All posts by n8rngtd.top

All you need to know about Lt General (retd) Ravi Thodge, the newest member of the Committee of Administrators

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Feb-20191:06

Will take a call on World Cup match in consultation with government – Vinod Rai

On Thursday, the Supreme Court added Lieutenant General (retd) Ravi Thodge as the third member of the Committee of Administrators (CoA). Thodge’s addition was a step towards resolving the differences between the two original members – Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and Diana Edulji, the former India women captain.Thodge says he’ll take the challenge on “like a good soldier”, and he got his hands dirty straightaway. He was part of the CoA meeting in Delhi today (he attended via tele-conference) where the panel took the unanimous decision to send a letter to the ICC asking the global body to support the BCCI’s call to “sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates”.Here’s a lowdown of Thodge’s background, and why he accepted the court’s offer to join the CoA.Where does Thodge hail form?Born in Yavatmal (Maharashtra), Thodge studied in Sainik school and graduated from the Indian Military Academy in 1977.What is his army background?Thodge joined the Gorkha Regiment in 1977 and quit in 2016 after 39 years in the Army, by which time he had reached the post of Lieutenant General. He received the Param Vishist Seva Medal, a honour conferred by the Indian government for the highest order of distinguished service.Thodge has had extensive experience of being at the helm of fighting insurgency in various parts of India and overseas, including Punjab, Kashmir, North-east India and Sri Lanka.Before he quit the army, Thodge’s last job was that of Master General of Ordnance from 2014 to 2016. The position’s key job is to keep the army operationally fit. Thereafter he has been a consultant to India’s Defence Ministry.Why he accepted the offerWhat strengths does he bring to the CoA?Thodge believes his extensive administrative experience in the army, spanning nearly four decades, can aid the CoA in managing the BCCI. “I will have to see, learn and then take my call. With so much of experience it is about moulding yourself to the job.”

Forty-one miles, and a world away, from the World Cup, the battle for promotion proceeds at a leisurely pace

Paul Edwards at Arundel14-Jun-2019
Chris Jordan runs in from the Castle End and bowls to Benny Howell. The good-length ball is on off stump and Howell plays it safely to cover where Harry Finch trots in to field. Gentle applause comes from the supporters gathered on the bank by the sightscreen. This game against Gloucestershire will be drawn but the start of every day at Arundel deserves its own gentle accolade. Two swallows harry each other above the sycamores and elms.Forty-one miles away at the Rose Bowl, the fall of West Indian wickets is greeted with roars of acclaim but roaring has never been Arundel’s style. On the second Friday in June England accommodates both the heaving stadia of the World Cup and the pastoral glory of West Sussex.There is a sudden shower at ten to twelve and for a few moments this peerless ground is gauzed by rain. Before midday, though, sunlight is sweeping back over the outfield and the players have returned. At half-past twelve Howell is leg before to what looked like Will Beer’s top-spinner and on the stroke of lunch Ollie Robinson scatters Jack Taylor’s off and middle stumps with the new ball. These are not negligible successes. Sussex and Gloucestershire are both pressing for bonus points in a Second Division the shape of which few predicted in April.For example, it does not matter only to Swansea’s Balconeers when play gets under way 211 miles away in the match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire at St Helen’s. And from the top of that hill-top pavilion spectators see Benny Godleman eventually fall lbw to Lukas Carey for 227. But fourth-placed Derbyshire bat on in the hope of embarrassing second-placed GlamorganAt the Rose Bowl, Jofra Archer is on a hat-trick. At Arundel, Archer’s county colleagues try to prevent Gareth Roderick reaching his first century of the season but the Gloucestershire batsman drives Abi Sakande sweetly through mid-off and gives a little skip of delight. It is his first hundred since he made 102 against Essex at Cheltenham in 2016. He receives a warm round of applause from spectators who have spent their winters waiting for afternoons like this. The ground relaxes into the fresh sunlight of watercolour; it is the best weather of this cloud-benighted week.In Swansea, Derbyshire call a halt on 598 for 5 but Glamorgan’s batsmen stand firm.Their Gloucestershire counterparts are more ambitious and score 162 runs in the afternoon session on a very flat pitch. “Too benign” the Sussex coach, Jason Gillespie, will call Arundel’s wicket and there is great justice in his remark. Roderick makes 158 before he does well to reach one from Robinson and is caught behind by Ben Brown. At the other end Ryan Higgins clumps Beer and Luke Wells over midwicket for sixes. All these strokes are duly applauded and some Gloucestershire supporters wonder if their side might be one of the three to win promotion this year. Leaders Lancashire are probably stronger favourites to win the title than they were a couple of months ago but when this day’s play began the next eight sides were covered by 23 points.The cricket after tea is played for duty and in a light-hearted atmosphere rarely possible in the English season. Spectators remain in faithful attendance on the bank. They care that England are beating West Indies but this is the cricket they prefer to watch. Gloucestershire’s 400 comes up and Higgins reaches his second century of the season with a cover drive off Laurie Evans. By the end of the game he will have made a career-best 119 not out. Robinson bowls off-spin and Wells bowls seam up. With all possible points decided and the result of the game certain, the players gently mock each other’s efforts. Danny Briggs keeps to the very occasional slow left-arm of Brown. No one mentions spin.At Swansea Glamorgan lose only a couple of wickets and Derbyshire use eight bowlers, two fewer than Sussex employ at Arundel. England complete victory over West Indies but people say some of the gloss may have been taken off the win by a couple of injuries. Sussex and Gloucestershire’s players shake hands at 4.50pm, which is the earliest time the draw can be agreed. All but one of the Championship matches this week have ended in rain-wrecked draws and there is therefore some irony in the bright sunlight which blesses this Friday evening at Arundel. Some spectators are reluctant to leave and sit near the famous gap in the trees, taking in the Arun valley or the Cathedral. The Norfolk flag flutters in the brisk wind.

Bangladesh sped at nearly six runs an over after deciding against enforcing the follow-on

Mohammad Isam15-Jun-2023Bangladesh overcame an early morning hiccup to sit on a 370-run lead at the end of the second day of the Dhaka Test against Afghanistan. On a 16-wicket day, the home side sped to 134 for 1 in 23 overs at stumps, having bowled out the visitors for 146. Bangladesh had earlier been bowled out for 382, losing their last five wickets for nine runs.The day’s honours would go to two fast bowlers. Nijat Masood took 5-79 in Bangladesh’s first innings. He became the second Afghanistan bowler to take a five-for on Test debut. Ebadot Hossain’s 4-47 was his best figures at home, but he missed out on a five-for after the Bangladesh spinners took the last three Afghanistan wickets.Najmul Hossain Shanto and Zakir Hasan were the unbeaten batters at stumps, having both made 54 off 64 balls each. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who made a half-century in the first innings, fell for 17, after which Shanto and Zakir added 116 runs for the unbroken second-wicket stand. Both reached their fifties with boundaries off successive balls.Shanto took off in the second innings from where he left off in the first dig. Masood dropped him off his own bowling when the left-hander was on nine. Shanto shook it off to drive freely, while Zakir used the pull shot to good effect.Ebadot Hossain finished with a four-for•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh batters were able to play this freely mainly because of how their bowlers fared in the afternoon. Ebadot used the extra bounce on the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch to pick up four wickets. He had the short delivery rearing at Abdul Malik’s gloves, who handed a catch to Zakir at third slip. Rahmat Shah was caught in two minds, switching between the pull and the flick, before miscuing the ball to Taskin Ahmed at mid-on.Ebadot used his bounce again to get rid of Afsar Zazai, who top-edged a pull and got caught at deep square leg for 36. It was the short ball again that served Ebadot well when he had Amir Hamza caught at short leg.Shoriful Islam had a good outing too, taking the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran and captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, either side of the lunch break. Zadran was caught behind, while Shahidi edged to Mehidy Hasan Miraz at fourth slip.Nijat Masood bagged a five-for on Test debut•BCB

Mehidy and Taijul Islam also took two wickets each, mopping up Afghanistan’s lower half. Mehidy broke the 65-run stand between Zazai and Nasir Jamal by trapping the latter lbw for 35. Mehidy completed his 150th wicket in Tests when he had Karim Janat stumped for 23. The innings ended with Bangladesh gaining a 236-run lead and they chose to bat again.Earlier in the morning, the home side were bowled out for 382 runs within 45 minutes of the start of play. They collapsed from 373 for 5 in just 4.5 overs and added 20 runs to their overnight total.Mehidy and Mushfiqur Rahim, who had added 83 runs for the sixth wicket, fell within six balls of each other. Yamin Ahmadzai had Mehidy caught at gully while Masood had Mushfiqur fending a short ball to third slip. Both got out in the forties. Masood removed Taijul who popped a catch to short leg before completing his five-for by uprooting Shoriful’s off-stump.

Three members of the management committee – Tanvir Ahmed, Gul Zada and Shakil Sheikh – are at the centre of the conflict worry

Umar Farooq25-Apr-2023The PCB has played down concerns of conflict of interest in the ongoing regional electoral process, at the end of which the board’s directors will be appointed. The concerns are about officials from the interim setup, who are currently tasked with overseeing the PCB’s restructuring but are also taking part in the elections.A 12-member management committee, headed by Najam Sethi, was handed interim charge of the board last December and given 120 days to bring back the 2014 PCB constitution in place of the version from 2019 it had been operating under. That timeline was this week formally extended by two months to the end of June. One of the key processes in that is conducting elections in over 100 districts, from which 16 regions will be formed. Four of the heads of those 16 regional associations will eventually sit on the PCB’s board of governors (BoG).Three members of the management committee – Tanvir Ahmed, who has been elected president of Larkana region; Gul Zada, from Peshawar region; and Shakil Sheikh, who is in the running in the Islamabad region election – working from PCB headquarters currently are at the centre of the conflict concern. As members of the committee, they were given executive powers when they took charge to restore the departmental cricket structure, the formation of a BoG, and election of a board chairman.Responding to a query from ESPNcricinfo, the PCB explained that its constitution stipulates that no employee of the board shall be eligible to contest any election of the board or any election under the aegis of the board. But when asked if there was a potential conflict of interest in a member of the management committee overseeing the electoral process as well as running in it, the PCB said, “As far as members of the MC [management committee] are concerned they are not employees of the Board, hence, there is no bar in the PCB Constitution or any Election Bylaws refraining them from contesting elections of RCAs/DCAs.””The elections of Regional Cricket Associations and District Cricket Associations are being held in line with the PCB Constitution and applicable PCB Election Bylaws,” the PCB added. “The Election Regulations under which the District and Regional elections have been/are being conducted have not been modified or amended by the MC, therefore, there is also no risk of a potential conflict of interest.”Related

• Zaka Ashraf, Najam Sethi set to contest PCB leadership again

• PCB concerned over impact of T20 leagues on intl cricket

• PCB proposes 'hybrid model' to hold India's Asia Cup matches

To restore the 2014 constitution, the PCB needs to form a BoG comprising ten members: four regional representatives (top teams from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy), four representatives of services organisations (top departmental teams), and the two members directly nominated by the PCB patron, which is the country’s prime minister. The federal secretary of the inter-provincial coordination ministry (or an officer nominated by them) shall be an ex-officio, non-voting 11th member. The term of each member of the BoG is three years – equivalent to one term of the chairman.There are over 100 districts in the country across all provinces and a cluster of districts are represented by one region. For example, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Narowal and Gujarat fall under Sialkot region. Similarly, every region has several districts to represent the larger portion of the area.”The elections themselves have been conducted/supervised by the Election Commissioner appointed by the Patron,” the PCB said. “It is the PCB election commissioner who has the power and responsibility for holding and monitoring fair, free and transparent elections under the PCB Constitution including those of Chairman, Regional, District, and other Cricket Associations as well as Service Organizations or Departments, whether Full or Associate Members. It is important to note that EC and electoral processes are independent of the Board.”Some time ago, to avoid a potential conflict of interest, Haroon Rasheed had resigned from the management committee to take up the role of chief selector. PCB announced it at a press conference but clarified that it was determined there “existed no cavil” in Rasheed carrying on as chief selector as well as a management committee member, so ultimately he didn’t step down.”It was agreed that when matters pertaining to the performance of the selection committee are discussed and debated at an MC meeting, Haroon Rasheed will recuse himself and leave the room till such time that the agenda point has not been conclusively addressed,” PCB said.

Pakistan are No. 2, followed by India, New Zealand and England

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2023Australia have retained their No. 1 spot in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings following the annual update that dropped results from the 2019-20 season and reflects all matches completed since May 2020.With 118 rating points, Australia are two points clear of second-placed Pakistan after the update, which weights matches completed before May 2022 at 50% and subsequent matches at 100%. Earlier this month, after a similar update for Test rankings, Australia had lost their No. 1 position in red-ball cricket to India.Pakistan had grabbed the top ODI spot last week, after taking a 4-0 lead during their five-match home series against New Zealand. But their stay proved to be a short one as they lost the final match and slipped back behind Australia. Had Pakistan won the series 5-0, they would have remained at the top of the table even after the annual update.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

India, who are No. 1 in both Tests and T20Is, are at No. 3 in ODIs, with just one rating point separating them and Pakistan.India are followed by New Zealand and England who lost four and ten points, respectively, after the update.Afghanistan were the biggest beneficiaries. They are now eighth, having overtaken Sri Lanka and West Indies. South Africa and Bangladesh are at No. 6 and 7, respectively. The top eight happen to be the teams that have qualified directly for this year’s ODI World Cup, to be held in India.The women’s annual team rankings updates will be carried out at the beginning of October.

What were the standout and eye-catching happenings over the past week?

Andrew McGlashan26-Dec-2022Hooley Dooley
What a week Paddy Dooley has had. The left-arm spinner, who has modeled his unorthodox action on Jasprit Bumrah, has suddenly become a trump card in Hobart Hurricanes’ attack. Last season he was hastily called up by Brisbane Heat during their Covid outbreak and caught the eye of Ricky Ponting, Hurricanes’ head of strategy. He took four wickets against Perth Scorchers, including the key scalps of Faf du Plessis and Josh Inglis, then added two wickets against both Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades. “It’s an added bonus at this stage that I’m new for people but I’ve still got a few things I’m working on as well to develop it as there’s more footage of me going around,” he told cricket.com.au shortly before his matchwinning performance against Scorchers.Related

• Russell's fifty counters Neser's hat-trick as Renegades seal third straight win

• Zampa calls for TV umpire to check all waist-high full tosses

• Sydney Thunder terminate Fazalhaq Farooqi's contract

• Shadab, Meredith conjure remarkable Hurricanes victory

Thunder lose their captain
It’s been a difficult start to the season for Sydney Thunder. There was the 15 all out and then the shock departure of Fazalhaq Farooqi in controversial circumstances. Sandwiched in the middle of that they have lost their captain Jason Sangha for the season after he fractured his collarbone against Renegades. He has since undergone surgery with Chris Green taking charge of the team. An interesting aspect to this is that the original big push to have David Warner’s leadership ban overturned came from Thunder. That, of course, has fallen by the wayside – and he would never have been a long-term option given international commitments – but should Green now get injured while Warner is around after the South Africa Tests they’ll need to look elsewhere for a stand-in captain. A hat-trick and huge sixes
There was a hectic chase in the game between Renegades and Heat in Geelong. After Heat had limped to 137 for 8, Michael Neser, released from the Test squad earlier that day, struck with the first ball of the innings. But that was just the start. By the third over he had a hat-trick – although not that he was aware – with Jake Fraser-McGurk caught behind, Nic Maddinson dragging on and then Jono Wells leaving a delivery that rocked back off stump. Renegades were 9 for 4 and Andre Russell was within a whisker of also going first ball, but then deposited his fourth onto the roof over deep midwicket. When Russell had 24 runs they had all come in sixes. A sixth six brought up fifty from 32 balls before a big hack had him caught behind. But, after Akeal Hosein fell just short of finishing the job, Will Sutherland took a leaf out of Russell’s book with another six onto the roof.Scorchers go big
Scorchers took the honours of being the first side to pass 200 this season. Junction Oval provided prime conditions – a flat pitch and short boundaries – and they took full advantage. du Plessis set the tone and was on track for a century before being taken in the deep, but Inglis took over with an innings full of flair and invention. This BBL is a big chance for Inglis to get a consistent run of cricket after being in and out of enlarged Covid squads then suffered a freak golf injury before the T20 World Cup. Scorchers have had to contend with a number of challenges around their list but they continue to look a very strong outfit with all bases covered.Billings’ honest assessment
England’s Sam Billings was one of the players on the microphone during Heat’s clash against Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba – Chris Lynn’s return to his former club. His candor was illuminating, calling out some of the tactics of his own team which he thought was letting them down in what became a tight encounter. In the end, Heat got over the line to end a run of eight consecutive defeats which spanned this season and last. Billings had played the key hand with 79 off 48 balls after Heat had been trouble at 12 for 2 and 86 for 5. He continued his honest appraisal when named player of the match. “We didn’t play very well, let’s be honest, but we managed to get the win and that’s what the best sides do,” Billings said. “We’ll take a lot of confidence from that, but we know that we can be so much better in all three facets of the game. We’ve got to be way better than that if we want to be in serious contention.”Fraser-McGurk adds to his highlights reel Limping O’Keefe
Ahead of the tournament, Sydney Sixers spinner Steve O’Keefe spoke to ESPNcricinfo about playing another season and did flag the risk of tweaking a calf muscle. Sadly, that almost looks to have come true. Against Melbourne Stars at the SCG, O’Keefe appeared to suffer a leg injury in his opening over. However, to his immense credit he returned to the field to complete his spell – a miserly 1 for 16 from four overs with 12 dots balls – which helped keep Stars to a chaseable total.Performance of the week
It’s for a series of performances this time, with Paddy Dooley twice playing key roles in wins for Hurricanes. After his four-wicket haul against Scorchers he then took 2 for 23 against Renegades on Christmas Eve to help defend the second-lowest total (in a non-rain-reduced game) to claim victory in the BBL. Even in Hurricanes’ loss to Sixers he was excellent with for 2 for 19 including a wonderful delivery to remove Jordan Silk.