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The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is seeking a new chief executive after Angus Porter confirmed his plans to leave

George Dobell05-Nov-2015The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is seeking a new chief executive after Angus Porter confirmed his plans to leave.Porter joined the players’ union in March 2010 having previously worked at BT, Abbey National and Thomas Cook. With the organisation facing several challenges, he presided over a much-improved relationship with the ECB and a more settled method of agreeing central contract payments.He also stabilised the organisation’s commercial operations and improved the education programmes provided to players to warn them of the dangers of match-fixing, gambling and drugs.”We are very sad to see him leave,” Glamorgan’s Mark Wallace, the PCA chairman, said. “But we are very grateful for the exceptional management, guidance and commitment he has given.”Angus joined us at a challenging time for the organisation and under his direction the PCA has steadied, developed and thrived. He is held in the highest regard not only at the PCA, but throughout the cricketing world.”Porter’s departure is not unexpected. He is understood to have notified the organisation around a year ago of his desire to move on and a recruitment firm, Odgers Berndston, has been appointed to find his successor.They may not have to look far. The PCA’s current assistance chief executive, Jason Ratcliffe, is a strong contender for the role. Porter is expected to remain in place until a successor is appointed.

Ramiz Raja warns that the country is paying price for lengthy exile from international cricket

Danyal Rasool02-Dec-2022The Rawalpindi pitch on which England racked up a world-record 506 runs on the first day of the first Test was “embarrassing”, according to PCB chairman Ramiz Raja. Terming Pakistan as living in “the dark ages of pitch preparation” owing to a decade-long hiatus of Test cricket in the country, Ramiz said it would take at least another season for the quality of pitches to begin improving.”It is embarrassing for us, especially when you have a cricketer as chairman,” Ramiz said, speaking to media during the lunch break on the second day of the Test. “This is not a good advert for cricket. We’re a better cricketing nation than this.”The quality of Test match pitches has become a point of intense scrutiny, effectively since the day Ramiz took over as chairman last year when he promised to bring drop-in pitches to Pakistan. While such talk has continued apace in the past 15 months, tangible progress on the subject has been non-existent, with Ramiz decrying the costs of having them shipped from abroad as prohibitive.”Ultimately, the only situation is a drop-in pitch. Which is extremely expensive if we’re bringing it from abroad. Instead, we’re developing soil here for drop-in pitches. That way, we can prepare square turners or bouncy wickets depending on what we want.”This is not an issue of not leaving grass on the pitch. The grass looks good from the point of view of optics. We need to create bounce, which can happen without grass, as happens on Australian pitches. They don’t leave lots of grass on the pitch. We get different pitches in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.”We have the same pitches because we get the same kind of soil. We’ve tried to bring a curator from abroad; we needed to bring a curator from Australia for the Lahore Test, because the situation had got out of hand. When I want a spinning pitch, we don’t get that either, so it ends up being half and half. We don’t want that.”While Ramiz implied there were structural issues undermining pitch preparation in Pakistan, there had been relatively little controversy about the quality of the surfaces for Test series until Australia’s visit to Rawalpindi in March. The pitch for that match produced 14 wickets in five days, and was awarded a poor rating and docked a demerit point by the ICC.Pindi was recently regarded as Pakistan’s spiciest Test pitch, the one that offered the most assistance to the bowlers. When South Africa visited in January 2021, the Test in Rawalpindi was something of a classic, with all four innings producing scores between 200 and 300, leading to a thrilling climax on day five.Eighteen of South Africa’s 20 wickets fell to Pakistani pace bowlers, an advantage that Ramiz acknowledged Pakistan needed to capitalise on. Even the surface in Karachi at the time produced an absorbing contest, with Pakistan triumphing by seven wickets on the final day.Related

• ICC rescinds demerit point for Rawalpindi pitch that hosted Pakistan-England Test

• PCB appeals against ICC's decision to award Rawalpindi pitch demerit point

• Rawalpindi pitch earns second 'below average' rating of 2022

• Why does Ramiz Raja think Pakistan have a problem with their pitches?

• Pakistan and the consequences of fixing what wasn't broken

Ramiz’s repeated talk of overhauling pitches in Pakistan has led to criticism that the PCB chairman is micromanaging their preparation. That speculation isn’t completely unwarranted, either, with Ramiz flying in Toby Lumsden, a former curator at the MCG, to help with the Gaddafi Stadium surface ahead of the third Test against Australia.Ramiz, however, insisted he did not interfere in the preparation of individual Test match pitches. “The board doesn’t direct how pitches are made. I’ve left this to the thinktank. We look at our strengths and then the pitch and then make selections. I try and limit my involvement because otherwise I can’t hold people accountable. For accountability you have to cede control. I aim to create a pitch that ends up defining our tactics so a template is set.”We live in the dark ages of pitches in Pakistan. They aren’t exposed in T20 and 50 overs but they are in Test cricket. We lived in an apartheid situation where teams didn’t come here. Pakistan players had played 70 Tests without playing here. It’s an achievement that we managed to stay afloat. We’ve tried everything, bringing in a curator from abroad. Pitches are the lifeblood of cricket in a country, but having said that, I’ve never seen batting like England’s on Day 1 either.”Pakistan were untroubled in their own first innings, when England were finally dismissed for 657, if not quite as explosive. With little seam movement or variable bounce, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq eased to an unbeaten 150-run stand. In the Rawalpindi Test against Australia in March, the same pair put on an undefeated 252 for the opening partnership on the fifth day.Ramiz, however, warned there would be little immediate improvement to that situation. “This will improve by next season. Unfortunately we’ll see the same kinds of pitches for the New Zealand series.”

Yorkshire face battle on final day as hosts set up imposing lead in third innings

ECB Reporters Network21-Jul-2022George Bartlett’s first LV= Insurance County Championship half-century of the season cemented a strong Somerset position on the third day of the match with Yorkshire at Taunton.Having seen hopes of a big summer hit by an early shoulder injury, the 24-year-old top-scored with 88 not out as his side ran up 225 for six in their second innings to lead by 373. Tom Lammonby made 46.Tom Kohler-Cadmore had earlier been dismissed for 100 in a Yorkshire first-innings total of 276, replying to Somerset’s 424. Jonathan Tattersall contributed 43, while Kasey Aldridge claimed three for 23 and Jack Brooks three for 73.Much depended on Kohler-Cadmore, unbeaten on 68 against the county he will join next season, when Yorkshire began the day on 167 for four in their first innings, 257 runs behind.Matthew Waite again offered solid support as the pair extended their fifth-wicket stand to 65.It was broken with the total on 194 when Waite, on 21, was caught at short mid-wicket by the shrewdly-placed Bartlett off Aldridge.Kohler-Cadmore was becalmed in the nineties, partly by Jack Leach’s miserly spell from the River End, but reached a largely untroubled hundred off 199 balls, guiding a Lewis Gregory delivery to third man for two.The 27-year-old, who had struck four sixes and nine fours, received warm applause from Somerset fans, as well as those from Yorkshire, their appetites whetted for next summer.It took the introduction of part-time off-spinner Matt Renshaw shortly before lunch to undo Kohler-Cadmore, beaten by a ball that turned and trapped lbw on the back foot.At the interval, the scoreboard read 228 for six. With six runs added, the second new ball became available.Tattersall’s important 108-ball innings ended when he edged Marchant de Lange to 18-year-old wicketkeeper James Rew, who claimed his maiden first class catch for Somerset.Dom Bess drove a catch to cover off Aldridge and when Jordan Thompson was bowled be de Lange, Yorkshire still required one run to avoid the possibility of following on.A Shannon Gabriel single averted that danger, although Somerset may well have batted again anyway, and the deficit was 148 when he was last man out, skying a catch off de Lange.Openers Renshaw and Lammonby wasted no time building on Somerset’s advantage, taking their second innings score to 57 by tea, Lammonby lofting sixes off Thompson and Waite.Their stand had extended to 65 when Renshaw made a hash of an attempted reverse sweep off Jack Shutt and Kohler-Cadmore held a simple chance at slip.Undeterred, Lammonby soon cleared the ropes again, dispatching Bess over long-on. Another six followed off Shutt, but the next ball saw the left-hander get a leading edge to cover where Harry Brook pouched the catch.Lammonby had made his runs from just 47 balls and Somerset led by 236. Bartlett joined the sixes spree, lifting Shutt over wide long-on.First innings centurion Tom Abell made only ten before falling to another Kohler-Cadmore slip catch, attempting to cut a ball from Bess.But Lewis Goldsworthy helped Bartlett add 48 in sensible fashion before a lapse in concentration on 18 saw him slog-sweep a catch to square leg off Bess. At 162 for four, Somerset led by 310.Bartlett went to fifty off 86 balls, with 2 sixes and 4 fours, a timely reminder of the form that saw him first establish a regular place in Somerset’s red ball side in 2019.Rew and Gregory fell cheaply, but two more Bartlett sixes off Matthew Revis left the hosts reached well placed for a final day declaration.

Rilee Rossouw returns to international cricket after close to six years; Gerald Coetzee receives maiden call-up

Firdose Moonda29-Jun-2022Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of South Africa’s all-format tour of England and two T20Is against Ireland after picking up an elbow injury during the recent T20Is in India. Keshav Maharaj and David Miller have been named captains of the ODI and T20I sides respectively in Bavuma’s absence.Bavuma was hurt when diving to complete a single in the fourth T20I against India and fell on his left arm, injuring both soft tissue and bone. He will not require surgery and is expected to take around eight weeks to recover and is aiming to return for the World Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The tour will mark the international comeback for Rilee Rossouw. Rossouw, the 32-year-old batter, played the last of his 51 international games in October 2016 during the T20 World Cup in India, and wasn’t considered for selection since signing a Kolpak deal with Hampshire in 2017. More recently, he has returned to play in South Africa’s domestic setup and was the leading run-scorer in the last season’s provincial T20 tournament, while he is currently third on the run-scoring chart in the Vitality Blast.Meanwhile, 21-year-old quick bowler Gerald Coetzee has received his maiden international call-up. Both Rossouw and Coetzee have been included only in the T20I squads.The T20Is against England and Ireland are the last official games South Africa are scheduled to play before the T20 World Cup. That squad will see a return for Andile Phehlukwayo, who was not on the tour to India, and Aiden Markram, who missed the India series after contracting Covid-19. Tristan Stubbs, who debuted in India, retained his place.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“The T20 format is a high priority for us at the moment,” selection convener Victor Mpitsang said in a statement. “We are looking to give opportunities to players that we are interested in seeing and working out the best combinations, while also trying to balance our desire to maintain enough consistency within the set up that the players are used to playing together as a team by the time they reach Australia for the World Cup.”That leg of the tour will be preceded by three ODIs that do not form part of the World Cup Super League and provide an opportunity to rest players. Kagiso Rabada, the fast-bowling frontman, will sit out as part of his workload management. Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Khaya Zondo, Anrich Nortje and Lizaad Williams have all been included in the squad after not being part of the group that played against Bangladesh in March.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

All six players who had opted out of the Test matches against Bangladesh in March-April and chose to go to the IPL instead have been brought back to the squad for the longest format. Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Rabada, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, and Nortje – who has not played a Test since South Africa’s tour of West Indies last June – are all in the group.Sarel Erwee is likely to keep his place as an opening partner to captain Dean Elgar, while Zondo and Glenton Stuurman, who played against Bangladesh [Zondo as a Covid-19 substitute], have kept their spots. South Africa’s Test squad had two spinners – Maharaj and Simon Harmer, who made a comeback from a Kolpak hiatus against Bangladesh.South Africa are currently second on the World Test Championship points table and the three-Test series in England is crucial to their chances of qualifying for the final. The full tour will run from July 19 to September 12.

The South Africans began their tour of India by amassing a tall score in their their T20 game against India A, but couldn’t convert that into a win as fifties from Mayank Agarwal and Manan Vohra helped the home side prevail

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2015
ScorecardMayank Agarwal made 87 off 49 deliveries•AFP

The South Africans began their tour of India by amassing a tall score in their their T20 game against India A, but couldn’t convert that into a win as fifties from Mayank Agarwal (87 off 49 balls) and Manan Vohra (56 off 42) helped the home side prevail.Chasing 190, India A began on a strong footing, courtesy a 119-run opening stand in 12.4 overs between Agarwal and Vohra. After Vohra was dismissed by JP Duminy, Agarwal and Sanju Samson, who scored an unbeaten 31 off 22 balls, went on to add 52 in 4.4 overs. Despite Agarwal’s dismissal in the 18th over, India A were hardly troubled, eventually finishing the game in the last over. Four of the visitors’ bowlers conceded more than 10 runs an over.Electing to bat in the morning, the South Africans lost Quinton de Kock, who was run-out, to the fourth ball of the match. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis then added 87 runs in 9.2 overs, and after de Villiers was removed by Kuldeep Yadav, Duminy took over. He smashed an unbeaten 68 off 32 balls as the South Africans amassed 83 off their last 46 balls.

Gloucestershire dodged early rain on day four in Swansea as they posted their fifth LV= County Championship win of the season. Chris Dent led the victory charge as his unbeaten 65 helped the visitors to their 108-run winning target for the loss of three w

ECB/PA09-Aug-2015
ScorecardChris Dent’s half-century saw Gloucestershire comfortably to their target•PA Photos

Gloucestershire avoided being knocked out of their stride by early rain on day four in Swansea as they posted their fifth LV= County Championship win of the season. Chris Dent led the victory charge in the Division Two match against Glamorgan as his unbeaten 65 helped the visitors to their 108-run winning target for the loss of three wickets.Although 15 overs were lost to wet weather before lunch, Gloucestershire were in no danger of missing out. Will Tavare, in his first match as captain, Gareth Roderick and Benny Howell all fell cheaply, but the target was so small it only called for one batsman to make a substantial knock for a seven-wicket victory to become a formality.Having bowled out Glamorgan second time around for 224 on Saturday evening, Gloucestershire began from scratch on Sunday, and Tavare struck Craig Meschede for two fours in his first over. Michael Hogan produced an accurate spell with the ball, bowling five successive maidens in an opening spell of 7-5-7-0, and in one over beat Tavare five times outside the off stump.But it was Graham Wagg who made the initial breakthrough in his first over, when he had Tavare caught at the wicket for 12. Wagg bowled at a lively pace and two overs later dismissed Roderick who struck a lifting delivery low down to cover, perishing for seven.Andrew Salter’s offspin was introduced, but after being struck for six and another boundary by Dent he was taken off after conceding 14 runs. Dent, meanwhile, played every ball on its merit, and reached a chanceless half-century from 99 balls which included a six and eight fours.Hogan continued to command respect and was rewarded for his accuracy when he had Howell caught at slip from a rising delivery, Gloucestershire at that stage 84 for 3. The result was soon sealed, with Gloucestershire’s reward a handsome 23 points and Glamorgan were left to ponder their punishment for a dangerous pitch in the Royal London Cup last Sunday – the case will be heard on Monday.

The future of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club looks uncertain after a request to the ECB for emergency financial help and an examination of the benefits of selling their ground and moving to an out-of-town location

George Dobell03-Aug-2015The future of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club looks uncertain after a request to the ECB for emergency financial help and an examination of the benefits of selling their ground and moving to an out-of-town location.The club, who have already borrowed several hundred thousand pounds from a group of directors earlier this year, have been instructed by the ECB to undergo an independent financial review to ascertain whether they fill the criteria for borrowing. It is believed they require around £500,000 to meet urgent financial obligations.The ECB has assisted counties in the past but with a full-scale review of the professional game in progress, it cannot be assumed that further largesse will automatically be forthcoming.Whether Northants seek to move headquarters or even become the first of the first-class clubs to dissolve remains to be seen. Increasingly, though, the current arrangement appears unsustainable.Northants declared a loss of £305,636 last year and are forecasting another heavy loss for 2015. They have already accepted that their prize asset, the England one-day allrounder David Willey, is likely to leave the club at the end of the season – Willey is contracted until the end of 2016 but had a verbal agreement allowing him to leave if he wished – and are looking at other cost-saving measures. The player wage bill is certain to be reduced.Former club captain Stephen Peters, Scotland international Kyle Coetzer, fast bowler Maurice Chambers and David Murphy are all expected to leave at the end of the season, while younger players such as Ben Duckett, the former England U19 captain, and Rob Keogh, who is the subject of interest from Essex, could also depart.The deeper concern is that this time of year, with T20 revenues secured, should be easier in terms of cash flow. Most clubs suffer more in the autumn when income streams dry up and bills have to be paid.Northants have previously borrowed from Northamptonshire County Council to redevelop their ground and to maximise potential revenue from T20 cricket.They were scheduled to repay the money from ECB receipts, but that income has been damaged by the international retirement of Graeme Swann and the non-selection of Monty Panesar. In the past, Northants have received performance-related payments (worth over £100,000 a year for Swann) as the ‘developing club’ of the two spinners.Financial pressures have encouraged an examination of whether Northants should abandon their ground, situated close to the centre of Northampton, and move to a spot further out of town.Indeed, ESPNcricinfo understands that the club have invested in a research project to identify a potential new location for the ground and, with the local council’s help, are considering a patch at Sixfields near Northampton Town’s stadium.The cricket and football clubs used to play on adjoining grounds until the football club upped sticks in 1994. Northants members would need to sanction such a move.The club bought the freehold on their Wantage Road ground in May 2012 and had the site valued, in its current condition, at around £4.5m. With planning permission, it could be worth more than £10m. The club’s chairman, Gavin Warren, is also a director of a Bleu Star Land and Property Ltd; a company whose tag line is: “unlock the full potential of your assets.”The club state there is a covenant on their ground which makes it impossible to obtain planning permission. They also claim they have not applied for an emergency loan from the ECB. Both these claims are disputed by club insiders and sources at the ECB.Underlining the impression that club is ailing, ESPNcricinfo also understands that Northants was reported to the ECB for failing to have lunch prepared for players and officials during the Championship match against Derbyshire. The chief executive, Ray Payne, is also not a full-time presence at the ground.In the shorter term, the County Tavern, the pub owned by the club, could also be sold. It has been listed for sale before – and valued at around £550,000 – but withdrawn before completion. However, if the directors’ loans have been taken against the value of the pub, the sale of it may not benefit Northants CCC. Such matters will be scrutinised by the independent financial review before any loan is approved.

Offspinner Ramesh Powar has announced he will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season

Arun Venugopal10-Nov-2015Offspinner Ramesh Powar has announced he will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season. Thirty-seven-year-old Powar, with 341 Ranji wickets till date, has the most wickets among active bowlers in the tournament.He has played for Gujarat since the 2014-15 season, following a year with Rajasthan. Before that, he had represented Mumbai for 14 seasons. Between 2004 and 2007, he had played for the country too, in two Tests and 31 ODIs, taking six wickets in the longest format and 34 in the one-dayers. Handy with the bat, he also has an ODI fifty.Powar’s decision allows him to play in the Masters Cricket League in January; the tournament rules require a player to be retired from all forms of competitive cricket, including the IPL, to participate.”After leaving Mumbai, I thought I’ll keep on playing, but then again I’ve thought it can’t keep going this way,” Powar told ESPNcricinfo. “There has got to be some motivation. If you aren’t going to get picked for India, you can’t just keep on playing. So I just thought I’ll rather play cricket on my own terms.”Luckily, there is the Masters League in January. Some of my old buddies are playing so I might enjoy that and have some fun. I’ll play out this whole season for Gujarat though. The last league game ends on December 4. If we make the knockouts [which spill over to 2016], I’ll speak to people and take a call.”Powar, understandably, picked out his time with the national team as his most cherished cricket memories. “To share the Indian dressing room with [VVS] Laxman, Sachin [Tendulkar], Rahul [Dravid] and Sourav [Ganguly] was the ultimate dream come true, because I never thought I’ll play cricket professionally and to get where I got was a big thing for me.”Through his career, Powar often attracted attention for a perceived lack of fitness and a fascination for funky sunglasses. “Lots of people thought I was looking for style in those glasses, but glasses only helped me stay focussed,” Powar said. “I had put a lot of effort in my bowling and would bowl two hours, three hours every day. It’s debatable [what people said about my fitness].”When I was playing for India, someone asked me about my fitness. I said I can’t be Mohammad Kaif or Yuvraj Singh. I’m Ramesh Powar, this is my frame and this is how I play cricket. I tried to lose weight during the West Indies series in 2006, and I lost my bowling also. I’m a classical bowler and I said I’d rather work on my bowling. I always tried to be fit through cricket and tried to be a safe fielder.”Now, once he is done playing, Powar said, he would look to give back to the game by coaching young spinners.

Despite producing a gaffe-ridden performance, Rajasthan Royals managed to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs and booked their spot in the playoffs

The Report by Arun Venugopal16-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:10

O’Brien: Very strange bowling plan from Royals

Despite producing a gaffe-ridden performance, Rajasthan Royals managed to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs and booked their spot in the playoffs. Knight Riders are all but out of contention.Chasing 200, Knight Riders needed 16 off the last over bowled by Chris Morris, but despite Umesh Yadav smashing an unbeaten 24 off 11 balls deep in the innings, they fell short. There were substantial cameos from Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell, but Royals’ seamers, led by Chris Morris, derailed their chase with wickets at critical junctures.Royals’ victory, though, was set up by Shane Watson’s unbeaten 104 off 59 balls, his second century in Twenty20 cricket.Knight Riders had a wobbly beginning, losing openers Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa inside the first three overs. But after a disciplined beginning, Royals’ seamers lost their bearings, registering the second most number of wides (18) in any IPL game.Pathan and Manish Pandey revived the innings with a 56-run stand, and after the latter departed, Pathan and Russell continued to target some patchy bowling. But, Morris’ dismissals of Russell and Suryakumar Yadav in the 14th over altered the course of the game.Knight Riders, though, weren’t down for the count yet, with their long batting line-up chipping in handy hits to reduce the margin. That the Royals bowling was erratic only contributed to their resurgence.With 36 required off 12 balls, Umesh threatened to snatch the game back by carting James Faulkner for 20 runs. Morris, however, dismissed Shakib Al Hasan off the first ball of the last over, and effectively killed off Knight Riders’ chase.When they opted to bat, Royals might have anticipated such a riposte from the opposition batsmen, having had an easy initiation into their innings themselves. Ajinkya Rahane and Watson delighted in whipping the ball through the off side off either foot. While Watson got into his low set-up to clatter drives through the cover, Rahane cracked a flat six over point. Together they went about knocking down a few records.Even as Rahane and Watson completed 3000 and 4000 runs respectively in T20 cricket, Royals zoomed to 66 in six overs, their highest score in the Powerplay this IPL. Some of the momentum was curtailed after Rahane was run-out after Watson bailed on a tight second run.
Royals, nevertheless, reached their 100 inside 10 overs for the first time this season. Their innings suffered a middle-overs blip with Russell sending back Steven Smith, Sanju Samson and James Faulkner in the space of four overs. Watson, though, was unaffected by the goings on, and progressively got better.He kept hitting straight, not losing his shape all along. Azhar Mahmood came in for a lot of punishment, conceding 41 runs in three overs while Umesh, Morne Morkel and Shakib went for more than nine runs an over.Both teams made a few strange selections with Knight Riders replacing Sunil Narine with Mahmood for his first game in IPL 2015. Royals, for their part, chose to play debutant left-arm seamer Brainder Sran, while omitting Rajat Bhatia and Pravin Tambe. The lack of variety in their attack, with no spinner, nearly cost them, but they clung on when it mattered the most.

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has asked Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh to refrain from politicising the staging of the India-Pakistan World T20 match in Dharamsala

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Mar-20161:47

‘We must not politicise sport’ – Thakur

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has expressed strong concerns over a reported letter written by the Himachal Pradesh chief minister to the Indian government, expressing his state government’s difficulty in providing security for the marquee World T20 match between India and Pakistan, scheduled to be held in Dharamsala on March 19.It is understood that Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who heads the Congress government in the northern state, wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), saying the match should not be played in Dharamsala, keeping in mind prevailing local sentiment in Himachal over the recent terrorist attacks in Pathankot, which lies close to the Pakistan border, near the intersection of the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.”Many incidents have taken place in recent past, like Pathankot attack,” Singh told the media on Tuesday. “Soldiers from Himachal lost their lives in J&K. If our war veterans don’t want Indo-Pak match to be held in Dharamsala, Himachal cricket association should accept their condition.”Dharamsala is set to host eight matches in the World T20, including two Super10 games: Australia v New Zealand on March 18 and the India-Pakistan game the next day.Singh said his objection was only limited to the March 19 match. “They are not opposing holding of matches,” the Himachal chief minister said. “They are against Pak team playing in Himachal Pradesh.”However Thakur, a member of parliament with the ruling BJP central government, said Singh was only playing mischief, and that it was inappropriate to mix sport and politics. “The venues for World Cup were finalised a year in advance. The allotment of matches for the World Cup were finalised many months ago,” Thakur told reporters in Delhi on Tuesday. “Fans and media from around the globe based on the fixtures make their bookings and we make sure we provide them with the facilities. At the eleventh hour to show your failure that we cannot provide the security, it only gives a bad name to the state and the country. I feel there should be no politics [involved].”According to a senior BCCI official who was involved in organising the 2011 World Cup co-hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the protocol has been for the board to consult and coordinate with the federal government with respect to the security of the matches across all venues. Once the matches were allotted the MHA would then co-ordinate with the respective states where the venues were based and work closely with the security machinery including the local police commissioner for the smooth conduct of matches. This official said the same procedure was followed before the venue and match allotments were finalised by the BCCI and the ICC.Thakur, the son of former Himachal chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, gave the example of the recent South Asian Games, which included Pakistan as one of the participating countries. “If Assam can host the South Asian Games, and 100-plus athletes from Pakistan can participate, then why is it not possible for Himachal government [to host the WT20 match]? I think there should not be any politics. It is a matter of pride for the country.”According to Thakur the Himachal Pradesh government’s stand was “unfortunate”, as it would only support the anti-India sentiment exisiting in certain sections in Pakistan. “Pakistan used to say that Pakistan’s team is not secure in India and if the Congress government in Himachal is supporting that statement or vindicating that then it is unfortunate.”Thakur did not waste the opportunity to play ping pong with Singh, pointing out that some of the local Himachal politicians who were now protesting against allowing Pakistan to play in Dharamsala had made no objections when Pakistan played a tour match in 2005 in the scenic tourist city. “The same people who oppose this now were, in 2005, post the Kargil war, coming forward to give bouquets to these same Pakistan players and pose for photographs with them.”Thakur said he knew of many Congress ministers in favour of the match being held in Dharamshala. “There should be no politics in sport,” he said. “You should look at sport in relation to the prestige of the country.”