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Michael Bevan – Flays former county Photo © AllSport UK

Michael Bevan’s 89 n.o. was instrumental in Sussex Sharks defeating Yorkshire Phoenix by 70 runs in their National League Division One match at Arundel. The Australian now averages 105 from eight innings in the competition. The visitors never looked like reaching their 273 runs target and were out for 202 with three overs to go.Bevan hit eight fours in only 81 balls at the crease against his former side.Yet he had been missed at long-off when still in single figures. His compatriot Darren Lehmann had almost matched his performance in scoring 89 in as many deliveries and shared a 68 runs eighth-wicket partnership with Ryan Sidebottom.Yorkshire had got off to a slow start to their quest with Matthew Wood and David Byas scoring 49 runs in 11 overs. After the fall of two wickets Byas, too, was dismissed – to a spectacular run out to James Kirtley.Sussex’ win had been set up in the 76 opening stand in 15 overs between Chris Adams (54) and Richard Montgomerie (44). The former hit five fours and a six in his fourth consecutive half-century and his 47 runs stand with Bevan set the Australian on the way to his own match-winning innings.Ninety-eight runs were scored of the last 66 balls. Will House, who hit 32 runs from 24 deliveries, helped Bevan put on 58 runs for the fifth wicket. Bevan hammered Paul Hutchinson for three boundaries out of 18 runs in the final over.

It was reported yesterday that Aston Villa could yet make a move for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who they have “long been admirers of”, having previously bid a reported £25m for the player back in the Summer of 2019.

This year, things could be different though, due to the sacking of boss Marcelo Bielsa, who wasn’t just a fan-favourite but was also a player-favourite among the likes of Phillips – who left him a heartwarming farewell message.

After the midfielder’s impressive showings at the European Championships last summer, it seemed unlikely that he would be heading anywhere but a ‘top 6’ club competing in European competition should he leave Leeds, but with the club languishing above the relegation places, a move to Villa wouldn’t be shocking in the slightest.

There is even a possibility that he could line-up alongside AC Milan star Franck Kessie, who has a “serious” offer on the table from the West Midlands club – which would surely create one of the Premier League’s best midfield trios with John McGinn or Jacob Ramsey slotting in the other position.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard must be licking his lips at the prospect of deploying any three of those four names, in his midfield system that aims to win back possession quickly and transform defence into attack often with just a few touches – something which the “perfect” midfield brute is well-known for.

The likelihood of both deals being completed at this stage isn’t high, but should journalist Ashley Preece’s claim that the club are ready for “a summer of big change” and complete a number of outgoing transfers, then funding may potentially not be a problem.

Phillips, who was rated at a whopping £60m last year, has had a season plagued with injury and fitness problems, but we all know the quality that he possesses, and his attitude, mentality and work rate makes him the ideal ‘Gerrard’ midfielder – so if the deal is there to be done, it simply must be completed.

Alternatively, Gerrard could still swoop for his former Rangers star Joe Aribo, who was heavily linked with a move in December, and would also slot into the midfield three perfectly, having played in a Gerrard system previously before.

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Completing an impressive 83.2% of his passes per game this season, as well as an eye-catching 8.60 passes under pressure per game, Aribo would also likely cost significantly less – having a valuation of just £9m.

In other news: AVFC make “serious” offer for “devastating” gem, he can take them to the next level

Sri Lanka wicketkeeper batsman Kusal Perera, who tested positive for a banned substance in early December, may face a lengthy ban from international cricket with his B sample understood to have also tested positive.Perera had to be cut from Sri Lanka’s tour to New Zealand after a random test conducted in October came out positive for a banned substance. He had the right to request analysis of a second sample, taken at the same time, but ESPNcricinfo learnt the results of the B sample matched his A sample.The ICC is yet to comment on the matter considering it is an ongoing disciplinary process. Although no official penalty has been announced yet Perera can be suspended for a maximum of four years for the failed tests.The ICC had served Kusal with a provisional suspension on December 7 after tests conducted on the A sample came out positive. According to the ICC’s Anti-Doping Code, a player has 14 days to request a hearing before an independent three-person Anti-Doping Tribunal. Failing that, implies the player “shall have been deemed to have admitted that he/she has committed the anti-doping rule violation(s) specified in the Notice of Charge” and to have accepted the consequences specified in that Notice of Charge.Sri lanka’s sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera told reporters today that, “We are appealing against this because he was never found like this in the last four instances. We will back him with legal representation while doing every possible effort to help him to get out of this issue.”Neither the ICC nor SLC have confirmed what the banned substance is.

Few players in the world currently undertake the variety of roles handed to Moeen Ali. In the recent Ashes he was bolstering England’s lower order at No. 8 then in the T20 against Australia he strode in at No. 3 to stroke a career-best unbeaten 72 from 46 balls to help set-up victory.Meanwhile, there is debate about whether he will open in the forthcoming one-day series then in the Tests against Pakistan in the UAE. Versatile is an understatement.As with most of his international career, which is still only 18 months old, he has taken it all in his stride, whether his job is to marshal the tail – something he did with significant success in the Ashes – chip out useful wickets with his offspin, go for broke in a T20 or to face the new ball at the top of a one-day innings which was his job at the World Cup earlier this year.Naturally, Moeen has said whatever task is handed to him he is happy to take – “I can bat from one to 11, really,” he said after the T20 – but there is no doubt his preference remains for being as high in the batting line-up as possible.Worcestershire have indicated they would accommodate him as an opener if England requested it ahead of the UAE tour. But it is still to be confirmed where he will slot back into the one-day side having missed the series against New Zealand when he was given red-ball cricket with Worcestershire ahead of the Ashes.”I love opening the batting but wherever the team wants me to bat, I will bat, and if that’s three then so be it,” Moeen said. “I have done it before so it is not a problem. Opening the batting is obviously a little bit different.””I think with the fielding restrictions it doesn’t really matter now but most of the time I enjoy the newer, harder ball because I don’t have to hit it as hard. I find it better if I open the batting but I am happy at three, four, five or wherever.”There are a couple of ways Moeen can return to the 50-over side. He could, as was the case in the T20, be a straight swap for the rested Joe Root at No. 3 or he could partner Alex Hales as an opener at the expense of Jason Roy who did not deliver a major innings against New Zealand.Moeen has opened in 20 of his 22 ODIs and scored two hundreds: 119 against Sri Lanka in Colombo – with his hundred coming off 72 balls, at the time England’s third fastest in ODIs – and 128 against Scotland in Christchurch during the World Cup. Moeen, though, remained modest about his capabilities.”The guys who are opening at the moment are very exciting players and hopefully if they both get in I am sure you will see more runs than if I was batting there,” he said.Moeen’s impressive performance in the T20, and the fact he provides another bowling option for Eoin Morgan, means that James Taylor could again be struggling to make the line-up against Australia at least at the start of the series.Taylor lost his place for the New Zealand series, having captained the side in the one-off match against Ireland in Dublin, having had a run at No. 3 during the triangular series in Australia and the World Cup where he made three half-centuries, including 98 against Australia at the MCG when he was controversially left stranded two runs short of his hundred.Taylor has enjoyed a strong Royal London Cup campaign with 401 runs at 66.83. His way back into the starting XI could be if Moeen opens and he returns at No. 3.

The ICL’s hopes of attracting Shane Bond have ended © GNN Photo

The Indian Cricket League’s (ICL) plans to sign current New Zealand players have been ruined after the country’s board decided it would not release its stars. Stephen Fleming and Shane Bond were linked to the unofficial Twenty20 tournament, but Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive, said the contest could erode the value of official series.”We depend upon the value of the media rights associated with official international events to provide a majority of our income,” Vaughan said. “It is therefore in the best interests of New Zealand Cricket not to support unofficial events such as the ICL.” He also has concerns over the proposed Stanford Twenty20 in the West Indies.Four Pakistani players, including Mohammad Yousuf, have signed for the Indian league, but it has struggled to attract the host of promised big names. Chris Harris and the retired Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns have also been linked to the competition, which has not been sanctioned by the ICC or the BCCI.Vaughan said no contracted player had asked to appear in the tournament, but the issue was considered carefully and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association supported the position in principle. “The proposed rebel league is scheduled to directly conflict with New Zealand’s tour to South Africa as well as the start of our domestic season,” Vaughan said. “We have entered into these contracts in good faith and stand by our players through their contract period. We expect players to treat us the same way.”Vaughan said all players with provincial deals would also be bound by the ruling. “We’re aware that [ICL] contracts have been offered to some of our players,” he said. “We have made them aware of NZC’s position. Whilst I can understand why these sort of individual offers can be attractive in the twilight of your career, we need to uphold the integrity of our contracts.”Vaughan said the recent confusion could prompt NZC to look at whether its stars were adequately remunerated. The current system of awarding deals to 20 players – the lowest-ranked receive a base salary of about NZ$45,000 a year – might be reviewed, with the potential for fewer contracts, but at a higher value.”We can look at the number of contracts – issues like this do make you think about it,” Vaughan said. “We’ve also recently signed a new media rights deal and the players will benefit directly from that.”The Indian board is reportedly planning a sanctioned Twenty20 contest and Vaughan said it could lead to New Zealand players taking part. “It is too early to discuss details of this,” he said. “Like the ICL, we also need to be careful when considering this proposed competition to ensure participation is in the best interests of NZC. We expect more information to become public in the coming weeks.”

We’re in the army now: John Buchanan and Jason Gillespie share the load © Getty Images

John Buchanan’s mysterious pre-season boot camp has started with the players donning khakis and being split into groups of six with army rations and survival exercises. The four-day adventure has been planned to challenge the nationally-contracted men and will involve bush tasks in the hinterland of Queensland’s Gold and Sunshine coasts.First stop on the hectic schedule of team building was the Beerwah State Forest, which is an hour’s drive north of Brisbane, but it was a temporary break as the unit moved its base in the evening Canungra. The focus of the event, which is staffed by former SAS soliders, is on team building and to ensure the squad is physically and mentally strong in preparation for an important summer that includes the Champions Trophy, the Ashes and the World Cup.The commando nature of the camp has prompted concerns from several players, including Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, as well as the players’ union. “I wasn’t sure whether it’s going to work,” Warne said, “but I think all of us have come here with an open mind to try and get something out of it and try and grab what it’s all about as far as teamwork and bonding and all those sort of things.”

Ricky Ponting pushes a van in the jungle © Getty Images

Although Cricket Australia has insured their 25 contracted players “to the hilt”, according to a spokesman, the four days out in the wild are designed to be challenging rather than dangerous. “We’ve got to be reasonable,” Reg Dickason, the team’s security expert insisted. “We’ve got to take them outside their comfort zone but can’t be stupid about it. We’re dealing with elite athletes and we’ve got to do the right thing by them.””There will definitely be methods in John’s madness,” Dave Gilbert, the New South Wales chief executive, told the BBC. “There’ll be specific themes to the trip which will be about helping your team-mate and looking at ways at getting yourself out of difficult spots. It’s probably what the team needs at this moment in time.”They are very well paid. They basically lead an almost rock star existence, stay in five-star hotels and are feted around the world,” he said. “To have it tough for a few days won’t do them much harm at all.” Damien Martyn’s entry to the camp was delayed by a day after his wife Annika suffered minor injuries during a horse ride on Tuesday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has reacted angrily to reports that Mohammad Yousuf’s – formerly Yousuf Youhana – conversion to Islam was influenced by religious elements within the team.In a statement the PCB said: “[We] categorically state that Yousuf’s decision was entirely personal and that no religious oriented pressure or influence was brought to bear on him by current or former players. The press report…is baseless and should be ignored.”Yousuf, 31, who has played 59 Tests and 202 ODIs for Pakistan, converted to Islam from Christianity earlier this week and it has caused tensions in his family. He is expected to play a crucial role in the Test series against England, starting in November.

Will Dalmiya’s smile last?© Getty Images

A Bhopal court has ordered the registration of a contempt-of-court case against the Indian board for appointing Jagmohan Dalmiya as its patron-in-chief. reported that PK Nigam, the judge, had given an order asking the BCCI not to proceed with the proposed appointment, and the contempt application charges the board with breaching this injunction.Yogesh Khattar, a former first-class cricketer, had approached the court in Bhopal to stop Dalmiya’s appointment, feeling that it was an inapproproate step. The plea was that there was no provision for the appointment of a patron with powers superior to that of the president.After hearing the case, the court had issued an order, saying that the defendants “will not act contrary to the rules and regulations framed by the BCCI in the Special General Meeting”. However, the BCCI went ahead with their scheduled meeting last Sunday and Dalmiya was made patron-in-chief.In the application, Khattar, has also asked that all properties of the BCCI be attached by the court and that all functionaries of the BCCI be “detained in civil prison for a term of three months”.

England’s elite players will rejoin their counties this week for the Frizzell Women’s County Championship which starts on Saturday July 26 in Cambridge.The competition lasts five days, with 18 counties competing in one-day matches in three divisions, across a range of university pitches in Cambridge.The Frizzell Women’s County Championship holders, Yorkshire, return to defend their title whilst the other first division teams – Kent, Sussex, Berkshire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey – seek to end Yorkshire’s decade-long domination.England captain Clare Connor will lead Sussex and admits the Championship provides the perfect preparation for the forthcoming npower Women’s Test Series and NatWest Women’s Series against South Africa.”With five matches in five days, the competition will be intense but it provides a showcase for women’s domestic cricket in England and gives England players a genuine opportunity to find form ahead of the international games,” she said.Connor will then see the international opposition as the Frizzell Women’s Champions play South Africa women on Thursday August 1 in the tourists’ first warm-up game at Fenner’s.Division One will witness some tantalising individual duals as England team-mates face each other. Two young bowling sensations of the England team, Isa Guha (Berkshire) and Laura Spragg (Yorkshire), will have a chance to bowl at England’s prolific batters, Charlotte Edwards (Kent) and Claire Taylor (Berkshire).

Potential Championship batting star: Lydia Greenway Photo © ECB

Tuesday July 29 will see Lydia Greenway and Charlotte Edwards – the strongest batting pair in the competition – face the world-class Yorkshire bowling attack which includes Clare Taylor, selected for England last month for the 12th consecutive year.The Frizzell Women’s County Championship welcomes Cheshire to Division Three following their success in the Emerging County Championship last year. One team is relegated and promoted from each Division, with the last placed team in Division Three reverting to the Emerging County Championship next year.The introduction of Durham and Cheshire to the competition, plus the three additional teams competing in the Emerging Counties Championship reflects the significant growth of the women’s game at county level in the past three years, with the greatest rise at U13 level where 22 counties now run a total of 87 U13 teams.Division One: Berkshire, Kent, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex, Yorkshire
Division Two: Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Middlesex, Somerset, Staffordshire
Division Three: Cheshire, Derbyshire, Durham, Essex, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire

The Indians are once again in a familiar situation with their backs tothe wall. At the moment, they can only hope that rain will save themfrom defeat in the second test at St. George’s Park. The ordinaryperformance notwithstanding, the team management faltered from thevery outset with regard to the team composition. Logic and commonsense were put on the back burner before the final eleven was picked.Being diplomatic is one thing, but being wishy-washy is another thingaltogether, and a reluctance to take tough and hard decisions cannotbe deemed as diplomacy at any point of time.

©CricInfo

The explanation of John Wright that the best four bowlers were playedwas about as convincing as the Indian batting. It appears that Wrighthas adapted himself very well to the Indian way of thinking and theprevailing system. Regardless of whatever explanations he dishes out,the think-tank has failed terribly in its moment of reckoning. Thegame plan was very obvious, with the Indians determined to field onwinning the toss. What was inexplicable was the decision of playingjust the two seamers; after all, playing two spinners can be fullyjustified only if the Indians were to bowl in the second and thefourth innings.The decision to drop a spinner was always going to be a tough one, butthe conditions warranted the inclusion of a third seamer. I hasten toadd that I am not being wise in hindsight; I had written about this inmy earlier article. It would not be unfair to presume that the teammanagement was weak-kneed and did not want to ruffle any feathers, andhence took the easy way out. They had a choice of five seamers, andthe reason they are in the squad is that they are required on SouthAfrican pitches.

©AFP

The shuffle in the batting order had mixed results; to be fair, theyoung stumper Deep Dasgupta acquitted himself rather well, bearing inmind that he had kept wicket for a day and a half. Sourav Ganguly keptshouting wolf and threatening to open the innings, but it was fairlycertain that he would not. One should make some allowances for him,though, as he is not among the runs in a big way. Rahul Dravid yetagain became a yo-yo by acceding meekly to the wishes of the teammanagement. He should remain at one particular batting slot, simplybecause he has such a good record abroad. VVS Laxman batted muchbetter in this Test, and it is good to see that he has altered hisapproach towards batting. He was more at peace with himself, and hisshot selection was percentage-based rather than mere flamboyance.

© AFP

Javagal Srinath was the only real silver lining in the cloud, and hisbowling in this Test was probably his best. His discipline wasexcellent, and when he bowls like this, he is on par with any topperformer in the business. But he has been given an excessiveworkload, and he will be better off when used in short bursts.Returning to the strange decisions involved in team selection, it waseven stranger to see Anil Kumble hardly being pressed into service. Itis normally difficult to see a leading wicket-taker for the countryunder-bowled and that too with just four bowlers in the ranks. If thatis the confidence level of the captain, then all the more reason forhim to have left Kumble out and played a third seamer. India mightstill have been in a similar situation with three seamers playing, butwhatever happened to that element of strategy?