ScorecardTim Phillips recorded career-best one-day figures of five for 28 as Essex hammered the Unicorns by eight wickets at the Victory Ground.Phillips removed Josh Knappett, one of only three home players to reach double figures, and then blew away the lower order as the Unicorns could muster only 137 despite 58 from Chris Benham. They never looked like defending that total and the Eagles made virtually untroubled progress to 140 for 2 with 5.5 overs to spare.After the Unicorns had won the toss and chosen to bat, Robin Lett fell cheaply to Friday’s hat-trick hero Graham Napier. Michael Thornely made 25 before being trapped in front by David Masters and wicketkeeper Knappett put on 32 with James Campbell before the latter fell for seven.Captain Keith Parsons was bowled by Ravi Bopara two balls later as the England hopeful’s seven overs yielded two for 23, and Knappett then became Phillips’ first victim, bowled for 23.That was 71 for 5 and Benham was left to carry the tail end, the next four wickets grinding out 27 runs in a little over 10 overs. Phillips took all of them, Neil Saker offering limited support to Benham with nine while Amar Rashid and Glen Querl made it three second-ball ducks in the innings and Dan Wheeldon scored four.Benham then cut loose, the bulk of his seven boundaries coming in a stand of 39 with last man Tom Craddock – who was obliged to face just nine balls in 34 minutes for his one not out. The expensive Lonwabo Tsotsobe returned to claim top-scorer Benham, caught by Matt Walker, and Essex were left to chase just 138.Openers Mark Pettini and Alastair Cook made a fine start with a stand of 53 before England’s new one-day captain was bowled by Saker for a pleasing 38 from 40 balls, which contained seven boundaries.New man Napier launched one six but otherwise failed to live up to his big-hitting reputation and made just 11 from 20 balls before Benham, as catcher, and bowler Craddock once more teamed up to good effect.Pettini and Bopara, though, progressed to the winning post in serene fashion, the former reaching an unbeaten 48 from 100 balls while Bopara made 29 from 46, hitting Benham’s first ball for four to finish the match.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has reportedly zeroed in on South Africa’s assistant coach, Vincent Barnes, as a candidate to coach the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2011The Bangladesh Cricket Board has reportedly zeroed in on South Africa’s assistant coach, Vincent Barnes, as a candidate to coach the national team following the departure of Australian Jamie Siddons after a disappointing World Cup campaign. Stuart Law, the interim coach of Sri Lanka, is also in the running but there are reports of his chances failing due to a disagreement over conditions with the BCB.”We are still in negotiations with Stuart Law. We are interested in him but we have given him some conditions,” BCB president Mustafa Kamal told . “If he accepts those, we’ll go for him. It means our talks with him are not over.”If it doesn’t go through with Law, we will take a final decision on Barnes. If we take him, it is nothing to be worried about because we’ll take a specialist coach for batting and bowling.”The BCB hopes to ratify the appointment of a new coach at their board meeting on Saturday, June 4, and Kamal said talks with Barnes were at “an advanced stage”.When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, however, Barnes only said, “I’ve been approached [by the BCB] and that’s where it ended.”Cricket South Africa are also scheduled to unveil their new coach on Monday, June 6. Although Barnes did not apply for the South Africa job, CSA could still consider him a candidate, and he was said to be considering a role in the future set-up.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Arena Corinthians recebe um confronto importante nesta quinta-feira, quando Timão e Vitória decidem uma vaga nas quartas de final da da Copa do Brasil (jogo de ida ficou no 0 a 0). O duelo pode ser ainda mais especial para Jadson, que tem a chance de tornar-se o artilheiro do estádio.

Jadson marcou 20 vezes na Arena e está a apenas um gol de igualar Romero na artilharia. Nesta quinta, os dois serão titulares do Corinthians, e o meia exaltou a disputa com o atacante paraguaio.

– Não, não. Nunca falamos sobre isso. Até porque não tem vaidade entre a gente. É um assunto mais para a imprensa e torcedores. A gente fala das estratégias do time e de como podemos vencer os jogos – afirmou Jadson, em entrevista ao LANCE!.

– Sempre faço questão de dizer que o mais importante é o resultado coletivo. O que vale mesmo são as vitórias e os títulos do Corinthians, mas é claro que estar disputando a artilharia do nosso estádio é motivo de muito orgulho – acrescentou o meia.

Artilheiro geral do elenco corintiano, com 39 gols, Jadson acirrou a disputa com Romero nesta temporada. Das quatro vezes que o meia marcou em 2018, duas foram na Arena. Já o atacante balançou a rede apenas um vez neste ano, no Pacaembu.

Em 2018, a dupla viu um grande concorrente pelo posto de artilheiro deixar o Corinthians. Vendido ao Nagoya Grampus (JAP) no fim do ano passado, Jô é o terceiro maior goleador do estádio, com 17 gols.

O Corinthians busca uma vitória nesta quinta-feira para não depender dos pênaltis para avançar na Copa do Brasil. Nesta entrevista ao LANCE!, o meia analisou o confronto com o Vitória e a fase do Corinthians, que não vence há quatro jogos, e também disse que está melhor fisicamente após recuperar-se de lesão muscular na coxa direita sofrida em março. Confira:

Você já é o artilheiro geral do elenco. Ser o goleador do estádio é algo que você busca na carreira?
Olha, confesso que nunca pensei em ser o artilheiro do Corinthians. Desde o meu primeiro dia aqui no clube, deixei claro que iria trabalhar pra ajudar da melhor maneira. Sou um cara que costumo criar mais as chances para meus companheiros do que chegar pra fazer o gol, mas acabei fazendo muitos gols pelo time. Isso é algo que aconteceu de forma natural e que me deixa muito orgulhoso.

Após marcar o gol da vitória contra o Independiente na Argentina, você disse que ainda não estava 100%. Como está agora?
Eu tive uma lesão muscular meio chata, que atrapalhou a minha sequência na temporada. Comecei bem o ano, mas precisei parar para tratar e isso me prejudicou, mas agora já estou me sentindo melhor.

Como analisa esse momento de quatro jogos sem vitória?
Nosso elenco é muito experiente e sabemos lidar bem com essas situações. Sabíamos que, em algum momento, passaríamos por dificuldades, o que é normal quando você disputa campeonatos tão equilibrados. Assim como no ano passado, quando passamos por um momento mais complicado, iremos manter o foco é trabalhar muito pra voltar a vencer.

O que acha que faltou ao time nos últimos jogos?
Difícil apontar os erros assim porque são diversos fatores. Nosso time passou por uma maratona muito desgastante, tivemos lesões importantes nesse período e jogamos contra equipes bem postadas. Precisamos manter a tranquilidade e seguir trabalhando forte que os resultados voltarão a aparecer.

O que o Corinthians precisa fazer para bater o Vitória e avançar na Copa do Brasil?
Não tem um segredo. O que precisamos fazer é entrar ligados desde o primeiro minuto de jogo e impor nosso ritmo de jogo do começo ao fim para sair de campo com a classificação, mas será outro jogo bastante difícil.

Tem alguma estratégia diferente por ser jogo de mata-mata?
Jogo mata-mata é um pouco diferente porque você precisa saber jogar com o regulamento, ir com paciência, não se afobar.

Como tem sido sua preparação nessa maratona de jogos até a parada para a Copa do Mundo?
Como eu disse, a lesão me atrapalhou um pouco, mas agora já estou bem e realizando um trabalho intenso para poder desempenhar bem até a parada da Copa.

Acha que o elenco precisa de reforços para brigar em todas as competições?
Eu confio na força do nosso elenco. Todos nossos jogadores têm qualidade e já provaram isso, mas se alguém chegar pra reforçar nosso time, será muito bem-vindo.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasVaivémCorinthians demonstra interesse em Marcos Guilherme, do São PauloVaivém09/05/2018CorinthiansRodriguinho prefere avançar na Copa do Brasil a vitória do Timão no DérbiCorinthians09/05/2018CorinthiansPedrinho será titular do Corinthians contra o Vitória; veja a escalaçãoCorinthians09/05/2018

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CorinthiansItaquerajadson

The PCB has asked Sri Lanka Cricket “for their views” on the prospect of playing their series later this year in Pakistan instead of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka were the last team to play international cricket in Pakistan – their tour in March 2009 was cut short after terrorists attacked their team bus as it was on the way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the second Test.That attack, on the back of growing security concerns over the previous two years, brought to an end international cricket in the country, taking away the 2011 World Cup in the process.The two sides are due to play a full Test and limited-overs series in October, scheduled in the FTP officially as a ‘home’ series for Pakistan. Until now the series was due to take place in Sri Lanka, but after a meeting between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and Pakistan’s interior minister Rehman Malik on Thursday, the government is keen on bringing international cricket back to the country.”The government wants this [series to be held in Pakistan],” a senior PCB official told ESPNcricinfo. “We have asked SLC again to let us have their views on the issue.”The prospect of the series actually taking place in Pakistan remains a distant one. So far the government has only passed on verbal instructions to the PCB, who in turn have written to SLC. As of Saturday, when a SLC official was asked about the development or whether the board had been approached, he told ESPNcricinfo: “Not to my knowledge.”Most of Pakistan’s major cities – where such a series is likely to be played – have been targeted fairly recently by terrorist attacks, within the last year in the cases of Lahore and Karachi. At the beginning of this month Osama bin Laden was killed in an operation by US forces in Abbottabad, a town not far from the country’s capital Islamabad.Pakistan have played their ‘home’ series since the Lahore attacks at a number of venues; a series against South Africa was arranged in the UAE. In 2009-10, they broke up a full tour of New Zealand by playing the ODIs in Abu Dhabi and the Tests in New Zealand itself. They used England as a venue for two ‘home’ Tests against Australia last summer. Pakistan is also, incidentally, in talks with SLC over staging their series with England over the turn of the year in Sri Lanka.Afghanistan will actually become the first international team to play in Pakistan next week when they take on Pakistan ‘A’ in three 50-over games. Interestingly enough, one of the games was arranged for Abbottabad, but after the meeting between Butt and Malik the venue was switched to Islamabad.

Australia edged home off the last ball to complete a nail-biting three-wicket win against India in Chesterfield

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2011
ScorecardShelley Nitschke anchored Australia’s successful chase with 78 from 100 balls•Getty ImagesAustralia Women edged home off the last ball to complete a nail-biting three-wicket win against India Women in Chesterfield. The victory was crafted on two fine all-round performances from Shelley Nitschke and Sarah Coyte, who helped Australia overcome a tenacious India side.Set 216 for victory, Australia were given an excellent platform from Nitschke who made 78 from 100 balls. All the top order contributed, though, with Meg Lanning adding 23 before she was run out, Leah Poulton 34 and Alex Blackwell 23.While coasting on 121 for 1 the game looked set to be an easy win for Australia, but four wickets fell for 47 runs to drag India back into contention. When Gouher Sultana had Lisa Sthalekar trapped in front for 6 Australia were 168 for 5 and wobbling. But a calm 11 from 22 balls from captain Jodie Fields steadied things, before Coyte helped Australia over the line with an unbeaten 17 from 19 balls.It meant no reward for India who would have been frustrated to end up all out for 215, having been 163 for 3 at one stage. Poonam Raut made a stodgy 60 from 106 balls, sharing a 75-run partnership with Mithali Raj, who made a brisk 49 from 61 deliveries. The only other sizeable contribution came from Harmanpreet Kaur, who made 31.Coyte and Nitschke took three wickets each, with fast-bowler Clea Smith also chipping in with 2 for 32 from her 10 overs.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians fez nesta quarta-feira seu primeiro e único treino na Venezuela para enfrentar o Deportivo Lara (VEN), na quinta-feira. Os jogadores realizaram apenas um rachão no Estádio Metropolitano de Lara, que tem um gramado “fofo”, como alertou o técnico Fábio Carille.

– É um campo mais fofo, com algumas falhas. A bola não rola como estamos acostumados no nosso estádio e na maioria dos estádios do Brasil. Mas a gente já tinha observado isso pelos vídeos, então já fomos preparando nossos jogadores para não jogar bonito toda hora – afirmou Carille, em entrevista coletiva após a atividade desta quarta-feira.

O treinador também minimizou a viagem de cerca de dez horas. A delegação corintiana embarcou em um voo fretado e chegou apenas na madrugada desta quarta-feira.

– Não me preocupa pelo jogo ser na quinta. Se o jogo fosse hoje (quarta), aí a gente tinha que vir na segunda, um dia a menos. Então, a gente vai chegar muito bem para o jogo – projetou Carille.

Durante a entrevista coletiva, Carille também comentou sobre o que espera do Deportivo Lara e de sua torcida na Venezuela. Veja abaixo:

Como espera o Lara?
As duas partidas, diferente do que foi na Arena, jogando na sua casa ele já subiu a marcação, marcou pressão. As equipes que vieram aqui sofreram, principalmente aquelas que tentaram sair jogando. Às vezes vai ser um jogo de ligação direta pela situação do campo, mas estamos muito preparados para fazer um grande jogo.

Qual a ideia de jogo do Corinthians, que repetirá a escalação?
Jogando principalmente com Pedrinho, Jadson e Rodrigo você tem que ter a bola para que chegue nesses jogadores de qualidade para que a gente possa criar. O jogo vai mostrar se a gente vai marcar mais em cima, na intermediária ou baixa, como chamamos dentro do nosso campo. O jogo vai mostrar, mas pelo que eles vêm trabalhando desde janeiro estão preparados para qualquer situação.

Preocupa a pressão da torcida?
É isso que a gente conversou muito na hora do almoço: se é uma torcida que vem e apoia, se é uma torcida que vem e fica cobrando. No caso da nossa, lá em São Paulo, ela vem e apoia o tempo todo. Essa é a única dúvida. Mas o mais importante é a gente estar muito concentrado naquilo que a gente tem que fazer independente da pressão que a gente vai encontrar aqui.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansNa Venezuela, Corinthians repetirá escalação pela terceira vez seguidaCorinthians16/05/2018CorinthiansPatrocinadora do Corinthians doará computador a cada gol marcadoCorinthians16/05/2018

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CorinthiansDeportivo LaraLibertadores

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai

The Preview by Nitin Sundar18-May-2011Match factsThursday, May 19, Navi Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)This time, he will be up against men wearing this jersey•Indian Premier League

Big PictureGoing into their last two league games, Kolkata Knight Riders’ task is not as clear as they would like it to be: if Kings XI Punjab lose their last game, Kolkata can make the play-offs even if they lose both their matches. If Punjab win, though, Kolkata might need two wins to be assured of a spot in the final four. Sourav Ganguly – the biggest player to emerge from Kolkata and a name that was synonymous with their franchise until the most recent player auction – has a chance to stop them. It happens only in the IPL.Yet, both Ganguly and his team-mates at Pune Warriors will know that they go in as rank outsiders. Kolkata have been consistent through the season, with their big-ticket players pulling their weight at different stages. The domestic Indian players have played their part too, especially Iqbal Abdulla and Manoj Tiwary. Pune, on the other hand, are out of contention after suffering an early-season slump that spanned seven successive losses. Ganguly looked like a batsman who hadn’t held a bat in 12 months in his first outing, and fell for a duck in his second. Does Pune’s campaign have a sting in its tail? Kings XI Punjab will be hoping it does, since a Kolkata defeat will keep their chances alive.Form guide (most recent first)Kolkata: LWLWW (fourth in points table)
Pune: LWWLL (ninth in points table)Team talkKolkata have seemed keen to open with Eoin Morgan, though the move has had little success. Morgan is not with the team anymore, and Shakib Al Hasan might be the one coming in for him. Given the lack of muscle in the middle order – excluding Yusuf Pathan – Gautam Gambhir might consider moving himself up the order.Pune will mull over the option of replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar with Shrikant Wagh, who was impressive at the DY Patil in the initial part of the season. Will Ganguly continue to play at No. 3?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.In the spotlightTime is running out for Robin Uthappa to deliver returns on the tremendous investment Pune made on him. He has scored 252 runs in 12 innings, but has not produced a single half-century. He has paraded all his shots this season, without displaying the right kind of shot-selection.

Brett Lee has set up a few sparkling mini-battles with Uthappa in the past – a league match in the 2007 CB series, and a 2010 IPL fixture being the most notable. There’s something irresistible about a contest between a fast bowler who likes to bowl straight, and a batsman who likes to hit it back, just as straight. Who will triumph when they clash on Thursday?Prime numbersKolkata haven’t hit enough sixes this year. Tiwary, with 12, is their leading six-hitter but he is only 14th on the overall list. Yusuf has only managed 11.
Rahul Sharma is the third-highest wicket-taker this season, with 16 wickets. He has also been the most economical bowler (5.33 per over) among those who have at least six wickets.
The chatter”We need one win from two games and that’s all I will be telling the team. I’m not obsessed with the points table. Our priority right now is to get the two points on Thursday.”

قدم البرتغالي روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول مشروعًا كاملًا، للنهوض بالكرة المصرية.

وعلم “بطولات” أن فيتوريا قدم إلى حازم إمام عضو مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة مجلدًا مكون من 30 صفحة تقريبًا، وهو عبارة عن مشروع كامل للنهوض بالكرة المصرية.

طالع أيضًا.. فيتوريا: فيريرا منحني خبرته في مصر.. والنصر نادٍ ليس بحجم رونالدو

ويشمل المشروع الذي قدمه فيتوريا كيفية النهوض بقطاعات الناشئين في الأندية، والاستفادة القصوى من منتخبات الناشئين والشباب في تدعيم منتخب مصر الأول.

ولفت فيتوريا النظر في تقريره إلى جودة الملاعب وتأثيرها على اللاعبين والمدربين.

وأشار البرتغالي أيضًا إلى أزمة عدم مشاركة اللاعبين من سن 17 لـ 23 عامًا مع الأندية، وطرق حل هذا الأمر.

يذكر أن آخر ظهور لمنتخب مصر كان وديًا أمام بلجيكا قبل انطلاق مونديال قطر 2022، وانتهى اللقاء بفوز الفراعنة بثنائية مقابل هدف.

Andrew Strauss warmed up for next week’s first Test by taking the early honours at the start of the head-to-head with Zaheer Khan on his guest appearance for Somerset

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at Taunton15-Jul-2011
Live scorecardArul Suppiah cracked an unbeaten 145 on the first day of India’s tour match against Somerset•Getty ImagesAndrew Strauss warmed up for next week’s first Test by taking the early honours at the start of the head-to-head with Zaheer Khan on his guest appearance for Somerset, and Arul Suppiah hit an unbeaten 145 as the Indians were made to toil at Taunton. Strauss and Suppiah added 101 for the first wicket before Suppiah and Nick Compton put on 223 between two stoppages for rain to take the home side to an imposing 329 for 2.Strauss struck 11 boundaries in bringing up his half-century from a sprightly 63 balls. All his shots were in good working order as he drove, pulled, and glanced his way into form ahead of Lord’s next week. He did have a couple of close shaves: firstly on 20 when Zaheer had a big lbw shout turned down by Graham Lloyd, and then on 64 when Wriddhiman Saha, the reserve wicketkeeper playing in place of the rested MS Dhoni, dropped an edge off Amit Mishra. However, the keeper took the next chance when an edge bobbled off the pad and looped in the air as Strauss departed for 78. In the context of the runs that followed, he missed out.The loan deal for Strauss had provoked debate, both about the whether the structure of domestic cricket does all it can to help the England team, and also what Somerset gained from the move. Despite coming off a four-day Championship match, the county fielded several first-team regulars, including England Lions captain James Hildreth, and somebody missed out to let Strauss play. However, he received a warm ovation as he left the field following his innings and, wearing his Somerset kit, appeared to have been adopted at least for the day.”He looked very good, he was moving his feet very well and striking the ball out of the middle,” Suppiah said of Strauss. “It’s just a shame he got out, he probably could have got a hundred but he played really well. He looks hungry for runs, left the ball well and played straight which is the main thing for an opener.”The battle with Zaheer was a gentle precursor of what will follow in the Tests as the bowler eased himself back into action after a lengthy lay-off following the IPL. The initial overs of Zaheer’s first spell were friendly, but he started to generate a touch more pace and find some swing later in an eight-over burst.Zaheer is the only one in this Indians’ attack certain to play at Lord’s next week with Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar rested following their workload in the Caribbean. It meant a chance for Sreesanth and Munaf Patel to stake a claim for the third seamer’s slot, although neither made a compelling case. The attack actually looked toothless – Suresh Raina’s late wicket of Compton came when the batsman reverse-swept to short third man – but India will back themselves to lift for the major challenge.Sreesanth was tight to begin with but Strauss started to take to him with three boundaries in an over as he moved to his half-century. Patel, meanwhile, was steady but didn’t provide much threat. Mishra began with three no-balls in his first three overs and Strauss picked off the legspinner with ease, pulling him over midwicket and driving through the off side, before the bowler struck back.While Strauss’s runs will be welcome, he’ll know that they don’t guarantee a successful start to the Tests. Ahead of the Sri Lanka series he scored two hundreds – one of them against the visitors at Uxbridge – but then struggled to convert that when the internationals began, and ended with 27 runs from four innings.With the focus understandably on Strauss, Suppiah was a quiet partner in every sense at the other end. He didn’t register a boundary until the start of the second hour when he played a lovely straight drive, but a sign of the gentle nature of the surface was that he, too, didn’t have many alarms.Rain brought a lengthy stoppage shortly after lunch but when the skies cleared, Suppiah and Compton made positive progress as the Indians found wickets elusive. Suppiah became increasingly positive on either side of his half-century, but the Indians missed a chance to break the partnership when Compton, on 24, was dropped at square by Sachin Tendulkar, when he pulled Sreesanth.Compton cashed in on his chance with a series of well-timed boundaries, one of which was a stand-and-deliver cover drive off Zaheer, who was the pick of a disappointing seam attack, as he reached a half century from 74 deliveries. Mishra was taken at more than four-an-over and also dropped a tough caught-and-bowled chance off Suppiah, who was on 71. Mishra was forced to leave the field mid-over for treatment on his finger but was said to be fine. The 17 overs shared by the part-time spinners, Raina and Yuvraj Singh, cost 110 runs including 18 off one Yuvraj over.The resumption after tea was delayed by further rain, but the final hour was possible which gave Suppiah the chance to register his sixth first-class hundred from 179 balls, and he is closing in on a new career-best. It’s been a good time for Suppiah: he registered world record Twenty20 figures of 6 for 5 in a Friends Life t20 game against Glamorgan last week. And it won’t have done him any harm to score runs in front of the England captain.

Australia’s cricketers have become free agents in Twenty20 and can begin signing up with the new Big Bash League franchises. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) have signed off on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), despite shelving negotiations over the distribution of private investment money that could come in for the newly-formed city-based Twenty20 sides.The one-year extension to the existing MOU means that the players and administrators have a little extra time to come to an agreement over private investment, if and when backers begin to jump on board with the Melbourne and Sydney sides. The ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said that if private money came in before this summer’s inaugural Big Bash League, the players could still win a piece of the pie.”We have no idea what value if anything is going to come from the private investment money that may come in to these franchises,” Marsh said. “Until we get some certainty around that I don’t think it would have been a smart decision for us to lock in for more than one year. Next year, if we can get some certainty around that we may lock in for a longer term.”One thing we’ve negotiated into this deal is a clause that if and when that does happen, then we’ll sit down with CA and seek to negotiate an outcome. It would be fair to say we’re a fair way apart on that particular issue, so there’ll be some pretty robust discussions on that if and when that time comes.”James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, said the decision to side-step private investment had been necessary to keep the Australian game from grinding to an industrial halt.”Both parties have agreed it’s not an issue today,” he said. “It may be an issue in the future and if it is an issue in the future then we will in good faith sit down with each other and talk that through. In some ways perhaps ideally it would be great to be sitting here today and say we’ve locked that down and got some agreement on that.”But it’s a common sense, pragmatic approach to the situation, we want the show to keep moving on and we want to be absolutely focused in giving players the security around their future as much as possible.”The ACA has already had one major victory in the Big Bash League, with Cricket Australia agreeing to free agency as the method of recruitment. With eight teams in the new competition, which begins in December, existing state contracts will bear no relevance to who plays where, so a die-hard Victorian like Brad Hodge could end up playing for Hobart, or Adelaide, or Brisbane.Cricket Australia’s original preference had been for all players to enter a draft, which could have meant a widespread scattering of cricketers to unfamiliar parts of the country. But under the free-agency model, every player will be able to negotiate his own deal with a team of his choice, which Marsh said was a significant win for the players.”One of the great outcomes for us around the Big Bash is we fought very hard to get a player allocation model of free agency,” he said. “That means players can negotiate with the teams of their choice and agree to terms, the value of their choice. We fought hard for that and we’ve got to a point now where we have an unrestricted free-agency model, which is pretty rare in world sport.”It’s a big change from what we’ve traditionally had. We’ve come to some very good solutions here. It’s going to be a change and the players are going to have to get used to having two different contracts, two different employers. It is more complex. But in time we’ll get used to it and it will become the norm.”The ACA and Cricket Australia had struggled to reach common ground on the MOU for several months, with the private investment issue and a distribution of funds from a proposed redevelopment of the WACA the two key sticking points. In the end, those two issues were put aside so planning for the Big Bash League could stay on track, and the players will retain their share of 26% of Australian cricket revenue.”Australian cricket has one of its biggest summers ever coming up in terms of both fan appeal but also in terms of revenue coming into the game,” Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said. “The launch of the Big Bash League is important to us and to the ACA because of its long-term value in helping cricket recruit young people to become cricket fans; and the international programme we hope to announce later this week will offer current and new fans a big year of international cricket.”Recognising this, CA and the ACA have agreed to defer a number of outstanding issues until next year to ensure we can all get on with planning a big summer that will be important to fans and to players alike.”One thing they did agree on was a reduction in the number of state contracts, with each side having 14 to 18 spots available, down from the existing range of 16 to 20. Base contract levels will also dip slightly, but players shouldn’t be short-changed thanks to the promise of extra money from their new Twenty20 deals.The Big Bash League sides will have to work under a salary cap, but there will be no maximum contract figure for an individual player. Sides will be able to sign up to two overseas players in a squad of 18.