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Simon Jones will attempt to return to red-ball cricket next season after renegotiating his contract with Glamorgan.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2012Simon Jones, the former England fast bowler who has seen his career punctuated by injury, will attempt to return to red-ball cricket next season after renegotiating his contract with Glamorgan.Jones, who will be 34 on Christmas day, helped England win the Ashes in 2005 but has suffered with knee problems ever since he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in Brisbane in 2002.He has played only three County Championship matches since 2008 but now feels he can manage his workload and has agreed a deal for six first-class matches in 2013.”I’ve agreed to do these four-day games because I don’t want to leave anything in the tank,” he told . “It’s a continuous thing, looking after my knee. I have to do the right preparation and rest up properly. It’s hard work but it keeps me playing the game I love so it’s not a hardship.”Jones’ Test career was limited to 18 appearances, during which he took 59 wickets at 28.23 and now, feeling back to fitness, he is hoping to help Glamorgan mount a promotion push next season. “I still feel I’ve got a couple of years left in me,” Jones said. “And that’s why I’ve agreed to do these four-day games.”It’s one of those things. I just want to get everything out of my system so when I finish I know I’ve done everything I can in the game and then I can relax and just chill with the kids. I have to play six four-day games and obviously a number of one-day games as well, which I’m backing myself to do. It’s the best I’ve felt in a long, long time.”Glamorgan are short of a quality seam bowler, having seen James Harris move to Middlesex, leaving their attack mostly comprised of young and relatively inexperienced bowlers. If Jones can regain form with the red ball, his experience will complement Graham Wagg with the new ball.Jones has taken 125 first-class wickets for Glamorgan, the club where he began his career in 1998. He left for Worcestershire in 2008, where he claimed another 42 wickets at 18.02, before moving to Hampshire. But his time on the south coast was thwarted with injury and he played only two first-class matches before securing a pay-as-you-play loan deal back at Glamorgan in 2011, primarily for one-day cricket.

A round-up of the Qaid-e-Azam Trophy matches

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2013
Scorecard
Abbottabad picked up their first win of the competition, beating Faisalabad in a low-scoring game that finished in two days. Abbottabad justified their decision to field first by bowling out the opposition for 92 in the first innings, with legspinner Yasir Shah taking six wickets. But Abbottabad themselves didn’t have much of an edge at the end of their innings, as they were skittled out for 135. Yasir Hameed made 49 and Yasir chipped in with 26, but there wasn’t much they could do against Waqas Maqsood, who took 7 for 40.A second batting failure, however, proved too costly for Faisalabad. Yasir was among the wickets again, taking his match tally to 12, to keep Faisalabad to just 152. Ammar Mahmood made 49 but there wasn’t much support from the rest. Set just 110 to win, Abbottabad achieved their target for the loss of just two wickets. Hammad Ali Shah made 56.
ScorecardLahore Shalimar’s collapse in the first innings proved to be the difference as they lost a low-scoring match to Rawalpindi by a narrow margin. Shalimar had bowled Rawalpindi out for 157 after putting them in, with seamers Aizaz Cheema and Zia-ul-Haq sharing seven wickets between them. But in response, Shalimar started poorly, losing two early wickets, and then crumbled to 116 all out. Only opener Umar Siddiq was able to put up a resistance with a 145-ball 46. Left-arm seamer Nasir Malik did most of the damage with four wickets, but it was Hammad Azam who picked up the crucial wicket of Siddiq and helped wrap up the innings quickly.Shalimar opening bowlers responded with three quick wickets, but a 98-run fourth-wicket stand between Awaiz Zia and Haseeb Azam proved to be crucial in the context of the match as the two took Rawalpindi’s lead past 150. Once the partnership was broken, Cheema and Zia-ul-Haq ran through the rest of the batting order to keep the target to a tricky 240.Unlike their first innings, all Shalimar batsmen got starts but were unable to construct big partnerships. The only notable stand was the one between Umar Akmal and Salman Ali which gave the team a good platform. But Rawalpindi bowlers attacked in a pack, with Saad Altaf, Hammad and Haseeb Azam, all picking up three wickets, and picked up the last six wickets for 37 to clinch a tight win and remain on the top of the Group II table.
ScorecardCenturies from Rizwan Ahmed and captain Aqeel Anjum, and nine wickets from offspinner Nasir Awais took Hyderabad to a commanding innings-and-46-run victory against Bahawalpur at the Bahawal Stadium. The collective bowling effort, led by Awais, helped them bowl Bahawalpur out for less than 200 in both their innings, after Hyderabad’s mammoth first-innings score of 513 for 9.After being put in to bat, Hyderabad’s openers began positively. Rizwan and Anjum consolidated on the strong start, and from 175 for 3, they added another 192 runs as their team took a strong hold on the contest. Their bowlers kept a tight leash on Bahawalpur, who collapsed for 194 and were forced to follow on. Besides Usman Tariq, who scored a half-century, no one scored more than 26. Awais, Nauman Ali and Zahid Mahmood took three wickets.Bahawalpur’s batsmen struggle against Hyderabad’s bowlers in their second dig too. Awais, who eventually took six wickets in the innings, helped reduce them to 65 for 6, before a fightback from lower-order batsman Ansar Javed delayed the inevitable.Hyderabad, however, still remain at the bottom of the Group II table.
ScorecardA knock of 150 from Mohammad Waqas helped Karachi Blues gain a crucial 47-run lead – and thereby three points – against Multan in a closely fought drawn contest at the Multan Cricket Stadium.The top order, led by Waqas, took them to 322 for 4, before the rest of the batsmen fell relatively cheaply to Zulfiqar Babar’s offspin. Multan replied strongly to Blues’ 410, and after a poor start strung together productive partnerships. Saeed Anwar jnr, Sohaib Maqsood, Naved Yasin and No. 9 Rizwan Haider scored half-centuries to get Multan close to their opponents’ score, but the lack of a big innings hurt them as they fell short of gaining the lead, scoring 363.Blues’ batsmen prevented the chance of an outright result by consuming the final two days in their second innings, batting at a considerably slower rate than in their first innings.The result consolidates their position at the top of the Group I table, while Multan lie second from bottom.
ScorecardPeshawar, bottom-placed in Group I, stayed dominant throughout the match against Sialkot, but were unable to force a result at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. The home team chose to bat first and was in some trouble at 115 for 4 before wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan scored only his second first-class century to revive the team to a good first-innings total.The Peshawar bowlers, led by Afaq Ahmed, then responded with regular wickets and helped their team to a 77-run lead. The scoring rates of both teams, however, remained slow, and by the time Sialkot ended their first innings, only a day remained in the match.Peshawar were then given a scare as they lost the openers with only nine runs on the board. On the fourth day, the home team continued to add runs at a slow pace. By the time Peshawar declared their innings – after batsman Aftab Alam got to his century – not much time was left in the match to force a result and the match petered to a draw.

Best buys, possible picks and other things to expect at the IPL 2013 auction

Vishal Dikshit02-Feb-2013What: 2013 IPL auction
When: February 3, Sunday, 1100 IST
Where: ChennaiMichael Clarke, who had a prolific 2012, is expected to be chased by franchises who need a big player and captain•AFP

What to expect

The IPL auction rules could undergo an overhaul from the 2014 edition and the existing contracts for all players will end after the current season. Franchises would therefore view this auction only in terms of filling certain pressing gaps to meet their requirements for this season.Quite a few teams have more than $5 million left of their $12.5 million purse coming into Sunday’s auction, and can be expected to be involved in a tug of war for at least a couple of players. “Some teams are sitting with $6-7 million,” a franchise official said. “So expect franchises to get into a crazy bidding for a player if they think it is fine, as it is just a one-year contract.” This auction, however, may not see as many millions being thrown around as the previous ones.

Hot buys

Only two players, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting, have the maximum reserve price this year, of $400,000. While Ponting retired from internationals last year, Clarke, who had a prolific 2012, is expected to be chased by franchises who need a big player and captain. If teams like SunRisers Hyderabad or Pune Warriors need a new captain and are not able to buy Clarke, they will have to go for Ponting who scored 236 runs in the Big Bash League at an average of 39.33 and strike rate of 121, including two half-centuries.Among the seven Indian players is Abhishek Nayar, with a reserve price of $100,000, who scored 966 runs in the Ranji Trophy this season. He would be on the list of several buyers who do not want to spend much on a player for a single season. Nayar, an in-form domestic allrounder, would give RP Singh, who had a poor outing in IPL 2012, a run for his money.

T20 specialist

Dirk Nannes has 37 wickets in domestic T20 tournaments in the last 12 months, at an average of 24.43. Priced at $200,000, he could be the main pick for a franchise looking for an overseas fast bowler with enough money in the bag.

Dark horse

Rilee Rossouw, a 23-year-old uncapped South Africa batsman, priced at only $20,000. With the experience of 36 domestic T20s and 781 runs behind him, Rossouw could offer a franchise what nobody else can for that amount of money.

Veteran pick

The oldest player, aged 38 is Herschelle Gibbs. Released by Mumbai Indians recently, Gibbs isn’t the batsman he used to be even though he has played in T20 leagues in South Africa, England, Bangladesh, India and Australia in the last one year.

Unlikely buys

Two names that catch the eye in the auction list are Ricardo Powell and Wasim Jaffer. Powell, 34, played two T20s for the International World XI against Pakistan All Star XI in October, scoring 3 and 5. Jaffer has been concentrating on first-class matches, being a part of Mumbai’s victorious Ranji side recently.

How the franchises could play it

SunRisers Hyderabad have $7 million left to spend on the 2013 squad and can buy eight more Indian and five overseas players. They are expected to go all out for Michael Clarke to ease some pressure off their captain and lead batsman Kumar Sangakkara, who is currently injured. Also on their injured list is JP Duminy, increasing their need for a strong top-order batsman-cum-mentor. Hello Ricky Ponting. They may also need a spinner to assist Amit Mishra and have the options of Rangana Herath ($100,000), Johan Botha ($300,000) and Ajantha Mendis ($50,000) since they have the money.Abhishek Nayar, the in-form domestic allrounder, could be on many shopping lists•Fotocorp

Since Sachin Tendulkar is Mumbai Indians‘ new captain, they can now spend $2.3 million on specialist players instead of a new captain. They would look to beef up their top order, which failed to impress last season. Phillip Hughes, at $100,000, may suit their needs after scoring two ODI hundreds against Sri Lanka but Jesse Ryder has been scoring heavily in New Zealand’s domestic season too. The new Anil Kumble-John Wright combination could throw up some new strategies.Stephen Fleming, the Chennai Super Kings coach, said on Friday they would not be targeting overseas players and instead focus on the “seam bowling department, especially local bowlers”. They possess Ben Hilfenhaus, Albie Morkel, Nuwan Kulasekara and Dwayne Bravo – all overseas bowlers. Their local options lie in RP Singh (released by Mumbai Indians), Sudeep Tyagi, Manpreet Gony, Pankaj Singh and Jaydev Unadkat.Delhi Daredevils have the shallowest pockets with only $1.4 million left of their purse. To add to that, their pacers Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Irfan Pathan are all injured. So expect some cheaply priced local bowlers, such as Jaydev Unadkat, going their way. Allrounder Abhishek Nayar could be on their radar as they will lose Kevin Pietersen in the second half of the tournament and will not be able to accommodate Mahela Jayawardene, David Warner and Ross Taylor together.Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, are expected to be less aggressive in their bidding compared to last two years, when they were the fastest off the blocks as soon as the auction bell rang. “We might end up being a spectator,” a Knight Riders official said. They do not have much to improve on from last year, except maybe an allrounder in the form of Abhishek Nayar or Thisara Perera.Rajasthan Royals have $7.7 million to spend and seven Indian and four overseas slots to fill. They have never splurged and having included Samuel Badree after releasing Johan Botha, won’t be too unhappy with their current line-up. Unless Paddy Upton suggests otherwise.Kings XI Punjab may opt for a handy seam bowler to suit the conditions in Mohali. $6.9 million may allow them to opt for Vernon Philander or an RP Singh. A reserve wicketkeeper in Quinton de Kock ($20,000) might be a good try for one season.Pune Warriors will go in for a new captain after releasing Sourav Ganguly, as Yuvraj Singh is unlikely to lead the side. Ricky Ponting would be a similar batsman-cum-mentor, who could revive the fortunes of the franchise.Royal Challengers Bangalore retained their core attack but left out as many as 12 players in November. Uncertainty over Zaheer Khan’s fitness may make them buy a fast bowler to accompany Vinay Kumar.

Doug Bracewell, the New Zealand seamer, will be added to the New Zealand squad for the final Test in Auckland if he gets through Central Districts’ Ford Trophy game against Canterbury on Wednesday unscathed

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland18-Mar-2013Doug Bracewell could feature in the final Test against England if he comes through his Ford Trophy one-day outing on Wednesday with Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, admitting that his bowlers were “hanging by a thread” at one point during the Wellington encounter.By the time England were bowled out for 465 on the second day at the Basin Reserve, New Zealand had spent 317 overs in the field since the beginning of the visitors’ second innings in Dunedin. Although Hesson said they had all come through unscathed, and felt it had worked in New Zealand’s favour that they did not field for the final three days in Wellington, he acknowledged the demands of three Tests in three weeks on his pacemen.”It’s been great for us that we haven’t had to bowl the last three days,” he said. “Our guys were hanging on by a thread there for a while. It’s great to see they’ve had a decent break. I assume they’ll be fine but we need to show some due diligence.”The three we’ve got have done a great job, so we’ve basically brought in Doug and got Ian [Butler] there as cover. We’ll see how guys scrub up in Auckland because to play three Tests on the bounce is hard work for any seam attack.”Neil Wagner has nine wickets in the series, but Trent Boult and Tim Southee have just four and one respectively for their efforts. Bracewell, 22, missed the first two Tests after cutting his foot cleaning up glass after a party at his house the day before linking up with the squad in Dunedin. He had been expected to feature in the first-choice attack for the series having taken 46 in 15 Tests. There was hope he would recover in time for Wellington, but has only recently been able to put his full weight back on the foot.”It’s certainly good to have him back in the mix,” Hesson said. “It was an unfortunate incident. Hopefully he can get through tomorrow, 10 overs under his belt, and we will see how he scrubs up.”Another bowler making a comeback from injury, although much further from a national recall than Bracewell, is Daniel Vettori. He remains hopeful of being available for the England tour in May and, with potentially only one domestic game left in the season, is hoping to use the IPL to gain further match fitness.However, while Hesson said that New Zealand had missed Vettori in recent times – he has not played internationally since the World Twenty20 and his previous Test was in West Indies last July – he was also strong in his praise of Bruce Martin who has filled the spinner role in this series and claimed nine wickets in his first two Tests.”All signs are he’s made good progress so we’ll see how he goes over the next few days,” Hesson said. “We’ve missed him for six months, not only the experience he brings but also the skill he brings. Let’s hope his recovery over the next few weeks goes well. To be fair Bruce Martin hasn’t put a foot wrong…he has certainly shown that he’s a good campaigner.”Two other members already in the Test squad who have not feature in the series, Tom Latham and Ian Butler, will play their Ford Trophy games on Wednesday before joining the national squad for the final Test. The deciding Test in Auckland begins Friday.New Zealand squad for Auckland Test: Brendon McCullum (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell (pending getting through Ford Trophy game on Wednesday), Dean Brownlie, Ian Butler, Peter Fulton, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk), Kane Williamson.

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches played on March 13, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2013
ScorecardAuckland thrashed Central Districts by 211 runs to collect five points and continue their lead at the top of the table. After scoring 285, Auckland’s Kyle Mills and Chris Martin ran through Central Districts’ top order, taking their top five wickets all of which were caught by wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins. Only three Central Districts batsmen could manage double-digit scores as Michael Bates and Colin de Grandhomme also chipped in with two wickets each. Martin and Mills reduced them to 51 for 5 in 14 overs which virtually ended their chase as their next five wickets fell for 23 runs.Eariler, middle-order batsmen Colin Munro and Grandhomme rescued Auckland from a position of 86 for 4 with a 102-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Dusan Hakaria’s 34 towards the end ensured they reached a competitive score of 285.
ScorecardDaniel Flynn’s hundred charged Northern Districts to a 92-run win against Otago to jump to second place in the Ford Trophy. After they chose to bat, Flynn and Anton Devcich put together 181 runs for the opening stand in 32.4 overs, out of which Devcich scored 70. This lay the platform for a big score for Northern Districts as Flynn struck 15 fours and a six to score 135 off 137, his fourth List A hundred. But Devcich’s wicket was followed by two more in the next two overs, which brought them to 184 for 3. After Flynn fell in the 43rd over, Jono Hickey (48*) along with Brad Wilson and Anurag Verma scored 63 off the last 37 balls to take them to 301 for 7.Graeme Aldridge dismissed the Otago openers in consecutive openers, leaving them at 8 for 2. Neil Broom and Jimmy Neesham consolidated the innings with an 86-run third-wicket partnership but both were dismissed in the space of 11 balls. This started the slide for Otago, who lost wickets at regular intervals, folding for 209 in the 44th over. Nathan McCullum (41) and Derek de Boorder (31) resisted with a 46-run stand for the sixth wicket, but couldn’t avoid the fifth loss for Otago in the tournament.
ScorecardScott Kuggeleijn’s maiden five-wicket haul in List A matches, earned Wellington a comfortable seven wicket-win against Canterbury in Christchurch. Once Wellington chose to field, the match headed in only their direction as Kuggeleijn struck thrice in his first spell. Only Shanan Stewart (41) and Brent Findlay (28) resisted, but Kuggeleijn took two more wickets to dismiss Canterbury for 143.After Wellington lost Luke Ronchi in the first over for a duck, Michael Papps and Grant Elliott took them close to victory. Even though Elliott was dismissed for 44 in the 13th over, and Papps for 47 in the 20th, Jesse Ryder scored a brisk 31-ball 38 to take Wellington to victory with more than 28 overs to spare.

The BCB are optimistic about their progress ahead of the World Twenty20 which is to be held in March 2014, despite the prevailing unstable political climate

Mohammad Isam06-Apr-2013The 2014 World Twenty20 Cup will begin on March 16, but the organisers are confident that the prevailing political tension in Bangladesh will not hamper its preparations. The final has been slated for April 6 next year, and a press conference was held in Dhaka on Saturday to mark the one-year run-up to the tournament.But the press conference was held during a general strike while the logo-launching ceremony to be held in the evening will begin at the end of the strike.”The political situation during an election year in Bangladesh is usually unstable so I hope the situation will change during the World Twenty20s,” ICC vice-president AHM Mustafa Kamal said. “Government and opposition leaders had come to watch the Asia Cup last year, so we believe that the political parties will not create any obstacles.”Apart from this, the BCB will have to deal with the issue of infrastructure as construction is yet to begin on the proposed stadium in Cox’s Bazar, while the one in Sylhet is still incomplete. BCB president Nazmul Hassan remained upbeat about both venues completion.”As far as I know, the Cox’s Stadium will be handed over to the BCB. We can start work next week if we receive a letter in this regard on Sunday. We will begin work on the wicket and ground as soon as possible.”There is not much left to do in the Sylhet venue. The floodlights and the dressing-room are there to be completed. It is stalled due to bureaucracy, so if it is delayed we will build it using BCB’s finances,” said Hassan.Bangladesh have already co-hosted the 2011 World Cup, including the opening ceremony, but the BCB were not clear about there being a similar programme ahead of the 2014 event.

Geoff Miller, England’s national selector, has given the strongest suggestion yet that there was an element of complacency in the series against New Zealand

Andrew McGlashan11-May-2013Geoff Miller, England’s national selector, has given the strongest suggestion yet that there was an element of complacency in the series against New Zealand and that the same mistakes from that tour will not be tolerated when the return series starts at Lord’s next week.In the aftermath of the recent tour, where England only escaped with a 0-0 draw after outstanding innings from Matt Prior and Ian Bell on the final day, the players have been adamant that there was no element of taking the task lightly after the high of winning in India or being lulled by pre-series talk of only needing to turn up to whitewash New Zealand.While Miller, who has not been known for particularly strong public statements during his six years in the main job, did not to use words such as ‘complacent’ or ‘underestimated’ there was a clear indication that a repeat of the performances in New Zealand will have significant ramifications at the beginning of an Ashes year.”It keeps your feet on the ground. It makes you realise you can’t just go into a game and go through the motions and win the game because, on paper, you are supposedly superior. It doesn’t work like that. These boys know they have to perform,” he said after announcing England’s first Test squad of the summer. “It was very disappointing and we talked about that but they are capable of playing far, far better than that – and know that – and hopefully, I’m quietly confident, they’ll show they are a better side.”The selectors have shown faith in the players on duty in New Zealand – Monty Panesar has been dropped, but that is to accommodate Graeme Swann’s return – and continuity, a hallmark of Miller’s tenure, was at the forefront of his mind, as well as avoiding knee-jerk reactions to one disappointing series.”All right, they under-performed there, but they’re capable of playing better than that and you don’t just discard somebody because they have had a bad time as a unit,” he said. “You just say ‘right, not good enough, improve’. That’s exactly the message they have been given.”New Zealand are a good side, they have shown what they are capable of doing. Maybe we were forced to under-perform but we didn’t play to the capabilities they have shown in the past so that has got to be rectified.”If the first part of the year had fitted England’s perfect script, they may have eyed this series as a chance to rest a senior bowler or two but after the significantly below-part display in New Zealand it made it virtually impossible for the selectors to name anything other than a full-strength side for this series, even though opportunities to give players a break are now few and far between.Alongside Swann’s return, Tim Bresnan has also been brought back into the squad following his recovery from the elbow problem that hampered him last year, which means there are two players in the 12 who have recently been on the operating table but Miller insisted there was no risk attached.”They have gone through the process with their counties, showing there was no reaction to it,” he said. “They have both been very, very positive, and there has been nothing at all. The reason for the operations was to get rid of the pain which they were showing and disability as such, which wasn’t allowing them to perform to their best. Now they’re pain free and bowling like they were before they had the problems.”

The BCCI working committee, which will meet in Chennai on Sunday, is unlikely to impose a life ban on the four cricketers allegedly involved in spot-fixing

Amol Karhadkar18-May-2013The BCCI working committee, which will meet in Chennai on Sunday, is unlikely to impose a life ban on the four cricketers allegedly involved in spot-fixing. The emergent working committee was called to discuss the implications of the involvement of Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Amit Singh in the spot-fixing controversy.While some may perceive it as inaction, the working committee’s decision is influenced by a constitutional clause. According to the board’s constitution, a life ban cannot be imposed on a cricketer, who breaches the players’ code, for 30 days after an internal inquiry committee is constituted. “Taking that into account, it would be unjust to ban the players for life before the formal and internal investigations are completed,” a BCCI functionary told ESPNcricinfo, preferring anonymity. “That doesn’t mean the BCCI is taking the matter lightly. Immediately after Delhi Police arrested these cricketers, the Board suspended all of them pending inquiry.”If the BCCI acts in haste and bans players against the provisions of their constitution, the decision can be challenged in court.Apart from briefing all the working committee members on the information passed on by Delhi Police, one of the key matters on the agenda will be to ratify the appointment of Ravi Sawani to lead the one-man inquiry commission. Sawani, head of BCCI’s newly formed anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), had been appointed to investigate the matter, IPL chairman, Rajeev Shukla said on Friday. The BCCI constitution gives its president the right to appoint an inquiry committee, provided the working committee ratifies it within 48 hours.Sawani has been invited to attend the meeting along with the ICC’s ACSU chief, YP Singh.
Since the BCCI’s ACSU is in its nascent stages, IPL’s anti-corruption activities have been outsourced to ICC’s ACSU for an annual fee of approximately US$1.2 million. The BCCI top brass is inclined to review ACSU’s mechanism. It is learned that the board officials will attempt to identify the loopholes in IPL’s security and discuss means to improve mechanisms that prevent players from being approached by bookies.With the BCCI facing criticism from all corners for ignoring the player-bookie nexus and allowing the fixing syndrome to grow rapidly, their decision to discuss the issue in detail with the ICC ACSU, and not question them, may be viewed as an exercise to pass the buck. But a BCCI source clarified that it was a “genuine attempt” to make the system as foolproof as possible to restore the credibility of the game.Hours after the Royals players were arrested in Mumbai in the wee hours of Thursday, a day after their match against Mumbai Indians, the BCCI suspended all three cricketers pending inquiry. The decision came even before the Delhi Police publicly revealed the evidence collected against the cricketers. On Friday, after realising that former Royals and Gujarat cricketer, Amit Singh was arrested as a bookie, the BCCI suspended him as well.

The Ramadan Cup T20 match between Pakistan International Airlines and Water and Power Development Authority in Karachi was called off due to rain.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2013No result
ScorecardWeather played spoilsport as the Ramadan T20 Cup match between Pakistan International Airlines and Water and Power Development Authority in Karachi was called off due to rain.WAPDA scored 151 in their 20 overs after being put in to bat. However, PIA’s chase lasted only eight deliveries before rain interrupted play.PIA got an early breakthrough in the first innings, as medium-pacer Anwar Ali got the wicket of opener Shoaib Nasir in the first over. Sohaib Maqsood, batting at No.3, then shared a 77-run second-wicket partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed, to revive the innings. Maqsood hit 10 fours and three sixes during his 60-ball 86 as WAPDA reached a score of 151 for 8 in 20 overs. Ali was the pick of the bowlers for PIA, ending with figures of 4-0-22-2.Both teams were awarded a point each.

Test cricketers Doug Bracewell, Mark Gillespie and Neil Broom are among 18 players named by New Zealand Cricket for their A-team tour to India and Sri Lanka in August

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2013Test cricketers Doug Bracewell, Mark Gillespie and Neil Broom are among 18 players in New Zealand’s A team tour to India and Sri Lanka starting late August. The team is scheduled to play one three-day match, one four-day match and three one-dayers against India A before travelling to Sri Lanka for two four-day matches and three one-dayers.”It’s a very strong New Zealand A squad with a lot of experience on the international scene,” Kim Littlejohn, the general manager of national selection, said. “The likes of Doug Bracewell, Neil Broom and Mark Gillespie have all played at Test level and will benefit from further time facing international teams.”However, three players – Broom, Derek de Boorder and James Neesham – will only be available for the two longer-form matches against India A, before being released for the Champions League. They will be replaced by Anton Devcich, Andrew Ellis and Scott Kuggeleijn.”Players like Daryl Mitchell, Ish Sodhi and Matthew Henry are all exciting prospects for the future, and this offers them an opportunity to continue their development and understand the demands of cricket at a higher level,” Littlejohn said.”The experience of playing in subcontinent conditions will be of immense value for all these players and we’re confident they’ll grasp this opportunity with both hands.”New Zealand A squad: Corey Anderson (Northern Knights), Todd Astle (Canterbury Wizards), Derek de Boorder (Otago Volts), Doug Bracewell (Central Districts), Neil Broom (Otago Volts), Carl Cachopa (Central Districts), Mark Gillespie (Wellington Firebirds), Matthew Henry (Canterbury Wizards), Tom Latham (Canterbury Wizards), James Neesham (Otago Volts), Adam Milne (Central Districts),
Daryl Mitchell (Northern Knights), Colin Munro (Auckland Aces), Luke Ronchi (Wellington Firebirds), Ish Sodhi (Northern Knights)Players out after first two matches in India: Neil Broom, Derek de Boorder and James NeeshamPlayers in after first two matches in India: Anton Devcich (Northern Knights), Andrew Ellis (Canterbury Wizards), Scott Kuggeleijn (Northern Knights)