India 73 for 4 at lunch against Australia

 

PERTH: India were 73 for four at lunch after being sent in to bat on the first day of the third Test against Australia at the WACA Ground on Friday.

Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 10 and V.V.S Laxman was on four. (AFP)

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Poor team spirit blamed for Sri Lanka loss

 

COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan minister slammed the country's cricket team on Thursday, blaming poor team spirit for its humiliating 258-run thrashing by South Africa, the island's worst one-day international defeat.

Government spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said he was
"horrified" when Sri Lanka were dismissed for 43 runs at Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday, their lowest one-day score.

"You can understand a defeat, but not something like this," Rambukwella told reporters in Colombo. "We are appalled. Something has to be done immediately. It looks like there is no team spirit among players."

Rambukwella said the loss was humiliating to cricket-crazy Sri Lankans who won the 1996 World Cup and emerged runners up at the 2011 World Cup.

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage had blasted the national team even before Wednesday's defeat, saying the side was in "crisis" due to divisive politics among the players.

Sri Lanka has already lost the Test series to South Africa 2-1. After a five-match ODI series with South Africa, Sri Lanka heads for a tri-series tournament in Australia which also includes India.

Since the retirement of bowling star Muttiah Muralitharan in July 2010, Sri Lanka has won only one Test match.

Sri Lanka skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan has blamed his side's inconsistent results on the island's weak domestic scene.

"It is very difficult to find good cricketers. We have to correct our domestic structure. Coming from our club cricket to international cricket is a huge difference," he said after losing the Test series.

Some players have complained about months of unpaid wages as the Sri Lanka Cricket board struggles with debts of $69 million after building two new venues and revamping a third ground for the World Cup.

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English cricketer pleads guilty to corruption

 

LONDON: An English county cricketer pleaded guilty on Thursday to a corruption charge linked to his bowling in a 40-over one-day game.

Mervyn Westfield, 23, who played for Essex, admitted accepting or obtaining a corrupt payment to bowl in a way that would allow the scoring of runs, during a hearing at the Old Bailey in London.

The court heard he had agreed to bowl his first over in a way that would let Durham score a set number of runs in a game in September 2009.

Westfield will be sentenced on February 10.

Huge sums are bet on cricket matches, especially in India, because of the way results can be manipulated.

Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were jailed in Britain last year for their role in a spot-fixing scandal in a Test match against England. (AFP)
AFP

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MCC wants India included in review system

 

CAPE TOWN: The MCC World Cricket Committee said Tuesday it was wrong that the decision review system (DRS) was not used in matches involving India.

Following a two-day meeting here, the committee, consisting of leading former and current players, urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ensure uniformity in the implementation of the DRS.

Chairman Mike Brearley acknowledged that the power of India in world cricket was a factor.

"The situation about the DRS is key for us because we're focusing on the cricket and there is an example where the governance, in a very direct way, affects what you see on a cricket field.

"Because of the governance and because of the power of India and because of the fact that other countries we understand won't willingly or easily stand up to India, we have this situation that we don't like, that we have the DRS in place, which improves the accuracy of decision making, except when India are playing."

MCC head of cricket John Stephenson said it was encouraging that India had called for more testing of technology.

"It's being undertaken at the moment at Cambridge University with MCC staff in the background," he said.

"We're hoping that once that research has been undertaken the report will go back to the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India will start to buy into it. We're hoping to get to the stage where India will have no choice but to get into line with everyone else."

The committee expressed unanimous disappointment that the introduction of a world Test championship would not take place in 2013 and that no place had been found for a championship before 2017.

But Brearley said members were pleased that Dave Richardson, head of ICC playing affairs, had undertaken during the meeting to look into possibilities of introducing it earlier.

"The committee continues to be convinced that Test cricket is the pinnacle of the sport and that it needs to be encouraged and marketed in every way possible," it said in a statement.

"MCC will continue to advocate and initiate trials with pink balls and day/night cricket wherever possible."

The statement also expressed disappointment that the 'icon' series between England and South Africa this year would consist of only three Tests. It was also disappointing that some series, including a recent one between South Africa and Australia, had only two matches.

Brearley said one of the successes of the MCC committee was that former and current Indian players Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid were urging the board of control in the country to stage more Tests.

Brearley said that although the committee was an independent body there was interaction with the ICC, with Richardson sitting on both bodies.

MCC recommendations were forwarded to the ICC and he believed the committee had some influence on decisions taken by the ICC.

"The advantage and disadvantage we have is that we are approaching these questions from a cricket point of view," he said.

"We realise that other people have to be concerned about financial and political matters. We're a cricket-orientated body with a lot of experience of top-class cricket." (AFP) 

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Misbah wants spot-fixing scandal forgotten

 

DUBAI: Pakistan cricket captain Misbah-ul Haq on Tuesday stressed the need for forgetting the 2010 spot-fixing scandal when his team take on England in the first of three Tests here next week.

The Pakistan captain got the first taste of how the series -- the first between the two countries since the scandal -- will be seen during his press conference after arriving here on Monday.

The scandal, related to the bowling of deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England, ended in jail terms for then captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

When asked about the scandal, a visibly upset Misbah said: "That's the past, we don't get into that. I am only focusing on what we can do on the ground. I think everybody knows in both teams that we just have to forget the past."

Since the scandal, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has implemented a strict code of conduct for the players and introduced anti-corruption courses for both international and domestic cricketers.

Misbah said corruption in Pakistan cricket was no more a concern.

"It's not an area of concern for me. Our area of concern is to play good cricket, fair cricket, and that's what we can do," said Misbah, under whom Pakistan have not lost a Test series since the spot-fixing scandal.

And since he replaced Shahid Afridi as one-day captain, Misbah has led Pakistan to wins over Ireland, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Misbah said the credit goes to the players.

"I think the credit goes to the team and all the players after that difficult time," he said. "They just wanted to collect their thoughts and prove to the world that we are good players, a good team, and I think they just proved it.

"They are really focusing on their cricket and making my job easier. The players are ready to give their hundred percent and we are concerned with the present and future, not about the past."

Misbah said the series against England will be played in good spirit.

"Our target is just to play cricket in the true spirit ... good relations, and play really good and hard cricket," he said.

Misbah also praised his off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal, who took 50 Test wickets last year.

"Ajmal is a fine bowler and has a lot of variations but we are not depending on him only," said Misbah of Ajmal, who has promised to use a surprise delivery against England.

"England will have to explore themselves. Let's see how England's batsmen tackle it. That's a secret."

England, who earned a hard-fought three-wicket win against an ICC Combined IX here on Monday, take on a PCB XI in another three-day game here from Wednesday.

The first Test starts on January 17. Both teams will also play four one-day and three Twenty20 internationals. (AFP)
AFP

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Wasim Akram fears a 4-0 rout for India

 

NEW DELHI: India have looked so "seriously out of sorts" in Australia that Pakistan great Wasim Akram fears a 4-0 hiding for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men.

India trail 2-0 in the four-match series, having lost the first Test in Melbourne by 122 runs and the second in Sydney by an innings and 68 runs.

Akram, who had predicted that India would lose the first two Tests, told the www.espnstar.com website he would not be surprised if Australia also win the remaining two matches in Perth and Adelaide.

"India are seriously looking out of sorts," Akram was quoted as saying from Australia where he is working as a television commentator for the series.

"There seems to be no planning in the team. Players are just looking like individuals and not gelling as a unit.

"This is surprising considering the fact that almost the same team were world number one just a few months back."

Akram said India played well at home, but faltered when they went abroad as was evident from the 4-0 rout in England last year and their current losses in Australia.

"Winning matters, but to win overseas is the real thing," he said. "India does well in their backyard but are found wanting when they play on foreign pitches."

Akram said India's inability to match Australia's aggression on the field disappointed him.

"It was disheartening to see the fielders lose hope as the Aussie batsmen piled on the runs," he said. Such body language was very unlike Dhoni and his team."

The third Test starts at the WACA ground in Perth, reputed to have the fastest wicket in Australia, on Friday.

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Amir could still have international career: PCB

 

KARACHI: Teenage Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, serving six-months in jail for spot-fixing elements of a test match, could still have a future in international cricket, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf said.

Amir, 19, was detained for six months in a young offenders institution after he admitted bowling two intentional no-balls in the Lord's test against England in August 2010.

Amir, along with team mates Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, was banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council in February last year.

"Whenever he is cleared by the International Cricket Council and serves his punishment, we think he needs intense counseling and then the selectors can decide about him," Ashraf told a news conference on Tuesday.

"As far as his playing again is concerned that is for the selectors to decide because there is no doubt about his immense talent and he is still very young."

Amir has taken 51 wickets in 14 tests.

Former captain Butt and Asif were jailed for 30 months and one year respectively by a London court in November for their part in the gambling-inspired plot. (Reuters)
REUTERS 

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New challenge for De Villiers as SA captain

 

PAARL, South Africa: AB de Villiers takes on a new challenge when he captains South Africa in the first one-day international against Sri Lanka at Boland Park on Wednesday.

De Villiers was appointed captain of South Africa's one-day and Twenty20 teams when Gary Kirsten was named coach last June, but a hand injury kept him out of matches against Australia.

Hashim Amla took over as captain in a drawn Twenty20 series and a one-day series which Australia won 2-1.

It will be a tough baptism for De Villiers, one of South Africa's key batsmen, because he has also been selected to keep wicket.

Sri Lanka, coming off a 2-1 Test series defeat, will seek to recapture the form that took them to the World Cup final last year.

Their squad includes fast bowler Lasith Malinga, one of the most effective bowlers in limited overs cricket, who is no longer available for Tests.

The first four matches are being played at some of South Africa's lesser venues before the fifth and final game is staged at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

Paarl has not hosted an international match since the World Cup in 2003.

The pitch at Boland Park is known as one of the slowest in South Africa, which should suit a sub-continental team such as Sri Lanka.

The conditions could encourage Sri Lanka to field unorthodox spin bowler Ajantha Mendis, who did not feature in the Test series, alongside left-armer Rangana Herath, who was one of his side's best bowlers in the Tests.

Only six of the South Africans played in the Test series. Vernon Philander, the fast bowling discovery of the Test summer, was not included, nor was opening batsman Alviro Petersen, who made a century in the final Test.

Amla is expected to open with Test skipper Graeme Smith, who relinquished the one-day captaincy after the World Cup.

Test wicketkeeper Mark Boucher no longer appears to feature in South Africa's one-day plans.

Test spinner Imran Tahir was not included in South Africa's squad but one-day regulars, off-spinner Johan Botha and left-armer Robin Peterson, will carry out spinning duties. Other one-day specialists include batsmen Faf du Plessis and J.P. Duminy.

The withdrawal through injury of batsman Dean Elgar means that fast bowler Rory Kleinveldt, who has appeared in Twenty20 internationals, is the only player in the South African squad who does not have a one-day cap.

By contrast, the Sri Lankan squad includes 10 players who appeared in the Test series.

With Malinga and Mendis likely to strengthen the team for one-day purposes, the tourists could provide stern opposition for a South African team under new leadership.

Squads
South Africa: AB de Villiers (captain/wk), Hashim Amla (vice-capt), Johan Botha, J.P. Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dilhara Fernando, Rangana Herath, Mahela Jayawardene, Kosala Kulasekara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne.

Fixtures
Jan 11: Paarl (day/night), Jan 14: East London (day), Jan 17: Bloemfontein (day/night), Jan 20: Kimberley (day/night), Jan 22: Johannesburg (day)
(AFP)

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Broad, Davies give England hard earned win

 

DUBAI: Steve Davies and Stuart Broad shared a resolute seventh stand of 61 to help an unimpressive England to win the three-day tour opener against ICC Combined XI by three wickets here on Monday.

It was a case of second batting failure for the tourists as, chasing 261 to win, England owed the win to captain Andrew Strauss (78), Ian Bell (39) and Jonathan Trott (35) on the final day at the Global Cricket Academy ground.

Kevin Pietersen (one) and Eoin Morgan (three) flopped a second time in the match and when Bell departed at 199-6, England looked down and out before Davies (37 not out) and Broad (31) saved their blushes.

Despite the win England's batting looked rusty ahead of the first of three Tests against Pakistan which starts here from January 17.

England will have another opportunity to settle their batting on the slow, dusty pitches here as they play the second warm-up game against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI, also in Dubai, from January 11-13.

Strauss and Alastair Cook (26) looked solid during their opening stand of 63 but Afghanistan's spinner Mohammad Nabi (3-66), George Dockrell (1-28) and Majid Haq (1-42) derailed on the run chase.

Strauss and Trott added 70 for the second wicket but England lost five more wickets before reaching the 200-mark. Strauss hit 13 boundaries and a six during his 96-ball innings but his departure put England in trouble.

It was left to Broad and Davies to carry their team within one run of the victory.

Earlier, the ICC Combined XI declared their second innings at 164-9 with Afghanistan's wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad notching a second half-century of the match with a defiant 74.

Shahzad, who scored 51 in the first innings, held the Combined XI innings and added 43 for the eighth wicket with Haq who scored 256 not out. Shahzad hit 13 boundaries during his attractive 104-ball knock.

Broad finished with 3-22, a match haul of seven wickets, while James Anderson took 2-62. (AFP) 

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Bangladesh team's visit to revive international cricket: Zaka

HYDERABAD: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Boarad (PCB) Zaka Ashraf has expressed the hope for a revival of the international cricket after the anticipated visit of Bangladesh cricket team in April this year.

He said this while addressing a press conference here on Sunday at the golden jubilee celebration of Niaz Stadium.

A T-20 match between Patron's XI and Chairman' XI was also organized to mark the event and the winning team was awarded Rs 25,000 prize.

"In the beginning of the year 2011, Pakistan cricket team was under pressure but it fought back and by the year end won international ranking for itself as well as for the players," he observed.

Ashraf said that the team was mobilized and in high moral spirit.

The PCB chairman lamented that the series against England, which starts from January 17 in United Arab Emirates, could not be organized in the country.

However, he was optimistic about the team's performance against England in the upcoming series which includes Test, one day and T-20 matches.

Talking about the Bangladesh's visit in April 2012, he said the country's security experts would be arriving in Pakistan in January to finalize the arrangements.

"Interior Minister Rehman Malik had assured us of concrete security arrangements and deployment of Rangers and Frontier Constabulary along with the police for the security", he added.

"Bangladesh will bring a revival of international cricket in Pakistan and the deserted cricket stadiums will again become spright," he hoped.

Ashraf also urged the media to play its role in dispelling wrong perceptions about security in Pakistan.

Responding to a question as to why adequate celebrations are not planned for the stadium's golden jubilee, Ashraf agreeing with the questioner announced that a festival in that regard would be organized soon.

"We were hoping to see the people of Hyderabad, students and youth turn up for the celebrations but it didn't happen which is disappointing. We will again celebrate the golden jubilee after flood lights are installed at the stadium soon," he said.

In July 2007, District Government Hyderabad handed over Niaz Stadium to the PCB under a memorandum of understanding for its development to the international standard.

When asked why the promised development has not been made, Ashraf attributed that to a ban of international matches in Pakistan.

However, he added that as soon as the international sport was restored in the country the development of all the stadiums would follow.

Mir Hyder Talpur, chairman Regional Cricket Association, Hyderabad Region, said after the stadium's handover more than Rs 15 million were spent on various facilities and the outfield.

Ashraf said Javed Miandad was the cricket ambassador of Pakistan and currently performing his responsibilities for developing cricket in the friendly nation China.

He said legendary cricketers like Intikhab Alam and others were making efforts to develop domestic cricket in Pakistan and the establishment of new cricket grounds in small districts by the PCB would be a great help in that regard.

To a question about making former cricketer Mohsin Hassan Khan the coach of Pakistani team, Ashraf said though Khan was a respectable cricketer but does not qualify for the post.

The PCB's media manager Nadeem Sarwar, Commissioner Hyderabad division Ahmed Narejo, Deputy Commissioner Asif Memon and other officials were also present on the occasion.

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Jailed Asif appeals over seven-year fixing ban

 

LONDON: Jailed Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his seven-year ban for spot-fixing, the 29-year-old's lawyers confirmed on Saturday.

Asif's legal team told the Press Association they have also filed an appeal against his criminal conviction to the Court of Appeal.

Asif, former Test skipper Salman Butt and fellow seamer Mohammad Amir were all suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last February after no-balls were bowled in the Lord's Test against England in August 2010.

London-based SJS Solicitors claim they have solid grounds for appeal.

"The appeal filed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the ICC ban is founded upon multiple grounds that include the argument that the ICC Disciplinary Tribunal breached its own procedures, and in other ways infringed fundamental human rights to which Mohammad Asif is entitled," said a statement.

"In such a situation the ICC ban is not only flawed, it could also be unlawful."

The spokesman added: "A separate appeal against the conviction has been filed in the Court of Appeal."

Asif was banned for seven years, two of which were suspended, relating to spot-fixing allegations in the match at Lord's.

He was then found guilty last year and received a 12-month prison term for delivering one of the no-balls.

Butt was banned for 10 years - with five suspended - and jailed for 30 months while Amir was banned for five years and detained for six months after he admitted bowling two intentional no-balls. (

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Spot-fixing scandal is no more on our minds: Misbah

 

LAHORE: Captain Misbah-ul Haq insisted on Saturday that Pakistan had thoroughly dispelled all thoughts of the spot-fixing scandal that engulfed his side, ahead of the series against England.

It was against the same opposition, in August 2010, that a British tabloid exposed the scheme that ended in jail terms for Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, and roiled the sport in Pakistan and beyond.

"The Pakistan team has already proved a lot and the scandal is no more on our minds," Misbah said ahead of the three-match Test series between top-ranked England and a resurgent Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"It's quite clear now that nobody has kept that scandal on his mind and everyone is just focusing on cricket and will do the same in this series by focusing on cricket," said Misbah, who replaced Butt as Test captain.

Speaking at the conclusion of a training camp in Lahore, Misbah, 37, praised his team's resolve after the scandal.

"I must say that this team has focused on cricket on and off the field and that is why we have done well," said Misbah, under whom Pakistan have not lost any series since being defeated by England in 2010.

He said that Pakistan will have an advantage this time because they know the conditions in the UAE, where they have been playing since 2008 because most teams refus to tour the South Asian country over security fears.

"Playing in Pakistan would have been different, but recently we have played a lot in UAE so we have become used to the venues there so that will definitely be an advantage for us," he said.

"England is a very professional team and we will have to do well in all departments to beat them.

"I think the players have done well, both the spinners have done well in all our series so we have confidence on them that they will do well."

The series starts in Dubai with the first Test from January 17.

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Asif appeals against ICC ban

LONDON: Convicted Pakistani fast bowler Muhammad Asif has, through his lawyers, lodged a formal appeal against his International Cricket Council (ICC) ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Savita Sukul, the Principal of SJS Solicitors, confirmed to The News that her firm has submitted the formal appeal against the ICC seven-year ban. A spokesperson told this scribe: “The appeal has been filed”.

After his imprisonment, following the spot-fixing trial at the Southwark Crown Court in November last year, Asif instructed a new team of UK defence lawyers to represent him at the local and international legal forums in his quest to disprove the spot-fixing allegation. Muhammad Asif is currently spending time at Her Majesty’s Canterbury prison, a category C prison which specialises in housing foreign criminals convicted in Britain. The International Cricket Council (ICC) instituted disciplinary proceedings against Muhammad Asif following an allegation of being involved in a spot-fixing arrangement related to the fourth Test Match between Pakistan and England played at Lordís Cricket Ground in August 2010.

Upon the conclusion of those proceedings in February 2011, the ICC imposed a seven-year ban upon Asif from participating in all forms of the game.

“The appeal filed in the CAS against the ICC ban is founded upon multiple grounds that include the argument that the ICC Disciplinary Tribunal breached its own procedures, and in other ways infringed fundamental human rights to which Muhammad Asif is entitled. In such a situation the ICC ban is not only flawed, it could also be unlawful,” said an SJS Solicitors spokesperson. The CAS will set the date for the appeal hearing in Switzerland.

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Top security promised for Bangladesh squad

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket authorities have received assurances from the government that top-level security will be provided to Bangladesh during their April tour of the country.

International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009 left eight people dead and wounded seven visiting players and their assistant coach.

It is hoped that a incident free Bangladesh tour will revive international matches in Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf said he met interior minister Rehman Malik in Islamabad on Thursday and got assurances of fool-proof security in case Bangladesh team tours.

The tourists are likely to play three one-day internationals.

"I am sure after a successful tour by the Bangladesh team, we will be able to convince more teams to tour Pakistan and we have got assurances from the interior ministry for stringent security arrangements," Ashraf told reporters.

Ashraf had vowed to bring international teams to Pakistan since becoming the chairman in October last year.

Malik, who toured Dhaka last month where he invited the Bangladesh team for a short tour, said the team will be given "box security".

"In a box security the visiting team would travel in bullet-proof and bomb-proof vehicles and we have allowed the PCB to arrange two bullet and bomb-proof buses," Malik told reporters in Islamabad on Thursday.

Malik said the PCB will also have a security officer appointed to oversee the arrangements for the foreign teams.

"To ensure coordination regarding security, a new post of security manager is being created in the PCB and the official will be responsible to coordinate with provincial governments, police officials, PCB and the federal government," said Malik.

Malik said his ministry will make a committee, comprising the interior secretary, FIA director-general and national crises management cell director-general, to finalise the arrangements.

Rangers and Frontier Constabulary will provide security cover to the Bangladesh team who are expected to play matches in Lahore and Karachi.

Bangladesh last month announced it will send a delegation to oversee security arrangements which will submit a report to the government and only after clearance on security will the tour be possible. (AFP)

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