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Cricket Discipline Commission punishment concludes long-standing investigation

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2024

Essex have been fined £100,000, £50,000 of which is suspended for two years, after being sanctioned by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for systemic and longstanding racism and discrimination within the club.The punishment comes in the wake of an independent report, compiled by Katherine Newton KC and published in December 2023, which centred on the testimony of three former players, one of whom was nicknamed “Bomber” due to his South Asian heritage, and another taunted with bananas for being Black.The club was charged with a breach of ECB Directive 3.3 during the years 2001 to 2010, for “conduct, acts or omissions which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute”.The sanction mirrors that which was levelled against Essex in May 2022, when the club was fined £50,000 after the former club chair, John Faragher, was alleged to have used the racist phrase “n****r in the woodpile” during a board meeting in 2017 – the incident which prompted the commissioning of the Newton report.The CDC panel, consisting of chair Nigel Popplewell, Professor Seema Patel and Mark Milliken-Smith KC. said it was unable to apply sporting sanctions such as points deductions, which is the punishment that Essex last week received after their opening batter, Feroz Khushi, was found to have used an illegal bat in their opening County Championship fixture of the ongoing season.Essex, who have also been reprimanded, have until October 2 to appeal.Dave Lewis, Interim Director of the Cricket Regulator, said: “The racism experienced at Essex County Cricket Club over a period of many years was abhorrent, and the evidence of those subjected to abuse was deeply disturbing. They have shown real bravery in speaking out, and I hope that this prosecution will help ensure that no one suffers again as they did, and that racism of this kind is never normalised.”The sanctions announced against the club today by a panel of the independent Cricket Discipline Commission come at the end of a long and complex investigation by the Cricket Regulator and follow the club’s own investigation which resulted in it sanctioning several individuals. The CDC panel took into account the fact that Essex had pleaded guilty to the charge and has already taken significant action to address these issues and become a more inclusive club.ECB Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould said: “Racism has no place in our sport. I’m appalled by what those who experienced racism at Essex have been through, and the way this behaviour could become normalised. It is vital that as a sport we listen and learn from their experiences, and ensure that no one suffers like that again.”I welcome the action Essex has taken in recent years to address these issues and become a more inclusive club, and the commitment it has shown to make further progress.”Over the past year, the whole game has responded positively to the action plan we set out in response to the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, and we will shortly update on the progress which has been made. We recognise there is still significant work to be done, and are determined to tackle discrimination wherever it exists and break down barriers to ensure that cricket becomes the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales.”Essex County Cricket Club Chair, Anu Mohindru KC, said: “Essex County Cricket Club today received the sanctions handed down by the independent Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) following the Club’s admission to historic use of racist and discriminatory language and conduct.”There is deep regret for what occurred in the past, but these events do not reflect the Essex Cricket of today. The Club have accepted the sanctions and remains committed to tackling all forms of discrimination, and is fully aligned with the ECB’s goal of making cricket the country’s most inclusive team sport.”We have made significant progress in achieving these aims in the communities we represent through our excellent outreach work, as well as building a workplace that values and respects every individual. Essex Cricket will continue to move forward as the best open, inclusive, and diverse organisation we can possibly be.”We remain fully committed to working towards positive and lasting change. This is a responsibility we take seriously, and we will continue to engage with all those affected, our community and stakeholders to ensure that the progress already made in recent years is upheld and further strengthened.”

Tom Latham, who could be New Zealand’s next ODI captain, has said that the team will have to become increasingly flexible with how they adapt to players opting out of central contracts to take up franchise deals.Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne made themselves unavailable for the latest batch of contracts although former captain Williamson, who will play the SA20 in January, was given a casual agreement to reflect his continued standing among New Zealand’s most important players.Williamson will probably only miss a handful of limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka, and at the time of announcing his new arrangement insisted he remained fully committed to international cricket, but it marked another significant shift in the game following Trent Boult’s decision to decline a contract two years ago to allow him more T20 league opportunities.Related

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“Think at the moment where cricket’s going in New Zealand is slightly different,” Latham said. “It’s certainly not a black and white situation, and certainly changing with all these leagues popping up. Guess everyone is in a slightly different boat in what their future may look like depending on their age or stage they are in life.”We’ve got a lot of cricket in the summer [and] got an ICC pinnacle event [the Champions Trophy] which is exciting to look forward to. So whether it be with different personnel, whether it be with the guys we are used to having, whenever we can have them I’m sure that will be great, but think we’ve certainly got to be pretty fluid with what things look like in the future.”New Zealand have become used to playing white-ball series without key players either through rotation or due to a clash with the IPL and the latter is set to happen again next season when they face Pakistan in late March. Latham added that the New Zealand contract system had worked well since its inception but suggested those in charge might see this as a time to review whether it fits the modern game.”Don’t know what the right system is, there is a lot of flexibility within our contracts at the moment, but think with the changing landscape of cricket I’m sure it will be something that New Zealand Cricket and the players’ association look at and try and come up with something,” he said.”We’ve seen over many years now, at times we haven’t had those senior guys. That gives me an opportunity as a senior player to step up and lead as well. But also other guys who haven’t necessarily had opportunities in the past to step up in different leadership roles. It’s never great when you miss guys of Kane’s calibre, but it gives opportunities to other guys to put their best foot forward.”

Latham’s captaincy ambitions

Latham himself is not at the forefront of those deciding between international and franchise cricket given he is primarily a Test and ODI player. “There’s no Test franchise stuff…if that comes out, that would be great,” he joked.However, in a bid to find more T20 opportunity he had been due to head to Canada for the Global T20 tournament until he recently picked up a broken finger in training which will sideline him for four weeks. But it shouldn’t leave him in doubt for the start of New Zealand’s run of Test cricket in September when they are due to face Afghanistan in a one-off match before tours of Sri Lanka and India.There could also be a significant promotion in the pipeline with him among the candidates to succeed as ODI captain after Williamson had to relinquish the role with his contract decision. Latham has regularly stood in over the years, leading in 44 ODIs including last year’s World Cup when Williamson suffered a broken thumb.”It would obviously be a real honour,” Latham said. “For me it’s always been about trying to put the team first as best as possible and I’m sure they’ll have those discussions around what they want from a team point of view and certainly if I get the opportunity to do that it would be really special.”But if NZC wanted to unite both white-ball sides under the same person, to avoid three different leaders with Tim Southee the current Test captain, they may need to look elsewhere.”We’re not at the stage of confirming it yet, so I don’t want to speculate whether Tom will be or not,” coach Gary Stead said. “But he’s certainly one guy that will be in discussions around that role. The important thing is whoever is in place, we want in place for two to three years or so, leading to that next [ODI] World Cup. That will be one of the important decision-making factors that we discuss.”New Zealand will play six ODIs during their home summer, three apiece against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, before taking part in a tri-series in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy.

10.3 to MP Stoinis, top edge and Gurbaz calls for it with two more fielders congregating! Naib brings out his guns to celebrate and the short ball does the trick against Stoinis. Extra bounce, got big on Stoinis, and all it needed thereafter was the three Afghanistan fielders not colliding behind the batter.12.2 to TH David, trapped him in front? Umpire Ahsan Raza raises his finger late. David reviews after a chat. This was a back of a length ball on off that jagged into his pads while . David missed his flick, and he was hit on the knee-roll. No bat involved… and it’s clipping the outside of leg stump! The decision says and Australia are 85/514.4 to GJ Maxwell, BIG BIG WICKET! Noor Ahmad may not have bowled much, but he may have taken the most important catch of his life! Maxwell slices at this length ball outside off, and Noor at backward point dives diagonally forward to take a dipping catch!16.3 to PJ Cummins, slower ball deceives Cummins, that’s Naib’s four! Full ball on off and this doesn’t bunce much. Cummins tries to play across the line but misses. He’s bowled and Naib is off in celebration. However he then takes a tumble, has he hurt himself in glee?

Over the years, the Chelsea fanbase has been blessed to witness countless strikers who have catapulted them to various levels of success in the Premier League.

Didier Drogba is arguably the club’s best-ever talisman, registering over 100 goals for the Blues over two separate spells at Stamford Bridge, including the equaliser in their Champions League triumph back in 2012.

The Ivorian cemented himself in the club’s history forever with such a moment, with his move from Marseille back in 2004 undoubtedly going down as one of the best in their history.

However, in the present day, the Blues lack that focal point at the top end of the pitch, with Enzo Maresca unable to rely on Nicolas Jackson, as seen in the defeat against Newcastle United last weekend.

As a result, groundwork has already been laid for possible additions, with the centre-forward positions likely to be the number one priority for the hierarchy.

The latest in Chelsea’s hunt for a new striker this summer

Over the last couple of weeks, Chelsea have been linked with a move for a whole host of attackers, as Maresca looks to make his mark on the current first-team squad.

Liam Delap has been the main name mentioned, with Lille talisman Jonathan David also on their shortlist, with his contract at the Ligue 1 outfit set to expire at the end of June.

However, despite the links with the aforementioned duo, another name has been thrown into the mix, in the form of RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko, according to TEAMtalk.

Their report claims that the Blues have already been in talks with the player’s agents over a move for the 21-year-old, who’s managed to net 21 goals across all competitions throughout 2024/25.

It also states that the hierarchy in West London view the Slovenian international as the ‘perfect transfer target’ and an upgrade on the currently suspended Jackson.

Why Chelsea’s latest target would be an upgrade on Osimhen

Despite the links to Leipzig’s Sesko in recent days, another name has emerged as a potential target, in the form of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who looks set to leave the Serie A side this summer.

The Nigerian is currently spending the year on loan at Turkish club Galatasaray after dropping down the pecking order after the appointment of former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte last summer.

His record of 24 goals in just 28 league games this campaign would undoubtedly add a different dimension to the Blues’ attack, handing Maresca the goal threat he desires.

However, any deal for the 26-year-old would set the hierarchy back £60m, with multiple other Premier League clubs also in the race for his signature this summer.

As a result, Maresca’s men would be better to prioritise a move for Sesko this summer, with the forward being a better option for the side based on the stats he’s produced to date.

The Leipzig star, who’s been labelled the “next Erling Haaland” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, may have registered fewer combined goals and assists, but has managed to post a higher shot on target accuracy rate – highlighting his clinical ability in the final third.

He’s also managed to complete more passes per 90, whilst achieving a higher take-on success rate, handing Maresca an all-round threat within attacking areas – something which current option Jackson has struggled to do as of late.

The biggest asset Sesko possesses is his aerial ability, winning more of the aerials he’s entered, allowing the club to improve on their current record, which has seen them achieve just a 22% successful cross accuracy this campaign.

Both players would undoubtedly hand the club added reinforcements in their quest for Premier League glory, allowing one of them to emulate the success endured by Drogba at the Bridge.

However, if they are to reach the next level under Maresca, Sesko is the man they should target, with his figures making him a better fit and solving their current striker woes in West London.

He's worse than Jackson: Chelsea must axe their "total waste of money"

Chelsea must sell this “waste of money” who is even worse than Nicolas Jackson.

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By
Dan Emery

May 12, 2025

Manchester United are set to axe a £65,000-a-week player this summer who Ruben Amorim called out in his first game in charge.

Man Utd and Amorim preparing for summer after another defeat

The Red Devils can still salvage their season by lifting the Europa League, however, it has been a disappointing campaign on the whole.

Last time out in the Premier League, Man Utd suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United, with Amorim critical of his side making numerous mistakes.

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“We did a lot of mistakes and they were better than us, stronger than us. Suffering the second goal in the beginning of the second half hurt us a lot and then we did mistakes during the game that helped Newcastle to win the game.

“It’s a team thing [and not about individuals]. We are doing a lot of mistakes in certain games that give confidence to the opponent, give goals, and then it’s hard to cope with everything. We had the first chance, we didn’t score, [then] they have their chance, they score. Then they took control of the game. We scored to draw but then second half, we were suffering in the second play of the game, it’s hard for our team and we did a lot of mistakes.”

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One player who was dropped for the trip to St James’ Park was Andre Onana, and there have been plenty of rumours that the goalkeeper is unsettled at Old Trafford and looks set to be sold over the coming months.

There is interest from Saudi Arabia in Onana, whereas Man Utd are looking at replacements and have recently shown an interest in Anders goalkeeper Yahia Fofana.

More Old Trafford exits are on the cards, though, and Fabrizio Romano has shared another Man Utd exit update.

Jonny Evans set to leave Man Utd – Fabrizio Romano

As per transfer expert Romano, Man Utd defender Jonny Evans and third-choice keeper Tom Heaton are both set to depart the club this summer when their contracts expire.

Evans, on £65,000-a-week, returned to the Red Devils in 2023 and has made 42 appearances in all competitions under Erik ten Hag and Amorim in recent years.

Now 37 years of age, the experience centre-back started Amorim’s first game as United boss against Ipswich Town back in November.

That was actually Evans’ last top flight appearance for United, with Amorim critical of the defender after the 1-1 draw.

“If you see the first half, we were a little bit afraid. The No.5 [Sam Morsy] was always alone, we have to jump on him. Hutchinson was always in the dead space, Jonny Evans should be pressing his guy, but when we don’t have the training and it’s hard to see say all the reactions to the players. We had two days, they are confused a little bit. If you stay here, you don’t run, you defend but you don’t run.”

Now, it looks as if Evans will be one of a number of Old Trafford players to depart, something that won’t come as a huge surprise due to his age and contract status.

When you’ve had it as good as New Zealand have had it for so long, letting go is hard. But things change, and the world moves on

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Sep-2024Letting go is hard, especially when what you are letting go of is the best you’ve ever had.Defeats like Sunday’s just didn’t happen to New Zealand’s men’s Test team over the past 10 years. Since 2014, there have been two innings losses, both significantly less-heavy than this Galle loss. The first was against Australia in Brendon McCullum’s farewell series in 2016, which ok, qualifies as a horror-Test. (One of the great regrets of the great New Zealand years, is that they never got a Test series win over the opposition they love to beat most). But the other innings loss was against Pakistan in Dubai in a 2018 series New Zealand ended up winning 2-1.Related

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And yet, as if checking off a bingo card of Test misery, New Zealand have in their last match managed to:

India play ODIs for the first since Mithali Raj’s retirement, and there might be some changes in the way they apporoach the format now

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Where will Harmanpreet bat?
Harmanpreet Kaur has taken over the ODI captaincy. But where will she bat?When Raj occupied the No. 4 spot, Harmanpreet followed her. Only twice in the last two years has she batted at No. 4 in ODIs: once against South Africa at home in 2021, when she had to retire injured, and then against New Zealand earlier this year, when her 63 coupled with Raj’s unbeaten 54 helped India score their only win in the five-match ODI series.Overall, Harmanpreet has batted at No. 5 on 45 occasions, and averages 30.97 with a strike rate of 71.50. However, she has batted 48 times at No. 4, too, where she has 1618 runs at an average of 40.45 and a strike rate of 70.22. Notably, her monumental 171 not out against Australia in 2017 had also come from No. 4.With Harmanpreet now the senior-most batter in the team, expect her to bat at No. 4 and try to get her eye in before unleashing the big shots.Yastika Bhatia hit 225 runs at 75 and a strike rate just under 100 in the last domestic 50-over competition•Getty ImagesWho will occupy the other middle-order spots?
Jemimah Rodrigues wasn’t included in India’s ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour despite a spot going vacant following Raj’s retirement.In her absence, India have options in Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, who can also chip in with some overs of legspin, and S Meghana, the reserve opener in the World Cup squad. There is also Deepti Sharma, but more on her later.Meghana finished as the leading run-scorer with 388 runs in the last domestic one-day competition, with her side Railways crowned champions. Also, an impressive strike rate in excess of 100 helped her get a national call-up ahead of the World Cup earlier this year.However, though she is used to opening for Railways, the presence of incumbents Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma forces her to bat either at No. 3 or in the middle order. In the T20Is against Sri Lanka, India used Meghana at No. 3, which suggests that that could be her role in ODIs too.But, what about Bhatia? She hit 225 runs at an average of 75 and a strike rate of a shade under 100 in the same domestic competition as Meghana while batting at No. 3. Nine of her 13 ODI innings have also come in that position.So it could become a three-way jostle for two middle-order spots, considering Mandhana and Verma are at the top, Harmanpreet is likely at No. 4, and Deepti and Richa Ghosh, the first-choice wicketkeeper, are all part of the top seven.Deepti Sharma’s bowling numbers have fallen since 2020•ICC via Getty ImagesWhat will Deepti’s role be?
Perhaps no other batter in the squad has been moved up and down the order as much as Deepti. She has batted at all positions from No. 3 to No. 9 in the last two years. In fact, she is not a stranger to opening the batting either, having played 13 times in that role in ODIs, including when she hit a career-best 188 against Ireland in 2017.After Raj’s retirement, there are three different roles India might have in mind for Deepti: an accumulator at the top, a finisher, and a lower-middle order bat who can bowl.Her bowling effectiveness is on the wane, though, with a recent rise in economy rate and average. Deepti got 64 wickets at an average of 27.81 and an economy rate of 3.84 from her debut in 2014 until the end of 2019; but since 2020, her 17 wickets have come at an average of close to 47, and her economy rate has shot up to 5.32.That she has kept her place in the side despite the emergence of Sneh Rana is mainly down to her ability to bowl at all stages of the match coupled with the fact that she is a utility player. But in the absence of Rana, who is not in Sri Lanka, how Deepti shapes up could decide how India fare in the series.Poonam Yadav is one of the three spinners in India’s squad in Sri Lanka•Getty ImagesMake or break for Poonam?
Poonam Yadav’s inability to pick up wickets consistently or contain the runs in the last two years have hurt India. Her loop and dip have had batters in a tangle in the past. However, with the batters now figuring her out and using the back foot to counter her, Poonam’s bowling average and strike rate have taken a battering since 2021.That led to her being dropped from the XI in favour of newcomer Prathyusha Challuru at home against South Africa last year. Poonam is not the first-choice in T20Is as well, with India preferring Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav over her.Without Ekta Bisht, Poonam is one of the three spinners – including Deepti – in the squad, with the ODIs against Sri Lanka potentially deciding her future in the team.The focus this season will increasingly be on T20Is given the Commonwealth Games and the T20 World Cup early next year, and solid performances by the new players, even in the ODIs, could give the Indian management a happy headache.

It’s been a hard, injury-studded slog to the top for South Africa’s brightest pace-bowling hope, and now he’s looking to turn up the heat

Firdose Moonda22-Apr-2020Pace is pace, .While the modern bowler is interested in developing a slower ball or learning the art of reverse swing, for Anrich Nortje, speed is key to his craft.”Pace, especially for me, is crucial,” Nortje says from his family farm in the Eastern Cape during South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown. “When you don’t have the pace, you have to focus so much on skill because it’s so difficult to teach someone pace at a later stage in their career.”So pace was always Nortje’s baseline and the rest, like control and consistency, came later.By the time he began to focus on technique, he had been bowling for several years, had played for age-group provincial sides, and had had a smorgasbord of injuries. He was 17 when he broke his collarbone and came to the realisation that “my body wasn’t really built for rugby”. At 1.88 metres tall and with a wiry frame, Nortje had more fast-twitch fibre than big muscle, which steered him towards bowling.He made his first-class debut in 2013, in Namibia, where he opened the bowling and took a wicket in his second over. He was 19, “quite shy and reserved”, according to his team-mate Jon-Jon Smuts, “but he had white-line fever”. He was also very proud of his Afrikaans background, a quality that was immediately evident. “I think the most English music he listened to was Jack Parow,” Smuts said.ALSO READ: Close your eyes to reality, and imagine this South Africa dream teamAfrikaans rapper Parow makes what he calls “dangerous” music that stings with satire, while wearing a leopard-print peak cap with a ridiculously long visor, a 70s ‘tache and a smirk. What might someone like that have in common with Nortje? “It’s a never-say-die, never-stop-fighting attitude,” Nortje says, when asked what underpins Afrikaans culture.A self-styled “proper Dutchman”, Nortje, like Parow, wants to be someone who stands out. “When times are tough, I want to put my hand up and try and make a change,” he said. “I want to be the player that stands up when it’s 40 degrees and it’s flat. That’s how I see it.’In his first full season as an international, Nortje achieved exactly that. During one of the tougher periods in South African cricket, in which they won only one of five home series, he was one of the bright spots. Nortje was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker of the 2019-20 summer, and has one of the best strike rates among ODI bowlers since January 2019. To the international cricket community, he surged onto the scene overnight, but his bowling was a product many years in the making.