BPL yet to finalise contract with franchises

The Bangladesh Premier League continues to face issues, with the players' auction on Thursday happening with only a verbal agreement in place for the tournament, rather than any proper paperwork; there is still no official agreement signed between the BPL, Game On Sports (the event management firm) and the franchises. Apart from this, the players' salaries issue hung dimly above the auction floor as the seven franchises acquired the overseas and local cricketers of their choice.

On the eve of the auction, BPL chairman Afzalur Rahman Sinha said: "We haven't had enough time to sign an official agreement with the franchisees as yet. We're going into the auction based on a verbal agreement with the franchisees."

The agreement, which, when finalised, will be for a period of six years, will contain details on the working of the tournament, TV rights and key financial issues, among other things.

"I am hopeful that we'll have the deals struck by the end of this month and I am confident that the problems that occurred last year will not be repeated," Sinha said. "As of now, we have to keep the ball rolling."

BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick told reporters on Thursday that they have set the franchises a deadline: "We have completed the Memorandum of Understanding with the franchises and sent them the drafts of the contracts. We have given them the deadline of December 22 to complete all formalities."

Towards the end of the auction, some of the team owners took turns to speak to the media. Things turned sour when Salim Chowdhury, the owner of Dhaka Gladiators, was faced with a volley of questions regarding the player payments issue. "I don't understand why the question of money keeps coming up," he said. "If a team has spent Tk10 crore (approx USD1.25ml) and is charged with not paying Tk50 lakh (approx USD60,000), why are we facing questions? Moreover, we are also participating in the auction and the tournament, so our intention is to play cricket.

"We read a lot of news about undue player payments but we have never spoken about the money we have not been paid by our sponsors."

Player payments are not the only monetary issue for Dhaka Gladiators, as a PR agency had recently sued them over unpaid payments.

Another issue on the day was the rumour going around that there was a prearrangement between the franchises regarding who would buy whom at the auction. The organisers said such an arrangement wasn't possible. "We've also heard the rumour that there has been an arrangement [among the franchises], but going by the auctions and the prices, I am certain it didn't take place," Mallick said.

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USACA might split with T20 investor, league in doubt

A proposed Twenty20 league in the USA, headed by the USA Cricket Association and New Zealand Cricket, may be on the verge of collapse after USACA president Gladstone Dainty allegedly informed stakeholders at the annual general meeting on December 15 in New York that the board's partnership with Rajiv Podar, the primary investor supplying funding to USACA through Cricket Holdings America LLC, might be coming to an end.

It is a scenario that is being denied by Podar.

"It is true we have been and we are still in active discussions with some investors," Podar wrote in an email to ESPNcricinfo.

"There have been some delays, mainly due to detailed planning and putting a proper structure and plan together. Given the magnitude of the project and our desire to have a world-class event, delays are normal. Frankly, I do not see how this is going to be a potential danger in ending the league. The company is being financed and progressing as planned."

When the CHA LLC agreement was signed in 2010, USACA was supposed to receive $2 million in annual payments from Podar in the form of advances drawn against future earnings from licensing fees secured by the proposed league. A further $3 million bonus payment was set to be disbursed to USACA from Podar by the end of 2011 in the form of share sales after securing another investor in the CHA LLC partnership to join Podar, Top Bloom, Neil Maxwell's Insite Organization, USACA and NZC.

Dainty admitted to ESPNcricinfo in November that USACA had actually been getting "about half" of the $2 million in annual payments from Podar that were originally agreed to as part of the CHA LLC deal.

According to sources, an additional investor was never secured and USACA never received the $3 million bonus despite two extensions granted to broker an agreement. The latest extension passed on December 15. Podar however was quick to dispel notions that the proposed league or his affiliation with CHA is in danger of coming to an end.

Dainty, who is also the chairman of the board of CHA in addition to being USACA president, is set to have a meeting in New York with Podar next month regarding the funding issues. If the sides part ways, it could mean that there will be no CHA T20 league unless a different investor is found to take Podar's place within the CHA structure to prevent it from collapsing.

It could also mean that USACA would have to repay Podar the millions of dollars he has already advanced them since 2010, which could pose problems for USACA since they do not have any significant revenue streams to facilitate repayment.

The money Podar extended to USACA was initially seen as a resource for funding USA development programmes. However, on-field endeavours took a back seat to legal battles in 2012 as USACA spent well into six figures this year on lawyer fees.

Consequently, USACA only organised one domestic tournament in 2012, a solitary 50-over match for the national championship on November 11 in Florida between a group of players handpicked by the USACA administration and designated as the Eastern and Western Conference. Despite multiple press releases promising to do so, USACA failed to organise a women's national tournament in 2012 and never put together a national junior tournament either despite receiving roughly $300,000 in funding from the ICC for the purpose of such development initiatives.

As of now, the CHA-organised USA Twenty20 league is scheduled to begin in June but signs that the league initiative was on shaky ground came to the surface earlier this month.

Dainty and Maxwell, the chief executive of CHA, gave conflicting accounts on the state of proposed league. Dainty told ESPNcricinfo that Associate-level players would be recruited to form the nucleus of the player talent pool while Maxwell stated in a separate interview that the league was still hoping to secure top-flight players from Full Member nations for a launch next summer with six teams playing on artificial pitches in New York.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Dainty is also at odds with Maxwell over the latter's plan to stage matches on artificial pitches, which is presently the only viable way to play matches in New York and other major metropolitan markets due to a lack of turf facilities.

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Dhoni delighted with fielding effort

MS Dhoni praised the efforts of his team in the field after India comfortably won the opening Twenty20 in Pune by five wickets. England began well with the bat, through Alex Hales and Luke Wright, before Yuvraj Singh took three wickets to knock the stuffing out of the innings.

India's fielding, which was often shoddy during the Test series, also improved considerably with Ajinkya Rahane claiming three out-field catches and Virat Kohli taking a superb, low, effort at long-on. With Suresh Raina also back in the team there was a far more athletic appearance to India and Dhoni did not have to shield so many slower movers.

The turning point of the match came in the 13th over when Yuvraj, who had already removed Wright, bowled Hales for 56 off 35 balls and two deliveries later had Eoin Morgan, the England captain and leading Twenty20 batsman, caught at long-on. Yuvraj later added 38 off 21 balls which included picking off Danny Briggs' only over for 18.

"Yuvraj was brilliant. He bowled really well and at the right pace," Dhoni said. "I felt each and every bowler, apart from Yuvraj, bowled at least one bad over in the game. But I'm overall very happy with the performance."

"And the fielding, which I wanted the team to do well. I thought we did brilliantly.

"The pressure was on the bowlers," he added. "The way Hales started - he went after the bowlers - that was the difficult part. We all know it's a bit easier to score against the new ball on the sub-continent, particularly in India. It was important from the eighth over that we tried to bring the team back into the game."

Morgan was left frustrated by the way England's batted faded from the position of 89 for 1 in the 11th over. They were also below their best with the ball where they conceded 10 wides after Jade Dernbach set the tone with three in his first over.

"We got off to a great start. Alex Hales played tremendously well along with Luke Wright but in that middle period we failed to kick on and score. That positivity wasn't there in our batting and we lacked about 15 or 20.

"We never seemed to get going again. We continually lost wickets, which is a shame because because the start we had, we were on for a good score. We always thought we were in the game. We lacked a small bit of discipline in our bowling but we were always up against it with that score on the board."

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Cri-zelda Brits returns for South Africa

Cri-zelda Brits, the former South Africa women's captain, will return to the international stage for the tour to West Indies later this month which is part of the team's preparation for the Women's World Cup in India.

Brits, 29, took an indefinite break from international cricket last year to focus on her off-field profession after she was promoted to a manger with her company. Now, with the World Cup around the corner, Brits is excited about her return.

"I'm really happy to be back," he said. "This is a very exciting time for me and I'm really looking forward to representing my country again. This break served to show me how much I love the game and how much I've missed playing international cricket. I can't wait to get into get on the field in St Kitts and do what I was born to do."

Brits made her debut against India in 2002 and initially played for more than a decade during which time she gained 57 ODI caps. She has also played four Tests and 17 Twenty20s.

Hilton Moreeng, the coach, said: "It's a pleasure to see the return of an experienced player like Cri-zelda, I'm certain she'll have a positive influence on the side. I'm confident about the team we've chosen, it's a really good mixture of youth and experience and I'm happy with the depth in the side.

"We're excited about going to the West Indies and to face some tough competition. This is the best preparation for the World Cup that we could ask for and we look forward to our arrival and getting our campaign started."

The squad includes two debutants, Savanna Cordes and Elrisa Theunissen, after they impressed in CSA Women's Provincial League.

South Africa leave for St Kitts on December 28 for their series which will take place from January 7-15. They will finish off with a two-match T20 series before departing for the World Cup in India.

Squad Mignon du Preez, Susan Benade, Cri-zelda Brits, Trisha Chetty, Savanna Cordes, Dinesha Devnarain, Shandré Fritz, Marizanne Kapp, Dané van Niekerk, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Yolandi Potgieter, Chloe Tryon, Elrisa Theunissen

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Morgan ready for T20 captaincy challenge

Eoin Morgan, England's stand-in T20 captain, has said the two T20 internationals with India before Christmas will provide a young squad with the chance to begin formulating their plans for the 2014 World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

England, the 2010 World T20 champions, were knocked out of this year's tournament in Sri Lanka at the Super Eights stage, a performance Morgan said didn't meet the team's own expectations. With T20 captain Stuart Broad injured, Morgan will step up to lead the side in Pune on Thursday and he hoped that a very different set of players could replicate England's historic Test success.

"As we've seen in the past, when the Test side has done well, it's had a knock-on effect with the other two teams - and certainly we'll be looking to win these two games and take confidence and momentum from the Test side and keep the winning habit up," Morgan said.

"Sri Lanka was a bit of a disappointment - we certainly didn't achieve any of our expectations or perform in crucial games when we really needed to. There were a number of areas we looked at and identified, and we hope we'll produce the performances which will catch up the learning curve we're going through at the moment.

"It's in preparation for Bangladesh, and the young guys coming through have fantastic potential. I hope they'll perform over the next four or five days."

Morgan has led England in a single ODI in the past, against Ireland in 2011, but is one of the senior members of the T20I squad. Of the Test touring party, only Morgan, Tim Bresnan, Samit Patel, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root have remained in India for the T20I leg. Graeme Swann, Steven Finn and Kevin Pietersen are among those rested, while Broad is recuperating from a heel problem and Craig Kieswetter and Ravi Bopara have been dropped.

England struggled in their World T20 defence and only managed to beat Afghanistan and New Zealand. Their heavy group-stage defeat to India underlined concerns about playing spin and, although they appear to have worked out a method in Test cricket, the scoring rate required to be competitive in T20 cricket could cloud minds once again.

Morgan was himself injured for England's only previous T20I assignment in India, which they won by six wickets, but he was upbeat about leading a new-look side. "It's a great opportunity for me in these two games against one of the best sides in the world in their backyard," he said. "It's certainly going to be a challenge I'm looking forward to."

Although Morgan has not had many opportunities to play so far in India, his two innings on tour have produced scores of 76 against Mumbai A and 47 in the England Performance Programme's win over the Dr DY Patil Academy. After being given further responsibility by Broad's absence, Morgan said he was ready to make the leap from reserve to captain.

"Being vice-captain of the Twenty20 side in the first place, you're always going to be thrust into a situation where the captain might get injured," Morgan said. "It's something not that I've prepared for it, but mentally you think if something happens to Broady then you might get the chance. Really, I'm quite happy to take the reins."

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ODI recall for Afridi a possibility - Misbah

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, could be considered for the ODI squad for the tour of India, days after he was dropped from the same, according to ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Afridi looked in good form during the ongoing practice matches at the conditioning training camp ahead of the India tour, scoring two back-to-back half-centuries to press his case for a recall. He was, however, named in the Twenty20 squad.

"If his form remains like this and we need him, we will definitely consider him," Misbah said at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. "The form of senior players, who are experienced enough, is very important. They are seniors, whenever you give performances like this it will be good for Pakistan."

Afridi had a poor World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, where he scored 30 runs in six matches at an average of six and claimed four wickets at 42.74. In his last 12 international innings across all formats, he averages 6.30 with the bat. He failed to make an impact in the recently concluded national Twenty20 competition and looked rusty.

However, during the one-day practice matches, he scored 52 off 40 balls on Monday and clubbed another impressive 92 off 64 balls on Wednesday. He looked composed and controlled with the bat, cutting, sweeping and executing with a straight bat rather than slogging wildly. A lofty six over the bowler's head into the dressing room was perhaps the biggest hit in the last three days. But if he is to cement his place in the side as an allrounder his bowling needs to improve. At the moment, though, his power hitting is a positive for Pakistan.

Misbah said Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan's batting consultant, has given the batsmen tips on how to tackle pressure while playing against India. "Inzamam has been very useful in helping us prepare both psychologically and mentally - what type of hurdles we are going to face, how to get out of it, how as a batsman you should carry yourself," Misbah said. "No doubt in India-Pakistan cricket you have to play aggressive cricket and we will try to apply it over there."

Misbah was wary of India despite their defeat in the Test series against England at home. "There is no point underestimating them. We will have to play hard cricket. Every bowler has a role to play. Against India you need a balanced attack," Misbah said, stopping short of naming Saeed Ajmal as their key bowler. "You can't depend on any one, otherwise you will be under a lot of pressure. India has depth in their batting line-up and you can't catch them with any one bowler."

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IPL could attract more England players - Dhoni

MS Dhoni, India's captain, has suggested that a lack of availability rather than talent will continue to be a barrier for England players wishing to participate in the IPL. Although England's Test series win in India has raised the profiles of several members of the squad, Dhoni said the limited window permitted by the ECB for IPL participation was a "big concern" for franchises.

IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla had suggested that the likes of Test captain Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar may be of interest when the next auction for international players takes place. However, with England commitments taking a higher priority, Dhoni said only "special" players like Kevin Pietersen would be of interest to franchises.

"Most of the time when the IPL happens, I don't think the English team has a clear period - so they're not available for the full 45 to 50 days of cricket," Dhoni said. "That's a big concern when it comes to some of the IPL franchises.

"The English team have fantastic talent, players who can have a big impact in the shorter format. If most of them were available for the full 45 or 50 days, I could see England players coming to the IPL."

The IPL in 2013 is scheduled to begin on April 3, a week after England finish their tour of New Zealand, and will run until May 26. England's home series against New Zealand begins with the first of two Tests on May 16, further curtailing any potential for involvement. Pietersen and Eoin Morgan are the only current, centrally contracted England players with IPL deals and, when asked, Dhoni was unsure if many others would be joining them in the world's most glamorous T20 tournament.

"Kevin Pietersen is a really different batsman," Dhoni said. "If he's available for half a season, the sides can still gamble that he can play seven or eight games at least. He's a special player. But you have to be that special."

Several members of the England set-up, including Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Matt Prior, entered the 2012 auction only to prove unattractive. Stuart Broad was bought by Kings XI Punjab in 2011 but was ruled out by injury in consecutive seasons before being released. Luke Wright, who is a member of England's T20 squad but not in possession of a central contract, is part of Pune Warrior's squad for 2013.

Despite various obstacles - in Cook's case, not even being considered good enough for England's T20 side - Shukla had suggested that the Test series victory could capture the imagination of franchise owners and public alike.

"I think so, I think it might well do that," Shukla told The Times. "England have done very well and the franchises are most definitely aware of what has been happening in this series. The English domestic schedule can make it difficult for players to play for long here, and franchises will look at that, but these Test matches have definitely raised expectations of the players from television viewers. I am sure Indian people would love to see them again.

"Cook might be one. Test and Twenty20 cricket are different but Indian people know about him now as he made a very good impression. Monty Panesar could definitely be another, he is very popular over here already, and there are probably some others."

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Ramprakash returns as Middlesex batting coach

Mark Ramprakash will return to Middlesex as the county's batting coach, 12 years after crossing the river as a player to join Surrey. Ramprakash, 43, retired last season after a 25-year playing career, in which he made more than 50,000 runs and scored 131 centuries.

Ramprakash has agreed a two-year contract and replaces Mark O'Neill who will be returning to Australia on a permanent basis after three years looking after Middlesex's batsmen. Since his retirement, Ramprakash had been working with England's Performance Programme, assisting Graham Gooch and Graham Thorpe on the tour of India.

A classy middle-order batsman who came through the system at Middlesex, Ramprakash will now bring his wealth of experience to bear on the next generation at Lord's. Despite a largely unfulfilled 52-Test career for England, he was the last batsman to reach the landmark of 100 first-class hundreds and finished with an average of 53.14.

"I am delighted to have been invited back to Middlesex to take up a coaching role at the club," Ramprakash said. "It is a club I grew up watching and where I had 14 enjoyable seasons as a player."

"Middlesex is the club that gave me the chance to achieve what I have in cricket and I am delighted to be able to return to work with and help the current and next generation of Middlesex cricketers. I am excited by the talent in the current crop of players and look forward to contributing to the club."

Angus Fraser, Middlesex's director of cricket, was particularly pleased to be reunited with Ramprakash, whom he played alongside both for club and country. "I am thrilled to have Mark back at Middlesex," Fraser said. "It is my job to provide Middlesex's cricketers with the best possible coaching, support and advice available and in Mark Ramprakash they have that.

"His record speaks for itself, and in the past 25 years there has not been a better batsman in county cricket. During 1,221 innings Mark has experienced almost everything it is possible for a batsman to experience and the knowledge that he can pass on to our cricketers is unsurpassable. As a professional cricketer his attention to detail and work ethic were second to none. Though naturally gifted it was not good fortune that allowed him to score more than 50,000 professional runs. A love of cricket, fierce desire and hard work were the cocktail of ingredients."

"Mark moved from Middlesex to Surrey in 2000, but I never felt his heart left the club. He has always lived in the county and played cricket for Stanmore Cricket Club when commitments permitted.

"It is Mark's love of the art of batting that makes me believe he will become an outstanding coach. He loves talking batting and Middlesex's cricketers have a huge resource to tap in to. I believe he is the best man for the job and we are extremely fortunate to have a cricketer of his character and pedigree working at this club."

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Stuart sacked as coach of New South Wales

Anthony Stuart has been sacked as coach of New South Wales after a board meeting in Sydney on Tuesday night.

Stuart took over as head coach in May 2011 and his two-year contract was due to expire at the end of this season, but Cricket New South Wales has confirmed in a statement that Stuart has finished his coaching duties with the state "with immediate effect". Chandika Hathurusingha, the former Sri Lanka Test player who was an assistant coach under Stuart, will take over as acting head coach for the rest of the 2012-13 season.

Stuart has not had a particularly successful tenure since he took over from Matthew Mott last year; the Blues won only one Sheffield Shield game last summer. This season they were sitting in fourth position with two wins at the time of his departure, and in the Ryobi Cup they had managed only one victory from four games.

"At a meeting of the NSW cricket board last evening it was determined that Anthony Stuart's contract to coach the NSW SpeedBlitz Blues will not be renewed and he has finished duties as head coach with immediate effect," Cricket New South Wales said in a statement.

The chief executive David Gilbert said: "Cricket NSW records its thanks to Anthony for his efforts and commitment over the past 18 months. We wish Anthony well in his future endeavours."

Stuart, the former fast bowler who took a hat-trick in one of his three ODI appearances for Australia, had been coach of Wellington in New Zealand before he joined New South Wales.

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Thakor to captain England U-19s

Shiv Thakor, the Leicestershire allrounder, has been named captain of an inexperienced England Under-19 squad to tour South Africa next year.

Thakor, 19, is one of the most highly-rated young players in the county game and already has a first-class average of 51.41 having played nine matches. With his medium pace he has also claimed seven wickets.

The emphasis of the trip, which includes two four-day Youth Tests and five Youth one-day internationals, is on preparing for the next U-19 World Cup which will be held in 2014. So some players who remain eligible for the age group, such as the Essex left-arm quick Reece Topley and the Overton brothers, Craig and Jamie from Somerset, have not been selected.

England were knocked out in the quarter-finals of this year's U-19 World Cup in Australia.

Tim Boon, the U-19 coach, said: "Shiv Thakor of Leicestershire has been appointed tour captain and is one of three Under-19s players. The squad includes five players with high potential who have graduated from the ECB's Under-17s England Development Programme. The learning curve will be steep with three international series prior to the next ICC Under-19s World Cup in February 2014.

"Four players still eligible for the Under-19s squad have progressed to the Potential England Performance Programme fast bowlers squad while Essex wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, a recent graduate from the England Development Programme, has also toured India this winter with the EPP."

Aside from Thakor, just two other members of the squad have played first-team cricket for their counties. Ben Duckett has made one Twenty20 appearance for Northamptonshire and his county team-mate Oli Stone has more extensive experience with three first-class matches, eight one-dayers and four T20s.

The first tour match in South Africa starts on January 23 with the opening four-day game, in Cape Town, from January 27. The trip runs until February 21.

Squad Shiv Thakor (Leicestershire, capt), Tom Barber (Hampshire), Ed Barnard (Worcestershire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Harry Finch (Sussex), Ryan Gibson (Yorkshire), Gavin Griffiths (Lancashire), Miles Hammond (Gloucestershire), Callum Jackson (Sussex), Josh Shaw (Yorkshire), Tom Shrewsbury (Gloucestershire), Dominic Sibley (Surrey), Olly Stone (Northamptonshire), Jonny Tattersall (Yorkshire), Kishen Velani (Essex)

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