CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are hiring David Ross to be their new manager, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. The official announcement is expected to come on Thursday.

Ross, 42, beat out five other candidates to replace Joe Maddon, who was hired by the Angels. Ross played under Maddon in 2015 and 2016, helping the Cubs to a World Series title before becoming a member of the team's front office and an ESPN baseball analyst.

He'll be asked to manage several players he once called teammates, including Kris Bryant.

"I've always looked at Rossy as a coach when he played here," Bryant said in late September. "Yeah, it was goofy, it was fun, it was energetic, but when he needed to tell you something, he let you hear it. From the very get-go, I felt like this guy will be a manager someday."

"I think it's one of the best jobs in baseball," Ross said recently. "I've got a lot of close ties with those guys. ... I think my heart is drawn to that dugout a little bit. "

Other candidates -- including Cubs first-base coach Will Venable, bench coach Mark Loretta, former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Astros bench coach Joe Espada -- have been informed of the decision. Espada was called in for a second interview on Sunday, which included a mock news conference, according to a source. Ross did the same on Monday, and he performed as expected: extremely well, the source said.

Ross was a Game 7 hero for the Cubs in 2016, hitting a World Series home run before calling it quits on his career. He also won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves.

HOUSTON -- Do you remember May 22? It was only five months ago. The NBA was in its conference finals. The NHL had just moved to the Stanley Cup Final. The Twitterverse was up in arms about the "Game of Thrones" finale that aired three days before. And Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros pitcher, lost a game.

A lot of stuff has happened during the five months since then. The NBA and NHL have started new seasons. There's a "Game of Thrones" spin-off filming somewhere. Summer has come and gone. And Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros pitcher, finally lost another game.

The timing was not good.

"He's been so good for so long that it builds this thought of invincibility, that it's impossible to beat him," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "When it happens, it is a surprise to all of us because we've watched for months this guy completely dominate the opposition. Which is why I want to give credit to the Nats."

The opponent definitely earned some props. Cole gave up five runs in seven innings and took the loss in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, a 5-4 nail-biter against the only baseball entity as hot as Cole right now -- the Washington Nationals. He had gone an unbelievable 25 straight starts without a loss, a span during which he went 19-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 258 strikeouts in 169⅓ innings.

For five months, from the time your kids were wrapping up their previous grade in school to the time they were getting rolling in this one, Cole was unbeatable. Now, in the World Series, he is 0-1.

"He's human," Astros center fielder George Springer said. "He was bound to lose one eventually."

There is no panic in Houston. A one-game deficit isn't going to faze this bunch, which won 107 games in the regular season, survived a winner-take-all contest in the division series and took the pennant on a game-ending homer by Jose Altuve. For the Astros, a loss is a kind of quietus -- a short pause until their next moment of exaltation. It's the way it has been for them all season, so why would now be any different?

The Astros' winning percentage before Cole started his streak was .673. Their record after he started it was .644. Sure, they won nearly all of Cole's starts over that 25-game span, though they lost twice when he drew a no-decision. But overall including the playoffs, Houston has a .620 winning percentage when Cole doesn't start -- a 100-win pace.

In other words, as great as Cole has been, the Astros have had a lot more than him going on.

"He's one of the reasons we're here right now, and I know he's going to start a new [streak] tomorrow," Altuve said. "Whenever he plays a game, he's focused. This one was just one game. We've been in this situation before, and he's going to keep helping us. I know."

Still, Cole was not at his best. He knows that.

"It wasn't my sharpest game," Cole said. "We had to get creative. I thought the fastball was leaking a little bit off the corner a couple times. I struggled with the curveball command, kind of buried us in some bad counts."

The five runs Cole gave up was a postseason career high. It was the most he has given up since, you guessed it, May 22. He faced budding Nationals superstar Juan Soto for the first time, and it did not turn out well for Cole: Soto tagged the game's hottest pitcher with two ringing opposite-field drives, one a homer and one a two-run double. Sure, Soto is good, but so are a lot of hitters Cole has sent packing for the past five months.

"He's facing All-Stars and really good players," Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. "In this game, anything can happen any day. I have complete confidence in him, 100 percent."

This is how sports works. There really is no such thing as invincible, no matter how transcendent a player seems to be at any given moment in time. Gerrit Cole lost a game. It was going to happen sometime, and unfortunately for the Astros, it happened in Game 1 of the World Series.

If there is an element of disappointment in the outcome, it's not all on Cole. On his off night, he still gave Houston seven innings and a chance to win. The Astros chipped away late and came one clutch hit short of evening the score. But they kind of let Washington's Max Scherzer off the hook -- that's the part that stings.

Scherzer's pitch total soared early, and he was out after five innings. But the Astros couldn't add to their two quick runs to start the game -- a recurring pattern for them this postseason. When Cole faltered, the buffer he needed, and that was there to be had, did not exist.

"Anytime you're up against a really good starting pitcher, you want to take advantage of every single opportunity," Hinch said. "You know that's going to be a tall task. But I liked our at-bats."

There were good signs for Houston. Springer had four terrific at-bats, drawing two walks, homering and hitting a double to right-center that just missed going out. Springer now has an Astros record 14 postseason homers, and since he's a bit streaky, the big first game might portend well. He has homered in a record five straight World Series games.

Even better news came further down the lineup, where probable AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez had his best night of the playoffs and it almost turned into a huge night. Alvarez went 1-for-22 during the AL Championship Series against New York, resulting in a daily dose of questions for Hinch about whether he would replace his star rookie in the lineup. Without batting an eye, each time Hinch replied, "He'll be in the lineup tomorrow."

"He's given me a vote of confidence, and it's helped to keep me strong mentally," Alvarez said through an interpreter. "I just don't worry about anything. Just keep playing and let the next day be."

Alvarez walked and stroked two solid singles, including one that nearly knocked Scherzer out of the box. He then struck out in a high-leverage spot in the seventh with Houston down by two runs. With the bases loaded and two outs, Alvarez went down on three pitches against Washington righty Daniel Hudson. Hudson climbed the ladder on him with three fastballs, and Alvarez just missed the 0-1 pitch letter-high, fouling it back.

Still, it was an encouraging outing -- especially if it points to a well-timed breakout. Alvarez's quiet October has denied fans across the country who perhaps haven't seen him play the chance to see one of baseball's most dynamic young hitters do his thing. Let's remember that Alvarez hit .325 with 50 homers and 149 RBIs across Triple-A and the majors this season. That's the guy the Astros would love to see show up for the rest of the World Series.

"Definitely felt more comfortable at bat today," Alvarez said. "I made some adjustments the last couple of days and was able to put those adjustments into the game today, and the results were there. Obviously I wanted to do more with that last at-bat than I did, but I took a good swing at it."

The other good news ought to be Houston's Game 2 starter. It's a guy named Justin Verlander, who happens to be the co-favorite with Cole to win this year's AL Cy Young Award. He led the AL this season in wins (21), innings (223) and WHIP (0.803). And now that CC Sabathia has retired, he's the active leader in career wins (225) and strikeouts (3,006).

He also has 14 postseason wins, a total that is tied for third all time. None of those wins has come in the World Series, though. He has started five times in the Fall Classic, losing four times, drawing a no-decision and posting a 5.67 ERA. However, his last World Series loss was actually a good start. In 2017, he lost Game 6 against the Dodgers despite giving up just two hits in six innings.

As Verlander tries to avoid becoming the first pitcher to lose his first five World Series decisions, he needs a line similar to the one he posted at Dodger Stadium two years ago. For one thing, the Astros desperately want to avoid an 0-2 hole with three games looming in D.C., a city that hasn't seen a World Series game in 86 years. And Houston needs Verlander to be sharp because his opposition is tough: Nats righty Stephen Strasburg taking the mound with a lineup behind him that has been providing big hits all postseason.

"I think they have a really good mix," Verlander said. "They have speed. They have power. They have patience. They have plate coverage."

Washington is the momentum team now. It's funny how quickly that designation can change. The Astros seemed to be that team just three days ago, when Minute Maid Park erupted into bedlam when Altuve rocketed an Aroldis Chapman slider over the yellow line in left field to give Houston its third pennant in franchise history.

After that game, and again before Game 1, a common question was this: Does momentum carry over?

"I don't know that momentum is necessarily going to be at the top of the list of the excitement when we take the field or we get the announcement of the national anthem and the lineups and we're on the big stage," Hinch said before the game. "I think you can probably put that one to bed when you're dealing with two teams that are getting to this stage."

Well, the Nationals have more momentum than one game. They've won seven straight, across three series. Four of those wins have come on the road -- in Los Angeles, St. Louis and now Houston. The momentum god is clearly in Washington's camp.

Thus it is obviously imperative for the Astros to jump out to a quick start against Strasburg, to give Verlander a comfort zone and to sap some of that ballooning confidence swelling in the Nationals' clubhouse. Or, maybe, if you're on the other side, it really is just about the Astros.

"We have a had a game plan since Day 1," Altuve said. "We have to keep caring about us. The moment that we stop thinking about us and start thinking about the other team, we change what we're doing. We don't really want that. We're playing great baseball right now."

For five months, the Astros could pretty much count on winning when Gerrit Cole was on the mound. Suddenly, at the pinnacle time of the season, it didn't happen. The challenge for any team facing the Astros in a seven-game series is knowing that you're going to have to beat Verlander or Cole at least once to get to four wins. The Nationals already have that item crossed off the to-do list.

Now, the Astros' World Series mettle is about to be tested.

"We've done it before," Springer said. "Losing at home, and then for some reason come back the next day and we win and start playing really good."

OSWEGO, N.Y. – Reigning Budweiser Int’l Classic champion Tyler Thompson and former Oswego Speedway track champion Michael Barnes will drive TQ midgets for Jason Simmons Racing during the upcoming Indoor Auto Racing Championship.

Barnes will join Thompson beginning with the series’ first event inside the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., on Jan. 3-4, making for a two car TQ Midget effort out of the JSR stable.

“Putting a deal like this together for Michael has been on my radar for a few years,” said team owner Jason Simmons.  “Putting Michael in another Lafler Chassis, alongside Tyler, will only help to improve our program. I am happy we were able to put it together.”

A 13-time supermodified winner at Oswego, Barnes copped the 2016 Oswego Track Championship and won most recently at the Steel Palace in the annual Grand Prix 75 on Fourth of July weekend.

A podium finisher in the last five Oswego Classics, Barnes is excited for the new opportunity.

“I can’t thank Jason enough for the chance to compete this winter,” said Barnes.  “I’m looking forward to running great equipment in one of the most competitive racing series there is.”

Joining Thompson and Barnes on the JSR indoor team for 2020 will be Champ Kart drivers Tyler Brown and Dan Kapuscinski.

Brown has two career Indoor Auto Racing Championship main events wins for JSR (Albany – 2018, Syracuse – 2019) and finished fourth in the series championship last year.

Kapuscinski, a former flat kart winner at the New York State Indoor Championships in Syracuse, will make his first career Indoor Auto Racing Championship start at Allentown January.

The Champ Kart division of the team will see each machine prepared out of the Performance Manufacturing and Slack Karts shop in Middleport, N.Y.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has assured the Indian team management led by captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri that his board will make "life easy" and not "difficult" for them but pointed out that performance would be the ultimate yardstick. Ganguly also said he was waiting to have a word with MS Dhoni on his future, pointing out "champions don't finish quickly."

The 47-year old former India captain was speaking after his formal election as BCCI president, marking the end of the 33-month tenure of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). Others elected today were Jay Shah (secretary), Arun Singh Dhumal (treasurer), Jayesh George (joint secretary) and Mahim Verma (vice-president).

ALSO READ - Meet the new BCCI officials

Ganguly was all praise for Kohli who he said had taken Indian cricket to a "different level" since he took over as captain in 2015. India are currently the No. 1 Test team and are perched comfortably atop the World Test Championship table. In ODIs, they are behind England and in T20Is they are ranked fourth.

In light of that success, Kohli and Shastri became two of the most powerful people in Indian cricket. Ganguly is scheduled to them on Thursday at the BCCI offices where the teams to play the home series against Bangladesh would be picked.

"Champions don't finish very quickly. I don't know what's in his mind, what he thinks about his career. When you sit down and make not of what he has done, you still say wow" Ganguly on Dhoni

"I really don't know what had transpired with the CoA [the previous regime] and Virat and Ravi," Ganguly said in his first media briefing as BCCI president in Mumbai. "But the new body has taken over, the new office bearers have taken over, it will be a proper discussion and everything would be mutually discussed. But be rest assured that we are here to make their life easier, not make their life difficult. And everything will be on the basis of performance. Performance is the most important thing and that's what will decide the future of Indian cricket."

Ganguly made it clear that Kohli was the "most important" person in Indian cricket at the moment. "We will be there to support him. We will there to listen to him because I have been a captain myself and I understand from that position and we will deal with it. It is a mutual respect which will be there, so discussions will be there and we will do what is best for the game."

On Tuesday, after India's 3-0 Test series win over South Africa, Kohli felt Test cricket should be hosted by a maximum of five key venues, a system which is followed in England and Australia. Kohli said it helped bring in better crowds and add to the Test-match culture in those countries and it might be something for the BCCI to look into.

The issue had come up in light of poor crowds in two of the three Tests (Pune and Ranchi) and there had already been a precedent - Dhoni had made a similar suggestion in 2010. Ganguly was open a discussion around it, saying "in terms of the Test venues, we have a lot of space, lot of venues. So we will have to sit with him [Kohli] and see what he wants and take it forward."

With a selection meeting scheduled for Thursday, the question on Dhoni's future came up once again. The 38-year old hasn't played for India since the end of the World Cup in July and it doesn't seem likely that he will be back to play the series against Bangladesh. "It is unlikely Dhoni would be picked for the Bangladesh series which comprises three T20Is and two Tests considering he has not played any cricket after the World Cup."

When asked if he had reached out to Dhoni, Ganguly said, "I have not spoken to him yet. Hopefully we will meet soon and have a word with one of the greats in Indian cricket."

Ganguly was not shy about recalling instances from his own career - which began in 1992 and ended in 2008 -when asked about how long Dhoni could continue playing for India.

"It depends on him," Ganguly said. "I've always said that even when I was left out [in 2005] and when the entire world said he'll never make it I believed in myself and came back [in 2007] and played for four years [domestic cricket included]. You know champions don't finish very quickly. I don't know what's on his mind, what he thinks about his career. So we will deal with that. He is one of the greats of the game. India is very proud to have MS Dhoni. When you sit down and make note of what he has done, you still say "wow"."

Ganguly also brushed aside the question of whether India needed to look at the split captaincy. "It is the job of the selectors (to decide that)," he said before adding, "India is winning, so the question is not necessary at the moment. India is the best team in the world right now so that question is not necessary right now."

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revoked conditional No Objection Certificates (NOCs) given to its players to feature in the Abu Dhabi T10 league, which is due to start from November 15.

In a statement, the PCB said that the decision had been taken "to manage the players' workload, continued work on their fitness levels [and] to ensure primacy and participation of its player in its premier Quaid-e-Azam Trophy".

The tournament is set to clash with a fitness and medical assessment camp at the National Cricket Academy, as well as several round of the QeA Trophy.

The PCB added: "The decision has been made in the best interest of the players as well as to continue to enhance the credibility and reputation of the new domestic structure, which has been widely covered and reported across all media outlets."

The news is a significant blow to the T10 tournament, which was set to feature several Pakistan players. The majority of the Qalandars squad is Pakistani - including Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf and Imran Nazir - while other players who could be affected include Mohammad Irfan, Shoaib Malik and Sohail Tanvir.

More to follow…

Saqib Mahmood may have landed in New Zealand as part of England's touring party, but it seems his feet are yet to touch the ground following his maiden senior international call-up.

Rewarded for a strong season with Lancashire in 2019, when he was the leading wicket-taker in the Royal London One-Day Cup, Mahmood is hoping to break into the England team during the tour, which starts with a warm-up match in the early hours of Sunday (UK time).

"It still feels weird to think that I've been picked for England," Mahmood told PA. "If I get the opportunity I want to go out there and just give it my all. It's the same at Lancs, where this year we had a very high level of competition in the bowlers.

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"England will be another step up but I'm used to dealing with that competition where you're fighting for places, you're not quite sure who's going to play or where you've got to up your game to get into that XI. It will be the same with England. I think it will be one of those where very quickly I'll have to learn and see what kind of areas that I've got to make sure I'm on top of."

A regular England Under-19s player, having made his first appearance at the age of 17, Mahmood has long been on the international radar and, after overcoming a side strain which ruined his 2018 domestic season, he missed the subsequent Lions tour of India because of visa issues. So there is a sense his senior debut, when it arrives, has been a while coming even though he is still only 22.

Having regularly been clocked at 90mph, Mahmood was relishing the prospect of lining up alongside the likes of Jofra Archer in the Test squad, just as he has enjoyed being a team-mate of James Anderson at Lancashire.

"If you look at Jofra and the speeds he's bowling and what he's achieving, I'm the type of player where that will make me hungrier for more," Mahmood said.

"In training if he's bowling quick you want to push yourself that little bit further. You've got someone who's doing it at top level and you want to almost try to get to his level as well.

"It's the same when Jimmy's at Lancs, I'm trying to work on my skill, I see that as the finished article and I want to work my way towards that. The level of skill he has, when you're surrounded by those types of guys, I think naturally you lift your own standards as well to match them."

Lancashire legspinner Matt Parkinson is also in line to make his England debut in New Zealand and he would love to do so with Mahmood nearly a decade after they first played together for their county as 13 year olds.

Parkinson told the Lancashire website he felt Mahmood was "making up for lost time".

"He had a tough year last year being injured from April onwards," Parkinson said. "It's probably come, like myself, a lot quicker than you would have thought but he deserves it completely. He's had a fantastic season and it shows that if he does stay fit he's an absolutely fantastic bowler. It would be amazing to play international cricket with Saqib."

England will play a second warm-up match against a New Zealand XI on October 29 before five T20Is starting on November 1 and two Tests from November 20.

Bayern Munich's defensive crisis went from bad to worse on Tuesday night as record signing Lucas Hernandez suffered a partial ligament tear in his right ankle in the 3-2 win at Olympiakos.

The France defender is set to miss several weeks of action following the diagnosis and his injury comes just days after fellow defender Nikas Sule suffered a possible season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee. Bayern now only have two proven centre-backs in their squad.

- ESPN+ obtains Bundesliga rights from 2020

Hernandez, who joined from Atletico Madrid for €80 million in the summer, injured his right ankle in the Champions League win at Olympiakos, Bayern announced on Wednesday.

Bayern did not say how long Hernandez will be sidelined for, but with just two months left in 2019, the defender could be out for the remainder of the year.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic had partially blamed the French FA for the injury. The French Football Federation had called Hernandez up for the latest set of international games despite a minor knee injury, and various setbacks throughout 2019.

The defender played the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Turkey and Bayern coach Niko Kovac had thanked France boss Didier Deschamps for giving Hernandez playing time.

But speaking on Tuesday, Salihamidzic said: "He came out of a long injury and was thrown into a lot of games. This annoys me a bit."

Upon returning from France duty, Hernandez played the full 90 minutes in Bayern's 2-2 draw at Augsburg and three days later returned to the starting lineup in Greece.

Hernandez injury leaves Bayern with a crisis at the back. Only Benjamin Pavard and Jerome Boateng have significant experience in central defence.

Spain international Javi Martinez and left-back David Alaba can also be deployed there while youngster Lars Lukas Mai, 19, could come in.

Sourav Ganguly formally assumed charge of the BCCI on Wednesday, becoming the 39th BCCI president. After his election was formalised, the former India captain held forth on a variety of topics, and outlined his vision forward for Indian cricket. Excerpts:

It must be a big challenge to take over after these 33 months when the Supreme Court had to intervene.

It's an honour that I've been asked to take this role by the members. It's a new start for the BCCI. Coincidentally - fortunately or unfortunately - when I became captain it was a similar sort of a situation and I captained India for six years. And this is a similar sort of situation. Things need to be brought back in place, reforms need to be done, huge amounts of money needs to be paid to state associations. So it's a completely new start. From that point of view, I find myself in a position where I can make a change, and it's a challenge. I'll do it the way I know, in the way I feel is best for BCCI, with no compromise on credibility, and corruption free. That's the way I led India and that's the way I will take forward this organisation in whatever time I have. It's a pretty young group, Jay [Shah] is the secretary, Arun [Singh Dhumal] is the treasurer, Jayesh [George] is the joint-secretary. It's a pretty young team so we will have to do a lot of hard work. We don't know what's happened in the last three years, there was no AGM or working committee meeting, there were no committee meetings so we have no idea how it has happened. So we'll take note of everything and then do what is required for BCCI and Indian cricket. We all must understand that we're here to work for Indian cricket, that's what the job of the BCCI is. The game on the field - international cricket, domestic cricket, IPL cricket, and we will do that to the best of our abilities.

ALSO READ - Meet the BCCI's new office bearers

What's your view on Virat Kohli's comments on having only five Test venues or centres in India?

I'll speak to him tomorrow. He's the captain of India, he is the most important man in Indian cricket. We'll have a word with him, and as I said, we'll support him in every possible way. He wants to make this team the best in the world. It's been a great team to be honest with you, the way we have played cricket in the last three-four years. It's a fantastic side, yes, you can say they haven't won the World Cup but you don't win World Cups every time. We'll support him for whatever he wants and make sure that Indian cricket goes ahead smoothly. In terms of the Test venues, we have a lot of space and venues so we'll have to sit with him and see what he wants and take it forward.

Due to a lack of institutional check, there's a sense that the Indian team management was becoming very powerful and there was nobody to check that. How do you look at that?

I really don't know what had transpired with the CoA and Virat and Ravi (Shastri). But the new body has taken over, the new office bearers have taken over, so it will be a proper discussion and everything would be mutually discussed. But be rest assured that we are here to make their life easier, not make their life difficult. And everything will be on the basis of performance. Performance is the most important thing and that's what will decide the future of Indian cricket.

As I said Virat Kohli is the most important man in this entire context. We will be there to support him. We will listen to him, because I have been a captain myself and I understand (what is needed) from that position, and we will deal with it. It is a mutual respect which will be there, so discussions will be there and we will do what is best for the game.

Will there be greater connectivity between you and the team since you've been a player?

I don't think there was a gap in connectivity earlier. When I was the captain, (Jagmohan) Dalmiya ji was the Board President. I don't remember a day when we asked for something and it was refused to us. When (N) Srinivasan ji was the president, MS Dhoni was India's captain, and you know how good their relation has been. Now Virat is captain, and I will have the type of relation with him where he will get whatever he needs for India to play well. And he is a very big player. Just see his game from the last four-five years, he's just taken Indian cricket to a different level. We have been with him, and we will remain with him and give him everything that his team needs to be the best.

Have you given any thought to whether split captaincy is needed for India?

That is the job of the selectors. And when that issue comes up we'll decide. Right now, India is winning. So there is no need for that question. Right now, perhaps India is the best team in the world, so I don't think that question is needed.

Have you spoken to MS Dhoni yet?

No, I haven't spoken with him yet. I have just taken over today so hopefully we will meet soon and have a word with one of the greats of Indian cricket.

You have had a lot of comebacks, so are you rooting for a comeback for Dhoni as well?

It depends on him. I've always said - even when I was left out and when the entire world said that, 'he'll never make it' - I believed in myself and came back and played for four years. You know champions don't finish very quickly. I don't know what's in his mind, what he thinks about his career, so we'll deal with that. He's one of the greats of the game. India is very proud to have MS Dhoni. His achievements, when you sit down and take note of what he's done, you say, 'Wow, MS Dhoni!' So, till I'm around, everybody will be respected. That doesn't change.

Has it been decided who will represent India at the ICC?

No, it has not been decided. We'll take a call. But I think the ICC matter, it's important for everyone to know. Don't just go on hearsay. India is supposed to get 372 million (USD) from the ICC in the five-year cycle, which very heavy at the back end, because there are two world tournaments. There is a 2021 [2020] World Cup in Australia, and then they come to India for the Champions Trophy, which is a T20 in any case [2021 T20 World Cup], and then the World Cup. So a lot of the ICC money is the back-end money. Till now we've got whatever it is, but we'll make sure that we get our due. We will work with the ICC and take this forward.

Have the BCCI's accounts been passed?

No, the accounts haven't been passed. This was a general body meeting, not the annual general meeting so accounts need to be passed at the AGM. We'll call an AGM in three weeks' time and pass it. We also need to go through it because we are new so we don't have an idea of what expenses have happened in the three years. We'll call an AGM and then pass it. We'll send a notice for the AGM soon.

Domestic cricket has suffered on many counts in the last few years. Would that be your priority?

That will be the first thing we'll do and we'll get it done before the actual Ranji Trophy season starts. The structures are there, the tournaments are there. In the last three years the matches have doubled actually. When I played for Bengal and some of my colleagues played for the other states, there were about 1000 games to be played. Now there are 2000 games between states and the affiliates. So we have to account for it. We have to make sure the best tournament in the country is competitive, and it remains important to everyone now because that's where you get the Kohlis and MS Dhonis, Ajinkya Rahanes and Rohit Sharmas of Indian cricket. So that structure has to be the best, both structure-wise and financially, and that will happen. That will be the first thing that will be done by the Apex Council.

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The way Mumbai, Punjab were knocked out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, wasn't that wrong?

See these are rules. At the end of the day, when the Vijay Hazare started, the rules were put down and sent to all state associations. It's a similar thing to what happened in the World Cup final. When New Zealand lost, everyone started jumping up and down with the rules, but New Zealand were aware of the rules. It's just unfortunate that they were on the wrong side of the rules. So we will assess it, try and make it simpler.

The rule was that whoever won more matches went through, which is also a way of saying you give value to your performances in the group stages. So it's not something which is completely wrong. Yes, the pertinent point is whether a reserve day could be kept for the knockouts. The quarter-finals, semi-finals are very important, which is a practical thing. So yes, that could be an option which could be taken. But you must remember, whatever happened, it was as per the basis of rules that were there form the start of the tournament.

There have been complaints about the fan experience in the South Africa Test series.

Yes but the same fans turn up for IPL isn't it? Where it's choc-a-block in the same stadium. So it's a bit more than just stadiums. Test cricket needs a revisit of how it can be popularised. Eden Gardens will host Bangladesh on November 22, and we don't know what's going to happen in that Test match. But you see an IPL game - and I was involved with the Delhi Capitals last year - you just couldn't keep people happy by giving tickets. Same stadium, same toilet, same ground, and people come in and turn up in huge numbers. I think the problem is somewhere else. But at the same time, infrastructure has to be done properly. But if you look at some of the new stadiums, they are remarkable. You go to Hyderabad, you go to Nagpur, the new stadium in Mumbai, Ranchi - it's fantastic. As much as you say that part needs to be looked at, and rightly so that part needs to be looked at.

Has the Apex Council replaced the working committee? Have the powers of secretary and joint-secretary been curtailed?

No, it's not correct, the Apex Council can give any powers to the office-bearers. It's not the right interpretation of the (Supreme Court) order. If you look at the Apex Council powers, it will designate powers to the president, secretary and the treasurer and it can give them any power. All the office-bearers are very important for the functioning of BCCI... I wouldn't use the word control, I don't like that word. It's about proper functioning of the BCCI. We have to be in the thick of things because at the end of the day, the responsibility has been put on us to get things going in the right direction.

How are you looking at the CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee) now after those resignations?

Conflict is still an issue. I have seen the last status report filed by the CoA, they have addressed the conflict issue. I don't know when it will be heard and when it will be solved. We have to create the CAC because they will appoint a lot of selectors and other members which are important parts of Indian cricket. So we will do that and we will make sure that they don't have any conflicts of interest.

What do you think of Clause 38 (the conflict of interest clause)?

Conflict? That has to change boss. It's already done by the CoA. The administrators who vacated office today have already put it in the Supreme Court, so we'll see how far it gets modified.

Kumar Sangakkara said you're a fan of having cricket at the Olympics. Will you be looking to have it a part of the 2028 Olympics?

That's a decision that has to be taken collectively. It's also got to do with the Indian Olympic Association.

Are you confident of the Bangladesh tour happening?

I hope so because two days before I spoke to the honourable prime minister of Bangladesh and she has agreed to come and visit the Test match on November 22. When the the honourable prime minister has given the consent, I don't see the national team not turning up. It's their decision, it's their internal matter where I don't think we have any say or we should have any say. Differently-abled cricketers are also part of the BCCI now, how do you plan to take it ahead because it's not an organised space right now?

Yes, we'll try and organise it. It's a part of the constitution. Just like women's cricket has got organised over the years, I'm sure this will also get organised with time. We'll speak to the general manager of cricket operations and see how it has been so far and try and see how we can do it better.