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James Franklin has not given up on fighting into New Zealand’s World Cup squad next year, despite losing his national contract during the off-season

Brydon Coverdale13-Sep-2010James Franklin has not given up on fighting into New Zealand’s World Cup squad next year, despite losing his national contract during the off-season. Franklin will have an opportunity to press his claims when he captains New Zealand A in Zimbabwe in October, after enjoying a highly productive county season with Gloucestershire.Franklin, 29, has an Irish passport and when he was cut from New Zealand’s contracted group, briefly considered using his heritage to play in England as a local player. However, the lure of the black cap was enough to convince Franklin to keep pursuing his international goals, especially with a World Cup around the corner.”Every domestic player around the world has got an eye on the World Cup,” Franklin told ESPNcricinfo, before the New Zealand A squad was named. “Going back home and hopefully being able to put up some good domestic performances, hopefully I might be able to put my case forward for selection for that. We’ll wait and see.”One of the major challenges for Franklin is to convince the selectors that he can lift his output at the elite level after struggling to grab his chances in 23 Tests and 75 ODIs. That could be extra difficult in a New Zealand side full of allrounders – Jacob Oram, Grant Elliott, Nathan McCullum, Kane Williamson and Scott Styris were all part of the recent tri-series in Sri Lanka.”There’s a lot of multi-skilled cricketers in the New Zealand side at the moment,” Franklin said. “That can only be a good thing for the New Zealand team going forward into a World Cup come February and March. The guys that are there at the moment are ahead of me, so I’ve just got to try and perform well at domestic level and push my case that way and force my way back into the New Zealand side.”In Franklin’s favour is the excellent form he has shown with Gloucestershire this year. He is second on the team’s run-scoring list in the County Championship, with 821 runs at 32.84, and has also collected 45 wickets at 22.86, including a career-best 7 for 14 against Derbyshire a fortnight ago.He also topped Gloucestershire’s one-day run tally with 511 at 73.00, including two centuries, and their Twenty20 list with 470 at 39.16, when he was given the chance to open the batting. Those numbers have appealed to the New Zealand selectors, and Mark Greatbatch hopes the A-team captaincy will help “unlock something we have not seen before” from Franklin.It is a strong indication that Franklin made the right move not to head to England permanently when he missed out on a national contract. Although he has not ruled out such a decision later in his career – Hamish Marshall has made the switch and will qualify for Ireland next year – Franklin still has the passion to play for his country.”I’m lucky in that I have an Irish passport through my grandparents, so I have a few options up my sleeve,” Franklin said. “I want to still go back home this summer and play for Wellington, try and win trophies with them and on top of that if I could try to get back in the New Zealand side for a World Cup, or even before that for Test match cricket, then that would be great.”It’s not a decision that you can take lightly. It wasn’t a decision to come to England and play as a local, that I wanted to make quite yet. I like to think that being 30 in November I’ve still got a good five to six or seven years of cricket ahead of me, as long as I can stay fit.”

Pakistan were reduced to 46 for 4 before a gritty rearguard from Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel

Danyal Rasool17-Jan-2025Half-centuries from Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan wrestled momentum back for Pakistan after Jayden Seales’ triple-strike had put West Indies in the box seat in Multan. On a surface tailor-made for spin, it was the fast bowler who proved the pick of the bunch, exploiting pace and slight seam movement to send debutant Mohammad Hurraira, Kamran Ghulam and Babar Azam back for single figures. Pakistan had, at that point, been reduced to 46 for 4, with West Indies looming ominously over the tail. But a gritty unbeaten 97-run rearguard for the fifth wicket, from Rizwan and Shakeel, thwarted the visitors for the rest of the day, to ensure Pakistan would end the day with a semblance of control.After the start was delayed by four hours owing to heavy fog that enveloped the ground, Pakistan won the toss and batted first in hazy conditions with the floodlights on throughout the course of the day. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie bowled the first ball, an indication of how both sides perceived the pitch upon which each played three specialist spinners. Motie got rid of Pakistan captain Shan Masood early on, squeezing him down to the debutant wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach on the on side, but for the rest of the hour, it was Seales’ show.He had been sniffing right from the outset, and got his reward when Hurraira hung his bat out and edged to the keeper. It was followed up by a beauty to remove Kamran Ghulam, who had just dispatched an outswinger to the boundary. The next ball, he attempted to shoulder arms but it seamed back into him wickedly, rapping the thigh, with Hawk-Eye showing it would have clipped the top of off.Kamran Ghulam was lbw shouldering arms to Jayden Seales•PCB

The big fish came soon after, another glorious use of the seam. Seales hit a hard length which Babar looked to parry into the off side, but it shaped away just enough to kiss the outside edge through to Imlach. Babar would review, but, like Ghulam, he would not be reprieved.The innings threatened to fall apart at that point, but Saud Shakeel, seasoned on surfaces like these, restored some order to proceedings for Pakistan. The sting was taken out of the quicks and the spinners negotiated deftly, while Mohammad Rizwan at the other end kept his concentration levels up as West Indies continued to prowl.There was a notable acceleration from the pair after tea, right from when Shakeel got to his knees and swept Kevin Sinclair for four. It was a shot that brought the pair bounty through the session, giving them a release shot as the ball began to rip. The next six overs produced seven boundaries with Rizwan the chief aggressor, brave enough to use his feet to spin and ensuring the strike kept ticking over.There remained plenty for the visitors to get excited about. A number of balls beat the outside edge by a whisker, and Shakeel popped one up dangerously close to short midwicket just shy of a half-century. But when he got there, and Rizwan followed up soon after, the milestones were both well-deserved. By now, the light had been deteriorating consistently, and midway through Kraigg Brathwaite’s first over, the light-metre came out, and the players went off. By then, Pakistan were arguably the happier side, having been dragged by Rizwan and Shakeel towards a rather less perilous position than they found themselves in after the first hour.

Derbyshire batter records sixth successive 50-plus score with unbeaten 139 at Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network26-Sep-2023Luis Reece continued to wage his personal battle against the Glamorgan bowlers as he equaled the Derbyshire record of six successive fifties in first-class cricket on the way to plundering his third century of the summer against the Welsh county at Sophia Gardens.Glamorgan’s decision to put Derbyshire into bat on a green wicket in Cardiff came back to haunt them as the visitors settled in and made hay, ending the first day on 308 for 2.It was also a significant day for Sue Redfern, who became the first female umpire to stand in a first-class match in England or Wales – although Glamorgan asked few questions of either the batters or the officials.Reece, 33, was at the heart of the action all day long as he put his side in control with an unbeaten 139 in 96 overs. He put on 80 for the first wicket with Harry Came and then 180 for the second with Brooke Guest.Leus du Plooy joined him for the final 75 minutes of the day and ended on 22 not out as his contribution to an unbroken third wicket stand of 48.The home side are due to say goodbye to their chief executive, Hugh Morris, captain, David Lloyd, and head coach, Matt Maynard, and were hoping to push for a final to potentially take them up to third in the table. But the bowlers were once again made to toil in the field by the left-handed Reece as he took his tally of first-class runs against Glamorgan this summer to 471.He scored 139 and an unbeaten 201, his highest score in first-class cricket, in the drawn game at the County Ground, in Derby in July. He also made 69 against them in the One-Day Cup clash in Derby last month.Reece’s hot streak began in the home clash with Durham in July when he scored 54 in the second innings. From there he notched his twin centuries against Glamorgan before taking 77 off the Gloucestershire attack and 86 against Sussex.In his latest success, he reached 50 off 74 balls, his century off 175 balls and currently has 16 fours and a six to his credit. Fellow opener Came looked comfortable until he was caught at the wicket by Chris Cooke off the bowling of Zain-ul-Hassan in the 27th over. The next departure was 50 overs later when James Harris had Guest trapped lbw four runs short of his century.Glamorgan tried seven bowlers throughout the day and four of them went for more than 50 runs.

Voting will be open for a two-week period, it will be done online and will close on July 22

Peter Della Penna06-Jul-2022The USA Cricket board general elections, which have been delayed by more than a year and a half due to ongoing governance issues, are scheduled to finally begin on July 8. Voting will be open for a two-week period, it will be done online and will close on July 22. Results will then be tabulated by an independent auditor before the winners are publicly announced.The elections were constitutionally mandated to take place by December 2020. However, they have been held up by a number of issues, most notably a lawsuit filed in March 2021 by board members Venu Pisike and Srini Salver contesting the eligibility of more than 12,000 newly registered voters. The lawsuit was finally settled in May 2022, after which board chairman Paraag Marathe announced he would soon be stepping down from his role.In the election for the club director position, the incumbent Ajith Bhaskar from New York is facing his biggest competition from Atul Rai, the southern California-based former USA Cricket Association president from the early 2000s who most recently held a USA Cricket board director position as the league director representative from 2018 to 2020. Nikhil Deshpande of Virginia and Susheel Bhat of Michigan are the other candidates in the running.A total of 558 clubs have been deemed eligible to vote for the club director position by the USA Cricket Nominating and Governance Committee. This is a rise from the 397 clubs that were initially deemed eligible by USA Cricket in February and also 16 more than the 542 clubs which were identified at the same time during an independent review of election lists conducted by ESPNcricinfo.The 558 clubs who have a vote represent leagues from 20 different states. This includes North Carolina’s Triangle Cricket League, which has the most voting eligible clubs (51) of any league in the country. However, some states with strong membership bases in the past have no league representation this time: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Separately, a number of the country’s biggest leagues in other states – Cricket League of New Jersey, Garden State Cricket League (NJ), and the New York Metropolitan & District Cricket Association – also have no representation in the election.For the individual director position, incumbent Suraj Viswanathan of northern California faces competition from four other challengers. Babu Venkatachalapathy and Kuljit-Singh Nijjar of Texas, Ganesh Sanap of northern California and Anand Patel of Maryland are the other candidates. A total of 12,381 individual members have been declared eligible to vote for this position. It is down from the 12,732 that was announced in February by USA Cricket, and far less than the approximately 20,000 members USA Cricket claimed to have registered in early 2021. However, it is a dramatic increase from the 723 members that were registered to vote in the previous election in February 2020.A third position – that of female elite athlete director held by Nadia Gruny – is also due for a vote in this cycle. However, Gruny is running uncontested and will automatically retain her position on the board following the election.

Henry Ellison is currently in quarantine, but it is understood that he can work the system remotely if needed

Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2021The first ODI between Bangladesh and West Indies will go ahead with DRS in place, despite its technician, Henry Ellison, currently being currently in quarantine in Dhaka. The BCB has been busy trying to reduce his isolation time by writing to the government, but ESPNcricinfo has learnt that since the necessary DRS equipment has already arrived in the capital, he could even operate them from a remote location, ensuring the availability of the DRS in all three ODIs.According to a circular from the country’s civil aviation authority, all passengers arriving from the United Kingdom from January 16, in addition to a negative Covid-19 test certificate, must be placed in mandatory institutional quarantine for four days, and after testing negative again, go through another ten days of home quarantine.On Monday evening, it appeared that progress had been made with the BCB announcing a list of match officials who will be working on the three-match ODI series, with Ellison’s name listed as “DRS tech”.The civil aviation authority’s ruling has also delayed the announcement of a neutral umpire for the two Test matches that begins on February 3. Bangladesh does not have an umpire in the Elite panel, so the ICC has to send one from another country.Jalal Yunus, the BCB’s media committee chairman, said that they are in discussion with government officials to consider the situation, with the oncoming umpire likely to be from the UK as well.”There will definitely be DRS (in the first ODI) but the issue is with the DRS engineer coming from London,” Yunus said. “You are aware of the Covid protocol for passengers coming from the UK. They have to stay in institutional isolation for the first four days and then the next ten days at their own accommodation.”We have written to the health ministry about this and also spoken to the Covid authority who looks after this. We have to wait and see what happens. We have written to the government to give us a bit of leeway, but within the rules. For the neutral umpire we have a bit of time in hand as they are only coming for the Test matches.”The BCB were successful in reducing the 14-day mandatory quarantine for new batting coach Jon Lewis and bowling coach Ottis Gibson, both of whom arrived from the UK on January 8. The coaches were under BCB’s supervision for the quarantined period, but got out early to begin training of the Bangladesh team in BKSP.

They now have four victories in a row to start the season and are already well placed for a spot in the final

Andrew McGlashan at the SCG14-Nov-2019New South Wales surged to their fourth straight Sheffield Shield victory as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood did most of the damage on the final day to earn a crushing 223-run victory.They have given themselves significant breathing space at the top of the table as they prepare to lose their Australia players to international duty with two more rounds of matches before the competition breaks before Christmas for the BBL. It is the first time since 1997-98 that New South Wales have won for Shield matches in a row.”It was an interesting wicket, lucky we won the toss and batted first,” Starc said. “One of the slowest wickets I’ve played on in a few years. Never ideal when a game is dictated by the toss but we were fortunate to bat first. Four from four is a very strong position to be in.”With Australia having limited-overs commitments when the Shield resumes in February they are unlikely to see much more of their all-format Australia players in the competition. Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are not part of Australia’s short form teams so could feature again later in the season.Western Australia were already three down overnight and it didn’t take long for New South Wales to make further inroads when Marcus Stoinis drove Starc to backward point.With the ball continuing to reverse significantly, Hazlewood then claimed two wickets in two balls as he burst through Ashton Turner’s defence with a beautiful delivery that took off stump then removed Cameron Green first ball as he paid the price for shoulder arms for the second time in the match. Hazlewood was a whisker away from a hat-trick as Josh Inglis also let his first ball go inches from off stump.At this point D’Arcy Short was the only batsman into double figures but his innings was halted when he was given lbw to Starc and did not look at all impressed with the decision.A swift finish appeared likely but Inglis and Ashton Agar resisted for 28 overs before Inglis fell in hugely unlucky fashion after lunch as he drove Steven Smith into the boot of silly point with the catch rebounding to short leg. Agar was then run out for 101-ball 14 before Hazlewood castled Liam Guthrie to close out the match.

Rudi Second made a combative 94 again but South Africa A were bowled out with seven balls remaining on the final day

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu in Bengaluru07-Aug-20181:16

My job is to challenge the India A and U-19 teams – Dravid

South Africa A wicketkeeper-batsman Rudi Second wore down India A’s attack for the second time in the game and threatened to hold them off to a draw amid fading light at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. But Mohammed Siraj’s maiden first-class ten-wicket haul sewed up the hosts’ thrilling innings victory with 1.1 overs remaining on the final day.Yuzvendra Chahal, who was playing his first red-ball match since the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Jharkhand in 2016, bowled as many as nine front-foot no-balls in the game and struggled for rhythm, but he struck when it mattered, to nab Second and leave him six short of a hundred again.”Chahal has had a lot of success in white-ball cricket,” India A coach Rahul Dravid said after the win. “Even for us, I have been seeing from two-and-half years, when he first came to Australia, he wasn’t considered a red-ball player as such. But we wanted to give him opportunity to showcase how he does in red-ball cricket. It’s about what he can do in red-ball cricket and that’s really what A team is about. We are here to supplement and do what is best to make the national team stronger. We want to create good options for India team. Chahal, they [selectors] were very keen to know how he performs in red-ball cricket. The more he plays red-ball cricket, the more experience he gets.”When the last hour began, South Africa A were 286 for 7 in 115 overs, still facing a deficit of 52. Soon, Chahal trapped Second with a slider to break the game open for India A. Malusi Siboto, Beuran Hendricks and No. 11 Duanne Olivier ate up 93 balls collectively and ticked down the overs, defending resolutely. However, Siraj, who had set the game up for India, fittingly returned to provide the coup de grace.”Maturity is one thing [that stands out about Siraj],” Dravid said. The last three four-day games, in England and here has been terrific. To get 26 wickets in the last three games is terrific.”He is someone who has played very less first-class matches. He hasn’t been really part of the system as he hasn’t played much junior cricket. So he is learning all the time. So even in white-ball cricket I won’t be too harsh on him too quickly because he hasn’t played that much, maybe a little bit of IPL, he had one good season and then he was in and out. It’s been great to give him the chance to perform. He has been bowling in much better areas and he has grown better physically.”Such a tense finish did not appear as likely in the morning, when Vidarbha’s Rajneesh Gurbani had overnight batsman Zubayr Hamza jabbing a catch behind for 63. At that point, South Africa A were 121 for 5. The overnight rains in Bengaluru had juiced up a pitch that already provided seam movement and variable bounce to the bowlers. Siraj, Nitin Saini and Gurbani simply did their thing: throwing the bait outside off but the other South African batsmen showed greater restraint outside off.Second, who displayed the tightest defensive technique among the South African batsmen, however, held nothing back against the loose balls. He cracked a Chahal full-toss through midwicket and then eased him through the covers.While Chahal did turn some past the outside edge of Shaun von Berg, he could not find it. Whenever Chahal overpitched outside off, Second and von Berg leant into the drive and handsomely stroked the ball through the covers. Second also employed the flat, hard sweep effectively: the shot that brought him his fifty off 115 balls. Von Berg, who had conceded 107 in 20 overs with his legspin, had some joy with the bat and scored a fifty of his own.All told, the Indian bowlers could not find a way past Second and von Berg for 50.4 overs. They even resorted to the short-ball attack but the two batsmen evaded them or comfortably fended them off. Von Berg is a fairly competent batsman with five first-class hundreds to his name, and he reminded everyone of that when he slapped Siraj on the up through the covers.Gurbani then returned, after another spell of rain that had forced early tea, to have von Berg nicking off twice in two overs. While R Samarth dropped the first chance, a more difficult one diving to his left from slip, he pouched the second without any fuss at the same position. The reprieve cost India A nothing: von Berg’s innings ended on 50 off 175 balls, the sixth-wicket partnership on 119, the visitors’ only century stand in the match.Second continued to give South Africa A hope of pulling off a coup, when he stretched forward and drilled a drive between Siraj and wide mid-on for four in the 109th over. However, seven overs later, Chahal, who had frequently erred in lines and lengths in the first two sessions, finally found his groove and bowled an accurate flat dart to leave Second and his team heartbroken.

Chris Woakes knew his Champions Trophy was over when he left the field against Bangladesh after bowling just two overs with a side strain which felt like ‘someone sticking a knife in my side’

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-20171:29

Agarkar: Woakes a huge loss at the death

Chris Woakes knew his Champions Trophy was over as soon as he left the field against Bangladesh after bowling just two overs, having sustained a side strain which felt like “someone sticking a knife in my side”.Scans following the match on Thursday evening revealed the extent of his injury, which could also make him a doubt for the start of the Test series against South Africa which begins on July 6. A replacement for England’s Champions Trophy squad is expected to be named late on Saturday after England Lions – who include two contenders in Steven Finn and Tom Curran – complete their second one-day match against South Africa A.”I finished two overs but it was probably on the third or fourth ball of the second over that it felt like something had become tight in my side,” Woakes said. “I managed to finish the over but, by the last ball, I knew that something really wasn’t right. To a certain extent, it felt like someone was sticking a knife in my side. That was why I didn’t come back out.”I knew yesterday that it wasn’t going to be good news. It was then a matter of seeing how bad it would be on the scan results.”The toughest thing as a bowler is having to come off after only bowling a couple of overs. Leaving the guys out there with almost 10 men is difficult to take, so I’m really pleased the boys managed to get over the line with a win.”Woakes had gone into the Bangladesh match nursing a tight quad that led to his omission from the final two matches of England’s recent ODI series against South Africa, but he seemed back to his best when he opened the tournament with a maiden to Tamim Iqbal.He was one of three players – along with Ben Stokes, who is also managing a knee injury, and Jos Buttler – who had extended stays at the IPL, but Woakes insisted he returned from the tournament feeling in tip-top condition.”When I came back from the IPL, my body felt as good as it can be. I felt in a good space physically and mentally, and I was confident too because I bowled well out there,” he said. “There were no signs of my side being tight or sore before the game yesterday, so it’s just one of those things and you have to take it on the chin.”England captain Eoin Morgan said after the Bangladesh game that Woakes had not been rushed back from the quad niggle. “He was chomping at the bit to play,” he said. “If we rushed him, he might have played the last game of the [South Africa] one-day series but we didn’t want to rush him.”While a timescale for Woakes’ recovery remains uncertain, things can get especially tricky if the injury involves damage to the intercostal muscles, because, even when fully recovered, fast bowlers in particular find it hard to hit the crease with their usual aggression for fear of suffering a relapse.”I will rehab it as well as I can,” Woakes said. “I’ll listen to the medical staff, they know exactly what they are doing. We will be as professional as possible and try and get back as soon as possible.”I don’t want to set a target to come back, I want to take it day-by-day and build it back up to return as soon as possible. I’ve never had a side strain before but, as a bowler, it’s one of those injuries that is important not to risk.”In Woakes’ absence, England’s remaining bowlers did enough to limit Bangladesh to an obtainable 305 for 6. However, their seam attack remains a cause for concern. Jake Ball – included in place of the legspinner Adil Rashid – struggled for form, conceding 82 runs in his ten overs, while doubts still linger over Stokes’ ability to bowl a full spell following his knee injury.The likeliest replacement is Finn, who was considered unlucky to have missed out on original selection for the squad, in spite of his occasionally erratic form in recent months. He signalled his readiness for a recall by claiming three wickets for England Lions against South Africa A on Thursday.Other candidates could be Toby Roland-Jones, the Middlesex seamer who made his debut against South Africa at Lord’s and offers batting ability, or Surrey’s Tom Curran who was called up to the tour of West Indies earlier this year.Given that England are now in the midst of a global tournament, another strong candidate could have been Stuart Broad, a proven international performer who has not been a regular member of the one-day set-up since the end of the 2015 World Cup, but was drafted into the tour of South Africa last winter. However, it is understood that he is not under consideration.

West Indies’ breakaway Twenty20 players may have finally won themselves the place they have been seeking at the WICB negotiating table

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Apr-2016By claiming their second World Twenty20 title in dramatic circumstances, West Indies’ breakaway T20 players may have finally won themselves the place they have been seeking at the WICB negotiating table.Reacting to the strong criticism thrown at him and his board, the WICB president Dave Cameron announced that he would meet the players after the IPL at the annual review in June to find a “common ground” where the “best” players can represent the region in all formats.Cameron was reacting strongly to the critical remarks made by West Indies captain Darren Sammy immediately after becoming the first team to be crowned World T20 champions twice. In his acceptance speech Sammy said it was “very disappointing” to not hear from the WICB on the team’s triumph against England on Sunday evening in Kolkata.While expressing his disappointment at Sammy’s “inappropriate” comments, Cameron delivered his most conciliatory message to the players for some time. Previously, he has refused to speak with the group, insisting they must deal with the players association WIPA, whose president Wavell Hinds fell out with them when he agreed to a vastly inferior pay deal in 2014, leading to the disastrous walkout from that year’s ODI tour of India. Cameron has now changed his tune.”Coming up in May this year, the Board will host its annual review (retreat) with the players, WIPA, selectors and the technical team to review player, management and technical plans. We want to see how we can find common ground in ensuring that the best players in the region are available for selection for West Indies teams,” Cameron said in a statement delivered hours after Sammy and his men stunned England in a dazzling last-over finish.According to Cameron, the reason the meeting with the players, which would also involve selectors, team management and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), was planned in June was because many of the senior Caribbean players like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Braithwaite would be busy with the IPL which will be played between April 9 and May 29.The board and selectors have omitted big names like Bravo, Sammy, Pollard from the ODI squads ever since West Indies abandoned the India tour. Bravo and Pollard were not considered for last year’s World Cup by the Clive Lloyd-led selection panel and have not played any ODI since October 2014. This January, when the WICB announced annual retainer contracts for 15 players, it said that the short list was arrived at by keeping only the Test players in mind.One of the major stumbling blocks for the players is WICB’s insistence that they play in the regional tournaments consistently in order to be eligible for the international engagements in all three formats. The WICB has said that the players who travel around the world playing in the T20 franchise-based tournaments, cannot expect to be picked solely on their experience and stature.Although Cameron has extended an olive branch, he highlighted that the WICB approach is hardly going to change going forward. “We are fully aware of the financial rewards on offer in the lucrative international T20 leagues, but we believe deeply in the importance of cricket to the people of the region and of West Indies cricket’s place in world cricket. It is therefore a priority to have all of our players competing and available for selection. We will also engage the ICC on this so that we protect not only the rich heritage and legacy of West Indies Cricket, but also its future. “Incidentally, the WICB release was titled ‘WICB President has high praises for World Twenty20 Organisers’. The only word of praise for Sammy and co came indirectly when Cameron described the WICB was “overjoyed” by the fact that two West Indies teams – women and men – had won the WT20 titles. But Cameron did not waste the opportunity to remind the players who was still in charge. Cameron “pledged” to address the issue of Sammy’s outspokenness and take any necessary action.”The President would like to however apologise for what could be deemed inappropriate, comments made by the West Indies’ male captain, Darren Sammy in a post-match interview and would like to apologize on behalf of the WICB, to the millions of fans who witnessed,” the statement said. “The President has pledged to enquire the reason and will have the matter addressed.”In an earlier media release the WICB had sent a thank you note to all the three teams – men, women and Under-19 – for emerging as the champions this year. “The men, women and Under-19 teams within the last three months have made the West Indies a region worthy of tremendous attention by being the best at the international level in World Cricket. We are indeed a proud set of people today and we want to thank ALL OF YOU for your tremendous support,” the release, titled ‘From the desks of the CEO (Micheal Muirhead) and President (Cameron)’, said.”The men’s team has been electric and exciting in their performances during the tournament and we are all PROUD. This is a defining moment for Cricket and we ought to thank each and every one of our Directors, Management, Staff and supporters for the support West Indies Cricket has received. This is a truly ecstatic moment and we are indeed proud of this momentous achievement.”The T20 format is a springboard to the other formats and we will use this as an opportunity to continue the development work we have to do to make the overall cricket product better. The men executed their comprehensive plan and we are pleased with the results. We salute the entire delegation on the hard work and commitment showed. We congratulate the team and management.”For the full coverage of the West Indies payment dispute, click HERE.

Alex Hales produced his most outstanding display in an in-and-out summer, his 94 the basis of a comfortable England victory in the second T20 international

The Report by David Hopps31-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlex Hales again fell short of registering England’s first Twenty20 hundred•AFP

Alex Hales cannot quite be termed an out-and-out Twenty20 specialist but it is possible that he is morphing into one. It is the short-form game that increasingly seems to consume him and it provided the stage for his most outstanding display in an in-and-out summer, his 94 the basis of a comfortable England victory in the second T20 international in Chester-le-Street.The prize of becoming England’s first batsman to record a Twenty20 hundred still eludes Hales, however, although this innings did take him to the top of the ICC T20 batsmen rankings. He fell for 94 to the final ball of the penultimate over, as he dragged a low full toss from James Faulkner to long-on where David Warner plunged forward for a good catch.Hales is one of only two England batsmen to have made 99 in a T20 international, against West Indies on his home ground of Trent Bridge last year, the other being Luke Wright against Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 in Colombo, also last year.
He might have missed out on a hundred again, but he left Australia a formidable total, one which never looked to be within their compass.The presence of Aaron Finch has stretched England’s batting to new heights in the past two days. They have made two of their three biggest totals in England: the first – 209 for 6 at the Ageas Bowl – was overshadowed by Finch’s world record score; this one grew in part from the awareness that he might just do it again. He did not, and the series was drawn 1-1.On this occasion, Finch reminded everybody that he is vulnerable as anybody in a game that does not just expose fallibility, it ensures it. He made only five before he tried to pull a shortish ball from Stuart Broad and looped it gently to Luke Wright at mid-on.Warner also had the capacity to cause mayhem and he took sixes off Steve Finn, Jade Dernbach and Danny Briggs in consecutive overs. When Finn failed to locate a swirling catch at long-on off Dernbach, Warner’s luck seemed in, but he fell to the next ball – 53 from 42 deliveries – as he sliced to deep cover.Dernbach, whose continued selection has not been universally acclaimed, had a second decent game in a row and two late wickets completed exemplary figures of 3 for 23.Watson had been run out early, turning ponderously after Warner sent him back and beaten by a direct hit from Eoin Morgan at backward point. Shaun Marsh, some murmur, is a Test batsman who has accidentally wandered into the wrong squad; George Bailey flared briefly but he was lbw on the slog-sweep to Briggs, who later bowled Matthew Wade.The daunting figure of Finch seemed to hang over the start of England’s innings. Finch had pulverised England at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday, smashing 156 from 63 balls with 14 sixes and 11 fours, a record score in T20 internationals. Only Richard Levi has reached a century faster, a ball fewer in 45 deliveries.With Finch’s innings so fresh in their memory, it was difficult for Hales and his county batting partner, Michael Lumb, to calculate what constituted a winning score: 160? 260? If he hit with the strong, blustery wind, twice that?Perhaps they were best advised to put Finch out of their minds completely and work on the assumption that somebody would knock him over for next to nothing. An opening stand of 111 in 11.2 overs indicates that they dealt with the problem rather well.There was a frenetic edge to their strokeplay in the early overs, Lumb setting the adventurous tone, Hales, who needed a little more time to bed in, following suit. But England’s start was a resounding one. By the time that Bailey, Australia’s captain, introduced spin in the form of Fawad Ahmed, England had 74 off seven.Hales had fifty within 34 balls, his timing coming together as he progressed. His strong leg-side play was a feature, encouraged by a couple of early offerings from Mitchell Johnson, and he had one or two fortunate moments against the short ball. In a different age, he would be a stately straight driver; in 2013, he stands tall and gives it a leg-side whack, Johnson reduced to an empty sledge on one occasion as he flew over long-on for six.Hales has had a mediocre overall season for Nottinghamshire, a season which began with being barred from seeking an IPL contract by his county, but T20 increasingly is the format which engages him.Lumb accompanied him well. He had seen only 40% of the strike when he gave Ahmed his first international wicket, trying to slog-sweep and skying a gentle catch to the wicketkeeper Wade.Wright, met by Glenn Maxwell’s offspin, needed time to settle and there was a definite sense that England’s innings was losing momentum when Wright himself addressed the issue by taking 18 from Maxwell’s second over. Finch’s misjudgment at midwicket might have contributed to one of the boundaries. Wright fell to Faulkner’s low full toss and an athletic off-side catch by Johnson.Ahmed, asked to bowl the last over, unravelled Jos Buttler, who stepped away to be bowled first ball by a slower, turning delivery. Morgan, after a leg-side six, also fell to a googly at long-on. It left Ahmed with 3 for 24 to go alongside the hype. We will no doubt discover more as England’s international summer culminates in a five-match one-day series.