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Only in England could winning a trophy be seen as failure if it means sacrificing the Champions League. Premier League title and the European Cup itself aside, we’re in this near-nonsensical age of football where qualifying for Europe is seen as something more than it actually is; something maybe along the lines of a good enough substitute for an actual piece of silverware.

The buck doesn’t stop with Arsene Wenger, though. I’m sure he’s trying to placate the fervour created by another company, who do not need to be named. The flashing lights, the Hollywood anthem and the biggest and very best of the world’s sponsors. Let’s be honest, no one with a clear head on their shoulders would want to trade a trophy for something that brings more excitement than substance.

I maintain that Andre Villas-Boas is doing an excellent job with what he has. So there’s talk that Spurs have become a one-man team behind Gareth Bale and that the wheels will come off once he leaves for good. Well I’m sure Villas-Boas and Daniel Levy are smart enough to address that issue when it arises, but for now winning is winning, and they’re not exactly doing it ugly either.

Why do fans care about Champions League football? Teams like Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid go into it for the long haul and with the expectation of emerging victorious come the end of the campaign. Most others are just in it for the money.

And here’ the thing: football fans are placing far too much worth into the financial background of clubs, citing the need for UEFA’s top competition to help them move forward. I’m not going to take anything away from how important that Champions League revenue is for many clubs, but the end product of sports is winning, and no one really looks back or cares who qualified for a bucket load of cash. After all, shouldn’t the Champions League be a little more true to its name? A whole continent’s worth of clubs who believe they should be playing in a competition in which they really have no right.

Spurs are in the best position at the moment from the perspective of English football – more so than Chelsea and even Newcastle. Sure, the effects may be similar if Newcastle win the Europa League, but having Chelsea pick up that trophy won’t do a whole lot for its image in this country. Chelsea are a Champions League regular, where winning a trophy like the Europa League will only be seen as something forgettable for them.

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Tottenham’s potential winning of the Europa League will offer it the reputation as something of a boost for those making the permanent switch from edge of mid-table to top of the ranks. You only need to look at the rising reputation of clubs like Atletico Madrid and Shakhtar on the continent. Tottenham have plenty of people talking about how they can challenge for the title in two years; well it’s steps like this that allow for something significant in moving forward. And for whatever Tottenham might think of themselves now, they’re not an established top Premier League team.

It’s the need to do away with “Champions League or nothing.” Again, only in this country is a reputable cup competition seen as something of a nuisance, especially to those who are good enough to win it. UEFA need to play their hand in this too. For whatever they may what to say about it, Thursdays just do not feel like a football night. They’ve got time; change it to a Tuesday and Wednesday in weeks where the Champions League isn’t played. And on top of that, the winner should go into the following year’s Champions League group stage.

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Tottenham want bragging rights and something clear cut to give them a footing in the argument against Arsenal. All of that is fine; it’s sports. But it has to be said that even sections of Arsenal support and the club are kidding themselves to a degree if they believe qualifying for Europe for how many years is an achievement worth parading around. As mentioned, no one cares if you qualified for Europe in the 2010/11 season. Almost everyone will look back to that year as the final where Barcelona once again put on a clinic against England’s best.

Tottenham would be doing a lot for themselves to go ahead and win the Europa League, as well as enhancing its brand in this country. One thing’s for sure in the battle for supremacy with Arsenal; I’m sure many at the Emirates would love to see a trophy added to the inner walls of the stadium. There is no glamour to be lost from a cup that has been lifted by some of Europe’s grandest clubs.

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As reported by The Sun, Celtic winger Patrick Roberts has refused to be drawn on the prospect of staying at the Hoops next season after his current loan deal was ruined by an unfortunate injury.

What’s the story?

Roberts’ return to Celtic Park last summer after an initial 18-month loan spell at the club was a much hyped bit of business from the Hoops, but it’s fair to say the move didn’t quite work out like everyone had hoped.

Initially struggling to replace an impressive James Forrest, Roberts’ season was disrupted by a lengthy injury which kept him out for months.

Still returning to full match fitness, the player is now focused on delivering success in the tail-end of the season and won’t be drawn on his future, whether it be at Celtic, Manchester City, or elsewhere.

As quoted by The Sun, Roberts said of his future:

We’ll see. I’m just focused on finishing the last few games of the season on a high, like I did last season, and get the trophies we’re aiming for.

Then I’ll go on holiday and we’ll see where it takes me from there, start the season fresh again and hopefully be injury-free.

Should the Hoops make another play to bring him to Glasgow on a permanent basis?

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Is he worth pursuing further?

Despite limited playing time at the Hoops this season, Roberts has shown flashes of the brilliance that made him such a hit with supporters in the first place and it would hard to judge his loan spell given his injury problems.

His goal against Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League was a highlight of Celtic’s season and with five assists dotted around other fixtures, it’s clear he’s still a creative and dangerous talent.

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After months of absence he only returned to the starting eleven last week and was clearly not at his peak vs Hamilton, despite creating the Hoops’ vital opening goal. He also won the penalty for Celtic’s fourth goal against Rangers on Sunday.

The reality is that Celtic might not even see the best of him between now and the end of the season given there’s not many matches for him to get back into the swing of things.

It’d be a shame if the relationship between club and player came to an end like that and if there’s any possibility of bringing him back to Celtic Park next season then it’s something that Brendan Rodgers should undoubtedly pursue.

Even the most ardent Juan Mata fan would struggle to suggest that the current campaign, his first full season with Manchester United, was always destined for success.

Now though, things seem to be falling into place for the former Chelsea man. The little midfielder could still be heralded as a key figure in a triumphant return to the Champions League for the Old Trafford side. It has taken a while to come to fruition, but Mata now looks central to United’s ambitions.

Despite struggling to nail down a spot in Louis Van Gaal’s first team and battling to become accustomed to the “philosophy” to which the Dutch coach is so committed, Mata has regularly proved to be the difference when United have gained three points instead of one. The playmaker bagged decisive goals in home victories over Stoke and Palace.

Mata the match-winner was at it again with the stakes sky high at Anfield. His two goals capped a stunning performance and dispatched his side’s biggest rivals. Aside from the heroics, other aspects of his recent form have reminded Premier League fans why he can be considered one of the divisions’ finest attacking midfielders.

Most strange about the last two United victories is that the 26-year-old has regained his mojo from an unlikely source.

Stationed on the right of three attacking midfielders, he has reaped great benefit from the deployment of Marouane Fellaini in the central position. While the big Belgian has drawn in and then bullied the opposition, Mata has found joy in the space this has created.

A master at exploiting these gaps, he passed and moved his way to success against Liverpool, whose midfield were nowhere near him and whose left wing-back Alberto Moreno looked hapless in trying to track him.

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Despite the failure of the David Moyes era, here now are his two major signings combining effectively in attack.

Even more ironic is that Fellaini has come good in the very role players like Mata crave; the number 10 position.

The towering midfielder is by far the least luxurious choice to operate as the fulcrum of the Red Devils’ attack, but recently he has become the most effective at operating behind the striker. A side effect of this is Mata moving to what Van Gaal describes as a false right winger.

Whatever the role, he has adapted to it and also continues to develop a good understanding with fellow Spaniard Ander Herrera operating further back in the midfield.

The ex-Valencia schemer’s improvement could also have been aided by the lack of scrutiny he has been subjected to.

His price tag, £37million, was emphatically overshadowed by that of Angel Di Maria, whose flagging form has stolen the headlines, along with the struggles of another high-profile arrival, Radamel Falcao.

The diminutive Mata has never really been under the same pressure to perform as his team mates. In part this could be due to his “nice guy” status in the eyes of the Old Trafford faithful. The midfielder has now cemented a place in their hearts, by scoring against Liverpool both home and away.

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It would be foolish though to dismiss his current success or focus on a few high profile fixtures. The reason being that the Spaniard has the stats to merit his praise and indicate he could be integral to his side’s push for European qualification.

What stands out is his goals-to-games ratio, which is better than one in three for United and almost as good for Spain.

He also contributes heavily with assists and regularly attains a pass completion of over 90 per cent.

If Van Gaal has finally found a system in which he can prosper, he has all the qualities to haul a side who have looked sluggish in their race for the Champions League across the finish line.

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Football may not be a game renowned for its long memory, but even by the Premier League’s standard, the change in fortunes that Scott Parker has suffered in little over 12 months at Tottenham Hotspur feels incredible.

As we headed into the final straight of last season, the former-Charlton Athletic man was already well on course to pick up both the supporters’ player of the year at White Hart Lane, as well as a starting berth for his country at the European Championships.

Yet fast forward to the March of 2013 and it seems hard to believe quite how altered Parker’s standing within first team affairs feels this season. Because where as he last season he represented something of a priceless commodity, this time around, he feels more of a clunking component in a stuttering machine.

Of course, it’s easy to overplay what many have perceived to be a season of regression for Parker in the white half of North London.

A near on four month absence with an Achilles issue has cast an overwhelming shadow over the midfielder’s season and where as ideally he would have been eased back into first-team proceedings, the season ending knee injury to Sandro hyper accelerated his return to the fore.

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Indeed, the 32-year-old had amassed only an hour of Premier League football before his season was effectively jump started at QPR in January and the lack of options in the Spurs engine room ensured that Parker had to find his form the hard way.

Yet with only eight league games remaining this season, Parker heads into the final straight with his influence upon Andre Villas-Boas’ side a real talking point within the home crowd.

Superficially, when looking beyond Spurs’ recent hiccup of form, it feels difficult to justify a lot of the negativity that has surrounded Parker’s performances. Out of the 20 games he’s featured in for the Lilywhites this season, the England man has only played on the loosing side four times, with three of those losses coming in the last three games. Certainly, if he has been struggling to replicate the form of last term, it’s hardly had a detrimental effect upon the results.

But while Tottenham have hardly been floundering with Scott Parker in the side, they’ve not often felt like they’ve flourished in his presence, either.

It would be cruel to proportion the weight of Spurs’ often-jagged performances in recent months solely on Parker’s shoulders, although you can’t help but feel that he serves to represent a motif of the side’s collective inability to sustain any real rhythm to their play.

Should Spurs claw their way to Champions League qualification this season, supporters aren’t likely to worry too much about how they got there; just as long as they do. But despite going on a 12 game unbeaten run, while Villas-Boas’ side played some great football in patches, it was hardly a sustained free-flowing exhibition of attacking football.

In the games against Norwich City, Newcastle United and especially the two legs against Lyon in the Europa League to name but a few, Spurs managed to avoid defeat, but they certainly didn’t make life easy for themselves. The result has ultimately always been ground out, but at times Villas-Boas’ side have rarely managed to hit the high gears for more than a 10 or 15-minute spell.

And perhaps few have tended to look quite as laboured as Parker has done within the side, when things haven’t necessarily been free-flowing.

Some will point to the fact that the usual barometer for a good Parker performance last season was when you barely heard his name mentioned at all, as he mopped up loose ends and went about his business both quietly and efficiently. This season however, while he’s still performed that role well, the remit for his midfield play has encompassed a slightly larger scope under Villas-Boas.

The anchor midfield pairing in the Villas-Boas system requires an awful lot more dynamism and interchangeability than the relatively singular role Parker was asked to play alongside Luka Modric last term.

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Where as last season, the England man was given the sole task of sitting and sweeping up, this time around, he’s had to offer a presence in the final third for the first time in his Spurs career. When Mousa Dembele sits, Parker has to move forward and consequently, he’s often looked painfully exposed when approaching the edge of the penalty area.

So is Scott Parker really a fading force or more an unfortunate victim of accelerated change? Whichever way you look at it, the role he’s being asked to play by Villas-Boas hasn’t made it easy for him to stand out in this team.

Yet on the other side of the coin, while he has tended to look like an awkward component in the Tottenham machine, the core attributes of his game have still remained a priceless asset in the newly found steel the side have developed in recent games. Calls from some supporters to drop Parker’s industry for the technical excellence of young Tom Carroll aren’t without gravitas, but as we’ve seen so often throughout the 32-year-old’s career, subtracting his skillset from your side often tends to do more harm than good.

Having had both Sandro and Scott Parker plying their trade in this Andre Villas-Boas system, there can be simply no arguments that the Brazilian remains the better fit and perhaps the overall better player. But with Sandro out the picture following injury, regardless of his limitations in the Portuguese’s system, Parker has done an admirable job within the starting XI. A long term option he may not be, but over the next eight league games, he still has a massive part to play.

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The Pakistan batter was arrested on suspicion of rape by the Greater Manchester Police in the UK last month

Danyal Rasool04-Sep-2025The investigation into Pakistan cricketer Haider Ali, who was arrested on suspicion of rape by the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in the UK last month, has been closed, with all charges against the player dropped. Haider, who had been released on bail following his arrest, is now free to leave the UK.”We always take allegations of this nature very seriously and will assess each incident thoroughly,” the GMP told ESPNcricinfo. “Following a comprehensive review of all available evidence, the investigation has been closed at this time. Should any further information come to light, we would review the material and case again appropriately.”Related

• Haider Ali under criminal investigation in the UK, suspended by the PCB

• Haider Ali arrested and granted bail after report of alleged rape

Haider, 24, was part of a tour by the Shaheens – effectively a Pakistan A side – to the UK, playing matches against a select XI in Beckenham and Hove. During a game on August 3, GMP officers arrived at the ground in Beckenham, where Haider was arrested during the game. According to a GMP statement at the time, the alleged offence leading to the arrest had occurred in Manchester on July 23, the day after the Shaheens’ first tour game, which Haider played. Haider was bailed at the time and the alleged victim was being “supported by officers”.The PCB confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that charges against Haider had been dropped. At the time of his arrest, the PCB had put out a statement saying it “reserve[d] the right to take appropriate action under its Code of Conduct, if necessary”.ESPNcricinfo understands a decision on whether to take action against Haider has not been made yet, with the PCB waiting on the player to return to Pakistan before it takes a decision.Haider has played two ODIs and 35 T20Is for Pakistan. Initially feted as a destructive hitter, he burnished his reputation with standout performances in the PSL with Peshawar Zalmi in 2020, when he scored 239 runs at a strike rate of 157.23. He was called up to the national side later that year, his international debut coming in a T20I game in Manchester, where he scored a 33-ball 54 as Pakistan won by five runs.Inconsistency has dogged him since, and he has repeatedly found himself in and out of the Pakistan side. However, his talent and explosiveness have kept him in international contention, and the current Shaheens tour was widely viewed as an opportunity to reintegrate a player whose batting approach aligns with the aggressive style Pakistan’s current T20 set-up has made no secret it wants to pursue.

MI have been boosted by the return of Nicholas Pooran but they will be wary of a Capitals line-up that enters the final on the back of four successive wins

Himanshu Agrawal16-Feb-20243:24

Pooran: ‘I’m a son of franchise cricket’

Big picture

IPL team owners sensed an opportunity, and expanded their network last year. Mumbai Indians took a seat in each of SA20, ILT20, WPL and MLC. Not to be left too far behind, Delhi Capitals, too, boarded the flight to South Africa and the UAE, while also spreading their reach in India through WPL.Come Saturday, MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals, both UAE affiliates of the respective franchises, will be meeting in the final of the second edition of the ILT20.MI Emirates and Capitals have been reinforced with the return of Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell respectively. But amid modern players criss-crossing the globe like the snake in that game on the screens of Nokia phones, there is also the departure of Tim David, David Warner, Kusal Perera and Fazalhaq Farooqi that the teams have to deal with because of the clash with international cricket.Just like in Qualifier 1, MI Emirates will be having both Nicholas Pooran, who is back from West Indies duty, and Kieron Pollard, who liked up with MI Emirates after his SA20 side MI Cape Town couldn’t make the playoffs. MI Emirates have a varied spin-bowling attack in left-arm orthodox spinner Akeal Hosein, left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil and legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.But they will be wary of a Capitals line-up that enters the final on the back of four successive wins. All but out of the final-four race at one stage, Capitals hit back by hunting down 172 against Desert Vipers and defending 147 against MI Emirates, no less. They then registered massive wins in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 to make the final.So who takes the ILT20 trophy home could be intriguing to watch. Capitals, who are yet to win a tournament across any of their investments, will be itching to get their hands on a silverware while MI’s cupboard is already brimming with five IPL titles, and the inaugural WPL and MLC trophies.

Form guide

MI Emirates: WLLWW
Dubai Capitals: WWWWL
Nicholas Pooran and Sam Billings pose with the ILT20 trophy•ILT20

In the spotlight

He might have had underwhelming returns with scores of 18, 18 and 1 for West Indies in the T20Is against Australia, but Nicholas Pooran remains a threat. His strike rate of 164 and average of 42 are the highest for any batter to have scored at least 250 runs in this season’s ILT20.And while Pooran brings rich form, his counterpart Sam Billings knows how to win the big matches. He is already a holder of the T20 Blast, the PSL and the Hundred titles, and would spare no effort in adding the ILT20 trophy to the list. As with Capitals this time, Billings was Kent and Oval Invincibles captain when they won the final. But his returns in those games add up to merely 21 at an average of seven. So chasing another trophy aside, Billings has a personal record to improve too.

Probable XIIs

MI Emirates: 1 Muhammad Waseem, , 3 Andre Fletcher, 4 Dan Mousley, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Nicholas Pooran (capt, wk), 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Jordan Thompson, 9 Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, , 11 Trent Boult, 12 Muhammad RohidDubai Capitals: 1 Leus de Plooy, , 3 Tom Abell, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Sam Billings (capt, wk), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Rovman Powell, 8 Rahul Chopra, 9 Jason Holder, 10 Olly Stone,11 Scott Kuggeleijn, 12

Stats and trivia

• MI Emirates had lost all three of their group games in Dubai this season, before beating Gulf Giants there in Qualifier 1.
  Capitals’ Sikandar Raza is the only player to have scored at least 300 runs and taken at least ten wickets this season.

• The top three wicket-takers in the ILT20 so far are all from MI Emirates: Farooqi, Salamkheil and Trent Boult.
• Capitals’ captain Billings had also played in last year’s ILT20 final, although he was representing Vipers at the time.

Quotes

“I think a lot of people underestimate franchise cricket. I have been a son of franchise cricket. Yes, cricket is a sport; but it’s also a business. Even team owners want to win… [It’s about] playing in different conditions against different bowlers. It definitely helped me – because at one point in my career, I was on the bench. And the bench is not nice – because when you’re on the bench, you are staying in the hotel sometimes. You’re watching your team play on the TV. I felt like I wanted to be a part of the XI. I wanted to feel that winning spirit.”

Both the tournaments, in their inaugural seasons, will be played between January and February 2023

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2022Kieron Pollard has been named captain of MI Emirates, the team owned by the owners of Mumbai Indians in the ILT20, while MI Cape Town, the SA20 team owned by the same group, will be led by Rashid Khan. Both the tournaments, in their inaugural season, will be played between January and February next year.MI Cape Town will play the first match of the SA20 against Paarl Royals on January 10 at their home ground in Cape Town. They recently announced Jofra Archer, who is also part of Mumbai Indians, as their wildcard signing for the tournament. Archer hadn’t played competitively since March 2021, but made an encouraging comeback in a three-day game for England Lions against the England Test team in Abu Dhabi.Related

• J Arunkumar joins Mumbai Indians as assistant batting coach

• SA20 announces prize money of over USD 4 million for inaugural season

• ILT20 will start with Knight Riders vs Capitals on January 13

• Inaugural SA20 league to begin on January 10

At MI Cape Town, Archer will have England colleagues Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Olly Stone for company, while the other big names in the line-up include Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen and Dewald Brevis, as well as Rashid. Simon Katich is the head coach of the team.MI Emirates, meanwhile, have big-ticket T20 stars in Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult and Imran Tahir apart from Pollard. They will be coached by Shane Bond, who has been the bowling coach at Mumbai Indians since 2015, with Parthiv Patel, Vinay Kumar and James Franklin also part of the support staff, and Robin Singh the general manager of cricket.In an overhaul of their support staff earlier this year following the acquisition of the two new teams, the Mumbai Indians franchise appointed Mark Boucher as the head coach of the IPL team, and moved Mahela Jayawardene (global head of performance) and Zaheer Khan (global head of cricket development) to wider roles with all three teams.”We have an amazing mix of talent, experience, and passion in both our captains,” Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, which owns the three teams, said in a statement. “I’m convinced that Polly and Rashid will take forward the MI ethos and MI brand of cricket. Both will work with our excellent coaching teams to infuse the MI spirit in MI Emirates and MI Cape Town and win the hearts of cricket fans in UAE and South Africa.”Pollard recently ended a 13-year playing career with Mumbai Indians to take up a position as batting coach with the team for the IPL.

“In terms of having the four of us in one time is pretty special” – Tim Southee

Deivarayan Muthu28-Jun-20211:48

Do New Zealand have the best bowling attack in the world right now?

Shane Jurgensen, the New Zealand bowling coach, has described winning the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) as his “greatest coaching achievement”.”I think for me this is about, for all of New Zealand really, from people that have always gone to [put] the extra effort from New Zealand Cricket’s staff, board, sponsors, the caterers at the ground we play at, the curators at all the grounds, the physios, the domestic coaches and the CEOs – everyone has had an input into this somewhere and a valuable contribution and it really means a lot to us now,” he said. “I think, at times, I’ve been really emotional in my room, and also for me personally my wife because she puts up with me being away a lot. For me, personally, this is my greatest coaching achievement.”Related

• How does New Zealand's pace quartet measure up against West Indies' legendary line-up?

• Kimber: NZ deserve to be the Test world champions

• Wagner: Winning the WTC is 'the pinnacle of the game'

• Southee: 'We have that right to play more Test cricket'

• NZ bowling coach on Southee's newest variation that bamboozled Rohit Sharma

Jurgensen, a journeyman cricketer who has held coaching roles with Bangladesh, Fiji, Scotland, and New Zealand after leaving the game, revealed that he was crying tears of joy and rewatching New Zealand’s sixth-day final victory during MIQ (Managed Isolation Quarantine).”I’ve seen a few highlights. I’ve sort of been reading a lot and watching a bit on YouTube, so looking at it from all different angles,” Jurgensen said. “But for me what is different this time is the reflection on me personally and also you know for me in my area – the bowling unit what they have achieved… I think the morning of the last day to be able to make the vital breakthroughs with Kyle [Jamieson] and Tim [Southee] and Trent [Boult]. It was a fantastic effort to put ourselves in a position to chase a reasonably low total.”Oh! I’ve cried. I’ve cried a few times – probably every day since the win. You sort of sit there and then you go: ‘Wow! World Test champions’. There’s been some fantastic players over a number of years who have played for this team. I’ve just had Iain O’Brien on the phone actually telling me that he’s watched the end of it twice and cried. I’ve had Gav [Gavin] Larsen, our selector who works really hard behind the scenes, he called it his best day in cricket and that’s a guy that played a lot for New Zealand and you know it means a lot.”Jurgensen delivered a glowing appraisal of the New Zealand attack, reckoning they were the best in the world, having been there and done that over a period of time.Tim Southee and Shane Jurgensen during a training session at the NZC High-Performance Centre•Getty Images

“I think so. I’ve been thinking that [New Zealand have the best attack] for a while. So it’s just me and my role and belief in these bowlers; what they bring to us as a team and the challenges they have overseas,” he said. “But, I think they are and we can probably strongly say that right now – this hasn’t been a fluke and it has been happening for a long time. As I said, the belief in the bowling group – how they plan, how fit they are, how strong they are and how much they believe in each other. The trust is amazing and we got four or five bowlers in the final, but all do different things.”Kyle’s height and accuracy, to be able to swing it both ways at good pace. Tim’s accuracy, new-ball execution – unbelievable. He can adapt to use the crease – over and around – to left-handers and right-handers. We know Trent’s ability with the new ball, but he took wickets with the old ball; he’s been doing that for a while, so it’s nothing new for me and the team. We know that Neil [Wagner] makes people uncomfortable on the back foot and the front foot with the lengths he bowls, but he’s now getting guys out like Trent. So, he’s building up a different skillset to be able to swing the ball both ways and seam it. Colin [de Grandhomme] is 125 [kph] and accurate; he bowls higher than 125, so it’s got to be up there… it’s got to be the best for me and they are proving it.”Southee also hailed the versatility in the attack, saying the relentless pressure generated by the pack made the difference. “I guess you look at New Zealand history, you’ve had periods where you’ve had one or two good bowlers, obviously Richard Hadlee, and then Dan Vettori doing his thing, sort of chipped in with the likes of Chris Martin and a number of other guys along the way, but I guess in terms of having the four of us in one time is pretty special,” Southee said. “Not only the four of us but also the work de Grandhomme does in and around the pace bowlers as well, and also Matt Henry has chipped in during that England series as well, so I think just to have four of us, three of us with an excess of 200 Test wickets, is pretty special, and probably a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience for New Zealand cricket.”So giving a few kids around New Zealand the inspiration to grow up and want to be bowlers rather than just batters, so yeah, it’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of, and hopefully we can continue to do great things for this side in the years to come.”Jamieson broke open the game when he sent back Pujara and Kohli on the final morning•ICC/Getty Images

New Zealand’s spin stocks, as they prepare for tours of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, with the T20 World Cup thrown in, have been a topic of discussion, especially with the team not fielding even one spinner for the WTC final. Left-armer Ajaz Patel has re-established himself as New Zealand’s No. 1 spinner, but there are Mitchell Santner, Will Somerville, Rachin Ravindra and Michael Rippon around as options.”Seeing what Ajaz did against England was absolutely fantastic,” Jurgensen said. “I was so excited for Ajaz to get that opportunity at Edgbaston against England to see him get wickets in both innings – it was sort of real confidence for him and also for us to again to say we have the subcontinent tours coming up and we have got Ajaz, Will and Rachin. There are plenty of options. Rippon from Otago will qualify soon and there’s plenty of guys putting up their hands. So, there’s going to be some tough selections coming up. So, it’s a nice position to be in and we have to prepare accordingly like we always do with our marquee and our camps and give it our best shot.”New Zealand’s overall depth was on display at Edgbaston where they made six changes, keeping the WTC final in mind, but they still came out on top.”Obviously, winning the final was the standout, but to see those guys come in and literally fit like a glove, and do their roles – it was just great to see,” Jurgensen said. “So, satisfying for our systems – the A programme, the winter-training squad, the domestic development of players and the support that we get from coaches, high-performance managers and CEOs. It’s a real fantastic tick in the box for what’s going on now in New Zealand cricket.”

Ness Wadia, co-owner of Kings XI, is even preparing for the possibility that the tournament doesn’t take place at all

Vishal Dikshit and Nagraj Gollapudi14-Mar-2020The BCCI and the IPL franchise owners have decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach over when and how to hold the IPL. They want to give health and safety of the players and people involved in holding the IPL priority and are likely to discuss its schedule again after two-three weeks, depending on how the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) situation unfolds in India, where, as of Friday, two lives have been lost because of it.The BCCI top brass met top executives of all eight franchises at its headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, including Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani, Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia, among others, after the board had deferred the start of the tournament until April 15. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that now that two weeks of the schedule was lost, there was no option but to hold a “truncated” IPL, and the board would “assess and monitor” the situation in the country on a weekly basis. Whether the IPL will be truncated in terms of days or matches remains to be seen.”If it is [postponed till] April 15, then it in any case 15 days are gone, so it has to be truncated one,” Ganguly said. “How truncated, how many games I can’t say at the moment.”Wadia said that the BCCI, the franchise owners and host broadcaster had decided to prioritise people’s health and that they were not concerned by any monetary downsides. Wadia even said he was prepared for the possibility of the IPL not happening at all if the situation did not improve. ESPNcricinfo understands that a few other scheduling options, including a truncated IPL, came up for discussion during the meeting but it was too “premature” to take the discussions forward right now.ALSO READ: Overseas players’ visas and double-headers – things IPL franchises would want clarity on
“The meeting was to discuss the possible scenarios. Number one, most importantly, everyone in India and the world must understand, the BCCI, nor the IPL nor Star is here to gain monetary benefit by having the IPL,” Wadia told reporters after the meeting. “All the stakeholders, especially the BCCI and owners and Star, feel that it is incorrect to think about even one rupee. So we are not interested in money, we are not interested in having any gain from this situation and trying to hold the IPL without a clear understanding of the situation. Having said that, number one is the health and safety of everyone is looked after.”Number two, we will follow whatever the government direction is.”From a third perspective, no one is in a position to say when it’s going to start. We will review the situation after two-three weeks and hopefully by then the [coronavirus] cases will reduce. We should be clear that the most important thing is health and safety, not [financial] gain at the moment. We are not here to earn money, we are here to serve and protect the people.”Public sentiment needs to be considered too – Shah Rukh Khan
ESPNcricinfo understands all eight franchises had held a teleconference on Friday to discuss issues that needed the IPL to address at Saturday’s meetings. The main points of discussion were: would the owners want to go ahead with the tournament, should it be played behind closed doors?It was agreed that they did not have much of an option other than following the BCCI and government directive.Among the owners present during that conference was Shah Rukh Khan, who stressed that the public’s feelings must assume top priority. “Whatever you do, the common man should not get a feeling that we are pushing for the IPL. It is their sentiment that needs to be considered, too, before any call is taken,” a franchise executive, who was present on the call, said of the point Shah Rukh had made.A day later, Shah Rukh reiterated that stance to the BCCI. “What has to be borne in mind is firstly how does the (common man) see it? What is their feelings? That has to be looked at along with the other aspects,” is what Shah Rukh is supposed to have said, according to a franchise’s CEO who was present at Saturday’s meeting.Back-up options
Before deciding to defer IPL 2020 as well as rescheduling the India-South Africa ODI series the BCCI’s top brass, led by its president Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, met with Uday Shankar, head of Star India, the host broadcaster, in Mumbai on Friday. In 2017 Star had paid a record sum of USD 2.55 billion to get the global broadcast rights for the IPL until 2022.One of the points for discussion was stretching the tournament past May 24 – according to the original schedule, the final was slated to be held on this date. Keeping in mind the onset of monsoon in the first week of June, the latest cut-off date was set as June 5. At Saturday’s meeting, the franchises were told that tournament could be played until first week of June if need be.The other options, as reported by ESPNcricinfo on Friday, included the possibility of more double-headers. One other option discussed on Saturday was in the case there would be a government clearance to go ahead with IPL in April, it could be played at limited venues to curtail travel, something many countries are banning people from doing amid the growing outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.The participation of the overseas players was another concern for franchises and the BCCI agreed that in case no players from outside India could feature, then the tournament might not go ahead. However, with the situation in flux, all stakeholders agreed that it would be prudent to not rush into any decision and instead wait for the BCCI to update the franchises periodically.Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan at the BCCI headquarters•PTI

When asked if any back-up options of rescheduling the tournament were discussed in the meeting that lasted around 90 minutes, Wadia said: “That’s hypothesising. This is not a situation to hypothesise. This is a serious pandemic. Thousands of people have died across the world, luckily only two in India.”As far as your next question is, ‘will the foreign players come or not?’, I don’t know. There is a [visa] ban till April 15th and then we’ll see. So if IPL happens, great; if it doesn’t, so be it.”Parth Jindal, co-owner of Delhi Capitals, said the BCCI will “probably” call for another meeting with the owners in the coming weeks after “watching” the situation as the board keeps in touch with the Indian government. The central government placed several travel restrictions for people going in and out of India, cancelling all visas until April 15. The government had also said sporting organisations would need to adhere to the health ministry’s guidelines to avoid mass gatherings which had prompted the BCCI to think about holding IPL matches in front of empty stands.”We are committed to IPL, we would like IPL to happen but we have to wait and watch based on the virus and how it progresses.,” Jindal said.The coronavirus has struck over 100 countries globally, leading to over 5000 deaths and forcing cancellation and rescheduling of all international and domestic cricket. Soon after the IPL was deferred on Friday, the BCCI and Cricket South Africa announced the rescheduling of the remaining two India-South Africa ODIs that were to be played on March 15 (Lucknow) and 18 (Kolkata). The first Australia-New Zealand ODI happened in front of empty stands at the SCG on Friday and the remaining two ODIs as well as the subsequent three-match T20I series were also cancelled on Saturday after the New Zealand government imposed travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pakistan board had hoped that its offer to voluntarily bench Sarfraz as well as his public apologies would have been enough of a resolution to the case

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2019Andile Phehlukwayo hits out as Sarfraz Ahmed looks on•Getty Images

The PCB is disappointed by the ICC’s decision to suspend Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed for four matches, having hoped that its offer to voluntarily bench him as well as Sarfraz’s public apologies would have been enough of a resolution to the case.Sarfraz issued two public apologies, the first apology on Twitter and then in person to Andile Phehlukwayo – the player who was the subject of his racist taunt at Kingsmead. In between, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said his side had forgiven Sarfraz.A report on the incident was filed by the match referee Ranjan Madugalle and sent to the ICC last week, where the body’s general counsel Iain Higgins determined that Sarfraz did have a case to answer. There is an option in the Anti-Racism code for the case to be resolved through a process of conciliation but the ICC initially determined not to take it through that.Once the apologies were made by Sarfraz, the option of going through a conciliation was alive again but the prospect of any process dragging on during a series and potentially beyond and the effect it would have on the players involved, was thought to have played a part in it not being used.In 2016, incidentally, Cricket Namibia had lodged a complaint under the code against Afghanistan. That was resolved through a conciliator but not until the end of June, whereas the incident took place in an Intercontinental Cup game in April.ALSO READ: Sarfraz Ahmed gets four-match suspension for racist comment“The PCB notes the ICC decision on Sarfaraz Ahmed with its utmost disappointment,” a PCB statement said. “PCB had anticipated that the matter had been resolved amicably between the two players and the two boards following Sarafraz Ahmed’s public apologies, which were accepted by the player, the board and South Africa cricket team.The PCB is believed to have offered to step down Sarfraz for at least a couple of games voluntarily, as well as donating his match fees from games to suitable causes – under the Anti-Racism code, such an offer is acceptable a conciliator is being used. That offer was rejected by the ICC.The PCB’s disappointment is understood to emanate from this, that they effectively went through the procedures of a conciliation with CSA – albeit without an ICC conciliator – in the public and private apologies, as well as this voluntary suspension offer, and yet still had a sanction imposed upon Sarfraz by the ICC.There is a degree of understanding that the ICC had to act and to be seen to impose a sanction – there has not been such a high-profile violation of the code in nearly a decade – as well as acknowledgment that a minimum sanction was imposed – the gravity of the offence being what it was. But there is also the question of why, if the ICC was determined to sanction Sarfraz, it took them close to five days to do so – days within which, publicly at least, it seemed as if an amicable resolution was being reached. The report reached the ICC last Wednesday and the gap allowed Sarfraz to play the third ODI in Cape Town – he was not sent a notice of charge until late Saturday evening.”The PCB will be pursuing this matter at the ICC forums with the objective to bring reforms to the code, promoting amicable resolutions to issues as opposed to penalties,” the statement said. “Having said that, the PCB reiterates its zero-tolerance approach towards racist comments and behavior.”