All posts by csb10.top

The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) has insisted its warning to players thinking of playing in the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore is from “highly credible security experts” and “in line with advice from government agencies and diplomatic missions.”FICA was fiercely criticised by the PCB after circulating a memo to players, players’ associations and players’ agents that spoke of “an extremely elevated” risk level in Pakistan. And while they stopped just short of advising players not to travel – they do not have the power to prevent them from doing so – they did conclude that “an acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed.”That warning infuriated the PCB who responded by calling FICA’s approach “careless and cavalier.” Stating that “not a single foreigner or hotel has been attacked in Lahore in the last five years” the PCB scolded FICA for making “a sweeping negative statement about the security situation” from “thousands of miles away.”Although FICA have now expressed “great sympathy for fans and players in Pakistan” and stated they “we would like to see the PSL succeed” they have reiterated that their responsibility and priority was “the safety and security of players” and have stood by their earlier comments warning of an “elevated security risk” when visiting Pakistan.Responding to the PCB’s claim that FICA “cannot name even one credible security expert” which might have informed their original statement, FICA clarified that they utilised the advice of Eastern Star International (ESI). That is the company headed by Reg Dickason, who has provided security advice to the ECB, CA, NZC and the ICC among others and who recently gave the go-ahead for England’s tour of Bangladesh.”FICA relies on advice given by expert security consultants, Eastern Star International (ESI),” their statement reads. “ESI has supplied security services over several years to a number of cricket boards and international teams around the world and to the International Cricket Council (ICC).”FICA sent a confidential memorandum highlighting the advice received from ESI relating to the elevated security risk for them of playing in Pakistan. The elevated risk is in line with advice from government agencies and diplomatic missions of several countries regarding travel by foreigners to Pakistan.”FICA also suggested the PCB was “not responsive” to attempts to discuss their security concerns relating to playing the PSL final in Lahore and reiterated the security situation which has led to the almost complete absence of top-level cricket from Pakistan since 2009.”Since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore Pakistan has played bilateral home series matches against ICC full member countries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for security reasons,” the FICA statement says. “The only full member men’s team to tour Pakistan in this time was Zimbabwe in 2015. The ICC declined to send its match officials to Pakistan to officiate in this series for security reasons. A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside the stadium in Lahore shortly before the 2nd ODI of the series, killing himself and a policeman.”The PCB is staging all PSL matches, except the planned final in Lahore, in the UAE for security reasons. Several months ago the PCB consulted FICA in relation to provisions of the standard player contract for the PSL. When FICA expressed possible security concerns relating to playing the final in Lahore the PCB was not responsive to FICA on this issue.”Tony Irish, FICA’s Executive Chairman, said: “Players around the world from affiliated countries have always looked to FICA to provide them with information relating to security risks of playing in various parts of the world. It is our responsibility to provide this information, which we obtain from highly credible security experts, so that players can make informed decisions.”The PCB has made clear that the PSL final will be played in Lahore on March 7 whether overseas players participate or not.

India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar has said that increased batting practice for the side’s lower-order batsmen has led to greater contributions from them.

India’s Nos 7 to 9 in series in 2016

• v England: 704 runs; average: 41.41; team tally: 3135

• v New Zealand: 312 runs; average: 52; team tally: 1984

• v West Indies: 305 runs; average: 30.50; team tally 1559

Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India have largely opted for a five-bowler strategy, and the lower order has taken some of the pressure off the frontline batsmen with their knocks, which have sometimes turned matches for the side.In the recent five-match Test series against England, which India won 4-0, the performances of the hosts’ lower order was a significant difference between the two sides. R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav played important knocks in Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai. Led by these three players, India’s last four wickets averaged 48.23 runs per completed partnership, while England’s average was less than half that value. Overall, in 2016, India’s batsmen at these positions scored 1321 runs in 12 matches – second only to England’s 2334 in 17 matches – and their average of 40.03 was the highest in Tests.”I believe the only way to polish your skills is to train in a correct manner with a lot of quantity and a clear plan,” Bangar told . “Your body must get into right positions such that you are able to execute all the shots you want to. From that perspective, we ensured that our lower order got the same amount of batting practice as our frontline batsmen.”Ashwin, who recently was named the ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year, has been one of the big contributors in the lower order, often slotting in at Nos. 6 and 7. In 2016, he scored 612 runs at an average of 43.71 with two key centuries in the West Indies and four fifties to go with a haul of 72 wickets. Bangar said Ashwin was a “clever cricketer, always eager to better his technique”.”He has a cool head, his technique is superb, and he allows the ball to come to him,” Bangar said. “And you can’t tie Ashwin down. He has the cut, he will drive you down the wicket, and even against spinners, he’s a very busy player. Credit to Virat [Kohli] and the team management for putting him at No.6. With his experience, he could control the innings there considering Wriddhiman Saha was relatively new, just settling in Tests.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAmy Satterthwaite’s 117-ball 137 powered New Zealand women to 309 for 4 – their sixth highest total in ODIs – before Pakistan women’s chase was interrupted by rain in the 35th over to give the home side a victory by 60 runs in Lincoln, by the D/L method.After New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat, captain Suzie Bates (34) and Rachel Priest (27) put on 53 for the first wicket. They were dismissed within 15 runs of each other, before Satterthwaite and Katey Martin put together a 150-run partnership, New Zealand’s highest for the third wicket. Martin’s 65 – her third half-century in four matches – was followed by Sophie Devine’s 29-ball 34 as New Zealand scored 91 runs in their last 10 overs.Four Pakistan bowlers went for over six runs per over, and nine wides were conceded in the innings. Maham Tariq, Sana Mir and Sadia Yousuf took a wicket each.Pakistan’s chase was pegged with Ayesha Zafar’s dismissal in the fourth over, before rain stopped play. After play resumed, Nahida Khan (33) and Nain Abidi (45) stitched together a 76-run partnership for the second wicket, before they were both dismissed in successive overs as Pakistan slumped from 85 for 1 to 85 for 3. Bates bowled Nida Dar soon after, to pick up her second victim, but rain intervened again in the 35th over bringing the game to a close with Pakistan on 142 for 4 – 61 runs behind the D/L-adjusted target of 203.Satterthwaite, whose score was the fourth-highest by New Zealand woman cricketer, said she kept track of such milestones but did not get carried away with them. “I’m certainly aware of them – anyone who knows me, knows I look at the stats a little bit, but it’s not something I tend to hold on to,” Satterthwaite said. “You just want to go out and perform your role and if that means you end up with a milestone then it’s an added bonus.”Satterthwaite credited her rich vein of form to a more relaxed approach. “I think probably being nice and relaxed is something I’ve worked on in domestic cricket. I wanted to be relaxed and focus on my strengths and what I can do. And then if a bowler bowls a bad one, you hit it.”The win gave New Zealand a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The results of the next three matches will count towards points for the Women’s Championship, in which New Zealand are currently fourth and Pakistan seventh. The top four teams in the Championship will gain direct entry into next year’s World Cup in England.

USA’s chances for winning the Auty Cup took another hit with the withdrawal of allrounder Timroy Allen. An ICC Americas official confirmed on Wednesday that the Jamaica Tallawahs-contracted player would be unavailable for the three-match series against Canada, which starts from October 13, due to a “pre-advised commitment”.Allen’s spot in the squad has been taken by batsman Ravi Timbawala, who lives and plays his club cricket at Woodley Park in Los Angeles, the venue for the Auty Cup. Timbawala was second on the list of run-getters at USA’s 30-man squad camp at the start of August in Florida but was a surprise omission from the final 14-man USA squad for ICC WCL Division Four, beginning October 29.Allen is the second CPL-contracted player to withdraw from USA’s original Auty Cup squad and his absence leaves USA without both new-ball pace bowlers for the series. Guyana Amazon Warriors fast bowler Ali Khan was ruled out after he failed to recover in time from a left hamstring injury suffered at the five-day national camp at Indianapolis on September 20.Khan’s spot was taken by medium-pacer Hammad Shahid, who will also provide standby cover for WCL Division Four in case Khan cannot recover in time for the start of the tournament.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKraigg Brathwaite scored 55 off 131 deliveries•AFP

Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite found some form with the bat on the second day of the West Indians’ tour game against the PCB Patrons XI. Both batsmen struck fifties and shared an 82-run partnership for the second wicket as the West Indians ended the day on 174 for 2 in response to the PCB Patrons XI’s score of 308.Bravo was unbeaten at stumps on 73 off 178 deliveries, having anchored the side through his partnerships with Brathwaite and Shai Hope (58 for the third wicket). He struck 12 fours and two sixes, while Brathwaite, who scored 55 off 131 deliveries, struck four fours before he was dismissed. Leon Johnson was the only other West Indian batsman to be dismissed on the day, falling to Ahmed Jamal for 11.Earlier, PCB Patrons XI resumed from an overnight score of 241 for 5 and went on to hit 67 runs off nearly 14 overs before being bowled out for 308. Adnan Akmal, who was unbeaten on 26 overnight, took the lead, scoring 69 off 67 balls with 10 fours. He had support from Asif Zakir as the pair stretched their overnight partnership of 34 runs to 85 before the stand was broken by Devendra Bishoo. The pair scored at a rate of 4.81 and were eventually dismissed in successive overs with the total close to 300. Bishoo, who had taken three wickets on the first day, completed his five-for and conceded 107 runs, while Holder took the remaining three wickets on the second day.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDavid Warner came back into form with a hundred•Associated Press

For the fifth time in the series Sri Lanka batted first and a vaguely familiar match played out as Australia ran down the hosts’ 195 in the 43rd over, zipping up the series 4-1. Mitchell Starc was denied his customary early wicket this time, but Sri Lanka’s middle-order collapse happened anyway, as it often has in the past two weeks. Australia’s top order then delivered another consummate performance on a spinning track; the margin of victory was five wickets, but it seemed even more comfortable than that.It was David Warner, who provided the spine to this particular chase. He capped an outstanding eight days as captain by scoring Australia’s first ODI century in Sri Lanka – his 106 from 126 balls measured and delicate, in contrast to his usual maurauding style. Warner’s 132-run third-wicket stand with George Bailey effectively ended the contest. The pair had come together at 25 for 2, but Sri Lanka’s score always seemed about 40 runs light.The hosts had squandered their best start of the tour in their own innings, losing batsmen in clusters, then failing to produce significant partnerships before the next cascade of wickets came around. Dhananjaya de Silva and Danushka Gunathilaka were surging along happily against the new ball – making 73 for the first wicket – then three wickets fell for five runs. Before they had properly recovered from that dive, the next set of rapids was upon them. Sri Lanka lost their fourth and fifth wickets for eight runs, and sixth and seventh wickets for 20. And the last three fell within 11 runs of each other. Sachith Pathirana scored a fourth 30-odd of the innings, in the company of the tail, to go with those from the openers and Kusal Mendis.Starc made up for missing out on his customary early wicket by helping blast out the tail and taking 3 for 40. Each of the other five Australia bowlers also made at least one breakthrough.As has been the case for much of the tour, Australia’s bowling was disciplined rather than devilish, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen folded alarmingly when even a little pressure had built up. De Silva mis-hit James Faulkner to mid-on in the 14th over to set the collapse in motion. Six balls later, Gunathilaka misjudged the line of an Adam Zampa ball, and had his leg stump rattled when he missed a lap sweep. Dinesh Chandimal and Mendis were both out poking outside the off stump – though the latter did play some sublime strokes before the dismissal. Upul Tharanga slapped a Travis Head ball to point, and Dasun Shanaka was bowled by a Zampa slider. Starc’s full and straight deliveries were beyond the skill of Sri Lanka’s lower order to defuse.The new ball nipped around under lights for Suranga Lakmal, and Dilruwan Perera immediately had the ball spinning sharply, but beyond the first 12 overs, Sri Lanka failed to exert substantial pressure. Having opened the innings in place of Aaron Finch, who had injured a finger while fielding in the slips, Matthew Wade gloved a ball behind as he attempted to sweep, and Usman Khawaja was soon caught off the leading edge.Warner and Bailey had close calls themselves in the initial period, but soon began to sweep, reverse sweep, and advance down the track, with increasing confidence. Bailey was merely tapping into a body of strokes that has brought him success right through the tour, but Warner’s attempt to return to form was the more compelling of the two innings. He collected his first four with a reverse-lap off Dilruwan in the second over, but was content to score in singles and twos for much of his early stay – his second boundary did not come until the 21st over.Dinesh Chandimal rifled through his many spin options, and though half chances were created throughout the partnership, edges continued to fall into space, and marginal decisions went against the hosts. By mid-innings, the track had begun to take dramatic turn, yet Warner and Bailey marched on, scoring off the loose balls, and scratching together runs – the ball sometimes traveling to unguarded spaces off unintended parts of the bat. Warner reached his first half-century of the series off his 72nd delivery, then hit three fours off the next five balls to herald a more attacking approach. His second fifty came off 39 balls, and the celebration upon reaching his first ODI ton in Asia was uncharacteristically restrained, as the innings had been.Bailey fell with 39 runs to get, then Head and Warner followed not long after, but the wickets merely served to narrow the winning margin, rather than provide Sri Lanka with any real hope.Just about the only area of success for Sri Lanka was their opening partnership, which survived past the fifth over for the first time on tour. De Silva was particularly good against Starc again, driving him gracefully through the covers in the first over, then cutting and flicking him to the fence in the fifth. Gunathilaka was punchier, putting John Hastings into the sightscreen in the fourth over then leaning back to slap him over the point region soon after. Sri Lanka’s first 50 runs came in 9.1 overs, but once the wickets began to fall, they could not arrest the slide.

On a day when the Lodha Committee handed over to the BCCI its first set of timelines for the implementation of its reforms, the Indian board has said it began the process of implementing them immediately after the Supreme Court issued its order on the matter on July 18. This is a markedly conciliatory position from the BCCI – it is the first time it has admitted to beginning the process of implementing the recommendations – which had till now adopted a combative stance for the most part.The BCCI has till September 30 to, among other things, amend its rules and regulations, as per the Lodha directive issued on Tuesday. The first phase of reform, comprising recommendations on 11 topics with sub-divisions, is to be completed by October 15. In all, the court had given the BCCI a maximum of six months to implement all the recommendations, from the date of issue of the order.

Key reforms and deadlines in first phase

September 30
— Adopting amended BCCI MoA, and Rules and Regulations
— Amending constitutions of state associations
— Establishing 15-day gap between the national calendar and the IPL
— Amending the anti-corruption and related codes of the IPL
— Amending player-agent registration norms
— Deciding order of the rotational vote in states with more than one association
— Deciding on fund disbursements among members
— Establishing transparency of tenders
— Pondicherry to be made Associate member
— Setting in motion creation of players’ association
October 15
— Appointment of electoral officers at BCCI and state levels
— Reorganising the zones
— Various websites to be created/updated, including providing links to facilities in stadiums
— Handbooks to be made for differently-abled and age-group cricket

Despite the process being set in motion, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke, who had met with the Lodha Committee on Tuesday to discuss the deadlines, indicated that the board’s reservations over the verdict remained; he said it would continue to pursue its legal challenge of the verdict.”Whatever BCCI is doing… the implementation process is going on; there is unanimous agreement on both sides that till – or if – the court stays it, this report is to be implemented,” Shirke told ESPNcricinfo after meeting with the Lodha Committee in Delhi. “The process [of implementation] is already going on. The process started from July 18.”The legal process [against the verdict] is a totally different matter; the implementation [of the recommendations] is a totally different matter. [Filing the review petition against the verdict] is a totally separate process. We have time till August 18 [30 days since the Supreme Court’s verdict]. We will file it whenever it’s ready.”According to a press release from the Lodha Committee, Shirke will have to furnish a report of compliance to the timelines by August 25. The BCCI was also directed to ensure “full transparency” of all tenders floated and bids invited by it, and all contracts entered into with effect from July 18. This will include the broadcast rights awarded to Star India for the two-match T20I series to be played in the USA later this month.The first list of recommendations to be implemented include adopting amendments to the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations of the BCCI, the amendment of constitutions of state and member associations, reorganisation of the zones, and setting in motion the creation of the players’ association.Shirke said the meeting had been “very good”, and that there was no acrimony in light of the remarks made by former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, who was appointed by the BCCI to advise it on the Lodha verdict. “[There was] no problem,” Shirke said. “They are all justices of the highest court. What do you expect? People at a certain level can easily differentiate things.”How does Justice Katju’s [remarks] come up in this meeting? When the meeting was called for implementation of [the Lodha recommendations] how does he feature in that?”BCCI president Anurag Thakur, who is also a member of parliament with India’s ruling party, the BJP, couldn’t attend the meeting with parliament in session. Shirke felt Thakur’s absence was unlikely to attract contempt proceedings from the Lodha Committee, considering that he had a legitimate reason.”It is not a problem because he has already given a very valid reason,” Shirke said. “The parliament is on and the letter to that effect has already been submitted. According to me, that’s not an issue. If the committee feels it’s an issue then it’s for them to decide.”

ScorecardIan Bell top-scored for Birmingham with 80 not out from 55 balls•Getty Images

Notts Outlaws secured their place in the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals with a six-wicket win over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.The Outlaws are through with a game to spare and assured a home quarter-final after a solid all-round display but Birmingham have work still to do to reach the last eight.After their fourth defeat in five North Group games, the Bears must now win their last match, away to Lancashire Lightning next Friday, to be sure of going through.Put in, Birmingham accelerated after a slow start to amass 172 for 2, built around a stand of 116 in 79 balls from Ian Bell (80 from 55 balls) and Will Porterfield (61 not out from 44).Notts’ chase was given a sound platform by Michael Lumb (34 from 25) and Riki Wessels (37 from 28). Dan Christian (37 from 23) kept up the momentum and Greg Smith (52 not out from 31), improvised brilliantly to see them home with five balls to spare.Birmingham made a sedate start with the first three overs yielding 11 singles and five dot balls. Bell upped the ante with two sixes in four balls from Harry Gurney and Jake Ball but the latter struck back by trapping Sam Hain lbw.Birmingham reached halfway on only 66 for 1, Samit Patel having bowled three overs for 20 and, as Bell and Porterfield sought to accelerate, the spinner returned to deliver the 15th over for just three off the bat.Bell reached his half-century from 42 balls with four sixes and, curiously, no fours and Porterfield followed to his from 37 balls (four fours, two sixes). Their stand equalled the Bears’ T20 second-wicket record, (116, set by Jim Troughton and Darren Maddy against Northants Steelbacks at Edgbaston in 2010) before Bell chipped Harry Gurney to mid-on.Porterfield ended with an unbeaten 61 but, with quite a short boundary on one side, it was a target that Notts fancied.Wessels, dropped on 7 by Bell at mid-off off Rikki Clarke, and Lumb added 74 in 52 balls before both perished in three balls from Keith Barker, Lumb blazing to extra-cover and Wessels hoisting to mid-off.Tight overs from Clarke and Jeetan Patel kept Birmingham in the game and Notts started the last six overs needing 61. However, Christian made a big dent in the required rate with two sixes and a four off Ateeq Javid and Smith timed the pursuit to perfection to take his side over the line with a 30-ball half-century.

England will play two ODIs in Antigua and one in Barbados when they tour the Caribbean early next year. The short 50-over series will form part of England’s build-up to the Champions Trophy, a tournament for which West Indies failed to qualify.The England team is scheduled to arrive in St Kitts on February 22 for two warm-up matches against a WICB President’s XI, before going on to Antigua for two ODIs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium – where the West Indies-England Test was abandoned in 2009. The two-week tour will conclude with a third ODI at Kensington Oval on March 9.

England’s tour schedule

• February 25 Warm-up v WICB Pres XI

• February 27 Warm-up v WICB Pres XI

• March 3 1st ODI, Antigua

• March 5 2nd ODI, Antigua

• March 9 3rd ODI, Barbados

“We are pleased to have agreed the itinerary for this tour, which will form an important part of our one-day squad’s preparations for the Champions Trophy in England and Wales later in the summer,” Andrew Strauss, the ECB’s director of England cricket, said.”West Indies is always a popular tour destination for England fans and we trust as many supporters as possible will travel to the Caribbean to show support for the team.”The schedule is similar to that of England’s limited-overs tour of the West Indies in 2014, when they played three ODIs in Antigua before going on to Barbados for three T20s.WICB chief executive, Michael Muirhead said: “We see this an additional opportunity to strengthen our performances in this format as we aim to move up in the rankings. We are pleased once again to have England in the region and as always we know the contest will be keen and we know the fans will come out in their numbers.”West Indies are currently ranked No. 8 in ODI cricket but missed out on the Champions Trophy because they had slipped below Bangladesh and Pakistan to ninth at last year’s cut-off.

The BCCI has made clear its intention to embrace day-night Tests but the pink ball’s debut, in a club final at Eden Gardens, has reiterated what was feared: retaining India’s home advantage will be as big a challenge for the BCCI as countering dew in the evenings.In the CAB Super League final, played in the backyard of the BCCI’s technical committee head Sourav Ganguly, Mohun Bagan were bowled out for 286 by Bhowanipore at the stroke of stumps on the first day of pink-ball cricket in India. As with day-night Test cricket’s debut, the match was played on an excessively green pitch and the square around it was also lush. In order to maintain the visibility of the pink ball, the odds have been stacked in favour of seamers as things stand now. The ball swung and seamed appreciably throughout the day; there was no dew because of the overcast weather in the monsoon.India’s Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who added 81 for the fifth wicket with Bengal opener Anustup Majumdar to help Mohun Bagan reach some respectability after an early collapse, said it wasn’t quite the extent of movement but the persistence thereof that was a concern.”We took our stance some yards outside the crease in order to counter the swing,” Saha was quoted as saying by the . “The ball continued to swing even during the latter stages, which doesn’t happen with a red ball. If you apply yourself against the pink ball and on this kind of a green wicket, you will surely get runs. That’s what Anustup did. I too could’ve got more if not for that false stroke.”Majumdar, who scored 83, said picking the ball was not an issue. “The ball came nicely on to the bat,” he said. “Visibility was not a problem as the ball is a bit glossy. It was skidding and seaming. Initially it was a bit difficult, but once you’re set, shot-making became easy. You need to apply yourself.”The green surroundings kept their end of the bargain. “I was surprised to see the hardness of the ball even after 57 overs,” umpire Premdip Chatterjee was quoted as saying by the . “And unlike the white Kookaburra, the seam was still standing up.”Bhowanipore seamer Geet Puri made use of that proud seam. “There was a lot of swing,” Puri told . “The ball felt much lighter. I really enjoyed bowling with the pink Kookaburra. It had much better control.” There was a warning, though. “Unlike in the red cherry, we can’t keep the shine on one side with the pink ball,” Puri said. “I don’t think it will reverse.”If India are to play a day-night Test this year, it will most likely be with a Kookaburra ball in similarly doctored conditions to make sure the ball lasts. Any of India’s three big opponents this coming season – New Zealand, England and Australia – will lap up such an offer. Neither is Kookaburra India’s preferred ball – they have even contacted Dukes to see if it can manufacture the pink ball – nor are these conditions going to help the home side. Spin and reverse swing could suffer because of the doctored conditions.Of course this is just the first attempt. The ball will only get better, and it is possible that the administrators might find out they don’t need so much grass and move towards a more even playing field. The Test players haven’t yet made their views public. They are likely to get a first-hand experience of playing with it in the Duleep Trophy before the home Tests begin. The BCCI is reputed to not go against its players, which makes for interesting following as to how the players react to the pink ball, and how the BCCI reacts to that reaction.