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Australian allrounder returns for seventh season at Trent Bridge

Matt Roller15-Feb-2022Dan Christian will return to Nottinghamshire for a seventh season in 2022 after re-signing as the club’s T20 Blast captain.Christian, who will turn 39 before flying to the UK at the end of May, is among of the world’s most decorated T20 cricketers and a three-time Blast winner. He spent six consecutive seasons at Notts between 2015 and 2020, captaining them to the title in 2017 and 2020 to add to his triumph with Hampshire in 2010.He was due to play a seventh consecutive season for them in 2021 and played two second XI T20 games as a warm-up for the Blast after arriving in Nottingham, but a shock recall to Australia’s T20I set-up saw him miss the full season, instead playing on their tours against West Indies and Bangladesh.In Christian’s absence, Dane Paterson – only an occasional feature of the T20 side – was Notts’ only overseas player but they finished top of the North Group at a canter under Steven Mullaney’s captaincy. They looked set for Finals Day at 66 for 1 chasing 126 against Hampshire in the quarter-finals, but somehow collapsed to 123 all out.”It was great to see other players step up with bat and ball in Dan’s absence last season, and the team was really well led by Steven Mullaney,” Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said. “To now have the chance to re-add a player of Dan’s presence and quality to that group is exciting and, come the start of the Blast in late-May, we’ll be raring to go and confident of a successful campaign.”Dan’s ability, desire and passion have made him a key part of our club since his arrival in 2015, and we can’t wait to have him back with us. He’s a match-winner in his own right, and a terrific leader and example to everyone in our dressing room.”Christian said: “I’ve had great times in Nottingham over a number of years. We’ve seen some great improvements in individuals throughout that time, won a couple of comps, and Notts is a club that’s overall fantastic to be part of.”It’s really exciting to be returning to a place where I’ve made so many great memories on and off the field, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of packed houses at Trent Bridge again too. My philosophy will remain the same for 2022 – to back our ability and be positive. The ultimate aim is to get our hands back on that trophy in July.”Christian is Notts’ third overseas player registered for the 2022 season, along with Paterson and his compatriot James Pattinson. Teams are allowed to register three overseas players at any one time, with a maximum of two in their starting XI in any given competition.

Sorry Hampshire slump to fifth defeat in a row as holders keep quarter-final hopes alive

ECB Reporters Network16-Sep-2020Aron Nijjar celebrated career-best bowling figures as Vitality Blast holders Essex Eagles thrashed Hampshire by 54 runs to keep their faint quarter-final dreams alive.Left-arm spinner Nijjar ripped through a shaky Hampshire batting line-up with figures of 3 for 22, while Jack Plom celebrated his maiden professional wickets to take 2 for 18.Tom Westley had earlier clubbed his first half-century of the year, with Dan Lawrence marooned on 49, as Essex reached 168 before Hampshire could only manage 114 for 9 in response.Needing 169 to win, Hampshire’s batting was a revolving door of wickets. George Munsey attempted three reverse-sweeps off Nijjar, with the third slapped to Sam Cook at third man, who took an outrageous catch high over his head. Captain James Vince was adjudged to have tickled down leg side to fall for a golden duck, the fourth time he had departed first ball in T20s against Essex, which also handed 21-year-old fast bowler Jack Plom his first wicket on his third appearance in the format.Sam Northeast and Joe Weatherley attempted to rebuild with a stand of 16, before the former hammered straight to Matt Quinn at mid-on and Ian Holland was bowled by Sam Cook.Nijjar then dismissed Weatherley and Lewis McManus in three balls – caught and bowled and knocked back by a long hop, respectively – leaving Hampshire on 38 for 6.James Fuller pulled a rare boundary, one of 14 in the innings, but was caught by Nijjar on the midwicket boundary.Fast bowler Quinn bowled a maiden at Chris Wood in the 13th over, before Simon Harmer had the top scorer caught at cow corner for 18.Ryan Stevenson swung away to cow corner but despite Mason Crane and Shaheen Shah Afridi remaining unbeaten, the Eagles recorded back-to-back Blast wins.Having chosen to bat first, Essex used partnerships to their advantage throughout their innings on a pitch perfect for batting.Cameron Delport and Westley got them off to a solid start with 57 in the first seven overs, despite Pakistani fast bowler Afridi’s three Powerplay overs going for just 11.Delport had struck two sixes in his 31 but didn’t quite time a straight slog off Crane as Stevenson pulled off a diving catch at long-off.Westley had struck Ian Holland for three off-side boundaries before using his feet to club Stevenson over midwicket and Crane through the covers as he reached a 35-ball half-century. It was Essex’s red-ball captain’s maiden fifty of 2020, having only managed 236 runs in his previous 15 innings in all competitions.He was dropped on 50 by Afridi at deep cover, but fell having added another single, when he nicked Stevenson behind to Lewis McManus – having put on 38 with Lawrence.Michael Pepper was yorked by Wood, but Lawrence and Ryan ten Doeschate ran hard to add an unbeaten 58 in the death overs.Lawrence had thrashed an aggressive 81 against Sussex in his previous outing but was more circumspect with just one six and four boundaries in his 49 not out, while ten Doeschate contributed 29 off 20 deliveries. The score was about par, but proven much too much for the sorry hosts – who have lost five matches in a row.

‘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.”

All but four of the Lodha Committee recommendations are acceptable to these associations, but some of those four are crucial

Sidharth Monga10-May-2018Twelve state associations of the BCCI have informed the Supreme Court that they are ready to implement the Lodha Committee reforms barring four exceptions, the board’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary said a day before a fresh Supreme Court hearing.

State associations that have sent the undertaking to the amicus curiae

• Andhra

• Assam

• Goa

• Jharkhand

• Kerala

• Mumbai

• Rajasthan

• Railways

• Tripura

• Universities

• Uttar Pradesh

• Vidarbha

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, which is believed to be against the reforms, is not among the 12 that have agreed to implement them. Maharashtra is the 13th association to have agreed, but because it has run into legal trouble lately, Choudhary didn’t count it. According to the BCCI constitution, a three-fourths majority is required for the reforms to be implemented.The Supreme Court had asked the BCCI office bearers – who had given an undertaking they would ensure the reforms were implemented – to submit their suggestions regarding difficulties in implementing the reforms. The four points the 12 associations found difficult to implement were ‘one state, one vote’, the three year cooling-off period after a term, the constitution of the all-powerful apex council, and the distribution of power and functions between elected representatives of the board and its professional wing.The most significant suggestion put forward by these 12 states is for the board to have six representatives in the apex council as opposed to the one suggested in the Lodha reforms. “The apex council as presently contemplated has three office bearers, which will go up to five,” Choudhary said. “There will be one who represents the board, which will be 37 members, and two for players. Insofar as the board is related, the country is very, very large, therefore my submission is that each zone including a separate zone from northeast, so six representatives.”The implementation of ‘one state, one vote’ and the cooling-off period “doesn’t seem practical” to these 12 associations. The argument against ‘one state, one vote’ has been made in the past, and revolves around the role played by the traditional associations such as Mumbai, Baroda, Saurashtra in big states. They are against the cooling-off period because, according to them, if the two other restrictions – an age cap of 70 years and a total cumulative tenure of nine years – of an official’s tenure are implemented successfully, “the further restraint becomes unnecessary”.”Besides this, you have to contemplate the situation that the office bearers run for three years, then totally new faces come up,” Choudhary said. “That will mean no continuity.”Regarding the exception to the strength of the national selection committee – three now as opposed to five earlier – the 12 states are happy to comply given the team has managed with three for a while now. Given the amount of cricket played in India, though, they would still prefer five selectors.However, in its draft constitution submitted in December 2017, the court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) had effectively put aside most of the objections raised.”Each State shall be represented by a state cricket association duly recognised by the BCCI and such associations shall be Full Members,” the draft states. “No State shall have more than one Full Member at any given point of time.” In states with multiple current members, the Full Membership – and its rights and privileges – shall rotate annually among them. The basis of that rotation will be framed by the BCCI.”No office bearer – whether in the BCCI or the state association – shall have consecutive terms,” the draft says. “Further, once an office bearer has completed a term of three years he/she shall not be a member of the governing council or any committee for the next three years.”

The Supreme Court of India has said there is, on first impression, a charge of perjury that can be laid against BCCI president Anurag Thakur for lying under oath

Jonathan Selvaraj and Nagraj Golapudi15-Dec-20164:44

Ugra: BCCI at the end of the rope given by the court

The Supreme Court of India has said there is, on first impression, a charge of perjury that can be laid against BCCI president Anurag Thakur and the board’s general manager of game development Ratnakar Shetty for lying under oath.The court also reserved its order on the Lodha Committee’s suggestion to remove ineligible BCCI office bearers and appoint former civil servant GK Pillai as an observer to oversee business operations of the board. After the BCCI rejected Pillai during Thursday’s hearing, the court asked the board to submit, by December 23, the names of three people who could replace the existing office bearers and govern the BCCI.The court suggested former India allrounder Mohinder Amarnath as one of the names. It is expected to hear the matter again after the winter vacation, which ends on January 2.The issue of perjury arose because Thakur, in an affidavit, had denied that he sought a letter from the ICC stating that the Lodha Committee’s recommendation to have a member of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office on the apex council of the BCCI amounted to government interference in the board. Thakur’s request had been revealed by ICC chief executive David Richardson in an interview to an Indian TV channel.Thakur had said he only asked ICC chairman Shashank Manohar what his stance on the matter had been when he was the BCCI president. “I pointed out to the Chairman of the ICC, Mr Shashank Manohar that, when he was President of BCCI, he had taken a view that the recommendations of the Justice Lodha committee appointing the nominee of the CAG on the Apex Council would amount to governmental interference, and might invoke an action of suspension from ICC,” Thakur had said in his affidavit. “I therefore requested him that, being the ICC Chairman, can a letter be issued clarifying the position which he had taken as BCCI President.”Shetty, in an affidavit on October 7, had denied that Thakur had sought ICC intervention at all. Observing there was a “variance’ between Thakur and Shetty’s submissions, the court said: “Mr Shetty in his response to the status report claims that the CEO of ICC had ‘falsely’ stated in his interview that the President of BCCI had requested ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention of this Court amounted to governmental interference. The version of Mr Shetty is at variance to what is alleged to have been stated by the CEO of ICC.”On Thursday, the court said there appeared to be evidence against Thakur and Shetty of lying under oath and asked the BCCI to submit relevant documents to avoid perjury. “Prima facie it seems that Anurag Thakur has perjured and lied under oath because of the letter to Manohar. It is a case of prosecution,” Chief Justice of India TS Thakur said during the hearing. “You had no occasion to approach Manohar. Where was the occasion to raise the issue once we had pronounced on this. This amounts to perjury.”The court asked Kapil Sibal, the lawyer representing the BCCI president, to “apologise” if Thakur wanted to “escape” an adverse order against him.Anurag Thakur (left) has been put in a tight spot by the Supreme Court•Hindustan Times

Sibal explained to the court that his client’s question to Manohar was not against court intervention but whether appointment of the CAG official on the Apex Council would amount to government interference.According to Lodha Committee secretary Gopal Sankaranaryanan, there was a discrepancy in the affidavit submitted by Thakur and the letter submitted by Manohar. “In [Anurag] Thakur’s version of events it is a clarification he had sought. In Manohar’s version of events, he said as ICC chairman I was asked to give a letter, not a clarification, saying that this amounts to interference. For me this amounts to variance.”The Gopal Subramnium had in earlier hearings told the court that Thakur was playing an obstructionist role and impeding the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. “The whole issue is that of there is a person [Anurag Thakur] obstructing and in contempt of court. Then should he head the BCCI?” Chief Justice Thakur said on Thursday. “We have given opportunities and time. Don’t do something unpleasant.”Sibal reiterated the BCCI’s point that it could not force the state associations to accept the Lodha recommendations, and that a majority vote was needed to pass them. At several board meetings, the states had voiced opposition to most of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations: in particular, the one-state-one-vote policy, the age cap for office bearers, and the limits on tenure.The court replied by saying that one option was to supercede the office bearers, as suggested by the Lodha Committee. “You supercede them,” the court said. “Who should be appointed in your place, give us recommendation in next one week.”The Lodha Committee – comprising former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha and retired Supreme Court judges Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran – was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board has not cooperated because its state associations objected to the recommendations.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has declared day-night Test cricket “here to stay” after the conclusion of the inaugural floodlit match at Adelaide Oval, a popular success despite its three-day running time

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide29-Nov-2015New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has declared day-night Test cricket “here to stay” after the conclusion of the inaugural floodlit match at Adelaide Oval, a popular success despite its meagre three-day running time.A crowd of 123,736 poured into the ground across those three days, and similarly strong television audiences made it a spectacle to delight broadcasters and administrators alike. But the verdict of the players was always going to be critical to the future of the concept, and in the glowing words of McCullum and his opposite number Steven Smith there was ample evidence that the game’s elite practitioners will be comfortable with doing this kind of thing more often.The only reservation raised by both McCullum and Smith was the amount of grass left on the Adelaide Oval pitch, which they agreed was the major factor in the game’s short time span. But they were equally adamant that players would be able to adapt with greater experience, with the added incentive now of having played a Test match in front of such a celebratory and voluminous gathering.”It’s a great concept,” McCullum said. “As pink ball cricket evolves as I am sure it will grow into a global game and I think we will see the pitches probably won’t have quite as much grass on it. The thing about day-night Test cricket is it is meant to allow Test match cricket to be played at night time, it is not meant to be to change how Test cricket should play.”There was a fraction too much grass on it, I think we saw under lights that the pink ball probably responded a little bit much, but I would say that because I am a batter. Overall it was a roaring success and 120,000 people over three days, people are voting with their feet and I think it’s here to stay, which is great.”In general, spectators would want see results in games. And will want to see captains start to try and force results. Sitting in changing room after hard fought Test win that’s what’s most memorable as a cricketer. Sometimes fighting draws are great and I think we’ll find captains will try and push home some advantage to get Test victories.”Smith was naturally relieved after seeing out a series victory over a fast-finishing New Zealand, and he had little hesitation in describing the contest as a “great” one. “The whole Test match was a great innovation, it was a great spectacle,” he said. “To get 120,000 people through the gates in three days is absolutely amazing. I thought it was a great spectacle and a great Test match.”It was a game that was dominated by the bowlers. New Zealand’s bowlers bowled just as well as ours. But it was one of those games – if you got yourself in you could still score runs, it just wasn’t to be this game for a lot of the batters, we got starts and couldn’t go on with it. I think the contest is there if you’re willing to have a game plan and bat some time you can certainly score runs.”Like McCullum, Smith noted the thick grass coverage presented for the pink ball, but was happy enough to live with that after finishing the match as a narrow winner. “I think the wicket here compared to the two Shield games that have been played on it and particularly the pink ball shield game we played, it looked like the grass was a bit more lively,” he said. “I think it was the same height as the grass in the Shield game but it was probably just a tad greener.”That created a little bit more movement for the bowlers and kept the ball together and swinging for a long period. But I think it was great to see something different, the first two Test matches were dominated by the bat, so it’s great to see something different and see the bowlers coming into their own.”

Zimbabwe have not been in the position to win a series in nine years. Where they stand now would allow them to better all the above records

Firdose Moonda in Harare24-Apr-2013Zimbabwe have not been in the position to win a series in nine years. The last time they led 1-0 was against Bangladesh in February 2004 and they went on to clinch the series with a draw in the second Test.They previously won back-to-back Tests 12 years ago, when they beat Bangladesh in both matches of the April 2001 series. And that was only the second time Zimbabwe have managed consecutive Test victories. The other was in 1998 when they defeated India in Harare in October and Pakistan in Peshawar the next month. They have only ever won 10 Tests in their 21-year history but have claimed six series wins. Four of them, including the one-off triumph in August 2011, were against Bangladesh and one each against against India and Pakistan.Where they stand now would allow them to better all the above records. “Everyone realises there is something great for us here,” Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe’s captain said. “There will be a few nerves because this is really big for us. Even 10 years ago, with the players we had then, they struggled to win series. We’re in a bigger pool at the moment and if we can get this away, we can send a big message to the world.”The point Zimbabwe would make would not simply be one of numbers. It would be that of a triumph against adversity, achieved against the backdrop of irregular international competition and financial problems that threatened to detail preparations ahead of this tour.”It will give us dignity in the cricket world,” Stephen Mangongo, the interim coach, said.
It will also go some way to enhancing Zimbabwe’s sporting reputation, as a team and for the individuals involved. “We want to be counted up there as a serious cricketing nation. We’ve got a vision and our players want to belong at the highest level and to be respected,” Mangongo said.After the first Test, Taylor’s stocks soared. He achieved his highest Test score and became only the third Zimbabwean to notch up a century in each innings of a Test match. Kyle Jarvis, Shingi Masakadza and Graeme Cremer also earned praise. Now it’s up to the rest to leave a mark on the series, especially with the bat.Without Taylor, the first Test would have been a close contest and Bangladesh have isolated him as the man to dismiss early. Attention is focused on the captain but he has worked to deflect it and put responsibility on the rest of the line-up. “We’ve got quality players who are due for some runs,” Taylor said. “I’m confident there will be 10 other players contributing as well.”With expectations on everyone high, it could be easier for Zimbabwe to sit on their 1-0 lead and wait for Bangladesh to dictate the course of game. But the conditions, which are expected to be seamer-friendly on the pitch and overhead, may not allow that.Taylor admitted both sides would want to bowl first but that Zimbabwe are ready if they are put in to bat. “The first hour is not going to go the batsmen’s way but that’s Test cricket. You’ve got to back your technique. We know if we can get through the first hour, it tends to get flatter,” Taylor said.Whether they are put in or not, Zimbabwe have indicated they will be on the offensive at the earliest opportunity. They do not play another Test for at least three months and they want to make as good an impression as they can against a struggling Bangladesh.”We don’t want to be too conservative. We want to make it tough for Bangladesh. If we aim to win each session, we will dominate. It is tough for any team to come back from a 300-run defeat but we know there’s no room for complacency. There’s added pressure to win this match but we understand that.”Apart from their own hopes, Zimbabwe carry the dreams of a nation and they are determined not to let their fans down. “It’s been overwhelming. There’s huge expectation all around,” Taylor said. “I’ve had countless Facebook and Twitter messages. Hopefully we can give our more to smile about. They’ve always rallied behind you and we owe it to them to do well.”

Kevin Pietersen has blamed England’s lack of enthusiam for IPL on “jealousy,” fuelling the debate over attitudes towards India’s all-consuming Twenty20 tournament.

David Hopps12-Apr-2012Kevin Pietersen has blamed England’s lack of enthusiam for the IPL on “jealousy,” fuelling the debate over attitudes towards India’s all-consuming Twenty20 tournament. Interest in the IPL remains limited in the UK, with media coverage virtually non-existent and more attention given to the start of the County Championship season.Pietersen, who along with Eoin Morgan is the only current England international in this year’s IPL, believes he knows why. “The IPL is very much struggling to find acceptance back home,” he told reporters in India. “It saddens me because I have had an amazing time at the IPL.”It’s down to a lot of jealousy I think, which is sad. It saddens me, all the negative publicity the IPL gets in the [UK] media, I don’t know why.”Pietersen, like many England players, is unable to take part in England’s own Twenty20 tournament because it clashes with the international schedule but the BCCI have been careful to ensure their top players are available for the IPL.Pietersen’s comments follow a scathing assessment of the effect of IPL in Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. Wisden’s editor, Lawrence Booth, complained of: “The rise of a Twenty20-based nationalism, the growth of private marketeers and high-level conflicts of interest,” adding: “It is a perfect storm and the global game sits unsteadily in the eye.”While other England players have been released for early season four-day Championship matches, Pietersen’s emphasis is on the Twenty20 game. “Playing another month in the subcontinent honing my skills, training with the spinners and practising, I consider myself so very fortunate,” he said.”I’d love to see more English players available for … well not only available, I would love to see them picked up because I also see some of the games being played at the moment and I just think … man, up here would have been lot better if the Andersons, Bresnans and Boparas were involved in the IPL,” he added in an interview with CNN-IBN. “The guys like Bell, you’ve got world class players who are sitting in England now wanting to play the IPL when you’ve got some second rate Australians getting gigs here.”So for me, it’s sad that I don’t have fellow team-mates playing in the IPL and embarking on a magnificent journey here in the subcontinent and it’ll help English cricket as well.”England fast bowler Stuart Broad pulled out of IPL this week because of injury, while two more members of England’s attack, James Anderson and Graeme Swann, were unsold.

Ricky Ponting has quashed reports that he will retire after the World Cup, confirming that he has no plans to end his playing career or give up the captaincy

Brydon Coverdale in Ahmedabad23-Mar-2011Ricky Ponting has quashed reports that he will retire after the World Cup, confirming that he has no plans to end his playing career or give up the captaincy. The on Wednesday reported that Ponting, 36, would retire and was hoping to cap off his career by captaining an English county side this year, but Ponting said the story was untrue, and has still not ruled out being part of the 2013 Ashes tour.”I’ve never ever thought about retirement or where the finish line might be,” he said. “I’ve been trying to prepare myself as best I can as a player and lead the team as well as possible. For some reason, these retirement things keep popping up all the time. As we all know, you probably shouldn’t always believe everything you read in the newspaper.”It looks like every few weeks now I’m having to answer that question. I’m enjoying it as much as ever. We’ve got a big game coming up against India that I’m looking forward to, and more importantly I’m looking forward to getting out there and performing well as a player.”However, there was some truth to the report, with Ponting’s management having scouted around the county circuit in an attempt for Ponting to secure a first-class deal in the lead-up to Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka in August. Ponting said the county option had fallen through due to the timing of the English domestic competitions.”I looked at trying to play some county cricket before the Sri Lankan tour this year, for the fact that I would have been coming off three months of no cricket and I thought we were going straight in to Test matches,” Ponting said. “That’s why my management had a look around a few of the counties to see if they were interested. As it worked out, our programs just didn’t line up.”The Twenty20s and one-dayers are mainly on in England at that time and I wanted to get some four-day cricket under my belt before the Test matches in Sri Lanka. That’s how that started, but it didn’t work out and I certainly won’t be going to play there this year.”The retirement rumour came a day after a report in the , in which an unnamed Cricket Australia official was quoted as saying that Ponting faced a challenge at board level to retain the captaincy. Ponting said he was keen to play on in Test and ODI cricket and if he was asked to step aside as leader to make way for Michael Clarke, it would not be an issue.”If Cricket Australia believe, or the selectors believe that there’s someone out there better to captain any team that I play in, then so be it,” Ponting said. “If it happens that I’m still good enough to be playing in the team with another captain, then so be it as well. I’m open to any of that sort of stuff. By the same token, I’ll know when the time is right for me to step aside as captain or step aside as a player. Right now, I don’t think that’s the right time.”After the 2009 Ashes defeat in England, Ponting was bullish about his chances of returning for the 2013 trip. He will be be 38 by then, but if he regains his form, he still believes he has some chance of fulfilling that goal.”Maybe it is a realistic thing,” he said. “As far as the way my body’s feeling and how much I’m enjoying my cricket, I’d love to be able to do that. But I’ve got to be good enough to do it, which is what I’ve always quantified it with. I’ve got to be playing well enough. Other players around the world at my age are doing it pretty well and pretty regularly so certainly there’s some ambition there for me to be good enough to get back to playing the way I want to play.”

Jimmy Adams’ tentative 60 edged Hampshire into a narrow 148-run lead at the Rose Bowl as they bid to avoid a sixth straight domestic defeat of the season

07-May-2010

ScorecardHashim Amla’s calm 54 helped Mark Wagh wrap up a comprehensive victory over Hampshire•Getty Images

Mark Wagh’s brutal 131 propelled Nottinghamshire to their third straight
victory in the County Championship, as they condemned Hampshire to a five-wicket defeat to continue their dismal start to the season. Wagh plundered his devastating century off just 158 balls, including 17 fours and two sixes, after Hampshire had posted a gettable target of 246 earlier in the day.Hampshire, who must to contend with the troubling statistic of six defeats in all forms of the game, began the day on 177 for 4 with veteran Nic Pothas and teenager James Vince holding together the fifth wicket. But the partnership added only a further 13 runs before Pothas (30) was trapped lbw
by Pattinson.Vince (46) had looked in good touch, clipping three Pattinson deliveries
for boundaries in one forgettable over, but he then followed as Paul Franks
caught him square on the crease. Dominic Cork (28) and Sean Ervine (45) put on 48 for the seventh wicket but once Cork became Hampshire’s third lbw victim of the morning the collapse was complete.With the tail failing to wag as Kabir Ali and Rangana Herath were both
dismissed for ducks, Ervine then prodded Samit Patel to Bilal Shafayat at short leg three overs after lunch, at which point the visitors looked in total control.Hampshire’s recovery got off to a terrible start as Ali had to be replaced by David Griffiths in the attack following a back complaint, and Nottinghamshire openers Shafayat and Neil Edwards looked to go to work.
Michael Carberry’s brilliant diving catch from Griffiths dismissed Edwards for 8 but as Shafayat (12) was dropped by Chris Benham at third slip it looked set to be Nottinghamshire’s afternoon.Wagh progressed to a rapid half-century from just 42 balls as he looked to
get the job done quickly and at tea Notts were well-placed at 83 for 1.
Benham did eventually hold a catch to dismiss Shafayat but with Ali unable to continue bowling, Hampshire’s attack lacked the bite to claim the vital wicket of Wagh.Wagh duly brought up his century from just 123 balls amid chaotic scenes, as wicketkeeper Pothas fell awkwardly forcing Cork to replace him behind the stumps.
Meanwhile at the other end the South African international Hashim
Amla (54) made his way to a sound half-century before being caught by the substitute fielder Benny Howell off the bowling of Griffiths.Griffiths then claimed his third wicket as Patel (1) struck a
bouncer straight down the throat of Benham at third man, and then chipped in with a good catch to dismiss Ally Brown (14) off a top-edge from Herath, but it was all in vain as Wagh and Chris Read (7 not out) knocked off the remaining runs with ease.