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England allrounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes and their limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan are among the seven players who have listed themselves at the highest base price of INR 2 crore (approx US $298,000) for the IPL player auction scheduled in Bangalore on February 20. India seamer Ishant Sharma, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, and the Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins are the rest of the players in this set.

Also in the top bracket

INR 1.5 crore: Jonny Bairstow, Trent Boult, Brad Haddin, Nathan Lyon, Kyle Abbott, Jason Holder

*INR 1 crore = INR 100 lakh = INR 10000000 = USD 149 thousand approx
INR 1 lakh = INR 100 thousand = INR 100000 = USD 1490 approx

A total of 799 players were part of the initial roster which would be pruned once the franchises submit their choices before the deadline this weekend. There were 160 capped players from eight countries – leaving out Bangladesh and Pakistan – and 639 from India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Of the 24 capped Indian cricketers, everyone barring Ishant has listed their base price at INR 30 lakh.Considering they will have to put a majority of their players back into the auction in 2018, some franchise officials said they would not be too aggressive in buying players this season. However, they did agree that there would be considerable interest in the English players.Although the IPL is yet to decide on the retention rules, franchises expect the right-to-match option to be available. This allows franchises to buy back a specific number of the players they have released for the auction, by matching the highest bid those players attract; if they match the bid they win the player.With the impressive all-round skills he showed during England’s recent tour of India, Stokes tops the list of marquee players that several franchises have said they would like to have.0:47

Quick Facts: IPL 2017 Auction

After Andrew Strauss took over as the ECB director of cricket last year, he has allowed England players the freedom to play in domestic T20 leagues like the IPL to gain wider exposure. Morgan, who has played for three different teams, Jos Butler (Mumbai Indians), Sam Billings (Delhi Daredevils), Chris Jordan (Royal Challengers Bangalore) have all commented on the positive influence of playing the IPL.Many England players who attended media briefings during the six-match limited-overs series in India last month spoke about the attraction of the IPL. Wicketkeeper batsman Jonny Bairstow (INR 1.5 crore), hard-hitting opening batsmen Alex Hales and Jason Roy (INR 1 crore) and fast bowlers Jordan and Tymal Mills (INR 50 lakh) have put their names up for auction.Franchises retained a total of 140 players and released 89 ahead of this IPL auction. Among those released and now trying to make a return are Johnson (Kings XI Punjab, INR 6.5 crore), Mathews (Delhi Daredevils, INR 7.5 crore), Ishant (Rising Pune Supergiants, INR 3.8 crore) and Morgan (Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 1.5 crore).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Former South Africa fast bowler Kyle Abbott, who recently moved to Hampshire as a Kolpak player, has listed his base price at INR 1.5 cr. Abott was bought by Kings XI in 2016 for INR 2.1 crore but was released in December. Another player attempting to make a return is New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult, who was hired by Sunrisers in 2015 for INR 3.8 crore. Boult has now listed his base price at INR 1.5 crore.West Indies ODI captain Jason Holder has also kept his price at INR 1.5 crore. He was with Kolkata Knight Riders, who had bought him for INR 75 lakh in 2014, until last season. India left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who was the second-most expensive player bought at last year’s auction by the Daredevils for INR 8.5 crore comes into the auction with a base price of INR 30 lakh.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshell
A blistering 78-run knock from Islamabad United opener Sam Billings neutralised Quetta Gladiators’ impressive spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Hasan Khan and ensured the defending champions inflicted the season’s first defeat upon Quetta. In the first game of this season’s PSL at the Sharjah Stadium, the 25-year-old England batsman combined clean timing with explosive power-hitting to keep his side on course throughout the chase.Quetta had earlier managed a slightly under-par 148, thanks to a disciplined bowling display from Misbah’s men. It centred around 18-year old legspinner Shadab Khan, who was extremely difficult to read as he spun the ball sharply both ways. Each of the bowlers bowled according to their strengths; Mohammad Sami consistently found the inswinging yorker – one of which accounted for Kevin Pietersen’s second successive golden duck – and Shane Watson’s short deliveries and pace variations were just as hard to dispatch as they have been all tournament. Quetta’s innings never really took off as wickets fell regularly and the scoring rate stayed below seven for much of the first 15 overs, before a late partnership between Mahmudullah and Thisara Perera took them near 150. It was to be competitive, but not match-winning.Where the match was won
Quetta’s middle-order pairing of Sarfraz Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw – the PSL’s top scorer thus far – got them over the line against Karachi in their last game. So when Ahmed Shehzad got off to a quick start with Pietersen and that duo lying in wait, Quetta might have looked set for a total nearer 200. However, they reckoned without a fiery Mohammad Sami having one of his better days. He beat Shehzad for pace, forcing him to pull right down midwicket’s throat, before a 146 kph yorker crashed into Pietersen’s pads and pinned him lbw.Shadab and Shane Watson then took charge of the middle overs, strangulating Quetta, and continuing to push the run rate down. In the ten overs that began with Shehzad’s dismissal, Quetta managed only 56 runs, and lost four wickets. Powerplays and death overs might make for better talking points, but these middle overs were what handed Islamabad the two points today.The men that won it
Billings seemed to be batting on a different surface to his fellow team-mates, finding the gaps regularly in the first six overs and clearing the ropes periodically thereafter. It wasn’t all guns blazing, either; he was content to show respect where it was due, taking the singles off left-arm spinners Nawaz and Hasan, while unleashing his ire on the pace attack. Perera bore the brunt of Billings’ buffeting, going for 40 in 3.1 overs. It was a mark of Billings’ dominance that by the end the 17th over of the Islamabad innings, no other batsman had a strike rate above 100. Billings, meanwhile, was coasting along at 150.Shane Watson removed Asad Shafiq and Rilee Rossouw•PCB

The drop v the missed stumping
When Rilee Rossouw was on 5 in the first innings, he charged down the track to the young Shadab, missing the ball completely. Haddin, however, fluffed an easy stumping chance, and must have feared the worst after reprieving the South African. Next over, however, Rossouw holed out to deep midwicket. In contrast, when Watson joined Billings with their side wobbling at 72 for 3, he nicked Mohammad Nawaz behind before he had got off the mark. It popped right out of Sarfraz’s hands, and from thereon, Quetta’s fate was sealed. The pair combined for what turned out to be a match-winning 63-run partnership, Watson contributing 36 in 27 balls. He, unlike Rossouw, made the opposition pay.The moment of the match
Hasan, singled out by Moin Khan as the most promising of Quetta’s youngsters, might have been on the losing side, but there was a moment the 18-year old is unlikely to forget. He had been bowling a tight line to opposition captain Misbah-ul-Haq, not hesitating to follow him when he attempted to make room. So when Misbah stepped inside the line to sweep the teenager over fine leg for four, Hasan appeared to be under pressure. Two balls later, he bowled a similar delivery, except he had slid it in with the arm. Misbah attempted the same shot, but he was too late. The ball struck him on the thigh and the umpire raised the finger. Hasan, more than 24 years his junior, had out-thought Pakistan’s most successful Test captain.Where they stand
This result means both Quetta and Islamabad now have two wins from three games. They occupy second and third position respectively on four points each, with Quetta ahead on net run rate.

The Supreme Court has put on hold, for at least a week, the appointment of a committee of administrators which it said would supervise the BCCI until the board amended its constitution as per the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.

Court to pick BCCI rep for ICC board meeting

The Supreme Court has asked the BCCI to submit the names of three eligible office bearers from which it would pick one as the board’s representative at the next round of quarterly ICC Board meetings in Dubai from February 2.
On Tuesday, the court told the BCCI legal counsel that the board would need to submit the three names by January 27 for it to make a final decision on the January 30 hearing.
This round of ICC meetings is significant because a raft of global issues that would affect the game, and thus the BCCI as well, are up on the agenda. There is expected to be progress on the vast governance changes ICC board members have been working on, changes that undo much of the administration and revenue distribution measures that were put forth by the Big Three in 2014.
There will also be continued discussions on the shape and format of international cricket in the future. As the board with the biggest financial sway in the game, the BCCI would ordinarily have expected to be a key influence during the meeting.

The court has now sought a fresh list of candidates from the BCCI, as well as from state cricket associations run by the federal government, which stepped into the long-standing case for the first time last week. The new names will have to be submitted in a sealed envelope by January 27. The court has convened the next hearing of the matter on January 30. The case is being heard by a three-judge bench of Dipak Mishra, A M Khanvilkar and D Y Chandrachud.On January 2, after removing the BCCI president Anurag Thakur and board secretary Ajay Shirke, the court had said a committee of administrators would take charge of the BCCI until fresh elections are held. On January 20, nine names were suggested by amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium and senior counsel Anil Divan in a sealed envelope.At that hearing, the three-judge bench was curious over why there were a few people over the age of 70 on that list. The Lodha Committee had placed a cap of 70 for administrators as one of its recommendations which the court had approved in its primary judgement on July 18 last year. On Tuesday, the court made it clear it would not consider any 70-year-olds among the names suggested by Subramanium and Divan.The court also rejected a request from Mukul Rohatgi, the attorney general of India, who asked the order appointing the committee of administrators be delayed by two weeks. Rohatgi told the court that the Indian government was considering formulating a new bill that would provide more autonomy to sports associations.Rohatgi’s original request was for the July 18 order, which had made the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations mandatory across the BCCI, to be reviewed but the court said, “Once we pen an order, it is clear as day that it will be implemented.”Justice Mishra was particularly stern on the counsel from the respondents when they sought to dispute and delay the formation and composition of the committee of administrators.He asked the attorney general why he had not been present through the six months of hearings and arguments over the Lodha recommendations between January and July 2016. “Where were you when SC passed the orders [on appointment of the Lodha committee]?”We are not trying to destroy the autonomy of sports bodies. We are removing the impure elements from them, so that they gain autonomy.”At one point in the hearings on Tuesday, when Kapil Sibal, counsel for some of the state associations, appealed for the BCCI to make its own recommendations for the COA, Justice Mishra pointed out that on January 2, the BCCI had been asked to make its suggestions but had not responded in any manner. He then had Sibal read out loud to open court a section from the January 2 order which stated: “We request the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the parties to also place their suggestions before the court so as to facilitate a considered decision.”When attorney general Rohatgi asked the court to defer a decision by two weeks, stating that the Centre was “mulling” over bringing in a sports code to make sports bodies more autonomous, Mishra who was dictating his order responded by saying, “you are only mulling over it.[]”

Ed Joyce has embarked upon a novel job-sharing deal by continuing his county career at Sussex while accepting a role as batting coach and mentor for Cricket Ireland during the inaugural season of their first-class competition.Joyce’s availability for Sussex sounds tenuous at best, as he also intends to play in Ireland’s inter-provincial competition, but the county are reluctant to abandon links with an influential former captain who remains one of the mainstays of their batting.Sussex’s coach Mark Davis referred to Joyce as “cover for our full-time squad”, but it is highly unlikely that they would not select him automatically in the Championship, even at 38, if and when he was available, considering his Championship average of 64 last season, including a career-best 250 against Derbyshire, and first-class career average approaching 50.Joyce is one of ten players to agree a central Category A contract with Cricket Ireland and his commitment not just to Ireland but the Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial Series is a fillip as Ireland attempt to arrest a recent decline and advance their claims to become a full-fledged Test nation.He will be based in Ireland, training with the national squad, and will also take up a specialist batting and leadership coaching role, working with the Shapoorji Pallonji National Academy and Ireland youth squads as well as mentoring some national performance squad players.”Coming back to play full-time for Ireland and also play in the Inter-Provincial series was a big decision but also quite an easy one in the end,” Joyce said. “Test cricket is the pinnacle for any cricketer. Ireland has a huge opportunity in the next few years to play at the highest level and I want to be part of the team that plays Ireland’s first Test match.Joyce has 81 caps in the two limited-overs formats for Ireland and England but never realised his ambitions to play Test cricket before reconfirming his commitment to the country of his birth.”With Ireland’s fixture list growing year on year it makes sense to come back at this stage,” he said. “Also now that the Inter-pros have first-class and List A status, I wanted to be involved right from the start and lend my experience to that competition. It’s a really exciting time to be an Irish cricketer and I can’t wait for the 2017 season to get going.”We’re at the stage where we need to be more consistent and competitive as an international side and we also require the Inter-pros to improve and provide a steady stream of players ready to perform well for Ireland. My focus in the next few years while I’m still playing is to help us achieve both of these goals.”Ireland have ODIs in 2017 against New Zealand, Bangladesh and West Indies on home soil, as well as playing England at Bristol and Lord’s.Cricket Ireland performance director, Richard Holdsworth, welcomed Joyce’s decision to play a full role in the coming season, saying: “It has been one of our strategic objectives to bring players back home from England and for Ed to be the first is very appropriate. He has given great service to Sussex as an outstanding batsman and leader, and we are grateful for their support to Ed’s Ireland career over those years.”Sussex put a brave face on Joyce’s decision, suggesting that he would be available for part of their Specsavers Championship campaign.He joined them in 2009, assuming the captaincy three years later. He skippered Sussex to two successive third-placed finishes in the first division, the highest place that the county has finished since being crowned champions in 2007.”Ed is still one of the best domestic players in the country, and for us to be able to call upon his talents as cover for our full-time squad is fantastic news,” Davis said. “The sheer volume of runs he has scored in recent seasons makes him such an important player for us.”Ed will be a cover player for us and depending on his availability with Ireland, we will have the option of selecting him. He has moved with his family back home to Ireland as his commitments to international cricket with Ireland grow, but to have him available to call upon is a real boost for us.”

ScorecardMahmudullah made it a no-contest in the last over•BCB

For the second time in three matches, Mahmudullah defended six runs in the final over to bowl Khulna Titans to a sensational four-run win against Chittagong Vikings at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Chittagong, in pursuit of Khulna’s 127 for 7, began the final over of the chase on 122 for 6, but Mahmudullah took three wickets and conceded just one run to leave Chittagong stranded on 123 for 9. With the win, Khulna rose to second on the table.That one run came off the first ball of the over courtesy Mohammad Nabi. Mahmudullah fired a wide one next ball, and Chaturanga de Silva nicked an attempted cut to the wicketkeeper. Abdur Razzak survived an lbw shout next ball, but fell immediately after when he heaved one to long off. All wasn’t lost for Chittagong, however, as the batsmen had crossed, bringing the set Nabi, on 39 off 21 balls, back on strike. But he failed to connect a cut off the fifth ball to leave them needing five off the final delivery, which he holed out to midwicket. Mahmudullah ended with figures of 3 for 24 in three overs.Before Mahmudullah, Shafiul Islam wrecked Chittagong. After Kevon Cooper sent back the Chittagong openers Tamim Iqbal and Dwayne Smith, Shafiul dismissed Shoaib Malik, Anamul Haque and Zakir Hasan in successive overs. That brought out Nabi, and he kept Chittagong’s fight alive through partnerships of 24 with Jahurul Islam (25) for the sixth wicket and 45 with Chaturanga for the seventh. Cooper was also impressive, finishing with 2 for 17 in his quota of overs.When Khulna batted, they were similarly in the middle of a wobble before being lifted by late contributions. When opener Riki Wessels fell, bowled by Razzak, he had made 28 out of the team’s 42 for 3. That would soon become 77 for 5, before Nicholas Pooran (29) and Ariful Haque (25 not out) shared 48-run stand for the sixth wicket that took them past the 120-mark. Nabi was brilliant with the ball too, taking 3 for 22 in four overs. Taskin Ahmed took 2 for 17 in three overs and Razzak finished with 1 for 23 in four.

The Mumbai Cricket Association has accepted Sachin Tendulkar’s suggestion to have 14 players in a side at inter-school tournaments. While only 11 players will field at any point, the new rule allows for the players in the squad to be used for batting and bowling by way of rolling substitutions.PV Shetty, the MCA joint-secretary, confirmed that Tendulkar’s suggestion had been approved and would be implemented from the upcoming season starting with the Harris Shield on November 11. The new guidelines have also been accepted by the Mumbai Schools’ Sports Association.”The best batsmen among the 14 can be picked for 11,” Nadeem Memon, MSSA’s cricket secretary, told ESPNcricinfo. “For instance, you will see that sometimes there are three fast bowlers who may not be good batsmen, so you can have three batsmen to fill up those three slots while a team is batting. When you come to bowl you can pick the eleven best bowlers who can bowl out the opposition. So, there will be tough competition.”Tendulkar welcomed the move and said this would offer encouragement to many young cricketers. “Six more players will now get an opportunity in every game,” he was quoted as saying by . “If the boys are missing their school and leaving academics to play cricket then they should be either bowling or batting. Otherwise they would be wasting their time.”Tendulkar was also confident the new rule would help players lift their standards.. “A batsman will get a variety of bowlers to face,” he said. “Similarly for a bowler, all his wickets would be of a proper batsman.”Incidentally, Rahul Dravid had made a similar suggestion to Tendulkar’s at the MAK Pataudi memorial lecture last year. “When an XI is picked, there are four kids on the bench who have taken a day off from school to sit on the sidelines and do nothing,” he said. “Our junior cricket needs to think of options – rolling substitutions like in football, or a rotational system in batting or bowling, where everyone is given a chance.”Just as an example: maybe batsmen could retire after scoring a 50 (or a 30?) and return only after their side has lost 3 more wickets. Bowlers should be allowed to bowl a maximum of one-third the number of the total overs instead of one-fifth.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDimuth Karunaratne’s fourth Test hundred contained seven fours•AFP

Dimuth Karunaratne struck his second fifty-plus score of the match and his first Test century in a year to bump up Sri Lanka’s lead to 411 before rain wiped out almost all of the third session. His 94-run stand for the fifth wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva, which came at 4.47 runs an over, on a surface with variable bounce, countered debutant fast bowler Carl Mumba’s strikes and helped Sri Lanka re-establish their dominance in Harare.With a thunderstorm predicted for Wednesday, Sri Lanka might consider an overnight declaration to force a result.In the absence of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, Karunaratne was the most experienced batsman in the side. Yet, he was under pressure going into the Zimbabwe tour, having bagged eight single-digit scores in his last 12 innings. His slump could have been extended to 10 single-digit scores in 14 innings had Zimbabwe hung onto their chances. He, however, rode his luck, and followed his chancy 56 in the first innings with a more secure century in the second.He was dropped on 5 by Brian Chari, diving to his left at extra cover, on the fourth morning, but other than that Karunaratne seemed in control. He had joined forces with de Silva after Mumba had struck either side of the lunch break. Kusal Mendis skied a leading edge to the right of mid-on where it was pouched, while Upul Tharanga drove away from the body and nicked behind. With Sri Lanka at 117 for 4, Zimbabwe sensed an opening, but the visitors slammed the doors on them.De Silva was fluent from the outset, punching and flicking with typical insouciance. The shot of his knock, however, was the check-driven straight four off a Chris Mpofu offcutter in 39th over. He further upped the scoring rate when he swatted Greme Cremer for two boundaries in the 48th over. By then the lead was 345.De Silva brought up his fifty off 65 balls. His fluency probably rubbed off on Karunaratne, who grew comfortable in the second session, after being put through a stern examination in the channel outside off in the morning. Later when the seamers dug the ball short and aimed to cramp him up, he did well to ride the bounce and pull behind square. He reached the three-figure mark by nudging Cremer to square leg, and it was relief rather than raucous celebration for the opener.Carl Mumba struck either side of lunch to dismiss Kusal Mendis and Upul Tharanga•AFP

Karunaratne and De Silva then exited either side of tea before rain allowed only 23 balls. Karunaratne chipped an offcutter back to Mpofu, while de Silva jabbed a rising delivery to point to give Mumba his fourth wicket.At the end of the third day’s play, Zimbabwe’s captain Cremer outlined their plan: pin down the flow of runs with tight bowling and in-out fields. Mumba reaped the reward for relentlessly probing away on a fourth-stump line – or occasionally a set of stumps outside off – when Kaushal Silva played away from the body and inside-edged a drive to leg stump for 7 off 20 balls.Kusal Perera, batting at No. 3, then creamed his second delivery to the right of extra cover for four in the 10th over, also the first boundary of the innings. Karunaratne, meanwhile, got into his groove with a brace of late-cut fours. They put on 55 in 12.5 overs, before part-time offspinner Malcolm Waller struck in his second over to have Perera caught at slip for 17. Waller had looped it up on the rough and got it to spin away to find the outside edge, which was snaffled by Hamilton Masakadza diving to his left.Karunaratne and de Silva, however, foiled Cremer’s plans as the day progressed. Considering the rain threat, Sri Lanka’s plans could be foiled too.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA masterful display of swing bowling from Dale Steyn, who picked up his first five-wicket haul in international cricket since December 2014, helped South Africa bowl New Zealand out for 195 in their chase of 400 on the fourth day in Centurion. Steyn and Vernon Philander, abetted by exaggerated variable bounce on a deteriorating SuperSport Park surface, set up South Africa’s first Test series win since early 2015 by ripping through New Zealand’s top order in a devastating seven-over period before lunch.Despite an impressive half-century from Henry Nicholls, New Zealand never really recovered from being 18 for 4 at lunch, and they were eventually bowled out half an hour from stumps.Steyn landed the first ball of the fourth innings in the channel outside off stump – it was wide enough for Tom Latham not to play but the extra bounce caught him unawares, and the ball clattered into the stumps off Latham’s withdrawing bat. It was the third time in three innings on this tour that Steyn had dismissed Latham.Five balls later, Martin Guptill got an unplayable outswinger: it pitched on off and swerved away to take the outside edge to Hashim Amla at first slip.The variable bounce kept troubling New Zealand. In the second over, Kane Williamson was rapped on the glove by an inswinger from Philander that reared at him from a good length. In the next over, Steyn got one to land on a similar length and scoot along the surface to Ross Taylor, trapping him in front. Could New Zealand’s situation get worse?It did. Williamson, perhaps still suffering the after-effects of the blow to his left hand, wafted at a wide delivery from Philander. He had avoided playing that line throughout the first innings. The ball swung further away and took his outside edge, and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock completed a stunning one-handed catch low to his right.Nicholls offered New Zealand’s only real resistance with 76, his highest Test score. He was particularly effective square on either side of the wicket, picking off straight deliveries and punishing width outside off. When the bowlers overpitched, he collected runs through vacant areas down the ground.After weathering a tough period before lunch, he added 68 with Watling for the fifth wicket. With the ball moving both ways, Nicholls and Watling left well outside off, forcing the seamers towards the stumps. The quicks were continually rotated and batting became gradually easier as the middle session wore on.Just when it looked like New Zealand would get through the session unscathed, the offspinner Dane Piedt got one to spin back viciously. Watling shuffled across, missed his flick, and was struck in front of off stump. Watling reviewed, but umpire’s call on impact meant South Africa had their only wicket of the session.Kagiso Rabada, hitting the high 130-kph range as opposed to the 150 mark he regularly clocked in the first innings, struggled for fluency, rhythm and accuracy before tea. A number of wayward deliveries on either side of the wicket were easily avoided or dispatched to the boundary. However, he returned late in the day to pick up two-lower order wickets: he had Tim Southee bowled with a spearing yorker on off stump and beat Neil Wagner for pace to pin him in front of middle and leg.Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell and Southee all got off to starts, but could not stay long enough at the crease to help Nicholls to a maiden Test ton. At 195 for 9, Nicholls was quickly running out of partners and du Plessis recalled Steyn. A top-edged pull off a short delivery, aimed at Nicholls’ ribs, was taken at fine leg to end New Zealand’s resistance.In the morning, resuming from a score of 105 for 6, overnight batsmen Temba Bavuma and Vernon Philander were patient early, leaving and blocking Trent Boult and Tim Southee, both of whom generated appreciable lateral movement like they had on the third evening. Philander looked untroubled until he left a good-length delivery from Southee that jagged back prodigiously to uproot the off stump. South Africa declared at 132 for 7, having added 27 in the first hour.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:02