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Australia release Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Swepson, Michael Neser for BBL

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Jhye Richardson and Marcus Harris will remain with the Test team as concussion/Covid-19 stand-bys

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2022Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat have received a boost with Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Swepson and Michael Neser released from Australia’s Test squad to play in the BBL.The quartet will take a charter flight from Hobart to Melbourne on Sunday to join their respective squads with Swepson and Neser set to be available for Heat’s clash against Melbourne Stars on Sunday night at the MCG.Jhye Richardson and Marcus Harris will remain with the Test team in Hobart until the end of the fifth Test as concussion/Covid-19 stand-bys.Swepson and Neser will provide a boost for Heat who are languishing second last on the table with three games to go. They would need to win all three with Bash Boost points in each game and have other results go their way to play finals.The Scorchers look set to lock away top spot and the return of Marsh and Inglis only makes them stronger favourites for the title. Marsh was the Player of the Match in three of five BBL matches he played before being called up to the Test squad with scores 100 not out, 86, 42 not out to go with four wickets.

Quinton de Kock happy with results of South Africa culture camp

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White-ball captain got to interact with fringe players and was greatly impressed by them

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2020Players on the fringes of the South African men’s team were afforded an opportunity to integrate with senior stars at the recently completed culture camp. The squad of 32 included the 16 contracted members of the national side as well as the High-Performance unit and the white-ball captain Quinton de Kock highlighted exactly why it was important for them to mingle.”In this environment, even though you’re contracted, it doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to play,” he said in a CSA press release on Thursday. “So I think it was important that the up and coming players needed to be there with the squad. This is professional sport and we’re trying to play the best team that we can. If a younger guy is performing and he gets an opportunity, it doesn’t help that he hasn’t been here and he doesn’t know anything.”We’ve seen what they’ve done in the franchise system and we know there’s a potential future for them in the team, so it was important for them to come here. It was great to learn some views from the younger guys and help them understand the situation with the Proteas and how we want to go about things.”South African cricket has recently been waylaid by stories of racial tension. This culture camp, which took place at Kruger National Park earlier this month, was a way to address that tension and at the end of it, it was decided that the South African team should never again be a place where players experience isolation or feel unable to express their feelings, and should foster respect, belonging and empathy. In service of that, their “Protea Fire” identity has been put on hold.”I think it’s been really good,” de Kock said. “We’ve had a lot of good chats which I think the team needed. Everyone is leaving feeling a lot better about the environment and about themselves. A lot of guys got things off their back. We feel a lot more comfortable as a team going forward, which was needed… we’re excited about going into the future now.”We are human and we make mistakes,” he continued. “We’re trying to get better in what we’re doing in our professions, that’s why we got together. I can’t promise results but I can promise that we’ll get better and we are learning, which will give us the best chance of getting better results.”Players who attended the camp: Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo, Anrich Nortje, Beuran Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Daryn Dupavillon, David Miller, Dean Elgar, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Glenton Stuurman, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Jon-Jon Smuts, Junior Dala, Kagiso Rabada, Keegan Petersen, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Verryenne, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Pieter Malan, Pite Van Biljon, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Rudi Second, Senuran Muthusamy, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi, Temba Bavuma, Zubayr Hamza, Theunis de Bruyn.Faf du Plessis was unable to join the team due to the birth of his second daughter, Zoey.

Russell, Pollard, Narine: Who will make West Indies' World Cup squad?

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With about 24 hours left for squad to be finalised, ESPNcricinfo has listed the key names the WCI selection panel will deliberate on.

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Apr-2019With just a day to go before the Tuesday deadline set by the ICC, West Indies remain the only team yet to announce their squad for the upcoming World Cup.ESPNcricinfo understand Cricket West Indies (CWI) will submit the 15-man squad to the ICC on Tuesday, but will announce the squad only on Wednesday afternoon in Barbados (1.30 pm local time).The squad will be picked by the freshly appointed interim selection panel chaired by Robert Haynes, along with Jimmy Adams (director of cricket) and West Indies’ newly appointed coach Floyd Reifer.Although Jason Holder will continue to be the captain and Chris Gayle will almost certainly play his fifth World Cup, questions remain over the participation of the country’s other superstars, who have been successful in the last five years in domestic T20 leagues around the world.Will Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, and even Dwayne Bravo, who opted to retire from international cricket last year, find a spot? Will Marlon Samuels, who has recovered from his knee injury, get the opportunity to play his fourth World Cup?The hope comes from a new administration taking charge at CWI. Ricky Skerritt, the newly elected president of CWI, who was also once the manager of the West Indies team at the turn of the millennium, had said that the selectors will be looking at all available options.The key questions for the selectors concern the two allrounders that would feature in addition to Holder. Will it be Russell and Carols Brathwaite? Who will be Gayle’s opening partner, Evin Lewis or John Campbell? Who among Devendra Bishoo, Ashley Nurse and Fabian Allen will be part of the spinners’ group? Who among Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell and Shannon Gabriel will accompany Kemar Roach in the fast bowling group? Will Nicholas Pooran make it as the back-up wicketkeeper?With about 24 hours left for squad to be finalised, ESPNcricinfo has listed the key names Haynes’ selection panel will deliberate on.

London Tests, no Trent Bridge Ashes and Roses delight

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A recap of the key decisions taken by the ECB over where major matches would be held in England and Wales

Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-2018What’s the big deal about the announcement?It set out a raft of venues for major matches – men’s internationals, domestic finals and the new T20 tournament – for the five-year period 2020-2024. It means the counties involved now know when England will be in town, a big occasion for the clubs, and can start thinking more seriously about the new T20 competition (yes, it launches in 2020). While exact schedules won’t be announced until closer to each season it allows the clubs to start planning and to shape their financial situation for the years ahead.Did everyone get what they wanted?No, but you will never keep everyone happy in a process like this. Hampshire, whose ground is the Ageas Bowl, were very hopeful of the big prize of an Ashes Test but that has gone to Headingley. That means another Test in the north of England. Lord’s also lost a long-standing fixture – the domestic one-day final it has staged since it began in 1963 – with Trent Bridge taking that.So who is the biggest winner?Well, probably Headingley for the above reason. They now have Tests against Australia and India in the cycle – the two prime opposition – and the same goes for their Roses rivals Lancashire. Both are also host grounds for the new T20. Lord’s has held on to two Tests a year despite one dropping off the calendar. There will be grumblings about that, but it’s an iconic fixture for any side and usually sells very well. Edgbaston is also cemented as the ‘home’ of T20 finals day.A Test has been cut…so England are playing less cricket?From 2020, yes a little. There will now be six Tests per season – sometimes a marquee five-match series and a one-off match at Lord’s – alongside six ODIs (two series of three under the new FTP), whereas now there can be as many as 10, and six T20Is which is a little increase. So in reality, the number of days of England cricket barely changes.What about the grounds who previously had Tests?As mentioned, Hampshire will be a bit miffed. Durham, the Riverside Ground, knew they wouldn’t be in the mix after their financial problems which needed an ECB bailout while Cardiff didn’t go for any having struggled to sell them. So it’s back to what can be termed the ‘traditional six’ which is, perhaps, also an acknowledgment at some misplaced expansion of the Test field.Has Trent Bridge missed out on another Ashes Test?Indeed, and that will disappoint the England team (going 2-1 up in 2005, a nail-biting win in 2013 and the small matter of 60 all out in 2015), although maybe not the Australians. There is no Ashes Test there in 2019 and now neither in 2023. Nottinghamshire have been diplomatic about it.Test cricket’s a bit London-centric, isn’t it?That could be argued, for sure, with half of each year’s Test allocation now in the capital. However, despite the often steep ticket prices, both Lord’s and The Oval have excellent attendance figures. The English game is fortunate that Tests continue to sell strongly – although not completely across the board – and London does very well.What about day-night Tests?As with exact fixtures and touring schedules, those sorts of details will be firmed up over the coming years. It remains to be seen if day-night Test become a yearly event in England or a little bit more of a novelty factor.Are there any more details on the new T20 tournament yet?Not really. What the teams will be called is the next stage. In ECB speak these are, “eight venues around which new partnerships would be formed and new teams created”. There is also a chance that some matches will be taken out of their host centres to spread the games further around the country; for example a game from Cardiff could be played in Taunton or one from Headingley in Durham. Also, no decision has yet been made on where the play-offs and final will be held.The 2019 World Cup happens before this cycle, but we don’t know those venues yetYes, they are still to be confirmed. That is an ICC event so is managed by them and a local organising committee. An announcement is expected shortly on the host venues for the tournament which runs from May 30 to July 14, 2019.

Habib Bank tighten grip after setting 444 target

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WAPDA will need Salman Butt, their captain to come good with support from the middle order if they are to win the tournament, having taken the first-innings honours

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAhmed Shehzad made an impression upon return from a stint with Comilla Victorians in the BPL, striking 104 off 137 balls•AFP

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) were on the verge of a stunning come-from-behind win in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy after conceding a first-innings lead against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the National Stadium in Karachi.HBL, who recovered from 21 for 6 in the first innings to post 236, made WAPDA toil for 122.5 overs in the second innings. Their top three made centuries in the team’s 485 for 1 declared. Imam-ul-Haq, nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq, top scored with 200 not out, while Fakhar Zaman and Ahmed Shehzad made 170 and 104 not out respectively.Set an improbable target of 444, WAPDA ended the penultimate day on 83 for 2, with Salman Butt (38) and Mohammad Saad (20) at the crease. Usman Khan, the left-arm seamer, picked up both wickets to fall.Having eclipsed Asadullah Butt and Mujahit Jamshed’s 16-year record for the highest opening stand (252) for HBL, Imam and Zaman, who resumed on 264 for 0, added 39 more before Zulfiqar Babar broke through. Ahmed Shehzad, returning to the first-class format after a stint with Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League, then made a mark, hitting five fours in his 137-ball 104 before Abdur Rehman declared.WAPDA will need Butt, their captain to come good with support from the middle order if they are to win the tournament, having taken the first-innings honours.

South Australia cruise to eight-wicket win

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South Australia made light work of their chase of 145, cruising to an eight-wicket victory on the third day against Victoria at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2015
ScorecardJoe Mennie has 24 wickets so far this Sheffield Shield season (file photo)•Getty Images

South Australia made light work of their chase of 145, cruising to an eight-wicket victory on the third day against Victoria at the MCG. In a low-scoring game on a greenish pitch, the target could have proven challenging but opener Tom Cooper set up the innings with 54 from 64 deliveries and Callum Ferguson (43 not out) and Travis Head (24 not out) brought it home.The only two wickets to fall were Mark Cosgrove, caught behind off Chris Tremain for 19, and Cooper, who was caught at gully off John Hastings. The Bushrangers had started the morning at 6 for 123 and added 40 runs for the loss of their last four wickets, with Joe Mennie (4 for 55) and Chadd Sayers (3 for 61) finishing off the tail.The win was not enough for South Australia to bump Victoria out of top place on the Sheffield Shield table, though the teams remain in the top two positions. Mennie also moved to the top of the Shield wicket tally, with 24 at 18.87 so far this summer.

Kamran, Wahab dash Irish hopes

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In the feudal world of cricket, an Associate nation has never beaten a Full Member in an international series, but Ireland came desperately close to beating Pakistan before a breathtaking partnership took the game, and series, away

The Report by Ger Siggins26-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEd Joyce’s unbeaten ton went in vain•AFP

In the feudal world of cricket, an Associate nation has never beaten a Full Member in an international series, but Ireland came desperately close to beating Pakistan before a breathtaking partnership took the game, and series, away.Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz came together with just under 100 needed off 13 overs. Kamran is experienced in Irish conditions, having played with the Limavady club in 2002 and 2003, and with his young colleague he went about repairing the early damage wreaked by the Irish seamers. But Kamran is a wily performer and eased into destructive mode as the bowlers struggled to find their lengths.Wahab took nine balls to get off the mark but his demolition of Tim Murtagh in the 47th over proved decisive and he made an ODI career best 47 not out. Murtagh, a Middlesex seamer, is the leading championship performer this season but he was taken apart by clean hitting as the over went 2,6,6,0,4,6 with the maximums soaring over long-off and square leg.With just eight needed off three overs, Kamran tried to finish it off and lost his wicket, but Wahab and Junaid Khan saw Pakistan home. The decisive eighth wicket partnership of 93 took just 62 balls. “Two special innings took it away from us”, admitted Kevin O’Brien, who took the Man-of the-Series award.Ireland had a special innings of their own to enjoy. Ed Joyce walked to the wicket in Clontarf after just five balls of Ireland’s innings, and left it unbeaten 49.1 overs later. His highest score of 116 was an innings of high quality from a player who became only the second man to make an ODI century for two countries. The first was also an Irishman, Eoin Morgan, who is playing for England.Pakistan made three changes to their bowling attack, bringing in debutant Asad Ali, Wahab Riaz and Abdur Rehman for Mohammed Irfan, Saeed Ajmal and Ehsan Adil. Ireland, too, called upon a newbie in James Shannon, who came in for club-mate Andrew White.And Ali quickly showed his great promise, finding extravagant seam movement as he reeled off three maidens to open his international career. Ireland were quickly 4 for 2, but the experienced southpaws Joyce and Niall O’Brien stitched the ideal partnership for the situation and battled their way through to see off Ali and Junaid Khan, with the debutant’s opening spell reading 6-4-4-1.When he reached 33, Joyce passed 1000 runs in ODIs, 471 of which he made for England. The pair was batting with increasing confidence when Riaz found the edge of O’Brien’s bat. Gary Wilson perished soon after when he ballooned an attempted reverse sweep to slip, but Joyce found a steady partner in Kevin O’Brien.Kevin has often been accused of inconsistency, but he continued here as he finished Thursday’s tie. He played several powerful drives and was looking set to make back-to-back ODI fifties for the first time since the 2007 World Cup when he holed out on the midwicket boundary.Joyce rode his luck – an entertaining juggling act from Mohammed Hafeez spilled to earth after five attempts when he was on 61 – and moved serenely towards his century. Kevin’s departure seemed to cause panic in the Irish lower order and four wickets fell for 11 as Rehman found some turn. Trent Johnston fell to the first leg-before decision of the series but Murtagh hung around long enough to see his former Middlesex colleague into three figures, which Joyce raised with his only six, over midwicket.Ireland had switched pitches two days before the game, banking on a greener track to negate the Pakistan spinners. The 7,000 euro bill for moving the scaffolding and grandstands looked money well spent until those last ten overs. Trent Johnston and Tim Murtagh found extravagant seam and played havoc with the Pakistan top order, reducing them to 17 for 4.  That score could have been worse had two catches not been forsaken off Johnston to dismiss Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik before they had scored.But experienced players of the Pakistan middle order battled their way back with stands of 43, 52 and 21. Misbah and Shoaib were able to settle in when the Irish opening bowlers were removed and the pressure slipped a little. George Dockrell turned back on the heat with a spell of 8-2-16-1, but by the time he came back for his last two overs, Kamran was eyeing up the ropes.Skipper William Porterfield knows how close his team came to a historic series victory. “We’re pretty dejected at the minute because of the position we got ourselves in,” he said. “We’re very disappointed not to win.”

Punjab keep pace with last-ball victory

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Even in the face of a tall target and a top-order failure, Kings XI Punjab and David Hussey never lost faith

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran13-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Gurkeerat Singh powered 29 off 12 to seal the victory•AFP

For the second match in a day, the hero was a cricketer who was a complete unknown, playing his second game of the tournament. In the afternoon, Rajasthan Royals’ offspinner Ajit Chandila took the first hat-trick of the season and the wind out of Pune Warriors’ chase and in the second game, it was 21-year-old Gurkeerat Singh who handed Deccan Chargers their fifth last-over defeat of the season with an ice-cool display of hitting.Chargers seemed to have the game in control for much of the time. First, their two most consistent batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White, added to their rapidly growing collection of half-centuries this season to lift Chargers to their second highest total of 2012. And soon after Azhar Mahmood was dismissed in the 13th over of the chase, the asking-rate was rocketing past 13, with David Hussey as the only recognised batsman remaining. Still, as they have so often this season, Chargers managed to make a hash of it, and end up on the losing side.The first signs of trouble for Chargers came in the 15th over from Amit Mishra, when Hussey hammered a couple of leg-side sixes as Kings XI looted 21 off it. Madhya Pradesh seamer TP Sudhindra then seemed to have pulled things back with a yorker-filled over that went only for five in the first five deliveries, but he missed his length off the final ball and Hussey promptly dispatched it for a straight six.Fifty needed off four overs and time for Chargers to turn to their most potent weapon, Dale Steyn. He delivered with two wickets in his comeback over, though Piyush Chawla got a couple of audacious boundaries off it. When Hussey muscled a slower one from Daniel Christian for six early in the 18th over, everyone thought the outcome of the game would depend on Hussey. Instead, there were no more boundaries from Hussey and most of the runs came from Gurkeerat.First, Christian was drilled down the ground for four and then a fearless attempt to paddle a ball from outside off resulted in a streaky four off the thigh pad. Steyn has combusted on a couple of occasions at the death this season, and has been unhittable on others. This time he was back at his best-bowler-in-the-world mode, conceding just four singles off the first five balls, though the pressure on him was evident from the expletive-infused outburst at a fielder for shying at the stumps. The last ball of the over was a low full toss that Gurkeerat somehow squeezed behind point for a boundary, making it 16 required off the final over.With Christian and Steyn having bowled out, Kumar Sangakkara had to choose between legspinner Mishra and quick bowler Manpreet Gony, and he picked Gony. Chargers’ fielding seemed to have cost them on the first ball when a fumble allowed Hussey to return for two and retain the strike, but Hussey could only take a single off the next.Gurkeerat was unfazed by the task at hand, clubbing the next ball over midwicket for six before placing the fourth delivery to the sweeper cover boundary. Two more were taken off the penultimate delivery, levelling the scores. Sangakkara brought in all his fielders, but Gony opted to go with the bouncer, which was probably the wrong option as Hussey could have scampered a bye even if Gurkeerat missed. Gurkeerat didn’t though, getting an edge as he pulled it to the fine leg boundary to deliver victory that tightens the table – the top seven teams are only four points apart.The late heroics were needed as Christian had taken two early wickets, including the crucial one of Shaun Marsh, to stall the chase. Mahmood then helped Kings XI gain ground with a quick 31, then the baton was taken by Hussey who speeded up the innings further before Gurkeerat provided the final burst.Earlier – considering the three tough games remaining for them – Kings XI seemed to have blown their chances with an amateurish effort in the field. Two simple catches offered by White were put down and there were numerous fumbles as Chargers built up a big score.Parthiv Patel featured in a brisk opening stand and Christian showed off his hitting skills at the death, but the innings revolved around a 96-run stand between Dhawan and White. The pair set a scorching pace, scoring at nearly 10 an over, and despite another underwhelming performance from Sangakkara, Chargers put up what looked like a winning score. Once again, though, repeating a familiar story from their season, they managed to go down despite controlling a big chunk of the match.

Last chance for inconsistent teams

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ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils in Hyderabad

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo04-May-2011

Match facts

Thursday, May 5, Hyderabad
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)David Warner’s tournament has been on a downward curve•AFP

Big Picture

A loss in Hyderabad could be the final blow to the already feeble hopes Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils harbour of making the play-offs. The good news for both of them is that they have tended to win when absolutely necessary – neither of them have lost more than two matches in a row. The problem is neither of them have won two games back-to-back either, which makes the probability of either side putting together a late run to make the top four unlikely.Delhi are a one-man side. When Virender Sehwag departs early, the team’s shoulders droop and even the most loyal fans reach for the remote control. And James Hopes’ absence in the last two games hasn’t helped either.Deccan Chargers have been a bit like the little girl with a little curl in the middle of her forehead. They’ve had two of the biggest wins of this IPL – they showed all-round strength against Royal Challengers Bangalore at home, and then scythed through Kochi Tuskers away – but when they’ve lost, they’ve gone down without a whimper. The Hyderabad jinx that was broken with the win against Bangalore seems to be resurfacing, as they’ve lost three matches at home since, making it 13 losses out of 14 games there in all competitions. Deccan haven’t won a match chasing so far, betraying a batting line-up lacking depth and quick to crumble under pressure.

Form guide (most recent first)

Deccan: LLWLW (seventh on points table)
Delhi: LWLLW (eigtht on points table)

Team talk

Deccan Chargers’ problem has been the under-performance of their international players. Shikhar Dhawan, Sunny Sohal and Bharat Chipli have all scored their share of the runs, but Cameron White, Daniel Christian and JP Duminy haven’t. The persistence with White, who has a strike-rate of 91.75 in the 97 balls he’s faced, is bordering on farcical, particularly when Michael Lumb is warming the bench. With JP Duminy struggling for form too, it may make sense to play Rusty Theron and shore up the bowling.Delhi seem to have settled on Travis Birt as their fourth foreign player, and after his cameo in their last match, he may continue to keep Andrew McDonald and Colin Ingram out. Umesh Yadav was all over the place against Kochi, and the other India fast bowlers in the squad – Ashok Dinda and Varun Aaron – aren’t visions of perfection either. They might well decide to bring left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem back in.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

David Warner scored three half-centuries and a 46 in his first five matches of this IPL, but has since reached double figures just once. He needs to find that early form in order to take some of the pressure off Sehwag.Amit Mishra has been Deccan’s best bowler of the tournament along with Dale Steyn. His 10 wickets have come at 22.60 and his economy rate of 6.64 is the best among the bowlers in the side. On Thursday he will come up against Venugopal Rao in Delhi’s middle order, who has been solid through the tournament.

Prime numbers

  • Virender Sehwag and David Warner’s 146-run stand against Kings XI Punjab is the highest opening stand of this IPL. Deccan have not had a partnership of more than 92
  • Ishant Sharma is one of three bowlers to have taken a five-wicket haul this season. There were no five-fors in IPL 2010

The chatter

“The only area where we lacked is all-round overall performance on a regular basis.”
“A couple of seasons back Deccan Chargers won five matches in a row to reach the semi-finals and ended up winning the IPL as well. If they can do it, so can we.”

Series reshaped after floodlights deemed unfit

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The Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Florida has been reshaped after the ICC declared that the floodlights at the Broward County Regional Park, the venue, were unfit for hosting international cricket

Cricinfo staff14-May-2010The Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Florida – the first international series between two full ICC members to take place in the USA – has been reshaped after the ICC declared that the floodlights at the Broward County Regional Park, the venue, were unfit for hosting international cricket. The schedule will now involve New Zealand taking on Sri Lanka twice over the weekend in addition to two Twenty20 games between USA and Jamaica, who also play a 50-over one-day game on May 21.”Ideally the inaugural game in the Pearls Cup series would have been a night game on Thursday,” New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan said. “The lights at the stadium are fine for most levels of cricket, but they need to be of a higher standard for the playing and broadcast of international cricket.”And added to this, there is a high probability of rain and thunderstorms in the region on Thursday which added weight to our decision. Because of these factors, we have decided, along with our partner USA Cricket, to focus all of the attention on the weekend with the two double headers as well a full one-day international between USA and Jamaica on Friday the 21st.”The original plan was for a three-match Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, which had been reduced to two back-to-back fixtures on May 21 and 22.According to Don Lockerbie, the chief executive of USACA, the decision to cancel the opening fixture, scheduled for May 19, was taken in the interests of promoting USA cricket in the best possible light, with a thunderstorm threatening to wash out the opening fixture and damage the image of the sport as it seeks to find its niche in a new and untapped market.”The original match was scheduled under lights, and we wanted to move it to the afternoon, but that’s tough to pull off on an American working week,” Lockerbie told Cricinfo. “We feel it’s better to start with a big bang on the weekend, because it’s about the USA and our strategic partner, New Zealand, trying to figure out what’s best to grow cricket in our country.”However, Lockerbie played down suggestions that the decision had been made as a cost-cutting measure, following reports of poor ticket sales and low levels of sponsor interest.
“This is really an important weekend for us,” said Lockerbie. “We want to show the world we are open for business, and show that these teams have made a wise choice to come and play cricket in the US. But it’s got to be done prudently. How many events all over the world get set up and then cancelled at the last minute due to inclement weather while the fans are in the stadium and the broadcasters have to talk through the rain? To us, at this stage of our development, that would be worse than making a smart business decision now.”