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Dave Richardson, the former South Africa wicketkeeper and ICC general manager – cricket, has been recommended by the ICC board to succeed Haroon Lorgat as chief executive

Nagraj Gollapudi10-May-2012Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager (cricket) and former South Africa wicketkeeper, has been picked by the ICC board to succeed Haroon Lorgat as chief executive. Richardson, who will become the first former Test cricketer to occupy this position, was an unanimous choice over ECB chief executive David Collier – his closest competitor – because of his experience within the ICC.The ICC board will recommend Richardson’s name at the ICC annual conference in June, when Lorgat’s term ends. The nominations committee had met in Mumbai on Sunday to interview four candidates, including Collier, for the role and on Thursday obtained the ICC board’s support for Richardson.ICC president Sharad Pawar, who headed the nomination panel, said all four candidates were “good enough” but Richardson’s CV swung it in his favour. “What made Richardson the most suitable candidate was his knowledge of the ICC, and that was the most important thing,” Pawar told ESPNcricinfo. The other advantage, he said, was Richardson’s familiarity with the ICC board members, and vice versa.”He was an internal candidate. He is a former Test player and brings a lot of international cricket experience to the table,” Pawar said. “In addition he has been working with the ICC for quite long and is completely aware about the ICC operations and the members. All this only made it an unanimous decision.”Lorgat said he was happy to welcome a fellow South African to occupy the seat he will vacate on June 30. “He is experienced in the ways of the international game, both playing and in administration, which will hold him in good stead. He knows everybody and everyone knows him so he is a very familiar figure and it would provide a lot of comfort to members, to players, to stakeholders.”It is understood that though Richardson’s name was supported by almost all 13 members of the ICC board, things were much closer when the nomination committee discussed the issue after completing the extensive interview process on May 6 in Mumbai.”Things were very tight when it came to the nominations committee. There were only two candidates really as favourites – Richardson and Collier. The thing that swung it for David was his cricketing experience,” an ICC member board official revealed.That meeting was chaired by Pawar and attended by Alan Isaac (ICC vice-president), Julian Hunte (WICB president) and Keith Oliver (Cricket Scotland chairman). However, it was the presence of N Srinivasan and Giles Clarke – heads of the Indian and English boards who, it is understood, had been added to the panel at the last minute – that added intrigue to the selection process.There had been talk in the days leading up to Sunday that the BCCI and the ECB would enter into a deal to name Collier as the chief executive and allow the BCCI to nominate its candidate to the seat of ICC chairman when that post is created in 2014.Pawar, though, laughed off the theory. “What does the issue of the chairman have to do with the selection of the chief executive?” he asked.However, another ICC member board official did not rule out the possibility that there could have been some differences between Srinivasan and Clarke that might have forced the BCCI president to vote against Collier. “It is fair to say probably either Clarke or Srinivasan did not support Collier. If India and England both back the same candidate, do you think they are not going to convince the others at the table?” the official said.The official suggested that any alliance between Srnivasan and Clarke was not a deep one. “They are strong men, who want their way. Their collaboration was one of convenience,” the official said.According to this official, Richardson faced a big challenge in the form of India and England. He felt one possible factor for Lorgat not seeking another term was the increasing influence of Srinivasan and Clarke at the ICC board. “The future is not clear because here are some very different personalities at the ICC board who want increasingly to play the role of executive director in their style,” the official said. “I don’t know what role the chief executive will play. I do not even know what the role of this operational chairman means,” he said.For his part, Richardson called the nomination a “great honour.” “I am delighted with this opportunity and thank the ICC board for their approval. It has been a privilege to serve as ICC general manager, and that work will continue until such time as the ICC annual conference ratifies my nomination.”A qualified lawyer, Richardson has served as ICC general manager (cricket) for ten years and also played 42 Test matches and 122 ODIs for South Africa. After retiring from international cricket in 1998, Richardson was a business director with Octagon SA and a media commentator before becoming the ICC’s first general manager in January 2002.

The Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas battled the pain of twice tearing tendons in his shoulder to lead the county to the Friends Life t20

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2012The Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas battled the pain of twice tearing tendons in his shoulder in recent weeks to lead the county to the Friends Life t20 title with victory against Yorkshire.Mascarenhas needed fitness tests before both the semi-final against Somerset and the final and did not bat in either match even though his clean striking would have been valuable in the closing stages of the innings. When asked before the final how the injury was effecting his bowling he said: “I can’t get much slower.”Mascarenhas played a crucial role with the ball on Finals Day – his nagging medium pace proving difficult to score off on a sluggish pitch – taking a miserly 2 for 11 in the semi-final which he followed with 2 for 20 against Yorkshire to leave Hampshire chasing 151 for victory. Despite an onslaught by David Miller, who struck 72 off 46 balls, Hampshire held their nerve in the closing overs as Danny Briggs and Chris Wood followed the impressive work of their captain.”I’ve torn my lat tendon. I tore it two weeks ago and then I tore it again last week when I tried to play CB40,” Mascarenhas said. “I had a scan and it’s torn so I had to grin and bear it. It was a huge stress to be honest. It’s not one of those where you can have an injection.”We were trying to sort out team selection if I didn’t play and for the team balance. It’s not easy when your captain is looking like he’s not going to be fit. I was lucky enough to get through. I actually felt a bit better in the final – maybe it was the adrenaline. It took me through it. It felt a lot sorer in the semi-final, I felt like I was bowling a bit faster in the final.”It was Hampshire’s second Twenty20 title in three seasons following their victory in 2010 when they won by losing fewer wickets against Somerset. However, they began this year’s Finals Day as the least favoured of the four teams to make an impact.”Personally for me – it’s the best one by far,” he said. “I missed the first win two years ago because I was injured. To win two games today and captain a young and inexperienced side was a great thrill and one I’ll remember for a long time.”There were much different emotions for Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire captain, who had seen his side produce a superb all-round display in the semi-final against Sussex led by Jonny Bairstow’s 68 off 45 balls. However, in both matches Yorkshire’s top order failed to fire and, despite Miller’s fantastic display, they had too much ground to make up in the final.”When we were 40-odd for four I thought someone had to play very well to get us in a position to win and David played out of his skin,” Gale said. “Going into the last over I was backing us. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way but fair play to David for getting us in a position to win that game because we were dead and buried.”If it wasn’t for him we would have been nowhere; we could have been bowled out for 80. It would have been nice for us to spray that champagne around, I’m not going to lie, but when we reflect on this we’ll see we’ve achieved something as a group.”Still, there is consolation for Yorkshire. Both finalists have earned places at the Champions League Twenty20 which will be held in South Africa during October although English teams have to go through the pre-qualifying phase before joining the main tournament.

The pressure on suspended Goa batsman Swapnil Asnodkar intensified after a team-mate submitted a letter stating that Asnodkar had asked him not to go for the potentially gettable target

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Nov-2011The pressure on suspended Goa batsman Swapnil Asnodkar to explain his actions after aborting a fourth-innings run chase against Maharashtra intensified on Thursday after a team-mate, Abhishek Raut, submitted a letter stating that Asnodkar had asked him not to go for the potentially gettable target in their Ranji Trophy Plate group match played at Porvorim last week.”Raut has said that he was told not to chase by Asnodkar immediately into the chase of the small target,” Goa Cricket Association secretary, Prasad Phaterpekar, told ESPNcricinfo.Asnodkar, Goa’s stand-in captain for the match, was suspended for two games for his unilateral decision to call off the chase as team management had explicitly decided they would go for the win during the change of innings. On Thurday, Asnodkar submitted a letter to the association explaining his actions, but Phaterpekar said it had not been opened yet.”We have started our internal investigations. Swapnil has sent his apology-cum-explanation on his act on November 9. We have not opened his letter yet. “We are taking the matter seriously and will place all our finding in front of the managing committee once the papers are ready and the investigations are complete.”Asnodkar’s troubles began on the final day of Goa’s opening round game against Maharashtra. After debutant Ganeshraj Narvekar claimed a five-wicket haul to bundle Maharashtra out for for 91 in their second innings, Goa were left needing 130 runs to get from 19 overs.Before starting their innings, the hosts decided that they would go for the win. Asnodkar walked out with a new opening partner in Amit Yadav, a hard-hitting batsman who was pushed up ahead of the regular opener Vaibhav Naik to help kickstart the chase. But when Raut walked in after the early fall of Yadav, Asnodkar informed him to go slow. He then played out the sixth over, eventually the final over the match, as a maiden before telling Maharashtra that Goa were not going for the target and the teams agreed to call off the game.In the first response from the BCCI about the case, Rajeev Shukla, currently IPL governing council chairman and member on BCCI’s marketing committee, said, “The BCCI has not come to know of any match-fixing (during Goa–Maharasthra game).” Shukla, an MP, spoke to reporters outside Parliament on Thursday and said, “There are no cases of match-fixing here as we have adopted strict measures to curb the menace. All the Indian players are clean.”

A century from captain Alex Gidman helped Gloucestershire to a comfortable six-wicket victory over the Unicorns in their Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Exmouth

14-Aug-2011
ScorecardA century from captain Alex Gidman helped Gloucestershire to a comfortable six-wicket victory over the Unicorns in their Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Exmouth.The Unicorns are yet to win in the competition this season although half-centuries from James Campbell and James Ord gave them a sound footing before Alex Gidman’s innings wrapped up the win for the Gladiators.It was his brother, Will Gidman, who took the early wicket of Michael Thornely but Campbell (58) and Ord (55) then put on 96 runs for the second wicket before the former was caught off the bowling of Kevin O’Brien.Ord was the next wicket to fall to Jack Taylor and when Jayden Levitt became Taylor’s second victim, with Keith Parsons and Josh Knappett falling cheaply either side, the Unicorns were in trouble. Luis Reece and Amar Rashid managed to guide the hosts on to 234 for seven at the end of their 40 overs.Gloucestershire were quick out of the blocks at the start of their reply and when O’Brien (46) was out off the bowling of Reece in the ninth over the visitors had already accrued 89 runs. James Fuller was then bowled by Reece before Alex Gidman (106no) and Hamish Marshall (60) piled on the runs until Reece struck again to dismiss the latter.Kane Williamson became Reece’s fourth victim soon after but Gidman stayed firm and saw his team home as Gloucestershire won their fourth group match of the season.

When play finished early on day three of the Railways v Saurashtra Ranji Trophy game, the devil it was established, was not residing in the Karnail Singh Stadium track, it was to be found in the home team

Sharda Ugra23-Dec-2011When play finished early on day three of the Railways v Saurashtra Ranji Trophy game, the devil it was established, was not residing in the Karnail Singh Stadium track that had consumed 40 wickets in just over two days and a bit. It was to be found in the home team, Railways, whose season “started and finished poorly, sandwiched with good cricket in between,” according to their captain Sanjay Bangar.When the race for the Ranji knockouts begins to get tighter, it is often alleged, the Karnail minefields begin to materialise and then, only the toss matters. Bangar, one of the more seasoned men in first-class cricket, rejected the stereotype constructed about his home ground. “The toss didn’t really matter in this match, did it? It didn’t make for a runaway game. We negated the advantage,” he said. “We know the history of the wicket and that it begins to slow down as every day passes. Even after that [first-innings collapse] a target of 245 was gettable.”Saurashtra batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who is working his way back into the national selectors’ line of vision, did not criticise the conditions either. “It’s a challenging wicket, a bowling paradise if you like. But it’s not dangerous, it’s not a minefield or anything like that. You have to be patient, apply yourself, wait for loose balls and punish them.” Pujara was one of only four batsmen to cross 30 in the entire match.On Wednesday, Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra had been reprimanded for letting rip in public about the surface where 18 wickets had fallen on the day. At the finish on day three, Mitra abstained from qualitative assessments about the pitch and said instead that his side had “played better [than the opposition], according to the [requirements] track.”The 97-run defeat to Saurashtra brought to a halt Railways’ Ranji season, which had involved five of seven matches at home, at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Previously this year, the venue has witnessed totals of 483, 347, 521, 525 and 379. If there is any indication to be got from the totals of Railways v Sautrashtra’s match – 175, 81, 152 and 149 – it is that matches here turn into quick on the draw shoot-outs of skill and temperament. “Speak to any of the players who have excelled here and they have all said it is difficult for stroke play,” Bangar said. “It has a history of being very difficult to get runs here.””On this track, you have to be there [at the crease] for some time to know what the wicket is all about which they [the batsmen] didn’t do,” said the somewhat placated Mitra. The time occupied by the Railways in their response to 175 was a mere 24.5 overs. With Ravindra Jadeja picking up 10 wickets wickets and the Man-of-the-Match award, Railways’ felt the absence of their most experienced spinner, Murali Kartik, who pulled out of the game due to an injury.The Karnail pitch, Railways loyalists say, often turns into a double-edged sword for the groundsman. Abhay Sharma, the Railways coach, said the tight three-day turnaround between Ranji matches and the Delhi winter had made it difficult for the surface to be watered correctly. “In this weather, a shirt won’t dry in a day, how can a wicket be watered properly? If it is watered enough, it won’t dry. If it’s not watered, then it will crumble. It’s not the groundsman’s fault really.”Surfaces of the kind found at the Karnail, Bangar said, are easily tarred. “If there’s grass and the ball swings five degrees then that’s a good wicket, but if it’s like this then it gets vicious turn. For some reason no one likes to think of a turning wicket with the same parameters as you do a wicket where the ball seams.”

For the first time since fleeing Dubai on the eve of an ODI, Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider is back playing first-class cricket

Umar Farooq07-Oct-2011For the first time since fleeing Dubai on the eve of an ODI, Zulqarnain Haider is back playing first-class cricket. He kept wicket for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One on October 6 – taking three catches on the first day of the match against Faisalabad – and said it felt like he was “starting from scratch”.Haider infamously went missing during Pakistan’s series against South Africa in the UAE in November 2010. He later said he had flown to London because he had received death threats from bookies in Dubai and simultaneously announced his retirement from international cricket. However, he returned to Pakistan in April this year and in May said he wanted to abandon his retirement.Haider is now intent on reviving his career but says he has no regrets about the accusations he made of match-fixing being rampant in cricket. “I know I almost put my career at stake for which I have no regret,” he told ESPNCricinfo. “In fact, I have inspired upcoming players to speak up against happenings around them instead of just going with the flow.”After his return to Pakistan, Haider struggled to find a team, with no one wanting to sign him for the Faysal Bank Twenty20 tournament. ZTBL agreed to include him in their squad for the first-class season, and Haider, who is 25 years old, says he is looking for a fresh start and would like to make it back to the international stage. “I have started my career again and it feels like I’m starting from scratch. I don’t know what prospects I have at the moment but cricket is my bread and butter and I had to get back to playing for my livelihood. I am young and have already lost plenty of cricket for various reasons. I don’t know whether I will be selected for the top level or not but right now I am focusing on my game and the rest is up to the selectors.”My passion for cricket is still alive and I am optimistic that I can put in performances that will catch the selectors’ eye. Playing for the country is always an honour and that desire never dies.”After he fled to the UK last year, Haider had claimed he received threats in Pakistan domestic cricket as well, and suggested the ICC tap players’ phones since “a lot of people are involved” in match-fixing. The PCB set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding Haider’s flight to England, and suspended his stipend contract. The ICC’s investigative arm, the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), had said they wanted to wait for the PCB to finish their probe before getting involved, but the report from the committee said there were no clear motives behind Haider’s flight.The bookies behind the threats to Haider were arrested by police in Sialkot in April, after Haider had returned to Pakistan, but Haider was fined 500,000 rupees ($5,800) by the PCB for violating their code of conduct when he left the series in the UAE midway without informing team management. The board also put Haider on probation from the national team for a year, and said he had had no proof of any wrongdoing against any player or official of the board. Haider said he realised he should have informed the board and seniors in the team of his predicament rather than leaving the tour without notice.However, he stands by the claims he made and says he knowingly took a risk by speaking out about corruption while his career was still at a nascent stage. Referring to Shoaib Akhtar’s recent comments about ball tampering and Shahid Afridi’s criticism of the Pakistan board and team management, Haider questioned why these players had waited so long to come forward with their statements.”I know to the world I am a fool but to me I did the right thing,” he said. “I was well aware I was risking my career but I opted to follow the righteous path. I am not like Afridi and Shoaib who when done with their career are now coming out busting the system. On the contrary I was at the beginning of my career and I raised my voice against the odds, putting my career at risk without any fear.”Both Afridi and Shoaib have earned a lot of respect and money through the system, and now when they see things are out of their hands they have started lashing out the at entire structure and culture of Pakistan cricket. Why at the end of their career?”Haider had played just one Test and four ODIs for Pakistan before his departure from Dubai. He got his opportunity in the wicketkeeper’s slot after Kamran Akmal’s horror tour of England and had helped Pakistan level the series against South Africa in the UAE with a cameo in the fourth ODI.

Matthew Hoggard claimed the third hat-trick of his career but then saw his Leicestershire side throw away the advantage with some poor batting on the second day of the County Championship game against Glamorgan

09-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard
Matthew Hoggard claimed the third hat-trick of his career but then saw his Leicestershire side throw away the advantage with some poor batting on the second day of the County Championship game against Glamorgan at Grace Road. Glamorgan were bundled out for 146 to give Leicestershire a useful first-innings lead of 92, but the home side failed to capitalise as they struggled through to 78 for 5 by the close to leave the match evenly balanced on a pitch offering encouragement for both the seamers and the spinners.Glamorgan’s innings was a one-man show with their new captain and opener Alviro Petersen scoring 91 before being last man out. The South African struck seven fours and two sixes in his 165-ball innings to show the pitch was not quite the minefield many of the other batsmen had made it look on a day when 16 wickets fell for 231 runs.Ben Wright and Robert Croft were Glamorgan’s next highest scorers with 11 runs apiece after Hoggard had wrecked their top order with his hat-trick spell. He had Gareth Rees caught behind off the fifth ball of his sixth over of the morning, trapped Will Bragg lbw with the next delivery and then saw Will Jefferson take a superb catch at slip to remove Michael Powell with the firstball of his next over.It was the first hat-trick by a Leicestershire bowler since Javagal Srinath performed the feat against Surrey at The Oval in 2002 and the first at Grace Road since Winston Benjamin did it against Australia in 1989. The last Championship hat-trick at Grace Road was by George Ferris in 1983.Glamorgan then were 38 for 3 and wickets continued to tumble on a regular basis as left-arm spinner Claude Henderson followed up his innings of 80 not out in Leicestershire’s total of 238 with a three-wicket haul. He removed Croft, Graham Wagg and Dean Cosker to finish with 3 for 32, with only Petersen offering any resistance as the visitors collapsed.The Glamorgan captain batted superbly until finally pulling a catch off Nathan Buck to Henderson having made 91. But Leicestershire were soon in trouble themselves with the first three batsmen falling for 36 runs in the opening 17 overs.Matthew Boyce was bowled offering no shot to a delivery from Wagg who also had Jacques Du Toit caught at second slip. Adam Shantry then took James Taylor’s wicket before Cosker struck twice, dismissing both Gregg Smith and Tom New for ducks to leave Leicestershire at 43 for 5.It took a solid unbeaten 48 from Jefferson to see them through to the close when they held a lead of 170.

Former selector Mohinder Amarnath has pointed the finger at the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, for overruling the selectors’ unanimous call for sacking of MS Dhoni as captain after the two whitewashes in England and in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2012Mohinder Amarnath, the former India selector, has said it was the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, who overruled the selectors’ unanimous call for sacking of MS Dhoni as captain after the two whitewashes in England and Australia. “The Board President did not approve the unanimous decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Amarnath told .Post the Test debacle in Australia, Amarnath said, the selectors wanted to appoint a young captain for the triangular one-day series that followed, but their decision was overturned.”We selected the team for the triangular series, selected 17 players but we did not select the captain,” he said. “The captain was selected by somebody else.”Asked whether he questioned the decision, Amarnath said, “When you respect a person you don’t ask questions. But my question is, you have a selection committee those who think what is best for Indian cricket then why they are not given a free hand.The selectors thought about stepping down then, Amarnath said, but decided against it as they, “did not want to create a big stir there as the team was playing abroad and the series was going on there.”There was massive speculation that this was the reason Amarnath’s term as a selector ended abruptly when he was actually expected to be the new chairman of the selectors. When asked about that, all Amarnath said was: “I don’t miss it.”Amarnath was asked to clarify a rumour doing the rounds that he was cited the BCCI constitution that stated he could not sack Dhoni without the higher-ups clearing it. “Neither will I say yes nor will I deny it, okay,” he responded. “I know the facts, and I will tell you the facts when I feel the time is right.” He did go on to say, though, that he was not aware of the constitution. Clause 13(a)(iv) of the BCCI constitution states that: “The President shall approve the composition of a team, selected by the Selection Committee.””When somebody becomes a selector, I don’t think you are aware of the constitution of the BCCI,” he said. “I was not aware. I don’t think even the current committee is aware of the constitution.”According to the , Amarnath, Narendra Hirwani and Raja Venkat, during a meeting in January this year for selecting the squad for the CB Series in Australia, wanted to sack Dhoni.”Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of the selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper the time was not right to remove him,” a selector told the paper.Why does Amarnath think Dhoni doesn’t deserve a place in the Test side? “If you see his track record for the last one year as captain, I am talking about Test matches, not one-day, he hasn’t done anything,” Amarnath said. “You give a run to a guy. I am not saying you should remove a guy overnight, but if you see a guy is failing again and again, I don’t think it is going to be possible to continue with the same guy.”I think he should be replaced in Test cricket. I am not talking shorter versions. He is an asset there, he has done very well, he is a match-winner, but with the technique he has I don’t see him do any wonders in Test cricket.”You have to look at contribution of the players, where you are playing and what opposition you are playing. We have to move ahead with times, and we have to look forward. People who have contributed to the game, we respect them, we adore them, but what is important is future of Indian cricket and not to live in the past. Cricket has changed, age has everything to do in life. We have to look ahead.”I believe in fresh blood. I was looking forward for a guy like Virat Kohli to take over as captain in one day cricket. I think he is a fantastic player, he is the future.”When Amarnath spoke about moving forward, he was asked about Sachin Tendulkar and what his future should be. “Sachin has been a great cricketer, a great ambassador, he has achieved everything but I think they way he is playing we see a shadow of Sachin Tendulkar,” he said. “And I don’t accept him to play in the same fashion as he has done in the past. Age is a factor. He is not alone. Look at all greats. Once you cross mid-30s, things become little bit difficult, a little bit more demanding. He is no exception. He has to take it very seriously, and I think the selectors have to have a word with him, what are his plans. Then they should take a call and then decide.”

Australia’s chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch is hanging onto his job as stubbornly as he once did the batting crease.

Daniel Brettig07-Jun-2011″Digger” by nickname and by nature. Midway through the independent review that will determine his future, Australia’s chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch is hanging onto his job as stubbornly as he once did the batting crease.The Don Argus review is now deep into the process of interviewing some 60 persons of interest relating to Australian cricket, as Argus and panel members including Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor assess what must be rectified in order to avoid a repeat of last summer’s disastrous Ashes series.Hilditch has been interviewed, and said he was yet to worry about what conclusions might be drawn about his leadership of a selection panel that has stumbled and bumbled as much as the team itself over the past three years.”I’ll just keep doing it until someone wants me to stop,” Hilditch said of his future. “It’s one of the greatest periods in the sense that it’s just so demanding, but at the same time it’s exciting for the players because they have great challenges, and we have great challenges as a selection panel to get it right.”I’ve been very lucky; I didn’t have much of a contribution to Australian cricket as a player, but I’m really enjoying this role, doing the best I possibly can. If someone decides there’s a better way to go then I’ll be fully supportive of that as well.”Hilditch’s contract expired at the end of the World Cup, but he was granted a stay of execution by Argus’ desire to leave things as unchanged as possible while the review is in progress.”That’s a really exciting process; I’ve been part of it and I think it’ll come up with some strong recommendations for all parts of Australian cricket,” said Hilditch. “It may well lead to a review of the selection panel, but that’s not something I have to worry about; I’m just doing the best job I can.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive and an ex-officio, non-voting member of the review panel, said the integrity of the process was of great importance.”It is well and truly underway. I understand people will want to know how things are proceeding there and I’m certainly not going to give a ball-by-ball commentary,” he said. “But the integrity of the process in working through that review is very important to the panel chairman and the panel members, and one of the things as part of that process, is it’s very important for us to spend time with key stakeholders in an interview sense. It’s an in-depth process.”We’ll be interviewing in the vicinity of 60 people, but until we’ve gone through that interview process stage and distilled all the other submissions from other parties, we’re not going to be able to look at outcomes.”Such outcomes will include whether or not Hilditch can be permitted to continue chairing the selection panel in a part-time capacity. Having taken Australia through a period of transition that is almost a generation old but has shown little sign of blooming into sustained success, Hilditch said much depended on the next group of young players developing into “champions”.”We’re still playing pretty good one-day and Twenty20 cricket,” he said. “Test cricket is our big concern, and we’ve injected players into that, young batsmen, and two very exciting young quicks. We really need to find two or three champions in the next two years and in some of those young players we think we’ve got two or three champions.”

Liverpool must do all they can to persuade “top-class” midfielder Youri Tielemans to move to Anfield this summer, he could finally be the replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.

What’s the latest?

According to reports from Belgium, Tielemans has told those close to him that he would prefer to move to Spain when he eventually leaves Leicester City. This is a blow to Liverpool who were targeting him last January. However, they will still hope to be able to convince him to move to Merseyside.

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The opportunity to play for a club that are competing on all fronts, and under one of the best managers in Jurgen Klopp has got to be tempting. But with Real Madrid also showing interest they might beat the Reds to his signature.

He could finally replace Wijnaldum

Liverpool were left in the lurch when Wijnaldum joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer last summer after deciding not to renew his contract with the club.

It left the club with such a small amount of time to recruit a replacement that this season they have ended up relying on a number of midfielders to partner regulars Thiago and Fabinho in the middle.

As good as The Reds have been this campaign, their other midfield options don’t seem to be on the same level as the two just mentioned. Therefore, signing Tielemans would be the final piece to a perfect trio.

He is rated at £49.5m by Transfermarkt but with his contract expiring next summer he could go for less.

Similarly to the Belgian, Wijnaldum made a name for himself in the Premier League at Newcastle United before earning a big-money move to Merseyside.

Tielemans could follow in his footsteps by doing the same and at only 24-years old would still have many years left to move to Spain later on in his career.

This season he has been a key player for Leicester appearing 28 times in the league and being directly involved in nine goals. He will also be forever remembered by the Foxes faithful for scoring the only goal in the FA Cup final when his side lifted the famous trophy last season.

It proves his capability of being a big-game player and turning up when it matters which will really appeal to Klopp. Liverpool are likely to make a midfield signing this summer, and Tielemans needs to be on the shortlist.

IN other news: Liverpool must now plot exciting record-breaking bid to sign 19y/o “incredible talent”…