At 35, the current BCCI secretary will be the youngest ICC chair

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-20249:39

Newsroom: What lies ahead for Jay Shah in his new role as ICC chairman?

Jay Shah has been elected unopposed as the new ICC chair, replacing Greg Barclay. He will begin his new role on December 1.At 35, Shah, currently the BCCI secretary, is the youngest to hold the post. Once Barclay, who had been the ICC chair for two terms since 2020, had confirmed to the board that he would not be continuing for a third term, the board of directors had until August 27 to file nominations for the next chair. Only if more than one candidate was nominated was there to be an election, but Shah was the only nominee.”I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalise cricket,” Shah said in an ICC statement. “We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before.”While we will build on the valuable lessons learned, we must also embrace fresh thinking and innovation to elevate the love for cricket worldwide. The inclusion of our sport in the Olympics at LA 2028 represents a significant inflection point for the growth of cricket, and I am confident that it will drive the sport forward in unprecedented ways.”Jay Shah has been the BCCI secretary since 2019•Associated Press

In a statement released by the BCCI, Shah prioritised Test cricket and spoke about “allocating more resources to women’s cricket and differently-abled cricket.””I would also like to work towards setting up a separate program for talent search during my tenure, and I look forward to your support in this program,” Shah said. “While the T20 is a naturally exciting format, it is equally important that Test cricket remains a priority for everyone as it forms the bedrock of our game. We must see to it that cricketers are driven to longer format and our efforts will be channelised towards this goal.”I eagerly anticipate a tenure rich with collaborative efforts, striving to dismantle the barriers that have hindered cricket’s progress. Every challenge we face is an opportunity in disguise, and together, we will transform adversity into triumph. Let’s embark on this incredible journey, hand in hand, united by our passion for cricket and our belief in its extraordinary potential.”Shah is the fifth Indian to head the ICC after Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Shashank Manohar.After beginning his cricket administration career in the state of Gujarat in 2009, Shah has been the BCCI secretary since October 2019. It was in 2022 that he became a part of the ICC’s influential Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee and took over as its chair in 2023. Shah was also re-elected as BCCI secretary in 2022 and his tenure was to run until 2025. Once he takes over as the ICC chair, he will have to relinquish his position at the BCCI and at the ICC’s F&CA committee. Shah was also the Asian Cricket Council president from 2021 to 2024.

Stallions’ 174-run win meant that the teams batting first have won all seven games so far in the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2024Babar Azam’s unbeaten 104 off 100 balls and Jahandad Khan’s three wickets with the new ball handed Dolphins their third defeat in three games as Stallions registered a mammoth 174-run win in Faisalabad. The result also meant that the teams batting first have won all seven matches so far in the tournament.After Stallions opted to bat, Shan Masood and Yasir Khan gave them a start of 76 in 13 overs. Faheem Ashraf broke the stand with Masood’s wicket and put the brakes on the scoring rate. Yasir, too, fell soon after but Babar played the anchor’s role to perfection. Along with Tayyab Tahir, he added 57 for the third wicket and took the side to 150 in the 30th over.Dolphins used six bowlers in the match and each of them picked up a wicket, but Babar stood firm. At the end of 40 overs, he was on 50 off 65 balls. In the last ten, he smashed 54 off 35, with the help of three fours and three sixes, and lifted Stallions to 271 for 7.If Dolphins thought they would break their duck, Jahandad shattered their hopes quite early into the chase. With the second ball of the innings, he had Muhammad Hurraira caught behind for a duck. In his third over, he trapped Umar Amin lbw to make it 15 for 2.Sahibzada Farhan and Saud Shakeel struck five fours in the next 20 balls but Jahandad struck immediately after that, this time cleaning up Shakeel.Soon after, Haris Rauf dismissed Sarfaraz Ahmed and Qasim Akram in the space of three balls to leave Dolphins gasping for air. From 60 for 5, there was no comeback. The lower middle order surrendered without any resistance against the spin duo of Abrar Ahmed and Mehran Mumtaz. The two shared five wickets as Dolphins folded for 97.

Teenager adds 130 to earlier scores of 51 and 154 in what is still only seven innings since his debut

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2024Minutes after play in the other key relegation match was abandoned for the day without a ball bowled in Worcester, Nottinghamshire at last resumed their own crucial Vitality County Championship match against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge. A 1pm start meant 110 overs have been lost so far.But, easing home anxiety, the locally-raised, left-handed teenager Freddie McCann compensated with a massively impressive 130 to add to earlier scores of 51 and 154 in what is still only seven innings since his debut.From 55 for 3, Notts recovered to 324 for 6 at the close, Jack Haynes offering a more measured 47 and Kyle Verreynne an increasingly rapid unbeaten 76 in support. On what has settled down into a very benign pitch, Nottinghamshire have already secured two batting points and a draw will now be enough now for both sides to escape the drop.Batting in sunshine with blue sky overhead proved entirely less fraught than the ordeal on a seaming pitch that had seen Notts reach 33 for 2 from the 15.2 overs possible on Thursday. But in a strong crosswind Michael Booth, first change, produced a perfect outswinger for his fifth ball of the day to knock back Joe Clarke’s off stump for 12.The 23-year old Zimbabwean, in just his fourth first-class appearance, proved hit and miss, however, and even Olly Hannon-Dalby lost accuracy as McCann raced to a fifty from 87 balls in a period that brought 99 plundered runs in a dozen overs. The true nature of this pitch had become very clear.Reduced to posting a solitary slip for Craig Miles, Warwickshire still struggled to stem an advance that carried the home side to within 20 minutes of tea before another batter fell. Haynes became an early victim for Danny Briggs’s left-arm spin when beautifully held at slip by Will Rhodes.It ended a 127-run stand at better than a-run-a-ball and the interval, coming after 36.4 of the day’s re-jigged quota of 75.4 overs (the last eight were lost later to bad light), arrived with 211 for 4 on the board and McCann just past his century from 147 balls.Warwickshire tightened up markedly through 55 minutes in the evening but found another partnership beginning to accelerate. Verreyyne, the South Africa wicket-keeper with a Test hundred to his credit, settled into his fourth innings since joining Notts and the first batting point came up what proved an hour from the close.With the fifth wicket having added 98, it was a surprise when, from nowhere it seemed, two men then fell in eight balls, McCann yorked by Miles’s second ball back. Next over, Lyndon James had come and gone for 2, edging to the lone slip as Rhodes, the seventh bowler, reprised his knack of invariably grabbing an early success.But the 300 came up, and a second batting point with it, and if Warwickshire can claim their final bowling point on Saturday and also pass 300 themselves, they would not go down whatever happens in either relegation game.Away from play, eyes remain on a threatening forecast – the weather may yet have the last say. With only two days left for Lancashire at Worcester, where just 26 overs have proved possible, they have many miles to make up and rain is feared both there and in Nottingham on Sunday afternoon. Notts and Warwickshire supporters may be breathing more easily at the half-way point of this final round.

West Indies eyeing vital ranking points as series moves on to Barbados

Andrew Miller05-Nov-2024

Big picture: The battle of experience vs potential

It’s been an unlikely clash of ideologies in the Caribbean so far. In Thursday’s one-sided rout, the value of experience was writ large across Evin Lewis’ matchwinning onslaught: despite missing out on ODI cricket for three years, his muscle memory was keenly attuned to the challenge, as he rode out England’s new-ball threat to demolish his opponents in barely 25 overs. In the process he rushed past his 2000th run in the format, which is more than twice the tally of England’s most experienced batter in the format [checks notes] … Adil Rashid.That battle-hardened narrative had seized an iron grip on the series by the halfway mark of Saturday’s second match. Shai Hope is clearly a fine cricketer, but who could have imagined that his ODI record would one day rival those of Chris Gayle, Brian Lara and Desmond Haynes? And yet, his 17th hundred in the format was exquisitely paced as ever, dripping with the sort of belief in better times that England’s T20-trained top four can only guess at attaining, given how rarely they’ve been asked to tough it out through the fallow middle overs of a 50-over game.Hope encountered nine different bowlers in the course of his innings, which is surely a record of some description. On the one hand, this was a tribute to England’s wealth of options, as a new generation of cricketer arrives on the scene with two professionally serviceable strings to each bow. On the other, it was proof that more is less, as Liam Livingstone’s management became ever more muddled with each new switch in the field.But then, all of a sudden, those old certainties crumbled and a brand-new narrative took hold. One in which the power of responsibility surged into England’s experience void, to set up an improbable series finale.Sam Curran had batted higher than No. 7 just once in 32 ODIs prior to this campaign, and Livingstone higher than No. 6 just twice in 30. But both men answered the hour of need with precisely the sort of gumption that the management had hoped to coax out of this experimental squad.Curran’s run-a-ball 52 was significantly more valuable than it appears on paper, providing the ballast through the middle overs that enabled England to take the chase deep, before Livingstone, the unlikeliest of England’s six captains across formats this summer, dropped bomb after bomb after bomb. He hit nine sixes in total, a tally exceeded by just three England players in a 50-over contest. And if you squinted at the final scorecard, once a daunting target of 329 had been hunted down with overs and wickets to spare, you could almost believe we were back in the team’s pre-2019 heyday, when such feats of self-assurance were a daily occurrence.So, which philosophy will seize the day – and the series – in Barbados? The stakes are significantly higher than they might have seemed three days ago, with West Indies eager for a first series win since England’s last visit 11 months ago, not to mention vital rankings points as they plot their route back to the top table after missing out at the 2023 World Cup.As for England, Marcus Trescothick’s gleeful embrace of his captain spoke volumes as the players left the field in Antigua. England’s interim coach admitted last week how tough it has been to strike the right balance between nurturing the squad’s newcomers and cultivating the winning culture that this white-ball set-up once took for granted. An unlikely opportunity now presents itself for both aims to be achieved in one hit.

Form guide

West Indies LWWLL
England WLLWW

In the spotlight: Shimron Hetmyer and Jordan Cox

Shimron Hetmyer had licence for violence on Saturday afternoon, and he took it … albeit briefly. There were 10.1 overs of the innings remaining when West Indies’ No. 6 strolled out to the middle – the sort of scenario that he habitually relishes in the T20 format. This time, however, his team had 234 for 4 on the board already, and he did his bit to propel them past 300 with three sixes in his first ten deliveries. But then he holed out in search of a fourth, and trooped off for 24 from 11 balls. It was nevertheless the second-highest of his seven innings since his return to the ODI set-up in July 2023, after his 32 from 30 balls, also against England, in December. Much like his England counterparts, his unfamiliarity with the format would appear to be holding him back, but the talent and potential is undeniable.It’s a big few months for Jordan Cox, one of the most fascinating characters on the fringes of England’s international set-up. His restless ambition is palpable – by his own admission, almost to the point of arrogance – but the England management like what they see on the whole. This opportunity to bat at No. 3 in the rebooted ODI line-up, ahead of three guaranteed Tests as Jamie Smith’s wicketkeeping understudy, means he’s got until Christmas to make a real case for his long-term inclusion in their plans. Four matches into his England career, however, he’s struggling to make much headway. Despite a confident projection of belonging out in the middle, he’s managed 21 ODI runs from 50 balls on this tour, and was bounced out in rather gullible fashion by Shamar Joseph on Saturday. His fabled fielding was off the boil too, which is perhaps a suggestion of pre-occupation. He’s not blown his chance yet, but with so many key batters missing on this tour, he could find himself thrust back down the pecking order unless he shows his true colours soon.

Team news: Few surprises in prospect with series on the line

West Indies could think about bringing back Alzarri Joseph after his namesake Shamar was expensive on debut in the second ODI.West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Roston Chase, 8 Alzarri Joseph/Shamar Joseph, 9 Gudakesh Motie, 10 Matthew Forde, 11 Jayden SealesEngland’s temptation to tinker will be tempered with a series on the line.England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Will Jacks, 3 Jordan Cox, 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Liam Livingstone (capt), 6 Dan Mousley, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jamie Overton/Saqib Mahmood, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 John Turner

Pitch and conditions: Weather a factor again

Five years ago, England and West Indies tallied 724 runs in an ODI at Kensington Oval, but there have only been two scores above 300 in 11 games since then. Hope said beforehand that the surface “looks like it has a bit of moisture currently”. A forecast for thundery showers could once again lead to interruptions.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have won 19 of their previous 42 ODIs at Kensington Oval, including each of their last two appearances against India and England in 2023.
• England boast a winning head-to-head with the hosts in Barbados, with seven victories and six defeats in 13 previous encounters since 1986.
• England pulled off their highest successful ODI chase at the ground in 2019, reeling in a target of 361.
• England are seeking their first bilateral ODI series win since beating Ireland in September 2023.

Quotes

“I’m always preaching consistency. In order to consider us an elite team we’ve got to be consistent, we’ve got to string performances together. It can’t always be one game or two games in a series, we’ve got to make sure we seal it, play good cricket all the way through.”
“After the first game, we spoke about how much time we had and even with the ball, being a bit more patient. It’s not learning on the job but it’s learning from your mistakes and I thought we did that pretty well from the first game. If we can win 2-1 it would be a big achievement for a young group.”

Eyman Fatima, Anoosha Nasir, Sidra Nawaz and Shawaal Zulfiqar also miss out on contracts this season

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2024Former captain Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz have been omitted from the PCB’s new batch of central contracts announced on Saturday. Sixteen players were announced in the new contracts, with Fatima Sana, who took over from Dar as captain, moving up to Category A.Dar was in Category A in last year’s contracts, while Riaz had been demoted to Category B, though their omissions are not entirely unexpected. As well as dwindling form, there are believed to have been concerns about their attitude within the team set-up that were discussed with PCB hierarchy.Eyman Fatima, Anoosha Nasir, Sidra Nawaz and Shawaal Zulfiqar also miss out on contracts this season, while Bismah Maroof’s retirement earlier this year means she no longer features. The board said, “these players will remain available for selection, as the PCB shifts its focus towards developing the next generation of cricketers in alignment with the ICC’s Women’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) for 2025-29.”Getty Images

Twenty players were awarded two-year contracts last year, with a significant pay bump, but with the proviso that performances would be reassessed after a year.Sana’s promotion is a reward for a series of outstanding all-round performances in the run-up to, and at the T20 World Cup in the UAE. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka at the tournament but lost their three other group games to India, Australia and eventual champions New Zealand.Muneeba Ali, the wicketkeeper-batter, has also been promoted to Category A, joining Sidra Amin who retains her position. Gull Feroza and Rameen Shamim return to the central-contracts list for the first time since 2018 and 2022-23 respectively, while Tasmia Rubab is included for the first time.The contracts have been pending approval for some time now, having run out at the end of July. Players, however, will be paid backdated amounts from then. The delay in the contracts is part of a general trend of upheaval and uncertainty in Pakistan women’s cricket where the PCB has struggled to get projects off the ground. Most notable among them is the long-promised women’s PSL, which Ramiz Raja first promised as chairman nearly three years ago but is yet to materialise. Tania Mallick, Head of Women’s Cricket since October 2021, told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year she expected a women’s PSL to happen within the next 12 months. Last month, however, she quit the role, with no signs of that tournament being introduced in the near future.”The 2024-25 central contracts reflect our forward-looking strategy as we prepare for the new ICC Women’s Future Tours Programme,” the PCB’s new Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmad Syed said. “By further investing in established players through significantly enhanced retainers and offering clear pathways to the emerging cricketer, we aim to strike a balance between nurturing future stars and sustaining competitiveness at the highest level.”Pakistan contracts list:
Category A: Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin
Category B: Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal
Category C: Diana Baig, Omaima Sohail
Category D: Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani

“Fast bowling has been my first love, and though I step off the field, it will always be a part of who I am”

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2025Varun Aaron, the former India quick bowler, has announced his retirement from “representative cricket”. Aaron, 35, had retired from red-ball cricket at the end of the 2023-24 Indian domestic season, and has now finished up altogether after his team, Jharkhand, were knocked out of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, in which he played four games and picked up three wickets at an average of 53.33.”For the past 20 years, I have lived, breathed, and thrived on the rush of bowling fast. Today, with immense gratitude, I officially announce my retirement from representative cricket,” Aaron wrote on Instagram. “As I bid farewell to a pursuit that has consumed me completely, I now look forward to savoring the smaller joys in life while staying deeply connected to the game that has given me everything. Fast Bowling has been my first love, and though I step off the field, it will always be a part of who I am.”Aaron burst on to the scene as a genuine tearaway during the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy, when he was 21, by clocking speeds upwards of 150kph. But bowling fast came with its pitfalls, and in a career blighted by injuries – stress fractures of the back, in the main – Aaron played nine Tests and nine ODIs, but the last of those was way back in November 2015, a Test against South Africa in Bengaluru, where he picked up one wicket in a match that lost four days to the weather.”Over the years, I’ve had to push both my physical and mental limits to recover from numerous career-threatening injuries, having to come back time and again, this was only possible thanks to the relentless dedication of the physios, trainers, and coaches at the National Cricket Academy,” Aaron wrote.He finishes up with 88 List A matches, in which he got 141 wickets at an average of 26.47 and economy rate of 5.44, and 95 T20s, where he has 93 wickets at an economy rate of 8.53.Aaron played nine seasons of the IPL between 2011 and 2022 – with Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans – and won the title with Titans in what was his final season in the competition. His own contribution in it was, however, modest, as he picked up two wickets in two games, and had an economy rate of 10.40.A product of the MRF Pace Academy, he has worked with the organisation since the middle of 2024, and has also worked as a cricket pundit, including with ESPNcricinfo.

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.