The players’ auction of the Bangladesh Premier League has been shifted to December 20 while the tournament’s second edition is set to begin on January 18

Mohammad Isam15-Dec-2012The players’ auction of the Bangladesh Premier League has been shifted to December 20 while the tournament’s second edition is set to begin on January 18, with the opening ceremony to be held the previous day. It had been earlier announced that the auction would be held on December 9. But since that co-incided with the home series against West Indies, the date had to be shifted.”We will hold the opening ceremony on January 17 and start the tournament on January 18,” Ismail Haider Mallik, the new BPL secretary, said. “The players’ auction will take place on December 20 while a new franchise will be finalised tomorrow. We will bring on board Rangpur as the seventh franchisee.”The announcement was made at a press conference; it was also an occasion to introduce the new faces in the BPL governing council. Afzalur Rahman Sinha is the new BPL chairman (replacing Gazi Ashraf Hossain) while Mallik has been made secretary (in place of Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir) after the previous directors’ body of the BCB dissolved in late November and was replaced by an ad-hoc committee soon after, which included both Sinha and Mallik.But the new BPL committee has had to tackle the same issues, chiefly pertaining to player payments as well as having a contract between the organisers and the six existing franchises.”We will have the agreements with the franchises completed before December 20. There will be a few instructions regarding players’ payment. For instance, 25% of the payment has to be made between the players’ auction and the start of the tournament.”Before the last match of the tournament, 25% should be paid and the rest of the money will be paid within six months of the end of the last match. These are just some of the technicalities that will be incorporated in the agreement,” said Mallik.The organisers, this time as well, have been defensive, taking the “too little time to prepare” line when it comes to solving disputes (like player payments, contract with franchises, etc) from the previous tournament. Sinha, the new chairman, believes that since the new governing council took over in late November, they haven’t had enough time to sort out all the disputes.”We have had very little time to solve the disputes. We are letting the ball roll as of now because we won’t get any other free slot to host the tournament. We will definitely solve the disputes with the franchises but as of now the tournament has to go on.”The disputes regarding the foreign players’ payment have been solved, we have heard a few disputes with the local players but we have been in the BCB for only a few days. We will definitely solve it in the coming days. Ten to twelve days’ time, that is not enough to host a league like the BPL.”Both Mallick and Sinha assured the payment will be made in time and that it will “go through the BCB” from the franchises this time. “The payment will be done through the BCB this time. Franchisees will pay us and we will pay the players.”We have given the franchises a time to make all remaining payments to the local players and they have agreed. We are very hopeful that they’ll give the entire payment,” Sinha said.

Ireland have secured more valuable game-time against Full Member opposition, confirming a two-match one-day series against Pakistan in May

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2013Ireland have secured more valuable game-time against Full Member opposition, confirming a two-match one-day series against Pakistan in May as part of the visitors’ preparations for the Champions Trophy.The matches will rekindle memories of one of Ireland’s most famous days on the international stage when they beat Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup in Jamaica. The sides have met twice since then at the ODI level with Pakistan winning both matches during a short trip in 2011. These latest games will be played on May 23 and 26, with the venues still to be confirmed, during a week-long stay for Pakistan in Ireland.The matches add to an increasing fixture list for Ireland, which includes a one-day international against England and a tour by Australia A. There are also plans in place to play a series against Bangladesh. Ireland have benefited from extra funding from the ICC that is enabling them to attract more high-level opposition, which is a key part of their long-term plan.Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, said: “It’s fantastic news for Irish cricket, and we’re grateful to both ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board for making the series possible. The extra funding we’ve secured through TAPP ensures we’re able to organise additional matches against Full Members.”Pakistan are a formidable one-day side and it’s a great way of measuring where we are as a team. We’ve had some wonderful tussles with them in the past, and for many, Irish cricket was born the day we beat them in the 2007 World Cup. That win grabbed the attention of the world and we haven’t looked back since.”Last week, Pakistan were also confirmed as playing Scotland in two one-day internationals in the build-up to the Champions Trophy.

A look back at the highs and lows from the second week of the
Bangladesh Premier League

Mohammad Isam03-Feb-2013Chittagong responds to BPL The arrival of the League in Bangladesh’s second-largest city completely changed the complexion of the Twenty20 tournament. The first match at the venue, between the home side (Chittagong Kings) and Sylhet Royals, was played in front of a packed house and nearly all matches over the next five days saw full houses.
The chief reason is the central location of the MA Aziz Stadium, which is seeing some cricketing action after hosting football for most of the last eight years. International cricket is played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the western corner of Chittagong. Though certain roads leading up to the venue were cordoned off, the spectators lined up two hours before the game. There were also rumours of slashed ticket prices, which attracted a sizeable amount of students from nearby educational institutions. On the final day, when the Kings took on Dhaka Gladiators, there was barely any room to stand in the general galleries.Tamim Iqbal, who lives just across the street from the stadium, also
entertained on a couple of nights, once trying to hit one into his house, though it ended up being a six over deep midwicket.Kings still struggleThe Kings, however, didn’t warm up to the BPL even in the second week. In their first home game, they went down to Sylhet and then lost to Barisal Burners. Captaincy changed hands for the next two games with Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor replacing Mahmudullah, who wasn’t enjoying the role and had apparently given it away.Big-ticket T20 players like Ravi Bopara, Jacob Oram and Shaun Tait didn’t quite contribute, and neither did most of the local players. The squad looks thin in specialist T20 batsmen, while the left-arm spinners haven’t done a particularly good job of bowling to the fields they set.Most of the headlines they have made in the BPL this season have been due to Brian Lara, their brand ambassador, who has participated in several events to keep the marketing wheel rolling.The Zimbabwean connectionBrendan Taylor isn’t the only Zimbabwean player to be contributing to his side. The rest of his compatriots have also been chipping in with the bat.Elton Chigumbura saw the Sylhet Royals through a tight finish, while Charles Coventry won a game for Duronto Rajshahi with a 25-ball 62, possibly the most breathtaking innings in the tournament till date. Sean Ervine has also kept Rajshahi’s hopes alive by batting at a strike rate of 140 but his bowling hasn’t been up to the mark.Hamilton Masakadza’s batting tapered off slightly after an impressive show in the first few games, but it has been a tournament which would encourage BPL team selectors to keep an eye on more Zimbabwean players, with their local knowledge.Nasir’s tricksThe Rangpur Riders were losing their way in a chase against the home side, Khulna Royal Bengals. But Nasir Hossain, in spectacular form, had other ideas as he led the Khulna chase of 151. Against Afghan left-arm bowler Shapoor Zadran, who was bowling around the wicket, Nasir became a left-hander, then took a front-on stance before settling as a right-hander and smashing the flustered bowler back over his head.He tried the trick a few times but it wasn’t successful and his inability to take strike in the final over didn’t help matters either. Nasir’s excellent 2012-13 season continues into the BPL and much of Riders’ success would depend on him.

After opting out of the ODI series against Zimbabwe, Chris Gayle has been rested from the upcoming two Twenty20 internationals against the visitors as well

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2013After opting out of the ODI series against Zimbabwe, Chris Gayle has been rested from the upcoming two Twenty20 internationals against the visitors as well. A WICB release said Gayle had asked to miss the T20s. Darren Sammy, who had also been rested from the ODI series, returned to lead a 13-man West Indies squad, which had call-ups for fast bowler Shannon Gabriel and allrounder Christopher Barnwell.The release said both were leading performers during the recent Caribbean T20 tournament. Barnwell, who has played four T20s for West Indies, was the highest run-getter in the Caribbean T20 and also took six wickets. Gabriel, who made his Test debut at Lord’s in May 2012, picked up five wickets.The T20s against Zimbabwe will be played on March 2 and 3 in Antigua.West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Samuel Badree, Christopher Barnwell, Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons

A round-up of matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on March 26, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2013Group A
Kerala chased down Delhi’s formidable total of 195 for 4 with six wickets in hand and two overs to spare in Indore. Rohan Prem, batting at No. 3 for Kerala, set the pace and stayed the course, finishing unbeaten on 92 off 51 balls. The propulsion at the finish was provided by Sachin Baby, who blitzed 48 off 19 balls. Every Delhi bowler conceded nine or more runs per over; four of the six used went at more than ten. Kerala’s efforts overshadowed that of Unmukt Chand, who had scored his maiden domestic T20 century to lead Delhi’s innings. Opening the batting, he made 105 off 67 balls and was dismissed off the penultimate delivery of the innings.A collective performance from their batsman helped Gujarat inch past Odisha by three wickets and two balls to spare. Chasing 152, Gujarat kept losing wickets regularly but they ensued the chase did not lose momentum completely. Niraj Patel top-scored with 40, and Rohit Dahiya was unbeaten on 14 when the winning runs were scored. Basant Mohanty took 3 for 27 for Odisha. Gujarat had dismissed the Odisha openers off successive deliveries to hinder their progress after they won the toss. The Odisha middle order made useful contributions, the highest of which was Govind Podder’s 40. Subhrajit Sahoo made 37 off 17 balls to prop up Odisha to 151 for 6.Group B
Sayan Mondal took 3 for 19 to set up Bengal’s four-run win against Baroda in Indore. Defending 149, Mondal dismissed three of the top five batsmen, and Baroda then slipped from 81 for 2 to 84 for 5. Sanjib Sanyal struck off successive deliveries to reduce Baroda to 124 for 7, and they eventually finished on 145 for 9. Bengal’s score had been set up by contributions of 48 and 50 from Shreevats Goswami and Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who hit five sixes in his 23-ball innings.Karnataka‘s middle and lower-order batsmen chased 130 in the last over with two wickets to spare against Punjab. After their top three batsmen scored only 16 runs together, Manish Pandey (31) put on 25 with Stuart Binny (17) and 31 with CM Gautam (31). 75 for 5 when Pandey was dismissed, Gautam and Karun Nair (16) took them till 117 when they lost two wickets in two balls. Ultimately, Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun took them home.When Punjab had batted, Ravi Inder Singh fired at the top with 60 off 44 but he did not get any support. Only three other batsmen reached double figures as they lost their last seven wickets for 24 runs to be dismissed in 18.1 overs and Binny finished with 3 for 26.

Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, is in a critical condition in hospital after being assaulted late on Wednesday evening in Christchurch

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2013Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, is in an induced coma in hospital after being assaulted twice late on Wednesday evening in Christchurch. Ryder, 28, is in intensive care after suffering a fractured skull, which Christchurch Police believe happened in the second of the two attacks.The first assault took place at about 12.30am outside the Aikman’s Bar in a Christchurch suburb Merivale, where Ryder had been out with Wellington team-mates and friends following their loss to Canterbury to mark the end of the season. The second attack occurred minutes later at the entrance to the car park of a McDonald’s across the road, where the other Wellington players had gone to order food.”An altercation has taken place on the footpath outside Aikman’s involving Jesse and a group of at least two other males. The altercation was brief,” Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer told reporters in Christchurch. “Following that incident, Ryder and two other persons walked across the road towards McDonald’s, where his Wellington team-mates had been purchasing some food. A second altercation has taken place at the entrance to the McDonald’s car park, involving one of the males from the earlier group.”In that incident it appears Jesse has been the victim of a serious assault and has suffered head injuries as a result. Ambulance and police were called about at 12.44am. Jesse was taken to hospital where he remains in intensive care.”The hospital advise that Jesse is in a critical condition, he is in an induced coma as a result of suffering multiple injuries. He is still being assessed for a number of injuries and we are not prepared to discuss that any further.”Archer said that while police had “positive lines of inquiry”, they had not yet identified Ryder’s attackers. CCTV footage from Aikman’s and McDonald’s is being reviewed, he said. “We believe at least 10 or more people have witnessed some of the events, and we’ve been speaking to witnesses throughout the day. There are CCTV cameras in the area and we’re going through the process of downloading and reviewing that footage.”At the moment we have not identified the people involved in the incident, but we do have positive lines of inquiry, and we will be focusing on identifying and finding those people, and speaking to them.”Although the Wellington players had been at a licensed premises during the evening, at this stage there is no evidence that alcohol was a contributing factor to the assault. We are asking any witnesses to contact police and calling for people involved to come forward and speak to us about it.”Merivale McDonalds, where Jesse Ryder was found by police and taken to hospital•Getty Images

Ryder, who played 18 Tests for New Zealand before going into a self-imposed exile from international cricket for the last year, was due to leave for India on Friday to join the Delhi Daredevils ahead of the start of the IPL season on April 3. In January, he ruled out a return for New Zealand, despite his impressive domestic form.Before embarking on his sabbatical from international cricket, Ryder had been dropped from New Zealand’s ODI side after breaking team protocols concerning alcohol. In 2008, again in Christchurch, he injured his hand when putting it through a glass window after a drinking session.Peter Clinton, the Cricket Wellington chief executive, said Ryder was not in breach of his contract by being at the bar, and also that no team rules had been breached over the course of the night.”It was not a violation of his contract, no,” Clinton said. “There are some alcohol protocols around the team, as there are with other sports. My understanding of the events as described by the police was that those protocols were met last evening, so from that point of view we don’t have any direct concerns that Jesse was with his team-mates last night.”Heath Mills, chief executive of the New Zealand Players Association, said numerous cricketers around the country were in shock at the news of the assault, and Ryder’s serious condition.”Obviously the cricket community’s very shocked at what’s happened to Jesse. He’s obviously in a serious condition,” Mills said. “It’s a sad day for us, a number of players around the country are in shock, our focus now is on Jesse and his well-being.”The Daredevils’ team director, TA Sekar, called the incident “very unfortunate”. He had spoken to Ryder two days ago. “He was looking forward to come, and he was supposed to board the flight for Delhi tomorrow,” Sekar said. According to him, the franchise had bid for Ryder because he was a worthy batsman to replace Kevin Pietersen who, before he got injured, was contracted to play 11 matches in the season. Sekar said the franchise would seek a replacement soon.David White, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, expressed his sorrow at events via a statement: “We are all shocked by what has occurred and extremely concerned for Jesse. New Zealand Cricket’s thoughts are with him and his family.”New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor added: “Thinking of you mate [Jesse] Ryder.” Ryder’s manager, Aaron Klee, wrote on his Twitter page: “Thanks for the calls and msgs of support for Jesse. Just heading to [Christchurch] to see him.”

Stuart Binny is enjoying his role as finisher with Rajasthan Royals, he said, after propelling them to victory in a high-scoring game against Pune Warriors on Sunday night

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2013Stuart Binny is enjoying his role as finisher with Rajasthan Royals, he said, after propelling them to victory in a high-scoring game against Pune Warriors on Sunday night. Binny hit 32 not out of 13 balls to help Royals get to their target of 179 with a ball and five wickets to spare, and thus keep their 100% record in Jaipur this year intact.”At the moment I am totally enjoying it [finishing games]. I started off at No. 4 in the tournament and now I have come down to No. 6,” he told the IPL site after the match. “At Nos. 5, 6 you get an opportunity to finish the game. I have been batting really well. I have been watching the ball and when the ball is in my area I score boundaries quickly.”This was the fifth time Binny finished not out in 11 innings, and he said he was confident of chasing down the target given the nature of the pitch. “There is always pressure chasing but the wicket turned out to be an excellent batting strip so we knew that even if we were chasing 50 runs in 25 balls it was always possible. We thought the ball would swing a bit more but it really didn’t do much as it was a pretty flat batting track. When we spoke in the mid-innings break we spoke about just going through and batting all the overs and with a wicket like this we could definitely get runs on the board.”Royals needed 43 off the final four when Binny took apart Rahul Sharma in the 17th over, and it had come down to 28 needed off 16 when Sanju Samson came to bat. At that point, Binny said, Samson delivered just what was needed: “We knew that we didn’t want to keep too much for the last over, so we tried to push in the 18th over and it came off well. Sanju came and played well to get a boundary off the first ball, and it took a bit of pressure off me as well.”Samson was out off the second ball of the final over, leaving James Faulkner on strike with four needed off four. “At that time we were just looking to get bat on ball and find the gap. The point fielder is on the line so you can really run one run there. So the communication between Faulkner and me was just to get bat on ball,” Binny said. “And fortunately we got two runs off that ball, which took some pressure off me again as well.

Lancashire have signed New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan for their upcoming Friends Life t20 campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2013Lancashire have signed New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan for their Friends Life t20 campaign which gets underway later this month. McClenaghan will be Lancashire’s second overseas player for the tournament, after Australia’s Simon Katich.McClenaghan said he was excited to sign for Lancashire and is looking forward to county cricket.”I am delighted to be joining Lancashire for the Friends Life t20,” he said. “I have enjoyed being part of the New Zealand tour of the UK and Champions Trophy squad so far and the opportunity to broaden my cricket experience by playing county cricket was too good to turn down. Lancashire are a club with a great history and tradition and I hope to be able to help the club to T20 success this season.”McClenaghan has been in fine form off late in the ODIs in the UK, with figures of 4 for 65 in the washed out match against Australia and 4 for 43 against Sri Lanka which New Zealand won by one wicket. He was the highest wicket-taker in the three-match ODI series against England with eight wickets at an average of 17.25. He currently has 26 wickets in ODIs, the most for an ODI bowler after nine matches, including four four-wicket hauls.Lancashire coach Peter Moores said, “To have an international quality left-arm seamer joining us for the Friends Life t20 competition is very exciting and a real boost to the squad. The fact that Mitchell is coming straight out of international cricket in England means he will hit the ground running, and his competitive nature looks a perfect fit for how we go about our cricket.”Lancashire will play their opening Friends Life t20 match against Durham on June 28.

Centuries from Rob Key and Brendan Nash helped Kent through to an impressive 513 and a first-innings lead of 108 in a high-scoring clash with Hampshire that looks destined to end in a draw.

17-Jul-2013
ScorecardRob Key through away a double century with a loose stroke•Getty Images

Centuries from Rob Key and Brendan Nash helped Kent through to an impressive 513 and a first-innings lead of 108 in a high-scoring clash with Hampshire that looks destined to end in a draw.Key eventually fell for a season’s best 180, while Nash hit an impish 126 with 17 fours during his near four-hour stay at the crease that helped Kent post their best first-innings total of the season. On another scorching day in Canterbury, Hampshire reached 15 without loss in the 30 minutes through to the close and will go into the fourth and final day trailing Kent by 93 runs.Kent, resuming on their Tuesday night total of 200 for 1 and still trailing by 205, made a tidy start through second-wicket partners Key and Daniel Bell-Drummond with both men hitting early boundaries. Teenager Bell-Drummond moved his score on to 79, already a Championship best, when he chased a wide delivery from James Tomlinson to edge to tumbling Hampshire wicketkeeper Adam Wheater.Bell-Drummond’s lapse in concentration ended a stand worth 191 in 55.3 overs and brought in former West Indies Test batsman Nash who, only four days earlier, had been forced to retire ill on 199 in his innings at Cheltenham Festival with sun stroke.Nash and Key progressed steadily either side of lunch, the only scare either player suffered coming with Key on 141, fended a lifting ball from Sean Ervine just short of Adam Rouse under the helmet at short leg. Key survived and and went on to post his 150 from 235 balls and with 17 fours.Kent’s third-wicket partners took their stand to 113 before Key, inexplicably and when only 20 short of a double hundred, slog swept at Danny Briggs to lose his middle and off stumps.Ben Harmison, fresh from his maiden Championship hundred for Kent against Gloucestershire, reached 24 before he pushed at one that held up on the surface from occasional spinner Michael Carberry to be caught at slip and make it 379 for 4.Darren Stevens marched in with Kent needing 21 from three overs to post their fifth batting bonus point, but the right-hander perished in the attempt and, after facing only nine balls, was caught and bowled by James Vince.Geraint Jones and Nash combined to add 60 for the sixth wicket with Nash moving to his fourth century of the championship campaign from 163 balls and with 13 boundaries. The innings took Nash’s Championship tally for the season to 861 runs at a very respectable average of 61.5.Jones departed for 13 when an Ervine offcutter snared him leg before then Nash soon followed, caught behind off a bottom edge when looking to cut one from Liam Dawson.Hampshire continued to run through the Kent tail when Tomlinson got one to hold its line against the St Lawrence slope to trap James Tredwell for 2. Vernon Philander had his off stump trimmed by Sohail Tanvir then No. 10 Calum Haggett was caught at extra cover when driving on the up to leave Hampshire with seven overs to bat through to stumps.

The silver lining for Zimbabwe after Thursday’s thumping, and it’s a very slim lining indeed, is the batting form of Elton Chigumbura

Liam Brickhill at Queens Sports Club01-Aug-2013The silver lining for Zimbabwe after Thursday’s thumping, and it’s a very slim lining indeed, is the batting form of Elton Chigumbura. The allrounder, who was unbeaten on 50 as Zimbabwe disintegrated, is their leading run-scorer in the series with 142 runs at an average – boosted by two not-outs – of 71.Indeed, Chigumbura seems to have a thing for Indian bowlers: in six one-day innings against India, he’s been dismissed just twice in compiling 182 runs and has scored at close to a run a ball against them.”[India] always seem to come at a good time, when I’m playing well,” he said. “This is the second time I’ve played against them, and mostly that has been on wickets that are good to bat on.”It was expected that Zimbabwe would have an easier time of things at Queens Sports Club, where the pitch usually favours batting, but that proved – spectacularly – not to be the case. Chigumbura pointed to a lack of application by his side’s batsmen rather than any misreading of the pitch.”It was a good wicket to bat on. We all know when we play at Queens, it’s always a batter’s wicket and if you apply yourself then you can make runs. [A lack of application] been the problem for the last three games. Losing early wickets, it’s hard to come back, especially if you then keep losing wickets. Some of the batters are now coming in at different times that they are not used to. If we can have no early wickets, then the rest of the batters will end up batting in their natural position.”The guys are working hard, but I think it’s just a matter of being smart when we start our innings, especially our first ten overs when we’re losing two to three early wickets. Besides working hard, I think the guys just need to maybe take a little bit of time at the wicket. It all comes together when you stay out there.”A repeated mantra for Zimbabwe during this series has been that they’ve put in a lot of preparation, and now is the time to put it into action. Their failure hasn’t been for a lack of trying, but Chigumbura was at a loss as to how to explain the root cause of their inadequacies. With this series gone, it seems all that is left is to look forward to the next one, and hope it will be better.”We are all trying to improve in every game, but it’s unfortunate on this tour we haven’t done so. But if you look at our past history, playing at home we have done well. It’s just one of those tours, where things are not coming together on the batting side. We just need to finish well, and hopefully when Pakistan come our batting will gel.”