All posts by n8rngtd.top

Overseas players who rely on league cricket in the UK could suffer a significant financial hit

Umar Farooq05-Apr-2020With the English domestic season in great danger of being completely lost, the impact will be felt well beyond the UK’s borders. Several Pakistani cricketers rely on the English season for their livelihood, playing league cricket there and coaching for various clubs in England. A cancellation will hurt them financially.More than two dozen Pakistani cricketers who aren’t part of the national and domestic set-up have been travelling to the UK for full seasons, earning between £4,500 and £15,000. Some of the more prominent names include Mansoor Amjad, Nayyar Abbas, Qaiser Abbas, Shahid Yousaf and Waqas Maqsood, and these are by no means the only Pakistan players with an interest in the domestic scene in England.”It will have a trickle-down effect,” Amjad told ESPNcricinfo. “For years, players like me who probably haven’t got a future with the national team play league cricket in England. It has been our livelihood and with this coronavirus pandemic we won’t able to travel to England to fulfil our contracts. The number of players playing league cricket might have come down over the years because of inconsistent Pakistan domestic scheduling, but there are still over 30-40 cricketers making money from playing in the UK.”I know this is a worldwide crisis and it’s inevitable we suffer from it, too. This is indeed a testing time and also a learning curve for the national board to understand the importance of cricket for players’ livelihoods. There were so many players who lost their job after the new structure [in Pakistan’s domestic cricket] and now this pandemic took away our alternatives, too. I don’t know what will happen next, but there are so many other young players who had been relying heavily on playing in these leagues. Now they have nothing either at home or abroad.”Several players have played club cricket, with first-class cricketers engaged in coaching jobs to allow clubs to generate revenues. Each player is eligible for a contract of up to of 24 months on the basis of playing five first-class games in one session in any country. With the recent changes in the Pakistan domestic circuit, a number of players looked to leagues in England for an alternate livelihood.The coronavirus pandemic has already caused the PCB to postpone the PSL’s knockout games and suspend the Pakistan one-day cup. The board is presently uncertain about the domestic season that is set to start from September. Moreover, the PCB decided against issuing NOCs for any cricket during Ramadan, when a prestigious private tournament is held in Karachi annually.”We have been approached by some organisers, seeking clarification on the PCB’s NOC policy for Ramadan cricket,” the PCB said in a statement. “At this time, it is appropriate we follow our overarching policy which states that organised cricket in Pakistan will remain suspended until normalcy returns to society. In this background, the PCB will not issue any NOCs for Ramadan cricket.”The PCB takes the welfare and well-being of its staff and cricketers very seriously. It has around 220 professional cricketers on its payroll apart from its staffers. The PCB will ensure that full player salaries continue to be honoured until at least the end of the 2019-2020 financial year. Furthermore, we have put in place systems to ensure that monthly salaries are paid on time and without delay. The PCB is monitoring the situation in the country closely as it evolves and will amend its policy when appropriate.”

Captain hopes that fans can inspire team after criticism for negativity at Lord’s

Andrew Miller09-Jun-2021Joe Root, England’s captain, hopes that the return of a near-capacity crowd for the second Test at Edgbaston can inspire his players to find their inner “showman”, and scotch suggestions that they are a negative team, in the wake of their final-day go-slow in the opening match at Lord’s.Root’s team has been embroiled in controversy since the emergence of historic offensive tweets from a number of squad members, most notably Ollie Robinson, who has been suspended by the ECB pending an investigation. And in the eyes of some of their critics, they missed an opportunity to get their fans back onside in the Lord’s Test, as they declined to take on a 273-run fourth-innings chase, and chose instead to block out for the draw.But Root, who confirmed that the team would once again stand for a “moment of unity” before the start of the second Test, hopes that the return of 17,000 fans a day at Edgbaston may provide an opportunity for a change of narrative – even in the absence of their most proven crowd-pleaser Ben Stokes, who has been at the heart of most of England’s most thrilling victories in recent times.”We’re all very aware we’re in the entertainment business,” Root said. “We all want to be part of those games, those special games that provide that entertainment. They’re the ones that you remember.”The ones that stick in my mind are the World Cup final, Headingley, Cape Town … the ones that go to the wire, they’re the ones you remember as a player, and want to have big contributions in. Of course if there are chances to go and win Test matches, we want to go and take them, if we feel like that’s a realistic possibility.”However, with an unproven batting line-up in this series – one that had made four ducks in the first innings at Lord’s – Root still believes that discretion was the better part of valour in the first Test, after Kane Williamson’s lunchtime declaration had left England needing 273 in a minimum of 75 overs. Dom Sibley led the rearguard with an unbeaten 60, spanning more than five hours, as England closed on 170 for 3.Dom Sibley dug in for the draw on a dour final day at Lord’s•AFP/Getty Images

“I’ve had some time to think about that,” Root said. “I look at the situation we found ourselves in and I still feel we made the right decision. We’ve turned up here with an opportunity to win the series, albeit it is not part of the Test championship, but it is a Test match and that means a hell of a lot to the players and the group.”We’re very keen to put in five days of strong cricket this week and win the series. If the opportunities arise, we’ll definitely look to be aggressive. I don’t want us to be considered a negative team who play a boring brand of cricket. We have some very exciting players who are capable of some wonderful passages of cricket and hopefully that will come to light this week.”Edgbaston has traditionally been a favoured venue for England players, with the crowd’s close proximity to the playing surface, and the habitually rowdy support from the Hollies Stand in particular. Australia’s victory in the Ashes opener in 2019 was only the second by a visiting side in the last 20 years, and Root said he was thrilled at the prospect of feeling that support again.”It will be great to have [that many] people in, enjoying the sport again in pretty much a full house,” he said. “We know Edgbaston in particular provides a wonderful atmosphere, you feel like there’s 12 players on the pitch and you’ve got that extra man.”We’re very aware how lucky we are and how well we’re supported. It’s something we’ve missed as a side and are very much looking forward to. We can’t wait to experience five good days of cricket along with everyone else in the crowd.”Every individual takes it in slightly differently,” he added. “For me, it’s the excitement of it… there’s a showman in everyone, if you like, you want to go out there and put on a show for everyone and it’s an opportunity to do that in your own way.Related

• Let's talk cricket for a bit as England-New Zealand series rests on Edgbaston Test

• Kane Williamson out of second Test; Tom Latham to captain New Zealand

• James Anderson thought he 'wasn't good enough' on debut, as he closes in on England caps record

• Edgbaston Test: Spectators to be allowed at up to 70% capacity

“We’ve all missed that interaction with the fans and the crowd. There’s certain bowlers – you look at Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad – they respond to that atmosphere in the ground in a really positive way. It could be a real boost for us and play into our hands.”Root also urged his young batter to park the anxieties that they showed in the Lord’s Test, and put their focus into the occasion of representing England in a Test match, rather than worry that, with Stokes and Jos Buttler likely to return for the India series, they are already playing for their places.”I see it as an opportunity to go out and score Test runs for their country and I hope they view it like that,” Root said. “They have an opportunity, but also a responsibility to play the situation in front of them to the best of their ability, and to try and eradicate any other thoughts, other than getting absorbed in that moment and get ready for that next ball.”That’s the mindset we want to create,” he added. “Guys come into this team and can seamlessly fit in and do their roles. Hopefully guys will feel like that tomorrow and take their chance. The lads are fully aware of that and are talented enough to make big contributions.”

Middlesex CEO frustrated as club’s hopes of qualification take a hit in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2021A Covid-19 outbreak in the Gloucestershire squad has led to the cancellation of their Royal London Cup clash with Middlesex at Radlett on Sunday, after the visitors were forced to put all but one member of their playing staff into isolation.The news, which was confirmed by the ECB on Sunday evening, is the latest outbreak to impact the county schedule, following Kent’s fielding of a team of second XI and club players against Sussex in the County Championship last month, and the mid-match cancellation of Essex’s visit to Derbyshire, which effectively ended Essex’s hopes of defending their twin red-ball titles.The Gloucestershire outbreak was greeted with frustration by Middlesex’s chief executive, Andrew Cornish, given the impact that the shared points could have on his side’s hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the Royal London Cup. Middlesex are currently seventh in Group A, with two wins from six.”Middlesex Cricket is extremely disappointed to hear of the cancellation of this fixture, which has a massive impact on our hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup,” Cornish said.”Whilst we have every sympathy with Gloucestershire’s situation, as we all endeavour to handle the impact of Covid on our playing groups, as a Club Middlesex have taken every possible step to mitigate any Covid risk to our players, and to hear that our opponents tomorrow are only able to field one player not in isolation is extremely disappointing.”In discussions with the ECB we have made every effort to get tomorrow’s game on, to no avail, and to have our campaign impacted in this way is saddening.”We will continue to discuss this situation with the ECB in the hope of a more satisfactory resolution for Middlesex Cricket.”In a statement, the ECB confirmed that Gloucestershire’s squad members would be required to self-isolate in accordance with the UK government’s existing test-and-trace protocols, and that under Playing Condition 16.11.4.5, Group A of the Royal London Cup will now be decided on an “average points per completed match” basis.Middlesex will be issuing refunds to all spectators who have pre-purchased tickets and paid for car parking to Sunday’s game.”Our thanks go to all Middlesex members and supporters who were due to attend the fixture who will sadly miss out on the opportunity to watch us in action,” Cornish added. “It’s a real shame that with so little cricket to enjoy this summer in person, you are now unable to do so tomorrow, in what promised to be a thrilling encounter.”

ESPNcricinfo’s live updates and analysis of today’s World Cup encounter from Cardiff

Liam Brickhill15-Jun-2019

The slingy fast bowler was part of Sri Lanka’s squad at the recent Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2022Chennai Super Kings have signed up the Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana as a replacement for the New Zealand quick Adam Milne, who has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2022 with a hamstring injury. Milne suffered the injury during Super Kings’ first match of the season, against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26, and has not featured in the tournament since.The 19-year-old Pathirana was part of the Sri Lanka squad at this year’s Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies, where he played four matches and picked up seven wickets at an average of 27.28 while returning an economy rate of 6.16. Pathirana first came into prominence thanks to his low, slingy action that closely resembles that of the former Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga, and his ability to bowl pacy, late-tailing yorkers.

Ben Foakes and Rikki Clarke narrowly failed to guide Surrey home in a tense affair in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2018
ScorecardGloucestershire’s bowlers held their nerve to defeat Surrey by five runs in a tense match at Bristol and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast.Kieran Noema-Barnett registered a career-best-equalling 57 not out as Gloucestershire posted 174 for 6 on a drying pitch.When Ben Foakes raised 59 from 39 balls and added 66 for the fifth wicket with Rikki Clarke, it looked as though Surrey would win. But David Payne bowled Foakes in the penultimate over and Ryan Higgins frustrated the eighth wicket pair of Morne Morkel and Mat Pillans with 12 needed off the final over.Gloucestershire captain Michael Klinger said: “Our total was a bit below par, but we’ve defended less than that and still won games here. David Payne getting Ben Foakes out was the turning point for sure. But we had to take a few risks today, such as bowling out our best bowler, Andrew Tye, early to try and put the run rate up.”For Surrey, there is a tense final week ahead. Foakes said: “I thought we had a good chance when Rikkie Clarke and I were in at about halfway. We had it down to about a run a ball, but when I got out it was at a crucial time and we threw it away a bit. The wicket was difficult, but the short boundary made 174 a very gettable total. We just let it slip from our grasp.”We’re struggling to make the last eight and are definitely depending on other results going our way. We just have to try and win our last two games and see what happens.”In irresistible form with the bat when putting Middlesex to the sword four days previously, Gloucestershire struggled to build momentum after being put in to bat.Too many batsmen had starts, only to surrender their wickets in meek fashion, and the home side were indebted to Noema-Barnett and Gareth Roderick, who staged a restorative unbroken stand of 51 in four overs for the seventh wicket to carry their team to respectability.Otherwise, Gloucestershire’s batsmen found their progress stymied by the nagging line and length of veteran Clarke and South African paceman Morkel, who returned figures of 2 for 27 and 3 for 34 respectively.Miles Hammond played across the line at and missed a straight ball and was bowled for 15 by Morkel, while fellow opener Michael Klinger pulled a short delivery from Clarke straight to Nic Maddison at midwicket for nine.Benny Howell signalled his intent by plundering 14 runs off one Pillans over as Gloucestershire advanced to 50 for 2, but he was out soon afterwards for 28, held at long-on in the act of driving Gareth Batty.Having scored his maiden T20 hundred in the previous match, Ian Cockbain flattered to deceive on this occasion, chipping a length ball from Morkel straight to Jason Roy at mid-off for nine.Clarke changed ends and induced Ryan Higgins to sky a catch to wide mid-on, while Jack Taylor miss-timed a drive and was held at mid-on to become Morkle’s third victim as Gloucestershire continued to stutter.But Pillans and Freddie van den Bergh proved rather more expensive, sending down a combined tally of four overs for 55 runs.Playing to his strengths in an innings that spanned 37 balls, Noema-Barnett went to his first T20 50 for Gloucestershire in the grand manner, hoisting Pillans over the deep square leg boundary for his fourth six.Defending a modest total, Gloucestershire needed to take early wickets and did so, England white ball international Roy lofting David Payne to deep square leg for 15, Rory Burns shuffling in front of a straight ball from the same bowler and Will Jacks top-edging a pull shot behind off Noema-Barnett.When Maddinson holed out to deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Howell, Surrey were 66 for 4 in the ninth over and in danger of under-achieving.But Foakes and Clarke redressed the balance, plundering 31 runs from the ninth and tenth overs, at which point the visitors needed 78 from 10 overs.Howell had Clarke held at long-off and then bowled van den Bergh with 30 needed off four overs, while Payne removed key man Foakes in the 19th over to alter the complexion of the game.

Former South Africa captain says CSA’s new T20 league will bring an investment that their game desperately needs

Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2022Test cricket could be played by only five or six countries with competitive teams in the future, according to former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. Speaking on on day three of the first Test between South Africa and England at Lord’s, Smith, who is now Cricket South Africa’s T20 league commissioner, said he didn’t think South Africa “have any intent to not play Test cricket,” but that the format appears destined to shrink overall.”With Test cricket, it’s just iconic nations or the big cricketing nations that are contributing to Test cricket at the moment,” Smith said. “I think it’s fantastic especially under Virat Kohli that India really took Test cricket seriously. They lead the way with that. But as long as we’ve got competitive teams, you’re not going to have 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 competitive teams. You might only be down to five or six nations that play Test cricket at this level.”Smith’s comments came on the back of the ICC’s new FTP, according to which South Africa play fewer Tests in the next cycle (2023-2027) than the current one (2019-2023) and no three-Test series in the 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC).CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki explained that their calendar was constrained by their new T20 league and the financial implications of hosting Test cricket but understood there would be disappointment with their sparse fixture list. The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) were among the first to voice their frustration.”We are disappointed with the lack of Test cricket. For youngsters, it’s the optimum test of your cricket ability,” Andrew Breetze, SACA CEO told ESPNcricinfo. “With fewer Tests being played and more two-Test series, Test cricket is being diluted. If you look at what FICA and SACA have been saying for the last five years, we said that the ICC should take ownership of this by looking at how we balance bilateral cricket with T20 events and if they don’t do that we are going to see Test cricket being diminished by the non-big three. We are there. And that’s disappointing.”Related

• CSA downsizes international commitments to make room for new T20 league

• CSA forfeits Australia ODIs to secure 'long-term sustainability of the game' in South Africa

Despite that, SACA and its members (South African domestic and international players) will throw their weight behind the new T20 league as they recognise the pivotal role it will play in keeping South African cricket sustainable. “We support the league. The league is critical for the survival of cricket in South Africa,” Breetzke said. “We’ve got three sources of revenue for cricket in South Africa – broadcast revenue, sponsorship and ICC revenue. Two of those are reducing, and because of that, we’ve got to find a source of revenue and that is the T20 league.”Broadcast revenue and sponsorships are the two streams that are shrinking, partly because of the state of the global game and economy and partly because of CSA’s recent administrative meltdown. “If you are not playing India enough, your broadcast revenue is down,” Breetzke said. “Sponsorship revenue is two-fold because we’re not playing as much and because of the last five years at CSA. No-one wants to get involved in our cricket and that’s the sad reality. There is a lot of work for CSA – and to give them credit they are doing it – to enhance the work of CSA and to get sponsors. That’s more critical than ever. The market has changed post Covid. You are not getting those 18-million-rand-a-year Standard Bank sponsorships. The market is more about short-term sponsorship deals, smaller sponsorship and more specific sponsorship. That’s where CSA have to up their game.”Graeme Smith: ‘I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away’•BCCI

The six teams in CSA’s new league have all been bought by IPL owners, a development that will inject unprecedented amounts of money into the country’s game. “It’s certainly going to be an investment into our game that South African cricket desperately needed,” Smith said. “The pressures on nations like New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa to stay financially sustainable to keep up with England, India, and the world game to stay competitive is hugely important. I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away.”Asked whether he thought there were any dangers to private ownership, Smith said he did not see any drawbacks. “Cricket South Africa is still the major shareholder in this league. The investment into the South African game is still going to happen. It’s not people coming in and taking cricket away from the federation. A big part of this private ownership is that these owners had to look at the grassroots programmes, development programmes and how they would impact that. Hopefully we’ll see a talent pool would really get stronger and stronger and benefit cricket across the board. We needed partners that were sustainable. They’re not looking to make a dollar early on, they were prepared to invest in South Africa and grow this opportunity with us. And I think the key difference for us is that the money will still flow back into the game.”Given all the promises of the new league, CSA has been willing to move other commitments aside, including future Test engagements and forfeiting World Cup Super League matches in Australia next January. Smith said it was a necessary sacrifice, which was actually a lot smaller than it may seem. “For four weeks of an entire year, the priority will be the league. I feel that if we hadn’t done this South African cricket could have probably lost eight to ten players to this UAE league,” he said. “People also look at those three ODIs wrong. Yes, South Africa hasn’t handled ODI cricket as well and it should never be in this position. But for South Africa to be in Australia out of their key part of the summer financially is a huge stress for them. It’s like asking England not to play during your summer. The commitment that South African cricket made to go for the three Test matches is good for the game. It’s something that won’t happen often.”South Africa will not travel to Australia for Tests at all in the next FTP, and overall they also play fewer ODIs than any of the other Full Members, and the third-lowest number of bilateral matches in total after Ireland and Zimbabwe. That number may increase after ongoing discussions with other members.Moseki said CSA were looking at ways to organise more ODIs before the 2027 World Cup but SACA hoped additional fixtures can also be secured before then. “It’s placed CSA in a position where they have to go out and negotiate additional white-ball matches,” Breetzke said. “If you look at that FTP and you look at areas there, there’s a negotiation for additional matches. Relationships are going to be critically important as to can we enhance that FTP with white-ball cricket.”

An assessment revealed that his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees limit permitted under playing regulations

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2019West Indies offspinner Shane Shillingford has been suspended from bowling in domestic cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found his action to be illegal. The assessment revealed that Shillingford’s deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees limit permitted under playing regulations.Shillingford, 35, was reported for a suspect action during the opening match of the West Indies domestic four-day tournament in St Lucia last month, where he finished with match figures of 5 for 115 in Windward Islands’ 125-run loss to Guyana. He played another match before his action was deemed to be illegal, in which he picked up 12 wickets to hand Windward Islands a 76-run win against Trinidad and Tobago in Tarouba.According to a CWI release, he will remain suspended until his action is found to be legal and is expected to undergo remedial work supervised by the Windward Islands franchise.He can apply for a reassessment after modifying his bowling action in accordance with the regulations, either by an opinion report from Loughborough University or by an independent analysis from an accredited testing centre.This is the third time Shillingford’s bowling action has come under scrutiny. In December 2010, he was suspended from bowling as his action was found to be illegal following independent tests in Perth, though he underwent remedial action and was cleared by the ICC in June 2011.In 2013, Shillingford was suspended again during the tour of New Zealand, following tests in Perth which showed both his doosra and conventional offspin breached the limit laid down by ICC. Subsequent testing at the University of Western Australia showed that his offspin and straighter ball were within the regulations, but his doosra still remained illegal.Having made his international debut in 2010, Shillingford has played 16 Tests for West Indies, and has 70 wickets at an average of 34.55.