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Namibia bowled well but two crucial partnerships allowed Canada to end the day at 264 for 9 in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2012
Scorecard
Canada’s lower order put up a stiff resistance after Sarel Burger had rocked them with four wickets. Namibia chose to field and created immediate impact with the ball as Canada lost their first two wickets for 18. Canada lost a further two wickets to Burger and were reduced to 46 for 4. But a useful 112-run partnership between Zeeshan Siddiqi, who scored 87, and Tyson Gordon, who scored 42, pulled Canada out of trouble. However, Canada scoring more than 200 was largely due to a 55-run eighth-wicket partnership between captain Rizwan Cheema and Junaid Siddiqui.Both teams are lingering at the bottom of the points table and this game presents an opportunity to score a win and catch up with the other sides.

Ben Hilfenhaus, the leading wicket-taker in Australia’s Test series victory over India, has been recalled to the national ODI squad to replace the injured Brett Lee

Daniel Brettig06-Feb-2012Ben Hilfenhaus, the leading wicket-taker in Australia’s Test series victory over India, has been recalled to the national ODI squad to replace the injured Brett Lee – his first limited overs duty in more than two years.The national selector John Inverarity and his panel chose an experienced name to cover for Lee rather than picking another youthful pace bowler, affording Hilfenhaus the chance to play his first 50-over internationals since a tour of India in late 2009.On that tour Hilfenhaus suffered from knee tendinitis that would subsequently keep him out of international cricket for most of the 2009-10 season, and had been employed exclusively in Test matches since.While naming Hilfenhaus, Inverarity suggested the XI for the Perth match against Sri Lanka on Friday was likely to be unchanged from the one that defeated India in Melbourne on Sunday. However Hilfenhaus may play in the third match, against India in Adelaide on Sunday at Adelaide Oval.”The NSP has named Ben Hilfenhaus in the squad for the game against Sri Lanka in Perth on Friday,” Inverarity said. “Ben will replace the injured Brett Lee. The bowling attack for Perth is likely to be the same as the one that did so well in Melbourne and Ben will be in Perth to provide cover.”Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle have been resting in reserve since the completion of the Test series, which reaped 27 wickets at 17.22 for the Tasmanian after he was recalled for the Boxing Day Test.Siddle (23 wickets at 18.65) is likely to come into contention for the second half of the ODI series, his exertions in nine consecutive Test matches deemed worthy of a longer break than Hilfenhaus’ four.As previously flagged by the selectors, Mitchell Marsh will join the ODI squad after the completion of the Sheffield Shield fixture between Queensland and Western Australia at the Gabba. Two of the other mooted contenders for Lee’s spot, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Alister McDermott, are also taking part in the match.

As a batting duo Clarke and Ponting bounce off one another perfectly, playing in styles that contrast in ways that split the field

Daniel Brettig at Adelaide Oval25-Jan-2012Michael Clarke still needs Ricky Ponting. If not always as a tactical adviser on the field then certainly as a wise head in the dressing room and a similarly ravenous batsman in the middle. Between them they can construct the most authoritative partnerships of any two batsmen in this Australian side, and in Sydney and Adelaide their unions have sapped India.The SCG stand was made to look fleeting by comparison with the 386 runs piled up at Adelaide Oval, but both demonstrated Ponting’s best value to Clarke. As a batting duo they bounce off one another perfectly, playing in styles that contrast in ways that split the field. All the while they are coaching and encouraging each other, spotting faults in their partner’s technique or lauding strengths.As Clarke hinted when he spoke in the aftermath of their dual double centuries, his resolve with Ponting to stay together at the crease has been strengthened enormously by the pain of last summer’s Ashes defeat. Innings by innings each long occupation begins to atone for those not achieved against Andrew Strauss’ Englishmen.”It’s always nice to see us both scoring runs when we bat together,” Clarke said. “We’ve known each other for a long time, played a lot of cricket together. It’s nice to spend some time in the middle. Both of us were disappointed with our series last summer and we’ve worked hard on our games to improve … it’s nice to be scoring some [runs] this summer.”We know each other’s games quite well so we can certainly communicate to what we’re seeing, if we feel like we can help. We speak a lot when we bat about what the other person has seen, to get help and advice and to keep both of us going and this innings was no different.”Clarke’s effort elevated him to the rare club of batsmen to score a double century and a triple in the same series. Its other members are Don Bradman and Walter Hammond, neither of whom managed it when they were leading their team. On an Adelaide pitch of the most friendly characteristics, Clarke’s mind was less on records than the scoreboard.”I didn’t know that but it’s very nice to have scored some more runs,” Clarke said. “That wicket’s very flat out there to bat on. Ricky and I spoke early in our innings, once we got in again today, it was about going on and making big ones. The positive is it’s nice to score some more runs and to have 600 runs on the board. The other side of that though is that it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work to take 20 wickets on that wicket.”It’s very special, there’s no doubt about it. One thing I’ve never really been too bothered about is statistics and records. It’s about playing the game. It’s about trying to do whatever you can to help your team win. If records come along like that, it’s very special.”Following a 2011 of introspection and change, Clarke is enjoying the best of times in his career so far. He is gaining respect and admiration with each innings, but has not forgotten that there may be more meagre days ahead. The plight of India and their suspended captain MS Dhoni is proof enough of that.”I don’t think it matters if you’re captain or not. It’s a tough game. It’s the toughest game in the world,” Clarke said. “For Ricky and I to have individual performances and team performances like this, it’s why you train so hard. It’s very satisfying. It’s about enjoying the good times and when you’re not doing so well it’s continue to work hard and have the confidence in your own ability that things are going to turn around for you.”Turn has not been in much evidence across this series, and has again been absent so far in Adelaide. However Clarke preferred to hope for deterioration, offering spin for Nathan Lyon and variable bounce for the fast men. Umesh Yadav was one visiting bowler to gain some sharp reverse swing at times, something the Australians may be able to utilise against the heavier legs of India’s batsmen.”Hopefully we’ll see some deterioration especially in the back half of day four and day five – tomorrow it’s going to be pretty nice to bat on,” Clarke said. “A couple of balls stayed a little bit low, but it’s as good a batting wicket as you’re going to get. The bowlers are going to have to bowl well and we’re going to have to hang onto every chance in the field.”The man standing in Australia’s path is Sachin Tendulkar, he of 99 international centuries. Clarke was asked somewhat flippantly if he would show Tendulkar any sympathy. Given the pitch, and the rewards of a relentless approach with the bat, Clarke’s response was no surprise.”No I certainly won’t be showing him any sympathy,” he said. “We’re there to win the game. He’s a wonderful player, and he’s going to be really tough to get out on that wicket. Somehow we’re going to have to find a way to do it twice.”

After seeing their world-beating game-plan improved on by England,
Australia are now looking to their Ashes dominators to provide a way out
this mess

Peter English at the SCG07-Jan-2011After seeing their world-beating game-plan improved on by England,
Australia are now looking to their Ashes dominators to provide a way out
this mess. For more than a decade Australia were the leaders in planning
and innovation, but over the past couple of years they have gone into
freefall.England’s 3-1 Ashes victory, their first Down Under since 1986-87, has
provided Australia with another fierce reality check after a batch of them
in 2010. “I think 100% we have to learn from what England did this
series,” Clarke said. “Their performance, not only with bat and ball, but
in the field, was outstanding for a five-Test series. There’s a great
starting point to be able to turn up every day for five Tests, to perform
as well as they did.”Clarke was in the unfortunate position of being in charge when the trophy
was handed over, having replaced the injured Ricky Ponting for the final
Test. He may have the job full-time if the selectors decide Ponting’s time
is up before the next tour of Sri Lanka in August, although Clarke loyally
pledged his support to the official leader.If Clarke takes over at least he knows what his side needs to do to
succeed against the best teams. “It takes a lot of discipline, a lot of
planning before the series,” he said. “The [England] bowlers have executed
their plans outstandingly against our batters and their batters have
cashed in when we haven’t bowled in the right areas. We do need to look at
how England have played in this series and take a lot of notes from that.”The overall campaign was a poor one for Clarke, who performed so strongly
in the 2006-07 and 2009 Ashes campaigns. Clarke, who managed only 193 runs
at 21.44, said it felt like the lowest point of his career.”Unfortunately I’ve lost a few Ashes series now and they’re all pretty
bad,” he said. “But being the vice-captain of the Australian team, and
having such a disappointing series with the bat, it probably is [the
worst].”Clarke, 29, has retired from Twenty20s to focus on improving his impact in
the longer forms of the game, but he was asked whether he should hold his
five-day spot for the Sri Lanka trip. “I would like to, I really hope so,”
he said. “Throughout this series I’ve played well in a couple of innings,
but I couldn’t go out and make a big score.”If he had the series over again he would have practised more against tall,
fast bowlers before the first Test in Brisbane. He spent the early stages
of the series being targeted by short-pitched deliveries when he was
overcoming a back injury, and was unable to find any fluency.Australia’s lead-up included one-day games against Sri Lanka and a couple
of domestic fixtures, while England were fine-tuning from the moment their
home summer ended. They were better in all disciplines except
wicketkeeping, where Brad Haddin and Matt Prior were evenly matched.James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, dismissed any
criticism of the schedule having an influence on the result. “To point the
finger at the preparation and suggest that was responsible for us losing
the series 3-1 is rubbish,” he said. “We actually played more Test cricket
than England did in the two or three months leading into the Ashes
series.”Clarke was hurt by the standard of the side’s fielding and said the
bowlers needed more patience and discipline. “That’s what England have
done throughout this series,” he said, before offering his attack some
sympathy.”I feel a bit for the bowlers, because I know they’ve copped a lot of
criticism throughout this series, but I think we as batters have to take a
lot of responsibility as well,” he said. “If you can put 400 runs on the
board, as England have shown, your bowlers generally bowl a lot better
than what we have. Putting 100, 200, 250 on the board and expecting the
bowlers to get them out for that sort of target, I think we’re asking a
hell of a lot.”

Next-highest score George Balderson’s 41 but Notts made to pay after opting to bowl

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2024A fourth century of the season by Keaton Jennings steered Lancashire into a strong position on 344 for 8 after the first day of this Vitality County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Southport.It was a masterful, battling innings of 183 not out off 258 balls, with 26 fours and four sixes, by Red Rose captain Jennings that held the Lancashire innings together after the visitors had threatened to take charge after lunch.A sellout crowd had turned up hoping to see James Anderson in action for Lancashire one more time, evinced by the collective groan that rose around the Trafalgar Road ground when it was announced Haseeb Hameed had won the toss and opted to bowl. Those present had to settle for watching one of Anderson’s potential England successors instead.Dillon Pennington, selected for the first time alongside Anderson in the England squad to face West Indies, put in a strong shift that returned 2 for 70 from 23 overs across five separate spells on a slowish pitch.Pennington’s lively six-over opening spell conceded just three runs but went without reward and it was the first change bowler Dane Paterson who struck first, nipping one back to bowl Luke Wells for 7.Jennings and Bohannon steered Lancashire to 59 for 1 at lunch in a session shorn of 22 minutes due to rain but the visitors fought back strongly with three wickets in the afternoon.Wicketkeeper Joe Clarke, having taken over the gloves from Tom Moores, dropped an edge by Bohannon off Olly Stone but redeemed himself by holding onto a near identical edge by the Lancashire batter off the very next ball.Pennington snared his first wicket when George Bell edged to second slip for 8 after an uncomfortable 39-ball stay at the crease followed by Matty Hurst tamely chipping Lyndon James to Stone at midwicket for 2 to leave Lancashire 120 for 4 after the Notts attack had skilfully dried up the run scoring during the afternoon.It was Jennings who held the innings together with a mixture of calculated attack and strong defence that saw the left-hander deposit Paterson over square leg for six while his 16th four brought up a 179-ball hundred.Jennings found strong support from George Balderson, who made 41 and twice lofted consecutive Liam Patterson-White deliveries into the Harrod Drive gardens overlooking the ground, in an 88-run partnership that wrestled the initiative back for the hosts.In a lengthy 41-over final session that saw 194 runs scored, Chris Green and Tom Bailey were both lbw to James while Will Williams edged Pennington behind for a duck. But Jennings opened up as started to run out of partners, hammering a tiring attack and taking 47 balls to go from his hundred to 150 as he deposited Stone for six onto the adjacent railway line and ramped Paterson over long-on for six more.Notts cause was hardly helped by three chances of varying difficulty offered by Jennings being put down during the evening that ended with Lancashire having a strong total that they will look to bolster on Monday – and with, for those spectators attending, Anderson likely to both bat and bowl.

A round-up of the sixth round of Sunfoil Series matches on January 8, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2017Cape Cobras marched to a commanding six-wicket win in Outdshoorn against Lions after they chased down the target of 237 inside 44 overs on the final day with an aggressive and unbeaten century from Wayne Parnell. He struck the game’s only century as well as contributed with the ball to take Cobras to their first win in six matches.Once Lions were dismissed for 383 on the final day, Cobras had 46 overs to chase and did so by scoring at nearly 5.50 runs per over on the back of Parnell’s 103 off 131 balls that featured seven fours and two sixes. Once their first wicket fell at the score of 74, a 125-run second-wicket partnership between Parnell and Stiaan van Zyl (64 off 65) took them to 199, before van Zyl was dismissed by Aaron Phangiso. By then, Cobras were on top and they completed the win soon after Parnell reached only his second first-class ton, and he smashed the winning runs with a four.Lions were on the backfoot in the game’s first session when they crumbled to 44 for 6 in under 23 overs after being asked to bat. Dwaine Pretorius scored 35 at No. 6, but with his dismissal, Lions soon folded for 126. Parnell broke the opening stand and collected three of the last five wickets to finish with 4 for 26.Cobras overcame Lions’ score in reply, but not without their own collapse. Opener Omphile Ramela struck a patient 75 even as the rest of the top five batsmen scored 15 runs together. After Ramela steered them till the score of 159, Aviwe Mgijima scored 73 and an unbeaten 48 off 135 from Dane Piedt helped them put on 273. Pretorius and Willem Mulder took three wickets each.Trailing by 147, Lions put on a stronger batting performance second time around, but after another collapse, as Nicky van den Bergh’s 93 helped his team recover from 48 for 4. He shared 97 runs with Pretorius (62) for the fifth wicket to nearly wipe off the deficit but was removed by Piedt. A late surge from the tailenders led by Bjorn Fortuin (72) took Lions to 383, helped by Hardus Viljoen’s 46, but it was not enough to stop Cobras.Kingsmead saw a tame draw between Dolphins and Warriors after inclement weather resulted in a curtailed second day, and a third day that had to be called off without a ball being bowled. In the 180.4 overs the match saw, Dolphins’ Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Divan van Wyk and left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy delivered standout performances. Warriors batsman Colin Ackermann, who scored 81 in the first innings, was their only notable show.Asked to bat, Warriors’ innings consisted of a 102-run partnership between two batting collapses. After their openers put on 47 runs, Warriors soon saw themselves at 99 for 4. Ackermann stitched a century stand for the fifth wicket with Somila Seyibokwe (54) to take Warriors past 200, but with Seyibokwe’s dismissal, a second Warriors collapse saw them all out for 231. Muthusamy accounted for Ackermann and three other lower-order wickets as he returned figures of 4 for 49.Dolphins, who finished the first day on 39 for no loss, then batted through spells of poor weather to take a comfortable lead. Van Jaarsveld struck his 15th first-class century, scoring 154 while putting together consecutive century partnerships. He added 145 runs for the second wicket with van Wyk (95) and another 116 runs with Cody Chetty. By the time van Jaarsveld – whose century earned him the Player-of-the-Match award – was dismissed in the 86th over, the Dolphins lead had gone past 100 and the teams agreed on a draw after playing 40 overs on the last day. Dolphins earned 9.22 points while Warriors got only 3.62 points from the match.In Bloemfontein, a dangerous pitch after two days of rain saw the match between Knights and Titans being abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The ball still spun, and the sell-out crowds bayed for Sri Lanka, but Australia have comfortably won the limited-overs series playing “scrappy cricket”, captain David Warner said

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Sep-2016The ball still spun, and the sell-out crowds bayed for Sri Lanka, but Australia have comfortably won the limited-overs series playing “scrappy cricket”, captain David Warner said.Warner took Australia’s reins when the ODI series was tied 1-1, but has won each of the five matches since then. His team has been particularly impressive in the T20s, winning the first by 86 runs, and the second by four wickets with 13 balls to spare, despite having lost six wickets for 27 runs.”I think the guys showed a lot of determination and fight to overcome the conditions, which were very, very challenging and something that we are not very used to,” Warner said. “The Test guys had to make an adjustment to make – from the Test match conditions to the one-day conditions.”You saw scrappy cricket during the one-day series, where the highest score was 280 here. And then we were scrapping to get to 200. It was good grinding cricket. It was something that we’re not used to. The encouraging signs mean that we’ve worked really hard to win both series. “Though Australia have fared much better against spin in the limited-overs series, Warner suggested that didn’t necessarily make them better players of spin in the Test format. He was, however, pleased with the seam attack, which prospered in conditions not known to favour quick bowlers.”We knew once the shine got off the ball, the ball was going to spin consistently,” Warner said. “In one-day cricket it’s a bit different – you can’t have two in close with slip and a leg slip. It’s just not possible. The reverse sweeps, sitting in the crease to pinch the ones and twos, and rotating the strike, are all much easier in this game than in the Tests, where it was very, very tough for us as a batting team. But the way the bowlers conducted themselves and reduced totals after losing the toss consistently, was a fantastic effort.”Maxwell had also said good T20 scores in Asia didn’t guarantee better Test performances, though he has now starred in consecutive matches as opener. He hit the best innings of the match again, scoring 66 off 29 balls to break the back of the target during the Powerplay. He remains a makeshift opener however, having replaced the injured Aaron Finch in this series.”Maxwell is a very good player of spin inside the first six,” Warner said. “He can chance his arm. He can reverse sweep and sweep. What he did today and the other day was no fluke. That’s exactly what he can do when given the opportunity. We know with the team we have a structure there, and once Aaron Finch comes back in, he’ll probably have to move down the order and assess what his game plan is again. We’ve seen him do it at the top, we’ve seen him doing it in the middle – there’s no excuse.”Warner, who has been critical of bowler-friendly nature of the limited-overs pitches in Sri Lanka, said the Khettarama surface was the worst of the lot.”The wicket probably wasn’t up to scratch in the games. In the last game at Pallekele the wicket was outstanding – I know we played 260, but both teams felt like the wicket was very encouraging. We could hit over the top. There was nice, consistent bounce. Here it was very, very tough.”

Umar Akmal’s brilliant fightback secured a crucial three-wicket win over St Lucia Zouks to draw Trinbago Knight Riders level in third place with the Zouks on eight points

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUmar Akmal hit seven sixes and three fours during his unbeaten 73 off 35 balls•CPL/Sportsfile

With Trinbago Knight Riders staring at the prospect of heading to the final leg of the CPL season in Florida with their playoff hopes in jeopardy, Umar Akmal’s brilliant fightback secured a crucial three-wicket win over St Lucia Zouks to draw Knight Riders level with the Zouks on eight points in a tie for third. This meant that Barbados Tridents were pushed back to fifth place with two games to play. Akmal struck an unbeaten 73 off 35 balls in Knight Riders’ chase of 168 having dug his side out of a deep hole at 63 for 5 in the 10th over.Zouks were well placed to defend their total after the fall of Anton Devcich for 25 in the 15th to end a 51-run stand, leaving Knight Riders needing 50 off the last five overs with four wickets in hand. Only four runs were scored in the 16th to further tilt the scales in favour of Zouks but Akmal swung things back Trinbago’s way in the 17th when he targetted Jerome Taylor for three straight sixes and a four, bringing up his fifty off 27 balls. Akmal’s fireworks reduced the equation to 23 off 18 balls.Shane Watson then pinned Sunil Narine down for three dots, but could not sustain the pressure and Narine ended the over by bashing two sixes to make it 9 off 12 balls. Narine fell in the 19th over but Kevon Cooper hit the winning runs two balls later to clinch victory with six balls to spare.Having been inserted, Zouks had powered to a strong start with Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher notching 58 in the first seven overs. Charles was fortunate after having been dropped in the first over on 1 off Ronsford Beaton and was reprieved again on 11 in the fourth over when replays showed Devcich had overstepped after having Charles caught by Dwayne Bravo at mid-off.Fletcher was run-out in the eighth over for 25 and Charles’ luck ran out 10 balls later when Bravo claimed him for 27. From there, Zouks struggled to regain the flow to their innings until Darren Sammy’s arrival in the 16th after Grant Elliott was removed for 12. Sammy clubbed Cooper for four and six in the 18th to spur a late surge, and then bashed two more fours and a six off the final seven balls of Zouks’ innings to finish 37 not out off 18 balls. However, his spectacular form the stadium renamed in his honour could not extend the hosts’ winning run, with Akmal halting it at three games.

Ashish Nehra, one of India’s first-choice seamers in the shorter versions of the game, has made himself available for Test cricket, six and a half years since he last turned out in the whites at the highest level

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2010Ashish Nehra, one of India’s first-choice seamers in the shorter versions of the game, has made himself available for Test cricket, six and a half years since he last turned out in whites at the highest level.”I had never said that I will not play Test cricket again,” Nehra told . “It was just that initially after my comeback, I wanted to concentrate on the ODIs and Twenty20s. Now that I am back in the national side for one and a half years, I feel confident to make a comeback in the Test fold. I will like to make myself available for selection during the South Africa Test series.”A spate of injuries in the mid-2000s pushed Nehra out of the Indian team, but he clawed back into the reckoning with a watershed performance in the 2009 IPL in South Africa, where he stood third in the wickets chart with 18. He has since become a regular in India’s ODI plans and sporadically featured in Twenty20 internationals. His susceptibility to injuries, however, has kept him out of the Test team.Since his international comeback in June 2009, Nehra has played 36 one-dayers, picking 54 wickets at an average just under 30. More importantly, he has not missed a single game due to fitness issues or injuries, and Nehra hopes that he can carry that durability into the longest version. He is headed to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to follow a fitness program that will prepare him for the upcoming tour of South Africa.”I am planning to play one Ranji Trophy for Delhi before the New Zealand ODI series to check how my body is holding. I am enjoying my cricket at the moment and I don’t see any reason why I can’t make a comeback.”For me the top-most priority is the World Cup next year. That is why I have been so choosy about playing in the longer version. But after World Cup, there is lot of Test cricket to be played as India would be playing against England, West Indies. I will like to again play Test cricket with the same intensity that I used to at the start of my career.”While Nehra is keen to return to Tests, it remains to be seen whether the selectors, who have treated India’s fast-bowling talents on a case-by-case-basis, will include him in their plans. Zaheer Khan is currently the only seamer who walks into the side in all three formats, but, of late, he has been used selectively in a bid to prolong his career. Nehra, on the other hand, has slotted well into the one-day side, with his ability to move the new ball and deliver yorkers in the closing stages. Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth, who have been lacklustre in the shorter versions, have been persisted with for Test cricket. Both bowlers have reposed that faith with strong performances in recent times, and Nehra will have to stave off competition from them to enter the Test side.

A decision on whether the Ashes will return to free-to-air television will be taken before the general election, the Government said on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff12-Jan-2010A decision on whether the Ashes will return to free-to-air television will be taken before the general election, the Government said on Tuesday.Ben Bradshaw, the culture secretary, provisionally accepted the findings of a review panel led by David Davies, the former chairman of the FA, in November last year, which called for the home Ashes to be added to the list of ‘crown jewel’ sporting events protected from pay-only television.The ECB, however, vehemently opposed the move then, arguing that it would bring a severe loss of revenue and harm grassroots funding for the game. The ECB’s current deal with BSkyB and Five, which is worth a combined £300 million, runs until 2013 and includes the next home Ashes series. Under the recommendations the first series that could possibly be back on terrestrial TV would be the 2016 contest.When the move was announced in November the ECB were frustrated that the review committee did not commission an independent report into the economic impact of the decision, after estimating that some £30 million per year, which amounts to more than a third of their annual turnover, could be slashed from their budget.Yet John Grogan, Labour MP for Selby and a long-standing campaigner for wider access to televised sport, said that if governing bodies receive public money they should expect their major events should be shown for free.”If the governing bodies believe in an entirely free market approach, why are they receiving public money? You can’t have it both ways. If hard-pressed taxpayers and lottery players are funding the sports, should they not be able to see some of the events on free-to-air TV?”Sion Simon, a junior minister, told MPs that the government had provisionally accepted the findings of the review and final decision will be made shortly after the period of consultation ends in March.The ECB, however, have not changed their stance, and are holding out hope that the Government will reconsider its provisional decision. “Our position is that we will put in comprehensive documentation and research to the Government,” an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo. “We expect them to take the appropriate amount of time to consider the full financial considerations of any potential decision.”There is, however, only a short window between the end of the consultation period and the moment that parliament goes into recess ahead of an anticipated May election. The move to terrestrial could be seen as an attempt to woo voters, while sticking the boot into Rupert Murdoch, the owner of BSkyB, after the Murdoch-owned Sun backed the Conservatives for the election.