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Armed robbers raided Newlands on Friday, smashing the glass doors of multiple suites at the Cape Town stadium and making away with TVs, liquor and other items. This was the third time since 2015 that the ground had been hit by robbers, according to a Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) release.The raid began shortly after midnight, according to the WPCA, when a woman approached security personnel at Gate A and asked for directions to a nearby church. She returned five minutes later, only this time she was joined by three accomplices who jumped the fences, apart from “more than 15 other men”, some of whom had guns. They forced the security officials to provide them keys to the Presidential Suite.The raid lasted less than an hour, and ended with the robbers making away with the stolen goods in three vehicles.”The South African Police Services are busy with an extensive investigation into the event and we will also reassess our security measures, including the possibility of having more cameras installed,” the WPCA statement said.”As an Association we are disturbed by the robbery and will do our utmost with the help of the South African Police Services to get to the bottom of this and try and prevent a reoccurrence of this type of incident. We will seriously look within our budgetary constraints to improve our security situation at the stadium.”Whilst it is truly appalling for this type of robbery to take place at our iconic cricket stadium where we have enjoyed some wonderful memories this past season, we are thankful that the security guard caught up in this crime was unharmed. He has been offered the necessary counselling in order to help him recover from this ordeal.”

From the highest of highs almost a year ago, when he made his T20I debut before his 21st birthday to the lowest of lows, when a stress fracture forced him to be withdrawn from the South Africa A tour of England during the English summer, Lungi Ngidi has finally been able to have his happily ever after at his home ground this weekend.”That [the injury] was one of the biggest challenges I have had in my career, going from such a high to such a low in such a short space of time,” Ngidi said. “It was tough for me because I thought I was doing all the right things but the results just weren’t going my way. I got a lot of time to reflect and get to know myself as a person, and I got through it. I am a lot stronger than I thought I was. It helped me with a lot of confidence going forward.”Instead of spending the months between July and September auditioning for a place alongside Kagiso Rabada, Ngidi was on the physiotherapist’s bed, in conversation with Titans’ coach Mark Boucher and at university picking up extra modules in his Labour Law degree. He committed to his fitness and to getting stronger so he could be faster, when he would eventually make his return.”The whole off-season I was in the gym. I had to lose a lot of weight. That was tough,” Ngidi said. “One of the main things was diet and changing my lifestyle. That was also pretty difficult, but it’s helped me in the long run. And our coach [Boucher] as well – we had to have a few hard chats behind closed doors. Some honest chats as well. But they have helped me in the long run.”The end result is that Ngidi is eight kilograms lighter, more muscular, and trusts his action. He has picked up a few yards of pace and was considered ready to make his Test debut after playing only one first-class game this season. Ngidi took nine wickets at the Wanderers earlier in the summer. He had never been seen by captain Faf du Plessis before Friday but was picked on the evidence of one practice session in which Ngidi impressed Ottis Gibson and du Plessis.It’s easy to see why Ngidi caught their eye. He is quick – and bowled upwards of 150kph – while asking constant questions of world-class line-up. Ngidi’s basic principle was to “stick to my lengths,” and “keep it as basic as possible.” Even though the wicket was not a “typical Centurion pitch,” which usually has a “lot more bounce,” Ngidi hit the wicket hard and challenged Virat Kohli to the max.Ngidi revealed his plan was similar to Vernon Philander’s at Newlands, and he was aiming for the pads. He had an lbw decision reviewed against Kohli and a faint edge denied him his first Test wicket. “In my first spell I hit the pad a few times, so I thought that was a vulnerable area for him,” Ngidi said. “He kept shifting across and getting more into my bowling line, so I thought maybe shoot one into the stumps. I nearly got him. I thought I had him. I thought he had hit the ground. When I saw that edge, I kind of dropped a bit, but I knew I had to get back on the ball.”The maiden Test wicket eventually came when he had Parthiv Patel caught behind. Ngidi put that down to Philander’s advice of bringing the ball into the batsman. “I actually had goosebumps. I was talking to Vernon in terms of gameplans on how to get that wicket. Listening to someone with so much knowledge, and it planning out exactly the way he was telling me, it made me really happy and believe that I can perform at this level.”And that is a height Ngidi has now scaled.

Cricket South Africa has had its first meeting with broadcaster SuperSport to discuss a deal for the upcoming T20 Global League following the departure of Haroon Lorgat as CEO on Thursday. Acting CEO Thabang Moroe, CFO Naasei Appiah and commercial manager Clive Eksteen, who have been given the mandate of selling the rights, met with SuperSport CEO Imtiaz Patel on Saturday morning. They are hopeful of sealing the tournament’s broadcast deal soon.South Africa’s inaugural T20 glamour competition is due to start in less than five weeks, on November 3, and is yet to secure a broadcaster. Lorgat made last-ditch attempts to sign an Indian company on Monday, after repeated reassurances he was waiting for the “right time” to tie up the deal. At an event unveiling Preity Zinta as the owner of the Stellenbosch Kings earlier in the month, Lorgat told reporters he “could have signed the deal months ago” but was not similarly forthcoming about what stopped him.Lorgat ran into several problems along the way, not least that SuperSport, Africa’s biggest sports broadcaster, initially insisted they had the rights to all cricket played in South Africa and were not expecting to pay more for the T20 Global League. It has since been established that the tournament constituted an entirely new product. SuperSport and CSA have been in negotiations but have been unable to agree on a price while CSA has also sought international broadcasters.Ultimately, it was Lorgat’s handling of the league’s logistics that made his position at CSA untenable. Lorgat and the CSA Board were understood to be at loggerheads over various sticking points – the broadcast deal was one of them, expenses were another – and on Thursday Lorgat’s exit was confirmed. He is expected to receive a payout.The CSA delegation was particularly significant because it included Appiah, who was previously left out of discussions as a result of an ongoing dispute with Lorgat. An insider told ESPNcricinfo that Lorgat’s departure would likely smooth the way for the broadcast deal to be wrapped up. Without it, the T20 Global League’s business model is in danger of being deemed unsustainable and, with millions of dollars invested in the tournament, CSA cannot afford that.

Heino Kuhn has become the latest South Africa international to take the Kolpak route into county cricket after signing a contract with Kent.Kuhn, the Titans wicketkeeper-batsman, opened for South Africa in all four Tests on their tour of England last year, although he only averaged 14.12 with a top score of 34 and has since been replaced by Aiden Markram. Kuhn, 33, has also been capped seven times in T20Is. He will be available for Kent in all formats.”I’m delighted to get the opportunity to play county cricket and I’m looking forward to joining the Kent squad,” Kuhn said. “I want to contribute positively to the team and bring my experience from winning trophies in South Africa.”Kent have been in need of a top-order batsman after the departure of Sam Northeast and will be strengthened by the arrival of a player who has scored almost 10,000 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 43.48, with 23 hundreds.He will join another South Africa-born top-order batsman, Sean Dickson – who has a UK passport – at Canterbury, as well as former fast bowler Allan Donald, who has recently started in the role of Kent’s assistant coach.Paul Downton, Kent’s new director of cricket, said: “We’re delighted to welcome a player of Heino’s quality and experience to the club. We believe Heino can complement our talented batsmen across the three formats and serve as a mentor to those coming through the ranks.”The South African game has seen a drain of players giving up on their international careers in order to take advantage of the financial security offered by county deals. Last year, Kyle Abbott was the most prominent Kolpak departure, while Morne Morkel has been linked with several clubs after announcing his South Africa retirement last month.

Having earned a recall to the Indian Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka in November following after recovering from a wrist injury, opener M Vijay says he is “prepared mentally and physically” for the sterner tours to South Africa, England and Australia over the next year and beyond. Vijay notched up hundreds in England and Australia and 97 in second Test of the 2013 tour to South Africa in Durban.”I am prepared for them [overseas tours] rather than thinking about it,” Vijay told ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai on Monday. “I am looking forward for the tours coming ahead. I am a person who takes one match at a time. I have a domestic tournament now, so I have to contribute here and take the form and momentum to the Sri Lankan series.”Definitely opening becomes very crucial when you play abroad. A good start will make a whole lot of difference in a side’s mindset. We are aware of it. We have been giving good starts. It is just a matter of time when we collectively go about it, first innings or second innings. We create our own situation rather than succumbing to the situation. I feel you have got to be ahead of what’s happening and be a little smarter overseas. We are working on that and hopefully we can win this time.”Vijay was originally included in the Indian squad for the series in Sri Lanka in July-August before deciding to pull out after experiencing pain during a preparatory match. After an underwhelming series against Australia earlier in the year – he made 113 runs in three Tests at 22.60 – he opted out of the IPL and underwent surgery in England.Recovery took longer than expected. Since returning, Vijay has featured in a Duleep Trophy game, few matches in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and the state side’s Ranji Trophy opener. Though he hasn’t produced a substantial score yet since his return, the national selectors have decided to stay invested in him as one of their three choices for the opening position, besides KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.”Actually, I could not get much cricket before calling myself fit,” Vijay said. “I was pushing myself to play against Sri Lanka. That was my first choice to get ready when we went to England to get the operation done. Unfortunately, I did not get a lot of games before that. I wasn’t 100% mentally because I didn’t find myself in a comfortable position to pick my bat. So, I thought I should be honest there and put it across to the management so that a fit player goes for the tour. I was pretty sure that if I wasn’t going to be giving the team 100% then I shouldn’t be playing.”I feel every sportsperson would have faced an injury problem at some point in their careers. I have been facing injuries for a couple of years, but I have been managing it. It is more of a mental thing than physical. I am pretty sure everybody can push themselves to any limit, but once it’s in your thought process that’s when as a sportsperson you have to think, ‘what am I going to do about my cricket.’ Being a batsman, it is very important to have my game plans right, so if something is hampering on that it is going to be a tough call. So, I was battling with that, rather than physical pain.”Nobody can trust their body fully if you are a sportsperson but yes, I am charged up. I have thought about my game. It is a good opportunity for me to start from where I stopped and be more consistent. So, there are a lot of things to look forward to.”Associated Press

In Vijay’s absence, Dhawan, his replacement in Sri Lanka, and Rahul have made strong cases to retain their spots at the top. Dhawan made two hundreds in Sri Lanka and Rahul has constructed a sequence of seven consecutive half-centuries in Tests. Vijay, however, is undaunted at the prospect of having to convince the team management to restore him to his spot. He insists watching his replacements make the most of their opportunity while he had to sit out with injury wasn’t frustrating in the least.”When I was 23, I really gave this issue a lot of thought, because I wasn’t enjoying my cricket so much,” he said. “Once I got to play for India I thought, whoever plays for India it is going to be difficult. When I got the call for the Indian team, from that day I started believing that everybody who puts in the effort should perform. One day their turn will come. I know whoever is performing out there, I know what difficulties they would have gone through and I know what it takes to perform at that level.”I started enjoying it and take some good things about what they are doing right rather than feel bad that it’s my turn and somebody has picked up my spot. It happens in any sport, so I channelise myself in such a way that to ensure I see the right things.”I was just wishing them (the other openers) luck. I am sure that’s how I will go for the rest of my phase in cricket. It was a great learning for me. I have to search what is happening inside me rather than think about what is happening to others and their performance. I can only wish them luck. I don’t have time to sort my issues, I am more in that mode rather than thinking about who is performing or not.”I want everybody to perform because it is a good thing for Indian cricket. I am like that. I like to have fun if it comes to me. I should be in the best place possible to go and perform. I am competitive about improving my game, about going about my cricket in a stronger manner than where I left. These are the things that are more of a kick for me rather than thinking about fighting for spots.”With the first Test against Sri Lanka still nearly three weeks away, Vijay intends to use his time on the domestic circuit to notch up consistent scores. The troublesome wrist wasn’t permitting him to manoeuver the ball into gaps on the field like he wanted to. That will be one of his focus areas before he fronts up against Sri Lanka.With his confidence fully restored, Vijay is now eager to make up for lost time and is also convinced he can shut up doubters who have bracketed him as a one-format player by earning a recall to India’s limited overs teams.”I have a lot of dreams, few have come true, and few are there for me to go and achieve, so I am looking forward to those,” he said. “I am pretty confident about how I am going to go about it. I am a person who relishes challenges and likes to tell in advance and go and achieve it but with my injuries at the moment, I have to be a little silent and conservative. But once I start getting into the groove, it will be much more fun for me.”I am in the mode to play all three formats and I am working on every aspect possible that I possess. So, these are the things that give me a good kick rather than my competition. It is about how ready I am going to be when the call comes up. These are the things I am waiting for and I think I will make it happen.”

Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey has been named batting coach of Chennai Super Kings for the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.Hussey, 42, enjoyed a successful association as a player with the Super Kings across two stints. He was first part of the franchise from 2008 to 2013 before returning in 2015 following a season with the Mumbai Indians. With an aggregate of 2213 from 64 games at an average of 40.98, he remains the third highest run-getter for Super Kings, behind Suresh Raina (4541) and MS Dhoni (3436). He also won the Orange Cap in IPL 2013 for finishing as the leading run-getter.”I am really excited about returning to the Chennai Super Kings in a coaching capacity and working with the players to help them get the best out of themselves and also help to bring success to this great franchise,” Hussey was quoted as saying by the Chennai Super Kings website.”I have so many great memories as a player and have made many wonderful friends in Chennai and now I am excited about giving back to the franchise in trying to help the next generation of CSK players. It is exciting to have CSK back in the competition and I am sure the fans are very happy to have their team back on the field.”Super Kings director George John said Hussey was a welcome addition not only because he was a valued player with the franchise but also because he was good with youngsters. While he confirmed Super Kings had not named the rest of their coaching staff, he said the franchise wasn’t looking beyond Stephen Fleming for the job of the head coach. Fleming has coached Super Kings to IPL championships in 2010 and 2011, and a Champions League title in 2010.”We are in talks with him,” John told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s busy with the Big Bash, so nothing has been signed yet. Most likely it will be him, but we haven’t finished the deal yet. We are not in talks with anybody else. We are looking at the same coaching staff – Gregory [King] and Tommy [Simsek] as trainer and physio. We are also seriously looking at a bowling coach.”

Faf du Plessis will be sidelined for six weeks after suffering an acute lumbar disc injury in the third ODI against Bangladesh on Sunday. Du Plessis had to retire hurt on 91 and could not return to lead the team in the field.He had already been ruled out of the two-match T20 series, which starts on Thursday, but will now also miss most of the domestic T20 competition with the aim to be fit for the inaugural four-day, day-night Test against Zimbabwe on Boxing Day.In du Plessis’ absence, JP Duminy will lead the T20 side, which also includes AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla.Du Plessis’ injury should not impact any international commitments with South Africa’s calendar empty until Boxing Day. Thereafter, they will play eight home Tests, including three in a full visit by India that also features six ODIs and three T20s. As South Africa’s all-format captain, du Plessis will be eager to be fully fit for that series.He was also due to captain the Stellenbosch Kings in the inaugural edition of the T20 Global League, which was scheduled to start on November 3, but the tournament has been postponed. Instead, CSA have moved the franchise T20 competition into the same slot.Du Plessis is the first high-profile player who won’t take part in that event. According to the timeline, du Plessis should return in the first week of December, by which time the competition will be in its final two rounds. He may be able to take part in the playoffs in mid-December.His franchise, Titans, are laden with international talent. Test opener Dean Elgar, recent international debutant Aiden Markram, de Villiers, wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock and limited-overs regular Farhaan Behardien all play at SuperSport Park, while they also have Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Chris Morris. All three quicks are expected to make their comebacks from injury in the T20 tournament, alongside Lungi Ngidi, who returned from a back problem to take 6 for 37 in an ongoing first-class match against Lions at the Wanderers.

Northamptonshire have given Doug Bracewell a further opportunity to rehabilitate his cricketing career after a troubled year that included a third drink-driving offence and identified him as one of cricket’s most untamed characters.Bracewell’s career is on the up again after he was restored to the New Zealand side for an ODI against West Indies in Whangarei in December, seeking to put behind him a period in which he suffered a serious knee injury and undertook 100 hours of community service after he was found guilty of driving more than three times over the legal limit.Bracewell told Hastings Crown Court last March that he had driven home from a function when his girlfriend called him in distress after their cockatoo had been killed by dogs she was looking after for a friend.At 27, he still has the opportunity to resurrect his career and will join Northamptonshire in time for the start of the Championship season, stepping in for the veteran South African Rory Kleinveldt who will arrive in time for the start of the Steelbacks’ Royal London One Day Cup campaign in mid-May.Bracewell’s strong-willed, seam bowling style should be perfectly suited to an English spring and Northamptonshire, who have a good track record in unearthing value signings, will gamble that his gratitude for an opportunity will show through on and off the field and help them mount a second division promotion campaign.He has appeared in 27 Tests, taking 72 wickets with best figures of 9 for 60 in Hobart, leading New Zealand to their first Test win in Australia in 26 years. He also has a handy record with the bat, making 2914 runs in 82 games with a high score of 105.Head Coach David Ripley said: “Doug is highly skilled and vastly experienced, with plenty of international experience under his belt, and he will give us the additional firepower we need alongside an already high quality attacking unit. We’re delighted to be getting him over.”Bracewell responded: “It’s a great opportunity to challenge myself in different conditions and I am hoping to improve as a player but also make a difference at the club while I’m there.”Northants will be well aware that Jesse Ryder, another Kiwi with a tarnished reputation, made a great impact at Essex, contributing to the promotion of a side that then went on to win the Championship in his absence last summer.Early in his career, Bracewell twice suffered penalties after drinking incidents with Ryder. He was also ruled out of the Dunedin Test against England in 2013 when he stepped on glass while cleaning up after a house party and gashed his foot.But by going where some counties would definitely fear to tread, Northants, who have recruited shrewdly in recent years on a tight budget, have given themselves a chance of a strong start to the season.As yet there is no suggestion that Ben Duckett, who has also attracted a headline or two recently, has been appointed Bracewell’s minder. But with Northants you never can tell.

Warwickshire hope to persuade the ECB to let them become the permanent home of T20 Finals Day.While Edgbaston has become the regular home of the event – it has been the scene for the last six finals day – in 2019 Trent Bridge is scheduled to be host.Edgbaston is already scheduled to host an Ashes Test and several World Cup games (including a semi-final) in 2019. Trent Bridge missed out on an Ashes Test and is scheduled to host only group games in the World Cup. The loss of Finals Day would undoubtedly dent their financialplans.But Warwickshire argue that, if Edgbaston is to remain the ‘home’ of T20 Finals Day when the allocation for major matches from 2020 to 2024 is announced in early 2018, it might be considered unhelpful to divert the event for one year. It might also be relevant that, while a recordcrowd of 24,432 attended Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, Trent Bridge’s capacity is around 17,500.”As things stand, Trent Bridge will be staging T20 Finals Day in 2019,” Neil Snowball, the Warwickshire CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. “And there’s no doubt at all they would make a fine job of it.”But we have opened discussions with the ECB and Nottinghamshire making our case for the day to be reallocated.”If we are going to remain the home of T20 Finals day after 2020 – and we very much hope that is the case – then it might make sense to keep it at the same ground. People are used to coming here and we have a really good record of selling the event out.”Clearly Nottinghamshire aren’t going to be giving up the games without getting something else in return. And we don’t see any appropriate games we could swap with them. But our understanding isthat it may be possible they could be allocated something else by the ECB instead. Clearly if that is not the case then Notts will retain the allocation but we felt it was worth making our case.”The move may well reflect an ever more competitive climate in the market for the allocation of major matches. It is anticipated that, from 2020, there will be fewer Tests – it is likely there will be sixTests, six ODIs and six IT20s per season – meaning Lord’s is unlikely to retain two Tests a year and the others will face a fight for regular Tests. The allocation for the 2023 Ashes might proveparticularly intriguing.

Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, has called for the team to play smarter cricket following the poor end to their tour of South Africa as they turn attentions to the World T20 in India. However, he does not want the players to go into their shells after a difficult couple of weeks, saying that the winner in India will be the “boldest” team on show.England ended their stay in South Africa with a crushing nine-wicket defeat at the Wanderers to lose the T20 series 2-0. From a promising position of 157 for 3 – with Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler finding their range – they were well placed for 200, but conspired to lose 7 for 14 and not even play out their overs.They were then belted around the Bullring by AB de Villiers who cartwheeled to 71 off 29 balls as South Africa raced to their target with more than five overs to spare.It led to Bayliss saying it was like “men against boys” and meant that England finished with five defeats on the bounce having been 2-0 up in the one-day series before being let down by poor fielding when they could have sealed it in the Johannesburg ODI. Although the Test series was secured on that heady day at the Wanderers when Stuart Broad blew South Africa away the tour ended on a downbeat note.There is little time to ponder with just a short break at home before departing for India where they will face group matches against West Indies, Sri Lanka, a qualifier and, potentially significantly given recent results, South Africa again in Mumbai on March 18. Faf du Plessis, the South Africa T20 captain, was not shy at suggesting his side could have struck some psychological blows.”I can guarantee you one thing, the team that wins the World Twenty20 will be the boldest team there,” Bayliss said.”If we go out and try to be too nice, or if we give that advantage away or are not as positive and aggressive as we have been when we have played well and won, then we will still not win – because there will be teams out there with the confidence, players and ability to go out and play that way.”The two series defeats in South Africa have zapped some of the feel-good factor that had developed around England’s white-ball teams since their post-World Cup rebuilding which has been forged on an almost breakable desire to be positive and for players to be encouraged to push their own boundaries.Both Bayliss and Morgan have cited the inexperience in the side as a factor as to why the wheels came off somewhat in South Africa and cautioned that more such days cannot be ruled out as players continue to find their feet at international level. But the straight-talking Bayliss knows that platitudes about how good a team could be does not help in the present.”We’ve had some good results, but it’s a reminder to people back home in England that this team is still a developing one,” he said. “We’ve had some good performances, and there’s a lot of potential there.”But potential never won anything … we’ve got some hard work to do. I think the expectation the players have put on themselves is why they are so disappointed when they play badly. It may be that extra pressure they put on themselves that they’ve got to get over.”In the final ODI at Newlands and the first T20 at the same ground, England were criticised for not adjusting quickly enough to conditions and reassessing what a defendable total could be.”We spoke the other night, it is a case of going with the flow of the game,” Bayliss said. “If we get off to a good start, you have to recognise that flow [and think] ‘can we continue to do this’?”If we do happen to lose a few wickets … well, has the flow of the game changed, and do we have to play a little bit differently? I think that will be playing smart cricket, and that is what the good teams will do.”Still, despite the setback, Bayliss believes that England can put on a good show in India which will conclude a long period overseas for the team this winter.”If we play well … we’ll be hard to beat. In the last two games, we haven’t played all that well – and in this game, we’ve been beaten easily. We’re going to have to play a lot better than that.””It’s small margins,” he added. “One catch, and we’d have only lost the last four – and we’d have won the one-day series. That’s as simple as it can get. You win that fourth match, who knows … it might have given the boys enough confidence to go on and win the fifth one. We’ve got to learn from that, and work out how we can get better.”