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James Taylor, Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar have all been included in an expanded 14-man squad for the third Investec Ashes Test at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan28-Jul-2013James Taylor, Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar have all been included in an expanded 14-man squad for the third Investec Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Steven Finn, who was left out at Lord’s in favour of Tim Bresnan, and Graham Onions have been dropped, while Kevin Pietersen is included with his calf injury, which is progressing well, due to be assessed closer to the match.The recalls for Tremlett, who last played for England against Pakistan in the UAE early last year, and Panesar reflect the conditions that are expected at Old Trafford where traditionally, pace, bounce and spin come to the fore. However, it remains unlikely that England will tinker with the bowling attack that was so impressive at Lord’s.Tremlett’s return is a significant blow for Finn, who was in the three-man pace attack just two Tests ago but does not even feature in a 14-man squad now. He has been working on technical aspects of his run-up and delivery for most of the year and in Test cricket has rarely looked completely comfortable.Tremlett trained with the England squad during the Lord’s Test as he continues to build up his workload during the season after missing the majority of 2012 with a series of injuries, the most serious of them being to his back. England are keen to have him available for the Ashes in Australia later this year after the impact he had during the 2010-11 series.Last month, he told ESPNcricinfo that he was confident his body would now allow him to get through Test matches again. “If I was picked for a Test tomorrow I’d be confident,” he said. “If you had asked me that three games into the season, my honest answer would have been that I’m not ready to play Test cricket. But now I have some games under my belt, I have my confidence back. I feel I’m ready now. I’ve no doubt.”

Lofty options

Steven Finn
Tests 23 Wickets 90 Ave 29.40 SR 48.3
Chris Tremlett
Tests 11 Wickets 49 Ave 26.75 SR 54.8

Panesar, the other bowler brought into the squad, remains England’s second spinner in Test cricket despite a difficult tour of New Zealand where he had to take on the main role in Graeme Swann’s absence. He enjoyed some success against the Australians at Hove with 3 for 70, which followed a five-wicket haul against Middlesex, although his overall Championship returns this season are a modest 21 wickets at 40.09.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Chris Tremlett has worked hard to regain fitness and form following a couple of injuries and his performances for Surrey this season have been very encouraging. Including an additional spinner in Monty Panesar who has plenty of international experience provides Alastair Cook and Andy Flower with a number of options.”Kevin Pietersen is continuing his recovery from a calf strain and he will be assessed by the medical team closer to the start of the Test and we have therefore included an extra batsman in James Taylor who has been in good form for Nottinghamshire this season.” Miller said. Taylor is currently playing for Sussex against the Australians in the tour match at Hove.It would be a quirk of fate if it were to be Taylor who replaced Pietersen, given the stories that emerged following his Test debut against South Africa, at Headingley last year, where he had an extended partnership with Pietersen, although may not have overly impressed his senior team-mate.After being abruptly dropped after his two appearances against South Africa, and not even named in the England performance squad at the start of the season, Taylor was told to churn out the runs at domestic level and work on some technical flaws which concerned the selectors, specifically his ability to handle deliveries outside off stump.His performances for Nottinghamshire, where he has made 824 runs at 58.85 in the Championship, mean he has done all he can at county level to make the selectors consider him again.Squad Alastair Cook (capt), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Monty Panesar

Allrounder Will Gidman returned career-best bowling figures as Gloucestershire assumed the upper hand on the opening day against Leicestershire at Bristol.

03-Sep-2013
ScorecardWill Gidman returned career-best figures•Getty Images

Allrounder Will Gidman returned career-best bowling figures as Gloucestershire assumed the upper hand on the opening day against Leicestershire at Bristol.Extracting bite and movement off the seam, Gidman claimed 6 for 15 as the visitors were shot out for 117 in 41.2 overs. Openers Michael Klinger and Chris Dent then raised 163 in 35 overs to help Gloucestershire reach the close on 210 for 4, already 93 runs ahead with six first innings wickets in hand.Only opener Greg Smith offered any real resistance after Leicestershire were put in on a drying wicket. He made 54 made from 83 balls, striking eight fours and a six, and was one of just four batsman to reach double figures.Gloucestershire’s seam bowlers utilised early moisture in the pitch to fully justify Klinger’s decision to field. Benny Howell weighed in with 3 for 19 in 8.2 overs and there was also a wicket for teenage paceman Craig Miles, while left-arm seamer Matt Taylor bowled tidily on his first-class debut. But it was Gidman who did most to undermine the opposition in a new ball burst of 3 for 11 in nine overs during the morning session.Leicestershire opener Angus Robson had a first-class debut to forget, pushing at a ball of full length from Gidman and offering a catch behind without scoring. Two wickets then fell with the score on 37, Eckersley fending a sharp delivery to Dent at second slip and Matthew Boyce departing lbw for a duck. Boyce appeared to get more than a little bat on the ball and he trudged off shaking his head in disbelief.There was no doubting the validity of the next dismissal, Miles locating Thakor’s outside edge and Gareth Roderick taking a comfortable catch behind, while Howell pinned Josh Cobb on the front foot for 5.Not surprisingly, Klinger threw the ball to Gidman immediately after lunch and he again made his presence felt in an incisive burst of three for 4 in 16 balls. Having resisted manfully during the morning session, Smith departed for 54, held at first slip by Alex Gidman. The brothers then combined once more as James Sykes succumbed in identical fashion, while Ben Raine was trapped lbw for 12.Howell bowled Oliver Freckingham for four and then had Alex Wyatt held by Klinger at second slip, at which point Leicestershire had lost six wickets for the addition of just 26 runs.Klinger and Dent afforded Gloucestershire’s reply the perfect start and the home side were already 46 runs to the good when the latter cut a short-pitched delivery from Sykes to backward point for 77. Dent faced 106 balls, struck 13 fours and passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season before surrendering his wicket within sight of what would have been his fourth century of the season.Klinger fell 14 runs short of his hundred, driving loosely at a ball outside off stump from Thakor and edging to wicketkeeper Eckersley. Alex Gidman and Roderick then departed in quick succession, leaving Hamish Marshall and Howell to see out the final eight overs.

Gareth Cross has been released by Lancashire, increasing the possibility that they will sign Jos Buttler from Somerset

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2013Gareth Cross has been released by Lancashire, increasing the possibility that they will sign Jos Buttler from Somerset.Cross, 29, has been dropped in the latter part of this season in favour of Alex Davies, the England Under-19 wicketkeeper, who has played the last two Championship matches against Leicestershire and Gloucestershire. In 13 Championship games Cross made 409 runs at 24.05 with one hundred and two fifties.He tweeted: “Unfortunately my time at lancs has come to end. Thanks to everyone who ever supported me and everyone I played with. Have made some amazing friends. Its now time to move on and start a fresh somewhere else. Some big points to prove. Thanks again to everyone. Enjoyed every bit of it.”Buttler’s future with Somerset has been up in the air for much of the season after he was elevated to England’s one-day and Twenty20 keeper, but did not keep in all formats at county level due to the presence of Craig Kieswetter at Taunton. When asked during the one-day series against Australia, Buttler admitted it had been a bit of a distraction for him but hoped progress would be made soon.Cross had to bide his time for a regular first-team slot after beginning his career while Warren Hegg was the No. 1 at Old Trafford. Luke Sutton’s arrival meant he had to wait even longer before he became the main keeper for Lancashire’s Championship-winning season in 2011 although had been in the one-day role for some time.Cross is the second senior player Lancashire have released in recent days following the departure of Stephen Moore.

Xander Pitchers scored an unbeaten 269-ball 105 in Namibia’s second innings as they wrapped up a 114-run win over Hong Kong in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2015
ScorecardSarel Burger ended with match figures of 5 for 66•Arne Putensen/Proactive

Xander Pitchers’ unbeaten 105 in Namibia’s second innings and a disciplined bowling performance on the final day helped them to a 114-run win over over Hong Kong in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in Windhoek.Namibia’s first innings didn’t get off to an ideal start after they elected to bat; they were 16 for 2 in the seventh over. Gerhard Erasmus and Raymond van Schoor, however, put on a 101-run stand to steady their innings, but right-arm seamer Haseeb Amjad and Nadeem Ahmed took quick wickets through the middle to push the home team on the back foot.Sarel Burger and Nicolaas Scholtz added 122 for the sixth wicket to guide them to 250, but the lower order collapsed and Namibia were bowled out for 272. Scholtz remained unbeaten on 85 and Amjad picked up 5 for 49.The start to Hong Kong’s response was poor. They were 0 for 2 as as Burger and JJ Smit dismissed Irfan Ahmed and Roy Lamsam inside four overs. Smit and Christopher Coombe added to Hong Kong’s woes by reducing them to 25 for 4 in 19.2 overs.Hong Kongs hobbled their way to 135 for 8 before a 46-run ninth-wicket stand a 22-run 10th-wicket partnership pushed them to 203. Nizakat Khan (58) and Tanwir Afzal (52) were the main contributors.Namibia declared their second innings on 232 for 5, after gaining a lead of 301 runs, riding mainly on Pitchers’ third first-class century and van Schoor’s 42.Hong Kong started off with a 51-run opening stand which ended with the fall of Lamsam’s wicket. The rest of the innings fell apart. The Scholtz brothers, Bernard and Nicolaas, took five wickets between them, to add to Burger’s 2 for 38 to bundle out Hong Kong for 187 in 75.2 overs.

Hampshire followed up Fidel Edwards’ ferocious second-evening spell by beating Sussex and telling the West Indian quick they had never seen anything faster

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Hove09-Jun-2015
ScorecardFidel Edwards’ pace blew his Hampshire team-mates away•PA Photos

Hampshire have secured their first Championship win of the season with a six-wicket win at Hove, a ground that has now hosted its third three-day result game in a row. But this was nothing to do with the pitch: the visitors put together their best performance of the season, typified by Fidel Edwards’ first five-wicket haul for the county.Edwards’ 5 for 58 was not only Hampshire’s first five-for of the season, but it was also his first since taking 6 for 90 in a Test against Bangladesh, back in November 2012. That match in Khulna was his last for the West Indies across all formats and, in signing as a Kolpak player, at the age of 32, it seems that his international days are behind him. This will be his last four-day game for Hampshire before he jets off to the Caribbean Premier League on Sunday.His spell yesterday was a reminder of the confrontational attitude he used to save for the world’s best. The “you can’t see me” celebration: the hair is grown out but the swagger remains. His skipper Jimmy Adams said his spell at the end of day two was the fastest he had ever seen in domestic cricket, a point backed up by the rest of the Hampshire team, who told Edwards as much in the dressing room.

Fidel on making big waves

• On helping Hampshire secure their first Championship win at Hove in the last nine attempts “I’ve heard we hadn’t won here for a long time, so that’s good. The pitch was quick but not as quick as thought it would be. It was good though to bowl with the wind behind me. That’s my job – I’m here to get at batsman, bowl fast and get people out!”

• On his Hampshire future beyond 2015: “I signed a Kolpak deal for Hampshire and hopefully I can extend that for the next couple of years. That’s my aim. Hampshire have a lot of West Indian greats playing for them so hopefully I can do my best to join that bunch.”

• On his speed: “When I was younger, I was clocked a couple of times, when I first started, at around 96 or 97mph. Hopefully I can still bend my back like that at this age.

• On his first experience of the English domestic season: “It’s been lovely – just a bit cold and wet! I’m looking to see what the sunshine can do and it was good to see a bit today. Last night, I went for a walk by the sea and it was terrible! The waves were kicking and I was right next to the sea! But it’s a good experience to be here and experience the cold for so long.”

Edwards was so quick last night that, when Wright decided to take him on, Adams moved one of his slips to a back-stop position for the top-edge. “I hadn’t set a field like that before – maybe not since my under-10s,” laughed Adams at the close. He confirmed the decision was Edwards and he was more than happy to oblige him.Edwards’ fifth wicket came this morning when he removed nightwatchman Steve Magoffin with his fourth ball before both he and Jackson Bird were put under pressure by Luke Wright and Ben Brown. Bird in particular, in his first Championship game of a season that has already been hampered with shoulder and neck injuries, struggled throughout the match.Having started the morning session from the Sea End, Bird switched to the Cromwell Road to calamitous effect. His first four overs went for 28, with his first going for 12, as Brown took him for three consecutive boundaries.It seemed that Wright and Brown could milk him easily until the new ball. Earlier, Brown had benefited from a poor drop from Danny Briggs, who shelled a routine catch with the batsman on 13, when he ran around to square leg for a top edge that would have given Edwards his sixth wicket. The joint hundred came off 164 balls as the complexion of the game started to change.And then, with the lead standing at 122, it happened: the first of two brain-fades that led to a lower-order collapse of four for four.The first came from Brown, who decided to take a risky single to the last ball of a Bird over that had already leaked 11 runs. He hit the ball to the left of cover, Will Smith, who ran around the ball to pick-up right-handed and throw down the stumps with Wright short of his ground.Brown’s misery was compounded when he became the recipient of what must have been Bird’s best ball of the match: a good-to-full length ball that jumped up to say hello and take the top of his glove, giving Sean Ervine a simple low catch at first slip. He sunk to his knees as Bird streamed past him, before returning to the pavilion flanked by the rest of those on the pitch as lunch was taken early.Ollie Robinson was the next to go, failing to take note of a deep square leg and finding him perfectly, just nine balls after the restart. With him went any realistically possible of quick runs, leaving Briggs to take his first wicket of the innings – caught bat-pad – to finish Sussex off.With just 125 to defend, it was Magoffin or bust for the home side. Their lead man ran in, unchanged for eight overs, from the Cromwell Road End. Bats were beaten, an edge fell short of Ed Joyce at first slip and a length was pounded, but to no avail.Jimmy Adams hit a quick 30 from 33 balls, seemingly trying to throttle the nerves out of the chase. When he departed with 51 on the board, in the 12th over, the runs came at a slower pace. Sean Terry, in his second game of the season, got some valuable time in the middle on his way to a first Championship half-century of the season and a career best in first-class cricket.Terry can take pride in the fact that he carried his bat through this chase, while more senior heads came and went. He’ll have a bruised thumb as a souvenir, for a week or so at least, after he was clocked by a sharp one from Hobden. But he and Hampshire will take that, as they finally get a win on the board.

Hayley Matthews’ all-round performance led West Indies women to a nine-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Colombo, to wrap up the three-match T20 series 2-1

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2015
ScorecardHayley Matthews took 4 for 10 and scored an unbeaten 32•Cricket Australia

A splendid all-round performance by Hayley Matthews helped West Indies women wrap up the three-match T20 series 2-1, after they had lost the first game. Matthews’ 4 for 10 helped restrict Sri Lanka to 74, before she scored an unbeaten 32 to ensure a nine-wicket win in the series decider in Colombo.Sri Lanka struggled from the start, losing wickets at regular intervals. Anisa Mohammed started the slide with two wickets in consecutive balls in the second over. Only Chamari Atapattu, who top-scored with 43, and Chathurani Gunawardene(10) reached double figures.In the chase, West Indies lost only one wicket as they hunted down the target of 75 with 52 balls to spare. Stafanie Taylor and Matthews put on 74 for the first wicket, before Taylor was caught for 38. Seven bowlers were used by Sri Lanka in 11.2 overs, with only Inoka Ranaweera taking a wicket.

Wayne Parnell has reported an anonymous phone call that was allegedly of a threatening nature made to his hotel room in Dhaka on the day of the first Twenty20 international

Mohammad Isam07-Jul-2015South Africa fast bowler Wayne Parnell has reported an anonymous phone call that was allegedly of a threatening nature made to his hotel room in Dhaka on the day of the first Twenty20 international against Bangladesh.According to the BCB’s security consultant Hossain Imam, Parnell was abused and threatened by an anonymous caller as he was getting ready to leave for the Shere Bangla stadium.”Soon after the incident, we informed the intelligence agencies,” Imam told Bengali daily . “They have been trying to trace the caller and from where the call was made.”South Africa’s team manager Mohammed Moosajee, however, said they had thought it a prank call but was concerned that the hotel had allowed an anonymous caller to get through to Parnell. “Yes the call was put through to Wayne’s room on the day of the T20 but we thought it was probably a prank or a hoax call, we didn’t think too seriously of it.”Our main concern was the hotel putting anonymous callers through to the players’ rooms. Wayne followed the necessary security protocol by informing our security officer, who then took it up with the BCB officials. He (Wayne) didn’t feel threatened at all, he was more concerned about anonymous phone calls being put through to his room.”Imam said the call was not made from a mobile phone, and that the hotel authorities should have asked for the player’s permission first before transferring the call to his room. “We had clearly told the hotel not to transfer phone calls directly to any player’s room. We told them to first take the player’s permission first. But in Parnell’s case, the hotel didn’t abide by our guideline.”

KL Rahul, who has not played first-class cricket since the Ranji Trophy final in November last year, is set to make a comeback with the India A team against Australia A in Chennai

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2015KL Rahul, the 23-year old India batsman, is set to make a comeback to top-flight cricket with the India A team when they play Australia A in two unofficial Tests in Chennai. Despite a century the last time he batted in Test cricket, there are doubts over his standing as first-choice opener.He had fallen ill prior to the Bangladesh tour in June, and has been shy of match practice in first-class cricket since. Add to that Shikhar Dhawan staking a claim for the opening spot with a breezy 173 against Bangladesh, the next few weeks in Chennai could be crucial for Rahul.”It was very disappointing to miss out on a Test match, especially when you’ve just started playing Test cricket. But things like this happen. I’m just looking forward to playing these matches,” he said during a media session in Chennai on Saturday. “I haven’t been playing a lot of cricket; the last time I played days [first-class] cricket was the Ranji Trophy final. So it’s been a while since I’ve played days cricket so it will be an ideal opportunity.”The conditions here are tough and it’s going to test my fitness. I’ve been working hard in Bangalore, training with the NCA trainers. So I’m looking forward to this opportunity to get back and scoring runs to the team”It would help that he will be playing against an Australia A side that has several players who have tasted international cricket. Rahul believed A team cricket was important to a young player’s development because it provides an idea of how demanding international cricket can be.”It’s a game of bat and ball in international cricket as well. But there you’re playing the best players of their country, they’re all professionals and the margin of error is very less. So those are the few things that are different from Indian [domestic] cricket,” Rahul said. “The gap is mostly the mental aspect. The pressure and the things you go through mentally and emotionally. Physically, when it comes to playing cricket, there isn’t a big difference. I mean when you go abroad you have to play different on different wickets. But that’s the challenge as a cricketer.”When we toured Australia last year in mid-June, that was my first India A tour, and you get a fair idea of the kind of conditions and the kind of pressure you’ll have to face when you play international cricket, when you’re playing against the best XI from a different country. So the competition is very high. The pressures are different from what we face in India in Ranji Trophy. It just builds the character of a player and gets him fairly ready for international cricket.”While Rahul was attempting to renew ties with international cricket, Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer is hoping to come good on the promise he showed while playing in the IPL. He was the only uncapped batsman to score 300 runs in IPL 2015. Shreyas has shown pedigree in the longer format as well. He was Mumbai’s top-scorer in the Ranji Trophy 2014-15 with 809 runs at 50.56 with two centuries.”I don’t change my cricket,” Iyer said. ”The only thing that I need to change is my mental skills because from T20 to one-day and Tests, the format is very different. I’m getting used to it. It’s not very tough for me because I play on my instincts. Just stick to your basics and process, just keep that right and everything else will follow”Shreyas thought his promotion to the India A squad was based on his IPL showing and credited the tournament for the exposure it give fledgling players. ”I just went on with the flow. That performance has basically helped me get into the India A team. It’s [IPL] a really big platform for a youngster like me because you can just go and explore and you get full freedom from your coaches.”Rahul, though, was quick to point out that there was more to being selected for India than just performances in IPL and the now defunct Champions League T20.”It’s not the end of the road. There are so many more opportunities, so many more tournaments that we can prove ourselves,” Rahul said. “There’s Ranji Trophy, we play [domestic] 50-overs and 20-overs cricket and there are a lot of other opportunities to make a mark and come into the selectors radar. [Suspending] CLT20, I don’t think will make a difference. It was a great platform for guys to perform. But I’m sure there are more opportunities for teams to do well.”

Lancashire’s draw against Glamorgan left the Division Two leaders needing just five points to clinch promotion in the LV= County Championship

ECB/PA24-Aug-2015
ScorecardJacques Rudolph helped Glamorgan secure a draw•Getty Images

Lancashire’s draw against Glamorgan left the Division Two leaders needing just five points to clinch promotion in the LV= County Championship.But it also left spectators at Emirates Old Trafford in little doubt as to why Jacques Rudolph and his players have been such tough opponents for many teams this season.When Colin Ingram was caught behind off James Faulkner 20 minutes after lunch Glamorgan were 45 for 2, having been asked to follow on 249 runs behind. There were a minimum of 56 overs left in the day.What followed was an exhibition of high-quality defensive batsmanship by two cricketers whose team has nothing more exalted than third place in English cricket’s second tier to achieve this summer.Rudolph led the way, making 63 off 206 balls in 244 minutes before he was leg before to Steven Croft just before the last hour, but he was very well supported by Chris Cooke.The latter was undefeated on 41 when the players shook hands at 5.20 with Glamorgan on 159 for 3 and nine overs still available to Lancashire.Accompanying Cooke at the close was David Lloyd, who was 20 not out and had helped his fourth-wicket partner see off the new ball which had been taken with only 11 overs left in the match.Before lunch, opener Will Bragg was brilliantly caught one-handed to his right in the gully by Karl Brown off Kyle Jarvis when he had made eight and Ingram’s departure followed a torrid examination by Faulkner’s left-arm seam bowling.Thereafter, spinners Simon Kerrigan, Arron Lilley and Croft all bowled well, as did seamers Faulkner, Jarvis and Glen Chapple. But they were met by straight bats, secure techniques and resolute temperaments.These were enough both to secure the draw and to reinforce the judgement that this Glamorgan regime under the stewardship of Rudolph and coach Toby Radford may be capable of mounting a challenge next season.That said, some of Glamorgan’s batting in their first innings on the final morning did not exhibit the resolution of which Radford and Rudolph would approve.Resuming on 182 for 6, Glamorgan lost three wickets for 31 runs in 11.2 overs, and since Kieran Bull was unable to bat because of a back injury the visitors were all out when nine wickets down. They were immediately asked to follow on.The last three wickets to fall in Glamorgan’s first innings were all taken by Kerrigan, who capitalised upon some rather rash shot selection by Glamorgan’s later batsmen and ended the innings with 4 for 60 from 24.4 overs.Mark Wallace was the first to go when his failed attempt to sweep a ball which pitched outside off resulted in the loss of his off stump.Eight overs later Graham Wagg came down the wicket to Kerrigan and was stumped by Alex Davies for 20 and Michael Hogan was caught by Chapple at midwicket three balls later for 2.Indeed, the only matter of concern for home supporters on the final morning was the hand injury suffered by Brown when he was hit by the ball when fielding close to the wicket just before lunch.Lancashire’s draw leaves them 10 points ahead of Surrey at the top of Division Two, with each side having three games left to play.

In a dramatic turn of events, it appears the BCCI will withdraw its application to the Supreme court, seeking clarification over the legality of ICC chairman N Srinivasan’s presence in its meetings

Arun Venugopal04-Oct-2015In a sudden turn of events, it appears the BCCI is likely to withdraw its application to the Supreme Court seeking clarification over the legality of ICC chairman N Srinivasan’s presence in its meetings.Should the board withdraw its plea, it will bring an automatic end to Srinivasan’s counter-case – via a reply to the board’s petition – accusing BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur of perjury. Both cases were scheduled to come up for hearing on Monday.It had earlier emerged that BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, vice-president TC Mathew and Kerala Cricket Association joint secretary Jayesh George were asked at the SGM to withdraw their affidavits supporting Srinivasan’s perjury case. Manohar said the issue was discussed “informally after the meeting was over and it was sorted out.”These developments, it is understood, came about after newly elected president Shashank Manohar stressed the need for the BCCI to be united and extended an olive branch to the Srinivasan camp. Manohar is also learnt to have said there was no need for the application in the first place.”As far as Srinivasan is concerned I have no stand because if he attends the board meetings, he would be dealt like any other member of the board,” Manohar said at his first press conference in Mumbai. “Whatever decision is to be taken will be taken at the meeting.”We are not working here with a vindictive attitude. All 30 members including the Tamil Nadu Association said we have to work together and build the image of the board and not fight among ourselves,” Manohar said. Thakur had spoken along similar lines on Saturday, promising there would no “vendetta” against anybody.Manohar also praised Srinivasan, calling him “the best secretary after Mr [Jagmohan] Dalmiya”.”I can tell you with 100% [certainty] that Srinivasan was an excellent secretary,” Manohar, who had been president during Srinivasan’s tenure as secretary, said. “He was better than most of the secretaries I have seen in this board. After I left the board in 2011, I don’t know what happened in day to day things, I was not in touch.”Srinivasan’s camp, which didn’t appear very optimistic on this count in the lead-up to the BCCI special general meeting on Sunday, confirmed the patch-up but remained cautious. “All the issues have been sorted,” one member said. “Shashank himself has assured us [that the case would be withdrawn], but let’s wait and see what they do tomorrow. The BCCI has to make the first move.”The source said that Manohar and MCA president Sharad Pawar had spoken to PS Raman, TNCA’s representative at the SGM, before the meeting and assured him that there were no “anti-Srini” feelings. The message from the Srinivasan camp is that the truce “sends the correct message to all international boards” and that “it is important for the BCCI’s image.”While it’s premature to speculate on what this would mean for the BCCI or how long this patch-up would last, it appears the decks could have been cleared for Srinivasan’s continuance as ICC chairman in exchange for Manohar having free reign in the BCCI. Should Srinivasan serve out the two-year term, he will be ICC chairman til June 2016.Also in the realm of conjecture are the reasons behind the sudden reconciliation. There are suggestions that the perjury case must have forced Manohar and the BCCI’s hand, and Manohar’s intervention effectively stopped the board secretary and treasurer from engaging each other in legal battle.