The BCCI's year of controversy

As the Indian board goes into its AGM, a look at the year gone by shows its disregard for propriety and public opinion has only served to overshadow its operational efficiency

In ideal circumstances, the annual general meeting (AGM) of any organisation is an opportunity to take stock, to formulate plans for the future, to apprise its stakeholders of where the body is headed. The BCCI's AGM, though, is more about political equations and aspirations at the best of times. This year is worse than others, what with legal wrangles and fixing controversies raising new issues of propriety every day. This AGM might not have the required mood to analyse the year gone by and make plans for the one coming up, but what if the BCCI were to look back?

There have been IPL controversies both at the start and the end of the year, and the current one is not going to die down any time soon. The president is all set to be re-elected unopposed, but the highest court of the country has said the man has to get his name cleared before assuming office. It was a year when the BCCI was the farthest removed from what the public thinks of it, when its functioning was questioned by the enforcement directorate and the courts, but amid all the controversies it also found enough time to successfully organise two home Test series and a busy domestic season, to host Pakistan without glitches, to provide numerous opportunities for young fringe players through A tours and generate employment for quite a few former cricketers through its broadcast deal that has had more domestic cricket on TV than ever before.

The BCCI can hardly hide behind those achievements. They pale in comparison to the questions of propriety asked of it. Soon after its last AGM, the BCCI oversaw a controversial sale of the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL. Turned out it was only a warm-up for the legal tussles and muck that was to follow. Unhappy with the treatment meted out to its franchise, Pune Warriors, Sahara, India's team sponsors and one of Indian cricket's biggest benefactors over the previous 10 years, expressed its intention to pull out of Indian cricket. Again.

The BCCI's energies were set to be centred around the IPL, but there were skeletons waiting to tumble out of the closet. Mohinder Amarnath, a former selector who was sacked as opposed to being named the chairman as was anticipated, accused N Srinivasan of interfering with selections. Most importantly, not allowing them to remove MS Dhoni as captain. Now there might have been cricketing merit in what was eventually done - there is even a clause that says every team selection has to be ratified by the board president - but here we are talking of a vice-chairman and managing director of a company saving the captaincy of the company's vice-president. The company incidentally owns an IPL team captained by the vice-president.

Thankfully Dhoni and his India team began to turn around its fortune, for who knows he might have been disowned if not, just like the managing director's son-in-law who presented himself as the owner of Chennai Super Kings, and attended conferences in that capacity. The moment the news of Gurunath Meiyappan's alleged involvement in the IPL betting scandal came up, he went from being the owner to an enthusiast in no time at all.

	The BCCI found enough time to successfully organise two home Test series and a busy domestic season, to host Pakistan without glitches, to provide numerous opportunities for young fringe players through A tours and generate employment for quite a few former cricketers through its broadcast deal that has had more domestic cricket on TV than ever before. But the BCCI can hardly hide behind those achievements. They pale in comparison to the questions of propriety asked of it.

The most charitable interpretation of the whole scandal was that the BCCI hadn't done enough to protect its prize asset, the IPL, from the unsavoury elements that were guaranteed to flock around it. A proper corporation would have sacked everyone responsible for such a lapse of security, but here the BCCI fell to its lowest. Until then there was nothing to suggest Srinivasan was personally at fault. Until now he was just a victim of carelessness. Now the BCCI appointed a panel that would absolve everybody without a thorough investigation. It was as clear a message as any that the BCCI didn't care what people thought of the way it functioned.

The board was now without an open leader, and had a figurehead who clearly knew he was just keeping the seat warm, playing Bharat to the exiled Ram. Still the board had enough energy to interfere in the internal matters of another board. Again this call to ask Cricket South Africa to steer clear of Haroon Lorgat might or might not have had administrative merit, but the BCCI's reaction to his appointment showed how little regard it held the public and the international cricket community in. Not only did it renege on an agreement it made in principle, it disappointed the people who had been looking forward to a full tour of South Africa with some anticipation. Not to mention its own cricket wing: the selectors who put plans in place, and the coach who went to South Africa to see how the A team was doing there.

The cases, inquiries and controversies will not cease. The BCCI's operational efficiency - it is no mean job to organise 13 simultaneous first-class matches every week of the season, with them also coinciding with internationals - will keep being neglected unless it cleans up its act on other fronts.

And there is a lot to clean. And more will pile on. Next year's IPL will clash with general elections in India, and might need to be taken out of the country. A new team sponsor might be needed. The search for a new title sponsor for cricket in India is on. The BCCI will hope that in the coming year it bounces back like its cricket team did after a horrible last year. How that cricket team will hope it had its board's tenacity to dig its heels in and somehow, by hook or by crook, maintain status quo when it kept losing.

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Hussey stars as Super Kings cruise into semi-finals

Chennai Super Kings 140 for 2 (Hussey 57*, Vijay 42) beat Brisbane Heat 137 for 7 (Cutting 42, Hartley 35) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Chennai Super Kings sauntered through to the Champions League semi-finals with an effortless eight-wicket win in Ranchi, while scuttling Brisbane Heat's tournament hopes. A stuttering Heat top order laid a mediocre foundation, before the men in the middle ran aground on Super Kings' spin.

R Ashwin was almost indecipherable in the middle overs, but Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina contributed fine spells as well; the trio shared four wickets and conceded just 37 runs in 11 overs collectively. Michael Hussey then stroked an unhurried, unbeaten half century, to help run down the target of 138 in 15.5 overs.

Dom Michael had had quite a road to the Champions League in 2013, but could not manage to make a run in his first Twenty20 match, departing in the first over to Mohit Sharma. James Hopes then promised much during his 14-ball 20, but mis-hit Albie Morkel to mid-off to leave his side at 29 for 2 in the fourth over.

It wasn't until spin arrived after the Powerplay, however, that Heat's evening truly took a nosedive. Ravindra Jadeja had had a poor tournament with the ball until tonight, and perhaps Heat had planned to dominate him early, but Dan Christian's attempt to hit Jadeja's first ball for a straight six, ended with him being caught at long-off for three. Four balls later, Joe Burns edged Jadeja to slip to collect a golden duck.

All this did was set the scene for Ashwin's last three overs, which cost two runs and claimed the wicket of Chris Lynn who underestimated the turn Ashwin generated from a conventional offbreak, and top-edged to short third man. The remaining 17 deliveries were a canny mix of googlies, offbreaks, carrom balls and more big-spinning leggies. Heat's middle order could hardly lay a bat on his deliveries, and soon abandoned any thoughts of hitting him to the fence.

The six overs following the Powerplay cost Heat four wickets for 12 runs, and from 66 for 6, a total below 120 beckoned. Ben Cutting, however, stroked his best Twenty20 innings to elevate his side toward credibility. He was watchful alongside Chris Hartley to begin with, hitting six from his first 14 balls, but adopted violence as the innings drew to a close, hitting five sixes from the last 10 balls he faced to finish on 42 not out from 25.

On a decent batting pitch, and with dew collecting on the outfield, 137 for 7 would rarely have been a base for victory, and at no stage in the chase did it test a purring Super Kings batting order. Hussey and Vijay punished indiscipline, but the pair were largely content to push runs into the outfield when the bowlers found their line.

With Super Kings' bowlers having prospered, Nathan Hauritz's overs shaped as crucial ones for Heat, but he was launched for two sixes in his first over, and was almost as expensive in his two subsequent overs. Vijay departed for 42, breaking a run of three consecutive ducks, but after having helped put on 75 runs for the first wicket in 9.2 overs, the side were well on their way to victory. MS Dhoni finished the match with a six, much to the delight of his home crowd, and Super Kings confirmed themselves as the in-form side of yet another tournament.

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Royals' chance to confirm semi-final spot

Match facts

September 29, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

	'We'll be playing our best team' - Hodge

Big Picture

With a record of 10 successive wins in Jaipur and on the brink of a semi-final spot, Rajasthan Royals are marked favourites against Perth Scorchers.

Scorchers, languishing at the bottom of Group A, will be desperate for a turn in form and fortunes. Their first game was washed out and they were thrashed by a belligerent Neil Broom and Ryan ten Doeschate in their previous game. A loss here could significantly worsen their chances of qualifying for the semi-final, making them depend on technicalities and other teams.

The match against Otago exposed the fragility and inexperience of the young Scorchers attack. Their batting showed some gumption - reaching 180 for 6 from 11 for 3 - but their bowling was disappointing. Once Otago mounted an assault on the bowling from the 12th over onwards, Scorchers had no one to rein in the run-scoring. Between the 12th and the 20th overs, they conceded less than 15 runs in just one of the nine overs.

Royals, on the other hand, have managed to control the latter half of their bowling innings well. They conceded 10 runs or more in an over six times against Lions, of which only two were in the last five overs. Against the more powerful Mumbai Indians line-up, they had only five such overs overall.

Perhaps, the most crucial player for Scorchers in this game will be Brad Hogg, who has spent two IPL seasons with Royals. Hogg's first-hand knowledge of the hosts line-up and the playing conditions in Jaipur could prove invaluable as Scorchers look for a revival.

For Royals, the focus will be on consistency and confirming their semi-final place. Their ability to find performers at crucial junctures has been impressive and they've benefitted by giving youngsters like Ashok Menaria and Sanju Samson a free rein. Shaun Tait has been sidelined so far with an injury but things are likely to get interesting if he is fit in time to play against his Australian T20 side.

Players to watch

Simon Katich had a great run with Lancashire in the Friends Life t20, leading up to this tournament. In nine innings, he scored 265 runs at an average of 44.16. As one of the most experienced players in the side, Katich has a clearly-defined role of keeping one end stable as the younger batsmen bat around him.

Brad Hodge, with his deadpan style of batting, has reveled in his middle-order role for Royals. He cemented their place in this Champions League with an unbeaten 54 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2013. Against Lions, he struck a nonchalant 20 runs off the final over to take Royals to a strong total. With Shane Watson alternating between the top and middle order depending on the match situation, Hodge's presence lends a certain calm to the Royals batting line-up.

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Srinivasan's allies set for top BCCI posts

With N Srinivasan set to be re-elected as BCCI president on Sunday, a few of his allies are also likely to be given plum positions within the board.

Dr G Ganga Raju, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) secretary, is likely to be awarded the post of the BCCI's finance committee chairman at the annual general meeting. Raju, along with Goa Cricket Association (GCA) chief Vinod Phadke, had been contemplating defecting from the ruling group, led by N Srinivasan, to lend support to the Sharad Pawar group that was testing the waters from a distance to see whether Srinivasan could be challenged in the president's election.

However, once both the ACA and the GCA came over to Srinivasan's side, the possibility of an organised opposition to Srinivasan died down, since the BCCI rules require a challenger to be supported by at least two members from the incumbent's zone - south zone in Srinivasan's case.

As a result, Raju is likely to replace Jyotiraditya Scindia, a junior minister in India's federal government who was also a member of the disciplinary committee that conducted the enquiry against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. Scindia was one of the first BCCI bigwigs to criticise Srinivasan following his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's arrest in the IPL corruption scandal.

If appointed, Raju will join the long list of Srinivasan aides who are likely to hold key posts in the BCCI over the next year. ESPNcricinfo also understands that Sanjay Patel and Anirudh Chaudhary have been "handpicked" by Srinivasan for the post of secretary and treasurer, respectively, with the former having served as interim secretary over the past four months.

Even two of the vice-presidents who are likely to be replaced following an internal vote among their respective zones are from the anti-Srinivasan camp. Niranjan Shah, a Pawar confidant, and Sudhir Dabir, a Shashank Manohar loyalist who is considered to be close to Pawar, are likely to be replaced as vice-presidents from the west and central zones, respectively. Their likely replacements, Ravi Savant, who will enter the AGM as interim treasurer, and Rajiv Shukla, another junior minister in the federal government, are part of the Srinivasan lobby.

Arun Jaitley's decision to pull out as vice-president and recommend his Delhi & District Cricket Association colleague SP Bansal also raised a few eyebrows. While some BCCI insiders perceived Jaitley's decision as a "mark of protest" against Srinivasan's handling of affairs, a DDCA official clarified that Jaitley - who was considered to be Srinivasan's legal advisor during the recent tumult and is the leader of the opposition in the government - decided to step aside only because he "won't be able to spare time" for the BCCI in an election.

Ranjib Biswal, the president of the Orissa Cricket Association, and current BCCI interim head Jagmohan Dalmiya are prime contenders for heading the IPL committee. Heads of other key committees, including the marketing committee and National Cricket Academy board, have not been decided due to a lack of consensus among members. The decisions will now be taken during the meeting, scheduled to start at 11am.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) may emerge as the only BCCI unit not to be represented at the AGM. MCA had earlier nominated its president, Ajay Shirke, who had resigned as BCCI treasurer after criticising the manner in which the BCCI handled Meiyappan's arrest, to attend the AGM. However, since Shirke has been in the UK on business, the MCA had sent a letter seeking a replacement. However, the replacement application reached the BCCI office in Chennai at around 5.20pm, almost an hour and half after the 4pm deadline. "The house will decide whether to allow MCA to be represented once the meeting is convened," a BCCI official said.

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Massiah steps down as USA captain

Steve Massiah has stepped down as USA captain on Thursday after seven years in the role for his adopted country. Massiah, 34, made his debut for USA in 2000 after moving from his native Guyana and led USA since the start of the 2006 ICC Americas Division One tournament in Canada following the departure of Richard Staple when USA finished 10th at the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland.

"In recent months, I have found myself thinking that it was time for a change at the top, for a new voice to lead our team," Massiah said in a USACA press release. "I have been honoured and humbled to serve as national captain. At this time I extend my most sincere gratitude and thanks to the selection committee, coaches, administration and team-mates for their continued support and trust through the years. I feel that now is the time for someone else to take up the reins and for me to focus on doing the very best that I can to perform in [the World Twenty20 Qualifier]."

Massiah compiled a 33-17 record with four no results while leading USA in 50-over matches and had an 8-6 record as USA's Twenty20 captain from 2010-2011. His tenure was marked by a series of peaks and valleys with USA posting impressive victories against higher-class opposition, including wins over Scotland at the 2010 World Twenty20 Qualifier and Canada in the final of the 2010 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 championship, balanced out by costly stumbles at crucial moments in World Cup qualification tournaments.

His highest score as a USA player came in his first match as captain, scoring 136 not out in a 106-run win over Cayman Islands in 2006. Despite scoring several centuries in pre-tournament warm-up matches for USA, the ton against Cayman Islands would be his only one as captain in an official match. He produced steady contributions, with 1575 runs at an average of 40.38 as captain in 50-over cricket for USA, a shade higher than his career 50-over average for USA of 38.34.

Massiah's best tournament as captain came in 2010 at ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Nepal where he scored four half-centuries in six matches and was the tournament's leading scorer as USA gained promotion into Division Four, which they won in Italy later that year. His other successes include an undefeated championship run in Florida at the 2008 ICC Americas Division One tournament and leading USA to the inaugural ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 championship in Bermuda in 2010 where they defeated Canada in the final by five wickets.

However, there were also some demoralizing losses in his tenure. As part of USA's suspension by the ICC in 2007, they were dropped from Division Three to Division Five of the World Cricket League. When the suspension was lifted, USA entered Division Five in 2008 as one of the favourites and cruised through the group stage undefeated only to suffer a shock upset by 84 runs in the semi-final at the hands of Jersey. Afghanistan defeated Nepal in the other semi-final and beat Jersey in the final to begin their meteoric rise through Associate and Affiliate cricket.

By 2011, USA had progressed back to Division Three and romped past host side and eventual tournament champion Hong Kong on day one of the tournament. On day two though, a stunning collapse against Denmark snowballed into defeats to Papua New Guinea and Italy resulting in relegation to Division Four.

Massiah's last tournament in charge of USA was at ICC World Cricket League Division Three in May. USA won their first three matches and only needed victory in either of their final two round-robin games to clinch a spot in the 2014 World Cup Qualifier. However, a loss to Uganda was followed by a dramatic defeat against Bermuda, a regional rival they had not lost to in a tournament since 2005. Nepal's win over Italy on the same day allowed them to leapfrog USA on net run rate and join Uganda as the two teams progressing to the qualifier next year in New Zealand.

Massiah's own form had been poor recently with an average of just 22.36 in his last 12 games across Division Four in Malaysia and Division Three in Bermuda. With a spot in the World Cup Qualifier at stake, Massiah was dismissed without scoring against Bermuda. He averages 11.00 in 14 Twenty20 matches for USA and now that he is no longer captain there is no guarantee that he will be picked in USA's squad for the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE which runs from November 15-30.

USACA are yet to announce Massiah's replacement as captain, but the favourite for the role is Orlando Baker, who captained USA when they compiled an 8-0 streak in the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Florida in March. Baker, 34, has played for USA since 2008 and is one of the few veterans left in a squad that has experienced significant turnover in the last two years. Neil McGarrell, 41, may also have an outside chance if USACA takes the view to have him as a stop-gap appointment to allow time for a younger player to be groomed to take over the role in 2015, which is when USA are next scheduled to participate in an ICC tournament.

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Ballance shows up Bairstow shortcomings

Yorkshire 434 (Ballance 148, Jaques 88, Ansari 4-70) and 265 for 6 (Ballance 108*, Williamson 60) drew with Surrey 634 for 5 (Sibley 242, Amla 151, Burns 82, Solanki 51)
Scorecard

If this match is seen as a shootout for the England No. 6 slot in Brisbane, Gary Ballance can begin whitening his pads for the Gabba after becoming the 13th Yorkshire player to score two centuries in a match.

It was his second composed innings of the game, taking him past 1200 Championship runs for the season, and saved his side from defeat on the final afternoon at The Oval. His unbeaten 108 rescued Yorkshire from a slippery situation and extended their unbeaten away record in the Championship to 21 matches.

Ballance could not have delivered a better four days following his England call-up and there could not have been a greater juxtaposition between him and Jonny Bairstow, an incumbent at No. 6 during the Ashes. There was an air of sureness about Ballance's batting that his colleagues lacked in falling into the end-of-season, mind-wandering trap. Without Ballance, Yorkshire would have suffered a defeat that would have soured an excellent campaign that defied many expectations.

His hundred in 158 balls was chanceless and he dealt with the increasing spin threat of Zafar Ansari and especially Gareth Batty with positivity: defending out in front of the footholes outside his off stump and attacking with quick sorties down the pitch or a scythe of the blade square of the wicket.

Far from bowing under the weight of expectation at being a Test batsman in waiting, Ballance thrived on being that bit closer to the international stage.

"I'm not really sure about Brisbane," Ballance said. "I haven't really thought about it. I just went to try and build an innings and luckily it came off twice. It's a great feeling and it was nice to finish the season well. One thousand runs was a personal target for me so to have achieved that for the first time is very satisfying.

"It was nice to get the call and it's been a nice week. I'm glad this game has gone well for me. I was pretty confident and it was a good wicket to bat on, there was a bit of turn but we got through."

The calm poise Ballance showed was in contrast to an all-too-familiar skittish innings from his team-mate Bairstow, which had another very disappointing ending to a straight delivery.

Bairstow clearly has a lack of confidence in his defensive technique. While handsome clips off his pads and photogenic cover drives raced away off the middle of the bat, there remained a sense that he was never in full control. After two years of international cricket he is yet to shrug off the whippersnapper tag.

He struck Tom Jewell for four fours in succession but six overs later failed to deal with an ordinary delivery from Tim Linley, slightly angled in. Bairstow got too far towards the off side and fell lbw for a second disappointing return in the match. Despite assurances to the contrary, he still appeared to be shaking off the blow he suffered in slipping on the third evening.

A return of 955 first-class runs at 38.20 would not have been the year Bairstow was hoping for. His performances in the Test matches this summer, coupled with Ballance's superb tally of 1363 runs at 64.90, may well sway the England selectors. Since his career has come into sharper focus, Bairstow has mixed attractive strokes with loose dismissals. Here he might have sensed the pressure of Ballance's innings and the situation of the game, which gave few excuses for a poor return.

Even after four days, batsmen could trust the surface and strokemaking was straightforward. But Yorkshire coughed up enough wickets to take the game into the last hour. Adam Lyth and Alex Lees both edged balls sent across them by Linley and Phil Jaques dragged on trying to drive a ball from a poor position.

Kane Williamson is a man for a crisis and nudged and tucked his way to a much-needed fifty. But when he was caught off bat and pad, Gareth Batty's demeanour hardened and he began to find turn and bounce to justify three men around the bat. With some more luck, Batty could well have bowled Surrey to victory.

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Carrots and sticks keep Srinivasan confident

The Supreme Court's strictures on N Srinivasan and the BCCI elections don't seem to have affected preparations within the board for Sunday's annual general meeting, of which the elections are a part. Srinivasan's own confident statement that he would attend the meeting and stand for re-election is mirrored in the business-as-usual attitude of his colleagues on the board, making any discussion on whether he should or should not contest irrelevant.

Right now, there is serious business to be concluded: The distribution of the various board posts and similar rewards. The deadline to file nominations for all the nine posts - president, secretary, treasurer, joint secretary and five vice-presidents - ends at 4pm on Saturday, enabling all sorts of possible compromises for all the top posts. The corollary - the prospect of losing out on staging matches or landing plum tour assignments - is what is keeping the opposition in check.

All the five incumbent vice-presidents, one from each zone, are set to be replaced, the final decisions regarding their replacements to be taken in the zonal unit meetings on Saturday morning. At the same time, once the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya, Arun Jaitley, Rajiv Shukla and Anurag Thakur - key figures in the BCCI - check in to their hotel, the candidates for other key positions, including that of the IPL governing council chairman, will be zeroed in on.

Despite the board seemingly divided in the aftermath of the IPL corruption scandal, it is unlikely that there will be an election for any of the top posts. Traditionally, once a president is elected unopposed in the BCCI, even the other office-bearers emerge as consensus candidates from his group of supporters. It would be interesting to see whether Sanjay Patel and Ravi Savant, who were appointed secretary and treasurer in June following the resignations of Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke, end up retaining their positions.

With Srinivasan's re-election in little doubt, the sole question concerns who will preside over the AGM. Similar to most of the AGMs, where the members usually request the senior-most member attending the meeting to preside, it is likely that Dalmiya, who has been running the board's day-to-day affairs during Srinivasan's "exile", may chair the AGM.

In a way, BCCI officials appear relieved that Srinivasan's decision to step aside, in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scandal that saw his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan arrested, has been vindicated. While questions were raised over whether the BCCI constitution allowed for the president to "step aside", the Supreme Court's directive will most probably mean the arrangement will prevail till the BCCI's legal tussle with Cricket Association of Bihar ends.

In any case, officials believe it will only be a matter of days before the case is resolved. The Supreme Court's next hearing is on Monday, the day after the meeting.

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Brisbane Heat still seeking first points

Match facts

September 28, 2013
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

Chennai Super Kings' power-packed batting line-up made a mockery of a 185-run target in their first game before blitzing a 200-plus total in the next to set them up for a semi-final spot, should they win their next encounter. Their opponents, Brisbane Heat, are languishing at the opposite end of the table, still winless in the tournament primarily because of inadequacies in the batting department.

The situation, however, is similar to how Heat began their BBL campaign last year - three losses in four matches. Their bowling, which was largely responsible for the turnaround that fetched them the Big Bash crown, continued to impress, limiting Titans and Trinidad & Tobago to modest targets. But unlike in the Big Bash, their batsmen have failed to step up. Case in point was their last match, when Heat could not chase down 124.

The onus falls on captain James Hopes, Peter Forrest and Daniel Christian, all with international experience, to remedy the situation. Forrest is under particular scrutiny, manning the No. 3 position. Though his style of play involves spending a little time in the middle before using his stocky frame to muscle the ball down the ground, he is yet to taste success in this competition.

Heat would be hopeful that the change of venue proves a useful ally. In addition to escaping Jaipur's bowler-friendly conditions, Heat's batsmen would benefit from the dew on the JSCA ground in Ranchi. The moisture on the field was so pronounced that seamer Ben Cutting was prompted into calling the toss in tomorrow's game a "big one".

Another potential advantage lies in Super Kings' relatively weak bowling line-up. Every bowler has an economy rate north of eight after two matches, with Ravindra Jadeja's 17.75 being the worst of the lot . But Super Kings more than make up for It in their batting, with three key players - Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni - in such prime form they have almost benefited from the loss of M Vijay's wicket, who has been woeful. Another concern for Super Kings could be lower-order rust, with Jadeja and Morkel having faced only two balls each in the tournament so far.

Players to watch

Dwayne Bravo has steadily grown in value in the Super Kings camp, eventually taking over from Morkel as their first-choice allrounder and more recently has picked up the mantle of their premier death bowler.

Joe Burns has been Heat's most successful batsman in this tournament so far, but has been guilty of losing his wicket at crucial moments. Heat will look to him to resolve that issue and in effect help their batting develop a stronger skeleton.

Quotes

"One point is really clear, we need to learn to bowl in the dew-factor."
Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina predicts a secondary challenge during their match against Brisbane Heat

"I certainly won't be bowling any wide yorkers to him because they tend to disappear over the boundary."
Brisbane Heat seamer Ben Cutting hints at his strategy to keep MS Dhoni quiet

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Amin named Pakistan A captain

Batsman Umar Amin was named captain of the Pakistan A side for the three-day match against South Africans in Sharjah on October 8. The announcement of the national Test squad has been deferred until next week though a 28-man squad for a conditional camp has been named. The Pakistan Cricket Board, however, confirmed that Misbah-ul-Haq would remain Test captain despite their first loss to Zimbabwe in 15 years.

Misbah's captaincy came under severe criticism for Pakistan falling short in the first ODI before their loss in the second Test. In addition, Pakistan have won only one of five Tests this year - against the No. 9 ranked Zimbabwe - and are looking to remedy a 0-3 defeat in South Africa earlier this year.

Amin has not played a Test in three years after he was axed during the 2010 tour of England that was marred by a spot-fixing scandal but is widely regarded as a future captain. He was the leading run-scorer, with 767 in nine matches at 45.11 in the President's Trophy last season. He was subsequently called up to the limited over squad and has been in national contention for last eight months.

The 15-man squad comprises mainly of young batsmen - Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad while last season's top run-getter in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Akber-ur-Rehman, also found a place in the squad. With 986 runs in ten games, Rehman hit three centuries and three half-centuries, including highest score of 225. Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali who have been in the national side since 2010 have also been included in the squad, along with middle-order batsman Faisal Iqbal.

Shafiq is battling a dip in form over the last year, scoring 242 runs at 24.20. Although his promotion into the Test squad looks imminent, the selectors have picked him in the A side to find some touch along with Azhar, who apart from one innings in the first Test against Zimbabwe has been found wanting with the bat.

Iqbal, 31, has played 26 Test matches since making his debut in 12 years ago and was the captain of the previous A team that toured West Indies in 2010. They drew both unofficial Test, lost T20 series and managed to secure unofficial three-match ODI series by 2-0. Though Iqbal's last appearance for Pakistan was in 2010, he has been part of the Test squad for past one year.

Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan and Taufeeq Umar are the major absentees from the probables for the preparatory camp. Gul, who suffered a knee injury earlier this year is not fit for the longer format and Irfan, also fielding questions regarding his fitness in Test match cricket, is seen as a limited-overs specialist.

Pakistan A squad: Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad , Azhar Ali, Umar Amin (capt), Faisal Iqbal, Asad Shafiq, Ehsan Adil, Ahmed Jamal, Akber-ur-Rehman, Usman Qadir, Yasir Shah, Sohaib Maqsood, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Khan, Muoammad Rizwan (wk).

Probables for camp: Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Abdur Rehman, Shan Masood, Khurram Manzoor, Ahmed Shehzad , Azhar Ali, Umar Amin (capt), Faisal Iqbal, Asad Shafiq, Ehsan Adil, Ahmed Jamal, Akber-ur-Rehman, Usman Qadir, Yasir Shah, Sohaib Maqsood, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah.

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Record-breaking Sibley shows Surrey the light

Surrey 572 for 4 (Sibley 220*, Amla 151, Burns 82, Solanki 51) lead Yorkshire 434 by 138 runs
Scorecard

Dominic Sibley provided a pleasant footnote to Surrey's torturous season by becoming the youngest player to score a double century in the County Championship. It was an extraordinary achievement for an 18-year-old who has to go back to school on Monday.

He batted for nine-and-a-half hours and faced 484 balls for his double hundred - concentration not often associated with the current generation of young players weaned on one-day cricket. Of Englishmen, only WG Grace has achieved the feat at a younger age in first-class cricket.

Supporters at The Oval have been demoralised this season by an unsuccessful side, the makeup of which has not reflected well on such a famous and wealthy county, but here they could rejoice in a fine young player who has been developed by the club's academy.

Sibley is the latest in a string of home-grown players to appear for Surrey. Their challenge is to ensure they are selected regularly and can develop into established first XI players at the club. Addressing the leakage of talent from The Oval should be high on the agenda of the new head coach.

Whoever is appointed will have a very talented young batsman to work with in Sibley, who will surely sign professional terms soon, having only been on a summer contract this season. When he was 15, he made a double-century for his club, Ashtead, and appeared for Surrey 2nd XI, pushed forward by Surrey academy director Gareth Townsend. Last winter he played for England Under-19s in South Africa and scored a century in the second Youth Test.

Sibley should have returned to Whitgift School to begin his final year studying Geography, English and PE but was given time off to play the final three fixtures of the season. How he would have cursed missing an innings on a wicket this flat.

A-levels will be no trouble for Sibley if he can knuckle down for his exams as he did batting in the morning session. During the first hour he patted back six maidens and found the "Yorkshire Wall" of six men catching in front of the bat impossible to impregnate - inspiration or desperation, it was certainly innovative from Andrew Gale.

After 70 minutes Sibley was finally able to play a shot in anger as Ryan Sidebottom took the second new ball and Sibley punched him off the back foot for three through cover. Fifteen minutes later his second aggressive stroke came with a cover drive off Jack Brooks. In total he needed 98 deliveries to take his overnight 81 to three figures, which arrived via a swept four off Adil Rashid.

"It was more relief this morning to get to a hundred," Sibley said. "I didn't get much of a chance to score, they bowled well at me and when I did get there I was quite emotional.

"I try to keep a familiarity with the way I bat; I always take my guard before each delivery. I keep everything the same and that keeps my tempo going.

"I felt good at Somerset and I was disappointed that I didn't get a big score but I'm pleased that I've got a big one before the end of the season. Doing it here at The Oval is great. I had my parents here and my dad came back from Singapore last night."

He loosened up in the afternoon and enjoyed his time with Hashim Amla, having told his mum he wanted to bat with Amla before he returned to South Africa. The pair added the highest third-wicket partnership for Surrey against Yorkshire which helped Surrey make their highest total against Yorkshire in a first-class match.

It was too easy for Amla. It was too easy for Vikram Solanki who made 51 in 54 balls. And it may never be easier for Sibley. However, his epic nearly didn't happen. He was dropped on just 8 on the second day and should have been held on 159 by Jonny Bairstow: a very simple chance from a thin edge. It was a bad lapse in concentration by the reserve wicketkeeper in England's Ashes squad.

Bairstow did not have a great birthday as he also suffered a nervous moment when he slipped near the pavilion boundary having chased a lost cause to fine leg. He fell awkwardly and Jason Gillespie came tearing down from the dressing room with a worried brow but after a few overs of gingerly movement, Bairstow could go back to worrying about his wicketkeeping.

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