working hard on that,” he said after a rain-hit day in Chelmsford. “Today, it was perfect. The line and length was spot on. That’s where I wanted to be. I want to keep working and building on that.”Roach is the most experienced member of the 15-man squad, having played 37 Tests since his debut in 2009. He was dropped owing to poor form at the start of 2016, but has since made strides in the Professional Cricket League, West Indies’ first-class tournament, where he took 23 wickets at 16.17 for Barbados.”It’s pretty tough to go there after almost two years off, to catch up with things. Test cricket is the biggest form of cricket, and I’ve been working hard and I want things to be right back here. So I’m going to go there, help the young guys in the team and put some good performances.”Roach is no stranger to English conditions. He played in West Indies’ previous tour of England, in 2012, and took eight wickets – the most for his team – despite playing only two of the three Tests. That apart, he has also represented Worcestershire in the County Championship.”I’ve been here previously for Test tours. I know certain grounds and how the pitches play and the atmosphere. It’s about adapting quickly. It’s not home, it’s not Barbados. It is colder here. It’s about doing the business right.”Roach also spoke positively of the format for the first of the three Tests; the match will be played under lights at Edgbaston – England’s first day-night Test. “I’ve played a couple of games with the pink ball back home during the domestic season,” he said. “I think it’s good for cricket. It does a bit more for a bowler’s likes, so that’s good for me.”It’s always a different feel, a different switch up. The atmosphere is going to be different; everything is going to be different. We’re going to pull some more crowd. It’s about time we switch things up a little bit.”

Sohail Khan had conceded 20 off the penultimate over allowing the visitors a series-levelling victory, but Mickey Arthur launched into an unlikely and passionate defence of his charge

Danyal Rasool14-Sep-2017A hard taskmaster. A feared disciplinarian. The sort of chap who’d send Mitchell Johnson home from a tour for not doing his homework. The kind of guy who’d round up his team mid-T20 game and dress them down in front of a packed stadium, not to mention the millions watching at home. The type of bloke who’d single out Sohail Khan and tear into him for not meeting the standard he has set. That’s who Mickey Arthur is.But if you had attended his press conference following the World XI’s nail-biting defeat of Pakistan in the second T20I in Lahore yesterday, you might have been forgiven for thinking he had sent in his mellower doppelganger to face the media. This was a contest that had all the ingredients to brew up a Mickey Arthur-temper. There had been a failure to stick to team plans, lack of discipline in the field and loss of nerve when the pressure really began to tell. But here sat the forbidding head coach, agreeably explaining what had gone wrong, and defending – no, emphasising – the importance of giving players second chances. Even when specifically questioned about Sohail, who had conceded 20 off the penultimate over allowing the visitors to even fathom a series-levelling victory, Arthur launched into a passionate defence of his charge.”We’re trying to win a series here and we haven’t given the Sri Lanka tour a thought. What I do know about Sohail Khan is that Sohail’s worked exceptionally hard. We can see his fitness levels are far better. He’s a very skilful bowler, Sohail, you know, he really is. That was never the issue. He worked hard, he deserved a comeback, he deserved another go.”Mid-sentence into his exoneration of Sohail, the power in the media centre went off, plunging the place into darkness. It is, unfortunately, not the most uncommon sight in Pakistan, and many started laughing, a sort of gallows humour that has become the best coping mechanism against such a major inconvenience. Arthur, however, did not want his praise of Sohail to fade away into the darkness, and even before the power came back on to allow his microphone to start working, he raised his voice over the stream of chattering that had broken out in the room.”Just to finish the point about Sohail, he’s going to get opportunities like everybody else will. He’s deserved this opportunity to come back because he’s worked damn hard. He’s put in the time, he’s put in the effort.”It might just be a sign of Arthur mellowing; he did, after all, repeatedly talk about how he wished to give lots of players opportunities to allow them to prove themselves. Or perhaps after being seen as unfit even by Pakistani standards, Sohail may indeed have been stung into action and impressed his head coach with his commitment to training. Or maybe – and this is where many will hedge their bets – Arthur simply came to realise that if you operate a one-strike policy in Pakistan, you run out of players rather quickly.Either way, Wednesday’s press conference might have sent a message to his players, particularly in light of the recent spat with Umar Akmal, that none of it was personal. Here was a coach used to exacting standards of performance from his players, and any castigation or chastisement was just his method of trying to get them to raise their game. Most importantly, with the right attitude, you could bring him round.On a day when others might be ripping into Sohail, he had his coach, formerly his bête noire, to defend him. Sohail, nor anyone else, was immune to rehabilitation.