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Josh Hazlewood has been called up for the game in Sydney and Spencer Johnson will join in Canberra

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2024Xavier Bartlett, who starred on international debut at the MCG, will be rested for Sunday’s second ODI against West Indies but is expected to return in Canberra for the third game.Travis Head has been released from the ODI and T20I squads for the rest of the matches while Josh Hazlewood has been added for the second ODI in Sydney.The management of Bartlett, who claimed 4 for 17 in Melbourne, is understood to be part of a plan to be careful with his workloads amid three ODIs in five days after his back injury last year, and without any one-day or Shield cricket this season.Related

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“I was injured at the start of this year and didn’t have a chance to play any domestic cricket, which was a frustrating time,” he said after his Player-of-the-Match display. “But you can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel and you’ve just got to keep trying to work hard because these days don’t happen very often in the game of cricket.”Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson will join the squad as cover for the third ODI in Canberra on Tuesday.Hazlewood was among Australia’s all-format quicks initially rested for the ODI series following the Test summer but was included for the T20Is.No replacement for Head has been named, which opens the door for Jake Fraser-McGurk to make his ODI debut at the SCG. Head fell in the first over of Australia’s chase in Melbourne when he edged Matthew Forde for 4, following his king pair in the Gabba Test. He is expected to be part of the T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand.

The 18-year-old is tipped as the next big run-scoring star in Australia cricket but likes to avoid the spotlight

Tristan Lavalette07-Oct-2022Late on day two of the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and New South Wales, as the shadows deepened at the WACA Ground, 18-year-old Teague Wyllie flicked a frustrated Nathan Lyon to the boundary.As his team-mates and the sparse smattering of fans collectively rose in the terraces, Wyllie walked slowly towards batting partner Matt Kelly and finally, almost reluctantly, raised his bat.In just his third first-class match, Wyllie became the youngest Shield centurion since Ricky Ponting in 1992-93. It was a feat made more impressive considering only two other batters compiled half-centuries in the bowler-dominated match, which WA won by eight wickets in a powerful launch of their title defence.”He [Wyllie] said ‘tax accountants don’t celebrate when they do their tax return so I shouldn’t celebrate scoring a hundred’,” chuckled WA captain Sam Whiteman, who spoke to ESPNcricinfo after the match. “He loves batting and is an impressive young man. He feels like he’s 28.”Related

• Wyllie named in CA XI squad to face South Africa

• WA's new 'Wild Thing' Lance Morris hopes to get even faster

• Under-19 World Cup 2022: Wyllie, Dhull, Brevis and Wellalage headline ESPNcricinfo's Team of the Tournament

• Wyllie's maiden hundred hands Western Australia control

• Nine for Morris as WA make winning start to Shield defence

While Wyllie’s reserved celebration caused mirth for his team-mates, it underlines his maturity beyond his age and should serve him well amid being bandied around as Australia’s next great batter. He topped Australia’s batting at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year and was named in the tournament’s most valuable team.”A lot of the lads take the mickey out of me for not taking the helmet off but I just don’t like the attention from it,” Wyllie told reporters in Perth on Friday.”My old boy drilled into me when you get a hundred that the job is not done. So I’ve never been a massive fan of carrying-on…because I’m just trying to get the team into a good position.”His 104 off 204 balls masterclass rescued WA from a precarious 100 for 6 as the No. 5 calmly batted with the tail to lift his team to 258 and an invaluable 78-run first innings lead in the low-scoring contest.Having come through the ranks as an opener, the tall Wyllie – who stands over six foot – is already an intimidating figure at the crease but his batting is built on compact defence and eyeing the long haul. He’s perhaps a throwback to a more sedate time although can shift gears when needed. While more senior batters were undone by the seam and bounce on a tricky WACA pitch, Wyllie played straight and produced several eye-catching drives down the ground.”Test cricket is the goal and I believe it is the pinnacle when it comes to cricket,” he said. “I’ve always loved batting for a long period of time.””I’ve never been a massive fan of carrying-on…because I’m just trying to get the team into a good position”•Getty Images

It is little surprise then to learn who he has modelled his game on.”I idolised Rahul Dravid growing up,” Wyllie said. “He values his wicket more than anyone. Growing up I modelled my game on him a bit when it comes to valuing his wicket and batting for long periods. Kane Williamson is another who I try to learn a lot from.”Wyllie, who grew up in the regional city of Mandurah less than an hour from Perth, has long been seriously devoted to cricket having eschewed playing other sports competitively. It led to “burnout” three years ago, but Wyllie’s found a better balance as he starts his professional career and enjoys playing golf and watching TV shows when he’s not carefully honing his game.But his life has already started changing and becoming busier, as he quickly realised when he received around 500 messages from friends and family after his Shield heroics.Surrounded by a wealth of experience, including mentor Shaun Marsh, Wyllie has received a particularly wise tip to deal with his growing stardom.”I’ve spoken to a few of the senior guys…they got rid of social media. I haven’t gotten to that stage,” he said.But you feel Wyllie will handle keyboard warriors similarly to how he blunts exasperated bowlers.”I don’t go looking into social media comments because it’s just white noise and it doesn’t matter that much,” he said. “I tend to stay out of the spotlight…I love batting.”

Australia batter’s 44 is highest score as Group Three leaders shade madcap opening day

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2021The bowlers held sway in the LV=Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Lancashire in Cardiff with 19 wickets falling on the opening day.Lancashire were put into bat and managed 173 all out with the highest partnership of the innings being the 36 put on between Luke Wood and Danny Lamb for the seventh wicket. Michael Neser returned the best figures for the hosts with 3 for 46, with the other Glamorgan seamers all chipping in.Glamorgan started solidly in reply with an opening stand of 39 between David Lloyd and Joe Cooke but from that point on, the wickets continued to tumble with Tom Bailey – who had top-scored with 31 – claiming 3 for 40 for Lancashire.Related

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Glamorgan reached the close on 150 for 9, still trailing by 23 and in danger of conceding what could be a telling first-innings lead.Having won the toss and elected to field, they had started well in the first session with James Weighell the pick of the bowlers, but it was the ever-reliable Michael Hogan who made the first breakthrough from a ball that moved in sharply to the left-handed Keaton Jennings, clattering into his stumps.Weighell took the two next wickets to fall, the first from an inswinger that Luke Wells left alone and he was given out lbw. Alex Davies had looked to be finding his feet when he attempted to cut a ball that was too close to him for the shot and he spooned a catch to Andrew Salter at point for 21.It was Dan Douthwaite who claimed the final two wickets of the Lancashire innings with both Saqib Mahmood and Bailey chopping the ball on to their stumps.The wickets also fell at regular intervals in the Glamorgan innings, the first being Lloyd for a punchy 21, bowled when he left a ball from Mahmood that clipped his off stump.Bailey claimed two wickets in two balls when he had Joe Cooke bowled and Billy Root trapped lbw to leave Glamorgan 74 for 3.Marnus Labuschagne was the one player who looked well set but he also fell on this madcap day, dismissed lbw to Lamb. His 44 in this innings doubled his run tally for Glamorgan this season with the Australian yet to rediscover the outstanding form of his 2019 county campaign. With him gone there was little further resistance, as Lancashire made their way through the lower order.”There was some good bowling there, shot selection was a bit of an issue at times… there is the odd ball that nips around a bit but it is a nice wicket,” Hogan said. “After that first hour, I thought that we were in for a long old day, and it seemed like a nice wicket. 19 in the day is interesting but I suppose the game goes like that sometimes.”

Allrounder played three Tests for England in 1960, winning all of them

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2020Former Glamorgan and England allrounder Peter Walker has died aged 84 following a stroke.A dependable option with bat and ball, Walker’s standout attribute was his close catching: he managed 697 catches over the course of his first-class career, including a club-record 656 for Glamorgan, with the vast majority at either slip or short leg.Partly educated in South Africa, Walker spent two years in the merchant navy before starting to play first-class cricket, making his debut in 1956. He passed the 1000-run mark in 11 separate seasons as an attacking middle-order batsman, and after starting out as a left-arm swing bowler, he developed into a left-arm orthodox spinner towards the end of his career.He made his Test debut aged 24, making 9 and 37 in a win against South Africa at Edgbaston, and added his only half-century at Lord’s two weeks later. But three games – and three wins – into his England career, he was left out and was never called upon again. Alongside Martin Saggers and Toby Roland-Jones, he is one of three men to have played three Tests or more in his England career while maintaining a 100% win record in the post-war era.He was a key part of the Glamorgan side that went undefeated in the 1969 County Championship season, which culminated in the club’s second title, and retired in 1972 to further his broadcasting career with the BBC, where he was the face of Sunday League coverage for several years.He went on to become an administrator, and was a driving force behind the creation of the National Cricket Centre for Wales at Sophia Gardens. In 2010, he was awarded an MBE for services to cricket, primarily for his role at the centre.He later had a short stint as Glamorgan president, starting his tenure in March 2009 but resigning in November 2010 following the sacking of Jamie Dalrymple as captain and the departure of Matthew Maynard as coach.Glamorgan chairman Gareth Williams said: “Everyone at Glamorgan is saddened to hear this news. Peter was a club legend, a man who gave everything he could to the club he loved while playing, and later in an off-field capacity. He gave so much back to the game, in particular through his work with Cricket Wales and the National Cricket Centre, and through his outstanding service as President of Glamorgan.”Hugh Morris, the club’s chief executive, said: “A combination of world-class catching ability, aggressive batting and accurate spin made him a triple threat and a brilliant allrounder. He helped Glamorgan to win a County Championship title and represented England, making him a true legend of the club.”We may never see another player quite like him, and he will be missed by everyone at the club. Our thoughts go out to his family, and his friends.”

For Joe Burns, too, it was an emotional occasion as his fourth Test century came after a roller-coaster couple of seasons

Daniel Brettig in Canberra01-Feb-2019Australia’s vice-captain Travis Head raised his eyes to the heavens upon reaching his first Test century, and later spoke tearfully of how he had dedicated the innings to the late Phillip Hughes, his mentor and teammate until his death in 2014.Head played a classic counter-attacking innings in the company of opener Joe Burns to turn a wobbly Australian start against Sri Lanka into a dominant day one of the inaugural Canberra Test match, as their stand of 308 led the hosts to a commanding 4 for 384 by the close.In reaching three figures after several near-misses so far in his brief Test career, Head’s thoughts turned to Hughes, who had died after being struck by a short ball during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG a little more than four years ago.”Yeah [I dedicated it to] a few, but Hughesy as well, a little bit emotional to be honest,” Head told SEN Radio before breaking into tears. “It was a little bit about trying to get the momentum back, it was a little like last week where we lost quick wickets and were a little bit under the pump, it was trying to get that momentum back. Last week I started my innings really well, left the ball really well, just tried to get that momentum back and get it to swing back our way. I felt like Burnsy and I were able to do that again.ALSO READ: Australia’s last resort Joe Burns makes their first hundred of the summer”To go out there and continue from last week, personally and as a team we put ourselves in a great position to get hundreds and weren’t able to, that was the disappointing part, but it was really good today to get out there, and once we got our chance, to make it massive.”At the other end, Burns said the emotion in Head’s celebration was certainly moving, leaving him to feel that all he wanted to do was offer his team-mate a long, strong hug to mark the moment.”He was very emotional for his first hundred, out in the middle you don’t ask how someone’s feeling [but] I was just over the moon for him,” Burns said. “To see a bloke, the hard work he’s done all summer and for a number of years playing against him, you knew how good a player he was.”It’s one of those innings today that’ll get him started in his Test career, get that first one out of the way and open the floodgates. I just wanted to hug him as hard as I could for as long as I could and just keep batting with him. It was really enjoyable.”Full credit to Trav, he comes out with great intent, puts the bowlers off their mark, and turns three early wickets into straightaway pressure back on the bowlers. And you could sense out there the left-hand/right-hand combination and being able to score in different areas and keep the scoreboard ticking all day meant their bowlers couldn’t get that build-up of pressure. That’s the key to a good partnership and really satisfying to do that for a long period.”Burns had plenty of his own reasons for being emotional, a little more than two years after a strong start to his Test career had been blown off course by none other than Sri Lanka on a troubled 2016 tour.Joe Burns kisses the badge on reaching his century•Getty Images

Since then, he has appeared at times to struggle to win the favour of the selectors, not least when twice picked then dropped immediately, in Hobart in late 2016 and then after the Johannesburg Test immediately following the Newlands scandal.”Look, it can be tough,” Burns admitted of how he had tried to process those episodes. “Two very different circumstances, both extreme the way they unfolded, but that’s not just cricket, that’s life sometimes, you can’t plan too far ahead, take the good with the bad. It makes days like today – when you get to kiss the badge on your helmet – bloody good, that’s for sure. It makes you really appreciate the good days because you never know when’s your last Test match or when you’re going to be out of the team.”You can’t take anything for granted, just have a responsibility to play as hard as you can and as best you can and what will be will be. It’s just one of those times where you appreciate a good day. You’ve got to do that in this game because you have a hell of a lot of bad days as well, so appreciate the fact it’s a good day and we’re just eager to come back tomorrow and do it all again hopefully and make tomorrow an even better day.”Coming into the day’s play, we knew the first hour was going to be pretty tough. Bit of grass on the wicket, bit of overheads, so despite losing the three wickets we knew we had to absorb that pressure they posed to us and we were also aware they were an inexperienced bowling attack that were going to present scoring opportunities if we could get through those tough periods. Last time I played Sri Lanka we got thumped, so I’ve got a hell of a lot of motivation to get out there and get a series win, that’s for sure.”Perspective, too, had come from the team’s visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra two days out from the start of the match. “I had that sense of your country and how lucky we are to play cricket for Australia,” Burns said, “And how much you just want to make runs for the Australian people and get the chance to get to a hundred and have the crowd applaud you like that, there’s nothing better.”

Jamie Porter also claimed two prizes after helping Essex to the County Championship title while James Anderson and Joe Root took the England awards

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2017Samit Patel and Nat Sciver have been recognised by their peers with respective Player of the Year titles at the Professional Cricketers’ Association awards night.Patel, the Nottinghamshire allrounder, won the Reg Hayter Cup after being voted the PCA Players’ Player of the Year, following his starring role in Nottinghamshire’s impressive season where they won both white-ball competitions – the Royal London Cup and NatWest T20 Blast – and secured promotion in the County Championship.Patel topped the voting ahead of Kumar Sangakkara, who signed off his first-class career by averaging over 100 in the Championship for Surrey, Essex’s Jamie Porter, the leading wicket-taker of the season, and Glamorgan’s Colin Ingram who made over 1000 runs in white-ball cricket.He was Nottinghamshire’s leading run-scorer in the Championship with 906 at 53.29 and also claimed 19 wickets. He also topped the county’s run chart in the Royal London Cup – and was fourth overall – with 539 at 67.37 then added 405 runs and 16 wickets in the T20 Blast. His success has been enough to have him floated as a possible replacement for Ben Stokes should the latter be withdrawn from the Ashes.

PCA award winners

Reg Hayter Cup for the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year
Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
John Arlott Cup for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year
Jamie Porter (Essex)
NatWest Women’s Player of the Summer
Natalie Sciver
Investec Test Player of the Summer
James Anderson
Royal London One Day International Player of the Summer
Joe Root
Specsavers County Championship Player of the Year
Jamie Porter (Essex)
NatWest T20 Blast Player of the Year
Wayne Madsen (Derbyshire)
Royal London One-Day Cup Player of the Year
Colin Ingram (Glamorgan)
Greene King PCA England Masters Player of the Year
Owais Shah
PCA Lifetime Achievement Award
Fred Rumsey
ECB Special Award
Heather Knight and Mark Robinson
Harold Goldblatt Award for the PCA Umpire of the Year
Michael Gough

“It’s a great honour to be voted by your peers. It’s a great feeling and it demonstrates how well we have done as a team and individually this season,” Patel said. “I’m a little bit surprised actually. To be up there with a world-class player like Sanga, with the amount of runs that he scored in a short amount of time, is a privilege in itself.”Allrounder Sciver, part of the World Cup-winning side, was named England’s Player of the Summer ahead of Tammy Beaumont and Alex Hartley. Sciver scored 369 runs at 46.12 and took seven wickets to help England secure the title and, during the tournament, had a shot named after her.The ‘Nat-Meg’ was unveiled, at least to a wider audience, during her 129 off 111 balls against New Zealand when Sciver deliberately deflected a leg-stump yorker through her legs for two runs. Earlier in the tournament she had scored a career-best 137 against Pakistan which included England’s fastest World Cup century off 76 balls.In the final against India, played at a sold-out Lord’s, Sciver held England’s middle order together with 51 off 68 balls to help them to 228 for 7, which ultimately proved just enough thanks to Anya Shrubsole’s inspired spell.”Nothing can take away from that day at Lord’s and just being there with the whole team and the girls who didn’t quite make the 15 so we were there as a squad,” Sciver said. “This caps off a brilliant year for us and hopefully we can produce a few more brilliant years. To be voted by my peers is a really nice feeling.”There are a few other players who could have been nominated as well. It was a performance by the full 15 in the squad, so I am very lucky.In the other awards, Porter picked up two prizes – the Young Player of the Year and the County Championship award for his 75 wickets at 16.82 in Essex’s unbeaten campaign. His success has earned him a place on the England Lions tour of Australia next month.The England Test and one-day awards went to James Anderson and Joe Root respectively, Ingram was named the Royal London Cup Player of the Year and Wayne Madsen took the same title for the NatWest t20 Blast.In the PCA’s 50th year – the organisation’s first meeting was on September 4, 1967 in London – they gave a lifetime achievement award to the founder Fred Rumsey.”In our 50th Anniversary year it is only fitting that our Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to one of our founding members, Fred Rumsey,” David Leatherdale, the PCA chief executive said. “His courage and determination some 50 years ago has enabled the PCA to become the respected organisation it is today.”PCA team of the year Alex Hales(Nottinghamshire), Mark Stoneman (Surrey), Colin Ingram (Glamorgan), Kumar Sangakkara (Surrey), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Darren Stevens (Kent), Ben Cox (Worcestershire), Kyle Abbott (Hampshire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Simon Harmer (Essex), Jamie Porter (Essex)

Ian Bell’s accession to the Warwickshire captaincy was not meant to turn out like this. Instead of an anticipated title challenge, he is now haunted by vague fears of relegation, unthinkable in April

David Hopps at Edgbaston16-Aug-2016
ScorecardIan Bell battled for more than two hours but could not prevent defeat•Getty Images

Ian Bell’s accession to the Warwickshire captaincy was not meant to turn out like this. Instead of an anticipated title challenge, he is now haunted by vague fears of relegation, unthinkable in April. Instead of an inspired return to the England side, he has made no immediate comeback to a deeply unimpressive England middle order and is so consumed by the job he has taken on late in his career that the runs are not coming easily.The Warwickshire captaincy was a childhood dream for Bell ever since he sprinted onto the outfield at Lord’s to celebrate the county’s 1993 NatWest Trophy win under the individualistic captaincy of Dermot Reeve. For a proven England player to return to the county ranks with ambitions so sharp, and good years still ahead, was something for Warwickshire to relish, but the job is proving an onerous one.Bell challenged Warwickshire to bat out the final day against Surrey – to chase 396 for victory, from 2 for 1 overnight, felt out of the question – but the day he called the biggest of the season fell Surrey’s way by 227 runs with 20 overs to spare. Surrey have passed Warwickshire in the table and have the look of an improving side with much to commend them. If either of the bottom two stir it is now Warwickshire and Durham who have most to fear.

Boys put their bodies on the line – Batty

Gareth Batty, the Surrey captain, praised his team commitment over the four days and especially their final-day efforts.
“It was a magnificent performance. I’ve just said to the boys in the dressing-room I couldn’t ask for any more from any individual which, from a captaincy point of view, is just a wonderful place to be.
“The boys have been absolutely magnificent for the last six weeks, today they were out there diving on a hard square and putting their bodies on the line. We are nearing that time of year where traditionally we are pretty good and we are showing it again. On the flatter pitches we are putting in some wonderful performances.”
Meanwhile Dougie Brown, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, was critical of his team’s batting.
“There were a number of soft dismissals today which we couldn’t afford as we were already behind the game due to our first-innings indiscipline. If you analyse the first five dismissals of our specialist batsmen today I think you would say there was ill-discipline attached to all of them. We need to find a way to apply all the things we do in practice in match-situations.”

At least Bell conceded his own wicket in most honourable fashion during a compelling duel with Gareth Batty, finally unpicked at short leg after making 32 in two-and-a-quarter stubborn hours, survival his only undertaking. He managed a couple of peaceful off-side drives, but the overriding image was of Bell under attack from an angry seagull as Batty squawked, flapped and smiled his way through his overs, finding substantial bounce and turn from a wearing final-day surface. This was surely the best 2 for 27 of the season, earned by 21 antagonistic overs. This has also been another excellent Edgbaston pitch.Surrey’s spin pair, Batty and Zafar Ansari, are both being monitored as potential England tourists in India and Bangladesh and they make a contrasting pair, not just because of offspin and slow left arm but in personality. Ansari has a stately stroll and flick back of floppy hair that smacks of old-time pedigree whereas Batty is waspish and combative, every grin – and he grins often when he is on top – the possible precursor to something more quarrelsome.Suggestions that a spinner fast heading towards his 39th birthday should add to his seven Tests, the last of them 11 years ago, naturally invite suspicion, but contenders are conspicuous by their absence and, if England opt for a specialist finger spinner then on this evidence Batty is better than anybody. That he would relish the challenge could be taken for granted.For the first 40 minutes of the morning, Bell’s call to arms was answered, but the loss of three wickets in six overs then told of a laborious day ahead. The nightwatchman Chris Wright backed up too far and Batty threw him out from mid-on with a celebratory speech of triumph. Varun Chopra, Bell’s predecessor, whose move to Essex has already been confirmed, edged Mark Footitt’s sixth ball of the innings to wicketkeeper Steven Davies. To lose Jonathan Trott, alongside whom Bell stood firm so often for England, was the biggest jolt of all, Stuart Meaker producing a good one to have him caught at the wicket.Three more wickets fell in the afternoon session, not just Bell, but Laurie Evans, who was forced back by Ansari and had his off-stump knocked out by one that turned. Rikki Clarke fell in the final over before tea, bowled as he offered no shot to Sam Curran. The tail succumbed easily enough after tea, the victory suitably confirmed by Batty when he had Oliver Hannon-Dalby lbw for nought, six Surrey bowlers taking wickets in a strong team display.Gareth Batty celebrates the wicket of Ian Bell•Getty Images

Bell was omitted by England after averaging barely 20 in his last 23 Test innings, nine of them single figures. The Warwickshire captaincy seemed a perfect challenge and he has thrown himself into it with gusto. He could have taken quite a narrow role, concentrating on making runs, changing fields and preserving energy to keep his England ambitions alive. Instead, his authority is strikingly wide for a captain. For a player who has not skippered since age-group cricket – apart from a stand-in appearance or two – it must be particularly burdensome.He is taking a central role in recruitment and was influential in the signing of Olly Stone from Northants, a bowler who – if he stays fit – can bring new verve to their attack. Warwickshire’s academy, too, must surely be something that troubles him because he came that way himself, but it has not produced a player of substance for Warwickshire since Chris Woakes a decade or so ago. To lose Woakes regularly now to England – a consummate professional who would naturally buy into his ideas – has been a deserved career progression for Woakes, but ill-timed for Bell as he seeks to implant his beliefs on a squad that is arguably too unwieldy and too set in its ways to respond in the way he wishes.

All the BCCI board members and office bearers have been asked to sign an undertaking stating they are not in any conflict of interest

Amol Karhadkar24-Jul-20153:01

BCCI seeks to address conflicts of interest issue

The BCCI has, for the first time, acknowledged and sought to address the issue of conflict of interest. In a letter written to its members, the board’s new secretary, Anurag Thakur, has said conflict of interest has “caused enough consternation in our organisation”. Thakur has asked representatives of every state association, and members of various committees and sub-committees of the BCCI to sign a declaration stating they have no conflicts of interest.ESPNcricinfo is in possession of a copy of the letter, which acknowledges conflict-of-interest issues have led to situations “which we need to collectively address and avoid for the future to come”.One of the stock responses to any allegation of conflict of interest has been insistence that they have never actually misused their role as a board official for personal gain. This letter, though, clearly defines conflict of interest as the possibility of a bias and not necessarily the exercising of that bias.”Conflict of interest is not about beliefs or biases,” the letter tells the board’s members. “It is about a person’s roles and responsibilities, and the tendency or apprehension of bias that assumes to exist when duties, decisions or actions conflict. Deciding that someone has a conflict of interest is a description of a situation, not a judgement about the person or their actual beliefs.”

Undertaking is to reaffirm transparency – Dalmiya

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said the directive to its members to sign a ‘no conflict of interest’ undertaking was aimed at bringing transparency and ensuring that the financial dealings of the board are made without any direct or indirect personal interest.
A statement he issued said, “The purpose of declaration of interest is to reaffirm the principle of transparency and that the members address every issue of financial dealings of the Board without any personal or financial interest directly or indirectly which may be seen to be vested interest or an obstacle to just and bona fide acts in the interest of the game.
“I personally feel that the concept of appropriate declarations not merely by the officials of the BCCI but also of the state associations must be revived in larger interests of transparency, evenhandedness and impartiality. This would ensure that the reputation and integrity of the Board are secured.”
PTI

With a Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee looking into institutional reforms for the BCCI, this declaration comes at a time when the board needs to “protect the reputation and institutional integrity so as to earn broad trust, faith and confidence in all our activities”.The undertaking that board officials have to sign is stern and comprehensive. For example it asks everyone to declare the absence of “any personal or family allegiance, bias, inclination, obligation or any interest of whatsoever nature, directly or indirectly which may in any way affect or provide any financial or any other benefit to me, my family or close relations or which may tend to interfere with or affect my objectivity, independence, impartiality and neutrality in any decision making process, acts and conduct relating to or arising out of discharge of my office of President/Hony. Secretary of …”The Supreme Court had taken notice of the conflict of interest issue during the IPL spot-fixing case when it asked how N Srinivasan’s company could own an IPL team when he was the BCCI president.Srinivasan is the managing director of India Cements, which owned Chennai Super Kings. His son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, was found to be a bona fide official of the team, a face of it, and he indulged in illegal betting. However, investigations carried out by a BCCI committee cleared Gurunath of any wrongdoing. Then the Supreme Court had to intervene, and it eventually resulted in the suspension of the owners of Super Kings for two years.A former selector had also accused Srinivasan of blocking the selection committee’s decision to remove MS Dhoni as ODI captain in 2012. Dhoni is captain of Super Kings, and also a vice-president of India Cements.Srinivasan’s defence, though, has always been that the company owned the IPL team and not he personally. This undertaking, however, eliminates the possibility of such situations. Anyone who signs it will admit that, “I am not in any manner or mode associated or connected with any Institution, body Corporate, Association of persons, Partnership or otherwise in any form or manner which derives any financial, commercial or any other benefits or gain from the Board of Control for Cricket in India directly or indirectly, other than the official grants received by the Association I represent.”The officials have been asked to declare conflicts of interest well in advance. “In the event of any act, function of the Association or any decision making process or related to any Tournament or otherwise, any conflict of interest do arise, I shall forthwith disclose the same and refrain myself from being associated with the same in any manner whatsoever or by whatever name described.”Officials have also been asked to sign they or their associated don’t stand to gain from any service contracts handed out by the board.

Leicestershire have had their plans for the new season shaken up by Ramnaresh Sarwan’s recall to the West Indies squad and they will seek to clarify his availability for next season.

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2013Leicestershire have had their plans for the new season shaken up by Ramnaresh Sarwan’s recall to the West Indies squad and they will seek to clarify his availability.Sarwan had seemingly turned his back on West Indies, claiming he had been “mentally and emotionally” hurt by the coaching staff, when he signed a two-year extension to his stay at Grace Road which began last summer. He was then appointed captain of the County Championship side for 2013 in place of Matthew Hoggard.But he was recalled to the West Indies squad for the one-day series against Australia which begins on February 1, suggesting Sarwan could be part of West Indies’ future series against Zimbabwe in March and India and Sri Lanka following the Champions Trophy.”We will be making contact with Ramnaresh to see where this might lead to,” Leicestershire head coach Phil Whitticase said. “At this moment, the question of how it might affect us during the season is a bit unanswerable.”We are really pleased for him because we know that he has been striving to play for the West Indies again. He still has that passion and drive and we want all our players to play at the highest level. From our point of view, it does leave us a bit vulnerable and looking to come up with a Plan B.”Sarwan had an excellent summer for Leicestershire, helping them avoided consecutive wooden spoons in the Championship with 941 runs at 40.91. He also struck two centuries in the CB40.But he will now add to his 173 ODIs in which he has scored 5,644 runs at 43.41. Although he has endured a poor run of recent form in the Caribbean T20 with a highest score of 19 in seven matches for Guyana.

Pakistan International Airlines wrapped up their seventh QEA title before lunch on the final day

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2011.
ScorecardPakistan International Airlines needed just 21.4 overs on the final day to claim their seventh Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One. They took just two balls to wrap up Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited’s second-innings for 70 before their top order wasted no time chasing down the target of 107 in 21.2 overs for the loss of opener Kamran Sajid.ZTBL had not added to their overnight score of 70 when Anwar Ali had Iftikhar Anjum caught to claim his eight wicket of the match. Then, with Agha Sabir playing the anchor role, Sajid went after the ZTBL bowlers, smashing eight fours in his 34 that came off just 29 balls. He was dismissed by Sohail Tanvir but Sheharyar Ghani made sure there would be no respite for the bowlers, making 36 from 34 balls, with seven fours to take his side to victory in the company of Sabir, who made a comparatively patient 40 from 65 balls,