Australia’s captain Michael Clarke is in retreat. If not in retreat from England, then certainly from history

Daniel Brettig at Trent Bridge09-Jul-2013Australia’s captain Michael Clarke is in retreat. If not in retreat from England, then certainly from history.On the eve of the first Test at Trent Bridge, Clarke was adamant that the next 10 Ashes matches would not define him as a player or a captain, and that they were no more important than any Test against any other nation. As globalised thinking, it could perhaps be construed as refreshing. But on the day before going into battle against an accomplished and experienced England side, it almost sounded as though Clarke did not want to stake too much on a series he may very well lose.”I’ve read it will make or break my reputation as a captain. Personally, I don’t feel like that,” Clarke said. “Every Test match I play in, every time I walk out to bat I try and make a hundred, whether it’s against Bangladesh, India, South Africa or England. That doesn’t change my mindset. Because of the history and tradition of what comes with Ashes cricket, which is fantastic, it obviously builds this series up and that’s great for the game, but as a player my mindset will be no different than it was last summer. Every time I captain Australia I want us to win.”I understand there’s so much expectation that comes with an Ashes tour, and that’s from fans back at home, this is everything to an Australian fan, the biggest series you play as a cricketer. But as a player, that expectation I have on myself every single day, I’m not more disappointed if we lose the first Test against England than if we lose the first Test against South Africa or India and the excitement when we win will be no different. There’s no more pressure from within.”By contrast, England’s captain Alastair Cook was comfortable enough in himself and his team to accept the extra weight that comes with an Ashes bout, particularly one to be played over an extraordinary two legs, spanning 10 cricket grounds, 50 playing days and two continents. Cook’s England are warm favourites, but he said the additional expectation from the rest of the nation and the world was something the best players learned to live with and ultimately thrive on.”They are the biggest Test matches we can play, as an Englishman or an Australian,” Cook said. “The history and the tradition and the rivalry, how much the whole country gets behind both sides whether you’re in England or Australia. I think it can define a career. It’s not the be all and end all, but I’ve had some very fond memories in Ashes series of winning it and hope to add a few more over my career.”I think the external pressure and the hype is that there is more interest in the country in general. For players who are aware of that and can deal with that, clearly the cricket stays the same. It’s the same 22 yards, the same red ball, but it does heighten. That’s where you want to test yourself, in increased pressure situations.”As much as Clarke did not wish to acknowledge it, Australian cricket’s direction over the past two years has been aimed primarily at putting up the strongest possible bid to wrest the Ashes back from England. The Argus review that followed the 2010-11 defeat at home stressed the need to prioritise Test cricket, and the elaborate player fitness management regime overseen by the team performance manager Pat Howard was geared towards ensuring all first-choice players would be fit for the first day’s play in Nottingham.Lastly, the summary removal of Mickey Arthur two weeks ago to be replaced by Darren Lehmann was deemed imperative because Australia’s next opponents were not Bangladesh, nor anyone else. The Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, the chairman Wally Edwards, and Howard all agreed that the quest for the Ashes required decisive action.So far it has worked. Lehmann’s appointment has sent a rush of good feeling and relaxation through the touring party, and Clarke counselled his men to enjoy themselves. “The media and the public will build it and it’s a fantastic series to be a part of, so instead of being scared of it, enjoy every single moment,” Clarke said. “Love being out there and hearing the Barmy Army, seeing so many people in a packed house, love walking out at Lord’s for the first time for the guys who haven’t experienced that.”You spend a lot of time together, it’s always tough cricket, but the boys are in a fantastic place. They’re excited about what lies ahead and we know we will walk out there and give our absolute best. We have prepared as well as we possibly can. Guys are excited about facing if the ball is swinging or reverse swinging or if Graeme Swann is spinning it. We have a chance to play against a very good England team, in their own backyard, we’ve got nothing to lose, we’ve got a great group of players with plenty of talent, let’s get out there and enjoy every minute of it.”Just don’t think it will define you.

James Taylor is routinely overlooked by England these days. An unbeaten double century against Sussex at Trent Bridge might begin to interest them again

Les Smith at Trent Bridge25-Jun-2013Sussex 506-5 dec (Joyce 204*) drew with Nottinghamshire 478-8 dec (Taylor 204* )
ScorecardJames Taylor made a big impression with an unbeaten double hundred in an otherwise dead match against Sussex•Getty Images

James Taylor is a young man with a long career already behind him. The problem is that some people seem to blithely assume the best of it is also behind him.At only 23, he has played with distinction for two first-class counties, captained the England Lions against Sri Lanka, and last year played two home Test matches against South Africa. Many people do not even make their Test debut by then.A couple of even younger bucks have run up and overtaken him since then, notably the Yorkshire pair of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, but although Taylor denies thinking about England, he must still have hopes, and the innings he played over the last two days – an unbeaten 204 against a Sussex side which sensed at the start of the day that it had a slight chance of victory – will have done him no harm at all.He started the day on 81 and, when hands were shaken on a draw, he was still there, 30 or so short of his career best. In the process of scoring it he passed 6000 first class runs. He now has 15 career centuries, four of which have been doubles, although not all have them been scored in Division One. Moreover he has had not one but two 97s this year.It is quite a record, yet England’s latest attitude has been to omit him from many of their various squads, squads designed to suit all challenges and all stages of a player’s career.Perhaps they have decided he will benefit by being left alone. Perhaps they will downgrade this as a dead match on a benign pitch. Perhaps they have an issue with the fact he is only 5ft 6ins. Perhaps they will look at the same score by Ed Joyce in Sussex’s first innings – an England one-day player whose time has passed – and await more persuasive evidence.Taylor acknowledged that scoring in the top division is more difficult, and therefore more satisfying. “I think it is a better standard, having played a lot of second division cricket”, he said. “It’s a step up and I think it’s important to show people I can score runs against the best bowlers in the country.”Sussex’s challenge was to take 14 wickets in the day, preferably before Notts reached 339, and on a pitch showing few signs of misbehaviour it never looked like happening. They lost only one wicket before tea, Ajmal Shahzad becoming Chris Jordan’s fifth victim. He had scored 77 and shared a stand of exactly 200 with Taylor.Once the follow-on target had been passed the match was effectively over, victim of the loss of more than 100 overs on the first two days. If either side was going to win it was Sussex after they posted their 506 for 5 declared, but the game was played on a flat surface and the batsmen had the upper hand.James Taylor is a modest young man. He played superbly, especially off the back foot, but chose to point the finger of praise elsewhere.”It was about scoring runs when we needed it”, he said, “and the batsmen stepped up. I definitely couldn’t have done it without Azmal Shahzad. He has to be proud of his performance today. It was a flat wicket but you have to deliver results and he definitely did.”Shahzad’s restrained 77 suggested a player who might be coming to terms with his wider responsibilities.Asked about his England prospects Taylor gave a politician’s answer. “Ah, I don’t really think about it too much to be honest. They’re all world-class quality players and I don’t compare myself to them. I’m my own person. But I do want to get back there as soon as possible. It’s the place to be. And the only way I’m going to get there is by doing what I’ve done today.”

David Hussey’s entertaining innings and some late order fireworks have put Nottinghamshire’s noses in front

David Lloyd at Taunton03-Aug-2013
ScorecardMarcus Trescothick’s run of poor form continued with a 27-ball 2 against Nottinghamshire•Getty Images

These are tough old times for Marcus Trescothick. The batsman who has scored runs for fun throughout most of his career failed again as Somerset once more found themselves up against it in a Championship match.Almost unbelievably, the former England opener is still looking for his first first-class century of the season and his average, after 22 innings, is now down to 27.Trescothick must have come into this contest with high hopes. Not only did he confirm his recovery from an ankle injury, which saw him miss several T20 games, by playing for the seconds against MCC Universities on Wednesday and Thursday but he also indicated that his touch and timing were back in decent order by taking a double-hundred off the students.When it came to facing Nottinghamshire’s new-ball pair of Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney, however, the now 37-year-old opener simply could not get going. He was watchful, gave himself a good ticking off after playing and missing on at least one occasion, but couldn’t find the one flowing drive that might have set him free.In fairness, Fletcher and Gurney deserved plenty of credit for keeping things so tight that only nine runs came from their first seven overs. And then, midway, through the eighth, left-armer Gurney forced Trescothick to push at one holding its line just outside off stump and the resulting edge was snaffled, low down, by Steven Mullaney at third slip.Off went the home captain to sympathetic applause. But a 27-ball, 29-minute innings of 2 had merely added to Trescothick’s string of low scores – a string that has seen him reach 50 on just four occasions this campaign.There are still five and a half Championship matches left, of course. And an on-song Trescothick could do a lot of damage in 11 innings. At the moment, though, there is no doubt he is struggling, and it doesn’t make pleasant viewing for anyone who has enjoyed seeing him at his commanding best.At least an early wicket did not prompt a Somerset collapse. That would have been a real sickener for home supporters who had already witnessed Notts’ last two wickets adding 108 highly damaging runs.Nick Compton and Chris Jones combined for an unbeaten 61 before the second of two heavy downpours resulted in play being abandoned for the day at 4pm. Jones, who scored a century against the Australians on this ground a few weeks ago, was the more fluent of the two although he was almost caught at short leg, off the face of the bat, for 32 soon after spinner Samit Patel entered the attack.Fletcher and Gurney had set the tone for Notts even before they got to work with the ball. The latter joined Fletcher during the first over of the day after Ajmal Shahzad had lost his off stump to Peter Trego when playing no shot.But if Somerset thought their job was done in the field with the ending of a 57-run stand, the visitors’ tenth-wicket pair made them think again. With Gurney looking anything but a rabbit at No. 11, Fletcher pulled and drove his way to a run-a-ball half-century (his second fifty of the season) and added eight more runs before gloving an attempted hook against Jamie Overton.With more rain forecast for Sunday, Somerset should not lose this game. But a team third from bottom wants to be thinking of winning matches at this stage of the season, not hanging on for draws.

Krishmar Santokie, the Jamaica left-arm seamer, has hopes that his recent performance in the Caribbean Premier League can help him stage a return to the West Indies team

Renaldo Matadeen30-Aug-2013

CPL’s team of the tournament

The West Indies Cricket Board released its Team of the Tournament, picked by a panel comprising former players and television commentators:
Andre Fletcher (St. Lucia Zouks)
Chris Gayle (Jamaica Tallawahs, capt)
Lendl Simmons (Guyana Amazon Warriors)
Shoaib Malik (Barbados Tridents)
James Franklin (Guyana Amazon Warriors)
Andre Russell (Jamaica Tallawahs)
Marlon Samuels (Antigua Hawksbills)
Shakib Al Hasan (Barbados Tridents)
Rayad Emrit (Barbados Tridents)
Krishmar Santokie (Guyana Amazon Warriors)
Muttiah Muralitharan (Jamaica Tallawahs)
Ashley Nurse (Barbados Tridents, 12th man)

Krishmar Santokie, the Jamaica left-arm seamer, has hopes that his recent performance in the Caribbean Premier League can help him stage a return to the West Indies team. Santokie, who played for Guyana Amazon Warriors, was the highest wicket-taker in the CPL with 16 wickets in nine games at an average of 13.68 and was named player of the tournament for his performances.The bowler made his T20 debut for West Indies in 2011 against England and played only one match since, against Sri Lanka in March 2012, before losing his place in the squad.”I remember saying that the CPL would be the launching pad for me to [get back into] the West Indies scene and now I’m eager to see what happens (next),” he said. “It’s been nice to reach the T20 summit finally, as I’ve been aiming for this for a long time and now, I hope it forces me back into international cricket.”The player-of-the-tournament award has happened in this historic CPL, which is great for me and my career, and I hope it opens up new doors for me with regards to the West Indies, and worldwide.”Slotted as an allrounder early in his career, Santokie’s failure to score runs hindered his progress. He has found himself a step behind players like Andre Russell in the pecking order of regional players, even as the allrounder slots in the international team have already been taken by Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy. Santokie, however, has had a good year with the ball. He was the third highest wicket-taker in the Caribbean T20 tournament earlier this year and also played for Khulna Royal Bengal in the Bangladesh Premier League, and he now hopes his recent performances can help his selection for the New Zealand tour.Santokie was grateful for the backing he got from Curtly Ambrose, Guyana’s assistant coach, who suggested that the pacer should be recalled to the West Indies side for his consistency and ability to swing the ball.”I’m glad for that kind of backing. It helps my confidence. I think it’s just a matter of time for me and I’ll be running out with the West Indian colors again,” he said.

Chennai Super Kings, recovering from the IPL 2013 scandal, and Titans, after a trying 2012-13 season, will meet in the third match of CLT20

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu21-Sep-2013

Match facts

September 22, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)MS Dhoni will be leading Chennai Super Kings for the first time in his hometown, Ranchi•BCCI

Big Picture

The third match of the Champions League features two teams who’ve been dominant in their respective domestic competitions, but are hoping to slay past demons. While Chennai Super Kings are recovering from the shock of having one of their top officials chargesheeted for illegal betting, South Africa’s Titans are breaking in a new coach in Rob Walter and a green T20 captain in Henry Davids after a trying 2012-13 first-class season, which began with them as defending champions and ended with them going winless in 10 matches.Super Kings will not have the comfort of the Chepauk crowd behind them, but they may well have traded up when they meet their opponents in Dhoni’s hometown of Ranchi. His only top-level appearance at the JSCA ground, in an ODI against England, became a festival of sorts, and Dhoni would hope things haven’t changed much when he leads his adopted team onto the field for their first match in the Champions League 2013.The setting could prove useful for a side with the likes of Michael Hussey, last year’s leading run-getter in the Indian Premier League and Ravindra Jadeja, the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler to reset itself. Jadeja will also find solace from the profitable return – 3 for 19 – he enjoyed on his last assignment in Ranchi. Though Faf du Plessis did not play at all in IPL 6 and Albie Morkel appeared in eight of the 18 matches Super Kings played, both could prove handy spies having played for Titans at domestic level.Titans have their advantages as well, the foremost being the availability of AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel. The former, with his seamless amalgam of conventional and unconventional shot-making, already has experience dismantling Super Kings’ bowling, which is their weaker discipline, while the latter will pose considerable threat to Super Kings’ strategy of keeping wickets in hand and exploding late in the innings. Paired with Marchant de Lange, returning from rib injury, and CJ de Villiers, Titans boast one of the best seam attacks in the tournament.

Players to watch

Vital to Super Kings’ batting strategy of keeping things steady without losing too many wickets early on is M Vijay. A lacklustre IPL season in 2013 continued in the international arena, leading to Rohit Sharma claiming his spot in the Indian limited-overs side. Back in yellow, Vijay will be hungry to re-establish himself in the minds of the national selectors.Marchant de Lange has a history with stress fractures to his back. But on his day, de Lange can regularly clock 150kph and his performance both at the start and death of the innings is expected to be vital for Titans.

Bruce Edgar has stood down from his role as New Zealand’s chief selector after failing to come to terms with New Zealand Cricket on a new contract

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2015Bruce Edgar has stood down from his role as New Zealand’s chief selector after failing to come to terms with New Zealand Cricket on a new contract. NZC said in a statement that the talent identification portion of Edgar’s role was set to be expanded from part-time to a full-time position, and Edgar did not accept the revised role and terms.Edgar had been chief selector since 2013 and had worked with coach Mike Hesson to bring a number of young players into the national side with success. His contract finished at the end of April, a month after New Zealand reached the World Cup final for the first time.”It’s been one of the most successful periods for New Zealand Cricket, and it’s been a privilege to be a part of that,” Edgar said. “In particular, it’s been great to see the progress of the New Zealand Test team, and the development of so many new players coming through. We just couldn’t come to terms.”Lindsay Crocker, the head of cricket with NZC, said Edgar could deservedly feel a sense of accomplishment in the performance of teams he helped select.”Bruce has been an excellent sounding board for Mike; a trusted colleague and a good, independent thinker,” Crocker said. “We’re certainly disappointed to see him leave … Bruce felt he was unable to accept the revised role and terms and, while it’s a decision we regret, it’s also one we respect. He departs with our gratitude for a selection job well done, and with our best wishes in future endeavours.”NZC said that changes to Edgar’s role were fuelled by the need to expand the national talent identification component of his job, which NZC “deemed a priority if recent successes on the international stage were to be sustained”. The search for a part-time selector and full-time talent ID position will commence shortly.

The West Indies selectors decided their team were a greater chance of beating Australia without Shiv Chanderpaul than with him

Daniel Brettig25-May-20153:27

Chanderpaul didn’t fit into the best team – Simmons

In the end it was as simple as this. The West Indies selectors decided their team were a greater chance of beating Australia without Shiv Chanderpaul than with him.That realisation arrived in discussions following the drawn series against England, but also as a result of broader examinations of Chanderpaul’s record, which had recently begun to trend drastically down from his illustrious record.For Clive Lloyd, a fellow Guyanese, the decision to jettison a player as respected as Chanderpaul was a difficult one, but ultimately a matter of cricketing logic. In the loose collective of islands that make up the Caribbean it was bound to have created plenty of debate in circles both sporting and political, but Lloyd and the coach Phil Simmons were able to present a united and uncompromising front when explaining their choice of players to face Australia.”Over a period of time we’ve noticed a decline in form … over the last 11 innings he’s averaging 16, so we thought the time has come to look towards younger players,” Lloyd said in Barbados.”I don’t think there’s any bitterness. I think he realised that at 40 years old he’s not going to be in the same shape he was at 20. We just thought that here it is, we must make a decision. We have a lot of good young cricketers and we think it’s time we inject the youth into our cricket.”Simmons said that while they had considered the possibility of allowing Chanderpaul one final curtain call against Australia, it would not have been for reasons of sentiment. Once the selectors decided to move on, there was no thought of a farewell tour.”He’s had a long and illustrious career, and we know he’s done a lot for West Indies cricket, but at the same time we sit down to select a team against Australia,” Simmons said. “When you go through that process he didn’t fit in.”It’s not about giving someone two Tests to finish their career, it’s about picking the right team to play the next game.”There are plans in the works for an appropriate acknowledgement of Chanderpaul’s career, a journey so long that it commenced in 1994, when Simmons was still part of the Test team and West Indies were still proudly in possession of an unbeaten streak that had begun in 1980. While Chanderpaul did not play in the 1995 series that saw Australia finally end that run, he was for most of the intervening years the most stubborn defender of a team in decline.”I don’t think there’s anybody here who can have admired Shivnarine Chanderpaul more than I have,” Lloyd said. “You’re in awe of the man, he’s given yeoman service. But there comes a time.”It will be some time before Chanderpaul comes to terms with the decision. The aforementioned stubbornness was evident in his refusal to concede that his career was on the wane, leaving Lloyd and Simmons with the difficult task of talking him through their judgment.”He still thinks he’s good enough to compete,” Lloyd said. “We had a discussion, but the point is that we made up our mind about what we wanted to do.”We do have a lot of exciting young cricketers and it is an exciting time for our cricket. We are hoping that these guys come through, and show their mettle.”The training squad of 12 assembled in Barbados will be swelled to 14 following the conclusion of the tour match between the Australians and a WICB President’s XI in Antigua, in which numerous young hopefuls will attempt to prove themselves worthy of a Test berth.It also appears likely that Chanderpaul will be joined in his newfound state of spectatorship for this Test series by the West Indies’ IPL collective, as Lloyd and Simmons made it clear the Test team would be composed entirely of those players either training in Barbados or playing the Australians in Antigua.

A gritty 98 from Laurie Evans, coupled with a spirited lower-order onslaught from Jeetan Patel and Keith Barker, enabled Warwickshire to enjoy the better of another gloomy day at Lord’s

Andrew Miller at Lord's01-Jun-2015
ScorecardLaurie Evans fell two short of a century•PA Photos

A gritty 98 from Laurie Evans, coupled with a spirited lower-order onslaught from Jeetan Patel and Keith Barker, enabled Warwickshire to enjoy the better of another gloomy day at Lord’s. They converted their overnight 148 for 3 to a competitive 342 – not bad at all after being asked to bat first – before Chris Wright nipped in with the early wicket of Joe Burns as Middlesex weathered the new ball to reach 39 for 1 in reply.In what has so far been a stop-start contest, the true value of the runs that Warwickshire have put on the board will only be known when Middlesex’s own innings has developed further. However, the hostile reception that Wright and Barker doled out with the new ball suggests that life isn’t about to get too much easier for batting.”There’s a bit of variable bounce in places,” Evans said. “You don’t mind left to right [movement] so much but when it starts to go up and down, it’s a bit tricky and can get in your head. We realised it was tricky to score so we decided to be positive. I can’t see it getting any better to bat on, but we were looking at around 220 to 250 after being put in, so it’s a great effort by everyone on a scrap-hard wicket.”Both of Middlesex’s not-out batsmen, Sam Robson and Nick Compton, were rapped on the gloves by lifters from a good length in a final session that was twice interrupted by bad light before the weather closed in for good shortly after 5pm.Warwickshire had resumed in the morning with Evans and Jonathan Trott unbeaten in a 92-run stand for the fourth wicket. However, Trott managed to add just a single to his overnight 44, as he nibbled outside off to Toby Roland-Jones and feathered a thin edge to John Simpson behind the stumps.Tim Ambrose, the new batsman, had two moments of good fortune when he spliced a lifter from Roland-Jones over the slip cordon on 2 before edging inches short of Ollie Rayner at second slip on 10. But his luck ran out on 20 as Neil Dexter entered the attack for Rayner to hold on to an attempted uppercut over the cordon.However, Evans ground on undaunted, inching ever closer to what would have been his fifth first-class century with an innings that was never fluent but didn’t want for composure. He rode his luck outside off stump (or was it good judgement?) and seemed to have shrugged off his role in the run-out of Rikki Clarke for 15 when Steven Finn, returning from the Pavilion End, beat him with a nip-backer that flicked his pad and crashed into the stumps to leave him stranded two short of his hundred.”It was nice to spend a bit of time at a great ground. It was a shame not to get a couple of runs but I could have been out at any stage, it was that sort of wicket. I was just glad to get a score.”At 253 for 7, Middlesex sensed their chance to steal the ascendancy, but they reckoned without the obduracy of Barker and Patel, who saw off the seamers then took on the spin of Rayner, who was dumped over the leg side for four sixes in his first 13 balls before striking with his 15th to have Patel lbw for 37 and end a momentum-seizing eighth-wicket stand of 72.The end of Warwickshire’s innings came in a relative rush. Barker was trapped on the crease by Roland-Jones and bowled for 37 before Boyd Rankin departed in the same fashion five overs later, aiming a massive mow at Rayner.Robson, in reply, eased Barker through the covers for a second-ball four before Burns went one better with a spanking pull from Wright’s opening delivery. But Wright struck back in the same over, trapping Burns lbw for 4 to set up a testing evening session. Robson and Compton prevailed in the gloom, however, with Robson, in particular, finding some fluency to pick off five fours in his unbeaten 26 by the close.”There’s definitely enough still in the wicket,” Evans said. “We’ll be looking to pitch the ball up and get the slips in play.”

Richard Oliver’s half-century was the difference as Worcestershire strengthened their grip on second spot in the NatWest T20 Blast North Group by beating Durham by five wickets at New Road

ECB/PA05-Jul-2015
ScorecardRichard Oliver’s unbeaten 70 guided Worcestershire to victory•Getty Images

Richard Oliver’s half-century was the difference as Worcestershire strengthened their grip on second spot in the NatWest T20 Blast North Group by beating Durham by five wickets at New Road.After losing his place for three games, the former Shropshire captain has bounced back to form with 31 in a win against Nottinghamshire and an unbeaten 70 from 57 balls in seeing off Durham with an over to spare ahead of Friday’s meeting with group leaders Birmingham.Oliver’s first T20 fifty for more than a year was just what Worcestershire needed after Daryl Mitchell’s early dismissal gave Durham some hope of defending a vulnerable 127 for 9. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Colin Munro, the latter going for the reverse sweep, followed in quick succession before Brett D’Oliveira made his third significant contribution.After brilliant work to run out Calum MacLeod and a tight bowling spell, he supported Oliver in a stand of 51 from 6.1 overs. Although his share was a modest 13, it was the match-turning phase before he was bowled by Chris Rushworth.Oliver made his first move with four fours in an over from John Hastings and in all he found the boundary 11 times, an impressive ratio on a pitch which shackled most of the batsmen. However, he happily took a back seat as Ben Cox finished it off with consecutive fours off Hastings.In their innings, Durham probably felt they were being picked on by Saeed Ajmal. Having taken 3 for 16 before Worcestershire squeezed home at Chester-le-Street, the Pakistan spinner did a fraction better in ripping the heart out of the Durham batting in five balls.His intervention came when they were looking to pick up from a reasonable start in which Mark Stoneman, caught at short midwicket for 12, and Macleod fell to tight bowling and smart work in the field.Paul Collingwood drove one six in an otherwise immaculate stint by D’Oliveira but then picked put Oliver at long-on after a change of ends for Ajmal. With the former England allrounder out for 16, the last thing Durham needed was to lose top-scorer Phil Mustard, but two balls later the left-hander top edged a sweep to short fine leg after clouting successive sixes off Mitchell in making 35 from 37 deliveries.In his next over, Ajmal choked off the big-hitting threat posed by Hastings. In a repeat of Collingwood’s dismissal, the Australian also failed to clear Oliver, although the overhead catch was marginally more difficult.On a slow surface, the spin pair of Ajmal and D’Oliveira bowled 26 dot balls between them and left-arm paceman Jack Shantry was equally frugal with 14 deliveries without scoring.His one wicket came when he beat a desperate swing by Usman Arshad as Durham lost four wickets in the last two overs. Gordon Muchall and Ryan Pringle were run out on either side of Arshad’s dismissal and Keaton Jennings was bowled by Joe Leach.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has advertised for the franchise ownership rights of the Bangladesh Premier League for a period of four years from 2015 to 2018

Mohammad Isam30-Jul-2015The Bangladesh Cricket Board has advertised for the franchise ownership rights of the Bangladesh Premier League for a period of four years from 2015 to 2018. The board’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said it had opted for fresh tender because the contracts with the previous franchise owners had been terminated.The BCB will invite new franchises for the regional teams of Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Sylhet. Interested parties will have to submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) by August 17. The advertisement is on the BCB’s official website and also appeared in on Thursday.Chowdhury said they had floated the tender to bring in new owners for each of the franchises. Old owners, whose contracts were terminated by the BCB, can bid but they have to meet the compliances of the board.”At this point of time, the contracts with the previous franchises stand terminated,” Chowdhury said. “In terms of the unpaid amount that they are supposed to pay, we are in an arbitration process. If that doesn’t work, we will take the next step. The previous franchise owners can apply for the ownership. They will have to meet our compliances like everyone else.”Chowdhury said there were some parties that were interested but it was too early to name them. The BPL franchise owners in the first two seasons were SQ Sports (Chittagong Kings), Shihab Trading House (Dhaka Gladiators), Orion Sports (Khulna Royal Bengals), Mohan & Associates (Duranto Rajshahi) and Isports Limited (Rangpur Riders).In May this year, the BCB said the Dhaka Gladiators franchise were unlikely to participate in the third edition of the BPL, slated for November, because of the corruption charges against them. Their owners, Shihab Jishan Chowdhury and Salim Chowdhury, were banned for 10 years. “It is almost confirmed that Dhaka Gladiators will not be participating in the next BPL because the ICC has given a decision about them and they cannot legally stay in the tournament,” BPL’s member-secretary Ismail Haider Mallick had said.