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Selected in the India Test squad for the West Indies tour, Jaiswal will be heading to the NCA in Bengaluru in a couple of days’ time to prepare

PTI23-Jun-20232:22

Has Cheteshwar Pujara played his last Test?

On Friday afternoon, when news of his selection in the India Test squad for the tour of the West Indies came in, there was emotion and elation in equal measure for Yashasvi Jaiswal.”My father started crying. I have not yet met my mother [since the announcement], I am going to see her in some time. I was out from the morning, had a practice session as well as some other work,” Jaiswal told PTI in an interview in Mumbai hours after his selection.”I am feeling good, I will try to do my best,” Jaiswal, who will be heading to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in a couple of days’ time to prepare for the series, said. “I am excited but at the same time I just want to go out and express myself.”Related

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• Pujara dropped; Jaiswal and Gaikwad in India's Test squad

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• Six players who could debut for India in the next WTC cycle

Jaiswal, 21, had lit up the IPL (625 runs at a strike rate of 163.61) for Rajasthan Royals and has dominated in red-ball cricket too (he has a first-class average of 80.21 in 26 innings, and in his most recent first-class game, in the Irani Cup in March, made scores of 213 and 144). He was among India’s reserve players for the World Test Championship final earlier this month.Jaiswal said he was nervous heading into the squad announcement. “I was a little nervous, till the time you do not get to know that your name is there in the team, there are butterflies. But it is a good feeling.”My preparations have been going good and I got to interact a lot with the senior players [during the WTC final]. The conversation has been very simple – to focus on my work. I learned from them that in the end it is all about you, how you take it going forward.”The West Indies series includes two Tests, the first starting in Dominica on July 12 and the second in Trinidad on July 20.

There have been question marks over how the team has been too slow to start and aren’t always explosive at the end, but the head coach is having none of it

Melinda Farrell23-Jun-2019Justin Langer has hit back at criticism of the Australian side’s approach during the World Cup and backed his players’ form and game plans as they prepare to face England at Lord’s on Tuesday.Australia have lost one game – against India – in their campaign, compared to England’s two defeats at the hands of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but despite this Langer believes the hosts are still favourites.”Just look at their team,” Langer said at Australia’s training session at Merchant Taylors School. “Nothing has changed in a week.””We have seen how they played for four years. They are the best team in the world. I’m not really worried [about] what England are doing. It sounds like a coach’s cliché but it is the dead truth. We are concentrating on what we are doing. We are doing okay but we can get better.”A win for Australia at Lord’s would heap added pressure on England, who are yet to face the two undefeated sides of the tournament, India and New Zealand, and Langer expects the match to be decided by which team can best deal with their nerves.”You can look at it two ways,” Langer said. “We all have a bit to do. They have three games. They will be tough games but it will be like that in the semi-final. They should be welcoming that. If you are nice and battle hardened, then you might be weary, but you will be ready for the contest. For both teams, it is a good thing. We have England, New Zealand and South Africa, teams we have had good contests with. It is a positive for whoever makes the semis, if they are playing tough cricket going into it.”This tournament is going to be about who can hold their nerve in the big moments. We have got to concentrate on how we hold our nerve in the big moments. There are going to be plenty of them in the next three games and hopefully the semi-final.”I have said for 6-8 months, when it comes to a World Cup there is a lot of talk about statistics, but it comes down to match play and we have to play England on Tuesday better than they play us.”Glenn Maxwell almost throws himself off his feet•Getty Images

Australia have been forced to tinker with their line-up because of a side strain that kept allrounder Marcus Stoinis out for two matches while David Warner has admitted to struggling with fluency despite scoring two centuries and Usman Khawaja appeared to be less comfortable when coming in to bat down the order. And although they have faced questions surrounding the selection and form of some players, they have also ground out some of their wins without necessarily playing at their peak and now sit at No. 2 on the table. Langer was pleased with where they stood in the tournament but expressed his frustration at some criticism.”It is satisfying,” Langer said. “But everyone knows whatever we do people will try to pick holes in it. If Uzzie had not made runs the other day we would have been smashed but he did and nobody said anything. That is life. That is okay. That is the business we are in.”It is easy being a commentator.”Australia have generally taken a more conservative approach at the start of their innings, particularly with Warner scoring at a slower rate upon his return to ODIs. But Langer pointed to the way his side has improved over the months leading into the World Cup as proof their tactics are working.”We have a game plan,” Langer said. “We just got 381. It has been a long time since Australia got 381. There have been a lot of critics saying we can’t do that. But I have maintained for a long time that if we stick to our game plan and conditions are right we will be ok. We have done that for the last six months or so and hopefully we will keep doing that.”In Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, Australia have one of the most potent new-ball attacks in the tournament but Langer was nevertheless wary of England’s batting prowess, particularly in the form of Jos Buttler.”Jos Buttler is an unbelievable player. I love watching him bat. I hope he gets a duck in this game obviously, but I saw him at Somerset and he is an unbelievable athlete and an incredible finisher. He is the new Dhoni of world cricket. We know we will have to be on our game. But they have a number of players. Stokes, Morgan, even Woakes at the end smacks them over point all the time and pulls well. They have a very strong batting unit and we will have to be right on it.”

The allrounder remains hopeful of finding a place in the T20 World Cup squad

Andrew McGlashan16-Jul-2021Daniel Sams remains comfortable with the decision to make himself unavailable for the tour of West Indies and Bangladesh to prioritise his mental health after the challenges of the IPL, which included catching Covid-19 before the tournament.Sams ended up playing two matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore before being part of the cohort of Australians who had to spend time in the Maldives when the tournament was suspended before they could travel home due to border closures to those who had been in India. He was then one of eight players, including the injured Steven Smith, unavailable for the current tour.”It was quite challenging with getting Covid in India, but it’s been really good to be home. Don’t have any regrets, obviously I’ve had thoughts of ‘wish I was there’ but in the end I made the decision that’s best for me long term,” Sams said. “My relationship is the most important thing, one of the biggest reasons for me pulling out was so I can connect back with my wife Danii because we’d never been apart for that long. That was definitely a priority and then my mental health as well.”I made the decision to come home so I can be good long term where potentially if I went I’d be no good for the summer, the potential World Cup chances, the BBL, all that stuff. I’d love to be over there, but think it was the best decision for me and my family.”Related

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• Aaron Finch: IPL return 'hard to justify' for Australia players missing tours

Sams, who plays domestically for New South Wales and Sydney Thunder, does yet know whether he will return for the resumption of the IPL in the UAE but national limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has made it clear he would find it difficult for players to go back to the league having not been available for Australia duty.It is yet to be confirmed whether Australia will have any fixtures directly before the World Cup – there had been plans for a tri-series involving Afghanistan and West Indies – although the domestic season is due to start in mid-September which could need to be traded-off against the value of using the IPL as preparation.”I 100% definitely understand where he’s coming from with that, choosing not to go on this international tour whatever the reasons were, and choosing to go back to the IPL which potentially sacrifices some of the state commitments and whatever commitments there are leading to the World Cup,” Sams said.Daniel Sams showed his batting power against New Zealand•AFP

“That’s something that needs to be considered. There’s two ways to think of it. If you go to the back end of the IPL that’s T20 cricket that you’ll be playing so you’ll be going into the World Cup on the back of playing all these games. There’s a couple of ways to look at it.”Sams, who has played four T20Is, retains hope of making the final cut for the T20 World Cup. He showed his batting power with 41 off 15 balls against New Zealand in Dunedin and has eyes on the finisher’s position.”I’d like to improve on my bowling a little internationally,” he said, “but I feel more than confident I can be a big part of the Australian T20 team. I’d like to bat as high as possible, but being realistic batting seven, there’s been a lot of talk about the finisher role, and that’s something I feel I could potentially do.”With Covid-19 currently causing lockdowns in Australia and the Delta strain proving very difficult to quell, there is the prospect of bubble life again being part of the cricket season. If that’s the case, Sams believes players may need to take time away as well as find ways to help deal with the strain of a hotel-to-cricket ground existence.”It’s definitely something we’ll figure out plans and ways to manage yourself,” he said. “So if that means you’ll have to take some time off then you’ll have to take some time off [or] if that means you need to work with someone constantly. For me it has definitely been something like ‘okay, we’re going to be in bubbles again, how am I going to get through it so I can perform the best that I can’.”That’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about and wanting to put some things in place – I’m not quite sure what it’s going to look like – to be able to manage myself while in those bubbles.”

Women’s selector Manjurul Islam says the decision was taken keeping in mind this year’s busy schedule

Mohammad Isam18-Apr-2023Bangladesh have left out seniors Salma Khatun and Rumana Ahmed from their consolidated white-ball squad of 16 for the tour of Sri Lanka starting later this month. This will be the first time Bangladesh will be without these two stalwarts in ODIs, although the team played a match without this pair in the Women’s T20 World Cup in February this year.Women’s selector Manjurul Islam has said that Salma and Rumana, who have combined 274 caps in international cricket, are rested keeping in mind this year’s busy schedule. The Sri Lanka tour comprises three ODIs, which are part of the Women’s Championships, and as many T20Is.”The biggest challenge on this tour will be the weather and conditions,” Manjurul said. “We have built the team thinking of these two factors. We have taken some emerging cricketers, those who did well in the Under-19 World Cup recently. We have rested a few senior cricketers. We have a lot of cricket this year at home and abroad. Fitness will be a big issue in Sri Lanka. We have taken all this into account when selecting this squad.”

Bangladesh tour of SL

April 27: Bangladesh vs SLC Board President’s XI, Colombo Cricket Club
April 29: 1st ODI
May 2: 2nd ODI
May 4: 3rd ODI (all ODIs at P Sara Oval)
May 7: Bangladesh vs SLC Board President’s XI, Colombo Cricket Club
May 9: 1st T20I
May 11: 2nd T20I
May 12: 3rd T20I (all T20Is at SSC)

Apart from Salma and Rumana, they have also left out young pacer Marufa Akter and opener Sharmin Akter. Sultana Khatun is the newcomer in the squad.This will be the first limited-overs bilateral series between Bangladesh, who leave for Colombo on April 25, and Sri Lanka in women’s cricket. Both teams have collected two points each with Sri Lanka occupying the eighth spot after six matches Bangladesh are seventh after three matches in the Women’s Championship points table. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan last June while Bangladesh’s points have come from two abandoned matches in New Zealand last December.Bangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana Joty (capt), Fargana Hoque Pinky, Shamima Sultana, Fahima Khatun, Murshida Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Sanjida Akther Maghla, Sobhana Mostary, Lata Mondal, Shorna Akter, Nahida Akter, Fariha Islam Trisna, Ritu Moni, Disha Biswas, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun

PCB chairman doesn’t want to mix politics and cricket; boards agree to play T20Is instead of ODIs

Umar Farooq23-Jan-2023Pakistan will not pull out of their upcoming bilateral series against Afghanistan, like Australia did, with PCB chairman Najam Sethi saying that “cricket and politics should be kept separate”. The series in March, however, will now comprise three T20Is and not ODIs and will be played at an offshore venue, with the Afghanistan and Pakistan boards sharing the revenue 50-50.On January 12, Cricket Australia had announced its decision to withdraw from playing Afghanistan because of the Taliban’s “further restrictions on women’s and girls’ education” in Afghanistan. When asked about PCB’s stance on the issue, Sethi said: “That is not our business and we don’t like to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. My personal stance is that politics and cricket shouldn’t be mixed up, so following that principle the series is subject to pending approvals from the Pakistan government and I think approvals will be granted.”Related

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• CA withdraws from series vs Afghanistan

• ICC concerned for women's cricket in Afg

The switch from ODIs to T20Is was made because both Pakistan and Afghanistan have already qualified for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and so the World Cup Super League points don’t matter so much.”I met with the executive members of Afghanistan Cricket Board and they were asking us to play a (ODI) series but we didn’t find any attraction playing the series,” Sethi said at a press conference on Monday. “It’s mainly because the series was meant for the [Super League] points, and now no matter who wins it won’t make a difference. So we agreed to play a series of three T20Is in Sharjah just after the PSL subject to government approval. We will share 50% of the revenue from the series equally. And we will jointly outsource the production.”The bilateral series against Pakistan was meant to by hosted by Afghanistan in the UAE in 2021 but had to be postponed following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan because no commercial flights were taking off from Kabul at the time.The T20I series will be played between March 20 and 28. Pakistan are also scheduled to play another three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in August 2023.

The England coach admitted it was taking longer than he hoped to form a consistent top order but hoped victory in a tight contest would breed confidence

George Dobell05-Aug-2018England coach Trevor Bayliss admitted the team are “under no illusions” about the improvements they will have to make if they are to retain a lead in the Test series against India.England took a 1-0 lead at Edgbaston, but not without some nervous moments. As well as batting collapses in both innings – they subsided from 216 for 3 to 287 all out in their first innings and were 87 for 7 in their second before Sam Curran’s intervention – England’s slip fielding continued to cause concern with both Alastair Cook and Dawid Malan, who has been omitted for the second Test, putting down relatively easy chances by Test standards.And, to complicate matters further, England are likely to be without Ben Stokes at Lord’s. The man who produced the definitive performance on the final day of the match, taking the key wicket of Virat Kohli and claiming 4 for 40, is due to stand trial in Bristol from Monday and, unless there is an adjournment, will miss the second Test.That left Bayliss urging his squad to “take up the slack” left by Stokes’ absence but hoping that the confidence gained by a hard-fought win will boost his side.

Bayliss adds voice for worldwide use of Duke balls

Trevor Bayliss has become the latest figure to suggest the Duke’s ball should be adopted in Test cricket around the world.
Following R Ashwin’s assertion that the Duke’s ball was the best available, Bayliss joined the likes of former Australia batsman Ed Cowan in suggesting its use provided a better balance between bat and ball in ensuring bowlers retained some weapon throughout the majority of the game.
“It would be nice [if all Test cricket was played with a Duke’s ball],” Bayliss said. “It means you would get a bit of sideways movement [more often].
“I’m a fan of Test cricket and you watch these lower-scoring games and they do, most of the time, give a good Test match for the fans. If you’re a good enough batsman, you’ll score runs. If you’re a good enough bowler, you’ll take wickets. It’s a good contest.”

“I’d be lying if I said our batting wasn’t a concern,” Bayliss said. “It always has been. We’re losing plenty of wickets in quick succession. It will be difficult without Stokes. It means that someone else has got to take up the slack. These guys are under no illusions we’ve got things to work on batting-wise and catching-wise.”It’s been that way for a while. We’ve got things to work on and it’s taken a little longer than everyone would have hoped but it’s always good to win because it does get down to confidence. Hopefully winning this one and having that confidence will be a good thing.”Bayliss did feel there was some mitigation for England’s performance with the bat at Edgbaston and that they deserved some credit for their performance with the ball.”At Edgbaston, the batting has to be taken in context,” Bayliss said. “Throughout the game there were wickets falling left, right and centre. All the batters were in trouble, even Virat Kohli, who I don’t think was all that comfortable early on. It was difficult to bat, probably more difficult than it looked from outside.”And I thought we bowled pretty well in this game. India are a very good team. But we’re very much in the hunt here. When the ball is moving, we’ve shown that a few of their guys struggle against the moving ball. I’m sure that they’ll be going away working out how they can play it as we’re going working on how to play the offspin.”Bayliss also defended England’s slip catching, suggesting the best fielders were already in the cordon. But, after accepting that Malan had “tied his shoes on for his hands” at Edgbaston, he said Joe Root was not as reliable in the slips as was sometimes presumed and that Stokes was reluctant to field there. Instead, he suggested Jos Buttler could be the man to replace Malan.”We’ve got our best slippers in the cordon at the moment,” Bayliss said. “That’s why Joe Root is not in there. I know Stokesy will get brought up but he’s a very reluctant slipper. And he can’t be in 10 places unfortunately.”It is just a confidence thing. It’s just that bit of anxiety or stiffening of hands as it comes along. We’re doing plenty of work on it. It’s just disappointing, more so for them than anyone else.”Buttler’s only just entered the team and he’s seems to be going pretty well there. I think you’ll see him in and around there a lot more often going forward. Keaton Jennings looks like he moves pretty well in there also.”

Captain however credits his team for playing their “best cricket” after a “stressful week”

Danyal Rasool13-Nov-20223:33

Fleming: Pakistan made ‘massive mistake’ in last four overs

Babar Azam’s T20I side has always taken its fans on a ride, but the pain that lies at the end is beginning to feel familiar. Much like Pakistan’s agonising defeat in last year’s T20I World Cup semi-final and the Asia Cup final in September, Pakistan fell short of silverware in the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, succumbing to a five-wicket defeat against England.Babar denied that Pakistan felt the pressure of the occasion, but acknowledged the repeated failure to sign off T20 campaigns in style had soured the mood.”It hurts when you can’t finish it off in a final, of course,” he said. “We’re very proud to play for Pakistan and make the final. But it hurts when you can’t finish it off. We couldn’t finish it off in the Asia Cup either, and that does sting.Related

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“This was a stressful week because we didn’t know we were in or out. But the way we grabbed our opportunity and played our best cricket in four matches in a row, our team deserves credit.”After losing the toss and finding themselves inserted in to bat, Pakistan were already flying in the face of history: just one of the previous six T20 World Cup finals have seen a side successfully defend a score. But after a stodgy start with Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris dismissed cheaply, Pakistan had engineered themselves into a decent position by the 11th over. Shan Masood had just taken 16 runs off Liam Livingstone’s only over, and at that stage, Pakistan were 84 for 2, set up for a big finish.What transpired over the next eight balls, though, wrenched the game away from Pakistan, with England picking up two wickets for just one run. Babar pointed to that passage of play as a sliding doors moment for his side.”The ball was seaming early on,” he said. “We wanted to get 45-50 runs in the powerplay but we lost a few wickets. In 11 overs, we were around 85 [84], but the back-to-back wickets that fell in the middle order meant we lost momentum. Especially after Shadab and Shan’s partnership ending with both getting out soon after each other like they did.”Our middle-order dot-ball ratio was a bit too high because we were in a different situation, trying to build a partnership. We couldn’t do that, and whenever a wicket falls, it takes the new batter 2-3 balls to settle down. That put us on the back foot as a batting unit because we couldn’t finish as we wanted.”The idea of Babar’s presence at the press conference following the final seemed preposterous a week ago, when Pakistan needed to rely on the Netherlands beating South Africa and win their final three games to make the semifinals. That became necessary after Pakistan opened their campaign with defeats against India and Zimbabwe, and given how bleak the outlook appeared at the time, the Pakistan captain was keen to highlight the positives.”We didn’t expect to go through after our start. But the way the team came back and the way we grabbed our opportunity makes me proud. The way the middle order stepped up after Rizwan and I were struggling made me very happy. They won us matches, and put in individual performances like Iftikhar’s Shadab’s and Nawaz. The bowling dominated all tournament, too.”Babar – “The way we fought back and took the game to the final over, you’re left to wonder. Maybe if Shaheen had bowled, things might have been different”•AFP/Getty Images

Defending a low total, Pakistan needed everything to go their way in the field. That, emphatically didn’t happen when, having put England under pressure with five overs to go, Shaheen Shah Afridi pulled up after bowling one ball of his third over. At that stage, England still needed 41 to win off 29, having scored just 20 in the last 31 balls.The picture seemed to change dramatically immediately afterwards. As if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Ben Stokes, who had struggled for fluency all innings, smashed a four and a six off the final two balls off the over. A total of 26 came off the eight balls from the first boundary onwards, and Pakistan’s challenge was swiftly extinguished.”The way we fought back and took the game to the final over, you’re left to wonder. Maybe if Shaheen had bowled, things might have been different,” Babar said. “But credit to England’s bowling. We were trying to build a partnership, but losing back to back wickets puts pressure on you. That pressure remains on you till the 20th over. We were 20 runs or so short with the bat, even though we came back with the ball. After Shaheen’s injury, the game shifted to England’s side.”I’m not disappointed with the middle order. It’s a team game. We win and lose as a team. We just couldn’t finish well after what we had in the first 11 overs. We should have posted around 150, and we made mistakes in not getting there.”In the end, however, gratitude was the overwhelming emotion for the Pakistani skipper after a campaign that caught fire just when it looked like it was petering out.”I’d like to thank the crowd, both in Australia and Pakistan. Wherever we’ve played, the venues have been packed, supporting us and enjoying the cricket.”

Alex Hales, who is not on trial, was also accused of kicking a man during the head during the incident last September

George Dobell07-Aug-2018The fight outside a Bristol nightclub involving a group of men including Ben Stokes and Alex Hales, which led to Stokes’ arrest, was described as being like “football hooligans”, a court has been told.Stokes, who is standing trial for affray alongside Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale at Bristol Crown Court, was also described as “bullying” a young, gay couple while his England team-mate Hales – who has not been charged with any offence – was accused by a police officer of kicking a man in the head.Max Wilson, who was a student in the Clifton Triangle area of the city when the incident occurred, described a group of “clearly drunk” men acting aggressively towards one another in the early hours of September 25. Wilson, who filmed part of the incident from his bedroom on an upper floor of a building in the area – footage which was later acquired and published by – confirmed that he had described the men’s behaviour as “like football hooligans” in a police statement and is heard to gasp “F***!” in the footage after Stokes punches Hale.”It was just such a fierce punch,” Wilson said. “It just took me by surprise. I felt a bit sorry for the guy who got punched. It looked like he had his hands up.”Wilson’s footage – shown to the jury several times over the first couple of days of the trial – also showed, according to PC Daniel Adams, the officer in the case, Hales kicking Ali in the head as he lay on the pavement.Asked by Stephen Mooney QC, acting on behalf of Hale, whether it would be fair to describe CCTV footage as showing him “kicking a man in the head,” PC Adams replied: “That’s what it looks like, yes. He’s definitely used his feet on three occasions.”Hales was questioned under caution after the incident but not arrested. He is not on trial. Audio from the footage suggests he tried to pull Stokes away from the fray on several occasions – he is repeatedly heard shouting “Stop, Stokes! No! Enough!” – with both Wilson and other witnesses agreeing he was “trying to stop him [Stokes].””Mr Hales is pulling Mr Stokes back by his t-shirt,” PC Adams stated as he commented on footage for the benefit of the jury.Under cross-examination Wilson confirmed he did not think Hales or Stokes had initiated the violence by shoving “another person” but conceded he could not be certain.Much of the second day of the trial was occupied by evidence provided by Andrew Cunningham, a 37-year-old door supervisor at the Mbargo nightclub in the city. Having first accused Stokes of abusing him and mocking two gay men, William O’Connor and Kai Barry, he went on to suggest the England cricketer had been bullying the pair.In particular, he disagreed with Stokes’ defence barrister, Gordon Cole QC, who suggested CCTV footage from outside the Mbargo nightclub showed Stokes engaged in “joking banter” with Barry and O’Connor. And, under cross-examination, it was suggested that Stokes was so enraged by his interaction with Cunningham that he left the area around the nightclub and headed up the road – where the violent incidents occurred – in an angry and frustrated mood.”He was trying to provoke them,” Cunningham said. “They [Stokes and Hales] were laughing at them, not with them.”I didn’t like the fact he [Stokes] flicked a cigarette butt [at O’Connor]. These two guys [Barry and O’Connor] are harmless guys. Not aggressive.”That’s when I stepped in, because they hadn’t done anything wrong. They’re only little guys. I said ‘If you want to start on anyone, start on me.'”He wouldn’t look at me or acknowledge I was there then.”With Cunningham suggesting that Stokes “didn’t seem drunk,” Hale’s representative in the trial, Mr Mooney, said Stokes’ behaviour “can’t be put down to that.” Instead, Mooney alleged, Stokes finally left the area around the nightclub, feeling angry and frustrated.”Was it bullying?” Mooney asked.”Yes,” Cunningham replied.”It wasn’t drunkenness,” Mooney continued. “Just unpleasantness and aggressiveness.”He was aggressive, threatening, unpleasant, bullying. That was his state of mind he was in when he walked up towards The Triangle.”The final witness of the day, Lauren Sweeney, outlined why she called the police on the night of the incident. Looking out of the window of her flat, she alleges she saw Hale – who had just recovered from a blow from Stokes that had briefly rendered him unconscious – break up a road-sign and take a length of metal from it in the direction of the other defendants.”I thought he was going to use the road-sign in an aggressive act,” Sweeney said. “I didn’t think it was self-defence. It was more than just self-defence. It was an aggressive run towards them.”Under cross-examination, PC Adams agreed that both Ali and Hale had bottles at the time of the original fracas and accepted it appeared that Ali had used his “to aim a blow at Mr Barry.”Commenting as CCTV footage was played to the jury, PC Adams said: “Mr Stokes intervenes by throwing a punch. He appears to throw a punch while Hale is in defensive mode. Hale and Ali are backing away. Hales is following Mr Stokes and trying to pull him back. Mr Stokes brushes him off. Ali and Hale are moving backwards. Their arms are up in a defensive gesture. Stokes strikes out at him. The final punch clear for all to see. It floors him [Hale].”Meanwhile the day began and ended with Judge Blair, Recorder of Bristol, reminding the jury to ignore and avoid “biased and inaccurate comments” on social media.The trial continues.

Steve Denison has been handed one of the biggest personal fines in the history of accountancy regulation

George Dobell13-Jun-2018Steve Denison, the chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, is facing a lengthy exclusion from audit work after being handed one of the biggest personal fines in the history of accountancy regulation.Sky News have revealed that Denison, a former partner at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is to be fined GBP500,000 and banned (ESPNcricinfo understands he actually voluntarily agreed to sign an undertaking not to audit and withdraw his name from the register of statutory auditors) for 15 years by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) for his part in the audit of BHS ahead of its controversial sale by Philip Green in 2014. Denison was lead partner on the BHS audit.The deal, which included a GBP215million write-off of debt, saw the lossmaking business with a large pension deficit sold to Dominic Chappell, a three-time former bankrupt with no retail experience, for GBP1. BHS subsequently went into administration and, after no buyer was found, was wound down. 11,000 jobs were lost and the pension deficit was assessed to be GBP571million. Green eventually agreed to pay GBP363million into the pension scheme after the Pensions Regulator initiated legal action against him.It is understood that Denison left PwC voluntarily last week. Sky News have reported that the fine will be reduced to GBP325,000 after Denison agreed to settle. He will be in his late 60s by the time the exclusion expires so it effectively ends his career. He is also understood to have agreed to remove himself from the register of statutory auditors, though he remains a chartered accountant.Denison had previously been obliged to appear before a House of Commons Select Committee who wanted to know why PwC had been prepared to sign off the company’s accounts as a going concern when insolvency seemed imminent.While there is yet to be any official word on Denison’s position at Yorkshire it seems inevitable he will stand down. The ECB’s ‘Fit and Proper Person’ test states that an individual cannot be on a board or general committee if they are “subject to any form of suspension, disqualification or striking-off by a professional body including, without limitation, the Law Society, the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority, the Bar Council or the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales or any equivalent body in any jurisdiction outside England and Wales, whether such suspension,disqualification or striking-off is direct or indirect.””The Directors of The Yorkshire County Cricket Club await the full report of the FRC relating to the conduct of its Chairman Mr Steve Denison in his capacity as an Audit Partner of PWC,” a statement from Yorkshire sent to ESPNcricinfo read. “Once all the information has been gleaned, the Board will decide an appropriate course of action.”No further comment on this matter will be made by the Club, or individuals, until the process has been completed.”

Royals finished last in 2021, but this year, they have won nine out of 11 games and go into the title clash as favourites

Deivarayan Muthu29-Sep-2022

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The likes of Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran and Dwayne Bravo will feature in the CPL 2022 final. The star-studded Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, the CPL 2021 champions and the inaugural 6ixty winners, were the first two teams to be knocked out this year. Who woulda thunk it? Kyle Mayers’ Barbados Royals and Rovman Powell’s Jamaica Tallawahs are the only two teams standing now, with the title up for grabs.Royals, who finished bottom last season, have bossed their way to the final, losing just two of the 11 games they have played so far. One of those losses was in an inconsequential match for them against Guyana Amazon Warriors and the other a rain-hit bout against Tallawahs, where Powell hit a timely six to put them ahead on the DLS rule. That Royals have dominated the tournament despite the absence of their regular captain David Miller and Quinton de Kock for the final leg in Guyana has made their run even more remarkable.Royals’ franchise in the IPL (Rajasthan) fell at the final hurdle earlier this year but Barbados have the chance to do one better and perhaps set the foundation for a new CPL dynasty. Their opponents, Tallawahs, have had a less straightforward path to the championship game but it is worth noting that the last two times they had made it this far, they went and won the whole thing.Powell’s men had set the early pace in 2022, along with Royals, with three wins in their first four matches, but slowed down in the Trinidad and Guyana legs of the tournament. Having eliminated Faf du Plessis’ St Lucia Kings and Shimron Hetmyer’s Amazon Warriors, Tallawahs have gathered pace once again.Though David Miller will be missing, Barbados Royals will be counting on Kyle Mayers and Jason Holder•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Along the way, they have learnt to live without Russell, with Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nabi, and Powell himself doing the job for them with bat and ball. Tallawahs appeared top-heavy in the early half of the tournament, but the late arrival of Nabi has helped them balance out their XI. Although local opener Kennar Lewis is yet to fire like he can, Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks have showed attacking enterprise at the top.Brooks is more of an ODI-style white-ball player but on Wednesday he rode his luck and powered his way to a 52-ball 109 not out – an innings that had Tallawahs assistant coach Curtly Ambrose quite animated. Having come into the squad as a replacement player in 2021, Brooks played a heroic knock in the second qualifier on Wednesday and showed that he could cut it in T20 cricket as well.While Tallawahs’ batting hasn’t always clicked in unison, their bowling attack certainly has with Mohammad Amir and Imad taking 16 wickets each.

Form guide

Barbados Royals WLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Jamaica Tallawahs WWLLW

In the spotlight

Obed McCoy had some issues with his rhythm and run-up in the early half of the season, but he still found ways to take wickets. He can hit speeds north of 140kph with the new ball and also cut the pace down at the death. Jason Holder is so impressed with McCoy that he believes the left-arm seamer could be “unstoppable” if he continues to develop his skills.The Barbados Royals six-hitters have made their mark on Providence stadium, the venue of the final•CPL T20/Getty Images

Imad Wasim is out of Pakistan’s side on fitness grounds but he continues to be an ever-present in Tallawahs’ line-up. Along with Powell, Wasim was part of the Tallawahs side that last won the title six years ago. Can he do it again, this time with a new-look team? The left-arm spinner has been his usual miserly self with the ball and can move up the order to deny oppositions favourable match-ups. His rollicking, unbroken 103-run stand with Brooks in the second qualifier is among the highlights of the season.

Team news

Royals will likely field an unchanged XI in the final although they have South African seam-bowling allrounder Corbin Bosch on the bench.Barbados Royals (probable): 1 Kyle Mayers (capt), 2 Rahkeem Cornwall, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Azam Khan, 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Devon Thomas (wk), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 9 Obed McCoy, 10 Hayden Walsh Jr, 11 Ramon SimmondsAmir suffered a groin injury during the second qualifier and bowled only 11 balls. If he doesn’t recover in time, Tallawahs might consider bringing in South African quick Migael Pretorius.Jamaica Tallawahs (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kennar Lewis (wk), 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Imad Wasim, 6 Fabian Allen, 7 Raymon Reifer, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Chris Green, 10 Nicholson Gordon, 11 Mohammad Amir/Migael Pretorius

Pitch and conditions

Providence is usually slow and conductive to spin, but this season it has aided strokeplay too. Four of the top five totals in CPL 2022, have been made there, including the first 200.

Stats and trivia

• Amir has excelled in the powerplay this season, picking up a chart-topping nine wickets in 11 innings at an incredible economy rate of 4.99. In terms of wickets in the powerplay, Mayers is second with seven strikes.
• Royals have by far been the most economical bowling team in the death, conceding only 6.99 an over during this segment. In comparison, Tallawahs have gone at 10.58 an over.
• Only Chris Gayle (1695) and Russell (1491) have scored more runs than Powell’s 1323 for Tallawahs in the CPL.