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Saleem Malik, the former Pakistan captain, met with PCB chairman Najam Sethi to request the board to review his life ban

Umar Farooq30-Apr-2014

Saleem Malik, the former Pakistan captain, met with PCB chairman Najam Sethi to request the board to review his life ban. Malik was given a life ban in 2000 by the PCB following an independent inquiry into the match-fixing scandal.”The PCB chairman met with Malik to hear his plea and will further review his case,” a board spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “He approached us and offered his service for cricket and requested the chairman to reconsider his ban as he claimed that a court had lifted his life ban.”In 2000, Malik became the first player to be banned from all forms in cricket after Justice Qayyum’s report found him guilty. Malik’s appeal against the ban in 2001 was rejected by the Lahore High Court, but seven years later another court lifted the ban.At the time, Malik expressed his interest in coaching and also claimed that the PCB had offered him the role of the head coach of the National Cricket Academy. The news of his apparent appointment drew the attention of the ICC, which sought an explanation from the Pakistan board. However, the PCB denied the offer.Malik then applied for the post of the national side’s batting coach in October 2012 but was not considered.Malik last played international cricket in June 1999. He played 103 Tests, captaining in 12 Tests in 1994-95, winning seven. He is also one of four Pakistan players to have played more than a hundred Tests, and also featured in 283 ODIs.

New Zealander Hamish Marshall held up Hampshire’s victory bid on day three at Bristol by spearheading a battling Gloucestershire recovery. His unbeaten 84 kept his side alive

Press Association16-Apr-2014
ScorecardHamish Marshall kept Gloucestershire alive•PA PhotosNew Zealander Hamish Marshall held up Hampshire’s victory bid on day three at Bristol by spearheading a battling Gloucestershire recovery.Marshall ended the day unbeaten on 84 as Gloucestershire recovered from 183 for 7 to reach 308 for 9 in their second innings, with Marshall and seamer David Payne forging a record ninth wicket partnership for the county against Hampshire of 92 at almost five runs an over.Payne, who hit two fours and a six off successive deliveries during one Michael Carberry over, was dismissed for 44 in the last over of the day as Gloucestershire closed with a 190-run lead.Alex Gidman’s 72 allowed Gloucestershire to stage an initial comeback from 48 for 3, yet they continued losing wickets at regular intervals before Marshall and Payne breathed life into a game that appeared lost.Hampshire added just five runs to their overnight score, with wicketkeeper Adam Wheater the last man out for 82 as Matt Taylor returned career-best figures of 5 for 75, yet a first innings total of 422 meant Gloucestershire needed a solid start as they set about erasing a 118-run first innings deficit.But James Tomlinson kept Hampshire on top, removing openers Michael Klinger and Chris Dent to leave Gloucestershire reeling on 6 for 2, before first innings centurion Will Tavare went for 18, trapped lbw by Matt Coles.Gidman and Marshall repaired some of the damage as Gloucestershire moved to 79 for 3 by lunch, before a 76-run fourth wicket partnership was broken by Sean Irvine, who had Gidman caught behind, ending an innings that included 11 boundaries.Ervine then struck again, bowling Gidman’s younger brother Will, and not even the loss of Wheater with a hand injury for the evening session – Will Smith deputised behind the stumps – could disrupt Hampshire’s flow until Marshall and Payne took charge. Six Hampshire bowlers shared the nine wickets to fall, with Ervine, Tomlinson and Coles taking two each.

Sri Lanka head coach Graham Ford has said the upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE will be a tough challenge for his team

Sa'adi Thawfeeq01-Dec-2013

Sri Lanka head coach Graham Ford has said the upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE will be a tough challenge for his team. Ford added that Pakistan have been on the move of late despite the fact that their home venue is the UAE whereas Sri Lanka have been relatively dormant recently.”The advantage Pakistan’s got is that they have played a lot of international cricket in the last six-eight months whereas unfortunately we haven’t played nearly as much because of weather and various other things,” Ford said. “We’ve done as much as we can to make sure we are sharp and ready but nothing’s quite the same as being match-tight and match-sharp. They have got an advantage from that point of view and they have got some fantastically talented cricketers.”In the past eight months, Pakistan have played four Tests, 23 ODIs and eight T20s compared to Sri Lanka who have played no Tests, 17 ODIs and five T20s. The first Test against Pakistan, which starts on December 31 in Dubai, will be Sri Lanka’s first in nearly ten months and Ford said the players were keenly looking forward to the tour.”They have been out of cricket for a while and their energy and their effort in the training sessions has been exceptional. It is a great group to work with and motivation is never really anything of a problem,” Ford said. “I am not sure whether people realize just how proud these guys are to represent their country and they have often shown their characters when the chips are down. The time out of real top-class international cricket and tours being cancelled has made them hungry.”On their last tour to the UAE in 2011, Sri Lanka lost the three-Test series 1-0, the five-match ODI series 4-1 and also went down in the only T20. This time around they will again be involved in three Tests in addition to five ODIs and two T20s. The team is scheduled to leave for the UAE on December 6.”When Sri Lanka went their last it didn’t go all too well,” Ford said. “Hopefully we can show that we have made some progress. They are a very tough team to beat in the UAE and they are playing good cricket no matter where they play. They have done well against South Africa just recently. It really will be a tough challenge for us.”Some of the players have been talking about some of the things they need to expect are going to happen there. Everybody is that much wiser on the conditions and what to expect.”We had the advantage of a pretty good home series against Pakistan and we know quite a bit about their team and some of our boys have performed well against them so psychologically that’s also a boost for us. But at the end of the day it’s about getting down there and playing really well session for session.”Ever since Pakistan made the UAE their home base in 2010 they have not lost a single Test series there but Ford felt they were not invincible. “They cleaned up England 3-0 and from a psychological point of view they are aware that’s their fortress, that’s where they play well. But for us it’s an exciting challenge. That’s the way to make history, that’s the way the boys can make heroes of themselves. It’s tough but it’s not something that’s impossible.”One of the key points for Sri Lanka if they are to emerge victorious against Pakistan is how well their batsmen tackle the world-class spin of Saeed Ajmal. Ajmal was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in the 2011 series against Sri Lanka in the UAE with 18 Test wickets and 11 ODI wickets.”I’ve been involved only in one series with him and we played him quite well in that,” Ford said. “Certainly one or two of our players play him pretty well. Most batsmen in the world do have problems with him. It’s not like you are going to dominate him or he is an easy option. He is a factor in any series that he plays but we did cope with him last time around.”Obviously more players are comfortable than others against him. He is more successful in the UAE and the challenge is there. Any bowler that turns the ball in both directions and is difficult to read is a very effective man to have in your side. Added to the fact that he’s got the disguise and the ability to turn the ball both ways (is that) he’s got fantastic control. Those ingredients make him a tough bowler. Pakistan will be looking to him as a match-winner and we’ll be looking to try and neutralize him as possible.”Apart from Ajmal, Pakistan have got a few newcomers such as the seven-foot tall left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, whom most of the Sri Lanka batsmen have not faced.”We got video footage and the analyst prepares information for all the players and they’ll get their copy of the footage of players in the next day or two to study them,” Ford said. “There’s always a sharing of information. News gets around and some of these guys will have played against some of these chaps and seen them. You get some info about them from one or two people who played against them and get some sort of an idea of what type of cricketers they are.”Fortunately these days there is so much TV coverage that players can’t hide away. You are going to find out a lot about them. It’s one thing knowing about them and it’s another thing going out and playing against them.”Ford said Sri Lanka will miss Mahela Jayawardene’s experience during the limited-overs leg of the tour. The former captain has opted out for personal reasons. “You can’t say enough about Mahela’s contribution,” Ford said. “He is such an important person in the group. He is brilliant as a player, he sets the tone and he is a great example for the youngsters. His knowledge of the game is just unbelievable. I’ve learnt a huge amount from him.”Not having him around is a bit of a challenge but we’ve gone through periods without him before when he’s had injury problems and we managed pretty well. It’s something that the team is learning to adjust to and that’s something that they will have to in the future be able to do – go and play and win without him.”Ford dismissed the notion that Jayawardene’s absence would bring added pressure on the other two senior batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. “Those two guys have thrived on pressure throughout their careers. They are both strong mentally and pressure might even be a good thing for them. I don’t think that is something to be concerned about. They know their game so well.”

Preparing for his first first-class game since being dropped from the Test side, Virender Sehwag gave everyone an injury scare in Shimoga

Sidharth Monga in Shimoga01-Oct-2013

Preparing for his first first-class game since being dropped from the Test side, Virender Sehwag gave everyone an injury scare in Shimoga. After hitting everybody in the spinners’ nets around, Sehwag was hit by the first ball of pace he faced, a nippy delivery from Dhawal Kulkarni. Immediately the bat went out of the hand, off came the gloves, and on his knees Sehwag began to tend to his right index finger.To allay fears of a serious injury, Sehwag got up about an hour later and batted in the spinners nets again. Cheteshwar Pujara, the India A captain, said Sehwag had looked fine when he batted again, but he wasn’t sure if Sehwag would need a precautionary x-ray. While Pujara might not assure you of Sehwag’s availability as India A try to erase the 1-0 deficit in the three-unofficial-Test series, he gave enough hints that Sehwag might bat in the middle order. Asked specifically about opening options, Pujara pointed out they had Kerala’s VA Jagadeesh too.Similar uncertainty hung around the star attraction in the West Indies A side, Fidel Edwards, who has not played a first-class game in nearly a year. He has been drafted in after injury to Sheldon Cotterrell. His namesake and captain, Kirk Edwards, said “we have to wait and see” when asked if Fidel Edwards would play.Four-day pitches are not ideal for results, and A tours are usually seen as ones to get good long innings and spells under your belt. Leading 1-0 in the series, West Indies A can afford to think so more than India A can. “A huge part of A-team cricket is about developing players and stuff like that,” Kirk Edwards said, “but at the same time when you play a cricket game it is always good to win. So if you can do both at the same times, that’s brilliant.”Pujara and India A want to win. The return of Zaheer Khan, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir is going to hog the headlines, but Pujara is hurting both from the loss in Mysore and his own twin failure. “I had a good series against South Africa but I was disappointed with how I got out in both the innings in the last game,” Pujara said. “I always like to score runs in each and every game I play. Now I am focusing on this series, and I want to perform in this game.”We don’t know how the pitch will behave, but going by how the practice strips behaved and a few overcast spells during the day, scoring the runs Pujara wants might not be the easiest. “It looks a good wicket, and whatever we saw in the practice pitches, there was a bit of help for the fast bowlers,” Pujara said.Squads
India A: Cheteshwar Pujara (capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sheldon Jackson, Abhishek Nayar, Paras Dogra, Uday Kaul (wk), Parveez Rasool, Bhargav Bhatt, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zaheer Khan, Ishwar Pandey, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Kaif, VA JagadeeshWest Indies A: Kirk Edwards (capt.), Kieran Powell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Ashley Nurse, Miguel Cummings, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Jahmer Hamilton, Delorn Johnson, Leon Johnson, Nikita Miller, Veerasammy Permaul, Chadwick Walton (wk), Fidel Edwards

The BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to review the daily affairs of the IPL

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Jul-2013

With no one currently heading the IPL, an influential section of the BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to look into and review the daily affairs of the league. After Rajiv Shukla resigned as chairman of the IPL, no replacement was appointed as the BCCI was busy sorting out the mess created by the alleged corruption scandals. The proposal is likely to come up for discussion at the BCCI working committee meeting to be held in Kolkata on Sunday.Although the IPL governing council, a BCCI sub-committee, still remains the body to look after the league, some board members feel there is room to accommodate a separate committee that could review the IPL. It is understood that Dalmiya has consulted Arun Jaitley, one of the the BCCI vice-presidents, on the matter and has got the nod. It is also learned that Dalmiya has spoken to a few former Indian cricketers, seeking their opinion about how best to run the IPL.Immediately after he took over as the interim BCCI president, Dalmiya had initiated “operation clean up” for the IPL, wherein he announced proposals to enforce a “stricter code of conduct” for players and match officials, as well as putting an end to the “sleaze” element in the form of entertainment and after-hours parties.Dalmiya took charge on June 2 after N Srinivasan “temporarily” stepped aside pending inquiry into allegations of corruption and spot-fixing during the sixth season of the IPL. Dalmiya recently attended the ICC annual conference as the Indian representative, even though Srinivasan participated in influential meetings such finance and commercial affairs via video conference.It is understood that Srinivasan will not attend Sunday’s meeting, which is also likely to discuss the tour itineraries for India’s tour of South Africa, and their scheduled visit to New Zealand early next year.It is also learned that the working committee will not discuss the findings of the two probe panels investigating the corruption scandals of IPL 2013. Ravi Sawani, the BCCI’s anti-corruption head, has not yet concluded his probe into the alleged spot-fixing by three Rajasthan Royals players. Although Sawani has finished speaking to Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, he has yet to meet Ajit Chandila, who is still in judicial custody.The inquiry commission appointed by the BCCI, made up of two retired judges, has not yet finished its work. The commission was appointed to investigate charges against Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, respectively part of Chennai Super Kings and Royals, who according to Mumbai and Delhi Police, had admitted to betting during IPL matches.

Brad Haddin may be comfortably the oldest wicketkeeper currently involved in Test cricket, but he believes his age and experience could be to his advantage on the upcoming Ashes tour

Brydon Coverdale14-May-2013

Brad Haddin may be comfortably the oldest wicketkeeper currently involved in Test cricket, but he believes his age and experience could be to his advantage on the upcoming Ashes tour. Recalled to the Test squad as vice-captain to Michael Clarke for the Ashes, Haddin is set to breathe new life into his international career at 35, an age when Australian gloveman have typically been winding down towards retirement: Ian Healy played his last Test at 35 and Adam Gilchrist and Rod Marsh both retired at 36.Of the wicketkeepers currently considered the incumbents in Test sides around the world, the only men aged over 30 are England’s Matt Prior and India’s MS Dhoni, who are both 31. Sri Lanka’s Prasanna Jayawardene, 33, played the Tests in Australia five months ago but was overlooked for their recent series against Bangladesh. But glovework doesn’t have to be a young man’s game: the most recent 40-year-old to play Test cricket was a wicketkeeper, England’s Alec Stewart.”The older you get, you understand more about your game,” Haddin told reporters at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane on Monday. “If you talk to guys like Rod Marsh, your technique and the rhythm of the keeper you are comes later in your career. I’m in as good a shape as anyone here. To me it’s all about challenging yourself to be better. The day I don’t want to challenge myself any more then I’ll walk away.”Haddin will be Australia’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the opening Ashes Test at Trent Bridge in July, ending for now the year-long hold that 25-year-old Matthew Wade has had on the position. But Wade will be part of the squad as the backup gloveman and Haddin said he did not expect his place to be a formality throughout the series if he was not performing.”No one’s guaranteed to be in every Test,” he said. “You’ve got to perform. This is the Australian cricket team. It’s not the under-15Bs down the road.”On Haddin’s side is his solid record against England. During the 2009 series in England he was one of Australia’s better performers and scored 278 runs at 46.33 including one century, and at home in 2010-11 he was third on Australia’s run tally behind Michael Hussey and Shane Watson, with 360 runs at 45.00. However, he has not played in a winning Ashes campaign, which is a record he is keen to rectify.”This is the most exciting thing for an Australian cricketer. There’s no better theatre or stage than an Ashes campaign,” he said. “You want to challenge yourself against the best. And if you are successful as a group in this, it is something you remember forever.”Haddin and the rest of the squad members who are not at the IPL have been training at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane before their departure for England, where the Champions Trophy campaign precedes the Ashes warm-up games. They have been working with Dukes balls and have also been using the ProBatter system, which attempts to simulate the experience of facing specific bowlers”I’ve had a pretty good hit on [ProBatter] in the last couple of weeks, it took a bit to get used to,” Haddin said. “It’s not as realistic as facing somebody, but it’s something a bit different and if it helps you a little bit, well it’s all worthwhile. It’s all about trying different things and challenging yourself to be a better cricketer, and if that works for some guys, well that’s great, if they want to spend more time in the nets to hone their skills, that’s well and good too. It’s just about having all these things available to challenge yourself to be better.”

تمكن فريق الكرة بالنادي الأهلي من الفوز على نظيره إنبي بثنائية نظيفة خلال المواجهة التي جمعت بينهما مساء اليوم الثلاثاء ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري.

وسجل الثنائي أحمد عبد القادر ومحمد شريف هدفا فوز الأهلي اليوم أمام إنبي خلال اللقاء الذي أقيم على أرضية استاد القاهرة.طالع التفاصيل

ويتصدر الأهلي جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري ولديه 56 نقطة، جمعها من الفوز في 17 مباراة والتعادل خلال 5 مواجهات دون تلقي أي هزائم.

وكان البنك الأهلي قد تمكن من الفوز بثنائية مقابل هدف على حساب أسوان خلال اللقاء الذي جمع بينهما اليوم. ترتيب هدافي الدوري المصري بعد مباراة الأهلي وإنبي

1- جوب مابولولو (الاتحاد السكندري): 14 هدفا.

2- أحمد الشيخ (غزل المحلة)، ومحمد حمدي (أسون): 10 أهداف.

3- أحمد سيد زيزو (الزمالك)، محمد شريف (الأهلي): 9 أهداف.

4- رفيق كابو (إنبي)، رزقي حمرون (فاركو)، كريم بامبو (البنك الأهلي)، سمير فكرى (الداخلية)، جون أوكولي (المقاولون العرب): 8 أهداف.

5- أحمد ياسر ريان (سيراميكا كليوباترا)، بينامين بواتينج (سموحة)، فخري لاكاي (بيراميدز)، رمضان صبحي (بيراميدز) حسام حسن (سموحة): 7 أهداف.

تقدم فريق ريال مدريد بهدف في مباراته الجارية حاليًا أمام فريق مانشستر سيتي، في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري الأبطال.

وتمكن فينيسيوس جونيور من تسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح ريال مدريد، في الدقيقة 36 من عمر الشوط الأول.

الهدف جاء بعد تمريرات متبادلة بين كامافينجا ومودريتش، قبل أن يمرر الفرنسي الكرة إلى فينيسيوس جونيور على حدود منطقة الجزاء، ويطلق صاروخية تهز شباك مواطنه إيدرسون. هدف فينيسيوس جونيور الرائع أمام مانشستر سيتي

Tim Southee, after claiming 4 for 51 on the third day in Colombo, attributed his success to the others in the New Zealand pace attack, and in particular Trent Boult

Andrew Fernando at the P Sara27-Nov-2012Unlike Sri Lanka’s attack, New Zealand’s has supported their spearhead effectively at the P Sara Oval. Their spearhead, Tim Southee, has claimed another heavy haul in Colombo, after his four wickets in the first innings in Galle, and he has attributed this to the others in the attack. Southee had removed Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara on the second evening, and he dismissed Angelo Mathews and Tharanga Paranavitana the next day, claiming figures of 4 for 51.Southee said left-arm seamer Trent Boult had been especially helpful to his success in Sri Lanka. The bowlers not only complement each other by testing batsmen against different angles of attack, but also specialise in swinging the ball in opposite directions. Southee largely takes the ball away from the right-hand batsmen, while Boult moves it in.”Trent Boult has got a massive role to play in the wickets I’ve taken,” Southee said. “He’s helping out by putting pressure at the other end and I am sure his turn to take wickets is just around the corner. It’s tough conditions at the moment, but I’m going through a period where it’s coming out nicely.”New Zealand were only able to remove three batsmen in almost 70 overs on the third day, and despite having worked their way to the start of Sri Lanka’s tail, they were unable to dismiss the hosts for less than the follow-on mark. Thilan Samaraweera and Suraj Randiv resisted with an unbeaten stand of 97 towards the end of the day, but Southee’s efforts leave his team still in the hunt for a win as, having lost six wickets, Sri Lanka still trail by 187 runs.Southee said wickets in the first hour of the fourth day would be crucial to New Zealand’s hopes of levelling the series, particularly as the pitch offers little for bowlers once the ball gets old. New Zealand will begin the day with a ball that is only 4.2 overs old.”Massive hour tomorrow morning, if we can pick up a couple of wickets and run through them then who knows,” Southee said. “It’s definitely a new-ball wicket, and if you can grab a couple with the new ball, then it makes it easier to make inroads into the batting line-up. It’s not as easy when the ball gets older, and that can affect the team.”Southee said New Zealand weren’t displeased with their day’s work, given the number of good batsmen in Sri Lanka’s ranks. “It’s a tough batting line-up and there are some world class players here who have scored a lot of runs. They keep coming one after another and it just shows their great batting depth is. It would have been nice to have a couple of more [wickets] today to really get into their tail. Hopefully in the second innings, the spinners come to play.”

Mahela Jayawardene said Sri Lanka will not adopt a defensive outlook in the remaining two games against Pakistan as they chase their first Test series win in nearly three years

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Colombo29-Jun-2012

With Sri Lanka 1-0 up in the three-match series against Pakistan going into the second Test, the captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team will not adopt a defensive outlook as they chase their first Test series win in nearly three years. Jayawardene said it is not his style to play for a draw and that it is important to maintain the momentum gained from a comprehensive 209-run win in Galle.”I don’t play cricket like that. I play to win, including charity matches,” Jayawardene said after a practice session at the Sinhalese Sports Club. “I try and influence that into my team as well. Playing safe is not going to win you matches or series. You have to be create that positive atmosphere from ball one. That’s how you develop the culture of winning.”Sri Lanka clicked in all departments in Galle, shutting out Pakistan from the opening session, and building themselves a position from which they had the option of enforcing the follow-on. They have the chance to close out the series at the SSC, where they have not lost a Test since 2004, against Australia. Since then, the hosts have won six games and drawn five.Going by the number of high scores at the ground in recent years, Jayawardene cautioned that the bowlers will have to be at their top to take 20 wickets. “Getting 20 wickets on this is hard work. It’s a great place for a batsman to develop his game, but not so much for the bowlers,” Jayawardene said. “We know Pakistan will come hard at us.”Though nobody in the squad is nursing an injury, Sri Lanka are in a quandary whether to retain their fastest bowler, Nuwan Pradeep, after the chairman of selectors Ashantha de Mel cast doubts on whether Pradeep was fit enough to last consecutive Tests. Either Dilhara Fernando or Thisara Perera will replace him, should Sri Lanka force a change.”It’s not a bad headache to have. We need to think if we need to bring in an experienced bowler (Fernando),” Jayawardene said. “Thisara comes into the fold as well.”Sometimes, the unknown quantity can surprise. A guy who hasn’t played much may come in not overwhelmed by the occasion and have a great game. Those are factors you have to weigh in when you make a decision on the line-up.”Persistent injuries, particularly to the fast bowlers, have prevented Sri Lanka from fielding a settled bowling attack. While the batting line-up has plenty of experience, Jayawardene said there was still work to be done with the bowling.”We are trying to develop a bowling attack that will hunt in a pack. We don’t yet have the experience of a Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] or a [Chaminda] Vaas,” he said. “We have Rangana Herath who has taken over the mantle after being Murali’s understudy. Unfortunately, [Chanaka] Welegedera is injured.”Jayawardene had said at the start of the series that Sri Lanka’s success would depend on how well his batsmen fared against Pakistan’s bowlers. He said he was pleased with the progress so far, especially after their defeats in the Tests and ODIs in their previous encounter, in the UAE last year.”I’ve seen it mentioned in a lot of places that it’s their bowling versus our batting. We’ve probably won that battle until now. If we put runs on the board we will put their batting under pressure. In the UAE our batting didn’t perform to expectations and that’s why we lost.”