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A strong bowling performance by India Women, led by left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana’s four-for, set up the side’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka Women in the first match of the three-game ODI series in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2014
ScorecardGouher Sultana’s career-best figures of 4 for 4 gave India an easy win•BCCIA strong bowling performance by India Women, led by left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana’s four-for, set up the side’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka Women in the first match of the three-game ODI series in Visakhapatnam.Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat but were dealt early blows as Jhulan Goswami, playing her first game since February 2013, struck early to dismiss opener Chamari Atapattu and Deepika Rasangika. That set the template for the Sri Lanka innings as the batsmen failed to build partnerships before eventually folding for 76 in 39.3 overs. Yasoda Mendis was the only batsman to score in double figures as the rest of the batting line-up was stifled by India. Sultana eventually finished with figures of 8-4-4-4, her best figures in ODIs, while Goswami and Rajeshwari Gayakwad bagged two wickets each.India took just seven overs less than Sri Lanka to achieve the target. The openers Karu Jain and Smriti Mandhana added 15 runs before their stand ended in 10.3 overs. The innings progressed at the same pace and although Sri Lanka picked up another two wickets, their low score meant that India were never really threatened. Mithali Raj and Anagha Deshpande guided most of the chase, adding 43 runs for the third wicket. Raj finished unbeaten on 34 off 59 balls with six fours.

Despite the IPL probe committee finding Gurunath Meiyappan to have indulged in corrupt practices, the feeling within the board is that Srinivasan is unlikely to be affected

Amol Karhadkar11-Feb-2014Despite the IPL probe committee finding Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, to have indulged in corrupt practices in his proven capacity as a team official of Chennai Super Kings, the feeling within the board is that Srinivasan is unlikely to be affected, unless the Supreme Court steps in.Usually, a faction within the BCCI uses such an opportunity to pounce on the people in power. However, with Srinivasan being the undisputed leader, many members believe he will see off this turbulent period as well. “Had there been some sort of a pressure group within the Board, it could have been a different tale,” an official who did not want to take sides told ESPNcricinfo. “But with most units happily supporting him, the issue won’t have any bearing on the Board’s affairs, at least till the next hearing.”While most BCCI members termed the probe committee report, which was submitted to the Supreme Court on February 10, “based on assumptions,” some admitted that it could affect the future of the Chennai Super Kings franchise and the IPL. “We cannot undermine the fact that it’s a court-appointed committee headed by a reputed former judge that has submitted its findings,” a seasoned BCCI member said. “If the court admits the report, then it could lead to an upheaval within the BCCI.”The Supreme Court will hear the corruption case next on March 7 and its ruling on the Mudgal report will be important for the Chennai Super Kings because of a clause in the IPL franchise agreements. Clause 11.3 (c) says the agreement can be terminated if, “the Franchise, any Franchise Group Company and/or any owner acts in any way which has a material adverseeffect upon the reputation or standing of the League, BCCI-IPL, BCCI, the Franchise, the team (or any other team in the League) and/or the game of cricket.” The term “material adverse effect,” however, isn’t defined in the agreement.Some BCCI members are of the opinion that until Gurunath’s involvement in betting is established, Chennai Super Kings cannot be terminated. “The clause will be applicable only if Meiyappan is found guilty of betting. And as the report itself says, Meiyappan’s so-called involvement is based on the assumption that the voice samples sent to the forensic lab are his. In this case, it would be difficult to apply the clause and oust the franchise,” an administrator said, referring to the additional comments made in the report by committee member Nilay Dutta.When asked whether Gurunath’s arrest by Mumbai police and the probe committee’s finding that he was involved in illegal better had not brought the IPL into disrepute, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said it was a matter for the court. “We should wait for the Supreme Court verdict. The panel has given its report to the apex court,” he said. “Let the court decide.”Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman and a vocal critic of Srinivasan, however, called for the termination of Chennai Super Kings. “Given these developments, I would like to see the CSK team annulled from all future IPL activity including the forthcoming auctions and the 2014 season as per rules,” Modi, said in a statement. “Additionally I think the time is also ripe to make some deep, incisive and sweeping changes to ensure that there is no systemic failure in the future.”First and foremost I think it is time to disband the IPL Governing Council to ensure that any and all elements of bias are removed. It is time for a new Supervising Board with all the stakeholders of the IPL on it to take charge, run and govern the league. The new Supervising Board with all stakeholders on board should be responsible for conducting and running the tournament albeit at an arm’s length. Next and more importantly the immediate need of the hour is to re-auction a new Chennai team. Even more important is to redo the player auction without any player retention..”Despite Modi having held several posts in the BCCI and fighting a court battle to return as Rajasthan Cricket Association president, not many board members pay heed to his remarks. “Whatever he says is borne out of a personal fight with Srinivasan, so we shouldn’t pay too much attention to it,” a BCCI official said.

On a surreal night that New Zealand kept swinging between spectacular and silly, they just couldn’t conjure enough to close the deal against a resilient Indian lower middle order, which snuck a tie to keep the series alive

The Report by Sidharth Monga25-Jan-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Along with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat•Associated PressOn a surreal night when New Zealand kept swinging between the spectacular and the silly, they just couldn’t conjure enough to close the deal against a resilient Indian lower middle order, which snuck a tie to keep the series alive. New Zealand had the game won when they brought together R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja with India still needing 131 in less than 15 overs. After that they had opportunities to kill the game off, but dropped a catch, missed a stumping, and couldn’t hit the stumps.When it became really desperate, Martin Guptill, who had scored a century earlier and taken a blinder earlier in the match, pulled off a sensational catch at the boundary to bring New Zealand right back. And then came the wides, another drop, another missed run-out. They just couldn’t put it past Jadeja, who with No. 11 for company, took 17 off the last over, bowled by Corey Anderson, who had taken five wickets. They might even have something to say to the umpires who denied them the wickets of Jadeja and Suresh Raina, and twice wided them unfairly. India faced the brunt of poor judgement of wides once themselves.It was a difficult night to explain. New Zealand could have scored 350. They could have been bowled out for 289. They could have won by 50 runs. They could have easily lost. Hamish Bennett, with all the titanium in his reassembled back, made a superb return to international cricket with back-to-back maidens to Virat Kohli, and then the timely wickets of Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and figures of 2 for 41 in 10 overs. His last act of the night was to drop Jadeja in the 49th over, and with that a 21-run win. Ashwin dived to complete threes, Jadeja turned down singles, umpires forgot the wide law, didn’t hear edges, and in the final act of disbelief, Jadeja didn’t even try the second when two were required off the last ball.Tim Southee took the fumbling New Zealand past 300 with 27, went for a few, took a swerving blinder off MS Dhoni’s bat in the outfield, but couldn’t quite get to another offering from Jadeja when India still needed 64. Luke Ronchi played his part with 38 off 20, but missed a regulation stumping chance a ball after Southee had reprieved Jadeja.What of Bhuvneshwar Kumar then? He got the rampaging Jesse Ryder out, kept India in it with just 48 off his nine overs, but when he had a chance to catch Southee at third man, he parried it for a six. Against a team that would turn a six into a catch later. India themselves missed at least four run-out opportunities during the 155-run second-wicket stand. Raina dropped a sitter from Williamson, who scored his third fifty in three matches.When Williamson eventually fell, in the 33rd over with the score 189, he had set New Zealand up beautifully. This is about the time when New Zealand have been going berserk this series. You can look back at the period harshly, but New Zealand looked to set a target that was India-proof and small-boundaries-proof. Except that this time many of their shots resulted in wickets, the running went awry, and seven wickets fell for 90.There was no momentum to be carried into the second innings. New Zealand were underwhelming after the 35th over, but they also had that bonus of 25 runs thanks to the drop by Bhuvneshwar. India came with all the momentum, though. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan came out attacking, and took India to 64 in nine overs. That’s when Bennett and Anderson intervened. Bennett took an over to warm up, but bowled serious pace and to his field. Anderson was wily with his bouncers and changes of pace. Twenty runs and four wickets, including Kohli’s, came in the next nine overs.The game looked over then, but in a remarkable show of tenacity, for the first time in India’s ODI history, their Nos 6, 7 and 8 all scored half-centuries. Dhoni kept India alive with his, Ashwin made them dream, and Jadeja was the man standing.With Dhoni and Ashwin at least, there was no slogging involved. However, the 55-ball 85-run partnership between Ashwin and Jadeja began to became a serious problem only after the 40th over when New Zealand were forced to go back to Nathan McCullum after having attacked with the quicks for long. He should have had both the batsmen in successive deliveries, but you can’t take away from the stylish shots of Ashwin that made New Zealand desperate.In Nathan McCullum’s next, when Ashwin went for a second six, Guptill intercepted it, took it over his shoulder and in the air space beyond the boundary, before leaving the ball, stepping out and coolly coming back to complete the catch. India still needed 46, and Bhuvneshwar was to soon get out to a sharp bouncer from Bennett.Now it was only Jadeja, who has so often been meek with the bat. So often a helpless part of batting collapses. Grudgingly respected for his bowling and still ridiculed for the mismatch between his three triple-centuries in Ranji Trophy and his ability with the bat. In his redemption, he played calmly, kept pinging the short straight boundary, didn’t panic when he saw the asking rate climb when he refused singles. It was still New Zealand’s game to lose when the last over began with 18 required.Anderson had been the hero thus far, and he was given the responsibility of closing out the game after he and Bennett had troubled Jadeja with the bouncers. In this over, though, Jadeja was a step ahead of the game, and set himself back to pull the first one for four. The other tactic had been to cramp Jadeja when he backed away, but to the second delivery Jadeja shrewdly moved back in to earn a wide. With the second and third balls, he couldn’t do anything, but didn’t give the strike to No. 11 Varun Aaron, who has quite the penchant for ending up in these last-over situations with the bat. It was down to fours required off each of the balls left.The next ball Jadeja flicked off the rib for four. The difference here was he was expecting the short ball. The next one was even better: a flat six pulled over midwicket. Now with two required, New Zealand needed to cut their losses. They spread the leg-side field, put every one up on the off side, and Anderson bowled outside off. Jadeja failed to beat cover, finished the single comfortably, but for some reason didn’t go for the second. The second was not on, but you never know what fielders are liable to do under such pressure situations. Jadeja and Aaron had nothing to lose with the second, but they didn’t go for it. It was a difficult night to explain.

United Arab Emirates included two uncapped players in their 15-member squad for the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2014United Arab Emirates included two uncapped players in their 15-member squad for the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh. 18-year-old Moaaz Qazi and 20-year-old Rohit Singh, who were both part of the team playing the Under-19 World Cup have earned call-ups to the senior team.Two other players – Sharif Asadullah and Faizan Asif – are making a comeback to the side. Asadullah played the last of his two T20s in August 2013 while Faizan, who has played four List A matches for the team, hasn’t been a part of the team since playing against Ireland in March 2013.UAE, led by Khurram Khan, are placed in Group B of the qualifying round along with Zimbabwe, Ireland and Netherlands.United Arab Emirates: Khurram Khan (captain), Ahmed Raza, Amjad Ali (wk), Amjad Javed, Sharif Asadullah, Faizan Asif, Kamran Shahzad, Manjula Guruge, Moaaz Qazi, Rohan Mustafa, Swapnil Patil, Rohit Singh, Shadeep Silva, Shaiman Anwar, Vikrant Shetty

Batsman Mark Cosgrove will return to play for South Australia next summer, four years after he was axed by the state and subsequently moved to Tasmania

Brydon Coverdale09-Apr-2014Batsman Mark Cosgrove will return to play for South Australia next summer, four years after he was axed by the state and subsequently moved to Tasmania. Cosgrove, 29, was offered a two-year contract extension by Tasmania but declined, and the state said it was believed Cosgrove wanted to move back to Adelaide “for personal reasons and to be closer to family and friends”.Cosgrove has been a prolific run scorer for the Tigers since moving south. He topped the Sheffield Shield run tally in 2010-11, his first season with Tasmania, and was second only to state team-mate Ricky Ponting last summer. In total, Cosgrove has made 2514 Sheffield Shield runs at 40.54 in his four seasons with Tasmania, and helped them to Shield titles in 2011-12 and 2012-13.When Cosgrove was cut by the Redbacks after the 2009-10 season, the SACA high performance manager Jamie Cox said that South Australia had worked hard with Cosgrove, “but the unfortunate reality is that we were unable to help him fulfil his full potential”. However, in his last summer with South Australia Cosgrove had averaged more than 40 in both the four-day and one-day competitions.In announcing Cosgrove’s return, Cox said: “With Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson and Phil Hughes all enjoying stellar seasons with the bat, it is exciting to add another experienced head to the mix. He has been part of a very successful team at the Tigers over the last few years. After falling agonisingly short in the Sheffield Shield last year, it is hoped that he can bring some of that experience to the Redbacks.”During Cosgrove’s time with the Redbacks, the state’s officials often became frustrated at his inability to keep his weight down. After he was axed by South Australia, Cosgrove told ESPNcricinfo that “Adelaide being a one-paper city and with people at the SACA saying stuff, it was hard”, but five years and with Darren Berry now the state’s coach, he has decided to move home.”Mark was an integral part of the Tigers team over the past four seasons” Andrew Dykes, the general manager of cricket with Cricket Tasmania, said. “Mark’s skill with the bat at the top of the order was a big contributor to Tasmania’s 2010/11 and 2012/13 Sheffield Shield wins.”

Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya made a resounding endorsement of Lahiru Thirimanne’s temperament and talent, one day after his panel had appointed the 24-year-old batsman vice-captain across all formats

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Apr-2014Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya made a resounding endorsement of Lahiru Thirimanne’s temperament and talent, one day after his panel had appointed the 24-year-old batsman vice-captain across all formats. Thirimanne replaced Dinesh Chandimal as vice-captain of the ODI and Test teams, and Jayasuriya confirmed Chandimal’s removal from those positions, and from the T20 captaincy, had been driven by their desire to see him focus on snapping a poor run of returns with the bat.Jayasuriya admitted Chandimal had been overburdened by the captaincy, but was certain Thirimanne would have a firmer handle on his own performance as he took on more responsibility.”Thirimanne is a different kind of a player,” he said. “He has batted all over the place and performed when we have given him the opportunity. When somebody is injured in the top of the order, he opens. When someone is being rested at No. 3 or 4, he bats there. In some situations, he bats at No. 5 or 6. He has the mentality to adjust to any situation. Everyone has seen that. There’s no doubt that he can take the vice-captaincy as just another experience, so he’s the best choice. His technique, the way he works – everything up to date is very good.”Though Thirimanne has played fewer matches than Chandimal in the past year, he has made the more telling contributions, particularly in limited-overs cricket. He had struck two hundreds in the Asia Cup – including one in the final – and had also made an important 44 in the World T20 semi-final against West Indies.”Thirimanne has been able to adapt his game to Tests, ODIs and T20s, and bat like an experienced player under pressure,” Jayasuriya said. “There are very few players like that.”Jayasuriya said he had been in contact with Chandimal when he left himself out of the side for the World T20 semi-final and final in Mirpur but, ultimately, Chandimal’s inability to make meaningful contributions had sealed his demotion.”We had talked at length as a selection committee before making that decision. We had tried to get the most out of him as a captain with a long-term view, but after some time passed, we realised that bearing the captaincy had put some added pressure on him. We knew his talent, so we gave him the support to keep leading the team. We thought he would come out of that pressure at some stage. But unfortunately he wasn’t able to do that, so we decided, with his consent, that we would give Lasith Malinga the captaincy during the World T20.”I talked with Chandimal in Bangladesh, and the decision to relieve him of leadership was taken in light of those conversations. I think he had some idea of what we were about to do. As a selection committee we’ll need to sit with him soon and talk about the future.”Chandimal had been perhaps the most promising young batsman upon his arrival in the national side, and had had encouraging innings in ODIs, as well as Tests, in his first 12 months. Though his Test form has largely been satisfactory, it has been his decline in limited-overs matches that has been most worrisome for the selectors.”We need to take pressure off him and help him play like he used to,” Jayasuriya said.

Such has been the unrelenting nature of the rain over the past 72 hours, a combination of a sharp breeze and the dogged efforts of the ground staff were inexorable in preventing Derbyshire’s Natwest T20 Blast fixture against Northamptonshire from becoming

Ryan Bailey at Derby29-May-2014
ScorecardIt was umbrellas up at Derby•Getty ImagesSuch has been the unrelenting nature of the rain over the past 72 hours, a combination of a sharp breeze and the dogged efforts of the ground staff were inexorable in preventing Derbyshire’s Natwest T20 Blast fixture against Northamptonshire from becoming the latest victim of this grim week of weather.It was the fifth consecutive day at Derby hampered by the weather after their Championship match against Gloucestershire was badly rain-affected and ended in a tame draw.Umpires Neil Banton and Peter Hartley were uneasy over several wet patches on the outfield – either side of the pitch – after it was left saturated by the persistent rain that has hit much of the country over the past few days.Although players from both sides shuttled between the nets and the dressing rooms – bookended by fleeting ventures out to the middle – the inevitable decision came following a third inspection at 6.40pm; ten minutes after the scheduled start time.The square towards the pavilion side of the ground was the area of concern and although the persistent rain had abated early in the afternoon, the decision was made in light of player safety.Although the abandonment will hurt Derbyshire’s coffers – ticket sales were reportedly healthy for a fixture boosted by the presence of the TV cameras – a no result ensures they’re up and running in this season’s competition after back-to-back defeats.The disappointment was shared by both sides despite the share of the spoils ensuring Northants moved to the summit of the North Group. The defending champions have won thirteen of their last fifteen completed games in the shortest format, so the intervention of the weather here was an unwanted outcome from their short hop down the M1.If there is one comfort Northants can take on the return journey, their unbeaten start to their defence remains intact.

Sri Lanka scorched to a ten-wicket win in less than half the allotted overs to complete their warm-up matches ahead of the limited-overs series against England in dashing style

Alan Gardner at Hove18-May-2014
ScorecardTillakaratne Dilshan flayed an 18-ball half-century•Getty ImagesWith the sun shining on the UK’s hottest weekend of the year so far, Sri Lanka scorched to a ten-wicket win in less than half the allotted overs to complete their warm-up matches ahead of the limited-overs series against England in dashing style. Tillakaratne Dilshan slashed and burned his way to an 18-ball half-century, with Kithuruwan Vithanage only a little more circumspect in his fifty from 22. No Sussex bowler managed to go at less than ten an over as 65 balls were left unbowled.Needing to score at little more than a run a ball, Sri Lanka’s openers thrashed 96 from the six-over Powerplay – more than the T20 international record 91 that Netherlands set against Ireland at the World T20 in March, though slightly less than Lahore Eagles made in a 2012 Faysal Bank match.Of their 128 without loss, 110 flowed in boundaries, as the Sri Lankans completed the fastest successful chase of a score of 125-plus. Their aggression made the Sussex innings appear as if it had been a donkey ride on the beach down at Hove seafront.When Vithanage struck his fifth six towards the Sri Lankan support at the Cromwell Road End, enthusiastic attempts to catch the ball caused the boundary board to collapse. Sussex had already buckled by then. After back-to-back games in the NatWest T20 Blast, Sussex made four changes for this match but they were not as understrength as the scorecard made it seem.Vithanage, 23 years old and with a handful of Test and ODI appearances to his name, crunched Steffan Piolet for three sixes in a row over midwicket as Sri Lanka cut their target in half by the end of the fourth over. The second bounced off the roof of the scoreboard on the east side of the ground and out into the neighbouring flats; its replacement went even further and another ball was immediately called for.So frequently was the ball flying to the rope that occasional dot balls were met with ironic cheers. Only the seventh over, bowled by Chris Liddle, did not contain any boundaries.The World T20 champions, without Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara for the first time since their retirements, dropped the needle straight back into its groove. They had looked in control at the halfway stage, when a Sri Lankan band played with some gusto. The music was of the pop filler variety as the chase got under way but it was still Sri Lanka that were calling the tunes.Playing their first 20-over match since the World T20 final (although their tour match at Essex was reduced to 21 overs per side), Sri Lanka fielded a much-changed side. Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara were rested – though all are expected to be involved in the T20 against England on Tuesday – and, with Rangana Herath being preserved for the Test series, there were six changes to the XI that lined up against India in Dhaka.Dinesh Chandimal, the captain who dropped himself during the World T20 and has since been replaced by Lasith Malinga, took Sangakarra’s wicketkeeping gloves, with Vithanage, Ashan Priyanjan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ajantha Mendis and Suranga Lakmal the other players to come in.Sussex began solidly enough, ending the Powerplay on 40 for 1, but opener Matt Machan was the only batsman to manage a substantial innings, his 63 providing exactly half of Sussex’s total. Thisara Perera throttled the scoring during the middle overs, finishing with 2 for 13 from his allocation, and Sussex only managed 12 boundaries; Sri Lanka’s 25 in less than half the overs showed how modest that effort was.Malinga brought himself on in the fourth over and struck almost immediately, removing Luke Wells, playing in only his second T20. Wells wants to play more limited-overs cricket for Sussex but this was not the bowler to make his case against.Michael Yardy, crabbily stepping into line from outside leg stump, drove Malinga for four during an otherwise laboured 11 off 25 balls, while Machan thumped Mendis and Sachithra Senanayake for sixes but Sri Lanka were able to keep on top of things without breaking into much of a sweat. Their fielding was not at its sharpest, Lahiru Thirimanne’s drop of Ben Brown suggestive of a sunny Sunday slackness, but there was intensity enough to come with the bat. The exhibition by Dilshan and Vithanage might have been enough for a crowd of around 5000 to forgive the early finish.One of the oddities of Sri Lanka’s World T20 triumph was that their only defeat came against England, a side that exited the tournament on the lowest note of a miserable winter by losing to Netherlands. The stage is nicely set for Tuesday’s rematch at The Oval.

After taking over as the ICC’s new chairman N Srinivasan insisted the BCCI would never “have even dreamt” of walking away from the global governing body had its proposals for more revenue and influenced been rejected

Daniel Brettig26-Jun-2014On his first day as the ICC’s new chairman N Srinivasan has insisted the BCCI would never “have even dreamt” of walking away from the global governing body had its proposals for a vastly greater share of event revenue and formal influence at the board table been opposed.Watched by several of the men who had told the world that India’s board had indeed made such threats on multiple occasions, including the BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel and Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards, Srinivasan applied a rewrite to history as he settled into a role of enormous power and influence.The most common explanation given for the original plan to restructure the ICC’s administration and finance distribution came from the need of other cricket boards to keep the BCCI “in the tent.” Asked whether the BCCI’s threat of walking away had played a driving force at any stage across the development of the “Big Three” proposals, Srinivasan replied to the contrary.”No. I think that is an incorrect assessment,” he said. “India has at all times been very supportive of ICC, and has appreciated what ICC has done. We may not always agree, it is not possible to always agree with each other on all aspects. But that doesn’t mean that one walks away. We have a view, we feel we have the right to one. The ICC is like a large family, so we always felt we had a right to express our view, and that doesn’t mean at any time that we would have even dreamt of walking away from the ICC.”These words were a direct contradiction of those uttered by Patel earlier this month, when he outlined India’s brinkmanship. “We got criticised by many in the media and lot of them did not agree but we told them that if India is not getting its proper due and importance then India might be forced to form a second ICC of its own,” Patel told the Sports Journalists Federation of India’s annual convention in Hyderabad. “England and Australia agreed and after that it was decided and from June 27th onwards the new structure will come into place. I would like to state that all 10 Full Members have signed the resolution.”Also speaking rather differently was Cricket Australia chairman Edwards, who has worked tirelessly to tell other Full Members, Associates and Affiliates about what was at stake without the constitutional changes approved at the ICC annual conference in Melbourne on Thursday. In March, Edwards told ESPNcricinfo that there had been a “very real chance” of India leaving the rest of the world behind. “We’ve had lots of talks about that, and that was a real possibility before we came to all these agreements. There was a very real chance that India would have gone on an IPL voyage and left world cricket behind,” Edwards said. “That was said more than once. If that had happened, you were looking down the barrel of a Kerry Packer moment. It would have been easy to say, ‘They aren’t going to do it, they want to play in World Cups’, but that was a reality.”They’ve said more than once, ‘You can have a World Cup but we won’t be coming.’ We can argue they might come, but will they come to Champions Trophy or a World T20? They might not. I can easily see them not coming. Why would you risk turning the IPL into a travelling circus that would take all our good cricketers 12 months of the year and leave us with second-rate international cricket? It’s not a pretty thought. But it’s possible, and they know that. Maybe in the end it will still happen one day, but I don’t think it will happen in the next eight years.”In England, the ECB chairman Giles Clarke and his head of communications Colin Gibson refrained from speaking quite so bluntly. “Now we get India to take responsibility for driving the ICC. Previously they’d been standing outside chucking rocks,” Clarke told the . “India has every reason to want to lead and generate the most possible money for the ICC.”However the English press wrote often of the threat posed by Indian non-participation in the ICC, summed up by the following passage by Stephen Brenkley in the as part of a piece entitled “India and England give ICC a plan to save Test cricket”: “If it is not approved, or if it is delayed for long, the feeling is that India will simply play who, where and when they want. They have frequently indicated that the Future Tours Programme of international cricket is a hindrance and that playing in ICC events such as the World Cup are inconveniences.”In discussing how the new landscape came about over the past year or more, Srinivasan said he had never intended to become ICC chairman. “I never thought of becoming the chairman,” he said. “We had a working group to start looking the next rights cycle of the ICC from 2015-2023 and we started to look at what financial models we should be having. From there we went on to say why only look at the financial model, is ICC in its present form all right? Should we have a slightly different governance model, should we not give a better opportunity for Associates and Affiliates?”So this is how the thought process, the whole concept, discussions widened. At the end of the day then, we said one should take responsibility for leadership in cricket. That is how England, Australia, ourselves and others thought. It evolved over at least a year … it is not that we started out with this, we ended up with this.”

A stand of 116 in 18 overs between Paul Collingwood and Keaton Jennings carried Durham to a five-wicket home win against Surrey in their final Royal London Cup group game

Press Association14-Aug-2014
ScorecardKeaton Jennings has been given more opportunities in white-ball cricket this season (file photo)•Getty ImagesA stand of 116 in 18 overs between Paul Collingwood and Keaton Jennings carried Durham to a five-wicket home win against Surrey in their final Royal London Cup group game.Rain cut short the visitors’ innings on 189 for 6 after 44.5 overs and after a break of more than two hours Durham were required to score 198 in 37 overs. The hosts had reached 11 for 2 after three overs when a short break saw the target revised to 190 in 33 and they surpassed the total with nine balls to spare.They had slipped to 69 for 4 when Collingwood emerged to complete an outstanding all-round performance. He took 2 for 25 in 10 overs then thumped an unbeaten 62 off 56 balls. Jennings survived sharp return chances to George Edwards on 31 and Azhar Mahmood on 40 but belied his reputation as a stodgy four-day opener by making 70 off 67 balls before skying a catch to fine leg off Jack Winslade with five runs needed.Durham now have to wait until the other teams have played their final games next Wednesday to discover whether they have qualified for the quarter-finals.Surrey, with no chance of progress, had left out all their senior bowlers apart from Azhar. Among the youngsters Surrey drafted in was 19-year-old seamer Winslade, who conceded 61 runs in 6.3 overs.The target was 48 off six when Durham took the batting Powerplay and Surrey had to recall Winslade. Jennings drove his second ball back over his head to reach 50 off 52 balls.Surrey made a brisk start as Steven Davies and Tillakaratne Dilshan took 35 off the first six overs before John Hastings bowled the Sri Lankan with his third ball. Collingwood also struck with his third ball when Vikram Solanki drove a low catch to cover after labouring for 37 balls to make 14.Davies looked a high-class player in reaching 50 off 54 balls, but that was in the 25th over, which meant he had faced little more than a third of the strike. He fell for 56 when he lofted Jennings’ fifth ball to mid-off.At 108 for 5 Azhar found an impressive ally in 21-year-old Aneesh Kapil as they shared a stand of 69 in 13.5 overs. Steep bounce from Paul Coughlin accounted for Azhar for 34 but Kapil was still there on 43, made off 53 balls, when the rain arrived.