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The passport of former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has been revoked by the Mumbai Regional Passport Office

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2011The passport of former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has been revoked by the Mumbai Regional Passport Office, five months after he was sacked from the league on charges of financial irregularities. He now has 30 days to appeal the RPO’s decision, which could force Modi, who has been residing in the United Kingdom, to return to India.Modi is already the subject of a blue corner alert issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a department of the finance ministry in Delhi, which was pressing the RPO to revoke his passport. The alert makes it mandatory for law-enforcement agencies around the world to detain, wherever they spot him and inform the ED accordingly. The ED is examining whether Modi violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act during his time as IPL commissioner.Modi questioned the legality of revoking his passport. “It’s unfair; I have not received a showcause notice in nine months,” he told Indian news channel . “I am ready to co-operate with any probe. The only reason I don’t want to come back to India is because I fear for my safety.”Modi could get the decision overturned if he manages to convince local courts in Britain that he does face a genuine threat to his safety.The BCCI suspended Modi immediately following the conclusion of IPL 3 last April and charged him with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England. Modi was officially sacked in September. He is no longer part of the BCCI or the IPL, of which he was the face for the first three seasons.

Former assistant coach says a player of Buttler’s talent should average ’40-plus’ by this point in his Test career

George Dobell29-Feb-2020Paul Farbrace has admitted he is “worried” about Jos Buttler’s form, but feels England should stick with him as their keeper for the Test series in Sri Lanka.While Farbrace, England’s former assistant coach, regards Buttler as a “brilliant professional” and a “selfless cricketer” he accepts he “needs to score runs” in Sri Lanka or “step aside” from the Test side.ALSO READ: ‘I’m too old now to get picked on potential’ – ButtlerButtler has made just one Test century in his 41 Tests (73 innings) and, since the start of the Ashes, has made one half-century in 10 Tests and averaged 21.31. He hasn’t reached 30 in his most recent eight Test innings.”I am worried about Jos,” Farbrace said. “I think Jos should be England’s keeper and batter but he knows he can’t keep going long periods of time without making contributions.”What should a player of his ability be averaging after 40 games? It should be 40-plus. It is a lot lower than he would want it to be.”I would definitely keep him for the Sri Lanka series but he needs to score runs. If not, then he has to step aside.”Buttler does look set to start the Sri Lanka tour as England’s first-choice keeper. But the recall of Ben Foakes, player of the series when England won in Sri Lanka in late 2018, is sure to increase the pressure on Buttler’s position.And Farbrace feels Foakes has proved his ability and shouldn’t be judged too harshly on a disappointing 2019 Championship season (in which he averaged 26.14) as it may well have been provoked by his being dropped by England. Farbrace retains belief in Jonny Bairstow’s ability, too, though he accepts he “did not score enough runs.”ALSO READ: Foakes refreshed after winter off and ready for second chance“Foakes is England’s best keeper bar none,” Farbrace said. “He is a quality act with the bat. He showed he is up to it in Sri Lanka.”Being dropped in the West Indies had a massive effect on him during the English summer. It kicked the legs from underneath him.”Jonny Bairstow’s keeping improved enormously, too, but he got bowled too often and did not score enough runs. To get the best out of Jonny, he bats at No. 7 and keeps wicket. A lot of us think he can nail down No. 5, but maybe No. 7 suits him.”While Farbrace, now director of sport at Warwickshire, does not have the influence around the England camp he once did, his views remain intriguing. In his role with England, he was a steadfast supporter of Buttler. If even he is losing confidence, it suggests Buttler is running out of chances.Still, Farbrace remains a fan of Buttler and feels he has the talent and technique to make it in Test cricket. Addressing a roomful of young cricketers on the PCA’s recent rookie camp, Farbrace told them how the previous team management had urged Buttler to simply relax and enjoy the game. Then, Farbrace believes, he requires only greater game awareness to enjoy more consistent success.Jos Buttler has endured a tough run in Test cricket•Getty Images

“I was watching the IPL on television a couple of years ago,” Farbrace said. “Jos’ shoulder were hunched. So I phoned him and asked ‘are you enjoying it?’ He said ‘not really.'”So I said, ‘what would your mum – who coached him when he was a boy – have said?’ And he said ‘try to enjoy it.’ I said, ‘well, there you are then.’ He went on to make 50s in his next five games.”We always told him not to worry about the level of expectation. Just go in and play the game and remember why you play: because you enjoy it.”Jos is a very selfless cricketer. Everything about him as a character and person, you can see why everybody wants him in the team. He has that great knack of saying the right thing at the right time, he is a brilliant professional, he has got a lot of experience and is a team-orientated person like Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Moeen Ali. You want those people in your team.”There are times when he has gone in and played in a way that worked for the team. He got one of England’s best hundreds in recent times against India where he had more dot balls in a hundred than anyone else for ten years [his leave percentage of 24 was actually the highest of England’s most recent 30 Test centuries]. It was a rearguard action at Trent Bridge.”I think it is being able to understand where the game is at and what he needs to do. That is what the best players can do. They work out the situation and play accordingly. That is what Root, Cook and Stokes can do.”I don’t think it is a technique issue. He knows he has the defence. It is a case of trusting that defence and being clear on the situation of the game and playing accordingly. He has to work out what the game needs from him at the given moment. It is what Stokes has done brilliantly.”Over the last 18 months he has worked out how he needs to play for the current situation. The more he does it, the more confidence he has. All Jos is lacking is consistency of being able to bat according to the situation.”England fly to Sri Lanka on Monday and begin their tour with a three-day match against a Board President’s XI starting on Saturday.

Colin de Grandhomme leads the way with 55 as hosts defend 180

The Report by Matt Roller05-Nov-2019New Zealand pulled off a remarkable heist to defend 180 in the third T20I at Nelson, as England lost 5 for 10 in 18 balls after needing 42 off 5.2 overs with eight wickets in hand to lose by 14 runs.After setting a score that looked something like par, primarily thanks to the impetus provided by Colin de Grandhomme’s 35-ball 55 in the middle overs, New Zealand’s bowlers proved expensive on a small ground, as Dawid Malan and James Vince accelerated through the middle overs to put England in pole position.But after Eoin Morgan dragged the final ball of Mitchell Santner’s spell to deep midwicket, England only managed to hit one boundary in the final five overs of the innings to throw away a winning position and go 2-1 down in the five-match series.Colin de Grandhomme connects with a pull•Getty Images

If you were set the task of putting together a game that summed up the international careers of two of England’s fringe batsmen, this was it.Malan and Vince both stood to reap the benefits of a tour that represented a low-stakes opportunity to press their respective claims for England’s T20 World Cup squad, and both have put themselves in positions to close games off with substantial scores. In Christchurch, Vince smeared a half-tracker down long-on’s throat on 59; at the Cake Tin, Malan was set on 39 when he mistimed one straight to long-off.And the nearly-men narrative continued here. On 55, Malan whacked a shin-high full toss from Ish Sodhi straight to cow corner with England cruising, before Vince picked out mid-off in the circle on 49 needing to take control of the lower-middle order to see England home after a middle-over wobble.”Myself, Vincey and Sam Billings have been around the squad for four years waiting for these opportunities and they’re few and far between,” reflected Malan after the game at Wellington. “That’s why I’m a bit disappointed today: if I’d batted for three or four more overs I could have put us in a position to win this game.”And with two games to go in this series it feels like none of those men has really pushed their case. Malan, who could well be rotated out for the final two games of the series, was visibly frustrated after his dismissal. His T20I record is superb, with five fifties in eight innings, but given England’s backlog of options at the top of the order, he may well find himself squeezed out by the time the World Cup comes around.England had started their chase with a bang: Tom Banton was never likely to die wondering on his international debut, and so it proved. His mentor Marcus Trescothick has encouraged him to play straight early in his innings, and he creamed the third ball his faced through the covers for four off Tim Southee as if to hand in his homework.With that formality out the way, he bludgeoned Lockie Ferguson – with his pace up at 92mph – over midwicket for six over midwicket and then deftly nudged him for four through third man, but an attempted ramp off Blair Tickner proved his undoing, as he was bowled for 18.England were undeterred, and accelerated well just as the field spread. Malan was put down on 15, as Southee shelled a tough caught-and-bowled chance, but capitalised on Sodhi’s wayward start to move through the gears before crunching Jimmy Neesham for six over midwicket and following that with a supreme cover-drive.But after dinking Santner for four two balls after bringing up his fifty, he slapped Sodhi straight down the throat of Guptill at cow corner.Vince punished some loose balls from Santner and Tickner, but after Morgan fell and Billings was run out by a sharp piece of work from Colin Munro, he picked out mid-off. Ferguson accounted for Lewis Gregory and Sam Curran in the space of an over, and with an uncharacteristically long tail, England were bust despite a lusty blow over midwicket from Tom Curran as Southee closed out the final over.After Southee won his first toss of the series, Martin Guptill’s 17-ball cameo kickstarted things for New Zealand. He hit three fours off the Curran brothers in the first two overs, before punishing Saqib Mahmood’s wayward start by firing boundaries off his first three balls.But after suffering a harrowing afternoon at the Cake Tin on Sunday, Pat Brown bounced back and showed his poise under pressure to remove Guptill. After an 80mph bouncer that sat up and was swatted away over square leg for four, Brown followed that up with a knuckleball that Guptill failed to read, and skewed up to extra cover where Tom Curran held a good catch running back.Munro’s scratchy series continued as he failed to pick a slower ball, but de Grandhomme – in the No. 4 role he has made his own in the last 12 months – ensured that New Zealand avoided a middle-overs lull by carving Mahmood’s second over for 15.Matt Parkinson struck with his fifth ball on debut, bowling the reverse-slog-sweeping Tim Seifert through his legs, but was surprisingly only afforded two overs on a dry pitch. De Grandhomme picked two Brown slower balls to keep the innings moving in the 13th, while consecutive no-balls from Gregory and a six from the free hit saw New Zealand reached 133 for 3 with six to go, leaving them well set for a push towards 200.But Tom Curran’s change-up accounted for de Grandhomme, who thrashed one straight down Banton’s throat at long-on, and none of Ross Taylor, Jimmy Neesham and Santner ever really got set as England’s youngsters displayed their full range of variations to concede only 47 from the final 36 balls.Mahmood was again expensive, leaking eight boundaries as his four overs went for 49, but the Currans were both impressive – both have improved their standing in England’s long queue of seam-bowling options on this tour. While England’s fielding was much better – Morgan was critical of their sloppiness after they put down five chances in Wellington – they bowled eight wides and two no-balls, which might well have proved the difference.

Batsman’s captaincy and run-scoring in the spotlight as hosts seek to close rankings gap with India

The Preview by Matt Roller27-Nov-2019

Big picture

If it wasn’t already clear that New Zealand are the closest challengers to India’s current dominance of Test cricket, then their comprehensive victory at Bay Oval last week came close to confirming it.While there are no Test Championship points at stake in this series, New Zealand do, at least, have the chance to close the gap on the runaway leaders of the ICC’s rankings with a win at Seddon Park, and assert themselves as the side best equipped to beat them in a one-off final in two years’ time.That status will only be confirmed with a competitive showing on their tour of Australia next month, but the Hamilton Test this week provides an opportunity for them to demonstrate a quality not always associated with a country so sparsely populated: depth.New Zealand coped perfectly well without Trent Boult on the final day of the first Test, but the news that he has been joined on the treatment table by prolific allrounder Colin de Grandhomme leaves them two key bowlers down.The likelihood is that Daryl Mitchell – the seam-bowling allrounder – will make his Test debut in a straight swap for de Grandhomme, but it seems that New Zealand are not willing to let Lockie Ferguson off the leash just yet. Instead, Matt Henry – whose bowling average in the high-40s does little service to his control and pace – is set to come in for Boult; some English fans will remember his devastating spell as Kent’s overseas player in 2018, which saw him take 75 Division Two wickets at 15.48 apiece.

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For England, the past week could hardly have gone worse. It quickly became clear as BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner ground them into the dirt while scoring at just over two runs per over that their hotly-anticipated new blueprint for Test cricket was little more than an attempt to play more like New Zealand, by batting long and bowling dry, and as Stuart Broad admitted on the final morning, the first-innings effort of 353 all out was anywhere up to 150 runs short of a good score on a flat pitch.Indeed, much of the post-match analysis has focused on Joe Root’s captaincy, and perhaps with good reason. No Englishman has captained as many overseas Tests as Root’s 14 with a worse win/loss ratio, and his ability to get the most out of Jofra Archer’s talents in particular has been up for debate ever since the fast bowler’s debut at Lord’s. The rest of the squad and the management have both publicly stood by their man, though Ashley Giles illustrated the hollow nature of that in his press conference this week. “I’m not quite sure what anyone is expecting me to say,” Giles said. “‘We’ll see how we go’? That’s not a great vote of confidence in a captain.”Add into the mix the sad news that Chris Silverwood will return home after the second day of the Hamilton Test due to a family bereavement, and the racist abuse suffered by Archer on the final day at Bay Oval – not to mention an injury scare to Jos Buttler* – and it is clear that any attempt to start afresh has been wracked with difficulty.The best way to remove the spotlight from Root before next month’s tour of South Africa would be to win convincingly and end England’s miserable record overseas under his leadership. But given they are winless in their last 16 games in Australasia – their last victory in this part of the world was the Sydney Test in 2011 – that is easier said than done.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand WWLWW
England LWLWD

In the spotlight

Joe Root needs runs, and desperately. His batting average as captain has dipped below 40. He has slipped out of the top 10 of the ICC’s batting rankings for the first time since 2014. Since the start of the English home summer in July, he has scored just 371 runs in 14 innings, averaging 26.50, with almost as many ducks (three) as half-centuries (four). Root insists that his batting has “just clicked” in training, and that a return to form is “round the corner”; England will be desperate for him to demonstrate that those are not empty words.It scarcely takes one wicketless spell for a section of New Zealand fans to start questioning the purpose of Tim Southee, whose tight control over line, angle and seam position makes him the precision engineer to Lockie Ferguson’s boy racer. But his three wickets on the second morning were not far short of decisive in keeping England to 353 in their first innings, and his record at home in the past five summers – 84 wickets at 24.59 – is a fair reflection of his supreme ability in familiar conditions.

Team news

Mitchell is set to make his debut as the swing-bowling allrounder, while Henry is likely to edge out Ferguson and replace the injured Boult. The rest of the side is unlikely to change, though Jeet Raval’s spot might come under pressure ahead of the Australia tour with another unconvincing display.New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Jeet Raval, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Neil Wagner.The likelihood of England going into the Test unchanged took a hit on Thursday*, with news of Buttler suffering a back spasm while in the gym. If he is ruled out, that would mean Ollie Pope taking the gloves for only the sixth time in a first-class match. Zak Crawley would probably come in as batting cover, although England were pondering the use of Chris Woakes as another allrounder; Woakes could come into contention anyway, with Jack Leach’s place far from certain after taking 2 for 153 in Mount Maunganui.England: 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Joe Denly, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Zak Crawley, 7 Ollie Pope (wk), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Chris Woakes/Jack Leach, 11 Stuart Broad.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch was very green on Tuesday – it looked as you’d expect a surface to look three days out, rather than two – but is likely to be cut. It has been hot in Hamilton, and the groundstaff have watered the pitch heavily. Seddon Park is one of the lower-scoring grounds in New Zealand, where the ball swings a bit more due to the humidity, and it is a typical ‘look up, not down’ surface.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won five and drawn one of their last six Tests at Seddon Park.
• Ross Taylor has made five of his 18 Test hundreds at Hamilton, and is 92 runs away from scoring 1000 at the venue.
• In his 12 first-class games at the ground, Daryl Mitchell averages 39.33 with the bat, and 23.60 with the ball.
• Dom Sibley’s strength off his pads is offset by a weakness outside his off stump. On his debut last week, he scored five runs from the 87 balls that arrived outside off, and was dismissed twice.
• England have lost five of their six internationals in Hamilton across formats, with their only victory a two-run win in a T20I in February 2018.

Quotes

“It’s fantastic opportunity for Daryl if he’s selected. I think he has the capability to do what Colin has [done] in recent times. We’re lucky we have Daryl to come in.”

New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen hopes Daryl Mitchell can fill Colin de Grandhomme’s big shoes“When they were 600 declared, we knew our first innings wasn’t quite good enough.”
Ben Stokes took longer than most to realise England were in trouble*0900 GMT – This story was updated with news of Buttler’s injury

David Moyes can land a top-tier upgrade on Lukasz Fabianski by launching a successful move for West Ham United to sign West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone this summer.

What’s the word?

In quotes shared by the Express & Star, Baggies manager Sam Allardyce expects Albion to “do their very best” to keep hold of Johnstone amid widespread Premier League interest.

A decision on the 28-year-old’s future is not expected to be made until the end of the season, at which point Albion will know what division they will be competing in next term, with the West Midlands side currently nine points adrift of top-flight safety.

Premier League status is likely to play a key role in Johnstone deciding where he plays his club football next season, having already expressed desires of giving Gareth Southgate something to consider over his England team selection.

Johnstone received his first Three Lions call-up in March after impressing in the Premier League despite West Brom’s struggles, which has also resulted in admiration from other top-flight clubs.

Irons insider ExWHUemployee claimed over the weekend that the London Stadium natives are interested in a move for the 28-year-old, and they have an advantage over rival suitors in that Johnstone is represented by Will Salthouse, who has a close relationship with David Sullivan.

Manchester United have also been linked with the Preston-born shot-stopper recently as they look to take Johnstone back to Old Trafford three years after selling him to West Brom for £5m should either David de Gea or Dean Henderson depart.

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Tottenham Hotspur werea lso credited with an interest in the Red Devils product last month amid doubts over Hugo Lloris remaining in north London beyond the summer.

Should West Ham sign West Brom’s Johnstone?

It would make a great deal of sense for West Ham to target a new goalkeeper in the summer market, with Moyes’ current favoured options entering the twilight of their careers. Fabianski, who signed a one-year contract extension last month, has started 30 of the Irons’ 32 Premier League games this season, but he turned 36 on Sunday.

The £65,000-per-week shot-stopper’s deputy Darren Randolph, who started the other two top-flight fixtures in Fabianski’s absence, will turn 34 next month and has missed 11 of the east Londoners’ last 13 games with a thigh injury.

Launching a move to sign Johnstone may therefore be a wise move for Moyes and West Ham this summer, especially after some disgruntled fans called for Fabianski to be replaced following his error-strewn performance at Newcastle United on Saturday.

Alan Hutton has lauded Johnstone for being a “fantastic keeper”, who Allardyce also hailed after producing a stunning late save to see West Brom leave Anfield with a 1-1 draw at Liverpool earlier in the season.

“He’s one of the best. I think that’s pleasing to see as he’s one of the two most important people in your team,” the West Brom manager told talkSPORT. “He’s right up there at the right level and he’d already saved more shots than anybody before yesterday.”

Leeds United’s Illan Meslier has since overtaken Johnstone with 127 total saves to the Baggies ace’s 124, while ranking fifth across the Premier League for crosses punched (20) and successful runs out (10), per SofaScore.

Fabianski ranks 22nd for successful runs out to date with just three and is 13th for punches (seven), while making 89 total saves in the same number of games played as Johnstone.

It remains to be seen how high West Brom’s asking price would be and whether or not Johnstone would be open to a move to the London Stadium, but he would certainly offer Moyes an upgrade on Fabianski if a new goalkeeper is sought this summer.

AND in other news, West Ham set to land second chance to sign “unbelievable” £18m-rated forward this summer…