Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, has placed the blame for the current crisis in the IPL squarely on Lalit Modi, for he was entrusted with the running of the league

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Apr-2010Apart from the obvious issues relating to the fate of Lalit Modi and the charges against him, there was one key question surrounding Monday’s press conference following the IPL governing council meeting: What was the council’s responsibility in overseeing the working of the IPL, and what was the extent of its culpability in the current mess?The response of Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, was three-fold: first, the council was not informed of most of the chairman’s work; second, that it was not the job of the council members to scrutinise the work anyway, and, third, that there was a full-fledged secretariat – and the hired help of IMG – to ensure things were run in a professional manner.”An institution functions on trust,” Manohar said. “If I have to do all the jobs, I don’t need executives. Why do I need a secretary? Why do I need other people? Because even in your institution your managing director does not look into where you’re going, what you’re doing and if you commit something wrong, your managing director is not responsible for that.”If you are expecting every governing council member to come here every morning at 10 and leave at 10 in the night to look at what is happening everywhere, then we don’t need the other staff which is there. Then we don’t need to pay IMG Rs 27 crore [approx $6 million] and we don’t need a CEO to running the IPL. It is their job to do all these things.”He expanded on the theme, essentially saying the council entrusted Modi with running of the league and left it at that. “Any public organization functions on trust because each and every person can’t go and check every aspect or each and every document in an organization. There are huge companies that are run by people and those people, once a decision is approved, don’t go and look at the document whether it is properly executed or not. It is the job of the professionals and the executives who are appointed by the institution to do that job.”An allegation is being made and the media is saying all the members of the governing council are party to all the decisions. Now most of the contracts have been entered into without the consent of the governing council and they’ve been brought to the governing council after the contract was signed. So the governing council has no other option and are presented with a fait accompli,” Manohar reason, before citing an example.”I came here [Mumbai] three days in advance to look into all the documents and contracts in view of the ongoing controversy. I called Sundar Raman [the IPL CEO] because on that day in the evening there was an IPL awards function. I asked for the contract of that function and I was told ‘Sir, there was no contract. The contract terms were finalised last night.’ And this he informs me at 3 in the afternoon when the function is going to be held at 7 in the evening.”Thereafter, if this issue comes before the governing council, what do you expect the governing council to do? Do you expect the governing council to say, ‘No, we reject this contract and we’re going to cancel this function’, when the function is already over,” Manohar asked.Manohar’s apportioning of the blame squarely on Modi, absolving the governing council of its responsibility in the matter, is at odds with the views of MAK Pataudi, a council member and now one of the three former cricketers entrusted with working out a mechanism for the next IPL season. Pataudi had last week said the governing council had been a failure because the members should have been more aware of what was happening.Manohar was also questioned on the issue of professionalism within the IPL, in answer to which he pointed to the appointment of IMG to help run the tournament. “As far as the IPL is concerned, we knew that this is a huge and valuable property. Therefore we appointed professionals like the IMG, who conduct tournaments like Wimbledon and the FIFA world cup. And we are paying them a huge sum of Rs 27 crore for all operational things.”It the duty of IMG, because they are the corporate entity and their job is to look after the professional things and the normal functioning of IPL games. We also appointed a professional CEO, Sundar Raman, for the IPL who is also paid a huge salary. We have a separate staff for IPL and so I don’t understand what media means by saying `professional people’ for running the event,” he said.

Brendan Nash, the West Indies middle-order batsman, has said his team is desperate to end its losing run and turn things for the better in the Test series against South Africa that begins on Thursday

Cricinfo staff10-Jun-2010Brendan Nash, the West Indies middle-order batsman, has said his team is desperate to end its losing run and turn things around for the Test series against South Africa that begins on Thursday. West Indies are yet to win a game on this tour, losing both Twenty20 internationals and being at the receiving end of a 5-0 thrashing in the ODI series.”We’re sick of losing. We don’t like losing. We don’t enjoy it, but it is not something we can just turn around in one day,” Nash told 103 FM ahead of the first Test in Trinidad. “It is going to be a slow process, but we’re trying to do the right thing.”Nobody wants to lose, we’re doing what we can with the resources we have and the structures we have to try and turn things around.”Nash sought inspiration from West Indies’ performance against England in Trinidad last year, when they held on to draw the final Test and win the series. Nash scored a century in that game, his first in international cricket, and has been in excellent form of late. He had a very successful tour of Bangladesh with West Indies A, being dismissed just once in the two four-day games, scoring 202 runs in the process, and notched up two half-centuries in three limited-overs matches.”I hope everyone remembers the series last year against England. It came down to the last match. We were one up and we held on for a draw to win the series,” he said. Hopefully the Trinis put their minds back to that and support us. That’s what we needed at that time and that’s what we need at this time.”We haven’t had the best of runs in the shorter format of the game. (Tests) are different and we showed some good signs against Australia at the end of last year, and this is the next Test series since then so hopefully the fans will come out and support us.”Nash also said training sessions for the teams have been interrupted by sporadic showers. “(Practice has been) a little bit disrupted” he said. “We’ve made the most of it and tried to get on the field [when] we could and get in the indoor nets.”

Tasmania will join the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) for the 2010-11, taking the competition to seven teams

Cricinfo staff15-Jun-2010Tasmania will join the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) for the 2010-11, taking the competition to seven teams. The Tasmanian Roar joined the women’s national Twenty20 competition last summer and will take the final step by being added to the 50-over tournament.The WNCL gained a sixth team last season with the addition of the ACT. James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia the acceptance of Tasmania into the WNCL was testament to the efforts of Cricket Tasmania to develop women’s cricket in the state.”The team produced some encouraging performances in the interstate Twenty20 competition last year and regular exposure to matches at this level will help drive women’s cricket participation in Tasmania,” Sutherland said.”Female cricket participation in Australia has risen dramatically in recent years and today’s announcement, along with the continued success of the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars, will only inspire more young girls to pick up a bat and ball.”

Ed Cowan and George Bailey slammed centuries to give Australia A an overwhelming advantage on the second day at Townsville

Cricinfo staff26-Jun-2010Sri Lanka A 78 and 32 for 0 trail Australia A 402 (Bailey 154*, Cowan 126) by 292 runs

ScorecardGeorge Bailey made an unbeaten 154 with 14 fours and six sixes•Getty Images

Ed Cowan and George Bailey slammed centuries to give Australia A an overwhelming advantage on the second day at Townsville. It was hard work for the Sri Lanka A bowlers as the hosts stretched their lead to 324 before declaring.The day began with Usman Khawaja getting to a half-century. Khawaja and Cowan made steady progress before the former was dismissed for 69 by Sachithra Senanayake, nearly 23 overs in to the day’s play. The pair had added 141 for the second wicket, and that was followed by another century stand, this time between Cowan and Bailey. Cowan was eventually dismissed by Nuwan Pradeep for 126, caught by the wicketkeeper. Bailey and Peter Forrest added 94 in quick time to take the score past 350. Bailey scored in fifth gear, smashing 14 fours and six sixes in his 154 off 138 balls. He declared at 402 for 4, leaving the visitors to bat out 11 overs till stumps.The opening pair of Lahiru Thirimanne and Tharanga Paranavitana ensured they didn’t lose a wicket. The Sri Lankans will face a test of skill and character as they look to save this game with two days remaining.

The Indian board and the ECB have formally endorsed the nomination of Alan Isaac, the chairman of New Zealand Cricket, for the post of ICC vice-president

Cricinfo staff31-Jul-2010The Indian board and the ECB have formally endorsed the nomination of Alan Isaac, the chairman of New Zealand Cricket, for the post of ICC vice-president. The official support of the two influential boards for Isaac is likely to herald the end of a contentious process that began when Australia and New Zealand jointly nominated former Australian Prime Minister John Howard for the post.The BCCI’s formal approval of Isaac was one of the decisions made by its working committee during a meeting in Mumbai on Saturday. The ECB welcomed the nomination of Isaac through a press release. “Alan Isaac is an extremely able and experienced administrator with an outstanding record in both business and public life,” ECB chairman Giles Clarke said. “He has chaired New Zealand Cricket with distinction, is extremely respected internationally and will make an excellent ICC president in due course.”Following Howard’s nomination, a number of boards raised questions about his suitability for the role. His candidature was eventually rejected by six of the ICC’s ten Full Members at the executive board meeting in Singapore in June. Isaac was put forward as a replacement for Howard after Sir John Anderson said he did not want to be ICC vice-president. Anderson was New Zealand’s original choice for the position. While Cricket Australia remains convinced Howard is the best man for the job, it nevertheless agreed to support Isaac.

Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has said he is desperate to meet with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt so he can get his ban revoked

Cricinfo staff14-Aug-2010Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has said he is desperate to meet with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt so he can get his ban revoked, even going so far as to making several unsuccessful trips to the Gaddafi Stadium in the hope of arranging a meeting.”I am getting desperate now because if the PCB chairman goes abroad once again my appeal against the ban will be left pending for another month or so,” Naved told .The appellate tribunal headed by retired Justice Irfan Qadir is due to hear Naved’s appeal on August 21, but has asked him to meet with Butt before that.”I hope I can get some time with the PCB chairman so that I can state my case to him and have this ban removed,” he said. “If I am unable to meet with the PCB chairman before the next date of my appeal then I am afraid it will be prolonged for another month or so.”Naved, along with several of his team-mates, was punished by the PCB following the tour of Australia in 2009-10. He was banned for one year and slapped with a Rs 2 million fine. All the punished players, except for Naved, have met the PCB again and had their bans revoked, and fines lifted or reduced. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf, both of whom were banned, have since been recalled to the Pakistan side as well.”I am ready to go and apologise to PCB chairman if there is a feeling I did something wrong,” Naved said. “I am desperate to play for Pakistan again. But I am not being given the opportunity to state my case before the chairman.”Naved-ul-Hasan was recently permitted by the board to play county cricket. He has played nine Tests and 74 ODIs for Pakistan.

The Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan took a career-best 7 for 32 to send woeful Middlesex spinning to a remarkable 111-run defeat at Lord’s and keep Worcestershire firmly in the County Championship Division Two promotion race

10-Sep-2010
ScorecardThe Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan took a career-best 7 for 32 to send woeful Middlesex spinning to a remarkable 111-run defeat at Lord’s and keep Worcestershire firmly in the County Championship Division Two promotion race. Middlesex, set 178 to win when Worcestershire were bowled out after an hour’s play on the final morning for 256 in their second innings, crumbled to 66 all out in 31.1 overs.Shakib took three wickets in an over at one stage, and the turn he got from the wearing surface was just too much for the Middlesex batsmen. Only the first-innings centurion Owais Shah, with 25 in his final innings for the county, seemed to have any idea of how to flourish against Shakib’s left-arm spin – until, that is, he holed out to mid-on.Gareth Berg was then caught at slip two balls later, pushing forward, and the last ball of Shakib’s sixth over saw Tim Murtagh slice a wildly optimistic drive to point. That burst left Middlesex reeling at 54 for 7, but they had already been in deep trouble. Alan Richardson, playing against the county he left at the end of last season, had struck twice with the new ball while Shakib had removed Dawid Malan just before lunch and Dan Housego just after the interval.Richardson had John Simpson lbw for a first-ball duck during his opening over, before angling one across Scott Newman to have the left-hander caught low down at second slip by Daryl Mitchell in his fifth over. Malan, having scored the single which completed his 1,000 first-class runs for the season, fell for 2 when he moved across his crease and had his leg stump clipped as he missed an attempted flick off his pads.Housego was lbw on the back foot as he tried to defend against Shakib, and Shah’s rush of blood – which produced a simple catch to Jack Shantry – merely hastened the end as the Middlesex lower order surrendered with barely a whimper.Toby Roland-Jones was lbw to Shakib, going back to a well-flighted ball when he should have been forward, and Neil Dexter – the home side’s last hope – was brilliantly caught for 21 by Vikram Solanki at backward short leg off Moeen Ali’s off-breaks. Fittingly, Shakib picked up the final wicket when Steven Finn attempted a mow to leg but succeeded only in skying a catch to wicketkeeper Ben Cox.The day had begun with Worcestershire just 116 ahead on 195 for 7 in their second innings and when Moeen fell for 81 – having added just 10 to his overnight score – and Shantry quickly followed for a duck, caught at the wicket off Pedro Collins, it seemed as if the match was going Middlesex’s way.But Gareth Andrew more than doubled his overnight 34 by going to 73 with some cleanly-struck blows and Richardson hung around to help him add an important 34 for the last wicket.Yet the victory target still seemed well within Middlesex’s reach – until Shakib began to weave his web of destruction. Worcestershire are now at home to Sussex in next week’s final round of Championship matches, and could yet pip Glamorgan for the second promotion place.

Round-up of the seventh day’s action in the Karnataka Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2010Mayank Agarwal smashed a 62-ball century to set up a convincing win for Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds against Belagavi Panthers in Bangalore. He struck 11 fours and four sixes to propel his team to 191. Captain Jagadeesh Arunkumar top scored in the chase with 57 but the total proved too daunting and Belagavi Panthers fell short by 20 runs.Mangalore United eased to an eight-wicket win over Bangalore Provident in Bangalore, with opener Bharat Chipli making an unbeaten 75 and each of the Mangalore bowlers bagging a wicket each. Bangalore Provident were restricted to 140 – Aniruddha Joshi top scored with 37 – but it was inadequate against Chipli’s 53-ball blitz which included five fours and six sixes.

Kenya have added 21-year-old seamer Nelson Odhiambo to their squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan after sliding to a 167-run defeat against the same opposition in the Intercontinental Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010Kenya have added 21-year-old seamer Nelson Odhiambo to the squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan after sliding to a 167-run defeat against the same opposition in the Intercontinental Cup.The three-match series starts October 7 and Kenya will enter with a new captain in Jimmy Kamande after Maurice Ouma stepped down. Kamande didn’t feature in the Intercontinental Cup defeat but he now has the task of lifting a team that was outplayed for much of the game.Kenya conceded a 304-run first-innings deficit but showed signs of promise as the game wore on. They dismissed Afghanistan for 207 in the second innings and batted obdurately to reach 344 in an unlikely 521 run chase.It was enough for coach Eldine Baptiste to believe his side can be competitive but urged the need for consistency if Kenya are to progress. “While we were very disappointed with the result in the four day match against Afghanistan we showed some signs of what we can achieve as a team,” he said.”We had spells where we bowled exceptionally well and some of the batsman produced good innings. What we need to do is achieve consistency, improve in all areas and see our top order batsmen go on to make the big match winning scores we need.’With a new captain in Jimmy Kamande leading the side I fully expect this will give us a fresh start and a new impetus and we can start producing the wins we are capable of.”Squad Jimmy Kamande (capt), Maurice Ouma (wk), Seren Waters, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Rakep Patel, , Ragheb Aga, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, James Ngoche, Hiren Varaiya, Elijah Otieno, Nelson Odhiambo.

Shaun Marsh has lost his race to be fit for Australia A’s game against England at Hobart and has been replaced by Ed Cowan

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2010Shaun Marsh has lost his race to be fit for Australia A’s game against England at Hobart that starts on Wednesday, and has been replaced by Ed Cowan.Marsh was originally named in the squad for the final warm-up match before Brisbane in the hope that he’d recover from an injury he picked up in the one-day series against Sri Lanka.”Shaun was originally selected in the Australia A squad subject to fitness after injuring his lower back during the Commonwealth Bank Series against Sri Lanka,” said Cricket Australia physiotherapist Kevin Sims.”Unfortunately that injury hasn’t healed well enough for him to take part in this tour match for Australia A against England. We will continue to monitor Shaun’s return to fitness.”Cowan, the 28-year-old Tasmania opener, comes into the squad after making 65 against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield earlier this week and chairman of selectors Andrew Hildreth said it’s a chance for him to press his claims.”It’s unfortunate that Shaun’s injury hasn’t healed well enough in time for this match, however it provides Ed Cowan with a fantastic opportunity,” said Hildreth. “Ed performed well for Australia A during the off season against Sri Lanka A in Queensland and has continued that good form for Tasmania so far this season.”