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AB de Villiers, who missed the IPL 2017 season opener with a back injury, is a doubtful starter for Royal Challengers’ second match as well

Deivarayan Muthu in Bengaluru06-Apr-2017AB de Villiers, who missed the IPL 2017 season opener with a back injury, is a doubtful starter for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s second match against Delhi Daredevils in Bengaluru on Saturday as well. De Villiers said the franchise will take a call on his fitness after a training session on Thursday. He also confirmed that he will not keep wicket this season.De Villiers was initially set to captain RCB while full-time captain Virat Kohli recovers from a shoulder injury, but then he had to pull out of the final of the Momentum Cup, South Africa’s premier domestic one-day tournament, last Friday.”Even though I’m very very keen to get on the field, I’ll make sure that I’m 100% fit,” de Villiers said on Thursday. “Because, if you go on the park and you’re 90%, you might be out for longer anyway. It doesn’t make sense. I am going to test it [the back] out this afternoon. We’ve got a nets session. I’ll hit a couple of balls, see what it feels like, and then we’ll make a call.”RCB are also missing their regular wicketkeeper KL Rahul due to injury. Maharashtra’s part-time wicketkeeper Kedhar Jadhav – he has kept in 24 matches out of 263 across formats – took the gloves against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but did not look comfortable against either spin or pace. Before the tournament, RCB coach Daniel Vettori had said they might consider de Villiers for the role, but the batsman has said no.”I will definitely not consider wicketkeeping,” de Villiers said. “I’ll miss the next five years if I start keeping again. My back won’t allow that. My back is sore because of all those years of keeping.”Given the number of first-choice players RCB were missing through injury, de Villiers said the team was always going to find the opening game tough. They ended up losing the match by 35 runs, their worst loss in terms of runs since April 2013.”Last night’s game was always going to be difficult,” de Villiers said. “It is the first game of the season. The [Royal Challengers] team that played the final last year and the team that played last night, I think there were about five or six changes. So, it was always going to be difficult to hit the ground running without Virat [Kohli], myself, and KL Rahul, all leaders in their own right. But I have never doubted the skill and the talent of the team. I have no doubt in my mind that we will come back strong from this.”Kohli, like Rahul, was missing due to injuries picked up in the preceding Test series against Australia. De Villiers said he had initially doubted Kohli’s leadership skills, given his public displays of emotion, but was happy with what he saw during India’s extended home Test season.”I think it has been an amazing journey to watch him grow as a leader. I think, at the start, when the people mentioned to me he has leadership qualities and might become a captain one day, I doubted it. I thought he was emotional with his reactions. [Now] I think he has found a way to deal with it. He has showed he has skills with his captaincy and he has taken all the doubters and showed them he can conquer anything.”He did not have the best of series with bat in hand in the last series [against Australia] but what stood out for me was his leadership. He led from the front and that showed. I think that’s the greatest test for a captain – when you don’t do well personally and how you come through as a captain. He came through with flying colours.”

Parthiv Patel will join India’s squad at the Asia Cup as a back-up for their captain MS Dhoni, who suffered a back spasm during a training session on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2016Parthiv Patel will join India’s squad at the Asia Cup as a back-up for their captain MS Dhoni. According to a BCCI release, Dhoni suffered a muscle spasm in his back during a training session in Dhaka on Monday. Parthiv, the 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, last played for India during the ODI triangular series in Australia in February 2012.Parthiv has featured in just two T20Is, both in 2011, but has been in decent touch in domestic cricket; he was Gujarat’s second-highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 295 runs, including a century and a fifty, which helped the team clinch the title. He also stroked a century in the Deodhar Trophy last month, against India A in Kanpur.

Matt Prior has suggested he would welcome England and Australian umpires officiating in Ashes Tests in an attempt to eradicate the errors that have marred the Investec Ashes series

George Dobell at Old Trafford04-Aug-2013Matt Prior has suggested he would welcome England and Australian umpires officiating in Ashes Tests in an attempt to eradicate the errors that have marred the Investec Ashes series.England have become increasingly frustrated by the unpredictability of the umpiring in the series. While they are sympathetic to the on-field officials, understanding that mistakes are inevitable in such circumstances, they are less phlegmatic about mistakes after the involvement of the DRS.The latest controversy concerned an appeal against David Warner, after England were convinced his attempted pull shot had resulted in an edge to wicketkeeper Prior. Hot Spot, which has looked an increasingly unreliable tool in this series, showed nothing, but audio replays suggested an edge. The TV umpire upheld the on-field umpire’s decision of not out. Snickometer, which is not part of the DRS, also backed up England’s case.It left England “frustrated” in Prior’s words, and while he remains supportive of the DRS in general, he did suggest the system may require some examination and expressed a willingness to abandon one of the founding principles of Test umpiring in recent years: that of neutrality.”I honestly don’t care where the umpires are from as long as the right decisions are made,” Prior said. “I think that is the most important thing. You need to make sure that decisions are correct.”It doesn’t matter if they are Aussies or English or anybody else; all you want is the right outcome at the end of the day.”There was disbelief [when Warner was given not out] because he hit it. That’s why we referred it and when you are that sure and it is still given not out it is quite frustrating. That’s why there was a bit of chat around.”There wasn’t any evidence [from Hot Spot] and that is frustrating. All you can go on from a referral point of view was how you see it. Alastair Cook and I were pretty adamant he had hit it. I think Snicko shows he did. We were right in referring it, but unfortunately it did not go our way.”It is pretty frustrating for everyone at the moment,” he said. “At no time will we ever be critical of an umpire making the wrong decision on the field. Everyone makes mistakes in a day. I know more than anyone: it all happens quickly. Everyone is looking at me for DRS decisions and it happens quickly.”I have always said I am a big fan of the DRS. It works and it is the way forward but once you use a review you have to then get a decision right. Once it goes up to the third umpire the decision that comes out has to be the correct decision. Whether the technology needs to be looked at or how they use it, I don’t know. But for the players at the moment that is the biggest frustration.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the possibility of utilising non-neutral umpires in the Ashes has been discussed, but that the Australian and English boards are reluctant to set a precedent that could result in non-neutral umpires around the world. Instead, the boards are considering inviting overseas umpires to officiate in their own domestic cricket with a view to helping them develop their skills.At present, only four umpires – Marais Erasmus, Tony Hill, Kumar Dharmasena and Aleem Dar – are eligible to stand in Ashes series as the rest on the ICC’s elite panel are from either England or Australia.

The alleged incident of corruption in Sri Lanka, revolving round a taped conversation, occurred before the SLPL started and will not affect its integrity, the league’s organisers said on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2012The alleged incident of corruption in Sri Lanka, revolving around a taped conversation, occurred before the SLPL started and will not affect its integrity, the league’s organisers said on Tuesday. The comments came on a day when a Sri Lankan paper said it had received the tape but chose not to publish its contents following doubts over its authenticity.Sandiip Bhammer, CEO of Somerset Entertainment Ventures, the league’s promoters, said the corruption allegations had not cast aspersions on the tournament’s integrity. “The allegations were made and the anti-corruption people alerted prior to the tournament launching, so if anything, the anti-corruption will be even more vigilant during the tournament,” he said. “They are just allegations at this point. Nothing has been confirmed.”Meanwhile, the published a statement claiming they had been first to gain possession of the tape, but decided not to publish due to “difficulty in establishing the authenticity of the recording”. The conversation is said to be almost entirely in Hindi, and appears to be about fixing matches in the SLPL.The tape is said to have been given to the newspaper through an unknown source who claimed to be close to the SLPL on August 7. After enlisting a translator to interpret the conversation, staff decided to alert the SLC and SEV.The tape was then handed to the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) on August 9. SLC are currently investigating the allegations in coordination with the ACSU. SLC officials declined to comment any further on the issue.The SLPL has suffered poor crowds during its first three days, and the allegations come as yet another hurdle for a tournament that has experienced severe teething issues. The SLPL was first announced for 2011 but was abandoned weeks before the tournament was scheduled, due to the withdrawal of Indian players, around whom much of the tournament sponsorship had revolved. This year’s tournament, which began on Saturday, was preceded by a week in which several high-profile players, including Chris Gayle and Shakib Al Hasan, withdrew through injury.The anti-corruption measures for the SLPL are identical to those implemented for international matches. Two members of the ACSU are in Sri Lanka to oversee the tournament; they are the same officers who were present during the recently concluded India series and the Pakistan tour in June.

In an effort to cut costs, Sri Lanka Cricket’s new interim committee, headed by Upali Dharmadasa, has decided to cut down on the staff at SLC headquarters in Colombo

Sa'adi Thawfeeq24-Jul-2011In an effort to cut costs, Sri Lanka Cricket’s new interim committee, headed by Upali Dharmadasa, has decided to cut down on the staff at SLC headquarters in Colombo. The board has been in a financial crisis since the 2011 World Cup, for which they built two new stadiums, at Hambantota and Pallekele. When the new committee was appointed on July 1, the main task Sri Lanka’s sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage set for them was to keep an eye on the board’s finances.”Presently we intend to cut the staff at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters from 82 to 50,” Dharmadasa said. “Our target is to eventually minimise it to 30 employees, which will still be more than enough to run cricket.”I don’t want to touch the rest of the staff employed in various parts of the country because there is an Australia tour coming up next month and an inter-provincial Twenty20 tournament currently on. We don’t want to upset the mechanism at present but I will personally visit the various international venues during the Australia tour and see for myself whether the staff that has been recruited at these venues is in excess and needs to be curtailed.”We need a minimum of only ten persons at SLC headquarters to run the Australia tour if we leave the organisation of the matches outside Colombo to the respective associations of each venue – Pallekele, Hambantota and Galle. The associations attached to SLC have already indicated to me that they are willing to do it on a voluntary basis.”The interim committee will also re-evaluate the benefits given to employees, and Dharmadasa pointed out the excess expenditure on board officials’ hotel rooms during the World Cup.”During the World Cup, officials of Sri Lanka Cricket used single rooms at costly hotels leading to unwanted wastage. For the Australia tour we have been reasonable with our hotel bookings and officials will share rooms instead. We want to create a platform that can be used as a guideline next year when Sri Lanka hosts the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.”There will also be a reduction on other overheads, including office equipment like colour printers. The World Cup had left Sri Lanka Cricket in debt to the tune of $23 million thanks to cost overruns and heavy expenses incurred in building the stadiums, and the board had to ask for a grant from the Sri Lanka government. Consequently, they slashed their budget for the series against Australia, which includes three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.”From the original budget of 371 million Sri Lankan rupees we brought it first down to 276 million rupees and then cut it down further to 239 million rupees,” Dharmadasa said. He expected a profit of 343 million Sri Lankan rupees from the Australia tour by way of television rights, ticket sales, corporate boxes etc.Dharmadasa said he and Prakash Shaffter, the secretary of the interim committee, would handle the administration side of SLC while Nimal Perera would handle finance and Sidath Wettimuny, the former Sri Lanka batsman, would take charge of the cricket.

Essex, who secured a spot in the final four of the Friends Provident t20 by beating Lancashire on Tuesday, have strengthened their squad by signing West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo

Cricinfo staff28-Jul-2010Essex, who secured a spot in the final four of the Friends Provident t20 by beating Lancashire at Chelmsford on Tuesday, have strengthened their squad by signing West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo. Bravo is currently representing Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament, but will be available for selection for Finals day on August 14, pending his visa approval.”Obviously Dwayne is a world class allrounder, and we have lost the services of other big hitters such as Graham Napier and Ryan ten Doeschate,” said Paul Grayson, Essex first XI Head Coach.”We see Dwayne as a like for like replacement for Scott Styris. He is a high quality cricketer, we feel we are short of another allrounder with injuries to Napier and Tendo [ten Doeschate], he is a top class player and we hope he can make a major impact on Finals Day”.Essex were struck by two major injury blows earlier this season, as Napier suffered a stress fracture of the back, and ten Doeschate tore a calf muscle during Essex’s win over Somerset on June 16.”Ryan has been doing all he can with the support of the back-room staff, if Ryan continues to progress well over the next couple of weeks we can only hope that he has a chance to play his part in Finals Day,” explained Grayson. “We will give him every chance of playing at the Rose Bowl for Finals Day.”

Before changing his statement, Robi had indicated that he had been hit in his back and in his ribs, possibly by local fans

Daya Sagar27-Sep-2024A Bangladeshi fan at the centre of an alleged altercation at Kanpur’s Green Park on Friday ended up in a hospital. Robi, the Bangladeshi superfan, initially said he had been at the receiving end of some violence from other fans but retracted that claim from hospital later, saying he had been feeling unwell after suffering from dehydration in the Kanpur heat. Local police also said Robi had been taken away from the ground during the opening day’s play of the India vs Bangladesh Test because he was feeling unwell.It was during the lunch break that Robi, with the tiger stripes painted on his face, appeared to stumble out of a gate and appear near the gate for the media personnel. Security officials and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) officials got him a chair, offered him water, and soon arranged for an ambulance to take him to a medical facility. Videos recorded at the time by ESPNcricinfo showed Robi in discomfort, and while his words were unclear, he indicated that he had been punched from behind in his lower back, and had been elbowed in the ribs. He appeared out of breath and struggling.Prior to this, before the interval, Robi had been spotted in Stand C at Green Park. He was the only fan – of either team – there, waving the national flag. Incidentally, parts of that stand had been deemed unfit for spectators prior to the Test, and Robi was in one of the barred areas. A few eyewitnesses ESPNcricinfo spoke to said that Robi had an argument with some Indian fans, after which there was some pushing and shoving, and his flag was snatched from him and thrown away. UPCA officials were unresponsive when ESPNcricinfo asked how and why Robi was able to get to that specific part of the stand.At the hospital later, Robi told mediapersons, “I was feeling unwell. The police brought me to the hospital, and I am feeling better after being treated.”Assistant police commissioner of Kalyanpur, Abhishek Pandey, said in his statement that Robi’s health had “deteriorated suddenly” and “reports of an altercation are baseless; he hurt himself when he fell”. “A liaison officer has been attached to him [Robi] so that he gets assistance whenever he requires it,” Pandey added. Police sources also said that Robi had undergone a number of tests and scans, and he has been found to be fit. At the time of filing this report, Robi was still in the hospital.All of this came even as protests against Bangladesh playing a Test match in Kanpur continued. Like on the eve of the match, activists connected to some right-wing political parties conducted protests barely a kilometre from the stadium on Friday. The protests are a response to reports that there have been attacks against members of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh over the past month-and-a-half. It has been a period of tumult in Bangladesh, since July, when student-led protests led to the end of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.Incidentally, Shoaib Ali Bukhari, the celebrated Bangladesh fan who travels around the world with the team, was allegedly manhandled during an ODI World Cup match against India in Pune last year.