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Northern Districts fought back to beat Canterbury at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora, winning their third game of the tournament and taking the lead in the points table

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2012Northern Districts fought back to beat Canterbury at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora, winning their third game of the tournament and taking the lead in the points table. Asked to bat, ND were bowled out for 197 in their first innings, opener and captain Brad Wilson being the only half-centurion. Willie Lonsdale bagged six wickets to put his team ahead but ND hit back hard. Brent Arnel was the wrecker-in-chief as he bagged a five-for to bowl out Canterbury for 121 and earn his team a handy 76-run lead. Only wicketkeeper Reece Young put up any serious resistance, scoring 55.The ND batsmen, in their second innings, ensured the advantage didn’t slip. Wilson made 60, Joesph Yovich guided the innings with his fourth first-class hundred and James Marshall scored at a fair clip to make 92. There was more to come from the middle order. Daniel Vettori, Daniel Flynn and BJ Watling all chipped in with useful contributions to stretch their team’s score to 426 for 7, at which point they declared.Set 503 to win, Canterbury fought hard, putting in a better effort with the bat it wasn’t enough. Opener George Worker made a half-century and the first three wickets yielded 155 runs. But the pressure increased manifold when Canterbury slipped to 202 for 6. Though Henry Nicholls managed an unbeaten 93 and shared a 76-run stand with Matt Henry down the order, ND were always ahead, making steady strikes. Vettori starred with a five-for while Arnel picked up three. Canterbury were bowled out for 368, sliding to their third defeat.Wellington registered a comfortable seven-wicket win over Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. The stand-out performer for the winning team was seamer Mark Gillespie, who collected his maiden match haul of ten wickets in first-class cricket.His 5 for 67 in the first innings helped Wellington bowl out Auckland for 320. There were half-centuries from Neal Parlane, Anaru Kitchen and Colin de Grandhomme and some support from the lower order but no contribution was substantial enough to stretch the score to imposing proportions. Openers Josh Brodie and Michael Papps led the way for Wellington in their reply. Brodie achieved a career-best score of 210, striking 30 boundaries in an innings that lasted more than eight hours. Papps made 111 in an opening stand of 236. Luke Woodcock made a half-century in the middle order, arresting a slide after Wellington lost four wickets for 63. The visitors eventually managed 479, securing a lead of 159.Gillespie left his mark in the second innings as well, this time skittling Auckland for just 201. He ran through the middle order to bag his second five-for of the match and contributions of 83 and 56 from Kitchen and Colin Munro were the only ones of any significance in the Auckland innings. Wellington lost three wickets in the chase but a target of 43 wasn’t going to put them under pressure.Central Districts overcame Otago by five wickets in a game in which both teams made sporting declarations to give themselves a shot at victory after the entire first day was lost to rain at the Queenstown Events Centre.Otago batted first and declared at 281 for 8 in 95 overs, opener Craig Cumming making 129 and Sam Wells chipping in with 59 in the middle order. CD replied by declaring on 198 for 6 in 66 overs. They were in trouble at 63 for 4 at one stage but wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk steadied the innings with an unbeaten 72. Though they conceded a lead of 83 by declaring early, CD backed themselves to do well with the ball in the second innings and the move paid off.Thanks to a combined bowling effort, CD dismissed Otago for 115 in just 36.5 overs in the second innings. Otago seemed well placed at 89 for 2 at one stage, but they collapsed, losing eight wickets for 26. Kyle Jarvis picked up three wickets, so did Daniel Wightman; each of the five CD bowlers picked up at least a wicket each. In their chase of 199, CD were struggling at 53 for 4 but van Wyk again came to the rescue, scoring his second half-century of the match, making an unbeaten 74 to guide his team to victory in the company of Carl Cachopa, with whom he added a match-clinching 78. The win was CD’s first in the competition.

Mustafa Kamal, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president, has said that weaker teams get the short end of the stick when it comes to umpiring decisions

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2011Mustafa Kamal, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president, has said that weaker teams get the short end of the stick when it comes to umpiring decisions.”I was listening to the commentators during the recently concluded Pakistan series. Everyone mentioned there that we got bad decisions,” Kamal said during the launch ceremony for the 2012 Asia Cup. “If those decisions went our way, the cricket would have been more competitive but we couldn’t do that. To err is human. I cannot talk against umpires being an ICC director, but I have seen that against weaker countries, there are more wrong decisions.”Kamal was referring to the fourth day of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, when Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was given out caught even though the ball appeared to have struck his helmet and lobbed to the slip fielder. It was a crucial time for the Bangladesh team who were in pursuit of saving the game. There was a loud clamour for the Decision Review System (DRS), though this wasn’t the first such instance.During the England series in March 2010 as well, there was a lot of talk surrounding the BCB’s reluctance to use technology with then captain Shakib Al Hasan being one of the advocates. In the second Test of that series, coach Jamie Siddons was seen fuming at some of the decisions in the England first innings. Umpire Asoka de Silva’s mistakes during the Pakistan tour in 2003 was the first flashpoint of Bangladesh’s angst with decisions.Kamal was recently named the joint-nominee from Pakistan and Bangladesh for the ICC vice-presidency, and is in line to take over as president in 2014. He said that during the ICC’s meeting a few months ago, the deliberations on making technology mandatory were put on hold as the system isn’t foolproof yet. However, he stated that the next Bangladesh television deal would include the use of DRS.”In the October ICC meeting, the DRS was discussed. There it was decided that since the technology hasn’t been developed to that extent and there are mistakes in the DRS system itself, it won’t be made mandatory.”In our deal with Nimbus, there was no DRS. But from next April, when we will discuss with another broadcaster, we will tell them to include DRS in all our games.”

Joginder Sharma, the Haryana and Chennai Super Kings allrounder, was in a road accident in Delhi this morning but is now out of danger

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2011Joginder Sharma, the Haryana and Chennai Super Kings allrounder, was in a road accident in Delhi this morning but is now stable. He had sustained a head injury in the accident, which required surgery.Anirudh Chaudhry, the Haryana Cricket Association secretary, confirmed on Twitter that Joginder was on the mend. “He [Joginder] is out of danger and our [HCA’s] physio met him and spoke to him post-surgery,” he tweeted.Joginder was on the way back from a session with acupuncture specialist Jatin Chaudhry, when a vehicle rammed into his car. He is currently admitted at the Balaji Action Hospital in Paschim Vihar, Delhi.An allrounder, Joginder was part of India’s 2007 World Twenty20-winning team. Bowling the last over in the final, he claimed the wicket of Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq to seal a five-run win for India. He has also played four one-dayers for India, but has not been in the national XI since 2007. He has played 59 first-class games for Haryana and Tripura so far, averaging 27.58 with the bat and 20.64 the ball.

David Payne completed career-best first-class figures of 6 for 26 asGloucestershire strengthened their grip on the County Championship matchwith Leicestershire at Bristol

09-Sep-2011
ScorecardDavid Payne completed career-best first-class figures of 6 for 26 asGloucestershire strengthened their grip on the County Championship matchwith Leicestershire at Bristol.The visitors resumed the third day on 131 for 6 in the first innings, butcould add only four runs as Payne claimed three of the wickets. Will Gidmanfinished with two for 24. Following on 259 behind, Leicestershire were then looking slightly rattled on 122 for three before a century stand between James Taylor (70) and Ned Eckersley(52 not out) steadied things.They closed on 255 for 4, still four runs adrift and with Will Jeffersonhaving retired hurt because of an injured hand. Leicestershire could manage only one scoring stroke, a boundary by Eckersley, in losing their last four wickets at the start of the day.Three of the tail registered ducks, including overnight batsman Rob Taylor, whohad his off-stump uprooted by Payne. Eckersley had moved to 39 when he became the eighth man out, caught behind off Ian Saxelby, and Payne quickly wrapped up the innings by finding the edge of Jigar Naik’s bat before clean bowling Matthew Hoggard second ball.The last four wickets fell without addition to the total and Payne bettered hisprevious best first-class figures of 5 for 76 in the opening game of thisseason against Derbyshire at Bristol.When Leicestershire followed on they soon suffered another blow as Jeffersonwas forced to retire on two, having been struck on his hand. He was taken tohospital for X-rays, which showed no broken bones. Greg Smith (40) and Matt Boyce (44) took the score to 100 before falling in quick succession. Smith was caught at gully trying to force a ball from Payne off the back-foot, and at the start of the following over Boyce called for aquick single as James Taylor played a ball to backward point and was run out byGidman’s direct hit.When Josh Cobb gave another gully catch to Kane Williamson off bat and pad tomake it 122 for three, another Leicestershire collapse looked likely. But the diminutive Taylor is big on talent and together with Eckersley began to make a fight of it.It was 145 for three at tea and the England Lions player went on to reach ahalf-century off 88 balls, with six fours, looking particularly strong off hislegs. It took the wily Jon Lewis to dismiss him with a short ball, which Taylortop-edged to fine-leg where Payne took a safe catch.Eckersley stood firm and moved to fifty off 116 balls, with four fours. The22-year-old wicketkeeper was unbeaten at the close alongside Wayne White(12no).

Preview of the teams participating in the upcoming second edition of the Bangladesh Premier League

Mohammad Isam15-Jan-2013Khulna Royal BengalsShakib Al Hasan, the Man of the Series in the first edition of BPL, will represent the Dhaka Gladiators this season•BPL T20Without Shakib Al Hasan, Khulna Royal Bengals will not be a team to reckon with. But the presence of some foreign talent (pending availability) could make them the surprise package.The team’s difficulties will arise if the Pakistani players aren’t given NOCs, because Khulna are quite dependent on Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. Ultimately, it will also come down to the local players to put up a good show for the team to win games. Nazimuddin, Shahriar Nafees and Shahadat Hossain will have to play out of their skins, while positive performances from Farhad Reza, Mizanur Rahman, Mithun Ali, Dolar Mahmud, Nabil Samad and Sanjamul Islam will be a bonus.Key playerAhmed Shehzad was the highest scorer in the first edition of the BPL, scoring 486 runs. He helped Barisal Burners into the final after Chris Gayle left early. This time, he will have to do a similar job for Khulna, a weaker team on paper than what Barisal were last year.Major team changesShoaib Malik will enter the Khulna dressing room, in place of Shakib Al Hasan. Malik will play a similar role but will be required to be the team’s inspiration too, particularly due to the lack of other big players.Below the radarNabil Samad is suited well to Twenty20s, but hasn’t quite performed with fire with his brand of fast-ish left-arm spin. He has played regularly in domestic cricket, though has always remained behind the likes of Enamul Haque jnr and Saqlain Sajib. It could be an occasion for the Sylhet spinner to take a step forward which would be welcomed in the Khulna dugout.Last year’s performanceSemi-finalists.Sylhet RoyalsTheir ownership wasn’t confirmed until the week before the players’ auction, so they were quite far behind in terms of planning about their personnel. However, their early acquisition of a strong management will be beneficial for them. It includes Mohammad Salahuddin, the former Bangladesh fielding coach and the man regarded as the guru of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, who is incidentally the Sylhet Royals captain this time.There are only two players from Sylhet Division in the squad – medium-pace bowler Nazmul Hossain and opening batsman Imtiaz Hossain – but the likes of Mushfiqur, Sohag Gazi and Mominul Haque will be required to perform for the team to go beyond the first stage.Among the foreign players, Dwayne Smith, Hamilton Masakadza and Paul Stirling are some of the useful performers, while their Pakistani recruits are relatively unknown. The absence of Andre Russell and Tino Best have hurt the side’s chances, but they have included Dirk Nannes – a welcome addition to the pace attack.Key playerMushfiqur Rahim will lead this Twenty20 side, and his batting in the middle order will be a much-needed thrust for a line-up that lacks a few big-hitters. His captaincy and wicketkeeping, too, will be vital, especially against the more fancied opponents.Major team changesKamran Akmal was the team’s mainstay in the first season, and he will be missed this time around. He has been replaced by Mushfiqur, and the addition of Sohag Gazi has given the team a wicket-taking option.Below the radarImtiaz Hossain has been a regular for Sylhet’s first-class side for the past decade. An aggressive opener, Imtiaz will be facing his first major challenge as an experienced cricketer when he goes out to open. Expect good on-side play but as with any Bangladeshi first-class cricketers, he will be susceptible to the short ball.Last year’s performanceSixth.Mohammad Sami, the joint-highest wicket-taker in the previous edition of BPL, has been retained by Duronto Rajshahi•BPL T20Duronto RajshahiDuronto Rajshahi are the only team to retain most of their players from last season,in a bid to have continuity in their set-up. The team is rich in local talent, whichhas been due the presence of Khaled Mashud in the team management.In addition to Rajshahi locals like Jahurul Islam, Farhad Hossain, Mukhtar Ali andTaijul Islam, they have also acquired Tamim Iqbal, Ziaur Rahman and Abul Hasan, amongothers.They have retained Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, Shahzaib Hassan,Khalid Latif and Sean Ervine from last season. Alex Hales has shown signs of being apotent force in Twenty20s, and is likely to complement Tamim at the top. Their pace attack looks good too, especially with Sami taking the new ball.Key playerTamim Iqbal didn’t have much to do in the first season, but he will beexpected to make up for lost time. Rajshahi would be the beneficiary of a man whohas been in form for the past year. He has also done quite well in New Zealand’sdomestic Twenty20 competition, and will be expected to cut loose for Rajshahi aswell.Major team changesMushfiqur Rahim will be missed as captain, batsman and wicketkeeper. ButJahurul Islam can keep wicket, while Tamim and Ziaur Rahman, among the locals, willbe handy. Though quite expensive, the inclusion of Abul Hasan could be the surprise package that Rajshahi lacks as he provides pace, yorkers as well as some late-order runs.Below the radarWith only Mohammad Sami as a major pace-bowling threat in the line-up, it is likelythat the other position will be fought over by Abul Hasan and Mukhtar Ali.The latter could be ahead due to his all-round ability, especially as a late-orderhitter. Mukhtar has been around for a while in the Bangladesh domestic scene, andmore importantly has won major trophies for Rajshahi and in the Dhaka PremierLeague. He can be handy in tight situations, but it would be a big call to throw him the ball in tight finishes during this tournament.Last year’s performanceSemi-finalists.Rangpur RidersThey became a separate divisional entity in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket in 2011, and played their first first-class game in the 2011-12 season.Flora Telecom bought the Rangpur franchise but it doesn’t seem like they have done much homework to assess the right players to be bought. They haven’t filled their foreign quota, and their local picks leave a lot of questions unanswered.Nasir Hossain is big in local cricket, and will have to pull the team through with middle-order batting, offspin and fielding. Abdur Razzak, Junaid Siddique and Imrul Kayes will have to perform quite well, and ensure that young players like Shamsur Rahman, Taposh Ghosh, Dhiman Ghosh and Mohammad Sharif are not overawed by the BPL glitz.Their few foreign players appear desperate selections, so it will largely depend on how the international players perform.Key playerKevin O’Brien will make his BPL debut and Rangpur have made a wise choice by picking the Irish allrounder. His batting will sometimes be required to tone down because of the lack of options in the line-up, while his seam bowling will be called for regularly.Below the radarShamsur Rahman is to Bangladesh domestic cricket what Mohammad Ashraful has been to international cricket. Inconsistency has been his main problem but when he finds touch, he’s one of the best batsmen in the country to watch.

Rain denied a crowd of 8,000 the chance to see Kevin Pietersen inbatting action as Surrey’s Friends Life t20 clash with Glamorgan was abandonedat the midway stage

10-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Rain denied a crowd of 8,000 the chance to see Kevin Pietersen inbatting action as Surrey’s Friends Life t20 clash with Glamorgan was abandonedat the midway stage.Pietersen made his competition debut for Surrey, but the crowd had to settlefor seeing him field as the visitors, captained by Alviro Petersen, reached atotal of 167 for 7.The Glamorgan skipper made 13 before being bowled by Dirk Nannes, who bowledfour tight overs, while Jade Dernbach also impressed with the ball for Surrey ashe took three for 30.Both sides collected one point for the no-result, and the consolation forSurrey and Glamorgan – if not for the spectators – is that they remain firmly incontention for top-four finishes in the South Group.Thunder and lightning greeted the end of Glamorgan’s 20 overs, and the Ovalgroundstaff were soon hauling on covers while torrential rain fell over southLondon.For a while, when the weather temporarily cleared, there was hope that playmight be able to re-start, but when more heavy rain arrived just before 9pm thematch was abandoned.Mark Cosgrove and Jim Allenby, who hit a fine 63 off 44 balls, played the majorinnings for Glamorgan, while David Brown hit out productively towards the end ashe and Allenby added 53 in five overs for the sixth wicket.If Pietersen had not pulled off a fine boundary catch at long-on to dismissCosgrove for a 30-ball 43 in the 11th over, leaping to hold the ball and doingwell not to step over the ropes in the process, Glamorgan’s total would surelyhave been greater. He and Allenby had added 57 in just six overs.As it was, they lost four wickets for 14 runs inside four overs, with Cosgrovethe first to go in that sequence, and momentum was only regained in a 17th overfrom Zander de Bruyn in which Allenby took a leg-side four as he went to hishalf-century and Brown swung a mighty six over long-on.There was another six for Allenby in the next over, with Yasir Arafat blastedover mid-wicket, while Brown went down on one knee and cleverly paddle-sweptDernbach to fine leg for four as he reached an unbeaten 31 from 21 balls.Cosgrove hit four fours and two sixes, both over long-on off Gareth Batty,while Allenby’s fine innings contained three sixes – two in the same over offChris Schofield – and five fours.

Kumar Sangakkara has made an extraordinary, scathing attack on the “partisan cronies” at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) who have blighted the sport in his country, and who led him to resign the captaincy after only two years in charge

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2011Kumar Sangakkara has made an extraordinary, scathing attack on the “partisan cronies” at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) who have blighted the sport in his country and who led him to resign the captaincy after only two years in charge, following the World Cup final in April. Sangakkara was delivering the MCC Spirit of Cricket Lecture at Lord’s on Monday.In an hour-long speech that earned him a standing ovation, Sangakkara charted the unique history of cricket in his country, and called on SLC to root out its corrupt practices and recognise the huge role the sport now needs to play in promoting reconciliation at the end of a 30-year civil war.Sangakkara pinpointed the country’s most powerful moment of national unity – the World Cup final victory over Australia in 1996 – as the moment the sport’s administration changed “from a volunteer-led organisation run by well-meaning men of integrity into a multimillion-dollar organisation that has been in turmoil ever since”.His speech could fetch him serious repercussions but the board’s only response so far has been to state that it is unable to comment given that the team is currently on tour in England.Sri Lanka’s ongoing tour of England has been dogged by controversy ever since Sanath Jayasuriya, now an MP with the ruling UPFA party, was recalled at the age of 41 to play in the one-off Twenty20 and the first ODI at The Oval, despite having been out of the side for nearly two years. Without mentioning names, Sangakkara voiced his concern at the direction the sport in his country is now heading.”Players from within the team itself became involved in power games within the board,” he said. “Officials elected to power in this way in turn manipulated player loyalty to achieve their own ends. At times board politics would spill over into the team causing rift, ill feeling and distrust.”Accountability and transparency in administration and credibility of conduct were lost in a mad power struggle that would leave Sri Lankan cricket with no consistent and clear administration. Presidents and elected executive committees would come and go; government-picked interim committees would be appointed and dissolved.”Last week, Sri Lanka’s sports ministry dissolved SLC’s interim committee, following allegations of financial mismanagement that left the co-hosts of the recent World Cup with a US$ 69 million bill. That announcement followed the ICC meeting in Hong Kong, at which a directive was issued, stating that cricket boards had to be free of political interference by June 2013, or face the prospect of sanctions.”After 1996 the cricket board has been controlled and administered by a handful of well-meaning individuals either personally or by proxy, rotated in and out, depending on appointment or election,” Sangakkara said. “Unfortunately to consolidate and perpetuate their power, they opened the door of the administration to partisan cronies that would lead to corruption and wanton waste of cricket board finances and resources.”It was and still is confusing. Accusations of vote buying and rigging, player interference due to lobbying from each side and even violence at the AGMs, including the brandishing of weapons and ugly fist fights, have characterised cricket board elections for as long as I can remember.”We have to aspire to better administration. The administration needs to adopt the same values enshrined by the team over the years: integrity, transparency, commitment and discipline.”Unless the administration is capable of becoming more professional, forward-thinking and transparent then we risk alienating the common man. Indeed, this is already happening. Loyal fans are becoming increasingly disillusioned. This is very dangerous because it is not the administrators or players that sustain the game – it is the cricket-loving public. It is their passion that powers cricket and if they turn their backs on cricket then the whole system will come crashing down.”Crucially for the future of Sri Lanka, that public consists of supporters from both sides of the bloody civil war that was finally concluded last year. However, as has been seen by the numerous Tamil protestors who have made their presence known during the current Test and ODI series, there is a danger that the current state of the sport will breed disenchantment rather than foster unity.”Cricket played a crucial role during the dark days of Sri Lanka’s civil war, a period of enormous suffering for all communities,” Sangakkara said. “But the conduct and performance of the team will have even greater importance as we enter a crucial period of reconciliation and recovery, an exciting period where all Sri Lankans aspire to peace and unity.”It is also an exciting period for cricket where the reintegration of isolated communities in the north and east opens up new talent pools. The Spirit of Cricket can and should remain a guiding force for good within society, providing entertain and fun, but also a shining example to all of how we all should approach our lives.”Listen to the full address at www.lords.org

Doug Bollinger, the Australian fast bowler, has been sent home from the World Cup due to an ankle injury

Brydon Coverdale in Nagpur25-Feb-2011Australia’s injury worries have worsened with Doug Bollinger to be sent home from the World Cup due to an ankle injury that may require surgery. The Australians came to India already missing Michael Hussey, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty and Shaun Marsh due to injuries, but Bollinger is the first member of the squad to be flown home mid-tournament.Bollinger suffered pain in his left ankle during the first warm-up game against India and although the soreness eased and he was available for Monday’s match against Zimbabwe, the problem intensified when the team arrived in Nagpur. Peter Siddle would be the logical replacement for Bollinger, but the selectors have not yet decided on who should join the squad.The ICC has also confirmed that withdrawn players can return to replace other injured men, meaning the door has been opened for Michael Hussey to make a potential dash to the World Cup. However, the Australians would most likely prefer a backup fast bowler to replace Bollinger, with John Hastings the only reserve seamer in the touring party.”He’s got a thing called posterior impingement,” Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris said. “Basically, the bones at the back of the ankle, when he lands to bowl, one bone hits another bone and the bone becomes really inflamed and irritated. It irritates all the soft tissue around it as well. It’s fairly common in fast bowlers.”Brett Lee has had five or six lots of surgery on that in the past. It’s reasonably common but he [Doug] has never had it before, so we thought we’d push it for as long as we could go, and he just can’t go any further at the moment. We need to take him out of cricket for a while, whether he needs just rest or needs other treatment, maybe even surgery, that will be decided in the next few days.”Bollinger will have scans in Australia to determine whether he will need an operation and if that is required, he will have several months to recover before Australia’s next Test tour, to Sri Lanka in August. The problem first appeared towards the end of the recent one-day series against England, but the pain did not become significant until the team was preparing for the match against New Zealand.”It was only when he bowled yesterday here it became really sore again,” Kountouris said. “He tried bowling again today and he was really sore today, so based on that, based on the sort of injury it is we’re going to send him back to Australia and look at what our options are for treatment.”Shaun Tait, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, again proved themselves a formidable trio by dismissing New Zealand for 206 on Friday. The selectors will decide which player will join them over the next few days.

Brett Lee and the Kolkata Knight Riders share unhappy common ground

Daniel Brettig15-Apr-2011Brett Lee and the Kolkata Knight Riders share unhappy common ground. For all the gloss, talent and market power each possess, their most indelible images on the cricket grounds of India have been forged in defeat.For Lee, the 2008 Test tour, on which he lost the mantle of world’s best fast bowler never to regain it, sits alongside more tragically heroic scenes from the 2011 World Cup quarter-final against India, when he dove valiantly around the field while trying to pull Australia into the semis through sheer force of will. Kolkata’s three editions of the Indian Premier League without a semi-final berth tell their own story of wasted talent; the owner Shahrukh Khan’s grimace, and the encroachment of impatient businesses on a faltering Twenty20 team.After an initial stint with King’s XI Punjab that was mixed in terms of results if not his own personal impressions – “I had three great years”, he says – Lee and Kolkata have now been united in what seems a chance for each party to extract the best from each other. Lee’s profile is ideal for Kolkata but so too is his work-rate.”Hopefully we can go out there and make a difference to the way Kolkata have been playing,” Lee told ESPNCricinfo before flying to India at the end of Australia’s tour of Bangladesh.”We’ve got a big tournament ahead, missed a couple of games, but looking forward to getting out there and leading from the front.”I’ve heard it’s a great club, a great franchise; Shahrukh Khan the owner, he’s an amazing actor, like the Brad Pitt of India, so there’s a lot of prestigious things there even away from cricket.”Lee’s description of Kolkata’s owner says all it needs to, about the world of the IPL. This is show business with all the trappings, as distinct from the purer pleasures and insights that can still occasionally be derived from the international game. Searching for words to describe it, Lee settled on “soap opera”, and was happy with his choice.”It’s a totally different set-up to what most organisations would be; with Australia it’s totally different,” Lee said. “The IPL is exactly what people think: it’s about Twenty20 cricket, it’s about the glitz and glamour and the Bollywood stars; it’s about the fireworks, the cheerleaders and the noise.”They love watching the Indian players throughout India, but now, [since they are] playing for different franchises, they’re not booed but they’re not cheered as much as they would be under their normal colours. It’s like a soap opera, that’s what it’s like, it’s all part of that set-up and that shouldn’t change.”As for the infringement of celebrities and after-party orchestrators on the organisation of the team, Lee did not deny a source of tension, but argued it was workable. “If you’re talking more so about how much input the stars should have in the side, what I’ve seen through [was] what’s happened in King’s XI,” he said. “Preity Zinta who was our leader, our owner, along with Ness Wadia; they had their input of course, but at the end of the day we had to go out there and play cricket, under the coaching of Tom Moody back then.”Kolkata are under the coaching of Dav Whatmore now; hopefully they can take care of the off-field stuff and we’ll take care of the on-field stuff, and when the on-field stuff’s finished we can enjoy the odd party or two and enjoy what the IPL’s all about.”But that won’t happen unless we’re going out there and doing the business. I think they definitely realise that and they want us to do the very best we can as cricketers. That’s why they’re paying us; we’re employees and we’ll go out and try to do the best job we can.”Lee’s best job is a distance from the one he managed in 2008, when the break-up of his marriage and a limited pre-season took him to India under-strength and soon left him desperately out of form. Illness also intervened, and by the end of the tour he was on the slippery slope towards the foot fractures that ended his Test playing days.Brett Lee: “The IPL is a soap opera”•AFP”There are times in your playing life when you’ve been through a rough patch. Ricky [Ponting] has been through that now and hopefully will get through the other side of it. Mine was definitely in 2008, for a number of reasons,” Lee said.”I’ve also got the knack of deleting it; it’s like you push F7 on the computer keyboard and somehow just take it out of your mindset. It’s something you do learn from; it does make you a tougher player when you’ve not played at your best ability and your head [is] probably not in the right space, but that’s all part of being a professional cricketer. It’s not always about getting through and making sure you’re not injured – there are other factors as well.”It’s terrible when you’re going through that particular time with your cricket and with other things, but you’ve always got to find a way to get through it.”Before Lee would leave 2008 behind, he spoke of the fact that he has had plenty of better days on the subcontinent, most importantly the 2009 Champions League with New South Wales when he contributed runs as well as wickets to be player of the tournament. If he can reprise the form of those storming two weeks, Kolkata may just be able to shed their millstone of underachievement.

Manchester City are reportedly interested in a move for Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij, according to reports in Italy.

What’s the word?

As per CMIT TV (via Sports Witness), the reigning Premier League champions are ‘willing to spend’ an ‘important figure’ to prize the Dutchman from the San Siro, with a bid in the region of €40m (£33.5m) potentially on the cards.

The 30-year-old – who joined the Serie A outfit from Lazio in 2018 – has just a year remaining on his existing deal, with the ‘right offer’ potentially set to tempt both him and Simone Inzaghi’s side into a sale this summer.

As the report also alludes to, however, there has been speculation in recent weeks linking the £31.5m-rated man to Tottenham Hotspur in the upcoming transfer window, with the player having previously worked under Spurs boss Antonio Conte in Milan for two seasons – notably winning the Scudetto last term for the first time in 11 years.

Stones in trouble

Despite being currently well-stocked in their centre-back ranks – with Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake all at the club – this latest news suggests that Pep Guardiola’s side appear keen to further bolster their backline, with one of their current stars potentially set to be a notable casualty.

The man that could well give way to any new defensive addition is England international, Stones, with the 27-year-old having lost his place to teammate Laporte as the first-choice partner to last season’s Premier League player of the year’, Dias.

Having been a £40m arrival from Bournemouth just two seasons ago, it would also appear unlikely that the club would cash in on Ake just yet, particularly with the former Chelsea man offering that much-needed balance as a left-footed option.

For Stones, it has proven to be a fairly frustrating campaign thus far, with the £250k-per-week star having made just 11 top-flight starts to date, while he was also recently forced off with an injury in the recent thrilling 4-3 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

That enthralling clash had seen the former Everton man line up in an unconventional right-back position in the absence of compatriot Kyle Walker – a role he has utilised on five occasions this season – a fact that further emphasises his diminishing status at the heart of the backline.

The £25.2m-rated man has also registered some fairly meagre statistics so far this term, averaging o.4 tackles and 0.8 interceptions in the Premier League, while he also ranks in just the top 97% for blocks made per 90 and the top 77% for clearances made, compared to players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues.

While that partly has something to do with City’s usual dominance in possession and limited need to defend, such a record also points to lingering concerns over his defensive ability, having once been criticised by Alan Shearer for making “mistake after mistake” in his early days at the Etihad.

By contrast, potential new arrival de Vrij has been in stunning form for the Serie A title challengers, with former Lazio defender Mauricio dubbing him a “monster” with “excellent technique” following his eye-catching displays for the Nerazzurri.

The 55-cap international has performed favourably in comparison to the aforementioned City man so far this season, registering 1.2 tackles, 1.8 clearances and one interception per game in the league thus far in his 26 outings.

There would no doubt need to be a period of adjustment as he has frequently lined up at the centre of a back three for Inzaghi’s charges, although his arrival in England could help to strengthen an already stubborn and seemingly impenetrable backline.

Stones – who has been linked with a move to Newcastle United of late – would be wise to be at least a little concerned for his future.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rice: West Ham could have signed “magic” £45m-rated star for just £5m…