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A decision over whether to convene or delay the BCCI’s annual general meeting (AGM) is likely to be taken at an informal meeting of BCCI members in Chennai on Sunday

Amol Karhadkar and Nagraj Gollapudi04-Sep-2014A decision over whether to convene or delay the BCCI’s annual general meeting (AGM) is likely to be taken at an informal meeting of BCCI members in Chennai on Sunday. Around 20 of the 30 members are expected to attend as a show of support for the sidelined BCCI president N Srinivasan.According to one official, “technically” the AGM already stood postponed. “There is a technical glitch as per the BCCI memorandum. The president has to sign the balance sheet. The president has to ask to postpone the AGM. But there is no president,” the BCCI official said.Doubts over the AGM, usually held in the last week of September, emerged immediately after a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court rejected Srinivasan’s appeal to be reinstated as BCCI president, which would have allowed him to chair the AGM and likely stand for a third term as BCCI president.The Court approved a two-month extension to the Mudgal Committee’s probe into corruption during last year’s IPL and said Srinivasan could not be reinstated in keeping with an order from the court which had said that he could resume office only at the end of the IPL investigation.ESPNcricinfo understands that around 20 associations, those said to be on Srinivasan’s side, are expected to attend the Chennai meeting. It is understood that the units from south and east zone will attend the meeting, as well as the BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel.The staging of the meeting is being kept a secret. Several state association members who are not Srinivasan supporters, including one of the BCCI vice-presidents, said they were not even aware of such a meeting, let alone being invited.According to a BCCI office-bearer, the Chennai meeting was not a formal board meeting, but the gathering of “a group” of people to discuss issues pertaining to the AGM. There is growing uncertainty amid member units over whether the AGM and elections could be held before September 30, the last day of BCCI’s financial calendar.The court’s order to not allow Srinivasan to resume his duties has resulted in a technical conundrum over BCCI’s AGM. According to the BCCI constitution, the AGM has to be convened with a 21-day notice before September 30 which means the last date to convene the AGM should be September 8.As per the norm, the BCCI calls for a working committee meeting to finalise the date for the AGM in addition to ratifying the annual report and the accounts, which can only be done by the president. With Srinivasan barred from the post, Shivlal Yadav has taken over as the interim president.There is no clarity over whether Yadav is eligible to ratify the annual report. While a section of BCCI members believe Yadav can sign the report, some members feel in the presence of an elected president, Yadav’s signature may create a legal loophole that can be exploited by an aggrieved member later on. There is a possibility that the ruling faction within the BCCI may well prefer to postpone the AGM citing incomplete annual accounts.The annual report is also far from being ready, according to another high-ranking BCCI official. The annual accounts have to be finalised by the finance committee and forwarded to the working committee for its approval. However, the BCCI’s working committee hasn’t been convened since April 20, four days after the Court confirmed that Srinivasan couldn’t return to the BCCI till the end of the IPL investigation.Multiple former office-bearers confirmed that a working committee meeting can still be held during the three-week window between circulation of the AGM notice and the AGM. And this might be feasible for the Srinivasan camp, considering opposition, if any, has so far been muted.Some of Srinivasan’s key opponents, including Lalit Modi (Rajasthan Cricket Association), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association), Niranjan Shah (Saurashtra Cricket Association), Ajay Shirke (Maharashtra Cricket Association) and even Sharad Pawar (Mumbai Cricket Association) have remained silent. One of the opposition members said “the status quo” would continue when asked if there was any plan to stall Srinivasan and his supporters from trying to postpone the AGM.

Dinesh Chandimal will captain the President’s XI against the touring South Africans on Wednesday, ahead of what may be his first match as ODI captain against South Africa on Saturday

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jul-2013Dinesh Chandimal will captain the Sri Lankan Board President’s XI against the touring South Africans on Wednesday, ahead of what may be his first match as ODI captain against South Africa on Saturday. As the vice-captain of the national team, he could be in line to take the reins from Angelo Mathews, who has been suspended from the first two ODIs courtesy an over-rate offence.Chandimal is Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 captain, but his ODI form has been poor in the last 16 months – he has averaged 18.19 and hit only two fifties in 28 matches. He was dropped from the limited-overs sides during the latter part of 2012, though he retained his place in the national squad, and has been granted an extended run in the XI after assuming the vice-captaincy in February. Although he is viewed as a future leader, a promotion to acting captain may not be automatic, in light of recent results.Both Dimuth Karunaratne, and Angelo Perera, who are in contention for ODI debuts in the series, will also play in the warm-up match, as will Thisara Perera, who was dropped from the national squad for the West Indies tri-series.South Africa play five ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals during their three-week tour.President’s XI squad: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Mahela Udawatte, Angelo Perera, Sachithra Serasinghe, Chaturanga de Silva, Jehan Mubarak, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Vimukthi Perera, Madura Lakmal, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ashan Priyanjan

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed the England midfielder that he thinks may contend for the Euro 2024 next summer.

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England looking for options for third midfielderCarragher thinks Alexander-Arnold could be the optionEngland one of the favourites for Euro 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

Last month, Gareth Southgate's team easily qualified for their eighth major tournament in a row after defeating Italy 3-1 at Wembley. In recent international matches, players like as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips and Conor Gallagher have been tested alongside Southgate's first-choice midfield choices, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.

The Liverpool full-back, who played in midfield against North Macedonia and Malta has been a subject of considerable debate recently, and Carragher believes that he could be the perfect complement to the existing duo of Rice and Bellingham.

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"Southgate demonstrated his foresight when identifying this a few years ago, initially criticised for using Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder," Carragher wrote in his Telegraph column. "Although England were not great against Malta and North Macedonia, there was plenty to like about Alexander-Arnold’s performances, especially in the first game."

"An exciting, balanced midfield trio of [Jude] Bellingham, [Declan] Rice and Alexander-Arnold can take the national team close to winning Euro 2024. They would be my first choice."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Speaking on international duty last week, Alexander-Arnold also hinted that an opportunity further forward is something he relishes: "My specific skill set and what I’m best at is someone who plays in the middle. You probably get more out of me from being in the middle and I’m able to show off that skillset as much as possible."

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WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

Southgate will now have almost four months to strategise his potential plans for the midfield as the next international break does not arrive until March.

Ben Stokes has spoken about the “complete devastation” he felt after the last over of the World T20 final

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2016Allrounder Ben Stokes has spoken about the “complete devastation” he felt after the last over of the World T20 final when Carlos Brathwaite had taken him for four consecutive sixes to snatch the title away from England.In the immediate aftermath of the conclusion to the final, Stokes admitted trying to block out the emotions and he said it is only since returning home that he has really reflected on what took place.The final over began with West Indies needing 19 to win and England favourites despite having struggled to 155 for 9 with the bat. But then Brathwaite swung Stokes’ first delivery over deep square leg, then connected sweetly against two full deliveries to suddenly level the scores and leave a distraught Stokes with his head in his hands.”I thought, ‘I’ve just lost the World Cup’. I couldn’t believe it,” he told the . “I didn’t know what to do. It took me so long to get back on my feet. I didn’t want to get back up. It was like the whole world had come down on me. There weren’t any good things going through my mind. It was just complete devastation.””It is probably only now really that all the emotions have started to come out about it. I couldn’t reflect on it at the time. There was just shock.”Stokes had developed his reputation as a death bowler during the tournament with important spells against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. He said he did not panic after the first ball of the last over had cleared the boundary and was still backing himself to defend 7 off 4 before being crushed by the third six.”It was not until they needed one off three that I knew the game was gone. When they needed seven I was still backing myself to get us over the line but I just couldn’t. It was amazing hitting. I just did not execute what I wanted to do.”A host of current and former players – not just from England – have come out in support of Stokes, praising his desire to be the man under pressure at the end, and he said he would not have a second thought about putting himself back in that position.”A hundred per cent. Definitely. It is something I work at a lot. Some days they go well. Some days they don’t. That was a bad day but I won’t be shying away from it. You almost want it to happen because if you nail it everyone forgets.”Stokes was at the centre of another spat with Marlon Samuels during the final – Samuels was fined 30% of his match fee for foul language – and Samuels was far from glowing about Stokes during his post-match press conference. Stokes has no issue with how events transpired and acknowledged Samuels played “a brilliant” innings.He also revealed that Brathwaite, who was fulsome in his praise of Stokes, had asked for a signed shirt.”We did not have a beer with them afterwards but Brathwaite came up to me and asked for a shirt. He is a brilliant lad. I wanted to make sure I spoke to them and say well done because I did not want people to think I was bitter. I wished them all the best. It is about respect to the opposition.”Stokes will return to action for Durham on April 24 in their County Championship match against Middlesex.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Ranji Trophy final for the 2012-13 season, between Mumbai and Saurashtra

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran in Mumbai25-Jan-2013Match factsJanuary 26-30, Mumbai
Start time 0930 (0400 GMT)Big PictureRohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, among a couple of other batsmen, will be missed by their respective Ranji sides in the final•AFPHeading towards the Wankhede Stadium, there is little sign that the biggest first-class match in the domestic calendar is about to begin. Instead, on the walk up to the stadium, you are greeted by a series of posters advertising the Hockey India League going on at the adjacent hockey ground. Even inside the Wankhede there are more logos of the Women’s World Cup, which was shifted out of the ground at the last minute, than the Ranji Trophy.Saurashtra, though, need no reminders about how big a game this is. This is the first time they have made it to the title clash since independence, since the time they took up their present name back in 1950-51. Their title wins in the Ranji came when one of their previous incarnations, Nawanagar, triumphed in their debut season in 1936-37 and another team which included players from the region, Western India States Cricket Association, in 1943-44. Their most experienced player, Shitanshu Kotak, has the unwanted record of being the highest Ranji run-getter without having won the title.One key member of their set-up who has been involved in a Ranji final is long-standing coach Debu Mitra, who played in 1968-69, losing to Mumbai. Ahead of this year’s final, he says his advice to the Saurashtra players has been: “Just go and play another match, that’s all.”Mitra’s words are an attempt to reduce the sense of occasion for his players, but for several men in the Mumbai team, this just another match. The captain, Ajit Agarkar, has won six Ranji titles, Wasim Jaffer has seven, and they also have Sachin Tendulkar. Add to that Mumbai’s awesome record in Ranji finals – 39 titles in 43 attempts – and it becomes clear why the home side are overwhelming favourites despite a less than stellar league campaign this season.Both sides are missing two batsmen who pile up the runs in domestic circuit, but while Mumbai have the depth in talent to absorb the loss of Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, Saurashtra’s bench is less robust and the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja affects them severely.Two areas where Saurashtra can feel they have an edge over Mumbai are fielding and spin bowling. While Mumbai have shelled plenty of catches this season – notably Kshemal Waingankar grassing a sitter from Wriddhiman Saha to allow Bengal a draw, the seven chances turfed against Punjab, and Iqbal Abdulla putting down last man Ishwar Pandey in the nerve-jangling seven-run win over Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra have been sharper in the field. Mitra even credited the run-out of Uday Kaul in the first innings as the turning point of the semi-final against Punjab.Also, their spinners – Kamlesh Makwana, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Vishal Joshi – have all played key roles in Saurashtra’s progress this season, while Mumbai have had little variety in the spin department after the injury to Ramesh Powar, with Ankeet Chavan sometimes playing as the lone slow bowler.Still, there will be few willing to bet against Mumbai taking title No. 40 next week.Form guideMumbai DDDWD (Most recent first)
Saurashtra WDWDDPlayers to watchSheldon Jackson made his Saurashtra debut back in 2006, but before this season he had played only a solitary first-class match. He’s making up for the lost time with a series of crucial knocks: on a difficult track in Rajkot, when almost everyone else struggled to make runs, he hit a century to earn an outright win over Bengal; he came up with big runs in the quarter-final against Karnataka; and in the semi-final, there was a century in the first innings and an unbeaten 44 in the second when the rest of the batting keeled over. Saurashtra need another big effort from him in the final.As in almost every match that Tendulkar has played, he will again be the star attraction. It is a rare occasion when he fails in the Ranji Trophy, and he will add one more record to his glittering career if he scores a century in the final – that will take him level with Sunil Gavaskar for most first-class centuries by an Indian, with 81.

Rooting for Mumbai from up here in the mountains. Good luck boys! Bring the cup home. #RanjiTrophyFinals

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) January 25, 2013

Team newsAgarkar said he didn’t think there would be any changes in the Mumbai XI from the semi-final game over Services.Mumbai (likely) 1 Wasim Jaffer, 2 Kaustubh Pawar, 3 Hiken Shah, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 Aditya Tare (wk), 7 Ankeet Chavan, 8 Ajit Agarkar (capt), 9 Dhawal Kulkarni, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Vishal DabholkarSaurashtra are likely to make one change to their side, leaving out one of their three spinners to bring in a quick bowler.Saurashtra (likely) 1 Shitanshu Kotak, 2 Sagar Jogiyani (wk), 3 Rahul Dave, 4 Jaydev Shah (capt), 5 Sheldon Jackson, 6 Aarpit Vasavada, 7 Kamlesh Makvana, 8 Vishal Joshi, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 Chirag Jani, 11 Siddharth TrivediPitch and conditionsJanuary is among the most pleasant of months in Mumbai, with the temperature perfect for playing cricket. The surface at the Wankhede this season for Ranji matches has been batting-friendly but the curators have had very little time to prepare the track as the venue for the final was only decided a few days ago. Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah expected the pitch to provide more assistance for the quick bowlers than for the spinners.Stats and trivia Sachin Tendulkar in Ranji finals at the Wankhede: 47 and 96 (1991), 140 and 139 (1995), 53 and 128 (2000), and 105 and 43 (2007) A century for Wasim Jaffer will give him the most hundreds in the Ranji Trophy, taking him past Ajay Sharma on 31 and will also help him reclaim the record for most Ranji runsQuotes”I suppose it comes with experience as we have got more than one guy who has played more than one final. That generally helps in winning big games.”

“Against Bombay you always need to score big runs and then put pressure at the start as if they don’t get a good start, they sometimes collapse.”

James Vince has attracted attention for his natural stroke-making ability but he kept his instincts in check with a circumspect innings to steer Hampshire into a three-figure lead over Glamorgan

Alex Winter at the Ageas Bowl12-May-2014
ScorecardJames Vince passed 500 runs in the Championship this season with 61 against Glamorgan (file photo)•Getty ImagesJames Vince has attracted attention for his natural stroke-making ability but he kept his instincts in check with a circumspect innings to steer Hampshire into a three-figure lead over Glamorgan. But Vince was the third player to go no further than the 60s as the visitors kept the game from racing away by fighting back with the second new ball.Vince is a joy to watch, with his languid, fluid style producing effortless drives and flicks but there was little opportunity for such strokes on a day of showers that interrupted play regularly until after tea. It was during the final session that Glamorgan gained their rewards for not allowing Hampshire to find the progress of the first evening, taking 5 for 53 after a new ball was requested at the earliest opportunity.Vince passed 500 County Championship runs for the season during his 61 – only Daryl Mitchell, with 532, has more in the country and he has faced almost double the number of balls – but this innings came at a strike rate 20 lower than his overall mark so far this season. It was difficult for the batsmen to settle, with four rain breaks before tea, and the new side to Vince’s game was required to continue Hampshire’s progress.Vince has worked hard to tighten his technique with Hampshire first-team coach, Tony Middleton – who has overseen the majority of Vince’s career – after recognising the need to become more consistent in four-day cricket. He has moved across his stumps slightly and resisted temptations outside off stump – in general selling his wicket dearer. His work was rewarded with over 1000 Championship runs last summer and selection on the England Lions tour to Sri Lanka.The new season has seen his best form to date in four-day cricket, with a match-winning 144 against Gloucestershire at Bristol and 159 at the Ageas against Surrey. Runs at the right time, with England places available.Here he demonstrated the vital characteristics for international cricket, temperament and discipline, while still finding time to please the eye; a straight-driven four of Graham Wagg just before lunch the pick of his eight boundaries. He also demonstrated smart batting against left-arm spinner Dean Cosker. Vince took him over mid-on, prompting the fielder to go back and Cosker to shift his line a touch wider, allowing Vince more space for his flowing blade, which sent a second boundary wide of mid-off.But the first delivery of the second new ball saw Vince caught on the crease and lbw to Wagg for 61. It prompted a Hampshire slide, with Wagg also getting Joe Gatting to naively drive outside off stump and edge to Mark Wallace.Vince and Liam Dawson had taken Hampshire to 196 for 2 and a position to build a match-winning first-innings lead – batting once would be preferable with the potential for more time to be lost. But a game Glamorgan attack, notably shorn of Michael Hogan who is in Australia with his wife and new-born child, persisted well and forced Dawson into an error, slashing off the back foot to a ball not short enough for the stroke and edging behind. It was a first Glamorgan wicket for Tom Helm, a loanee from Middlesex who only turned 20 five days ago and was asked to open the bowling.Dawson went for 64 and followed Michael Carberry with a weak dismissal. Carberry’s fluency of the first evening, where he helped Hampshire tick along at three-and-a-half an over, was completely absent on the second morning and he added just four runs to his overnight total. Jim Allenby is a dangerous bowler to drive off anything but a very full length; Carberry leaned out to play through the covers and sliced a catch to backward point.Allenby later had Matt Coles dismissed fourth ball in exactly the same fashion and, in between, forced Sean Ervine to play on for another middling score that demonstrated how Hampshire had coughed up the chance to take a stranglehold on the match.

Zaka Ashraf has been reinstated as PCB chairman for the second time this year, after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) annulled the committee headed by Najam Sethi and all the decisions taken by it

Umar Farooq19-May-2014Chaos and the PCB

May 8 – Zaka Ashraf becomes the PCB’s first elected chairman

May 28 – The Islamabad High Court bars Ashraf from dispensing his duties, following questions over the legality of his appointment

June 13 – High Court upholds Ashraf’s suspension at a subsequent hearing and orders the PCB to name an interim chairman

June 19 – Key decisions are in the lurch, including an MoU that needs to be signed for Pakistan to tour the West Indies for a limited-over series in July

June 23 – Najam Sethi is named PCB’s interim chairman

July 20 – High Court overrules all major decisions taken by Sethi and orders the Election Commission to conduct fresh elections for the chairman post

July 24 – PCB files appeal against High Court decision

September 28 – The ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) names Amir Tariq Zaman Khan the PCB secretary – a role not defined in the PCB constitution – in compliance with the High Court order

October 15 – Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif dissolves the PCB governing board and forms a five-member interim management committee headed by Sethi

October 21 – Islamabad High Court sets November 2 as the deadline for Election Commission to fill the chairman post

November 4 – High Court says Sethi commission can continue working, stays election process

November 17 – Sethi raises conflict-of-interest questions by interviewing Misbah-ul-Haq on his political show

December 17 – High Court reserves judgment on PCB appeal against July 20 ruling

January 15 – High Court reinstates Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman

February 10 – Najam Sethi returns as PCB chairman, after the patron of the board, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, dismissing the chairman Zaka Ashraf once again and dissolving the board of governors

May 14 – Zaka Ashraf comes under a cloud after an internal audit by the PCB covering his 22-month span as chairman reveals a staggering level of financial extravagance

May 17 – The Islamabad High Court dismisses the order issued by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on February 10 that removed Zaka Ashraf as chairman, paving the way for his return

May 19 – The IHC reinstates Ashraf again, anulling the committee headed by Najam Sethi and all the decisions taken by it during its four-month term

Zaka Ashraf has been reinstated as PCB chairman for the second time this year, after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) annulled the committee headed by Najam Sethi and all the decisions taken by it. The development is likely to impact the Pakistan team significantly because their head coach Waqar Younis, team manager and chief selector Moin Khan, and other staff were appointed during Sethi’s most recent tenure as PCB chairman.In its 26-page order, the IHC said the lawyers appearing for the respondents could not “prove the reason for removal of [the] earlier set-up of the board.” The court said merely leveling allegations against Ashraf without proof to back them up was insufficient evidence, and therefore the “notification for supersession of Pakistan Cricket Board is purely an arbitrary exercise, which is entirely based on malafide.”Therefore, the impugned notification (dated February 10, 2014, which dismissed Ashraf) superseding duly elected body of Pakistan Cricket Board without assigning any reason is required to be struck down. The same is therefore hereby annulled.”Ashraf arrived at the PCB headquarters in Lahore this afternoon with a large convoy of his supporters. “Eventually justice prevailed,” he said on arrival. “I always respected the court decision, and even if it was against me I could have accepted that as well. The court judgment says that all decisions in my absence are nullified but I will review them.”During the last four months Sethi’s management committee had taken several key decisions that could now stand void. A six-member selection committee headed by Moin and a junior selection committee headed by Basit Ali were formed. Waqar was named head coach; former Zimbabwe batsman Grant Flower and former Pakistan legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed were given two-year contracts as batting coach and spin consultant; and Misbah ul Haq was named ODI captain until 2015.There were several administrative appointments as well: Zaheer Abbas was named principal advisor, Amjad Hussain was named director media, Haroon Rashid was named director academy. The Sethi-led management committee had also passed a new constitution, which was to be implemented from June 10.The ongoing turmoil in the PCB administration dates back to May 2013, when Ashraf became the PCB’s first elected chairman. Shortly after he took office the IHC – responding to a petition filed by a former Rawalpindi Cricket Association official – suspended Ashraf, calling the process that elected him “dubious and polluted”.In June, the IHC upheld Ashraf’s suspension and later that month Sethi, a senior journalist and former caretaker chief minister of Punjab, was named the interim PCB chairman by the government of Pakistan. The very next month, the IHC directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to carry out polls for the PCB chairman’s post by October 18 and overruled all major decisions taken by the Sethi administration.The elections, however, never took place and after a succession of legal developments – including the dissolution of the PCB’s governing board in October and the formation of a five-man interim committee headed by Sethi to run Pakistan cricket – the IHC reinstated Ashraf as PCB chairman in January.The reappointment was short-lived because, in February, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif dismissed Ashraf again and dissolved the board of governors, and Sethi returned as chairman, heading an eight-member committee to run cricket in Pakistan. This is the administration the IHC’s latest ruling has done away with.

Both Essex and Gloucestershire will hope that their share of the Australian invasion of county cricket has a profound effect on their seasons

Alex Winter at Chelmsford13-Apr-2013
ScorecardMichael Klinger, pictured batting for South Australia, is in his first season as Gloucestershire captain•Getty ImagesBoth Essex and Gloucestershire will hope that their share of the Australian invasion of county cricket has a profound effect on their seasons.Neither Rob Quiney nor Michael Klinger can be considered star signings but both are experienced professionals with solid records and both have been given responsibility at the top of the order.In Klinger’s case he’s also been given the Gloucestershire captaincy, after Alex Gidman stepped down at the end of last season. His task is an unenviable one. He flew in a week before the start of the new season to take charge of a young, inexperienced side that finished bottom of the County Championship last year.Realistically, they are part of an unofficial Division Three with Glamorgan, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. Bettering those three sides this season would be a start but Klinger will have seen enough talent on show in the opening game to suggest Gloucestershire can secure a mid-table finish.”For a first match, I was impressed,” Klinger told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m still getting to know the guys but to score over 400 having been sent in was a great effort. Obviously the weather played a big part but there’s a lot of positives.”Talent-wise there’s no reason why we can’t go up the ladder. From what I’ve seen so far, the young guys can perform, it’s just a matter of performing day in day out. I like to lead from the front and hopefully I can build my runs throughout the season and back the younger guys.”Nine points from the opening match was a solid return on a ground where Gloucestershire got off to the worst possible start last season with an innings defeat. They cashed in on a wicket that was straightforward enough to score on and put Essex under pressure with the new ball, although failed to follow it up and struggled to sit in with a plan for long periods.That they managed a second bowling point owed much to Essex’s charge for a fourth batting point. Tom Westley – who was dropped by Alex Gidman at first slip in the second over of the day – was caught at the wicket having pressed on past 150 and James Foster, enterprising in striking six fours in a half century, was brilliantly held at deep backward square leg by James Fuller to give Gloucestershire their sixth wicket.The weather may have taken a result completely out of the equation but the dead, slightly slow pitch was unlikely to yield 20 wickets for either side in four full days. It is the surfaces at Chelmsford that could hinder Essex’s chances of challenging for promotion, with head coach Paul Grayson confident that they have a squad to be competitive.”There’s a nice group of bowlers and competition for places,” Grayson told ESPNcricinfo. “We had to make two big calls, Saj Mahmood and Reece Topley didn’t play this game but they’ll get plenty of cricket this year. It’s a long season.”There’s nice balance to the batting too. Jaik Mickelburgh is our spare batsman; he’s got a good hundred this week for the seconds. Ryan ten Doeschate and Owais Shah are to come back as well. Cooky will play a couple of games too. So the squad’s looking good.”If you achieve things it’s not down to 11, 12 players, it’s down to 15, 16. We might have to use a rotation system at some time, if guys are a bit tired we might be able to rest one or two at certain periods, especially with one-day cricket. But I’m pleased with the way the squad is shaping up.”

The France star was in inspired form in his first start of the season to put the summer's drama over his futuree behind him

Kylian Mbappe scored in his second straight game for Paris Saint-Germain, showing exactly why the French champions needed him to stay. The forward netted twice on his full return from exile, banging in the second and third of a comprehensive PSG win as they saw off one of their most obvious title rivals, Lens.

Mbappe was by some distance the best player on the pitch, and seems to have started to reclaim the love of the Paris faithful after leading the reigning Ligue 1 champions to a 3-1 win.

PSG found themselves lacking in front of goal for most of the first half. Vitinha came close, Mbappe forced a fine clearance off the line and Achraf Hakimi skewed a shot narrowly wide. But it was Marcos Asensio who eventually found the breakthrough. It was the kind of goal he's scored countless of times, a shimmy onto his left foot and curled finish into the bottom corner.

Mbappe added a second just after the break, starting a move with a tidy layoff around the halfway line, before finishing it with a side-footed whack from just outside the box.

And there could have been more. Hakimi wasted another chance, Ousmane Dembele found the side netting and Asensio headed wide. All the while Lens — now without star striker Lois Openda following his departure to RB Leipzig — struggled to break down an organised PSG defence, only breaching the goal with a deflected strike late on.

Mbappe got his second in second-half stoppage time, an admittedly fortunate strike finding the bottom corner after a couple of ricochets. Still, it was no more than he deserved after turning in the kind of showing that proves just how good he — and his team — can be this year.

GOAL rates PSG's players from Parc des Princes…

Goalkeeper & Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10):

Made one save early, another late, and aside from an uneasy touch or two, was mostly a spectator.

Achraf Hakimi (6/10):

Ran into some advanced areas, but was sloppy once he got there. Rarely challenged at the other end of the pitch.

Marquinhos (7/10):

Didn't have much to do — other than keep the ball moving. Put in an interesting shift at left-back in the final minutes. Those transfer rumours should quieten down now.

Milan Skriniar (7/10):

Good in the air, composed in his distribution. Already looks the part in Paris.

Lucas Hernandez (6/10):

Assisted Mbappe's first goal, but was otherwise unconvincing at full-back for the third straight game. Nuno Mendes figures to reclaim his old spot when he returns from injury.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Manuel Ugarte (8/10):

Starting to settle in. Made some excellent tackles and pinged some more advanced passes, too.

Warren Zaire-Emery (7/10):

Another immensely promising performance. Did his fair share of dirty work, while also offering some quality in the final third. Marco Verratti's replacement is already here.

Vitinha (7/10):

A rather adventurous showing. Looked to get forward, and was much more incisive in his passing. Should have scored in the first half.

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Ousmane Dembele (6/10):

Afforded loads of space on the wing, but wasn't always clinical in the final third. He will need to find some rhythm — Mbappe can't do everything alone.

Marco Asensio (7/10):

Shifted over to the middle to accommodate for Dembele. Seemed wasted there until he opened the scoring with a fine finish. Was far better after he found the net.

Kylian Mbappe (9/10):

Handed his first start of the season. Scored a wonderful goal and got lucky with his second. The best player on the pitch, who looks freed when allowed to be the sole star man.

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Subs & Manager

Fabian Ruiz (6/10):

A brief run out to finish the game. He's in real danger of losing minutes.

Danilo Pereira (6/10):

No time to make an impact.

Carlos Soler (N/A):

Only introduced for the final five minutes. Perhaps surplus to requirements, especially if more signings are made.

Luis Enrique (8/10):

Made some interesting tactical decisions, playing Asensio through the middle and backing Ugarte in the centre. But it worked out. PSG were excellent on the day against one of their biggest title challengers last year. His only grievance will perhaps be that they didn't score five.

Leicestershire made it consecutive wins in the NatWest T20 North Division as Durham’s batsmen struggled to come to terms with a well-grassed but relatively slow pitch at Grace Road.

ECB/PA28-May-2015
ScorecardKevin O’Brien saw Leicestershire home with an unbeaten innings•Getty ImagesLeicestershire made it consecutive wins in the NatWest T20 North Division as Durham’s batsmen struggled to come to terms with a well-grassed but relatively slow pitch at Grace Road.Durham skipper Mark Stoneman’s decision to bat first after winning the toss looked like it might pay off when the first over, bowled by part-time offspinner Neil Pinner, yielded 15 runs. But Foxes captain Mark Cosgrove turned to his seamers, and in the third over Stoneman, looking to pull a short delivery from Rob Taylor, bottom edged the ball into his stumps.Calum MacLeod was becoming increasingly frustrated when he stepped across his stumps and attempted to scoop a Kevin O’Brien delivery over the wicketkeeper’s head, and succeeded only in edging a simple catch to Ned Eckersley at point.Phil Mustard pulled and square drove boundaries off O’Brien in the 11th over, but in the 12th Paul Collingwood tried to lift the offspin of Jigar Naik over long-off, and was well held by Grant Elliott. The New Zealander then dropped a fierce chance off Mustard, on 41, but the left-hander added only four more runs to his score when he was held by Rob Taylor at long off from the bowling of O’Brien.John Hastings did his best to increase the scoring rate, hitting three beautifully timed boundaries in going to 21 off 13 balls, and together with Gordon Muchall, who made 31 off 27 balls, added 37 for the sixth wicket.A target of just over six an over always looked likely to be inadequate, however, and though Hastings bowled well at Cosgrove when Leicestershire began their innings, youngster Paul Coughlin was lofted high over long-on and into the player’s car park by the Australian left-hander.Coughlin got his revenge, catching Cosgrove at deep-extra cover off Usman Arshad, and Scott Borthwick pinned Eckersley leg before wicket so that after ten overs the Foxes were only just ahead of the required rate.Had Borthwick won a stumping decision when Elliott was only 3, matters might have become really interesting, but after several replays, third umpire Tim Robinson decided there was sufficient doubt to reprieve the New Zealander. Salt was rubbed into the wound when Borthwick’s next over went for 20, and offspinner Ryan Pringle received similar treatment as Leicestershire cantered home with 27 balls to spare.”I don’t think the pitch was too bad at all, I think we bowled pretty well on it, and then the batsmen took us home,” Cosgrove said. “It’s good to back up on beating Derbyshire in our last match, and hopefully we can take the form into our game at Worcester on Friday night.”