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He had earlier been suspended from all forms of cricket on charges of sexual assault in Sydney last November

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Oct-2023Danushka Gunathilaka will be allowed to return to domestic and international cricket after being found not guilty of sexual assault.Although Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had supported Gunathilaka through his legal proceedings in Australia, going as far as to pay his legal fees – which the board said Gunathilaka is obligated to pay back – the board had suspended him from all forms of cricket in November 2022, while the legal process was ongoing.But an “independent inquiry committee” appointed by SLC has now recommended an “immediate lifting of [Gunathilaka’s] cricketing ban, allowing him to resume regular activities and return to national duty”. Gunathilaka, 32, has himself expressed a strong desire to return to training and cricket since being found not guilty in a Sydney court on September 23.Related

• Gunathilaka suspended by SLC from all forms of international cricket

• Gunathilaka found not guilty in sexual assault trial

He has also stated he would pursue compensation from the Australian government. Gunathilaka was required to remain in Australia during the course of the legal process, and had various other restrictions imposed upon him, such as a ban on his use of dating apps and social media, though these were relaxed over time.However, Gunathilaka did enjoy the public support of some public figures through this time, including present and former cricketers, and a government minister.This had been the latest of the suspensions imposed on Gunathilaka by SLC. He had previously been suspended on three separate occasions for disciplinary breaches, the last of which had come in June 2021, when he – along side Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella – had breached the Sri Lanka team’s bio-secure bubble in England.

ESPNcricinfo understands that SLC has told the game’s broadcasters not to show images of any protests

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jun-2022Sri Lanka’s police and army have removed anti-government protesters from the fort ramparts overlooking the ground at Galle, on each of the first two days of the ongoing Test against Australia. The public is ordinarily allowed to hold banners and placards as they view the match from the fort. These are mostly related to cricket.However, these protesters had held placards asking for the resignation of Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and have as a result been removed, even though the ramparts are public space. Among the authorities’ concerns had been that a protest overlooking the cricket would be caught on the official broadcast, or be reported on by the international media.ESPNcricinfo understands, however, that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has told the game’s broadcasters not to show images of any protests. Some Australian and international media, though, have reported the wider context in which this series is occurring.In response to the protesters’ removal, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has told the police and army that there exists no basis in law for their removal.”It also been drawn to our attention that the particular area of the ramparts of the Galle Fort are public areas and hence that there is no lawful reason to disperse protestors,” the BASL said in a letter addressed to the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, and the Inspector General of Police. “We continue to remind you of the importance of allowing people to exercise their freedom of speech and expression including their right to dissent. The suppression of the people’s right to protest and dissent is not the answer to the present situation in the country where the people are facing untold hardships due to shortages of fuel and other essentials.”Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis in generations, which has left the country desperately short of cooking gas, fuel, and essential medicines, as well as raised the cost of living substantially. As a result, there have been widespread protests in the country through the course of the year.SLC has essentially banned protests inside its grounds this series, preventing spectators from bringing anti-government placards and banners into its venues, although posters thanking Australia for touring were allowed.

Wicketkeeper-batsman, who initially rejected contract extension, is awarded a Benefit Year

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2021Ben Cox has agreed terms to keep him at Worcestershire until the end of the 2023 County season.Cox initially rejected an offer to stay with the club beyond the 2021 season, but Worcestershire announced on Tuesday that he had agreed a two-year contract extension.Cox, who made his debut for Worcestershire as a 17-year-old schoolboy in 2009, has also been awarded a Benefit Year in 2021, recognising his “lengthy and outstanding service”, the club said.”This club means the world to me, being a Worcestershire boy, and it means a hell of a lot to commit for another three years to the club,” Cox told the Worcestershire website. “If you had asked me when I made my debut that you would have had a 15-year career, and the club had offered you a Benefit Year, I would have snapped your hand off.”I’m over the moon to get things sorted for another three years, and I will still have more to give at the end of this contract, which excites me in itself. Fitness is always something I hold a high regard too, so, as I get older, I don’t see that changing, and I just want to keep doing the best I can be every time I go onto the field.”Cox believed that the club had taken “a big step in the right direction” last year in finishing second in the Central group of the Bob Willis Trophy.”There are some excellent keepers in the country,” he added. “If I can finish my career and people are saying ‘he was pretty good’, that is how I want to leave it.”Ben Cox starred on Blast Finals Day in 2018•Getty Images

Cox reached 500 career dismissals last year, including including 343 in first-class cricket, and he has scored 4764 first-class runs. He played a pivotal role in Worcestershire Rapids’ 2018 Vitality Blast triumph with Man-of-the-Match performances in the semi-final and final at Edgbaston.Worcestershire CCC Chairman Fanos Hira said: “It is pleasing that Ben will be with us until at least 2023. He is an impressive, popular player who has performed at a high level as a wicketkeeper since making his debut as a local schoolboy. He has ability, ambition, desire and potential to improve further.”I’m delighted he has reflected on and accepted our contract extension. Members will be able to support him in his richly deserved Benefit Year during his contract. We wish him well.”

England’s new-look squad face familiar opponents in Christchurch at start of new cycle

The Preview by Alan Gardner31-Oct-2019

Big Picture

So, who is going to be the first to mention the boundary count? Three-and-a-half months on from tied World Cup final (you don’t need me to remind you what happened next), New Zealand and England go toe-to-toe once again in a five-match T20I series that will act as a launchpad for both sides as the countdown begins to the 2020 T20 World Cup.As it goes, this is a format in which hitting the most boundaries often is significant. England reached the final of the 2016 World T20 during the early days of their reinvention as power-packed ODI juggernaut, and will likely be a dangerous proposition in Australia next year – though the squad sent to New Zealand is as much about potential as proven performance. And while the home side are missing their captain, Kane Williamson, as well as Trent Boult for the first three games, they have plenty of T20 chops – as shown by Colin Munro’s blitz to see off England in their second warm-up game.ALSO READ: Gregory faces all-round challenge to prove himself in finisher roleWhat has gone before is less important than what is to come (Really?! Ed), and each team has their own areas to focus on as, for the next 12 months T20Is – so often an afterthought for touring sides – gain extra relevance and context. For New Zealand, the opener issues that dogged their World Cup – an appearance in the final notwithstanding – threaten to linger, while elsewhere the likes of Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell and Scott Kuggeleijn will be hoping to make themselves indispensable under stand-in captain Tim Southee, who led the team to a 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka on their most recent tour.England’s overarching goal for the series, meanwhile, is to find out how a host of new faces go in international competition. The likes of Tom Banton and Pat Brown have caught the eye at domestic level in the Blast and, with a number of first-choice white-ball players rested after a doubly draining English summer featuring World Cup and Ashes, here comes a chance to step up.England’s T20 World Cup squad is sure to feature the likes of Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes (all absent on this leg of the trip), and Banton may have to go some to force his way through a queue of heavyweight top-order contenders, but there are obvious question marks around the lower middle-order finisher role and a couple of the bowling slots. Sam Curran, who has yet to play T20 internationals despite Test and ODI caps (not to mention an IPL contract), may have most to gain, while allrounder Lewis Gregory, legspinner Matt Parkinson and raw quick Saqib Mahmood will be hoping to catch the eye as the series wears on.Joe Denly is helped away after suffering an injury in training•Getty Images

Form guide

New Zealand LWWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWWW

In the spotlight

Ross Taylor is New Zealand’s most-capped batsman in T20Is, and likely to provide the glue in their middle-order – but the exact value of that role is something Gary Stead needs to determine ahead of the T20 World Cup. Taylor is now 35 and his last T20I fifty came in 2014, although he did top-score with 48 from 29 in his last innings but one to see New Zealand to victory in Pallekele.The leading wicket-taker in the Blast over the last two seasons, Pat Brown has impressed with his clear head as much as his befuddling slower balls. However, figures of 1 for 70 from seven overs in England’s two tour games – albeit marred by a couple of dropped catches – suggest the 21-year-old will have to adapt quickly when the series proper begins.

Team news

The absence of Williamson perhaps makes decision-making easier at the top of the order, with Seifert likely to slot in below regular openers, Martin Guptill and Munro. Lockie Ferguson made his return from injury in England’s warm-ups and is available for three games before Boult returns. Jimmy Neesham hasn’t played a T20I in two years but could provide competition for Mitchell, while Blair Tickner is the other seam-bowling option in the squad.New Zealand (possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Colin de Grandhomme, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Scott Kuggeleijn, 9 Tim Southee (capt), 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Ish SodhiEngland have announced T20I debuts for Sam Curran and Brown, while Gregory could also make his international bow after Joe Denly – who had been expected to bat at No. 5 – rolled his ankle in training. Morgan confirmed that Dawid Malan will open the batting alongside Jonny Bairstow and, while the final XI will be revealed on Friday, Banton, Parkinson and Mahmood look set to bide their time.England (possible): 1 Dawid Malan, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 James Vince, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Sam Billings (wk), 6 Lewis Gregory, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Tom Curran, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Pat Brown

Pitch and conditions

The picturesque Hagley Oval will host its first T20 international on Friday, with Christchurch set to be cool but largely clear of the rain that affected Canterbury’s Plunket Shield match against Northern Districts last week (a game in which Seifert and Mitchell were among the four centurions). The ground is one of few in New Zealand built specifically for cricket and is therefore not quite such a postage stamp – which the bowlers may appreciate ahead of trips to the Westpac Stadium and Eden Park.

Stats and trivia

• Overall, in 16 T20Is going back to 2007, England are way ahead of New Zealand on boundary countback, having scored 342 (237 fours, 105 sixes) to 264 (172 fours, 92 sixes).
  
• England are also in front on head-to-head, winning 10 out of 15 games that have reached a result.
  
• Although they lost the last encounter, by two runs in Hamilton last year, New Zealand still progressed to the tri-series final against Australia on NRR thanks to another Munro assault.

Quotes

“It’s a different format. We’ve had a tour to Sri Lanka, so life goes on and you move on.”
“Twelve months is a long way down the road, we play a lot of T20 cricket between now and then, so I think being quite flexible and trying to build a 15- or 16-man squad is actually more important than the final XI.”

The franchise has also snapped up 18-year-old Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2018After making his debut in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) earlier this year, David Warner is set for a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) debut, having signed with Sylhet Sixers. The franchise also snapped up 18-year-old Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, completing its quota of two direct overseas signings for the 2018-19 BPL.Sylhet also added wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das to their roster from Comilla Victorians in addition to retaining batsmen Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain and Pakistan left-arm quick Sohail Tanvir.Warner is currently into the seventh month of a one-year ban handed to him by Cricket Australia for his part in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. He was not allowed to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, but returned to competitive cricket with a stint with Winnipeg Hawks in the Global T20 Cananda in June and July this year. He subsequently signed with St Lucia Stars in the CPL, but his form wasn’t encouraging. After managing 109 runs in eight innings at a strike-rate of 114.73 in the GLT20, he scored 220 runs in nine innings at a strike-rate of 111.67 in the CPL and found particularly bizarre ways to get out.However, he did hit form, when he struck a 98-ball hundred in Sydney grade cricket against an attack that included Josh Hazlewood.The BPL is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2019, with the draft to be held on October 28 this year. This season, all franchises have been allowed to pick a maximum of two foreign players, who had not played in the 2017-18 BPL.

India captain Mithali Raj has expressed concerns about the lack of opening stands from her batsmen, after they went down against South Africa by 115 runs on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-20172:12

There’s always pressure chasing 270 – Mithali Raj

A lack of strong opening partnerships for India in the Women’s World Cup has become a worrying sign for the team. Captain Mithali Raj said after their 115-run loss in Leicester on Saturday that a strong start is something the team had been looking forward to, especially while chasing 274 against South Africa, as it makes the task easier for the rest of the batting line-up.”Yes, it’s been happening since the West Indies game that the openers have not given us the start that we expect,” Raj said after the match. “The way they (the openers) opened the World Cup campaign for us against England, we were expecting maybe one or two off games but it can’t be four in a row. So that is a worrying factor because whether you bat first or chase, it’s important your top order gives you those runs on the board. I feel that when you are chasing 270 there’s always going to be pressure but you need the opening pair to give us a start so that the batters can take from thereon. Unfortunately, today we didn’t get that.”India’s openers Punam Raut and Smriti Mandhana scored 22 and 4 respectively as their partnership was broken in the second over of the chase when Marizanne Kapp had Mandhana caught at deep square leg. Since their dominating partnership of 144 in the first match against England, India’s openers have produced stands of 0 against West Indies, 7 against Pakistan and 21 against Sri Lanka.India’s task of chasing became tougher when South Africa racked up a challenging total of 273 on the back of a blistering 65-ball 92 from opener Lizelle Lee and a steady 57 from captain Dane van Niekerk. India’s decision to bowl was questioned as Lee started hammering sixes – seven in all – against spinners Ekta Bisht and Deepti Sharma who had troubled oppositions in the last few matches. Leicester, incidentally, is the same ground where England had amassed 377 and Australia had scored a stiff 290, both batting first against Pakistan. However, it is also where South Africa had bundled West Indies for only 48.”We did ask few people here at the ground and they told us that the team that bats second has more percentage wins,” Raj explained after the match. “And our matches with South Africa in the Qualifiers as well as in the Quadrangular Series, we probably have come close to 260, we lost one game though with 10 runs, that also was around 270 target. Considering these aspects, we chose to field first.”I’ve seen the way they have batted and even though they lost a wicket in the early overs, Lee has played exceptionally well for that innings and that is what put them on the track. We did realise that her wicket was important, but I give full credit to her batting because her shots were very clean and she did play one of the best innings I have seen so far in the World Cup against us. The bowlers have done a decent job of holding them in the middle overs, we managed to pull ourselves back into the game and maybe a few shots later in the innings got them to 270.”Dane van Niekerk on Lizelle Lee: “The shots she played was ridiculous and hopefully that form can continue for us”•ICC

Van Niekerk, who was named Player of the Match for her half-century and 4 for 22, dedicated her award to team-mate Lee while showering praises on her.”First of all, this goes to Lizelle Lee,” van Niekerk said. “I think she deserves it a lot more than I do. We said if we get more such trophies in the changing room, we have more better days than bad days. I think Lizelle Lee setup the game brilliantly well and I think she deserved a big hundred today. She’s been brilliant, she strikes the ball as clean as anyone in the world and she showed it today. She stuck to her guns and she found her groove and her rhythm and that’s the way she wants to bat and we back that all the way, it came off today. The shots she played was ridiculous and hopefully that form can continue for us.”Lee’s knock had powered South Africa past 125 in 20 overs before they stuttered a bit around the 150-mark. Van Niekerk’s fifty came in handy when she arrived at 160 for 4 in the 28th over and chaperoned the lower order to help them score 70 runs in the last 10 overs.”Yeah, personally [one of my better performances] I guess, especially against a team like India and the form they are in,” she said of her performance. “Coming into this game I thought they were the team to beat, and Australia, so it’s always great to contribute. I just thought of taking it deep, I know my game well enough to say that I can take it away at the back end, struggled a bit, but I stuck to my plans and today it came off.”While I was in there, we hit a bit of a slump and I said, ‘If we can get 250-plus, we have something to bowl at’. We know how good their batting is but if we stick to our lines and lengths…I spent a bit of time there so I kind of got a feel of where the good lines and lengths were and I said to the bowlers, ‘If we hit that consistently well, and we put them under pressure, hopefully it will go our way’.”The only criticism van Niekerk had for her team was for the bowlers, who dismissed India for 158 in 46 overs. She admitted she was being “harsh” on the bowlers, but only because they had taken seven Indian wickets within the first 20 overs, to set up a big win.”I will probably be a bit harsh on my bowlers but I thought we had to get them out a bit earlier, especially having them seven down for 65,” she said. “At the end of the day you don’t want it to go that long but the wicket died down so you can only do so much on a wicket like that.”We said we wanted all three facets of the game firing and we did that today, it wasn’t as clinical as I hoped it would be, but a win is a win. We came here for two points and we got it. Everyone chipped in and it was a brilliant team performance.”India, placed second with eight points, will face Australia and New Zealand in the remaining matches while South Africa, placed fourth with seven points, will take on Sri Lanka and Australia.

RCB are fresh off the biggest win in IPL history, and currently have the best net run rate (+0.627) in the tournament. But they need to win their remaining three games to confirm their place in the playoffs

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan15-May-2016

Match facts

Monday, May 16, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:50

Yusuf Pathan to haunt Royal Challengers Bangalore again?

Big Picture

With 1215 runs between them this season, including four centuries and eight half-centuries, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been Royal Challengers Bangalore’s key men. They have complemented each other perfectly, keeping their side in the hunt for the playoffs. Royal Challengers are fresh off the biggest win in IPL history, and currently have the best net run rate (+0.627) in the tournament. But they need to win their remaining three games to make the playoffs. A defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday would push them to the brink, leaving their fate out of their hands.While the batting line-up has been in top form, there are still questions over Royal Challengers’ bowling attack. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa, who have added five fifty-plus partnerships this season, would aim to exploit that. Knight Riders also have firepower in the form of Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell.But it is Knight Riders’ attack that gives them the edge. Russell and Morne Morkel have been hard to get away in the Powerplay. That Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine found appreciable turn on Saturday would buoy Knight Riders further. Umesh Yadav’s injury, perhaps, is the only worry for them. Knight Riders may head into the game, having lost their second spot, but a victory will firm up their bid for a top-two finish, as the league hurtles to the climax.

Form guide

Kolkata Knight Riders WLWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore WLWWL

In the spotlight

Yusuf Pathan has floated in the batting line-up, but has consistently fired for his team. His last four innings read – 37*, 63*, 19* and 60*. Yusuf averages 132.5 and has struck at 165.62 this season. Knight Riders would breathe easy if Yusuf continues his strong form.With three centuries in IPL 2016, Virat Kohli has been unstoppable. That his last two tons have come in winning causes should please him. He had recently said that he relished the pressure of playing in knockout scenarios. Can the bowlers rally around him?

Team news

Having picked up a hamstring injury, Umesh missed Knight Riders’ rain-hit game against Rising Pune Supergiants on Saturday. If he takes more time to recover, Ankit Rajpoot, the fast bowler, is likely to get his second game of the season.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Robin Uthappa (wk), 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Yusuf Pathan, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Ankit Rajpoot, 11 Morne MorkelChris Gayle has eight successive single-digit scores since his 47-ball century against England at the World T20. Will Gayle be given a longer rope or will Travis Head earn a recall? If Head gets the nod, KL Rahul could move back to the top, where he has had success.Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable): 1 Chris Gayle/Travis Head/, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shane Watson, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Sachin Baby, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 S Aravind, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Contrary to reputation, the Eden Gardens surface hasn’t offered much assistance for the spinners and has been good for batting. Rain played a part in the outcome on Saturday and could once again have a say in the result as thunderstorms have been forecast on Monday afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Gambhir’s duck on Saturday against Supergiants was his 12th in all IPLs – the joint-highest for a player, along with Harbhajan Singh
• The 229-run partnership between Kohli and de Villiers against Gujarat Lions was their fourth century stand in IPL 2016 – the most by any pair in a season. Gambhir- Shikhar Dhawan (in 2008), and Gayle- Kohli (in 2012) had three

Canada were one game away from making an undefeated run to the ICC Americas T20 title for the second time after breezing to a seven-wicket win over Bermuda

The Report by Peter Della Penna09-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJimmy Hansra was Man of the Match for his match-winning innings•Peter Della Penna

Canada were one game away from making an undefeated run to the ICC Americas T20 title for the second time after breezing to a seven-wicket win over Bermuda at Indianapolis World Sports Park. Bermuda managed just 114 for 7 after winning the toss, and an unbeaten 79-run stand between Jimmy Hansra and Srimantha Wijeratne took Canada home with 10 balls to spare.Bermuda’s batting stumbled early once again and had difficulty recovering: Dion Stovell was lbw playing across the line to fast bowler Cecil Pervez on the first ball of the match. Christian Burgess was out for 5 to make it 15 for 2 on the first ball of the fourth over as Hansra took a superb catch – a skier over extra cover that swirled in the wind off the bowling of Saad Bin Zafar. David Hemp, Bermuda’s leading scorer in Indianapolis, fell for 12, mistiming Satsimranjit Singh to Rizwan Cheema at cover.Bermuda captain Janeiro Tucker top-scored with 34 but survived a run-out chance before he had scored. Zafar had a clear shot at the stumps from short third man with Tucker six yards short and having given up, but the throw was errant. Tucker wound up lasting until the 15th over, adding 47 runs with Tre Manders before he was well caught by wicketkeeper Hamza Tariq off a thick edge while attempting to cut offspinner Nikhil Dutta.As he did against USA in a Man-of-the-Match performance, Pervez returned to produce a superb spell at the death to take a wicket in the 18th and 20th overs. Both times he clipped the top of off stump, getting Delray Rawlins for 24 and Josclyn Pitcher for a duck. Left-arm spinner Farhan Malik claimed Jacobi Robinson for 1 to round off the wicket-takers for Canada with Pervez’s 3 for 17 the best figures on the day.Canada’s chase got off to a slightly rocky start. Just as he did in the first game against Bermuda, Ruvindu Gunasekera pulled to fine leg but once again a straightforward chance was put down, this time in the first over before he had scored. Bermuda kept coming hard though and three balls later Cheema was beaten for pace on an attempted drive and bowled by Pitcher for 1. Gunasekera then fell on the first ball of the second when he was bowled by Jordan DeSilva for 6 to make it 7 for 2. Nitish Kumar entered at three and lasted until the final ball of the eighth, when he lofted Stovell to Manders at long off for 12.Hansra was joined by Wijeratne and the pair chased down the target with relative ease. He brought up his 50 in 46 balls with a single off Tucker to end the 15th before teeing off for a six straight down the ground off Robinson in the 16th. Three overs later, he finished off the match by hitting a towering six that ricocheted off the top of the sightscreen scaffolding on the north side of the ground to finish unbeaten on 68. Wijeratne was not out on 26. Hansra said Canada were not satisfied with being 5-0 and were motivated to go for an undefeated title run by beating USA in the tournament final on Saturday.”It means a lot. What we came here to do, we’re just one game away to accomplish that goal,” Hansra told ESPNcricinfo after the win. “We wanted to win convincingly. I think we’ve done that so far. Bowlers and batters have stepped up when needed. Tomorrow we know we have a good game. USA is going to come hard at us. We just have to keep calm and do the little things right and I think we’ll be fine.”

England’s second practice match, originally scheduled at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) Cricket ground, has been shifted to DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2012England’s second practice match, originally scheduled at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) Cricket ground, has been shifted to DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Mumbai.According to Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI chief administrative officer, the venue change for the match in the first week of November came at the request of the local organisers, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). “The ECB team had done a recce and were happy but the MCA wanted the venue to be shifted and that has been approved,” Shetty said.The MCA had requested a shift in the venue citing security issues at the BKC ground, but the BCCI had rejected it. In the end, the MCA president Ravi Savant met the BCCI chief N Srinivasan and explained the reasons for MCA’s concerns, after which the venue change was accepted.”I don’t know how that match was scheduled at BKC,” Savant said. “But once the match is given to the association, it is our prerogative to hold the match anywhere we want. When we came to know about the ECB officials inspecting the facilities at the BKC Ground, we immediately wrote to the Board about considering the DY Patil Stadium as an option. The BCCI president was magnanimous in agreeing to shift the match to DY Patil during the meeting. And, within five minutes it was decided. The Mumbai Police had also raised some concerns regarding security.”Savant said that the England board had reservations regarding the choice of the venue too. “The fence around the ground is too low, so anyone can enter the playing area. There are high-rise buildings around. There are no basic facilities like toilets, a cafeteria and seating arrangements for public. So, the best option was to shift the match to the DY Patil Stadium which is a tried and tested venue.”

Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork will leave Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2011Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork will leave Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season. While it would be premature to suggest that his departure will bring an end to a 21-year county career – there has been talk that another second division county may be interested in signing him – what is clear is that Hampshire have decided not to renew his contract for the 2012 campaign.Cork, who turned 40 in August, enjoyed some notable successes during his three-year stay at the Rose Bowl, winning the domestic 50-over competition in 2009 and the Friends Provident Twenty20 in 2010. He admitted he was considering his future in the game after captaining a young Hampshire side to the t20 title, but ultimately took Hampshire up on their offer of a deal for the 2011 season.He had been Hampshire’s captain since midway through the 2010 season, having begun his first-class career in 1990 and had a long stint with Derbyshire, where he was also captain, before joining Lancashire, until the move to Hampshire in 2009.Cork remained a consistent performer throughout his Hampshire stint, taking 94 first-class wickets for them at an average of 27.77, his best being 5 for 14 against Worcestershire in 2009. His presence was particularly felt in limited-overs cricket; both of Hampshire’s trophies during his time with the county having come in the shorter formats, and he contributed 43 wickets at an average of 24.06 in 45 domestic Twenty20 matches.”I don’t want to be picked because of what I’ve done in the past, I want to be picked because I can make that difference, and if I believe I can do that I’ll carry on,” Cork said after Hampshire’s Twenty20 triumph last year. “If I don’t think that then it’s time to let some of the youngsters take the ball and have a good time because it’s been a great career.” Hampshire have taken the decision for him and decided to place their faith in their set of promising young home-grown players.”Dom has made an outstanding contribution to this club over the last three years,” Hampshire manager, Giles White said. “He’s been a very popular figure and has played a huge part in a successful period in the club’s history. Two trophies and leading the club to another Finals Day says it all. We wish him all the best for the future.””Dominic has had a fantastic impact on this Club since his arrival in 2009,” Hampshire Chairman Rod Bransgrove added. “I should like to thank him for his commitment, enthusiasm and contribution over these three seasons and wish him every success in the future.”Hampshire will make an announcement on the long-term captaincy of the club in due course.