England's Test opener Alastair Cook is likley to be appointed as the One-day captain while Kevin Pietersen could take over as the Twenty20 skipper but is expected to face stiff competition from fast bowler Stuart Broad.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is expected to meet later Thursday and formally announce the ODI and Twenty20 captains, but Andrew Strauss, who led the side in the World Cup, may continue leading the side in Tests.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Strauss is reportedly set to stand down as the 50-over captain with suggestions that Cook, Test vice-captain, will take his place.
The daily also reported that veteran Paul Collingwood will give up the Twenty20 captaincy, just over three months after he announced Test retirement.
Strauss's decision to hand over the captaincy would not be unexpected after both he and team director Andy Flower said after the World Cup that they would review the 34-year-old opener's role in the 50-over side.
Cook was the stand-out batsmen during the historic Ashes success, when he scored 766 runs, but not included for the subsequent one-day series against Australia or the World Cup. In fact, the 26-year-old Cook has made just three ODI appearances in the past two and a half years, all of which were made on last year's tour of Bangladesh when Strauss was rested.
Cook was trusted with the captaincy in those games and won all three while also averaging 52 at the top of the order. Source
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Cook, Broad, Strauss to split England captaincy
England will name captains for the three formats of cricket that are currently being played at the international level. While Andrew Strauss will be the Test captain, Alastair Cook will be the one-day captain and Stuart Broad will be the Twenty20 skipper.
According to the Daily Mail, team director Andy Flower tried to talk Strauss out of quitting for another year or so. Yet Strauss, who at 34, knows he will not be around for the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, is adamant that the time is right for him to step down and allow the planning for 2015 to begin.
Cook, who made a good impression as England captain in Bangladesh last year, emphatically showed in the Ashes that he could score runs in Australia. But he still needs to show whether he can emulate Strauss in developing his game for one-day cricket.lower and England managing director Hugh Morris will announce the unprecedented news at Lord's this morning.
This all means that England are ready to call time on the international career of Collingwood.
The man who led England to the World Twenty20 title last year is said to be upset at effectively being sacked as the short-form leader.
But Flower said after England's latest World Cup embarrassment in Sri Lanka that all one-day planning should be done with the World Cup in mind so there would seem little point in picking the 34-year-old Collingwood when he, too, will not be available in 2015. Source
According to the Daily Mail, team director Andy Flower tried to talk Strauss out of quitting for another year or so. Yet Strauss, who at 34, knows he will not be around for the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, is adamant that the time is right for him to step down and allow the planning for 2015 to begin.
Cook, who made a good impression as England captain in Bangladesh last year, emphatically showed in the Ashes that he could score runs in Australia. But he still needs to show whether he can emulate Strauss in developing his game for one-day cricket.lower and England managing director Hugh Morris will announce the unprecedented news at Lord's this morning.
This all means that England are ready to call time on the international career of Collingwood.
The man who led England to the World Twenty20 title last year is said to be upset at effectively being sacked as the short-form leader.
But Flower said after England's latest World Cup embarrassment in Sri Lanka that all one-day planning should be done with the World Cup in mind so there would seem little point in picking the 34-year-old Collingwood when he, too, will not be available in 2015. Source
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Flower signs new contract to stay on as England coach
Andy Flower has signed a new contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to stay on as the team director.
Flower, a former Zimbabwe captain, has had a successful stint with the English team since taking over from Peter Moores in January 2009. Under him, England recorded successive Ashes series wins and also claimed the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.
Flower is understandably delighted and said the side is determined to realise their objective of becoming the No.1 side.
'I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to build on the considerable progress we have made to date as a squad and remain fully committed to developing the side and ensuring we are in a position to realise our objective of becoming the No.1 side in the world,' Flower, who is preparing the side for the home series against Sri Lanka, India and Ireland, was quoted as saying in the Guardian.
'When I was appointed England team director in 2009, I stated that I wanted to create a winning England team and I am very pleased with the advances we have made as a squad over the last two years in all formats of the game,' Flower said.
'Regaining the Ashes in 2009 and retaining them last winter and the 2010 World Twenty20 title are obvious highlights, but there is still plenty more we want to achieve in the longer term,' he added.
'We have made no secret of our determination to become the No.1 side in the world and challenge for global titles and I feel we have been making steady progress. I firmly believe we have the talent amongst the playing squad and management team to help us realise our ambitions, and am looking forward to testing ourselves against quality opposition this summer and beyond.'
The ECB said Flower will be on a permanent contract.
'Andy Flower has made a huge impact during his time as England team director and I am delighted that he has committed to the role and will be continuing to build on the considerable progress the England team has made during his time in the position,' said ECB managing director Hugh Morris. Source
Flower, a former Zimbabwe captain, has had a successful stint with the English team since taking over from Peter Moores in January 2009. Under him, England recorded successive Ashes series wins and also claimed the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.
Flower is understandably delighted and said the side is determined to realise their objective of becoming the No.1 side.
'I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to build on the considerable progress we have made to date as a squad and remain fully committed to developing the side and ensuring we are in a position to realise our objective of becoming the No.1 side in the world,' Flower, who is preparing the side for the home series against Sri Lanka, India and Ireland, was quoted as saying in the Guardian.
'When I was appointed England team director in 2009, I stated that I wanted to create a winning England team and I am very pleased with the advances we have made as a squad over the last two years in all formats of the game,' Flower said.
'Regaining the Ashes in 2009 and retaining them last winter and the 2010 World Twenty20 title are obvious highlights, but there is still plenty more we want to achieve in the longer term,' he added.
'We have made no secret of our determination to become the No.1 side in the world and challenge for global titles and I feel we have been making steady progress. I firmly believe we have the talent amongst the playing squad and management team to help us realise our ambitions, and am looking forward to testing ourselves against quality opposition this summer and beyond.'
The ECB said Flower will be on a permanent contract.
'Andy Flower has made a huge impact during his time as England team director and I am delighted that he has committed to the role and will be continuing to build on the considerable progress the England team has made during his time in the position,' said ECB managing director Hugh Morris. Source
Pakistan ends fixing row with Australia
Pakistan cricket authorities on Tuesday settled a row with the head of the Australian board over comments he made in the wake of a damaging spot- fixing scandal that hit the South Asian team last year.
Three leading Pakistan players, including former Test captain Salman Butt, were banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier this year on corruption charges related to the Lord's Test against England last August.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for failing to take measures to curb the menace of corruption following a fixing scandal more than a decade ago.
Sutherland's remarks angered the PCB, which wrote to the ICC to ask it to investigate.
But the row fizzled out on Tuesday, with PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar telling AFP the sport's governing body had told Pakistan and Australia to sort the spat out between themselves.
"After that PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad talked to Sutherland on the matter," Sarwar said.
"James clarified that his comments on the Qayyum inquiry were not meant to put PCB in a difficult position."
"Sutherland explained that it was in response to a question during an interview and not intended to criticise anyone. PCB enjoys cordial relations with CA so we have decided not to pursue the matter any further."
Sutherland last month said last year's spot-fixing scandal might not have happened had the PCB implemented recommendations made by a commission led by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000.
"Ask yourself whether PCB actually went through and implemented those recommendations," Sutherland said.
"I can't say for sure but I would have big question marks about whether those things would have happened last year if those recommendations had been fully implemented."
Justice Qayyum, whose inquiry banned former captain Salim Malik and Ataur Rehman for life besides imposing fines on six other players including Wasim Akram and current Pakistan coach Waqar Younis, made 30 recommendations.
They included a tighter code of conduct on players and that an independently-headed review committee be set up to investigate all cases of possible corruption in the future besides regular assessments of players' assets.
Qayyum last year also criticised the PCB for not fully implementing his recommendations. Source
Three leading Pakistan players, including former Test captain Salman Butt, were banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier this year on corruption charges related to the Lord's Test against England last August.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for failing to take measures to curb the menace of corruption following a fixing scandal more than a decade ago.
Sutherland's remarks angered the PCB, which wrote to the ICC to ask it to investigate.
But the row fizzled out on Tuesday, with PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar telling AFP the sport's governing body had told Pakistan and Australia to sort the spat out between themselves.
"After that PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad talked to Sutherland on the matter," Sarwar said.
"James clarified that his comments on the Qayyum inquiry were not meant to put PCB in a difficult position."
"Sutherland explained that it was in response to a question during an interview and not intended to criticise anyone. PCB enjoys cordial relations with CA so we have decided not to pursue the matter any further."
Sutherland last month said last year's spot-fixing scandal might not have happened had the PCB implemented recommendations made by a commission led by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000.
"Ask yourself whether PCB actually went through and implemented those recommendations," Sutherland said.
"I can't say for sure but I would have big question marks about whether those things would have happened last year if those recommendations had been fully implemented."
Justice Qayyum, whose inquiry banned former captain Salim Malik and Ataur Rehman for life besides imposing fines on six other players including Wasim Akram and current Pakistan coach Waqar Younis, made 30 recommendations.
They included a tighter code of conduct on players and that an independently-headed review committee be set up to investigate all cases of possible corruption in the future besides regular assessments of players' assets.
Qayyum last year also criticised the PCB for not fully implementing his recommendations. Source
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