Entrusted with overseeing the transition at the BCCI, the Lodha Committee aims to ensure that all the recommendations approved by the Supreme Court are carried out by both the board and the state associations concurrently

Sharda Ugra and Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jul-20161:45

How will Lodha recommendations affect BCCI officials?

Entrusted with overseeing the transition at the BCCI, the Lodha Committee aims to ensure that all the recommendations approved by the Supreme Court are carried out by both the board and the state associations concurrently.In the following six months, both the BCCI and the state associations will need to clean up their house and refurbish it based on the various recommendations. Secretary of the Lodha Committee, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, warned that if the BCCI or the states were to violate any of the rules laid out in the Lodha report, they would be guilty of contempt of court.”If either the BCCI or the state associations choose to take steps now which are inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the committee’s bylaws which have been approved by the court, then they will be guilty of contempt of court,” Sankaranarayanan told ESPNcricinfo.”The duty cast upon the Lodha Committee, the BCCI as well as all the state associations has commenced yesterday with the judgement.”In a historical verdict on Monday morning, the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kallifullah, accepted most of the recommendations made by the Lodha Committee. The court said the recommendations were binding not just on the BCCI, but also on the state associations, and both had up to six months to implement the recommendations.This, it could be interpreted, will render possible forthcoming state association elections in contempt and should they be held at all, their results null and void.Office bearers and officials at both the BCCI and the states have been slow to react, stating they would study the order before deciding the next step. That next step, it is understood, might not be theirs anymore – the Lodha Committee is likely to go into the minutiae of every state association in order to ensure that every recommendation will be adhered to and due administrative changes are put in place by the time the six-month deadline is completed.The committee would not want to be seen as being slow by merely observing what the BCCI and the states are doing in the next six months. The resulting message that could go out to the states is that the only way they could remain Full Members is by adhering to the new rules laid out in the Lodha report and carrying out the constitutional amendments ordered by the court. So if Delhi and District Cricket Association wants to continue to be a Full Member, it will need to get rid of proxy voting, the biggest malaise affecting one of the oldest cricket associations in the country.Similarly, if any state association is holding elections before the court deadline expires, the Lodha Committee has the powers to dictate to the state whether it can actually go to polls, or if the results can be frozen, if the candidate(s) qualify to stand for elections or not.There have been questions on whether the BCCI and the states might need to rewrite their respective constitutions and bylaws. However, it is understood the Supreme Court has already approved both the memorandum of rules as well as the bylaws that were written and submitted to it by the Lodha Committee, which appears to indicate that the BCCI will, as party to the judgement already made, accept a new constitution.

Team and individual competition records were broken as Loughborough Lightning sealed their place in the finals of the Kia Super League by beating Surrey Stars

ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2016
ScorecardDane van Niekerk’s 91 was the highest individual score of the competition (file photo)•IDI/Getty Images

Team and individual competition records were broken as Loughborough Lightning sealed their place in the finals of the Kia Super League by beating Surrey Stars.South Africa international Dane van Niekerk hit 91 off just 64 balls, including 13 fours and three sixes, beating the previous competition record innings of 90 not out by Surrey’s Natalie Sciver, as Lightning ran up 168 for 6. That too was a record, the previous highest innings score in the competition being the 164 made by Lancashire Thunder, also at Loughborough University’s Haslegrave ground.”I’ve been struggling with form, but I knew it was a really good track and I had to take my chance,” said van Niekerk, who came into the match having scored just 19 runs in her previous three innings. “Going into the finals it’s nice to have a few runs and for the team to have a bit of momentum.”Surrey skipper Sciver chose to bowl after winning the toss, but may have already regretting her decision when Lightning openers Georgia Elwiss and Van Niekerk brought up the 50 in the seventh over.Van Niekerk looked in good touch from the start. Consecutive boundaries stroked through the off side off the pace bowling of Marizanne Kapp, along with a huge straight six clubbed the left-arm spin of Alex Hartley, were the pick of the 23-year-old’s shots in a half-century made from 41 balls.Hartley, bowling with a nice loop, did pick up a wicket, Elwiss failing to clear long-off, but Van Niekerk appeared unstoppable. A reverse paddle was followed by a reverse scoop for boundaries before Rene Farrell was deposited over midwicket for another six.Sophie Devine edged a catch behind driving at a wide delivery, but just as the first century of the competition seemed Van Niekerk’s for the taking, she pulled Kapp hard to midwicket, where Sciver took a fine catch running in from the boundary.Inevitably, perhaps, van Niekerk then took a wicket in her first over of legspin, the third of the Surrey reply, courtesy of some sharp work behind the stumps by Amy Jones when Bryony Smith dragged her back foot. In her following over she had Cordelia Griffith caught and bowled, but the key wickets as far as Loughborough were concerned were those of Sciver and fellow England international Tammy Beaumont.Sciver had made just 12 when she top-edged Elwiss towards short third man, where Rebecca Grundy took the catch on the edge of the circle. Beaumont was beginning to threaten on 27 when she was run out by a direct hit – by van Niekerk, naturally. In the circumstances it came as no surprise when she added a fine boundary catch to her contribution.”It was a good score but we were never really out of it on that track, so of course we’re disappointed,” Sciver said. “It’s been a great competition, playing under pressure can only help develop our games. The crowds have been great and it shows how popular women’s domestic cricket is becoming. We just wish we were going to Finals Day!”

ICC chief executive David Richardson has sympathised with Pakistan’s ongoing struggle to bring international cricket back to their country

Umar Farooq21-Sep-2016ICC chief executive David Richardson has sympathised with Pakistan’s ongoing struggle to bring international cricket back to their country. He was in Lahore on Wednesday to present Misbah-ul-Haq with the Test mace for Pakistan being ranked the No. 1 team in the world.Barring one series, Pakistan have not been able to host Full Members at home since the attack on a touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009. Zimbabwe had visited in 2015 for a limited-overs series, but during the second ODI on May 29, there had been a “suicide attack” on the outer edge of the three tiers of security that was in place. Zimbabwe left the country only after completing the tour though.”The fact is that ICC is keen for everybody to play international cricket, including Pakistan,” Richardson said. “The more teams we can have the better. However, circumstances around the world really have gotten quite difficult, from a security point of view and Pakistan has probably been the hardest hit than any other country. The ICC members have always tried to support Pakistan by making sure that they are willing to play Pakistan in the UAE and elsewhere to keep cricket going at least internationally even though it’s not in Pakistan.”On a personal level, Richardson felt the measures the PCB and the government have put in place made it safe for teams to come and play.”It’s actually quite easy for you to convince me that international cricket returns to Pakistan, but unfortunately it’s not me or the ICC that needs to be convinced,” Richardson said. “It’s the security experts, it’s the security consultants who are advising the players who are advising the teams and that’s really out of our control. I know that the Pakistan government and the PCB are doing whatever they can to try and persuade the people and make security situation better in Pakistan. Pretty soon we’ll get to a situation where teams are willing to play international cricket in Pakistan.”The PCB relies heavily on the government to arrange security for the visiting teams, but it has bought four bulletproof buses as part of the efforts to provide the “best possible” protection for players visiting the country.In this seven-year isolation, the PCB has suffered financially, having to arrange matches in the UAE and missing out on bilateral series against India. This prompted PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan to suggest the board should receive a “higher percentage of the income” from matches against India at ICC events. Richardson confirmed the ICC received the application and that it would be up for discussion in an upcoming meeting.”We take every application seriously on those lines,” he said. “It came late in the day [during ICC annual conference in July] but we will discuss it in the financial committee meeting next month in October and then in the board. ICC members are actually renewing the whole financial model of international cricket at the moment and certainly the PCB’s request will be considered.”

Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s Test captain, has said coach Chandika Hathurusingha gave Tamim Iqbal the role of “helping” the bowlers closely during the last session of the Dhaka Test against England

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-2016Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s Test captain, has said coach Chandika Hathurusingha gave Tamim Iqbal the role of “helping” the bowlers closely during the last session of the Dhaka Test against England. He said that the four senior players in the field – himself, Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah – were given specific roles and told to lead the team from the front.Parallel to Bangladesh’s 108-run victory last Sunday, there had been ongoing speculation about Mushfiqur’s captaincy after it appeared that Tamim was in charge of making bowling and fielding changes in the 22.5 overs after lunch in which Bangladesh took all ten England wickets as they were bowled out for 164. He was in discussions with Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan ahead of every over, and was also setting fields for them.It is highly unlikely for Tamim, despite being Mushfiqur’s deputy, to usurp the role on his own, but Hathurusingha only described what had happened inside the dressing-room during the tea break in an interview this week with ESPNcricinfo, saying he was disappointed after England got to 100 for no loss at the tea interval and told the players to step up to the challenge.Mushfiqur said that other players apart from Tamim, such as Mahmudullah and Mominul Haque, were also tasked with specific roles, which ultimately helped Bangladesh take all ten wickets in one session.”During the tea break, the coach was angry towards the players, which was obvious as we were not able to execute our plans in the middle,” Mushfiqur told the . “The bowlers also struggled to execute. We had a group chat comprising all the senior players and the coach. He told the senior players to step up and take the responsibility. We were given some roles. Tamim was standing at mid-off so that he could help the bowlers closely.”To add to that, close-in fielders like Mominul [Haque] and Mahmudullah Riyad , they were also given roles to distract the batsmen. Shakib and Miraz meanwhile, were given roles as bowlers so that they could get the breakthroughs. With the combination of everyone’s effort, we were able to win the match.”Mushfiqur skirted the notion that he wasn’t in charge of the team, saying the players tried to implement on the field the messages that Hathurusingha sent from the dressing room.”Coach always tells us, whoever has the ball in his hand, he is the captain at that time as only he knows how and what to do in that particular situation and what is the plan,” he said.”So, all the 11 players in the team always try to follow that and whatever message we receive from the coach, we discuss and try to implement that on the field. Especially us, the four senior members of the team, were given instructions to lead from the front and fulfill the responsibilities.”While it doesn’t answer who exactly decided that Mushfiqur should not be in charge of bowling changes and fielding positions, it is clear that there are rumblings about Mushfiqur’s captaincy within the Bangladesh cricket hierarchy. Ever since he lost his limited-overs captaincy to Mashrafe Mortaza in September 2014, Mushfiqur’s leadership in Tests has come under a lot of scrutiny, especially after his defensive approach during the second Test against Pakistan in Dhaka.Mushfiqur said he was still up for all three roles – batting, wicketkeeping and captaining – in the Test arena, though he would accept anything that the board decides for the team’s benefit.”I think I am enjoying all the three roles at the moment,” Mushfiqur said. “If you notice, wicketkeeping has always been my first priority. I have scored a double-hundred in Tests and also kept wickets in the same game. There is always a soft corner for it (keeping).”But if the team management and the board decide that they might get the best outcome by picking someone else and approach me, then I will have to think about it. I will decide which will help my team as we all are part of the team.”BCB president Nazmul Hassan, on the day following the Test, said he was aware of Tamim taking charge of fielding and bowling changes but didn’t want to comment on Mushfiqur’s captaincy, saying he would talk to the incumbent soon.Bangladesh’s next Test series is against New Zealand in January 2017, closely followed by Tests against India and Sri Lanka.

The first four-day match between Pakistan A and Zimbabwe A ended in a draw at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2016

ScorecardFile photo – Peter Moor stood out with 157 in Zimbabwe A’s strong first-innings batting performance•AFP

The first four-day match between Pakistan A and Zimbabwe A ended in a draw at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, as the hosts got some valuable match practice ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka.Zimbabwe A, fielding a full squad of Test players, opted to bat first and were reduced to 193 for 5 before Peter Moor took charge of the game and scored 157, studded with 11 fours and eight sixes. Contributions from Richmond Mutumbami (38) and Graeme Cremer (54) helped Zimbabwe put on 251 for the last five wickets and reach 444. Legspinner Shadab Khan took 4 for 114 and left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar took 3 for 112 for Pakistan.Pakistan’s response started with the loss of two quick wickets, but opener Zain Abbas scored his second first-class century as he set up partnerships with Shohaib Maqsood (54) and Saad Ali (62) to take them out of trouble. He scored 137 before falling to Cremer, who ended with 4 for 82. Allrounder Fahim Ashraf scored an unbeaten 61 to take Pakistan to 358.Malcolm Waller scored an unbeaten 87 in the second innings that lasted 75.2 overs before Zimbabwe declared on 219 for 5. Sikandar Raza (40) and Craig Ervine (38) managed to get some time in after veteran Hamilton Masakadza got out without scoring. Asghar had an impressive outing once again, taking four of the five wickets that fell.Fakhar Zaman (40*) and Zain Abbas (39*), the Pakistan openers, took them to 72 for no loss before play ended.

It was hard to avoid a sense of deja-vu as Alastair Cook accepted that England’s batting had let them down in Mohali

George Dobell in Mohali29-Nov-2016It was hard to avoid a sense of deja-vu as Alastair Cook accepted that England’s batting had let them down in Mohali.He was quite right, of course. By failing to take advantage of winning the toss here, England surrendered their best opportunity to control the game. On a surface that Cook described as “400 par” – and it was at least that – England instead succumbed to 283 all out and surrendered the pitch at its best to an India side who were determined to utilise it.Whereas four England batsmen had scored centuries (three in the first innings, one in the second) on what Cook described as a similar surface in Rajkot, here Jonny Bairstow was the only man to make 50 in the first innings.”You need a big score on a wicket like that,” Cook said, “and we weren’t good enough to make one. Jonny Bairstow made a good 80, but we need hundreds. The pitch wasn’t too different to Rajkot, maybe slightly harder to score on, but it was 400 par and we were below it. We just weren’t good enough.”While Cook’s candour is welcome, England have now lost four of their most recent six Tests with batting failures a recurring theme. If the collapses in Dhaka (where they lost 10 wickets for 63 runs) and Visakhapatnam (where they lost 10 for 63) were especially eye-catching, the batting at The Oval (England were 110 for 5 on the first day having won the toss) and here (where they were 87 for 4 before lunch on the first day) was equally culpable.And while they seem to have found the answer to their problem at the top of the order in Haseeb Hameed, Moeen Ali was not convincing at No. 4 (or No. 3 in the second innings) and Hameed is now unavailable for the rest of the series. Moeen and Jos Buttler both picked out the fielder after trying to hit over the top in the second innings – victims of good bowling, for sure, but also a lack of patience – underlining the suspicion that England were still trying to find a way to blend their naturally positive approach with the discipline required for Test cricket.Their struggles against spin are familiar, too. While the pitches in this series have deteriorated and turned a little, there has been none of the extravagant assistance that some anticipated. Instead, on perfectly reasonable surfaces, England have struggled to deal with an accurate, disciplined spin attack who have exposed some flawed techniques and uncertain temperaments.Cook was criticised for his “they’re no supermen” comments after the Visag Test (some even suggested he was “taunting” India), but he came very close to repeating those remarks here.”There were not magic balls,” he said of England’s second innings struggle. “Maybe Jonny Bairstow was the only one that was a good piece of bowling, but apart from that there wasn’t a huge amount misbehaving from the pitch. It was good accurate bowling, as you expect from India in these conditions, but not unplayable. You can talk all you want but the top order have to go and deliver.”While the phrase “the only one that was a good piece of bowling” in unfortunate – and almost certainly a reflection of a lack of eloquence more than a lack of grace – there is a valid point in there somewhere. Cook, for example, missed a 46 mph delivery that turned about one degree. Moeen and Buttler fell to sucker punches. It was soft cricket that was thrown into its proper perspective by a 19-year-old with a badly broken finger. His teammates were, quite rightly, proud of his performance: one or two of them might have felt it contrasted with their own.Ultimately, professional players have to take responsibility for the way they play. They have to make their choices and live by the results. But these are the times that coaches also earn their keep and there have been times of late when it has been unclear what England’s approach is meant to be: are they blocking their way to safety – as they attempted in Visag – or trying to counter-attack to success, as they showed, in fits and starts, here. Both options are reasonable, but a lack of confidence in their defence has been a feature of several of these batting failures. England have usually preferred aggressive players to defensive ones – consider the selections of Ben Duckett, for example – and here picked an excellent limited-overs players (Buttler) who had played just one first-class game in the previous year. There is not a lot of evidence to suggest this aggressive approach is working.Perhaps the brief holiday they will have now is well-timed. Several of the squad will travel to Dubai for a few days, with no formal training planned. “It will mentally give us a break from cricket,” Cook said. “We can come back more refreshed.”Cook also admitted England may have erred in their selection for Mohali. The presence of a third spinner – and a second off-spinner, in particular – was superfluous, with Cook suggesting the option of a fourth seamer would have been more beneficial.”All of us probably misread the pitch,” Cook said. “we thought it was dry and would spin more. If we had known what we do now, we would have gone four seamers two spinners. The seamers were always in the game with reverse and the way we bash length, we can control the scoring rate very well.”That does not necessarily mean that England will play four seamers in Mumbai. As well as injury concerns over seamers Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, England hope to have Zafar Ansari, the left-arm spinner, available for selection again and expect that surface may provide more assistance to spinners. The last time England played a Test there, in 2012, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann shared 19 wickets between them.

At a time when the loss of South African players to Kolpak deals has returned to the spotlight, a review into the state of the game in the country has picked out retaining talent as one of the key areas that needs to be addressed

Firdose Moonda09-Jan-20173:14

‘I respect Kyle’s decision, but don’t agree with it’ – du Plessis

At a time when the loss of South African players to Kolpak deals has returned to the spotlight, a review into the state of the game in the country has picked out retaining talent as one of the key areas that needs to be addressed.On Monday it was confirmed that David Wiese had followed the path of Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw into English domestic cricket joining Stiaan van Zyl, Simon Harmer, Hardus Viljoen who signed for counties last year.One of seven recommendations made in the national team review, which was implemented last year after collective struggles of the various South Africa sides, said CSA needed to “formulate and execute a strategy to minimise or stop the loss of ‘players of national interest’ in our setup.”After the confirmation of Abbott and Rossouw quitting international cricket last week, Test captain Faf du Plessis appealed for CSA to address all the issues that may have played a part in their decisions.

Key recommendations from the review panels

• Appointing a director of cricket to oversee the performance of the national men’s team

• Appointing the convener of selectors in a full-time role and make talent identification at lower levels part of his role

• Create a strategy to prevent the loss of players in the national set-up

• Consider the option of contracting franchise coaches to CSA

• Encourage ex-players to contribute

• Ensure the South Africa A team and High Performance Centre produce a calibre of players that can make the step up to international cricket

• Build a strong culture for the national team

• A seventh franchise at domestic level and the limiting of each franchise squad to 15 members

“It’s a red flag and we have to address it. It’s important that we look at how we can learn from this and make sure that this isn’t something that two years from now, has meant we’ve lost 10 or 15 players and we say, ‘oopsie’,” du Plessis said. “We need to make sure we get better at it. There’s too much talent in South Africa to lose guys like that.”Responding to the review, CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat said significant investment in players and coaches at all levels was about to be made. “We are already in the process of rolling out new coaching structures and individual player performance plans after the Board approved funding in excess of R100 million over the next four years,” he said. That amounts to US$7.3 million, which will see a substantial amount of money being invested in South African players.Player retention was just one point of a wide review conducted into South African cricket. Revamping the coaching structures and expanding the domestic scene to include one more franchise were also among the most important recommendations presented to CSA by the review panels.Two panels – one to look into national issues and one domestic – were convened by CSA last year after a summer of discontent on the South African circuit. In April, when South Africa had tumbled from No.1 to No.7 on the Test rankings and were booted out of the World T20 in the first round, CSA set up a four-person independent review panel to look into the under performance of all national teams.CSA felt they needed a comprehensive dissection of the issues which also saw the women’s team also struggled at the T20 and the under-19s appear hapless in defence their 2014 World Cup title. They also put in place a domestic review to determine whether that system was serving the international game as best as it could.But, in June the national review panel was abandoned after CSA and some of the members failed to agree terms. Still, the domestic review went ahead and in the months since then the national review panel was reconstituted despite the upturn in South Africa’s fortunes and completed its work. CSA’s board will now consider the suggestions before deciding which ones they would like to implement.Coach Russell Domingo’s role does not appear to have been scrutinised – as was initially the plan – perhaps because was already been given a contract extension until the end of the England tour in August this year. However, the suggestion to employ a director of cricket indicated the panel believes Domingo does need to be accountable to someone other than the board and that South Africa needs a more centralised coaching structure. CSA already has a general manager of cricket, former national coach Corrie van Zyl, but may look at other options.The other significant point was made around involving former internationals, something South Africa have started to do. This season, Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince have taken up franchise coaching roles, Jacques Kallis was invited to a South Africa training session at Newlands and Graeme Smith was part of the review panel. Having these players, who were all part of the generation that won the Test mace, involved in some capacity is thought to be key to building the culture known as Protea Fire, which Smith cultivated.Although there were no recommendations around transformation – CSA already has targets in place at both national and domestic level – both panels stressed the importance of embracing a commitment to change. In a statement, the review panel encouraged a change in mindset as cricket sought to offer opportunities to all South Africans.”It should not be a numbers game which leads to a focus on the numbers instead of the root causes of the problem. Rather, it should be something that is tackled holistically throughout the system – and this calls for a deep-seated mind shift for all involved in cricket for it to be sustainable. Essentially, we will only know that we have the strongest team possible on the field if there has been equal access for all,” the statement read.The biggest domestic issue tackled was the size of the franchise system. More than ten years ago – in the 2004-5 season – CSA abandoned their 11-team provincial in favour of six franchises, effectively almost halving the number of professional cricketers in the country. This has resulted in a narrowing of opportunity, with only around 90 contracts available per season.In a bid to stem the talent drain and seek out a deeper talent pool, the panel recommended the addition of one more franchise to increase player number to 105. A possible location for this franchise was not revealed but the Eastern Cape – the heartland of black African cricket – is a likely possibility.

Karachi Kings have the big names but question marks about their form remain. Have they done enough to avert the disaster of last season?

Danyal Rasool08-Feb-20170:48

PSL 2017 Preview: Karachi Kings

Inaugural season results
Karachi finished the 2016 campaign with the worst win-loss record of all teams. They did the double over the equally abject Lahore Qalandars, but lost all their matches against every other team. The excessively forgiving format meant they went through to the last four despite only two wins in eight, edging Lahore out on net run rate. There, they were walloped by eventual winners Islamabad by nine wickets, bringing a gloomy tournament to an aptly ignominious end.Team assessment
Karachi Kings were busy in the transfer market, most notably bringing in Chris Gayle and Kumar Sangakarra from Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators respectively; the latter has been appointed captain this season. This is the franchise’s third captain in a year. Shoaib Malik stepped down last season after the group stages, and Man of the Series Ravi Bopara was appointed for the eliminator.That brings us to the Kings’ only bright spot last year. Ravi Bopara, never one for attention-seeking, what with his workmanlike batting and military-medium bowling, finished as the second-highest run-scorer and joint fifth-highest wicket-taker. His 11 wickets included an astonishing 6 for 16 against the Lahore Qalandars, so far the best figures in the PSL’s short history. He has been retained, and might hope for a bit more support from his teammates this time around.Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard are the biggest T20 names, although their recent form has been mixed. Gayle was the third-highest scorer in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League, but his Bangladesh Premier League performance – of greater relevance, given where the PSL is being played – was ordinary, with 109 runs in five games. Pollard scored 145 runs in eight matches for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash, but Karachi Kings will need more than that from their volatile West Indians.Unburdened by the captaincy, Shoaib Malik may begin to play more freely. While his performance in last year’s edition was unremarkable, his outings in the CPL and the BPL have been solid – he has averaged 32.87 and 41.71 respectively. The evergreen Sangakarra, too, had a prolific BPL, ending up as the fourth highest run-scorer. However, his form in franchise T20 cricket over the past year or so has dipped, and might be a concern.The heart of the bowling attack has a Pakistani flavour, with Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan and Imad Wasim comprising the three likely frontline bowlers. Amir was decent without being earth-shattering for the Kings last year, while Imad Wasim’s stock has risen since 12 months ago, owing much to his stellar international showings.Key foreign player
Karachi have a host of big-name foreign players, but none of them really convinces, either because of form or age. In such circumstances, it might be best to revert to what is already known and highlight Ravi Bopara once more. How a player who has never shown signs of the T20 nous he exhibited last season took the league by storm was nothing short of stunning. He will ply his trade on similar tracks to the ones he hit such a purple patch on last season, but with significantly more confidence. Similar performances this time around may even see him pushing for an international recall after a two-year absence.Under-the-radar local lad
It has been more than six years since Shahzaib Hasan last played for Pakistan, but a monster hundred in a List A game two weeks ago might give us a glimpse of the form he’s in. As a World T20 winner with Pakistan in 2009, he is unlikely to be fazed by anything the PSL can throw at him. He played only two games for Karachi last year, but if the side’s batting superstars fail to live up to their billing, Shahzaib could be given an extended run in the side, and remind Pakistani fans why a World Cup winners medal hangs around his neck.Kumar Sangakkara’s inclusion should bolster Karachi Kings’ batting•Daily Star

Availability
There was no transfer activity during the replacement draft for the Karachi Kings. Everyone in the squad is available for the duration of the tournament, and there are no injury concerns.Coaches and Staff
Mickey Arthur (head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Rashid Latif (director), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Asad Ali (physio)Karachi Kings squad
Kumar Sangakkara (c), Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Amir, Ravi Bopara, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Ryan McLaren, Sohail Khan, Shahzaib Hasan, Saifullah Bangash, Khurram Manzoor, Kashif Bhatti, Abrar Ahmed, Abdul Hameed
Supplementary players: Mahela Jayawardene, Usama Mir, Rahat Ali, Amad Alam

The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2017The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction. The tenth IPL auction is set to take place in Bangalore on February 20.The Committee of Administrators was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations. The committee named three persons in particular – CK Khanna, Amitabh Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhry – and also warned that any other IPL governing council member attending the auction should do so only after they have self-assessed to determine that they do not stand disqualified as per the Lodha recommendations.The release sent out by the BCCI said: “Mr. CK Khanna, Mr. Amitabh Choudhary, Mr. Anirudh Chaudhry and any other persons who claim to be ex-officio members of the IPL GC on account of being office bearers of the BCCI shall not be entitled to attend the IPL Player Auctions since the issue regarding validity of the undertakings filed by such persons pursuant to the order dated 2nd January 2017 is still pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”Amitabh Choudhry had earlier tried to attend an India selection meeting as joint secretary but the Supreme Court had ordered that the meeting be convened by the board CEO Rahul Johri.The committee said it didn’t have the details of all the IPL members so they were expected to assess for themselves if they were disqualified. “The Committee of Administrators does not have complete data to determine whether each of the members of the IPL GC other than the ex-officio members are disqualified or not,” the release said. “In view thereof, the said other members are requested to assess for themselves as to whether they are disqualified or not. Should they attend the IPL Player Auctions, the concerned members would be deemed to have undertaken and represented that they are not disqualified as aforesaid.”The IPL governing council has four members out of which Rajiv Shukla, Jyotiraditya Scindia and MP Pandove stand disqualified under the Lodha Committee norms. Only Sourav Ganguly can now attend the auction. The committee said it might nominate persons as substitutes if required.The release said: “In the event less than 2 of the members are available to attend the IPL Player Auctions on 20th February 2017, any role that may ordinarily have been performed by the IPL GC in relation to the IPL Player Auctions will be performed by such persons as the Committee of Administrators may separately designate for the purpose, if required.”

Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said he is planning to meet the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan upon his return to the country to inform him of his future plans

Osman Samiuddin02-Mar-2017The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has come and gone – for Misbah-ul-Haq at least – but no decision has emerged on the Pakistan Test captain’s future in the game, or at least a decision he is willing to share publicly.On Wednesday night in Sharjah, after the defending champions Islamabad United were knocked out by Karachi Kings, Misbah said he was planning to meet the board chairman Shaharyar Khan upon his return to Pakistan to let him know about his future plans.Questions about his future have become a permanent feature at Misbah’s press events these days, though they have increased since the Test series defeat in Australia. He was even asked about it by Ramiz Raja in Sharjah at the post-match ceremony following his side’s exit.He has been resolutely non-committal in his responses: before the PSL, he told ESPNcricinfo he would take a call after seeing how he fares in the tournament; during it, he told ESPNcricinfo he was likely to go on Pakistan’s next assignment, a tour of the Caribbean, where they are yet to win a Test series.After Islamabad’s defeat, he chuckled when the first question on the subject came up. He was asked about comments he had made in which he suggested he could go to the Caribbean as a player and not as captain.”I don’t understand what you want to hear from me,” he said. “I was asked whether I would go as a player or as a captain and this decision is for the cricket board. I have to decide whether I want to play or not, but, obviously, the final authority is always the cricket board on who will or won’t be captain.”Part of what will no doubt form any decision is his form. He began the PSL well, with an unbeaten 61 against Lahore in Dubai, but has since trailed off with a series of low scores with low strike rates.On Wednesday, he was bowled by an Imad Wasim delivery that skidded through his defence. And he admitted afterwards that his lack of runs had “made a difference” to Islamabad’s campaign. “It is important to perform in such pressure situations. When, as a senior player you don’t contribute, you have pressure on you, on the team.”The words more or less echo those he had been saying while on duty for Pakistan over the last few months: he averaged 15 in four Tests across New Zealand and Australia, and just over 26 if you include the three Tests against West Indies in the UAE just before that.Given his mode of operation, it is unlikely Shaharyar will make the first move. He has left it to Misbah to inform him of the decision. “I want to decide soon,” Misbah said. “I am very happy that the chairman has given me this honour that he has left it to me to decide. I am honoured by that. Obviously, I will tell him sooner rather than later because there’s not much time now [to the West Indies tour].”I will now go to Pakistan and speak to the chairman and tell him whatever my final decision is.”