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The BCB are optimistic about their progress ahead of the World Twenty20 which is to be held in March 2014, despite the prevailing unstable political climate

Mohammad Isam06-Apr-2013The 2014 World Twenty20 Cup will begin on March 16, but the organisers are confident that the prevailing political tension in Bangladesh will not hamper its preparations. The final has been slated for April 6 next year, and a press conference was held in Dhaka on Saturday to mark the one-year run-up to the tournament.But the press conference was held during a general strike while the logo-launching ceremony to be held in the evening will begin at the end of the strike.”The political situation during an election year in Bangladesh is usually unstable so I hope the situation will change during the World Twenty20s,” ICC vice-president AHM Mustafa Kamal said. “Government and opposition leaders had come to watch the Asia Cup last year, so we believe that the political parties will not create any obstacles.”Apart from this, the BCB will have to deal with the issue of infrastructure as construction is yet to begin on the proposed stadium in Cox’s Bazar, while the one in Sylhet is still incomplete. BCB president Nazmul Hassan remained upbeat about both venues completion.”As far as I know, the Cox’s Stadium will be handed over to the BCB. We can start work next week if we receive a letter in this regard on Sunday. We will begin work on the wicket and ground as soon as possible.”There is not much left to do in the Sylhet venue. The floodlights and the dressing-room are there to be completed. It is stalled due to bureaucracy, so if it is delayed we will build it using BCB’s finances,” said Hassan.Bangladesh have already co-hosted the 2011 World Cup, including the opening ceremony, but the BCB were not clear about there being a similar programme ahead of the 2014 event.

Steve Smith, the sometime Australia allrounder, has won his second Steve Waugh Medal as the most outstanding player for New South Wales during the 2011-12 season

Daniel Brettig23-Mar-2012Steve Smith, the sometime Australia allrounder, has won his second Steve Waugh Medal as the most outstanding player for New South Wales during the 2011-12 season. In a wretched summer for the Blues, Smith’s overall contribution outstripped an sterling Sheffield Shield season by the wicketkeeper Peter Nevill to claim the award, which he also won in 2010.Over the voting period, expanded to include last year’s Twenty20 Champions League, Smith made consistent contributions with the bat, though his legspin bowling struggled to make an impression as he slipped further from contention for a place in the national team. Like numerous NSW team-mates, Smith is expected to lose his Cricket Australia contract when the list is redrawn this year.In the Champions League, Smith made 103 runs at 34.33, his best contribution arriving in a critical win over the Mumbai Indians. Smith was a solid contributor in the Sheffield Shield, notching 492 runs at 41.00, second only to Nevill among the Blues’ run scorers. He was also useful in the domestic limited overs competition, making 189 runs in the five matches he played. Though not the competition is not included in the Waugh medal voting, Smith led the Sydney Sixers to victory in the Twenty20 Big Bash League.Nevill, absent from the awards ceremony at Doltone House in Sydney due to Australia duty, was rewarded for a break-out summer with the award for best Sheffield Shield player. Nevill’s 570 runs at 51.81 were an excellent harvest for a wicketkeeper in a struggling team, and he also claimed 22 catches. The lack of other serious contenders reflected the Blues’ season, in which they missed both domestic finals and won only one Shield match out of 10.Mitchell Starc claimed the domestic limited overs award, having scooped 15 wickets at 17.73 in a mere five matches, as he played a fringe role with the Australian team across the summer. Moises Henriques was named the most outstanding contributor to the Sixers’ T20 success, while Chirs Gayle won the equivalent award for the Sydney Thunder.The Belinda Clark Medal for best women’s cricketer was shared between Leah Poulton and Lisa Sthalekar. Poulton’s award was her third, and second in as many seasons, while Sthalekar celebrated her fourth Clarke medal.Three inductees were also welcomed into the NSW hall of fame. Fred Spofforth, the most feared fast bowler of Australian cricket’s formative years, was inducted, as was that bold batsman and folk hero of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Doug Walters. Denise Annetts, who played 10 Tests and 43 ODIs for the Australian women’s team, was also inducted.

The Board of Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board will meet on Friday and Saturday in Antigua to review the Draft Strategic Plan for 2011-2016

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2011The board of directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will meet on Friday and Saturday in Antigua to review the Draft Strategic Plan for 2011-2016 which was prepared by the WICB management. The plan will be evaluated by WICB president Julian Hunte, vice-president Whycliffe Cameron and the board directors. Other key issues that will be discussed include the draft Schedule of Cricket for 2011-2012 and the Event Memorandum of Understanding between the WICB and Territorial Boards.The Umpires Pathway document along with a programme for improving the existing skills of ground and pitch curators across the region, the WICB Anti-Doping and Anti-Corruption codes and the Communications and Public Relations Policy are all likely to come up for discussion and approval. The Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket and Digicel Grassroots Cricket programmes targeting youth development will be presented.The WICB will also host its Annual General Meeting on Sunday at the same venue.

This match will be of more interest to Mumbai Indians, though, who will want to enter knockouts on a winning note

The Preview by Sidharth Monga18-Apr-2010

Match facts

Kolkata v Mumbai, Kolkata

Monday, April 19
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will Monday’s clash be Sourav Ganguly’s last for Kolkata?•Indian Premier League

Big picture

At long last, we have a dead rubber in IPL 3.0. Unless, of course, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians, and by a margin so huge that they move from their current net run-rate of -0.456 to higher than Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 0.219. This match will be of more interest to Mumbai, though, who will want to enter knockouts on a winning note.

Form guide

Kolkata WLLWL
Mumbai WWWLL

Team talk

Mumbai made an interesting move by opening with Ryan McLaren against Bangalore. McLaren scored a 42-ball 40 and took 1 for 21 in a Man-of-the-Match performance. They could give that opening combination another chance.Dilhara Fernando, given two chances after Lasith Malinga was rested, has created a headache too: his split-finger slower ball hasn’t been picked at all, and his eight overs have gone for 56 runs and four wickets.The third team issue for Mumbai is the wicketkeeper: neither of Aditya Tare, Ambati Rayudu or Chandan Madan has been good with the big gloves. For the Bangalore match, Tare came back, and wasn’t great. In the same game, Abhishek Nayar returned to fitness and played ahead of Ali Murtaza and R Sathish. Monday’s match will be one final opportunity for Mumbai to sort out the combinations before the knockout stage.Kolkata could decide to draft in those who haven’t had many opportunities this year.

Previously

Mumbai 5 Kolkata 0In their first match this season, Mumbai managed to subdue Kolkata with yorkers and low full tosses: Chris Gayle scored 75 off 60, and Kolkata 155 with only three wickets down. Mumbai chased it down with ease.

In the spotlight

Who knows where Sourav Ganguly will be in next year’s IPL. Will Kolkata want to retain him? On paper there is no reason why they shouldn’t: Ganguly has been their most consistent, and perhaps the best, batsman this year. That their best batsman has struck at 118 per 100 balls tells the season’s story. If Kolkata don’t, who will buy him at the next draft? And will Ganguly, who turns 38 in July, want to play anyway? Given all these considerations, it might just be Ganguly’s last effort for Kolkata.The last time Sachin Tendulkar played at the Eden Gardens, he scored a Test century against South Africa in a famous series-levelling, No.1-retaining win for India. The Eden crowds have been the most partisan in the IPL: when Virender Sehwag scored a half-century for Delhi Daredevils, he met with a hush from the same crowd he had sent into delirium in that Test match. If Tendulkar gets going, though, it will be the biggest test of how partisan the crowd can be.

Prime numbers and trivia

• Of the 20 bowlers who have taken 10 wickets or more, none comes from Kolkata. Four Mumbai bowlers, including Kieron Pollard, feature on that list.
• Kolkata haven’t had regular specialist bowlers: neither of them has played more than nine matches.
• If Mumbai win, they will have won 11 matches; in the last two seasons put together they won 12.

The chatter

“A lot of people are also surprised by my fielding. I am not, because it is just a reflection of the hard work put in throughout the year. That’s what makes it more frustrating. We were not that bad a team to have to depend on others to know our fate.”

Tottenham Hotspur could land one of their mooted transfer targets for a massive bargain this January, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Since the end of the summer transfer window, the north London outfit have been strongly linked with a move for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie ahead of 2022.

One report even suggested that Spurs could use wantaway club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele as a makeweight in any potential future deal.

But now an exciting development has emerged.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Ivory Coast international could be available for as little as €9m (£7.5m) as it will be the last chance the Serie A giants can sell him for money before he leaves for nothing later in the summer.

It seems rather unlikely that Kessie will renew his current contract at the San Siro, though the Lilywhites aren’t the only team interested, with Premier League rivals Chelsea also linked.

Paratici must swoop

Make no bones about it, if the Milan midfielder is available for as little as that, then Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici and the rest of the club’s hierarchy would be foolish to not try and sign him.

After all, Transfermarkt currently value him at a whopping £49.5m – and they’ll be getting him for 85% cheaper than his supposed worth.

Although, they shouldn’t only be making a move from a purely financial sense as the player himself is actually a massive talent that could bolster Nuno Santo’s engine room instantly.

Kessie is a powerful and industrious box-to-box beast that can also take a mean set-piece.

He ended last season as Milan’s fourth highest-rated player (7.15) and their second top goalscorer (13) behind only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15), as per WhoScored.

In addition to that, he averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per league outing.

Kessie’s current boss, Stefano Pioli, waxed lyrical about the Ivorian’s ability earlier this year, claiming that “Franck is a complete player” who gives his side “physicality, energy, quality, protects the defence and knits the moves going forward too.”

This merely echoed the thoughts of another manager who once stood in the San Siro dugout, Vincenzo Montella, who described the midfielder as an “extraordinary player” with “sublime intelligence.”

In the need to add more goals to the side, Nuno could really do with a player like Kessie as he can contribute in the final third just as much as he can in the team’s own half.

If Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is in need of a solid partner, then it should be the Milan monster they turn to, especially given the astounding claims mentioned in the report.

AND in other news, £75k-p/w dud must never play for Spurs again, had fewer touches than Lloris yesterday…

A round-up of the fourth’s day’s play of the Ranji Trophy Plate League semi-finals

Cricinfo staff21-Dec-2008
Scorecard
With his fourth wicket in Madhya Pradesh’s second innings, Sarandeep Singh reached the milestone of 300 first-class wickets © Cricinfo Ltd
Sourav Ganguly did not bat during his final day of first-class cricket, but got the perfect farewell gift as Bengal gained promotion to the Super League. Goa’s Ryan Ninan tried to stave off defeat, but he was left stranded on a career-best 88 as Sourav Sarkar took the final three wickets to dismiss them for 230, thus giving Bengal the crucial first-innings lead.Bengal, leading by 107, lost a wicket early in their second innings,. Two strikes in successive overs from Harshad Gadekar reduced them to 54 for 3, but Manoj Tiwary and Dibyendu Chakrabarty steadied the innings with a brisk 110-run stand. Bengal played out 46 overs to reach 193 for 5 as the match finished in a draw. The spotlight, though, was on Ganguly. “I don’t miss playing cricket anymore,” he told . “Every cricketer has to retire one day and I don’t have any sad feelings about the decision [to retire].”I am happy that Bengal have qualified for the Elite division [Super League]. Bengal faced problems for some time due to shifting of allegiance to ICL by some players. But youngsters have filled in the void now and they will do good work in future.”
Scorecard
Offspinner Sarandeep Singh took his 300th first-class wicket as Himachal Pradesh crushed Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 175 runs in Nagpur. Himachal Pradesh’s mammoth first-innings lead had effectively guaranteed them promotion to the top division, and Sarandeep, along with Mohinder Sharma, bowled them to an emphatic win.Resuming on 576 for 8, Himachal Pradesh could only add three more to their total. Mohinder prised out three quick wickets to leave Madhya Pradesh at 47 for 4, but captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar resisted, making 66. However his team failed to build big partnerships and salvage a draw. Kanitkar, trapped lbw to Sarandeep, was the seventh man out with the score on 131. An unbeaten 27 from Sunil Dholpure, the second-best score in the innings, pushed the total to 176. Sarandeep took 4 for 52, while Mohinder’s 5 for 45 was his maiden first-class five-wicket haul, coming in his fourth game.

Nigel Adkins has provided a Charlton transfer update ahead of the deadline next week.

What’s the talk?

The 56-year-old has confirmed that work is going on behind the scenes to bring new signings to the club before the end of the transfer window. He has promised that the Addicks are trying to bolster their squad whilst working within their budget.

He told London News Online: “There have been things going on behind the scenes. We’ve got to make sure the budget that is being worked to, we can utilise it as best we can to help the group.”

Exciting times

This update from Adkins could provide some much-needed excitement for Charlton fans. The start to the season has been unquestionably poor from the Addicks, and fans may be desperate for some good news before the window slams shut next week to lift the mood by adding some fresh legs to the group.

Charlton have one point after four League One matches and have only scored twice, with their solitary point coming on the opening day of the season against Sheffield Wednesday in a 0-0 draw. They followed that up with losses against Oxford United, MK Dons and Wigan, with Crewe at home this weekend their last match before the transfer window closes.

Seven players have joined the club so far this summer – Akin Famewo, Craig MacGillivray, George Dobson, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Sean Clare, Jayden Stockley and Charlie Kirk. Three arrived on free transfers, three for undisclosed fees and Famewo is on loan from Premier League side Norwich, with an option to sign on a permanent basis next summer.

However, Stockley is the only player who has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.00 or higher in League One so far this season. This suggests that Charlton are still in need of new additions to bolster their squad to put them in a position to be able to challenge for promotion.

Therefore, Addicks fans could be excited to hear that work is going on behind the scenes to bring in reinforcements. Adkins seems confident enough that deals will be done, given that he has spoken publicly about their need for signings, and that should give supporters hope that things will happen.

It’s now it’s time for the club to get negotiating and ensure that new signings are over the line ahead of the deadline next Tuesday.

Matt Hague, the Jersey captain whose side were recently relegated to Division 5 of the World Cricket League, has announced his retirement.”I just feel I’m not quite enjoying it quite as much as I always have and I feel the time’s right to step down,” he told the BBC. “We’ve come a fair way since I’ve been captain so i think maybe it’s time to hand over the reigns.”Hague moved to Jersey having played grade cricket in Australia, where he was born, and led the side during a period of relative success in which Jersey were promoted from Affiliate to Associate ranking by the ICC. However, they were only victorious in one out of their five matches in the recent World Cricket League Division 4 in Tanzania.”Tanzania was an unbelievable experience, not on the result front, but fantastic to play cricket against better players in a different country.We came along a way with Peter [Kirsten] and enjoyed a lot of success. We did so well in World Division 5 and the European tournament in Guernsey and we had a lot of success.”Hague’s announcement is the second blow to hit Jersey cricket in a week, following Peter Kirsten’s move from Jersey to Kenya, where he will join up with his brother, Andy, as part of the coaching team. The decision came as a surprise to many, not least Hague.”All was happy when we were winning, but when we lost a couple of games [in Tanzania] we saw a different side and I was just disappointed that he almost gave up on the team,” Hague said.”After two-and-a-half games that was all we had of Peter, so for the last few games we were pretty much doing it all ourselves. It was disappointing after doing so much together that to give up was quite sad really.”

Aston Villa are “determined” to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie and ready to put down a big-money offer for him.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are keen on luring the USA international to Villa Park this summer, and it now appears that Johan Lange and co are desperate to make that happen.

According to Italian publication Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), there is a long line of suitors for McKennie with Juventus fully aware that he could bring in some good money.

The report adds that while Spurs are in the running too, both Villa and Crystal Palace are “determined to invest cash” to sign him ahead of the competition.

Fans will be buzzing

Hailed as a “leader” by David Wagner, McKennie has already built up top-level experience by playing in the Champions League with Juventus, and also appearing on the international stage a number of times for the USA.

His former boss at Juventus, Andrea Pirlo, hailed him as a “rock” and added: “He’s young and can improve a lot. In my opinion, he’s a midfielder who can play as a No 8 in a three in midfield, right or left. He gets in the box and scores goals but he’s also very good at winning the ball back.

“His role is in a three in midfield as one of the two players on either side of the regista. Last year we played in a different system, so he had to adapt.”

As per CIES, McKennie’s value stands at an eye-watering £60m, not least due to him playing for a big club like Juventus now, but also because of his considerable ability and experience already at just 22 years of age.

Given the kind of impressive signings Villa have already made this summer – not least the likes of Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings – one area that they haven’t actually addressed is central midfield.

In McKennie, they would be getting someone as Pirlo says, who can play in a number of different roles in the engine room, and also have the ability and dynamism to break into the box and score goals too.

Whether it’s winning the ball back, or making late runs into the area, McKennie appears to be the kind of do-it-all midfielder that would surely get fans excited. So, news that they club are “determined” to land him this summer should have them absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped a late night Aston Villa claim…

Noel Whelan has saluted Glasgow Rangers’ recent signing of Juninho Bacuna.

The Lowdown: Bacuna confirmed

On Thursday, the Ibrox club confirmed that they have signed the Curacao international from Huddersfield Town.

He only had one year left on his deal at the Terriers, so Steven Gerrard saw the chance to pounce on his signature.

The Latest: Whelan on Bacuna

Speaking to Football Insider, former Aberdeen striker Whelan has been lauding the Gers’ signing of Bacuna after being asked if he had seen him play much in the English Championship. He said:

“I have. He’s a very talented player.

“Likes to produce a few different hair colours as well but you don’t mind that if the player has got some ability. He definitely has got the ability and I think that’s been seen by Steven Gerrard.

“Very quick, good on the ball, technically wise. He has got an eye for a goal as well. One of these players I feel, in time to come – he’s not even in his best years of football – will probably produce for Rangers.

“I think no better than having a man like Steven Gerrard, a midfield superstar in that position over years and years and years, to give him that guidance. To progress him to the player that, potentially, he really could be.

“I mean, wow, we saw some brilliant stuff from him at Huddersfield during the time he was there. I guess it was just finding that consistency. Plus he was in a team that was getting weaker and weaker by the season.

“He was still a standout there. I think Steven Gerrard has done some really good business there. If he can get the best out of Bacuna, he’s got a really talented midfield player on his hands.”

The Verdict: Smart signing

As Whelan says, it was certainly smart from the Light Blues to bring Bacuna to Ibrox, as he will give Gerrard another handy option in his squad for the rest of the 2021/22 season.

The Curacao international has experience of playing at the highest level in the Premier League, and overall has shown that he has an eye for both a goal and an assist despite mainly operating in midfield. He scored 12 times and supplied a further nine assists in 107 games in total for Huddersfield over the last three seasons (Transfermarkt).

His added versatility is certainly a bonus for Gerrard, and at 24 years of age, Bacuna has not even hit his peak yet.

In other news, find out what Ryan Kent news has had one pundit talking