Sports
Karachi likely to host remainder of PSL due to financial dispute
The remainder of the PSL might be moved in its entirety to Karachi after a financial dispute between the PCB and the interim Punjab government. The decision was to be made following a meeting, chaired on Friday afternoon with all franchise owners.
The dispute concerns how to split the security costs of hosting the tournament, with the interim Punjab government understood to be demanding the PCB to pay PKR 450 million (US $1,723,000 approx.) in security costs to host the tournament in Lahore and Rawalpindi. That amount also includes the costs the government incurred for hosting matches in Multan.
The PCB, otherwise, had an agreement to pay only PKR 50 million (US $192,000 approx.) with the previous government, which was dissolved in the last week of January and the board has paid that amount as agreed.
According to a PCB official, the Sindh government does not require the PCB to pay a share of the security costs, and only requires remuneration for catering to the security personnel. That cost is understood to be in the region of PKR 30 million (US $115,000 approx.).
The PCB is understood to be willing to pay towards catering in Punjab, too, but is reluctant to foot the bill for security, which they consider to be the responsibility of the local government. A PCB official pointed out that the government had picked up the security tab for hosting cricket in the province in the past, too, and that the financial burden of the security costs would be too onerous. If the PCB were required to pay that money, there is understood to be an expectation that the franchise owners, too, would foot part of that bill. Moving the whole tournament to Karachi would, in that event, save both stakeholders money.
But the PCB and the franchise owners are not necessarily on the same page. A franchise owner ESPNcricinfo spoke to was against any change of schedule, saying it was inappropriate of the PCB to draw the franchise owners into a disagreement between itself and the Punjab government. They said the PCB had informed the owners of the possible move to Karachi at the last minute in an email, and had not yet formally spoken to them. They appealed to both parties to settle the matter in a way that did not disrupt the schedule of the PSL, believing confining the remainder of the tournament to one city would damage the PSL.
Officials in the Punjab government ESPNcricinfo spoke to paint a picture of a dispute that had been in the offing for some time. A senior member of Punjab’s civil service said the government had implored the PCB to share some of the considerable costs of organising security for its premier tournament, pointing out there were three separate venues in Punjab that required security arrangements – Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan. Sindh, meanwhile, has just one – the National Stadium Karachi. Since cricket returned to Pakistan, Punjab has hosted more PSL and international cricket, with costs adding up over time.
It is not clear whether the specifics of the cost split had been ironed out ahead of the PSL, but the wider political context may also have played a part. The Punjab government has seen significant upheaval in the past few months, with Imran Khan’s party, the PTI, resigning its government in Punjab. The PCB had initially sorted out logistical considerations with the PTI’s provincial government in Punjab, with the government reportedly agreeing to pay all security costs. However, with a different setup at the helm since January, it appears certain differences have come to a head.
The PCB has called an emergency PSL governing council meeting for Friday afternoon to discuss the various options of who and how to pay the additional cost to the interim Punjab government while also exploring the possibility of moving the remaining 20 matches from Punjab to Sindh and to discuss who will bear the additional cost of relocation.
The first 12 matches of the PSL have taken place in Karachi and Multan. The first match in Lahore is scheduled to be held on February 26, with the first game in Rawalpindi to take place on March 1. The playoffs and final – on March 19 – were originally all scheduled for Lahore.
(Cricinfo)
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
