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Former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul has demanded an explanation from WICB chief Ernest Hilaire regarding the comments he made regarding the lack of discipline and application in the team, leading up to the massive post-World Cup overhaul

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2011Former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul has demanded an explanation from WICB chief Ernest Hilaire regarding the comments he made regarding the lack of discipline and application in the team, leading up to its massive post World Cup overhaul. In a strongly-worded letter addressed to Hilaire, a copy of which is with ESPNcricinfo, Chanderpaul questioned whether the comments were directed at him.Chanderpaul, along with senior players Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan were axed from the side for the ongoing series against Pakistan. Hilaire’s interview with network, a copy of which was later released by the WICB, touched upon a number of the problems ailing West Indies cricket over the past 15 years.Chanderpaul’s concerns were over the following excerpt from the interview: “If you look at West Indies cricket since the mid-90s, a lot of the systems we had in place broke down. There’s no discipline, there’s no application. We’ve been doing that for 15 years and we’ve been losing. We need to put a new system in place. No one man is bigger than the team, no one man is such a superstar he can decide if he is training today, if he’s going to have treatment tomorrow, if he’s going to attend a team meeting. It cannot work that way.”In response, Chanderpaul wrote: “I am particularly concerned about the following statements: 1. There’s no discipline, there’s no application. 2. No one man is bigger than the team, no one man is such a superstar he can decide if he is training today, if he’s going to have treatment tomorrow, if he’s going to attend a team meeting.”I am of the opinion that anyone reading these comments in the specific context will conclude that:”1. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, am an indisciplined individual and during my tenure as a West Indies player over the past fifteen years have lacked discipline and contributed to the West Indies team losing.”2. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul have not applied myself or demonstrated any real application to my role as a member of the West Indies team over the past 15 years and by so doing have contributed to the West Indies team losing.”3. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, consider myself to be bigger than the team.”4. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while a member of the West Indies team during the past fifteen years, have decided when I was training or not training.”5. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while a member of the West Indies team during the past fifteen years, have decided when I was going to attend or not attend team meetings.”6. (Based on the accusations above) I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while a member of the West Indies team during the past fifteen years, have disregarded the coaches and managerial staff or undermined team discipline by my actions and attitude.”Chanderpaul also questioned whether the statements were reflective of Hilaire’s personal opinion, or were made in his capacity as WICB chief. “If they were made by you, I note that you constantly use the word ‘we’ in the excerpt above,” Chanderpaul wrote. “I would like to know if this is a ‘royal we’ or, in other words, are you speaking for yourself, albeit as CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board or are you speaking for and on behalf of the West Indies Cricket Board itself? This is important to me since I believe I have served the WICB and West Indies Cricket faithfully and well during my career and it would be difficult for me to accept that the members of the board of directors of West Indies cricket have sanctioned those remarks. On what basis have you made those statements and with what purpose?”Asking Hilaire to reply urgently, Chanderpaul said he was worried the comments would damage his reputation. “I am convinced that those persons who do not know the sacrifices I have made on behalf of West Indies Cricket and my dedication to the cause of West Indies Cricket would believe, based on what you have said in your interview, that I lack discipline and application and have not demonstrated the sense of responsibility which I know that I have shown throughout my career. While I would refer you to my unblemished reputation for professionalism and to all the other CEOs, coaches and managers with whom I have worked, I believe that you have crossed the line by making these public accusations that, while they may include others, are also directed at me and if unchallenged and corrected may destroy my career.”Chanderpaul told Hilaire in his letter that if he did not receive an adequate explanation he would take whatever action necessary to clear his name. “While it would help if the WICB as an organisation repudiates your comments in this regards, it would still not be sufficient to erase the tremendous damage already done. I await your urgent response and reserve all of my rights in this matter.”

A thrilling encounter saw North Group leaders Nottinghamshire Outlaws held to a tie as Northamptonshire Steelbacks captain Andrew Hall produced the goods with bat and ball

22-Jun-2010
Scorecard
A thrilling encounter saw North Group leaders Nottinghamshire Outlaws held to a tie as Northamptonshire Steelbacks captain Andrew Hall produced the goods with bat and ball.
After finishing unbeaten on 40 in the Northants innings of 121 for 7, with Alex Wakely top-scoring with 43, Hall showed all of his experience to deny the hosts with a nerveless final over.Needing only five runs from the last six balls, Hall had Notts’ top scorer Steven Mullaney caught on the boundary for 53 before conceding four thanks to Graeme White’s paddle sweep. But with the scores level the former South Africa international allrounder produced two perfect yorkers to finish, with Darren Pattinson and White run out attempting to scramble the winning runs.That ruined a memorable match for fast bowler Pattinson, who began the contest with a wicket maiden on his way to career-best figures of 4 for 19 as Notts restricted the visitors to just 10 boundaries throughout their innings.Only three Northants batsmen reached double figures in the face of disciplined and probing bowling from the Notts attack, with all but overseas quick Dirk Nannes conceding less than a run a ball. The Steelbacks’ total would have been far worse but for the final over, which saw Nannes hit for 15 runs, including three fours.Nevertheless, the total appeared an easy one for Notts, who had won six of their opening seven matches thanks in the main to the powerful strokeplay of Alex Hales, Ali Brown, Samit Patel and David Hussey.But with Chaminda Vaas removing the first three for a combined total of eight and Hall bowling Hussey for two off an inside edge, Notts were in deep trouble at the end of the powerplay overs on 23 for 4.Matt Wood batted with purpose in making 41 from 32 balls with five fours, adding 55 for the fifth wicket with Mullaney before being caught at deep cover off James Middlebrook. That put the pressure on the Notts tail and despite Mullaney’s pulled four off Vaas’ last over leaving the hosts requiring less than a run a ball, Hall had the final say in a gripping finish.

Graeme Aldridge’s incisive spell on the opening day and Kane Williamson’s stroke-filled 170 paved the way for Northern Districts’ nine-wicket win against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2010Graeme Aldridge’s incisive spell on the opening day, and Kane Williamson’s stroke-filled 170, paved the way for Northern Districts’ nine-wicket win against Wellington at Basin Reserve.Things went to plan right from the toss for Northern, as Wellington struggled to come to terms with Aldridge after being asked to bat. Openers Neal Parlane and Cameron Merchant fell early in the first morning and the hosts were never recovered. Chris Nevin’s fighting 53 took them close to 200, before Aldridge finished the innings with a six-for.When BJ Watling fell for a duck in Northerns’ reply, Wellington sensed an opportunity to claw back into contention. But their hopes were shattered by Michael Parlane and Williamson, who added 145 runs to give their side the advantage. Parlane fell shortly after reaching 50, but Williamson had his eyes set on a huge score. His attractive innings included 24 fours and came at a brisk pace to put Wellington out of the game. Useful contributions from Hamish Marshall, Daniel Flynn, Peter McGlashan and Aldridge pushed the visitors’ score to 400, a mammoth 203 runs ahead of Wellington.Fighting to make Northern bat a second time, Wellington’s batsmen made a marginal improvement in the second innings. Neal Parlane and Stephen Murdoch hit 70s but could not kick on to make more substantial contributions that may have given the visitors a tricky fourth-innings target. As it transpired, Northern needed only 42 runs and they raced home for the loss of Watling’s wicket.

The MCC has selected a blend of youthful promise, Test experience and county stalwarts for the traditional season opener against the County Champions.

Cricinfo staff26-Jan-2010The MCC has selected a blend of youthful promise, Test experience and county stalwarts for the traditional season opener against the County Champions starting on March 29.This year is a landmark for the fixture, with the match not being played at Lord’s for the first time. Instead the game, against Durham, will take place under lights in the Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi with a pink ball, in an attempt to research the feasibility of Test cricket under lights.Gloucestershire captain and former MCC Young Cricketer Alex Gidman will lead the side that includes Mark Ramprakash, who, at 40, continues to dominate domestic attacks. Also in the ranks are two players who will be eager to impress national selectors: Leicestershire’s James Taylor, the Cricket Writers’ Club and PCA Young Player of the Year for 2009, and Middlesex and England Lions paceman Steve Finn.In a lively fast-bowling pack, Finn will be joined by Gloucestershire’s Steve Kirby, and Chris Tremlett, who is trying to resurrect his international career with a move of from current county Hampshire. In addition, Essex wicketkeeper James Foster will play in this fixture for the third year in succession.John Stephenson, the MCC head of cricket, said he is looking forward to being part of latest development in the game. “This is a traditional fixture, but there’s little else about this match that is traditional,” he said. “It’s not just a contest between MCC and the Champion County, but a crucial step in researching the pink ball and first-class cricket under floodlights.””We’re very pleased to be fielding an extremely talented MCC team in what will undoubtedly be a tough test against the strongest county in England. From speaking to our players in recent weeks, it’s clear there is a passion to play in this game: not only so they can kick-start their season but because they feel they can contribute to our wider research for the good of the game. We’re really looking forward to the match.”Gidman echoed these sentiments, saying that he is looking forward to being part of cricketing history. “I was delighted to be invited to play in this match, and to be asked to captain is a huge privilege. My family have strong ties with MCC, and both myself and my brother Will spent time as MCC Young Cricketers, so I cannot wait to lead out the MCC team in such an historic fixture,” he said.”Using pink balls under lights in a four-day, first-class match promises to be a very interesting experiment and certainly something that every player will be looking forward to being a part of.”MCC team 1 Alex Gidman (Gloucestershire) (Capt), 2 Scott Newman (Middlesex), 3 David Sales (Northamptonshire), 4 Mark Ramprakash (Surrey), 5 Dawid Malan (Middlesex), 6 James Taylor (Leicestershire), 7 James Foster (wk) (Essex), 8 James Middlebrook (Northamptonshire), 9 Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), 10 Steve Kirby (Gloucestershire), 11 Steve Finn (Middlesex)

South Australia have pulled off a final-ball, two-run win over Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield, in one of the tightest games in the competition’s history

AAP09-Dec-2024South Australia have pulled off one of the most remarkable wins in the Sheffield Shield’s 132-year history, beating Tasmania by two runs on the final ball of the match in Hobart.Tasmania required four runs from the final ball to successfully chase down 429 for a dramatic victory.Riley Meredith hit the ball to deep cover where Ben Manenti fielded it, but he came back for a second appearing to forget that a draw was a possible result and was run out after batting partner Lawrence Neil-Smith had sent him back. The last-ball wicket allowed South Australia to claim the equal-tightest Shield victory ever in terms of runs, in a match that went past 6pm on the final day. Making the victory even more remarkable is the fact that Tasmania had looked in the box seat to claim the win, before losing 4 for 4 from the final nine balls of the match.The win put South Australia top of the table, while Tasmania are now last.After Tim Ward’s 142 had appeared to put the hosts in a position where they could not lose the match, Mitch Owen and Brad Hope gave them a real chance of victory on Monday.Owen blasted 53 from 39 balls, while Hope made 69 in a 72-run partnership that lasted just 10 overs. Hope was eventually caught on the boundary trying to hook Wes Agar, but with Owen firing the Tigers still looked a chance.Tasmania required 62 from nine overs, 44 from six, and then seven from six balls after Owen hit Nathan McAndrew deep over the mid-wicket rope.But when Owen was caught on the long-on boundary a few balls later and Matt Kuhnemann was out first ball, South Australia were back in the game. With seven required from the final over, Gabe Bell was bowled by Agar for a duck before the final-ball madness ensued.Tim Ward celebrates his second Shield century•Getty Images

The earlier stages of the day had also been full of drama, with Ward’s century his first since his maiden Shield ton in October 2021.With Jake Weatherald and Jordan Silk each hitting 65 for the Tigers, Ward struck 16 boundaries in his knock, including a cracking cover drive off Agar to bring up his ton.But the left-hander was caught up in one of the more bizarre moments of the game in the middle session. With Tasmania flying in the chase, South Australia resorted to short-ball tactics to try and slow the momentum.Ward ducked a bouncer off Henry Thornton, scratched out his guard and walked out of his crease in scenes reminiscent of the Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord’s last year.Much like Alex Carey last July, SA’s wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen threw down the stumps.On this occasion the appeal was denied, with umpires having seemingly decided over had been called.

Glamorgan make early running but lower-order turn tables from 110 for 6

ECB Reporters Network03-Sep-2023Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira helped inspire a Worcestershire comeback on his return from injury for the LV=Insurance County Championship top-three encounter with Glamorgan at New Road.D’Oliveira, side-lined for three weeks with a dislocated shoulder, came to the wicket with Worcestershire 103 for 5 after they had been put into bat with Jamie McIlroy picking up three wickets.A mixture of probing and accurate bowling but also some undistinguished shots had put Glamorgan in command until D’Oliveira redressed the balance of the day.He top-scored with 74 not out and was given excellent support by Logan van Beek and on loan Essex all-rounder Ben Allison during stands of 101 and 64.D’Oliveira has a liking for playing against Glamorgan, having scored three Championship hundreds, including a career best 202 not out, and his best bowling figures of 7 for 92.Earlier, Gareth Roderick and Adam Hose had led a partial recovery in challenging conditions during the morning session from 33 for 3.Worcestershire were able to secure two batting bonus points before being dismissed shortly before the close and then Glamorgan openers Ed Byrom and nightwatchman James Harris survived two overs.A see-saw day ended with honours even with McIlroy returning 3 for 41 and Harris 3 for 74.Of concern to Glamorgan will be what appeared to be a hamstring injury suffered by Timm van Gugten during his 17th over which had to be completed by James Harris.Allison was brought in after injuries to Matthew Waite and Adam Finch led to a search for a temporary replacement.Spinner Ben Kellaway made his first-class bow for Glamorgan who went into the game in third place and 14 points adrift of their opponents.Glamorgan skipper Kiran Carlson opted to bowl first and the new-ball pair of van der Gugten and McIlroy quickly made inroads in a pitch offering enough assistance to encourage the seamers.Jake Libby has experienced a prolific summer with more than 900 Championship runs but the opener tried to force van der Gugten off the back foot and was caught behind.Azhar Ali then gave his wicket away when he clipped McIlroy straight to midwicket.Jack Haynes, playing his first senior game for six weeks after injury, was undone by a fine delivery from Harris which nipped away and was caught behind.Roderick passed 600 runs for the summer but survived a low chance to second slip on 23 off former Worcestershire Academy player Zain Ul Hassan.He battled away in typically resolute fashion through to lunch with Hose who had returned to the side after his spell with Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.But there was another clatter of wickets on the resumption.Roderick (43) added only a single before he was lbw after pushing forward to Harris in the third over of the afternoon session.Kashif Ali, the leading six-hitter in the Metro Bank One Day Cup with 21 maximums, replicated Azhar Ali in picking out mid wicket off McIlroy.Hose had batted impressively in mixing defence with aggression but on 43 tried to cut a widish delivery from McIlroy and only found first slip.D’Oliveira and van Beek joined forces and redressed the balance during an aggressive stand.The latter had attracted head-lines in June for smashing 30 for the Netherlands off a Super Over from his close friend Jason Holder in a ICC World Cup qualifier against the West Indies in Zimbabwe.Van Beek, who also played for Worcestershire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, mixed some powerful hitting with watchful defence while D’Oliveira batted with typical fluency.A cover-drive off Kellaway for his 10th four enabled van Beek to complete a 73-ball half century and also earn Worcestershire their first batting point.The partnership was broken shortly after tea when van Beek (53) attempted to drive ul Hassan and was caught and bowled low down.But D’Oliveira completed his own fifty from 87 deliveries, also at Kellaway’s expense with a late cut for his seventh boundary, and Allison gave him good support.They added 64 in 18 overs before Allison (37) aimed a drive at Harris and was bowled via the inside edge.Ul Hassan then wrapped up the innings by dismissing Joe Leach and Dillon Pennington cheaply to leave D’Oliveira undefeated with his 139-ball innings containing seven boundaries.

The fast bowler also explored the possible reasons behind his effectiveness in the second innings

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2020Mohammed Shami thinks India’s depth of pace resources is unprecedented in ‘history’.”You and everyone else in the world will agree to this – that no team has ever had five fast bowlers together as a package,” Shami told the former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta on , a Hindi talk show on ESPNcricinfo. “Not just now; in the history of cricket, this might be the best fast-bowling unit in the world.”Apart from Shami, India’s core Test-match fast-bowling group also includes Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Who bowls with the new ball, Shami said, is often a difficult choice, especially when the first-choice trio of himself, Ishant and Bumrah play together.”We surround Virat Kohli and ask him to make the decision,” Shami said. “But he normally says, ‘don’t get me involved in all this; you decide among yourselves, I don’t have an issue.’ That is the kind of fun we have in our team meetings. I let the other two start. I have no objection to bowling with a semi-new ball.”Since recovering from a career-threatening knee injury, Shami has featured in 27 out of India’s 30 Tests since July 2017. There have been a number of highlights – a match-winning second-innings five-for in Johannesburg in 2018, 16 wickets at 26.18 during India’s maiden Test series win in Australia in 2018-19, and 36 wickets at 18.63 in the ongoing 2019-21 World Test Championship. He has had a tendency to pick up his wickets in bursts – he attributed this to how he approaches bowling in different situations.”If the batsman is set and we haven’t been able to pick up a lot of wickets, we try to bowl a tight line and length by dropping our pace,” he said. “As soon as we get a wicket, you increase your pace by about 8kph. This difference in speed is pretty visible. If the bowler was bowling at around 140kph earlier, after picking up a wicket he gets his rhythm back, picks up the pace and the same ball is now delivered at 145kph.”My mindset while bowling is that if the batsman is playing well, bowl a tight line and length, dry up the runs, and he will surely make a mistake. Once the set batsman is dismissed, I go for the kill as a bowler. That’s why it seems like I bowl in two different ways. The ‘second-innings Shami’ label – that has been created by you guys (the media).”That label has a lot to do with Shami’s contrasting records in the first – 92 wickets at 32.50 – and second – 88 wickets at 21.98 – innings of Test matches. On the 2017-18 tour of South Africa, for example, 12 of his 15 wickets came in the second innings.”I’m not sure, it just happens,” Shami said, when asked about this. “I use the game very smartly in the second innings. Like in the recent match we played in Vizag [Visakhapatnam Test against South Africa] where I got a five-for, the pitch was pretty dead and wasn’t offering any bounce. It wasn’t turning that much either for our spinners to run through the opposition. But once in a while the ball was staying low. Batsmen find it tough to play when there is uneven bounce, so you need to bowl within the stumps. It is important to understand how the pitch is behaving.”Now that we have played enough cricket in various conditions, we are experienced enough to gauge the conditions. You need to use the available conditions smartly. I am usually pumped up in the second innings when everyone else is tired. Everyone has spent three days on the field. Diesel engines take time to pick up compared to petrol ones. I wait patiently for everyone to tire out. You have five days in a Test match. Once everyone is tired, I step up.”Cricketbaazi

Pakistan have lost eight of their last 10 T20Is, including a series defeat to Sri Lanka last October

The Preview by Mohammad Isam23-Jan-20202:51

When a bowler bowls 140-plus, nobody can ignore him – Haris Rauf

Big picture

The sight of Bangladesh players walking down from their chartered aircraft at the Allama Iqbal Airport in Lahore, late on Wednesday evening, was an assuring sign for cricket lovers from both countries. Not too long ago, the tour was nearly called off after the BCB stuck to their position of only playing T20Is, while Pakistan sent a fresh proposal of only Tests.But it all changed dramatically when, over the course of a meeting in Dubai last week in the presence of ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, the two parties reached a deal. Bangladesh are on the first of three legs of touring Pakistan over the next three months, this time to only play the T20Is.Bangladesh will be without Mushfiqur Rahim, who opted out of the tour due to his family’s concerns, while five members of the coaching staff have also been excluded from the travelling party. It has unquestionably made Bangladesh a lesser side, with added responsibility on Tamim Iqbal and captain Mahmudullah. Bangladesh have an experienced pace attack to call upon, but lack a genuine spinner. The batting line-up has form, but needs careful organising and reshuffling.Bangladesh performed admirably in the T20Is in India in November, where only a sensational Deepak Chahar spell stood between them and a famous series win. The same cannot be said about Pakistan, however. They have lost eight of their last ten T20Is, including a series defeat to Sri Lanka at home in October last year.In the need to improve their record, the coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has included some newcomers like Amad Butt, Ahsan Ali and Haris Rauf, as well as veterans Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik to beef up the batting line-up.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh LLWWW

In the spotlight

Sixteen wickets at a strike-rate of exactly ten, economy rate of 6.89 and 11.56 bowling average in the BBL has not only landed Haris Rauf a place in the Pakistan T20I side, but his tape-ball to BBL story has made fans quite excited to see him bowl at home.Mohammad Naim’s 81 against India in Bangladesh’s last T20I made heads turn, and he followed it up with an impressive BPL campaign for Rangpur Rangers. Naim, too, is a virtual unknown in Bangladesh cricket, but fans have noticed the youngster’s unassuming strokeplay.

Team news

Pakistan are going with a whole host of changes from the side that last played a T20I. Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Shaheen Afridi are likely to return while Ahsan Ali and Haris Rauf are set to be handed T20I debuts. Three places would obviously open up in the absence of Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir and Haris Sohail who don’t feature in the squad.Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahsan Ali, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Imad Wasim, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Shaheen Afridi 11 Mohammad HasnainBangladesh’s team management will have a tough time replacing Mushfiqur Rahim, and maneuvering the five openers within the line-up. Coach Russell Domingo said a few days ago that many of them may have to bat out of position, although the bowling line-up is likely to be similar to the one that faced India in November.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mohammad Naim, 3 Afif Hossain, 4 Liton Das (wk), 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Soumya Sarkar, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Aminul Islam, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Al-Amin Hossain

Pitch and conditions

The brownish wicket is projected to be a belter, giving the chasing side enough of an advantage to go after even a 200-plus total. The weather forecast seems perfect, with a high of 17 degrees.

Stats and trivia

• This will be only be the second T20 to be played during the day at the Gaddafi Stadium in the last six years.
• Only Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah have played in Pakistan from this current Bangladesh side.
• Mohammad Hafeez, who has made a comeback into the Pakistan T20I side, is 92 runs short of 2000 T20I runs, while Shadab Khan is four scalps away from 50 T20I wickets.

Her letter to BCCI top brass reveals drama of the past few days, and marks her opposition to the ad-hoc committee that carried out the appointment process.

Sidharth Monga21-Dec-2018The appointment of the new coach of the India women’s team on Thursday was preceded by a protracted and sharp exchange of messages by the BCCI’s top brass, culminating in Diana Edulji, one half of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) running the BCCI, calling the process of selection “unconstitutional” and a “sham”, and asking for the announcement to be put on hold. This has become evident from the mail chain included in the letter written by Edulji last night to Vinod Rai, the other half of the CoA, and copied to the BCCI office-bearers and professional managers; however, the official press release announcing WV Raman’s appointment as coach was sent out to the media 20 minutes after the time on Edulji’s letter.The mail chain, seen by ESPNcricinfo, makes it clear that Edulji opposed for several days the decision to have an ad-hoc committee select the new coach; under the Lodha reforms, she maintained in her mails, the coach has to be appointed by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). However, the interviews in this case were conducted by an ad-hoc committee formed by the CoA, after the CAC, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, requested for more time, citing other commitments. The committee offered to the BCCI three names in order of preference: Gary Kirsten, Raman and Venkatesh Prasad. Kirsten was ruled out because he decided to continue coaching Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and Raman was eventually appointed the coach.Edulji put her foot down, insisting that the whole process was wrong, but she was seemingly over-ruled once again. “The entire process of selecting a qualified Coach for Women’s Cricket team is unconstitutional,” Edulji wrote. “I once again reiterate that we have been assigned the role of implementing the Lodha reforms, which says the Coach of the Indian Team can be only be appointed by the CAC. Your unilateral decision of appointing the ad-hoc committee is not only unconstitutional but also illegal. I do not endorse this sham process of announcing the appointment of the Women’s Cricket Coach especially when the CAC had requested for more time and a defined role.”Rai has now over-ruled Edulji in many significant deadlocks over contentious issues, the most controversial being the BCCI’s handling of allegations of sexual harassment against its CEO Rahul Johri.The BCCI CEO was eventually allowed to continue in his role after a three-member committee formed by the CoA gave Johri a clean chit by a majority of 2-1. There has been similar disagreement between Rai and Edulji ever since the India ODI captain Mithali Raj lashed out against T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and former India women’s coach Ramesh Powar for dropping her in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. Edulji was of the view that it was a team matter, and the CoA should have nothing to do with it.Eventually the BCCI decided to not extend Powar’s contract, which Edulji opposed. She has since then been against the process put in place for selecting a new coach. Powar was one of the applicants interviewed by the ad-hoc committee comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy.Rai had responded to Edulji’s concerns by saying these were names suggested by her. “Do not confuse my suggestion for a few names as my approval for the ad-hoc committee,” Edulji’s response said, “since the first question in that email among many to legal was whether the COA has powers to appoint the Ad-hoc Committee to which the legal replied that we did not have the powers as per the new registered constitution.”Edulji also stated that the legal advice she received from the BCCI’s lawyers clarified to the CoA that Rai holds no casting vote as chairman. Edulji also stated the legal advice says that in the original order of the CoA’s formation there is no instruction on how to resolve a deadlock. There is hope that the Supreme Court will provide some direction during the hearing on January 17, 2019. Meanwhile, Edulji told the BCCI CEO and GM of operations that paying heed to only Rai in case of a deadlock qualified as insubordination of duty.

Younis Khan’s 33rd Test hundred gave Pakistan the ideal first-day platform in the second Test against West Indies, lifting them from an uneasy 42 for 2 to a commanding 304 for 4 at stumps

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYounis Khan’s 33rd Test hundred gave Pakistan the ideal first-day platform in the second Test against West Indies, lifting them from an uneasy 42 for 2 to a commanding 304 for 4 at stumps. Returning to the side after missing the day-night Test in Dubai to recover from a bout of dengue fever, Younis looked like he had never been away. He added 87 with Asad Shafiq for the third wicket, and 175 for the fourth with Misbah-ul-Haq, as Pakistan ground down a limited West Indies attack in typically benign first-day conditions in Abu Dhabi.Younis made 127 before he fell in the 84th over of the day, slog-sweeping Kraigg Brathwaite’s part-time offspin to deep midwicket. It turned out to be the last ball of the day, with the umpires ruling that the light had faded too much to continue just as the nightwatchman Yasir Shah walked in to the middle. Misbah, who already has five hundreds in Abu Dhabi and averaged 99.77 at the ground before this innings, went to stumps batting on 90.West Indies’ bowlers endured a long and largely thankless day on the field, made worse by two costly misses. In the last over before tea, Kraigg Brathwaite failed to hold on to a return catch off a firmly-hit flat-bat drive when Younis was on 83. Then, batting on 54 in the eleventh over after tea, Misbah nicked a ball from Shannon Gabriel that straightened in the corridor. Wicketkeeper Shai Hope, having initially moved in the wrong direction, dived low to his right behind the stumps, and the ball bounced out of his right glove.Gabriel bowled impressively in patches, picking up two wickets and generating reverse-swing with the old ball, but the rest of West Indies’ bowling didn’t make much of an impact. Miguel Cummins and Jason Holder made up somewhat for their lack of incision by conceding less than three runs an over, but the spinners were neither threatening nor economical. Among them, Devendra Bishoo, Roston Chase and Brathwaite conceded 181 runs at an economy rate of 4.41.Having chosen to bat first, Pakistan lost their first wicket in the fifth over of the morning, Azhar Ali playing on while looking to drive Gabriel through the covers, the ball nipping in a little and not quite coming on to the bat. Walking in at No. 3, Shafiq got going almost immediately, rising to his toes to cut Gabriel for four off the second ball he faced. In the next over, he punished another short ball, this time swivelling to pull Miguel Cummins through square leg.Shafiq continued to play his shots, moving confidently forward to ease drives through the covers and nimbly back to cut and pull deliveries from Bishoo that were only marginally short. As he sparkled at one end, Sami Aslam played a strange innings at the other. He seldom got the strike, and barely scored any runs when he did, while not looking particularly troubled by any of West Indies’ bowlers. By the end of the 13th over, he was batting on 6 off 28 balls and Shafiq on 32 off 44. Then, off the second ball of the 14th over, he looked to drive Bishoo through the covers, against the turn, and was bowled through the gate by a dipping legbreak.Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan became owners of Pakistan’s most prolific partnership in Tests•Getty Images

In walked Younis, back in the side after missing the first Test to recover from a bout of dengue fever. He got an early freebie from Bishoo, wide and overpitched, to smear through the covers, but that was his only boundary in the 62 balls he faced before lunch, as West Indies tightened their lines and lengths. There was little in the conditions to challenge either batsman, and Younis moved safely to 29 without always looking at ease.His shuffle across the crease caused him a couple of uneasy moments: Cummins found his leading edge while he tried to work through the leg side, and Jason Holder got him to nick the ball when he moved across rather than forward, towards the ball in defence, but both balls fell safely short of fielders.Soon after lunch, Younis nearly played on to Cummins; defending firmly into the pitch, he had to stretch his left foot out to kick the ball away as it rolled back towards the stumps. But he grew increasingly comfortable at the crease after that, and took heavy toll of the spinners, pouncing on anything cuttable, and driving through the covers with and against the turn, the pick of his shots an inside-out loft over extra-cover off Chase’s offspin.Shafiq fell in the ninth over after lunch, chopping on while trying to force Gabriel through the covers off the back foot. Gabriel was reversing the ball both ways in this spell, and beat both of Misbah’s edges soon after he came to the crease, but Holder took him off after a spell of only three overs. The longest spell Gabriel bowled all day lasted four overs.With West Indies’ main threat out of the way, Misbah began enjoying himself, greeting Bishoo’s reintroduction by pulling his third ball, a rank long-hop, over midwicket for four, and then, three balls later, launching a flighted ball high over the long-on boundary. Younis and Misbah took 40 runs off Bishoo’s eight-over spell before tea, shutting the door in West Indies’ faces right after Gabriel had opened it a crack with the wicket of Shafiq. Misbah only hit six boundaries in his innings: four of them came off Bishoo, of whom he took 37 runs in 40 balls.Post-tea, West Indies went into defensive mode, getting Cummins to bowl wide outside off stump with a packed off-side field. But the tactic didn’t really stem Pakistan’s run flow; there was no movement available to him, and plenty of large spaces in the vast outfield for Misbah and Younis to push the ball into for twos. After four overs, Cummins gave way to Gabriel; he found Misbah’s edge in his second over, and Hope – playing this Test match because Shane Dowrich pulled up injured in training – put the chance down. Pakistan were 242 for 3 at that stage, and 242 for 4 may just have rattled them given they were playing five bowlers. Instead, Misbah and Younis added a further 62.