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Nottinghamshire have signed the Australia fast bowler James Pattinson for the first half of the English season

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2017Nottinghamshire have signed the Australia fast bowler James Pattinson for the first half of the English season.Pattinson, 26, will be available for both four-day and 50-over cricket until the end of June and replaces fellow Australian Peter Siddle who was forced to withdraw from his deal with a back injury.Pattinson recently asked not to be considered for a call-up to the tour of India following a series of comebacks which have resulted in further lay-offs with back problems. He is currently completing the Sheffield Shield season with Victoria.”James has the ability to swing the ball, he hits good lengths and he does it all at a good speed,” Peter Moores, the Nottinghamshire coach, said. “Pace creates opportunities, so he gives us a wicket taking option in both championship and 50-over matches. We’ve seen that from him when he’s played international cricket.”That ability to open up sides on flat pitches is what we’re really looking at. That’s the kind of thing that wins you games.”Pattinson could form a formidable new-ball attack with Stuart Broad who is currently not part of England’s one-day plans and therefore not set to play international cricket again until the Test series against South Africa in July.

ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC’s settlement offer of an additional $100 million to the BCCI is still on the table

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Apr-2017The door has not yet been completely shut on the BCCI as far as the ICC’s finance model is concerned. ESPNcricinfo understands that immediately after the BCCI was outvoted at the ICC Board meeting on Wednesday, the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar informed Amitabh Choudhury, the BCCI secretary, that the settlement offer of an additional $100 million was still on the table.Under the new finance model, the BCCI stands to receive $293 million from the ICC revenue across an eight-year cycle. The BCCI had wanted $570 million – the share it would have received under the previous Big Three finance model – but Manohar had made a counter offer of an additional $100 million over the $293 million to raise the Indian board’s share to nearly $400 million.On Wednesday, the ICC board read the letter submitted by Choudhury on the mandate given to him by the BCCI and rejected his proposal.How did the BCCI lose?
Hours before before the ICC Board met, Choudhury and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri conducted discussions with heads of various boards such as the ECB, Cricket Australia, the WICB, Associates representative Imran Khawaja, and Manohar.It is understood that both BCCI representatives wanted to try and find a “middle path” on the finance model. The idea was to get as close to the $445 million figure the Committee of Administrators (CoA, appointed by Supreme Court of India to supervise the BCCI) had asked Manohar for in March.There was then a separate meeting between Choudhury and three members of the ICC working group, which had drafted the new constitution. Manohar, ECB president Giles Clarke and CA chairman David Peever once again placed the offer of an additional $100 million to Choudhury.ICC chairman Shashank Manohar (right), ECB chairman Giles Clarke (left) and CA chairman David Peever once again offered the BCCI a settlement•Getty Images

“Earlier the offer had been made by Manohar, but this was a formal offer from the ICC working group. He [Choudhury] turned it down,” an official said. “He was told that in that case the original proposal had already been approved in February and we can’t change that. Hence the ICC model went through.”With Choudhury refusing to enter a discussion on the settlement deal, the ICC working group was left with no choice but to ask for a show of hands. The BCCI was taken aback when Full Members whom it understood to be in its corner swayed to the ICC side. The BCB, Zimbabwe Cricket and the WICB have been BCCI allies for a long time, but on Wednesday they voted against it. The case of the BCB and ZC was surprising only because both had submitted strong reservations at the outset of the ICC Board meeting. ZC even called the draft constitution “discriminatory.”The official said one main reason behind these three boards changing stance was the ICC’s decision to provide them financial help. It is understood ZC could be given $19 million to clear its debt while the WICB had asked for $40 million as a grant.What now for the BCCI?
A ray of hope still exists, considering Manohar wants the BCCI to be happy. A source who has worked closely with Manohar since he arrived at the ICC last year said he has no “desire to alienate” the BCCI. He has asked the ICC to continue engaging with the BCCI.The other reason for the BCCI remaining optimistic was a significant decision the ICC Board agreed on: to move the finance model out of the constitution. The BCCI feels there is still some room for manoeuvre.The working group will meet once again during the ICC’s annual conference in June to approve the final changes to the constitution, governance structure and finance model – all of which would be finally ratified by the ICC Board. “All the boards want this resolved also,” the official said. “What happened yesterday does not mean India has diminished.”Choudhury told the ICC that he would need to head back to the BCCI, which will take a final decision at a special general body meeting (SGM).The official said India still had the bargaining power because of its importance in bilateral cricket. He pointed out that the ICC might need to increase its settlement offer and “go beyond” the proposed $100 million.”There are two ways of resolving this now. One is the SGM says okay, 390 is good. Let us go ahead. The ICC will agree immediately and resolve it. Or [the SGM] says we need more time. Then there will be another round of negotiations [with the ICC].”However, the scope of any further negotiations, the source pointed out, were remote. “He [Manohar] would still want to negotiate with the BCCI, but would he take it beyond $390 million? Questionable.”One other interested party, which could play the catalyst, is the CoA. It has been keeping a close watch on the events in Dubai this week. Any decision taken by the BCCI office bearers would need to be conveyed to the CoA, which would need to approve anything that is sent in writing to the ICC as per the court order. “The CoA can step in, but it will only step in also at $445 million,” the official said.

Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan have been so strikingly inconsistent in their respective campaigns that it opens up a host of possibilities when they clash in a must-win in Cardiff

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando 11-Jun-2017

Match Facts

June 12, 2017
Start time 10.30am local (0930 GMT)

Big Picture

And so, it has transpired that two fundamentally flawed sides – seventh and eighth on the ODI rankings – now have the chance to scramble over the other into the semi-final of the most competitive one-day tournament around.How this came about deserves a brief recap. Pakistan, who barely strung together five overs of competence against India, choked South Africa’s top order with spin, before the quicks came back to wipe out the middle order with reverse swing. The next day, Sri Lanka, who had been swatted away like a gnat by South Africa, ran down India’s 321 for 6 with ease – Angelo Mathews so cool in the final overs, he practically had a cigar between his lips, and a drink in one hand.Even just two games in, both teams have put together such colourful campaigns. Sri Lanka’s old warhorse, Lasith Malinga, has been sporadically effective with the ball, but has been more entertaining in the field, where his slow-motion dives have brought to mind the keeling over of a ship. If you squint, you can just about see seismic ripples in the turf. Elsewhere, Sri Lanka have attempted singles advisable only on low-gravity planets, have committed batting hara-kiri against high-quality wrist spin, and players have strived en masse to rule themselves out of this game – Chamara Kapugedara, Kusal Perera and Upul Tharanga already unavailable, before a blow to Thisara Perera’s head at training also put him in doubt, though, thankfully, he appears to be fine now.Pakistan, meanwhile, had lost Umar Akmal to fitness concerns a week before the tournament, have seen ace bowler Mohammad Amir go wicketless in both matches, while other bowlers in the attack lurched from abysmal to dominant in the space of three days. Sarfraz Ahmed’s new captaincy has also been eventful. Mohammad Hafeez delivered ten overs and contributed the vital wicket of Quinton de Kock in Pakistan’s win over South Africa, but had not been bowled at all in the previous match, prompting much head-scratching, not least from Pakistan’s own coach.Look, these previews are often an occasion for considered analysis; a platform for weighing up relative strengths, and figuring out which side has the upper hand. But is there really a point with these two teams? When they play as they have, they are impervious to any kind of meaningful dissection. There is so little consistency from one game to the next, the whole exercise loses its value.And a Sri Lanka v Pakistan knockout has so much tragicomic potential that to discuss it beforehand is like giving out spoilers. This preview may already have said too much.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLWLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLWWL

In the spotlight

Babar Azam, one of the brightest young batting talents on the planet, has five hundreds and six fifties in 28 innings, a rocking average of 54.44, and – crucially for a Pakistan batsman of the last two years – a 21st-century strike rate of 89. He had just been warming up when the rains came down in Birmingham – his last stroke having been a regal on-drive off Kagiso Rabada. Having had a modest tour of England last year, Babar will be eager to cross fifty for the first time on English soil, and Sri Lanka’s limited attack may be the opposition to do it against.Also in possession of a potentially devastating payload of talent is another 22-year-old, Kusal Mendis, whose crinkle-free 89 on Thursday helped set Sri Lanka on track to victory. There are still flaws in his game – Pakistan might be wise to pack their slip cordon early in his innings, for example. But 26 innings in, there is a scientific composure to his game that has been the cause of quiet excitement for Sri Lanka fans. Only Joe Root has hit more ODI fifties than Mendis’ 11, since the latter’s debut almost a year ago.Kusal Perera’s hamstring injury may mean a straight entry into the XI for Dhananjaya de Silva•Associated Press

Team news

Kusal Perera’s exit from the tournament due to a hamstring injury means Sri Lanka’s batting will be in flux again. They have flown in Dhananjaya de Silva and, given Tharanga remains suspended for another match, de Silva may have to walk straight into the middle order. There is a chance Sri Lanka will play Lakshan Sandakan instead of Thisara Perera, but the selectors have generally been conservative, so Thisara could stay. De Silva and Gunathilaka both provide offspin options.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan PradeepThere is a chance of fast-bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf debuting, in place of Mohammad Hafeez. However, Pakistan will perhaps be unwilling to mess with a winning combination.Pakistan (possible): 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Mohammad Amir, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Junaid Khan

Pitch and conditions

The weather is forecast to be cloudy but dry, with temperatures around the mid-teens. A fresh pitch is being used for this match. Scores of 280-300 have seemed about par in the two matches played in Cardiff so far.

Stats and trivia

• The last time these two teams met in an ODI outside Asia was back in 2002. Of their ten most recent encounters – each of which has been in Asia – Sri Lanka have won six.
• Angelo Mathews, who hit 52 not out against India, has averaged an outstanding 50.08 since the start of 2014, with a strike rate of nearly 88
• Since his debut in August last year, Hasan Ali has taken 33 wickets at an average of 25.9 and strike rate of just under 27 – better, by a distance, than any of his team-mates to have played more than one match during that period

Quotes

“We are not trying to get too far ahead. We just want to take one game at a time. We’re not thinking about the semi-final as of now. We’re just taking on Pakistan tomorrow. We’ve got to play really good cricket to beat them, and we all know that they’re a very dangerous team.”
“I think it’s an achievement. Everyone wanted to do well in this competition. I believe, and we believe as a team, we are moving towards the right direction. We know as a team we are gelling together.”

Amitabh Choudhary, the acting BCCI secretary, has said it is the prerogative of a state association to nominate a person to the board’s special general meeting “as long as it doesn’t violate any court order”

Arun Venugopal26-Jun-2017Amitabh Choudhary, the acting BCCI secretary, has said it is the prerogative of a state association to nominate a person to the board’s special general meeting “as long as it doesn’t violate any court order”. Choudhary was responding to a question on the eligibility of former BCCI and ICC chief N Srinivasan, who represented the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) at the board’s SGM in Mumbai. Srinivasan had attended the state associations’ meeting with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) on Sunday (June 25) as well.

BCCI could reinstate RCA

The subject of lifting the suspension on the Rajasthan Cricket Association following the election of CP Joshi as the new president recently was also discussed at the BCCI’s Special General Meeting.
The RCA had been suspended after Lalit Modi, who was suspended by the board, was elected president. Now, the board’s acting secretary Anirudh Choudhary said: “The [Rajasthan] association has conducted its elections following the honourable Supreme Court’s order and has also communicated to us saying that all impediments will be removed, including the litigations against the BCCI.
“The house felt that we must respond to it and inform them to submit a formal answer to the showcause which had been issued to the RCA. [It] will be done expeditiously.”

Srinivasan’s eligibility has been in question since the TNCA’s executive committee nominated him as its representative. In April, the Supreme Court and the CoA had warned that office-bearers disqualified under the Lodha Committee recommendations could not attend BCCI meetings. Subsequently, the court prevented Srinivasan from representing the Indian board in the ICC meetings.Srinivasan’s disqualification at that time was on two counts: he was over 70 years of age and had completed nine years as an office-bearer at both the TNCA and the BCCI, thereby violating the judgment of July 2016, which had approved the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. Veteran administrator Niranjan Shah, who represented the Saurashtra Cricket Association at the SGM, is also disqualified on the same grounds.Choudhary, however, said he had done his due diligence when it came to examining Srinivasan’s eligibility. “A notice for a meeting,” he said, “is a notice. And, the notice says that all member units of the BCCI are requested to attend this meeting. As to which individual is chosen to represent a member unit is their discretion, as long as it doesn’t violate any court order. That’s all that I am supposed to examine, which I did.”The CoA, too, had said the issue of an administrator’s eligibility didn’t fall under its remit. “That is an issue that the Supreme Court has to discuss. We have not been mandated by the Supreme Court to sit on judgment on a person’s eligibility, non-eligibility etc,” CoA chairman Vinod Rai said on Saturday. “The attendance register will go to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court gets to know about all these things, so we are not here to sit in judgment on people’s qualification or disqualification.”A senior administrator from the west zone told ESPNcricinfo that neither Srinivasan nor Shah were currently office-bearers, and hence were eligible to attend the meeting.

The India captain feels development of a tight-knit team is the biggest success of his captaincy apart from the rise to No. 1 on the rankings

Sidharth Monga in Galle25-Jul-2017On the eve of India’s first Test series since an acrimonious coach swap, Virat Kohli spoke of a tight-knit team as the biggest success of his captaincy apart from the rise to No. 1. He spoke of the “outstanding bond” when asked what satisfied him most apart from the obvious winning feeling.”Just to see the responsibility taken by such a young bunch of players; to go out there and make a difference for the team,” Kohli said. “Even the substitutes that sit on the sidelines, their efforts, their energies, their concerns for the team when they are running in to provide to with the essentials… It’s great to see them also almost feeling like they are part of the playing XI that’s on the field.”That’s the kind of culture that has been created. It’s taken a while. Whoever steps into the dressing room, immediately feel comfortable because of the way they are embraced and how people are taking responsibility to maintain that culture. The bond within the team is outstanding and that is something that makes me really proud that we are all really close to each other and really enjoy playing alongside each other. That for me stands out the most because that shows on the field. Even in the most difficult of situations all guys believe that we can do it together and we have been able to overturn situations more often than not just because of that belief and the trust that we have between the players. So, that for me is most special thing apart from cricket performances.”That is perhaps why Kohli sees not many weaknesses in his side. “Well I don’t think there are any massive areas of concern for us,” he said. “We’ve been looking to fine-tune smaller areas during the course of the games, which probably people might not be able to pick up. [Areas] that can lead us into a situation which is not ideal. We have given responsibility to the players to identify those areas and work on those areas themselves. We have been able to put ourselves in a position in games, 80-85% of the games, where there’s only one winner left.”That’s the kind of sustained pressure that we’ve been able to build. But the key, as I said, is to go out there and repeat those things again and again. You can’t expect things to happen by themselves. You need to work hard every ball that you play on the cricket field and that applies to batsmen and bowlers collectively. So, the smaller areas we keep identifying and keep working on them.”With the confidence running that high, there is an obvious danger of letting the guard drop against Sri Lanka, who have not had the best of time in Test cricket of late. “For us we are playing a game of cricket, it doesn’t matter which opposition we are playing against,” Kohli said. “For us it’s all about identifying the players that they have, their strengths, their areas of weakness and focussing really on our performances and what we can do as a team. The moment you start focussing on the opposition and try to adjust your intensity according to who you are playing against, then that’s a very dangerous thing to do because if you don’t respect the game the game will sort you out and expose you.”We totally respect the game, we totally how hard we need to work to win every Test match, every situation, every session and every ball is an event for us. So we are willing to put in the hard yards for that and something that everyone in the team respects. As I said it’s something that is built as a culture and I am proud of it and the whole team is proud of it. We take a lot of pride in playing Test cricket for India and doing the hard yards that win the games.”

Michael Hogan’s 5 for 17 ended on the losing side when the DLS went in Gloucestershire’s favour

ECB Reporters Network03-Aug-2017Jacques Rudolph’s dismissal turned the DLS score from a tie to a Gloucestershire victory•Getty Images

Gloucestershire beat Glamorgan by five runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, despite career-best figures of 5-17 for Michael Hogan, with Jacques Rudolph’s dismissal off what became the final ball proving a match-winning moment.Only five overs of the run chase were possible as the rain came when Glamorgan were 32 for 2, chasing 151 to win, after Thisara Perera bowled Rudolph moments before the players left the field. Had that wicket not fallen, the scores would have been tied on DLS.The match was due to resume at 9.15pm with a revised target of 114, meaning Glamorgan would have required 82 from nine overs, but further heavy rain arrived to bring an end.Having won the toss and put Gloucestershire in to bat, Glamorgan’s bowlers struggled to find their line early on and at the end of the Powerplay Gloucestershire were solidly placed on 45 without loss.However, a bowling change paid off as Craig Meschede, with his first delivery, had Klinger caught by Andrew Salter attempting a pull shot.Phil Mustard brought up his fifty with an on-driven six off Salter in the 12th over, and Ian Cockbain added a six of his own in the same over as the visitors reached 97 for 1.Meschede made a second breakthrough when Ian Cockbain skied to Michael Hogan at mid-off for 22 and he ended with 2 for 28.Colin Ingram was brought into the attack and claimed the scalp of Mustard for 57 when he picked out deep midwicket.Kieran Noema-Barnett took Ingram for two boundaries and Jack Taylor was given a life when he was dropped on the midwicket rope by Aneurin Donald.However, Donald did take the chance offered by Noema-Barnett which began Hogan’s late burst. Hogan took another two wickets in the over, bowling Taylor for 10 before Thisara Perera was removed by an impressive catch from David Miller.Hogan added a fourth when he bowled George Hankins and, after the run out of Matt Taylor, he removed Benny Howell off the final ball of the innings.

Sussex are still standing entering the final day as the Division Two promotion scrap gets serious

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Wantage Road07-Sep-2017Sussex 172 (Kleinveldt 5-50) and 382 for 9 (Archer 74*, Robson 72, Nash 66, Wiese 61) lead Northamptonshire 426 (Duckett 193) by 128 runs
Usually, a fightback of this magnitude is saved for the silver screen. But at Wantage Road, in front of a crowd that died down at tea with a Northamptonshire win looking a foregone conclusion, Sussex threw counter-punches that Rocky Balboa would be proud of to take us to a fourth round.
Somehow, they have amassed a lead that, combined with a few more lusty blows tomorrow, could leave Northants facing a difficult fourth-innings chase.The two key protagonists were Jofra Archer and David Wiese – two allrounders in a Jack of All Trades Sussex tail. The pair came together with a deficit of eight set against Northamptonshire’s first innings of 426, with just two wickets left in their follow-on innings. In the space of 15 overs, they dovetailed brilliantly to thrash 124 for the ninth-wicket, taking their side into a lead that by stumps had been boosted to 128.Archer, the more dashing of the two, hit through the line of the ball emphatically, while also finding boundaries square: two back-to-back fours off Simon Kerrigan (through midwicket and then point) took him to his half-century from 80 balls. That’s not to say Wiese was a slouch: his second fifty of the summer came up from 55-balls with a huge six, also off Kerrigan, into the roof of the Lynn Wilson Centre that sits opposite the pavilion.Without wanting to pour too much misery onto the left-arm spinner, who has bowled well in this match, it was his error that let the partnership get this far. When Archer was on 15, the scoreboard reading 249 for 8 (trailing by three), Kerrigan set himself at deep square leg under a wild hook but was unable to take a routine catch. While Wiese was eventually trapped lbw by Richard Gleeson, Archer remains unbeaten overnight having beaten his previous career-best score of 73, achieved last summer against Essex at Colchester.For Northamptonshire, the toil of almost two days in the field took its toll. What control there was to skittle Sussex out for 172 in their first innings on day two and then grind away for the next eight wickets was lost when the second new ball arrived. Rory Kleinveldt, who removed Luke Wright and Ben Brown in the space of three balls, could not persist with an off-stump line that has given him eight wickets in this match so far. Richard Gleeson, troubling batsmen throughout with his extra pace and bounce, particularly from the Wantage Road End, sprayed a few down the leg side and looked fed up by stumps. The enthusiasm in the field was long gone by the time the umpires took the players off for bad light.Northants skipper Alex Wakely talked openly of a quiet dressing room that felt they should have already been tucking into some celebratory beers rather than nursing some wounds and preparing to go again on the morrow. As Archer and Wiese showed, the pitch is still playing true and as awkward as a chase of, say, 150, might be, Northants are still favourites.Sussex were steady for the first 45 overs of the day, which only brought one wicket: Stiaan van Zyl edging through to David Murphy off the bowling of Gleeson. Angus Robson and Chris Nash were any plays-and-misses behind them to bat for the best part of 29 overs. In that time, Robson was able to move to his first half-century of the season, from 100 balls, in his third match for Sussex.Released from his contract with Leicestershire earlier this season, citing differences with the head coach Pierre de Bruyn, who left his post earlier this week, he was taken on for a season-long trial at Sussex. Prolific form in the 2nd XI, combined with a misfiring top-order saw Robson given his full-debut for the club in their win against Worcestershire at New Road.The opening position has been an issue down at Hove. With Luke Wells coming into the season with an injury, Sussex were close to signing Surrey’s Arun Harinath on loan as cover before that did not come to pass. Instead, Harry Finch and Nash took on new ball duties with limited success. While Nash has been moved back into the middle order, Finch has been dropped after averaging just 22.5 from 16 innings and Robson given the chance to do what he has done for most of his career: respect the good ones, go after the bad ones. This was his 28th first-class and one that he could and should have converted to what would have been only his third career hundred.But when he pressed forward and edged Kerrigan to first slip, after the left-arm spinner had changed to over the wicket to make use of the footmarks on leg stump, it set about an almighty collapse of four wickets in the space of six overs. A sound position of 173 for two was decimated to 193 for six.That eventually became 246 for 8, when Nash was helpless to keep out a low delivery from Mohammad Azharullah that left one stump standing. Sussex’s hopes of saving face and promotion had all but gone and plans were made by most to spend Friday elsewhere. Instead, tomorrow brings a fascinating conclusion.

Jon Lewis and Gary Palmer have been added to the England Lions coaching team ahead of their trip to Australia

George Dobell02-Nov-2017Jon Lewis and Gary Palmer have been added to the England Lions coaching team ahead of their trip to Australia.Lewis, who played one Test and 15 limited-overs matches for England, will replace Chris Silverwood as bowling coach on the tour and will continue to fulfil the role when the squad travels to the Caribbean in the new year. Silverwood has recently been announced as England’s new bowling coach.Lewis is currently bowling coach at Sussex and has previous experience working with England’s Young Lions programme. He will also have a spell working with Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash once the Australian leg of the Lions tour has finished in mid-December. He will report back to Sussex, who have expressed their enthusiasm for the role, on March 1.”I am extremely excited about the prospect of coaching the England Lions and the Perth Scorchers,” Lewis said. “I will be working with two world-class head coaches in Andy Flower and Justin Langer, and assisting with the coaching of some of the most talented cricketers in the world.”I have no doubt that the opportunity of working at this top level will provide diverse, worldwide experiences that will be invaluable to bring back to Sussex for the 2018 season.”The appointment of Palmer is perhaps more intriguing. ESPNcricinfo revealed two-and-a-half years ago that he had played a significant role in the improved form of Alastair Cook, and, since then, he had continued to carve out a niche as a freelance batting consultant.There have been times when his philosophy – which is, in short, that technique is an under-developed area in modern cricket and that the old adage about it being a ‘sideways-on game’ is nonsense – has appeared to be at odds with the beliefs of some of those who run things at Loughborough, who seem to take a more laissez-faire attitude towards the development of individual approaches to the game. It is also noticeable that those Palmer works with – and Cook continues to see him regularly – have a more open stance than the traditional coaching manual might recommend. Palmer believes this allows batsmen to play straighter.His client list – which he keeps secret – includes some very well-known names in international cricket. They generally like to keep his involvement quiet in case it offends, threatens or annoys those in official positions with teams. His involvement with the Lions might well be considered an extended trial under the watchful eye of head coach, Andy Flower.Both Lewis and Palmer will join up with the Lions squad for a training camp at Loughborough next week before flying to Australia on November 13. The Australian leg of the tour – or extended training camp as it is essentially – ends on December 16.”Gary has done some work with a couple of senior England players, and we’ve invited him to work with the Lions under our ECB batting lead Graham Thorpe on some specific areas of batting around balance and timing,” Flower said.”We’re very happy for Chris Silverwood, who has added significantly to our programme in the past, most recently in Sri Lanka last winter, in addition to the success he has had as a head coach with Essex.”It left us with a vacancy but we are delighted to have an outstanding replacement in Jon Lewis – and we are very grateful to Keith Greenfield and Rob Andrew at Sussex for being so flexible and supportive in moving so quickly to allow Jon to join us now.”Jon has worked with the Young Lions programme in the past, and in addition to his pedigree as an international bowler, he travelled to Australia with the Lions himself back in 2006, which was my first with the programme as an assistant to Peter Moores.”

Mark Wood has not given up hope of playing in the Ashes and has his eyes fixed on a return in Perth

George Dobell in Brisbane22-Nov-2017Mark Wood has not given up hope of playing in the Ashes and has his eyes fixed on a return in Perth. But even if Wood plays no part in the series, he says he will never give up on his dream of playing Test cricket and has no intention of pursuing a future as a white-ball specialist.Wood, whose career has been blighted by a series of injuries to his left ankle, returned to the England nets this week. As a member of the England Lions squad – effectively the second XI – he was employed to test the batsmen playing in Brisbane while ensuring the first-team bowlers were spared.In an ideal world he would have been a member of the England squad rather than a net bowler. But, after two slightly underwhelming Tests against South Africa – Wood suggests his Test career to date deserves only a 5/10 rating – he was diagnosed with a bruised left heel and, upon further investigation, some ligament damage was also found. While he was able to return to the Durham team just before the end of the season, the England selectors did not think he had shown enough to warrant selection for the Ashes tour.Even a week or two ago, when England were looking for a replacement for Steven Finn and, potentially, Jake Ball, Wood was discounted as it was feared he was not back to match fitness.He remains highly rated by the England management, however. Ottis Gibson said he was the outstanding pace-bowling prospect in England when he resigned the bowling coach role in September and, despite being left out of the tour, he was reassured by the management that he could still play a part in the series if he proved his fitness.”I had meetings with Andrew Strauss, Trevor Bayliss and James Whitaker at the end of the season,” Wood said. “They said that if I got my body right I’d be in a position still to have an impact in the series.”I’ve got a chance but you have to wait for injuries. I’m not here to put any of the lads under pressure and I’ve had enough injuries to know you don’t want people to go through that. But if there is an injury I might be in the background and out with the Lions doing well and I can just slot in.”I’d say I’m bowling at about 80%, at the moment. My action feels good, but I’ve got no overs under my belt. I’m playing against Queensland on Monday and then we head to Perth. I’ve heard numerous things about the WACA nets so I’m looking forward to that. If I can build it up and impress in those WACA nets, then hopefully I can play some part in the series.”Wood admits he has struggled to deal with the disappointment and frustration the injuries have caused, but he will not entertain a future either as a white-ball specialist – where he could probably make a fortune on the T20 circuit – or by reducing his pace.”I’ll never go the white-ball route, no,” Wood said. “This – Test cricket – is the ultimate for me. I’m still hoping that at some point I might be part of this series. It is a long series. If there is an injury, I’m hoping to be raring to go.”And pace with skill is the killer for me. If I can ramp it up, the pace makes me different from everyone else. But I can add that with a little bit of skill that hopefully makes me one of the best around.”I do find it difficult with the injuries. It’s hard. It was tough on Tuesday seeing all the lads preparing and I was with the Lions lads. It was nice to see everyone but it’s hard to be on the edge of things and not amongst it. It is obviously a huge occasion for everyone here.”Having good friends and family helps you cope, I guess. And I’ve done a lot of work with the England psychologist. There are times when I thought I wouldn’t get back to playing for England and then, when I do get back, I wanted to stay there.”So it has been immensely frustrating. Every operation I had, I came back thinking the rehab was tough but this last year I found mentally harder than anything.”I felt I was in a battle with myself. I’ve always been a free-spirited sort of guy who just run in bowled, but this year I had more on my mind. I spent plenty of time over the last four or five weeks of the season in a battle with myself thinking is it going to hurt when I land.”The latest attempt to fix his ankle has seen him undergo a series of procedures where sugar is injected into his ankle ligaments. While the experience is clearly unpleasant, Wood feels the pain is worthwhile if it provides him an opportunity to prove himself in Test cricket.”They’re horrible injections,” he said. “Though I suppose I should be tougher coming from up north. It basically messes up your ligament. It scars it up and when it heals it heals itself tighter. They say it should work long term. It’s not an injury connected to my previous operations.”I really do believe in myself. I have a lot of self-belief and I think that if I can get back to a position when I’m in a good place physically and I can show how good I can be. I don’t think I’ve quite lived up to that yet. There’s been the odd glimpse in my England career so far, but I’ve never lived up to my own expectations or probably other people’s.”I’ve never experienced touring Australia. I’ve been to the Gold Coast playing club cricket but to be here at the Gabba is something I’d like to be a part of. Playing at the MCG on Boxing Day would be a pretty good dream.”

The semi-finals and final of the National T20 Cup have been set for November 29 and 30, with Rawalpindi playing host

Danyal Rasool in Rawalpindi27-Nov-2017The semi-finals and final of the National T20 Cup have been rescheduled for November 29 and 30 after they were postponed by the PCB due to religious unrest in the country. The venue for the three games has not changed, with Rawalpindi playing host, just like it has for the rest of the tournament. The four remaining teams – Lahore Whites, who play Faisalabad, and FATA, who face Lahore Blues – are already in Islamabad, Rawalpindi’s sister city.The tournament had been set to conclude in the weekend, but an unrest that began when police tried to disperse a sit-in by a religious gathering at an interchange in Rawalpindi forced the PCB to postpone the event. With protests turning violent and escalating throughout the country, Islamabad had been in a state of effective lockdown over the weekend, with all roads leading to Karachi and Lahore closed off. Teams had found themselves confined to their hotels, and roads leading to the Rawalpindi stadium had also been blocked. Private news channels were taken off air for most of Saturday and Sunday, while access to social media sites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube was also suspended. All educational institutions in Lahore, which hosted the recent World XI series, as well as the third T20I against Sri Lanka, were closed on Monday, and will remain shut on Tuesday.But the situation has been defused for the most part, with life returning to some semblance of normality in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. That enables the postponed games in the National T20 Cup to be held earlier than what may have been expected on Monda or Tuesday. The decision to play these matches on Wednesday and Thursday, as opposed to the weekend, may be down to a religious holiday throughout Pakistan on Friday, with the PCB keen to avoid further hindrances to their premier domestic T20 tournament.The National T20 Cup faced several hindrances this year. Earlier, it had clashed with the ICC World XI’s trip. The rescheduled dates clashed with the Bangladesh Premier League and the now-postponed T20 Global League in South Africa. Even then, smog in Faisalabad and Multan forced a relocation to Rawalpindi once and for all.The scheduling of the National T20 Cup created uncertainty on other fronts as well. In August, the board revoked the No-Objection Certificates of 13 players participating in the Caribbean Premier League and the English domestic season, asking them to return home and fulfill national and domestic commitments. However, a few days later, PCB chairman Najam Sethi said the National T20 Cup had been postponed and the players could return to their franchises and counties after undergoing fitness tests.The tournament will also mark the end of Saeed Ajmal’s career, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.