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Darryll Cullinan led Kent to a 31-run Norwich Union League win over Somersetin a low-scoring game at Taunton.Given a sunny afternoon and the true nature of the County Ground pitches,the visitors’ total of 180-7 after losing the toss did not appear enough,despite Cullinan’s well-made 70.But the South African’s first innings for Kent in the competition proved thedifference as Somerset quickly subsided to 15-4 against the bowling of BenTrott and Martin Saggers before eventually being dismissed for 149.Trott, playing against the county who discarded him in 1999, took 2-22 fromhis nine overs, while Saggers returned 3-19 from 7.4 overs.They were well backed up by Min Patel (2-38) and skipper Matthew Fleming(1-25), while Somerset contributed to their own downfall with the run-outsof Peter Bowler and their top scorer Ian Blackwell (32).Earlier, Kent had been in trouble themselves at 14-3 against Jason Kerr andSteffan Jones, who were both awarded their county caps by Somerset beforethe start.Cullinan came to the rescue, reaching his half-century off 91 balls, with four boundaries, and marking the achievement by immediately launching Keith Dutch out of the ground over long-on with a big six.He was out trying to repeat the shot against Blackwell and only Paul Nixon,with 26, among the later batsmen managed to cope with some tight Somersetbowling.Jones, Kerr, Jamie Grove and Peter Trego all performed well for the homeside, whose batting has now let them down in two successive Norwich Uniondefeats to start the season.Kent, on the other hand, now have six points from two matches, and can feelhopeful of a successful 45-over campaign.

Hasan Ali’s chances of making Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad appear to be over, after he was released from their squad for their four-match series against England in order to resume his stint with Warwickshire in county cricket.”The team management has decided to let Hasan Ali continue his commitments in county cricket,” the PCB said in a press release on Wednesday, the morning of their first T20I against England in Leeds. “Initially, Hasan was selected as an injury cover for Haris Rauf.”Hasan won a surprise recall to Pakistan’s T20I set-up ahead of their recent series against Ireland, having played only three times in the format since the 2021 T20 World Cup. But he recorded figures of 0 for 42 in three overs in the series decider in Clontarf, and has now been released from the squad.Pakistan have not announced their provisional squad for the T20 World Cup but must submit a final list of 15 names to the ICC before Saturday’s deadline.Warwickshire were blindsided by Hasan’s international recall but he will return to their squad ahead of their County Championship fixture against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford, which starts on Friday. He is also due to feature in the T20 Blast, which starts next week, and will stay with the club until the end of July.Aamer Jamal, Hasan’s compatriot, has also been at Warwickshire but took one wicket in his first two appearances. “[Jamal] is struggling for rhythm and not reaching the sort of pace we’d like him to,” Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s coach, said after their defeat to Surrey. He has since been absent with a back injury.Last week, the club brought in Canterbury seamer Michael Rae on a short-term contract, who took five wickets against Essex. With Chris Rushworth, Liam Norwell, Michael Booth and Craig Miles all absent through injury, Barbados-born Che Simmons also made his first-class debut at Chelmsford, and recorded match figures of 5 for 71.May 23, 1545 GMT – This piece was updated to mention Jamal’s back injury.

Temba Bavuma is on track to leading South Africa at the T20 World Cup later this month. Bavuma, who broke his thumb in Sri Lanka last month, is four weeks post-surgery and is back in the nets. He is expected to be fully fit for the team’s first warm-up match, against Afghanistan on October 18.”I started batting a bit yesterday just to feel it out,” Bavuma said during the team’s departure press conference. “According to the medical team, everything is still on schedule. I am quite happy with where it’s at. It’s obviously not 100% at the moment but I am building it up and everyone is happy with the progress thus far.”Related

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If all goes as planned, Bavuma will be ready, not only to lead South Africa in a major tournament for the first time, but to make his first appearance in a global event. The sense of occasion has not escaped him. “Looking at the position I am in, I acknowledge the responsibility when leaving South African shores and knowing what I am responsible for,” he said. “And the thinking that when you come back from South Africa, things could be different; your life could be different.”From a team point of view, it’s excitement and the anxiety of experiencing something you haven’t come across. But I think it’s more excitement at the moment.”South Africa go into the tournament ranked fifth on the ICC charts and on the back of three successive T20I series wins, over West Indies, Ireland and Sri Lanka. Bavuma missed the last of those entirely after he was injured in the ODIs but kept a close eye on proceedings from home. “It was frustrating being on the side, but as much as I was on the side, I was quite engaged with the team,” he said. “I had conversations with the coach and Keshav (Maharaj, the stand-in captain), just to get to their thinking, their understanding and sharing my own ideas. I was more involved than I normally would be if I was on the side.”He was particularly pleased with South Africa’s professionalism in sweeping a struggling Sri Lankan side 3-0. “It wasn’t so much the victories but just the way they went about their business. They were super clinical with the bat and with the ball, they were very, very ruthless.’Despite those results, South Africa’s inconsistent form across all formats, and the administrative upheaval over the last two years, means that not many expect them to get out of the group stage at the T20 World Cup – they are grouped with Australia, England, West Indies and two qualifiers – and Bavuma knows it. On the one hand, the absence of any great expectations may take the pressure off, but on the other, Bavuma’s role as the first black African captain and the weight that comes with adds another layer to the burden he carries.”I don’t harp on a lot about being a black African but it is quite significant, from all angles. You talk about extra pressure, thinking about it now, it adds onto the pressure that is already there,” he said. “But it’s also a privilege that I believe I’ve been blessed to have. If the opportunity is there, and the team plays accordingly, we’d like to do something special for the country.”Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are among the players who will join the team at the end of their IPL campaigns•BCCI

This is the kind of language used by another black African captain, the Springboks’ Siya Kolisi, who led the team to victory at the 2019 World Cup, to a series win over the British and Irish Lions this winter, and back to the top of the world rugby rankings with a 31-29 triumph over New Zealand’s All Blacks yesterday. Kolisi and Bavuma share aspects of identity and a managing agency, Roc Nation, and Bavuma hopes to draw inspiration from Kolisi as South Africa head to the T20 World Cup.”Theres a lot of inspiration we can take from the Springboks. That fight that they have and the resilience they’ve showed over the years, it’s something that we admire. As the Proteas, we bank on our resilience,” Bavuma said. “I will touch base with him (Kolisi) over the next couple of days when things are settled, especially on his side.”It’s sometimes a bit bitter when you don’t know what to expect. You allow yourself to rely on hope or faith – whatever you want to call it. I don’t want to play it too much in my head. I believe I have done all I can to hold myself in the coming moments. I really don’t think I should be trying new things or trying to bring out a different Temba or a different version of myself. As I’ve always done, especially of late, it’s just to take things day by day and trust things will look after themselves, if I do the right things.”South Africa will arrive in the UAE at midnight and begin a six-day quarantine before being allowed to train. The seven members of the squad who are at the IPL will join up with them when they are freed up from that tournament, being played in the UAE too. South Africa play the opening match of the Super 12 phase of T20 World Cup, against Australia, on October 23.

Yorkshire have reiterated their stance that they are unable to publish the independent report into Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of racism at the club, due to issues “in relation to privacy law and defamation”, following parliamentary pressure to release its findings.Yorkshire distributed a summary of the report and its recommendations on Friday morning, which detailed seven instances of racial harassment and bullying of Rafiq that were upheld by the investigation. Last month, the club issued an apology to Rafiq, saying he had been “the victim of inappropriate behaviour”.Roger Hutton, the club’s chairman, has now gone further and admitted that there is “no question that Azeem Rafiq, during his first spell as a player at YCCC, was the victim of racial harassment”. However, while apologising to Rafiq once again, Hutton also said that the panel had determined there was “insufficient evidence” to support the claim that Yorkshire were “institutionally racist” as a club.The ECB has previously called on Yorkshire to come up with a timeline for publication, while on Wednesday, the chair of Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee, Julian Knight, wrote to the club saying it was “crucial that the process, the report and its full findings are made public and open to scrutiny”.Related

• Azeem Rafiq was 'on brink of suicide' after experiencing racism at Yorkshire

• Yorkshire apologise to Rafiq for 'inappropriate behaviour'

• Rafiq brands positions of Arthur, Moxon 'untenable'

• 'More harm will be done' if Yorkshire don't publish racism report – MP

• Parliamentary committee demands publication of Rafiq report

A spokesperson for Rafiq criticised Yorkshire’s “atrocious” handling of the investigation and said failure to hand over a copy of the report was “an abuse of process”.”We note that Yorkshire County Cricket Club has confirmed Azeem was the victim of racism and bullying during his two spells at Headingley,” the spokesperson said. “However, we must highlight the atrocious way this process continues to be handled. Azeem was not given any notice of this morning’s statement – he received a copy only a couple of minutes before the media.”Azeem and his team are not in a position to properly understand the club’s conclusions and how they reached them, because Yorkshire has not provided a copy of the report. This is clearly unacceptable and an abuse of process.”What is clear is that Yorkshire County Cricket Club admits racism and bullying has taken place on many occasions, yet won’t accept the obvious – that this is an institutional problem.”We also note that Baroness Morgan, the former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has written to Yorkshire County Cricket Club in recent days demanding that Azeem see a full copy of the report. We further note the letter to Yorkshire from Julian Knight, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, on Wednesday. We welcome their interventions. We will provide a fuller statement in the coming days.”Ian Watmore, the ECB chair, said: “No one should have to experience racism or discrimination in cricket, and it is very concerning that the independent panel has upheld a number of allegations and concluded that historically Azeem Rafiq was the victim of racial harassment and of bullying during his time at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.”It is clear that the game owes him an apology and we are happy to offer that apology to him. There is simply no place for racism in cricket, and what Azeem experienced was unacceptable. The ECB has only seen the statement and summary report for the first time today, so we will now examine the contents in detail to decide what further action is required.”Meanwhile, ESPNcricinfo understands that Mark Arthur, Yorkshire’s chief executive since 2013, has been placed on furlough.In a lengthy statement attributed to Hutton, Yorkshire said they had been given “clear legal advice” that the report should not be made public.”The report and recommendations were delivered to the board on 13 August 2021 and since then the board and its executives have been considering the report and its recommendations and taking legal advice upon them,” Hutton said. “The club has been advised of its responsibilities in relation to privacy law and defamation and as such, is not able to publish the full report. Although our clear legal advice is that the full report should not be made public, the club has instructed counsel to assist it in producing a summary of the report and recommendations which is attached to this statement.”The report shows that there were in excess of 40 allegations made against the club by Azeem Rafiq. The majority were not upheld, and some were not upheld on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence. However, seven of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations were upheld. There is no question that Azeem Rafiq, during his first spell as a player at YCCC, was the victim of racial harassment. He was also subsequently the victim of bullying. On behalf of all at YCCC, I wish to extend my sincere, profound and unreserved apologies to Azeem and to his family.”Of 43 allegations made by Rafiq, the report said seven were upheld and the rest fell into two categories: “not upheld” and “not upheld on the basis of insufficient evidence”.The allegations upheld by the panel were as follows:

• “When Rafiq was playing junior cricket for Yorkshire, he was not provided with halal food at matches. This has now been rectified.
• “Prior to 2010 the panel found that there were three separate incidents of racist language being used by former players which were found to be harassment on the grounds of race.
• “Before 2012 a former coach regularly used racist language.
• “During his second spell at Yorkshire between 2016 and 2018 there were jokes made around religion which made individuals uncomfortable about their religious practices.
• “During his second spell at the club, a former player made references to Rafiq’s weight and fitness that amounted to bullying.
• “In August 2018, when Rafiq raised concerns of racism there was a failure by the club to follow its own policy or investigate these allegations.
• “On a number of occasions prior to 2018 the club could have done more to make Muslims more welcome within their stadiums and should have dealt better with complaints of racist or anti-social behaviour within those stadiums.”

However, despite Rafiq’s claims that the racism he experienced during two spells at the club left him on the brink of suicide, Yorkshire’s statement said that the panel “did not find that YCCC made any cricketing decisions in relation to Azeem Rafiq based on his race or religion”.Hutton said: “In being honest and direct about the clear failings at the club that were highlighted in the report, we must also be honest and direct about what the report did not say. It determined that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Yorkshire County Cricket Club is institutionally racist. It did not find that any decisions by the coaching staff or the club, relating either to Azeem’s inclusion within a team or his ultimate release from the club was for anything other than cricketing reasons.”Yorkshire have also committed to pursuing recommendations made by the panel, which include a review of internal policies, ensuring staff undergo training on equality, diversity and inclusion, increased engagement with minority communities, more rigorous policing of “unacceptable language”, and the production of an annual report detailing the club’s efforts on inclusivity.”Looking to the future, the club will now enthusiastically implement the panel’s recommendations and will look to work with a broader group from diverse communities to further develop and improve our inclusivity, accessibility and sensitivity to the pulse of modern Britain,” Hutton added. “We also commit to giving regular updates on our plans and our progress. We should be judged on this over the coming months and will report on our progress at our Annual General Meeting in the spring.”

Imran Tahir showed all of the nous of his 42 years, and none of the age, as Guyana Amazon Warriors pulled off a sterling defence of a competitive total, on a surface where run-scoring wasn’t the easiest. Tahir’s 2 for 12 in four overs derailed Trinbago Knight Riders’ chase, as the defending champions began CPL 2021 with a nine-run defeat, having gone undefeated for 12 games while winning CPL 2020.The Amazon Warriors had limped through most of their innings after being put in to bat, before a finishing flourish by a previously sluggish Shimron Hetmyer took them to 142 for 7. The nature of the surface at Warner Park in St Kitts though wasn’t typically T20-like. It offered bite for spinners, and extra bounce too, which made the total challenging. Given the Knight Riders’ batting depth, they would have still fancied chasing it down, especially after a reasonably bright start in the powerplay. But the advent of Tahir swung the momentum, and the Amazon Warriors bowlers then never let up.Tahir, who was bowling in the Hundred in England four days ago, seemed as bouncily fresh as ever, returning figures that would have done him credit even if they came in five-ball overs. He conceded only singles across his four overs and struck once apiece in his first two overs. The Knight Riders, who had kept the required run rate within reach till the powerplay, were suddenly forced into taking more risks. They did have captain Kieron Pollard still available though, and the knowledge that a steep run rate could be reeled in if he got going.However, Romario Shepherd struck the decisive blow when he got one to lift and move away in the corridor from back of a length, drawing an uncertain poke as Pollard was unable to keep hands from following the ball, nicking a catch behind. Once Pollard fell, with four wickets standing only and 57 needed off 36, the Amazon Warriors were in command. Shepherd ended with the best figures, having taken three big wickets with Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin added to Pollard’s scalp, to return 3 for 15.The Knight Riders had ended up with a chase that was steeper than they would have thought, having kept the opposition on a tight leash for most of their innings. The Amazon Warriors started the tournament with a novel batting order, opting to send in Odean Smith at No.3. Smith had batted just four times in T20 games before this, never scoring more than 10 runs. However, the limited sample size was misleading, with Smith having a List A strike rate of 110.86 and a first-class strike rate of 102.08. The experiment proved reasonably successful with Smith biffing 24 off 15, but it also meant an overcrowded middle order was squeezed.The Amazon Warriors also opted to send in Pakistan veterans Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez ahead of captain Nicholas Pooran, who eventually ended up coming in at No.7, with only five overs remaining. No top-order batter had got going, and with two overs remaining, Hetmyer was still on 29 off 32. However, he belatedly found his range to loot 30 from the last two overs, ending with 54 off 41, and dragging the total into the defendable territory.

ScorecardBen Foakes continued a fine season with the bat•Getty Images

Ben Foakes added to his growing reputation with a highly-responsible 82 not out as Surrey kept alive their hopes of reaching the Royal London One-Day Cup quarter-finals by beating Kent Spitfires by 44 runs at the Kia Oval.The 24-year-old Foakes, who hit a six and six fours from 80 balls, was joined in a sixth wicket stand of 79 in 11 overs by Sam Curran as Surrey rallied from 141 for 5 to reach 251 for 7 in an innings reduced to 41 overs by a delayed start and then two further rain interruptions.In reply Kent could reach only 204 all out from 35.4 overs as they chased a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 249, despite 69 from 65 balls from Sam Billings in his first appearance for the county this season following stints in the Indian Premier League and in England’s short one-day international series against Ireland.Kent lost Daniel Bell-Drummond early, for 11, when he missed a hoick at Tom Curran, but Joe Denly played well for a 40-ball 34 before inside-edging into his stumps an attempted drive at Ravi Rampaul.Sam Northeast put on 38 with Billings but was then run out for 17 when his partner refused a short single into the offside; Darren Stevens was leg-before for 5 to what looked to be a Scott Borthwick googly; and Alex Blake briefly glittered with three fours in a quickfire 22 before mishitting Sam Curran to mid on.The same bowler castled Calum Haggett and, at 170 for 6 with ten overs left, Kent’s hopes rested with Billings and the tail.Those hopes were extinguished when Sam Curran went around the wicket to have Billings caught on the pull by his brother Tom at long leg. Billings had struck three sixes and two fours but his dismissal was symptomatic of Kent’s profligate batting and they sit at the bottom of the South Group with just one win from six matches.The end came soon afterwards with James Tredwell and Charlie Hartley removed for ducks and Matt Coles last out for a jaunty 25. Stuart Meaker, who had Coles caught behind hooking at a bouncer, finished with 4 for 37 and he and Sam Curran (3 for 43) were the pick of Surrey’s attack.Sixteen runs had come from the first over of the match, with Jason Roy plundering three high-class boundaries off Coles after edging the paceman’s second ball just wide of a diving Tredwell at second slip. A clip through mid wicket, a back foot cover drive and a thundering pull were all despatched to the ropes with withering power and a huge total on a fine pitch looked certain.Coles, however, hit back to concede just 12 runs from his next four new ball overs – an excellent effort – and Haggett, though expensive, snapped up the wicket of Mark Stoneman for 10 with a fine ball, brilliantly held by keeper Billings as he flung himself in front of slip.The first of two rain interruptions came with Surrey on 58 for 1 off 7.4 overs and, by the time of the second, they were struggling at 115 from 20.2 with Stevens snaring both Kumar Sangakkara and Rory Burns in a typically canny spell of medium pace from the Vauxhall End.Roy had also by then fallen for a 44-ball 44, caught at deep square leg off Ivan Thomas after failing to kick on from his flying start while both Sangakkara and Burns found it difficult to find fluency against the accurate Stevens and also a steady six-over spell by Thomas.Hartley and Tredwell also began tightly but, after Borthwick had chipped Hartley’s whippy fast-medium to short mid wicket, a Surrey rally was launched by the in-form Foakes.The right-handed keeper-batsman found a busy partner in Sam Curran and the sixth wicket pair added 79 in 11 overs to revive the innings. Foakes reached his fifty from 57 balls, with successive fours off Hartley, and the younger Curran brother drove Haggett and Tredwell for sixes to long off and long on respectively before, on 39 from 37 balls, edging the returning Coles to Billings who completed the catch at the second attempt.Thomas removed Tom Curran in the closing overs but was also pulled superbly for six by Foakes as Surrey eventually hauled themselves past the 250 mark in what had been a stop-start innings, and not just because of the weather.Most of Surrey’s innings was watched by 5,000 local schoolchildren, enthusiastically attending as part of the club’s annual Schools Day, but by the time Kent replied in warm afternoon sunshine they had long gone.

A greater sense of assurance about his game has instilled in Robin Uthappa the hope of a return to national colours. The Kolkata Knight Riders batsman’s 47-ball 87 highlighted an already productive evening that had seen him effect three stumpings, as his team sauntered past Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Uthappa’s third half-century of the season was, by his own admission, a crucial knock, but he said it was important to not get ahead of himself.”They batted well to get 182, and we knew we had to keep the run rate going even after the first six overs,” Uthappa told . “We could not take our foot off the pedal and were looking to get nine runs from every over and we were in a very good position by the 15th over.”It is important to keep performing and I have been doing that. The dream is to play for India again and represent the country in Test matches. The dreams are there but one can’t think too far forward. You want to stay in the present and give your best foot forward. I believe hard work never goes unnoticed. I truly believe my turn will come.”In a departure from past editions, Knight Riders have chosen to move Uthappa down the order and make captain Gautam Gambhir open with different partners – Chris Lynn, Colin de Grandhomme and Sunil Narine. Uthappa admitted that his new position meant he lost out on the advantage of batting in the Powerplay sometimes, but said he had the game to cope with the change. “I have immense faith in my batting. I know I don’t need that kind of advantage to score the runs that I need to score for the team. I back myself and I am really confident and sure about my batting.”On Wednesday, though, Narine was dismissed in the third over and the Gambhir-Uthappa reunion that followed produced a 158-run alliance, the second biggest for Knight Riders. Uthappa said their understanding of each other’s games contributed to their successful partnerships. “Gauti and I understand each other very well when we are batting,” he said. “We understand the importance of strike rotation and support each other in that sense. When we take a decision on the field, we really stick to that decision, and when you do that, it works in your favour.”Another area of improvement for Uthappa has been his wicketkeeping. A case in point was his sharp work off Narine’s bowling when Ajinkya Rahane made room to cut but missed and lifted his back leg momentarily for Uthappa to whip the bails off. Uthappa said keeping to the three spinners in his side – Kuldeep Yadav, Narine and Piyush Chawla – was as enjoyable as it was challenging. “Obviously, you keep to them as often as you can in the nets and that helps in understanding what they are bowling and when they are bowling it.”Also, during the course of the game you understand what the batsman is doing and what the bowler is probably going to bowl. So, there is a sense of anticipation as well. It worked today for me and I am very happy. Piyush is an extremely challenging bowler as he has different kinds of googlies. All our spinners are a little bit of hard work, but it makes keeping a lot more fun.”

The proposed new T20 competition in England is likely to dilute the quality of domestic 50-over cricket and provide “another kick” to its future, according to new PCA chairman, Daryl Mitchell.While Mitchell, the Worcestershire top-order batsman who was recently elected to the PCA role, regards the launch of the eight-team T20 competition, scheduled for 2020, as “inevitable” he has reservations about several aspects of it and promised to work hard to ensure the interests of all 400 PCA members are protected.”The new T20 competition looks like a great opportunity for the 90 to 100 lads selected to play in it,” Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo. “But the role of the PCA is to look out for the other 300 players, too.”The plan at the moment is to play the 50-over competition during the window when the new T20 competition will be on. But if you take the best 100 white-ball players out of the tournament it is pretty inevitable there will be a dilution in quality.”We’re told players not in action in the new T20 competition may be made available to their counties, but 50-over cricket is probably already the format given the least priority by the players – something that is reflected in the prize money – and this will be another kick for it.”Our role will be to ensure the money we’re told will come into the sport trickles down for the benefit of everyone.”Mitchell’s personal views would appear to conflict quite sharply with the ECB’s approach in several areas. He believes a partial return to free-to-air broadcasting is essential if the game is to reach a new audience, he preferred the idea of a two-division solution (with promotion and relegation) in the T20 debate, and he argues for a need to increase the wages of young players.He accepts, however, that the ECB has “an incredibly difficult job” in trying to “look after so many stakeholders” and that his role is to communicate not his own views but those of his membership. “It’s about feeding back the views of the collective,” he said.”One of the challenging parts of the job is the need to balance the long-term health of the game with the short-term benefits to our current member. We have to remember that, if we don’t look after the game, we might not have any future members.”We appreciate that the ECB are trying to ensure the health of the game in the long-term and we appreciate we’re one of many stakeholders. We know we have to balance our aspirations with the aspirations of everyone else and I’m looking forward to working with the ECB to that end.”But he believes the players may have been “a bit naïve” in their enthusiasm for the new T20 competition and that reality has “hit home in recent times”.”As a Worcestershire player, we really look forward to the T20 competition as it provides us with a chance to play in front of packed houses and on big grounds,” he said. “As things stand, we go into that competition each year with a chance of winning it. To have that taken away from us is a bit of a blow.”When the new competition was first talked about, I think everyone thought they were about to become millionaires. Now people are realising that only about a quarter of us will play. We’re going to need quite a lot of info from the ECB.”From a personal point of view, I liked the two-division idea and, from a personal point of view, I think we need to get some cricket back on free to air. I think the ECB recognise that, too, and they are very clear about trying to raise the profile of the game.”Responding to the ECB’s reported attempt to change the mechanism by which the domestic salary cap is calculated, Mitchell suggested his attention was more on players at the lower end of the salary spectrum.”The salary cap isn’t relevant to many clubs,” Mitchell said. “I’m more worried up upping the minimum salaries. There are players in county cricket earning around £15,000 a year, which I don’t think reflects the skill and dedication required to be a professional athlete.”I’m told that nothing is decided about the salary cap yet, but I think our main priority will be making sure some of the money coming into the game filters down to the lower ends.”

Scott Kuggeleijn has been found not guilty of rape by a jury at the Hamilton District Court.Kuggeleijn, 25, an allrounder, plays for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s domestic circuit and is the son of former New Zealand Test cricketer Chris Kuggeleijn.The case dates back to an incident that occurred on May 17, 2015. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before coming back with the not-guilty verdict.In a release following the verdict, Northern Districts’ chief executive Peter Roach said: “This has been a terribly difficult situation for all concerned. Northern Districts is an organisation which embraces inclusivity and promotes respect towards women. As such, the charges against Scott were a grave concern.”The case had to be re-tired after a jury could not reach a verdict in August 2016.

The meeting to select India’s squads for the ODI and T20I series against England beginning on January 15 was delayed in Mumbai on Friday because of a lack of clarity over protocol in the wake of the Supreme Court order on January 2, which left the BCCI without most of its office-bearers. The meeting was supposed to begin at 12.30 pm IST but it only began at 3.15 pm and was eventually convened by the board’s CEO Rahul Johri.The procedure until now was that the BCCI secretary convenes the selection meeting; the confusion arose with the incumbent, Ajay Shirke, being removed from his post by the Supreme Court. On Friday Shirke’s deputy, the joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary, asked Johri to delay the selection meeting until the evening to enable him to reach the venue in Mumbai. Johri in turn asked the Lodha Committee secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who replied that Choudhary was no longer an office bearer under the terms of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations and that the selection meeting should proceed as scheduled.

Eligibility criteria for BCCI and state office bearers

“All the office bearers of BCCI and of its affiliated State Associations who fail to meet the norms recommended by the Committee and accepted by this Court, shall forthwith demit and cease to hold office namely: A person shall be disqualified from being an Office Bearer if he or she”
(a) Is not a citizen of India;
(b) Has attained the age of 70 years;
(c) Is declared to be insolvent, or of unsound mind;
(d)Is a Minister or government servant;
(e) Holds any office or post in a sports or athletic association or federation apart from cricket;
(f) Has been an Office Bearer of the BCCI or a State Association for a cumulative period of 9 years;
(g) Has been charged by a Court of Law for having committed any criminal offence.”

In an email to the BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri at 2.08 pm IST on Friday, Sankaranarayanan wrote: “It is clarified that Mr. Amitabh Chaudhary stands disqualified and is no longer the joint secretary of the BCCI or an office bearer of the BCCI or a State Association by virtue of the orders of the Supreme Court dated 2.1.2017 and 3.1.2017.”As a result, he has no authority to interfere with the BCCI and its functioning or with the directions of this Committee. Please proceed with the Selection Committee Meeting as scheduled.”The Lodha Committee’s email was in response to a query from Johri at 1.33pm on Friday, after Choudhury requested that the selection meeting be delayed. “We have received differing legal advice insofar as whether a person who has completed nine years as an office bearer of a State Association would be disqualified from being an office bearer of the BCCI in terms of the order dated 2nd January 2017 read with the order dated 3rd January 2017 and have been advised to seek a clarification from the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” Johri wrote.”Although Mr. Amitabh Choudhary has completed nine years as an office bearer of a State Association, he has not completed nine years as an office bearer of BCCI. In view of the above, please advise as to whether Mr. Amitabh Choudhury stands disqualified in terms of the order dated 2nd January 2017 read with the order dated 3rd January 2017 and whether we should go ahead with the selection committee meeting as per your earlier emails or act on the instructions of Mr. Amitabh Choudhury.”On January 2, the Supreme Court had passed an order removing the BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Shirke from office, and also directed that all other office bearers of the BCCI and state associations who did not meet the eligibility criteria laid down by the Lodha Committee Committee should step down.On January 3, however, the Supreme Court modified one of the sub-clauses in its January 2 order concerning the eligibility of an office-bearer. Originally the order had said: “A person shall be disqualified from being an Office Bearer if he or she has been an Office Bearer of the BCCI for a cumulative period of 9 years.” But on Tuesday, the court modified that to: “Has been an Office Bearer of the BCCI or a State Association for a cumulative period of 9 years.”According to the Lodha Committee’s interpretation of the modification, if a person had finished nine years as an office-bearer, whether at BCCI or state level or both combined, that person was ineligible to remain as office-bearer at BCCI or state level effective immediately. Choudhury was deemed ineligible according to this condition. It is understood the Lodha Committee consulted legal counsel involved in the case, including the BCCI lawyer, before arriving at its interpretation.Choudhary explained his request to delay the meeting by citing the court’s order of January 2, under which, he said, that the honorary joint secretary would discharge the duties of the BCCI secretary in the latter’s absence. Over the issue of eligibility related to the nine-year cap on tenure, Choudhury referred to an FAQ bulletin released by the Lodha Committee in September last year and said a legal query would be raised on the matter.”The other earlier recommendations are also very clear. Yes, the ceiling of nine years is the law now but that ceiling applies to state associations as well as the BCCI,” Choudhary said. “Interestingly, in a FAQ bulletin released in September, by the Hon Lodha Committee, I think point number eight clarifies the point that the ceiling of nine years for the state associations and the ceiling of nine years for the BCCI are not congruent. They run differently. So in view of these, I see no reason for confusion.”The validity of the team largely depends on the selectors and considering the fact that the five selectors were present, including the chairman, the process to that extent is perfect. And this is not a personal matter for me to raise this question. There will be a legal query raised about this but the team staff and players will not be affected by this.”