The former allrounder has worked with the team in the past after his retirement and has also coached many of New Zealand’s elite women cricketers

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2018New Zealand women have roped in former allrounder Jacob Oram as their bowling coach. Oram has accepted an 18-month contract, which will see him join the team for incoming and outgoing tours as well as training camps.Oram has worked with the team in the past after his retirement and has also coached many of New Zealand’s elite women cricketers.”I’m really excited to come on board with the White Ferns and join Haidee Tiffen’s coaching team,” Oram said. “There’s an immense amount of talent and potential in the team and I’m looking forward to working with the bowlers in particular, and seeing what improvements we can make.”Oram represented New Zealand from 2001 to 2012 and played in 229 international matches. He was one of the three shortlisted candidates for the interview and head coach Tiffen said he was appointed because of his experience with some of the present players.”Jake’s a great guy and builds strong relationships,” she said. “We’ve seen what he can do through his work with Hannah Rowe at the Central Hinds and we’re looking forward to having him with us on a full-time touring basis.”Matthew Bell, the side’s batting coach, has extended his contract until the middle of next year.”Matt’s been working with the White Ferns since 2014 and always brings great energy and knowledge to the group,” Tiffen said. “I know the batting group, especially, will be excited to see him stay on in his role.”The team currently holds a 1-0 lead in the home ODI series against West Indies in the latest round of the Women’s Championship. They are also expected to tour England later this year before the World T20 in November.”I’m really keen to spend some time with the players in camp and get an idea of how we can all improve,” Oram said. “To go to any world tournament is a real buzz and I think it will be just as exciting as a coach.”

Aggressive bodily contact, shoving, agitated yelling, pointed fingers and a shattered dressing room door, all marred the rancorous finish and the immediate aftermath, of the Nidahas Trophy match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo16-Mar-2018

Aggressive bodily contact, shoving, agitated yelling, pointed fingers and a shattered dressing room door, all marred the finish and the immediate aftermath of the Nidahas Trophy match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.The shattered door was likely the doing of somebody inside the Bangladesh dressing room. An outward-facing camera caught a number of Bangladesh players racing down the steps in front of their dressing room as bits of glass were strewn on the stairs, the door probably having been shattered in those moments. Match Referee Chris Broad has seen the footage and spoken to some of the catering staff who have named the player they believe to be responsible, but Broad had suggested that those statements could not necessarily be taken as fact for the purposes of his work, and has asked for footage from the outside looking in. Bangladesh’s team management is understood to have offered to pay for the damage.The shoving – or one instance of it, at least – was by a Sri Lanka player on a Bangladesh substitute. The substitute had been on the field to deliver drinks immediately after the umpires had refused to award a no-ball when Isuru Udana delivered a second short-pitched delivery in the over. While batsman Mahmudullah was making an agitated case to the umpires, the substitute had become involved in a tense exchange with Sri Lanka players elsewhere on the field. He was pushed – not particularly hard, but not lightly either – as a group of Sri Lanka fielders followed him closely towards the boundary.Nurul Hasan and Thisara Perera were involved in a heated exchange•AFP

The shove, as well as the umpire’s refusal to award a no-ball, then tipped Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan into a fury. Shakib, along with several team-mates, immediately rushed to the edge of the boundary, where he entered into a heated exchange with reserve umpire Lyndon Hannibal. He then beckoned Mahmudullah and Rubel Hossain off the field, only the batsmen appeared very reluctant to follow those instructions, and ambled half-heartedly towards the boundary as many of the Sri Lanka fielders took their places. Eventually, Shakib relented and play was allowed to resume after the fracas had eaten up several minutes.After the winning runs were hit, the Bangladesh team charged the field, to enter into euphoric celebrations, but more vitriol was exchanged as the teams were walking out. This time it was Kusal Mendis – generally a composed and easy-going player – that was furiously pointing and yelling at someone in the Bangladesh group. Some senior Bangladesh players and interim coach Courtney Walsh were seen trying to calm tensions. Tamim Iqbal was gently restraining Mendis, and later put a friendly arm around his shoulder as the two exited the field. Mahmudullah was also seen taking an agitated Nurul Hasan – a substitute player – away from the crowd, to lecture him.After the match both sides were keen to play down the incident, but Shakib did confirm that it was the missed no-ball call that triggered Bangladesh’s indignation. He believed that one of the on-field umpires had initially called a no-ball when Udana delivered the second bouncer of the over, but had then reversed his decision. Throughout the tournament, all umpires have been Sri Lankans.”I don’t want to talk about it, but what happened was that the square-leg umpire called a no-ball and after a discussion they cancelled it,” Shakib said. “I didn’t think it was the right decision. I don’t know what happened after the first ball, which was a bouncer. But after the second ball, the umpire called a no-ball. We are all human, we should take it in the chin and move forward.There was also an admission that perhaps players, including himself, had allowed their emotions to get the better of them at the game’s denouement. “Many things happened that shouldn’t have happened. I need to remain calm. I was overjoyed. Excitement was there. I must know how to react next time. I will be careful.”What happens in the field should never spill over off the field. To be honest, we are all good friends. We see each other in the Bangladesh Premier League and Dhaka Premier League. The two boards have great relations. We help each other a lot. Just like I would want my team to win at all cost, they would have the same feeling. I am sure that both teams will never let it go off the field.”The ICC is yet to officially comment on the incidents, but is expected to do so on Saturday. The Nidahas Trophy final will be contested by Bangladesh and India on Sunday.

Bangladesh’s interim head coach hopes for a big performance from Mustafizur Rahman and his spinners; says Shakib’s inclusion subject to a fitness test

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo15-Mar-2018Bangladesh’s batsmen, led by Mushfiqur Rahim, have had their moments, but the bowlers have underwhelmed. So said stand-in coach Courtney Walsh on the eve of his side’s must-win encounter against Sri Lanka. In their previous match, Bangladesh had conceded 79 runs in a definitive six-over period against India. Even in the game they won, they conceded 214.There has been one bright spark in their attack, however, and this time it is not the young left-armer with the magic wrists. It is Rubel Hossain who has been Bangladesh’s best, maintaining an economy of 8.22 in three matches. Along the way, he has picked up four wickets. One of those was the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan, who was bowled by perhaps the ball of the tournament so far: a late-swinging, yorker that zipped past Dhawan’s outside edge and flattened middle stump.”Rubel has been very consistent,” Walsh said. “If the other guys stepped up, it would give us a little more cushion. I would be lying if I said I thought we bowled well. We have bowled okay, but not as well as we can. The improvement is coming, but not as quickly as we would like. If we can put it all together, it will be a big plus for us in Friday’s game.””Spinners also have not been as spot-on as we like them to be. They have had good patches. But if everyone did their bit, it will give us a very good chance.”Among those who have under-performed at the Nidahas Trophy has been Mustafizur Rahman, whose 12 overs have gone at 9.75 runs apiece, though he has also taken four wickets in the competition. His cutters have been only sporadically effective on Khettarama decks that have atypically failed to reward revolutions on the ball.Friday’s virtual semi-final will be played on a fresh pitch, which means that seam and swing may be more reliable fast-bowling weapons than cutters. “Someone like Mustafizur Rahman having a good game will help us tremendously,” Walsh said. “I am hoping he can step up to the plate in this crucial game. I know he can. He had some fantastic games in PSL so it is a case of turning it around here. One game can make a difference. It could be his game, or another bowler’s game, but we’re hoping that he comes good.”The attack would appear to have been bolstered with news that Shakib Al Hasan is joining the team ahead of this game, but Walsh was reluctant to suggest Shakib is a certainty for the playing XI. Though he will be with the team in the approach to the game, Shakib is expected to take a fitness test for his injured finger that has kept him out since mid-January.”He is on his way. Like any other player he will be assessed. If he is fit, someone of his class and calibre will be considered to play.”

In their second rain-curtailed game against Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils survived a brutal Jos Buttler attack to lift themselves off the bottom of the table

The Report by Varun Shetty02-May-2018
4:04

Manjrekar: Expected the revised target to be much steeper

Delhi Daredevils had a lot of things different about them against Rajasthan Royals in their second meeting of the season – the captain had changed, the batting order was different and they’d posted a massive score batting first. It was a rain-curtailed game again, but this time they managed a different result too to rise above Mumbai Indians at the bottom of the table.Defending 150 in 12 overs, Daredevils came under a brutal attack from the promoted Jos Buttler, whose 18-ball fifty helped Royals smash down more than half the required runs with six overs and ten wickets still in hand. But a middle-order slide engineered by Amit Mishra and Trent Boult saw Daredevils pull things back.Earlier, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant had combined to put up 166 of the 196 runs Daredevils made in 17.1 overs.Young and freeWhen he lost the toss, Iyer said conditions would be easy and “not dewy” when his team went out to bat. Just over 20 minutes later, the groundstaff were pulling the covers on to keep the outfield dry. The rain reduced the game to 18-overs-a-side.Colin Munro faced his first ball against Royals this season, but when his inside edge against Dhawal Kulkarni was taken by Buttler, it became his second duck against them. Royals, who had replaced Rahul Tripathi with Ben Stokes at first slip, barely found another edge after that.First, they got acquainted with the middle of Shaw’s bat, which often met the ball above waist height but always with full control; the teenager, not the tallest of men, frequently stayed put in his crease and followed rising short-of-a-length deliveries with just his hands to comfortably clear the infield, in the ‘V’. In the middle of all that, he mistimed a full toss and offered a return catch in the third over that Kulkarni couldn’t hold on to. It took a change in pace – the legspin of Shreyas Gopal – to get Shaw as he tried to hit another one through the line. He had made 47 off 25.The finishing touchesPant has taken a couple of balls in the mid-riff this season while attempting to play the hook shot. Essentially, his falling over into the off side when the ball is pitched short has put him in trouble often.It’s not something he has tried to remedy, though. After copping one on the body from a Stokes bouncer, the left-hander continued to get inside the line of the ball when it was pitched short and even managed a six on one instance as he tried to avoid flicking the off stump with his back leg. He made 24 runs behind the square region.The rest of his runs came where they usually do – through the covers and at cow corner. Pant hit at least three boundaries through the off side that couldn’t have been more than five yards away from the closest fielder. They were just as helpless on those occasions as they were when he slugged three sixes on the leg side. In his 50th T20 match, this innings of 69 off 29 was the perfect tribute.At the other end, Iyer made his fourth fifty in five games as a sorry Royals attack’s most economical bowler went at 9.33.The Buttler specialIn a team trying to jam several specialist openers into the top order, Buttler had been reduced to the No. 5 slot. But Royals decided they needed him at the top to set the tone for a very steep chase, that was revised to 151 from 12 overs, and he delivered like only he does – with flat drives over the bowler, loopy ramps over the keeper and indiscreet slaughtering of short deliveries. Avesh Khan, with his predisposition for hitting the deck and skidding the ball on, was perhaps exactly what Buttler has been looking for in a season where he hadn’t yet made 30-plus. On the night, he made 34 in 10 balls of just Avesh.The moments that could’ve changed thingsWhen Iyer tossed the ball to Glenn Maxwell with 52 required off three overs, it was ideal for Royals – Short hit the first three balls for sixes and fell off the fourth. In doing so, he had made the runs against the part-timer and also allowed for finisher K Gowtham to come in. Iyer then kept them in it a second time. With 10 to win off the two balls, he not only dropped Gowtham at deep midwicket, but also conceded four runs.However, a mishap during the 15th over of Daredevils’ innings might have made the biggest difference. Jaydev Unadkat’s second ball was an offcutter that deflected off Pant’s glove into Buttler’s path. The wicketkeeper shied at and hit the non-striker’s stumps as the batsmen ran through.The ricochet had rolled harmlessly towards Stokes who was backing up in the mid-off region. But the allrounder had barely made it halfway to the ground with his lazy effort to the left as Daredevils picked up four overthrows.

The bidding for the TV and digital rights to Indian cricket from 2018 to 2023 has already passed the winning bid for the previous cycle by over 15%, and the bidding hasn’t ended yet

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai03-Apr-20181:19

Indian cricket’s rags-to-riches broadcast rights story

The bidding for the television and digital rights to broadcast Indian cricket from 2018 to 2023 has already passed the winning bid for the previous cycle by over 15%, and the e-auction has spilled into a second day to resume at 11am on Wednesday.The top bid in the e-auction stands at INR 4442 crores (USD 680 million approx.) in the Global Consolidated Rights (GCR) category, which comprises the worldwide television and digital rights to international cricket hosted by the BCCI in India.Once the bidding began at 2pm IST on Tuesday, the BCCI tweeted an update with an initial top bid of INR 4176 crore for the GCR category; subsequent higher bids were INR 4201.20 cr, INR 4244 cr, INR 4303 cr, INR 4328.25 cr and INR 4442 cr.After every bid, participants got an hour to raise, which made the e-auction a two-day affair because proceedings could not go beyond 6pm IST on Tuesday. The bidding process will continue until the participants notify that they do not wish to bid higher.The bidders were narrowed down from six to three – Sony Pictures Network India, Star India and Reliance – after the BCCI’s legal team carried out technical and feasibility checks before the e-auction began on Tuesday.There were three categories of rights on sale: the Indian television rights and rest of the world digital rights (GTVRD), digital rights for the Indian subcontinent alone (ID), and the global consolidated rights (GCR) comprising worldwide TV and digital rights.The successful bidder will get to telecast 102 men’s international matches over the five-year period compared to 96 in the previous six-year cycle from 2012 to 2018. The 102 matches will be split among the home seasons as follows: 18 in 2018-19, 26 in 2019-20, 14 in 2020-21, 23 in 2021-22 and 21 in 2022-23. The rights will also include men’s domestic matches as well as the India women’s international matches.
As per the latest break-up of the season-wise bid released by the BCCI, the third bid amount of the day of INR 4244 saw the highest per match bid of INR 43 cr for the 2018-19 season, followed by INR 42.50 cr each for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, and INR 40 cr each for the remaining two seasons, 2019-20 and 2020-21. According to a BCCI official, the figures for the last two seasons of the cycle – 2021-22 and 2022-23 – for the final bid of the day could have reached close to INR 47 cr per match to keep the inflation factor in mind.For the last bid made on Tuesday, of INR 4442 cr for 102 matches across five seasons, the average figure per match amounts to INR 43.5 cr which is 8.5% above the previous cycle’s per match average of INR 40.1 cr. The BCCI official expected this per match average to go up to around INR 60-65 cr by the time the bid ends, which would take the total bid amount into the range of INR 6100-6600 cr. That would mean a rise of at least 13% for the per match average and at least 58% when compared with the total amount of INR 3851 cr for the previous cycle.In 2012, Star TV, then owned by Rupert Murdoch, had won the rights to broadcast Indian cricket until 2018. That deal, which also included internet and mobile rights, was valued at INR 3851 cr (approximately USD 750 million at the time). The other bidder that year – at INR 3700 cr (USD 727 million at the time) – was Multi-Screen Media (Sony).The sale of these rights will mean a second huge payday for the BCCI in less than a year. In September 2017, the BCCI had sold the worldwide IPL television and digital rights for the period 2018-22 for INR 16,347.5 cr (US$ 2.55 billion) to Star India.

The Mumbai captain rued the lack of support for Ben Cutting in the tense chase in Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2018

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma felt a “slightly better bowling performance” could have eased some tension in a must-win game where they had to chase 175 on a difficult pitch at the Ferozshah Kotla. The defending champions fell 11 short against Delhi Daredevils to crash out of the tournament with six wins and eight losses.The chase was alive until Ben Cutting was dismissed for a 20-ball 37, with Mumbai needing 12 off four balls with one wicket in hand. They were eventually bowled out when Jasprit Bumrah was caught first ball.”Certain areas in our bowling, if we’d done well, could’ve restricted them to 10-15 less,” Rohit said after the match. “Looking at how Ben [Cutting] was batting, if one batter stayed till the end, you never know what could’ve happened.”There are a lot of things we can look back and say we didn’t do right. We played good cricket in the second half, but things like that can happen. We can get a lot of learning out of it.”Rohit credited the Daredevils bowling for bouncing back after opener Evin Lewis set Mumbai up with a blistering 31-ball 48. Then they lost Lewis, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya in the space of five deliveries and Rohit underlined that as the defining phase of the game.”Hats off to Delhi. They played good cricket and bowled in the right areas, we knew chasing will always be tough, considering how the wicket was playing, but taking the excuse away from it, we played bad cricket as well,” Rohit said. “We have to say we were not there today.”Rohit dismissed a suggestion that the Mumbai had been under pressure because they won only two games in the first half of the season. “I have no regrets how the season has gone, it was a mixed season for us,” he said. “Everyone is fighting hard to get the playoffs, so we knew it won’t be easy. We’ve been in this situation many times before, can’t say it took a toll on anyone’s body. We played bad cricket, but we will accept this and have to move forward.”

The ICC has set October 1-3 for the hearing on the PCB’s dispute with the BCCI, and the decision of the panel will be final

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2018The BCCI and the PCB’s dispute over two unplayed bilateral series moved a step forward after the ICC constituted a three-person dispute panel four months after Pakistan decided to take the legal route in pursuit of its resolution. The hearings will take place in Dubai from October 1-3 and the decision of the panel will be final.”The International Cricket Council today confirmed that the Hon Michael Beloff QC will chair the Dispute Panel in the matter of proceedings between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India,” the ICC said in a statement. “The other two members of the panel, which has been established under the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, are Mr Jan Paulsson and Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AO, SC. The hearing will take place in Dubai from 1-3 October and, as per Article 10.4 of the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, the decision of the Dispute Panel shall be non-appealable and shall remain the full and final decision in relation to the matter and binding on all parties.”The PCB claims up to $70million worth lost revenue from failure of the BCCI to play two series – in November 2014 and December 2015 – which were agreed by the boards in April 2014. Both series were officially slotted into the ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP) with Pakistan as host. However, amid a deteriorating political situation, the BCCI refused to honour that agreement.The PCB, saying they had no option left, sent a notice of dispute to the ICC. Under the watch of the ICC, both boards met on a number of occasions to try and reach a resolution in good faith, to no avail.In a final motion, a three-person dispute panel headed by Beloff with Paulsson (Pakistan representation) and Bennett (Indian representation) will have a three-day hearing at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. Beloff, incidentally, was head of the ICC tribunal which banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for spot-fixing in 2011. The proceedings are likely to be conducted in private.”Unless the parties agree to settle their dispute in the meantime, the Dispute Panel shall decide the outcome of the case following deliberation in private,” read the terms of reference. “They shall endeavour to reach a unanimous decision, but a majority decision shall suffice. No member of the Dispute Panel may abstain from voting on the outcome of any dispute, but any member may record a dissenting opinion which may be attached to the majority decision with the permission of the Chairperson of the Dispute Panel. “The bone of contention is the original agreement between the two sides in 2014, which is expected to be a central pillar in the PCB’s arguments. It had agreed on both sides playing six series between December 2015 and November-December 2022, and also an effort to play a short limited-overs series in Pakistan (or a neutral venue) in November 2014. But amid tense relations between the two governments, any chance of a resumption in bilateral ties had always looked distant. And that has been the BCCI’s core claim all along – that it does not have government permission to play Pakistan.India and Pakistan have not played a full series since the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, which India blamed on militants based in Pakistan. Pakistan visited India for a short limited-overs series in December 2012, but that did not do enough to thaw the frosty relationship.

Ex-Barcelona star Lionel Messi still loves a Clasico and has posted a “great” message after helping Inter Miami to a derby win over Orlando City.

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• All-time leading scorer in Barca vs Real
• Has four goals against Orlando City
• Local bragging rights at Chase Stadium

• @Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner remains the all-time leading scorer in meetings between Barca and arch-rivals Real Madrid, with 26 efforts to his name. He now has a new rivalry to embrace after moving to the United States.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Messi bagged a brace against Orlando in a Leagues Cup clash last season, en route to capturing that title, but sat out a 1-1 MLS draw in September. He has now experienced a league meeting with Florida neighbours, and helped himself to another two goals.

• WHAT MESSI SAID

  Luis Suarez also bagged a brace as Inter Miami ran out 5-0 winners on the day, with Tata Martino’s side enjoying a memorable outing against geographical foes at Chase Stadium. Messi was in buoyant mood afterwards, with the Argentine icon posting on social media: “Great game by all and victory in the Clasico!!!”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

  Inter Miami are unbeaten through their opening three games at the start of the MLS campaign, with seven points collected. Messi has three goals to his name and continues to set his sights on major silverware as the Herons compete on multiple fronts.

Welcome to our new rolling report. This page will keep you up to date throughout the match, with updates from our team at the ground, stats and graphics, end-of-session reports, and more (if you don’t see the blog immediately, please hit refresh). But don’t worry, you can still follow traditional ball-by-ball commentary as well

Arsenal have now set their sights on a new striker ahead of the January transfer window, with journalist Charles Watts recently naming a Premier League player as a potential target…

Who could Arsenal sign in January?

Arsenal are reportedly "close" to triggering the £51m release clause included in Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi's contract, having been linked with the Spaniard for a number of years, but the move could be contingent on a sale.

Thomas Partey has been touted for a move to either Saudi Arabia or Juventus in recent months, and the Ghanaian's departure could make room in the squad for the arrival of Zubimendi, while Mikel Arteta is also keen on bolstering his attacking options.

In a recent column for TEAMtalk, Watts has now revealed that Arteta will be seeking alternatives to Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in the January transfer window, as the manager wants to bring in a more versatile option in attack.

Watts tips the Gunners to make a move for a more physical attacker either next summer or in January, depending on how they are faring by the time the mid-season transfer window comes along, and the journalist highlights two potential options.

Napoli's Victor Osimhen is named as a target, but it may be difficult to get a deal for the Nigeria international done, considering he will command a huge fee, amid interest from a whole host of clubs, so the north Londoners could turn their attentions elsewhere.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is viewed as a "potential January option" by Watts, as the journalist believes he would be "perfect for Arsenal", considering the performance he put in at the Emirates Stadium last season.

Watts suggests that Toney caused William Saliba severe problems in the 2022-23 campaign, having scored the equalising goal in a 1-1 draw, and he is just one of the names on the list ahead of the January window, although there are a number of other targets.

Why isn't Ivan Toney playing?

The Brentford forward has been banned from football until January 2024, in light of breaching the FA's betting rules, but he put in some top performances for the Bees last season, and could hand the Gunners a real boost in the title race if he was signed in January.

In the previous campaign, the England international scored 20 Premier League goals, the third-highest total of any player in the top flight, indicating he could now be ready for a big move now he is entering his peak years.

At 27-years-old, the time may be right for the Brentford star to move on, but Arsenal may have to fend off interest from a number of other Premier League clubs, with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also being named as potential suitors.

Lauded as "sensational" by BBC Sport reporter Simon Stone, Toney could be an excellent signing for the Gunners in the winter transfer window, and former England international Jay Bothroyd believes he would be an upgrade on Gabriel Jesus, saying:

"If you put him in one of the top teams he will score at least 20 Premier League goals per season. Great on penalties, penalties he’s unbelievable. If you took him to someone like Arsenal, I would love Arsenal to sign him now. I think he would score more goals than Jesus, than Ollie Watkins, in the Premier League."