The pundits find it hard to arrive at a consensus over the most likely candidate capable of filling the void created by Dravid’s departure

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Mar-2012Rahul Dravid left cricket assuring everyone that India had an abundance of batting talent which could easily fill in the No. 3 slot he has left vacant. The pundits however find it hard to arrive at a consensus over the most likely candidate capable of filling the void created by Dravid’s departure. Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, S Badrinath, Ajinkya Rahane and even VVS Laxman were all the names that came up as men well-equipped in both mind and with bat in hand to tackle the various hurdles faced by a one-down batsman.”The first and obvious choices would be some of the guys who were already there in the reserves in Australia,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. He said even the likes of Manoj Tiwary and Punjab youngster Mandeep Singh were on the selectors’ roster along with the above names. “People who are performing at the domestic level would be in the fray. Finally it depends on who clicks at the right time,” the source said.The chief parameter the selectors would look out for, the board insider said, was the player’s ability to perform on the overseas tours especially in Australia, England and South Africa. “One of the most important things is batsman needs to be a good player of fast and short bowling on overseas wickets. At home it is easy. Except for Sachin [Tendulkar] and Rahul, nobody averages above 50 overseas,” he said.Pujara, after his determined 72 on debut against Australia in the Bangalore Test that India won, would seem to be a readymade replacement for Dravid. Again though, not everyone was in agreement. “He has not scored runs in the Ranji Trophy matches after he came back from injury. Also, he has had two surgeries, so with regards to fitness, he could be a concern,” the board official said. Pujara played four Ranji Trophy matches for Saurashtra this season and scored just 200 runs with two fifties. Subsequently, he led West Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, but scored just 57 runs in the two innings with 55 in the first.VB Chandrasekhar, the former national selector, said it would not be a bad idea to reinstate Laxman to the No.3 spot. “If they are going to still continue with Laxman, he should be the No.3 for the short term,” he said. But the board official disagreed, saying a more healthy approach would be to think long-term. With India playing their next three Test series (against New Zealand, England and Australia) at home, the selectors had a good opportunity to blood a young talent.What also does not help Laxman’s cause is that he has weaker away record compared to batting at the No. 3 spot at home. Overall, Laxman has made 1611 runs across 23 Tests in that position at an average of 44.75 with four centuries. But in 28 away innings, he averages only 34.40 with a tally of 929 runs compared to 682 runs at 75.77 in nine innings in India, including his highest Test score of 281 in 2001 against Australia at Kolkata. And outside Asia, in 24 innings he has just 797 runs at 33.20 with two hundreds.If he has to look beyond Laxman, Chandrasekhar said he cannot see too many choices beyond Kohli or Rohit. Chandrasekhar qualified his answer by citing the parameters necessary to be a one-down batsman. “Dravid was successful for two reasons primarily. Considering India had a host of top-order batsmen who were aggressive and if there was an early loss of a wicket, it (situation) required him to come and stonewall. Also, if India had a good start, the team needed someone to sustain the momentum and Dravid did the job successfully again.”Aakash Chopra, the former Indian Test opener, said the selectors had the right opportunity now to actually hit upon a long-term No.3 batsman. Though he is a fan of Pujara, Chopra said his other choice would be Badrinath, who played two Tests in the homes series against South Africa in 2010 but never played again. “He has been the prolific batsman on the domestic circuit,” Chopra said. “Allow him to be there for a while and see how it goes.”Chopra said even if age was not exactly on his side, Badrinath had the right fitness, attitude and experience to compete with the youth. “He might be on the wrong side of 30s so to speak, but he is as fit as, or even fitter, than anybody else. And he knows how to score big runs.”Badrinath’s case inside the board, however, does not have much support. “Not only is he 30-plus, but he has been tested already. He is a good player at domestic level but unfortunately does not seem to fit at the highest level.” The official said the selectors would not be bothered even if the player was inexperienced as long as they felt he had the X-factor. He even cited the example of the Rahul Sharma, the Punjab legspinner, who was criticised as a gamble.”Some have that and some don’t. When the selectors picked Rahul Sharma, they were criticised because he had only played a handful of first-class matches and hardly got any wickets. But he has bowled well in whatever matches he has played. It was a gamble but the selectors had faith in him,” the official said.Asked if Kohli was not being groomed for the No.4 slot once Sachin Tendulkar retires, the board source said the selectors would have to keep their options open. “Depends. Three to six are slots where a lot of places would open up as the selectors would have to look beyond the seniors.”Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Chris Wright took four wickets and Varun Chopra showed how to bat in testing conditions as Warwickshire took control against Somerset

George Dobell at Edgbaston12-Apr-2012
ScorecardVarun Chopra succeeded where others had failed to build on Warwickshire’s bowling effort•Getty Images

It will be an irony lost to few in Essex that, while the club finds itself in Division Two of the County Championship, two of its old boys who struggled to find a role at Chelmsford, are producing sterling performances for a club that could well challenge for the title.By the time Chris Wright realised his career at Essex was going nowhere – about midway through last year – he was 26 years old and had a bowling average uncomfortably close to 40. The future was not bright for a fast bowler who had already had a spell with Middlesex.Declining the offer of a contract from Gloucestershire, Wright instead took his chances with a month-long trial at Warwickshire towards the end of last season. The instigator of the move was Graeme Welch, previously bowling coach at Essex and now performing the same role with Warwickshire, who always felt that Wright was a man with more to offer.It has proved a masterstroke. Wright, inspired with fulsome backing of his colleagues and coaches, has grasped his chance gleefully and, such was his potency on the first day of this game, that Warwickshire barely had cause to miss the injured pair of Boyd Rankin and Chris Woakes. Generating sharp pace, using the crease intelligently and hitting the pitch hard, Wright gained consistent seam movement and, in four-and-a-half Championship games, has now taken 26 wickets at only 22.38 for his new club.”I’m not doing anything differently,” he said. “I was playing well for the seconds at Essex, but they have a strong attack and I wasn’t selected for the first team. We used the new ball well today, but it’s not a 150 pitch. It looks a good pitch.”Wright’s bowling played a considerable part in reducing Somerset to 95 for 8; not what the visitors had in mind when they won the toss and elected to bat. It was not necessarily the wrong decision, however. While the conditions certainly provided assistance – both in the air and off the pitch – Tony Pigott the ECB pitch liaison officer declared himself satisfied and, had Somerset’s top-order shown a little more application and technical nous, they could have made the decision work for them. Warwickshire confirmed that they would also have chosen to bat.As it was, though, Warwickshire’s opening pair bowled beautifully, were well supported by their fielders and found Somerset’s batsmen just a little loose. Wright, going wide of the crease and angling the ball in, had Arul Suppiah and Craig Kieswetter taken in the slips by fine deliveries that left them off the seam, while Nick Compton was beaten by the one that went straight on.Keith Barker, the left-arm paceman, lost nothing in comparison. He consistently swung the ball into the right-handers and his opening spell to Marcus Trescothick was quite masterful. Time and again the Somerset opener was drawn forward and beaten by late away movement and it took him 18 balls to get off the mark.Eventually the pressure told. Trescothick, drawn into prodding at one, edged to second slip while next delivery, after a brief break for rain, James Hildreth’s somewhat loose drive was defeated by a superb inswinger. Later Peter Trego’s attempt to force through the off side resulted in an edge, Jos Buttler was caught down the leg side – and walked rather than waited for the umpire’s decision – and Adam Dibble set off for an unlikely single only to see his partner remain rooted in the crease.That Somerset reached as many as 147 was largely due to Vernon Philander. The South African counterattacked sensibly, pulling one six off a labouring Neil Carter and driving another off Darren Maddy. His 38 may not sound like much but, in the context of the match, could yet prove a significant contribution.The only man to score more in the day was another former Essex man, Varun Chopra. The Warwickshire opener, who scored a double-century against this opposition in the first game of last season (his first of three double-centuries in 12 months), produced an excellent demonstration of the technique and temperament required to survive in such conditions. Although batting was never easy, he left well, played straight and – crucially – took advantage of the rare poor ball. Having picked up nine runs from his first 56, he struck three boundaries in an over off Trego – each of them a delightful backfoot drive – and provided the foundations on which Warwickshire can build.His partners struggled. Ian Westwood, trapped in the crease, was beaten by a straight one, before William Porterfield was caught down the leg side and Jim Troughton, back when he should have been forward, was comprehensively bowled.Philander threatened throughout and, with a bit of luck, might have enjoyed more success. But Chopra has succeeded where Somerset’s top-order failed and, against the softening ball, batting should become easier.

Offspinner Shane Shillingford has been added to the West Indies squad for the second Test against Australia, beginning on April 15 at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2012Offspinner Shane Shillingford has been added to the West Indies squad for the second Test against Australia, beginning on April 15 at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.Shillingford’s inclusion is the only change to the squad that lost the first Test in Barbados by three wickets. He took 38 wickets in five matches for Windward Islands in this year’s Regional Four-Day tournament.Shillingford played five Test for West Indies, the last of which was against Sri Lanka in November 2010. He underwent remedial work on an action that was deemed illegal after that tour of Sri Lanka and made the squad for the tour of Bangladesh in 2011, although he did not play a match.Squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Kirk Edwards (vc), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh (wk), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Kieran Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Shane Shillingford

Ajmal Shahzad continued the positive start to his Lancashire career with two key wickets against Middlesex

Myles Hodgson at Aigburth24-May-2012
ScorecardEarly wickets gave Lancashire the advantage after a strong first innings total•Getty Images

Yorkshire’s hierarchy have made their views on Ajmal Shahzad abundantly clear, but even the most suspicious of Lancastrians is beginning to be won around by his commitment to lift their fortunes following his controversial loan move across the Pennines.Criticised for his general attitude by Colin Graves, Yorkshire’s outspoken chief executive, following their decision to release the first British Asian player to represent the county, he has attempted to distance himself from those remarks by reminding the cricket community that he is equally able to grab the headlines for his performances on the field.Two wickets in his maiden over for Lancashire against Sussex, which included a wicket with his first delivery, have now been followed up an influential spell to enable the Champions – still looking for their first win of the season – to gain control in the Aigburth sunshine against a strong Middlesex line-up.”Ajmal has fitted in really well, he tries his heart out and is always willing to bowl,” said his new team-mate, Kyle Hogg. “He’s a great bowler and a more than useful batsman as well. Having him here is good competition and it lifts everyone else’s game because you know if you don’t perform to certain levels there are people waiting in the wings.”We have Sajid Mahmood and Oliver Newby not playing in this game – it’s how it should be, if you are not performing people should take your place, it brings the best out of players.”Shahzad’s fiery six-over burst after tea built on fine new ball spells from Glen Chapple, Lancashire’s captain, and Hogg that accounted for both openers. Shahzad opened his account by tempting Joe Denly into chasing a wide delivery, which flew to point, but then claimed the crucial wicket of Eoin Morgan, playing his first Championship innings since last July.His county cricket opportunities limited by England and IPL commitments, Morgan looked in good touch when he lofted Simon Kerrigan’s left-arm spin over midwicket for six to get off the mark.However, perhaps indicating a rustiness in his game having not played a first-class match since the final Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last February, Morgan failed to spot an inswinging delivery from Shahzad, bowling from the River End, in the next over and when he tried to drive, the ball crashed into his stumps off an inside edge. The Aigburth crowd, basking in the late afternoon sunshine, were almost as excited as Shahzad at the breakthrough.Kerrigan was able to dismiss Dawid Malan with a catch to bat-pad five overs later to leave Middlesex struggling on 95 for 5 and it took an unbroken 60-run stand between Neil Dexter and John Simpson to prevent them from collapsing in the final session.Middlesex’s fortunes were similar to Lancashire’s with the bat. They resumed with sights set on reaching 400 for only the second time this summer on 276 for 4, but lost six for 71 and were dismissed for 392.Ashwell Prince, Lancashire’s South African overseas batsman, began the collapse when he was superbly caught by Ollie Rayner at slip driving at Gareth Berg for 144 after resuming on 121. Confidence lifted by that reflex catch, Rayner went on to claim 3 for 88 with his offspin as Lancashire went in search of quick runs to advance the game.Facing a tricky 15 overs before tea, Middlesex suffered a bad start when Chris Rogers edged a lifting delivery from Hogg behind and Sam Robson fell lbw to a full length ball from Chapple that may have kept a little low. The afternoon sunshine, though, belonged to Shahzad.Advised by his management company to avoid media interviews while the controversy over his switch continues, it was left to Hogg to reflect on Shahzad’s impact since arriving at Old Trafford.””He got a few good luck messages on Twitter when he signed for us!”joked Hogg. “Him and Saj are pretty much identical in character and it is good to have them around, especially on days like today when it can be tough going. They keep everyone going.”

Laurie Evans swept Warwickshire to their first Friends Life t20 win of the season with a dominant unbeaten 68

19-Jun-2012
ScorecardLaurie Evans swept Warwickshire to their first Friends Life t20 win of the season with a dominant unbeaten 68 that snatched victory from Northamptonshire’s grasp at Edgbaston.Evans has struggled to break into Warwickshire’s first team since he arrived from Surrey but he has been given the opportunity to impress in this season’s Twenty20 competition and seized it with a sparkling maiden half-century in the competition.Evans revived Warwickshire after they had stumbled to 85 for 4 in pursuit of a target of 150 and decided the match in one decisive over from offspinner James Middlebrook. Evans swept Middlebrook for successive fours and then drove him through extra cover for a third to bring up a 34-ball 50.He took two more fours off David Willey’s next over, including the winning boundary through extra cover. Chris Woakes, released for county duty after he was left out of England’s side for the one-day international against West Indies at The Oval, helped Evans to guide Warwickshire home with an over to spare by contributing 23 from 15 balls to an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 67 in 37 balls.Evans’ match-winning innings helped him to atone for a lapse in the field which reprieved Cameron White when the former Australia Twenty20 captain had made only 3. Evans misjudged the chance at deep midwicket off Jeetan Patel and the ball cleared him after he ran in too far.It looked like being a costly error as White, currently out of favour with Australia’s selectors, followed up his unbeaten 47 in Sunday’s defeat by Somerset with 60 not out from 39 balls. White struck sixes off Keith Barker and Darren Maddy and gave Northamptonshire’s innings late acceleration after they had been pegged back by Patel and medium-pacer Steffan Piolet.Niall O’Brien played a valuable supporting role to White in a third-wicket stand of 62 before he chopped on to Barker but White reached his 50 from 34 balls.Warwickshire’s acting captain Varun Chopra (25) and Darren Maddy contributed valuable cameos but it was Evans who completed the run chase with nine fours in his 41-ball innings.

Eoin Morgan will captain England Lions in their two-match series against Australia A next month

Andrew McGlashan27-Jul-2012Eoin Morgan will captain England Lions in their two-match series against Australia A next month. The 13-man squad for the four-day matches at Old Trafford and Edgbaston includes three others with Test experience while every player has previously represented the Lions.Morgan, Samit Patel, Jonny Bairstow and James Tredwell have Test caps to their name, while Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, James Taylor and Chris Woakes have also played one-day internationals.The inclusion of cricketers who already play regular international cricket – such as Morgan, Kieswetter and Patel – shows how seriously the selectors are taking the matches ahead of the back-to-back Ashes series next year rather than using it as a chance to purely blood youth.However, they stopped short of naming any of the current Test reserves such as Graham Onions or Steven Finn who are both in the mix to face South Africa at Headingley. The Australia A squad, which is led by Ed Cowan contains considerable experience, most notably Mitchell Johnson.For Morgan the series is a chance to restate his Test credentials after his poor series against Pakistan earlier this year which led to him being dropped for the following tour of Sri Lanka. Since then Patel, Bairstow and now Ravi Bopara have been given middle-order roles in the Test team. However, Morgan showed impressive form in the recent one-day series against Australia including a match-winning, unbeaten 89 at Lord’s.With Bopara making an uncertain return to the Test side against South Africa and Bairstow struggling against West Indies earlier this season the No. 6 spot is yet to be cemented and a strong finish to the summer – with the Lions and Middlesex – will put Morgan back in contention.Elsewhere the squad is a mixture of experienced county cricketers – Patel, Tredwell and the leading run-scorer of the season Nick Compton – plus young players who have already been integrated into the England set up. Taylor and Joe Root, who recently scored a double hundred in the Championship, are among the next generation of batsmen vying for an opportunity while Stuart Meaker is one of the quickest bowlers in the country.Tredwell is accompanied in the spin department by Lancashire’s Simon Kerrigan who was part of the squad to face the West Indians earlier this season but did not make the final XI at Wantage Road. From the team that won that match by 10 wickets, Michael Carberry (injury), Jack Brooks and Jade Dernbach are not in this squad along with Ian Bell who used that game as Test preparation.Although the selectors see these two matches as crucial to the development of Test players they are likely to create further tensions with counties who will lose key names for Championship matches as the competiton enters its final third.Squad
Jonny Bairstow, Matt Coles, Nick Compton, James Harris, Simon Kerrigan, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan (capt), Samit Patel, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris WoakesFixtures
August 7, Old Trafford
August 14, Edgbaston

Kevin Pietersen will be at September’s World Twenty20 – not as a player but as part of ESPN STAR Sports’ team of television presenters

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2012Kevin Pietersen will be at September’s World Twenty20 – not as a player but as part of ESPN STAR Sports’ team of television presenters. The news comes soon after it was confirmed that Pietersen would not play the World T20 for England following his spat with the ECB and his team-mates – whose performance he could now be commenting on from the outside.ESS*, who hold the broadcast rights for ICC tournaments, said on Friday that Pietersen – who was named player of the tournament when England won it in 2010 – would be on their ‘presentation and analysis team’ during the marquee tournament. Players have done commentary stints on series they’ve had to miss through injury but this could be the first time a player omitted in such controversial circumstances will be at the mic.Following his spectacular century in Leeds against South Africa, in a series which resulted in England losing their No. 1 Test ranking, Pietersen had spoken at a press conference about how he’d like to “carry on but there are obstacles that need to be worked out … and points I’m trying to sort out in the dressing room”. The issues included his desire to play the IPL in its entirety, text messages he sent to South African players during the series – allegedly about England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower – and a parody Twitter account that he suspected his team-mates of starting.He had since apologised and released a video where he committed himself to international cricket but, as the matter grew more complicated, he was left out from the squad for the final South Africa Test, and was not among the 15 England players named for World T20 on August 21.Apart from analysis, the ESS release said, Pietersen will also play an important role in the publicity and promotion of the broadcast of World T20.*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

David Willey and David Murphy frustrated promotion-seeking Hampshire by leading some defiant Northamptonshire tail-end resistance on another rain-interrupted day at West End.

16-Aug-2012
ScorecardDavid Willey and David Murphy frustrated promotion-seeking Hampshire by leading some defiant Northamptonshire tail-end resistance on another rain-interrupted day at West End.Hampshire desperately needed a quick breakthrough when play resumed on the second day of the championship match, and failed to get it. Northants, at one stage an unhealthy 98 for 5 after being put in, recovered by putting on 258 for the last five wickets as hosts Hampshire struggled to make the most of a wicket which offered the seam bowlers plenty of help.James Middlebrook made 65, Willey hit 54, Murphy scored 43 and there was some useful hitting by Lee Daggett in his unbeaten 26 as Northants went on to make 356. At the close, brought forward by bad light, Hampshire had responded by making 125 for 2 from 36 overs after rain had delayed the start of the day.Northants were 170 for 5 overnight and soon lost Rob Newton to a catch at the wicket by Michael Bates off David Balcombe but Hampshire had to work hard for their next success. Middlebrook and wicketkeeper Murphy put on 85 for the seventh wicket before left arm spinner Liam Dawson breached Middlebrook’s defences after an innings of 151 balls and which included ten fours.Left arm pace bowler James Tomlinson bowled Murphy at 301 but there was no stopping Willey who threatened to overhaul a career-best 76 made earlier in the month against Yorkshire. But at 356, Willey was caught in the slips off Chris Wood after an innings which included a six off Balcombe.Dawson bowled last man Luke Evans an over later with no further runs scored, leaving Hampshire with a big task to get back in to a match they need to win to maintain their promotion challenge. Tomlinson finished with 3 for 66 and Balcombe took 3 for 58 but Northants’ recovery was complete.Neil McKenzie and Jimmy Adams took Hampshire to 62 in the 18th over before McKenzie chased an out-swinger from Daggett and was caught behind for 31. Out-of-form Simon Katich followed at 85, playing around a delivery from Evans to be leg before but Adams and Dawson saw Hampshire through to stumps, still 231 behind and with two days remaining.Adams was 48 not out and Dawson unbeaten with 19 but second-placed Hampshire still have plenty of work to do to overhaul their opponents’ solid first innings total.

Gareth Batty effectively admitted that he made a mistake “in the heat of battle” in not withdrawing appeal after Murali Kartik after he had run out a Somerset batsman while backing up

David Lloyd at Taunton30-Aug-2012A contrite Gareth Batty effectively admitted that he made a mistake “in the heat of battle” in not withdrawing the appeal that resulted in Somerset’s Alex Barrow being run out for backing-up too far – a practice known outside England at least as ‘Mankading.’The Surrey captain accepted full responsibility for the decision and said: “The last thing I wanted was to bring the spirit of cricket into disrepute.”Although it has always been strictly acceptable within the laws, ‘Mankading’ is regarded by many within the English game as being a breach of etiquette and is an unpalatable act for many players, as well as fans.County cricket has remained wedded to such mores since the late nineteeth century but attitudes are now blurred, especially outside England, to the point where for the tradition to survive it might ultimately have to be written into England’s domestic playing regulations.Law 42.15, as adapted by ECB playing regulations for championship cricket, simply states: “The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker”Somerset and their supporters were incensed when Murali Kartik, their former spinner, removed a bail and appealed for a run out after non-striker Barrow had wandered out of his crease.The young batsman had already been warned by Kartik, earlier in the over, for leaving his ground too soon – a caution the bowler did not need to deliver under the laws, but one which if delivered traditionally protects the bowler from allegations of sharp practice.*As captain, Batty was asked by umpire Peter Hartley whether he wanted the appeal to stand. “In the heat of the battle I made the decision that, according to the letter of the law, it was the correct decision for him to be out,” said the former England spinner.Batty said that “hindsight was a wonderful thing” and suggested that if – like India during last summer’s Test at Trent Bridge when Ian Bell was reinstated following a controversial run-out incident – he had enjoyed the luxury of a 20-minute tea interval to reconsider events, a different outcome would probably have resulted.”People obviously think the spirit of the game has been brought into disrepute – that was not my intention and I thoroughly apologise for that,” Batty said.He added that he would be speaking to Marcus Trescothick, Somerset’s captain. “I want to make sure it is right with Marcus and his team,” he said.Trescothick is not the sort of person to hold a grudge but he was clearly cross with what he had witnessed. “It’s not what you come to expect in county cricket – I’ve never seen it before,” the former England opener said. “That was quite astonishing and disappointing. The game doesn’t need to come to that. It’s not the game we like to play. It annoys the players and upsets the players. But we’ll move on, come back tomorrow and carry on playing the game.”Chris Adams, Surrey’s team director, was also in placatory mood. “I think in terms of upholding the laws of cricket it was the right decision but I think the situation certainly challenges the spirit of cricket,” said Adams. “That is regrettable.”I will support the captain in this because I have been out there in many, many situations where it is very intense. These are very intense days for a lot of teams, but especially us. It has been a very, very difficult summer [Surrey’s young player Tom Maynard died in an accident on London underground in mid-summer] and we find ourselves in a position where every point, every wicket and every run appears to be of the highest premium.”Adams also recalled the dismissal of Bell against India last year, run out after he thought tea had been called. “In that incidence they India had 20 minutes of a tea-break to reflect, discuss and consider and whether it was right to change that decision,” he said.”I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when that decision was overturned. I would like to think that had we been afforded the same 20 minutes that perhaps we would have come to the same outcome. Perhaps we wouldn’t.”I would suggest maybe in the goodness of time we could all say that the one thing that hasn’t been totally upheld is the spirit of cricket, and that is regrettable.”The issue has come to the fore because of a recent change in the ICC playing regulations – adopted by the ECB for domestic cricket – which now allow the bowler to run a batsman out until the point where he has completed his delivery stride – not entered his delivery stride as stated in the MCC laws. That has made the practice easier for the bowler and confused players and spectators alike.As for Kartik, he apparently could not understand what all the fuss was about, tweeting: “Everyone get a life please… if a batsman is out on a stroll, in spite of being warned, does that count as being in the spirit of the game?”*2:50 GMT August 31: The report had erroneously stated that the law relating to Mankading was rewritten last year.

Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, has lost his appeal against the level of damages awarded in his libel case defeat against Chris Cairns

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2012Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, has lost his appeal against the level of damages awarded in his libel case defeat against Chris Cairns. Modi was ordered to pay Cairns £90,000 ($142,000), as well as costs in excess of £1 million ($1.6m), in March over a defamatory tweet sent in January 2010, after a two-week hearing at the High Court.Modi was given leave to appeal the damages but not liability. However, the Lord Chief Justice on Wednesday announced that Modi’s case had been thrown out, saying the amount awarded to Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, was “proportionate to the seriousness of the allegation”.A Court of Appeal statement said: “We reject the criticisms of the judge’s reasoning or of the total award based on a starting point of £75,000 with the £15,000 uplift directly linked to the conduct of the hearing. In our judgment they were proportionate to the seriousness of the allegation and its direct impact on Mr Cairns himself and will serve to vindicate his reputation. The appeal is accordingly dismissed.”