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A more established cricket structure has helped Namibia reach the World Twenty20 qualifiers after finishing in the top two of the Africa Division One Twenty20 tournament

Firdose Moonda26-Jul-2011A more established cricket structure has helped Namibia reach the World Twenty20 qualifiers after finishing in the top two of the Africa Division One Twenty20 tournament. They last made international headlines when they qualified for the 2003 World Cup but are ready to get back on the biggest stage, with better organisation backing them this time.”The national team have a more professional approach towards the game,” Johan Rudolph, the Namibia coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “We have also been able to contract some players on a full-time basis.”Unlike many African Associates, Namibia have been able to invest money in the game. As part of the ICC’s High Performance Programme (HPP), they receive funding from world cricket’s governing body, but there is also a small contribution from the government, a larger sponsorship from cellular telephone company MTC and small donations from others.”We started in a garage which we used as an office and put into place a development program, financial budgets and administrative policies and procedures,” Laurie Pieters, chief executive of Cricket Namibia, said. “This has now grown so that we have a dedicated office with a chief executive, development manager, national cricket coach and 12 staff, including development co-ordinators and officers as well as a full-time ground curator with ground staff.”While the infrastructure has steadily got better, the cricket has yo-yoed between successful and disappointing. Namibia all but disappeared off the scene after the 2003 World Cup, where they failed to win a single match. Since then, they’ve taken small steps, first by qualifying for the Intercontinental Cup at the end of 2006, the HPP in 2007 and eventually playing in the final of the Intercontinental Cup against Ireland in the 2007-08 season.However, they have since dropped down to the World Cricket League Division Two and suffered a disappointing 2009 World Cup qualifier campaign, where they scraped through to the Super Eights and then finished last. Now, having been selected to play in the Intercontinental Cup again this year and with their success in the twenty-over version of the game, Namibia are aiming for a more steady progression, especially since their rebuilding phase is just about complete.”After the 2003 World Cup many of our players retired,” Pieters said. “However, we had a core group from which we could build another squad. Further to that there were promising Under-17 and Under-19 players who have graduated. We now have a settled squad, eight of whom have full-time contracts.” The likes of batsman Jan Berrie-Burger and allrounders Bjorn Kotze and Gerrie Snyman, who were in their early 20s during the 2003 World Cup, are now the senior players of the side. Youngsters such as Louis van der Westhuizen have come up the ranks from the Under-19s and are establishing themselves in the side.Together, that youth and experience combined almost flawlessly in the Twenty20 tournament in Kampala, where Namibia won eight matches before losing to Uganda in the final. Twenty-over cricket has been earmarked as the format in which smaller nations will be blooded in cricket. Despite that, only two slots have been made available for next year’s World Twent20 in Sri Lanka, and Rudolph thinks that all teams will “need to be on top of their game and be very lucky to qualify for this one.”He also does not want the country to focus on the shortest format only. “I don’t believe this is the only format for the Associates to be involved in. The longer version is where you learn the game and playing only T20 cricket can send the wrong message to the Associates,” Rudolph said.While matters off the field have improved, on the park Namibia still have a battle to fight when it comes to playing enough four-day cricket against quality opposition. “You can only practise so much and only play so much club cricket,” Rudolph said. “You need to create opportunities for teams to play against stronger opposition.” Namibia compete in South Africa’s amateur competition, which will become a semi-professional league from this season, exposing them to first-class cricket. They finished in last place in the competition in the 2010-11 season.

Darren Sammy is ready for Ireland. In fact, eager could be the right word

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mohali10-Mar-2011Darren Sammy is ready for Ireland. In fact, eager could be the right word. Barely a minute had passed after William Porterfield, the Ireland captain, finished with his pre-match press briefing. The ICC spokesperson was in the middle of his announcement that Sammy was scheduled to speak half hour later. Unknown to him Sammy was already there. Unprompted, he apologised to everyone about arriving early and without any notice. A gleaming smile and a few chuckles lit up the atmosphere.In the last month the West Indies have been through some rough times right from the build-up phase. Adrian Barath and Carlton Baugh picked up injuries during the warm-up stage and had to go back home. Then came a bigger shock, one that Sammy calls the turning point, when Dwayne Bravo buckled his knee against South Africa in their first match and was out of the World Cup. The agony was exacerbated by the seven-wicket loss in the same match. But in the next two matches, it seemed West Indies had bounced back with consecutive wins, against the Netherlands followed by the decimation of Bangladesh. The victory in Dhaka was the fastest result in the tournament but even before the players could plan any celebrations, angry local fans transformed themselves into party poopers and hurled stones at the West Indies team bus. It was Chris Gayle who had made the news public through at tweet and summed up the nerves best, “kiss teeth”. Next morning the drama intensified when the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat suggested the incident was cursory. Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, reacted furiously once he landed in Mohali.Suddenly cricket took a backseat. But today Sammy cleverly slid the attention back to the game. “Something happened there….” Sammy started with a smile, and left the sentence hanging briefly, asked if the furore following the stone-pelting in Bangladesh distracted his team. “It is behind us,” he finished to sum up his thoughts on the matter.Darren Sammy says West Indies are fully focussed on the task at hand•Getty Images

If anything the mood in the West Indies camp was buoyant. Batsmen and bowlers teased each other while going through the drills while the wise pair of Gibson and Richie Richardson kept a close watch, making sure there was a purpose and the players did not lose focus on the eve of an important clash, against one the most spirited contestants in the tournament – Ireland. The Irish have progressed fast since the last time both teams clashed in an international competition – the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean last year – in a group match which West Indies won.Sammy is wary of the team that shocked England in the most thrilling clash of the World Cup so far and gave a fright to India few days later. They now are in fray for a knockout berth, similar to the West Indies. “It is a team we never take for granted,” the West Indies captain said. “We have a lot of respect for them. They are a team that is improving constantly which shows their cricket is moving forward. We are definitely not taking them lightly. We have seen what they are capable of doing.”If he had praise for the opponent, he also showed faith in his own men. “Last two games have shown that if we execute our plans anything is possible,” Sammy said. According to him the West Indies remained confident about making the quarter-finals stage because all players were thinking as one. And that bonding would keep them positive and hungry. “The one thing is we have always had a good camaraderie. The past few weeks have been kind of up and down but we have stuck together as a team. We know what we are here for. All the guys have been managing the distractions quite well. The guys are really focussed and we know we have a job at hand,” Sammy said.Yet, West Indies are prone to be inconsistent. In the past their batsmen have failed to bring the required intensity to the contest, making it difficult for an already thin bowling attack. It was evident in the South Africa match, where after a good start the West Indies batting went into meltdown. A match that they should’ve won was lost. But against the Netherlands and then Bangladesh the West Indies flourished as they played joyously and won. “Against South Africa we knew where we went wrong. We were in a good position, we created opportunities where we could’ve taken a grip over the game but we did not. It is important that when we play against higher-ranked teams and we are in a position where we could affect a result in our favour. It is about maximising the chances presented in the game,” Sammy pointed out.After Ireland, the West Indies are slotted to face England and India. Hence tomorrow’s match has assumed a bigger significance. “Consistency is very important going forward. So far we have managed two wins, convincing wins and we will be riding on them. We will remember all the things we did in those games, take the positives and carry them forward to the next game,” Sammy said. Already Sammy is itching to have a go.

Cricinfo presents the plays of the day from the second day of the first Test between England and Pakistan at Trent Bridge

Andrew Miller and Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge30-Jul-2010Session of the day

When Pakistan are in town, beware the onset of complacency. England might have thought they had the game on a string by the end of the first day, with Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan locked into a double-century stand, but a good night’s sleep transformed the effectiveness of their opponents. With Mohammad Asif zipping the ball this way and that from a devastating full length, he claimed 4 for 5 in 23 balls, as England shed their last six wickets for 17 runs in an hour and 15 minutes. By the time Salman Butt had become James Anderson’s first victim in the fifth over of the Pakistan’s reply, the clatter of wickets had extended to a Marshall-esque 7 for 22.Confusion of the day

Graeme Swann is a man who can generally be relied upon to have his game-brain in gear, but today he cut a baffled figure at the crease. His stay was brief, only 13 deliveries, but in that time he sold his partner, Matt Prior, an outrageous dummy as they turned for a fatal third man and the end, when it came, was faintly comical. Asif zipped a length delivery flush into his front pad, and Tony Hill’s finger went up without hesitation. It was the batsman who paused, as Swann started walking down the pitch as if to consult over the referral, only to be reminded that Collingwood had already used up the final lifeline. So back to the pavilion he went.Toiler of the day

Last week at Edgbaston, Stuart Broad made a rare appearance for his county, Nottinghamshire, and celebrated the occasion by claiming career-best figures of 8 for 52. According to those at the ground that day, however, it was his wicketless new-ball partner, Ryan Sidebottom, who actually produced the better spell, which only goes to show how fickle the fates can be. Today, on the other hand – and in front of his home ground to boot – was not Broad’s day. While Anderson and Finn found the edge at will, Broad pounded away with an increasingly grumpy demeanour for 16.4 overs, and he had all but given up hope of reward when he finally burst through Danish Kaneria’s defences with the penultimate ball of the day.Drop of the day

If Kamran Akmal was Public Enemy No. 1 on the first day’s play with his horrendous glovework, Imran Farhat assumed that mantle today when he dropped Eoin Morgan’s thick outside-edge at first slip. It was a straightforward catch, which sailed straight towards him and Farhat had to just embrace it without a blink. Instead he simply floored it. Mohammad Aamer, the luckless bowler, was so disgusted he kicked the ground twice before finishing the over still shaking his head. Salman Butt, Pakistan’s captain, had a smile of disbelief as he squatted at mid-off. Farhat did not even have the decency to run to Aamer and apologise. That was the least he could’ve done.Team-mate of the day

Neither Hot Spot nor snickometer could pick up any edge or noise as Jimmy Anderson’s outswinger drew Azhar Ali forward to beat his defence, before brushing the batsman’s trouser pocket on its way to Matt Prior behind the stumps. The England players appealed in unison and Tony Hill, after a few moments, upheld the decision. Azhar seemed clueless and was not sure if he had nicked it. So he walked to Umar Akmal to consult if they should go for the review. Umar’s response was a curt shake of the head, and with a shrug of the shoulders, Azhar started walking towards the dressing-room. By the time he got there, the truth had been revealed on the TV replays. But it was too late to spare him his wicket.Bonus of the day

The bad light issue is one of the consistent blights on Test cricket. It’s all very well to flee the field when the heavens open and the ball becomes too wet to grip, but in an era when batsmen stride to the crease like knights in hi-tech armour, the issue of player safety is a pretty glib reason to curtail a day’s play at the first sight of a black cloud. So it was very satisfying to see the game extend into the gloaming towards the back-end of the day, with the floodlights kicking in to complement the fading daylight. And as if to prove that the conditions were perfectly playable, Umar Gul swiped Anderson for six to haul Pakistan ever closer to the follow-on mark. The umpires eventually bowed to nature to a chorus of understandable boos, but the fans had seen more cricket than would usually have been possible in the circumstances.

Steve Waugh, the former Australia captain, believes Michael Clarke’s decision to quit the tour of New Zealand will not affect his chances of becoming a Test captain

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2010Steve Waugh, the former Australia captain, believes Michael Clarke’s decision to quit the tour of New Zealand will not affect his chances of becoming a Test captain. Clarke, currently the Test and ODI vice-captain and Twenty20 captain, returned home on Sunday to sort out his troubled relationship with fiancee Lara Bingle, who is at the centre of a nude photo controversy.Clarke’s sudden departure sparked debate over his suitability to eventually replace Ricky Ponting as Australia’s next Test and one-day captain, with Ian Chappell and Mark Waugh among those questioning his future role. However, Waugh said Clarke’s leadership ambitions should be judged by his performances and not off-the-field incidents.”I hope it doesn’t affect his captaincy, I don’t think it would,” Waugh told the . “Michael has captained the team in the past and I don’t think this would stop that in the future.”Waugh said other Test players had experienced similar situations in the past without leaving the team. “It’s a difficult one, it’s a personal issue,” he said. “If it was for the benefit of the team and Michael then these things have to be negotiated.”Everyone is different, some players like to have their families around them when they are on tour, others prefer solititude. It helps them concentrate on the cricket pitch. It’s important to have a good support network around them, if you have a look at the top players who play for a long time they all have good support.”Clarke has been named in a 14-man squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand later this month, but Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket, said he did not know when the batsman would return.”I’ve talked to him over the last few days and we have a Test tour looming,” Brown said. “I would hope he’s part of that group. There is no point in forcing any player to go back into a cricket team when he’s not comfortable because the team won’t be comfortable to have him and that’s the message the captain has given me. Ricky wants Michael back 100% committed to cricket, that’s when he wants him back.”We’ll talk again over the next couple of days and our intention hopefully is to get him back in the side for the Test match.”

Sri Lanka are looking to host India for three Tests and an ODI tri-series, with New Zealand the third team, later this year

Sa'adi Thawfeeq24-Jan-2010Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is looking to host India for three Tests and an ODI tri-series, with New Zealand the third team, later this year to help fill the void that exists in their international calender for 2010. Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, has confirmed the home board is in talks with its counterparts over the tour, which will likely take place in July and August.”The Test series is almost certain of coming through,” said Ranatunga. “We are awaiting confirmation from India and New Zealand on the tri-nation series.”The dates for the proposed series are yet to be finalised but Ranatunga said they would be held
between July 9-24 (ODIs) and July 28-August 15 (the Tests).India toured Sri Lanka in 2008 for three Tests and five ODIs, and last year visited for a limited-overs series against the hosts in January-February and a tri-series, also featuring New Zealand, in September. Sri Lanka then visited India late in 2009 for a full series, losing the Tests and ODIs and squaring the two Twenty20s. They then came up against each other thrice in a tri-series in Bangladesh this month, with Sri Lanka beating India in the final. In the past five years, in fact, Sri Lanka and India have been involved in over 50 contests – nine Tests, 39 ODIs and three Twenty20s.Sri Lanka’s only confirmed series in 2010 is a home contest against West Indies – two Tests and three ODIs – at the end of the year. With none of the other full member countries having any free space available in a crowded international calendar, India are the only country that Sri Lanka can look for help.Further, the Asia Cup is also slotted from June 15-28 and there is every possibility that Sri Lanka could host it. With relationships between India and Pakistan not too good at the moment following the IPL snub on the Pakistani cricketers, it is very unlikely that the Asia Cup will be held in India. The probability is if Sri Lanka does not host it, the Asia Cup may well go to Bangladesh.A further snag, according to Ranatunga, is that the timing of the Asia Cup happens to coincide with the football World Cup in South Africa and the commercial aspect of it has also to be looked at. If it is not favourable, the Asia Cup may have to be postponed to a later date. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which conducts the Asia Cup, is expected to take a decision on this before the end of the month.Sri Lanka, who beat India in the recently concluded tri-series in Bangladesh, will meet them again in another tri-series scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe after the ICC World Twenty20 in May. Sri Lanka are also due to make a short tour of Australia for a series of three ODIs and a Twenty20 in September.

Worcestershire succumb in an hour’s play on final morning as hosts eye runners-up finish

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2024Kyle Abbott put Hampshire on course for their best Vitality County Championship since 2005 after beating Worcestershire by 235 runs.Abbott took four of the five remaining Worcestershire wickets to return five for 36 and his fourth five-wicket haul of the season.Hampshire collected maximum points to move above Somerset and into second place, ahead of a trip to Taunton to conclude the season next week, with James Vince’s side last finishing as runners-up under Shane Warne’s captaincy.Worcestershire needed 277 more runs to win on the final day, but only lasted until 11.30am as Abbott ran rampant.Abbott broke through in the sixth over of the day as he skidded a short delivery into Ethan Brookes’ ribs.The first-innings centurion attempted to pull, but it dragged off his glove and to Toby Albert at leg slip – who took a stunning diving catch.Jake Libby scored a patient half-century the previous evening but only added a further two runs before he became Abbott’s second scalp in two overs.The South African found significant inwards movement to take an inside-edge onto pad and to Vince at first slip.Albert produced a second brilliant piece of fielding of the morning as Joe Leach’s penultimate Championship appearance ended in a run-out – after Logan van Beek had turned down a single.Tom Taylor came out to bat at No.11 with a runner, but either side of some Amar Virdi swinging, but only lasted six balls before he edged Abbott behind.Abbott now has 46 scalps in the Championship this season, having completed the game an hour into day four with the hosts bowled out for 158.

Justin Langer confident in Australia’s fast-bowling depth if reinforcements are needed

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2021Cameron Green’s role with the ball shapes a crucial part of Australia’s Ashes plans both in terms of the workload of captain Pat Cummins and whether rotation of the other quicks will be needed during the series.It is, though, unlikely that Australia will field the same fast-bowling trio through all five Tests meaning that Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc could be in line for a break during the series.Last season, it was felt that the quicks had run out of steam by the final match against India although the first two games had been over in less than three and four days respectively.Cummins’ position, as a rare fast-bowling captain, will be in the spotlight but he has shown remarkable durability since returning to Test cricket in 2017 and has missed just two matches.Related

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Green was wicketless in his debut series against India last season while sending down 44 overs and his bowling numbers have blown out since having stress fractures of the back. However, even if he is not striking regularly, the ability to bowl 12-15 overs a day and not let the run rate get away will be vital – Green conceded 2.68 runs per over against India – while Marnus Labuschagne could also have a part to play.”[Cummins] will be fine strategically, it will just be maintaining the balance of everything else that goes with his bowling load and then captaining and all the other commitments that come with it. So we’ll keep an eye on that,” Justin Langer said. “Cameron Green is going to be important there with his extra bowling that he can give. Marnus bowling some as well.”Cameron Green is waiting for his first Test wicket•Getty Images

Cummins has acknowledged that knowing when not to bowl himself, or to end a spell, could be among his tougher decisions. “I think that’s going to be one of the main things that I have to be aware of,” he said. “There’s a lot of experience in the side. Sometimes I might need to listen to what they’ve got to say more than what I’ve got to say myself.”Langer, who said he knew the XI for the Gabba but would keep it under wraps, did not commit to the need to rotate the quick bowlers outside of injury problems but was confident in the depth in the squad. Jhye Richardson has been in impressive form this season for Western Australia with 23 wickets at 13.43 while Michael Neser is on track after a hamstring injury. Sean Abbott and Mark Steketee are also part of the Australia A squad.”Last year there was a lot of discussion at the end of the India series,” Langer said. “We had some criticism that we used the same bowlers, but you can turn that on its head and say it’s actually a real credit to the bowlers who are so fit and the support staff that guys can get through four Tests and not break down. We’ll work through it. What I do know is we have a lot of talent and we keep seeing that.”Jhye Richardson is in great nick, he’s bowled beautifully in Shield cricket. Michael Neser is coming back from his hamstring and he’s one of the heartbeats of the team.”Asked whether Labuschagne’s medium pace, which has become more frequent in domestic cricket, could make an appearance, Langer said: “I’m very happy to see him bowl legspin at the moment…you never know, Matthew Wade bowled a few overs of seam up, but I like to see his leggies.”

The opening pair put on 181, the highest ever IPL stand for any wicket for CSK

Deivarayan Muthu04-Oct-20201:35

Should Kings XI Punjab now look at playing Mujeeb Ur Rahman?

After losing three matches in a row, the Chennai Super Kings finally ditched their go-slow at the top and maximised the powerplay, dragging themselves off the bottom of the points table with a ten-wicket shellacking of the Kings XI Punjab in Dubai. Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson reeled off an unbroken 181 together for the first wicket – the highest partnership ever for the Super Kings – to hand the Kings XI their fourth defeat. It was also the second-highest target chased down in the IPL without losing a wicket.Du Plessis, in particular, wasn’t fluent in the early exchanges, but he chanced his arm and kept clearing the infield. In the last over of the powerplay, du Plessis flitted around the crease and carted Chris Jordan for four fours in five balls, seemingly ruining the bowler’s 32nd birthday.After managing 4, 33, 14, 1 in his first four innings this season, Watson, too, dashed out of the blocks rolling out his vintage slog-sweeps and lofts down the ground. He was the first to raise his half-century, off 31 balls, before du Plessis brought up his own landmark off 33 balls. The pair then cranked up the tempo further and toyed with a Kings XI side that had drafted in Jordan to beef up their bowling attack in place of New Zealand allrounder Jimmy Neesham.The Kings XI had started strongly, too, earlier in the evening, with captain KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal putting together their third fifty-plus opening stand in five innings. Rahul cut out all risks and was on 46 off 44 balls at the start of the 15th over; the Kings XI were 114 for 2 at that point. However, the big acceleration didn’t quite come to pass as Shardul Thakur had Rahul edging behind for 63 off 52 balls with a slower yorker. Thakur had also dismissed the big-hitting Nicholas Pooran in the same over – the 18th – to help limit the Kings XI to 178 for 4.Rahul and Agarwal at it again
After opting to bat, Rahul saw off the early swing from Deepak Chahar and only went on the offensive when the Super Kings’ seamers provided him width. At the other end, though, Agarwal was more adventurous, backing away outside leg and clattering Chahar over extra-cover. He then nailed a front-foot pull off a heavy-length delivery from Thakur. However, legspinner Piyush Chawla cut short Agarwal’s knock at 26 off 19 balls with his first delivery.Mandeep Singh, who was picked ahead of Karun Nair, infused more urgency into the innings, taking Chawla for 20 off just nine balls. Then, when he tried to take on Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm fingerspin, he drilled him straight to Ambati Rayudu at extra-cover. After not picking up a single wicket in his last three matches, Jadeja got away to 3-0-17-1. However, the left-handed Pooran messed with his figures, cracking him for back-to-back boundaries in his final over, including a massive six over midwicket. In contrast, Rahul continued to play himself in for the slog overs.Thakur stays alive at the death
Rahul raised his fifty off his 46th ball with a six and hit the next two balls for boundaries as well. Just when he threatened to accelerate, Thakur tricked him with a slower wide yorker that found his outside edge. Dhoni dived to his right and became the second wicketkeeper, after Dinesh Karthik, to bag 100 catches. A ball before removing Rahul, Thakur had Pooran skying a catch for 33 off 17 balls. Although, Sarfaraz Khan got two fours away off the first two balls off the last over, Thakur adjusted his pace and lines to close out the innings well. In all, the Kings XI scored only 37 off their last four overs.Hello, again, CSK
Watson set the tone for the Super Kings’ chase when he planted his front leg and lofted left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell over mid-on in the first over. The Kings XI then threw Harpreet Brar into the powerplay, matching him up with Watson, who tends to struggle against left-arm fingerspinners. In the game against the Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel found drift and cramped him for room, drawing a weak pull to deep midwicket. Watson, though, lofted Brar over his head and settled down. Du Plessis then kept swishing at the ball, exploiting the field restrictions, taking the Super Kings to 60 for 0 in six overs. It was the first time this season that the Super Kings openers had moved past the powerplay unscathed.With Chawla, Shardul Thakur, and Deepak Chahar at Nos. 9, 10, and 11, Watson and du Plessis kept going after the bowlers. Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi put Watson off with his reverse diagonal run-up across the umpire like how Mumbai Indians’ Rahul Chahar often does. However, he, too, wasn’t spared as Watson smoked him past extra-cover and then Jordan returned to cop more punishment from Du Plessis.Du Plessis finished the chase off in grand fashion in the 18th over with a one-handed six followed by a punched four off Mohammed Shami.

Jayant Yadav, the India offspinner, is set to make a comeback from injury during the two-day practice match between India A and the touring Bangladeshis in Secunderabad on February 5 and 6

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2017Jayant Yadav, the India offspinner, is set to make a comeback from injury during the two-day practice match between India A and the touring Bangladeshis in Secunderabad on February 5 and 6. Jayant has not played a competitive game since missing the fifth Test against England with a hamstring strain.Jayant is one of three spinners in the India A squad, the others being the left-arm orthodox spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and the left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav. Aniket Choudhary, Chama Milind and allrounders Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar make up the pace options. Abhinav Mukund will lead the side, which also includes Shreyas Iyer and Priyank Panchal, the top run-getters in the last two editions of the Ranji Trophy, and three wicketkeepers in Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and Nitin Saini.India A squad: Abhinav Mukund (capt), Priyank Panchal, Shreyas Iyer, Ishank Jaggi, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Aniket Choudhary, Chama Milind, Nitin Saini (wk).

The Western Cape Cricket (WCC) board will meet before Friday to decide whether they implement a suggestion from dispute resolution body to appoint an independent assessor to look into Paul Adams’ role as Cobras’ head coach

Firdose Moonda18-Oct-2016The Western Cape Cricket (WCC) board will meet before Friday to decide whether they implement a suggestion from dispute resolution body, the Council for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), to appoint an independent assessor in 14 days time to look into Paul Adams’ role as Cobras’ head coach. The CCMA made the recommendation after several Cobras players, through the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), took their grievance with Adams to the body, following a breakdown in the board’s ability to resolve long-standing issues.Seven franchise players were present at the CCMA on Tuesday to state their case but an insider told ESPNcricinfo he does not believe the board will implement the CCMA’s motion because they have already given Adams their backing. The source predicts more battles between the board and players on this matter.Although none of the players’ complaints about Adams have been made public, 10 out of the 17 contracted players have stated on the record that they do not believe he is the right man to take the team forward. They first made their unhappiness known at the end of the last season but Cobras offered Adams a two-year contract extension. The players then raised a formal grievance and the WCC appointed a mediator, Paddy Upton, to try to find a resolution.Upton compiled a report in which he interviewed some but not all of the players and concluded that Adams should stand down and be redeployed in a different capacity at the franchise. The WCC chose not to implement those measures because they said they found material deficiencies in Upton’s report, relating to the number of players he spoke to. The players then sought the help of SACA, who have assisted them in taking the case to the CCMA.On Tuesday at the CCMA meeting, Tony Irish, SACA CEO, believes some positive steps were taken. “It may well be the first time that players and the board have exchanged such frank views on the issue,” he said. “The parties have given themselves a clear two-week period to come up with a mechanism which will hopefully finally resolve this dispute.”If, by November 1, the board and the players have not reached a mutual agreement, the matter can return to the CCMA for further discussion.The ongoing saga into Adams’ future has coincided with the start of the season which has not gone well for Cobras. They have lost their opening two matches by big margins and their second fixture, against Knights was marred by a bad-tempered incident when Cobras’ batsman Zubayr Hamza was given our handling the ball. A eye-witness said members of both teams were involved in verbal altercations and there may yet be disciplinary proceedings. Cobras play Warriors in their third first-class match at Newlands, starting on Thursday.