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Boundaries flowed in Hobart but Paddy Dooley played a key role with the ball to deny a former Tasmania player

AAP31-Oct-2023Caleb Jewell’s century laid the foundation for Tasmania’s 28-run win over Queensland in a high-scoring Marsh Cup clash.Jewell’s run-a-ball 137 enabled Tasmania to post a mammoth 376 for 8 before the left-arm spin of Paddy Dooley (2-47) put the screws on the Bulls’ run chase at Blundstone Arena.A magnificent 143 from 112 deliveries by Queensland opener Ben McDermott against his former team wasn’t enough to get the Bulls home as they were dismissed for 348 with one delivery of their innings remaining.The visitors were 258 for 1 in the 35th over and on track for victory but Tasmania skipper Jordan Silk used crafty Dooley and the rest of his bowlers superbly, with Joe Burns run out for 2 at a crucial moment. Queensland captain Jimmy Peirson lacked support in the final 10 overs to get his side home.Veteran Matthew Wade was due to return for Tasmania from a two-match suspension for slamming his bat on the pitch during the Marsh Cup-loss to Victoria in September. A back complaint forced his late withdrawal and Charlie Wakim was a late inclusion at No. 3.Wakim made the most of his chance and combined with Jewell to add 158 for the second wicket. Jewell punished the ball square of the wicket and was masterful at cashing in on the short boundary on one side of the pitch.Silk was in complete control when he joined Jewell. His innings was highlighted by a memorable short-arm jab over midwicket off James Bazley and a glorious cover drive to the boundary off Gurinder Sandhu.Queensland made a statement early in the run chase with openers McDermott and Sam Heazlett reaching 100 in the 11th over. Heazlett was caught and bowled by Dooley, the pick of the bowlers on either side on a day dominated by the bat.McDermott went to his half-century from just 30 deliveries and celebrated by walloping Nathan Ellis over mid-on and out of the ground.His century, off just 75 balls, was highlighted by shots all around the ground but when Beau Webster dismissed the former Tasmania player with an offcutter they lifted their intensity and dried up the runs.

South Africa promise to be potent foes as Buttler’s men brace after 48-hour turnaround

Vithushan Ehantharajah18-Jul-2022

Big picture

In many ways, the Ben Stokes farewell ODI at Durham will be a welcome distraction for England.Two series defeats to India, both 2-1, the last of which, in the 50-over format, was confirmed on Sunday in a comprehensive five-wicket defeat at Emirates Old Trafford, has made life after Eoin Morgan seem a little tougher sooner than most anticipated. And unfortunately for the ones who had to take the team on after their skipper’s departure, the pressure on them has ramped up over the last fortnight.That’s not to say captain Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott are in any real danger of being cast aside. The reason they are in their roles was for continuity for the defending ODI champions and, what we know of this new era under managing director Rob Key, is everyone will get the opportunity to work things out.Nevertheless, a swansong for the team’s talismanic allrounder is exactly the kind of headline grabber that England need for a bit of breathing room. Not to mention playing in front of a Chester-le-Street crowd that will be focussed more on saying goodbye to one of their own rather than a loss of clarity for the hosts in a format of the game they used to nail in their sleep.Even with ball having more of a say than bat in the last week of ODIs with India, it was damning that no England player scored more than 100 runs across three innings and that there was just one half-centurion in Buttler. And it is far from ideal that the stand-out for the hosts, Reece Topley, will miss Tuesday’s game on account of workload management. The left-arm quick and his nine wickets, almost all big names, were the only bit of cutting edge England showcased and the hope will be Matthew Potts can offer the same on debut. The return of legspinner Adil Rashid, after taking time off for Hajj, will give some much needed teeth to the attack in the middle overs.As far as South Africa are concerned, they seem in a more stable place, even if they are coming off the back of a series defeat to Bangladesh in March, and a tied T20I series with India last month. A shellacking at the hands of the England Lions side in Taunton was followed by a reverse in Worcester in a pair of warm-up matches that were more about getting rid of any ring rust than anything else.There are many players in South Africa’s ranks who are trying to establish themselves at international level, but they will be supported by two experienced campaigners in Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, who have averaged 65 and 73 in ODIs since the start of 2021 (the second and third highest among those who have 500 runs or more). And quicks such as Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje will continue testing an England line-up who have yet to find an appropriate method for this season’s edition of the white Kookaburra ball.To judge by the scenes at training in Chester-le-Street, the South Africans have a great deal of focus and, crucially, energy which will hold them in good stead against an England side that looks particularly weary and are coming straight into this fixture with just a single travel-day off. That Stokes cited an inability to carry on in all three formats in his farewell statement is worth heeding with as we go into the first of six white-ball games in the space of 12 days.

Form guide

England LWLWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)

South Africa LWLWW

In the spotlight

The idea of picking a player with just 10 List A matches to his name and expecting him to have a big impact for the national team would usually be foolhardy. But off the back of four Tests, against New Zealand and India, in which he hurried batters throughout long spells without losing enthusiasm, you can see why Matthew Potts may be regarded as a shot in the arm for a fatigued group. There isn’t much to extrapolate from Potts’ 18 dismissals at 26.72 with the red ball beyond a desire to seize the big moments and make each delivery count. And maybe those are good enough reasons to pick someone who has played just one 50-over game since the start of 2021. Nevertheless, the Durham local’s ability to do significant work with the older ball means this could be the start of a fruitful career as a Liam Plunkett-a-like.To call Janneman Malan an old fashioned one-day opener is perhaps doing the 26-year-old a disservice. But with a strike rate of 87 and an average of one six an innings, he is one of the more watchful in the modern era. Yet no one can argue with his output so far, in a career that is only two years and 17 caps old and has already featured three ODI centuries and as many fifties. Given how relatively tough batting has been this summer, Malan’s stickability could pay dividends provided he can out-last any early movement. An average of 59 suggests there’s every chance the reigning ICC Emerging Player of the Year finishes the three ODIs having picked up the 172 runs he needs to make it to 1000 in the format.

Team news

Matthew Mott basically confirmed Potts would debut when praising the energy and fresh legs he brought to the group over the last couple of days. That looks to be a straight swap for Reece Topley, while Adil Rashid is likely to come in for Brydon Carse, who has been ineffective so far, despite his valiant efforts in the middle overs.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Craig Overton, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Matthew PottsDe Kock missed the warm-ups with a bruised finger but has been passed fit and will reprise his usual role as the tempo-setter at the top of the innings. Expect a decision to be made on whether Keshav Maharaj plumps for the extra spin of Tabraiz Shamsi or left-arm pace of Marco Jansen.South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj (capt), 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi/Marco Jansen

Pitch and conditions

Chester-le-Street has always been one for the seamers though recent precedence has seen batting scores rise – Sri Lanka have the venue’s highest score of 338, against West Indies in the 2019 World Cup. That is probably down to a more attacking approach globally rather than any environmental shifts. That being said, temperatures will hit a high of 35 degrees Centigrade which may influence how many spinners are selected and indeed who will bat first with the 1pm start time.

Stats and trivia

• Ben Stokes will play his 105th and final ODI on Tuesday. Coincidentally, he needs 81 runs to pass 3000 for the format, and (assuming he is dismissed) to finish with a career average of 40.
• England have won nine of their 13 completed ODIs at Chester-le-Street, including eight of the last nine – the exception being Sri Lanka’s victory in 2014.

Quotes

“Jos brings a nice calmness. He’s a hugely empathetic person. He won’t be someone who stands up and makes big speeches, he’ll do it in his own quiet way, one-on-one, working out what makes players tick. And he’s an amazing player – that helps.”

“There are two ways to look at it. They’ve been playing more cricket than us and have found combinations, but it is a point we could capitalise on and build some confidence in our ODI unit before the World Cup next year.”

“If you’re not motivated to play a normal game but extra-motivated to play a game with some incentive, that’s unacceptable”

Karthik Krishnaswamy03-Mar-20219:32

Mute Me: Virat Kohli – where have all the centuries gone?

India versus England. The last Test of the last-but-one series in the current World Test Championship cycle. Everything is on the line. For India, it’s simple: win or draw, and they book their place in the final, alongside New Zealand. For England there’s the incentive of playing spoiler: if they win, India will miss out, and Australia will make the final instead.When you throw in all the conflicting emotions of Australia fans cheering England, you have just the sort of scenario the ICC and its member boards may have hoped for when they came up with the concept of the Test Championship.Related

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• Ishant: Winning WTC will be the same feeling as winning the World Cup

And yet, on the eve of the Test match that will determine India’s fate in the tournament, their captain didn’t sound like a man dreaming about glory in the final.”If you want me to be brutally honest, it might work for teams who are not that motivated to play Test cricket,” Virat Kohli said, when asked what he thought of the Test Championship as a concept. “Teams like us, who are motivated to play Test cricket and want to win Test matches and keep Indian cricket team at the top of the world in Test cricket, we have no issues whatsoever, whether it’s a World Test Championship or not. I think for teams like us, it’s only a distraction when you start thinking of the World Test Championship.”Eventually it’s only a game of cricket. Even that game, a World Cup final, semi-final, anything you take, it’s a game of cricket at the end of the day, and if you’re not motivated to play a normal game of cricket and you’re extra-motivated to play a game of cricket which has some incentive to it, for me, as an individual, that’s unacceptable, and we as a team have never played with that mindset.”For us, any game is important, we are going to go for a result whenever the opportunity presents itself, and that’s why people want to watch us as a team now. You could ask some of the teams that probably wouldn’t have looked at Test cricket as a priority, but for us it really doesn’t change anything. As I said, if we start thinking too much about it, then that is a distraction from our process and plans.”Virat Kohli – “Teams like us who are motivated to play Test cricket, we have no issues whatsoever, whether it’s a World Test Championship or not”•Getty Images

Now there are a couple of things to keep in mind when you read that quote. One, Kohli may well have expressed himself more harshly than intended while trying to communicate his single-minded focus on the immediate task at hand – winning the fourth Test against England – and play down the significance of the prize that awaits his team if they complete it successfully.And it’s not that the view expressed here is shared by everyone in the India dressing room. Ishant Sharma, for instance, has spoken of the Test Championship final as being the equal of a World Cup final for him, now that he only plays one format for India. Others may share that view too.But for Kohli to express himself as he did was a departure from his early enthusiasm for the Test Championship. When it was introduced, he suggested the Championship would add a whole new level of spice to Test cricket.”I think for all the cricketers involved now, every session and every game will be more intense, there will be more on the line,” he had said. “So it will be challenging, but all the more exciting and all the teams I am sure are going to enjoy a lot through this whole journey of the Test Championships.”Since then, global events – chiefly the Covid-19 pandemic – have conspired to take some of the gloss off this first cycle of the Test Championship. From all teams playing an equal number of series, a spate of cancellations led the boards to agree to a system that ranked teams based on the percentage of points they had contested. India ended up needing to do more to get to the final than most other teams, since they were one of only two teams who weren’t affected by cancellations.It was always going to be an imperfect solution in an imperfect situation, and Kohli expressed his displeasure after India lost the first Test against England, leaving them in a delicate situation as far as reaching the final was concerned.”If suddenly the rules can change when you’re in lockdown, nothing is in your control at all,” he said then. “So we’re not bothered at all about the table or the things that are going on on the outside. For some things there’s no logic, for some things you can have a debate for hours, as much as you want, but the only thing that you can control as a side, to an extent, is playing good cricket, and that’s our only focus, regardless of who’s on top of the table.”If India fail to reach the final, Kohli will probably remain lukewarm about the Test Championship, and that’s only natural for someone in his situation. But if they get there, it’s not inconceivable that he’ll sing its praises again.

Kohli back to lead both squads, while Dube and Shami also picked in ODIs and T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2019Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav have returned to India’s squads for the three T20Is and three ODIs at home against West Indies. Virat Kohli, who had been rested for the T20I leg of the Bangladesh series, also returned to lead both limited-overs sides.

India’s limited-overs squads

ODIs: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
T20Is: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Mohammed Shami, who last played a T20I in 2017, also made a comeback to the shortest format, having already been part of the ODI squad. Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur, who were both part of the squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh, were left out. Krunal Pandya also missed the cut, with Ravindra Jadeja slotting back in as a like-for-like replacement. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson and legspinner Rahul Chahar, who both didn’t get a single game in the T20Is against Bangladesh, were also left out.Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who had injured himself while diving to reach the crease during Delhi’s Syed Mushtaq Ali game against Maharashtra in Surat, is likely to miss only one match in the domestic T20 competition, and will be available well in time for the T20Is and ODIs against West Indies.Bhuvneshwar was undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in the past few months, with chief selector MSK Prasad having spoken about the pacer suffering from a ‘niggle’. It is understood that Bhuvneshwar had a muscle issue, but he has now recovered from it and even trained with India’s Test squad in Indore on the eve of the first Test against Bangladesh. Bhuvneshwar then proved his fitness in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, returning figures of 0 for 13 and 1 for 23 for Uttar Pradesh.Kuldeep, who had played alongside Bhuvneshwar for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will reunite with fellow wristspinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Fingerspin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar retained his place in the T20I squad while seam-bowling allrounder Shivam Dube was picked for both limited-overs squads.Dube is set to make his ODI debut, having impressed in the T20Is against Bangladesh. Kedhar Jadhav, who was part of India’s most recent ODI assignment in the Caribbean, retained his place, as did Manish Pandey. Navdeep Saini, who was part of the ODI squad in the West Indies, is currently recovering from injury and isn’t part of Delhi’s squad in the domestic T20 tournament. Deepak Chahar, who bagged record T20I figures of 6 for 7, against Bangladesh, has a chance to add to his solitary ODI cap.This might be the last selection meeting headed by MSK Prasad, the former India wicketkeeper. Prasad and Gagan Khoda, the former Rajasthan and India batsman, are likely to be replaced as their tenures will end when the BCCI convenes its annual general meeting on December 1.The limited-overs series against West Indies begins with the first T20I in Mumbai on December 6.

Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph hold on to top-rung contracts as board announces list of contracted players for 2018-19

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2018Fast bowler Kemar Roach is back on a central contract for West Indies. He was one of four players offered all-format contracts for 2018-19, as per the list announced by Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Monday. The other three are captain Jason Holder, batsman Shai Hope and pacer Alzarri Joseph, all of whom had all-format contracts in the previous cycle too.Roach, 30, has resumed his role as West Indies’ bowling spearhead over the past year, after being dropped on form in 2016. He was recalled in July 2017, and since then has taken 41 wickets in 11 Tests at 22.58, and 10 wickets from five ODIs at 18.60.

Contracts list for 2018-19

All-format contracts
Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach IN: Kemar Roach OUT: Shannon Gabriel, Devendra Bishoo
Red-ball contracts
Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieran Powell IN: Shannon Gabriel, Devendra Bishoo, Shimron Heymyer, Kieran Powell
White-ball contracts
Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell OUT: Jason Mohammed, Evin Lewis
Development contracts
Sunil Ambris, Keemo Paul, Raymon Reifer OUT: Kesrick Williams
Women’s contracts
Merissa Aguilleira, Raniece Boyce, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor

CWI also handed out red-ball, white-ball and development contracts for men, in keeping with the new system that was announced in January, and 12 women’s contracts. The previous contracts expired on September 30, but the new ones will be back-dated to July 1 to ensure all cricketers in the system, both international and domestic, have contracts that run simultaneously. All the contracts will end on June 30, 2019.Batsman Evin Lewis turned down the white-ball contract offered to him, CWI said in a release. Several West Indies players have turned down contracts in the past to allow them to freelance overseas, particularly in T20 leagues, though it has not been confirmed whether this is the case with Lewis.None of the superstars of West Indies cricket feature in the contracts list. It was the same last year, when it was reported that the likes of Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree and Darren Sammy would be offered pro-rata contracts based on their performances in the short term.Last December, CWI CEO Johnny Grave had told ESPNcricinfo: “Post amnesty, Gayle and Marlon played in England [in the limited-overs series]. If we had won the series and they had made lots of runs, they probably would have got contracts. So I think the selectors want to see them in New Zealand, Super50 and World Cup Qualifiers, but I suspect at some stage in 2018 they will get contracts.”Gayle has played 15 of West Indies’ 18 ODIs since the start of that England series, which had been his first for West Indies since the 2015 World Cup due to various tussles with the board over selection policies. In this period, he has averaged 33.73, with one century, two fifties and a strike-rate of 101.40. There was no mention of Gayle in the board’s press release on the contracts. Given the 2019 World Cup is eight months away, it remains to be seen what role the seniors play in West Indies’ campaign.Batsmen Shimron Hetmyer and Kieran Powell have been given red-ball contracts this year, upgraded from the red-ball development contracts they received last time around. Pacer Shannon Gabriel and legspinner Devendra Bishoo also got red-ball contracts, instead of the all-format ones they had this past year. Jermaine Blackwood (red-ball), Jomel Warrican (red-ball), Jason Mohammed (white-ball) and Kesrick Williams (white-ball development) have been dropped from the contracts list.Chairman of selectors Courtney Browne said handing out separate contracts for red and white-ball cricket “allows for the better management of players as it relates to their development. At the time of recommending contracts in June some players would have developed in different formats after the process had finished, so their recent performances can’t be considered until the next contract cycle.”

Alex Hepburn’s new Worcestershire record could not stop Dan Christian sweeping Nottinghamshire into the quarter-finals

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2017Dan Christian’s commanding all-round show took Notts through•Getty Images

Notts Outlaws sealed a spot in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast as they overcame Worcestershire Rapids by 11 runs in a low-scoring North Group encounter at New Road.Alex Hepburn returned the best ever bowling figures by a Worcestershire player in T20 cricket – 5 for 24 – as the Outlaws were bowled out for 145 in 19.3 overs.But the visitors struck back with a vengeance with the ball and skipper Dan Christian led from the front with 3 for 18 as the Rapids were restricted to 134 for 8.Harry Gurney bowled a superb final over in which he conceded just three runs to cap a disciplined performance by the entire Outlaws attack.Victory boosted the Outlaws hopes of also securing a home quarter-final while the second from bottom Rapids were left to contemplate yet another setback.The Outlaws were put into bat and Josh Tongue picked up the prized wicket of Alex Hales, on 9, as he flashed outside the off stump and nicked through to keeper Ben Cox.Riki Wessels (32) looked in good form before being trapped lbw by George Scrimshaw at 49 for 2 – and from that point the innings went into rapid decline. Tom Moores was caught and bowled by Tongue off a skier and Brendon Taylor holed out to Joe Clarke at long off.Hepburn made an instant impact with two wickets in three balls as Samit Patel flicked him to Joe Leach at square leg and Steven Mullaney was caught at cover by D’Oliveira.Outlaws skipper Dan Christian (22) and Billy Root (37) tried to repair the damage during a stand of 50 in seven overs, but the last four wickets fell in quick succession as the Outlaws were dismissed for 141 in 19.3 overs.Hepburn returned to account for Christian, who was taken at long off by Santner and Cox pulled off a fine catch as Root flicked at a Leach delivery. D’Oliveira then ran in from the deep square leg boundary to collect a mistimed pull from Ish Sodhi off Hepburn who completed his five-for as Jake Ball was safely pouched by Clarke at long off.It was the same scenario when the Rapids launched their reply as wickets tumbled.Leach promoted himself to open and perished in the first over from Patel as yet another player tried unsuccessfully to clear long off. Santner top edged Harry Gurney to backward point and Joe Clarke went for a pull and the ball ended up in the hands of extra cover. It became 35 for 4 as D’Oliveira went for an expansive drive and was bowled by Ball.Daryl Mitchell and Cox tried to effect a repair job for the Rapids and added 38 in careful fashion in six overs. But the game was back in the balance after Cox drove at Christian and was caught behind and then Mitchell went for a big hit off the same bowler and miscued to mid off.Christian then pulled off a stunning catch at mid off to dismiss Ed Barnard as he attempted to hit Ball over the top. Ross Whiteley was the Rapids last hope but after making 28 he was bowled in the final over by Gurney.

Chris Gayle struck his 18th T20 century, an unbeaten 54-ball 108 with six fours and 11 sixes, to help Jamaica Tallawahs hunt down their target of 192 against Trinbago Knight Riders in Port-of-Spain

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:13

T20 Records blown away by a Gayle Storm

Chris Gayle struck his 18th T20 century, an unbeaten 54-ball 108 with six fours and 11 sixes, to help Jamaica Tallawahs hunt down their target of 192 against Trinbago Knight Riders in Port-of-Spain. The win propelled Tallawahs to the top of the table, while Knight Riders slumped to their third loss in four games.Tallawahs’ chase began slowly, with openers Gayle and Chadwick Walton adding 29 in 35 balls. At the end of the Powerplay, Gayle was on a run-a-ball 17. Kumar Sangakkara brought the required impetus with a brisk 20, but his dismissal left Tallawahs needing 121 off the last 10 overs.However, Gayle laid into the bowlers thereafter, as Tallawahs plundered 71 off the next three overs. A 30-run 13th over from Sulieman Benn, which included four sixes by Gayle, brought Tallawahs within 50 of the target with seven overs left. Gayle and Andre Russell shared a 107-run third-wicket stand. Russell contributed an 18-ball 24 before he holed out to long-off in the 17th over, but Tallawahs cruised to the target with 10 balls to spare. Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 1 for 9 from four overs.After being asked to bat, Knight Riders were given a brisk start by Brendon McCullum and Hashim Amla, who anchored the innings with a brisk 74. Their 49-run stand was broken by a slider from Imad Wasim that got past McCullum’s cut to clatter into the off stump.Colin Munro, who had made the CPL’s first ton by an overseas player in the previous game, continued his impressive form with a quickfire 55. Knight Riders scored 53 off the last four overs to finish with 191 but came up short in the end.

Sri Lanka cricket have said that investigations into allegations of sexual harassment against the country’s women’s team have concluded that two male officials were guilty

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2015Two male officials have been found guilty of sexual harassment of members of the Sri Lanka’s women’s team, while another official has been found guilty of improper conduct but not sexual harassment. These were the findings of an inquiry committee set up by Sri Lanka’s sports ministry, which also concluded that there was no evidence of physical intimacy and consequently no grounds for criminal proceedings. All three members are no longer with the women’s team.The incidents had occurred in 2013 and 2014 and had prompted Sri Lanka’s sports ministry to carry out an inquiry of their own. A committee led by NE Dissanayake, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, public trustee Tharangani Dissanaike, and S Aloka Bandara from the Ministry of Public Administration was appointed in November last year to look into the matter.Their report, and the one filed by the SLC’s investigator Manoli Jinadasa, also noted the “unsatisfactory situation that prevailed in the selection and other aspects relating to women’s cricket and widely prevalent perceptions of favouritism and bias”.There was also a critique “on the failure to ensure that a female manager handles the Women’s Cricket Team.” Vanessa de Silva, a former Sri Lanka women’s captain, is the current manager and was appointed in April 2015.The release said SLC was “very concerned” by those observations, will study the reports further and take appropriate action.

Richard Pybus’ future as Bangladesh coach is expected to be decided upon at a BCB meeting on Friday

Mohammad Isam17-Oct-2012Richard Pybus’ future as Bangladesh coach is expected to be decided upon at a BCB meeting on Friday*. The outgoing board president, AHM Mustafa Kamal, said he was not very confident of Pybus returning to his job from his home in South Africa, where he has been for the past fortnight, though the board has asked him to return to Dhaka to discuss the impasse.”I am not too confident that we can work together any longer,” Kamal said. “The only time we weren’t on the same page was about him bringing his family here. He couldn’t convince them. He actually went to South Africa to do so this time. He wanted to go back home after every Bangladesh series but we can only let him do that one or two times.””His kids are studying over there and I know for a fact that he has tried to convince them a few times [to move] ever since he started working here. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t think it can work out.”We will decide on it at our October 18 meeting. We have already sent him a letter to come back and talk to us. But I don’t think he could convince his family. We understand each other’s situation.”If he doesn’t come, then also we will complete the formalities amicably. We have nothing against him and he also doesn’t have any problems with us.”A source close to Pybus, though, denied reports that that he had gone home to try and convince his family to move. He returned home after being away on tour in Trinidad and Sri Lanka, the source told ESPNcricinfo, adding that he had submitted a plan for the upcoming West Indies tour of Bangladesh.Pybus has been in charge of Bangladesh for four months during which the team has been involved in the build-up for the World Twenty20s. They played a series of unofficial matches in Zimbabwe and Trinidad, while also winning a three-match Twenty20 series against Ireland. They also lost to Scotland, won and lost to the Netherlands, and later crashed out of the World Twenty20s when they lost to New Zealand and Pakistan in the first round.*01:43pm, October 17: The story has been updated after the BCB postponed their board meeting by a day

Kemar Roach has become the latest West Indian signing in country cricket and will be joining Worcestershire for the remainder of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2011Kemar Roach has become the latest West Indian signing in county cricket and will be joining Worcestershire for the remainder of the season as they scrap to stay in Division One of the County Championship. Roach will replace Worcestershire’s current overseas international Saeed Ajmal, who is returning to his national side earlier than scheduled next week, to participate in a training camp prior to embarking on Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe.”I am delighted to sign for Worcestershire and to be able to play county cricket for the first time,” said Roach. “Growing up in Barbados, every young cricketer aspired to play for the West Indies and to play county cricket. Many of my heroes like Lara, Walsh and Ambrose spent time in the county game and I view it as a huge challenge.”Even though I am only going to be joining for a short period, I believe this stint gives me the chance to make an impact on the club and on county cricket and hopefully be the start of a long relationship with Worcestershire.”Roach joins Worcestershire on the back of international duty in the Caribbean, having opened the bowling against India and Pakistan earlier this year. In his fledgling career, Roach has taken 40 Test wickets at an average of 29.90, and has a total of 87 first-class wickets in 31 matches.”To have one of the fastest bowlers in the world in our team for the last few games of the season can only be a huge plus factor,” said Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes. “Albeit a short stint, I know that Kemar is determined to make an impact on the county scene.”Ajmal, who arrived at New Road in June, has claimed 36 wickets for the county across all forms of cricket. He leaves as their highest wicket taker in the Clydesdale Bank 40 this season, having taken 11 wickets. His most notable performance came in the recent match against Derbyshire, where he picked up 4 for 24.”We’ve enjoyed Saeed’s involvement with the team and he’s been a model professional both on and off the field,” said Rhodes. “We’d like to thank Saeed for the time he has spent with us, and also for his help in guiding and inspiring some of our younger bowlers. Obviously we were disappointed that he’s had to leave us early but in the hectic international schedule we recognise that international cricket comes first.”