A round-up of the matches in the Under-19 World Cup on January 29

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2016England Under-19 fast bowlers Sam Curran and Saqib Mahmood took two and four wickets respectively to help dismiss West Indies Under-19 for 221 and complete a 61-run victory in Chittagong. Curran began the defence of 282 in splendid fashion, dismissing Tevin Imlach and no. 3 Shimron Hetmyer for ducks in the first over of the West Indies chase. The other opener Gidron Pope made 60 out of the team’s first 84 runs at a run a ball before he was dismissed in the 18th over. The only other innings of substance came from the no. 7 Keemo Paul, who made 65 off 58 deliveries. Mahmood ran through the lower order and West Indies were all out in 43.4 overs.England had relied on a collective performance to post 282 for 7 after winning the toss, their second successive imposing total of the tournament. Opener Dan Lawrence was impressive again, making 55, while Callum Taylor top scored with 59. Jack Burnham made 44 and George Bartlett 48, and Curran also contributed 39 off 36 balls at no. 6 before wrecking the start of the chase.Fiji Under-19 suffered another massive defeat in their second match of the World Cup, losing by seven wickets to Zimbabwe Under-19 in Chittagong, two days after a 299-run thrashing against England. This time Fiji batted first and were shot out for 81 in 27.4 overs, with only three batsmen making double-figure scores and no one getting past 20. Offspinner Wesley Madhevere began his tournament with figures of 5 for 24, while legspinner Blessing Mavuta claimed 3 for 13 in Zimbabwe’s victory.Zimbabwe made short work of the chase, getting to 84 in 18.5 overs but lost three wickets in doing so. They were 27 for 2 at one stage. However, opener Brendan Sly made an unbeaten 29, while Jeremy Ives scored 23 off 26 balls, to seal victory. Medium-pacer Josaia Baleicikoibia took 2 for 19 for Fiji.The Namibia Under-19 bowlers dismissed Scotland Under-19 for 159 in Cox’s Bazar after which their top-order batsmen polished off the chase in 26 overs with nine wickets in hand. After winning the toss, Scotland lost their opener Jack Waller to Fritz Coetzee off the first legal ball of the game and never really recovered. They slumped from 59 for 2 to 97 for 8, before their last two wickets propped them up to 159 before they were all out in 36.3 overs. Owais Shah’s 39 at No.3 was Scotland’s top score, while Michael van Lingen took 3 for Namibia.Unlike Scotland, Namibia had a strong start to their chase, with their openers adding 95 in 15.3 overs. Niko Davin fell for 52 off 37 balls, while SJ Loftie-Eaton was unbeaten on 67 when the winning runs were hit with 144 balls to spare. He had added 67 for the second wicket with his captain Zane Green, who was unbeaten on 39 off 42 balls.

Mohammad Nabi is set to leave the Pakistan Super League and link-up with the Afghanistan squad ahead of their Asia Cup T20 qualifier clash against UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2016Mohammad Nabi is set to leave the Pakistan Super League and link-up with the Afghanistan squad ahead of their Asia Cup T20 qualifier clash against United Arab Emirates in Fatullah on Friday.Nabi, who made an unbeaten 12-ball 30, including a last-ball four to help Quetta Gladiators clinch a thriller against Lahore Qalandars in Dubai on Tuesday night, played eight matches for the franchise. The former Afghanistan captain and allrounder will be replaced by Nathan McCullum, the New Zealand offspinning allrounder, for the remainder of the tournament that concludes on February 24.McCullum, who announced his plans to retire from international cricket at the end of the 2015-16 seasom, last played for New Zealand during the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2015. He has been a regular member for Otago, who finished runners-up in the domestic T20 competition, with McCullum finishing the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker for his side.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has hinted that the decision to play Pakistan’s World T20 matches at Indian venues will only be taken after consulting with the central government

Umar Farooq09-Feb-20161:29

Bazid Khan on Pakistan playing in India

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has hinted that the decision to play Pakistan’s World T20 matches at Indian venues will only be taken after consulting with the central government and ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB has written to the government in this matter. He said that if the central government in Islamabad refuses to allow the team to travel to India for the tournament which starts on March 8, then the board will ask the ICC to shift Pakistan’s matches to a neutral venue.”We have told the ICC the decision is with the government and it’s not just us who have to decide,” Khan told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. “We need to understand that there are specific Pakistan-oriented security threats and we are concerned, hence [we have] involved the government. These are not general threats, like Australia had in Bangladesh and they did not send their team for the Under-19 World Cup.”We didn’t say or propose playing the World T20 matches at neutral venue but someone at the ICC meeting said that if there are concerns over any extremist activity [at Pakistan matches] then neutral venues will be looked into. Since it’s an ICC event and not a bilateral series we have to play it but if the decision [by the government] is negative then maybe the ICC could say that our matches be held in neutral venues in Sri Lanka or United Arab Emirates, and we will be ready for that.”In October 2015, talks between the India and Pakistan boards for a proposed series in December were put on hold after protests from the Shiv Sena, a regional political party. Fifty party workers stormed the BCCI office in Mumbai, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans and demanding that the BCCI cancel the series. Following the protests, the ICC withdrew umpire Aleem Dar from the last two ODIs of the South Africa series [the fifth match was held in Mumbai] and former Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar, who were in India on commentary duty, also returned home early.In the World T20, none of Pakistan’s league games will be played in the state of Maharashtra. Should Pakistan qualify for the semi-final, they will play that match in New Delhi, regardless of whether they place first or second in their group; the other qualifier from their group will play the semi-final allotted to Mumbai. The semi-final venue could change if Delhi is unable to host World T20 games.Currently, more than 400 Pakistani athletes across disciplines are in India for the South Asian Games in Guwahati, Assam. Khan, however, said, cricket could attract more threats. “There are more chances of attacks on cricketers than on swimmers and players of other games,” he said.

Aaron Finch, who until January this year, was Australia’s T20I captain, has said that he isn’t sure of his place in the side when Australia take on New Zealand in their opening match of the World T20 on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-20160:43

‘I’m just getting prepared to play as everyone is’ – Finch

Aaron Finch, who had been Australia’s T20 captain until January, has said that he isn’t sure of making the XI when Australia take on New Zealand in their opening match of the World T20 in Dharamsala on Friday.”I’ve got no idea, to be honest,” Finch said. “I’m just getting prepared to play as everyone is. I’m sure the selectors will make a call once they see the wicket.”Finch is vying for the second opener’s slot in the team, considering Shane Watson’s good form and all-round skills makes him a certainty as first opener. Watson struck a blistering century in the third T20I against India earlier this year and also enjoyed a decent run in the Pakistan Super League. More recently, he scored 60 in a World T20 warm-up tie against West Indies.Finch, who is the No. 1-ranked T20I batsman, faces stiff competition from Khawaja, who was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2015-16 Big Bash League. Khawaja has also done well in Indian conditions – he scored 267 runs at 66.75 in four List A matches for Australia A last year in a triangular series, also involving South Africa A.Finch, while not as consistent, has notched up a few good scores of his own, including an 18-ball 40 against South Africa in Durban. “I feel really good with my game at the moment,” he said. “I feel as though I’m hitting the ball really well, so if I get the first crack at it, I’m ready to go.”We get up there (Dharamshala) on Tuesday, train on Wednesday and Thursday, so we’ll probably have a really good chance to have a look at the wicket then and the guys (selectors) can make a decision then.”If the selectors do opt for Khawaja, it would give Australia a left-right opening combination. “It’s probably less important in the first six overs, the left hand-right hand combination,” Finch said. “From my point of view, it’s about trying to get us off to a quick start. I’m sure Shane (Watson) is thinking the same and Uzzie (Khawaja) is probably in the same boat.”If Khawaja gets his opportunity, it’s about getting us off to a flyer while the ball is new and hard and then you can afford to probably have a bit more of a look through that middle period when spin comes on and they take the pace right off the ball.”Josh Hazlewood felt similar pressure over his place in the XI despite a hat-trick against West Indies.Australia have four specialist seamers in their squad – Hazlewood, John Hastings, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Andrew Tye – and seam-bowling allrounders in James Faulkner, Mitchell Marsh and Watson. With an eye on the conditions, Hazlewood suggested that the think-tank may be happy with just one frontline fast bowler.”It could be as simple as that. Depending on the wicket, it could really be one quick and a bunch of allrounders who do play this format a lot of the time,” Hazlewood said. Australia may also want to accommodate Ashton Agar or Adam Zampa to take advantage of slow, spin-friendly pitches.A player forcing his way into the XI after missing out initially is an unlikely scenario according to Hazlewood, given the shorter duration of the World T20.”The one-day World Cup, it went a little bit longer – six weeks,” he said. “If you get that first opportunity and take it in this one, we’ve got four games in pretty quick time. So I don’t think there will be as much chopping and changing, but in saying that it depends on the conditions at each ground.”

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the BCCI’s constitution was incapable of achieving the values of transparency, objectivity and accountability, and these could be attained only by changing it

PTI03-May-2016The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the BCCI’s constitution was incapable of achieving the values of transparency, objectivity and accountability, and these could only be attained by changing it.”The inherent constitution of the BCCI is such that it is highly incapable of achieving the values of transparency, objectivity and accountability [such] that without changing its structure it can’t be done so,” a two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifulla said, while hearing a matter related to the implementation of reforms suggested by the three-member panel led by Justice RM Lodha.The court’s remarks were made after the views presented by senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who was appointed amicus curiae to assist the court on how the recommendations of the Lodha committee, which favoured large-scale structural reforms to the BCCI, could be implemented.Subramanium said that if the constitution of the BCCI does not allow the values to be achieved then it could be said to be illegal as the cricket board is discharging a public function.”You discharge a public function but you want to enjoy private status,” Subramanium said. “If you have a public persona then you have to shed the private persona. This cannot be done. It [the BCCI] selects the national team for the country, it cannot be a private society. It is a public entity.”Justifying the reforms suggested by the Lodha panel, Subramanium said the board would not have had the need for these recommendations if it had adhered to the constitutional values. Subramanium added that the BCCI is the beneficiary of the recommendations as implementing them will help ensure credibility of the institution.”[The] Recommendations are in the right directions and the steps are in the right direction to ensure that constitutional values are adhered to ensure institutional integrity,” he saidThe court also asked Subramanium’s views on the ‘one state, one vote’ recommendation that has drawn opposition from the BCCI’s affiliated state associations. The court asked the amicus curiae what he made of the suggested reform that allows states which were earlier deprived of voting rights to exercise them, while removing the individual voting rights of members in states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have more than one association. Subramanium said the only ground which connected the two aspects was parity and every state should have been given an equal opportunity.Subramanium also suggested that franchise members should be included in the IPL governing council to bring in more transparency. The bench then asked for the BCCI’s response on legalising betting after Subramanium supported the recommendation.Senior advocate KK Venugopal, who represented the BCCI, said a law has to be passed to legalise betting and such a measure was not feasible as every state has its own laws relating to betting and gambling.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore continued a remarkable run of scores at New Road as Worcestershire escaped from a dire position on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two fixture at New Road

ECB Reporters Network29-May-2016
ScorecardTom Kohler-Cadmore lifted Worcestershire out of a dire position•Getty Images

Tom Kohler-Cadmore continued a remarkable run of scores at New Road as Worcestershire escaped from a dire position on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two fixture at New Road.In leading a beleaguered side from 34 for 5 to 341 for 8, the 21-year-old batsman made 153 not out, his fourth century in his last five innings on his home ground for an aggregate of 580 with only two dismissals.The sequence began last September with 130 not out against Middlesex and this season he has followed up with 119 not out against Essex and 127 from 54 balls in a NatWest T20 Blast match against Durham. In his only other knock, he scored 51 against Sussex.Until Kohler-Cadmore went to work, in particular peppering the midwicket boundary for many of his 23 fours from 262 balls, Gloucestershire were celebrating their decision to bowl first on a dry, greenish pitch.David Payne was the spearhead, exploiting swing and seam movement with 3 for 11 in seven overs. There were also wickets for Liam Norwell, on his return after a month’s lay-off, and Josh Shaw before Ben Cox, with 75 from 108 balls, turned things round in a partnership of 155 with Kohler-Cadmore.This equalled the county’s sixth-wicket record against Gloucestershire which Cox himself had set when batting with Joe Clarke at Bristol in April.Apart from a difficult caught-and-bowled chance to Norwell on 52, wicketkeeper Cox looked at ease in making the highest of his seven fifties since he scored 109 against Somerset in May last year.When he was dislodged by Craig Miles, giving Chris Dent his third catch in the innings at second slip, Worcestershire briefly faltered as Joe Leach also fell to Miles, slicing to point with the total on 205 for 7.However, Kohler-Cadmore powered on to a new career-best mark with an edged boundary off Jack Taylor, and in Ed Barnard he found another strong partner in putting on 92 in 27 overs. The former England Under-19 allrounder played well for 50 from 80 balls, a maiden first-class half-century, before he was lbw to Norwell.Jack Shantry, unbeaten with 26, then added to Gloucestershire’s frustration on a day that had begun so well. Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell was lbw to Payne from the third ball of the match and Clarke edged Norwell to Dent in the second over.Alexei Kervezee was also snapped up by Dent – a second success for Payne – and in his next over the left-arm seamer had Brett D’Oliveira leg-before. When Shaw bowled Ross Whiteley with his fourth ball, half the side had gone inside 12 overs in the first hour.

The PCB has bought four bulletproof buses in a bid to improve the security of visiting teams

Umar Farooq14-Jul-2016The PCB has bought four bulletproof buses as part of its effort to provide the “best possible arrangements” in terms of security for players visiting the country. The board hopes the additional measure, first proposed during the chairmanship of Zaka Ashraf in 2012 and sanctioned last year, will help in convincing overseas players and teams to tour Pakistan.Barring Zimbabwe’s limited-overs tour in May 2015, Pakistan have not hosted an international game since the attacks on the touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. In that incident, gunmen shot at the team bus near Gaddafi Stadium, injuring five cricketers and killing six security personnel and two civilians.The PCB has since struggled to convince teams to tour the country and Pakistan have had to play their “home” matches at neutral venues, mostly in the UAE, which has been their base for the past several years.”We have bought these four Coaster buses as part of our efforts to revive international cricket in the country,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “There will be high expectations from teams willing to visit Pakistan and we want to ensure that we provide them with the best possible arrangements. Having these bulletproof vehicles would play a major part in convincing teams [about security arrangements].”The PCB relies heavily on the government for security arrangements for visiting teams and the bulletproof buses will be an additional safety measure for teams travelling within the city. The buses were initially sanctioned at a PCB governing board meeting in 2012, but with the change of leadership the purchase was delayed. The matter was taken up again by PCB executive committee head Najam Sethi last year.”We are actually planning to host the PSL final in Lahore, but this requires us to convince overseas players to come,” the PCB spokesman said. “We have to have discussions with the players about their safety and security and I think this new addition in our security facilities will definitely give us an edge. Our ultimate goal is to revive international cricket, and we are doing our best to make sure we can.”The PCB has suffered financially from having to arrange matches in the UAE and from missing out on bilateral series against India. This prompted PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan to suggest that the Pakistan board should receive a “higher percentage of the income” from matches against India at ICC events.

The BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, appointed to pick the India coach, has carried out interviews with six to seven candidates on Tuesday in Kolkata

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2016The BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, appointed to pick the India coach, carried out interviews with six to seven candidates on Tuesday in Kolkata. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is one of the three members on the committee along with Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, said that the panel was likely to pick its final choice by the end of the day and forward it to BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke by Wednesday.While Ganguly had told reporters early in the day that ten candidates were to be interviewed, he later said that the panel had met with six to seven candidates. He added that he could not divulge any other details and would want the BCCI to announce all further information.Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri were the most high-profile candidates who made their presentations on Tuesday. While Kumble appeared in person for the interview, Shastri spoke with the panel through Skype as he was overseas.The other candidates who were interviewed were Tom Moody, Stuart Law, Lalchand Rajput, Pravin Amre and Andy Moles. Amre told ESPNcricinfo that he had laid out his vision for the Indian side and told the panel that one of his main aims as head coach would be to help the team perform well consistently overseas.”It was also a good learning experience for me as the panel wanted to know exactly how I would achieve the objective of [helping] India become the No. 1 team in all forms,” Amre said. “We went in detail on each criterion listed in the job application.”Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, once again confirmed on Tuesday that he had “not been invited for an interview.”The hunt for a new coach began after Shastri’s contract as team director expired at the end of the World T20 in April. The application process started on June 1, with an advertisement on the BCCI website, and the board set a deadline of June 10. It received 57 applications, and the list of candidates was trimmed to 21 last week.Among the important qualifications listed in the advertisement included coaching experience at the international or first-class level. The BCCI had also stated that candidates who were qualified with a certification/assessment programme conducted by any of the Full Member nations and currently hold such certification, would be preferred.

Ben Duckett and Daniel Bell-Drummond smashed their way into the record books with the second-highest List A partnership in the world as England Lions cruised to a 140 run win over Sri Lanka A at Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2016
ScorecardBen Duckett and Daniel Bell-Drummond smashed their way into the record books with the second-highest List A partnership in the world as England Lions cruised to a 140-run win over Sri Lanka A at Canterbury.Duckett had made 163 not out in the first match of the tri-series last week and his unbeaten 220 here set a new record for an England Lions player – topping captain Dawid Malan’s 185 against the same opposition on Thursday. Duckett shared in an unbeaten 367-run partnership with Bell-Drummond, from only 232 balls, as the Kent opener recorded his maiden List A ton.The partnership was the highest ever at Canterbury – a record held by England’s Eoin Morgan and Nick Compton since 2009 – and just to make sure of their place in history, the Lions also recorded the highest List A score at the Spitfire Ground.”It’s been the best day of my career so far – the last 10 days have been a great experience for me,” Duckett said. “There were a couple of times early on when I hit it, it dropped short of fielders and I got a bit of luck.”When I got to 100 I said I’m going to push on. It was my day I guess – every time I hit the ball it went into the gap. There as a lot of spin bowling which I do prefer facing. I’ll try and continue this run of form and score some runs when I go back to Northampton.”England won the toss and chose to bat, with Malan’s the only England wicket falling. He was stumped for 23 off 31 balls by Niroshan Dickwella, providing Ramith Rambukwella with Sri Lanka A’s solitary bowling success of the day.Before the match Malan had spoken to the team of adaptability, both with the bat and ball – something which had already won the tri-series for the Lions following Sunday’s victory over Pakistan A. Toby Roland-Jones and George Garton were the only changes from the that match, replacing Mark Wood, who had returned to Durham, and Sam Curran.But it took England’s bowling attack 14 overs before they took their first wicket, when Dickwella was caught by Sam Billings from a George Garton delivery with the score on 105. That was quickly followed by the dismissal of Sri Lanka A’s other opener, Mahela Udawatte for 40, in the same over.Angelo Perera led Sri Lanka A’s fightback with a score of 69 before being caught by Duckett from a Saqib Mahmood delivery. Rambukwella was also dismissed by Mahmood, caught by Tom Curran.Garton added to his wicket haul for the day by bowling Thisara Perera and Sachith Pathirana for 45 and 18 respectively. The four wickets from Garton, with two from Liam Dawson and one each for Malan and Brett D’Oliveira ensured Sri Lanka were all out for 285, giving England a huge win.Andy Flower, the Lions coach, said: “We’ve played four matches and we’ve won four. We’ve had some great performances and we have taken opportunities to put young players out there.”That’s a healthy thing for England cricket if they are pushing for places. There have been some great performances, some exciting performances – we have seen four centurions and some very big individual scores this series.”

Worcestershire have gambled on a win-at-all-costs pitch at Worcester – but Glamorgan’s Will Bragg stood in their way with a sparkling unbeaten half-century on a 15-wicket day

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2016
ScorecardSteve Rhodes, seen here alongside former England coach Andy Flower, wants three wins in five [file picture]•Getty Images

A sparkling half-century by Will Bragg steadied Glamorgan as 15 wickets went down on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship meeting with promotion contenders Worcestershire at New Road.The hard-hitting left hander ended a recent run of single-figure scores by making 75 not out as the Welsh county reached 118 for 5 after dismissing the home side for 163 by tea.On a cloudy, sultry morning, Jacques Rudolph backed his seamers by choosing to bowl first and they were soon on a roll as Worcestershire collapsed to 37 for 5. A subsequent partnership of 66 by Ross Whiteley (40) and Joe Leach (43) seemed to be no more than damage limitation but grew in value when Glamorgan began to lose wickets.Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, has targeted three wins in the last five matches to put his team in “a really good position” in the promotion race. So far this one has been tougher than may have been anticipated against a side who were propping up the Division Two table.Bragg suggested that swing played a large part. “The pitch is quite slow, slower than normal, but the ball was swinging nicely for our bowlers once the lacquer had gone off it after 10 overs. It was the same when they bowled but we could have been in a stronger position but for a couple of sloppy shots.”Rhodes also played down too many pitch discussions. “At 37 for five we were in all sorts of trouble and it was not necessarily down to the pitch. We played a few shots we’d like to rewind and play again but the way we fought back was good. It was a wholehearted effort by the bowlers.”

Kettleborough moves on

Glamorgan have released James Kettleborough, although they have yet to admit it in the hope that it will help him find a new county, .
As for Kettleborough, he has no qualms about telling it how it is. “Formerly of Northants and Glamorgan,” is the message already available – for confirmed followers only – on his Twitter feed.

Swing was Glamorgan’s big asset, as Brett D’Oliveira discovered when he was bowled, playing no shot, in teenager Lukas Carey’s second over. This was a big comedown for the opener after making a career-best 202 not out when the teams met at Cardiff in May.Wicketkeeper Mark Wallace was one who benefited from the movement, whether in the air or off the pitch. He took three catches in the morning and two more later.Graham Wagg bowled an excellent spell with the new ball, taking the outside edge to dismiss Daryl Mitchell in his fifth over, and Michael Hogan started with two wickets without conceding a run in 10 deliveries.Tom Fell (16) drove to cover, where Wagg held a smart catch, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore was quickly added to Wallace’s list of victims.
It was five down when Joe Clarke followed a ball from Craig Meschede but Ben Cox held up the Welsh charge for a while until he was caught at first slip off Wagg after lunch.Glamorgan were only checked when Whiteley played responsibly for more than two hours and found buccaneering support from Leach.
Whiteley was eventually caught at mid-on when cramped up by a ball from Meschede and Hogan (four for 44) landed a double blow in the space of three balls.Ed Barnard was caught by Wallace and Leach drove hard to Meschede at mid-on. The last pair hung around for half-an-hour before Wallace had the final word when holding Jack Shantry’s edge off Carey.With the sun shining, Glamorgan’s reply began badly with Nick Selman bowled, second ball, by Leach but Bragg got things moving with four boundaries in an over from Barnard.Rudolph helped put on 54 until driving a ball from Charlie Morris to mid-off and Bragg completed 50 from 54 balls before David Lloyd was taken at second slip off Shantry.Further wickets saw Aneurin Donald playing on to Leach and Meschede pulling Barnard to mid-on.