Murali helps O'Keefe beat 'dead track'

There was no doosra, but Steve O'Keefe showed on the first day in Sharjah the benefits of working with Muttiah Muralitharan over the past week and a half. Muralitharan has been in the UAE with Australia's squad as a bowling consultant and his advice to O'Keefe proved invaluable on a surface that offered little for bowlers of any persuasion.

On a day when the frontline offspinner Nathan Lyon went wicketless, O'Keefe's return of 3 for 76 looked particularly respectable and should encourage the selectors as they consider a twin-spin attack for the first Test in Dubai. Notably, O'Keefe surprised the batsmen with several deliveries that kicked sharply off the pitch, and his accuracy helped keep the runs down for most of the day.

"It was a pretty dead track," O'Keefe said. "However, I think subtle variations, particularly stuff I've worked with Murali through the week have really helped out. I think you've got to expect that, don't you, on a day when the pitch [doesn't have much]. You've just got to nickel and dime it, and find a wicket. In saying that, they batted really well and Shafiq batted beautifully and deserved his hundred.

"Your main thing on these sort of wickets is you have to be hitting the stumps, give yourself a chance. And then the rest is moving around the crease, cross-seam can be quite effective on these wickets, given that the ball can skip off sometimes and bounce maybe if it hits the seam. I think that's what Murali has been invaluable with, those sorts of variations.

"I still think there's a lot to work on. That's the aim of the game, to get wickets. Particularly as a spinner on day one, you can certainly help the quicks out and try to go for less than two or three [runs an over] - I probably went a bit expensive towards the end. But to get three of their top seven out, I'll take a lot out of that."

Pakistan A had trouble getting O'Keefe away early and his first wicket was that of Babar Azam, who advanced and tried to clear mid-on but managed only to find the fielder. Later, he bowled Haris Sohail with a ball that drifted across and straightened, immediately after Sohail had crunched a six over midwicket, and his third wicket came when Adnan Akmal edged to slip, perhaps surprised by some extra bounce.

O'Keefe appears a likely debutant for the Dubai Test next week, although the precise make-up of Australia's side will depend on the pitch and also on the ability of allrounder Mitchell Marsh to prove his fitness to bowl in the second innings in Sharjah. Despite his success on the first day, O'Keefe said he was not yet thinking of a baggy green, just of getting through this game.

"I get nervous, I've been nervous since I was eight and sitting exams," he said. "It's part of my natural make-up to get a little nervous but I'm sort of comfortable with that.

"Today was an opportunity to bowl, I'll get another opportunity in the next innings, but I'm not looking too far ahead. I'm certainly not thinking I've got a baggy green, it's just 'let's get through this match, let's get a win, let's keep contributing' and the rest will dictate itself."

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All-round Kapp downs Sri Lanka Women

South Africa women 225 for 8 (Kapp 89*, Lee 72, Kaushalya 2-24) beat Sri Lanka women 172 for 9 (Kaushalya 59, Ismail 2-19) by 53 runs
Scorecard

Marizanne Kapp fueled South Africa Women to a winning start in the ICC Women's Championship. She complemented an unbeaten 89 with a spell of 2 for 36 to keep Sri Lanka Women 54 runs short of their target of 226 in Colombo.

South Africa, after opting to bat, found themselves 17 for 2 in the seventh over. Opener Lizelle Lee rallied with a composed 72 off 103 balls. She was part of two half-century partnerships with the middle order and Kapp ensured that period of stability was not in vain with 89 off 90 balls, including eight fours. Her stand of 85 with Dane van Niekerk for the fifth wicket rushed South Africa to a promising 225 at the end of 50 overs.

Sri Lanka's reply barely got started before Kapp made further impact. She struck in the second over to remove Shashikala Siriwardene for a duck. Four of the top six were dismissed for single-figures as Sri Lanka languished at 66 for 6 in the 27th over. Kapp finished with two wickets, as did fellow seamer Shabnim Ismail, and spinners van Niekerk and Yolani Fourie. All of them conceded less than four an over.

Eshani Kaushalya struck a rapid 59 off 55 balls to frustrate South Africa. She led a seventh-wicket partnership of 43 with Maduri Samuddika and added a further 47 with No. 10 Udeshika Prabodhani before being dismissed. South Africa claimed a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

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Last-ball run out spares New Zealand's blushes

New Zealand XI 263 (Anderson 53, McCullum 52, Berrington 3-66) beat Scotland 262 (Machan 83, Coleman 56, Gardiner 54, Anderson 4-47) by one run
Scorecard

Scotland came within a whisker of beating a strong New Zealand XI - only three players away from being a full-strength home side - but after striking a boundary in the last over to leave the visitors needing two off three balls, Alasdair Evans could not score from the next two deliveries and was then run out by Brendon McCullum off the final ball of the match.

There was relief for the New Zealanders, in their first match of the home season, but Scotland will be able to take plenty of solace from their performance against a side they will face in the group stage of the World Cup. They chipped away with the ball and only a final-wicket stand of 55 between Kyle Mills and Matt Henry lifted the New Zealanders to the heights of 263 after being put into bat on an early-season surface which offered encouragement for the seamers.

The chase was marshalled by half-centuries from Hamish Gardiner, Matt Machan and Freddie Coleman. Kyle Coetzer had fallen to the third ball of the innings and when captain Preston Mommsen also failed to open his account, edging Mills to slip, Scotland were 41 for 3 in the eighth over.

However, Gardiner and Machan added 111 for the fourth wicket before Gardiner was run out backing up when Machan's fierce drive burst through the hands of Mills into the non-striker's stumps. Five over later, and with a century in sight, Machan, who had scored at nearly a run-a-ball, sliced a wide delivery to third man off Mitchell McClenaghan leaving Scotland needing 87 off 88 deliveries with five wickets in hand.

Coleman got them close with 56 off 50 balls although he kept losing partners as Corey Anderson went through the lower order. Coleman was Anderson's fourth wicket when he drove to cover with 21 required - a task that the last-wicket pair so nearly achieved.

The New Zealand XI, missing only Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee from what could be classed as the main one-day team, had made a sticky start. Martin Guptill was caught at third man and Dean Brownlie, earning a chance in the absence of Taylor and Williamson, drove lazily into the covers to leave them 20 for 2 in the 10th over.

McCullum steadied the innings alongside Tom Latham, striking the ball cleanly in a brisk half-century that included three sixes, before the New Zealanders wobbled again as the third-wicket pair were dismissed in consecutive deliveries; McCullum picking out deep midwicket and Latham late on a delivery which took out middle and leg.

Anderson made a robust fifty, adding 53 with the returning Daniel Vettori, but when Nathan McCullum departed there were still nine overs remaining and it needed some sensible batting from Henry and Mills to ensure the overs were used up.

One of the more significant aspects for the New Zealanders was that Vettori, playing his first 50-over match since the Champions Trophy in England last June, got through his 10 overs as he tries to prove his fitness ahead of the one-day series against Pakistan in the UAE and ultimately the World Cup.

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Bravo, Hinds battle intensifies in email exchange

The growing impasse between West Indies players and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) has intensified with both sides exchanging bitter emails in the past week. After Wavell Hinds, who has been the direct target of the players' ire, vehemently refused to step down from his dual positions as WIPA president and chief executive, the players fired fresh salvos against him via a two-part letter highlighting the discrepancies in his response.

The biggest bone of contention between the warring factions is related to the issue of sponsorship payment that Hinds claimed all the West Indies players had agreed to forego towards enhancing the pay structure of 90 regional first-class cricketers during the WIPA annual general meeting on February 1 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

Hinds was responding to a letter signed by West Indies ODI captain Dwayne Bravo on behalf of the players, who alleged that the WIPA CEO had "hoodwinked" them by signing a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) which amounted to taking a massive pay cut.

The proposal to forego the sponsorship fee was present by WIPA director Michael Hall, who asked of the "players on the West Indies team to be an agent of change and give up his daily sponsorship money to help professionalize first class cricket," according to the minutes of the AGM as seen by ESPNCricinfo.

In his letter, dated October 8, Hinds started with a bold stroke: "I am compelled to first refute in the strongest possible manner all of your previous assertions claiming ignorance on the part of the "senior players" regarding the proposal to discontinue the payment of $35,000 per day of cricket for the benefit of members of the senior West Indies team, and the reallocation of these monies to help to fund retainer contracts for an additional ninety (90) members of WIPA."

Hinds said Bravo along with senior West Indies players Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan having "participated in a lively and lengthy discussion" on the issue had expressed "100% support for the initiative" and authorised the WIPA executive to go forward with the "resolution". That move, Hinds said, "was passed by majority vote of the members present on the floor. The minutes also reflect the only qualification to your support, which was to ask that the current WIPA executive make every effort to ensure that the shortfall in revenue accruing from the reallocation, be made up in other areas of player remuneration."

But Bravo expressed complete surprise that such a resolution was indeed passed, which he noted in the first part of his response, sent on October 10 to Hinds. "There is no mention whatsoever of such a vote taking place and that is in keeping with what persons attending that meeting have said," Bravo said, referring to the minutes of the meeting as well as having consulted his fellow players present at the AGM.

Bravo brought to Hinds' attention the segment in the minutes of the AGM where he had clearly said that "he support(ed) 100% the proposal but certain conditions must be discussed, one of them being no pay drop for the senior team and the other salary be raised to compensate the loss of sponsorship fee."

Bravo also pointed out that both Hall and Hinds had said before any final decision was taken WIPA would consult WICB to make sure that "to balance of the loss of sponsorship fee, a compromise MUST be reached to EVEN out the difference." Hinds and Hall, Bravo said, had made it clear senior players like himself, Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Chanderpaul would be kept abreast of the updates. Instead Bravo claimed the players were always in the dark over the MoU, which they are yet to see.

"As is evident from the minutes of the AGM, Mr. Hinds and Mr. Hall promised to provide more information, meet with senior West Indian players, make up the shortfall if the sponsorship were taken away, even out the difference and certain conditions must be discussed one of them being no pay drop and more importantly discuss with the players before any final decision is made," Bravo wrote.

In the second part of his response, sent on October 12, Bravo objected to the fact pointed out by Hinds that under the new agreement with the WICB the players actually stood to earn more. According to Hinds, the players would get 15% increase in their match fee across the board along with a hike in the retainer contracts ranging from 12.5-25%. The Test match fee had been increased from $5000 to $5750; ODI match fee had been hiked to $2300 to $2000 while the Twenty20 International fee was raised to $1725 from $1500.

Also there were two new contract categories being including from this season: Category A+ and Category B+. An A+ player's retainer would amount to $150,000; Category A players would get $135,000, compared to $120,000 previously; Category B+ players $125,000; Category B players $115,000, compared to $110,000 previously; and Category C players would get $100,000, an increase of $20,000.

Bravo said that Hinds' assertion was "inaccurate." According to Bravo, the matter was never discussed at the AGM and a perusal of the minutes made that clear.

"Yet, you inaccurately stated that we got a 300% increase in match fees when the truth is the players are in fact receiving 90% less from what previously existed in our overall fees," Bravo wrote. Bravo also wondered why the 25% participation fee paid to the players by the WICB for playing in various ICC tournaments was erased completely. "To cut the participation fee from players who play at ICC events from 25% to zero is unbelievable."

"Mr. Hinds, we have asked for a comparative analysis of what the players earned last contractual year and what they would earn given this new purported MOU. Instead you have presented figures to signal that WIPA got an increase for the players. This is not correct. We once again call on you to provide this comparison," Bravo wrote, concluding a third part of his response would be sent soon.

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Misbah the best choice to lead in World Cup - Afridi

Shahid Afridi has said that Misbah-ul-Haq was the "best choice as Pakistan captain" for the upcoming World Cup. His comments in support of Misbah's captaincy came through a PCB media release after Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chief, had expressed disappointment with Afridi's remarks in a post-match conference after the third ODI.

"Let me state at the very outset, Misbah is the best choice as Pakistan captain for the ICC World Cup 2015," Afridi's statement said. "I have always backed him to the optimum whenever I have played under him, just as he had when I had the honour to captain the Pakistan team.

"I have already had the pride and honour to captain Pakistan several times. Trust me, it is no bed of roses, and all of us who have captained Pakistan, including Misbah, are fully aware of it. We get nothing more out of it than pride and honour; seldom do we get bouquets but more often brickbats.

"I have said this before, and I reiterate, that I shall continue to serve Pakistan Cricket and fully support Misbah to the best of my ability.

"This is my final statement on the issue".

Afridi, in the post-match press conference, had mentioned that he came to know about his being named the stand-in captain through the media. And when asked if he would like to continue as the one-day captain until the World Cup, Afridi had said, "I think whoever is captain - Misbah or me - we should know about it. If I am to captain in the World Cup then I should know about it."

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Manish Pandey hails IPL impact for call-up

Being consistent is the reason for this call - Pandey

On May 21, 2009, a 20-year-old Manish Pandey, playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, pummelled a Deccan Chargers bowling attack which included Ryan Harris, Andrew Symonds and Pragyan Ojha, as he went on to become the first Indian centurion in the competition.

While Pandey's form in the IPL remained consistent - he has scored 1346 runs combined for four teams - a national call-up did not immediately materialise. But when it eventually did, more than five years later, Pandey was quick to praise the positive impact that the IPL had on his career.

"It [IPL] definitely helped. As a batsman, you look to be consistent every game and win matches for your team," Pandey told ESPNcricinfo. "This year, even my first-class experience was very good, as I scored a lot of runs and backed it up with a good IPL and Champions League. Being consistent is why I think I've gotten this call-up. The IPL has done a lot of good and gave me a lot of confidence. We play with some of the best players in the world and we get to learn a lot. We get used to the pressure, and learn how to deal with other players."

Pandey, who helped Kolkata Knight Riders to their second IPL title with a 50-ball 94 in the final against Kings XI Punjab, also played a key role for Karnataka last season. He scored 729 runs in the Ranji Trophy at 48.60 with three hundreds and three fifties, as Karnataka went on to claim the title. Pandey hoped the first-class experience would eventually pave the way for a Test debut.

"As a batsman, playing Test cricket is my goal. I love the challenges when you play with the red ball, as it requires a lot more focus. I love batting in those conditions, and my runs would attest to that.

"It will hopefully be a good season for Karnataka again. We need to maintain the same standard of performances, and look to work harder and bag the Ranji Trophy again."

Pandey, who cites Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid as his two idols, said he was disappointed not to make his international debut earlier, but that he was now fully focused on the immediate task at hand, which is to beat West Indies and secure the ODI series.

"I expected the call-up to come sooner and would've loved to play a couple of years ago," he said. "But I've matured a lot over the years and played a lot more cricket. I'm ready for the games. West Indies are a good team, but as Indians, we need to be aware of how strong we are. We are looking to win both the ODIs and the T20. I'm not nervous, as I've played with or against most of the players in the team. I think it will be good fun and a great experience for me."

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UWA's issues with ICC's current bowling-action testing methods

The dispute between the ICC and the University of Western Australia (UWA), which was previously the sole laboratory for testing bowlers with suspect actions, centres around the loopholes that UWA says can be found in current testing procedures, and the impact of technical issues on the bowlers under scrutiny.

The chief concerns, raised by Jacqueline Alderson, associate professor in biomechanics at UWA, are:

• The method of judging the moment of ball release - and whether this could disadvantage spin bowlers
• The repercussions of placing markers in different places
• The influence of both elbow 'flexion' and 'extension'
• The continued use of 2D imagery in testing

Identifying the frame of ball release

Alderson says that in tests conducted on Ajmal in 2009, the 'frame of ball release' was crucial in establishing the legality of his action. "More than any other bowler we have tested," Alderson said, a large number of Ajmal's deliveries would have been illegal in the 2009 testing if the point of ball release was identified to be "1-2 frames or 0.004-0.008 seconds later".

UWA conducted a study after the Ajmal tests and found that the most reliable way to identify the point of ball release for spinners was by using synchronised high-speed video (with the 3D system). The method developed at the UWA to automatically identify the ball release frame (by identifying a change in the distance between markers placed on the ball and the hand) can reliably be used for fast/medium pace bowlers, but it is not so with spinners. "As spin bowlers release the ball out of different parts of the hand, which may or may not involve the fingers, any automated marker tracking method should not be used to identify ball release," Alderson said.

Should ball-release parametres and tracking methods be arrived at by "automated" methods of testing, Alderson said, it would "significantly disadvantage spin bowlers". She added that, "ball release identification would however not affect the legality findings of current ICC reports using the 'new model', given the extremely high elbow extension ranges that are being reported."

The repercussions of placing markers in different places
Alderson said that there were multiple ways/permutations by which the markers placed on the arm could calculate an elbow angle. The UWA had measured elbow extension by assessing the same delivery with three very slightly different models of marker placement. In Ajmal's case, Alderon said, two models found the delivery to be legal and one illegal, with a six-degree difference in the extension range calculated.

It meant that the modelling approach could itself "result in false positives and negatives, and if you are a bowler facing suspension, the difference can be catastrophic". UWA objected to the fact that the ICC had not released the modelling approach being used to calculate the angle in the new model to outside parties. Alderson said this prevented individual bowlers and home boards from getting independent feedback about the effectiveness of remediation coaching.

The continued use of 2D imagery in testing, and the problems of relating actions in tests to in-match actions
Disagreements exist about the methods used in testing to try to ensure an action replicates that which is used in matches - which is determined by comparing the actions in tests to 2D television footage. Alderson does not believe it is appropriate to compare 3D biomechanics tests with 2D television footage in order to determine if a bowler is replicating his in-match action. Her opinion on the process is clear: "If 2D footage is deemed to be reliable for this purpose [examining an action] then the ICC should simply use this approach during in-game assessments." The reliance on 2D comparison in the testing procedure is, she says, "inconsistent with the view that it is prone to perspective error and the subjective interpretation means it should not be used to make in-match legality determination."

It is the duty of any biomechanics team, she says, "to provide opinion on the validity of the match-lab replication in the final report, as was previous practise. This provides an avenue for the biomechanics team to provide feedback to the committee and for the testing to be declared not representative and therefore invalid."

Considering elbow flexion as well as extension, and expanding research into bowling actions

This is a highly contentious field where there is no unified view, and analysis of elbow flexion (the closing of the elbow joint) as well as extension (the straightening of the elbow joint) would lead to the throwing law becoming even more complex.

The flexing of the elbow can offer, Alderson says, just as much advantage (if not more) than elbow extension in some bowlers. This was something that was not considered when the initial attempts were made to quantify the mechanical difference between throwing and bowling, she said, and it was then decided that throwing was best characterised by the presence of elbow extension whereas bowling was not. The next step was then to decide how much extension characterises throwing and hence some baseline extension-tolerance levels - the 15-degree rule, included - were established for bowling.

In Alderson's opinion, "the original intention of the law is likely that the bowler should 'keep the arm straight and not throw the ball'. Or alternatively, that the arm should not change flexion-extension orientation (elbow angle) once the forward swing commences - it should neither extend nor flex but remain relatively fixed/stiff/stable." However, she believes that throwing should be assessed from a multi-dimensional viewpoint instead of a "single-axis measurement" of 15 degrees.

UWA believes this is possible by conducting research into using computer modelling methods in match situations - this could specifically finetune the definition of a legal delivery. "We have conducted a pilot study which shows this type of approach [computer modeling of bowlers' actions] is feasible and can allow us to compare 3D lab versus match footage directly as an initial first step."

Alderson says assessing a large data base of bowlers using 'computer vision methods' would help determine a threshold of "maximum allowable change in the shape of the bowling arm at the elbow and use this threshold to [more accurately] define a legal delivery."

The "3D arm-shape assessment" can be explained in simple terms, Alderson says. "If a bowler displays a posture that resembles a throw (think of a javelin-throwing position) then we should be attempting to assess if there is overall three-dimensional orientation change to the trunk, upper and lower arm. If so, then the bowler is likely not delivering the ball legally."

The ICC has made a significant investment "in replicating the wheel (developing marker-based modelling) to roll out status quo technology (lab-based, marker-based motion capture)." In the UWA's opinion, this is "a retrograde step that does nothing to advance the science of this issue for the game".

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Barbados Cricket parts ways with chief executive

The Barbados Cricket Association announced on Saturday via a press release that it has "agreed to a mutual separation" with chief executive Jeff Miller after he served in the post for just three and a half months.

Miller, 55, reportedly faced legal issues back home in the United States. The Barbados Today reported on October 3 that Miller pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony charge of grand theft in Florida on July 25. He was sentenced to 12 years' probation for pleading guilty to grand theft. The charge carried a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Three other felony charges stemming from an initial arrest in April 2009 - mortgage fraud, fraudulent use of an ID and uttering a forged instrument or check - were not pursued, according to court documents obtained by ESPNcricinfo.

According to the BCA press release, Miller was appointed to his role on June 23 but told officials less than a month later that he needed official leave from his position to attend to "an urgent personal medical matter overseas." When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, neither the BCA nor Miller would confirm or deny a connection between the charges and him leaving his chief executive position. A phone message left with Miller's lawyer, Khurram Wahid, also went unreturned.

As part of his probation sentence, Miller was due to serve two years of community control, a supervised form of house arrest. Court filings show that an affidavit was filed in Miami-Dade County Court on September 9 for a violation of probation.

Miller stayed active in the cricket community in various other capacities while his case was ongoing. He served as president of the South Florida Cricket Association for six terms, and remained in the position through 2010 while the felony charges were still pending. He was also employed as the vice president of operations and tournament director for Cricket Council USA, helping run the annual US Open $100,000 club cricket tournament at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, as well as various other lead-in satellite tournaments in New York and other cities.

Miller went on to become a founding member of the Friends of Central Broward Regional Park in 2011, a group which helped facilitate more cricket games to be played at the $70 million cricket stadium facility, the only ICC certified ODI stadium in the USA. Miller served as executive director of the group and also played an instrumental role in the logistical planning and execution of the Twenty20 series played between West Indies and New Zealand at the stadium in 2012 during New Zealand's Caribbean tour.

His administrative reach also extends to Asia. Miller was involved in bringing four USA based players - Steven Taylor, Ricardo Powell, Adam Sanford and Jermaine Lawson - to Karachi, Pakistan in October 2012 for a pair of exhibition matches between a World XI All-Star team and a Pakistan XI. They were the first international games played in the country since the Sri Lanka team bus was the target of a terrorist attack in Lahore in March 2009.

A well-known figure in US cricket, Miller is originally from Barbados but moved to New York at age 18. He eventually played for the USA national team, opening the bowling for USA at the 1986 ICC Trophy in England. It was USA's best performance at a World Cup Qualifier as they went 7-1 in group play with their only loss coming to the Netherlands. USA missed out on the semi-finals due to the net run rate tiebreaker despite finishing on equal points with both Netherlands and Bermuda. He took eight wickets in seven games, with one profile stating that he took a hat-trick in USA's opening game win over Canada.

After finishing his representative career, Miller served as a USACA board member and moved to Florida in the late 1980s where he became involved with the SFCA, first as treasurer before later becoming president. He was also a USACA chairman of selectors in 2005 and part of the local organising committee which pushed for a cricket stadium to be built in South Florida in the early 2000s in the hope it would result in receiving a bid to host games during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. The World Cup bid failed, but the stadium was eventually built and opened in 2008.

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Newby, Agathangelou leave Lancashire

Oliver Newby and Andrea Agathangelou have been released by Lancashire as the club continues their reshaping following relegation.

The confirmation that both players would not be retained came shortly after Ashley Giles was appointed the new head coach.

Pace bowler Newby, 30, has been with the club 12 years but, despite showing promise, failed to secure a regular first-team place and spent time out on loan in recent seasons. In 53 first-class matches he has taken 133 wickets at 32.55.

Agathangelou, born in South Africa and with a Cypriot father, joined Lancashire on a scholarship programme when he was 20. He played six Championship matches in the 2014 season but averaged just 16.81.

Glen Chapple, who will be Giles' assistant next year although has kept himself available to play if required, said: "Oliver has not been able to hold down a regular spot in the side, and I hope there is an opportunity for him to do so elsewhere.

"Andrea is an extremely talented cricketer with a good attitude - and, given the right opportunity, he could reach his true potential.''

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Modi rival makes move to take over RCA

Amin Pathan, who allegedly ousted Lalit Modi as the Rajasthan Cricket Association president on Saturday, has been allowed to enter the RCA office with his his colleagues and supporters on Sunday. After claiming to have taken over as acting president, it is understood that Pathan's team has started proceedings to get clearance from the state government and then try and end the impasse with the BCCI.

The new development in the BCCI-RCA standoff will not impact the selection procedure that will begin in the coming week. The Jaipur High Court order on October 1 made it clear that once the state teams were selected, they would continue until the end of the season even if the BCCI and RCA reach a settlement. "If the team has already been selected pursuant to the arrangement aforesaid, the participation of the said team should continue irrespective of the event of settlement of dispute between the BCCI and RCA or any court order," the order stated.

When Pathan and his supporters had tried to enter the RCA premises on Saturday evening they were prevented by the police because they did not have the requisite documentation. On Sunday afternoon, after Pathan's aides submitted letters of all 23 district representatives supporting the resolution to remove Modi, along with deputy president Mehmood Abdi, secretary Sumendra Tiwary and treasurer Pawan Goyal, the police allowed them to enter the office in the evening.

It is understood the new office bearers, including Pathan, acting secretary Shakti Singh and acting treasurer Mohammad Iqbal, then met with some of their colleagues to chalk out the future course of action. Pathan's lobby is believed to have written to JC Mohanty, principal sports secretary of Rajasthan's state government, requesting him to approve the resolution to replace the RCA governing body. Since the RCA is governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act, every administrative change has to be ratified by the state government.

The Pathan group is also believed to have sought an appointment with BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel at the earliest. Since Patel was in Dubai over the weekend to attend ICC meetings, his response is expected over the next couple of days.

Modi's group remained tightlipped about their plan of action. If the state government allows the Pathan group to take over, the associates of the former IPL chairman are expected to move court, requesting it to reinstate an elected body.

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