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Cricket Australia could name its new chief executive next week as the race to replace the outgoing James Sutherland heats up

Daniel Brettig20-Sep-2018One of Melbourne Grand Prix chairman John Harnden or the former Cricket New South Wales chairman John Warn may be named as the new chief executive of Cricket Australia as soon as next week after the race to succeed the longtime boss James Sutherland narrowed to the final preferred candidate stage.ESPNcricinfo understands that two other remaining candidates, one of them the current Cricket Australia chief operating officer Kevin Roberts, were informed they had fallen out of the running at the start of the week, with final presentations by Harnden – also a CA Board director – and Warn believed to have been made on Tuesday.Another senior figure who is thought to have featured in leadership discussions is the former Australian women’s team captain and head of game development Belinda Clark, who is highly regarded within CA and may well be in line to replace Harnden or Warn after their tenure, which is not expected to come close to the 17 years clocked up by Sutherland.Roberts, who had appeared a likely successor for Sutherland from the moment he left the CA Board to join the executive management team in late 2015, raised the ire of the Australian Cricketers Association last year for the way he managed pay negotiations with the players’ union, resulting in a standoff where players went unpaid for almost a month and an Australia A tour of South Africa was cancelled. He was ultimately sidelined from talks that were to be concluded by Sutherland and the team performance manager Pat Howard.However, Roberts is thought to have retained the backing of the chairman David Peever to replace Sutherland until late in the process. Succession planning was one of numerous issues raised by the former Board director Bob Every when he quit CA in protest at Peever being given in-principle approval to continue as chairman for another three years. This decision remains to be ratified by the states at the CA annual general meeting on October 25.When Sutherland replaced Malcolm Speed in 2001, he was only 35 years old and younger than the then Australian team captain Steven Waugh. By contrast Harnden (53, the same age as Sutherland) and Warn (45) are considerably more seasoned. However, CA’s current battle to regain public confidence, bed-down a new $1.18 billion broadcast deal with News Corp and Seven and also make ready for hosting the two separate women’s and men’s world Twenty20 tournaments in 2020 suggests an intensive commission for Sutherland’s successor.Other major issues for CA include efforts to contextualise international cricket via the ICC, with Test and ODI championships due to begin in 2019, and the juggling of the Big Bash League amid an increasingly clogged rota of domestic T20 tournaments, many of which offer considerably greater financial incentives. Equally, the game is in a constant battle for participants and spectators with other Australian sports, as evidenced by the game’s slip to seventh, below basketball, for participation numbers according to Sport Australia’s annual figures.Harnden, who is Melbourne-based, has been considered the most likely candidate for some time, given the breadth of his experience as a former chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix, the South Australian Cricket Association, the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup before replacing Ron Walker as the Melbourne Grand Prix chairman. In particular his record of running major events would be an advantage ahead of 2020, while his work with a variety of state and federal governments provides an indicator of the political skills required at ICC level.Nevertheless, Harnden has also sat on the CA Board since 2016, in that time being a part of flawed decision-making around the MoU. The appointment of an internal candidate, at a time when CA is itself subject to a broad cultural review by the Ethics Centre following the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, would also be a matter for conjecture.Warn, based in Sydney, stepped down from his roles as NSW chairman and also a senior executive at Westfield earlier this year to spend more time with his family, and would need to move south to take up the role heading CA’s operations at their Jolimont headquarters. Known as a highly combative club cricketer for Manly-Warringah in Sydney grade competition, Warn’s corporate career in retail has dovetailed with directorships at Cricket NSW and also the NSW Waratahs rugby union team.He and the NSW chief executive Andrew Jones were widely credited with improving the structure and performance of Australian cricket’s largest state association. However, Warn also presided over a recent downturn in the results of the men’s state team and the failure of its younger generation to develop after the fashion of the likes of Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, which saw the coach Trent Johnston replaced by Phil Jaques over the off-season.Others mentioned as potential candidates included the WACA chief executive Christina Matthews, Jones, NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop. At the time that Sutherland announced his impending resignation in June, Peever stated that candidates with a significant knowledge of or background in cricket would likely be favoured.”This is an incredibly complex job, it has many dimensions,” Peever said. “What we must do is find the best person for the role. While I don’t want to put any constraints around it, it is a Cricket Australia role, so we’re probably going to have a little bit of bias towards an Australian, and it is a role in cricket, so we’ll probably have a bias towards someone in cricket.”

The Pakistan board has admitted it could’ve handled better the circumstances around the appointment of its new cricket committee

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2018The PCB has admitted it could’ve handled better the circumstances around the appointment of Mohsin Khan as the head of their new cricket committee. What should’ve been an early win in Ehsan Mani’s new tenure as board chairman turned instead into a distraction about the Qayyum report on match-fixing.Comments by Mani and then Mohsin on the day of the announcement suggested that the board had disowned the report in a bid to ensure that Mohsin would work with Wasim Akram, also inducted to the committee; the former has repeatedly insisted he won’t work with players tainted by corruption, as he considered the latter to be.That, the PCB has now clarified, was very much not the intention. “Certainly there was no intention of rubbishing the report in any shape or form,” Mani told ESPNcricinfo. “The Qayyum report is still a PCB document. I was involved in presenting it to the ICC.”Mani and his chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed held an extensive meeting with Mohsin to convince him to work with Akram, after which Mohsin said he was 99% convinced that the charges on players were not “authentic”.”There is certainly some baggage and we could’ve handled that better,” Mani said.Mani was eager to point out that the Qayyum Report had not brought sanctions against Akram that prevented him from working for the board in the future. The report fined Akram and recommended that he be removed from the Pakistan captaincy. And though it conceded that it did not have the evidence to find him outright guilty of some allegations, it also recognised that was the case because of a u-turn by Ata-ur-Rehman, a prime witness against Akram (and also banned for life by Justice Qayyum).”The fact is the Qayyum report said he shouldn’t be captain,” Mani said. “The PCB removed him, he got fined. But there was no sanction from working in future for the board.”That, and subsequent comments by Mohsin, has meant that a strong, diverse committee with the potential for meaningful work has been overshadowed. Alongside Akram, the committee includes former captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Urooj Mumtaz. Misbah is seen as someone who can give relevant inputs into the state of domestic cricket, in which he still participates and is a believer. Mumtaz’s appointment is an indication that the administration is going to take more seriously the development of the women’s game.Mani is eager for all involved – Akram and Mohsin, as well as Mickey Arthur and Sarfraz Ahmed about whom Mohsin has made controversial comments – to put these issues behind them and move on.

The opener is staking his claim for a recall against Australia’s Test attack when friendships will be put aside

Daniel Brettig15-Nov-2018If it wasn’t quite “end some careers”, Nathan Lyon made it patently clear that Matt Renshaw’s runs for Queensland in a Test match dress rehearsal against the Australia and New South Wales bowling attack in Canberra from Saturday will be well and truly earned.Alongside Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, Lyon will turn out for a first Sheffield Shield appearance together since before last summer’s home campaign, in which the quartet excelled to regain the Ashes from England at home before the disastrous and now infamous tour of South Africa.In addition to working in concert with one another, the NSW attack will be determined to make Renshaw fight for every run in what is effectively his audition for a berth in the Test XI to face India in December. Left out of the team that faced Pakistan in the UAE due to a lack of match practice after suffering a concussion while fielding at short leg, Renshaw can emulate the performance of Cameron Bancroft against Starc, Hazlewood, Lyon and Cummins at Hurstville this time last year, which had a major bearing on his call-up.”If Matt Renshaw comes out and plays well, against any opposition but particularly against this opposition, I daresay it’s going to figure pretty heavily,” Lyon said in Canberra. “But in saying that, we’re not going to go easy on him, just because he’s one of our mates and he’s trying to get back into the Test side, we’re not going to go easy on him.

Test technique hurt me in ODIs – Finch

Australia’s T20 captain Aaron Finch believes that adjustments made to adapt to Test cricket have affected his ability to score freely so far in white-ball matches at home. Finch is preparing to face South Africa and India over four T20 matches while also being hopeful of retaining his Test spot, and believes that Australia’s batsmen chased boundaries too eagerly in the ODI series.
“In the UAE my technique really tightened up. Those technique changes have probably hurt me a bit in the one-dayers – I am not quite as free,” Finch said. “It’s a more focused technique on keeping everything tight and straight and simple. It’s a few changes that are simple but I feel they give me the best chance in the longer format.
“We have to understand we have a lot more time than we think. At times you can get caught up in seeing some results around the world and seeing 350 and 380 being scored pretty regularly, and you think you have to be a part of that. The reality is a bit different the way the game is played in Australia.
“With the grounds being so much bigger, they’re not grounds where you can just stand and deliver, hit a couple of sixes an over and catch up and accelerate the run rate. So we need to use our smarts a little bit more and use a running game and a touch game.”

“We haven’t played a [Shield] game together since the last Ashes Test, so to be back all firing together is exciting. Hopefully we come out here and put in a really good performance, all four of us, and really get that combination and partnerships working again, it’s going to be vital before the first Test match against India.”It’s great to be out here and the bowling attack is going to be pretty excited. Hopefully there will be something in it early with the new ball but if you’re good enough you can score runs, and if you’re good enough hopefully you can get a bit of bounce and a bit of spin out there as well.”The pitch at Manuka Oval has long been known as one of the more benign in Australia, highlighted by a high scoring, bore draw when the Shield final was last played there in 2014. However Lyon, himself a former curator in Canberra and Adelaide, said that there was hope the surface would be more lively this season ahead of an inaugural Test match against Sri Lanka in February.”I just spoke to [curator Brad van Dam] about the wicket and he said it’s going to hopefully be something similar to the Test wicket,” Lyon said. “There’s going to be a little bit more pace in the Test wicket he said, but it’s a great place to play cricket here and to come and experience a four-day game before a big Test match here in February.”Alongside the more established names taking part in the encounter will be numerous younger talents, none more heralded than Jason Sangha and Jack Edwards. Lyon, who himself played only a handful of first-class matches for South Australia before being rushed into a Test debut in 2011, counselled against considering either of the duo as serious Test team contenders just yet.”I think it’s dangerous throwing young guys into a big Test series like this,” Lyon said. “It’s really important for them to still learn their craft and learn their trade here at Shield level. I’m very impressed with both Jack and Jason but let’s see them score back to back hundreds and take a few wickets when the ball is in their hands.”It’s important we don’t throw too many young guys into the international scene too early. I do think they would be able to handle it, but for the better of their career they would be better off if they learn their craft here first. It’s pretty hard to learn your craft at the top of the tree, but in saying that I’m a big fan of Sangha and Jack. I’m all for them but I don’t think they should be considered just yet.”Another match this round will be Victoria’s meeting with Tasmania in Hobart, where the opener Marcus Harris will be hopeful of pushing his own claims for a Test berth. A monumental unbeaten 250 for Victoria against NSW pushed Harris to the forefront of many minds, having tallied 1,514 runs at 42.05 over the past two domestic seasons after leaving Western Australia for Victoria.When he made the move, Harris was farewelled with some curious comments by the then Warriors coach Justin Langer, who referred to him as “mediocre with flashes of brilliance”, while adding that “our system isn’t for everyone”. However, he has always maintained that his relationship with Langer remained strong, and said he had been in text message contact with the now Australia coach and selector in recent weeks.”We get along really well. We stay in contact regularly and when he was coach of WA, I would always catch up with him when [Victoria] played against them,” Harris said. “When you get a clip in the media on the way out, that can be the headline. But that’s certainly not the case with our relationship, we get along really well.”I think if anyone gets runs at the moment, their name is thrown up there straight away. I suppose if you put runs on the board, that’s going to happen. It’s hard to not see it. I don’t read it all, you see bits and pieces on social media. Everyone’s name is being thrown up there, so I try not to read into too much. It’s a bit hard to avoid, but you just take it as it is.”

The England captain urged her team to hold their nerve in light of the dearth of runs among the batsmen, and a slipshod show in the field against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2018As far as tight finishes in world tournaments go, Heather Knight’s England have held their own since she took over as captain following the side’s shock elimination in the 2016 World T20 semi-final. In the World Cup last year, a league-stage win against Australia off the final ball paved the way for a two-run, final-over victory against South Africa in the semi-final. A humdinger of a finish followed, in the final at a full-house Lord’s, where they capped off their campaign with a nine-run triumph over India.At the ongoing World T20, though, it had been relatively smooth sailing for the side – with dominant seven-wicket wins in their first two completed matches. That, however, changed on Sunday in their last group-stage match against the side that had knocked them out in the previous edition. With about 10,000 spectators in attendance, defending champions West Indies snared a last-over win at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium, thanks in part to a lacklustre outing from England – only three batsmen got into double-figures – and three dropped chances during the final leg of the 116 chase.”In terms of what went wrong, I guess, ideally you want one of the top five to be there in the last two or three overs,” Knight said of their batting, wary of the consequences a similar show may have during their semi-final clash against India on Thursday. “That’s where you’re going to start to push it forward and get those really big scores. I think a little more composure, just more staying calm in that sort of situation, that would have got it over the line. But obviously we have the semi-finals to make that right. And a massive game it’s going to be against India.”And the fielding, I think, a little bit more composure potentially would have got us over the line. But like I say, I can’t question the girls’ fight and actually to stay in the game like that under that sort of pressure, the crowd and the support for the West Indies was really pleasing. I think it’s very difficult conditions. Those balls actually went very high with the lights. And fielding under the dark sky as well we haven’t done well in this competition yet.”Anya Shrubsole bagged a hat-trick against South Africa•ICC

Knight, however, emphasised that the defeat might well have been the “learning” the youngsters in the side needed before they shift base to Antigua for the knockouts.”I think it’s a great experience for the girls,” she said. “For some of the younger girls that haven’t played in front of that sort of crowd, that sort of pressure and the atmosphere that it had, it will be great for them. It’s a brilliant learning, I think. And what an amazing occasion it was.”But to have a tight game like that and to see how we fought, how we stayed in the game, how we scrapped, that’s what the team is about. And that’s all I can ask for the girls.”Save for the superlative all-round show from Anya Shrubsole, who finished with 3.3-1-10-1 to follow up her 26-ball 29 at No. 8, the stand-out contribution came from Sophia Dunkley. In her maiden international innings after her debut two games ago, the 20-year-old smashed three fours and a six in her 30-ball 39 while adding 50 with Shrubsole for the seventh wicket.”Yeah, she comes in at that No. 7, and it’s quite a tricky place to bat, I think,” Knight said. “You either come in when the team’s in trouble like she did tonight, or you come in with not many balls left and you obviously want to score very quickly. That’s why we’ve put her in that role. She scores quickly. She hits in unusual areas. So to show that composure under that amount of pressure, in front of that sort of amount of people, 10,000 people, whatever it was. So really pleased for her. She’s worked so hard.”Heading into the semi-final against India, whom England outscored in a record-breaking run-fest in the T20 tri-series in Mumbai in March this year before surrendering meekly in their next encounter four days later, Knight will be wary of the challenges that await. First, the red-hot form of the opposition side, who were undefeated in the group phase. Second, the dearth of form among their frontline batsmen, none of whom feature in the top 20 on the run-scorers list. These, along with fitness concerns looming Kirstie Gordon, their second-highest wicket-taker, with six scalps, in the tournament behind Shrubsole.”Yeah, she’s fine. She had a back twinge,” Knight said of Gordon, who left the field after bowling her allocation inside 15 overs. “She was actually struggling to finish that final over, just a little bit of back twinge going on, hamstrings. Yeah, decision to take her off. She obviously bowled very well. But she was in a lot of pain in the last few balls of the over.”

India’s fourth-wicket pair added an unbeaten 121 to seal the win after Yuzvendra Chahal’s 6 for 42 had reduced Australia to 230

The Report by Andrew McGlashan18-Jan-2019Regardless of the result in Melbourne, India’s tour of Australia would have been triumph. But it was given the perfect ending as Yuzvendra Chahal’s career-best 6 for 42, the joint best ODI figures in Australia, set up a seven-wicket victory to take the series. Chahal’s haul left a modest target but a slow pitch made scoring tricky as MS Dhoni, whose role has dominated the narrative of the series, scored his third half-century in three innings – while being given three lives – and the recalled Kedar Jadhav produced an excellent hand.It’s the depth of players available that marks out the best teams and the success of Chahal and Jadhav, playing their first matches of the series in place of the rested Kuldeep Yadav and Ambati Rayudu, slotted in seamlessly. Chahal’s second ball of the match began Australia’s downfall when he had the in-form Shaun Marsh stumped, and he claimed three wickets in each of his two spells, surpassing his previous best of 5 for 22 against South Africa at Centurion.Australia had their chances as they defended 230 – plenty of them – as they pushed India to the final over. Virat Kohli was dropped on 10 by Peter Handscomb, above his head at first slip off Billy Stanlake; Dhoni was spilled first ball at point by the usually safe Glenn Maxwell; Kohli could have been run out on 32 and the Australians failed to spot an edge from Dhoni when he had 34. Though the asking rate climbed following Kohli’s eventual dismissal, and nudged nine when Dhoni patted back an over from Adam Zampa, India always had wickets in hand. Yet there could have been a twist had Aaron Finch held Dhoni at mid-off when 27 were needed off 18 balls.The match had started like the other two: with a superb opening spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He got one to bounce outside off to take Alex Carey’s edge to second slip, where Kohli made good ground to claim the catch, and then there was what felt like the inevitable dismissal of Finch.In the opening over of the match, which was interrupted after two balls by a shower, Finch had already had two nervous moments, firstly padding up to one with the bounce saving him and then edging short of slip. The ball before Bhuvneshwar claimed him for the third time in the series there was a curious moment, when he attempted to deliver from behind the umpire – Michael Gough called dead ball much to Bhuvneshwar’s annoyance – but with the next delivery he pinned Finch lbw.After a stand of 73 between Marsh and Usman Khawaja, Australia were derailed by the introduction of Chahal, his second delivery – mightily close to being a no-ball – manufacturing a stumping to remove the in-form Marsh when he charged at what became a wide. Three balls later he had another when Khawaja sent a leading edge back to the bowler as he attempted to turn a leg-break to the on side.Chahal’s third was one for the highlights reel when a perfectly pitched legspinner drifted and turned to find Marcus Stoinis’ outside edge with Rohit Sharma taking a terrific catch at slip.MS Dhoni plays a pull•Getty Images

Maxwell briefly counterattacked, slotting away five boundaries as he moved along at more than a run-a-ball, before being undone by a short delivery from Mohammed Shami which resulted in a top edge to long leg where Bhuvneshwar took a brilliant catch running in. It left Maxwell with 85 runs off 61 balls in the series and a debate far from answered.With 15 overs remaining, a lengthy stay by Maxwell could have changed the complexion of the match but instead Handscomb was left with the bowlers for company, which meant he had little choice but to ensure the innings went deep. He went to his half-century off 57 deliveries, which included just two boundaries as he tried to nurse Australia to the finish, but Chahal’s return ended any hopes of a late dash – his fifth wicket coming in fitting style as he skidded one through Handscomb.Australia managed to build pressure with the new ball and after 10 overs India were 1 for 26, Rohit falling to Peter Siddle when he tried to whip a ball to leg and edged to first slip. Shikhar Dhawan struggled for his timing on a sluggish surface but the first Kohli chance came and went to allow India to lay a platform. Three balls of the 17th over brought plenty of drama as Dhawan chipped a catch to Stoinis, Dhoni slashed to Maxwell and then survived a big appeal for lbw.After his charmed life it appeared Kohli would see another chase through, but the impressive Jhye Richardson lured him into a drive to leave India 3 for 113 after 30 overs and with work to do for a reshaped middle order. Dhoni, whose fifty came off 74 balls, and Jadhav carefully ticked along, content to allow the rate to nudge up, with just the occasional show of aggression.When Zampa’s last over was taken for just a single by Dhoni, the equation was 52 off 36 which had been reduced to 27 off 18 when he drilled Stoinis towards Finch whose miserable series had a final low point as the catch burst through his hands (Jadhav also survived being run-out by a missing frame). A boundary apiece followed, and in the end, the final over started with just a single needed. Dhoni had left it rather late. But doesn’t he always?

South Australia suffered another batting collapse as they lost all ten wickets for 95 but managed to back their own inroads before the close

Alex Malcolm03-Mar-2019Western Australia youngster Liam Guthrie starred with four wickets against South Australia on a day where the bowlers dominated at the WACA.Guthrie, a 21-year-old left-arm quick, claimed his career-best figures of 4 for 53 as the Redbacks were rolled for 159 after being sent in to bat.But the visitors fought back late in the day to have WA 4 for 75 at stumps and leave the game evenly poised.The WACA pitch was covered in live green grass and Mitch Marsh had no hesitation in bowling first in after winning the toss. But the visitors started very well reaching 60 without loss before Hilton Cartwright made the unlikely breakthrough.Having not taken a wicket in his previous 15 Sheffield Shield matches he took two in his one and only over for the day. Jake Weatherald holed out to point for 25 before Jake Lehmann was caught behind.Guthrie then ripped through the middle order. He bowled Test vice-captain Travis Head and Conor McInerney in the same spell. McInerney fell for a patient 43 from 144 balls.Guthrie also took a catch and produced a run out before pinning Callum Ferguson lbw. David Moody also picked up 2 for 15 from 14.3 overs as South Australia were all out for 159 with only five players reaching double figures.The Redbacks answered back in the afternoon claiming four wickets in 24 overs. Sam Whiteman was caught behind off Nick Winter before Cameron Bancroft was run out by Joe Mennie for 11. Josh Inglis and Marsh steadied with a 43-run stand but both fell in sight of stumps to Mennie and debutant Luke Robins respectively.

The visitors have won their last two matches, while Sunrisers have slipped to the bottom half of the table after successive losses

The Preview by Saurabh Somani13-Apr-20194:42

Middle-order hasn’t taken its opportunities – Moody

Big picture

The league stage is already halfway done, and in a reversal of trends from IPLs past, Delhi Capitals are in a better position than Sunrisers Hyderabad. Capitals have a two-point advantage, though Sunrisers have played one game less. The key is recent form, though. Capitals have won their last two matches, while Sunrisers have lost both the games in the lead up to this one, and have slipped from near the top of the table to the bottom half.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Lost to Kings XI Punjab by six wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 40 runs, beat Delhi Capitals by five wickets
Delhi Capitals: Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by four wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets

On paper, Sunrisers have a well-rounded side that has most bases covered. However, their middle order has proved to be brittle, and once teams have found a way past the opening combine of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, they have managed to control the rest of the batting. Of course, going past Warner-Bairstow isn’t the easiest thing, but Sunrisers must be mindful of covering the gap if the two do fall cheaply. To that end, the fit-again Kane Williamson might provide the solidity Sunrisers need, but his inclusion will mean that Mohammad Nabi has to sit out. Sunrisers might not be comfortable taking that call, but it could be the one they need to take to bolster the batting. Another possible change they might want to look at is bringing in the young and talented Abhishek Sharma – who played for their opponents last season – in place of Yusuf Pathan.Capitals too might want to ponder some of their playing XI choices, particularly the place of Rahul Tewatia. They haven’t really made use of his lower-order hitting or his legspin much, and they too have a batting order that fizzles a bit after the top order. Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form augurs well, but against a team that has as dangerous a bowling attack as Sunrisers, some extra batting insurance in the lower middle-order wouldn’t be out of place.

In the news

• After a tepid start to IPL 2019, Dhawan found form in Capitals’ last win, against Kolkata Knight Riders, and will now face up against his old franchise.
• Williamson and Khaleel Ahmed are both back to full fitness, though whether they can be fitted into the XI is yet to be seen. Perhaps two losses on the trot will open up slots for their return.

Kane Williamson has had to sit out because of a shoulder injury•BCCI

Previous meeting

It was just ten days ago, with the Sunrisers bowlers setting up a modest chase for their batsmen. Bairstow got the chase off to a rollicking start, and despite a bit of a wobble in the middle, Sunrisers had enough in the tank to get past Capitals.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Abhishek Sharma, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Sandeep SharmaDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Colin Ingram, 6 Chris Morris, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Rahul Tewatia, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Ishant Sharma

Strategy punt

• Of the frontline batsmen who are expected to be in the XI for Sunrisers, nobody has a strike rate of more than 125 against Chris Morris. Using him first up could tie down the explosiveness of the top order, and give Capitals the flexibility to rotate Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada. Or even punt on Sandeep Lamichhane, who most of the Sunrisers haven’t played much of.
• Sunrisers might want to delay Rashid Khan’s introduction into the attack. This has been Rashid’s most economical season in the IPL so far – he’s conceding runs at just 5.8 – which indicates how batsmen are playing him with caution. However, three of the five wickets he has got so far have come at the death, where he still goes for only 6.7 per over.
• Ishant has been a revelation this season. His economy rate (7.4) is the best he has had in the tournament since 2013. Capitals have used him largely in the Powerplay overs, where his strengths – hitting the deck, getting the ball to move off the pitch – come into play much more. His weaknesses – he doesn’t bowl yorkers or do change-ups of pace too often – are not as much of a factor because Capitals have not bowled Ishant at the death at all. Continuing with that plan for Ishant is the way to go.

Stats that matter

• The last time Capitals won against Sunrisers in Hyderabad was back in 2016 – the year Sunrisers won the trophy. That remains the only time they have beaten Sunrisers at home, having the lost three other times.
• Bhuvneshwar needs one more wicket to get to the 100-wicket mark for Sunrisers.
• This is Sunrisers’ 100th IPL match.

Director of cricket likens Australian to Michael Hussey as he prepares to take over from Paul Collingwood at Chester-le-Street

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street01-Apr-20190:43

Cameron Bancroft as Durham captain? Marcus North explains

Durham’s new director of cricket Marcus North has expanded on his decision to award the county captaincy to Cameron Bancroft less than three months after his return from a nine-month ball-tampering ban.North, who represented Australia in 21 Tests, even judges that Bancroft will prove himself to be from the same mould as Michael Hussey, another Western Australian who briefly played for Durham in 2005, whose abiding love for the game led to him becoming one of Australian cricket’s most respected figures.Bancroft endured widespread condemnation for his part in a ball-tampering escapade in which he used sandpaper to damage the ball in a Test against South Africa at Cape Town last March, leading to a ban alongside his more senior team-mates Steve Smith and David Warner.

Wood admits surprise at Bancroft role

England quick Mark Wood admitted his initial surprise at Cameron Bancroft’s elevation to the Durham captaincy had turned into the belief that it was “a good appointment”.

“I thought ‘that’s a gutsy call’. I probably wouldn’t have done that but having given it more thought it’s probably the right option.

“We have a young team so there were only two other players I thought could have done it. One would have been Alex Lees, but at this time in his career it’s probably better that he focuses on himself and goes under the radar a little bit. The other one would be Chris Rushworth, but we all know bowlers never become captains because they think that we’re dumb.

Bancroft comes here with a point to prove. Anything that anyone thinks, or anything that’s said to him, will have been thought and said before and he’ll have had worse. He’s gone through a horrible time and that time will have made him a stronger character.”

His ban ended in December and he played in the Big Bash League before scoring a century on his red-ball return for Western Australia against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield in Sydney in February.”I know Cameron Bancroft very well,” North said. “There’s a lot of people I trust in Australia cricket and Western Australia cricket who I’ve spoken to over a period of time about Cameron. I’ve spoken to him in depth as well.”This is a guy who is a different person to what he was 13 months ago. He’s had a lot of time to reflect, done a lot of work away from the game, matured a lot. His perspective on the game, on life, on cricket has changed a lot.”He’s always had great intelligence on the tactical side of the game, his work ethic and professionalism as an athlete is second to none. I liken him to a fellow Western Australian is the guy we used to call ‘Mr Cricket’, Michael Hussey. The way he would go about his day-to-day business was exceptional and Cameron is from that mould.”I get there’s been questions, bringing someone in to captain a side when 13 months ago they weren’t really showing great leadership skills in the decisions he made. I get that, but he’s a different person, he’s learned a lot.”North does not believe that the captaincy will be an unwanted burden on Bancroft as he rebuilds his career – and reputation – after a misjudgement that put him under prolonged personal pressure. Australia’s cricketing culture became a topic of conversation throughout the nation, with leading politicians – including the then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull – also passing judgment.”If I didn’t feel Cameron hadn’t learned from that experience or developed as a human being or a person, I wouldn’t have considered him for the role,” said North.”You could argue in the position Cameron is in now, after going through that experience, there’s probably not too many people better to advise younger professionals on the ramifications of making poor decisions.”Cameron Bancroft leans into a drive•Getty Images

North says that he recognises that the decision to give Bancroft the captaincy will “split opinion”, but points out that Durham are short of options having lost recognised leaders such as the veteran Paul Collingwood, who retired at the end of the last county season, and Keaton Jennings, now at Lancashire, whose England career has been propelled in part by the recognition of his captaincy potential.North said: “The club is in a position where there were probably five senior players who were all very much thought about in succession planning – Paul Collingwood, Keaton Jennings, Paul Coughlin, Mark Stoneman and Graham Onions…all guys you would naturally see as captains. Take those players out in a very short period of time and where are we with our leadership team?”Alex Lees, the former Yorkshire batsman, will stand in for Bancroft for the opening Championship match against Derbyshire in Derby, which begins on Friday, but Lees struggled to adapt to the responsibilities of captaincy when he had a taste of leadership in the T20 Blast, becoming one of the youngest captains in Yorkshire’s history in the process, and his priority is to resurrect a faltering batting career.”We’ve got some players with very good leadership qualities but the majority of the squad are still establishing themselves as consistent first-class cricketers,” North said. “To put a burden of captaincy on someone who is not necessarily guaranteed selection in all formats was a choice we weren’t prepared to take.”Alex is one of a few. Definitely someone we had conversations about. He’s had experience of doing it at Yorkshire but he’s in a position where he wants to concentrate on playing good cricket again. If he has a good year he’ll be someone who will be talked about as playing a key role.”A prolific county season, however, could propel Bancroft into Australia’s squad for the Ashes series in England which follows quickly after the World Cup. He has played eight Test matches for Australia, scoring 402 runs at an average of 30.92 and made his debut against England in 2017, scoring a Test-best 82 not out.

Committee of Administrators takes decision as 31 out of 38 state associations technically agree to implement Lodha recommendations

Nagraj Gollapudi21-May-2019Finally, after nearly 30 months of being supervised by a court-appointed authority, the BCCI members are on track to regain control of board with their elections scheduled for October 22. The decision was taken by the three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) in Delhi today, nearly two-and-a-half years after it was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the BCCI’s implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.The development came close on the heels of the negotiations between the BCCI members – state associations – and senior Supreme Court advocate PS Narasimha, the amicus curiae appointed earlier this year. Having heard the BCCI members individually, Narasimha submitted a report to the court, which will sign off on the matter when it reopens in July after the summer recess.It is understood that 31 out of the 38 state associations have technically agreed to comply with the Lodha recommendations subject to all the concessions discussed and approved by Narasimha. Of the seven other members, a few wanted to take a final call after consulting their own members.One important recommendation that Narasimha agreed to modify, in step with the state associations, was regarding the strength of the Apex Council, a key authorising body under the reforms. Narasimha agreed to expand it from nine members to 19. Under the CoA-approved BCCI constitution, the Apex Council will comprise nine members both at the board and the state level, something the board members have objected to.During the negotiations, Narasimha also provided clarity on the disputed recommendation concerning the tenure of the office bearers. The Lodha Committee had recommended that an office bearer could preside for nine years separately at the state and the BCCI level, as long as a cooling-off period was in place. But the new BCCI constitution registered last year was not clear on this point. Narasimha confirmed that an office bearer could work for 18 years as long as the cooling-off period of three years, which comes into play after two consecutive terms of three years each, was exercised.CoA chairman Vinod Rai, at the time of his appointment, had said the interim panel’s role would be akin to that of the nightwatchman in cricket. But the role turned out to be significantly more elaborate as virtually every state association was against readily implementing the Lodha reforms that were approved by the court in 2016.As the state associations became more dogged in their resistance, the CoA’s vigil extended and so did its authority. Gradually, as the CoA wielded its control beyond the reforms, it even became the final authority on cricketing decisions. Consequently, a parallel conflict erupted with the state associations and the three BCCI office bearers contesting the CoA’s powers and approaching the court on several occasions.With the state associations adopting a confrontational stance, the CoA submitted ten status reports to the court listing out the difficulties it was facing in helping the BCCI implement the reforms. The court intervened intermittently, including amending a few of the original Lodha recommendations. Last October, BCCI chief executive officer Rahul Johri, at the behest of the CoA, registered a new BCCI constitution mandating the reforms.Several states refused to budge though, even with the CoA asking the court to bar the voting rights of all BCCI members that declined to be compliant. A total of 80-odd interlocutory applications – pleas – were filed by various state associations contesting the reforms.However, Narasimha’s mediation role seems to have worked, allowing the CoA to now put out a roadmap for the elections. Rai said the CoA was “exceedingly happy” that the BCCI members had decided to comply.
“It was a nightwatchman who came to stay,” Rai told ESPNcricinfo. “However, I feel very happy that the state associations have cooperated and all the recommendations have been accepted, which means now there is a general consensus that cricket administration should be streamlined and run [in an] objective and transparent manner. The CoA is exceedingly happy to entrust the administration of the BCCI back to the democratic body.”According to Rai, till the elections are held, the CoA will continue to monitor and authorise cricketing operations, including matters related to the appointment or renewal of coaching staff. Incidentally, the tenure of the coaching staff of the Indian men’s team is up to the end of World Cup on July 14.The BCCI elections will usher in a new era in Indian cricket administration, which has historically been run by a group of individuals that has wielded power and exercised control for decades.* To contest these elections, both at the state level and the BCCI, an administrator/office bearer would need to fulfil the following criteria: he/she should be an Indian citizen, not over 70, not insolvent or of unsound mind, not a government servant or a minister, not part of any other sports federation, and most importantly not held office at state or BCCI level for a cumulative period of nine years.It remains to be seen whether the three current BCCI office bearers – CK Khanna (acting president), Amitabh Choudhury (acting secretary) and Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) – are eligible to contest the elections. All three have reportedly served for more than the permissible nine years at their respective state associations. At the BCCI level, all three have served for varied periods and might need to serve the mandatory three-year cooling-off period before being eligible to contest board elections.Key dates
June 30: Deadline for the BCCI to appoint an electoral officer, and the preparing of the electoral protocol by the said electoral officer in consultation with the CoA, which should be communicated to all the state associations
July 1: Deadline for appointment of an electoral officer by the state associations
August 14: Deadline for completion of election protocol and electoral roll of the state associations by the state’s electoral officer
September 14: Deadline for completion of elections of the state associations
September 23: Deadline for sending of names of representatives of state associations to the BCCI
September 30: Deadline for preparing the electoral roll of nominees qualified for the BCCI elections
October 22: The BCCI elections*

His captain Faf du Plessis blamed the batsmen for their defeat against India

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Southampton05-Jun-2019″Stranger things have happened,” allrounder Chris Morris said. Following three defeats to begin the 2019 World Cup, this is what South Africa have to cling to, if they are to progress to the semi-finals.ALSO READ – Bumrah, Rohit and Chahal give India winning startHaving arrived in the UK with the aim of winning at least six of their round-robin matches, they are now faced with winning six in a row to make that a reality. It is possible that even five wins could be enough to make it into the knockouts, or in an absolute best-case scenario, four. But although they’ve got the two favourites out of the way, they’ve still got to get past Australia, New Zealand, a possibly resurgent Pakistan (who is to tell if their upswing lasts), and West Indies.”The guys are very disappointed and a bit angry, which they are allowed to be,” Morris said after the loss to India. “We will sort that out in our heads tonight and when the sun comes up tomorrow we will go back to the drawing board and take on our next opponent. It’s pretty simple – win the next six and crack on. Maybe we need a bit of luck to go our way.”Captain Faf du Plessis, who before the the match, spoke of his team as being one that already needed a psychological lift, has a tougher road ahead than practically any other captain in the competition presently. He blamed his batting order for the defeat.”It’s a change-room that is hurting,” du Plessis said. “We’re trying to make sure that we keep fighting, but we’re still making mistakes all the time. Today was once again a great example of someone not batting through. That’s what you need in England. You need one guy batting through. And then if you can get a total, your bowlers can try and put some pressure on. But to have so many 30s and 40s is not acceptable.”The only period of the game in which South Africa seemed to have a glimmer of a chance was the early overs of India’s chase, as Kagiso Rabada delivered a furious spell of quick bowling. Twice he could have had Rohit Sharma – the eventual centurion – out, when short balls ballooned in the air off the batsman’s bat and glove. One of those balls fell into space, however, and the other was spilled by a diving du Plessis, to reprieve Rohit on 1.”He was a champion today,” du Plessis said of Rabada. “He was extremely unlucky. I’ve never seen so many balls just fall in different areas. But sometimes, that’s how the game goes. When you’re not playing your best cricket, little 50-50 things go against you. We’ve got to try and make sure we turn those 50-50 chances towards us. But he was unbelievable today.”