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NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

ICC to keep 14-team Cricket World Cup after U-turn

1:18 PM  Unknown  

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has performed a U-turn on controversial plans to reduce the size of the Cricket World Cup after agreeing to allow four non-Test playing nations to participate in the next edition of the competition.The ICC originally planned to cut the list of participants to 10 “full member” nations, excluding “associates” such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Kenya, which all took part in the 14-team Cricket World Cup earlier this year. The governing body’s initial decision was made after criticism of the length of the 2011 tournament, which ran from February 19 to April 2 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, but the ICC agreed to review its proposal after complaints from the lower-ranked nations.The ICC, which held its annual conference in Hong Kong, confirmed that four associate members will now take part in the tournament after a qualifying process. “The ICC executive board today reversed its previous decisions and approved a 14-team format for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to be held in Australia and New Zealand and a 12-team format for the ICC World Twenty20 events in 2012 (Sri Lanka) and 2014 (Bangladesh),” read a statement from the ICC. The Twenty20 events were initially slated to include 16 teams, up from 12.The ICC also announced the 2019 World Cup would be a 10-team event, with the top eight places going to the top-ranked teams and two berths being awarded in a pre-qualifying tournament. Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom told AFP: “I suppose the immediate reaction is one of relief, and that we can all now divert our energies in the significantly more proactive pursuit of trying to qualify.”The board also approved a recommendation made by its chief executives' committee on Monday to make the controversial Umpire Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in all Tests and one-day matches. Hot Spot, the “thermal imaging” technology now available and made mandatory in the DRS, will mostly be used for close catches and edges. On Wednesday, the ICC executive board is expected to discuss plans to scrap the ICC's two-year rotational presidency.

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Discrepancies in PCB penalties on code breach

1:16 PM  Unknown  

LAHORE: On breaching the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) code of conduct, former captain Shahid Afridi had to pay Rs 4.5 million, Zulqarnain 5 million while selector Mohammad Ilyas was just issued a warning unlike the two other players who paid heavy amount as penalty.The PCB suspended Ilyas on appearing before media and in a television interview. A two-member disciplinary committee heard his viewpoint and gave the anticipated decision. The committee requested the PCB to end his suspension. The board had only issued a warning to the selector, asking him to remain cautious in making appearances before the media On the other hand, Shahid Afridi and Zulqarnain Haider also appeared before the committee. Both were accused of violating the code of conduct and were penalized with hefty amount.The board while defending its move said that it was the first time Ilyas neglected the code that is why the board issued him warning only.

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Anderson sparkles, as Jayasuriya bows out tamely

1:14 PM  Unknown  

l two days before his 42nd birthday - was snared by a sharp catch from Eoin Morgan in the gully off Bresnan for just two although he did manage a wicket in England's innings.Anderson turned fielder to take a superb diving catch at midwicket to remove Angelo Mathews and an easier chance off Graeme Swann to dismiss Jeevan Mendis and Sri Lanka had slumped to 57 for six.The Lancastrian, closing in on 200 one-day international victims, returned to claim the wicket of Nuwan Kulasekara.From then on there was no way back for the tourists despite Lasith Malinga and Suraj Randiv throwing the bat late on for a record ninth wicket partnership, 52, for Sri Lanka against England.Swann finished off the innings, ending with figures of 3 for 18. Thilina Kandamby hung around for 19, made off 48 balls, but lost patience eventually and skied a ball from Jade Dernbach to Stuart Broad at mid-off to give the Surrey pace bowler a second wicket on his one-day international debut.Craig Kieswetter was the mainstay of the England total hitting two sixes and four fours as he passed 50 in one-day internationals for the third time before holing out to the first ball of Randiv's second spell for 61.Morgan chipped in with 45, Kevin Pietersen 26 and Jonathan Trott 23 with Malinga picking up three wickets including two late on.England were on course for a much bigger total when Kieswetter and Morgan were at the wicket but their scoring rate slowed until a late flurry from Bresnan, who hit Suranga Lakmal for three successive fours in the penultimate over and Broad.Bresnan, recalled to the squad after a calf injury, gave the innings a much-needed shot in the arm when it looked like petering out with England's big hitters back in the pavilion.Pietersen put on 56 for the third wicket with Kieswetter before hitting a Jeevan Mendis long hop, straight to mid-on.Morgan hit six fours in his 35-ball stay but Ian Bell could not find the golden form he displayed in the recent Test series.Alastair Cook, in his first game in permanent charge of England's one-day side, was out caught behind down the leg side for just five before the rain came. The teams now head to Leeds which will stage the second match of the series on Friday

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ICC overturns World Cup minnows ban

1:13 PM  Unknown  

HONG KONG: World cricket's governing body announced on Tuesday that four non-Test playing nations would compete in the next World Cup, in a U-turn of a controversial decision that had excluded the game's minnows.The International Cricket Council (ICC) in a statement said its executive board had approved 14-team contest in Australia and New Zealand in 2015, with 10 places going to the Test-playing nations. The second-tier teams will have to pre-qualify for the remaining four places.The ICC also announced the 2019 World Cup would be a scaled-down 10-team event, with the top eight places being awarded to the top-ranked teams and two berths being awarded in a pre-qualifying tournament.The about-face on the 2015 World Cup reverses the ICC's decision to limit the 2015 tournament to the sport's 10 full-member teams -- which left countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and Kenya on the sidelines."In Hong Kong today, the ICC executive board opted to retain the 14-team format that was used at the highly successful and universally acclaimed ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka with the 10 full members being joined by four associate or affiliate qualifiers," the ICC said on its website.ICC president Sharad Pawar had asked his board to discuss the matter at the conference, with the governing body looking to avoid a repeat of the seven-week World Cup, deemed by some critics as unnecessarily lengthy.Officials were previously believed to have been in favour of retaining a 10-team limit even if smaller countries were allowed into the World Cup.Ireland, who outshone many Test-playing nations at this year's tournament, capping their tournament with a stunning win over England in Bangalore, had been at the forefront of the campaign against ousting the minnows."I suppose the immediate reaction is one of relief, and that we can all now divert our energies in the significantly more proactive pursuit of trying to qualify," said Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom.A 12-team format was given the go-ahead for the ICC World Twenty20 events in Sri Lanka next year and in Bangladesh in 2014.The board also approved a recommendation made by its chief executives' committee on Monday to make the controversial Umpire Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in all international Tests and one-day matches.Hot Spot, the "thermal imaging" technology now available and made mandatory in the DRS, will mostly be used for close catches and edges.The ground-breaking deal means that India will, for the first time, agree to using the DRS in a Test series when they tour England from July. But the world champions remain against the Hawkeye ball-tracking system.The board said the use of Hawkeye, which tracks the trajectory of the delivery, would continue to depend on agreement between both teams in any match.Lbw decisions will continue to be governed by the on-field umpires.Under the agreement, teams will be allowed to make one incorrect challenge to an on-field umpire's decision before all their referrals for that innings are used up

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Two matches in Super Eight T20 today

1:11 PM  Unknown  

FAISALABAD: Two matches will be played in the Faisal Bank Super Eight T20 cup on Tuesday. Karachi Dolphins will face Faisalabad Wolves and the Rawalpindi Rams will play Multan Tigers. Geo Super will broadcast both matches live. The teams are displaying the best of their talents in Super Eight T20 matches. Four teams of Group B will try to secure their positions in today’s matched that will be played in Iqbal Stadium.The first match will be played at 5 pm between Karachi Dolphins and Faisalabad Wolves while Rawalpindi Rams will play Multan Tigers at 9 pm.Defending champions Lahore Lions and Sialkot Stallions won matches in matches played on Monday.

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