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The ECB say they have yet to receive an approach from Cricket South Africa regarding the services of the England bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, who has been linked to the South African head coach’s position which will be filled as early as next week. Current coach Russell Domingo, who has reapplied for the role, is out of contract at the end of the England tour and the first reported that CSA have been in discussion with Gibson to take over.But an ECB spokesperson said they have had no communication from their South African counterparts and will not entertain any approach until next Tuesday at the earliest, when the ongoing series has been concludedTalk of Gibson’s possible departure from the England camp was also news to Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, who also suggested any confirmation would only come when the Test ends.”Ottis is someone who has obviously had a lot of international experience. He did a great job for the West Indies, won the Twenty20 World Cup as a head coach, then lost out in a semi-final against Sri Lanka – which was a bit unfortunate for him. But at the moment Russell Domingo is head coach of South Africa and doing a brilliant job and it would be disrespectful of us to talk about his position all the time he’s in it,” Farbrace said. “We’ve obviously heard the news tonight, but I promise you we’ve had nothing official. It’s all being left now until the end of the series, I hope.”Uncertainty over South Africa’s head coaching position has hovered over the side since January, when CSA announced they would be advertising the job and not extending Domingo’s contract for a fourth time. But it took five months for CSA to clarify the process they would follow in seeking a head coach, leaving Domingo, who has been in charge since mid-2013, in limbo.In May, CSA appointed a five-man panel, including former national coaches Gary Kirsten and Eric Simons, to recommend a candidate for the coaching job. They also opened applications until June 16, after which interviews were conducted. ESPNcricinfo understands Gibson did not apply for the job.Domingo confirmed he had put himself in contention and had been interviewed but Lions’ coach Geoffrey Toyana was thought to be the front-runner, having had success at domestic level. Other names mentioned included Phil Simmons, who has been seen around the South African camp during the tour of England, and Rob Walter, the former South African fitness and fielding coach who is now with Otago.The committee were due to address CSA’s board on July 21 but were delayed in their work and a decision on the coach was put back. One source suggested CSA was unhappy with the quality and the number of applications they had received and would consider head-hunting instead, especially since the mandate for the next coach is to win a World Cup.Gibson has tasted major tournament success, having overseen West Indies’ capturing of the World T20 in 2012. He is currently in the second year of his second stint as England’s bowling coach. Gibson previously worked with England between 2007 and 2010 and rejoined them in 2015. Though he has no coaching experience in South Africa, he has played for three domestic teams in the country: Border, Griquas and Gauteng.

Keaton Jennings enjoyed more success with the ball than the bat on his return to the Durham side in a 13-run win at home to Worcestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast.Available for the first time in the tournament after being dropped from the England Test side, the left-hander continued to look out of touch as he scored 4 from 10 balls.But his gentle medium-pace earned 2 for 7 in his first three overs, stifling the Rapids after they had reached 78 for 1 after ten overs in reply to 165 for 5.Once Jennings had Ben Cox caught at long-on for 34 Worcestershire were under pressure and three more batsmen quickly followed. Mitchell Santner, who had driven Ryan Pringle for an imperious straight six, lifted the offspinner to deep midwicket, Brett D’Oliveira was bowled off his pads by Jennings, and Ross Whiteley clubbed Barry McCarthy to long-on.It was left to Daryl Mitchell and Ed Barnard to score 41 off the last three overs, but the Rapids finished on 152 for 5.In the clash of the north group’s bottom two teams, Durham produced a spirited display despite their hopeless position, while Worcestershire included four young seamers in the absence of John Hastings, who has returned to Australia with a foot injury.Barnard did not get on until the final over, but showed his prowess with the bat in making an unbeaten 34.The other three youngsters, Josh Tongue, George Scrimshaw and Alex Hepburn, were entrusted with only five overs between them as Mitchell’s gentle medium-pace, like that of Jennings, proved more effective.For Durham, Usman Arshad shrugged off his second reprimand in three years for bowling two balls above waist height at Trent Bridge last Saturday with some skilful bowling.With 21 needed off the final over, he conceded only six runs and a bye, his opening two overs having cost only seven.A classy innings of 62 off 40 balls from Tom Latham, plus a decisive unbeaten 49 off 30 balls by Michael Richardson, lifted Durham to their competitive total following Jennings’ slow start.He faced five dot balls from Tongue before cutting the sixth for four, then failed to score from three more balls from 19-year-old Scrimshaw, playing his second senior T20 game, before driving without conviction and edging behind.Latham greeted Santner by sweeping him over square leg for six and, after reaching 50 off 33 balls, he pulled Hepburn for six and drove him for four before slicing to backward point, where Mitchell held a good low catch.With a little help from Stuart Poynter, Richardson took 49 off the last four overs, hitting four fours and a pulled six.

ScorecardColin Ingram is one of the stars of the NatWest Blast•Getty Images

Colin Ingram blazed his way to a second century in the space of eight days as Glamorgan clinched a five-wicket NatWest T20 Blast victory over Essex in a run-fest at Chelmsford.Ingram survived being dropped on 13 to post a format-best 114 from 55 balls which contained eight fours and nine sixes, his second ton in three games having also reached three figures with 101 against Sussex last Sunday.His efforts went a long way to helping Glamorgan overhaul Essex’s 219 for 4, in which Varun Chopra went to his maiden T20 century with a splendid 103 not out from 59 balls, with six fours and eight sixes.But the Essex opener somehow found himself on the losing side as, with two runs required off the last ball, Craig Meschede cleared the ropes for the 29th six of the day to end a thrilling match in which 443 runs were scored.Chopra shared an Essex record third-wicket partnership of 122 in 11 overs with Ravi Bopara, who hit five sixes in a 32-ball 63. Essex’s batsmen hit 15 sixes in total, and their 219 was the third highest they have compiled in the competition.Essex won the toss, but lost Dan Lawrence to the third ball, beaten by Michael Hogan’s pace, before Chopra and Tom Westley laid into the Glamorgan attack in a second-wicket stand of 70 in six overs.Westley was dropped at wide mid-on by Andrew Salter before slashing at De Lange to be caught on the third-man boundary by Meschede. Chopra continued apace, alongside Bopara, and reached his half-century off 30 balls.The Essex pair were having no problems clearing the boundary and Bopara only needed 26 balls to bring up his fifty in an Ingram over that went for 26 with two more sixes from Chopra, the second straight into the river which brought up the 100 stand.Bopara pulled Timm van der Gugton over midwicket for his fifth sixth before feathering the next ball to the wicketkeeper.Chopra took Essex past 200 with 10 balls left with a straight six off Graham Wagg and the century was reached off the penultimate ball when Chopra pulled a one-bounce four over midwicket off Hogan.Glamorgan’s attempt to rattle along at 11 an over got off to a poor start when Aneurin Donald tried an inexplicable ramp shot to a straight one from Jamie Porter in the second over and was bowled, bringing Ingram to the crease.The South African pulled Porter over midwicket for the 16th six of the day, though when he went for another in the same over he was put down by Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate at long-on.Ingram had 13 at the time. Simon Harmer felt the brunt of Ingram’s relief with two sixes in an over costing 21, the first to long-off, the second over midwicket.David Lloyd helped Ingram put on 56 in five overs before he was caught at short fine-leg by Ashar Zaidi off Bopara.But Ingram was unperturbed and raced to his half-century from 23 balls with six fours and those three sixes. There were two more in an over by Porter, both in the cow corner area.Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph departed for nine, chipping Harmer high to Porter at short third man. But Ingram launched his sixth six off Zaidi and another off Harmer.His eighth, straight from a free-hit from Paul Walter, took him to his century from 50 balls. Number nine was pulled over midwicket off Bopara.Chris Cooke weighed in with three sixes of his own in an 83-run stand in seven overs for the fourth wicket before Ingram was run out at the non-striker’s end by Mohammad Amir.Cooke responded by hitting the next ball for six over midwicket before perishing on 49 to Walter’s catch on the cover boundary. It was left to Meschede to apply the coup de grace.

ScorecardSangakkara clears the ropes against Ollie Rayner•Getty Images

When they talk about the best players – the very best players – achievements, accolades and statistics only go so far. Kumar Sangakkara, scorer of 38 Test hundreds for Sri Lanka, approaching 20,000 runs in first-class cricket and an impressive humanitarian for good measure, finally has his hook.Some have statues, others have busts but the only fitting Sangakkara tribute could come via a brush rather than a hammer and chisel. And on the day that a portrait of the 39-year-old was unveiled in the Lord’s Pavilion, he treated Lord’s to the strokes of a genius.The only part of his innings that showed any force was a succession of sixes off Ollie Rayner, both into the Grandstand on the leg side (the shortest hit), which took him to 95. Otherwise, he was at his majestic best: off the mark, first ball, with a four through extra cover off Middlesex captain James Franklin who, for the most part, had the better of him. Off his 132nd, he drove Rayner through cover for the runs that would take him to his hundred – a third in a row, following efforts against Lancashire and Warwickshire.Sangakkara’s portrait is very good. He can count himself lucky: there are a few questionable efforts that adorn the Pavilion walls. Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss must regret whatever they said to their respective artists before they had their sittings. Sangakkara’s too smooth an operator to make that mistake.Kumar Sangakkara stands by his portrait•MCC/CS

You can imagine him walking out to bat on the fall of Scott Borthwick’s wicket, passing his portrait and giving it quick look to check there wasn’t a hair out of place before guiding Surrey out of trouble.Sangakkara watched on as Rory Burns was caught superbly by a one-handed catch from Ollie Rayner, diving to his right in front of first slip, to leave the visitors 83 for 3 before lunch. Relief came in the form of Dom Sibley – the only right-hander in Surrey’s top five – who helped put on 114.Sibley’s future lies at the top of the order, but an internship in the engine room will serve him well. He effectively manoeuvred an already spread field and picked off eight boundaries in his 54, his second half-century of the season. It is worth noting that since he became the youngest player to make a double century against Yorkshire in 2013, he has yet to pass three figures in the Championship. Injury and opportunity have played their part in that.Ultimately, Sangakkara was the difference between these two evenly-matched sides. Both got their wish when the coin toss fell Middlesex’s way but the hosts will know they should already be ahead in this match. Both Franklin and Steven Finn bowled well for their two wickets but it was promising young seamer Tom Helm, in his first Championship start of the season, who summed up their frustrations.Helm has been talked up around these parts for some time and you could see why in the 19 overs he sent down today for just 1 for 58. With an uncomplicated approach and a tall action that has more of a front elbow than a front arm, he swung the ball and got it to jag up off the surface at impressive speeds.He had Mark Stoneman dropped at gully by David Malan before Adam Voges shelled Sibley, on 20, at first slip. Voges would make amends later, as the same combination eventually came good. Helm also gave Ben Foakes, a player tipped for higher honours, a relentless working over and could probably lay claim to an assist when Foakes twitched at a full delivery from Finn to edge behind for 19.The biggest source of regret for Middlesex came when Sangakkara was stranded mid-pitch, after Sibley had called and aborted a quick single, with just 24 to his name. Toby Roland-Jones, the bowler, hurtled into the leg side to pick up the ball, before bracing and firing at the non-striker’s end. Sangakkara was nowhere in sight, as the throw just missed and Helm, backing up from mid off, was unable to convert from the rebound. Sangakkara survived – and did so till rain washed away the remaining 24 overs of the day.In his first six Test innings at Lord’s, Sangakkara only managed 140 runs. With his seventh in 2014, he finally fulfilled a dream and got himself on the honours board. Three years later, he has got his face on the wall. Should he go bigger tomorrow, they might start calling this place Kumar’s.

Australia’s tour of Bangladesh still hinges on security assessments of the region despite a personal assurance from Cricket Australia chairman David Peever to BCB president Nazmul Hassan that Steven Smith’s team will visit for two Tests in late August and early September.The proposed schedule, ESPNcricinfo understands, has Australia arriving in Bangladesh on August 18, and comprises a practice match in Chittagong from August 22 to 24, the first Test from August 27 to 31 also in Chittagong, and the second Test from September 4 to 9 in Mirpur.Hassan said he had been given Peever’s guarantee during last week’s ICC meetings. “The Australia series is final,” he said. “Their chairman told me on the last day of the ICC meeting that he will come along with his wife. This was actually the first time they spoke to me about a series or tour. He came up with it, so I am sure they are coming.”Hassan said the only issue with the schedule was the break between the two Tests due to Eid-ul-Azha, which is supposed to be from September 1 to 3. But that issue, according to him, had been resolved as well.”The second Test starts on the third day of Eid, so the first one will be held before Eid. The dates are confirmed, but I don’t want to mention it now. The issue was a five-day break for Eid, which was too long for them. Then we decided that we can hold the second Test on the third day of Eid. There won’t be a long gap.”When asked about Peever’s exchange with Hassan, a Cricket Australia spokesman declined to comment, and said the board’s earlier position about awaiting security assessments remained unchanged.The Tests were originally scheduled to be played in 2015 before the tour was cancelled due to a specific security threat against Australian nationals in Bangladesh.”We are still hopeful of touring Bangladesh in the near future and are working closely with the BCB to look at options, but the safety of players and officials will always come first,” a CA spokesperson said earlier this month. “We will continue to monitor advice from ASIO, DFAT and our own security advisors about the security risk for any future tours of the Australian team in Bangladesh and make a decision based on this advice closer to any potential tour.”

The visibility of the pink ball when catching was one concern cited during the round of Plunket Shield matches played under lights in New Zealand this week but Eden Park, the proposed venue for the day-night Test against England next year, was given a positive review.The round of matches was designed to test the pink ball in New Zealand conditions ahead of rubber-stamping a floodlit Test against England next March. The weather had a significant impact with two days getting washed out in Auckland. Hamilton was also severely disrupted and only the match in Wellington had more than two innings.Legspinner Ish Sodhi, who claimed 7 for 107 against Central Districts at Seddon Park, said it was tricky judging distance in the field. “Catching under lights was very tough, the perception of the ball is different. I personally found it hard to figure out how far it was from my face whenever the ball was coming towards me. You think it’s a little bit further away than what it is and it gets to you a little bit quicker.”In that match Central Districts declared nine down during the night session on the opening day and then seamer Seth Rance ripped through Northern Districts under the lights. He had 4 for 6 by the close and finished with 6 for 31 in the rain-ruined contest. Henry Cooper, who faced Rance during that night-time spell, said that the visibility of the ball was fine but swing caused the problems.”It did swing around quite a bit,” Cooper said. “The pink ball wasn’t too tough to pick up; it was just the sort of swing that went on late last night. It was tricky to deal with and obviously we didn’t deal with it as good as we could have.”It did move around for our seamers at the start of the day as well. I think it was the night factor made it feel like it was maybe doing a little more than it possibly was.”Donovan Grobbelaar, the Auckland pace bowler who played in the Eden Park match, had no concerns about the conditions. “I had no problems [with visibility],” he said. “We found it pretty easy viewing. At Eden Park it’s got pretty exceptional lighting so it helps.”Michael Papps, the Wellington opener, scored New Zealand’s first pink ball century – beating Andrew Ellis to the mark by a few minutes – and said that while adjusting to conditions between the middle and last session was demanding, the ball itself behaved well.”The first two sessions were quite similar but the third session certainly did feel quite different, before went off for dinner there was still a lot of natural light but coming back out the lights had definitely kicked in and it took quite a bit of adjusting to the artificial lights. There might have been a bit of uncertainty with the pink ball but to be fair it’s played pretty well and hasn’t done out of ordinary.”Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, who played in the inaugural day-night Test in Australia recently said he was a supporter of innovation in the game but cautioned about there being to vast a difference between the conditions for day-night and traditional Tests.Eden Park and Seddon Park are the two likeliest venues for day-night Test cricket in New Zealand in the future although the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, which hosted its first first-class match in this round, and McLean Park in Napier could be options.”We believe this time of the year is the best time of the year,” David White, the NZC CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. “We are just going through that trial now to make sure. We’ll know more after this round but the most obvious thing is to see how the ball performs in New Zealand conditions and from a visibility point of view how it reacts. We played the first day-night Test in Australia so are very comfortable with the prospect but are just going through our due diligence.”The ground in Napier is currently undergoing extensive remedial work on the outfield after the abandoned ODI against Australia, which led to them losing the South Africa fixture, but White said there would not be a black mark against them in the future.”We’ve worked very close with the local authorities and they will invest a lot in the facilities. It is very important for us to have cricket throughout the country.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details File photo – Rashid Khan’s four wickets gave Afghanistan a come-from-behind win in the first ODI•Peter Della Penna

It was a collapse of some proportion. Ireland, who had looked dominant for a considerable portion of the match, paid the price for making a mess of what should have been a straightforward finish to a chase of 293. From 206 for 2 in the 36th over, they slid drastically to be bowled out for 262 as Afghanistan took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series in Greater Noida.And it was Rashid Khan, the 18-year old legspinner who once again came to the fore, picking up four wickets, including that of Niall O’Brien that triggered the collapse. Rashid had great support from pacer Dawlat Zadran, who took the wicket that arguably swung the match Afghanistan’s way, sending back William Porterfield, whose ravaging 119 had put Ireland on cruise control.Rashid was held back until the 19th over of the match, and with Porterfield and Paul Stirling going great guns, it begged the question if Asghar Stanikzai had missed a trick. His introduction, however, did nothing to put the brakes on the scoring. His first over yielded 11 and he was taken out after a three-over first spell where he had gone at a run a ball.He was brought back in the 29th over, and struck with his fourth ball, deceiving Stirling with a googly that was harmlessly chipped back to the bowler. Dawlat’s double strike next over – first Porterfield, who was caught driving on the up and then Wilson who was trapped leg before by one that skidded on – gave Afghanistan a real sniff, and they never conceded ground thereafter.The rest of the order crumbled to a combination of poor strokes and good deliveries as an already sluggish surface showed signs of slowing down even more. Amir Hamza conjured up a beauty, opening up Kevin O’Brien with a length ball that spun away just enough to have him stumped.Rashid asked more questions of the batsmen, showing great adeptness at using the googly, and struck in each of his last two overs. Tim Murtagh, seeing one drifting away, opened up for a cut but the ball spun in to ping him on the back pad. Then, George Dockrell played for the turn to a quicker one that instead merely straightened and beat the inside edge to trap him in front. By then, Ireland were nine down, and Dawlat wrapped it up when he had Peter Chase top-edge a pull to long-on.Before the collapse, Porterfield and Stirling had produced a superb display of batting on a slow pitch. Both batsmen demonstrated the importance of singles and kept the score ticking by nudging the ball either side of the wicket. Porterfield established himself as the dominant partner and was immaculate with his shot selection. Stanikzai’s attempt to stack up the off-side field and get his bowlers to bowl full outside off was met with a series of reverse sweeps through third man. Along with Stirling, he added 157 for the second wicket at over a run a ball. Even the dismissal of Stirling hardly slowed him down as he raised his ninth ODI century with a punch off Mohammad Nabi, but could not see his team through.As with the ball, Afghanistan were solid with the bat. Most of their batsmen came good after Stanikzai opted to make first use of the surface. Mohammad Shahzad played a characteristically entertaining 43 off 41 balls, laced with seven fours and a six and dominated an opening partnership of 68. When he fell, it was to his own undoing, ambling across after pushing a Mulder delivery to midwicket.But Noor Ali Zadran, in the company of Rahmat Shah, consolidated Afghanistan’s position with a second-wicket partnership of 83. Rahmat was all poise and class in his 78, which came with the help of four fours and three sixes. His 92-ball effort took a fair bit out of him, and he fell to a tired shot, holing out to long-on off Kevin O’Brien, Ireland’s best bowler on the day. At that point, Afghanistan had lost some ground, having lost three wickets for 46 runs.Hashmatullah Shahidi and Samiullah Shenwari made up for some of it with a half-century fifth-wicket stand. O’Brien produced a timely double-strike, sending back both batsmen in the space of three balls of the 46th over. But Nabi muscled 34 unbeaten runs off just 19 balls to lift them to what proved to be a very good total on an unhelpful pitch.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators has specified that an office-bearer who has completed nine years in a post either at the BCCI or at a state association will become ineligible to hold any official post thereafter.

The COA’s criteria which disqualifies individuals as office-bearers

• Is not a citizen of India;

• Has attained the age of 70 years;

• Is declared to be insolvent, or of unsound mind;

• Is a Minister or Government Servant;

• Holds any office or post in a sports or athletic association or federation apart from cricket;

• Has been an Office Bearer of the BCCI for a total period of 9 years;

• Has been an Office Bearer of the state association for a total period of 9 years;

• Has been charged by a Court of law for having committed any criminal offence

This directive was part of an e-mail sent to state associations on Wednesday, in which the COA has also sought compliance reports concerning the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations at the state level. The associations have been asked to submit these reports over e-mail by March 1. This is the first set of directives issued by the COA after it was appointed by the court on January 30.There has been confusion over the specifics of the nine-year tenure cap since the release of the Lodha Committee recommendations in January 2016. The original Lodha Committee recommendation regarding eligibility, which was passed by the Supreme Court on July 18 last year, had made it possible for an individual to serve nine years each at both BCCI and state level. A BCCI office-bearer’s cooling-off period could have been a three-year term at their state association, after which they could once again contest an election for a BCCI position. And if they won the BCCI post, the ensuing three-year term would serve as their cooling-off period from holding office at state level. An individual could therefore have spent 18 years in Indian cricket administration between the BCCI and his state association.On January 2, 2017, the Supreme Court stated in an order that, “A person shall be disqualified from being an Office Bearer if he or she has been an Office Bearer of the BCCI for a cumulative period of 9 years.” A day later, the Court, while modifying the order issued a day earlier, ruled that an office bearer would be disqualified in case he had completed a “cumulative period” of nine years at “BCCI or a state association.”The Lodha Committee’s interpretation of the Court’s modification of January 3 was that if an individual had finished nine years as an office-bearer, whether at BCCI or state level or both combined, that individual was ineligible to continue as an office-bearer at the BCCI or state level effective immediately.On January 20, the court said that its January 3 modification was likely “to create some ambiguity” and therefore it was issuing a fresh clarification on the tenure for an office bearer. It said an administrator would be disqualified if he “has been an office bearer of the BCCI for nine years or a State Association for the same period.”This fresh ruling was interpreted by the office-bearers as a reprieve and an indication that they could continue for nine years separately at BCCI and their respective states. Subsequently, senior administrators like BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Choudhury and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry have continued at the board despite having finished nine years as presidents of their respective state associations. On Monday, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, who has passed the nine-year cap as Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association president, attended the IPL 2017 auction as head of the league’s governing council.As an attempt to put an end to the confusion, the COA has now pointed out that it would stick to the Lodha Committee’s interpretation of the court’s order until a new directive is issued by the Supreme Court.The COA laid out its stand under the subhead: “Disqualification of office bearers/representatives/nominees/patron/advisor/committee member/council members of state/member association” in the e-mail to the sates on Wednesday.”The committee of administrators has been informed that there is lack of clarity on the exact scope and extent of the disqualification in terms of the order dated January 2, 2017, January 3, 2017 and January 20, 2017, passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” the COA said. “The committee of administrators is of the view that until there is complete clarity on the exact scope and extent of the disqualification in terms of the aforesaid order the committee of administrators should proceed on a strict undertaking/interpretation of the same.”As per the advice received by the committee of administrators, this strict understanding/interpretation has the effect on disqualifying all persons who fail to meet the norms recommended by the Lodha Committee and accepted by Supreme Court for being office bearers/representatives/nominees/patron/advisor/committee member/council members of state/member association.”Consequently, the states have been asked to submit list of their existing office bearers along with each individual’s elaborate details. Importantly, all administrators would also need to submit a written undertaking that they conform with the eligibility criteria to the COA by the March 1 deadline.The COA has also asked the state associations that have complied with the courts orders dated October 7 and October 21 last year to submit their resolution in writing by March 1. Last October, the court passed two orders which asked the BCCI to “cease and desist” from supplying funds to the states unless and until they gave a written undertaking that they would comply with the Lodha Committee recommendations as approved by the court.

ScorecardPlay wasn’t possible despite little rain after scheduled start of play•Getty Images

A substantial McLean Park crowd was left damp and irritated after the second Chappell-Hadlee ODI between New Zealand and Australia was abandoned without a ball bowled due to damp patches on the outfield. It was Napier’s second successive abandoned ODI.Rain that had lasted most of the morning delayed the scheduled start of 2pm local time, but the showers cleared and the covers were removed about an hour later.A series of inspections by the umpires followed as the ground staff worked on the wicket square and the outfield, but overcast skies conspired against efforts to dry patches of the outfield that were deemed too dangerous for the players .Eventually the match was called off about 6.45pm local time, half an hour before the latest possible start time of 7.15pm. In the meantime spectators were left none the wiser as they waited vainly for the match to begin.The abandonment means that Australia cannot win the series after their defeat in the opening match at Eden Park in Auckland, however they can retain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy secured at home earlier in the season by winning the final encounter at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.

Some of South Africa’s international players will be unavailable for at least the first half of the domestic 20-over competition, which will impact CSA’s ability to grow the profile of the tournament. The fixtures of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge were announced on Tuesday and the tournament is scheduled to run from November 12 to December 16, which overlaps with the Test team’s tour to Australia that ends on November 28.This means international players, including Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada, will only feature peripherally in the tournament, despite CSA’s desire to have their big names available for as much of the competition as possible. Such was South Africa’s desire to try and promote their shortest format like India, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, West Indies and England have done, that they moved a Test in Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa from mid-December to mid-January to free up the holiday period for Ram Slam T20. Although they have achieved that, the first 18 matches of the 32-game tournament will take place with the Test team playing fixtures in Hobart and Adelaide.South Africa’s 20-over competition has struggled to gain the same glamour as some of its counterparts for two reasons. Chiefly, it has not attracted enough international stars, not even from South Africa, and this will only change in the second half of the event this year. The tournament has also been unable to contract too many big names as the declining Rand is an unattractive currency, and the timing of the tournament is awkward for many players. In some years, it clashed with the Big Bash League. In a few seasons, it has clashed with Test fixtures in other countries.The competition has retained its sponsor for now. Courier company RAM were reviewing their backing of the tournament after last season’s competition was marred by match-fixing allegations which saw Gulam Bodi banned for 20 years for attempting to manipulate matches. CSA insists Bodi did not succeed. The investigation into the allegations has not reached its conclusion with the South African board still expected to name other players it intends to sanction.The rest of South Africa’s domestic season will take place as normal, beginning with the four-day competition that is split into two rounds of five matches each. The one-day cup will be played in a single block in February and March, when the national side will be in New Zealand, which also makes them unavailable for those games.The second-tier semi-professional tournament still includes Namibia and will be played as three-day and one-day fixtures but the 20-over tournament has fallen away in favour of the season-opening Africa Cup. Now in its second edition, the Africa Cup is played over four weekends with the table-topping team from each pool advancing to a finals weekend. All teams play only three matches and it also includes teams from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya.