Former commentator B Alaganan dies

B Alaganan, who captained Madras (now Tamil Nadu) to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 1955, has died aged 87. He played six first-class games between 1946 and 1955, batting in the middle order, and was later a well-known radio commentator.

Alaganan served as assistant manager on India's tours to New Zealand and West Indies in 1975-76, and had a stint as selector too. He was also involved in the administration of the game in Tamil Nadu, serving as TNCA vice-president between 1961 to 1986 before taking over as president between 1988 and 1993.

WV Raman, the former opener who captained Tamil Nadu when Alaganan was TNCA president, remembered him fondly. "He was a rare kind of administrator, not the sort who thought he was doing the players a favour," Raman told ESPNcricinfo. "Being a cricketer himself, he could see things from a player's point of view. He was also a very approachable person, and always looked to help the boys out. A great quality in him was that he always wanted to serve the game."

The TNCA praised Alaganan in its condolence note. "Alaganan was a very popular personality in the field of Tamil Nadu cricket," TNCA joint secretary G Natarajan said. "It will not be an exaggeration to call him the 'Prince of Tamil Nadu cricket' because he was one in every sense of the term. His passing away has robbed the TNCA of a senior statesman and it will be a long time before we can recover from this loss."

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Majola withdraws from disciplinary hearing

Suspended CSA chief executive Gerald Majola withdrew from his disciplinary hearing on Wednesday and announced through his lawyer that he would approach the country's Labour Court.

Majola is questioning the legitimacy of the Nicholson Committee, an enquiry launched by the sports minister Fikile Mbalula, which led to his suspension and disciplinary action being taken against him. The hearing will continue in Majola's absence and is expected to be completed next week while Majola will launch his challenge in the Labour Court by Monday.

"He would be participating in a process that constitutes a fundamental breach of his constitutional right to fair labour practices," Majola lawyer said in a statement.

The latest action lengthens what has been a three-year long process started by the bonuses paid to Majola and 39 other CSA staff members after the hosting of the 2009 IPL in South Africa. That money - an amount of R4.7 million (then US$ 671,428) - was found to have not been properly declared to the board by three separate commissions of inquiry.

The first was an internal investigation which cleared Majola of any wrongdoing but reprimanding him for making an error of judgement in not following correct corporate governance. A second enquiry done by auditing firm KPMG found the wrongs more serious and suggested that Majola could have broken the law. They recommended CSA seek legal advice, which they did. CSA's board chose to reprimand Majola "severely" in response.

It was then that Mbalula stepped in. He ordered that another investigation must be conducted and vowed to follow the recommendations of his committee to the letter. Judge Chris Nicholson chaired the hearings from December last year to February 2012 and in March, issued his findings. The two most notable ones were that Majola be suspended pending a disciplinary hearing and that CSA restructure its board.

The latter is almost complete. CSA will hold an AGM later this month in which they will appoint a new board consisting of five independent directors to go with five provincial presidents. They may also have to appoint a new chief executive if Majola loses his job after the disciplinary process is complete. Jacques Faul, the acting chief executive, and Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC boss, are believed to be in the running.

Majola's hearing was due to be complete by the end of May but it was delayed when he contested the appointed chairperson. The challenge was successful because John Myburgh, who was to hear the proceedings, made an advisory award against Majola and he was believed not to be impartial in the matter because of that.

Karel Tip was then appointed and the hearing started on Wednesday. However, before the first witness could be called Majola announced that he was withdrawing. The matter is expected to be resolved next week although the Labour Court challenge will take much longer.

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Sehwag fit for full Champions League

Virender Sehwag has recovered from his ankle injury and will be fit to play in Delhi Daredevils' opening Champions League 2012 match, against Kolkata Knight Riders, on Saturday. He had played in the franchise's warm-up game on Thursday, against Sydney Sixers.

Daredevils' team mentor, TA Sekar, confirmed that Sehwag was fit, and said that he had obtained fitness clearance before flying to South Africa. A BCCI official said the board had nothing to do with the decision to play Sehwag: "The BCCI has nothing to do with it. It is a franchise tournament and it is for them to take a call."

Sehwag was initially doubtful for the Champions League, after straining a ligament in his left ankle during India's Super Eights match in the World Twenty20 against South Africa in Colombo on October 2. He had gone off the field during South Africa's innings and did not return, and it was reported that he could require two weeks of rest.

His fitness has been suspect over the past year: after the 2011 World Cup he delayed a shoulder surgery, playing the IPL and subsequently missed India's tour of the West Indies and half of the Test series in England. Earlier this year, towards the end of the Australia tour, he had back spasms that forced the selectors to rest him for the Asia Cup.

Sehwag will not captain Delhi Daredevils at the Champions League, having asked the franchise to relieve him of the responsibility so he could concentrate on his batting.

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Sohail fifty leads Sialkot home

Sialkot Stallions 144 for 4 (Sohail 63*, Malik 39) beat Hampshire 143 for 8 (Maxwell 42) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It was a match of no consequence for either team, but Sialkot Stallions will leave South African shores with greater confidence, having put in an all-round performance against the English domestic champions. Two individual performances from youngsters on either side stood out - Haris Sohail's unbeaten 63 the highlight, as it was a match-winning knock. Glenn Maxwell scored a counter-attacking 42 when his team, Hampshire, needed runs, but a score of 143 wasn't imposing enough for Sialkot.

A combined bowling effort by Sialkot kept Hampshire to that score, well short of what Trinidad and Tobago had managed earlier in the day, with only 31 runs scored in the last five overs. Hampshire lost early wickets in search of quick runs, scratched around for the first ten overs, surged in the middle overs thanks to an entertaining cameo from Maxwell but lost their way after his dismissal. It was a pitch that offered something for the spinners and seamers. Sarfraz Ahmed, the tall left-arm seamer with an unusual action, got a few to bounce off a good length to pose questions for the openers. Shoaib Malik got turn and bounce and those that skidded through weren't easy to put away either.

Hampshire would have ideally liked one from the top order to bat through for the majority of the overs, but regular strikes stalled their progress. The run-outs didn't help - they lost two of their top order off direct hits. Hampshire had only managed 59 off the first ten overs and it was up to their overseas picks to give the innings a push.

Maxwell was harsh on the pull, connecting a few off the seamers and sending the ball several rows over the on side. He picked Naved-ul-Hasan for consecutive sixes in an over which yielded 16, and added 56 with Shahid Afridi. However, Sialkot pulled things back with a quiet over by the seamer Bilawal Bhatti, whose skiddy pace kept Maxwell in check. Hampshire were 113 for 4 after 16 overs and in the search for quick runs, both Maxwell and Afridi fell off successive balls off Umaid Asif. The lower order though failed to push the score past 150.

The Sialkot top order didn't look at ease against the Hampshire seamers, limping to 26 for 2 after the Powerplay. A couple of pressure-relieving boundaries by Sohail off the left-armer Chris Wood put Sialkot on the path to stability. It helped to have the experienced Malik at the other end as they calmly pushed the singles in between. Sialkot were 62 for 3 after ten overs, just three ahead of Hampshire's at the same stage.

Malik showed some aggressive intent, charging the left-arm spinner Liam Dawson and launching him for a six and four off consecutive deliveries. Crucially, Sialkot didn't let themselves get bogged down with a boundary drought - the pair ensured they picked up at least one boundary per over on an average. From the 11th to the start of the 18th over, when they were separated, they picked up ten boundaries. It also hurt Hampshire that their most experienced bowler, Afridi, couldn't effect the breakthroughs or stem the flow of runs. Sohail pounced on anything short and wide from Afridi, and by the time the spinner picked up a wicket - that of Malik - Sialkot were well on course needing 20 off 17. Malik's 96-run association with Sohail had all but sealed the game. It was a pity though that the tournament format didn't allow Sialkot to build on the momentum.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s Powerplay 16-20 overs NB/Wides Hampshire 61 15 4 42-2 31-4 0/12 Sialkot Stallions 54 17 2 26-2 43-1 0/13

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'We're ready to take on the big stage' - Gale

Yesterday, David Miller. Today, Gary Ballance. Tomorrow, maybe Adil Rashid, who has stood alongside both as they engineered Yorkshire's victory. The ability to lean on any of the members of their squad is what captain Andrew Gale thinks will make Yorkshire strong opponents in the main draw of the Champions League.

"It was a fantastic effort from us in both matches," Gale said. "Throughout the competition we are going to come up against real international stars. We've got a really good team spirit. We've done exceptionally well in the domestic competition and we are ready to take on the big stage."

Yorkshire's only overseas player, Miller, will only be available for them come the semi-final which means the team will rely on the home-grown resources and nothing else. Gale's message to his team is to make the most of their opportunity in the tournament proper and not worry about meeting any expectations, because they have already fulfilled them.

"We're looking forward to the rollercoaster. We're going to playing against some of the guys that we watch on TV. We're going to go in with a no-fear attitude and see where it takes us. Even if we lose every single game, that's okay."

Yorkshire's first game will be against the Sydney Sixers and Gale said they were looking forward to playing Mitchell Starc, who was a key part of Yorkshire's T20 squad earlier this year. Next they face the Mumbai Indians, who Gale had a little dig at because of the nature of the IPL franchises.

"We know that some of the teams have been thrown together but we have played together all season," he said. "We don't fear anyone. We can just go into the main tournament with our head held high."

With Hampshire out of the contention, Gale said Yorkshire also see their role as "carrying the flag for English cricket".

Trinidad and Tobago will have no such similar role for West Indies, as they were culled in their first match. With all the goodwill surrounding West Indies cricket after their victory in the World T20 on Sunday, perhaps T&T's exit from the Champions League will not be taken that hard. Denesh Ramdin did not cut too sorry a figure afterwards and simply admitted that things did not go their way.

"We didn't execute our plans as we wanted to," Ramdin said. "We lost early wickets and then we tried to get a partnership, but we didn't execute as well come the latter stages either. We should have prepared better mentally coming to South Africa where the bounce is different."

Although five of the T&T squad were in Sri Lanka until yesterday, Ramdin did not think that affected the team's build-up. "The rest of the guys had one practice game and they lost but I told them to keep their heads up high. All of these guys are professional and we have some very young players as well so hopefully we can take some experience from this and when we go back home we can work on that."

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Dispute delays opening of NCL

The National Cricket League has been pushed back by six days and will start on October 20 to kick off the 2012-13 domestic cricket season in Bangladesh. The country's only first-class competition was supposed to start on October 14 but a split formed within Bangladesh Cricket Board directors regarding the number of first-class teams in this year's revamped competition and who would control them.

There was concern among those directors who were nominated from the districts and divisions that due to the introduction of the franchise system to the first-class competition, hitherto under the jurisdiction of divisional cricket authorities, the control of the teams would be shifted to the franchisees. But BCB's senior vice-president Mahbubul Anam, also the head of this tournament's governing council, said that the dilemma will be fixed once the franchisees and the divisional authorities put together an agreement paper and discuss with the board president.

The number of teams has been kept at eight though there were strong arguments to drop Dhaka Metropolis and Rangpur after some directors thought it would be unwise to have some teams under the board's finance with others under the private franchisees. Ultimately however, there are likely to be four franchisees, two of whom - Prime Bank Foundation and Walton - have already signed Memorandum of Understanding with the cricket board earlier this week.

Meanwhile, it was also announced that cricketers who fail to make themselves available for their respective teams without the physio's official report and permission from the BCB will not be considered for selection for the Bangladesh team, while each team will be allowed to recruit and field two overseas first-class cricketers. The match fees have also been doubled, with each member of a playing XI earning Tk 40,000 ($500) per game this season.

The first four games will begin on October 20 before the tournament takes a break due to Eid holidays and will resume in early November.

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Curran was 'a team man' - Traicos

Tributes have been paid to Kevin Curran, the former Zimbabwe allrounder, who died on Wednesday at the age of 53. John Traicos, the former offspinner, remembered him as a "dedicated person" while Heath Streak, who was coached by Curran said "nothing was too much for him to try and conquer".

Traicos, a former captain of Curran, was "shocked" to hear the news of his death which occurred when he was out running. He had been told by Duncan Fletcher, another former captain of Zimbabwe and currently the India coach. Curran played the 1983 World Cup where Zimbabwe were led by Fletcher.

"The most shocking thing is, he was incredibly fit. He was a fitness fanatic, he used to be in the gym everyday," Traicos said. "He and Malcolm Jarvis ran a gymnasium in Harare and Kevin was there every day, did everything from weights to aerobics. And he ran a lot. He was very, very competitive and played rugby, tennis and golf. He was a naturally talented guy."

Traicos recollected leading Curran at the Harare Sports Club in the early 1980s. "I had great admiration for Kevin. He was a self-made cricketer," Traicos said. "We had quite a high work ethic in those days and I remember Kevin being a really dedicated guy, who would bowl for hours on the concrete pitches on his own. He had a lovely action, a very nice away swinger and bowl very, very quickly. In 1985, when the Australians came to Zimbabwe, Dean Jones mentioned that Kevin was one of the fastest bowlers he had faced. Kevin was an incredibly talented guy, an allrounder, batted beautifully, really gutsy performer. He was always a team man, an outstanding cricketer. "

Streak, meanwhile, said Curran was desperate to help cricket in Zimbabwe. "He was my bowling coach and we worked together when he was on the selection committee and I became involved in administration. He was always such a positive guy and he always found the best in everything. Nothing was too much for him to try and conquer.

"He lived cricket and he was very passionate about Zimbabwe and helping cricket in the country. His kids also have the same passion and its going to be tough for them now. It's really sad what happened. He was a fit guy, he played squash, he ran four times a week. It's sad."

Messages were also posted on Twitter from current and former players around the world. Curran enjoyed a very successful county career with Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire, playing for the latter until 1999.

Adam Hollioake tweeted: "Sad to hear of Kevin Curran's passing A true competitor & one of my fiercest adversary's...RIP brother my thoughts are with u & ur family.."

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, wrote: "Thoughts are with his close Family. A wonderful cricketer who would have flourished In the modern era of T20."

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Todd Astle in New Zealand Test squad

The uncapped legspinner Todd Astle has been named in New Zealand's Test squad for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Astle will have a strong chance of making his debut in the spin-friendly conditions, given that Jeetan Patel is the only other slow bowler in the squad, with Tarun Nethula having been axed and Daniel Vettori ruled out after suffering an Achilles tendon problem during the World Twenty20.

New Zealand have named a 15-man squad for the two Tests, in Galle and Colombo in the second half of November, and a 15-man group for the one Twenty20 and five ODIs that precede the Tests. Three members of the World T20 squad have not been included for the limited-overs games: the injured Vettori; the fast bowler Doug Bracewell; and the opener Martin Guptill, whose workload is being managed.

The Test squad features the batsman Rob Nicol, who played two Tests against South Africa in March before he was dropped and treated as a limited-overs specialist for the next few months. But the only uncapped player in the group is Astle, the Canterbury legspinner, who has picked up 127 first-class wickets at an average of 34.79 in a career spanning seven seasons.

Astle, 26, was the second-leading spinner in the Plunket Shield last summer, with 31 victims at 38.35, and the national selection manager Kim Littlejohn said his all-round skills gave him the edge ahead of other bowlers.

"He has the ability to contribute in all three facets of the game and deserves his opportunity after a putting in consistent performances over a number of seasons," Littlejohn said of Astle. "Tarun Nethula has missed out on selection this time. We think he would benefit from a return to regular first-class cricket where he can get some overs under his belt and stake his claim for reselection.

Littlejohn also said the wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling was not included in the Test squad as it was considered better for him to be given some game time in the Plunket Shield. "BJ Watling will return to New Zealand after the one-day matches," Littlejohn said. "He has spent a lot of time touring but has had limited opportunities to play and we believe it is best for his development if he's made available for the upcoming Plunket Shield fixtures."

Trent Boult, Andrew Ellis and Tom Latham were all named in the squad for the T20 and ODIs, having not been part of the World T20 group. Littlejohn said the decision to leave Bracewell out had been made to allow him to work on some technical problems ahead of the Test series.

"Doug Bracewell will miss the short-form matches so he can spend some time working on a few minor technical issues with his action," Littlejohn said. "The best approach is to spend time getting things right in domestic four-day cricket ahead of the Test series.

"Ronnie Hira and Adam Milne have been included in the ODI squad having previously being selected in T20 sides. We have been impressed by the development of both players and they offer the side something a bit different.

"It has been a demanding period for the Black Caps, especially for the players who compete in all three forms. As part of the on-going management of player workload we have decided to rest Martin Guptill for the T20 and ODI matches so he can refresh for the upcoming international commitments."

The tour begins with a T20 on October 30 in Pallekele, before five ODIs from November 1 to November 12. The Test series runs from November 17 to November 29.

Test squad Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Daniel Flynn, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, James Franklin, Kruger van Wyk, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Todd Astle, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.

ODI and Twenty20 squad Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, James Franklin, Jacob Oram, Tom Latham, Nathan McCullum, Andrew Ellis, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Ronnie Hira, Adam Milne.

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Brooks leaving Sussex on own terms

Dave Brooks has announced that he is to step down as chief executive of Sussex at the end of the year. He has overseen a fruitful period during which the club has achieved success on and off the field.

Brooks joined the club at the start of 2009 after 20 years in the food industry. He was the first chief executive in the club's history to be responsible for both Sussex CCC and the Sussex Cricket Board. During his tenure, the club won the Pro40 and T20 title in 2009 and Division Two of the County Championship in 2010 and off the field built a new stand, media centre and conference facilities and integrated professional and recreational cricket within the county. Sussex were fourth in Division One of the Championship in 2012 and lost in the semi-finals of both the Flt20 and CB40 competition.

Those digging for murky reasons behind the departure will search in vain. 45-year-old Brooks was certainly not pushed and has not applied for another role within the game. Indeed, he insists he has no idea what his next job will be. But, having built up a considerable personal fortune during his period in the food industry, he is not in a position where he is obliged to rush into anything. He leaves on his own terms.

"When I was appointed I promised I would do three years," Brooks told ESPNcricinfo. "In the end I've done four and I feel I've achieved what we set out to achieve. I've always felt that a period of three to five years was the right time to lead an organisation and I want to go while my passion for the job remains high. I love cricket now as much as when I started this job. I still play for Cookham Dean Seconds in the Thames Valley League and I always said I wanted it to remain my passion and my hobby.

"This is the right time to go. My enthusiasm is still high and, if it takes a little longer to find my successor, I'll stay into January. But we have a decent platform here now and, with the Australians playing at Hove next year, the club should do well commercially. It will be a good time for a new person to start.

"I'm incredibly proud every time I come through the gates and see the new stand. It has been a privilege to be part of cricket in Sussex for the last four years and, as a team, on and off the pitch, we can be proud of our achievements. I hope that those who follow me will feel the same."

"Dave Brooks has been a transformational chief executive," the club's chairman, Jim May, said. "He has combined an astute business focus with an empathy and understanding for cricket at all levels. He master-minded the ground development at Hove into one of the best grounds in the country. Dave has been an outstanding chief executive who leaves Sussex with our very best wishes, and, in great shape for his successor."

"Will I ever work in cricket again?" Brooks said. "Never say never. But I have no plans in that direction. The first love is always the sweetest and, having fallen in love with Sussex, it would be very hard to work anywhere else. I'll miss Sussex enormously."

Brooks laughed at the suggestion he could run against Giles Clarke as chairman of the ECB. "That's an unpaid position, you know," he said.

Reflecting on his experience within the game, Brooks urged counties to develop greater independence from the ECB and develop revenue streams that are not reliant on centrally distributed broadcast deals. "Historically there has been a bit of a culture of dependence," he said. "Some counties have been overly reliant on the income from broadcast revenues and a successful England team. I'd like to see more counties developing their own business models and, with the help of Gordon Hollins at the ECB, they have made some good progress in that area.

"It's not just about financial independence. It's about the culture. I'm not sure you can have a vibrant on-field culture if you have a lack of energy off it. It would be nice to see clubs infused with energy on and off the pitch.

"But the one thing I wish we did better was talking up the quality of the county game. The quality is very good and we shouldn't be ashamed to say that watching county cricket is a very nice day out.

"We should stamp out that rubbish about only 'one man and his dog' watching. We get very respectable crowds here at Hove and I know they do at some other grounds, too. I remember the ovation Scott Styris received when he walked off after scoring a 37-ball century in a T20 game against Gloucestershire. There were 6,000 people on their feet and applauding. It summed up the warmth and excitement you can experience in county cricket. There is a lot to be proud of and I wish we heard a bit more about that."

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Deccan Chargers ask for more time to raise bank guarantee

The owners of the Deccan Chargers franchise, Deccan Chronicles Holdings Limited (DCHL), have asked for a three-day extension (till October 12) to raise Rs 100 crore as a bank guarantee, one of the conditions set by the Bombay High Court ruling of October 1 to avoid termination from the IPL. On Tuesday, the franchise's owners also filed an application requesting permission to raise the guarantee from a privatised bank and not a nationalised one, as originally stipulated by the court.

Immediately after the BCCI had terminated the Chargers on September 14 for failing to "cure various breaches" of their contract, DCHL had moved court, challenging the expulsion. Having heard both legal counsels over a few preliminary hearings, Justice SJ Kathawala passed a judgement where he asked DCHL to fulfil various undertakings, including paying a bank guarantee to the BCCI by October 9 from a nationalised bank. Kathawala also appointed the retired Supreme Court judge CK Thakkar as arbitrator to determine a solution to the dispute.

Kathawala had said that in the event DCHL failed to raise the sum, the BCCI had the rights to revoke the termination order. The other conditions included clearing players' dues immediately and all liabilities pertaining to IPL 5 by October 31. The other important condition was to pay IFCI, a private financial institution, who had filed a winding-up petition against the DCHL. "There is schedule set under the consent terms with IFCI, it will be paid accordingly," Zal Andhyarujina, the DCHL legal counsel, told ESPNcricinfo.

According to Andhyarujina, his client had already disbursed the payments to the players and team officials, and were also in the middle of clearing up all other dues. "Today at court we would be moving an application to have the condition of the raising the bank guarantee from a nationalised bank to a private bank - ICICI," Andhyarujina said.

Kathawala had already pulled up the BCCI for having acted in "haste" before passing the termination orders. On September 14, the board had convened an emergency IPL governing council meeting in Chennai, after which the decision was taken to terminate the Chargers. That was also the last day of the one-month deadline set by the BCCI for the Chargers to put their house in order. However, DCHL sent a notice through their lawyers stating they had not committed any "breaches."

"The judge held that BCCI acted slightly in haste because they were worried about the prestige of the IPL," a BCCI official said. "He pointed out that the dues were payable on May 1, so why did the board wait till August to send the notice to the Chargers…"

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