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The BCCI has “dismissed” Pandurang Salgaoncar, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) curator, for “malpractice” that was captured on camera by undercover reporters. The controversy did not affect the start of the second ODI between India and New Zealand, which began as scheduled after a routine pre-match pitch inspection by ICC match officials. Ramesh Mhamunkar, a member of the BCCI’s grounds and pitches committee, was put in charge of the pitch.The nature of what the BCCI called “malpractice” emerged in a sting operation video carried out by reporters from . In the released footage, which has been edited, Salgaoncar is shown interacting with the reporters and talking to them about the pitch for the ODI – the voiceover says the reporters are posing as bookies though the released footage does not show them introducing themselves to Salgaoncar as such.The conversations in the released video are centred on the pitch. Shot over Monday and Tuesday, Salgaoncar said in the video that the pitch – No. 8 of the 15 strips – would have runs. “It is very good. It will garner 337 runs. And 337 will be chaseable.”The ground is a new one and before Wednesday’s game had only hosted two ODIs. First innings scores in those two were 304-8 and 350-7 (an average of 327); the latter score was chased down.In a different clip, at the stadium, Salgaoncar alerts the reporters to the presence of Mhamunkar at the ground. He tells them that as per regulations no outsider is allowed to be at the pitch. Nonetheless one of the reporters is shown tapping a pitch. In another exchange, in a car, the reporter asks whether two fast bowlers could be given some help from the match’s pitch. Salgaoncar replies that the pitch always helps fast bowlers.And in another, the reporter asks that either a player or a team – the identity has been bleeped out – be dealt a “favor” for the game. Salgaoncar says: “I told you, this will be a 340-run wicket, either way.”The reporter replies, “You’ve already said that. We will do betting on that. But the ****** [name of player or team] we want a favour for tomorrow’s match…”Salcaongar interrupts and says: “That will be done good. I told you.”In response, the BCCI immediately “dismissed” Salgaoncar. Though the acting board president CK Khanna had earlier told ESPNcricinfo that Salgaoncar would be “suspended” and “barred” from entering the ground, a BCCI release left no doubt that the curator had been sacked.”After reports stating an alleged malpractice from the MCA (Maharashtra State Cricket Association) pitch curator, Mr Pandurang Salgaoncar, the MCA has dismissed Mr Salgaoncar from the position of Curator with immediate effect,” the board said.”A strict action has been taken against the pitch curator and the employment relationship between Mr Pandurang Salgaonkar and MCA stands terminated,” the CEO Rahul Johri said. An inquiry will now take place into the events.As the incident concerns an international match the ICC will also be involved. “We are investigating the allegations from Pune this morning, as with all international cricket, the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit has an ICC ACU Manager on the ground in India and we are in close contact with him,” an ICC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “We are now looking to establish the facts and will make no further comment whilst this is ongoing.”MCA president Abhay Apte said: “The MCA will be making a detailed enquiry on what has happened or what has appeared on the television. But before we have our urgent meeting, in the capacity of the MCA president, I have taken Mr Salgaoncar under immediate suspension with immediate effect and all his work has been withdrawn.”Salgaoncar, a long-time curator and former fast bowler, was involved in another pitch controversy earlier this year, after the surface for the first Test between India and Australia in March was rated poor by the ICC match referee Chris Broad.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHamilton Masakadza pierces the off side•AFP

Hamilton Masakadza’s fifth Test century carried Zimbabwe back into the match on a rainy first day at Queens Sports Club. Masakadza shared a 142-run partnership with PJ Moor to help the hosts recover from the depths of 14 for 3, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel having scythed through the top order under gunmetal grey skies after Graeme Cremer had opted to bat. Moor fell for 52, but Masakadza was unbeaten and unbowed on 101 when rain brought the day to a premature end after tea.As is often his wont, and possibly as an effect of the unseasonal cold that has descended on Bulawayo, Masakadza took some time to get going this morning. He did not score until his 17th delivery, and then did so in trademark style: thrashing a full ball through the covers with a solid crunch.At 34, Masakadza is the senior statesman of the side and he displayed the class and patience befitting his position. His knock wasn’t perfect, but he did enough to survive the edges and misses and was also granted the odd slice of luck. An edge off Roach fell short of the wicketkeeper, and a Gabriel no-ball granted a further reprieve.Beaten by the pace of a bouncer in the 11th over, Masakadza seemed to have inside edged a pull onto his own shoulder, the rebound being caught at gully. Umpire Simon Fry turned down the appeal, West Indies reviewed and Masakadza started walking off. But Gabriel had overstepped, and the no-ball allowed Masakadza to bat on. The opener remained particularly fluent through the covers.He found an obdurate partner in Moor, and gradually they helped Zimbabwe restore parity, the score creeping past 50 in the 21st over. Other teams have tested Moor with the short ball, and though the West Indies certainly have the personnel to do so their main line of attack was outside the off stump. Moor had the gumption to pick which ball to leave, and which to hit, and his patience barely faltered: his first boundary was a rasping cut off Holder in the 18th over, his second came more than 28 overs later and was no less well executed.At the other end, Masakadza continued to gain momentum, passing fifty from 96 deliveries. He celebrated that milestone with his first six of the day, rocking back to thump a Bishoo long-hop over deep midwicket. Gabriel was driven whenever he overpitched, while the introduction of Roston Chase was greeted with yet another crunching drive. The same bowler was dispatched over midwicket for Masakadza’s second six, the shot taking him past 2000 Test runs for Zimbabwe.Moor reached a dogged fifty, from 148 deliveries soon after tea, and Masakadza then brought up his own milestone with a confident drive down to long-on in the 60th over, just before the rain arrived. This was Masakadza’s fifth Test century, and his first since 2014.His runs were sorely needed by Zimbabwe. In polar conditions this morning, Gabriel and Roach had cut the hosts’ top order down to 14 for 3. The temperature was up to 38 degrees earlier this week, but plummeted ahead of this game and there were hands in pockets for the slips in the very cold weather. They stayed there for much of the morning with the sun nowhere to be seen, but Zimbabwe’s feet were even more leaden in the cold, and the opening stand lasted just four overs.Roach used the angle of his delivery stride and a touch of seam and swing to masterful effect to remove Solomon Mire, while the dismissal of Craig Ervine resulted more from fast bowling brawn than brain. Coming round the wicket from the Airport End, Gabriel speared a length delivery at the left-hander’s middle stump, beating him for pace. Such was the speed of the delivery the stump snapped in half, and Zimbabwe were 11 for 2.West Indies smelled blood, and Roach had three slips and a gully for the incoming Brendan Taylor. In the event, he needed no fielders at all as his testing lines and cunning changes of angle soon paid dividends. Neither forward nor back, and unsure whether to even play at a delivery whipping through the channel outside off, Taylor succeeded only in deflecting the ball onto his own stumps to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 14 for 3.West Indies might have had a fourth wicket in the first hour, but Gabriel’s front foot boo-boo gave Masakadza a second life. So far, he has made excellent use of it.

Sam Northeast’s future at Kent is in doubt after he was unofficially advised that he would not be reconsidered for the captaincy unless he restated his long-term commitment to the club by extending a contract which expires at the end of next season.Northeast’s strained relationship with Kent, first revealed in , is bound to interest a host of leading counties, aware that his record in all forms of the game identifies him as one of the leading batsman in the country.Long frustrated by a lack of international recognition, Northeast’s fortunes seemed on the up when he was selected by the England Lions tour of the West Indies next year, but the current impasse could lead him to lobby to leave Kent a year early and play First Division Championship cricket to quicken his England ambitions.By the time Northeast joins the Lions for the limited-overs leg of the tour in March, his future should be known.Kent are in turmoil even without Northeast’s possible departure. They are advertising for a newly-constituted director of cricket position, the long-serving chairman of cricket, Graham Johnson, is planning to retire and chief executive Jamie Clifford will join the MCC in February as assistant secretary.Oddly, final interviews for the director of cricket, who will oversee all aspects of Kent’s cricketing affairs, are likely to be concluded after the captaincy issue is resolved.In the absence of a director of cricket, Northeast has borne a heavy responsibility since taking over the captaincy from Rob Key in September 2015 and has been involved in many aspects of the county’s affairs, including selection, recruitment and player development.With some of those responsibilities likely to be curtailed, he may now abandon attempts to reinvigorate Kent, where he has played since childhood. Two promotion challenges under his leadership have run aground because of a lack of pace bowling stocks – Matt Coles’ departure to the champions, Essex, has only worsened that position – and an explosive Twenty20 batting line-up has also failed to reach Finals Day in the Blast.Kent are one of the most traditional of England’s professional clubs and the captaincy appointment must be ratified by the general committee, most likely at a meeting on January 22.If Northeast does become set on leaving, and Kent abandon the fight to keep him, the list of suitors will be a long one. Hampshire were enthusiastic about signing him three years ago and Nottinghamshire would prefer to strengthen their middle-order batting as they return to Division One, especially as they have already missed out on Keaton Jennings.Most intriguing of all is the attitude of Sussex, who will be ambitious to leave Division Two of the Championship next season under the ambitious guidance of new head coach Jason Gillespie. Gillespie was impressed by Northeast during a spell as Kent’s bowling coach last season, so much so that he named him in his preferred England Ashes XI, and the move across the county border would not be disruptive. They should not be overlooked.

Uncapped Otago batsman Anaru Kitchen has been named in New Zealand’s squad for the three T20s against West Indies, while Martin Guptill has made his return following an injury layoff.

New Zealand squad

Tim Southee (capt. for first T20), Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Anaru Kitchen, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor (1st T20 only), Kane Williamson (capt. in 2nd and 3rd T20), Trent Boult (3rd T20 only)

Also in the squad wer batsmen Tom Bruce and Glenn Phillips, each of whom made their T20 international debuts earlier in the year, and seam bowler Seth Rance, who has played two ODIs but no T20s. Ish Sodhi has been preferred to Todd Astle in the spin department, though left-arm spinning allrounder Mitchell Santner is also present in the squad.More players will be rested through this series. Kane Williamson – who is currently on a break – will not return until the second T20, with Tim Southee set to lead in his stead. Trent Boult will also miss the first two T20s, and Ross Taylor will only be available for the first.Colin de Grandhomme will also slot into this squad when he returns to the country following the death of his father. The date of his return is not known, however.Kitchen, 33, has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, and has been in decent form through the start of New Zealand’s domestic season. He bowls left-arm spin in addition to batting in the middle order for Otago’s T20 side.”When you add Anaru Kitchen to the likes of Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Glenn Phillips and Tom Bruce, there’s a lot of threats throughout the batting line-up – there are more explosive batting options than ever before,” said selector Gavin Larsen. “Anaru has performed superbly for Otago the past couple of seasons and with his ability to bowl as well, he brings a lot to the side.”Guptill missed the ODI series with a hamstring injury, but will likely take up his usual position atop the order in the T20s. The series begins in Nelson on December 29, before moving to Mt. Maunganui for games on January 1 and 3.Though they have lost all matches on tour so far, West Indies are world champions in the shortest format.New Zealand squad: Tim Southee (capt. for first T20), Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Anaru Kitchen, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor (1st T20 only), Kane Williamson (capt. in 2nd and 3rd T20), Trent Boult (3rd T20 only)

Ireland 226 for 6 (Joyce 116*, Wilson 53, Naveed 2-45) beat UAE 222 for 9 (Shahzad 75, Rankin 2-26) by four wickets
ScorecardGetty Images

Ed Joyce passed 10000 List A runs en route to his sixth ODI century as Ireland enjoyed a winning start to the ODI tri-series in the UAE. Joyce struck 13 fours and a six in his unbeaten 116 off 149 balls, helping his side secure a chase of 223 from 91 for 5.He combined with Gary Wilson, who made 53 off 83 balls, to add 131 for the sixth wicket and tilt the game in Ireland’s favour. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza dismissed Wilson with Ireland one run away from the target, but Joyce wrapped up the win with four wickets and four balls to spare.”I didn’t know about the 10,000 List A runs,” Joyce told the Cricket Ireland website. “But yeah it feels pretty good. I loved getting the hundred, I felt in great nick going into the game and physically good.”Captain William Porterfield (28) made the only other substantial contribution in the chase. Seamer Mohammad Naveed did the damage upfront with the ball, removing Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie for ducks. The O’Brien brothers all fell cheaply, but UAE could not find a way past Joyce.Earlier, the Ireland bowlers had produced a collective performance to limit UAE to 222 for 9. The seamers – Boyd Rankin, Barry McCarthy, Peter Chase and Kevin O’Brien claimed two wickets each – while left-arm spinner Dockrell picked up one. Rameez Shahzad top-scored for the hosts with 75 off 111 balls, including seven fours and two sixes. Debutants Ashfaq Ahmed and Mohammad Boota were the only other UAE batsmen to pass 30.

Shahid Afridi goes through his trademark celebratory routine•PCB/PSL

In a nutshellKarachi Kings completed a day of low-scoring runs and comfortable chases with a five-wicket win against Peshawar Zalmi to maintain their perfect record in PSL 2018. It was tighter than it needed to be, the chase completed with only two balls to spare. However, the defeat was no less than Peshawar deserved after a feckless first innings in which they were out to poor shots. They were even more indolent with their running: three run-outs meaning they gifted wickets to Karachi who bowled well enough to not require assistance anyway.An ephemeral cameo from Kamran Akmal at the top aside, Peshawar struggled to score at a good enough run rate, with the crease becoming a revolving door for batsmen to waltz in and out of. Dwayne Smith was the only one to chip in with an innings of any note, responsible for 71 of Peshawar’s 131. Karachi’s bowlers – particularly Mohammad Amir early on – were magnificent, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.A late surge had given Peshawar hope of eking out a scrappy win, but Karachi were clinical when they came out. They prioritised keeping wickets in hand, knowing the run rate wasn’t going to be an issue. Joe Denly and Babar Azam kept Karachi on course, before Colin Ingram injected some impetus with a 14-ball 23. A pair of late wickets and good bowling at the death meant Peshawar made it tight, but Imad Wasim’s men were never in real danger of blowing this, with the captain himself smashing the last ball for six to secure victory.Where the match was wonKarachi Kings effectively sewed up the contest with a superb effort in the field. Once Kamran was dismissed in the second over, they kept their foot on Peshawar’s throats. No bowler was a weak link as the run rate remained well below six for nearly the entirety of the first innings. Even though Darren Sammy’s men managed 48 in the last four overs, Karachi’s good work in the first 16 meant the target was still well within the Karachi’s reach.The men that won itMohammad Amir sustained an injury which meant he couldn’t bowl any more than two overs. Which was a shame, as he had been majestic in the first two. He swung the ball at pace and extracted every ounce of bounce the surface had to offer. He put an end to Kamran’s barrage at the start, which, if left unchecked, could have taken the game away from Karachi in the first Powerplay, as happened with Islamabad on Saturday. He also accounted for Tamim Iqbal with late swing, thereby setting the tone for an innings that was going to be heavily dominated by the bowlers.Dwayne’s distinctive dayIf you hadn’t watched the game, the scorecard would give you the impressions Dwayne Smith was the only Peshawar batsman who had a good day. After all, he scored an unbeaten 71 off 51 in a low-scoring game, accounting for nearly 55% of his side’s runs. But the other side of the coin is he was atrocious with his running and calling, at fault for at least two of the three run-outs that happened while he was at the crease. There is a case that the batsmen dismissed, Ibtisam Shiekh, Darren Sammy and Wahab Riaz may have been able to make useful contributions that made the difference in what ended up being a tight contest. But Smith’s consistency across the three editions of the PSL is unquestionable, and he once again demonstrated his destructiveness with the bat.Where they standKarachi are the only side with a perfect record in the PSL so far, and move to the top of the table. Zalmi now have one win from three, and are fourth.

Morne Morkel has become the fifth South African bowler to 300 Test wickets, after taking three wickets on the second day of the Newlands Test against Australia. Morkel’s milestone came up in his 85th Test; at tea, his tally stood at 300 at an average of 28.07, in his final series as an international cricketer.Morkel will retire at the end of the ongoing series, and there is no guarantee he will feature in the fourth Test which has only made reaching the landmark all the more important. He was dropped for the second Test at St George’s Park after a poor start in Durban, where he took three wickets but bowled better as the match went on, and is competing with Lungi Ngidi for a place in the starting XI.Morkel may not even have played at Newlands, but Ngidi suffered a toe injury, which allowed the lanky quick the opportunity for a farewell in the city he has called home for the last three years. Morkel moved from Pretoria to Cape Town in 2015, and though he does not play for the Cobras domestic franchise, with no fixture at SuperSport Park, Newlands is the closest he will get to a home goodbye.And he made sure it will be one to remember.Bowling first change, Morkel replaced Vernon Philander shortly before lunch and took a wicket with his third ball. The Wynberg End offered extra bounce and Morkel found some immediately; Usman Khawaja had not made allowance for the lift and pulled straight to Kagiso Rabada at fine leg to send Australia into the break at 67 for 2.Morkel continued after the interval and in his second over after lunch got the big fish. Australian captain Steven Smith was also undone by extra bounce and fended a catch to Dean Elgar at gully, to be dismissed for 5 and become Morkel’s 299th victim.Then came a wait for Morkel. He bowled four more overs in that spell without adding to his wicket tally, before returning for a new spell and striking with his third ball. Shaun Marsh chased a wide ball and nicked off to Quinton de Kock, prompting animated celebrations from the usually reserved Morkel. He screamed in delight before acknowledging an appreciative crowd. Among those cheering him on was his wife, the Australian journalist Roz Kelly, and their two-year-old son Arias.

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has responded with “surprise and disappointment” to Cricket South Africa’s statement regarding its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which expires at the end of April and has yet to be re-agreed to.On Wednesday, CSA released a statement announcing its intention for an interim agreement and indicated the MoU may only be finalised by July, something SACA claims was not discussed with the players’ association. SACA also confirmed “negotiations on the key elements” of the MOU have yet to start despite CSA’s assertion that discussions had begun.”We are both surprised and disappointed that CSA has seen fit to make a public statement announcing plans relating to the MoU without giving us any proper opportunity to respond to, or to deal with these first,” SACA CEO Tony Irish said. “The suggested plans have caused consternation among players and they require a response from SACA. The indication of further possible delays and the unworkability of certain aspects of what is being suggested are particular matters of concern to us. The suggestion also that there have actually been negotiations conducted by SACA officials with CSA on the MoU to date is also not correct. Negotiations on the key elements have yet to start.”Among the most important aspects of the MoU is the financial model, which underpins players’ contracts and benefits, and which CSA initially indicated could change before backtracking. In December, CSA’s acting CEO Thabang Moroe and president Chris Nenzani told media that the revenue-share model which has formed part of the MoU since its inception 14 years ago may be relooked at. In March, Nenzani recommitted to the revenue share model though, which appeared to clear the path for agreement.However, SACA suggests there has been little to no engagement with CSA despite the player body’s best efforts.The Hampshire squad, including Kolpak signings Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw, pose on media day•Getty Images

“SACA has been doing everything possible from its side for approximately three months to engage with CSA on the MoU and to deal with the key elements to enable player contracts to be finalised well in advance of 30th April 2018, being the date on which the majority of player contracts end. In past MoUs the key elements have always been agreed by the end of February at the latest to ensure a proper player contracting process can take place well in advance of expiry dates,” Irish said. “Unfortunately our attempts to date have been met with very little response from CSA and much of our correspondence has gone unanswered.”We have now reached a point where many of our players could be out of contract in less than two weeks. The effect of this runs across the player group from senior players who play for the Proteas to young players seeking to make their way in franchise cricket.”While CSA promised yesterday to extend player contracts until a final MoU is decided on, SACA explained that would only add to the current climate of uncertainty, because too many players face uncertain futures.”This has caused confusion because it doesn’t cater for what is actually happening on the ground for many players,” Irish said. “Some players have already been told that they will no longer be contracted, some will be moving between national and franchise contracts, some will be moving between franchises and some will be first-time franchise players. Extensions of contract are simply unworkable for all of these players.”SACA’s fear is that if the MoU is not signed by the time the current deal expires, South African players may consider their options elsewhere rather than commit to cricket at home, something which could destabilise the system at large. “The delays have created an environment of uncertainty for players, and also for franchises who wish to secure their players,” Irish said. “This comes at a time when South African cricket needs to do whatever it can to retain its players in the face of competing opportunities afforded to players in the emerging T20 leagues market and also in the UK.”For that reason, SACA regards the finalisation of the MoU to be a “matter of urgency”, a term CSA also used in its release. SACA’s worry is that CSA’s timeline on an urgent matter may not correspond to its own and Irish has urged CSA to enter into talks at the soonest.”We do not understand why such a long further delay may be necessary,” Irish said. “We believe that the new MoU is likely to be substantially similar to the existing one in most respects. Whilst SACA does not have an issue with clarifying the relationship between it and CSA we urge CSA to prioritise finalising the key elements of the MoU so that there is a greater degree of certainty and security for players going forward. Our players deserve that.”

Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, has lent his weight to calls for the ECB to consider a cut-off date for future call-ups to the IPL, after his team’s early-season plans were thrown “out of the window” due to the last-minute departure of Tom Curran to Kolkata Knight Riders.Though Curran went unsold at his base price of USD156,000 during the IPL auction in February, his stock as a limited-overs allrounder rose considerably during England’s subsequent ODI series win in New Zealand.And, when Mitchell Starc was ruled out of this year’s campaign due to a shin injury, KKR swooped for Curran in a USD253,000 deal. Barely a week later, he made his debut against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, and has impressed his new employers with three wickets in two appearances to date.While Stewart did not begrudge his player either the pay packet or the high-pressure experience that he accepts will help mould Curran into a better player, he bridled at the timing of his departure, just days before the start of a County Championship campaign in which he had been expected to be a pivotal player.Curran’s departure was one of three high-profile call-ups from the county circuit this month, preceding Yorkshire’s twin losses of David Willey and Liam Plunkett to Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils respectively, and the subject was the hot topic of discussion at last week’s crisis meeting of county coaches at Edgbaston.”It’s far from ideal losing Tom so late,” Stewart said. “I hope in time this will be looked at. The IPL is not going anywhere – I fully understand players wanting to be part of it because, one, it’s a good competition and, second, it helps your bank balance.”The problem is when you get the phone calls I got for Tom, and Martyn Moxon [Yorkshire’s director of cricket] got for Willey and Plunkett. Your planning goes out of the window.”The fact that the IPL overlaps with the start of the county season has long been a bone of contention for the ECB, who were resistant to allowing their players to take part in the tournament for most of the first decade of its existence.But now, having relaxed their attitude towards English involvement, an alternative problem is rearing its head – given that the players’ efforts to get ready for the English season make them obvious oven-ready replacements for IPL franchises seeking to replace injured players.”All I think needs to be looked at is a cut-off, ideally a month before the championship starts,” Stewart said. “If you get picked up in the auction, that’s fine – it’s at the end of February, so that’s six or seven weeks before the start of the season.”Then everyone knows that, even if you don’t get picked up in the auction, there’s a three- or four-week window, but once that has gone, you can’t then go and play.”Stewart believes that the matter has been complicated by blurred lines of communication between the players, the counties, the ECB and the franchises, and says that a redrafting of the No Objection Certificate is the only way to prevent the situation being presented to the counties as a fait accompli.”How it should work is that IPL phone the ECB to ask about a player, and the ECB talk to the county. That’s how it is meant to work – but it doesn’t, though, because the franchise will ring the player or agent direct to see if they are interested and, once they are told the money, they always are – so you have to let them go.”Tom Curran and Alec Stewart share a joke last season•Getty Images

“That needs to go on the No Objection Certificate, so that the IPL know and the franchises know that’s the deal and the players understand as well. Otherwise it leaves us in a bit of a mess.”Tom will come back a better player so I don’t have a real issue with it, but the issue is who controls the players – are they our players or are they IPL players? They are under contract [to the counties] for 12 months, so I would argue they are ours. We should have more control than just saying ‘I guess you are going then’.”A further complication stems from what Stewart believes is insufficient compensation to those counties who lose out when their star players are snapped up by the IPL – an issue that came to light when Plunkett, who is on an ECB white-ball contract, was approached by Delhi earlier this month.”We have discovered that the ECB have been receiving 10% of the overall contract a player gets from IPL for a number of years and this year it is 20%,” he said. “I hope that it will now be looked at – now that we are aware that this has been happening, which we weren’t before.”Should the ECB be keeping that? Or should that money come back to the county, who are the ones who miss out? I personally believe all that money should come back to the county if you are not an ECB contracted player because of the money that has been invested.”

Hampshire have signed the tyro Afghanistan spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman for this year’s Vitality T20 Blast competition, pinning their faith in a 17-year-old legspinner who has already stood up impressively to the pressures of interntional cricket and IPL.Mujeeb, who first shot to priminence by becoming the first international cricketer born in the 21st century, and became the youngest IPL debutant at 17 years 11 days when he turned out for Kings XI Punjab, will be avalable for the entire tournament.Mujeeb’s signing is bound to overshadow the capture of the explosive New Zealand batsman Colin Munro, whose arrival at the Ageas Bowl this summer has also been confirmed. Munro will remain until his Caribbean Premier League commitments in August.Hampshire are banking on a continuation of Mujeeb’s extraordinary entrance into the professional game. He has burst onto the scene in the last 12 months with his ability to bowl ripping off-breaks, leg-breaks and googlies.The 17-year-old first impressed as part of an Afghanistan U19 side that claimed a historic victory in the Under-19 Asia Cup in 2017, and his performances as leading wicket-taker there earned him a full international debut at the age of just 16.Composed beyond his years, he was also a key factor in Afghanistan’s success in the 2019 Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament earlier this year, helping secure their place at next year’s full tournament hosted in England and Wales.Those achievements and his ability to bowl match-winning spells saw him selected by Kings XI Punjab for more than 600,000 USD in this year’s IPL, taking 14 wickets to date.He could team up with Hampshire’s legspinner, Mason Crane, who became England’s youngest specialist spinner to make a Test debut for 90 years against Australia in Sydney in January and whose performance brought more praise than his return of 1 for 193 might suggest.Crane suffered a stress fracture playing for England Lions in the West Indies in February, but he is back in full training and could make a return in the Royal London Cup this weekend.Described supportively by the Lions coach, Andy Flower as “still a work in progress”, Crane, 21, might benefit from observing the confidence and maturity of Rahman, who is nearly four years younger and who brings a whole new meaning to the term “inexperienced”.Munro, 31, offers less delicate skills but his record suggests he can also have a sizeable impact. He boasts an average of 33.51 and a strike-rate of 163.59 in 45 T20Is for New Zealand, and is second in the ICC’s World T20I batting rankings.The 31-year-old is the only player to score three T20I centuries in the history of the game and has been involved in the best T20 competitions across the world, including the Big Bash and Indian Premier League, where he’s currently featuring for Delhi Daredevils.