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No ousted BCCI office bearer will be able to attend BCCI meetings as a state association representative or ICC meetings as a BCCI representative

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-20173:40

Ugra: Every BCCI move monitored by Lodha Committee

Other Lodha Committee clarifications

Does the nine-year disqualification hold true for members of a governing body, or managing or working committee, at a state association?
Unless the state association’s constitution defines those members as office bearers, the cap will not apply.
How do you calculate tenure if you are an office bearer at an Associate who has just become a Full Member?
The type of membership has no bearing on the eligibility of the office bearer. It would be calculated from the time the office bearer took office. But if the state association has never been a member of the BCCI, the tenure of the office bearer starts from the date of affiliation “unless he had already been the office bearer of another affiliated association.”

No ousted BCCI office bearer will be able to attend BCCI meetings as a state-association representative or ICC meetings as a BCCI representative after a fresh set of clarifications by the Lodha Committee has barred all disqualified office bearers from being “associated with cricket administration”.Ever since the Supreme Court made them ineligible with its January 2 order, many office bearers at various state associations have harboured hopes of retaining their position in some form. Last week, a Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) meeting had reportedly appointed its former president and BCCI’s last secretary Ajay Shirke as its representative at BCCI meetings.The Lodha Panel’s clarifications, however, have put paid to any hopes the disqualified officials might have harboured of coming back to the BCCI fold. In a response to frequently asked questions – by BCCI representatives, state associations and journalists – the Lodha Committee said: “In keeping with the spirit of the hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgment, a disqualified office bearer is no longer to be associated with cricket administration. He/she is disqualified from being a representative or nominee of the member association or the BCCI and cannot discharge any other role in or on behalf of the association or the BCCI. He/she cannot function within the association in any patron or advisory capacity not be a member of a committee or council.”The Lodha Committee also dealt with another key issue concerning elections of state associations. It said it would be “prudent” for state associations to await the appointment of the panel of administrators by the Supreme Court, which is likely to be finalised at the next hearing on January 19. This could have an impact on the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), which is scheduled to hold its elections on January 17. The Lodha Committee has not barred the HCA from holding elections should it be able to follow the committee’s norms.”While there is no bar to the holding of elections [subject to the orders of any court], if any election is held which is inconsistent with the committee’s report and the judgment of the Supreme Court, then the same will be treated as void and with no legal sanctity. This would also necessarily imply that such an election is supervised by an election officer as prescribed under the recommendations.”Among other clarifications, the committee has said officials in the middle of a term can stand for fresh elections but their current tenure will count towards the three-year cooling-off requirement. “This is to avoid any potential abuse,” the committee said. “For example, if there were no such bar, an office bearer could resign after two years and nine months, and then claim eligibility to stand at the next election three months later on the ground that a new term would commence.”The definition of an office bearer for the purpose of reforms will not be limited to president, secretary, vice-presidents, treasurer and joint-secretary. If a particular state association’s constitution has office bearers such an assistant secretary or a director or an assistant treasurer, such officials will also stand disqualified if they have spent a cumulative nine years in the said office. The Cricket Association of Bengal had reportedly sought the committee’s clarification as to whether its treasurer Biswarup Dey’s two years as assistant secretary would count towards his cumulative tenure in the association.”For example, in an association where the constitution refers to the assistant treasurer as an office bearer, if a person has occupied that post for three years and also been secretary for six years, he stands disqualified,” the clarification said.

Fulham’s midfield was arguably the strongest point of their team last season on their way to a top-half finish following their promotion from the Championship, and it could get even better.

Fulham have made James Ward-Prowse one of their top targets for the summer window, per The Independent.

The England midfielder looks set to leave Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League in 2022/23, and the Saints captain is interested in continuing his Premier League career at Craven Cottage.

Fulham transfer news – James Ward-Prowse

According to Nick Mashiter, the relegated Saints are likely to ask for around £30m for their free-kick specialist midfielder.

Ward-Prowse reportedly believes Marco Silva’s style of football is a good fit for his game as he look to return to England’s top division.

Silva will look to pair him with Joao Palhinha in the Fulham midfield, although the Portuguese midfielder is a transfer target for West Ham given the interest of top 6 teams in securing the services of their captain Declan Rice this summer.

Ward Prowse and Palhinha is the midfield combo to have Fulham firing for Europe

If Fulham did secure the services of the Southampton legend, he would bring with him a wealth of Premier League experience.

The 28-year-old has made 409 top-flight appearances for the Saints, providing 55 goals and 53 assists for the south coast side.

His club form has earned him 11 England caps and the player has scored twice for his country in those appearances.

Fulham’s star midfielder Palhinha was key for the Whites in his debut season in England.

The 27-year-old was signed from Sporting Lisbon last summer for a fee believed to be around £20m. The 6ft2 workhorse averaged a 7.00 match rating in his 35 games for Fulham in 22/23, per Sofascore.

Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Gary Neville was full of praise for Fulham’s midfield man during the season, and was stunned at the value Fulham had achieved through the signing. Speaking on The Overlap, he stated:

“I think Palhinha to be honest with you, he’s absolutely fantastic him.”

Pairing a player so highly rated with the Premier League experience of Southampton’s captain could be the duo that helps Marco Silva and his Fulham side make a strong push for the European qualification spots next season.

A former teammate of Ward-Prowse at Southampton in Charlie Austin believes the England international is a "phenomenal" player.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Austin said "His set-pieces and that are brilliant. He's probably going to beat David Beckham's record but, the nuts and bolts of his game, running hard, winning the ball back, and leading his team are phenomenal.

"He's come throught the academy at Southampton and has been there for so many years. I just think that it hasn't been the right opportunity.

"I think now is the time for him to move.”

Fulham made some stellar signings last summer, including midfielder Andreas Pereira and centre-back Issa Diop. Both players featured regularly for the Whites, with the Brazilian playmaker notching four goals and six assists in his 33 Premier League games and the French centre-back scoring once in his 25 league games.

Despite their success, Palhinha was the signing of the summer.

If the club do get the England maestro from Southampton, he will surely be their best piece of business since signing their workhouse midfielder from Sporting.

This situation is likely to develop quickly, and could all hinge on who West Ham grabs as their Declan Rice replacement, but a Ward-Prowse and Palhinha combination in Fulham’s midfield would be a major coup heading into the new season

Liverpool are in the process of rebuilding their midfield after a disappointing campaign last season and now a new update has emerged on a huge transfer target that could revolutionise the centre of the pitch at Anfield.

What's the latest on Liverpool's move for Federico Valverde?

According to reports coming out of Spain, Liverpool are preparing a €90m (£77m) bid to sign Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, an offer that Madrid will find very difficult to reject.

As per the report, Jurgen Klopp has been a huge admirer of the player for a while and there are now doubts surrounding Valverde's future at the Santiago Bernabéu due to the competition that exists in the centre of the pitch.

Will Liverpool sign Federico Valverde this summer?

There is no doubt that a refresh in midfield is needed following the departures of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita and the club has already secured a £35m deal for World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister.

Many of the remaining midfield options available to Klopp are reaching the latter stages of their careers with Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara well into their 30s at this point, whilst Fabinho will turn 30 before the turn of the year – so there is a real opportunity to build the next generation of success at Anfield.

As a result, the ambitious move for Valverde would be warmly welcomed as the 24-year-old would not only inject high energy, youth and a strong winning mentality into the heart of the team, but could finally replace Georginio Wijnaldum's deadly press and unrivalled work rate in midfield.

Before leaving the Merseyside giants in 2020 upon the expiration of his contract, Wijnaldum played a vital role in the success that Liverpool have experienced both in domestic competition and on the European stage, providing huge game-changing moments like his semi-final brace against Barcelona to lead the team to their first Champions League trophy since 2005.

Now Klopp could land his next game-changer with Valverde also a big game player who adopts the winning mentality and work ethic that is crucial to earn multiple accolades across several competitions.

The Uruguayan star – hailed "untouchable" by Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti – is an extremely attacking-minded talent who ranks in the top 16% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, shots in total, pass completion and progressive carries.

Wijnaldum, by comparison, ranks in the top 8% for non-penalty goals and the best 12% for shots to outline their similar attacking threat.

In comparison to Valverde's positional peers on Merseyside, neither Jordan Henderson nor Harvey Elliott were able to complete more progressive carries (70), goal contributions (11), shot-creating actions (81) or completed passes (1427) than Valverde in the Premier League last season, as per FBref.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Liverpool to acquire the services of Valverde this summer as he could have a huge impact on improving performances next season and become the much-needed game-changer that the team has been crying out for in midfield since Wijnaldum departed.

West Indies coach Stuart Law said his side should look at England for inspiration after the tourists handed the hosts a 3-0 series defeat in Barbados

George Dobell in Barbados09-Mar-2017West Indies coach Stuart Law was left ruing missed opportunities as West Indies slipped to a 3-0 series defeat against England.But while West Indies lost the final game by a crushing 186-run margin, Law felt his side could take inspiration from the way in which their opponents have improved their limited-overs cricket over the last couple of years.In particular, the new West Indies coach felt his side should look at England’s poor performance at the 2015 World Cup – a tournament in which they were knocked out in the group stages – and be encouraged by how quickly they had progressed.”Two years ago at the World Cup, England were in a pretty big hole,” Law said after Thursday’s game. “But they’ve gone back, changed the way they play, the way they’ve approached every game and it has started to work for them.”It’s an amazing transformation in two years. I’m hoping in two years’ time we can sit down and say something’s happening to revive West Indies cricket, something to get us competitive against these bigger teams.”If West Indies are to improve their results, they will have start taking their catches. Just as they gave Eoin Morgan a reprieve before he made a century in Antigua, they allowed Joe Root two lives on his way to a century in Barbados. Dropped on one and 12, Root went on to provide a match-defining 192-run partnership with Alex Hales.”The good thing about our bowling performance is we are creating opportunities,” Law said. “But we’re just not accepting them. In the first game, we put down a player of Eoin Morgan’s class and he punished us with a hundred. We’ve done the same today with Joe Root.”So those are valuable lessons we must take on board and learn to accept it’s an area we need to improve. There’s no substitute for hard work. We’ve got to make sure that when those opportunities come again we do grab them.”Still, Law was encouraged by the talent in his squad.”The first glimpse of what I’ve got to work with and there are some very encouraging signs,” he said. “I thought we bowled particularly well throughout the series. Today probably wasn’t our best, but the first two were good.”With the batting, we had guys getting starts but no one going on to get big scores. That’s the area we need to improve. I’m not pleased with the result but very, very happy to see some guys who have actually got something to give out there and want to be there to do it.”

Manchester United have reportedly made a bid to sign Fenerbahce goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

What’s the latest Man United transfer news?

The Red Devils and Erik ten Hag appear to be on the hunt for more signings this summer after securing a move for Mason Mount.

The England international has become the first player through the door at Old Trafford ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, joining in a deal worth an initial £55m plus a further £5m in player performance add-ons.

With a new midfielder brought in, attentions now appear to be turning towards a new goalkeeper after David de Gea’s contract expire at the end of June.The Spaniard’s future remains up in the air, with Inter Milan’s Andre Onana appearing to be a key target to come in and take over as first choice.

Reports have suggested that personal terms have been agreed with the Cameroon international and a new verbal €45m offer has been made to the Serie A side, although Inter are thought to be holding out for €60m.

Should De Gea move on and Onana arrive, another goalkeeper could still be of interest to those at Old Trafford, especially with Dean Henderson wanted back at Nottingham Forest, this time on a permanent deal.

Therefore, Onana and Tom Heaton could eventually be the only senior options for Ten Hag, but another new target appears to be Bayindir.

The Daily Express relayed reports from Turkey over the past 48 hours regarding Man United and Bayindir. It is claimed that the Red Devils have launched a shock swoop to sign the Turkey international, with a €3m (£2.5m) bid submitted.

Bayindir is ‘widely recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in the Super Lig and he could yet reach new heights if he was to seal a move to Old Trafford, although it's highly unlikely he would be coming in as the No.1’.

Who is Altay Bayindir?

Bayindir is 25 years of age and has been with Fenerbahce since 2019 after leaving Ankaragucu. Valued at €11m by Transfermarkt, Bayindir is under contract until 2027 and is named as Fenerbahce’s club captain. He has made 141 appearances for the club in all competitions, keeping 42 clean sheets and conceding 160 goals.

A five-cap Turkey international, Bayindir was once praised by former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil when the German was playing alongside the goalkeeper for Fenerbahce.

As per FBref, Bayindir has been compared to Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Newcastle United’s Nick Pope, so he could be a smart signing in a relatively cheap transfer. He stops more crosses than De Gea and his average length of goal kicks is shorter than the Spaniard, so he could be viewed as a shrewd addition at Old Trafford, potentially playing second choice to someone like Onana.

There should be plenty of chances for Bayindir to feature in domestic cup competitions, though, with Man United in four competitions, including the Champions League, and it looks as if a deal is one to keep a close eye on following this update.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA), which is in charge of the Indian board, has sought an “urgent” intervention from the Supreme Court to clear the air on whether disqualified office bearers can attend BCCI or ICC meetings

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Apr-2017The Committee of Administrators (CoA), which is in charge of the Indian board, has sought an “urgent” intervention from the Supreme Court to clear the air on whether disqualified office bearers can attend BCCI or ICC meetings. The CoA’s request comes two days prior to the BCCI’s special general body meeting (SGM) in Delhi on April 9.The CoA fears the SGM is likely to be attended by many former state and BCCI office bearers who became ineligible under the Lodha Committee recommendations which were approved by the court.Among those who are likely to attend the SGM is former BCCI president N Srinivasan. Pre-empting such a situation, the CoA had warned the BCCI office bearers and the state associations that only eligible representatives could attend the SGM.Vidarbha first to get pending BCCI funds

By becoming the first state association to implement the reforms recommended by the Lodha Committee, the Vidarbha Cricket Association will now get its pending funds from the BCCI.
Last September the Vidarbha Cricket Association elected a fresh administration, having adopted the new constitution as per the Lodha Committee recommendations. VCA is one of the very few BCCI members – along with Tripura Cricket Association and Hyderabad Cricket Association, and the suspended Rajasthan Cricket Association – that agreed to comply with the July 18, 2016, court judgement, which approved the Lodha Committee reforms.
In the face of staunch opposition from the rest of the states, the court had asked the BCCI through twin orders last October to “cease and desist” from disbursing any funds to all state associations that did not fall in line. In its third status report submitted in court on Friday, the committee of administrators said that VCA would get the funds straightaway.

It remains to be seen whether the CoA directives will be obeyed or ignored by Srinivasan and the state associations. During different meetings with the CoA in the last couple of weeks, the three existing office bearers of the BCCI – Amitabh Choudhary (acting secretary), Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) and CK Khanna (acting president) – indicated that the Lodha Committee eligibility criteria would not be applicable to the representatives from each state attending the SGM in case the person was not an office bearer. However the CoA is not certain.In its third status report, which was submitted in the court on Friday, the CoA has asked whether the two sets of frequently asked questions put in place by the Lodha Committee would be part of the BCCI’s new constitution. In the second set of FAQs, issued on January 12 this year, the Lodha Committee had said that disqualified office bearers could not come back as representatives for BCCI meetings or on behalf of the board.”The issue of whether the First FAQs and the Second FAQs form part of the reforms that the Committee of Administrators is required to implement requires urgent attention in light of the notice calling for a Special General Meeting of the BCCI on April 9, 2017,” the CoA status report said. The report was signed by former India woman’s captain Diana Edulji, who is part of the four-member CoA.The question that the BCCI office bearers and many state associations are asking is can the FAQs be relevant after the court had declared in its order on January 20 that the Lodha Committee’s role would be “confined to overall policy and directions”.In its submission on Friday, the CoA said the second set of FAQs was “particularly relevant” for Sunday’s SGM. “For the upcoming Special General Meeting that has been called by the BCCI on April 9, 2017, each existing Member Association of the BCCI is required to send a nominee/representative to attend the same. The Committee of Administrators has been informed that such nominee/representative need not necessarily be an office bearer of the concerned Member Association. It is possible that in some cases the nominees representative of a Member Association to the SGM scheduled on April 9, 2017, may be a person who would be disqualified to represent the Member Association if it is held that the FAQs form part of the reforms that the Committee of Administrators is required to implement.”The two top items on the four-point agenda of the board’s SGM concern the forthcoming ICC meetings in Dubai. The ICC Board is expected to vote on the new governance structure and revenue distribution model. Although CoA member Vikram Limaye was the BCCI representative at the last ICC Board meeting in February, the BCCI’s office bearers want to pick their own nominee this time, and Srinivasan is one of the favourites.But with the Lodha Committee reforms having made him ineligible, the CoA wants the court to take the final call.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping tabs on Leicester City star, Harvey Barnes, albeit with the Lilywhites set to face stern competition for the winger's signature.

What's the latest on Harvey Barnes to Tottenham?

According to The Guardian, while it is Newcastle United who are currently leading the race for the 25-year-old, Spurs are also said to be among the clubs showing an interest.

As per the report, the one-cap England international is a 'target' for Ange Postecoglou's side as the new boss seeks to strengthen his wide options, albeit with an approach from the north Londoners seen as 'less likely' due to their pursuit of Manor Solomon.

If those at N17 are to push to sign the Foxes speedster, the piece adds that while the Burnley native was valued at around £50m a few months ago by his current side, their subsequent drop into the Championship may have altered that price tag.

Will Harvey Barnes joins Tottenham?

Postecoglou and co have already raided the Midlands side this summer in order to secure the signing of Barnes' compatriot, James Maddison, with the 26-year-old arriving on a £40m deal after spending the last five seasons at the King Power Stadium.

Despite forming part of a side that suffered relegation last time out, Maddison – like Barnes – was still able to showcase his undoubted talent, having chipped in with 19 goal involvements in just 30 Premier League outings.

As pundit Gabby Agbonlahor stated earlier this year, the signing of the one-time Norwich City appeared to be a "perfect" fit, with the playmaking midfielder able to help lead the transition into providing "more attacking football for the fans", amid the change to a 4-3-3 formation.

Postecoglou could then follow up that transfer masterclass by bringing Barnes into the fold over the coming weeks, with the fleet-footed winger having also been something of a shining light amid Leicester's woes last season, after scoring 13 league goals from the left flank.

Lauded for his "raw pace" and hailed as a "livewire" by pundit Alan Hutton, the £35k-per-week menace has proven a reliable, devastating threat for the Foxes in recent years, having bagged 45 goals and 32 assists in 187 games for the club to date.

That ability to both offer a clinical presence himself as well as provide the goods for his teammates is also shared by Maddison, with the latter man having recorded a similar record for his previous employers, with 55 goals and 41 assists in 203 appearances across all fronts.

A further benefit that the duo are also able to offer is their defensive quality, with Barnes notably ranking in the top 15% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won, while his fellow Englishman ranks in the top 17% for tackles made – illustrating their willingness to defend from the front.

While the Guardian report did state that a move for Barnes may not be a priority for Postecoglou at present, it would seemingly be an astute deal if the Greek-Aussie could land Maddison 2.0 by poaching the wideman from his current home, hence why Spurs should consider strongly rivalling Newcastle for his signature.

Mashrafe Mortaza said Bangladesh have to change their mindset in foreign conditions, and move from ‘starting well’ to winning games

Mohammad Isam24-Mar-2017Ahead of the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said his side has to start winning games abroad and not just think about starting well.He said that after winning against India, Pakistan and South Africa in ODI series’ at home in 2015, Bangladesh’s next target was to do the same in foreign conditions. Their 3-0 defeat, though, to New Zealand was a reminder that they still have a long way to go.”Even if we are ahead of Sri Lanka, we have to play our best game,” Mashrafe said. “In Tests, you need maturity to play long innings, but in ODIs, a couple of 60s and 70s can make a difference. We did well at home, but our challenge started in New Zealand. We couldn’t do it there, despite creating a lot of chances. In the second and third ODI, we gave away good starts. We have to hold on to good starts here, both with bat and ball. Home teams have extra advantage. So, I think both teams are starting on equal.”Mashrafe refused to call themselves favourites, echoing the tone Bangladesh had maintained ahead of the Test series. Though they ended up losing the first Test by 259 runs in Galle, they came back strong to level the series.He said that they have to stick to their plans, and if that doesn’t happen, he wants his players to keep fighting till the end. “I never say anything extra. I think Sri Lanka have a more matured squad in the ODIs than the Tests. It is not going to be easy for us. A small innings can change things in the ODIs and T20Is. We have to try to execute our plans to the full, or we just have to fight till the end,” he said.Mashrafe added that they are not thinking about their ODI ranking, which could see a significant change at the end of this series. If they win 2-1 or 3-0, they will go up to as high as 96 points, which would level them with Sri Lanka at No. 6. If they lose by the same margin, they can go down to as low as 88 points, below Pakistan, to No. 8, reducing their chances of automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup.”[Ranking] is always in the back of our mind, but only thinking about the 2019 World Cup would put a lot of pressure on the players,” Mashrafe said. “They are enjoying cricket at the moment, which is the most important part. If we think about the ranking, we wouldn’t be able to play our normal game. When we reached No. 7, we didn’t think about rankings during those matches. It is hard to think about those things,” he said.On the eve of the first ODI, Mashrafe felt the Dambulla pitch was ‘hard to predict’.”It is hard to judge the wicket. We played here a long time ago. It looks good, but it is hard to predict whether it will start turning at some point. We have to be mentally ready that anything might happen. But, at first look, it seems a good batting wicket,” he said.

Liverpool's chances of signing Benjamin Pavard this summer have been handed a boost, with Sky Sports, via TeamTalk, reporting that Bayern Munich are willing to sell the defender.

How many games has Benjamin Pavard played for Bayern Munich?

The 27-year-old has starred in France and Germany so far in his career but has really thrived in the Bundesliga with his current team. He joined the Bavarian outfit back in 2020 and has since gone on to appear in 111 league games for Bayern. Even more impressive, is that he has won the division title in every campaign since he arrived there – showing that he can perform at the very top and do a job in a team that is regularly fighting for silverware. He even contributes offensively, having bagged eight goals and six Bundesliga assists over the course of his time there.

Pavard is also experienced on the international stage to boot. He won the World Cup back in 2018 with France and, during the tournament, bagged a screamer that was ultimately awarded the Goal of the Tournament trophy. To round out his list of achievements, the versatile ace has also won the Champions League with Bayern – meaning he has won both World and European titles before has even reached his prime.

Are Liverpool signing Benjamin Pavard?

Pavard's continued showings at the back for Bayern have now led to interest in his services from Liverpool. The Reds want to bolster their backline this transfer window and have seemingly identified Pavard as the man to come in and help shore up their defence. A few weeks ago, it was reported that the Premier League side already had an offer ready to go for the player, but as of yet there has been no official bid tabled.

Now, according to a report from Sky Sports, via TeamTalk, Liverpool have been handed a fresh boost in their efforts to land the Frenchman this summer. That's because his current side, Bayern Munich, are now prepared to offload the 27-year-old this transfer window. The German outfit want around 35 to 40 million Euros (£30-35m) for the defender in order for any deal to happen.

The Bundesliga giants though are not afraid to let go of the Frenchman though, as it's been identified that they may need to sell some of their squad to fund a move for one of their own targets in Harry Kane. It means that Pavard could now be sacrificed – and that is positive news for the Reds.

The Frenchman has been hailed as a solid option at the back by new Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, even though it appears the German side are ready to let him leave. Having only arrived in the Bundesliga not too long ago, the manager has already been impressed with Pavard. He called the defender "underrated" and added that he is a "top team player". It shows that he is still able to do a job in an elite backline, having shone with his current club, and if he did join Liverpool he could instantly upgrade their defence, allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to shift further forward on a regular basis.

Dale Steyn will miss South Africa’s tour of England, which starts next week and ends in August, as he continues to recover from a shoulder surgery

Firdose Moonda14-May-2017Dale Steyn will miss South Africa’s tour of England, which starts next week and ends in August, as he continues to recover from a shoulder surgery. Steyn, who has been out of action since the Perth Test against Australia last November with a broken bone, was due to play in two four-day games for the South Africa A side in the UK, to put himself in line for Test selection. However, considering he is still undergoing rehabilitation, he has opted to withdraw from those matches.”My recovery is going well but it is taking a little longer than I expected it to,” Steyn said at the CSA Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday. “I am able to do a lot of things, like running, hiking and gym work, but bowling is not one of them, and I won’t be ready in time.”When Steyn was initially diagnosed, it was expected he would need at least six months on the sidelines, which could have put him in contention for the UK tour. Instead, he is now targeting the home series against Bangladesh in September-October to make an international comeback, but understands he will need game time before that if he is to make the squad.”Obviously, one of the reasons for me playing with the A side was so that I could get some match fitness before the Tests. So, before that Bangladesh series, I will need to play a bit,” Steyn said.South Africa A will play in a limited-overs tournament against India A and Australia A late in the winter, which could give Steyn his much-needed game time, but he has also not ruled out the possibility of a short county stint in order to get some overs in. “In a way it could be quite funny – South Africa will be playing a Test series in England and maybe at some ground down the road, Dale Steyn will be playing for another team,” he joked.Steyn could not put a timeline on when he will return to bowling but stated that he was not experiencing any pain in the shoulder when “doing normal things.” He is on an extensive rehabilitation program which runs five days a week and includes activities to strengthen the smaller muscles around the shoulder joint. His plan is to gradually work his way up to being able to return to bowling.”We have to understand that fast bowling is not something normal people do, so it’s going to take time. Normal people do things mostly below the shoulder line; it’s unusual to have something above the line except for things like bowling and tennis. I just have to be patient,” Steyn said.Despite Steyn’s absence, South Africa will still have what he considers a “very strong attack,” which will include the fit-again Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier and, possibly, Chris Morris or Wayne Parnell – or both, as they had in New Zealand. Philander is the only other injury concern – he sustained a groin injury while playing for Sussex earlier this month – but South Africa are hopeful he will be able to play a full part in the Test series.