Limited windows for the leagues, no outstation players, and a slew of anti-corruption measures have been put in place

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2018The BCCI has laid down strict guidelines for the conduct of state-run Twenty20 leagues, listing out the windows during which the tournaments can be played and also clamping down on the personnel, support staff, structure and frequency of these tournaments.The move, it is learned, was prompted by the BCCI’s own initiative to root out any unauthorised elements involved in the conduct of state leagues, and also to protect India’s international home and domestic seasons.The BCCI’s operations and management team had sent these guidelines to the Committee of Administrators (CoA), and upon the CoA giving its approval, all state associations were notified of the same via an advisory note. The BCCI guidelines come at time when the ICC has also moved for greater regulation of T20 leagues worldwide.In the BCCI’s advisory note, which ESPNcricinfo has seen, several anti-corruption measures and operational procedures for all such leagues have been put in place, while also making it clear that outstation players would not be allowed to participate in local leagues.Further, the advisory also states “the support staff [and] match officials must also be from the jurisdiction of the Staging Association” – which would seem to indicate that coaches, umpires and match referees for the tournament must also be from the home state.While no players are allowed to take part in leagues outside their states anyway, the TNPL, for example, has had support staff from out of state. It is not yet clear whether state associations will agree to that clause, though some of the officials ESPNcricinfo contacted said that this could be an added measure of control, since state associations would be able to monitor their own officials and coaches much better.The state-run T20 leagues will also have to fit into a specific window. They cannot take place from September 15 till the end of February, and from 15 days before the start of the IPL to 15 days after it ends. Given that the IPL typically takes place in April and May, this typically leaves a window of about two to three weeks at the start of March, and a window of about three months from mid-June till September 14.Additionally, the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit will be overseeing any tournament that is approved. The ACU will nominate and appoint two Anti-Corruption Officials (ACOs) for each tournament, with the provision to appoint additional personnel if deemed necessary. The ACOs will report directly to the ACU, and will have the right to inquire and take statements from team officials, players, support staff and match officials under the provisions of BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Code. They will also conduct an anti-corruption education programme for all those associated with the tournament.Other anti-corruption measures will include the installation of CCTV cameras at all entry and exit points of the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA), which will begin recording from the first moment of arrival in the PMOA and run till the match is over, with the video to be handed over to an ACU official immediately after the match. Additionally, no team owners or their kin will be provided with PMOA accreditation in the roles of “mentor”, “selector” etc, with only professional support staff allowed there.Players and officials will have to mandatorily disclose all particulars of any gifts received, whose value is more than INR 30,000.As for the state associations themselves, they will also have to follow stringent procedures. The BCCI said that they have to make an application for approval at least 45 days before the start of the tournament. This applies to every association, even those that have been hosting tournaments in the past. In the application, of which a hard copy and an email has to be sent to the BCCI secretary, the association will have to provide details of the committees responsible for administering the tournament, logistics for teams from training venues to accommodation, and a full list of players in the draft along with all support staff, mentors, icons, team owners and officials, and sponsors.The state associations also cannot enter into any contract with any player that the BCCI has banned.

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots dismissed Stars for the third-lowest total in the CPL, in a game that barely lasted 20 overs

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu22-Aug-2018
Sheldon Cottrell brings out the dab•CPL T20/ Getty Images

After shellacking 226 – the highest total in the CPL – and snapping their 14-match losing streak on Friday, St Lucia Stars returned to their old ways, folding for 69 in 12.3 overs against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Darren Sammy Stadium. Notably, this was the shortest innings and the third-lowest total in the league.It was seamer Sheldon Cottrell and spinners Mahmudullah and Sandeep Lamichhane who had skittled Stars by collecting seven wickets among them. Wicketkeeper-batsman Devon Thomas, who was promoted to the top in place of captain Chris Gayle, then hastened the victory, with an unbeaten 38 off 21 balls, in a game that barely lasted 20 overs.Stars fade away
In their previous two matches at Gros Islet, Stars had amassed 226 and 212. But Tuesday’s pitch was a bit two-paced and even lent assistance to spin. Andre Fletcher launched the first ball over wide long-on for a big six, but it turned out to be a red herring. Three balls later, he scooped an innocuous low full-toss back to Cottrell, the bowler. Stars’ batsmen lurched from one poor shot to another, while Gayle sat back and kept himself at slip through the innings.Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah, who took the new ball from the other end, had Rakheem Cornwall chipping a catch to mid-off in his first over and then had Lendl Simmons stumped in his second – a wicket-maiden.The onus was on Kieron Pollard and David Warner to rescue the Stars, but they too couldn’t deal with the two-paced surface and Patriots’ relentless accuracy. Pollard laboured to 4 off 10 balls, before being undone by Cottrell’s extra bounce. Later, in the post-match presentation, Cottrell revealed that Patriots’ plan was to hit hard lengths against Pollard and cramp him for room.Warner, who had faced all of eight balls in the Powerplay, himself fell, when he was duped by a wrong’un from Lamichhane in the ninth over. Stars were 49 for 5 at that point.Afghanistan’s Qais Ahmad, who had turned 18 last week, was more confident against Mahmudullah and Lamichhane, taking two sixes and a four off them. All told, he was the only Stars batsman to pass 15. However, he was dismissed in the 12th over, when Lamichhane drew him out of the crease with a loopy legbreak. In the next over, Cottrell had No. 11 Obed McCoy nicking off to provide the coup de grace.Devon Thomas sparkles
After effecting four dismissals behind the stumps – the joint-most in a CPL innings alongside Kumar Sangakkara – Thomas was bumped up to open the batting alongside Evin Lewis, who had managed only four runs in five T20 innings prior to Tuesday’s game. Lewis’ lean patch continued, as he was bounced out by Mitchell McClenaghan for 13, but Thomas reeled off three boundaries off McCoy in the arc between backward point and mid-off. He went onto smear Kesrick Williams for a flat six over extra-cover, and added 30 off 17 balls with Brandon King.King and Tom Cooper were dismissed in successive overs, but Thomas and Anton Devcich eventually sealed Stars’ fate, with seven wickets and 74 balls to spare.

India coach also backs under-fire Rahane, terms him the “pillar of India’s batting”

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge16-Aug-2018India seem to have accepted that they made an error when they played a second spinner in Kuldeep Yadav at Lord’s in dank, overcast conditions last week.Kuldeep and R Ashwin went wicketless as Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes took advantage of the only dry day in the match to flatten India’s resolve after they were bowled out in virtually one session for 107.After India’s training session in Nottingham on Thursday, Ravi Shastri, the India head coach, said of the decision to play Kuldeep: “In hindsight, it was an error. Seeing the conditions, we could have gone with an extra seamer. That might have helped.”But, just like India captain Virat Kohli, Shastri tried to defend the move. “Then again, you didn’t know how much it would rain,” he said. “Whether a match could go into the final day where, just in case a spinner is needed and the ball started to turn, would we have needed him? But in hindsight, the way things panned out, the amount it rained, the amount of time we lost, a seamer could have been a better option.”Shastri isn’t one to brood too long, though. He has clearly moved on, the priority now being rejuvenating India’s batting after the miserable failures in the face of the swing and seam unleashed by James Anderson and Co. Kohli aside, none of the India batsmen have shown the resolve or the nous to find a way out. No specialist India batsmen has even made a fifty across four innings apart from Kohli. The only other resolve has come from the lower-middle order – Hardik Pandya and Ashwin, second and third on India’s batting charts in terms of runs.Apart from the 50-run stand M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan put on in India’s first innings in the first Test, the openers have failed to find the answers. Even the experienced Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have struggled. Rahane, who has the best average overseas among this lot, has fallen away after solid starts, out caught in the slips in all four innings. Questions persist over his form, but Rahane has Shastri’s full support it seems.”He is one of our pillars, he will remain one of our pillars,” Shastri said. But if the batting unit is to bounce back, he said, the batsmen have to show mental strength. “Conditions have been tough, as you have seen right through this series. But that’s where character comes into play and mental discipline comes into play. The resolve to know where your off stump is, to leave a lot of balls, to be prepared to look ugly and dirty and show some grit [is needed].”

Dom Sibley gorged plentifully upon a meaningless day, but the real action takes place next week at Edgbaston

Paul Edwards21-Sep-2018
ScorecardAt 4.20 this afternoon Tim Ambrose played an innocuous ball from Ben Brown into the on side. The bowler fielded it, Paul Baldwin called over and Warwickshire declared. The game ended in a draw and the players shook hands. Receiving particular congratulations, perhaps, was Dom Sibley, who had batted through the day for 144 not outThe handshakes marked two events, one of them specific to the moment, the other curiously timeless. They confirmed Warwickshire’s promotion and they brought the first-class season at Hove to an end. The first of these had been certain for hours barring the intervention of God or Jofra Archer. This draw leaves Jeetan Patel’s side equal on points with Kent, who have won two matches more. Whichever side takes more points from next week’s game between the sides at Edgbaston will be Second Division champions.And across England cricket is softly drawing down its blinds. All the counties are playing next week but there are matches at only nine grounds, of course. Most of the season’s serious work is done. Monday afternoon in Brighton seems suddenly distant with its warmth and careless leisure: the aroma of cannabis in North Laine; beach volleyball near Kings Road; the glittering water. Then there were catamarans drawn up on the shingle, their names a curious confection of aggression, fondness and titillation: Tiger, Ethel, Seymour Butts.

Time now to earn the right – Gillespie

Jason Gillespie, Sussex head coach: “We’ve had a couple of losses in the past month but we feel some progress has been made. I wanted to give some young guys the opportunity to show what they can do and they’ve done that. Now I’ve got to find the balance between giving lads games of cricket and earning the right to play first-class cricket. We’ve got to find the right balance between potential and performances. It’s a difficult balancing act but we’ll get there. The lads have played the game the right way, been positive and looked to win games.”

Some mornings this week there have been floodlights, mild air and the churn of the Channel glimpsed through the great arcade of trees on Selborne Road. Today, though, the atmosphere was not so clotted and the sun was in generous attendance. Only the temperature reminded one this is autumn. “Seaward the water / Is satin, pale emerald, fretted with lace at the edges / The whole sky rinsed easy like nerves after pain,” wrote Alan Ross in his poem, “Cricket at Brighton.”Sussex supporters were presented with three wickets as rewards for their loyalty this sparkling day. In the fifth over of the morning Will Rhodes shuffled much too far across his crease and was leg before to Ollie Robinson for 88. Then Ian Bell suffered bruising to his right thumb when hit by a ball from Robinson and had to retire hurt.Out strode Jonathan Trott, a batsman who had spent over five hours earlier this week scoring his seventh career century against Sussex. “Jesus Christ!” exclaimed a blasphemous Sussex adherent with a passing knowledge of the Book of Hebrews. “The same yesterday, today and for ever more.” But his fears were misplaced on the two latter counts: Trott made only 8 before clipping Chris Jordan to Harry Finch at midwicket and he is retiring next week in any case.Despite these two dismissals and one injury, the game was soon ambling quietly towards stalemate. In the afternoon session Robinson sent down some fairly respectable off-spin and Sussex used three wicketkeepers, albeit not all at once. Phil Salt and Michael Burgess bowled their maiden spells in first-class cricket. The flagpoles bent in the breeze and some players’ caps blew off. The game drifted into late afternoon and the over rate was plus 12 at one stage. A draw could have been agreed at teatime and perhaps it should have been.Sibley spent the rest of the day filling his boots which, if his feet are in proportion to the rest of him, was some achievement. He put on 168 for the third wicket with Sam Hain, who had made 90 when he chased a wide one from Salt and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Harry Finch. The ecstatic Salt raced off like Mick the Miller but was eventually mobbed by his equally delighted team-mates. If you had told the uninitiated that the cricket had a gentle, addictive beauty about it, they might have called for an unmarked van and a straitjacket.

Rangana Herath prepares to play his final Test, as England size up a number of potential debutants on a surface that’s bound to favour spin

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle05-Nov-2018

Big Picture

It’s Galle. It’s going to spin. Given it is Rangana Herath’s final Test and England are the opposition, it might spin like crazy. Unfortunately, it also looks as if it’s going to rain, at least for parts of the Test. The weather forecast is for thunderstorms, generally in the afternoons. That doesn’t mean we won’t get a result, of course. None of the last 21 Tests in Sri Lanka have ended in draws. Many of those had had to contend with the weather as well.England cruised through the limited-overs series, but in Tests, where Sri Lanka have been a more robust opposition, particularly at home, there are many more questions that the visitors will have to answer. Is Rory Burns, essentially Alastair Cook’s replacement at the top of the order, ready for a challenge as great as defusing some of the best spinners in the world, on a pitch that is one of the most treacherous?In fact, save for Joe Root and Ben Stokes, who are reputed to be decent players of spin, England’s entire top order seems a little frail;. Keaton Jennings hit 112 on debut in Mumbai, then 54 in Chennai a week later, but those matches were two years ago, and there has not been an encouraging volume of runs since then. Jos Buttler averages 23.5 in Asia, even if it is possible he is a much improved batsman in these conditions since he last toured the continent. The injury to Jonny Bairstow has further weakened England – though it is a huge opportunity for Ben Foakes, who is in line for a Test debut. None of the top eight, in any case, have ever played a Test in Sri Lanka before.The hosts’ approach over the past few years has been fairly straightforward on the difficult pitches at home. Attack the spinners and attempt to unsettle them early. Score your runs quickly, before the inevitable good ball gets you out. A score of 300 here could be worth as many as 450 on most other tracks in the world, particularly given the tenacity with which Sri Lanka’s two senior spinners – Herath and Dilruwan Perera – defend scores at this venue.As always, the first-innings score is crucial – if England can get themselves to a creditable score, they not only set themselves up nicely in this Test, they gain the belief that they can crack these conditions going into Kandy and Colombo. South Africa, the last team on these shores in July, began badly, skidding to 126 in their first outing, and proceeded to crash even more dramatically in subsequent innings – their batsmen unable to lift themselves out of a psychological rut. England’s technique is sure to be tested, but if Sri Lanka play well, so will their mettle.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWWDL (completed matches, most recent first)
England WWLWW

In the spotlight

Lost in all the buzz about Herath, has been the return of Angelo Mathews to the Sri Lanka team. Feelings had clearly been hurt during his axing from the limited-overs sides, as you would expect. The relationship with coach Chandika Hathurusingha, in particular, had soured. But perhaps the message has been received. He is back looking noticeably leaner. He has also begun to bowl in the nets, even if it is unlikely he will do so in this series. A fit, performing Mathews at No. 5 turns this half-decent Sri Lanka top order into a pretty good one. But it remains to be seen whether the bruises sustained following the Asia Cup debacle have healed enough for him to be able to focus on his cricket.Adil Rashid has had a strange year. Having announced he would not play red-ball cricket for Yorkshire, he found himself picked for the home Tests against India, but was called upon in short, irregular bursts throughout that series. Now, suddenly, he is required to lead England’s attack in what is perhaps the spin-bowling capital of the world. Is he equipped to deliver in the long format? His numbers in Asia are not particularly encouraging. He took 23 wickets across a five-match Test series in India, but his average was a mediocre 37.43, and he also went at 3.7 an over. In the UAE, where the Kookaburra ball is used – just as in Sri Lanka – and where pitches are more like the ones found on the island, Rashid’s figures are even worse – though he did claim a second-innings five-for on debut in Abu Dhabi, having conceded a chastening 0 for 163 first-time out. It is possible that his confidence from excellent performances in the limited-overs series will flow into his Test game, but that is not a given. Plenty of foreign spinners have prospered in Sri Lanka in ODIs. Not many have had the same success in Tests.

Team news

There are a lot of unknowns with this England XI. Will Moeen Ali bat at No. 3 or lower down the order? Burns is almost certain to get a Test debut, and Foakes is likely to join him with Jos Buttler playing as a specialist batsman, meaning that Joe Denly may have to wait for his chance later in the series. They are likely to play three spinners as well.England (possible): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Keaton Jennings, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Joe Root (capt.), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jack Leach, 11 James AndersonSri Lanka will almost certainly play three spinners themselves. Dhananjaya de Silva might take the lower-order spot over Roshen Silva, who has been a little out of form in recent months. Opener Kaushal Silva will return to the XI for the first time in over a year. Lahiru Kumara, who had been in the 16-man squad for the series, has been dropped for disciplinary reasons. Dushmantha Chameera comes in as his replacement.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kaushal Silva, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.) 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Akila Dananjaya, 11 Rangana Herath

Pitch and conditions

The pitch looks dry to start with and, given the wind blowing across the ground, is likely to dry further very quickly over the first three days. Rain is forecast for the first two days in particular, and there are likely to be interruptions.

Stats and trivia

• No other nation has ever hosted 21 result Tests consecutively. The last draw in Sri Lanka was against South Africa at Colombo in July 2014.
• Rashid’s recent Test form is much better than his overall numbers. He has taken 10 wickets at 30.9 this year.
• Mathews’ Test form in recent years has been modest. He averages 28.59 across 37 innings since the start of 2016.
• These teams have played four matches in Galle. Sri Lanka have won two of those, and two – in 2003, and 2007 – have been draws.

Quotes

“We’ve got a very balanced squad with plenty of different options. Whichever XI we go with, we’re going to be blessed with that. From that point of view I feel we’ll be very well prepared for whatever surface is thrown at us.”
England captain Joe Root“When you look at the Test records in the last couple of years, both teams are equal. When you’re playing in Sri Lanka, definitely the spinners will come into play. Maybe because of that, we are a little ahead of England.”
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal

Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle have all been rested in preparation for the Test series against India

Alex Malcolm08-Nov-2018

Australia T20I squad

Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

Australia have opted to leave out Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle from the T20Is against South Africa and India in preparation for the upcoming Test series against India.Allrounder Marcus Stoinis and left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff have been added to a streamlined 13-man squad for the four matches in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.Marsh and Lyon were both left out of the ODI squad in order to be rested ahead of a “busy summer schedule” and both have been left out again to continue to play Sheffield Shield cricket for their states.”We know coming off the back of the tour to the UAE, a huge summer at home, and the World Cup and Ashes just around the corner that we have to get the balance right between playing our best T20 team and preparing for the upcoming Test series,” Australia coach Justin Langer said.”While I know all four have a desire to be playing cricket for Australia in every format, with a really tough Test series against India coming up, we believe their best preparation is to go back and get some really good cricket under their belts in the Sheffield Shield.”Marsh played two T20Is in the UAE while Lyon played just one. Starc did not play any due to a hamstring niggle and Siddle stayed in the UAE as cover for Starc but also was not called upon.Stoinis returns to the T20I fold. He played in the triangular tournament in Zimbabwe mid-year but was left out of the UAE squad while he recovered from a minor injury.”Marcus missed our recent T20 matches in the UAE because he hadn’t resumed bowling, but now he’s back to full fitness he’ll add great depth to the squad,” Langer said. “Marcus is such a versatile player, he’s a powerful middle-order batsman and he provides us with another solid bowling option.”Behrendorff played two T20Is in India in October 2017 and took 4 for 21 in Guwahati before breaking down with stress fractures in his back in November 2017. The WA and Perth Scorchers quick returned in the JLT Cup and impressed in the Prime Minister’s XI match against South Africa in Canberra, taking 3 for 35.”It was exciting to see him bowl well in the JLT Cup and in the recent Prime Minister’s XI match, and it gave us more evidence of how devastating he can be with the new ball,” Langer said. “Tactically we believe it’s important to have a good left-arm swing bowler at our disposal for the four matches.”Behrendorff, Ben McDermott and Andrew Tye have all been included in the Cricket Australia XI team to play South Africa in a warm-up T20 in Brisbane on November 14 with the rest of the squad currently involved in the ODI series.

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.

Australia’s first day of Test cricket on the new broadcasters, Seven and Fox Sports, recorded a combined average of fewer than 1 million viewers nationally at peak time in the final session

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide07-Dec-2018Australia’s first day of Test cricket on the new broadcasters, Seven and Fox Sports, was unable to break a wider trend of falling television audience numbers, recording a combined average of fewer than 1 million viewers nationally at peak time in the final session.In April, the two networks shelled out a combined A$1.18 billion to Cricket Australia for the broadcast rights over five years, based in part on the concept that live sport remains one of the few broad-based audience drivers for television. At the same time, the deal contained a sizeable digital component, for streaming rights to Foxtel through their new Kayo app and other existing platforms, but it remains unclear exactly how large that audience is.A move to two parallel broadcasts for Test cricket has been an enormously complicated exercise for CA, Fox Sports and Seven, based largely around the hope that a rising tide of coverage would lift all boats, whether free-to-air or on pay TV. The early signs from day one were that the combined audience would be no larger than that enjoyed exclusively by the Nine Network – typically around the 1 million mark in recent times – for the previous 40 years, with the creep away from traditional television broadcasts to streaming and other forms of entertainment continuing.Seven’s coverage was watched by an average 454,000 viewers nationally in the morning session, rising to 588,000 in the afternoon and peaking at 773,000 in the evening session leading into the national news. Fox Sports, meanwhile, returned an average of 137,000 before lunch, 162,000 in the afternoon and 214,000 in the evening. The combined average figure for the final session was thus 987,000.While comparisons with past broadcasts are affected by the aforementioned move away from television to digital entertainment, these figures ran reasonably close to the equivalent match last summer, the first Test of the Ashes in Brisbane in late November, and the corresponding Test four years ago when Australia played India in Adelaide after the match was rescheduled due to the death of Phillip Hughes. The 2017 third session average for the Gabba Test was 1.361 million.There is a far more significant drop-off, however, if the figures are measured in terms of the five city metropolitan audiences so often quoted by television networks and advertisers alike. According to OzTam figures, the comparison for evening session audiences in 2014, 2017 and 2018 show a major decline, from 874,000 four years ago, to 823,000 last year and a mere 544,000 on Thursday. Changes in metropolitan viewing habits have meant that regional audiences are now propping up overall numbers more significantly than in the past.Seven and Fox Sports were eager to push the “reach” figures tabulated from day one, which are based on the number of people tuning in for at least five minutes across the day, and their enthusiasm was echoed by the CA chief executive Kevin Roberts. “It was moving from the talk off the field to the action on the field and it just saw how cricket is just a positive and uniting force,” he told SEN Radio.”We reached 3.4 million Australians yesterday. The numbers are still being put together, but we do know we reached 3.4 million Australians through the day. The third session went particularly well. I’m sure there were many, many Indians tuning in in different parts of the world as well. I’m just really happy for the players. They deserved the success they had yesterday. It was a brilliant day of Test cricket. Walking that tight rope in recent times, how hard do they go? Our goal is always to win, but our expectation is that we compete with respect. The way they played made me feel proud.”What is not in doubt is that a day Test in Adelaide draws fewer spectators and eyeballs than the day-night fixtures played over each of the past three seasons. Roberts indicated that he was keen to ensure that, in future, the match returned to a floodlit form.”It was actually the second highest crowd we’ve had for a day one Test against India at the Adelaide Oval,” Roberts said of a day one attendance of 23,802. “What we saw was many of those 24,000 yesterday sitting in the shade which meant the stands on the eastern side were quite empty. No doubt we’ll see a far bigger crowd on the weekend. We think we would’ve had 15,000 or so interstate visitors if it was a day-night Test so there’s no doubting we’ve lost that group of fans.”You look at the way fans have embraced it. It matters what the fans think and they’ve voted with their feet. Those numbers are incredible so we’re really excited about getting back to that in the future. Part of that fabric of cricket both nationally and internationally is so rich so we embrace the fact that they’ve had a different view about this Test match. We hope that the sentiment from fans is something India can see.”Adelaide’s crowd on Friday grew to 25,693 in somewhat less hostile weather conditions. CA and broadcasters alike will hope that the television audience follows a similar upward trend.

Former Worcestershire cricketer had been accused of raping a sleeping woman in 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2019The jury in the trial of Alex Hepburn, the former Worcestershire cricketer who was accused of raping a sleeping woman, has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.The case at Worcester Crown Court was adjourned on Friday afternoon, the fifth day of the trial, after the 12-person jury failed to reach a majority verdict following more than nine hours of deliberation.Hepburn, 23, now faces the prospect of a retrial after pleading not guilty to two counts of rape, following his initial arrest in April 2017.In the course of the trial it was claimed that the alleged victim, who cannot be named, had awoken during the attack, having initially assumed Hepburn to be Joe Clarke, his Worcestershire team-mate, with whom she had had consensual sex earlier in the night.Hepburn, who was born in Western Australia and moved to England in 2013 to pursue his cricket career, told the court that he had previously arranged to sleep in his friend’s room, and did not see the woman until he was in bed beside her.The case brought to light what was described in court as a “sexual conquest game” on the social media app WhatsApp, involving a number of Worcestershire’s players, including Hepburn and Clarke.Miranda Moore QC, for the prosecution, alleged that Hepburn had been “fired up” by his desire to win the competition, having posted the rules of the game to the WhatsApp group five days before the alleged attack.Hepburn, giving evidence, had claimed the WhatsApp group was “meant to be nothing more than immature chat between a group of friends”, adding that he was embarrassed that his family had had to see the comments that he had made.The Crown Prosecution Service will now discuss the prospect of a retrial with the lawyers and the judge, Jim Tindal, with a decision due in 14 days’ time.It is also understood that the ECB, the PCA and Worcestershire CCC are paying close attention to the case, with the behaviour of the club’s players likely to come under scrutiny from the Cricket Discipline Commission, irrespective of the verdict.

Daryl Mitchell reiterates call for new teams to have independent coaching set-ups rather than be run by host counties

Alan Gardner26-Feb-2019Daryl Mitchell, the chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), has warned that The Hundred, the ECB’s new format slated for introduction next year, needs to be a success or risk having “serious damaging effects for the counties”.Mitchell and David Leatherdale, the PCA chief executive, have also questioned suggestions in recent weeks that the eight new teams – to be based at Lord’s, The Oval, Southampton, Cardiff, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford and Headingley – could be overseen by coaching staff from their respective host county. “I think as soon as you start controlling two budgets there will be a massive conflict of interest,” Mitchell said.Speaking on the day of the PCA’s AGM at The Oval, where Mitchell was re-elected for a second two-year term as chairman, he described it as “imperative” that everyone in the English game gets behind the new competition, which is “front and centre of everyone’s mind now”. The ECB last week announced near-unanimous agreement from the counties on the playing conditions, and the focus will now turn to settling on the eight team identities, as well as details for the player draft, scheduled to be held in October.However, while it was initially envisaged that squads for The Hundred would be looked after by completely independent coaching structures, it was reported earlier this month that the counties had defeated the ECB on this point. Instead, it could mean that the team based at Lord’s, for example, are in turn managed by Middlesex’s director of cricket, currently Stuart Law, with the potential for significant overlap between county and The Hundred coaching and playing structures.As the head of the players’ union, Mitchell’s first concern is ensuring that all PCA members have a fair chance of winning selection in the draft – rather than county coaches picking their own. But he also suggested that smaller counties agreeing to let the host grounds take control would be equivalent to “signing your own death warrant” due to lost revenue from the ECB’s central pot.”From our point of view, initially it was sold as something completely different and new,” Mitchell said. “If you have a director of cricket in charge of both lists, both sets of players at the same home ground, I think that is inherently not different. I also think as soon as you start controlling two budgets there will be a massive conflict of interest and there will be severe issues.”I’m amazed that the non-host venues that are paired up with these counties would even contemplate letting it happen, to be perfectly honest. I think it’s sort of signing your own death warrant, or making life extra difficult for yourself.”It’s something the PCA and the ECB initially were completely aligned on, I’ve sat on two cricket committee meetings where it’s been passed that it has to be independent, that’s paramount to the integrity of the competition. I sat on the working group, and it was pretty much unanimous there as well, that it needed to be independent people in charge of selecting these teams.”From the players’ point of view, it’s imperative that you have the best 96 players. What you don’t want is to have bias, or even the perception of bias, from people picking their own men, shall we say. This competition, to be a success, needs to have the best 96 players and everyone should have a fair and equal opportunity of being in that, by performances in the T20 Blast or the previous two-three years.”Each of the counties is already guaranteed an extra £1.3m, after agreeing to the ECB’s plans for its new tournament. But with further money set to be allocated depending on the players and staff involved, Mitchell suggested it could lead to a situation where the rich get richer.There are also potential issues with the constitution of the boards to manage each team in The Hundred. While some have multiple representatives – Middlesex, Essex and the MCC will jointly take charge of the Lord’s outfit – the Manchester team currently only has involvement from Lancashire.”The big ground has his director of cricket, I’m sure there’d be a nice little claw-back on his salary,” Mitchell said. “He might employ a coach, he might employ eight or nine of his players, all the percentage of their salaries is going to go back to the big county to spend again, on top of the staging fee that they get. So from a financial point of view, all the big host venues are winning and all the non-host venues are losing severely, I would suggest.”On the possibility of conflicts of interest when managing two supposedly separate squads, Leatherdale referred to the concept of “bundling”, allegedly practised by Perth Scorchers in Australia’s Big Bash League, whereby players could be encouraged to switch counties based on the potential for greater opportunities in The Hundred.”It’s all perception,” Leatherdale said. “You’re trying to create a competition that’s got clear integrity about what you’re trying to do to make it different, and all of a sudden you might have something that … gives the opportunity for someone to say ‘That doesn’t look right’. You’ve got the Andrew Tye situation that happened in Western Australia. He was picked up by Perth Scorchers, didn’t play four-day cricket but had a contract managed by the same people.”That would be the key bit that Daryl said, you want everybody to have the best opportunity to be selected, the best 96, but also that person that’s done very, very well, as opposed to a coach who feels he can pick four or five people that he knows… It’s not a question of integrity, it’s just perception.”In response to Mitchell’s criticisms, an ECB spokesman said: “We have worked closely with the whole game to create a big opportunity for the whole game. The Hundred has already helped cricket in England and Wales to secure powerful partnerships with Sky and BBC, get live cricket on terrestrial TV and attract fresh revenues that will benefit cricket at all levels.”Players are core – it has been important to have the PCA involved, players’ feedback from the pilot days was invaluable and we welcome their ongoing insights. Within the game’s formal governance process, support for the new competition and playing conditions has been overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to developing the competition even further over the next few months.”Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, has previously described the The Hundred as crucial to the future of the game in England. And while Mitchell, who was encouraged by his involvement in September’s trial events, admitted that “there’s still some to be convinced” among the PCA membership, he said it was now important to get behind the new format.”These decisions have been made. It’s imperative that everyone gets behind it, it needs to be a success – probably for all stakeholders. My concern is the players but from a broadcast point of view, from a supporter’s point of view, it needs to be a success because I think the ramifications if it fails over the next four or five years could be quite serious and have serious damaging effects to the counties.”