Less than a week before the head coach’s disciplinary hearing, the board found the charges were no longer sustainable

Firdose Moonda10-May-2022Cricket South Africa has “formally and unreservedly” withdrawn the charges of gross misconduct against men’s national head coach Mark Boucher, less than a week before his disciplinary hearing was scheduled to begin. The board is no longer seeking his dismissal over the tentative findings of the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) report, which concluded that Boucher may have engaged in conduct that was prejudicial on the basis of race.Following Paul Adams and Enoch Nkwe deciding to not testify at the hearings, and the outcome of former director of cricket Graeme Smith’s arbitration, which cleared him on all counts, CSA found the charges were no longer sustainable.Related

• Boucher's exit after eventful tenure leaves big hole in coaching staff

• Bavuma puts spotlight on 'inclusive leadership group' as SA look to move on after turbulent 12 months

• England are finally becoming the team they wanted to be – New Zealand

• To be meaningful, follow-up to SJN process must go beyond Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher

• Graeme Smith cleared of racism charges

Boucher was facing three charges over his handling of historical and current race-based issues during his time as a national player and a coach. This included his role in singing a team song with the words “b**** s***” in it, directed at Adams during their playing days, his handling of the Black Lives Matter movement with the current squad, and his working relationship with former assistant coach Nkwe. Since the SJN report could not make definite findings on the seriousness of these incidents, CSA “was advised by external lawyers that the appropriate formal process to follow in respect of Mr Boucher was a formal disciplinary hearing in front of an independent ombudsman”. However, CSA could find no basis to sustain the charges because of a lack of witnesses.In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, CSA confirmed that Adams’ announcement on Sunday that he would not testify reiterated his initial statement that his testimony at the SJN was about the “overall culture” of the national team in the early 2000s and that he did not want to single out any player. In his oral testimony, Adams had recounted the anecdote which led to him being given the nickname “b**** s****” and it was the ombudsman’s assistant Fumisa Ngqele who then asked him, “When Mark Boucher called you “b**** s***, did you address him personally?” Adams responded: “No, well, I never addressed them personally. Mark was probably just one of the guys that did all that.” Adams’ written statement made no mention of Boucher either.Further, Boucher apologised to Adams and CSA’s lawyers have ascertained that Adams had accepted the apology, which left them with no case to make against Boucher with regards to the song.On the matter of Nkwe, the chargesheet against Boucher claimed that he had not provided “roles and responsibilities” or “meaningful key-performance indicators” for him, did not define his role or any development plans for him, and thus, “allegedly treated Mr Nkwe in a manner unbecoming of a leader in your position”. Nkwe’s unwillingness to testify meant CSA could not pursue this route either.There was no mention of why CSA could not sustain the charge around the handling of the BLM movement other than a comment that they had “engaged with various other potential witnesses over the last month and concluded that none of the three charges were sustainable”. While Boucher had intended to call several current players to testify on his behalf, ESPNcricinfo understands that CSA could not secure the same, and, having noted the outcome of Smith’s arbitration, felt it would not be able to make the charges against Boucher stand.In the case of Smith, who was cleared last month, CSA failed to prove that Smith’s appointment of Boucher as head coach discriminated against Nkwe on the basis of race. CSA’s shortcomings in that case, where it was also unable to prove factual causation that Smith had influenced Thami Tsolekile’s non-selection on the basis of race, and led the board to believe it would not be able to make a strong legal argument against Boucher.With Smith’s case concluded, and his tenure as director of cricket ended, and the withdrawing of the charges against Boucher, CSA’s battles with two of the most influential men in the country’s cricket have ended, and the board is eager to take a big-picture view of the anti-racist process over the last 18 months.Mark Boucher – “The last few months have been extremely difficult to endure for me and my family”•Gallo Images/Getty Images

“The SJN process was never only or even mainly about the conduct of individuals. More fundamentally, it was about providing a platform for persons involved in cricket to share their personal experiences of racial and gender discrimination and to allow for a careful consideration of the systemic measures necessary to redress these issues going forward for the future,” Lawson Naidoo, CSA’s board chair, said. “The Board will in the near future announce further systemic initiatives in this regard. The systemic learnings from the SJN process will provide valuable input into the values, behaviours, culture and strategy of Cricket in South Africa going forward and we thank all participants for their contributions in this regard.”Boucher welcomed the decision and committed himself to the national team for the remainder of his contract, which runs to the end of the 2023 World Cup.”The allegations of racism which were levelled against me were unjustified and have caused me considerable hurt and anguish,” he said in a statement. “The last few months have been extremely difficult to endure for me and my family. I am glad that the process has finally come to an end and that CSA has accepted that the charges against me are unsustainable. I consider that the matter is now finalised and closed and I do not intend on making further statements on this matter. I look forward to continuing to focus on my job and to taking the Proteas men’s team to even greater heights.”Boucher continued to acknowledge the insensitivity of team culture in his playing days and maintained that the environment in the current squad has been healthy.”I stand by my apology to Paul given during the SJN process for the hurt he felt during his time as a Proteas player. As I stated in my affidavit to the SJN process, some of the things that were said and done in those days were totally inappropriate and unacceptable and in retrospect, understandably offensive,” he said. “I am proud to now be part of a team culture that is inclusive and whose objective is to be respectful to every person.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da premier bet： Após sair na frente em um jogo duro contra o Fluminense, o Palmeiras acabou sofrendo o empate já na reta final da partida e acabou conquistando apenas um ponto, o que o deixa estagnado na tabela do Brasileirão-2022. O lance que deixou o placar em 1 a 1, foi lamentado não apenas pelo torcedor, mas também pelo elenco.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBrasileirãoVÍDEO: Veja os melhores momentos do empate entre Palmeiras e FluminenseBrasileirão08/05/2022PalmeirasDudu lamenta pontos perdidos contra o Fluminense e projeta partida pela Copa do BrasilPalmeiras08/05/2022BrasileirãoEm jogo truncado, Palmeiras sai na frente, mas Fluminense busca empate no Allianz ParqueBrasileirão08/05/2022

da dobrowin： GALERIA
> Relembre a invencibilidade fora de casa do Palmeiras na Liberta

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2022 clicando aqui

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Em entrevista na zona mista do Allianz Parque após o duelo, Murilo lamentou o vacilo defensivo que a equipe teve quando tinha o resultado nas mãos. O zagueiro revelou que os jogadores já conversaram sobre isso e prometeram que não irá acontecer mais.

-Acho que no primeiro tempo o time foi bem equilibrado, a gente conseguiu manter a bola lá na frente, chegando no ataque, mas no segundo tempo a gente deu uma bobeada na transição, mas isso a gente já conversou para não acontecer mais.

-Foi um lance que não poderia acontecer, uma transição no fim do jogo, não podia acontecer, mas aconteceu, já conversamos e não vai acontecer mais – reforçou o defensor alviverde.

Murilo também ponderou sobre a atuação do árbitro Sávio Pereira Sampaio, que na visão do zagueiro acabou prejudicando o ritmo do jogo ao parar para marcar muitas faltas. Segundo ele, o time queria jogar, mas não conseguiu devido ao duelo ter ficado truncado.

-Foi um jogo em que os dois times quiseram ganhar, vai acontecer sempre, a gente sempre vai entrar para ganhar na dividida, vai acontecer o que aconteceu, mas é natural ali, o árbitro estava amarrando o jogo, a gente queria colocar a bola para rodar e o árbitro estava parando muito – declarou.

Com o empate, o Verdão conquistou apenas um ponto e tem somente seis na tabela do Brasileirão. Diante dos 15 disputados até aqui, o aproveitamento é bem baixo e deixa a equipe longe dos líderes na classificação. No entanto, Murilo afirmou que o elenco tem trabalhado muito para levar o clube para as primeiras posições.

-A gente vem trabalhando muito forte para manter a pontuação lá em cima. Isso aí é com trabalho, com dedicação, a gente vem se empenhando muito e com certeza a gente vai passar essa tranquilidade fazendo pontos fora de casa para manter o time lá em cima – concluiu o zagueiro palmeirense.

O Palmeiras agora desliga a “chavinha” do Brasileirão e foca suas atenções na Copa do Brasil, já que na próxima quarta-feira enfrenta a Juazeirense, às 19h, no Estádio do Café, em Londrina. Na primeira partida, o time de Abel Ferreira venceu por 2 a 1, na Arena Barueri, e pode se classificar para as oitavas de final com um empate.

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Deepak Hooda, who made his India debut earlier this week in the ODI series against West Indies, has been moved up the IPL auction ladder having now become a capped player. In the revised auction list, which also featured ten new names, Hooda features in Set No. 3 comprising allrounders.Hooda, originally listed in Set No. 8, has upgraded his base price from INR 40 lakh (USD 53,000 approx) to INR 75 lakh (USD 99,000 approx).On Friday evening, the IPL distributed the updated player list of 600 names to the franchises. The 10 new, uncapped players include: Aaron Hardie, Lance Morris, Nivethan Radhakrishnan (all Australia), Agnivesh Ayachi, Hardik Tamore, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mihir Hirwani, Monu Kumar, Rohan Rana, Sairaj Patil (all India).The two-day IPL auction will take place in Bengaluru behind closed doors on February 12 and 13. As per the auction schedule, a total of 97 players (up to Set No. 11) will be put up for bidding on Saturday. The first six sets comprising 54 names will feature capped players, including the opening set of ten marquee names, with the remaining five sets on the day being uncapped players.Players 98 to 161 will be up until lunch on Sunday. The accelerated bidding begins after lunch on Sunday, from 162.Where will the IPL be played?
At the pre-auction briefing on Friday, the IPL also told the franchises that the venues for the tournament would be finalised by the third week of February. The 2022 edition is likely to begin from March 27 and run until last week of May.Recently the BCCI had pencilled in Mumbai and possibly Pune as the first-choice venues, subject to getting relevant government permissions.Radhakrishnan, the ambidextrous spinner
Nivethan Radhakrishnan, the only known male ambidextrous spinner in representative Australian cricket, turned out for his country in the just-concluded Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies. His three-for and half-century against Afghanistan in the quarter-finals won him the Player-of-the-Match award and secured Australia’s passage into the semi-final.Radhakrishnan also has a rookie contract with Tasmania and has bowled to top batters even outside Australia. He has been a net bowler in the Tamil Nadu Premier League for two seasons, and once under Ricky Ponting’s watch for Delhi Capitals in the IPL.Radhakrishnan has also batted at various positions – at the top, in the middle, right at the end – in representative cricket, and he can bowl seam-up as well.

“There’s only one explanation: we batted poorly. After batting well in the first innings in Durban, we couldn’t repeat it”

Mohammad Isam11-Apr-2022

Bangladesh’s captain Mominul Haque has admitted that his team has been out of sorts ever since the first innings of the Durban Test, which the visitors lost by 220 runs. Bangladesh’s poor form with the bat continued into the second Test as well, as they were bowled out for 80 in the fourth innings in Gqeberha, their second sub-100 score in the series. For the second straight game, Bangladesh capitulated against spin, losing all 10 of their wickets to Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer.”There’s only one explanation: we batted poorly,” Mominul said. “We couldn’t play team-wise. After batting well in the first innings in Durban, we couldn’t repeat it again in the Test series. Batting by session, batting for time, these things went missing. You have to play well in every session. We have to improve a lot. We are not the No. 1 team in the world. But we are still at the same place before the (Mt Maunganui) win.”Related

Stats – Maharaj lords over Bangladesh

South Africa's Test team in 'special place' after acing challenging 2021-22 season

Maharaj seven-for demolishes Bangladesh

Mominul claimed that Bangladesh don’t play spin well, even though it is quite well known that the players are born and bred in spinning tracks. The only difference between the pitches in Bangladesh and those in South Africa during this series was the bounce.”Everyone knows we don’t play spin well, except one or two of us. We have to improve our square-of-the-wicket shots. (Yasir Ali) Rabbi and I shouldn’t have tried to play those shots over the top. It would have been better had we tried to play it square of the wicket. The better option was to play it along the ground.”There is a fundamental difference between wickets here and the sub-continent. In our conditions, one can use sidespin. Here, it doesn’t really work. Here, overspin is useful. Our bowlers are more used to sidespin. One has to go through a lot of technical changes for overspin. There’s also the difference between domestic and international level.”Mominul said that Bangladesh couldn’t afford to play with five bowlers, mainly because they usually want to have seven batters in their line-up at all times.”Do we ever play with five bowlers? It is tough for us to play five bowlers. Our batting gets weakened. We are a lower-ranked team. We are not the No. 1 team in the world. When we can be a No. 4 or 5 ranked team, we can play with five bowlers. I think this is logical.”

There is no getting away from it: Tottenham Hotspur’s start to the Premier League season has been nothing short of a disaster.

In four games, Ange Postecoglou’s side have picked up just four points thanks to a draw away to newly promoted Leicester City and a win at home to bottom-of-the-table Everton.

Worse yet, the Australian oversaw his second home defeat in a row to fierce rivals Arsenal on Sunday, despite the Gunners missing two of their best players in Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

There were several poor performers on the day for the Lilywhites, and while Cristian Romero has received plenty of warranted flak for his part in the Gunners’ goal, ushered away from proceedings by Gabriel and leaving the Brazilian unmarked, there’s another key starter who looked anonymous for 95 minutes.

Son Heung-min's game vs Arsenal

Yes, while Son Heung-min wasn’t directly at fault for the only goal in the game like the Argentine defender was, he was partly to blame for his side’s blunt attacking display.

Now, the club captain didn’t make any glaring errors in the game, but he didn’t produce any moments of magic or even many genuine chances for his teammates either, which resulted in a rather tepid performance in what should be one of the most exciting games of the season.

This is a sentiment shared by football.london’s Alasdair Gold, who gave the South Korean superstar – and Romero for that matter – a 5/10 on the day, writing that while he ‘teed up Kulusevski for an early chance’ he ultimately ‘struggled to make an impact.’

While potentially harsh, Gold’s assessment of the 32-year-old’s game is corroborated by his statistics, as in his 95 minutes on the pitch, he amassed an expected assists figure of 0.13 and an expected goals figure of 0.02, failed in 50% of his dribbles, played a single key pass, lost the ball ten times and was offside once.

So, while he wasn’t at fault for the goals, he offered practically nothing going forward, so for that reason, and because his minutes should be managed more this season, he should be dropped to the bench for Wednesday’s League Cup game against Coventry City.

Why Wilson Odobert should replace Son

So, Spurs have several wingers at their disposal who could come in for Son off the left, but Ange should look to give Wilson Odobert his third start of the season on Wednesday night.

Now, like most of his teammates, the young Frenchman has been somewhat underwhelming in attack this season and has failed to score or assist a goal, but he should be given time to adjust to the system, and even though he couldn’t make it count on Sunday, he injected some much-needed energy into his side.

Moreover, thanks to his time with Burnley last year, we know what he can do when given a run of games.

Appearances

33

Goals

4

Assists

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.21

For example, despite still being just 18 years old at the start of the 23/24 campaign, the Meaux-born gem was able to score four goals and provide three assists in 33 appearances, which is undeniably impressive considering the Clarets’ form and suggests that in a top side, he might be capable of so much more.

Lastly, if the North Londoners are serious about going far in every competition this year, they will need to manage their first team stars and make use of their squad. So, even though Coventry are a talented team, the former Burnley ace and his fellow prospects like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall should have it in them to get a result against a Championship side.

Ultimately, Romero and his fellow defenders might have been at fault for the goal on Sunday, but Son offered very little going forward, so he should be dropped to allow Odobert the chance to open his Spurs account on Wednesday.

Fewer touches than Vicario: Ange must now drop Spurs ace after 5/10 display

Tottenham suffered yet another defeat to their bitter rivals, Arsenal.

ByMatt Dawson Sep 16, 2024

da bwin： Whilst Arne Slot’s reign has got off to a fine start, concerns over Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future has reportedly seen the Reds turn towards one of the most exciting wingers in European football.

Liverpool transfer news

da bwin： The Reds have barely skipped a beat under their new manager, but that’s not to say it was an easy summer in the build-up to Slot’s first campaign in charge. Those at Anfield left their business late and failed to sign a defensive midfielder for the second consecutive summer after Martin Zubimendi reportedly turned down the chance to complete a move in favour of staying loyal to boyhood club Real Sociedad.

Related Worth as much as Alisson: Liverpool star's value has risen 261% since exit

He’s been the cause of defeat for the Reds since leaving…

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 27, 2024

Whilst Ryan Gravenberch has since emerged to take that role with both hands and arguably make a claim to be Liverpool’s player of the season so far, other problems are beginning to mount on Merseyside. As things stand, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.

Despite all three players’ contracts coming to an end and none of the trio suggesting that they would like to leave, fresh offers are yet to be confirmed, as Salah revealed when speaking about his situation after the Reds beat Manchester United earlier this season.

However, in the event of the Egyptian’s exit, it seems as though those at Anfield have a plan in place. According to reports in Spain, Liverpool chiefs are now determined to sign Nico Williams if Salah does leave next summer.

The Athletic Bilbao winger, who has also reportedly attracted the attention of Manchester United and Barcelona, is one of the best wingers in European football, as highlighted by his recent role in Span’s Euro 2024 triumph.

"Superb" Williams one of few who could replace Salah

Replacing Salah is a near-impossible job, that much is clear. The Anfield legend may even go down as the greatest winger that the Premier League has ever seen, having picked up three Golden Boots and won everything there is to win in English football during his time at Liverpool. So when he does leave, be that next summer or in years to come, Liverpool have the toughest of tasks on their hands. But that’s when Williams could come in.

A player yet to reach his peak, the £167,000-a-week star is already proving himself on the biggest stage, having scored the opening goal against England as Spain set course for Euro 2024 victory a few months ago. Praised for his “superb” performance against Barcelona earlier this year by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, Willams is arguably one of the few who are talented enough to fill Liverpool’s eventual Salah void.

After scoring eight goals and recording a staggering 19 assists last season, it is clear that Williams is destined for the top, which could yet feature a move to Anfield to replace Salah.

There’s always a real sense of intrigue when a player chooses to fly the nest at Manchester United, with supporters no doubt torn between wishing the star well, while also hoping that his exit doesn’t come back to bite them.

In the case of Angel Gomes, for instance, the Red Devils will certainly be ruing letting him slip from their grasp back in 2020, with the Englishman leaving on a free after limited game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having made just ten first-team appearances for the club in all competitions.

The youngest player to feature for the first team since Duncan Edwards after replacing Wayne Rooney at the age of just 16 and 263 days back in 2017, Gomes has since gone on to flourish in France, via a stint in Portugal, at Ligue 1 side Lille, culminating in a first senior England call-up last month.

Last season in the league, the 24-year-old created 15 ‘big chances’ and provided eight assists from his deep-lying midfield berth, with speculation rife that United are among the clubs who are eyeing a potential move for the diminutive playmaker next summer.

With less than 12 months to run on his existing deal, the 5 foot 6 sensation surely won’t be short of suitors, with the Red Devils plotting a potential Paul Pogba repeat in bringing back an asset they previously let go for nothing.

The one-time Boavista loanee may not be the only asset that INEOS could look to bring back to Old Trafford, however, with there another rising star who could be worthy of a second chance in the near future.

Man Utd have a chance to right a wrong

In cases like Pogba and Gomes, talented youngsters perhaps need to move on from the United bubble in order to flourish, allowing them the chance to gain regular game time away from the intense scrutiny that life in Manchester provides.

There is no harm in then plucking those talents once they have realised their potential elsewhere, however, with the club likely to be keeping a close watch on the likes of Willy Kambwala and Hannibal Mejbri in the coming years – two players who have buyback clauses in the deals that took them to Villarreal and Burnley, respectively.

The same could also be said of a certain Alvaro Fernandez, with the promising Spaniard having made the move to Benfica on an initial £5m deal over the summer after a six-month loan spell – a move that also includes a buyback (as well as a sell-on clause)

The 21-year-old departed after failing to make a first-team appearance for the club, with the towering left-back having arrived from Real Madrid as part of a trio of Spanish imports in the summer of 2020, alongside Marc Jurado (Barcelona) and Alejandro Garnacho (Atletico Madrid).

While Garnacho has since gone on to sparkle, both Jurado and Fernandez have fallen by the wayside, although after a bright start to life in Portugal, a return to United in the near future should be in store to help aid the club’s left-back woes.

Alvaro Fernandez's start at Benfica

Described as a “quality” player with an “amazing engine” by talent scout Jacek Kulig during his time in United’s youth ranks – where he notably made 47 U21 appearances, providing 14 goals and assists – the youngster notably sparkled during the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Preston North End.

That stint at Deepdale saw Fernandez register six assists in 42 games in all competitions as an illustration of his attacking prowess, having been hailed as “immaculate” by then-boss Ryan Lowe.

With Tyrell Malacia subsequently missing the entirety of last season through injury, and with Luke Shaw enduring his own stints on the sidelines, the hope was that Fernandez would come into the first-team picture.

Ultimately, however, he was sent on loan to Granada for the first half of the campaign, before joining his current side on an initial temporary deal in the winter window – even with Sergio Reguilon’s own loan having been cut short in January.

Yet again, United have been forced to start the new campaign without a recognised left-back, while the Spaniard has flourished again in Lisbon, notably averaging 1.8 key passes per game from his six outings in Liga Portugal in 2024/25. Only Amad Diallo (2.4) has bettered that return among those back at United in the Premier League.

He also impressed during his first Champions League start against FK Crvena zvezda last week, providing three key passes from his defensive berth in that 2-1 win, while also completing three of his five crosses.

The Spain U21 international remains rather raw, but at a time when Erik ten Hag’s side are so lacking in that left-sided department – with Harry Amass still also just 17 – he could well have been a worthy part of the Red Devils squad this season.

Thankfully, while the club have let him slip from their grasp, the inclusion of that buyback clause ensures that they could have first dibs over re-signing the 6 foot 1 ace in future, allowing Ten Hag and co the chance to rectify their mistake.

Player

New club

Fee

Scott McTominay

Napoli

£25m

Mason Greenwood

Marseille

£26.6m

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

West Ham

£15m

Willy Kambwala

Villarreal

£4.6m

Hannibal

Burnley

£5.4m

Facundo Pellistri

Panathinaikos

£6.8m

Alvaro Fernandez

Benfica

£5m

Donny van de Beek

Girona

£500k

Raphael Varane

Como

Free

Omari Forson

Monza

Free

Jadon Sancho

Chelsea

Initial loan

Anthony Martial

AEK Athens

Free

Brandon Williams

Free agent

N/A

Perhaps, both he and Gomes could be lining up back up in a United shirt once again…

INEOS believe they can afford to sign "superb" Shaw replacement for Man Utd

The Red Devils could make their move…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 22, 2024

Harry Kane is unlikely to become a manager, says Harry Maguire, with the prolific striker expected to play golf in the Bahamas or try his luck in NFL.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Record-breaking goalscorer only 31 years of ageDoes not have to think about retirement just yetMay explore move into another sport at some stageFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

At 31 years of age, Tottenham and England’s all-time leading goalscorer still has plenty of football left in him. He has been showing no sign of slowing down at German giants Bayern Munich, with the target being found on 22 occasions through as many appearances this season.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

A day will come, though, when Kane has to call it quits. He is considered to be coaching material, given his passion for the game, but is being tipped to transfer into the American form of football or spend endless hours on the golf course when record-breaking boots are hung up for the final time.

WHAT MAGUIRE SAID

England team-mate Maguire has told the : "I think H would be a good manager, however, from speaking to him, I don’t think he has any interest of going into management. But he might surprise us because I think he would be a good manager because he’s a good leader.

"He’s very knowledgeable about the game but I can see him in the Bahamas playing golf three times a day. He might go and live in America or go to America a few months a year. He loves the NFL. He was going to be a kicker, so he could be doing that."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

Kane has spoken in the past about potentially exploring a route into the NFL, as an avid follower of the sport and one of the cleanest ball strikers in his chosen profession, while his love of golf has never been hidden and ability with a club in hand continues to be showcased on social media.

What the people present in the meeting had to say about what took place

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2013After the working-committee meeting of the BCCI, N Srinivasan stepped aside while the commission probes the charges of betting and spot-fixing in the IPL. Jagmohan Dalmiya was charged with day-to-day activities of the board. Here is what the people present in the meeting had to say about what took place.On the outcome of the meeting
“I have taken an extraordinarily fair step of not discharging my duties till the probe is completed. What have I done wrong? There is no charge laid against me. Nothing.”
“It seemed like a pre-planned drama. I said it was a sham that will not satisfy the public.”
“I am not only unhappy. I am extremely sad. I am at the same time extremely concerned about the future. We need a more credible explanation rather than just putting old wine in new bottles.”
“What hurt me during the meeting is we should have discussed the system and not just individuals. How to cleanse the system. And what wrong things have entered the game of cricket.”
“Under this arrangement, you must have a board with some credibility. Since the board has taken this decision, I am sure it must be given a chance.”
“It was the most uncharitable and unreasonable comment you have made.”
On how the arrangement with Jagmohan Dalmiya will work
“Mr Dalmiya will look after the responsibilities. He will get decisions ratified by the board. The entire administration will be done by the working committee of the board. Whatever Mr Dalmiya decides will have to be ratified by the board.”
“This is an internal matter on how the board arranges itself. Mr Dalmiya is very experienced. Within the framework of the rules of the board, it can be managed.”
“I have no problem with Mr Dalmiya coming in. He is an experienced administrator, but I don’t like the way he has been brought in.”
“I cannot see how this kind of arrangement work.”
On who all asked Srinivasan to resign unconditionally
“Nobody except Mr Bindra and myself and a couple of others questioned this arrangement. At the end of the day, this has been carried through.”
“At the meeting, Mr Bindra didn’t ask me to resign. The meeting was very smooth. There was no acrimony. The members appreciated what were the tasks ahead of the BCCI. This announcement I made after all members had expressed their views. This was well received. Then Mr Dalmiya was appointed.”
“I have the minutes and the notes of the meeting. I categorically asked for his resignation. I said this sham will not satisfy the public. I said he should resign and come back if exonerated.”
“Nobody had asked for his resignation. I can say nobody came forward. It was unnecessary, like going after a punching bag.”

On what happens to the resignations of Shirke and Jagdale
“All of us requested Mr Jagdale and Mr Shirke to continue so that there is continuity. Ajay Shirke is my best friend. He said he will come back tomorrow. Even Sanjay Jagdale will get back to us tomorrow.”

“They were unanimous in asking us to take back the resignation, but I feel bad that I cannot respond in a positive manner.”
“No question of me taking back the resignation unless there is a creditable route ahead of us.”

Three weeks ago, Rovman Powell found himself amid pickle he had nothing to do with. There were whispers of favouritism when the team management played him ahead of Odean Smith during the third T20I against England. As the whispers got louder, Phil Simmons, the West Indies coach, and Ricky Skeritt, the CWI president, had to step in and issue statements.Smith had played the first two T20Is of the five-match series. He bowled one over in the first T20I and was not called on to bowl in the second. While batting, he wasn’t needed in the first T20I in a nine-wicket win and made 7 in the second T20I. In the third, West Indies strengthened their batting by replacing Smith with Powell, who went on to smash 107 off 53 balls in a high-scoring win.The win brought to the fore Powell’s destructive hitting abilities, yet again. Powell has been around in international cricket for five years, and while such instances have become quite common in the CPL, he hasn’t been able to replicate it at the highest level consistently. On Wednesday against India, Powell’s clean ball-striking on the face of a high asking rate, and his clear thinking in lining up bowlers brought West Indies within two blows of victory.With 23 needed off four balls, he launched two towering sixes to keep West Indies alive. From behind the stumps, Rishabh Pant, who will captain Powell at Delhi Capitals in the IPL, watched in awe. The second of those was a 102-metre straight hit. Powell was distraught when he couldn’t connect the third off a dipping slower one. He finished 68 not out off 36 balls in the end. That West Indies came as close was because of his century stand with Nicholas Pooran.”He (Powell) was phenomenal today, eh? I thought the partnership between him and Pooran almost got us over the line,” captain Kieron Pollard said later. “Sometimes that is what is absent from the guys: trying to bat and bat deep as possible. I’m pleased, pleased not with the result but with the guys, how they continued their consistency. Nicholas getting another half-century, Powell – two half-centuries in four games. So we’re a work in progress.”West Indies began slowly, managing just four fours in a powerplay score of 41 for 1. And when they finished, despite Powell’s blistering knock, there was a sense that they had left themselves with a little too much to do in the end, without being able to properly utilise Pollard, Smith, Roston Chase and Romario Shepherd’s batting abilities.”We could look at different ways at how we could’ve got the eight runs, but when you look at it, they have quality opening bowlers,” Pollard reasoned when asked about the slow start. “The ball is zipping around both sides. Even when we bowled, the ball was moving around. Sometimes you have to respect the bowlers where respect is due, and then try and take it from there. Forty-odd in the powerplay, nine wickets in the hunt, you try to go quicker in the middle. But we can look at many different ways how we could’ve got eight runs.”Powell, a man of few words, spoke of the disappointment of not carrying his team over the line. He touched upon the slow start, but backed himself to play his shots, both against pace and spin. Powell’s clean striking comes from having a stable base. No premeditation, no attempts to be cheeky. He sees the ball and swings it to the T. Like a golfer. He prefers hitting straight. This is a reason why at one stage Rohit Sharma had positioned long-off straighter. Yet, the sheer muscle in a flat-batted hit beat Venkatesh Iyer there.Powell knows he is unconventional but doesn’t back down from his methods that have brought him much success. So what if they didn’t have Andre Russell? Powell brought out similar strokes and intimidated the bowlers. At one point, India’s spinners were involved in a huge debate over field placements. As the final overs approached, India needed to speed up their over rate or run the risk of having just four fielders outside the ring to defend. Powell wasn’t thinking of any of this. He was thinking only sixes, like he showed in the final over against Harshal Patel. The disappointment of not finishing the job, he said, hurt.”I think it was a pretty decent innings, I did the hard yards in the early parts to get myself in,” Powell said. I tried to carry it over, but it won’t go down as a special innings because we didn’t win, it was important for us to be 1-1 going into Sunday. “The discussion between me and Pooran was very simple. We have to try our best to carry on till the end, we needed a partnership. We didn’t have plans to target any specific bowlers. All of them are good bowlers. We just had to back ourselves to take down any bowler. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t cross the line tonight.”