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Players have been sharing food and meeting in the hallways of their hotel which is not permitted under the government rules

Andrew McGlashan11-Nov-2020The West Indies squad has been barred from training for the rest of their managed isolation period in Christchurch after breaking protocols. This includes sharing food and socialising in hallways of their government-approved hotel.The situation has arisen because players from the two separate bubbles of 20 people, which are allowed to train separately, have mixed. This “compromised the bubble integrity of the quarantine facility.”Johnny Grave, the Cricket West Indies CEO, said an immediate investigation had been launched. This will be led by team manager Rawl Lewis. While more details, including CCTV footage, is awaited, Grave believes “around four or five players” were involved.There is no indication the larger bubble to the outside world has been breached by any of the squad leaving or anyone from outside entering the facility, and no suggestion at this stage that the tour is under threat, but the New Zealand Ministry of Health has said that the players will have to spend the remainder of their 14 days – which is due to expire on Friday – in the hotel.”We are extremely disappointed that some of the players seem to have interacted with other members of their respective bubbles,” said Grave, who was alerted to the breach in the early hours of the morning in Antigua. “We are in full support of the action taken by the New Zealand Ministry of Health.”My disappointment is mainly that our players are probably the most experienced in the world in dealing with these strict quarantine measures. I’m not for any second saying that they are easy and living in them day-in day-out is obviously a massive challenge.”But these players, the majority of them, have been a seven-week quarantine bubble for the England tour then all pretty much went to Trinidad for the CPL. It’s hugely disappointing that players who knew what the protocols were have clearly broken them by mixing together.”We are surprised that the players would have let themselves down and let Cricket West Indies down and potentially put the tour and the New Zealand population at risk, albeit I would say from the information we’ve got that the risks are extremely low.”All the Covid-19 tests from the squad before leaving the Caribbean and during their time in New Zealand have so far come back negative with the results of the final batch due on Thursday. The squad is then scheduled to leave isolation and travel to Queenstown on Friday ahead of two matches against New Zealand A.”As with other sports teams that have come to New Zealand, the West Indies cricket team were given certain exemptions from the managed isolation rules which apply to everyone else. This included being able to be in larger bubbles and train in preparation for their international games,” Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said at a daily briefing”It is a privilege to come here but in return they have to stick to the rules. Keeping Covid-19 out of our communities and keeping our staff safe depends on it. They didn’t do that, despite agreeing to abide by the parameters of the exemption.”Consequently, we have revoked the team’s exemption from those requirements of the Managed Isolation and Quarantine Order. This means members of the team will spend the remainder of their time in managed isolation and they are unable to train.”Dr Bloomfield added there was no risk to the public. “It’s important to note that all incidents occurred within the hotel facility.”A New Zealand Cricket statement said: “NZC was yesterday made aware that some members of the West Indies team had contravened protocols within the Managed Isolation Facility in Christchurch.”These incidents included some players compromising bubble integrity by sharing food, and socialising in hallways. There is no evidence, or suggestion, that any members of the touring party left the facility, or that any unauthorised persons accessed it.”NZC is supportive of the Ministry of Health and Government position. Public health and safety has always been our primary focus in hosting overseas teams and this remains our No.1 priority.”NZC will continue working with the West Indies team and management, and relevant Government agencies, to ensure there is no repeat of these violations.”The members of the West Indies squad who have been taking part in the IPL – plus the New Zealand players at the tournament – are due to arrive in the country on Thursday when they will begin a period of 14 days of managed isolation at the same Christchurch hotel which will end the day before the opening T20I in Auckland on November 27.”It’s a really significant blow to our preparations,” Grave said. “I know head coach Phil Simmons is particularly disappointed that a few members of the touring have left themselves down and created a real issue for their team-mates.”West Indies were the first team to tour when international cricket resumed amid the Covid-19 when they travelled to England for a Test series. That involved being in a biosecure bubble from start to finish as they moved between Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl.On that tour the squad could mix together as an entire group, but were never able to leave the bubble whereas in New Zealand, under the current regulations, once the isolation is complete they become part of the general population.

The wicketkeeper-batsman said he was not going to let the weight of being MS Dhoni’s successor be a burden, and would continue to be himself

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2019Rishabh Pant played four matches for India in the 2019 World Cup, batting at No. 4 in each game. Scores of 32, 48, 4 and 32 seemed to suggest Pant had the potential to be the long-term solution for India, batting at that troublesome number. The No. 4 spot hasn’t yet been nailed down despite several players being tried out, but for his part, Pant said he felt comfortable there and had been practising for it.”I loved batting at No. 4. It was nothing new for me as I have played at No. 4 before, like in the IPL. I had been practicing for the same role,” Pant told . “There is no specific way or style I play in. I always play according to situation. I don’t know what people say, because I don’t read newspapers much.”Pant had played only five ODIs before the World Cup, though he wasn’t short on international experience, having played nine Tests and 15 T20Is. The wicketkeeper-batsman acknowledged that cutting his teeth in Test cricket made things easier.”I don’t think about (the differences in) formats too much. Yes, maybe it did help that I played Test cricket first,” Pant said. “I got good experience from playing Test cricket. People used to say that Test cricket is the most difficult. So I got to learn a lot, how to build the innings, playing down the order and how to bat with the tail.”There is learning every day in Test cricket. Especially when you have to walk out to bat after having fielded the entire day. That is a different experience. In ODIs and T20Is especially, things happen very fast.”Pant will now be the first-choice wicketkeeper for the Indian team on their tour of the West Indies across formats, with MS Dhoni not available.”I know those are big shoes to fill, but if I start thinking about it there will be a problem,” he said of replacing Dhoni in the limited-overs formats. “Right now, I am not thinking about what people say. I am just focusing on what I have to do.”My coach has always told me one thing: every year you have to add something to your game. You can’t stagnate because now the technology is so good that you have to keep improving and add on things each and every day of your career. That’s what I try to do. I just keep on trying new things. If it helps me, I try it in a match. There are days when I try these new shots in the nets, some days I don’t. It is all part of a long-term process.”

The line, which the BCCI took a ‘dim view’ of, was in a SWOT analysis that is part of an ICC document called ‘A Global Strategy For Cricket – Update’

Sidharth Monga17-May-2018″Not a truly global sport – heavy dependence on revenues and fans from India…”One sentence, listed under “weaknesses” in a SWOT analysis that is part of a 25-page ICC document called “A Global Strategy For Cricket – Update”, dominated the agenda of the meeting between the BCCI and the ICC working group to develop a global strategy for cricket. On the eve of the meeting, which was held in Delhi on Thursday, 18 full members of the BCCI joined a teleconference and took a “dim view” of the development. The BCCI threatened to call a general meeting to consider and deliberate on the Members’ Participation Agreement with the ICC to “safeguard the BCCI’s interest before the same is executed on behalf of the BCCI”.After the meeting, the ICC was in damage-control mode. “It’s listed as potential weakness but I would actually focus on it as a strength,” the ICC CEO David Richardson said. “We need Indian cricket as part of global strategy. It’s certainly a strength that we have such a huge cricket economy behind us. It’s not a big issue from weaknesses point of view; if anything it’s a reminder for other countries that they cannot rely on India alone, they need to do something themselves.”The BCCI is certain that the sentence will be removed from any further discussions.”If Sachin Tendulkar was the dominant batsman for India, you didn’t try to find ways to cut down his scoring,” a BCCI official said. “You asked other batsmen to start scoring more.”The meeting was a first among the updates the ICC plans to give its member boards.”I’d like to thank everyone involved for their positive commitment to the strategy, their time and energy today and their feedback which will now be incorporated into the ongoing development work,” Richardson said. “We have a number of further member meetings scheduled to do the same thing as part of ensuring we end up with a comprehensive global strategy for the long-term good of our sport.”The meeting itself was cordial. “They were totally on the defensive once they knew what the BCCI’s stance was overnight,” another BCCI official said. “Other than that there is still some way to go for any decisions to be taken in this group.”Two other interesting matters in the document were “breakaway rebel body” and “cricket events like T10”, under threats in the SWOT analysis. “It’s a quite historical fact,” Richardson said. “Don’t forget whenever you do a strategy paper they do a SWOT analysis. Sometimes it will focus on threats or weaknesses that exist. Sometimes these are real and big risks, sometimes they are just there, not a threat, and this is the case here.”T10, interestingly, is filed under both threats and opportunities. The ICC’s position regarding T10 is to wait and watch: to not lose out should it become popular but to watch out if the format outgrows its ambit.

Shahid Afridi has joined Karachi Kings as “president”, according to the franchise

Umar Farooq07-Apr-2017Shahid Afridi has joined Karachi Kings as “president”, according to the franchise. He is likely to feature for the team as a player, too, in the third edition of Pakistan Super League in 2018, though this is yet to be confirmed; the PSL’s trading window ahead of the next edition is yet to open. Last month Afridi had announced on Twitter that he had left Peshawar Zalmi after two years with the franchise.ESPNcricinfo understands that Afridi is likely to be traded between Peshawar and Karachi as part of the formalities later this year. For now, Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Afridi had joined his franchise as president.Afridi had tweeted on March 25 that he was “announcing my end of service as president & player of Peshawar Zalmi Team due to my personal reasons”. He said it was “time for another” team. Following his tweets, Peshawar’s owner, Javed Afridi, told ESPNcricinfo that he was “clueless” in the matter. Later, it was learnt that Afridi had parted ways from the franchise over disagreements with the owner.”There are things that I don’t want to bring in media but Javed’s vision has changed with the time,” Afridi said on a TV show on Geo News. “I don’t want to become a hindrance to Javed’s goal and vision, because I have my own foundation and a lot of other things. So I can not fullfil his commitments and want to focus on my things as well. I wanted to announce it after the PSL final, but I had couple of commitments with Zalmi, so I waited for the right time.”Afridi, who is based in Karachi but was born in Khyber Agency, had talked about the importance of Peshawar Zalmi to his local region, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a day before his Twitter announcment. “We have not created the Peshawar Zalmi team to play just a month’s cricket in the PSL and then sit at home,” Afridi had said. “Our work goes beyond the cricket field and we want to change the lives of the underprivileged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”Peshawar Zalmi won the PSL title in 2017, defeating Quetta Gladiators in the final held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Afridi had missed the final with a finger injury that he picked up during the playoffs in the UAE. In all, in ten matches in PSL 2017, he had scored 177 runs at 25.28 with a strike rate of 173.52, and taken two wickets with an economy rate of 6.75. He had captained the franchise in the inaugural edition of the tournament, before handing over to Darren Sammy this year.

ESPNcricinfo’s guide to the four teams vying to emerge out of the Asia Cup’s qualifying group

Alagappan Muthu18-Feb-2016

Qualifying round – format and fixtures

Afghanistan, Oman, Hong Kong and UAE will play a single round-robin stage where each team plays three matches. The top team will advance to the main event starting on February 23. In case two teams finish with the same points total, their net run rates will be used as tiebreaker.
Feb-19 Afghanistan v UAE, Fatullah
Feb 19 Hong Kong v Oman, Fatullah
Feb 20 Afghanistan v Oman, Fatullah
Feb 21 Hong Kong v UAE, Fatullah
Feb 22 Afghanistan v Hong Kong, Mirpur
Feb 22 UAE v Oman, Mirpur

Afghanistan

A maiden Asia Cup appearance was the result of wowing a very small but influential crowd. Successful talks with the BCCI and the SLC placed Afghanistan as the fifth member in the 2014 edition and the team shook the world, beating hosts Bangladesh and registering their first win against a Test-playing nation. This time, Asghar Stanikzai and his men don’t need the leg up. They will get the chance to make their own arguments in the qualifying leg of the Asia Cup 2016, and are favourites to win it.The squad is as strong as any Afghanistan have had. Shapoor Zadran returns and that tall glass of protein shake will also invigorate Dawlat Zadran, whose 18 wickets at an average of 15.50 since January 2015 puts him second on the global wicket-takers’ list in T20s. Mohammad Shahzad has been reliable and electric. Former captain Mohammad Nabi has kept his form up in the Pakistan Super League, while palling around with his Quetta Gladiators team-mates Kevin Pietersen and Kumar Sangakkara. The experience he has gained will come in handy for Afghanistan – Samiullah Shenwari will be key in this regard as well – considering they have dropped former captain Nawroz Mangal.Watch out for: That first big hoick from Mohammad Shahzad which leaves the bowler on the fritz. Sometimes even the best laid plans end up about as clever as a lion tamer learning his craft by watching cat videos on YouTube. His brute strength can be a daunting prospect to face first up, as Zimbabwe found out when he smashed 118 off 67 balls, the highest score by an Associate batsman in T20Is.Form Guide (Last five completed T20Is): WWWWL. They won back-to-back series, away and in the UAE, over Zimbabwe in 2015-16.Amjad Javed will play a crucial role with bat and ball for UAE•Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Not new to the Asia Cup, but would like to savor the novelty of winning a game in the tournament. UAE have had four tries – in 2004 and 2008 – and none have been successful. Back then it was all going in a downward trajectory, but recently they’ve managed to swing up a few times. Two days ago, they squared a two-match T20I series after going 1-0 down against Ireland by defending 133.They may not be a bunch of superstars, nor can they make the competition nervous simply by rocking up for work, but they are an industrious team with a tendency to surprise. Take Shaiman Anwar for example: he finished as the top-scorer from the Associates at the 2015 World Cup – 311 runs, six more than Virat Kohli. Pinning performances like that for longer, with other departments, especially their fielding, dovetailing together has been a virtue UAE are yet to master.Watch out for: Amjad Javed left his home shores with the words, “if God would give me the chance to play cricket for UAE, I wanted to become like Imran Khan.” As luck would have it, he is playing cricket for UAE, well into his 30s, as an allrounder, and is now their captain. He has the mettle to withstand the pressure of a collapse in the middle order, as he showed against West Indies in the World Cup, and can summon the kind of discipline with his medium-pace to have an economy rate under 8 in Twenty20 cricket.Form Guide (Last five completed T20Is): WLWLW, which comes after a string of six straight lossesHong Kong’s Mark Chapman is the second youngest batsman to score an ODI century on debut•ICC/Sportsfile

The qualifying group in numbers

• Mohammad Shahzad’s strike rate of 155 in the Powerplay overs against Associate teams is the best among all batsmen who have faced 150 or more balls

• Mark Chapman is the highest run-getter for Hong Kong in T20Is, with 286 runs in 12 innings

• Amjad Javed is one of only two players to score a half-century for UAE in T20Is, and his 76 against Scotland is their highest score

Hong Kong

Another alumni of Asia Cups past (2004 and 2008), although digging into the yearbook would show them to be the pimply-faced kid photographed with eyes half-closed. Hong Kong weren’t defeated so much as dismantled in four matches; they batted second every time and fell over 100 runs short each time. Their first order of business may well be to not look so out of place this time.They are not really all that far from accomplishing that. They beat Bangladesh, memorably, at the 2014 World T20, and then beat Afghanistan in a last-ball thriller at the World T20 qualifier last July to punch their ticket for the 2016 event. They’ve built themselves a home ground in Mong Kok, and the team registered wins in the first-ever ODI and T20I played there. Those are signs of growth, and this year’s Asia Cup will test how much further Hong Kong are willing to reach.Watch out for: In most Associate teams, expatriates provides considerable firepower but Hong Kong have found that in a homegrown talent – Mark Chapman. Born to a father from New Zealand and a Chinese mother, Chapman, the second-youngest batsman to score an ODI hundred on debut, is an exciting prospect. Still only 21 – he was 20 when he struck that unbeaten 124 against UAE in Dubai – he has the chance not only to build his team’s success but also to increase the local following for cricket in Hong Kong.Form Guide (Last five completed T20Is): LWWWL. They have a 2-1 advantage over AfghanistanMunis Ansari doesn’t quite gallop to the crease in the same way, but his slingy action has earned him the nickname ‘Malinga’•ICC/Sportsfile

Oman

The debutants, but lots of them should feel reasonably at home. The Oman team is built around players who were born in India and Pakistan. They are still very new to cricket – a debut in 2002 and 50 Twenty20 matches till date – but there have been a few momentous ones. Like back-to-back upsets in the World T20 Qualifier: Oman beat Netherlands and stunned Afghanistan a day later, paving the way to gaining a place in the T20I rankings.Jatinder Singh, the 26-year old batsman, provides the bulwark at No. 3 and was Oman’s top-scorer in the World T20 qualifier. They are not short on spin resources either. Aamir Kaleem, the vice-captain, Ajay Lalcheta and Zeeshan Maqsood are all left-arm spinners – fitting for a tournament in Bangladesh, whose best player also practices the same art.Form Guide (Last five completed T20Is): LLLWL. They haven’t played a single T20I since November 2015, though.Watch out for Munis Ansari a.k.a Malinga. The 29-year old seamer doesn’t quite gallop to the crease, but the slingy arm has led Oman to some shock victories. His T20I best of 4 for 15 came against Netherlands, who were bundled out for 135 in the World T20 Qualifier. Oman overhauled it with six wickets to spare.

Eoin Morgan will captain England Lions in a two-day match against the Australians at Wantage Road

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2013Eoin Morgan will captain England Lions in a two-day match against the Australians at Wantage Road starting on August 16, with the side including three players – Keith Barker, Luke Wells and Alex Lees – who will be making their Lions debut.Morgan has had disjointed season so far, firstly due to his participation in the IPL and then because of a finger injury he sustained during the Champions Trophy. He has played just one County Championship match in 2013 and has drifted down the pecking order of candidates for the Test team.Lees, 20, is the latest on the production line of batsmen from Yorkshire to progress through the England set-up. Earlier this season Lees hit an unbeaten 275 against Derbyshire and is averaging 59.12 from six Championship matches.Wells, who plays for Sussex, is another opener enjoying a solid season, with 732 runs at 40.66 including two hundreds, while showing the ability to bat for long periods of time.Barker, meanwhile, is enjoying a notable all-round campaign with the defending champions Warwickshire, where he is part of their formidable pace attack. Although he has had a truncated summer due to injury he has taken 25 wickets at 18.64 in the Championship alongside scoring 292 runs at 48.66.Moeen Ali, the Worcestershire batsman who is one of just three players to cross 1000 first-class runs this season (the others being Chris Rogers and Joe Root), is rewarded for his form. The team also includes regular Lions representatives Gary Ballance, Jos Buttler, James Harris, Simon Kerrigan and Ben Stokes.Northamptonshire were the original opponents for the match but they have qualified for Friends Life t20 Finals Day. Now some of England’s fringe players will have the chance to face the Australians before another set of Lions cricketers play Bangladesh A in a one-day series next week. The presence of these Lions fixtures during a vital period of the county season has created some unease around the circuit.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “With the Friends Life t20 Finals Day running over the weekend of this fixture, we have been unable to select from any of the sides involved in that competition for obvious reasons, plus there are a number of other domestic fixtures that run very close to this Lions game, so for practical reasons we had to recognise that a number of counties’ players were unavailable.”As is always the case with these fixtures, they are an excellent marker for judging the level of these players at a very high international standard and we look forward to seeing the team perform strongly against the Australian opposition.”England Lions XI: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Gary Ballance, Keith Barker, Jos Buttler, James Harris, Simon Kerrigan, Alex Lees, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, Luke Wells

West Indies coach hails Chris Gayle as the best one-day player in the world and backs his side for success in the ODI series with England

David Hopps14-Jun-2012Chris Gayle was strolling around in Tino Best’s shirt ahead of West Indies’ opening NatWest Series international against England. Best might have the surname but Gayle has the reputation. “BEST” communicated emphatically enough that, after a 15-month absence, West Indies’ most domineering batsman is back in the fold.With Gayle one of a host of destructive batsmen back for West Indies for the one-day leg of the tour and Kevin Pietersen having entered premature retirement from England limited-overs duty, it is possible to present West Indies, after their recent drawn series against Australia, as strong favourites, only for the usual tale of unsettled weather to bring England hopes of swing and seam and a potential get-out clause.England would be well advised to protect their sanity by not studying too many statistics on six-hitting. There might be more to winning a cricket match than hitting a long ball, but the comparisons are striking. Draw up a likely West Indies top seven and they have hit 418 sixes in ODIs. Compare England’s top seven and they barely muster 100. Gayle has hit more than the whole of the England side put together.It is hard to imagine England debating in the bar who hits the biggest sixes; it would probably be frowned on as a sign of immaturity. According to Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, they do it all the time. “We have always talked about who hits the biggest sixes,” Gibson said before listing eight contenders for the prize. Not surprisingly, when pressed he named Gayle as the most dangerous hitter of all. “Gayle is the best one-day batsman in the world and most destructive so my money will always be on him when it comes to hitting the biggest sixes.”Gayle’s return has certainly been well timed for Hampshire. Their renaming of the Rose Bowl in a six-year deal with Ageas has been crucial boost at a time of great financial hardship; ticket sales also quickened the moment Gayle made his peace with West Indies, ensuring a near-capacity 14,000 crowd.This is a very different West Indies side than the one that despite its impressive spirit was largely outplayed in the Test series. Gibson expects “about eight changes” adding: “At the start of the tour I said the one-day series provides us with our best chance of success and we still believe that. We believe we have got a great chance of winning games in this series.”Gayle is a world class player and will strengthen us. He has always been a bit of a joker and prankster around the dressing room. He is his normal self and the team has always integrated guys very well. That has not changed. He has fitted in well and is raring to go.”Gayle’s stand-off with the West Indies board has been so prolonged that Gibson would be naive not to recognise that his reintroduction to the squad has needed careful handling. But as England would testify in Pietersen’s absence, if handling a star player can be awkward, compensating for their absence can be harder still.”Gayle has had his say,” he said. “He said what he wanted to say and got things off his chest. He has seen the new environment. He has seen what we are trying to do. I am sure that coming back he will buy into it. We have spoken and he is very much on board with what is going on.”It’s a big thing to lose your best player. KP has been good in the last two one-day series and they were trialling him at the top of the order. It seemed it was going to work but now they have to put someone else in that spot and hope that person has the form KP had. Bell is very different and he is also a very capable replacement. We know we still have to work to get him out.”Nothing KP does takes me by surprise. He is his own man and does what he wants to do whenever he wants to do it. That is his character. I am sort of surprised he is in such good form and chose to walk away from a format he likes.”I kept playing until I was 38 because I loved game so much. It is disappointing to see a great player walking away from the game at a young age. But he is his own man and he makes his own calls. When he is sitting at home watching on TV he might miss it.”Ravi Bopara has rarely looked more hangdog before turning out for England. It could be that his endless run of misfortune makes him fear that, at 27, his international career is slipping away, not that he admits it, or it could just be that he expects to bat No. 4 in the first ODI against West Indies at West End on Saturday. Somebody told Bopara that he was batting in the “glamour position”. Problem position would have been more accurate.With Pietersen’s retirement, England’s 50-over plans are based around a top order of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, all very fine players, but all unlikely to leave Bopara with too much slack when he comes in to bat. The onus could be on Bopara to play enterprisingly from the outset and his career suggests that he prefers time to settle in.Bell is fulfilling the opener’s role that Bopara himself would have preferred to get: “Opening is not a bad role for him with the field up and his sweet timing of the ball,” he said. “He can pierce those gaps like anyone and we’ve got to back him.”Bopara’s task is to perform ably enough in one-day cricket against West Indies and Australia over the next month to regain his Test place against South Africa. Jonny Bairstow’s troubled start at No. 6 gives him the opportunity. “It would be great if I could score heavily in this series and the Australian series,” Bopara said. “It would put me in a good place. I’m not worried about the players coming through. I know what I’m capable of. My Test career is in my own hands.”

Shahid Afridi has pleaded guilty to the charges in the showcause notice sent to him by the Pakistan Cricket Board and expressed willingness to face disciplinary action

Osman Samiuddin01-Jun-2011Shahid Afridi has replied to the PCB’s showcause notice and accepted that he has violated the code of conduct, further stating his willingness to face whatever disciplinary action will come his way.”We have received Shahid Afridi’s reply and he has accepted violation of the code of conduct,” Nadeem Sarwar, the PCB media manager, told ESPNcricinfo. It is believed that while accepting the breaches in the reply, Afridi explained the cause of his actions and specifically, going to the media and announcing his retirement. Afridi is said to have been upset about learning of his removal from the ODI captaincy through media reports and so responded by going to the media first himself.ESPNcricinfo also understands Afridi has expressed a desire that his situation with Hampshire be resolved. Afridi was due to play for the county in the Friends Life t20 but the PCB revoked his No-Objection Certificate leading to, for the moment, a suspension of his registration as an overseas player by the ECB. The ECB and PCB have been in touch through a busy day, and sources close to Afridi say there is a possibility the deal could still go ahead if the boards come to a resolution, though PCB officials insist it will not be as straightforward as that.Hampshire are understandably keen to come to a resolution as quickly as possible. “The club would like to make it clear that although we respect this decision we have been, and continue to, urge the PCB to rethink this matter, and we are keen to have Shahid playing for the Royals at some point in the season,” said a statement released by them on Wednesday – the day their Twenty20 campaign began with a match against Somerset at The Rose Bowl.As far as the reply is concerned, the board’s legal advisor will now be consulted over its contents before a way forward emerges. Though the advisor, Taffazul Rizvi, has not yet received the letter, he said the act of the response and acceptance doesn’t condone the breach itself. “When you accept or own an act, that is tantamount to a mitigating circumstance for a disciplinary tribunal while passing a judgment,” he told ESPNcricinfo. Essentially, the disciplinary process will now be carried out to its legal and logical end, which could mean the board appointing an inquiry officer to investigate the matter further.On Thursday, in any case, the board will officially begin to look into the root cause of the whole affair: Afridi’s spat with coach Waqar Younis. Board officials will meet Waqar first and discuss issues arising from the management report of the tour to the Caribbean. It was during the ODIs that Afridi and Waqar clashed over selection, one dressing room dispute in particular that officials are concerned about, which was leaked out to the media. Intikhab Alam, the team manager who tried to mediate between the two on tour, will also be interviewed. Once that is out of the way, the Afridi issue will come back on the agenda, presumably with more background information in the bag.Beyond that the picture remains unclear. Afridi has stressed his retirement is conditional and not permanent, though earlier today he said again that he would not play under this administration. One senior board official told ESPNcricinfo that they still considered Afridi an asset to the national side but insisted that he go through the entire disciplinary procedure for a list of breaches and be punished if necessary.

It’s more than 100 years since two brothers played Test cricket for different countries. If James Pattinson progresses as the Australian selectors hope, he and his brother Darren might one day rewrite that record

Brydon Coverdale16-Jun-2010It’s more than 100 years since two brothers played Test cricket for different countries. If James Pattinson progresses as the Australian selectors hope, he and his brother Darren might one day join the Trotts of Australia and England and the Hearnes of England and South Africa, who achieved the feat in the 1800s.Darren was born in the UK and despite being raised in Australia, was famously plucked from county cricket for a Test against South Africa in 2008. When Darren was a boy, the family moved to Melbourne, where James was born.The younger sibling has only an Australian passport, and will this month represent Australia A against Sri Lanka A in Queensland. James is 11 years younger than Darren and has always looked up to his big brother, but will let him know about it if he ever gets the call-up for Australia.”He always gives me crap about playing Test cricket, so hopefully I can play Tests and get more than one Test in so I can give it back to him,” James told Cricinfo. “But I think it’s better to play for Australia than England, so I’ll give him that one as well.”James turned 20 last month and is still a relative newcomer to state cricket, having played only 11 matches for Victoria across all formats. A fast bowler who can swing the ball at pace, he announced himself last December with 6 for 48 in a one-day game against New South Wales.His selection for Australia A was originally for the one-day games only, but he was added to the four-day squad when Josh Hazlewood was called in to the ODI group to tour England. It will be another milestone in the promising career of James Pattinson, whose skills were honed in a backyard in Melbourne against a much older brother.”He was pretty tough,” James said of Darren. “He never used to take a backward step. He used to tape the tennis ball right up and try to hit me in the head, which he did a couple of times. It probably wasn’t funny for me, but it was for him.”He always used to smack me around a bit. I remember when he got a bit older and he had a girlfriend, I didn’t really like that much. She was taking away from him playing cricket with me. We got out there most days when he’d get home from a hard day at work, I used to be on his back – ‘let’s play cricket’. I always used to get my way.”A decade later, the siblings found themselves in a Victorian team together. Having taken the now traditional path through under-age representative teams, it was no surprise that James eventually found his way into state cricket.Things panned out quite differently for Darren, who worked as a roof tiler before an unexpected call-up for Victoria four years ago. Their father John was also a roof tiler, as was his dad before him, and James might well have followed in the family business had cricket not intervened.”I used to be on the roof since I was about 14, trying to help Dad out,” he said. “I probably would have ended up going in that direction if it wasn’t for cricket. I probably would have continued the family tradition.”Instead, James will be doing all he can to impress the selectors when the Australia A series begins in Brisbane on Friday. He had his wisdom teeth out last week but will be fine to play. After all those years of copping a taped tennis ball to the head, what’s a little bit more pain.

GOAL takes a look at the Inter Miami star's latest free-kicks and where he ranks among the best to do it

It felt like a moment of destiny, one that few players other than Lionel Messi have been able to conjure up quite so often. There he was, the player seen by many as the greatest of all-time, standing over the ball in another big moment. On his Inter Miami debut, his true introduction to North America, Messi buried a free-kick in the last minute to seal a win for his club in their first Leagues Cup match.

A moment of destiny, another goal that felt like fate. It seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime goal. Messi's first impression on American shores was him producing the impossible.

And then, just 16 days later, he did it again. Similar scenario, similar result: Messi standing over the ball, picks his spot, crowd goes wild. In his first four games in Inter Miami's pink shirt, Messi buried two free-kicks, with both coming after the 85th minute with the game in the balance.

Would you expect any less? Well, if you've been following Messi throughout his career, probably not. It's what he does, after all. But where does Messi rank among the best of all-time when it comes to those heroic set-pieces? And, as he adjusts to life in MLS, is there any chance that he can prove himself as the league's best-ever free-kick taker, even at age 36?

Two moments of magic

Even David Beckham couldn't believe his eyes. The ex-England star, himself one of the most iconic free-kick takers the game has ever seen, was reduced to tears. That's the magic of Messi in a nutshell, isn't it?

With the match level in the 95th minute on his debut against Cruz Azul, Messi stepped up to the ball. There was no way he could bury it, right? It was too Hollywood, even for Beckham's club. Storytellers couldn't have written it any better.

Messi defies storytelling conventions, though. A few steps and a pinpoint effort later, DRV PNK Stadium was sent into hysteria. Miami had won the game, and the iconic Argentine was to thank.

In the weeks since, Messi simply hasn't let up. He scored two from open play against Atlanta United, leading the way in a 4-0 rout. Two more goals came in the next round against Orlando City as Inter Miami took down their local rivals. And then, in the Leagues Cup round of 16 against FC Dallas, Messi went wild again, opening the scoring just six minutes in.

His magic moment, though, came in the 85th. Down a goal and needing to score to stay alive in the competition, Miami earned a free-kick. Was there any doubt what would happen next?…

AdvertisementGettyA master at work

Make no mistake: goals from free-kicks are an anomaly. There's a reason that some of the game's most memorable finishes have come from set-pieces. Think Beckham against Greece, Roberto Carlos against France, Cristiano Ronaldo against Portsmouth… all iconic finishes because every single thing had to go right to even make them possible.

According to , direct free-kicks only have a six percent probability of ending in a goal. That means only one of 17 free-kick attempts ends up hitting in the back of the net. For Messi to have two in four games? Almost too ridiculous to believe.

You can count his head coach, Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, among those that can't really fathom what he's seen so far. “Many times there is a free-kick in that sector and only with him, and it happens that you have the sensation that he is going to score,” Martino said. “A free-kick is not something that is going to end up being a goal – 90% of the time, it is not a goal. But when he has it, it’s the opposite: a 10% chance that it won't and a 90% chance that it is. So we have to take advantage of that.”

Marginal gains

Even Messi, the greatest to do it, isn't above a little tomfoolery. Shortly after his game-saving goal against Dallas, video emerged on social media showing the Argentine's preparation leading up to it. Shortly before striking the ball, as the referee gave instructions to players in the wall, Messi repeatedly inched the ball over to the left. He picked the ball up several times, innocently moving it over just a few inches.

It's the little details, huh? By doing that, Messi was able to just move the ball into the ideal position for him to strike. And strike it he did.

It's no coincidence. Messi knew exactly what he was doing. He knew here he wanted the ball and why. Once he got it there, all that was left to do was find the back of the net.

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Getty ImagesLessons from Maradona

It's hard to believe but, at one point, Messi wasn't even seen as a top free-kick taker at La Masia. And, it wasn't really until 2009 that he truly took his next step in the art of dead-ball striking.

Credit will go to his teacher who was, of course, none other than Diego Maradona. In February 2009 in Marseille, the then-Argentina head coach gave a lesson to his heir apparent, and that lesson stuck.

"I saw Diego coming, he took him by the shoulder and said: 'Little Leo, little Leo, come here, man. Let's try it again.' It was like a teacher with his pupil," Maradona's assistant Fernando Signorini told . 

"He continued: 'Put the ball here and listen to me: don't take your foot away from the ball so fast because otherwise it won't know what you want.' He then stroked the ball with his left foot straight into the angle of the net, with Messi's face full of admiration."