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Regardless as to whether Tottenham Hotspur manage to climb to the summit of the Europa League this season, supporters can at least rest assured that they’ve managed to reach one cup final this season. Or if Hugo Lloris’ recent sentiments are to be adhered to, you can times that number by eight.

It is of course a cliché that’s wheeled out all too often at this time of the season but given the eerie path of 12 months ago that Spurs’ campaign seems to be treading, there is perhaps little to argue in the feeling that their next eight Premier League games truly do carry the weight of a cup final in amongst them.

What felt like something of a small hiccup in the Lilywhites’ season following their 4-1 mauling at the hands of Internazionale in the Europa League earlier this month, now looks perilously close to developing into a more debilitating wobble that’s threatening to have a far more sinister effect upon their campaign.

Two consecutive defeats in the league at the hands of Liverpool and Fulham have seen Andre Villas-Boas’ side effectively all but throw away the seven-point lead they’d worked so hard to attain. And as Lloris suggests, no one in N17 is taking anything for granted.

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“We did very well for 12 games and we lost against Liverpool and Fulham, but the most important thing is the reaction,” the Frenchman told the Daily Mail.

“I think the international break was a good thing for us, to help us find energy for the end of the season. We now have eight games which are like eight finals.”

Certainly, if Spurs really were on the proverbial ropes following Dimitar Berbatov’s 1-0 winner for Fulham during their last league outing, then the recent international break has proved a desperately needed return to their corner. Far from just avoiding a knockout punch themselves when they visit Swansea City this weekend, they need to start matching their rival’s results blow for blow.

With Arsenal having gone to the Liberty Stadium and won during their last league game, while Spurs supporters will be loathsome to add any more pressure than what their side is already having to bear, Saturday’s game against Michael Laudrup’s side is nothing less than a must-win.

But for as prominent as the cup final cliché may be at White Hart Lane in recent days, the notion of a ‘winning mentality’ hasn’t been too far off supporters’ lips either.

It’s something that the team threatened to finally develop following the ground out wins against the likes West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle and the last minute comebacks against the away games against both Lyon and West Ham United suggested that the Lilywhites might finally be developing a new found steel under Andre Villas-Boas.

Three defeats on the spin, however, have cast doubt that the soft-centre will ever be galvanized.

But it’s interesting to hear Lloris describe what’s needed in order for Spurs to not only achieve Champions League qualification this season, but to also push on further and take the club onto a level that many seem reluctant to even contemplate.

“We have ambition to put this club in the top four every year,” the 26-year-old said.

“When you are a player you have to be at the highest level in every game and you have to instil a winning mentality. A good model is Manchester United. They prove every season they have the mentality of winners.”

When Spurs have succumbed to defeat this season, so often the post-mortem has been a forensic examination of the tactical kind, with so much of the weight of blame usually attributed to faulty formations and suspect substitutions.

But with the side having hauled themselves up to third at one point within this division, how much of their fate over the next eight games lies within not what’s going on with the ball at their feet, rather in-between their ears?

No one can preempt what might or might not happen during this weekend’s game against Swansea City and if football was as simple as the team with the best players winning every week, the Premier League wouldn’t of course be quite the product it is today.

But while they have perhaps been dented by Aaron Lennon’s recent absence, this Tottenham side carry no more or no less troubles with them to Wales on Saturday than what they did during the majority of the recent club record 12-game unbeaten run. For as refreshing as it was to see them develop the steel that saw them snatch victory from the jaws of defeat during that run, the club will perhaps never truly progress, until they banish their habit of doing the opposite, for good.

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To quote one Robert South, “defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus.”

The barometer of how much Spurs have progressed mentally this season was always going to be when their undefeated run came to an end – not for how long it would go on for. And for as many strides as the majority of supporters may believe the side have made under Andre Villas-Boas, should Tottenham be unable to overcome their recent run of adversity, then perhaps ultimately this team may not have developed at all.

If they want to out finish their rivals, qualify for the Champions League and push on towards pastures previously thought too giddy to even contemplate, then Spurs are going to have to develop the requisite mentality to dovetail with their footballing prowess.

The next eight games will ultimately decide their fate, but how Villas-Boas’ side react to the gauntlet that Arsenal have thrown down for them at Swansea, will go a long way to determining how far they’ve ultimately come.

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Aston Villa fans are absolutely delighted for Keinan Davis after the youngster continued his international form with a goal and assist against Portugal on Tuesday.

Keinan Davis continued his bright start to his international career on Tuesday night with a fantastic performance for England’s Under-20 side.

The young lions won 3-0 on the night, and on loan Villa defender Easah Suliman was also on the scoresheet.

Davis stole the show though, supplying the opener with a smart layoff before battering his way through for a penalty, which he then converted with real swagger.

The 20 year-old scored a late winner in last week’s 1-0 over Poland, and will be hoping to carry some of this form back to Villa Park.

Despite having an impressive breakthrough season, the towering striker still needs to add more goals for his club, managing just two this season in 17 league starts.

Still, his brilliant international break has got fans excited, and he could be the perfect push the team needs with Jonathan Kodjia still injured.

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Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

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When Graziano Pelle joined Southampton in 2014’s summer transfer window no one expected him to have the impact he would have on the first half of the Saint’s season. His six goals in his first eight games meant that early on, Southampton were flying high in the Premier League table and some fans believed a top four finish was a real possibility.

A few months later, Southampton are still in with a chance but the once prolific Italian is going through a long dry spell. Pelle’s last goal came in January against a Crystal Palace side that beat them 3-2 and knocked them out of the FA Cup.

Since then he has continually failed to take his chances, missing sitters and open goals. Manager Ronald Koeman, who couldn’t praise the forward enough at the start of the season, now doesn’t even always start him – opting instead to rely on the Saints’ other forwards to lead the attack with Pelle left keeping the bench warm.

Take Southampton’s game at Stamford Bridge against table leaders Chelsea. Dusan Tadic and Shane Long started up front while Pelle was given the last 10 minutes to try to find the net. The match ended 1-1, Tadic put away a penalty, but Pelle was once again unable to make a difference for his team.

Pelle cost Southampton the relativity low amount of £8 million on a three year deal. He scored a massive 23 League goals from 28 appearances for Feyenoord last season but will definitely not replicate that amount this year.

So is Pelle just going through a run of poor form or were the first few months the exception and not the rule?

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Described as a strong and imposing striker 6ft 4in, Pelle should be more of a threat in front of goal – especially from corners – but instead he at times lacks precision and resembles more of a defender than the short, stocky and zippy forwards we’re becoming accustomed to in the Premier League.

Pelle has just eight league goals to his name which when compared with top scorer Diego Costa on 18 (who himself is having a difficult end to the season) doesn’t look effective enough. It’s a shame as the 29-year-old was so impressive in his first few months that he received his first International cap; an honour he repaid by scoring the Azzurri’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Malta.

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I think Pelle’s form at the season’s opening proves he can find the net and get the winning goal so Koeman should still give him minutes and starts. Every player goes through these problems and once he’s back to his best Pelle really could fire Southampton up the table to a Champions League or Europa League place. It was his early goals after all that put them in contention in the first place.

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Ex-Manchester City manager Peter Reid believes that Manchester United will win their 20th Premier League title this season and it’s down to their ability to win vital games.

United currently sit at the top of the league with a 12 point advantage after beating Everton on Sunday. With just 13 matches to go until the last day of the season, Reid doesn’t believe that any of the clubs will be able to catch the Red Devils and this is due to their ability to win games even when they aren’t playing well.

“Champions win football matches when they are not playing well, Manchester United have done it and Manchester City haven’t and that’s the bottom line. That is why they are 12 points clear and that is the reason I think they will win it,” Reid told The Daily Mail.

The Citizens won the league last year in a memorable season finale when they beat Qpr with a goal scored in injury time. The reigning champions have found it hard to defend their title and their form this season falls short of the effort made last year. Reid believes several factors are to blame for this, one being their early exit from the Champions League.

“In the Champions League they had a hell of a  difficult group but they got three points and for the Premier League champions that is a really poor return,” he added.

“As a result I think confidence and momentum  were lost early on by City as it showed you where they are in the grand scale of things in Europe and that has been borne out in the Premier League.”

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Only one wicket falls all day as Somerset toil in vain at Trent Bridge

ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-2024Nottinghamshire 360 and 425 for 2 (Slater 168*, Hameed 91, Young 68*, Stone 63) drew with Somerset 470 (Abell 111, Pretorius 95*, Pennington 5-96) Nottinghamshire opener Ben Slater turned the 13th hundred of his career into an unbeaten 168 but a lifeless final-day pitch had consigned this Vitality County Championship match to a draw long before that conclusion was reached with an exchange of handshakes at ten minutes to five as the home side declared on 425 for two.Only one wicket fell in 72 overs on the day, Slater finishing on a score he has bettered only twice in his career, with overseas batter Will Young making 68 not out after Olly Stone had been out for 63 nine overs after lunch, the England fast bowler again showing off his batting skills with a half-century in each innings for the first time in his career.There was too little in the pitch to encourage much interest for the bowlers, however, and it was hardly surprising that Nottinghamshire showed no interest in setting Somerset a target, given that their prospects of taking 10 wickets were almost non-existent.The 13 points they take ensure they remain at a comfortable distance from the relegation places in the Division One table; Somerset’s 15 keep them third.After sharing an opening partnership of 172 with Haseeb Hameed that was broken shortly before Tuesday’s close, Slater found two more long-term companions in Stone and Young.Stone ostensibly joined him as nightwatchman with Hameed’s demise but is making a strong case to be recognised as a genuine all-rounder.The 30-year-old England fast bowler had made only one half-century in 47 first-class matches before surprising onlookers with a very good 90 against Lancashire on this ground in May but now has three in his last five innings.This time he chipped in with 63 to go with his first-innings 83 batting at nine. Not all of his nine boundaries came off the middle of the bat, yet his defence was solid and he had helped Slater add another 136 before Jake Ball, using a belatedly taken second new ball, thudded one into his front pad as he played across the line.Slater, meanwhile, whose stand with Hameed had been the highest for Nottinghamshire’s first wicket since two shared an unbroken 236 against Worcestershire in 2021, was by then into three figures for the first time this season, reaching the century mark with a six and 12 fours, a good proportion of which clunked into the advertising boards on the short Bridgford Road side as the left-hander cut and pulled to profitable effect.When Stone departed, Nottinghamshire’s lead was 198 and, with little in the pitch to excite bowlers of any variety, Somerset could only hope a declaration might keep them in the game.Yet the docile surface meant that realistically there could be only one winner in such a scenario and there was nothing in the way Slater and Young went about their business to suggest that such a course of action was even being considered.Meanwhile Slater – dropped on 21 – pushed on past 150 for the third time in his career, having ticked off that milestone from 317 balls with 19 fours to go with the one six. By tea, at 396 for two, the lead was 286 with 37 overs remaining.New Zealand Test opener Young, whose only noteworthy score in a disappointing season so far was his unbeaten 174 in the drawn match between these sides at Taunton, almost missed out on a half-century, dropped at short midwicket by James Rew, who had handed the wicketkeeper’s gloves to Tom Kohler-Cadmore and later became the ninth Somerset player to have a bowl.

CSK seem to have run out of gas after being the pace-setters early on, but are still in the top four on the table

Deivarayan Muthu05-May-20235:48

Can Mumbai’s in-form batters overcome resurgent Jadeja and Co?

Big picture – MI have the wood on CSK at Chepauk

The last time Chennai Super Kings lost two home games in the league stage of an IPL season was way back in 2013. After they suffered a last-ball defeat to Punjab Kings last weekend, CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming suggested that the Impact Player rule has allowed teams to go harder at oppositions this IPL – both Adam Zampa and Prabhsimran Singh, who had been brought in as Impact Players for the two games, messed with CSK’s plans and set them up for rare home defeats.But even before the introduction of the Impact Player, Mumbai Indians had breached CSK’s fortress multiple times. In fact, MI have a dominant 6-2 win-loss record against CSK at Chepauk, and are on a six-match winning streak against CSK at the venue.Related

• 'It's inevitable' – Moody, Shastri on IPL taking over world cricket

• Suryakumar shows why he is so difficult to bowl to

MI’s recent form is also encouraging: they’ve won five of their last seven games, with their middle order, in particular, dripping with explosive power and class. Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David and Tilak Varma have all contributed handsomely to MI becoming the first IPL team to hunt down 200-plus totals in back-to-back games. MI also have depth in their spin attack, which will be handy if Chepauk rolls out a black-soil turner.As for CSK, they seem to have run out of gas after having been the pace-setters in the first half of the season. Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali are yet to properly fire with the bat while Tushar Deshpande has leaked runs at the death although he has the knack of taking wickets in clusters. Deepak Chahar, who had pulled up injured when CSK and MI last met at the Wankhede, is fit again and could lend some experience and powerplay bite to their attack.A win for CSK on Saturday could potentially take them back to the top two, while a win for MI could see them break away from the mid-table logjam and enter the top half of the standings.

The big question

Team news – Hrithik Shokeen could return for MI

MI are usually big on match-ups, so they might bring back offspinner Hrithik Shokeen against a left-hander-heavy CSK line-up. There is no official news from CSK’s camp on whether Ben Stokes is available for selection – he has been batting and bowling in the nets over the past week. Sisanda Magala has also resumed both batting and bowling in the nets, but with Matheesha Pathirana establishing himself as CSK’s go-to death bowler, there is no room for him.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings: NRLLWW
Mumbai Indians: WWLLW

Impact Player strategy

As far as the Impact Player is concerned, CSK have followed a fairly consistent pattern, with Rayudu replacing one of the bowlers when they chase. They could start with Deshpande if they bowl first and replace him with Rayudu in the second innings, or vice versa.CSK Probable XII: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 , 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Matheesha Pathirana, 12 If the Chepauk pitch plays true to its nature, MI could consider using left-arm-all-sorts spinner Kumar Kartikeya as an Impact Player and strengthen their spin attack even further. Suryakumar might make way for Kartikeya if MI go down this route.MI Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Cameron Green, 4 , 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Tim David, 7 Nehal Wadhera, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Hrithik Shokeen, 11 Akash Madhwal/Arshad Khan, 12 Matheesha Pathirana has been a revelation for CSK at the death•AFP/Getty Images

Stats and Trivia

• David has a strike rate of 199 between overs 16 and 20 this season – the highest among batters who have faced at least 60 balls in this phase. Jadeja, in comparison, has struck at only 146 in this phase.
• MI have the worst death-overs economy rate (13.36) in the IPL. CSK have fared much better in this phase, conceding 10.47 an over.
• Piyush Chawla has a good head-to-head record against Rayudu in the IPL, having dismissed him six times in 13 innings while giving up only nine boundaries in 53 balls against him.
• Rohit Sharma holds the unwanted record of having bagged the joint-most ducks in the IPL. Dinesh Karthik, Mandeep Singh and Sunil Narine have also collected 15 ducks each in the tournament.

Pitch and conditions

While the Chepauk pitches in this IPL have offered some purchase for spinners, the true bounce has allowed batters to hit through the line. The overhead conditions were overcast when MI and CSK started training on the eve of the game and there’s also some rain forecast for Saturday evening.

Quotes

“We’ve played [Lasith] Malinga in the nets when I came here in Mumbai Indians and that gives us a lot of confidence. He was a legend and we did practice well when he was bowling, so we will just look to watch the ball and play our own game.”

Mujeeb ur Rahman,who has been named among the reserves, will be added to the main squad once he gets his visa sorted

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2022Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Naveen-ul-Haq have been named in Afghanistan’s 16-member squad for the five-match T20I series in Ireland. Spinners Qais Ahmad and Mujeeb ur Rahman, who were not part of Afghanistan’s series against Zimbabwe in June due to T20 Blast commitments, have been added as reserves. ESPNcricinfo understands that Mujeeb will be added to the main squad once he gets his visa sorted. Ihsanullah Janat, who made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe, has been left out.Opening batter Ibrahim was part of the ODI side for the Zimbabwe tour, but his last T20I was in November 2019 against West Indies. He has been in good form in the ongoing Shpageeza Cricket League, where he is currently the third highest run-getter with 283 runs in seven innings at an average of 56.60. Top-order batter Shahidi was also part of the ODI series against Zimbabwe and last played a T20I in March 2021. Fast bowler Naveen, who has not represented Afghanistan in any format since November last year, was the second highest wicket-taker in the T20 Blast this season, taking 24 wickets in 14 matches for Leicestershire.Top-order batter Usman Ghani and seam bowler Nijat Masood, who were part of the side that played against Zimbabwe, will also travel to Ireland as reserves along with Qais and Mujeeb.Mohammad Nabi continues to lead the side, which also includes 17-year-old left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad, who took 4 for 10 on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in June.Former Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib was left out of the squad once again, after being dropped following the ODI series against Bangladesh in February. He was omitted from the T20I series of that tour and has not represented Afghanistan since.The series against Ireland comprises five T20Is in Belfast and starts on August 9. To avoid visa issues that have plagued Afghanistan of late, the Afghanistan Cricket Board had obtained UAE residency visas for nearly dozen players and officials.Afghanistan squad: Mohammad Nabi (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharfuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Farid Ahmed Malik, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmed

Rafiq has alleged it was an “open secret” that the name “Kevin” was used to describe people of colour

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021Alex Hales has denied “any racial connotation” in naming his dog ‘Kevin’ after Azeem Rafiq alleged that the name was used by former Yorkshire team-mate Gary Ballance “to describe people of colour”.Rafiq told a parliamentary hearing into the Yorkshire County Cricket Club racism scandal on Tuesday that he believed Hales, the former England batter, had named his dog ‘Kevin’ because it was black.In a statement released on Wednesday, Hales said: “Having heard the allegations made against me, I categorically and absolutely deny there was any racial connotation in the naming of my dog.”I entirely respect and have huge sympathy for both the stance Azeem Rafiq has taken and what he has had to endure. His evidence was harrowing.”There is no place for racism or discrimination of any kind in cricket and I will gladly cooperate with any investigation the game’s authorities choose to hold. Neither I nor my representatives will be making any further comment on the matter.”Related

• Live Blog – Parliamentary inquiry into Yorkshire racism investigation

• Azeem Rafiq: Joe Root's comments about not seeing racism at Yorkshire were 'hurtful'

• Azeem Rafiq: 'Before we move forward, the game needs to listen to a lot of people who have suffered'

• Azeem Rafiq feels 'massive weight' lift after giving evidence of racist abuse

Hales’ county club, Nottinghamshire, said it had “commenced the appropriate internal process” following Rafiq’s claims.”Following on from the testimony provided to the DCMS Select Committee regarding Alex Hales, we have commenced the appropriate internal process and will continue to liaise with Alex and his advisers accordingly,” a club statement said.The club also encouraged “anyone who wishes to share concerns or discuss their experiences to come forward and speak freely” either directly or through the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC).”Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club remains totally committed to making cricket in our county, at every level, welcoming and accessible for all,” the statement said. “We have always tried to create positive and fulfilling cricketing experiences for people from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, and we will continue to do so.”We acknowledge that, given the experiences recently being shared within the wider game, individuals may not have felt comfortable in voicing their concerns in the past.”We would encourage anyone who wishes to share concerns or discuss their experiences to come forward and speak freely… it is vital that individuals do so, in order for the game of cricket to learn and move forward together.”Alex Hales says he will cooperate with any investigation into racism claims•Getty Images

During the hearing, before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee, Rafiq was asked by Julian Knight MP, the committee chair, about references to the word “Kevin” in Yorkshire’s controversial report into Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism at the club.Rafiq replied that it was a derogatory word used by Ballance to describe non-white team-mates. “It was an open secret in the England dressing room,” he said. “Anyone who came across Gary would know that was a phrase he would use to describe people of colour.”Rafiq then alleged that Hales had picked up on the word and named his dog ‘Kevin’ because it was black. “It’s disgusting how much of a joke it was,” Rafiq added.

At an event to rename the Daredevils, Parth Jindal indicated his franchise might not show much interest in English or Australian players, since they were set to leave early

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-20181:08

‘We wanted to give the team a new identity’ – Delhi Capitals co-owner

Availability of players, and not the venue, will be the key factor ahead of the forthcoming IPL auction, scheduled on December 18. That is is the opinion of Parth Jindal, co-owner of the Daredevils franchise which was renamed Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.IPL 2019 is likely to be advanced, keeping in mind that most international players will have to attend preparatory camps for the World Cup, which starts in England on May 30. The IPL had already informed franchises earlier this year that both CA and ECB would be restricting the participation of those in their World Cup squads till May 1 only. Moreover, the venue for IPL 2019 is still undecided, with the tournament being held at the same time as the general elections in India.Jindal confirmed that English and Australian players in particular, were likely to be less desirable at least for Delhi at the auction. “We’ll plan to target players more based on availability,” Jindal said. “Where the IPL is held is obviously relevant, but having players who are available throughout the season is very important. We know that the English players will leave after May 1, as will the Australians. Barring those two countries, as of now we are given to understand that most of the other countries’ players will be available.”Jindal also said that franchises were yet to get clarity on the availability of marquee Indian players, especially the fast bowlers, following media reports that Indian captain Virat Kohli had told the BCCI that the workload of certain key players should be managed in the IPL to keep them fresh for the World Cup. The BCCI is likely to bring the IPL start date forward to March 23 as a part-solution to this, which would also help Indian players get a two-week break before they start their World Cup campaign. “There is talk that Virat Kohli wants some of the Indian fast bowlers to be rested,” Jindal said. “Luckily we don’t have anyone in our team who is in the Indian ODI squad. But as much of an unknown it is to us, it’s the same for the other seven teams. So everyone will go into the auction on an even playing field.”The Delhi Daredevils franchise was remaned Delhi Capitals•Delhi Daredevils

The IPL 2019 auction will be held in Jaipur on December 18, and Delhi will have a purse of INR 25.50 crore, second only to Kings XI Punjab’s INR 36.20 crore. Jindal, who took charge of the franchise when JSW bought a 50% stake in the franchise in March 2018, said that since Delhi had deep pockets, they just needed to invest wisely.Jindal was also optimistic about bringing back Shikhar Dhawan, who was traded in from Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Shahbaz Nadeem, Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma. “I’m still wondering why Hyderabad released him. He was Man of the Series in Australia too,” Jindal said, adding that having the best set of frontline Indian batsmen gave him confidence Delhi could reach the play-offs next season. “We are banking on our Indian players. Our core is Indian. If you look at our top four of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, it’s very strong. You look at any IPL team, none of them have four Indian players who are so dynamic at the top of the order.”Dhawan had played for Delhi in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, and will be returning for the first time since then. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to play for Delhi again,” he said in a video message at the team’s renaming event. “I’m coming back after 11 years, and we are going to play with a lot of passion.”Without divulging the auction strategy, Jindal said Delhi wanted to strengthen their bowling reserves. “We need bowling – Indian and foreign. We need allrounders, though we have Chris Morris, we need one more. And we have a big purse for the auction, so we’ll spend from that.”

James Sutherland has announced his resignation from his role as Cricket Australia chief executive, with a 12-month succession plan put in place to find a replacement

Daniel Brettig06-Jun-20181:37

Had been thinking about it for a long time – Sutherland

An era ended as James Sutherland joined the growing line of departures from Cricket Australia in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, though he insisted that his managed exit after 17 years was the result of more than 24 months of careful discussion with the chairman David Peever.Sutherland served as chief executive since 2001 and oversaw a period of great growth but also turmoil. Most recently, the South Africa tour shone a poor light on the national team and the organisation. However, the game’s financial growth during his time was enormous. Some of the major changes included the formation of the Big Bash League in 2011, the start of day-night Test cricket in 2015, and major increases in broadcast rights deals in 2013 and this year.

James Sutherland’s statement

“Today I’m announcing my intention to stand down as chief executive of Cricket Australia. In advising David [Peever] and the board of my decision I’ve provided 12 months’ notice. It’s my intention to give the board the opportunity to run a thorough process to identify my successor and for me to provide support to the new CEO with the smoothest possible handover. After nearly 20 years at CA and 17 as chief executive, the time is right for me and my family and I think the time is also right for cricket.
“My overwhelming feeling today is a sense of gratitude. I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to do this job and I’ve worked closely with six chairmen. I’d like to thank David and each of his five predecessors for having the confidence in me and for their friendship, support and counsel along the way.
“By far the most inspiring thing about the job that I do is the people that I work with. I love and admire their passion for the game and their dedication to serve the cricket community. In addition to those at CA that includes people in our states and territories and of course the thousands of volunteers across Australia who do a wonderful job for cricket. Any credit to me has only ever been due to the great people around me.
“Finally, thanks to my family. None of our three kids were born when I started work at CA, so in a sense that’s all they know. But it’s my wife Heidi who is the one who really deserves the credit. She’s made her own personal sacrifices for my career and our own family and I can’t thank her enough for her support and understanding.”

It was a measure of Sutherland’s eventful tenure that he sat alongside Peever, who is the sixth he has served alongside, after Denis Rogers, Bob Merriman, Creagh O’Connor, Jack Clarke and Wally Edwards. On the same day Sutherland revealed his intention to depart, Peever confirmed he had the CA Board’s backing to continue for another three years.As such, Peever is looking increasingly like the lone survivor of Newlands and its aftermath, which has so far included bans for the captain Steven Smith, deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the resignation of the coach Darren Lehmann, the hurried removal of the head of integrity – and Cape Town investigator – Iain Roy and now the end of Sutherland’s long stint at the helm. At the same time the former board director Kevin Roberts has been promoted to chief operating officer, a role Sutherland had previously declined to furnish. That places Roberts in the vanguard of a candidate list that may also include the former NSW chairman John Warn, the state’s chief executive and former CA strategist Andrew Jones, and the recently appointed game development chief Belinda Clark.It is believed that the CA Board had wanted Sutherland to outline an exit strategy for quite some time. Peever, who reckoned there would be a “slight bias” towards candidates who are both Australian and insiders to cricket, explained that he and Sutherland had discussed the CEO’s future for almost the entirety of his time since becoming chairman in 2015, with the recent Ashes summer considered an appropriate end point. However, they subsequently agreed he should stay on to see through the completion of a new, A$1.18 billion television rights deal – Newlands took place in between.”When James and I were getting clearer about timing we talked about the end of the successful men’s and women’s Ashes summer as a good juncture,” Peever said in Melbourne. “But then we talked more about it and said we really need to complete the media rights process. There is no good time, there is always something going on in cricket, and so we decided then that after media rights were completed that James would announce.”Clearly, the ball-tampering issue has created upheaval, we’ve got the review process going on. I think it has also helped us understand better the extraordinary passion that Australians have for cricket and the importance of us as administrators to make sure we’re tapping back into that passion and respecting that passion, and indeed our strategy goes very strongly back to fans and grassroots.”The board has asked me to do another term [as chairman] and I’ve agreed to do that. I think at times like this continuity is important, so we have transition to a new CEO, we have leadership changes in the Australia men’s set-up, we have a massive summer coming up which we’re all excited about, we have a World Cup and Ashes next year, we’ve got a World T20 in 2020, we’ve got new financial models, we’ve got new broadcasters, so on the basis of all those things going on, with James transitioning out, I’ve agreed to do another term.”4:24

Brettig: Sutherland will be remembered for the way he handled controversies

Having joined CA as a lieutenant of Malcolm Speed, Sutherland was only 35 when named chief executive in 2001. He oversaw a period featuring issues such as Shane Warne’s 2003 drugs ban, the decline of the national team from 2007 until the Don Argus-led review of team performance in 2011, the dramatic sacking of the coach Mickey Arthur and replacement by Darren Lehmann in 2013, the death of Phillip Hughes in 2014 and the “Big Three” takeover of the ICC in the same year, and then last’s year’s hot-tempered MoU dispute, a process he was kept out of by Peever before ultimately intervening late in the piece.Yet, at the same time, there were major advancements. The advent of the Big Bash League and day-night Test cricket were significant on-field innovations, women’s cricket grew from amateurism to full professionalism over his time, and the size of the Australian game grew exponentially in financial terms through burgeoning successive television rights deals. This mixture of drama and growth was never better summed up than by the latest broadcast rights deal with Fox Sports and Seven being signed a matter of weeks after the disgrace of Newlands. Sutherland may have hoped to stay on until hosting the World Twenty20 in 2020, but he will now leave around the same time that Smith and Warner return to the playing arena.”My view has always been I’d like to go out on my terms, but at the same time I want to go out in such a way that allows the game to make a smooth transition,” Sutherland said. “I think that having been in the role for 17 years there are things I’ve come to know along the way that it was only appropriate for me to work closely with my successor but at the same time I’ll be keen to get out of their way as quickly as possible as well.”Our business works on a four, five, six year cycle and it just so happens that right now, putting aside the fact I’ve been in the role for 17 years, we’ve adopted a new strategy, we have the collective agreement with our players in place we’ve just done a new media rights deal that puts us in a really strong position about certainty of revenue for this next cycle, as well as the ICC piece, it just feels that with all those things done it’s a really good time for me to step aside but also a really good time for a new chief executive to come in and have a good run at it.”Speaking about Roberts’ recent elevation, Sutherland said it had been a matter of ascribing the former Adidas retail executive a title befitting the role he had increasingly come to play. “From my perspective and internally people would know and understand that over the last 12 months or so at least Kevin’s had a very broad role and has been effectively my deputy and CEO,” he said. “So from that perspective I think it’s really turning what was a convoluted title into a COO and allows that clarity about his role.”Getty Images

Always reluctant to talk about himself, Sutherland parried away a question about personal highlights and lowlights by outlining what he had always thought was the most important element of his role – ensuring as many children played the game as possible, to show them its virtues but also to grow the size of the game.”My underlying belief about the most important thing we do as sports administrators is inspire the next generation to love cricket,” Sutherland said. “Boys and girls, it’s all about that and whilst that doesn’t necessarily get the publicity that it deserves, the facts of the matter are that if kids today are not getting bats and balls in their hands, not seeing and understanding the opportunity that is there from playing cricket, then the game doesn’t have a future. That has been the underlying driver for me in this role, all the way through.”It’s about the kids and about making sure the game has a sustainable future through the next generation. In a specific sense the Big Bash is part and parcel in that, something that’s come into play to bring new people to the game, it’s a great success story for Australian cricket, but it’s one piece of the jigsaw that also includes the opportunity and the access to the game that boys and girls around the country need, and the support that states and territories play in providing that is incredibly important.”The importance of providing access to the game for as many children as possible has been a consistent theme of Sutherland’s years in charge, but his departure has followed the first instance in Australian cricket history of placing a portion of home international cricket behind a television paywall. Just as compromise and contradiction has been required to retain the role for this many years, so too has it applied to the way Sutherland’s time will be remembered.”We’ve had some big things to deal with over the course of the last 12 months,” Sutherland said. “Obviously there’s Cape Town but there’s also some key planks now in place that allow me to step aside and for a new chief executive to come in and have a really strong platform.”