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Darren Sammy was one of nine overseas players to travel to Lahore despite the security threat to play the PSL final. He lead his team Peshawar Zalmi to the title against Quetta Gladiators

Umar Farooq in Lahore06-Mar-2017Darren Sammy, the Peshawar Zalmi captain, was one of nine overseas players who travelled to Lahore for the PSL final despite the security threat and his reason for doing so was to “bring back the smiles” on the faces of the fans.Pakistan has hosted only one series of international cricket since the 2009 attacks on the Sri Lanka team and even then there had been the issue of a bombing on the edge of the security perimeter. Moreover, leading up to Sunday’s match, there had been worrisome incidents across the country, including one in Lahore’s own Defence Housing Authority. A blast had killed at least 10 people and left a dozen injured.Pakistan did their best to mitigate the situation. The government’s paramilitary force was deployed at Gaddafi stadium and the Rangers only made up one part of at least 10,000 security personal, which also included the Punjab police.Sammy was one of four first-choice overseas players for Peshawar to still make the trip, along with West Indies team-mate Marlon Samuels and England’s Chris Jordan and Dawid Malan.Quetta, however, lost a major part of the reason they made the final in the first place, when Kevin Pietersen, Tymal Mills, Rilee Rossouw, Luke Wright and Nathan McCullum had pulled out of the match. They had to make do with last-minute changes, bringing in Bangladesh’s Anamul Haque, South Africa’s Morne van Wyk, Zimbabwe’s Sean Ervine and West Indies’ Rayad Emrit.The final was played with more than 22,000 people in attendance, who had assembled outside the ground in the afternoon in order to get through three layers of security before reaching their seats. And with Shahid Afridi out injured, Sammy was the one they cheered for the most.”To me it was more than just a game,” he said after Peshawar won the second edition of the PSL. “It started with the draft. Lala [Afridi] made the big announcement that I would be the captain and one of our mottos was to bring back the smiles so I felt tonight I brought a lot of smiles in Lahore and Peshawar. It is an amazing day and this trophy means a lot.”The Federation of International Cricketers’ Association, in January, had warned that safety for the PSL final in Lahore could not be guaranteed and it wasn’t until 24 hours before the match that the foreign players taking part in it were confirmed.”When you have not been in a place you always have your doubts,” Sammy said. “You get different views, different opinions. But I spoke to Javed [Afridi, the Peshawar team owner] and Shahid Afridi and they influenced my decision to come here. All the boys just made the decision that we are part of something that we are coming down here for a good cause. The fans here deserve to see their players playing as they haven’t seen it for quite a while. I am glad I came here.”I have enjoyed playing a cricket match [in Lahore] and I have even enjoyed being with the security guys as I have never seen something like this before so it was a good experience. It is hopefully a step in the right direction, where things could happen. What I can say is that being here felt like playing in St Lucia, playing in India or anywhere else in the world. And like I said at the toss, today I felt cricket was the winner.”The PCB had invited security advisors from the ICC and its member countries to watch the PSL final. Reports suggest they are keen to invite Bangladesh to tour Pakistan sometime in the future.

Rain in Sharjah forced the clash between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators to be abandoned after only 16 overs were possible

The Report by Danyal Rasool17-Feb-2017
No result
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Tamim Iqbal cruised to a 41-ball fifty in a rain-affected match•AFP

In a nutshellContinual rain in Sharjah meant only 16 overs were possible in the game between the PSL’s top two sides this season. Quetta Gladiators won the toss and, as has been the theme of the tournament, put Peshawar Zalmi in to bat. There were no less than three weather interruptions in Peshawar’s innings, which saw Tamim Iqbal bat through, finishing unbeaten on 62 off 46 balls. It was a pitch more reminiscent of the fifth day of a sub-continental Test match; the ball spat off the surface, and anyone who could turn their arm over was thrust into the attack. Case in point: Rilee Rossouw bowled for the first time in T20 cricket, and had Eoin Morgan caught at first slip off his very first ball.Sarfraz Ahmed appeared to have read the surface right, and left-arm spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Mohammad Nawaz were asked to open the bowling. Peshawar made a bright start, before Hafeez holed out attempting to clear cow corner in the sixth over off Mahmudullah – one of three Bangladesh players arriving after the one-off Test in India. Kamran Akmal fell without scoring, before Rossouw snared Morgan as Peshawar lost three wickets for one run, and threatened to come unstuck.But Sohaib Maqsood ably partnered Tamim thereafter, and the pair battled turning deliveries and dark skies to take their side to what looked to be a daunting 117 in their allotted 16 overs. With the rain coming down again, Quetta’s target was revised twice, but no cricket was possible, leaving the frontrunners to share of the spoils.Quetta’s indiscipline, Akmal’s slumpOn a pitch that heavily favoured spin, Quetta let themselves down at times. Their spinners repeatedly bowled unacceptably short lengths that allowed Tamim and Maqsood regular pressure-releasing shots in the first ten overs. They then appeared to be in disarray following the third rain break after 12.1 overs, as Tamim and Maqsood smashed 41 runs in the next 17 balls. Zulfiqar Babar was the chief culprit, as in a particularly atrocious 15th over, he compensated for his short length early on by floating a pair of friendly full tosses to Tamim. The batsman smashed both for six over midwicket as Peshawar surged to 117. In a completed game, that indiscipline might have been decisive.When Kamran Akmal smashed 88 off 48 balls in the season opener, it looked like this might be a tournament the Akmal family would remember for a long time. However, with Kamran’s stay lasting all of three deliveries today, the brothers now have four ducks in their last seven innings in the PSL, two apiece. The momentum the pair had been building up to stake a claim in the national side is fizzing out again.Where they standQuetta and Peshawar both gained a point from the abandonment, and now have five each – one more than third-placed Islamabad United. Peshawar are ahead with a superior net run rate.

James Vince and George Bailey will share Hampshire’s captaincy responsibilities for the 2017 season

George Dobell24-Mar-2017James Vince and George Bailey will share Hampshire’s captaincy responsibilities for the 2017 season.Vince, who was appointed Hampshire captain in 2015, will remain as club captain and continue to lead the side in limited-overs fixtures but Bailey, who returns to Hampshire on a two-year deal this year following a previous stint in 2013, will captain the side in the County Championship.A club statement said: “The move will allow both batsman an opportunity to focus on their own games during a busy campaign, whilst still affording them the opportunity to contribute across each format with their leadership skills.”Vince is highly-rated as a captain, having led England Lions and The South in the pre-season competition in the UAE. But a disappointing 2016 season – both personally and for Hampshire – left him jaded and Hampshire have taken the decision to ease his workload a little while retaining his position within the club. He retains realistic England ambitions, too, despite a tough start to his international career and this decision may allow a little more time to concentrate on his own game.Bailey, meanwhile, has captained Australia at international level and continues to lead Tasmania. Experienced, relaxed and at the stage of his career when personal ambitions are less likely to burden him, he should not only ease the burden on Vince but provide advice and support when appropriate.”We are fortunate to have two excellent captains within the squad and a split between the formats seems a sensible option for us,” Hampshire Director of Cricket, Giles White, said. “James will captain the white-ball teams and George the Championship side; this will allow them to channel their focus in the different formats which should benefit the squad as it looks to compete across all formats.”Bailey will not be available all season, though. He is expected to captain for the first time at Chelmsford on Friday 19 May and could also be absent in June when he could be involved in the Champions Trophy with Australia.

Racing against time, Cricket Australia are trying to get the Burswood ground ready to host a Test match next summer

Daniel Brettig08-May-2017An Ashes debut for Perth’s new stadium remains in Cricket Australia’s sights, with the chief executive James Sutherland to head west this week for meetings aimed at getting the 60,000 capacity Burswood development up and running in time for the third match of next summer’s five-Test series.On the day tickets went on sale to the general public for all venues but Perth, Sutherland said he was in continuing talks with stadium management – helmed by former CA executive Mike McKenna – the West Australian government and the builders to see if the precinct can be ready in time for the Ashes.This is despite reports out of Perth last month indicating the state government had all but ruled out the possibility of the Test being played in the new stadium, which features drop-in pitches. A January ODI between Australia and England appears the more likely time for the unveiling.”Either way we’re very optimistic that we’ll be playing cricket at the new stadium in 2017-18, but we’re hopeful it will be a Test match because I think people will come from everywhere to be a part of the event,” Sutherland said. “We know there’s latent demand in the UK just waiting for an announcement and they’re ready to go, because Perth’s just that little bit closer to the UK and I know it’s a place that English travellers love to get to.”We’re looking towards the end of this month to make a decision. We want to get tickets on sale as soon as possible, give everyone plenty of notice of what needs to get in order, but certainly we’ll continue to have conversations, I’m in Perth this week to have some conversations with relevant people and we’ll hopefully, by the end of this month, be able to make announcements about when tickets go on sale.”The stadium’s management – which also includes CA’s former head of events Chris Loftus-Hills – has remained steadfast that the venue is intended only to be ready in time for next year’s AFL season. Australia have hosted Ashes Tests at incomplete stadiums before, most recently during the Adelaide Oval redevelopment, when the majority of the ground was available for play.File photo: The new stadium in Burswood is expected to hold a capacity of 60,000 people and will feature drop-in pitches•Getty Images

“From what I understand the stadium will be fully complete and ready to go [when it hosts its first match],” Sutherland said. “It’s very much about the logistics and planning. The completion dates for the stadium actually work pretty well for us, but at the same time a Test match in Perth at the new stadium would be a huge event, and there’s little room for things to go wrong in terms of teething problems that are in some ways perhaps inevitable.”We’re really optimistic about the way in which the event could be staged in the new stadium, we’ve got great confidence in that, but we also understand that through government, through the stadium manager and also the builders, there are a lot of logistics we’re not necessarily across that need to be worked through.”We’d love to see the Test match be the opening event for the new stadium, but to some extent that’s out of our control. We’ll just put our best foot forward and try to impress that upon the powers that be in Perth.”CA recently named Antonia Beggs as the governing body’s new head of match operations and events, after she had previously served at the head of client relations for the European PGA tour and as Championship director of the Ryder Cup. After relocating from Britain, Beggs is expected to start in her new role in mid-July.

The BCCI’s Committee of Administrators s likely to be reduced to a two-member panel after Vikram Limaye was cleared as the managing director and chief executive of National Stock Exchange by the Securities and Exchange Board of India

Arun Venugopal10-Jun-2017The BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) is likely to be reduced to a two-member panel after Vikram Limaye was cleared as the managing director and chief executive of the National Stock Exchange by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator for securities markets in India. The approval is subject to Limaye being relieved from the CoA by the Supreme Court.The court, which is in summer recess currently, will take up the issue in July when it reopens. It is understood that Vinod Rai, the CoA chairman, has been informed of both the SEBI approval and the condition, and is supportive of Limaye’s release from his CoA responsibilities.Limaye’s imminent exit means the CoA will be down to two members – Rai and Diana Edulji – after Ramachandra Guha tendered his resignation on June 1. Guha put in his papers citing frustration at what he saw as the CoA’s inaction on matters of conflict of interest and superstar culture among other issues.To fill up the vacant positions, the CoA is expected to recommend a few names to the Supreme Court. “The names will have to be worked out with the amicus curiae [Gopal Subramanium] and then we would have to see,” a BCCI official said.The CoA will meet next on June 12 in Delhi to discuss a raft of issues, including a broad framework to address conflict-of-interest situations, the status of the appointment of India’s coach. The CoA is also set to meet with the state associations on June 25 to discuss the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations ahead of the BCCI’s SGM on June 26.

Chris Gayle said the players and Cricket West Indies need to build on a steadily improving relationship “to get the best players out on the field”

Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru13-Jul-2017West Indies could feature a full-strength squad across formats as early as August this year, according to Chris Gayle. Gayle said “things have been steadily improving” with regard to the dispute between the players and Cricket West Indies.”The fans were happy to see me back on the field representing West Indies. Hopefully, things can get better. Hopefully I can play a few more games. I definitely want to play the 2019 World Cup,” Gayle said. “Things are beginning to open up a little more now between players and the board. It’s looking good, and we’ve to try and build from this to get the best players out on the field.”Currently, Cricket West Indies follows a stringent policy of considering only those players who have featured in the domestic 50-over competition, under the regime of Julian Hunte and Ernest Hilaire. In recent times, however, the CWI have been more open to negotiation, which Courtney Browne, the chairman of selectors, too spoke of in May.Gayle said discussions regarding the possibility of featuring in a full-strength squad for West Indies’ tour of England in August were positive. “That’s what is actually in discussion. It’s for them to make the announcement, and make it formal so that we know what is what,” Gayle said. “We’ll wait and see what happens.”I can’t get into specific details, just from the little I’ve experienced since coming back, it’s been good. There’s still more discussion to be done. It’s positive. That’s the good thing about it. We’ve to just look to carry on from here. Once we are guided with the rules, if it is going to change fully, we’ll know how to take things further.”Gayle was also optimistic that investment in a young squad, particularly Evin Lewis, would pay off eventually, even though results in recent times – a loss to Afghanistan and an ODI series defeat to India apart from their failure to qualify for the Champions Trophy – haven’t gone their way.”Two centuries in two T20s against India, it’s fantastic,” Gayle said of Lewis. “He’s a small player but a powerful player. He’s very young and very hungry, he’s one for the future. Once more consistency comes into his play, he will be more dangerous. It was a brilliant innings just the other day to put us into that winning position by batting right through the end was fantastic. That’s what I love to see, especially an opener batting right through to take it till the end and win games.”With our experience, we all try and share as much as we can before we go; 2019 is just around the corner. We don’t want to miss out like what happened at the Champions Trophy. We will try and push hard for that and everyone can work collectively to make sure we’re part of the World Cup.”Gayle also said he was “excited” at seeing young fast bowlers challenge him at the nets, and impressed upon the need to maintain his fitness to take every step possible to put himself in fray for selection. “I’m still being active in the gym, putting in the work. These youngsters are very sharp, they try to take your head off saying ‘he’s old now, take him down,'” he said. “You’ve got to be mindful, got to be ready at all times. I’m trying and looking after the body. There’s a lot of travelling, so I try and monitor [my schedules and training] as much as possible.”

With ODI cricket returning to Hambantota for the first time since 2015, the nature of the pitch for the third ODI between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe remains a mystery

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jul-2017

Match Facts

July 6, 2017
Start time: 0945 local (0415GMT)Tendai Chatara’s discipline has earned him four of Zimbabwe’s eight wickets in the series so far•AFP

Big Picture

One comfortable pursuit of 317 for Zimbabwe, one crushing home victory set up by Sri Lanka’s spinners – not much about this series has been predictable, and the teams are now about to venture into more uncertainty. In the past two years, the ground at Hambantota has probably hosted more elephants than cricket matches, and no one is quite sure how the pitch will play after such a long hiatus. Will it tend to be on the faster, bouncier side, as it had been between 2011 and 2015? Or will it – as the hosts might prefer – take a little extra turn now?

Mumba replaces injured W Masakadza

Zimbabwe left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza has been ruled out of the series due to an ankle injury, and has been replaced by seamer Carl Mumba. Masakadza’s last ODI appearance for Zimbabwe was in 2015, and having made a return to the squad, he did not get a game against Sri Lanka. Mumba’s sole ODI match so far came against Sri Lanka in November last year.

There is also often a powerful crosswind to contend with, at the venue, which tends to favour the more adaptable side. In the past, batsmen who have chosen to base their innings around hitting with the wind have prospered in Hambantota: not only do their strokes carry further, the balls they hit into the air have also been notoriously difficult to catch. Sri Lanka, who have dropped no fewer than six chances across the first two games, may be especially vulnerable if the breeze picks up. Bowlers have also had highly contrasting experiences with the wind: it has helped boost the natural swing of some, and put others off their game completely.Whatever the conditions, appropriate use of the sweep shot is likely to have come up in Zimbabwe’s team discussions over the past 48 hours. They had lived by the stroke in the first game, then died by it in the second. They may aim to be more selective in their deployment of the stroke in Hambantota.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LWWLL

In the spotlight

All through the Champions Trophy campaign there was wonderment in Sri Lanka as to why Lakshan Sandakan was not in the XI. Now that he has taken 4 for 52 upon his return, the head scratching has only intensified. For now, Sandakan is not a bowler who offers a lot of control, and perhaps on the less spin-friendly tracks in England, the selectors and team management felt he may become a liability. However, if any bowler has appeared as if he may correct Sri Lanka’s inability to take wickets through the middle overs, it has been Sandakan. The selectors might do well to now provide him with a secure place in the side, in order to determine if he can in fact fulfill that wicket-taking role, in the longer term.A longer run in the ODI side can help determine if Lakshan Sandakan’s potential, seen in his 4 for 52, can be fulfilled•AFP

Though batsmen’s handling of spin has dominated the series narrative so far, it is the skillful seam bowling of Tendai Chatara that has brought Zimbabwe half of their eight wickets in the series so far. There is no booming swing or searing pace for Chatara, but so far in the series, there has been a discipline to his bowling, and even on an unresponsive Galle pitch, he was one of the only quicks to glean some movement off the seam. If he can quickly modify his bowling to suit Hambantota’s unique conditions, Zimbabwe could again make an early breakthrough, as they have in each of the first two games.

Team news

Spinner Amila Aponso and seam-bowling allrounder Lahiru Madushanka have been dropped from the squad for the last three ODIs, and in their place are seamer Lahiru Kumara and batsman Chamara Kapugedera (Suranga Lakmal was originally slated to be in the squad until he took ill). Unless the flu that has been making its way around the Sri Lanka side incapacitates another player on Thursday, the hosts may not wish to make a change to their winning XI, however.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Wanidu Hasaranga, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Lakshan Sandakan,10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan PradeepDespite the loss, Zimbabwe have a fairly settled outfit, and they may stick with the same XI. If any place is under scrutiny, it may be that of seamer Donald Tiripano. Chris Mpofu could potentially replace him.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Solomon Mire, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Sikander Raza, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Peter Moor (wk), 8 Malcolm Waller, 9 Graeme Cremer (capt.), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Chris Mpofu/Donald Tiripano

Pitch and conditions

Forecasts for this part of the country are notoriously unreliable, but the weather is expected to be dry and hot, with temperatures in the low thirties. How the pitch will play is anyone’s guess.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have won seven and lost six of their 17 matches at Hambantota.
• 2017 is Chatara’s most successful ODI year so far, having taken 15 wickets in nine matches at 24.46.
• In addition to having become the third bowler to take a hat-trick on ODI debut, on Sunday, Wanidu Hasaranga became the first Sri Lanka spinner to claim a hat-trick in the format.

Quotes

“Assessing the conditions a little bit better is crucial. When the wicket is flatter like in the first game, you can play all your shots freely and chase down a huge score like that. In the second game it was probably not a wicket where you can go for your shots regularly. We need to do bit of work on that – assess conditions and stick to our plans.””Nuwan Pradeep has been our best bowler in the last three years in Test and ODI cricket, but for some reason he doesn’t pick up many wickets. He has improved his fielding too. He is one of the hardest working cricketers in the side.”

Leaders Notts were too strong for promotion rivals Northants – and Worcestershire and R Ashwin are next up

ECB Reporters Network31-Aug-2017Samit Patel picked up three cheap wickets•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire remain on course for an immediate return to top flight cricket after defeating Northamptonshire by 163 runs on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship fixture at Trent Bridge.The Division Two leaders needed just over an hour to take the final five Northants wickets, with Adam Rossington unable to bat due to the thumb injury he sustained on the second day.Samit Patel closed out the contest, finishing with 3 for 17 and Jake Ball picked up 3 for 86.The outcome may have done irreparable damage to Northamptonshire’s promotion hopes. Having claimed just three bonus points, their tardy over-rate of minus five left them another couple of points in debit, ground they will hope to make back when they face in-form Sussex at Wantage Road next week.Nottinghamshire, gained another 20 points and remain unbeaten at the top of the Division Two table, ahead of next week’s clash at home to second-placed Worcestershire.David Ripley, Northants’ coach, recognised his injury-disrupted side had ultimately been outplayed, but reserved most of his irritation for losing points because of their slow overrate. “That’s not good,” he said. “We’ve just spoken about it as a group. We talk about it far too much and we need some actions. That’s going to hit us because we are going to lose points from this game and go back with minus points. In the past we’ve not been promoted out of this division by just one point, so every point is vital and we’ve just lobbed some away.”Resuming on 167 for 4, after they had added an unbroken 45 for the fifth wicket in the gloomy conditions of the previous evening, Alex Wakeley and Josh Cobb were parted in just the second over of the day.Wakeley, having advanced his score to 37, pushed firmly at Brett Hutton and nicked firmly through to Chris Read. The same combination accounted for Rory Kleinveldt four overs later, although the South African all-rounder, who made 12, was swishing vigorously towards extra cover.Read’s third catch of the morning saw off Cobb, for 38, with Ball adding to the two wickets he grabbed on the third day.Azharullah decided to make the most of a rare opportunity to throw the bat and hit five fours in making 23 but he then miscued Samit Patel high to Cheteshwar Pujara at cover.Ben Sanderson, batting with a hamstring injury and using Rob Keogh as his runner, made an enterprising 16 not out but the innings ended when Richard Gleeson, who scored 21, clubbed Patel into the safe hands of Riki Wessels at mid off.

Ganguly insisted the pink-ball concept, used in India’s Duleep Trophy, needed to be trialled continuously so that India could be ready at some stage to host day-night Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-20172:10

Three things we can learn from pink-ball cricket

Sourav Ganguly, the head of BCCI’s technical committee, sees a future for pink-ball day-night Tests in India despite the board not having made any headway into hosting one in the near future. The Cricket Association of Bengal, of which Ganguly is president, first trialled the concept in June last year when Eden Gardens hosted the Super League final, a local tournament, between two prominent Kolkata clubs.The concept, introduced by the BCCI during the Duleep Trophy in August-September last year, was initially shelved from the 2017-18 domestic season, only to be reinstated. The former India captain, who has been backer of the pink-ball format, intervened by taking the matter up with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.”As far as Duleep Trophy is concerned, my view is very clear: How can you kill a tournament? It has to be discussed either in the working committee or the special AGM,” he was quoted as saying by “You can’t chuck away a tournament one fine morning. I do understand the packed calendar, but somehow we have found a window for this and we have to keep on trying to keep it significant.”Ganguly insisted the pink-ball concept, even if not embraced wholeheartedly by the board, needed to be trialled continuously so that India could be ready at some stage to host day-night Tests. He cited the importance of having healthy crowds, which has not always been the case in India for Tests in recent years, as the major reason to continue with the concept.”It’s not about me being a fan of the pink ball,” he said. “The idea is to bring back crowds to Test cricket and that’s the reason the Duleep Trophy is being played under lights and with the pink ball. The first pink-ball Test in 2015 between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide was house full. The recent Birmingham Test contested by England and West Indies drew big crowds too. So as an administrator, I would like to see packed houses for Test cricket.”

The second and third 50-over matches between India A and New Zealand A will now be held on October 10 and 11 in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2017The second and third matches of the unofficial ODI series between India A and New Zealand A has been postponed due to rain in Visakhapatnam. The first match, which was scheduled for Friday, October 6, was abandoned without a ball bowled.The second and third matches, originally scheduled for October 8 and 10, will now be held on October 10 and 11. The fourth and fifth matches will go on as scheduled, on October 13 and 15.There were no reserve days planned for the series originally, but the matches have been rescheduled to comply with a request from the New Zealand A management, who wanted their players to have some game time, with six among their squad set to be named in the senior New Zealand team that is touring India for three ODIs and three T20Is, starting October 22.