Grassroots investment for Leicestershire

There was at last some good news for Leicestershire as a new cricket facility was opened in the city centre. A boost to the recreational game in the city can only be of benefit to a beleaguered county.

Continuing to develop home-grown youngsters is central to the club's plan to haul themselves from the lowest point in their history, some details of which were revealed at a members' forum on Wednesday night.

The club's academy have an excellent record of developing first-class cricketers and recent products, James Taylor and Harry Gurney, are preparing for England's tour of Sri Lanka next month.

Taylor was back in Leicestershire alongside England Women's internationals Katherine Brunt and Sonia Odedra to unveil the new multi-purpose sports hall at Crown Hills Community College - a strategic centre of excellence for cricket and the only specialist sports college in Leicestershire with cricket as its focus sport.

The new building, funded by the ECB and Sport England, includes a £1 million state of the art cricket facility available to students from the college, the local community and talented young cricketers from across the East Midlands - one of which was once Taylor and he, Brunt and Odedra took part in the first coaching session at the new facility, designed to help nurture the latest crop of Leicestershire youngsters.

Any that make it to Grace Road will benefit from better showers - the most entertaining of the club's announcements on Wednesday night. Interim chief executive Andrew Boyce also confirmed a development of flats will be built on their ground as the first stage in a bid to drive non-match revenues.

Boyce will continue a review into the club's coaching structure, which is being revamped for the second time in as many years. Phil Whitticase has been removed as director of cricket having been appointed into the new role in August 2013.

Boyce will hand over the review to the club's new chief executive, for which there have been a reported 120 applications, with current Chance to Shine chief executive Wasim Khan a leading candidate as the club aim to strengthen their links with the Asian community.

Whoever is appointed will be tasked with reviving a county slipping dangerously close to the precipice but they retain the backing of the ECB, who are committed to retaining the current number of first-class counties until at least 2019 and whose investment in Crown Hills demonstrates their current support for Leicestershire.

"This is a fantastic facility which will be of enormous long-term benefit to the college and play a major role in engaging the wider community in cricket and serving the needs of local clubs," the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke, said. "It also represents a key part of our wider plans to engage more closely with the Asian cricket community at a national level and raise the standard of cricket facilities and pitches in urban areas."

Director of sport and assistant principal, Doug Keast, said: "The multi sports hall is twice the size of a facility normally provided by the Building Schools for the Future programme. There is no doubt it is playing no small part in developing the skill level of our students resulting in the success achieved by our girls' and boys' cricket teams.

"Crown Hills is proud of the fact that we are a strategic centre of excellence for cricket. We are working closely with Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket in the development of the game and all the Leicestershire age-group squads use the facility."

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Anderson prepares for year of hotel rooms

English cricket has been in the headlines recently, and not in a very flattering light, but for the current players it is a rare period of downtime before they embark on a demanding schedule.

Next month they head off to Sri Lanka for a one-day series before returning home for Christmas, then leave again for Australia ahead of the World Cup early in the New Year. During 2015 those that play all, or the majority, of England's matches are due to spend more than 300 days living in hotels raising concerns about whether such demands will be lead to truncated careers.

James Anderson, who is four wickets away from breaking Ian Botham's England record, remains a key figure in the Test and one-day sides, meaning he could be involved in the bulk of the cricket, although the selectors will likely try to find him some breaks along the way.

When asked whether the schedule asked too much of the players, Anderson said: "Probably, yeah. I think we spend about 310 days in a hotel. It's just part and parcel of the job. You get used to it, I've done it for 12 years. Next year we've got the World Cup, West Indies, New Zealand and the Ashes in our summer then go to South Africa."

Whether by accident or wishful thinking, Anderson missed out the trip to the UAE in October and November which includes three Tests, five ODIs and a T20 against Pakistan. From April next year when the team play West Indies, until January 2016, they will rack up 17 Tests in that nine-month period.

Anderson has two children, aged five and three, and he is savouring the time he has had to spend with them now but, in a dose of dry humour although with more than hint of reality, added: "I'll see them again when they are six and four."

The demands of the international schedule played a central part in Jonathan Trott's withdrawal from the Ashes tour last year and although Pietersen was highly critical in his book of the way that was handled, Anderson believes lessons are being learnt.

"I'm sure it is linked, it's something that is being looked at, we do get a lot more help with the mental side of it because we are away from home for that long and it does take it out of you. We do need that sort of help and it's something that has been brushed over in the past and now people are realising with guys having to quit international cricket over it that it's a serious issue."

James Anderson was speaking ahead of his appearance on The Clare Balding Show, to see the full interview watch BT Sport 1 from 10:15pm on Thursday 16th October in the UK

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Wade suspended for broken window

Victoria's captain Matthew Wade has been suspended for the second time in as many seasons, this time for inadvertently breaking a window following his dismissal in the Bushrangers' loss to Queensland at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday.

Chasing Queensland's record total of 5 for 372, Wade was the first Victorian dismissed when he flicked a ball from his his opposite number James Hopes to leg slip. After reaching the dressing room he threw a water bottle at an esky with enough force to have it ricochet up to break a window.

Wade's charge under the Cricket Australia code of behaviour was brought by Cricket Victoria's chief executive Tony Dodemaide after the incident was brought to his attention at the end of the match. Wade was found guilty of breaching Article 2.1.2 - Abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a match.

"An incident was brought to our attention following the match and we duly lodged a report with Cricket Australia once we were satisfied a level one offence was justified," Dodemaide said. "Player behaviour standards are paramount, and the role of captain in setting the right example is especially important.

"We accept this penalty decision as the right course of action. Whilst this incident is disappointing, we are confident Matthew will learn from it and become a better cricketer and leader. We remain convinced he has a great future in front of him for Victoria and Australia."

In addition to his suspension for Friday's day/night match against New South Wales, Wade was fined 50% of his match fee and has also agreed to cover the cost of replacing the window.

Last November, Wade was suspended for one Sheffield Shield game for pitch tampering during the Bushrangers' match against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval. Wade appealed the decision but the ban was upheld by CA.

Victoria currently sit second-last on the domestic limited overs tournament table and are out of contention for the competition finals.

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Lehmann locked in until 2017

Darren Lehmann has been rewarded for his positive impact on Australia's performance with a one-year extension to his contract as head coach. Lehmann was installed on the eve of last year's Ashes series in England when Cricket Australia made the dramatic last-minute decision to sack Mickey Arthur, and while an Ashes defeat was the immediate outcome, Australia have been on the rise since then.

A 5-0 clean-sweep at home returned the urn in the Australian summer, before Michael Clarke's men travelled to South Africa and won 2-1 earlier this year, putting them temporarily back on top of the ICC Test rankings. It has been a remarkable turnaround from early 2013, when Australia virtually imploded both off the field and on it in India, where they were crushed 4-0 and four players suffered the ignominy of being suspended during the homework saga.

Lehmann was originally contracted until June 2016 but Cricket Australia's confidence in him has now encouraged them to lock him in for another year, until the end of June 2017. The move came during a rare off season spent largely at home, during which Lehmann and Cricket Australia had the chance to look back on a largely successful period since the Ashes in England.

"After the [World] T20 in Bangladesh we had some time off, reflection time to see where we needed to improve more so than anything else," Lehmann said. "It was an up-and-down 12 months. It was a great back end obviously but we certainly changed the way we went about things on and off the ground. From our point of view we've made strides but we're also looking to improve."

So far, they have done that. The home Ashes triumph would alone have been enough to make Cricket Australia's CEO James Sutherland and team performance manager Pat Howard pleased with their decision, but the added bonus of victory in South Africa topped it off nicely. Howard said Lehmann's success as coach had stemmed in part from his off-field approach.

"We have been extremely pleased with the results Darren has achieved with the team since he came on board," Howard said. "He has helped create an excellent team environment that has seen players thrive.

"We want that to continue so we used the winter period to work through an extension to his current contract. Importantly it provides continuity for the team and certainty for Darren heading into a critical period for Australian cricket."

Lehmann's relaxed, inclusive style has been apparent from the outset. While preparing for a warm-up game against Somerset last year, shortly after being handed the job, he called the team together, asked for the stop-watch to be started, and declared that no team meeting during his tenure would ever go longer than 30 minutes. After that, it was off to the pub.

In the words of opener Chris Rogers, it was a moment in which the players realised that they could enjoy their cricket again, and that the weight was off their shoulders. Lehmann has also been known to deliver a serve for a loose shot or silly decision, but he himself said the major change he had noted in the Australian setup since he came on board was in the atmosphere of the squad.

"I think the togetherness of the group as a whole, support staff and players, the way we all get on so well with the families and look after each other outside the game," Lehmann said. "They're all really talented cricketers and we've got some great people involved in the game. That's been the biggest stride."

On the field, he has engendered an attacking approach which comes naturally to many of the Australians, but might have been forgotten at times in the pre-Lehmann era. Not that his captains across all three formats need much encouraging.

"I was quite an aggressive player myself and I've got a captain [Michael Clarke] who is quite aggressive. George [Bailey] is aggressive, Finchy is aggressive, so with Clarke it makes it quite a bit easier to implement an aggressive plan. That's the pleasing thing is the captains have been on board and that's what you need."

The immediate goal for Lehmann and Clarke is to continue their improvement away from home, after winning in South Africa. The first Test in Dubai begins on Wednesday and Australia can return to the No.1 ranking if they win 2-0.

"We've certainly got to improve our skill level away from home," Lehmann said. "We did that well in South Africa. But it's only the start of the tour here away and we didn't have the result in Zimbabwe we would have liked. So we've got to keep improving away from home, first and foremost."

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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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