World champion test for England

Match facts

Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Start time 6pm local (1700 GMT)

Big Picture

England's season began amid showers and sunshine in Aberdeen but the first serious test of their summer comes at The Oval. Having reversed the usual schedule for sides touring in May and June, they will begin engagements against Sri Lanka with a one-off T20 international, ahead of ODI and Test series, as the Peter Moores regime opens for a second run in front of a home audience.

For quite different, though not entirely unrelated, reasons these are two teams in flux. When England beat Sri Lanka in Chittagong almost two months ago, they inflicted what was to be the only defeat of Paul Farbrace's brief time in charge. England trailed out of Bangladesh a week later having been humbled by the Dutch, while Sri Lanka went on to win the World T20; Ashley Giles subsequently lost his job as limited-overs coach and Farbrace was headhunted to be Moores' assistant in the new set-up.

Sri Lanka may have been entitled to a sense of dudgeon over Farbrace's defection to the opposition but, on the surface at least, relations remain cordial. Marvan Atapattu has stepped up as interim head coach and his immediate issue is how to fill a couple of rather large holes in the T20 batting order, following the triumphant retirements of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakarra. He will officially be working with a new captain, too, after Lasith Malinga was promoted from the locum role he fulfilled when Dinesh Chandimal decided to drop himself at the World T20.

The identity of England's leader has also changed, although in this case due to Stuart Broad rehabilitating a long-term knee injury. Eoin Morgan takes charge of a squad that has been tweaked rather than overhauled - despite returns for Michael Carberry and Ian Bell, England's T20 thinking remains much the same - but fresh impressions can still be made on the new coaching staff. Although that does not mean a reprieve for Jade Dernbach.

While Sri Lanka, who gave Sussex an almighty thrashing in their final warm-up game, are ranked the world's No. 2 T20 side, England have slumped to a lowly eighth. Moores got off to a winning start against Scotland ten days ago but, even without the additional motivation, Sri Lanka will not arrive in south London bearing gifts.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

England LLWLW
Sri Lanka WWWLW

	The way forward? England face their first real test of Peter Moores' second coming © PA Photos Enlarge

In the spotlight

With most of the playing personnel familiar, the focus instead will be on the coaching set-up and, perhaps, England's new team ethic. Moores, Alastair Cook and now Morgan have talked of reconnecting with the fans, while there has seemingly been an increased openness with the media. Public displays of togetherness can be no bad thing but some might argue that creating a culture of winning is an even higher priority after England's grim winter.

He may not be remembered as the captain that led Sri Lanka to World T20 glory but Dinesh Chandimal arguably did something even more remarkable in leaving himself out for the good of the team. With Sangakkara's departure, Chandimal takes up an equally weighty mantle as wicketkeeper-batsman. His promise is undoubted and a settled role could help him bring his T20 international average of 13.30 closer to his 28.96 overall.

Team news

Michael Lumb and Dernbach were the main casualties of England's World T20 failure, with Carberry in line for an international debut in the shortest format and Harry Gurney bringing a left-arm dimension to England's attack. Bell could come into the shake-up for a top-three spot but Moeen Ali and Joe Root both offer bowling options. Morgan has batted more often at No. 4 in recent times but has a better record at five.

England (probable): 1 Alex Hales, 2 Michael Carberry, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Harry Gurney

Sri Lanka rested Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara in Hove but all three should come back into the side, which will be missing at least three players from their World T20 final win six weeks ago - alongside the retirements of Sangakkara and Jayawardene, Rangana Herath is being saved for the Test series. Kithuruwan Vithanage clattered 52 off 24 balls against Sussex, which may have edged him ahead of Ashan Priyanajan for a T20 debut.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Kithuruwan Vithanage, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Sachithra Senanayake, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Lasith Malinga

Pitch and conditions

The T20 international between England and New Zealand at The Oval last year served up nearly 400 runs and another surface conducive to batting is likely. However, the prospect of showers interrupting the evening may temper expectations of a repeat.

Stats and trivia

• England's victory World T20 over Sri Lanka was their highest successful chase and saw Alex Hales score the first T20 hundred by an Englishman
• Sri Lanka have won both of their previous T20s against England in England
• Tillakaratne Dilshan can take advantage of Jayawardene's retirement to overtake him in the leading run-scorers list - he needs 42 to move into second behind Brendon McCullum

Quotes

"There's a huge opportunity tomorrow for individuals right down, batting and bowling, as well as collectively as a unit."
Eoin Morgan expresses the sense of possibility that currently pervades around England

"We had a tough match against England in the World Cup. But the past is past."
Lasith Malinga was not captain for the defeat in Chittagong but he has not forgotten a painful night

Alan Gardner is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick

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Hathurusingha named Bangladesh coach

	Chandika Hathurusingha has left New South Wales for his first stint as head coach at international level © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links News : BCB in talks with Chandika Hathurusingha News : Jurgensen resigns as Bangladesh coach Features : New coach and board must adjust and adapt Players/Officials: Chandika Hathurusingha | Mario Villavarayan Teams: Bangladesh | Sri Lanka

The BCB has appointed Chandika Hathurusingha, the former Sri Lanka batsman, as Bangladesh's head coach for a two-year period. He has left his position as the assistant coach of New South Wales and coach of Sydney Thunder, and is expected to arrive in Dhaka on June 10. This will be his first stint as head coach of an international side.

"The two-year agreement has been finalised with Chandika Hathurusingha," BCB president Nazmul Hassan told reporters. "Although the agreement begins on July 1 this year, since we are playing against India next month, we are hoping he will arrive by June 10.

"We had a few alternatives apart from Chandika Hathurusingha. The first reason to choose him is his knowledge of subcontinental conditions. Plus he has worked in Australia and with the World Cup coming up, this is a good combination for us. Hathurusingha is among high-profile coaches from around the world, as far as I am concerned."

He has had experience at the helm of both New South Wales, in the latter half of the 2012-13 season, and Sydney Thunder. New South Wales won the Sheffield Shield in March, their first domestic title since 2008. His tactical acumen was highly acclaimed during his tenure as shadow coach with the Sri Lankan team but a disciplinary issue had terminated his association with the side in 2010.

Hathurusingha replaces Shane Jurgensen who resigned as Bangladesh coach in April after completing 14 months of his two-year stint. A five-member special committee was put in charge to find new coaches to replace Jurgensen, trainer David Dwyer, batting and fielding coach Corey Richards and Richard McInnes, the head coach of the National Cricket Academy.

Dwyer has been replaced by Mario Villavarayan as the new strength and conditioning coach, although BCB is still in discussion with candidates for the role of fast bowling coach.

During the press conference, Hassan was asked about Chaminda Vaas as the potential bowling coach while ESPNcricinfo has learned that Champaka Ramanayake is also being approached by the BCB. Ramanayake used to be Bangladesh's bowling coach between 2008 and 2011. It was also understood that another former fast bowler is being approached for a short-term role.

"We have appointed Mario Villavarayan as the strength and conditioning coach, also for two years. He will join us by the fifth or sixth of June. We are also looking for specialist coaches, especially fast bowling, spin and fielding.

"We are trying to [appoint someone soon], but I don't think we will get everyone before the India series. We are communicating with them, because not all of them are full-time coaches, so we are trying to work out a time slot. We haven't gone too far in this regard, so we don't want to talk much about it," said Hassan.

Regarding Vaas, he said, "His [Vaas'] name is also there in the list for fast bowling coach. But we are talking elsewhere too."

Hathurusingha had expressed interest towards a role with Sri Lanka, who are also looking for a new head coach after Paul Farbrace agreed to become England's assistant coach.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84

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Crunch game for Royal Challengers, Sunrisers

Match facts

Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)

	Will captaincy help Darren Sammy emerge from one of the toughest periods of his career? © BCCI Enlarge

Big picture

With another 10-odd games left in the league stages of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders have their noses ahead by a proverbial inch but Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad are also in with a chance of finishing in the top four, although the latter will need a little help from the other teams.

With five wins from 11 games, Royal Challengers need to win all their remaining matches and hope that Sunrisers can beat Knight Riders in their next match to smoothen the route to the playoffs. For Sunrisers, a loss to Royal Challengers will draw the curtains on their chances of a playoff spot. If Sunrisers win, they need to keep that form going for the rest of their games and hope for other teams to fail in order to boost their chances.

The teams come to this contest on the back of contrasting form. Revived by Yuvraj Singh's form and AB de Villiers' knack for match-turning innings, Royal Challengers have turned a floundering campaign around with wins over Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings. The form of Sunrisers, on the other hand, seems to have tapered off with three successive losses. Unlike last season, where they had the art of defending small totals down pat, and had a strong home record, they have been pegged back this season by an indifferent bowling attack and a misfiring top order and, much like Delhi Daredevils, have failed to utilise the home advantage.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: LLLWW (completed games only, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWLLL

Where they stand

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Sixth with four wins from 11 games
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Fifth with five wins from 11 games

Previous encounter

An astounding onslaught from AB de Villiers downed Sunrisers Hyderabad the last time the two teams met in Bangalore. A fifty from David Warner had guided Sunrisers to 161 and Bangalore were floundering at 95 for 5 in the 15th over before de Villiers' 89 off 41 took them home in the last over. De Villiers struck six sixes and took 24 runs off Dale Steyn in the penultimate over.

Watch out for

After an unbeaten fifty at the start of the tournament, Parthiv Patel's form has taken a dip. As the one steady opening batsman, Parthiv's busy style was expected to work as a foil for the more flamboyant Chris Gayle. The pair, however, have an average of 22 and just one fifty-plus stand. While Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers look to be carrying the team through, a strong opening partnership would help lift the team through the next few games.

Tuesday's game will also be a clash of captains, and the challenge before Darren Sammy is altogether tougher. He has been appointed captain for the rest of the season with the team barely hanging on to their chances of qualification. He is captain of a side he hasn't played for regularly this season, his own form has been a worry and outside of the IPL his cricketing career is going through an upheaval. Yet a captaincy change can sometimes also inspire a side, as was the case with Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers themselves, last year.

Stats and trivia

• Royal Challengers have won two of their three matches against Sunrisers so far. The only loss came in a Super Over in IPL 2013
• Royal Challengers have hit 76 sixes in IPL 2014, of which 48 have come off the bats of Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers.
• Shikhar Dhawan and Aaron Finch are the best batting pair [in terms of runs scored] for Sunrisers this season. Together, they have scored 285 runs at an average of 25.9
• Amit Mishra has conceded 21 sixes in this IPL and is joint leader on the list of bowlers to concede most sixes in one season of the IPL. The other bowler at the top is Piyush Chawla, who had given away 21 sixes in the first season

Quotes

"With guys like Yuvraj it's just about reminding them what they are capable of. And that doesn't have to happen in the nets. That can be over a coffee or taking a walk."
Trent Woodhill, the Royal Challengers batting coach, on how players like Yuvraj Singh find their way back to form

"If we do consider playing him, it would mean we would be playing with three specialist spinners, and we have to have the right conditions to consider that combination."
Tom Moody, the Sunrisers coach, on the team's plans around Parvez Rasool

Rachna Shetty is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Vohra, Akshar deliver for Kings XI

 Kings XI Punjab 165 for 6 (Akshar 42*, Vohra 42, Tahir 3-22) beat Delhi Daredevils 164 for 7 (Karthik 69, Pietersen 49) by four wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Kings XI Punjab became the first team to confirm their seat in the playoffs, with a four-wicket win over bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils, but what should have been a comfortable chase turned into a scramble for the finish line. Against the best chasing team in the competition, Daredevils had to produce their best batting effort but they frittered a strong platform in the last four overs to post 164. Kings XI also suffered a few hiccups after a typically blistering start, and despite

experimenting with their batting order, got home in the final over with two balls to spare.

An impetuous shot by Kings XI captain George Bailey - caught in the deep in the penultimate over - gave Daredevils a sniff and it came down to nine needed off in the 20th. Akshar Patel, the unlikely hero with the bat for Kings XI, was well set on 41 off 34 balls when Rishi Dhawan joined him. The pair ensured there were no dot balls in the final over from Wayne Parnell to pile on the pressure, and with four needed off three Dhawan pulled to the deep midwicket boundary to seal the win.

The Kings XI's openers Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra blazed 67 off 6.2 overs, with Vohra the more dominant partner. Vohra's sixes down the ground stood out, particularly the back-foot punch off Mohammad Shami that sailed over deep cover. But in trying to attack Imran Tahir, he found M Vijay at long-off and went for 42 off 19 balls.

It was one of those rare days on which both Glenn Maxwell and David Miller failed. They also fell trying to attack the spinners - Maxwell off Tahir and Miller off JP Duminy. Kings XI were 95 for 4 off in overs but they had a contingency in the event of a Miller-Maxwell no-show. Bailey promoted Akshar over himself and it paid off.

Akshar ensured he never got bogged down, looking for singles and keeping the required rate within manageable levels. Having moved to 18 off 19 balls, he had a productive over against Parnell, fetching three boundaries though he was lucky when an inswinging yorker deflected off his pad to third man. It was a close lbw shout but eventually given as runs. A six off Jaydev Unadkat brought the equation to 11 off 12 and the capacity crowd at the Kotla had to see the home team slump to a seventh straight defeat.

After being put in, Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Karthik were commanding during their stand of 71 for the second wicket. Karthik was not afraid to play audacious shots off the seamers, such as his sweep off Sandeep Sharma that went flat over deep square leg. Pietersen took 18 off an over from Hendricks, and by the end of ten overs Daredevils were 84 for 1.

Just when his first fifty of the season was there for the taking, Pietersen fell to his old nemesis - the left-arm spinner. Batting on 49, he played down the wrong line to one that ripped off the pitch from Akshar and beat the bat. Karthik meanwhile was dominant against the spinners, lofting exquisitely down the ground.

Daredevils took 30 off overs 15 and 16 but it started going downhill with a spurt of wickets. Their best finishers, Duminy and Kedar Jadhav failed and the responsibility fell on Karthik for late acceleration. When Karthik departed for 69 - caught at deep square leg - his was the fourth wicket to go down in the space of nine balls. Daredevils managed only 20 off the last three overs and it cost them.

Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Sri Lankans start to hit their stride

Sri Lankans 301 for 7 (Mathews 51, Thirimanne 49, Chandimal 47*, Joseph 4-58) beat Kent 173 (Blake 60, Lakmal 3-16, Perera 3-33, Mendis 3-55) by 128 runs
Scorecard

	Angelo Mathews was the one Sri Lankan batsman to pass fifty but plenty had useful innings © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Angelo Mathews | Dinesh Chandimal | Alex Blake Matches: Kent v Sri Lankans at Canterbury Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of England and Ireland Teams: England | Kent | Sri Lanka

Angelo Mathews hit fifty and Dinesh Chandimal an unbeaten 47 off 31 balls to set up a hefty thumping of Kent in Sri Lanka's second tour match in England. Having put out a strong side - only Lasith Malinga was rested - Sri Lanka gave a truer measure of themselves than in defeat to Essex on Tuesday, sweeping up a mixture of Kent first-teamers and irregulars for 173 on a cool, clear evening.

Suranga Lakmal immediately applied a tourniquet at the top of the innings, his opening spell of 4-1-10-2 providing both control and penetration. Alex Blake played neatly for his 60, which included reverse-sweeping Ajantha Mendis for four, but Thisara Perera plucked out key wickets during the middle overs and a long tail succumbed quickly. Without the likes of Rob Key, Darren Stevens and Brendan Nash, a Kent target in excess of 300 proved steeper than the Dover cliffs.

A partnership of 84 between Lahiru Thirimanne and Mathews provided the ballast for Sri Lanka, after a sprightly but evanescent performance from the top order. Thirimanne's high front elbow was a feature of his strokeplay, his first and only boundary coming off his 63rd delivery, while Mathews showed greater muscularity in an innings replete with bottom-handed clubs to the rope.

Mathews struck the first sixes of the contest before spooning a full toss to mid-off but Chandimal and Perera skipped along in his footprints during a rapid 71-run stand from 48 balls. Chandimal might have been caught at deep midwicket attempting to go to his half-century from the penultimate delivery of the innings but Fabian Cowdrey had to throw the ball back in as he fell towards the boundary rope.

Robbie Joseph, the one-time England Lions bowler who returned to Kent at the start of the summer, claimed 4 for 58, while James Tredwell also put in the sort of dependable shift he is known for, ahead of his involvement in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. He dismissed Thirimanne with one that lured the batsman out to be stumped for 49, though his figures were slightly smudged when Chandimal lofted the fourth and fifth balls of his final over for four and six.

Kent lost Daniel Bell-Drummond and Cowdrey, grandson of Colin, with the score on 17, as they struggled to get going during the Powerplay. Blake's half-century, his third in the format and first since 2010, came at a run-a-ball and a stand of 68 with Sam Billings kept them afloat but, from 148 for 5, Kent lost their last five wickets for 25. Only the combined figures of spinners Mendis and Tillakaratne Dilshan - 3 for 92 from 15 overs - would have given the tourists a moment's pause.

Sri Lanka were beaten in their first warm-up fixture, a soggy, 21-over affair in Chelmsford, but with the sun shining over hop country they found the St Lawrence ground to be a more welcoming venue. Kent's is probably the closest English ground to Colombo (though still 8,000km as the crow flies) and there were several Sri Lanka shirts on display in the crowd, as well as a flag being waved in the breeze on the Old Dover Road grass bank.

The vexed issue of Sri Lanka's junior-senior question will not be solved by one tour match but, after Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene fell for scores between 30 and 35, the contributions from Nos. 5, 6 and 7 will have encouraged Marvan Attapatu, the team's interim coach.

Sangakkara joined up with the Sri Lanka squad on Thursday, having missed the early part of the tour to play in two Championship matches for Durham, and reclaimed the wicketkeeping gloves off Chandimal (before swapping halfway through the innings). Following his 159 at Hove, he looked in good order until playing down the wrong line against Kent left-armer Adam Ball to have his stumps rattled.

After Sangakkara's dismissal, Sri Lanka appeared content to settle in, only for the longueurs to get the better of Jaywardene. Between the end of the 14th over and the beginning of the 36th only three boundaries were struck, before Mathews and Thirimanne, then Chandimal and Perera redoubled their efforts. The rate had dipped below five an over but 129 runs flowed from the last 15 as a team that should be a contender at the 2015 World Cup flashed their credentials.

After Sri Lanka's well-oiled start on a decent pitch, 300 always looked in range. Dilshan could not be much more buccaneering if he batted with a parrot on one shoulder while wearing a tricorne hat. He cut, pulled and drove his way to 35 off 28 balls before Joseph, bowling with decent pace and hitting an awkward length in his first List A game since August 2012, had him caught skying a piratical hack high to third man.

That was Joseph's second wicket, having removed Sri Lanka's other opener, Kusal Perera, with his first delivery, the batsman caught on the crease and fencing to slip. David Griffiths was not able to match Joseph's economy, however, as the tourists reached the end of the ten-over Powerplay on 64 for 2.

Charlie Hartley, Kent's 20-year-old debutant, came on for his first bowl against a pair with more than 25,000 ODI runs between them. Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene dismissed him for boundaries as the over leaked 10 runs but Hartley found better control after switching ends. Jayawardene became the third member of Sri Lanka's illustrious triumvirate to depart in the 30s when he miscued a lofted drive to mid-on to provide Hartley with his first senior wicket.

Alan Gardner is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick

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Mudgal to head investigation of IPL 'sealed envelope'

Former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal, who led the preliminary inquiry into the alleged corruption in the IPL will head a panel given greater powers to investigate the contents of the sealed envelope provided to India's highest court. Mudgal's colleagues on the previous committee, L Nageswara Rao and Nilay Dutta, will also be part of the panel. In its order delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court asked the committee to submit its report in a sealed envelope by end of August. The next hearing of the case will be "listed" in the first week of September.

The new Mudgal committee explained Who is part of the fresh panel? Mukul Mudgal, L Nageswara Rao, Nilay Dutta, and former IPS officer BB Mishra Who is BB Mishra and what is his role? Former IPS officer and currently Deputy Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau in Delhi. He will head the investigation team What happened to the Mudgal Committee's requests? Most of them were met, except Mishra was picked instead of former CBI officer ML Sharma. The BCCI is understood to have objected to him Who will select the former cricketer on the panel? The original committee and Mishra. How is this committee different from the original? It has more powers - to investigate, require attendance of witnesses, the power to examine witnesses, the power to search and the power to seize and all other powers necessary for investigation except the power to arrest Will the committee be compensated? The original trio, and the former player, will be paid Rs 1 lakh per working day - all expenses will be borne by the BCCI - and other police officers will continue to be paid their salary by the government even when they are away on this investigation. Is there a deadline? Yes, the end of August, but if the investigation is not complete, it can be extended. When is the next hearing in the case? First week of September. What happens to the BCCI until then? Sunil Gavaskar and Shivlal Yadav continue in their respective interim roles.

The committee will be assisted by former senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer BB Mishra. The committee will have all investigative powers, including search and seizure of relevant documents and recording evidence, but cannot carry out arrests. They will be provided with assistance from one senior police officer each from Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi, as the committee had requested. One former cricketer "of repute and integrity", as requested, will be chosen by the Mudgal committee in consultation with Mishra. The chairman and the members of the probe committee will be compensated with Rs 1 lakh per working day, and all other expenses will be borne by the BCCI.

The choice of Mishra as head of the investigation team over the Mudgal panel's request for former CBI special director ML Sharma came about due to "objections made on the behalf of BCCI and N Srinivasan". Mishra is currently the deputy director general, Narcotics Control Bureau in New Delhi and is an IPS officer from the 1983 batch of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Mishra and the three police officers form the investigative team "at the disposal" of the Mudgal committee. They will "have the powers to investigate, require attendance of witnesses, the power to search and the power to seize... except the power to arrest and the source of these powers of investigation will be this order passed by the court".

The two-man bench of Justice Patnaik and Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifullah also ordered that "all concerned persons including the BCCI, Mr N Srinivasan and the cricket players" co-operate with the investigation. "In case of difficulty", the Mudgal committee can "apply" to the court for "necessary orders for the purpose of completing the investigation".

The court has turned down BCCI's request to appoint a completely new panel following its contention that the Mudgal committee's findings were "erroneous". In the order, Justice AK Patnaik said, the allegations against the 13 persons, including Srinivasan, "should be investigated by the Justice Mudgal committee". The reason given was that "if a new Probe committee is entrusted to inquire into the allegations, there is a likelihood of the allegations being leaked to the public", saying that the leaking would "damage the reputation of the 13 persons beyond repair".

	Justice Mudgal will lead the new probe panel © AFP Enlarge

Sunil Gavaskar and Shivlal Yadav are to continue in their respective interim roles until any further orders.

The BCCI counsel Radha Rangaswamy requested the court to pass its final decision by the first week of August, but the request was declined. The BCCI's annual general elections take place at the end of September while the next hearing in connection with IPL corruption.

The court's view on Srinivasan's presence in ICC meetings and his assumption of his expected role as ICC chairman was not clear. It is understood that BCCI's counsel approached the bench after the order was read out, seeking permission for Srinivasan to attend ICC meetings and BCCI's next AGM, but the court said no further order was going to be passed. The petitioner Aditya Verma sees this as a restriction on Srinivasan's presence in the ICC, but the exact legal implications could not be determined.

The case dates back to June 2013, when the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Verma raised charges of a conflict of interest in the BCCI's original two-member inquiry panel for the IPL corruption issue. A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel "illegal". The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.

The Supreme Court then appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Nilay Dutta to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players.

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SA's next captain not an automatic choice - Lorgat

The decision on South Africa's next Test captain should not be a straightforward or simple one, according to Cricket SA CEO Haroon Lorgat and team manager Mohammed Moosajee. Although the position is expected to be offered to one of AB de Villiers or Faf du Plessis, Lorgat and Moosajee hope other possibilities will be considered in debates over the next two weeks.

"I would hope the selectors will not have an automatic choice. There is a process that needs to be followed," Lorgat, speaking at the Gauteng Cricket Board Awards on Thursday night, said. "There are several candidates so let's hope it is a tough choice."

South Africa's selection panel have already begun talks and will meet again before CSA's board meeting on June 3 to decide on their recommendation for the next Test captain. The person they choose will have to be ratified by the board before being officially announced. Apart from de Villiers and du Plessis, JP Duminy is has been mentioned as a possible choice, especially in light of his recent form, bigger role in the national team and years in the game.

Duminy has been playing regularly in the Test team since March 2012 with his only absence enforced when he tore his Achilles' tendon in November that year in Australia. He was handed his place back as soon as he returned to full fitness. He has established his place in the middle-order where he plays a pivot role between the specialist batsmen and the lower order, shepherding the tail. He has also been given a job to do with the ball and his offspin has allowed South Africa the option of another bowler.

As one of the more senior members of the side, Duminy is considered to be part of the core group that will lead the rebuilding phase following the twin retirements of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis last summer. That Duminy plays across all three formats makes him one of the constants in the South Africa XI. National coach Russell Domingo has often referred to Duminy as South Africa's "best T20 player," and he is currently the South African with the most runs in the IPL, and fifth on the overall standings.

What may work against Duminy is that he has not captained previously but South Africa's administrators have shown that is not insurmountable hurdle. Smith only played eight Tests before being made national captain at age of 22 while de Villiers had not led at any level when he succeeded Smith as ODI and T20 skipper. What is more important, according to Moosajee, is that the person entrusted with the job is able to continue to apply the team culture South Africa have built over the last few years.

"We are a diverse country with a diverse group of players and we have a melting pot of cultures in the dressing room. We have built our team environment around that, which has meant learning and respecting each other's backgrounds and using that to become a strong unit," Moosajee said. "We are fortunate that we've had inspirational leaders in the past and now we hope to have another one. We have four or five people that can fill the role."

Both Lorgat and Moosajee cautioned against looking for another Smith, who led the team for nine years and played in it for over a decade. "Graeme was one of a kind - he was tough and he wore his heart on his sleeve," Moosajee said. For Lorgat, Smith's lengthy tenure has left South Africa with "a lot to build on but big shoes to fill."

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

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