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Matter to be discussed when the time is right, says Test captain Pat Cummins after retaining Ashes at MCG

Alex Malcolm28-Dec-2021Despite Australia retaining the Ashes in just 11 days and one session of action, that too only a month-and-a-half after winning the T20 World Cup title, there is no update on head coach Justin Langer’s contract situation, with Test captain Pat Cummins choosing not to use the moment to endorse him for a second term beyond mid-2022.”I think we’ll savour this victory today and continue for the Ashes and I don’t think today’s the day to speculate on that,” Cummins said. “I think we’ll sit down all together after this series or whenever I think his tenure is up or his contract is up for renewal in a few months, I think we’ll visit that then.”Related

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• Finch expects to be involved in Langer's contract talks along with Cummins

• Langer 'not edgy' about his future as calls to re-sign him grow louder

• 'Who does that? Scott Boland does. Our ancestors stand proud with him'

• Langer on talks with players: 'We got a lot off our chests'

Cummins’ straight bat followed Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley’s answer to the same question on Boxing Day. “We always said we’re going to be really focused on the two upcoming campaigns,” Hockley had said. “That’s the T20 World Cup and the T20 team did fantastically to bring that trophy home and same for the Ashes.”I know JL, I know the team, they are very, very focused on this series and what we have said before the summer, we’ll be sitting down at the end of the season, to review where we go from there.”But England’s capitulation inside 12 days of this Ashes series and Australia’s performance in the T20 World Cup have accelerated a conversation that had been kicked down the road ever since player relations with the coach came to a head following poor tours of Bangladesh and West Indies in the middle of the year.The firestorm that followed, forced Hockley and CA to make a statement confirming that Langer would be the coach for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes and would see out his current deal, which is due to run till June 2022.But since then, the team has performed like a well-oiled machine and Langer has shown an ability to reshape his own coaching style to foster a calmer environment. Langer has made no secret of the fact that he was keen to continue in the role as Australia’s head coach for all three formats, stating as much in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test.”I’ve never thought differently, to be honest,” he had said. “I’ve been consistent with what I’ve said for the last four years. I love my job. And the boys are playing well. No doubt about it. It’s a great team to be involved in. Nothing’s changed from my point of view.”He has made a significant case to continue given he has done exactly what was asked of him by the playing group, and success has followed. Langer has delegated far more often to his assistants with CA having placed a very experienced team of coaches around him. He has also allowed the players to take control of their own preparations more than ever before. The selection panel, of which he is a key voice, has also performed well, selecting a batting-heavy side with great success at the World Cup in the UAE. And the selections of Marcus Harris, Travis Head and Alex Carey in contentious roles for the Ashes have all paid off while they were also brave enough to make a left-field selection in Scott Boland for the MCG Test, which Cummins was full of praise for.”The three selectors deserve a whole amount of credit,” Cummins said. “They’ve really picked a horses-for-courses-type selection with Scotty.”Australia are now set to play two limited-overs series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka before the end of the home summer. They will then have to split into two squads, which will require two different coaching groups, as the Test team is scheduled to tour Pakistan while a T20 team plays in New Zealand in late February-early March.

Visitors indebted to Luke Hollman’s four wickets, Sam Robson’s 76 as Danny Lamb threatens to steal game

ECB Reporters Network03-Aug-2021Middlesex’s young bowlers just about held their nerve to secure a six-run win over Lancashire in a magnificent Royal London Cup match at Emirates Old Trafford.Defending 257, the visitors were indebted to 20-year-old leg spinner Luke Hollman, who took 4 for 56, but the visitors had to withstand a late assault from Danny Lamb, whose 21-ball 33 looked as though it might win the game until he was bowled by Ethan Bamber when four balls remained in the game.Middlesex’s total owed much to Sam Robson’s 81-ball 76 and also to Martin Andersson’s partnerships with tailenders Thilan Wallalawita and Bamber that saw 67 runs added for the last two wickets in less than ten oversThe visitors probably envisaged making an even bigger total when they were 80 for 1 in the 18th over but Stevie Eskinazi became the second of his side’s batters after Josh de Caires to be caught by Lamb when he top-edged a rank full-toss from George Balderson to fine leg where the Lancashire all-rounder dived full length to clutch the ball in his right hand.Eskinazi’s departure for 45 was followed by that of the Middlesex skipper Peter Handscomb for 14 seven overs later and once again Lamb literally had a hand in things when he dived backwards from short fine-leg to take a one-handed snare off Jack Morley.Related

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By that stage Robson had reached his fifty off 54 balls and the four-day opener continued to bat fluently despite injuring his groin and needing a runner. Robbie White was caught behind off leg-spinner Luke Wells for 18 and that wicket started a collapse that saw Middlesex decline from 154 for 3 to 190 for 8 in nine overs.Three of the five wickets were taken in eight balls by Tom Bailey, who finished with 3 for 33 and was clearly the pick of his side’s attack. Indeed Bailey was the only bowler to concede less than five runs an over and Wallalawita helped himself to two sixes and a couple of fours when Jack Morley and Liam Hurt’s radar malfunctioned. Andersson ended the innings unbeaten on 42.Lacashire’s reply began badly as both Josh Bohannon and Wells fell to Bamber and James Harris for single-figure scores but Keaton Jennings and Rob Jones had put on 63 in some comfort before Jennings injured his calf when setting off to complete a leg bye.Following treatment he was helped from the field in obvious pain but Jones and Steven Croft added a further 77 before Croft fell to Hollman for 41. Balderson then hit de Caires for two sixes over the short leg-side but both he and Jones were dismissed by Hollman, whose eighth over was crucial in deciding the outcome.Jones was caught by de Caires at long-off for a career-best List A score of 72 but that only prompted Lamb’s defiant assault that nearly brought Lancashire a famous victory. Jennings’ injury prevented him coming out to bat when Lancashire’s ninth wicket fell.

The two countries meet for the first time in the shortest format with a global event looming not far off

Firdose Moonda18-Jul-2021

Big Picture

After a first last week – when Ireland beat South Africa in an ODI for the first time – there’s another coming this week. The two teams will face off in the shortest format for the first time. Both are entering the final stages of preparation for the T20 World Cup later this year, with South Africa gearing up for a group that includes England, Australia and West Indies, and Ireland needing to go through a qualifier against Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Namibia.The hosts have the more difficult task, having last played T20I cricket over a year ago, in March, against Afghanistan. Since then, they have had series against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan cancelled but will play at least eight matches (three against South Africa and five against Zimbabwe) in the lead-up to the global event in October.South Africa have fewer matches, just six (three against Ireland and three against Sri Lanka, after a series against India has had to be postponed again because of the IPL) and plenty of questions remain over their strategy. Despite beating West Indies 3-2 earlier this month, they have yet to settle on combinations but aim to use the Ireland matches to solidify their plans. Coach Mark Boucher indicated there is a level of fatigue in the camp, made worse by news of unrest at home, but with just a week left on the road, they have promised to give it their all.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland TLLLW
South Africa WLWWL

In the spotlight

Ireland’s headliner Kevin O’Brien will be back to try and find form as he prepares for the T20 World Cup. O’Brien has played five international matches this year – all ODIs – and managed just 27 runs, with three scores in single-figures and a duck. He has also had a tough time in the Irish inter-provincial T20 tournament, with 47 runs in six matches and a top score of 16. His last international milestone came almost two years ago, a century in a T20I against Hong Kong. It is Ireland’s only hundred in the format and they will want him to summon the spirit of that knock tomorrow.Tabraiz Shamsi has been a strong influence on South Africa’s limited-overs cricket recently•Getty Images

The world’s top-ranked T20I bowler, Tabraiz Shamsi , has been vocal on social media on topics including the challenges of life in bio-bubbles but has also seen the lighter side of having limited contact with others and will want to combine his frankness and good humour to end the tour on a high note. Shamsi was outstanding in the West Indies, where he was South Africa’s joint-leading wicket-taker and maintained the lowest economy rate for any bowler on either side (4.00) and will challenge both the Irish defence and run-scoring ability.

Team news

O’Brien has retired from ODIs but remains available in the shortest format, and is expected to open the batting alongside Paul Stirling. A middle-order of Harry Tector and George Dockrell, who were successful in the ODIs, will precede the power-hitting Shane Getkate and ODI centurion Simi Singh. Ireland are likely to have four seamers at their disposal in Getkate. Barry McCarthy, Josh Little and Craig Young.Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Kevin O’Brien, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Harry Tector, 5 George Dockrell, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Shane Getkate, 8 Simi Singh, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Josh Little, 11 Craig YoungSouth Africa seem to have settled on Temba Bavuma to partner Quinton de Kock at the top in T20Is with Aiden Markram likely to feature at No.3. David Miller was rested for the final ODI but could make a return in the middle order, which may also include both a seam-bowling (Wiaan Mulder) and spin-bowling (George Linde) allrounder. With bowling a big focus for South Africa, expect them to play their first-choice attack.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Heinrich Klaasen/David Miller, 6 Wiaan Mulder, 7 George Linde, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Lung Ngidi 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions

The third ODI on Friday showed that big runs are possible in Malahide and we can expect more of the same in the opening T20I which may bolster the ground’s average first-innings score of 152. There have only been three scores over 200 in 13 T20Is played at this ground, all achieved by the teams batting first, and all successfully defended. The highest successful chase at this venue is 182. Monday’s weather is set to be fine and warm, with no rain.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland and South Africa have never met in a T20I
• Andy Balbirnie needs 55 more to become the fifth Irish player to reach 1,000 T20I runs
• South Africa have won two out of their last eight T20I series dating back to March 2019

Quotes

Some of the things is making sure we are confident in our death bowling. We have clear plans, it’s a matter of executing that over a long period of time. And also by the end of the Sri Lankan tour, that we can trust the formula we have been working on over the last couple of months.

Barbadian fast bowler has UK passport and impressed on trial with 2nd XI

George Dobell15-Jun-2021Warwickshire look set to pull off something of a coup in signing Che Simmons, a young fast bowler who has been dubbed the “new Jofra Archer”.Simmons, a 17-year-old seamer, was born and raised in Barbados. But he also holds a UK passport through his father and, having been recommended to Warwickshire’s director of sport, Paul Farbrace, by fellow Barbadian Ottis Gibson, was invited to play a few games for Warwickshire’s 2nd XI as a trialist.Having made an excellent impression, Simmons is expected to be offered a deal which might well include some type of scholarship in order that he can complete his education in the UK. He currently attends Combermere School, which has a rich history of producing top players. As well has current West Indies Test captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, Wes Hall, Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrall and Chris Jordan also attended the school. So did the singer, Rihanna.A fast bowler with a beautiful smooth run-up and action, Simmons has represented Barbados Under-15s and came to prominence by claiming all 10 wickets in an innings while playing for the Franklyn Stephenson Academy. He finished with the remarkable figures of 10 for 16 from 5.3 overs. Only two of the runs he conceded came off the bat.While good news for Warwickshire and, potentially, England, it might be seen as another setback for cricket in the Caribbean. While Archer and Jordan are the most high-profile cricketers to have opted for England ahead of Barbados in recent years, Warwickshire have another young Barbadian in Jacob Bethell on their staff. Some at Warwickshire believe Bethell, a left-arm spinner and batter, is the best young player the club has had since the emergence of Ian Bell.

Sri Lanka never really got to grips with the variation and control of the England attack

George Dobell23-Jun-2021England have taken a one-nil lead in the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a comfortable eight-wicket victory in Cardiff achieved with 17 deliveries to spare.A much-changed Sri Lanka side – there were six alterations from their previous T20I in March – never really got to grips with the variation and control of the England attack or a slightly sluggish surface that rendered strokeplay tricky. At one stage they went 10 overs (from 4.2 to 14.1) without hitting a four and there were just three sixes in their innings.Eoin Morgan, the England captain, appeared to have an almost endless array of options and variations on hand in the field. And with Adil Rashid producing the third most economical four-over spell of his T20I career (he conceded 17) and Chris Woakes (three overs for 14) and Liam Livingstone (two overs for nine) adding equally miserly support in conceding just one boundary between them, Sri Lanka never looked to be on course for a competitive total.While Dasun Shanaka, with his second T20I half-century, helped Sri Lanka plunder 25 off the final two overs of the innings to drag his side to something approaching respectability, only one of his colleagues, Kusal Perera, made 20 and Sri Lanka only took their run-rate above a run-a-ball in their penultimate over.That left England chasing a modest 130 for victory. And even without the injured Ben Stokes, that was unlikely to test the side ranked No. 1 in the world in this format.Related

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Jos Buttler and Jason Roy, took 61 from the powerplay to all but end the game as a contest. If Buttler, timing the ball beautifully both through and over the off side, was the more pleasing on the eye, Roy was no less effective as he thrashed through the leg side. It was some surprise when he was brilliantly caught attempting to flay one over mid-off.By then, though, the openers had added 80 from 55 balls. And while Dawid Malan (seven off 14) was unable to get into his stride, Buttler brought up a 38-ball half-century by taking 10 off two deliveries from Akila Dananjaya – a pulled six followed by a drive for four – and ensured England cruised over the victory line with quite a bit to spare.Perhaps the one-side nature of the contest was no big surprise: this was the No. 1 ranked T20 side playing at home against the No. 8 ranked side, after all. Spare a thought for Sri Lanka, though. In the age of Covid, we have become accustomed to teams performing without the warm-up matches and acclimatisation we once expected. Here, though, Sri Lanka were up against a side who are in the middle of their domestic T20 tournament – the Vitality Blast – and had only had a couple of inter-squad matches to prepare by comparison. It was hardly ideal and it may well have shown.Buttler’s opening statementButtler came into this game having spent the last couple of weeks batting in Lancashire’s middle-order in T20 cricket. And with the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes also vying for the opening position in this format, he may have felt he had something to prove. If so, he did a fine job of making his point with an innings that was both controlled and brutal. Early on, it was his shots through the off-side – a lofted drive and a back foot punch, in particular – that caught the eye, but as the ball softened and the sluggish pitch made such strokes less productive, he produced some powerful thumps through the leg side. He gave only one chance, from the final ball of the match, when an outside edge was dropped by Kusal Perera. It was Buttler’s second T20I half-century in succession and his third in four innings. For a man who scores at his rates, that is a remarkable level of consistency. He also scored a century in his final IPL innings.Shanaka’s fightShanaka recorded the second half-century of his T20I career to justify his recall to the Sri Lanka side. Shanaka hadn’t played an international match in this format since March 2020 but here, coming in with his side in some trouble (they were 52 for 4 in the ninth over), he provided the resistance. He looked hurried by Mark Wood initially – he was beaten by his first three deliveries and, after 16 balls, had scored just nine – but, as he settled, he unveiled some powerful strokes and accelerated nicely in hitting 23 from the eight deliveries before his dismissal from the final ball of the innings. Twice in succession, Wood was punished for some width by being cut to the boundary, while he also hit two-thirds of the sixes of the innings: a ferocious drive over long-on off Chris Jordan and a pull off Sam Curran. None of it was enough to take Sri Lanka to victory but he did, at least, give his bowlers something to defend.Like a LivingstoneSome were surprised by England’s decision to prefer Livingstone to Moeen Ali as their spin-bowling allrounder. But Livingstone’s ability to bowl both leg and offspin does give him an edge in being able to adapt to left or right-handed batters. He has been in decent form with the bat in domestic T20 cricket, too, scoring an unbeaten 94 a couple of weeks ago and 45 and 65 in his two most recent games. He didn’t have a chance to bat here but impressed with the ball in delivering two well-controlled overs containing both offbreaks and leggies and without conceding a boundary. It was a performance that provided his captain with a buffer should any of his frontline bowlers have an off day and must have done Livingstone’s T20 World Cup chances no harm at all.Hope in HasarangaSri Lanka’s bowlers weren’t given much of a chance by their batters. But at least Wanindu Hasaranga gave Sri Lanka supporters some cheer with a really well controlled spell of leg-spin that saw him concede just 12 runs and deliver 14 dot balls. With just a little luck he could have had a couple of wickets, too, as England’s batters struggled to predict which deliveries would turn and which would skid on. Malan missed one which slid past his outside edge and Bairstow came within an ace of playing on to another which hurried on to him. The impression was that, given a decent target to defend, he could have caused England quite a lot of trouble.The return of ChrisThe last time Chris Woakes played a T20I, Barack Obama was president of the USA and David Cameron was prime minister in the UK. So a lot has changed since November 2015. But with Jofra Archer missing and Woakes having enjoyed a decent IPL, England recalled him for his first international game since September; a remarkably long time for a player with a central contract who spent much of the winter in the squad’s bio-bubbles. While Woakes didn’t take a wicket, he more than justified his recall in conceding just one boundary in three frugal overs which contained 11 dot balls and cost only 14. With his control, his variations and his experience, he may well have put himself back in contention for a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

Some more of the tourists will be administered the vaccine on February 20

Mohammad Isam18-Feb-2021Tamim Iqbal and Russell Domingo were among several Bangladesh cricketers and support staffers to be administered Covid-19 vaccines in Dhaka on Thursday, ahead of the team’s departure for New Zealand next week to take part in a limited-overs international series.Soumya Sarkar was the first to be vaccinated at the Kurmitola General Hospital, followed by Iqbal, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Naim and Taskin Ahmed, followed by the contingent of support staffers – special arrangements had been made for the overseas coaches, since they don’t have the Bangladeshi national ID that is mandatory to be eligible for the vaccine. BCB director Jalal Yunus, who will travel with the team, was also among those vaccinated.Some more of the cricketers who are travelling to New Zealand will be administered the vaccine on February 20, and the BCB will make arrangements for more vaccines to be administered, if needed, after the tour.Speaking afterwards, Iqbal admitted to being apprehensive about taking the vaccine to start with. “The thing about vaccinations is that if you know how helpful it is for you then I think your fear will go. I will not deny that I was afraid,” he said. “I was not sure whether to take it or not. But after talking to the BCB and finding out that it is normal to have symptoms, it made sense to take it.”The app was also launched at the same time in the presence of health minister Zahid Maleque and BCB president Nazmul Hassan, and Sarkar was the first to use it.Ahmed urged people from his country to get the vaccination done at the earliest. “I am feeling quite good after being inoculated,” he told . “There’s no physical problem yet. I would like to thank the honourable prime minister and BCB for making it so easily available for us. I urge everyone to be vaccinated. The app has also made it a simpler process.”More than one million Bangladeshis have taken the vaccine since the government rolled it out earlier this month.

Daddy long-legs larvae have damaged the outfield at Hove

Matt Roller17-Mar-2021Sussex are considering switching the venue for their first County Championship fixture of the season against Lancashire from Hove to Old Trafford due to a bug infestation.The teams are due to meet twice within the first four rounds of the season, with Sussex’s home game scheduled from April 8-11 at Hove and the return fixture at Old Trafford from April 29-May 2. But the clubs have been discussing the possibility of reversing the venues while the Hove groundstaff deal with a plague of larvae that has damaged the outfield.It is understood that the bugs in question are leatherjackets, the larvae of European crane flies (more commonly known as daddy long-legs). They lay their eggs in soil, which then hatch out and feed on the roots of plants – in this case, the grass on the outfield. The square, however, has not been damaged.Related

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The insecticide that was commonly used to treat the issue has been banned in the UK since 2016, but Sussex are hopeful that it will only be a short-term problem, and remain confident that their home fixture against Yorkshire on April 22 will be able to go ahead as planned. A firm decision on the venue for the season opener will be made at the end of next week.A Sussex spokesperson said: “We’re making good progress on getting the outfield ready for the start of the season and remain hopeful of hosting Lancashire at The 1st Central County Ground as planned. We will assess the conditions at the end of next week and the two clubs will then make a decision on where the fixture will be played.”Because both the LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures between Sussex and Lancashire will be played behind closed doors, if the home and away matches are switched, spectators would not be affected. Our thanks go to Lancashire for their understanding and cooperation in this matter.”Lancashire were contacted for comment.

“I’m always going to have to live with Cape Town regardless of whether I lead again or not”

Reuters and ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2021Three years after his ignominious exit as Australia’s captain in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, Steven Smith has said he is keen and ready to lead the national side again if an opportunity came his way.Smith was suspended from international cricket for 12 months and banned from leadership roles for two years for his role in the scandal during the Cape Town Test in March 2018.After Smith’s ban Tim Paine took over the reins of Australia’s Test side while Aaron Finch was handed the captaincy of the white-ball formats.”I’ve certainly had a lot of time to think about it and I guess now I’ve got to a point where if the opportunity did come up again, I would be keen,” Smith told .”If it was what Cricket Australia wanted and it was what was best for the team at the time, it’s certainly something I would be interested in now, that’s for sure.”Related

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The scandal centred around Smith, his deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on camera attempting to change the condition of the ball using sandpaper, and it plunged Australian cricket into crisis.Paine has since led Australia’s Test side with distinction, but with the wicketkeeper-batsman turning 37 by the time he captains in the Ashes series against England at the end of 2021, a clear succession plan would be required.Few players have better credentials to succeed Paine than the 31-year-old Smith but it has been fast bowler Pat Cummins who has been nurtured in the past as Australia’s vice-captain and he has been handed the one-day captaincy of New South Wales this season”I’m always going to have to live with Cape Town regardless of whether I lead again or not. It’s always there,” Smith said. “I’ve been through all that now.”Time keeps moving forward, and I’ve learnt so much the last few years about myself and grown as a human being. I feel as though I’d be in a better place if the opportunity did come up.”If it doesn’t, that’s fine as well and I’d support whoever is in charge the same way I’ve supported Tim and Finchy. I haven’t always felt like I wanted to do it again. That’s only come in the last little bit.”The topic of Smith captaining Australia again came up during the visit by India this season when Finch missed the second T20I with injury and Cummins was not part of the squad. Matthew Wade was handed the role with coach Justin Langer there is a “process” to go through before Smith can captain again.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo late last year, CA chairman Earl Eddings said that there had not yet been discussions about Smith.”We’ve got some great young leaders coming through,” he said. “So it’s not just about should Steve take over, it’s about what’s best overall. Steve’s a great young man and he was a good captain when he was there. Like any succession there’s planning in place. Have we sat down as a board specifically to discuss the next captain? No we haven’t.”We’ll be guided by the recommendations of the selection panel, they always come back to our board at the right time with their recommendation, and we’ll go through it in detail when they do that.”

Also planned are discussions surrounding the Future Tours Programme, a new revenue distribution model and governance review

Osman Samiuddin and Tristan Lavalette17-Mar-2023Afghanistan, the continuing complexities of India-Pakistan and a new revenue distribution model will all be on the agenda at what is shaping up to be a portentous ICC board meeting this weekend in Dubai.The quarterly meeting, the first of this year, began on Thursday with the women’s cricket committee and the men’s committee on Friday. But all eyes will fall on the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) meeting on Saturday, before the ICC Board and Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee meet over Sunday and Monday.It is in and around the sidelines of those meetings that the most pressing topics will be discussed:

Afghanistan’s membership

The ICC’s working group on Afghanistan will present an update to the ICC board on the situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in the country in August 2021. Imran Khwaja, the ICC’s deputy chair and head of the working group, has met with officials from the ACB and Taliban in Doha twice since November. They’ve been provided assurances that the government has not interfered in cricket affairs, but also acknowledge that any women’s cricket while the Taliban are in power is near impossible.Consequently, the working group will argue that the issue of women’s cricket is beyond the control of the ACB and so the board should not be punished. Full membership at the ICC requires the member to have a functioning women’s team but that status is unlikely to be under threat. There is, however, a growing resolve among members to act, or at least for a clear policy statement to be made.Even the ICC management is desperate to act, not least since some Afghan women cricketers reached out to them. There has been informal talk of funding a women’s team outside of Afghanistan and without implicit ACB approval. But the working group will make the board aware that such options could prove counterproductive, even dangerous, for those on the ground in the country. It is a tightrope, in not wanting to punish Afghanistan while also wanting some progress with the women’s game.Related

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• ICC chairman and CEO to visit Pakistan with World Cup participation as chief agenda

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• Afghanistan's status as ICC Full Member unlikely to be affected

• Holder: Every team apart from big three barely playing any Tests

A new revenue distribution model

The F&CA will begin discussions on a new model to divvy up the ICC’s broadcast money (and commercial earnings) over the next rights cycle. It is not going to be a simple discussion – it wasn’t for the current cycle, where the rights were sold in 2014 for eight years as one bundle to one broadcaster, for approximately USD 2.1 billion.This time round, the ICC is selling rights separately in different regional markets, as well as unbundling them into different packages – one for TV only, one for digital only, one for both, over four and eight years – and men’s and women’s events treated separately. That has already brought a much greater value than the last cycle, even accounting for there being more events. Last August, Disney Star* secured the rights to broadcast ICC events in India for four years from 2024 to 2027. That deal is said to be worth just north of USD 3 billion. The ICC has also recently sold rights in the UK market to Sky Sports for eight years, in a deal worth around USD 260 million. On Friday, the ICC announced the US rights going to Willow, leaving the subcontinent rights (excluding India) to go.So, much more money, but also more challenges in distributing it. The F&CA is headed by the BCCI secretary Jay Shah and given that the India market now has a tangible separate value, it will only strengthen the longstanding BCCI belief that they should receive a lion’s share of it. Smaller members are also wanting enhanced shares, especially as they ended up with less than the expected amounts from the last cycle after ICC projections fell slightly short.The battles over the financial model last time round were epic, not least because of the tumult caused by the Big Three takeover and then eventual rollback. The BCCI, ultimately, wasn’t happy with its share. The global calendar is more fractured and complicated now, only adding to the difficulties in navigating this. The discussions will start this weekend but the expectation is to not expect a new model anytime soon.

India-Pakistan

The BCCI says India will not travel to Pakistan to play in the Asia Cup in September. The PCB says if they don’t, then Pakistan might not travel to India for the World Cup in October-November. This has been the status quo between the two members for a while now.”We have complex issues on hand but for me when I go to the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) and ICC meetings I have kept all options open for us and we have to take a clear position now,” said the PCB head Najam Sethi at a press conference earlier this week. That is in line with the PCB belief that the Asia Cup and ICC events are linked: if India refuse to play in Pakistan for the Asia Cup, what is the guarantee they visit for the ICC’s Champions Trophy in 2025?That is the question the PCB will be raising this weekend, though it will do so with the wriggle room that ultimately a decision on whether Pakistan travels to India for a World Cup will be made by the Pakistan government. There were reports in Pakistan earlier this week that the government had refused PCB permission to send a team to India. But state officials indicated to ESPNcricinfo that not only had no such decision had been made but that it was far too early for them to be making it.Holder: ‘Apart from the big three, every team is barely playing any Test cricket’•AFP/Getty Images

The Future-Tours Programme

A working group looking into current and future FTP bilateral planning arrangements will be ratified at the meeting.The group is led by Zimbabwe head Tavengwa Mukuhlani and includes the ECB’s Martin Darlow and New Zealand Cricket’s Martin Snedden and are expected to meet formally for the first time. The group is open for Full Members to address concerns heightened amid international cricket’s shrinking calendar as T20 leagues sprout worldwide.Given the concerns about the dearth of Test matches expressed expressed recently, the group is likely to hear those concerns sooner rather than later. “The way world cricket is going now, apart from the big three, every team is barely playing any Test cricket,” Jason Holder said after their recently concluded Test series in South Africa. He was echoing comments made by Angelo Mathews, playing a two-Test series in New Zealand, as well as the MCC.

Governance Review

Discussions over ICC constitutional reforms have been ongoing for years in what has been a thorny subject.It seemed to gain momentum during meetings last year with informal discussions over several proposals, including a single tier of ICC membership and a push for more independents to sit on the governing body’s board.Currently Indra Nooyi, chair Greg Barclay and ICC CEO Geoff Allardice are the only independent directors on the 18-person board. But board directors have been unable to get on the same page and no such proposal was tabled last year. Discussions are set to resume in Dubai.

Mohammad Shahid picked up an injury in BPL on Saturday but hopes to recover in time for the Tests against New Zealand in January

Mohammad Isam27-Nov-2016Mohammad Shahid has been ruled out of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League after injuring his right knee during Dhaka Dynamites’ 32-run win against Comilla Victorians on Saturday. He was hurt trying to field a ball near the boundary where he fell badly.The injury also put him in doubt for Bangladesh’s training camp in Australia in mid-December ahead of their tour to New Zealand, as he has to rest for the next two weeks notwithstanding the full recovery period.According to BCB’s chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury, Shahid had a scan but more medical tests would be required to determine the length of his rehabilitation after the rest period.”Shahid had a scan today after getting hurt on Saturday,” Chowdhury said. “We haven’t seen the report but primarily we know it is a partial ACL tear. He has to rest for the next two weeks, during which he will receive treatment. Further tests will tell us what we should be doing in the coming weeks.”A lot of the recovery will depend on the player, but the rest period is pretty much same for everyone. But how the player does after the rest period, will depend on each individual.”Shahid said that he had not given up hopes for the Tests against New Zealand in mid-January. He had missed the two Tests against England due to a side strain.”I will need rest for two weeks and then I will work for four weeks,” he said. “I hope to play the Tests against New Zealand, I am not losing hope. I have enough time. I don’t want to miss the series, having already missed the England series.”Shahid’s replacement has not been named yet.