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Manaf Mohamed, who was hired as general manager of the USA Cricket Association in January 2011, has been dismissed by USACA chief executive Darren Beazley

Peter Della Penna28-Jun-2013Manaf Mohamed, who was hired as general manager of the USA Cricket Association in January 2011, has been dismissed by USACA chief executive Darren Beazley. The move came after the USACA decided to terminate the general manager’s position due to its redundant functions.”The termination was due to the elimination of the general manager position,” Mohamed told ESPNcricinfo, when asked about the reason for his removal. “I wasn’t surprised. I was expecting it simply because there was a lot of overflow area between some of the activities that I used to do as the GM and then with the CEO coming in doing a lot of high-level stuff. Knowing something about our funding position, I kind of expected it in the long run. It would all come down to how they manage the budget.”Mohamed, 65, had previously served as USACA’s second vice-president from 2008 until he stepped down from a volunteer position to take on a paid job as general manager in 2011. He was originally hired to fill the administrative void left by the removal of USACA’s first chief executive, Don Lockerbie, who was dismissed in November 2010. The position of a general manager did not exist during Lockerbie’s tenure as CEO, but having a full-time paid administrator is one of the requirements for Associate countries to receive an increased level of ICC funding. With USACA in no rush to hire a new CEO after Lockerbie’s departure, the position of general manager was created, with Mohamed taking on the role.In December 2012, USACA announced that Darren Beazley had been hired to become the next chief executive and he confirmed that the decision was part of a larger re-structuring within USACA.”The role of general manager is no longer necessary with a full-time CEO and the removal of the role is part of a larger re-structure of our HR function that is ongoing,” Beazley said in a written statement. “Manaf has been a diligent servant to the game of cricket here in the US. Whilst we are sorry to see him go in a permanent capacity, I am very pleased that he’ll remain involved in some of the projects that we have coming up. His experience as a previous USACA Board member and paid administrator is very valuable to the future direction of US cricket.”

Cameron Gannon, the Queensland seamer, has been barred from bowling in domestic matches after his action was found to be illegal by Cricket Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2013Cameron Gannon, the Queensland seamer, has been barred from bowling in domestic matches after his action was found to be illegal by Cricket Australia.Biomechanical analysis of Gannon’s action, undertaken after he was reported by the umpires in the Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania in Hobart last month, showed that he bowled with an elbow extension beyond the allowable 15-degree level.”Analysis conducted at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra found that Gannon bowls with an illegal action for all deliveries, with an average elbow extension of 24 degrees,” a CA statement said. “The allowable elbow extension is 15 degrees.”As such, Gannon is now suspended from bowling in interstate cricket until he passes another analysis of his action in accordance with the provisions set out in the Cricket Australia Doubtful Bowling procedures.”This suspension is effective immediately and Gannon is not able to request a fresh analysis of his action until at least 90 days from today’s date.”Gannon was reported four times across the summer, including twice in the final. A minimum of three reports within the same season are required for a bowler to be subjected to testing.

Australia may never again produce batting talent on the level of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke due to “holes in the production line”, the former captain Ian Chappell has said

Daniel Brettig27-Mar-2013Australia may never again produce Test match batting talent on the level of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke if numerous gaping “holes in the production line” are not addressed by Cricket Australia, the former captain Ian Chappell has said. The poverty of batting performance on a disastrous tour of India underlined problems in Australian batting that Chappell feels have been festering now for some years, exacerbated by the commercial evolution of the game.Arguing that coaching appointments and the shuffling of players by selectors will not address the issue, Chappell has called for CA to look more closely at how batsmen are being developed, addressing matters such as the amount of short-form cricket being played by juniors, the array of pitches on offer in the Sheffield Shield and the impact of a muddled schedule tossing players from Twenty20 to Tests and back again.”We are not addressing the fact that there are holes in the production line,” Chappell told ESPNcricinfo. “For instance, I have seen the next lot of batsmen at the Under-19 level World Cup and I have not seen any change in what’s happening. So I’ve got to ask the question, if our methods of producing batsmen don’t seem to be working, and in my opinion they are not, why aren’t we trying to do some other things?”I don’t hear these things being talked about and it’s just a matter of will we change the coach, will we bring in a new high-performance [manager], those things are not going to make one bit of a difference. Fix up the core problem and then we might start to get somewhere. The problem with that being, if we fix up the core problem tomorrow, you are talking about another generation before you really start to reap the benefits. So there are some major problems that I see in Australian cricket and I don’t think they are being addressed.”Citing the composure, stroke range and adaptability demonstrated by Clarke, Hussey and Ponting that was painfully absent from many of their batting descendants in India, Chappell said that Australian cricket may never see their like again.”If you think about it, Ponting, Hussey and Clarke, you would have to say are the last of that sort of generation who learnt how to survive those tough periods,” he said. “You know as a batsman when at times you have to get through half an hour, or it might be an hour, against a really good attack.”The classic examples are – Clarke at Lord’s in 2009. It was a magnificent innings against brilliant bowling from Jimmy Anderson and Andrew Flintoff. In my opinion, that’s the best innings I have ever seen from Clarke. And Ponting’s innings at Old Trafford in 2005 to save the Test match – 156 I think he got. Magnificent innings, back to the wall save the Test match type innings. That should be standard fare for other Australian Test batsmen. But at the moment you would say, when Michael Clarke retires, that may be the end of that style of batsman.”Team management on the India tour were critical of the players’ discipline, not only off the field as publicised by the suspension of four squad members in Mohali, but also on it as team plans for how to tackle India’s spin bowlers on turning pitches were not followed. Chappell said such issues were created by batsmen not growing into an adequate knowledge of their own techniques in all conditions, prompting panic when circumstances did not suit their games.”It’s easy to be patient when you know that you’ve got the technique and the wherewithal to cope with spin bowling under those conditions,” Chappell said. “Because you know that eventually you can hang around long enough to start to pick up the runs and get things going and then the boundaries come. Then you’ve got a chance of making a big score.”But if you don’t have faith in your technique and your ability to survive, that’s when the panic sets in. So it’s got nothing to do with being impatient, it’s much more to do with your technique and your non-belief in that technique that brings on the panic.”Chappell’s words echoed those of Ponting himself when asked in 2011 about how Australian batsmen were losing touch with the art of concentration. “That’s the big worry I’ve had about Twenty20 cricket, and even other shorter forms of the game being played at really developmental times in kids’ careers,” Ponting said. “Cricket for me, when I was growing up, if I was batting, it meant I was batting until someone got me out, and if that took them a week then that’s how long it took them.”The guys who played in my era that’s what it was all about – not going out there and facing two overs and then being told that you had to go and stand in the field; that’s not what cricket is. And that’s the worry I have about a lot of the developmental phases. Even Under-17s and Under-19s now, they’re playing T20 games in national championships, and at the detriment of two-day games.”Good state players these days are averaging 35. If you were averaging 35 when I was playing, your dad would go and buy you a basketball or a footy and tell you to play that. So there’s areas of concern there. I don’t know how you change them.”

Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting’s brashness and “show-no-fear” attitude as among his greatest traits

Brydon Coverdale06-Dec-2012Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting’s brashness and “show-no-fear” attitude as among his greatest traits, and Shane Warne has lauded Ponting’s habit of making runs when Australia most needed them. Ponting farewelled Test cricket with Australia’s loss to South Africa in Perth this week and on Thursday, Warne and Richards, in Melbourne in the lead-up to Friday night’s Big Bash League opener, reflected on Ponting’s 17-year Test career.”Certainly he’s up there with the very best,” Richards said. “What I love about him more than anything else, you look at the way he walks out to the crease. He always has presence. There is a tenaciousness about him. He walks out and believes. He’s not going to be intimidated by no one. I would like guys like that. I appreciate seeing guys who come out and have a particular presence.”The same words could have been used to describe Richards, one of ‘s five cricketers of the century, a man who never wore a helmet and stared down fast bowlers all over the world while nonchalantly chewing his gum. Although the careers of the two men did not overlap – Richards retired from Test cricket four years before Ponting made his debut – Richards saw plenty of Ponting’s batting and was impressed by the attitude he displayed from his very first match in 1995.”A young batter who wants to make it, you cannot feel like you have one foot in and one foot out,” Richards said. “You’ve got to make that crease your house. Ricky always made the crease his house. I’ve always been in his corner as a player because of that brashness, he’s an in-your-face sort of guy. Show no fear. Batsmen sometimes can be intimidated by a guy from how far he runs up, but you just put that at the back of your mind and bat with what you have. Ricky, to me, certainly did that.”Richards is part of the BBL this year as a batting mentor for the Melbourne Stars, who are captained by Warne, a man who played 85 Tests alongside Ponting. Although Warne was not always enamoured with Ponting’s captaincy decisions, he said Ponting’s ability to score runs when Australia faced potential trouble was one of the reasons the team was so successful.”It was fun to play with Ricky Ponting,” Warne said. “I met him as a 16-year-old at the cricket academy in Adelaide. He was a guy who was pretty tough and an uncompromising sort of player. He will definitely go down with Greg Chappell and Allan Border and Bradman as the greatest batsmen Australia have had, and he’ll hold up well on the international stage.”He loved a scrap, he loved a fight, he was always good when the team really needed him he put his hand up. That’s a really good characteristic in any player. It’s not about how many runs you get, it’s about when you get your runs and when you take your wickets. I think Ricky always got the majority of his runs when Australia really needed him. That was a standout characteristic of his. He was good fun to play with and tough as nails.”

A round-up of the Caribbean T20 matches played at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad on January 8

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2013
ScorecardCarlos Brathwaite and Ryan Hinds took seven wickets between them to help rout Jamaica for 72 at Queen’s Park Oval, and set up Barbados’ second victory of the Caribbean T20.After winning the toss, Jamaica’s openers added 38 in four overs before the collapse began. They then lost ten wickets for 34 runs and were dismissed in 17.3 overs. Only three batsmen made it past single figures, with Nkrumah Bonner’s 21 being the top score. Carlos Brathwaite’s 4 for 23 were his career-best figures.Barbados also had a shaky period in their small chase, when they lost four wickets for ten runs and slipped to 40 for 5. Opening batsman Justin Brathwaite had scored most of the runs, making 23 off 10 balls. Shane Dowrich and Kyle Mayers, however, ensured Barbados got home in 11.2 overs without further damage.
ScorecardIn another low-scoring game in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) earned their first victory of the tournament by beating Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) by seven wickets.T&T’s bowlers were economical and incisive after their captain Denesh Ramdin won the toss. Only four CCC batsmen made it into double figures but Chadwick Walton’s 19 was the top score. The slow bowlers Kevon Cooper and Sunil Narine took 3 for 17 and 2 for 14, while Dwayne Bravo had figures of 1 for 8 in his four-over spell. CCC managed only 94 for 8 in 20 overs.T&T did not hurry to victory, reaching the target in 17.2 overs. Dwayne Bravo was the top scorer, making an unbeaten 36 off 42 balls.

Australia’s captain George Bailey has conceded it does not look good for his team to have slipped below Ireland in the ICC’s Twenty20 rankings ahead of the World T20 later this month

Brydon Coverdale08-Sep-2012Australia’s captain George Bailey has conceded it does not look good for his team to have slipped below Ireland in the ICC’s Twenty20 rankings ahead of the World T20 later this month. Australia dropped to tenth on the rankings after their Super Over loss to Pakistan in Dubai on Friday, and it was far from the ideal situation less than two weeks before their World T20 opener – against Ireland.However, the T20 rankings points are accumulated from such a small pool of matches that it is difficult to read too much into them. In the current rankings period, which began on August 1, 2010, Australia have won only four of their 13 games, which have all come against South Africa, Pakistan, England, India, Sri Lanka and West Indies.By comparison, Ireland have won eight of 11, but all of their victories have come against Associate nations: Kenya, Scotland, Canada, Netherlands and Afghanistan. The only matches they have played against full ICC members came during a three-match series against Bangladesh in July – and Ireland lost all three games. Similarly, six of the eight games Bangladesh (who are ranked eighth) have played in that time have been against Associates.”It doesn’t look very good,” Bailey told reporters in Dubai after Australia’s loss on Friday. “I’m still not sure how the rankings work. So Ireland go past us tonight. I’m not sure if we’ve ever played Ireland in a T20. Make of that what you will. If Ireland are a better side than us I guess they’ll show it in a couple of weeks in Sri Lanka.”Rankings aside, Australia have several things to work on ahead of the World T20, including settling on their best combination. Mitchell Starc was impressive in the second match having been left out of the first game and Bailey’s own T20 form with the bat took an encouraging turn with his brisk 42 from 27 balls, which nearly got the Australians home.David Warner and Shane Watson also provided a solid start with their 40-run opening stand from less than five overs, and similar efforts will be essential in Sri Lanka. Bailey said despite the loss there were plenty of positives for Australia to take from Friday’s game, especially after they were bowled out for 89 in the first match two days earlier.”I’m really pleased we performed much closer to what I think we’re capable of,” Bailey said. “I think we can take a lot of confidence out of it as a team, I think individually we’ll take a lot of confidence out of it. But to be so close and then to lose leaves a lot of questions in your head.”We’ve got a lot to get out of [the third game on Monday]. Full credit to Pakistan, I think they’ve played two excellent games and certainly deserve to have won the series. But we’ve got a lot to play for. It’s the bigger picture, we all know what’s coming up. As a group, individually I still think there’s plenty to play for.”

For all the talk of Kevin Pietersen and, to a lesser extent Rory Hamilton-Brown, it was two unsung returnees who gave Middlesex an overwhelming advantage on the first day at The Oval.

Tim Wigmore at The Oval15-Aug-2012
ScorecardTim Murtagh haunted his former county with five wickets on day one•PA PhotosFor all the talk of Kevin Pietersen and, to a lesser extent Rory Hamilton-Brown, it was two unsung returnees who gave Middlesex an overwhelming advantage on the first day at The Oval.Neither Tim Murtagh nor Toby Roland-Jones enjoyed the Surrey careers they would have hoped for, but with consistent and late seam movement they combined to bowl Surrey out for a meagre 144. With Middlesex 99 for 1 by the close of play, it was hard to envisage anything other than their fifth consecutive championship victory against Surrey.The contrast between the performances of Murtagh and Roland-Jones, compared to Surrey’s seamers, must have given the hosts great cause to regret that it took moves to Middlesex for them to fulfill their potential. Murtagh’s promise always exceeded his performance during his Surrey career – though he once claimed 6 for 24 against Middlesex in a T20 game – and he left after 2006 with a first-class bowling average of 37. But for Middlesex he has been consistently outstanding, claiming 342 wickets at 25. Murtagh’s bowling appears unobtrusive at times but, such is his accuracy and nip, that all he needs is a little movement to be lethal. This haul of 5 for 37, featuring two wickets bowled, two caught in the slips and one lbw, was the perfect showcase of his qualities.Given Roland-Jones’ age – 24 – his departure will irk Surrey fans even more. As recently as 2009, he featured for Surrey second XI, but Middlesex decided to offer him a contract. He has certainly vindicated their decision since, as an outstanding record of 110 first-class wickets at 21 apiece attests. The bounce he generates from his 6ft 4ins frame and, above all, his nagging line and late seam movement have consistently embarrassed Surrey: his 3 for 38, which included three of Surrey’s top four, took Roland-Jones’ record against Surrey to 22 wickets at an average of 11. Comparisons with Steve Finn are not wholly unjustified.But, outstandingly as Middlesex bowled, there was no excusing the ineptitude of some of Surrey’s shots. For the second consecutive championship match, they followed the Steve Waugh dictum of winning the toss and batting – before proceeding to be routed. They could certainly have done with Pietersen, who wasn’t released by the ECB to play in this game and has apparently gone to Portugal on holiday. Rory Hamilton-Brown did return for his first Championship game since relinquishing the captaincy. He would not have planned to walk in at 28 for 3 but such is Surrey’s batting form that he can’t have been too surprised. Hamilton-Brown made just two singles before in-movement from Murtagh exposed an injudicious gap between bat and pad to remove middle stump.Having failed to pass 160 in three innings, including the CB40, at Durham, Surrey seldom looked as if they would do so on this occasion. Rory Burns and Zafar Ansari have both provided evidence of their chutzpah on occasions this season but ultimately the two have a combined age of 41 and are not natural openers. Under cloudy skies their failures were less than surprising, even if two Ansari straight drives off Roland-Jones highlighted his compact class.A stoppage due to rain after 9.3 overs was to Middlesex’s advantage, as it allowed Murtagh and Roland-Jones to extend their opening spell to 23 overs. By this time Roland-Jones’ tight line had accounted for both Zander de Bruyn – whose duck meant he has now passed 20 in only three of 21 innings this season – and Arun Harinath, for a stoic but seemingly strokeless 14, both of whom fell lbw.Relief of sorts arrived with the introduction of Neil Dexter and Steven Crook, who were unable to maintain the parsimony. But this only made Steven Davies’ aberrant swipe outside off-stump against Dexter all the more frustrating. Jason Roy at least played with some assurance. Understandably given the struggles of his team-mates, he sometimes resorted to one-day mode, with one “flamingo” whip off Dexter almost a parody of KP, albeit not of the Twitter variety. His was a well deserved half-century; that Murali Kartik’s streaky 23 was the second top score yet another indictment of Surrey’s batting.While Gareth Batty’s decision to bat first appeared highly dubious – given recent batting woes, overcast conditions and a Middlesex bowling attack well suited to exploiting them – he actually had little choice. By opting to select two spinners and only two frontline quicks – Jon Lewis, with five wickets at 62 since the T20 break, was omitted – Surrey gambled everything on batting first and watching the ball turn later. If such a strategy suggests desperation, desperate is increasingly what Surrey are as they attempt to avoid returning to Division Two.With utter inevitability, the sun finally broke out when Middlesex started batting. Although there was some turn for Murali Kartik, Middlesex’s opening pair of Chris Rogers and Sam Robson looked utterly assured. Rogers, along with Simon Katich, is probably the best overseas batsman available who is not wanted by his country. Driving and cutting to great effect, it was rather surprising when he was dismissed for 56 in the penultimate over to a fine leg-stump yorker from Jade Dernbach, triggering exuberant celebrations that revealed Surrey’s frustration. In ending just 45 runs behind with nine wickets remaining, Middlesex could reflect on a dominant day.

Shane Watson has conceded he doesn’t know where he will fit back in to Australia’s Test side after missing all six matches of the home summer due to injury

Brydon Coverdale28-Feb-2012Shane Watson has conceded he doesn’t know where he will fit back in to Australia’s Test side after missing all six matches of the home summer due to injury. Watson was on Monday named Australia’s best ODI and Twenty20 international player of the past year at Allan Border Medal night in Melbourne, a day after he made his return to the national side.He captained Australia to a one-day victory over India on Sunday in Sydney, in the absence of the injured skipper Michael Clarke, and opened the batting with David Warner. It was Watson’s first game for Australia in more than three months after hamstring and calf problems sidelined him for the Tests against New Zealand and India.In the meantime, Warner established himself as a Test opener and Ed Cowan proved a solid companion at the top of the order. Warner, Watson and Cowan are all likely to be part of the Test squad that will tour the West Indies in April but it is not clear whether Watson will resume in the opening position or will slot in down the order, which would allow him to take more of a role with the ball.”I’m not exactly sure to be honest,” Watson said. “I’ve been watching from afar how impressive this summer has been. I want to be a part of that, wherever that is. I’ve loved opening the batting, there’s no doubt about that. But I want to be a part of it because it’s been very exciting to watch from afar and I really want to play a big role in that, whatever role that is.”One possibility is that Watson could move in to the No.3 spot that is almost certain to be vacated by the out-of-form Shaun Marsh, which would allow Warner and Cowan to remain the opening combination. Whatever the case, Clarke is excited at the prospect of regaining his vice-captain, and a man who will strengthen a side that won five of its six home Tests this season.”I can’t wait to have him back,” Clarke said after winning the Allan Border Medal and sharing the spoils of the evening with Watson. “It’s great to see him back playing one-day cricket. I have absolutely no doubt that he’ll walk straight back into our Test team. He’s been a great player for a long time but his performances over the last three years have been very consistent. It’s no surprise to me that he sits here again with another two awards.”If we keep him on the park he’ll be sitting here with a few more next year as well because he’s an amazing talent. He’s one of the few players these days who can perform in all three forms of the game with the bat, with the ball, pretty good in the field as well. He makes a big difference to our team. We’ve played some really good cricket throughout this summer to be able to win this most recent Test series without him. But as captain of the team it always makes life easier when you’ve got Watto in your team.”Watson’s two awards were all the more impressive given that he has missed so much cricket recently. But despite missing the first three quarters of the Commonwealth Bank Series, he was a close second to Clarke on Australia’s ODI run tally during the voting period and continued his individual success having won the Allan Border Medal in 2010 and 2011.”A couple of months ago I was struggling physically with my body to be able to even get on the park,” Watson said. “To even think I was going to come back and have a game like we did last night and then come tonight and get a couple of awards, it’s nice to think I must have performed quite well in the first part of the year because I haven’t played much recently.”

Jamaica and Barbados will contest the final of the Regional Four-Day Competition after winning their semi-finals by large margins

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2012Jamaica entered the finals of the Regional Four-Day Competition by beating Guyana by 133 runs in three days at Sabina Park. They took control of the game after the first day, on which they were dismissed for 196 after choosing to bat. Donovan Pagon and Tamar Lambert scored half-centuries but Jamaica collapsed from 131 for 3, losing seven wickets for 65 runs. Three Guyana spinners – Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo and Narsingh Deonarine – took three wickets each.Guyana, however, were shot out for 126 in their first innings, conceding a lead of 70. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, unbeaten on 47, was the only batsman to pass 20. Nikita Miller claimed 3 for 16 for Jamaica, while David Bernard took 3 for 35. Jamaica could not improve on their first-innings performance in their second, though, getting dismissed for 189. Bishoo took 5 for 62, and Permaul added three more to his match haul. Xavier Marshall top scored for Jamaica this time with 59. Their lead, however, ensured Guyana would have to make the highest total of the match to reach the finals.Chasing 260, Guyana were dismissed for 126 once again. Miller took 4 for 28, and Odean Brown had figures of 3 for 42 for Jamaica, ensuring the match did not enter the fourth day.Sulieman Benn took 9 for 63 in the match to help bowl Barbados into the final with a 227-run victory against Trinidad & Tobago at Queen’s Park Oval. Having chosen to bat, Barbados made only 223 in the first innings. Most of the top-order batsmen got starts but nobody carried on, and Jonathan Carter’s 47 was the top score. Ravi Rampaul and Kavesh Kantasingh took four wickets each for T&T.The Barbados bowlers, however, gave their side a huge lead by dismissing T&T for 84. Benn bowled with the new ball and took 5 for 28, while Carlos Brathwaite had figures of 4 for 12. T&T were 63 for 3 at one stage and then lost seven wickets for 21 runs.Barbados made 216 in their second innings, setting a target of 356. Carter once again top scored with 52, and Brathwaite followed his success with the ball by making an unbeaten 45. Shannon Gabriel was T&T’s best bowler, taking 5 for 78.The target was always likely to be out of T&T’s reach and they fell massively short. They collapsed once again, from 79 for 2, and were dismissed for 128. Benn took 4 for 35 in this innings; Javon Scantlebury-Searles contributed 3 for 22.

Lance Klusener, the former South Africa allrounder, has been appointed interim coach of the Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise, until the end of the 2011-12 season

Firdose Moonda25-Jan-2012Lance Klusener, the former South Africa allrounder, has been appointed interim coach of the Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise, until the end of the 2011-12 season. Klusener replaces Graham Ford, who resigned with immediate effect last week and has been confirmed as Sri Lanka’s new coach.Klusener, best remembered for his Man-of-the-Series performance in the 1999 World Cup, retired from international cricket in 2004 and has since had a range of cricket-related work. He has a Level 3 coaching qualification and has been involved with age-group sides at the Dolphins for the last three years. He has also worked with the South African High Performance Program and assisted the South Africa A side.”Being a former Dolphin, I am very proud of my team and want to be part of the process of rebuilding the team to its rightful place as South Africa’s No. 1 franchise,” Klusener said.The Dolphins have not won a trophy since they shared the SuperSport Series in the 2004-05 season, and are targetting the upcoming domestic Twenty20 competition as an opportunity for silverware. They have contracted Chris Gayle for the series and had also lined up Australia quick Shaun Tait, but he pulled out with an elbow injury.”We are still focused on the T20 competition,” Faeez Jaffer, the Dolphins president, said. “With Lance’s vast experience at our disposal, we believe that our players will be challenged and want to perform. Lance also has first-hand knowledge of the dynamics and makeup of our team.”Jesse Chellan, the Dolphins chief-executive, told ESPNcricinfo that the franchise is still looking for another big-name player.The mid-season change of coach has not affected the Dolphins team, Chellan said. The senior players filled the gap and have been organising and running team practices. “Team leadership stepped in and everything has been running well,” Chellan said.The Dolphins will soon undertake a formal process to recruit a new head coach for the start of next season.