Category Uncategorized

Max Walters has become the third state chief in a little more 12 months to resign, due to internal squabbles over club cricket in the state

Daniel Brettig03-Jun-2019Max Walters, Queensland Cricket’s chief executive, has become the third state supremo to resign in a little more than 12 months, joining the former Victoria chief Tony Dodemaide in quitting at a time of internal squabbles over club cricket in their state.The New South Wales chief executive Andrew Jones also vacated the field earlier this year, though Walters’ exit appears to share more in common with that of Dodemaide and the former Cricket Victoria chairman Russell Thomas in 2018.Having joined Queensland in 2016, after the CA Board director Michael Kasprowicz temporarily stepped in as caretaker CEO in place of Geoff Cockerill, Walters and his chairman Sal Vasta have run into difficulty over the task of dividing up money raised by the state association off the back of strategic funding handed over by CA’s Board in the recent past.It is an issue being debated at several levels of Australian cricket, also including the fund delivered by the Australian Cricketers’ Association following the hot-tempered 2017 pay dispute over the current MoU between the players and CA.There, as in Queensland, the debate centres on how the money will be distributed, whether on a strategic case-by-case basis – much as the money was handed from CA to Queensland – or via uniform grants applied to every club. With Vasta also believed to be under pressure, Walters informed QC staff of his decision to quit in an email on Sunday night.”The past three years working at Queensland Cricket have been extremely rewarding and enjoyable. I originally committed to a three-year contract at QC, and with that period nearing its conclusion, now is the right time for me to move on,” Walters said.”I hope people will agree that Queensland Cricket has made positive steps forward during my tenure. There is now a solid launching pad for success into the future, both on and off the field. I wish every good fortune to Queensland Cricket, and would like to thank the army of tireless volunteers in all the Clubs, big and small, across our great State that keep cricket moving.”Dodemaide and Thomas both departed Cricket Victoria in 2018 following a series of disagreements over the shape of Premier Cricket and the governance of clubs in the state – Dodemaide facing criticism from his own club, Footscray, amid the arguments.Walters, meanwhile, has overseen considerable work on Queensland’s sustainability, both in terms of infrastructure funding and sponsorship levels. It was during Walters’ tenure that the Gabba’s traditional standing as the venue for the opening Test of summer came under strain, missing out in both 2016 and 2018. Next summer it will host Pakistan and was recently confirmed as hosting the opening Ashes Test in 2021. However India’s 2020 visit remains shrouded in uncertainty after the BCCI preferred to commence last summer’s home series in Adelaide.”Max Walters returned to Queensland Cricket in 2016 with the objective to make QC the State’s leading sporting organisation and to ensure that our strategy revolved around delivering outstanding life experiences for Queensland communities anywhere, anytime,” Queensland’s chairman Vasta said. “He has delivered in spades.”Corporate entities such as CUA and Betta, all three levels of government and the Queensland community at large all recognise the professionalism and expertise of QC that has been achieved under Max’s stewardship.”Our strategic plan is the envy of other sporting organisations and clearly allows fans, sponsors and the Queensland Cricket family at large to see and understand our priorities. Max has been front and centre over the past three years and leaves QC well positioned to make even greater strides in the future.”

Ziaur Rahman and Irfan Sukkur put on fine batting performances to lead Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club to their respective wins

Mohammad Isam19-Feb-2018Uday Kaul’s third List-A century helped Shinepukur Cricket Club to an 88-run win over Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity at the BKSP-3 ground in the Dhaka Premier League. Kaul’s 137 came off 136 balls, and included 12 fours and three sixes.He added 65 runs for the third wicket with Towhid Hridoy and another 110 runs with Afif Hossain for the fourth wicket. Kaul fell in the 49th over, carrying Shinepukur to 294 for 7.Left-arm spinner Raihan Uddin then took three wickets while seam bowling allrounder Mohammad Saifuddin and Afif took two as Khelaghar were bowled out for 206 runs in 45.4 overs. Rafsan Al Mahmud was their top-scorer with 62 off 79 balls.Mohammedan Sporting Club crushed Agrani Bank by 159 runs to pick up their second win in the competition. Batting first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mohammedan amassed 335 for 7, with the last 10 overs producing 103 runs. Irfan Sukkur’s 92 was the top score while Raqibul Hasan and Bipul Sharma contributed with 77 and 41 respectively.Mohammedan got off to a rollicking start thanks to the Talukdar brothers, Jony and Rony, who added 71 runs in the first 9.3 overs. Sukkur struck eight fours and two sixes in his 83-ball knock, while Bipul hit two fours and two sixes in his 29-ball cameo.Soumya Sarkar, one of several Bangladesh players to take the overnight train to Dhaka, fell for a duck in the first over as Agrani Bank struggled to put partnerships together. They were eventually bowled out for 176 in 37.4 overs with Subashis Roy, Qazi Onik, Enamul Haque and Bipul taking two wickets each.Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club picked up their third win by beating Prime Bank Cricket Club by five wickets. At the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, they chased down Prime Bank’s 228-run target in 44.4 overs.Ziaur Rahman top-scored with 67 off 76 balls. He added partnerships worth 70 and 65 runs for the first two wickets, with Shykat Ali and Rakin Ahmed respectively. Later, Nurul Hasan and Tanbir Hayder eased the chase with a 38-run unbroken sixth-wicket stand, in just 4.1 overs.Pace bowler Robiul Haque took three wickets as Prime Bank were bowled out for 227 runs in 50 overs. Captain Mehedi Maruf, who top-scored with 41, was one of many of their batsmen who couldn’t capitalise after a start. Abu Jayed and Elias Sunny took two wickets each for Dhanmondi Club.

Alastair Cook has admitted that he had “been to the well” too many times to carry on as England captain, as he spelled out his reasons for stepping down after a record 59 Tests in charge
Speaking at Lord’s on the day it was confirmed that Cook, 32,

Andrew Miller07-Feb-20171:57

Dobell: Cook served England with distinction

Alastair Cook has admitted that he had “been to the well” too many times to carry on as England captain, as he spelled out his reasons for stepping down after a record 59 Tests in charge.Speaking at Lord’s for the first time since his resignation was confirmed, Cook admitted that he had been left drained by a tough winter campaign in the subcontinent, which culminated in five Test defeats in England’s last six matches, including a maiden Test defeat against Bangladesh and a 4-0 series loss to India.”It was an incredibly tough decision to make,” Cook told Sky Sports. “I’ve loved every minute as England captain, but it’s a job you have to commit 100% to, and there’ve been certain times throughout my four or five years in the job when I’ve been to the well and dug pretty deep.”And coming back from India, the way I felt then, I didn’t think I had it in me to do it again, because this isn’t a job where you can operate at 95%.”When I looked in that mirror, I felt it was time. It was sad in one way, because I’ve loved the honour and prestige of all of it. I’ve been leading some great men and had some great moments as England captain, but I do think it’s the right time for me and for the team.”Cook’s career included some notable high points, not least his maiden series as full-time captain in 2012-13, when he led England to a stunning 2-1 series win in India, and last year’s away win in South Africa. But the low moments were particularly bruising, not least the Ashes whitewash in 2013-14, which presaged the most testing period of his tenure – the sacking of Kevin Pietersen ahead of the 2014 home season.Cook was present at the ECB meeting that signalled the end of Pietersen’s England career, and he bore the brunt of much of the fall-out for the rest of that summer. “I think we all have regrets over how it was handled,” he admitted. “I was part of that decision, I wasn’t the be-all-and-end-all of it, but what followed was part of the responsibility I had as England captain.”The fallout wasn’t great for English cricket, we were in the headlines for the wrong reasons, especially when our job as players is to promote the game as best we can, so it was not the best six months. But things have moved on, and since Andrew Strauss has come in [as England director], he’s done a great job and made it clear that the side has moved on.”While insisting that his tenure wasn’t “all doom and gloom”, Cook did single out England’s supporters for particular gratitude, not least those who gave him an ovation at the Ageas Bowl during the 2014 home series against India, when Cook was enduring some of the worst batting form of his career.”I’ll never forget Southampton, the warmth I had there in 2014,” he said. “That kept me going, and of course my family and friends who mean the world to me and stuck with me through the tough times.”Asked if he would have any advice for his younger self, or for that matter the player who is appointed to succeed him, Cook – a famously stubborn individual – was revealingly candid.”The advice I needed was to make sure you don’t always do it your way,” he said. “There are a lot of great people out there who watch a lot of cricket who know probably more than you do. So use that advice and be open to it. Ultimately you have to make the decision out there yourself, but use as much as you can. A lot of people want you to do well, because people love seeing England win games of cricket.”It is a challenging job, you don’t know what will be thrown at you at certain times. But I have loved it, and that is what has made the decision quite hard, because I knew what I was giving away. I look forward to the next part of my career, supporting the next guy as best I can, and hopefully scoring some runs as well and being part of England’s success.”

Somerset announced a pre-tax surplus of £330,389 for the year ending September 30, 2015, as they set their sights on repaying the outlay on a new £3.9m pavilion

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2015Somerset announced a pre-tax surplus of £330,389 for the year ending September 30, 2015, as they set their sights on repaying the outlay on a new £3.9m pavilion.The investment was a chief factor in the county winning international status ahead of the 2019 World Cup as well as cementing its position as one of the most successful T20 venues in the country.A rise in profitability was a relief for Somerset, long regarded as one of the most financially-stable of the first-class counties, as they showed no ill effects from the disruption caused by the construction of the new pavilion, which was completed earlier this month, and the associated reduction in seating capacity and facilities during the season.Catering income, in fact, remained a bedrock of the club’s accounts with profits amounting to £964,000, a marginal drop on the previous year.Cricket income rose 10% to £1,284,000 despite a disappointing season in which Somerset only escaped relegation in the final match of the season and failed to challenge in both limited-overs cup competitions. Income from the ECB rose by a similar amount to £2,051,000.Treasurer Malcolm Derry said: “The year was expected to provide significant financial challenges due to the major off-field upheavals associated with the new pavilion.”These strong financial results are of particular importance as the club remains committed to both operating within its budget and repaying the debt taken to finance the new Somerset Pavilion to schedule whilst not detracting from our substantial ongoing investment in our core business of cricket.”These payments will take a considerable time with net debts standing at £3.85m.Somerset claim, though, to have retained a strong commitment to investing in their playing squad. When playing costs are expressed as a percentage of income received, they claim to rank second among the 18 first-class counties.

Matt Prior has increasingly been hailed as England’s ultimate team man, but for once he is celebrating an individual achievement. Prior has been named as England’s cricketer of the year

David Hopps13-May-2013Matt Prior has increasingly been hailed as England’s ultimate team man, but for once he is celebrating an individual achievement. Prior has been named as England’s cricketer of the year and received his award at a celebratory dinner in the Long Room at Lord’s.It was fitting that a player who symbolises the importance of the common cause should look slightly guilty about receiving the award. “It was fantastic when I found out, a huge honour to be singled out as player of the year,” he said. “But I feel slightly uncomfortable with it because individual accolades are not really the reason I play. I want this team to win. I get much more out of the group winning a Test or series.”Prior, the first wicketkeeper to win the award, judged by members of the England cricket media, likes the idea that it is in some way recognition of his team ethic.”I hope so although I’ve not really given it much thought. What I would say is anytime I go out to play an innings the first thing I need to do is to get into the best position to win or save a game, or think what do I need to do to get the scoreboard in the right place, rather than how many runs do I need to average 50 – I can’t just perform like that.”There have been times in the past where people have said you need to look after that bit, or get more not-outs, I just can do it. I’m not saying I’m the ultimate team player; it’s just the way I play sport – to win. That’s where I get the enjoyment from.”There were many persuasive reasons to vote for Prior as England’s player of the year. The most emotional justification arose from memories of his defiant hundred in Auckland to save the third Test against New Zealand and salvage a drawn series.But there were broader reasons, too. There was the knowledge that he is the only England batsman apart from the captain, Alastair Cook, to average more than 50 in Tests in the past two years. There was the recognition that his wicketkeeping has improved by leaps and bounds – sometimes quite literally – under the tuition of a former England wicketkeeper Bruce French.Mostly, though, it was his reputation as England’s heartbeat that won him the accolade ahead of other deserving claimants such as Alastair Cook, for the remorseless run scoring that turned the India Test series, and James Anderson, skilful and indefatigable, a fast bowler at his peak as he proved that he could bowl in the most discouraging circumstances.

Hat-trick for Brunt

• Katherine Brunt was named as England Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Brunt won the award for a third time following a year in which she proved to be England’s most consistent bowler, picking up 12 wickets in the Women’s World Cup campaign in India.

• Ben Foakes, the Essex and England U-19 wicketkeeper-batsman, won the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year award. Foakes was England’s leading run-scorer at the U-19 World Cup in Australia last summer, toured India with the Performance Programme squad last winter and Australia with England Lions.

• The Disability Cricketer of the Year was Matthew Dean from England’s Visually Impaired squad. Dean, from Welling in Kent, was the team’s leading run scorer in last winter’s T20 World Cup for the Blind in India, contributing 490 runs at an average of more than 80.

Prior looked mildly stunned. “You look back on the year and look at the amount of quality in the dressing room,” he said. “Jimmy Anderson’s performance in India: for a seam bowler to perform like he did was phenomenal – that’s worth a player of the year award. Cooky: the way he led from the front in India. There are a number of guys who have put in huge performances. They’ve obviously just pulled a name out of the hat, so I’m hugely honoured but it could have been a number of guys.”But it was much more than a name out of a hat. magazine did not just stop at describing Prior as England’s “heartbeat”. In this month’s issue, they hailed him as the team’s moral compass, the protector of their spirit, a dressing room confidant, and a tactician and cheerleader – as vice-captain, he offers a more instinctive, noisier flavour to Cook’s reflective and conservative approach.He was also the player who phoned Kevin Pietersen, when the extent of his stand-off with the England dressing room became known – ignoring the political niceties at the time and relying instead on a faith in the team ethic and a few home truths. He is embarrassed that his call has passed into English cricket folklore – after all, he just picked up the phone and said what he thought – but, not to put too fine a point on it, it cut the crap and English cricket was all the better for it.His continued omission from England’s one-day side, and memories of his sudden dropping from England’s Test side in 2008, have taught him not to overreact to the plaudits that now, more than ever, will come his way.”Not playing ODIs certainly keeps you fresh,” he said. “I’ve said before that it’s a bit of a catch-22, the whole matter of playing one-day cricket or not. From a positive point of view it gives me these windows of opportunity to fully prepare for each Test series. Not just from a physical point of view, but also mentally being able to switch off.”Also you can prepare completely on each team you are up against. That certainly allows me to go into each Test series at 100%, giving it everything until the last ball then duck out again and have a few weeks riding a bicycle.”These days, he gets equal satisfaction from wicketkeeping and batting. If his hundred in Auckland is understandably his sharpest batting memory of the year, his catch, standing up to Jonathan Trott, to dismiss New Zealand’s captain, Brendon McCullum, in the same Test was also a source of great satisfaction, proof of how much his game has advanced.”It was only two or three weeks beforehand that I had been working with Frenchy away from everyone, having arguments about whether we should do it this way or whether that way will help you. Frenchy got his way, which I hate to admit, and suddenly I got that catch. When you do the work, put that extra time to gain one, two, three percent and you see it work in the middle it’s hugely fulfilling.”There has been a lot of stuff said. It’s a fickle world, if I punch one on Thursday I’ll be rubbish again. Everyone else can say their bits, I’ll just concentrate on catching as many balls as I can and keep working hard. In years to come, when hopefully I’ve played a few more years and caught a few more catches we can see where I sit.”He loves Lord’s, where this summer gets underway against New Zealand on Thursday, and can smile now at the dressing room window he accidentally smashed two years ago as he fumed over being run out in a Test against Sri Lanka as England chased quick runs for a declaration on the final day.”I love this ground: home of cricket, to drive in and get your little spot next to the window. They’ve safeguarded it: double-glazed, smash-proof, it’s all good. I’m allowed back in that corner. It feels like coming home.”

How quickly this game can change. West Indies started the fourth day searching for a way to turn their dominance into a victory. They ended it hoping to avoid defeat

The Report by Brydon Coverdale10-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Hilfenhaus picked up three wickets in the first five overs of West Indies’ second innings•AFP

How quickly this game can change. West Indies started the fourth day searching for a way to turn their dominance into a victory. They ended it hoping to avoid defeat. In between, Ryan Harris led an outstanding tail-end fightback from Australia that allowed Michael Clarke to make a bold declaration from behind, a decision that was justified when Ben Hilfenhaus scythed through the top three West Indies batsmen in the first five overs of their second innings.As tea approached, it was hard to tell who was wobblier, the West Indies batsmen or the rummies in Kensington Oval’s Party Stand. At least the spectators had an excuse for their lack of stability. Clarke’s declaration gave West Indies half an hour to bat before the break and when it arrived they were 4 for 3. Australia’s last three pairs had just added 156 runs between them. It was about as disastrous a period as West Indies could have endured.In a few crazy hours, all the hard work the hosts had done over the first three days evaporated. By stumps, they had steadied a little, but only a little, and they finished the day at 71 for 5, with Narsingh Deonarine on 20 and Carlton Baugh on 2. It meant West Indies held a slim lead of 114 runs and with only five wickets in hand, they still needed a solid batting performance on the fifth morning to prevent the Australians chasing a small target.The pitch had started to show some variable bounce but after the way their tail-enders batted, Australia would fancy their chances of chasing a target of around 200. For West Indies, much rested on the shoulders of Deonarine, a man with a point to prove after he was told by the coach Ottis Gibson he was on probation having been recalled to the side for the first time in nearly two years.