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Getting results on the board is the need of the hour for Netherlands, says their captain Peter Borren

Firdose Moonda in Delhi26-Feb-2011Of all the things Peter Borren, the Netherlands captain, has had to catch recently, a tape recorder probably wasn’t one of them. When one such device was casually flung across the table he was seated at, moments before his press conference in Delhi began, his eyes widened, a solid red blush crept over his face and he spoke before he could think. “Oh s**t, that caught me by surprise,” he said, with a nervous laugh.The journalists giggled with him, the tape recorder tosser apologised with a small raise of his hand, perhaps a little embarrassed for having done something so casual and the press conference began. Most people spoke to Borren like he was an old friend, catching up on social concerns, like whether people recognise the Dutch cricketers when they walk around street (No, they don’t and according to Borren they may not even recognise Sachin Tendulkar) and the soccer craze in Europe.It’s these more personal interactions that make the Associates so valuable in major tournaments. They remind most that there are cricketers beyond the Dhonis, Muralitharans, Kallises and Pontings, who are considered ultra-human some of the time. There are cricketers who juggle a full-time job, a family and their passion for playing the sport and when they get picked for the national side, their balancing act only becomes more delicate. Their challenges are completely different to those of the full-member teams, who have the luxury of only thinking about the game, and that’s what makes them so interesting.”We are not a fully professional outfit but we have a core group of guys who live and work in Holland,” Borren said. “It can be a disadvantage that we don’t work together all the time but given the sacrifices that the guys make to be out here, with some of them working 40-hour weeks and having families, it’s a strength as well. We’ve given up a lot to be here so we are quite tight as a unit.”Even though the Dutch Cricket Association has 16 players on incremental contracts, the team only actually works together for a few months of the year. Coach Peter Drinnen said the players spent the past seven weeks preparing for this tournament and they usually get that much time together in a regular year before some head off to the English domestic limited-overs competition, the CB40, and others return to their day jobs. He describes their preparation as a “rollercoaster” which they hop and off in their attempt to develop the sport.Despite their intermittent training schedule, Drinnen finds no problem keeping the team’s eyes on the ball when it matters. “It’s not difficult at all to motivate them. It’s more of a management thing for me, especially time management. They’ve got families and loved ones to see and so I have to help them to get the best out of their training. Motivation is not a problem because this is a big environment.”The Dutch certainly thrive off performing on the big stage, and they showed that against England in their World Cup opener, where they posted a competitive 292 for 6. Although England won comfortably in the end, the fight in the minnows was there for all to see and it is set to continue as the tournament goes on.”We are here to cause surprises and if people think that’s it a surprise that we competed, that’s not good enough for us. We’re here to get results on the board,” Borren said.West Indies are the next team they face and, judging by the decline that team has found themselves in, it should be almost an even contest. “We’ve had time to reflect on what was a reasonably good performance against England and we are looking forward to the game.” They may be being a bit harsh on themselves to call their previous showing only “reasonable” but it reflects their seriousness to keep improving and give a respectable account of themselves at this tournament. “The other night we may not have got it quite right with the ball,” Drinnen said.After watching the match between South Africa and the West Indies, Drinnen said Netherlands “will consider” using more spinners. Offspinner Tom Cooper and left-arm spinner Peieter Seelaar played against England and they have another offspinner, Adeel Raja, waiting in the wings. Borren would also like to a few others contributing with the bat. Ryan ten Doeschate’s century was the major contribution to their score against England and Borren said the rest of team can learn from “how he paced it and took advantage of the Powerplay.”It’s this type of fine tuning that they want to get right that shows that the Dutch are sincere about their ambition to keep improving, not only for themselves but to increase the popularity of cricket in their home country. “The better we do, the more awareness there is about the sport.” So focused are they on growing the game that they don’t even seem too bothered by whether or not their performances will change the ICC’s mind about the number of teams in the next World Cup. “2015 is still four years away and we have a job to do here,” Borren said.

Matabeleland Tuskers are the new Logan Cup champions, allrounder Keegan Meth recording match figures of 13 for 109 to set up an 18-run win over Mountaineers

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Matabeleland Tuskers are the new Logan Cup champions. Depleted, without five of their key players, they beat a Mountaineers side that had gone unbeaten this season by 18 runs, a remarkable achievement. The key factor was their steadily improving swing bowler Keegan Meth, who has finished the season with 54 first-class wickets at an average of just 13.31. Impressing with his deceptive swerve and accuracy, he has also had decent returns in both the domestic 40-over and Twenty20 competitions. In this match he took 13 wickets at a cost of only 109 runs, as well as scoring a vital 65 in Tuskers’ second innings, in a truly inspirational all-round performance.Mountaineers began the day requiring a further 148 runs, with eight wickets in hand, and it was clear at the start of the day that the result of the match would most likely hinge on the result of the battle between Hamilton Masakadza and Meth – and Meth won it convincingly. Masakadza off-drove a single off Keith Dabengwa in the second over of the day to take the home side’s total to 100, and put him on strike for Meth’s next over. He pushed fatally outside the off stump, edged a catch to the wicketkeeper and departed for 14 to scenes of jubilation from the fielders – indeed Tuskers were once again somewhat excessively noisy in the field, especially early on.The experienced South African Jon Beukes added 16 confident runs off 14 balls, with three fours, but he was then given out lbw on the front foot to Meth, and the middle order then surrendered meekly. Donald Tiripano, the nightwatchman, had held an end up grimly for almost an hour, but edged a low catch to second slip off Meth to depart for 5 off 42 balls. Prosper Utseya, who has often been a man for a crisis in the past, was this time another lbw victim to Meth for a single, and Benjamin Katsande lasted only three balls before edging to the keeper. After a middle-order collapse in which four wickets fell for seven runs in just four overs, Mountaineers had slipped to 125 for 7.Meth began to tire but was kept on in the hope was taking the decisive wickets, but Timycen Maruma and Shingi Masakadza kept him out with some defiant batting and started to attack Dabengwa, who had been blocking up the other end. Dabengwa, Tuskers’ stand-in captain for this game in the absence of the injured Gavin Ewing, was faced with the dilemma of whether to continue with Meth or rest him, but just as the time for a decision imminent Meth struck again. Shingi Masakadza had been trying to counter his movement and upset his length by going down the pitch to him, which brought the keeper up to the stumps; the batsman did it once too often and was stumped for 17 to reduce Mountaineers to 155 for 8.Maruma decided to take advantage of the wearied bowler, now in his eleventh over, smiting him for two mighty leg-side sixes in succession. In the meantime Dabengwa gave way to Chris Mpofu, but Tendai Chatara gave Maruma unexpected support, with five well-selected boundary hits off the fast bowler. They survived until lunch, and then Tawanda Mupariwa replaced the exhausted Meth. He quickly produced a rising ball that Maruma, on 36, edged at an awkward throat height to the keeper, who dropped it. After two overs from Mupariwa, Dabengwa brought back Meth, but he no longer had the power to terrorize and the batsmen were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over comfortably and get within 50 runs of their target.When Maruma reached an admirable fifty, only another 24 runs were needed to win. But, tragically, a mix-up between the batsmen led to his being run out for 51 and the fighting partnership of 69 was ended. Natsai Mushangwe tried to hit out, but was caught in the outfield off Mpofu and the Logan Cup went to Matabeleland Tuskers.

Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has urged his batsmen to post “bigger, match-winning totals” and singled out the rotation of strike as an area his team needs to improve upon

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2011Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has urged his batsmen to post “bigger, match-winning totals” and singled out the rotation of strike as an area his team needs to improve upon in the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Barbados. The visitors have already taken the series 3-0 but Sammy is hoping to “pull one back” at the Kensington Oval.”Rotating the strike is one area we have to get better at,” Sammy said. “If we rotate the strike, that upsets the rhythm of the Pakistan bowlers and that would lead to us posting bigger, match-winning totals.”The ‘dot ball’ percentage has been high and we need to combat the opposition bowlers. One of our major problems has been that we have not been putting enough runs on the board. As a batting unit we hit a lot of boundaries, but we have to get better at ticking over the strike, especially against the Pakistan spinners.”The West Indian batsmen failed to post competitive totals in all three games so far, struggling to score against offspinners Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal in particular. In the first two matches in St Lucia, they were restricted to 221 for 6 and dismissed for 220. They had reached a sound position of 92 for 1 in the 21st over in the third at Bridgetown before they collapsed for 171 all out.The bowlers also managed to take only five Pakistan wickets in the first two matches, but came close to winning the third, in which they took seven. Pakistan were 49 for 4 at one stage before Misbah-ul-Haq steered them to a series-clinching victory.”I can’t fault the bowlers,” Sammy said. “They have been superb for us and brought us close to a victory in the last match. I believe if we put the runs on the board, the bowlers will do the job for us. We are looking to create winning opportunities and when we do that we have to grab it with both hands.”West Indies brought back Ramnaresh Sarwan to the squad after he had been left out for the first three games. Sarwan’s previous appearance was the quarter-final defeat against Pakistan in the World Cup. “We know he is a good player,” Sammy said. “With him back it is a plus for the team and we wish him all the best. He will be a key player in those middle overs as we look to keep the strike ticking.”

Chris Gayle indulged himself after his bowlers restricted Chennai Super Kings to a below-par 128 to ensure Royal Challengers Bangalore will finish top of the points table

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera22-May-2011Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsZaheer Khan caused problems at the top, removing Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina to trigger the Chennai slide•Associated PressChris Gayle indulged himself after his bowlers restricted Chennai Super Kings to a below-par 128 to ensure Royal Challengers Bangalore will finish top of the points table. The result also secured their berth in this year’s Champions League.Chennai were always facing inevitable defeat once their top order crumbled six overs into the game. Tottering at 22 for 4, MS Dhoni consolidated initially before looting quick runs in the end, but 128 wasn’t going to test Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Especially with Gayle unleashing hell.Gayle left his mark on the chase and it was violent. A six flew over third man, another disappeared over cow corner, a third, off Suresh Raina, landed in the upper tier of the long-on stands and a fierce straight drive rammed into Albie Morkel’s shin. A limping Morkel continued bowling after receiving some treatment but Gayle promptly dispatched a short delivery over the deep midwicket boundary. But while Gayle thrilled the home crowd, it was the bowlers who won the game for Bangalore.The first couple of overs set the tone: Zaheer Khan nearly yorked M Vijay and beat Michael Hussey with couple of outswingers, and S Aravind hit a nagging line and length to handcuff Chennai. The breakthrough came in the third over when Hussey dragged an away-going delivery on to his stumps. It was a sign of things to come. Vijay hung his bat out against Aravind, Suresh Raina top edged a pull off Zaheer and when S Badrinath lifted Daniel Vettori to long-off Chennai were wobbling at 22 for 4 from 5.4 overs.It was left to Dhoni to play the lone ranger but every time he tried to switch to attacking mode, a wicket fell, forcing him to revert to caution. He added 26 runs with Wriddhiman Saha from 6.4 overs and Chennai reached 60 for 4 in 12 overs. Saha swung Gayle for a six over midwicket in the next over to suggest a possible change in the mindset but he fell, trying to repeat the shot off Virat Kohli in the 14th over.Dhoni was on a run-a-ball 19 at that stage and soon swung Gayle for his second six to hint at a revival, but Dwayne Bravo was trapped by an arm-ball from Vettori, forcing Dhoni to slow down again. He went quiet for a couple of overs and it was only in the final over, bowled by Abhimanyu Mithun, that Dhoni really displayed his brand of violence. He pulled a six and a four before he smote one over the midwicket boundary to finish off in style. It was far from enough though.

Pakistan’s spinners picked up an unprecedented 32 of the 40 available wickets to square the two-Test series against West Indies, leaving left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman surprised by the amount of turn on offer at the two venues

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2011Pakistan’s spinners picked up an unprecedented 32 of the 40 available wickets to square the two-Test series against West Indies, leaving left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman surprised by the amount of turn on offer at the two venues. Rehman was at the forefront of Pakistan’s victory in the second Test at St Kitts, picking up 4 for 65 in the second innings as West Indies lost by 196 runs.”We have been surprised by the bounce and the spin that we have gotten from the pitches,” Rehman said after setting up Pakistan’s win on the fourth evening. “This is why we are very happy. Spinners are happy when they get pitches that turn, but to also get the bounce is good, and [West Indies] have struggled against the spin and the bounce. It would not be a bad idea to dig up this pitch, and carry it around with me, so that I can get plenty of wickets.”Rehman bottled up one end through the series, while offspinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez made the breakthroughs. Ajmal was adjudged Man of the Series after helping himself to 17 wickets. Rehman indicated he was happy with his role within the attack, and was thankful to the team management for backing his skills.”They have encouraged me to bowl the way I normally do – do not try to flight the ball too much, but try to bowl as containing [a line] as possible, and the wickets will come – and they did in this innings,” Rehman said. “I was trying to flight the ball too much, and I was not as effective as I could be, but I resorted to my style of bowling, and I got some turn and bounce, and it worked for me.”Taufeeq Umar and Misbah-ul-Haq were the other architects of Pakistan’s win, as they both struck centuries in the second innings. Their efforts were put into perspective by the fact that, prior to this game, Pakistan had produced only two Test tons since January 2010. Misbah and Taufeeq oversaw a strong batting revival after Pakistan had lost their way in the first innings, at one point stumbling to 194 for 9.”It really has been a good comeback for us,” Rehman said. “Our batting struggled on the first day, but this is the way cricket is played. Our coaches kept encouraging us, and giving us confidence, and they told us not to worry about what happened on the first day. They helped us, and they instructed us what to do, and then we had two hundreds from Taufeeq Umar and our captain in the second innings, and we did well to come back.”

A disciplined bowling performance enabled Durham Dynamos to claim their second Friends Life t20 victory in the space of three days and move a giant step closer to a quarter-final place. Despite appearing all but beaten at the halfway stage of their oppone

26-Jun-2011
ScorecardA disciplined bowling performance enabled Durham Dynamos to claim their second Friends Life t20 victory in the space of three days and move a giant step closer to a quarter-final place. Despite appearing all but beaten at the halfway stage of their opponents’ innings, Durham rallied impressively to claim a three-run victory over Leicestershire Foxes.Needing to hit a boundary off the final ball of the game, Leicestershire’s Claude Henderson could only roll the ball back to bowler Mitch Claydon, who had earlier claimed two wickets in his first over.Leicestershire, who finished on 184 for 7, looked like securing their second victory in as many days when former Durham University student Will Jefferson hammered 63 runs from 30 balls. However, after Jefferson was trapped leg before to Dale Benkenstein’s first delivery of the afternoon with the score on 113 for three, the visitors quickly lost their momentum.Liam Plunkett removed both Jacques Du Toit and Abdul Razzaq in the very next over, and the Foxes’ lower order were unable to keep up with a run rate that eventually sailed to more than 10 an over. Durham’s innings of 187 for 5 was a collective effort, with the first five batsmen in the order all scoring 18 runs or more.Opener Gordon Muchall was the linchpin, equalling his best ever T20 score as he made 64 runs off 50 balls before holing out during the final over of the innings. Muchall has cemented his place in the Durham side for all forms of the game this season, and his collection of eight boundaries included an eye-catching square cut off former England international Matthew Hoggard that brought up his half-century.Muchall received support from a number of quarters, with Phil Mustard and Ian Blackwell both scoring 25 as Durham compiled their runs at a steady rate. Blackwell was particularly destructive, reverse sweeping Henderson for four before producing a more orthodox sweep to claim a six off the South African’s very next ball.Benkenstein and David Miller also contributed to Durham’s sizeable total, with the former cracking 23 off 15 balls just two days after top-scoring in Friday night’s emphatic victory over Lancashire. He eventually fell going for a shot too many off Hoggard, but while the Leicestershire skipper finished with two wickets, he was unable to stem the flow of Durham runs.

A group of disaffected Kent members have announced they will stand as ‘reform candidates’ at the next elections for the Kent general committee

George Dobell10-Aug-2011A group of disaffected Kent members, alarmed by the club’s financial losses and under-performance on the field, have announced they will stand as ‘reform candidates’ at the next elections for the Kent general committee.The pair, long-term Kent members Graham Holland and Nigel Williamson, are appealing for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the club. In the last three years Kent have been relegated twice from Division One of the county championship and have sustained operating losses of more than £2 million.The club have predicted further losses of £400,000 this year and are enduring another miserable season on the pitch. Yet, despite the obvious issues, they claim there has not been a contested election for the Kent committee since 2008.Holland said: ”I am saddened to see the club which I have supported since 1957 plumb the depths to which it has sunk currently. In over 50 years, I have never known such despondency, nor what I see as the widening gap between the committee and its members, as I do today.”In their ‘reform programme’ the pair are calling for a detailed independent report to be conducted by someone outside the club on the reasons for the under-performance on the field over the last two years and an overhaul of the club’s commercial operation and the introduction of a range of new money-raising initiatives.Nigel Williamson added: ” Elections are the lifeblood of democracy. By standing, we hope to enable a debate about the way forward and to offer members a decisive break with the errors of the past. This is an enormous opportunity for KCCC to open the windows, let in the air and make a fresh start, based on the principles of accountability and transparency.”However, Kent’s chief executive, Jamie Clifford, cautiously welcomed the pair’s involvement. “We’re a members’ club, so we need and welcome members standing for election to the committee,” Clifford said. “We actually believe we’re doing all the things they are suggesting already, but they have every right to stand for election.”Yes, we’re all frustrated by how we’ve performed on the pitch. We have high expectations and we want to do better.”But I don’t know why Kent have the tag of being ‘the’ cash-strapped county. Sixteen of the 18 first-class clubs announced losses last year and we were one of them. We also invested £5m in our ground and have a strong sense of where we’re going.”Kent have just completed phase one of a development project that will, eventually, see a new supermarket and hotel upon their site. Clifford hopes the club will return to profitability in two or three years. The next committee elections take place in March 2012.

The period in the late 70s and early 80s is generally referred to as the ‘glory days’ of Somerset cricket. But perhaps that theory will have to be reviewed

George Dobell at Taunton04-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Alfonso Thomas was outstanding with the ball for Somerset•Getty ImagesThe period in the late 70s and early 80s is generally referred to as the ‘glory days’ of Somerset cricket. But perhaps that theory will have to be reviewed. For while the current Somerset side has yet to clinch the trophy their domestic dominance deserves, there has never been a period in the club’s history when the team has challenged so consistently across so many competitions. A good case could be made to suggest that this is the golden age of Somerset cricket.Despite the absence of several leading players – Marcus Trescothick and Nick Compton are injured; Craig Kieswetter is on England duty – Somerset brushed aside a strong Durham side to reach their fifth successive domestic final. While they’ve lost the previous four (three Twenty20s – against Sussex in 2009, Hampshire in 2010 and Leicestershire in 2011 and one CB40 – against Warwickshire in 2010), the remarkable consistency they have shown in continually reaching finals is admirable. Remember, they missed out on the Championship title by the smallest possible margin last year, too. They are surely doing far more right than wrong.There’s no reason Somerset should not continue to thrive, either. In the short-term, Kieswetter will be released by England to play in the final and Trescothick has an outside chance of recovering from his ankle problem. In the longer-term, the fact that five of this side were aged 20 or under bodes extremely well for the future. Both on and off the pitch, Somerset are setting high standards in how to run a cricket club.Several of those young players made important contributions in this game. Chris Jones, 20 years old and making just his second List A appearance, ensured a bright start to their run-chase with a fluent innings that seemed to dis-spirit Durham and also fielded superbly. His run-out of Mark Stoneman – a direct hit from mid off – set the tone for the game.It is, however, the blend of youth and experience that make this Somerset side such a potent force. Alfonso Thomas, who may just be the best limited-overs seamer in the world at present, was typically frugal (conceding under four an over on this ground is exceptional), while Steve Kirby dismissed the dangerous Gordon Muchall with one that nipped back and then bowled too fast and too full for the tail to stage any revival. 28-year-old Arul Suppiah, with 57 from 44 balls, made sure of the result with an innings studded with sweetly timed strokes.It was Peter Trego who deservedly won the Man of the Match award. The 30-year-old allrounder bowled intelligently to his field, picking up the wickets of Phil Mustard and Paul Collingwood, before producing a calm and unbeaten innings of 40 to ensure his side did not squander their strong position.Durham, however, will reflect that they failed to do themselves justice in this game. Their wayward bowling at the start of the Somerset innings was particularly disappointing, but their batsmen also failed to adjust to a slower than expected pitch and, by attempting to set an unrealistic total, perished for a score that was probably at least 20 short of par. Durham’s fielding, carrying the bulky Ian Blackwell, also paled in comparison with Somerset’s.Only when Blackwell and Benkenstein were together did Durham threaten to set a completive total. The pair added 85 in 14 overs, with both men enjoying the short boundaries and threatening a revival. Blackwell mis-hit a slog-sweep to midwicket, however, and Benkenstein, called through for an unlikely second run by Scott Borthwick, was run-out after Lewis Gregory – another of those promising young Somerset players – produced a superb throw.Had Somerset taken all their chances, however – Blackwell could have been run-out before he scored and was dropped on one and Benkenstein was dropped by Murali Kartik at slip off Craig Meschede before he had scored – this would have been a rout.Perhaps the manner of victory left something to be desired. Heavy rain forced the players off with Somerset still requiring another 55 runs to win and forcing Duckworth-Lewis to decide the result. Some would have preferred the reserve day to be utilised. Few, however, would dispute that the best side had progressed.

A new USA Cricket Association (USACA) website that went live this week has caused more controversy and disagreement within the board of directors as three members do not feature on the website

Peter Della Penna08-Oct-2011A new USA Cricket Association (USACA) website that went live this week has caused more controversy and disagreement within the board of directors as three members do not feature on the website. The USACA website had been down since September 6 but an “interim” site came up online this week while a new site is being built, according to USACA vice-president Rafey Syed.Missing from the executive board listings on the site are the executive secretary John Aaron, who is disputing his recent suspension by president Gladstone Dainty as being unconstitutional, as well as North East representative Tony Gilkes and Central East representative Golam Sayeed. Instead of Sayeed, Akhtar Masood “Chik” Syed is listed as the Central East representative.”Why am I not surprised? This is painful,” Sayeed told ESPNcricinfo. “Central East Regional board has gone through our process of elections and removing Masood Chik because of his poor leadership and mismanagement. I am the constitutional-process elected regional representative and if I’m not pictured in the website then it’s terribly wrong.”Masood ran afoul of his regional administration after he allegedly subverted the selection process by submitting a 14-man squad to represent the Central East at June’s USACA Twenty20 National Tournament without consulting the other members of the regional administration including its selection panel. The regional administration then selected its own 14-man team for the tournament and moved to recall Syed from his position on the national board.”It was done constitutionally,” Sayeed said. “We had followed all the steps. The regional board decided that he should not be our regional representative to the board of directors. I don’t know why USACA is still calling him the regional representative. It doesn’t make sense.” Sayeed works in Minnesota for Moneygram, one of the ICC’s main corporate sponsors, and the fact that the USACA website doesn’t recognise him as part of its board has created an awkward situation.”My company is saying, ‘We’re not only sponsoring ICC, one of our employees is now a current [USACA] board member.’ That message went out to the ICC and the USACA website doesn’t have my picture or my name? I don’t know what to say.” Sayeed sent Rafey Syed an email on Thursday afternoon, asking that the website be “corrected immediately.”However, Rafey Syed contended that Masood is still on the USACA board. “According to the email that Mr. Gladstone Dainty sent out, none of the regional elections which occurred and which will be occurring later on without the completion of the compliance process are null and void,” Rafey said. “There are a couple of leagues that were involved in [Central East’s] selection who never had any tournaments and they are basically bogus leagues.”When asked why the names of Ajay Athavale, Mark Sood and Krish Prasad are listed on the USACA web site as being regional representatives when their regional elections also took place this year like the Central East, Rafey said these representatives are legally holding positions because “these people were there before even the compliance process started.” This contradicts the Dainty order to make null and void all regional elections until the compliance review is complete.As for Gilkes, Rafey said he was suspended earlier in the summer because the North East didn’t have the minimum three leagues to constitute a region, something Gilkes flatly denies. “I’m one of [Dainty’s] fierce critics on the board so he doesn’t want me or the North East to have a voice,” Gilkes said. “The Massachusetts League was two days late for paying their yearly dues. [USACA] took the cheque and they deposited it. They cashed the cheque. I spoke to an attorney about it. He said they can’t suspend the Massachusetts League. If they had put on it, ‘We are depositing the cheque in protest,’ then the Massachusetts League would have a problem. The minute they cashed the cheque and they didn’t put, ‘In protest,’ he says they can’t suspend anybody.”Dainty sent an email to Gilkes on June 10, stating he only received payment from four teams in the Massachusetts League instead of the minimum eight to constitute an official league.The USACA board has not had a teleconference meeting since April and has not had a face-to-face board meeting since November 2010. Several attempts have been made to organise a meeting, but at least two scheduled in-person meetings were cancelled at the last minute while other attempts to organise a sit-down have failed to reach an agreement for the minimum number of board members to constitute a meeting. There is talk that a meeting may be scheduled for October 15th, the date that the USACA elections were due to be held. The elections have no chance of taking place by that date and as a result USACA is treading into dangerous territory.”If the election is not held by November 30, I think we may be suspended by the ICC,” Gilkes said.

Cecil Marshall, the former Canada allrounder, who represented the side in the 1979 World Cup died on Saturday aged 71

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2011Cecil Marshall, the former Canada allrounder, who represented the side in the 1979 World Cup died on Saturday aged 71. His performances in the 1979 ICC Trophy helped Canada qualify for the World Cup. His personal highlight in the qualification campaign was against Malaysia, when he top scored with 77 in a match where no one else made a half-century, before taking 3 for 16. After his Canada career, he played cricket and umpired in Ottawa.