All posts by n8rngtd.top

The Cricket Association of Bihar has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court verdict of July 30

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Aug-2013In a move that could further delay the return of N Srinivasan as the active BCCI president, the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) has filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court verdict of July 30. The High Court had ruled that the BCCI had violated its own rules in the formation of the inquiry commission investigating the corruption allegations against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals and their owners, and the CAB contended in its petition that the High Court could have recommended an alternative method of investigation.On August 7, the BCCI had filed its own SLP in the Supreme Court against the High Court judgment. In its 13-page SLP, the BCCI contested the High Court order, asking how the CAB’s public interest petition could have been entertained when the Indian board was a private body.The two-judge bench of Justices AK Patnaik and Jagdish Singh Khehar had asked CAB to file their reply by August 29. However in the wake of CAB’s SLP, the hearing has been pushed back by a day and will be heard now on Friday. The CAB’s SLP, filed on August 17, sought no interim relief.The CAB’s main contention in its SLP is that the High Court, having established that the BCCI had broken its own rules in setting up an investigation, could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations. The BCCI’s inquiry had cleared Gurunath Meiyappan, who is Srinivasan’s son-in-law, and Raj Kundra and the two franchises they were part of, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.In their 61-page order, High Court Justices SJ Vazifdar and MS Sonak had said that although it could not be firmly established, there was a “degree of involvement” of Srinivasan in setting up the original three-man probe commission.In the SLP, the CAB asked, “whether the High Court, having found that the constitution of the Commission was not in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of Respondent No. 1 (BCCI), and having acknowledged that a key focus of the probe panel was a close relative of Respondent No.2 (Srinivasan), was right in refraining from suggesting a fail-proof mechanism to enquire into the facts leading to the publicly known allegations?”During the High Court hearing, the BCCI legal counsel had argued strongly that the inquiry was set up under the IPL’s Operational Rules. However, the judges had concluded that the BCCI had broken rule 2.2, which made it mandatory that at least one member of the IPL Code of Behaviour committee sat on the probe panel.The CAB’s lawyers also argued that they filed the SLP because the “reputation” of BCCI was at stake, and that the IPL scandal wasn’t merely a question of disciplinary problems.”…the High Court failed to appreciate that the IPL Operational Rules are only concerned with breaches of discipline that affect the IPL. The present matter deals with alleged violations that, if enquired properly, would likely bring into question various broader issues, such as the integrity of players (who may, after the IPL season, play under the India banner), nexus between administrators of the Board, administrators of IPL teams and players, and various other factors that have led to the sharp reputational crisis that faces Respondent No.1 today,” the SLP said.The important ground listed in the CAB SLP dealt with the powers given to the BCCI president whenever a probe committee is set up. “The relevant power is available under Rule 32, which on a reading makes it clear that the President of Respondent No.1 (BCCI) must lead such enquiry as the appointing authority, overseeing authority and the authority to whom such enquiry commission’s report is to be submitted. In the present matter, given that the enquiry relates in large measure to the role of a close relative of Respondent No.2 (Srinivasan) who is also the de-facto President, and the team belonging to Respondent No.3 (India Cements) in which he is a key shareholder and Director, it is not possible to hold an enquiry that both appears and also is fair and transparent,” the SLP said.Although the BCCI was tight-lipped about the latest events, the Supreme Court order will carry a lot of significance. A decision favouring Srinivasan would facilitate his taking over as president immediately, ending the brief reign of the interim BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya.However, any delay in the court proceedings is likely to have an impact on Srinivasan’s tenure as the president. Under normal circumstances, Srinivasan would have officially sought the constitutionally allowed one-year extension (till September 2014) to his time as president at the board’s AGM on September 30, but that will be under a cloud if his legal problems aren’t cleared by then.

Bangladesh’s vice-captain, Mahmudullah is expected to get an extended run and retain his place in Bangladesh’s 14-man squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which starts on November 9 in Chittagong

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2013Bangladesh’s vice-captain, Mahmudullah is expected to get an extended run and retain his place in Bangladesh’s 14-man squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which starts on October 9 in Chittagong. The allrounder has had a horrid run in the last two Test series and was dropped from the second Test against Zimbabwe in Harare.Paceman Al-Amin Hossain and batsman Marshall Ayub are also tipped to be in the squad, while opener Anamul Haque is likely to return after missing the Zimbabwe tour due to college exams.Mahmudullah’s place would have been in doubt after he scored 34 runs in his last six Test innings, but he has three factors working in his favour: his ODI form is relatively better, he provides assurance as a senior batsman at No. 8, and he can make up for the lack of experience created by the absence of Mohammad Ashraful. For a team that lacks international experience and will grasp any form it has available, a turnaround in Mahmudullah’s Test fortunes would come in handy.In six ODIs this year, Mahmudullah has scored 177 runs at an average of 44.25. In 2012, he averaged 70.66, and was instrumental in Bangladesh’s ODI series win over West Indies. In the ongoing Dhaka Premier Division, he has led Gazi Tank Cricketers, but has only scored 81 runs in three innings. In Test cricket, his unusual batting position at No. 8 has yielded surprising results – in 16 innings, he has scored a century and four fifties and averaged 42.21.At the top of the order, Anamul is likely to return and partner Tamim Iqbal at the cost of Jahurul Islam, who worked hard to get runs in Sri Lanka but couldn’t reach any milestones. Bangladesh would have benefited from Jahurul’s presence, because he complements Tamim’s aggression, but it is likely that Anamul will beat Jahurul to the second opener’s slot.There will also be a battle for Nos. 3 and 4 in the batting line-up and it is likely that the selectors and the team management will look to Marshall Ayub and Naeem Islam to fill these places. Both are right-handed batsmen, with Naeem having had success recently before being sidelined by injury.In the first Test against the West Indies last year, Naeem scored Bangladesh’s first century at No 4 since Aminul Islam’s 144 in the inaugural Test 12 years ago. But he picked up a groin injury during the Bangladesh Premier League in January and missed the tours to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Marshall, on the other hand, has been scoring plenty of runs in the domestic scene in the last 18 months. He has notched up six centuries at different levels and was a part of the Test squad in Sri Lanka, although he didn’t get a game.The next three batting positions, occupied by captain Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain, are settled. The only other concern is the fitness of the pace bowlers Robiul Islam (hamstring injury) and Rubel Hossain (muscle stiffness); Al-Amin is a expected to be a back-up in the attack. Robiul, who was man-of-the-series in the Test series in Zimbabwe, and Rubel are expected to recover in time for the first Test.Offspinner Sohag Gazi, the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in 2012-13, will once again be playing second fiddle to Shakib Al Hasan. He would be expected to take the bowling load, although there has been talk of Gazi taking it easy at training for his Dhaka Premier Division club, Prime Doleshwar SC. His form, however, remains encouraging and can test the visitors.

Ashley Giles’s disclosure at a Lancashire members forum that Andrew Flintoff is unlikely to play any cricket for Lancashire this season should surprise no one

Paul Edwards28-Apr-2015Ashley Giles’s disclosure at a Lancashire members forum that Andrew Flintoff is unlikely to play any cricket for Lancashire this season should surprise no one.The demands made on current players, even T20 specialists, are not easy to balance with a host of media appearances and the player himself said at the end of the Big Bash that he was struggling to square his many other commitments with the regimen of a professional sportsman.Even at Lancashire, the county represented with such distinction by that mighty trencherman Jack Simmons, chip-van tours and cricket no longer mix.Old Trafford coach Giles was already finding it difficult to contact Flintoff and had opted to send him texts, facts which scarcely suggest a very close relationship between the pair.Moreover, the player himself had been forthright in his criticism of his county during a winter in which a number of loyal servants, including Academy Director John Stanworth, had been made redundant. That might also have made a return to the staff pretty difficult.This summer Flintoff has a stand-up tour arranged in addition to his TV commitments and whatever other bookings and his representatives accept.Lancashire supporters will therefore have to content themselves with their memories of his three appearances in the 2014 NatWest T20 Blast, the last of which took place in the final at Edgbaston when his eight-ball 20 not out just failed to secure the trophy for his team.From there, there was a Big Bash season where Flintoff was a popular figure at Brisbane Heat but he made more of an impact as a commentator than a player and he conceded when it was all over that the end of the road was nigh.It is surely pretty unlikely that any other county will offer Flintoff a T20 contract, although the temptation to ask Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie whether he has considered the possibility may be too delicious to resist.

Brendon McCullum was conscious not to be drawn into the Kevin Pietersen debate but was happy to expand on his and New Zealand’s team philosophy, which has underpinned their rise up the Test rankings

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's20-May-20152:00

A Lord’s Test is a wonderful experience – McCullum

Trust has been one of the buzzwords around English cricket since Andrew Strauss uttered it when explaining – or trying to, at least – his decision to tell Kevin Pietersen he would not be selected this summer. From many of those desperate for a reason for the continued exile it was not a phrase that went down very well, but in Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, there is a man seemingly of a similar mindset when it comes to values.McCullum was very conscious not to be drawn into the Pietersen debate, but was happy to expand on his and New Zealand’s team philosophy, which has underpinned their rise up the Test rankings to No. 3. It has been a climb engineered by McCullum and Mike Hesson who came together during a fractious change of leadership in late 2012.Although they have not had a situation exactly like that of Pietersen, they had to deal with a disenfranchised Ross Taylor – the man who McCullum replaced as captain – and took the call to abort attempts to find a space for Jesse Ryder at the World Cup.”The way we run a cricket team may not work in other cultures,” he said. “In New Zealand we are small and have the ability to be dynamic, be innovative but you need buy-in to be able to do that. That’s a lot easier to do when you are a small country and have a small nucleus of players. That’s the way we have tried to build our group, there is a lot of trust in that. Guys trust you are leading them in the right direction, but that might not work in different environments. We know that’s the best way for us.”Neither was McCullum willing to take the bait over whether this was in ideal time to be playing England with the pressure surrounding Alastair Cook and Paul Farbrace in temporary charge. In fact, there was a feeling approaching empathy from McCullum, who still has fresh memories of the chaos that surrounded his side not too long ago.”Every team has its challenges, we’ve had ours that I’ve alluded to. The way we skin the cat is that we need everyone having total buy-in to the team environment. Every environment is different and without being among the England team it’s very hard to make an informed decision on KP and the relationships within the group. It would be foolish of me to make outlandish statements.”They are obviously going through some challenges, we’ve been there as well and understand what every team has to go through, but they are still stacked full of world-class players. In their own conditions they will be a tough proposition and we are by no means thinking we have got them. We know we’ll have to play extremely good cricket.”New Zealand’s recent record suggests they are capable of that level of cricket. Last year was their most successful in Tests, with five victories, and they have elevated themselves from seventh in the world rankings. However, despite fewer resources than some nations, McCullum remains far from satisfied.”We’ve made some significant changes and are starting to play some really good cricket, but are only No. 3. Yes, we started down the order but there are still improvements to make,” he said.”You want to get to the top, and when you get there you want to stay there and when you stay there you want to push the game forward. That’s the motivation we’ve got, but it will take a lot of hard work. This will be a tough challenge, but if we can perform here then we take another stride in the right direction.””We also play the game with a level of respect that a couple of years ago we perhaps didn’t have and I think that’s one of the proudest things. We’ve seen guys become good cricketers but good people as well. As a captain, I’m pretty proud of that.”For McCullum and Cook two years has been a very long time. Perhaps, if the chance arises, they can share a chat over beer. They would have a few tales to tell.

Durham’s limited-overs captain Mark Stoneman made the county’s second highest Twenty20 score of 89 not out to lead his side to a 38-run NatWest T20 Blast win over Leicestershire

ECB/PA03-Jul-2015
ScorecardMark Stoneman’s unbeaten 89 took his side to a winning score•Getty Images

Durham’s limited-overs captain Mark Stoneman made the county’s second highest Twenty20 score of 89 not out to lead his side to a 38-run NatWest T20 Blast win over Leicestershire.Defeat was a blow to Leicestershire’s hopes of reaching the last eight as they prepare to lose the O’Brien brothers, Niall and Kevin, to Ireland’s ICC World T20 qualification bid. They were also without skipper Mark Cosgrove, as his wife was about to give birth, and acting captain Grant Elliott left himself with too much to do.Elliott went in at 35 for 3 in the seventh over in reply to 163 for 5 and when Ben Raine was run out three overs later 106 were needed off the last ten. After securing a tie against Yorkshire by conceding only five in the last over, it was an unhappy return to his home county for Raine. He took none for 56 and spent 20 balls over 19 runs when sent in at No. 4.When Elliott fell lbw trying to hit Scott Borthwick to leg in the 11th over the remaining batsmen faced a hopeless cause and they were all out for 125 with one ball unused.

Insights

Usman Arshad had an outstanding match. His quickfire 28 – which included just one boundary but plenty of good running between the wickets – in a 65-run partnership with Stoneman saved Durham after a mild middle-overs stumble, then Arshad picked up three wickets with his nagging seam bowling, including in-form Agathangelou and danger man Kevin O’Brien with consecutive deliveries in his first over, and proved very difficult to get away, conceding just one boundary and bowling 12 dots. Arshad’s was an unglamorous but extremely telling contribution.

Stoneman helped Durham recover from 98 for 5 in the 14th over. Only Phil Mustard, with 91 at home to Yorkshire two years ago, has scored more in a T20 innings for Durham. The victory ended a run of three defeats for Durham as they prepare to visit Worcestershire on Sunday.Stoneman survived difficult chances off skied leg-side shots on 27 and 73 and cashed in with two straight sixes in the last three overs off Raine. He also hit seven fours in scoring his runs off 60 balls.Usman Arshad contributed 28 off 19 balls to the unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 65 to make sure Durham reached the sort of total they threatened when racing to 45 after four overs after being put in on a glorious evening.Durham were stifled by the offspin of Rob Sayer, a 20-year-old whose only previous first-team appearance was in a one-day match against New Zealand last month. He wasn’t afraid to pitch the ball up and took both wickets through Gordon Muchall and Ryan Pringle clipping to wide mid-on.Arshad continued his excellent night with two wickets in two balls in the third over of the reply. Andrea Agathangelou was bowled attempting to scoop a straight ball to fine leg then Kevin O’Brien drove at the next ball and got a thick inside edge to midwicket. Tom Wells hit three sixes in his 27, but it was all over when he was brilliantly caught at long-on by Pringle to give Arshad a third wicket.

Graham Napier and James Porter bowled Essex into a winning position on the second day of the Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol

ECB/PA22-Jun-2015
ScorecardGraham Napier picked up five wickets in the day as Gloucestershire were made to follow on•Getty Images

Graham Napier and James Porter bowled Essex into a winning position on the second day of the Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.The two seamers shared seven wickets as the hosts were bowled out for a paltry 116 in reply to 319, Napier finishing with 4 for 27 and Porter 3 for 30. Both struck again to reduce Gloucestershire to 10 for 2 following on before a battling half-century from Michael Klinger saw his side close on 126 for 3, still 77 behind.After rain had delayed the start of play by 50 minutes, with five overs lost, the home side began their response to Essex’s first day total. Porter produced a fine six-over spell of 2 for 20 from the Pavilion End with the new ball that saw the 22-year-old claim the wickets of Will Tavare and Klinger.That set the tone for a day in which the ball continually swung and nibbled about off the seam. By lunch Gloucestershire’s first innings was in tatters at 61 for 5, with Chris Dent, Gareth Roderick and Geraint Jones all dismissed.It was a similar story in the afternoon session as five more wickets tumbled for 55, Napier wrapping up the innings with three of them – all bowled – in the space of five balls. Benny Howell top scored with a meagre 29.The Essex seamers had given their Gloucestershire counterparts a lesson in consistent line and length. With the follow-on imposed, Napier and Porter set to work again. Dent fell lbw to a Napier inswinger without a run on the board and Tavare departed for four to a thin edge behind off Porter. At tea Gloucestershire were 36 for 2, with hopes of a recovery resting on Klinger.Roderick needed a fair amount of fortune to post 24, being dropped twice and escaping a run-out chance. With the total on 65 in the final session he flashed at a wide ball from Jesse Ryder and nicked a catch to wicketkeeper James Foster.Even Klinger needed some luck in the bowler-friendly conditions, which included some uneven bounce, but scrapped it out to reach his half-century off 97 balls, with seven fours.At last Gloucestershire managed to put a decent partnership together as Ian Cockbain contributed a solid 25 to an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 61.
Klinger ended the day 62 not out and Gloucestershire may well require a big hundred from the in-form Australian to get back into the game.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge as England seek to regain the urn and Australia aim to stay alive

The Preview by David Hopps05-Aug-2015

Match facts

August 6-10, 2015
Start time 11am local (1000GMT)

Big Picture

England thrust aside Australia in less than three days at Edgbaston to go 2-1 up in the Investec series, but for all that there is no widespread conviction that they are about to settle the job at Trent Bridge. Almost counter-intuitively, it is Australia who are more fancied to bounce back, which would be in keeping with a series of great unpredictability.England’s win in Birmingham came at a heavy cost – an injury to the leader of their attack James Anderson which prevents him from playing at a venue where he has taken 53 wickets in eight Tests at 19.24. Instead, he will be offering advice from the dressing room to an attack which will be led, on is home ground, by Stuart Broad. Much responsibility rests with Broad who will be playing only his fifth Test without Anderson in the side. The identity of his new-ball partner remains to be seen, with both Steven Finn and Mark Wood having different attributes.That presents Australia with an opportunity to find some batting form in a series when, their top three apart, they have batted dismally. Much focus is on Michael Clarke, who has been increasingly feisty in the build-up, but who has struggled against Stuart Broad, in particular, throughout the series. Alastair Cook, his opposiute number, has also had a lean time with the bat – but England are ahead in the series and so after two tough years he is judged to be on the verge of redemption.There remains the feeling that both sides are often on the brink of a batting collapse, although the depth of England’s order – with Moeen Ali at No. 8 – could yet be a deciding factor. Last year the Trent Bridge Test against India was a bore draw, and resulted in a ‘poor’ rating for the surface, but it would be no surprise if this encounter more mirrored what happened in 2013 when wickets fell steadily throughout. And while it would not be good for the nerves, either side would happily take another nail-biting win.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWLW
Australia LWLWW

In the spotlight

Shaun Marsh has a strong claim for an opportunity in an Australian batting line-up that has looked flimsy as soon as the second wicket has fallen. Perhaps only his inexperience in English conditions counted against him at the start of the series, but he has made hundreds in tour games against Kent and Derbyshire. Repelling a Test attack in swinging conditions at Trent Bridge would be a different challenge.Pitching an opening batsman into Test cricket in an Ashes series is a big ask and Adam Lyth has struggled in his first three Tests on home soil to justify England’s faith. He seems to have reverted to the chancy style outside off stump that was apparent in his early Yorkshire seasons. A result perhaps of a rise in quality or an over-eagerness to buy into England’s commitment to attacking cricket. A more methodical approach is needed.

Team news

Wood’s fitness record suggested from the outset that he is not designed for a world of back-to-back Tests, but his problematic ankle has come through training sessions successfully and, barring a last-minute deterioration, he will play. Liam Plunkett and the uncapped left-arm quick Mark Footitt are on standby.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Steven FinnSuch has been the weakness of Australia’s middle order that a switch to six specialist batsmen, with Shaun Marsh replacing his brother Mitchell, is one option that could be considered. Alternatively, he could replace Adam Voges, enabling Western Australia’s brothers to team up in Tests for only the second time.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

Alastair Cook has predicted “another Edgbaston” and if so it will continue the transformation from the attritional pitches of recent vintage. Trent Bridge dare not risk a boring surface, having been marked “poor” a year ago by the ICC for a slow, low surface for a Test against India in which only 29 wickets fell. The weather is also unsettled enough to fill both bowling attacks with optimism.

Stats and trivia

• Mitchell Johnson became the 12th player to achieve the Test double of 2000 runs and 300 wickets at Edgbaston and Stuart Broad, with 299 wickets to his name, is poised to join the list on his home ground.
• Only Anderson has bowled more deliveries than Broad in international cricket in this decade.
• The Marsh brothers – the sons of former Australia opener Geoff – have appeared in a combined total of 20 Tests, but they have only played together once – against India at Brisbane last December.
• Steven Smith needs 59 runs to reach 3,000 in Tests

Quotes

“The series has been slightly strange in the topsy-turvy nature of the results, but it has been brilliant to be part of it.”
Alastair Cook relishing the unpredictability of the Ashes series“I don’t think you can build it up too much, I think you’ve got to play your best. You want the excitement that comes with a grand final, but you also want the calmness and freedom to go out there and play like you play in any other Test match.”

The BCCI has formed ad-hoc committees to look after cricket administration in Bihar and Uttarakhand

Sidharth Monga07-Aug-2015The BCCI has formed ad-hoc committees to look after cricket administration in Bihar and Uttarakhand. This move will ensure the states participation in BCCI’s Associate and Affiliate tournaments.The two states were without proper representation in the BCCI ever since the Indian government split some of the country’s bigger states into two in the year 2000. Bihar gave up Jharkhand, which went on to earn member status in the BCCI. Uttar Pradesh yielded Uttarakhand, but the new state didn’t exist for the purpose of cricket administration in the BCCI, not even as an Associate or Affiliate member.Niranjan Shah, the former BCCI secretary and Saurashtra Cricket Association patriarch, will head the ad-hoc committee for Bihar, and MP Pandove of Punjab Cricket Association, a former BCCI treasurer, will lead the panel for Uttarakhand. The committees have five members each, with a BCCI game development officer each to act as coordinators. Ratnakar Shetty, GM – game development of the BCCI, will coordinate the Bihar committee, and KVP Rao Uttarakhand.Since the bifurcation of the states, many different associations have claimed the right to represent Bihar and Uttarakhand, resulting in clashes but no representation. The cricketers of the states have struggled the most, looking to Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, and other neighbouring states, for chances.”Due to infighting among different associations present in these states, aspiring cricketers of these states have to suffer for no fault of theirs,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said. “To ensure cricket grows in these states, the BCCI has decided to form ad-hoc committees for these states, which will function till the affiliation issues of these states are resolved. During my recent visit to Bihar, I got representations of at least 17 organisations to start cricket once again in Bihar, and similarly I’ve got representations of various organisations in Uttarakhand.”Bihar remains the more curious case. Not only because the new state came in and took the full-time status in the BCCI, but also because a scorned Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) began the legal proceedings against the BCCI, which have resulted in full exposure of rampant conflict of interest in the national board. All of BCCI’s legal troubles date back to a public-interest litigation filed by Aditya Verma, secretary of CAB, one of the many organisations that claim to represent cricket in Bihar. In April 2014, Verma told ESPNcricinfo there is no saying if his association would have also overlooked the issues – like most of the others – in the board if it had been given BCCI membership and the rewards that come with it.Bihar didn’t lose its membership as soon as the state was divided in 2000. It continued to represent both the states until 2003-04. MS Dhoni made his first-class debut for Bihar, and played in the last first-class season the state played, in 2003-04. When Jagmohan Dalmiya was the BCCI president, the BCCI changed the name of the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), led at that time by controversial chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, to Jharkhand State Cricket Association. Soon Association of Bihar Cricket (ABC), led by former India player Kirti Azad, came up with claims that it represented the cricket of Bihar, and in 2005 settled for Associate status, as former election commissioner TS Krishnamurthy recorded when conducting the controversial BCCI elections of that year.Two years later, the BCA suffered a bigger blow. This was when the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) came around. Yadav was the union Railways Minister by then. The ICL was struggling for venues to play its tournament in. Yadav promised them grounds owned and maintained by the Indian Railways. The ICL tasted the BCCI’s vengefulness soon, as has Bihar since. Another two years on, a third representative of the cricket of Bihar emerged, the CAB. Its secretary, Verma, has led the crusade in the courts, which has resulted in the Supreme Court intervention to suspend two IPL franchise owners with more administrative reforms awaited from the Justice Lodha panel.Verma said it was finally a step in the right direction, but was not ready to settle for just Associate and Affiliate tournaments for his state’s cricketers. “If we don’t get our first-class status back in due time,” he told ESPNcricinfo, “this will just be lip-service. We don’t want to play just five-six Associate and Affiliate teams, we want to play against all states, starting with junior tournaments.”

Chandrakant Pandit marks a return as the Mumbai coach after over a decade, when there isn’t a single Test player in the squad for the first two matches

Amol Karhadkar30-Sep-20153:39

Jaffer has been a pillar of Mumbai cricket – Pandit

The last time Chandrakant Pandit was in charge of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team, for the 2004-05 semi-final against Punjab, the team had five Test cricketers. During his three-year stint as coach, Mumbai won two titles, thanks to the presence of a plethora of experienced and international players in the side.In 2015-16, when Pandit marks a return as the Mumbai coach after over a decade, there isn’t a single Test player in Mumbai’s squad for the first two matches. Naturally, Pandit has his task cut out to get Mumbai back to winning ways.”Mumbai have always had experienced players, that is something we are probably missing out on,” Pandit told ESPNcricinfo ahead of Mumbai’s season-opener against Andhra. “Some of the players have been around for four-five years. That four-to-five years’ experience has to be utilised. One has to stand up as a role model especially when we have six-seven youngsters who can look up to them. I always believe whatever force we have, we should believe in it and go forward.”Its legacy of winning the Ranji Trophy as frequently as the local train logjam in the monsoon aside, Mumbai Ranji teams have always seen a plethora of current and former Test players in action. The old Mumbai fans would not have imagined a Ranji squad without a single Test player.It has happened this year. Even last season, with Wasim Jaffer being injured for most of the season, Mumbai had to field a team without a Test player but Jaffer was present in the dressing room and worked as a mentor for most of the season.Jaffer has switched to Vidarbha as a professional now. With Zaheer Khan unfit and the duo of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane on India duty, Mumbai have had to field a relatively young squad. More than his run-scoring ability, it is the experience factor for which Mumbai will miss Jaffer the most.”You think about every experienced player who has contributed in the dressing room, there is no replacement at all. Wasim Jaffer has been a great player. He was a pillar for Mumbai,” Pandit said. “What he has done in the last so many years, I think that will be missed in the dressing room. He was looked at [as] one of the role models in the dressing room. When I was young, we looked at Vengsarkar, Gavaskar, Patil who inspired us. That is what something will be missed this season.”A young outfit led by Aditya Tare will begin the quest for winning Mumbai’s 41st Ranji title. But it will be a humongous challenge for Mumbai, considering seven of the 15 squad members have had single-digit caps in first-class cricket. Pandit feels it’s a “huge challenge” to get the best out of youngsters.Thanks to their consistency in pocketing Ranji titles in the past, anything but a title-winning performance is traditionally treated as a failure. Pandit believes Mumbai cricket is coming to terms with that fact.”People who are involved in Mumbai cricket, they do understand you can’t win it every year. But everyone wants to win,” he said. “I am sure they understand that now. We may miss out for another one or two years but the plan is to dominate for five years thereafter [in succession].”I don’t really think about it because some other states have really improved. The competition level, infrastructure and facilities have improved. Naturally every state is going to take advantage of that. We cannot underestimate any other team.”

Fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza has been named captain of the BCB XI that will play against the touring Zimbabweans in a one-day game on November 5

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-2015Fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza has been named captain of the BCB XI that will play against the touring Zimbabweans in a one-day game on November 5. Four other members of the current ODI squad – Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman and Jubair Hossain – will also play in the warm-up game at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, two days ahead of the first ODI.This will be Mashrafe’s first competitive game since July 15 after his planned return in the National Cricket League – Bangladesh’s first-class competition – had to be cancelled last month after he was hospitalised with dengue fever. He started training with the squad on October 29 but the team management is carefully managing his recovery from the illness.Das, Mushfiqur, Sabbir and Jubair will feature in the practice game in a move focused on giving them batting and bowling practice ahead of their first international encounter in nearly four months, a period in which these four players have played domestic first-class cricket.The selectors also included Shahriar Nafees after he finished as the highest scorer in this season’s National Cricket League with 715 runs at an average of 79.44 in six matches for Barisal Division. In the last match, he struck 168 and 174 not out.The uncapped members of the 13-member squad are Mehedi Maruf and Sunzamul Islam, and pace bowlers Delwar Hossain and Tawhidul Islam. Maruf, Sunzamul and Tawhidul have been impressive performers in this year’s first-class tournaments but Delwar’s inclusion came as a surprise given that he has only played a single first-class game so far in the 2015-16 season.BCB XI: Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haque, Liton Das, Shahriar Nafees, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Mehedi Maruf, Jubair Hossain, Sunzamul Islam, Delwar Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Tawhidul Islam.