The USA Cricket Association has announced that it will be hosting a $100,000 cash prize tournament this November in Florida to be contested between leading clubs of USACA member leagues

Peter Della Penna10-Aug-2015The USA Cricket Association has announced that it will be hosting a tournament with a cash prize of $100,000 this November in Florida to be contested between leading clubs of USACA member leagues. A press release from the board stated that the USACA League Champions Trophy will be held between November 12 and 15 following a regional inter-league playoff qualification series earlier in the fall.The tournament appears to be modeled on the inter-league concept developed by the rival American Cricket Federation, whose ACF Champions League was established in 2014 and is now in its second year. However, the ACF tournament is self-funded by the participating players with no prize money established. USACA, though, is touting a series of perks which the release says will allow its tournament to “drive the improvement and appeal of domestic cricket.”In addition to the prize money, the press release stated that all travel expenses, including flight tickets and hotel accommodations in Florida, will be paid for. However, USACA has provided no information regarding how the tournament will be funded or what kind of format will be used. Owen Grey, the board’s vice president, told ESPNcricinfo that he had only learned of the tournament when he saw the press release on USACA’s website on Monday morning and said it is being privately organised by current USACA secretary Sankar Rengannathan and ex-USACA secretary Kenwyn Williams.The announcement comes on the eve of a scheduled meeting in New York between the ICC and USACA officials on Tuesday to discuss progress made by USACA since their Associate membership was suspended by the ICC in June’s annual conference. One of the biggest issues raised by the ICC at the conference was USACA’s dire financial situation. USACA’s most recent tax returns from 2013 show the organization is more than $4 million in debt and the board even had to cancel a pair of preparation camps in Jamaica that had been announced prior to USA’s participation in last month’s World Twenty20 Qualifier.Separately, several USA players have still not been reimbursed by USACA for $500 expedited visa application fees for the tour to Malaysia last October for the ICC WCL Division Three. Other USACA officials are awaiting reimbursement for flight tickets to attend the USACA Under-19 trials in Los Angeles this May, and the entire USA squad is still yet to receive any stipend payments that were promised for their tour of Ireland last month for the T20 qualifier.

Shashank Manohar has in his first act as the BCCI president shifted the treasury office from Chennai to Mumbai, and made the BCCI constitution available online on the board’s official website

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-201516:31

‘There’s an emphasis on changing perception’

Shashank Manohar has in his first act as the BCCI president shifted the treasury office from Chennai to Mumbai, and made the BCCI constitution available online on the board’s official website, fulfilling one of the promises he made after taking charge.Following the decision to move the treasury office to Mumbai, the BCCI has hired M/S Gokhale & Sathe, a Mumbai-based firm, as internal auditor, replacing PB Vijayaraghavan & Co. from Chennai, whose services have for long been engaged by the TNCA. The move, according to a BCCI press release, was “keeping in mind that all tax matters of the BCCI are with the Income Tax Office in Mumbai.”.”Basically, the president wants all the offices, all the documents of the BCCI to be available at one place,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. Manohar had said soon after his election that the records would be made available at the board headquarters, “so that any member association or a representative of an association can inspect the records at any time”.The BCCI official said there would now be greater logistical convenience. “For example, our IT offices are in Mumbai, but every time there was something, the accounts, we had to get it from Chennai. He wants it [Mumbai] to be a proper headquarters where all sections of the board are working from the BCCI office,” the official said.The official, however, denied that the move was necessitated by the board’s reported dissatisfaction at treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry conducting business from more than one office. “I don’t think there is any point in debating on the fact. It’s a non issue now,” the official said. “In Delhi, he [Chaudhry] had opted for a room in a hotel for an office. That’s all. Nothing more than that. Every office bearer has an office of his own. The secretary is operating from Delhi, the joint-secretary has a small office, the president will have a small office here. That’s always the structure which was in the board.”One of Manohar’s assurances after assuming office was to ensure transparency, and he had said that the problem could be resolved by “putting on the website of the board the constitution of the board, all the rules of the board, any expenditure made by the board over and above an amount of [Rs] 25 lakhs (approx. US$ 38,000), so that people are aware on what activities the board spends their money”.Manohar had sought to address the perception that something was “wrong in the board”. “At the end of the year we can put the balance sheet of the board on the website, with the result it is available to the entire public at large so that there is transparency in the activities of the board,” he had said at the press conference after his election as president.The BCCI has subsequently uploaded a the 52-page constitution, titled Memorandum and Rules and Regulations, that was last revised on September 15, 2012.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20%

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2015South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20% of their match fees.The charge was laid by the on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Vineet Kulkarni, the TV umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, and the reserve umpire Anil Dandekar. The fine was imposed by the match referee Chris Broad, who ruled that South Africa were two overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. De Villiers pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.De Villiers had previously been found guilty of minor over-rate offences on two occasions in the last 12 months, and subsequently served a one-match suspension during the first ODI against Bangladesh in July. If South Africa commit another over-rate breach in ODIs within 12 months with de Villiers as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by de Villiers and he will again face a suspension.South Africa won the first ODI by five runs, thanks to a 73-ball 104 from de Villiers, who was named Man of the Match.

Peter Siddle’s quest to show his value as a member of the Australian Test squad was curtailed yet again as only 9.5 overs of play were possible on the first day of the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2015
ScorecardRain kept the groundstaff busy in Sydney•Getty Images

Peter Siddle’s quest to show his value as a member of the Australian Test squad was curtailed yet again as only 9.5 overs of play were possible on the first day of the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Victoria at the SCG.Heavy rain on Thursday night had affected the condition of the bowlers’ run-ups at the ground, preventing any play until after 1pm. After the NSW captain Moises Henriques chose to bat, Ed Cowan and Ryan Carters reached 0 for 27 while denying Siddle a wicket in his opening spell.However, less than an hour’s play had taken place when another storm enveloped Sydney, sending the players from the field and causing play to be abandoned for the day. Siddle had flown from Brisbane to Sydney in search of a decent bowling stint, but this time he was thwarted by elements rather than selectors.

In her first game as Bangladesh Women’s T20 captain, Jahanara Alam’s stellar spell of 3 for 11 led the hosts to a comfortable eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe Women in the second T20 in Cox’s Bazar

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Panna Ghosh assisted Jahanara Alam in removing Zimbabwe’s top order early•ICC

In her first game as Bangladesh Women’s T20 captain, Jahanara Alam’s stellar spell of 3 for 11 led the hosts to a comfortable eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe Women in the second T20 in Cox’s Bazar. Jahanara’s spell included two maiden overs which played a central role in restricting Zimbabwe to 69 for 6 in 20 overs, helping the hosts to a series sweep.Put in to bat, Zimbabwe were off to a horror start, as they were reduced to 8 for 3 by Jahanara in the sixth over, and were reeling at 33 for 5 by the 15th. Not one of the top five batsmen reached double-figures, before Sharne Mayers (21) and Precious Marange (16*) provided them with a lower-order surge.Bangladesh chased down the measly total with relative ease, as Ayasha Rahman top-scored with 28 and Shaila Sharmin (23*) steered them home in less than 12 overs. The loss of two wickets was hardly a bother for the hosts.

A round-up of The Ford Trophy games played on December 30, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2015Corey Anderson celebrated his return to the national side with an 87-ball 88, but his effort was not enough to help Northern Districts chase down 279 against Auckland in Hamilton.ND began shakily in the chase, losing Dean Brownlie for a five-ball duck. Daniel Flynn and Daryl Mitchell then laid a strong base, adding 76, before Anderson took over. He struck six fours and two sixes, and was aided by contributions from BJ Watling and Tim Seifert. However, fast bowler Lachie Ferguson dismissed Anderson in the 46th over to tilt the contest in Auckland’s favour. ND ran out of fuel, losing their last four wickets for 21 runs.The match was set up for Auckland, thanks to fifties from Brad Cachopa and Robert O’ Donnell, after they were reduced to 109 for 4 in 20.2 overs. The pair repaired the early damage and then lifted the innings with a 130-run partnership off 142 balls. The stand ended when Scott Kuggeleijn got rid of Cachopa for 93, but O’Donnell ensured that his side passed 250 and eventually finished with 278, which proved 11 more for ND.Peter Fulton’s half-century, followed by a collective bowling effort, led Canterbury to their second successive win in the competition, after beating Otago by 65 runs in Alexandra.Having been inserted, Canterbury lost their openers cheaply before Fulton revived the innings with his 36th List A fifty, which contained 10 fours and one six. Each of the middle-order batsmen had starts but failed to build on it, with allrounder Sam Wells claiming three wickets. However, it was enough to haul Canterbury to 228.Otago’s chase had begun on a poor note with both the openers falling for ducks. It was a sign of things to come with Otago sliding to 163 all out within 40 overs. Hamish Rutherford and James Neesham mounted some resistance with a 45-run fourth-wicket partnership, before No.9 Neil Wagner swung his way to an unbeaten 37. Todd Astle, one of the three bowlers to pick up two wickets, put the seal on Canterbury’s win when he bowled Warren Barnes for a duck.George Worker’s century trumped Luke Woodcock’s, helping defending champions Central Districts to a 32-run win against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.After Ben Smith was dismissed by Dane Hutchinson for 4, Worker and Jesse Ryder added 126 together at a rapid pace only for the middle order to fumble. From 139 for 1, Central Districts slumped to 199 for 6 and Worker soon followed for 114 off 120 balls. Marty Kain’s (22) cameo lower down the order meant that Central Districts were pushed to 241.Woodcock followed three wickets with a counterattacking century, his first in List A cricket, and helped Wellington close to the target from a shambolic 35 for 5. The collapse seeped into the lower order as well as the hosts were skittled for 209. Woodcock hit two fours and six sixes before he was the last man dismissed. Central Districts’ new-ball bowlers – Seth Rance and Bevan Small – claimed combined figures of 17-3-65-7 to trip up the chase.

Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns will enter Australia’s tilt for the Test match No. 1 ranking without a single warm-up innings on New Zealand soil, after the national selectors resisted temptation to significantly alter the ODI squad

Daniel Brettig24-Jan-2016Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns will enter Australia’s tilt for the No.1 Test ranking without a single warm-up innings on New Zealand soil, after the national selectors resisted temptation to significantly alter the ODI squad.The only concession to the two Tests in Wellington and Christchurch was the omission of Nathan Lyon after his indifferent displays against India at home, opening up room for the legspinner Adam Zampa to make his international debut while the panel deliberate on his possible inclusion in the World Twenty20 squad.Lyon will instead play in the Sheffield Shield match being played between New South Wales and Western Australia at New Zealand Cricket headquarters in Lincoln near Christchurch. However, Khawaja and Burns will be expected to make the Trans-Tasman adjustments from home, playing for Queensland.

Australia ODI squad for NZ tour

Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, George Bailey, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Matthew Wade (wk), Adam Zampa

Despite his stunning run of form in the Big Bash League following on from a breakout Test summer, Khawaja remained surplus to a settled ODI batting line-up, as the captain Steven Smith had predicted. The likes of Aaron Finch and George Bailey are a long way from Test calculation, but have done nothing to deserve omission from the 50-over team.The selection chairman Rod Marsh acknowledged that coping with foreign conditions was the greatest blind spot of the Australian side, something shown in 2015 during the Ashes but also in their lone loss of the World Cup, against New Zealand at a raucous Eden Park.”We know one of the biggest challenges we will face in New Zealand is adapting to the change in conditions,” he said. “It has been well documented that this is something we have struggled with in recent times and a major focus for this squad will be to reverse that trend.”The New Zealand side will be very tough to beat in their home conditions. We know we will need to be at the top of our game if we want to be competitive.”Marsh said the panel’s preference was for Lyon to get some time bowling in a first-class environment before the Test matches, while also deliberating on the value of Zampa, who again bowled well for the Melbourne Stars in the BBL final on Sunday night.”We have selected Adam Zampa as the spinning option for this tour in place of Nathan Lyon,” Marsh said. “We want Nathan to use the NSW versus West Australia Sheffield Shield match in New Zealand as preparation for the Test Series and this will give us a chance to have a good look at Adam ahead of the ICC World T20.”Adam has certainly put forward a strong case for selection through good performances in the Big Bash as well as the Matador Cup earlier in the season and we think he has thoroughly earned this opportunity.”The captain Smith and his deputy David Warner will be leaving Australia on Saturday in order to prepare in advance for New Zealand, having been rested from the latter two T20 internationals against India that follow Tuesday’s opening match on Australia Day in Adelaide.

Australia’s captain Aaron Finch will be replaced by Usman Khawaja for the dead rubber Twenty20 against India on Sunday and is under a cloud for New Zealand and beyond after a hamstring injury that has left the selectors scrambling for an alternate leader

Daniel Brettig in Melbourne29-Jan-2016Australia’s captain Aaron Finch will be replaced by Usman Khawaja for the dead rubber Twenty20 against India on Sunday and is under a cloud for New Zealand and beyond after a hamstring injury that has left the selectors scrambling for an alternate leader.Khawaja’s call-up is the result of his outstanding displays in the Test team and more recently for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, where he left Shane Watson to conclude he was batting as well as anyone he has ever seen.”Usman is very well placed to be able to play anywhere at the moment, wherever the opportunity arises,” Watson said, “because he’s batting incredibly well, as well as I’ve ever seen anyone bat.”He’s ready to go, and whatever [format] the opportunity arises, he’s in incredible control of his game at the moment. Whatever opportunities come his way he incredibly deserves.”With David Warner and Steven Smith already set to fly to New Zealand on Saturday, Finch’s injury leaves the likes of Watson, Matthew Wade and Shaun Marsh in contention to lead Australia at the SCG, though it may be possible to parachute in the erstwhile T20 leader George Bailey.Either way, Cricket Australia will be required to arrange a hasty phone hookup to settle the question of the captaincy with all their first three choices unavailable for various reasons.”Aaron is being assessed at the moment but unfortunately he’s definitely done some form of damage to his hamstring,” Watson said after Australia’s series-sealing defeat.”At this point in time obviously we don’t exactly know the extent, but unfortunately for Finchy it’s at least probably a week or so out, from my own personal experience a number of times. It’s very unfortunate for him because he batted beautifully again tonight.”The identity of the stand-in captain will be known on Saturday. Finch, meanwhile, faces a nervous few days to see how his hamstring settles down.

Hampshire have pulled off a significant signing by securing Shahid Afridi for the full duration of the NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2016Hampshire have pulled off a significant signing by securing Shahid Afridi for the full duration of the NatWest T20 Blast.He previously played for the club in 2011 when Hampshire reached the semi-finals where Afridi hit 80 off 42 balls against Somerset. He will join the South African allrounder, Ryan McLaren, at the Ageas Bowl.Afridi, who has revealed he is facing pressure not to retire from international T20s, will arrive for the beginning of Hampshire’s campaign in May and, unlike many other start names in the tournament, will not take his leave having not secured a Caribbean Premier League deal and, for now at least, not having international commitments.Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said: “This year it has been a challenge to get the top players over for significant periods of the Blast so we are delighted that he is available for the entire tournament. Shahid made a huge impression last time he was with us and his return is a major boost ahead of our T20 campaign.”The Blast has attracted a strong collection of leading players for the 2016 season – including Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum – but the elongated nature of the tournament, which is played throughout the season, largely on Friday nights, from mid-May until late July followed by the knockouts later in August, means players often cannot stay for the duration.This is set to be the last season with the Blast in its current format. From 2017 it is expected to switch to a two division structure, rather than regional groups, with promotion and relegation. The 2016 tournament would, therefore, decide who starts in Division One – the eight quarter-finalists plus the next-highest finishing side in the group stages.

Asghar Stanikzai, the Afghanistan captain, has welcomed the call from a trio of former international captains for greater opportunities to be given to Associate nations

Andrew Miller in Delhi22-Mar-20163:16

Chappell: Consider a combined Associate team for World Cup

Asghar Stanikzai, the Afghanistan captain, has welcomed the call from a trio of former international captains, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Michael Vaughan, for greater opportunities to be given to Associate nations, and has challenged cricket’s senior sides to offer his team bilateral series in which their true ability and progress could be assessed.In the wake of Afghanistan’s spirited showing against South Africa in Mumbai on Sunday, in which Mohammad Shahzad’s blistering 44 from 19 balls briefly threatened an upset, Vaughan took to Twitter to reiterate his criticism of the 10-team format that has been agreed for the next World Cup in 2019.”Such a shame we won’t see Countries like Afghanistan in the next WC.It’s refreshing and great for the game.Please change your minds @ICC,” he wrote.His sentiments were echoed by Lara and later Tendulkar, who added: “Completely agree. Spirit & performance of teams like Afghanistan & Oman echo the need for more teams at WC & beyond!”Speaking on the eve of Afghanistan’s penultimate Group 1 showdown, against England in Delhi, Stanikzai said that his players had been emboldened by the support, and stated that their ambition was to claim at least one Full Member scalp in their remaining two Super 10s fixtures.”Definitely, it’s been highly proud for us that we are hearing such tweets from cricket legends,” he said. “It is true that the team is playing good cricket, so definitely we need ICC support for the upcoming World Cup [in 2019].”In this World Cup many people thought that our games would be one-sided, but now [our opponents] are really preparing and planning, and scaring to be honest, that this is a side which can beat us.”Our guys have the potential so we need the ICC’s support,” he added. “Definitely we are eager to play in each and every World Cup, and we have requested Full Members to play a series with us. If you only play one game with a team, you cannot compare how good they are, but if you play two or three matches, you have a good chance to beat them.”
In the past six months alone, Afghanistan have proven this point handsomely with home and away series victories against Zimbabwe, in both ODIs and T20Is. They won 3-2 and 2-0 respectively in Bulawayo in October, before repeating the same scoreline in Sharjah two months later.”We have beaten them in all of them, we have won four series against a Full Member,” said Stanikzai. “So you can see how competitive we would be if we were given the chance in the upcoming World Cup.”Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, also leant his support to Afghanistan’s cause, adding that his experiences with Ireland in the early part of his international career demonstrate the importance of nurturing emerging nations.”I think it is very important for the sport to grow,” said Morgan. “Associate nations are key in evolving our sport and giving them as much opportunities as we can.”Asked whether he would welcome the prospect of playing Afghanistan in a bilateral series in the future, Morgan was cautiously positive about the prospect.”Certainly, as an England captain sitting here and captaining guys who play in all three formats of the game, I know the gruelling schedules they go through and the need for time off.”But I can see a time when we do play tri-series against different sides, not necessarily with our strongest side, but with as good a side as we can at the time and giving some guys a bit of a break. I see that coming down the line.”