Category Uncategorized

Durham will start next season with point deductions in all three competitions after breaching the salary cap in English domestic cricket.

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2012Durham will start next season with point deductions in all three competitions after breaching the salary cap in English domestic cricket.Counties are not allowed to pay their staff more than £1.8million in total and Durham exceeded this level, although by less than 2%. The result, apart from a £2500 fine, is a 2.5 point deduction in the Championship and a quarter of a point in both the CB40 and Friends Life t20.Durham notified the ECB as soon as they were aware of the issue and their co-operation throughout was taken into account in the final judgement.”The tribunal concluded that the sanctions in accordance with the regulations should reflect the fact that it was Durham who notified the ECB of the breach and Durham had co-operated fully and openly,” an ECB statement said.”Durham had admitted a category one breach of the regulations which state that a county should not pay its players in total more than £1.8 million a year. A category one breach is the lowest of the five categories of breach under the team salary payment regulations which apply to all 18 first-class counties and were introduced by ECB in 2010.”In a separate statement, Durham said: “In its submission to the ECB Durham explained the difficulties faced by counties who wish to remain competitive in all competitions and produce players for England.”In particular the lack of certainty relating to players in the England system means that it is impossible to have absolute certainty around the final salary bill.”

Kevon Cooper’s 25 off 11 balls saw Trinidad and Tobago beat the Cape Cobras and stay alive in the Champions League T20

The Report by Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2011Trinidad and Tobago 138 for 8 (Bravo 29, Kemp, 3-22) beat Cape Cobras 137 for 4 (Shah 63*, Badree 1-19, Narine 1-19) by 2 wickets.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Darren Bravo now has 116 runs in the Champions League T20, 2011•AFP

Kevon Cooper’s 25 off 11 balls saw Trinidad and Tobago beat the Cape Cobras and stay alive in the Champions League T20. Cooper scored 10 runs off Dale Steyn’s fourth over, which cost 15 runs in total, and ensured T&T got the 24 runs they needed in the last two overs. This is the second time in the tournament that Steyn has bowled a costly penultimate over, with the first being against Chennai. The win means Mumbai Indians are through to the semi-finals. T&T’s qualification depends on Chennai Super Kings beating New South Wales by a small margin. The Super Kings can also qualify if they win by a sufficient margin, while any victory for NSW puts them through.Steyn turned from hero to villain in the space of an hour and a half; he started the Cobras defence of 137 with a magnificent three-over spell of outswing bowling. He demonstrated real skill on a dead pitch, consistently beat the outside edge and was rewarded in his second over when he got one to straighten and trap William Perkins lbw.Steyn’s colleagues were not as effective from the other end: Charl Langeveldt and Rory Kleinveldt struggled with their accuracy. Kleinveldt bowled three no-balls in an extraordinary over that only cost six runs and included the wicket of Lendl Simmons. Langeveldt was better when he changed ends and used the slower ball to good effect.Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo’s third-wicket partnership of 35 runs helped T&T recover from the loss of their openers. They rotated strike well, searched for the singles, and after Barath was dropped by Vilas behind the stumps he connected well to score two big boundaries.Justin Kemp ensured that Barath could not continue attacking and hurled down a yorker to remove Barath’s leg stump. The next ball, Daren Ganga was back in the hut too, after inside-edging onto his stumps. Kemp did not complete a hat-trick but took his third wicket two overs later, removing Bravo, who had played a sensible knock until then.T&T would have thought their last hopes lay with Denesh Ramdin, who survived the hat-trick ball, and played some deft strokes. Ramdin and Sherwin Ganga took 13 runs off JP Duminy’s second over and infused the chase with momentum. They were dismissed in the space of four balls, Ganga lbw to Langeveldt and Ramdin bowled by a flighted delivery from Robin Peterson.It was left to Cooper to bat bravely and he did. His first six was a slog off Peterson and, after Rampaul steered Steyn to the third-man boundary, Cooper bludgeoned a high full toss over long-off, to leave T&T with only nine to get off the last six balls. In a final twist, Rampaul was dismissed with the first ball of the last over but Cooper smashed a low full toss for four and plucked the remaining runs with two balls to spare.The Cobras would have felt their total was 10 runs short after a gritty batting effort, in which their strokeplay was constantly stifled. The T&T spinners troubled the Cobras batsmen from the start with Richard Levi at sea against Samuel Badree. He was bowled by Badree’s second delivery, after playing for turn that was not there. Herschelle Gibbs was also dismissed cheaply after a cautious start.Owais Shah and Dane Vilas built an impressive recovery. Shah started with an authoritative flick and maintained a busy approach at the crease, even though he could have been dismissed twice by Badree. The legspinner had a confident appeal for lbw against Shah when he hit him on the pads with a full delivery but Billy Bowden turned it down. During Badree’s second spell, he beat Shah and the ball looked destined for middle and leg stump but Badree was turned down for the third time. Shah went on to anchor the Cobras innings and ground out a half-century.Sherwin Ganga was the man both Vilas and Shah targeted; they took 38 runs from his three overs, peppering the midwicket area. Ganga’s offspin they could handle, but Sunil Narine proved almost impossible to read and both employed a watchful approach against him. His legbreak eventually got the better of Vilas, who top-edged to cover after a well crafted half-century.Shah had to hang around until the end and, even after bringing up his fifty, batting did not get any easier for him. Boundaries were rare and run-scoring came in ones and twos, which had to be manufactured, rather than simply being there for the taking. JP Duminy also couldn’t find the boundary and was bowled by a Cooper cutter when he went looking for one.

The roars that greeted the moment of victory spoke volumes: Warwickshire knew that had struck a telling blow in the battle to avoid relegation

George Dobell at Edgbaston 02-Sep-2010
ScorecardChris Woakes registered career-best match figures of 11 for 97 to bowl Warwickshire to a 95-run win at Edgbaston•Getty Images

The roars that greeted the moment of victory spoke volumes: Warwickshire knew that had struck a telling blow in the battle to avoid relegation. The 95-run win sees Warwickshire move 18 points ahead of Kent and out of the reach of Essex. Hampshire, too, are now in the thick of the fight.Warwickhire are not assured of safety but, with one game remaining, they have their fate in their own hands. They’ve won three of their last five championship games and will be strengthened by the return of Ian Bell for their final championship game at The Rose Bowl.”We’ve given ourselves a great chance,” Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, said after the game. “It’s not a done deal, but we’re getting there. It’s getting towards being miraculous.”But, if we do stay up, we’re not going to let it paper over any cracks. We still know that we have to recruit and develop and I want to see more competition for places in the batting department.
“But one thing I am pleased about is that we haven’t just died. We’ve shown a lot of fight and, in the last couple of games [against Essex and Kent] I’d say the difference has been that we’ve been the side who wanted it more.”I know some people have compared this team to one we had here in 2007 [that suffered relegation under the leadership of Mark Greatbatch]. But there’s a big difference. In 2007 the side rolled over. This time we’ve showing some fight.” It’s worth noting, too, that Warwickshire have now won as many games this season as they did in 2004, the year they won the championship.It was entirely typical of this extraordinary game that Kent’s tenth-wicket pair should have thwarted Warwickshire for an hour on the final morning. A century from Martin van Jaarsveld showed, once and for all, that this pitch holds no particular demons, while for the second time in the match, Matt Coles showed a well organised technique.Their colleagues showed far less fight. Darren Stevens clipped to midwicket, Azhar Mahmood tried to work an outswinger to the leg side and edged to slip, while Simon Cook became the eighth Kent ‘duck’ of the game when he was utterly bamboozled by a swinging delivery that struck the batsman on the boot.While Kent’s batting – the admirable van Jaarsveld apart – was surprisingly brittle, the bowling of Chris Woakes and Neil Carter was simply irrepressible. The pair took 19 wickets between them, with Woakes finishing with career-best match figures of 11 for 97 and Carter taking his fourth five-wicket haul of the summer and to finish with 8 for 106 in the game.It’s been a remarkable summer for Carter. The final wicket, that of Coles, who spooned a catch to cover when he changed his mind about pulling, gave Carter the fourth five-wicket haul of the season while the wicket of Alex Blake, drawn into edging a perfect delivery that swung away from him, gave Carter his 50th wicket of the campaign.It was the first time in his ten-year county career that the 35-year-old has achieved such a feat and the first time a Warwickshire seamer had taken 50 championshiph wickets in a summer since Tim Munton did so in 1999.For Woakes, however, this performance may prove well timed. He has shown rare class with bat and ball in this match and, aged 21, underlined the impression that he has the skill and temperament to go far. That may well include a trip to Australia in the Academy squad this winter.If England are looking for back-up for James Anderson, they need not look much further than Woakes. He may not quite have Anderson’s pace – though Woakes has certainly added a yard this season – but he’ll swing the ball in most conditions and has the ability to score vital runs at Test level.Kent, meanwhile, have to regroup quickly if they are to avoid relegation. They have two games left – against Hampshire and Yorkshire – but, on this form, will struggle to alter the momentum of their season.Their batsmen would do well to follow the example of Van Jaarsveld. His century (147 balls, 14 fours) was not littered with glorious strokes or outrageous moments, but rather showed up the merits of playing straight and remaining patient. They are qualities which any batsmen, regardless of talent, should be able to replicate. The ease with which he recorded his second championship century of the season showed what might have been if only his colleagues could have matched his resilience and determination. Kent will need such qualities in abundance if they are to escape relegation.

“I feel I still have 3-4 years of cricket left in me, but I wanted to go out on a high, when I was at peak fitness and performing well”

Shashank Kishore28-Nov-2024Nearly six years after he last played for India, fast bowler Siddarth Kaul has announced his retirement from Indian cricket. He is, however, still open to the possibility of playing overseas. The 34-year-old ends his international career with six caps, three apiece in T20Is and ODIs between June 2018 and February 2019.In the 2023-24 season, Kaul helped Punjab win their maiden T20 crown, finishing as their highest wicket-taker with 16 in 10 games as they lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was also their highest wicket-taker (19 wickets in six games) in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy.Related

• The shukrana of Siddarth Kaul

Kaul most-recently represented Punjab in the first half of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, where he went wicketless across two matches. He finishes with 297 first-class wickets in 88 matches, at an average of 26.77, over a career that spanned 17 years. He also picked up 199 List A wickets at 24.30 and 182 in T20s at 22.04, with an economy rate of 7.67.Kaul broke through for Punjab in first-class cricket as a 17-year-old, and first hit the headlines a year later when he was part of Virat Kohli’s victorious India side at the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. However, multiple back injuries set him back for over five years.Between December 2007 and February 2012, Kaul played just six domestic matches across formats. When he returned, he was part of an emerging crop of fast bowlers in Punjab alongside Manpreet Gony, Sandeep Sharma and Barinder Sran.Kaul played three County Championship matches for Northamptonshire earlier this year•Getty Images

Over the years, Kaul’s wicket-taking ability and death-bowling skills made him a key member of Punjab’s white-ball setup. He finishes as the all-time highest wicket-taker (155 wickets) in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (120).The highest point of Kaul’s career came in 2018 when he earned a T20I cap on the tour of Ireland after being a consistent performer in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad for two seasons. In 2017, he picked up 16 wickets in 10 games, while in 2018 he was SRH’s joint-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps in a season where they finished runners-up to Chennai Super Kings.Apart from Sunrisers, Kaul also represented Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.Kaul is open to the idea of playing overseas, “wherever opportunities arise.””I feel I still have 3-4 years of cricket left in me, but I wanted to go out on a high, when I was at peak fitness and performing well rather than being asked to go due to fitness or non-performance at some other point,” he told ESPNcricinfo.”If you see my graph over the past 9-10 years, I’ve been performing really well across formats. So I felt this was a good time to go. Hopefully going forward, whatever opportunities arise, like in county cricket [he represented Northamptonshire in three Division 2 Championship games this summer, picking up 13 wickets at 29.84], or Legends League, MLC etc, I’d like to explore them if I get the chance.”

The Afghanistan coach believes getting Gurbaz to understand every game isn’t a T20 is the key to his ODI evolution

Mohammad Isam08-Jul-2023Rahmanullah Gurbaz staying still and smacking the ball gives Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott a lot of pleasure. Gurbaz’s career-best 145 consigned Bangladesh to a 142-run defeat as the visitors clinched the three-match ODI series with one game still remaining. Afghanistan put up a formidable 331 for 9 in their 50 overs, banking on record 256-run opening stand between Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, who also made a century.Gurbaz struck 13 fours and eight sixes in his 125-ball stay, and was particularly destructive in his final 25 balls off which he smacked 45 runs. Afghanistan raised the tempo during that portion of their innings, scoring 69 runs in six overs leading up to Gurbaz’s dismissal in the 37th over.Trott said Gurbaz and Ibrahim complemented each other very well.”He [Gurbaz] can score everywhere around the ground,” Trott said. “He sometimes rushes it and thinks that every game is a T20. The longer Gurbaz bats for us, the more chance we have of winning. I was obviously very happy with how [the opening partnership] was going, especially the shots that they played. It was certainly on a wicket where if you bowl well, you can create some pressure. It had a little variable bounce.”We were going to bat first if we won the toss, having looked at the weather. There was no rain. There wasn’t as much grass as the previous match. I think the way that Gurbaz played in his natural attacking style, while Ibrahim was a nice foil at the other side. Gurbaz didn’t have to worry about another new batsman at the other end. It was a good sort of dovetailing if you like. I was happy with the first 35 overs.”Gurbaz doesn’t need to worry too much about his technique, Trott believes. All he needs is to stand tall and let his instincts do the rest. “I think it was about Gurbaz being as still as possible at release,” Trott said. “Sometimes he is moving. Sometimes a player as talented as Gurbaz can get wrapped up in technique instead of just watching the ball.”It is about making the game as simple as possible with the hand-eye coordination that Gurbaz has. It is about just being simple in the mind, technically as well. He has worked hard, so hopefully he can back it up in the third ODI.”Afghanistan players have a chat with coach Jonathan Trott at training•Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images

Zadran’s improvement also impressed the coach, who reckons the openrr is showing maturity beyond his age. His two hundreds and two fifties against Sri Lanka caught the eye, and he made 100 off 119 balls against Bangladesh, batting until the 46th over to ensure his side got close to the 300-run mark.”He [Zadran] is very good,” Trott said. “He will improve as he gets older. He showed maturity in the knock realising that Gurbaz was attacking. Sometimes for a young player, you try to copy that, and maybe get out of your little bubble. It was important that he stayed there till the end. Otherwise we may have lost our way if he got out as well. Credit to him for a fantastic innings.”Afghanistan’s ODI series win also comes off the back of a massive Test defeat to Bangladesh last month. They lost by 546 runs, lasting only 39 and 36 overs respectively in the two innings.”I arrived in Bangladesh disappointed with the way the Test went,” Trott said. “We learned as a side. We realised how much progress Bangladesh has made in all areas of the game. We needed to be at the top of our game to come here and compete.”It is important that we focus on the next game as well. We can’t get too wound up or hyped up. We can’t rest on our laurels if we want to improve as a side looking ahead to the Asia Cup and World Cup. When you go to competitions and Cups, you need to keep winning.”Afghanistan also bowled well to defend their total. Bangladesh lost wickets in clusters of three each; the first three for 25 runs, the second three for seven runs and the last three wickets for 30 runs. Trott felt that Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman gave Afghanistan the perfect start with the ball.”Fazal started the first over with a maiden. You want to start well with the ball defending 330,” Trott said. “Sometimes you can let the opposition get a good start. The way that he [Farooqi] and Mujeeb bowled were fantastic. I think we learned how to bowl on this wicket. Hopefully we can apply that in the third game.”

Weighty opening stand between Lewis and Paul paves way for rare Irish success

Firdose Moonda03-Jun-2022Ireland, led by the youngest captain in their history, Gaby Lewis, beat South Africa for only the second time in 11 T20I meetings to stun the fifth-ranked side and take a lead in the three-match series. Ireland are ranked 12th in T20s and their only previous victory over South Africa came in August 2016.Five South Africa and three Ireland players from that match were involved in this one, including Lewis. Together with Leah Paul, she broke her own record for Ireland’s highest opening partnership against South Africa, set Ireland up for a famous win and claimed a slice of history herself. Lewis is the first daughter of a former Ireland captain to lead the national side, after her father Alan Lewis captained the men’s team.Starting strong
Lewis and Paul took advantage of a lacklustre South African effort in the first half of their innings and raced to 83 without loss in the first 10 overs. In doing so, they also posted the highest first-wicket partnership for Ireland against South Africa, beating the 78 shared between Lewis and Clare Shillington in Ireland’s previous 2016 victory. None of the six bowlers South Africa used up to that point threatened at all, as they struggled to adjust to the slow pace of the pitch. They offered many deliveries that were too short and both Lewis and Paul were strong on the pull in response. The pair went on to share in a stand of 98, 16 short of Ireland’s highest opening stand against any team.South Africa claw back
None of South Africa’s bowlers could remove Lewis, who notched up her sixth T20I half-century, but some commitment in the field did. She was run-out at the non-striker’s end to bring an authoritative knock to a close. But it was only in the next over, when Shabnim Ismail was brought back on and used the slower ball to have Paul caught at mid-on, that South Africa were able to properly apply the brakes.Ireland were 107 for 2 after 14 overs and could only manage 36 runs off the next six overs, while also losing five wickets. Tumi Sekhukhune, whose first three overs cost 27 runs, came back well to take three wickets in her final over and ensure no one outside Ireland’s top four got into double-figures. Still, Ireland achieved their highest total against South Africa in T20Is, three runs more than their previous highest of 140 for 4 in a losing cause in 2016. Ireland strike immediately
South Africa opted to experiment with a new opening pair – Lara Goodall and Tazmin Brits – and it backfired. Offspinner Rachel Delaney was asked to open the bowling against the left-handed Goodall and had her caught behind off the first ball of South Africa’s reply, in the course of delivering a maiden first over.And then get the big wicket
South Africa held Laura Wolvaardt back to No. 4 and she provided some stability, but her attempt to add impetus to the innings in the ninth over failed. She tried to cut Cara Murray but Celeste Raack took a good catch, low at backward point, to send the Ireland players into wild celebrations.Cat-and-mouse to the end
With 48 runs needed off the last five overs, Chloe Tryon had the ideal opportunity to show off her finishing skills. She took 15 runs off the 16th over, bowled by Murray, including a casual-as-you-like six over midwicket to ease the pressure on her captain Sune Luus. But Lewis had a trump card up her sleeve. She tasked Paul, whose first two overs went for 16 runs, with bowling the 18th over. Tryon was well outside her crease when she went for a slog, missed and was bowled. Luus was South Africa’s last real chance but she was bowled by debutant Arlene Kelly in the penultimate over. South Africa needed 18 runs to win off the last over and neither Nadine de Klerk nor Ismail could get them there.

Essex batsman says he will stick to his own game if his chance comes this week

George Dobell11-Jan-2021It sometimes feels as if the opposition bowling is the least of the worries facing England’s new Test batsmen.As if taking a step up in level is not daunting enough, there is also a vast step up in scrutiny. From playing in front of county audiences – which, while bigger than sometimes credited, really don’t compare to a packed Gabba – and one or two generally benevolent reporters, players are thrust in front of dozens of TV cameras.Suddenly, their every move is dissected, scrutinised and debated. Their dismissals are replayed; their faults magnified. Their usual TV channel of choice might feature their childhood heroes expressing doubts over their ability to survive at the top level. Social media can be even more blunt.Related

• Lawrence backed to make step up as Test debut looms

• Technical tweaks trigger Lawrence's Lions form

• England mull third spin option with Moeen ruled out of first Test

• Root, Pope reach warm-up half-centuries

• Buttler keen for SL challenge as wicketkeeping saga rolls on

The “worms of doubt” – as Jonathan Trott memorably phrased it – start to wriggle into the brain. And once the self-confidence is eroded, once thoughts are focused as much on what the doubters are thinking as the ball heading their way, nervous feet become rooted and confidence-free hands start to look for the ball.The likes of Dawid Malan, Mark Stoneman, Sam Robson and Gary Ballance have all walked this path. All were good players. All had decent claims on a sustained run in the side. With few exceptions, they left the set-up shell-shocked as much by the media onslaught as the high standard of cricket to which they were introduced. The combination is desperately tough to deal with. You could argue that the only specialist England batsman to indisputably nail Test cricket in the age of social media is Joe Root.Dan Lawrence is, no doubt, about to discover all this. Barring late injury, he looks set to be the beneficiary of the absence of Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope and Rory Burns and make his Test debut at Galle on Thursday. Aged just 23 but having already played more first-class games than the likes of Babar Azam and Shai Hope, he has earned this opportunity. He is not obviously more talented than Ben Duckett, James Vince or Tom Westley – just a selection of those who have worked this road before him – but he might just be better mentally prepared.He has a few other things to his advantage. For one, he has benefited from an England development system that has invested in sending him on Under-19 tours to various places – including Sri Lanka – and allowed him to spend several weeks focused on playing spin in India. For another, he is likely to bat at No. 5, which is about as good a place to start as can be expected, even in conditions where spin might be expected to dominate. The absence of spectators and most media might do him no harm, either.Most of all, though, he seems – albeit at this early stage – to have the character to thrive in this environment. In particular, it is comforting to hear not just Lawrence but some of those who know him best insisting that he will do things his own way. That doesn’t mean stubbornly refusing to learn. But it does mean retaining faith in himself when all men doubt him. It bodes well.”I think confidence in my own game is quite a big strength of mine,” Lawrence said after England training on Monday. “I am a big one for trying to do things in my own unique way.”I don’t want to come into an England environment and completely change everything because that wouldn’t be true to myself. The big thing for me is having the confidence in my own game and believing I can be really successful at this level. It’s about trying to stick to my guns and what’s made me successful so far.”Hopefully I can really stay true to myself and go out there and really express myself; not sit in a hole or let the situation get too much for me. It’s just a matter of actually going and doing it now.”In truth, there’s nothing so outrageously different about Lawrence these days. He went through a period of taking an elaborate step back and across his stumps as part of his trigger movement. But when he reasoned this was disproportionately limiting him to leg side strokes, he reverted to something more conventional. There’s still a bit of a Dhoni-style helicopter flourish to his follow-through; still a bit of KP-style flamingo about his back leg. But the trigger is much less exaggerated. Compared to Dom Sibley or Rory Burns – who may share similar determination to do things their own way – he really is quite orthodox.It’s been an emotional year for Lawrence. Joy at being called into the England squad during the summer of 2020 was eclipsed by the death of his mother in August. He had, he said, been “mentally prepared for the worst”, as she had been ill for some time. Things were “quite tough for a couple of months” but, eventually, he added, “it was lovely to go back and play some cricket for Essex around my really good mates, who I needed at that time. They were all fantastic.”Dan Lawrence is one of England’s brightest young batting talents•Getty Images

It’s a shame his dad, Mark, won’t be able to watch his debut in person, either. Mark remains head groundsman at Chingford CC where Dan grew-up in a home overlooking the ground and has clearly done more than anyone to groom England’s newest Test hope.”He always wanted me to be a cricketer,” Lawrence said. “He has been very good for me. He used to feed me so many balls. I would always pester him to hit balls in the indoor nets, every day. Probably much to his annoyance. He has been brilliant.”He played for Chingford as a wicketkeeper and from the war stories he told me, he seemed decent with the gloves. But I reckon he is a bit of a taxman; he always adds an extra 10-20% to every story.”I have been brought up around cricket and haven’t really played any other sports growing up. Me and my Dad would have conversation after conversation around cricket. I am sure he will be very excited come Thursday.”I would love to have him out here, as well as my brothers. But it is nice to know there will be a lot of people at home egging me on to do well.”Indeed, there will. But it’s Lawrence’s ability to block out such thoughts – the supporters and the detractors watching from afar – that suggest this could be his first Test of many.

Allrounder hit below the left ear as he’s hit by a skiddy bouncer while attempting to play the hook shot

Sreshth Shah13-Sep-2019Andre Russell was stretchered off the ground by medical staff after a blow to his helmet in the first innings of Jamaica Tallawahs’ clash against St Lucia Zouks at Sabina Park on Thursday.Following the incident, he was taken to hospital for a CT scan. A medical update from the franchise confirmed that Russell was later cleared of serious injury. Having been advised rest, he returned to the hotel and didn’t play further part in the game.The incident took place in the 14th over, after Russell, batting on zero, failed to connect with a pull. Zouks pacer Hardus Viljoen had bowled it short and at the body, and the ball struck Russell’s helmet near the right ear.Russell had backed away before Viljoen had delivered the ball, and so the bowler followed the batsman, cramping him for space. Russell immediately dropped to the ground and the Zouks fielders then removed his helmet. When the medical team rushed in to check on Russell, the batsman looked dazed but stood up on his feet.Russell was beginning to walk off, retired hurt, when he was made to stop. A stretcher was brought in, and Russell – with a neck brace on – was taken off. At first look, it appeared that Russell’s helmet did not have a neck guard.Three overs after the incident, Tallawahs head coach Donovan Miller told the broadcasters that “there was no update on Russell just yet”, but at the innings break, the commentators informed that Russell had been taken to the hospital for further checks.Tallawahs finished their innings on 170 for 5, adding only 38 runs in the last six overs. They eventually lost by five wickets, suffering their third straight loss of the campaign.

CSA officals’ meetings with the Global T20 owners in Dubai and Mumbai haven’t produced concrete results, with the owners saying their statuses have still not been clarified

Firdose Moonda13-Aug-2018Cricket South Africa’s board will be asked to reconsider its equity deal with SuperSport for a new T20 league after meetings between officials and T20 Global League franchise owners last week. The owners collectively reserved their rights to teams and want the 49% share SuperSport currently holds to be handed over to them. The four CSA representatives who met with the owners – CEO Thabang Moroe, acting COO Naasei Appiah and board members Louis von Zeuner and Iqbal Khan – told owners they will revert to them in 10 days, after consulting with the board.This follows four days of heated meetings in Dubai and Mumbai in which CSA was asked to clarify the owners’ statuses, something one owner told ESPNcricinfo CSA failed to do. “They did not have any answers for us,” Hiren Bhanu, owner of the Pretoria Mavericks said. “But they did tell us that the deal with SuperSport is not finalised, has not been signed and no terms are agreed.”Bhanu intends to seek an interdict against CSA to stop any new league from going ahead, while other owners are also considering legal action. In June, three other owners – the Durban Qalandars, the Bloemfontein City Blazers and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars – said they would take CSA to court but haven’t followed up on that threat yet. The owners do not merely want CSA to return their deposits of USD 250,000 and for CSA to cover expenses they incurred in setting up the league, some of which amount to millions of dollars, but are demanding a stake in the league, even though CSA has changed the competition’s format and ownership model.Later on Monday evening, Kausar Rana Resources, the owners of the Qalandars franchise, sent out a statement claiming that they had neither asked for nor received any refund of their deposit.”We wish to reiterate and clarify our position that KRR has not requested, at any stage, for our deposit to be refunded. Since no request was made by us for the refund, none was received,” the statement said, quoting Qalandars CEO Sameen Rana. “As a primary stakeholder and owner of a franchise that has made a huge investment in the South African league, we are totally committed towards participating in CSA’s T20 event.”(I)n view of this commitment, our deposit is still with CSA and we expect them to respect and acknowledge all our rights, but should CSA renege on the signed agreements, then we will reserve all our rights.”Qalandars met with the CSA delegation in Dubai and we, once again, impressed upon them our position in the most clearest of terms. We are unequivocal that in any future event, our rights must be respected and that Qalandars must be a participating team in the T20 league.”In June, nine months after the postponement of the inaugural edition of the GLT20, CSA announced it had entered into a deal with private broadcaster SuperSport for a new T20 league, to replace the GLT20. SuperSport also holds the broadcast rights for all cricket played in South Africa and all South Africa’s series abroad. The owners of the GLT20 teams have separately said they regarded CSA’s actions with SuperSport as going behind the owners’ backs to sell a property which the owners already have a claim on.The only detail of that new league was revealed at the end of last month when Moroe announced the board had approved a six-team format, two fewer than the original GLT20, and that venues would have to bid for a team. The original GLT20 owners were not part of the new league, though CSA obliquely mentioned they may consider their involvement at a later stage.That explanation has never placated the owners , who consider themselves to have a stake in a T20 league – of any name – played in South Africa, which is what they are willing to fight CSA over. Seven of the eight owners – all except the Cape Town Knight Riders who excused themselves from the meetings last week – want first option to buy into a new league, given their involvement in the previous one.A ninth party, Osman Osman, the minority-shareholder owner of the Mavericks, has brought separate legal action against CSA demanding an explanation of why it offered him R 400,000 (USD 28,128) as a “gesture of goodwill”. Effectively, Osman Osman wants to force CSA into a position from which it will have to disclose its legal obligations to all owners involved in the botched GLT20.When asked for comment, a CSA spokesperson said the organisation would not make any media statements until the CEO meets with the board. “Unfortunately there will be no comment from CSA regarding these matters as the Chief Executive has not met with the board. Once he has, CSA will assess what the feedback is from them and communicate through our media channels.”GMT 1740 The story was updated to include the Durban Qalandars statement.

The Australia captain said an ICC trophy will be a useful bargaining chip for the players’ cause in ongoing pay dispute with the board

Nagraj Gollapudi24-May-2017Australia captain Steven Smith has said a victorious Champions Trophy campaign will be the ideal bargaining chip for the players in their ongoing pay dispute with Cricket Australia. He was also confident this summer’s Ashes will go ahead despite his deputy David Warner suggesting the players might miss the marquee series if CA did not retain the existing revenue distribution model, which is at the heart of the disagreements.Smith’s optimism comes amid talks that CA is reconsidering its stance on independent mediation. The Australian Cricketers’ Association had offered the option to the board last week but it had been rejected. The ACA chief executive Alastair Nicholson will be in London later this week, and is expected to meet with CA chief executive James Sutherland and team performance manager Pat Howard to try and find a solution.In any case, Australia’s players feel they have an additional incentive ahead of the Champions Trophy. “If we win it will certainly be really good for the playing group,” Smith said at Lord’s where Australia conducted their first training camp. “We are sticking really strong together. We are backing what the ACA is doing back home. But as I said before it is about focussing on this tournament and making sure we are entirely switched on.”Smith admitted that he was unaware that CA were mulling over third-party mediation to break the deadlock that has flared up in the past month. “Okay, that is news to me,” he said. “I am not sure. It is great that they [CA] are trying to sort things out. And as I said we are supporting the ACA and what they are doing. They are working really hard to get what the player group wants. I am sure everything will be resolved soon.”Doubts persist over what CA’s next step would be. Sutherland had earlier sent a blunt missive to the players threatening their employment once their existing contracts expire on June 30. If the players did not accede to CA’s pay proposal, which the ACA had rejected, Sutherland warned that they would not be paid under any new alternative model.To safeguard the players’ future, the ACA has set up the Cricketers’ Brand, a company that will manage the players’ intellectual property rights moving forward. Smith said the new venture had all the players’ support. “Yeah, I think everyone’s signed up to that. We are supportive of the ACA in what they are doing back home. They are working really hard with CA to get the deal right. And I am sure in time they will get that and everything will be okay for everyone involved.”Smith was hopeful that the impasse between the players and the board would be solved in time for the Ashes in November. “I saw the comments [Warner’s on missing the Ashes]. I certainly don’t think…Of course, we want to play in the Ashes. Of course, we want everything to go really well there. It is just about making sure the guys finalise a deal and get the MoU sorted and then everything will be fine. Certainly nothing from us that we don’t want to play, we certainly want to be playing in the Ashes. Hopefully they will get things resolved soon and everything will be back to normal.”