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A packed Wanderers had to watch their team lose disappointingly, that too to an Aussie side!

Stacey Naidoo29-Oct-2012Choice of game
I chose the final of the Champions League Twenty20 because I felt a match between the home favourites, the Highveld Lions, and the unbeaten Sydney Sixers would be a fitting end to an exciting tournament.Team supported
Living in Johannesburg, it was almost mandatory to support the home team. In addition, I felt they needed all the support they could get, coming up against an Australian team that had not lost a match in the tournament. We all know how the Aussies hate to lose!Key performer
I thought the bowling unit of the Sixers performed magnificently, but Nathan McCullum was the standout performer. He took Gulam Bodi’s wicket in the first over, and by the time he picked up his third wicket (in the 14th over), he had reduced the roar of the Lions and their supporters to a mere whimper.One thing I’d have changed about the match
In a game that ended up being a bit of a damp squib, I would have liked to see the Lions put a bit of heart into their defence of the paltry 121, to at least give their die-hard fans something to cheer about. I left the game feeling the Lions had not done their best. Dropped catches and wides were the order of the day during the chase.Face-off I relished

There weren’t too many interesting battles to choose from. Seeing McCullum and Thami Tsolekile battle during the first innings was interesting. I felt Tsolekile was looking to increase the run rate and was about to win the battle when McCullum took his wicket.Crowd meter
The stadium was packed with a crowd that was clearly partisan. In the first innings, they cheered every single the Lions got and went into raptures with the odd four or six. The spectators were vocal and involved, slow-clapping to encourage the Lions to get boundaries. When the Lions bowled, the crowd booed the umpire when a wide was called. Halfway through the Sixers innings, people realised that the game was over and started to cheer every great shot. There was a collective sigh of disappointment when Bodi dropped what would have been a wonderful catch, off Aaron Phangiso’s bowling. Now and again, the Mexican Wave would go around the stadium. It kept the fans warm and helped make a lot of noise, so that was great.Entertainment
We were entertained by some lively music and wonderful fireworks for the sixes, and at the end of the game there was a magnificent pyrotechnic display to signify the close of an exciting tournament. Some of the music could definitely be applied to the Lions – “I’m wide awake”. The Lions’ lethargic running while batting and their mistakes while fielding showed they really needed to be wide awake! Of course “Let me entertain you” was extremely appropriate, because the Sixers entertained us during their batting.ODI v Twenty20?
I have always preferred the 50-over game. It gives me time to enjoy the finesse and strategy used and to note the technical expertise of the players. In Twenty20 cricket, one gets used to fours and sixes, and when there are not many, like in this game, the crowd gets bored.Overall
The quality of cricket was excellent, in terms of the Sixers performance. They have a focused and dangerous bowling unit and powerful batsmen and excellent fielders. Because of the one-sidedness of the game, though, I would rate the quality of cricket as 6. The Lions did not show what they were capable of. But in spite of my team losing, it was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday evening. The rain stayed away so it was a beautiful evening to be out on the Highveld. I would rate the overall experience as 8, especially as it was a final of a tournament.

Luke Shaw released a heartbreaking statement after confirmation a fresh injury setback will keep him out of action for several weeks.

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• Shaw released statement after fresh injury setback
• Returned to action against Ipswich
• Now facing new spell on sidelines

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Shaw was seen in action for the first time in the 2024-25 campaign in Ruben Amorim's first game as Manchester United boss against Ipswich Town. The full-back then made cameo appearances against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League and their thumping 4-0 win over Everton in the Premier League last weekend, but he has now picked up a fresh knock that will keep him sidelined for several weeks.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The new injury setback has left the England international 'devastated', as he took to social media to issue a heartbreaking statement where he addressed the fans. Since the summer of 2023, Shaw has appeared in just 14 league games and clocked only 1031 minutes on the pitch.

• WHAT LUKE SHAW SAID

  The statement from the 29-year-old read, "Hi guys, it's hurting a lot having to write this as I really thought I had got through my recent struggles and was on a positive path going forward, but unfortunately, I've had a small setback. I've been through a lot and had a lot of ups and downs but this has definitely been my toughest period. I'm absolutely devastated and it's extremely tough to come to terms with reality at this moment in time.

  "I understand there is gunna be people frustrated, angry, disappointed and I understand all that. There is no one feeling that more than me at this moment in time. But what I can promise is I will do everything I can to come back better soon to help this club achieve its ambitions this season. Thank you to everyone for the support. It really doesn't go unnoticed and I really do appreciate it."

  IG: @lukeshaw23

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  United, who are yet to lose a game since Erik ten Hag's departure in October, will be next seen in action on Wednesday as they take on rivals Arsenal in a crucial Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium.

Ex-Tottenham and Everton star Dele Alli shared an update on his condition on social media as he steps up his injury recovery.

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• Injured Dele posts on Instagram
• Suffered fresh injury last month
• Could remain sidelined for rest of season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former England star's last competitive appearance came during a loan spell for Besiktas back in February 2023. The midfielder has struggled with injury since then but had been hoping to make his long-awaited comeback in the 2024-25 season. However, those hopes took another hit as Dele suffered a setback with his hamstring in training last month.

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  The fresh injury setback could keep Dele out of action for the next six months, as per former Everton scout Bryan King, who told that the midfielder is unlikely to play senior minutes until the summer. However, the 28-year-old took to Instagram to share an update on his condition, posting images from workout sessions.

• WHAT DELE ALLI SAID

  On Instagram, Dele wrote: "Create it." He also shared an anime image with a motivational quote which read: "The life you want isn't out there. It's within you, watching for you to create it."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DELE ALLI?

  Dele is currently a free agent after his contract with the Toffees expired at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. However, he continued to train with the club in the hope of landing a fresh deal, but his latest injury could prove to be a major hindrance in reviving his career in the English top flight.

With his selection uncertain and his role in the side fluctuating, New Zealand selectors are failing to lure the best out of James Franklin

Andrew Fernando in Pallekele29-Sep-2012James Franklin is one of the most enigmatic figures in New Zealand cricket. When he first made it into the national side 11 years ago, he was a bowler who could bat a bit. Strangely, he was mediocre with the ball and surprisingly talented with the bat.The selectors may have been tempted to drop him for failing to perform in the role he was picked for, but given he became a bona-fide member of New Zealand’s lower-order bailout squad in the mid 2000s, alongside Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram, they often couldn’t afford to leave him out. Innings like his brilliant unbeaten 45 in Queenstown, where he brought home a difficult chase against Sri Lanka from No. 8 with only the tail for company, prevented him from slipping back down into the domestic circuit completely.Franklin is a polarising figure at home. To some, he epitomises everything that is wrong with New Zealand’s selection policy; another jack-of-all-trades whose lack of consistency continues to scuttle New Zealand’s efforts to become a major cricketing power. The detractors need only to look at Franklin’s numbers to find fuel for their fire. His ODI bowling average is over 40, and his Test and Twenty20 figures don’t inspire a lot of confidence either. With the bat, he averages in the low twenties in all three formats. A few years ago, Franklin was told by the national selectors to put his bowling on the backburner, and focus on his batting, which they believed had potential but was not getting the attention it deserved. He is now picked in the side primarily as a batsman – but his scores have not shot up dramatically enough to justify his selection on that discipline alone.That he was left out of the New Zealand tour of West Indies, so he could focus on his Twenty20 cricket for Essex with the World Twenty20 approaching, then called up for the India Tests after 18 months away, sums up the muddled thinking.But occasionally, Franklin comes off. And to cloud the issue even more, he has lately performed as a bowler. In the Super Eights opener, his 2 for 34 was the catalyst in Sri Lanka’s slowdown. The hosts seemed destined to reel in New Zealand’s score at a canter, but Franklin proved difficult to get away and counted the explosive Thisara Perera among his scalps when it was crucial New Zealand didn’t allow Perera the room to explode. In the recent T20 against India in Chennai too, Franklin failed with the bat, but his 2 for 26 was instrumental in New Zealand’s victory and their taking momentum into the World T20. But with good bowling form behind him, he was not required until the 12th over against England in a crucial match.Franklin’s batting, though, clicked against England, and he played the kind of innings that first marked him out as a batting talent. With New Zealand threatening to collapse at 67 for 4 in the 12th over, Franklin rebuilt alongside Ross Taylor, before letting rip with a spate of boundaries at the death. His 50 off 33 balls will justify his selection on batting grounds, but perhaps it should not gloss over a failure to consistently produce results since being asked to play as a batsman. In his last 30 innings across all formats, Franklin has made fifty only three timesPerhaps this inconsistency is not entirely Franklin’s fault. Eleven years after making his debut, New Zealand’s team management have failed to stick to a clear plan for him. If he is to play as a batsman, is he a finisher, as he was against England, or an opener, as he was against Bangladesh early in the tournament. At other times in his career, he has been given extended runs in the middle order and even higher up.The Franklin detractors will be quietened for a while after a decent all-round showing at this tournament, but they are sure to make themselves known as soon as failures return. The New Zealand selectors have shown they will have Franklin do almost anything to bring him into the team. If they are going to be so persistent with picking him, perhaps they would do well to define what they want from him. If they play him as a batsman, or as a bowler or as an allrounder, rather than all three when it suits, perhaps consistency in their demands will help Franklin build dependability into his own game. As he has proved repeatedly, he has the talent to be successful; it just needs to be pushed in one very specific direction.

Michael Neser and Mark Steketee were outstanding for Queensland but couldn’t quite pull it off

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2022Chris Tremain held his nerve to guide an inexperienced New South Wales side to a gripping two-wicket victory over Queensland at the Gabba.At the end, he had Harry Conway for company who firstly survived eight deliveries and then hit the winning run off Mark Steketee.Moments earlier, with seven runs still needed, Tremain survived a run out appeal when he came back for a second to third man. Jimmy Peirson did superbly to flick the ball back onto the stumps and replays showed Tremain was short by a few inches but TV umpires are not part of the Sheffield Shield.Tremain then levelled the scores with a thumping straight drive off Michael Neser who had matched Steketee with three wickets in the innings including removing Baxter Holt with eight runs required.”Those last three hours were very nerve-wracking, I could not sit down,” Daniel Hughes, who top-scored for the match with an unbeaten 86 in the first innings, said. “That is a huge win with the very inexperienced side that we have.”They were so good, and their attitudes were awesome. To play a full-strength Bulls team at the Gabba, and get a win, is a huge credit to the lads and I’m proud of them. That side that we put out is the future of NSW cricket. The talent is definitely there – we have to be patient with them.”Neser and Steketee were superb throughout the match as they shared 14 wickets and regularly chipped away at New South Wales’ run chase.The target of 137 – after Queensland had lost 7 for 28 in their second innings – immediately looked much more imposing when Steketee got one through Ryan Hackney in the second over and Hughes edged a terrific delivery from Neser in the third.Jason Sangha was lbw to Jack Wildermuth and after Jack Edwards had been caught at slip off a no-ball from Steketee he fell to the same bowler when he clipped a catch to square leg to leave New South Wales 4 for 49.Lachlan Hearne and Hayden Kerr briefly settled things but Neser returned to trapped Kerr lbw and Hearne’s hard work was undone as the left hander chipped a catch to mid-on where Marnus Labuschagne made good ground.When Trent Copeland was also given lbw – a more borderline decision – New South Wales needed 17 with three wickets in hand at tea. Holt, playing just his third first-class match, faced 75 balls for his 20 to get the target down into single figures only for his departure to ratchet up the tension again.Just two half-centuries were scored in the match and Queensland could only add another 24 runs after resuming on 5 for 105. Copeland and Tremain did the damage while James Bazley was run out after being given little chance when Neser called him through for a single to midwicket.

Fazle Mahmud and Mohammad Naim dropped from Test squad; Khaled Ahmed in ODI squad

Mohammad Isam03-Mar-2022Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have returned to Bangladesh’s Test squad for the forthcoming series against South Africa. Tamim missed the Test leg of the New Zealand tour due to multiple thumb injuries while Shakib skipped the trip for personal reasons.Shakib’s comeback into the Test fold comes after BCB president Nazmul Hasan had said that the 34-year-old would tour South Africa even though he had initially planned to skip Test cricket for six months.”Now that he is not going to the IPL, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t play the Test series in South Africa,” Hassan had said last Monday.” So forget about it. This is no longer in my mind. The IPL was preventing him from playing [the two Test series], but now he will play [both series].”However, Fazle Mahmud and Mohammad Naim have been dropped from the Test squad. Fazle had previously earned his place in the side on the back of chart-topping numbers in domestic first-class cricket while Naim was a left-field pick as he is more of a T20 specialist. Naim had made his debut in the second Test in Christchurch, but didn’t make much of an impression.Bangladesh stuck with the ODI squad that recently beat Afghanistan 2-0 at home. Fast bowler Khaled Ahmed, who is uncapped in ODI cricket, is the only addition to the squad. The 29-year-old has played three Tests so far, managing just one wicket.Bangladesh will play three ODIs, part of the World Cup Super League, on March 18, 20 and 23, while the two Tests, part of the World Test Championship, will start from March 31 and April 8.Test squad: Mominul Haque (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Yasir Ali, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Nurul HasanODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Khaled Ahmed

The BCCI will conduct a special general meeting in Delhi on Sunday, when it will decide on the course of action to take with regard to its unhappiness with the new ICC consitiution

Nagraj Gollapudi06-May-2017International cricket could come to a standstill on Sunday …
A standstill? Why?Because of what might happen at the BCCI’s Special General Body meeting (SGM) …
Another SGM? Why is this one so special?Okay, here’s the lowdown.
According to one segment of the BCCI, the Indian board has lost its influence over international cricket. Once the heavyweight at the ICC, the BCCI was outvoted on crucial resolutions in a coup of sorts at the last two ICC meetings in February and April. The ICC approved a new constitution, a new governance structure, and a new finance model. The BCCI was left fuming.

A question of timing

The CoA told acting BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary at least twice over the last week that there was no point in sending a notice to the ICC until the SGM took place. Last Thursday, Choudhary sent two emails to the CoA, urging it to send the notice. “I would like to reiterate that it is absolutely imperative that the Notice … asking them to remedy the breach within a period of 30 days be sent today as a matter of abundant caution,” Choudhary wrote.
With India playing their first match of the Champions Trophy on June 4, Choudhary told the CoA on May 4 that BCCI was obliged to file its case to protect its rights because the MPA dictated that a notice would need to be served one month in advance.
The CoA responded by asking how a notice could be sent without “any resolution” being passed by the BCCI. The COA said if time was an issue, why had the BCCI not scheduled the SGM for May 2 or 3.
“We gather from your captioned email that the purport of issuing the notice to ICC today [Thursday] itself is to keep open the option of pulling out from the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 prior to India’s first match on 4th June 2017 because the 30-day notice period would then expire on 2nd/3rd June 2017.
“However, by that time, Team India would already have played two warm-up matches (on 28th and 30th May) and the tournament would have already begun on 1st June 2017. If so, issuing the notice today [Thursday], instead of after the SGM, convened on May 7, serves no useful purpose. Is there any other reason why the notice has to be issued today?” the COA said to Choudhary in an email, according to the .

Why is the BCCI unhappy?
Money, largely. Remember the Big Three’s finance model? The one devised by former BCCI president N Srinivasan, former CA chairman Wally Edwards and ECB president Giles Clarke, which gave the BCCI $570 million out of projected ICC revenues of $2.5 billion, a share way larger than any other country was getting?Well, the BCCI still wants $570 million, but in the new finance model that was approved in April, it gets only $276 million out of projected ICC revenues of $2.7 billion. The Indian board said no to that.The ICC Board then hiked the BCCI’s slice of the pie to $293 million, and the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar placed another $100 million on the table during negotiations. So now the BCCI could have got close to $400 million, but it rejected that offer too, saying the amount was “unfair” and not proportionate to what India contributed to global cricketing revenue.Now what?
A section of the BCCI has been pushing acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, who was at the meeting when the Indian board was outvoted, to send a notice to the ICC asking why the BCCI should not revoke the MPA.The MPA?
Members Participation Agreement. It’s an agreement between the ICC and a member country that governs participation in ICC events. Under the MPA, either party – in this case ICC or BCCI – can ask for remedy if it feels there’s a “material” breach in the contract. Reducing its revenue share and removing it from influential ICC committees constitutes a breach, in the BCCI’s view.So, where is this headed?
Apart from revoking the MPA, the BCCI also wants to pull the Indian team out of the Champions Trophy, which starts on June 1 in England. This is one of the issues that will be discussed at the SGM, and possibly voted on.You can’t be serious …
Depends on who in the BCCI you talk to. The section led by Choudhary, which also includes Srinivasan …Wait, Srinivasan? Wasn’t he declared ineligible to continue as an office-bearer by the Supreme Court? How is he still an influence?
Yes, but let’s not go down that road at the moment.So, this section of the BCCI wants to send the notice to the ICC and maybe even pull out of the Champions Trophy. But there are many other state associations at the SGM who are not in favour of such a move.What if the majority decides the BCCI should pull out?
It’s possible, but the guardians of the BCCI can overrule such a decision.Guardians? Like the movie?
To cut a long story short, on January 30 the Supreme Court of India appointed a four-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to supervise and control the BCCI until the Lodha Committee recommendations were implemented by both the Indian board and its state associations.ESPNcricinfo LtdSo what does this CoA think about all this?
The CoA has made clear over the past week that if the BCCI takes a decision, which the CoA feels is harmful to the interests of Indian cricket, it will seek intervention from the Supreme Court. It even told the BCCI to announce the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy as soon as possible so that players are not affected by board politics. The BCCI was the only board to miss the ICC’s deadline of April 25, by when all other seven participating countries had named their squads.Is it possible that the BCCI has in fact been treated unfairly?
Perhaps. The CoA also agrees with some of the BCCI’s objections to the ICC’s new constitution. But it goes not agree with the BCCI’s confrontational approach to the problem. While the BCCI believes it merits more money and power at the ICC because of India’s position as the biggest market in cricket, the CoA told Choudhary: “We believe that the BCCI has not yet given the possibility of a negotiated outcome a fair chance.”So when will I know what happens next?
Let us talk over lunch on Sunday.