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Justin Vaughan has cited the need to spend more time with his family as the major reason for his decision to step down as the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket

Brydon Coverdale21-Sep-2011Justin Vaughan has cited the need to spend more time with his family as the major reason for his decision to step down as the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket. Vaughan, 44, insisted it was entirely his own decision to finish at the end of November, having spent four years in the position after he replaced Martin Snedden in 2007.Snedden could be one of the front-runners to take the job for a second time, given that his role as the head of the 2011 Rugby World Cup organising team will soon be redundant. Vaughan said he made his decision based on the needs of his family, and also to allow the new chief executive plenty of time in the role ahead of the 2015 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.”It’s something that I’ve been conscious of over the last few months, around the balance of the needs of my family and the requirements of the business,” Vaughan said. “I’ve been spending a lot of time recently overseas and I think every time I go away it’s gnawing at me that really I ought to be spending time with my children, who are growing up.”Also from an organisational point of view, with the 2015 World Cup hosting being so important, I think a new CEO needs a year or two under their belt to fully maximise their potential. Adding up all those pieces made me feel that I was better off making the decision sooner rather than later.”Vaughan’s departure will come at the end of a period of significant change for New Zealand Cricket. In the past 12 months they have appointed a new coach, John Wright; a new captain, Ross Taylor; a new bowling coach, Damien Wright; and a new Black Caps team manager, Mike Sandle.But the biggest changes have been to the structure of the high-performance programme itself. John Buchanan has been installed in the newly-created role of director of cricket, and one of his moves has been to change the make-up of the selection panel.The little-known Australian, Kim Littlejohn, will be the national selection manager and will choose teams along with the head coach, Wright. Vaughan’s decision will take some stability away from the changing organisation, but he said he was confident NZC was on the right path, and he needed to spend more time with his three children, aged 13, 11 and seven.”I feel now that the key people have been in place now for a while, and in the end I just felt that the needs of my family were significant and I couldn’t continue to do the job properly, which requires a lot of international travel, and commit to the time I think my family needs at the moment,” he said. “I made my decision on that basis.”It’s entirely of my own accord, 100%. I am conscious there’s been change and certainly a good chunk of me would love to be able to stay and see the fruits of what’s been planted, because I really believe there’s huge opportunities for New Zealand Cricket and the foundations have now been laid. But my personal circumstances and my desire to spend more time at home has really overridden the part of me that would love to stay and be involved.”Vaughan said his biggest regret was that he would not be part of the organisation for the 2015 World Cup, which he said presented a major opportunity for cricket in the country. However, he said he was pleased with the progress NZC had made during his time in charge, which included growing the revenue of the organisation by 60%.”If you look back over the last four or five years, we’ve made some great strides,” he said. “We’ve got an international programme which is extremely good, with the new FTP with frequent tours by England and India. We’ve also got a great partnership arrangement with our players’ association now for the next eight years.”I think we’ve got the right structures and people in place around our elite cricket area with John Buchanan as director of cricket and John Wright as the head coach of the Black Caps. There are emerging opportunities, areas like the United States, which we need to build upon.”But I suppose in terms of future focus, building on those opportunities but also fully capitalising on the World Cup in 2015, that will be a once-in-a-lifetime event. It should be brilliant for cricket in this country in lots of ways. We’re seeing that at the moment with rugby. Cricket will have that opportunity in three and a bit years’ time. We’ve got to be fully prepared and fully ready to make the most of that.”NZC will begin the search for a replacement immediately. The chairman of NZC, Chris Moller, said Vaughan would be missed both nationally and globally. “I know Justin is highly regarded by his international colleagues,” Moller said, “and has been very effective and influential in terms of his work with the ICC and cricket CEOs around the world.”

A round-up of the action from the second day of the second round of Division Two matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited‘s bowlers backed up the good work done by their batting colleagues to leave Multan in desperate trouble at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Resuming at 372 for 2, the overnight centurions Ali Waqas and Umar Akmal were unable to drive the advantage further. But the lower order, led by the free-flowing Mohammad Awais lifted them to 510 for 8, at which point they decided to declare. Mudassar Ali and Ali Ahmed shared the spoils with four wickets apiece. Multan’s reply ran into trouble steadily as SNGPL made frequent strikes. Asad Ali made the first incision, after which Bilawal Bhatti and Azhar Shafiq struck twice apiece to leave Multan fumbling at 114 for 5.Quetta were in desperate trouble against Karachi Whites after capsizing for 93 at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, conceding a 253-run first-innings lead. Only four batsmen got into double-figures, with captain Taimur Ali top-scoring with 21, as Tabish Khan and Mansur Ahmed ran through the Quetta line-up. They lasted less than 41 overs, as Tabish and Mansur helped themselves to seven of the 10 wickets. Their second innings didn’t start very differently, as Bismillah Khan succumbed to Adeel Malik before stumps. Earlier, half-centuries from Akbar-ur-Rehman and Abdul Jabbar were backed by a resilient lower order as Karachi Whites finished with 346.Usman Salahuddin’s resolute 88 wasn’t enough to give Lahore Ravi the first-innings lead against Peshawar in what was turning into a low-scoring scrap at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Resuming at 113 for 5, Salahuddin was the only batsman to stand up for Lahore Ravi, as Noor-ul-Ahmed (5 for 50) and Waqar Ahmed (4 for 63) scythed through the lower order. Peshawar lost Haroon Ahmed early in their second innings, but Mohammad Fayyaz and Naved Khan steadied the innings. Neither batsman could cash in on the start though, as Peshawar went to stumps at 149 for 4.A strong batting performance on the second day gave Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) firm control of their match against Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. KRL had begun the day on 140 for 1, already leading by 56 in the first innings after routing Lahore for 84. Bazid Khan went on to score a century (103) and Ali Naqvi made 59. KRL eventually declared on 357 for 6, with a lead of 273. Lahore were 13 for 0 at stumps as they battled to avoid an innings defeat.United Bank Limited’s (UBL) lower order contributed significantly to ensure their team achieved a string first-innings total against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium. UBL had ended day one on 288 for 6 with Imtad-ul-Haq not out on 27. He went on to remain unbeaten on 102 and Misbah Khan, batting at No. 10, scored 50 off 70 balls as UBL piled up 460 for 8 before declaring. Hyderabad made a steady start, reaching 89 for no loss, before they lost three wickets for 11 runs and were 109 for 3 at stumps.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has been given permission by a London court to appeal his six-month sentence in the spot-fixing trial

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2011Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has been given permission by a London court to appeal his six-month sentence in the spot-fixing trial. The 19-year-old left-arm fast bowler was not sent to jail, but to a young offenders’ detention centre.A judge at the Court of Appeal refused Amir bail but granted him permission to appeal his sentence. Judge Kathryn Thirlwall, at the Court of Appeal, said any appeal should be heard by November 29.On November 3, the Southwark Crown Court handed out jail terms to two other players and their agent, who were found guilty in the spot-fixing case. Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, was sentenced to two years and six months, while Mohammad Asif got a one-year jail sentence. Mazhar Majeed, the players’ agent, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.Butt has already filed an appeal against his sentence. Asif on the other hand is considering appealing his conviction.Amir and Asif were found guilty for agreeing to bowl no-balls at prearranged times during the Lord’s Test last August. Earlier this year, the ICC banned all three players for at least five years for their roles in the tainted Lord’s Test.Majeed was filmed accepting £150,000 from a reporter of the now defunct tabloid to arrange the spot-fixing.

Pakistan’s “home” series against England, to be played in the UAE from January 2012, will have DRS for the Tests in addition to the ODIs as previously decided.

Umar Farooq09-Dec-2011Pakistan’s “home” series against England, to be played in the UAE from January 2012, will have DRS for the Tests in addition to the ODIs as previously decided. The PCB’s current sponsorship deal for the DRS, under which the ODIs in this series and those already played against Sri Lanka were covered, has been extended to include Tests but not the Twenty20 internationals.There will be no Hot Spot but ball-tracking technology provided by Hawk-Eye will be used in the DRS.”The PCB believes in technology and we were very keen to get the Test series covered with DRS too,” PCB’s General Manager media Nadeem Sarwar told ESPNcricinfo. “Our marketing department has done a great job to convince the sponsor and the DRS will bring added value to the Test series.”In October, the PCB had signed a deal with Pepsi to cover the cost of DRS for only the one-dayers against Sri Lanka and England in the UAE.”We are now hosting the [England] series with only Hawk-Eye for the DRS without the Hot Spot version. Since the use of this expensive technology was not part of the deal signed with the broadcaster [Ten Sports] but we will be considering the option in our new deal.”A deal with the broadcaster was renewed in November 2008 for five years according to which Ten Sports held the telecast and distribution rights for international tours including all Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 matches without the use of DRS technology.

Lancashire are donating old seats from Old Trafford to local clubs, and around 30 clubs in the county have taken advantage of the offer to benefit their grounds

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2012Lancashire are donating old seats from Old Trafford to local clubs. Around 30 clubs in the county have taken advantage of the offer to benefit their grounds.Thousands of seats are being replaced in the development of Old Trafford in time for the coming season and Lancashire decided to recycle their old seats as part of their green agenda.Burscough CC have taken away 170. “We will be spacing the seats around the boundary of our picturesque School Lane ground to further enhance the facilities on offer for spectators,” said Burscough’s ground development officer, Gordon Anderson.Geoff Durbin, Lancashire’s commercial director, was pleased to be able to find an innovative way of recycling their old seats. “This not only saves money for the local clubs but is also a more cost-effective way of removing the seats for Lancashire,” he said. “We are hugely focused on our green agenda and this is a great example of how recycling can have significant benefits for everyone involved.”The scheme follows the ECB’s commitment to making cricket ground “greener”. In 2007 they began a co-ordinated effort to reduce carbon emissions at Test match grounds by 800 tonnes.

Pakistan’s interim coach, Mohsin Khan, has admitted that he ticked off Asad Shafiq for an irresponsible dismissal just before the second new ball was available to England in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2012Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach, said he criticised Asad Shafiq “in a loving way” for an irresponsible dismissal just before the second new ball that enabled England to take control of the second Test in Abu Dhabi.Shafiq fell to an ambitious slog-sweep at Graeme Swann with the new ball only one over away; the first of three late wickets for England that allowed them to repair the damage caused by a century stand between Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq for the fifth wicket and leave Pakistan 256 for 7 at the close.”I had a go at him – but in a loving way,” Mohsin said. “We were hoping for 300 for three or four by the close. Shafiq was playing wonderfully well and after he got out the pressure came back on us and the team suffered. If someone is playing for their country they must understand their responsibilities.”Pakistan failed to make good use of winning the toss, losing four wickets for 103. “We knew that the pitch would play a few tricks in the first session but we wanted to capitalise on it later,” Mohsin said. “Misbah has played a tremendous innings for us so far.”

ndia finally broke through for their first win of the tour thanks to a dazzling display in the field

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG03-Feb-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPraveen Kumar got things started for India, with two wickets in the third over•Getty Images

India finally broke through for their first win of the tour thanks to a dazzling display in the field. Ravindra Jadeja provided the spark – and did no harm to his chances in Saturday’s IPL auction – with a pair of run-outs as Australia’s batsmen were constricted by intense pressure from the fielders, and were dismissed in the 20th over for 131.That was always going to be hard to defend and so it proved, India reaching the target with two balls to spare and eight wickets in hand to draw the series 1-1. They began the chase needing only a fraction above six an over and as a result spent much of their innings in cruise control, Gautam Gambhir able to amble along at less than a run a ball without ever letting the pressure build.The only time a hint of worry might have entered the Indian camp was when five dot balls came towards the end of the chase, and George Bailey had all his fielders in the ring in the final over with one run required. But Gambhir found a gap at midwicket to strike a boundary off Clint McKay and finished on 56 from 60 balls, with MS Dhoni also unbeaten on 21.Virender Sehwag provided some excitement with one enormous six back over the head of the bowler Xavier Doherty but it was the only one in India’s innings. They didn’t need any more. Sehwag was caught at cover off a Brad Hogg full toss for 23 and Virat Kohli, who made a quick 31, was brilliantly caught when Matthew Wade dived to his right off the bowling of Mitchell Marsh, but they were Australia’s only two moments to celebrate in the field.Australia needed to build more pressure and while their work with the ball and in the field was not bad, it lacked the zip shown by their India counterparts. Four Australia batsmen were run out and another was stumped, the younger men brought in for the limited-overs games providing the energy that India lacked in the Tests.It all started with Jadeja, who got rid of two of David Hussey’s partners with run-outs and then picked up the wicket of Hussey off his own bowling. The big wicket was that of Aaron Finch, who was sent in alongside David Warner at the top of the order and showed his power with six fours, five of which were through the off side.Finch launched drives and cuts at anything wide of off and at one stage he had aggregated more than 100 Twenty20 international runs without being dismissed, but that changed quickly. Finch was caught short when Hussey pushed into the off side and tried for a single that wasn’t there, Jadeja’s throw getting rid of Finch for 36 from 23 balls.The captain George Bailey departed soon afterwards when he overcommitted as Hussey steered the ball to backward point, where Jadeja collected and threw to the bowler’s end with Bailey (3) a long way short. Jadeja then induced a leading edge off Hussey, who made 24 from 29 balls, and that wicket left Australia in trouble at 5 for 93.The fine work kept coming from India. Mitchell Marsh was stumped off Rahul Sharma, Dhoni collecting the ball close to the stumps and with no give in his gloves, he hardly had to move to whip the bails off and find Marsh just out of his ground. That was followed by what was effectively a knockout blow for Australia, when Matthew Wade was run out for 32 off 29 balls.Wade had slog-swept a six and after his outstanding innings on Wednesday, he seemed like the man who might carry Australia to a competitive score. But he pushed to cover and took off only to be turned back by Brett Lee, and Rohit Sharma’s direct hit had Wade short despite his full-length dive.Australia were dismissed with two balls to spare, when Doherty was run out thanks to sharp work from Suresh Raina. They had lost 4 for 10 since the start of the 19th over.Australia’s innings had got off to a poor start with the early loss of David Warner, who was caught at deep midwicket for 8 when he skied a ball off Praveen Kumar. Shaun Marsh’s miserable summer continued with a second-ball duck, his limp prod outside off resulting in an edge to first slip, where Sehwag parried the ball up to Dhoni to give Praveen his second wicket.It was an excellent way for India to begin, and they didn’t let the advantage slip. Now the question is whether they can carry some of this spark into the one-day series.