The ICC has approved six Caribbean Premier League matches set to be played in Florida, but the USA Cricket Association has asked for their cancellation

Peter Della Penna16-Jun-2016

The USA Cricket Association has asked for the cancellation of the six Caribbean Premier League matches to be played in Florida from July 28 to 31. They claim the CPL and Broward County in Lauderhill did not receive proper sanctioning to host the event.However, ICC head of global development Tim Anderson pointed out that USACA did not have the authority to sanction matches since it had been suspended in 2015 and said the CPL fixtures were okay to go ahead as planned.”Please be assured that the CPL has indeed completed the due sanctioning process required by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in order to host these matches in Florida,” Anderson wrote to WICB president Dave Cameron and the Lauderhill officials. “The USA Cricket Association (USACA) is currently suspended by the ICC, and as part of this suspension does not hold the right to sanction such matches in the USA.”The uncertainty began when USACA’s legal representative and former executive secretary Kenwyn Williams emailed Broward County Parks manager Duncan Finch that the CPL officials had not followed protocol to host matches in Florida.”We understand that the CPL is slated to hold several cricket matches over several days at the Central Broward Regional Park,” Williams wrote on June 13. “The organisers of the CPL matches did not apply for and receive the requisite sanctions for holding the slated matches in the United States. We request that you cancel the scheduled events until further notice.”The Broward County officials, though, are proceeding with plans to ready the stadium for the CPL games next month.Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan had stated that the city had plans to host several other events at the $70 million Central Broward Regional Park, which opened in 2008. According to Kaplan, those plans were regularly undermined by USACA and the mayor approached the ICC in 2013 for help with the matter.

Chelsea have held a “strong interview” with Luis Enrique regarding their managerial vacancy, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

What's the latest manager news at Chelsea?

Premier League owner Todd Boehly gave Graham Potter his marching orders earlier this month and soon after appointed Frank Lampard as interim boss until the end of the season whilst he continues the search for a new long-term successor behind-the-scenes.

The Spaniard was most recently in charge of his homeland’s international team and was quickly identified as an ideal candidate by the hierarchy in SW6, alongside Bayern Munich’s former boss Julian Nagelsmann.

Fabrizio Romano has since revealed that the 52-year-old travelled to the capital for face-to-face talks last week and claimed that he would be keen to take the job, and there has now been an update on the board’s stance.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Phillips claimed that Chelsea view Nagelsmann as the current leading candidate but were mightily impressed by what they saw from Enrique. He said:

“Enrique was always seen as more of a backup to Nagelsmann and it seems that Chelsea will prefer to wait it out on him at the moment, rather than go straight in with Enrique. That doesn't mean to say that Chelsea won't turn to Enrique down the line. He's still a very strong candidate for the Chelsea role on a permanent basis this summer. But right now Chelsea have been trying to get Nagelsmann and when they saw they can't get him, they've gone to Lampard. Enrique certainly had a strong interview, so I wouldn't be surprised if Chelsea do decide to go for him in the summer."

Would Enrique be an ideal candidate for Chelsea?

Enrique is a hugely experienced manager having taken charge of 431 games throughout his career and considering his level of success, he would be the perfect candidate to take over the reins at Chelsea ahead of the 2023/24 term.

The Gijon native has won 253, drawn 89 and lost just 89 of his matches since the start of his career in the dugout whilst averaging 1.97 points per match, via Transfermarkt. The 4-3-3 attack-minded coach also knows what it takes to compete at the highest level for silverware having secured ten trophies, including World’s Best Club Coach and Manager of the Year, which shows that he constantly gets the individual recognition he deserves for the job he does.

Finally, Enrique being a free agent on the market right now means that the Blues wouldn't have to pay any compensation to secure his services so the hierarchy need to capitalise on the fact that he wants to take the job by getting him in the building over the summer.

A timeline of events in the episode involving Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum and several alleged wrongdoings

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-20162010January: Cairns declares intent to sue Lalit Modi over accusatory tweet
The then IPL commissioner Lalit Modi tweets that the IPL decided to withdraw Cairns’ name from the auction list because of his alleged involvement in fixing. In his response, a statement issued by his solicitor Andrew Fitch-Holland, Cairns says: “The allegation made by Lalit Modi that I have been involved in match-fixing is scandalous and wholly untrue. For him to circulate such a falsehood around the world is outrageous. Mr Modi’s allegation has caused me huge personal distress and professional damage. I cannot allow these slurs to ruin my future and I have instructed my solicitors, Collyer Bristow LLP, to bring proceedings for defamation against Mr Modi.”2011February: McCullum reports alleged approaches by Cairns
Brendon McCullum tells John Rhodes, a representative of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, about the allegedly corrupt approaches Chris Cairns made to him in 2008. New Zealand’s then captain Daniel Vettori is present at the Rhodes’ meeting, for moral support according to McCullum. McCullum decides to speak out only after Rhodes addressed the team ahead of their World Cup 2011 opener, telling them “if we had been or were approached about match-fixing and we did not report it, then we were, in the eyes of the ICC, just as guilty as the person who approached us”. McCullum did not report the alleged approaches by his one-time hero earlier because “it’s not easy ‘ratting’ on someone I regarded as a mate”.2012March: Cairns wins libel case against Modi
Chris Cairns wins his libel case in London against Lalit Modi and is awarded damages of £90,000 ($142,000). Judge David Bean of the High Court finds that Modi had “singularly failed to provide any reliable evidence” that Cairns was involved in fixing of any kind.2014May: McCullum report on Cairns leaked
The carries parts of the statements made by Brendon McCullum on Chris Cairns to the ICC’s anti-corruption investigators. According to the newspaper, McCullum told investigators that he was first approached during IPL 2008, and he turned down offers of up to $180,000 to underperform. New Zealand Cricket releases a statement confirming that McCullum is not under investigation himself, and says: “New Zealand Cricket is dismayed that Brendon McCullum’s testimony to the International Cricket Council has been leaked to the media.”July: Vincent confesses to being a ‘cheat’
“My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat. I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money in fixing.” Thus begins a tell-all confession from the former New Zealand batsman, who, hours after releasing this statement, is banned for life by the ECB; Vincent had confessed to 11 offences punishable by a life ban under ECB anti-corruption regulations. He is banned from “all forms of cricket” and prevented from “playing, coaching or participating in any form of cricket which is recognised or sanctioned by ECB, the ICC or any other National Cricket Federation”.2015October 5: Perjury case opens against Cairns
A case opens at Southwark Crown Court against Chris Cairns, who is accused by the Crown Prosecution Service of lying under oath during the 2012 libel case involving Lalit Modi. Also standing trial is Cairns’ former legal counsel Andrew Fitch-Holland, who is accused of perverting the course of justice in the 2012 case.October 12: Vincent testifies against Cairns
Lou Vincent is the first of the witnesses to be called for the prosecution. He claims he was acting under “direct orders” from Cairns when he agreed to fix matches in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League in 2008.October 15: McCullum testifies against Cairns
McCullum gives evidence in the perjury case. He claims he was asked three times by Cairns to get involved in spot-fixing. He admits he did not report the approach until three years later because “he didn’t want it to be true”.October 21: ACSU official questioned on McCullum’s statements
John Rhodes, the Australasian head of the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), takes the stand in the perjury case; it was to this official that Brendon McCullum had made his initial statement on Cairns in 2011. Rhodes says McCullum’s initial statement omitted any explicit mention of “match-fixing”, but the “inference was clear”. However, he says, his job as a field officer was simply to collect information and it was up to his superiors to investigate his findings. He admits to having lost the diary where he had made notes on McCullum’s report.November: Cairns found not guilty of perjury
The nine-week perjury trial ends. Justice Sweeney, the presiding judge, says the evidence of two of the three “key” witnesses – Lou Vincent, his ex-wife Eleanor Riley and Brendon McCullum – would have to be accepted as true for the perjury charge to be upheld. The jury delivers a not-guilty verdict after 10 hours and 17 minutes of deliberation.2016June: McCullum hits out at ACSU’s handling of his report on Cairns
During his MCC Spirit of Cricket lecture, Brendon McCullum condemns the casual manner in which his first interview with John Rhodes was conducted. He says of Rhodes: “[He] took notes – he did not record our conversation. He said he would get what I said down on paper and that it would probably end up at the bottom of the file with nothing eventuating. Looking back on this, I am very surprised by what I perceive to be a very casual approach to gathering evidence. I was reporting two approaches by a former international star of the game. I was not asked to elaborate on anything I said and I signed a statement that was essentially nothing more than a skeleton outline.” He also condemns the severity of the punishment dished out to Lou Vincent, pointing out that Vincent had spoken out on fixing and co-operated with the authorities on the matter. In its response to McCullum’s statements, the ICC denies the origin of the leaked statement came from within the governing body and stresses that it has “put strong measures” in place to prevent the recurrence of such an incident.

Fifties to Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews were the sparks in a Sri Lanka score of 248 for 9, but gloom ultimately defined the day, after rain washed out play four overs into the reply

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:36

By the Numbers – 50 wickets in 10 years

Fifties to Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews were the sparks in a Sri Lanka score of 248 for 9, but gloom ultimately defined the day, after rain washed out play four overs into the reply. The back end of Sri Lanka’s innings had been played in drizzle, which persisted through the lunch break and for some time afterwards. Although the weather relented to allow the teams to resume play, it returned at about 4pm and play was called off by 5.30pm. England had lost Alex Hales, for a golden duck, and were 16 for 1.As at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, Sri Lanka batted first on a pitch that provided bowlers with only modest assistance. And in Bristol, just like in the first two games, partnerships were severed by canny quicks whenever the visitors threatened to assume control of the match. In the ten overs following the 35th, Sri Lanka lost four wickets for 40 runs, and squandered the base their half-centurions had provided.England’s bowlers were disciplined, rather than dominant, but they were supported athletically in the field. More than one Sri Lanka batsman was provoked to frustration. Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes claimed three scalps apiece, the former more effective with the new ball, the latter quite good with the old.The early wicket of Danushka Gunathilaka weighted down Sri Lanka’s start, as England bowled four overs for eight runs inside the Powerplay. This was to the particular frustration of Kusal Perera, whose more ambitious strokes failed to pierce a lively England infield. Mendis kept the score moving at one end, as he creamed the ball square on the off side and maintained a strike rate of almost a run a ball, but overall progress was nevertheless laboured. In the ninth over, when Perera aimed an expansive hoick over the leg side off Plunkett, only to send the ball high and into the wicketkeeper’s gloves, Sri Lanka were scoring at less than four an over. The score at the Powerplay’s end was 34 for 2.So began the rebuild, while England’s bowlers pulled back their lengths slightly on what was turning out to be a slower-than-expected surface. Mendis batted as he has through the tour, eyes glinting and wrists whipping quickly as soon as a poor ball was glimpsed. He bludgeoned two Chris Jordan short balls for four and six at the end of the 18th over. The four just cleared a climbing mid-on. The six sailed comfortably over the deep midwicket rope. Next over, Mendis completed a second ODI fifty with the 78th run of the innings, but then his panache forged his downfall. Attempting to repeat his pulled six against a taller, faster Plunkett, Mendis managed only to put the ball in the palms of deep square leg.Chandimal, who had massaged the ball around the infield while Mendis was in, assumed a more positive outlook as he and Mathews manoeuvred Sri Lanka away from 88 for 3. Mathews ventured a low, straight six off Plunkett in the 26th over, but Adil Rashid’s legspin was the more frequent victim of the pair’s belligerence. Rashid’s seventh over went for seven, and his next for 10, before Morgan took him out of the attack. The seamers returned the pair to a more measured approach, though they did continue to score smartly enough, relative to the situation: their 80-run stand was the heftiest in Sri Lanka’s innings, and came off 87 balls.Having set themselves up at a reasonable 165 for 3 after 35 overs, the following ten overs were a period of significant decline. Chandimal, then Seekkuge Prasanna, were out in consecutive overs, both caught aiming swipes across the line. Mathews moved to his second half-century in three games in the company of Upul Tharanga, but top-edged a leg-side heave off Jordan to depart for 56 off 67 in the 44th over. Though the match situation was well-poised for Dasun Shanaka to showcase his hitting range, yet he attempted a non-existent single to short third man, and found himself run out cheaply again, by a sharp Joe Root. On this occasion, though, a case could be made that Shanaka’s bat was actually back inside the crease when the bail was out of its groove.Tharanga then made the best of having to bat with the tail. The four he struck through midwicket at the beginning of the 46th over would be the last of the innings. He cobbled together a 33-ball 40, while Woakes in particular bowled expertly to his field, at the death. He took out the top of Tharanga’s middle stump with his final ball, before Sri Lanka’s last-wicket pair swung optimistically through the final over.

The referee and his VAR team may have made a huge mistake in the most recent Borussia Dortmund game when not awarding Karim Adeyemi a penalty.

What’s the latest on VAR and Dortmund?

The Bundesliga leaders suffered a notable blow in their hopes of winning the title on Friday night as they drew away from home against VfL Bochum.

Indeed, the home side took the lead after just five minutes thanks to Anthony Losilla’s effort but BVB had themselves level only two minutes later via Adeyemi.

In the end, these two early strikes were the only goals of the game as they were enough to ultimately settle the affair as it ended 1-1.

However, Dortmund will feel as though they were denied a major opportunity to win the game when Bochum defender Danilo Soares lunged in to win the ball inside his own box.

As seen in this footage shared on Twitter, the left-back leaps off the ground and flies through the air to try and cut out Julian Brandt’s cutback. Instead of reaching the ball, however, he clatters into Adeyemi​​​​​​.

Did Adeyemi deserve a penalty for BVB?

This footage seems pretty conclusive. Indeed, Soares makes clear contact with the Dortmund striker, preventing him from reaching the cross as he’s knocked to the ground.

Somehow, though, referee Sascha Stegemann waved play on. To make things even more baffling, VAR opted against intervening and so the blatant foul went unpunished.

Journalist and former footballer Jan Aage Fjørtoft seemed as perplexed as everyone else by this maddening call which could have huge repercussions at the top of the Bundesliga table.

He took to Twitter to say: “Can you believe it!!!!??? No penalty for Dortmund here!!!! It may be the decider of the title….the referee says “play on”…unbelievable.”

Understandably, Dortmund manager Edin Terzic was also extremely upset by this shocking decision.

Indeed, after the game, he told DAZN (via Yahoo!Sport) it was an “extremely bitter” result with his team having a “rare chance to be so close to the championship”.

And on the penalty shout, Terzic said it was “a key scene” in the 90 minutes, explaining that he “begged” the referee to review the incident.

BVB could have extended their lead to four points at the top of the league table but now sit just two points above Bayern Munich having played a game more.

Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey has praised in-form teammate Ollie Watkins on Instagram after the striker impressed yet again this weekend.

What's the latest on Ollie Watkins and Aston Villa?

It's been a fine few months for the Villans under Unai Emery and this was well summed up with their Premier League win on Saturday.

Indeed, playing host to Champions League hopefuls Newcastle United, the home side brushed past the Magpies with a comfortable 3-0 win.

At the very heart of the display was Watkins who set up the first goal for Jacob Ramsey before getting his name on the score sheet with two second-half efforts.

The £75k-p/w star has been in fine form and it seems as though his teammates are happy to dish out the praise.

Indeed, Watkins took to Instagram to share a picture of himself with the caption: "2 goals, 1 assist and most importantly a huge 3 points."

Bailey then added his own comment, writing: "Out of this world atp!!!"

How many goals has Watkins scored for Emery?

With that being his 11th goal in his last 12 league games, Watkins has been symbolic of the brilliant form Villa have found under their new manager.

Indeed, under Emery, the 27-year-old has directly contributed to 17 goals in 19 matches (with four of those being assists).

Such form has understandably fired Villa up the table from being potentially relegation-threatened under former coach Steven Gerrard, to now within six points of a Champions League spot.

Watkins has more combined goals and assists since the turn of the year (14) than Erling Haaland (13). He explained his improved form when talking to the press recently (via BirminghamLive).

Indeed, he said: “I’m being smart with my runs. Before maybe I was running into the channels and into the corners and doing a lot of work for the team. Now I’m staying within the width of the box and timing my runs.

“I work on specific movements during the week and try to replicate it in the game. When the players get [the ball] I know what to do. I stay patient even if I’m not getting the ball because it only takes one moment to drop and you’ve got to take it. It’s about having a clear mindset and being ready when the opportunity comes.”

With all that in mind, it's little wonder Villa teammates such as Bailey are so happy to dish out the praise publically.

The USA Cricket Association has asked for the cancellation of the six Caribbean Premier League matches to be played in Florida from July 28 to 31. They claim the CPL and Broward County in Lauderhill did not receive proper sanctioning to host the event.However, ICC head of global development Tim Anderson pointed out that USACA did not have the authority to sanction matches since it had been suspended in 2015 and said the CPL fixtures were okay to go ahead as planned.”Please be assured that the CPL has indeed completed the due sanctioning process required by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in order to host these matches in Florida,” Anderson wrote to WICB president Dave Cameron and the Lauderhill officials. “The USA Cricket Association (USACA) is currently suspended by the ICC, and as part of this suspension does not hold the right to sanction such matches in the USA.”The uncertainty began when USACA’s legal representative and former executive secretary Kenwyn Williams emailed Broward County Parks manager Duncan Finch that the CPL officials had not followed protocol to host matches in Florida.”We understand that the CPL is slated to hold several cricket matches over several days at the Central Broward Regional Park,” Williams wrote on June 13. “The organisers of the CPL matches did not apply for and receive the requisite sanctions for holding the slated matches in the United States. We request that you cancel the scheduled events until further notice.”The Broward County officials, though, are proceeding with plans to ready the stadium for the CPL games next month.Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan had stated that the city had plans to host several other events at the $70 million Central Broward Regional Park, which opened in 2008. According to Kaplan, those plans were regularly undermined by USACA and the mayor approached the ICC in 2013 for help with the matter.

Leeds United did their survival hopes little good on Tuesday night as they could only muster a 1-1 draw against fellow relegation candidates Leicester City.

What happened in Leeds vs Leicester?

Leeds came into the game on the back of three defeats, with Dean Smith's side having earned a morale-boosting win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, and this game could certainly be considered a relegation six-pointer.

Javi Gracia's side were fortunate to not find themselves behind within ten minutes as Youri Tielemans' rocket was ruled out by VAR as Boubakary Soumare was offside before he set the ball up to his Belgian teammate.

In a frantic, fast-paced first half at Elland Road, it was the Yorkshire outfit who landed the first blow on Tuesday night, as Luis Sinisterra continued his fine recent goalscoring form by heading in Jack Harrison's wicked delivery at the back post.

Unfortunately, the Colombian was forced off through injury and Leeds lost some momentum as a result, with the Foxes looking dangerous throughout the second half until the talismanic Jamie Vardy found an equaliser from James Maddison's pass.

The veteran striker thought he had won it for Leicester only to be denied by the offside flag before Leeds rallied, with Marc Roca's header kept out at point-blank range by Daniel Iversen. Patrick Bamford then fluffed a golden opportunity in the final moments by sending his effort wide when left unmarked at the back post.

The result leaves Leeds deep in relegation trouble and Gracia's side could find themselves back in the bottom three by the end of the game week, with tough games against Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur still to come.

Who was Leeds' worst performer vs Leicester?

While Bamford will be the scapegoat for a lot of Leeds fans after his late miss, it was arguably Junior Firpo who was Gracia's poorest performer last night.

As per Sofascore, the Spanish full-back would earn a disappointing 6.5/10 rating for his performance, with only Liam Cooper and Robin Koch (both 6.3) rated lower of the Leeds players to feature in the game.

Although he has often been labelled a "liability" from a defensive perspective – as per the Mirror's David Anderson – it was the former Barcelona man's shocking passing throughout the game which made him Gracia's main antagonist at Elland Road.

Firpo would complete just 11/24 passes with a woeful success rate of only 46%, despite having 41 touches of the ball in his time on the pitch, emphasising just how poor he was in possession.

For context, Illan Meslier would complete 13 passes on the night, while the £60k-per-week defender has averaged 27.9 passes in the Premier League so far this term, so he was even worse than usual.

The left-back lost possession on 15 occasions in total, while he was also unsuccessful with all four of his long balls and failed with his one dribble attempt, in what was a truly dreadful display at Elland Road where he failed to exert any composure on proceedings.

Gracia will be hoping that Max Wober is back fit for upcoming games after witnessing Firpo's performance on his return to the side against Leicester. He was truly let down by the full-back on this occasion.

Sean Williams and Craig Ervine are not part of Zimbabwe’s 18-man squad for the three T20Is against India starting June 18 in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-20161:00

Depleted Zimbabwe seek turnaround in T20Is

Batsmen Sean Williams and Craig Ervine are not part of Zimbabwe’s 18-man squad for the three T20Is against India starting on June 18 in Harare, after suffering injuries during the ODI series.Ervine injured his hamstring in the first ODI, while Williams, who replaced him for the second game, fractured his finger at training soon after the toss.Tendai Chisoro and Tawanda Mupariwa, who were part of the ODI squad, were left out, while the uncapped offspinner Tapiwa Mufudza earned a call-up. Brian Chari and Tinotenda Mutombodzi, who last played an international game in late 2015, were also recalled, while Chamu Chibhabha, who last played T20Is in January, was picked following decent returns in the ODI series.Zimbabwe’s changes

In: Brian Chari, Donald Tiripano, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Timycen Maruma, Tapiwa Mufudza, Chamu Chibhabha
Out: Sean Williams, Tinashe Panyangara, Luke Jongwe, Tendai Chisoro

Chari, an opening batsman who is yet to play T20Is, impressed for Zimbabwe A in their home series against Bangladesh A in November last year, when he struck a century to secure a draw in the second four-day fixture. Mufudza, who made his franchise debut in 2011, picked up 15 wickets in 10 T20s for Mountaineers, with best figures of 5 for 20.Eleven members who were part of Zimbabwe’s World T20 campaign, in which they failed to qualify for the main round, were retained. Among the notable omissions were Tinashe Panyangara, out with a back injury, and Luke Jongwe. Having lost the ODI series 3-0, with poor batting in all games, Zimbabwe will be hoping for better results in a format in which they are currently 12th in the ICC rankings.”We’re not going to reflect too much on the one-dayers, we are just going to look to hit the ground running in T20s,” Cremer said after the ODI series loss. “We’re going to try our best to turn things around.”He hoped Zimbabwe, who are ranked below Afghanistan and Netherlands, would draw inspiration from their T20 win over India last year. “I think it’s motivating enough that the last T20 we played against India here is the one we won,” he said. “It’s motivating enough knowing how it felt when we won the last time, how good the crowd was and how we enjoyed that. Guys are looking forward to doing well and obviously having a disappointing one-day series makes us even more motivated to do well in the T20.”Zimbabwe squad: Graeme Cremer (capt), Sikandar Raza, Brian Chari, Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Neville Madziva, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Wellington Masakadza, Peter Moor, Tapiwa Mufudza, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Taurai Muzarabani, Vusi Sibanda, Donald Tiripano, Malcolm Waller

Playing their first IPL, Gujarat Lions came within one avoided masterclass of making it to the IPL final, but were left doffing their hats to AB de Villiers first in Bangalore and David Warner in Delhi on Friday. Warner scored 93 of the 163 runs needed, single-handedly taking Sunrisers Hyderabad into the final. Aaron Finch, who scored a fifty batting in the middle order for Lions, said there wasn’t much that they could have done to prevent Warner’s success on the day.”Tonight, I think that we had a very competitive total, it was around par,” Finch said. “170 would have been nice as it turns out, but two of the best players in the world have both got big scores against us in the last two games. Sometimes you just have to take your hat off and appreciate how good cricketers them two are. And say well played.”It was an amazing knock, wasn’t it, the way that he controlled the innings the whole way through and went right through and got them home was outstanding. We have been at the receiving end of a couple of great knocks in this tournament, and it is just that one batter in every couple of games seems to get us. AB in the last game and Davey tonight. We can hold our head up very high. We played some really great cricket throughout this tournament but unfortunately we just couldn’t get them world-class players out when it counted right at the end there.”Among the positives for Lions is the emergence of left-arm wristspinner Shivil Kaushik, whom Finch picked as the find of the tournament for Lions.”I think we have seen an unusual spinner in this tournament in Shivil,” Finch said. “He has been outstanding for us. Anyone who can bowl with an unusual action like that and who can spin the ball both ways is a huge asset, and he has been outstanding. It was beautiful the way that he bowled tonight, under pressure in a big game, to come back into the team after a few games out, just shows a real lot of character and someone who hasn’t had cricket given to him easily. He has had to work very hard for what he has achieved. He was outstanding, he was great all season and I think he can play a big part going forward.”Kaushik bowled his four oevrs unbroken and took two wickets for just 22 runs to keep Lions in the game. The other spinner, though, wasn’t bowled at all. The more accomplished Ravindra Jadeja was sprightly in the field as usual, but there seemed a lack of confidence in him after he hasn’t had a great season. The presence of left-hand batsmen in the Sunrisers line-up went against him, Finch said.”I think that Raina probably couldn’t get that matchup for him,” Finch said. “They always had at least one left-hander in Warner in and it was a very short side out there on the far side away from the change room. Probably didn’t get the matchup at the time, and Raina happened to bowl a couple of overs there quite nicely. I think Jadeja played a big part for us. He probably played a different role with the bat than what he has in the past years for Chennai and also India. He’s usually been batting 7 and 8, but he has stepped up this year and made some really valuable runs.”Overall, though, Lions bowed out a team satisfied with their showing in their first season. “I think the way that we played throughout the tournament was fantastic from the team’s point of view,” Finch said. “To finish top of the table for a franchise in their first year was fantastic. I think it’s obviously disappointing that we couldn’t get through to the final but the way that we fought and fought…”We had our back up against the wall a couple of times. We started off the tournament fantastic, I think we went six wins, one loss and then we had a bit of a down period but then we hit back hard and beat two outstanding teams in Kolkata and Mumbai coming into the finals. But it goes to show what an amazing competition it was. If we had lost one of them games, we finish out of the four but we won both and we finish top of the table. Same with Bangalore. It was an amazing tournament all around, the way that it unfolded.”