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The ICC is set to hold its annual conference week from Sunday, which will culminate in the inauguration of Sharad Pawar as the seventh ICC president

Cricinfo staff26-Jun-2010The ICC is set to hold its annual conference week in Singapore, which will commence on Sunday with a meeting of the Chief Executives Committee (CEC) and conclude with the inauguration of Sharad Pawar as the seventh ICC president. Pawar will succeed David Morgan who finishes his two-year term next week. The ICC executive board is also set to discuss the nomination of John Howard for the role of vice-president, which has been marred by controversy with a number of boards opposing his candidature.Since his days as Australia’s prime minister, Howard has endured a torrid relationship with Zimbabwe cricket, often being a vocal critic of Robert Mugabe’s regime. South Africa and Zimbabwe initially expressed their opposition to Howard’s nomination, and they were later joined by Sri Lanka, leaving him vulnerable to being disqualified. Howard recently met with ZC chairman Peter Chingoka and managing director Ozias Bvute in a “friendly, constructive and frank” exchange of ideas, following which there are indications that Zimbabwe may change their stand on the issue.”A section of the international media has erroneously created the impression that we have been at the forefront of a motion to block Mr Howard’s nomination. This is not only maliciously incorrect but also ignores the fact that our structures dictate that such a decision can only be taken by the ZC Board which is in fact still to meet and state a position on the matter,” Bvute said.Bvute also indicated that past tensions are unlikely to influence Zimbabwe’s final decision. “We are not vindictive people regardless of how badly we have been portrayed and treated in the past. Our concern has and always will be the welfare of the game. Our final decision and vote will be guided by what is in the best interest of cricket in this country.”Chingoka however, was non-commital on the issue. “I don’t have much to say, we had a friendly discussion, it was very constructive, we were very honest and frank with each other. The matter will be discussed by the ICC, so I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to say any more,” he was quoted in the .Another pressing issue that will be addressed at the CEC meeting is to do with the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the period of 2012-20, in particular the introduction of greater context and content for international cricket. The subject has already been under consideration by a working group consisting David Collier (England and Wales), Nishantha Ranatunga (Sri Lanka), N Srinivasan (India), James Sutherland (Australia) and Dave Richardson (ICC general manager – cricket). An ICC event covering both the Test and ODI formats is likely to be discussed.The ICC executive board will also receive a recommendation from the CEC on the implementation of the decision review system across the board in Test cricket, as well as in the 2011 World Cup. Additionally, the CEC will consider and recommend to the board the eligibility rules and the stand-out period for moving from Associate to Full Member status.The executive board will receive updates on the formulation of the ICC strategy for the period 2011-2015, and the design of mandatory safety and security regulations drawn up by Security Task Force, chaired by Lord Paul Condon, set-up following the Lahore attack last year.The board will also consider Seychelles’ application for Affiliate Membership of ICC. If successful, Seychelles will become the 105th Member of the ICC. Meanwhile, the ICC Associate and Affiliate Members will nominate their ICC executive board director representatives, who serve a two-year term, at their meeting on 28 June 2010.The schedule of meetings is as follows:Chief Executives’ Committee: June 27 and 28
Associate Members: June 28
ICC Executive Board: June 29 and 30
IDI Board: June 30
Annual Conference: July 1
The ICC board meetings will be attended by the the ICC president, vice-president and chief executive, in addition to representatives from the ten Full Members and three Associate Member representatives. The full list of attendees is as follows:David Morgan (ICC president), Sharad Pawar (ICC vice-president), Haroon Lorgat (ICC chief executive), Ijaz Butt (Pakistan), Julian Hunte (West Indies), Peter Chingoka (Zimbabwe), Giles Clarke (England and Wales), Jack Clarke (Australia), Alan Isaac (New Zealand), Mustapha Kemal (Bangladesh), Shashank Manohar (India), Mtutuzeli Nyoka (South Africa), DS de Silva (Sri Lanka) and three Associate Member representatives (TBD on June 28)

Salman Butt, the Pakistan captain, hails his new-ball pair, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, as the best opening duo in the world ahead of the Test series against England

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2010Mohammad Amir has formed a potent new-ball pairing with Mohammad Asif•Getty Images

Salman Butt, the Pakistan captain, has praised his new-ball pair, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, as the best opening duo the world ahead of the Test series against England following their performances which earned a 1-1 draw with Australia.Although Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, South Africa’s quick bowlers, can lay their own claim to be the leading strike force in the game, Pakistan’s combination have certainly made a huge impression in recent weeks and will be a major threat when they take on England at Trent Bridge. Asif and Amir shared 22 wickets in the two-Test series against Australia and were both outstanding during Pakistan’s three-wicket victory at Headingley, their first win against Australia for 15 years.Amir has gained praise from former great fast bowlers including Wasim Akram, while Asif has shown tremendous skill in controlling the swing even though he has lost pace in recent years. They have enjoyed bowling in overcast conditions, but are also capable of extracting reverse swing which could play a part against England.”The way Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul bowled was brilliant,” Butt told Cricinfo. “Without any doubt I can say that Amir and Asif are the best pair in the world at the moment and Gul with the old ball is the most dangerous because he bowls the best reverse swing that I’ve played in recent times. I am a lucky person to have such an armoury and they are Pakistan’s trump card in Pakistan’s successes in the recent past and for a long time in the future.”However, one of the key challenges facing Pakistan is to ensure their pace bowlers remain fit during a demanding schedule which will extend to six Test in six weeks once the England series concludes at the end of August. Although they have reserves in the squad, if either Asif or Amir are unable to play a match it will have a severe impact on Pakistan’s chances.”We will be talking to the bowlers. We have to look after each other,” Butt said. “But if somebody is feeling tired, disheartened, or if he feels there is any injury scare he can always come out and speak to me and the seniors. It is not only me, but the seniors and the team management who will sit and decide. It is not only this series but with the World Cup fast approaching we definitely have that, too, at the back of our minds so we will preserve key people but at the same time in the big games – Tests – we need to play our best team and plan accordingly.”Pakistan’s bowlers are without doubt their most dangerous asset because the batting remains hugely inexperienced with much resting on Butt himself. Umar Akmal’s performances against Australia suggested he has yet to realise the requirements of Test cricket, but Azhar Ali showed promise at No. 3 with a vital 51 during the tense run chase at Headingley.”He is a wonderful prospect,” Butt said. “He plays his cricket in his limits. He knows his shots, his scoring areas. In the four innings so far, three times he got out a very good ball which any good batsman might have found hard to negotiate as well. Azhar is a very good talent and if he can carry on this way he has the ability to stabilise the Pakistan batting. He proved that during the fourth innings at Headingley where he showed great temperament and resolve against the Aussies as well as a good technique in tough conditions.”But you should not forget Imran Farhat’s contribution,” Butt added. “He kept the scoring rate high and kept hitting the boundaries at the other end, which helped Azhar to not take pressure. So, full credit to Imran, who built the crucial partnership with Azhar in the run chase.”

Liam Norwell, an 18-year-old right-arm seamer, has been signed on a two-year contract by Gloucestershire

Cricinfo staff15-Jul-2010Liam Norwell, an 18-year-old right-arm seamer, has been signed on a two-year contract by Gloucestershire. Norwell has played cricket locally for Redruth CC since the age of 11, and was recently selected in the national Elite Player Development squad, who will play Sri Lanka Under-19 July 18 and 19 at Loughborough.”I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to play for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club as a professional cricketer,” said Norwell. “I have enjoyed being part of the Academy, it has given me great confidence and supported my development. I now look forward to being part of the GCCC squad to play Essex in the FP t20 tonight and working on improving my skills in the coming seasons.”I would like to thank my parents for their continued support and encouragement and also Pete Bolland, my coach at Redruth CC and teacher at Redruth Technology College, for his hard work and support.””It is tremendous news that Liam has agreed to a two-year contract as he is a young man with great physical attributes,” added John Bracewell, Gloucestershire’s director of cricket.”Our specialist coaching and physical development department will spend valuable time with Liam over the next two years which will allow him to put these attributes into practice. We see great long term potential in Liam’s ability to bowl a heavy ball.”

George Dobell at New Road16-Aug-2010
ScorecardJames Cameron showcased his talent with 95 to lift Worcestershire out of trouble•PA Photos

Had anyone suggested, this time last year, that Chris Tremlett would consistently lead the Surrey attack and push for an England recall, they would have been dismissed as insane. After all, Tremlett only managed ten wickets last season. He has taken just one five-wicket haul in the last four seasons and is said to be injury prone and lack heart.Yet Tremlett continues to provide a compelling case for a recall. Belying a typically slow and low New Road surface, he picked up another four wickets and earned his side the upper-hand in a game they simply must win if they are to sustain any hopes of promotion. He now has 34 championship scalps at just 20 apiece this campaign and is forcing the doubters to think again. There are no five-wicket hauls as yet – indeed there have only been seven in his career – but Tremlett is attracting the attention of the selectors once again. If England are looking for a back-up to Steve Finn and Stuart Broad, Tremlett may well be their man.He’s not quite the finished article. He perhaps doesn’t force the batsmen to play quite as much as he should, while a few too many deliveries pass harmlessly down the legside. And it is, of course, one thing to bowl in the genteel surroundings of New Road and quite another to do it in an Ashes Test at the MCG.But, when he gets it right, Tremlett really is a horrid proposition. In terms of generating life on flat wickets, he is pretty much unmatched. The delivery that dismissed the in-form Daryl Mitchell (who had scored 448 runs and been out just twice in the last two games) was a case in point: pitching just back of a good length, it reared horribly and took the shoulder of the bat on its way to second slip. Unplayable is an over-used word but, in this instance, it seems unavoidable.Tremlett’s hostility, combined with Gareth Batty’s guile, earned Surrey a strong position. At lunch, with Worcestershire on 106 for 5, it seemed the hosts’ brittle batting might be blown away. That they were not is due to two factors. The first was Surrey’s close catching, which requires attention, and the second was a century partnership between two young and inexperienced Worcestershire batsmen.James Cameron and Dave Wheeldon fought hard. Wheeldon, playing his tenth first-class match, took 65 to score his 65 overs, while Cameron, in just his seventh first-class game, showed both the application and technique to suggest he could have a decent future at this level. Together they added 105 in 36 overs.Wheeldon is not the sort of batsman to empty bars. Patient in the extreme, his game is built upon watchful defence and sensible accumulation. While he plays in the V, it’s generally the V between third-man and fine-leg. He did produce the rare flourish, however. Twice he launched into crunching square drives, while there was one memorable cut off Batty.For the main, however, he was happy to pick up his runs through nudges and deflections. Suffice it to say, his batting would be completely suitable for the pregnant or those with weak hearts.Cameron was more aggressive. Skipping down the pitch, he lofted Batty for boundaries over long-off, while he also cut the seamers well. A former Zimbabwe U19 player, he impressed while playing Grade cricket in Western Australia and was recommended to Worcestershire by David Houghton. As Cameron puts it, he had to leave Zimbabwe as there “was no future for us there,” but he admits he would have to think hard if the national selectors came calling.”The thought of playing international cricket would be great,” he said, “but it means I would have to go back to Zimbabwe and renounce my intentions of playing for England. It’s a bit early to think about that. In January I wouldn’t even have believed I’d be playing county cricket.”Well though the pair batted, Surrey may feel they squandered a great opportunity. Both men were reprieved early in their innings. Cameron, on 6, was missed by Stewart Walters off Tremlett at second slip, while Wheeldon was dropped by Matthew Spriegel at third slip when he’d scored just four. Had either chance been taken, Worcestershire would surely have struggled to make 200. A better short-leg fielder than Tom Lancefield might have swallowed one of numerous sharp chances offered off Batty, too.As it was, Worcestershire were grateful for the pair’s fortitude. Several of their top-order colleagues played more than a bit-part in their own downfall, with Moeen Ali leaving a straight one and Vikram Solanki’s loose drive beaten by a lovely, flighted off-break in Batty’s first over. It was a tame end to an innings that promised much.Having just resigned the captaincy, Solanki batted like a man freed from shackles, taking four boundaries from one Stuart Meaker over and looking in glorious form. Alexei Kervezee was bowled by a beauty that nipped back sharply, while Shakib Al Hasan over-balanced and played across a full one.Wheeldon’s defiance was eventually ended by a magnificent ball. Jade Dernbach, who might just have the best slower ball in the game, completely deceived Wheeldon with a beauty from the back of the hand that struck the bamboozled batsmen on the foot.Tremlett returned to lure Cameron, five short of a maiden century, into an edged drive that was taken by a juggling Walters at slip, while Ben Cox missed a sweep, Gareth Andrew missed a swipe and an intimidated Mason popped up a catch to short-leg.It is interesting to note, meanwhile, that both teams are fielding seven players aged under 25 in this game. Worcestershire have been obliged to select young players in order to maximise their income from the ECB (clubs receive incentives for fielding young players), while many of their more experienced performers have defected.As a result, they have sought to secure their brightest young players on long-term deals. Richard Jones, Alexei Kervezee and Adam Shantry have all signed recently and the club hope they will provide the nucleus of a decent side for years to come. While they remain on the search for seam bowlers, they are unlikely to sign any batsmen this winterSurrey, meanwhile, are in a rebuilding phase of their own. Not only have they decided to do without an overseas player for the rest of the season, but the omission of Usman Afzaal suggests he may be looking for a new county shortly. Their second XI, meanwhile, contains ten men aged under 21, though the club is expected to recruit once again this winter.

News filtering up from Old Trafford and Headingley that there will be negotiations to try and conjure results won’t have pleased Somerset as they struggled to break the back of Durham’s second innings

Andrew McGlashan at Chester-le-Street15-Sep-2010
ScorecardJames Hildreth’s hundred built a good lead for Somerset, but they struggled to break through with the ball•Getty Images

News filtering up from Old Trafford and Headingley that there will be negotiations to try and conjure results won’t have pleased Somerset as they struggled to break the back of Durham’s second innings. At the close the home side fought hard to reach 171 for 2, a lead of 31, and Somerset will have to work hard for the victory that would assure them the Championship pennant for the first time.Somerset’s batsmen did their job, led by James Hildreth’s seventh hundred of the season, as they became the first team to collect a full hand of batting bonus points at Chester-le-Street this summer. They built a lead of 140 and victory here would make any arrangements in Manchester and Leeds pointless, but Michael Di Venuto ensured Durham, for one more day the reigning champions, weren’t going down without a fight.Something else to throw into the equation is that the final day is 84 overs instead of the usual 96 because the side’s agreed to play four extra on each of the first three days so that Somerset can leave in time to catch a flight to London. They could be in the situation of leaving the ground without knowing whether the title is theirs or not. The ECB plan to present the trophy wherever it is won, too, so a helicopter could be useful.Any target at Old Trafford would have to heavily favour Lancashire, but crucially Nottinghamshire would be in with a chance, while Anthony McGrath has confirmed there will be a game at Headingly weather permitting. If Durham continue to bat stubbornly towards a draw it will come down to whether Marcus Trescothick can agree to a run-chase with Phil Mustard, the home captain. It would make for a gripping final few hours of the campaign.For much of the day Somerset continued to work their way into pole position. They kept up a brisk scoring rate throughout, initially with Peter Trego and then Hildreth took over with a mature innings with highlighted the strides he has made this season. His hundred came from 175 deliveries with 13 boundaries, with his pull shot proving especially powerful.Somerset could provide quite a few England Lions tourists this winter and Hildreth will top that list. He moved ahead of Marcus Trescothick as the team’s leading Championship run-scorer and when he clipped a three through midwicket it took Somerset to 400.Trego had carried on where he left off the previous evening as he rattled to a 46-ball half-century. He had one fortunate moment on 54 when a top-edged pull wasn’t gathered by Phil Mustard. When Ian Blackwell’s left-arm spin was introduced the batsmen began cautiously, but it didn’t take long for Trego to slog-sweep him over deep midwicket for six.The hundred partnership with Hildreth came off 22 overs but ended shortly afterwards when Trego was beaten by a ball from Liam Plunkett that kept a fraction low and got dragged onto leg stump. The onus then switched to Hildreth as the bonus points were notched up. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire could do nothing about it.James Buttler, who has enjoyed a prolific second half to the season and could well have caught the eye of England’s selectors, lived a slightly fortunate life alongside Hildreth. On 19 he was dropped at slip off Blackwell and the same bowler suffered again when Ruel Brathwaite dropped a sitter at mid-on after Buttler miscued a pull. Brathwaite is trying to impress the coaching staff at Durham during his two-week spell. His fielding won’t have helped.Durham, while trying to maintain their professionalism, started to wear the look of a team ready for the season to end. Buttler continued to play his shots and twice dispatched Blackwell through the leg side then edged Ben Harmison wide of the lone slip. Harmison, though, struck back shortly before lunch when he nipped one in to Buttler’s pads – although there was a hint it was missing leg – before Ben Phillips also fell lbw first ball to bring lunch.Hildreth, though, found a solid partner in Alfonso Thomas as the pair added 58 for the eighth wicket to secure all the batting points. Hildreth, looking to keep the scoring rate high, missed a swing at Brathwaite who then wrapped up the innings to finish with 3 for 93 to put the match back in the hands of Somerset’s bowlers.Phillips removed Mark Stoneman early when the left hander was plumb lbw, but the second-wicket stand proved tough to break as Di Venuto, who passed 1000 runs for the season, and Gordon Muchall added 113 in 30 overs. There was little in the pitch for the quicks and although Murali Kartik found a hint of turn it wasn’t alarming. Again, though, Trego showed his skill of taking vital wickets when he removed Muchall with one that kept low.Di Venuto and Harmison survived the final nine overs to close, albeit with a few alarms against Kartik who almost bowled Harmison. It all comes down to the final day.

Morne Morkel will not take part in South Africa’s second Twenty20 international against Zimbabwe in Kimberley on Sunday and could miss the subsequent ODI series

Firdose Moonda09-Oct-2010Morne Morkel will not take part in South Africa’s second Twenty20 international against Zimbabwe in Kimberley on Sunday and could miss the subsequent ODI series. The fast bowler has a “mild to moderate ankle sprain”, said team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee.Morkel sustained the injury while fielding, after bowling just two overs in the first T20 in Bloemfontein on Friday. He was taken off the park and had an ice pack applied to his right ankle immediately. “The medical staff did the right thing by icing him quickly because he has had problems with his ankle in the past,” Moosajee said. Morkel previously suffered an ankle injury in December 2008, when he fell on his ankle after bowling the first ball in a tour match against Western Australia.The injury, according to Moosajee, has been diagnosed Grade One or Two but a more thorough conclusion will be reached on Monday. Morkel will undergo a scan in Bloemfontein, where the squad will be preparing for the ODI series against Zimbabwe, which starts on October 15.”He is going to stay with the team, although we expect him to be out for 10 to 14 days, which means he may miss the three matches against Zimbabwe,” Moosajee said. Should that happen, it would leave South Africa without their two premier strike bowlers, since Dale Steyn is still recovering from concussion and swelling on the lower back, an injury he suffered while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Champions League Twenty20.Moosajee said the idea is to have both bowlers fit in time to play Pakistan. South Africa travel to the United Arab Emirates to play Pakistan in two T20s, five ODIs and two Tests. The tour starts on October 26.Lonwabo Tsotsobe is the most likely candidate to replace Morkel in South Africa’s starting eleven.

Brendan Nash, the West Indies vice-captain, said taking early wickets was the key to West Indies’ push for a win against Sri Lanka

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle16-Nov-2010Brendan Nash, the West Indies vice-captain, said taking early wickets was the key to West Indies’ push for a win against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle. Nash scored 64 and shared a record fourth-wicket partnership of 167 with triple-century maker Chris Gayle to strengthen West Indies’ position.”We are on top at the moment, 500-plus ahead,” Nash said. “Sri Lanka is used to scoring big runs so we have to be tight. We have a young bowling attack, experience-wise. On this sort of wicket with the batsmen to come, we have to be really on our game and stick to our game plan. Early wickets are the key and the spinners are going to play a big part as their spinners did. There’s not much in it for the seam bowlers.”Nash said that it was a privilege batting with Gayle who went on to make a career-best 333. Gayle became the highest scoring West Indian batsman in the subcontinent and the fourth batsman in history to make two triple-hundreds. “Chris really summed it up quite well. He knew when to attack and when to pull back a little bit,” Nash said. “That was maybe (because of) the way the wicket played, and they bowled very well in patches.”We didn’t have target in mind but I tried to keep him going. The conditions for him were changing. He’s been out there from ball one and I tried to just keep him mentally going and physically tried to hold him up.” Nash said the few targets West Indies had set for themselves they had met but expressed disappointment the way the last five wickets were lost.Spinner Ajantha Mendis captured five wickets for 13 runs off 46 balls to trigger a West Indies collapse. He ended with six wickets for 169. “Mendis bowled very well. We sort of have to look at him and work out a bit of a game plan against him when the wickets breaking up a little bit and a bit drier.”Probably the runs we would have liked a little more but Sri Lanka slowed the game down very well. Tactically they played very well. The amount of overs we batted were right because we wanted to keep the game moving forward and didn’t want it to peter out to be a draw. That’s why we set ourselves how many overs we wanted to bat and we wanted a few more runs admittedly but it was good in a way we batted to all our targets.”

Sri Lanka’s series-winning hangover allowed Australia to end their seven-match losing streak as Clint McKay and Mitchell Starc set up the eight-wicket victory

The Bulletin by Peter English at the Gabba07-Nov-2010

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsClint McKay’s 5 for 33 floored Sri Lanka and ensured an easy victory for the hosts•Getty Images

Sri Lanka’s series-winning hangover allowed Australia to end their seven-match losing streak as Clint McKay and Mitchell Starc set up the eight-wicket victory. The result meant Australia avoided their worst sequence of defeats and gave them a much-needed boost with the Ashes starting on November 25.Despite the strength of their performance, Australia’s opponents were not fully focused after achieving their first series win Down Under on Friday. McKay gained his maiden five-wicket haul and Starc picked up his first four international wickets as Sri Lanka fell to 115 on a bouncy surface with only a hint of green.Kumar Sangakkara won the toss, batted and was soon regretting the decision. Only two batsmen reached double figures and 25 extras, including 14 wides, boosted the total in front of only 9,037 spectators. The total was the worst crowd for an ODI involving Australia at the Gabba.The local batsmen had no real problems in their reply and Shane Watson (15) and Brad Haddin (31) were the only casualties, both going to Dilhara Fernando (2 for 47). Michael Clarke, who was in charge during Sri Lanka’s stunning win in Melbourne, made sure of the win in the 22nd over, with his glide for four taking him to 50 off 51 balls.Clarke peaked with back-to-back boundaries off Thisara Perara and lofted a straight six off Suraj Randiv shortly before the finish. The innings ended a difficult week for Clarke and gave him something to smile about.McKay’s three early strikes floored the tourists and Starc, the 20-year-old left-armer in his second ODI, did not let them get up as the batsmen lasted only 32 overs. McKay’s damaging burst left the visitors at 3 for 14 in the fifth over and he returned to mop up Randiv and Perera to grab 5 for 33 off nine. Starc stepped in during his second spell to prevent a recovery on the way to a highly encouraging 4 for 27 off nine.McKay produced a double-wicket maiden in the third over of the match and followed up with another breakthrough in his next effort. Aided by the extra lift, McKay forced Tillakaratne Dilshan (1) to pop a simple catch to Michael Hussey at square leg and then watched Sangakkara (0) aim a big drive and edge behind.Mahela Jayawardene was also keen to attack but his thicker nick was taken by Cameron White at second slip. Upul Tharanga (28) resisted for a while before being lbw to Watson and then it was Starc’s turn to collect his first victim, with Angelo Mathews playing on for 9.Starc didn’t have to wait long for his second breakthrough, which came when Jeevan Mendis (5) nicked a shorter ball to Haddin. Chamara Silva had been in charge of Sri Lanka’s fightback but he inside-edged Starc and was bowled for 33, ending Sri Lanka’s hopes of a decent total.The tail didn’t last long and the innings was over when Lasith Malinga swung Starc to deep midwicket. Sri Lanka, who were without Nuwan Kulasekara and Muttiah Muralitharan, came to Australia aiming for a first series win here and deserved their overall success, but they will be disappointed with the way the drought-breaking trip ended.

The Kochi franchise will be a part of the IPL in 2011, the league’s governing council has said after a meeting in Mumbai on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2010The Kochi franchise’s new ownership pattern has passed scrutiny and the team will feature in the fourth edition of the IPL, which begins on April 8. After receiving the new ownership pattern from the Kochi consortium last Sunday, the IPL had deferred the final decision by a week. Today, after a two-hour long meeting that was attended by some of the Kochi owners, the IPL said it was satisfied with the submissions and assurances from the consortium.”The IPL governing council confirmed that the Kochi franchisee had satisfactorily responded to the notice issued to them by the BCCI, and decided that the franchisee Kochi Cricket Pvt Ltd, would play in the IPL from 2011 onwards,” the BCCI said in a release after the meeting.The decision means that the IPL in 2011 will have at least eight teams, while uncertainty continues over the fate of the two franchises that were terminated – Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. An arbitrator has since passed a stay order on Rajasthan’s termination while the hearing of Punjab’s appeal was stalled because the same arbitrator stepped down citing a conflict of interest.”For the moment the IPL will have eight teams, until the courts decide on Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, which have entered into legal battles with the BCCI after they were terminated,” an IPL official told ESPNcricinfo.It was the fourth time the governing council was meeting to discuss whether to retain the faction-ridden Kochi franchise, which suffered from disputes right from its inception because of a tussle for ownership between the promoters and the investors. Annoyed and dissatisfied by the franchise’s inability to sort out the internal problems, the IPL served a termination notice to Kochi on October 27, giving it a 30-day deadline to respond and explain why it should not be scrapped. The franchise was given two extensions before it finally submitted its restructured ownership pattern on November 28.The investors in the Kochi consortium include corporate firms Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Anand Shyam Estates and Film Wave – which held 74% of the equity according to the original shareholding structure when they won the bid. The remaining 26% had been given to the family of Gaikwads – Shailendra, his brother Ravi and their parents plus a few others, all part of Rendezvous Sports – as free equity for services rendered in successfully bidding for the franchise.

Chris Woakes proved another perfect call-up from England as he hit an unbeaten 19 from No. 9 to secure a one-wicket victory at Adelaide

Andrew McGlashan at the Adelaide Oval12-Jan-2011Paul Collingwood, the England captain, had never seen Chris Woakes bat before his match-winning innings against Australia in the opening Twenty20 and went on the advice of coach Andy Flower as to which position the debutant should take. It proved another perfect decision from Flower as Woakes hit an unbeaten 19 from No. 9 to secure a one-wicket victory at Adelaide.Woakes, 21, earned his chance in the Twenty20 and one-day squads after Stuart Broad’s stomach injury picked up during the second Ashes Test ruled him out of action until at least the World Cup. It wasn’t expected that Woakes would play a major role but he was given an outing against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra then preferred to Chris Tremlett in the Twenty20 side. Now he could yet be making a late bid for World Cup selection.His batting talent has been evident in county cricket where he averages 27.24 in first-class cricket with two hundreds and holds a Twenty20 strike-rate of 146.15. However, it was a supreme effort to pull his fourth ball in international cricket from Shaun Tait, the fastest bowler in the world, for six then hold his nerve in the final over. To make it even sweater for Woakes, the six had followed a few verbals from Tait who had tried to unsettle the new kid.”It was incredible,” Collingwood said. “Tait had given him some jip the ball before and he’s just said he was expecting it to be a bit short and he got it out the middle. He thinks about the game as well and that’s crucial.”It was a fantastic performance by him. To be honest I hadn’t seen much of his batting, Andy Flower said he was a serious batter. Graeme Swann was a bit disappointed he was ahead of him but as soon as he hit that six off Tait, Swanny just doffed his cap at Andy and understood why he was behind him. He looks a serious batter as well, you can say he’s a true allrounder.”To have a youngster come in a lead us home like that, I don’t think we should be leaving it up to him. We never like to leave it up to the bowlers. It’s great the bowlers can bat like that, but it’s up to one of the batsmen to see the team home.”Cameron White, Australia’s new Twenty20 captain, found a succinct way of describing Woakes’s hit off Tait. “It was a hell of a shot,” he said. “When England needed a big shot they found it.”Woakes is the latest example of a player slotting seamlessly into this confident England unit and it shows the benefits of having a cohesive unit. In the Test series Tremlett and Tim Bresnan were drafted in with immediate results, while over the last 12 months Steven Finn and Eoin Morgan have also made impressive Test debuts.There was no hiding from the action in the field, either, with Woakes given the first over the match by his captain. He conceded just four but was taken for 14 off the next by Shane Watson and David Warner, yet returned to bowl the 13th and 15th overs for a total of 16 and take the key wicket of Cameron White.”There was a lot of pressure. Even though you only have 24 balls to bowl you have the likes of Shane Watson trying to smack you out the park,” Collingwood said. “I thought when he came back for those couple of overs he was superb at a critical moment. It looks as though he enjoys the pressure.”The victory gave England their eighth Twenty20 success in a row which set a new world record and one that Collingwood believes won’t be touched in a long time. “It means a lot. We always say we want to create history, it’s a new form of the game but, let me tell you, eight wins in this form of the game is something very special,” he said. “It only takes one performance to take it away from you like Shane Watson nearly did tonight. I can’t see many teams getting close to that in the future.”