Stuart Broad Commits to ECB Salary Reduction

The England & Wales Cricket Board has requested for months that players willing take reductions in their salary. It’d enable the ECB to offset burdens associated with the COVID-19 pandemic financially. Delays were initiated with these requested, as the test series between Pakistan & the West Indies proved profitable for ECB. The looming second wave of COVID-19 has seen the ECB pre-emptively request that players take a salary reduction. Few have publicly responded, hoping that discussions in pay-cuts are avoided.

One player isn’t approaching this scenario with vindictive intent. Stuart Broad has agreed to cooperate with salary reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic. His agreement comes after being one of England’s best cricketers against the West Indies & Pakistan. Stuart Broad acquired thirteen wickets when combating Pakistan’s national team. That number increased to sixteen wickets against the West Indies. For Stuart Broad to agree, it shows virtue & leadership that’ll likely have other professionals follow suit.

Employment Reductions

The England & Wales Cricket Board has begun financially struggling in recent weeks, announcing on October 1st that sixty-two positions had been terminated from ECB operations. It amounts to 20% of their corporate workforce, with the ECB’s Chief Executive Officer clarifying that £100 million had been lost since COVID-19 began. It’s known that continued restrictions from a coronavirus outbreak will prompt £200 to £250 million in overall losses. ECBs Tom Harrison would struggle to lead the company into recovery as CEO. Financial disruptions on this magnitude create fallouts that cannot be overturned.

England’s Stuart Broad revealed that other cricketers on the national team would agree to salary reductions. The larger number of players that decide to salary reductions will initiate the redevelopment of ECB savings. When questioned on what’ll the result of these discussions be, Stuart Broad evoked that salary reductions will 100% happen & that there are players purposely delaying the enactment for vindicative purposes. It’s selfish behaviour when considering that sixty-two individuals employed by the ECB, lost their jobs.

Potential rifts in leadership could be occurring on England’s national cricket team. Stuart Broad could be looking to overtake Ben Stokes as the primary leader of this squad. However, it’s more likely that Stuart Broad believes in the just cause of financially saving the ECB.

England Lions Dominate Over Australia XI

The 2nd day in the England Lions Vs Australia XI went underway this week, with the ferocious British coming out on top in Hobart. After considerable competition from the Australians, the British surpassed expectations and acquiring 600 in the first inning. This fast pace of scoring was prompted by athletes like Dan Lawrence and Dom Bess. James Bracey also provided his assistance, allowing for both Dom and Dan to acquire their respective wickets. Through Lawrence and Bess, these men obtained a score of 503.

Match Highlights

When Dan Lawrence implemented his offensive skillsets, Dom Bess assisted, and the pair made the sixth wicket. All three of these athletes made considerable advancements before their head coach dismissed them. Brandon Doggett forced the men to switch-out with the second lineup, which immediately saw a decrease in scoring speed. The England Lion’s Captain acquired a singular wicket. Sporting analysts were shocked by the outcome of the second-day match, with their predictions becoming incorrect.

Throughout the entirety of this matchup, the England Lions acquired 619 Points. It’s the second-highest points total they’ve obtained during their clubs’ history, with the number one position occurring five years ago in Paarl against South Africa. This also marks the 1st instance that three batsmen with the England Linins have acquired wickets in the same inning. All it took was three individuals to make all the difference and win the second day, with the 3rd and final slated for later this week. Sporting analysts anticipate that athletes like Jason Sangha and Sam Whiteman will dominate over the 3rd match. It should be noted that these two men weren’t available for the 1st or 2nd days of this series, with prior obligations coming first.

Captain Gregory Talks

The Captain for the England Lions spoke with reporters, where he expressed that he’s proud to engage with teammates that have formidable skillsets. He noted that Dom Bess and Dan Lawrence performed beautifully during the second matchup, with their scarce strategies allowing for the England Lions to propel themselves towards victory. These statements continued with him expressing that their partnership with Brandon Doggett has made this organization tough and that they can take any task going forward. Captain Gregory is excited for what’s to come with the 3rd day of this series.

ICC Temporarily Bans Kagiso Rabada

The International Cricket Council has actively governed over the South Africa and England test series, with the ICC making multiple announcements this week. It was confirmed that Kagiso Rabada had been banned from the final match during this test series. His removal follows after celebrating the dismissal of Joe Root in a disrespectful manner, which occurred on the 1st day of the third matchup. Kagiso Rabada began to scream inappropriate remarks to Joe Root after being dismissed. One demerit point followed for Rabada as well, adding to four in two years. That immediately triggered a one-match ban, meaning that South Africa’s national cricket team loses one of their most profound players in the final matchup.

Some unexpected individuals came to the benefit of this South African player. Graham Onions from the England national cricket team went to social media, where he described this punishment as harsh from the ICC. Jonathon Trott, a bowler that previously played for England, noted that Rabada’s celebration was aggressive and crossed the line. That Kagiso had displayed aggressive behaviour multiple times and this one-game ban if rightfully deserved. Another instance of Kagiso Rabada receiving a demerit point came when South Africa was competing against India. Kagiso aggressively shouted racial remarks to Shikhar Dhawan. It’s the second time that he’s thrown his racist behaviour into the public eye, with the International Cricket Council unimpressed. Continued offences could result in a permanent ban from international cricket.

Old Trafford Redevelopment Approved

Positive news struck cricket headlines this week when Trafford councillors approved the redevelopment of the “Emirates Old Trafford Stadium”. This follows after a town hall meeting on January 16th, 2020. It was confirmed after the meeting that the Emirates old Trafford would be redeveloped with a new stand, allowing for 2850 additional seats. It was noted that this new stand would replace the Red Rose Suite, providing enhanced member facilities to VIP personnel.

New redevelopments include a newly formatted ticket office, retail shop and heritage centre. After the redevelopment phase is completed, more than 26 thousand fans can fill this house.  Additional announcements made with the redevelopment of Emirates Old Trafford include a new extension to the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel. The Civic Quarter area that surrounds this stadiums will be reformatted for visitors, becoming more appealing and approachable in the process. 

Nasir Jamshed Guilty

The previous Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed was found guilty on charges relating to bribery. These charges were imposed on him in December 2018 by British National Criminal offense Company (NCA). The British firm is representing this former athlete; they provided an official statement regarding Nasir. They said: “Three guys have been billed with bribery offenses as a component of an NCA examination right into cricket suit spot-fixing. This comes after arranged events by national cricket boards from Pakistan and also Bangladesh.”

The various other two people have been determined as Yousef Anwar and also Mohammed Ijaz. They also confessed to have attempted to reward gamers for obtaining them to underperform in the PSL. Jamshed was jailed in addition to Anwar, and also Ijaz. They were viewed as the cornerstone in the spot-fixing rumor by the PCB and also penalized a ten-year restriction. Showing up in court in Britain in January 2019, Jamshed had refuted any misdeed, before altering his appeal to being guilty of conspiring to pay off fellow cricketers throughout the PSL in a hearing in Manchester on Monday.

The Founded Charges

According to an AFP record, the district attorney at the hearing stated that a police officer had gone covert, making believe to be a participant of wagering distribute. He uncovered a tried repair in the Bangladesh Premier Organization in 2016 and also a replacement in PSL 2017.

Jamshed is stated to have been a target of bribery throughout the competition in Bangladesh before he agreed on the fraudulent charges. However, he also tried to persuade various other charges by detecting issues in the PSL game between Islamabad United as well as Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai on February 9. February 9, 2020 has been established as the day for the sentencing of the triad.

Zimbabwe Back on the International Cricket Council

After being suspended from the International Cricket Council as a member, for three months, Zimbabwe has now been readmitted following a meeting in Dubai. The suspension was due to political interference from this African country. Zimbabwe hasn’t been the only country suspended from the council. Another suspension which was already in place since 2016 against Nepal too has been lifted.

Zimbabwe’s Political Interference

Zimbabwe is a country that has been suffering a long past of political unrest and sensitivity. During July this year, the political leaders interfered by suspending the existing cricket board and by replacing them with an interim committee appointed by the government. The ICC didn’t approve of this action, and the country was suspended from the ICC as a member. This is not the first time that the country suffered some embarrassment within the world of cricket. During 2005 they ultimately suspended their involvement in Test cricket. This was due to a serious of rather humiliating performances and political turmoil spilling over into the sport. Even though they are still playing at the world’s top levels and are performing great at Twenty20 internationals as well as at one-day internationals, they are no longer competing in Test cricket since then.

Allowing Zimbabwe Back In

Recently a meeting was held in Dubai where the minister of sports accompanied Tavengwa Mukuhlani, the chairperson for cricket in Zimbabwe in the country, Kirsty Coventry. During the meeting, the status of Zimbabwe was reinstated since according to the ICC, they noticed commitment from the minister of sport in Zimbabwe to get cricket reinstated. According to Shashank Manohar, the chairman of the ICC, she proved herself to have a desire to improve the competition and the conditions under which the game is competed in, within the country. She has also complied unconditionally with all the guidelines and requirements which were set out by the board of the ICC. Now the Zimbabweans will be able to take up their place once again in the international arena. Their Under-19 team will be present in the Under-19 World Cup set to take place in January next year. They will also be presented at the ICC Super League which takes place later on in 2020. Currently Zimbabwe is in 12th place in the ODI rankings and unfortunately didn’t qualify for the World Cup this year.

Nepal’s Return to the International Arena


Nepal was suspended in 2016 due to their actions which breached the ICC rules which prohibits any interference from government side when elections take place to ensure that elections take place free and fairly. According to Manohar, Nepal made brilliant progress since then and thus was admitted to the board with certain conditions set in place. A transition plan has to be followed which has been developed with the Cricket Association of Nepal, aimed at supporting them into becoming a full member once again. The program will also include better control over funding.

Criticism from Health Campaigners

The Hundred Tournament is set to take off on July 2020. This brand new tournament is an initiative of the England and Wales Cricket Board to interest youth in playing cricket. Now it is slammed with criticism from those who are the strong advocates of a healthy lifestyle. Their main concern with the tournament is that it will promote obesity in the youth through their main sponsor, KP Snacks.

The Origins of the Hundred

This 100-ball tournament was a proposal by the ECB already made in September 2016. This followed after discussions between the Professional Cricketer Association, the Marylebone Cricket Club and 18 of the top cricket counties. The vote was far in favour of the proposed format. The format would be shorter than a Twenty20 with 100 balls in each innings and change usually ends following ten shots. Bowlers would deliver 5 or 10 balls but no more than 20 per game. The idea was to attract a new and younger audience to the game. It is a plan which Joe Root, current Test Captain to England welcomed.

Announcing Sponsorship

Early this month the teams, as well as the branding of the tournament, were published with KP Snacks being the main sponsor to the event. This brought on a wave of criticism from various anti-obesity groups. They claim that KP Snacks are a supplier of junk food and that the brand will become the main focus in the minds of children. The KP Snacks logo is presented on the branding of each team’s clothing. Kate Cross, a cricketer for England, stated that she had hopes that this competition would inspire the younger generation to be more active.

The Involvement of KP Snacks

The Hundred Tournament is set to become a great deal of family fun with various men’s and women’s teams being involved from Cardiff, Leeds, Birmingham, Southampton, Nottingham and London. The tournament will be played at Lord’s as well as the Oval, and it will be broadcasted on BBC and Sky Sports. The ECB stated that their focus is to regain a family involvement in the game and that they want to connect communities. KP Snacks have an extensive portfolio including Skips, Hula Hoops, Butterkist popcorn and McCoy’s crisps. These snacks are part of the British households, and this is the market where KP Snacks wants to get involved in, promoting the game of cricket and educating people on the importance of a balanced lifestyle which entails enough activity.

The Anti-obesity Campaigners

This is not how the anti-obesity campaigners perceive the situation. The tournament and its main sponsor were slammed for using the opportunity to make junk food centre stage in the event, exposing the children to unhealthy products. The criticism is further fuelled by new legislation which prohibits companies whose products contain high amounts of fat, sugar and salt from advertising to those under 16. The counter-argument from these companies that their products can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet stays wholly ignored.

Mohammad Amir’s Shocking Retirement Announcement

This week the cricket world was shocked by the announcement from Mohammad Amir, the Pakistani fast bowler. It was announced that he is retiring from Test cricket with immediate effect.

Mohammad Amir

The now 27-year-old Amir made it clear that he is only retiring from test cricket. The world will still see this left-arm fast bowler in action during Twenty20 internationals and one-day games. Amir made his debut at the age of 17 in 2009 during a match against Sri Lanka. During his career, he played 36 Tests for Pakistan. During these he took 119 wickets, giving him a 30.47 average. His record was against the Windies with six for 44 in April 2017. His stronghold in cricket has always been limited-overs cricket. This help the Pakistan team a great deal towards winning in 2017, the Champions Trophy title. Amir was also part of the group of bowlers picked for the recent 50-overs World Cup held in England, during which he took 17 wickets. The team just missed a spot in the semi-finals while ending fifth in the group. He made his announcement through the Pakistan Cricket Board. His focus will now be on white-ball cricket only. He also mentioned that he is focusing on getting into the best physical shape he can. Although the years playing for Pakistan formed him into a great cricket player and much stronger human being, it came with some adversity as well.

Jailed for Game Fixing

Shortly after making his debut in 2009, Amir was one of three players involved in a conspiracy and was sent to jail. They were the then 28-year-old Mohammad Asif sent to prison for one year, then Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, sent to prison for 30 months and Amir, only 19 years old, sent to prison for six months. They were found guilty of the conspiracy of bowling no-balls during a test match against England. Each of the three players also received a fine to pay. Their arrest was made in August 2010 just after the fourth Test between England and Pakistan. To manipulate the timing of no-balls is a significant role player with spot-fixing in the sports betting market. According to resources, Amir was paid £2,500 for his contribution in the conspiracy. His fine amounted to £8,120. In the end, he served three months in jail and had a five-year ban from cricket. He only returned to the Pakistan cricket scene again in 2016.

The Future for Mohammad Amir

Ideally, he wants to be in the best shape he can be to contribute to his team’s success. One of the challenges which he is looking forward to is the ICC T20 World Cup. Even the adversity which he had to suffer in his youth couldn’t stop him from achieving greatness in the cricket world. He made mistakes in his youth and paid the price. His teammates will miss his personality and skill on the field and in the dressing room.

Zimbabwe’s Suspension from the ICC

Zimbabwe became the very first member of the ICC to be suspended. Even though associate members have been expelled and suspended before, the sanctioning of Zimbabwe by the ICC is unprecedented but certainly not expected. Let’s take a closer look at how this unfolded only a month ago.

Why was Zimbabwe Suspended

The ICC gathered in London, England a week ago and decided to suspend Zimbabwe immediately, among other things, because the country failed to provide a process for democratic and free elections while failing to make sure that there’s no interference from the government in its governance.

The ruling occurred due to the decision that was made by the SRC (Sports and Recreation Commission) to suspend the Zimbabwe cricket board following the elections that the SRC has claimed to be unconstitutional earlier in June. A financial audit of Zimbabwe was requested by the SRC, reaching out to the ICC for guidance and assistance, placing a temporary committee to operate cricket in the country until a board election can take place on September 2020.

How Does This Effect Zimbabwe

The funding for Zimbabwe has been completely cut off, and both the women’s and men’s cricket teams have been banned from any ICC events. However, given Zimbabwe’ Cricket’s financial state, and the country itself, the suspension caused all professional cricket to be ceased in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Cricket has stated that the country will no longer participate in a tri-series against Bangladesh in September. This means that players will also not receive any match fees or salaries. Also, the domestic season will not be staged due to the suspension. In a place that is battling with an economic meltdown already, the suspension has caused hundreds of people to be unemployed and managed to affect a great deal more.

The Sports and Recreation Commission

The Sports and Recreation Commission is primarily a statutory body that was created by a Zimbabwean Act of Parliament back in 1991. It’s a type of parastatal that is directed by Acts of Parliament and selected by the sports minister. However, it doesn’t form part of the government in Zimbabwe. Its purpose is to regulate sporting associations within the country and to ensure that each of them adheres to the constitutions. The chairperson for the SRC is Gerald Mlotshwa.

So What Happens Now?

It’s difficult to escape the fact that the ICC has grown quite weary of the Zimbabwe Cricket saga, allowing them to cut them loose quite quickly due to this. At the moment, there’s no recovery plan in sight. However, the board will look at this concern again in October 2019. Until then, the women’s and men’s cricket teams in Zimbabwe have absolutely no hope and no roadmap at the moment. Solomon Mire has recently announced that he will be retiring and loads of other players will follow in his footsteps if a solution isn’t found soon. Let’s hope this gets cleared up before its too late.

National Cricket Teams With The Most Test Match Wins

Test matches can be seen as international cricket games that are only played between members that form part of the International Cricket Council who also have Test status. These cricket matches consist of two innings for each team and don’t have any limits when it comes to the number of overs. In March 1877, the first official test match was played between Australia and England. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the cricket teams that have the most test match wins in the world.

Australia – 372 Wins

Australia played it’s very first test cricket match back in 1877 and is considered the oldest cricket team in Test cricket history along with England. When it comes to their win-loss ratio, overall wins, and percentage wins, you will find that Australia ranks as the number one cricket team when it comes to Test cricket. The national cricket team of Australia participated in 4 successive World Cups and managed to win 3 of them. They also managed to win the World Cup in 2015 on home soil.

England – 346 Wins

Wales and England represent the national cricket team of England. The Wales and England cricket board have been the governing body of the team since 1997. However, from 1903 until 1996, the England cricket team was administered by the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club). In 1877, Australia and England were considered the first teams that participated in a Test match. At the moment, England holds the highest record when it comes to ODI totals and is currently ranked 5th when it comes to T20I’s and ODI’s and is ranked 4th in terms of Tests.

West Indies – 164 Wins

The Cricket Board of the West Indies is essentially a coalition of 15 different Caribbean countries that predominantly speak English along with British and non-British dependencies. During the 1970s to the 1990s, the West Indies cricket team dominated both Test cricket and ODI’s. The unit boasts with some of the best players in the world, all of whom have been featured on the ICC Hall of Fame. The West Indies have claimed two wins at World Cups, including 1979 and 1975. The West Indies haven’t won a major tournament since, but remain one of the best cricket teams in the world in both batting and bowling abilities.

South Africa – 145 Wins

Nicknamed ‘The Proteas’, the South African cricket team is governed by CSA (Cricket South Africa) and is a member of the ICC Test status and ODI International status. On 20 August 2012, the South African cricket team were ranked as the best team when it came to Test cricket. However, eight days later, the South African cricket team was ranked the best cricket team in the world in all three formats. At the moment, South Africa is ranked as the third best team in the world when it comes to T20I’s, first in terms of ODI’s, and third when you look at Test cricket results.

Chris Gayle Will Retire from ODI’s Following World Cup

Chris Gayle is playing exceptionally well in the ODI series while facing England, and with the World Cup to follow, it’s highly unlikely that a lack of confidence is holding him back.

“You are looking at an exceptional man,” Gayle stated when asked if he was satisfied with his cricketing career. “I am currently the greatest cricket player in the world and still considered the Universe Boss which is something that will never change. I will take that to the grave.”

Chris Gayle’s Career

However, his cricketing career, on an ODI level, is about to come to an end. The next few weeks will see Gayle participate in his last ODI when he visits the Caribbean, while retirement will come after the World Cup campaign comes to an end for West Indies. At the age of 39 and also on the brink of becoming the fourteenth man to score more than 10,000 runs in ODI’s, he finally decided to call it a day. Should he be selected for the World Cup, it will be his fifth tournament in his cricketing career.

“I will draw the line after the next World Cup, “Gayle stated. “With 50-over cricket, it’s the end for me after the World Cup. I’ll give the youngsters the opportunity to have some fun while I sit back and enjoy the game from the party stand. Claiming a win at the World Cup will undoubtedly be a fairy-tale finish. There’s no denying that the youngsters own it to me to claim a victory. They need to do that for me and attempt to claim the trophy for me too. I’ll provide my input in the World Cup as well.”

Thankfully, Gayle hopes that it’s not the end of his cricketing career. Apart from the several T20 commitments he made in the domestic leagues, he hasn’t ruled out appearing in the T20 World Cup which will take place in Australia during 2020.

“It’s simple, if I don’t play, it won’t be considered a tournament,” Gayle stated. “England should invite me over. Once that happens, I’ll explore the competition and thanks, everyone. I’ll be able to set the trend like I managed to do in tournaments across the globe. I’m in perfect condition. My body is feeling fantastic, and I’m pleased about that. I managed to lose a bit of weight and refuse to get too big. Thankfully, there’s still time to work on my six pack. I’m attempting to keep up with the younger players on the field who act like cats when they chase the ball. Fortunately, I still have what is needed, and I still enjoy the game.”

When Chris Gayle and the West Indies managed to defeat England in a recent Test series, Gayle stated that it was one of the best things that ever happened in the last decade. He will be remembered as one of the best cricket players that ever played the sport.

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