Afghanistan, Nepal maintain ascendency

For the second time in two days, Sompal Kami and Mahaboob Alam played leading performances helping Nepal register their second successive win, this time against Malaysia, in the ACC Premier League match in Kuala Lumpur. The two players had picked up three wickets each in the win against UAE; here Kami bagged a five-wicket haul, and Alam hit a half-century to steer what threatened to be a tricky chase. Chasing 150, Nepal were rocked by Suresh Navaratnam's triple-strikes and at 36 for 4, were in serious trouble. However, Alam added 89 for the fifth wicket with Sharad Vesawkar to almost seal the match. He was run-out for 53, but with only 25 needed, Nepal overhauled the target without much fuss. The foundation for the win had been laid earlier though, when Kami ran through the Malaysia top order. Malaysia's batsmen failed to construct meaningful stands and the team was bowled out for 149 in the 43rd over.

A batting blitz towards the end of the first innings was the highlight of Afghanistan's thumping win against UAE. Put in to bat, Afghanistan were in already in a good position - 172 for 4 - at the 40-over mark, thanks to half-centuries by their openers Noor Ali Zadran and Usman Ghani. But what followed stamped out the bowler's confidence. Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari ransacked 116 runs in the last eight overs to lift the total over 300. The mayhem included 11 fours and seven sixes. UAE were not dazed by the assault - the openers added 70 and Amjad Ali went on to score 98 to keep the team in the chase. But Amjad's dismissal gave Afghanistan an opening which they seized immediately. Rahmat Shah picked up five wickets, including that of Amjad, to complete a comprehensive win.

Oman won their second match in a row, beating the more established Hong Kong by nine runs in a low-scoring encounter at the Selangor Turf Club. A victory didn't seem on the cards for Oman after the first hour of the game during which their top order caved in. At 57 for 6 in the 21st over, a swift end to the game seemed likely, but Oman reached 143 thanks to 30s from No. 8 Sultan Ahmed and No. 9 Amir Ali. Hong Kong's top order was similarly fragile, and the chase was in ruins at 25 for 4 in the eighth over. Again, it needed 30s from the lower order, this time No. 7 Ankur Sharma and No. 9 Haseeb Amjad, for Hong Kong to get close to the target. Though Amjad threw his bat around when he had the last man for company, he holed with Hong Kong ten short.

May 2, 10.45am GMT The article had incorrectly referred to Malaysia v Nepal game as a List A match.

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Clarke selection call a turning point - Marsh

Australia's new chairman of selectors Rod Marsh has pointed to Michael Clarke's resignation from

the selection panel following the dire 2013 tour of India as a pivotal moment in the team's resurgence to their current perch at the top of the world rankings for Test and ODI matches.

The 2011 Argus review that helped install Marsh as part of a new panel also appointed Clarke as one of the selectors, an arrangement that became fraught as early as December of the same year when the chairman John Inverarity conceded the dual role was creating "extra difficulty" for Clarke in his interactions with the team.

Rod Marsh on... Rotation: "I don't think they were ever rotated. It was never a word that we used. We didn't choose some fast bowlers because we were informed by the medical staff that if we were to choose them they would break down. It was always going to be our call whether we choose them, but we didn't deliberately rotate them and say before the season 'he plays this game, he plays this game, he plays that game'. Young fast bowlers will break down and will continue to break down, because it's the most unnatural act the human body can perform." Becoming a selector: "I never really aspired to be a selector, it just happened. I came back home to retire basically, but then the opportunity for selection came up and I thought I was probably too young to retire and obviously I still loved the game of cricket with a massive passion. It seemed because I was too old to continue to coach it seemed a very good way to keep a very active interest in Australian cricket." A repaired relationship with Darren Lehmann after pushing him out of South Australia: "He reckons I did him a great favour because he wouldn't be coaching Australia if he was still playing. We get on like a house on fire." Use of statistics: "Sometimes you have a look at the stats, and if you analyse them really closely, you can see that a guy might have made more runs than someone else. But you know, and you've got this gut feeling that he won't be successful against a particular attack on a particular ground, so you don't pick him. However if you can't find a reason not to pick a bloke with the best stats, then usually the bloke with the best stats gets picked."

By the end of the 4-0 hiding on the subcontinent a little more than a year later, Clarke decided that he needed to devote less time to selection teleconferences and more to a side that was fracturing in the absence of the retired Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, as exemplified by the suspension of four players in Mohali for failing to follow instructions. While Darren Lehmann's appointment to replace Mickey Arthur as coach has been commonly noted, Marsh said Clarke's call was equally significant.

"Quite a few things have occurred, but I think one of them, which seems to probably get overlooked a little is that Michael gave away his selection duties, which I think freed him up a lot to be able to interact with the team a lot more at training sessions, and off the field," Marsh said. "Michael we all know is an outstanding on the field captain, but I think his off-field captaincy has flourished since he stepped down as a selector, and you can understand that. It's very difficult for him to operate off the field when he's both captain and selector.

"That's freed him up a lot, Darren has brought a no fear feeling to the boys, he's encouraged them to go out and play with freedom and of course getting Mitchell Johnson back into the team and bowling well has just been an absolute bonus because if you remember we had very good, young fit fast bowlers a couple of years ago who've all had injuries and as a consequence it was nice to have one of the old timers, for lack of a better word, back and bowling like the wind."

Marsh spoke frankly about his selection philosophy ahead of a period in which Australia will not only seek to retain their ranking but also lift the World Cup at home in 2015 and hang onto the Ashes in England later in the year. The age of the squad is not a major concern to him, though he hopes to see more young batsmen pushing for inclusion in coming summers. Until then, however, the likes of Chris Rogers will remain verymuch a part of his plans.

"I don't think you can read too much into blokes' ages these days," Marsh said. "The game has changed so dramatically from 20 or 30 years ago whereby it's become a profession, and these guys are professionals, they work very hard on their fitness etc. They play cricket almost every day of the year and if they're not playing they're training or travelling. A 35-year-old today is certainly not like a 35-year-old 20 years ago cricket-wise, it's completely different. In an ideal world it would be nice to have a lot of young blokes in the side and we can't wait for that to happen - if you had three or four 19 or 20-year-old champion batsmen making 1500 runs in Shield cricket that would be fantastic, we would all want that.

"David Warner and Steve Smith have both held up very well over the last couple of series. Obviously Chris Rogers will not be around forever, he's like all of us getting older by the day. However the same guy has just made 241-odd not out in a run chase for 472 earlier this week [for Middlesex], so he wants to keep playing cricket for Australia, and while he's still in really good form it'd be very difficult to leave him out. We do have to plan ahead and we're just waiting for young players to step up and get a truckload of runs, that's what we need and want."

In the case of Smith, Marsh said the panel had chosen to have him concentrate on Test matches while he was still developing his game, but expected the 24-year-old to move into the team across all formats in coming months. Though Marsh did not name him as such, the tactically astute and mentally strong Smith is the man in line to become Australia's next long-term captain.

"Steve Smith is a hell of a good cricketer," Marsh said. "When we get to sit down and choose the side for the next World Cup I'd be very surprised if his name doesn't come up. He's also a very good T20 cricketer, but at the moment our policy has been he's just starting to establish himself in the Test arena, we've perhaps robbed Peter to pay Paul to a degree by saying 'well just keep him out of that for the moment. But we think Steve Smith will be a fine cricketer in all forms for Australia."

In addition to his selection duties, Marsh has also overseen the development of a unified coaching philosophy around Australia over the past two years. He reiterated his belief in the rigorous teaching of technical basics and their grounding in plenty of match-play, as no coach can help a cricketer to tweak a failing in the middle of an innings or a bowling spell.

"Within the game there are basics of technique in whatever you do. If you are taught the basics well early and learn them well, you've always got something to fall back on, because whenever you make a mistake I can promise the answer lies in the basics," he said. "The good cricketers are the ones who can correct things on the run - when they're out there in the middle you haven't got the coach to tell you to do this or that, you've got to work it out for yourself. If you've made mistakes you've got to be able to identify how to correct those mistakes on the move.

"I don't think our batting is as good as it should be for a nation of our strength. With the facilities we've got, with the coaching staff we've got in all states, with the talent we've got I don't think our batting is good enough. Technically I don't think it's good enough, and I think there's been a period where technique hasn't been taught as well as it could've been and I think we've got to get back tot he basics. All our coaching through Australia has got to get back to the basics of the game, and we don't want people to make their mark as a coach unless their mantra is first of all you teach the basics. It's the only way forward as far as I'm concerned."

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig

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Peever to replace Edwards as CA chairman

A former Test opening batsman will be replaced by a sometime club cricketer and corporate heavyweight when David Peever takes over from Wally Edwards as chairman of Cricket Australia - and head of the ICC's newly formed and influential ExCo - next year.

Peever, the managing director of the mining giant Rio Tinto's Australian operations from 2009 until retiring earlier this year, was appointed deputy chairman of CA at a board meeting on Friday, and will duly replace Edwards when his term expires at the 2015 AGM in October. His elevation to a major role in global cricket is an escalation of CA's desire to be governed by accomplished and independent directors, after a raft of structural changes in 2012.

Central to the re-shaping of Australian cricket's decision-making was the appointment of 56-year-old Peever, Jacquie Hey and Kevin Roberts as the board's first fully independent directors in 2012. They have made their presence felt in asking hard questions of CA management at the board table since then, and Peever has now emerged to assume a role made doubly influential by the drastic changes made to the ICC earlier this year, ceding enormous power and influence to the boards of India, Australia and England.

"The board this morning has appointed David Peever as our deputy chairman," Edwards said, announcing his successor. "David will be the next chairman. I'll remain chairman until October 2015, we make our appointment now so the deputy chairman can get involved with me initially in the international area, we have the ICC conference coming up in June in Melbourne, and that's the first chance for David to start meeting and mingling with a lot of the international people in the world of cricket.

"David joined the board in October 2012 when we did our governance changes. He was the managing director of Rio Tinto in Australia. He's been a terrific contributor for the nearly two years he's been on the board, he's brought a lot of business acumen to the board, and I'm sure he'll continue to do that and develop it further. He's got a deep passion for cricket, and I'll be working closely with him over the next 18 months to ensure a smooth transition."

Raised in Queensland, Peever was a modest opening batsman for the Easts cricket club, and has noted his apprehension when occasionally facing his better-known clubmates including Craig McDermott, Carl Rackemann and Geoff Dymock in the nets. However it is his business acumen that CA have sought to carry on from the governance changes driven largely by Edwards since his appointment in 2011.

"As deputy chairman my priority is going to be to continue to do what we've done the last 18 months since I've been on the board, and that is to support Wally, James [Sutherland, chief executive] and his team with the board to progress in the way we have, especially on the governance front," Peever said. "In particular our strong focus is going to be really unifying Australian cricket and continuing down that path. We do have a way to go, but Australian cricket can be in a pre-eminent position over a long period of time if we can get this unification going the way it can."

While Peever is well attuned to CA's desire to continue its process of unification and alignment, so all the six states work more cohesively together for common goals, he has plenty of learning to do about the labyrinthine politics of the global game. He will now be travelling extensively in the company of Edwards to meet and understand cricket's overseas custodians, from the financial powerbrokers in India and England, to the administrators of the many Associate nations.

"I'd say the ICC's in much better shape now than it was when I came into the job and it will be better in another 18 months," Edwards said. "But it's really getting to meet the people - there's a lot to get to know from various positions right through to the associates, Ireland, Afghanistan and other places. It's important to get a feel for the way it works, the way people think, and get a bit of an understanding of the ICC itself."

Peever's other corporate roles include directorships with the Melbourne Business School and the Business Council of Australia, and membership of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council and the Department of Defence Gender Equality Advisory Board. The last two positions will be of some significance as Peever also works on CA's aspirations to diversify cricket's following in Australia.

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig

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Marsh named new chairman of selectors

Rod Marsh has replaced John Inverarity as Australia's chairman of selectors in a significant shake-up of the panel that comes as the team sits on top of the world rankings in both Tests and ODIs.

Former selection chief Trevor Hohns has returned to the national selection panel for the first time since 2006, alongside first-time selector Mark Waugh, while Inverarity and Andy Bichel have departed. The coach Darren Lehmann remains part of the group, which was reduced from five men to four when captain Michael Clarke withdrew from his selection duties before last year's Ashes series in England.

Inverarity stood down after nearly three years as chairman and although he told Cricket Australia he was prepared to continue on the panel, the board decided it was time for some new faces. Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland said Inverarity had performed admirably since taking charge of the selection duties in October 2011.

"When John Inverarity took over as national selector the Australian Test team was ranked fourth in the world and its on-field performance was well short of where it is today," Sutherland said. "He leaves his post with Australian teams in a position of strength holding the number one ranking in Test and one-day international cricket. That reflects his commitment and the astute judgment he brought to the role at a challenging time for Australian cricket.

"After deciding to stand down as chair, he recently indicated that he was prepared to continue on the national selection panel for another 12 months if required. Directors determined that with John stepping down as chairman, it was the appropriate time to bring new personnel into the group.

"Rod Marsh is the right man to take on this important role having been a key member of the panel since 2011. His track record speaks for itself. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, having been a leading player, coach and most recently a selector.

"Throughout his days as a player he was the absolute embodiment of the baggy green cap and to this day is widely respected throughout the game. He has a great eye for talent and has strong relationships throughout international cricket."

Inverarity said that at the age of 70 he would continue to maintain his interests in education and cricket "in a more part-time manner". "For some months I have been clearly of the mind that the end of my contract period on 30 June was the right time for me to step down in favour of Rod Marsh to chair the panel," he said. "Rod is the ideal person in every respect to take over and I would like to wish he and Darren, along with Trevor Hohns and Mark Waugh the very best in their new roles.

"I have certainly enjoyed the role and the success of the Australian teams in recent months has been pleasing. I would like to congratulate Michael Clarke and the players, Darren Lehmann and his support staff, Pat Howard and my fellow selectors on the very good news that came through yesterday regarding Australia now being ranked number one in both Test cricket and ODI cricket."

The departure of Bichel, who joined the panel at the same time as Marsh in November 2011, means that there will be no fast bowlers contributing to Australia's selection discussions, a curious absence given the way the attack has been rotated at times in the past. However, Cricket Australia said in a statement that Bichel's term on the panel had "not been renewed".

Waugh confirmed last month that he had been approached by Cricket Australia for a possible selection role and his presence as a BBL commentator for Channel 10 appears not to have prevented him from taking on the part-time position. Sutherland said Waugh would pay particular attention to the shorter formats, which would be crucial with a World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand next year.

NSW seek new supremo Sheffield Shield holders New South Wales are mounting a global search for a new manager of cricket performance, in a wide-ranging role similar to that undertaken by Pat Howard in the wake of Cricket Australia's 2011 Argus review. The Cricket NSW, chief executive, Andrew Jones, played a key role in the formulation of that review as CA's then head of strategy, and is now looking to appoint someone to a similar post overseeing the direction of the men's and women's state teams. "I firmly believe a combined and aligned elite cricket function will make it easier for CNSW to achieve our goal of being No.1 in Australian and world domestic cricket," Jones said, "and ultimately to be the No.1 sporting organisation in Australia."

"We think Mark will bring great experience to the role," Sutherland said. "His particular focus will be on our limited-overs program. He was one of the world's greatest one-day international players. We think he can add a lot, particularly in an important World Cup year."

The return of Hohns to the panel comes after he spent 13 years as a national selector from 1993 to 2006, including a full decade as chairman of the panel. For the past three years, Hohns has been Queensland's state talent manager and chairman of selectors, a role that he will relinquish when he rejoins the national panel. His time with the Bulls was significant in that he worked closely with Lehmann, building on a relationship that was more distant when the latter had his international career ended by Hohns' selection panel.

"I took on selection responsibilities with Queensland a couple of years ago and really enjoyed doing it again," Hohns said. "During that time I worked closely with Darren Lehmann where we developed a good working relationship. So to have the chance to work together again at a national level, along with Rod and Mark will be great. I'm genuinely looking forward to it. I enjoy the role and the responsibilities that go with selection and making a contribution to Australian cricket."

Like Hohns, Marsh will give up an existing role as part of the selection revamp, with Cricket Australia set to begin the search to find a replacement for him as CA's manager of elite coaching development. Marsh has been given a three-year term as chairman of selectors, which will begin when the new panel officially starts on July 1.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @brydoncoverdale

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Gooch cut from England batting coach role

Graham Gooch has been sacked as England's batting coach, the first of England's backroom staff to lose his job since Peter Moores returned, after Alastair Cook decided the set-up needed a new face.

Cook, who has used Gooch as a mentor throughout his career, discussed his decision with him beforehand and the England captain later said he hoped players would still seek out Gooch who is England's Test run-scorer and has been involved with English cricket for almost 40 years as a player through to various coaching and advisory roles.

As recently as this week Gooch was working with Matt Prior at Hove and has also spent considerable time with Michael Carberry early in the season. Known for his incredible work ethic, Gooch gave endless hours of throwdowns - with his patented, remodelled dog thrower - to any batsman who wanted them.

"After discussions with Alastair Cook he informed me that he was in favour of change. Although this was sad news, I respect his, and new coach Peter Moores, right to implement this change of direction," Gooch said.

"In my opinion Alastair is the right man to captain England, he commands respect and will always put his body on the line for his country. Over the last decade or so he has been the ultimate professional to work with and it has been an honour to see him develop."

Gooch was named England's batting consultant in November 2009, and took on the role full-time in March 2012. In 2013, he passed on the limited-overs batting responsibilities to Graham Thorpe, to focus his attention on the Test team and the young players coming through for England.

Thorpe is one of the favourites to take on Gooch's position although Mark Ramprakash has also been suggested as a candidate.

Paul Downton, the managing director, England cricket, said: "Graham has been an outstanding coach for England over the last four and a half years and is held in the highest regard by all those who have worked alongside him. On behalf of everyone involved in England cricket I would like to thank him for his incredible commitment."

Meanwhile, Kevin Pietersen also noticed the news of Gooch's departure and could not help but offer himself over Twitter. "Where do I apply for ENG batting coach job? I promise I won't encourage whistling when you get out or trying to change the game!" he posted, in reference to some of the factors mentioned in his sacking by England earlier this year, which reportedly included whistling after being dismissed.

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Clarke not sold on floodlit Tests

'Don't believe we need day-night Test cricket' - Clarke

Even as Cricket Australia pushes ahead with plans to play a day-night Test match within two years, the national captain Michael Clarke has admitted he does not think the five-day game needs to go nocturnal to survive.

Questions about the future of Test matches have led to numerous novel ideas for widening the popularity of the format over the years, and CA has been particularly eager to play for prime time television audiences. A trial of Sheffield Shield matches under lights earlier this year met with mixed results, with numerous reservations raised about the longevity of the Kookaburra pink ball in particular.

When asked in New York by ESPNcricinfo whether Test cricket needed day-night matches in order to remain vital, Clarke replied staunchly in the negative: "No I don't. I think there's room for all three forms of the game we play now. I think it's great that you can play an ODI either a day or a day-night game, T20 the same.

"I've never experienced Test cricket at night so I don't know what it's like ... but I don't believe we need to have day-night Test cricket, for Test cricket to survive. I think if you've watched any Test cricket over the last 12 months, there would have been a lot of people off their chairs watching the game. So long may that continue, during the day or at night."

The CA chief executive James Sutherland has been a vocal supporter of the concept, and declared recently that the trial had been largely successful. Tentative plans are in place for a day-night match against New Zealand in Australia in 2015-16. Clarke, though, said he would need to play under lights at first-class level himself before submitting to those conditions for a Test.

"I'd have to try it first. I don't think it would be fair or right for me to sit here and say yes or no [to playing a day-night Test]," Clarke said. "I think I need to experience it, probably at first-class level, before I could comment on that. They've done that in Australia, they've used the pink ball during the second-last round of Shield cricket in Australia. So when I get back home I'll have that conversation with a few of the players and see what they think."

	Michael Clarke: 'I think I need to experience [the day-night long format], probably at first-class level, before I could comment' © Getty Images

The concerns around the ball went beyond its longevity to other areas, including the fact that the white seam stitching on the pink projectile was difficult to define, robbing batsmen of an important clue as to which way it might swing, seam or spin. Brisbane, where Queensland faced Tasmania, seemed the most helpful environment for preserving the ball, while in Melbourne and Adelaide it deteriorated far more quickly.

"We clearly need to continue to improve the ball and to make sure it behaves as closely as possible to the red ball," Sutherland said after the trials. "But I have always said that somewhere along the way - in order to get to that outcome - it may be necessary to reach some sort of compromise on the ball.

"Perhaps what ball is used, how it's used and maybe for how long it's used in an innings - whether 80 overs is the right time for a ball to last, or whatever? They are all things we'll take into account as we gather the feedback and other data from the trials."

The former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has been a an outspoken critic of the idea, arguing that the variance in conditions from day to night would be so drastic as to require the formulation of a new statistical database distinct from those for current Test match playing conditions.

There are numerous views on day-night Test matches even within CA, and the chairman Wally Edwards has previously revealed he is "not a great believer in it". "I think it's worth trying," he said during the South Africa Test series. "You should trial it fairly rigorously, though, before you start playing Test cricket. But potentially it fills grounds up."

Before any day-night assignments, Clarke will be taking the Test team to the UAE for two matches against Pakistan. Following a 5-0 Ashes sweep and a rousing 2-1 defeat of South Africa away from home, Australia's indifferent reputation against spin bowling and slower surfaces will be tested by Saeed Ajmal and others.

"Facing spin bowling has been an area of an Australian cricketer's game where we've had to continually improve," Clarke said. "We're fortunate in Australia to have really good wickets that do have pace and bounce and then later on in the game you get spin. But when you play in the subcontinent, you're getting spin from ball one, you're getting less bounce, you're getting more natural variation off the wicket.

"So the more we can experience playing in those conditions, the better we'll become. I know our junior programmes do a lot more, in terms of travelling to the subcontinent to learn about those conditions, than what we did when I was a young player. Dubai and the UAE are going to be an extremely tough series, Pakistan have a very strong team, and they know those conditions."

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig

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Bowden returns to ICC elite panel

Billy Bowden is back on the elite panel of ICC umpires for 2014-15. Bowden is the only change to the panel following the ICC's annual review and selection process, and has replaced fellow New Zealander Tony Hill, who had stepped down earlier this year to become the New Zealand Cricket umpire coach.

Bowden previously served on the elite panel from 2003 to 2013 and has so far umpired in 76 Tests, 189 ODIs and 21 T20 internationals. He was dropped from the panel in June 2013 but was later announced as one of the on-field umpires for the third Ashes Test in Perth and the TV umpire for the fourth Test in Melbourne.

The elite panel was selected by a group chaired by Geoff Allardice, the ICC general manager - cricket, Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC chief match referee, David Lloyd, the former England player, coach and umpire and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, the former India captain and international umpire.

"Billy's return to the elite panel is a result of his hard work and perseverance," Allardice said. "His skills and experience will further strengthen the ICC umpiring team."

Elite panel of ICC umpires: Aleem Dar, Billy Bowden, Kumar Dharmasena, Steve Davis, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker

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