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Derbyshire dug in obdurately in the final session at Chelmsford to hold up Essex’s charge for a third Specsavers County Championship win of the season

ECB Reporters Network17-May-2016
ScorecardRavi Bopara improved on his career best after 10 years•Getty Images

Derbyshire dug in obdurately in the final session at Chelmsford to hold up Essex’s charge for a third Specsavers County Championship win of the season.The visitors were forced to follow-on, finishing 258 runs adrift of Essex’s massive first-innings total with Ravi Bopara taking career-best bowling figures of 5 for 49 eclipse his 5 for 75 Surrey at Chelmsford a decade ago.With rain forecast for much of the fourth day, the Division Two leaders may yet rue putting down three relatively comfortable chances during the day.Essex had wrapped up the Derbyshire first innings with five wickets in 16 overs after lunch. But they struggled to trouble the Derbyshire batsmen in the evening session as their advantage was gently whittled down.Essex had not had much good fortune in the morning session, either, though it would have been better had Jesse Ryder and Tom Westley clung on to relatively simple catches in the slips in three balls off the luckless Aaron Beard.Hamish Rutherford was the recipient of Essex’s fumbling. But he had added just seven more runs before Beard showed his elders how to catch by holding on at square leg to dismiss him for 49.That gave Bopara his third wicket of the innings, the second coming when Wayne Madsen got an inside edge and was caught behind. James Foster snapped up a second catch at the wicket when Shiv Thakor edged Ryan ten Doeschate.The carnage began straight after lunch as Derbyshire collapsed inside 65 minutes.Neil Broom went second ball after the break when he misjudged a ball from Tom Westley and was bowled. Seven balls later Tom Poynter chased a wide one from Bopara and became Foster’s third victim.Matt Critchley gave Bopara his fifth wicket when he departed lbw before Jamie Porter uprooted Tom Taylor’s middle stump with his sixth delivery with the new-ball.Ben Cotton, at No. 11, took 18 off one Porter over before being the last man to go when caught by ten Doeschate in attempting to hit Beard over the top.Jaik Mickleburgh at gully dropped Chesney Hughes in the first over of Derbyshire’s second innings. However, Hughes was back in the pavilion 27 overs into the innings when he pulled back as Bopara came in to bowl. After a lengthy consultation with the physio the Anguillan went off feeling unwell.His opening partner Billy Godleman was steadiness incarnate as he reached fifty with the first of three successive fours through the off side against Westley. It had taken him 106 balls. He then punished Beard with two boundaries in two balls, but the youngster had the last word when he bowled the Derbyshire captain off inside edge and boot for 75.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:22

Farrell: No fairy tale ending for McCullum

At once a benediction and a coronation, Brendon McCullum’s final moments as a Test cricketer marked Australia’s ascendancy to the world No. 1 Test ranking after a resilient and relentless performance by Steven Smith’s men.It was Smith at the other end as Adam Voges stroked the winning runs through cover after key contributions from Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja. A target of 201 was never enough for New Zealand to defend against an Australian batting line-up that has carried much before them since the harsh lessons of England last year.Since the nadir of Trent Bridge, Australia have won seven of nine Tests without once tasting defeat, enough to hand them the ICC Mace as the world’s top team and a $1 million prize. This was the first time Australia reached No. 1 since 2014, but the difference now was a far younger team aware there was still much more to do: namely to succeed in Asia, against Sri Lanka and India over the coming 15 months.Befitting their enduring loyalty to McCullum, New Zealand’s effort was never less than wholehearted. This was epitomised by Neil Wagner’s continued bouncer assault on the tourists, despite carrying what had been revealed to be a broken left hand from a Burns shot that burst through his fingers on the fourth evening.Even so, it was occasionally puzzling to see New Zealand not really trying to generate pressure through disciplined lines and reverse swing, which Matt Henry in particular was able to find. Smith relished the challenge of matching McCullum’s outlandish field settings with creativity of his own.Khawaja had a fortunate escape in the second over of the morning, edging Trent Boult precisely between the wicketkeeper and a wide sole slip. Thereon he accumulated his runs in calm style.Batting was more of a struggle for Burns, who was struck one glancing blow on the helmet by Wagner and others on the body. He took 35 minutes of play to add to his overnight score, but refused to be flustered and eventually went to a deserved fifty.Tim Southee’s entry to the attack brought another Khawaja edge, this time held smartly by McCullum above his head. Smith arrived to one last display of lateral captaincy from New Zealand’s retiring leader, a packed leg side field and another short-ball attack.Having been hit hard by a bouncer in the first innings, Smith resolved to attack, and boldly hooked his first short ball from Wagner over the head of the man at fine leg. He used the full width of the crease to open up other scoring zones, and was soon bringing the target well within reach.After speaking with the umpires, Smith took the opportunity for an extra 15 minutes to try to seal the game without breaking for lunch. Burns rose to the challenge with a pair of boundaries before being bowled by Boult when going for a third, leaving Smith to concede the job could not be done before the interval.The remaining 16 runs were duly polished off in early afternoon, Voges finishing off the match with a princely cover drive. Australian celebrations were of the reserved variety: partly out of deference for McCullum, but also in acknowledgement of the fact that getting to the top is one thing, staying there quite another.

Tottenham Hotspur are now considering making an offer for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, according to journalist Gaston Edul.

The Lowdown: Martinez eyed

Tottenham’s interest in Martinez stretches back quite some time, with it being reported by journalist Dean Jones back in December that the north London club were ‘looking at’ the Argentine.

There have been a whole host of goalkeepers linked with moves to N17, with Jordan Pickford recently being named as a potential target while Jan Oblak has also been named as a player on Antonio Conte’s list.

And despite the fact Conte is not expected to be at the club beyond the end of this season, it appears Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici are not slowing down as they already plot out new signings for whoever the next boss may be.

The Latest: Edul’s update

According to Edul, Tottenham may have made their minds up about who their first-choice target is to replace Hugo Lloris.

The journalist took to Twitter to claim that Spurs have a ‘specific’ interest in Martinez, and could even make an ‘offer’ for the Villa shot-stopper ‘in the coming weeks’.

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The Verdict: Get it done?

Hailed as ‘world-class’ by sections of the media, the 30-year-old substantiated that claim further with his remarkable performances at the World Cup, winning the golden glove.

The former Arsenal man is particularly adept at stopping crosses, ranking in the 99th percentile compared to other goalkeepers in the past year, while his shot-stopping ability was also on show in the World Cup final, making two vital saves from inside the box.

The only question mark over the 26-time Argentina international is his age, given that he will be 31 early on next season, with Spurs also being linked to the likes of Giorgio Mamardashvili, who could be a more suitable long-term replacement for Lloris at just 22.

However, Martinez is a proven goalkeeper at the top level, and he would still be a viable option between the sticks for at least the next few years.

da dobrowin： Nottingham Forest are slowly starting to look like they are on track to becoming an established Premier League side.

da betcris： Steve Cooper has guided his side to two wins out of four including a shock result against top-flight giants Chelsea. He was also pipped to points by Champions League qualifiers Manchester United and Arsenal, so there are no early signs that Forest should worry about.

Last season, the league's newcomers picked up just six points in their first 11 games – during the 2022/23 season, the Tricky Trees splashed out £145m as they were scrambling for Premier League quality players.

Looking back on the 21 players that came to the City Ground only a few looked to have been successful.

The Reds finished their first season back at the top in 23 years with just 38 goals to their name showing they obviously needed reinforcements to create chances for goals.

Forest fans may wonder how their Premier League campaign would have finished if they still had Matty Cash a part of their cavalry.

The now-Poland international is smashing it at Aston Villa and is a force to be reckoned with in both halves of the pitch.

How much did Forest sell Cash for?

Much like Forest in their first season back in the Premier League, Villa was also close to going down however their margins were much thinner escaping by one point.

Then manager Dean Smith knew the Birmingham outfit needed some serious reinforcements if they were to avoid getting dragged into a relegation fight the following season.

Ollie Watkins, Bertrand Traoré and Emiliano Martinez were all brought to Villa Park as marquee signings.

Ex-Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi sold Cash in a deal worth an initial £14m rising to £16m if clauses and bonuses were met making him one of the four permanent additions to the Midlands club in the Summer

Who else was interested in Cash?

The 6 foot 1 full-back has been on the radar for a few European clubs prior to his arrival at Villa Park.

In the 2016/17 season, recently promoted RB Leipzig were the new boys on the block looking to topple Bayern Munich’s dominance in the Bundesliga. The youth-focused transfer strategy has already seen some of the world’s most promising players join the East German club.

The then 19-year-old Cash had the chance to join former Forest teammate Oliver Burke, along with Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and Timo Werner at the Red Bull Arena, however, the two-time European champions rejected the £6m offer.

Three years later it was Italian giants AC Milan who were chasing after the right-back, but Forest pulled the plug after realising his sale may hinder their chance of promotion.

The man who was dubbed a future “super player” by former manager Dean Smith later joined Villa just six months later, trading the fashion capital of the world for the Birmingham Bullring.

After signing for Villa, Cash said:

"My agent rang me and said that Villa were interested, and immediately it was the place I wanted to come to.

"I said, Don’t even worry about anywhere else, I want to come here and play.

"It’s such a big football club, from the fanbase to the stadium. Every time I played at Villa Park before it just sold itself to me."

How has Cash performed for Villa?

Once described as a “threat” when going forward by the former Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish, Cash has showcased his attacking capabilities in the claret and blue shirt.

The 2021/22 season saw the 6 foot 1 defender score four and assist three goals in the Premier League.

During the same campaign, Cash created 28 chances throughout Villa’s Premier League campaign and ranked joint second for interceptions per 90 (1.3) according to FotMob.

The Polish right-back’s performances didn't go unnoticed by the Villa faithful as he was known as the standout performer picking up the 2021/22 Supporters’ Player of the Season.

Stats per Fotmob

2012/22 season

2022/23 season

Successful tackles per 90

1.3

1.6

Tackle success %

56.2%

58.2%

Interceptions per 90

1.3

1.3

Cash may be more familiar for his attacking ability as a right-back but that’s not to say he hasn't improved defensively as well.

The Aston Villa defender improved his successful tackles per 90 and his success rate last Premier League campaign compared to the season prior showing he’s made strides improving all parts of his game.

So far in 2023/24, Cash has found the back of the net two times making him the Villans’ joint-top scorer.

Is Cash the biggest blunder for Forest in recent times?

The Tricky Trees’ academy system has flown under the radar in the past with the spotlight often being the talent other clubs are producing.

In fact, Nottingham Forest has produced two players in the form of Joe Worrall and Ryan Yates who are regular starters for the Premier League club.

Very few in the division can say they have academy graduates who get consistent minutes.

Nevertheless, Forest is still prone to making a few blunders, especially under Lamouchi as evident above, and has let go of a couple of ex-academy players who could have made a bigger impact at the City Ground

Cash is now worth around £32m according to FootballTransfers which may hurt Forest fans and even more owner Evangelos Marinakis.

It’s not just the £80k-per-week defender who could have sold for a pretty penny or made a bigger impact at the City Ground.

Brennan Johnson is the latest academy graduate to leave Forest for a large cash sum.

The Welsh international switched to Tottenham Hotspur’s in a deal worth £47.5m which is over market value.

Only time will tell who got the better deal but the Reds will be without the player who got their second-most goal contributions (11) last season and at 22 will likely flourish under Ange Postecoglou.

Patrick Bamford is another notable player who may have departed the City Ground at the wrong time.

The one-capped England international was snapped up by Chelsea as a teenager for just £1.5m in 2012. The now Leeds talisman was previously worth £23m and has gone to be a fairly decent player.

With 51 goals in 151 matches for Leeds, including 17 in the Premier League 2020/21 season, Bamford is a player Forest could have done with.

Name

Club

Sold for

Highest Transfer Value

Matty Cash

Aston Villa

£16m

£40m

Brennan Johnson

Tottenham Hotspur

£47.5m

£39m

Anel Ahmedhodžić

Sheffield United

N/A

£12m

Patrick Bamford

Leeds United

£1.5m

£23m

Jamaal Lascelles

Newcastle United

£3.5m*

£15.4m

£7m* – joint fee for both Lascelles and Karl Darlow

The Reds may rue the decision to part ways with Cash due to his performances on the pitch for Aston Villa and that his value has sky-rocketed, and this could be argued about a fee former academy stars as mentioned.

Cooper and the Forest recruitment staff will move past the decision and will try to learn from their mistakes.

There are some very exciting prospects coming through Wilford Lane including Aaron Donnelly, Fin Back and Zach Abbot all waiting for their chance to impress the Forest faithful under the lights of the City Ground.

Where else in the world would a scheduled day of first-class cricket be adjusted for reasons outside of the playing conditions, as occurred on Sunday at Guaracara to accommodate players getting to the Hyatt Regency on time for the WIPA event that evening?

Fazeer Mohammed03-Apr-2008
Shivnarine Chanderpaul left in the middle of a first-class match to attend an awards ceremony © AFP
You bring the iron pot. I’ll walk with the .We call it a fete match. Elsewhere up the Caribbean chain, it’s known as curry-goat cricket. By whatever name, this version of the game is all about fun, with little more than a rudimentary acknowledgement of the basic rules that govern the sport. That superficial adherence lingers until the heat of the afternoon and the cumulative effects of copious quantities of alcohol and artery-clogging food take hold, rendering the final result as nothing more than an opportunity for heated old talk, more rum and more well after sunset.This is the context in which we must absorb Windwards manager Lockhart Sebastien’s implication that the regional first-class match between Guyana and the Windwards was reduced to the status of curry-goat cricket when Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 78 not out at the end of the first day’s play at Providence on Saturday, flew across to Trinidad for Sunday’s West Indies Players Association (WIPA) awards ceremony in Port-of-Spain.Unless they are lying, this was done without the prior knowledge of Guyanese team manager Carl Moore or coach Albert Smith. The visitors refused to allow the home side to use a substitute fielder in Chanderpaul’s continued absence on Monday. Guyana therefore had ten players on the field before lunch, by which time the former West Indies captain had returned from collecting the three major awards at the WIPA function to take his place in the side.Keep in mind that the start of this fixture was already pushed back from Friday to Saturday because the Windwards’ gear had not arrived with them, with the further implication being that any players in that match selected for the second Test against Sri Lanka would only have arrived here last night or early this morning for the five-day fixture starting tomorrow at the Queen’s Park Oval. However, based on a very recent precedent, it is quite possible that the cricketers concerned could have just upped and duss it to the airport sometime yesterday, leaving their team-mates to devour the remaining and curry-goat after play.Jimmy Adams, another former West Indies captain, spoke eloquently on Sunday night about the chronic failure of the game’s administrators in the region in our nearly 80 years of Test cricket to take control of the product and modify the systems and processes to meet the demands of an ever-changing game in an ever-changing global environment.As a former player and now secretary of WIPA, Adams’ impressive feature address may have left him open to the usual criticism that those who see the players as helpless victims of administrative incompetence and corporate indifference refuse to acknowledge that the cricketers themselves are also responsible for the depths to which we have plummeted in just 12 years.Far be it from me to try to understand the workings of such a complex and intense mind, but I suspect that Adams would view the players’ indiscretions as the result of the absence of those processes and systems, which, if implemented and adhered to consistently and impartially, would provide both the opportunities for players to fulfill their potential and the regulated structure that ensures the integrity and viability of West Indies cricket for the foreseeable future.When Ryan Hinds and a number of other players on both sides can behave as badly as they did in last year’s Challenge final between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados at Guaracara Park, and then face absolutely no sanction, whatever the reason, it must seem like a free-for-all. When Chris Gayle, whether rightly or wrongly, refuses to apologise to then WICB president Ken Gordon for public criticism of the board, and then Gordon’s successor, Julian Hunte, rightly or wrongly, drops the matter entirely in an effort to give the players some love, are the cricketers then wrong to assume they can essentially do as they please? Six weeks before Australia’s Test party starts the journey to the Caribbean and 11 weeks before the first limited-over match, Cricket Australia released both of their squads to take on the West Indies yesterday, including all of their top players, whether or not they are contracted to the Indian Premier League. Yet at midday of the same day, there was still no official word on the composition of the West Indies Test squad for a match starting less than 48 hours later Where else in the world would a scheduled day of first-class cricket be adjusted for reasons outside of the playing conditions, as occurred on Sunday at Guaracara to accommodate players getting to the Hyatt Regency on time for the WIPA event that evening? In the absence of integrity and respect for a system that is actually proven to work, any number can play.Six weeks before Australia’s Test party starts the journey to the Caribbean and 11 weeks before the first limited-over match, Cricket Australia released both of their squads to take on the West Indies yesterday, including all of their top players, whether or not they are contracted to the Indian Premier League. Yet at midday of the same day, there was still no official word on the composition of the West Indies Test squad for a match starting less than 48 hours later. And, of course, no one seems to know for sure if the IPL-bound trio of Gayle, Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan will be available from the start of the first Test against the Aussies at Sabina Park on May 22.Wait, wait. I’ve just got an e-mailed press release from the WICB with the West Indies squad for this month’s Under-15 International Championship. The team is to be led by Stephen Katwaroo, captain of fourth-placed T&T, who got the nod ahead of Donovan Nelson, leader of the all-conquering Jamaican side and top wicket-taker at the regional tournament in Dominica last month.Keep the rum, but I won’t mind some to go with the curry-goat at the Oval tomorrow.

We’re now just a week away from the start of Celtic’s pre-season fixtures.

Next Friday night, Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops will make the short three-mile journey to Glasgow’s south side to take on Queen’s Park at Lesser Hampden, having demolished the Spiders 6-4 in a friendly almost exactly 12 months ago.

After that, Celtic to Cork, Lisbon, the north of England and then face Ajax and either Al-Ahli or the hosts at the Como Cup.

So, just how many new signings will the Parkhead masses have the opportunity to cast their gaze at during these fixtures?

Celtic's star attacker set to depart

Both returning hero Kieran Tierney and new third-choice goalkeeper Ross Doohan have already signed for Celtic this summer, with deals for Callum Osmand and Benjamin Nygren close to being finalised too.

However, due to Celtic’s position in the global football food chain, they’re always in danger of losing a star player, and this summer is no different.

As has been widely reported by Josh McCafferty of the National and elsewhere, RB Leipzig have ‘intensified their interest’ in Nicolas Kühn, who is supposedly available for around £15m.

Well, now, according to Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports News, Como have ‘made an approach’ as they target a move for Kühn.

I Lariani finished tenth in Serie A last season under Cesc Fàbregas, their first top-flight campaign since 2002/03, but are not your ordinary newly-promoted club, given that they are owned by the Djarum Group, making them the wealthiest club in Italy, as noted by James Horncastle of the Athletic.

So, potentially creating a bidding war could be good news for Celtic, as they seek to drive up the price for, what is set to be, one of their biggest sales of all-time.

Regardless, it appears very likely that Kühn will be sold in the coming weeks, so has Rodgers identified a potential replacement?

Who Celtic should sign to replace Kühn

As reported by Glasgow World, Aston Villa are open to selling youngster Louie Barry, to ease their ongoing concerns about breaching the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability Rules.

Thus, they add that Celtic are ‘weighing up a potential offer’ for the 22-year-old, given their long-standing interest in Barry, who they have been ‘keeping close tabs on’. Previous reports have suggested he could be available in and around the £12m mark.

Barry first made headlines by joining Barcelona’s fabled la Masia academy in 2019, before returning to England a year later, signing for Aston Villa for a reported £880,000.

He’s since been loaned out no less than seven times, making the biggest impression at Stockport County, scoring 24 goals in 43 league appearances for the club, with Sam Byrne of the Manchester Evening News describing his performances for the Hatters as “absolutely electric”, adding he “captured the imagination” of all supporters.

So, let’s assess his senior career statistics so far.

2024/25*

Championship

4

0

0

2024/25*

League One

24

16

3

2023/24

League Two

22

9

4

2022/23**

League Two

21

2

1

2022/23**

League One

32

1

3

2021/22

League Two

16

6

1

*moved to Hull City in January 2025.

**moved to Salford City in January 2023.

As the table outlines, Barry very much burst onto the scene at Stockport this season, scoring 16 goals in just half a campaign, before moving to Hull in the EFL Championship, featuring just four times for the Tigers before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Jack Manship of Total Football Analysis labels him a ‘highly-rated prospect’, while Mick Brown of Football Insider believes that Barry is ready to take the next step in his career and make a permanent move away from Villa.

Barry can be deployed centrally or on either flank, a position that Celtic might have vacancy to fill in the coming weeks, thus making him an ideal replacement for Kuhn.

The young attacker is certainly an extremely talented player, so the Hoops should do all they can to secure his signature, especially if they can do so at a reduced rate, with Villa needing to raise funds and fast.

New Wanyama: Celtic looking to sign "outstanding" £2.5m star after Nygren

As Brendan Rodgers looks to bolster his squad, could Celtic sign a “outstanding, box-to-box” midfield star for £3m; he’s the new Victor Wanyama.

Jun 26, 2025

BBC pundit Stewart Downing has suggested that an "amazing" player should join Arsenal for one key reason.

Who will Arsenal sign in January?

After sealing summer deals for club-record signing Declan Rice, defender Jurrien Timber, forward Kai Havertz and goalkeeper David Raya, who all cost north of £200 million in total, it is believed that the Gunners could be busy yet again in January. Indeed, reports in the media have suggested that a new striker could well be in the offing, with the likes of Brentford star Ivan Toney, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez all linked in the last month.

Arsenal have just Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah to turn to as natural striking options, with Havertz brought in as a sort-of makeshift option from Chelsea in the summer. However, the German has scored just one league goal for Arteta so far. Injuries to both Nketiah or Jesus would arguably spel trouble for Arsenal, prompting some calls for them to sign a centre-forward.

Club legend Emmanuel Petit, speaking before deadline day, even urged them to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak as an alternative to Jesus and Nketiah.

"Alexander Isak is tall, aggressive and has great technique," Petit said (via The Mirror). "He wants to score every time he gets the ball but he needs to be more precise in his game. Physically and technically, he has a huge presence on the pitch.

"If one day someone can tell me that he plays like Thierry Henry, maybe I will believe them, but for the moment it’s really too soon to say that. He's a good striker and he's someone that Arsenal would be very happy to have because he brings different qualities.

"Jesus and Nketiah play in a similar way, they are different in terms of movement, but physically, technically and in their finishing they are not far apart."

As well as a new striker, Arsenal have been tipped to move for Wolves winger Pedro Neto in 2024.

Arsenal – Ivan Toney update

Speaking on the future of Toney, who has been centre to claims he's likely to depart Brentford in the new year, BBC pundit Downing has suggested to the broadcaster that he should join Arsenal to get the England international preference over Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

“When I was at Middlesbrough with Capello and doing alright, he was a fan of how I played,” said Downing to Five Live, as transcribed by HITC.

“He actually made a straight point to me, ‘you need to leave and play for a team that is further up the league. Europa League or Champions League’. I actually laughed at him and thought ‘that’s easier said than done. I am trying. How am I going to get them clubs?’ I know it does play a big part. If Ivan Toney does come back and say he goes to Arsenal, starts playing Champions League, winning the Premier League or threatening every season.

“Then Gareth (Southgate) will be under pressure to start him ahead of Ollie (Watkins). 100% – I am sure Ollie knows that as well. If he continues to score goals and gets Villa into them Champions League or Europa League spots, then he gives himself a hell of a chance.”

Aerial duels

Direct free-kicks

Through balls

Finishing

The future battle between Toney and Watkins will be an interesting one, especially considering Toney should be in top form when he returns from his ban. Called "amazing" by Thomas Frank, the striker netted 20 league goals last season.

Only one of Cricket South Africa’s three domestic sponsors remain in place ahead of the 2018-19 season, in which there could be no corporate backing for either the franchise first-class competition or the 20-over tournament. Only the 50-over format continues to be sponsored, by the financial services company Momentum.Sunfoil, the sponsors of Test cricket and both the franchise four-day and provincial three-day competitions, opted not to renew its deal with CSA at the end of the 2017-18 summer, ending a relationship which lasted seven years. ESPNcricinfo understands that the company would prefer to use its marketing budget differently. A CSA spokesperson said the organisation is at “at a more advanced stage in negotiations with a replacement and are confident we will be able to conclude the arrangement soon”.In the shortest, and most troubled format, for CSA, courier company RAM have decided not to back the T20 Challenge. RAM re-signed for the 2017-18 season, when the tournament replaced the postponed Global League T20 (GLT20), after also pulling out of a deal with CSA in 2016. For the 2018-19 summer, the competition has no sponsor and, given its timing and the uncertainty over whether another 20-over competition will also take place in South Africa, it is difficult to see how it could attract a backer.The franchise T20 tournament will be played from the April 5 to May 5, 2019, which is particularly late in the South African season. It will also clash with the IPL, meaning big-name South African players who are contracted to the Indian competition are unlikely to be able to play for their domestic franchises. Moreover, if a replacement for the GLT20 takes place, this competition will be an afterthought that could become defunct in years to come.The rest of the domestic season takes its usual form, and starts with the first-class competition in the last week in September. All six franchises will play each other, home and away. The one-day cup will be played between February 8 and April 1, with the semi-finals and final set to feature international caps. The knockouts will be played after the white-ball leg of Sri Lanka’s tour to South Africa, so the national players should be free to participate in the franchise fixtures and thereby have further preparation for the 2019 World Cup.

CSA will be the majority shareholder and SuperSport a part-owner of a flagship T20 tournament that will take place in South Africa in November and December 2018

Firdose Moonda08-Jun-2018A flagship T20 tournament will take place in South Africa in November and December this year, but not as the T20 Global League. Instead, a yet-to-be-named competition will take place, of which CSA will be the majority shareholder and satellite television company SuperSport a part-owner. Details such as the number of teams, matches and allowances for overseas players are yet to be ironed out.The new league will replace the stillborn T20 Global League, which was due to be played last year, was postponed three weeks before the scheduled start, and caused considerable uncertainty in South African cricket. Chiefly, the T20 Global League accounted for the departure of CSA’s former CEO Haroon Lorgat, who parted ways with the organisation in September 2017 after fallouts with the board over the details of the running of the league, among other things.The original tournament was Lorgat’s brainchild and was launched in June last year in London, with seven foreign owners for the eight teams including three IPL owners and two from PSL. None of those stakeholders will be involved in the new competition, which is essentially a South African product.Thabang Moroe, CSA’s acting CEO, who will remain in place for at least the next two months, told ESPNcricinfo that the eight previous franchise owners have been refunded their deposits of USD 250,000 even though CSA had initially sought to engage them about staying involved. Two owners, however, have denied receiving a refund.The only outside involvement in the new tournament will come from SuperSport, who will be the official broadcast partner of the league. CSA did not have a broadcast partner when it tried to launch the T20 Global League. When the T20 Global League was conceptualised, SuperSport believed it already had the rights to all cricket played in South Africa. However, their deal excluded what CSA defined as “new business”, and the board sought a broadcaster abroad. At the same time, they were engaged in discussions with SuperSport, which is understood to have offered CSA much less than Lorgat wanted.Sources have since revealed that SuperSport was also interested in owning a team in the league and eventually put together a proposal with other businesspersons to buy the league from CSA. Now, SuperSport have confirmed the involvement they desired and will contribute capital, together with CSA, to fund the new league. Moroe called the deal “the biggest in the history of South African domestic cricket, which will ensure the welfare of the game in South Africa.”No other financial details have been released at this stage, including whether there will be a player draft or auction, as there was for the T20 Global League. When the tournament was postponed, South African players were paid out 60% of their contract value and foreign players 50%. In total, the player payout amounted to around R80 million (USD 6.08 million), which made up less than half of CSA’s total loss of USD 14.1 million.There is no indication of whether the new tournament could be similarly lucrative for players this year, but CSA is committed to involving some international stars, which will doubtless increase their wage bill. The specifics around how many foreign players will be included, and other logistical details, will be discussed in the coming weeks.Most importantly, the numbers of teams and fixtures will be of interest. The T20 Global League was due to have eight teams and 57 matches, over 44 days but the new tournament is expected to be played over a smaller window, because of South Africa’s other commitments.South Africa will tour Australia for three ODIs and two T20Is between October 31 and November 17, and then host Pakistan for a full home series from December 26, which leaves a five-week window for the new tournament to be played. The T20 Global League was due to conclude on December 16, a public holiday in South Africa which marks the start of the festive season. If the new tournament takes the same format, that reduces the window to four weeks.The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), that helped negotiate the player payouts from the failed T20 Global League and has been pushing for a tournament in the country welcomed the news as long overdue.”We believe that it is critical for South Africa, as one of the world’s leading cricket countries, to have its own world class T20 competition and that this is as attractive to players as some of the existing T20 leagues in other countries. Players and their performances will be at the heart of the success of the competition,” Tony Irish, the SACA CEO, said in a release.SACA said it has not been privy to any discussions between CSA and SuperSport but hope to engage with the parties as the tournament date draws closer. SACA is also in the process of finalising its MoU with CSA which should conclude by the end of the month.

Cricket South Africa has re-committed to the revenue share model with its players and has also reached an interim agreement with the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), which will remain in place until the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is completed at the end of June.The MoU between the parties will expire next Monday. Negotiations for a new deal have not been completed in time for a new agreement to come into immediate effect. That carries the risk of leaving most of the country’s professional cricketers – apart from those on two-year deals – out of contract, but the interim arrangement has made a provision for player contracts to move ahead.CSA and SACA have also agreed on a 6% annual increase in salary for all national and franchise players and that the revenue-share model will be maintained. The CSA will have an extension on player commercial rights until the MoU is finalised, which means the CSA can continue to advertise for events, such as the next home summer using players’ images.The longer-term financial arrangements, such as benefits, which will be similar to those in the previous MoU, have not yet been discussed. Crucially, CSA and SACA have agreed on specific dates on which they will negotiate in May and June, which has been absent previously. In the past week, SACA claimed that CSA had avoided communication with them, had not responded to messages and that negotiations had not even started. Now, SACA are pleased with the progress that has been made.”We are satisfied that this Interim Agreement addresses the uncertainty that has existed amongst players regarding the MOU and their contracts and it ensures that no national or franchise player in the system going forward is left without a contract come May 1, 2018,” Tony Irish, SACA CEO, said. “The Interim Agreement also contains commitments to key issues outside the player contracts and commits the parties to further structured negotiation over a two-month period which aims to finalise the full ambit of player benefits, and other player relevant matters, to apply over the longer, four to five-year term of the MoU.”The MoU between CSA and SACA is renewed every four years. This time, CSA are proposing a five-year MoU, which will be in place until 2023. CSA will also look to redefine their relationship with SACA, though they have not outlined what they want to change. “There is still a long way to go in these negotiations but CSA and SACA have both acted in the best interests of the game by setting a clear platform needed to jointly and constructively get this done within a two-month period,” Thabang Moroe, CSA Acting CEO said.There was also no update on the Global T20 League. Moroe has hinted CSA will make an announcement on the tournament’s future within the next week.