All posts by n8rngtd.top

Every member of the BCCI’s top brass, including its president and secretary, could potentially be involved in situations of conflict of interest, going by the Lodha Committee’s yardstick

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Jan-20164:08

‘Detailed recommendations on conflict of interest’

BCCI officials in potential situations of conflict

• Shashank Manohar: his son Advait is serving a second term as vice-president of the Vidarbha Cricket Association

• Anurag Thakur: holds dual posts – Himachal Pradesh CA president and BCCI secretary

• Amitabh Choudhury: holds dual posts (Jharkhand CA president and BCCI joint secretary)

• Aniruddh Chaudhry: Haryana CA president and BCCI treasurer

• Ajay Shirke: Maharashtra CA president and IPL Governing Council member

• Ganga Raju: Andhra CA secretary and BCCI vice-president

• Sourav Ganguly: Cricket Association of Bengal president and IPL Governing Council member

• Rajiv Shukla: Uttar Pradesh CA president and IPL chairman

• TC Mathew: BCCI vice-president (South) and Kerala CA president

• CK Khanna: BCCI vice-president (North) and Delhi and Districts CA vice-president

• Jyotiraditya Scindia: Madhya Pradesh CA president, IPL Governing Council member and BCCI finance committee head

• MP Pandove: Punjab CA secretary and IPL Governing Council member

Every member of the BCCI’s top brass, including its president and secretary, could potentially be involved in situations of conflict of interest, going by the Lodha Committee’s yardstick. The committee has dedicated five pages of its report to the issue of conflicts, detailing its various forms and illustrating with various examples where not just the BCCI and state association administrators, but even employees, players, selectors and commentators could be in breach of the various rules.While the report does not name anyone, some of its examples clearly point to high-profile officials. These include Shashank Manohar (the BCCI president), Anurag Thakur (secretary), Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer), Amitabh Choudhary (joint secretary), Rajiv Shukla (IPL chairman) and former India captain Sourav Ganguly (IPL Governing Council).According to the committee a conflict of interest constitutes the following forms as far as any individual associated with the BCCI is concerned: direct or indirect interest, roles compromised, commercial conflict, prior relationship and position of influence.According to Lodha, there are broadly two types of conflict of interest: tractable and intractable. “Tractable can be resolved by recusal or disclosure,” he said. “Intractable would be the one which can’t be resolved by either of these two and that can only be done by cessation of the COI.”Lodha said a proposed ethics officer would be the one-man jury to determine conflict as well as any penalty.The committee presented various examples to highlight the type of conflict, and left it to readers’ judgement to determine which cases might fall under each category. A case of indirect conflict, the committee said, could be: “C is a Member of the IPL Governing Council. The IPL enters into a contract with a new franchisee, the Managing Director of which is C’s partner in an independent commercial venture. C is hit by Indirect Conflict of Interest.”Ganguly could fall under this definition of conflict: he is part of the IPL Governing Council and is also a co-owner of Atletico de Kolkata, a football club owned by Sanjiv Goenka, who recently bid successfully for the Pune IPL franchise. While both Goenka and Ganguly have brushed off any suggestions that this is a case of conflict, the Lodha committee believes otherwise.Expanding on what constitutes “roles compromised”, the committee said: “when the individual holds two separate or distinct posts or positions under the BCCI, a Member, the IPL or the Franchisee, the functions of which would require the one to be beholden to the other, or in opposition thereof.”It further gave the example of “B is Secretary of the BCCI. He is also President of a State Association. B is hit by Conflict of Interest.” Thakur is the BCCI secretary as well as president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association.Falling under the same category is the case of “A is the Coach of a team. He is also Coach of an IPL Franchisee. A is hit by Conflict of Interest.” India coaches Sanjay Bangar (batting), Bharat Arun (bowling) and R Sridhar (fielding) also hold coaching positions at IPL franchises.The committee also gave examples of officials at various state associations who could fall under the “positions of influence” category of conflict.”B is the Secretary of a State Association. He also runs a cricket academy in the State. B is hit by Conflict of Interest,” the committee said. There are numerous administrators at state associations who own or have a stake in various city-based clubs across India.The committee said it was high time administrators stopped holding dual posts. “Strangely, while conflict of interest issues have been at the heart of recent controversies, virtually all office bearers of the BCCI continue to be office bearers in their respective State Associations ,” the committee noted. “Presidents and Secretaries of State Associations are to discharge functions with the primary interest of the State in mind, but as BCCI office bearers, these interests would have to be subordinated to that of national interest. Often, with powers centred on an office bearer, that individual has been found to appoint his State associates to critical posts in the BCCI, thereby creating an imbalance.”Offering a solution, the committee said such conflicts could be avoided “by automatic vacation” of post at the local level when an official is elected to the BCCI.While Manohar does not hold dual posts, he could be in a situation of conflict since his son is the vice-president of the Vidarbha Cricket Association. The committee report states: “When the BCCI, a Member, the IPL or a Franchisee enter into contractual arrangements with entities in which the individual concerned or his/her relative, partner or close associate has an interest. This is to include cases where family members, partners or close associates are in positions that may, or may be seen to compromise an individual’s participation, performance and discharge of roles.”

Queensland’s openers needed 16 runs from three overs when the umpires called of play due to bad light.

AAP21-Oct-2022Umpire Greg Davidson determine the light was not good enough•Getty Images

It was so close and yet so far for Queensland in a drama-charged final session when bad light robbed them of Sheffield Shield victory against NSW with three overs remaining.Queensland’s openers needed 26 runs to win from the final five overs at Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval in what seemed like a formality. Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw polished off 10 of them in two overs before the umpires took the players off due to the light reading at 6.34pm AEDT.Bulls captain Usman Khawaja came onto the field to ask the umpires why they could not continue as the Blues players swiftly made their way to their dressing room delighted to have secured a draw.The bails were flicked off the stumps by umpires Greg Davidson and Simon Lightbody minutes later to bring an end to an extraordinary day’s play.Related

• Western Australia survive Murphy scare after Handscomb declines chance of 300

• Renshaw's double and Neser's hundred put Queensland in command

When legspinner Mitchell Swepson removed Nathan Lyon to dismiss the Blues for 256, victory had seemed assured.Queensland allrounder Michael Neser summed up the mood in the camp.”It is not the result we wanted. We fought so hard throughout the game,” he said. “We were so close to that win. If we could have [bowled NSW out] a couple of overs sooner it might have been a different result.”NSW batter Moises Henriques was left stranded on 99 after featuring in two match-saving stands.”We were just doing our best to stay out there for as long as we could,” Henriques said of his resistance.Henriques and Matthew Gilkes (48) batted through most of the first two sessions, which included a break for rain, in a 112-run stand. With Henriques at the crease NSW went to tea on 5 for 211 before the game took a roller coaster turn.Pacemen Neser and Mark Steketee then captured 3 for 2 in the space of 12 deliveries with Joe Burns taking two diving catches at slip and wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson snaring one of his own to remove Sean Abbott, Baxter Holt and Ben Dwarshius.Chris Tremain (5 off 68 balls) combined with Henriques to hold up Queensland for 27 overs in a 39-run ninth-wicket stand that was ultimately decisive.

Australia’s decision to hand sub fielding duties to Grant Baldwin, the team’s massage therapist, has been a subject of criticism over the past two days

Melinda Farrell in Adelaide28-Nov-2015Australia’s decision to hand substitute fielding duties to Grant Baldwin, the team’s massage therapist, has been a subject of criticism over the first two days of the day-night Test in Adelaide. His performance was scrutinised by television commentators after a couple of fumbles in the field.At the end of the second day, Australia said they would not use Baldwin as a fielder any more and had drafted in South Australia’s Sam Raphael for substitute duties.Baldwin, 28, is also the assistant to the Australian team manager, Gavin Dovey, and replaced the injured Mitchell Starc midway through the second session on the opening day of the Adelaide Test. Baldwin had played for Victoria’s second XI between 2006 and 2008, and is a regular participant in Australia’s fielding sessions at the nets.The decision to use Baldwin was made after both James Pattinson and Steven O’Keefe were released from the Test squad to play for their respective states and, with a full round of Sheffield Shield matches taking place, Australia were left with the choice of fielding a current state second XI player, or drafting in Baldwin.Three local cricketers, none of whom have first-class experience, were available but the Australians were concerned the pressure of fielding in this Test may have been too much for inexperienced players. The fact Baldwin was already with the team and considered capable of doing the job were the deciding factors.”Grant’s played second XI cricket for Victoria and he’s fielded for us before on tours,” said Josh Hazlewood after the second day. “We’ve got three young guys here who haven’t played first-class cricket, I think we’re getting a guy in tomorrow who has played for SA, so it’ll be good to get him out there. We thought Grant was probably the best option. It’s quite a pressure situation out there in front of 40,000, so with those other three guys not playing first-class cricket before, we thought it was the best case.”

The series next February could yet be vital in the World Test Championship

AAP04-Jul-2022Australia’s coaches have turned an eye to next year’s tour of India as they prepare for the possibility of pulling off a rare hat-trick on the subcontinent.Andrew McDonald’s men were set to return to training on Monday after two days off, as they begin to ramp up preparations for Friday’s second Test against Sri Lanka.A win or draw in Galle will secure a second straight series win in Asia, after breaking an 11-year drought with victory in Pakistan earlier this year. But they are also aware a bigger challenge awaits next February.Australia have not won in India since 2004, while victory there would mark just the third time in the team’s history they have won three straight series in Asia. None of those streaks have come inside the space of 12 months.There will also be greater implications, with the series the last played before the World Test Championship final and Australia well clear in first with India third.Related

• How Green's meticulous foresight helped reach the zone of proximal development

• It's no surprise that Stokes and Cummins have succeeded as captains

• Adaptable Australia make further strides on subcontinent mission

It’s why Australia are more than happy with their busy Asian schedule this year, offering up a greater chance to plan for how to best combat the conditions.Pakistan served up flatter wickets than those traditionally expected in Asia, with Rawalpindi a batter’s paradise and Karachi and Lahore only breaking up later. Galle meanwhile was a raging turner for the first Test against Sri Lanka, with some Australians describing it as the toughest they have batted on.In India, Australia expect a mixture of the two scenarios and anything in between during the four-Test series.”In a lot of ways it’s been nice to have a subcontinent tour of Pakistan, then here [in Sri Lanka] and build towards India,” assistant coach Daniel Vettori said. “Conditions will be very different. We will get a lot of variation from venue to venue.”You could get anything in between [the pitches in Pakistan and Sri Lanka]. If you play at Mohali it is going to be flat, if you play at Wankhede [in Mumbai] it could turn square like here. You can’t just have one plan.”Australia’s batters have made a point to meet the tempo of the match on both recent tours, playing the long game in Pakistan before upping the scoring rate in Galle. But regardless of the tempo, they want to use their crease and be busy enough to unsettle the spinners.A new-found willingness to sweep more is also key. Some 45.7 percent of Australia’s boundaries in the first Test were either swept or reverse-swept, compared to 20.8 per cent in their 3-0 loss in Sri Lanka in 2016.”In a lot of ways sweeps can be blocks over here,” Vettori said. “There have been plans for individuals to use whatever they feel comfortable with, and to be as proactive and brave as they could with it.”The guys who do sweep very well tried to emphasise that as much as possible. Alex Carey, I think his first 12 scoring shots were sweeps.”

The quality of pitches in English domestic cricket will have to improve if England are to enjoy more consistent success at international level, and avoid the sorts of spin-influenced defeats that they suffered against Pakistan in Sharjah, according to And

George Dobell05-Nov-2015The quality of pitches in English domestic cricket will have to improve if England are to enjoy more consistent success at international level, and avoid the sorts of spin-influenced defeats that they suffered against Pakistan in Sharjah, according to Andy Flower.Flower, the former England coach who is now technical director of elite coaching at the ECB, feels that too many poor surfaces in county cricket are inhibiting the development of players and creating a greater divide between domestic and international cricket.In particular Flower and the ECB’s head spin bowling coach, Peter Such, fear that the development of young spinners is being impeded by pitches that provide too much assistance to medium-pace bowlers.”The pitches are a real problem,” Flower said. “We have a situation now where dibbly-dobbly bowlers like Jesse Ryder – and no disrespect to him, because he’s a fine cricketer – are match-winners in county cricket.”Spin bowlers don’t develop because the medium-pacers bowl their overs and batsmen are not exposed to quality spin. The necessity for fast bowlers is negated because the medium-pacers do the work but, when you get to international cricket, the pitches are completely different and the qualities that proved successful in county cricket will be of little use. Dibbly-dobbly bowlers are not going to win you Test matches. Their abilities are exaggerated by green county pitches.”You can watch a game in Division Two of the County Championship and not see a bouncer bowler. That’s a problem, because the first thing that a batsman will be tested by in international cricket is the short ball.”The pitches are contributing to the divide between county and international cricket and leaving us – the coaches at Loughborough – needing to bridge a significant gap in standard.”Flower’s comments are timely. It is not just that they were made as England subsided to a 2-0 defeat against Pakistan in the UAE with the level of spin bowling proving the key difference between the sides, but that the ECB are currently conducting a review into domestic cricket that seems certain to bring significant changes.Adil Rashid had a taxing Test debut in Abu Dhabi•Getty Images

The statistics of the series in the UAE underline the current gulf between English spinners and the rest. All told, England’s trio of Moeen Ali, Ali Rashid and Samit Patel, with fill-in overs from Joe Root and even Ben Stokes, claimed 20 wickets at 60.1 in 295.1 overs, only 23 of which were maidens. Pakistan’s trio of Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar and Shoaib Malik bowled exactly that number of maidens in the third Test alone, while also claiming 17 wickets at 18.41.”In overseas Test cricket somewhere between 46-48% of overs are bowled by spinners, but in county cricket that figure is around 20%,” Such told ESPNcricinfo. “The pitches tend to start damp, which makes them seam-bowler dominated and makes it very hard for spin bowlers to break through. We need to do more to encourage spin bowling. It’s a tough gig at present.”The most important thing in the development of spin bowlers is that they get match-play overs, so they can use their skills in match situations. There is some talent out there, but at the moment young spinners are hitting a glass ceiling and it has become very hard for them to progress.”At present, the ECB are sending up to 16 young spinners abroad this winter – some just as net bowlers (Simon Kerrigan is unavailable with a stress fracture) – in order that they can gain experience in different conditions and benefit from the volume of overs denied them in county cricket. It is not a scenario that reflects well on the contribution of the domestic game.To that end, a scenario where the County Championship season starts abroad – probably in the UAE or Caribbean – remains possible. While it would not be a popular solution with county members, it currently seems inevitable that the county schedule will be cut to 14 games per side with two windows for white-ball cricket.Scheduling two games overseas would at least enable the competition to remain at 16 games per side and provide conditions in which spin bowlers might feature more prominently. The defeat to Pakistan may concentrate minds on the need to improve the development of spin bowlers.”County cricket is very much part of the solution,” Such said. “It is the biggest part of the solution. But we need to see young spinners bowling overs in county cricket.”

Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermeulen has been banned from all cricket by Zimbabwe Cricket after it emerged that he had engaged in a racist tirade on social media

Liam Brickhill16-Oct-2015Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermeulen has been banned from all cricket by Zimbabwe Cricket after it emerged that he had engaged in a racist tirade on social media during which he referred to black Zimbabweans as “apes”.”Racism is abominable and there can be no defence for it,” said a statement released by Zimbabwe Cricket. “Mark Vermeulen has been banned from participating in all cricket activities, after he owned up to repulsive remarks that reflect racism, prejudice and plain ignorance. We find Vermeulen’s Facebook comment distasteful and unacceptable, particularly for a senior sportsman who should have learned from playing in Zimbabwe and abroad that there is no place for racism in sport.”Vermeulen had posted his comment in July, on a thread underneath an article posted on Facebook about Prosper Utseya’s letter to the ZC Board, which alleged that racism persisted in Zimbabwean cricket. Though Vermeulen subsequently deleted the comment, a screenshot eventually made its way into the public sphere, again on social media.ESPNcricinfo has seen the screenshot of the comment, which talked of “white people” having “fxxxd up the apes’ lives”. “If we… had never educated them, Prosper wouldn’t be having these problems,” it said.As the reaction to his comment gathered steam online, it is believed that some members of Vermeulen’s domestic franchise, Mashonaland Eagles, insisted they would boycott any team with Vermeulen in it. The administration of the franchise met today to decide how to respond, and this evening it was confirmed that Vermeulen has been banned from all cricket activities by Zimbabwe Cricket.Vermeulen had issued a public statement, which was reproduced in local newspapers today, and which he called an apology. In it, Vermeulen said that he had apologised personally to Utseya and that “he accepted my apology”.”I know my comments were over the top and I apologise to all that I have offended,” continued Vermeulen’s statement. “But as a cricketer, it’s how our minds work… It was not meant in a menacing way. It was just a chirp that often happens out on the field of play and as men, you take the blow on the chin and get on with the game.”Behavioural and disciplinary issues have long been a problem for Vermeulen, with trouble surfacing as early as his high school days in Harare in the mid-1990s. He was banned from representing his school, Prince Edward High in Harare, for walking off with the stumps after receiving a poor lbw decision and locking himself in the changing room.His fierce desire to succeed as a cricketer led to a Test debut in 2002, but two years later he was struck on the head by a bouncer from Irfan Pathan at the Gabba, during a tri-series in Australia. The injury, which replicated one he had suffered in 2003, when he was struck on the head by fast bowler Travis Friend while batting in the nets, required urgent surgery, and Vermeulen’s behaviour became increasingly erratic. He was banned from playing cricket in England for ten years after an altercation with some spectators during a club game and, most infamously, he burned down Zimbabwe’s cricket academy in 2006 in retaliation for being overlooked by the national side.Vermeulen was acquitted of charges of arson in 2008, on the grounds that he had been suffering psychiatric problems, including partial complex epilepsy and impulsive behaviour disorder, ever since his injury in Australia. Remarkably, Vermeulen returned to international cricket with a one-day half-century against Bangladesh the following year, but his form tailed off and, though he played for every domestic franchise in the country in his efforts to win a national contract, it seemed his days as an international cricketer were over. Yet Vermeulen was called upon once more in 2014, re-selected by coach Steve Mangongo and convener of selectors Givemore Makoni, for a one-off Test against South Africa. There had also been talk that Vermeulen was hoping to win yet another recall for the upcoming series against Bangladesh.

Former South Africa opener Jimmy Cook has said that he is optimistic about the team’s long-term future, despite the recent failures of the A team and Under-19 side

Firdose Moonda01-Sep-2015Like still waters, South Africa cricket’s talent pool runs deeper than it may seem according to former international and long-time coach Jimmy Cook. Despite the recent results of the A side – who returned home from a tour of India without a single win – and Under-19 team – who lost home and away series to Bangladesh – Cook is optimistic about the upcoming summer and the long-term future.”We’ve got enough depth; it’s just about blending the youth with the experienced guys and making sure they work well together,” Cook, who has coached at various levels, told ESPNcricinfo. Cook, who played three Tests and four ODIs between 1991 and 1993, is now involved with the King Edward VII School, which Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith attended.”I think what happened with the A side is that the selectors were looking to give guys opportunities and took a lot of guys who they thought they would look at picking in future and because of that, they had a lot of young guys in the group and not a lot of experience and that could have led to the results. But that’s why they went there – to get experience.”The A side was made up mostly of second-tier players who do not hold regular spots in the national team and are challenging the incumbents. The only exceptions were Quinton de Kock, who was sent to India to regain form after being dropped from the South African team during their July series in Bangladesh, and Stiaan van Zyl, who is the new Test opener and was part of the four-day squad to get used to his role at the top of the line-up ahead of the senior side’s four-Test tour of India later this year.The rest of the 50-over and four-day outfits were players who know they are either next in line or back in line and are young enough to wait in line, which results suggest they will have to do.The average age of both the South African four-day squad and one-day squad was 26 with the oldest being 31-year-old Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who has also played the most international cricket. Across all formats, Tsotsobe holds 89 caps and was once the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world. Wayne Parnell is next, having played 85 matches for South Africa and Quinton de Kock, is third with 75 appearances.Dean Elgar (22) Stiaan van Zyl (5), Temba Bavuma (4), Marchant de Lange (10), Beuran Hendricks (5), Reeza Hendricks (5), Dane Piedt (1), Dane Vilas (2) and David Wiese (15) have all played some international cricket and have collectively earned 69 caps across all formats. None of that seemed to count for much as far as their performances went and the numbers do not make for good reading, although it should be remembered that the squad suffered a food poisoning incident midway through the tour, which resulted in 10 players being hospitalised.South Africa A lost all four of their 50-over matches – two to India A and two to Australia A – and lost them badly. They only posted a total over 250 once and managed to bat out their overs only half the time. They also only bowled out their opposition only once and of the possible 40 wickets, they could have taken in the series, only claimed 16.On an individual level, they also had very little to shout about apart from Quinton de Kock. He finished fifth overall on the batting charts with two centuries and went on to score a century in the first unofficial Test to confirm his return to the runs. Cook, who coached de Kock, believed he needed the trip to refocus. “He is a very talented lad and I have no doubt he will do well, especially as he gets older and gets a calmer head on his shoulders,” Cook said.Other than de Kock, Khaya Zondo, Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar all scored fifties. In the bowling department, Lonwabo Tsotsobe was the only one to feature among the top ten wicket-takers, with five scalps.With the next 50-over World Cup still four years away, South Africa will be more interested in the performances of the four-day side, who lost their two-match series 1-0.The team began strongly in the first game when they piled on 542, largely thanks to centuries from Omphile Ramela and de Kock, and even bowled India A out cheaply with fit-again Dane Piedt’s claiming a five-for. But they did not enforce the follow-on and did not give themselves enough time to bowl India A out again. Everything fell apart in the second match, when South Africa A were bowled out for 76 in their second innings on a crumbling deck and lost by an innings and 81 runs.Dane Piedt picked up 11 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, in the two unofficial Tests, in India•AFP

Piedt took five in that match as well to push for a Test return, but South Africa may be more perturbed by the players they lost. Wayne Parnell (hamstring) and Beuran Hendricks (back) will both not be fit for the start of the home summer. Neither of them were likely to feature in Test cricket though, where South Africa now have tough choices to make.Cook advised to keep Stiaan van Zyl at the top of the order for the eight Tests because “he has shown he can do it at that level.” Van Zyl performed well in Bangladesh and scored 96 in the second unofficial Test in India and Cook expects him to be able to handle the conditions without trouble. “It shouldn’t be a problem facing the new ball because it does not move much but obviously batsmen have to be fairly good players of spin, because they will face a lot of that in India.”That is where de Kock’s technique has sometimes come into question, and Cook has suggested taking both de Kock and his replacement, Dane Vilas, who Cook also coached, to India. “Dane is very mature and knows his game well. He’s been given a go so now he must have a proper run – five, six or seven Tests to see what he can do. As things stand, South Africa are very lucky to have those him and de Kock to choose from.”Cook believes that in years to come, South Africa will have more to choose from, despite the disappointing performances of the Under-19s, who are a different group to the one that won last year’s World Cup. “That kind of thing happens – some years you get a really good group and some years you don’t. I see that at school level a lot, it can go in cycles,” Cook said.

Former allrounder set to take charge at Chelmsford after leaving MCC role

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2021John Stephenson has been appointed as Essex’s new chief executive officer. Stephenson, the former Essex allrounder who has spent the last 17 years working for the MCC, will take charge at Chelmsford in October.Stephenson, who played one Test for England, came through at Essex and had two spells at the club, between 1984-1994 and 2002-2004. His post-playing career began as MCC Head of Cricket, eventually becoming the club’s Assistant Secretary (Cricket). He steps down from the role, to be replaced by Jamie Cox.His appointment follows a lengthy process to find a successor for Derek Bowden at Essex. Bowden announced his intention to retire in October 2020, shortly after the club had lifted the Bob Willis Trophy, and Essex are believed to have been hit hard financially by the effects of the pandemic.Related

• Jamie Cox ready for 'moral and ethical challenges' after being appointed MCC Assistant Secretary

“I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to come back to Essex as the club had a big influence on my professional career,” Stephenson said. “Having spent over a decade with the club as a player, I couldn’t pass up the prospect of taking on this fantastic role.”The club means so much to so many people and has a key role to play in the wider Essex community. One of my main objectives is to continue and build on the recent success that the club have experienced both on and off the field. With the support of the members, fans and the team, I believe we can continue to compete and bring silverware back to Chelmsford.”Having spent more than a decade largely confined to Division Two of the County Championship, Essex claimed their first title in 25 years in 2017, a season after being promoted. They were Division One champions again in 2019, as well as winning the T20 Blast, but failed to qualify for the top tier from this year’s Championship conference stage, meaning they won’t be in the running to defend either red-ball title in September.Essex’s executive chairman John Faragher said: “After an extensive interview process involving some very high-calibre personnel, John was clearly the outstanding candidate for the position at Essex. His exceptional skillset together with his appreciation of the modern game and the challenges facing cricket in the future were key credentials in making our decision.”He will lead the executive team on our journey to the next level in performance both on and off the field. Although we continue to face numerous problems brought about by the pandemic, we continue to be very focused on the future.”These are exciting times for the club and the board looks forward to supporting and working with John.”

In his 23rd season as a first-class cricketer, Marcus Trescothick became Somerset’s second-highest run-scorer of all time

Vithushan Ehantharajah at The Oval25-Apr-2016
ScorecardMarcus Trescothick notched a half-century, having passed Peter Wight on Somerset’s run-scoring list•Getty Images

Spectators at The Oval spent much of the day moving in and out of cover. Those that remained after the third rain delay deserve credit: only a matter of miles away, hail was falling in the capital. While that threat failed to make its way south, those hearty few might not have minded after seeing Marcus Trescothick further cement his legend in domestic folklore. In his 23rd season as a first-class cricketer, he became Somerset’s second-highest run-scorer of all time.Many knew it was coming. When Tom Curran was guided down to third man for four to move Trescothick on to 13, Tom Abell made a note of shaking hands with the 40-year-old, who passed Peter Wight’s total of 16,965 with the boundary. Neither Curran nor Abell had been born when Trescothick made his first-class debut in 1993.Now only Harold Gimblett stands in his way. But with more than 4000 runs needed to topple the 1953 Cricketer of the Year, second might have to do.It is still a baffling achievement, quite frankly. Looking through Trescothick’s first-class numbers requires a few double-takes. It seems inevitable that by the end of the season he will have passed 24,000 first-class runs. If those runs are as easy to come by as they were at The Oval, where he brought up his 177th score of 50 or more, then 25,000 is well within reach.There is a temptation to watch each aspect of Trescothick’s game still on public display – the effortless straight drives with Dalek-like footwork or the caresses through backward point that belie the tree-trunk willow and Popeye forearms – and sink back into “what ifs”. What if his Test career hadn’t been cut short? What if this otherworldly opener was saved from the very human troubles that affected him?But here he is, aged 40, still playing the game he loves, still achieving and getting things done. The only noticeable difference is that he now requires four eyes to do so. Somerset started their first innings 463 behind but you could not tell there were any external forces affecting Trescothick, now batting in spectacles, and the matter at hand.Surrey’s opening duo of Tom Curran and Mark Footitt started a bit too wide but, when they eventually got their lines right, Trescothick pulled out his patented curtain-rail leave. On a handful of occasions, Curran, having moved to around the wicket, thought he had the left-hander beaten. But Trescothick was simply moving his bat inside the line of the ball. It was a feather in Curran’s cap that Trescothick did not score off 32 of the 37 balls he sent his way. Footitt and Ravi Rampaul were not quite so lucky.While Footitt would bag the only Somerset wicket of the day – Abell hooking high to Arun Harinath at deep square leg – he was also hit for three fours in an over by Trescothick, the first of which brought up his fifty from 75 balls, before being cut ferociously over backward point for the innings’ first six. Rampaul, too, was not allowed to settle as he was carted through point when offering a bit of width.The morning session was a peculiar mishmash of Surrey trying and failing to make their last five wickets count and Somerset curtailing them while dropping catches.Zafar Ansari, who was let-off the previous evening on 28, was shelled yet again with 42 to his name. He would go on to complete his half-century off 111 balls before offering a third chance with his 112th, which Trescothick managed to hold at second slip. Curran and Gareth Batty were both run out through indecision and fine work by Roelof van der Merwe, respectively, before Footitt found cover to round off a lower-order collapse of 5 for 69.From the wreckage, Tim Groenewald emerged with 5 for 94 – his second five-wicket haul for Somerset. Ryan Davies, in his first season after signing from Kent, took his first Championship catch for the county when Ben Foakes nicked behind for the first wicket of the day.When stumps was eventually called after a lot of back and forth between the players, umpires and the ground staff, 43 overs had been lost. Trescothick and Chris Rogers reconvene on Tuesday, still 364 behind but knowing that the weather has given them a helping hand in saving this match.

One-Test keeper leaves his head of national development role to become Victoria’s general manager of cricket performance

Alex Malcolm11-May-2022One Test wicketkeeper Graham Manou has become the latest figure to depart Cricket Australia’s high-performance team leaving his role as head of national development to join state side Victoria as their new general manager of cricket performance.Manou, 43, was head of national development at CA for 10 months after a four-year stint as pathways manager overseeing the underage programs.But he has departed CA to join Victoria, taking over from long-time GM Shaun Graf who retired after several decades in the role earlier this year. Manou will work alongside Victoria head coach Chris Rogers after the pair worked together at CA when Rogers was a high-performance coach working at the National Cricket Centre with the Under-19s.CA has a number of holes in its high-performance team that need to be filled. Ben Oliver is holding the fort as general manager of national teams but there has not been a replacement in the high-performance role that was vacated by Drew Ginn last year, in part due to a health issue. Ginn was incidentally part of the four-person recruitment panel that was assembled by Cricket Victoria to hire Manou.Manou will begin his role with Cricket Victoria in June. He played one Test for Australia on the 2009 Ashes tour, filling in at short notice for Brad Haddin after he broke his finger on the morning of the third Test in Birmingham. He also played four ODIs on the 2009 tour of India.Manou played 103 first-class matches, predominantly for South Australia, during a 13-year career. He also played in the inaugural BBL season for the Melbourne Renegades.