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Kieran Powell hit a second consecutive century and Alzarri Joseph took 6 for 31 as Leeward Islands completed a big win, while Kent registered a five-wicket win over Trinidad & Tobago

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2017Kieran Powell’s return to the West Indies professional circuit following a brief attempt at playing Major League Baseball continued to pay off for Leeward Islands. Powell struck a career-best 135, which was followed by fast bowler Alzarri Joseph’s 6 for 31 as they completed a 184-run victory over Windward Islands at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. It was Powell’s second List A century in the span of three days – and overall.Powell put on 97 for the opening wicket with Montcin Hodge (54) after losing the toss. He then dominated a 75-run stand for the second wicket with Jermaine Otto (21) before Windward captain Liam Sebastien (3-42) inflicted a mini-collapse. The offspinner took three wickets in consecutive overs as Leewards fell from 172 for 1 to 189 for 4. But his offspinning counterpart, Rahkeem Cornwall, then combined with Powell for a fifth-wicket stand of 99 from 91, and eventually took them to 333 for 6 with an unbeaten 70 off 58 balls.Windward could not establish a base to chase the score down as Joseph took two wickets each in consecutive overs, reducing them to 12 for 4. Darren Sammy (33), Kyle Mayers (45) and Shane Shillingford (27) made contributions from the lower-middle order, but were the only batsmen who got into double figures as Windward Islands folded for 149 at the start of the 29th over, with Joseph completing his maiden List A five-for to pick up the Player-of-the-Match award.A career-best 4 for 51 from medium-pacer Ivan Thomas helped Kent bowl out Trinidad & Tobago for 191, before a couple of half-century stands help them chase down the target with 95 balls to spare at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.T&T’s openers Evin Lewis and Kyle Hope put on 38 after they were put in, but were soon reduced to 43 for 3 as Darren Stevens (2-39) dismissed Kjorn Ottley and Jason Mohammed for ducks. Hope scored 43 off 83 as he steadied the innings with a 45-run stand with Roshon Primus, before the latter put on 65 with Nicholas Alexis (28). However, his dismissal for 60 brought another collapse – they fell from 153 for 4 to 157 for 8, with Thomas taking two of those wickets. A late alliance between Imran Khan (16) and Ravi Rampaul (13) took T&T to 191.Kent’s chase was led by Sean Dickson’s 56 and his opening stand of 85 with Daniel Bell-Drummond. Sam Northeast (31) then put on 66 with Stevens (43) to take them to 170 for 2, before Rampaul (3-46) took three wickets to reduce them to 176 for 5. The collapse was inconsequential as Alex Blake’s unbeaten 22 off 12 balls took them across the line with five wickets in hand.

In his book, AB: The Autobiography, which launched in Johannesburg today, AB de Villers describes the 2015 World Cup semi-final defeat as the “greatest disappointment” of his cricket career

Firdose Moonda01-Sep-2016AB de Villiers regards the 2015 World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand as the “greatest disappointment” of his cricket career and believes there could have been “other considerations” in the selection of the XI that took the field for that match last March.The revelation that racial dynamics played a role in Vernon Philander being selected ahead of Kyle Abbott came in the aftermath of the tournament and was confirmed by CSA, who said transformation targets were part of pre-match discussions, but this is the first time any of the players involved in the match has spoken out.De Villers’ recollections of the events are published in his book, , which launched in Johannesburg today. The penultimate chapter, called “The Dream”, goes in-depth into the 2015 World Cup – revealing that South Africa kept a collective diary in which players made daily entries, and reiterating de Villiers’ conviction that South Africa could lift the trophy.Despite two losses in the group stage, South Africa advanced to the semi-final after achieving their first-ever win in a World Cup knockout match when they beat Sri Lanka in the quarterfinal in Sydney. De Villiers wrote that it was “generally assumed” the same team would play against New Zealand.That team included three players of colour in Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and Imran Tahir. Throughout the tournament South Africa had played between three and five players of colour in their matches and had not received instruction on any specific number. At 5:30pm on the night before the semi-final, half an hour before South Africa’s team meeting, de Villiers got a call – he does not say from whom – to tell him that Philander had passed a fitness test earlier and would play instead of Abbott.While considering the reasons for the change in selection, de Villiers explains how he knew that an incumbent player who is injured “will automatically go back into the team when he returned to fitness”. Philander had spent some of the tournament on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, so if he was fully fit, it would be the norm to recall him. De Villiers also “sensed the selectors thought Vernon would thrive in New Zealand conditions”, given his ability to move the ball off the seam on tacky surfaces. All the same, it seemed to de Villiers that “there could have been other considerations”.In contemplating the possbility that there was a quota at play, de Villiers recalls the team’s understanding of the situation at that stage. “We had been assured that Cricket South Africa was the only national governing body in the country that had declined to set a target for the number of players of colour to be included in the national team but there was a delicate balance to be struck and it was generally understood that, as they chose the side, the national selectors would be conscious of providing opportunities for at least four players of colour.”So what had happened? Had Vernon, who was officially classified as coloured, been selected ahead of Kyle, who was officially white, to ensure there were four players of colour in the semi-final? Or had the decision been made for purely cricketing reasons?”De Villiers does not answer those questions himself. Instead, in the book, he details the effect it had on him.”It depressed me to think of my team-mates in these outdated racial terms,” he writes. “‘Would anyone really mind if there were three or four players of colour in our side?”At the team meeting, de Villiers did not address the issue either. He delivered a stirring speech using a line from a One Republic song to inspire the team: “We owe it to each other to promise each other that ‘with every broken bone’ we’re going to leave it out there tomorrow.”That night, coach Russell Domingo sent de Villiers a text “telling me how much the team needed my leadership” and former coach Gary Kirsten “also made contact, urging me to be calm and positive.” De Villiers did not sleep well, admitted he was “emotional” and regarded the situation as “unnecessary and unfair on everybody”.His first thought in the morning was, “I hope Vern will be OK”, but he vowed not to overreact because “I still don’t know for certain what happened”. De Villiers convinced himself to treat it as “just another obstacle to be overcome”.South Africa lost the match on the final ball and de Villiers blamed the defeat on their failure to take “five clear opportunities … three possible run-outs and two catches”, and not on the selection saga. “We didn’t lose because of the decision to replace Kyle with Vernon,” he writes.In the aftermath, de Villiers was devastated. He chided himself to “lose properly” even as he cried on the field and later in the change room when he saw his family.In broader terms, de Villiers is supportive of transformation. “I was certainly not blind to the wider issues and I regard the process of transformation in South African cricket not as something imposed on the game but as something that was morally the right thing to do.”He also maintains that “winning an official World Cup with the South African team had become my burning ambition”, which suggest he may play a fourth edition of the tournament, in 2019.De Villiers has already been part of three failed campaigns. He put South Africa’s semi-final loss in 2007 down to “simply trying too hard”. He does not offer many reasons for the 2011 loss to New Zealand but reveals that then-captain Graeme Smith warned them that, when they got home, “daggers and stones will be thrown”. Smith did not make the trip back with the team.De Villiers has also competed in six World T20s and captained in two. The 2016 one left its biggest mark on him. South Africa exited in the first round and de Villiers said there was “nothing new to say and nothing new to think” with regards to that, except that facing the media in such situations was no fun. “It will never be much fun until a Proteas team finally goes out and wins one of these ICC limited-overs tournaments. That will happen one day.”

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2017A substantial reduction of potential earning from the ICC’s central revenue is only part of the concern for the BCCI, which fears that a fundamental change in the principle of income distribution could lead to further shrinkages for all the cricket boards, with the Indian board taking bigger cuts.While attention has been focused on the reduction in revenue for the BCCI – from $570 million in the Big Three model to an estimated $255 million now – it has emerged that even this figure, and indeed the potential revenue for every board, could be subject to change because a new variable has been added to the distribution model – the ICC’s own costs are now flexible.Previously, the ICC’s projected revenue – pegged at $2.5 billion – was the only variable in the earlier model in which all the costs, including the payout to the member boards, were fixed. The ICC was granted a budget of $870 million – $550 million for staging events, $250 million as administrative costs, and $70 million for a Test fund – and the member boards received fixed percentages of the total revenue. But in the latest model, which has hiked the ICC’s costs by $160 million – $60 million of which is for a contingency fund – the boards will be granted a percentage of the surplus.”Since it is based on surplus, there is an uncertainty of earning,” a person closely involved with the earlier model told ESPNcricinfo. “If the ICC decided to spend more on admin or events or increase the contingency fund, it will further reduce the share of the member boards.”The BCCI now fears it stands to lose about $330 million after its share from the ICC’s revenue pool was reduced in the revised distribution model for the 2015-2023 period, which was passed in principle at the ICC Board meeting in Dubai. If the ICC schedules two extra world events during the period – and negotiations to do so are reportedly underway – the BCCI’s estimated fall in revenue could be as much as $400 million.The ICC, however, pegged the BCCI’s drop in revenue at only $200 million for the 2015-2023 period. Apart from the two organisations disagreeing over the principle of reducing the BCCI’s share, there is also a significant divergence between how the BCCI calculated its revenue under the Big Three model, and how the ICC calculated it before further cutting the BCCI’s share under the new distribution model.The ICC estimated the BCCI’s original share according to the Big Three model to be $450-455 million – and not $570 million – because it had raised its costs by $160 million, thereby reducing the share of the revenue that was available for distribution to the member boards. The BCCI was unhappy with what it considered to be an arbitrary increase in ICC costs, which were upped by the working group responsible for cutting the BCCI’s share in the new distribution model.The ICC working group led by its chairman Shashank Manohar arrived at an increase of $160 million in costs because it said event expenses had gone up by $50 million, central ICC revenues had also gone up by $50 million, and $60 million had been allotted as a reserve and contingency fund. The rise in costs was then readjusted down to $90 million, after doing away with the expense of $70 million for the ICC Test fund.Another key decision taken by Manohar’s working group was to remove the contribution cost borne by the ICC, which had been introduced in the Big Three model. The ICC was to pay ‘contribution costs’ to Full Members from its gross revenue through a graded percentage share. The contribution cost paid to a country was arrived at via four parameters: the revenue contributed by the country to the ICC, its historical ICC membership, its on-field performance over the past 20 years in men’s and women’s competitions, and its domestic development performance.According to the Big Three model, India’s “value contribution” for the 2007-2015 period was over 80%, while that of other Full Members ranged from 0.1% to 5%. So for a projected revenue of $2.5 billion the BCCI, under the Big Three model, would earn close to $570 million from the ICC, which included a distribution cost amount of $63 million given to all Full Members.The BCCI’s argument is that there needs to be a cap on the ICC’s expenses, otherwise the surplus of ICC revenue left for distribution among boards could reduce in the future. Due to the present increase in the estimate of the ICC’s expenses, the distribution costs received from the ICC by every Full Member has dropped from $63 million to $52 million.The BCCI has been the most vocal opponent of this revision.After Manohar became the independent ICC chairman in early 2016, he said he wanted the ICC revenue distribution to be fair and equitable for all the Full Members. In the first version of the new distribution model, after factoring in the $90 million increase in ICC costs, the BCCI’s share fell to $440-445 million from the estimated $570-million in the Big Three model. In percentage terms, it went from 22.76% to 17.8 %.The ECB’s revenue fell from $172 million to between $145-150 million and CA’s projected $130 million was revised to between $110-115 million. The other seven Full Members would also have seen cuts, ranging from US$1-10 million, when compared to the original model.

Recent heavy rain had left the outfield at Ian Healy Oval saturated

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2021The Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and South Australia at Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane was abandoned without a ball bowled.Although the weather for the last couple of days had been fine, previous heavy rain had left the outfield saturated and it had not dried enough to allow any play.It would have been the first first-class match held at the ground, the match shifted back there from Allan Border Field due to the improved drainage following redevelopment.The last six days of Sheffield Shield cricket in Brisbane have been abandoned after there was no play on the last two days of Queensland’s previous match against Victoria. Between the two four-day fixtures, a Marsh Cup game was also called off.The abandonment means Queensland stay top of the table with one game remaining – against New South Wales over Easter – as they aim to secure hosting rights for next month’s final.

Hampshire escaped relegation lst season with a late-season flurish but an ageing squad will be hard-pressed to retain their First Division status

George Dobell31-Mar-2016Director of cricket Giles White. Head coach: Dale Benkenstein
Captain James Vince
Last season
In: Reece Topley.Out: Danny Briggs (Sussex), Yasir Arafat (Somerset, loan), Basil Akram, Tom Barber, Joe Gatting (all released). Sean Terry (mutual agreement).Overseas: Ryan McLaren, Shahid Afridi (T20) and Darren Sammy (T20).2015 in a nutshell
By winning three of their last four Championship matches – including a final day run-chase against Nottinghamshire – Hampshire pulled off a great escape that saw them finish two points above the relegation positions. Before that late run, they had won just once all season. They also made their customary appearance at T20 Finals Day – it was their sixth such appearance in succession – and made it to the quarter-finals of the List A competition.2016 prospects
This may be a transitional period for Hampshire. With several of their senior players – Jimmy Adams, Gareth Berg and Michael Carberry are 35, Fidel Edwards is 34, James Tomlinson, Will Smith and Sean Ervine are 33, even their overseas players are 33 (McLaren) and 36 (Afridi) – somewhat nearer the end than the start of their careers, the club need to see their younger players progress. Fortunately they do have a decent crop and, in Topley, they have recruited very well. But the next crop of batsmen – Lewis McManus, who scored heavily in pre-season, Tom Alsop and Joe Weatherley – have only four first-class games between them and if they lose Vince to England – and they could well – they look a little vulnerable. They are the bookies’ favourites for relegation.Key player
Liam Dawson may not be the most eye-catching player in the side but, with bat and ball, he will be vital in all formats. Increasingly valued as much for his ‘power hitting’ as his bowling, he can also block for hours as required in the longer format. His fielding is also excellent. Much will be required from Vince and Adam Wheater, too.Bright young thing
Mason Crane has only played three first-class games but, such is the excitement over his development, the club were prepared to allow Danny Briggs to leave and some thought he should have been included in England’s squad for the UAE. As a leg-spinner with impressive turn and control, he is undoubtedly an exciting talent. But he is also 19. Expectations should be tempered accordingly. Brad Taylor, a 19-year-old off-spinner, may yet prove to have the more serviceable to a county under pressure to avoid relegation.ESPNcricinfo verdict
The older players appear to offering diminishing returns and it would be a surprise to see them in the top half of the Championship table. Still dangerous in limited-overs formats but a period similar to the days when Crawley, Udal and Warne departed in close succession may loom.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship, Div 1: 18/1; NatWest Blast n/a; Royal London Cup 8/1

Medical professionals will judge whether a player is unfit to continue as the ECB takes on the thorny challenge of like-for-like replacements

David Hopps21-Mar-2018Concussion Replacements will be available for the first time in all four professional domestic competitions in England this summer as the ECB has acceded to requests from the counties to put the safety of players ahead of initial fears that the system might be misused.The change of policy is one of several significant changes to the Playing Conditions affecting the Specsavers County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup, Vitality Blast and Kia Super League.Dr Nick Peirce, the ECB’s chief medical officer, has overseen ECB research into concussion in cricket for several years. “This is a change made in the interests of player safety and health,” he said. “While concussion is not as common in cricket as in contact sports such as rugby, our research has shown an average of around 15-20 incidents in first and second team cricket during each of the last few seasons.”We have already mitigated against this by making helmets meeting the latest safety standards mandatory, and improving the levels of training for umpires and other officials. Now the ECB Board have approved a proposal from the Cricket Committee that we go a step further – with that proposal reflecting a very strong view from first-class counties.”The previous refusal to allow a replacement player had caused tension within the county system. Coaches, in particular, felt that by emphasising player safety and withdrawing a player they were put at an unfair disadvantage for the rest of the game. The prospect that they might condemn themselves to defeat, with all the possible knock-on effects that might bring, was an outcome that rested more easily with some counties than others.The ECB has now acted, with the safeguard that any decision whether a like-for-like replacement is permissible is left to a medical professional.Peirce said: “This season, each team, home and away, at first and second team level, will have to be supported by a medical professional who is qualified to make judgements on possible concussion following a head-strike. They will initially have a five-minute period to make an on-field assessment, and if concerns remain, that assessment will continue off the field, as previously.”At this stage, there is no Concussion Replacement – and there is no time limit on deciding whether or not the player can return to the match.
“But if the medical professional feels that the player has or may have been concussed, they will notify the Cricket Liaison Officer present. It will then be down to the CLO to approve the concussed player’s team’s nomination of a replacement.”Alan Fordham, the ECB’s head of cricket operations, added: “We appreciate that the phrase ‘like for like’ leaves a need for some flexibility and interpretation. We will take into account the cricket that remains to be played and will aim to replace the resource lost by the affected side – but not so much that they are advantaged.”For example they would not gain permission for a specialist batsman to be replaced by a specialist bowler if they were bowling in the fourth innings, or for a fast bowler to be replaced by a spinner if that team were to be bowling later in the match.”The full Playing Conditions are published on the ECB website.