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Incident follows day three’s allegations of racial abuse directed at India players

Andrew McGlashan10-Jan-2021A group of people were removed from the stands at the SCG on the fourth day, with play suspended for 10 minutes, after Mohammed Siraj alerted the umpires and his team-mates to further alleged abuse from the crowd following day three’s allegations of racial abuse directed at India players.Siraj walked in from fine leg before the start of the 87th over, and conversations between the India team and on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson followed before the officials made their way towards the Brewongle Stand at the Randwick End. The players remained huddled by the square with unbeaten batsman and Australia captain Tim Paine joining the India group.The umpires soon joined by security staff while police entered the stands to identify individuals allegedly involved. A few minutes later a group of spectators were asked to leave the area and were removed from the stadium by New South Wales Police who have launched an investigation.2:48

Ashwin wants racial abuse ‘dealt with an iron fist’

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal said they had taken up the matter strongly with the authorities. “BCCI Secretary, Mr Jay Shah, spoke to Cricket Australia Chairman Mr Earl Eddings and expressed his concern over the incidents and both agreed that action needs to be taken against the offenders to send out a strong message that racism and discrimination do not have a place in our great sport and in any walk of society.”Sean Carroll, Cricket Australia’s Head of Integrity and Security, said the allegations made by the Indian team would be investigated by the board alongside the police.”The abuse of cricketers by crowd members is not acceptable,” Carroll said. “We thank the Indian team for their vigilance in reporting today’s incident, which we are now in the process of investigating.”While we await the outcome of the investigation by NSW Police, CA has launched its own inquiry into the matter. It is most regrettable that an otherwise excellent Test match contested in tremendous spirit by two friendly rivals has been tarnished by the actions of a small number of spectators over the past two days. As hosts, we once again apologise to the Indian team.”Related

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Australia coach Justin Langer addressed the situation after play. “It’s upsetting and disappointing,” he said. “Anyone who knows me, I’ve said for years, it’s of my greatest pet hates in life that people think they can come to a sporting event, whether it’s cricket or any code, and think they can abuse or say whatever they like.”We’ve seen it in different parts of the world and it’s really sad to see it happen in Australia. Our series so far has been played in such great spirit, it’s been incredible cricket, it’s a shame to see it getting marred by incidents that we are hearing about today and last night.”The events followed India making officials aware after the third day’s play that they believed a group of players, including Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, were subject to abuse, including racial abuse, from the crowd.In response to yesterday’s initial abuse, Carroll had said in an earlier statement anyone who sought to vilify and/or harass had no place in Australian cricket.”Cricket Australia condemns in the strongest terms possible all discriminatory behaviour,” he said. “If you engage in racist abuse, you are not welcome in Australian cricket.”Mohammed Siraj and Ajinkya Rahane talk to umpire Paul Reiffel about the incident•Getty Images

Kerrie Mather, Venues NSW’s chief executive, said CCTV footage was being reviewed to assist the investigation.”At the SCG, we pride ourselves on welcoming anyone and everyone in a safe and inclusive environment. We are taking this extremely seriously. If those involved are identified, they will be banned from the SCG and all Venues NSW properties under our Act.”ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said the governing body would provide “full support” to investigations into the matter.”There is no place for discrimination in our sport and we are incredibly disappointed that a small minority of fans may think that this abhorrent behaviour is acceptable… We welcome the action taken by ground authorities and Cricket Australia today.”We will provide CA and the relevant authorities with our full support in any ensuing investigation as we will not tolerate any racism in our sport.”Incidents such as these are classified as “inappropriate conduct” in the ICC’s anti-discrimination policy. This policy is in effect at all ICC tournaments and tournaments – both international and domestic – conducted by member countries. Under the policy, CA will need to investigate and file a report with the ICC within two weeks from the end of the match.

Several accounts suggest that the decision to revoke the players’ NOCs came from prime minister Imran Khan

Umar Farooq31-Oct-2019The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has protested the PCB’s decision to not allow Pakistani players to participate in the T10 League. Several accounts suggest that, according to the PCB at least, the decision to revoke the NOCs came from the board patron, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan.The PCB originally allowed players to be drafted in the league but unexpectedly revoked the permission last week. In a statement, the PCB said that the decision had been taken “to manage the players’ workload, continued work on their fitness levels [and] to ensure primacy and participation of its players in its premier Quaid-e-Azam Trophy”. The decision is a significant blow to this season of the T10 tournament, scheduled to begin on November 15, which was set to feature 16 top Pakistan players.ECB vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni sent a letter last week to PCB chairman Ehsan Mani to say that the decision would directly hurt the UAE government’s stakes in the tournament, and urged the Pakistani board to change its mind. Mani is believed to have told the ECB vice-chairman on the phone about the prime minister’s role in the decision. He also advised the ECB to engage directly with Khan through a senior UAE minister to find a resolution. The ECB is thought to be weighing its options, including raising the issue of government interference in the PCB’s affairs with the ICC.”We are extremely concerned by this late decision and are surprised to see that the decision has been taken without engaging any of the Abu Dhabi T10 league or Emirates Cricket Board members,” Zarooni’s letter to Mani read, a copy of which ESPNcricinfo has seen. “Particularly considering that the PCB decision came after PCB has issued NOC to all the players who participated in the player draft on 16th October and various teams selected 16 Pakistani players, including Team Abu Dhabi which is owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi.”As you must be aware, the three government entities (Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Abu Dhabi Cricket and Abu Dhabi Tourism) have officially supported and heavily invested in the Abu Dhabi T10 League to make it their home event,” the letter said. “ECB is also looking to promote cricket in the country through this event and also utilising the opportunity to provide young emirates cricket players to improve their skills.”Since this is our domestic property, ECB and UAE government have stakes in this league and the stopping of Pakistani players in the UAE governing / ECB backed league will cause serious damage to the property, sending a very negative message to the world about our cordial relationship. Emirates Cricket Board has always supported PCB and provided its ground and facilities to stage international matches and its domestic league, Pakistan Super League. In fact, the UAE as a destination has played a huge part in the success of the PSL.”Qalandars, one of three new teams in the league, has been hit hardest by the decision. The majority of the Qalandars squad is Pakistani – including Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf and Imran Nazir – while other players who could be affected include Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan, Shoaib Malik and Sohail Tanvir. Afridi and Nazir, however, will not be affected by the revoking of NOCs, given they have retired from Pakistan cricket.The PCB and T10 league have had a troubled history since the latter came into being two years ago. Last season, the PCB had held back the players’ NOCs till the last minute after Mani had raised concerns over the league’s ownership patterns and sponsorship. The controversy started after the league’s president, Salman Iqbal – also a major investor in the tournament – stepped down citing a lack of “transparency” and “proper systems and monitoring”. He had also warned Pakistani players against taking part in the league.

England’s win over India will mean nothing if they don’t beat an out-of-sorts Sri Lanka, says former spin bowler

Melinda Farrell25-Sep-2018Graeme Swann has called on Moeen Ali to cast aside any self-doubt and take charge of England’s campaign against an “out-of-sorts” Sri Lanka next month.While Moeen has been a consistent presence in England’s ODI side this year, he was dropped from the Test side during the New Zealand tour in March but returned for the fourth Test against India in Southampton, where he produced a Player-of-the-Match performance with both bat and ball.Swann questioned the mindset of both Moeen and Adil Rashid, the players whom he believes will be the key if England are to succeed in Sri Lanka.”I think it is a big series because after being 4-1 [in the Test series against India] I think it’s very easy to rest on your laurels,” said Swann. “That will mean nothing if they don’t go well against – let’s face it – a massively out-of-sorts Sri Lanka team.”They’ve had a stinker of a time at the Asia Cup and this is a very good time to play them. I don’t think we’ve got the resources to go out there and really challenge them if we don’t believe we have, because I don’t believe the spinners are in the right mindset.”Moeen was brought back into the England Test side ostensibly as the second spinner to Rashid and, in the second innings at the Ageas Bowl, was promoted up the batting order to No.3 ahead of Joe Root. He has expressed a wish to continue batting higher up the order and playing the supporting spinner’s role but Swann is not convinced Moeen is best suited to either role.”Mo is still in that [mindset of] ‘I’m No.2 spinner I want to bat No.3’. That is not the way to go. If Mo turns up at the airport and says, ‘I’m going to go to Sri Lanka and be Man of the Series, I’m going to take loads of wickets and I’ll bat No.6 where the team needs me, not at No.3 where I’m not suited’ then I think England will win. But I think it’s all about getting the best out of the spin bowlers who, let’s face it, when you go to the subcontinent are the major players.”Yes, the Test series is a different form and it’s in a different country but it seems with Mo that he’s so fragile that he needs confidence-boosting all the time. And I implore him to just come on, grab it with both hands. You’re a really, really good bowler and stop worrying about being known as the No.2 spinner. It doesn’t make any difference, the ball doesn’t change shape because you’re the No.1 or 2 spinner, the pitch doesn’t change length, the same batsmen are batting. Nonsense.”Swann was speaking at the launch of the Cricket World Cup Participation Plan, in which ECB and ICC hope to use the tournament to inspire 1 million children to play the game, and he feels that, whatever the results may be in Sri Lanka, England are right on track in their preparations seven months out from a home World Cup.”I think from a one-day point of view, with the World Cup coming here next year, we couldn’t be in a better place at the minute because the one-day series against India proved to us that we could beat India in England and come back from a pretty slow start to the series as well”, said Swann. “And Eoin Morgan is undoubtedly the best man for the job as skipper.”He has that team really believing they can do anything from any situation and England are favourites.”

Glamorgan have signed South African international batsman David Miller as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2017Glamorgan have signed South African international batsman David Miller as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast campaign.Miller arrives on Saturday and will be available for six T20 Blast matches, starting with Essex Eagles on July 23, with his last match set to be against Surrey only 12 days later in a packed schedule.Miller is available because he has not being included in the South Africa A 50-over squad that will compete in a triangular series against India A and Afghanistan A which starts on July 26. It is expected he will be part of the four-day squad that play India A in two four-day matches, starting on August 12.He has played 52 T20 internationals and 99 one-day Internationals for South Africa with previous experience in the NatWest T20 Blast for both Durham Jets and Yorkshire Vikings in previous campaigns. The white-ball specialist has enjoyed successful spells for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League and in the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab.He adds to a strong South African contingent in Glamorgan’s middle order which also include Kolpak-registered Colin Ingram and overseas player Jacques Rudolph.Miller’s last outing in Cardiff was at the end of June for South Africa in the third NatWest International T20 when England were victorious.”We are delighted to sign David Miller for a six-game stint,” said Hugh Morris, Glamorgan’s chief executive and director of cricket. “David is a fine batsman, with a wealth of experience in T20 cricket. He is a match-winner and a finisher, proven to be one of the most destructive batsmen in the game at both domestic and international level.”Hopefully his signing will add depth to our batting and boost our prospects of replicating last season’s form when we secured a home quarter-final in the knockout stages.After four matches Glamorgan currently sit in a qualifying position from the South Group having won two games against this weekend’s opponents in Cardiff: Sussex Sharks and Essex Eagles.

There was time for Tony Palladino to pass another noteable milestone and Michael Hogan to strike two quick blows for Glamorgan before rain cut short the second day

ECB Reporters Network25-Apr-2016
ScorecardTony Palladino collected his 10th Derbyshire five-for (file photo)•PA Photos

There was time for Tony Palladino to pass another noteable milestone and Michael Hogan to strike two quick blows for Glamorgan before rain cut short the second day of the game at Derby.Derbyshire seamer Palladino took his tenth five-wicket haul for the county and the 12th of his career before Timm van der Gugten and Andrew Salter revived Glamorgan by adding 63 in 15 overs. Hogan then removed Chesney Hughes and Hamish Rutherford but Ben Slater and Wayne Madsen prevented further setbacks until the rain arrived and wiped out the final session.Batting was more demanding than on day one and Glamorgan’s lower order crumbled in the face of some fine bowling by Palladino, who struck in consecutive overs.Luke Fletcher made the first breakthrough, defeating Craig Meschede’s drive without addition to the overnight score, before Palladino got one to lift sharply at Graham Wagg, who was well caught by Hughes at first slip. When Hogan’s attempt to clear the ropes ended in the hands of Rutherford back-peddling from mid-off, Glamorgan had lost three wickets in four overs for six runs but Derbyshire were frustrated by a tenth-wicket stand that secured a fourth batting point.The bitterly cold conditions made bowling difficult for legspinner Matt Critchley, who was twice dispatched for six by van der Gugten, the second landing on the roof of the pavilion. The Netherlands seamer also hit four fours before he edged Wes Durston low to slip.Derbyshire’s reply was briefly halted by a sharp shower but Slater and Hughes profited from some loose bowling until Hogan broke through from the Racecourse End.Hughes had his off stump knocked back as he aimed an expansive drive with little foot movement and Rutherford also contributed to his own downfall six overs later. The New Zealand international lifted a short ball from Hogan over the slips but only picked out Salter at third man, where he took a well-judged catch just inside the ropes.Madsen did well to survive his first ball, which reared unpleasantly, but Glamorgan could not maintain the pressure as the third-wicket pair added another 40 runs before the rain clouds rolled in.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth Investec Ashes Test at The Oval

The Preview by Alan Gardner20-Aug-2013

Match facts

August 21-25, The Oval
Start time 1100 (1000 GMT)Chris Tremlett has a “good chance” of coming back into the side for a first Test appearance since January 2012•Getty Images

Big Picture

Not since 1981 have England arrived at The Oval for the last Test of an Ashes summer with the series already won. The possibility that lies tantalisingly before them is even rarer. Never before have Australia been beaten 4-0 by England and only once have they lost by such a wide margin (the 5-1 home defeat in 1978-79, when Packer was a dirty word). After a demoralising six weeks, when Australia have regularly misplaced their key moments, they will have to find extra reserves if they not to be swept away by an English tide.Metaphor aside, Australia have again delved into their squad to supplement an ever-changing cast, with James Faulkner called on to make his Test debut. Only Mathew Wade of the original 16-man party has not been utilised and, with the additions of Ashton Agar and Steven Smith, Australia will have used 17 different players over the course of the series – not to mention a batting order that has changed with every Test. England, by contrast, have been their usual, methodical selves and only an injury to Tim Bresnan will force them to alter the team for the first time since Steven Finn was dropped for the second Test at Lord’s. It is not only the scorelines that have changed in Ashes cricket.It may not be the cauldron of expectation experienced in 2005 and 2009, then, but The Oval has a recent record of producing memorable finales. Despite England’s supremacy, this series has at times brought to mind the joke from about a conversation between two elderly women at a resort in the Catskill mountains: “One of them says, ‘Boy, the food in this place is terrible.’ The other one says, ‘Yeah, I know, and such small portions.'” There has been a shortfall in quality on both sides – only Ian Bell, Graeme Swann and Ryan Harris can claim to have had outstanding series – but the Investec Ashes continues to serve up irresistible moments.

Form guide

England: WDWWW
Australia: LDLLL

Players to watch

Jonny Bairstow has been attempting to nail down a spot in England’s Test side for over a year now but, despite frequent encouraging episodes, the hammer keeps descending at a crooked angle. His 67 at Lord’s was crucial in helping to right England’s first innings and 203 runs at 29.00 in the series puts him above both Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott but doubts about his technique and temperament persist. England have not had a century from their No. 6 batsman since Eoin Morgan in 2010 but it feels like Bairstow needs a three-figure score to be sure of his place this winter.When you have backers like Shane Warne in your corner, big things are expected and James Faulkner has provided plenty of evidence of his talent since his debut for Tasmania as an 18-year-old. Now 23, Faulkner averages 30.31 with the bat and 22.87 with the ball in first-class cricket and his feisty, competitive spirit has been to the fore in a handful of limited-overs appearances for his country. That aside, Australia may hope the fact Faulkner hails from Launceston, hometown of Ricky Ponting, is enough to make England edgy.

Team news

Alastair Cook said that Chris Tremlett has a “good chance” of coming back into the side for a first Test appearance since January 2012. Bresnan’s back injury means a space has opened up in the attack and Tremlett will be up against Chris Woakes – more of a like-for-like replacement for the all-round talents of Bresnan – and Finn. Giving Simon Kerrigan a debut alongside Graeme Swann remains an outside possibility, though England have not played two spinners at home since Cardiff 2009.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Joe Root, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett 11 James AndersonAustralia have announced their XI in advance, with Faulkner set to make his debut and Mitchell Starc returning. Usman Khawaja and Jackson Bird drop out and, with allrounder Faulkner coming in at No. 7, Australia will rejig their batting order again. After two innings at No. 6 (and one at No. 4), Shane Watson moves back up the order to first drop, a position that has caused Australia a deal of grief in recent times, while Brad Haddin is now in the top six, above a lengthy, if doughty, tail.Australia 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

The Oval has been on the slow side and more liable to turn in recent years but, although the pitch for the fifth Test is dry, there is an expectation that it will be quicker and bouncier than usual. The weather is forecast to be warm, although there is the possibility of showers interrupting a couple of day’s play.

Stats and trivia

• England have only lost six times to Australia at The Oval, against 16 wins, making it their most successful home ground.
• The last time Australia went two consecutive series without winning a Test was in 1986.
• After 98 and 96 Test matches respectively, the batting records of Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook are separated by 33 runs and 0.21 in average. Pietersen is marginally ahead of his captain but Cook has two more centuries (25 to 23).
• James Faulkner will become the 435th player to represent Australia in Tests.

Quotes

“I think it would be very special to win the Ashes 4-0. That is what our motivation is as a side and we are hopefully going to pick the right side – the side that we think can win this Test match.”
“He is an extra option to help us take 20 wickets but it is the overall package that James Faulkner brings. His toughness and performances of late in whatever format and the fact that he is not just a bowler. He can make some very handy runs for us.”

A round-up of the 5th, 9th and 13th place play-off matches that took place in the Under-19 World Cup on August 21

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2012England‘s bowlers led by Reece Topley, restricted Bangladesh to 217 for 7, before their batsmen overcame a middle-order stutter to complete a four-wicket win in the 5th place play-off semi-final at Townsville.Bangladesh’s batting effort was anchored by opener Litton Das, who made a century. Das and captain Anamul Haque (56) put on 113 for the second wicket and at 122 for 1, Bangladesh looked set for a big score. However Topley ran through the middle order as Bangladesh lost five wickets for 25 runs and slumped from 187 for 2 to 212 for 7. England’s chase followed a similar pattern to the Bangladesh innings: at 90 for 1, with Sam Wood (46) and Ben Foakes (47) looking set at the crease, they looked to have the chase well under control. However a quick flurry of wickets meant 90 for 1 soon became 158 for 6 and England’s chase looked in trouble. However, Adam Ball and Aneesh Kapil stayed steady and their unbroken 60-run stand for the seventh wicket carried England home with 10 balls remaining.Pradeep Airee narrowly missed out on becoming Nepal‘s first centurion of the tournament, but he did enough to set up victory over Namibia in their 13th place play-off semi-final at the Peter Burge Oval in Brisbane. Airee finished unbeaten on 98 from 76 deliveries as Nepal put together a total of 219 for 7 having chosen to bat, and the chase did not begin well for Namibia.They were 22 for 2 in the ninth over and although half-centuries to the captain Stephan Baard (56) and Zhivago Groenewald (54) helped steady the ship, once they departed it was all but over for Namibia. Bhuvan Karki, the Nepal left-arm spinner, picked up 5 for 21, the equal second-best figures of the tournament, and Namibia were dismissed for 180, handing Nepal a 39-run victory.It was a proud day for Papua New Guinea at the WEP Harris Oval in Brisbane, where they closed out a 12-run victory over Zimbabwe in the other 13th place play-off semi-final. It was their first win of the tournament and was a major turnaround after Zimbabwe beat them by 104 runs ten days ago. The win was set up by half-centuries to Charles Amini (63) and Lega Siaka (50), as PNG were dismissed for 235 from the last ball of their 50th over.The Zimbabwean chased appeared to be well and truly on track as Kieran Geyle (42) and the captain Luke Masasire (68) put on a 108-run opening stand, but then things began to crumble for Zimbabwe. Kabua Vagi Morea collected three wickets in quick succession and Zimbabwe’s middle order struggled. Still, they remained favourites with 37 needed from six overs with four wickets in hand, but a pair of run-outs and another wicket hurt them, and the tenth wicket fell from the first ball of the 50th over, with 13 runs still required for victory.Javed Ahmadi recorded the highest individual score of this edition of the World Cup, with his 134 helping Afghanistan to a massive win over Scotland in the 9th place play-off semi-final at Allan Border Field. The captain Ahmadi smashed 17 fours and four sixes in his 111-knock before he was dismissed in the 38th over. Some power hitting by Najibullah Zadran (83 off 51) and Afsar Khan took the score to 336, the second-highest total so far. The total was well out of reach for Scotland, who managed only 210, to lose by 126 runs. Only two batsmen passed 30, with the highest score being Mathew Cross’ 37.

The company behind Hot Spot, BBG Sports, have said the application of Vaseline to the edge of a bat has no discernible effect on the technology

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2011The company behind Hot Spot, BBG Sports, has said the application of Vaseline to the edge of a bat has no discernible effect on the technology. A batsman would have to apply a whole centimetre of Vaseline to the edge of a bat for it to have any effect, the company told ESPNcricinfo.A controversy over the system erupted when Michael Vaughan, the former England captain and now commentator, sent out a tweet that suggested India batsman VVS Laxman may have applied Vaseline to the edge of his bat, which helped him escape a caught-behind appeal on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test. England were convinced Laxman had nicked a James Anderson delivery, and though Snicko showed there was a noise as ball passed bat, Hot Spot did not show any deflection. Stuart Broad admitted to checking Laxman’s bat and said he found nothing. Broad also said the England players were not convinced Hot Spot picked up faint edgesBBG Sports decided to undertake tests to see whether the cameras used for Hot Spot could be tricked by the use of artificial substances on the edge of the bat. They have now released a statement saying: “We have done testing over the past two days in our office and can conclude that putting Vaseline on the side of a cricket bat has no discernible effect on our Hot Spot system. Maybe if you were able to apply 10 millimetres [one centimetre] of Vaseline on the side of the bat it would make a difference but we believe that this would be near impossible to achieve.”Warren Brennan, the owner of Hot Spot, had previously said the device’s accuracy was around 90-95% and could be impacted by factors like bright sunshine and the speed of the bat in the shot. He had also suggested at the time that there was a chance a substance like Vaseline could restrict the friction of the ball hitting the bat and therefore reduce the effectiveness of Hot Spot, but after conducting tests BBG have found that it would take too much Vaseline to have that effect.The company will also conduct tests to see if stickers on the edge of a bat can possibly dull the heat created by a nick and thereby reduce its presence on the Hot Spot cameras. The technology providers however said their observations during the Trent Bridge Test were that Hot Spot did register contact with the bats that had stickers on them.Hot Spot has been made a mandatory piece of technology for the DRS system following the ICC’s meetings in Hong Kong last month, where it was also decided to make Hawk-Eye optional. The infra-red cameras have been especially effective at deciding bat-pad catches and whether a batsman has been hit pad first in an lbw appeal, although in the England-India series the DRS is not being used for any leg-before decisions.There have been a number of occasions when Hot Spot has proved inconclusive in caught-behind decisions. During the last Ashes, Kevin Pietersen survived in Melbourne, which incensed Ricky Ponting, while in Sydney Ian Bell survived an appeal which Snicko – which isn’t used with the DRS – later suggested was out.

ECB chairman Giles Clarke has said an ICC World XI will tour Pakistan “in due course” since it is still not possible for national teams to visit the country

Cricinfo staff17-Aug-2010ECB chairman Giles Clarke has called for Pakistan’s return as a host of international matches and said an ICC World XI would tour the country “in due course” since it is still not possible for national teams to visit. Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since the March 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team.”World cricket must keep giving Pakistan cricket the chance to fund itself and move forward, to do something for the spectator in Pakistan,” Clarke wrote in the September issue of magazine. The security challenges are enormous but we cannot allow the terrorists to win. They must lose by an innings – repeatedly.”So world cricket must go back and play in Pakistan. I do not think it will be possible for individual national teams to tour yet. But with determination and courage an ICC World XI in due course will go and play against Pakistan in her great cities and there will be a marvellous atmosphere.”He said the cricketing world could not afford to forsake a country with such fervent fans and a strong history in the game. “Cricket cannot abandon a nation with such a magnificent history in the game, such wonderful players and such enthusiastic and knowledgeable supporters. It will be an historic moment when international cricket resumes in Pakistan and the first ICC team walks out.”Clarke, who is also chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Team, revealed that the inability to host international cricket has resulted in the PCB’s income falling from £27 million to £10 million, “a brutal impact that few enterprises could survive; terrorism does not care about its human consequences” he said.The ECB plans to host more neutral matches featuring Pakistan to help the PCB with its finances. “The ECB intends to assist in staging more Pakistan games here [England] in 2011 and 2012,” Clarke said. “The atmosphere, the passionate support and, of course, the tremendous cricket played by the Pakistan team made it a compelling experience. The PCB’s economic needs make it imperative.”Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman welcomed the announcement and expressed his gratitude for Clarke’s efforts. “It is indeed heartening to note that the cricket fraternity is working on revival of cricket in Pakistan. I am very grateful to Mr. Giles Clarke who is a dear friend of Pakistan, for pursuing our case and working tirelessly in bringing international cricket back to Pakistan,” he said.Ijaz Butt’s views were echoed by Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who said it would be a major boost for followers of cricket in his country. “It would be wonderful to have any kind of international cricket going on in Pakistan and if all the players can come and do this favour for Pakistan cricket it would be wonderful.”People of Pakistan are cricket lovers and they are their heroes not only from Pakistan but from around the world and they love watching them. hey are great admirers of people playing around th world so if that happens it would be great for Pakistan cricket,” he said.England captain Andrew Strauss said the initiative would benefit Pakistan’s young players who would needed exposure at the highest level. “The key for them is to get as much cricket as possible. They’ve been starved over the last couple of years. For some of their younger players, the more experience they get the better they’ll be. The international cricketing community has to help out teams like Pakistan who have difficulties at home,” he said.Strauss was open to the possibility of touring Pakistan with the World XI side, provided it were declared safe. England’s 2008 tour of India was jeopardised by the Mumbai terrorist attacks, forcing the squad to head back home midway through the ODI series. Strauss was part of the Test side that returned to India to play a rescheduled series. “In the wake of Mumbai bombings, I’ve always felt it was wrong not to go somewhere if security people said it was safe. They make that judgment with as much information as they can. If they said it was safe to go I’d certainly consider it.”Strauss said that while the cricketing world had a responsibility towards Pakistan due to their situation, it should not extend to the field of play. “With the natural disasters there, some of the difficulties they’ve had in terms of terrorism over the last couple of years it’s very difficult for their players to keep their minds on the job and play at their best. We can have sympathy for them in that sense, but it doesn’t come into it on the pitch. It’s like getting into a boxing ring: you can’t have sympathy for the guy you’re competing against,” he said.

Van der Dussen scored his seventh T20I fifty to flatten Pakistan

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2024Reeza Hendricks scored his first T20I century, in his tenth year of being an international cricketer, as South Africa won their first bilateral T20I series win since August 2022. They registered the third-highest successful chase at SuperSport Park to break a T20I trophy drought that has extended for eight series, since they beat Ireland more than two years ago. It is also Rob Walter’s first T20I series win since taking over the white-ball coaching job in March 2023.After being asked to field first, South Africa conceded the fifth-highest first-innings total at SuperSport Park and chased it down with three balls to spare. Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen, batting at No.4, shared a third-wicket partnership of 157 off 83 balls to form the spine of the chase. Van der Dussen scored his seventh T20I fifty and hit the winning runs with stand-in captain Heinrich Klaasen at the other end.Pakistan were guilty of an over-reliance on the slower ball, which they sent down liberally, but that may not be where they lost the game. Although they crossed 200, they could have had many more. They were 103 for 1 after 11 overs and 136 for 4 after 16.In that five-over period, South Africa took 3 for 33, thanks to debutant Dayyaan Galiem and left-arm spinner George Linde. Despite those strikes, Pakistan’s innings was built on two big partnerships: Babar Azam and Saim Ayub put on 87 off 45 balls for the second wicket before Ayub and Irfan Khan posted 73 of 32 balls for the fifth wicket to propel their score over 200.It was not enough thanks to Hendricks and van der Dussen, two older hands, who took South Africa home.Dayyaan’s dream (and nightmare) debut Galiem was planning to be at this match, but not playing in it. He had hospitality suite tickets and was due to be sitting with his domestic team-mates enjoying the start of the December holidays with some drinks but on his way home from the gym this week, he got a call he never expected. Anrich Nortje had broken his left big toe and Galiem was called up to the national squad. He was given a debut on his home ground and then handed the new ball.His first over cost just three runs. Exactly why he didn’t bowl another in the powerplay is for Klaasen to answer but in that period he dropped Ayub on 3, which proved costly. He was brought back on in the seventh over, and erred once in length with a short, wide ball but taken off again. In his third spell, Galiem got his first international wicket when Usman Khan top-edged him to Kwena Maphaka at deep third but his moment came in his final over. It was only the second he bowled in succession and Tayyab Tahir popped a leading edge back up to him and Galiem took a sharp catch. It would not have made up for his earlier miss but it gave him good figures of 2 for 21 in four overs, with 12 dot balls, in his first international outing. But that wasn’t the end of Galiem. He was at long-on when Ayub hit Donovan Ferreira just about straight to him. Galiem got himself into an awkward position and the ball burst out of his hands.Sensational Saim but he would have wanted two more Pakistan separated RizBar as they continue to experiment with their opening combination and Ayub has made the case to continue in the role. He scored three runs off the first eight balls he faced before swatting a Ferreira delivery to debutant Galiem at point, who could not hold on to the chance. The next ball Ayub faced, he muscled over deep midwicket for six at the start of a spectacular takedown of Maphaka. The next two balls brought back-to-back boundaries before three dot balls ended the most expensive over of the Powerplay. The slog sweep proved a favourite shot of Ayub’s as he perfectly complemented Babar.Ayub’s career-best, and also his first half-century in the format came off 33 balls in the 11th over, so he had the time and opportunity to double up. After Babar was dismissed, Ayub brought out more classical strokes like the square drive. He continued to take on Maphaka, and hit him for three sixes in his final over to stand on the edge of 90, with three overs left. In a cruel twist, Ayub only faced six balls in the last three overs, and none in the last over, and was left unbeaten on 98.Jahandad’s double strikeBrought into the side in place of wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem, Jahandad Khan almost immediately showed what he can do. His second delivery moved away from the left-handed Ryan Rickelton, who could not help but play at it with minimal foot movement and edged to Rizwan to end the opening partnership on 6. In his next over, Jahandad played with his lengths and speeds, delivered a slower ball and then and ended with a short ball which Matthew Breetzke attempted to pull but could only sky to mid-on. Shaheen Shah Afridi took a simple catch to leave South Africa 28 for 2 after four overs. A hundred for Hendricks A day after being dropped from the ODI side to play Pakistan next week and with questions swirling over his continued presence in national squads, Hendricks silenced his critics by showing he still has what it takes at this level. He operated at a run-a-ball off the first 14 balls he faced and then tucked into a short Haris Rauf delivery to top-edge him over fine leg for six before putting a slower ball into the stands over deep square for six more. A third six saw South Africa finish the powerplay on 52 for 2, seven runs ahead and a wicket more than Pakistan’s 45 for 1 at the same stage.He went on to smash two more sixes, including one off Abbas Afridi which brought up his fifty off 29 deliveries, by the halfway stage. South Africa were 94 for 2; at the same stage Pakistan were 90 for 1. Hendricks dealt in boundaries and leapt into the nineties with three more sixes and two fours before bringing up triple figures when he hit Rauf over midwicket. His hundred came off 54 balls, and he finished with 117 off 63 balls, including seven fours and 10 sixes and left South African on the brink of victory. When Hendricks was dismissed, they needed 21 runs off 14 balls, and got there off 11.