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The player of the series backed Bangladesh’s aggressive approach to yield improved results on good batting pitches

Mohammad Isam31-Mar-2023Taskin Ahmed said that Bangladesh will continue to bat in the same way in T20Is after their seven-wicket defeat against Ireland in the third T20I in Chattogram. The visitors chased down the 125-run target in 14 overs to pick up the consolation win, their first win on tour. The Bangladesh batters pressed down hard like they did in the previous two T20Is, only to be reduced to 41 for 5 in the seventh over after deciding to bat first.Taskin, who was declared player of the series after finishing as the top wicket-taker from both sides, said that their approach was the same as that in the first two matches of the series when Bangladesh posted 200-plus totals on both occasions. They had wicketless powerplays at a run rate of over 12 an over. The rest of the batters took advantage of the rapid starts to post the big scores.”We lost early wickets but our intent was like the previous two matches,” Taskin said. “There were runs in those games but today we got out. I think we were capable of batting better but that didn’t happen today. We just had a bad day. Maybe we had a batting collapse today but we used the same intent to score 200 in the last two games. We have to keep this in mind. We must have intent to do well in T20Is in the future. We have to go ahead with an aggressive mentality, batters and bowlers alike. We have to accept that there will be days like today. It won’t make us fearful, rather help us for the future.”Taskin said that the aggressive intent in the future will help them against bigger teams, as big scores will be paramount on good batting pitches. “We will be playing on good wickets against big teams like England and Australia. We have to score big, so this intent will help us. There will be collapse[s] from time to time, but I don’t think we will change our intensity. Being fearless will help us do better in the future.”Everyone has an individual mindset. They wanted to play positively. They wanted to go after the ball that was in their zone from the first ball. Those who got out with miss-hits, those would have gone for six if they’d middle[d] it. That’s okay. We don’t like to lose, but we also won’t give up our intensity. We want to play aggressively. We want to focus on the positives from this series, not the negative parts,” he said.Mark Adair, who picked up three wickets for Ireland, said that Bangladesh had the right approach and that questioning it would be foolish as they have already been successful going all guns blazing in the first two games.”I think they play a certain way and it’s obviously worked for them,” Adair said. “So to criticize them after a failure, if you can call it that, is ridiculous. They are a very good team and they’ve now found a way that they want to play which will give them confidence. So, if they’re going to continue to play that way, and they buy into and commit to it, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them failing. You are going to fail in T20 cricket. It is hard.Mark Adair took a match-winning 3 for 25•AFP/Getty Images

“So, provided that they all buy in and they’re all going to commit the same thing in, which they did today, even though wickets were following, they were still going hard, which is what – if I was their coach – I’d be delighted with. Although we lost, I’d be delighted with the fact that they continued to try and play the way that they’ve been talking about”.Adair said that the wickets during the Powerplay helped Ireland make more breakthroughs in the middle overs, and keep control of the game.”I think taking wickets in the powerplay today made a big difference. It allowed them to have to re-adjust and with the line-up that they had today, if they had batted like they had the other days, they would have picked the absolute the right team going with an extra bowler and try to skittle us for less,” Adair said.Adair praised debutant Matthew Humphreys and Ben White for their tight bowling but felt that Paul Stirling’s quickfire 77 also made a big difference to the result. “Stirlo is world-class. He has been for the last 10 years. He has been and he will continue to be for as long as he plays. He has led the side pretty well in Balbirnie’s absence. I think we’re in a good place.”

“Everybody has played enough cricket to understand that this is the way the game goes and this is how you have to move forward”

Hemant Brar17-Jan-20221:15

Bumrah – ‘It’s been an immense pleasure playing under Kohli’

The Indian team is going through a transition. Rahul Dravid replaced Ravi Shastri as coach recently. A new support staff came in. Virat Kohli is no longer the captain in any of the formats. KL Rahul will lead the side in the first ODI against South Africa on Wednesday.Jasprit Bumrah, who will be Rahul’s deputy for the series, feels everyone in the side is “quite positive” about these changes and nobody is in a “weird space”.Related

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“I can’t speak for everyone but for me, I can say that it [the changes] doesn’t really make a lot of difference,” Bumrah said in a press conference. “We all are here to help in however way we can, and I think that’s the way all the players are responding to the changes that are happening as well.”Everybody is respectful, and they understand how the processes are going. Change is the only constant. I don’t think anybody is facing a problem or is in a weird space with the changes that are happening. Everybody understands the changes, everybody has played enough cricket to understand that this is the way the game goes and this is how you have to move forward. So everyone in the team is quite positive and quite eager to contribute and go about the changes.”Kohli announced his decision to step down from Test captaincy after the Cape Town Test. He may not be the captain anymore, but Bumrah said he would always be a leader and his role going forward would remain immense.”He [Kohli] told us in a meeting [after the third Test] that he is stepping down from Test captaincy,” Bumrah said. “It’s a personal decision and we respect his decision. He knows how his body is reacting and what frame of mind he is in.”As I’ve spoken before as well, he brings a lot of energy to the side. He will always be a leader in the group. His contribution has been immense and will always be immense going forward as well.””He has captained for such a long period of time, so his assistance and his knowledge of the game will always be used by us as a team. So even now, he’ll obviously add inputs and he’ll always give his suggestions. That’s very important for all our players and we all look up to him.””Everybody is respectful, and they understand how the processes are going” – Bumrah•Getty Images

Rohit Sharma has already been appointed India’s white-ball captain and is also a frontrunner for the job in Test cricket. Bumrah was asked if he harboured any captaincy ambitions.”If given an opportunity, it will be an honour,” he said. “I don’t think any player would say no and I am no different. Be it a leadership group or any responsibility, I always look to contribute to the best of my abilities. I look at this situation in the same manner, not to take any extra pressure that I would have to be over-cautious. Yes, taking responsibility, talking to a lot of players, trying to help them out in the best way possible has always been my approach and will be my approach going forward in any situation that comes.”As the vice-captain for the series, Bumrah has not been assigned any specific responsibility but he agreed his role in the side is changing.”When I was new, I used to ask a lot of questions to seniors. Now I am in a transition phase and when youngsters ask me something, I try to share my experience with them. Sometimes their inputs can help me as well. We try to make sure such communication is always there in the team because sometimes someone new can have some observation from outside which you cannot have from inside.”

Captain Farrant claims three cheap wickets to put Sunrisers on the back foot

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2020South East Stars 199 for 4 (Capsey 73*, Cranstone 46) beat Sunrisers 198 (Farrant 3-24) by six wickets All-rounder Alice Capsey struck an unbeaten 73 as South East Stars strolled to a six-wicket Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy victory against winless Sunrisers at Chelmsford.Capsey’s bustling knock took her just 75 deliveries and included nine fours as she and Aylish Cranstone put together a match-winning partnership of 114 to secure the Stars’ second success of the tournament.Stars skipper Tash Farrant made early inroads after the home side had opted to bat, having opposite number Amara Carr caught at second slip and removing Lissy MacLeod in her next over.That left Sunrisers struggling at 17 for 2, although their prospects of posting a competitive total were raised by a solid partnership of 55 from 57 balls between Cordelia Griffith and Naomi Dattani.However, none of the Sunrisers batters were able to convert starts into the significant score that could have anchored their innings, with spin duo Dani Gregory and Capsey stifling them through the middle overs.Capsey also made a key contribution in the field, with throws from backward square to run out Hayley Brown and Grace Scrivens – the latter having just clubbed her for three consecutive boundaries.Jo Gardner and Katie Midwood did their best to haul Sunrisers above the 200 mark, but both fell to well-executed stumpings off Hannah Jones before Farrant returned to finish them off in the penultimate over.Stars made an uncertain start to their run chase, with Kirstie White leg before in the third over to seamer Katie Wolfe, who produced a tight opening spell in tandem with the nagging spin of Scrivens.Tash Farrant claims another wicket•Getty Images

Debutant Chloe Brewer lifted the shackles by steering Wolfe through the slips twice for boundaries and, with Cranstone also starting to find the gaps, the visitors began to make steady progress.The pair added 56 before Brewer fell to Scrivens, caught behind attempting a cut, but new batter Capsey immediately made her intentions clear, pulling her first delivery through midwicket for four.Capsey flourished against the Sunrisers spinners, outscoring her partner as she reached 50 from 52 balls – and Cranstone missed out on a half-century of her own, cutting Gardner to the point fielder with just 20 more required.Although the impressive Gardner followed that up with the wicket of Amy Gordon, it made no difference to the outcome, Susie Rowe stroking the winning single with 12.5 overs to spare.

Veterans claim nine scalps between them in Derbyshire’s second innings as Lancashire win by 10 wickets

David Hopps at Derby19-Jun-2019With the start of the Ashes six weeks away, the health of Jimmy Anderson is one of England’s prime concerns. MI5 probably have surveillance officers monitoring his every movement, poised to warn of anything disturbing like a bit of a limp or, even worse, the merest sign of a smile.Intelligence reports from Derby will be filed away with satisfaction. Another four wickets on the third morning for Anderson, and nine in the match at a cost of only 47 runs. Fitness and rhythm exceeding expectations at this stage. Grumpiness at a promising level when the ball kept passing the outside edge. Too many of those to count.Recommendation: With Lancashire top of Division Two, and 10 days’ inactivity until their next game, against Durham at Sedbergh School, surveillance can be called back. MI5 resources perhaps better employed taking a closer look at Stuart Broad.The only concern surrounds the fact that the opening day of the Ashes is on Yorkshire Day. As a Lancastrian, Anderson’s mood cannot be reliably predicted.Twenty-eight Championship wickets at 8.64 runs apiece have massaged Anderson’s mood and, if they have come disturbingly easily, his method looks as ingrained as ever. At 36, his fitness and suppleness remains exemplary. He bowls when he wants and comes off when he chooses.

Anderson and Onions “unplayable” – Livingstone

Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone was even moved to fantasise about Jimmy Anderson and Graham Onions as England’s opening pair in the Ashes after they combined for match figures of 17-104 against Derbyshire at Derby.
“They were unplayable at times on that pitch and if they went into the first Test Match as an opening bowling pair I’m sure Australia would struggle,” he said.
“They are bowling as well as I’ve seen and the way they bowled in this game was outstanding. Certainly fielding at second slip you feel you are in the game every ball.”

Derbyshire resumed at 19 for 4, 64 runs away from making Lancashire bat again. It was a modest aim, but as helpful bowling conditions persisted into the third day it was an entirely realistic one. They managed to set Lancashire two runs to win, Keaton Jennings avoided a pair by thick edging the first ball for four and everything was wrapped up five minutes before lunch. As Derbyshire’s director of cricket, Dave Houghton remarked: “It was our first drubbing of the season and we’ve been given a good hiding.”Derbyshire’s fifth-wicket pair survived for 50 minutes more by luck than judgment against Anderson and Graham Onions. Frustration was welling up; the surveillance team by the sightscreen began to fret about possible overload.Anderson, in solemn mood, applauded Alex Hughes with good humour for managing to leave a wide one after endless playing and missing. Four byes when a bouncer sailed over Harvey Hosein’s head did not disturb him, nor did a hook shot from the same batsmen which fell close to Onions at long leg. At least it was Onions who suffered a bad drop at first slip by Jennings when Hughes managed to make contact.Then three wickets in seven balls restored equilibrium and the pessimism of Derbyshire supporters was proved to be based on decades of evidence. Anderson claimed the first two. Hughes got bat on an outswinger and then Matt Critchley, seeking out the leg-side as is his habit, was lbw and left gesturing that he touched it.The third fell to Onions, a simple catch at first slip to remove Luis Reece who had been demoted to No. 8 because of injury and didn’t really look up for it. Logan van Beek drove Anderson to gully and Onions mopped up the last two, including Hosein, who resisted diligently until he was caught behind for 29.Five to Anderson, four to Onions and the promise of a dry afternoon to return to Manchester. When it comes to fast bowlers, especially vintage ones, the fear is that something could go wrong at any moment. Nothing did. Quite the opposite.

The 26-year old replaces his former Western Australian captain Adam Voges, who served as the club’s captain last year

Adam Collins02-Apr-2018Australian allrounder Hilton Cartwright will join Middlesex for the first five games of the county championship, with the potential to stay on deeper into the season.The 26-year-old, who played two Tests for Australia in 2017, replaces his former Western Australian captain Adam Voges, who served as the Middlesex captain last year.A hard-hitting, right-handed batsman who has spent the bulk of his first-class career at number three, Cartwright has also been turned to at international level for his medium pace bowling. Conversations between him and the club took place over the course of the last week before a deal was finalised over Easter weekend. As Cartwright also holds a British passport he will not require a visa, and in turn can fly to the United Kingdom this week to join Middlesex before their season opener on April 13.Cartwright debuted against Pakistan in January 2017 at Sydney and played his second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong in September. He made 37 and 18 in his two innings. At domestic level, he finished the 2017-18 Sheffield Shield in top form, making 83 and an unbeaten 111 against South Australia in Glenelg in March.It was Cartwright’s only first-class century of the Australian summer, averaging 32.5 in 10 matches for his state. But it was his 2016-17 campaign that pushed him into national calculations, accumulating 898 runs at 52.8, the second-best tally among all batsmen. Overall, since making his bow for Western Australia in January 2013, Cartwright averages 43.4 with five centuries to his name and has claimed 19 wickets at 51.Considered a player of promise across the three formats by national selectors, Cartwright has also played twice for Australia’s one-day international side in India last October.

Diana Edulji, the former India women’s captain, knew she was in the reckoning for the panel as Gopal Subramanium, the amicus curiae, had asked if she would be interested in such a role

Arun Venugopal30-Jan-2017In the afternoon, Diana Edulji had almost given up hope of anything definitive emerging from the Supreme Court hearing where a panel of administrators was due to be appointed. The former India women’s captain knew she was in the reckoning as Gopal Subramanium, the amicus curiae, had asked if she would be interested in such a role. But, while Edulji admitted to a tinge of expectation, the adjournment of last week’s hearing had made her “sceptical”. Now, she had seen no news of the hearing on television for nearly two hours and was going to turn it off when the phone rang.”I got a call from one of the channels congratulating me. I said, ‘There is no breaking news anywhere.’ Then suddenly, every channel started carrying the story one after the other,” Edulji told ESPNcricinfo. “Given the number of twists and turns this case has been taking, I was a little sceptical. This time also it [a decision] didn’t come up till 3.45 or 4pm. When the first time it didn’t happen [during the earlier hearing], I didn’t go deeper into it. I left it to God – if it is due for me, I will accept it. If it doesn’t come also, I am okay.”Edulji, who has played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs between 1976 and 1993, is the only cricketer on the four-member committee which also includes Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Ramachandra Guha, the historian and cricket writer, and Vikram Limaye, managing director and CEO of IDFC (Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation). She is also a part of the four-member steering committee, led by former union home secretary GK Pillai, that has been tasked with the responsibility of setting up a players’ association.Edulji felt her presence in the interim committee of administrators was symbolic of what the Lodha reforms aimed to achieve. “It is a very good thing because what I have wanted [to do], now I am in a position to implement it, if that is the role that is given to us,” she said. “I first thought it was the steering committee and the players’ association, but this is a bigger and more prestigious role given, that I am the only player in India to be nominated by the Supreme Court. I hope I will live up to the expectations.”Edulji hadn’t spoken with her colleagues yet – “I don’t even have their numbers” – and wasn’t sure about the nature of her role with the terms of reference of the panel yet to be issued. While she was aware it wouldn’t be an easy job, she was confident her experience as sports officer in the Western Railways would serve her well.”I was administrating 40 games and 40 teams there. Right from the recruitment to the promotions, to the practice sessions, to the departmental tournaments, everything was looked after,” she said. “It was a huge job but a very satisfying job. Tomorrow [January 31], I complete one year of my retirement – so this is my third innings, I would say.”Edulji also said she was prepared to handle the mudslinging – a possible occupational hazard of being an administrator, even if on a short-term basis – that might come her way. “I am quite used to it,” she said, adding that she would rather work “amicably” and hoped to be a bridge between the old administration and the new era.It helped that former board secretary Ajay Shirke and veteran administrator Niranjan Shah were among the first people to congratulate her. “In fact all MCA [Mumbai Cricket Association] office-bearers rang me up,” she said. “I immediately left for MCA. I wanted to be with them at this moment, because they have been so nice with me.”I got a message from the [BCCI] CEO, Mr Rahul Johri, congratulating me and looking forward to working with me. That was a good sign also. Because I am the only player, it may just work out in my favour, [everybody] may co-operate with me.”

Steven Smith has won the top ICC awards for 2014-15, being named Cricketer of the Year as well as Test Cricketer of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-20152:46

Surprised and humbled by ICC award – Smith

Australia captain Steven Smith has won the top ICC awards for 2014-15, being named Cricketer of the Year as well as Test Cricketer of the Year.Smith became the seventh player after Rahul Dravid (2004), Jacques Kallis (2005), Ricky Ponting (2006), Kumar Sangakkara (2012), Michael Clarke (2013) and Mitchell Johnson (2014) to bag both awards in the same year.Smith was “thrilled” to receive the awards, but said he would end 2015 with “mixed feelings”.”Given that there are so many great players around the world, I’m incredibly honoured to receive these awards,” he said. “While team success is always my number one motivation, awards like this are very special. I’m thrilled and very proud to receive them.”I will look back on 2015 with mixed feelings. Winning the ICC Cricket World Cup at home was a career highlight, and being appointed captain is a great honour, but the disappointment of losing the Ashes remains.”To be the best team that we can be, we have to become better at winning away from home, and that remains our motivation heading into 2016.”South Africa’s ODI captain AB de Villiers was named ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second successive year, while his compatriot Faf du Plessis won the T20 Performance of the Year award for his 56-ball 119 against West Indies in January. Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was named the Emerging Cricketer of the Year.The two awards in women’s cricket, for the ODI Cricketer of the Year and T20I Cricketer of the year, went to Australia captain Meg Lanning and West Indies allrounder Stafanie Taylor respectively.Former UAE captain Khurram Khan was named Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year, while Richard Kettleborough got the Umpire of the Year award for the third straight year.New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who has announced he will retire from international cricket in February, bagged the Spirit of Cricket award, for “inspiring his side to play the game in its true spirit”.McCullum said his team-mates deserved as much recognition for buying into his sportsmanlike vision of cricket.”The team has loved how the New Zealand public and cricket fans from around the world have responded to the way we’ve played our cricket in the last 12 months,” he said. “I think the Spirit of Cricket is hugely important and I feel extremely honoured to have received the award. It does take buy in from the entire team though and the rest of the Blackcaps squad needs to be recognised for this as well.”The awards were given on the basis of performances during the voting period between September 18, 2014, and September 13, 2015. In that period, Smith was the leading run-getter in Tests, with 1734 runs at an average of 82.57. In that period he also made 1249 ODI runs at 59.47, his excellence across the two formats contributing to his winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year.De Villiers, the ODI winner, made 1265 runs in that format in the voting period, at an average of 79.06 and a just-as-astounding strike rate of 128.42. The 24-year-old Hazlewood, who made his Test debut in December 2014, took 40 Test wickets in the voting period.Lanning was the top Women’s ODI run-getter in the voting period, with 531 runs at 88.50, while Taylor finished on top of the Women’s T20I charts with 340 runs at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 105.91.Awards list
ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Steven Smith
Test Cricketer of the Year – Steven Smith
ODI Cricketer of the Year – AB de Villiers
Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Meg Lanning
Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year – Stafanie Taylor
T20I Performance of the Year – Faf du Plessis
Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Josh Hazlewood
Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year – Khurram Khan
Spirit of Cricket Award – Brendon McCullum
Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) – Richard Kettleborough

Former captain Ramnaresh Sarwan advised his batsmen to observe the basics of the game as West Indies mount their charge to repeat the scoreline of the 2004 Champions Trophy.

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2013Former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan advised his batsmen to observe the basics of the game as West Indies mount their charge to repeat their success from the 2004 Champions Trophy. The 2013 edition begins on June 6 and West Indies will play their first match on the next day against Pakistan at The Oval.”It is important that you start off trying to play the ball as late as possible.” he said. “The good thing about it is that the outfields are pretty quick here, so even if you have sweepers out and you time the ball well enough it will probably go for four. You will get value for your strokes.”It would be a great achievement to win this tournament. When we won back in 2004 we came in as underdogs. We want to repeat that,” said Sarwan, who was adjudged the player of the tournament in 2004. He scored two half-centuries in four matches, including one in the semi-final and finished as the second highest run-getter of the tournament.Sarwan laid the onus on the top-order batsmen to provide a solid foundation so players like Kieron Pollard and captain Dwayne Bravo could make the most of the latter half of the innings.”The key is to give yourself a chance and try to ‘get in’ and just like everything else it gets easier.” he said “Keeping wickets in hand at the top is vital and we all know we have a lot of power at the end to capitalise, as we are able to clear the boundaries.”After a month-long stint captaining Leicestershire in Division Two of the County Championships in England, Sarwan joined the West Indies side on Monday feeling confident about his batting. He had scored 227 runs in five matches, including two fifties.”It’s a great opportunity for us to do well as a team. I was fortunate to be here a little early so I’m basically already acclimatised and have been striking the ball well. I have spent a lot of time batting at the crease, which is a good sign for me, even though I don’t have the big scores to show for it. I was pleased with the way I was striking the ball in the nets and I will look to perform and contribute to the team’s success.”Expressing satisfaction over the performance of West Indies last year, Sarwan reiterated the views of West Indies coach Ottis Gibson about getting used to English conditions as soon as possible.”We did really well in the T20 format to win in Sri Lanka last year and I believe we have a very sound squad for this tournament. The conditions will play a part as well with the ball swinging and we will have to make the necessary adjustment with the bat. For the younger guys it will be vital that they get used to the conditions and be ready when the matches get started.”

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has said that the board aims to find a replacement for head coach John Wright by the end of July

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2012New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has said that the board aims to find a replacement for head coach John Wright by the end of July. The board met in Auckland on Friday to discuss the process and timeline for recruiting Wright’s successor.”We want the best person for the job and will not limit our search for the right candidate,” White said. “We are aiming to have the new head coach in place by the end of July but will not be drawn into making self-imposed deadlines.”White said the position will be publicly advertised in the coming weeks and that the best candidate will be appointed, regardless of his nationality. “The key responsibilities for the head coach will be to manage the support staff, prepare the team for international cricket and, along with the captain, be responsible for performance of the team,” White told .Earlier this month, John Wright, confirmed that he would step down after the tour of the West Indies in August. He cited differences with New Zealand’s director of cricket, John Buchanan, as a factor that influenced his decision not to extend his contract.Wright’s decision prompted the board to announce that the demanding nature of the Future Tours Programme would mean that the workload of the support staff would be considered before making a decision on a new coach. New Zealand will tour the West Indies in June, India in August and then head to Sri Lanka for the ICC World T20 in September.Edited by Carlyle Laurie

The PCB has cranked up the pressure in its dispute with Shahid Afridi by beginning formal disciplinary procedures against the former captain, even as political pressure is brought to bear on the board to resolve the dispute

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2011The PCB has cranked up the pressure in its dispute with Shahid Afridi by beginning formal disciplinary procedures against the former captain, even as political pressure is brought to bear on the board to resolve the dispute. The board has, as expected, set up a three-member disciplinary committee and directed Afridi to appear before it on June 8, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.The committee will be chaired by Sultan Rana, director of domestic cricket, and will include Shafiq Ahmed, general manager of domestic cricket, and Usman Wahla, manager of international cricket. Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor, will assist the committee.An unusually detailed board press release on Thursday evening spelt out the formal process. A statement from a senior board official also sought to make clear precisely what the issue was, an indication of the fairly high stakes of a very high-profile dispute and the subsequent need to be as transparent as possible.The board said it had responded to Afridi’s defense, in which he had admitted to violating the PCB’s code of conduct by announcing his retirement to the media. “It is painful for us to get involved in a dispute with a cricketer who has been the national team captain until the West Indies series,” PCB COO Subhan Ahmed said in the release. “There are numerous contributions by Shahid Afridi to Pakistan cricket. But I think people need to understand that this is purely a disciplinary issue.”As the body managing cricket in the country we are duty-bound to maintain discipline at all levels. We will ensure that Shahid is given every opportunity to express and defend himself and as such the disciplinary process has been clearly spelt out to avoid any ambiguities”.This administration has sought at every opportunity to strangle what it sees as burgeoning player power; last year they banned or fined seven top players after the Australia tour. Two of them, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, spent protracted periods out of the side thereafter. But Afridi is a different kettle of fish, not only because he was a captain with some positive results to show, but because of his immense popularity across most of the land; no other player in the side comes close.For this reason, the dispute has become politicised. The day began with Rehman Malik, the country’s interior minister, pledging to get involved in the matter, “I will do whatever I can to resolve this issue, as I am equally a fan of Afridi,” Malik tweeted. ESPNcricinfo understands that pressure has been put on the board from his side but that it has so far been resisted.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, is also politically well-covered – he is appointed directly by the President of the country and board patron Asif Ali Zardari. But the board believes its case, in this matter, to be strong enough to not warrant political intervention from their side, for now at least. Malik has success in such matters in the past, having mediated a peace between former chairman Nasim Ashraf and Shoaib Akhtar in 2008.As part of the disciplinary proceedings, the committee will frame charges, record evidence and hear arguments before announcing its order. Afridi will be allowed to file an appeal against the order, through an appellate tribunal comprising an independent panel of arbitrators maintained by the PCB, and their ruling on the matter would be final.While announcing his ‘conditional’ retirement, Afridi lashed out at the current board and has brewed up a number of storms; he has hit out at former Test opener and current selector Mohammad Ilyas, as well as playing up the regionalism card by attacking a “Lahore lobby” behind his removal. In some reports he has also criticised Intikhab Alam, the team manager. These comments, it is understood, have hardened the board’s stance and resolve in ensuring the disciplinary process is followed through to a logical and legal end.The developments further reduce the chances of Afridi playing for Hampshire in the Friends Life t20; the PCB suspended Afridi’s contract, slapped him with a showcause notice, and revoked the No-Objection Certificate that would have allowed him to turn out for Hampshire. Afridi, keen to get the Hampshire situation resolved quickly, admitted to violating the code and stated his willingness to participate in further disciplinary action. Hampshire have urged the PCB to reconsider the withdrawal of the NOC, but at this stage it looks unlikely.