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The BCCI has said it “unanimously” adopted “important recommendations” made by the Lodha Committee at its Special General Meeting (SGM) in Mumbai on October 1

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2016The BCCI has said it “unanimously” adopted “important recommendations” made by the Lodha Committee at its Special General Meeting (SGM) in Mumbai on October 1. However, the list the board said it had accepted did not include key recommendations such as the age cap of 70 years for board officials, the tenure cap of nine years with cooling-off periods in between, and the one-state-one-vote policy, among others.The BCCI’s move would appear to be against the Supreme Court order, which said that all of the Lodha report’s recommendations passed by the court on July 18 – and not a selection – would have to be adopted by the board.The SGM in Mumbai, which was originally supposed to be on September 30 but was adjourned on a technicality, lasted about six hours, at the end of which BCCI president Anurag Thakur said there were “legal challenges and practical difficulties” in accepting some recommendations of the Lodha Committee.

What the BCCI needed to do by September 30

• Adopt amended BCCI MoA, and Rules and Regulations

• Amend constitutions of state associations

• Establish 15-day gap between national calendar and IPL

• Amend anti-corruption and related codes of IPL

• Amend player-agent registration norms

• Decide order of the rotational vote in states with more than one association

• Decide on fund disbursements among members

• Establish transparency of tenders

• Make Pondicherry an Associate member

• Set in motion creation of players’ association

“Wherever they [members] find legal challenges and practical difficulties, they have given their viewpoints and have not accepted those recommendations,” Thakur said. “If you look at the overall structure of the BCCI, it is the members who form the board. As far as Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke [the board secretary] are concerned, we were there just to convene the meeting. It is up to the members to accept or reject. We’ve invited members to adopt the Lodha recommendations and members have given their viewpoints.”According to Thakur, representatives of every state association had attended the SGM except for Vidarbha, which had requested for a leave of absence. He said a detailed report would be submitted in the Supreme Court and sent to the Lodha Committee. “[The report would be about] what the members have felt, and why they have accepted and not accepted a few recommendations.”Although no one from the Lodha Committee was available for a comment, a senior lawyer, who has followed and been party to the BCCI case, did not agree with the board’s stance. “The Supreme Court has passed a judgement. Today the BCCI is saying there are parts of which we are rejecting. There is no question of accepting or not. The directive of the court to the BCCI is: you will adopt the amendments,” the lawyer said. According to him the BCCI’s defiance will further empower the court, which had already warned the BCCI more than once to “fall in line.”In a media release following the SGM, the BCCI listed the following among the recommendations they had accepted from the Lodha report:

• The induction of the representative of the Comptroller and Auditor General as the member of the Apex Council and the IPL Governing Council
• The formation of the Apex Council – to replace the working committee, according to the Lodha report – with certain modifications. The Lodha report had recommended that only the BCCI president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary and treasurer be part of the Apex Council but it is understood that the board was in favour of all the members of the working committee remaining a part of the Apex Council.
• Putting in place various committees as recommended by the Lodha Committee, including the special committee for the differently abled and the women’s committee.
• The formation of the Players Association
• Voting rights for the Associate members as per the ICC guidelines
• Puducherry (Pondicherry) to be granted associate membership in the BCCI
• A Code of Conduct for players and team officials, Anti-Doping Code, Anti-Racism Code, Anti-Corruption Code and Operational Rules for implementation for the next IPL season
• Implement player-agent registration norms

According to the Lodha Committee, the decisions taken by the BCCI at its AGM – including the appointment of a five-member selection panel and the election of Shirke as secretary – on September 21 were “contrary” to the court order issued on July 18 by TS Thakur, the Chief Justice of India, and Supreme Court judge Ibrahim Kallifulla.The BCCI had been given one week from September 28 to respond in court to the status report filed by the Lodha Committee, which had recommended that the Supreme Court supersede the BCCIs top brass because they were impeding the implementing of the recommendations.The Committee had also taken exception to the BCCI announcing the SGM on September 30. The BCCI, Lodha said, was supposed to hold an executive general body meeting (EGM) by September 28, when it would adopt the new Memorandum of Association and Rules (MoA), the first step needed to adopt the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. Instead Shirke had written to the Committee on September 22 stating the BCCI would “consider” the amendments suggested at the SGM.The BCCI had also filed an application in the Supreme Court, pleading for the court’s July 18 order to be “suspended” until it heard the board’s review and curative petitions against the mandatory implementation of most of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. The board had filed a review petition last month against the Supreme Court’s order directing it to implement most of the recommendations. In the petition, the BCCI called the court order “unreasoned” and asked for the recusal of Chief Justice Thakur from its hearing. However, the petition has been lying “in defect” because the court raised technical objections to the petition and asked the BCCI to repair them.The Lodha Committee – comprising former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha and retired Supreme Court judges Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran – was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.

Matthew Boyce, the 29-year-old Leicestershire batsman, has announced his immediate retirement from the game to take up a new career in the financial sector

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2015Matthew Boyce, the 29-year-old Leicestershire batsman, has announced his immediate retirement from the game to take up a new career in the financial sector.Boyce has been associated with the club for 20 years, was awarded his county cap in 2013 and made his 100th first-class appearance earlier this season.His final match was the Championship fixture against Gloucestershire, at Cheltenham, where he made 18 and 22 to leave with him a first-class tally of 4882 runs at 27.89 with six centuries.He also made 67 List A and 55 T20 appearances, although one of his most notable performances came when he was not actually named in the playing XI. In the 2011 T20 final at Edgbaston he took four catches as the substitute fielder to help Leicestershire lift the trophy.Boyce, who has a degree in Management and Economics, will now set up his own wealth management firm.”I’d like to thank the club, including the coaches, support staff, players and supporters, for making my career in cricket so enjoyable,” he said. “Although it is not easy knowing I am not going to play again, I’m excited about the next chapter in my life and taking on a new challenge.”I’ve been fortunate to plan and prepare for life after cricket and would like to thank the PCA, in particular Charlie Mulraine, and club sponsor Peter Wilcox for their support. I’ve been coming to Grace Road for 20 years and nothing would make me happier than seeing my current team-mates do well in the future. Finally, I’d like to thank my family and close friends for all of their help and support.”Wasim Khan, the chief executive, said: “Matthew has spent his entire career at Leicestershire and we thank him for his immense contribution to the club.”Matthew scored a lot of runs for the club and was also an excellent role model for our younger players. He was somebody who always played the situation and put the team first. I know Matthew will enjoy success in his new career in the financial industry and I’d like to wish him all the very best for the future on behalf of the entire club.”

The Caribbean T20 had an anti-climatic start as rain prevented a result in the opening fixture between Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago at Queen’s Park Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2013The Caribbean T20 had an anti-climatic start as rain prevented a result in the opening fixture between Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago at Queen’s Park Oval. After T&T played their entire innings, Jamaica batted only 1.2 overs before the players had to go off. The teams earned two points each.T&T had found batting tough after they won the toss. They lost early wickets, were 39 for 3 and reached 50 only in 8.5 overs. Dwayne Bravo, who made 30, was the only batsman to score more than 20. T&T had progressed to 87 for 3 but then lost Denesh Ramdin and Bravo in the space of two runs, after which they slumped to 128 for 9 in 20 overs. Krishmar Santokie and David Bernard took two wickets each for Jamaica.Jamaica were 4 for 0 in their chase before the game was washed out.

Boots worn by the young fast bowlers Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood are being investigated as a potential source of the foot injuries that cruelled their summer

Daniel Brettig17-Jan-2012Boots worn by the young fast bowlers Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood are being investigated by Cricket Australia as a potential source of the foot injuries that have cruelled their summer.Pat Howard, the Australia team performance manager, has requested the investigation after noting that Cummins, Pattinson and Hazlewood were all wearing the same type of Asics cricket boots while sustaining foot injuries.”I’ve asked exactly the same question,” Howard told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a fair question, we’re not suggesting it is the reason, but it is something that has to be reviewed as part of the overall.”Workloads, body management, history, age, footwear, all those things have got to be reviewed as part of the bigger picture.”There’s lots of people wearing Asics that haven’t had that problem. It is definitely being reviewed, but the reality is they’re all young men and it is also about how much bowling have they done in the lead-up to this period [to getting injured].”Cummins complained of heel pain during his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg, and has not played a competitive match since after the early signs of stress fractures were spotted.Pattinson scooped 25 wickets in four Tests before complaining of foot pain during the second innings of the SCG Test, and was ruled out of the remainder of the series against India when scans also revealed stress hot spots in the metatarsal bone.Hazlewood, who made his ODI debut for Australia in 2010, returned to action for New South Wales this summer after a lengthy recovery from back stress fractures, but has been put out of action for the remainder of the domestic summer due to a fracture in his left foot.When he took the job as team performance manager from a background of rugby and pharmacy, Howard promised to ask awkward questions, and the one of fast bowlers’ footwear is not the most convenient. Asics, manufacturers of the boots worn by the fast bowling trio, took up a lucrative equipment and sponsorship deal with CA at the start of the summer.Asics boots have long been the favoured footwear of fast bowlers in Australia, and are also popular in England.Howard said that while the injuries had been unfortunate for those concerned, they had also allowed the selectors to expand the pool of fast bowlers they are confident of choosing for international duty, whether they be in the marquee series against India or lower profile engagements against New Zealand or the West Indies.”We have changed the mandate for what we look for out of different series,” Howard said. “What we have done well and the selectors and the coaches and the medical staff have worked really hard on, is having Mitchell Starc and Ryan Harris there around the Test team.”They were coming into the squad in Sydney, bowling in the nets in Melbourne, we wanted these guys in and around because we knew the workloads had been very high for the likes of James Pattinson and we had to make sure players were ready to go.”Part of it is mitigating injury and part of it is making sure the next guys are raring and ready to go. We know players will be injured and one of the positive things we’ve got out of this summer is we’ve got a lot of bowlers we believe in, and we actually believe there’s a couple more we can believe in. That’s been a positive out of the summer.”

Chris Woakes showed nerves of steel on his international debut to seal England a thrilling one-wicket victory at Adelaide

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at the Adelaide Oval12-Jan-2011 by one wicket

ScorecardChris Woakes kept his cool to guide England to an eighth Twenty20 win in a row•Getty Images

Chris Woakes showed nerves of steel on his international debut to seal England a thrilling one-wicket victory at Adelaide and a world-record eighth Twenty20 win on the trot. Woakes finished unbeaten on 19 from 15 balls as he struck the final ball over midwicket having lost Graeme Swann at the start of the last over with four needed.Ajmal Shahzad faced two dot balls before scrambling to the non-striker’s end then Woakes scythed Shane Watson, who produced an outstanding all-round display with 59 and four wickets, through backward point to level the scores and ensure, at worst, England couldn’t lose. They really shouldn’t have pushed it so close having always been in control of the asking rate, but it’s a credit to their belief that they could still pull through for victory despite a late clatter of wickets.Watson will feel the defeat particularly acutely having almost pulled the match back for Australia. Eoin Morgan, in his first major innings since September, had eased 43 off 33 balls when he drove to cover and Michael Yardy fell first ball as he failed to get his bat out of the line of a short ball. But Woakes, a replacement for Stuart Broad in the England squad, showed why he was sent in ahead of Swann when he pulled Shaun Tait for a mighty six and was there to see his side home.Australia were still some way short of the standards they set themselves having lost momentum with the bat after a fine start, the combined eight overs of Tait and Brett Lee went for 81, and their fielding display included a number of errors. They should have struck first ball of the innings but Steve O’Keefe dropped a regulation chance at square leg as Ian Bell went to pull Tait. Bell responded with three boundaries, including an effortless back-foot drive which oozed the class he has shown all tour.England clearly weren’t going to hold back in the first six overs. It was thrilling cricket to watch as the sides traded boundaries and wickets. Steven Davies drove his second ball to cover to give Brett Lee a wicket on his international return then Bell was given a second life, again off Tait, when David Warner dropped a tough chance at backward point.Bell, playing his first Twenty20 international since 2008, unleashed an uppercut over third man of which Virender Sehwag would have been proud and Kevin Pietersen didn’t want to be left behind as he joined in the boundary hunt. Australia continued to lapse in the field as O’Keefe let one through his legs at deep square-leg with England scoring at more than 10-an-over.The batsmen didn’t want to rein themselves in, however, even though the asking-rate was plummeting, and Bell drove Mitchell Johnson’s third ball to cover. O’Keefe, meanwhile, must have feared how his evening would develop when Pietersen hit his first two balls for four and six but the left-arm spinner struck back when Pietersen failed to clear a leaping David Hussey at mid-off. It was a needless shot in terms of the run-rate, but England’s tactic – which has reaped rich rewards – has been to go hard regardless in the first six overs.The situation was made for steady accumulation and for a period Morgan and Paul Collingwood calmly ticked off the runs. It was hard to tell which batsman had barely played an innings since the end of the English season. Morgan pulled Lee for six then placed him perfectly over mid-off, but kept losing partners when Collingwood top-edged a sweep and Luke Wright walked across his stumps. And for once, Morgan couldn’t finish the game himself.Australia had threatened a far greater total than 157 when Watson was cutting loose to take Swann’s first over for 26 on the way to a 27-ball half-century. He added 83 for the first wicket with Warner, but when the pair were separated the innings struggled to regain momentum and Australia failed to double their score.Watson struck one boundary off Bresnan so hard that his bat broke, but the real damage came against the spinners. Yardy’s opening over cost nine before Watson took Swann’s first three deliveries over midwicket for increasingly large sixes and he added another boundary to reach fifty. Yardy, though, is a canny operator and fired one past Watson’s attempted cut to give England a much-needed boost and he later had Warner taken at deep midwicket.Despite Watson’s departure Swann was whipped out of the attack but when he returned he produced a tight three overs which only went for 14. Hussey struggled to find his usual striking range, and though he eventually pulled Bresnan over midwicket for six. he then missed a perfect yorker next ball. England’s bowlers were superb in the closing overs and the final result once again showed how the smallest of margins can make the difference in Twenty20 cricket.

Mohammad Yousuf has cranked up the tension with Pakistan’s selection
committee

Osman Samiuddin16-Jan-2010Mohammad Yousuf has cranked up the tension with Pakistan’s selection
committee by questioning its refusal to allow Younis Khan to
come and bolster Pakistan’s Test squad in Australia. Yousuf and the on-tour team management had made repeated requests from as early as the first Test in Melbourne to send Younis
over, because they were concerned over the flimsiness of their batting
line.After much dithering the request was eventually turned down, with the
selectors asking Younis to recapture some form in domestic cricket
instead. Yousuf, having already overseen a series of batting collapses through New
Zealand and Australia, was particularly incensed after Pakistan stumbled
to 94 for 4 at the end of the second day on a pristine surface at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.”He is a good player for the team and country,” Yousuf said. “You can ask
the selectors about why they didn’t send him earlier. We don’t need to
check him in first-class cricket. He has a 50 average and has been
doing it for 10 years. We have to see him here, not there. Will someone
also take my test [to prove my form] from now on?”Younis has been selected for Pakistan’s ODI squad and will be here for the
five-match series beginning on Friday. That is the format he
has struggled in most over the years and it was a string of failures in the
Champions Trophy and against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi that formed part
of the reason he stepped down from the captaincy and the game. And Younis
is still struggling to score runs domestically, prompting doubt about the
selectors’ initial prerequisite that he show some form before being picked.Yousuf also lashed out at calls that the senior members of Pakistan’s
squad be dropped now. “In Pakistan there is all this noise about
youngsters needing to come in,” Yousuf said. “If he is good then sure,
like Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer. They are good – can they be dropped?
But if you force it then what is the point? Why the rush to kick out older
players? Is there anyone to replace them? Bring someone new then replace
the old one.”The relationship between Yousuf and the selection committee, headed by
Iqbal Qasim, has been tense over the course of this long tour. He had
Misbah-ul-Haq sent over to New Zealand after the player had been dropped
from all three formats of the game just a month before.And as well as the Younis affair, there has been considerable discord over
the matter of vice-captain and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal in the run-up to
the third Test. Yousuf was keen on retaining Akmal for the final Test
despite his error-strewn Sydney display, but the board and selectors had
already sent Sarfraz Ahmed as a replacement and insisted that he would
replace Akmal. Sarfraz eventually came into the side after days of Akmal insisting – with
Yousuf silent – that he would play.

Both teams are looking to shake off a lean run in red-ball cricket as the 2025-27 cycle of the World Test Championship gets underway

Mohammad Isam16-Jun-2025

Big picture: Galle set for spin-heavy scrap

Even before South Africa could fire up the final celebratory after their triumph at Lord’s, the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for 2025-27 is set to begin some 9,000 km away in Galle. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, both looking to snap out of extended Test slumps, will kick off the new cycle, however, the looming threat of rain could dictate terms over the next five days.Sri Lanka return to red-ball cricket four months after a 2-0 home defeat to Australia, also in Galle. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have managed just two international wins since the start of the year and are visibly short on confidence. Despite fielding a squad with six uncapped players, Sri Lanka will believe this is an opportunity to get back on track, especially against a side that’s just as brittle.This series also marks the end of an era. Angelo Mathews will retire from Test cricket after this series, following in the footsteps of Dimuth Karunaratne, who bowed out after the Australia series earlier this year. Sri Lanka’s top order collapsed in that series, despite being one of the most productive Test batting units in 2024. Kamindu Mendis, one of their mainstays last year, has crossed fifty just once since January. To cover their bases, the selectors have brought in four uncapped batters – Lahiru Udara, Sonal Dinusha, Pavan Rathnayake, and Pasindu Sooriyabandara – all of whom have shown promise in domestic cricket and for Sri Lanka A.Prabath Jayasuriya was the third-highest wicket-taker among spinners in the last WTC cycle•AFP/Getty Images

In the spin department, Tharindu Rathnayake, the ambidextrous spinner with 337 first-class wickets, has earned a call-up, as has Akila Dananjaya, who could feature in a Test for the first time since 2019. Their main task will be to support Prabath Jayasuriya, who has carried Sri Lanka’s spin attack almost single-handedly in the past year. The fast-bowling department looks steadier, with allrounder Isitha Wijesundara and Kasun Rajitha in the running to make the XI.For Bangladesh, the concerns run just as deep. After splitting a Test series against Zimbabwe in April, their top-order remains erratic. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has just two half-centuries in his last ten Tests, while Mushfiqur Rahim hasn’t passed fifty in his last 13 innings. Though Shadman Islam and Anamul Haque shared a century stand against Zimbabwe, neither has delivered consistently. With no reserve openers in the squad, Shanto may be pushed to open if needed. Mominul Haque has struggled to convert starts, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz – despite his issues with the short ball – remains their leading run-scorer in recent Tests.Related

• 'It's quite sad'- Mathews calls for more Tests for Sri Lanka

• Shanto eyes 'lots of runs in first two or three days' in Galle

• Dhananjaya de Silva: SL missed 'big chance' to make WTC final

• Storm, steel and silverware: how Angie and SL took over the world in 2014

• Could Jaker Ali be Bangladesh's secret sauce?

Spin will be central to Bangladesh’s hopes in Galle, with Mehidy and Taijul Islam leading the charge. They’re backed up by Nayeem Hasan and uncapped left-arm spinner Hasan Murad. Ebadot Hossain returns to the squad for the first time in two years, while Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana offer pace options to complement an attack picked for the spin-friendly conditions.Sri Lanka-Bangladesh Tests have often lacked drama, with one side dominating. But with both teams rebuilding and their batting misfiring in 2024, this one might be more competitive. In the end, as always in Galle, it may just come down to which spin attack holds up better.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: LLLLW (last five Tests, most recent first)

Bangladesh: WLWLL

In the spotlight: Dinesh Chandimal and Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Dinesh Chandimal was excellent in 2024. He hit two fifties against Australia in February, followed by solid returns in domestic first-class cricket and a brief PSL stint last month. Batting at his new position at No. 3, Chandimal remains a key threat. He averages 67.06 in 12 Tests against Bangladesh, with five centuries.Mehidy Hasan Miraz was Bangladesh’s standout performer in the Zimbabwe series, scoring a century and taking five wickets in their Chattogram win, after a ten-wicket haul in the Sylhet Test. One of Bangladesh’s few consistent players over the past two years, he has grown into the allrounder’s role in Shakib Al Hasan’s absence. In Sri Lanka, he’ll shoulder added responsibility with the ball in spin-friendly conditions.Mehidy will shoulder the allrounder’s responsibility, but will he be match-fit?•AFP/Getty Images

Team news: Three spinners for Bangladesh?

Sri Lanka have to make four changes from the side that played against Australia in February. Karunaratne has retired, Lahiru Kumara is injured while they have dropped Ramesh Mendis and Nishan Peiris. There could be a debut for Udara, while Milan Rathnayake and Dananjaya could form a two-spin, two-pace attack.Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Lahiru Udara, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Milan Rathnayake, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Akila Dananjaya, 11 Asitha FernandoBangladesh are unlikely to fiddle with their top and middle order positions. They could tinker with their bowling attack by including three spinners, which will leave them with just one pace bowling option. There’s a slight concern around Mehidy, though, since he was reported to have a fever.Bangladesh (likely): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Jaker Ali (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Nayeem Hasan, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Hasan Murad, 11 Hasan Mahmud

Pitch and conditions: Rain threat looms

Spinners consumed wickets in Galle, where both the Sri Lanka-Australia Tests were played earlier this year. But in between that there have also been two 600-plus first-innings totals over the last nine months. Pitches are likely to be conducive to slow bowling in this Test too. There’s rain forecast on all five days in Galle.

Stats and trivia: Galle and spin

• Bangladesh have now played 21 successive Tests without a draw, equaling their longest run from 2001 to 2004. Their last drawn Test in this cycle was against Sri Lanka three years ago.
• Galle’s reputation for being a spin haven can be expressed in numbers too. Spinners have taken 373 wickets at Galle, the most at any venue since 2020. A wicket falls to spinners roughly once every ten overs at this venue.
• Awaiting their Test debuts, Tharindu Ratnayake has 337 first-class wickets while Lahiru Udara has 16 centuries in first-class cricket.

Quotes

“The best thing we can do for Angelo is win the match for him and give him a good farewell. Unfortunately we couldn’t do that for Dimuth. Personally I’m hoping we can do it for Angelo.”

The left-arm quick has thanked the team for changing his life after starring in their BBL final triumph

Tristan Lavalette24-Jan-2024An emotional Spencer Johnson has said Brisbane Heat have “changed my life” after leading them to an upset 54-run victory over Sydney Sixers in the BBL final.Left-arm quick Johnson was the Player of the Match after picking up 4 for 26, the best figures recorded in a BBL final, as Heat ended an 11-year drought to capture their second title.Related

• Brown: 'To do what I did in a pressure game was surreal'

• Johnson, Brown lead Brisbane Heat to second BBL title

It was sweet redemption for Heat, who were unable to defend 175 in a heartbreaking defeat in last season’s epic final against Perth Scorchers.But Johnson, one of eight players in Heat’s Wednesday line-up who were part of that bitter defeat in Perth, led from the front with the wickets of top-order batters Josh Philippe and Jack Edwards before closing the door on Sixers by dismissing Ben Dwarshuis in the power surge.He finished his brilliant effort by snaring Hayden Kerr as the celebrations started for Heat.It’s the latest spectacular performance for Johnson, who burst to prominence during last season’s BBL by unleashing 145kph thunderbolts with his left-arm angle and towering height making him almost unplayable at times.He made his international debut for Australia in white-ball cricket last year and looms as a player of significant interest for the national hierarchy despite being overlooked for the T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming series against West Indies.”I owe Brisbane Heat everything. Coming up here last year, I didn’t know where my career was going and now I’ve just won a Big Bash with 11 of my closest mates,” a visibly emotional Johnson told Fox Sports.”Twelve months ago, I wasn’t in this position. And I think the Brisbane Heat have changed my life. So it’s pretty special.”Johnson and Heat’s miserly attack sealed a victory set up brilliantly by opener Josh Brown, who blasted 53 off 38 balls on a tricky SCG surface after Sixers surprisingly elected to bowl in overcast and humid conditions.It was a superb follow-up to his extraordinary 140 off 57 balls against Adelaide Strikers in the Challenger as Heat finished with a total of 166 for 8 that proved more than enough.”Credit to the batters. Browny again, got us to a total that we can defend and I feel like we were the best team all year so I think we deserve to have the medal around our necks,” Johnson said.Spurred by the painful memories of last year’s final, Heat finished on top of the ladder before exacting revenge over Sixers, who had easily won the Qualifier on the Gold Coast.”The boys with the ball have been incredible all year. To defend that with ease was really special for them,” said batter Matt Renshaw, who smashed 40 off 22 balls to spark Heat at the death.”We’re a real squad mentality. Everyone has contributed on and off the field.”Unlike his teammates, Renshaw will have to temper his celebrations ahead of a 10am flight to Brisbane on Thursday as he races to be part of Australia’s squad for the pink-ball second Test against West Indies.”I’m going to try and keep it a quiet night,” he said. “I’ll be watching all the other boys. It will be good fun.”

The opening T20I went down to the final where a dropped catch proved costly for West Indies

Andrew McGlashan05-Oct-2022Matthew Wade continued his golden run as Australia’s finisher and Aaron Finch, batting at No. 4 for the first time in his international career, scored a welcome half-century to nurse Australia to an untidy three-wicket win with a ball to spare on the Gold Coast.In a rather chaotic finish, it came down to Australia needing 11 off the final over from Sheldon Cottrell. Wade swung the first ball for four but West Indies had a chance when he was dropped in the deep by Raymon Reifer next delivery. Mitchell Starc, too, was missed two balls later before scampering back for the winning runs off the penultimate delivery and almost having a nasty collision with wicketkeeper Johnson Charles.Quite how much there is to read into Finch’s positional switch which enabled Cameron Green, who isn’t part of the World Cup squad to stay as opener, remains to be seen, but his performance followed the encouraging signs from the India tour. Even amid the horror run that ended his ODI career, Finch’s T20 form had not taken the same hit but having a captain in the runs would remove one issue heading into the World Cup.Given that seven of West Indies’ squad had been in Australia barely 24 hours, some rustiness could be forgiven. There were times when they were on top and to take it to the final over, and be in a position to snatch the game, can give them heart. Some of the six-hitting was breathtaking, Yannic Cariah had a very encouraging debut with 1 for 15 from four overs and Alzarri Joseph was a handful with his slippery pace.Mayers’ wow moment
It’s early in the Australian season, but you’ll do well to see a better shot than the one Kyle Mayers produced in the fourth over against Green. Against a short delivery, he drove it magnificently off the back foot, more than 100 metres into the stand over deep point. It was an astonishing show of power and timing. It quickly went viral. He had shown intent from the start of the innings with early boundaries off Starc and Josh Hazlewood but, as was the case with West Indies’ whole batting display, the momentum was lost after the powerplay.Kyle Mayers played a great shot over the off side•Getty Images

The non-review and the review
Brandon King was the leading run-scorer in the CPL and played one lovely stroke, lofting Adam Zampa over long-off, but was left ruing not taking a review when he was given lbw against Hazlewood. The appeal looked good live, but replays showed the bounce in the pitch had it going over the stumps. When the DRS called for the 11th over, it had what appeared a curious moment when the ball tracking showed that a very full delivery from Starc which speared into Nicholas Pooran’s pad and looked to be sliding down was, in fact, taking out leg stump.Boundaries dry up
Alongside Mayers’ memorable effort, there was no shortage of well-struck sixes from West Indies, not least Odean Smith’s monster effort the 19th over. However, in what is not a new talking point about their batting, the skill of working the ball around in the middle of the innings was lacking. They made 53 in the powerplay and 50 in the last five, which meant just 42 runs came in the other nine overs. The six overs between Zampa and Glenn Maxwell cost just 29 and included one boundary, which was the powerplay six by King off Zampa. There was a 54-ball period after the fielding restrictions without a boundary before Jason Holder cleared the ropes. On the larger grounds in Australia it feels like an area that will have to improve, regardless of how long they hit the ball.Do we need to talk about Maxwell?

Australia were intent on going hard from the start of the chase. Cottrell found the edges of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh in the second over but they were cantering along at 10s. Either side of the powerplay the wheels nearly came off. Green gave himself room once too often, Maxwell swiped high into the off side and Tim David picked out deep square leg. Maxwell’s dismissal continued a lean patch: since the start of the Zimbabwe ODI series, albeit a different format, he has a top score of 32 in nine innings. In T20Is his last six innings read: 19, 16, 1, 0, 6, 0. His value as a bowler in the set-up is as high as ever, and he’s the type of player who can flick the switch at any moment, but it is something to keep an eye on.Wade there again
When Wade came in Australia were wobbling at 58 for 5 and he joined Finch as the last pair of frontline batters. Since taking on the middle-order role for the last World Cup he has enjoyed phenomenal success: in 12 innings he has made 310 runs, being dismissed just three times, with a strike-rate of 160.10. This time, back-to-back boundaries off Cottrell in the 12th over, which cost 18 runs, brought the requirement close to a run-a-ball. After Finch fell he struggled to get the strike – facing just six of the last 17 balls – but it didn’t cost Australia.

Captain toasts success, but calls for an improved performance from his team

Mohammad Isam23-May-2021″Winning is happiness.”Tamim Iqbal’s croaky voice couldn’t hide the fact that he has just led Bangladesh to break a ten-match winless streak. Just how important it was for the team that beat Sri Lanka by 33 runs, was writ large on the captain’s face. But ending a losing streak doesn’t mean everything has changed for his team. Iqbal knows all too well that when he talks about happiness, he has to punctuate the sentence with the exasperation of the difficult streak, and caution for what was needed to be achieved.”We know that the job is not done. There’s two more games to go [in the series]. We hope to put on a better show,” he said.
There were still question marks over Bangladesh’s performance, which the BCB president Nazmul Hassan was very quick to point it out. He held a press conference in the middle of the match to voice his disgust at some of their dismissals.These words may not have reached the team at the time, but they are well aware of the environment they operate in. Hassan’s words often stem from his expectations around the Bangladesh team which had steadily progressed from 2015 to 2019, before hitting a downward spiral in the last two years.Related

• Sri Lanka look to arrest slide as Bangladesh eye series win

• Mushfiqur, Miraz give Bangladesh 1-0 lead

• BCB chief slams Bangladesh's mentality

The resilience they showed in the first ODI against Sri Lanka could, however, turn the tide. It was by no means a pretty little win. Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah had to rescue Bangladesh twice. After Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s four wickets almost derailed Sri Lanka’s chase, the home side ran into Wanindu Hasaranga, but they found a way to stave off his late charge.Miraz, who was adjudged Player-of-the-Match for his four-wicket haul, said that the match was a great example of how often a win can be achieved when several players make contributions.”Every contribution was important,” he said. “Tamim gave us a good start but when we lost two quick wickets, Mushfiq and Riyad put together an important partnership. Afif and Saif batted well towards the end.”I tied up one end at the start and although we gave away some runs from the other end, I feel the wickets in the middle overs was crucial. Myself, Mustafiz and Saifuddin bowled well in that period. It all contributed to our win. It wouldn’t have been possible if just one or two of us did well.”Miraz said that having a full-strength team – alluding to the return of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman – made a big difference. “We weren’t able to win for a long time,” he said. “We won the ODI series against West Indies but we couldn’t convert good performance in the Test series against them. This was an important match, but we have always played well in ODIs. Having everyone around also played a major role in the win.”Miraz said that he stuck to his usual plan of drying up the runs, which often leads to the batters charging at him. “My initial plan, as I have always done in the past, is to contain the runs,” he said. “I try to bowl on good line and length, and contain the runs.”I believe that if I do that, I have a greater chance when the batsman makes a mistake. I just tried to bowl more dot balls.”He also paid tribute to Sohel Islam, the BCB coach under whom he has worked since his Under-14 days, and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the veteran coach who oversaw his growth in his early years, for helping him out.”I speak regularly to Sohel sir, my local coach,” Miraz said. “We have been working together for a long time. I recently got a call from Fahim sir. Actually, we have been in touch since we were in Sri Lanka.”We spoke about bowling, but he was mostly boosting me to do better. I tried to follow the guideline from both coaches. They really helped me.”