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England’s top three remains utterly unsettled at the end of an innings in which none of the incumbents made a decisive move

George Dobell in St Lucia11-Feb-2019As Joe Denly leant into another perfect cover drive, one of several he played on the way to his maiden Test half-century, it was tempting to believe England had, at last, found the No. 3 batsman for which they have been searching for so long.And maybe that will prove to be the case. This was a pleasing innings, for sure, and demonstrated some of the talent and character that won Denly this selection. When England’s selectors discuss their team for the next Test – against Ireland at Lord’s in late July – his name will be in the mix, for sure.But it would disingenuous to pretend this innings resolved anything. Denly had failed in his three previous Test innings, after all, and was fortunate not to suffer a pair on debut in Antigua. Even here, he was badly missed in the slips on 12 and, with Keemo Paul injured and the demands of back-to-back Tests starting to show on Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel, he was confronted by a West Indies side that, for the first time in the series, looked just a little beleaguered.Indeed, Denly’s success here – his partial success – may simply have complicated matters. Had he failed, England may have felt they could have moved on towards this summer’s Ashes without him. As it is, he has – like so many before him – done just enough to deserve continued consideration and not quite enough to have put the issue beyond doubt, as the man himself perhaps recognised at the close.”It was pleasing to spend a bit of time out there and get that first fifty under the belt, but was a bit of a tame ending,” Denly told Sky Sports. “I’ve toed it to the keeper again, but the team’s in a good position, so I’m pretty happy.””It’s a long way away, but I’ve said before that playing in the Ashes would be an absolute dream,” he added. “Every English cricketer dreams of playing in an Ashes, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it. But there’s a lot of cricket between now and then, and a lot more cricket to focus on.”Denly may face an interesting dilemma now. Having been picked up for £112,000 in the IPL auction, he is due to spend the first few weeks of the county season with Kolkata Knight Riders. That means he will not have the chance to prove his worth against Division One attacks in the County Championship – his side, Kent, were promoted at the end of last season – and might, in the past, have compromised his chances of a Test place. Not so long ago, he might have been persuaded to pull out of such a deal.Whether these things matter anymore is highly debatable, though. By picking Jos Buttler last year, the selectors showed they would consider success in white-ball cricket and Denly may conclude he has a better chance of impressing in high-profile matches and against some fine bowlers in India as he does against the Duke’s ball in the early weeks of the Championship season.What all this means, though, is that England have made almost no progress in finding a settled top three. Despite all the miles they have travelled and all the games they have played this winter, not one of the top three involved in this Test is certain to play against Ireland.Keaton Jennings smiles ruefully after being bowled off his thigh pad•Associated PressKeaton Jennings may be the least likely to be involved. It is not just that he has endured a disappointing tour – he averaged 15.50 with a top-score of 23 – but that he cannot be said to have lacked opportunities. He has now played 17 Tests and averages 25.19. That is not a small sample size. He will need to score prolifically for Lancashire to win a recall.Rory Burns has not secured his future, either. He has, at times, looked to have what it takes to prosper as a Test opener and he has, at times, taken some excellent catches. But, after six games, he is averaging 25 – a fraction lower than Jennings. While he made 84 in the second innings in Barbados, has suffered too many soft dismissals – the second-innings late cut to the cordon in Antigua was a particular low point – to have made the most of this opportunity. He, too, will need runs for Surrey if he is to be considered for the Ireland Test.There will be other contenders for all these positions. Despite little experience opening for Surrey or England Lions – he went in at No. 3 in his most recent first-class games for both sides – Jason Roy is one who will be considered, while it remains to be seen what the selectors are planning for Jonny Bairstow. He was a No. 3 batsman last week, after all. Who knows what he will be by July.It will be interesting, too, to see where James Vince bats for Hampshire, too. It is understood that it has been suggested by some in the England management that Vince might like to consider opening. While Vince’s initial response to that idea is said to have been cool, he may yet conclude it offers his best chance of a recall.Perhaps Max Holden or Nick Gubbins might force their way into contention, too, while Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed could, with good starts to the season, win recalls. Ian Bell and James Hildreth will have their supporters, too, though the former will be 37 in April and the latter is 34 and uncapped.The fact that the debate continues, though, underlines how little progress England have made. Instead of going into the Ashes with a stable side, they will go into hoping that the next round of candidates do better than the last. With three top-order places available and an Ashes series looming, county batsmen may never have had such opportunity.

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Why Dale Steyn’s absence from the Bangalore Test and the new trend of early retirements should get South Africa thinking about life after him

Firdose Moonda in Bangalore17-Nov-2015No matter what the weather, something Dale Steyn can never be accused of is being a wet blanket. Though he is not taking part in the Bangalore Test, he has used the time off to send messages of love to his “kids,” (four dogs), to run a survey asking supporters what they would like to see more of on his social media feed, film his team-mates playing one-hand-one-bounce in the change room and spend time in the one place the rain has not reached: the gym.

Steyn’s injury catalogue

November 2015: Unable to bowl in the second innings of the Mohali Test after suffering a groin strain. Did not recover in time for the Bangalore Test a week later.
December 2014: Left the field with hamstring tightness on day three of the first Test against West Indies in Centurion. Returned to take 6 for 34 on the fourth day to secure an innings win.
Mid March 2014: In doubt for World T20 opener with a hamstring injury but recovered to play the game.
Early March 2014: Left the field with a hamstring problem after bowling 10.1 overs in the first innings of the third Test against Australia in Cape Town. Returned to bowl three more overs in the second innings but was then ruled out of the first two T20s of a three-match series. Ended up missing all three games.
January 2014: Minor rib fracture sustained during the second Test against India in Durban.
November 2013: Ruled out of the third ODI against Pakistan with a mild side strain.
October 2013: Cut short a training session in Dubai ahead of second Test against Pakistan after feeling tightness in his right hamstring.
June 2013: Groin strain during the Champions Trophy which impacted on his availability through the tournament. He only played four of the seven matches.

On Monday, South Africa’s physio Brandon Jackson tweeted a picture of Steyn’s furious fists beating out his frustration on fitness trainer Greg Kings’ gloved hands, while Morne Morkel and Simon Harmer ran on treadmills in the background. Steyn was not doing the literal legwork, which may raise some concerns about his readiness for the Nagpur Test, a match South Africa will be desperate to have him back for, given his previous show-stopping appearance in the city and the likelihood that the series could still be won by the time they get there.It would unprecedented for Steyn to sit out a second successive match and despite no clear signs yet that he will play, South Africa are certain to try every means possible to ensure he does. In fact, even Steyn sitting out this Test was a big deal. This is the first time he has missed a Test in six years since he sat out the first match against England in late 2009 after pulling up stiff on the morning of the game.Before that, Steyn had played 32 matches over five years with the conditioning of a classy hair product. Unlike other bowlers, whose actions could cause awkwardness and result in stress fractures, Steyn’s movements were smooth and his joints, supple. Since then, Steyn has played 48 matches without interruption but not always without incident.In the last two years, since turning 30, Steyn has been injured eight times. Half of them have been hamstring problems and a quarter groin issues. Given the high-octane levels Steyn operates at, amateur diagnoses and South Africa’s management of Steyn – which has seen him rested for some bilateral series – may put it down to wear and tear.Jacques Kallis went through something similar in the twilight of his career. He began sitting out more and more limited-over matches but still experienced more and more mid-series and even mid-match injuries. Kallis was 37. Steyn is only 32 but his intensity is higher and the amount of cricket he plays, IPL included, is probably greater. Given how many cricketers are calling it quits earlier than expected – Graeme Smith was 33, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, 34 – the wide lens may tell Cricket South Africa to start thinking about a succession plan for Steyn.Their starting point will have to be the understanding that replacing Steyn – the man, the bowler and the character – will be impossible. Few places will possess a bowler with the skills Steyn has and fewer will have a player who can who can switch on and off the way Steyn does. South Africa will have to look for similar qualities sprinkled among different players.Kagiso Rabada offers pace and aggression and will need to gain experience, while Kyle Abbott can swing the ball but may have to master the art of to reverse swing. Developing Abbott should be high on South Africa’s agenda, especially after Worcestershire announced that they had “swooped,” to sign him for the second half of the 2016 English season.If Abbott is given a visa and no-objection certificate from CSA, he will play for the county from the July to September, effectively ruling him out of the two Tests against New Zealand next August. CSA will probably not want to let Abbott go for those matches because, even though he is not among the premier quicks now, he may be in the near future and a home series will be the ideal place to groom him.Outside the current squad, there is Marchant de Lange – quick but occasionally inconsistent – Beuran Hendricks – who has suffered a spate of injuries in recent months and Hardus Viljoen – who considered leaving for New Zealand this summer before being convinced not to. The domestic first-class competition for this season has not started, but this summer will be particularly important in determining positions in the pecking order among these players as South Africa try to avoid finding themselves at sea the day Steyn sets sail.

Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this one has tasted enough recent success to remain confident about its ability to roar back

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Wellington01-Jan-2015Wellington woke bleary-eyed from a year-end party that had stretched late into the night, but the Basin Reserve was tense with purpose and energy early on New Year’s day.Sri Lanka had been relaxed following their eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Christchurch. The post-match football game – a tradition in overseas Tests, win or lose – was played in typically high spirits, before the team set out on a farm excursion in Canterbury the day after.Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this is a team for whom the successes of 2014 are fresh in the mind. Their captain is, as ever, a wellspring of zen. “One loss doesn’t suddenly make us a bad team,” is Angelo Mathews’ go-to refrain at these times, and on that count, his team has proved him correct on several occasions over the past six months.Back in the nets after two days of rest and travel, though, Sri Lanka were refreshed and focused. Kumar Sangakkara’s desperation to overcome an awful first Test manifested in a long batting session. Unsurprisingly, he was among the last to emerge from the nets, tired coaches in tow. Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva had some extra attention too, and there was a marked collective spring to the fielding session. Had Sri Lanka not spilled four catches on the first day in Christchurch, that Test might have played out a little differently.They were perhaps goaded on by a pitch that appeared greener than even the strip they had encountered at the Hagley Oval in the approach to Boxing Day. Players who looked closely at the pitch reported close to an inch of grass – enough to make the square almost indistinguishable from the rest of the field. But while that could have been a cause for worry, there were no grumbles from the Sri Lanka camp, only acceptance of poor performance, and determination to preserve a reputation as a decent team outside Asia.”We know we didn’t bat well in the first innings,” Lahiru Thirimanne said. “It wasn’t actually that hard to bat on that wicket, but we played some rash shots. So we need to concentrate a little bit more about leaving the ball and playing close to the body. We practiced really hard today, so hopefully we can do those things in the match as well.”Sri Lanka were bolstered between Tests by the arrival of Rangana Herath, who was sufficiently recovered from the hamstring tear he suffered in mid-December to go through an extra fielding session with coach Trevor Penney. Though Brendon McCullum had laid waste to the Sri Lanka attack in the first innings in Christchurch, a quiet confidence has built in the bowling group after their spirited defence of 105 on the fourth day.”In the first Test we saw some green on the surface, but this looks even greener I think,” Thirimanne said. “Our fast bowlers might like it as well because they will look forward to getting some early breakthroughs. Our bowling in the second innings was quite good. We bowled good areas and they couldn’t get runs easily, so we just want to bowl those same areas and make it hard for them to score runs.”Herath’s return is particularly significant, because of New Zealand’s struggles against him in the past. In four matches, Herath averages 19.58 against them – his best against any nation. That figure stretches to 40 in the only Test he played in New Zealand, but he is now a vastly improved bowler since that game in Napier in 2005. In the last three years, he has picked up five-wicket hauls in Australia and South Africa, and made significant contributions in early-summer English conditions in 2014.”I think Herath will play the second Test,” Thirimanne said. “He took wickets in similar conditions in England, so we’re confident about his ability to take wickets here.”Thirimanne’s return to the Test team and move to no.4 in the order has not been immediately successful, as he collected a match aggregate of 49 in Christchurch. Thirimanne said he took plenty of confidence in his long stay at the crease in the second innings, however, when he played out 124 deliveries in over three hours in the middle.”Batting at No. 4 is a big challenge for me, because that was Mahela Jayawardene’s spot. I need to work very hard to live up to that. It’s a position that’s very valuable for the team and we’re used to some top performances from our No. 4 batsman. That’s not an easy loss to fill. But I’m taking it game by game, and I’ve filled my head with thoughts about how the next match should be approached.”In the second innings, what we needed most was for someone to build a partnership with Dimuth Karunaratne. The way I batted in that innings is perhaps not my natural style, but it was good in the sense that I hit a lot of balls in the middle of the bat. I’m happy with that.”

Kane Williamson is among a rare breed in New Zealand, a batsman who has the ability to last a whole day in Test cricket

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington17-Mar-2013If New Zealand escape Wellington with a draw, as England did last week in Dunedin, the weather will have aided their cause. As if on cue, a record dry summer is ending with a Test series to play. It would be unfair, though, to look past the batting of Kane Williamson in New Zealand’s second innings, which has been another reminder of an emerging talent on the world stage.Helping his team to safety at the Basin Reserve is not new to Williamson. Last year, facing South Africa, he made an unbeaten 102 against an attack featuring Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel (who took all six wickets), Vernon Philander and Marchant de Lange. It was his second Test hundred, to follow a debut ton against India, and was an important innings for someone who had not kicked on from that notable start to his career.Williamson’s career numbers do not jump off the page. A Test average of 31.86 after 22 matches is not the hallmark of a No.3, and he averaged under 40 in first-class cricket during his spell with Gloucestershire, but New Zealand are being patient with him because, beneath the statistics, there is a considerable batsman in the making. Anyone who watched his unbeaten 145 in the one-day series against South Africa will have realised that this is a batsman who can repay the faith.Clearly, he cannot be given forever to fully bed into Test cricket but New Zealand are not so rich in talent that Williamson cannot be persevered with. Both his innings in this match – he was playing very comfortably until chipping a catch back to Stuart Broad for 42 – have suggested that his average will go one way in the long term. His 135 against Sri Lanka, in Colombo, last year to help set up the series-leveling victory was a fantastic display of batsmanship.New Zealand have not had a steady No. 3 since Stephen Fleming retired. Williamson was worked over by the South Africa quick bowlers in the Test series in January, but there is no disgrace in struggling against Steyn and Philander on their home patch. Still only 22, he has been rapidly promoted up the order – his maiden hundred came at No.6, his one against South Africa at No.4 – and asked to forge a career in a tough position. Then there is the pressure of being mentioned in the same breath as Martin Crowe. That is not an easy burden to handle.Ideally, Williamson would have been offered longer to establish his game before being elevated but there is a jam for middle-order slots and less of a clamour for top-order berths in the current generation of New Zealand batsman, although Hamish Rutherford has recently gone against that trend. There is a strong argument that Brendon McCullum should be batting at No. 3, to allow Williamson time to develop at five or six, but the captain feels, and his current form is compelling, that he is best as a counter-attacker lower down.Therefore, Williamson is the man who has to be prepared to face the second ball of the innings. He has certainly been in early on many occasions. Waiting behind the 158-run stand between Rutherford and Peter Fulton in Dunedin was a novelty for him; the first-wicket partnerships of 6 and 25 in this match are more what Williamson has got used to.So far he has faced 174 balls in the second innings and rarely looked in much trouble. England reviewed for an lbw when he had 1 but an inside edge saved him. That was against a full delivery and, perhaps, England have not dragged him forward quite as much as they could have because Williamson looks comfortable on the back foot in defence or attack. The back-foot punch through the off side is becoming a trademark.New Zealand have also been smart in their recent handling of Williamson. They have left him out of the Twenty20 side since the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last year. Although there are exceptions with players who instantly grace three formats, the shortest format is not the game to be honing tight techniques. That is not to say Williamson cannot adapt in the future, but right now there are a good supply of batsman in New Zealand who can give the ball a thump, far fewer who have the potential to bat for a day in a Test match. Williamson is one of those.

Shakib Al Hasan couldn’t identify any specific areas of concern after the abject defeat to South Africa because today they struggled in all facets of the game

Firdose Moonda in Mirpur19-Mar-2011A devastated Shakib Al Hasan has said his team’s performance against South Africa was so poor that he couldn’t identify any specific areas of concern. Bangladesh were bowled out for 78, the third lowest total of the tournament, and Shakib could not explain how they fell so far short of the 285 run target.”When you score 180 or 200 you can find those mistakes [that explain why you didn’t win],” he said. “But when you are bowled out for 70 or 80, I don’t know how you can find those weaknesses. They are all weaknesses.”It was a stark admission, but an accurate one. Everything was a weakness. Bangladesh’s demise in this match, although it was played out with the bat, was orchestrated with the ball. “Our fast bowlers let us down today,” Shakib said. They simply gave away too many runs. Before the match, Shakib said that apart from the opening game, which was played on a different type of wicket, scoring 250 on this surface was a rarity. He knew that it would take a sterling effort with the bat or a feeble one with the ball to allow a first innings total in excess of 250 to be reached.”We thought they had scored 20 runs more,” Shakib said, indicating that a target of 265 would have been more acceptable. Had Bangladesh fielded better, they may have found themselves chasing even less as Graeme Smith said that South Africa though 250 was a reasonable total. Instead, balls snuck in between hands and through legs, they weren’t hunted down to the boundary as much they were ambled after, and the throws coming in from the outfield were more limp and wayward than strong and purposeful.Shakib Al Hasan is crestfallen after Bangladesh failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup•Associated PressWhile Bangladesh have never been a side known for their fielding prowess, in a match this important they should have put extra effort into the things they can control – things like getting to the ball quickly and keeping the run leakage to a minimum. There were moments of commitment, when fielders in the inner ring pounced like tigers, but those were undone by the number of times an extra few runs were conceded because of a fumble on the rope or a lapse in concentration when a clean pick up would have done the trick.It might be an area of their game they are going to work on or it might be an area of their game that was neglected because of circumstance, the reality of playing in a do-or-die situation. Shakib said that the enormity of the task at hand took its toll and that the ability of the side, which were so determined in another must win match against England, have not changed overnight. “Maybe pressure got to everyone. Maybe the expectation was high and we couldn’t handle it. The skill levels are still the same. “It was exactly those skills, which have shown so much improvement in recent times, that had earned Bangladesh the label of being a decent pick for the second round and created the expectation in the first place. With the progress they had made, the team themselves had ambitions of getting to the knockouts and Shakib said there is massive disappointment that they haven’t. “Before the tournament we believed that we will qualify for the second round. That was the plan, especially in the home conditions.”Having built a strong base at home, Shakib knows that he will have to spend the next few days, and even months, giving answers for his team’s shortcomings. He seems to have mastered the way he should do that with regards to this tournament. No excuses, no asking for forgiveness, no justifying, just plainly stating what is glaringly obvious – that in the moments that mattered, Bangladesh didn’t turn up. He understands that his team will have an enormous debt to repay to those who believed in them from ball one. “They [the fan] deserve more; we didn’t play well at all. The way we were performing for the last 12 months, they were expecting us to do better than we did,” he said, and then came the clincher, “but we couldn’t.”

New Zealand’s coach has presided over a dismal era, with no accountability

Andrew McLean17-Nov-2007

The differences between England and its one-time colony New Zealand are
vast, whether it be the number of daily newspapers, modes of transport, size of
population, or pertinently at present, the pressure on sporting coaches.Steve McClaren’s future as England football team manager hangs by a thread on one
game, the Israel-Russia Euro 2008 qualifier, which, ironically, England are not
even involved in. In the meantime the New Zealand cricket coach, John Bracewell,
churns out one dreadful result after another, seemingly without any pressure or
accountability.Watching New Zealand’s batsmen crumble once more at Centurion was just too
much to take. Bracewell has now had four years in the job and has produced very
little by way of results. Over two Test series in South Africa, separated by 18
months, we have seen the same scenario time and time again: New Zealand being found
horribly wanting by pace bowling.There comes a time for change and in Bracewell’s case surely that time is now,
particularly with back-to-back Test series (home and away) against England next
year. The last time the teams met in 2004, New Zealand lost the three Tests at
Lord’s, Headingley and Trent Bridge, each time from a position of strength.
Very little has changed since and it has not just been a matter of the away form highlighted by S
Rajesh.There have been wins at Dhaka and Chittagong, four losses in the
next five Tests (all against Australia), a 1-0 series win at home against Sri Lanka,
a 2-0 result in Zimbabwe, a 2-0 victory in New Zealand against the West
Indies, a 0-2 loss in South Africa, a drawn home series against Sri Lanka, and now
another towelling in the making against the rampant South Africans.Overall, the ledger is square: eight wins and eight losses. The problem is that the
wins have come against lower-ranked sides, which leaves New Zealand currently
floundering in sixth place in the ICC Test rankings. As coach, it is surely time
for Bracewell to be held responsible for this predicament. Regrettably, Justin
Vaughan, the recently appointed New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO, has not bold been
enough to cut Bracewell loose.After the World Cup, Vaughan spotted that Bracewell had the final say on the
four-man selection panel. Fortunately this situation was promptly corrected. The
problem is that Bracewell’s influence does not end with selection. He is also the
coach, charged with fine-tuning player performance and keeping them motivated.Bracewell has recently acquired specialist coaches to assist, including the
Australian Mark O’Neill as batting coach. Vaughan said this week that O’Neill had
to be given time to prove himself. This, however, avoids the real issue, which
is not O’Neill: Bracewell has overseen New Zealand’s dire run of form, and what’s
more, there is a ready-made replacement available in John Wright, who is now on the
NZC staff. Now Vaughan has stated that he doesn’t want Wright stepping on O’Neill’s
toes.So what we have is an under-performing team with a slightly-tweaked coaching
arrangement. This messy situation is all of NZC’s making. Getting rid of Bracewell is
the obvious answer, and there is a widespread belief in New Zealand that this is well overdue. Inevitably though, there will be plenty more pain before it becomes a reality, while the
no-pressure situation for Bracewell remains.

Days after Major League Cricket’s (MLC) landmark player draft, a sanctioning dispute between USA Cricket and league organisers threatens to disrupt the start of the tournament this July. The dispute has reached the ICC, who has told its members to not issue NOCs to their players until the issue is resolved.In this latest manifestation of the age-old tradition of administrative strife on US soil, it has emerged that USA Cricket has not yet sanctioned either the MLC or Minor League Cricket (MiLC), the tournaments that are seen as the next big step in the evolution of the game in the country. That did not prevent the MLC from announcing a host of big-name foreign signings – including Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis and Quinton de Kock – in a draft in Houston on Sunday. But concerns are growing, especially as the ICC is currently classifying the events as “disapproved”.USA Cricket has previously given sanction to MiLC, for both 2021 and 2022, but in a communication recently sent out by the ICC’s operations department to Members, officials have flagged the issue for overseas players wishing to play in both competitions.”Members may be aware of the following two events that are proposed to be played in the USA,” the ICC said of the events, both administered by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the parent company which signed a 50-year commercial rights agreement with USA Cricket in 2019.Related

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“Applications for sanction have been submitted to USA Cricket, but these events have not yet been sanctioned by USA Cricket. Consequently, without a sanction from the host member, both events are currently deemed to be Disapproved Cricket and as such, Members should not issue NOCs to their players to participate in either event.”On March 1, in a statement from USA Cricket, the interim board chairman Atul Rai said that the board of directors were “concerned about the plight of the players and the owners” of MiLC, though what exactly those concerns are has not been specified.”However, they are equally concerned about the operations of Minor League by ACE without any accountability and its failure to follow the USA Cricket guidelines, not to mention the lack of communication,” the statement continued. “USA Cricket has sent a letter to ACE that includes several questions on Minor League operations by ACE that we hope to get a quick response timely to allow for sanctioning of the event.”Rai was on the board in 2019 and voted in favour of signing the commercial partnership with ACE at the time. Then board chairman Paraag Marathe was the main driver of the deal and rubber-stamped the tournament going ahead in 2021 and 2022. Rai left the board in February 2020, but won an election to return in September 2022 and immediately replaced Marathe as chairman. Rai’s stance toward ACE and MLC seems to have changed in his second term.Observers see this dispute as a negotiating ploy by USA Cricket to revise terms of the original short-form agreement signed with ACE in 2019. In that agreement, ACE keeps 95% of all gross revenues generated by MLC while USA Cricket receives the remaining 5%.Organisers say, however, that the tournament is on course to begin its inaugural season on July 13, as is MiLC for a third season from June 10.”We are aware of the recent letter that the ICC sent to its membership regarding the status of MiLC and MLC,” MLC tournament director Justin Geale told ESPNcricinfo. “We don’t believe the letter was a warning at all, inasmuch as it was merely factual informational that the events are not yet sanctioned as the member boards need that confirmation in order to issue NOCs to the players.”We have been in regular communication with all concerned parties regarding the ICC sanctioning of these events for the past several weeks. These events already have the necessary sanctioning from USA Cricket under our agreement with them, and the completed ICC sanctioning applications for MiLC and MLC are presently with USA Cricket.”We have been assured that they will be processed in a speedy manner once received by the ICC. We believe that the recent staffing changes at USA Cricket may have contributed to any delays. However, we fully expect the events to receive complete sanctioning in the coming days, as all parties agree that MiLC and MLC are very important to the growth and development of cricket in the US.”Geale’s reference to staffing changes alludes to the resignation of USA Cricket’s interim CEO Vinay Bhimjiani over the weekend, after five months in the role.Rai told ESPNcricinfo that there were other outstanding issues that had prevented them from moving forward on the sanctioning. This includes USA Cricket’s desire for more favourable revisions from the short-form agreement, before signing a finalised long-form agreement between the two parties.”The board appointed a five-member working group to negotiate the terms of the Long-form agreement and they have started the conversation as I understand,” Rai told ESPNcricinfo. “I am not part of that committee and since the CEO resigned, he is no longer involved in the negotiations. Therefore, any sanctioning or approval will have to come as a recommendation from the committee to the board.”As for the 50-year commercial partnership agreement, the working group had sent a letter to ACE outlining the areas of problems in the contract as well as the failures. While there was a response from ACE, I believe that there is much to be discussed before any final agreement can be reached.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Galoppo segue em boa fase no São Paulo. Neste domingo, na vitória tricolor por 3 a 1 sobre o Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto, o meia marcou, de pênalti, o seu 8º gol em apenas 10 partidas na temporada – somente seis como titular. O jogador agora divide a artilharia do Paulistão com Róger Guedes, do Corinthians, e é também um dos principais goleadores do futebol brasileiro neste ano.

Com oito gols em 2023, o camisa 14 aparece atrás apenas de Pedro e Gabigol, do Flamengo, que não marcaram no fim de semana – o camisa 9 rubro-negro ficou de fora do clássico com o Vasco -, Germán Cano, do Fluminense, que balançou as redes duas vezes na goleada por 5 a 0 sobre o Bangu, e Pablo, que deixou o seu no triunfo do Athletico por 5 a 2 em cima do São Joseense.

Galoppo, inclusive, já está bem próximo de igualar, e até superar, sua melhor temporada da carreira. Em 2021, quando se destcou no Banfield, da Argentina, o meia marcou 13 vezes em 48 partidas disputadas.

ARTILHEIROS DO BRASIL EM 2023
Apenas jogadores de times da Série A

1º – Pedro – Flamengo – 10 gols em 9 jogos
2º – Cano – Fluminense – 9 gols em 8 jogos
Gabigol – Flamengo – 9 gols em 10 jogos
Pablo – Athletico-PR – 9 gols em 11 jogos
5º – Hulk – Atlético-MG – 8 gols em 8 jogos
Galoppo – São Paulo – 8 gols em 10 jogos
Suárez – Grêmio – 8 gols em 10 jogos
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Estevao Willian has revealed he will wear the No.41 shirt at Chelsea, with the Brazilian wonderkid gearing up for his Blues debut.

Talented teenager has completed transferExcited by new challenge in the Premier LeagueSticking with shirt number worn at PalmeirasFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A Premier League transfer for the South American youngster was announced in June 2024. He has had to wait over a year before completing a switch to Stamford Bridge, passing his 18th birthday and gracing the FIFA Club World Cup along the way.

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Estevao, who has been dubbed Messinho (Little Messi) in his homeland, is finally a Blues player and is looking forward to opening an exciting new chapter in his career. His new squad number has been confirmed.

The No.41 at Chelsea has not been filled since 2018-19, when Ola Aina graced that jersey. Dominic Solanke, who is now on the books at Tottenham, wore it prior to that – with Estevao sticking with the number he wore with distinction after bursting onto the scene at Palmeiras.

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Getty/GOALWHAT ESTEVAO SAID

Estevao has told Chelsea’s of arriving in English football: “I am very happy, it feels very rewarding to represent Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world. I am very happy and I hope to help the team in the best way possible.

“I had almost a year-and-a-half to wait until I arrived here. But it has been a year and a half that I have worked hard and have done my best to get here in the best shape possible. I am very, very excited. It is a new experience in my life, a new stage. I am looking forward to it and hope that it will go as well as possible.”