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Director of domestic cricket Haroon Rasheed and chief curator Agha Zahid will leave the PCB at the end of their contracts. Rasheed’s contract concludes at the end of this month, while Zahid’s ends on May 31. The duo had been working on a rolling contract and held prominent positions within the setup for several years. ESPNcricinfo understands the decision has been taken to begin a restructuring process at the National Cricket Academy to transform it into a high-performance centre.The PCB has already dispensed with the services of Ali Zia, senior general manager academies, while director academies Mudassar Nazar decided not to seek an extension once his contract ends next month. Senior general manager domestic cricket Shafiq Ahmed was also released last year, as was Subhan Ahmed, one of the central figures of several PCB administrations of past years.The drive to replace older, more experienced officials with younger ones has begun to be laid since Wasim Khan entered the fray at the PCB last year. Upon assuming his position as the COO, he had told ESPNcricinfo that he wanted “to bring a change by recruiting players from the present era to work in the system. Naturally, in the modern game, we need people who are relevant, hungry and are committed to making a difference. It’s a new era and we have exciting plans for the future. We won’t be derailed in doing what’s right for Pakistan cricket.”Budgetary concerns may well have played a part, too, with the NCA long seen as eating into the available finances without quite pulling its weight in terms of output. Khan had on more than one occasion hinted changes of this nature in his interactions with the media, which makes this revamp somewhat unsurprising. David Parsons, who worked with the ECB as performance director, came to Pakistan last year and gave the PCB a detailed report containing advice on how to go about revamping the National Cricket Academy and streamlining the pathway programme to the national side.Rasheed, 67, has been in the system since 1985 after he retired as a player. His roles have been as diverse as they have long-standing. He served as a team manager, senior and junior coach, chief selector, head of youth and game development, and the head of the NCA. He is presently working as a director of domestic cricket, where his last significant project included an overhaul of Pakistan’s domestic structure, getting rid of departments and reducing the number of teams from 16 to just six provincial sides.”On behalf of the PCB, I want to sincerely thank Haroon Rashid and Agha Zahid for their hard work and services over a vast number of years,” Khan said. “With Mudassar Nazar having already announced his departure in May, the PCB will now use this opportunity to restructure the NCA and domestic cricket to create a different and streamlined high-performance structure that serves the game and it’s cricketers in a more seamless way. Amongst many areas, the new system will focus on coach education and the assessment and re-training of our current elite coaches; in addition, the improved streamlined system will enable us to further bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.”ESPNcricinfo understands the position of director domestic will be abolished. However, the chief curator’s position will be filled by Ali Raza, who has a PhD in Soil Science. Raza had served as Zahid’s deputy recently and will take over the role until the PCB complete its restructuring process.

Title sponsors have a huge recall value when fans revisit memorable classics. Many Indians still refer to the 1983 World Cup as the Prudential World Cup. The 1987 edition, which India hosted for the first time, is fondly remembered as the Reliance World Cup. The 1985 World Series, made famous by Ravi Shastri and his Audi, is often referred to as the Benson & Hedges World Series. Many years from now, this India v Australia clash will be remembered as Titan Cup fixture in Bangalore.The match had everything. Some fine new-ball bowling from local lads Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad, electric fielding from Ajay Jadeja, a slow-paced but a well-constructed century from Mark Taylor that helped Australia post 215 and a fiery spell from a wiry Glenn McGrath, backed by relentless support from Jason Gillespie, that triggered a top-order wobble. Then there was a collision involving Jadeja and McGrath and, of course, Sachin Tendulkar being at the front and centre of India’s chase.That wasn’t it. There was debatable umpiring and crowd trouble, too, when Mohammad Azharuddin fell to what he felt was a shocking lbw decision, when in reality, he had only himself to blame. India were only three down by then, but the signs were ominous. Memories of Eden Gardens from a few months ago came rushing back. But sanity prevailed and play resumed after a 20-minute delay. The break didn’t change India’s fortunes drastically as they lost Sourav Ganguly almost immediately to a brain freeze from Tendulkar. The Indian captain froze halfway through a second that he wanted, by which time Ganguly had reached a point of no return. The alarm bells were ringing and India’s chances hinged on Tendulkar, like it so often does these days.He batted for a better part of the chase, shelving his natural game in the middle overs for hard-run singles, apart from sweeping and picking left-arm wristspinner Brad Hogg for crucial boundaries to ensure the asking rate never got out of hand. But his dismissal which quickly followed Nayan Mongia’s and Sunil Joshi’s left India at 164 for 8 in pursuit of 216.Enter local boys Anil Kumble and Srinath, with their mums cheering and screaming for every run they scored, every ball they defended and every boundary they hit. The ninth-wicket pair held their nerve, combated the McGrath-Gillespie threat and eventually scripted a great escape. India needed 52 when they joined hands. The stands were starting to thin, but those who stayed back got their monies worth.Kumble is a nudger at the best of times, Srinath a little more eccentric and enterprising. He fancies a good-old slog and when he connects, they sail. It’s this mix of ice and fire that had 40,000 faithfuls biting their fingernails off in the face of an asking rate that had spiralled to over a run-a-ball. As the equation narrowed, the crowd stated to heave. Australia felt the pressure and when it was down to single digits, not even the nerves of the occasion could fray the two local boys, who ensured India ended up winners.As many as six Karnataka players were part of India’s XI in this game. At that World Cup quarter-final game, Venkatesh Prasad was the hero. Here, it was his close friends who became overnight sensations. Joshi strangled Australia in the middle overs with some tight bowling, but the two batsmen – Sujith Somasunder and Rahul Dravid had outings to forget.If facing Brian McMillan and Allan Donald may have been intimidating enough in Hyderabad, Somasunder ran into McGrath here, looking all over the place against the short ball. He was roughed up so much that a sucker ball – an inswinging yorker – had his stumps in a mess. However, these are blips India would want to look at later, for this win came at the right time following a string of ODI failures post their infamous World Cup semi-final, in Singapore, Sharjah, Sri Lanka and Toronto.For Australia, Taylor’s industrious century was some consolation. It was his slow but steady partnership with Steve Waugh that lifted Australia after the innings meandered around the three-run-per-over mark for much of the first half. After Waugh’s dismissal, Michael Bevan added some much needed-urgency, but it felt as if Australia fell much shorter than they would’ve liked to finish with.But, their bowling attack made their total of 215 look bigger. It so happened that they ran into an inspired lower order and Tendulkar, yet again. In Mumbai, at the World Cup, they got away. In Bangalore, they couldn’t pull off a coup.

When you are in a spot, you would bank on Jason Holder, wouldn’t you? One of the two best allrounders in Test cricket, along with Ben Stokes, Holder has shown most times the demeanour, maturity, understanding and skills – with ball and bat – to seize opportunities. He may not have done it as frequently as Stokes, but Holder shares a propensity to be the catalyst for his team’s Test victories.So on Sunday afternoon, West Indies were in a spot, thanks once again to Stuart Broad, who had resuscitated a flat-lining Test match with the second new ball. Wicketless in the morning, but surging through his second wind, he picked three key wickets in successive overs as West Indies were left needing another 18 runs to avoid the follow-on, with just Holder and Roston Chase the remaining specialist batsmen.Ten runs shy of the target, Holder faced Chris Woakes. Moments earlier, Stokes had walked off the field, holding his stomach. Holder took an off-stump guard to cover Woakes’ fourth-stump line. He knew it would be a good length, moving away. He did not need to play the ball. Yet he poked an easy catch to slip. Holder had created another turning point. This time for England.Still 21.4 overs overs remained in the evening. West Indies needed to eat into that allocation to deny England the upper hand with a full day’s play still left.West Indies were never meant to be this desperate. That pressure was England’s, at lunch and tea. Yet if Test cricket teaches you one thing, it is about having a positive mindset at all times. It’s about controlling the controllables and focusing on the plan. And if you ever lose the plot, even momentarily, it’s about getting it straight back on track.Broad showed that today. He and Stokes attempted to dry out the runs before tea as Shamarh Brooks and Chase were looking to cash in on a flat pitch, soft seam and a ball without shine.But as soon as Joe Root took the new ball, Broad corrected his lines, went over the wicket, pitched fuller, made use of the hard seam, at times wobbled it, planted doubts in the well-set minds of Brooks and others, and just like that, he put England back in the match.To think that Broad could do this without the usual chanting of the Old Trafford full house shows why he has remained a prized asset for England this decade. West Indies can learn a lot from Broad: he said he was hungry after being dropped in Southampton. Today that hunger showed.Shamarh Brooks takes evasive action•Getty Images

Stokes and Dom Sibley showed that same perseverance on the first two days when they batted with an over-my-dead-body attitude. Yeah, it was boring. But if it had not rained on Saturday, England would have realised the true worth of that huge partnership. Both batsmen were determined to convert the starts and make it big. Make it count.That pair were the only two of England’s top-six to reach 25 in the first innings, compared to five for West Indies. But between them they made 296 runs, while Windies’ top two run-makers – Brooks and Kraigg Brathwaite – made less than half of that, 143 runs.Yes, West Indies did have partnerships, but they did not prosper when it mattered the most. Brooks was their best batsman today, playing with control, command and using the wrists to flick and push shots into the wide gaps effortlessly. When Stokes tirelessly bent his back, banging in short-pitched deliveries, while aiming for the throat, Brooke ducked and weaved without breaking any sweat most times.He tamed the challenge of Dom Bess’s flat offbreaks by playing the spinner on the front foot for the most part, and rocking back to cut sharply for easy runs. But as soon Broad took the new ball, Brooks suddenly seemed reluctant to push forward with the same confidence. He had done so, as he later admitted, he would not have been trapped plumb lbw for 68.ALSO READ: Broad – England will sacrifice runs for victory chanceBrooks is 31 and is playing in his fifth Test. In 86 previous first-class matches, he has averaged 32, and in 146 innings he’s only faced 200 balls on six occasions, including his solitary Test century against Afghanistan last year.Long innings are not yet his forte. Nor are they the forte of Jermaine Blackwood or even Shai Hope, who has struggled to play for time in spite of his now fading memories at Headingley in 2017.A mindset to dig in for a long innings does not come naturally, however gifted a batsman is. It takes a lot of experience and hard work, allied with hunger and resolve. Not to mention skill.But West Indies’ batsmen will get a second chance on Monday. They may need to bat for close to 85 overs as Broad, Woakes, Curran and Stokes steam in with renewed energy to tie this Test series. Can Windies batsmen withstand the collective pressure, play time and then figure out whether to go for the kill by chasing down the target?Brian Lara did it consistently. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, too. They became greats because they could be trusted when the pressure was on.

The PCB has played down reports that a company based in the Isle of Man may seize assets owned by the Pakistan team currently in the UK, as part of an old legal dispute between the firm and the Pakistan government. A report in the Pakistani daily the quoted a letter from Broadsheet LLC to the Pakistan government in which it said it would “seize the assets of the Pakistani cricket team” because of longstanding dues owed to it by the government.The PCB has been in touch with the Pakistan Embassy in the UK and is believed to have been satisfied that there is little prospect of this actually happening. That belief lies in the legal opinion that the Pakistan team is representative of the Pakistan Cricket Board, an autonomous body, and not of the Pakistan state or government, and so is not a party to the case or liable for the damages. In the letter, Broadsheet says that the Pakistan team is “by the very nature, an asset of the defendant and that monies due to the team and assets of the team are assets of the defendant to the litigation”.The PCB, however, said the ordinance under which it was established makes it clear it is autonomous.”The PCB has no nexus whatsoever with the arbitration and/or recovery proceedings between Broadsheet LLC and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan & National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan,” the PCB said.”Moreover, the PCB stands established under the Sports (Development and Control) Ordinance 1962 as a body corporate having perpetual succession with exclusive authority for the regulation, administration, management and promotion of the game of cricket in Pakistan. The PCB operates through its Constitution as an autonomous entity.”The PCB operates and functions independently from the Government, generates its own revenues and receives no grants, funds or monies from either the Federal or Provincial Governments, or the Public Exchequer.”The legal dispute dates back to the early 2000s, when Broadsheet was hired by General Pervez Musharraf, who was the head of state of Pakistan then, to trace out hidden assets of Pakistan nationals in foreign countries. Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) signed an agreement with Broadsheet, which was eventually terminated in 2003. The termination led to a legal dispute, one resolved in 2018, when an international arbitration court in London ruled in favour of Broadsheet, and established that the NAB was liable to pay damages. It is this payment that remains outstanding.The letter quoted in the was written by Broadsheet to Allen & Overy, the firm that represented the Pakistan government and the NAB in the case, and said that Broadsheet was owed “more than USD 33 million” after it won the arbitration.ESPNcricinfo reached out to NAB for comment, but the body has not confirmed or denied any threat to the cricket team’s equipment being seized. The Pakistan team will play three Tests and three T20Is against England, with the first Test scheduled to start on August 5 in Manchester. The final T20I will take place on September 1.

Six Afghanistan players including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are in danger of missing the final week of CPL 2020, including the tournament’s playoffs, since they might be dashed back home to Kabul to play in the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan’s domestic T20 competition.While the CPL final is scheduled for September 10, the Shpageeza League, featuring six teams, is scheduled from September 6 to 16. The 11-day tournament will feature 19 matches including four play-offs and will be played at the Kabul International Stadium.Rashid (Barbados Tridents), Mujeeb (Jamaica Tallawahs), Naveen-ul-Haq (Guyana Amazon Warriors), and the St Lucia Zouks trio of Nabi, Zahir Khan and Najibullah Zadran are the Afghanistan players taking part in the 2020 CPL, which is being played in Trinidad behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Rashid represents the Band-e-Amir Dragons in the Shpageeza League, while Nabi captains the Mis-e-Ainak Knights, Mujeeb and Naveen play for the Kabul Eagles, and Zadran and Zahir the Speenghar Tigers.The ACB said it was committed to have the Afghanistan players in CPL available in time for Shpageeza League barring logistical issues or government restrictions. Nazeem Jaar Abdulrahimzai, the acting chief executive officer of the ACB, said the plan was to fly the Afghanistan players in the CPL to Kabul by September 5. However, the ACB has taken into account the fact that Trinidad has kept its borders closed and the players could miss the first few matches of the Shpageeza League.”We have sent an email to Cricket West Indies. We will have players from CPL on September 5,” Abdulrahimzai told ESPNcricinfo. “They are aware about that. They are just waiting for the flight details so they will prepare for the players to fly out.”Neither CWI nor the CPL or the franchises have made any comment yet. It is understood that once it had received the No Objection Certificates that had been granted by various boards, the CWI had informed them that players would only be able to exit the CPL’s biosecure bubble after getting permission from the Trinidad government to board a charter flight to move to a different Caribbean island or fly out to other destinations.At the time the ACB granted them NOCs to take part in the CPL, it is understood the Afghanistan players were allowed to be available to their CPL teams between August 1 and September 10. The ACB is not revoking those NOCs, but is trying to coordinate with CWI to find a solution. The franchises, on their part, have not yet been informed of the Afghanistan players’ plans. It is understood they will release the Afghanistan players subject to nods from the CPL and CWI.Mujeeb Ur Rahman appeals for a wicket•BCCI

It is understood that CWI informed the ACB that the only way the Afghanistan players could exit the CPL’s biosecure bubble safely with permission from the Trinidad government was if a charter plane landed to pick them up.According to Abdulrahimzai, the ACB has chalked out two routes for the players to be flown to Kabul. “We have arranged a chartered plane. It will pick them (players) from Trinidad,” he said. “The first choice is they will fly to Barbados as they already have the ticket from there (to come back). From Barbados to London and then via UAE to Kabul. If that is not possible we are working on the second option as well: pick them from Trinidad, fly to London and then to Kabul.”Currently Afghanistan does not have any mandatory quarantine norms, which means their players can move seamlessly out of the CPL bubble and into the Shpageeza League. The ACB has said it will follow the guidelines imposed by the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health and the World Health Organisation during the course of the tournament. The ACB also said that the decision to allow spectators at the stadium is subject to the approval of relevant health authorities and the Government Emergency Committee for the prevention of COVID-19.Abdulrahimzai said the ACB was also liaising with the government authorities to check if crowds could be allowed at the Shpageeza League, which in the past has attracted full houses.Rashid, Nabi, Mujeeb could leave early for IPLThe BCCI will also need clarity on the availability of the Afghanistan players. Rashid, Nabi and Mujeeb, meanwhile, are also due to take part in the IPL, which begins in the UAE on September 19. Though the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) wants its players’ full availability, it is understood that in case they take part in the Shpageeza League, the IPL trio will be allowed to travel to the UAE in time to play their respective franchises’ opening matches.Abdulrahimzai said the three IPL-bound Afghanistan players would be allowed to leave the Shpageeza League early so they could undergo the mandatory six-day quarantine which is part of a rigorous testing process in place for the IPL, but the ACB was yet to take a final decision.Rashid and Nabi represent Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL while Mujeeb plays for Kings XI Punjab. “Those players who are in the IPL we might release them few days earlier so they can go be in the UAE for the mandatory quarantine,” Abdulrahimzai said.

The middle-order of Australia’s T20I side is under the microscope, but Ashton Agar believes he is making “small steps” in learning the art of finishing an innings having been given a pivotal position.The make-up of Australia’s XI with Agar as one of five frontline bowlers sees him in the No. 7 spot and he has walked to the crease in two contrasting, but common, situations in the first two games against England, both of which have gone the way of the home side.In the opening game he came in during the 17th over with a run chase losing its way and the equation standing at 30 needed off 21 balls. Agar managed just 4 off 5 before he was run out in the penultimate over as Australia made a mess of things to lose by two runs.ALSO READ: Starc says lack of recent cricket costing AustraliaOn Sunday, Agar walked in at 89 for 5 in the 13th over with a first innings needing rebuilding if anything close to a competitive score was to be reached. Agar didn’t exactly blaze a trail but made 23 off 20 balls as the middle and lower order scrambled their way to 157. It made a game of things but Jos Buttler, the master of a finish wherever he bats, guided a very efficient chase.”It is a difficult role, coming in with minimal balls left and you could be in different situations. I’ve seen that vary a lot in the last two games,” Agar, who has also taken four wickets in the two matches, said. “Generally, you have a batsman at the other end and the key to getting your innings started is getting them on strike, finding your boundaries when you can.”I feel like I’m slowly learning to figure that role, trying to play some better cricket shots, limit the amount of balls I hit in the air at the start and hopefully take it as deep as I can to try and finish off an innings. Yesterday was maybe a small step forward in that direction.”Agar has only had a handful of opportunities at the crease since he returned to the T20 team in the last Australian summer. The prolific top order meant he did not get a bat in the series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan (neither did Alex Carey at No. 6) before making 20 off 12 balls in Johannesburg, a game he capped off with a hat-trick.His overall strike rate is a modest 110.08 – for anyone who has batted at least ten times at No. 7 in T20Is he is the fifth slowest – and he has only hit four sixes in 12 innings. In all his T20 cricket the majority of his innings have been at Nos. 6 and 7 but the strike-rate remains just over a run-a-ball.”It’s definitely a role that I’ve identified that if I can fit into well I can really help the team,” he said. “It’s a tough role and one I really need to improve on because it’s really important at that backend of an innings. To get an extra 10-15 runs out of that position in a minimal amount of balls, that can be the difference either setting or chasing.”We bat quite deep now as you saw with Patty Cummins last night hitting Jofra for a beautiful six, that’s a really good sign for us. Justin Langer asked all the bowlers to go away and work on their batting throughout the practice games.”While disappointed at the two defeats, particularly having let such a strong position slip in the first match, Agar said that after six months without cricket there remained a strong belief in the squad.”It really hurts to lose a series but we look around the changing room and we know we are a really good T20 team and if we win a couple of those small moments it shows we are super competitive against the best teams in the world. To match it with a team who has had a summer of cricket and been playing really well, coming off no cricket, we are very close.”