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He was the former head of sales and sponsor relations

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2020Cricket South Africa has terminated the contract of Clive Eksteen, its former head of sales and sponsor relations, after finding him guilty of “transgressions of a serious nature”. Eksteen was suspended in October last year, alongside then interim director of cricket Corrie van Zyl and COO Naasei Appiah and faced charges of dereliction of duty relating to unpaid commercial rights fees for players during the inaugural edition of the Mzansi Super League (MSL).Van Zyl has since been cleared and has returned to work at CSA, under new director of cricket Graeme Smith while both Eksteen and Appiah were found guilty of wrongdoing and appealed the outcome of their cases. Eksteen’s is now concluded, but Appiah’s appeal continues.That means CSA still has two ongoing cases from the seven it accumulated in 2019. Appiah and suspended CEO Thabang Moroe, who attempted to return to work this week, are both unresolved while Eksteen, financial manager Ziyanda Nkuta, procurement manager Lundi Maja, and administrator Dalene Nolan, have all been dismissed.Moroe’s case is the most high-profile with the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) claiming CSA’s board is deliberately delaying the matter and lack the will to move forward on it. CSA has denied this, citing its incomplete forensic audit as the reason Moroe’s disciplinary proceedings have not progressed. Moroe faces, among other charges, allegations of credit card misuse. There is no indication as to why Appiah’s case remains open.This was the second instance in which Eksteen was suspended from CSA, after previously becoming entangled in an episode of reputational damage. He was involved in the Sonny Bill Williams mask saga during Australia’s tour to South Africa and suspended in March but returned to work in May of that year. Eksteen’s role at CSA was particularly important in maintaining corporate relations, something the organisation is desperate to rebuild in the face of a financial crisis.At the end of April, CSA lost a major sponsor in Standard Bank, whom they have yet to replace while its other big backer, financial services company Momentum, had previously indicated they wouldn’t review their relationship with CSA if the current president, Chris Nenzani, remains in his role. Nenzani has served two terms as CSA’s president, the second of which was extended by a year, but he is set to step down in September. Both SACA and several sponsors lay the blame for the administrative upheaval the organisation has faced in recent months at Nenzani and the board’s door.

Peter Nevill also made a century, his first for two years, before Western Australia lost an early wicket in their battle to avoid defeat

Alex Malcolm25-Feb-2019Australia Test incumbent Kurtis Patterson continued his sparkling form with yet another century while New South Wales captain Peter Nevill made his first hundred in two years to put the Blues in complete control of the clash with Western Australia at Bankstown Oval in Sydney.Patterson made 134 from 229 balls with 15 fours and two sixes as the Blues piled up 8 for 477 declared. He has now made six centuries in his last 11 innings at all levels dating back to his Shield century against Western Australia in Perth in early December.The span includes two centuries for New South Wales, two for the Cricket Australia XI, a Test century for Australia and a grade century for his club side St George in Sydney.Nevill piled on the pain in the afternoon reaching his 10th first-class century and his first in two years before swiftly declaring with a lead of 198. Steve O’Keefe also added 57 in a partnership of 125 with his captain.WA debutant legspinner Liam O’Connor took five wickets in a tireless effort. He bowled Jack Edwards through the gate with another superb wrong ‘un, and took the last three wickets to fall to finish with 5 for 131 from 38 overs, as the Warriors could only manage eight wickets in 150 overs of toil.WA’s task to save the game on the final day was made even tougher when they lost Sam Whiteman just before close. He edged a ball to the gully off Sean Abbott driving away from his body with Patterson clinging onto the sharp chance. Cameron Bancroft and Josh Inglis survived to stumps but WA still need 185 runs to make New South Wales bat again, or to bat most of day four to avoid defeat.

Illness affected final season for Glamorgan stalwart

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2017Glamorgan batsman Will Bragg has announced his retirement from cricket with immediate effect at the age of 31.Bragg was only able to play a handful of County Championship matches in 2017 due to illness, although he did enjoy a successful Royal London One-Day Cup campaign when he registered a career-best 94 against the Kent Spitfires at Swansea.”It’s been a great experience to come through the age groups of Welsh Cricket and represent Glamorgan for over a decade,” he said.”Last season was a frustrating one for me personally and I believe now is the right time for me to step away from the game and start focusing on building a new career in another area.Born in Newport, Will initially signed for Glamorgan as Mark Wallace’s understudy behind the stumps, before developing into a specialist top-order batsman.He enjoyed his most consistent season for the Welsh county in 2016 when he switched to No. 3 from opening and passed 1,000 first-class runs for the third time, hitting a career-best 161 not out against Essex in Cardiff.He went on to score over 5,500 First-class runs for Glamorgan across an impressive 11-year career.”Will Bragg has been an integral part of Glamorgan for more than a decade,” said Glamorgan’s chief executive Hugh Morris. “He was a big part of the dressing room and a fine batsman for the club, so it’s sad to see his career end prematurely.”

Calum MacLeod struck his second hundred in three ODIs to lead Scotland to a 53-run win over Hong Kong in Edinburgh

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCalum MacLeod racked up his second hundred in three ODIs•Peter Della Penna

Calum MacLeod struck his second hundred in three ODIs to lead Scotland to a 53-run win over Hong Kong in Edinburgh and take the series 1-0.MacLeod made 102 off 107 balls and spearheaded a 116-run sixth-wicket partnership – a Scotland record – to help his side recover from a poor spell in the middle overs and post 266 for 7.The hosts were eyeing a lot more after they won the toss and captain Kyle Coetzer produced a stroke-filled 48 from 42 balls. However, he was the second man out with the score on 63 and then watched his side slip to 144 for 5 in the 33rd over.Disappointment kept piling up for Coetzer – had he scored one more run he would have become Scotland’s highest run-getter in ODIs beating Gavin Hamilton’s 1231 – until Craig Wallace, playing only his seventh ODI, chipped in with a run-a-ball 52 and gave the set batsman MacLeod the support he had been desperate for.MacLeod’s first fifty came off 67 balls, but the next one came off only 38. With him in charge, Scotland added 116 runs in their final 15 overs.Hong Kong made a steady start to their chase. Their captain Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan were even able to regain momentum after a spell of play when they lost two wickets for nine runs between the ninth and 13th overs. But once their 90-run stand – joint-highest for Hong Kong’s third wicket – was broken, the middle-order collapsed. Scotland owed their bowling turnaround to the 22-year old Chris Sole. Playing his third ODI, he took 4 for 28 to bundle Hong Kong out for 213 after they had been 139 for 2.”We got a good start with the run chase, Nizakat and I were playing nicely and then we collapsed,” Hayat said after his highest ODI score of 56 went in vain. “They took two really good catches and saved a lot of singles and twos and we didn’t do that. That was the big difference for me.”We need to work on our fielding, in every game we gave away 20-30 runs and today it put us under a lot of pressure so that is something we have to work on.””Overall we’ve played really well on this tour [of the UK] – we brought a lot of young guys and are missing key players. So it’s a learning process for us and we will be a lot better for the experience.”

Mitchell Starc was left shaken after his bouncer inflicted a fierce blow on Eoin Morgan’s helmet, which forced the England captain to retire hurt

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford13-Sep-2015Mitchell Starc was left shaken after his bouncer inflicted a fierce blow on Eoin Morgan’s helmet, which forced the England captain to retire hurt and left him unable to play any further part in the deciding ODI at Old Trafford.Starc was the only Australia player in this match who was involved at the SCG the day Phillip Hughes was struck and the emotional impact of the event still runs deep. At the end of Starc’s fourth over, which included the bouncer, Darren Lehmann walked around the boundary to speak to him while Steven Smith said others in the team had also been affected by the moment.”There were a couple of guys who were a bit shaken up, Starc in particular,” Smith said. “Obviously it was a tough summer for us back home, losing a close mate, and it’s always nasty when you get a glance like that. There were a few guys shaken up and hopefully Eoin is okay.”I don’t think anyone ever means to do anything like that, it’s part of the game bowling bouncers, so you have to get back on the ship as quickly as possible. You still have a job to do out in the middle and you have to take it out of your mind as quickly as possible but you never like seeing anyone get hit like that for sure.”Morgan turned his head away from a bouncer – clocked at just over 90mph – in the seventh over and was struck flush on the side of the helmet.The Australia players were quick to check on Eoin Morgan•AFP

He managed to stay on his feet but signals were quickly made for assistance with both the England physio and doctor coming to assess him and, after a few minutes of discussion, he walked off the field.After a lengthy period of assessment from the England medical team, it was confirmed that Morgan was being treated for concussion and would neither resume his innings nor take the field in Australia’s reply.Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, who was in charge of New South Wales when Hughes died, said Morgan had been dizzy after the blow but that by the end of the match he was up and about in the dressing room, although he will continue to monitored for the effects of concussion.”He’s alright, he’s got a bit of a lump on his head and a bit of a headache but he’s up and about now having a chat,” Bayliss said. “When anyone gets hit it’s an anxious moment but he walked off the field which I think is a good sign. He was a bit dizzy for a while, it took an hour or so for him to come good but the medical staff will keep a close eye on him.”It was not the first time Morgan had been troubled by the short ball in this series. He took blows on the gloves at both Lord’s and the previous match at Old Trafford. After the match at Lord’s, Morgan upgraded his helmet to include the new flaps which cover the neck area that have been introduced in the wake of Hughes’ death last year.Bayliss said Morgan may need to make some adjustments when playing the short delivery. “We probably have to look at it, see if there is anything technically he can do. I haven’t actually sat down and had a close look at it but sure it’s something we’ll look at going forward.”Morgan finished as the leading batsman in the series with 278 runs at 69.50. His next duties with England will come in November when he leads the one-day side against Pakistan. Despite being a limited-overs only player, he is expected to be handed a central contract when the new batch are confirmed later this month in recognition of the importance white-ball cricket now takes. Interestingly, though, and despite his pedigree as a limited-overs coach, Bayliss admitted he remains very loyal to the Test format.”One of the focuses, supposedly, here in England is on one-day cricket but the focus is obviously Test cricket as well,” he said. “From my point of view I’m a bit old school and Test cricket to me is the most important.”5.30pm – This story was updated with quotes from Steven Smith and Trevor Bayliss

Cricket Australia and Hampshire Cricket have announced a partnership which will see some of Australia’s most talented young cricketers spend the next English summer at the newly-formed Ageas Bowl International Cricket Academy

David Hopps17-Jan-2013Cricket Australia and Hampshire Cricket have announced a partnership which will see some of Australia’s most talented young cricketers spend the next English summer at the newly-formed Ageas Bowl International Cricket Academy.The deal confirms Hampshire’s status as the host of one of the best-equipped cricket academies in the world and left Rod Bransgrove, the county’s cricket chairman and long-time driving force, purring with delight at another sign of progress for the project that has long been his life’s obsession.”Cricket Australia has been an admirer of the Ageas Bowl for some time and we are delighted that they are sending six high-performing young players to the Academy in its inaugural year,” Bransgrove said. “We are one of the few professional grounds in the world with two full-sized cricket pitches immediately adjacent to each other which means our outdoor facilities are available even when there is a match on. That is a great advantage. We are a genuine international cricket academy.”Lord’s will always have its tradition and a presence second to none, but our ambition is simply to create the finest ground in the country.”English players have long had the advantages of winter stints in Australia, South Africa and India as part of their overall development and now Hampshire’s academy offers an opportunity in reverse which Cricket Australia has been quick to grasp. Hampshire promise access to world-class coaching, sports science and medical staff.As part of the programme the Australian players will play in the Southern Electric Premier League for the duration of the English domestic cricket season. “That’s an extra benefit – that six league clubs get an overseas player free of charge for the whole of the season,” said Bransgrove. “I’m not in favour of clubs using their hard-earned funds for recreational players even if they commit to regular coaching and have the club at heart.”Bransgrove has reason to be satisfied. The launch of the academy follows Hampshire’s achievement in winning the Friends Life Twenty20 and CB40 tournaments last season and the securing of a £45m investment from Eastleigh Borough Council to secure the final stage in the development of the Ageas Bowl which will include the construction of a 4-star hotel, additional conferencing and hospitality facilities and a state-of-the-art media centre.Although he has handed over the chief executive role to David Mann after ceaselessly driving Hampshire forward for 12 years, Bransgrove is not the sort for for semi-retirement. “I have taken a back seat in the day-to-day running of the business,” he said. “After 12 years the club needed new energy. But I’ve got so much emotion – and money – wrapped up in it I can’t run away.”The partnership will form part of the 2013 Australian Institute of Sport men’s cricket programme and The Kerry Packer Foundation will provide scholarships to the selected players.Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s team performance manager, said: “CA is very excited about this partnership and opportunity for our very best young players. The opportunity to experience cricket in a different country will grow them as players and as people. For those chosen it will be an important part of their development.”English counties have occasionally faced criticism for employing Australian players on short-term contracts ahead of Ashes series but Bransgrove is confident that within the cricket community at least the presence of some of Australia’s top young cricketers in Hampshire will be universally seen as a success story. Discussions are also underway with India and Sri Lanka for similar tie-ups.”The ECB fully recognises that we have a responsibility to maximise our income,” he said. “We are talking about the development of young players. Every country seeking to develop players wants to use the facilities of other countries in the off season. For England players not to have the chance to go abroad would be disastrous and it is only right that we reciprocate. I would like to think that cricket can be more high-minded about the development of young cricketers.”

Daniel Vettori could miss nearly a month due to the injury to his left hamstring that ruled him out of the second Test against Australia in Hobart

Brydon Coverdale at the Bellerive Oval09-Dec-2011Daniel Vettori could miss nearly a month due to the injury to his left hamstring that ruled him out of the second Test against Australia in Hobart. Vettori arrived at Bellerive Oval with tightness in the muscle and aggravated the problem during New Zealand’s warm-up, forcing him out of the side and allowing fast bowler Trent Boult to make his debut.Fortunately for New Zealand, their next international appointment is not until the end of January, when they take on Zimbabwe in a one-off Test. That means he should only miss out on Twenty20 cricket, with both New Zealand’s HRV Cup and Australia’s Big Bash League – Vettori has signed with the Brisbane Heat – to be played in late December and early January.”Unfortunately Dan sustained a recurrence of his left hamstring injury that’s been problematic for him over the last few years,” the New Zealand physio Paul Close said. “We expect him to be rehabbing the injury and back to full fitness within three to four weeks. We are confident he will be back to play some HRV Cup cricket at some stage in the new year.”The loss of Vettori was a major blow for New Zealand in Hobart, after he again proved himself one of their most reliable batsmen in the first Test at the Gabba. He also sent down 37 overs and collected two wickets, keeping things tight in Australia’s first innings, and in his absence New Zealand might need to find extra overs of part-time spin from Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill.”He started to warm up and realised that it wasn’t good enough and decided to pull the pin,” the batsman Dean Brownlie said after play. “With it seaming, hopefully our four seamers can do the job. Hopefully it doesn’t prove any price [cost] really.”

Playing a single Twenty20 between a Test and ODI series makes it hard for the players to adjust to the format

Sidharth Monga in Durban08-Jan-2011is ironic that, from a cricketing point of view at least, the game that will draw the biggest crowd of the season is the least anticipated. Although, on second thought, it is perhaps unfair to ask a Twenty20 game to match up to what was a thrilling Test series, and that too, a Twenty20 game played in a football stadium, on a pitch expected to stay low, with short square boundaries.Still, 50,000 are expected to sell out the Moses Mabhida Stadium and they will have plenty to watch: Makhaya Ntini playing his last international match, Johan Botha continuing his audition as potentially South Africa’s next ODI captain, some flashy Indian youngsters trying to hit balls into the streets, and some song and dance from Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Anil Kapoor.For the players, though, it will be difficult to adjust. They first have to get over the hangover from the Test series, which should take some time, and then prepare for the ODI series, which will be the real deal going into the World Cup. “Of course it is a difficult one, because more often than not whenever there is a Twenty20 game, you play just one-off game,” MS Dhoni said. “It’s very difficult to get into that groove, and then come out of that groove and play ODIs. Of course we will give it our best shot. We have got players who are part of the ODI squad, but along with that there are T20 specialists also. That will help.”Forget the change of ball and change of kits, there is a change of stadium too. Both the teams seek to draw on their experience of playing cricket in New Zealand, where some of the grounds double up as rugby stadiums. At times in New Zealand, even as the post-match presentation is going on, the groundstaff start starts removing the drop-in pitch to get the ground ready for a rugby game to be played the same week.”You may say the experience we have of paying in New Zealand will come into effect,” Dhoni said. “Of course the sides will be pretty small compared to the long front boundaries. We haven’t seen the ground yet, but after the practice session that we are having right now, we are planning to go to the stadium. Before starting cricket, play a bit of football there. And then a fielding session. And exactly see what it looks like. It looks really different from the outside, but very similar to a football stadium.”Johan Botha, who will be captaining South Africa in Graeme Smith’s absence, concurred. “I haven’t been to the ground yet. We will be going after this to do a bit of fielding there, just see what the different dimensions of the ground are. But both teams have to bat and bowl on it. Hopefully, we can play well on the ground with the specific distances. It’s almost like a New Zealand ground.”The game feels like a transit airport in a long journey right now. You don’t know much about it, you don’t expect much out of it, you don’t have a proper sense of time and space either. It will pass in a blur, but both teams will look to find better bargains at duty-free shops.

New Zealand Cricket has confirmed that Ross Taylor will have a more senior role with the national team, naming him as a ‘stand-by’ captain for the upcoming Bangladesh and Australia series

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2010Ross Taylor has been named as ‘stand-by’ captain for the upcoming Bangladesh and Australia series, giving him a more senior role with the national team. A statement by New Zealand Cricket said Taylor was not vice-captain but will take over as leader if Daniel Vettori is unavailable for any match over the home summer.Brendon McCullum was Vettori’s deputy till last October but was relieved of his duties soon after Andy Moles stepped down as national coach. Geoff Allott, NZC’s general manager of cricket, said both McCullum and Taylor were potential captains and that the latest move was an effort to polish Taylor’s leadership skills.”The Black Caps have deliberately not named a vice-captain in recent times as we wish to allow development of a broader leadership group,” Allott said. “We are fortunate to currently have two outstanding individuals in Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum, who could both assume the captaincy in the event Daniel Vettori was not available.”The elevation marks a rapid rise for Taylor, who made his international debut less than four years ago. “Brendon has recently fulfilled the role of stand-by captain, and Ross now gets his opportunity this summer,” Allott said. “Both players have offered on-field support and assistance to Dan during recent tours and it is anticipated that this will continue.”Taylor’s appointment should not be seen as a demotion for McCullum, said Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive. “This by no means is saying the Ross is number two and Brendon is number three – that isn’t the case,” he said. “Brendon will play the stand-by captain’s role in future series.”New Zealand’s next international assignment is the Bangladesh series, which starts with a Twenty20 on Wednesday in Hamilton.

Ben Green cameo enlivens limited action as Somerset post 441 for 6 declared

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025Somerset and Yorkshire were frustrated by the weather on the third day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match at the Cooper Associates County Ground.Only 10.3 overs were possible because of persistent rain and, with the first two days, also having been badly affected, a draw now appears the only conceivable outcome.Play started on time and there was some entertaining cricket as Somerset looked to build quickly towards a declaration from their overnight first innings total of 391 for six. They had added 50 to that total in half an hour when the rain set in.There was a restart at 3.20pm, which saw Yorkshire post 17 without loss, but soon the players were forced off again and umpires Rob Bailey and Mark Newell called off play for the day at 4.10pmBen Green looked in good touch when Somerset batted, punching a delivery from Matthew Revis through the covers off the back foot for four and following up with a sweetly-timed pull shot to collect another boundary in the same over.Green then powered a straight six back over the head of bowler Jack White before being dropped on 25 by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, a tough chance diving full length to his right, off the same bowler.Kasey Aldridge also went on the attack after a watchful start and brought up the half-century partnership with a clip through the leg side for four off White. But after just over half an hour’s play the rain began to fall with 8.3 overs having been bowled. Aldridge was unbeaten on 42 and Green 33 not out.Yorkshire were given a fast start when play resumed, Adam Lyth edging a four to third man off Josh Davey, who also conceded four wides in the opening over with a wild delivery down the leg side.Finlay Bean also got off the mark with a boundary wide of the slip cordon off Lewis Gregory, but this time only two overs were possible before the rain returned.