The Bangladesh team’s training session on Saturday was delayed by more than an hour after the players were called into a meeting with Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan

Mohammad Isam11-Jul-2015The Bangladesh team’s training session on Saturday was delayed by more than an hour after the players were called into a meeting with Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan. The team face South Africa in the second ODI on Sunday and were reportedly told by Hassan that one spot in tomorrow’s playing XI is yet to be decided. Bangladesh are trailing the three-match series 0-1 after losing the first ODI by eight wickets.Hassan claimed that the playing XI for Sunday’s match is almost finalised except for one spot which everyone concerned has disagreed on. It wasn’t clear which player would be dropped, though he indicated that either Rubel Hossain or Arafat Sunny will be included in the playing XI.

Nasir confident team can handle Rabada

Nasir Hossain has said that Bangladesh can handle South Africa pace bowler Kagiso Rabada in the second ODI on Sunday. The newcomer took six wickets on debut, including a hat-trick, in South Africa’s eight-wicket win in the first game.
Nasir said the dismissals of Soumya Sarkar and Litton Das were soft ones.
“There were a few soft dismissals in Rabada’s six-wicket haul,” Nasir said. “A couple of the wickets were good balls. He showed the ability to take six wickets but we shouldn’t be thinking much about it.
“I don’t think Rabada is such a special bowler that we can’t handle him. We also do our homework on all the bowlers.”

“Ten of the playing XI is set. Out of the three remaining players, one will play,” Hassan said. “It will be decided by tomorrow. Captain and coach decide the XI. Nobody has any problem with ten players but there are differences of opinion about one place.”The coach wants it one way, the captain wants it the other way. We heard everyone’s version. It could be Rubel or they could pick a spinner.”The meeting also delayed Bangladesh’s practice session on Saturday by 75 minutes. The original schedule for the day had the press briefing at 2.30pm, followed by Bangladesh’s training session at 3.00pm. At 2.45pm, Nasir Hossain was on his way to the press conference with media manager Rabeed Imam when he was called back into the dressing-room for a team meeting. At around 3.30pm, the Bangladesh players, coaching and management staff were seen walking towards the BCB’s conference room where they had a meeting with Hassan. He was supposed to meet the team at the hotel but the team management were informed on Saturday morning that the meeting will be held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Forty minutes later, the players walked out of the meeting and started warming up. There were no official explanations for the delay but ESPNcricinfo has learned that the team management were aware of the change in the venue .Before he met the players, Hassan spoke to four members of the BCB’s six-man technical committee. Former Bangladesh players Shafiqul Haque, Mainul Haque, Ishtiaq Ahmed and Athar Ali Khan discussed selection matters as well as some technical issues, like Mashrafe Mortaza’s decision to bat in the first ODI and the type of pitches on which the current series is being played.”We asked the technical committee their opinion and we largely agreed with each other,” Hassan said. “They gave us a proposal. Two options have come up. I have informed the coach, captain and manager. We will decide either tonight or tomorrow [Sunday] morning.”Hassan said that the meeting with the players was to encourage the team and discuss technical and selection issues with the team management. When asked why there was a need for such a meeting in the middle of a series, Hassan said the players needed reminders about their discipline and body language.”There are areas which require my caution,” Hassan said. “I have warned them. There are some discipline issues, some body language and concentration issues as well. I have particularly talked to them about these things. They also needed a bit of motivation and I told them that there are no reasons to worry.”Hassan also had advice for Mushfiqur Rahim and Soumya Sarkar. “We just told them that there’s nothing to fear, that they are a good team but it isn’t happening for them now. I told Mushfiqur that you could have played that shot later. You have a lot of responsibility. I told Soumya Sarkar that a batsman has a lot more responsibility after getting set,” said Hassan.Nasir later came to the press conference and said that it was an informal meeting where the BCB president encouraged them to be more serious about their game.”Mr. President always gives us courage. It was not a formal meeting,” Nasir said. “He always speaks positively to us. He is always with us. When we do badly people will talk, it is quite normal. He didn’t really warn us. He told us to be serious about our game. Nothing more.”I think the last game was just a bad day for us. We have to make a comeback now. Nothing much has changed. Everything is fine with the team. Everyone is confident. Everything will be fixed with one win.”

Individually they have shown the side has talent, but Zimbabwe have not been able to put an all-round performance. They have one last change against an Indian side that might be looking to experiment

The Preview Liam Brickhill in Harare13-Jul-2015

Match facts

Tuesday 14 July
Start time 0900 local time (0700 GMT)1:33

Agarkar: India must give Sandeep Sharma and Manish Pandey a chance

Big picture

India have achieved their main goal – sealing the series – so the third and final ODI provides scope for blooding a couple of uncapped players. Zimbabwe, who are in the midst of an eight-match ODI losing streak, have little but pride to play for.Individually, Zimbabwe’s players have shown that this team definitely contains talent. But they haven’t been able to pull all three facets of the game together. In both matches so far, India were offered a glimpse of Zimbabwe’s weaknesses, and despite the fine margin of their victory on Friday, they have generally looked the better side.Yet one feels Zimbabwe aren’t all that far behind this Indian team. Given a fully fit squad, in home conditions, at least one win is a distinct possibility. Unfortunately, the Zimbabweans have been hobbled by injury and have probably already blown their best chance of breaking their losing streak. Sean Williams is nursing a knee problem and is unlikely to play tomorrow.While the bowling has fired, India’s middle order still appears vulnerable. Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa and Kedar Jadhav have managed a combined 58 runs in a total of six innings. If Zimbabwe are able to exploit this, especially given the absence of the series’ leading run-scorer Ambati Rayudu, they may yet be able to pull off a win.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first) Zimbabwe: LLLLL
India: WWWLL

In the spotlight

In the absence of Solomon Mire, and with Elton Chigumbura playing primarily as a batsman, Zimbabwe needed an allrounder to balance their side. They appear to have found one in Chamu Chibhabha, who has contributed with both bat and ball in this series. Batting is his stronger suit – he’s averaged 44.42 in ODIs in 2015 – but the pitch at Harare Sports Club also suits his medium-pace bowling.The pressure is building on India’s middle-order batsmen. With this series billed as something of an audition for a slot in the first XI, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa and Kedar Jadhav have averaged 12.00, 6.50 and 10.00 respectively. India have still managed to win both games, but they’ll want more from this trio in the final match.

Team news

Zimbabwe’s hand has been forced by injuries to key members of their squad. Opening bowler Tinashe Panyangara sustained a side strain in the first match, and batsman Sean Williams injured his right knee in the second. With the help of painkillers and heavy strapping, Williams batted during Zimbabwe’s chase, but team physio Anesu Mupotaringa suspects patella tendonitis. Williams went for scans on Monday morning and it’s unlikely the team management will risk aggravating his injury.So Zimbabwe may want to give players such as Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya and Roy Kaia a run. Craig Ervine may also be back to full fitness, as he underwent a test, including sprints, with no apparent discomfort on Monday afternoon.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Hamilton Masakada, 4 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 5 Roy Kaia/Craig Ervine, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Neville Madziva, 11 Chris Mpofu.A right quadriceps injury to Ambati Rayudu will also necessitate changes to India’s XI. Twenty-year-old wicketkeeper Sanju Samson has been called into the squad and it suggests pressure on Robin Uthappa’s place. With the series sealed, India might think about offering debuts to Manish Pandey and Sandeep Sharma, and perhaps give Mohit Sharma some match practice ahead of the T20s. India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Ajinkya Rahane (captain), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Sanju Samson/ Robin Uthappa (wk), 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Sandeep Sharma.

Pitch and conditions

A third, fresh pitch will be used for this match, and in appearance it is very similar to the first two: dry, with a modest grass covering. It should be reasonably good for batting, with the side batting first looking to score at least 250. The pitch is on the far right of the square, and so the short boundary to the west may affect team tactics. Another bright, sunny day is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Zimbabwe’s win-loss record is 6-22 when chasing scores of between 240 and 275 in ODIs since 2005.
• The very first ODI played at Harare Sports Club was between Zimbabwe and India in October 1992. India have played 17 ODIs here, and have won 12 times.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker in this series, with five wickets at an average of 13.60 and an economy rate of 3.40.

Quotes

“We’re just going to go out there and play for pride, and for our supporters as well.”
“I asked him why I was being congratulated and he told me I had been selected to the Indian team.”

Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has followed Alastair Cook in praising Peter Moores for laying the groundwork for the team’s recent success

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2015Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has followed Alastair Cook in praising Peter Moores for laying the groundwork for the team’s recent success. Cook paid tribute to former head coach Moores after England’s innings victory at Trent Bridge saw them regain the Ashes and Farbrace echoed the sentiment, saying he would “defend him to the hilt”.Moores was sacked in May after the appointment of Andrew Strauss as England’s director of cricket. While England experienced a tumultuous year during Moores’ second spell as coach, he showed faith in a number of young players who have steadily helped improve the team’s fortunes.His final series in charge was a 1-1 draw in Tests against West Indies but the group stage exit at the World Cup cast an even longer shadow. Moores and Farbrace, who was brought in as assistant at the same time, had six months of 50-over preparation but saw the team fail even to reach the knockout stage after defeat to Bangladesh in Adelaide.England have made impressive strides in ODI cricket since then, while continuing the Test revival that Moores laid the foundations for after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash in 2013-14. Farbrace said Moores “gave absolutely everything to England” and backed him to do well with Nottinghamshire, where he has been working in a consultant capacity.”Following Mooresy down the tunnel at Adelaide was horrible. I did not enjoy seeing him take the stick that he did, and I will defend him to the hilt,” Farbrace said. “That bloke gave absolutely everything to England. I am so pleased that Cooky mentioned him because he did nothing but work hard for the team. He will still be in touch with the majority of the boys.”It is no surprise that he has come to Notts and in the time that he has been there he has improved them massively.”From my point of view, I hated the winter, I hate losing, but I have really, really enjoyed the last few months. But the team will go on long after I am finished with the England team, and be a very exciting team in the future.”England’s defeat to Bangladesh in Adelaide ended their World Cup at the group stage•Getty Images

Farbrace described England’s World Cup as a “disaster” but said it had helped provide the motivation to improve. Farbrace led the team in a thrilling 3-2 ODI victory over New Zealand, before the arrival of Trevor Bayliss as coach, and the feelgood factor established during that series fed into England’s dramatic Ashes surge.”We were all low. I said at the time in Sydney, it wasn’t Peter Moores’ fault we failed in the World Cup. He did nothing but work his socks off for England cricket. He is an excellent coach and bloke and was a very popular member of our group.”The decision was taken to change the coach after that World Cup. It was a disaster, there is no getting away from it. We didn’t play well. We got blown away in the first game and I don’t think we ever recovered. We were all hurting. Your pride takes a hell of a hit. You bump into people on the street and they say ‘Oh, you work with the England team, you are rubbish’. It hurts, it really does hurt.”The last week in Australia was a horrible week for all of us. Players get stung by that criticism. But we came back and the lads just felt it was time to change the way we were playing and our approach to certain things and they have carried that out. And we have seen the improvement.”England’s attacking approach, which saw them win the third and fourth Tests against Australia inside three days, was formed in part during the visit of New Zealand, with Farbrace filling an interim role in charge of the side. He pinpointed a counterattacking stand between Joe Root and Ben Stokes on the first day of the first Test of the summer – a game England ended up winning by 124 runs – as the catalyst for what followed.”Against New Zealand I don’t think we set out to be an ultra-attacking team,” he said. “It just happened by chance, at 30 for 4 on that first day at Lord’s, that Root plays one way, get his singles and scores boundaries, and Stokes came in and whacked it. And all of a sudden the headlines were ‘this new England way of playing’. But I think we stumbled across it as opposed to set out to play in that way.”I think it suits us. You look at the way the middle order play and they are all quite attacking batsmen. Trev keeps telling them to have a positive mindset, because then you are in the best position to play whatever ball is delivered to you – in the best position to leave, defend or hit it.”England’s sense of team unity played a big part in their Ashes victory•PA Photos

Farbrace also praised the ethic that has been instilled within the side, of enjoying success as a group. He offered Jason Roy – who continued to attack while opening in the ODIs against New Zealand despite the lack of a significant score – and Moeen Ali adapting to bat at No. 8 in the Test side as examples of the team’s needs taking priority, before highlighting Stokes’ pivotal display with the ball at Trent Bridge, where his second-innings 6 for 36 sealed the victory that returned the Ashes.”An interesting relationship has developed between Cooky and Ben Stokes,” he said. “Over the last 18 months or so, Stokes has wanted to bowl more and maybe Cooky hasn’t always trusted him to bowl so he has had short spells. Stokes knows he has short spells so he has been trying to impress with inswingers, bouncers, yorkers, whatever.”What we are now seeing, is that Stokes has had a couple of good spells and has been thrown the ball a bit more. So he is getting confidence from Cooky, Cooky is getting confidence in Stokesy, and now he is bowling spells like he did on Friday – a long spell which was needed for the team.”So the next time we are in that situation, Cooky will have no qualms about chucking Ben the ball knowing that he can do it, and Ben won’t feel like he has to prove himself every time he bowls. When players are not trying to prove something to the captain or coaches and just playing the way the team needs them to play, that is a great place for a team to be.”

Fidel Edwards took a six-wicket haul but Riki Wessels’ hundred prevented relegation-threatened Hampshire from taking charge at Trent Bridge

David Hopps at Trent Bridge22-Sep-2015Hampshire 0 for 1 trail Nottinghamshire 340 (Wessels 104, Edwards 6-88) by 340 runs

ScorecardFidel Edwards claimed six wickets but Nottinghamshire’s tail thwarted Hampshire•PA Photos

Two West Indian pace bowlers are in situ for the final throes of the Championship. Like Fidel Edwards, cutting a dash for Hampshire at Trent Bridge, Shannon Gabriel was in the wickets at Worcester. But while Worcestershire are already down, and Gabriel’s two-match contract no longer has much point, Edwards clings to the belief, as he has all season, that he can keep Hampshire in the First Division.It must be like clinging to Norway’s Storseisundet Bridge, known by the locals as the drunk bridge, for its tendency to sway in strong winds. For Hampshire, the wind began at force 7, and rose to force 8 once Riki Wessels registered his second Championship century of the season, a sweetly-timed affair.Edwards took 6 for 88, his season’s best figures as Nottinghamshire fell late in the day for 340. He has surely never bowled more intelligently in England than this season. At 33, he has done himself proud: always watchable, and occasionally destructive. Over at Worcester, Gabriel bowls with serious intent; Edwards assembles passion from the air itself. Two very different Caribbean quicks, both good for the game. County cricket desperately needs characters, standards, stories. It will not survive in the public consciousness merely as a glorified England academy.Edwards has been this season’s “stuff you” signing, the quick bowler brought in on a Kolpak contract to widespread doubts that he could do the job, but who has responded with verve and skill to become Hampshire’s leading wicket-taker, his 41 wickets coming at 21.53 each. Without Edwards, Hampshire would have been doomed long ago: at least he has helped them drag it out to the final days.He is likely to fail. On this evidence at least, Hampshire, once the overseas new-ball pair of Edwards and Ryan McLaren are repelled, have little to commend them. The third seamer, Gareth Berg, is doing as much as can be expected in a late flowering; Ryan Stevenson, introduced into a relegation scrap in September, so far has nods of respect and two wickets at 100 each. Perhaps his time will come. It will be a surprise if it comes this week.Hampshire could have done without Nottinghamshire’s recovery from 247 for 7, a recovery fashioned largely by Stuart Broad and Brett Hutton, as the final three wickets added 93. Having won the toss and inserted on a sunny day, but with dampness underfoot, they would have hoped to complete the job far sooner than that.Dale Benkenstein, Hampshire’s coach, said: “If you are looking at what we were aiming to do, then we’ve managed to get full bowling points, so that’s a positive. But it wasn’t our best performance and having put them in, a score of around 300 should have been more realistic”.Maximum batting points will be more taxing. They have faced one ball and lost one wicket – the nightwatchman Stevenson, a victim for the Stuart Broad / Chris Read combo.Trailing Sussex by 16 points and Somerset by 18, Hampshire’s task is a daunting one if they are to avoid relegation to Division Two of the Championship. They must beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge – a Nottinghamshire side with designs on second place – and then hope one of their companions in distress suffer, at best, an unproductive draw to send them down instead.Edwards, who took eight wickets against Nottinghamshire in a pre-season match in his native Barbados, relished another foray in more important circumstances, summoning an opening burst that brought him three wickets inside his first five overs and signalling that Hampshire would not depart Division One easily.But Wessels and Steven Mullaney responded by adding 115 either side of lunch. Hampshire missed one opportunity to part them as a regulation nick from Mullaney, on 52, was put down by Sean Ervine at first slip, off Edwards. He made only made six more before being bowled as he tried to whip Liam Dawson’s off spin to leg.For Nottinghamshire, and a few neutrals besides, interest centred upon the debut of Billy Root, younger brother of Joe, national cricket hero. He has been loosely characterised as the less driven younger brother (aren’t they always) but he walks to the wicket with the same stiff-legged farmer’s gait before preventing all further comparisons by batting left-handed. There were fewer to watch him than watched Joe in the Ashes on the same ground a month earlier – this late in the season battle-hardened county supporters wear the toughened, slightly-glazed expression of walkers nearing the end of the Pennine Way , but on debuts you tend not to gaze around too much.He played confidently for his 37, until an edge from Gareth Berg was smartly taken by Ervine, who responded to the ball rebounding out of James Vince’s hand at second slip.Wessels escaped a tough chance to the wicketkeeper, Aam Wheater, on 16, drove effortlessly and went past 1,000 Championship runs for the season, reaching his hundred from 153 balls, having hit 13 fours and a six. Straight after tea he tamely clipped Ervine to midwicket and three overs later Read was bowled by Edwards, shouldering arms. Hampshire had lost three wickets for just 11 runs.Edwards’ most eye-catching wicket was a big inswinger to bowl Chris Read. He claimed his third five-wicket haul of the season when he induced Broad into hooking into the hands of Ryan McLaren at fine leg, after also making 37. Jake Ball was bowled on the retreat before Hutton was last out, lifting McLaren into the deep to depart for 46.Among his three new-ball wickets was Brendon Taylor, who casually flicked into the hands of Gareth Berg at midwicket. It is a long season and Taylor has not survived it well. County cricket, judging by his stats, does not look as appealing to him as it did when he decided to abandon Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has apparently developed a habit of delivering the same speech. Without a half-century since midsummer, Taylor is delivering the same innings. A winter’s reassessment lies ahead.

A steaming 90 minutes in the hands of Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah was reminiscent of the rich history of Pakistan cricket with a fast bowler and legspinner working in unison to wreak havoc

Umar Farooq24-Oct-2015A steaming 90 minutes in the hands of Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah was reminiscent of the rich history of Pakistan cricket with a fast bowler and legspinner working in unison to wreak havoc. It was an evocative sight in Dubai as Pakistan rattled England’s batsmen, inspiring in them awe and fear.The thrill of the Wahab-Yasir combination was a peep into history, recalling Imran Khan-Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram-Mushtaq Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar-Danish Kaneria. It brought back memories alive as both fought, and narrowly failed, to take five wickets.Wahab bowled five terrific maiden overs, three with a wicket, conceding only 15 runs while Yasir’s attack was initially less threatening, giving away 34 runs with one wicket. Such a lengthy spell by Wahab was unusual; he is chiefly used for attack. He withdrew after nine overs, missing out on his second five-for, last taken on his debut during an infamous tour to England in 2010.”When I got a good start I felt that I can get more wickets and that is why I prolonged my spell and that was my own decision,” Wahab said. “In cricket when you bowl well you get wickets, even the bad balls sometimes. I pushed myself hard.”Obviously that was one of my best spells. If I could have got a five-for it would have been a very special one but it’s still good because it helped my team.”Pakistan took a 136-run lead on first innings and by the close of the third day had extended that to 358 with seven wickets intact.In general it was expected that the left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar would pair up with Yasir but that did not materialise. Babar looked off-colour and is already averaging over 50 this year. The Yasir-Zulfi combo was meant to supersede Saeed Ajmal-Abdur Rehman but the pair have yet to make an impact. That led to a change of plan allowing Yasir and Wahab to get in on the act.”I think Yasir has done well in the past few Tests and he is our main weapon,” Wahab said. “Babar and Imran [Khan] also give me an edge, in a sense that they keep up the pressure which allows me to attack. I might leak many runs but with them around I feel comfortable.”But I enjoy bowling with Yasir and the expectation was that we would both get wickets from both ends and we knew we had to wrap them up soon to get an important lead.”I think Yasir will be the key player tomorrow because there is good spin on the pitch and if we have the kind of score which we are looking for so England will be under pressure. It’s not easy to play spin here and we fast bowlers will also play our part.Pakistan’s head coach Waqar Younis had an extra session with the bowlers before start of play in the search for an immediate impact. For England, Root had stood his ground to be 76 at start of play; his wicket was the main hunt of the morning. “Root’s wicket was important as he is the one who plays freely and doesn’t take pressure,” Wahab said. “We knew where to dry up his runs, we did that and got him out which was a crucial wicket.”It is my role to lead the attack. That’s my responsibility and every day and in every spell I want to produce my best because my team has expectations of me and I want to fulfil those. My energy is always there.”

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan’s scheduled meeting with BCCI president Shashank Manohar had to be deferred following protests at the BCCI office by the Shiv Sena

Amol Karhadkar19-Oct-20151:02

IPL chairman condemns Shiv Sena protest

A protest by the Shiv Sena, a regional political party, has muddled the fate of discussions between the BCCI and the PCB over the proposed India-Pakistan series in December.On Monday, talks between PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and BCCI president Shashank Manohar were deferred after 50 workers from the Shiv Sena stormed the BCCI office in Mumbai, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans and demanding that the BCCI cancel the series.Neither Manohar nor Khan spoke with the media after the Shiv Sena protests. But conflicting statements came out of the BCCI. While the IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said the meeting would be held in Delhi on Tuesday, the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said there would be no official meeting.”The talks have not been called off,” Shukla told . “Mr Manohar and Mr Khan will speak to each other in evening today and tomorrow they are coming to Delhi for another round of talks. “In no way the dialogue will be stopped. BCCI has never compromised with national interests.”Thakur, however, contradicted Shukla a few hours later.”Officially there is no meeting scheduled in New Delhi,” he told reporters in Delhi. “If the talks happen, they will take place in Mumbai at BCCI headquarters. The BCCI and PCB have some outstanding issues. The PCB chief wanted to meet the Board president to discuss those things but those have been cancelled now.”Manohar is supposed to be in Pune for a family function on Tuesday.The protest occurred soon after Manohar reached the BCCI office on Monday. Shaharyar, along with Najam Sethi, the head of the PCB’s executive committee, were advised not to leave their south Mumbai hotel, which is a five-minute drive from the BCCI headquarters. They were supposed to meet Manohar there to discuss the possibility of India’s scheduled series against Pakistan in December.Later in the afternoon, the PCB delegation headed to the airport to leave for Delhi amidst heavy police security. Minutes after their departure for the airport, Manohar left the BCCI office and reached the same hotel, where he had also been staying.The Shiv Sena has also threatened to stop the Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar from officiating in the fifth and final ODI between India and South Africa to be played in Mumbai on Sunday.The party has a history of anti-Pakistan protests. In 1999, it dug up the pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi before the start of the India-Pakistan series, and in 2006 threatened to disrupt Pakistan’s Champions Trophy matches in Jaipur and Mohali.In April this year, Pakistani pop singer Atif Aslam’s concert in Pune had to be called off in the wake of such protests, and singer Ghulam Ali’s concert, scheduled to be held in Mumbai on October 9, was also cancelled after party workers threatened to disrupt it.Last week, Shiv Sena activists smeared columnist and writer Sudheendra Kulkarni with black ink, during an event he had organised to launch a book written by the former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

New Zealand’s top three struck 139 runs between them off 88 balls to lead the hosts to 188 in 20 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka’s Women never really got going and were kept to 86

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo – Sophie Devine hit one four and four sixes to down Sri Lanka•ICC/Getty

New Zealand’s top three struck 139 runs between them off 88 balls to lead the hosts to 188 for 3 in 20 overs, a total that eventually set up a 102-run win. In reply, Sri Lanka’s Women never really got going and were kept to 86 with only three batsmen passing double figures.Having opted to bat, New Zealand Women had a strong start with openers Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest putting on 82 in eight overs. Left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera, however, broke the partnership off the first ball of the ninth over by trapping Priest lbw for 49. Bates was bowled by another left-arm spinner, Sugandika Kumari, but there was no respite for Sri Lanka. Sophie Devine soon found her range and scored her third T20I fifty. She added 48 with Sara McGlashan before the latter was forced to retire hurt for 20, the only worry for New Zealand on an otherwise perfect day. By the time Devine was out for 54, New Zealand had surged past 170.Devine then took the new ball and undid Chamari Atapattu for 9; Sri Lanka’s score of 11 for 1 soon became 17 for 3 in 5.5 overs thanks to pacer Lea Tahuhu. The middle order was tied down and the innings would have panned out a lot worse if not for knocks from Oshadi Ranasinghe (34) and Ama Kanchana (16).Five out of six New Zealand bowlers had economy rates under six; debutant Thamsyn Newton finishing with figures of 0 for 16.

Angela Reakes was handed a suspended two-year ban from the game after she was found to have placed bets on the outcome of the Man of the Match award during the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand in March

Daniel Brettig22-Dec-2015Angela Reakes, a 24-year-old legspinner with the ACT and the Sydney Sixers, was handed a suspended two-year ban from the game after she was found to have placed bets on the outcome of the Man-of-the-Match award during the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand in March. Reakes, the first Australian cricketer caught betting on matches since Cricket Australia unveiled its anti-corruption code, will now become part of information sessions designed to prevent others from making similar or worse indiscretions.She placed five bets, totalling a sum of AUD $9, in contravention of Article 2.2.1 of the Code, which outlaws “placing, accepting, laying or otherwise entering into any bet with any other party (whether individual, company or otherwise) in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any Match or Event”.CA has 16 official betting partners, all of which have signed up to “assist CA in its ongoing management of the integrity of CA competitions, by agreeing to the information sharing and other integrity requirements specified by CA”. A CA spokesman declined to comment on whether Reakes’ offence had been uncovered via these arrangements.Other sanctions included an official reprimand from CA, and also the requirement to become part of CA’s anti-corruption compliance education to other cricketers in coming seasons – she will thus become part of the education process designed to prevent similar missteps. While she accepted the sanctions voluntarily, the suspended sentence will hang over Reakes for the remainder of her career, meaning an instant ban should she ever transgress again.”All elite cricketers are reminded regularly that betting on any form of cricket is strictly prohibited,” said Iain Roy, head of CA’s integrity unit. “It is outlined in the Anti-Corruption training that we deliver on an annual basis and is written into our Code of Behaviour.”Angela understands that in placing these bets she made a bad mistake and has acknowledged the seriousness of her error. She has been cooperative during the investigation and we believe the penalty in these circumstances is appropriate.”Reakes moved from the New South Wales Breakers to the ACT Meteors in the off-season, and enjoyed a productive domestic 50-over tournament where she was her team’s leading wicket-taker. She has taken one wicket in seven matches while bowling economically for the Sixers.

Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Ishant Sharma, Mitchell Marsh are among 12 players that have listed the highest base price of INR 2 crore for the IPL players auction, scheduled for February 6 in Bangalore

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Jan-2016Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Ishant Sharma, Mitchell Marsh are among 12 players that have listed the highest base price of INR 2 crore (approx $296,000) for the IPL players auction, scheduled for February 6 in Bangalore. These players feature in a 714-strong long list – accessed by ESPNcricinfo – which will be trimmed by January 25 to form the final pool of players for the auction.

Prominent names in the long list

INR 2 crore – Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Ishant Sharma, Mitchell Marsh, Ashish Nehra, Dinesh Karthik, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Dhawal Kulkarni
INR 1.5 crore – Dale Steyn, Mohit Sharma, Jos Buttler
INR 1 crore – Irfan Pathan, Tim Southee
INR 50 lakh – Martin Guptill, Jason Holder, Barinder Sran

Ashish Nehra, Dinesh Karthik, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson and Dhawal Kulkarni are the other Indians who have put a reserve price of INR 2 crore. Australia veteran Michael Hussey might have turned 40, but he remains confident about playing a role in a format perceived to be a young man’s game as he too put INR 2 crore as his base price. Hussey has not only captained Syndey Thunder to the final of the ongoing Big Bash League, but he is also the tournament’s leading run-scorer.The other overseas player who has attracted the INR 2-crore base price is Australia fast bowler Kane Richardson.The auction is likely to be a busy affair considering not just the two new franchises – Rising Pune Super Giants (RPSG) and the yet to be named Rajkot team – but also established teams like Delhi Daredevils are expected to bid fiercely at the single-day auction.Last month, Daredevils released the maximum players – 13 – from last year’s squad which included marquee names Yuvraj and Sri Lanka captain and allrounder Angelo Mathews. Last year, Yuvraj was the most expensive buy for the second consecutive auction after the Daredevils raised the bid price to INR 16 crore ($2.3 million). Daredevils also paid INR 7.5 crore ($1.1 million) for Mathews. However, both players failed to create the desired impact and the franchise consequently decided to release them to bolster their purse going into this year’s auction.A total of 61 players were released by the six franchises when the first trading window closed on December 31. Among them was the second most expensive player of last year’s auction, Karthik, who was secured by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10.5 crore ($1.5 million).Following is the purse remaining with the each of the eight franchises:Delhi Daredevils (INR 37.15 crore), Kings XI Punjab (INR 23 crore), Kolkata Knight Riders (INR 17.95 crore), Mumbai Indians (INR 14.405 crore), Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 21.625 crore), Sunrisers Hyderabad (INR 30.15 crore), Rising Pune Super Giants (INR 27 crore), Rajkot (INR 27 crore).

West Indies allrounder Andre Russell has admitted he has not yet performed to his standard in the Pakistan Super League so far, having scored 77 runs and taken eight wickets in seven games

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Feb-2016West Indies allrounder Andre Russell has admitted he has not yet performed to his standard in the Pakistan Super League so far. Russell has scored 77 runs and taken eight wickets in seven matches for Islamabad United. On the eve of the eliminator against Karachi Kings, Russell said he had a clear goal: to “raise the bat” and keep Islamabad’s hopes of making the inaugural final alive.”I still haven’t done whatever I want to. I still haven’t achieved what I want to achieve as yet playing for Islamabad,” Russell told ESPNcricinfo on Friday. “And as of tomorrow I want to start that. I know whenever I go to bat, people are expecting big sixes and me to raise my bat. I haven’t raised my bat in months now. And I want to start that tomorrow.”Russell was named the Man of the Series of the IPL last year, where he played for Kolkata Knight Riders. He was also one of the best allrounders in the recently concluded Big Bash League, where his team Sydney Thunder won for the first time. His overall strike rate in T20s is 166.89, the highest among all 2000-plus run-getters. Still, Russell admits he is not the finished product.Despite his on-field performances not being spectacular, Russell said the PSL has been a good learning experience. “I know for sure by the time I leave, I’m going to learn a lot about how to play against left-arm orthodox. These teams have a lot of these spinners, boy. Even in the nets you would see them.”Even though Russell has been occasionally limited against spinners, he believes his game can overcome those obstacles. “At the end of the day playing spin is crucial in any form of the game, but in T20 cricket I don’t worry about spinners. I would prefer to bat spin more than pace. I love when the ball coming on (to the bat), but I would be more confident playing a shot against a spinner because I know that I have nothing to fear. If he spins the ball, he’ll beat me. Alright, he beat me. If I hit him for six, I win. I can sweep, but with my power I don’t really need to sweep sometime. But I can sweep to rotate strike.”Russell also said he was impressed by the emerging talent on show in the PSL. “A lot of talent in the PSL. This reminds me of playing in the Caribbean where you see so many (talented) guys. I ask a lot of of local guys here ‘Does this guy plays for Pakistan? I think he should play for Pakistan’ Russell said.