All posts by h716a5.icu

Akram Raza, the former Pakistan Test cricketer, has said he is not guilty of illegal betting on the IPL and his arrest from a Lahore market on Sunday was a setup

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2011Akram Raza, the former Pakistan offspinner, has said he is not guilty of illegal betting and his arrest from a Lahore market on Sunday was a set-up. The 46-year-old Raza was released on bail on Monday after having been taken into custody along with six other men during a police raid on an suspected gang of bookmakers, reportedly taking bets on the IPL.”I have nothing to do with the illegal betting in IPL and it was a set-up just to get me there,” he told after his release from police custody.Akram, who played nine Tests and 49 one-day internationals, said he went to the plaza to see some friends and as soon as he reached there, police raided the office of his friend and arrested all of them for taking illegal bets. Police, reportedly, recovered telephone sets, computers, televisions and a large amount of money.”It is a bad incident in which I have been involved through a planned move and at this stage my career as a national umpire is at stake and I will do everything to prove myself innocent,” Akram said.”For me it is really hard to go through such a situation but I am not guilty and I will be writing to PCB through my lawyer in a couple of days to explain my point of view and to prove my innocence.Akram was one of the six Pakistani players fined in a match-fixing inquiry conducted by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000.

08-Jun-2011
ScorecardSussex maintained their 100% record as they collected their third Friends Life t20 victory of the campaign by beating Essex by 17 runs at Chelmsford. After posting a total of 168 for 6, the visitors restricted their opponents to 151 for 7 despite some indifferent fielding.Luke Wright underpinned Sussex’s innings, batting throughout for an unbeaten 81 from 51 deliveries while helping himself to three sixes and seven fours. His major support came from Chris Nash, who scored 44 from 36 balls during an opening partnership of 106 in 12 overs.But once they were separated by left-arm spinner Tim Phillips, Sussex lost their way. Phillips was to claim the next three wickets, including that of Murray Goodwin who was bowled without scoring while attempting to sweep, while Scott Styris picked up two more soon afterwards.It meant that Sussex had lost six wickets in the space of half a dozen overs for just 36 runs before Wright, who saw very little of the strike in the last few overs, and Wayne Parnell carried them to their final total.Phillips picked up his 4 for 27 while Styris returned figures of 2 for 28 – but they were soon watching their colleagues struggle in reply.Mark Pettini, Ravi Bopara and Graham Napier were all back in the Pavilion with only 36 on the board, the latter being dropped twice before falling victim to Chris Liddle for only 7.Owais Shah and Ryan ten Doeschate did their best to try and retrieve the situation by putting together a stand of 51 in six overs but once they were parted Essex never looked like mounting a serious challenge, despite a brief flurry from Styris who struck two sixes while making 20.Liddle collected 3 for 25 from his allocation of four overs while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan also bowled superbly to return 2 for 23 as Essex were left reflecting on their second defeat in three outings.

Harbhajan Singh, who took his 400th Test wicket on Thursday, believes he has age on his side and will strive to achieve something really special in Test cricket

Sriram Veera at Windsor Park08-Jul-2011Harbhajan Singh, who took his 400th Test wicket on Thursday, believes he has age on his side and will strive to achieve something really special in Test cricket. He said that he contemplated quitting cricket after the death of his father in 2000, but is happy now that he has made his family and country proud by becoming only the fourth spinner behind Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble to reach the milestone.”I am happy and honoured to be a part of those greats who have done well for themselves and their respective countries,” Harbhajan said. “I am 31 and still have lot of cricket left in me. I have to make sure that I stay fit and achieve something special. It’s up to me how badly I want to achieve those things.”Over the years, Harbhajan has gone through some rough times, with his action has been questioned and the controversy involving Andrew Symonds in Australia, but he said the loss of his father was the worst phase of his career.”There have been quite few bad phases. I have faced lots of ups and downs, mostly downs in my career. Very hardly have I seen ups. I lost my dad which was my worst time, I didn’t want to play cricket after that. Somehow, my family convinced me to fulfill dad’s dream. Wherever he is sitting today he must be proud that his son has achieved something special today.”Needing seven wickets to get to 400 at the start of this Test series, he said the wait was excruciating. “Obviously, before I came here, I knew that I had 393 wickets. It was at the back of my mind irrespective of whether I wanted to think about it or not. I have worked hard for all these wickets. These last seven wickets made me work harder than ever before. It’s over now. It’s done. Hopefully, the next 200 will be easier.It took him until the last match of the series, but Harbhajan Singh has reached 400 Test wickets•AFP”Taking 400 wickets is something special. Not many have done it. I am happy with what God has given me. I have enjoyed my journey and I would like to thank all my team-mates since 1998.” He proceeded to name a range of cricketers including Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Narendra Hirwani, who, he said, was a great motivator.He talked about some of his memorable dismissals and the best batsmen he has bowled at. “There have been quite few dismissals. My first wicket was Greg Blewett; I bowled him. Then I got Michael Hussey in Bangalore, it was a doosra and he left it from outside off and it came in a long way. Even I was surprised, I have only seen Muttiah Muralitharan bowl that kind of delivery. I have enjoyed the challenge of bowling to great batsmen like [Ricky] Ponting – though I have taken his wicket many times he remains a great batsman – [Matthew] Hayden, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh.”Harbhajan also mentioned how Tendulkar had helped him with his bowling. “Whenever I bowl to him in the nets, I ask him what is happening and what I should be looking to do on wickets like these. Wherever we are touring, whether it is in Australia or New Zealand, I take his advice. He showed me how to bowl the slider. It is very useful in ODIs, as well as Test cricket. I’ve got a couple of wickets with that ball. You hold the ball like an off-spinner, but you release it with one finger, so it just goes like an out-swinger. But it can happen only with the new ball, so for that I have to come on early and bowl with a newish ball.”He also spoke about some of the best close-in fielders with whom he has worked. “Shiv Sunder Das was really special for India. He took some brilliant catches in that series against Australia. And I can’t forget my dear friend from Tamil Nadu, Sadagoppan Ramesh. He generally liked to sleep a lot, but that day he was awake and took that blinder … his catch to dismiss Shane Warne was brilliant. I still have to give him a treat for that. I promised him that some day I will take him out for dinner for taking that catch. And on a serious note, Das was brilliant, Aakash Chopra was also outstanding. Pujara was also very good in South Africa. There have been a lot of guys, but these three will definitely stand out. Rahul Dravid is obviously special in the slips. He has taken more than 50 catches off my bowling and I hope that he picks up another 50 in the future.”

Surrey lost their 100% record in Group B of the CB40 League when they had a wasted journey to face Durham at Chester-le-Street

17-Jul-2011
Surrey lost their 100% record in Group B of the CB40 League when they had a wasted journey to face Durham at Chester-le-Street. The match was washed out without a ball bowled following heavy rainfall in the north-east over the weekend. Durham began the day in third place with four wins from six matches.

Glenn Turner isn’t surprised by the snub during the appointment process for a new National Selection Manager for New Zealand

Sidharth Monga10-Sep-2011Glenn Turner, the former New Zealand captain, isn’t surprised by the snub during the appointment process for a new National Selection Manager (NSM). Turner, who was part of the national selection panel for the last six years, said the job description “automatically cancelled out most people with what I believe are the necessary qualifications for an international selector”.Hours before an elated nation brought in the rugby World Cup back where it all began in 1987, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) slipped in the announcement of arguably the biggest experiment with the way professional international cricket teams are selected. It appointed an Australian lawn bowls official, Kim Littlejohn, as the NSM, overlooking two former captains, Turner and Ken Rutherford, and the incumbent Mark Greatbatch.Turner said he applied for the job after conveying that he would only be interested “in a position which was inclusive when it came to making decisions, where egos and self-interest were set aside.”I needed to find out whether my skills would be used,” Turner told ESPNcricinfo. “They have been rejected, so we are probably better off without each other.”Turner’s application for the job seemed more of an argument against the new process for selecting teams. According to the NZC, Littlejohn will be “responsible for establishing a comprehensive profiling system as players progress along the pathway of representing New Zealand, and in doing so use a network of cricket coaches and key stakeholders”. He will be joined by the national coach John Wright on the two-man selection panel.Turner did not agree with the idea. “When I read the job description I felt that it did not cover what I believe is necessary to take full part in selecting and developing the Blackcaps [New Zealand],” he said. “The position appeared to be experimental and more about an assistant collecting data and coming up with some performance measures, along with office administration skills. The job description preferred the applicant to have ‘Post Graduate qualifications in Sports Management or Business Management’, which if followed automatically cancelled out most people with what I believe are the necessary qualifications for an international selector.”Nevertheless, I took up the opportunity to express what I believed was important when selecting cricket teams. In particular, trained independent eyes – free from conflicts of interest, ones that have experience and the art of talent-identifying.”Regarding the possible outcomes of the experiment, Turner said: “I’ve seen a lot of theories come and go over the years, and they mostly fail due to a lack of process. For theories to be applied they need to be supported by reasoning from known facts.”

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has been issued a showcause notice by the Pakistan board over comments made in an interview to a newspaper

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2011Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has been issued a showcause notice by the PCB for criticising the board’s policies in a newspaper interview.Miandad, who is currently the director-general of the PCB, apart from being a member of the governing board, had said he was “disappointed” with the functioning of the board as well as the lack of authority vested in him.”While closely watching the functioning of the PCB, I am disappointed and feel that 90% decisions [taken by the board] are wrong, and are spoiling the sport in the country,” Miandad told on Wednesday. “I am not part of the PCB planning only because I require power and freedom to work, since I have given 35 years to Pakistan cricket and earned a good name.”People around the world regard my services as a cricketer but the PCB doesn’t want to give me authority to improve [Pakistan] cricket.”I have already brought this matter to the notice of PCB patron, President Asif Ali Zardari. Soon I will meet him again to apprise him of the poor condition of cricket in Pakistan. I will request him to either take necessary steps [to improve cricketing matters] or allow me to leave the DG post.”This is not the first time Miandad has been critical of the Pakistan board. In February last year he wrote a letter to president Zardari, criticising the appointment of Ijaz Butt as the board chairman. In January 2009 Miandad had resigned as director-general of the PCB over differences concerning the exact scope of his work.A month later, Butt and Miandad had traded allegations over Miandad’s resignation at a senate hearing on the decline of Pakistan cricket. The chairman had alleged that Miandad had demanded more money, interfered with matters concerning selection, and was an incapable administrator. Miandad had said at the time that the scope of his role in the contract letter was significantly reduced from what he had initially discussed with the chairman. Though Miandad was reinstated as the director general in March that year, his relationship with Butt has been frosty since.Miandad, who has been the coach of the national team on three occasions in the past, was not included in the recently formed committee to appoint a new coach for the national team, after Waqar Younis’ decision to quit as national head coach after the ongoing Zimbabwe tour. In April, Miandad turned down the role of Pakistan’s batting coach due to personal reasons.Miandad has been asked to submit his reply within seven days.

Kevon Cooper’s 25 off 11 balls saw Trinidad and Tobago beat the Cape Cobras and stay alive in the Champions League T20

The Report by Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2011Trinidad and Tobago 138 for 8 (Bravo 29, Kemp, 3-22) beat Cape Cobras 137 for 4 (Shah 63*, Badree 1-19, Narine 1-19) by 2 wickets.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Darren Bravo now has 116 runs in the Champions League T20, 2011•AFPKevon Cooper’s 25 off 11 balls saw Trinidad and Tobago beat the Cape Cobras and stay alive in the Champions League T20. Cooper scored 10 runs off Dale Steyn’s fourth over, which cost 15 runs in total, and ensured T&T got the 24 runs they needed in the last two overs. This is the second time in the tournament that Steyn has bowled a costly penultimate over, with the first being against Chennai. The win means Mumbai Indians are through to the semi-finals. T&T’s qualification depends on Chennai Super Kings beating New South Wales by a small margin. The Super Kings can also qualify if they win by a sufficient margin, while any victory for NSW puts them through.Steyn turned from hero to villain in the space of an hour and a half; he started the Cobras defence of 137 with a magnificent three-over spell of outswing bowling. He demonstrated real skill on a dead pitch, consistently beat the outside edge and was rewarded in his second over when he got one to straighten and trap William Perkins lbw.Steyn’s colleagues were not as effective from the other end: Charl Langeveldt and Rory Kleinveldt struggled with their accuracy. Kleinveldt bowled three no-balls in an extraordinary over that only cost six runs and included the wicket of Lendl Simmons. Langeveldt was better when he changed ends and used the slower ball to good effect.Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo’s third-wicket partnership of 35 runs helped T&T recover from the loss of their openers. They rotated strike well, searched for the singles, and after Barath was dropped by Vilas behind the stumps he connected well to score two big boundaries.Justin Kemp ensured that Barath could not continue attacking and hurled down a yorker to remove Barath’s leg stump. The next ball, Daren Ganga was back in the hut too, after inside-edging onto his stumps. Kemp did not complete a hat-trick but took his third wicket two overs later, removing Bravo, who had played a sensible knock until then.T&T would have thought their last hopes lay with Denesh Ramdin, who survived the hat-trick ball, and played some deft strokes. Ramdin and Sherwin Ganga took 13 runs off JP Duminy’s second over and infused the chase with momentum. They were dismissed in the space of four balls, Ganga lbw to Langeveldt and Ramdin bowled by a flighted delivery from Robin Peterson.It was left to Cooper to bat bravely and he did. His first six was a slog off Peterson and, after Rampaul steered Steyn to the third-man boundary, Cooper bludgeoned a high full toss over long-off, to leave T&T with only nine to get off the last six balls. In a final twist, Rampaul was dismissed with the first ball of the last over but Cooper smashed a low full toss for four and plucked the remaining runs with two balls to spare.The Cobras would have felt their total was 10 runs short after a gritty batting effort, in which their strokeplay was constantly stifled. The T&T spinners troubled the Cobras batsmen from the start with Richard Levi at sea against Samuel Badree. He was bowled by Badree’s second delivery, after playing for turn that was not there. Herschelle Gibbs was also dismissed cheaply after a cautious start.Owais Shah and Dane Vilas built an impressive recovery. Shah started with an authoritative flick and maintained a busy approach at the crease, even though he could have been dismissed twice by Badree. The legspinner had a confident appeal for lbw against Shah when he hit him on the pads with a full delivery but Billy Bowden turned it down. During Badree’s second spell, he beat Shah and the ball looked destined for middle and leg stump but Badree was turned down for the third time. Shah went on to anchor the Cobras innings and ground out a half-century.Sherwin Ganga was the man both Vilas and Shah targeted; they took 38 runs from his three overs, peppering the midwicket area. Ganga’s offspin they could handle, but Sunil Narine proved almost impossible to read and both employed a watchful approach against him. His legbreak eventually got the better of Vilas, who top-edged to cover after a well crafted half-century.Shah had to hang around until the end and, even after bringing up his fifty, batting did not get any easier for him. Boundaries were rare and run-scoring came in ones and twos, which had to be manufactured, rather than simply being there for the taking. JP Duminy also couldn’t find the boundary and was bowled by a Cooper cutter when he went looking for one.

The ICC has announced the squads of the ten teams that will participate in the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Bangladesh in November

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2011The ICC has announced the squads of the ten teams that will participate in the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Bangladesh in November. The teams – South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, USA, West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland, Japan and Bangladesh – will play for the four remaining spots in the 2013 World Cup, which will be in India.The qualifying tournament features two groups and will run from November 14-25. The teams that progress will join England, Australia, India and New Zealand at the World Cup. The top four have already qualified for the event by virtue of placing No. 1 to No. 4 at the 2009 World Cup in Australia.Group A: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, USA
Group B: West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland, Japan, Bangladesh
Squads
Bangladesh: Salma Khatun (capt), Most Sharmin Supta, Shathira Jesy, Suktara, Rumana Ahmed, Lata Mondol, Fargana Hoque Pinky, Ayesha Akter, Khadiza-Tul Kubra, Panna Ghosh, Sultana Boishakhi, Jahanara Alam, Sanjida Islam, Chamely Khatun.
Ireland: Isobel Joyce (capt), Laura Cullen, Laura Delany, Kimberley Garth, Cecelia Joyce, Shauna Kavanagh, Amy Kenealy, Louise McCarthy, Eimear Richardson, Melissa Scott Hayward, Clare Shillington, Elena Tice, Mary Waldron, Jill Whelan.
Japan: Ema Kuribayashi (capt), Ayako Iwasaki, Miho Kanno, Fuyuki Kawai, Shizuka Kubota, Shizuka Miyaji, Ayako Nakayama, Kurumi Ota, Yuko Saito, Atsuko Suda, Mariko Yamamoto, Mai Yanagida, Kanae Yanagisawa, Yuka Yoshida.
Netherlands: Helmien Rambaldo (capt), Caroline de Groot, Denise Hannema, Esther Lanser, Esther de Lange, Jolet Hartenhof, Kerryanne Tomlinson, Laura Brouwers, Leonie Bennett, Marijn Nijman, Maxime Entrop, Miranda Veringmeier, Hannah Hofman, Mariska Kornet.
Pakistan: Sana Mir (capt), Javeria Wadood, Nain Abidi, Bismah Maroof, Batool Naqvi, Nida Rashid, Asmavia Khokhar, Qanita Jalil, Marina Iqbal, Masooma Farooqi, Sadia Yousaf, Rabiya Shah, Kainat Imtiaz, Bibi Nahida.
South Africa: Cri-zelda Brits (capt), Trisha Chetty, Dinesha Devarain, Mignon du Preez, Shandre Fritz, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Sunette Loubser, Kirstie Thomson, Chloe Tryon, Yolandi van der Westhuizen, Dane van Niekerk, Moseline Daniels.
Sri Lanka: Dilani Manodara (capt), Shashikala Siriwardena, Chamari Polgampala, Suvini de Alwis, Udeshika Prabodani, Inoka Galagedara, Sadamali Dolawatta, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Eshani Lokusuriya, Chamari Athapaththu, Sharina Ravikumar, Prasadini Weerakoddy, Yashoda Mendis, Sripali Weerakoddy.
USA: Doris Francis (capt), Samantha Ramautar, Erica Rendler, Joan Serrano, Claudine Beckford, Shebani Bhaskar, Anahita Arora, Delkash Shahriarian, Akshatha Rao, Sara Farooq, Grace Chadderton-Richards, Nadia Gruny, Durga Das, Ritu Bhargava.
West Indies: Merissa Aguilleira (capt), Shaquana Quintyne, Kycia Knight, Shakera Selman, Deandra Dottin, Pearl Etienne, Juliana Nero, Stafanie Taylor, Shanel Daley, Anisa Mohammed, Stacy-Ann King, Britney Cooper, Shemaine Campbelle, Subrina Munroe.
Zimbabwe: Sharne Meyers (capt), Julia Chibhabha, Precious Marange, Ashley Ndiraya, Sharyce Saili, Modester Mupachikwa, Pellagia Mujaji, Nonhlanhla Nyathi, Sinikiwe Mpofu, Thandolwenkosi Mlilo, Christabel Chatonzwa, Sarah Dambanevana, Audrey Mazvishaya, Loreen Tshuma.

Michael Clarke has conceded that Shaun Marsh is in doubt for the second Test in Johannesburg after he struggled with a stiff back on the first two days in Cape Town

Brydon Coverdale at Newlands10-Nov-2011Michael Clarke has conceded that Shaun Marsh is in doubt for the second Test in Johannesburg after he struggled with a stiff back on the first two days in Cape Town. Marsh did not field on the second day and batted at No.10, clearly hampered as he walked to the crease and faced his only two deliveries, including a delivery that kept low and trapped him lbw.The problem arose on Wednesday during the latter stages of Marsh’s first-innings 44, and the issue worsened on Thursday. The Wanderers Test starts in a week and Clarke, as a man who has suffered serious back problems himself over the years, said the most important thing was to ensure Marsh was not forced to play if he was not quite right.”I’m a little nervous, no doubt,” Clarke said after play on Thursday. “I know the feeling when you do your back, it’s always a couple of days of mending time and treatment to try and get it right. I’m confident if he does get it right in this period before the second Test then he’ll be fine to play.”But I need to trust the judgment of Alex Kountouris, our physio, who has had a lot of experience on backs, unfortunately. Shaun knows his body pretty well. He’s a big player for us, he’s in all three forms of the game. He’s a wonderful guy with a lot of talent, so I want to make sure we make the right decision.”Should Marsh be unavailable for the Johannesburg Test, it would mean a call-up for Usman Khawaja, the back-up batsman in the squad. While Khawaja is a fine prospect, Marsh has been one of the shining lights for Australia during their past three Tests.He scored a century on debut in Pallekele in September and made 81 in his second Test, before starting his South African trip with a pair of half-centuries in the tour match in Potchefstroom last week. In the first innings in Cape Town, he was the only one of Australia’s specialist batsmen who showed the centurion Clarke any support.Marsh has had ongoing back issues throughout his career. He was ruled out of the third ODI against Sri Lanka last November and the Australia A game against England that followed due to back trouble, and a similar problem also ruled him out of the tour of New Zealand early last year.

Danish Kaneria has lost his four-month legal tussle with the Pakistan Cricket Board, leaving his international career in limbo

Umar Farooq10-Nov-2011Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, has lost his four-month legal tussle with the Pakistan Cricket Board in the Sindh High Court. A two-member bench dismissed his petition to be cleared to play for Pakistan, leaving his international career in limbo. The ruling came after an objection was raised by PCB lawyer Tafazzul Rizvi questioning the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.”It was dismissed only because the Sindh High Court doesn’t have the jurisdiction to hear the case,” Kaneria’s lawyer Mohammad Farogh Naseem told ESPNcricinfo. “We are yet to decide our next move but we have two options: either to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court or to file a fresh petition in Lahore High Court (the city where the PCB office is situated).”Kaneria has not been selected to play for Pakistan since October 2010 after he was questioned by the Essex Police in a spot-fixing case last year in England. In July 2011, he filed a petition in the Sindh High Court challenging the PCB’s integrity committee’s continued refusal to clear him to be considered for national selection.”I remember Tafazzul [Rizvi], in the first hearing, raised the point of jurisdiction. If this was the legal constraint for the court then why should [the case] be so prolonged,” a disappointed Kaneria told ESPNcricinfo. “In all this, a player is losing [the chance to play] cricket, while mental stress is another concern. I will decide my next move in due course. I am very disturbed by all this.”Though Kaneria was not charged in the spot-fixing case, in which his Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield faced criminal proceedings, he has not been cleared to play for Pakistan since the incident. The legal brawl sparked when the PCB integrity committee asked Kaneria to produce the transcripts of the Essex Police investigation. He appeared before the committee with his bank statements and other financial records but not with the required copy of the police interview transcripts, failing to satisfy the committee.”To be very honest I don’t have the tapes, my England lawyer Steve [Haurigan] has it, but the police had directed us not to share it with any third party since the trial of Westfield is starting from January. If we do so then it’s contempt of the court.”But still I gave my consent during the hearing that I have no problem if the PCB lawyer can get those tapes from the police,” Kaneria said. “I didn’t lie, I have a honest stance not only before the integrity committee but also before the court.”During the September 27 hearing it was decided that the PCB would write to the Crown Prosecution Service to ask for the tapes or their transcripts that required a court order, but there was a dispute during the October 20 hearing over who would bear the cost of the process. “We obviously wanted Kaneria to bear the cost of the process as this was his concern to satisfy his integrity,” Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo. “If he wants to go to the Supreme Court or Lahore High Court then we will contest. But at the same time PCB has nothing against him. There are some integrity concerns over the player, just like with Shoaib [Malik] who was cleared after he came up with the required documents to satisfy the integrity committee.”