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South Africa will host an Under-19 tri-series, also involving India and Sri Lanka, as part of their build-up to the youth World Cup in New Zealand early next year

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009South Africa, India and Sri Lanka will take part in an Under-19 tri-series as part of their build-up to the age-group World Cup in New Zealand early next year.The ten-day tournament in Johannesburg begins on December 27, with each team playing the others twice before the top two face off in the final. The tournament is likely to be the last chance to fine-tune their strategies for the World Cup, which starts less than two weeks after the final.Sri Lanka will be confident after winning a home tri-series on Tuesday against Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Unbeaten 74 combined with Lyndon James fifty ends run of three defeats

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Jun-2025Notts Outlaws ended a run of three successive Vitality Blast defeats with a scintillating six-wicket victory at Edgbaston.The Bears piled up 206 for 7, with Tom Latham striking 69 off 39 balls and Dan Mousley 53 off 40 before a spectacular late barrage from Moeen Ali and Ed Barnard brought 57 in 20 balls. Liam Patterson-White took 3 for 37.But the Outlaws, who chased down 226 to beat the Bears at Trent Bridge a month ago, powered to 212 for 7, clinching victory when Tom Moores hit the last ball of the match for six. Moores finished on 74 not out off just 33 balls after Lyndon James struck a vital 50 off 40 and Daniel Sams 16 not out from six balls, including two sixes in a final over from which they needed 16.The Outlaws chose to field and started solidly. They removed Alex Davies, bowled by Farhan Ahmed through an attempted cut in the second over, and restricted the home side to 37 for 1 in the powerplay.Latham and Mousley then sped through the gears, however, in a partnership of 116 in 70 balls. Mousley reverse-lapped, swept and straight-drove Ahmed for sixes while Latham reached his half-century, from 29 balls, by pulling a short ball from Calvin Harrison into the crowd.Latham’s demise, when he skied Patterson-White to square leg in pursuit of his fifth six, sparked a wobble of four wickets for 22 runs in nine balls. Patterson-White removed Sam Hain, lbw, and George Garton, caught at long on, and Mousley, his tenth T20 half-century banked, slapped Dillon Pennington to extra cover.It was a spirited fightback from The Outlaws but they then ran into a late storm of sixes and fours from Moeen (34, 12) and Barnard (23 not out, 8) which lifted the total over 200.Joe Clarke dominated the start of The Outlaws’ reply, hitting 30 of the first 34 but then missed a Mousley full toss and was lbw. The spinner struck again with his seventh ball which Jack Haynes was lbw to, one that pitched on his boot. A third lbw decision terminated Freddie McCann’s counter attack of 32 off 17 when he missed a reverse-sweep at Moeen.James, starved of the strike early on, and Moores hit freely to keep the Outlaws in contention, with 60 needed from the last five overs, but the first of those overs, from the excellent Barnard, cost just five runs.Moores lifted Hasan Ali mightily over extra cover for six and followed up with four to reach a 24-ball half-century. James followed to his half-century in 39 balls but was run out by quick-thinking Hasan Ali to leave the Outlaws needing 16 off the last over, from Barnard.Sams lifted the first and fifth balls for six leaving the scores level with one ball left – and Moores thumped that one over long off for another six to complete a remarkable Outlaws double over the Bears.

Atleast 25 players are in Bengaluru to establish their baseline fitness levels before the IPL gets underway

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Mar-2022In a move to enhance and maintain peak fitness levels for the two World Cups in the next 20 months, the Indian team management – in coordination with the selectors and the National Cricket Academy – has asked a batch of shortlisted players to undergo a fitness camp in Bengaluru.ESPNcricinfo has learned that at least 25 players are right now at the NCA, currently midway through the camp which started on March 5 and will end on March 14 after which they will head to join their respective IPL teams. All the players will undergo a fitness test before they break out of the camp, but unlike last year when it was mandatory to clear the benchmarks, this time it is to record a baseline mark for every player.Among those who have already started with the camp include Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel, Venkatesh Iyer, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Prithvi Shaw and Umran Malik. Also joining the camp are a set of players who are doing rehabilitation for separate injuries: KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan. Several players, who featured in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, which got over recently, also joined the camp this week.It is learned the camp was finalised recently by both the Indian team management led by head coach Rahul Dravid and had the backing of both the selection panel as well as NCA, which is headed by former India batter VVS Laxman. Both Dravid and Laxman want the NCA to function more as a high-performance centre and this camp was taking forward the initiative launched last year when a batch of white-ball only players – both contracted and otherwise – underwent fitness tests which were mandatory to be cleared. Players last year had to clear either the yo-yo test or run a 2-kilometre time trial.This year, though, the basis for the camp is to log in the fitness parameters for each player which then can be stored in a central database and can be accessed anytime by the Indian coaching staff including the physio, trainers and strength and conditioning coaches. Creating such a standardised structure, the BCCI believes, will prove vital as India prepare for the T20 World Cup (scheduled in Australia in October-November this year) as well as the ODI World Cup, which will be hosted in India in late 2023.Part of that process would be to establish a baseline fitness level for each individual which will then be monitored and updated frequently. The baseline is established by making a player undergo various fitness drills including performing standing long jump, 2 kilometre time trial, yo-yo test, Dexa body scan (to measure fat percentage and lean muscle mass) as well various other tests.While there are some markers put in place – like the 17:1 level for yo-yo tests and running the 2 kilometre time trial inside 8 minutes 30 seconds – players this time have been encouraged to push themselves if they want to without any pressure. The baseline figure will be recorded once the player takes the test before the leaves the camp. Thereafter the player’s fitness parameters would be measured against this baseline figure and how he is able to maintain under the workload.For example, someone playing in the forthcoming IPL, which will be played between March 26 and May 29, can compare his baseline figure before the tournament and at the end. That will allow the player to understand not just where he is good at in terms of fitness, but also vulnerable areas. It also helps trainers understand where the player is peaking and spot areas of improvement.

Neither team looks settled, and for the team that loses this, the table will not look pretty at all

Sreshth Shah17-Oct-20207:41

Moody: Russell needs to prove his worth with the bat

Big picture

The Kolkata Knight Riders and the Sunrisers Hyderabad enter their face-off with a difference of only two points on the points table, but they are both in precarious positions. Depending on other results, by the time Sunday’s games are done, things might not look pretty at all for the team that loses this game.Both the teams have soft middle orders. The Sunrisers have chopped and changed positions four and below through the tournament, and those batting slots are still not firmed up. The Knight Riders have the experience there, but the consistency is missing.ALSO READ: SRH vs KKR Fantasy Pick – If KKR bat first, replace Mavi with CumminsThat said, both teams have reasons to feel confident. From the Sunrisers’ point of view, the Knight Riders are likely to be without Sunil Narine, have a new captain, and are trying to avoid a third straight loss. The Knight Riders know they won the last time these sides met, and like them, the Sunrisers enter the contest on the back of two defeats.Therefore, it will come down to which team hides their weaknesses better. Apart from the middle-order issues, the performance of the two Indian pace attacks will be important. Neither team is settled, they are both missing momentum, and for the winning team it can be a massive morale-booster.

Previous meeting

Manish Pandey hit a half-century for the Sunrisers, but they could score only 142 for the loss of four wickets on the back of impressive spells from Pat Cummins and Varun Chakravarthy. Shubman Gill then struck a 62-ball 70, while Eoin Morgan crunched a 29-ball 42 to seal the Knight Riders’ win with two overs to spare.

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Andre Russell, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Lockie Ferguson, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Shivam MaviSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Priyam Garg, 6 Vijay Shankar, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Shahbaz Nadeem, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 T NatarajanVarun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell are key to the Knight Riders’ plans•BCCI

Strategy punts

• The Sunrisers shouldn’t necessarily save Rashid Khan up for Andre Russell. That’s because they have two left-arm seamers who can bowl those wide yorkers that Russell struggles against. While Khan has dismissed Russell in the IPL thrice, the West Indian has a strike rate of 184 against him. Instead, Khan could tear into the other Knight Riders batsmen who score much slower against his kind of bowling: Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana all have strike rates of less than 120 against Khan.
• The pitches are slowing down every day now, and the Knight Riders’ Indian pacers aren’t screaming for attention. So why not bring back Kuldeep Yadav? Although Yadav has struggled, the Sunrisers top four has three overseas batsmen, and each of them prefer pace. The Sunrisers are also Yadav’s favourite opponents too – he has taken ten wickets against them, the most for him against any team.
• Pat Cummins should look to bowl the incoming delivery to Jonny Bairstow at the top, the way he did in the earlier fixture, when he bowled the opener. It’s a glaring weakness in Bairstow’s game, as he averages 18 to the ball that comes into him. Cummins has bowled in three T20s to Bairstow, and has dismissed him twice. Bairstow averages only 3 against Cummins.

Stats and trivia

• Entering the weekend, the Knight Riders are the slowest team in the powerplay, scoring 7.1 per over. The Sunrisers are third-slowest, at 7.3 per over. Overall, too, they are the two slowest batting teams, with the Knight Riders scoring at 8 an over, and the Sunrisers scoring at 8.2.
• Given a minimum of 30 balls, Russell has the poorest batting average (7.9) against pacers this IPL.
• David Warner (106) and Bairstow (112) are third and fifth, respectively, on the list of poorest powerplay strike rates this season (minimum five innings).
• Dinesh Karthik has struggled against legspinners this season. In six innings and 15 deliveries, he’s been out to them four times. He falls to a legspinner every 3.8 deliveries.
• Warner needs ten runs to reach 5000 IPL runs. He will become the first overseas player to reach the landmark, and fourth overall.

The India captain praises Shastri’s man-management, credits him for bringing players out of their shells

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai15-Nov-20181:24

Kohli: ‘Nobody says no to me more than Shastri’

After an “untenable” relationship that led to Anil Kumble’s resignation as head coach, Virat Kohli says he’s been working with a coach who has said “no” to him more than anyone else in Indian cricket.To give context to Kohli comments, he was asked ahead of the India’s departure for Australia whether Ravi Shastri merely said “yes” to everything Kohli said. The captain responded by saying it was “the most bizarre thing” he had ever heard.”About saying ‘yes’ all the time, that is the most bizarre thing I have heard,” Kohli said. “I don’t think there’s anyone who has said no to me more than him in Indian cricket. Honestly, because he’s one guy I can speak to and get an honest opinion and he’ll tell me something that if it doesn’t need to be done, it doesn’t need to be done. I’ve made more changes to my game listening to him than anyone else in the past.”These are very personal things that happen within the team environment and things that conveniently need to be put out there are put out there, and we’re not going to take a banner and say, ‘no, this is what happens in the Indian team’. As long as our heart is clear and our intent is right, we just want to keep moving forward.”Reports and a public image of Shastri and Kohli hardly differing on anything took shape following Shastri’s appointment as head coach in July last year. At the time, Kumble said he was informed by the BCCI that “the captain had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”. Shastri had incidentally been team director just before Kumble was appointed in 2016, despite Shastri also applying for the job.Soon after Shastri took over as coach in 2017, he first made it clear the captain was going to be the boss. When asked about what exactly Shastri brought “to the table strategically or by motivation” as coach, Kohli jumped to his defence, saying he had pulled many players out of shells when they had been in poor form.”The contribution he has brought to the table ever since we started building this team is making people believe that they belong to this level,” Kohli said. “I can vouch for it because at a time when we all went through a really difficult time in England in 2014…for me to be able to come out of that shell [and] a lot of other players, like Shikhar [Dhawan] in the 2015 World Cup, he can vouch for that as well…you know to get the best out of players, I think he’s been the most important factor.”Man management is the most important thing at the level at which we play. I think a lot of people think that we don’t understand what needs to be done and someone needs to literally tell you where the bat needs to come from, where the head has to be. I think we’ve learnt those things enough, it’s the man management which Ravi has done brilliantly for the time that he’s been with the team.”About the other factors, look, everyone has their opinion on things, and they are absolutely free and entitled to voice their opinion, but we can’t stop living life, we cannot stop doing things that we feel are organic. Nothing is made up here, nothing is created or happening in a fake way. Everyone has a different personality, if someone’s personality doesn’t fall into someone else comfort zone, then that becomes a problem.”We’re all given a responsibility and we’re doing it to the best of our abilities. The only motive is to take Indian cricket forward. And if someone can say otherwise about the progress of the team, then that’s a very personal point of view because we all feel that we’re moving in the right direction as a team.”

The opener scorched his way to a 54-ball hundred – his second in T20Is this year – to break India and force the series into a decider in Thiruvananthapuram

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu04-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:16

Agarkar: India need to look past Dhoni in T20Is

Colin Munro scorched his way to a 54-ball hundred – his second in T20Is this year – to break India and force the series into a decider in Thiruvananthapuram. He made excellent use of four chances to launch New Zealand to 196 for 2 after they had opted to bat and though Virat Kohli made a vintage 65 in response, the rapidly rising scoreboard pressure was just too much to overcome.India were forced into a situation where they had to score more than two runs a ball in the last 10 overs. Even the best finishers struggle to maintain such a high pace for such a long time. Hardik Pandya, new to the role, fell for 1 and even an old hand like MS Dhoni never got going. At a stage when the asking rate was nudging 15, he was playing a run-a-ball innings, unable to hit Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi off their plan of attacking his pads.A better fielding effort could have helped the hosts as well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped a very tough chance at deep midwicket – the kind where a player has to decide whether to take the catch or save a six. Munro was on 36 then. He gave a far simpler opportunity to Shreyas Iyer at long-on but the ball was parried the ball over the rope for six. A wayward throw from Rohit Sharma came to Munro’s rescue in the 12th over. And finally, on 79, he was dropped by Chahal running back from cover.Given so many lives, Munro capitalised. His batting is founded on a simple strategy: stay leg side of the ball and belt it and an easy-paced hit-through-the-line Rajkot pitch was right up his alley. He crunched seven sixes – all in the arc between deep midwicket and long-on. The carnage began when he welcomed Mohammed Siraj into international cricket with a punched four to the backward point boundary. Siraj then switched to slower offcutters, but Munro waited for those and carted a brace of sixes. By then New Zealand had passed their first fifty opening stand in the limited-overs tour of India.At the other end, Martin Guptill played a Jekyll-and-Hyde innings. He laboured to 14 off 22 balls against pace and hit 31 off 19 balls against spin. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar had shackled him with seam movement and bounce, but he broke free against Chahal, who oddly bowled into the batsman’s hitting arc. Guptill simply planted his front foot down and took the legspinner for three successive boundaries in his first over, including a signature loft that sailed into the sightscreen. Chahal, however, recovered to best Guptill for 45 with a front-of-the-hand flipper. Three overs later, Siraj had Kane Williamson holing out to deep square leg for 12.But even with six bowlers, India couldn’t stop Munro. Axar Patel and Pandya were also lined up and sent over the boundary. Munro reached his first fifty off just 26 balls – after Iyer’s drop – and brought up his second off 28 balls. This meant he joined Brendon McCullum – his former captain and someone he still seeks out for advice – in elite company. They, along with Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, are the only batsmen with two T20I tons.Munro had a job to do with the ball too. He introduced the world to his knuckle ball and snaffled a skier of a return catch to cut short Iyer’s innings at 23. The Mumbai batsman had added 54 for the third wicket with Kohli to give India hope after Trent Boult’s double-strike in his first over. The left-arm quick first burst through the gate of Shikhar Dhawan with a nip-backer and four balls later, he coaxed an outside edge from Rohit with extra bounce. When Pandya was fooled by a googly from Ish Sodhi for 1, India were reduced to 67 for 4 in the 10th over.The early wickets, however, did not bother Kohli. He forayed down the track and drilled Boult over his head. Then he targetted Santner and hit him for three boundaries in five balls, including a shovelled six over long-on. However, as the ball got older, it began to grip in the pitch and that brought Sodhi into the game big time. A peach of a legbreak in the 13th over very nearly had Dhoni stumped for 8.Spin continued being New Zealand’s trump card through the middle overs as they tied down one end which kept piling the pressure on Kohli at the other.An equation of 85 off 30 balls needed both batsmen to fire but try as Dhoni might, he couldn’t find his range. He came down the track but rarely got the leverage he was looking for. He nudged the ball into the deep to steal twos but the fielders were wise to that trick. He even swung right across the line but nothing worked. He was 28 off 28 at the end of the 18th over.To compensate for that, Kohli charged out to Santner and was caught behind. Boult then took over, picked up a couple more wickets and wrapped the game up with a career-best 4 for 34. He had recorded his worst ODI and T20I outings over the past week but found a way to raise his game when New Zealand needed it most.

New Zealand have opted for experience in the ODIs against Bangladesh, recalling Neil Broom and Luke Ronchi, with the former back after a long hiatus

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2016Batsman Neil Broom, who last played an ODI in March 2010, has been recalled to the New Zealand squad for the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh, which starts from December 26.Wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi was also recalled in place of BJ Watling, who was excluded from the side. Two other players who were part of the squad for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, batsman Henry Nicholls and legspinner Todd Astle, were also left out.

NZ ODI squad

Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee
In: Neil Broom, Luke Ronchi
Out: BJ Watling, Todd Astle, Henry Nicholls

Broom had signed a two-year contract with Derbyshire in 2015, but chose to forego the second year to give himself another chance with New Zealand. The right-hand batsman is expected to slot in at No. 4 in place of Ross Taylor, who was ruled out after recently undergoing surgery on his left eye.”I appreciate everything Derbyshire have done for me and have really enjoyed my time with the club,” Broom said. “It was a tough call at the time. I had signed with Derbyshire for two years and I would’ve liked to see out the contract, but to get an international recall just outweighs it, so it was a pretty easy decision.”Broom played 22 ODIs between January 2009 and March 2010, scoring 333 runs at an average of 17.22. He has also played 10 T20Is, with the last one against Sri Lanka in November 2013.”When I first came in, I was overawed by everything and just really really wanted to do well and I put too much pressure on myself, so this time I’m not going to do that,” Broom said. “I tell myself this might be my last game every time I go out there. It’s probably something they tell you not to do, but you’ve got to enjoy every moment of it and try and have a couple of good years with the team.”Broom is among the top run-getters in the 2016-17 Plunket Shield first-class tournament, having scored 354 runs in seven innings at an average of 59. In 2015-16, he topped the run charts in the List A competition, the Ford Trophy, scoring 508 runs in nine matches with three centuries and two fifties.Ronchi, too, was rewarded for recent form. After a poor tour of India, and a modest run since early 2015, Ronchi was left out for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Turning out for Wellington in the Plunket Shield, he scored a century and, on Thursday, struck an unbeaten 58 in a Super Smash match against Canterbury, which Wellington eventually lost in the one-over eliminator.Watling had scored 31 runs in the series against Australia, which New Zealand lost 3-0, while Nicholls played only one match, scoring 3. Astle was not given a game.New Zealand’s chairman of selectors Gavin Larsen acknowledged that Ronchi was seen as the best ODI wicketkeeper in the country and both players added value to the side with their experience.”With 12 years of domestic cricket under his belt and having previously spent time in the BlackCaps squad, Neil brings a lot of experience to the group,” Larsen said. “Neil was the top run-scorer in the Ford Trophy competition last year, with an average of 84.66. He has an impressive strike-rate and obviously fills the number four role with Ross out injured.”It’s been pleasing to see Luke scoring runs for Wellington again and he returns as one of the most experienced members of the squad. At this stage we see him as the best ODI gloveman in the country and the leadership he brings to the group is also immensely valuable.”The team will convene for a camp on December 23 and 24, with the first match scheduled for Boxing Day in Christchurch. The second and third ODIs will be played on December 29 and 31 in Nelson. The ODIs will be followed by three T20Is and two Tests.

Derbyshire’s bowlers made sure there was not too heavy a price to pay for their post-tea collapse on day one by bowling Kent out for 159

ECB/PA22-Aug-2015
ScorecardMark Footitt led the Derbyshire attack once again•Getty Images

Derbyshire’s bowlers made sure there was not too heavy a price to pay for their post-tea collapse on day one by bowling Kent out for 159 on the second day of their Championship match in Derby. Four wickets for Mark Footitt, taking him to 60 for the season, and two each for Tony Palladino and Ben Cotton earned Derbyshire a first-innings lead of 94, which they had extended to 167 at the close.Unable to find the breakthrough in 11 overs the previous evening, Derbyshire were kept waiting five more in the morning before Rob Key was lbw to Footitt for 29 at 50 for 1 and the sides then settled in for a period of attrition which saw only 13 runs added in 12 overs.The arm-wrestle was won by the bowling side, with Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw to Cotton for 19 and Sam Northeast pushing at a Palladino ball to be caught behind for one in the next over.Footitt returned to the attack to have an instant impact, as his second ball was played on to the stumps by Joe Denly and the fifth flattened the off stump of Ben Harmison, who did not offer a shot. Calum Haggett edged Palladino and was caught at third slip by Godleman after the ball was pushed into the air by Chesney Hughes at second, then Sean Dickson was lbw to Cotton to make it 119 for 7.James Tredwell held out for 20 before Footitt bowled him and though Matt Hunn gave the Kent innings a late flurry for 23 not out the innings ended when Ivan Thomas was run out coming back for a third run only to be beaten by the throw by Scott Elstone at deep cover.With Sam Billings absent because of the dislocated finger he suffered keeping wicket on day one, that was it for Kent. Footitt finished with 4 for 61 and Cotton 2 for 45, with Palladino’s unerring 16 overs bringing him 2 for 21. Shiv Thakor played no part for Derbyshire after suffering concussion from a blow to the head while batting, which made their bowling performance even more impressive.Kent hopes that they could find similar success quickly faded as Derbyshire openers Billy Godleman and Ben Slater extended the lead before Slater chopped a Thomas ball on to his stumps to make it 43 for 1. But Godleman, scorer of a century in his last two Championship innings, was immovable and was 42 not out when bad light and rain brought an early end to the day.

The second day’s play of the four-day match between Bangladesh A and the West Indies’ Sagicor High Performance Centre has been suspended due to a daylong strike in Dhaka on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2012The second day’s play of the four-day match between Bangladesh A and the West Indies’ Sagicor High Performance Centre has been suspended due to a daylong strike in Dhaka on Sunday. “We have made this decision [to postpone] after discussing with both teams. There is a political programme tomorrow [Sunday], so the local police will not be available for security cover,” BCB’s acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said.The first day’s play ended with the West Indies side on 13 for no loss after they bundled out Bangladesh A for 199 runs in the first innings in Mirpur. Left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cotterrell was the most successful bowler with four wickets while Mominul Haque was the top-scorer with 50 off 80 balls.

Suspended CSA chief executive Gerald Majola will know his fate by May 31. That is the timeframe the country’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, and CSA have agreed on for completion of Majola’s disciplinary hearing

Firdose Moonda26-Apr-2012Suspended CSA chief executive Gerald Majola will know his fate by May 31. That is the timeframe the country’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, and CSA have agreed on for completion of Majola’s disciplinary hearing.The hearing concerns R4.7 million ($671,428) paid in unauthorised bonuses to CSA staff after the hosting of the IPL and Champions Trophy in 2009. Senior council John Myburgh will chair the disciplinary committee and an independent prosecutor will be appointed from the Bar Council for the proceedings.Majola was suspended in March after an independent commission of inquiry, convened on the order of Mbalula and chaired by Judge Chris Nicholson, recommended that Majola undergo a formal disciplinary process. CSA had not previously taken any such action against their chief executive despite internal and external investigations, which found that bonuses were paid without due procedure being followed.Majola was cautioned against violating corporate governance by the internal investigation, chaired by former president AK Khan, and severely reprimanded after an audit by KPMG and subsequent legal advice found that he had breached the Companies Act. The bonuses, which were awarded to 40 CSA staff members, were paid in addition to a payment that had already been made for extra work done during both those events and were not declared to the board.Importantly, Mbalula said all money that was awarded improperly will have to be paid back. “If there is anyone that received bonuses outside the ambit of the law and that was not properly declared, those people will be attended to,” Mbalula said, adding that it would include those who have since resigned from CSA. “Civil processes will be lodged for those who are outside CSA,” he said. “At the end of the day, the bonuses will have to be recovered.”CSA survived the meeting with the minister with its board intact, despite speculation in the local media that Mbalula would ask them to resign en masse. Mbalula revealed that he did not make any such request because the ministry was impressed with the steps the board had taken since the Nicholson report was made public. They suspended Majola and appointed an acting CEO, Jacques Faul. They also had a change of guard in the presidency post as Khan resigned and Willie Basson was appointed acting president.”We didn’t ask the board to resign because we made our own examination of things,” Mbalula said. “They have got an acting CEO and acting chairperson. To ask for the entirety of the board to resign, certain things would not have been done in terms of the Nicholson recommendations. If the board feels they have been part of the mess, they can’t avoid the mess. They must be part of the broomstick that cleans the mess.”The other recommendations Mbalula referred to was the restructuring of CSA’s board, proposed by Nicholson, which called for a smaller board with more independent directors. An eight-person steering committee was appointed in March, consisting of four board members and four outsiders, all of whom have been involved in cricket in some capacity, to discuss the restructure. That committee will now be added to, as members of the ministry and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee will also be party to their meetings.The steering committee will go on a roadshow of the 11 provincial associations with their proposal, before presenting it to the national indaba on governance restructuring ahead of September’s AGM. A new board will be elected in September and Mbalula said it will remain up to CSA whether any of the current board members can stand again.CSA will also launch a transformation fund in May, which will serve the aim of developing the game in previously disadvantaged areas and communities. Basson is passionate about ensuring cricket reaches the majority of the South African population from grassroots level and was previously the transformation chairperson. “CSA has committed itself to the philosophy that transformation has to be advanced on the basis of a natural evolutionary process that will enable us to grow as a sport over the next 20 years,” Mbalula said.