All posts by n8rngtd.top

‘The more I stay at the moment with the new staff coming in, when they have different ideas and I have a different idea, it’s hurting the team.’

Peter Della Penna13-Jul-2019Former USA head coach Pubudu Dassanayake has said his position as head coach became untenable after his decision-making authority was stripped back with the introduction of Kiran More as USA director of cricket at a USA T20 World Cup Qualifying squad selection camp last month in Los Angeles..”It’s basically everything. We can say it one word: freedom, to work,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo when asked why he had chosen to resign immediately on Friday rather than staying on until the end of his contract in December. “It’s been cooking for awhile. Resigning is mainly a personal decision and the reason for it is in the best interests of the national team.”The more I stay at the moment with the new staff coming in, when they have different ideas and I have a different idea, it’s hurting the team. I thought me going out, the new staff will have the freedom to move forward. I hope they’ll do well and wish them well.”Dassanayake has been at the top of the totem pole in US cricket since September 2016 when he came on board as USA head coach, overseeing both the men’s and Under-19 teams at the time. As such, he had a commanding presence in squad selection and the overall direction of the national team program, helping guide USA from World Cricket League Division Four in Los Angeles in November 2016 to finally achieving ODI status earlier this year at WCL Division Two in Namibia.After achieving such a historic success, Dassanayake says he was blindsided when he showed up to June’s USA national-team camp and was introduced by Atul Rai, a USA Cricket board member and head of the cricket committee for USA Cricket, to More and Kieran Powell. Dassanayake was told by Rai that he would be reporting to More as director of cricket. Prior to that, Dassanayake had mainly worked with USA project manager Eric Parthen and officer Wade Edwards on all operational decisions while selection was done with a selection panel headed by Ricardo Powell. Instead, final selection decisions will now go through More.”I was caught a bit off guard,” Dassanayake said. “It’s hard for me to comment about them at the moment because I was outside the decision-making process in the last few weeks in the men’s team. So I don’t know how they did it. But the vision that I have and the vision that they have is two totally different roads. They can be successful. I’m not saying their visions are bad. They are good visions.”But for me, Associate cricket is different from the Full Member setup and I would like to work in an environment where trust and freedom has to be there. We have lost a bit of that part basically.”Following the selection camp in Los Angeles, Dassanayake says he had a conference call in the first week of July with More, ICC high performance manager Richard Done and ICC COO Iain Higgins, who is due to be announced as USA Cricket chief executive at the conclusion of the World Cup. But the conference call ended in a stalemate.USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake talks to the entire national squad at the end of a training session•Peter Della Penna

Dassanayake then flew with Edwards to the UK last week to have an in-person meeting with Higgins, who made one final effort to convince him to stay on as head coach. But Dassanayake says that when he left London on Thursday he had informed Higgins of his decision to step down.”I respect whatever decisions taken by the board,” Dassanayake said. “If I have to talk about myself, the success that we had in the last two and a half years is that some things we had done in a certain way to suit these tournaments to building up this team, we made it, we break it, we made it.”We did lots of experiments and shook things up a lot to get the right set up. All these things really helped and that freedom that I had was the main success. Once I see that I don’t have that freedom, it’s good for the game for USA Cricket that whoever is doing it needs to have that freedom to move forward. So that’s why I just want to move away from that and let the other group move forward.”Dassanayake also said that the recent months since USA obtained ODI status were reminiscent of his experiences while coaching Canada and Nepal. Once USA Cricket signed a licensing deal with American Cricket Enterprises, he foresaw changes coming that could possibly force him to reevaluate his position going forward.”In all three countries I have worked, as soon as you get ODI status or T20I status… when the teams are in the tough time there are not too many people around but when teams get to a certain level, so many want to get into it,” Dassanayake said. “I anticipated something is coming up, but didn’t anticipate it to come this early.”In Associate cricket sometimes, there is two different things. If you get into an already-ODI-status country, it’s a different game that you need to do. But if you enter into a low-ranked team, as soon as they come into that place, it’s a different ball game. I don’t blame anyone, but that’s how life goes. The same thing happened in all three nations that I had.”The outgoing coach hopes people will remember him for the results he helped the nation achieve on the field rather than the sudden nature of his departure.”That was the biggest challenge that I had, compared to earlier jobs,” Dassanayake said. “We didn’t have a team when I joined, basically. There were so many talented, good players. But I knew it was not easy to win with this team. At Division Four, we got through purely because of the talent. When you are at Division Four and Five, you can get through with talent. But when it comes to Three and Two, the levels have gone so high, you need everything in the right place.”I’m proud that I was able to get everyone in the right direction. They all played together and played for each other, a strong team under one flag. I never thought that I can gel the group that we had into such a close unit. You know some of the issues that we had with different players. In Namibia, they were one unit. People who never thought that we could do it was so surprised to see that unit.”

South Africa held their nerve in the face of David Warner’s hundred to seal a 10-run victory in the final group game

The Report by Liam Brickhill06-Jul-2019
As it happenedThey have one foot on the plane home, and South Africa have finally turned up at the World Cup. In the final league game of the tournament, the Proteas corrected many of the mistakes that had plagued their campaign to secure a consolatory 10-run victory over Australia at Old Trafford.Their batsmen have struggled to convert starts, yet here there were very nearly two tons scored, Faf du Plessis leading the way with a round 100 and Rassie van der Dussen backing him up with 95. Kagiso Rabada has struggled for incision in the UK, but he bounced back with three vital wickets. And where they have wilted under pressure in previous games, South Africa steeled themselves to come out ahead in the crunch moments, holding the catches that mattered and weathering David Warner’s third hundred of the World Cup and a career-best knock from Alex Carey to secure a winning end to the ODI careers of Imran Tahir and JP Duminy.Faf du Plessis celebrates bringing up his century•Getty Images

The result means that it’s the old firm, Australia v England, who will meet in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday. New Zealand will play India in the first semi, here at Old Trafford, on Tuesday.Twenty years on from the Greatest ODI Ever, this wasn’t quite the game it could have been had South Africa’s campaign through this tournament charted a different course. But on a day when 640 runs were scored and the final result was not decided until the penultimate delivery of the match, this was still an excellent exhibition of cricket, and du Plessis, accepting the Player of the Match award, said that South Africa’s first World Cup win over Australia since 1992 meant they would at least ” go home with a smile, a small smile”.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Faf du Plessis’ 100Du Plessis also had a smile on his face when he brought up a cathartic hundred in the 43rd over. He got close in South Africa’s last match against Sri Lanka, finishing on 96 not out while completing a nine-wicket win, but if there was any team against which you’d back du Plessis to score a hundred, it’s probably Australia. He now has eight tons against them, across formats, and averages well over 50 against Australia in ODIs. “I do like playing against Australia, I’ve tried to figure out why I bat nicely when I play them as compared to the other teams,” he said afterwards.Whatever the reasons, Australia certainly seem to bring out a defiant streak in him, and a keenness for a scrap. It was there in his hundred on Test debut in Adelaide almost seven years ago, in his four previous hundreds against them in ODIs, and it was there again as he hit Mitchell Starc out of the attack early in his knock, and charged Pat Cummins to smite him back over his head later on.He was helped along the way by van der Dussen, who once again showed the composure that is becoming his calling card during a 151-run third wicket stand. Van der Dussen seemed to have been ruffled when he was struck on the head by a Cummins bouncer before he had reached double figures, offering up three half-chances in the space of two overs thereafter, but once he settled back down he gave further indications that he will be a vital part of South Africa’s immediate post-World Cup future and came within a couple of feet of clearing Glenn Maxwell in the deep and bringing up what would have been a maiden international ton off the last ball of the innings.He didn’t quite get there, but he and du Plessis had done enough for South Africa to build a challenging total from what was – by far – their best start of the tournament with the bat. With Hashim Amla sidelined by an injury picked up during a warm-up game of football on Friday, Aiden Markram opened with Quinton de Kock and together they cruised through the Powerplay at seven an over before they were eventually parted by Nathan Lyon.David Warner attempts a reverse sweep•Getty Images

Australia needed a similarly rapid start from their openers to set up their chase, but du Plessis decision to open the bowling with Tahir brought immediate dividends. Finch chipped the first ball of Tahir’s second over to a diving Markram in the covers, and for the last time in ODI cricket Tahir set off on a solo celebratory run into the outfield.Worse was to come for Australia as Usman Khawaja tweaked a hamstring running between the wickets and had to leave the field having faced just five deliveries. Khawaja came out to bat later in the innings, but Finch admitted that things “don’t look ideal” afterwards and he could join Shaun Marsh on the injury list ahead of the semi-final. And his wasn’t the only injury worry for Australia, with Marcus Stoinis also batting through some discomfort that seemed to be located in his lower back, and Starc showing some strain on his knee in the midst of a generally off-colour performance with the ball.WATCH on Hotstar (US only): Full highlightsOne area that certainly won’t be a worry, however, is Warner’s form. Once again, he took his time to settle at the top of the innings, but when he got going, he was virtually unstoppable. A quick single to mid-off took him to a 58-ball fifty in the 18th over, and he only built momentum even as two moments of brilliance from de Kock in the field – an unsighted, back-handed run-out and a leaping one-handed catch – sent Stoinis and Maxwell packing.Wickets in the middle put South Africa ahead, but Warner found an able partner in Carey, whose crisp hitting added 50 to a sixth-wicket stand of 108. It took a sprawling blinder of a catch from Morris, tumbling to his left at mid-on, to get rid of Warner, but Carey wasn’t done yet, and he proceeded to record his highest ODI score before holing out on the cover boundary in pursuit of an unlikely victory.Unlikely looked like impossible when Cummins and Carey both fell in the space of four deliveries as the match neared its end, but Khawaja hobbled back out to the middle and, with Starc, proceeded to take 17 from Morris’ ninth over to keep Australia in the hunt. A Rabada double-strike, and a nerveless final over from Andile Phehlukwayo, put paid to those hopes.

The pair first powered Sri Lanka to an imposing total before Shanaka’s 3 for 27 derailed Bangladesh’s chase

The Report by Mohammad Isam31-Jul-2019Sri Lanka cantered to a 122-run win in the third and final ODI of their series against Bangladesh to complete a 3-0 whitewash. After posting an imposing 294 for 8, their second-string bowling attack ran through the visiting side in 36 overs, bowling them out for 172. Bangladesh have now lost five ODIs in a row, starting from the World Cup, their worst run of results since 2014.There was hardly any resistance from Bangladesh as Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis starred with the bat and Dasun Shanaka put up an all-round show.Sri Lanka’s dominating total came mainly due to three partnerships, two of which Mathews helmed – 101 for the fourth wicket with Kusal Mendis and 52 for the fifth with Shanaka. He only stepped on the gas when he figured it was absolutely necessary, and by then Sri Lanka were well on their way to a strong total.After Kusal Perera and Dimuth Karunaratne exited in quick succession following their 83-run second-wicket stand, Mathews and Kusal Mendis kept it steady, hitting just a single boundary between overs 20 and 30. But they burst into life in the next ten overs, which set Sri Lanka on course for the big score.Kusal Mendis struck five fours and a six in his 54 off 58 balls, falling to the first of Sabbir Rahman’s three catches. Mathews, at the other end, kept up the scoring with ones and twos, and took advantage of two missed chances on 32 and 63 respectively. But once Shanaka found his range, in the 44th over, Mathews also went after the bowling.Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews put together a century stand•AFP

Shanaka struck two sixes and a four in Shafiul Islam’s 20-run 45th over, before falling to a catch that Sabbir made by running in from the long-off boundary. Bangladesh still conceded 43 runs in the last 3.5 overs as Sri Lanka took 106 runs in the last ten Mathews struck eight fours and a six in his 90-ball 87, while Shanaka blazed 30 off 14 balls.While Sri Lanka were served well by the partnerships their batsmen strung together, Bangladesh were undone in the first 12 overs. Tamim Iqbal’s wretched tour ended with a caught-behind in the second over before Anamul Haque, playing his first ODI in 12 months, top-edged a flick a ball after hitting two fours off Kasun Rajitha. Mushfiqur Rahim, who made an unbeaten 98 in the second ODI, was caught at slip off Shanaka for 10, and the visitors slipped to 46 for 3.Before 20 overs were complete, Bangladesh had lost half their side. Mohammad Mithun holed out to fine-leg where Lahiru Kumara juggled a couple of times before completing the catch, and Kusal Perera took a diving one-handed catch off a Mahmudullah edge in the 20th over, the batsman finishing the series with only 18 runs to his name.Sabbir and Mehidy Hasan were then both caught in the covers off Kumara, leaving Soumya Sarkar to try to bat through till the end. He reached his first fifty after ten innings, before being bowled by Akila Dananjaya for 69, having struck five fours and a six in his 86-ball knock, the only good hand in the innings.To add to his good batting effort, Shanaka picked up three wickets, while Rajitha and Kumara took two each.It was the sort of performance to lift a team after a disappointing World Cup campaign, and Sri Lanka, with the 3-0 win, got exactly what they wanted. It was the opposite for Bangladesh.

England bowler sends down 20 overs for Lancashire 2nd XI as he continues to rebuild from a calf injury

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2019James Anderson has taken another step in his Ashes comeback plan with a solid day’s work for Lancashire 2nd XI.Anderson bowled just four overs on the opening day of the first Test at Edgbaston before he was struck down by a calf injury which ruled him out of the rest of that match and the following two Ashes Tests. He was, however, present behind the scenes for England’s historic victory at Headingley, as he continued his rehabilitation with national team medical staff.Anderson bowled 20 overs for Lancashire 2nd XI on the first day of a four-day friendly against Durham 2nd XI at Chester Boughton Hall CC on Tuesday, claiming 1 for 38 with nine maidens.It follows his appearance for Lancashire Seconds in a match against Leicestershire last week in which he took 2 for 23 in nine overs and reported no recurrence of the injury, which first bothered him in early July.It is expected that if he comes through this latest match unscathed, Anderson will have a good chance of winning a recall to the England side for the fourth Test at Old Trafford starting on September 4.

India women will play three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies women in November 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2019Sushma Verma, the wicketkeeper-batsman, was the only new entrant to the India women’s squad for their upcoming tour of the West Indies for three ODIs and five T20Is.The BCCI announced a 16-member ODI squad for the tour that kicks off in November, with Sushma the only addition to the squad of 15 that is set to play South Africa in Vadodara in three ODIs next week. The T20I squad was the same as the 15 that were chosen for the first three games of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, where the hosts lead 1-0 with the second game washed out.That means 15-year-old Shafali Verma, the hard-hitting top-order batsman, retains her place in the T20I squad despite being out for ducks in the warm-up game against South Africa and on T20I debut. Harleen Deol, who impressed in the Women’s T20 Challenge earlier this year, keeps her place, as does 19-year-old allrounder Pooja Vastrakar.Led by Harmanpreet Kaur and with Smriti Mandhana as the vice-captain, this tour is a further opportunity for India to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the women’s T20 World Cup in Australia in March 2019.The first two T20Is will be played in St Lucia, before the teams move to Guyana for the next three matches.For Sushma, who last represented India in April 2018, it is a return to the side after missing out in the home series against England and South Africa this year. She offers a second wicketkeeping option to ODI captain Mithali Raj behind Taniya Bhatia. The ODIs will be played in Antigua from November 1.India women’s ODI squad: Mithali Raj (capt), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-capt), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Punam Raut, D Hemalatha, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Mansi Joshi, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Priya Punia, Sushma Verma (wk)India women’s T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Anuja Patil, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy

Proposals to amend constitution will give Ganguly, secretary Shah longer terms and more powers, won’t need Supreme Court approval

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Nov-2019The BCCI’s newly elected administration has proposed several amendments to the board’s constitution which, if adopted, could undo some of the most significant reforms recommended by the RM Lodha Committee in restructuring the BCCI on the Supreme Court’s orders. They comprise: tweaking the cooling-off period of the board’s office bearers, modifying the disqualification criteria, giving unprecedented powers to the BCCI secretary, and stopping the court from having any say if the board wants to alter the constitution.The amendments to the constitution – approved by the Supreme Court last year – will be voted on by the BCCI’s general body, comprising elected representatives of the state associations, at the board’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on December 1. They need a three-fourth majority in the general body to be passed. However, even with the approval of the BCCI general body, the board will need the approval of the court to alter the constitution to accommodate the amendments.The amendments – seen by ESPNcricinfo – were finalised by the newly elected BCCI administration, led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly. The AGM notice and proposals were sent to the state associations on Saturday by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is the son of India’s home minister Amit Shah.The following are the proposed amendments:

Amending the constitution: taking the Supreme Court out of the equation

The constitution says: Any amendment to the rules of the BCCI constitution will need a three-fourth majority of the board’s general body comprising all state associations. In addition, final approval will need to come from the Supreme Court for the amendment to kick in.BCCI viewpoint: This requirement to amend the constitution was not part of the Lodha Committee recommendations and it was also not part of the “principal judgement” of the court, delivered on July 18, 2016. “By this provision the members’ autonomy and right to seek legitimate changes would every time have to be approved by the Supreme Court,” the BCCI said. “This is not practical.”Proposed: The rules in the constitution can be “repealed, added to, amended or altered” by the three-fourth majority of elected and eligible representatives of the general body, with the court having no role in the process.

Cooling-off period: six-year terms for the BCCI president and secretary

The constitution says: An office bearer who has held any post for two consecutive terms (six years) either at a state association or in the BCCI, or a combination of both, shall not be eligible to contest any further election without completing a cooling-off period of three years. During the cooling-off period, the person cannot serve in any capacity at both the BCCI or state level.BCCI viewpoint: The cooling-off period is a “restriction”, which is “proving to be a big blow to selecting talented and experienced hands”. The BCCI feels the cooling-off period must be applied only after the individual has finished six years at one place – the BCCI or the state association, separately. The BCCI has also said that the treasurer, joint-secretary and vice-president should be allowed to finish nine years as office bearer at the board at one go, instead of having to take the three-year break after two consecutive terms (six years) in the job.Proposed: The two most powerful office bearers of the board – the president and the secretary – should be allowed to serve two consecutive terms (six years) solely at the BCCI before the cooling-off period kicks in. The person cannot return in any capacity during the break and/or contest any elections.

Empowering the BCCI secretary

The constitution says: The secretary shall essentially record the minutes of key BCCI meetings, while delegating work to the joint-secretary.BCCI viewpoint: The secretary has been reduced to a “mere minor functionary”, with his powers “curbed”, compared to the “powers vested in the paid executives”. The BCCI wants the secretary’s position restored as under the old constitution, where the CEO reported to him.Proposed: The secretary will assume supreme powers in all matters including cricket. “The management personnel, the staff and the CEO shall work under the direct supervision, control and direction of the secretary,” the BCCI said.

Disqualification criteria ‘too wide’

The constitution says: A person can be disqualified as an office bearer or as a member of the IPL governing council or any other board committee or from being sent to the ICC as the board’s representative if he/she is: over 70 years old, is insolvent or of unsound mind, has finished a cumulative period of nine years as office bearer at the BCCI or state association separately, is a government minister or government servant or holds public office, is part of any other sport’s governing body, or has been charged of criminal offence by a court of law.BCCI viewpoint: The disqualification criteria are “too wide”. If people with “sufficient experience” are not sent to ICC meetings, it fears, India’s position at global cricket’s governing body will recede. “In order to protect the interests of BCCI, which are being steadily eroded at ICC, people with experience of negotiation and personal interaction with other member nations should be made the representatives,” the BCCI said.The BCCI also said some of the criteria needs to be relaxed for members of the IPL governing council because otherwise it would be “increasingly difficult to find able hands to guide and nurture the interests of IPL”, which it called the “most valuable property” of the board. It also disagreed with rule disqualifying persons having a criminal charge against them as being “more stringent” than that found in “the Representation of the People Act 1950”.Proposed: The BCCI has proposed a different set of disqualification rules, one for the office bearers and members of the board’s apex council, and another for members of the IPL governing council and other board committees.With regards to the office bearers and apex council members, the BCCI has retained some of the original rules, but has removed certain key disqualification criteria. This include: holding public office, which the BCCI said was too wide a definition. It has also proposed that if an office bearer has finished nine years cumulatively at the state association, he can still continue to serve at the BCCI. Also being a member of another sport’s administration should not be a deterrent, it said. And, if a person is carrying a criminal charge, he/she needs to be “convicted… and sentenced to imprisonment for a period not less than three (three) years” to be disqualified.The same rules have been proposed for members of the IPL governing council and other board committees, with one addition: the age cap of 70 years will not apply to them.

Secretary to become point man for apex council

The constitution says: The nine-member apex council, which has replaced the working committee, will supervise the functioning of the CEO, the cricket committees and all other committees in the board, barring the IPL governing council. The apex council will also have the powers to take action against, or defend for or against, an office bearer or official of the board.BCCI viewpoint: The secretary should be the point man for the apex council and not the CEO as listed in the constitution.Proposed: The apex council will oversee the functioning of the CEO as well all the committees through the secretary. Also, instead of the apex council, the secretary will have the powers to take action against, or defend for or against, an office bearer or an employee.

Daily management of the BCCI

The constitution says: This will be handled by the CEO and his team.BCCI viewpoint: While the CEO will continue to carry out the daily administration, the powers should rest with the office bearers.Proposed: The BCCI has said daily management will be conducted by the management team in both cricketing and non‐cricketing matters “under the direct supervision, direction and control of the respective office bearers”.

Kevin O’Brien smashes 17-ball 32 as Ireland canter to 67-run target in just 6.1 overs

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi26-Oct-2019Craig Young’s 4 for 13, his T20I career-best returns, and Mark Adair’s 2 for 10 locked up Ireland’s place in the playoffs of the men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers as Nigeria were restricted to 66 for 9 before the target was knocked off with 13.5 overs to spare for an eight-wicket win in Abu Dhabi.Ireland, who pulled off their quickest T20 chase on the day, might even top Group B, but need Jersey to upset Oman on Sunday to produce a tie at 4-2 at the top of the table, with the automatic berth for the group winner at the T20 World Cup decided on net run-rate.Gareth Delany and Adair made the early inroads for Ireland after Nigeria decided to bat first at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. A googly from Delany bowled Daniel Akejun in the second over before a run out off Delany’s bowling got Ireland their second, Sulaimon Runsewe sent packing by George Dockrell. Adair claimed Daniel Gim in the fifth prodding away from his body for an edge behind to make it 13 for 3.Nigeria crawled to 33 for 4 by the halfway stage before Young made his first strike, bowling Chimezie Onwuzulike after he was late into a drive. His second came in the 17th when Isaac Okpe was fooled by a slower ball to be the bowled. Two more fell in the 19th when Sylvester Okpe became the third batsman to have his stumps knocked back by Young and Vincent Adewoye skied a slog to cover where Dockrell took a catch.With Ireland keen to lift their net run-rate above Oman to keep the door open to finish atop the group, Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien attacked throughout the Powerplay.Stirling made 11 before he edged behind driving hard at Okpe in the third over but O’Brien kept clearing the infield for six boundaries in his 32 off 17 balls before he fell in the sixth, bowled by Akejun backing away to drive over cover. Delany and Adair teamed to knock off the final 13 runs with the winning runs coming via three leg-byes.Nigeria have a final chance at a consolation win over Hong Kong on Sunday.

New Zealand captain wants to apologise to Archer on behalf of his countrymen

George Dobell in Mount Maunganui26-Nov-2019Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, plans to apologise to Jofra Archer after he was the victim of “horrific” racial abuse on the final day of the first Test in Mount Maunganui.Williamson, who grew up and still lives near the Bay Oval in Tauranga, said he was shocked to hear about the incident and that neither he nor his teammates were aware of it until Archer tweeted about it on Monday night.New Zealand prides itself on its multi-cultural society and has, as ever, provided a warm welcome to the England team. But Williamson wants to apologise on behalf of all New Zealanders when the sides meet again in Hamilton in the coming days and try to ensure “nothing like that ever happens again.””It’s certainly against everything that we as Kiwis are about, and I certainly hope that nothing like that ever happens again,” Williamson told . “I can only apologise on behalf of Kiwis to Jofra, not only from our team and how we look to conduct ourselves, but what we expect of Kiwis in general.”It’s a horrific thing. In a country, and a setting where it is very much multi-cultural, it’s something we need to put to bed quickly and hope nothing like that ever happens again. It certainly won’t if there’s any influence we can have on it.”Was I shocked? Absolutely, 100 percent. I will try see him over the next few days if I can, definitely.”New Zealand Cricket also released a statement confirming they would be making an official apology to Archer and reiterating the zero tolerance attitude to such incident.”NZC has zero tolerance towards abusive or offensive language at any of its venues and will refer any developments in the case to police,” they said.While CCTV footage has so far been unable to identify the perpetrator, Archer believes he was contacted by the same individual on social media on Monday night. He has, since, provided details to the relevant authorities.

He has, however, kept his place in the ODI squad for the upcoming tour of Nepal

Peter Della Penna21-Jan-2020USA allrounder Steven Taylor has been stripped of the team’s vice-captaincy ahead of their tour of Nepal, which includes four ODIs against Nepal and Oman. An internal investigation by USA Cricket has pulled Taylor up for “failing to display the high standards of behavior and professionalism that are expected of all USA National Team cricketers on last month’s tour of the UAE.”A statement from a USA Cricket spokesperson after Monday’s squad announcement for the Nepal tour claimed that Taylor “was not the only player to have acted in a manner which was inconsistent with the team’s values and, after a review, was found to have broken team rules. All players involved have acknowledged their error of judgment and apologised to their team-mates and support staff and have committed to responding positively.”According to multiple USA Cricket sources, four other players were deemed to have breached team protocol in what was described as an “off-the-field incident” between matches during last month’s ODI tri-series in the UAE. However, the sources would not reveal who else was involved. It is also understood that the incident in question was not communicated to USA Cricket officials until early January, more than two weeks after the team returned from the tour.This is not the first disciplinary incident in Taylor’s career that has cost him a leadership position. In 2013, Taylor was stripped of the USA captaincy, after he was deemed to have broken team rules while serving as USA U-19 captain on a tour of Canada earlier in the summer. He was also suspended for one match for the incident, in which administrators stated Taylor had broken team curfew to go out drinking while posting a running timeline of his night out on social media.On this occasion, though, Taylor has managed to escape without a suspension. The rest of the USA squad is also unchanged from the ODI tour of the UAE in which they won three of their four matches. USA’s squad will depart later this week for a warm-up tour in India during which they will play three 50-over matches in Mumbai before continuing on to Nepal. USA’s first ODI of the tri-series is against Oman on February 6. It is USA’s second ever tour of Nepal and their first since World Cricket League Division Five in 2010, when Nepal and USA claimed the top two spots to gain promotion to Division Four.USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (capt), Karima Gore, Ian Holland, Akshay Homraj (wk), Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Nisarg Patel, Timil Patel, Cameron Stevenson, Steven Taylor, Rusty Theron.

England finish ninth overall after 152-run victory built on Mousley’s century and Goldsworthy’s five-wicket haul

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2020A maiden youth ODI century from Dan Mousley and a five-wicket haul by Lewis Goldsworthy led England to a dominant victory over Sri Lanka in the ICC U-19 World Cup Plate final, sealing a ninth-place finish overall in the tournament in South Africa.Warwickshire-born batsman Mousley opened for England and brought up his ton during a 142-run stand for the third wicket with Jack Haynes, helping their side to 279 for 7.England lost Sam Young in the first over, with Mousley adding 58 with Jordan Cox, who was out for 17. Mousley and Haynes scored at five runs per over to take their side past 200 before Haynes was caught at mid-off for 68 trying to up the pace in the final 15 overs.With George Hill falling for a duck, Joey Evison joined Mousley with 12 overs remaining. Mousley eventually fell in the 44th over, stumped off the bowling of Kavindu Nadeeshan having reached 111 off 135 balls, including nine fours and a six.”I’ve really enjoyed opening the innings,” Mousley said. “I’ve been up and down the order recently, but opening is one of my favourite positions.”Jack and I have played together since we were 13 or 14 years old, so we know our games really well. The way that Joey came in at the end and struck the ball cleanly moved us to a really competitive score.”Evison’s power hitting alongside captain George Balderson propelled England to 279, with Evison bringing up his 50 off 38 balls before he was bowled on the final ball of the innings for 59.With the third ball of Sri Lanka’s innings, Balderson dismissed Navod Paranavithana for a duck.Kamil Mishara and Ravindu Rasantha added a quick 46 for the second wicket before left-arm spinner Goldsworthy made the breakthrough, bowling Mishara and picking up the first of his five wickets for the match.Sri Lanka lost nine wickets for 81 runs with Rasantha providing the lone bright spot of his side’s innings, his 66 off 81 balls taking him to the top of the tournament’s run-scorers’ list. He was trapped lbw by Goldsworthy, who cleaned up the final two wickets.Goldsworthy finished with 12 wickets for the tournament at an average of 9.58, with a miserly economy rate of 2.34. His five-wicket haul was England’s first at the U-19 World Cup since Paul McMahon’s five-for 25 against Nepal in 2002.Fellow spinner Hamidullah Qadri also finished with 12 wickets and Mousley led the team with 241 runs at an average of 80 thanks to his century and two fifties.After losing their rain-affected opening match to West Indies by 71 runs under the DLS system and falling to Australia by two wickets on the last ball of their thrilling encounter, England failed to reach the eight-team Super League stage. They defeated Nigeria in their final Group game before beating Japan and Zimbabwe in the Plate competition to reach the Plate final.