Plunkett made his return against New Zealand in Wellington earlier this week but aggravated the problem he first suffered in the ODI in Sydney last month

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2018Liam Plunkett has been ruled out of the end of the T20 tri-series and the five ODIs against New Zealand with a recurrence of the hamstring injury he picked up in Australia.Plunkett made his return against New Zealand in Wellington earlier this week but aggravated the problem he first suffered in the ODI in Sydney last month. He has been diagnosed with a grade one tear and unlike when he stayed with the squad after the injury in Australia he will now be heading home.”An MRI scan today confirmed a minor hamstring strain and this will not recover in time to take part in the ODI series,” the ECB said. “A replacement for the ODI squad will be announced in the upcoming days.”Although England have been bolstered by the arrival of Ben Stokes the ECB said a replacement for Plunkett would be named in the coming days. One possible route is to retain Sam Curran, the Surrey allrounder, who was added to the T20 squad but is not in the one-day party.Captain Eoin Morgan has sat out the last two T20s due to injury with Jos Buttler leading the side.Australia’s record chase against New Zealand at Eden Park gave England a lifeline in the T20 series although they will still need to beat the hosts by a significant margin at Seddon Park to progress to the final in Auckland on February 21.

In Dhaka, Shahriar Nafees’ 82 helped Agrani Bank to a six-wicket win against Rupganj, while Mohammedan signed off their DPL campaign with a hard-fought two-wicket win over Kalabagan in Savar

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2018Sohag Gazi and Elias Sunny powered Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club to the Dhaka Premier League’s Super League phase, after their 74-run win over Brothers Union in Fatullah. The spinners took three wickets each as Brothers Union were bowled out for 110 runs.Pace bowler Abu Jayed took two wickets while left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam and pacer Robiul Haque picked one apiece. Earlier, Shykat Ali top scored for Dhanmondi Club with 55, as they made 184 all out in 47.1 overs.Pacer Khaled Ahmed took three wickets while there was two each for Sohrawordi Shuvo, Shakhawat Hossain and Alok Kapali.Shahriar Nafees’ 82 helped Agrani Bank to a six-wicket win against Legends of Rupganj at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Nafees struck 10 fours in his 103-ball knock, in which he shared a 76-run opening stand with Soumya Sarkar, who was among several Bangladesh players to appear in the DPL the day after their return from Colombo.Later, it was another 76-run fourth wicket stand between Shamsul Alam and Dhiman Ghosh that sealed the win. But it wasn’t enough for Agrani Bank who are rooted at 11th place and will have to battle for relegation in the three-way playoffs with Kalabagan Krira Chakra and Brothers Union.Mohammedan Sporting Club signed off their DPL campaign with a hard-fought two-wicket win over Kalabagan Krira Chakra at the BKSP-3 ground. The game was delayed by 30 minutes after both teams and match officials were stuck in traffic on the highway leading up to Savar.Batting first, Kalabagan were bowled out for 260 in 47.3 overs with Mohammad Ashraful reaching his third century in the league. He made 127 off 124 balls with 13 fours and three sixes. He added 85 runs for the second wicket with Waliul Karim, and 82 for the third wicket with Mahmudul Hasan.But the rest of Kalabagan’s batting line-up crumbled quickly, with Qazi Onik picking up career-best figures of 6-49 from his 8.5 overs.Rony Talukdar and Enamul Haque struck fifties and shared a 98-run second wicket stand to provide Mohammedan with a good start.Shamsur Rahman’s steady 38 kept them going for a while but when he fell as the eighth wicket, Mohammedan still needed 27 to win.Taijul Islam and Onik batted well, to add the remaining runs as they won with four balls to spare. Sanjit Saha took three wickets for Kalabagan.

The New Zealand legspinner replaces injured Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2018New Zealand legspinner Ish Sodhi is set for his maiden IPL stint after being signed by Rajasthan Royals as a replacement for the injured left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan. Sodhi, currently the No. 4 T20I bowler, has been acquired at his base price of INR 50 lakh (USD 77,000).Zahir was one among four Afghanistan players, apart from Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, bought at the player auction in January. Zahir, who had set his base price at INR 20 lakh, was acquired for three times that amount. He caught the eye of the franchise during the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January.In January 2017, Sodhi picked up the second-best figures in Australia’s Big Bash League while playing for Adelaide Strikers. Incidentally, his 6 for 11 came after he was signed as a replacement for England’s Chris Jordan towards the end of the season.Sodhi has picked up 102 wickets in 92 T20s at an average of 23.09 and economy of 7.66. Only a week ago, Sodhi made news for his lower-order batting that helped New Zealand salvage a thrilling draw against England in Christchurch.Sodhi isn’t entirely unfamiliar to bowling in India, having previously been part of two New Zealand A tours to the country. He also featured in their World T20 campaign in 2016 as well as in New Zealand’s limited-overs squad during their tour of India in September, as a replacement for Todd Astle.

In the absence of their star allrounder Kamau Leverock, Bermuda collapsed from a strong position and never recovered

The Report by Peter Della Penna29-Apr-2018Peter Della Penna

Freddie Klokker’s unbeaten 108, coming on the back of left-arm spinner Bashir Shah’s excellent spell, propelled Denmark to an eight-wicket win over Bermuda in their WCL Division Four clash at the Royal Selangor Club.However, perhaps the day’s bigger news came at the start, when Bermuda left out star allrounder Kamau Leverock. The move came less than 24 hours after his expletive-laden public tirade at the team’s final training session at Kinrara Oval, before the start of the tournament.Bermuda had a solid opening stand without Leverock, after being sent in at the toss, as Okera Bascome fired away to 63 off 41 balls in an 81-run partnership with captain Terryn Fray.But by the end of the day, Leverock’s absence was telling, as Bermuda collapsed from 134 for 1 to 155 for 7. Though the top three each made solid contributions, only one other batsman made double figures subsequently. Shah crippled Bermuda with 3 for 17 in 10 overs, whereafter Charles Trott tried to resuscitate the innings with 36 off 45 balls at No. 8. Bermuda were eventually bowled out for 209 in the 48th over.Klokker opened the chase and stayed till the end, striking eight fours and a six. He shared an 89-run opening partnership with Zameer Khan (38 off 56 balls) before an unbroken 115-run stand with the new captain Hamid Shah (48 not out off 59 balls) took Denmark across the line with 49 balls to spare.

Anti-corruption officers have sought clarification from the Pakistan team management after a couple of their players were seen wearing what appeared to be smart watches

George Dobell at Lord's24-May-20180:34

Watches won’t be worn again – Hasan

Anti-corruption officials have told Pakistan’s players not to wear smart watches on the field after a couple of their players were seen with them on the first day at Lord’s.As per the ICC’s Player and Match Officials Area Regulations, wearing smart watches is prohibited on the field and areas designated as player and match official area [PMOA]. An ICC release on Friday confirmed that such devices must be surrendered, along with mobile devices, upon arrival at the ground on match days.”The ACSU officer came to speak to us and told us it’s not allowed to wear them so we won’t be wearing them,” Hasan Ali said after the day’s play.In an effort to combat corruption in cricket over the last few years, players and officials have been obliged to hand over their phones (and any other transmitting devices) to anti-corruption officials ahead of the start of play. They are then locked away and returned to them shortly after stumps.ICC regulations state that: “Communication devices are prohibited within the PMOA, barring specific exceptions. Without exception, no player shall be in possession of, or use a communication device (such as a mobile phone or a device which is connected to the internet), while in the PMOA.”Asad Shafiq checks his watch•Getty Images

An ICC spokesman told ESPNcricinfo: “Apple watches in any way connected to a phone/WiFi or in any way capable of receiving comms such as messages, are not allowed. In effect, it is considered a phone unless ‘disabled’ and just a watch.”There are several legitimate reasons to continue to wear such a watch when disabled. It still tells the time, for example – though there is also a large clock overlooking the playing area at Lord’s – while fitness data can all be recorded and stored on a disabled device.Asad Shafiq, who wore the watch on Thursday, had said in a pre-series interview with the commentator Ramiz Raja that players use the watch to track their daily exertions, and that they burn “around 3000 calories” on a regular day of Test cricket.”We definitely get an idea [of fitness measures],” Shafiq said. “If you wear it the whole day you get an idea, you get the results of your workout in front of you, and you can calculate your targets for the next day.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC’s anti-corruption officer at the match, Peter O’Shea, was surprised by photographs appearing to show the devices and approached the Pakistan team management at the end of play. The ICC has the power to confiscate the devices and download all material from them in order to monitor recent activity.While there is no allegation of wrongdoing, the ICC on Friday stated that it will caution players against wearing such devices in order to avoid such confusion in the future. Their own regulations may well be tightened to reflect that stance.May 25, GMT 0600 The article was amended to include Asad Shafiq’s quotes.May 25, GMT 0745 The article was amended to reflect ICC’s PMOA regulations.

Wayne Madsen scored his 27th first-class hundred for Derbyshire but Northants made a good start to their pursuit of 314 to win

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2018
ScorecardNorthamptonshire skipper Alex Wakely revived his team’s chances of pulling off a record-breaking run chase after another Wayne Madsen century set up the prospect of a thrilling finish to the Division Two match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.Madsen made 116 and allrounder Matt Critchley 51 as Derbyshire posted 342 to set Northants 314, which would be the highest fourth innings total at Queen’s Park. Dan Wheeldon dismissed England batsman Ben Duckett to claim his maiden first-class wicket but 68 from Luke Proctor and an unbeaten 48 from Wakely took the visitors to 174 for 3, 140 short of their target.The first session was always likely to be pivotal and Derbyshire were the team who went into lunch in a position of strength thanks to Madsen and Harvey Hosein. Both played patiently to deny Northants early wickets and although the bowlers maintained discipline on another stiflingly hot morning, there were few alarms for the batsmen.By the time Hosein was bowled sweeping at Seekkuge Prasanna for 38, Derbyshire’s lead was 180 and Critchley helped Madsen add another 40 to that by lunch. Madsen completed his 27th first-class hundred for Derbyshire from 170 balls and although he fell to a smart slip catch soon after, he had given his side the initiative.Critchley acknowledged his fourth Championship fifty of the season before he was unluckily run out but Hardus Viljoen hit Prassana for two big sixes to take Derbyshire’s lead past 300.Northants knew they would have to bat exceptionally well on a pitch taking increasing turn and the odds against them appeared to lengthen when they lost Duckett and Ricardo Vasconcelos in the first 14 overs.Duckett was hit on the back leg by a good ball from Wheeldon and when Vasconcelos edged offspinner Hamidullah Qadri to slip, the target looked a long way off. But Proctor and Wakely showed good judgement and Northants’s hopes were starting to climb when Critchley got one to pop to have Proctor caught at leg slip.Another wicket would have made Derbyshire favourites but Wakely and Richard Levi batted through the last 10 overs to tilt the match towards Northants although the outcome remains in the balance.

Allrounder hopes England’s performance has ‘shut a few mouths’ as he stars on eve of Bristol court case.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2018An emotionally spent Ben Stokes admitted that “playing for England means so much” after his final-day heroics with the ball secured his team a thrilling 31-run victory over India at Edgbaston.Stokes’ participation in the second Test at Lord’s – and beyond – will depend on how his trial for affray develops, when the case gets underway at Bristol Crown Court on Monday.However, he managed to put his off-field worries to one side with a brilliant three-wicket intervention on Saturday – including the priceless scalp of Virat Kohli, lbw to an inswinger for 51.”It’s great to be a part of this game, but I don’t know … I don’t know what to be feeling right now,” Stokes told at the end of the match.”Throughout the whole innings … Kohli played a brilliant knock in the first innings, but with the ball swinging, he was trying to move across to play for that inswinger, but actually it was the one that I was trying to swing away [that set the wicket up], he maybe leant over and missed one for a change.”Moments like that change the game in these tight ones. I’m proud to be part of this group, playing for England means so much, and it’s a great start to this tough five-match series. Being 1-0 up we’re in the box seat at the moment.”Stokes followed that dismissal up by having Mohammed Shami caught behind for a duck in the same over, before wrapping up the contest when Hardik Pandya fenced another lifter to Alastair Cook at first slip.”We weren’t quite sure what to expect here,” Stokes said. “We knew we needed five wickets and we had all the confidence, These games are brilliant. We’ve copped a lot of stick as a team recently and beating a team like India there has closed a few mouths.”Winning those tight games, you can’t underestimate what it gives teams for confidence. We’ve got a five-Test match series here, so we’ll take all the confidence we can. There’s no better way to start it off than that.”Stokes’ all-round impact in a tight Edgbaston Test brought to mind the efforts of Ian Botham in 1981 and Andrew Flintoff in 2005, but he paid particular tribute to another allrounder whose four-wicket haul in the first innings and vital half-century in the second kept England afloat in the game.”I thought we are a bit behind with the lead but Sam Curran took them out of play,” he said. “The way that he played at such a young age, that was the big turning point of this Test match.”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2018Rajneesh Gurbani’s 7 for 81 ensured three points for India Red in a drawn opening match against India Green in the Duleep Trophy 2018-19. Green ended up 28 runs short of Red’s first-innings total, ending with one point as the match petered out into a draw on Monday, the fourth and final day.Abhinav Mukund had won the toss for Red and chose to bat at the NPR College Ground in Dindigul, and the team was bowled out for 337. Gurbani, who made 22 from No.8, was part of a lower-order resistance led by Mihir Hirwani’s career-best 61 that pushed Red past 300.All batsmen in the top six had got starts, but only Ashutosh Singh made a substantial score, holding much of the innings together with a patient 80.The extra runs proved crucial, as Green were bowled out for 309 despite B Indrajith’s 109 and Sudip Chatterjee’s 82. Green looked on course to take the first-innings lead when Indrajith and Chatterjee were putting together a 123-run stand for the third wicket. But Chatterjee was run out by Hirwani with the score at 158, and Green’s innings faltered after that.They would have still entertained hopes of grabbing the lead at 301 for 6, but Gurbani took out K Vignesh, Jalaj Saxena and Ashok Dinda in seven balls as Green slid to 302 for 9. Shahbaz Nadeem had Ankit Rajput caught shortly after as Green fell short of Red’s first-innings tally.With only academic interest left in the match, Sanjay Ramaswamy hit an unbeaten 123, while B Aparajith matched his twin brother’s feat with an unconquered 101 as Red piled up 262 for 1 before declaring, at which point both teams shook hands to end the four-day contest.All the matches in the Duleep Trophy will be held at the same venue, and are day-night affairs played with the pink ball. The next game will pit Red against India Blue from August 23.

Alastair Cook addressed a variety of issues, from mental strength to Kevin Pietersen to his future with Essex, after announcing his impending retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2018Alastair Cook addressed a variety of issues, from mental strength to Kevin Pietersen to his future with Essex, in the wake of his announcement that he will retire from Test cricket at the end of the Oval TestWhat do you make of the reaction to your retirement news over the last couple of days?

It’s been a bit surreal. One of my friends rang me to check I was still alive because everyone was talking as if I’d died. It is nice when you hear so many nice words said about you. The last couple of days I’ve been back at home so I hadn’t seen what has been said or written until last night. I allowed myself a look last night. It means a lot. For example, someone stopped me when I was driving in and made me wind down the window and said ‘thank you very much’. That was a nice moment. Hopefully this week will go well, I can score some runs and then go home.When did you decide that this would be your last series?

It’s hard to put into words but there have been signs in my mind over the last six months that this was going to happen. I told Rooty before the game and then Trevor during the game.Why do it before the last Test?

In this day and age it’s very hard to keep anything quiet. If it were 2-2 I’d have had to keep my mouth shut. When you do media you get asked questions so it’s hard to constantly lie, though I’ve been pretty good at it! But there’s certain questions you’re asked and you know you’re not being true to yourself. If it were 2-2 I’d have kept my mouth shut but, once you’ve made a decision like that, it’s always in the back of your mind. As soon as I told Rooty I felt more of a release.What have your personal highlights been?

You can’t really look past those two away series where I was man of the series and we won, in Australia and India. That was the best I could play and probably, in my career as a whole, I can look back and say I probably became the best player I could become. That actually means quite a lot to me. Yes, I’ve never been the most talented cricketer, and I don’t pretend I was, but I definitely think I got everything out of my ability.Anything you’d do differently?

Of course there are decisions in hindsight that you question. Clearly the KP affair was a tough year, there’s no doubt about that. The fall-out of that wasn’t great for English cricket and wasn’t great for me. I was involved in that decision without being the bloke who actually made the final decision.What would it mean to you to finish on a high here?

That would be fantastic but it would be great for England to win, most importantly – 4-1 sounds better than 3-2. But if I could play a really good innings that would be fantastic.Can you tell us about the moment you told your team-mates?

I was a couple of beers in, which I needed to be otherwise I would have cried more than I actually did. I managed to hold it together. At the end of the game I just said ‘this might be good news for some and sad for others but it’s time. I’ve done my bit and if picked the next game it will be my last one.’ That’s kind of all I said. There was a bit of silence, then Mo said something, we all laughed and everyone got on with it. We had a nice evening in the changing room.You mentioned there had been signs in the last six months; what were those signs?

I’ve always had that mental edge. I’ve always been mentally incredibly tough and had that edge to everything I’ve done. But that edge had kind of gone. The stuff I’d found easy before wasn’t quite there. That to me that was the biggest thing.Alastair Cook brought up his fifth Test double century•Getty Images

Did you consider asking for six months off and then taking another look at this decision?

It did cross my mind briefly as the decision became clearer in my mind but, if you’re looking at the last two or three years, I haven’t played huge amounts of games. I’ve never struggled with getting on another plane or ever thought ‘here’s another game of cricket’. I’ve never struggled with that. When I’ve been talking about that little mental edge I’ve lost, if you have six months off and then come back, I don’t think it would have been there. Once the decision is in your mind, you ask people about it along the way and they say ‘when you know, you know’ and I honestly think that’s so true. For me, anyway.What do you think of the theory that, as an old-school batsman, you’re the last of a dying breed?

Naturally kids are going to be attracted by the razzmatazz of Twenty20 cricket. I’ve seen it when youngsters have come into the Essex team. Their attacking game is better than their defensive game. That’s fact, I believe. I’m not sure I’m the last of a dying breed, but there will certainly be less cricketers of my ilk who are naturally suited to red-ball cricket rather than white-ball cricket. The kids will have a diet of T20. We had it when I was younger but we still built any innings for the first five. We didn’t think ‘I’ll whack it over the keeper’s head third ball.’ I don’t think we should be scared of that. We have to embrace it and we are embracing it. If we play less Test cricket, which might happen, we might place more importance on it.Was the fall-out from KP situation your lowest point?

It could have been handled differently. The moment Andrew Strauss came on board and said he was making the decision, personally for me that was the best thing that could have happened. I have a regret over it, it wasn’t great for English cricket. The end of the Sri Lanka series and the second Test against India at Lord’s – that period – that was the lowest point.You’re happy you had the stubbornness to carry on?

Absolutely. That was when it was real tough and I didn’t throw the towel in. I still thought I was the best man for the job and the right man to be captain at that time. It wasn’t easy. I could have taken the easy option but I didn’t. And I got the – that sounds selfish – the team got the reward winning the 2015 Ashes, which was just brilliant.Who was the toughest opponent you faced?

I think I must regret getting Ishant Sharma out as my wicket, because he’s kind of got his revenge since getting me out constantly over the last couple of series. The ball going away from me from around the wicket I found the hardest to conquer. But in general, a bowler who maybe is not the quickest but constantly hits line and lengths – it goes back to when I played as an 11-year-old and a 60-year-old dropped it on a length. I never had the power or the shots to knock bowlers off their lengths. So a bowler who hangs it there and doesn’t give me the pace to work with, that I found the hardest.Have you had a chance to think about what comes next? Essex would like you to stay in the game.

It’s nice of them to say that. I’m still going to play for Essex and I am really looking forward to that. It would be a big step going from all I have ever lived for is playing cricket and chasing my dreams to suddenly not having that, that would be a big thing, so it’s great Essex still want me. I am determined after a break to score some runs for them and help them win some trophies. There’s some great people. If mentally I don’t have that buzz I won’t hang around. I have never done media or coaching, just focussed on scoring runs for Essex and England. Whenever this day came I will cross that bridge. I imagine I will be changing nappies after what happened with Isobel – there will be some payback for that – but we’ll see what happens in the new year. It’s exciting.Did you have to sacrifice a lot to pursue this career in cricket?

It wasn’t hard sacrificing. I was stubborn enough and knew what I wanted to do. Missing a stag trip or a lad’s party, it was because it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t a sacrifice. But you rely on other people, with the family, farming … that wouldn’t be there to come back to if it wasn’t for people like Alice’s mum and dad, their family, the friends who help Alice. So they have probably put more of a sacrifice in than I have to make sure that, when I do go home, things are still running smoothly. It’s not just my effort, yes I have put stuff in on my game but to have that to come back to is very special. They have sacrificed more than I have.What made you fall in love with the game in the first place?

The battle between bat and ball. It’s a one-on-one thing. I love that stuff, but you play it in a team. I love the individual sport stuff but the experiences I’ve had with some great people over 12 or 15 years … if you’re on your own in an individual sport I don’t think you get that. That individual thing: me versus the bowler, but you get that team as well, and that’s why it suits me so well.How have you changed as a person since your debut and do you think people might appreciate more now how tough opening the batting is?

I’m sure I’ve changed as a person. I’ve become more confident in certain situations. The one thing about captaincy is that it gives you a chance to grow. It throws you into so many different situations that you can only grow as a person. I hope I’m still the same person as when I started. I think those who know me best would say that. They’ll still same I’m stubborn; they’ll still say I’m single-minded and hopefully still okay to be around. And I think everyone knows opening is the toughest job in the team. I’m still going to say that now I’ve finished.What’s your assessment of where the team is now and where it’s going? Is this a chance for Joe to put his stamp on the team?

I think he is putting his stamp on the team. He’s growing every day into the role. As I found, I was a very different captain in the first couple of years to the second couple. I see that with Rooty. I think the team is in a really good space in home series. I think we’re an incredibly good side at home. So the challenge is, can we be more successful abroad? And be a bit more consistent. This team now is more talented than any I’ve played in. They can do special things on their day. It’s just a question of whether they can be more consistent and more adept away from home.

Officials expect the three-member panel, which finished proceedings on Wednesday, to deliver a verdict with an impact that goes beyond cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin04-Oct-2018The ICC panel hearing a dispute between the PCB and BCCI could potentially deliver a “landmark” judgment with reverberations for all intersections between sports and politics.A three-person dispute panel, set up to arbitrate the PCB’s claims for monetary compensation for two bilateral tours the BCCI didn’t honour, finished proceedings in Dubai on Wednesday.There is no indication when the panel, headed by Michael Beloff QC and including legal heavyweights Jan Paulsson and Dr Annabelle Bennett, will return a verdict though it is not unusual in such cases for it to take anywhere between four and six weeks.Lawyers from both sides presented their cases over three days that began in what was described as a “tense” and “formal” atmosphere and which remained “intense” throughout. A couple of officials likened it to the tension of an India-Pakistan limited-overs encounter.The dispute centers around an agreement the two boards signed in 2014 to play six series over eight years between 2015 and 2023. That agreement was the price the BCCI paid for the PCB’s approval of the Big Three governance changes; those changes were first voted in before being reversed.The PCB is claiming compensation of USD 63 million for two series it was supposed to host in November 2014 and December 2015 as per the agreement, but which eventually did not take place.The primary reason for the BCCI’s refusal to tour is political. Ties between the two countries have been strained since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and BCCI officials have made it clear that the decision to tour ultimately hinges on the Indian Prime Minister’s office.To that end, the appearance of the most high-profile witness at the arbitration, Salman Khurshid, India’s foreign minister at the time the agreement was signed.Officials and witnesses are under strict instructions to not talk publicly about the proceedings but Khurshid explained to the panel that it was “beyond the control” of cricket boards to organise a bilateral series in the troublesome prism of India-Pakistan relations.”I gave my expert evidence to the ICC panel and explained how the Indian government reacts to situations where security of people are under threat,” Khurshid told the . “Fortunately, when I was minister we didn’t have to deal with such (crisis) issues but irrespective of governments, I could express how one would react to fulfilling obligations that’s beyond the control of cricket boards.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The BCCI also argued that the agreement was a letter of intent that would only become a binding agreement once government permission had been granted. The PCB’s counter was that under English law it suffices as an agreement.Khurshid was one of five witnesses the BCCI called up. Among the others were Sanjay Patel, the board secretary and signatory to the agreement, Sundar Raman, a key figure in the ICC revamp, and Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI administrative head who was a conduit between the board and government.Also appearing was Shashank Manohar, the ICC chairman who was BCCI president in 2015 when one of the series was scheduled (Manohar, in fact, had shown an inclination to play the series subject to government approval). His appearance as a BCCI witness while ICC chairman raised eyebrows – the PCB was unhappy with his role as a mediator in one of the good-faith meetings the boards had before this panel was set up. Conspicuous by their absence, however, were N Srinivasan, the BCCI president at the time of the agreement, and the then secretary Anurag Thakur. None of the witnesses were current BCCI officials.The PCB, in contrast, called upon just Najam Sethi, their board chairman at the time, and Subhan Ahmed, the chief operating officer. At least to PCB eyes that witness count is illustrative of the two approaches to the case: the PCB simplifying and focusing on what it believes matters most – the agreement letter – and the BCCI going beyond that and into the circumstances in which it was created and under which it could operate.Only two outcomes are now possible – that the PCB wins its claim or it doesn’t. The panel cannot force the lost series to be rescheduled. But as much as the money, both boards – and the ICC – will be relieved to receive some long overdue clarity on cricket’s most compelling but presently moribund rivalry.The pair are not going to meet in Test cricket’s new showpiece event, the two-year Test Championship starting next year. They are not scheduled to meet in the following two-year cycle either, or in the concurrent ODI league. That confines the rivalry to ICC limited-overs events and other multilateral tournaments such as the Asia Cup for the foreseeable future.Written closing arguments now have to be submitted to the panel within a week, into which new arguments could be introduced based on the evidence presented over the last three days.Officials expect the decision to have an impact beyond cricket. The issues at play – of government involvement, of the sport being used as a tool for diplomacy but also being held hostage to politics – resonates in several other sports. Any decision here – reached by a heavyweight panel with accomplished legal minds – could be used hereon as a precedent in other sports where geopolitics cannot help but get entangled.