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Mumbai’s captain made his first IPL fifty since 2021 to set up his side’s first win of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2023Rohit Sharma’s match-winning 65 against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday night was an innings of two phases. He raced to 37 off 17 balls in the powerplay as Mumbai made a blazing start to their chase of 173, and slowed down thereafter, his last 28 runs coming at exactly a run a ball.Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit said the two phases had worked out just as planned: he went out with the intention of maximising Mumbai’s run-scoring in the powerplay, keeping in mind the threat of Capitals’ spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav.Mumbai brought up their first win of IPL 2023, but it didn’t come easy. Rohit’s first fifty-plus score in the IPL since 2021 left them cruising towards victory, needing 34 runs off 27 balls, but they lost three wickets in six balls to bring Capitals back into the game. Mumbai eventually prevailed by six wickets in what turned out to be a last-ball thriller.Related

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“When I went to bat, I thought I need to make full use of the powerplay because as the game went on, I thought it is going to be tough with the couple of quality spinners they [Capitals] have,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation. “So it was there in my mind to keep attacking, take my chances in the first six overs, and then just see where the game is heading, try and knock the ball in the gap, try and create that partnership.”While Rohit finding form was a major positive for Mumbai, their headaches haven’t disappeared. Their campaign has been marred by injury, which has left them relying on a number of inexperienced players including Arshad Khan and Nehal Wadhera, who hadn’t played any T20 cricket before this IPL season.”We’ve got a lot of young guys, [some] haven’t played IPL before as well,” Rohit said. “But it’s all about giving them that confidence, showing them enough trust because they will get hit for runs, they will keep getting out, but it is important to keep backing those abilities and keep telling them, ‘it’s okay, you are the guys who are eventually going to do the job for us.'”So that’s exactly what the team talk is and that is what we are trying to create in our dressing room as well. We don’t want to make drastic changes looking at how the results come, but it’s important to stick to it and follow that process which I think we are doing really well.”

Todd Greenberg, the ACA chief executive, said players were aware how important it was to keep the game going

Alex Malcolm28-Feb-2022The Australian Cricketers’ Association is hopeful the key parts of a new pay deal between the players and Cricket Australia could be resolved in the coming months with chief executive Todd Greenberg vowing that there will be no repeat of the ugly dispute that unfolded when the last deal was struck in 2017.Discussions on a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have been ongoing between Greenberg and CA chief executive Nick Hockley with the pair currently in Pakistan together on tour with the Australian men’s team for the first Test in Rawalpindi.They have been speaking regularly since coming into their respective posts in 2021 in a bid to form a stronger bond than the almost non-existent relationship between predecessors James Sutherland and Alistair Nicholson back in 2017 when an ugly 10-month pay dispute led to the players being unemployed for 34 days and an Australia A tour being cancelled before a resolution was found.”I’d be surprised if we haven’t got something resolved in the coming months,” Greenberg told ESPNcricinfo. “First and foremost, we don’t anticipate having any of the MoU discussions conducted in the same manner that it was way back in 2017. I think a lot of that has changed.”Cricket Australia have recognised the revenue share model and the importance of that for cricket. The game has continued to grow during this period of time, and I think despite the difficulties of the Covid pandemic, what it has demonstrated is there is a really strong alignment of partnering between the game and the players because there’s a real need for each other to be aligned on that. So the model works. Effectively if games aren’t being played, revenue is not being earned.”We’ve made some good progress already on the MoU discussions. Nick and I have been leading those on behalf of our respective teams. And I’m hopeful we can come to an agreement in a relatively short space of time, which will see both the players and Cricket Australia in a really strong position to come out of the pandemic.”Bubbles have been a strain on finances and the players•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Greenberg was pleased he had been able to forge a relationship with Hockley over the last year to create a greater dialogue between the ACA and CA on a range of issues.”We’ve spent a lot of time together,” Greenberg said. “And I’m pleased that we are spending time together because it’s really important when we said we can talk about different issues in the game and I can certainly give him perspectives on behalf of the players both male and females.”That relationship is really strong. I came into this role knowing the history of the last MoU and the difficulties that the game faced, and I was pretty determined to try to repair some bridges and try to mend some of those relationships. And so Nick and I both being new in our roles have an opportunity to do that.”The new MoU is one of a number of key issues for Cricket Australia to resolve in the coming months. New CA chairman Lachlan Henderson outlined a new cricket strategy with refreshing the BBL at the top of the agenda, particularly with a new TV broadcast rights deal set to be negotiated in 2024, after the new MoU is already in place.Covid has also affected CA’s bottom line with Henderson revealing the administration had spent $40 million on biosecurity over the past two seasons, money it needs to recoup.The players are hopeful the bio-bubbles will not be required next summer after two years of playing in such environments both home and abroad.”We’re really hopeful that we can return to some level of normality next summer by the time that rolls around,” Greenberg said. “But it’s certainly not lost on me and it shouldn’t be lost on the fans that the players have made enormous sacrifices to keep the game underway.”The players have made it very clear to me that at any point in time, the most important thing for them is to continue to play cricket and if you go back over the last 24 months the sacrifices players have made to be away from families to be in isolated environments, some of the sacrifices from players from Western Australia who have literally not been home since the middle of last year is nothing short of phenomenal.”They know that they’ve got a huge responsibility to do that, a responsibility to keep the show on the road but a responsibility to play cricket so that the revenues are still coming into the game. Because the revenues are there to generate grassroots participation and to keep the game flowing from top to bottom.”

There has been no sanctioned cricket in India since March, and it remains unclear if the BCCI has given its go-ahead to the latest T20 tournament

Varun Shetty13-Sep-2020The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) is set to launch its own T20 league – the Jharkhand Premier League – on September 15 this year. In an email accessed by ESPNcricinfo, several cricketers who are affiliated with the association were informed of their selection for the league and sent accompanying forms to register themselves for it. They have been asked to report to the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi – with instructions around Covid-19 testing – which is understood to be the host venue for the entire tournament.The tournament’s proposed format of hosting all matches in one venue is not completely in line with BCCI’s tentative plans for the domestic season, which involves creating groups that would exclusively play on four grounds in two cities. But it could well prove to be an unofficial dry run for the BCCI, in terms of handling a safety bubble with multiple teams. At the same time, it is unclear if the tournament has been approved by the BCCI yet, and ESPNcricinfo’s attempts to reach the association were unsuccessful. That said, it is unusual for such a tournament to take place without official sanction, and the letter sent to the players was on official JSCA stationery, which clearly spells out that it is affiliated with the BCCI.The BCCI is currently dealing with the prospect of a severely truncated domestic season, if one happens at all, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. There has been no sanctioned cricket in India since March, and no clear path laid out for resumption apart from a preliminary fixtures proposal that has not yet been ratified by senior management. The radar is trained firmly on the IPL at the moment, which has run into several challenges of its own, including at least a 20-30% drop in revenue for all its franchises, apart from a 50% drop in title sponsorship.In this climate, the JSCA has reportedly signed on two major sponsors as well as a live-streaming partner.The tournament will, however, be without prominent Jharkhand players like MS Dhoni, Ishan Kishan, Shahbaz Nadeem and Varun Aaron, who are in the UAE to take part in the IPL for their respective teams. But the board sees it as an opportunity to provide a platform for upcoming players and keep a strong pool of players ready should there be a domestic season in the works by the end of the year.MS Dhoni and other prominent Jharkhand cricketers are away in the UAE for the IPL•PTI

“The Association is humbled and offers its deepest gratitude to the state government for its proactive support in these despairing times, to kick-start sporting activities in Jharkhand,” JSCA president Nafees Akhtar Khan was quoted as saying in the .The league will reportedly have six teams representing Jharkhand’s six zones and run for 33 days. The teams will not be franchise-based. “The six teams representing six zones include Ranchi Raiders, Dumka Daredevils, Dhanbad Dynamos, Singhbhum Strikers, Jamshedpur Jugglers and Bokaro Blasters,” JSCA secretary Sanjay Sahay was quoted as saying in the . “The teams shall comprise only of players who are registered with the JSCA from the state of Jharkhand. Nearly 100 players will be part of the tournament. There will be no franchises or team owners.”The email Sahay sent out to the players included a document on Covid-19 protocols, which lays out the ways in which a bio-secure bubble will be created at the stadium. The letter of selection stated that players would only be allowed into the bubble after submitting negative reports for Covid-19 before leaving from their homes. Upon reaching the venue, the guidelines are along expected lines – physical distancing, no saliva on the ball, no sharing of equipment, no exits from the bubble, and so on. The players are going to be provided three sets of “accommodation kits” for the duration of their stay, one set of “dressing room kits” for each match, and two sets of “sports attire”. Players have been told to use personal vehicles or unshared taxis to reach the venue.There is also a provision for those with symptoms: “Any player/support staff suspected of having Covid-19 like symptoms during their stay shall undergo RT-PCR tests for Covid-19. Two tests one day apart (Day 1 & Day 3) shall be done to account for false negatives. If both the test results are negative, only then they shall be allowed to take further part in the league.”

BCCI’s ethics officer says they cannot be commentators and also in administration, gives them two weeks to pick one

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Jun-2019Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman have been found to be in positions of conflict of interest for their roles as commentator and the positions they hold in Indian cricket. That is the ruling of the BCCI’s ethics officer Justice (Retd) DK Jain, who has given them two weeks to choose between the two roles.Justice Jain was reviewing complaints filed by members of the public against Ganguly and Laxman.
Another complaint, against Sachin Tendulkar, alleged a conflict between his roles as mentor of Mumbai Indians in the IPL and as a member of the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee. However, during the hearing of the case, Tendulkar submitted that he had decided not to be part of any BCCI committee, and had informed the board about it. Following this disclosure, Justice Jain ruled there was no issue of conflict and no need to investigate further.In the case of Ganguly and Laxman, having heard both the complainants as well as the former players in person, and upon studying the BCCI’s constitution, Justice Jain concluded that the two men could hold only one post at any given point of time. “That is the spirit of the constitution, the concept of one man one post,” Justice Jain told ESPNcricinfo. “And they are holding more than one post… therefore there is a conflict of interest as defined under the constitution.”Ganguly and Laxman were deemed to have breached Rule 38 (4) of the BCCI constitution, which states that a person cannot hold two positions at the same point out of 16 listed. The clause says: “It is clarified that no individual is allowed to occupy more than one of the following posts at a single point of time except where prescribed under these rules.”The 16 positions are: Player (current), selector/member of cricket committee, team official, commentator, match official, administrator/office bearer, electoral officer, ombudsman & ethics officer, auditor, any person who is governance, management or employee of a franchisee, member of a standing committee, CEO & managers, office Bearer of a Member (state association), service provider (legal, financial etc.), contractual entity (broadcast, security, contractor etc.) and owner of cricket academy.Ganguly is the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, advisor at Delhi Capitals in the IPL, and also a TV commentator. Laxman is a mentor at Sunrisers Hyderabad and a TV commentator.”I have only interpreted provisions of the rule which were framed pursuant to adoption of the constitution after the Lodha Commission’s recommendations (were accepted by the court),” Justice Jain said.He said that both Ganguly and Laxman can challenge the order and take it up with the BCCI. It is understood that the BCCI’s legal team is studying the order.If either or both Ganguly and Laxman carry on performing both roles, Justice Jain said it was for the BCCI to take a call on the path forward. “It is the job of the BCCI to first interpret and then enforce constitution and the rules. They are also bound. They are also the creature of the constitution,” he said.

The new Australia captain wanted to foster an environment where players did not feel they had to conform to a narrow idea of what an Australian Test cricketer should be

Daniel Brettig in Johannesburg30-Mar-2018Tim Paine began his first day as fully-fledged Australian captain with one small but significant departure from custom by initiating a pre-game handshake between all players and ended it by flagging a revolutionary departure from custom, at least for his team, by announcing a firm redefinition of the captain’s role.As the teams began their warm-ups on an overcast Johannesburg morning, he approached his opposite number Faf du Plessis to ask whether the two teams might shake hands at the end of the national anthems, a gesture common to football but only seen in international cricket after a match. Given the events of Cape Town and the fate befalling Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, Paine unsurprisingly has been thinking a lot about the image of the game. The handshakes were a telling way to show it.”I’ve been watching this week and they’ve had the soccer on and I notice they do that every game,” Paine said. “I thought cricket is the gentlemans’s game and I spoke to our players about how it was something I wanted to bring in. I waited for Faf to come out today and spoke to him and he was happy to do that. I think he thought it was a good idea and who knows, maybe other sides and South Africa may start to use it as well.”It’s not something we are going to do every Test match, but it is not a bad way to start a Test series. I think it’s something that we will use going forward; I just think it’s a good show of sportsmanship and respect. In this series, there’s been a lot of water under the bridge and a bit of tension between the two sides, we want to be super competitive but we also want to be respectful of our opposition, so it was important we showed that. It’s something we want to take forward and, if other teams want to do, we’ll do it to start every series.”It was still competitive, there wasn’t too much verbal going on back and forth between the two sides, we’ve spoken a bit about that as a group, about that going forward that is not the way we are going to play our cricket. It still felt like a Test match, it was still really competitive, we were playing a different style but as well a lot of the guys were thinking about some other things or were a little bit flat.”

‘Time for Lehmann to heal’ – Paine

One more contrast came from the pair of South Australians in the tour squad – the coach Darren Lehmann now overseeing his last Test match and the seam and swing bowler Chadd Sayers playing in his first. Paine said the decision to quit had appeared to lift plenty of weight from Lehmann’s shoulders, while the opportunity to play for Australia after five years on the fringes had been very welcome for Sayers, who does not conform to the Australian idea of a fast bowler but now has two wickets and the respect of South Africa.
“[Lehmann’s] been a little bit more laid-back today to be honest,” Paine said. “I think what we sensed yesterday and he even touched upon it himself was just a little bit of relief. It’s obviously been really difficult, and he’s been copping a fair amount of flak and so have his family, so I think for him to take that away from them and for him to be able to move on and try to heal a bit from what’s happened, I can sense a bit of relief and a load off his shoulders.
“I thought [Chadd] did really well. Obviously he was really nervous, but Chaddy’s the sort of bowler where he’s always at you. He did it again today, he bowled 25, 26 overs, which is a really big effort here in the altitude. A lot of the boys were really blowing, but Chaddy keeps on trucking on so we’re really rapt for him to get a game and take a few wickets late get some some rewards for his earlier hard work.”

A little over six hours after the handshakes, Paine sat before the media and contemplated leadership beyond this day. Should he remain captain, he said he wanted to redefine the post as a collaborative part of a wider whole, rather than the traditional branding of it as the major leadership rose above all others. Paine is clearly not a subscriber to the oft-quoted line that the position of Australian captain is second only to that of the Prime Minister.”I think at the moment that it’s something that I probably will be doing,” Paine said when asked whether he would want the captaincy long-term. “I have not put a hell of a lot of thought into anything past this week. Now we’ve also got a new coach that’s got to be appointed, who’s going to want a say on the way we go about it, the way I go about it.”My captaincy style will be – I’ve never been a big believer in the cricket team being the captain’s team, I think that’s a bit old school. When you didn’t have all the resources that we do now, I see the captain’s role as being that link between the players and the staff and just a really small, privileged role within Cricket Australia. But it’s just one part of the wheel and I’ll be trying to be very involving of all my staff, all my players and that’s the way I operate best.Australia captain Tim Paine leads the team out•Getty Images

“A lot of our focus as a team has been around this week, we are not looking too far ahead at this moment. I know it’s a cliche in sport that you get that ‘one week at a time’, but at the moment we’re taking it one day at a time and slowly trying to build back the respect of the cricket world, our fans and the public. We know we’ve got a long journey ahead of us to get where we want to get to, but the last couple of days have been the start of that long journey.”Paine has gained most of his leadership experience as a lieutenant of George Bailey in Tasmania. He said that he wanted to foster an environment where players did not feel they had to conform to a narrow idea of what an Australian Test cricketer should be. Instead, they needed to be themselves, with the team broadening its horizons to make allowances for that sort of diversity.”We still want to keep a really competitive brand of cricket but I think there’s times we’ve got to be more respectful of our opposition, we’ve got to be more respectful of the game of cricket,” Paine said. “At times we’ve tended to push the boundaries as far as we possibly could. I think that we’ve seen that people probably don’t like that, so it’s time for us to change.”We’re happy to do that, I think it actually suits this group of players, we’re a different group of players than Australia have had for a long time, we haven’t got too many guys that like to verbalise and have that sort of really hard-nosed Australian approach. We’re about creating an environment where guys can come in and play cricket and just be themselves. I think if we can achieve that then we’ll have guys having better results as well.”Paine’s desire to establish a culture that was inclusive even led him to picture the returns of the players who had been banned for ball-tampering. The anguish shown by Smith and Bancroft upon their arrival home had clearly left a mark. “I think a few guys watched it and I think it really cut them up, as it did anyone that watched that,” Paine said.”We saw how difficult it was and how much not playing for Australia is hurting those guys. I think it’s really important for us to realise how lucky and privileged we are. We want to make this environment in the Australian cricket team one that people can come in, be themselves and play their cricket to their best of their ability. And we want to have that sorted by the time that those guys are ready to come back into this team.”Reflecting on the events of the past week, Paine quipped that his visiting wife had not seen much of him due to all of the many meetings and coffees needed to try to rebuild a team that had lost so much in the space of only a few days. “It’s been strange and very difficult,” he said. “I don’t think my wife’s too happy, I’ve hardly seen her for the last couple of days and she’s come over for it.”It’s just been really challenging for everyone involved. It’s a really stressful time and our thoughts are certainly with our team-mates who aren’t here at the moment. We’ve had conversations and a lot of coffees with each other talking about what we’re going to do to change and how we’re going to do that going forward. From all this dark cloud at some stage there’s going to be a silver lining and I think all the guys are really keen to be involved in how that looks.”We’ll look to get through this week and we go home. We’ve got a fair bit of time off and potentially a new coach will come in and share some ideas with us. Got a fair bit of time before our next Test where we can all get together and I’m going to be very involving of our whole staff and playing group. We’ll all sit down and map out how that looks, how we’re going to play.”

Tom Smith, the Lancashire allrounder and former captain, has been forced to retire following medical advice

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2017Tom Smith, the Lancashire allrounder and former captain, has been forced to retire following medical advice. Smith made a comeback in 2016, after missing most of the previous season and giving up the captaincy, but has now decided to call time on a 11-year career.His retirement will come as a blow to Glen Chapple, who was last week appointed Lancashire’s new head coach. Smith, 31, was Chapple’s successor as captain and would have been one of the senior players in the dressing room. He will remain involved with the club, however, assisting Gary Yates in the academy.Lancashire have also been linked with signing South Africa wicketkeeper Dane Vilas on a Kolpak deal to add experience to their squad.”It’s with great sadness that I’ve had to retire from the professional game due to injury,” Smith said. “Following medical advice and recently becoming a father my long-term health is most important at this time.”I would like to take this chance to thank the whole of Lancashire County Cricket Club for 10 amazing seasons. To my team-mates, coaching staff and especially the medical team you have all had a massive influence on my career and I’d like to thank you for all the hard work you’ve put in over the years. To all the members and supporters I can’t thank you enough for all the support and encouragement you have given myself and the team. I now look forward to joining you as a fan and watching from the sidelines.”Smith, a Lancashire academy graduate, battled injuries throughout his career. He was an influential member of the side that ended Lancashire’s 77-year wait for an outright Championship title in 2011 and also won selection for England A – on their 2006-07 tour of Bangladesh – and England Lions in the summer of 2014, when he had his best season with 773 first-class runs and 54 wickets to help secure promotion.He was named as captain in all formats at the start of 2015 but only played one match that season before requiring back surgery. He fought back to fitness to feature again in 2016, describing the experience as “like making my debut all over again”. Smith gave his full blessing to Steven Croft taking over the captaincy.”Over the last 10 years I’ve been lucky enough to take to the field with some great players, childhood idols and at the same time create some fantastic memories,” Smith said. “2011 will always be remembered as a great highlight from my career, but to have the honour of captaining this great county, albeit for a brief period is something that I’m very proud of.”Chapple has been putting together plans for the coming season, having taken charge after the departure of Ashley Giles to Warwickshire. As well as Vilas, who has played six Tests for South Africa, Lancashire have reportedly looked into the possibility of signing Shivnarine Chanderpaul on a Kolpak deal and could bring in a marque overseas signing as player-coach for the NatWest T20 Blast.”It’s very sad that Tom has had to retire,” Chapple said. “He has made an outstanding contribution to Lancashire County Cricket Club.”He is a product of Lancashire’s local leagues and graduated through our academy. He is one of the nicest guys I know and it has been a privilege to play alongside him and then coach him. He was always 100% committed to the club and he will always be welcomed back at Emirates Old Trafford.”

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has said that he was not fit enough to play the ongoing Test series against Australia but hoped to make a return to the longer format next year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2015West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has said that he was not fit enough to play the ongoing Test series against Australia, but hopes to make a return to Test cricket next year. He also urged fans to give more time to the struggling West Indies Test team and allow youngsters to develop their game.Gayle, who played the last of his 103 Tests in July 2014, said he was trying to get back into the groove after undergoing surgery on his back in July. He recently made a return to competitive cricket in the Bangladesh Premier League and will now play for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.”If I wasn’t (recovering from a back injury) I would definitely. I haven’t retired from the game,” Gayle told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday. “I’m just trying to get back into the groove. Next year, hopefully Test cricket is on the agenda. I haven’t batted for such a long time. I scored 92 in a game and the next day felt like I’d been hit by a bus. The body will actually take time to build up gradually.”Gayle has scored 7214 Test runs at an average of 42.18, but has played only four of West Indies’ 16 Tests since January 1, 2014. His last Test appearance was in the first match of the home series against Bangladesh in July. He subsequently missed Test series in South Africa and Sri Lanka, and home series against England and Australia due to fitness issues.Gayle also stressed that a young West Indies team needed time to develop in the longer format. West Indies have lost seven of their last ten Tests. On the current tour of Australia, they suffered a ten-wicket loss in a tour game against a Cricket Australia XI side that featured six players making their first-class debuts. This was followed by a listless performance in the Hobart Test, which they lost to Australia by an innings and 212 runs inside three days.”If you want to bash the cricket, you bash me basically,” he said. “We are loved around the world. We might not be playing good cricket but … it’s a young team so we have to definitely give it time rather than being so harsh on West Indies’ cricket all the time. Some young players are coming through the ranks. We have to give them time.”

N Srinivasan has said that the board would treat the case against his son-in-law and top Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, “objectively and fairly”

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2013BCCI president N Srinivasan has said that the board will treat the case against his son-in-law and top Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested on charges of cheating, forgery and fraud, “objectively and fairly”. Srinivasan also aggressively defended his decision not to resign his post, reiterating that he had no reason to quit as president because he had done nothing wrong.Gurunath, who was produced in a Mumbai court on Saturday afternoon, was charged under 12 sections of three laws – relating to cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery, among other issues – and returned to police custody till May 29. The laws under which Gurunath was booked include Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, Sections 4 and 5 of the Gambling Act, and Sections 465, 466, 468, 471, 490, 420, 212, 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.*Srinivasan was speaking from Mumbai, having left Madurai earlier in the day. “The law has to take its course. I am sure that he will defend himself adequately but that is not a reason for me to step down,” Srinivasan told NDTV. “I am sorry. I cannot be bulldozed and I will not allow the press or the others to railroad me. I have done nothing wrong.”Again as far as Mr Gurunath is concerned, whatever steps and action has to be taken, which has been taken in case of anybody else, the same would apply to him. There will be no discrimination or change.”The fact is the probe will be carried out. Whatever steps have to be taken, will be taken objectively and fairly. That you need not be worried about. You can be sure that BCCI will act with the same alacrity. You need not be concerned about that.”When asked if he was aware of the alleged activities for which Gurunath had been charged, Srinivasan distanced himself from the issue, saying he barely followed the IPL. “I had no knowledge. Everybody knows I hardly visit, I hardly watch a game. In fact, I do not go to the CSK games, I hardly watch the T20. All I can say is that I had no knowledge of anything, which also people will understand because I never went to the games.”With reports emerging that some officials within the BCCI are moving to oust him, Srinivasan said he still had a lot of support within the board. “A lot of BCCI members have already sent me messages of support and how they are with me.”*15.00GMT, May 25: This article has been updated after the details of the charges against Gurunath Meiyappan arrived

Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2012Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat.Arafat, 30, will join his compatriot Junaid Khan as Lancashire’s second overseas player for the 20-over tournament. Lancashire will be Arafat’s fourth county after spells at Surrey, Sussex and Kent. He has played three Tests for Pakistan as well as 11 ODIs and seven T20Is.Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said: “The addition of Yasir to our squad emphasises our determination to progress in the Friends Life t20 tournament and we are delighted to have him on board. Our squad doesn’t have the depth that we have been accustomed to and Yasir brings experience and skill to fulfil this important role.”Peter Moores, the head coach, said: “Yasir has a wealth of experience of playing in this country. He is a very experienced one day bowler and a big hitter of the ball down the order.”Arafat, who last played for Pakistan two years ago, told PakPassion.net that his aim was a place in World Twenty20.”I’ve been out of favour with the national side for more than two years and all I can do is to try and perform well and to attempt to impress the selection committee,” he said. “I would dearly love to play in the Twenty20 World Cup later this year.”

The World Cup has left Sri Lanka Cricket in debt to the tune of $23 million thanks to cost overruns and heavy expenses incurred in building stadiums

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2011The World Cup has left Sri Lanka Cricket in debt to the tune of $23 million thanks to cost overruns and heavy expenses incurred in building stadiums. Sri Lanka, which lost the final to India in Mumbai, built two new grounds, one in Hambantota and the other in Pallekele, while the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo received an extensive renovation.”We spent a lot of money to host the World Cup, to build two stadiums and rebuild one stadium. The World Cup left us a 2.5 billion rupee deficit,” Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told reporters. “We spent about five billion rupees to build the three World Cup venues.”The board was forced to pledge the newly built stadiums plus the income from upcoming tours as collateral to raise funds to pay for the World Cup. Sri Lanka hosted 12 games over the course of the tournament.’We are not in a serious cash crisis,” Aluthgamage said. “Building new stadiums costs a lot of money. You must look at it as an investment for the future development of the game.”According to Sujeewa Rajapakse, Sri Lanka Cricket treasurer, the board took a $21.5 million loan from state-run Bank of Ceylon and another $3.5 million loan from the ICC to cover their costs. “We are expecting $25 million from the ICC soon, by way of hosting rights,” Rajapakse said. “Once that comes, we can sort things out.”Sri Lanka will play England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa this year, and is due to host the World Twenty20 championships in 2012.