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Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai dedicated his team’s win over Ireland “to all the people of Afghanistan back home who supported us”. Afghanistan’s five-wicket victory over Ireland in the final Super Six match of the World Cup qualifying tournament secured their place at the 2019 World Cup in England.”I can’t express how happy they will be back home,” said Stanikzai. “Because everyone likes and supports this game back home. We didn’t even have a 10% chance to qualify after the first round, but after some support from people back home, the prayers of the people of Afghanistan, all the messages we received, all the messages on social media, it was not just the dream for our guys, but it was the dream of all Afghanistan as well. I can’t express how important it was for us, and for Afghanistan, to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. We especially want to dedicate this game to all the people of Afghanistan back home who supported us.””It was the dream of every senior player to qualify for the World Cup, because they knew it may be their last World Cup,” said Stanikzai. “So it was a dream for them, and it’s come true. You can see the joy in their celebrations, and they deserve it, the way they played. We are very happy.”Afghanistan made a disastrous start to the qualifying tournament, losing their group games to Scotland, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. They were without the belligerent presence of Mohammad Shahzad at the top of the order and behind the wicket after he was handed a two-match suspension after falling foul of the match referee during Afghanistan’s defeat to Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. They were also without their captain, Stanikzai, who had to undergo an emergency appendectomy soon after the squad’s arrival in Zimbabwe. Stanikzai said that his side were no strangers to hardship, or to the come-from-behind campaigns that have marked their ascent in world cricket.”If you look at the history of Afghanistan in qualifying tournaments, in the beginning we have struggled in the initial rounds of previous tournaments as well,” said Stanikzai. “This time unfortunately I got an operation for appendicitis, and I was much needed by the team, but in the second round I came back, the morale was up, and they knew, really knew, how important each game was for us. We had, somehow, hope. Especially before the UAE-Zimbabwe game. After that game, we knew our chances were increased, and now we’ve done it. I’m really happy with how the guys bounced back, it’s a great achievement. “Stanikzai returned to lead the side to a win over UAE earlier this week, and played a vital hand today with a quickfire 39. He reached the boundary repeatedly in his innings, despite being in obvious discomfort following his operation.”I’m not feeling that well, not 100%. I only had my operation two weeks ago. I still feel pain inside, especially when I was playing big shots. It was very hard for me to control. But this is us, we are the youngsters, we have to fight and sacrifice for our country. And that’s what we did. And I have done it. When the country needs me, I will be there. I will forget about the pain or whatever, the operation, and I’m proud that I have done this, my little contribution to my country.”Afghanistan’s win today ensured that they will take part in their second World Cup, but Stanikzai insisted that participation alone was no longer enough for his quickly developing team.”We would like not only to participate in the World Cup, but to perform and to even beat more countries because we’re not an Associate any more. Now we have to win because the higher you go, the higher the expectation.”Definitely we will accept that challenge.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos está oficialmente livre da punição junto a Fifa que impedia que a equipe inscrevesse novos jogadores. Conforme o LANCE! havia antecipado nesta quinta-feira (08), o Peixe chegou a um acordo com o Hamburgo (ALE) para que a ação referente a dívida pela contratação do zagueiro Cléber Reis, ainda em 2017, fosse suspensa.

– Temos uma grande notícia para a nação santista. Fomos comunicados pela Fifa, nesta manhã, que o transfer ban referente a dívida com o Hamburgo, que foi acertada, já está cancelada – disse em rolo em trecho publicado nas redes sociais do Santos FC.

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De acordo com o mandatário santista, o Departamento Jurídico do Peixe tem se movimentado para registrar os jogadores que já tem acertado, como o zagueiro Laércio, que veio do Caxias.

– Nosso Departamento Jurídico está correndo para registrar atletas que já estavam treinando com o elenco, mas não podiam ser inscritos por causa da punição.

Embora tenha chego a um acordo com o Hamburgo (ALE), o Peixe ainda não saldou as pendência que possui com os germânicos. Com juros e multa a dívida era de 4,5 milhões de euros, mas a equipe alemã topo a redução para 3,1 milhões, sendo 2,5 milhões de euros já pagos, mais 600 mi euros que serão parcelados em três vezes, com previsão de pagamento para dezembro de 2020, fevereiro e março de 2021. O candidato à presidência do Santos, Andrés Rueda emprestou 1,5 milhão de euros para o pagamento inicial, já o outro milhão já estava nos cofres santista, devido a recente venda do zagueiro Jackson Porozo ao Boavista (POR) e destravamento de recursos junto a CBF e Federação Paulista de Futebol.

أوضح كودي جاكبو سبب رفض عرضين من أندية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز قبل أن ينتقل إلى ليفربول.

جاكبو انتقل إلى ليفربول من آيندهوفن في شتاء 2022، وأوضح الهولندي أنه وجد صعوبة في اتخاذ قرار بشأن مستقبله.

وكشف جاكبو عن الطريقة التي قرر بها اتخاذ قرار حاسم فيما يتعلق بمستقبله، حيث كان يستعد للمشاركة مع آيندهوفن ضد فولندام في 31 أغسطس 2022، وكان لديه عرضين من ليدز يونايتد وساوثهامبتون.

وقرر جاكبو أنه إذا سجل هدفًا واحدًا في مرمى فولندام فسوف يوقع لساوثهامبتون، وإذا سجل هدفين فسوف يذهب إلى ليدز وإذا سجل ثلاثية فإنه سيبقى في آيندهوفن.

في تلك المباراة فاز إيندهوفن بنتيجة 7-1، وسجل جاكبو ثلاثة أهداف، وكان هناك شك حول هدفه الثالث لكن احتسب له في النهاية.

وكما ذكرت شبكة “ESPN”، قال جاكبو في فيلمه الوثائقي: “لديك قرار صعب اتخاذه، ثم تذهب للصلاة لتتحدث مع الله وتطلب الحكمة، فهمت ذلك”.

وأضاف: “قد يعتقد الناس أنني غريب، كان بإمكاني الذهاب إلى ساوثهامبتون، ودخل ليدز السباق وأراد آيندهوفن أن أبقى”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ليفربول يستعد لتلقي عروض رحيل كيليهر ويحدد سعر بيعه

وتابع: “لقد عرضت الخيارات الثلاثة المتاحة لي على الله، إذا سجلت مرة واحدة، سأذهب إلى ساوثهامبتون، إذا سجلت هدفين سأذهب إلى ليدز وإذا سجلت ثلاثة سأبقى في آيندهوفن”.

وأشار: “كنت جالسًا بجوار أحد أصدقائي المقربين على مقاعد البدلاء، جوردان تيز، قال لي الأمر بيد الله إذا قرر أنه هدف لي أم لا، في النهاية، تم منحه كهدف لي، وسجلت ثلاثية، لم أستطع الحصول على إشارة أوضح”.

جاكبو بقي في آيندهوفن حتى يناير 2023، عندما وقع مع ليفربول، وحتى الآن شارك في 79 مباراة وسجل 23 هدفًا مع الفريق الإنجليزي.

The Ashes may have gone and the possibility of a second successive whitewash is growing but the game in England and Wales is “in extremely good shape” according to the ECB’s chief executive

George Dobell23-Dec-2017The Ashes may have gone and the possibility of a second successive whitewash is growing but the game in England and Wales is “in extremely good shape” according to the ECB’s chief executive, Tom Harrison.While accepting the Ashes result was “disappointing”, Harrison believes that progress made elsewhere showed the ECB was doing good work. As a result, he said there would be no “knee-jerk reactions” to England’s defeat and suggested the positions of the coaching staff were quite safe.London Stadium decision expected in 2018

Tom Harrison has said the ECB is open to using the London Stadium – built for the 2012 Olympics and currently used by Premier League football club West Ham – as a venue for the 2019 World Cup. A test event is expected to be held next summer, to ascertain the viability of drop-in pitches at the ground.
“We’d very much like it to be used but the cricket has to be right,” Harrison said. “These are World Cup fixtures. The drop-in wickets are being grown. We’re at pains to ensure the cricket element has to be nailed. So we’ll run a proper test event at the end of the football season, which will enable us to mitigate some of the risk inherent in laying turf, dropping in wickets and floodlights. At some point in 2018, we’ll make a final decision.”

In particular, Harrison was encouraged by attendance figures, the success of the women’s team at the World Cup, the launch of the All Stars Cricket scheme and changes to the way the ECB is run.And while it seems doubtful many England supporters will be consoling themselves with the thought that the governance structure of the game has been altered – referred to by Harrison as “an exciting moment as it means the quality of decisions we make will be in the context of the future of the whole game” – the improved performance of the white-ball sides might provide more realistic grounds for encouragement.”The health of the game is more than just Ashes series overseas,” Harrison said. “We’ve had record-breaking attendances in domestic and international cricket, changed our governance structure, hosted two global events, won the women’s World Cup and launched a participation initiative for kids. We’ve had a successful entry into the broadcast rights market out of which we have secured the financial future of the game until 2024.”It’s a shame this series hasn’t gone our way but there’s more to play for over the course of the winter. It’s also important to remember that in every one of the three games England have been in a position where things could have worked out differently. We just haven’t managed to turn the screw in those moments. But we’ve remained pretty competitive even in Australian conditions.”We have a plan and we’re making progress on that plan. We’re in the middle of an Ashes series where England have been very competitive for large parts. What it has shown is that Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game, where those marginal periods of play can turn a game and we haven’t been able to do it.”We are in a process of delivering cricket across three formats. They’re making huge strides across the white-ball game, up to a place where we’re winning 70% or so of our white-ball matches – the ODI side in particular – and the T20 side is making good progress.”In Tests we’re finding it very difficult to win overseas. We did win a series in South Africa, which is a significant achievement, but we’ve found it difficult in Dubai, India and here. We’ve got to take a look at that. There are the moments you understand the progress that’s been made and it’s very difficult to look at it through the mirror of three matches over the course of a difficult Ashes series.”Tom Harrison•Getty ImagesHarrison did concede that the ECB had been “striving to find the answer” to England’s apparent deficit of pace bowling but expressed his belief in the performance centre at Loughborough. Instead, he felt there should be an emphasis on providing more sympathetic pitches for pace bowlers but insisted “this isn’t an alarm-bell situation”.”We’ve a fast bowling programme at Loughborough, which offers excellent results for the guys who go through it,” Harrison said. “The work we’re doing at Loughborough is there. The talent is there. You’ve seen George Garton, Mark Foottitt and Mark Wood. They’re all at that level. But for one reason for another, they’re not coming through. Whether due to injury or consistency. But this isn’t an alarm-bell situation.”These are the situations you can find yourselves in overseas. Sometimes you require different skill sets to the ones you can acquire in your own conditions. We have to look at that and wicket structures. There are questions about whether our wickets reward extra pace and how we can arrive in place with the right firepower to compete.”We have to be careful not to overreact half way through an Ashes series. We can all understand there’s some frustration and we haven’t been able to close those matches out. Now is not the moment to be overreacting. There will be no review. This is not the moment for knee-jerk reactions or rash decisions about what we do from here in respect of performance.”

Celtic have endured a mixed start to their season, having got off to the perfect start by defeating Ross County and Aberdeen, before suffering a shock exit in the Scottish League Cup, losing to Kilmarnock.

The Scottish Premiership champions then most recently drew 0-0 against St Johnstone in another frustrating outing for Brendan Rodgers' side.

With the first Glasgow derby of the season coming up against Rangers next, too, Celtic will hope to use the remaining days of the summer transfer window to fix any glaring issues. And that could lead them to targets in the Premier League. The Hoops have reportedly continued their interest in a winger in England's top flight.

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

So far this summer, Rodgers has welcomed a total of seven reinforcements, with the likes of Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke coming in to bolster Celtic's defensive options.

As highlighted in their recent 0-0 draw against St Johnstone, however, it is in attack that Celtic could do with reinforcements as we approach the end of the window.

It is easy to forget that the Scottish side entered this season significantly weaker going forward due to the summer exit of Jota to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. The winger scored 15 goals, and assisted a further 12 for Celtic in all competitions last season.

It is an output that the Hoops must replace, with a move for Luis Palma reportedly agreed, and it looks as if a Premier League attacker could also join.

According to Rudy Galetti, via GiveMeSport, Celtic have continued talks with Wolverhampton Wanderers over a potential deal for Daniel Podence before the window comes to a close. And, although there is a distance between prices, with Wolves placing a £12m asking price on the winger, the Scottish champions could use the fact that his contract comes to an end in a year's time to get themselves a cut-price deal. Galetti said:

"Talks between Celtic and Wolves over Daniel Podence are still ongoing. There is distance on the price tag set at around £12m, but the Scottish club will continue to work to lower the cost, while also leveraging on the last year of his contract.”

Who is Daniel Podence?

Failing to replace Jota could result in dire consequences for Celtic this season, making the arrival of Podence potentially imperative, particularly when it comes to defending their crown in Scotland.

As per FBref, the Portugal winger, on £52,000-a-week, is in the top 77 percentile for progressive passes, making 4.87 per game and, therefore, possessing a trait that should help unlock defences such as the St Johnstone and Kilmarnock ones that Celtic failed to score past last time out.

Podence has earned plenty of previous praise during his time at Wolves, too, including from Alan Shearer, who said, via Molinuex News:

"He was a real bright spark. He had a really good understanding with Jimenez.

“(On the goal) This summed it up perfectly. Give, go. It’s clever from Podence. He has a little look where he is, and that is just such a clever finish and that’s what won them the game."

Celtic have been credited with an interest in signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier in a new update, however, a number of other sides are also keen on the player.

Are Celtic signing Eric Dier?

The Hoops have been busy so far this summer, with a number of new players brought in to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ squad following his return as manager.

The most expensive of Celtic’s signings so far has been centre-back Maik Nawrocki from Legia Warszawa in a deal worth around €5m, and Elfsborg defender Gustaf Lagerbielke has also made the move to Parkhead.

Meanwhile, centre-back Carl Starfelt has left Glasgow for Celta Vigo, but it looks as if another potential defensive addition could be on the cards in Dier.

90min reporters Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh shared a transfer update regarding Dier in the last 48 hours. They claimed that the defender could leave Spurs before the end of the month, with a number of clubs, including Celtic, considering a move.

The player wasn’t involved against Brentford on Sunday despite being fully fit, and as he is into the final 12 months of his deal, the club could allow him to depart. Former side Sporting CP, alongside Monaco and Crystal Palace are named with an interest, while there are also clubs in the Bundesliga and even in Saudi Arabia who are keen.

How much does Eric Dier earn a week?

Dier has been on the books in north London since 2014 and is currently on a £85,000-a-week contract. The 29-year-old is primarily a centre-back but can also turn out as a right-back or even as a holding midfielder if required, so would provide plenty of versatility in Glasgow.

In total, the England international, lauded as a “beast” back at EURO 2016, has made 361 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions, contributing to 25 goals during that time.

The Nike-sponsored defender also came in for praise from Antonio Conte last year, who said:

“He’s working very hard and in this moment he’s one of the best defenders in the league. He has also big space to improve his performance and his quality and to become a stronger and stronger player.

“I’m sure if Eric continues to play this way, he has a great possibility to go to the World Cup because, I repeat, he’s one of the best defenders in this league.”

However, it doesn’t look as if he is in Ange Postecoglou’s plans in north London, so Celtic could look to take advantage.

As per FBref, Dier has been compared to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Newcastle’s Sven Botman over the past 12 months and has ranked highly for his ability on the ball.

Compared to his positional peers, Dier places in the top 20 for stats such as passes completed and attempted, progressive passing distance and passes received.

He is dispossessed just 0.03 times per 90, placing him in the 94th percentile, so Rodgers may see Dier as a shrewd addition at the right price, and a move could be one to watch over the coming weeks.

Match Facts

August 24, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900GMT)

Big Picture

If anything, the first ODI was even more of a pounding than the Tests had been. After Sri Lanka’s batsmen had taken turns torching their own innings in quick succession, India appeared as if they could have doubled Sri Lanka’s score in the fifty overs. Sri Lanka might not even have taken a wicket had Rohit Sharma’s bat not got been lodged in some sticky Dambulla soil. Then, completing the embarrassment, the team’s bus was held up by demonstrators, who demanded that Sri Lanka’s cricket be pruned of politics, and voiced their raucous displeasure at the team. Sri Lanka Cricket has been unpopular in the past, but it’s fair to say now that this particular board’s reputation is in tatters – worse than ever before.

Pandya with the new ball is a great option – Kohli

Virat Kohli believes Hardik Pandya, the new ball bowler, will lend a new dimension to India’s bowling attack as they look to narrow down on options ahead of the 2019 World Cup. Pandya has opened the bowling in six of his 18 ODI appearances so far.
“It’s quite possible, because he has the ability to swing the ball and he can bowl consistently over 135 kmph,” Kohli said. “With the new ball he can get a bit of extra bounce because of his height. We certainly look at it as a great option for us.
“If the teams try going after him, he can pick up a couple of wickets. Also (Jasprit) Bumrah is your strike bowler and he comes in one-change. The teams obviously will be a bit more wary against him so that really gives us good balance in terms of who to use when.”

It is a tour of increasing ease for India, who were always favourites, but would not have expected their success to come quite this easy. Shikhar Dhawan has buffed his stats beautifully in the island, hitting two hundreds in the Tests, and now posting a rapid ton in the first ODI. Virat Kohli might also have moved to triple figures on Sunday had the target been large enough to accommodate it. And Sri Lanka’s batsmen seem all too willing to lose wickets to whoever India throw the ball to.In the first match, they surrendered to the left-arm spin of Axar Patel, and the decidedly part-time stylings of Kedar Jadav. Beyond runs, wickets and rankings points, what are India themselves gaining from the contest? How will feasting on a meek Sri Lanka serve them as they build towards the 2019 World Cup?Sri Lanka have now returned to the site of their worst Test defeat in the island in the recent Test series (and in recent years), and must summon up the resolve to raise all three disciplines of their cricket out of their present shambles. The fielding hasn’t been talked about so much recently because the batting and bowling have been so bad, but with Upul Tharanga’s reprieve of Shikhar Dhawan, they have dropped no fewer than 63 catches (across formats) since the start of the year.Where, usually, when a team is struggling, the senior players might be expected to lead the way with good performances, it is Sri Lanka’s youngsters – Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka and the like – who seem most capable of lifting Sri Lank out of their pit.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLWW(completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWW

In the spotlight

Nine matches, seven wickets, an average of 61.71 and an economy rate of 5.93. There lie Lasith Malinga‘s returns since his ODI comeback this year. What these numbers don’t tell you is that Malinga has had no fewer than eight catches dropped off his bowling (at least half of them easy chances), but still, he is very reliant on his wiles now, where once he also had the option of blasting batsmen out with raw pace. Given the inexperience of the remaining bowlers, Sri Lanka need Malinga to spark the attack into form. It has often been said that thanks to the IPL, no one has seen more of Malinga than India’s batsmen, but it is also true that Malinga knows those batsmen better than anyone else.While one limited-overs legend wanes, a bowler that has benefited from Malinga’s mentorship aspires to fulfil a similar role for his team. Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t had the best 2017 so far, perhaps, claiming only 11 wickets at 41.81, but took 2 for 22 from 6.2 overs at Dambulla, and the Sri Lanka innings didn’t even get to the death-overs stage, where Bumrah ordinarily prospers. Having had an excellent start to international cricket last year, Bumrah will now hope to lock down a place in the XI for that 2019 campaign. His yorkers are already pinpoint, but a little more menace with the new ball could potentially see him become one of the best ODI bowlers around.

Team news

Sri Lanka have said that changes are on the way, and this generally means the attack is about to be switched up. Akila Dananjaya could replace Lakshan Sandakan on the spin-bowling front. Thisara Perera’s place could also be in question following his modest performance with ball and bat in the previous match. Milinda Siriwardana seems likeliest to replace him, provided Sri Lanka are happy to field three spinners.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Chamara Kapugedara, 7 Milinda Siriwardanan 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Vishwa FernandoKohli also hinted that India would try a few things in this series, but perhaps they will hope to win it first before any experiments are carried out. Their XI might be very similar to that which played at Dambulla. No one really had a poor game.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The Pallekele pitch can often be seam-friendly under lights, but that does not mean spinners cannot be very effective there. As ever, with this stadium, there is a chance play will be interrupted by rain.

Stats and trivia

• India have now won 15 of the last 19 ODIs between these two sides. For the year, they have won nine games and lost four.
• In 10 ODIs against Sri Lanka, Shikhar Dhawan has hit 757 runs at an average of 84.11 and a strike rate of 96.67. Among teams he has played more than one match against, Sri Lanka are easily his favourite opponent.
• India, meanwhile, are Lasith Malinga’s least-favourite opponent. He averages 43.88 and has an economy rate of 5.99 against them.
• The match will be Sri Lanka’s 800th ODI.

Quotes

“I havent had a look at the wicket yet. If the wicket is similar to Dambulla I don’t see any reason to change the team just after one game. As I said, it was a near perfect game for us… I wouldn’t say perfect because we came back into the game beautifully and then consolidated it with the bat. We looked really sharp in the field as well. I am very happy with how we went in the first game, and then we will decide after having a look at the wicket.”
“Malinga is a leader in the change room. We don’t look purely at what he can do with the ball, but also look at what he does for the young bowlers, and we have got a young mob of them. Stats may show that he hasn’t performed like the Lasith of three years ago, but what he does add in value is immeasurable. His stats would also look different if we held the catches off his bowling.”

Barisal Bulls won’t be part of the 2017 Bangladesh Premier League season after they were ousted for not meeting the financial terms and conditions set by the BCB

Mohammad Isam09-Aug-2017This year’s Bangladesh Premier League will be without Barisal Bulls after the governing council ousted them for not paying the tournament fees. The tournament will now have seven teams.”At a meeting today, we decided that Barisal Bulls will not be participating in the 2017 BPL,” governing council chairman Afzalur Rahman Sinha said. “They didn’t meet the BPL’s financial terms and conditions.”The Barisal franchise, co-owned by Axiom Technologies and BCB director MA Awwal Chowdhury, finished last in 2016. ESPNcricinfo understands that one of the owners was reluctant to run the team this year due to financial difficulties.Sinha said the Barisal players, including their icon player, were likely to be in the draft next month.

نجح الفريق الأول للكرة بالنادي الأهلي في تسجيل الهدف الثاني أمام نظيره سيمبا التنزاني، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع سيمبا على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار دور ربع نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وسجل محمود كهربا هدف الأهلي الثاني في الدقيقة 90+5، من ركلة جزاء تم احتسابها بعد عرقلة حسين الشحات.

طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | بتصويبة صاروخية.. عمرو السولية يُسجل هدف الأهلي الأول أمام سيمبا

وكان الأهلي قد تقدم بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة 48 عن طريق عمرو السولية من تسديدة قوية من داخل منطقة الجزاء، بعد تمهيد رائع للكرة من الفرنسي موديست. هدف الأهلي الثاني أمام سيمبا في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

Ramachandra Guha, one of the four members of the Committee of Administrators, has said the KSCA would insult the awardees if the state body boycotted the BCCI awards on March 8

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2017Ramachandra Guha, a member of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), has appealed to the KSCA to reconsider its “ill-advised” decision to boycott the annual BCCI awards and the MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture on Wednesday evening (March 8) in Bengaluru. Guha further said the state body would insult the awardees – present and past – by abstaining from the function.”You have thereby insulted the great cricketers who have won the award this year, including the Karnataka cricketer Shanta Rangaswamy, the first to get the woman’s award,” Guha wrote in an email addressed to KSCA president Sanjay Desai. “You have also insulted the awards themselves, and you have insulted all past awardees, including EAS Prasanna, GR Viswanath, BS Chandrasekhar, Syed Kirmani and all the greats from Karnataka that [KSCA secretary] Sudhakar Rao and you played with.”KSCA member hits back at Guha

The KSCA, in a statement signed by managing committee member Ashok Raghavan, responded to Ramachandra Guha’s comments on the association’s awards boycott, tagging his comments “despicable”. The statement said Guha was taking his job on the Committee of Administrators “far too seriously”, and that the member would continue to make “submissions every time when the [CoA] cross the line of authority either by way of their action or their words”.
“Your above remarks per se are uncalled for, unnecessary, disdainful, disparaging, despicable and condemnable to say the least,” the statement said. “I being the member of the Managing Committee, who has spent considerable time and energy in carrying out my duties… which is strictly honorary in nature, do not deserve such uncharitable remarks. I respectfully submit that I do not need a certificate from you or from anybody else for that matter, about my extent of love for cricket or lust for power as I personally know the hours I have spent in the Association for its betterment and smooth administration.
“… As a person of public repute far larger than me it is expected that you should have been more mature, measured and sensitive in your remarks… From your statements in the press it appears that you are taking your job far too seriously and making comments without even understanding the other point of view.
“… It is needless to state that the Apex Court has found some merit in your good self to bestow you with the onerous responsibility of a Member of the [CoA] and it would only be fitting if you could carry the confidence reposed in you by the Apex Court with maturity and wisdom.”

Guha called the decision to boycott the functions “foolish and petty”, and said it would send a message that the KSCA put its opposition to the reforms ahead of honouring cricketers. “Please do reconsider. Think of the message it will send – that KSCA hates reforms in cricket administration so much that it does not even wish to honour its own great cricketers. Do act like gentlemen and come join in the celebration of cricket and cricketers,” he said in the email accessed by ESPNcricinfo.BCCI CEO Rahul Johri had earlier invited state associations for the fifth Pataudi Lecture, to be delivered by former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer, and the board’s annual awards. However, the last paragraph of the invitation – “Kindly note that the committee of administrators is constrained to convey that only those office bearers who are qualified as per the Supreme Court orders are expected to attend the function” – struck a raw nerve with the KSCA.In its reply dated March 3, the KSCA said it would be a “humiliation to the very cricketing fraternity” to accept the invitation with constraints and restrictions. “It may seem very rude or undiplomatic, however, looking at the last paragraph of your invitation, we would like to ascertain that we are also constrained not to acknowledge, thank or even remotely think of attending this function,” the two-page mail, signed by Desai and Rao, said.Desai and Rao had also accused the CoA of treating cricketers and administrators shabbily. “Administrators and Cricketers who have contributed their time and energy and also have sacrificed immensely for the development of game over decades are being treated so shabbily by the Committee of Administrators as though all of them are of doubtful integrity,” their reply had said.Many state associations, who are likely to follow KSCA’s lead and stay away from the awards, have been critical of the CoA “overstepping” its role defined by the Supreme Court. Last week, these associations, barring Vidarbha and Tripura, sent the CoA separate emails saying they would not comply with its directives till they got clarification from the Supreme Court on aspects like eligibility of an office bearer.