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A report in today’s London Daily Mail claims that England have asked the ICC for special dispensation to select their final 15-man World Cup squad from outside the provisional 30-man party named last month.The news underlines the desperation among the selectors following a dismal one-day series in Australia and, according to the article, opens the door again for Darren Gough to make a dramatic return. Sources inside the England camp quickly moved to suggest that there were options other than Gough available to them. James Kirtley and Ryan Sidebottom of Nottinghamshire were two other names mentioned.It seems that the abysmal bowling performances have led to the move, with Liam Plunkett, Chris Tremlett and Sajid Mahmood all failing to offer any sign of form. The Daily Mail added that things are so bad that the future of Kevin Shine, the bowling coach only appointed last May, is likely to be reviewed when the team returns home.The inclusion of extra players would be possible as the 30-man squad had to be named mainly for logistical reasons to help with the preparation of pre-tournament publicity.”I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that the selectors can’t get the squad right and it’s a reflection of how badly they have played in Australia,” said Michael Atherton. “A few months ago Duncan Fletcher said he knew 10 or the 11 for England’s World Cup side … now they can’t even agree on who the best 30 are.”

The second day of the Trinidad Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka turned tragic for the Hosam family as West Indian supporter Michael Hosam, 66, died after being taken ill while watching the game.Hosam was at the Queen’s Park Oval for the match when other fans noticed he looked unwell. He received medical attention at the ground and was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital where family said he was pronounced dead.The West Indies board and the Trinidad and Tobago board offered their condolences to Hosam’s family and friends. “We in West Indies Cricket know we have people out there who are loyal and dedicated in their support and we wish his family all the best at this time,” Julian Hunte, the WICB president, said.Ikin Williams, Hosam’s bother-in-law, said he was a West Indies supporter for decades and always wore his maroon shirt when he came to watch matches at Queen’s Park Oval.”He was a true West Indies fan and he loved the team. He loved West Indies cricket.”

The ICC delegation of Percy Sonn, the president, and Malcolm Speed, the chief executive, told journalists in Harare that they will hand-over their findings to the ICC board which will announce a resolution on Zimbabwe’s future in the near future. Speed and Sonn have been in Zimbabwe since last Thursday.`We have had some good meetings,” Sonn told local journalists. “We will now go to our board to make appropriate recommendation.”Although ZC board chairman Peter Chingoka outlined areas discussed by his interim committee with the ICC delegation – such as “governance and handover to new dispensation” – both Sonn and Speed declined to give full detail of their meeting with the other stakeholders. Speed only said the issues were in “the public domain” over the last 12 months.”It’s apparent Zimbabwe is going through a difficult time,” Speed explained. “We spent four hours with the stakeholders on Sunday afternoon. We went over the history of the last 12 months. I have to say that we now have a better understanding of some issues which we were not aware of, and I think they also now have a better understanding of our position regarding the issues, and ICC policies.”Speed, Sonn and Chingoka stressed that Zimbabwe will get more four-day games to prepare the team for Test resumption at the appropriate time. “We encourage that Zimbabwe play more multi-day games,” Sonn said. “There is a need to play more longer version games. Whatever support the ICC shall give it shall give.” Chingoka said the matches will be “over and above” the ICC Future Tours Programme.Chingoka also dropped a hint that Zimbabwe may not resume Test commitments as scheduled next year, revealing that there was “confidential discussion of Test resumption” with ICC.Speed also answered questions on the draft ZC constitution, and although admitting that they had “limited time in revising the draft constitution”, was largely dismissive of the issue. Critics have claimed that it is little more than a mandate for the existing board to carry on without any accountability.”We have seen the draft, and yes, the minister has the power to elect seven board members,” he said. “It’s not abnormal in cricket culture for government to have influence over cricket administration. We do not prescribe to our members how they should be governed. Each member has a different structure and different culture.”We have been consistent with our policy. There are similar arrangements with our other members. In Pakistan the president appoints board members. There is infact a one-man board there. In Sri Lanka the government also appoints board members.”Chingoka was asked about the decision to sack Terry Duffin as Zimbabwe’s captain, and he explained that it had been decided to appoint on a series-by-series basis. “It’s a young side and we do not want to overburden an individual. We are trying to create balance,” he explained. “For now we have appointed Prosper and he will remain captain unless there are reasons to do otherwise. The process is not rigid. Duffin remains in the picture, and as you know, he is more adept to the longer version.”

Now comes the chance of Trinidad, which hosts the appropriately named Brown Package, the group of the subcontinent, and the closest these feeble opening-round pools can come to producing a group of death. It is also the chance for Bermuda, to bask in the first five of their fifteen minutes, and for Sri Lanka, to join West Indies and Australia in their opening statements of intent.About time play began too. When a gas leak at the team hotel was not reducing the world’s finest cricketers to hanging about the parking lot in boxers and slippers, the coaches of Pakistan and South Africa were contemplating calling off a practice match because of a dicey pitch. When there has not been mild heartburn about the government’s disinterest in securing a sexier second-round package of matches, there has been downright indignation about the overt Jamaicanisation on Sunday’s opening ceremony. All that remains is the for the cricket to start, and to watch what it does to the notorious traffic on this oil-rich island.The Queen’s Park Oval looks bright-new lovely. It has not always looked so, despite its delightful location at the feet of the Northern Range. The greyness inside has been dispelled. The steaming concrete cycling track around the field has been replaced by an inviting grass bank. Bucket seats have been installed everywhere in vivid colours. The building hosting the Party Stand, in such a shambolic state a month ago that it earned a stern reprimand from the venue development chief Don Lockerbie, has miraculously been put together.Only the surface may be sluggish, as it has been. Sri Lanka may still put up a big score given their relative strength but it is not, by obscene modern standards, a high-total pitch. The last two one-day internationals here were on India’s tour last year; the highest score in four innings was 255. In the only limited-overs played here this domestic season, Trinidad bowled out Guyana for 183.

Sri Lanka will reappear with those two little giants of theirs, Vaas and Murali. A full strength side, playing to full intensity, the coach Tom Moody made clear. “It is always a good sign if you cannot finalise your eleven on the first day of a tournament.” They have never played Bermuda before, and “there are a couple of bowlers who might surprise you, but nothing I don’t expect our boys not to adjust to.”Bermuda have some happy memories of this patch, playing – and narrowly winning – their debut one-day international against Canada here last year. Naturally expectations are sufficiently grounded now. So the coach, Gus Logie, in charge of West Indies a couple of seasons ago, can talk of his team as having no particular strengths but being a united team, and having no particular gameplan except to keep things simple; and the captain, Irvine Romaine, can cheerfully say that while there would be no work in Bermuda tomorrow once the cricket starts, “we hope we can make it last the entire work day!”It is their amateur charm that makes minnows loved as much as denounced. Referring to the beautifully rotund spinner Dwayne Leverock, Logie said: “We’ve seen already in the two warm-up games that we’ve played one of our players is, you know, larger than life and everybody been talking about him for different reasons. But the fact of the matter is that he’s bowled pretty well; and if he can do that again over the next few days I’m sure the world is going to be talking about him again. If two or three players can come out of this World Cup and shine above the ordinary I think it will be well worth it. We’ve seen it in the past with John Davison of Canada, you know people are still talking about his hundred. So hey, why not Bermuda?”TeamsSri Lanka (likely)1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Marvan Atapattu, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Russel Arnold, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith MalingaBermuda (from)Irvine Romaine (capt), Delyone Borden, Lionel Cann, David Hemp, Kevin Hurdle, Malachi Jones, Stefan Kelly, Dwayne Leverock, Dean Minors (wk), Saleem Mukuddem, Steven Outerbridge, Oliver Pitcher, Clay Smith, Janeiro Tucker, Kwame Tucker (wk)

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after his action was found to be illegal.An independent assessment revealed that all variations of his deliveries exceeded the 15-degree limit. Narine’s action was reported earlier this month during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.In accordance with Article 6.1 of the regulations, “Narine’s international suspension will also be recognised and enforced by all National Cricket Federations within domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction, save that, with the consent of the West Indies Cricket Board, Narine may be able to play in domestic cricket events played under the auspices of the West Indies Cricket Board.”The test was done on November 17 at ICC’s testing centre in Loughborough University. Narine can apply for re-assessment after modifying his action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions.Narine was playing against Sri Lanka after a gap of more than a year in international cricket, and finished with four wickets from three ODIs at an average of 18. He is currently the No. 1 ranked bowler in the ICC rankings for ODIs and T20Is.Narine is currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League for Comilla Victorians, and this suspension means he won’t be allowed to bowl in the BPL too. He will fly out of Dhaka on Sunday night itself.”We were prepared for the announcement,” Comilla Victorians owner Nafeesa Kamal told ESPNcricinfo. “We were told that we can expect something on November 29 so we had planned accordingly. We will definitely miss him. He was an asset to the team. We are now looking for a player to replace him.”The West Indies Cricket Board said that Narine would receive its full support as he works on correcting his action. “We will be offering our support to Sunil as he does the remedial work on his bowling action. I know the time and effort he has put in to do this work previously and I am sure this will just deepen his resolve to come back a better bowler,” Richard Pybus, WICB’s director of cricket, said in a release.

Herschelle Gibbs’s appeal against the ban imposed by Chris Broad following an incident during the first Test between South Africa and Pakistan at Centurion has been rejected by Richie Benaud, the ICC’s code of conduct commissioner.The original punishment was a two-Test ban, but this will now be one Test, one Twenty20 and one ODI as the ban has to apply to the next matches the player is scheduled to play. By appealing, Gibbs was able to take part in the second Test.He will now miss the third Test starting at Cape Town on Friday as well as the first two fixtures of the limited-overs series between the two sides that follows. Cricket South Africa have said they accept the decision and have withdrawn from their own disciplinary process against Gibbs which was announced before the ICC’s hearing.Gibbs said: “I am really disappointed to be missing the Test match in front of my home ground and the next two matches. However, I am glad that I have now had a proper opportunity to explain myself. I feel it is important that Mr Benaud has confirmed that I am not racist.”I have apologised if my remarks inadvertently caused offence, and that apology still stands. I regard the matter as now closed, and I will now concentrate on cricket”.The charge against Gibbs, which was laid by Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, related to an incident that took place shortly before the lunch interval on the fourth day of the match, when Gibbs’s comments were overheard through a stump microphone on the ground.Graeme Smith said that South Africa were disappointed to lose Gibbs. “It’s a tough one. We have one or two gripes with the ICC, I guess, and maybe this is not the forum to discuss it.”Maybe we need to get on the phone with Dave Richardson and Malcolm Speed and discuss these things. We just want to see consistency in decision making around the world. We’ve experienced things that haven’t been dealt with.” That latter remark seems a clear reference to the crowd problems the South Africans experienced in Australia last year.Benaud spoke at length on the telephone to Gibbs and his legal representative on Wednesday, and announced his decision today.”It was put to me that the fact the remarks in question were heard through stump microphones on the ground should invalidate the whole matter,” Benaud said, explaining that the ICC was aware that there were issues with stump microphones not being switched off at the right times. “That though is ICC policy rather than a Law or Playing Condition of the game and Chris Broad, in his decision, gave Gibbs full mitigation for the fact that the stump microphones had been left on by the television network.”With the benefit of some experience I am able to add that players, no matter where they may be, should always bear in mind that a microphone could be live. That does not just apply to stump microphones used by television networks, but it could be in a radio studio or in a press conference with the print media. There is no malice about it, but it could happen just because someone has not pushed a button or pulled a switch.”It is precisely the same in the television commentary box for a television commentator. If you do not use the words, they do not get to air.”But Benaud was at pains to stress that he did not believe there was any evidence that Gibbs’ comments were in any way racial motivated. “I certainly do not consider Herschelle to be a racist and I take great exception to the suggestion, in the same way I believe Chris Broad would object [to suggestions his finding would do the same].”Benaud also expressed surprise South Africa’s players did not draw the attention of match officials to the abuse they were receiving from sections of the crowd. “I find it extraordinary that apparently the umpires were never brought into the problem by the captain, or the players. Or by Gibbs himself.”On the question of procedural matters, I am satisfied that Chris Broad handled those in straightforward fashion, that no justice was denied, the player admitted using the words and unfortunately they went to the world. My view is that the sentence imposed by Broad is correct and accordingly the appeal is dismissed.”

It has been some time since you last saw MS Dhoni with jet-black hair. While the greying of hairs around the temples can be masked by cosmetic methods, the more striking sighting is a visibly trimmer, fresher Dhoni. It was the Dhoni you saw during the seven matches he turned out for Jharkhand in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy.Dhoni has relished the mini-breaks he has earned in the past, often speaking of how they have helped heal niggles which would have otherwise developed into more serious injuries. But 2015 was the only year in recent memory where he had a substantial break without any cricket in between. Dhoni played 22 limited-overs games last year – he played 28 international matches, including nine Tests, in 2014 – but the real difference was the three-odd months of downtime after June.”Ideally I should lie so much that I should just talk about how much hard work I have been putting in to look a bit slimmer,” Dhoni began with a Dhoni-esque wisecrack before letting on what he had been up to. “Now with no more Test cricket, it gives me that extra time because what happens is when you are continuously playing cricket what you do is mostly top up your fitness and keep working, but now you can actually look to extend your fitness level.”By “top up”, Dhoni refers to the pastiche of quick fixes and not a comprehensive overhaul, which is what the chunky break afforded him. “You get that break, you know five, 10 or 15 days you can take completely off and slowly you can get into a mould, a routine. I feel that the break has helped me.”Dhoni, by his own admission in the past, has never been big on gym work. That side of him, he said, had changed over time, and that was part of a concerted fitness plan. “You have to do a few changes as you spend more and more time in international cricket,” he said.”I have been doing a bit of planning when it comes to my body and my fitness, but I look slimmer I am not lightweight. I have been 86, 87, 88 [kilograms] for the last 15 years. I have not lost weight. It’s just that I have tried to tone down myself, and I have enjoyed doing it.”He later told ESPNcricinfo that he had spent a lot of time playing “alternate sports”, including badminton, a sport he has always fancied playing.Dhoni said the break had helped him mentally as well when it came to detaching himself from the grind and revisiting his plans. “I feel switching on and switching off is very important in cricket and this break actually gives me ample time to do that. No point switching off for two days and straight away getting back. This break helped me get back into the groove with the one-day domestic tournament.”Looking ahead to the Australia series, Dhoni revisited one of his favourite themes – the need for quality seam-bowling all-rounders. “When it comes to performances at the international level they [other teams] have got good seam-bowling allrounders,” he said. “That is something we are lacking to some extent.”He was, however, happy with the competition in the spin-bowling department between the recalled Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. He reckoned that their batting abilities would eventually determine which one would feature in the playing XI. “You will have different criteria for judging performance when it comes to the players performing outside the subcontinent, and in India because the spinners will get a lot more assistance here.”I think Jadeja has been bowling really well, Ashwin has been our premier spinner irrespective of where we have played. We have two spinning allrounders who are competing for a spot which I feel will be very good for the team. It’s an open opportunity for both of them.”Dhoni typically played down speculations surrounding his retirement, opting to channel his energies towards the immediate challenges of the Australian series and the World T20. “I am somebody who has always believed in the present,” he said. “You won’t get answers regarding the future that’s too far ahead. As of now the Australia series is important and after that once we get in T20 groove we need to move in one direction as to what we need to do as a team so as to have the best chance of winning the WC. So those are the primary concerns as of now.”There are a lot of things you need to think about, and I don’t think this is the right time. All the energy needs to go there. It’s a very important three months and after that we will see what happens.”

The ICC has engaged a top firm of management consultants in its bid to find a successor to Malcolm Speed who steps down as chief executive in July.Egon Zehnder International were appointed after six companies were interviewed by senior ICC officials. An ICC recruitment committee, made up of Ray Mali, David Morgan, Sharad Pawar and Creagh O’Connor, Cricket Australia’s chairman, will oversee the process.That process will see the recruitment committee make a recommendation to the ICC board for approval, and it is envisaged the successful candidate will take up the role vacated by Speed at the conclusion of ICC annual conference.”Malcolm Speed has helped spearhead the growth of the organisation to the point where we can now boast 101 members with the game buttressed by a long-term broadcasting agreement covering our major events,” said Morgan. “Now, with Malcolm stepping down after seven years in the role, we need a person to continue cricket’s positive momentum in what will be an exciting and challenging future.”We are looking for a candidate who can continue to help us deliver on the objectives of the ICC’s strategic plan, someone who understands the major issues confronting the game, and someone who can ensure continued unity among our diverse membership to help our strong sport grow even stronger in the years to come.”

Former test batsman Mohammad Ilyas has been banned from the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore after allegedly threatening the national selectors according to Shafqat Nagmi, the PCB’s chief executive.The incident occurred following the selection of the squad for a one-day series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, Nagmi said, adding: “The ban can be lifted if Illyas approaches us and apologises for the incident.”Another unnamed PCB official told Reuters that Ilyas had threatened to “start a war” with the selectors after the omission from the squad Imran Farhat, his son-in-law. Farhat was also fined and reprimanded in April by the board for approaching the selectors and demanding an explanation for being left out of the squad.”I was upset over the way they selected the team for Abu Dhabi and I vented my anger,” Ilyas told Reuters. “But I have never harmed anyone in my life.”

It’s like an impossible dream come true, but unless Adrian Barath is watching, listening and learning from all that is going on around him during a hectic few days in London, he may just become another one of those many talented but inconsistent performers in this long, nightmarish period in West Indies cricket.The 17-year old must be the envy of millions right now. A special guest of batting legend Brian Lara, he is experiencing the life of the sporting superstar in one of the most fashionable and historic cities in the world. From the luxury hotels to the VIP treatment every step of the way to the lavish receptions in exclusive company, it surely seems too good to be true for the Presentation College schoolboy who still has another three seasons to go at under-19 level.For all the disappointment of seeing West Indies capitulate once again on Sunday, the no-contest out in the middle in the first ODI against England may have actually been a distraction from rubbing shoulders with many of the former and contemporary greats of the game in one of the executive boxes at Lord’s. Coming a day after he sampled the Centre Court atmosphere from the extremely privileged position of the Royal Box while watching defending Wimbledon women’s singles champion Amelie Mauresmo in action, Barath already has enough experiences to fill several pages in a “What I did on vacation” essay.But for a young cricket fanatic who aspires to join the ranks of the immortal heroes of the West Indian game, the best of it all comes tonight when he sits alongside his hero in exalted company at a glittering gala function in the Lord’s Long Room honouring Lara’s record-breaking contribution to the game.You can only imagine what it must be like for him. Unless he is super cool (that title already belongs to Chris Gayle, so it would have to be something else) or supremely confident in his own ability to blaze a trail of glory in time, it can almost be intimidating to indulge in old talk with the likes of Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar or observe from close quarters as the Australian champion legspinner and Indian batting maestro laugh and joke in the midst of an unending succession of anecdotes recalling on-field duels and off-field antics with Lara.But for all of the gilt-edged opportunities for autographs and photographs that will become cherished mementoes or expensive memorabilia in years to come, the real value of this star-studded evening will come from absorbing all that these outstanding performers have to say about the game. Much of it will seem like foolishness and general old talk.However, in between, he should be able to get a feel of the personalities behind the imposing auras and staggering achievements, an understanding of the degree of self-belief and the burning desire to excel that have propelled these players to heights that everyone else can only aspire to.

Sometimes, all it takes are a few words in a receptive ear to make all the difference. In an era when the evidence is there in black and white in a succession of scorebooks that listening and learning are not very high on the list of priorities among current Caribbean cricketers, Barath would have committed that same cardinal error if enlightenment from the function came only in an understanding of the irrelevant, nonsensical intricacies of hoity-toity table manners.These are the moments that can change a young man’s life, in either direction. Already hailed in some quarters of a local media desperate to anoint a successor to Lara as our next great batting gift to the world, Barath has a very long way to go to even begin to approach the dizzyingly high standards set by the players he admires most. But, significantly, he has the considerable benefit of youth on his side, so the challenge for him is to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as part of the greater goal of fulfilling long-term objectives and not joining the majority of the mindless crowd who continue to live fast and loose, only to recognise the folly of their ways when it is too late.Not everyone gets the chance to be a VIP guest of Lara or Dwight Yorke or Ato Boldon or Stephen Ames. But wise words and sincere counsel are also available at the more modest and anonymous levels of the home environment. Although the perspective of having excelled at the highest level is an invaluable one, there are certain fundamental truths that have never changed, whether batting in the nets at Presentation College or in front of a full house of 90,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.In a culture that almost automatically ranks anything external as better than the homegrown variety, well-meaning advice is often dismissed on the basis of the adviser not having the track record of achievement to suggest that any credibility should be attached to what he or she is saying. Yet when you read many of the stories of the great achievers in all sports, there is almost always reference made to the invaluable contribution of some ordinary but well-respected person – parent, coach or mentor – on the road to greatness.Very few ever achieve such greatness, but once we are prepared to listen and learn, we won’t have to rely on the generosity of a sporting superstar to inspire us to previously unattainable heights of excellence.