Major Indian-based portal sify.com is reporting that a solution to the current ICC-BCCI crisis is close. They report that J Dalmiya and the BCCI are willing to stand Sehwag down for the first Test against England, thus fulfiling the ICC imposed ban. In return they are requesting that the ICC soften their stance on the penalty handed out to Tendulkar, and address other concerns raised by the BCCI. Negotations are still continuing, however, but it appears that the position of both sides is softening.The first Test between England and India is due to start in Mohali on Monday. Earlier today, the ICC offered to extend the previous deadline of 6:30 am Friday.
The West Indies made up with their bowling and fielding on the 2nd day what they lost by their batting on the 1st. After dismissing New Zealand “A” for 193, giving them a nice lead of 39, after making 232 in their 1st innings, the West Indies are 50-0, after 24 overs, in their 2nd innings, an overall lead of 89. Adrian Griffith is 23 not out, including four fours, while Chris Gayle is 26 not out, also including four boundaries.The rains came with about half an hour and six more overs to be completed for the 2nd day.Earlier, New Zealand “A” started the 2nd day on 90-2, with Mark Richardson on 38 not out and Bruce Martin, the night-watchman, yet to score. The partnership did not last, but, surprisingly, it was the better batsman, Richardson, who went first.He had added only 01 run to his overnight score when he played, half-cocked, to a good Reon King delivery, the 5th of the morning, the resulting edge speeding to Brian Lara, who took a very sharp catch at 1st slip. Richardson out for 39, including five 4’s; New Zealand “A” 92-3.Bruce Martin too was soon out. Similarly, he too had only added 01 when he drove full-bloodedly at Nixon McLean, the resulting scorcher ending up at cover point for the substitute fieldsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, on for Franklyn Rose, to take a straightforward catch. Rose was off with a strained hamstring muscle. Bruce Martin out for 01; New Zealand “A” 92-4.Glen Sulzberger, in at No. 5, was promptly dropped, twice, from the first two deliveries he faced. He tried to pull leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo through the leg side, the resulting under edge just eluding wicket-keeper Wayne Phillip’s gloves. The very next delivery, Nagamootoo again found the edge, but this time Chris Gayle, at slip, spilled the catch to get the batsman off the mark.Soon, though, Sulzberger was very responsible for the run out of Jacob Oram, who batted at No. 6. Sulzberger played a delivery to short cover and started immediately for a single, putting great pressure on Oram at the non-striker’s end to react. Adrian Griffith at cover reacted quicker than Oram, and his return to Ramnaresh Sarwan at the striker’s end beat Oram by a long way. Oram run out for 00; New Zealand “A” 95-5.Sulzberger and Jerrod Englefield then put on the best partnership of New Zealand “A”s innings with some encouraging strokes. They carried the score from 95-5 to 158-6, a partnership of 63, before Sulzberger became the 1st wicket after lunch. He pushed tentatively at a Jimmy Adams leg-break, the resulting edge lodging in wicket-keeper Wayne Phillip’s glove this time. Sulzberger out for 37, made in 123 deliveries, and including six fours; New Zealand “A” 158-6.The last four wickets then added only 35 runs as the West Indian bowlers, especially fast bowler Nixon McLean, thwarted the very blustery conditions to bring the innings to a quick end. 158-6 became 176-7 when Englefield tried to back-cut to Mahendra Nagamootoo’s top-spinner, the resulting under-edge cannoning onto the stumps. Englefield bowled for 30 made from 143 deliveries and containing four boundaries.At 192, Scott Styris was comprehensively beaten and bowled by a very fast Nixon McLean leg-cutter. Styris out for 22 which included four fours and lasted 42 deliveries. Darryl Tuffey was promptly out, caught at the wicket from McLean’s bowling for 00; New Zealand “A” 192-9 and then Chris Martin was run out going for an impossible run, Nagamootoo at cover point hitting the stumps directly.New Zealand “A” were all out for 193 from 92.2 overs, leaving the West Indies with a lead of 39. Nixon McLean was the West Indies best bowler with 3-37 from 21.2 overs, while Mahendra Nagamootoo had 2-68 from 34 overs and Reon King had 2-28 from 19 overs. Overall, 33 minutes were lost in the New Zealand “A” innings due to rain.So, the West Indies will start the 3rd day at 50-0, an overall lead of 89. They could well use the 3rd day to get some good batting practice in.
This has been a dramatic few days for Chelsea Football Club but the tension and suspense won’t end for another few days yet as Roman Abramovich prepares to sell the Premier League side.
What’s the word?
Abramovich officially put the club up for sale on Wednesday evening amid the fear of having his assets in the United Kingdom frozen by the British government.
With that in mind, a sale will need to be done quickly and it’s believed a deal could be wrapped up and confirmed as soon as Monday.
A takeover is being led by an American-Swiss consortium in Todd Boehly and Hansjörg Wyss who are moving closer to finalising matters.
If a deal is concluded, supporters will quite rightfully enquire about the futures of important club figures like Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia.
Well, a big update has been provided on the latter with journalist Matt Law suggesting on the London is Blue podcast that she could stay at Stamford Bridge.
He said: “I’m told that one of the groups interested in buying Chelsea would certainly want her to stay. They know all about her and how valuable she is. And they certainly wouldn’t be looking to come in and just ask her to leave.”
Fans surely buzzing
This has been a concerning period for supporters of Chelsea but if the new owners do keep Granovskaia in west London, it can only be a good thing.
After all, she is not only one of the most powerful and inspirational women in football, but she’s one of the best at her job in the world.
The 47-year-old became involved in contractual dealings and transfers in 2010 and was later made chief executive four years later.
Dubbed the ‘Iron Lady’, she helped broker an important sponsorship deal with Nike and in December 2021, picked up the gong for the Best Club Director in European football at the Golden Boy awards.
Speaking about her fierce nature, a source once told The Evening Standard: “She is basically the power at Chelsea. Roman trusts her implicitly. She’s not interested in being a celebrity, but there is no doubt who’s in charge and who calls the shots.”
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Furthermore, she also knows how to get what she wants. For instance, when the Blues wanted to sign Ben Chilwell, Leicester were standing firm over an £80m price tag but Chelsea ultimately ended up paying £50m.
A similar story could be said of Kai Havertz who initially looked like costing the Londoners £100m until Granovskaia negotiated a move worth £75.8m instead. The German has already more than paid his transfer fee, scoring the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final.
With all that said, it’s incredibly evident that the Russian-Canadian is particularly good at her job and if she does stay at the Bridge, fans will surely be over the moon.
AND in other news, Journo drops massive Chelsea takeover claim, it’ll “surprise” fans…
Riding on a 77-run eight-wicket partnership, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) took a 26-run first-innings lead over Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium. Resuming on 63 for 3, after WAPDA had been dismissed for 200, SSGC lost the next three wickets for the addition of 24 runs as Sarfraz Ahmed (6 for 48) caused havoc. A 93-run partnership between Ahmed Zeeshan (51) and Haaris Ayaz (64) first got SSGC closer to the 200-mark and then, with assistance from the tail, allowed them to take the slender lead. By close , WAPDA had scored 43 for 2 in their second-innings – a lead of 17 – with Sohail Khan, after having taken seven wickets in the first-innings, adding two more to his tally that now stands at 58.Table-leaders Habib Bank Limited (HBL) took a big leap towards confirming their place in the final after making a strong 195 for 3 in reply to the 297 National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) had earlier scored at the NBP Sports Complex. All of HBL’s batsmen contributed and with Aftab Alam unbeaten on 55, HBL are on course for earning a big first-innings lead. Earlier, resuming at their overnight 207 for 6, NBP added 90 runs before Mohammad Aslam cleaned up the tail with a five-wicket haul. Qaiser Abbas, unbeaten on 54 overnight, took his score to 74 off 186 deliveries before being dismissed.Sialkot recovered well to restrict Lahore Ravi to 165 in their first-innings, facing a deficit of only 77 runs, before putting on a much-improved batting performance to go at close on 211 for 5 at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground. Bundled out for 88 in their first innings, Sialkot pace trio did well to limit the damage and shared all 10 wickets among themselves. Mohammad Ali was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 38 and it was left for Lahore’s No. 9 Waqas Ahmed (45 off 23) to guide his team to respectability. Sialkot, in their second innings, owed much to an unbeaten 81 by Ayub Dogar and now have an overall lead of 134.At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan first did well to restrict Hyderabad to 335 in their first-innings and then score 229 for 4 in reply by close. Hyderabad had resumed on 260 for 4 and looked set for a huge score before Rahat Ali (4 for 35) sparked a collapse that saw them lose their last five wickets for the addition of only one run. Usman Tariq was Multan’s hero with the bat as he scored an unbeaten 118 to take his side within reach of a first-innings lead.Centuries by Asif Iqbal and Zahoor Elahi allowed Pakistan Customs to compile 338 runs against Karachi Whites at the National Stadium. In reply, Karachi managed to reach 154 for 4 at close, still 184 runs in deficit. Iqbal scored his second first-class century and his highest individual score after batting for over five hours and hitting 13 fours. With Elahi, he added 159 runs for the fourth wicket. For Karachi, Khalid Latif continued his impressive form with the bat and scored 42 while Asim Kamal is still unbeaten on 47.
Group B
Mohammad Hafeez hit a century to help Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) take a first-innings lead of 135 runs over Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. Hafeez shared a 164-run fourth-wicket partnership with Umar Akmal (65). Later, Khurram Shahzad scored 64 before Mohammad Naved rounded things off for Lahore with a six-wicket haul. By close, Lahore had scored 52 for 3, requiring another 83 to make SNGPL bat again, with Asad Ali taking two of those wickets.After having bowled out Karachi Blues for 188, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) finished day two on 251 for 3 at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex. The highlight of the day for ZTBL was an unbeaten 107 by Afaq Rahim, their 22-year-old opener. Adnan Raza (62) added 103 for the third-wicket as ZTBL crossed the 200-mark and ended the day in a commanding position.At the Diamond Club Ground, Rauf Akbar finished with figures of 6 for 66 as Quetta could only add a solitary run to their overnight score before being dismissed for 244 against Islamabad. However, its bowlers did well to restrict the home side to 229 for 7 in reply with Imad Wasim, the Pakistan Under-19 captain, making a valuable 41 in a 101-run sixth-wicket partnership with Ameer Khan (58*).Sajjad Ahmed’s unbeaten 83 allowed Peshawar to reach a competitive 256 after resuming on 134 for 6 overnight at Arbab Niaz Stadium. Ahmed added 144 with the last four batsmen to allow respectability to his side’s total before Rawalpindi replied strongly with 140 for 3 by close. Awais Zia (27*) and Naved Ashraf (34*) have put on 57 for the fourth wicket and will look to carry on the good work into the third day.After the first day’s play at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium was washed out , both Abbottabad and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) forfeited their first-innings in order to procure a result. However, only 13.5 overs were possible on the second day, in which KRL, after having been put in, reached 26 for no loss.
A report in the Zimbabwe Independent claims that Zimbabwe Cricket is making a desperate attempt to lure back Tatenda Taibu before the February 11 deadline when squads for the World Cup have to be named.Taibu retired from international cricket more than a year ago after his family was threatened by people with links to both the government and cricket. Since then he has played in Bangladesh, England and at the moment is turning out for Namibia in South African domestic competition.Zimbabwe’s cricket, meanwhile, has continued to lurch from crisis to crisis, and following a 5-0 one-day whitewash in Bangladesh at the end of last year, there are real fears that the side could face humiliation in the World Cup.While Taibu was deeply unhappy with Peter Chingoka, ZC’s chairman, it is understood that the real obstacle to his return is the US$38,000 he is owed by the board for outstanding match fees. Two other players who have also quit international cricket – Andy Blignaut and Heath Streak – are also believed to be owed more than $100,000 between them. Despite senior officials insisting the board is not strapped for cash, cheques have bounced recently and sources privately admit that ZC does not have enough to meet such debts at the moment.”We hope we can talk and agree with Taibu to come back, but maybe he’ll demand the money he says Zimbabwe Cricket owes him,” a board member told The Independent. “Other players are being talked to as well. There’s Tinashe Panyangara also who we hear might be in Australia or England.”Chingoka recently said that a committee had been formed to try to lure back former players, but critics have pointed out that it is likely to be a short-term solution to try to save face in the Caribbean. One player briefly mentioned as someone who might return was Ray Price, but a friend of his said that as nothing had changed since he quit, that is not an option.Many of those who walked away were dismayed at the way Chingoka and those close to him have run the game in recent years, and it will take more than some sweet talk and more promises to lure them back for anything longer-term than the World Cup.
ScorecardDeighton Butler and Kenroy Peters, the two left-arm medium-fast bowlers, took three wickets each as Windward Islands took charge on the second day of the Carib Beer Series match in St Elizabeth. Resming at 76 for 3, Jamaica were bundled out for 204, while Windards had managed 57 for 1 by close of play.Three Jamaican batsmen – Tamar Lambert, Gareth Breese and Nikita Miller – made 30, while Shawn Findlay scored 29, but none of the batsmen converted their starts. Peters took care of the middle order with three wickets, including that of Breese, while Butler nailed Xavier Marshall, the opener, and then returned to clean up the tail.In reply, Windwards took an early wicket, that of Craig Emmanuel for 1, but Romel Currency and Alvin La Feuille added 56 for the second wicket as Winwards ended the day confortably placed.
ScorecardJamaica enjoyed an excellent day at the Beausejour Stadium. Resuming at 69 for 3, they posted a total of 244, and their afternoon got even better as Windward Islands slumped to 64 for 7 at close of play on the second day, still trailing by 180. Daren Powell, David Bernard and Nikita Miller took two wickets each, with Miller, a left-arm spinner, returning astonishing figures of 14-9-7-2. Earlier, Bernard had starred with the bat too, scoring 49. ScorecardBarbados were comfortably placed at close of play on the second day of their Carib Beer Cup match against Trinidad and Tobago at Crab Hill. They restricted Trinidad to 280 in the first innings, and were then coasting along at 120 for 1, with Dale Richards unbeaten on 54. Earlier, two of Trinidad’s batsmen had the misfortune of being dismissed for 99. Tishan Maraj, the opener playing in only his third first-class match, missed his maiden century by a run, and the same fate befell Imran Jan a little later. ScorecardThe second day’s play at Charlestown was washed out due to rain.
National League Division TwoDivision Two table Northamptonshire 206 for 6 beat Somerset 202 for 9 by four wickets ScorecardPhil Jaques and Mike Hussey, Northants’s Australian pair, continued their sparkling form as they led the charge to a four-wicket win against Somerset at Wantage Road. Jaques and Hussey have been at the fore of Northants’s impressive season in the National League, and they put on 104 for the second wicket to set them on their way to a ninth win. Chasing Somerset’s 202, in which Carl Gazzard top-scored with 42 and Jason Brown took 3 for 28, Jaques hit 73 from 95 balls while Hussey scored a more sedate 53 from 79. Gazzard, the Somerset wicketkeeper, took five catches in all, including Hussey off Steffan Jones, but neither he or the bowlers could prevent Jeffrey Cook smashing a cameo 29 from 20, including five fours, as Northants got home with nine balls to spare.
Hobart’s bad weather, and its resultant effect on a possible outcome for the second Australia-New Zealand Test dominated the headlines today.The Sydney Morning Herald: “Scowling skies and dreary cricket made this a day to forget.”Pity the poor spectators as they forlornly departed; it will be years before Test cricket returns.”About the only source of amusement was the sound of a wag calling out “settle down” after a batsman had driven a couple of runs, like a tortoise emerging from his shell to pinch a piece of lettuce.”Otherwise it was a matter of putting on tarpaulins and removing them and more inspections than take place in a boot camp. Abandonment came as a merciful relief. Even these captains will be hard-pressed to revive this corpse.”Between the showers the Australians did not pass muster. On pitches of this sort something special is needed and the Australians did not provide it. None of the bowlers could disturb the tranquillity of New Zealand’s fifth-wicket pair.”Clearly the Kiwis had studied the bowlers and developed tactics to counter them. Most particularly they refused to play at anything outside off stick. Rather than fishing, the visiting batsmen raised their willows aloft and let the ball pass.”Around four deliveries an over thudded into the keeper’s gloves. Whereas the Poms probed obligingly these fellows knew the exact location of their off stump. Oscar Wilde said he could “resist anything except temptation” and the Kiwis refused to be drawn.”The New Zealand Herald: “We all know how Stephen Fleming twice tempted fate in this series – the question now is, will Steve Waugh?”The transtasman captains will again be in the spotlight this afternoon as the weather-affected second test at Bellerive Oval lurches towards what might once have been considered an inevitable draw. Until that eventful last day in the first test in Brisbane, that is.”Having paid the price for inserting Australia twice this series, Fleming was at the helm as the weather closed in around Hobart yesterday afternoon, unbeaten on 71 as New Zealand reached 197 for four, still 162 runs shy of the follow-on mark.”A fifth-wicket partner of 97 between him and Craig McMillan, a record against Australia, has provided the tourists with a reasonable show of reaching the target, at which point it would be no surprise to see the New Zealand skipper mimic his first test decision and declare.”How Waugh might respond is not so clear.”The Australian: “New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who promised Australia “a bloody good scrap”, yesterday ploughed through rain, bad light and boredom to deliver his word.”The second Test at Bellerive Oval will surely be consigned to a watery grave today, providing merciful relief to faithful fans and players alike.”The match, which surged like a flaming arrow when 411 runs were scored on day one, is now moving at the speed of a constipated snail, with Australia needing 16 wickets today to force a result.”Only 126 runs were added from 51 overs yesterday.”If there was one plus, it was that the day reminded patrons of how lucky they were not to witness such drab fare more often. It was the way Test cricket used to be played, but rarely is today.”Resuming at 2-71, the Kiwis trudged to 4-197, 361 behind Australia and 162 shy of the follow-on, on another day that fell victim to cricket’s unbeatable enemy – rain.”The Daily Telegraph: “The Australians could still win. For that to happen, they would need a dry day, which the forecast says is improbable; and 16 Kiwi wickets, which the performance of Fleming and McMillan suggests is unlikely.”Ten hours lost over three days will almost certainly prove too much.”It’s also a huge disappointment for Hobart, which only gets a Test every second year and then always early in the season when the weather is dodgy.”Given the forecast and what had transpired on the previous two days, the 2,837 loyal spectators who turned up today must have been masochists.”And whoever put a message on the scoreboard during the drizzle – ‘Welcome to the new Bellerive Oval. Enjoy the day’ – must have been a sadist.”
“I have great regard and respect for Mr [Shashank] Manohar,” Sundar Raman said in Mumbai on Tuesday. “Certainly I have enjoyed the time I spent with him over the course of last few weeks. “I don’t want to give credence to any such report. It’s a decision that I have made and have communicated with the [BCCI] office bearers. They respect the position that I come from and I respect their views. It’s something that we decided that I wanted to do and move on. I am grateful for the opportunity they have given me all these years.”
Sundar Raman, the IPL’s chief operating officer, has resigned from his position. Raman had been associated with the IPL since its inception; he had been the right-hand man of Lalit Modi and, after his removal in 2010, worked closely with N Srinivasan.Raman – whose resignation was confirmed by IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla – put in his papers during a meeting with BCCI president Shashank Manohar in Nagpur on Monday. He is under investigation for his alleged role in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and is scheduled to appear before the Lodha Committee on November 15.It is understood that Manohar had told Raman that he would need to resign on his own, or face the possibility of being asked to resign at the BCCI’s annual general meeting on November 9.”I have been serving my notice period for some time now. I will be available to them [BCCI and IPL whenever they require, but I will demit office this week,” Raman told . They [BCCI] wanted to stabilise things, and this has been going on for four to five weeks. The BCCI president [Shashank Manohar] is not well and so I went to Nagpur yesterday to get his signature on tenders and other documents.”Raman’s future in the IPL was always in question once Manohar was elected as the BCCI president on October 4. Manohar had been one of the very few BCCI administrators, past or present, to publicly protest against Raman continuing as a BCCI employee once the Mudgal Committee, investigating the 2013 IPL scandal, had named him in its report in connection with “misdemeanours”.”Raman should have gone immediately after the Mudgal Committee report found him prima facie guilty of wrongdoings,” Manohar had said in July. “He ought to have stepped down immediately at that time. Now, to restore the faith of people in IPL and the game, Raman needs to go.”But the previous BCCI administration, run remotely by Srinivasan, supported Raman when a release said: “Mr. Sundar Raman gave his explanation relating to his role with reference to the conclusions relating to him in the report of the Mudgal committee. The members heard his explanation and decided that the Board should support Mr Sundar Raman to represent himself before the Supreme Court.”Raman was named as Individual 12 in the Mudgal report, which said he “knew a contact of a bookie and had contacted him eight times in one season”. When questioned by the Mudgal panel, Raman “admitted” that he “knew” a contact of the bookie, but claimed to be “unaware of his connection with betting activities”. The report stated Raman “also accepted” that he had received information about “individual 1 and individual 11 [that is, Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra] taking part in betting.” He said he was “informed” by the ICC-ACSU chief that this was not actionable information. Raman accepted that this information that he received about two team officials being reportedly involved in betting “was not conveyed to any other individual” by him.While passing its order last July, the Lodha Commitee said that it “shall also examine the role of Mr. Sundar Raman with or without further investigation, into his activities, and if found guilty, impose a suitable punishment upon him on behalf of BCCI.” The Lodha Panel was granted an extension to complete its investigations in addition to making recommendations to overhaul the structure of the BCCI. The final report is likely to be submitted to the Supreme Court by the end of December.Raman had countered the Mudgal report by filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court in November 2014, stating one of his duties as the IPL’s chief operating officer was to interact with various individuals, including celebrities and officials, and that the interactions could not be the basis for a misdemeanour.