Malinga misses domestic one-dayer for IPL duties

Lasith Malinga has missed his first match of Sri Lanka's Super Provincial one-day tournament, a day after Sri Lanka cricket reiterated that he must play domestic cricket to be considered for national selection. He had been named in Dambulla's squad, but has not joined the side, and has instead remained with IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, for whom he is a bowling mentor.

Despite his absence from this match, Malinga hopes to be named in Sri Lanka's squad for the ODI series against South Africa in July-August. "My work with the Mumbai Indians is due to end on about May 25 or 26," he had said in a public video last week. "But after that I am fit enough to train, play whatever practice matches that are scheduled, and if I am good enough, the selectors can pick me."

Over the past few months, Malinga has expressed displeasure at being left out of Sri Lanka's T20 side in particular by underlining his effectiveness in the format. He had played in SLC's club T20 tournament in January-February, and finished joint-highest wicket-taker, with 17 dismissals. His most-recent limited-overs appearances for Sri Lanka came against India in September last year.

Fakhar Zaman's blitz topples Quetta Gladiators

Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 (Fakhar 94, Sadaf 42*) beat Quetta Gladiators 169 for 6 (Rossouw 42, Narine 2-22, Yasir 2-35 ) by 17 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Lahore Qalandars continued their late resurgence in the PSL, notching up their third successive win after downing Quetta Gladiators by 17 runs. They had opener Fakhar Zaman to thank primarily for their two points. He put on a show of fabulous power-hitting to clout 94 off 50 balls - the highest individual score this season - and lead his side to 186.

Lahore haven't made any changes to their team since picking up their first win, and their openers Fakhar and Anton Devcich gave them a solid start again. However, when Devcich, Agha Salman and Brendon McCullum - the captain who was controversially given out off a no-ball - fell in quick succession, Fakhar held the innings together, brilliantly supported by a 27-ball 42 from wicketkeeper-batsman Gulraiz Sadaf. A cameo in the end from Sunil Narine (20*) ensured Lahore finished with a flourish.

With Jason Roy back in the Quetta side, their top order boasted a frightening quartet of Roy, Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen and Rilee Rossouw. While the England opener got Quetta off to a fast start - they raced to 52 for 0 in five overs - the wicket of Watson immediately set them back. And from thereon the Quetta chase began to unravel. Narine took care of both Pietersen and Roy, and as the asking rate climbed, Quetta found themselves out of the contest. Rossouw launched a counterattack, smashing five sixes in a 22-ball 42, but it only gave Lahore a late scare. Quicks Shaheen Afridi and Sohail Khan eventually wrapped up a comfortable win.

Where the match was won

It may have taken till after Lahore were eliminated to begin working on their weaknesses, but they did illustrate the extent to which they have improved in the middle overs on Wednesday. After losing three quick wickets, Lahore's run rate had dipped below seven, and after 11 overs they were stuttering at 76 for 3. But instead of capitulating, Fakhar and Gulraiz launched an astonishing onslaught, hitting 64 in the next four overs. It included an over of fearsome hitting from Fakhar that cost 24 runs, with Rahat Ali the hapless recipient. It was the phase of the game Sarfraz Ahmed might have deemed Lahore to be most vulnerable, but they turned that weakness into a comprehensive strength.

The men that won it

While it is hard to look past Fakhar, one would be remiss to overlook vital contributions from Narine and Gulraiz. After all, Fakhar was dismissed with nearly five overs left in Lahore innings and the score only at 141, when the pair put on an unbroken 45-run stand in 28 balls.

The brain freeze


A team led by McCullum on course to win three in a row is likely to be a happy unit. That was how Lahore had been appearing all tournament. Even when they had lost six on the bounce, they never looked like a dressing room falling out with each other. But towards the end of today's contest, when both teams were almost going through the motions with the game virtually in the bag for Lahore, a bizarre scuffle erupted. Sohail Khan, who had been trying to get the attention of Yasir Shah on the boundary without success, inexplicably lost his temper and threw the ball on the full towards him. It very narrowly missed Yasir's head, and the legspinner, to put it mildly, was incandescent. It took all of McCullum's diplomatic powers to assuage the pair, but the lack of judgment from Sohail couldn't help leaving one nonplussed. The pair reconciled at the end of the game, and Yasir even laughed it off. It would have been rather different, of course, if the ball had actually made contact with Yasir.

Where they stand

Lahore drew level with Peshawar Zalmi, though they are still in last place on net run-rate. Quetta remained second, two points behind table-toppers Islamabad United.

Mustafizur Rahman ruled out of T20I series against Afghanistan

Mustafizur Rahman will miss Bangladesh's three-match T20 series against Afghanistan due to a toe injury. Debashish Chowdhury, the BCB doctor, said that a scan revealed that it will take Mustafizur up to three weeks to recover.

As a result, Bangladesh are leaving Dhaka for Dehradun on Tuesday morning without their main pace bowler.

"Mustafizur damaged his left toe during the IPL, and would not be traveling with the team," Chowdhury was quoted telling the Dhaka-based New Age newspaper.

On Sunday, Bangladesh's interim head coach Courtney Walsh had mentioned Mustafizur's injury, for which he was given rest from training. Walsh had sounded confident that he would recover in time, but the scan has revealed otherwise.

Mustafizur was Bangladesh's best bowler during the Nidahas Trophy T20s in March. His replacement is now likely to be named on Tuesday.

Bangladesh take on Afghanistan in three T20s on June 3, 5 and 7. Afghanistan are also set to be without a key bowler, after Dawlat Zadransuffered a knee injury that is expected to keep him out for a month.

Amicus curiae in favour of five-member selection panel, vote for Railways

The Supreme Court of India is moving towards a final verdict over the BCCI's delays in implementing the Lodha Committee recommendations and adopting a fresh constitution as drafted by its Committee of Administrators (CoA).

At its last hearing on May 11, the court had asked amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium to study and respond to the objections and suggestions from the BCCI's member units, the state associations, regarding the draft BCCI constitution drawn up by the CoA. The states have also been asked to submit their responses to Subramanium's observations before the court convenes for the next hearing, scheduled on July 5.

Following is the summary of the submissions made by Subramanium concerning the various recommendations the BCCI members had objections to or said they could not implement.

One state one vote
The issue: As per the Lodha Committee, and seconded by the CoA, each Indian state could have only one Full Member association that would have a vote at the BCCI table. In the case of Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have multiple state associations due to their cricket history, the vote would be rotated annually. These associations - the Mumbai Cricket Association, the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the Vidarbha Cricket Association in Maharashtra, and the Gujarat Cricket Association, the Saurashtra Cricket Association and the Baroda Cricket Association in Gujarat - have opposed such a move.

Subramanium's response: The amicus curiae said he approved the Lodha Committee's reasoning to allocate a vote to each state on a "territorial" basis. He also said the court had "mandated" that each of the three associations within the state would get a vote on annual basis, which "brings parity and fairness".

Subramanium said the one-state-one-vote reform provided "democratic equality" which was essential. "Unless sufficient prejudice is shown that a member by annual rotation is not able to effectively participate in the affairs of the BCCI, the Amicus is unable to recommend deviation from the position adopted by the Hon'ble Justice Lodha Committee, and as modified by the Principal Judgment."

Railways can have a vote
The issue: The Lodha Committee and the CoA had also determined that the member associations that were either run by the government or had limited participation in BCCI events - such as the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the Railway Sports Promotion Board ("Railways") and the Services Sports Control Board ("Services") along with the National Cricket Club (NCC), Kolkata, and the Cricket Club of India (CCI), Mumbai - would lose the vote they had enjoyed under the old BCCI constitution.

Subramanium's response: The amicus said Railways ought to be treated as an "exception" based on the fact that the institution provides "at least 90%" of the players who play for India women. "In view of the security of employment of the players from Railways as well as the ability to demonstrate playing skills and having regard to women's cricket as an integral part of Indian Cricket, it appears necessary to consider this as an exception."

Subrmanium, though, said that the person from Railways casting the vote at the BCCI table would need to be a former player and not someone "nominated" by the government. "Such a decision must be undertaken by an association of former players who belong to the Railways."

The rest of the associations in this group - the AIU, Services, NCC and CCI - did not qualify for full membership criteria, Subramaniam said.

Selection Committee strength
The issue: The BCCI has argued that the vast volume of cricket it conducts and the number of teams and tournaments under its jurisdiction justify a five-member selection panel for all three categories: men's, women's and junior. The Lodha Committee and the CoA had instead felt three-member panels were good enough.

Subramanium's response: The amicus has recommended that the selection panel strength could be "increased" to five. He has also set a fresh set of criteria for to be a national selector: the candidate should have played a minimum of: a) seven Test Matches; or b) 30 first-class matches; or c) 10 ODIs and a minimum of 20 first-class matches.

The amicus felt an enhanced selection committee was "imminent" to "relieve" the burden of the existing three-member panel. This enhanced committed, Subrmanium said, should be finalised by the CoA in consultation with the cricket advisory committee.


RM Lodha, former Chief Justice of India, at a press conference AFP
Cooling-off period
The issue: The office bearers and administrators in both the BCCI and the state associations do not want a cooling-off period of three years after every three-year term as recommended by the Lodha Committee. The break, the administrators say, does not allow them enough time to advocate and execute plans and could hamper continuity.

Subramanium's response: Subramaniam noted that the thrust of the Lodha Committee - which was "distressed" by the continued presence of office bearers, some for decades - was to "militate against self-perpetuation." Subrmanium said the court has allowed office bearers to serve nine years each at state and BCCI separately, which he found to be a "substantial "period. "A period of 18 years by any stretch of imagination is indeed a substantial period," the amicus said. "It is necessary that the expression 'cooling off' must necessarily mean that after a period of 3 years, the person is not able to migrate to the other Association and occupy the position as an office bearer or occupy any other position in the same Association."

Division of powers between general body and professional management

The issue: Under the existing system, the BCCI secretary informally carries out the role of the CEO and shares power with the board president. Under the Lodha Committee's recommendations, and as part of the new constitution, the role of the office bearers would be diminished while the CEO would be granted significant independent decision-making powers. Many of the BCCI members are against ceding control.

Subramanium's response: According to the amicus the general body, which comprises the state associations, needs to be separate from the nine-person Apex Council through which the board's chief executive officer directs the professional management of the BCCI. "It is necessary that this recommendation of the Hon'ble Justice Lodha Committee, as reflected in the Constitution, must be maintained and the professional management must be undertaken by the Apex Council through the CEO (who is also the custodian of the interests of players and fans), CFO and such other instrumentalities who are recruited on a totally transparent and professional basis."

Subramaniam also stated that it would be "appropriate' for the Court to consider whether the current BCCI office bearers - acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry - be asked to demit office as they had completed their "legally valid tenures of office".

Borren calls time on Netherlands career

Netherlands captain Peter Borren, 34, has retired from international cricket with immediate effect. Pieter Seelaar, the 30-year old left-arm spinner, will take over the captaincy. Jeroen Smits, the former Netherlands wicketkeeper, has been appointed the new team manager.

The Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) paid tribute via a press release issued on Wednesday evening. Though Borren is only 34, the KNCB's press release said a "mutual decision" was reached between Borren and the selectors, with an eye towards building a squad for the 2020 World T20 and 2023 World Cup.


Peter Borren
✔
@dutchiepdb
 It has been my absolute privilege to play and lead this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved.  I've feel very lucky indeed. Cricket in orange has been my life. I will miss it so much.  I have so many great memories. Go well boys!#metamorphosis

12:21 AM - Apr 19, 2018
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Borren had been captain since July 2010, when he took over the role from Smits. Among teams that currently have at least ODI status, the only players with longer ongoing captaincy reigns are Ireland's William Porterfield, and Nepal's Paras Khadka.

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Borren last featured for Netherlands in the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe in March, where he could manage just 52 runs in six innings and passed double-figures just once. Netherlands won just once in the group stage, failing to reach the Super Sixes, before bouncing back with two wins over Hong Kong and Nepal in the playoffs to finish seventh.

Born in New Zealand, Borren was the leading wicket-taker for the country at the 2002 Under-19 World Cup, where he played alongside Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Neil Broom, Rob Nicol and Michael Bates. Three months after the tournament, he began his first season in the Dutch Hoofdklasse for VRA, eventually settling for good in his adopted homeland.

After completing the four-year residency requirement under ICC eligibility guidelines, Borren made his Netherlands debut against Denmark in June 2006, and his ODI debut a month later against Sri Lanka. He ended his career with a total of 58 ODIs and 43 T20Is across 12 years, making him the most capped player in both formats for Netherlands. He is one of just four Dutch batsmen to score 1000 runs in ODIs, and is their third highest wicket-taker in the format, behind Mudassar Bukhari and Ryan ten Doeschate. In T20Is, he in their third-highest scorer with 638 runs at 19.33, just 24 behind current leader Wesley Barresi. Borren's replacement as captain, Seelaar, debuted in 2006, the same year as Borren, and has represented Netherlands in 37 ODIs and 39 T20Is.

Borren played a huge part in Netherlands establishing themselves as a thorn in England's side at the World T20. His 30 off 25 balls in a 50-run stand alongside Tom de Grooth while chasing 163 propelled Netherlands to a famous win over England on the opening day of the 2009 tournament at Lord's. Under Borren's captaincy, Netherlands repeated the feat in Bangladesh in 2014, where they won by 45 runs in Chittagong.

But perhaps Borren's finest hour came earlier in the same tournament, in a stunning chase against Ireland. Needing to get 190 in 14.2 overs to pip Ireland on the net-run-rate tiebreaker for a Super 10 spot, Borren promoted himself to open, and produced an inspired effort, his 15-ball 31 setting the tone for a stirring victory.

That win was particularly meaningful as it came just two months after one of the biggest lows in Dutch cricket, when a loss to Kenya at the World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand resulted in the loss of ODI status, and broke their streak of three consecutive World Cup appearances. The sting of that defeat could have crippled Dutch cricket, with a reduction in ICC funding resulting in the downsizing of central contracts. Instead, it chastened them to work harder to climb back up the world rankings.



Borren was reduced to tears after Netherlands' triumph in the 2015-17 World Cricket League Championship in December: the conclusion of three years of hard work to reclaim ODI status, and a spot in the upcoming 13-team ODI league, beginning in 2020. It wound up being the emotional climax for Borren as a captain and player.

For all his on-field achievements, Borren was just as well-known for being outspoken in criticising ICC decision-making that resulted in reduced opportunities for Associate teams. It earned him admirers, not just in the Netherlands, but throughout the Associate cricket community.

The KNCB said of Borren: "Peter Borren has been of tremendous value to the Dutch team, leading the national side over the last nine years.

"He has seen the Netherlands team grow into a much more professional set-up resulting in winning the World Cricket League and qualifying for the ODI Championships in December 2017. With his inspirational leadership, Peter has played a more than important role in this success."

Smith, Warner sanctions will restore cricket's 'battered' image - Morgan

Eoin Morgan hopes the sanctions imposed on Steve Smith and David Warner will have served to restore the reputation of a game he feels has been "battered" in recent days.

Morgan, England's limited-overs captain, says he was "shocked" by the Australian players' attempt to alter the behaviour of the ball with sandpaper, insisting he had never experienced such a premediated plan in any team he has represented.

But while he accepted such behaviour could damage the reputation of the game, he felt the severity of Cricket Australia's punishments - on Warner and Smith especially - sent a firm message that such tactics will not be tolerated and could improve the way the game is played around the world.

"The sanctions imposed by Cricket Australia have shown how serious the actual mistake was, how seriously they are taking it and how seriously they regard the values, principles, spirit and laws of the game," Morgan said.

"For the last two weeks, the game has been battered. But I'd like to think that the balance [between the damage done to the game and the benefits brought by the suspensions] changed when the sanctions were imposed, because they were serious sanctions.

"It's one thing to say something is wrong. But to back it up with such a sanction says a huge amount. This isn't two of their worst players, either. It's two of their best. One is possibly one of their greatest ever.

"Naturally this will pull the leash [on the way Australia play]."

Morgan accepts there are some "grey areas" around the issue of ball-tampering. The use of sugary saliva, for example, has been prevalent for years (albeit with a distinction around whether mints and sweets are directly transferred to the ball), as has the practice of fielders returning the ball to the keeper on the bounce to scuff up one side. But, the way he sees it, Cricket Australia's actions have "gone a long way" to "saying none of it is acceptable".

"I was shocked there was a premeditated plan," he said. "I've never heard talk like that in a dressing room.

"Throwing the ball in, one bounce, is fine. But if you throw to the keeper from long-on or long-off, the umpires will monitor how often the ball hits the playing surface and tell you they'll change the ball if you do it again.

"Things have changed. The LED lights on the advertising hoardings around the ground have little bulbs that stick out and they can take a huge chunk out of the ball. We have forced our bowlers to chuck it to the umpires [after it hits the board] so they don't think we have done something to the ball.

"So, yes, there are grey areas but I think Cricket Australia have gone a long way to saying none of it is acceptable."

It might have been relevant that Morgan was talking at the 2018 launch of All Stars, the ECB initiative aimed at introducing a new generation to the game. Confronted by dozens of enthusiastic children aged between five and eight, Morgan and his fellow ambassadors (Michael Vaughan, Sarah Taylor and Isa Guha) might naturally have been keen to focus on the more family-friendly aspects of the game.


But Morgan, like so many in England cricket, was deeply impressed by the example of Brendon McCullum's New Zealand side at the 2015 World Cup, in particular. Seeing New Zealand play so effectively - they thrashed England so quickly in Wellington that the game ended before the lights were turned on for the day-night fixture - without resorting to any of the posturing or 'mental disintegration' that had started to become a feature of England's Test cricket in 2013 and 2014, made a big impression.

"I massively endorse the way New Zealand play the game," Morgan said. "Just look at the Test series in New Zealand. You have two fantastic ambassadors for the game - Joe Root and Kane Williamson - playing hard but enjoying the game. Nothing has come close to being controversial. And people have enjoyed watching it.

"You can talk about it [playing the right way] all the time, but living it and breathing it is a different thing. You have to recognise when it's veering too far the wrong way. And it doesn't stop you winning."

Parents wanting their children to take part in this year's All Stars sessions can register now via allstarscricket.co.uk .

ECB announces external review of Glamorgan payment

The ECB has bowed to increasing pressure and agreed to an external review of the process leading to the payment of 2.5m to Glamorgan. Barely 48 hours after dismissing calls for such an inquiry at a meeting of the county chairmen, the ECB has performed a U-turn which suggests chaos at the heart of the organisation.

While an ECB press release suggests the U-turn is the result of "time to reflect" on the request formally made by Somerset and Surrey on Monday, it may not be coincidental that the ECB's Audit, Risk and Governance committee met on Wednesday in order to sign off the accounts. With such a substantial and extraordinary payment having been made to Glamorgan - and the suggestion that further payments have been promised elsewhere - it is entirely possible the committee required more details before the accounts could be signed off.

"Following the ECB's meeting with the chairmen of the first-class counties and MCC on Monday we have taken time to reflect on this, as a Board," Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, said in a statement. "The Board agree that it will be valuable to have an external review into the process around the payment.

"I recognise there have been questions raised and, whilst answers have been provided, we are determined that the process is fully reviewed."

It was revealed several weeks ago by the Times that Glamorgan had received the payment in return for not applying to host a Test in the major match allocation that runs until the end of the 2024 season. While the ECB executive insists such payments were agreed, in principle, at a board teleconference in September 2016, the likes of Andy Nash and Richard Thompson, who have resigned from the board in recent days in protest at what they see as a lack of transparency behind such decisions, believe they required more detailed consideration. Both men claim such a payment amounts to favouring one county over others and conflict with the ECB's constitution.



The ECB has not yet published the terms of reference for the review. But while it is understood the county chairmen requested an entirely independent inquiry led by a respected QC, the ECB has appointed Good Governance Institute (GGI) and asked them to look only at "the process leading to the recent payment to Glamorgan". As GGI were employed by the ECB in a consultancy capacity as recently as the end of last year - they compiled a report entitled "Governance Improvement Programme" - one county has already raised questions over their independence and, as a result, their suitability for the task.

There is also concern over the breadth of the review. With several Test-hosting grounds believed to have budgeted for similar compensation payments - the suggested figure was 500,000 for every year they do not host a Test - some of the other counties want to know how they were led to believe such payments were likely. The ECB has agreed to take another look at the policy, but it is currently unclear whether it forms part of the GGI review.

"We need to know what other payments have been promised over the last few months," one county chief executive told ESPNcricinfo. "But this review does represent encouraging progress."