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Australian allrounder hits 44 off 17 then takes three-for as sorry Phoenix lose again

ECB Media22-Aug-2025Welsh Fire claimed their first win of the Hundred’s fifth season at the sixth time of asking as Aussie allrounder Jess Jonassen inspired them to a comprehensive victory over Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston to end their hosts’ slim hopes of progressing to the Eliminator.Fire, last year’s runners-up, were playing for pride after five straight defeats extinguished their hopes of a top-three finish and they produced comfortably their best performance of the campaign so far, Jonassen delivering fireworks with the bat before returning figures of 3 for 24.The omens didn’t look good for Fire when Tammy Beaumont was bowled for 2 by a trademark inswinger from Megan Schutt, but a second-wicket stand of 71 between Sophia Dunkley (53 from 43) and Hayley Matthews, (34 not out from 33) laid strong foundations.Dunkley’s failed attempt at a sweep shot saw her bowled by Hannah Baker to leave Fire 99 for 2 before Jonassen upped the ante with a powerful knock of 44 from 17 balls. The experienced left-hander was particularly brutal against Baker, hitting four consecutive sixes in the legspinner’s final set to propel Fire to 150 for 3.Sophia Dunkley on her way to a half-century•Getty Images

In reply the Phoenix made a stuttering start, Shabnim Ismail (3 for 16) producing a beauty to castle Emma Lamb for a second-ball duck before trapping Marie Kelly lbw two deliveries later.Australian duo Georgia Voll (29 from 18) and Ellyse Perry (53 from 43) gave the innings impetus but Jonassen made another crucial intervention, bowling Voll with a nicely flighted delivery which deceived her compatriot in the air.Amy Jones swiftly followed, bowled by Matthews for a golden duck, before Perry gave the Phoenix a glimmer of hope, registering her first half-century of this summer’s competition.Sterre Kalis (15 from 16) briefly flickered, hitting Jonassen for a straight six, but she had her revenge two balls later when Kalis holed out to Ismail at long-on, and Ailsa Lister fell in identical fashion soon after to give her a third.Ismail returned to see off Perry, dismissed by a low catch from Georgia Elwiss at mid-off, and Matthews (3-21) did further damage as the Phoenix eventually limped to 114 for 9, slipping to the bottom of the table after suffering their fifth defeat in six.”We’ve been searching for a win all season. It’s nice that things clicked today,” Jonassen said. “We were probably just letting ourselves down a little with the bat, more so than anything, and it’s really nice we got a win today but with things still to improve on for the remaining matches. We’re really looking forward to getting back to Cardiff for our next game.”

Tom Prest’s century and Kyle Abbott’s wickets has Kent on the verge of relegation from Division One

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2024Kent’s Division One status is dangling by a thread after a dismal second day against Hampshire in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.The hosts slumped to 64 for 5 for in reply to Hampshire’s first innings total of 403, with Kyle Abbott claiming 3 for 23.What had looked like an even contest at the end of day one tilted drastically in Hampshire’s favour during the morning session. Tom Prest hit a majestic 102, and Brad Wheal chipped in with his highest first-class score of 61 as Hampshire were finally dismissed for 403. Kent could be relegated this week if they lose and results elsewhere go against them. They still trail by 339 at stumps.The visitors began day two on 213 for 7 and looked comfortable for the first hour until Joey Evison came on from the Nackington Road End and removed Abbott for 26, victim of a brilliant slip catch by Jack Leaning.Prest, who only had 15 at the start of play, responded by dumping Matt Parkinson into the Old Dover Road hedges to bring up his fifty and he took 21 from the over.He then reached his 100 from exactly 100 balls by dropping to one knee and smearing Charlie Stobo for six over deep midwicket before he finally fell to the same bowler after a juggling catch from Jas Singh on the deep midwicket boundary.Even the last wicket pair put on 71. Wheal twisted the knife with an aggressive cameo that included a pulled six off Singh, and it was 377 for 9 when rain ushered in the lunch break.Wheal was stuck on 49 for 15 balls before he nudged Parkinson for a single and he then clubbed Stobo for a six over square leg to take Hampshire past 400 before he was bowled playing on to Stobo.Kent’s response was all too predictable. Mohammad Abbas strangled Tawanda Muyeye, who was perhaps unfortunate to be given caught behind for five at the start of Kent’s sixth over.Abbott then took three wickets in five balls. Daniel Bell-Drummond went first in the 11th over, caught for ten by Fletcha Middleton, a ball after he’d been dropped by Prest. Jack Leaning and Joe Denly then both went for second-ball ducks, the former caught by Albert, the latter lbw to a ball that hit him above the knee roll.Joey Evison made 21 before Wheal had him caught behind but the hosts were spared further punishment when play was suspended at 4.34pm due to a combination of bad light and increasingly heavy rain, which persuaded the umpires there was no realistic chance of resuming.

Both teams are playing their first T20 World Cup, in a match that has plenty of sub-plots to look forward to if the rain stays away in Dallas

Hemant Brar01-Jun-2024

Match details

United States of America vs Canada
Dallas, 7.30pm local

Big picture – USA start as favourites

In a way, it’s fitting that cricket’s oldest international rivalry will kick off its biggest World Cup, comprising 20 teams. Long before Australia and England played the first-ever Test in 1877, USA and Canada locked horns in a three-day game in 1844. In that match in New York, Canada came out on top by 23 runs.One-hundred-and-eighty years later, the same two teams will come face to face in the T20 World Cup 2024 opener in Dallas. Coincidentally, it is the first T20 World Cup for both sides. USA qualified by virtue of being the co-hosts and Canada by winning the Americas Qualifier.Related

• USA vice-captain Aaron Jones on rivalry with Canada: 'Has been going on for years and years'

• T20 World Cup is coming to America… but is America aware?

• Dallas dreams of cricket

• The oldest international contest of them all

Saturday’s game will be the first T20I at the Grand Prairie Stadium. But there is hardly any buzz in Dallas, which means the 7000-seater may not be packed to capacity. Moreover, a thunderstorm could play spoilsport, as it did during the warm-ups for both sides at this very venue.Nevertheless, USA will be the favourites on Saturday. While they have played only seven T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup – all in the last two months – that was enough to show their pedigree. They first beat Canada 4-0 before stunning Bangladesh 2-1, both times playing at home.If the rain stays away, Corey Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who now plays for USA, will become the fifth player to represent two teams at the T20 World Cup. Former India Under-19 World Cup winner Harmeet Singh, once touted as the next Bishan Bedi, is also expected to play a key role with bat and ball.In left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana, Canada have got someone who once dismissed Babar Azam in a first-class game in Pakistan. They also have 37-year-old Jeremy Gordon, one of the fastest bowlers in associate cricket.Among other sub-plots, Canada coach Pubudu Dassanayake was previously with USA in the same role, and batting-allrounder Nitish Kumar, who now plays for USA, was with Canada till 2019.

Form guide

United States of America LWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Canada LLLLW

In the spotlight – Corey Anderson and Aaron Johnson

Corey Anderson made his T20I debut for USA in April. He started with scores of 28 and 55, but at the same time, he looked a bit rusty. In five T20Is he has played for USA till now, he has struck at 112.30. Once upon a time, he held the record for the fastest ODI hundred. Can he turn the clock back to those days?Originally from Jamaica, Aaron Johnson is a powerful opening batter who loves playing no-look shots. The 33-year-old made his T20I debut for Canada in 2022. In 16 games so far, he has scored 713 runs at an average of 50.92 and a strike rate of 166.58. He has five fifties, two hundreds and 48 sixes in the format.Aaron Johnson has five fifties and two hundreds in 16 T20I innings•Getty Images

Team news

In Steven Taylor, Monank Patel and Andries Gous, USA have a solid top order. Ali Khan and Saurabh Netravalkar will lead the pace unit. Harmeet, their main spinner, can also provide late-order hitting.United States of America (probable XI): 1 Steven Taylor, 2 Monank Patel (capt, wk), 3 Andries Gous, 4 Aaron Jones, 5 Nitish Kumar, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Harmeet Singh, 8 Shadley van Schalkwyk, 9 Jasdeep Singh, 10 Ali Khan, 11 Saurabh NetravalkarCanada will rely a lot on their bowlers. Apart from Gordon and Sana, they have Dilon Heyliger in the pace attack. Captain Saad Bin Zafar and Nikhil Dutta know how to keep batters quiet with their spin variations.Canada (probable XI): 1 Aaron Johnson, 2 Navneet Dhaliwal, 3 Rayyan Pathan, 4 Nicholas Kirton, 5 Pargat Singh, 6 Shreyas Movva (wk), 7 Saad Bin Zafar (capt), 8 Nikhil Dutta, 9 Dilon Heyliger, 10 Jeremy Gordon, 11 Kaleem Sana

Stats that matter

• Taylor and Patel have six 50-plus stands in the 12 T20I innings in which they have opened together for USA. Their partnership run rate is 9.65.
• Since the last T20 World Cup in 2022, only two batters have scored 700 or more runs at a 50-plus average and a 150-plus strike rate: India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Canada’s Aaron Johnson.
• Across all T20s, Johnson has taken Netravalkar for 50 runs in 30 balls while getting out only once.
• Aaron Jones has smashed Heyliger for 23 runs in 11 balls for one dismissal. But Saad has had the wood over him: two dismissals in 23 balls for just 15 runs.
• Saad is the only bowler to have registered four maidens in a T20I, a feat he achieved against Panama in 2021 when he finished with figures of 4-4-0-2.
• So far, only four players have represented two different teams at the T20 World Cup: Roelof van der Merwe (South Africa and Netherlands), Dirk Nannes (Netherlands and Australia), David Wiese (South Africa and Namibia) and Mark Chapman (Hong Kong and New Zealand). Anderson could join them on Saturday.

Pitch and conditions

Of the four warm-up games scheduled here, only one saw some action. Batting first in that, Canada posted 183 for 7. In response, Nepal were all out for 120. There is a 40% chance of rain on Saturday, though.

Quotes

“I will say fearless cricket, positive cricket, smart cricket. I think that’s what we’re really and truly trying to do. We don’t want to regret anything. We want to leave everything out there on the park. And then, obviously, if we come out on top, it’s great. If we don’t come out on top, that’s how cricket goes sometimes. But we don’t want to regret anything.”
“At the national level, we are rivals because we are from the same region. We tend to play against each other a lot. Most of the time it’s in qualifiers where there’s a lot on the line, whether it’s the ODI status or the T20 World Cup qualification. But at the same time, we do play a lot of tournaments and franchise cricket in the North American region. So there’s a lot of friendships between the two countries as well.”

LSG’s CEO confirmed as much after Mayank bowled just the one over against Gujarat Titans on Sunday night

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024Mayank Yadav will have his workload managed over the coming week as a “precaution”, according to Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) CEO Vinod Bisht.Mayank, the tearaway quick who’s been turning heads so far at IPL 2024, walked off after bowling just one over against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, leading to questions about his fitness.”Mayank felt soreness in lower abdominal area and as a precaution we are managing his work load over next week,” Bisht said on Monday. “We hope to see him soon in the field.”Mayank’s pace was down on Sunday night, and he was hit for three boundaries in the fourth over of Titans’ eventually unsuccessful chase.9:56

The Mayank Yadav story – A 21-year-old boy from Delhi with express pace

Following LSG’s win, Krunal Pandya, who had starred with figures of 3 for 11 in his four overs, shrugged off concerns about Mayank. “I don’t know what is happening but I did have a brief couple of seconds’ chat [with him] – he seemed okay, which was quite a relief for us,” Krunal had told the broadcaster.”A bright prospect, I’d been watching him from last two years. He used to [be a] gun in the nets,” Krunal added. “Last year, unfortunately, missed it [due to injury]. But again, whatever conversation I have had, what I see is that he has a good head on his shoulders as well.”After four games, LSG sit at No. 3 on the points table with three wins. They host Delhi Capitals in Lucknow for their next match, on April 12.

Colombo was due to host but there are fears that ongoing political demonstrations may cause logistical challenges

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jul-2022The second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be moved from Colombo to Galle*, owing to the possibility of political demonstrations in the island’s capital.While at no stage have cricket matches been threatened by the large-scale civil unrest seen in Sri Lanka over the last few months, and particularly in the past week, there are fears that masses descending on Colombo’s streets again may create logistical challenges for a Test match.Galle itself had seen a large protest on July 9, on the second day of the second Test between Australia and Sri Lanka. However, the crowds seen there were not extraordinary in scale, as had been the case in Colombo.Related

• Nissanka returns, Manasinghe replaces injured Theekshana for the second Test

• SLC 'very confident' of hosting Asia Cup despite political crisis

• When Sri Lanka came to the cricket to fight for the country's future

Sri Lanka Cricket has been at pains to point out that the island remained a viable cricket destination, even as they prepare to host a Lanka Premier League in the first few weeks of August, followed by an Asia Cup featuring nine teams.There have been international matches in Colombo recently. Two of the three T20Is, and three of the ODIs from the Australia tour were all played at Khettarama stadium. While those games were almost uniformly well-attended, and went off as usual, the scale of the political demonstrations has increased substantially in Colombo since then. Khettarama was scheduled to host the second Test against Pakistan but if it shifts to Galle, this would be the third successive home Test series to be played exclusively at the venue.* This story was updated at 15:43 GMT after SLC confirmed the change in venue

England said there are no injury concerns around the quick bowler, and he was fit for selection

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2021James Anderson will miss the first Ashes Test in Brisbane but England insisted that it is not injury related and is part of the management plan to have him primed for the day-night Test in Adelaide next week.It was always unlikely that Anderson, the third-highest Test wicket-taker, would play all five Tests in a tight schedule and he himself has previously said three of the matches might be realistic.Anderson missed the majority of the 2019 Ashes with a calf injury he sustained in the opening Test at Edgbaston which left England a bowler short in a match they went onto lose and there were questions raised as to whether he would be able to return.But since then he has taken 57 wickets in 17 Tests and played in all of the matches against New Zealand and India in the last home summer.Anderson does not have a good record at the Gabba with seven wickets at 75.14 from four matches. In Adelaide he has taken 16 wickets at 29.50.”Jimmy is fit to play, and is not carrying an injury,” an ECB statement said. “With five Tests in six weeks the plan was to get him ready for the second Test in Adelaide.”With the limited build-up we have had so far on the tour, both him and the management didn’t want to take the risk of him playing after what had happened in 2019 at Edgbaston, when he broke down on the first morning.”He bowled at full capacity yesterday for just short of an hour and was in a good place physically. He will do the same again today at practice.”He will stay with the Test group this week and work with the coaches at the Gabba rather than playing for the Lions.”There remains a chance that England will go into the opening Test without Anderson and Stuart Broad with the latter having missed a large part of the home season with a calf injury. The disrupted preparations caused by poor weather in Queensland have hampered the fast bowlers’ lead-in.Buttler on Anderson: “We want a guy like that to be available for as much of it as possible, so think it’s a bit precautionary”•AFP

“Just with the build-up everyone has had, the guys just want to make sure everyone is perfect to go,” Jos Buttler said. “Jimmy’s not going to play but he is fit. Obviously it’s a very long series and we want a guy like that to be available for as much of it as possible, so think it’s a bit precautionary. He bowled well yesterday and will bowl again today.”Broad’s participation could rest on whether England play a specialist spinner in Jack Leach. With Ben Stokes back it gives them the chance to field a balanced attack although there remains some uncertainty about the amount Stokes will be able to bowl having not played competitively since July.”We always know that when he gets into that game he’ll want to leave his mark on it,” captain Joe Root said of Stokes. “Yes, there’ll be an element of managing expectations and you’ve got to trust his experience and our whole bowling group collectively that we can work together to take those wickets. I’m sure Ben will have a big say in that. It’s something we’ll definitely be trying to get right throughout the whole series.”Of the potential quicks, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood have yet to play Test cricket in Australia while Chris Woakes averages 49.50 from four matches but Buttler was bullish in the capacity to take 20 wickets.”We are confident, that’s why the guys are here,” he said. “There’s some fantastic performers. Obviously Broad and Anderson have been brilliant performers for a long period of time and will play a huge part in the series. Whichever XI we take the field with we’ll be very confident.”England’s 12 for the Gabba Test: Joe Root (capt), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

England bowlers allow India to add only 88 to their overnight 276 for 3

Varun Shetty13-Aug-20213:08

Harmison: Anderson phenomenal even on a placid pitch

It was more ebb and flow and less one-sided on day two as England counter-punched throughout to significantly limit India’s chances of running away with an early advantage in the second Test. Spearheading the bowling effort once again was James Anderson, who became the oldest man in 70 years to take a Test five-for; he was aided much better on the day by the rest of the line-up, and together they made sure that India added only 88 to their overnight score of 276 for 3.By stumps, England were 246 behind with Joe Root looking solid, after he had put up an encouraging stand with Rory Burns that came just in time as a potent spell from Mohammed Siraj threatened to put India on top once again.The day couldn’t have begun any better for England. Overnight centurion KL Rahul miscued a drive straight to extra cover off Ollie Robinson, second ball of the day, and Anderson had Ajinkya Rahane caught behind off the first ball next over to put an end to a 23-ball effort for India’s vice-captain that yielded a single run. At 282 for 5, India were suddenly in danger of a rapid end to their innings as England made use of the overcast conditions far better than they had on the first day.Related

• James Anderson, the lord of Lord's when India come calling

• Stats – Anderson the oldest pacer with a Test five-for in 70 years

The last recognised pair – Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja – did come good at that point, even if briefly in a 49-run stand. Pant played with typical panache, stepping out to slash over the bowlers, to pummel through the covers, and on one instance even stepping out and leaving a ball outside off. He was dismissed by Mark Wood, who would eventually go on to get Jadeja as well. India’s last four wickets added 33, a laboured effort that took 16.1 overs of batting around an atypically subdued Jadeja, who was the last man out. That total of 364 signalled a move towards some parity in the game for England.Burns and Dom Sibley looked resolute as they took England to tea, but India would punch back immediately after. They did that via Siraj, and with the use of a strategy they had developed earlier in the year on their Australia tour: the leg trap, a move that involved consistently slanting the ball into batters with packed leg-side fields that eventually proved to be a viable attacking as well as defensive strategy.Siraj was the man entrusted to pull it off, attacking Sibley’s middle and leg stumps until he induced a leg-side strangle that has become endemic for England’s opener in a short career; he had chipped to midwicket at Trent Bridge, and he did it again on Friday after enduring 44 balls for 11. Next ball, India had three catchers in various orientations around midwicket, and that was enough to push the returning Haseeb Hameed to play down a middle stump line to a full delivery that rattled the base of off.It became crucial at this juncture for England that Root would get through Siraj’s spell unscathed, and the bowler didn’t make it easy. He consistently challenged Root’s inside edge with a sustained attack at the stumps. On two occasions he came close to trapping him lbw; on both, Virat Kohli made reluctant reviews that showed the ball was sliding down leg side and India burned two reviews quickly. With the second one, he was visibly distressed with wicketkeeper Pant, seemingly for being too late in telling him that the review wasn’t on.Funnily enough, it was a Siraj over that did eventually release the pressure off England. The 27th over went for three fours, all of them from Burns, who drove neatly past mid-off and followed it up with consecutive pulls to the midwicket boundary to jump from 19 off 78 to 31 off 84. It also managed to take Siraj out of the attack, and began a series of fours, including two from Root at the start of Ishant Sharma’s next over. From 42 for 2 at the end of 26 overs, England swiftly jumped to 73 for 2 at the end of the 30th.The pattern from there was much like that of India’s in the last session of day one, with the sun peeking through the clouds and scoring getting easier. Soon enough, Kohli was forced to turn to Jadeja to tighten up one end in a bid to get to stumps without too much damage.India did pull one back at the end, though: Mohammed Shami going around the wicket for a third wicket that involved the ball coming in at the stumps. Completely against the run of play, Burns was trapped on the back foot, the ball keeping a touch low as he looked to swish it into the leg side. He made it clear he wasn’t pleased with that decision and it ended up costing England a review. But on the balance, at least from the point of view that India didn’t make any massive strides after day one, England will have been the happier team at stumps.

Derbyshire make off with points for draw after century stand between sixth-wicket pair

George Dobell11-Apr-2021A century stand from Matt Critchley and Harvey Hosein led Derbyshire to safety on the final day of their Championship match at Edgbaston. Resuming on the fourth morning with a lead of 39 and five wickets in hand, Critchley and Hosein added 113 in 36 overs to steer their side from danger.While Derbyshire had dug something of a hole for themselves with their aggressive batting on the third evening, Critchley and Hosein adopted a more sophisticated approach on the final day. Prepared to wait for scoring opportunities, they played admirably straight, shrugged off the times they were beaten – inevitable on these early-season surfaces – and put away the loose ball without fuss.Perhaps understandably in these horribly uncomfortable conditions – play started in sub-zero temperatures – Warwickshire’s seamers lacked the required consistency to build pressure. For although ball continued to beat bat fairly regularly, there were also a number of release deliveries that helped Derbyshire stretch their lead towards safety.Critchley was, perhaps, the more eye-catching of the pair. While every other batter in the match has struggled for fluency, he timed the ball sweetly in both innings and looked a high-class player. He was particularly efficient off his legs and punished anything overpitched. He brought up his half-century (73 balls, eight fours) with a rasping cut for four off Hannon-Dalby and finished as Derbyshire’s top-scorer in both innings.Related

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Hosein offered steadfast support. Although generally patient – his half-century occupied 103 deliveries – he produced a gorgeous on-drive when Craig Miles overpitched and put away anything on his legs efficiently.Maybe the batters were helped by a change in atmospheric conditions, too. Although the temperature remained uncomfortably cold – indeed, this may well have been the coldest day of the match – the heavy cloud cover of the previous day dispersed for a few hours to produce slightly more benign conditions. They were the only pair to bat through a completed session in the match.While Warwickshire’s seamers beat the bat enough to justify their usage, it might have been worth a look at the spin of Danny Briggs a bit earlier. He wasn’t called upon until the 67th over of the innings by which time Derbyshire were almost 200 ahead.It was something of a surprise when Liam Norwell made the breakthrough. He had generally struggled to rediscover the menace he showed in the first innings but, angling one in, he trapped Critchley leg-before 17 short of a well-deserved century.”It was a great partnership for us,” Billy Godleman, the Derbyshire captain, said. “Critchley played beautifully in the first innings and backed it up today under immense pressure with the game situation. I was really proud of our players today.”The value of the stand was demonstrated as Derbyshire lost their final four wickets for 25 runs. Although Fynn Hudson-Prentice helped Hosein add a further 35 for the seventh wicket, after he was well held by Michael Burgess, standing up to the seam of Will Rhodes, the final three went cheaply. Hosein was left unbeaten on 78, his fourth half-century – two of which have been unbeaten – in his nine most recent first-class innings.That left Warwickshire requiring 213 in a minimum of 41 overs for victory. Maybe, had poor weather not intervened, we might have seen an exciting finish. But five overs into the Warwickshire “chase”, snow started to fall and play was suspended.There was little indication Warwickshire had been tempted to go for their target, anyway. Two of the first four overs were maidens and Dom Sibley was scoreless after 10 deliveries. They head to Trent Bridge later in the week with Olly Stone and, perhaps, Hanuma Vihari expected to come into their side. A decision on Vihari, who is only due out of quarantine on Wednesday, will be made nearer the time, but it could be he replaces Briggs in the XI. Suffice to say, he faces quite a culture shock in terms of weather and pitches.Afterwards, Mark Robinson, the new Warwickshire head coach, admitted to a touch of frustration.”Maybe our seamers could have been a tad more consistent on the final morning,” he said. “And maybe we could have been a bit more ruthless both on the last morning and when we got level with them in the first innings.”It’s a new start for us and I’m still learning about the team. We’re not perfect. But we’ll get better game by game. It’ll be a hell of a team.”But, while this was ultimately a frustrating day, there was a first glimpse – in the first team environment, anyway – of Jacob Bethell. Warwickshire are confident they have uncovered something of a gem in the 17-year-old Barbadian. You suspect his appearance here, albeit as a substitute fielder, will be the first of many.

SACA claims the cricket board has violated terms between the two bodies

Liam Brickhill13-Apr-2019The South Africa Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has refuted Cricket South Africa’s claim that it was consulted about the sweeping changes proposed to restructure domestic cricket in the country.Presenting a united front at its second press conference in a week, CSA insisted that SACA had been brought up to speed with the details of the domestic revamp. Corrie Van Zyl, the head of cricket pathways, even went to the extent of saying, “I sat personally with SACA and consulted on the restructuring.”SACA, however, remains adamant that it had not been adequately consulted, stating further that the cricket board had ignored agreements between the two bodies. It further countered CSA by citing its chief executive Tony Irish’s ban from attending a meeting while the restructuring was being discussed.SACA’s words contradict CSA’s statements to the media. According to van Zyl, SACA has been engaged by CSA in the formulation of the strategies it will implement in the face of massive forecasted financial losses.”I sat personally with SACA and consulted on the restructuring, explained what it would look like, and in principle they supported that and understood where we are going,” van Zyl said. “But they did also say that they need to understand a lot more.”They were also part of other interactions – a joint financial committee, and also a cricket committee which SACA is part of – where we discussed the restructuring again, and at that stage no objection was raised to the restructuring. So we have consulted, and secondly we have been working together to make sure that we come up with a sustainable restructuring exercise.”Irish, however, argued that the Memorandum of Understanding signed by CSA and SACA last year contained clear guidelines on how the consultation process on a matter such as the restructure should happen, but that CSA “has simply ignored that agreement”.”I wish to again confirm that CSA has not properly consulted with SACA on the domestic restructure,” Irish said. “The fact that I was present at certain meetings when the issue of possible restructure was raised does not constitute consultation.”There has been no discussion with us on how any restructure would actually work and I have consistently stated to CSA that SACA cannot make any decision on this at least until we understand the financial position and the ‘human impact’ on the players.”Omphile Ramela, the domestic veteran and president of SACA, also confirmed the body hadn’t received a reply from CSA over concerns raised. “We have addressed our specific, constructive concerns to CSA in writing but have still had no reply,” he said. “The statements made have given us no further clarity on this. SACA has yet to agree to any restructure.”CSA stated yesterday (Friday) that it will continue to engage SACA going forward, yet SACA’s CEO was at the same time banned from a meeting of CSA’s Chief Executives Conference, of which he is a member, when the domestic restructure was being discussed.”While SACA is clearly at loggerheads with CSA, chief executive Thabang Moroe insisted that CSA had the full backing of the key stakeholders for the revamp. Moroe said, “We’ve just had a very successful two-day workshop with our CEOs, and all of the CEOs have asked me to quote them in saying that they are in full support of the plans that Cricket South Africa has put in place.”

South Africa batsman Hashim Amla has called for ‘common sense to prevail’ in regard to allegations of ball tampering against Faf du Plessis

Firdose Moonda in Melbourne18-Nov-20164:27

‘Our captain did nothing wrong’ – Amla

South Africa consider the ball-tampering allegations against Faf du Plessis to be “ridiculous,” and “a joke,” and believe their stand-in captain has done “absolutely nothing wrong.” That was the message from the team’s senior-most batsman Hashim Amla, who addressed the media at the MCG on Friday afternoon, accompanied by the entire South African squad and support staff, who were present to “show solidarity”.Du Plessis was among the group but stood in the background and was not put up to answer any questions. Instead Amla, the designated player for Friday’s media opportunity, began in the unusual fashion of delivering a mini-speech to open proceedings.”Good afternoon everybody. As you can see we have the full team here behind us,” Amla said. “The reason everybody is here is to stand together and to show solidarity to what has been something we actually thought was a joke. It’s not April. But the allegations against Faf were really, for us, a ridiculous thing and as a team we are standing strong. For us it is basically a joke. The boys are here, standing strong.”At the time, Amla was not aware that the ICC was reviewing footage of du Plessis shining the ball after licking his fingers when there appeared to be a sweet in his mouth. “Is it?,” Amla asked when told about the governing body’s investigation. “Whether it is or not, we’ve done nothing wrong and Faf has done absolutely nothing wrong.”Part of South Africa’s defence is that players often have something in their mouths on the field, Amla included. “I chew bubblegum while I am fielding. Do you want me to brush my teeth after lunch every time I come out?” he said. “You’ve got to be logical about this, common sense surely should prevail. If I’ve got something in my mouth, guys are handing out red froggies at lunch time to give the kids, keep them hydrated, energise them and we are in the field for two hours. We eat nuts, biltong, that sort of thing. There was no malicious intent.”Amla said he was unaware that sugary sweets have been used to shine one side of the ball in order to get reverse swing, as Marcus Trescothick wrote in his autobiography. “Is that a tactic?” Amla asked. “Is it proven or what? That’s something that’s new to us. I’ve had sweets in my mouth, bubblegum in my mouth, biltong, nuts, I’m not sure what the big deal is. Are you sure it (an advantage) can be gained? We don’t know. I can only speak for what my captain has done.”Amla went as far as to say the reaction to the footage could be an attempted to discredit South Africa’s dominance in the series. “To me and to a lot of people, it is sounding like sour sweets for people in their heads that we’ve played really good cricket and the timing of it is that it’s a bit weird too,” he said.The visuals emerged the day after the Hobart Test, which South Africa won by an innings and 80 runs to take the series 2-0. Du Plessis had not been reported by the match officials and the ICC were only alerted to the alleged tampering through media reports and then chose to review it of their own volition.Amla maintained that the entire South African camp were convinced of du Plessis’ innocence. “I am just trying to clear what we think is an absolutely wrongful allegation made on our captain. We are standing in solidarity to our captain who has done absolutely nothing wrong. It’s pretty clear what we are trying to do you here. As I said, we’ve done nothing wrong. If there was any doubt whatsoever, you wouldn’t have the full team here. We’ve just basically done nothing wrong.”Less than two hours after Amla spoke, du Plessis was formally charged and pleaded not guilty. South Africa are awaiting legal counsel before a date for the hearing can be decided so it is uncertain whether it will take place before the Adelaide Test next Thursday. If found guilty, du Plessis could face a suspension of one Test.