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New Zealand hope to have Brendon McCullum back from the third ODI against Pakistan on January 31, and Tim Southee for the home Tests against Australia in February

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2016New Zealand hope to have their captain Brendon McCullum back from the third ODI against Pakistan on January 31, and their fast bowler Tim Southee for the home Tests against Australia in February.McCullum has been out of action since aggravating his back injury during the second ODI against Sri Lanka on December 28, while Southee suffered a foot injury during the third ODI against Sri Lanka on New Year’s Eve. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said Southee would not make it back for the remainder of the home series against Pakistan and the limited-overs games against Australia.

McClenaghan not fazed by competition

Fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan is not worrying about whether he will make New Zealand’s World T20 squad, as he faces competition from team-mates Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Adam Milne and Matt Henry. “It’s not on my mind,” he said. “In the past I’ve thought about things too far ahead and worried about that kind of stuff. We’re trying to make sure we focus on just the next game and prepare as well as possible.”
“I first came in as a new ball bowler and we’ve got a lot of guys who can swing the ball and take wickets at the top so my role’s changing. There’s more expectation of being able to close out the game and that’s the kind of pressure that I love. I want to be that guy who can close out an innings and win games.”
The coach Mike Hesson said New Zealand were not just looking to choose the four best fast bowlers, but to pick people who could complement each other by performing specific roles. “Guys are going to have to play different roles. It’s not a matter of playing our four best quicks, it’s having balance among them that they can do different roles: opening, bowling in the middle and at the death.”
“Very happy. Mitch as a T20 bowler is experienced in conditions around the world and he knows his game in T20 probably better than he does in other forms and he certainly showed that the other night [second T20I against Pakistan]. He’s a shrewd operator.”

“Tim is progressing nicely and he’ll be with us this week [in Wellington] to help work with his rehab,” Hesson said. “He’s unlikely [to play the Australia ODIs]. We’ll focus on the Test series at this stage and make sure that he’s firing. We certainly won’t force him playing any games earlier than that unless we need him. He could well play a Plunket Shield game to get him ready for the Tests.”McCullum is set to return for the final game of Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand before he begins his last assignment in international cricket. New Zealand’s first Test against Australia will be McCullum’s 100th, and he is set to retire after the second Test in Christchurch.”He’s progressing really well and doing plenty of work away from the game, from a fitness point of view and we’re really pleased with the way he’s tracking,” Hesson said. “Hopefully he’ll play a part in the Pakistan series and if he does that will be good prep for the Chappell-Hadlee and beyond.”Another fitness concern for New Zealand was Corey Anderson, who has just resumed bowling – one over in the first T20I against Pakistan and four in the second – after playing as a batsman in two matches against Sri Lanka, and for Northern Districts before that. Anderson had suffered a stress fracture of the back during the Lord’s Test in May 2015.”I’m delighted how he’s coming along and he’s certainly confident with the body,” Hesson said. We’ve gone pretty slow with it to make sure that we give him the best chance of being back for a long period. I’m really pleased to give him a chance with the new ball and even happier that he took it.”We’ll just keep managing it. It [Test cricket] is not something we’re going to push. We’ve got some pretty clear loads in place to give him a chance of being on the park a lot longer. We’ve got some one-day cricket coming up and we’re hopeful he’ll be in a position to be able to play a decent role in those.”New Zealand play the final T20I against Pakistan in Wellington on January 22. The series is level 1-1.

The six big issues within the BCCI’s set-up that the Lodha panel’s report to the Supreme Court could focus on

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Jan-2016With the Lodha committee set to submit its recommendations on the BCCI’s manner of functioning to the Supreme Court on Monday, the Indian board may face a radical makeover. The recommendations, which are not binding until the Supreme Court deems so, are understood to cover almost every aspect of Indian cricket with the aim of making the board a more professionally run and publicly accountable organisation.These are some of the key areas which the three-man committee is understood to have strong concerns about and which are likely to feature prominently in its report.Professionalism


The utter lack of transparency and accountability, the panel has observed, is a disturbing trend both within the BCCI and the state associations which form its members. It is believed that the Lodha committee will emphasise the need for professional management of the sport, not only by having the appropriate form of corporate organisation in place but also by having a clear separation between governance and management within the organisation – creating a system of checks and balances and public accountability at the same time. This may require a departure from the BCCI’s current corporate structure – as a society registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act – and a restructuring of the key leadership positions, currently ‘honorary’ in nature. Both have been features of the BCCI right from its inception. Changes to the BCCI’s governance structure may be a key feature of the recommendations.Conflict of interest and ethics


Given the genesis of the Lodha panel’s appointment, it has quite naturally been deeply concerned by the various conflict-of-interest issues prevalent within the BCCI and state associations. It is understood that the panel met BCCI president Shashank Manohar a few months ago and has since taken note of the various measures undertaken by him on the issue of conflict of interest. Manohar had written a three-page letter, listing guidelines to avoid conflict of interest, directed at BCCI members, state associations, employees with the board and state bodies, and former and current players. Legal experts have called BCCI’s move a “band-aid” measure which only further serves the powerful administrators.Changes in BCCI’s structure


It is understood that a variety of options were suggested during the consultation process and considered by the committee as potential replacements for the BCCI’s current structure as a registered society in Tamil Nadu. While one option would be to reformulate the BCCI’s governance and operations within its existing corporate structure, legal experts believe that the committee could also suggest more radical changes, like a public trust structure.Managing the IPL
The committee may suggest that, instead of being run as a sub-committee, the IPL could be spun off into a separate private limited company promoted by the BCCI with an overt profit motive, (or even a section-8 company that must reinvest all its profits).Clear definitions of management and governance


The committee is likely to suggest that the concepts of governance and management be more clearly defined and separated. Given the “public function” of the BCCI, recognised by the Supreme Court, this could involve recognition and wider representation of new stakeholders, and resulting electoral reform.The panel’s recommendations could involve doing away with the all-powerful working committee. Instead the committee may recommend a board of directors, representing various stakeholders such as players, former players, state associations and also the public. This governing body could be tasked with setting the broad agenda, setting targets and monitoring progress, and providing oversight. The Lodha committee could recommend that execution of agendas be left to paid, full-time managers.This could mean that the committee may advise the BCCI to have a CEO, COO, a board comprising representatives of major shareholders (affiliates), and, importantly, independent directors who do not have any financial stake in the board but are representing the public interest, a constituency that has not seen representation thus far.Criteria for state affiliation with BCCI

Having interviewed various stakeholders, including former and current administrators in the various states, the committee is likely to also suggest rationalisation of the rules and criteria for recognition of state bodies affiliated with the BCCI. This could require disbanding a number of existing voting members who have no playing record. The committee may recommend a move towards a one-state-one-body structure. It is also likely to prioritise formulation and implementation of mechanisms and practices for the BCCI to exercise oversight over its members, their structures, elections, operations and finances.This comes at a time when a probe into the Delhi & District Cricket Association’s historical functioning, seen as a bellwether for more such state-level investigations, is slated to commence in Delhi. Transparency and accountability of grants (subsidy) given to the state units could particularly be in the cross-hairs of the committee.”If you look at the BCCI books you will probably find them quite clean and they will stand up to scrutiny. But dig deeper into the books of the affiliates and there is going to be a big black hole. You then begin to realise why honorary jobs in state associations make sense to so many. The committee will surely look to plug these gaping, leaking holes,” one legal expert said.

In a week where aging Australian batsmen have been in the headlines, Simon Katich gave Lancashire a chance to pressure Kent on the final day at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford26-Apr-2013
ScorecardSimon Katich has swapped Hampshire for Lancashire but continues to churn out the runs•PA Photos

In a week where aging Australian batsmen have been in the headlines, Simon Katich gave Lancashire a chance to pressure Kent at Old Trafford, in the process passing 20,000 career runs, as the home side pushed hard in the final session to build a lead of 112.For long periods of this match, the construction of the redeveloped Old Trafford pavilion has moved at a greater pace than the action in the middle. However, Lancashire have set their stall out this season to grind out large totals, regardless of how long it takes and ignoring bonus points, so to that end will be satisfied with their position.Their advantage was down largely to Katich who, given his country’s current travails, is still good enough to be in Australia’s Test team. Unlike Chris Rogers, though, there will be no twilight Ashes tour for him after he ended his first-class career in Australia two years ago. When he reached 87, ironically so as it is considered an unlucky number for Australians, he notched 20,000 first-class runs and by the close was within touching distance of his first hundred for Lancashire.”I guess it means I’m old, but also persistent,” Katich said on his milestone. “My wife has been telling me for the last six months, so I knew I was close, but that wasn’t the focus because I was a long way from it. It was a very proud moment but for me it has always been about trying to play in winning teams. Along the way I’ve been fortunate to do that and I guess that’s a by-product of scoring runs. If we win this game it will make it even more special.”Katich provided the innings with the kick it desperately needed in very similar style to the opening match against Worcestershire two weeks ago, where he partnered Ashwell Prince in a 181-run stand that took just 32 overs. This time Prince feel shortly after his half-century, but Katich dominated the final session with increasingly aggressive strokeplay in a passage of play that – in company with the lively Steven Croft – resembled the YB40, which begins next week, and was a marked contrast to anything else seen in the game. Their stand was worth 138 in 35 overs, exploiting a tiring attack, but at times during the season the acceleration will need to come sooner.”The way we’ve played in the first two games, being relentless with ball and bat, we will give ourselves the best chance to win,” Katich said. “Particularly in four-day cricket it’s so important because you can have one good day but if you don’t back it up the game can drift away from you. But if you do it consistently you more often than not crack teams. Regardless of what happens in this match, I think we are playing a good style of cricket at the moment.”Karl Brown, under some pressure early this season after a lean 2012, had laid the foundations, continuing his stubborn occupation from the previous day, firstly with nightwatchman James Anderson and then the in-form Prince. Brown rarely changed gears during his innings – his fifty came from 158 balls – although he did skip down the pitch to loft James Tredwell for a straight six.”Full marks to Karl, Jimmy and Ashwell, which certainly made our job a lot easier in that last session to wear them down then try and get the scoreboard ticking over quicker,” Katich said.Kent, however, offered a helping hand. Their fielding fell apart after lunch with three catches going down in quick succession. Brown enjoyed two of the lives, firstly on 48 when Mark Davies spilled a chance at mid-on – above his head but not difficult – then by Sam Northeast at a wide third slip on 61.Prince, too, was given a life, on 18, when he edged the luckless Matt Coles to first slip where Darren Stevens spilled the catch. It was a cold day in Manchester, but that is not unusual for county cricket in April and with a limited attack Kent’s fielders needed to offer their bowlers more support.Kent’s fourth drop of the day was the toughest opportunity, when Michael Powell couldn’t hold a swirling catch at deep-square leg when Katich had 60. By now, with the 110-over cut-off for bonus points having passed and purely a match to save, Kent’s field was becoming increasingly spread, allowing Katich and Croft to comfortably keep the scoreboard ticking.To force a result on the final day will still require an inspired spell or two. It is likely to need a burst of pacey swing from Anderson or Simon Kerrigan to find some turn to mean that the diligence of Lancashire’s batsmen does not just feature in a nondescript draw.

Moeen hits seven sixes then takes two key wickets to keep West Indies at bay

Matt Roller29-Jan-2022Moeen Ali set up a Sunday-night decider in England’s series against West Indies at the Kensington Oval, leading from the front as stand-in captain with 63 off 28 balls and two key wickets in the run chase.With Eoin Morgan ruled out of the series after injuring his quadriceps in the warm-ups on Wednesday, Moeen struck seven sixes – four of them off consecutive balls in Jason Holder’s 18th over – as England surged to 193, building on the platform set by Jason Roy’s scratchy 52.West Indies started brightly in pursuit, reaching 56 for 0 after the powerplay with Kyle Mayers making a sprightly 40 on his return to the side, replacing Shai Hope at the top of the order. But England’s spinners put the squeeze on: Moeen removed both openers, and Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone both made breakthroughs on a dry pitch.Holder and Kieron Pollard kept the run chase alive, but a middle-overs slowdown meant the task was beyond them. The result set up a deciding final match on Sunday night, with the series squared at 2-2.Roy’s late arrivalAsked to bat by Pollard for the third time in the series, England struggled to adapt to the pace of the pitch – the same one used in their one-run win last Sunday night – early on, with Tom Banton plinking a pull to mid-on to give Holder a wicket in his first over. Roy, who was given a life when Holder put down a return catch, looked particularly out of form, creeping to 11 off 19 balls and swearing in frustration over the stump mic after failing to beat the infield yet again.But 15 balls later he had brought up a half-century, clicking into gear by clubbing Sheldon Cottrell 101 metres over midwicket, and England raced to 80 for 1 after nine overs with James Vince also hitting his straps at No. 3.Pollard put the brakes on with another canny spell of slow-medium cutters, exchanging words with Roy after angling the ball into his pads to defend the short off-side boundary. He conceded only one run (plus a leg bye) off the seven balls he bowled to Roy, roaring in celebration when Nicholas Pooran gobbled up a thick outside edge from a legcutter.Moeen cuts looseWhen Vince miscued a wide offbreak from Akeal Hosein to short third, England had lost their two set batters in the space of seven balls and the innings threatened to fall away. Moeen and Livingstone traded sixes – Livingstone’s, a 91-metre pull over midwicket, was the only boundary Pollard conceded – but a canny 17th over from Cottrell left them 134 for 3 with three overs left.Related

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What followed was a masterclass in death-overs hitting from Moeen. Holder, whose first two overs cost just three runs, leaked 28 off the 18th, including four consecutive sixes from Moeen: a drag over long-on, a dead-straight hit into the press-box window, a languid swing over extra cover and a wristy pick-up over square leg.Shepherd had Livingstone caught off a steepler with the first ball of the 19th but then suffered some rough treatment himself. Moeen clipped two into the leg side to bring up a 23-ball half-century – his fastest for England – before hitting two more sixes, including a sumptuous chip over extra cover with the full face of the bat.He miscued Holder to long-on at the start of the final over, and Phil Salt – down at No. 7 – skied his first ball into the covers, but Sam Billings, recalled in place of Harry Brook after missing Wednesday night’s game through illness, clubbed the last two balls for six. England added 59 in the last three overs, and Holder’s final two cost 41 runs.Moeen Ali scored a quick-fire fifty•Getty Images

Spin strangleMayers impressed at the top of the order, hitting Moeen for two sixes over the leg side and thumping Tymal Mills’ first three balls for four, six and six, but West Indies’ chase faded badly against spin in the middle overs. Moeen made the first breakthroughs, having Mayers and Brandon King caught at long-off and long-on respectively, while Rashid maintained the pressure from the other end.Rovman Powell had played Rashid out during his hundred on Wednesday night, milking him for 11 off 11 balls, but his notorious weakness against wristspin was enough for Billings to bark over the stump mic: “Still love this match-up!” Three balls later, he ripped a googly through the gate which crashed into middle-and-off stump.56 for 0 after the powerplay became 84 for 3 off 13, and after Pooran hit Livingstone for consecutive sixes, he holed out to long-on looking for three in a row. Holder’s 36 off 24 – his highest T20I score – kept West Indies’ hopes alive, but Reece Topley and Chris Jordan kept their composure to close things out at the death.

Vernon Philander may be forced to miss the second Test against South Africa are feeling some pain in his hamstring

Firdose Moonda at Newlands04-Jan-2013There was déjà vu at Newlands for Vernon Philander when he took a five-for in New Zealand’s first innings. Just 14 months earlier he did the same on debut against Australia. Michael Clarke’s men were dismissed for 47 while Brendon McCullum’s went two worse and were skittled for 45. The synergy was stark.Now, there will be more flashbacks for the opening bowler in the lead up to the Port Elizabeth Test. The hamstring injury which kept him in doubt until the day before the Newlands match has recurred and similar uncertainty exists around his fitness for the second contest in the series.Philander left the field after bowling his final spell of five overs (he bowled 24 in total in New Zealand’s second innings) after he felt stiffness in his left hamstring. “He said he slipped in the footholes and because his left leg is his landing foot in his delivery stride when he stretches too far forward with it, it could affect the area again” Mohammed Moosajee, the South Africa team manager, told ESPNcricinfo.After play, Philander said he felt the irritation slightly lower down in his left leg than where it was previously and “hoped” it was only stiffness. Moosjaee, though, is concerned that the strain has been aggravated so soon after it had healed. As a result, Philander is back on fitness watch and will be monitored and assessed in the lead up to the second fixture.A grade one strain of the hamstring usually requires seven to ten days rest. The second Test starts next week Friday, which will give Philander a full week but because the latest niggle has occurred directly off the back of a previous one, the recovery time may be lengthened as a precaution.”With Tests so close together, management may not want to risk playing Vernon but we also don’t want to take a call too early,” Moosajee said. “What we don’t want it is for it become three strains in three weeks then he is out for a month.”Philander suffers from a chronic hamstring condition which would mean that if it is injured again, he could need even more time out of the game. With the Pakistan series to come, South Africa want him available so leaving him out of the Port Elizabeth match may prove the sensible option.Rory Kleinveldt, Philander’s new-ball partner at Cape Cobras and the reserve bowler in the national squad, is likely to play if Philander is ruled. Kleinveldt had a forgettable debut in Brisbane on the recent tour to Australia but came back well in his second Test in Adelaide, where he stood in for Philander whose back had seized up. He has yet to play a Test at home.

Taj TV has acquired television rights from the WICB for a period of seven years, beginning from January 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2012Taj TV has acquired television rights from the WICB for a period of seven years, beginning from January 2013. Taj TV, which operates five sports channels including Ten Sports and has previously telecast West Indies cricket, bought the terrestrial broadcast rights for the Caribbean as well as the production rights, the West Indies board said in a release.In all, the release said, Taj TV will broadcast 253 days of international cricket as part of the deal, and provide television production for free-to-air stations throughout the Caribbean. However, the numbers behind the deal were not revealed.”We are extremely delighted to continue our long standing association with Taj TV Limited who has been our media rights partner previously and with whom we have had a solid and mutually beneficial relationship,” the president of the WICB, Julian Hunte, said.

Captain backs positive approach after batters get caught in two minds on final day

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Jun-20213:57

What’s ailing Cheteshwar Pujara?

Virat Kohli, India’s captain, says that his batters may need to take more “risks” in tough conditions to provide more support to their bowling attack.Kohli’s India were bowled out for 217 and 170 in their two innings in Southampton, en route to an eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship final.Though they began the final day with an overnight score of 64 for 2 and a lead of 32, India were bowled out before tea in the best weather conditions of the match, with New Zealand’s four main seamers sharing the wickets around before Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor sealed a 139-run chase with 7.1 overs remaining in the match.Only Rishabh Pant, dropped on 5 in the morning session, found any meaningful resistance as he improvised his way to 41 from 88 balls before holing out to deep backward point, and during the post-match presentation Kohli told Michael Atherton that India were about “30-40 runs short” of a defendable target.Expanding on that point afterwards, Kohli said that some of India’s batting might have been too circumspect in their attempts to combat a well-structured and versatile New Zealand bowling unit.Related

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Pant’s innings attracted criticism in some quarters, particularly the shot that led to his wicket, but Kohli warned that it would be counter-productive to cramp his expansive style – one that has proved crucial in recent months, from their historic series win in Australia last winter to the more recent home victory over England.”Rishabh is just going to be a very expressive player whenever he gets an opportunity,” Kohli said. “Whenever there is a situation that needs to be understood, I think he assesses it really well. When things don’t come off, you can say that it was an error of judgment and that’s acceptable in sportKyle Jamieson celebrates after dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara•AFP via Getty Images

“We don’t want him to lose his positivity or his optimism in changing the situation for the team, and that’s where his USP lies, and we will definitely continue to back him to play that way and find ways to put pressure on the opposition and find ways to score runs, which is his natural game.”India’s next assignment is a five-Test series against England, starting in August, and Kohli warned that his team would need to heed the lessons of this defeat if they are to combat a similarly well-disciplined seam attack, featuring the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who won the corresponding series in 2018 by four Tests to one.”You need to find ways to disrupt that,” Kohli said. “If you don’t put their bowlers under pressure then they have the fitness and the consistency to bowl long spells and keep bowling all day in the same areas and trouble you, and the more momentum you give them, then invariably they get the breakthroughs they want.””The mindset has to be to score runs and find ways to score runs,” he added. “You can’t be too worried about getting out because you are [then] bringing the bowler into the game completely and not moving the game forward. We know that, as a batting unit, if we consistently put up 300 on the board then it is a different kind of pressure on the opposition with the kind of bowlers that we have.”The idea from here on will be to try to score runs and not worry about getting out in testing conditions,” Kohli said. “That’s the only way you can score and put the opposition under pressure, otherwise you’re just literally standing there hoping that you don’t get out and eventually you will because you’re not being optimistic enough.”I think you have to take more risks and calculated risks and be confident about taking those risks against a quality bowling attack like New Zealand.”

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy matches on February 9, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2013
ScorecardA 12-wicket match haul from left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz, including a hat-trick, and a strong batting performance led Lahore Shalimar to a ten-wicket victory over Lahore Ravi in the first round of the Super Eights in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. Riaz took nine wickets in the first innings as Ravi were shot out for 153, and took three wickets in their second dig, when Ravi faced an innings defeat after a 169-run first-innings deficit. Some resolve by their batsmen, however, helped them set a target of 87, which Shalimar overhauled on the final day without the loss of a wicket.Ravi’s openers started positively when they batted first, putting on 70, before Riaz had them struggling at 124 for 9. Riaz’s performance was backed up by half-centuries from Shalimar’s opener Imran Butt, Umar Akmal and his brother Kamran, which strengthened their grip on the contest.Ravi’s openers scored half-centuries to help erase their deficit, but no other batsman scored beyond 25 as Ravi were bowled out for 255. Shalimar’s Imam-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 52 to help seal the victory.
ScorecardCenturies from Shoaib Ahmed and Babar Naeem helped Rawalpindi gain three points against Islamabad in a drawn game. The first day being washed out stole valuable time from the game, and by the end of the third day, when Islamabad scored 123 for 3, the possibility of an outright result was virtually over.After being put in to bat, Rawalpindi lost three quick wickets to be struggling at 42 for 3, before a 177-run stand between Shoaib and Naeem helped them recover. Although wickets fell regularly thereafter, a knock of 59 from Sohail Tanvir helped them get past 350. Islamabad, in reply, stuttered throughout their innings, as besides opener Raheel Majeed, who scored 78, and Imad Wasim, no one put up much resistance. Tanvir and seamer Hammad Azam shared seven wickets between them.With the lead being secured, the rest of the match didn’t have much relevance. Umar Amin scored a half-century to lead Rawalpindi to 187 for 4, before the match was drawn.
ScorecardIn Swabi, the first two days of the Bottom Six match was washed out but an all-round effort from Saeed Anwar jnr helped Multan clinch a first-innings lead and three points against Multan. Left-arm spinner Anwar took 5 for 14 off 14 overs to help bowl Abbottabad out for 131, and scored an unbeaten century as Multan reached a strong 220 for 4 on the final day, before the match was drawn.Abbottabad struggled after they were put in to bat as their top order flopped. No.7 Khalid Usman, who scored 30, was the top scorer as Anwar and fellow spinner Aamer Yamin took eight of their wickets. In reply, Multan lost the first wicket without a run being scored, before Zeeshan Ashraf, Yasir Butt and Anwar led the recovery.
ScorecardQuetta narrowly avoided defeat in the other game of the group of the six bottom teams, against Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. With the first day being washed out, both teams forfeited their first-innings to try chase an outright result.A century from Nawaz Ahmed and an unbeaten half-century from Mohammad Rizwan took Peshawar to 322 for 7 on the third day. Opener Bismillah Khan, who scored 58, and No.3 Ali Asad, who scored a century, led Quetta’s strong reply before a collapse had them losing four wickets for 21 runs. But lack of time prevented Peshawar to get the final two wickets.

Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander and Wayne Parnell have all been named in the Western Province squad

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2021Duanne Olivier, Hardus Viljoen, Kyle Abbott, Simon Harmer and Stiaan van Zyl, who had all left the South Africa set-up with Kolpak deals, have returned to the country’s Division 1 competition for the upcoming season.All Kolpak registrations were cancelled at the end of 2020 following the end of the United Kingdom’s transition period with the European Union, and meant that those playing county cricket on such deals were released from their terms and were eligible to represent South Africa again.Earlier this year, Abbott became the first high-profile returnee to South African domestic cricket after signing a short-term deal with the Titans ahead of the One-Day Cup.Related

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• New structure: 2 tiers, 15 first-class teams, 205 players

On Tuesday, the CSA announced the final squads of the eight top-tier provincial teams after the new domestic structure was finalised early last month by an independent committee. South Africa’s revamped two-tiered domestic set-up, which eliminates the franchise model and reverts to the old provincial set-up, has come in place this (2021-2022) season, and in it, eight teams will make up the first tier – with 16 contracted players each – and seven teams will play in the second tier – with 11 contracted players each. Boland, Central Gauteng Lions, Eastern Province, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal (Coastal), North West, Northerns and Western Province are the eight teams that will compete in Division 1.Meanwhile, big guns such as Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander and Wayne Parnell have all been named in the Western Province squad.”This is an exciting time for everyone involved in South African cricket as we look ahead to a new era that will start in 2021/22,” CSA acting chief executive officer Pholetsi Moseki said in a statement. “At initial glance, the squads all look extremely well balanced and that can only bode well for everyone as we anticipate a strengthened domestic cricket system.”Chris Morris, who has not been awarded a national contract, has signed with Northerns.Squads
KwaZulu-Natal (Coastal): Marques Ackerman, Ottneil Baartman, Eathan Bosch, Ruan de Swardt, Daryn Dupavillon, Sarel Erwee, Thamsanqa Khumalo, Kerwin Mungroo, Lifa Ntanzi, Thando Ntini, Bryce Parsons, Keegan Petersen, Grant Roelofsen, Jason Smith, Prenelan Subrayen, Khaya Zondo, Andile Phehlukway (national contract), David Miller (national contract), Keshav Maharaj (national contract).Central Gauteng Lions: Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Kagiso Rapulana, Ryan Rickleton. Joshua Richards, Sisanda Magala, Dominic Hendricks, Tladi Bokako, Malusi Siboto, Duanne Olivier, Ruan Haasbroek, Tshepo Ntuli, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Levert Manje, Kagiso Rabada (national contract), Rassie van der Dussen (national contract), Temba Bavuma (national contract), Reeza Hendricks (national contract).Boland: Janneman Malan, Pieter Malan, Hardus Viljoen, Ismaeel Gafieldien, Ferisco Adams, Siyabonga Mahima, Christiaan Jonker, Ruan Terblanche, Imraan Manack, Shaun von Berg, Michael Copeland, Zakhele Qwabe, Clyde Fortuin, Achille Cloete, Stiaan van Zyl, Ziyaad Abrahams, Kyle Abbott.North West: Delano Potgieter, Lesego Senokwane, Nicky van den Bergh, Senuran Muthusamy, Nono Pongolo, Eldred Hawken, Heino Kuhn, Lwandiswa Zuma, Shaylen Pillay, Wesley Marshall, Ndumiso Mvelase, Eben Botha, Johannes Diseko, Duan Jansen, Chad Classen, Jason Oakes, Dwaine Pretorius (national contract).Eastern Province: Matthew Breetzke, Wihan Lubbe, Sinethemba Qeshile, Jon-Jon Smuts, Eddie Moore, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Rudi Second, Akhona Mnyaka, Lesiba Ngoepe, Diego Rosier, Tristan Stubbs, Dane Paterson, Kabelo Sekhukhune, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Tsepo Ndwandwa, Anrich Nortje (national contract).Northerns: Lizaad Williams, Okhule Cele, Theunis de Bruyn, Dayyaan Galiem, Gihahn Cloete, Junior Dala, Neil Brand, Sibonelo Makhanya, Corbin Bosch, Aaron Phangiso, Chris Morris, Dewald Brevis, Ayabulela Gqamane, Jiveshen Pillay, Grant Mokoena, Simon Harmer, Aiden Markram (national contract), Lungi Ngidi (national contract), Quinton de Kock (national contract), Tabraiz Shamsi (national contract), Dean Elgar (national contract), Heinrich Klaasen (national contract).Free State: Mbulelo Budaza, Gerald Coetzee, Patrick Kruger, Wandile Makwetu, Migael Pretorius, Jacques Snyman, Pite van Biljon, Raynard van Tonder, Farhaan Behardien, Patrick Botha, Matthew Kleinveldt, Gregory Mohlokwana, Mangaliso Mosehle, Alfred Mothoa, Dilivio Ridgaard, Nealan van Heerden.Western Province: Zubayr Hamza, Kyle Verreynne, George Linde, Tony De Zorzi, Nandre Burger, Yaseen Vallie, Kyle Simmonds, Jonathan Bird, Hashim Amla, Mihlali Mpongwana, Tshepo Moreki, David Bedingham, Aviwe Mgijima, Vernon Philander, Basheer Walters, Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks (national contract).

Henry Williams, the former South Africa bowler who was involved in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing case, has admitted he was never offered a specific amount of money to fix games but had told a different story to the King Commission in 2000

Firdose Moonda13-Jan-2013Henry Williams, the former South Africa bowler who was involved in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing case, has admitted he was never offered a specific amount of money to fix games but had told a different story to the King Commission in 2000. Williams was banned for six months after the investigation but did not play for South Africa again.At the inquiry, Williams testified that he had been offered US$ 15,000 from his captain Cronje to concede more than 50 runs in his 10 overs in the fifth ODI between South Africa and India in Nagpur. The same amount of money had been offered to Herschelle Gibbs to score less than 20 runs. However, while speaking to ESPNcricinfo during the practice match between the South African Invitation XI and the New Zealanders in Paarl two weeks ago, Williams claimed that no such details were discussed. Instead Cronje had joked with Gibbs and him, according to Williams, who said they were later convinced to pad up their stories for the King Commission.In the match in question, Williams injured his shoulder and only bowled 11 balls while Gibbs scored 74, and neither received any money.Williams admitted to being afraid of what might have happened to him and that he thinks there was a lot of pressure to produce a more detailed story to prove Cronje’s guilt. “It was serious then, and after that I thought, alright, life must go on: it can’t stop,” he said. “But at that particular moment there was fear.”When we testified to our lawyers what the story really was, they came up with a threat that we could be prosecuted for doing something like this. So it means we actually lied to our lawyers, who had to tell another story to get to somebody. I believe that was to get to Cronje and whoever was involved in this.”I had never been in a court before. We gave our Senior Counsel the story. We had to come back and testify to the King commission – a different story. I don’t know if we were forced to lie to get to somebody else. I’m still confused today.”When people ask me I will tell them the truth. I’ll say, ‘That’s what I said to my lawyers; what really happened’. Then, to the King commission, a different story. I don’t know why, because we were forced by the prosecution. I didn’t know what the hell was happening, what can happen to me. So I came up with a different story.”The version of the story Williams said is true was never heard by the King Commission, but he did expand on the details of what happened, almost 13 years later. “By the time I was in the shower [the morning of the Nagpur match], I heard Cronje in the room speaking to Herschelle but I don’t know what they are talking about.”When I put my shirt over my head, he [Cronje] said, ‘Hey, let’s throw this game’. I said, ‘Ja, let’s throw this game’. Because now he’s smiling with me and I’m smiling with him – if you’re going to bullshit me I’m going to bullshit you, so fine. There was nothing involved.”At lunchtime, he [Cronje] came to me and said, ‘We scored too many runs’. I looked at him and said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘Guys, the deal is off’. I said, ‘So what?’ He never spoke to us about money – you’re going to get this and you must go for that.”The lawyers who represented Williams and Gibbs at the King Commission, senior counsel Mike Fitzgerald and attorney Peter Whelan, deny that they had convinced Williams to lie on the stand. “That’s outrageous,” Fitzgerald said. “Why would I give my own client a version that implicates him? If I somehow persuaded him to lie, to whose benefit would that be?” Whelan called the allegations, “fundamental rubbish”.The King Commission secretary John Bacon said it was unlikely the investigations will be reopened unless they received something from Williams in writing.Williams currently works with the Boland Under-19 team, while Gibbs plays in various Twenty20 leagues around the world. He is at present with the Perth Scorchers for the Big Bash League and refused to get involved in the current issue. “I spoke to Herschelle and he wasn’t interested in commenting,” Scorchers media manager Daniel Davini said from Perth yesterday. “He said, ‘I have nothing say about that and I don’t want to have anything to do with that’.”