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Phil Jaques has said he has no regrets over his decision to have surgery on his back in 2008, a move that effectively ended his international career

Brydon Coverdale01-Feb-2012Phil Jaques has said he has no regrets over his decision to have surgery on his back in 2008, a move that effectively ended his international career. However, Jaques said it was “very disappointing” that his injury prevented him from playing any more than 11 matches in a Test career that brought him three centuries, including one in his final innings.At 32, Jaques has realised his opportunities with New South Wales would continue to dwindle with the rise of young batsmen like Nic Maddinson and Kurtis Patterson. And the potential shrinking of the Cricket Australia contract list could have meant Jaques was no certainty to win another state contract, with the possibility of several fringe Australian players returning to the state list.A two-year deal with Yorkshire was on the table and Jaques, who holds a British passport, chose the security and signed as a local player. It was a decision that will mean the end of his Australian career when this summer finishes, but Jaques will leave the Australian scene pleased with his achievements for New South Wales and in the baggy green.He became a permanent member of the Test side when Justin Langer retired, but carried a serious back injury through his entire international career. It became so severe in late 2008 that he had surgery that kept him out for nearly a year, and he never played for Australia again, stuck on 11 Tests with an average of 47.47.”I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to play more Test cricket at the time,” Jaques told ESPNcricinfo. “It was very disappointing. Ten months out of any career, anyone would be disappointed. But I’m pretty happy and proud of the things I achieved in the game.”I won a few Pura Cups, one-day comps, played for Australia, toured overseas, scored a couple of hundreds – I can’t complain about my career. I was probably just unfortunate I played in the era when I did, when we had guys like Hayden and Langer who did so well.”In the end, Jaques had no choice but to have an operation, such was the seriousness of his injury. His time out of the game allowed Simon Katich to consolidate his place as Test opener, before Phillip Hughes and Shane Watson also moved in at the top of the order. It was hard for Jaques to let his opportunity go, but cricket was secondary in his decision.”I just couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t stay in bed, I couldn’t walk around, I couldn’t sit. There was just nothing that I could do that made it comfortable,” he said. “It was starting to affect my sleeping and you can’t live without sleep. It was becoming a real issue and it was something I worked really hard at trying to fix and trying to manage, and I stayed in there for as long as I could. I probably had the back injury the whole time I played for Australia.”I played with it for two or three years, on really high doses of anti-inflammatories, which weren’t good for me. I made the decision to get it operated on based on my health. It got to the point where the drugs didn’t help me anyway. It was about getting my life back ahead of actually playing cricket. It was life first, cricket second. I’ve been blessed that it’s all gone really well and I’ve got my life back first and foremost. Cricket is a bonus.”Unfortunately for Jaques, he hasn’t hit the same batting peaks since his surgery, at least, not consistently enough to attract the attention of Australia’s selectors. He said it took him some time after the operation to get back into the swing of top-flight cricket, particularly learning what he physically could and could not do, but he is confident he has plenty to offer Yorkshire.”I’m feeling really good at the crease again,” he said. “I got a few hundreds last year in the Shield, I got back-to-back hundreds in a game, which I’d never done in my whole career. I hit 170 in a one-day game. So I can still play, it was just a matter of being able to work out what I could and couldn’t do with my training and modify it accordingly.Now the challenge for Jaques, the son of a Yorkshire-born father and a Lancastrian mother, is to find consistency in all three formats in the county game. Technically he could still qualify to play for England, but he knows his Test days are over.”I’m done with international cricket,” Jaques said. “I’m just focused on Yorkshire and playing some good cricket there, playing all three forms of the game hopefully and enjoying my cricket. I want to help them get back up into the first division where they belong.”

England’s coach, Andy Flower, believes his team was right to ask India to rethink their controversial run-out of Ian Bell at Trent Bridge

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2011England’s coach, Andy Flower, believes his team was right to ask India to rethink their controversial run-out of Ian Bell at Trent Bridge, adding that it would have caused an “international incident” had Sachin Tendulkar been dismissed in a similarly bizarre fashion.Bell’s 159 was the cornerstone of England’s revival in the second Test, as they turned a first-innings deficit of 67 into a thumping 319-run victory. However, he might have been sent on his way for 137 on the stroke of tea, when a half-hearted throw from Praveen Kumar the boundary’s edge led Abhinav Mukund to remove the bails with Bell already walking back to the pavilion.Bell conceded he had been “naive” in failing to wait for the umpire to signal the end of the over, but with boos ringing out around the ground, Flower and England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, took the decision to visit the Indian dressing room to request a change of heart. Such an approach was at odds with England’s attitude during an ODI at The Oval in 2008, when New Zealand’s Grant Elliott was run out after colliding with Ryan Sidebottom. Flower, however, said that those who criticised England’s actions on this occasion were guilty of “double standards”.”We didn’t think sitting in our changing room and fuming quietly to ourselves was going to do any good,” Flower told reporters at Trent Bridge. “We thought communicating like that would be the way to go. We felt that Bell wasn’t attempting to take a run and therefore we wanted to ask the Indian side to reconsider their appeal.”Dhoni was asked three times by the umpires whether he was happy for the appeal to go ahead, and though he later suggested that he had changed his mind before England’s intervention, it has since been claimed that Tendulkar was the instigator of the retraction.Perhaps India were mindful of the potential for controversy had Bell remained out. During England’s 1974 tour of the Caribbean, Tony Greig ran out Alvin Kallicharran in the final over of the day, only for the batsman to be reinstated overnight at the behest of the British high commissioner, after angry spectators had stormed the ground and laid siege to the pavilion.”I’m not convinced there wouldn’t have been uproar,” said Flower of such a scenario. “If an England side had done that in Mumbai [against Tendulkar], I think there would have been a proper international incident on the cards. I don’t think that’s being overly dramatic. We’ve seen similar things happen before. In evaluating the situation, I don’t think you should have double standards.”England’s crushing victory has left them needing just one more victory, or back-to-back draws, in the final two matches of the series to be crowned the No. 1 Test side. Flower refused to think that far ahead, though, and reiterated that the series had not even been won yet, let alone by any title-clinching margin.”I would like to emphasise right now that we’re ahead in the series but we’re only halfway through the series,” he said. “So there is no point in triumphalism, we don’t even know if we’re going to win the series yet. At the forefront of our minds right now should be resting and recuperating after the back-to-back Tests and then getting our minds and bodies ready for the next challenge at Edgbaston. It’s actually not only pointless looking further ahead than that, it’s dangerous.”With the Edgbaston Test starting on August 10, England have a week to determine the fitness of Jonathan Trott. Flower said he was “still in a bit of discomfort and nowhere near 100% yet” after landing heavily on his shoulder while fielding during the second Test. Trott’s possible replacement is the uncapped Leicestershire batsman, James Taylor, who stole a march on Ravi Bopara by making 76 for England Lions against Sri Lanka A in Scarborough on Tuesday. However, there may yet be the temptation to play five bowlers, given that Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan both racked up more than 100 runs in Nottingham.The expected return to fitness of Chris Tremlett means that Bresnan may yet have to make way. “If we keep with three seamers and a spinner, it will be a difficult call to make,” said Flower. “We need to see conditions first but our four seamers are all performing exceptionally well. Bresnan, Tremlett, [Jimmy] Anderson and [Stuart] Broad are battling for the top spots in a very healthy way. That sort of competition is a great thing for English cricket.”

Simon Katich and Ramnaresh Sarwan are among a group of cricketers still owed contract payments from the BCCI for the 2010 Twenty20 Indian Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2011Simon Katich and Ramnaresh Sarwan are among a group of cricketers still owed contract payments from the BCCI for the 2010 Indian Premier League.FICA, the international cricketers’ representative body, has revealed that the money has remained unpaid for more than 18 months despite numerous entreaties by the players and their management. Tim May, the FICA, chief executive, said no response had been forthcoming.”A number of players whose contracts were ‘subsidised’ by the BCCI, have recently contacted FICA to assist in recovering the amounts owed by the BCCI,” he said. “These amounts relate to IPL 3, which was held in March-April in 2010. Affected players include Simon Katich and Ramnaresh Sarwan.”Despite numerous attempts by the players to recover these amounts, not only do the amounts still remain unpaid, but the IPL and the BCCI have recently failed to respond to communications made by the players and their representatives.”FICA last month wrote to the IPL Chairman Mr Chirayu Amin on behalf of the players to draw his attention to the matter, but to date, neither we nor the players have received a response to this matter.”We trust with the recent appointment of Mr N. Srinivasan as President of the BCCI, and the appointment of Mr Rajiv Shukla as Chairman of IPL, that these two gentlemen will ensure that BCCI will address these payments as a matter of urgency.”Neither Katich nor Sarwan took part in the 2010 IPL, but were still under contract to King’s XI Punjab, having been signed for three years after the initial player auction in 2008.The episode follows the saga of T20 Champions League prize money being delayed by months after the 2010 tournament, with the boards of some countries including Australia and South Africa choosing to pay the money themselves rather than wait for it to arrive from the subcontinent.

Brett Lee has said Australian cricket is in good hands with new captain Michael Clarke and that he expects former captain Ricky Ponting to still play a major role in the side after shedding the burden of leadership

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2011Brett Lee has said Australian cricket is in good hands with new captain Michael Clarke and that he expects former captain Ricky Ponting to still play a major role in the side after shedding the burden of leadership.”Obviously, Michael Clarke has a great cricket brain; he’s proven that when he’s been vice-captain,” Lee told the . “He’s the type of guy I think will do a terrific job for Australia.”It’s not like he’s been thrust into the limelight now. He’s had the guidance of Ricky Ponting and been vice-captain for a couple of years; he knows his game very well and the guys very well. He’s respected by the guys so I think he’ll do a great job – and full credit to Ricky Ponting to put his hand up to want to keep going and play cricket.”Lee said Ponting’s ability is beyond question and so long as he has the drive to keep going, “he’ll go on to bigger and better things as far as his batting goes.”Australia are currently in a process of transition in the wake of Ponting’s decision to step down as captain and while Lee has retired from Test cricket, he has every intention of being part of the one-day set-up. “I retired from Test cricket a few years ago in order to prolong my one-day career, and the signs are good as far as the way I bowled during the World Cup. I was really happy with my performance there and happy with the way the body responded.”I obviously want to play this Australian summer, I want to go to Sri Lanka in eight weeks and go to the Champions League and go to South Africa … but it’s about ticking off the little things. I’ll give myself a week or two off from training, do some light gym work and get my running up.”Lee recently turned out for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and was full of praise for his team-mate James Pattinson, tipping him to force his way into the Test team this summer. “We’ve got some young guys coming through. I think James Pattinson is going to be a really good find for Australia. He was with me at Kolkata Knight Riders while I was overseas. I think he’ll definitely play Test cricket this year.”He also asked the fans to be patient as Australia beings a new era after 15 years of unparalleled success. “We’re going through a transitional phase and it’s important that people realise that. You know we haven’t got Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matty [Matthew] Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Martin.”

Chris Tremlett wants the grounds in England which are hosting Tests against India to produce lively pitches

Andrew McGlashan23-Jun-2011Chris Tremlett wants the grounds in England which are hosting Tests against India to produce lively pitches so that the hosts can make the most of home advantage with their strong pace attack. The matches will be played at Lord’s, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and The Oval and Tremlett hopes the visitors feel uncomfortable.Tremlett said the recent surface at the Rose Bowl – where he took a career-best 6 for 48 against Sri Lanka to seal the Man-of-the-Series award – was the “perfect” Test pitch with help on offer for the bowlers, but runs available for quality batsmen as Ian Bell and Kumar Sangakkara showed with their hundreds. Tremlett knows England never get any favours from India in their home country and believes the same should apply in this series.”I think that it’s important when you are playing in your home Test matches that you should be able to produce the conditions you want,” he told ESPNcricinfo at a Chance to Shine event in London. “India are used to playing in their conditions and we find it tough when we go over there so it’s about trying to use things at home to our advantage.”The Rose Bowl was the perfect Test wicket in my opinion. It had some pace, had some carry and there was a bit in it with the conditions. The lads who batted on it said the ball was coming on nicely. Generally cricket is more entertaining to watch with a pitch like that. Maybe Lord’s and Cardiff were a tad slow and the cricket a little stale at times, but hopefully there will be pace and bounce against India and we can take advantage.”However, Tremlett knows that even if conditions help England that India are going to be a tough batting line-up to break down. In his debut series in 2007 – against a line-up including Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni who will return this time – he remembers toiling hard on some flat pitches. He believes patience will be the key to bringing England success this time as they aim to overturn the 1-0 loss four years ago.Chris Tremlett hasn’t been selected for England’s one-day squad so already has an eye on India’s arrival•Getty Images”We had to be very patient and I think it will be the same this time,” he said. “They have a couple of very attacking players in Dhoni and Sehwag, but guys like Dravid and Tendulkar we know are very patient batsman and hard to remove. I think I’m good at banging an area consistently, being aggressive, but mixing it with patience and hopefully my past experiences will help.”The Test matches against India are now going to be the next cricket Tremlett plays for England after he was omitted from the Twenty20 and one-day squads to face Sri Lanka over the next three weeks. Given his form it was a surprise there was no place for him, especially with the experienced Tim Bresnan injured, but Tremlett is seeing it as an opportunity to ensure he’s at his peak for India’s arrival.”I’ve been given a rest but I also think they want to give other guys a go,” he said. “I’m disappointed, I felt I bowled reasonably well in Australia and played a couple of games at the World Cup. My focus is now to move onto the India series and be ready for that.”Even though I’m having a bit of a rest I think it’s important I keep ticking over and get some overs under my belt by playing a few Twenty20 games for Surrey and there’s a four-day game against Kent which will good preparation. There’s a chance for me to get some bowling but also to do some work in the gym and make sure I’m ready to for India.”There was a significant shift of hierarchy within England’s fast bowlers during the Rose Bowl Test with Tremlett promoted to the new ball in the second innings at the expense of Stuart Broad. It was a role he performed creditably during the Ashes, and in the second innings at Cardiff when James Anderson was injured, and while Tremlett is happy with any role in the team he does enjoy having first crack at the opposition.”I think I can play a role either way, sometimes conditions dictate that,” he said. “I feel I can offer quite a bit with the new ball with my bounce. At the same time I don’t mind using an older ball because you can get some swing when the lacquer has come off. However, I do feel I’ve done well with the new ball whenever I’ve been given the chance.”That next chance will come against one of the strongest batting line-ups in world cricket, but Tremlett won’t be fazed by the challenge. He has returned to England’s Test ranks as a close to complete fast bowler, and a successful series against India will cement him among the finest pacemen in the game.Chris Tremlett is an ambassador for Chance to Shine and was speaking on ‘Brit Insurance National Cricket Day’. Chance to Shine supported by Brit Insurance has brought cricket to over 1 million state schoolchildren. The programme costs £5million, or £15 per child, to run each year. To make a donation visit the Chance to Shine website

Sean Williams, the Zimbabwe left-hand batsman, has been forced to pull out of the rest of the World Cup with a fractured thumb and will be replaced by batsman Vusi Sibanda

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2011Sean Williams, the Zimbabwe left-hand batsman, has been forced to pull out of the rest of the World Cup with a fractured thumb and will be replaced by batsman Vusi Sibanda. William fractured his right thumb during a training session on Thursday in Ahmedabad, a day before Zimbabwe’s clash with New Zealand. He missed the match, and after gaining the ICC’s approval, Zimbabwe announced Sibanda as his replacement.Williams featured in Zimbabwe’s first two matches of the tournament, scoring 28 against Australia and 30 against Canada.The call up for Sibanda means Hamilton Masakadza, one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced batsmen and a surprise exclusion from the original World Cup squad, continues to be ignored. Sibanda has played 85 one-day internationals himself, and featured in Zimbabwe’s 2007 World Cup campaign. He lost his place in the squad for Zimbabwe’s tours of South Africa and Bangladesh last year, and consequently for the 2011 World Cup, after a string of poor scores in 2010.His recall comes on the back of a strong showing in Zimbabwe’s domestic four-day competition, the Castle Logan Cup, in which he has scored three centuries this season for Mid West Rhinos.Williams is the fourth player Zimbabwe have had to replace since they announced their original squad of 15. Sean Ervine pulled out of the squad in order to continue playing for Hampshire. His replacement Tino Mawoyo then had to pull out too, due to an abdominal muscle tear and Terry Duffin was called in. Zimbabwe also lost seamer Ed Rainsford to an ankle injury, with Tinashe Panyangara coming in as his replacement.Zimbabwe’s next match is against Sri Lanka on March 10 in Pallekele.

The BCCI president-elect, N Srinivasan, has admitted that the board was not vigilant in tackling financial irregularities in the IPL under Lalit Modi’s watch, the Times of India has reported

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2011The BCCI president-elect, N Srinivasan, has admitted that the board was not vigilant in tackling financial irregularities in the IPL under Lalit Modi’s watch, the has reported. Srinivasan, testifying before a parliamentary standing committee investigation into the IPL’s finances, said that pleading ignorance of Modi’s ways could not be an excuse – a significant change from the board’s earlier stand on the issue.The says it has a copy of the standing committee’s report, which has Srinivasan stating on record: “We were taken for a ride. I know we cannot plead before you that we did not know all this was happening. Your question would be, were you not vigilant? What did you do? I am sorry, sir, there is no defence for me. No defence in front of you. So, I am not pleading that [ignorance] at all. We just put our heads down.”The newspaper also reports that the board president Shashank Manohar admitted that the cheques for all IPL deals were signed by Srinivasan, the then BCCI treasurer, and subsequently MP Pandove who replaced him, and not by Modi. The board had previously put the blame on Modi’s shoulders, claiming that he had enjoyed a free hand in running the league.The revelations add a new layer to the board’s ongoing tussle against the Indian government’s efforts to bring the body under the transparency-enhancing Right to Information (RTI) Act, and a proposed bill to regulate Indian sports bodies. The BCCI’s argument against the RTI is that it doesn’t rely on government grants. The standing committee has, however, reportedly noted that a “coherent and consistent policy should be devised for the future whereby high-profile money-spinning events such as the IPL are not kept out of the ambit of law and taxability”.The committee also reportedly noted that the BCCI “meekly endorsed and approved decisions that were taken by the chairman [Modi] and all those responsible in breaching the law should be investigated and punished without further loss of time”.”When we questioned them [Srinivasan and Manohar], they had absolutely no answers,” Vijay Darda, member of the standing committee and a Rajya Sabha (the parliament’s council of states) MP, told the . “With folded hands they just stood there and admitted they had no explanations to offer. The problem with BCCI is too much money and too many big names involved in the administration. Sharad Pawar [ICC president], Farooq Abdullah, Arun Jaitley and all politicians want to be part of it.”Darda also raised the issue of the IPL’s dubious money trails, which was revealed by the committee’s investigations. “It was harrowing when we went through the records,” he said. “Money transferred from some tax haven to some other tax haven finally ends up with some connection in IPL. The committee wants to know what has been going on. We will have to ensure that they are brought to account.”Monopoly is an issue too. If the board is brought under RTI, the ordinary cricket fan will at least know what he’s paying for. Far too much is either unaccountable or being swept under the carpet.”

Crystal Palace are considering a summer move for Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure, according to the BBC.

The Lowdown: Doucoure profiled

Doucoure, labelled as ‘incredibly complete’ by teammate Seko Fofana, is 22 years of age and already has eight caps for Mali under his belt.

He’s been with Lens since 2018 and has racked up 128 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scoring eight times and registering seven assists, mainly as a holding midfielder.

He can also play at centre-back, has just over two years left on his Lens contract and is currently at the top of his game with a career-high £9m Transfermarkt valuation.

The Latest: Palace interest

The BBC shared a story on Monday, name-checking Palace with an interest in former right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The report added that Doucoure is also a target, with Patrick Vieira keen to bolster his midfield options ahead of his second season in charge.

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Midfield does seem to be an area of the pitch where Palace could do with strengthening despite a positive first year under Vieira.

The Eagles look set to lose Conor Gallagher when he returns to Chelsea following his season-long loan spell, while the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate, James McArthur and Jeffrey Schlupp are all out of contract in the summer.

Therefore, bringing in a young talent like Doucoure, who has been ‘destroying everyone’ this season, could prove to be a wise move bot in the short and long run.

In other news: Palace also want winger who ‘gets people out of their seats’ in cheap deal.

The three Pakistan players at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations that rocked the Lord’s Test against England last August are set to discover on Friday if they will be prosecuted by English legal authorities

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2011The three Pakistan players at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations that rocked the Lord’s Test against England last August will discover on Friday if they are to be prosecuted by English legal authorities.Salman Butt, the former Test captain, and seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been accused of conspiring in the bowling of deliberate no-balls on last year’s tour of England – claims they all deny.The trio could be banned for life when an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal announces its conclusions in Doha on Saturday, but a separate investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police will be concluded a day earlier, when they find out if they face legal action in England.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that an announcement will be made at 11 a.m. GMT on Friday, although a CPS spokesperson said there was no connection between the two timings.In August 2010, Britain’s News of the World tabloid conducted a newspaper ‘sting operation’ which it said proved the Pakistan trio’s willingness were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls during the Lord’s Test against England.This, the paper said, was evidence of a spot-betting scam where money can be gambled on specific incidents in a match without the need to ‘fix’ the result.All the Pakistan trio were interviewed by police. So too was players’ agent Mazhar Majeed, whom the newspaper alleged accepted £50,000 to set up the deal. Majeed was also arrested.A third fast bowler, Wahab Riaz, was also interviewed under caution but it is not known why he will not be included in Friday’s announcement.While the ICC, which heard evidence from Butt, Asif and Amir during a hearing in Doha last month, has to consider whether its rules were broken and what, if any, punishment should follow if they were, the CPS must decide whether the players have a case to answer under English law.Butt, Asif and Amir are all currently provisionally suspended by the ICC.

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has been dealt a huge blow over the fitness of his superstar centre-back Raphael Varane.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-game press conference on Monday, interim manager Ralf Rangnick revealed news that the United fanbase will be gutted to hear ahead of such an esteemed clash against Liverpool tonight.

The German confirmed that Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw, Fred and Raphael Varane will all miss the trip to Anfield.

On Raphael Varane’s injury status, Rangnick said: “Rapha [Varane] didn’t train with the team. He was on the pitch with one of our rehab coaches.”

Rangnick will be gutted

Whilst Varane has failed to live up to the standards we grew so used to seeing at Real Madrid defensively speaking, he has maintained his composure in possession – which would have been of great benefit to Manchester United against a high-pressing Klopp side tonight.

Maguire and Varane are difficult to split in their defensive metrics this season and are also the most composed duo on the ball within United’s central defensive line.

The 28-year-old has managed to transfer his passing prowess powers from his time at Real Madrid, with his passing completion percentages of both short and long pass types ranking him in and around the 90th percentile for positionally similar players across Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days, according to FB Ref.

His pass completion percentage for short passes is around 95%, whilst his pass completion percentage for long passes is lower at 81%.

It’s this particular range of passing that United will miss most tonight, with his efficiency in possession serving as a kickstarter for United’s counterattacks. For a defensive player, his ability to create is impressive, as can be evidenced through his assist against Wolves earlier this season.

Varane also brings experience at the back, with the Frenchman having a full understanding of the term ‘pressure’ with his experience on the big stage with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

With Ronaldo ruled out and Maguire not seen as an out-and-out leader in most people’s eyes, Varane’s presence, just for experience alone, will be sorely missed.

Rangnick and the United faithful will be gutted, but can hopefully look forward to the Frenchman’s return soon.

In other news: Imagine him & Bruno: Ralf can terrify LFC by unleashing Man Utd’s “elite” £180k-p/w gem…