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Dave Brooks has announced that he is to step down as chief executive of Sussex at the end of the year. He has overseen a fruitful period during which the club has achieved success on and off the field.Brooks joined the club at the start of 2009 after 20 years in the food industry. He was the first chief executive in the club’s history to be responsible for both Sussex CCC and the Sussex Cricket Board. During his tenure, the club won the Pro40 and T20 title in 2009 and Division Two of the County Championship in 2010 and off the field built a new stand, media centre and conference facilities and integrated professional and recreational cricket within the county. Sussex were fourth in Division One of the Championship in 2012 and lost in the semi-finals of both the Flt20 and CB40 competition.Those digging for murky reasons behind the departure will search in vain. 45-year-old Brooks was certainly not pushed and has not applied for another role within the game. Indeed, he insists he has no idea what his next job will be. But, having built up a considerable personal fortune during his period in the food industry, he is not in a position where he is obliged to rush into anything. He leaves on his own terms.”When I was appointed I promised I would do three years,” Brooks told ESPNcricinfo. “In the end I’ve done four and I feel I’ve achieved what we set out to achieve. I’ve always felt that a period of three to five years was the right time to lead an organisation and I want to go while my passion for the job remains high. I love cricket now as much as when I started this job. I still play for Cookham Dean Seconds in the Thames Valley League and I always said I wanted it to remain my passion and my hobby.”This is the right time to go. My enthusiasm is still high and, if it takes a little longer to find my successor, I’ll stay into January. But we have a decent platform here now and, with the Australians playing at Hove next year, the club should do well commercially. It will be a good time for a new person to start.”I’m incredibly proud every time I come through the gates and see the new stand. It has been a privilege to be part of cricket in Sussex for the last four years and, as a team, on and off the pitch, we can be proud of our achievements. I hope that those who follow me will feel the same.””Dave Brooks has been a transformational chief executive,” the club’s chairman, Jim May, said. “He has combined an astute business focus with an empathy and understanding for cricket at all levels. He master-minded the ground development at Hove into one of the best grounds in the country. Dave has been an outstanding chief executive who leaves Sussex with our very best wishes, and, in great shape for his successor.””Will I ever work in cricket again?” Brooks said. “Never say never. But I have no plans in that direction. The first love is always the sweetest and, having fallen in love with Sussex, it would be very hard to work anywhere else. I’ll miss Sussex enormously.”Brooks laughed at the suggestion he could run against Giles Clarke as chairman of the ECB. “That’s an unpaid position, you know,” he said.Reflecting on his experience within the game, Brooks urged counties to develop greater independence from the ECB and develop revenue streams that are not reliant on centrally distributed broadcast deals. “Historically there has been a bit of a culture of dependence,” he said. “Some counties have been overly reliant on the income from broadcast revenues and a successful England team. I’d like to see more counties developing their own business models and, with the help of Gordon Hollins at the ECB, they have made some good progress in that area.”It’s not just about financial independence. It’s about the culture. I’m not sure you can have a vibrant on-field culture if you have a lack of energy off it. It would be nice to see clubs infused with energy on and off the pitch.”But the one thing I wish we did better was talking up the quality of the county game. The quality is very good and we shouldn’t be ashamed to say that watching county cricket is a very nice day out.”We should stamp out that rubbish about only ‘one man and his dog’ watching. We get very respectable crowds here at Hove and I know they do at some other grounds, too. I remember the ovation Scott Styris received when he walked off after scoring a 37-ball century in a T20 game against Gloucestershire. There were 6,000 people on their feet and applauding. It summed up the warmth and excitement you can experience in county cricket. There is a lot to be proud of and I wish we heard a bit more about that.”

Facing an uphill battle on the final day the Otago Under-19 side almost managed to hang on for an admirable draw, but fell just 14 deliveries short at the end, going down to the impressive South African Under-19s by 84 runs.With South Africa 113/1 overnight, and already 123 runs ahead on the first innings, the Otago youngsters needed some sort of miracle to get back into the game. James Schorn (73 not out) and Rivash Gobind (73) had other ideas and batted very well to enable South Africa declare for the second time in the match at 177/2.This left Otago 301 to get in 330 minutes to win the match. Considering Johan Botha, South Africa’s star bowler from the first innings, would not bowl due to an ankle injury, Otago had an outside chance of victory if their top order batsmen were able to knuckle down to the task ahead.But it was not to be, as most of the team folded to a determined South African attack. Otago were disappointing, in a performance somewhat similar to their first innings effort, particularly considering the apparent ease with which the South African batsmen had earlier scored.Anthony Wilkinson (34), Jordan Sheed (20), Matt George (23) and Mark Joyce (20) offered some resistance but no batsman was able to go on and get the big score required to see Otago to victory, with Ben Ryan stranded on 56 at the end.Schorn led the way with the bat for the tourists with a match double of 94 and 73 not out, well supported by captain Gobind (33 and 73) and Chad Baxter (75). In the bowling department, Botha was the standout with 6-10 off 18 overs in the first innings, but whose further participation in the tour may be in jeopardy due the injury sustained. Imran Khan’s 2-52 and 4-92 was also noteworthy.For Otago Joyce’s 60 and 20 plus Ryan’s second innings knock were their batting highlights, while Johnathan Hodson’s 4-63 and 2-39 provided a good bowling performance.Proving much stronger with the bat and ball, the South African first innings lead was the decisive factor despite Otago’s gritty tail showing some real fight. A much closer contest could’ve been seen had their top order shown similar fighting qualities.Whilst being outfielded by the home side, the South Africans were fully deserving victors in the tour opener.

The bare statistics of Jack Stackpoole’s first-class career as a medium-fast bowler are unremarkable – three matches for Queensland immediately before World War two brought an end to cricket for the duration – but his real claim to fame was he was one of only two men to dismiss Don Bradman first ball.Stackpoole, who has died at the age of 93, was born in Queensland but raised in South Australia, returning home as a teenager and after impressing in Grade cricket, he was drafted into the state side for their home Sheffield Shield match against South Australia. His debut was remarkable.Bradman won the toss and batted, but South Australia were bowled out inside two sessions, Stackpoole taking career-best figures of 6 for 72, including Bradman, caught at silly mid-on, much to the disgust of a large crowd who had turned up to see the Don bat. He took 3 for 66 in the second innings as Queensland sneaked a two-wicket win.Stackpoole modestly told The Argus newspaper it was “just the luck of the game … I don’t want to be made a hero at Don’s expense because I am a great admirer of his.”After two more appearances the war stopped competitive cricket and Stackpoole went on to serve in campaigns against the Japanese in the Far East. He returned and continued bowling steadily in Grade cricket but was not given another chance for Queensland. He went on to become a state selector.

Eoin Morgan, the England batsman, has signed up to play for the Sydney Thunder at Australia’s Big Bash League. Morgan will join Michael Hussey and David Warner as the high-profile signings at the T20 franchise this year, for the league that begins on December 21.”I am really excited about getting the opportunity to join the Sydney Thunder for this season’s Big Bash,” Morgan said in a statement. “I have been a big admirer of the tournament and I’m looking forward to getting a chance to play in it.”Morgan, one of England’s premier limited-overs players, also plays in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders. He led a second-string England team against Ireland in an ODI recently, and in the one-day series against Australia following the 2013 Ashes. Morgan was not picked in England’s 2013-14 Ashes squad, and would most likely be on national duty only in the lead-up to the limited-overs series that starts on January 12.He tweeted about his keenness to work with Michael Hussey, who will lead the Thunder in the absence of Michael Clarke – away on national duty for the England Tests.Hussey was brought over from the Perth Scorchers, in a bid to revive the struggling Thunder – the team has won only two matches over the past two seasons. Warner, meanwhile, had re-signed with the Thunder after a season with their cross-city rivals, the Sydney Sixers. He had played the inaugural season for the Thunder, before leaving them after a dispute with the general manager John Dyson.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMisbah-ul-Haq scored 195 runs during Faisalabad’s CLT20 campaign; his team-mates scored 190 in all•BCCI

The two eliminated teams produced similar performances in a dead rubber that ultimately ended in a tame finish in Mohali: poor top-order contributions, shoddy catching, inconsistent ground fielding, and one solid effort with the bat. The primary reason Faisalabad Wolves won, and Kandurata Maroons did not, was that Misbah-ul-Haq batted the distance for his team, while Kumar Sangakkara could not.The result ended the run of victories for the chasing team at the PCA Stadium, and ensured Faisalabad had something to show for their trip to India, which had seemed uncertain due to confusion over visas. Kandurata Warriors, the hastily formed Sri Lankan T20 champions, ended their campaign with no wins from their three games.The opening over of the game, bowled by Nuwan Kulasekara, was error strewn and set the tone for a tepid game. Ammar Mahmood mis-hit the first ball, but just cleared the leaping fielder at mid-on, treading on the right side of the thin line between failure and four. Mahmood mis-hit the second too, this time offering a catch to mid-off, where Thilina Kandamby dropped a waist-high sitter. Off the fourth, he survived an lbw appeal and ran a leg bye. While Mahmood lived through three mistakes, his partner Ali Waqas departed after his first, edging an outswinger behind to Sangakkara.Amid strong gusts of wind in Mohali, Kulasekara returned in the fourth over and induced another edge, this time from Asif Ali, leaving Faisalabad on 20 for 2, needing to be rescued once again by their captain and Man of the Match, Misbah.It nearly didn’t happen. Faisalabad were 27 for 3 and Misbah was on 1 when he lofted Milinda Siriwardana to long-off, where the fielder misjudged the catch and parried it for the innings’ first six. In Siriwardene’s next over, Misbah carted him again, this time clear over the sightscreen.After ten overs, Faisalabad were only 58 for 4 but Misbah finally had a steady partner in Mohammad Salman. The acceleration came against Suraj Randiv, with Misbah cutting and sweeping the spinner for consecutive fours before hitting a clean straight six in the 16th over, which cost Kandurata 19 runs. Another big over followed – 16 runs off Kulasekara – and the partnership was worth 74 in 8.4 overs before Salman fell for 21, via a one-handed catch from Lahiru Jayaratne, leaping backwards at deep midwicket.A six off the first ball off the final over and a brace of doubles took Misbah into the nineties but Kulasekara finished strongly, limiting Faisalabad to 146, of which Misbah had made 93. He had made 195 runs in three qualifying matches; the rest of the Faisalabad batsmen had only 190.Totals of this size had been chased comfortably in the previous games, and Kandurata got going with three consecutive fours from Upul Tharanga in the second over of the innings. However, a couple of mis-timed lofts and slow scoring reduced the Sri Lankan side to virtually the same position Faisalabad had been at the end of ten overs – 57 for 3.Faisalabad did not help their cause, dropping Sangakkara on 17, and Silva on 2. However, Sangakkara did not find a partner like Misbah had, and with the burden of scoring falling squarely on him, he eventually holed out to deep midwicket for 44.The asking rate rose steadily after that, to beyond ten an over, and the contest was killed off by Ali Asad in the 19th over. With 25 runs to defend, he conceded only 2, ensuring Misbah’s rescue act with the bat was not in vain.

ScorecardPakistan maintained their unbeaten record in the competition but were pushed all the way by England in the final group match at Derby. Set 228 to win, England looked on course for victory but they faltered late in the innings to fall four runs short.Zafar Gohar did the damage with the ball for Pakistan on a wicket which assisted the spinners. His three wickets came at important times as England failed to find the innings to take them through the victory. Gohar’s wickets included Harry Finch after a half-century and then out-foxing Ryan Higgins in the penultimate over which cost just one run. Higgins looked to be taking England home but the dismissal left 11 needed from the final over and Zia-ul-Haq kept his cool.Pakistan had chosen to bat first and posted a competitive total largely thanks to a partnership of 124 for the fourth wicket between Hasan Rasan and Iman-ul-Haq. In reply England added their own century partnership as Jonathan Tattersall and Finch raised 111 for the first wicket. But despite the top three making half-centuries they failed to get over the line.

India fast bowler Varun Aaron, whose career has been plagued with injuries, is working towards attaining match fitness in time for the Ranji Trophy with a “slight adjustment” to his bowling action. He hopes the tweak will help him last the entire domestic season.Aaron has been an almost permanent fixture at the National Cricket Academy ever since he was withdrawn from India’s squad for the Test series in Australia in 2011-12. Though he returned for a short stint during IPL 2012 where he featured in eight games for Delhi Daredevils, he suffered a recurrence of a back injury.As a result, the Jharkhand bowler, who keeps ferrying between Bangalore and Pune, where his family is now based, hasn’t played a competitive game for more than 15 months. Still, he had a wide smile on his face on Thursday.”The injury has started healing now. I have started bowling again,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously it would take me a little time to start bowling at full throttle, but I have been trying to build on pace slowly as I progress.”Aaron has had a frustrating last year. Owing to the injuries, Aaron hasn’t had a first-class outing since his Test debut in November 2011, and when the recurrence of his back injury was noticed in July 2012, he, along with the physios at the NCA, had expected the wound to heal in about four months. However, in November, it was found that the wound had been infected.”I consulted a surgeon in England who advised me that surgery was the best option and we went ahead with it in March. Since then, my back has held up pretty well. I would be naive to say that I am not frustrated. It’s been quite disappointing to have been out of action for so long but I am positive that the worst is behind me and once I get back on to the field, I am sure I would be able to enjoy my cricket even more.”Aaron has not thought about cutting down on pace, his key weapon, but he has made a slight modification to his bowling action for which he credits Bharat Arun, NCA’s outgoing head of bowling unit, and V Venkatram, who was relieved of his duties as bowling coach earlier in the year.”I would call it a minor adjustment. They suggested I should open up my landing foot while bowling, and it has really helped.”When Aaron rose through the ranks, he and Umesh Yadav were marked as the potential leaders of India’s pace attack. However, Aaron’s injury setbacks have meant he has lagged way behind in the race for sealing a bowling spot. In fact, he realises he has to start from scratch if he is to make a case for being selected again. But selection is the last thing on his mind for now.”All that I am thinking about is to be fully fit. The Ranji Trophy season starts in the last week of October and I am hoping to be fit in time for our (Jharkhand¹s) first match,” Aaron said. “The next objective would be to remain injury-free for the entire domestic season and then we will take it from there.”A fit Aaron will give more options to the selectors for India’s tough year ahead. With tours to South Africa, New Zealand and England lined up in the next seven months, the team’s pacers are likely to be stretched to their fullest. If Aaron can indeed last the full domestic season, one would not be surprised if he is part of the tours to either New Zealand or South Africa.As three of India’s pace bowlers -­ Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – have been going through the paces in what is their routine fitness assessment at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, they would be heartened to see the manner in which Aaron is shaping up for having a crack towards regaining his spot in the national team.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNitish Kumar scored his maiden first-class century•Eddie Norfolk

Centuries by Nitish Kumar and Damodar Daesrath put Canada in a commanding position on the third day at King City, after United Arab Emirates were bundled out for 116. Jeremy Gordon, the right-arm seamer, set the tone for Canada with a six-wicket haul – including a hat-trick – in his maiden first-class game for the country.UAE resumed on 73 for 4, and it didn’t take long for Gordon to strike, getting Rohan Mustafa caught behind for 4. Swapnil Patil, who remained unbeaten on 76, watched his partners depart in quick succession as UAE failed to maintain any stability. Harvir Baidwan took two wickets, reducing the tourists to 109 for 7, before Gordon cleaned up the tail. Gordon struck in the third ball of his 14th over, when Amjad Javed spooned a catch to mid-on. Gordon had the wicketkeeper Hamza Tariq to thank for his next two wickets, as Ahmed Raza and Mohammad Naved edged behind off successive deliveries, bringing the innings to an end within 40 overs.Canada lost Hiral Patel early, trapped lbw to Javed, though he didn’t appear satisfied by the decision. Kumar and Ashish Bagai then added 96 for the third wicket, taking Canada to the lead and strengthening their position in the game. Bagai was within sights of his fifty but fell for 43, caught at point off Naveed. Kumar reached his maiden first-class ton when he pushed Nasir Aziz wide of point. He fell shortly after reaching the milestone, trapped lbw by the legspinner Arshad Ali.Canada accelerated as Daesrath smashed 16 fours and three sixes in his 110-ball 110, adding an unbroken 168 with the captain Jimmy Hansra. With the opening day washed out, Canada, leading by 250, could be looking at a declaration if they want to force an outright win with only a day left.

ScorecardVarun Chopra piled on the runs at Uxbridge•PA Photos

Reigning champions Warwickshire enjoyed their best day of the Championship season to date at Uxbridge, where opener Varun Chopra put Middlesex to the sword by hitting an unbeaten 141. The former Essex batsman was twice dropped before getting off the mark and made Middlesex pay by hitting 17 fours and featuring in two century stands as Warwickshire posted a first day total of 269 for 2.Batting first after winning the toss on the hottest day of the season so far, Warwickshire made the most of a sublime pitch at the Park Road ground and wasteful Middlesex fielders who downed three catches in the opening session.Chopra, Warwickshire’s acting captain in the long-term absence of Jim Troughton who has disc problems in his lower back, was the luckiest recipient after twice being dropped on 0. In the third over of the day from Toby Roland-Jones, Chopra fenced a regulation chance to first slip that Dawid Malan failed to hold. Then, in his next over, Roland-Jones suffered again when Adam Voges failed to hang on to a tougher, throat-high opportunity at third slip.The poor start by Middlesex probably came as no surprise to their supporters who have yet to see their side win at this venue since making a first-class return here in 2008. In their 10 first-class matches here since, Middlesex have lost three and drawn seven and, on their opening day’s form against Warwickshire, appear unlikely to break their Uxbridge duck.Realising this was his lucky day, Chopra overcame a sticky start to unfurl some attractive straight drives and reach a 138-ball half-century with eight fours. At the other end, his pugnacious opening partner, left-handed Ian Westwood, played the more dominant innings by hitting 10 fours in his 65-ball 50.He too was dropped when, on 53, he ducked into a bouncer and gloved the ball leg side only to see keeper John Simpson down a tough chance diving away to his right. Once more, Roland-Jones was the unfortunate bowler as Warwickshire went in at lunch on 103 without loss.Westwood added only five to his lunchtime score of 60 when Roland-Jones finally got his man to make it 113 for 1. Top edging an attempted hook, Westwood skied a comfortable catch to long leg where Malan this time held on – much to the delight of Roland-Jones.In soaring temperatures, Middlesex reduced the flow of boundaries in the mid-session but Warwickshire remained on top to go in at tea on 171 for 1. After the break, Chopra clipped off his legs against left-arm spinner Ravi Patel for the 12th boundary of his innings to post a 235-ball hundred and raise Warwickshire’s 200. It was his third ton of the season.Without England stars Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, both on Ashes duty, Warwickshire also gave a rare opportunity to former Surrey right-hander Laurie Evans, who looked a worthy stand-in when scoring an eye-catching 37 for his part in the second 113-run stand of the day. His enjoyment was ended abruptly in the 81st over when Neil Dexter, still bowling with the old ball, sent down a looping bouncer that drew Evans into a hook shot that he edged through to the keeper.It made matters worse for Middlesex that seam bowler Corey Collymore turned his right ankle making a stop in the field at long leg. Then, having just taken the second new ball, Roland-Jones’s luckless day continued as he started to hobble on a sore left ankle.

Former international umpire John Holder has alleged that he was offered money to manipulate an ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Sharjah in 1993.”I was in Sharjah in 1993 for a one-day international series between Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan,” Holder told BBC. “I was introduced to a man and offered £10,000 [approx. US$ 15,000] to make sure Sri Lanka batsmen put on a partnership of 85. He told me his syndicate were involved in making money as the game fluctuates. I said ‘you’ve got the wrong person’.”Holder said he had reported the incident at the time. “Players and umpires who get involved in match-fixing have got to realise there’s no such thing as easy money. Once you get into that, your career is ruined. I couldn’t live my life looking over my shoulder, and I’d always be remembered as a cheat, so I had to say no, and reported it.”The Barbados-born Holder, who had played first-class cricket for Hampshire as a seamer between 1968 and 1972, stood in 11 Tests and 19 ODIs between 1988 and 2001.