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The suspended Saeed Ajmal has been included in Pakistan’s 30-member provisional squad for the World Cup

Umar Farooq06-Dec-2014Pakistan’s 30-member squad

Openers
Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam
Middle order
Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal
Allrounders
Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhatti
Wicketkeepers
Sarfraz Ahmed, Kamran Akmal
Fast bowlers
Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanvir
Spinners
Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Raza Hasan, Yasir Shah

The suspended Saeed Ajmal has been included in Pakistan’s 30-member provisional squad for the World Cup. However, his inclusion in the final 15 will be subject to him clearing his bowling action. The PCB is yet to plan a date for his official ICC bowling assessment.The list also includes allrounder Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal, both of whom have been out of the ODI side for the last 18 months, since featuring in the 2013 Champions Trophy. Kamran has been averaging 59.08 in the current first-class season and is third most-prolific scorer after nine rounds, while Malik’s form has fluctuated; he has scored 385 runs in seven matches and picked up 18 wickets for his new team ZTBL.”At the moment, winning or losing aside, team Pakistan is performing adequately well in all three formats of the game,” Moin Khan, the chief selector, said in a statement. “The belief in the think tank is that the squad holds immense potential and promise to perform in any conditions. The most positive aspect is that some of our foremost proven talents have overcome physical issues and are raring to be given an opportunity to have a tilt at the global honours.””In our assessment, by the time the five 50-over games in the UAE, the away short ODI series against New Zealand as well as the practice games are over in the next two months, Pakistan will be close to hitting its peak.”The fast-bowling group – Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz and Umar Gul, who have been grappling with injury issues in the recent past – are expected to be automatic choices for the final 15.”For me personally, the 1992 World Cup victory ranks amongst our greatest cricketing achievements,” said Moin, who was also the part of the winning XI when Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup in Australia. “I am positive that the present outfit too has the capacity to replicate that triumph Down Under.”The final squad will be decided during the domestic one-day pentangular cup in Karachi in the first week of January. Pakistan are scheduled to play their opening World Cup match in Adelaide on February 15, against arch-rivals India.

The phrase “quietly confident” captures New Zealand’s approach to almost any international assignment but on the surface, this time there is perhaps no reason to be so quiet about it

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jun-2013The phrase “quietly confident” captures New Zealand’s approach to almost any international assignment, and Brendon McCullum used it again ahead of their Champions Trophy opener.On the surface, there is perhaps no reason to be so quiet about it. They have just felled the hosts, England, in a three-match series, have an opener in incredible form, and even without Daniel Vettori – who is doubtful for the match – possess an attack capable of troubling any top order.Only they are up against an opposition that has mauled them almost without relent, in the last five years. In the last 11 completed ODI matches between the two sides, Sri Lanka have won 10. From Hamilton to Hambantota, Mumbai to Kingston, most matches haven’t even been close. New Zealand might take some solace that the only victory in that lot came in the previous Champions Trophy, on a fast Johannesburg pitch, but both captains expect spin to play a major role in the match, and in that regard, Sri Lanka hold the advantage.”Sri Lanka has obviously dominated us in recent history,” McCullum said. “But the wickets that we played on back in Sri Lanka in the last series will be a lot different than what we’re expecting over here. They’ve got some mystery spinners and some obvious quirks about their bowling line up. They’ve also got some experienced batters and are a tough proposition. Our approach is very much on making sure that we play as well as what we have in the last few games in this form of the game.”Sachithra Senanayake is likely to be Sri Lanka’s frontline spinner, though, and despite Senanayake’s relative freshness at the top level, McCullum knows more about him than most. Senanayake was a big buy for McCullum’s Kolkata Knight Riders IPL franchise in 2013, and the New Zealand captain suggested that insider-knowledge might give his side the edge.”Sachi, he’s a different proposition to Murali,” McCullum said. “His bowling is definitely one of the mystery spinners that come around, and he’s got a good variety of different balls which he bowls as well, If we give him a sniff or show some frailty to such spinners such as Sachi, he could quite easily expose us. But I hope we play him with some freedom, and hopefully we’ve got enough knowledge and preparation from various sources, that we’ll be able to be successful against him.”Batting was New Zealand’s downfall in most of New Zealand’s recent matches against Sri Lanka, but the top order do not seem likely to fail again, with two key batsmen in form. Martin Guptill’s sublime hundreds overshadowed Ross Taylor’s efforts, but Taylor hit a fifty in each of the three matches against England, and has in the past been the most effective of New Zealand’s batsmen against Sri Lanka’s attack.”Martin Guptill’s batting has been world class the last week or so in this form of the game. We talked a lot recently about his batsmanship through some key stages in the game, and it’s been outstanding. We’re confident that Martin will continue that form, and also Ross Taylor as well. I think his performance has been very sound for us. Then some other guys have chipped in too.”While virtually all of Sri Lanka’s first XI were still at the IPL three weeks ago, New Zealand have been in England for well over a month. McCullum suggested their lead-up into the tournament might also hand New Zealand a slight advantage in the match.”We think we’ve got some match winners among our lineup, and we’ve had to become battle-hardened in English conditions over the last week or so. We are confident that it will give us some sort of assistance. We think we are a good one-day unit, with experienced players and a feel of the style of play which suits us.”

Gurunath Meiypappan and Raj Kundra could find themselves in big trouble at the end of the inquiry by two retired Tamil Nadu High Court judges, into the allegations of corruption in the IPL

Amol Karhadkar06-Jun-2013Gurunath Meiypappan and Raj Kundra could find themselves in big trouble at the end of the inquiry by two retired Tamil Nadu High Court judges, into the allegations of corruption in the IPL.Meiyappan, the Chennai Super Kings management member and son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, was released on bail after being arrested for allegedly indulging in betting during the IPL. According to the Delhi Police, Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, admitted to have bet on matches involving his team.The original task for judges T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian, the two independent members of what was originally a three-man panel, was to look into the complaints against Meiyappan, and the owner companies of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals – India Cements and Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd.ESPNcricinfo understands that they will now also examine the alleged involvement of Kundra, who bought 11.7% stake in Royals franchise ahead of the 2009 edition, in betting. The decision is likely to be announced after the working committee meeting in New Delhi on June 10.If Kundra and Meiyappan have indeed indulged in betting, police investigations aside, they can be found guilty of having breached IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials and IPL’s Anti-Corruption Policy. Besides, both the franchisees could also be terminated for having violated clause 11.3 (c) of the franchise agreement.IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials defines a team official as “(i) in relation to the Team any employee, coach, manager, selector, team official, doctor or physiotherapist (ii) any other person employed by or representing any Franchisee or Team including any director, secretary or officer of the Franchisee or (iii) any duly authorised (express or implied) agent of a Team or Franchisee.”Depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach, article 2.1.8(b) of IPL’s Code of Conduct prohibits the following: “(a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.”Clause 11.3 (c) of the franchise agreement mentions the agreement can be terminated if “the Franchise, any Franchise Group Company and/or any owner acts in any way which has a material adverse effect 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.”Since “material adverse effect” isn’t defined in the agreement, it is considered as a subjective term. However, it would be strange if it is applied to only one of the two teams.Besides the code of conduct, both Kundra and Meiyappan may be found guilty of having breached IPL’s anti-corruption policy, which makes it clear that any direct or indirect involvement with betting would be liable for suspension. Even though the word “owner” isn’t mentioned in the policy, it refers to “Player Support Personnel” as “Any coach, trainer, manager, selector, team official, doctor, physiotherapist or any other person employed by, representing or otherwise affiliated to a playing/touring team or squad that is chosen to represent a National Cricket Federation in any Domestic Match or International Match or series of such Matches”.If found guilty, Kundra and Meiyappan can face sanctions between two and five years each on charges of corruption (Article 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.1.4), betting (Article 2.2.1, 2.2.2 and 2.2.3) and misuse of insider information (2.3.1, 2.3.2 and 2.3.3) according to the anti-corruption policy.”The BCCI Disciplinary Committee shall have the discretion to impose a fine on the Participant up to a maximum of the value of any Reward received by the Participant directly or indirectly, out of, or in relation to, the offence committed under this Anti-Corruption Code,” adds clause 6.2 of the policy.The code defines reward as: “A person acts ‘for Reward’ if he/she arranges or agrees that he/she or some other third party will receive any direct or indirect financial or other benefit for that act (other than official prize money and/or contracted payments under playing, service, endorsement, sponsorship or other such similar contracts), and the term ‘Reward’ shall be construed accordingly.”Even if either of the two officials are found guilty to have breached multiple clauses, their suspension cannot increase for more than five years since both the code of conduct and the anti-corruption policy clarify that the sanction will be imposed “concurrently” and “not cumulatively” if a player or team official is found guilty on more than one charge.With Meiyappan charged by the police under 12 different sections, the probability of the code of conduct not being observed is quite high. As a result, even though the legal system may take a long time in pronouncing the duo guilty (or otherwise), experts think the BCCI should be able to establish that their rules have been broken.In their defence, both franchises might argue that Meiyappan – whom Super Kings have distanced themselves from – and Kundra were not team officials. However, it will be of little help.”The designation doesn’t matter. The moment you are a part of team management – whether employed or otherwise – you are entitled to adhere to the code of conduct and anti-corruption policy,” an IPL insider said. “Both these individuals are undoubtedly members of team management, so if their involvement in the alleged [illegal] activities can be substantiated, they would obviously be punished according to the BCCI’s rules.”

An opening stand of 134 runs between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Paul Stirling helped Sylhet Royals crush Khulna Royal Bengals by 61 runs in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam12-Feb-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Shivnarine Chanderpaul struck his third half-century of the tournament•Bangladesh Cricket BoardSylhet Royals bounced back from a lacklustre performance against Chittagong Kings in their last match, as they crushed Khulna Royal Bengals by 61 runs. Their openers, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Paul Stirling helped lay the foundation for the big victory with a 134-run stand.They scored 66 each, striking 19 fours and three sixes between them, to lead Sylhet to 196 for 3 in their 20 overs. Chanderpaul used the crease expertly during his innings, and even employed the switch-hit a number of times with mixed results. He had more success with the sweeps, which he played between square leg and the wicketkeeper. Stirling drove belligerently for most of his innings, thriving on the strike he was fed by Chanderpaul.After the openers fell and the Royals needed a final flourish, Nazmul Hossain Milon played his best innings of the tournament. He hit five sixes in an unbeaten 14-ball 36 that took the Royals’ total close to the 200-mark. He struck five sixes, and was much more aggressive than Elton Chigumbura, with whom he shared an unbroken 52-run stand.Royal Bengals couldn’t make amends with the bat. Mithun Ali and Riki Wessels added 84 runs for the fifth wicket, after their top order was dismissed cheaply, to reduce the margin of defeat. Mithun scored 60 off 47 balls, his first major contribution in this year’s competition.This was Sylhet’s eighth win in the tournament, but they remained in second position behind Dhaka Gladiators, while Khulna end their campaign with nine losses out of 12 games.

New South Wales kept the race to host the Sheffield Shield final well and truly open by rolling to victory over Victoria inside three days at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2013
ScorecardNew South Wales kept the race to host the Sheffield Shield final well and truly open by rolling to victory over Victoria inside three days at the MCG.After nine games, the Victorians still lead the table on 28 points but their defeat can allow Queensland and South Australia to pass them or Western Australia to draw close in the remaining two games of the penultimate round.The Bushrangers started the day with the chance of setting a testing target with Cameron White and David Hussey at the crease, but both were to depart early at the hands of Steve O’Keefe and Gurinder Sandhu.From there the visitors mopped up the innings effectively, leaving themselves a chase for only 150 to take the six points.At 3 for 60 the pursuit looked a little shaky, but the captain Ben Rohrer, Peter Nevill and Brad Haddin played nervelessly to reel it in.

Steven Smith has come in for high praise after his sparkling 73 in Canberra, with AB de Villiers dubbing him “a captain’s nightmare”, and Aaron Finch going one further by naming Smith in the same breath as de Villiers himself

Daniel Brettig19-Nov-2014Steven Smith started this series as a somewhat miffed 12th man in Perth.Three games on, and in Canberra, Smith showed precisely why he felt that way: his sparkling 73 lifted Australia’s tally beyond South Africa’s reach, causing AB de Villiers to dub him “a captain’s nightmare” and Aaron Finch to go even further by naming Smith in the same breath as de Villiers himself.This was high praise indeed for a man who had been elbowed out of the XI by the return of Shane Watson, the fitness of Michael Clarke – regrettably an occurrence no longer guaranteed – and the selectors’ faith in Glenn Maxwell and George Bailey.Clarke’s hamstring opened up a spot for Smith, and on a Manuka surface where batting became more difficult the older the ball became, his nimble feet, hands and mind stood out a mile, not least when his extraordinary “nutmeg” shot in the final over completed a dire day for Morne Morkel. Smith looks nobody’s idea of a batsman surplus to Australia’s World Cup team.”I think his strength is that he’s got a lot of energy at the wicket,” said de Villiers. “He’s almost a captain’s nightmare when he comes to the crease after 25-30 overs, especially on this kind of ground where you know you’re not going to get three and four wickets in patches.”You’re going to have to work hard for your wickets, and if you get a busy cricketer at the wicket it makes it very difficult for you to control the innings, to keep your rhythm and just to pace it a little bit better. He makes it really difficult for us in doing that.”Finch had played diligently and well to battle out of his own dalliance with poor batting touch, 109 a first score of better than 50 since September the result of some more circumspect batting than he is known for. But it was Smith who won man of the match, and rightfully so in Finch’s opinion, for he knew how the softer ball became harder to bully in later overs.”Smithy played one of the great innings I thought, the way he came in from ball one and struck it into the gaps and ran hard and never allowed the bowlers to settle,” Finch said. “He was moving around the crease and played a couple through his legs, I don’t know how he does that.”He was super and that’s really shown the class of the player. We’ve seen that in Test cricket for a while and in one-day cricket it’s starting to get better and better and more consistent. The beauty of Steve is he’s a great player of spin, so teams are reluctant to bowl that at the start of his innings because that does allow him to get away.

You’re going to have to work hard for your wickets, and if you get a busy cricketer at the wicket it makes it very difficult for you to control the innings, to keep your rhythm and just to pace it a little bit better. He makes it really difficult for us in doing thatAB de Villiers

“At the same time he bats in the middle order in Test cricket and can play pace. So he’s a hard guy to tie down – I think he’s a very similar type player to AB de Villiers, you really struggle to bowl dot balls to them in a row, and through the middle of the innings if you’ve got somebody who’s constantly getting off strike or hitting boundaries it’s such a hard thing to defend against.”Smith’s upward trend in this series reflects his wider international career, which began with confusion over his precise role – batsman, an allrounder or leg spinner – then went through a period of domestic exile and solid learning, before blossoming into the player many thought he would become when he burst into the NSW team in 2009.He has provided an example of how to grasp technical and mental maturity that others, notably Maxwell and Finch himself, would do well to remember. Finch’s innings showed that he too is learning and evolving, on the sort of pace that will allow him to perform staunchly at the World Cup next year.”I knew I’d been hitting the ball well lately but when you do get a couple of starts and you miss out a couple of times things start to play on your mind a little bit and you start to wonder how good a form you’re actually in,” Finch said. “But I still had confidence in my game.”As for the pressure for spots that has seen Smith running drinks, James Faulkner sent for Sheffield Shield duty and Maxwell cooling his heels on the Manuka boundary, Finch felt it a force for good, so long as the players kept thinking in terms of the team and each other.”It’s a real positive when you have guys challenging for spots because you know that’s driving you to perform well, and if you don’t perform you’re sitting on the pine,” he said. “Nobody’s safe in the side except the skipper – when you have that competition in the side it’s really quality.”Guys are still helping each other out. There’s none of this ‘I’m trying to look after my own spot’, it’s just about helping the team win games and us becoming the best players we can.”Smith is getting closer to that peak than most.

Warwickshire produced an outstanding team performance to beat the Unicorns by 10 wickets at Wormsley.

19-Aug-2012
ScorecardWarwickshire produced an outstanding team performance to beat the Unicorns by 10 wickets at Wormsley.Chris Woakes, fresh from his his exertions with England Lions over the last couple of weeks, returned to the Warwickshire fold to take 4 for 24 from eight overs as the hosts were all out for 185.Will Porterfield and Varun Chopra made light work of the target, with the former striking a magnificent 100 not out from 89 balls while his partner struck the winning runs with a boundary in the 30th over to take him to an unbeaten 73.Bottom-placed Unicorns had just one win to their name from 11 matches and they were put into bat this afternoon, at one point slipping to 5 for 4. They were under pressure immediately as opening bowlers Chris Wright and Woakes conceded just one run between them in the opening three overs.The pressure eventually told as Vishal Tripathi was bowled by Woakes, who then dismissed Tom New and James Ord in his next over after Bradley Wadlan had fallen to Wright. In danger of sinking without trace, they then fell to 12 for 5 as 23-year-old Woakes accounted for Unicorns captain Keith Parsons. Although a helpful 35 from Lewis Hill helped to relieve some pressure.Glen Querl, batting at number nine, added 64 runs alongside Hill for the eighth wicket before the latter became Wright’s second scalp. Querl fell six runs shy of a half-century – falling lbw to Warwickshire debutant Ian Blackwell – after a magnificent 44 from just 27 balls.At 112 for 9, any hopes of posting a competitive total looked remote but last man Paul Hindmarch put his top-order colleagues to shame. In just his second List A match, Hindmarch, the 24-year-old Cumbrian, made exactly 50 off 49 balls to take his side to what looked like a defendable, if not competitive total.Chopra and Porterfield took their time to get to grips with the surface, with just one boundary coming in the first five overs. But they refused to panic and settled to their task thereafter, with Chopra hammering successive fours off Luis Reece.Porterfield was the first to his half-century with his ninth four and brought up three figures in the game’s penultimate over with a single off Querl. It was then left to Chopra to finish off the match in style with his 10th four as Warwickshire sealed victory with more than 10 overs to spare to boost their hopes of qualification from the group.

Simon Katich guided Hampshire to a comfortable four-wicket CB40 win over Durham with a perfectly judged half-century

15-Jul-2012
ScorecardSimon Katich guided Hampshire to a comfortable four-wicket CB40 win over Durham with a perfectly judged half-century. Australian veteran Katich struck three sixes and a four in his 59 not out as Hampshire got home with 10 balls to spare.Durham, put in on a slow wicket, mustered 200 for 7 from their 40 overs. Gordon Muchall underpinned Durham’s total with a brave and defiant 96 not out, coming in at 41 for 3 with his side finding it hard to get the better of a wet outfield.Muchall struck five fours and two sixes off 99 balls, sharing in an important stand of 83 for the fifth wicket with Dale Benkenstein, who made 31. Paul Collingwood contributed 28 and it might have been more had he not been beaten by a throw from Jimmy Adams at extra cover when the Durham total was 59.Kabir Ali was the most successful of the Hampshire bowlers, taking 3 for 39, removing opener Phil Mustard in his first spell and then returning to get rid of former Hampshire batsman Johann Myburgh and Gareth Breese.When Hampshire responded they were given a solid base by Adams and fellow opener James Vince who put on 73 for the first wicket.Legspinner Scott Borthwick ended the stand when he removed Adams for 33 and later caused concern in the Hampshire camp by coming back to dismiss Sean Ervine and Liam Dawson. But all the while former Durham batsman Katich was in command, so were Hampshire.Katich twice hit Borthwick for six and did the same to Ben Stokes before finding the perfect ally in Dimitri Mascarenhas. With 30 required off 29 balls at the fall of Dawson’s wicket at the start of the 36th over, Katich and Mascarenhas went on the offensive.Mascarenhas lifted Borthwick for another six to take Hampshire in sight of victory before Borthwick got some measure of revenge by him lbw for 22.The sixth wicket pair had put on 28 in 15 balls and with Hampshire now needing two runs, the rest was a formality. Katich faced 62 balls and, for all his late punishment, Borthwick was the pick of the Durham bowlers in terms of wickets, finishing with 4 for 51 from his eight-over stint.

Lou Vincent has confirmed he is one of the former New Zealand cricketers under investigation by the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-20130:00

New Zealand Cricket addresses ACSU match-fixing probe

Three former New Zealand players, including Lou Vincent, are being investigated by the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit. The news, first reported by , was confirmed by the ICC and New Zealand Cricket – without mentioning names – before Vincent acknowledged he was one of the three under investigation.Chris Cairns, whose name figured in media reports on the issue, released a statement on Thursday saying he had not been contacted by the ICC or NZC in regard to any investigation of alleged fixing.The story emerged from New Zealand on Thursday morning, with the saying the ACSU had been in the country for four months as part of a match and spot-fixing investigation. NZC did, however, confirm that the matches involved were not in New Zealand or under their jurisdiction.Vincent made his involvement public through a brief statement. “I wish to let everyone know that I am cooperating with an ongoing ICC Anti-Corruption investigation that has been made public today,” he said.”This investigation is bound by a number of rules and regulations that mean I am unable to make any further public comment. I will personally talk to the public when I am able to. In the meantime I cannot comment. Please respect me and my family’s privacy until such time.”Cairns’ statement came after he told : “We need to let the investigation by the ICC run its course.”In his second, public, statement, he said: “No representative of the ICC, New Zealand Cricket or the New Zealand Players’ Association has contacted me in regard to any connection by me to an investigation into alleged fixing. I have no information, and was therefore shocked and dismayed to discover the speculation in today’s media.”Twenty months ago, the High Court in England ruled that I’ve done nothing wrong – which is on record for everyone to see. Like you, I will be looking for answers.”His reference to the High Court related to a suit he filed – and won – against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi over a defamatory tweet sent in January 2010, in which Modi referred to Cairns’ alleged involvement in match-fixing as the reason for barring him from the IPL auction.David White, the CEO of New Zealand Cricket, confirmed that he knew the identity of the players involved, but clarified that the players were not currently active and the matches in question had not taken place in New Zealand.”New Zealand Cricket is aware that the International Cricket Council is investigating a small number of New Zealand cricketers,” White said in Dunedin. “We have been aware of this investigation for a number of months and we are shocked and surprised by the allegations. We support the ICC’s investigation as corruption has no place in our our sport.File photo: Lou Vincent stated that he was cooperating with the ACSU’s investigation into allegations of fixing•Getty Images”However, I would like to clarify a number of matters. No current New Zealand players are being investigated, no games played in New Zealand are being investigated and lastly no matches under NZC jurisdiction are being investigated. This is an ongoing ICC investigation and I simply can’t comment further.”When pressed for further details, such as names, timescales and when the matches in question took place, he repeated the “no comment” line.Current fast bowler Tim Southee was asked after the day’s play of the Dunedin Test – where New Zealand were playing West Indies – whether the story had been talked about. “There were a few conversations going around but it is out of our hands, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Southee said. “Once we got to the ground we got our game faces on and concentrated on the job in hand.”An ICC statement, issued after the story broke, read: “Following the publication of an article in a leading New Zealand newspaper earlier today in which it is alleged that a small number of former New Zealand cricketers had engaged in fixing activity in historic cricket matches and were being investigated by the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), the ICC confirms that it has indeed been working closely over the past few months with its colleagues in the domestic anti-corruption units of member boards to investigate these and related matters.””The ICC and all of its members maintain a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption in the sport, and the ACSU will continue to collaborate with relevant individuals in order to complete its investigation process.”Naturally, as the investigation remains ongoing and nobody has been charged with any offence, no further comment will be made by the ICC or by NZC.”New Zealand is set to play a central role in world cricket over the next 15 months. It hosts the World Cup Qualifiers in January then is joint-host, alongside Australia, for the 2015 World Cup.

A desire to preserve the primacy of Championship cricket is likely to see England’s first-class counties opting out of the Champions League and returning to 50-over List A cricket

George Dobell27-Sep-2012A desire to preserve the primacy of Championship cricket is likely to see England’s first-class counties opting out of the Champions League and returning to a 50-over domestic one-day competition.While Yorkshire and Hampshire will shortly depart to participate in this year’s Champions League it is quite possible that it will be the last time that the counties are involved. They have already decided not to participate in 2013 and, while the door is not closed on future involvement, it will require the Champions League to be rescheduled to start a couple of weeks later so as not to clash with the finale of the County Championship.In 2013, in order to avoid a repeat of the earliest starts in history in 2011 and 2012, the county season is likely to commence on April 9 and finish in the third week of September. The Champions League, which has a window in the Future Tours Programme, starts in the second week of September and has, over recent years, caused the entire county season to be altered and abbreviated to cater for it.Talks about the restructuring of the county game have been in progress for some time. The ECB commissioned former ICC and ECB chairman David Morgan to compile a report and make recommendations about the future structure around 18 months ago but his plans for reducing the Championship programme were met with little support.The debate has obliged the counties to define their priorities as never before. A consensus of sorts has now been reached with the majority agreeing that a two-division Championship of 16 games involving promotion and relegation must be a non-negotiable feature of the season. It is also highly likely that, from 2014, the majority of the domestic T20 competition will be staged on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons over much of the season rather than in a ‘high summer’ window.Not only did the rain that bedevilled the 2012 FLt20 silence many of those who feel the competition should be played in a window, but there is an increasing acceptance that the counties are no longer able to attract the best overseas talent even for a short T20 tournament. While all the evidence suggests that the first USA T20 competition, scheduled to be staged in 2013, is going to be a somewhat shambolic affair, the ECB are wary of the long-term effects of the rival event, with agents reporting that many of the leading overseas players will be attracted to the USA rather than the UK with the offer of large salaries.As a compromise for accepting the Championship and T20 structure that many of the counties would like, the England team management are hopeful of persuading the counties to return to 50-over List A cricket from 2014. While there is very little enthusiasm for the format among the counties for commercial reasons, there is a grudging acceptance that the domestic game should mirror the international game and, with the England management having lost the argument over the structure of the Championship, some willingness to compromise.In an ideal world, the counties would like to remain involved in the Champions League, too. Not only does it offer the possibility of large prize money, but players and coaches have spoken of the developmental benefits of playing different players in different conditions. For those county players not on the international radar, it might even represent the highest-quality cricket they experience.The counties’ involvement in the league has been contentious for some time, though. Not only has the scheduling been an issue, but there has been a growing concern that teams are not operating on a level playing field. While several teams from the three countries with a stake in the competition – India, South Africa and Australia – are entered into the main event, teams from other nations are obliged to come through an extra qualifying event for which there is no prize money. Furthermore, while some teams are allowed four overseas players, the counties are allowed just two. In 2011, Mumbai Indians were allowed to register a fifth overseas player.While the prize money on offer for the event is, on the surface, very attractive – the winners receive $2.5m and even teams knocked-out in the group stages get $200,000 – the ECB receive only $1m for the involvement of both counties and there have also been delays in the payment of prize money.The counties meet to agree the format in October with the ECB board expected to ratify the format at the end of November, by which time they will have reviewed the consumer research they conducted this summer. After a process of consultation that has dragged on longer than a county season, there is no desire to seek further dialogue.