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The shares of the BCCI and the ECB in the ICC’s revenue pie have reduced, even as cricket’s governing body aims at a sense of equity in revenue distribution

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2017ESPNcricinfo can reveal details of the ICC’s new financial model that was proposed to Full Members at last weekend’s board meeting in Dubai. The models are part of a broader report, produced by an ICC working group committee, which seeks to provide the basis of a new constitution for the game.The draft of a new constitution was passed in principle at the meeting, with seven members voting for it, two opposing and one abstaining. Members will now bring thoughts, suggestions and concerns to the table in April, which may result in changes to the draft.The biggest obstacle will be the financial model and, in particular, the BCCI’s objections to it. ICC revenues for this rights cycle – 2015-2023 – are estimated to be around US $2.5 billion. Some estimates suggest revenues may go as high as $2.7 billion. The projections in this model are for revenues up to $3 billion. These are based on the possibility of additional ICC tournaments being added to the existing cycle. ESPNcricinfo has seen the model, from which a number of things stand out.

No contribution, no cost
The most controversial aspect of the 2014 Big Three financial model was the idea of contribution costs, and the realisation that not all members bring to the game an equal amount of money. What each Full Member earned in total from the ICC revenue was a percentage figure of the total revenues (the contribution cost, based on contributions made, and provided as compensation for playing in ICC events: the BCCI had a 20.3% share, ECB 4.4%, Cricket Australia, 2.7% and so on) plus an equal share of the surplus (which is how revenues had been divided until then). The seven non-Big Three boards also got an additional $10 million over eight years as part of the Test Cricket Fund.In the new model, this breakdown of earnings is redundant as is the contribution-cost element. Instead one lump sum figure is provided for each board. But the principle behind contribution costs remains because in every projection, the BCCI gets a bigger share of the pie than every other board – twice as much, in fact, as the next.The Big Three take a hit
In the new model, the percentage shares of the BCCI and ECB in the total pie have gone down, while that of CA remains roughly the same. But a quick calculation will tell you why the BCCI is unhappy with these models. Not only is there no real formula behind them, but the Indian board takes the biggest hit from the 2014 model.In that model, for gross ICC revenue of $2.5 billion, the BCCI stood to earn between 17.6-18% of the revenue (between $440-445 million*). In the new model, at the same gross revenue, it gets 10-10.2%. That is a reduction in potential earnings of between $180-190 million. The percentage share does increase should the ICC’s revenue increase but it isn’t a large spike: if the ICC gets $3 billion as revenue, the BCCI’s share will be between 11.16-11.33%.Under the 2014 model, the ECB stood to take 5.8-6%, whereas now its share is 4.8-5%, or between $20-30 million less. CA’s share was between 4.4-4.6% in the last model and is more or less the same now. As with the BCCI, their shares will increase should the ICC’s total gross revenue increase. That is the case with all boards.Equity
The ICC said in its press release after the meeting that a sense of equity played a big part in the determining of these figures. That much is clear in the fact that below the BCCI and ECB are seven boards that stand to get essentially the same share for nearly any projected value of total gross revenue.It would seem as if the ICC has tried to preserve both a sense of contribution cost – by recognising the right of the BCCI to the largest share – and, by narrowing the gap between them and the others, ensuring a degree of equality among the boards beneath them. The problem, of course, is that there remains no set formula behind these numbers – they remain, essentially, arbitrary figures.Welcome Ireland and Afghanistan
You will not have missed the last two entries in the first table – Ireland and Afghanistan. The status of both was discussed at the board meeting; Afghanistan’s domestic multi-day tournament was given first-class status, thus fulfilling one key prerequisite to play Test cricket.This model – as well as the Test league structure – is perhaps the clearest sign yet that there is a will to have them playing Tests, or at least be part of the big boys’ club. Over eight years (with ICC gross revenues of $2.5 billion) each could earn $50-55 million.Goodbye Test Cricket Fund
One of the redeeming features of the Big Three model was the introduction of a Test Cricket Fund that sought to subsidise unprofitable bilateral series outside the Big Three. That amounted to $10 million for each of the seven boards over the eight-year cycle. The first payments were made to these boards last year.This move is likely linked to the introduction of a league structure for Test cricket, which, in theory, means that all bilateral contests have greater context, and thus, greater financial value and so do not need subsidising.*

South Africa did not apply themselves as well as they wanted to in the opener, New Zealand did not get the chance to apply themselves at all. Whoever does it better in Centurion, will take the series

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Centurion26-Aug-2016

Match facts

August 27-31, 2016
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)1:20

Moonda: Series set for crunch clash in Centurion

Big Picture

This is South African cricket’s week to find out what the country’s other two big sports experience all the time. Rugby and football are used to one-off encounters with other countries.Although the cricket teams have spoken about the winner-takes-all fixture in slightly different tones, with New Zealand calling it “exciting” and South Africa admitting it “definitely” adds to the pressure of the occasion, they both agreed that more matches would be better. Faf du Plessis explained how a three or four match rubber would allow for a better ebb and flow, and Trent Boult said he wanted to test himself against the best for longer periods of time.They will both have to wait until March next year to meet again. This series will be decided on the next five days. At least, they could not have asked for a better place for the crunch clash.SuperSport Park has laid out a green carpet, with a re-laid outfield that will not pose the same problems as Durban’s because it underwent the process much earlier. The pitch underwent almost three weeks of preparation and the groundsman predicts an even, if slower than usual, contest between bat and ball. The Highveld winter, meanwhile, has reached its balmiest stage, the one that would be called summer in many parts of the world.Du Plessis expected the contest to be between “two high quality,” bowling attacks, who he said left Durban happy, which puts both line-ups under pressure. South Africa did not apply themselves as well as they wanted to in the opener, New Zealand did not get the chance to apply themselves at all. Whoever does it better this time, will take the series.Victory for South Africa will see them climb a place on the Test rankings to No.6 while a win for New Zealand, who will remain at No.5 regardless of the result, will give them a first-ever series triumph over South Africa.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: DWLDL
New Zealand: DWWLL
Neil Wagner’s short ball could be one of New Zealand’s key weapons•AFP

In the spotlight

South Africa’s new opener Stephen Cook scored a century on debut at SuperSport Park in January and will want another big performance to cement his place at the top of the order for the rest of the Test summer. Cook played out the first hour of the Durban Test with Dean Elgar before falling to a delivery he was forced to play at from Boult. Cook has a solid technique but will want to get more on the front foot to assert himself on New Zealand’s attack.Before moving to New Zealand Neil Wagner played his domestic cricket in Pretoria but, like everyone else, he would not have played it in winter. Conditions will be as alien to him as to both camps but his team-mates are still hoping to tap into his knowledge of the ground as they go in search of South African wickets. Wagner’s short ball could be one of their key weapons, even on a surface that may not have as much bounce and carry as usual. He showed in Bulawayo that he could still use the strategy with success and will want to show it at his former home ground.

Teams news

South Africa are considering some changes based on conditions, which du Plessis summed up as a soft and moist. They are toying with the idea of playing an extra seamer or an allrounder, which could bring Wayne Parnell into the team, ahead of either Dane Piedt or JP Duminy. Should Duminy miss out, it would leave South Africa a batsman short; there may not be enough room for Stiaan van Zyl – the only reserve batsman in the squad.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Stephen Cook, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 JP Duminy/Wayne Parnell, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Dane PiedtNew Zealand, on the other hand, are likely to go in with the same team from the Durban Test.New Zealand(possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

If you are nervous about the chances of play after what happened in Durban, you can exhale. Although SuperSport Park’s outfield, like Kingsmead’s was relaid, the work in Centurion took place in April, more than two months before it did in Durban. In the days leading up to the match, the outfield appeared lush, with its new winter grass coating promising to help the ball to the boundary. All the focus on the outfield has taken eyes off the pitch, which is likely to be less lively than a traditional Centurion strip, although du Plessis said he spotted some moisture. Beautiful days are forecast for all five days, with temperatures in the high 20s and cloudless skies.

Stats and trivia

• Of the 21 Tests they have played in Centurion, South Africa have only lost two – one against Australia in February 2014 and the other against England in January 2000. They have played New Zealand twice at the venue, in 2006 and 2007, and won both by big margins of 128 runs, and an innings and 59 runs respectively.
• Ross Taylor has not been dismissed on New Zealand’s African safari so far. He has batted in four innings and scored 366 runs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Quotes

“The great thing for us is that we’ve got a great record here; so we can rely on that and have the confidence of going into a match knowing that we play well on this ground. We trust that.”
“It’s not looked at very closely. It’s about us playing our cricket, improving and learning.”

A round-up of the fifth day’s action at ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey

Peter Della Penna in Jersey 25-May-2016Allrounder Ben Stevens nabbed his second straight Man of the Match award, following up 2 for 22 with the ball by steering Jersey’s chase with an unbeaten 67 in a seven-wicket win over Channel Islands rivals Guernsey at St Martin.The result put both teams at 3-1, behind 4-0 Oman, though Guernsey remains ahead of Jersey on the net run rate tiebreaker with a +0.069 advantage. Guernsey faces Oman on the last day of pool play and, barring a dramatic upset by Nigeria over Jersey, needs to beat Oman to stay alive for promotion and force a three-way tie at 4-1 for the two promotion berths available.Jersey won the toss at Farmers Field and captain Peter Gough opted to give Guernsey first strike. Despite a few edges that failed to carry to the slips cordon in the first three overs, Guernsey openers Matthew Stokes and GH Smith coasted through the first 15 overs in a promising half-century stand. It ended when Rob McBey struck midway through his second spell, beating Smit for pace with a short ball as an attempted pull ballooned to Nat Watkins at mid-on for 28.Two overs later, McBey snared Oliver Newey with a low full toss that struck low on the pads for an easy lbw decision before capping his 3 for 41 with the key scalp of Matthew Stokes for 36, brilliantly taken down the leg side by Jake Dunford standing up to the stumps. Stokes’ score wound up being Guernsey’s best output on the day as a steady procession followed back to the pavilion.Stevens and fellow left-arm spinning allrounder Watkins wiped out the middle order with Watkins claiming 3 for 29 in eight overs. Guernsey captain Jamie Nussbaumer’s dismissal was a microcosm of Guernsey’s limp batting effort, scooping a half-hearted drive back to Watkins for 14. Two balls later, Watkins pinned Oliver Nightingale on the crease with a full delivery for a duck to make it 97 for 6 in the 26th over and a Jersey rout was on in full force.Guernsey was eventually bowled out for 149 in 42.2 overs, forcing Jersey to bat for eight overs before lunch. Watkins opened with Gough and was dropped on four but only added one more run before he was castled by Nussbaumer. In the final over before the break, Stevens had yet to score when he went to pull Nussbaumer but was through the shot early and looked to have possibly edged one off the back of his bat through to wicketkeeper Jason Martin – who came up with a spectacular one-handed diving effort to his left – but was given not out to leave Guernsey distraught as Jersey went into the interval at 16 for 1.Guernsey applied strong pressure after play resumed with Gough finally succumbing in the 16th to a mistimed pull off Luke Nussbaumer, which found Smit backpedaling at mid-on for 20 to make it 33 for 2. At that stage Stevens was stuck in a rut on 6 off 36 balls, but the arrival of Jonty Jenner at the crease paired with a tactical switch to spin by Guernsey allowed Stevens to settle. Two balls into left-arm spinner Max Ellis’ second over, Stevens stepped down the track to loft him over the sightscreen for six and from there he batted fluently for the rest of his innings.Jenner made for an excellent partner, pushing hard with his running between the wickets in making 41 off 50 balls. The two shared an 88-run stand with Jenner falling just before Stevens brought up his 50 off 90 balls. A four and a single through the covers by Stevens off David Hooper brought scores level before a wide down leg ended the match with 10.1 overs to spare.Oman maintained their perfect record with a resounding nine-wicket win over Tanzania at St Saviour. Zeeshan Maqsood top-scored for the third match in a row and unbeaten for his second straight dig, ending 62 not out off 57 balls in Oman’s chase of Tanzania’s 94 which was overhauled in 17.4 overs.Left-arm spinning allrounder Aamir Kaleem took 5 for 23 to set up the short chase after Oman sent Tanzania in at the toss. Tanzania stand-in captain Shaheed Dhanani made 32, one of only three players to reach double-figures in Tanzania’s paltry total. He was ninth man out for Kaleem’s fourth wicket before a five-for was completed four balls later as Tanzania lasted 32.5 overs in a game ending before the lunch break.Vanuatu notched their first win of the tournament to keep alive hopes of avoiding relegation, defeating Nigeria by 110 runs. Patrick Matautaava, who missed Tuesday’s loss to Oman with a left quadriceps injury, came back into the lineup to score a crucial 60 off 43 balls at No. 7, dominating a 71-run sixth-wicket stand with captain Andrew Mansale after Vanuatu were teetering at 118 for 5 in the 34th over. An undisciplined bowling effort from Nigeria added 33 extras to Vanuatu’s total of 227.No one in the top seven made more than 12 as Callum Blake and Apolinaire Stephen made the most of the new ball for Vanuatu to reduce Nigeria to 66 for 7. Nigeria captain Kunle Adegbola made 42 at No. 8 to prevent his side from being bowled out for under 100 for the third match in a row. He fell to Mansale for the eighth wicket before Blake returned to clean up the rest of the tail, finishing with 4 for 26.

Tony Cozier, the West Indian cricket writer, commentator and journalist, has died in his hometown of Barbados at the age of 75 after an illness

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-20168:40

Holding: Cozier was the doyen of WI cricket

Tony Cozier, the West Indian cricket writer, commentator and journalist, has died in his home country, Barbados, at the age of 75 after an illness. He had been admitted to hospital on May 3 for tests related to infections in the neck and legs.Cozier began writing on cricket as a teenager in 1958 and, despite not having played the game at a high level, he became one of its most distinguished voices. His last column on these pages was published on May 1.

Lloyd: ‘His was the pen which wrote of our exploits’

“In the 70s and 80s when we did extremely well, he was the voice and was the eyes through which people saw our game. He was the voice they listened to, his was the pen which wrote of our exploits,” Clive Lloyd, former West Indies captain and current chairman of selectors, told CMC. “We didn’t have too many other journalists travelling with us, so Tony covered the game and did it very well.
I did my first book with him and it was a pleasure to be associated with him over the years. He saw West Indies cricket grow and blossom and has been in all eras of our cricket. We have lost a great man. He left some wonderful memories with us and his voice will be remembered forever around the world.”

“Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tony Cozier today,” the ICC said on Twitter. “One of the truly great voices of cricket. A huge loss for the cricket community.”The WICB’s tribute hailed Cozier’s service to the game: “The lifelong work of Tony Cozier centred around West Indies cricket and he made a lasting contribution to the game. He ensured that West Indies cricket fans all around the world received information and knowledge about their beloved team and their favourite players. His life was dedicated to the game in the Caribbean and we salute him for his outstanding work.”He was not just a great journalist, but also a great ambassador. He represented West Indies wherever he went. He educated people around the world about our cricket, our people, our culture and who we are. His voice was strong and echoed around the cricket world. He enjoyed West Indies victories and shared the pain when we lost. He gave a lifetime of dedicated service and will be remembered by all who came into contact with him.”Cozier, whose father Jimmy was also a cricket writer, began his commentary career during Australia’s tour of West Indies in 1965. Over five decades, Cozier grew into an accomplished media professional across mediums all over the world. He worked in radio and television, wrote
books, and was published in newspapers, magazines and on the internet.He edited the between 1970 and 1991, and in 1978 wrote the acclaimed book, . In 2011, the MCC awarded Cozier life membership for his services to the game.It was estimated that Cozier was among the most prolific watchers of Test cricket anywhere. Wisden in 2003 reported that he had watched 266 Tests in his 40-odd years of covering the game up to that point.Sambit Bal, ESPNcricinfo’s editor-in-chief, said Cozier was one of the most credible voices in West Indies cricket. “To say Tony loved cricket would be somewhat shallow: cricket was his life, and it was a life of great distinction. He cared for the game deeply and absolutely, and his heart bled for West Indian cricket, which he served as a broadcaster, writer and conscience-keeper for five decades. His was the most credible voice from the region and, in the last decade-and-a-half, an anguished one. He gave the game as much as he got from it and it can safely be said that he will be impossible to replace, on ESPNcricinfo and elsewhere.”Cozier is survived by wife Jillian, his daughter Natalie and his son Craig, who had returned from India where he was working as a television producer for the IPL to be with his father.

England and Sussex wicketkeeper Matt Prior has announced his retirement due to the Achilles injury which required surgery last year

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-20152:21

‘Turbo-charged’ Prior set the trend for attacking English cricket – Butcher

England and Sussex wicketkeeper Matt Prior has announced his retirement due to the Achilles injury which required surgery last year.Following the second Test against India, at Lord’s, Prior had an operation which ruled him out of the remainder of the 2014 season but retained hopes of resuming his career. However, he recently told ESPNcricinfo that his recovery was like “two steps forward and four steps back” and has been forced to concede he will not return.”Today is a very sad day for me as I am forced to announce my retirement from the game I love,” he said. “I had been hoping and expecting to be fit for the start of the 2015 season. Unfortunately, this has proved impossible, and I have now had to reach this decision.”I feel honoured to have played for Sussex and England as many times as I have and shared so many great times with both teams. I also feel privileged to have been involved in an era of such success for English cricket.”I would like to thank my family, team-mates, coaches and the people behind the scenes that have supported me throughout the years. I have created friendships that will last forever. It would also be remiss of me not to thank the fantastic support I have had from cricket fans both at home and abroad.”I have always tried to play with pride and passion and have a deep belief that the team will always come first. A value that will never leave me whatever I go on to do. Although I haven’t achieved all the goals I had set out to, I feel immensely proud of what I have done in my career. Sadly it is now time to move on.”Prior, 33, played 79 Tests, scoring 4099 runs and claiming 256 dismissals which left him second behind Alan Knott in the list of England’s wicketkeepers. He was part of three Ashes series victories and was also part of the England team which reached No. 1 in the Test rankings in 2011.He made a century on his Test debut against West Indies, at Lord’s, in 2007 and his top score of 131 not out came in Port of Spain in early 2009 following a recall to the side late the previous year after a gap of a year. That was one of seven Test hundreds – the last of which was the monumental rearguard against New Zealand in Auckland.Although he did not find the same success in white-ball cricket at international level, he played 68 ODIs and 10 T20s.Overall he played 249 first-class matches and scored 13,228 runs at 39.25 while claiming 683 dismissals.Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said: “Matt has had a wonderful career as a wicketkeeper batsman for both Sussex and England. During a period where the Test team won three Ashes series and achieved the world No.1 ranking, Matt’s contribution, both on and off the field, was immense.”It is a huge shame that his career has come to an end in this way, although his athletic wicket-keeping and counter attacking batting will live long in the memories of both his team mates and England supporters.”Mark Robinson, the Sussex director of cricket, said: “It is a sad day when a cricketer of such talent and character and who has achieved so much, and has the ability to achieve so much more, is forced to retire through injury.”Matt has done great things for the club but more importantly, has done what we all dream of, which is play for his country with honour and distinction. On behalf of all the current playing side of the club, but also on behalf of all those who have played with him in the past, we thank him for the memories and wish him all the luck for the next stage of his life.”

An unbeaten 51 by Lendl Simmons led West Indies A to a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka A in the second T20 at Kingstown

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2013
ScorecardAn unbeaten 51 by Lendl Simmons led West Indies A to a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka A in the second T20 at Kingstown. The one-sided game was set up by the West Indies bowlers who restricted the visitors to 81. The target was chased down with nearly eight overs to spare and the hosts took the series 1-0 after the opening game was washed out.Sri Lanka struggled from the time they were put in to bat, tottering at 17 for 4 at one stage. A combination of pace and spin kept them in check. Legspinner Samuel Badree finished with miserly figures of 5 for 1 off four overs and Ashley Nurse claimed three middle-order wickets to finish with 3 for 15. The majority of the top order fell to single-digit scores, four batsmen fell for 10 and the highest score of the innings was 11 by the No.10 Madura Lakmal.The chase was dominated by Simmons, who smashed five sixes and three fours. The Sri Lankan bowlers reduced the visitors to 48 for 4 at one stage, but didn’t have enough runs on the board to enforce more pressure. Simmons sealed the win with consecutive sixes off Niroshan Dickwella.

“We are lucky that we have guys who have played plenty of cricket in these parts of the world,” the stand-in captain says

Sidharth Monga04-Oct-20232:47

Can New Zealand make it to their third straight ODI World Cup final?

New Zealand are usually one of the best-prepared teams for world tournaments, which lets them even the scales against teams that have larger populations to choose from. They need to latch onto any small advantage in order to have the kind of proud record they have: making at least the semi-finals in the last four World Cups.Four years since losing in the final to a cruel boundary countback rule, New Zealand begin what will almost certainly be the most attended World Cup against the same opposition, but without perhaps that extra preparation advantage of advance scouting.This is a weird old tournament. New Zealand made it to the venue of the tournament opener in Ahmedabad two days before the match but had not been to the ground even once when their stand-in captain Tom Latham spoke to the press. The day was jam-packed with a quick training session to be followed by a launch event involving all the captains.India is anyway a tough place to scout. There are so many venues that they have to wait years to get their next ODI, which gives little data about the characteristics of the surfaces. Some venues – such as Ahmedabad – have two different kinds of soil on the square with two completely different sets of behaviour.Related

• England and New Zealand meet again, Super Over(s) from 2019 on many minds

• What happens when you put 10 World Cup captains in one room?

• One last ride for New Zealand's golden generation?

• Williamson to miss NZ's World Cup opener against England

• Southee begins bowling with 'tender' thumb

To make it worse, the teams have hardly played their full-strength squads between the two World Cups, either through injury or preserving their best players in what have become gruelling schedules.All this makes it critical that New Zealand’s other celebrated quality – adaptability, which is not independent of the scouting – does the heavy lifting. That is what Latham spoke the most about in his press conference on the eve of the World Cup opener.”Obviously, the end goal is to be there at the end [of the tournament], which I’m sure every team has,” Latham said when asked if he was confident they could adapt. “But I think something we pride ourselves on as a group is being able to adapt as best we can. We are lucky that we have guys who have played plenty of cricket in these parts of the world, whether it be against India or in the IPL.Tom Latham says New Zealand will tap into players’ experience of playing the IPL•Getty Images

“We have got that mix of experience where we are able to lean on guys around. [Some] guys have played at this ground, some guys haven’t. So adapting is a really important part of playing over in these conditions that can change throughout the game. It is being able to think on our feet a little bit and make sure we stay ahead of the game.”The build-up to the tournament hasn’t been great for New Zealand. They are effectively selecting from a squad of 13 for the first match: Kane Williamson and Tim Southee are recovering from their injuries and are not yet ready.Since the band is not yet properly together, it hasn’t perhaps put them in a contemplative mood around how some of them might be coming towards the end of a golden run of three or four World Cups.”I’m sure guys don’t want to jump the gun,” Latham said. “Everyone is in a slightly different situation in terms of what the future may look like. But for us, we are trying to enjoy the next sort of couple of months together as a group, and have it however that pans out. Hopefully for the good. We are just trying to enjoy each other’s company over the next period of time at such a special occasion playing cricket over here in India. Embrace what comes with being over here, I’m sure guys will make decisions around what that may look like for them in the future.”

Latham on Williamson: It’s like he had never left

“It’s obviously great to see Kane back, to see him batting. It’s like he had never left to be honest, in terms of with the bat. It’s great to see him moving really well. He is playing all the shots that he used to play, which is great, and to see him back in the field is another stepping stone in terms of where he needs to get to in terms of his recovery. It’s a day-by-day process with him making sure that whenever he is available he has ticked everything off all that he needs to do.”

Southee is tracking along well, says Latham

“He is tracking along really well. He is nearly two weeks post-surgery. So for him, it’s a day-by-day process as well in terms of making sure that he is in the right frame in terms of bowling and fielding. I’m sure once he gets back into his skill, he will be willing to go if that opportunity comes.”

Brisbane Heat will also be missing Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw for the Challenger final at the SCG

Tristan Lavalette31-Jan-2023Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers have been left pondering the sizeable batting holes of their departed Test players ahead of Thursday’s clash at the SCG with a grand final spot up for grabs.Heat captain Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw, along with Sixers opener Steven Smith, will be unavailable for the ‘Challenger’ final due to being part of Australia’s Test tour of India.The Heat trio sparked a resurgence with the team winning six of their last seven matches after being mired for much of the season near the bottom of the ladder.They each made important contributions in finals victories on the road against Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades to have Heat positioned for an unlikely tilt at a second BBL title.Related

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But without three of their top four, Heat’s batting depth will be tested as they recalled Nathan McSweeney, Max Bryant and Sam Heazlett to curb an expected fired-up Sixers attack, who were clobbered by Scorchers batters Ashton Turner and Cameron Bancroft in the qualifying final.McSweeney has only played three matches this season, but notably smashed 84 off 51 balls against Sixers in Heat’s 15-run victory at the Gabba in a high-scoring contest on January 1.Once part of a devastating opening partnership with Chris Lynn, big-hitter Bryant failed to fire from seven matches this season and averaged just 15.71.The 27-year-old Heazlett has not played this season, but the bright finals lights shouldn’t faze him having mustered 48 BBL matches over the past seven seasons.”We have lost some of our Australian players but the guys we are bringing in have played the format before so I don’t have a problem with it,” said Heat coach Wade Seccombe. “They have performed when they came in.”Sixers don’t have as many holes to fill, but nonetheless need to replace Smith, who lit up the BBL with ballistic batting marked by consecutive centuries.Nathan McSweeney will return to Brisbane Heat’s line-up•Getty Images

“We’ve played 10 games without Steve and had a few wins along the way so we’re familiar with this group,” said veteran batter Jordan Silk, who re-signed with Sixers on a three-year deal.Sixers appear to have a ready made replacement in stalwart Daniel Hughes, who has been a reliable batter for Sixers over the years but restricted to just three matches this season.”[Hughes] has trained well, he’s been great around the group all year. He’s probably one of the more unlucky players in the competition to not be playing,” Silk said. “He’s been a reliable performer at the Sixers for a number of years.”There are other options with Kurtis Patterson, who starred as an opener during Perth Scorchers’ title-winning run last season, possibly being considered to move up the order having batted at No. 3 since Smith’s return.While allrounder Hayden Kerr could rekindle his elevation from last season’s corresponding match, where he memorably hit an unbeaten 98 as an opener to lift Sixers past Adelaide Strikers in a last-ball thriller.”[Kerr] is a vital piece for us down in that middle to lower order,” Silk said. “Whether we’d see his value at the top in a game like this, I’m not sure what’ll happen there. He’s almost been probably too good at the role he’s played at six to warrant moving him.”As they eye a seventh grand final appearance, Silk said Sixers would target Heat’s new-look batting line-up.”They have some big holes from a batting sense,” Silk said. “Looking back to the game at the Gabba, where they were without those [Test] batters, [Josh] Brown and McSweeney stepped up. Queensland produce very good cricketers. We will do our research so we can stop them.”The winner plays Perth Scorchers on Saturday at Optus Stadium with a crowd of more than 50,000 expected.

Azhar Ali, who had replaced Shehzad in the ODI squad, did not find a place in the T20 squad

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2018Opener Ahmed Shehzad, who had been dropped for the ODI leg of the New Zealand tour, has returned to Pakistan’s squad for the three-match T20 series. Azhar Ali, who had replaced Shehzad in the ODI squad, did not find a place in the T20 squad. The only other change from the ODI squad was the inclusion of batsman Umar Amin in place of Imam-ul-Haq.Shehzad’s recent form bodes well for Pakistan: he has scored 403 runs in seven innings in the ongoing Departmental One Day Cup at an average of 67.16 and strike rate of 100.24.With allrounder Imad Wasim yet to recover from the knee injury that had sidelined him from the ODI series, Mohammad Nawaz retained his place in the squad.”Imad Wasim was yet to recover from his knee injury, and was told to continue his rehabilitation at the NCA,” Inzamam ul Haq, the chief selector, said.Pakistan are presently two games into a five-match ODI series, with New Zealand prevailing in both contests via the DLS method. The first of the three T20s will be played on January 22 at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, three days after the fifth ODI.Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt &wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees, Umar Amin

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has signed for Yorkshire as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast

George Dobell15-Jul-2017Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has signed for Yorkshire as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast.Sarfraz, captain of the Champions Trophy winning side a few weeks ago, replaces Australian Peter Handscomb, who is scheduled to attend a training camp ahead of Australia’s tour of Bangladesh although that series could yet get caught up in the ongoing pay dispute.Sarfraz, who has recently been appointed as Pakistan’s Test captain, is expected to feature in five T20 Blast matches and has confirmed he is happy to keep wicket as required. His signing is subject to him gaining a work permit.Yorkshire are currently second in the North Group of the Blast. They have won one, lost one, tied one and seen one match abandoned.