All posts by csb10.top

Legal counsel for the USA Cricket Association (USACA) has sent former executive secretary Kenwyn Williams a cease and desist letter, ordering him to refrain from filing a temporary restraining order against Broward County Florida over the sanctioning of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches scheduled for next month at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill. Williams had sent an email on June 13 asking the County to cancel the six CPL matches and in the days since has progressively stepped up his threats to sue the county over the sanctioning of the matches.”You have no authority to bring this lawsuit or other legal action in the name of USACA or any of its regions or members,” Marshall Beil, USACA’s representing attorney at the law firm McGuire Woods, LLP, wrote to Williams in an email on Tuesday afternoon. USACA president Gladstone Dainty, ICC head of global development Tim Anderson and Broward County officials were also copied on the email, which has been obtained by ESPNcricinfo. “No suit has been authorized by USACA or any subdivision of USACA. You are not an officer or director of USACA, and you are not authorized to act on behalf of USACA or any region or subdivision of USACA.”USACA demands that you cease and desist from threatening and/or instituting legal action in the name of USACA or any region, league or member of USACA. If you proceed with your threatened action, USACA will inform the court of your complete lack of standing and authority to sue and will hold you personally responsible for any damages, costs and fees, including legal fees, your actions may cause.”The current imbroglio involving Williams and USACA was set in motion on June 9, when USACA vice president Owen Grey issued a letter to the ICC informing it that USACA would “take action” against the ICC’s continued suspension of it. Grey stated that USACA had appointed Williams to represent it in a legal capacity and that Williams would be the USACA delegate attending this month’s ICC annual conference in Scotland.Williams then sent Broward County and CPL officials the June 13 email in which he asked them to cancel the six CPL matches at the end of July, claiming that the county had not pursued proper sanctioning. The ICC had stripped USACA of its sanctioning authority for games in the USA in June 2015 at the time of its administrative suspension, though Williams claimed in his letter to county officials that USACA continues to maintain sanctioning authority and it had yet to be sought from USACA.According to documents obtained by ESPNcricinfo, Williams sent a subsequent email on June 14, notifying Broward County officials that he was intending to pursue litigation against Broward County Parks & Recreation manager Duncan Finch for “being in violation of the sanctioning policy of USA Cricket” and that in order to avoid “unnecessary litigation” Williams was reaching out to achieve “an amicable resolution to this dispute”.”As we believe that we will suffer irreparable harm, we do intend to seek a court order granting a preliminary injunction,” Williams wrote to Patrice Eichen of the Broward County Attorney’s Office. Eichen responded on June 16, telling Williams that the County had issued a sanctioning permit to the CPL for the six matches.”The County has determined that CPL has complied with or is in the process of complying with the County’s requirements related to issuance of a Park Permit to host the events at CBRP,” Eichen wrote. “The County does not believe there is any violation of County policies to justify taking action to stop the upcoming events.”Williams then responded once again on Monday, June 20, attaching a draft document for a temporary restraining order in which USACA’s Southeast Regional board – which represents Florida among other states – is listed as a plaintiff in proposed legal action against proposed defendants Broward County Parks and Recreation, Finch and Lauderhill mayor Richard Kaplan. In the draft seeking injunctive relief, Williams repeatedly bases his course for action on a position that USACA still maintains sanctioning authority for matches in the USA.”All cricket matches in the USA or cricket events held in the USA require the approval of USACA unless they are already specifically approved or pre-approved,” the draft document states. “Defendants have intervened and bypassed the sanction procedures of USACA to partner directly with the CPL to tortuously interfere with USACA’s business relationship, causing irreparable injury to plaintiffs’ revenue potential and reputation.”Among the other claims made in the draft document sent by Williams to Broward County officials threatening a lawsuit are that USACA is a non-profit organization which “derives its revenue in part from grants and sanction fees from cricket events”. As such, the proposed legal action argues that the “defendants’ planned cricket events are of a high commercial value and will deprive USACA of substantial revenue needed to promote cricket to its thousands of members throughout the USA,” and, furthermore, that such legal action would be in the public’s interest.”Plantiffs will also lose the credibility to conduct business with other third parties if they can cut out the sanctioning procedures of USACA, thereby causing irreparable injury and loss of substantial revenue to plaintiffs,” the proposed suit says. “Defendants are holding a sporting event for entertainment purposes for a small demographic of fans. The events if enjoined will not disserve the public interest. The members of USACA as well as the members in the Southeast Region will be more disserved if defendants are not enjoined.”However, USACA’s own legal rebuttal from Beil contradicts Williams’ view that legal action against Broward County would serve USACA positively. As of now, Williams has yet to follow through on officially filing the proposed suit in Broward County.Meanwhile, Grey has told ESPNcricinfo that Williams still has the support of the board to act as a legal liaison for USACA and Beil’s directive does not necessarily represent the majority view of the USACA board.”I am aware of [Beil’s] letter,” Grey said. “However, USACA’s lawyer was instructed to do so by Gladstone Dainty, not the board of directors. An emergency BOD [meeting] is scheduled to address this issue.”

ScorecardDale Steyn collected 3 for 22•Getty Images

A four-wicket haul for Michael Hogan and Dale Steyn’s first three wickets for Glamorgan allowed their team to set up a simple victory against visitors Hampshire.Dismissed for just 141 off 18.3 overs the Hampshire total was chased down by Glamorgan with relative ease. A second successive T20 fifty from Aneurin Donald allowed Glamorgan to reach the victory target with 23 balls remaining as a lively Cardiff crowd cheered their side home.Having bowled just one over in Wednesday’s defeat to Essex, Hogan was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers as the Hampshire batsmen struggled to get him away. Steyn returned at the end of the Hampshire innings to claim the wickets of Gareth Berg, Gareth Andrew and Tino Best but it was Hogan that ripped the heart of the visitor’s batting. Coming on first change he dismissed both openers, including the dangerous James Vince who looked well set when he was bowled by Hogan for 27.The Hampshire total could have been a lot less if not for the late order hitting of Shahid Afridi. Coming to the crease with his 93 for 5 in the 13th over, Afridi made 32 from 20 balls before he too fell Hogan, well caught at long-off by Colin Ingram.The top-scorer in the Hampshire innings was Adam Wheater who offered some stability after the big names at the top of the order failed. His innings of 39 off 26 balls looked like it was going to be the base around which a competitive total could be built but when he was stumped off the bowling of Dean Cosker it left too much for the lower order to do.Hampshire would have been hopeful of mounting a defence of this total when they reduced Glamorgan to 9 for 2 in 2.1 overs. Despite the loss of both David Lloyd and Jacques Rudolph they did not slow up. Having made his first T20 half-century against Essex on Wednesday, Donald made it two in two with 55 runs from 27 balls. But he was lucky to make it that far; he top-edged a ball from Best that landed between three fielders and then he hit the same bowler straight to Darren Sammy at midwicket when on 34 and the West Indies T20 captain dropped an easy chance.Donald shared an excellent stand with Colin Ingram worth 94 from just 54 balls which finished the game as a content. Ingram departed soon after Donald to leave two new batsmen at the crease, but by then the required rate was down to just over four an over. Even the loss of Graham Wagg for just two runs was not enough for Hampshire to claw their way back into the contest, with Chris Cooke seeing the home side the victory.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera has replaced injured seamer Dhammika Prasad in Sri Lanka’s Test squad and will travel to England as soon as “visa formalities are taken care of”, SLC announced.Perera had been the Test side’s wicketkeeper and No. 7 batsman before he was provisionally suspended for failing a doping Test, in December. The charges against him have since been withdrawn by the ICC, and he has been eligible to play international cricket since May 11.Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya said his committee had chosen Perera to replace a bowler because Sri Lanka “have enough bowlers in the squad”. In addition to the four frontline bowlers and two allrounders who played in the Headingley Test, seamer Suranga Lakmal and offspinner Dilruwan Perera sit in reserve.”Kusal will join the team as soon as possible and acclimatise so he can do some serious work with the bat,” Jayasuriya added.It is unlikely – though not impossible – that Perera will be available for the Test at Chester-le-Street which begins on Friday. He will almost certainly be in contention for the third Test at Lord’s, which does not begin until June 9.Perera has been training at SLC’s national academy at Khettarama since May 13. Having begun his career as a limited-overs specialist, Perera had made a bright start to his Test career, hitting two rapid fifties in five innings so far. If he is selected, Sri Lanka also have the option of relieving Dinesh Chandimal of the gloves.

Virat Kohli has the most centuries in ODI history, and yet, each time one sees him bat in the only format he is still active in internationally, thoughts turn to the 2027 World Cup. Kohli is 37 now. Will he still be playing two years on? For Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, “there’s no point talking about all this” and fans should stay in the moment.”I don’t know why we need to look at all this – he’s really batting well, and I don’t see any reason we need to talk about his future,” Kotak said after Kohli’s 135 from 120 balls took India to victory in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday.”Just the way he’s batting, it’s just brilliant. The way he’s performing, [and] his fitness – there are no questions about anything,” Kotak said. “I feel such things [the 2027 World Cup] shouldn’t even be spoken about after the way he plays and performs. That is something which is two years away. There’s no point talking about all this. For us, once the team arrives and we start practice, we just enjoy.”Related

• Harshit takes the first step in fast bowlers' race for 2027 World Cup

• Kohli, Harshit, Kuldeep star to give India 1-0 lead

• Stats – Kohli and Rohit smash records in Ranchi run-fest

• Kohli dictates South Africa's reality from within his bubble

Vastly experienced players like Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who is a year older at 38, add value to the dressing room even otherwise, Kotak pointed out. And it’s not like they aren’t performing. Rohit’s last three innings in ODIs have been worth 73, 121* and 57.”Obviously, they do share their experience with others,” Kotak said. “I don’t think we’re talking anything about the 2027 World Cup. They are just brilliant, and they are performing. They are contributing to the team, which is a great thing for us.”Like Kohli, Rohit is also active only in ODIs internationally. That leaves both of them with very limited game time. But, despite that, for the second successive match, Kohli and Rohit showed good form while stitching together a match-winning century stand.After adding an unbeaten 168 against Australia in Sydney last month, they had a stand of 136 in the first ODI against South Africa. While Kohli followed 74* in Sydney with 135 in Ranchi, Rohit scored 57 at better than a-run-a-ball against South Africa after hitting 121* in a win over Australia.”They are such experienced players; it’s always great to have them,” Kotak said. “The way they bat – like today also, that partnership – it makes a huge difference. Obviously, they batted really well.”

England 400 for 8 (Bethell 82, Duckett 60, Brook 58, Root 57, Seales 4-84) beat West Indies 162 (Overton 3-22, Mahmood 3-32) by 238 runsBorn in Barbados but stunning in Birmingham, Jacob Bethell’s devastatingly crisp 82 from 53 deliveries led England to 400 for 8, their second-highest score at Edgbaston, on their way to burying West Indies by 238 runs at the start of this three-match ODI series.For Harry Brook’s first assignment as full-time limited-overs captain, it was the perfect start. However one-sided this might have been, the dominance goes some way towards bolstering confidence at the start of a new era. The result alone is a godsend, ending a run of seven consecutive defeats.Bethell, 21, had only just arrived back from an IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. And yet having missed the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe, he clicked through the gears, striking the majority of his eight fours and five sixes at the back end, to remind the world – and his head coach Brendon McCullum – of his unignorable claim for multi-format berths. This second half-century in the format also reinforced the scale of the talent England have pilfered from the Caribbean.Bethell’s was the lead hand in an innings littered with impressive but unfulfilled starts, including half-centuries for Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Brook. The scoreboard pressure was suffocating enough before Saqib Mahmood – Brummie-born – produced an opening burst of 3 for 32 from his opening seven overs. The last of those three to fall was Shai Hope, stunningly clutched by a back-peddling Brydon Carse about five yards in from the deep square boundary.Brydon Carse took a spectacular catch in the deep•AFP/Getty Images

It was an impressive piece of athleticism from Carse, returning to international duty after a toe injury ended his Champions Trophy campaign prematurely. He looked back to his best with the ball with the dismissal of Brandon King – a Test-match length and nip away finding the edge through to Jos Buttler behind the stumps – and his fielding effort was in keeping with a broader, altogether more energetic performance with Brook leading from the front.Stationed in the ring, Brook took five catches – having previously managed just three in 26 previous ODIs – level with the record for the most taken by a fielder in format (Jonty Rhodes against West Indies in 1993). It was Brook’s second dalliance with a record after he was one of seven batters to score 30 or more in the same innings – the first time that had been achieved in a one-dayer.A shellacking of this magnitude was far from Hope’s mind when he won the toss and chose to bowl, but the game was up at the halfway stage when his side were faced with a record target and already shorn of the explosive Evin Lewis, who damaged his groin in training on Wednesday. But for the final-wicket stand of 38 between Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales, whose 29 makes him the seventh No.11 to top-score in an ODI innings, this would have been a record defeat. In the end, they were dismissed for 162 with 23.4 overs left on the table.The travails of missing the 2023 50-over World Cup and the uncertainty that remains in the air regarding automatic qualification for 2027’s edition was reason enough to insert an experimental-looking England batting line-up on a muggy Thursday afternoon in the midlands. And West Indies, to their credit, stayed afloat for the majority of their time with the ball.Alas, they were completely blown out of the water in the death overs. Seales’ figures of 4 for 84 from nine overs showed that even the few with rewards bore scars. The fast bowler, given the nod ahead of Shamar Joseph, suffered his most grotesque punishment in his penultimate over, sent for 19 as part of a bumper 98-run stand for the sixth wicket. Bethell was the aggressor, but Will Jacks, making his first appearance for England since November 2024, played an accomplished hand, bagging 39 off 24 from his first go at No.7 in ODIs.Harry Brook marked his captaincy debut with five catches•AFP/Getty Images

The onus was immediately on a newly ordered, albeit not new-look, England batting card. The initial focus was on Jamie Smith, front and centre to face the first ball, moved to open for the first time in List A cricket.His failures at No. 3 during the ICC Champions Trophy suggested more exposure to the new ball would not go down well. But Smith made hay, strumming crisp drives with the odd shuffle down the pitch, backing up McCullum’s view that the Surrey keeper-batter has the wares to cope with the early movement. Alas, having reached 37 in quick time, his 24th delivery – the number of runs he managed in three Champions Trophy knocks – stung the palms of Brandon King at midwicket, who held the catch, putting to shame Seales who had misjudged a far easier opportunity at mid-on the ball before.Smith’s departure, at the end of the seventh over, with 64 on the board, probably should have been a hint for at least one of the others to bat through. And yet the senior trio of the top-order punched their cards without lasting the course.Duckett looked the best of them, and probably should have set the platform for others to launch after moving through to a breezy half-century from 34 deliveries. But when he was done in at the start of the 20th over – Roston Chase taking a stunning one-handed grab leaping at backward point – both Root and Brook had to tend to a half-finished foundation.The Yorkshire duo set about their task well, Root typically calm as Brook targetted Justin Greaves’ medium pace, striking him for two sixes in three deliveries – down the ground, then behind square – for his first boundaries. Then Root, after registering his 59th fifty-plus score in the format, opted for a booming drive to nick Seales through to Hope.That was Seales’ first of three, the second coming when Brook lazily carved what was ultimately a long-hop out to deep point. By then, Jos Buttler was at the crease, stepping back having stepped down, with 4 off 6 to Brook’s 27 off 19 in their brief stand of 33.The stage looked set for Buttler to return to the pack in blockbuster fashion, as he brought out the classics – charging Greaves for a straight six, then a slapped four before ramping Seales down the line. Alas, a well-disguised cutter from the latter meant a heave to leg landed neatly in the hands of midwicket.Brook also made an attacking half-century•Getty Images

It was at that point that Bethell took over, with 58 balls remaining in the innings. From 26 off 30, Bethell took it upon himself to put the game out of sight. From the 43rd over up to the 47th, Bethell hit a six in each over, before Jacks, who had played the straight man, tagged in for the 47th to blitz a six and four fours off Matthew Forde. That devastating five-over period brought 86 runs and effectively settled the match given the scale of the mountain West Indies had to climb.Granted, it could have been far greater. The dismissal of Jacks – well-bumped by Greaves – and another special catch from Chase (this time running over his shoulder from mid-off to claim a steepling catch off Overton) kept the boundaries down to ensure Bethell was off strike for the entirety of the penultimate over. Regaining strike for the final over, a thin slice on a cut through to Hope brought his time to an end.Just when it seemed West Indies were going to close out the final two overs without a boundary, and thereby deny England their 400, Seales’ well-directed yorker shot out of the footmarks, nutmegging Carse and flying away to the advertising boards to bring up the landmark from the final ball of the innings.Once the first six West Indian batters had been seen off in the opening 12 overs, Brook was able to mix up his attack. That worked particularly well for Overton, who was able to finish with career-best figures of 3 for 22 despite having to leave the field during the eighth over after damaging his right hand trying to take a return catch off his second delivery.Bethell completed Overton’s over, before Mahmood picked back up at the City End to claim two more dismissals. Overton, however, was back on the field to bowl the 16th over, bouncing out both Chase (caught Jacks at deep square leg) and Matthew Forde (caught Mahmood at fine) before fooling Gudakesh Motie with a slower delivery that was looped to point for Brook’s fifth and final catch.