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Chris Dent saved Gloucestershire from an unwanted record when he became the first home batsman to register three figures in a Championship match at Bristol this year while Glamorgan’s Aneurin Donald just missed out on a county record

PA/ECB23-Sep-2015
ScorecardChris Dent scored Gloucestershire’s first Championship century at Bristol•Getty Images

Chris Dent compiled an assured 102 not out on the second day of the match against Glamorgan as Gloucestershire’s batsmen finally produced the goods in a Championship match at the Bristol County Ground.Glamorgan posted 433 in their first innings, teenager Aneurin Donald top-scoring with a career-best 98. But Gloucestershire fought back and reached the close on 243 for three, courtesy of a third wicket stand of 137 between Dent and Hamish Marshall.They still trail by 190 runs, but are handily-placed to avoid a fifth defeat in six red ball matches at Nevil Road, where first-innings runs have been in short supply this summer.For once, Gloucestershire made a decent fist of batting in the face of scoreboard pressure, Dent finishing the campaign the same way he began it in the opening game at Northants, by scoring a hundred.Marshall weighed in with an enterprising 58 and Benny Howell contributed an unbeaten 40 as the home side made the most of an easy-paced pitch.If the first day belonged to Glamorgan batsman Donald, this was definitely Dent’s day, the left-hander registering his third century of the summer to extricate his team from a potentially hazardous situation. In the process, he became the first Gloucestershire batsman to register three figures in a Championship match at Bristol this year.When Will Tavare and Gareth Roderick fell for single-figure scores to Craig Meschede and Michael Hogan respectively, the home side were 32 for 2 and under pressure on a pitch still offering a modicum of assistance to the seam bowlers.Dent and Marshall summoned admirable resistance in a third-wicket partnership of 137 in 31 overs as Gloucestershire fought back.
Marshall required six balls fewer than his partner to reach 50, but the New Zealander was unable to convert his half century into a really imposing total, fending a rising delivery from Hogan to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.Dent raised his 50 from 89 deliveries before pressing down hard on the accelerator. He faced a further 65 balls to realise three figures, bringing up that landmark by clipping Meschede behind square leg for four before bad light forced a premature conclusion with 17 overs unused.Fuller had earlier underlined his value to Gloucestershire, returning figures of 4-59 to lead a spirited fight-back during the morning session. Resuming on 338 for 4, Glamorgan lost their last six wickets for 95 runs.There was frustration and disappointment for 18-year-old Donald, who fell two runs short of eclipsing Matthew Maynard and becoming Glamorgan’s youngest-ever century-maker in the Championship.The Gorseinon-born batsman had scored a career-best 98 when he chased a wide delivery outside off-stump from Fuller and offered a catch to Dent at second slip. Howell then mopped up the tail, accounting for Meschede, Andrew Salter and Hogan in quick succession to finish with 3 for 28 from 8.3 overs.

Shane Warne has declared Adil Rashid to be a “wonderful” bowler with a leg-break to rival the best he has ever seen in the game

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2015Shane Warne has declared Adil Rashid to be a “wonderful” bowler with a leg-break to rival the best he has ever seen in the game, after imparting his wisdom to the young legspinner in an hour-and-a-half nets session in Sharjah.Warne, who had already worked alongside Pakistan’s own legspinner, Yasir Shah, on Thursday, said that he had witnessed glimpses of “magic” from Rashid, most notably during his second-innings haul of 5 for 64 at Abu Dhabi, when he bounced back from delivering the worst figures by a Test debutant in history to give England a genuine shot at an improbable victory.However, Warne has also warned the England management to be patient with Rashid as he gets to grips with the requirements of Test-class legspin, following an eventful introduction in the first two Tests against Pakistan in the UAE.”The over-riding thing is he’s a wonderful bowler,” said Warne. “When anyone starts their Test career, it takes time to see the best of them. What we’ve seen already is some glimpses of magic. We’ve already seen he can do it at this level.”It’s about being consistent, so that’s going to take time. All of us need to be a bit patient with him. And he needs to be patient too. But there’s not too many people going round with a better leg-break than Rashid’s. He’s as good as anyone I’ve seen, ever.”It was a pleasure to work with him. I think he has all the toys and tools, I think he’s a wonderful bowler, a good kid and he thinks about the  game. A lot of spinners don’t really think like he does. We have to make sure he doesn’t over-think. He needs to keep a clear mind, keep his plans and just go out and deliver.”Warne also said there was no need to always compare the two legspinner in this series. Yasir has a smoother action and bowls significantly quicker than Rashid, whose slower style often allows batsmen to play him off the pitch, but Warne said it was not a one-size-fits-all style.”They are completely different bowlers. Rashid can be just as successful. It’s a different style. It doesn’t mean it is not as effective. They can have the best tools in the trade but you have to think right, how big is his heart? Is he up for the fight? Is he patient? Does he want the ball in his hand when it is tough? All those things you don’t know about a spin bowler no matter how good you think they are. Yasir looks like he’s got it. Rashid, we’ve seen him bowl some magic in the first Test. So he’s got it.”Warne’s offer to assist Rashid was a radical departure from his former life as one of English cricket’s most notorious adversaries. However, the gesture was accepted by the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, who has made a habit of utilising specialist overseas coaches in his short time in charge of England’s fortunes.Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka batsman, was recruited ahead of the first Test to help England develop their techniques for Asian conditions, while Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand spinner, will be helping out at the England Performance Programme in the UAE next month.Warne spent 15 minutes talking to Rashid at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium before a half-hour one-on-one session, with England’s bowling coach, Ottis Gibson also in attendance.The trio was then joined by Alastair Cook, England’s captain, a man whose leadership has previously attracted Warne’s criticism in print and in his TV commentary, but whose more innovative approach to tactics and field placings in recent months has been widely acknowledged.Warne has regularly stated in the past that legspinners need careful management by their captains, both in terms of tactics and the timings of their spells, and after greeting Cook with a warm handshake, the four men all gathered together to talk through the challenges of the art.”No one is the best captain when they first start,” said Warne. “About 18 months ago Cooky and I chatted on phone and had it out. It’s not a personal vendetta or going to affect my friendship. But I need to have an opinion. You can’t sit on the fence.”He also gave Cook a positive endorsement over his tactics with Rashid. “Cooky had it exactly right. give him protection at the start, attack as you get into it. And then work together as you go along. But really it’s up to Rashid to come up with those plans and for Cooky to back them.”On the perception that Cook is a better captain now than at the height of Warne’s criticism in 2014, Warne replied: “One hundred percent. We saw that during the Ashes. He captained very well.”At the conclusion of the session, during which Warne sent down about 30 deliveries himself with Jonny Bairstow acting as keeper and said it “fizzed a bit”, he tweeted: “Thanks again to both Pakistan & England for allowing me to have a bowling session with 2 wonderful young leg spinners. Give it a rip boys !!”

Central Districts came from behind to stun Auckland and surge to the top of the points table in New Plymouth

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2015
ScorecardMichael Bates’ incisive spell of 4 for 28 went in vain•Getty Images

Central Districts came from behind to stun Auckland and surge to the top of the points table in New Plymouth. Chasing a competitive 135, Central Districts were reduced to 27 for 5 in the sixth over – the top-five batsmen were dismissed for single-digit scores. However, 18-year-old Josh Clarkson stabilised the chase with a 43-run stand with Kruger van Wyk. The ebbs and flows were not done just yet as left-arm seamer Michael Bates struck twice for Auckland to leave the chase at 99 for 7 in the 17th over. But Clarkson was still there and he stayed there till the end. His 36-run partnership in just 16 balls with No.9 Marty Kain was the final swing of the pendulum as Central Districts won by three wickets and six balls to spare.Clarkson finished with an unbeaten 64 off 48 balls, an innings that featured four fours and four sixes. Bates picked up figures of 4 for 28 while fellow left-armer Donovan Grobbelaar chipped in with two wickets off two overs.Earlier, Auckland lost their openers within the first three overs after being put in to bat before Rob Nicol and Colin Munro steadied the ship. The score was being ushered towards fifty when Andrew Mathieson ended Munro’s seven-ball 20 in the seventh over and followed it up with the wicket of Colin de Grandhomme two balls later.Robert O’Donnell, playing his first T20 match, added 65 runs with Nicol before before Mathieson intervened again to remove Nicol for 39 off 47 balls. Acceleration thereafter was limited – only 25 runs came off the final 16 balls – but O’Donnell did make a fifty to help Auckland to 134 for 5. Mathieson finished with figures of 4-1-18-3.

The third day in Dunedin was overcast, cold and windy – conditions that were as familiar to New Zealand as they were foreign to Sri Lanka, and the visitors struggled to cope

The Report by George Binoy11-Dec-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn stark contrast to the previous two days in Dunedin, the third was overcast, cold and windy – conditions that were as familiar to New Zealand as they were foreign to Sri Lanka. The visitors struggled to cope: their batsmen succumbed to the moving ball, their bowlers toiled in the strong breeze, and their fielders put down catches in the chilly weather. The upshot was an ever-widening distance between the two teams, exemplified by New Zealand’s 308-run lead with nine wickets in hand and two days remaining.Sri Lanka’s troubles began in the first over, when Tim Southee dismissed Dinesh Chandimal with his second ball. The delivery swerved into the right-hander from over the wicket, landed on a good length around middle and off stump, and seamed away. Chandimal was squared up in his crease as he tried to defend, and Martin Guptill dived across first slip from second to catch the edge.In his second over, Southee swung two consecutive balls on to Kithuruwan Vithanage’s pads and the batsman glanced both to the fine-leg boundary. The next delivery slanted away from the left-hander with a scrambled seam, and Vithanage chased it with a cover drive, giving BJ Watling his fifth catch. Sri Lanka had lost both overnight batsmen in the first 15 minutes.From 209 for 6, Sri Lanka were lifted briefly by a plucky stand of 43. Milinda Siriwardana, playing in only his third Test, attacked the fast bowlers – driving through cover and down the ground, pulling and cutting too. Herath batted cautiously after successfully reviewing a catch down the leg side that had gone off his boot, and took 22 balls to get off the mark.With around 30 minutes to lunch, New Zealand began bowling short, aiming at the batsman’s ribs with catchers on the leg side. Herath was the primary target, and was hit on the gloves by Wagner and on the helmet by Southee. When New Zealand came at Siriwardana with short balls, he pulled. He was caught on the long-leg boundary by Doug Bracewell, who fell over the rope because he had been back-pedalling and could not control his momentum. But three balls later, Wagner sent down another short delivery and Siriwardana fended it to Ross Taylor at slip.Brendon McCullum continued the short-ball attack after lunch, often placing no fielders in front of the wicket on the offside. Wagner began the 100th over with a bouncer, Herath ducked. The second ball was also short, Herath was beaten on the pull. The third was short too, and Herath top-edged towards long leg, where Trent Boult ran in at speed to take the catch. He had made 15 off 74 balls, and was the only batsman to not be caught by the wicketkeeper or the slip cordon.Sri Lanka were eventually dismissed for 294 in 117.1 overs – a commendable period of time for such a raw batting line-up – having added 97 for 6 on the third day, conceding a first-innings lead of 137.Like they had done while batting, Sri Lanka sought to take time out of the Test in the field too, by slowing New Zealand down with more accurate bowling and defensive fields – Angelo Mathews had men out at deep point and square leg early on. It worked for the hour before tea, when Guptill and Tom Latham minimised risk against the new ball.They lifted the tempo in the final session, though, with Guptill taking charge. He could have been caught on 19 and 42, but Kusal Mendis put down a fierce cut at cover, and Suranga Lakmal failed to catch a drive on his follow-through. It was the first time New Zealand had two half-century opening partnerships in a Test since December 2009.New Zealand targeted Herath once again, Guptill charging down the pitch to hit powerfully to and over the long-on boundary in the same over. He looked good for a second 50-plus score in the Test until he was bowled by a delivery that shot through at ankle height, an aberration on this surface. It was scant consolation for Herath, who conceded 39 runs in eight overs.Williamson and Lathan built on the opening stand of 79, by raising their half-century stand in 61 balls, rapidly building the lead. Williamson passed 1000 runs at an average of more than 90 for the year by stepping out and lofting Herath to the wide long-on boundary, while Latham finally looked to be shaking his tendency to give away a start.He ended the day unbeaten on 72, Williamson on 48, their partnership of 92 coming at 4.27 an over. New Zealand will aim to continue at similar pace on the fourth morning, to give themselves five sessions to dismiss Sri Lanka to take a lead in the series.

Kagiso Rabada is being primed for a short county stint of around six weeks, a move endorsed by his national coach Russell Domingo

Firdose Moonda01-Feb-2016While Kagiso Rabada’s workload will be managed in the limited-overs series against England, he may not be able to enjoy as much of a winter break as his team-mates. Rabada is being primed for a short county stint of around six weeks, a move endorsed by his national coach Russell Domingo.”It will benefit him massively,” Domingo said. “He is still a young boy. He hasn’t played a lot of four-day cricket and South Africa tour England in 2017 – there is a big series there with Tests and a Champions Trophy – so whatever experience he can get beforehand will be beneficial for him and the team. I think it’s a very good idea.”Rabada has played just 20 first-class matches in South Africa, including three Tests during the England series, but already holds two records. Last February, his 14 for 105 were the best bowling figures in franchise history, bettering the 14 for 110 taken by Dale Steyn seven seasons before. And last week, Rabada’s 13 in Centurion equalled the most wickets taken by a South African in a Test.He was the leading wicket-taker overall in the recently completed four-Test series against England, which immediately prompted questions over whether he was considering a county future. At the conclusion of the Centurion Test, Rabada said he would consider doing “anything that benefits my game” in the near future. He has not entered the IPL auction and and there is a suggestion a trip to the UK would be better for him at this stage.His agent has been in contact with several counties with details of Rabada’s availability but most have either already agreed their overseas signings, want someone for the full season or are looking for a batsman. An exception is Durham, who may lose the services of Australia quick John Hastings due to a shoulder injury that requires surgery and could look to Rabada for some bolstering.They, too, are wary of his workload though, according to Durham’s head coach, Jon Lewis. “I’m hugely impressed with his performances against England,” Lewis told the Newcastle . “If I was Cricket South Africa I would be very careful with him. I would imagine there would be restrictions on him but we’ve not spoken to him, just expressed a cautious interest.”

Fast bowler Adam Milne has joined the influx of New Zealand players to English county cricket after agreeing a deal with Essex for a stint in the NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2016Fast bowler Adam Milne has joined the influx of New Zealand players to English county cricket after agreeing a deal with Essex for a stint in the NatWest T20 Blast.Subject to his visa being approved, Milne will be at Essex for seven matches in the second half of the T20 campaign. He will join fellow countrymen Jesse Ryder and Matt Quinn, the latter who has a British passport, to make it a trio of New Zealanders at the club.

New Zealand internationals in county cricket

Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner (Worcestershire)
Brendon McCullum and Mitchell McClenaghan (Middlesex)
Hamish Rutherford (Derbyshire)
Jesse Ryder, Adam Milne (Essex)
Ross Taylor (Sussex)
Neil Wagner (Lancashire)
Kane Williamson (Yorkshire)

Chris Silverwood, the Essex head coach, said. “Adam is a young bowler with plenty of international experience already. He is exactly what we were looking for from an overseas player, with his real pace offering something different to our attack.”Milne said: “I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to join Essex and help contribute to a successful NatWest T20 Blast. Essex is a club with such a fantastic history and I look forward to wearing the Eagles logo with pride and making an impact to help bring the T20 Blast silverware to Chelmsford”Milne, who is capable of pushing the speedgun over 90mph but has had an injury-hit career so far, has played 14 T20s for New Zealand, talking 18 wickets at 20.83 with an economy rate of 7.35. He was also part of the New Zealand squad at last year’s World Cup, playing until the quarter-final stage when he picked up a heel injury.New Zealand are now not far off providing a full playing XI in county cricket following a rush of recent signings, including the marquee signature of Brendon McCullum with Middlesex.

Surrey have announced Michael Di Venuto as their new head coach on a three-year deal to replace Graham Ford who has recently returned to work with Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2016Surrey have announced Michael Di Venuto as their new head coach on a three-year deal to replace Graham Ford who has recently returned to work with Sri Lanka.Di Venuto, who played nine ODIs, is currently Australia’s assistant and batting coach and recently took charge of the team when Darren Lehmann suffered DVT. His final Australia assignment will be the T20 tour of South Africa next month and he will join Surrey in early April ahead of the start of their Championship campaign against Nottinghamshire on April 10.Greg Blewett, who is currently Australia’s fielding coach, will take on the batting responsibilities with the national side.Di Venuto has extensive experience of the county game having played for Sussex, Derbyshire and latterly Durham with whom he won back-to-back County Championship titles in 2008 and 2009.”It has been a huge honour and privilege to have worked with the Australian team but the chance to come to a club of the size and potential of Surrey as head coach was too big an opportunity for me to turn down,” Di Venuto said.”As someone who has always enjoyed the county game, I have followed Surrey’s progress over the last couple of years and look forward to working with this talented squad of players.”Alec Stewart, the Surrey director of cricket, said: “Following the departure of Graham Ford it was vitally important that we found another high quality coach with a great work ethic and excellent knowledge of the English county game.”Michael is a good people person and his twelve years of county experience will be invaluable. He is highly regarded within the Australian setup for his ability to work with and get the best out of players both individually and collectively.”Being able to appoint a coach from a top quality International team can only serve to benefit the club and I would like to thank Cricket Australia for their professional dealings and understanding in enabling us to make this appointment in time for the start of the new season.”Pat Howard, Australia’s general manager, thanked Di Venuto for his work alongside Darren Lehmann over the last three years.”Michael has played a very important role supporting the Australian team over the last three years, including this past home summer when he stood in for Darren Lehmann as head coach,” Howard said.”He has brought a tremendous work ethic and commitment to the role and we have no doubt that this head coaching opportunity with Surrey will provide him with fantastic experience leading his own team, continuing his rapid development as an elite coach.”

India captain MS Dhoni called Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 an “incredible innings” after he had helped his team into the World T20 semi-finals with a six-wicket win over Australia

Shashank Kishore in Mohali27-Mar-20163:10

‘Tremendous effort by Kohli’ – Dhoni

Videos of MS Dhoni losing his composure at a press conference after India’s win over Bangladesh caught many by surprise. However on Sunday, the lighter side of the captain resurfaced as he doffed his hat to Virat Kohli for converting a daunting chase at the halfway mark into a canter.Kohli, not for the first time, expertly steered India home, the hallmark of his unbeaten 51-ball 82 being his supreme fitness and ability to find the boundaries at will; he hit nine fours and two sixes in all. Equally creditable was the manner in which he overcame pockets of frustration after struggling to pick up twos when Yuvraj Singh twisted his ankle. For a while, India’s momentum stalled, only for Kohli to tee off in style in Dhoni’s company.”I think it was an incredible innings,” Dhoni said. “The fact is this wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on. Back-of-length deliveries were difficult to get away, especially against the spinners. The good thing was I don’t think they bowled too many spinners. Also, in between, he [Kohli] was hampered when he had the partnership with Yuvraj and they couldn’t convert those one-and-a-half runs to twos. Maybe because of that, to some extent, we had to chase maybe one run per over more than what we would have liked.”It was tremendous batting effort from him, superb batting. Especially the areas where you want to score runs, where you want to play big shots. I think more often than not, it is about selection of shots and execution of shots. I feel overall, Virat was very good not just with his strokeplay but also in the running between the wickets – you take minimum risk if you can run fast.”Dhoni downplayed his role in their partnership, suggesting Kohli’s aggressive running resulting in Steven Smith altering his field, only to see the ball pierce gaps at will. “I’m not somebody like Virat who can hit it over cover, square leg or third man. I know my areas, and if it’s there I like to clear the boundary. That’s what my strength has been,” he said. “In the middle overs it’s all about running between the wickets. If you can take the double, that puts pressure on the fielders. And it pushes the captain to bring the fielder up slowly, and then you look to clear the infield.”It’s not often that Dhoni, one of the fastest runners between the wickets in the modern day, is left panting. But the sprinter in Kohli surfaced soon after Yuvraj’s dismissal as he pinched six twos, including four off the 16th over at a time when the match was still in the balance with India needing 47. Dhoni’s contribution was 18 in the unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 67.Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni ran hard during an unbroken, 67-run stand that sealed victory•AFP

“He needs to pay me for running all his runs,” Dhoni joked, when asked about completing runs that wouldn’t have been possible most times. “I’ve said in the middle overs if you’re a good runner that really takes the pressure of you. I’m not somebody who is great. I play unorthodox cricket, push it in the middle, and run one or two. If it is in your area, hit it for six. It is very simple.”Every team has fielders who are not the quickest. There are those who are quick but don’t have a strong shoulder. There are only a few, with us we have Ravindra Jadeja who can field anywhere and everywhere, we have a Virat Kohli who can do that. But not every team has four or five fielders who can field at important places. That’s where you find them and when it goes there I’ll try to push him for that extra run. And if you do that, it puts a lot of pressure on the bowlers.”There was a point in India’s chase where it seemed like they had hit a road block. Yuvraj, who walked in at No. 5, hurt his ankle and had to be attended to by the physio. After that, India missed at least three opportunities to pick a second run, raising question marks over his fitness. While Yuvraj soldiered on to make an 18-ball 21, the discomfort while running between the wickets was evident.Dhoni wasn’t sure about the extent of Yuvraj’s injury but mentioned the need to have a replacement ready should they need one going into the semi-final, against West Indies on Thursday. “We have to look at Yuvraj’s injury,” he said. “Especially tomorrow morning or close to 24 hours you will get a good opinion about what kind of injury it is.”We would definitely like to keep a replacement ready, like you see how Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] is travelling with us. So that he is in touch with cricket, and travelling with us. So that he’s in that mental space where if he has to play immediately, he’s ready to perform. So we’ll definitely call for a replacement if the physio says it’s really bad, we’ll take it forward from there.”

Niall O’Brien fell seven runs short of a century as he helped Leicestershire recover from 99 for 3 to 297 for 6 by the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan

ECB Reporters Network18-Apr-2016
ScorecardPaul Horton took a blow on the back of the head•Getty Images

Niall O’Brien fell seven runs short of a century as he helped Leicestershire recover from 99 for 3 to 297 for 6 by the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan.O’Brien invariably plays well against Glamorgan. He made his career-best 182 here for Northamptonshire four years ago, scored 133 here in 2014, and should have scored another century this time before chasing a wide one on 93 and nicking it to the wicketkeeper.He shared in useful partnerships with Paul Horton and Mark Pettini but it was O’Brien’s contribution that enabled his team to get within four runs of three batting points and narrow the deficit to 51. With a favourable weather forecast and with two days remaining, the game is finely poised.Glamorgan’s bowlers suffered in the morning session, as three chances were dropped in the slip cordon. There were possibly mitigating circumstances due to the freezing conditions, but Craig Meschede, who bowled an excellent opening spell, was not impressed as Horton and Angus Robson were reprieved.The openers put on 89, before Michael Hogan found the edge, and Jacques Rudolph took a one-handed catch at second slip. Ten runs later, David Lloyd was brought on for an exploratory over before lunch, and responded by taking two wickets in five balls. Neil Dexter slapped a short ball to cover, then three balls later, Mark Cosgrove, who, as a former Glamorgan player averaged 41 during his stay in Wales, and was given a generous welcome by the home crowd, was caught by Mark Wallace.There had been doubts whether Pettini would bat due to a back problem, but although limited in his movements, he stayed with O’Brien for an hour and forty minutes to put on 82, until he was undone by Netherlands paceman Timm van der Gugten, to give him his first wicket for the county.With 16 overs remaining, bad light stopped play, but within 15 minutes they returned to bowl a further two overs, then walked off again. Leicestershire will resume on 297 for 6, with Wayne White on 42 and Ben Raine on 8.

Promotion and relegation could be introduced into Test cricket as early as 2019, if ICC chief executive David Richardson has his way

George Dobell01-Jun-2016Promotion and relegation could be introduced into Test cricket as early as 2019, if ICC chief executive David Richardson has his way. Richardson admitted that Test cricket required added “meaning and context” if it is to survive and revealed that the ICC hopes to unveil plans for the introduction of two divisions and, potentially, a number of new Test nations within the next few weeks.Speaking to promote the 2017 Champions Trophy, Richardson also confirmed an intention to stage an extra World T20 tournament in 2018. The event would, he said, involve “a minimum of 16 teams” and be staged in either South Africa, Sri Lanka or the UAE. The final decision over the event’s go-ahead will be made by the ICC’s broadcasting partner, Star.But it was the plans to reinvigorate Test cricket that were the most eye-catching and radical. Accepting the diminishing returns of current bilateral series, Richardson offered the prospect of Test status to the likes of Nepal, Ireland and Afghanistan, but warned more established nations – notably West Indies – that they could find themselves playing Division Two cricket if they are unable to improve their red-ball form.”There’s a general realisation now that, if we’re going to keep Test cricket going well into the future, we can’t just say it’s going to survive on its own,” Richardson said. “Unless we can give some meaning to these series beyond the rankings and a trophy, then interest in Test cricket will continue to waver. The same applies if we allow uncompetitive Test cricket to take place too often.”If we really want Test cricket to survive, we can’t have the number of Test teams diminishing. We have to create a proper competition structure which provides promotion and relegation and opportunities to get to the top.”A number of member countries are finding that they’re not getting as much from their TV rights for bilateral cricket and they see the need to change and introduce some meaningful context.”The beauty of leagues is that, in theory, you will have a more competitive competition and teams playing each other that are of a more equal standard.”They will all be striving for something. There’s something at stake. They will be thinking ‘We could end up in the Intercontinental Cup if we’re not careful here.’ Hopefully that will inspire performance and make the matches more competitive.”While the details of the plan remain open to debate – Richardson hopes they will be agreed by the end of this month – there is a favoured option, involving the introduction of a top division of seven teams and a second division of five teams. It is likely that the plan would see one team promoted and relegated in each two-year cycle, though it remains possible that a second team could be promoted if the ICC embraced a play-off model with the sixth team in Division One playing the second team in Division Two.Richardson hopes that each qualifying Test series would consist of a minimum of three Tests, though he acknowledged that the growth of domestic T20 leagues might render that impractical. The Ashes series would still consist of five games, with every Test carrying ranking points but the overall number of points in the series not exceeding those available in a three-Test series.”The feeling is that if you want to sustain interest in a competition, you probably can’t go longer than two years with it,” Richardson said. “If you had a top division of seven teams, you’d have six tours – three home, three away – over a two-year period. It works well mathematically.”We could probably make it work in 2019 because hopefully whatever we implement will be better than the current arrangement. It’s the sooner the better as far as we’re concerned. We might need to have some negotiations with broadcasters who have deals in place, but they might be willing to change. This is a marvellous opportunity for the game.”There are two catalysts to the changing mood of an ICC board who, only a few months ago, appeared to have little concern for any interests beyond their own. The first is the election of the new chairman, Shashank Manohar, who seems genuinely committed to growing cricket as a global game and running the ICC as a governing body for the good of all 105 members rather than a favoured few.The second is the diminishing financial value of bilateral series to the Full Member boards, which has allowed Manohar fertile ground on which to plant his ideas.The combination has offered the prospect of unprecedented opportunities for Associate nations in the next few years.Ireland and Afghanistan have ambitions to play Test cricket•ICC/Saleem Sanghati

“The new chairman has gone out of his way to reverse the sense that the ‘Big Three’ are in control,” Richardson said. “There is a bigger desire to regard the ICC as an organisation with 105 members, not just 10 Full Members who are a select, secluded club with no one else allowed in. We want to be more encompassing and allow opportunities for Associate Members to graduate.”We have 105 members at the moment and we want 105 members to be able to play T20 internationals. Obviously not all against each other at the same time but everybody should want to play the T20 format and it will appeal to all of our members. Then the better ones, the top 30 to 35, would graduate to the 50-over game and be involved in global competitions catering to approximately that number of teams.”And then Test cricket is towards the other end of the spectrum, where the top 18 teams perhaps are playing a multi-day format of the game, be it the Intercontinental Cup or part of a Test league.”Countries that you never thought would have ambitions to play multi-day cricket actually have got the potential. Countries like Nepal, Afghanistan and Ireland are keen. But Ireland and Nepal aren’t getting any opportunities. Zimbabwe hardly play. West Indies are focusing more on T20 cricket. Creating a competition and a financial model that underpins it, it will allow them the resources to fund a team and provide incentives for their players to be available to play Test cricket for them.”Richardson also suggested that membership rules could be changed, to decouple Test status and Full Membership.”We’re reviewing the criteria for Full Membership, which will enable countries like Ireland and Afghanistan to become Full Members. But we don’t want to link it to Test cricket. The competition structure is set separate to membership status. It’s about voting or funding opportunities.”As the ICC’s original broadcast deal did not include plans for a global tournament in 2018, it will have to gain permission from its broadcast partner, Star, before confirming the World T20 for 2018.”We’re having discussions now with broadcasters about having a second World T20 in a four-year cycle,” Richardson said. “If they agree – and the board agrees – it would be in 2018 and the venue needs to be decided. The broadcasting agreement says we can’t hold another event without them agreeing to it. So they will have a say in where the event will be held.”The broadcasters obviously want the matches to be played at times which are good for the broadcast market in India. But it probably won’t be India as we’ve just been there. And the timing issue rules out West Indies, Australia and New Zealand. We’re currently unable to play in Pakistan, so that leaves Sri Lanka, South Africa or the UAE as the only options probably. It is too early for America.”It also emerged that England, the hosts of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup, retain hopes of hosting a possible World T20 in 2022, and the World Cup qualifiers in 2018. Those qualifiers are currently scheduled to be played in Bangladesh but if Bangladesh qualify automatically – they are currently ranked seventh and on target to do so – it is likely the qualifiers would be moved to the country where the main tournament will be played the following year.