Alastair Cook said that Kevin Pietersen’s return would aid the team as England look to restore unity ahead of another subcontinental challenge

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Oct-2012In early days of England’s 1992-93 tour of India, the pair of Mike Atherton and Phil Tufnell wandered around the streets of Kolkata, admiring and swallowing at once the beauty, chaos and stench of the City of Joy. The pair were bunking as room-mates on their first trip to India and Atherton recounts an interesting story in his autobiography .As they ambled along the streets, the duo ended up sitting “cross-legged” in front of a fortune teller, who had lured the Englishmen in with the offer that for a small fee he would have his caged parrot pick the Tarot cards which would reveal their immediate future. Superstitious, both men acquiesced. The pair’s fate, the fortune teller warned, was “bleak” for the next couple of months, but would pick up from February 24 – the day before the England tour ended. Needless to say, England lost the series 3-0.Security concerns will not allow England’s newly installed Test captain, Alastair Cook, to find himself squatting in the promenade by the Gateway of India, a happy hunting ground for fortune tellers. Then again, Cook does not need a stranger to tell him what lays in store when he lands in India.The reintegration process of Kevin Pietersen back into the England dressing room; how to conquer spin, England’s Achilles heel for the many debacles over many decades; installing a suitable and long-term opener to replace Cook’s predecessor, Andrew Strauss, with whom he had a prolific partnership; and, importantly, rediscovering the team’s winning ways are the main hurdles for Cook and England’s team director, Andy Flower, on the India trip.The rights and wrongs of the Pietersen issue have all the makings of a bestseller but if England want to stand up on Indian soil confidently, they need their best player of spin and they need to embrace him despite his faults. Some have argued that England won the 2009 Ashes largely without Pietersen but then playing India in India on turning tracks is a different proposition to Australia at home. Among current England batsmen, Pietersen has the best scoring rate against Indian spinners in India of 3.57. Of the touring squad, only Cook and Pietersen have made centuries in India, with the pair both passing 1000 runs on the subcontinent since Cook’s 2006 debut.On Thursday, before England departed to India via the UAE – where the squad train over the weekend – Cook said several times that Pietersen was “desperate and keen to pull his England shirt on”, because with the three lions on his chest Pietersen has shown the ability to bring down the opposition single-handedly. Pietersen, who is currently in South Africa with Delhi Daredevils, will join up with England after his involvement in the Champions League T20.

Who will be Cook’s deputy?

“We haven’t made anything official yet,” Cook said. “I would like to have a vice-captain because it is important everyone is very clear when the captain is not on the field who takes over. It was the case when I was made the vice-captain and I hoped to carry on the tradition.”
Cook said Stuart Broad, who is England’s captain in the Twenty20 format, was a favourite but is among a bunch of senior players who could lay claim to the position. “We have got a good number of senior players as well,” he said. “That is what is quite exciting about this squad is we seem to have a lot of senior players who have played 60, 70, 80 Test matches but then there are also a crop of players who have not played much at all. Having a balanced squad like that is a good place to start.”

Cook acknowledged the bitterness of the past two months, when Pietersen was dropped immediately after his heroics at Headingley in the second Test against South Africa. Earlier this week Strauss himself said that it would not be an easy healing process. Cook recognised the difficulty but indicated strongly that he wanted to move forward.”It has been a difficult two months for us as an England side but for me as a captain the best possible outcome has happened,” Cook said. “We have got a world-class player back in our team. It has been a tough couple of months for Kevin but he seems very contrite. He is desperate to be back playing, doing what he does best – scoring runs for England. As a captain that is what all I want. I want him to come back into the side as he was to score match-winning runs like he did in Colombo, like he did at Headingley. I am sure he will be desperately keen to do that. As a captain I wanted our best players in the team because that is how we know we can get the best results.”Asked if it would be easy for the team management and his team-mates to give Pietersen respect and expect the same in return, Cook agreed that it would take time for the reconciliation but said the first positive steps had been taken. According to Cook the key was to develop the same team ethos that had seen England climb to top of the Test rankings last year with consistent performances.

Who will open with Cook?

Cook said the position of his partner was “still up for grabs” and did not rule out any of the prospective names from the touring party, including the uncapped Joe Root and Nick Compton, or promoting Jonathan Trott to open.
Six years ago Cook was plucked from the Caribbean and dashed to a baking hot pitch in Nagpur and he responded with a half-century followed by a century on debut in the second innings, so he is in the best position to advise the pair of Compton and Root.
“All I will say is make sure enjoy the moment,” Cook said. “Don’t worry too much about the result. Concentrate on what you have done to get selected in the first place – it is the same red ball coming down at you. These two guys have earned their selection in two different ways. I am sure they are desperate to get out there.”

“Clearly we know how important team spirit and team harmony is because that is where all our strength has been in the last couple of years and it shows in the results,” Cook said. “We know how hard we have to work at that to make sure we continue on that front. We will be working as hard as we can in the coming months to put the team in that spirit that we know makes us perform well.”Keeping his house in order is bound to keep Cook occupied, but he is more keen to focus on England’s biggest challenge: countering the menace of spin. Last year, England were blanked 5-0 in the ODI series in India. The 3-0 whitewash by Pakistan in the UAE is not even twelve months old and the subsequent struggle in Sri Lanka only re-emphasised their continuing agony against the slow bowlers.”We know how important playing spin is,” Cook said. “We did struggle in UAE, but the amount of work we did towards the latter part of the tour and then in Sri Lanka, we need to get as close to that point as soon as we can and build from there. Because we know how important playing spin is and how important first-innings runs are.”Cook was also not that concerned that the absence of any specialist spinner in the first warm-up game against India A was a smart trick by the Indians to protect their trump card. “What happened in UAE against Pakistan highlighted exactly where were at: we did struggle there. But I thought the improvements were made in Colombo and Galle. To draw a Test series out there was a really good achievement. It is important how we train against spin and how we start.”England last won a series in India in 1985. The last time they won a Test match was when then-captain, Andrew Flintoff, played the role of DJ-cum-captain in Mumbai. Cook did not play that match. He will be desperate to play a leading role this time around; importantly he will need all hands on the deck.”We have a real, tough challenge ahead of us as a side,” Cook said. “It has been almost 30 years since we won in India so that shows the challenge ahead but I am very confident in this squad that we can go out there and do something special.”

A half-century from Nick Compton and wickets for the spinners were the positives to come from England’s drawn tour match against Mumbai A

Amol Karhadkar05-Nov-2012
ScorecardNick Compton made his first significant score of the tour•Getty Images

As is the case with most three-day first-class games in India, there wasn’t much at stake in terms of the result between the visiting England XI and Mumbai A at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium. But winning or losing was the last thing on everyone’s mind in the England camp, for this game anyway, and they made full use of their last day in Mumbai on all counts.After Graham Onions – just like James Anderson the previous evening – struck in his first over with the second new ball, the left-arm spin duo of Monty Panesar and Samit Patel didn’t take long to dislodge the lower order; opener Nick Compton finally managed to occupy the crease for well over three ours – albeit against mediocre bowling; and, most importantly, Stuart Broad, who needed a scan on his heel on Sunday, was not just back on the field in the morning but also was cleared of a serious injury.So, as the England camp wrapped up the first of their three Mumbai legs on the India tour, they would have been feeling slightly better than they were coming in to the game. Compton, who remained unbeaten on 64 when the teams shook hands, said there had been “a number of good performances” over the last week.”[Alastair] Cook has got a hundred, [Jonny] Bairstow has got a hundred, Samit has batted consistently well,” he said. “Panesar’s bowling was accurate, exceptional. I do feel that some batsmen have played well and that does bode well.”After dismissing the remaining six Mumbai batsmen for 46 runs, England scored 149 for 2 in 52 overs – 22 of which were bowled by part-time bowlers. Compton, who was dismissed for 0 and 1 in his first two innings on tour, finally managed to get it right and helped raise England’s highest opening partnership so far. Joe Root, who started off as impressively as in the first innings, fell shouldering arms to a Shardul Thakur delivery that came in and rapped him on the pads with the score on 38 but Compton carried on to get a more substantial feel of batting in Indian conditions.And he was candid in admitting how difficult it is to concentrate on a day when there’s nothing much at stake.”Mentally it’s quite challenging. It was a bit of a challenge when they brought on a couple of spinners who probably don’t bowl that much in first-class cricket,” Compton said. “But it’s about having the right attitude in these situations, every single ball, every single minute is important. Especially for me, having missed out in the first game. It’s more of a mental battle, getting back to run-scoring mode. The opposition wasn’t brilliant at the end, but they bowled quite accurately in the first hour.”In the morning, Mumbai A’s Hiken Shah, who started the day 16 runs shy of a deserved century, started off with two well-timed boundaries off Onions. However, the left-hander was then caught in two minds about whether to play at a ball that was going down leg and edged it to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Naturally, he was disappointed to have missed out on a hundred and stood his ground in disbelief before taking the long walk back. Panesar and Patel then made short work of the tail, picking off the last five Mumbai A wickets for 22 runs off 41 balls.

The allrounder Glenn Maxwell is in line for his Test debut after being named to replace the injured Shane Watson for the Sydney Test against Sri Lanka starting January 2

Brydon Coverdale28-Dec-2012The allrounder Glenn Maxwell is in line for his Test debut after being named to replace the injured Shane Watson for the Sydney Test against Sri Lanka starting January 2. Watson has been ruled out due to the calf injury he suffered while bowling on the first day at the MCG and the captain Michael Clarke is also in some doubt due to the hamstring injury he sustained in Hobart. While Clarke expects he will be fit to play at the SCG, Usman Khawaja will remain on standby as Australia assess Clarke’s recovery.Maxwell is almost certain to play as the Australians look ahead to the tour of India, where they will require a second spinner, although Clarke also raised the possibility of bringing Mitchell Starc back in for Watson, to bowl alongside Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Jackson Bird. Whatever happens, Clarke has declared Starc a certain starter, but a four-man pace attack along with Lyon appears unnecessary in Sydney conditions.”Shane is out of the Sydney Test and Glenn Maxwell comes into the squad as a replacement for Watto [Watson], being the allrounder,” Clarke said after Australia’s win in Melbourne. “The other person on standby is Usman Khawaja for me once again. I have got a bit of extra time now, winning this game in three days, to give myself every chance to be right for Sydney and I’m really confident I’ll be fit for Sydney. But Usman is on standby just in case.”Maxwell comes into the squad as the allrounder, so it is a squad of 13 and then we wait and see what the conditions are like in Sydney. I think the other allrounder sits beside me right here [Mitchell Johnson] as he showed with the bat in this game. So we’ve got options. If you think the wicket is going to spin you’ve got the option of Maxy [Maxwell], if you think there’s enough in there to play four fast bowlers and a spinner, you’ve got [Johnson].”The uncertainty over Clarke’s fitness and the absence of the vice-captain, Watson, also means Australia’s selectors will need to decide who would be captain in the event that Clarke is ruled out. The logical replacement for a one-off Test would be the veteran Michael Hussey, although David Warner would be another option after the selectors indicated his leadership potential last summer by briefly naming him vice-captain of the one-day side.”I haven’t had that conversation with the selectors, not to say they haven’t thought about it, I’m sure they have,” Clarke said when asked about the captaincy if he was to sit out. “But I haven’t. I don’t know the answer to that question.””I don’t think [my hamstring has] got worse, that’s for sure. The thing with my injury, it’s about how you pull up as well. Yesterday I batted for a fair bit of time and made a hundred. I really need to assess over the next 24-48 hours how I pull up, continue with my strength programme, continue with my maintenance work to make sure I’m 100% right for Sydney. I think it’s more precaution than anything else.”The most likely scenario is that Clarke will play and Maxwell will come in for Watson, to bat at No.7, with Matthew Wade to move up to No.6. Clarke confirmed that if he was declared fit he himself would bat at No.4 in Sydney, with Hussey at No.5. The inclusion of Maxwell would give Australia two offspinners, but Clarke was confident both Maxwell and Nathan Lyon could work in the same side.”They’re two very different bowlers,” Clarke said. “Glenn brings that allrounder package. He’s scored plenty of runs for Victoria with the bat, I think he averages over 40 with the bat in first-class cricket, and he’s had success with the ball. He’s the full package and he has that X-factor about him. It’s now about assessing conditions and making sure we pick the best XI.”Maxwell, 24, has played 15 first-class matches and collected 27 wickets at 33.81, and has scored 924 runs at an average of 42. He made his ODI and Twenty20 international debuts earlier this year and is viewed as a player of enormous potential by John Inverarity’s selection panel.The absence of Watson will also raise further questions about his ability to perform the dual roles of batting in the top four and bowling in Test cricket, after calf and hamstring injuries ruled him out of the whole of last summer and the first two Tests against South Africa this season. Clarke said there were times when he held Watson back from bowling too much due to his batting commitments, but he said any decision to give up bowling would have to be made by Watson alone.”That’s really decided by Watto,” Clarke said. “He wants to be an allrounder. If you’re an allrounder you’ve got to be able to bat and bowl. Unless that changes in his mind, it won’t change in mine. We speak about it often. We’re very lucky to have such a good player who can do both, he could be in the team as a bowler, he could be in the team as a batter.”Squad: Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Wade (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird

Injured batsman Hashim Amla has been withdrawn from South Africa’s squad for the final ODI against New Zealand. Dean Elgar has been called up to provide cover

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2013Injured batsman Hashim Amla has been withdrawn from South Africa’s squad for the final ODI against New Zealand. Dean Elgar has been called up to provide cover. Amla had missed the second ODI in Kimberley as well with a quad-muscle strain.”Hashim has been withdrawn from the last ODI because we felt it would be a 50-50 call with his quad strain going into the match and we didn’t want to risk him with the Test match against Pakistan less than a week away,” team manager Mohammad Moosajee told .Elgar has played five ODIs since making his debut against England last year, and scored a maiden Test hundred against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth earlier this month.Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson will also miss the final ODI. Peterson received stitches for a split webbing on his right hand that he suffered during the second ODI, which South Africa lost and thereby conceded the series.”Robin split the webbing of the last digit of his right hand while trying to field a ball off his own bowling in the eighth over of his spell,” Moosajee said. “He needed stitches, and will not be able to take part in the final game.”South Africa have another left-arm spinner, Aaron Phangiso, in the squad, though he is yet to play an ODI. The final match will be played in Potchefstroom on Friday.

Neil Wagner’s impressive display in the nets will have aided his chances of a recall to the Test side

Firdose Moonda07-Jan-2013When Neil Wagner was growing up, he looked forward to the day he would be able to rattle international batsmen. He may not have thought about which batsmen specifically but few schoolboys do.Yesterday, he was required to target the New Zealand line-up. Yes, New Zealand. His adopted country.In the hope of preparing Martin Guptill and co. for the hostile South Africans, New Zealand’s management asked their pack to bound in hard and show little mercy. Wagner did that best and his aggressive net performance could have a dual benefit. New Zealand’s batsmen were sufficiently stunned and Wagner may have taken a few steps forward as far as selection for the second Test goes.After New Zealand’s heavy loss in Cape Town, Brendon McCullum hinted they would shake things up. Although batting was their weakness, New Zealand don’t have many options and can only replace Guptill with BJ Watling at the top and bring Colin Munro into the middle order. McCullum said they are unlikely to do that though and if changes come, they will instead be in the bowling department.Jeetan Patel could make way for Bruce Martin as the spin option while swapping the pace men is not out of the question either. Although Chris Martin came back strongly in Cape Town and finished with three wickets, Wagner was bubbling under the surface and the possibility of a second left-armer combined with his practice session poison could see him make a Test return.Wagner has only played two matches for New Zealand, after being talked about as the next big thing. Shortly after he became eligible for the country in early 2012, he was included in the squad to tour West Indies. His first Test, in Antigua, was a tough outing that yielded only 1 for 144. He followed up with three in Kingston and felt a little more comfortable at the highest level.”Playing Test cricket was everything I’ve ever dreamed of, especially after the process of moving to Otago, qualifying for New Zealand and then getting picked. As soon as that happened, it was a mountain off the shoulders,” Wagner told ESPNcricinfo during the New Zealanders tour match in Paarl.”But it was also a learning curve because I’d never played in the West Indies before and conditions were way different to what I was used to. It was two pretty tough Test matches and we didn’t do as well as we wanted to.”New Zealand lost both matches and Wagner was one of the casualties of the aftermath. He was dropped from the starting XI for New Zealand’s India and Sri Lanka tours because he lost ground to Trent Boult, although he toured on both occasions. Now he is in contention again and senses that he is starting over, again. “It feels like the same road again and where another opportunity comes, I will have to grab it,” he said.Wagner knows what it’s like to let chances go begging. When he lived in South Africa he was given limited time with the Titans franchise and because he was competing with the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Andre Nel, when he didn’t set the world alight, he was discarded. “It was tough team to break into. I wouldn’t say I grabbed my chances at the Titans that well. You’ve got to grab every opportunity that comes your way.”If he plays at St George’s Park, Wagner will join the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Kruger van Wyk as players born and schooled in South Africa who go on to play international cricket elsewhere. For the South African side, it will be nothing new even though Wagner had AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis as classmates at the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies).Wagner and du Plessis remained friends since and would catch up when they played club cricket in England. Now, they will meet on opposite sides having had contrasting fortunes in Test cricket. While Wagner’s career has stalled, du Plessis took off in Australia but Wagner holds no hard feelings. “It’s awesome for Faf to do that well and make that step. I know he has also had his trouble in the past with taking his opportunity,” Wagner said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing my cricket with him; it’s just going to be a different thing playing against him.”It will probably be different for Du Plessis as well as Wagner suspects he may know the extent of which Wagner has changed. He claims that he is no longer as hot-headed as was at Affies because New Zealand has turned him into a mellower and also more thinking cricketer. “At Affies, I found that they tried to grow people up real tough and to be hard. There’s no room to be soft.”The Kiwi lifestyle is a lot more relaxed and chilled; it’s less aggressive. Guys at Affies hate losing and when they lost they did not accept it at all. New Zealand is calmer. I learnt how to control my emotions more and accept that on the days when it didn’t go well there’s nothing you can do except learn from it and become better.”In keeping with that, Wagner will look to apply the lessons from his first Test stint if he gets a chance in South Africa. “It’s about being more aware, adapting to conditions earlier and knowing your role,” he said. “Luckily its conditions I am familiar with. There will be a touch more bounce and pace and it’s all about which bowlers will stay patient the longest.” Given the amount of waiting Wagner has had to do over his career, he hopes one of those bowlers will be him.

Jesse Ryder has ruled out a return to international cricket in the immediate future and is unlikely to play for New Zealand during England’s tour

Jarrod Kimber27-Jan-2013Jesse Ryder has ruled out a return to international cricket in the immediate future and is unlikely to play for New Zealand when England arrive for their tour next month, but he will be spending time with the team. Ryder had said earlier this month that he was leaving a door open for the England series but his agent confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Ryder felt he “needed more time” before he could make an international comeback.”Jesse has decided that he is not ready to return to the Blackcaps yet,” Aaron Klee, Ryder’s agent, said in an email. “He wants to stick to the plan he started last year, where he set out to achieve some personal goals and play a full season of domestic cricket.”He made a decision in June last year to take 12 months out of international cricket to achieve some of his goals. It has only been seven months since he made that decision. Whilst he has been back playing well, and starting to rediscover his enjoyment of the game, he feels that he needs more time before committing fully to playing international cricket.”Ryder was dropped after an incident during the one-day series against South Africa last year. He then decided to take a break to work on various issues, and struck form upon returning to domestic cricket. Ryder has played six matches for Wellington in the Plunket Shied, the first-class competition, scoring 580 runs at 58 with three hundreds, and was the leading run-getter in the HRV Cup, making 584 in 12 matches at 58.40.”Jesse is committed to seeing through the plan that has so far been successful,” Klee said. “He has been making very good decisions – we need to respect his decision-making in this instance as well. He still has goals he wants to achieve and achieving these would be difficult whilst playing international cricket – especially given the schedule the Blackcaps have in the coming months.”Klee said New Zealand Cricket was supportive of Ryder’s decision and was welcoming about him wanting to be involved with the team during the England series. However, he said “Jesse wants to keep to his original plan and the decision to take 12 months out of international cricket. That decision was made last June, so it is unlikely that he will deviate from his plan.”Ryder, Klee added, would play the IPL if he was selected, given it was a “domestic competition” and he would be on a “short-term contract”. Klee, though, said there wasn’t a set timeline for Ryder’s international return. “It would not be appropriate to try and put a date on a return to the Blackcaps. Many factors would have to align, including selection in the team.”Ryder is due to meet the New Zealand coach, Mike Hesson, on January 29. “The meeting was never about selection or availability – that isn’t even on the agenda for Tuesday,” Klee said. “It is a continuation of the regular discussions so Jesse wanted to dismiss any speculation before the meeting.”

The fast bowler Jackson Bird will fly home from Australia’s tour of India to have precautionary scans on his back

Brydon Coverdale25-Feb-2013The fast bowler Jackson Bird will fly home from Australia’s tour of India to have precautionary scans on his back.Bird played in the first of Australia’s two warm-up matches in Chennai and took 0 for 10 from 10 overs against the Indian Board President’s XI but was not selected for the first Test. Although he will leave India in the next 24 hours Bird might return to the squad if the scans are clear.”Jackson has reported some low level back pain and we feel the best course of action to determine the issue is to send him back to Australia for scans,” the Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said. “If the scans come back clear then he will return to India to take up his place with the squad.”If Bird is ruled out of the tour Australia will need to decide whether to send another fast bowler to join the squad. It is likely that Bird would have been the fifth bowler in line for a Test call-up on this trip given that the other fast man in the squad, Mitchell Johnson, has had success in India in the past.

Trevor Bayliss has been handed back his former job as the New South Wales state coach, after the Blues’ previous administration ignored his application in 2011

Daniel Brettig25-Mar-2013Trevor Bayliss has been handed back his former job as the New South Wales state coach, after the Blues’ previous administration ignored his application in 2011.In a clear indicator of the state’s new – or perhaps old – direction, Bayliss was appointed as head coach with a brief to oversee a change in the state’s coaching structure, likely to include a far more comprehensive network of specialist mentors.Bayliss and his assistant Chandika Hathurusinghe will also oversee the state’s two Big Bash League teams, in a replication of the structure chosen by Victoria, where the Bushrangers head coach Greg Shipperd and his deputy Simon Helmot guide the Melbourne Stars and Renegades respectively.The decision to appoint Bayliss was made by a panel including the former NSW captains Mark Taylor, Geoff Lawson and Stuart Clark, as the views of past players are increasingly sought by the state’s administration. Michael Bevan was another applicant, and may yet be employed as a batting coach.Two years ago Bayliss returned home to NSW after a successful stint as coach of Sri Lanka, and was eager to reclaim his former role as Matthew Mott departed. However the chief executive David Gilbert preferred to appoint the less experienced Anthony Stuart, leaving Bayliss to coach the Sydney Sixers in the BBL.What followed were two seasons of poor results and general discontent, resulting this year in the exits of Stuart, Gilbert, the association chairman Harry Harinath and more recently the resignation of the state captain Steve O’Keefe.Gilbert in particular was the target of sharp public criticism from the former fast bowler Brett Lee, who was called to the Cricket NSW offices for a disciplinary hearing but walked out of it with a place on a board subcommittee devised to receive advice from former players.While a fresh chief executive is yet to be appointed, the new chairman John Warn has pushed for greater mixing between the current and past generations of players, inviting many to a function during the final Sheffield Shield game of the season against South Australia at the SCG.”Trevor will bring experience, and most importantly, a successful track record at International level in all three forms of the game,” Warn said. “The panel of Mark Taylor, Stuart Clark and Geoff Lawson were unanimous in their support of this candidate and we know that he will bring both a strong work ethic, and passion for New South Wales cricket, to the role.”The appointment will form the first part of our coaching re-structure as we look to utilise the talents and experience that we have amongst our past players group and we see it as the first step towards returning New South Wales cricket to its position as one of the leaders in world cricket. We are also well underway in our search for a new Chief Executive and a review of our Big Bash League teams.”Bayliss will retain his other coaching job at the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, as provisions have now been made in state coaching contracts to allow a two-month window for the tournament.

Pune Warriors have suffered a setback with West Indian batsman Marlon Samuels returning to Jamaica to recover from a groin strain

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Apr-2013Pune Warriors have suffered a setback with West Indian batsman Marlon Samuels returning to Jamaica to recover from a groin strain and to be with his mother, who broke her knee. Samuels is likely to miss the rest of Warriors’ IPL campaign, with the franchise languishing near the bottom of the league.Samuels, one of five Cricketers of the Year announced earlier this month, played only two matches, scoring eight runs and taking one wicket. He remained with Warriors for a while but the groin injury failed to improve, so Samuels requested the management to release him so that he could be with his mother in hospital.”The groin injury was taking time to heal, but after he received news about his mom having her knee plate fractured, he became restless and asked if he could head back home,” Abhijit Sarkar, Warriors’ spokesperson, told ESPNcricinfo. He confirmed the franchise would not seek a replacement for Samuels. According to Sarkar, Samuels could return if he recovered from injury and Warriors made the knockouts.After returning from a two-year ICC ban, Samuels’ resurgence was dramatic: he was West Indies’ best batsman on the tour of England in 2012. He was the Man of the Match in the 2012 World Twenty20 final, which West Indies won, and had come to the IPL after recovering from a facial injury suffered during the Big Bash.Samuels’ absence added to Warriors’ problems this IPL season. They have lost their last three matches – Chris Gayle demoralised them by smashing Twenty20 records in Bangalore – and have only two wins after eight games. Warriors are currently above last-placed Delhi Daredevils, their next opponent at the IPL’s newest venue – Raipur – on Sunday.

Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura and Hamilton Masakadza have claimed they are yet to be paid the second installment of payments for their participation in the Bangladesh Premier League

Mohammad Isam07-May-2013Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura and Hamilton Masakadza have claimed they are yet to be paid the second installment of payments for their participation in the Bangladesh Premier League. The two appeared for Sylhet Royals, which is among five franchises that haven’t paid the Bangladesh Cricket Board the second installmentAccording to the players’ contract this season, the first installment was to be paid before the start of the tournament while the second was due at the end of it. The third installment is to be paid within six months of the tournament’s end.The BCB had taken over the responsibility of player payments this year after there were irregularities by the franchises in the inaugural edition of 2012. But as per the current process, the board needs to receive the amount from the franchises before paying the players. According to BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick, the BCB have only received money for the second installment from Dhaka Gladiators and Duronto Rajshahi.”It is true that five out of seven franchises haven’t made payments after the first 25%,” Mallick told ESPNcricinfo. “Our lawyers have told us that we have to wait till May 15 before sending out legal notices. We will take action if we are not paid by that time.””The BCB has taken up the responsibility of paying the players mainly because of what happened after the first edition of the BPL. We will continue to do so, but the franchises have to pay us the players’ fees. Once they fail to make the payments, we will take out the bank guarantees to pay the players.”Masakadza was bought in the players’ auction for $30,000, but has only received the first 25% of the payment. He played in seven matches for the Royals, making 90 runs at an average of 12.85.”I was so excited when I was bought in the auction,” Masakadza said. “The experience of being involved in the tournament was great but it has become a real disappointment since that our second payment is still due, and I’ve been waiting patiently for ten weeks now.”Chigumbura echoed his Zimbabwe team-mate’s concerns, reminding the Sylhet Royals to ensure payment. He averaged 44.33 with the bat, picked up 13 wickets and hit the most number of sixes in the tournament – 19.”I hope the organisers can arrange the payments very, very soon as we had our first payment during the event,” Chigumbura said. “But the next payment does not seem to be coming. I have waited more than two months already since it should have been paid.””It’s a shame because I have great memories of the tournament, as I finished as the highest six-hitter in the whole thing. But ultimately we are there to earn money, we love cricket, but it’s also a job for us.”