England dropped at least 14 chances against West Indies and the head coach also admitted they are no nearer knowing their best top order

George Dobell10-Sep-2017England won’t win the Ashes unless their catching improves, according to coach Trevor Bayliss. He described his side’s efforts as “terrible” during the Investec Test series against West Indies and suggested a lack of concentration could be to blame.England dropped at least 14 chances in the three-Test series. While some of those chances were far from straightforward, there were several that were “quite easy” according to Bayliss. Alastair Cook, at first slip, was responsible for three of the drops, while Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad also missed chances they would normally have taken.While England still proved strong enough to defeat an inexperienced West Indies side (who dropped around 10 chances of their own) 2-1, Bayliss knows the Australian side will not be so forgiving.”The catching has been terrible, especially in the last couple of Tests,” Bayliss said. “We’re not going to go there [Australia] and win anything dropping that many.”We were catching quite well up until the last three Tests and some of the catches we dropped we were quite easy. Dropping easy catches is usually down to concentration.”Ahead of the last Ashes series in England in 2015, Bayliss inspired a sharp improvement in England’s catching. Taking them through some notoriously tough training sessions on a pre-series trip to Spain, it resulted in some outstanding catches – such as Ben Stokes’ remarkable effort at Trent Bridge – during the series.But Bayliss insisted there had been no let-up in the intensity of England’s training and dismissed the suggestion that poor backdrops could be any excuse.”We focus on it all the time,” he said. “It matters all the time, not just in important series. That is the disappointing thing.”It is not from a lack of practice. We are doing a little bit of technique work with some guys which sometimes can take a little bit of time to get a hold of.”You work hard at it and they do it well for a while and then we go through a period where we drop a few and that seems to buck them up a bit. Some of the grounds in this last series haven’t been the greatest viewing grounds but still they are professional players and they should be grabbing hold of some of those they’ve dropped.”Bayliss also admitted he was still not sure of the batting order for the Ashes. While he favours Joe Root returning to No. 3 in the line-up – Root prefers the No. 4 position – he also accepted there was a “big question” over whether the three new faces in the top five had “done enough” to retain their spots.Alastair Cook spilled an early chance offered by Kraigg Brathwaite•Getty Images

While he gave a strong hint that Mark Stoneman (who averaged 30 against West Indies) would be opening in Brisbane in November, the future of Dawid Malan (38.50) and, in particular, Tom Westley (17.75), is less clear. Gary Ballance, Haseeb Hameed and Alex Hales may also come into the selectors’ thoughts in the coming days.”That’s the big question: whether the three guys we have been speaking about all summer have done enough,” Bayliss said. “I am sure they would have loved as much as we would for them to come out and make a couple of hundreds and then there’ nothing to talk about.”Are they good enough for long enough? Are they tough enough especially for an ashes series. We will be discussing other players that we have had in the team over the last 12-18 months. But it will be hard to go past these three guys.”Stoneman does look like a tough cricketer at the top of the order. His game is in good order and nothing much phases him. He’s calm around the changing room, he has a good knowledge of the game and what works for him. He copped a couple of good ones during this series but he didn’t let it worry him. He just came out and made some runs in some difficult circumstances.”Malan missed out early and there was a bit of pressure on him. But he made a couple of 60s since, so he is very much in the running. And Westley, against South Africa, well, there weren’t too many more difficult situations than that.”I would always have Root at No. 3. He is by far our best player and personally I believe that is where your best player should be. I think he will end up at No. 3 at some stage in the future.”He has done well at four and he feels comfortable at four. If that’s where your best player feels comfortable and is scoring runs at number four then that’s the other side of the argument: why change? So whether it’s a three or a four, we still have to find someone who can do the job.”

After scores of 15 and 2 against England in the first Test, JP Duminy said that he ‘rightly deserved’ to be dropped and felt he needed to find a different path

Firdose Moonda11-Oct-20170:49

Duminy’s International career by the numbers

JP Duminy only announced his Test retirement in mid-September, but he knew his time in whites was up more than two months earlier. With scores of 15 and 2 in South Africa’s series-opener against England in July, Duminy sensed he had reached the end, and when he was sent home from the tour after the second Test, it confirmed it.”Walking off after Lord’s, I felt a change needed to happen. I rightly deserved to be dropped. There were guys putting up their hands for places and I felt I needed a different path,” Duminy said in Bloemfontein, ahead of the South African Invitation XI’s match against the touring Bangladesh team.At the time he was discarded, Duminy had gone eight innings with a top-score of 39. While he had scored two of his six hundreds in the last year, the lean patches he went through in between big scores meant there was constant pressure on him to justify his place. South Africa’s line-up needed a relook with Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock wasted down the order and allrounders waiting in the wings to bolster both departments.Since Duminy’s departure, South Africa have rejigged things so that Bavuma bats at No.4 and de Kock at No.6, and have made room for either an extra allrounder or another bowler. They lost the series in England 3-1 but have just recorded a 2-0 win over Bangladesh at home. Although the quality of the opposition and the circumstances in which they are playing must be considered when assessing their performances, it seems they are on the right track.Meanwhile, Duminy’s “different path” has seen him begin a journey of his own, which mostly involves leadership. Duminy will captain the Invitation side, which also includes former ODI skipper AB de Villiers, who may also be after Duminy’s Test spot, and was also due to lead the Cape Town Knight Riders in the now-postponed T20 Global League. Having chosen to finish his career playing white-ball cricket, it’s understandable Duminy is particularly let down by the tournament being a non-starter.”It is disappointing, not just from a South African point of view but also from a global point of view. I think the manner in which it has been postponed is the most disappointing,” he said. “I’m hoping it’s not the end. I’m hoping it can recover and we can come to a consensus about the way forward.”CSA maintains that the league will begin in 2018 but have a myriad of issues to resolve before then, not least the acquisition of a broadcast deal and title sponsor. Meanwhile, Duminy and South Africas’s ODI outfit also have things to work on, chiefly on how they plan to win the 2019 World Cup.For Duminy, it’s not so much about the team strategy yet but about his own performances and making sure he does enough to remain part of South Africa’s plans. “Every player wants to win the World Cup but we still have a long way to go. To be there, I have to keep putting in good performances,” Duminy said. “It’s good to have a long-term goal but it’s also important that we stay focused on the present and what’s in front of us.”

Jake Weatherald led South Australia’s response with a stunning 152, off just 160 balls, to cut their deficit to under 200 by stumps on the second day

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

Cameron Bancroft’s chances of Ashes selection strengthened after finishing the first day against South Australia unbeaten on 161. He improved his chances further, showing an ability to bat long, en route to his highest first-class score (228*) on the second day.His 351-ball innings, which included 22 fours and three sixes, carried Western Australia to 514 for 7 before captain Mitchell Marsh declared the innings.Jake Weatherald, 23, began South Australia’s response with a stunning 152, off just 160 balls, also his highest first-class score. He struck 27 fours and a six to cut South Australia’s deficit by half before he was caught off David Moody. South Australia finished the second day at 322 for 6, a further 192 runs behind Western Australia.Tom Cooper (34) and Callum Ferguson (33) chipped in with cameos, before Alex Carey (26*) and Joe Mennie (21*) carried South Australia to stumps. Moody finished with figures of 3 for 84.

Left-arm spinner Jon Holland’s five-wicket haul gave Victoria to platform to inflict a target of 468 on New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

Left-arm spinner Jon Holland’s five-wicket haul sent New South Wales packing for 243 and gave Victoria a massive first-innings lead of 319. And by stumps on the third day, after they had batted again, Victoria reduced New South Wales to 2 for 46 in an improbable chase of 468.Moises Henriques’ men were always likely to face significant trouble at the North Sydney Oval considering they were 5 for 125 in reply to a total of 562. But they negotiated the first hour or so without much loss as Ed Cowan and Peter Nevill extended their sixth-wicket partnership to 47. But Holland found a way to break through the resistance as soon as he was brought back for his second spell of the day.New South Wales’ tail battled hard, with Steve O’Keefe striking 50 of the 81 runs his team made in the second session before being bowled out. However, a lack of big scores hurt them badly. Nine of the XI players fell for less than 35. Holland finished with 5 for 67 in 33 overs while fast bowlers Chris Tremain and Scott Boland chipped in with two wickets each.Victoria’s second essay was an absolute sprint as they racked up 3 for 148 at 7.04 an over. Marcus Harris blitzed an unbeaten 62 at a-run-a-ball despite the loss of Travis Dean off the first ball of the innings. Glenn Maxwell, who was left out of Australia’s Ashes squad for the first two Tests, followed up his first-innings 278 with 16. Aaron Finch blasted 43 off 28 balls, with four fours and two sixes. Shortly after his dismissal, the Victoria captain called his batsmen back in so that Holland could cause problems for New South Wales again. He bowled promising opening batsman Daniel Hughes for 21. Tremain flattened Nick Larkin’s stumps for 8 and it was left to Nic Maddinson and nightwatchman Sean Abbott to hold firm until stumps.

Comilla took 19.3 overs to chase down 98, with quick wickets in the middle overs leaving their pursuit shaky

The Report by Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2017
Raton Gomes/BCB

Comilla Victorians made heavy weather of a target of 98, taking 19.3 overs to complete a four-wicket win over Rangpur Riders that put them in the playoffs. The win gave them a three-point lead over second-placed Khulna Titans in the points table.Rangpur had earlier lasted only 17.1 overs and were bowled out for 97, the lowest total of this season. Mahedi Hasan took a career-best 4 for 22 while Mohammad Saifuddin took three wickets.Comilla thrive on twin-spin act
Mujeed Zadran, the 16-year-old Afghanistan offspinner who is the youngest player in BPL, had Ziaur Rahman plumb in front of the stumps off the first ball of the match, but umpire Ranmore Martinesz turned down the appeal despite the ball hitting the batsman’s boot with the off stump visible. The decision didn’t cost Comilla too much as
Mahedi, the slightly more experienced offspinner in their revamped spin attack, removed both Chris Gayle and Ziaur in the next over.Both batsmen were bowled trying to blast Mahedi down the ground, with Gayle getting a first-ball duck. Mahedi later went on to remove Brendon McCullum in the 11th over, after a torturous 24 off 31 balls. Nahidul Islam was his fourth wicket, with the delivery sliding through the angle.Bopara’s run out drags Rangpur back
Once three wickets had fallen by the seventh over, Ravi Bopara and McCullum tried to lead Rangpur’s recovery, but Bopara didn’t have much of an impact. As he tried to complete a single, he stopped sliding his bat just short of the crease. Imrul Kayes scored with the direct hit as Bopara’s feet, too, were in the air as the ball hit the stumps.Rangpur succumb to pace too
Rangpur also struggled against the pace of Mohammad Saifuddin, who produced bouncers and yorkers. He finished with three wickets, getting Mohammad Mithun caught at cover and bowling pinpoint yorkers to bowl Mashrafe Mortaza and Sohag Gazi. Hasan Ali also bowled good yorkers but finished with one wicket, getting Chamara Kapugedera caught behind.Comilla’s chasing woes
Tamim Iqbal started the Comilla chase with a six over cover in the first over, and in the next over, he survived a stumping chance off Mashrafe Mortaza, who then went on to dismiss Liton Das in the fourth over.In the seventh over, Tamim fell to a superb catch at the long-on boundary. Nahidul, perilously close to the line, kept his balance and, after stepping over the rope, recovered well to leap back and finish the catch. Two overs later, Buttler was stumped off Nazmul Islam, and suddenly Comilla were in some trouble at 47 for 3.Nazmul sneaks one through Malik
Imrul Kayes and Shoaib Malik helped Comilla regain some footing, but Rangpur came back to dismiss the pair in the space of eight deliveries. Imrul played a pull off Mashrafe straight to Gayle at short midwicket before Nazmul got the ball to sneak between Malik’s legs as he tried to pad it away on the charge.Samuels drags it to the end
While the asking rate did not threaten Comilla, the slow pitch did not allow their batsmen to go after the bowling. This meant that they went into the last five overs needing 25 and that equation tightened to 10 off 12 balls. Bowling the penultimate over, Mashrafe had Saifuddin caught in the deep-midwicket boundary, before Hasan Ali’s big six brought the target down to two from the last over.Samuels could not score off the first two balls of the last over, which made the Comilla dressing room very nervous, but the feeling did not last too long.

It was a contest between the sophistication of Pakistan’s bowling attack and the raw power of two New Zealand batsmen named Colin. And as with all other games on this tour, it was the home side who emerged victorious

The Report by Danyal Rasool16-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt was a contest between the sophistication of Pakistan’s bowling attack and the raw power of two New Zealand batsmen named Colin. But as with all other games on this tour, it was the home side who emerged victorious, chasing down 263 with five wickets and four overs to spare.Colin Munro wreaked havoc at the top of the order, while Colin de Grandhomme outdid him towards the end, bludgeoning Pakistan into submission with 74 of 40 balls, just when it looked like they may finally get off the mark this series. Pakistan may take heart from the fact that this was, by some distance, the most competitive game thus far. Equally, however, they will be disappointed not to emerge with a win, having reduced New Zealand to 154 for 5, with just the lower order to bowl at.New Zealand began the chase in typically brash fashion. Munro attacked the opening bowlers, particularly Hasan Ali, the decision to open the bowling with him backfiring. He was often a touch too short and Munro was excellent punching off the back foot. An example of his front foot play was the six he struck off Mohammad Amir; the ball disappeared over cover.Colin de Grandhomme sent the ball to all parts•Getty Images

After leaking 86 runs in 13 overs, Pakistan finally turned to Shadab Khan and things started happening. He deceived Munro in the flight in his first over, and the left-hander was caught at deep midwicket. A googly took care of Martin Guptill, and for the first time, Zealand began to look a little unsure. Rumman Raees exploited that superbly when he trapped Ross Taylor, playing his 200th ODI today, lbw for 1. Tom Latham was caught at slip off Shadab, a victim of extra bounce, and New Zealand were reeling from the loss of four wickets for 11 runs.The only one thinking clearly in the mayhem was the unflappable Williamson, who set about restoring the innings with Henry Nicholls. The pair bided their time, rotating the strike when they could, and quietly built up a 55-run partnership.But Haris Sohail struck just as New Zealand crossed 150, snaring Williamson in the most unexpected fashion. Having looked comfortable all innings, a sudden rush of blood prompted him to launch the left-arm spinner into the air. It was agonisingly close to being a six, but Raees positioned himself inches from the boundary, leaned back with both hands over his head and took one of the coolest catches. At the time, it looked the decisive moment.But out came de Grandhomme, playing his first match since returning from Zimbabwe following the death of his father. Any notions of rust were brushed aside as they took the sledgehammer to a Pakistan attack that had looked impregnable for the previous hour. Haris was the first to feel the allrounder’s might, consecutive sixes setting the stage for the astonishing assault that was incoming.De Grandhomme lifted Amir majestically over midwicket to clear the rope, then Shadab was dispatched over extra cover with an even classier shot. This was no feat of pinch-hitting, it was an extraordinary display of power combined with technique that belied his batting position, reputation and match fitness as he took New Zealand towards their target in delightfully uncomplicated fashion.Pakistan were shellshocked; there simply wasn’t a response coming from them. The errors in the field mounted and the shoulders began to sag. Henry Nicholls brought up an understated but fully-deserved half-century to level the scores, and just like that, Pakistan found themselves 4-0 down.Shadab Khan led Pakistan’s fightback with a flurry of wickets•Getty Images

They might now think back to those familiar problems at the top, which showed no signs of abating on Tuesday. It took fifties from Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail, and a late onslaught to spare their blushes. From 130 for 5, a 98-run partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and captain Sarfraz Ahmed prevented their innings from falling apart in the middle overs as they finished with 262. New Zealand put in a disciplined bowling performance and the pick of their bowlers was, surprisingly, Williamson himself, taking two wickets in his 10 overs.The allrounder Faheem Ashraf, who was sent in to open the batting, fell in the third over, and Babar Azam followed suit. That, though, was when Pakistan’s resistance began. Haris – who looked so good one wondered why he wasn’t playing the previous three ODIs – and Zaman took the attack to the bowlers. They rode their luck somewhat; Fakhar was dropped early and a top edge carried for six, but the pair applied themselves well, bringing up the fifty partnership in 47 balls.Santner broke through with a carrom ball Zaman failed to read, and with that partnership ending, normal service seemed to resume. Haris had played beautifully to reach a half-century in his first ODI in three years, but threw it away next ball, driving Williamson straight into deep extra cover’s hands.At 130 for 5, it looked bleak for Pakistan again, but for the second time in the innings, the batsmen dug in. Sarfraz and Hafeez went about rebuilding the innings once more, pacing their fightback quite well, but the pitch began to slow down towards the end, making it difficult to hit the ball cleanly.New Zealand used seven bowlers during their innings, which meant they had plenty of overs left from their frontline seamers. Trent Boult wasn’t quite on the money, and Pakistan cashed in on that, Hafeez picking him up beautifully and, on four occasions, sending him into the stands. Pakistan scored 62 runs in the last five overs – and 22 off Boult’s final over – as Hafeez finished with a vital 81 off 80 balls.It might have been the decisive knock of the game, had de Grandhomme not had other ideas.

Joe Root, England’s Test captain, has said he blames the system, not the individuals, for the growing trend towards white-ball specialisation

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2018Joe Root, England’s Test captain, has said he blames the system, not the individuals, for the growing trend towards specialisation that has tempted the likes of Alex Hales and Adil Rashid to accept white-ball-only county contracts.But, Root added, there could still be a future for such players to help reinvigorate the fortunes of England’s Test team, so long as the game’s authorities can find a way to restructure the international schedule to enable all three formats to co-exist more easily.Hales and Rashid both confirmed earlier this month that they would not be turning out for Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire respectively in this year’s County Championship, effectively putting their Test careers on indefinite hold. Rashid, who was overlooked for the Ashes squad despite being England’s leading wicket-taker in India and Bangladesh last winter, admitted this week that he had lost the “buzz” for playing red-ball cricket.However, Root – who has himself had to sit out of England’s T20 side in recent months in a bid to balance his own priorities in Test and 50-over cricket – believes that the current trends in international cricket suggest that players who stand out in the shorter formats should not be discounted from making an impact in the five-day game.”Players like Alex and Rash, who get pigeon-holed as white-ball specialists, I think there’s a future for them in Test cricket,” Root told Sky Sports. “You look at how the game has changed in the last five years – with scoring rates and the things you now need to do with the ball – the skills you have to have, a lot of them have come from white-ball cricket.”That cross-over, I think, can be there if guys have the attitude and determination to play Test cricket. There’s no reason, if you are suited to the white ball, you can’t tailor yourself into a red-ball cricketer. It’s just about having that want and drive, and to have enough opportunity to play red-ball cricket in the county system and around the world for that to develop.”At present, however, there is very little opportunity for any elite cricketer to excel in all three formats concurrently, with India’s Virat Kohli perhaps the exception that proves the rule. Australia’s Steve Smith, for instance, joined Root in missing the recent T20 tri-series in the wake of a busy winter in which his Test form invited comparison to the great Donald Bradman. He now faces a struggle to regain his place among a team of specialists who took that competition by storm.”It’s very difficult to stop guys doing it,” Root said of the temptation to specialise in white-ball cricket. “You can’t place blame on individuals, there’s an issue higher up than that, and I think schedules will have to be tampered [with] and changed slightly.”If you’re playing all three formats, somewhere down the line you’re going to have to miss some cricket. Personally, mine’s been in T20 series – I’m obviously not going to miss any Test cricket now and, with a 50-over World Cup next year, there’s a big focus on playing that.”So it can feel like a long time until you play that next format, and guys want to be playing everything as much as possible. Maybe there is something that needs to be looked at there. Give guys a chance to play all three formats and not have to make that decision.”As for the long-term viability of Test cricket, Root remained optimistic about its future – even if Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, believes that the time to save the format may already have been and gone.”I really hope [it will still be played], it’s called Test cricket for a reason,” said Root. “It challenges you, you find yourself in every scenario you can do in cricket. It would be a real shame if it was not there.”I think the challenge is to make sure you keep it current, and make sure people want to turn on the telly, come to grounds, and watch it. Day-night Tests are great ideas, not necessarily in England but around the world, because you’ve seen the impact it’s had. If we can find ways to keep people interested and excited, we need to do it.”

Offspinner placed on PSL’s watch list, but can continue bowling in the tournament unless reported a second time

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-20181:35

WATCH – Sunil Narine’s bowling action reported in PSL

Sunil Narine has once again been reported for a suspect bowling action, this time during the Pakistan Super League game between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators on March 14. This means he has been placed on the PSL’s watch list, but can continue to play the tournament unless reported again. The PCB will pass on the match officials’ report on Narine’s action to Cricket West Indies (CWI).”Mr Narine has now been placed on the warning list and may continue to be selected to play and bowl for his team in the PSL,” the PCB said in a statement. “As the PSL follows the ICC regulations on illegal bowling actions, if a player is reported [again] while on the warning list, the player shall be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the PSL tournament.”The match officials report on Mr Narine’s bowling action will be sent to the West Indies Cricket Board and he will have to go through the process that is followed by the West Indies Cricket Board, for suspected illegal bowling actions.”A history of Sunil Narine’s action•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The West Indies offspinner has had his action reported several times in the past. During the Champions League T20 in 2014, he was reported twice in two matches and missed the final. He pulled out of West Indies’ World Cup 2015 squad to give himself time to work on his bowling action following that, returned during the IPL, and was reported once again during that tournament. After testing, his offbreaks were banned, but later in the tournament he was given a “final warning” by the BCCI and struck off the watch list.He returned to international duty in November 2015, only to be reported once again during his first series back – limited-overs games against Sri Lanka. He was suspended from bowling – even while the No. 1 bowler in the ICC rankings for ODIs and T20Is – at the end of November, and missed the 2016 World T20 as well to work on his action. He was cleared to bowl again ahead of IPL 2016.Narine was one of only two players retained by his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of this season, which begins on April 7, and questions remain over whether this will affect his participation in the tournament. It is unlikely to affect it, unless he is called for a second time in the PSL, or CWI runs tests that find his action to be illegal.

Mick Newell has urged the English game to resist the temptation to restructure the County Championship into conferences.

George Dobell26-Apr-2018Mick Newell has urged the English game to resist the temptation to restructure the County Championship into conferences.Newell, director of cricket at Nottinghamshire (and, for now at least, an England selector), has instead pleaded for the ECB to persist with promotion and relegation and suggested the reorganisation into conferences would only allow mediocre sides to “hide” in mid-table without the scrutiny that relegation can bring.His comments come just as the ECB announced a working party, chaired by Wasim Khan, charged with looking into the future structure of the domestic game. And while no conclusions have yet been reached, it is clear the popularity of the conference idea is growing among coaches at the first-class counties.They argue that it would lessen the urge to make short-term decisions – such as preferring Kolpak registrations over opportunities for young players – and reinvigorate the competition by providing all teams involved an opportunity to win the trophy at the start of the season.But Newell, at least, is not convinced. As a coach that twice led Nottinghamshire to the County Championship trophy (in 2005 and 2010) and also oversaw relegation (in 2006, 2016), he feels the meritocratic element of two divisions – and the drama the battle that promotion and relegation brings – is an integral part of the domestic structure.”I love two-divisional cricket,” Newell said. “We’ve been relegated and it hurts. I don’t know why it hurts so much as there’s no financial penalty, but it makes you look at what you do. People either lose their jobs, or they change jobs – as I did – and players have to look at themselves, too.”The popularity of the conference idea is definitely growing. But I’m not a fan. In a conference system, we can all just hide in the middle and be like, ‘oh, we were twelfth’. To me that’s not good enough.”Mick Newell takes fielding drills•Getty Images

Newell also revived the idea of playing a couple of rounds of Championship games overseas. With many counties spending their pre-season in the UAE, South Africa or the Caribbean, he believes there is an opportunity to play some games in March in conditions that might encourage spin or fast bowling. He accepted, however, that the idea had all but gone in terms of being implemented.”A few years ago there was talk of taking a couple of rounds overseas,” he said. “I think, for lots of reasons, that’s a bloomin’ good idea. If we’ve only got time and space for 14 rounds of Championship matches here, why don’t we play two abroad and go back to 16? That’s a method of getting more games in the space available. But that idea seems to have gone.”I’m all for playing abroad. I don’t know about this year, but generally 12 to 13 counties are going abroad in March anyway. Why don’t we play proper cricket instead of knockabouts against each-other?”We went to Barbados for six years in a row and one year there were six teams there. We’re all spending the money in one way or another already and there’s more money coming into the game. Let’s make sure we target some of that money in making sure four-day cricket so important.”But the idea has gone. We’re moving towards a conference system. I’ve made my thoughts known but I’m in a minority.”Newell also welcomed the ECB’s proposals for a new 100-ball competition in 2020. “It’s certainly grabbed people’s attention,” he said. “It’s an idea that will spark a lot of debate and I want people to talk about cricket.”My worry is that cricket isn’t relevant to people, isn’t interesting to people. We need to get more people interested in more types of cricket. So, from that perspective, I think it’s a good idea.”

“Competent Authority” appointed by sports ministry to oversee day-to-day affairs of the board, even as elections continue to be pushed back due to procedural violations

Madushka Balasuriya01-Jun-2018The running of Sri Lanka Cricket has temporarily been brought under the Sri Lankan government after a “Competent Authority” was appointed to oversee day-to-day affairs. The move comes after the term of the present board, headed by Thilanga Sumathipala, ended on May 31, even as the election of a new governing body failed to materialise. The elections had been postponed due to procedural violations, with an injunction having been imposed by the courts.The Competent Authority is headed by the secretary of Sri Lanka’s sports ministry, Kamal Padmasiri.For the time being it is unclear how this will affect SLC’s standing in the eyes of the ICC, which in the past has not taken kindly to government interference in cricketing affairs. In 2015, when the government had appointed an interim committee, SLC had had its ICC voting rights suspended, while payments due to SLC were also held in escrow.Sumathipala, who emphasised that he was against government intervention, said he would have preferred to be allowed to run the board until fresh elections could be held, for the sake of stability.”With a South Africa tour, Asia Cup, and England tour coming up, these next four-five months are incredibly challenging for us, and we require stability to carry out these responsibilities,” he said. “As the ICC could demote us to observer status, it is also doubtful if we will receive the next set of funds from them. These are huge problems that need to be considered.”However despite pleas by Sumathipala for an extension so as to allow him and his officials to continue in their posts till elections are held, Sri Lanka’s sports minister Faiszer Mustapha maintained this was the only decision available to him given the circumstances.”We have to act within a particular legal framework and as per the advice of the Attorney General, I have chosen the most prudent approach,” Mustapha said. “I believe in a democratic process, and that democratically elected office bearers should run sports bodies. But, consequent to a writ application and an interim order, I am compelled to take this decision to ensure the continuation of Sri Lanka Cricket.”This appointment is the latest turn of events in a months’ long election saga in which SLC has twice run foul of Sri Lanka’s sports law, despite seemingly being granted special dispensation by the sports ministry on each occasion. As it stands, the announcement of fresh elections will be contingent on the matter being taken up in court on June 14. Mustapha has stated that elections will take place by at least July 31.