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Vernon Philander has said he and Kagiso Rabada “owe it to” the injured Dale Steyn to take extra responsibility in his absence and win the Perth Test for South Africa

Firdose Moonda in Perth04-Nov-2016Vernon Philander’s parting words to his new-ball partner Dale Steyn were a promise: that Philander would do everything in his power to try and finish the job Steyn started and return home with a series win. Steyn will play no further part in the Tests after fracturing his right shoulder and Philander has taken it on himself to lead the pack.”Losing big players leaves a big gap but there’s always an opportunity for someone else to step up,” Philander said. “In this game KG [Kagiso Rabada] and myself will have to step up. That serves as motivation for us to step up and deliver. Dale’s done it for a long time and we owe it to him.”So far, Philander has followed through. He took four for 56 in an exceptional second-day spell in which he found subtle seam movement and admitted he knew it would be up to him to ensure Australia did not get too far away. “Dale’s been the leader of this attack for a very long time and it’s sad to see him go down like that. We had a job to do and that was to get the Aussies out as cheaply as possible, and it was a job well done by the rest of the bowlers,” Philander said. “It’s a responsibility that will be well taken by the rest of the team and the squad. We want to win this game for Dale as well.”Steyn made one mark on the match though – and it may yet to prove to be the most important – when he had David Warner caught at slip on 97 and sparked the Australian collapse. Although Warner may be secretly pleased he does not have to see Steyn for the rest of the series, he will miss the contest. “I am disappointed for Dale. After all the amp and the talk before the series, I know how pumped he would have been to play a big role. It is disappointing for him,” Warner said. “I hope he can get back on the park and play the competitive cricket that we’ve seen him play.”Warner remains wary of a South African attack that has already shown it can bowl Australia out sans Steyn and despite depleted resources. He mentioned less than 300 as a target the Australians think might give them a chance but cautioned against getting too excited by South Africa being a man down.”We have to respect each individual. There are two very good fast bowlers there and we’ve seen the wickets they can take,” Warner said. “We can’t look too far ahead. In this match, we still have to bowl well and then bat again but we know know that if we get through that first period with the new ball, they will have to revert to spin.”

The BCCI Special General Meeting, during which the board will elect a new president, has been scheduled for October 4 in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-20152:45

Ugra: A half ‘yes’ from Manohar

The BCCI Special General Meeting, during which the board will elect a new president, has been scheduled for October 4 in Mumbai. Nominations for post of president, left vacant by the death of Jagmohan Dalmiya on September 20, have to be filed on October 3.Shashank Manohar has emerged the frontrunner for the position after receiving the support of Bharatiya Janata Party, the political outfit that runs the federal government in India and wields significant influence in BCCI matters. There are also indications from the board that Manohar is likely to be elected unanimously.According to a PTI report, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said on the sidelines of the South Africans’ tour game in Delhi: “Shashank Manohar is our consensus candidate.” Thakur did not specify who the group he was referring to was, though. He also said, “N Srinivasan can come and vote at the SGM.”Over the last week, there has been relentless speculation over the candidature with Sharad Pawar’s name doing the rounds at one point, after he was formally backed by N Srinivasan. The proposed alliance, however, fizzled out after some of Pawar’s allies in the West Zone remained opposed to any kind of arrangement with Srinivasan.The East Zone units, which were earlier keen on having their own candidate replace Dalmiya, have subsequently softened their stand.

Western Australia completed a stirring comeback victory over Tasmania on the final morning of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2013
Scorecard
Western Australia completed a stirring comeback victory over Tasmania on the final morning of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground.The Warriors needed only a further six runs to win and they were polished off by the No. 10 Burt Cockley, playing his first Shield match for his adopted state after moving from New South Wales.Ashton Agar was at the other end, his unbeaten 71 pivotal to WA’s win after being bowled out for a mere 97 in the first innings.WA’s win keeps the within sight of the Shield leaders with two rounds remaining, but the Tigers’ bid to make a third consecutive final is now faltering.

Alastair Cook has warned his England colleagues that they face a
thorough examination of their character if they are to avoid the
humiliation of a 3-0 series whitewash against Pakistan

George Dobell in Dubai04-Feb-2012Alastair Cook has warned his England colleagues that they face a
thorough examination of their character if they are to avoid the
humiliation of a 3-0 series whitewash against Pakistan.The teams will resume on day three of the third Test with Pakistan
having already built a lead of 180 with eight second-innings wickets
in hand. Younis Khan (115 not out) and Azhar Ali (75 not out) have so
far added 194 runs for Pakistan’s third wicket and, in a low-scoring
series in which England’s batsmen have posted a total over 200 just
once, the tourists will have to produce a much-improved performance to
avoid another defeat. Pakistan have already earned an unassailable 2-0
lead in the series.Cook, perhaps worn down by experience, did not sound full of
confidence about the struggle to come, but insisted that England’s
pride and professionalism would ensure they fought hard to deny
Pakistan victory and retain England’s position as the top-ranked Test
side. If England lose this series 3-0 and South Africa subsequently
beat New Zealand by the same margin, then South Africa will leapfrog
England for the No. 1 position.”We all know we’re a very long way behind in this game,” Cook said.
“But if we sit here and say ‘well, we’ve lost this
game already’ then we might as well give Pakistan victory right now.
If we’re thinking that in our dressing-room, we might as well just not
bother turning up.”It will take some serious guts to drag ourselves out of this. But
there are some bloody good players in that dressing-room, and I hope
we can stand up. Anything is possible, but it’s going to take a lot of
mental toughness to deliver it.”Cook accepted that England’s batsmen had endured a grim tour to date –
none of the side are averaging as much as 30, while the middle order
of Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen are all averaging under
11 – but admitted that their repeated failures were starting to
frustrate the entire squad.Younis Khan expects a better response from England on an improved track for batting•Getty Images

“We have had our struggles on this tour and it is going to take some
serious character from the top six to turn it around. I
know we’ve got the players in there. But there’s only so many times
you can keep saying that – we’re going to have to get out there and do
it.”It has been very frustrating, and we haven’t played to the standards
we know we can. But we never once thought, just because of what
happened over the last two years, we’d turn up and wipe the floor with
everyone.”Twenty-two wickets fell in the first four sessions of the match but, since
then, Younis and Azhar have batted for 72 overs without giving a
chance. While Cook accepted that the Pakistan batsmen had played very
well, he also felt that the pitch had eased.”The pitch characteristics have changed. There were less
wicket-taking balls around than there were yesterday. It was quite
easy to see that.”But they didn’t give us a chance in those last two sessions, and
played very well. When they came in, they were still 20 runs behind us
– and we had a really good opportunity to take a couple more wickets.
If we had got them 50 for 4, we would have been right in the game.
But now they have given us a real mountain to climb. We tried a lot of
things. But Younis took the attack to us. He was never reckless, but
he never let the bowlers settle into any type of rhythm.”Younis agreed that conditions had eased for batsmen, but also said
that his anger at his first-innings dismissal had inspired him in the
second innings. He also said he expected a tough fight from England
over the closing sessions of the series.”The pitch is much better for batting,” he said. “The first day was
difficult with the ball seaming around. It seems like a totally
different pitch now.”I was very angry about how I got myself out in the first innings.
Seriously angry. So I decided to play more positively and I had a very
good partner, who has a fantastic technique and plays according to the
situation.”England tried their best, but we have the edge on them. England
have fantastic players and they are No. 1 in the world, so it
won’t be easy for us. There could be a fightback, but they will need
some luck.”

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said that he is confident about having a corruption-free World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2011Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said that he is confident about having a corruption-free World Cup, especially after the anti-corruption tribunal’s verdict that banned three Pakistan players on charges of spot-fixing.”I am confident for two reasons,” Lorgat told the . “The main one is that the vast majority of players are honest players. They do play the game in the spirit that it should be played. They are not seeking to make gains out of untoward means.”Secondly, we are alive to what could come to the fore in terms of corruption. We have measures in place, and people forget we had been tracking this long before the had broken the story.Lorgat said the ICC was having discussions at appropriate levels about whether gambling could be legalised on the sub-continent, where cricket has long been under the spectre of illegal bookies and betting. “I agree with the notion that if it is regulated, it is a lot better than if it is not regulated. We have made inquiries, and these are the things we are working towards.”Since the spot-fixing scandal broke last year, Lorgat said that the ICC had increased its anti-corruption staff, and were now “more vigilant around leads we pick up.”Lorgat has said that the punishments handed out were severe enough, and felt that it would
deter players in future. “I think it would take someone very brave not to take heed of what has happened.”In legal terms, you have to be proportionate when you mete out punishment. We must distinguish between match-fixing and spot-fixing. This is a very experienced group of judges. They have enormous experience and expertise, and they are independent. They have applied their minds and decided on what is a proportionate sanction.”

Wayamba retained the Inter-provincial Twenty20 title for the third time after a clinical performance in the final outplaying Ruhuna in all three departments of the game at Moratuwa

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Mar-2010
Scorecard
Mahela Jayawardene’s 91 off 49 balls stole the show•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Wayamba retained the Inter-provincial Twenty20 title for the third time after a clinical performance in the final, outplaying Ruhuna in all three departments of the game at Moratuwa. Two Sri Lankan stars, Mahela Jayawardene and Ajantha Mendis, were the heroes for Wayamba.Former captain Jayawardene continued his brilliant form in the tournament with 91 off 49 balls, which included six sixes and 10 fours. After Ruhuna had asked Wayamba to bat, Jayawardene and his in-form opening partner Jeevantha Kulatunga got the team off to a flying start with a stand of 89 in 7.4 overs. Despite the loss of Kulatunga for 26, Jayawardene kept Wayamba in top gear during short partnerships with captain Jehan Mubarak (21) and Janith Perera (34) which set them up for a 200-plus score.Facing a tall target, Ruhuna lost captain Upul Tharanga for a duck off the second ball of the chase. They fumbled in their attempt to maintain the required run-rate of ten runs an over, with Sanath Jayasuriya’s exit for 9 pegging them back further. After opening bowlers Chanaka Welegedara and Isuru Udana had limited Ruhuna’s run-rate by grabbing the first three wickets, Sri Lanka spinner Mendis ran through the middle order, taking 4 for 9 off 3.2 overs. Ruhuna folded for 113.Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal provided the only resistance, hitting 64 off 33 balls before being seventh out at 105, unable to keep pace with the asking-rate, which had by then risen to almost 15 an over. It was small compensation for him when he won the Batsman-of-the-Tournament award.Wayamba, led by Jehan Mubarak, finished unbeaten, winning all seven matches including the final and looked the most complete side throughout the tournament. Kulatunga, who scored the only century of the tournament, was named Player of the Series.

South Africa will play three ODIs, one Test and three T20Is in Bengaluru and Chennai

Shashank Kishore and Nagraj Gollapudi03-May-2024India is set to host South Africa for a multi-format women’s tour in June-July. ESPNcricinfo has learnt Bengaluru will host the white-ball leg, beginning with three ODIs from June 16, while Chennai will host the one-off Test starting June 28.The three T20Is will be played after the Test, with a view to ensure continuity in formats ahead of the T20 World Cup that is set to be held in Bangladesh in September-October. The ODIs will be played on June 16, 19 and 23, the T20Is on July 5, 7 and 9.The six white-ball games were part of the ICC’s women’s FTP. Both series, along with a visit from New Zealand, were supposed to be played between July and September last year but had to be postponed due to the men’s ODI World Cup and logistics.The one-off Test wasn’t part of the FTP. It was a late addition, as part of CSA and the BCCI’s recent push to promote women’s Tests.This will be the third Test India will play in seven months, having played against England and Australia in December. Those two Tests came on the back of a significant development aimed at taking the “first step towards tackling discrimination” with the BCCI announcing equal match fees for centrally contracted male and female cricketers.Meanwhile, South Africa, who broke their eight-year hiatus from the format when they played in England in June 2022, last played a four-day game in February in Perth, where they lost to Australia by an innings and 284 runs.The tour is also a significant step in the BCCI’s aim to take women’s cricket to newer centres. For the past few years, the BCCI has preferred to host teams across multiple venues in Mumbai citing logistical reasons. They broke away from that norm with the WPL earlier this year, with games held in Bengaluru and Delhi.The three ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which will give direct qualifications to the top four teams, apart from the hosts, for the 2025 ODI World Cup, which will be held in India. South Africa are currently second on that table.

“It is very difficult to balance the side at the moment. I am not 100% sure if Shakib would be able to bowl”

Mohammad Isam18-Dec-2022Shakib Al Hasan is likely to play the Dhaka Test as a pure batter after he was unable to bowl post the first day in Chattogram. Head coach Russell Domingo said that they would have difficulty in balancing the side if that was the case, but would be happy having Shakib as batter and captain as they try to level the series.”He could play as a batter [only],” Domingo said after Bangladesh lost the first Test. “Obviously he didn’t bowl enough overs. He is still struggling with his shoulder and [ribcage] bruising. It left us with four bowlers – a big blow for us.”Ebadot [Hossain] broke down [too], so we were stuck with three bowlers. It is very difficult to balance the side at the moment. I am not 100% sure if Shakib would be able to bowl. He is definitely available to play as a batter, which is an issue for us. We need an allrounder.”Related

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Shakib made 84 in the second innings in Chattogram, getting out trying to slog Kuldeep Yadav as he looked for quick runs even as Bangladesh kept losing wickets at the other end on the fifth morning. The hosts eventually lost the match by 188 runs but Shakib’s batting was one of the few bright spots in the game.Domingo said that Shakib has shown that despite his “laidback” demeanour, he is hungry to perform in Tests. The topic came up for discussion after Shakib was not seen on the field for certain periods during India’s first innings, but Domingo believes Shakib wants to continue to play Tests.”It is a tricky question. It is a good question,” he said. “He comes across as very laidback, but when he is in the contest, he has pride in performance. Looking from the outside, you may think, ‘Does he really care?’. But I know that he has a lot of pride in performances. He doesn’t want to be embarrassed out there. He is competing 100%.”Bangladesh have brought on left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed as cover for Shakib, who is unlikely to bowl in the second Test. But Shakib’s fitness aside, they have other worries too – specifically with the bat. They were folded for 150 after India posted 404 in the first innings, before performing much better with the bat on the fourth day. However, late wickets meant survival would be difficult while chasing an improbable 513.Russell on debutant Zakir Hasan: “It was a no-brainer to pick him due to his confidence and form”•AFP/Getty Images

Domingo said that their top order “isn’t confident”, but the inclusion of Zakir Hasan was a timely one, as he brought recent runs from domestic and A cricket.”We wanted to compete. India is a good side, but once again, one bad session with the bat destroyed our chance in the match,” Domingo said. “Four-hundred is a good score, but it is manageable in Chittagong. We shouldn’t have been bowled out for 150 in the first innings. The most disappointing thing is the poor decision making from the batters.”There’s a lack of confidence in the top order. They are not managing to find a way to get out of the slump. There’s a whole host of players in the top five or six that haven’t played well or been as consistent as I had hoped. The young player who hasn’t played Tests with us is confident at the moment. He has shown us how to do it. He played really well.”Domingo was particularly disappointed at the timing of Litton Das’ dismissal on the fourth evening. He had built a nice defensive approach but six minutes before the tea break, dinked one straight to mid-on, playing what seemed like a half-hearted loft of Kuldeep.”I was disappointed with Litton’s dismissal, particularly the timing of it,” he said. “He is such a good player, so I am sure he’d be disappointed with it too. I can’t see Virat, Root, Smith or Marnus giving their wicket away in that sort of mode six minutes before tea. Litton is that good for us.”Domingo also explained that Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque were dropped due to lack of form.”It is based on the fact that domestically and for the A side, [Joy] hasn’t really got a lot of runs off late,” he said. “He hasn’t played international cricket for five to six months. It was a no-brainer to pick Zakir due to his confidence and form. That’s why Joy missed out.”Mominul got 10 of his 11 hundreds at this venue. He’d be the first to admit that in the last year, he hasn’t got the runs. But he is too good a player to not have around. You cannot lose a player of Mominul’s quality. He will definitely be considered for the second Test.”Mominul lacks confidence. He is under constant scrutiny, [and] pressure. He probably is trying too hard, listening to a lot of opinions, [and] trying a lot of things. He needs to go back to find his own to get runs. Some of the best players in the world have gone through slumps.”

Welsh Fire beaten for third game running after losing key moments against experienced visitors

ECB Reporters' Network06-Aug-2021A quickfire 46 from Samit Patel and a superb spell of death bowling from Wahab Riaz took Trent Rockets to the top of the Hundred table as they brushed aside the Welsh Fire in Cardiff.Fire had looked set for a very big total after a 72-run stand between Glenn Phillips and Leus du Plooy, but Wahab brought Rockets back into the game at the death.The early dismissal of D’Arcy Short and a cluster of wickets in the middle of Rockets’ innings had given the Fire hope of defending the 140-run target but Patel’s intelligent innings took the Rockets to a straightforward win. Victory takes Rockets to eight points, two points clear of the chasing pack with three group matches still to play.Fire lost two early wickets with Tom Banton and Ian Cockbain both falling inside the Powerplay. Phillips and Ben Duckett looked to rebuild after the loss of both openers, taking the fire to 53 before Duckett was the third wicket to fall when he skied a catch off Steven Mullaney to Riaz.That brought together du Plooy and Phillips who put on the biggest stand of the match. Phillips brought up his first half-century of the competition from just 34 balls. Unfortunately for the home team he could not go on from there, falling to the very next ball.With Phillips and du Plooy well set Fire were eyeing up a total 150 or more. That became 139 for 8 at the end of their 100 balls thanks to a superb final 10 from Wahab Riaz in which he conceded just 11 runs and claimed three wickets.Rockets looked to build a solid platform at the start of their innings, reaching 31 for 1 at the end of their Powerplay. Qais Ahmad removed Dawid Malan and Alex Hales while Mullaney fell to David Payne, giving Fire a chance of defending the total. But Patel and Lewis Gregory put on an undefeated stand of 69 from just 33 balls to take their side to victory.Gregory was bowed by Payne with 25 still needed but a no-ball was picked up by the third umpire and the Rockets pair quickly finished the job in Matt Milnes’ next set.Patel’s innings included five sixes, including a big shot over the bowler’s head to win the game. Rockets won by six wickets with 10 balls to spare and they are very well placed to claim one of the three spots in the latter stages of the tournament.

“At the moment our main thrust is safeguarding the payers and staff – because without them we have nothing”

Umar Farooq15-Apr-2020The PCB, in a bid to deal with a possible funds’ crunch because of the Covid-19 pandemic, has decided not to spend on the infrastructure at its stadia and save in the region of Rs 5 billion ($29,943,185 approx.), which could be used to safeguard the interests and well-being of its cricketers and staff members. A plan is being chalked out to prepare for the worst-case scenario, in case cricket operations are hit for the next two years.”Our No. 1 priority is to protect the players and staff,” Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, said in a podcast on Tuesday. “Realistically, we won’t make any plans that aren’t attainable, but our message is clear with assurances that we will protect you as much as [we] can. We will safeguard the interest of the cricketers. There will be a cost impact, but there won’t be any unusual cuts. As far as contracts are concerned, they are performance-based, and selectors have to take a call; but we are not cutting down any domestic and international contract. In fact, if our initiative becomes a success and in next couple of years when cricket resumes, I feel we have to pay our players more.”Pakistan’s professional cricketers are already among the lowest-paid in world cricket, as Mani acknowledged, but he intends to bring the pay at par with international standards. “Just compare to the rest of the world, take an example of England – a player playing all three formats earns $1 million and our slab comparatively is very low,” he said. “We might not be able to bring our players to the range in the foreseeable future, but we need to make sure that our cricketers are paid competitively in the industry. They are our elite sportsmen, they deserve to be paid more than what they are presently being paid.”It will take time and I am not going to make false promises but this is one of the priorities to make Pakistan cricket stronger and for that, we have to make it financially viable for the people who come into the game. We are working towards that but at the moment our main thrust is safeguarding the payers and staff – because without them we have nothing.”Cricket in Pakistan, similar to other parts of the world, has come to a standstill since the pandemic led to large parts of the world locking down. The PCB headquarters is closed as the operational staff are working from their homes, while cricketers have been given guidelines on how to keep fit while in isolation. There is a very real fear of finances being hit, and the PCB admitted that it will start getting worse after a year or so.ALSO READ: PCB chairman Ehsan Mani warns of financial fallout if Covid-19 disrupts T20 World Cup“We have to redefine our priorities,” Mani said. “Pakistan is the only board in the world which runs stadiums and people think that this isn’t a big deal. The infrastructure, its maintenance, and keeping it upgraded with time – so this is a lot. We had neglected stadiums in the last nine-ten years when [international] cricket wasn’t happening and we spent up to 3 billion [$17,965,911 approx.] on the Karachi and Rawalpindi stadiums. We are not going to do this anymore. We now have to reassess where and how to invest. Our biggest problem going ahead is to protect players and for the sake of it, we have to discard many things, put few of our plans on back burner and move ahead until there is no clarity.”Technically, in next two years we are supposed to spend around Rs 4 to 5 billion [$23,954,548 to $29,943,185 approx.] on our stadiums which we won’t be doing. By not spending this money on infrastructure, we can run our cricket easily without external pressures. But if it goes on for more than the time we expect, then it is going to impact badly and it will be a collateral damage. We are in a way fortunate that our home season was coming to an end. In the short-term impact, we had our last few of the PSL games postponed, the final leg of Bangladesh series and one domestic tournament [affected].”Medium-term impact we might have on our tours to Europe [Ireland, Netherlands and England] and preparation for the tour might become an issue if it goes on like this. It also depends on a larger degree what are the circumstances in the host countries and if these series are disrupted, our players will [be] going to suffer with a lack of cricket. They will also will have a huge financial impact and rescheduling the series fitting in the FTP will become a big challenge. If cricket in Pakistan doesn’t start until March next year, then it’s a medium-term challenge we are going to face.”Going forward to the end of next year is going to be even a bigger challenge… because England and Australia are slotted to come and if they do not… there are a lot of threats for Pakistan. Managing the tours and their finances, taking care of our main stakeholders – players, staff – protecting their jobs and their well-being is foremost. So for the preparation ahead to deal with the challenges, I have told my finance department to prepare for the worst and hope for the best because preparation is in our control but events are not.”The idea of playing to empty stands hasn’t appealed to Pakistan as Mani said that it’s not just the empty seats, there were other elements that couldn’t be ignored. “Teams still have to travel in planes, and one risk starts there. Second: staying at hotels, taking local transport, so only empty stadium isn’t the answer. All the logistic arrangements involved are also to be looked in [as to] how this is manageable.”