Kenya names squad named for UAE I Cup and One Day Matches

Cricket Kenya has named a 14 man squad to play in the One Day fixtures and ICC Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates at Nairobi Gymkhana from 25th July. Chairman of Selectors Alpesh Vader said: 'This is a new look squad with some players being offered the opportunity to show what they can do at this level. The fact that some players have rejected new contracts and made themselves unavailable presents others with their chance.'We have a blend of players who have been involved with the squad for some time, players who have shown good form in domestic cricket and deserve a chance at this level and some who were not recently offered contracts and have a point to prove.'All the players selected have the ability to perform at this level and cement their place in the squad.

The squad is as follows:

Collins Obuya (captain)

Rakep Patel

Tanmay Mishra

Runish Gudka

Hiren Varaiya

Lucas Oluoch

Dominic Wesonga

Karen Kaul

Amit Shukla

Rajesh Bhudia

Rajesh Varsani

Ramesh Mepani

Mansukh Jesani (wicket keeper)

Samarth Patel

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Pietersen anchors England against India

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen's unbeaten 71 took England to 217 for three against India at lunch on the second day of the first Test at Lord's here on Friday as the tourists were forced to do without Zaheer Khan.England, who resumed on 127 for two, lost just one wicket in the session when Jonathan Trott was lbw to Praveen Kumar for 70.Ian Bell was 28 not out, having so far put on 57 for the fourth wicket with Pietersen, as England made steady, if unspectacular, progress against a depleted attack.India suffered a major setback when spearhead fast bowler Zaheer remained off the field with a hamstring injury The left-armer had been the pick of India's attack on Thursday, removing openers Alastair Cook and England captain Andrew Strauss, on his way to miserly figures of two for 18 in 13.3 overs before breaking down.To make matters worse for ICC Test Championship leaders India, who had won the toss, not only were they a bowler light in what was only a four-man attack to start with, but conditions for batting had improved markedly from Thursday's overcast skies.With the sun shining, the South Africa-born pair of Trott and Pietersen resumed on 58 not out and 22 not out respectively.They looked untroubled early on Friday, Pietersen on-driving Ishant Sharma for four.But persevering medium-pacer Kumar was rewarded for his accuracy when Trott, aiming across the line, was lbw for 70 to end a stand of 98 that left England 160 for three.Kumar might not be as quick as either Zaheer or Ishant, but a spell of one wicket for seven runs in six overs was proof of his effectiveness.Pietersen, on 49, almost fell into a well set trap when he glanced Kumar towards Rahul Dravid in the rarely used position of leg-slip.Pietersen stood his ground and, with the umpires consulting replays which proved inconclusive, he went on to complete a 134-ball fifty with five fours -- somewhat subdued by his own standards.But his usual aggression was evident when he advanced down the pitch to drive off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four and stroked Ishant through the covers for another boundary.

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No central contract for Shoaib Malik

LAHORE: Pakistan`s former captain, Shoaib Malik has been ruled out of contention to get a central contract from the Pakistan Cricket Board as he has still not been able to satisfy the integrity committee about an amount of 90,000 pounds in his account.Sources in the board said that Malik, Danish Kaneria, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar were out of contention for getting a central contract."In Malik`s case he has provided everything that was asked for by the integrity committee of the board except for the questions surrounding the 90,000 pounds," one source told PTI.The source said that the amount was found in one of Malik`s accounts backdated but then went missing in the latest bank statement he submitted to the board."The integrity committee asked him to explain where he had spent the amount but so far he has been unable to give a satisfactory reply to them," the source said."Malik has told the committee that he gave loans to some of his friends but was unable to give details of the persons he had given the amount to, leaving the committee members not satisfied with his response," the source said.Another source aware of the details confirmed that during his appearances before the integrity committee, it was also found that an Indian had worked as Malik`s agent for a while and was investigated."The present situation is that Malik is clear in every regard except for the unanswered questions about how the 90,000 pounds were spent and where," the source said.The Chairman of the Pakistan cricket board in a recent interview had said that once Malik cleared this issue he could walk into the Pakistan team.Ijaz Butt had noted that given his performance at the domestic level and his outstanding record in one-day internationals, the Pakistan team needed an allrounder of Malik’s caliber in the team."I have myself spoken to him and given him brotherly advice that he should just satisfy the integrity committee about this issue and he is clear to play for Pakistan," Butt had said.Malik last played for Pakistan on the England tour last year but since then has been ignored for selection and was also not considered for the World Cup because of his issues with the integrity committee.The PCB is due to announce fresh central contracts by next month for the second half of the year.

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Vettori joins Brisbane Heat for Big Bash

SYDNEY: Former New Zealand Test captain Daniel Vettori on Tuesday became the second international to sign with Brisbane Heat for Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash next summer.The left-arm spinner, who has taken 79 wickets in 70 career T20 games at an average of 20.96, will play alongside compatriot Brendon McCullum in the new-look domestic competition from December 30-February 5.Heat coach Darren Lehmann said it was important to have such an experienced player on the team.“He’s obviously a leader, which is what you want, and to call on that experience and skill will be vital for us,” Lehmann said.The Big Bash League signing window closes on Friday

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Kenya withdraw contracts for five players

NAIROBI: Cricket Kenya on Thursday withdrew its one-year contracts to five first-team players but hoped they would still continue to play for the country.The five, who include opening batsman Alex Obanda and pacemen Nehemiah Odhiambo and Elijah Otieno were in a list of 13 players set to begin new and improved contracts on July 1.But Cricket Kenya chief Tom Sears said only seven players had signed the contracts while the five rejected the offers, claiming the increased amounts were insufficient.“We are very pleased with the group of players who have committed to Cricket Kenya but obviously disappointed that some players chose not to sign their new contracts,” he said.Every player received an offer amounting to a basic increase to their monthly retainer of at least 10 per cent and the opportunity to improve that figure significantly through consistent high performance“They were also guaranteed match fees for domestic cricket for the first time which could significantly increase their earnings,” Sears said.“The fact that they have declined these improved offers calls into question some of the advice they have been receiving, but that is a matter for the players  themselves.While Cricket Kenya believes the five would consider their stand and continue to play for the national side without any contracts, their absence would mean Kenya will be under-strength when they play the United Arab Emirates in the ICC Intercontinental Cup match and one-day series in Nairobi next week.

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Collins Obuya named Kenya captain

NAIROBI: All-rounder Collins Obuya was named as Kenya’s new national cricket captain to replace Jimmy Kamande who was sacked after the disastrous 2011 World Cup campaign, Cricket Kenya said.At 29 Obuya, who has played 92 one-day internationals for Kenya, is the sole senior player left in the team after the national board decided to call time on the careers of most of the older players after the winless tournament in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh earlier this year.His first game as skipper will be against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ICC International Cup and two limited overs tournament in Nairobi next week under the new coach, Michael Hesson of New Zealand.“I am very proud and honoured to captain my country and will do everything I can to ensure performances and results improve,” said leg-spinner Obuya, who was Kenya’s outstanding performer at the World Cup, including a 98 not out against Australia in Bangalore.“We have some very good players and some very talented ones coming through our system, so it is an exciting time to develop team and work with the new coach Mike Hesson, and the chairman of selectors Alpesh Vadher,” he added.

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Young stars to feature in T20 squad

KARACHI: Pakistan, the former ICC World Twenty20 champions, are working on training their talented youth in hopes of recapturing the title in Sri Lanka next year.Pakistan won the title in England in 2009 which they had previously lost to India in the inaugural edition. However, they failed to defend their title and lost to Australia in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.Despite being inferior to the big teams in Test and ODI cricket, Pakistan is quite successful in the shortest format of the game.However, due to the absence of players like Shahid Afridi, Mohamad Aamir, Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad can be said to be suffering from a lack of depth that it boasted of back in 2009.But cricket officials are still optimistic about the country’s Twenty20 future. Intikhab Alam, the team’s manager, expressed the hope that by training the players they can be confident of a good result in next year’s Twenty20 World Cup.“We are in the process of making our plans for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and are confident of preparing the team well,” Alam said while talking to a local English daily.Pakistan’s recent domestic Twenty20 tournament in Faisalabad highlighted the likes of Ramiz Raja Jr, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shahzeb Hasan, Sohail Khan and Shoaib Malik who all put up impressive performances which give reason to be hopeful about next year’s World Cup.“Twenty20 is mostly a young man’s game,” Alam said.“You have to have young guys who can hit the ball out of the park. You need guys who can really fight even while defending small totals. You need guys who are exceptionally good fielders. I’m sure that Pakistan currently has plenty of such guys.Alam, who is running the fast-track coaching project at the National Cricket academy in Lahore, said that the first phase revealed some players which can  be included in the national squad.“Several of the youngsters who featured in the first phase look seem to be really good and we can even blood some of them in our national Twenty20 squad,” he added.

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Sri Lanka names squad but not skipper

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Wednesday announced its one-day and T20 squad for Australia’s tour of the island next month, but stopped short of naming a skipper.Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was named captain for the just concluded tour of England, was included in the 20-man squad scheduled to play five ODIs and two Twenty20 games against Australia.They will also play three Tests, but the squad for the longer version of the game was not announced. The only uncapped player in the squad is Sachithra Senanayake.The squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeevan Mendis, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekera, Isuru Udana, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara and Sachithra Senanayake.

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Ranatunga leads protest against Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga helped launch a protest on Thursday against alleged corruption in the governing body and the politicization of its administration.Ranatunga is now an opposition lawmaker in Sri Lanka and joined several others to launch a petition on Thursday in Colombo, demanding an end to the government appointing interim committees to run Sri Lanka Cricket.Cricket officials were accused of corruption and mismanagement as the governing body accumulated $69 million in debt after co-hosting the World Cup with India and Bangladesh.Sri Lanka’s sports minister fired the previous administration earlier this month and appointed another interim five-man committee.Ranatunga said the government has politicized cricket and other sports by appointing interim committees to run their administration.”Sri Lanka Cricket has become bankrupt and authorities have no interest in rectifying this sad situation,” he said.He called on the public ”to join hands to stop political interference and restore the image of sports.SLC has been run by successive interim committees, picked by politicians, for seven years.The International Cricket Council this month unanimously decided to amend its laws to make free elections mandatory for all national bodies by mid-2012.Sri Lankan authorities have said election for SLC will be held next year.In March, the International Rugby Board suspended the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union from full IRB member status after failing to conduct appropriate board elections, and restored the membership weeks later after elections were held properly.Netball is also run by an interim committee, but the sport’s officials have said elections will be held shortly for the federation.Ranatunga, who played for Sri Lanka from 1982 to 2000, led the national team in 1996 when the team beat Australia in the final to win the World Cup.Cricket is the most popular and wealthiest sport in the country, but infighting among those seeking a spot on the board and political interference has resulted in elections for office holders not being held for seven years.

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Senior, junior players to get chance in upcoming tours: Younis

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team coach Waqar Younis said that senior and junior players will be combined in the upcoming tours, Younis returned home from Australia after a private trip and was talking to the media at the Lahore airport. While praising the cricket camp in Lahore, he said that it is a positive step to highlight the young talent who can benefit from such training camps. He also said that he will be concentrating on cricket now after coming back from his personal trip.The coach said that he will request the senior players like Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram to give tips to fresh players. Younis was hopeful that the team will deliver good performance in the coming season.He refused to comment when asked about the case hearing of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.

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Alarming downfall of Pakistan cricket

It is a matter of shame that Pakistan cricket administration degenerated to such an extent that the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of world cricket, had to intervene. After closely watching our players performance, conduct and discipline going deep down the drain, the game’s management falling below international standards and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) acting like a silent spectator, the ICC was compelled to jump into the fray. They appointed a committee called the Pakistan Task Team (PTT) to probe into the affairs and suggest reforms. Should we call it the irony of fate or the outcome of incompetence, inefficiency and corruption on the part of those handling the affairs of our cricket In my opinion, which is based on vast experience of handling cricket affairs from a club to international levels, the disgraceful situation that our cricket is facing is the result of our own making. The deterioration has not occurred overnight. Though the present set up of the PCB has broken all records of inefficiency and corruption, the things have taken a decade or so in coming to the lowest ebb. The major factor responsible for making a laughing stock of our cricket in the world has been the appointment of incompetent heads of the cricket board by the President of Pakistan in his capacity as patron-in-chief of the PCB. Good or bad, the President of Pakistan has been the patron of the cricket board since its very inception. The system worked pretty well for almost half a century because while the patrons themselves remained the nominal heads only, they did not allow other government officials or political figures to interfere in the functioning of the board. Those appointed as presidents of the board were competent as well as honest with no lust for power. While the secretary (now CEO) being head of the secretariat was the kingpin of the board dealing with bulk of the cricket matters, the president (now chairman) acted only as a controller cum advisor.While the various committees formed by the board handled their respective subjects, the board’s council, that was an efficient blend of administrators and former cricketers, played an active role in the formation of policies and their implementation. It also closely supervised the functions of the board and pointing out irregularities if any. All this will indicate that it was not a one-man rule. All matters were mutually discussed and decided by the officials concerned. No chairman of the board was as power hungry as those politically appointed after the year 2000. Acting like Hitler, Mr Ijaz Butt, the present PCB chairman, has broken all previous records as far as the ‘one man show of power is concerned’.The downfall of our cricket started a decade back when these political appointees took the throne of the PCB which is no less than a kingdom when compared with other sports bodies. Although they were men of high stature they found the PCB much more powerful in authority and jurisdiction and more lucrative in perks and privileges than any other sphere of life. As I have said on some previous occasions, ‘cricket administration is a science in itself and can only be run by the people who have passed through it.Since these political appointees had no knowledge and experience of the game the downfall of cricket was natural. The biggest damage they inflicted on the cricket board was that after putting its constitution in the dustbin every chairman assumed total power to run the PCB as the king of a state. They employed their dear ones in the board so liberally that within a decade the strength of the PCB’s employees rose from around 80 to 600. What such a huge number of people do is beyond one’s comprehension. They believed in enjoying life to the hilt with promotion of cricket being a secondary affair.Considering the fact that Ijaz was a former cricketer as well as an administrator his appointment was hailed by the cricket fraternity but he disappointed all and sundry more than his non-cricketing predecessors. His three years period on the PCB throne has, however, been absolutely disgusting in all respects especially the grooming and character building of young players which brought shame and embarrassment to the whole nation. In an effort to become a dictator with overwhelming powers, he destroyed all the unity, strength, discipline and harmony both among the players as well as the officials. His relationship with the ICC also remained sore most of the time. To raise the Pakistan cricket to its rightful place the ICC appointed the PTT which suggested 63 points for improvement. Ijaz has rejected the report in toto. The confrontation with the ICC, being the controlling body of the game, will ruin Pakistan cricket further. We must analyse the PTT report wisely and find methods to improve the PCB’s administration, raising standards of the game and eliminating irregularities, faults and follies.

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England fight back against India in first Test

LONDON: India spearhead Zaheer Khan left the field injured as England fought back on the first day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.England, having lost the toss in overcast seam bowler-friendly conditions, were 127 for two when bad light forced an early tea, despite the floodlights being switched on.Jonathan Trott, missed twice, was 58 not out and Kevin Pietersen 22 not out with the two South Africa-born batsmen's unbroken third wicket stand so far worth 65.Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer had been the pick of India's attack, with two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 overs, when he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and slowly walked off the field with England 107 for two.Shortly afterwards, Trott drove off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four.But he was lucky to be at the crease at all by that stage.Before lunch he'd been missed on eight when, to Harbhajan's first ball of the match, he got an outside edge that slip Rahul Dravid could not grasp.And Trott should have been out for 32 in the second session when, having nicked Zaheer, he saw India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni inexplicably fail to move across to his right for a catch that was never going to carry to first slip Dravid.Instead he went on to complete a valuable 89-ball fifty with seven boundaries.India had held England to 43 for one off 21 overs at lunch in the 2,000th Test match of all time and the 100th between the two countries after the start had been delayed by 30 minutes.Zaheer had in-form opener Alastair Cook lbw for just 12, the first time in seven Test innings the left-hander had failed to make a fifty.Shortly after lunch, India did reduce England to 62 for two when captain Andrew Strauss miscued a pull off a Zaheer bouncer straight to Ishant Sharma at long leg and was out for 22.It was a welcome sight for India after Strauss had made 78 and 109 not out against England fight back against India in first Test LONDON: India spearhead Zaheer Khan left the field injured as England fought back on the first day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.England, having lost the toss in overcast seam bowler-friendly conditions, were 127 for two when bad light forced an early tea, despite the floodlights being switched on.Jonathan Trott, missed twice, was 58 not out and Kevin Pietersen 22 not out with the two South Africa-born batsmen's unbroken third wicket stand so far worth 65.Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer had been the pick of India's attack, with two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 overs, when he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and slowly walked off the field with England 107 for two Shortly afterwards, Trott drove off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four. But he was lucky to be at the crease at all by that stage.Before lunch he'd been missed on eight when, to Harbhajan's first ball of the match, he got an outside edge that slip Rahul Dravid could not grasp.And Trott should have been out for 32 in the second session when, having nicked Zaheer, he saw India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni inexplicably fail to move across to his right for a catch that was never going to carry to first slip Dravid.Instead he went on to complete a valuable 89-ball fifty with seven boundaries.India had held England to 43 for one off 21 overs at lunch in the 2,000th Test match of all time and the 100th between the two countries after the start had been delayed by 30 minutes.Zaheer had in-form opener Alastair Cook lbw for just 12, the first time in seven Test innings the left-hander had failed to make a fifty.Shortly after lunch, India did reduce England to 62 for two when captain Andrew Strauss miscued a pull off a Zaheer bouncer straight to Ishant Sharma at long leg and was out for 22.It was a welcome sight for India after Strauss had made 78 and 109 not out against them 'guesting' for Somerset in their drawn lone warm-up match last week.If England win this four-match series by two Tests they will displace India at the top of the Test standings.

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Shastri summoned in IPL probe

LONDON: Ravi Shastri has been summoned by a law enforcement agency probing alleged financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the former India all-rounder confirmed Thursday.He has been asked to help the Enforcement Directorate over questions relating to the lucrative T20 league in it's first three editions as he was on the governing council."It's a routine thing," Shastri told AFP at Lord's, where he is working as a television commentator during the ongoing first Test between England and India."Everyone who was on on the gc (governing council) has been asked to help with this inquiry," he added. Earlier, the Press Trust of India reported Shastri had been called to attend the directorate's offices in Mumbai next week.Lalit Modi, the driving force behind the money-spinning IPL, was removed as the chairman of the tournament last year.He faces criminal charges, including false accounting and accusations by the Indian cricket board that more than $106 million was misappropriated during his three-year tenure as IPL chairman.

Shastri played 80 Tests and 150 one-day internationals.

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Dilshan to lead Sri Lanka in Australia

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday appointed Tillakaratne Dilshan as skipper for Australia's visit next month, but did not name a deputy. Dilshan will lead in the three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 games, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement. The first game is a T20 clash on August 6.The squad for the Test matches was not announced, but on Wednesday evening SLC issued the names of 20 players who will be in a squad for the ODIs and the T20 games.They are: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeevan Mendis, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekera, Isuru Udana, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara and Sachithra Senanayake.

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England struggle against India in first session at Lord’s

LONDON: England lost in-form opener Alastair Cook as they were made to work hard by India on the first morning of the first Test at Lord's here on Thursday.England, at lunch, were 43 for one off 21 overs with captain Andrew Strauss 20 not out and Jonathan Trott unbeaten on nine in what was the 2,000th Test ever played and the 100th between England and India. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose side are top of the ICC's Test Championship table, won the toss and elected to field under overcast skies.His new ball duo of left-armer Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar did not waste the conditions, both bowlers quickly settling into a probing line.Runs were tough to come by for England's left-handed opening pair of Strauss and Cook, both beaten on the outside edge.In what was a landmark match, although purists remain angry with the International Cricket Council's decision to award Test status to a match between Australia and a World XI in Sydney in 2005, there was something almost appropriately old-fashioned about such a start. Strauss would have been run out, backing-up, for three if Ishant Sharma's throw from mid-on had hit the stumps.But England had made just 19 off 11 overs when Ashes hero Cook was lbw for 12 to Zaheer, playing back and looking to defend to mid-on when the ball beat his defensive shot.As, thanks to Indian objections, lbw decisions cannot be reviewed in this series, Cook was unable to challenge Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf's decision but replays suggested the ball would have hit the top of middle and leg.It was the first time in seven Test innings Cook had failed to make a fifty.Zaheer, at the fall of the wicket, had miserly figures of one for eight in six overs on a morning of what traditionalists might have called 'proper' Test cricket rather than the fast-scoring game of recent years.It took Strauss 48 balls to score his first boundary, cutting first-change Ishant Sharma over the slips when the fast bowler dropped short and wide.Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh then saw his first ball edged by Trott, on eight, just short of Rahul Dravid at slip.

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India win toss, put England into bat in first Test at Lord’s

LONDON: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field against England in the first Test at Lord's here on Thursday.England left out fit-again seamer Tim Bresnan from a 12-man squad and selected the same side that drew the third Test against Sri Lanka to complete a 1-0 series win, with paceman Stuart Broad retaining his place.India, opting to field in overcast, swing-friendly, conditions, including seamer Praveen Kumar and batsman Suresh Raina but omitted fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and World Cup-winning star Yuvraj Singh. Abhinav Mukund played in the absence of injured India opener Virender Sehwag.This was the 2,000th Test ever played and the 100th between England and India.And it could see India great Sachin Tendulkar become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds. He already has 51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals, both records.If England, currently third in the ICC's Test rankings, win this four-Test series by two matches they will displace leaders India at the top of the standings.However, India are unbeaten in 10 series under Dhoni and have not lost a Test series against England since 1996, winning three and drawing two of the last five campaigns between the two countries.Teams England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James AndersonIndia: Gautam Gambhir, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wk), Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ishant SharmaUmpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Asad Rauf (PAK), TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (SA)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)

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Cricket's 2000th Test begins at Lord's today

LONDON: A five-day contest where often neither side wins, Test cricket may seem out of touch with 21st Century life yet series opener between England and India beginning today at Lord's will mark its 2,000th match.And with a sell-out crowd expected at the 'home of cricket', where India great Sachin Tendulkar could become the first player to score a hundred international hundreds it seems there is life in the old dog yet.Certainly no-one designing a sporting format today would come up with anything like Test cricket.Yet its sheer length, and associated unrivalled capacity for changes of fortune -- this month marks the 30th anniversary of England's remarkable win, following on, against Australia at Headingley -- means it can create more truly memorable moments than one-day and Twenty20 formats.Starting with a match between Australia and England at Melbourne in 1877, it took a while for Test cricket to be regarded as more important than the old rivals' own first-class matches and, South Africa apart, its global appeal in those early years was strictly limited.Tests were also, for much of their history, comparatively rare events with 803 matches played in the first hundred years compared to 1,197 in the last 34 years.There has rarely been an age since its inception when Test cricket was not facing a crisis many thought threatened its existence, with last year's spot-fixing scandal involving Pakistan players in England the latest example.If that had diplomatic, as well as sporting, ramifications so too did the Bodyline series of 1929/30, when England quicks Harold Larwood and Bill Voce bowled to a packed legside field in a bid to curb the phenomenal run-scoring of Australia great Don Bradman.But by then, the key decision that would broaden Test cricket's horizons had already been taken with two Imperial Cricket Conferences at Lord's in 1926 agreeing to England's exchange of visits with the West Indies, New Zealand and India, opening up cricket to Afro-Caribbean and Asian influences.A series of increasingly sterile Anglo-Australian contests in the 1950s and 1960s left many fearing for Test cricket's future until a vibrant West Indies side during its 'Tied Test' tour of 1960/61 showed there was another way to play the game.Even so one-day cricket migrated to the international arena and soon proved itself a commercial success.Recently the advent of the brash Twenty20, again migrating from the county to the world stage, opened up new audiences.And, with the creation of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League, vast new riches were available to players without the need to have first established their status in the Test arena.Yet as International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat put it on Thursday: "Test cricket is the pinnacle form of the game."It is our link to the game's origins; it is what defines greatness and it is recognised by the players as being the benchmark by which they wish to graded and remembered."History has proven that no other form of the game can create memorable and meaningful moments like Test cricket can."Which is not to say it doesn't face huge challenges. Crowds, outside of England and Australia, are often meagre and the sheer frequency of fixtures can leave even the most ardent fan feeling overwhelmed.Day/night Tests, often heralded as a way of bringing back spectators, remain on the drawing board and whether the ICC's proposed Test Championship, billed as a way of giving greater context to individual series, captures the public imagination, remains to be seen.But so long as a critical mass within the sport believe Test cricket to be living up to its name as the ultimate challenge -- and can convince enough people beyond the boundary to provide the necessary financial support -- it will be around for some time to come.

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Players oppose lie detector tests: FICA

SYDNEY: The world cricketers' association said Thursday it "outright rejects" the MCC's proposals to encourage players to take lie detector tests in an effort to fight corruption within the game.The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardian of the rules of cricket, says the potential use of lie detector tests should be widely debated.Former Australia captain Steve Waugh, an MCC member, this week took a lie-detector test as part of his bid to help root corruption out of cricket.But the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) said the testing was irresponsible and it would oppose such actions in "the strongest possible manner"."It is FICA's strong position that the use of lie detectors as a means of determining the guilt or innocence of a player in matters relating to corruption on any practice for that matter is to be rejected outright," FICA chief executive Tim May said in a statement."I commend MCC and Steve Waugh for trying to be proactive in the fight against corruption, but lie detector tests are far from foolproof and not permissible as a means of determining people's guilt or innocence in the courts of the majority, if not all, cricketing territories."It is therefore totally unacceptable that players should be put under pressure to submit to testing that is far from foolproof."To publicly request players to make 'some stand' against corruption, by submitting to this 'imperfect' testing is irresponsible and FICA will oppose such actions in the strongest possible manner," May said."It's a no-win situation for the players. They quite rightly should decline to submit to one -- the testing is not foolproof"The players are not under suspicion for any corruption offence but now with the MCC publicly encouraging them to submit to one, if the player refuses, it looks like he is hiding something."FICA said it was committed to ridding the game of corruption, but would not stand by and have players subjected to a testing technique that had the propensity to churn out incorrect conclusions.May said he had written to the MCC to address the matter in a "responsible manner".Waugh was spurred into action following last year's allegations by Britain's now defunct News of the World tabloid that former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls during a Test against England at Lord's as part of a betting scam.The Pakistan trio were suspended for a minimum of five years' each by the International Cricket Council -- verdicts they are appealing at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.They are now awaiting a criminal trial in England due to start in October.

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