Yorkshire 'very healthy' despite loss

Yorkshire were unable to return to profit in 2012, despite a sharply increased turnover. The club have declared a post-tax loss for the year of £118,000, against a turnover figure of £7.8m. Both figures are an improvement on the 2011 results, which saw the club declare losses of £460,000 against a turnover of £5.4m.

In a statement Yorkshire expressed confidence that they would have declared a surplus had it not been for a series of one-off events. The impact of the Olympics on Test corporate hospitality sales was one factor, while 37% of playable overs were lost to rain over the season. The ODI against West Indies at Headingley in June was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to the poor weather.

"The servicing of the club's debt, incurred to substantially develop the club's infrastructure and facilities, continues to exert pressure with £1m paid in interest in 2012," the statement said. "However, the fact that the club has a guaranteed Test match and ODI every year until the end of 2019 provides some assurances over income streams."

Yorkshire described their trading position in 2012 as "very healthy" and reported an operational surplus (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of £1.2m - compared to £393k in 2011 - on the back of a return of Test cricket to Headingley.

Read More..

Wheater denies wicketkeeping guarantee

Adam Wheater, who last week bought out his contract with Essex in order to join Hampshire with immediate effect, has said he received no guarantees of a first-team place as wicketkeeper at West End, despite the claim by his former coach, Paul Grayson, that this was the reason behind his decision to move counties.

"I think Paul was trying to cover his own back in saying that," Wheater said during a press conference before flying to Barbados with his new team-mates for a pre-season tour. "I am on a two-year contract and have been given no assurances." He will compete with Michael Bates for the gloves at Hampshire.

In Essex's press release, Grayson was quoted as saying Wheater was their "third-choice keeper", behind James Foster and Ben Foakes, and that "Hampshire have given him assurances that he will be their first-choice at the club." Nigel Hilliard, the Essex chairman, supported Grayson, however. "I have no reason to believe Paul was lying," he said.

Although Hampshire allegedly did not make a formal approach to Essex and had previously attempted to tempt James Foster to join them, Hilliard did not want to take issue with them. "All sorts of approaches are made for players and we would not want to stand in the way of a player who was keen to leave," he said.

Wheater, 23, saw little prospect of keeping wicket regularly for Essex given that he expects Foster, the club captain, to play on for several more years. "The attraction for me in joining Hampshire is that they have a young side who are going in the right direction and are not too far from my family in Epping," he said. "I have been looking at places to buy round Southampton but haven't found anywhere yet."

He said "three or four" other counties had been interested in signing him, but he had not had any serious discussions with any of them. He has joined Hampshire, he emphasised, to become a wicketkeeper-batsman. "I would have become more frustrated at Essex if James Foster had not been such an unbelievably good wicketkeeper. I talked to him before leaving - we were born in the same hospital and went to the same school - but he could not be seen to be advising me to go." Wheater would not divulge the payment he had to make to Essex to buy out his remaining year's contract.

There is no doubting Wheater's ability with the bat - he made 2,463 runs for Essex at 39.09, a significantly higher average than Bates has mustered - and his wicketkeeping can only improve under the tutelage of Bobby Parks, but his signing is nonetheless a controversial one. Hampshire pride themselves on the young cricketers they have brought on over the past few years, one of whom is Bates, who has kept wicket to Danny Briggs' left arm spin since they were ten years old.

Bates, 22, signed a two-year contract with Hampshire in the autumn and is arguably the most talented young wicketkeeper in the country. His batting is improving if not yet consistent - he made his maiden first-class century last season - and the acquisition of Wheater will do little for his self-belief or the confidence of academy cricketers who will feel a natural progression to the first team is constantly under threat. Nor will it please the members, who doubtless would prefer to see the club develop and promote their own players rather than sign up outsiders, as in football.

Tellingly - and modestly - Wheater said that Bates remains the better wicketkeeper. "We know each other from playing against each other at regional level," he said. "I have benefited from playing for Essex as a batsman, and I would be happy to play for Hampshire as a specialist batter, but my trade is a wicketkeeper-batsman," he said.

It could yet be the case that Hampshire will alternate between the two for first-class and limited-overs cricket. One particular match which would have heightened their interest in acquiring Wheater occurred at Chelmsford last year when Essex, needing 360 to win, slumped to 222 for 7 before his innings of 98 brought them to within two runs of victory.

Hilliard, who believes that Foster is the best wicketkeeper in the world, let alone the country, feels the specialist stumper will return to prominence in due course, regardless of whether or not he can bat. Keith Fletcher, the great sage of Essex cricket, is not so sure. "Neil Smith, who played in our first championship-winning side, would not play now," he said. "David East might struggle to get in, even thought he played some important innings."

And, he added - alarmingly for the likes of Bates - "even the days of Bob Taylor have gone."

Read More..

Swann out of tour for elbow surgery

Graeme Swann has been ruled out of England's tour of New Zealand and will undergo surgery on his right elbow in America next week as he faces a battle to fit for the start of the Ashes in July.

The seriousness of Swann's problem emerged on the first morning in Dunedin when he was left out of the starting XI. James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner, has been called into the squad while Monty Panesar was named in the team for the first Test. Swann's surgery will take place at the same hospital where Tim Bresnan recently had his elbow operation.

An ECB statement said: "England offspinner Graeme Swann has been ruled out of the current Test series against New Zealand due to a right elbow injury. Swann will travel to the United States next week to have an operation and will then undergo a period of rehabilitation allowing an anticipated return to competitive cricket in the early summer. A further update will be available following the operation."

Swann, 33, first had surgery on the elbow in 2009 when the surgeon removed 29 fragments of bone but had to leave some in place because of their proximity to the nerves. Swann has always said how he wanted to avoid another operation and hoped to get through the rest of his career but has been forced under the knife again.

Swann needed treatment during England's warm-up match in Queenstown and admitted his worries in his newspaper column in the build-up to the Test before being left out of the Dunedin match. It was only the fourth time Swann had been left out of a Test and the previous three occasions - twice in West Indies in 2009 and against South Africa, at Headingley, last year - have been for tactical reasons.

Swann was already being carefully managed through England's one-day commitments and missed the recent 50-over leg of the India trip and the Twenty20s at the start of the New Zealand tour.

"We are embarking on arguably England's greatest year of Test cricket ever and I can't wait for the back-to-back Ashes series," Swann wrote in his Sun column. "But I have one big worry - the state of my right elbow. It caused me discomfort again during our only warm-up match before the first Test and I had to leave the field.

"I'll be honest, the elbow is always a concern. It's been hanging over me for several years and, despite having an operation in 2009, the problem hasn't entirely gone away.

"It would be a massive pain in the backside if my wonky elbow forced me to miss any of the Tests against Australia. I'm absolutely determined to be available for what might be my final two Ashes series - and that means managing the elbow as well as possible.

"I really don't want to have another operation. For two weeks after my op, I was in bed with a machine keeping my arm in continual motion for 23 hours a day. It was a testing time - and poor old Tim Bresnan has been going through the same thing after his operation in America. This year of all years, I don't want the elbow to cause any problems. I want to be fit for as much Test cricket as possible and, fingers crossed, I will be."

Read More..

Heavy rain delays start after NZ win toss

Tea New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl against England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Heavy rain which swept in shortly after New Zealand won the toss and put England into bat in the first Test meant no play before tea in Dunedin.

The morning was dominated by news of Graeme Swann being forced out of the tour for elbow surgery after Monty Panesar had been named in England's team for this Test. There was also a return for Stuart Broad after his heel problems,

In his column for the Sun yesterday, Swann wrote of his concerns about missing Tests in an Ashes year. At the toss, Alastair Cook said he will go for further scans and although the problem is not thought to be serious he did not think he would make it through five days, then it soon emerged that the problem was more serious.

Despite the overhead conditions, New Zealand handed a debut to left-arm spinner Bruce Martin instead of playing Ian Butler as a fourth seamer. Butler, who hasn't played a Test since 2004, was called into the squad after Doug Bracewell was ruled out when he cut his foot on glass as he cleaned up after a party.

New Zealand 1 Hamish Rutherford, 2 Peter Fulton, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Brendon McCullum (capt), 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Bruce Martin, 11 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent Boult

England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Joe Root, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

Read More..

Conclave to reflect on changes to domestic cricket

The coaches and captains of all the 27 domestic teams affiliated to the BCCI will participate in a conclave at a five-star hotel in Mumbai on Tuesday. Though the conclave has become an annual fixture for the last half a dozen seasons, it will be the first time all the participating teams will give their feedback to the major changes that were introduced for the 2012-13 season.

Some of the major changes included converting the Ranji Trophy to a tournament comprising three groups of nine teams each from a two-tier format and introducing an additional point for an outright victory. In the 50-over format, the changes involved allowing a bowler to bowl up to two bouncers an over and one bowler bowl a maximum of 12 overs. Plus, the Under-22 domestic championship was replaced by an Under-25 tournament. The changes were introduced after a three-member committee comprising former India captains Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, and Sanjay Jagdale, consulted with the BCCI's technical committee. The proposals were then ratified by the BCCI's working committee.

Kumble, who has since replaced Ganguly as the technical committee chairman, will be in attendance at the conclave as a 'special invitee' along with the head of the ground and pitches committee Daljit Singh. The latter's presence will be important in the wake of the BCCI issuing a directive to the curators across the country to prepare sporting pitches ahead of the Ranji Trophy after expanding the committee's strength from five to 12.

Some of the captains and coaches will raise the issue of how instruction seems to have been misinterpreted and misused. "Agreed that there have hardly been any under-prepared tracks this season, [but] the result has been too many flat beds. Have we ever seen five triple-centuries in a season in the history of Ranji Trophy?" said a captain of a state team, citing anonymity.

While the Ranji Trophy points system is again going to be discussed, a few representatives will also demand the knock-out games be played at neutral venues. "That could be the only option in avoiding such crucial ties to be decided on the basis of the first innings," another captain said. In the recently-concluded first-class season, four of the seven knock-out ties - three quarter-finals and a semi-final - were decided on the basis of a first-innings lead.

Some of the teams have also been unhappy with the conversion of the CK Nayudu Trophy from an Under-22 tournament to an Under-25 competition. It remains to be seen if Kumble agrees with them on the contentious issues.

Read More..

Decision on Pune's home ground in a 'day or two'

A decision on Pune Warriors' home games in the upcoming IPL is set to be taken in the next couple of days, with negotiations currently on among all stakeholders. The franchise hopes to play its matches at the Subrata Roy Sahara stadium in Pune which is currently the subject of dispute.

"Both Sahara and MCA [Maharashtra Cricket Association] stuck to their guns, but with the IPL set to start in less than a month, the final decision will be made in a day or two," a BCCI insider revealed after a meeting between IPL governing council Rajeev Shukla, MCA president Ajay Shirke and Abhijit Sarkar, corporate communications chief of the Sahara group and director of the group subsidiary that owns the Pune franchise. While Sarkar and Shukla met in New Delhi, Shirke joined them through video conference since he is in the Netherlands for business commitments.

The Sahara group and the MCA have been in a dispute over title rights of the newly built stadium at Gahunje in the outskirts of Pune. After the MCA covered the name of the stadium that read 'Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium' in January for alleged default over payment of the contract, Sahara group officials moved the Bombay High Court over "termination of agreements".

Though the court case doesn't have any direct relation with hosting of the Sahara-owned team's home games in Pune, the business conglomerate has expressed its desire to play their home games at other venues. However, with no valid reason for shifting the games out of Pune, the IPL organisers find themselves in a quandary over the issue. With the IPL set to begin on April 3, time indeed is running out for them.

Read More..

Bracewell ruled out of first Test

Doug Bracewell has been ruled out of the first Test against England due to the foot injury he sustained while cleaning up glass after a party at his home in Napier.

Doug Bracewell has been ruled out of the first Test against England due to the foot injury he sustained while cleaning up glass after a party at his home in Napier.

Bracewell did not attend New Zealand's final training session at University Oval on Tuesday although it is hoped he will recover in time for the second Test in Wellington. It means that Ian Butler, the Otago seamer, could be in line for his first Test appearance in more than eight years. The final place is between him and the uncapped left-arm spinner Bruce Martin

The situation, which occurred away from the New Zealand squad, has not resulted in any disciplinary action for Bracewell although he has been reminded of his responsibilities and Brendon McCullum, the captain, believes it has been over stressed.

"I think the Doug situation has been blown out of proportion to be honest," he said. "It was an accident with was unfortunate because it has ruled him out of a match he was hoping to be at his best for. He has been able to build up for it. I think he will be back for the second Test."

Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said that there were expectations on players to ensure they were ready for international duty but did not think there were any significant problems around the culture of the team that needed to be addressed.

"We've got really good standards in terms of the expectations we have on our players," he said. "They are also human and spend a lot of time away from the group. There is the expectation that what they do does not affect their preparation and we are pretty strong with that.

"There's been a bit of comment about the situation but his foot just hasn't recovered. He can't put any weight on it. There's not a lot we can do when he's away from the side. What I understand he was cleaning up after having a group of people over to watch the rugby. It's really disappointing for Doug and the team as he's a crucial part of our seam attack."

Earlier, Bracewell apologised for the situation and its impact on his team-mates. A media release from New Zealand Cricket referred to the incident as "unfortunate" and stated that Bracewell had been "reminded of his obligations and responsibilities as a NZC contracted player".

"We've told Doug that he needs to take responsibility for what happens around him and that he needs to do all he can to ensure his preparation for international cricket is not compromised," Mike Sandle, the New Zealand team manager, said. "Doug is very sorry for any inconvenience he has caused his team-mates and members of the public and he has apologised to his neighbour in Napier."

New Zealand Cricket Players' Association chief executive Heath Mills was involved in Sandle's discussions with Bracewell, who was dropped from the one-day squad in 2012 for breaking team protocol.

"We want to ensure that incidents like this are not repeated and that we provide ongoing support for young players to ensure they are meeting all their obligations and responsibilities," Mills said.

Read More..

An early chance to catch England cold

Match facts

March 6, 2013
Start time 10.30am (2130 GMT)

Big Picture

With crisply starched whites and a spring in their step, Alastair Cook's Test side will begin their first assignment of 2013 looking to continue on the upward curve that they began to forge in India last year. Their opponents, New Zealand (or Not Australia, as some observers keep pointing out), having already experienced the low of 45 all out in Cape Town, will be ready to pounce on any hint of complacency, however, as Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson seek a soothing balm for the still-raw wounds of the captaincy debacle.

The removal of Ross Taylor as captain in all three formats needs little further raking over but it should be noted that his last Test appearance came in New Zealand's historic win in Colombo last November, when his individual contribution with the bat amounted to scores of 142 and 74. His return to the middle-order will add class and experience to a line-up that was mercilessly ripped apart by South Africa but, should the team come under pressure again, the apparently fragile harmony of the dressing room could be tested.

While McCullum is still working out his brief as Test captain, Cook has eased so comfortably into Andrew Strauss' old job that he may as well be playing in slippers. Three vast centuries in India extended a remarkable run of scoring whilst in charge and more success will be expected against a team ranked a lowly eighth in the world. Having suffered a chastening tour-match defeat in Queenstown, in which England's three seamers could only manage seven wickets between them, Cook knows that full focus is required. For now, the Ashes can wait.

Form guide

New Zealand LLWLL (Completed matches, most recent first)
England DWWLL

In the spotlight

He missed out on a return to the side in South Africa with a knee injury but Peter Fulton is set to resume his Test career after a hiatus of more than three years. Since Fulton made his debut at No. 3 in 2006, New Zealand have used 15 different openers and that will become 16 in Dunedin, when Hamish Rutherford will come into the side. Fulton was second in the Plunket Shield run-scorers' list last season, with 902 at 56.37, and at 34 has the experience to play the senior role. Should he fail, New Zealand fans might seriously start to consider a campaign for Mark Richardson to abandon his TV mic and make a return.

Nick Compton may feel particularly unlucky that his solid start to life in Test cricket, at the seasoned age of 29, has coincided with the rapid rise of Joe Root. Between England's disastrous start in Ahmedabad and Cook getting sawn off twice in Nagpur, Compton and the captain provided opening stands of 123, 66, 58* and 165; but after Root's eye-catching debut from left-field, talk has turned to fitting the younger model into the side at the top of the order, where he bats for Yorkshire. Compton averages 34.66 but he will want to double his high score of 57 to feel secure of his place.

Team news

As if the controversy over the captaincy wasn't enough for New Zealand to deal with, Doug Bracewell has been ruled out with a foot injury sustained cleaning up glass after a party. It means Neil Wagner is certain to start and the final position is between Ian Butler, who hasn't played a Test in more than eight years, and uncapped spinner Bruce Martin.

New Zealand 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Brendon McCullum (capt), 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Bruce Martin/Ian Butler, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent Boult

Compton may not have made many runs in Queenstown but he should continue as opener, with Root retaining his place at No. 6 and being expected to provide a few fill-in overs with the ball. Andy Flower has cautioned against over-inflating the Root bubble, despite his gravity-defying start to life in international cricket, so although he may be a long-term option as Cook's opening partner, a knee-jerk elevation is unlikely. The only other issue remains the third seamer slot, with Stuart Broad set to feature ahead of Graham Onions and Chris Woakes.

England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Joe Root, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

The conditions may aid the seamers early on but it is quite possible to build big scores later in the match on what should be a decent pitch - South Africa made 435 for 5 after conceding a first-innings lead here a year ago and the last two Plunket Shield fixtures in Dunedin featured Otago declarations on 569 for 8 and 651 for 9. The possibility of cloud cover is likely to further influence the captains at the toss with McCullum hinting we will bowl first.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand are unbeaten in all four Tests they have played at the University Oval, winning against Bangladesh and Pakistan and drawing with West Indies and South Africa.
• Since losing to them 2-1 at home in 1999, England have won eight out of 12 Tests against New Zealand.
• Ross Taylor's batting average of 49.85 as captain compares with 41.12 when not in charge.
• James Anderson needs 12 wickets to become the fourth England bowler after Fred Truman, Bob Willis and Ian Botham to take 300 in Tests.

Quotes

"You have to take on the big players and find a way to limit their impact on the series. If we do that it could well create some doubt in their squad. We have plans in place for all their players. How we implement those will determine how successful we are. "
Brendon McCullum

"As players we've got to focus on this game and worry about the other stuff after it. But it's an exciting time to be an England player. In the T20s and ODIs it showed how competitive both sides were. If we play to our potential we will be a hard side to be beat."
Alastair Cook

Read More..

World Cup 2015 chairman James Strong dies

James Strong, chairman of the local organising committee for the 2015 World Cup, has died aged 68 after complications from surgery.

He died on Sunday evening in a Sydney hospital, having held the tournament chairman's position since August 2011. The tournament chief executive John Harnden said Strong had made a major contribution to the event.

"James has been a friend and a mentor to me over a long period and I will miss his company and his advice," Harnden said. "He has made a massive contribution to corporate and sporting life in Australia and New Zealand.

"We extend our sincere condolences to his family and many friends. We will continue the work he began on the World Cup and deliver a tournament in 2015 that would make him proud."

Before working on the organisation of the World Cup, Strong had been the chief executive and managing director of Qantas from 1993 until 2001. He had also served as chairman of the Australia Council for the Arts, alongside senior roles with Woolworths, Rip Curl, IAG and Kathmandu.

Read More..

PCB calls for revival of international cricket in Pakistan

On the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has called on the world to stand with Pakistan and help revive international cricket in the country. "It was the tragic episode in the history of Pakistan cricket," Ashraf, who is also a member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party's central executive committee, told ESPNcricinfo. "We have suffered a lot in fighting against terrorism - a war that is the entire world's and Pakistan is fighting as a front-line state. The whole world should stand with us in helping revive international cricket."

On March 3, 2009, the Sri Lanka team was on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second Test against Pakistan, when gunmen opened fire and threw grenades at the bus, killing eight people at Liberty roundabout, one-and-a-half kilometres away from the stadium. The match was abandoned, Sri Lanka left the country the same day, Pakistan was stripped of its right to host the 2011 World Cup and there has been no international cricket in the country since. For the last four years, Pakistan have been playing their 'home' series mostly in the UAE.

Youth development in Pakistan cricket is on hold as no team, even at the youth level, is ready to tour. The PCB has suffered a budget deficit for years, stadiums are getting rusty, fans have been deprived. Around two dozen players made their international debut for Pakistan in this period, but are yet to play an international game in their own country.

The PCB is still haunted by the impact of the incident and doesn't like to be reminded of what happened. The board is now waiting for a change in the political landscape in the country, hoping it will lead to greater stability.

The PCB had tried to win back the confidence of players by organising the lucrative Twenty20 league, offering top players from around the world a chance to earn over $100,000 tax-free in 10 days. But the plan was hit by logistical arrangements and the board had to postpone it indefinitely. The PCB also tried hard to negotiate with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to commit to a tour of Pakistan but the series never happened, with Bangladesh withdrawing after committing twice. West Indies, in recent times, have refused to send their A team to Pakistan, proposing instead to play in the UAE.

The PCB, in the meantime, is focusing on building cricket infrastructure in Pakistan, a chaotic process in a time of isolation. A new stadium, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Cricket Stadium at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Naudero, Sindh, was completed last year; another one has been sanctioned in the capital Islamabad with a lodging facility. Domestic cricket has been revamped, with the introduction of an additional Twenty20 national championship between eight top teams around the country to keep the stadiums active.

Read More..