Chris Gayle’s prospects of representing the West Indies again look grimmer than ever after he was left out of the WICB’s 30-man training squad ahead of the home series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2012Chris Gayle’s prospects of representing West Indies again look grimmer than ever after he was left out of the WICB’s 30-man squad for a fitness and training camp ahead of the home series against Australia.While the squad featured a host of other players not contracted directly to the WICB – Tino Best, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin among them – 32-year-old Gayle was conspicuous by his absence, following earlier calls by the board’s chief-executive Ernest Hilaire for the former captain to make his priorities clear.Gayle has not played for West Indies since last year’s World Cup, in large part due to comments he made against the board and the coach Ottis Gibson during a radio interview.The WICB asked Gayle to retract his comments and the batsman has refused to do so.

West Indies training squad

• Contracted players: Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Shannon Gabriel, Nelon Pascal, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford, Devon Thomas.

Non-contracted players: Samuel Badree, Tino Best, Nkrumah Bonner, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Shane Dowrich, Danza Hyatt, Garey Mathurin, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Krishmar Santokie, Dwayne Smith

“The Board requires you to provide a general public retraction of the comments made in the interview in question and the effect it has had on the team, coach, captain and management, and to express a commitment to team and management,” Hilarie told Gayle in an email in January.”If the terms of that retraction can be agreed, WICB will be happy to consider you eligible once again for selection.”In the meantime, Gayle has taken part in various Twenty20 competitions around the world, including the IPL, the Big Bash League in Australia and the BPL in Bangladesh.He is currently in South Africa as part of the Dolphins’ T20 squad in Durban, but is yet to make his debut due to a groin injury.The other notable absentee from the training squad was Ravi Rampaul, who could not be considered for the camp due to illness.Rampaul had earlier this month been ruled out of regional matches for Trinidad and Tobago due to a shoulder problem.Editied by Daniel Brettig

Apart from trying to help win a Test match for the West Indies over Australia, Shillingford is playing for the right to have his name inscribed on a grandstand

Daniel Brettig in Roseau22-Apr-2012Entering the third Test in Dominica, Shane Shillingford is in a novel position. Apart from trying to help win a Test match for the West Indies over Australia, Shillingford is playing for the right to have his name inscribed on a grandstand.Roseau’s picturesque cricket ground and the newest Test match venue in the Caribbean, Windsor Park has major stands adorned with the names of two of Shillingford’s relatives, Grayson and Irvine Shillingford, alongside Norbert Phillip and Adam Sanford. They were the only Test cricketers to have emerged from Dominica before Shillingford’s debut, leaving the island’s one international umpire Billy Doctrove to have his name emblazoned on the players’ and officials’ pavilion.One stand remains unnamed on the far side of the ground, open to Shillingford to earn his place over five days from Monday. “I’m looking forward to get a chance to play at home, being the first one to play a Test from Dominica [at home],” Shillingford said. “I’m pretty much looking forward to that. I know the Dominican people will be coming out in big numbers to support.”I’m definitely confident coming on from the game in Trinidad, even more so knowing my family, my fans are coming out to support, so I really want to do well and we come out with a victory to level the series.”Most of the players have played here a number of times already and seeing for the Australians this is their first time, the environment, first time being here, playing here, so I think it’s a bit of an edge for us. But we do have to do the basics to come out with a win.”Shillingford made a fine impression on a helpful surface in Trinidad, spinning the ball while maintaining a very sturdy line and length. In the second innings he also showed plenty of variation, befuddling Ricky Ponting with a top spinner and keeping his end quiet while Kemar Roach charged in at the other. Speaking about his repertoire, Shillingford said he had deliberately held the top spinner back from initial viewing, but used it more as his confidence grew.”Yeah definitely. It was a case where you didn’t want the batsman to know all about you right there and then,” he said. “And coming in the second innings we needed to get wickets and stuff. Most of the time I try to bowl and build pressure and then try it, but in the second innings I did bring it in earlier. We were trying to get early wickets to give ourselves a chance to win the game.”There is added incentive for Shillingford and all the West Indies players ahead of an England tour that follows closely on the heels of the Australia series. The squad is likely to be named towards the end of the Test, the players then having two days off before flying across the Atlantic.”Well it definitely is something I’m looking forward to,” Shillingford said. “I’ve always wanted to play … I’ve played club cricket in England so the experience is there. I’m really looking forward to going there and playing Test cricket.”On past evidence, Windsor Park’s pitch will offer some spin, but there is also grass on the surface two days out from the match, offering hope of a little more pace than the surfaces used in Barbados and Trinidad. Shillingford reckoned his home track would provide some incentive for all bowlers, and batsmen.”I’ve not had a good look at the pitch but I know playing here in a first-class game there’s been a good deal of spin,” he said. “I’m not sure what preparation has been done to the wicket. All I know is that it’s an allround pitch where the batsman has to put in and the bowler has to put in.”Should he put in adequately across this match, the Shane Shillingford Stand may soon be unveiled.

Cricketers not contracted with Sri Lanka Cricket will no longer be allowed to use the board’s facilities, according to a proposal by the board’s executive committee

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2012Cricketers not contracted with Sri Lanka Cricket will no longer be allowed to use the board’s facilities, including medical assistance, the board’s executive committee has decided. SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga confirmed these details to ESPNcricinfo.The decision has so far met with a positive response. “I believe it’s fair enough,” Ken de Alwis, the spokesman of the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association told . “If a player signs a contract, then he becomes an employee of SLC. But if a player does not sign it, then SLC has no obligation to look after his interests.”The SLC will submit the contract proposals to the association.Fast bowler Lasith Malinga didn’t sign an SLC contract last year but received medical assistance from the board when he returned to Sri Lanka briefly for treatment during the current IPL season, in which he’s representing Mumbai Indians. Malinga plays for Sri Lanka in limited-overs internationals but has retired from Test cricket. Nishantha Ranatunga, at the time of Malinga’s treatment, had said: “Though he has no central contract, it is the SLC’s duty to look after the national players.” The latest proposal by the SLC, though, suggests a chance of stance.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils in Jaipur

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran30-Apr-2012

Match facts

May 1, 2012, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Royals are back at their fortress, where they have a 100% record against Daredevils•AFP

Big Picture

Rajasthan Royals will still be wondering how they botched the chase against Delhi Daredevils two days back. With 15 needed off 12 balls, with nine wickets in hand, you would back yourself for a comfortable chase. Yet, what ensued reiterated the theory that all it takes is good over to tilt the scales in Twenty20s. Leave too much to the end, and the joke’s on you. Royals have a chance to set things right against the same opponent, in their Jaipur fortress. They will be boosted by the arrival from the West Indies of the Australian Shane Watson, who will have to conquer jet-lag first, and Morne Morkel next. If Watson does play straightaway, the question is who will make way – either Brad Hodge or Owais Shah. Three consecutive defeats will be at the back of their minds when they take on the in-form Daredevils.With 14 points, Daredevils are still on top. Should they lose, they will remain in that position. Luck’s going their way and their season has been a marked improvement from last year. This will be Kevin Pietersen’s last game before he flies back home and his presence as an impact player will be missed. A big plus for Daredevils is the contribution of two low-profile Indian players – Shahbaz Nadeem and Yogesh Nagar. Nagar was the unsung hero of the previous game, making the most of the final over to give the score some respectability.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils: WWWLW
Rajasthan Royals: LLLWW

Players to watch

Though Morkel’s tight penultimate over in the chase hogged the attention, Umesh Yadav‘s effort in the final over cannot be ignored. Though he had 12 to defend, he was parsimonious in his first three deliveries, giving away only two runs. A freak six by Ajinkya Rahane nearly overshadowed his efforts, but Yadav held his nerve for the final ball, beating the well-set Rahane for pace.Royals’ Amit Singh picked up two wickets, but was the most expensive bowler at the Kotla, giving 41 runs. Twenty of those came off his final over, the last of the innings, which made the difference in the final analysis. If Siddharth Trivedi returns, Amit Singh’s place could be in trouble.

Stats and trivia

• Royals and Daredevils have played each other twice at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Royals won both games.
• Daredevils run-rate in the last six overs stands at 9.15, while their bowlers concede 8.11 per over in the last six.
  

  Quotes

  “We probably bowled the best of any teams against Delhi, who have such a formidable batting line-up.”

  “Great spirit shown by the team. Brilliant stuff from Morne. Must have been heartbreaking for Ajinkya though.”

Legal proceedings have been initiated by FICA against the BCB and the franchise involved in the BPL for failure to pay the players

George Dobell08-Jun-2012Legal proceedings have been initiated by the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) against the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the franchises involved in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) following a widespread failure to pay players.The first edition of the BPL ended in February but, despite repeated assurances and deadlines, FICA has been informed that many players have yet to receive full payment. As a result, the players’ organisation has instructed lawyers in Dhaka to file a claim against the relevant franchises and the BCB.”This is a black and white matter,” Tim May, the chief executive of FICA, told ESPNcricinfo. “It was stipulated by contract how much the players would be paid and the date by which they would receive payment. It was also stipulated that, if the franchises couldn’t pay,
then the BCB would act as guarantors and would make the payments.”We have been waiting for four months. Deadlines have come and gone and all we have had is a litany of excuses. It has come to the stage where all avenues of dialogue have dried up and the BCB have stopped responding to FICA.”If it was not such a serious matter, some of the excuses they are coming up with would be amusing. They have said there are foreign currency issues, for example, but even some of the Bangladesh players have not been paid. They keep saying the payments will be made tomorrow, or next week, or the week after, but it has never happened.”May derided the behaviour of the Bangladesh board as “amateurish” and even questioned the integrity of some of those involved in the organisation of the tournament which attracted such diverse overseas players as Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Stuart MacGill and Peter Trego. Afridi, who topped the auction at $700,000, was reported last month as saying that he had been paid.”We don’t know if they have the funds available to make payments,” he said. “If we had a relationship based on trust we could understand their issues and agree a timeline for payments, as we did with the Sri Lanka board when they had some cash flow difficulties. But they have behaved in an amateurish manner and we have no confidence in them or their integrity.”Mustafa Kamal, the BCB president, has ambitions to become a president of the ICC, but May suggested that the continued impasse could harm his candidature.”The integrity of people involved in the leadership of Bangladesh cricket is spiralling downwards uncontrollably,” he said. “We have had continued assurances from Mustafa Kamal – a man touted as the next ICC president – but the continued non-payment does not reflect him in a particularly good light.”The episode presents a serious threat to the second edition of the BPL, which is due to begin in January 2013. FICA will take a more uncompromising line when it comes to advice they give players about payment.”Our advice to players is not to get involved in future unless they are either paid, or they receive bank guarantees, before they board the plane,” May continued. “The BPL will probably say that is unreasonable, but they have brought this on themselves. We have been trying to resolve this for months and legal action – which will take money that we could better spend on developing the game – is a last resort.”Our recommendation this year was for players not to travel until they had received 25% of their payment, but some went anyway. If you have a situation where players don’t receive that upfront payment, it is a sure sign that things are likely to go pear-shaped. We have major worries about the administration of the BPL.”

Gautam Gambhir has said India need to improve their bowling in the last ten overs of an ODI if they want to win consistently

Abhishek Purohit at the Premadasa29-Jul-2012Gautam Gambhir has said India need to improve their bowling in the last ten overs of an ODI if they want to win consistently. India conceded 90 and 97 to Sri Lanka’s lower-middle order from overs 41 to 50 in the first and third games of this series, and needed the batsmen to provide buffer on both occasions. The one time the batsmen failed, India lost meekly in the second ODI.”We just didn’t bowl well in the last 10 overs,” Gambhir said after the five-wicket win in Colombo. “You can’t afford to give 95-odd runs in the last ten overs, when they have literally two new batsmen at the crease, Angelo [Mathews] and Jeevan Mendis. Sometimes when you give 60-70 that is still tolerable, but 95-[odd is] too many runs when the [batting] Powerplay is over.”At one stage we were thinking we can contain Sri Lanka to 250 and then chase it down, but there is a difference when you think to contain someone to 250 and then the opposition gets to 287 [286], that is a huge margin. If we want to be a quality side in the future and if we want to win consistently we just need to work on the last ten overs, the way our bowling is. We have given a lot of runs in the last 10 overs in the past as well. We will learn from our mistakes very soon.”While India had the cushion of 314 runs in the first ODI, today’s profligacy left their batsmen needing to achieve the highest successful chase ever against Sri Lanka at home, which they managed to in the last over. Gambhir led the way with a breezy century that kept India going despite the early departure of Virender Sehwag and slow thirties from Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. Gambhir said it was important that one of the top three batsmen batted long.”When you are chasing 280-odd it’s important that someone from the top three bats for 40 overs and tries and anchors the innings from one end, and then people can play around them. Luckily, and fortunately, it was me today [who did that]. [In the] first game Virat and Viru [Sehwag] did it and today it was my turn.”Mahela Jayawardene said Gambhir’s ability to build an innings was why Sri Lanka needed to dismiss him quickly. “The other day [second ODI] he held the innings together,” Jayawardene said. “He is one of those guys who we have to try and get early because he builds innings and bats long and bats big, so then it is easier for the other guys to bat around him, and he bats at a good pace as well.”Gambhir’s 102 set up the eighth win in 11 games for the chasing side at the Premadasa Stadium, which used to favour the team batting first before the pitch was relaid for the 2011 World Cup. Gambhir said that pitch got better when India batted. “It was a good wicket for 100 overs and there was no breeze, though it was very humid. There was a bit of dew [and] the ball started coming on better in the second innings.”The other major blemish in India’s performance was Rohit Sharma’s first-ball duck. On the eve of the match, Gambhir had stood by the out-of-form batsman and his stance remained the same after Rohit fell to a Lasith Malinga yorker. Rohit averages 15.60 this year from 10 innings, and has made 5, 0 and 0 so far in this series, while Manoj Tiwary continues to be benched despite scoring a match-winning century in his last ODI in December 2011.”If someone gets out first ball … if someone gets set and then gets out, then he needs to think about it,” Gambhir said. “Anyone can get out. I still believe, and whenever I say it I mean every word, that Rohit Sharma, according to me, is the best talent India has ever had. Let’s not talk about individuals, let’s not put the blame that Rohit is not doing well. When the team is doing well we need to support people who are not doing well.Gambhir pointed out Rohit’s Man-of-the-Series performances against West Indies at home and away last year. “There was a time against West Indies when neither Viru [Virender Sehwag] nor I were getting runs. It was Rohit who was single-handedly winning the games for us. Let’s not single out. Everyone should back him because I see him scoring a lot of runs in the future and he could be one of the great players of Indian cricket.”

Derbyshire took another big stride towards promotion from Division Two with a thrilling two-wicket victory over Kent at Derby

05-Aug-2012
ScorecardDan Redfern shepherded the tail to secure Derbyshire victory•Getty Images

Derbyshire took another big stride towards promotion from Division Two when eighth-wicket pair Dan Redfern and Tim Groenewald steered them to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Kent at Derby.Redfern struck the winning boundary off Mark Davies in the fourth over after lunch to complete his fifty and take them past their target of 295 following a dramatic morning in which Charlie Shreck threatened to win the match for Kent.Derbyshire went into the fourth day as favourites needing another 127 with eight wickets standing but Shreck took four wickets to reduce them to 236 for 7. But Redfern, who survived a difficult chance to skipper Rob Key when he had scored only one, was well supported by first Tony Palladino and then Groenewald who made 20 out of a stand of 41 to settle a pulsating contest.There was no hint of the drama to come when Usman Khawaja and Wes Durston calmly batted through the first 10 overs of the morning to take their third wicket partnership to 102. But Shreck was rewarded for a tireless spell from the City End of the County Ground when he had Khawaja caught behind for 56 from 137 balls off the last delivery of the 70th over and then removed Durston with his first ball of the 72nd.Durston had scored 55 from 123 balls but Shreck moved one back into him to trap him lbw and then Richard Johnson went for a drive and edged to second slip in Shreck’s next over. Shreck had now taken three wickets in nine balls and the momentum was shifting towards Kent when Matt Coles got one to lift sharply at David Wainwright, who was caught low down at third slip for 2.Jon Clare pulled Coles through midwicket for four but then got a leading edge off Shreck and was caught at mid-off for 12. Derbyshire were now rocking but Palladino, who had bowled so well in the game, helped steady their nerves by adding 21 with Redfern who was striking the right balance between aggression and caution.He cover drove Shreck for successive fours from an over that cost 13 and Groenewald edged the fast bowler to the vacant third man boundary in his next over.Lunch was delayed by four overs to try and finish the game but Derbyshire finally sealed a 19 points victory that takes them 26 points clear at the top of Division Two when Redfern drove Davies for his fifth boundary.

South Africa’s Test opening batsman Alviro Petersen will be out of action for three weeks after breaking his left hand in a Sunfoil Series matchon Friday

Firdose Moonda22-Sep-2012South Africa’s Test opening batsman Alviro Petersen will be out of action for three weeks after breaking his left hand in a Sunfoil Series match on Friday. Petersen should recover in time for Lions’ first match of the Champions League T20, which will take place on October 14 against Mumbai Indians in Johannesburg.The injury occurred on the second day of the match while Petersen, who captains the franchise, was fielding as the only slip. Andrew Puttick offered a chance off Pumelela Matshikwe’s bowling and Petersen dived as he attempted to take the catch. All he had to show for it was a fracture and a spilt chance.He had x-rays done immediately and did not bat in Lions’ first innings. Petersen will not play any further part in the match and Neil McKenzie took over the captaincy. His injury only adds to Lions’ woes in their season opener. After conceding a massive 543, of which Puttick scored 194, they were forced to follow on.Petersen has not played competitive cricket since the third Test against England in August and spoke about wanting to spend time in the middle ahead of the November tour to Australia. He may not get that but should be fully healed by the time the South African selectors pick the squad for that tour.

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, has been ruled out of the second ODI against Australia in Abu Dhabi, but is expected to recover in time for the third ODI to be played on September 3

Umar Farooq31-Aug-2012Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, has been ruled out of the second ODI against Australia in Abu Dhabi, but is expected to recover in time for the third ODI to be played on September 3. Left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan is likely to replace Afridi in the XI – the only change expected in the Pakistan line-up. Afridi sustained a back strain during the practice session on Thursday.”He picked up a back strain yesterday night [Thursday] during the practice session,” Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema told ESPNcricinfo. “So far, he isn’t available for today’s game as he has been advised indefinite rest by the doctor. I can’t say much about the next game but if he recovers in time, he will definitely be in the side. We have ample options to replace him but I can’t reveal the team’s plan. It will be revealed at the toss.”During the first ODI in Sharjah, Afridi bowled his 10 overs for 37 runs and picked up the wicket of Australia opener Matthew Wade. However while batting, he was out off his first ball, sparking a lower-order collapse that left them defending a moderate total of 198. Australia won that match by four wickets in the 49th over.

The ECB have lost a second major sponsor in three months after Brit Insurance decided not to renew its deal as the England team sponsor.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2012The ECB have lost a second major sponsor in three months after Brit Insurance decided not to renew its deal as the England team sponsor. In August, Friends Life, sponsors of domestic cricket for six years, also decided against continuing their backing of the t20 competition.Brit Insurance will bring to an end their nine-year association with cricket after “fundamental, structural and strategic change in its business interests.” Earlier this year, the company axed its marketing and communications team and their new direction steers them away from the four-year deal with the ECB which began in 2009 and saw them succeed Vodafone. Brit had previously been the principal sponsor of Surrey, with The Oval rebranded under their name from 2004 to 2010.Brit’s sponsorship of England, reportedly worth up to £18 million, has coincided with one of the most successful periods in the team’s history. The men’s team won the 2010 World T20, regained the Ashes in Australia with a first away series win for 24 years in 2011 and reached No. 1 in the world Test rankings in the same year. The women’s team retained their status as the No. 1 ODI side and reached the final of the 2012 Women’s World T20.”We are very proud to have partnered with the ECB and supported them in what has been a fantastic period in English cricket,” Mark Cloutier, the Brit Group CEO, said. “But as Brit’s business has re-shaped and developed into something very different to the business it was a few years ago, it’s right that we step back and allow another sponsor to come forward and build on this brilliant partnership opportunity.”Brit’s deal extends until April 2014, to include the next Ashes series in Australia but the ECB are looking to agree a new deal for a minimum of three years and have an arrangement that could see a new sponsor take over before Brit’s contract expires.”The ECB thanks Brit for what has been an important and successful partnership for both parties,” the ECB commercial director, John Perera said. “Brit has benefited from significant exposure as both the men’s and women’s teams have achieved extraordinary levels of success since the partnership began. Our search for a new sponsor will begin immediately and we anticipate significant interest from potential partners who wish to be associated with the England cricket teams.”Perera will ensure a new sponsor is apposite for English cricket, “The brand has to have stature commensurate with the England team,” he told “Some of the football deals wouldn’t be appropriate.”Brands that sit comfortably alongside English cricket include investment bank Investec, who added to their sponsorship of the Derby, Tottenham Hotspur and England Women’s hockey with a 10-year deal for the title rights to Test matches, worth a reported £50 million, signed in November 2011 and earlier that year, Buxton Water renewed their sponsorship until the end of 2013.