Back-to-back World T20s to replace Champions Trophy | Cricket

[ad_1]

© Getty Images

Say goodbye to the Champions Trophy - again - and get ready for back-to-back editions of the World T20. The future of one of the most popular ODI tournaments has been seemingly sealed with the ICC board moving to replace the 2021 Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in India, with a World T20. That will be the second World T20 in two years, following the 2020 event in Australia. India will host 2021 World T20, as well as the 2023 World Cup.

"ICC Members have signed off a new Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2019-2023 that incorporates the introduction of a World Test Championship and an additional ICC World T20 event in place of the Champions Trophy in 2021," an ICC release said. "This provides opportunities for 16 teams to compete at a global level with a sub-regional, regional and global qualification process every two years, giving more regular cricket to more Members."

This will be the second time the World T20 has been held in consecutive years: in 2009 the event was held in England and then, less than a year later, in West Indies. It is the third time, since the 2009 Champions Trophy, that its death has been announced.

The ICC's management had proposed the switch, and had spoken to the BCCI about it in Auckland last October. At the time, BCCI officials said they "needed to see the financial implications" of the decision. The idea was for the ICC's chief executives' committee (CEC) to then deliberate the pros and cons of such a move before a decision.

But the CEC never got the opportunity. ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC board took the decision at the next ICC meeting in Dubai on February 9, with the approval of Amitabh Choudhary, the BCCI's treasurer. The minutes of that meeting, seen by ESPNcricinfo, include the ICC's intention to "convert" the 2021 Champions Trophy to a World Twenty20 with "45 matches". This week in Kolkata, the decision was notified to the CEC.

That February meeting and Choudhary's approval is important because before this week's meetings, Choudhary had spoken publicly of not being in favour of the move because it could cause a loss to the BCCI.

It now remains to be seen how the BCCI's members will react. According to Choudhary, the board's general body had, in the past, given an "in principle" nod to the FTP that listed the Champions Trophy for 2021. "We don't know what transpired on February 9 and this week, but it will definitely be brought to the general body which will take the final call," he told ESPNcricinfo.

There could be a couple of reasons behind the switch. According to one ICC board director, concern over lower revenue payouts to Full Members necessitated the need. The financial revenue model agreed upon last June assures all 12 Full Members a portion of revenue from the projected USD 2.7 billion the ICC is estimated to make in the 2016-23 rights cycle.

"They said the market is weak," the director said, referring to the belief that a World T20, with more matches, would raise more revenue than a Champions Trophy. "And this could be the reason they are converting to World T20."

Another official familiar with the negotiations said the ICC board agreed because the World T20 will be a more inclusive tournament with 16 teams, as opposed to just eight in a Champions Trophy.

According to that official, although the Champions Trophy had settled upon a successful, short format, it was about "providing more opportunities in the format we are trying to use to expand the game. That was the driver."

The official said the ICC board will discuss "altering" the existing arrangement with Star India, who holds rights to all ICC events in the cycle, including a Champions Trophy in 2021. Star are believed to be receptive to the idea, though the official said they had still to "cross the t's and dot the i's" on it.

Nagraj Gollapudi is a senior assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

©
ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

[ad_2]

Source link

Holder to replace Pollard as Barbados Tridents captain

[ad_1]

West Indies' Test and ODI captain Jason Holder will lead Barbados Tridents in the forthcoming season of the Caribbean Premier League. Holder, who had missed the previous edition due to West Indies' tour of England, will take over captaincy reins from Kieron Pollard.

Holder, 26, has captained West Indies in 56 ODIs and 21 Tests and has played 14 first-class matches for his regional side Barbados. Weighing in on his appointment as captain, Holder said his focus would be on turning things around for the Tridents, who had finished fifth in the six-team tournament last season, winning only four out of their 10 league games.

"I am delighted to be back at the Hero CPL for this season and I am really looking forward to making Barbados proud in 2018," Holder said in a release. "We have a healthy contingent of local players in the squad this year and we are ready to make this a winning year for our home team."

The tournament is scheduled to run from August 8 to September 16 this year, with Trinbago Knight Riders looking to defend their title.

[ad_2]

Source link

Trump to Add Clinton Impeachment Lawyer Emmet Flood to Replace Ty Cobb

[ad_1]

It was not clear what prompted Mr. Flood to sign on. The president’s legal team for the special counsel investigation has been marked by turnover and uncertain strategy, complicated by a client liable to dismiss his lawyers’ advice. That factor prompted Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer on the case, John Dowd, to quit this year. Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who is a longtime confidant of the president, has come on board pledging to negotiate an interview for the president with the special counsel.

Emerging as part of those negotiations, a set of questions from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, shows that he wanted to quiz Mr. Trump on an exhaustive array of subjects, including his contacts with Russia as well as his mind-set leading up to and during a number of acts that could construe an attempt to obstruct the inquiry itself.

Mr. Flood was part of a team of lawyers who represented Mr. Clinton during his impeachment proceedings. Though he did not have a high-profile role, Mr. Flood did attend the Senate’s deposition of Mr. Clinton’s lawyer and confidant, Vernon E. Jordan Jr.

He was also the lead lawyer in the White House Counsel’s Office during George W. Bush’s second term in dealing with congressional investigations, including the examination of the Bush administration’s decision to dismiss seven United States attorneys. In private practice, Mr. Flood represented former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Mr. Cobb arrived at the White House last summer as some of Mr. Trump’s friends and advisers encouraged the president to fire Mr. Mueller. Mr. Cobb feared that the special counsel was on the verge of issuing subpoenas demanding documents and testimony from White House aides, a move that could have locked the administration in a contentious court fight it was certain to lose. Instead, he repeatedly declared the White House to be in “full cooperation mode.”

He said publicly that the White House had no interest in firing Mr. Mueller, and told friends privately that he would not remain in the administration if Mr. Trump moved to fire the special counsel.

“There is not and will not be any consideration of terminating the special counsel, Bob Mueller,” Mr. Cobb said in an interview in October. “I think the path that he chose of trying to minimize conflict and maximize cooperation is one that benefits the country.”

Mr. Cobb’s hiring appeared to have a soothing effect on the president last year. He repeatedly assured Mr. Trump and the public that the Mueller investigation would end quickly — first by Thanksgiving, then by the start of the new year. Whether that was wishful thinking or an effort to calm an irascible president, Mr. Cobb’s prediction proved incorrect.

Continue reading the main story

Behind the scenes, as Mr. Cobb rushed to turn over records to Mr. Mueller, his relationship soured with the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, who thought Mr. Cobb should have more thoroughly reviewed documents and been willing to assert executive privilege. Mr. Cobb in turn thought that Mr. McGahn’s early response to the investigation had been too slow, bringing the White House to the verge of a subpoena.

Mr. Cobb, a longtime white-collar defense lawyer, was not a supporter of the Trump campaign and never viewed himself as part of that team. He has donated money to both Republicans and Democrats and supported Jeb Bush for president in the 2016 election.

He joked that he had “rocks in his head” as he took the job, and told friends that he expected to stay at the White House only as long as it took to turn over all the information to Mr. Mueller and arrange staff interviews with prosecutors. That job is nearly complete, with only Mr. Trump’s interview with prosecutors still being negotiated.

As for Mr. Flood, he has already had a whiff of the drama that follows Mr. Trump. Following a New York Times report in March that Mr. Trump was in discussions to hire Mr. Flood, the president attacked the article and one of the reporters who wrote it.

Continue reading the main story

[ad_2]

Source link