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Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor has claimed the Toon Army deserved their luck after scrapping to a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

United were overwhelmed in the first half but fought back in the second to earn a point, but were twice the lucky recipients of officiating errors. Marouane Fellaini wrongly saw an effort chalked off as offside, while Victor Anichebe saw an attempt not given that had clearly crossed the line.

Taylor told the club’s official website, “We’ve had a look at it and it does look like it was past the line so we got lucky.

“But sometimes you need that. For Newcastle United, a few years ago we wouldn’t have got that. We’ve got players who work hard day in, day out, players who want to get into the team and put pressure onto each other.

“That’s what we need and I think today was just a great example of what a hard team performance is.”

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Chasing 185, Bangladesh need another 143 with all ten wickets intact

Ashish Pant02-Sep-2024Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana combined to pick up nine wickets as Bangladesh took a big stride in their quest towards a 2-0 series sweep over Pakistan on the fourth day of the second Test in Rawalpindi.Mahmud, who picked two wickets at the fag end of the third day, added three more to his tally on the fourth afternoon to claim his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket, finishing with 5 for 43 in 10.4 overs in his third Test. Rana also registered his best Test figures – 4 for 44 – as Pakistan were bowled out for 172 in their second innings, setting up a target of 185. With Taskin Ahmed taking the other wicket, this was the first time in Bangladesh’s Test history that all ten wickets were picked up by fast bowlers.Zakir Hasan then came out with a positive intent and scored 31 not out off 23 balls with two fours and two sixes as Bangladesh wiped 42 runs off the target in just seven overs. He had Shadman Islam for company on 9 when bad light and then rain forced an early finish to the day shortly after tea. Bangladesh require another 143 runs on the final day to secure just their third overseas Test series victory and first since their 1-0 win in Zimbabwe in 2021.Related

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Resuming on 9 for 2 with a lead of 21, it was shaping up to be a good morning for Pakistan, with Shan Masood and Saim Ayub looking positive. Masood began by punching Taskin down the ground before Ayub clipped the pace bowler off his pads. There were a few plays and misses, and tight leaves, but the duo largely looked untroubled as they collected 34 runs in the first 6.2 overs of the day.But soon after that came a loose drive from Ayub and Bangladesh came galloping back. Taskin bowled one full outside off stump and Ayub went for a drive on the up only to find Najmul Hossain Shanto at mid-off. Babar Azam started with a cracking a square cut off Taskin but was far from his usual self. He missed a straight ball from Mehidy Hasan Miraz and was hit on the pad. Bangladesh reviewed the on-field decision of not out, but replays suggested the ball was missing the leg stump.Nahid was brought into the attack in the 17th over, and it took him all of three balls to strike. He sent back Masood, whose half-hearted attempt at a drive only found the outside edge for a simple catch to the wicketkeeper. Nahid then had Babar edging to first slip with a good-length ball that bounced a touch more than what the batter expected. He should have dismissed Mohammad Rizwan first ball but Shadman, who had taken a catch the previous delivery, spilled an almost identical chance.Zakir Hasan stared briskly in a chase of 185•AFP/Getty Images

Even when he was not taking wickets, Nahid caused plenty of trouble. He consistently bowled over 140kph and generated awkward bounce with his high-arm action. He threatened both edges and even hit Rizwan on the helmet with a nasty bouncer. Rizwan, visibly shaken, called the physio a few times but carried on.Nahid picked up his third wicket when Saud Shakeel hung his bat out, offering a simple catch to Litton Das as Pakistan slipped from 47 for 2 to 81 for 6. Rizwan and Salman Agha, though, made sure Pakistan did not lose another wicket till lunch while extending the lead to 129.With Rizwan still feeling fuzzy and looking for quick runs, Bangladesh stuck to their plan, making sure there were no easy runs. Mahmud, who wasn’t as incisive in the first session, stuck to the channel outside off stump. That brought about a false shot from Rizwan, playing away from his body and getting a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. The very next ball, Mahmud had Mohammad Ali edging to first slip.While the hat-trick was averted, Abrar Ahmed lasted only 12 balls and became Rana’s fourth victim with the scoreboard reading 145 for 9. But a swift end to the innings was delayed by Agha, who added vital runs with the lower order for the second time in the match. He stitched a 27-run stand with Mir Hamza before Mahmud claimed his fifth wicket. It came via an inside edge onto the pad with the ball lobbing to Mehidy at second slip. Mahmud bowed to the turf before leading the team off the field with the ball raised high.Pakistan needed early wickets but their hopes were quashed by Zakir, who was on the move early. He was aggressive with his footwork, often charging at the bowlers early. He clipped Khurram Shahzad for a six over long leg before pulling him for another six, this time over deep-backward square leg as Bangladesh moved 37 for no loss in six overs at tea.Only one over was possible after the break before it got too dark for play to continue.

She has been withdrawn from the squad on the advice of CA medical staff

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2023Australia captain Meg Lanning has been ruled out of the Ashes due to medical reasons. Alyssa Healy will lead the side in the multi-format series which begins on June 22.Lanning returned to playing in January after taking an extended break from the game to manage her mental health and led Australia to the T20 World Cup title in South Africa during March before going on to feature in the inaugural WPL.”It’s an unfortunate setback for Meg and she’s obviously disappointed to have been ruled out of the Ashes; it’s a significant series for the team and she’ll be missed, but she understands the need to put her health first,” Shawn Flegler, CA’s head of performance for women’s cricket, said.Related

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“Meg will remain at home where she will continue to work with medical staff with the aim to return to playing as soon as possible. We ask that Meg’s privacy is respected at this time.”A CA statement added: “On the advice of CA medical staff, Lanning has been withdrawn from the squad due to a medical issue which requires management from home. A timeline for Lanning’s return to play will become clearer in due course.”It will be the second Ashes series that Lanning has missed after she sat out the 2017-18 series in Australia due to a shoulder injury.Lanning was part of the promotion of the fixture announcement for next summer little more than a fortnight ago.During Lanning’s absence from the team last year Healy stepped into the captaincy and will again be supported by Tahlia McGrath as vice captain.Australia will not replace Lanning in the Ashes squad with Australia A touring concurrently for the first part of the trip meaning they can draft players in as required.The loss of Lanning will leave a huge hole to fill in the top order across formats. There could be significant rejigging for the Test match with Healy having recently indicated she will consider a move down the order to manage her workload.

He played the last of his 43 Tests in January last year, against England

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jan-2022Dilruwan Perera, the Sri Lanka men’s offspinner, has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, at the age of 39. Perera played the last of his 43 Tests in January last year, against England. He also played 13 ODIs, across 11 years, and three T20 internationals for Sri Lanka. According to an SLC release, Perera will continue to play domestic cricket.In Tests, Perera took 161 wickets at an average of 35.9, and as a handy lower-order batter, hit eight fifties and averaged 18.88.It is as Sri Lanka’s second spinner in Rangana Herath’s best years that Perera might be remembered, but perhaps this is somewhat uncharitable. He was largely deployed in favourable conditions, playing 35 of his Tests in Asia, but was nevertheless frequently effective in those conditions, particularly in the first three years of his Test career. He is in fact Sri Lanka’s quickest bowler to 50 Test wickets, achieving the feat in 11 Tests, even if his returns slowed somewhat since then.Perera’s greatest moments came in home Tests. He took 10 wickets in the win against Australia in Galle, during the series in which Sri Lanka whitewashed that opposition. His other 10-for also came in Galle in another big victory, this time against South Africa in 2018. On turning pitches, he was almost a mirror-image of Herath, frequently imparting underspin on the ball to get it to slide on with the arm, though his offbreak could also cause trouble.With the bat, he was bold rather than stubborn, often looking for legside boundaries, and using the sweep – both conventional and reverse – to good effect. His 95 on debut in Sharjah remains his top Test score. One of his most valuable innings also came in the UAE, when he hit 58 in Dubai in 2017, to help set up a big first-innings total in a day/night match against Pakistan. His second-innings five-wicket haul later sealed that game, and the series.His bowling did not impress over the last two years, however, and he was eventually edged out of the Test XI by the likes of Lasith Embuldeniya, and more recently, Praveen Jayawickrama and Ramesh Mendis.In limited-overs cricket, Perera had actually started as a batter, primarily, opening the innings in his first four games between 2007 and 2008, though without making much of an impact. He was decent with the ball when he returned to the ODI team after 2014, but his lack of agility in the field prompted selectors to look for younger options.

World’s No. 1-ranked T20I bowler rejected Scorchers offer to play in T20 Challenge instead

Matt Roller26-Oct-2020Sophie Ecclestone, the England spinner and the No. 1 T20I bowler in the ICC’s rankings, has revealed that she turned down a contract to play for Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).While quarantining in the UAE ahead of the Women’s T20 Challenge, Ecclestone told ESPNcricinfo in an interview to be published this week that she had been offered the chance to play in the WBBL for the first time earlier this year.After initially telling the Scorchers she would be available, Ecclestone decided to pull out of the tournament after spending the summer in biosecure bubbles ahead of England’s planned international fixtures.ALSO READ: ‘It’s been a difficult preparation’ admits Renegades coach ahead of WBBL“I was going to go to the Big Bash,” she said. “Initially I said yes, but since the quarantine was two weeks and in a bubble I was like: no, I’m all right, I’ll pass and try and do it next year. When this [the Women’s T20 Challenge] came along with six days of quarantine and in Dubai, I thought I could cope with that.”I was going at one point. I had to send them an email saying: I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can do it. Hopefully I can do it next year. I was meant to be going. I feel bad really, but hopefully they’ll have me back at some point.”Six of Ecclestone’s England team-mates are playing in the WBBL: Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight both joined Syndey Thunder, Katherine Brunt and Nat Sciver were picked up by Melbourne Stars, and Amy Jones and Sarah Glenn are both at the Scorchers.They had to quarantine in hotel rooms for 14 days before joining the tournament’s Sydney hub, having had only three days at home after leaving Derby at the end of their T20I series against West Indies before flying out to Australia.”We had the training camp at Derby, which was two or three weeks, then the bubble at Burleigh Court [Loughborough] and then Derby again which was a month and a bit, and I think the girls had a three-day turnaround before they flew to quarantine in Australia. I think that would have been too much.”Ecclestone’s revelations come at a time when several players have questioned the long-term viability of bubbles. Last week, Eoin Morgan and Jason Holder both raised concerns about the prospect of players suffering from burnout after travelling from one biosecure environment to another, while Ellyse Perry echoed their points on Saturday.”There’s going to be various struggles for people at different points of time, for all different reasons,” she told AAP. “I don’t think it’s a sustainable option. Obviously this is a unique season and year, but I think there is probably a limit on what we can put people through.”

Warwickshire and rain spoil homecoming, but not for a grateful crowd who lapped up the occasion

Paul Edwards at York17-Jun-2019
The last time Yorkshire played at York Kent turned up with eight players, Bobby Peel took nine wickets and one of the spectators, Prince Albert Victor, a grandson of Queen Victoria, was later suspected of being Jack the Ripper. No crowd figure survives from that match played at Wigginton Road, 129 years ago, but you could wager Colin Graves’ gross worth that the general enthusiasm did not exceed that shown by spectators on this day of sun and showers at Clifton Park. Neither rain in the morning nor a tumble of Yorkshire wickets in the afternoon could spoil their fun.There were times, though, when Andrew Gale may not have been as sanguine.as the thousands who streamed through the gates this morning. Having seen his team progress smoothly to 93 for 1 by mid-afternoon the Yorkshire coach was troubled to see them lose five wickets for eight runs with only Gary Ballance’s patient 54 preventing a complete subsidence. In the final session, though, as the sun glistened briefly on the meringue roofs of the tented village, David Willey and Steve Patterson mounted a counter-offensive sufficient to disrupt the discipline which had characterised Warwickshire’s attack. Willey’s dismissal for 46, bowled by a fine ball from Craig Miles which scarcely stroked the off bail, still left Yorkshire on 208 for 8 when the last shower of the day sent everyone home. If Patterson and the tail can scramble another 40 or so, Yorkshire will have a defendable total on what looks an excellent pitch for four-day cricket.The crowd appreciated it all and enjoyed most of it. Rarely can spectators have contributed so much to a day’s play. They applauded happily when Adam Lyth glanced the first four of the match off Oliver Hannon-Dalby; they appreciated the bounce and lift which the Halifax-born bowler then extracted to have Lyth caught behind for 7; they retired to the beer tents when the first of the day’s five showers interrupted play. The pavilion bar was as crowded as the Northern Line (Bank Branch) in the rush hour, except that enjoyment rather than profit was the order of the day. But how could this be, one wondered, when only three men and a dog watch championship cricket?The pitch and surrounds were protected although not without hazard. Despite the groundsmen’s best efforts the wind got under the tarpaulins and at one stage there seemed a risk that a young Ebor would be lifted skyward when still clutching a cover and carried off towards Rawcliffe Ings like a latter-day Mary Poppins.But the rain soon abated and the 45 minutes’ cricket before lunch was of high quality. Both Hannon-Dalby and Liam Norwell made good use of the bounce and carry offered by the Clifton Park pitch but were resisted without mishap by Ballance and Will Fraine. The off-drive Ballance played to an over-pitched ball from Hannon-Dalby was the stroke of the morning but the boundary Fraine eased through the covers off Norwell was not far behind. When Jeetan Patel brought himself on at the Shipton End Ballance cut him to backward point for four in his first over and then swept him to the scoreboard in his third.Yorkshiremen around the ground took their lunch with their side on 60 for 1. The pennants atop the corporate hospitality marquee fluttered in the breeze and the pale sunlight gleamed on the roof beneath which the consumption was apologetically conspicuous. And for something like half an hour after the resumption nothing happened to cause the majority of guests any indigestion. Then Yorkshire collapsed and everyone ordered a large one.First-class cricket makes its debut at Clifton Park•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Warwickshire’s success was nothing less than they deserved. Having pulled Miles skilfully for four, Fraine attempted to repeat the shot but was brilliantly caught by Matt Lamb, diving low to his left from midwicket. Two balls later Tom Kohler-Cadmore was leg before for a duck when playing a barely descript shot at a straight ball. In the next over Jack Leaning was bowled for nought on his old club ground when Miles speared one between bat and pad.Patel’s attack maintained the pressure, perhaps sensing this was their best chance to justify their decision to field first. Runs were conceded like tips are offered by misers. Only eight had been added to the total when Jonny Tattersall edged Hannon-Dalby to slip. Four balls later Jordan Thompson was leg before when playing too flamboyantly to the same bowler.Ballance and Willey restored their side’s innings with a 44-run stand but the temper of the day’s cricket had changed. Having battled for nearly three hours, Ballance was caught on the crease by a delighted Patel and sent on his way by Jeff Evans. Willey and Patterson’s uncomplicated strokeplay gave home supporters something to warm them as they made their way back to their hotels.And all this took place on a day when many cricket fans were following the dramatic events at Taunton. It is an entertaining paradox that a tournament designed to celebrate cricket across the world has resulted in the game returning to localities whose inhabitants never dreamt their grounds would host first-class matches. Newclose, Newport and Nettleworth have all also hosted championship matches in recent weeks yet nowhere has the attraction of watching first-class cricket been exhibited more powerfully than at York.The crowds filled the bars and when they could find a spare square yard of space they sat with their pints near the boundary edge. Yorkshiremen are infamous for an inordinate desire to get value for money. This is rather a shabby slur; as ever, stereotype is the enemy of thought. Thirty overs were trimmed off this day by rain yet no one complained as they went home after another illustration of the game’s secret truth that if you take championship cricket back to the people, the people will turn up to watch it. Three men and a dog? My arse.

Australia dominated again, thanks to Beth Mooney’s 45, two wickets each from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, and India’s inability to prop up Smriti Mandhana’s third successive half-century

The Report by Annesha Ghosh at Brabourne Stadium22-Mar-2018BCCI

A familiar script that had underpinned the one-sided ODI series between the teams in Vadodara played itself out in the T20I tri-series opener, too. Australia romped to a six-wicket win over India, thanks to Beth Mooney’s 45, two wickets each from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, and India’s inability to prop up Smriti Mandhana’s third successive half-century.Resuming momentum from her 67 and 52 in the last two ODIs, Mandhana earned herself the distinction of India’s fastest T20I half-centurion. The innings transpired after Australia captain Meg Lanning sent India in, and a maiden over from Megan Schutt greeted Mithali Raj and the 100-odd spectators on Thursday morning at an otherwise empty Brabourne Stadium.Mandhana started off in a manner starkly different to Raj’s. She stepped out to Gardner off the second ball of her innings, and followed it up with a late glide past the wicketkeeper for a second four in three balls in the nine-run over. By the end of the Powerplay, Mandhana had tonked six fours and a six for her 20-ball 33 to help steer India to 47 for no loss, with Raj on 13 off 16.Mandhana brought up her half-century off 30 balls, even as Raj’s bid to break the shackles led Healy breaking her stumps for 27-ball 18 in the tenth over. Soon after, debutant and left-arm spiner Sophie Molineux nearly had Mandhana chop on on the fourth ball off her second over, but the inside edge would only trickle to short fine leg. However, five balls later, she sent Mandhana back for a 41-ball 67 with a catch at mid-on off Gardner.Her dismissal in the 14th over triggered a familiar Indian middle-order wobble and helped Perry snipe out Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur within the first three balls off the next over.India’s labour at 100 for 4 would have soon resulted in an even worse capitulation, had it not been the ingenious striking of allrounder Anuja Patil. During her 21-ball 35, Patil hooked and swept Perry to hammer 14 runs off the 18th over that spoiled Perry’s figures to 4-0-31-2.Patil added 14 more off her next four balls, before a back-of-the-hand full ball on middle from Delissa Kimmince had Molineux pick out Patil at deep midwicket. Veda Krishnamurthy then struck a four and a six in the last over to hoist the hosts to 152 for 5.During Australia’s chase, it took Jhulan Goswami all of five deliveries to make an impact upon her return to the squad from a heel injury after she missed the ODI series. After getting hit for two fours, a seam-up back-of-a length inswinger took the top of Alyssa Healy’s middle stump.Goswami snared Australia with a similar template in her next over. Gardner flayed Goswami through the point region for two back-to-back fours but a missed pull on the next ball cost her the middle stump and ended her eight-ball 15 cameo.Mooney and Elyse Villani subsequently took Australia to 57 for 2 after six overs, after suffering two scares courtesy Patil. Introduced as the first-change bowler, Patil collected a Mooney drive and darted it straight back through the batsman’s legs into the stumps. The replays, however, showed Mooney’s back toe back just in time.Mooney then struck three fours in the next over off Shikha Pandey during her 32-ball 45 and anchored the 79-run third-wicket stand with Villani. The duo, however, fell in consecutive overs, as Mooney holed out to Pandey, handing Goswami her third while Villani offered a return catch to Poonam Yadav in the 14th over.With 41 needed from as many balls, Lanning walked in at No. 5, and hammered four fours and a six. Her 44-run unbeaten stand with Rachael Haynes lent a degree of eventuality to India’s chase with a flurry of fours.The most incisive one came off Rodrigues, as Lanning bisected a near-non-existent gap between point and cover point. Equally authoritative was her lofted drive off Poonam that brought up Australia’s 150th run, before she hit the winning runs off Rumeli Dhar, in the penultimate over, en route to her 35 off 25 balls.

A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games that were played on February 16, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2017Manoj Tiwary and Virat Singh’s unbroken 149-run partnership for the third wicket steered East Zone to an emphatic eight-wicket win against North Zone in Mumbai.Put in to bat, North Zone’s top three amassed 85 run in 11.1 overs, with Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, and Unmukt Chand registering identical scores of 20.Yuvraj Singh top scored with a 24-ball 38. However, his dismissal in the 14th over triggered a collapse, with North Zone losing three more wickets within the next 14 balls.Manan Sharma (18) and Pradeep Sangwan (21) resuscitated the flagging North Zone innings, adding 29 runs for the eighth wicket.Pragyan Ojha returned figures of 3 for 33 for East Zone, while medium-pacers Sayan Ghosh and Pritam Das bagged two wickets each. Amit Verma accounted for Yuvraj and Parvez Rasool, who was out hit-wicket.Chasing 160, East Zone stuttered early on, losing Shreevats Goswami and Ishank Jaggi within the first two overs, before Tiwary (75 off 43) and Virat (74 off48) overhauled the target in 16.3 overs.Mayank Agarwal’s 46-ball 70 guided South Zone to a five-wicket victory against West Zone at the Wankhede Stadium.Having elected to bowl, South Zone spinners M Ashwin and Rahil Shah struck early to remove openers Sheldon Jackson (23) and Parthiv Patel (10) respectively.Medium-pacer Vijay Shankar lent able support to the duo; the three returned combined figures of 6 for 79, while Chama Milind – despite going at 10.25 in his four overs – finished with three wickets.Vishnu Vinod’s 20-ball 36 set the tone for South Zone’s 141-run chase, before Agarwal’s turbocharge – peppered with nine fours and two sixes – powered them to 136 in 16.4 overs. The Karnataka batsman shared a 52-run partnership – the highest in the match – with Dinesh Karthik (17), who came in after captain Shankar retired hurt in the seventh over with 62 for 1 on board.Pavan Deshpande and Ashwin then closed out the game for South Zone with 14 balls to spare.

The BCCI’s ombudsman Justice AP Shah has asked Sourav Ganguly to respond, by January 28, to an allegation of conflict of interest relating to his role on the IPL governing council

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Jan-20161:46

Archive – Ganguly had nothing to do with Pune bid, says Manohar

The BCCI’s ombudsman Justice AP Shah has asked Sourav Ganguly to respond, by January 28, to an allegation of conflict of interest relating to his role on the IPL governing council. The allegation, received by Shah from a member of the public, is that Ganguly has a commercial tie-up with the RP Sanjiv Goenka group, which has a stake in the Atletico de Kolkata football club in Indian Super League (ISL) and, in December, secured the ownership rights to run the Pune franchise in the IPL.Shah has also written to BCCI president Shashank Manohar and general manager (game development), Ratnakar Shetty, seeking a BCCI response by January 27.”This letter is a formal complaint against Mr Sourav Ganguly, an administrator who is currently the President of Cricket Association of Bengal and also member of IPL Governing Council,” Mumbai-based activist Niraj Gunde wrote in an emailed letter to Shah, comprising 19 pages where he has given details of the ATK structure.”According to Wikipedia, Atletico de Kolkata (commonly abbreviated as ATK), is an Indian Super League football franchise, based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The team is owned by Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd. which consists of former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, Spanish La Liga club Atletico Madrid, alongside businessman Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka and Utsav Parekh. This means the RPG group are partners with Mr Sourav Ganguly in another commercial venture. It is a clear case of conflict of interest which was not disclosed by Mr. Sourav Ganguly when RPG group bid and won the IPL team Pune Franchise for 2 years during October/November 2015,” Gunde wrote to Shah, accessed by ESPNcricinfo.This is the first high profile case filed with Shah, who was appointed by the BCCI last November as part of reforms initiated by Manohar.In his email to Ganguly, sent on Thursday and which was also accessed by ESPNcricinfo, Shah wrote: “The Office of the Ombudsman has received an application from Mr Niraj Gunde (cc-ed) on 13.01.2016, making certain allegations regarding conflict of interest against yourself. A copy of the application, numbered Application No 1 of 2016, is attached. Please provide your response to the same within two weeks from today, i.e., by 28.01.2016.”Sourav Ganguly, president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, is also a co-owner of the football franchise Atletico de Kolkata•AFP

A similar note was dispatched to Manohar and Shetty, via an email, asking them to respond the day before the deadline set for Ganguly expires. Incidentally, Manohar had defended Ganguly when the new franchises were announced last year stating that, “According to me there is not [a conflict of interest] because this is a transparent bidding concept.”Gunde’s accusation comes close on the heels of the Lodha Committee report, which laid heavy emphasis on getting rid of various conflict-of-interest situations prevalent within the BCCI as well as state association. The report detailed, across five pages, conflict issues and its various forms, and illustrated with various examples where the BCCI and state association administrators, employees, players, selectors and commentators could be in breach of the various rules.A case of indirect conflict, the committee said, could be: “C is a Member of the IPL Governing Council. The IPL enters into a contract with a new franchisee, the Managing Director of which is C’s partner in an independent commercial venture. C is hit by Indirect Conflict of Interest.”That example matches Gunde’s allegation that Ganguly could fall under this definition of conflict of interest. Both Goenka and Ganguly brushed off any suggestions that this is a case of conflict of interest.Incidentally Gunde was one of the people interviewed by the Lodha committee before it submitted its report to the Supreme Court. Last year, Gunde had revealed a picture of BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur in the company of suspected bookie Karan Gilhotra. That had prompted the ICC CEO David Richardson to write a letter to then BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya over an allegation that Thakur was spotted with Gilhotra, who “appears on the ICC ACSU database… following rumours … about his involvement in betting on cricket.” Thakur retaliated through a letter to the then ICC chairman N Srinivasan, alleging a “counter offensive” from the latter, following Thakur’s election as BCCI secretary.

Gurunath Meiyappan and the owners of CSK and Rajasthan Royals will have to depose before the inquiry commission, Ratnakar Shetty said

Amol Karhadkar21-Jun-2013Gurunath Meiyappan and the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who were the focus of the corruption charges during IPL 2013, will have to depose before the inquiry commission, Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s general manager – game development, said after the first meeting of the commission on Friday.Justice T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian, the two High Court judges comprising the commission, met with Shetty in Bangalore and discussed the procedure the inquiry would follow.”The procedures that the commission should follow and the rules and regulations were discussed,” Shetty said. “Explanations from the three – Gurunath Meiyappan, owners of CSK and Rajasthan Royals – were sought. They will all be given an opportunity to explain themselves in person by the commission.”Following the arrests of three Royals cricketers and that of Meiyappan, a Super Kings management member and BCCI president N Srinivasan’s son-in-law, the following week, the board had announced on May 28 that a three-member commission would conduct the internal inquiry against both the teams and Meiyappan.However, following Sanjay Jagdale’s resignation from the panel and as BCCI secretary, it was reconstituted on June 10. Since Royals co-owner Raj Kundra had allegedly admitted to his involvement in betting on his team’s matches to Delhi Police, the panel was also asked to look into the complaint filed against him.