Tom Bruce makes 345, third-highest score in New Zealand history

Only Bert Sutcliffe has higher individual scores than Bruce in New Zealand’s first-class history

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2025Tom Bruce has made the third-highest score in New Zealand first-class history with 345 for Central Stags against Auckland in the Plunket Shield.Bruce, who has played 17 T20Is, faced 401 balls and hit 36 fours alongside six sixes. Only one player, Bert Sutcliffe, has higher scores than Bruce in the New Zealand game with 355 and 385 for Otago.”I don’t think it’s really sunk in, to be fair, at the moment,” Bruce said at the end of play. “It’s obviously pretty special and something I’m incredibly proud of, and will certainly look back, probably after this game and probably once I’ve done my career, to think that it was pretty special and yeah, pretty proud of that achievement.”Having been unbeaten on 212 after the first day, he brought up his triple-century with a dab into the leg side from his 379th delivery.

When Bruce went to 339, he surpassed Roger Blunt’s 1931-32 score, also for Otago, having previously moved past Dean Brownlie (334 in 2014-15) and Devon Conway (327 not out in 2019-2020). Michael Papps and Peter Fulton also have triple-centuries in New Zealand’s domestic cricket.Bruce had come to the crease with his team 29 for 2, which became 75 for 3. He then added 292 with Dane Cleaver for the fourth wickets and 303 with Josh Clarkson for the fifth – both new records for Central Stags – before finally being caught down the leg side sweeping at Louis Delport. The Auckland players quickly made their way towards Bruce to congratulate him.Overall, it was the 11th century of Bruce’s first-class career. On the opening day, he went past 6000 first-class runs with his one-day form in the Ford Trophy helping him construct this epic and come out of a red-ball rut where he had made only 79 runs in his first four matches of the season.”I think I only scored probably a combined 50 runs, so that was a bit of a work-on for me,” Bruce said. “Obviously, heading into this back half of four day [season], you know, I pride myself on the red-ball game and wanted to contribute to the boys, so yeah, I was a wee bit disappointed with my form in that format. But yeah, certainly white ball, yeah, the runs were going well.”I was just having a really positive mindset and just looking to attack everything in the white-ball format. Sort of led to myself, yeah, just sort of freeing up a wee bit and playing with a bit more freedom, which allows me to play at my best, so certainly, yeah, was wanting to improve on my first four-day games. It wasn’t great, so yeah, really, really nice to get out there and spend a lot of time out in the middle and something that, yeah, I was certainly wanting to do.”

Babar: As long as Fakhar was there, we could have chased 450

“Of all the wickets we’ve played on this World Cup, this one was the best,” Fakhar said

Danyal Rasool05-Nov-20231:47

Mumtaz on Fakhar’s knock: ‘Pakistan’s dreams and hopes alive due to one man’

Pakistan captain Babar Azam believes that as long as Fakhar Zaman was batting on Saturday, they “could even have chased 450″ against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Speaking on an in-house PCB video, Fakhar and Babar talked about their unbeaten 194-run partnership that saw Pakistan post 200 for 1 in just 25.3 overs before rain put paid to the game, giving Pakistan a 21-run win by the DLS method. Pakistan were originally set 402 to win from the 50 overs.”My view was as long as Fakhar was there, we could even have chased 450,” the Pakistan captain said. “When he plays innings like these, we win 90% of games. After every six I said to him, ‘don’t force the issue’. He said okay but then ignored me and started hitting sixes anyway. So I then said to him, ‘do whatever you want, just don’t get out’. [It’s] one of the best innings I’ve seen.”While the prospect of rain had hung around all day, it hadn’t eventuated until partway through the second innings. New Zealand amassed 401, their second-highest ODI total, before a brief rain interruption delayed the start of the chase. But according to Babar, Pakistan approached the chase in the belief the game would go all the way.Related

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“We didn’t have rain in our mind at all,” he said. “But the clouds came suddenly, and then we started to calculate the DLS and we wanted to stay with it throughout. We were trying to keep wickets in hand, and I was trying to take it deep. Fakhar was utilising the short boundary while I held one end up and we made sure we didn’t let the run rate get out of control.Fakhar praised the wicket as “outstanding for batting”. He stopped short of calling it his best innings, reserving that for his 193 against South Africa at the Wanderers in 2021. But the value of an innings where he smashed an unbeaten 126 off 81 was not lost on him; he hit more sixes in that innings than any Pakistani has throughout the entire World Cup. And it meant Pakistan stayed alive, becoming just the second team to win an ODI after conceding more than 400 runs in the first innings.”Of all the wickets we’ve played on this World Cup, this one was the best,” Fakhar said. “It was clear from the second over that the wicket was great for batting. If Southee and Boult aren’t swinging the ball, you know the wicket is great to bat on. After four overs or so, whatever little swing there was also evaporated, and that gave me even more freedom.”This is a World Cup innings so this might be one of my favourite ones. It still doesn’t pip the 193 I scored at the Wanderers, because it’s the fastest wicket in the world and Asian players struggle there, but this innings and the situation I scored my runs in made me very happy.”

Sridharan Sriram leaves Australia's coaching team to focus on RCB role

Former India player parts ways with Cricket Australia after six years as the men’s spin coach

Alex Malcolm29-Jul-2022Sridharan Sriram will end his six-year tenure as an assistant coach with Australia’s men’s national team in order to focus on his coaching role with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.”After being on the road for six years it’s with a heavy heart I have decided to move on from my current role as an assistant coach of the Australian men’s team,” Sriram said in a statement. “I feel this is an opportune moment keeping in mind the team, giving them enough time to prepare for two World Cups and the World Test Championship. It has been a great experience for me working across formats, World Cups and Ashes and I have come out incredibly richer in knowledge.”Sriram, the former India allrounder, has been an important figure in Australia’s coaching set-up since being appointed as a spin coach under Darren Lehmann in 2016. He has had a big influence on the careers of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, in particular, and has worked closely with Nathan Lyon. He has also been a key figure in Glenn Maxwell’s development as a T20 spinner with both Australia and Royal Challengers.He had been fulfilling his duties with Australia while still being based in Chennai. But a change in coaching personnel with the Australia team has seen former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori join new coach Andrew McDonald as the full-time bowling coach. Vettori filled in as Australia’s bowling coach on the limited-overs portion of the tour to Pakistan when Sriram was unable to tour.”I am extremely grateful to Cricket Australia for all their support in the years that I have been involved with them,” he said. “I would like to thank my head coaches Darren Lehmann, Justin Langer and Andrew McDonald and my captains Steve Smith, Tim Paine, Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins who all believed in me.”Thanks also to Ben Oliver, Brian McFadyen, all the players and staff for welcoming me with open arms and making me feel a part of the group. Greg Chappell, Troy Cooley, Pat Howard and Marcus Stoinis were also instrumental in getting me involved. I wish the team and the coaches the very best for the future.”Zampa, who thrived under Sriram on his way to becoming arguably the best bowler in the T20 World Cup last year, was grateful for his influence. “I love working with Sri, he’s someone I have a lot of respect for and his work ethic and knowledge of the game have been invaluable to my career in recent years,” Zampa said.

Nasum Ahmed admits Bangladesh 'needed more time' to adjust to New Zealand conditions

“If we could have done the training camp for 15 more days, it would have been better”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2021Nasum Ahmed, the left-arm spinner who made his international debut in the recently-concluded T20Is against New Zealand, believes a longer preparation camp would have helped Bangladesh fare better in the series. Ahmed, 26, was part of the squad that lost 3-0 in the T20I series, and arrived in Dhaka from Auckland on Sunday.Related

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Ahmed admitted that Bangladesh struggled to adapt to New Zealand’s conditions. Their catching, in particular, was exposed throughout the tour as they dropped several straightforward chances in the circle and outfield. In the final T20I, Bangladesh dropped Finn Allen four times, allowing him to make a match-winning 71.”Our fielding would have improved if we stayed there for one-and-a-half to two months,” Ahmed said. “Their sky is very clear and their weather is nothing like ours. We needed more time. If we could have done the training camp for 15 more days, it would have been better.”After Bangladesh spent a week in room quarantine in Christchurch, they were allowed to train in small groups the following week. They then spent another week in training in Queenstown with the full team.In the lead up to the tour, Bangladesh’s white-ball captains Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah had both repeatedly said that this was the team’s best preparation to any New Zealand tour, but Ahmed felt they did not have enough time to adjust to the pitches, despite following the instructions of their spin-bowling coach Daniel Vettori.”I tried hard and tried to adjust to conditions like a professional cricketer. More than myself, I followed the coach’s tips more. He told me from the beginning how to bowl there. I applied what he said. We just couldn’t (win) do it. Not that we played badly, but we just couldn’t do it. Nothing more than that.”Condition was a problem. I think we are behind them in terms of wickets. Our wickets are very different than theirs. Those are pace-friendly wickets but our spinners still did well.”It will be the same for them (New Zealand) when they come to Bangladesh. They will face a similar situation.”

Du Plessis calls on CSA for certainty over director of cricket, team director

Interim team director Enoch Nkwe and interim director cricket Corrie van Zyl are vying for the roles on a permanent basis

Firdose Moonda25-Oct-2019Faf du Plessis has called on Cricket South Africa (CSA) to finalise the team director and director of cricket positions as quickly as possible in order to allow the national team to put long-term plans in place.South Africa currently have Enoch Nkwe serving as interim team director and Corrie van Zylas interim director of cricket. They picked the squad for the recent tour of India, which ended with a 0-3 Test-match whitewash.”It is is a massive red flag,” du Plessis said upon his return from from leading the team in that series. “An interim coach, interim director – it needs to be resolved as soon as possible. We need to make decisions that influence the team positively, but also from a point of view that you have trust in people coming to work for more than just a month. [At the moment], the coach can’t hire someone for a month because, in two months’ time, someone might decide something completely different. The most important thing right now is clarity and someone needs to make decisions.”Du Plessis’ request comes after CSA announced a massive restructure of the way the men’s team will function. Instead of the traditional head coach and assistant roles, South Africa will now have a team director, who reports to a director of cricket who will oversee all national cricket structures, and will have the freedom to choose his own support staff. A selection convenor will also be appointed.Enoch Nkwe is positive about the road ahead for South African cricket•Getty Images

Van Zyl, who has worked in CSA’s High Performance structures for several years, explained that the positions should be filled soon. “What is happening at the moment is that the director of cricket role has been advertised. Next Thursday, the applications close. The idea is to get that done as soon as possible With that, we also need to get the convener of selection done. The convener of selection was advertised a while ago. That decision will be made shortly by CSA. The two roles will be announced more or less the same time.”While there has been little information about potential candidates for the various jobs on offer, van Zyl confirmed that he intends to apply for the director of cricket role in the coming days. “I haven’t put in my CV for director of cricket, but yes, I am going to.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Linda Zondi, who was removed as convener of selectors after the 2019 World Cup, has applied to get his old job back.Meanwhile, Nkwe, who has been promoted to the team director role after just one season as a franchise head coach, also indicated he is interested in taking on the role permanently. Asked if he thinks he is the right man for the job, Nkwe said, “I believe I am, especially, now that I have had this experience [India tour] and seen what areas need to be addressed. The last two months has helped me as a coach to grow to new levels. I strongly believe I am in the right position to do that.”Corrie van Zyl defended the austerity measures•Getty Images

The results, especially the Test series which South Africa lost 0-3, do not seem to agree with Nkwe but CSA made it plain before the tour that they would not judge him on the outcomes of one tour. At the time, van Zyl said it would be “very unfair”. Instead, he suggested CSA would play the long game and appoint someone who could help the team succeed in both the ODI league which begins in 2020 and leads up to the 2023 World Cup, and the two T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021.With “two ICC events in the subcontinent,” Nkwe understood how important it is for South Africa to find the right personnel, including management. Though he would like to be that person, he gave an assurance that if he isn’t, he will try to contribute in other ways. “I strongly believe I am the right person but that’s not my decision. If I end up not being the person, then I will go back into the [domestic] system, and help improve the system in a different way,” Nkwe said.For now, despite what du Plessis described as a period of uncertainty and which van Zyl acknowledged could have created confusion over the structures, van Zyl and Nkwe are operating as though they are the people that will take South African cricket forward.”The interim roles isn’t the best way we could have done it. But, given the situation after the World Cup, it’s the best we could have done,” van Zyl said. “We need to start planning for the England tour and we need to act as if we are in those positions. If it changes, it changes and we have got no control over that.”

Brilliant Ben Cox takes Worcestershire to T20 title as calm Moeen Ali leads from the front

Moeen Ali starred with bat and ball and another outstanding spell from Pat Brown had held back Sussex’s innings

David Hopps15-Sep-20181:57

Social story: Worcestershire take Finals Day glory

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThroughout the Blast season the refrain had gradually become louder: Sussex have the finest bowling attack in T20, certainly in England, perhaps in the world. But Worcestershire survived it, ultimately relished it, the youngest side in the tournament, the county that had never been to Finals Day, emerging victorious by five wickets with nine balls to spare.Worcestershire’s rush to victory came suddenly, perhaps unexpectedly. When Jofra Archer’s full toss accounted for the destructive left-handed hitter, Ross Whiteley, they needed 32 from 19 balls with five wickets left, on a pitch beginning to feel the exhaustion of an 11-hour day. It was not alone in that: this is an intoxicating day in more ways than one.But Ben Cox, one of the finest, most underrated wicketkeeper-batsmen in the country, saw Worcestershire through with an unbeaten 46 from 27 balls, challenging Sussex’s pace attack with innovative flicks and glances. He was helped on his way by a single, stray delivery by Archer – a no-ball beamer which flew for four byes as his attempted scoop turned into a duck for cover, a resulting free hit and a six over square leg to exact full retribution.For Moeen Ali, Worcestershire’s captain, a calming influence on a young side, satisfaction was immense. No recent summer has passed without suggestions he is leaving Worcestershire. He has stayed. And he has returned from a long England summer to guide them to glory.At the end, the team dashed on to celebrate, Moeen walked on, a captain seeking to do the right thing. “I’m not one for running on the field too much,” he said. “You have to win and lose with dignity and respect. You have to respect Sussex’s position. They had obviously lost a tough game. The guys were buzzing and they were allowed to run out but as a captain you have to lead the team in the right way.”

Moeen pays tribute to Rhodes

Moeen Ali paid tribute to Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s former coach, who left the county after 33 years after an internal dispute.
“It’s been a tough ten years. I want to give a special mention to Bumpy Rhodes who put this team together and unfortunately is not here to see it, but I’m sure he will be very proud that all these guys he brought through in the Academy are doing well and we are just reaping the rewards.
“To lead a great bunch of guys with no ego is very special. To get through the quarter-final broke a mental block for us. We are a young side and I’m sure we can get better.”

“He’s just a human being, same as the rest of us,” said Worcestershire’s head coach, Kevin Sharp, in the build-up the Vitality Blast Finals Day when asked how it was that Moeen integrated himself so successfully into the Worcestershire side when he returned from England.But Worcestershire must have yearned for something superhuman as Moeen organised their pursuit of Sussex’s 157 for 6. It was the sort of score that an army of data statisticians might have chosen to make the chase exactly 50-50, but Worcestershire had to contend with a T20 bowling attack which has had admiration thrust upon itNo England cricketer feels as embedded into his county side as Moeen. He will even play relegation matches for Worcestershire in the next fortnight. He reached 41 from 27, rocking back to haul the left-arm spin of Danny Briggs over midwicket, majestically driving legspinner Will Beer over extra, and finding a valuable ally in his opening partner, Joe Clarke, who made 33 from 27 in an opening stand of 61 in 6.5.Worcestershire were still reasonably comfortable at 80 for 2 at midway. Then a ball later Brett D’Oliveira was stumped, pushing forward at the left-arm spin of Briggs and the pressure again clamped down.When Moeen fell to a tumbling catch in the deep at long-off by Phil Salt off Beer, they still needed 68 from 47 with six wickets left, the job far from done. He was so caught up in the game that he almost wandered into Sussex’s dugout by mistake.Worcestershire can also celebrate one of the great nought-fors in Blast finals. Pat Brown’s unrewarded four-over spell cost only 15 runs, but his exceptional economy rate compressed Sussex’s innings every time he had the ball in his hand. Such is his trickery, honorary membership of the Magic Circle should await.Brown is slight figure for a fast bowler, barely 20, and looking as if you would want to know what time he would be back when he went out for his birthday celebration.But he is a master of deception already. His stock ball is his knuckle ball, but as a variation he bowls a decent offcutter and can also up his pace above 80mph. The Blast is drawing quality from England’s young cricketers and those who disparage it are not observing closely or kindly enough.He began the final with 31 wickets, four freshly gathered in Worcestershire’s semi-final defeat of Lancashire: only Danny Briggs, who took 31 for Hampshire in 2010, and Alfonso Thomas, 33 for Somerset in the same season, could rival that. Sussex saw him off, but when it came to formulating an attacking response they found him unfathomable.Luke Wright found himself nodding down the pitch in recognition of Brown’s quality. The highest score on T20 Finals Day – 92 in the semi-final victory against Somerset – and a judicious 33 from 25 in the final: for Wright it was a good day, the highest combined runs total ever achieved. But it was not just a judicious innings but slightly careworn.It took some strong blows down the ground – two fours and a six – off Ed Barnard to take Sussex to 78 for 2 by midway, but he was that second wicket, one ball before the end of the 10th over, when Moeen bowled him on the charge.At the end of the Powerplay, Sussex were only 43 for 1, Salt falling wastefully. Salt’s strokeplay can be as disdainful as any young player in the country, as two sixes quickly testified, but he was distraught at his carelessness when he jogged an easy single to backward point, had both feet beyond the crease, but had both in the air when D’Oliveira’s pinpoint throw broke the stumps.Moeen took wickets at vital times. Delray Rawlins, who had begun with consecutive sixes in D’Oliveira’s sole over of leg spin, smoothed over long-on and square leg in turn, holed out to Moeen off a leading edge at long-off, his balance all asunder; David Wiese chopped on to be bowled.Laurie Evans has held Sussex’s innings together all season, and his 52 from 44 balls followed a familiar pattern, but Sussex’s innings died away as it had in the semi-final. It was workable score but only such a fine attack, on a surface about to withstand its sixth innings of the day, could have had confidence that they could defend it. Cox ensured otherwise.

'Lead will be a bonus' – Streak

With one eye on how difficult it will be to bat in the fourth inning in Colombo, Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak is keen on securing a first-innings lead

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo15-Jul-2017Concurring with Rangana Herath that batting will be tough in the fourth innings, Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak said his side would aim to have Sri Lanka chasing 200 at a minimum. With the hosts still 63 runs behind, Zimbabwe have a rare chance to take a first-innings lead.”I’d like to get 400 runs in front, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Streak said. “Anything over 200 to 250 runs is going to be really tough on the fourth and fifth days. Between 250 and 280 would be a really competitive target. But first we’ve got to get out the two batsmen at the crease at the moment [Asela Gunaratne and Rangana Herath]. They can both bat.”Pulling ahead in an away Test has been difficult for Zimbabwe in recent times. Since 2000, over a spell of 28 matches, they have earned a first-innings lead only four times – once in the West Indies and thrice in Bangladesh. Streak was hopeful of adding Colombo to that list.”It’s going to be a really interesting day’s play tomorrow,” he said. “Hopefully, we can pick up those last few wickets quickly, and if we do get a lead, that will be a bonus. Then it’s going to be an exciting few days.”Zimbabwe’s strong position has partly been delivered by their captain Graeme Cremer, who took 3 for 100 from 30 overs. He has turned the ball more than any other spinner in the match and produced two outstanding deliveries to dismiss Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis.”There are times where we just let things drift a little bit, but all in all I am very happy.” Streak said. “Cremer was outstanding today. He bowled some really dangerous balls and could easily have a five-for already. It’s nice to be in the position we are in, but its only two hard days and there’s lots more in the Test match if we are going to give ourselves a chance to challenge Sri Lanka.”Zimbabwe have lost 12 Tests and have never won a match against Sri Lanka. The most recent of those defeats came in October and November last year, when Sri Lanka dominated both matches. The series victory in the ODIs, however, has instilled new belief among the tourists.”We are making history on the tour so we would change that as well,” Streak said. “It’s about backing positive options – something we really encouraged the guys to do on this tour. We know we have to do that again. With Rangana and the other spinners, it’s going to be hard work.”

BCCI mulls mini-IPL in September

The IPL governing council has discussed the possibility of staging a mini-IPL in September

Nagraj Gollapudi in Dharamsala23-Jun-2016The IPL governing council has discussed the possibility of staging a mini-IPL in September, but no firm decision came out of their meeting held in Dharamsala on Thursday. Further deliberation is likely at the BCCI working committee meeting on Friday, when a final decision is expected.The BCCI has been trying to fill a window in the early part of September when India are not scheduled to play any cricket.Speculation about a mini-IPL has been alive since the Champions League T20 was scrapped last year. Two senior BCCI officials confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the topic was discussed at the governing council meeting today, which was addressed by IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla. BCCI president Anurag Thakur and BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke were in attendance.It is understood that the truncated IPL would last approximately three weeks, but could feature all eight franchises.BCCI sources indicated that the USA and Dubai were in the running to host the event, but reiterated that the idea is still in its conceptual stage.

'I deserve England place' – Pietersen

“I want my England place and I think I deserve my England place.” Kevin Pietersen wasted no time in stating his case after a spectacular, unbeaten triple-centur

Tim Wigmore at The Oval11-May-20153:52

‘What more can I do to impress the ECB?’ – Pietersen

“I want my England place and I think I deserve my England place.” Kevin Pietersen wasted no time in stating his case after a spectacular, unbeaten triple-century – the highest score of his career – increased the clamour for the ECB to reverse the decision made to sack him more than a year ago.Pietersen confirmed he would meet with Andrew Strauss – his former England team-mate and the ECB’s newly appointed director of cricket – and Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, on Monday evening for a meeting that could prove critical in determining his international future. “That is a private matter. There is a meeting this evening but I am not one for giving anything away,” Pietersen said.”I was thinking about it while batting and, given the pressure I was under this morning, that is one of my best innings I have ever played, purely because I knew that tomorrow there is a press conference and there were things happening this evening. I needed to answer any questions with runs on the deck. Goodness 326 is a pretty good argument.”Pietersen’s innings came the day before Strauss was due to be unveiled at Lord’s and shortly after Peter Moores’ removal as head coach. Giles Clarke, an implacable opponent, is also about to be replaced as ECB chairman.Andrew Strauss looms as the man to decide Kevin Pietersen’s chances of an England return•AFP

“They say timing is everything. Strauss has come in, there is a new chairman on Friday and there has to be a new coach now Moores has gone and it is an interesting time,” Pietersen said. “What more can I do? I was told to get a county, I was told to score runs and I have always said since my knee was sorted that if my knee is good I will play well. I am not being paid any money here and I am dedicated to getting my England place back.”As a batter you get judged on hundreds you get. I always wanted to get 50 first-class hundreds and to have ticked that off as well today was pretty special. The more you bat the better you see the ball and because of the fields they placed with every man on the boundary for two hours it was about managing my patience.” He also praised the batting of Chris Tremlett and Matt Dunn, who he shared century partnerships with. “It is not just the 300 runs I got,” he said. “There are two Surrey lads there who have been outstanding today. I just had a beer with them upstairs because you do not get anywhere without your team-mates and they were outstanding today.”But Pietersen confirmed that he would go to play in the last stages of the IPL should Sunrisers Hyderabad qualify – something made more likely by their victory over Kings XI Punjab on Monday. “If they get to the play-offs then I think I will go next week,” he said.Pietersen was particularly enthusiastic when asked about the possibility of Jason Gillespie being appointed as Moores’ successor as England coach. “All the Yorkshire guys I have spoken to have said he is a brilliant man manager, he is very relaxed, he is not in your face but he does the right things,” Pietersen said.”He is a strict disciplinarian, which you need to be to do your job. If you want to go out there and take wickets or score runs you have to be a strict disciplinarian. I have done that my whole career. I have never missed a bus or worn the wrong clothes. I have always trained hard because I want to be successful on the field. I don’t know who is going to get the job but I am willing to work with whoever gets the job.”

Supreme Court dismisses appeal, Chargers out of IPL

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Deccan Chargers’ plea to put a stay on the Bombay High Court order which upheld the BCCI termination of the franchise from the IPL

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Oct-2012The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Deccan Chargers’ plea to put a stay on the Bombay High Court order which upheld the BCCI termination of the franchise from the IPL. The chief justice of India, Altamas Kabir, heard the case but refused to grant a stay to the franchise owners, who approached the apex court immediately after the Bombay High Court yesterday overruled the arbitrator’s order to put a stay on the expulsion.The development means the Chargers are now completely out of the IPL. There are only two ways the Chargers can now bounce back – if the Bombay High Court judge, who rejected the ad-interim order on Thursday, reverses his decision once he has heard in detail the arguments from both sides on October 29; or the court-appointed arbitrator, CK Thakkar, finds the grounds of the termination were not correct.On October 12, the Chargers approached Thakkar for rescue immediately after they had failed the deadline to provide the stipulated Rs 100 crore ($19 million) as directed by the Bombay High Court. The justice, SJ Kathawalla in his final judgement on October 1 had asked Chargers’ owners to provide the bank guarantee or risk the stay order he had imposed on the BCCI termination be revived. Thakkar issued a stay on the High Court order, but the BCCI responded by filing an ad-interim order (urgent relief) in the High Court, which was heard by Justice RD Dhanuka yesterday. He rejected Thakker’s order, saying the arbitrator had no “jurisdiction” to overrule the court order.The Chargers’ owners had also filed a special leave petition (SLP) under Section 9 in front of Dhanuka, against the order by the Bombay High Court to allow the BCCI appeal of lifting the termination. Dhanuka once again ruled in BCCI’s favour even without listening to the arguments of Raju Subramaniam, the board’s lawyer.As a last resort, the Chargers filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting the SLP be stayed. “That SLP was dismissed today. That means the order of the Bombay High Court has been confirmed and the termination will now stand,” a BCCI official said. “I think they have played their last card. I do not think they have any further cards.”According to him the Supreme Court found that there was nothing wrong in the order passed by the Bombay High Court and therefore there was no reason for the apex court to interfere and hence it dismissed the SLP.According to the official, the BCCI is confident that neither the October 29 hearing nor the arbitration proceedings were likely to further stall the board’s plans to go ahead with installing a new franchise to fill the void left vacant by the Chargers.”There are so many more grounds for termination, so I don’t even know if the arbitration would go on. Because they were supposed to file their statement of claims today in front of the arbitrator, which they did not,” the official said. According to him, the Chargers’ counsel is likely to ask for an extension to file the statement of claims which could easily last more than the three-month time frame, which was suggested by the judge SJ Kathawalla in his final order on October 1.”It would be difficult for the court to reverse its order because it was a reasoned order given at the ad-interim stage without even the BCCI counsel’s response. The BCCI lawyers are yet to argue their case completely and that could further worsen the situation for the Chargers. And with this affirmation by the Supreme Court, we do not think the judge would change his view,” the official said.In a release, the BCCI also said that “all [Chargers] players’ dues for the last season have been met”.The BCCI has already moved forward by floating a tender inviting interested bidders for the new franchise. The deadline to file the final bid document expires noon on October 25.

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