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The BCCI and former India captain Sourav Ganguly have failed to respond to the conflict of interest allegations against the latter within the specified deadline, forcing the board ombudsman, Justice AP Shah, to seek a fresh response on the matter

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Jan-2016The BCCI and former India captain Sourav Ganguly have failed to respond to the conflict of interest allegations against the latter within the specified deadline, forcing the board ombudsman, Justice AP Shah, to seek a fresh response on the matter.On January 14, Shah had asked the BCCI and Ganguly to respond allegations of conflict of interest, relating to Ganguly’s role on the IPL governing council, by January 27 and 28 respectively. Shah, however, has now asked board president Shashank Manohar to respond by February 8, and share information on BCCI rules pertaining to conflict of interest and guidelines for IPL officials.In an e-mail sent on Friday, which has been accessed by ESPNcricinfo, Shah listed out the case against Ganguly. The main allegation, filed by Mumbai-based Niraj Gunde, centres around Ganguly’s role in Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd., which owns a football franchise, Atlético de Kolkata, in the Indian Super League. In an elaborate complaint, filed on January 13, Gunde had alleged that Ganguly was involved in a commercial tie-up with the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group which had, in December, bought the Rising Pune Super Giants franchise in the IPL.”Specifically, the allegations are that Mr Ganguly is a co-owner of a company by the name of Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd., which owns the a football franchise by the name of Atlético de Kolkata,” Shah wrote today in his e-mail to Manohar. “The company is allegedly co-owned by Mr Ganguly, along with businessmen associated with the RPG group. The RPG Group successfully bid for a cricket team based out of Pune that will participate in the forthcoming seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The allegation is that Mr Ganguly and the RPG group were partners in another commercial venture at the time of the bid for the Pune franchise being made, which was allegedly not disclosed.”Shah said he wanted to know the BCCI’s stand on the allegation and its interpretation of the term conflict of interest. Incidentally, in October, 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.”The issue is whether this situation would lead to a conflict of interest, and it involves an interpretation of the rules laid down in this regard. Consequently, the Ombudsman has the following questions: 1. What is the stand of the BCCI on this issue? 2. Are the rules for conflict of interest intended to be exhaustive, i.e., do the rules cover all circumstances that the BCCI conceives to be within its definition of conflict of interest? 3. Could you also make available the rules/regulations/guidelines pertaining to the role and function of IPL commissioners?,” Shah wrote.On Friday evening, Ganguly, who is president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, said he had replied to Shah. “I did get the letter from the BCCI Office of the Ombudsman. I have already sent my reply to the Ombudsman and explained my position,” Ganguly told reporters after a CAB meeting.

Cheteshwar Pujara said his experience and understanding of his game helped him switch plans with ease during the semi-final against Assam

Arun Venugopal in Vadodara14-Feb-2016Cheteshwar Pujara was well set and batting in the 80s with less than half an hour to go for stumps. There was little that hinted at a major deviation from how he had played up to that point. He had left many balls outside off stump, twitched his wrists at anything that slanted towards the leg stump and cut well. Everything pointed to a cautious final stretch with Saurashtra already five wickets down. Surely he, of all people, wouldn’t attempt something rash?Pujara, though, saw an opportunity within the bandwidth of risk-free batting; Assam’s seam bowlers were a tired lot and their short-pitched deliveries were far less potent with an older, softer ball. There were runs for the taking, and Pallavkumar Das was identified as one of the targets. First up was a short ball that sat up wide outside off and out came a truculent square cut, replete with bottom-handed fury, which replaced its mellower variant that was in play for the most part.It was followed by a late cut that wasn’t as delicate as it was well disguised; he shaped for the cut but held the trigger and as the ball passed him maneuvered it well wide off first slip. He topped things up with a nifty clip off his pads for four. Only a few overs ago had he ferociously pulled left-arm spinner J Syed Mohammad for six over midwicket. Pujara, who brought up his first century this Ranji Trophy season, later said his experience and understanding of his game helped him switch plans with ease.”Once I assess the situation, once I know what I have to do then I have my game plans,” he said. “The ball got old, we had lost five wickets, I thought I should accelerate because the bowler’s lengths weren’t very good as well. That is experience. What you do in that situation [comes with] your experience.”While Pujara left a lot of balls in his innings, he said it wasn’t a predetermined tactic to grind the opponents. “I just thought I will watch the ball and never restricted my shots,” he explained. “They bowled in a line where I didn’t want to go for it, and it helped me. Their line was very outside off and was short. And I was happy leaving the ball.”Pujara admitted to learning the importance of the ‘one ball at a time’ maxim by batting on difficult surfaces. “When the ball is seaming or turning you can only focus on the next ball. When you start focusing on how much the wicket is seaming or turning then you can’t do what you should be doing,” he said. “I didn’t even know when I was close to 50 or 100 but I wasn’t even looking at the scoreboard. I was thinking about which bowler was trying to get me out in which way, who was trying to swing it well.”There was also the missed opportunity in the quarterfinal against Vidarbha – he had got out for 47 – that was running at the back of his mind. He suggested that it made him more determined to cut down errors. “When you play on difficult wickets it doesn’t matter whether you have played 100 or 50 international matches: if you make a minor mistake you are out,” he said. “What I had in my mind was the last match I was batting so well I thought I am off for a double hundred or 150 but one ball you make a mistake and you are out. So my main thinking was to focus on the next ball, and once I get my rhythm then no one can stop me.”Pujara said he didn’t have the habit of ‘switching off and on’ and that in fact he tried to remain clued in for as long as he could. Wasn’t this a particularly draining approach? “If you are trying to focus so much then you drain yourself but I enjoy being there in the field,” he said. “Watching the ball is natural so the mind is always [switched] on. I have had fairly good concentration levels right from the start, and I try to keep that going. It’s about knowing what is happening on the wicket and what the bowlers are doing and what I need to do [to counter them].”

The BCCI’s decision to grant full membership to Chhattisgarh, paving the way for their maiden appearance in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments, has delighted the state’s cricket administration

Arun Venugopal19-Feb-2016The BCCI’s decision to grant full membership to Chhattisgarh, paving the way for their maiden appearance in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments, has delighted the state’s cricket administration. The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) has assured it would invest its energies in channeling the potential of the state’s cricketers. “We are thankful to the BCCI who identified and recognised us,” CSCS president Baldev Singh Bhatia told ESPNcricinfo. “The government has helped us a lot. The stadium belongs to them, and they have provided it to us and the facilities are great.”Chhattisgarh have had their fair share of waiting to get here; after completing five continuous seasons as an Associate Member in accordance with BCCI norms, they pushed for full membership in 2014, but were thwarted by the tense election scenario in the BCCI. There was no positive response during the following year as well. “It’s a procedural thing,” Bhatia said. “There was continuous due diligence from the BCCI to monitor if we were adhering to all the norms – from administration to infrastructure to finance.”Apart from the five-year stipulation, the BCCI also judges Associate members on various other parameters, especially cricket at the grassroots. “They should have participated in BCCI tournaments for a minimum of three years,” BCCI’s general manager (game development) Ratnakar Shetty said. “We examine the facilities available at the venue and all the other grounds. Then the standard of district cricket and local cricket is evaluated as well.”What also worked in favour of the CSCS was that the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Naya Raipur had successfully hosted quite a few high-profile matches. It played host to Delhi Daredevils for two matches each during IPL 2013 and 2015, and was also allotted eight games in the now-defunct Champions League T20 tournament in 2014.Both Shetty and Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua said that the venue was of international standards. That the GMR group, which owns the Daredevils franchise, has business interests there has had a positive effect on both the team as well as cricket in Chhattisgarh.”We were looking at expanding the business and reach of DD, as obviously GMR has a presence there,” Dua said. “It’s one of the better stadiums around and the facilities are great. The government is very welcoming and the state association also went out of the way to welcome us.”By virtue of being a Full Member, the CSCS – whose annual grant from the BCCI till now was around Rs 75 lakh – now stands to earn in excess of Rs 20 crore. Bhatia said the elevation was a reward for consistently meeting the standards expected by the BCCI. “Inspections have happened two or three times in the past,” he said. “Even last month the entire committee was there. The BCCI was very confident of us which is why they allotted us IPL matches – usually Associate members are never given such high-profile matches.”Bhatia also pointed to the abundant natural potential in players from the interior regions of Chhattisgarh, and that the junior teams’ fine performances were big factors in the state securing full membership. “We were given the opportunity to host Associate matches, and the BCCI ascertained how we did there and what our standards were. They saw our team’s fine performance over years; our under-14, 16 and 19 boys have won the finals many times. They have beaten strong teams like Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. One of our boys, Amandeep Khare, was even part of India’s squad in the Under-19 World Cup”According to Bhatia, the association’s priority now is to develop a strong team for the Ranji Trophy and also to create a robust pipeline of talent. “We will work on it and bring new coaches. We will develop the infrastructure in interior places and search talent there and we will ensure that the boys progress,” he said.”We can now go to the interiors and play these boys all year. We can create special zones, and develop infrastructure and send coaches there. About four years ago, a Chhattisgarh Adivasi boy, who has never been to the city or had access to transport, captained a junior team to victories.”Bhatia said that several players like Jalaj Saxena, Jatin Saxena and Harpreet Bhatia, who are originally from Chhattisgarh, turn out for Madhya Pradesh. He said the CSCS would approach some of them to play for Chhattisgarh. “Har koi apne state ke liye khelna chahta hai [everyone wants to play for his state]. Our boys had to play elsewhere because they had no option,” he said. “We will definitely approach them. It’s their right [to play for this team].”

West Indies’ players are experienced in T20 cricket, but would want to prove themselves at the international level

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Mar-20161:14

Chappell: West Indies batting has fallen since 2012 title

Big picture

Till Shamar Springer rolled his chest rhythmically, there was Chris Gayle and co. galloping to the , having won their maiden World T20 crown, their first world title in 33 years.Four years on, the core of that 2012 batch remains intact. But there are many questions Darren Sammy and his band of merry men will have to answer if they are to repeat the 2012 feat. The biggest weakness for West Indies is a batting line-up that is powerful on paper, but low on returns and inconsistent in form.Only Gayle, their best batsman, emerges unscathed. In his 43 T20I innings, Gayle has scored 1406 runs at an average of 35.15 and a strike rate of 142.60. Contrast that with Marlon Samuels, who was the Man of the Match in the 2012 final, but has scored just one half-century in his last 12 T20I innings. He has not played any T20 cricket since the Bangladesh Premier League last November.Denesh Ramdin is the other batsman who is struggling. If not for his wicketkeeping, he might have found it hard to retain his place. In 34 T20I innings, he has managed 385 runs at an average of 16.73, which is the lowest among all wicketkeepers who have played 20 or more T20I innings. The other specialist batsmen, Johnson Charles (22 T20I innings, 463 runs at 21.04), Andre Fletcher (24, 427 at 19.40) have been equally inconsistent.West Indies’ biggest strength remains their quartet of allrounders: Dwayne Bravo, Sammy, Carlos Braithwaite and Andre Russell. These four can destroy bowling attacks mercilessly as Sammy showed in the second warm-up match against Australia in Kolkata which West Indies won. In the absence of Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard, these four men will also take the responsibility of leading the bowling attack.As Sammy has been saying, this tournament is the last chance to win big. For him. For Gayle. For Bravo. For Samuels. And, probably, even Russell, who is battling knee problems. These men have at times been labelled bandits for choosing lucrative T20 leagues over representing West Indies. Will they now help West Indies loot the ransom at the World T20? If so, it would be worth watching how they attempt to outdo the “Springer roll”.

At the helm

One disadvantage West Indies face is not having played as one unit since the last edition of the tournament. It is here that Sammy’s skills as a motivational speaker will be handy. As a leader he has the respect of his players and bonds well with all the seniors.Equally influential would be Phil Simmons, their coach, who enters his first major global tournament in this capacity. A quiet presence in the dressing room he might be, but Simmons believes in hard work and discipline. Simmons was briefly suspended last year by the WICB for publicly stating that he did not get his players of choice in the squad for the Sri Lanka tour. The players know Simmons is on their side. Simmons wants acknowledgement in the form of performances.

Key stat

8This is the number of T20Is West Indies have played since the last World T20, the lowest among all ten Full Members. However, perhaps this stat could be offset by another: 42.4 is the average number of T20s played by the 15 squad members since the last World T20 – the highest for any team!

Leading men

Andre Russell was the IPL’s Most Valuable Player last year, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. He won the Big Bash League with the Sydney Thunder recently. During the Pakistan Super League, Russell declared he was hungry to perform and played a key role in Islamabad United’s victorious campaign in the league’s first season. Now Russell is ready for the World T20. It offers him the opportunity to correct something he would not like to hear: in the seven T20I innings he has played since the 2014 World T20, Russell has scored just 72 runs. And in the eight matches in which he has bowled during that period, he has just two wickets at an economy rate of 10.3. He has done it for the franchises. Now it is the Caribbean’s turn.Chris Gayle is the second highest run-getter in World T20s (807 runs) and the highest among all who are playing this edition of the tournament. He has hit the most fifty-plus scores (8) and the most sixes (49). Despite the demands on him, Gayle must be well aware that the longer he stays at the crease the better chance West Indies have of compiling high totals or chasing them down.Can Andre Russell deliver in West Indian colours?•Associated Press

Burning question

Who is going to replace Narine as the match-winning spinner?Samuel Badree might raise his hand to answer that question. Badree has the experience of playing on Indian pitches in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals, has opened the bowling with the new ball, and is accurate with his legspinners. He is no door mat. His economy rate of 5.39 in T20Is is the best among all bowlers who have bowled 50 or more overs in T20Is. Badree knows he is no Narine, who was one of the most dangerous bowlers at death. Badree has never bowled at death in T20Is.However, he trumps Narine in Powerplays: in 22 T20I innings, Badree has taken 19 wickets at an economy rate of 5.39. In the same first-six-overs phase, Narine has had 26 innings, taking seven wickets at an economy rate of 6.20. While Ashley Nurse or Sulieman Benn will play the supporting role, it is Badree who will need to fire the shots early to make sure West Indies are standing strong at the end.

World T20 history

Twice West Indies failed to make the knockouts: 2007, and then, embarrassingly, at home in 2010. Twice they made the semi-finals: in 2009 and 2014. Once they danced with the World T20 crown – in 2012.

In their own words

“The next T20 World Cup is in 2020. The most experienced guys will not be part of the next World Cup. Everybody is focused on winning. It would mean a lot to us and the people at home in the current situation our cricket is in if this team comes here… not only the men’s team but also the women’s team if we can win.”
Aakash Chopra on West Indies’ strengths and weaknesses

Leicestershire made sure they picked up maximum bonus points before declaring on the final day of their County Championship match against Kent at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2016
ScorecardMark Cosgrove reached his hundred as Leicestershire took maximum batting points•Getty Images

Leicestershire made sure they picked up maximum bonus points before declaring on the final day of their County Championship match against Kent at Grace Road.Centuries from captain Mark Cosgrove (122) and Neil Dexter (131), and useful contributions from the lower order, including an unbeaten 42 from all-rounder Wayne White, together with an entertaining unbeaten 17 from last man Charlie Shreck, enabled the Foxes to secure five batting bonus points before Cosgrove pulled out with a lead of 137.The timing of the declaration meant that Leicestershire were left with a maximum of 45 overs to bowl Kent out for a second time – an unlikely prospect on an essentially good wicket. Although Clint McKay picked up two early wickets, trapping first innings centurion Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw for 4, and having Joe Denly caught at first slip having edged an out-swinger, Sam Northeast and Sean Dickson compiled an unbeaten partnership of 60 for the third wicket before the captains shook hands.Cosgrove was on 99 when Leicestershire resumed on their overnight score of 174 for 2, and the Australian faced another nine balls before completing his hundred.He had gone on to 122 when he misjudged the length of a Mitch Claydon delivery and was bowled attempting to pull, having put on 217 with Dexter for the third wicket.Leicestershire quickly lost their second wicket of the morning when Mark Pettini, making his home debut, went forward to Claydon and got an inside edge on to his off stump. Dexter continued to accumulate steadily, however, and went to his 100 off 163 balls, including 13 fours.Kent should have picked up their third wicket of the morning when Niall O’Brien edged Claydon to second slip, but Matt Coles failed to hold the two-handed chance.Darren Stevens picked up the wickets of O’Brien and then Dexter soon after lunch, but White, Ben Raine and last man Shreck all hit out to good effect to take the Foxes past 400.

If England succeed against Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer they will complete a set that few would have contemplated possible two years ago

Melinda Farrell at Headingley18-May-2016Turn back a year, to the two-Test series against New Zealand, with low expectations of a team rising from the fiasco that was the World Cup, and few would have foreseen the bright summer that captured the public’s imagination and reinvigorated a young and exciting England side.Turn back another, and the knives were sharpening for whoever was left standing after an Ashes pasting that left the team in tatters and ended several careers.It seems astonishing, therefore, that England are just two series wins away from holding all nine bilateral Test series trophies. If they succeed against Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer they will complete a set that few would have contemplated possible two years ago.”I think it would be a great achievement,” Alastair Cook, England’s captain, said. “People have spoken about it over the last couple of weeks and I don’t think there’s any harm in that if it inspires us to do it. But actually achieving that will be hard work. We know that and it’s not going to be given to us against two good sides.”In a testament to his durability, Cook has weathered the turmoil, led each new round of new eras and now stands on the cusp of becoming the first English player to reach 10,000 Test runs.That he will reach the milestone as England captain is, he acknowledges, down to his stubbornness and determination never to quit. It will be fitting, too, if he passes the mark against Sri Lanka at Headingley; it was during England’s loss in the corresponding Test two years ago – as Angelo Matthews and Rangana Herath frustrated England’s bowlers with a match-winning partnership – that Cook reached his nadir as captain and was on the verge of quitting, in his own words “close enough that you wouldn’t want to get any closer”.

Cook on…

Reaching 10,000 Test runs: “It would mean a lot and hopefully I can get there sooner rather than later so we can talk about something else. It’s a big milestone in terms of the people who have done it previously so it would be great to try and score these 36 runs. I’ve just got to put that to bed and try and do what I’ve done in the previous 10 years, which is concentrate on that ball coming down and nothing else. If it’s your day, go big and get a big score.”
James Vince’s debut: “I haven’t seen him play for a couple of years but I did see him play a few years ago when I was standing at first slip for Essex and he’s one of those players who had a lot of time and he timed the ball really well. They are two things that made him stand out then and over the years I think he’s matured a lot and to watching him go about his business mentally he looks ready for Test cricket. Talking to people, the way he’s operated in the T20 and ODI squad, Trevor [Bayliss] and Paul [Farbrace] rate him very highly and he’s the kind of character you need.”

“I just thought about that what had gone on since January 30 that year to what had gone on there really. It was a tough three or four months off the field as much as on the field,” he said.”I’ve never really quit on anything. I probably had about two percent left in me saying if you walk out now you still have a bit more to offer that side really. So I suppose me being stubborn, probably, and not quitting… I don’t really want to be known as a quitter.”It was certainly a tough day, the fourth night was tougher than the fifth,” Cook said of England’s Headingley defeat, which was confirmed from the penultimate ball of the Test. “I was very proud of the way we battled on the fifth day but the damage had already been done. It’s an amazing game of fine margins, that series. Minus the last ball [that] didn’t quite carry [at Lord’s] and then Angelo Mathews nicked a ball which didn’t quite carry and then he went on to get a brilliant 160, which won them the game.”It was a game of fine margins and Sri Lanka came out on top and thoroughly deserved it. It was a real tough moment for me as a captain, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m glad I hung in there for what’s happened since.”While Cook leads a far more settled side into this series, questions surround those batting alongside him in the top order, despite a successful tour of South Africa. But while he admits the consistency has been missing from the top three, Cook is keen for Alex Hales and Nick Compton to tune out the dissenters and embrace their own, contrasting styles of play.”Until someone really grabs that opportunity and nails it then there’s always going to be questions asked,” Cook said. “Alex is the man in possession at the moment and the way he played, certainly the one-day series against South Africa, five scores above 50 – the way he played, certainly watching back home, showed everyone he’s not just a T20 specialist. He played proper cricket. He wasn’t just whacking the ball. I thought he played some excellent shots and he looked really controlled. He can certainly play at this level.”As always with these things you want to get a big score to try and prove that to people and do it consistently. That’s his challenge and it’s the same for Nick as well. He got a really good 80 at Durban and that was only four games ago and that helped set up in tricky conditions a score that we were able to push on and win. The guy’s a fighter and he’s just got to relax and play.”Cook can no doubt relate to Compton’s situation – that of being a more traditional top-order batsman who excels in blunting the new ball and accumulating, rather than accelerating, in a world where aggressive batting has become far more fashionable.But many of Cook’s 9,964 Test runs to date have come via nudges and nurdles, and many more will likely follow in the same manner. As he leads his side out for the first session of England’s summer campaign, the man who was 98% sure he would hand in his notice is now sure of his place.”It’s probably taken me three years to feel comfortable in the job and hopefully I can carry on for a bit. While I’m still enjoying it and while the guys are still responding I’m staying there.”

Bangladesh chief selector Faruque Ahmed has resigned hours after the BCB ratified a significant change to the way Bangladesh squads would be picked

Mohammad Isam19-Jun-2016Bangladesh chief selector Faruque Ahmed has resigned hours after the BCB ratified significant changes to the way Bangladesh squads would henceforth be chosen.Under the new system, the existing three-member selection panel has expanded to also include the Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, BCB cricket operations chairman Akram Khan and BCB director Khaled Mahmud. The final nod would then be given by the BCB president.Faruque told ESPNcricinfo that the involvement of board members in the selection process would be too much of an interference: “It will be difficult to work in this system. We have to have scope to work without interference. The independence of the selectors will be greatly compromised. The new system isn’t going to help Bangladesh cricket, as it won’t be able to deliver. There will be shared accountability where no one would really know who took the decision.”Faruque had voiced his concerns over this three-step process when it was proposed last month. And on Sunday when it received the okay from the BCB, he said “the decision has been taken, I will not work under this system. I will complete the formalities once I return home from the US.”Previously, the selectors would seek out the captain and the coach for their inputs, but had the freedom to choose a side they thought was best. This side would then need to be approved by the cricket operations committee chairman and finally by the BCB president as well. Such has been the case for more than a decade.”You only change a system when it’s broken,” Faruque said. “Bangladesh cricket has been in good health so I didn’t see any reason to make such a big change to the selection process.Faruque was appointed in December 2013 for a second stint as chief selector. His first term had lasted four years from 2003 to 2007. He was praised for his bold approach, which led him to choose a 20-year old Mushfiqur Rahim ahead of Khaled Mashud as Bangladesh’s specialist wicketkeeper for the 2007 World Cup. The decision paid off as Mushfiqur went on to become one of his country’s most consistent performers.Faruque faced some trouble as well, notably when Mushfiqur said he wasn’t consulted before the 2014 Asia Cup squad was picked, and when legspinner Jubair Hossain was not picked in the squad for the 2015 World Cup despite coach Hathurusingha wanting him.His second stint also included a nine-month period between January and September 2014, when Bangladesh won only two out of 27 matches across formats. But they ended that year by beating Zimbabwe in three Tests and five ODIs, beating England in Adelaide to qualify for the World Cup quarter-final, and racking up series wins over Pakistan, India and South Africa in 50-over cricket. They also competed in the final of the Asia Cup 2016.”I have done my job with all honesty,” Faruque said. “I think I deserve a bit of [credit for] what Bangladesh have achieved when I was the chief selector. I think Bangladesh cricket and the game itself is much larger than a chief selector so I hope the best interest of Bangladesh cricket is taken into account. I am sure the BCB has made this new committee with good intentions but it would do more harm than good.”June 20, GMT 1810: The story has been amended to clarify the composition of the new selection panel