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Ashley Giles has spoken for the first time about narrowly missing out to Peter Moores as England coach, saying that the decision had left him “bitterly disappointed”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2014Ashley Giles has spoken for the first time about narrowly missing out to Peter Moores as England coach, saying that the decision had left him “bitterly disappointed”.Moores has been recalled for a second spell in charge after Andy Flower stood down following England’s 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.Giles appeared to be in pole position to replace Flower. He had been England’s one-day coach since November 2012 and a member of the selection panel. But his cause was not helped by a poor run of results in one-day games in Australia and England’s humiliating loss to the Netherlands at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh last month”I was confident,” Giles told . “I went into the interview and thought I had as equal a chance as anyone else, if not a better chance, having been close to the team and known what the systems are and, at the same time, not really had full control.”I can’t go into too much detail about that process, but I’m bitterly disappointed I didn’t get the job. At no time or stage does that mean I wish anyone in that side any ill going forward. We all want England to do well.”The Bangladesh coaching role is available following the resignation of Shane Jurgensen, but Giles did not sound in a rush to advertise his availability as he faced up to the first inactive spell of his working life. He also decided to resign as an England selector.”I think it’s important in the short-term to take some time out and reflect – with the family as well, because since I retired in 2007 I went straight into coaching and since then I’ve been pretty busy, as a selector and a coach,” he said. “It depends on opportunities, I guess, around the world and in this country. At the moment I’m not rushing.”I love coaching, I don’t think anything’s changed on that front. Of course, through recent experiences your confidence takes a little bit of a hit. But I enjoy working with players, improving players, that’s the buzz.”

Aneesh Kapil struck his maiden first-class hundred for Surrey as the final day against New Zealand A at The Oval ended in a draw.

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2014
ScorecardAneesh Kapil’s maiden first-class century defied New Zealand A•PA PhotosAneesh Kapil struck his maiden first-class hundred for Surrey as the final day against New Zealand A at The Oval ended in a draw.It was an unexpectedly frustrating finale for New Zealand A as Kapil made an unbeaten 104 to give Surrey a lead of 254 and then Surrey took the first six wickets for 81 in the evening session before B.J. Watling held out for a draw.It was a disappointing end to a successful New Zealand A tour that was disrupted badly by the weather. Four of their 13 games were washed out and three more decided by the Duckworth Lewis system. But their record was excellent nevertheless with only one defeat – against Sri Lanka in a tri-series, also involving England Lions, that they eventually won.Surrey began the morning on their overnight 72 for 3, still 38 behind, but Surrey moved into the lead with Rory Burns and Arun Harinath still together, with Harinath greeting the introduction of Todd Astle with consecutive straight sixes into the OCS stand. When Harinath was bowled, trying to work the leg spinner Todd Astle through the leg side, the partnership was worth 97.Burns was undefeated on 94, with Kapil, 33, already batting with adventure but Burns fell immediately after the interval when he was trapped lbw by Astle. Kapil hooked Hamish Bennett for six and moved to his maiden first-class fifty for Surrey from his 66th delivery.Jade Dernbach gave Kapil invaluable support with eight wickets down and Jason Roy absent hurt. But Dernbach did not just block as Kapil neared his hundred, striking Astle for a couple of enormous sixes. Finally, Kapil pulled Scott Kuggeleiijn for four to bring up his hundred from 133 balls with Dernbach dismissed soon after.The target for the tourists was 255 from a minimum of 41 overs but Dunn quickly struck twice, including bowling Hamish Rutherford without scoring. Dernbach followed up with two wickets in two balls, Tom Latham caught by Vikram Solanki at slip for 17 and a slower ball follow-up to trap Colin de Grandhomme lbw for noug to leave New Zealand A 27 for four.When the sixth wicket fell, a surprise Surrey win was in the offing, but Watling ensured a draw with a much-needed half-century.

Reigning MLS Cup champions Atlanta United and Supporters' Shield holders New York Red Bulls lead the field as Major League Soccer kicks off this week

The race for the 2019 MLS Cup will go through the Eastern Conference, and if defending champion Atlanta United has anything to say about it, through Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Tata Martino and Miguel Almiron may have moved on, but the Five Stripes remains the favorites, led by MLS goal king Josef Martinez and newly-acquired Argentine midfielder Gonzalo 'Pity' Martinez.

The New York Red Bulls fell short in their quest to finally win an MLS Cup title last year, but they bring back most of the same squad that set a new league record for points in a season, so another title challenge is a safe bet. Tyler Adams leaving will make things difficult, but the Red Bulls boast the best defense in the league and the ever-reliable Bradley Wright-Phillips.

There are some clear-cut title contenders in the West, led by Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders, two teams with balanced veteran lineups, and also with the salary cap space to make big acquisitions this summer, if not sooner. Sporting KC has what may be its deepest team ever, but the search for a big-money striker continues. The Sounders struck gold with last summer's signing of Raul Ruidiaz, but Garth Lagerwey has the resources to add another attacking weapon.

The city of Los Angeles could have a say in the MLS Cup conversation as well, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading a revamped LA Galaxy and Carlos Vela ready to build on last year's impressive debut season for Los Angeles FC.

Several teams underwent significant roster shakeups, particularly in the Western Conference, where Minnesota United and the Colorado Rapids made multiple big-time acquisitions to push themselves into the playoff conversation.

Those are just two of teams who could be this year's surprise turnaround. The San Jose Earthquakes are another candidate, with new head coach Matias Almeyda leading the way. Orlando City is another team that could see a dramatic turnaround after a disappointing 2018. Toronto FC is just a year removed from being considered the best team in MLS history, so a return to the playoffs could take place, assuming TFC succeeds in finding a suitable replacement to fill the void left by Sebastian Giovinco's departure.

Here is how the 24 MLS teams stack up heading into the 2019 season:

FC Cincinnati1FC CincinnatiThe expansion team made plenty of moves this winter in an effort to put together a respectable roster, but while there is a good nucleus of veterans, it is still going to be a rough debut season for the league's newest team. Fanendo Adi is a solid striker, and Costa Rican midfielder Allen Cruz is a special talent, but head coach Alan Koch will be hard-pressed to turn FC Cincinnati into a playoff team in year one.AdvertisementJonathan Daniel2Chicago FireThe good news for Fire fans is Bastian Schweinsteiger is back and Djordje Mihailovic is poised for a breakout season. The bad news is the Fire's defense looks very suspect and a lack of depth could prove costly for a team that didn't do enough this winter to close the gap on the playoff teams in the MLS Eastern Conference.Montreal Impact3Montreal ImpactAfter falling four points short of the playoffs in 2018, the Impact picked up veteran forward Maxi Urruti to try and help Montreal close the gap. The more pressing concern is how the Impact's revamped defense will perform. Urruti should help Montreal generate more goals, but the defense must be stingy if the Impact are going to reach the posteason.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Kim Klement4Orlando CityGone is Kaka, but in steps Nani to help fill the big-name void. Now Orlando City just needs to sort out the defensive woes that plagued the Lions in 2018. The pressure is on Dom Dwyer to perform, but it will be the back-line head coach James O'Connor puts together that will make or break Orlando City's season.

Jonny Bairstow’s chance of retaining his place as England’s Test wicketkeeper have taken a major blow with a broken finger ruling him out for up to six weeks.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2014Jonny Bairstow’s chance of retaining his place as England’s Test wicketkeeper have taken a major blow with a broken finger ruling him out for up to six weeks.Bairstow, who played the final two Ashes Tests in Australia, could potentially miss Yorkshire’s opening four County Championship matches, limiting his opportunity to stake a claim for the gloves in England’s first Test of the summer on June 12.Playing in a three-day friendly against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, Bairstow took a painful blow attempting to take a Liam Plunkett delivery down the leg side. After seeing a specialist in Leeds it was confirmed Bairstow has fractured the ring finger on his left hand.Should Bairstow not return until early May, he could have only three County Championship matches in which to impress the England management, and a new head coach who is expected to be appointed in two weeks’ time.Bairstow, 24, failed to convince on his return to Test cricket with a highest score of 21 in four innings in Melbourne and Sydney. If those performances could be forgiven in an England dressing room at a particularly low ebb, his performances for England Lions in Sri Lanka were more disappointing.A century in a warm-up match against Sri Lanka A Emerging Players was his only score above fifty in five matches on the tour with his best effort in the three-match unofficial Test series against Sri Lanka A just 27.”It is a devastating blow for Jonny,” Yorkshire first team coach Jason Gillespie told the club’s official website. “He has been working incredibly hard to put in some strong performances for Yorkshire during the early part of the season to enhance his England credentials. It is a great shame for him and I know that he is really disappointed with the news.”He will be working hard on his rehab and we remain hopeful that if the fracture can heal quickly he could be back sooner. It was an innocuous injury. In these circumstances Jonny would take that ball a hundred times without any problems. Things like this can happen in professional sport.”It is how you deal with it that matters most and I know that with his [Bairstow] positivity, he will be chomping at the bit to get back to playing for Yorkshire as soon as possible.”Of further concern for Bairstow was the immediate return to form of Matt Prior, who struck a crisp century – his first for over a year – in his opening innings of the Championship season. But Prior benefitted from three dropped catches and an Achilles problem also prevented him from keeping wicket.

The BCB has sold its worldwide media rights for the next six years, until April 2020, to Gazi TV for the price of $20.02 million

Mohammad Isam16-May-2014The BCB has sold its worldwide media rights for the next six years, until April 2020, to Gazi TV for the price of $20.02 million. The company won the rights after quoting an offer price slightly higher than the $20 million floor price set by the board.Gazi TV became the only contender during the open bid on Friday, after another company, Mediacom, quoted a lower price. BCB president Nazmul Hassan said the board was satisfied with the outcome, as it could have been worse.”There was an open bid this morning after which the board had to take a decision in a meeting,” Hassan said. “There were two participants, one of whom didn’t meet our floor price so they became automatically ineligible. Gazi TV has paid just more than our floor price, and their papers have been okayed. As they have no financial problems, we are giving them this work. BCB will receive from them $20.02 million (net) without production cost.”I don’t look at history, but we are satisfied. We believe that we received [the bid] according to the current market situation. If nobody had taken part in the bid, it would have put us in an embarrassing position.”There were several questions during the press briefing about the Gazi TV’s links with the BCB. Gazi Golam Murtoza, the vice-chairman of Gazi TV, is a BCB director and chairman of the tournament committee. Gazi TV’s chairman, Gazi Golam Dastagir, is also a former BCB director.However, Kazi Inam Ahmed, the BCB’s marketing committee chairman who handled the media rights, said Murtoza had stayed out of any discussion on the media rights.”We want to be clear that, during the entire process our committee worked on, the BCB director who is related to the Gazi family has signed legal papers that said he will not be present during any board meeting where we will discuss the TV rights deal,” Ahmed said. “We have ensured that our process remained transparent, and since everything took place through open bidding, there was no chance of corruption.”The BCB’s last long-term deal was with Nimbus between 2006 and 2012 after which Channel 9, Gazi TV and Masranga TV have been given rights separately for home series since October 2012.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board could make several concessions, including changing venues, to ensure Sri Lanka’s tour of the country goes ahead as scheduled later this month despite security concerns

Mohammad Isam and Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jan-2014The Bangladesh Cricket Board could make several concessions, including changing venues, to ensure Sri Lanka’s tour of the country goes ahead as scheduled later this month despite security concerns. Senior officials of the two boards are due to meet on the sidelines of the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai on January 9, and one of the proposals that could be made by Bangladesh is to stage all the matches in Dhaka.Sources within the BCB suggest the board has spoken to security agencies in the country and the idea of a single-venue series – though the least favoured option – has been discussed at top levels. While it is possible to stage all the matches in Dhaka, the BCB is aware of the message that will send out and its acting CEO, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, has officially denied such a proposal exists.The security situation in Bangladesh, the fallout of prolonged political instability, has been the subject of intense discussion in the cricket world with two multi-nation tournaments – the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 – and the bilateral series with Sri Lanka scheduled to be staged in the country over the next three-odd months. While the Asia Cup has been cleared to be staged there in February-March, the World Twenty20 and the Sri Lanka series may yet see changes.Though Sri Lanka Cricket has denied making any sort of requests based on safety issues, it will send a security team to Dhaka on January 13. There is also talk of dropping Sylhet as a venue as it would entail more traveling for the two sides for a single ODI in the northeastern town. But the BCB are eager to keep all three venues if possible, to give a brighter picture of the security situation across the country.They now has more time to convince the tourists. SLC had previously said it would make a decision on the tour during the ICC meeting in Dubai but has since said it will send a two-man committee to Bangladesh to assess the situation on the ground. Former SLC CEO Ajit Jayasekara – an Air Commodore with the Sri Lanka Air Force – and vice-president Mohan de Silva will leave for Bangladesh on Monday, incumbent CEO Ashley de Silva said.”We haven’t sent any requests to [the BCB], but we are sending our former CEO and vice-president to Bangladesh on Monday to assess the current situation,” de Silva said. “Once that has been assessed we will make a decision about whether we need to change the itinerary.”We have to make the final decision before January 15 because the team is supposed to go on January 24. I’m not sure if it will be discussed at the ICC meeting on the January 9, but basically that’s where we stand right now.”SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga had earlier said Sri Lanka would seek to honour its commitment to the tour if possible, because Bangladesh had been among the teams eager to tour Sri Lanka during its own conflict. The board is unlikely to take security threats lightly however, given the Sri Lanka team were victims of a terrorist attack in Lahore, in 2009.

If Alex Doolan is favoured to be Australia’s No. 3 batsman against South Africa in the forthcoming Tests then at least Phillip Hughes is running him to a close finish

Daniel Brettig in Johannesburg07-Feb-2014If Alex Doolan is favoured to be Australia’s No. 3 batsman against South Africa in the forthcoming Tests then at least Phillip Hughes is running him to a close finish. Doolan and Hughes demonstrated their attributes but also their foibles in the squad practice match at the Wanderers, right under the nose of the coach, selector and umpire-for-a-day, Darren Lehmann.The posting of Doolan at three meant a demotion for Shane Watson, who batted for around an hour at No. 6 before succumbing to the nicely modulated spin of Nathan Lyon on a surface that had been used by the hosts for their own preparatory fixture over the preceding three days. But Doolan’s certainty of a Test debut was eroded somewhat by a brief if breezy stay that contrasted with Hughes’ less attractive but notably more dogged and substantial occupation in the afternoon.Potchefstroom’s poor weather and the availability of a pitch at the Wanderers created the curious sight of the Australians trying their best to play a match with the 15 players at their disposal. Lehmann, Craig McDermott, John Davison and Dene Hills umpired, while Brad Haddin, David Warner and a local intern shared the gloves. Mike Young subbed in for one dicey over from Ryan Harris using only his baseball mitt and, as the day drew to a close, Lehmann could be seen prowling the covers.He had cause to ponder his batting order for the Centurion Park Test, a long-time fortress for South Africa’s pacemen. Despite entering the tour with few runs of any kind behind him – let alone relevant ones – in the Big Bash League, Doolan has been groomed for the role from the moment the tourists’ plane touched down in Johannesburg. He has repeatedly batted immediately after Chris Rogers and David Warner in the net practice roster and on Friday walked to the centre of the empty “Bullring” at the fall of the first wicket.Looking unhurried in defence and assured on the drive, Doolan glided to 25 against Harris, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle, before shouldering arms to a James Pattinson delivery that seamed back at him and tilted back off stump. It was an innings typical of much of Doolan’s career, which until the past two seasons had been characterised by pretty performances that often ended before becoming substantial.Doolan first choice for first drop – Hughes

Phillip Hughes has no illusions about where he stands in the pecking order for Australian batting spots, all but conceding Alex Doolan will get the nod at No. 3 despite Hughes’ feisty 83 in the intra-squad practice match at the Wanderers.
“[Alex] was obviously selected before me, so myself coming over late I basically know where I stand, but I’m happy to be in the squad,” Hughes said. “I’m not sure what they’ll do, if I play or don’t play, to be here to help the boys is a good thing. All you can do is be ready if I do get that opportunity.”
The maturing of Hughes’ game was evident in his innings, which commenced slowly in the unfamiliar post of No. 7 before blossoming later. “You’ve got to judge the situation of the game. Early on I took a fair few balls to get going, I really wanted to get the pace of the wicket and it was that type of wicket where it was doing a little bit,” he said. “It was a really good hit out today for everyone to be out in the middle, there’s no better place to play than out there. Far better than the nets.”

Nonetheless, Australia’s planners have seemed wedded to the idea of drafting in Doolan against the South Africans to try to replicate some of his better first-class innings. These included a commanding century to guide Tasmania’s successful chase of a significant fourth-innings target against New South Wales in November, and a pristine, unbeaten 161 against Graeme Smith’s tourists in 2012.His aesthetically pleasing gait at the crease is a world away from Hughes’ idiosyncratic and endlessly tinkered technique, but the latter’s unquenchable appetite for runs and centuries (three in Tests, 24 in first-class matches, three this summer for South Australia) has kept forcing him back on to the selectors’ horizon. Occasionally edging, and eluding one beseeching lbw appeal from Siddle, Hughes hung around longest of all the batsmen despite coming in at No. 7. He did not reach a century, departing lbw to Johnson.For the evening session he was accompanied by Johnson, who struck the ball with the clarity of man still flushed with Ashes confidence, and Haddin. Others did not fare quite so well. Rogers was out to a good one from Harris, shaping in then seaming away, while Warner and Michael Clarke each perished to presumptuous swings at the first ball of a Lyon spell. Steven Smith was given out caught behind for a duck by McDermott but seemed understandably reluctant to leave so soon.Of the bowlers, Harris, Johnson and Siddle were precise, swift and persistent respectively, their places assured ahead of the rest. Pattinson did have his moments, moving the ball at a fuller length while McDermott looked on from his umpiring perch, and may well come into contention should a fourth seamer or reinforcement be required during the Tests.Selected scores: Hughes 83, Watson 34, Doolan 25, Clarke 22, Warner 22, Lyon 3-60, Harris 2-19, Pattinson 2-42, Siddle 1-34, Johnson 1-44

Michael Carberry had to tell one boss we would not be in work for a while when he was selected for the Ashes tour, and now is trying to impress another in order to add to his solitary Test cap

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2013Michael Carberry had to tell one boss he would not be in work for a while when he was selected for the Ashes tour, and is now trying to impress another in order to add to his solitary Test cap.After drifting off the England radar and suffering illness, Carberry ensured he had a second career and became a fully trained electrician, spending previous close-seasons plying his trade around Hampshire.But this year he is in Perth, opening the batting for England, and trying to push his claims for a place in the Brisbane Test three-and-a-half years after his only other appearance against Bangladesh.”I’m sure my foreman is more than happy I’m here,” he said. “I spent last winter working as an electrician. It gives you a full appreciation of playing cricket. There’s a bit of pressure on me now if anything electrically goes wrong in the dressing room.”Although Carberry is an opener in domestic cricket for Hampshire, during the earlier days of his career he held a variety of positions in batting orders and would be confident slotting into England’s middle order if that is where the opportunity arose.He stuck a lively 78 on the second day against the Western Australia Chairman’s XI as he stood in for Alastair Cook at the top of the order following the captain’s bad back. But with Cook now on the mend and the selectors likely to show faith with Joe Root alongside him, Carberry could yet join Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes in competition for the No. 6 position.”Across my career I played in quite a few strong batting line-ups,” he said. “When I was a young pro making my way I’ve had to slot in where there’s been a space. I’ve made first-class hundreds batting at five and six over my career, so I don’t see that being a hindrance, especially when you’ve got the likes of Pietersen and Root and these kind of guys before you. It’s a nice position to be in following those guys.”Carberry now hopes to earn further chances in England’s remaining warm-up fixtures against Australia A in Hobart and the Invitational XI in Sydney before the Brisbane Test. “It hasn’t been finalised. At this stage it’s all speculation. Hopefully I’ve done enough in this game to possibly play in Hobart.””I’m here because I’m a good player. It’s been recognised by the management,” he added. “It’s down to me now to show that. Hopefully I showed a few glimpses of it today.”

Callum Ferguson continued his outstanding start to the Sheffield Shield season, producing his second century in three games to put South Australia in control on the first day against Victoria at Adelaide Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2014
ScorecardCallum Ferguson was unbeaten on 137 at stumps•Getty ImagesCallum Ferguson continued his outstanding start to the Sheffield Shield season, producing his second century in three games to put South Australia in control on the first day against Victoria at Adelaide Oval. By stumps, the Redbacks were 4 for 304 with Ferguson still at the crease on 137 and wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman on 98, within sight of his second first-class hundred.Ferguson began the campaign with 100 not out and 65 not out against Queensland and is now the leading run scorer in the competition. His 11th first-class century ensured Victoria could not build on the early wickets they claimed; South Australia were 3 for 44 after some struggles against the new ball.Peter Siddle had Phillip Hughes caught at slip for 7 and finished the day with figures of 1 for 34 from 17 overs. Spinner Jon Holland picked up two wickets and Chris Tremain collected one. Travis Head scored 31 for South Australia before Ferguson and Ludeman came together for their unbeaten 197-run partnership.

AB de Villiers has praised his team for showing “killer instinct” to close out the series against Pakistan, especially after their poor one-day showing in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2013AB de Villiers has praised his team for showing a “killer instinct” to close out the series against Pakistan, especially after their poor one-day showing in Sri Lanka. He said he was also pleased that Quinton de Kock was showing his batting potential “so early” in his career.”Happy and proud of the boys with this series win away from home, especially after a really bad series in Sri Lanka,” de Villiers said after the match in Abu Dhabi on Friday. “I wasn’t thinking of [the fifth and final match in] Sharjah, I was thinking of one ball at a time, not to think too far ahead. Having won here two days ago, we had the confidence. If the decider had gone to Sharjah it would have been tight, but its good we wrapped things up here.”South Africa posted 266 for 5, and then bowled Pakistan out for 238 in a see-sawing chase. That South Africa got to 266 was mainly down to 20-year-old de Kock’s maiden ODI century. In the chase, Pakistan needed 45 off 36 with five wickets in hand. Then Dale Steyn struck with the big wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq in a triple-wicket over, and eventually went on to claim a career-best 5 for 25, as Pakistan slid from 228 for 5 to 238 all out.De Kock, like the rest of the team, did well to overcome the Sri Lanka series setback, de Villiers said. “Quinton de Kock is a serious talent for the future in South Africa. I was expecting him to come through in two or three years’ time but to do it so, so early, especially after a tough tour to Sri Lanka where he had some mental and technical issues, is great.” De Kock could not go past 27 in Sri Lanka in July, and like most of his team-mates, struggled in the spinner-friendly conditions.Steyn, de Villiers said, showed good spirit. “It’s nice to have Steyn in the team, I play around him and he has that killer instinct.”In fact, everyone had it in this game. I really enjoyed captaining tonight, it was a hard game, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and Pakistan would come at us hard which they did. We hit back with our patience and the communication was pretty good. Hashim [Amla] was always at my ear and we took out catches and got some run-outs and things worked out. It’s a very proud moment for me to win a series away from home and would love to make it 4-1.”