Friday, June 22, 2012
Cowan overlooked for CA contract
Test opener Ed Cowan was a notable omission from Cricket Australia's (CA) 2012/13 list of contracted players.
Cowan could not find a place amongst the 17 chosen by CA, which is based on the form of players over the previous 12 months, despite being an incumbent Test opener.
The 30-year-old made his Test debut against India in Melbourne in the traditional Boxing Day fixture last year and went on to play all four matches in the series.
He also played the entire three-Test series away to West Indies earlier this year and from his seven appearances in the five-day arena he has posted three half-centuries at an average of 29.83.
Mitchell Johnson retained his contract, despite not playing at the Test level since Australia's tour to South Africa last November because of injury.
Other notable exclusions from the contracted 17 include Tasmanian captain George Bailey and his team-mate Jackson Bird, the Sheffield Shield player of the year. Queensland Australian representatives Peter Forrest and Clint McKay plus South Australia's Dan Christian also were overlooked.
Contracted players:
Michael Clarke, Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, Shane Watson, David Warner
The squad of contracted players has been reduced from 25 to 17. Players excluded have the opportunity to earn a contract during the season as they earn points for representing Australia.
To offset the reduced number of Cricket Australia contracts there will be an increase in the number of State contracts offered.
Under a new five-year memorandum of understanding reached with the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA), players with CA contracts earn a minimum retainer of $230,000.
The match fee for a Test appearance increases to $14,000. Those not in the Test XI earn a squad fee of $11,667.
Match fees have increased for all forms of the game with the one-day international fee rising to $5,600 and the T20 fee increasing to $4,200.
A significant feature of the new deal is the incentives in place for players.
Bonuses will be available for match and series wins, International Cricket Council (ICC) event wins and for finishing first and second in the ICC rankings.
The ACA will receive 26 per cent of net 2015 World Cup revenues to assist with a past player and game development legacy program.
Tags: sport, cricket, sydney-2000, tas, australia First posted June 22, 2012 14:53:49Final England-Windies ODI washed out
The third one-day international between England and West Indies at Headingley was abandoned on Friday without a ball being bowled due to rain.
England won the series 2-0 after victories by by 114 runs, under the Duckworth/Lewis method, at Southampton last weekend and Tuesday's eight-wicket success at The Oval.
England's Ian Bell was named man-of-the-series thanks to scores of 126 and 53 after his recall to the one-day side as an opener following the limited overs international retirement of Kevin Pietersen.
West Indies, which lost the preceding Test series 2-0, concludes its tour with a stand-alone Twenty20 international against England at Trent Bridge on Sunday.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, england, united-kingdom First posted June 22, 2012 23:04:05Warner, McKay lead Aussie rout
David Warner scored 74 and Clint McKay took four wickets, as Australia began its limited overs tour of the British Isles with a 102-run thrashing of Leicestershire in a rain-marred match.
Left-handed opener Warner faced just 78 balls with three sixes and five fours before retiring, as Australia made 8 for 241cin an innings reduced by rain to 41 overs at Leicestershire.
Several other batsmen got starts but the next best score was David Hussey's 37, with Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, the pick of an otherwise modest Leicestershire attack, taking 3 for 39 in nine overs.
Warner opened the batting with Matthew Wade (32) with the pair putting on 69.
He admits the partnership is a work in progress but it will bear fruit with more time at the crease.
"It just shows us what obviously the true conditions of England are," Warner said.
"We always think it is going to disrupt us in our game, but as professional athletes we just go out there and get done what we have to do."
Australia will look for more members of their top order to 'go on' when it faces Ireland in a full one-day international in Belfast on Saturday.
But the tourists had more than enough runs on the board against Leicestershire.
The Midlands county, set a revised target of 239 in 36 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method, collapsed to 136 all out inside 30 overs.
McKay took 4 for 31 in seven overs and all-rounder Shane Watson 2 for 14 in three overs.
Fast bowler James Pattinson chipped in with 2 for 27 in six overs, as Australia cruised to a crushing victory.
Warner says the inclement weather will hold Australia in good stead for later in the tour.
"Obviously me and Matt are very similar players," he said.
"We are both aggressive as a unit out there. We probably have to work on our ones (singles) a little bit more."
After the Ireland match, Australia plays county side Essex before facing England in a five-match one-day series starting at Lord's on June 29.
England is currently an unassailable 2-0 up against West Indies ahead of the third and final match of that one-day series in Leeds on Friday.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 22, 2012 07:23:41Flintoff lets fly at Atherton in foul-mouth rage
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has launched a foul-mouthed attack on Michael Atherton, his former Lancashire and England team-mate who now works as a cricket pundit.
Flintoff, speaking to the London Evening Standard at a Sky TV party earlier this week, criticised Atherton's work as a Sky commentator and cricket correspondent for The Times newspaper.
"He's a prick," said Flintoff of fellow former England captain Atherton.
"He's a f...ing prick. He sits there making judgments about players that are much better than he ever was, believe me, he's a prick."
Flintoff added: "How can he talk about a player like Alastair Cook who is 10 times the player he ever was? He has a much bigger average and will go on and on. Atherton averaged in the 30s for England and yet he thinks he can judge others."
Asked if he wanted his comments taken as 'off the record', Flintoff replied: "I don't care. Say what you like. There's no love lost there."
When opening batsman Cook was made England's one-day captain last year Atherton, himself a former opener, described the left-hander as a "plodder" with the bat and a "donkey" in the field.
Wednesday morning (AEST) saw Cook score his fifth century in 47 one-day internationals and third in six matches, after he had effected a dynamic run-out in the field, as England beat West Indies by eight wickets at The Oval to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in a three-match series
Atherton, who has modified his comments regarding Cook since his now infamous "plodder" and "donkey" remark, by contrast managed just two centuries in his 54 one-day internationals.
Cook, still only 27, also has a superior Test record with 19 hundreds in 80 matches at an average of nearly 49, compared to Atherton's 16 centuries in 115 Tests at nearly 38.
Atherton's relationship with Flintoff is said to have become strained when in 2006 he wrote: "The only positive benefit of the injury to Flintoff may be the end of his immediate captaincy ambitions."
Under Flintoff's captaincy, England suffered a 5-0 Ashes thrashing during their 2006/07 tour of Australia.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 22, 2012 08:09:45Record-breaker Best runs rings around England
Tino Best's astounding 95 for the West Indies, the highest ever score by a number 11, rocked England on day four of the third Test at Edgbaston on Monday morning.
England, at stumps on the fourth day of the third Test, were 5 for 221 - a deficit of 205 runs and still needing a further 56 to avoid the follow-on - with Ian Bell 76 not out.
A West Indies' 10th-wicket Test record stand of 143 - the third highest in all Tests for the last wicket - between wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin (107 not out) and Best took the tourists to 426 all out.
Fast bowler Best's innings was all the more impressive as this was his first Test in nearly three years, with his previous highest score at this level being 27.
The Bajan then bowled figures of 2 for 37 runs in 12 overs to set the seal on a memorable day.
There was no hint of the run-fest to come when West Indies, resuming on 8 for 280 after losing the toss, saw Ravi Rampaul dismissed three balls into Sunday's play.
Ramdin, himself in Test exile for two years before this tour, was then 63 not out.
But Best made England pay for their controversial decision to rest new-ball duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad, having already established an unassailable 2-0 lead in this three-match series.
'Stand-in' seamers Graham Onions and Steven Finn were driven in the style of a top-order batsman by the 30-year-old Best.
Indeed it was Ramdin who was almost out when, on 69, he cut Finn and Kevin Pietersen failed to hold a sharp chance at gully.
Off-spinner Graeme Swann went the same way as the pacemen, cut for two fours in successive balls by the inspired Best.
There was no stopping Best, only called up to this tour as a replacement for injured fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, as he completed a 44 ball-fifty.
Ramdin's single off Tim Bresnan, after which he nearly hit the bowler's head as he waved his bat in celebration, took him to a hundred in 160 balls with nine boundaries.
Ramdin, who made 166 against England at Bridgetown three years ago, then produced a piece of paper from his pocket with "Yea Viv, talk nah" written on it, after West Indies great Vivian Richards had criticised him for failing to deliver on his promise after the tourists' nine-wicket second Test loss.
England were too often left chasing the game, with captain Andrew Strauss slow to reinforce his ring of close catchers.
Best uppercut Bresnan for yet another boundary to top Zaheer Khan's previous Test best by a number 11 of 75 for India against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004 and then drove the seamer for a stunning straight six.
But in sight of a hundred, Best skyed an Onions slower-ball to Strauss at first slip.
Best faced just 112 balls with a six and 14 fours.
His partnership with Ramdin erased the previous West Indies 10th wicket Test record of 106 put on by Carl Hooper and Courtney Walsh against Pakistan at St John's in 1993.
After Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott fell cheaply, the 30-year-old Best's day got better when he had Strauss brilliantly caught by first slip Darren Bravo to leave England 3 for 49.
Bell, on 20, survived a sharp chance to short leg Adrian Barath off debutant 'mystery' spinner Sunil Narine.
But otherwise Narine, who had produced remarkable figures in his brief first-class and Indian Premier League career, posed few problems with Pietersen driving him for a huge six over long-on.
However, Pietersen exited for 78 when he guided spinner Marlon Samuels to West Indies captain Marlon Samuels at slip.
England were now 4 for 186 after Pietersen and Bell had put on 137 and there was still time for Best to bowl Jonathan Bairstow as the batsman aimed across the line.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, england, jamaica First posted June 11, 2012 05:57:38Bell century sets up England win over Windies
Ian Bell marked his return to England's one-day side with a stylish century as it beat the West Indies by 114 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method in its series opener on Sunday (AEST).
Man-of-the-match Bell, filling the opener's spot vacated by Kevin Pietersen following the South Africa-born batsman's retirement from limited overs internationals, responded with 126 in an England total of six for 288 made after the hosts lost the toss.
"I really enjoyed it, it was nice to go out there and play some shots at the top of the order," Bell said.
"Nerves can be a good thing, some butterflies in the stomach, I've played well in the Tests and wanted to continue that.
"This is a big ground, so if you can't hit fours and sixes, you have to run the ones and twos.
"I've been playing good cricket in Tests, I've got some confidence from that and it's good to transfer it over."
Dwayne Smith looked to be making up for the absence of big-hitting opener Chris Gayle, whose much anticipated international return after 15 months out following a spat with West Indies cricket chiefs was delayed by a shin injury.
However, when Smith was dismissed for 56 it was the start of a slump that saw the tourists lose their last nine wickets for 77 runs.
West Indies, five for 127 off 23 overs when rain stopped play, was set a revised target of 287 in 48 overs.
But it finished on 172 all out as England won with more than 14 overs left.
That meant England went 1-0 up with two to play ahead of Tuesday's match at The Oval.
Tim Bresnan, who led England's attack with 4-34 runs, sealed an emphatic victory when he had last man Sunil Narine well caught by diving wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter.
"The bowlers again did fantastically and it was a really good effort to get them out for that score," added Bell, whose hundred was only the 30-year-old's second in his 109 one-day internationals, with his 126 not out against India in 2007 also made at the Rose Bowl.
And this innings came just a day after Bell's participation was put in doubt when he was struck a severe blow on the chin while batting in the indoor nets.
But, overcoming fears of a broken jaw, Bell helped the hosts recover from the shock of losing opening partner Alastair Cook, England's one-day captain, for a third ball duck during a second-wicket stand of 108 with Warwickshire colleague Jonathan Trott (42).
"It was a fantastic knock from Ian and close to 300 is hard to chase on any ground," Cook said.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who had backed his side to win this series, said: "It was a pretty good wicket and Ian Bell played a good innings but we backed ourselves to get the runs."
"No one went on like Bell, unfortunately.
"Hopefully, Chris Gayle will be fit for Tuesday but we will assess all the guys before then."
There had been concerns England would struggle at the top of the order in the absence of Pietersen, who finished his one-day career with back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan in Dubai in February.
But Bell, dropped from that series, took 16 runs off the sixth over from Andre Russell courtesy of a straight six and two elegant fours.
Bell was out when he top-edged a slower ball from seamer Dwayne Bravo to wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.
His previous best as a one-day opener was the 77 he made against Australia in a 2007 World Cup match in Antigua.
West Indies saw Smith go on the attack but his 44-ball innings finished when he edged an intended pull off seamer Bresnan to Kieswetter.
Bresnan then made it two wickets for three runs in five balls when Ramdin, promoted because Darren Bravo was unable to bat at number three due to a groin strain, was out leg before wicket for 22.
After the rain break, Marlon Samuels -- a thorn in England's side during the Tests -- holed out off James Anderson and wickets continued to fall steadily.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, england, united-kingdom First posted June 17, 2012 10:02:24Rain wipes out second day at Edgbaston
Rain saw play abandoned without a ball being bowled for the second successive day in the third and final Test between England and West Indies at Edgbaston.
It was the first time since 1964, during an Ashes clash between England and Australia at Lord's, that the first two days of a Test in England been washed out without a ball being bowled.
After a fourth straight session was wiped out, the decision was taken - with rain still falling - shortly after the end of the scheduled lunch break at 1:50pm (local time) to abandon play for the day.
As the toss has yet to take place, neither side have named their team.
England has an unbeatable 2-0 lead in this three-match series.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 09, 2012 09:12:26Rain seals England-Windies draw
Rain had the final say as the third and final Test between England and the West Indies ended in a draw at Edgbaston on Tuesday morning.
In a match where three days out of a possible five were washed out, it was no surprise neither side had got in a position to force victory.
And, after yet more rain, the umpires finally called the game off shortly before 3:15pm local time (12:15am AEST) following no play at all on the final day.
The draw gave England, who had already retained the Wisden Trophy, a 2-0 win in this three-match series after five-wicket and nine-wicket wins at Lord's and Trent Bridge respectively.
Overnight, England was 5 for 221 in reply to the West Indies' first innings 426, a deficit of 205 runs and needing a further 56 to avoid the follow-on.
Ian Bell, attempting to become the first Warwickshire batsman to score a Test hundred on his Edgbaston home ground, was left on 76 not out and nightwatchman Steven Finn 0 not out.
West Indies' total owed much to Tino Best's whirlwind 95, the highest score ever by a Test match number 11 batsman.
Best faced just 112 balls with a six and 14 fours on Sunday's fourth day.
Together with wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin, who made 107 not out, Best shared a partnership of 143 - the third highest 10th wicket stand in Test history and a West Indies record.
And, before Sunday's close, fast bowler Best removed both England captain Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Bairstow.
England, with the series already won, controversially chose to rest first-choice new-ball pairing James Anderson and Stuart Broad from this match.
In their places came fellow seamers Graham Onions and Finn.
Durham quick Onions, who two years ago suffered a career-threatening back injury, took 4 for 88 runs in 29.3 overs, with Finn managing 3 for 109 in 32.
After this match, England and the West Indies play three one-day internationals and a stand alone Twenty20, starting with Saturday's 50-over clash at Southampton.
The West Indies will warm-up for the limited overs fixtures with a one-day game against Middlesex at Lord's on Wednesday.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, england First posted June 12, 2012 08:05:18Rising cricket star Maynard dead at 23
One of England's most promising batsmen, Tom Maynard, has died at the age of 23.
Maynard was killed after being struck by a London Underground train in the early hours of Monday morning.
In a statement, Surrey said Maynard, the son of former Glamorgan and England batsman Matthew Maynard, was "an incredibly talented young batsman".
British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed a 23-year-old man, named locally as Maynard, had been hit by a train early Monday morning.
A BTP spokesman said the man was pronounced dead at the scene and that the incident was being treated as non-suspicious.
A file will be prepared for the coroner.
Maynard began his career with Glamorgan before joining Surrey at the start of last season.
He left after his father was forced out from a coaching position with the Welsh county in 2010, saying his position had become "untenable".
Surrey's statement said Maynard was "an incredibly talented young batsman", who had "impressed in all forms of the game".
Maynard scored his maiden first-class hundred at Cardiff, Glamorgan's headquarters, last year and helped Surrey win the county 40-over tournament.
His first-class record of 2,384 runs in 48 matches at 32.65 with four hundreds may seem modest but it was the manner in which he compiled that tally which led many shrewd judges to speak of him as a future England batsman.
Surrey's statement added: "His future potential was unlimited, with experts both inside and outside the club predicting he would soon follow in the footsteps of his father Matthew by graduating to full England honours."
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke said: "This is a very sad day for everyone connected with Surrey County Cricket club and for Glamorgan County Cricket club where Tom spent the early part of his career.
"Our hearts go out to the Maynard family for their tragic loss and we send them and all Tom's many friends and colleagues within the game our deepest sympathies."
Surrey's Twenty20 game against Hampshire at The Oval on Wednesday has been postponed as a mark of respect.
Australian cricketer Mark Cosgrove, who played county cricket with Maynard at Glamorgan, was among a number of cricketers to express their sadness online.
"Still don't believe what has happened, Tom was one of those people that makes me love the game and the friendships u make out of it RIPtom," Cosgrove tweeted on Tuesday morning.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
AFP / ABC
Tags: sport, cricket, united-kingdom, england First posted June 19, 2012 10:15:05Misbah handed one-Test ban
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was suspended from the first Test against Sri Lanka because of a "serious over-rate offence" during the fifth and final one-day international, which the hosts won.
The International Cricket Council released a statement, saying Pakistan was ruled to be three overs short of its target at the end of the match when time allowances were taken into consideration.
It was Pakistan's first serious over-rate offence in the past 12 months with Misbah handed two suspension points, while each of his players received a 40 per cent fine from their match fees.
Misbah will now miss Pakistan's first Test against Sri Lanka, which starts in Galle from Friday.
Sri Lanka posted a thrilling two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the fifth and final one-day international in Colombo on Monday to clinch the series 3-1.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, sri-lanka, pakistan First posted June 20, 2012 10:35:27Perera, Dilshan star in Si Lankan victory
Paceman Thisara Perera bagged a career-best 6 for 44 and Tillakaratne Dilshan hit a century, as Sri Lanka posted an easy 76-run win over Pakistan in the second one-day international in Pallekele.
The hosts, who scored a challenging 4 for 280, bowled Pakistan out for 204 in the day-night match despite an impressive 96 by opener Azhar Ali to level the five-match series 1-1.
Opener Dilshan top-scored with an unbeaten 119 for his 13th one-day century, hitting one six and 11 fours in his brilliant 139-ball knock to help his team set a stiff target.
Azhar, playing only his sixth one-day international, looked set to complete his maiden one-day ton before he was bowled by paceman Nuwan Kulasekara. He cracked 12 fours in his 119-ball knock.
Man-of-the-match Perera got his first wicket when he held a superb one-handed return catch to dismiss Mohammad Hafeez (14) before removing Younis Khan (4) and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (27) to reduce Pakistan to 3 for 127.
He took three more wickets to complete his third haul of five or more wickets in an innings.
Sri Lanka earlier rejigged its batting order after losing the opening one-day international by six wickets on Thursday, with Upul Tharanga returning as an opener and skipper Mahela Jayawardene coming in at number five.
The hosts batted steadily after winning the toss as Dilshan added 70 runs for the third wicket with Dinesh Chandimal (32) and 86 for the next with Jayawardene (53), who opened in the last match.
Dilshan reached his century in the 43rd over when he pulled paceman Umar Gul for a single and then hit fast bowler Sohail Tanvir over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.
Sri Lanka scored 56 runs in the last six overs, with Perera smashing two sixes and as many fours in his unbeaten 24 off just 14 balls.
Jayawardene was bowled by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal soon after completing his half-century, hitting eight fours in his brisk 45-ball knock.
Off-spinner Hafeez, Tanvir and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi were the other wicket takers for Pakistan.
Tanvir struck in his fourth over when he had Tharanga (18) caught behind and then Hafeez held a return catch to remove Kumar Sangakkara (18) with his first delivery.
But there was no stopping Dilshan, who continued to gather runs comfortably and completed his half-century with a four off Afridi.
Pakistan made one change from the team which won the first match as they brought in debutant paceman Rahat Ali in place of injured Mohammad Sami, while Sri Lanka retained the side.
The third one-day international will be played in Colombo on Wednesday.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, sri-lanka First posted June 10, 2012 09:21:23Gayle ready to end exile against England
Chris Gayle is set to put more than a year in the international wilderness behind him when West Indies face England in the opening match of their one-day series at Southampton on Saturday.
Gayle has an impressive one-day record, with over 8,000 runs in 228 one-day internationals, including 19 hundreds at an average of nearly 40.
But it is the manner in which the Jamaican left-hander bats that has made him one of cricket's biggest box-office draws.
Indeed when it was confirmed Gayle had made his peace with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), ticket sales for Saturday's match quickened to the extent of ensuring a near-capacity 14,000 crowd.
At his best, the 32-year-old opener and former West Indies captain is a ferocious, if essentially orthodox, hitter who is capable of driving the world's fastest bowlers straight back over their heads for six.
A strike-rate of 83.95 is testament to Gayle's attacking approach, yet until Wednesday's warm-up match against Middlesex at Lord's he had not played for the West Indies for some 15 months since its World Cup quarter-final defeat by Pakistan in Dhaka.
Criticisms of coach Ottis Gibson and senior Caribbean cricket officials led to Gayle's exile by the WICB.
However, a meeting earlier this month between the WICB, selectors and Gayle, brokered by Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St Vincent, and Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister of Antigua, saw him restored to the squad.
Gayle is well aware that, after such intervention, expectations will be high.
But a couple of sixes in a brisk 34 against Middlesex, where he also took two wickets with his off-spin, suggested his skills had been undimmed during an absence where Gayle has cashed in on his talent in the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League.
"I'm human, so I felt a bit nervous," he said.
"But now I'm really looking forward to the first ODI game. I'll be in a better state of mind.
"Everything has been rectified (with Gibson and the board), we are all here as one and our main objective is to try to contribute to West Indies cricket."
Gibson added: "Gayle is the best one-day batsman in the world. He has fitted in well and is raring to go."
West Indies, which lost a three-match Test series against England 2-0 earlier this week after a rain-marred draw at Edgbaston, have long believed the three 50-over internationals on this tour provide its best chance of victory.
A confident Gibson, a former England bowling coach, said: "At the start of the tour I said the one-day series provides us with our best chance of success and we still believe that.
"We believe we have got a great chance of winning games in this series."
As well as Gayle, West Indies, who will again be captained by Darren Sammy, has been bolstered by the arrival of all-rounders Dwayne Smith, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell.
While the West Indies have welcomed back their biggest drawcard, England has lost one of its in Kevin Pietersen after the star batsman retired from all white-ball international cricket when the management denied him his wish to opt out of the 50-over game while still playing Twenty20s.
Ian Bell is set to take the opener's space vacated by Pietersen with all-rounder Ravi Bopara, who missed the Tests through injury, pushing for an England recall in a one-day side again led by his Essex colleague Alastair Cook.
"I think it's really sad he won't be playing all three forms of the game," said England coach Andy Flower of Pietersen.
"He's in incredible form -- technically, he's excellent."
But he insisted Bell was capable of filling the gap, as long as he played his own game.
"We don't want him to do a similar job to Pietersen, we want him to be Ian Bell and play great international cricket."
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, united-kingdom, england First posted June 15, 2012 14:15:10Former Pakistan skipper Butt freed from jail
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt was released from prison in Britain on Thursday after serving seven months of a two-and-a-half year term for involvement in a spot-fixing scam that sent shock waves through the world of cricket.
His solicitors confirmed the 27-year-old had been freed from Canterbury prison in south-east England.
"His return back home will allow Salman to spend time with his family and relatives," his solicitors said in a statement.
"He will get to see and hold his son whom he has not seen since his birth in November last year.
"He can now return to his beloved homeland, start to rebuild his reputation and begin the long process in his efforts to return back to top-level cricket. He is tired and jaded."
Butt, who has played 33 Tests, 78 one-day internationals and 24 Twenty20s for his country, was sentenced for his part in Pakistan bowling deliberate no-balls during a Test against England at Lord's in 2010.
The spot-fixing conspiracy was uncovered after a British newspaper recorded sports agent Mazhar Majeed boasting of how he could arrange for players to rig games for money.
Opening batsman Butt's team mates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were also sentenced.
Seam bowler Asif, 29, was released from prison in May after serving half of his one-year term.
Paceman Aamer, 20, was freed from a young offenders' institution in February after serving half of a six-month sentence.
All three were banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council.
Reuters
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom, pakistan First posted June 21, 2012 21:27:36Pacemen shape Pakistan win
Fast bowlers Umar Gul and Mohammad Sami each took three wickets as Pakistan posted a comfortable six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first one-day international in Pallekele.
Man-of-the-match Gul finished with 3 for 24 and Sami with 3 for 19 before Pakistan achieved a rain-revised target of 135 with more than seven overs to spare in the day-night match for a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
The duo helped Pakistan restrict the hosts to 8 for 135 in a match reduced to 42-overs-a-side due to the poor conditions.
Opener Mohammad Hafeez top-scored with 37, while Umar Akmal (36 not out) and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (30) were the other main scorers as Pakistan recorded its ninth one-day win over Sri Lanka in their last 11 matches.
Misbah added 51 runs for the third wicket with Hafeez after two wickets had fallen for 27 and then 55 for the fourth with Akmal.
Pakistan's win was set up by bowlers in seaming conditions as Gul took three wickets in a sharp opening spell, removing skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal to send Sri Lanka reeling at 3 for 23.
He was superbly backed by Sami, who dismissed Kumar Sangakkara and all-rounder Angelo Mathews in his first two overs to reduce the hosts to 5 for 41.
Lahiru Thirimanne, who added 50 for the eighth wicket with Nuwan Kulasekara (18), top-scored for Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 42 while extras contributed 31, the second-highest of the innings.
Thisara Perera (17) and Upul Tharanga (10) were the other batsmen to reach double figures.
Sangakkara, who took 20 deliveries to open his account, made just nine runs before being trapped LBW, while Mathews was caught at first slip by Misbah for no score.
Off-spinner Hafeez bagged two of the last three wickets to finish with an impressive 2 for 20 off 10 overs.
Gul struck in his third over when he had opener Dilshan (5) caught by Saeed Ajmal at mid-on and then trapped Jayawardene (3) LBW in his next over.
He put more pressure on Sri Lanka when he bowled Chandimal for no score in his fifth over.
The second one-day international will also be played in Pallekele on Saturday and the last three matches in Colombo on June 13, 16 and 18.
A three-Test series begins on June 22.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, sri-lanka, pakistan First posted June 08, 2012 08:25:49Cricket pay deal on track Sutherland says
Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland says an impasse with the players' union has been overcome and a final agreement on a new pay deal is imminent.
Australia captain Michael Clarke's one-day side departed for a tour of England and Ireland this week, as fears of strike action eased significantly following a breakthrough in talks between CA and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA).
The deadline for a new deal is June 30 and Sutherland is confident an agreement will be reached.
Sutherland denies CA has a problem at any stage with the ACA.
"We work through issues from day to day and this is obviously a major one," he said.
"It's challenging and it's complex and it's important, and I don't think either party expected to be able to walk through this easily.
"Inevitably, the willingness on both sides was there to make sure something was done by the end.
"We just were not able to work through the impasse and, fortunately, we've found a way through that in the last couple of days.
"We're now in a very confident position of having an agreement."
CA chairman Wally Edwards was also in a buoyant mood.
"The board today has considered a lot of the issues and there's just details now to be resolved," he said.
Sutherland also spoke about scheduling issues CA is facing this summer.
The Champions League Twenty20 - featuring Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers - is to be staged in India a month later than normal in October because of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.
CA is considering scheduling a handful of Sheffield Shield matches in September in an early start to the 2012/13 season, possibly in the warmer northern cities of Cairns and Darwin.
The weather will also be an issue for the national team if Australia's limited-overs series against Pakistan is hosted by the United Arab Emirates in August.
The series will not be played in Pakistan for security reasons and Sri Lanka has pulled out as host because of commitments with its domestic Twenty20 competition.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, australia First posted June 15, 2012 20:06:28Hussey withdraws from England tour
Veteran batsman Mike Hussey has pulled out of Australia's upcoming one-day international tour of England and Ireland for family reasons.
He will be replaced by Peter Forrest, who was named as a standby in the initial Australian squad.
"Due to our baby being born three months early, it is important for the family for me to be here at this time," Hussey said in a Cricket Australia statement.
"It is always difficult to miss any tour for Australia and I thank CA for their understanding of our family's situation."
The team leaves this Thursday for Ireland, where it will play a single one-dayer before moving to England for a five-match 50-over series.
Tags: onedayseries, cricket, sport, australia First posted June 10, 2012 18:05:35Samuels, Ramdin repel England
Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin both scored half-centuries as West Indies reached 8 for 280 against England at stumps on the third day of the third Test at Edgbaston.
Samuels followed his hundred in England's nine-wicket second Test win at Trent Bridge with a stylish 76, as this match finally got underway after the first two days had been washed out without a ball being bowled.
West Indies, who had been a solid 1 for 85 at lunch, slumped to 5 for 152 but rallied thanks to a sixth-wicket stand of 56 between Samuels and wicketkeeper Ramdin.
At the close, Ramdin was 60 not out after completing a 97-ball half-century with six fours. Ravi Rampaul was unbeaten on 2.
Graham Onions marked his recall to Test duty in the absence of rested paceman James Anderson and Stuart Broad with 3 for 56 in 24 overs, while Tim Bresnan took 3 for 74 in 26.
England's position might have been stronger had it not dropped three slip catches.
History was against either side winning this match as only twice before, when England beat New Zealand at Leeds in 1958 and New Zealand defeated Bangladesh at Hamilton in 2001, had teams won a Test after the first two days had been washed out completely.
That England captain Andrew Strauss opted to field first after winning the toss against a West Indies side whose top-order collapses had helped the hosts into an unassailable 2-0 lead in this three-Test series was no surprise.
And Onions, in his first Test in over two years, nearly had an early wicket.
Adrian Barath had made four when he edged the Durham quick only for Ian Bell, fielding in the third slip position often occupied by Anderson, to drop the straightforward chance.
Instead it was Bresnan who struck first when he had Kieran Powell caught by second slip Graeme Swann for 24 to leave the tourists 1 for 49.
Barath was still on his lunch score of 40 not out when he was reprieved again by Bell, who dropped an easy chance off fast bowler Steven Finn, recalled in the absence of Broad.
Fortunately for England, it was not an expensive miss as Barath had added just one run when Onions had him LBW.
Test debutant Assad Fudadin, in for the dropped Kirk Edwards, saw his promising innings end on 28 when he gloved a well-directed Bresnan bouncer and Bell, to the delight of his Warwickshire home crowd, at last held a catch.
Samuels struck successive deliveries from off-spinner Swann for a six and a four to complete a 76-ball half-century.
But shortly before tea Narsingh Deonarine, in for the injured Shivnarine Chanderpaul, edged Onions to Strauss at first slip.
Samuels, again involved in plenty of 'verbals' with his opponents, was out when, five deliveries before the arrival of the new ball, he fell LBW to Bresnan's off-cutter.
The Jamaican reviewed New Zealand umpire Tony Hill's decision but replays indicated the ball had just pitched in line and Samuels' entertaining innings, featuring a six and 10 fours, was at an end.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who scored his maiden Test hundred at Trent Bridge, was dropped badly by Strauss off Middlesex colleague Finn.
But the all-rounder was still on 16 when he fell to the same combination to leave West Indies 7 for 241.
And shortly before stumps, the accurate Onions had Test debutant Sunil Narine playing on for 11.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, united-kingdom, england First posted June 10, 2012 08:59:55Rain washes out play in Edgbaston
Rain washed out the first day of the third and final Test between England and West Indies at Edgbaston.
Persistent rain fell all day, after heavy rain overnight, and play was finally called off in the afternoon.
England is seeking a 3-0 series sweep after wins at Lord's and Nottingham.
The last time a full day of Test cricket was lost to the weather in England was in 2009 when the third day was washed out against Australia, also at Edgbaston.
Reuters
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 08, 2012 08:10:11Hussey in awe of pace duo
Australia batsman David Hussey is confident youngsters Pat Cummins and James Pattinson can develop into the pace spearheads the national team so desperately craves.
Australia has traditionally been well stocked in the fast bowling department and able to call upon giants of the game such as Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath.
Brett Lee briefly led the attack following McGrath's retirement in 2007, but the likes of Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson have not been quite able to fill the position for any decent length of time.
Hussey described facing Australia's six-strong pace division in the nets at Leicester this week as a "necessary evil" and that teenager Cummins and 22-year-old team-mate Pattinson have impressed.
"I think both of them could be once in a generation players," he said.
"I think they could carry Australia's attack for the next 10-12 years."
Hussey says the aggression of Cummins and Pattinson is one of their key attributes.
"They both move the ball at pace ... and they are aggressive," he said.
"They are not like a young player these days, they are in your face.
"I really like that about them. It is a great quality to have."
Australia opens its 50-over tour of the United Kingdom with Thursday's match against Leicestershire at Grace Road followed by this weekend's one-day international against Ireland in Belfast.
The tourists will squeeze in another warm-up match in Essex before the five-match one-day series against England starts on June 29 at Lord's.
"We are the number-one ranked ODI team in the world and we cherish that ranking," Hussey said.
"We don't want to let it go but England play particularly well on their home soil.
"It is up to us to adjust as quickly as possible. It is going to be a very close series."
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, united-kingdom, england First posted June 20, 2012 10:00:32Thursday, June 21, 2012
Gayle return put on hold
Chris Gayle's return to international cricket was delayed on Saturday after the powerful West Indies batsman was ruled out of the first one-day international against England at the Rose Bowl in Southampton with a foot injury.
Gayle, 32, was set to make his first appearance for the side since last year's World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
He had been unavailable for selection after falling out with West Indies Cricket Board.
England batsman Ian Bell was passed fit to play and will open the batting, despite suffering a suspected fracture jaw in training.
Bell required 10 stitches after being struck when batting in the nets on Friday.
West Indies won the toss and elected to field in the opening fixture of the three-match series.
Reuters
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 16, 2012 20:25:21Banned Aamer wants to return
Pakistan's disgraced paceman Mohammed Aamer is looking forward to returning to cricket "as and when possible", the psychologist helping to rehabilitate his career said.
In the first of several counselling sessions Maqbool Sabri, who was hired by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to counsel Aamer, said his client appeared "positive and relaxed" despite his five-year ban from the game for cheating.
The 20-year-old was found guilty of spot-fixing during a Test at Lord's in 2010, spent three months in a British jail and was banned from the game by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The ICC also banned pace partner Mohammad Asif and ex-captain Salman Butt, ordering the trio to undergo rehabilitation.
Sabri said Aamer was upbeat in the first of eight to 10 sessions.
"I am very surprised that he was very positive and relaxed during the first session with me on Saturday," Sabri said.
"I think that Aamer's lawyer was a positive influence on him and has guided him well."
Before the scandal, Aamer was regarded as the hottest new international talent due to the lethal left-arm pace bowling which likened him to Pakistan former great Wasim Akram.
Sabri said Aamer believes he belongs in the cricketing world.
"Aamer realises that cricket is his profession and he wants to return to the game as and when possible, and during the session we moved towards enlightment," he said.
"I think he realises that he made a mistake... and since he is very passionate about his cricket I have to make him ready for that."
Aamer has decided not to appeal his ICC ban. He was released from prison in February. Asif was freed last month and Butt is still serving his 30-month sentence.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, pakistan First posted June 19, 2012 17:39:29Katich retires from first-class cricket
Former Australian opening batsman Simon Katich is retiring from first class cricket.
Katich, 36, is in England playing county cricket with Hampshire.
He will play for the Perth Scorchers in the Champions League Twenty20 in October but will not return for the Big Bash or for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield and one-day competitions.
A Cricket Australia statement said Katich was looking to spend more time at home with his family.
"The WACA and Cricket NSW have provided wonderful cricketing environments and amazing opportunities for Simon to play under great coaches, with terrific players and surrounded by dedicated support staff," the statement said.
"He wishes to thank them all for the camaraderie and support over the last 16 years and for the chance to play in winning teams.
"With a young family and a desire for an extended time at home, Simon has decided it is time to reassess his priorities."
Little more than a year ago, Katich was seen as a crucial part of the national team, having played 56 Tests for Australia, opening the bat and scoring over 4,000 runs at an average of 45.03.
But he fell out with captain Michael Clarke after reportedly grabbing the new Test skipper by the throat in the dressing room. The incident led to Katich's axing from Cricket Australia's contract list.
He was reprimanded last December for publicly stating he would never be able to get back into the Australian side while Clarke remained on the selection panel.
Katich was replaced by, among others, fellow New South Wales team-mate Phil Hughes.
But despite the young opener's mediocre form, Katich was never recalled to the Test line-up.
He began his Sheffield Shield career with Western Australia but joined the Blues in 2002.
Katich was recently axed as Blues skipper as New South Wales looked to blood younger leaders, but he maintained his exemplary record in Sheffield Shield cricket, hitting 483 runs and averaging 43.90 last season.
The opener notched over 19,000 first class runs over his career.
"Simon's contribution to New South Wales cricket was quite simply outstanding," Cricket New South Wales chairman Harry Harinath said.
"Not only was he a superb batsman, with a state and international record to rival the best, but he was a brilliant leader who was respected by all who played with him," he said.
Tags: cricket, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia First posted June 12, 2012 11:14:11Canberra to host ODI
Cricket Australia has announced Canberra will host its first ever men's one-day international match next season.
Manuka Oval has been included as a venue as part of the tri-series involving Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies.
It will be a day-night fixture with Manuka Oval set to undergo an upgrade to put itself into contention to host a World Cup match in 2015.
Tags: sport, cricket, canberra-2600 First posted June 08, 2012 11:13:36Don't think about Ashes, says Clarke
Captain Michael Clarke says his inexperienced Australian team-mates risk missing out on next year's Ashes tour by focusing too much on it.
The Australians are gearing up for this month's five-match one-day series against England which is being viewed as a teaser for the 2013 battle for the urn.
With half of the touring squad having never played a one-day international in England, the Australian brains trust is keen for the likes of Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and David Warner to soak up the experience.
Clarke said the youthful looking team had to focus on getting the job done in the next three weeks with the Ashes still more than a year away.
"It's important for us as a group to not get too carried away with the Ashes," Clarke said.
"The reality is, if we don't perform as a team now, you don't even worry about the Ashes because you're not on that trip.
"It's so far away for us that as a team we haven't spoken about it.
"Yes, it is the pinnacle as a Test cricketer.
"It's in the back of your mind, but we've got a lot of cricket in front of us where we're going to have to perform individually and as a team, before we even worry about the Ashes."
Australia open their tour with a 50-over clash against Leicestershire on Thursday at Grace Road with the series against England starting on June 29 at Lord's.
Coach Mickey Arthur is open to the idea of playing young speedsters Cummins and Pattinson together in the national team for the first time.
The quicks have helped re-energise the Australian team in the past 12 months with only injuries stopping them from not playing at the same time.
"I think there might be an opportunity down the line," Arthur said.
"We have a good stock of fast bowlers and there are places up for grabs.
"These three warm-up games are going to determine who plays.
"There is a lot to play for, certainly in the fast bowling department."
Clarke warned the pitches in England meant Cummins and Pattinson, who can both clock speeds of up to 150km/h, couldn't afford to rely on their raw pace.
"It doesn't matter how fast you bowl, if you're not accurate, you're not going to have success," he said.
The tourists will play Ireland in a one-day international in Belfast on Saturday and Essex at Chelmsford three days later.
AAP
Tags: sport, cricket, united-kingdom, england First posted June 19, 2012 09:25:12Aussies chasing domination again
Australia Test and one-day captain Michael Clarke says the limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make his squad the top nation in all three forms of the game.
Australia heads the one-day ratings, but is third in the Test standings and sixth in the Twenty20 format.
"We've been the number one ODI team in the world for a while now but we need to continue to raise the bar," Clarke said before the one-day international squad's departure on Thursday.
"I think our cricket of late in the shorter form hasn't been as consistent as we would like.
"I think once we get on the plane it's probably the start of a two-year journey for this Australian team, whether it be the one-day team, the Test team or the Twenty20 team, to have a lot of success and get back to being the number one in all forms of the game."
Australia will play two English county teams and a one-day international against Ireland before facing fourth-ranked England in five one-day internationals.
England will be without Kevin Pietersen, who annnounced last month he was retiring from one-day internationals.
Clarke says he was surprised by Pietersen's announcement.
"I'm thrilled I don't have to play against him in one-day cricket because he's such a good player and he's had a lot of success and he's a natural in it," he said.
"But England have a lot of good players in their team."
Clarke nominated David Hussey to fill the batting role of innings closer and pacer of run chases in the absence of his elder brother Michael, who withdrew from the tour for family reasons following the premature birth of his fourth child.
Meanwhile, Clarke says he is confident that a pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the players will be resolved this month, suggesting strike action would be avoided.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, australia First posted June 14, 2012 17:45:18Aussies keen to strike first in Ashes build-up
Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has backed his side to land a crucial early blow ahead of next year's Ashes when they meet England in a forthcoming one-day series.
Australia is in England for five one-day matches, starting at Lord's on June 29, in what will be their first meeting since England's Ashes triumph on Australian soil 18 months ago.
Since that chastening 3-1 Ashes defeat, Michael Clarke has replaced Ricky Ponting as captain, while South African Mickey Arthur has been hired as Australia's first-ever foreign coach.
Watson believes Australia is a more formidable force than the team that crumbled so tamely when it last faced England.
He has refused to downplay the significance of beating England in the one-day matches that serve as an appetiser for the 2013 Ashes series.
"You've got to make the most of any series you play against England, especially in England with next year's Ashes coming up," Watson said ahead of Australia's opening tour match against Leicestershire beginning Thursday.
"First of all it's a great time for the younger guys to experience what it is like to play in England, but it is also an opportunity to be able to make our mark here in England as well leading into next year's Ashes.
"Hopefully we can play the cricket that we know we can and get the result that we want."
Watson is wary of underestimating England after it wrapped up a sixth consecutive home one-day international series win with its victory over West Indies this week.
It seemed England's hopes of building a strong one-day outfit had been damaged before the series following Kevin Pietersen's untimely retirement from limited overs cricket.
But Ian Bell and Alastair Cook have both scored centuries to ensure an unassailable 2-0 lead over West Indies with the final match at Headingley on Friday.
"They are playing very good one-day cricket at the moment," Watson said.
"I think their batting has been a big strength. For guys to continue to be able to get hundreds at the top of the order obviously sets a very good platform for the team.
"Ian Bell is a world-class player. For me it had been a little surprising that he hadn't taken on the one-day game as he has because he's a highly-skilled player and hits the ball in great areas.
"It's no surprise to me that he's performing the way he has in these past couple of games.
"We'll definitely have to play at our best to get the result we want."
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 21, 2012 08:36:43Cook century fires England to series win
Captain Alastair Cook struck 112 to secure England a 2-0 one-day series win over West Indies with a match to spare after the home side defeated the visitors by eight wickets at The Oval.
Cook's fifth one-day international century and fourth as England captain, included 13 boundaries and one six and exploited almost every part of the ground.
A standing ovation led by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger greeted top scorer Cook as he made his way to the dressing room following his eventual dismissal from a Darren Sammy slower ball.
Cook's departure at 2 for 203 meant little for West Indies though, and England was poised perfectly needing only 36 runs for victory with almost 13 overs to spare.
Set a target of 239, Cook and Ian Bell, fresh from his 126 in the first match, set about their task with a opening stand of 122 from 21.2 overs.
Both cruised to their respective half-centuries before the in-form Bell (53 runs from 64 balls) chipped straight to Chris Gayle at short cover following a Darren Sammy delivery, which leapt deceptively high off the pitch.
Captain Sammy claimed the only two wickets to fall as the West Indies' attack lacked bite and failed to trouble the England batsman, who found gaps in the field at every possible opportunity.
Earlier in the day both teams observed a minute's silence and flags around the ground were at half-mast in memory of Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, 23, who was killed on Monday when he was hit by a train.
Maynard, whose father Matthew represented England, had played for the second string England Lions and had been widely tipped for full international honours.
West Indies' first innings had begun well thanks to Gayle, who was playing his first one-day international for 14 months.
Gayle smashed a quick-fire 53 in 51 balls, including five sixes, after England won the toss and put the visitors in to bat.
His dismissal LBW to off-spinner Graeme Swann, which was reviewed by the television umpire, triggered a collapse and the West Indies slumped from 63 for no wicket to 4 for 79.
Dwayne Bravo combined with Kieron Pollard (41) to put on 100 for the fifth wicket as the sunshine started to emerge from behind the clouds in London.
The pair produced some controlled hitting with Bravo top-scoring with 77 from 82 deliveries before holing out to Ravi Bopara who took a catch off the bowling of James Anderson.
Reuters
Tags: cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 20, 2012 08:20:37Sutherland surprised at cricketers' union
Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland says he is "surprised and a little bit disappointed" with the attitude of the players' union as a pay stalemate nears crisis point.
Sutherland says CA and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) are "further apart than we would like to be" as a deadline for a new pay deal looms.
The current pay deal expires on June 30 but negotiations between the peak body and players' union have reached an impasse.
CA wants to introduce a new performance-based pay system, under a reworked definition of cricket revenue, which it says will leave players some $80 million better off in the next five years.
"We have put a very substantial offer on the table, it's in the vicinity of $80 million more over a five-year period than what we paid in the preceding five-year period," Sutherland said.
"And $80 million is a lot of money - and that is based on our conservative revenue projections.
"If we go halfway towards meeting our more optimistic ambitions with revenue growth, that increase in player payments will be even more significant than $80 million."
But the ACA considers reworking the definition of cricket revenue to be a cash grab by CA worth some $30m.
Players currently get 26 per cent of cricket revenue but the impasse means new state and Big Bash League contracts have been frozen until a new agreement is struck.
Asked if he was surprised by the ACA's resistance, Sutherland replied: "Surprised and a little bit disappointed."
A move to a performance-based pay system was logical, he said.
"The focus is very much about performance and accountability for performance," Sutherland said.
"There is also a sense of accountability with this that the public would expect - that the players wouldn't get the same amount of money for losing 4-0 as they would winning 4-0.
"There is an argument that there is already a performance based culture and expectation - the players have to perform to get their contract, they have to perform to get an increase in the value of their contract.
"But there is also an element of relative performance against the rest of the world, against the teams that you play against.
"And we believe that Australian players should be paid more for winning games against other teams, they should be paid more for being higher ranked against other teams.
"Whereas at the moment, the model is more about relativity against the list of Australian players rather than performance against the rest of the world."
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, australia First posted June 08, 2012 22:03:06Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Tendulkar sworn in as MP
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar vowed to put his on-field performance before any political activity as he was sworn in as a member of India's upper house.
Tendulkar, worshipped by millions of cricket fans in India, was appointed to the Rajya Sabha for a seat theoretically reserved for people who distinguish themselves in the fields of arts, science or social service.
"It is an honour which I accept with full respect but I am here because of my cricketing career," he said after the low-key ceremony.
"I cannot take any focus away from my cricket because that is where it all started for me."
Tendulkar, 39, no longer plays international Twenty20 cricket but is still one of the world's leading one-day international and Test players and he competed in the recent Indian Premier League season.
He is the first active sportsman to serve in India's upper house and on Monday he repeated that he had no immediate plans to retire.
"I am in a better position not only to help cricket but also other sports in the country," he said.
"I would be happy if I am remembered (as) someone who has contributed to all sports in India rather than just my cricket statistics."
Tendulkar has previously steered clear of India's political world, and it remains unclear how much he will participate in parliament after his playing days are over.
When he was nominated in April, the Times of India said the gesture made "little sense" while some opposition politicians accused the government of crass populist politics.
Om Mathur, a member of parliament for the main opposition BJP, said at the time that Tendulkar was being used by the ruling Congress party to boost its support in the cricketer's home state of Maharashtra.
Tendulkar is the world's highest run-scorer in both Test and one-day cricket and in March became the first batsman to complete 100 international centuries - 51 in Tests and 49 in one-dayers.
AFP
Tags: cricket, world-politics, india First posted June 05, 2012 12:10:48Australian cricketers won't rule out strike
Australia's top cricketers have refused to rule out strike action if a June 30 deadline passes without a new pay agreement with the country's cricket board, the players' union said.
Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief Paul Marsh said his organisation and Cricket Australia (CA) had hit a stalemate over negotiations for a new five-year deal and were looking at all their options.
However, he insisted any strike would be "an absolute last resort".
Marsh said the ACA was looking for about $30 million but it is not clear yet how much CA has put on the table.
Marsh said Australia's participation in the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in September could be under threat, along with Australia's one-day international tour of England in June-July.
"You can't rule anything out. I don't want this to sound like the players are all preparing to go on strike because that's not the case at all," Marsh told SEN Radio.
"That type of action is an absolute last resort."
Marsh said if a new deal could not be agreed upon by the end of this month, the ACA would prefer to keep the current deal rolling along in the short term.
"If Cricket Australia don't want to do that, then we're forced with a decision to make," Marsh said.
"We either accept the position that they put forward or we look at what our other options are.
"We should be making sure we know what all the different options are so if that time comes, we can sit down with the players and say 'what do you want to do?'"
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, australia First posted June 04, 2012 21:42:15Saturday, June 2, 2012
ICC decides to keep Duckworth Lewis and DRS
The International Cricket Council (ICC) committee has decided to keep the controversial Duckworth Lewis method for calculating one-day targets when weather intervenes while making minor changes in other areas of the game, the sport's governing body said on Friday.
The committee considered a proposal by V. Jayadevan for a new way of working out run chases for reduced overs matches at a two-day meeting at Lord's this week.
"The committee unanimously agreed that there was no evidence of any significant flaws in the D/L method nor did the committee believe that any improvements could be offered by the VJD method. Therefore the committee decided to continue with D/L," the ICC said in a statement.
Duckworth Lewis has long been criticised because of its complex mathematics.
The technology behind the Decision Review System has also been queried in some quarters but the ICC committee fully backed the idea.
"The committee noted the improvements in DRS technology and that DRS has almost totally eradicated player-dissent. This is an extremely beneficial side effect of the DRS," David Richardson, ICC general manager - cricket, said.
"We have always said that DRS was there to assist the umpires in getting more decisions correct and eradicating the obvious mistakes. The statistics demonstrate that it has been effective in that objective. The committee re-affirmed this as the aim.
Day-night Tests
They recommended trialling day-night tests and the proposal will go forward for consideration by representatives of the game's leading countries during meetings at the ICC's annual conference in Kuala Lumpur from June 24-28.
"The committee agreed that it was important to maintain the impetus with regard to day/night test cricket and recommended that should the competing countries in a bi-lateral series agree that they wish to trial day/night test cricket then this request should be accommodated," the ICC said.
The recommendation was made after receiving reports on trials that have already taken place at first-class level and spectator feedback.
The committee also heard that a prototype sensor has been developed that can be worn during matches and would indicate whether or not the bowler's elbow is being straightened during the delivery swing.
Other changes which were recommended included an increase in the number of permitted short pitched deliveries from one to two per over in one-day cricket.
Powerplays should also be restricted to the first 10 overs plus one five-over batting powerplay to be completed by the 40th over. In a non-powerplay over, only four fielders ought to be allowed outside the 30 yard circle.
With regards to Test cricket, the committee suggested that drinks should not be brought on to the field other than at the official drinks breaks as well as urging teams not to waste time at referrals.
The committee also asked for more consultations on switch hitting and confirmed previous ICC plans for a 16-team World Twenty20 every two years from 2014.
Reuters
Tags: sport, cricket, england, united-kingdom First posted June 02, 2012 08:04:44Friday, June 1, 2012
Headingley, Edgbaston cop Ashes snub
Durham's picturesque Riverside Ground will host an Ashes Test for the first time on Australia's much anticipated 2013 tour of England, but two of world cricket's most famous grounds will miss out.
The schedule for the five-Test series was released on Friday, with Australia's battle to reclaim the urn that England has held since 2009 beginning at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 10.
As Australia looks to bounce back from a 3-1 hammering at home in 2010-11, the series then moves to Lord's, followed by Tests at Old Trafford in Manchester and the Riverside Ground in Durham.
The Oval in London concludes the series between cricket's oldest foes, who have played 326 Tests since the first in 1887.
Surprisingly neither the famed Headingley ground in Leeds nor history-rich Edgbaston in Birmingham will host Tests.
Australia claimed its only win of the last Ashes series in 2009 at Headingley with a crushing innings and 80-run victory.
Edgbaston was the venue for one of the greatest-ever Ashes battles in 2005 when Michael Kasprowicz was caught behind on a dramatic final day to give England a two-run win.
Australia will play two Twenty20 matches and a five-game one-day series against England after the Ashes to complete a hectic tour schedule that features 17 matches in total.
New Zealand will start the busy English summer of cricket with two Tests and three one-dayers between May 16 and June 5, while a condensed ICC Champions Trophy will be contested from June 6-23.
In announcing the schedule, ECB chief executive David Collier promised a "memorable summer".
"The prospect of England defending the Ashes on home soil, the world's top eight teams competing in the ICC Champions Trophy, and a full program of 50-over and T20 international cricket will provide rich pickings for cricket fans next summer," he said.
AAP
Tags: ashes, cricket, sport, england, united-kingdom First posted June 01, 2012 21:27:08