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It was not the surface or the spin but errors in decision-making and incorrect execution which, Hashim Amla explained, caused his first defeat as Test captain. South Africa were bowled out for under 200 on a slow surface twice; Amla believes they could have scored more runs had they shown better skills.”We could have applied ourselves better,” Amla said. “There were decisions we made while we were batting that were not the right decisions.”Poor shot selection cost Dean Elgar his wicket in both innings but the rest of South Africa’s line-up were guilty of misreading the turn or lack thereof. Faf du Plessis was dismissed by a straight delivery in both innings, Amla left a straight ball in the second innings and AB de Villiers played on to a straight ball.Overall, South Africa looked uncertain in their approach, even after they discussed being wary of both turn and the absence of it. “The chat we had was that the ball’s not turning that much, actually,” Amla said. “There were quite a few dismissals from both teams from a lack of turn rather than excessive turn.”His own dismissal in the second innings was a case in point. In the post-match television interview, he called his decision to leave the ball a “brainfreeze”, and by the time the press conference came had decided he would have been far better off offering a shot. “It’s a matter of playing the ball or not playing the ball. If I’d played it I probably would have hit it in the middle of the bat.”Hindsight, though, offered little consolation.In the end, South Africa have been left with a lot of what-ifs over their batting, after their bowlers gave them the chance to pull off an upset. Amla thought 200 was “chaseable”, although he would have preferred a target in the region of 160. Still, Amla believed his team could get there and even adjusted their game plan for the fourth innings.Vernon Philander was promoted to open the batting, to provide a solid start against spin and shield the specialist batsmen for later on, when South Africa hoped the target would be within reach. “We thought we would mix it up and get a right-hander up front. Vernon has one of the most solid techniques and he has done a great job for us at No. 7, including against the new ball,” Amla said. “It was a good idea if Ashwin was going to bowl. It would have panned out well for us the way Stiaan batted with Dale to come.”That Dale Steyn batted at all is a good sign for South Africa, after he was unable to bowl in the second innings having sustained a groin strain earlier in the match. Importantly for South Africa, they were able to be incisive even without a contribution from Steyn, who also went wicketless in the first innings. But, even though it did not look as though South Africa missed him, Amla said they did. “Not having Dale is a difficult one, because he is the best fast bowler in the world and in the subcontinent the most successful fast bowler,” Amla said. “It is a blow not to have had Dale in the last innings, and we’re certainly missing Morne Morkel.”Morkel sat out the Mohali Test after he failed a late fitness following a quad injury, but Amla is optimistic both Steyn and Morkel, and maybe even JP Duminy, who has had stitches removed from a cut on his hand, will be able to play in Bangalore. “Hopefully in the next Test JP might be fit and a few dynamics might change for our team. Dale might be fit to bowl again too.”Duminy would add depth to the batting and another option with the ball, although South Africa can be proud of the way some of their lesser bowling lights shone in this Test. Their errors with the bat aside, their spinners kept themselves in the game for three innings in entirely foreign conditions, something that earned the captain’s praise.”Throughout this Test match, even though it was such a short Test match, we managed to hold our own right into the last innings,” Amla said. “They could have got away from us with about 250 or 300 in the last innings, and that would have been exceptionally difficult. The way we bowled and applied ourselves in the field was very good.”

Jack Simmons has stood down as chairman of Lancashire after 11 years in the position. Michael Cairns has been elected as his successor.Simmons announced he would not stand for re-election during his chairman’s speech at the club’s AGM on Thursday evening. He said: “It is something I’ve been thinking about for a couple of years and my decision not to stand for re-election was made in the best interests of Lancashire.”Michael [Cairns] is the top man, and has a huge amount of experience in business and development. Lancashire is embarking on a very integrated redevelopment and I think it’s better for someone like him to be leading the club forward.”What I didn’t want people to think is that I’ve finished here because I have a new position at the ECB – that has nothing to do it.”Simmons will continue to sit on the club’s cricket committee, which also includes former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.

The fate of Chris Cairns will remain in the balance over the weekend after the jury in his perjury trial at Southwark Crown Court were unable to reach a majority verdict before the week’s proceedings were adjourned at 4.30pm on Friday.Cairns, who could face a maximum of seven years in prison if found guilty, must now wait until Monday at the earliest to learn his fate, with more than eight hours of deliberation from the jury having yet to produce an outcome.The defendants, Cairns and Andrew Fitch-Holland, whose charge of perverting the course can only be considered once the principal perjury charge has been resolved, were called back into the dock at 11.44am, but only so that the jury could request that the original requirement of a unanimous verdict be reassessed.Mr Justice Sweeney, the judge, granted the jury permission to return verdicts on which at least 10 of the 12 members agreed after consultation with Sasha Wass QC, the crown prosecutor, and Orlando Pownall QC and Jonathan Laidlaw QC, the respective defence counsels for Cairns and Fitch-Holland.The perjury charge relates to Cairns’ successful 2012 libel action against Lalit Modi at the High Court in London, which arose as a result of a tweet sent by Modi in 2010 accusing Cairns of match-fixing during the now defunct Indian Cricket League.In the course of the libel trial, Cairns stated that he had “never” cheated at cricket, and would never contemplate doing so, a statement that attracted the interests of the Crown Prosecution Service in the wake of leaked testimony given by his former team-mates, Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum, to the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU).Of the nine witnesses called to give evidence on that count, Mr Justice Sweeney stated that the evidence of two of the three “key” witnesses – Vincent, McCullum and Eleanor Riley, Vincent’s ex-wife – needed to be accepted as true in order for the perjury charge to be upheld.However, he advised caution over the testimony of the first of the witnesses, Vincent, who has already been banned from cricket after admitting to accepting money to under-perform.Although the judge stressed that the jury was under no time pressure to reach a verdict, the prospect of a retrial cannot be ruled out if there is no progress next week.

Haroon Lorgat, who is set to take over from Malcolm Speed as the ICC chief executive, is open to the idea of revising the Future Tours Programme (FTP) in order to make space for the IPL.”The game is growing and the world is changing,” Lorgat told the . “With the successful introduction of Twenty20 to the calendar, there is more cricket to be played, and as a result the time could come where workloads have to be managed.”The IPL is something that is exciting and can be used to enhance and grow the game around the globe. Cricket is unique in that we have three formats now, and that can be used to attract new fans. If we need to revisit the FTP, we will do that.”The inaugural edition of the IPL will overlap with Australia’s tour of West Indies and New Zealand’s summer in England. “If well managed, I think all three forms of the game are sustainable, Lorgat said. “It’s just about finding the right balance.” Earlier in an interview with Cricinfo, Lorgat had said IPL deserved strong support at the highest level.Meanwhile New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said though it was unlikely that players would retire to play in the IPL it was difficult to refuse when big offers came one’s way. “I think everybody would like to see some space for the IPL in the FTP,” Vettori told the . “If it is feasible, then it will be great and easy on the players.”But according to a survey by the Australian Cricketers Association, 47% of Cricket Australia -contracted players and 49% of players with state contracts polled said they would consider early retirement to play in an Indian Twenty20 league.

The prospect of West Indies sending a second-string team to the World T20 has increased after the sides failed to reach agreement in their contract impasse.WICB CEO Michael Muirhead responded to the players’ request for a doubling of their remuneration package in the tournament by reiterating the view that the compensation package was agreed with the players’ union, WIPA, last year and would not be changed on the eve of the event.Muirhead also stated that any player who had not confirmed their acceptance of the current contracts by February 14 would be presumed to have refused selection.With only days to go before that deadline, it is becoming hard to see how agreement can be reached. The breakdown in the relationship between international players and their union would appear to have robbed the parties even of the mechanism for meaningful dialogue and there seems little time for Caricom leaders to intervene.

The crisis letters

ICC

The exchange of letters between Darren Sammy and Michael Murihead shows that West Indies cricket is again in crisis as World Twenty20 approaches

The possibility that West Indies will send a second string squad unable to reflect their No. 2 position in the T20 rankings and, as a consequence, tarnish the tournament, is real and growing.Darren Sammy, the captain of the West Indies World T20 team, had earlier written a second letter to the WICB repeating the view that his squad “don’t accept that WIPA can represent us” and insisting on an increase in the financial terms on offer for their availability in the tournament. His first letter complained of a cut of up to 80% in the remuneration on offer to West Indies players at this event compared to previous global tournaments.”WIPA became conflicted during its negotiations with you and compromised itself,” Sammy said. “It could not and did not actively represent the best interests of all West Indies cricketers.”The difference between the remuneration on offer from previous World Cups to this one is shocking and we cannot accept the terms on offer.”To now be offered just US$6,900 per match across the board irrespective of experience is totally unacceptable. Players are being asked to start providing services from nearly four weeks ahead of the World Cup and be guaranteed just US$27,600 if they play all the guaranteed matches [which] is a staggering reduction. We are looking, even on 2012 figures, [at] reductions of between 50-80%.”We suggest that 100% of prize money needs to be paid to the players as per previous tournaments. Twenty percent should not be retained by the WICB.Michael Murihead has named a February 14 deadline to accept terms•WICB Media/Brooks LaTouche Photography Ltd

“We also suggest that the match fees be doubled from US$6,900. In summary, we cannot accept the terms on offer. The players are not happy and understandably so with such big differences.”But Muirhead insisted that the players take up their issues with their player association directly with WIPA and gave no indication he was about to reopen negotiations over remuneration.”The terms on offer were negotiated and agreed between WICB and WIPA with the assistance of representatives from the ICC and FICA during a mediation process last year,” Muirhead stated. “And all parties agreed that they were fair and equitable and acceptable to be offered to the members [of the] WI team selected for the relevant ICC Event.”As mentioned in my previous email to you, this information was shared with all players following that process in May last year. Players were given an opportunity to discuss the new structure and no concerns were raised at that time.”It is disappointing that you would choose to question the terms now, on the eve of the WT20 in India.”

Scorecard

Ireland marched towards victory against United Arab Emirates on the third day of their Intercontinental Cup match, with the hosts tottering at 186 for 7 after conceding a 246-run lead on the first innings.Niall O’Brien, who made 137 on the second day, added a further 37 to his score as Ireland converted their overnight score of 366 for 7 to 474. UAE, who had dismissed Trent Johnston on the second day’s final delivery to end a 163-run stand, were yet again frustrated as Niall found company in Kyle McCallan.UAE were unable to dislodge McCallan during his 52, which included a 77-run eight-wicket partnership with Niall. Sameer Zia finally ended Niall’s innings on 174, and then dismissed Greg Thompson for 1. Last-man Dave Langford-Smith scored 15 in a 37-run stand with McCallan, before UAE captain Saqib Ali put an end to the misery.Saqib was UAE’s leading bowler, with figures of 3 for 84. He was not done for the day though, and came with a fighting 98 as he kept his team in the hunt to avoid an innings defeat.McCallan, coming in a first change, removed the openers Amjad Ali and Gayan Silva, while Johnston had Naeemuddin Aslam trapped leg-before as UAE stumbled to 64 for 3. Rashid Khan (17) put on a 44-run partnership with Saqib, but his wicket triggered a collapse; Alex Cusack scalped two as UAE lost four wickets for 19 runs.Saqib took control from then on, and got support from No. 9 Zahid Shah to take UAE to 186 for 7 at stumps, still trailing by 60. Saqib played an attacking knock; his 98 came off 137 deliveries, with 14 fours and two sixes.McCallan capped off a good day with a 3 for 65 to add to his unbeaten fifty, while Cusack’s seven overs went for only ten runs, and his two wickets jolted UAE at a crucial juncture.

Perth Scorchers pummelled an attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, but Matt Renshaw and Jack Wildermuth responded with remarkable power-hitting to lift Brisbane Heat to the greatest chase in BBL history and the third-highest in T20s overall.In an astonishing batter-dominated game where a slew of records were broken, Renshaw and Wildermuth produced belligerent centuries as they combined for the highest BBL partnership of 213 runs.Related

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Renshaw smashed 102 off 51 balls, while Wildermuth finished 110 not out from 54 balls as Heat clinched a miraculous victory with one ball to spare. They overhauled Scorchers’ 257 for 6, which – fleetingly as it turned out – had been the second-highest BBL score. Both teams whacked 18 sixes each – the previous highest by a team in the competition’s history was 17.The previous record chase in the BBL was Adelaide Strikers running down 230 against Hobart Hurricanes in January 2023.Scorchers had seemingly made a match-winning total on a very flat surface after Finn Allen and Cooper Connolly combined for 14 sixes.Allen and Connolly traded massive blows in a second-wicket partnership of 142 off just 64 balls. Having earlier in the week received a maiden IPL deal, when Punjab Kings snapped him up for AUD 500,000, Connolly whacked his second straight half-century to start the season with 77 off 37 balls, while Allen struck 79 off 38.All five of Heat’s bowlers went for at least 11 an over with Afridi finishing with 1 for 49 from four overs, his figures taking a battering at the death. Heat’s woes spiralled when skipper Nathan McSweeney injured his left ankle while dropping a high ball in the penultimate over.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

With McSweeney unable to bat, Heat’s near-impossible task was made even more difficult when Colin Munro fell on the first delivery of the chase to quick Jhye Richardson. Making his season debut having been training with Australia’s Test squad, Richardson was later left exasperated when he had Renshaw caught off a no-ball on 20.It proved incredibly costly with Renshaw teeing off and he was matched by Wildermuth, whose previous highest BBL score was just 31. They threw the bat effectively to rattle the normally disciplined Scorchers with Wildermuth receiving a life on 42 when he hit high in the sky only for skipper Ashton Turner to drop a straightforward chance.Heat were on target at 131 for 1 at the halfway mark and powered into favouritism when they whacked 42 runs in the next two overs. Turner reverted to Connolly’s left-arm spin in the 14th over and it worked with only six runs conceded, which included four extras.But Renshaw was unstoppable and he unleashed an almighty celebration after his century off 48 balls. With Heat needing 47 off 27 balls, Renshaw was run-out after a mix-up turning back for the second run in a late twist.Despite Max Bryant having to retire hurt after suffering a shoulder injury while running between the wickets, Wildermuth was not to be denied as he hit the winning runs to trigger bedlam around the ground.No one could have predicted those surreal scenes after Scorchers’ earlier fireworks.Afridi started with the new ball and keen to make amends after his forgettable BBL debut against Melbourne Renegades, where he was removed from the attack for dangerous bowling. He could not find a consistent line and length, with his struggles underlined by a wayward delivery that swung wickedly down the leg side and to the boundary.Highest successful T20 chases•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It was quick Xavier Bartlett who gave Heat a boost in the second over after Mitchell Marsh fell on the pull shot for 3.But Connolly showed off his exquisite touch and got off the mark with a punch to the backward-point boundary. McSweeney surprisingly did not keep Afridi in the attack, preferring to utilise his experience for the latter overs given Heat are missing several first-choice quicks.But the move backfired. Having not received the strike until the third over, Allen made up for lost time. His eyes lit up when left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, making his season debut, entered in the seventh over with Allen smashing a trio of sixes over the leg side – the latter blow clattering into the third tier.Afridi returned in the ninth over but was left frustrated when Allen, on 44, hit high in the air with three fielders running in off the leg-side boundary only for Munro to spill low to the ground.Connolly smashed Afridi over his head for six and another big blow into the crowd brought up his half-century off 27 balls. Allen also brought up his half-century in style as both batters swung mightily like they were playing baseball.The fans in the crowd continued to be peppered as Melbourne Stars’ all-time record score of 273 of 2 appeared under threat. Having gone past his previous highest T20 score of 66, Connolly finally holed out in the 12th over before Afridi picked up Allen to ensure Stars’ record remained out of reach.Scorchers easily powered past their previous best score of 229 for 7 and were sitting pretty at the game’s halfway mark before Heat produced the most amazing chase ever seen in the BBL.

The ICC has confirmed that its annual meeting will be moved from Lord’s for the first time in its 99-year history and relocated to Dubai. The switch, revealed by Cricinfo last week, was prompted by uncertainty over whether Zimbabwe’s chairman Peter Chingoka would be able to obtain a UK visa in time as the ICC wanted all representatives to attend.”The annual conference week was originally scheduled to be held at Lord’s in London,” said an ICC statement on Monday. “The decision to move the location to the United Arab Emirates was made by the ICC board on the basis that all delegates required to attend would be permitted entry.” The conference week will take place between June 29 and July 4.There was confusion last week as to whether Chingoka’s visa application to enter the UK been obstructed or if he had actually applied at all. It appears that in fact he had withdrawn his latest application in order to use his passport to travel to India.The board’s president-elect, David Morgan, said on Saturday that Chingoka’s visa had neither been granted nor refused. He added: “The ICC at its last board meeting took a decision that if it wasn’t certain that Mr Chingoka was going to be in possession of a visa by April 15 then the conference week would be relocated from here [Lord’s] to Dubai.”

Tom Moody, the former Australian allrounder who coached Sri Lanka, has been confirmed as coach of the Mohali franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL).Moody is expected to be joined in the BCCI-backed tournament by fellow Australian John Buchanan, who is likely to coach the Kolkata-based team. reported that Buchanan will sign a three-year deal with the Kolkata franchise, which will have Sourav Ganguly in its team, within the next week. The stint will be Buchanan’s first serious coaching assignment since stepping down as Australia’s coach following the World Cup win in the West Indies last year.Greg Chappell, the former India coach, and Victoria’s Greg Shipperd are the other key contenders for coaching positions among the IPL franchises.The Mohali franchise also named Yuvraj Singh as the captain of its team. “We are pleased to choose Mohali as our centre ahead of all the other choices we had, as it is the best association (Punjab Cricket Association) and with excellent facilities,” Ness Wadia, a co-owner of the franchise, told the . “With Yuvraj as our captain and Moody as coach, I think everything has fallen into place for us.”Moody was sounded out last week as a candidate and was expected to take a call last Friday. He took over as coach of his native Western Australia after a successful two-year stint with Sri Lanka which ended after the World Cup in the West Indies last year.The franchise officials did not, however, reveal any further details on the team’s composition. The players’ auction is set to take place in Mumbai on Wednesday with a host of international players already signed up.Four local players have to be selected in the squad and IS Bindra, the president of the association, said a Ranji Trophy player would be given a $50,000 contract while an Under-22 player would be offered a minimum of $20,000. The tournament begins on April 18.

Against a disappointing Western Australian attack, titleholder Queensland has made an excellent opening to the defence of its Pura Cup crown with a fine batting performance on day one of the match between the teams at the WACA ground in Perth. Buoyed by fine innings from Jimmy Maher, Stuart Law and Matthew Hayden, the Bulls have completed the first-class season’s opening day at the imposing scoreline of 2/283.Having shared the last four domestic first-class titles between them, both states entered this season with high hopes of success. But, for much of the day, this was a one-sided contest. The Western Australians encountered problems from early in the piece – fast bowlers Brad Williams and Brendon Julian were late withdrawals due to injury and, in a testament to the sheer quality of the competition, they could not find room in their eleven for returning Zimbabwe Test and One-Day International player Murray Goodwin – and they never recovered.It was Maher (132*) who offered the central contribution to the Warriors’ grisly predicament. The busy left hander was relaxed, authoritative and in command; the end result, perhaps inevitably in such circumstances, was the seventh first-class century of his career. Against some accurate new ball bowling from Jo Angel and Sean Cary, his innings began slowly. He was also a touch fortunate to survive at 39, when a cracking cut stroke was grassed by Justin Langer at gully off Angel’s bowling, and then again at 90, when Simon Katich dropped an incoming throw to the bowler’s end with the scrambling Queenslander still well short of his ground. But the rest of the day offered a showcase to his ability to industriously nudge the ball into gaps on the leg side, to drive with power through the covers, and to play horizontal bat shots with rapidly growing confidence the further that his innings tend to progress.Adopting the no-nonsense strategy of playing straight and resisting the temptation of flinging his bat at the succession of wayward deliveries bowled to him throughout his near-on four hours at the crease, Law (86*) also enjoyed an excellent day. Having come to the crease only twenty minutes after lunch – when the loss of Martin Love (4) to a catch at slip off Angel provided some hope of a Western Australian fightback – his role in the day’s proceedings was crucial. He cajoled and he caressed the ball beautifully through the off side in particular and, in the midst of his unbroken partnership of 189 runs with Maher, looked a completely different batsman from the one who strangely struggled so badly for form through much of the last Australian season.Maher’s opening partner, Matthew Hayden (47), also contributed freely to a first wicket stand of 87 before being trapped lbw by an Angel delivery on the line of leg stump. In fairness, it should be said that all three benefited from the experience of plying their trade on a benign pitch on a warm, sunny day: conditions which made opposition captain Tom Moody’s decision to invite the visitors to bat first all the more surprising.The placid nature of the track and the call at the toss were, though, far from the most significant of Western Australia’s problems. Suspicions about the Warriors’ ability to capture twenty opposition wickets on a consistent basis have been raised more than once in the lead-up to the season and, notwithstanding the gravity of the loss from this attack of players of the quality of Williams and Julian, they did little to dispel those pessimistic assessments today. Gavin Swan (0/38) and Angel (2/57) both acquitted themselves well but received little support. On far too many occasions throughout the day, the ball was pitched on the wrong line and a considerable number of deliveries passed harmlessly wide of the stumps on both sides of the wicket. Other than for four overs of gentle spin from Katich, the attack was purely pace-based and its explicit lack of variation was yet another factor among many which worked in the Queenslanders’ favour.