The BCCI had the final say on the management of the IPL’s finances when the league was moved to South Africa in 2009, and in some cases framed the plan to be adopted, according to correspondence between the various officials involved

Tariq Engineer24-Jan-2011The BCCI had the final say on the management of the IPL’s finances when the league was moved to South Africa in 2009, and in some cases framed the plan to be adopted, according to correspondence between the various officials involved. This is contrary to the recently reported deposition of senior board officials, who told a parliamentary committee that is probing the Twenty20 tournament’s finances that several transactions were carried out by former IPL chairman Lalit Modi.Official documents acquired by ESPNcricinfo suggest that the board was not only aware, at the highest levels, of the accounting and financial transactions required to move the event to South Africa, but also played a large role in advising Modi on how to carry them out.Board president Shashank Manohar, secretary N Srinivasan and current IPL chairman Chirayu Amin recently appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance over allegations of foreign exchange violations related to moving the tournament to South Africa. The parliamentary committee had expressed its opinion that opening and operating a current account in South Africa through an explicit arrangement with Cricket South Africa (CSA) could be construed as violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act as the BCCI had failed to ask the RBI for permission. The committee also asked the officials about the funding patterns of the IPL and the method of payment of players’ salaries.The board reportedly admitted that mistakes were made, but claimed that certain transactions were carried out by Lalit Modi, then the IPL chairman, and they had simply approved those in good faith. However, documents show the BCCI was involved in managing the IPL’s finances every step of the way. At the governing council meeting on March 22, 2009, Manohar stated that the board would open an account of US$ 10 million to cover the expenses of holding the IPL in another country “after seeking clearance from RBI and that the account would be operated by the treasurer MP Pandove.”Once the decision was taken to move the tournament to South Africa, Srinivasan outlined the RBI restrictions on operating an account in a foreign country in a letter dated March 24, 2009 that was sent to Modi and Manohar, and suggested that CSA operate the account under the supervision of the BCCI. “The payments that are made would be monitored by us and would be made after only after ensuring that proper authorisation is received from IPL Chairman and Hon. Secretary, BCCI,” Srinivasan says. The letter also states that after the expenses were approved by Modi, they were to be sent to Srinivasan “for final authorisation.” Meanwhile, Pandove was to “oversee this operation and will be responsible for reconciliation of the accounts, including tax matters”.The agreement to stage the IPL in South Africa was then signed with Cricket South Africa on March 30, 2009 by Srinivasan. Subsequently, a number of emails were sent by Prasanna Kannan, the IPL’s chief financial officer, detailing the transactions that had been carried out and the various tax concerns arising out of hosting the tournament abroad. In an email dated April 3 that was sent to Modi, Srinivasan and Pandove, among others, Kannan outlines a discussion with the South African Revenue Services (SARS). SARS requires 15% of the players’ fees to be paid as withholding tax, and in another email dated April 9 sent by the board’s internal auditor, the BCCI states that it “will help the franchises in fulfilling these obligations and pay the withholding tax in South Africa.”Another email dated April 10 lays out the amount of money that had been dispersed to each team up to that point and how much was still left in the bank. In the same email, Kannan asks the secretary and treasurer “to approve a further transfer of US$ 10 million to CSA”. The documents make it clear that the BCCI was not only involved in the decision-making process, but was overseeing it as well.The 2009 IPL was moved at the last minute over security concerns arising out of the tournament overlapping with the Indian general elections.

A century from England Lions’ captain James Hildreth and cameos from the lower order steered the team to 280 for 8 against Windward Islands

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2011A century from England Lions captain James Hildreth and cameos from the lower order steered the visitors to 280 for 8 against Windward Islands at Windsor Park in Roseau.Choosing to bat, England Lions were in trouble at 78 for 4, before a steadying 90-run stand between Hildreth and Jonathan Bairstow. After left-arm spinner Gary Mathurin, the pick of the Windward bowlers with 3 for 66, had Bairstow caught on 40, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes and James Harris hung around to frustrate the hosts. Mathurin also picked up the wicket of Hildreth, lbw for 100. Woakes and Danny Briggs were at the crease at stumps.

Ricky Ponting has said that he will be “in the background” for Australia’s new captain Michael Clarke, if he needs him, but he expects the Tests and ODI teams to be solely Clarke’s domain

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2011Ricky Ponting has said that he will be “in the background” for Australia’s new captain Michael Clarke, if he needs him, but he expects the Tests and ODI teams to be solely Clarke’s domain. Ponting stepped down as Australia captain on Tuesday and Clarke was named his successor on Wedneday, but Ponting will play on, starting with April’s one-day tour of Bangladesh.Ponting wrote in his column in the that he “will be one of many players who follow him [Clarke] on to cricket grounds all over the world”. Ponting said he expected to adapt very quickly to his new role, and his focus was on “being the best player I can be, a great team-mate, an experienced leader around the group and a guy that my new captain can rely upon to give him something special”.The decision for Ponting to continue as a player has been the topic of much discussion, but Clarke laughed off any suggestions that Ponting would be “the elephant in the room”. It is much more common in other countries for an ex-captain to play on but it has not been the trend in Australia in recent decades, with Kim Hughes the last man to resign as leader and keep playing.Hughes does not believe Ponting’s decision to keep playing Tests and ODIs will make things awkward for Clarke. “Michael and Ricky go back a fair way,” Hughes told the , “and Michael will know that Ricky doesn’t want to be captain again; Ricky becomes a senior player and I wouldn’t be surprised if he seeks his advice along with the vice-captain.”I think it is tremendous that he wants to be there, a credit to him and his commitment to Clarke and the Australian side.”The former captain Allan Border said Ponting’s decision to bat on would help ease the transition as new players come into the team. ”In my mind he is still our best player and as such I believe he deserves to be picked,” Border said on ”Yes, you have to keep an eye on the future and all that but the burden of the captaincy in recent times may have been weighing heavily on his mind and giving away the captaincy might just free him up to play some of his best cricket over the next couple of years. He can be a fantastic mentor … and allow the new captain a bit more freedom to concentrate on his own game.”Graham Yallop, who played on for almost five years under Greg Chappell and Hughes and played some of his finest innings in that period, also predicted a smooth transition. “My desire to keep playing, because I was only young, was uppermost in my mind so there were no hard feelings,” Yallop said. ” [Ponting’s] desire to play on at the top level is a great credit to him because he doesn’t have to, and he can assist Australian cricket for another two or three years.”

Anthony Stuart, the former Australian fast bowler, has been appointed coach of the New South Wales state team.

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2011Anthony Stuart, the former Australian fast bowler, has been appointed coach of the New South Wales state team, after Matthew Mott departed from the role at the end of the summer. Other applicants for the role included Mott’s predecessor Trevor Bayliss, who enjoyed a successful stint as coach of Sri Lanka before choosing to return home to Australia following the World Cup.”I am extremely honoured to get the opportunity to coach the Blues,” said Stuart, 41. “There is an excellent blend of experience and young talent within the squad and I look forward to working with an exciting group of players that are well placed to compete in the domestic competitions.”Stuart shone brightly but briefly in his first-class and international careers, claiming a hat-trick against Pakistan at the MCG in 1997 in what turned out to be his final ODI appearance, before going on to a lengthy coaching apprenticeship. Most recently he has worked in New Zealand as the coach of Wellington, also presiding over the New Zealand A side in that time.Wellington’s results over the five-year period were decidedly mixed, not harvesting a single trophy, and Stuart was removed from the post in February. However, one of his players at Wellington, Iain O’Brien, said Stuart was a thoroughly professional coach who lost a lot of his best players to New Zealand duties.”He is the most organised, most meticulous in preparation of any coach I’ve had,” O’Brien told ESPNcricinfo. “He had a tough old time of it in Wellington, lost a lot of players to NZ duty at times and that left the stocks pretty light. During Stuey’s time Andy McKay and Luke Woodcock debuted for NZ, not all coaches can say they’ve worked and developed players into internationals.”Stuart also impressed during the interview process for a job that will focus on the Blues’ Sheffield Shield and domestic limited-overs teams. There is a slight chance that Stuart will also be called on to coach one of the two NSW Twenty20 teams in next summer’s expanded Big Bash League.David Gilbert, the chief executive of Cricket NSW, said Stuart’s time in New Zealand had “served him well”.”His passion, determination and disciplined approach to coaching will greatly benefit NSW,” Gilbert said. “Further, his acute knowledge of Cricket NSW’s programs, and his intense desire for success, made him the ideal person to lead our young and talented squad.”

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reacted strongly to comments made by Chris Gayle and Jerome Taylor about the lack of communication with the board before leaving for the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2011The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reacted strongly to comments made by Chris Gayle and Jerome Taylor about the lack of communication from the board about their injury and rehabilitation prior to their departure to India to play in the IPL. The WICB stated, in a release, that both players “unilaterally decided to resume playing before being given final clearance from WICB appointed therapists.”Gayle, in an interview with KLAS Sports, a radio station in Jamaica, said the board hadn’t checked on his rehabilitation after the World Cup – where he sustained an abdominal muscle strain – and that he was “stunned” when he found out he hadn’t been picked for the limited-overs series against Pakistan. Taylor, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, had said the WICB did not contact him about his back injury before he left to play in the IPL, and it only did so on April 7, once he’d arrived in India.In response, the WICB has released detailed timelines of the two players’ rehabilitation and correspondence with the board. In the case of Gayle, the board’s timeline notes that between April 17 and 18 this year: “Chris departs for India. Has not had required medical review, nor did he complete rehabilitation program and physiotherapy review as required, neither did he complete fitness testing prior to competition resumption.” It also published an exchange of messages between Gayle and West Indies team physio CJ Clark about his fitness during the period March 24-April 8.With regard to Taylor, the board claimed “he had not kept physiotherapy appointments for weeks prior to his deciding to resume playing.” Its timeline notes that as per early April this year, “Jerome departs to India without completion of rehabilitation, medical assessment or approval” after missing a scheduled review with Dr. Akshai Mansingh, part of the WICB medical panel, who had been tracking his progress.The board also reacted to criticism from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, saying “as a centrally contracted player the Board will address this matter through contractual provisions at the appropriate time.”

The third one-dayer between Afghanistan and Pakistan A, has been moved from Abbottabad to the country’s capital Islamabad

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2011The third one-dayer between Afghanistan and Pakistan A, has been moved from Abbottabad to the country’s capital Islamabad. Abbottabad, a regular venue for first-class matches in Pakistan, attained international significance on May 2, following a US military operation in the town that culminated in the killing of Osama bin Laden.”The itinerary has been revised and now the Abbottabad match will be played in Islamabad on May 25,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a release. No official reason was given for the decision which was taken at a meeting on Thursday between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and interior minister Rehman Malik. The rescheduled match will now be the series opener, and will be followed by games in Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, on May 27 and 29 respectively.Afghanistan are set to become the first international team to tour Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. The Afghan side, coached by former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, will arrive in Islamabad on May 24. Afghanistan has made rapid strides in international cricket, progressing in 2009 from ICC Division Five to Division One and securing one-day status the same year. They also won the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2010, and qualified for the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies.

The impasse in West Indies cricket continued with the WICB claiming that Chris Gayle has been “antagonistic and unrepentant” in the negotiations aimed at resolving their dispute

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2011The impasse in West Indies cricket continued with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) claiming that Chris Gayle has been “antagonistic and unrepentant” in the negotiations aimed at resolving their dispute, but kept the offer of a meeting open, to reach a compromise. The board was reacting to a long and emotional public statement from Gayle, who had said all attempts at reconciliation from the WICB were a “sham and a mockery”.”The WICB reiterates its stated position, that there is a history of difficulty in communicating with and relating to Mr Gayle and wishes to bring this matter to a resolution; but from his latest statement and his expressed views in the meetings with the WICB it would appear as though he is of the unshakeable view that he has conducted himself impeccably,” the board stated in a release. “The WICB insists that his conduct cannot simply be swept under the carpet as is the apparent desire of Mr Gayle.”The board said that Gayle would be made available for selection for the West Indies team, but not if he remained inflexible. “As previously communicated to Mr Gayle, the WICB wishes to ensure that Mr Gayle’s services remain available to West Indies cricket, but not at any cost and not on his inflexible take-it-or-leave-it terms.”There must be mutual respect and a commitment to put West Indies cricket first. The WICB has written to Gayle making it clear that it is willing to seek a compromise resolution. Gayle’s position is that he has nothing to account for and expects to be automatically reinstated to the West Indies team whenever he decides that he is available.”Even though at a follow up meeting between Mr Gayle and the team management, the head coach indicated what was required to assist in his return to the West Indies team, Gayle has refused and has demonstrated no inclination to compromise; instead he has been antagonistic and unrepentant in the entire process.”The board expressed its willingness to meet with Gayle and address the outstanding issues.Gayle wasn’t picked for the ongoing series against India owing to differences with the board, including issues over a widely-publicised radio interview with , in which he strongly criticised the WICB. The disputing parties met on June 15, but the rift only appeared to widen.

Johan Botha, the South Africa allrounder, has admitted to being “disappointed but prepared” after being stripped of the national Twenty20 captaincy earlier this year

Firdose Moonda26-Jul-2011Johan Botha, the South Africa allrounder, has admitted to being “disappointed but prepared” after being stripped of the national Twenty20 captaincy earlier this year. Botha was announced as Graeme Smith’s successor to lead the Twenty20 team in August last year and was widely tipped to become ODI captain as well, but lost out on both jobs when AB de Villiers was named captain in June.”The captain must be the first pick in the team and with all the spinners around at the moment it’s difficult to say who the No.1 is, so I knew it was unlikely I would become captain,” Botha told ESPNCricinfo. Botha’s ascendency was forced backward during the 2011 World Cup, when the emergence of Pakistan-born legspinner Imran Tahir and the form of left-arm spinner Robin Peterson left him fighting for his place in the starting XI.Botha’s suspicions that he would not be the next captain were confirmed when Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, hinted that the appointment would aim to promote continuity. “I thought they would look for someone who would be able to take over from Graeme [Smith] as Test captain one day and so that would mean looking for someone who plays all three formats, so I knew it couldn’t be me – I don’t play all formats,” he said. Botha has only played in five Tests in his career, as a second-spinner behind Paul Harris.de Villiers’ was unveiled as captain in June, when Botha was overseas, contracted as a Twenty20 professional in the United Kingdom by county side Northamptonshire. Having almost expected it, Botha was able to deal with his emotions maturely. “I was busy playing and so I got over the disappointment quickly,” he said.He is able to acknowledge the credentials of his colleague with no malice and is even hoping he will be able to play a part in assisting de Villiers. “He is a great player and he will do a good job. I think it this will really lift his game,” Botha said. “I will give him as much as he can take. It’s not every day that you ask for something of the senior players but sometimes you do need them in a match situation and I will contribute then.”More pressing in Botha’s mind is wresting back his berth in the side. “I didn’t get as many wickets as Imran or Robin in the World Cup but I did my job, which was to contain at one end so guys got wickets at the other end.” Botha has been hailed for his ability to boss over the middle overs of the match with the ball and squeeze the opposition for runs. He thinks there is still room for him to play that role in that future. “Morne [Morkel], Dale [Steyn] and Imran are all attacking bowlers and you can’t only have that. Even though Lopsy [Lonwabo Tsotsobe] can play a containing role, he bowls with the new ball so batsmen will take him on.”Botha’s edge may lie in his all-round ability. “I think my batting will help me stay in contention,” he said. During this year’s IPL, Botha was promoted to number three in the batting line-up for Rajasthan Royals by Shane Warne and played some match-winning knocks. “I don’t think I will be able to bat that high up the order for South Africa, because of the quality of players we have here, like JP Duminy and Colin Ingram, but hopefully my performances [in the IPL] put something into someone’s mind.” With the lower middle-order exposed for being brittle at the World Cup, the least it could have done was give the selectors an idea of how to strengthen it.South Africa’s first task of the summer will be to take on Australia, a rivalry that has always attracted interest. The last time the two teams played a series, Botha captained South Africa to victory in the Twenty20-leg. Botha is looking forwarded to playing the Australians again, especially because they are likely to have his Royals’ team-mate Shane Watson in the mix. “He wasn’t in the side the last time we played them and I’ve seen what he can do; he can win games single-handedly.”Botha marvelled at Watson’s solo efforts during the IPL from up-close and is now back home and about to embark on an extreme solo performance of his own. This weekend, Botha will spend 24 hours cycling at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth to raise money for three educational charities. It’s Botha’s fourth appearance in the gruelling event. How does he plan to combat the inevitable exhaustion that will creep in? “When you’re scared of falling off, that’s what keeps you on.”

Glamorgan seamer Adam Shantry has been forced into retirement aged 28 due to knee problems

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2011Glamorgan seamer Adam Shantry has been forced into retirement aged 28 due to knee problems.Shantry began his career with Northamptonshire and joined Glamorgan from Warwickshire ahead of the 2008 season. He underwent surgery last winter but the injury has persisted.”It is with great sadness that I announce my retirement from professional cricket,” he said. “Following surgery last year, and after undergoing a successful rehabilitation in Australia during the winter, I returned to first-class cricket at the start of the season.”Unfortunately, as the summer has gone on, it has become apparent that my knees can no longer cope with the demands of professional cricket.”While it is disappointing to leave the game so early, I can look back upon many fantastic memories, and consider myself extremely fortunate to have played with, and against, some of the best players in the world. I have loved every minute of it, and would like to thank every single player, coach, and supporter that has helped make my career so enjoyable.”Shantry had an excellent 2008 season, taking 30 wickets at 18 – the most economical return by a Glamorgan bowler for 40 years, and scored his only senior hundred at Colwyn Bay in 2009.But subsequent seasons have been dogged by injury and he ends his career having taken 90 wickets in 32 first-class matches at an average 24.60. He also claimed 13 List A scalps in 12 games and made a solitary Twenty20 appearance, for Northants in 2004.Colin Metson, Glamorgan managing director of cricket, said: “There is always sadness when a career comes to an end. Adam worked hard during the winter to gain fitness and it’s disappointing it hasn’t worked out for him. He was a hard-working, honest, committed cricketer, qualities that will assist him in the future.”

Shane Watson, the Australia vice-captain, has said his side bowled so well to Sri Lanka’s batsman that they would have won the first Test in Galle even if they had lost the toss and fielded first

Daniel Brettig in Galle 04-Sep-2011Shane Watson, the Australia vice-captain, has said his side bowled so well to Sri Lanka’s batsman that they would have won the first Test in Galle even if they had lost the toss and fielded first.After his side took a 1-0 lead in the series, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke said he felt the toss had been critical, and decried a pitch on which that was so. But Watson said the Australia bowlers had been so disciplined and balanced in their work that bowling first would not have made much difference.”To be able to win a Test match in Sri Lanka is a really good effort,” Watson said. “I know batting first helped the cause but we did bowl very well as a group throughout the whole Test match and in the end I don’t think it would have mattered that much whether we batted or bowled first.”I thought we bowled as well as we have for a number of years. We were able sustain pressure for a long time and make it hard for Sri Lanka to score runs.”On a turning wicket, Australia’s seamers accounted for 13 wickets in the Test, with Watson getting three in ten balls during a spell of reverse-swing bowling in the first innings, and then two in the second, including Kumar Sangakkara’s scalp with a snorter of a short ball. He pointed to the performance of the fast bowlers as an example of just how well they had done as a bowling unit.”We did get the best of the conditions batting first, but for our quicks to have an impact, especially in the second innings provides some confidence to us fast bowlers that will play a big part in the next two Tests.”As a batting unit we have to capitalise on our starts; there’s no doubt Michael Hussey batted beautifully in conditions where we didn’t know what a good score was.”Ricky Ponting’s absence from the second Test will be a blow to Australia’s efforts to secure the series, as much in the field as with the bat, after he held a pair of rasping catches in the first innings, but Watson said the circumstances opened up an opportunity for Shaun Marsh.”It will have some impact losing someone who has won 100 Test matches, which is a phenomenal achievement really, but it gives Shaun Marsh an opportunity as well. He has been batting beautifully over the last six months; he has a number of gears as a batsman and over here against the spin and the pace that will be important. That is the exciting thing about Ricky going home.”Tillakaratne Dilshan is adamant he won’t change his aggressive style of batting after a pair of low scores in Galle, and Watson said that suited Australia. He pointed out that Ryan Harris had made Dilshan look decidedly uncomfortable by moving the ball in to him, denying him room to play through the off side..”It’s the way he plays isn’t it, he’s always batted like that and he’s always backed himself. There’s no doubt the ball coming back in to him provides a different ballgame compared to the ball going away from him so he can free his arms. So hopefully he keeps playing the way he does and we’ll be able to execute our plans the way we did, like Ryan Harris in the second innings especially. Hopefully as a captain he won’t have too much impact throughout the series.”