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Aaron Finch marks Renegades comeback in style, scoring a 43-ball 68 and sharing in a 130-run stand with Nic Maddinson for the second wicket

Tristan Lavalette22-Dec-2021A red-hot Mitchell Marsh spoilt Aaron Finch’s dazzling Melbourne Renegades return as Perth Scorchers maintained their all-win record in this year’s BBL with a 21-run victory at Marvel Stadium.Marsh continued his purple patch with the bat, scoring a furious 53-ball 86 to power Scorchers to their highest-ever away total – 206 for 5.In his first match since leading Australia to T20 World Cup glory, Finch scored a 43-ball 68 and combined with Nic Maddinson in Renegades’ record second-wicket stand of 130.But Marsh produced more heroics to claim the scalp of Maddinson and Finch departed shortly after as the gallant Scorchers fell short.Marsh and Evans dominate Scorchers bowlers
Scorchers suffered a blow when the in-form Kurtis Patterson, who has been a revelation as an opener, was sidelined with a left quad injury. It meant Scorchers had their fourth different opening combination in a row, with a returning Cameron Bancroft opening with Josh Inglis.Inglis fell in the second over to James Pattinson, but that brought Marsh to the crease and the T20 World Cup hero again put on a show. After surviving an early chance, the former Scorchers skipper put the foot down with a blistering assault on Pattinson, who strayed on to the pads.Kane Richardson was the only Renegades bowler to make an impact•Getty Images

Marsh took a liking to the short boundaries square of the wicket and targeted in-form spinner Zahir Khan for special treatment as he powered to a 30-ball half-century. At the other side, a pumped-up Colin Munro, a centurion against Adelaide Strikers, hit an astonishing first-ball six after charging Will Sutherland, but lost momentum amid Marsh’s whirlwind.Marsh appeared a certainty to score his second BBL ton in three innings but fell to a loose shot in the 16th over to give Renegades hope.But impressive English import Laurie Evans batted superbly at the death, and fittingly ended a dominant Scorchers innings with a last-ball six as the league leaders recorded their second-highest score in franchise history.Fraser-McGurk and Zahir have a rough time
Jake Fraser-McGurk probably has the best catch of the BBL season wrapped up after his stunning one-hander on the boundary against Strikers. But cricket is a great leveller, and so it proved for the youngster, who dropped Marsh on the boundary when on 3. Marsh’s powerful pull shot would have hit Marvel Stadium’s roof had it been shut, but instead it travelled high into the sky making it awkward for Fraser-McGurk, who was distracted by the boundary rope and spilt the catch.Zahir, who has been arguably the best spinner in the BBL, struggled for the first time this season to finish with poor figures of none for 45 off his four overs. Only the experienced Kane Richardson – with his canny use of slower balls – was able to somewhat weather the storm and he was rewarded with the wickets of Marsh and Munro.Aaron Finch and Nic Maddinson put up 130 runs for the second wicket•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Finch returns in style
Renegades needed a strong four-over powerplay and the early dismissal of youngster Mackenzie Harvey – bowled by a gem from Jason Behrendorff – brought together their two main stars. And Finch and Maddinson gave them hope with audacious batting to smash 47 off the powerplay.Finch, who had started his innings with a fluent straight drive, didn’t look rusty after his recovery from a knee injury with consecutive sixes off Tymal Mills in the fourth over lighting a fuse. Finch clearly had not lost his touch and in trademark fashion, he was perfectly still at the crease and swinging baseball style in a vintage performance. He clubbed 20 runs off Andrew Tye during the second power-surge over as Renegades sniffed a stunning heist.But Maddinson, who had a reprieve on 49, fell to Marsh and Renegades’ momentum was halted. The match was effectively over when Finch fell to Ashton Agar in the 16th over, but last-placed Renegades would be buoyed by the return of their ex-skipper.Scorchers attack finally put under pressure
Scorchers’ bowlers have been irresistible this season, with the most runs scored off them before this match just 151 by Brisbane Heat in their season opener. But even such a disciplined attack can look ragged and helpless when Finch and Maddinson are on song.For a while, they had no answers and looked rattled. But, in trademark fashion, they held their nerve and the game turned through a brilliant one-handed catch by wicketkeeper Inglis to dismiss Maddinson.

Three other teams – Royals, Kings XI and Knight Riders – have already reached Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2020With the IPL finally due to start from September 19, the Delhi Capitals side assembled in Mumbai on Thursday before the squad departs for the UAE. And, according to a PTI report, three other teams – Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders – have already reached Dubai as the T20 tournament continues to gather steam.The Capitals players arrived in batches, keeping in mind the safety protocols against Covid-19. Led by their captain Shreyas Iyer, the others who landed were Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw.Despite being away from the game for more than five months, Rahane – who is a part of the Capitals for the first time – wanted to ensure the side was “very positive” after the time out.”There is no doubt that it will be a challenging trip for everyone involved,” he said. “But like everyone else, I’ve spent these last few months focusing on my physical and mental health, and taking care of my family. So the time I’ve managed to spend with them has put me in a positive frame of mind. However, this IPL will be a very different experience for all of us, and we need to make sure that we are all very positive when we hit the ground running. The key is to take one step at a time.”Young opening batsman Shaw, who hit 99 in a tied game against the Kolkata Knight Riders last season, was looking forward to gelling with his team-mates and utilising the training sessions available in the UAE.”We know people have a lot of expectations from us, but our focus will be on making the most of the training sessions we get in the UAE, and re-creating that fantastic team environment which made us so successful last year,” he said. “We also have the chance to gel with the new players and then set our sights on the IPL season.”The Kings XI, KKR and Royals players, who were already tested multiple times before departure, will now undergo a six-day isolation period with testing on day 1, 3 and 6. If they clear all the tests, they will be eligible to enter the tournament’s bio-bubble and start training.Subsequently, the players and support staff will be tested every fifth day of the tournament

Kolkata Knight Riders keep their IPL alive thanks to an all-round performance from their biggest match-winner

The Report by Sreshth Shah28-Apr-20192:47

Can just appreciate Russell’s contributions: de Kock

Dominant performances from opener Shubman Gill and No. 3 Andre Russell helped Kolkata Knight Riders halt their six-game losing streak in marvelous fashion against Mumbai Indians as they won their 100th IPL game.The duo combined 12 sixes and 12 fours to help Knight Riders post the season’s highest team score, with assistance from Chris Lynn’s 29-ball 54.Mumbai’s pace-bowling pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga went wicketless for 92 runs in eight overs, and even their most economical bowler, Krunal Pandya, conceded nine runs per over, as Knight Riders accelerated steadily to get 75 in their last five overs.Mumbai were pegged back early in their chase of 233 with the dismissals of Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma inside four overs. After the chase’s ninth over, they had already lost four wickets, and the required run-rate was 15.72.Hardik’s 17-ball fifty was the quickest of IPL 2019, but with no other batsman making a significant contribution, the required rate of 16 an over was too much. Mumbai succumbed to their first defeat to Knight Riders since May 2015. On most other days, Hardik’s 34-ball 91 would go down as a match-winning innings, but on this occasion, it only helped Mumbai avoid what could’ve been a massive defeat.3:53

Murali Kartik: It was a good decision to send Russell at No.3

Sublime Gill maximises chance at the topUntil Sunday’s game, six of Knight Riders’ losses came batting first. So when they were asked to bat first again by Rohit Sharma, history wasn’t on their side.But Gill opened the batting – for the second game in a row – and struck two fours and a six in a 14-run first over. With Chris Lynn playing tentatively for his first seven balls, Gill farmed the strike against Krunal and Malinga in the opening overs. When Krunal came back for his second over, Lynn found his range and struck two fours off him, and another off Bumrah in the fifth. By the end of the Powerplay he had struck 23 in a fifty-run stand with Gill.Gill then took the backseat, and the middle overs began with 39 runs between overs six and nine. In that period, Lynn struck four fours and two sixes to bring up his half-century in just 27 balls. With Lynn falling to Rahul Chahar’s legspin in the tenth over, Gill took over and brought up a half-century of his own – and the team’s hundred – in the 11th over.Russell walked in at No. 3 and Gill gave his partner some breathing space by continuing to find the occasional boundary. A six off Chahar in the 12th over took Gill to 58 off 35 deliveries and another one in the 14th helped them gain momentum after a quiet 13th. When Lasith Malinga came to bowl the 16th, he was welcomed by Gill with a drilled four past his left, and two balls later, a flick off his toes for four as he continued to grow in confidence.When he struck Hardik for a checked-loft, it seemed like the ball would soar over wide long-on for his fifth six of the innings. Instead, it found Evin Lewis running backwards to take a difficult catch. With the score at 158 for 2 and 28 balls to go in the innings, Gill walked back to a standing ovation.Russell walks the talkAfter publicising his desire to bat up the order, Russell came in around the tenth over and rode a bit of luck before switching dramatically to a near-chanceless knock. When still on 1, Russell had pulled towards deep square leg, but Lewis – slow to react – couldn’t wrap his fingers around the ball. After that, Russell provided no such opportunities.He teed off in the 14th over, drilling back-to-back sixes off Chahar to move from six off 12 deliveries to 18 off 14. After that, he combined with Gill to attack Mumbai’s bowlers from both ends. At Gill’s departure, Russell was only on 24.With eight wickets to go, though, Russell let his instincts take over. Mumbai’s pacers attempted to go either wide, or short and wide, and Russell played effortless ramp-cuts over point to win that battle. With No. 4 Dinesh Karthik also hitting two boundaries in his first four balls, Russell collected three sixes off Hardik’s 18th to move on to 49, and two balls later, ran across for his fourth half-century of the season with 10 deliveries to go in the innings.But the back-end is where a set Rusell poses the most danger. He struck a six and a four off Bumrah’s final over to take 15 runs off the 19th, and then dug into Malinga’s 20th over, hitting two sixes and two fours – including a drilled flat six over extra cover – to finish on an unbeaten 40-ball 80. The last-ball six took Knight Riders past the previous-highest season score of 231 by Sunrisers Hyderabad.Hardik gives Knight Riders a scareMumbai lost four wickets inside ten overs but Hardik wasn’t giving up. Walking in at No. 6, Hardik struck six sixes off his first 14 deliveries. He then struck his first four, a cut off Gurney, off his 15th delivery to reach 46, and two balls later reached his fifty with a six over square leg.From the other end, Pollard found the occasional boundary to keep Mumbai’s score ticking, but it was Hardik who was giving a glimmer of hope to the Mumbai fans. The partnership – at a run-rate of more than 13 – ended in the 14th over when Pollard was caught at square leg off Narine.With six overs to go, Mumbai needed a further 100 runs to win. Hardik and Krunal creamed 20 off Chawla’s 16th over to bring the equation to 73 off four overs, which came down to 59 off three when he took on Narine.But Hardik fell trying to flat-bat the last ball of the 18th. His 34-ball 91 – including nine sixes and six fours – was his highest T20 score. Mumbai added only 13 after his dismissal in a game where 29 sixes were hit – the sixth-most in an IPL match.

Sunrisers Hyderabad lost 9 for 75, before the last-wicket pair of Hooda and Stanlake held their nerve to keep Mumbai Indians winless

The Report by Shashank Kishore12-Apr-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:00

Did Ben Cutting pick the right ball to bowl?

Mumbai Indians wove magic yet again at the venue of their unprecedented third IPL triumph to come back from the dead, but were still pipped at the finish line by Deepak Hooda, the man whom Sunrisers Hyderabad doled out INR 3.6 crore (USD 562,000 approx) for at the auction.His unbeaten 32 included a sensational final-over six off a wide yorker off Ben Cutting that reduced the equation to five off five balls. A wide and three singles reduced it to one needed off the final delivery. Billy Stanlake, the No. 11, nervously examined the closed-in field, contemplated his options and then hoicked the slower delivery to the midwicket fence to script a one-wicket win and send a strong crowd of 30,000 into delirium.Dhawan wicket triggers collapse A slap to the extra-cover boundary off his first delivery set the tone for yet another dominating knock. Without scoreboard pressure early in the chase, Shikhar Dhawan simply trusted his instincts and hit everything through the line to bludgeon his way towards a second successive half-century. The first one, against Rajasthan Royals, came off 33 deliveries. He was set to shade that by muscling his way to 45 off 27 balls, before falling off his 28th when he top-edged a sweep to Jasprit Bumrah at fine leg. This triggered a sensational collapse.Markande and Mustafizur take it down to the wireAt 20, Mayank Markande’s confidence to execute his variations has been impressive. He foxed Wriddhiman Saha with a shortish googly that beat the inside edge to hit the pad, with an lbw appeal given out on review. Dhawan holed out to fine leg and Manish Pandey’s ugly hoick resulted in a leading edge taken by Rohit at short mid-off. There were nerves in the Sunrisers camp now, and Shakib had them biting off their fingernails when he chopped on. They had sensationally slipped from 73 for 1 to 107 for 5.This was still very much Sunrisers’ game, but there were more twists to come. Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda brought them to within 12 runs of victory, before Bumrah delivered two vital strikes. Yusuf mistimed a skiddy bouncer to Kieron Pollard at midwicket and Rashid Khan was snuffed out by a full delivery that took the edge to the keeper.Mustafizur Rahman then delivered a stellar penultimate over, taking two wickets and conceding just one to leave Hooda a herculean task. Mustafizur’s modus operandi was simple: varying his length to cutters. Sandeep Sharma’s attempted scoop resulted in a catch to short fine, while Siddarth Kaul chipped one back as Mustafizur held on to a superb reflex-action catch. Now, with 11 needed off one over, Hooda exhibited tremendous calm to see the game through.Sunrisers’ awesome bowling line-upIn Sandeep, Sunrisers had Bhuvneshwar’s like-for-like replacement. Handed a debut for Sunrisers after being picked up for INR 3 crore (USD 468,000 approx) at the auction, he didn’t let them down.In his very first over, he got the ball to dart back in and then straighten to beat Rohit. This would be a recurring theme for the evening as he troubled the batsmen with his zip off the pitch. His reward were the wickets of a well-set Suryakumar Yadav, the lone batsman to show any sort of fight for Mumbai in the middle overs, and Pradeep Sangwan, at the death.In Kaul, Sandeep’s state-mate at Punjab, Sunrisers have an equally effective bowler. He may not set the speed guns crackling, but is capable of hurrying the batsmen with his skid. His knuckleball to dismiss a dangerous-looking Evin Lewis, who had smashed three fours and two sixes in his 17-ball 29 as an opener, set the tone for Sunrisers’ domination. The pair finished with combined figures of 4 for 54 between them off eight overs.Rashid Khan’s chokeIf the seamers were not stifling enough, Mumbai Indians were slowly choked by Rashid Khan, who bowled 18 dot balls, the most by a spinner in the IPL, to finish with figures of 4-0-13-1. This meant Mumbai were devoid of any sort of momentum through the innings, with the highest partnership being the 38-run stand for the sixth wicket between Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav.Rashid, as usual, varied his googlies and fast legbreaks with subtle changes in length on a surface where there was true bounce to keep Mumbai quiet. Losing a wicket every time they looked for a release resulted in the batsmen having to buckle down and delay their slog. This played right into Rashid’s hands. When it got to a stage where the batsmen had no choice but to slog, Rashid got his only wicket of the night as a charging Ben Cutting misread a googly and was bowled in the 18th over.Too many shots hurt MumbaiSure the format demands belligerence, but Mumbai hovered between uber-aggressive and reckless. Ishan Kishan’s dismissal, slicing an attempted heave to third man in the sixth over, demonstrated this. In the very first over, Rohit too was guilty of trying to slog the ball, but was lucky to be reprieved by Hooda, who put down a catch running backwards from midwicket. Fortunately, this didn’t cost Hyderabad much as he eventually failed to keep a flick down and was caught at square leg by Shakib Al Hasan.Krunal Pandya, promoted to No. 5, chipped a simple catch to cover while Pollard set himself up for the end overs but ended up checking his shot to be caught at deep cover for a 23-ball 28 with 5.1 overs to play. Mumbai were 110 for 5 then, possibly looking at 160. That wasn’t to be. With their bowling attack, 147 may have still been enough on another night.

Even as the ICC meetings proceed in Dubai, there remains doubt over who will represent the Indian board at the Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) meeting and the ICC Board meeting given the administrative flux at the BCCI

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Feb-2017Almost exactly a year ago – on February 19, 2016 – the BCCI held a special general body meeting (SGM) in Mumbai. The meeting was chaired by then BCCI president Shashank Manohar and in attendance were board secretary Anurag Thakur, former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar, and other senior BCCI and state association offiicials. The most important point on the agenda was the amount of revenue the BCCI would earn from the ICC’s commercial and broadcast rights deal for the 2015-2023 cycle.In the Big Three model, the BCCI was set to earn about $571.25 million if the ICC secured a rights deal worth $2.5 billion. The BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB, constructors of this model, worked out the BCCI’s share to be 20.3%, the highest of all members, in recognition of the BCCI’s financial clout. The ECB and CA would also be due a bigger share than the others.Manohar, who took over as BCCI president in November 2015, also replaced N Srinivasan as ICC chairman (the BCCI representative would be ICC chairman for the first two years under the Big-Three governance structure revamp). And almost his first pronouncement as ICC chief was to criticise the Big-Three model, especially the financial inequality of its revenue distribution. He was said to have spoken of a 6% cut in the BCCI’s share, according to a Bangladesh cricket official.With Manohar as the chair, the ICC set up a five-man working group to review the Big-Three governance structure and recommend a new model after consultation with all Full Members and the major Associates.According to an official who was present at that SGM last February, the BCCI members agreed that the percentage of the BCCI’s share could be scaled down to 16-17%. Manohar and Thakur were authorised by the BCCI to negotiate this at ICC meetings. “But it was clearly decided that they would report back to the BCCI before any final decision was taken,” the official said.A year on, with the ICC’s working group’s report ready and containing recommendations for a new financial model and governance structures, leave alone the final decision – the BCCI currently does not even know who exactly will represent it at the important Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) meeting on Friday and the ICC Board meeting on Saturday.On Monday, the Supreme Court of India had appointed a four-member committee of administrators to run the BCCI till fresh elections can take place, having already removed Thakur as BCCI president and Ajay Shirke as the board secretary on January 2.On the same day the court also approved two BCCI office bearers, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhury to accompany Vikram Limaye, who sits on the court-appointed committee of adminstrators, to attend the ICC meetings, which began in Dubai today.On Tuesday, however, confusion began as the committee of administrators, in its first meeting, tasked Rahul Johri, the board CEO, with attending the ICC’s Chief Executive Committee’s (CEC) meeting and Limaye to do likewise at the F&CA and Board meetings. This was communicated by the BCCI to the ICC.The following day, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association – Srinivasan’s home base – went to court to intervene against the choice of representatives made by the committee of administrators. The court said the three men it had approved to travel to Dubai on Monday enjoyed “equal status” and should travel to Dubai.On Thursday, as the two-day CEC meetings began, Choudhury attended as the BCCI representative. Johri travelled to Dubai, but it is understood he was not in the meeting, as only one person can represent a member board.There is no clarity yet on who will represent the BCCI at the F&CA and Board meetings. The ICC constitution states that a Full Member may send one representative, not three. But an observer from the member board is allowed to sit in on the meeting, although he can have no say in the meeting itself. Ultimately, how many attend from the BCCI will be decided by senior ICC management, including Manohar.The committee of administrators believes Limaye will attend and that if the ICC insists on just one or at best, two, out of the court-approved three, then Limaye will have the authority to decide on who attends the meetings.Despite having been forced out of office in 2015 as BCCI president and then as TNCA president, Srinivasan continues to cast a shadow over the BCCI. On Tuesday, it has emerged, Choudhury forwarded the minutes of the first meeting of committee of administrators to him.That meeting was attended by Vinod Rai (chairman) along with Limaye and former India women’s captain Diana Edulji. Johri and Chaudhry were present and briefed the panel on various matters including the ICC meetings.Chaudhry sent the minutes to Choudhury, who then forwarded them to the TNCA treasurer. It is understood both the Lodha Committee and the committee of administrators are aware of this. Srinivasan, through his supporters within the BCCI, has been an objector to Manohar’s Big-Three rollback measures. Chaudhry is said to be the solitary voice who opposed Manohar during last February’s SGM, arguing that the BCCI would suffer a massive loss from a repeal of the Big-Three model.Regardless of who participates in the F&CA and Board meetings, the committee of administrators has made it clear no decision can be taken by the representative(s). “It is an unusual situation and we are waiting to hear back from ICC how many can attend,” one of the committee of administrators told ESPNcricinfo. He would only say that the main aim of the representative(s) will be to “appropriately” deal with the matters.

The BCCI has deferred a decision on possible sanctions on offspinner Ajit Chandila and Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah

Arun Venugopal24-Dec-2015The BCCI has deferred a decision on possible sanctions on offspinner Ajit Chandila and Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah until January 5.

BCCI issues notice to umpire Rauf

The BCCI’s disciplinary committee has issued a notice to former Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf, asking him to respond to the charges leveled against him in the IPL spot-fixing case.
Rauf’s name had been included in the chargesheet as a “wanted accused”, after he had left India during the IPL even as the Mumbai Police wanted to question him in person.
Rauf, though, has always maintained his innocence, calling for proof regarding the allegations of corruption against him.

Chandila was found guilty of alleged spot-fixing charges, along with fellow Rajasthan Royals bowlers S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Amit Singh, by a BCCI probe in September 2013. Hiken, on the other hand, was suspended by the board in July with immediate effect after he was found guilty of making an illegal approach to a player ahead of IPL 2015.Chandila, along with Chavan and Sreesanth, were also charged by the Delhi Police under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, but were subsequently discharged by a trial court in July. In November, the Delhi High Court served notices to the trio after the Delhi Police challenged the trial court’s ruling.After the disciplinary committee meeting in Mumbai, Chandila said he was questioned by the members of the committee – BCCI president Shashank Manohar, Niranjan Shah and Jyotiraditya Scindia (on video conference) and the board’s Anti-Corruption Unit head Ravi Sawani.”The acquittal by the trial court was a big turning point for me,” Chandila said. “The questions were the same as the ones Delhi Police asked me. This is a new committee and I had to give them answers. I gave them the same answers I gave the court.”I have been waiting to be heard by the new committee. I have full faith in the new BCCI committee and God that justice will be done to me. I’m confident this committee will give me a fair trial. I have answered all their questions. Let’s see what happens next.”While bans were imposed on Sreesanth, Chavan and Amit, Chandila’s case remained pending as Sawani did not have the opportunity to question him before the submission of his report.There was a further delay as after Sawani eventually questioned Chandila in October 2013, the latter sought additional time to respond to charges leveled against him. Chandila was eventually given time until March 12, 2014.While the BCCI did not name the first-class cricketer who was approached, it is learnt that Hiken approached a Mumbai team-mate ahead of IPL 2015. The anti-corruption unit inquiry found that Hiken had made an “exploratory approach”Hiken’s lawyer Som Sinha told ESPNcricinfo their next course of action would depend on when Hiken is heard next. “We have to follow the procedure. Once the procedure is over we will see. They have given him some papers. I’ll be meeting him tomorrow

With the very structure of the BCCI in danger, the board’s working committee will meet in Chennai at 2.30 pm on Sunday, the second such emergency meeting in a fortnight

Amol Karhadkar01-Jun-2013With the very structure of the BCCI in danger, the board’s working committee will meet in Chennai at 2.30 pm on Sunday, the second such emergency meeting in a fortnight, to discuss issues of the fallout of the corruption scandal in the IPL.One of the major points of interest in Sunday’s meeting is whether BCCI president N Srinivasan resigns, or steps aside temporarily until the commission appointed to look into his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, the top Chennai Super Kings official arrested on charges of betting, the Super Kings owners India Cements, and the owners of Rajasthan Royals, completes its inquiry.At the moment, it is more likely that Srinivasan will step aside temporarily, and if that is the case the working committee will have to nominate an acting president. “If the president steps aside for a limited period, the constitution doesn’t prohibit the working committee from nominating any BCCI member, irrespective of the zone he represents,” a BCCI source told ESPNcricinfo. Former board president Shashank Manohar and current vice-president Arun Jaitley are frontrunners for the post of acting president.There is a remote possibility of the working committee being presented with a request to convene a Special General Body or Extraordinary General Meeting of the BCCI, to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president. Even though ten members may present their letters seeking impeachment procedure to be initiated, Srinivasan might not resign, and they will find it difficult to get the 3/4th majority required to remove the president. Perhaps considering such a possibility, most of the five vice-presidents who were considering resignation on Saturday morning, decided to delay their decision at least until the meeting on Sunday.There is also the possibility of the meeting being declared illegal, if any of the members object to the legality of the meeting, because as per regulations the working committee requires three days’ notice before it is convened.However, before Srinivasan’s future is decided, the working committee will have to reconstitute the commission that was going to probe Gurunath, India Cements and the owners of the Royals. On Friday night, BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale resigned his post because he was hurt by the developments in Indian cricket and also said he would not serve on the three-member commission, which included two High Court judges.With Justice T Jayaram Chouta, one of the two independent members on the commission, saying the inquiry could not be held because of Jagdale’s resignation, the working committee will have to name a replacement.Apart from Jagdale, the BCCI treasurer Ajay Shirke also resigned on Friday, leaving two of the top three offices in the board vacant. It will be up to Srinivasan to name their successors, since the BCCI constitution only gives the president the power to fill vacancies.The previous working committee meeting was held in Chennai on May 19, in the wake of spot-fixing allegations against the three arrested Rajasthan Royals players, and between then and now Gurunath was arrested on charges of betting and links with bookies. That created a misunderstanding between BCCI members, given Srinivasan’s close links to Gurunath in terms of franchise official and family member. However, instead of calling for a meeting and taking members into confidence, like he did when the Royals players were arrested, Srinivasan refused to resign his post and remained defiant despite outrage in the media and among the public. The deterioration of the situation culminated in Jagdale and Shirke’s resignations on Friday evening.The meeting in Chennai is an opportunity for Srinivasan to gauge the situation. While some representatives of BCCI’s affiliated units have asked for Srinivasan’s resignation while speaking to the media in personal capacity, no state board has made its official stance clear. Srinivasan is likely to appeal to the members to keep the “board games” aside, with the credibility of Indian cricket at stake because of the corruption issues in the IPL.

Neil Wagner, the South Africa-born fast bowler, is now eligible to play for New Zealand, the ICC has confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2012Neil Wagner, the South Africa-born fast bowler, is now eligible to play for New Zealand, the ICC has confirmed. Wagner had moved to New Zealand in 2008 and his inclusion in the New Zealand team has been highly anticipated, following two prolific seasons on the domestic circuit.Last month, there was some doubt over how soon Wagner would be eligible to play for New Zealand. The ICC’s regulations state that a player must reside in the relevant country for a minimum of 183 days for four consecutive years to qualify. Wagner had had two short trips out of New Zealand during his time there but received positive rulings on his applications for these two absences to be viewed as exceptional circumstances, prompting him to be declared eligible.The New Zealand board had submitted the applications on Wagner’s behalf to the ICC’s exceptional circumstances committee, who then made a recommendation to cricket committee chairman Clive Lloyd.During his run in domestic cricket, where he has represented Notherns and more recently Otago, Wagner was named the most valuable player of the Plunket Shield for 2010-11, after taking 51 wickets in nine games in the competition. That included a record five wickets in one over, against Wellington. In the 2011-12 season he had topped the wicket-takers’ list again, with 46 wickets in 10 games.New Zealand’s next international assignment is a tour of the Caribbean that begins in Florida at the end of June.

A round-up of the tenth round of matches from the 2010-11 Plunket Shield

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2011Left-arm fast bowler Neil Wagner’s record-breaking spell helped Otago rout Wellington by an innings and 138 runs in three days at the Queenstown Events Centre.Wellington, who ended the second day on 57 for 1, looked in relative comfort on 112 for 1 in pursuit of Otago’s first innings total of 441, before Harry Boam, Grant Elliott and Neal Parlane fell in quick succession. At 136 for 4 with opener Stewart Rhodes looking solid on 77, Wellington would still have hoped to put up a competitive total. However, they hadn’t bargained for South African born Wagner’s searing spell.Wagner, bowling the last over before lunch, had Rhodes caught by Neil Broom off the first ball of the over. He then bowled Justin Austin-Smellie and Jeetan Patel off the next two deliveries to register his hat-trick and followed up that with the wicket of Ili Tugaga to make it four in four. No. 10 Mark Gillespie survived the fifth ball, only to get bowled off the final ball off the over. Wagner’s performance eclipsed the previous best performance in an over by a bowler in New Zealand which was in 1929-30 when Englishman Maurice Allom took four wickets in five balls against New Zealand at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. Wagner returned after lunch to bowl the last batsman Andy McKay to end up with career-best figures of 6 for 36 as Wellington collapsed to 148 all out.Following on, Wellington’s batting stuttered yet again as they lost their first three wickets, including that of Rhodes, with just 16 runs on the board. Elliott resisted with 61, but failed to receive support from the other frontline batsmen. Gillespie and McKay added 39 runs for the last wicket, but that only delayed the inevitable as Wellington were bowled out for 155 to hand Otago a convincing win. Wagner was among the wickets again, accounting for Elliott, Patel and Tugaga to end up with match figures of 9 for 66.

James Foster, the Essex wicketkeeper, heads into the 2010 domestic season in a familiar position

Andrew McGlashan29-Mar-2010James Foster, the Essex wicketkeeper, heads into the 2010 domestic season in a familiar position. Generally regarded as the finest gloveman in England, he is once again in the international wilderness having missed out on a spot in the preliminary 30-man squad for the World Twenty20.Foster was his country’s keeper in the previous tournament, last year in England, when he excelled behind the stumps but couldn’t make much of impact with the bat in his limited opportunities. He is now well down the pecking order again with Matt Prior and Craig Kieswetter heading the list, while Steven Davies is the third option in the 30-man party which will be trimmed on Tuesday.However, Foster wasn’t surprised that he was overlooked despite gaining acclaim for his work last summer – particularly an outstanding stumping to remove Yuvraj Singh at Lord’s – and didn’t expect to get a phone call this time. But he refuses to dwell on the disappointment, instead focusing on his role with Essex.”I don’t want to sound bitter, no matter what team you are in coaching staff and selectors make decisions and go with what they think is right,” Foster told Cricinfo. “Unfortunately I wasn’t in their plans and you have to accept that. It wasn’t unsurprising to be honest because getting left out immediately after the last one and not being picked to play the Australians I was pretty aware that I wasn’t going to be involved in the squad.”I would love to have been involved, but it was pretty clear from outset that it wasn’t going to be. It was a seven-year gap between my previous appearances and I’ve always worked hard to try and get involved again. It worked last summer, but it didn’t last very long. I’ll just keep plugging away and try and enjoy myself down at Essex and what will be, will be.”Although it seems unlikely that Foster will be called upon by the selectors in the near future, he at least feels Essex’s promotion to Division One of the County Championship will help him push his claims and he believes the selectors take more notice of the teams in the top nine. “I think it does it matter and I’m sure the hierarchy would probably say otherwise, but I think it does make a difference,” Foster said as he prepared to play for MCC against Durham in Abu Dhabi.And he believes Essex have the squad to ensure they don’t become a yo-yo team that heads straight back down to Division Two. “It’s going to be a challenge not just for myself but also the team,” he said. “We’ve been dying to get back up there and it went down to the wire last season. I think we’ve got an excellent chance of not just staying up but doing a bit better than that.”On paper the Essex bowling attack looks short of the strike power needed to force results in the top flight, but Foster is excited by the winter development of Mervyn Westfield and Maurice Chambers, two young quick bowlers who have been highly rated around the County Ground for a number of seasons. Their chances have been limited by injury, but Foster feels they are now ready to play key roles.”Watching them in Barbados I was impressed with them both,” he said. “Mervyn has been in Adelaide and Maurice has been to Brisbane and they’ve worked exceptionally hard. They’ve had a few injuries over the last few years, but hopefully they have put that behind them and a promising sign in Barbados was their second and third spells were still very quick. I don’t want to add too much pressure on them, but we are excited by their talents.”