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Tarini Bikram Shah, the acting president of the Cricket Association of Nepal, has said the board is committed to conducting the T20 leg of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) in a clean and transparent manner

Bishen Jeswant27-Jul-20149:18

No reason to present accounts to CAN – Aamir Akhtar

Tarini Bikram Shah, the acting president of the Cricket Association of Nepal, has said the board is committed to conducting the T20 leg of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) in a clean and transparent manner.The inaugural NPL was divided into 50-over and 20-over divisions, of which the 50-over games were held in May. However, the T20 competition, which is yet to be played, has seen some controversy in its build-up, after a few members of CAN filed a no-confidence motion against Tanka Angbuhang Limbu, the CAN president. Angbuhang has since stepped aside due to ongoing investigations against CAN.Nepal fans will be hoping for the NPL to get underway without further controversy•ICCThe primary cause for the no-confidence motion was the outsourcing of the NPL to Zohra Sports Management, a private sports management firm. According to a few reports, there was no bidding process before the league was outsourced and Angbuhang had reportedly not made it mandatory for the firm to submit the tournament accounts to CAN. Before the procedural formalities of the no-confidence motion were completed, the board came under investigation by Nepal’s Commission for Investigation into Abuse of Authority, after which 10 members, including Angbuhang, the secretary and other office bearers had to step aside.”It was Zohra Sports who initially proposed the idea to conduct an NPL and this is great for the game,” Shah said. “However, we wanted the tournament to be held in a transparent manner – whether it be around the code of conduct, anti-corruption or other financial matters. There is no question about the utility of the NPL, we just need to ensure that it is run in a clean and transparent manner.”Aamir Akhtar, a former Nepal cricketer and the owner of Zohra Sports, confirmed that the agency had conceived the idea for the tournament but emphasised it had no reason to share its accounts with CAN since the two parties did not have a financial arrangement.”The idea and initiative to conduct a Nepal Premier League came from Zohra Sports and not CAN. Therefore, there is no question of there being any bidding or tender process,” Akhtar said. “On the submission of accounts, since Zohra Sports has no financial arrangement with CAN, whether revenue-sharing or otherwise, there is no rationale for us to share our accounts with them. All payments to players, umpires, ground staff, etc. are being made by Zohra Sports. We have nothing to hide, but as a matter of principle, we will not disclose our accounts since we have no obligation to do so.”With Nepal cricket lurching from one controversy to another since the World T20 in March, Shah said Angbuhang ought to have stepped in and resolved the matter at the time.”What happened between Zohra Sports and the governing council is not very clear. Our suspended president should have stepped in and resolved the matter,” Shah said. “I’m not sure whether he had the time or if he got caught up with other political commitments. We are sorry that the progress of a good thing was hindered. Going forward, we will make sure that everything is to everyone’s satisfaction.”The tournament has an IPL-inspired set-up of privately-owned franchises and the rules of the league allow team owners to include within their side any two overseas players who are not restricted or banned by the ICC. It is expected that domestic players from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be part of the league. The dates for the tournament are expected to be finalised once Shah returns to the country from England.

Shahrayar Khan, the new PCB chairman, has urged the selectors to find players who thrive under pressure

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2014Shaharyar Khan, the new PCB chairman, has urged the selectors to find players who thrive under pressure. Pakistan recently lost the Tests and ODI series against Sri Lanka, and haven’t won a Test series since their famous 3-0 win over England in early 2012. After the Sri Lanka tour, Khan had a meeting with chief selector and manager Moin Khan, head coach Waqar Younis and captain Misbah-ul-Haq.”I think they [selectors] check boxes when they select the team – batting, bowling, fitness and fielding and talent,” Khan said. “But I think they must also include the sixth box and that is crisis management, how a player reacts to that should also be taken into account.”Khan said that talent alone isn’t sufficient, and that temperament also matters. “Unfortunately, there are a few players in the [current] senior team who are unable to handle things when the team is facing crisis. We must improve this shortcoming for the sterner tests in the coming months. Graeme Hick was a good player, scored over 100 hundreds but he was not good at crisis situation, the same was the case with Mark Ramprakash. I think it is important to take that into account. In Pakistan team, I think some are good, but some are suspect in this, like some players do not perform, as per their talent, talent alone is not very thing.He highlighted Fawad Alam as the sort of player who could handle pressure situations. “There are some players who may not be that talented or God-gifted but who still are able to tackle the crisis. As we have Fawad Alam who is very good in it, he fights to his best and that is before you, you can see how he rotates the strike. This boy doesn’t have the virtues that could classify him as a stylish player but there is no shortage of courage and fighting spirit in Fawad who has repeatedly done wonderfully in pressure situations since his comeback.”Pakistan haven’t hosted major international cricket since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus, and have held their home series mainly in the UAE. But the ‘A’ team and youth teams’ reciprocal tours are on hold which has implicated the development of emerging players, and making their transition to international cricket tougher.”We have to resume A tours, U-19 tours and we must try to bring Scotland, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and then the door will open for the bigger teams,” he said. “I am told that the A tours are reciprocal and as teams do not want to tour us and if only we can go to then it’s expensive. But now we have to look at our benefits. We have to sacrifice.”Khan, 80, a former diplomat recently elected unopposed as PCB chairman also headed the board between 2003 and 2006. He becomes the 30th chairman of the PCB but the first to have a second tenure. He replaced acting chairman Najam Sethi, who still holds a major post in PCB as the head of the PCB executive committee. There is a general perception that Sethi is still the main at the helm of PCB affairs.Dismissing those views Khan said that he is the ‘real’ boss. “Let me tell you all that my actions will be loud and clear and time will decide this. You will see who is calling the shots. I am also in the field, I am the elected chairman, before (former Pakistan President) Gen Pervaiz Musharraf nominated me, we have Board of Governors and several committees and we will work with consultation. I am here to make the board more democratic and give it the much needed stability.”

Ravi Shastri has backed the strong stance taken by his colleagues on the ICC’s cricket committee against bowlers with suspect actions, but admitted that the crackdown could have been done two-three years earlier

Amol Karhadkar07-Oct-2014Ravi Shastri has backed the strong stance taken by his colleagues on the ICC’s cricket committee against bowlers with suspect actions, but admitted that the crackdown could have been done two-three years earlier.In its meeting in June, the cricket committee had suggested that it was important for match officials to get more help from bio-mechanists so that they could identify and report illegal actions “with more confidence”. Since June, six players have been reported for suspect actions and Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake were also banned after their actions were found illegal during testing.”See, you had to take a strong stance. And I think in this meeting of the technical committee, that strong stance was taken that let’s start nipping it in the bud,” he said. “As it is, it should have been done early. Like you said, probably sleeping or probably being a little too relaxed. [It] could have been done two-three years earlier but better late than never, I would say. At least a strong message has gone now to one and all that if an umpire on the field feels there is a flex, if his naked eye can pick up a flex, [that] means in real testing it will be a lot. I think it’s good for the game whether you like it or not.”Shastri also backed the recent financial reforms in the ICC, led by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB, and said that the changes to the system of revenue distribution would benefit each Test-playing nation.”I think for the good of the game because if you look at the economics, and you have to live in the world of economics whether you like it or not, if the revenue stream is such where you get 80% revenue that comes from one country and then you expect the booty to be shared by say a country that hardly even contributes, it’s not fair,” he said.”You have to go with the flow. It means that you are not asking for the chunk in that ratio but you deserve more. And it was acknowledged by all the boards, so I think it’s a very sensible decision which will benefit each and every cricketing nation who is part of the executive board of the ICC. It will benefit everybody and you will see two years down the line, when you ask me the same questions, I won’t have to answer you. You will have the answer yourself.”

After being outspun in the first Test in Dhaka, Zimbabwe have been practicing using a square piece of net on the pitch to prepare for the turners in Khulna

Devashish Fuloria29-Oct-2014Hamilton Masakadza is among five Zimbabwe batsmen who are familiar with the conditions in Bangladesh and therefore, entrusted with the responsibility to counter the home side’s spin attack. However, the collective experience of Hamilton, Vusi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor and Elton Chigumbura amounted to only one half-century in the Dhaka Test, as Bangladeshi spinners confounded them with turn and bounce.Zimbabwe had been preparing for spin knowing it would be the decisive factor in the three-match series, but the quick finish in Dhaka had been a reality check, forcing the team to brainstorm for quick solutions before the Khulna Test. One of them was the use of a square piece of net on the pitch.”Yeah it helps to some extent, gives spin, bounce and do unusual things so I think it’s very good practice for the boys,” Hamilton said after an indoor net session. “Some of us in the team have experience with the conditions here so we are trying to put in all the knowledge for the team and let others know about things.”Lots of different things are being thrown around, people are trying different things, we tried different stuff in the nets today, so there is a lot of discussion going on to try and find the counter of what’s been happening.”The coach Stephen Mangongo had said yesterday that the only way to prepare was to practice against the turning ball. However, in the absence of big turners of ball within their ranks, he said the team was dependent on the bowling machine to simulate the real-world problems. The use of the patch of net was an innovative solution, but would it help the team be ready before Khulna? Only time will tell.Hamilton has played in T20s in Khulna before, but he said the pitch for the Test will be different from the flat ones he had seen in the past and more akin to the one in Dhaka.”I will expect a similar wicket there. It might have a spin in it and that’s what we are training for. All the top six batters have to put in contributions and I didn’t contribute in this game so it had a big impact on the team.”In the first innings in Dhaka, Hamilton attempted to hit over the top the second ball he faced from a spinner and was caught at mid-on. In the second, he had faced only six balls of spin before he left an angled delivery from Shahadat Hossain only to see his stumps splayed. “I didn’t face too much of spin,” he said. “I think I played only six balls or so. I am still backing what I came with from home so I don’t see anything to change yet.”Having scored only two half-centuries from the 25 innings he has played for Zimbabwe in Bangladesh, the visitors may not mind a change.

Michael Clarke will lead Australia in what will be an emotional first Test against India in Adelaide, after being passed fit to play

Daniel Brettig at Adelaide Oval08-Dec-20142:27

We would want to bat first – Johnson

Michael Clarke will lead Australia in what will be an emotional first Test against India in Adelaide, after being passed fit to play. Clarke had appeared set to miss the Gabba Test due to his hamstring injury, but the rescheduling of the series has allowed him to play the new opening match.Australia have confirmed their XI for the Test, which starts on Tuesday, with fast bowler Josh Hazlewood left out and batsman Shaun Marsh also to miss after being called in as an extra squad member on Thursday. Marsh will travel to Brisbane to play in Tuesday’s Sheffield Shield round for Western Australia.Mitchell Johnson gave Clarke some extra room to gather himself for the start of the Test by taking media duty on Tuesday, and spoke of the captain’s value. “It’s a huge boost to have him back in and playing for us,” Johnson said.”I think with his captaincy and how strong he’s been over the last couple of weeks with the tragedy we’ve had, it’s really nice to have him back. He’s a strong captain and we need him out there in this tough series.”He’s a strong leader. He has been an aggressive leader. We’ve always had pretty aggressive fields. He has just grown as a captain and as a person. So to have him in the batting order as well, the amount of runs that he’s scored, he’s really keen to get out there and score some more for Australia.”He just has something about him when he’s out there as captain. Everyone listens. You’re sort of watching him and he just goes about the job really well. He’s a huge boost for us in our line-up. I really hope that he can go out there and score a lot of runs for us. We all know that he’s really keen to do that. He’s a huge part and we’re glad that he’s back.”Hazlewood has been named 12th man after Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson were preferred for the pace attack, with Mitchell Marsh and Shane Watson offering all-round options. In a touching tribute, Phillip Hughes has been listed as “13th man”, while Australia’s players will all wear shirts emblazoned with Hughes Test number – 408.”It’s really special. His family, I think that would make them very proud,” Johnson said. I’m very proud to be able to wear that number through this Test. We’ve named him as the 13th man as well. It’s all very special.”While admitting there would be considerable emotion early in the day, particularly when the players join the crowd in a 63-second burst of applause for Hughes, Johnson said the players had resolved to push on.”It’s going to be an emotional morning and probably looking at it from our first little part of the game, for me going out there and bowling the first spell might be the most difficult,” he said. “Then it might just get into the game a bit more but I think mentally, we’ve had a few training sessions, the vibe’s good.”Everyone’s really keen to get out there and play some cricket now. That’s our goal and I guess we’re going to wait and see how we all feel because we’re all going to feel a little bit different but I’m really looking forward to going out there. It’s a good place to play. I know that as a bowling unit, we’re sticking together and we’re all ready to go.”Australia 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan Lyon.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2014Group ILahore Eagles floundered a fourth-innings chase of 165, going down to Karachi Zebras by just seven runs in the Group I encounter. Basit Ali wrecked the Eagles’ innings with his 5 for 44, ensuring Eagles paid heavily for another middling batting performance.The match was largely dominated by the ball, evident from the fact that only one fifty was scored across four innings. Dismissed for 198 in their first innings, Eagles conceded a lead of 59 runs but their hopes would have been boosted when they managed to skittle Zebras for 105 in their second innings, with the wickets shared among their bowlers Asif Raza, Ahmed Bashir, Shahid Nawaz and Mohammad Suleman. Earlier, Zebras squandered a strong start built on the good knocks from the top order, as they lost their last eight wickets for 88 runs to be limited to 257.

Alastair Cook’s future as England ODI captain appears to be in the balance after another series loss left coach, Peter Moores, unable to guarantee his place in the World Cup side.

George Dobell13-Dec-20141:00

Cook pleased to be away from social media

Alastair Cook’s future as England ODI captain appears to be in the balance after another series loss left coach, Peter Moores, unable to guarantee his place in the World Cup side.England succumbed to a 90-run defeat in the sixth ODI of the series in Pallekele giving Sri Lanka an unassailable 4-2 lead with one match to play. It means England have lost six of their last seven ODI series and nine of their last 12 ODIs.Cook endured another miserable match, failing once again with the bat – he has now scored one half-century in his in his last 21 ODI innings. He also dropped a straightforward catch offered by Kumar Sangakkara when the batsman had 41. Sangakkara went on to score a match-defining century.It left Moores unable to offer anything but equivocal support after the match. Admitting Cook “needs runs” he also stated that, as one of four selectors, it would be presumptuous for him to offer a definite opinion and that, as usual, the management will “review everything” after the series.Asked by whether Cook would be captain at the World Cup, Moores replied: “We review everything at the end of every series, we’ve always said that.”We’ve had many things happen on this series and we’ve got a very new batting line-up with people like Moeen Ali and James Taylor coming in and doing well.”We make no bones that we’re passionate to try and get our best side to go out and win a World Cup. Cook needs runs but he’s also had some great times as an England player. He’s in a tough patch at the moment but that’s something he’s working hard to get out of.”Cook was more confident about his future, however. Asked afterwards if he believed he would be the man leading England at the World Cup, Cook said: “Yes.””It’s clearly been a tough day,” he said. “We came in with high hopes, especially with the way we played at the same ground two days ago. So it’s been a frustrating day all round and it doesn’t make the job any easier.”I’m not scoring the runs I would like, it’s not a great place to be as a captain, you want to lead from the front and when it’s not happening for you it’s frustrating. I’m a better player than I’m showing at the moment and I’ve just got to keep going.”Despite their abject run of form over the last 18 months, Cook said he felt the side had made improvements but that another series defeat was a “reality check”.”I think we’ve actually made some good strides on this tour in one-day cricket,” he said. “The way the lads have gone about it has been fantastic. Today is a really tough day for everyone involved in an England shirt. We played so well last game and to play nowhere near as well as that is incredibly frustrating because we need to be consistent. We’ve always struggled a bit with our one-day and hopefully we’re making steps to get better at it. But this is obviously a reality check.”While Moores celebrated the opening spells of Chris Woakes and Steven Finn, he admitted that England’s death bowling allowed Sri Lanka to “get away” from them.”It’s disappointing,” he said. “We came here thinking we could draw the series level, but we were outplayed in probably all three departments. We dropped catches and we lost too many wickets early despite being up with the rate.”Bowling, we did well in the first 10 overs, but towards the end of the innings we need to make sure our plans are a bit clearer, a bit simpler. We also didn’t choose the right lengths with the ball at times. We did some good things at times, but some costly errors let them get away from us.”

Hashim Amla became the fastest South African batsmen to reach 5000 ODI runs in a run-a-ball 66 in his 101st innings and set South Africa up to take the series lead.

The Report by Firdose Moonda16-Jan-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 1:01

South Africa get past timid Windies in first ODI

Hashim Amla became the fastest batsman to reach 5000 ODI runs a run-a-ball 66 in his 101st innings and set South Africa up to take the series lead. He starred in a 99-run third-wicket stand with AB de Villiers, in which runs were scored at 6.82 to the over before de Villiers and David Miller posted 123. That ensured even when South Africa fell away and lost 5 for 34, they still had enough despite the two-hour-45-minute rain interruption.West Indies’ target was adjusted to a 229 off 33 overs and then 226 off 32 overs when rain returned again but they were only in with a chance of chasing it when Chris Gayle was at the crease. He plundered 41 runs off 24 balls but his high-risk style of play left him vulnerable to an early dismissal. When it came in the sixth over, it sparked a top-order collapse of 4 for 38 which gave way to a lower-order folding of 6 for 46. Imran Tahir claimed three of those wickets chiefly through well-executed googlies and sliders to bring up his 50th ODI scalp.Jason Holder, in his first match as captain, would have wanted more from the men he said were ready to show fight. He shouldered the bulk of that responsibility when he opened the bowling, brought himself back on at crucial times, tasked himself with targeting the South African lower-order and ran an impressive 9.8 kilometres in the field but he learnt that one man cannot do the job on his own. Just ask Gayle.After missing out on Wednesday night’s T20, also at Kingsmead, with a recurrence of his back problem, Gayle approached this innings as though it was two days’ ago. He flung his bat at everything, despite the steep target. “I am trying to understand it, but I can’t,” Michael Holding lamented, when discussing Gayle’s strategy, or lack thereof. It only took the introduction of Dale Steyn to cause Gayle to run out of luck and allow South Africa the only inroad they needed.Gayle should have modelled his innings on Amla’s to start with. He saw off a tricky opening period, when Jerome Taylor found the right length to dismiss both Rilee Rossouw, who racked up a fifth duck in 10 innings, and Faf du Plessis, a first duck in 61, in the Powerplay. But West Indies failed to cash in on their early breakthroughs and lost their lines.They offered so much width. Amla was able to treble his score from 13 off the first 19 balls he faced to 39 by the time he’d faced 40. AB de Villiers, sent in earlier than usual at No. 4, was also off to a speedy start. 17 runs came off 15 balls.Hashim Amla became the fastest batsman to 5000 ODI runs during his innings of 66•Gallo ImagesAndre Russell tried to make the extra bounce work in his favour by holding back his length but the South African pair were quick to pounce on anything short. They brought up a hundred inside 17 overs and a massive total was looming but Amla was in such a hurry to get there, he underestimated Russell’s arm. He was run-out but South Africa’s momentum was not.They promoted David Miller ahead of JP Duminy and de Villiers immediately adjusted his pace. He slowed down to allow Miller to settle and the pair formed the spine of South Africa’s total. They shared the highest partnership of the innings of 123 runs and batted for a ball shy of 20 overs, to take South Africa to the brink of a flourishing finish as West Indies flagged in the searing heat.It was only when both holed out that West Indies had the opportunity to come back into the match. Russell used fancy footwork to run Farhaan Behardien out – the second time on this tour his boot has ushered the ball on its way to breaking the stumps – had Duminy caught behind off a short ball and Philander in the deep before a storm swept through.It was accompanied by gale-force winds, of the literal kind, which only made it more difficult for South Africa when they took the field and met the other Gayle-force. West Indies were off to a flier but they needed support from the rest of the line-up, particularly the experience.But Marlon Samuels was run out lazily, Dwayne Smith was deceived by a slider and Jonathan Carter beaten by the googly. Vernon Philander was rewarded for consistent effort towards the end and Steyn cleaned up the tail as the inevitable outcome was completed.

India’s team director Ravi Shastri has slammed the Carlton Mid tri-series between India, Australia and England just before the World Cup as a “sheer waste of time and energy”

PTI03-Mar-2015India’s team director Ravi Shastri has slammed the scheduling of the Carlton Mid tri-series between India, Australia and England just before the World Cup, calling the tournament a “sheer waste of time and energy”.India came in to the World Cup without a victory in any format for almost three months, losing the Tests 2-0 before failing to win a single game in the corresponding tri-series. Shastri, though, felt that the extra ODIs just before the World Cup took a toll on the players, and that he always expected India to turn around their form when it mattered most.”I think the team was mentally drained after playing the tri-series. The boys needed to recharge their batteries and freshen up for the World Cup,” Shastri told . “The break from cricket did them a world of good as they came all guns blazing when it was required. And frankly speaking, I believe that this tri-series that we played was a sheer waste of time and energy.”I am not all surprised [by the turnaround]. In fact, why should I be surprised that the team has started on a magnificent note? I had complete belief in the boys and their abilities. It was a case of performing to their potential and that’s exactly what has happened in the two matches against Pakistan and South Africa. If you ask me, the script went on expected lines.”I don’t love looking back too much into the past nor am I interested in looking too far ahead. But I would like to say this with conviction that this is the best Indian fielding unit that I have seen in many years. This team has some amazing fielders and they are among the fittest in international cricket.”Shastri had special praise for Virat Kohli, who top-scored for India in the Tests with 692 runs from four matches, including four centuries. Kohli followed that up with a vital hundred in India’s World Cup opener against Pakistan, earning him comparisons from Shastri with former batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.Ravi Shastri – “I think the team was mentally drained after playing the tri-series. The boys needed to recharge their batteries and freshen up for the World Cup”•Getty Images”As far as I am concerned, I have never seen any Indian batsman perform better than Virat on Australian soil keeping Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman in mind as they have done exceptionally well,” Shastri said. “I mean show me one Indian batsman who has scored four centuries in four Test matches. He has been phenomenal. He was dominant and that’s the reason we carried the attack back to the Australian camp in all the Test matches.”Shastri was also quick to rubbish reports of a rift between Kohli and India’s ODI captain MS Dhoni.”I have little patience or time for nonsense that’s spread around. Frankly speaking, I care two hoots about skeptics or doubting thomases spreading some stupid theory. Neither me nor the players are bothered about these stuff. If someone feels that he wants to waste his time discussing these issues, they are free to do so. And you will know why the players are least bothered about these issues. They all sleep well at night as their conscience is clear.”Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the undisputed leader of the Indian cricket team. He has been the boss for last eight years. He has been pro-active and has always led from the front. He has been a terrific limited overs cricketer. He has won matches for India and is a calming influence in that dressing room. He has earned respect from his colleagues because he is a true leader.”

Owais Shah’s county career will continue into 2015 after he signed another contract with Hampshire to play in the NatWest T20 Blast.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2015Owais Shah’s county career will continue into 2015 after he signed another contract with Hampshire to play in the NatWest T20 Blast. Shah retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2013 season but has continued to play in the shortest-format and appeared for Hampshire last season.Shah, 36, played six matches for Hampshire last season and scored 156 runs, including an unbeaten 50 against his former club Essex. He was less successful at the Carribean Premier League, making only 77 runs in six innings for the Jamaica Tallawahs.”Owais made a big impact with us last year, he scored his runs and was also popular around the club,” Hampshire director of cricket, Giles White said. “He is available for the entire tournament which allows us the opportunity to form a settled side that finds its pattern of play; experience tells us that this is important in this format of the game.Shah added: “I really enjoyed my time at Hampshire last season, I got on well with the players and coaches so I’m glad to be a part of the club again this year, and for a longer period as well. It was frustrating to go out in the semi-finals last season but the talent is there to go one further this year and I believe we can do it.”Hampshire were well beaten by Lancashire in the semi-final of last seasons T20 Blast but it was their fifth Finals Day in a row. Their 2015 campaign begins at home to Essex on May 15.