The prospect of West Indies sending a second-string team to the World T20 has increased after the sides failed to reach agreement in their contract impasse

George Dobell10-Feb-20161:29

Disaffected players have received an ultimatum from the West Indies board

The prospect of West Indies sending a second-string team to the World T20 has increased after the sides failed to reach agreement in their contract impasse.WICB CEO Michael Muirhead responded to the players’ request for a doubling of their remuneration package in the tournament by reiterating the view that the compensation package was agreed with the players’ union, WIPA, last year and would not be changed on the eve of the event.Muirhead also stated that any player who had not confirmed their acceptance of the current contracts by February 14 would be presumed to have refused selection.With only days to go before that deadline, it is becoming hard to see how agreement can be reached. The breakdown in the relationship between international players and their union would appear to have robbed the parties even of the mechanism for meaningful dialogue and there seems little time for Caricom leaders to intervene.

The crisis letters

ICC

The exchange of letters between Darren Sammy and Michael Murihead shows that West Indies cricket is again in crisis as World Twenty20 approaches

The possibility that West Indies will send a second string squad unable to reflect their No. 2 position in the T20 rankings and, as a consequence, tarnish the tournament, is real and growing.Darren Sammy, the captain of the West Indies World T20 team, had earlier written a second letter to the WICB repeating the view that his squad “don’t accept that WIPA can represent us” and insisting on an increase in the financial terms on offer for their availability in the tournament. His first letter complained of a cut of up to 80% in the remuneration on offer to West Indies players at this event compared to previous global tournaments.”WIPA became conflicted during its negotiations with you and compromised itself,” Sammy said. “It could not and did not actively represent the best interests of all West Indies cricketers.”The difference between the remuneration on offer from previous World Cups to this one is shocking and we cannot accept the terms on offer.”To now be offered just US$6,900 per match across the board irrespective of experience is totally unacceptable. Players are being asked to start providing services from nearly four weeks ahead of the World Cup and be guaranteed just US$27,600 if they play all the guaranteed matches [which] is a staggering reduction. We are looking, even on 2012 figures, [at] reductions of between 50-80%.”We suggest that 100% of prize money needs to be paid to the players as per previous tournaments. Twenty percent should not be retained by the WICB.Michael Murihead has named a February 14 deadline to accept terms•WICB Media/Brooks LaTouche Photography Ltd

“We also suggest that the match fees be doubled from US$6,900. In summary, we cannot accept the terms on offer. The players are not happy and understandably so with such big differences.”But Muirhead insisted that the players take up their issues with their player association directly with WIPA and gave no indication he was about to reopen negotiations over remuneration.”The terms on offer were negotiated and agreed between WICB and WIPA with the assistance of representatives from the ICC and FICA during a mediation process last year,” Muirhead stated. “And all parties agreed that they were fair and equitable and acceptable to be offered to the members [of the] WI team selected for the relevant ICC Event.”As mentioned in my previous email to you, this information was shared with all players following that process in May last year. Players were given an opportunity to discuss the new structure and no concerns were raised at that time.”It is disappointing that you would choose to question the terms now, on the eve of the WT20 in India.”

Peter Siddle has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch due to back pain

Brydon Coverdale17-Feb-2016Peter Siddle has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch due to back pain. Siddle bowled only eight overs during New Zealand’s second innings in Wellington before back spasms forced him from the field after tea on day three; he returned on the fourth morning but did not bowl again.”Peter experienced some discomfort in his back during the first Test in Wellington and has not recovered sufficiently enough to play the Test,” Cricket Australia’s physio David Beakley said. “At this stage the plan is for him to stay with the squad in Christchurch for the remainder of the tour before returning to Melbourne for further investigation.”Siddle’s absence in Christchurch will likely mean a recall for James Pattinson, who played all three Tests against West Indies before shin soreness prevented him from playing later in January. Pattinson was ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington as the selectors were unsure whether his fitness would stand up to five days of cricket.However, captain Steven Smith said after the Wellington Test that Pattinson had been bowling well in the nets and appeared to be on track to be available for the second Test, which starts on Saturday. The only other bowling option in Australia’s squad is the uncapped swing bowler Chadd Sayers, whose style is similar to that of Jackson Bird, who played in Wellington.

Jon Holland’s three second-innings wickets cut through South Australia’s top order to strengthen Victoria’s hold on the Sheffield Shield final

The Report by Daniel Brettig28-Mar-2016
ScorecardJon Holland struck telling blows in quick succession•Getty Images

In a season both tightly fought and topsy turvy, taking opportunities has been vital. South Australia floated near the back of the pack before making a late burst to host the Sheffield Shield final. Cameron White regained his place in the Victorian side just in time to play the innings that scraped them in to face South Australia.No team or individual, though, timed their run quite like Jon Holland. In the course of little more than a week, he has leapt from sitting outside the Bushrangers’ best XI to contending for a berth on Australia’s July Test tour of Sri Lanka. Holland tipped the competition decider strongly towards Victoria in an outstanding spell on the third evening, leaving the Redbacks scrambling to build a lead at Glenelg Oval.On an eventful day, Peter Handscomb brought up a notable century, Cameron White shepherded the tail, Daniel Worrall compiled figures of 6 for 96, and 10 wickets fell. Victorian chagrin at being penalised for a ball tampering offence was then channeled into a passage of high-energy and high-pressure cricket to corral South Australia. Holland accounted for Mark Cosgrove, Travis Head and Jake Lehmann, while captain Matthew Wade ran out Sam Raphael.There was no more fitting measure of how the match has progressed than the fact that Victoria’s two young batting talents, Travis Dean and Handscomb, both fought their way to hundreds against South Australia’s all-seam attack. Their opposite numbers in Head and Lehmann failed in both innings, the free-spirited exuberance of their best batting seemingly suffocated by the occasion, to the obvious disappointment of 2,864 expectant spectators.The young opener, Jake Weatherald, bunkered down in the company of Alex Ross after the loss of four wickets in the space of 10 overs, but they have an enormous amount of work to do to set a defendable target. The hosts have also been handicapped by a leg complaint afflicting their spearhead Chadd Sayers, leaving an enormous load for Worrall and Joe Mennie to carry.The day began with a four-over-old ball in the hands of South Australia’s seamers, and Mennie soon pinned nightwatchman Scott Boland lbw. Handscomb was fortunate when he twice edged Worrall between slips and gully to the third man boundary, but there was nothing streaky about the cover drive that took him to three figures. The Redbacks were left to ponder how a fit Sayers might have fared against Handscomb and White, who mixed stern defence with plenty of power.It took the Kensington product Eliot Opie to find a way past Handscomb, who played fractionally inside the line of a well-pitched ball that sent the off stump cartwheeling. This opened up an end for Worrall, who had swung and seamed the ball consistently and beaten the bat countless times. He prompted a drag-on from Dan Christian, had Chris Tremain lbw next ball, and beat Holland outside off stump with a an excellent attempt at the hat-trick.At that point the Bushrangers led by only five runs, but Holland hung around to add a priceless 54 with White that allowed the visitors to pressure South Australia when they batted a second time. Autumn sun broke through the clouds for just about the first time in the match and helped Weatherald and Cosgrove to start in relative comfort. It was during this phase that the ball tampering penalty was levied.However, Holland bowled with considerable guile and sharp spin immediately after tea, varying his pace and flight intelligently and winning a bat-pad catch verdict from the umpire Paul Wilson to defeat Cosgrove. Raphael’s brief stay was ended when Wade ran him out, and Head looked markedly uncomfortable against deliveries biting out of the footmarks.Head had made an uncharacteristic single from 14 balls when he touched a Holland delivery on its way through to Wade, and next ball Lehmann still seemed haunted by the sharp turner that had defeated him on the first day when a tentative prod was squeezed to short leg. Holland was admired by the former selection chairman John Inverarity, and while injuries and team balance have kept him on the fringes of the Victorian side, he has performed repeatedly when asked.Before the Alice Springs match against New South Wales in which he claimed six wickets, Holland’s previous state call-up had been in a Top End fixture the year before, when he pouched eight against Tasmania to claim the Man-of-the-Match award, before promptly being dropped for the final. This time around Holland has grabbed his chance, and Australia’s looming subcontinental assignments over the next 12 months mean there may just be more than a Shield title at the end of it.

Mark Wood has been told that he requires a second operation on his troublesome left ankle that is expected to rule him out for up to eight weeks of the 2016 season

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2016Mark Wood, the Durham and England bowler, has been told that he requires a second operation on his troublesome left ankle that is expected to rule him out for up to eight weeks of the 2016 season*.Wood, who flew home early from England’s tour of the UAE in November to undergo an initial operation on the ankle, was forced to pull out of his scheduled comeback for Durham’s second XI against Scotland, at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, after suffering from more pain during pre-season training.After a cortisone injection failed to resolve the problem earlier this month, Wood today visited a specialist in the Netherlands who diagnosed a small piece of bone that is causing irritation and inflammation at the back of the joint.A keyhole procedure will take place either later this week or early next, and while the anticipated recovery time is less than the three to six months that would have been required after a full operation, it is still likely to rule Wood out of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka that gets underway next month.Wood, who played the most recent of his eight Tests against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in October, was an important member of the England team that won back the Ashes last summer, claiming ten wickets in four Tests, including four in each of England’s wins at Cardiff and Trent Bridge.However, Wood himself has faced up to the increasing likelihood of surgery, admitting last week: “At some point, the back of my ankle will need to be operated on, that has been made pretty clear to me by England.”It would be the worst possible time, the worst possible feeling, the worst possible everything, but I would have to take it on the chin.”* 2pm BST: This story was updated with further information

Allrounder Farveez Maharoof, who last played an international game in March 2012, has been recalled to the Sri Lanka side for the upcoming ODI matches against Ireland and England

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2016Allrounder Farveez Maharoof, who last played an international game in March 2012, has been recalled to the Sri Lanka side for the upcoming ODI matches against Ireland and England.Maharoof and four other players – allrounder Danushka Gunathilaka, legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, offspinner Suraj Randiv and batsman Upul Tharanga – will fly to the UK to join the current Sri Lankan squad on tour. Some Test specialists are expected to return to Sri Lanka, but the selectors have not yet told the team which players will depart. Sri Lanka are set to play Ireland on June 16 and 18, before the five-match series against England starts from June 21.

Thisara Perera in SL A squad

Allrounder Thisara Perera has been named in the Sri Lanka A one-day squad for the upcoming tour of England. Perera has had a lean run for Sri Lanka in limited-overs cricket since the start of 2015, scoring 282 runs in 33 international matches at an average of 11.75, while taking 25 wickets. He was also left out of Sri Lanka’s ODI squad for the matches against Ireland and England. The four-day and one-day squads will be led by batsman Ashan Priyanjan and also include wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who is currently part of the Test squad. The team, which will be coached by former opening batsman Avishka Gunawardene, will start with a tour match against Durham before two four-day matches against Pakistan A from July 3. This will be followed by a tri-series between Sri Lanka A, Pakistan A and England Lions, starting from July 18.
Sri Lanka A squad (four-day) Ashan Priyanjan (capt), Mahela Udawatte, Udara Jayasundera, Madawa Warnapura, Niroshan Dickwella, Roshen Silva, Angelo Perera, Minod Bhanuka, Charith Asalanka, Sachith Pathirana, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Ramith Rambukwella, Prabath Jayasuriya
Sri Lanka A squad (one-day) Ashan Priyanjan (capt), Mahela Udawatte, Udara Jayasundera, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Niroshan Dickwella, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Angelo Perera, Minod Bhanuka, Charith Asalanka, Sachith Pathirana, Thisara Perera, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Rajitha, Mohomed Dilshad, Asitha Fernando, Ramith Rambukwella, Lakshan Sandakan

Sri Lanka will be without spinner Rangana Herath and fast bowlers Dhammika Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera. While Herath announced his retirement from limited-overs cricket in April, both Prasad and Chameera were ruled out of the tour due to injuries. Prasad suffered a shoulder injury in the lead-up to the first Test against England at Headingley, and Chameera returned home after playing only one Test due to a stress fracture on his lower back.Maharoof, 31, was the leading wicket-taker in Sri Lanka’s List A competition, the Premier Limited Over Tournament, in 2015-16, taking 16 wickets in five matches at an average of 6.31. He also struck 77 runs for Nondescripts Cricket Club in the tournament. Overall, Maharoof has played 22 Tests, 104 ODIs and seven T20Is and has taken 133 ODI wickets.Randiv, too, performed well for his side, Galle Cricket Club, in the Premier Limited Over Tournament, finishing as their leading wicket-taker with seven dismissals in five matches. The offspinner last played for Sri Lanka in November 2014, touring India for a five-ODI series.Notable absences from the squad include Nuwan Kulasekara, who recently retired from Tests to focus on the shorter formats, and Thisara Perera. Though once a key bowler in the limited-overs attack, Kulasekara’s form appeared to have dipped over a two-year period. His 25 ODI wickets since the start of 2014 have come at an average of 42.8. Thisara Perera has also been dropped thanks to slide in form.Batsman Tharanga has not played for Sri Lanka since July last year, but makes his way back to the squad after an impressive first-class season, in which he struck 803 Premier League runs at an average of 61.76. He has more recently also been among the runs in the Dhaka Premier League, in which he hit four scores of 70 or more in seven innings. He may be in contention to open the batting, as Tillakaratne Dilshan has opted out of the tour. Kusal Perera and Gunathilaka are the other potential opening batsmen on tour.The selection of Maharoof, Tharanga and Randiv is a slight departure from the selection panel’s quest for youth and regeneration. All three players – Tharanga in particular – have enjoyed limited-overs success at times in their career, but had been discarded due to loss of form.

Brendon McCullum hit 85 off 110 balls and Dawid Malan produced a telling all-round display the day after his England call-up as Middlesex secured a 28-run victory against Glamorgan in Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2016Middlesex 294 for 7 (McCullum 110, Malan 70, Ingram 3-38) beat Glamorgan 266 (Ingram 85, Rudolph 45, Fuller 3-53) by 28 runs
ScorecardDawid Malan enjoyed a good day after his England call with runs and wickets•Getty Images

Brendon McCullum hit 110 off 85 balls and Dawid Malan produced a telling all-round display, scoring 70 and taking two wickets, the day after his England call-up as Middlesex secured a 28-run victory against Glamorgan in Cardiff.Despite another masterful innings from Colin Ingram, who scored 85 from 73 balls, Glamorgan were beaten for the first time although they remain top of the table ahead of their break from this competition before resuming in the first week of August.Middlesex, who were put in to bat on a good pitch, made a respectable 294 for 7, but after an opening partnership of 176 in 27 overs between McCullum and Malan, they would have expected to have reached a total in excess of 350.On the ground where he scored 160 on his Championship debut for Glamorgan against Leicestershire 10 years ago, McCullum was soon into his stride, striking boundaries on both sides of the wicket, but he was reprieved on 49, when a leading edge was dropped off Craig Meschede at mid-off.He then raced to his first century for Middlesex, but after scoring 110 from only 85 balls with 11 fours and five sixes he struck a full toss to long-off.Earlier, Malan, who was named in England’s T20 squad on Monday for the forthcoming game against Sri Lanka, played a composed innings of 70 before touching one to the wicketkeeper.From a strong position, Middlesex then suffered a mid-innings collapse, as Ingram settled into an accurate 10-over spell with impressive figures of 3 for 38. Eoin Morgan played a laboured innings of 10 from 16 balls, which included eight singles, until he swept Ingram to deep square leg.Glamorgan’s bowlers were so effective that no boundaries were struck between the 30th and 46th overs, and it needed a partnership of 46 in 26 balls between Toby Roland-Jones and Ollie Rayner to boost Middlesex’s total.Needing to score at six runs an over, Glamorgan’s openers Jacques Rudolph and David Lloyd made a rapid start, reaching 50 from the first ball of the eighth over with Lloyd striking Roland-Jones for three fours in his third over. He scored 41 from 29 balls, before pulling a short ball from James Fuller to Paul Stirling on the long leg boundary.Rudolph and Will Bragg then added a useful 49 before Rudolph was caught behind from James Franklin’s fifth ball of his opening over. Bragg soon followed and at the half-way stage Glamorgan required a further 174 with seven wickets in hand.Franklin, obtaining movement from the River End, halted Glamorgan’s progress and took his third wicket when Aneurin Donald wafted at one outside the off stump.Ingram and Chris Cooke then settled in to their stand, playing every ball on merit, with Ingram reaching his third consecutive one-day fifty from 47 balls. With ten overs remaining, Glamorgan needed a further 87, but Franklin’s gamble paid off when he brought Malan on to bowl his occasional legspin with Cooke holing out at long-on, and Meschede falling in similar fashion.Ingram, however kept going until the 47th over when he drove Fuller to long-on and with him went his team’s hopes of maintaining a 100% record.

Chris Lynn bludgeoned eight sixes and a four in a 43-ball display of power-hitting as he plundered 77 to lead Guyana Amazon Warriors to their second successive win of the season, against Trinbago Knight Riders

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsColin Munro became the first overseas player to score a century in the CPL•CPL/Sportsfile

Chris Lynn bludgeoned eight sixes and a four in a 43-ball display of power-hitting as he plundered 77 to lead Guyana Amazon Warriors to their second successive win of CPL 2016, against Trinbago Knight Riders at Queen’s Park Oval. Lynn’s blitz trumped Colin Munro’s century, the first by an overseas player in the CPL.Chasing 163, Dwayne Smith and Martin Guptill led Amazon Warriors’ reply with a brisk opening stand of 34 in 23 balls. Smith, who struck three fours and two sixes in his 26, was undone by a carrom ball from Sunil Narine in the fourth over. Guptill and Lynn then steadied the chase with a 45-run second-wicket stand before Guptill was bowled.Lynn then laid into the bowlers, smashing five sixes in the space of 13 balls including three off Kevon Cooper in the 16th over, to effectively seal the chase. Although Dwayne Bravo picked up two wickets in the penultimate over, Guyana cantered home with four balls to spare.After being inserted to bat, Knight Riders lost Brendon McCullum off the first ball of the match. When Hashim Amla fell, Knight Riders were struggling at 29 for 2 after five overs.However, Munro led the recovery, sharing a counter-attacking partnership with Darren Bravo. The pair added 74 off 45 balls, with Darren Bravo contributing 12 off 17. Munro struck seven fours and six sixes in his 65-ball 100, but the Guyana bowlers limited Knight Riders to 162.

Shan Masood all but confirmed his place in the Pakistan side for the third Test at Edgbaston with a patient half-century in the tour game against Worcestershire

George Dobell at New Road29-Jul-2016
ScorecardAzhar Ali found some timely form ahead of the third Test•Getty Images

Shan Masood all but confirmed his place in the Pakistan side for the third Test at Edgbaston with a patient half-century in the tour game against Worcestershire.Masood, who has looked less than immoveable at the top of the order in the Test series, came into the game under a little pressure, but easily out-scored his most obvious rival for a spot, Sami Aslam, and has almost certainly done enough to retain his spot.That news may not cause any sleepless nights for James Anderson. He has dismissed Masood, who has scored 71 in four innings this series, in all six innings in which they have confronted one another in Test cricket and on four of those occasions he has failed to pass 2.But here, confronted by a modest attack and a painfully slow pitch being used for the second time in a week (it was described by Azhar Ali as “a very tired pitch”), he took the opportunity to gain some time at the crease and build some confidence with a determined innings that belied the low-key nature of this two-day contest.There was one nervous moment early on when he played and missed at Charlie Morris on 1 and another on 52 when Morris put down a tough chance at backward square leg off George Rhodes’ offspin. But in between times he demonstrated patience – he did not score his second run until his 27th delivery and it took him 124 balls to reach his half-century – some familiar nicely timed strokes off his legs and one pleasing off-drive against the medium pace of Alex Hepburn.Aslam may reflect that he has not been given the best opportunity to shine on this tour. Having not played a first-class game since December, he had had to wait until now for his first innings of the tour and, having clubbed the first boundary of the innings – a lofted drive over mid-on off the out of sorts Jack Shantry – from the penultimate ball of the 14th over, then followed one angled across him and edged to slip. Aslam may look back on this as a frustrating tour but, aged just 20, he has time on his side. Pakistan also hope to bat again in the latter stages of the second day of this game, so he should have one more opportunity to impress.There were also runs for Azhar. He is captain in this game in place of the rested Misbah-ul-Haq and has also endured a modest start to the series – he has scored 39 in four innings – but here he looked a class above in making an accomplished 81 that included a straight six off Rhodes and a slogged four through midwicket to bring up his half-century from 103 deliveries. “Teams do work you out in international cricket,” he said afterwards when asked about England’s bowlers exploiting his habit of falling over towards the off side. “You need to cope with it.”While Worcestershire are close to full strength – Brett D’Oliverira, who has just signed a three-year contract extension with the club, and Ben Cox and Joe Leach, who have both played every game this season, were the only three rested – this was a used surface and their attack is a good deal more sedate than the one Pakistan will experience at Edgbaston next week. Three of them – Rhodes, Hepburn and Alexei Kervezee – have nine first-class wickets between them, while Ed Barnard is just 20.Barnard can bowl, though. He produced a beauty to account for Azhar- the ball reversed just enough to clip the top of off stump – and, as he grows and strengthens, looks as if he could be a good prospect.The decision to rest Cox provided an opportunity for Joe Clarke, arguably the most talented 20-year-old batsman in England, to keep wicket and although he fumbled a couple of times, he took a nice catch to end Masood’s innings as the batsman skipped down the pitch, was beaten by some turn and edged his attempted drive.That allowed Mohammad Rizwan to compile an unbeaten 49 full of elegant strokes – his late cut and sweep, in particular – and Iftikhar Ahmed, whose first scoring stroke was a slightly mis-hit six off Kervezee, to make an unbeaten 41 in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 80 before the declaration. Younis Khan, slightly surprisingly given his form, was rested but batted in the nets. This two-day game does not have first-class status so there is some potential for the teams to change on the second day, though both sides have said they will resist that temptation.Meanwhile, Mohammad Hafeez worked with Carl Crowe, the former county spinner turned coach, in the nets. Crowe helped Sunil Narine re-model his action after it was deemed illegal and is trying to help Hafeez through a similar process now. As yet, though, there is no re-test booked for Hafeez and, until there is, he cannot be cleared to bowl in a match. As a result, it seems there is no chance of him bowling in the third Test and very little in the final Test.

The Cricket Association of Nepal, which was suspended by the ICC over government interference, has a good chance at being reinstated following a meeting between prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and ICC chief executive David Richardson

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2016The Cricket Association of Nepal, which was suspended by the ICC over government interference, has a good chance at being reinstated following a meeting between prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and ICC chief executive David Richardson.After discussions which took place in Kathmandu on Sunday, it was decided that CAN would form an advisory group to review its constitution then conduct fresh elections as per that constitution.”Nepal is an important member with huge potential. It is important for us to work out a roadmap for its reinstatement,” Richardson said.Although Nepal have been allowed to keep playing in ICC competitions – and had even made a fine debut at Lord’s – their ICC funding had been cut and there has been a leadership vacuum with CAN and Nepal’s National Sports Council in a court battle over who should run cricket in the country.ICC’s chairman of Associates Imran Khwaja, who was also at the meeting, said: “I’m confident everything will be worked out smoothly and the country’s cricket will benefit immensely in the coming years.”

The BCB announced on Wednesday that the Rajshahi and Khulna franchises for the next four seasons of the Bangladesh Premier League have been bought by Mango Entertainment and Gemcon Group respectively

Mohammad Isam21-Sep-2016The BCB announced on Wednesday that the Rajshahi and Khulna franchises for the next four seasons of the Bangladesh Premier League have been bought by Mango Entertainment and Gemcon Group respectively. Rajshahi and Khulna make a return after missing the 2015 tournament, but with the Sylhet franchise having been taken off, the tournament will now have seven teams.”We have added Rajshahi and Khulna,” BPL’s member-secretary Ismail Haider Mallick said. “There were others who had voiced their interest, but they have been taken by Mango Entertainment and Gemcon Group respectively.”Mallick said that all the teams have cleared payment to the BCB, including Sylhet, whose bank guarantee was used by the board. Mallick said that Sylhet were taken off the tournament due to disciplinary reasons, though the board had earlier said it was because of their non-payment. “Sylhet are not taking part due to disciplinary reasons. We had showcaused them for an incident from the 2015 tournament,” he said.The 2016 edition will start on November 4, with the final scheduled to be played on either December 7 or 8. The player draft will take place on September 30, at 3.00pm. Mallick said that the local players’ payment could be “revised” in this year’s draft, but they are yet to decide on how many players an old franchise can retain from the previous edition.