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A committee tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of South Africa’s domestic cricket structures will not look into the Ram Slam T20 competition, which will undergo a separate analysis in the hope of increasing its commercial appeal

Firdose Moonda18-Apr-2016A committee tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of South Africa’s domestic cricket structures will not look into the Ram Slam T20 competition, which will undergo a separate analysis in the hope of increasing its commercial appeal. The committee’s focus, therefore, will be more intensely trained on the second-tier provincial semi-professional competitions, which are believed to have been neglected in recent seasons.South Africa’s domestic structure is split into two sections: the professional franchise structure which consists of six teams and a semi-professional tournament which includes 13 provincial teams and Namibia. Both divisions play a first-class, List A and 20-over competition although the franchise’s first-class fixtures are held over four days and the provincial teams play over three.”This is something that has been a serious concern for people involved in management, because we lose a lot of players who don’t want to play in the semi-professional structures,” an insider told ESPNcricinfo. “From the time players finish school to the time they get franchise contracts, they can be in limbo. We want to look at how we can incorporate those players.”Both sections will be reviewed by a different team to the one that has been appointed to conduct an investigation into the national sides which is much smaller. While the national teams committee is a four-person panel, the domestic review team includes 14 people, headed by the director of strategy at auditing firm EY, Michael Lalor. It includes CSA’s national academy coach, Shukri Conrad, two franchise coaches, Warriors’ Malibongwe Maketa and Titans’ Rob Walter, two national selectors Ashwell Prince and Hussein Manack, one franchise captain Omphile Ramela, a selection of commentators and a journalist.”Nobody really knows how they came up with this group, but we are all waiting to see what they come up with,” the source said. While CSA has not put a time frame on the review, the panel are expected to reveal their findings by mid-year and it is expected to focus heavily on the provincial structures.”One idea that has already come up is that the provinces play less 50-over cricket and more T20s. There is also some talk of increasing the number of teams and the number of contracted semi-professional players,” the insider said.Currently, the provincial sides play 10 first-class, six 50-over matches a season and four T20s a season and the imbalance could be corrected with this review. Provincial teams contract seven players but the number could increase to 10.A franchise expansion from six to eight teams has also been mooted although if that was to be approved it would only happen in the 2017-18 season and not next summer. Kimberley, East London and Potchefstroom are believed to be in the running as franchise bases.Instead, next season will be the one in which CSA hopes to increase the impact of their T20 tournament, which lags behind some of the other global leagues. The Ram Slam has routinely struggled to attract big names both because of the weakening Rand and the scheduling – it often clashes with South Africa’s own international fixtures.Next season, CSA will make national players available for the tournament and have moved a home Test against Sri Lanka from December to January to accommodate for this. They are also looking to sign several international stars and “find ways to commercialise the competition, because it can’t be done in any other format.”

Gabriel Martinelli refused to take credit for Arsenal's 1-0 win against Manchester City on Sunday, despite scoring the decisive goal.

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Martinelli came on at half-timeScored decisive goal as Arsenal wonReluctant to accept praise for strikeWHAT HAPPENED?

Martinelli came off the bench at half-time to mark his return after weeks out of action through injury and netted the game's only goal after 86 minutes. The Brazilian winger had an immediate impact for the Gunners, getting their first shot on target just five minutes into the second half, before smashing in the goal late on.

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The game looked set to fizzle out to a goalless draw before Martinelli's moment of magic, which secured Arsenal's first Premier League win against City in eight years and moved them up to second in the table – second to Tottenham only on goals scored.

WHAT THEY SAID

Martinelli was reluctant to accept the praise for netting the important strike, as he told : "I am not the man. I think everyone has a part in this victory. I scored the goal but it was the whole team and the staff and everyone. I am happy and the team is too."

He added: "It gives more confidence [to us]. We know our potential and how tough it is to play against them. Today we beat them and it gives us more confidence to kick on."

Manager Mikel Arteta also hailed the winger's willingness to play despite him being injured, saying: "Another player with big ones too. The physios weren't having it and he said 'I am ready to go'. Leo (Leandro Trossard) got injured and I looked to him and he was already ready to go."

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After the international fixtures over the next two weeks, Arsenal will face Chelsea in the Premier League on October 22.

Barcelona have confirmed that Gavi has suffered an ACL injury, with the teenage midfielder preparing to undergo surgery.

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Teenager forced off in tearsWill require an operationSeason likely to be overWHAT HAPPENED?

The 19-year-old was forced from the field in tears on Sunday when representing Spain in their Euro 2024 qualifier with Georgia. It quickly became apparent that serious damage had been done, with the Barca starlet now facing a long road to recovery.

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There is every chance that Gavi’s 2023-24 campaign has been brought to a close after being forced onto the sidelines and under the knife. Barca have not put a timescale on his recovery as yet, but he will be missing for several months.

WHAT THEY SAID

Barcelona have said in a statement on the club’s : “Tests carried out on Monday morning on the first team player Gavi have shown that he has a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and an associated injury to the lateral meniscus. The player will have surgery in the coming days after which a new medical update will be released. Gavi was injured on international duty for Spain in the final game of the team's European Championship qualifying group against Georgia. The Barca midfielder was forced off after just 26 minutes of the encounter.”

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Gavi has taken in 111 appearances for Barcelona since stepping out of their famed La Masia academy system. He has seven senior goals to his name at club level, along with 27 international caps, and is tied to a contract through to 2026 that includes a €1 billion (£876m/$1.bn) release clause.

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi said they perished under pressure although they had talked up the weight of expectations on the home side

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur16-Mar-2014Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi said they perished under pressure although they had talked up the weight of expectations on the home side. Gracious under fire, Nabi said that his team wasn’t overconfident, and praised Bangladesh’s spinners.This was the fourth time Afghanistan were bowled out for less than 100 runs in T20 internationals , three of them now coming against Test-playing nations.”We didn’t handle the pressure well so we lost,” Nabi said. “We enjoyed the big game, the pressre game. We weren’t overconfident. It’s a part of the game. Today Bangladesh played very well, that’s why they won the game. Otherwise we are not a team to lose like this. The conditions, the pitch was a little too difficult as well.”Despite the talk of building pressure on Bangladesh, Afghanistan themselves were troubled by a big loss to Zimbabwe in the warm-up game two days ago, and a worrying batting trend against spin. All of these problems came together for Afghanistan on an important occasion.The ball did turn from the start, even when Nabi and Karim Sadiq bowled early in the Bangladesh innings. Nabi also defended his batsmen when asked if their aggressive approach was wrong. However, he said the batsmen would have to work on their approach against quality spinners.”We didn’t expect that kind of a pitch too much but they bowled very well and got the extra bounce so we struggled in the middle,” he said. “If we had scored a bit more, it could have been a good game.”Since the Asia Cup, we have been struggling against quality spinners. We will try to improve against them. We will try our best to be stronger in the next two games. We just threw one or two wickets away, [Mohammad] Shehzad and Gulbadin [Naib]. Otherwise, two run outs and two good balls. We can’t play like that. We need to improve,” he said.Following Shahzad’s first-ball dismissal, Najeeb Tarakai and Gulbadin Naib staged a recovery by adding 36 before the latter gave Sabbir Rahman a chance to make amends after dropping him the previous ball. It triggered a collapse, from which they never recovered.Nabi said they are now pinning their hopes on a Bangladesh loss to either Nepal or Hong Kong, which would reopen their bid for the main draw. “We will try our best to win both games,” Nabi said. “It’s cricket, nothing can be said. If Bangladesh lose one game, we might come back.”

Cricket Australia has come up with a novel plan to improve the team’s performance on Indian soil: import some of their own

Brydon Coverdale04-Jun-2014Cricket Australia has come up with a novel plan to improve the team’s performance on Indian soil: import some of their own. Their 4-0 thrashing in India last year continued a recent trend of failures in sub-continental conditions and since they last toured Bangladesh in 2006, Australia have played 13 Tests in Asia for only one win, when they defeated Sri Lanka in Galle in 2011.Their home clean-sweep in the Ashes helped propel Michael Clarke’s men back up to No.1 in the Test rankings but staying there will require finding ways to win away from home. To that end, Cricket Australia intends to import soil from India and install Asian-style practice pitches at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, perhaps in the middle of a greyhound track nearby.Australia’s next Test series is in the UAE against Pakistan later this year and against an attack likely to include challenging spinners such as Saeed Ajmal, the batsmen will hardly have an easy time of it. Their struggles in turning conditions in Bangladesh for the World T20 earlier this year only highlighted the issue of handling quality spin.”Our toughest challenge the last few years has been having success away from home,” Clarke told reporters in Brisbane, where the Australians are at a training camp ahead of their tours of Zimbabwe and the UAE later this year. “We didn’t play well in India. I don’t know, but I am guessing the wickets in Dubai will be similar.”I am guessing they will prepare wickets that spin and they will have two or three spinners in those teams. We have to find a way to get better. That is one of our great challenges as a Test team.”The Indian-style pitches in Brisbane will not be installed in time to prepare Clarke’s men for their series against Pakistan, but Cricket Australia’s general manager of team performance Pat Howard hoped they would be ready by the end of the coming summer. An indoor spinning surface is already part of the setup at the National Cricket Centre, but such outdoor pitches would provide a unique opportunity for batsmen ahead of subcontinental tours.”A third of all our matches are in the subcontinent, so you’ve got to be able to deal with it,” Howard said. “While we do practise here against spin … we know it’s not as real as being there. We’re never going to make it exactly the same, but we’re going to try to get as close as we can.”The subcontinent [pitch] idea has been around for a long time and we’re very much trying to make this a place where in the middle of winter guys can get themselves ready and prepared. Some players in our system are fantastic at using their feet and playing against spin, but our collective experience has got to get better.”

Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, insisted that his team is in good spirits despite the 3-0 loss in the Tests to Bangladesh and a defeat in the practice match ahead of the five-ODI series

Mohammad Isam20-Nov-2014Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, insisted that his team is in good spirits despite the 3-0 loss in the Test series to Bangladesh and a resounding defeat in their lone practice match ahead of the five-ODI series.The addition of four new players – Solomon Mire, Peter Moor, Neville Madziva and Timycen Maruma – has given the squad a fresh look, which Chigumbura feels will be handy. Malcolm Waller and Natsai M’shangwe, who were originally part of the squad for the ODIs, have gone back home. As have Wellington Masakadza and Brian Chari, who were around for the Tests.”The morale is good,” Chigumbura said. “The other guys from Zimbabwe joined us two days ago. They can’t wait for the first game. They are still fresh and also it is now a new version. Everyone is looking forward to the first game tomorrow.”We will be looking to start well. I know the Test matches didn’t go the way we wanted to, but that’s in the past now. We have to focus on these five games coming up. And [with] the new guys who came here, we are looking forward to the one-dayers.Chigumbura’s confidence stems from the fact that Zimbabwe do indeed play ODIs better than Tests. Their victory over Australia in August illustrated the strength of their fielding unit, and if the batting and bowling departments combine well, they can surprise top-flight teams.”The guys are capable of producing good results in the one-day team,” Chigumbura said. “We play more one-day cricket than Tests. It is a big chance now playing the one-day matches, close to the World Cup as well.”He was confident the toss wouldn’t be vital, but the fact remains that the team that wins it in Chittagong would have an advantage considering the dew that could set in during the evening.”At the end of the day, the team that wins puts more runs on the board,” Chigumbura said. “Dew may be a factor but it comes down to skill and if you can bowl in those conditions, I don’t think it will be a factor. At the end of the day it depends on the team that puts a better performance. With the dew factor, obviously the ball will skid more. It is about the skill now and also the day as to who is hungry enough to win the game.”

Jesse Ryder has his sights set on a place at the top of New Zealand’s batting order when the one-day squad for the series against West Indies is named on Thursday

Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2013Jesse Ryder has his sights set on a place at the top of New Zealand’s batting order when the one-day squad for the series against West Indies is named on Thursday.Ryder has not played at international level since February 2012 when he was dropped for disciplinary issues during the one-day series against South Africa. He has since had to serve a six-month suspension for taking a banned stimulant, a period which coincided with his recovery from the serious assault he suffered in Christchurch earlier this year.Since returning to domestic cricket for Otago, following a move away from Wellington, he has scored 454 runs at 64.85 in four Plunket Shield matches. There has been understandable caution about Ryder’s return to the New Zealand fold, but he trained with the squad recently and now feels ready to dip his toe in the water again and has had a few conversations with coach Mike Hesson and national selector Bruce Edgar.”I feel that I’m probably in the best form that I’ve been in for a long time,” Ryder told LiveSport radio. “The confidence is there and it’s just a matter of getting my chance back in that side.”I’m not too sure what they are thinking but they are happy with the way I’m going so hopefully I can push for that West Indies one-day team.””I started opening and it would be nice to get back in to that opening spot,” he added. “But first and foremost I have got to push for a place in that side. The boys are playing well and if I can keep scoring runs and push for a place then I’ll be happy.”Brendon McCullum said Ryder’s domestic form had made a compelling case for his recall. “I’m obviously a big fan of Jesse,” he said. “His move to Otago was the right move at the right time and he’s doing a great job run scoring runs which is the only currency we deal in. If he finds himself back in the environment then we know he will have earned it.”Ryder has played 39 ODIs and scored 1100 runs at 34.37 with two hundreds; his average opening the batting in 24 innings is 32.60 while his career-best 107 came at No. 3 against Pakistan.He is one of a number of top-order batsmen in contention for a place in the 13-man squad including Tom Latham and the fit-again Martin Guptill. In the bowling department Doug Bracewell won’t be considered after suffering an adductor injury training with the Test squad in Hamilton on Tuesday.

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According to The Daily Express, Real Madrid have ended their pursuit of Christian Eriksen, leaving Manchester United and Chelsea to battle it out for the Dane’s signature – Los Blancos pulling out means that Eriksen won’t be able to follow ex-Spurs Gareth Bale and Luka Modric to Spain and that will surely come as a huge relief to the London club.

What’s the word?

Well, The Daily Express reports that Real Madrid have pulled out of the race for Eriksen over fears that he may cost them too much – unusual, considering their expenditure in recent years – and that the Blues and the Red Devils will now square off for the player.

The midfielder has been in negotiations with the high-ups at Spurs over a new contract – his current deal expires in summer next year – for around a year, but all have thus far been unsuccessful and his future in North London remains in doubt.

Having given England duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli big pay-rises recently, Spurs are surely underpaying 26-year-old Eriksen – the playmaker allegedly earns £75,000-a-week – and will face an uphill climb to keep him on the books, although the news that Real Madrid are no longer in the frame makes their job much easier.

History WON’T repeat itself

Spurs have sold two of their biggest stars to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium outfit in the last decade for pretty big fees although that now looks unlikely to happen for a third time, with the Champions League winners moving on to other targets.

Bale swapped the English for the Spanish capital in 2013, commanding a fee of £91m and has gone from success to success since; his highpoint coming in the Champions League final, where he scored a phenomenal bicycle kick to break Liverpool hearts.

Modric, meanwhile, quit the Lilywhites a year earlier and is now fresh off the back of his best campaign – the 33-year-old won the Ballon d’Or and reached the World Cup final with Croatia.

With Premier League rivals United and Chelsea also joined by European giants Bayern Munich and PSG in the race for Eriksen, Spurs still have to pull it out the bag if they want to keep the maestro in white, but the news that Madrid have been put off is nevertheless a huge boost.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accesory. Check out the video above to see for yourself…

Nadir Shah, the banned Bangladesh umpire, has submitted a mercy plea to the BCB to lower the number of years of his suspension

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2013Nadir Shah, the banned Bangladesh umpire, has submitted a mercy plea to the BCB to reduce the term of his suspension. He was given a 10-year ban after a BCB investigation found him guilty of corruption after a Indian TV channel’s sting operation in 2012.”I have submitted a mercy letter addressing the board president [Nazmul Hassan], and it [has been] received by the [acting] CEO [Nizamuddin Ahmed],” Shah said. “I have asked to lift the ban that the cricket board has issued against me as I have already [served] a year of [it]. I am hoping that the board will minimise the punishment. If the board cuts the punishment from 10 years to 2 or 3 years, I can make a comeback as an umpire again.”The sting claimed to have “exposed” several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. The undercover reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.Shah, who officiated in 40 ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals, was the only umpire to have met the undercover reporters in person. The other umpires operated through internet-based video chats.Shah had said at the time that he went along with the undercover reporters’ plan because he had felt “threatened” by the people he met at a Delhi hotel. He maintained that stand in public, though he did admit his mistake to the BCB investigation committee.

A late evening collapse by England’s top-order left Australia jubilant and rounded off an excellent fightback, after they had been reduced to 37 for 5 on the second morning

Raf Nicholson at the WACA11-Jan-2014
ScorecardHeather Knight was bowled by Rene Farrell as England’s second innings got off to a terrible start•Getty ImagesA late evening collapse by England’s top-order left Australia jubilant and rounded off an excellent fightback, after they had been reduced to 5 for 37 on the second morning. Although England had edged back in front after conceding a first-innings deficit, they were three down at stumps.Rene Farrell added to her first-innings 4 for 43 by dismissing both of England’s openers: Heather Knight for 1, with a quicker delivery that broke through her defence to hit off stump, and Sarah Taylor, caught at first slip for a duck, attempting to cut a wide ball. In between, Ellyse Perry had Lydia Greenway trapped lbw for 5.For Perry, it was the end to a day in which she confirmed her status as a true allrounder, achieving her highest score in all international cricket and frustrating England’s bowlers in the process. She shared a vital partnership with Jodie Fields, as the two steadied Australia before lunch. Their 55-run partnership was ended when Test debutant Kathryn Cross, whose 3 for 35 in 18 overs included 10 maidens, struck again, tempting Fields to cut a wide one outside off and edge straight to Jenny Gunn at gully. Gunn took a spectacular catch diving to her left and Fields departed for 43.The partnership between Perry and spinner Erin Osborne then proved a further irritation for England. Perry, initially frustrated by her inability to score runs freely, found an able partner in Osborne, as the two of them worked hard to rotate the strike and keep the runs flowing. Osborne grew in confidence, playing some beautiful drives down the ground, hitting five boundaries in her 40.England were further hampered by the removal of Katherine Brunt from the attack. In her first over after lunch, the ball slipped from Brunt’s hand, resulting in her second head-height full toss of the day and the suspension of England’s most dangerous bowler for the rest of the innings.The scorching Perth heat gradually sapped the strength of England’s other quicks, with captain Charlotte Edwards only able to bowl them for short periods. Anya Shrubsole and Gunn both left the field between spells as England were forced to bowl Test debutant Natalie Sciver and part-time medium-pacer Arran Brindle, neither of whom proved effective at breaking the partnership of Perry and Osborne.It did not help that Edwards was off the field for 40 minutes before tea and remained so for the entire evening session, after an awkward dive in the field left her undergoing treatment on her knee, and unable to open for England.Australia had recovered to 177, having added 140 for the loss of just Fields, before Gunn finally made the breakthrough, surprising Perry with a fuller ball and bowling her for 71, a score which she had fought 172 balls for. It was an apt reward for Gunn’s efforts – she bowled 18 overs at a cost of just 14 runs – as both she and spinner Danielle Hazell attempted to dry up Australia’s scoring.England were unable to sweep through the tail until the new ball aided matters, with Shrubsole following on from her efforts on the first evening by taking two wickets: Osborne, lbw for 40 to an inswinger that looked to be hitting leg stump, and Sarah Coyte to another slower inswinger which hit middle and off, leaving Shrubsole with figures of 4 for 51. Sciver finished the job, finally claiming her first Test wicket, as Farrell was caught by Shrubsole at fine leg off an attempted hook shot, as Australia were all out for 207, a lead of six runs.Such a total looked unlikely when Australia slipped to 5 for 37 in the tenth over of the day. Cross was rewarded with the wicket of danger-woman Jess Cameron from only her fourth delivery in Test cricket, bowling her with a good-length ball. Cross followed this up in her next over with a full, straight yorker to Alex Blackwell, who was dismissed for a four-ball duck.An exceptionally hostile spell of bowling from Brunt then paid off as she claimed the wicket of Wormsley centurion Sarah Elliott, who edged behind on 13. Suddenly Australia were five down, and staring the follow-on target of 51 in the face. But that seems a long time ago.