Misbah-ul-Haq backs Ireland for Test status – Cricket News

 

Pakistan’s Test and ODI skipper Misbah-ul-Haq backed Ireland’s long-term ambition to become a Test playing nation urging International Cricket Council to consider the Associate side for top-flight status.

“That's purely on the ICC but they are a better team now so the ICC should think about that,” said Misbah while speaking to media reporters after a thrilling two-wicket win over Ireland, in Dublin on Sunday.

After the opening match of the two-ODI series between the two sides ended in a dramatic draw, the Irish players looked set to claim their first ever ODI series win over a full member side when Pakistan collapsed to 17 for 4, while chasing a 230-run Target to win. However, a breathtaking counter attack from wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal and spearhead pacer Wahab Riaz denied the hosts an unprecedented series win, as the tourists sealed the match by just two wickets. The duo shared a 93-run stand for the eighth wicket, from just 62 balls to help Pakistan snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Akmal scored 81 runs off 85 balls, while Riaz, who took nine balls to get off the mark, returned unbeaten on a 35-ball 47.

Had Ireland managed to win the match, they would have become the first Associate side to win a series against a full-member nation. Impressed by Ireland’s fighting spirit in the two-match ODI series, Pakistan skipper Misbah said that they are a much improved side now and ICC should consider awarding them the Test status.

“If you look at their batting line-up that is good enough to do well anywhere,” said Misbah after the match. “They may struggle a little bit with their bowling line-up when they go out of Ireland but still they are a really mature side. We were really struggling,” he added further.

Cricket Ireland's ambitious chief Warren Deutrom, however, had earlier said that they have set a target of 2020 to gain the Test status.

“It is unrealistic in the short term but it is a realistic ambition,” Deutrom told Press Association Sport. “It is something that we have aimed for by 2020. We are trying to address all of the rationale to be a full-member country. We have a strategic plan about where we are trying to go,” he added further.

Ireland skipper William Poterfield shared that he and his players were pretty disappointed to lose after being in a commanding position for the major part of the match.

Mumbai Indians’ Sachin Tendulkar lauds the 2013 IPL season

 

Sachin Tendulkhar, the legendary Indian batsman and Mumbai Indians’ player, is extremely happy to have won the recently-concluded sixth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and expressed that he had waited for this moment for six years.
The 40-year-old cricketer captained the franchise in its initial three seasons, before giving up on the responsibility as he wanted to concentrate on his personal performance. Mumbai has always been considered as one of the strongest teams of the cash-rich league but they failed to clinch the trophy in the first five seasons.
However, the Indians rose to the occasion in the just-finished season and defeated Chennai Super Kings in the final of the tournament on Sunday at Kolkata.
The batting-maestro, who announced his retirement from IPL cricket after the final, expressed that he badly wanted to see the franchise win the league before he calls it a day from the illustrious tournament. The legendary cricketer was all praise for the whole side and believes that they played according to their potential in IPL 6.
“I have waited for this for six years and six years is a long time.” Sachin told the IPL website. “But it's never too late. This has been an outstanding season for us; we have thoroughly enjoyed every moment with each other. The goal for this season was to win the trophy and I am glad that we have been able to do that.”
Mumbai reached the final of the tournament in 2010 under Tendulkar’s captaincy but failed to win the trophy. However, the great batsman has no regrets and is jubilant to see his team on the victory stand this time.
“It was good to reach the final [in 2010] but this year we made it till the end.” he added. “Whoever is the captain, it doesn't matter as long as we lift the trophy.”
Having already retired from the shorter formats of international cricket, the cricketer from Mumbai will now be seen only in the longer version of the game. With more than 34,000 runs at the highest stage of the game, Tendulkar is without doubt one of the all-time greats.

Kevin Pietersen starts net practice, tweets pictures

Kevin Pietersen might not be playing in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, but there is some good news for English fans. The star batsman has started practicing in the nets after a long lay-off. Pietersen tweeted pictures from his practice session to announce his return to his followers.

Pietersen, who was forced to return home due to a knee injury during England’s tour of New Zealand in March, is likely to be fit for the Ashes - which starts on July 10.

The right-hander was originally expected to miss six to eight weeks of cricket and had to skip the ongoing two-match series. He will also not feature during the ICC Champions Trophy  in June.

According to Daily Mail, Pietersen’s county team Surrey is hopeful that the 32-year-old will be fit in time to play their championship match against Sussex at Arundel on June 12. This match will also help Pietersen get into his stride ahead of the Ashes.

If Pietersen returns to the team on time, then either Jonny Bairstow or out-of-form opener Nick Compton would be axed from England’s squad which will take on Australia in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge on July 10.

Need to be patient about the probe: Gavaskar

Shashank Manohar, the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has called for “strong measures to eradicate betting/spot fixing/match fixing or any type of corruption which would mar the purity of the game”. Manohar, who headed the BCCI from 2008 to 2011, emphasised that winning back cricket fans’ trust should be paramount for the Board.

“It is the duty of the Board to see that the public perception is that the game is clean. Otherwise people would lose interest in the game,” said Manohar in an email to CNN-IBN on Sunday (May 26), calling for an investigative agency to look into all 76 matches of the Pepsi IPL.
“The Board should also provide them (the investigative agency) with a raw feed of the games as also the CCTV coverage recorded at every venue and after the investigation, apart from the criminal action, the Board should take strictest possible action against the persons involved, without showing any leniency,” he added.
Manohar also advocated approaching the government for aid in investigating criminal actions in all BCCI events as well as monitoring players’ phone calls, requiring player agents to be accredited, and banning post-match parties in the IPL. “The Board has to deal with this menace with an iron fist,” he reiterated.
On Sunday, N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, proposed a three-member panel – two of them from the BCCI Technical Committee, along with an independent third person – to analyse the “irregularities” during the sixth edition of the IPL.
Asked whether the probe would be conducted impartially, Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain, told NDTV that it was unfair to question the credibility of the panel before deliberations and emphasised that patience was the need of the hour. “I know we’re in the age of Twenty20 where we want everything instant and done in two-three hours. In a situation like this, I think it might be prudent for all of us to be a little patient,” said Gavaskar. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
Gavaskar noted it was unfortunate that high-profile cases such as this would invariably involve a trial by the media, influencing public opinion. He also added that it would be unfair to cast doubts on the composition of the panel, even if two members were from the BCCI. “It’s not fair of us to be doubting their integrity because they’re probing an internal BCCI matter,” he reasoned. “Even if you have five people outside the cricket board, people are still going to doubt it.”
Gavaskar refused to be drawn into debate about the role of M Gurunath, saying it was an issue that needs to be determined by the panel. “In the case of Rajasthan Royals, there were three players, actually contracted players, who were arrested and have been under a cloud. On the other hand, as far as Meiyappan is concerned, India Cements have said they are not in any way connected with it,” said Gavaskar. “That is their line and that is where I think we’ll have the three-man committee decide on that.”

Taylor: 'We've let ourselves down' - hopes for rain

Ross Taylor concedes rain is the Black Caps best hope for a draw in the second cricket Test at Headingly, and believes it's time for the team's batting unit to take a hard look at their failures.
New Zealand struggled again in the second innings overnight, ending on 158 for six, with only Taylor (70) and Hamish Rutherford (42) offering any real resistance.
The former Blacks Caps skipper acknowledged it was another disappointing batting effort.

"It just comes down to individual application," Taylor said.
"Cricket's a tough game, you nick off now and again, but as a batting unit we've got to be a lot tougher on ourselves. And we've let ourselves down the last three innings."
He rejected suggestions England batted too long on day four, reaching 287 for five.
"I guess a draw is better than a loss, but, you know, England have thoroughly dominated the game - we'll have to wait and see (on the weather).
"If the rain comes tomorrow we'll see if they did the right thing."

England and Wales to host the 2019 Cricket World Cup

The England and Wales Cricket Board can begin the process of allocating matches for the 2019 World Cup after finalising the hosting agreement with the International Cricket Council.

The ICC decided that the tournament would come to England and Wales as far back as 2006 but the ECB has just signed the paperwork that will begin the procession of putting venues out to tender.

An ECB statement read: "The International Cricket Council and the England and Wales Cricket Board have signed the host agreement to stage the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales at meetings held in Dubai on May 26.

"The tournament will be held throughout June 2019 and will be played at 10 venues."The ECB is currently preparing for next month's Champions Trophy and the team behind that event - headed by former South Africa all-rounder Steve Elworthy - will also be laying the foundations for the World Cup.

ECB chief executive David Collier, who signed the agreement in Dubai, said: "The signing of this agreement now enables the ECB to enter into staging agreements with venues who wish to stage matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

"The organising team from the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, led by tournament director Steve Elworthy, will commence the preparation work for this event immediately following the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, which ends with the final at Edgbaston on June 23.

"The ECB is honoured to have been selected to stage one of the largest and most important global sports events which will be a wonderful boost to sport and cricket in particular throughout England and Wales."

Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise and son-in-law of the BCCI president N Srinivasan, has been formally arrested by Mumbai Police

Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise and son-in-law of the BCCI president N Srinivasan, has been formally arrested by Mumbai Police on charges of cheating, forgery and fraud. The development, late on Friday night, is the most serious setback to the IPL in its six-year history and has serious implications for the BCCI as well given the names involved.

As of early Saturday morning there was no news of an emergency BCCI meeting but it is expected that events will move fast through the day, to discuss the issue of leadership - though Srinivasan insisted he would not step down - and also Chennai Super Kings' participation in the IPL final on Sunday.

Gurunath had been summoned to Mumbai for questioning over betting and links to bookies and flew in on Friday evening.

"We have interrogated Mr Gurunath after he arrived here at the crime branch headquarters," Himanshu Roy, the joint commissioner of Mumbai Police, said. "We have gone through questioning with him in detail and after due deliberation, we have arrived at the conclusion there is evidence of involvement in offence we are investigating and therefore he has been placed under arrest. He will be produced in court within 24 hours as per law."

Reports suggest Gurunath's interrogation in Mumbai will continue through Friday night, and he will also be confronted with Virender "Vindoo" Dara Singh, the actor arrested earlier this week for alleged contact with bookies. Police investigations suggested that Vindoo and Gurunath were in frequent telephonic contact. Vindoo was also seen in the CSK box at IPL matches.

Gurunath's lawyer PS Raman said: "We are exploring all legal possibilities. We are waiting for the remand report before reading the charges against him."

Srinivasan had not commented in public since the reports first emerged on Wednesday that his son-in-law was linked to the IPL scandal, but after the arrest he maintained he would not resign as BCCI president. "I have done nothing wrong," he told NDTV. "I am not resigning, the board is largely supportive of me."

Gurunath's connection to Super Kings was the subject of dispute through the day. He was the public face of the franchise, his Twitter handle said he was the "team principal", he was seen as Super Kings' representative at auctions and at IPL owners' meetings. Yet on Friday evening India Cements, the owners of the franchise and of which Srinivasan is the managing director, said Gurunath was only an honorary member of the team management.

The implications of Gurunath's arrest involve both Super Kings, who have qualified for the final to be played on May 26, and Srinivasan.

His arrest brings into question Super Kings' participation in the final - under IPL rules, the BCCI-IPL can terminate a franchise agreement "with immediate effect if: c) The Franchise, any Franchise Group Company and/ or any owner acts in any way which has a material adverse effect upon the reputation or standing of the League, BCCI-IPL, BCCI, the Franchise, the team (or any other team in the League) and/ or the game of cricket."

More importantly, and with wider implication, Srinivasan's position within the BCCI is likely to be under serious threat - not only because Meiyappan happens to be his son-in-law but because Srinivasan heads India Cements, who are owners of the Super Kings. The conflict of interest that arises from Srinivasan's dual position as BCCI president and de facto owner of an IPL franchise now has a serious immediate implication: he will, as board president, have to oversee any disciplinary action against either Gurunath or the franchise.

An IPL insider clarified that Meiyappan's change of designation was not likely to have any impact on the action that needs to be taken. "The moment you're a team management member, irrespective of the designation, the Anti-Corruption code applies to you. And nobody can deny the fact that he is a part of the ownership group and team management."

Scandal engulfs Indian cricket; web of players, bookies faces scrutiny

Flanked by two policemen and his face covered with a black cloth, one of the most recognizable sportsmen in India kept his head bowed as newspaper photographers clicked away.

The slim, 30-year old, who can hurl the ball at speeds of up to 145 km per hour (90 mph) at opposing batsmen, was arrested ten days ago, police said, for receiving 4 million rupees ($71,000) from bookies for underperforming in a match in the multi-billion dollar Indian Premier League (IPL), the sport's richest tournament. He and two other players were provisionally charged with cheating, fraud and breach of trust.
In a statement to media through his lawyer, Sreesanth denied any wrongdoing and said he was confident he would be proven innocent "and my honor and dignity will be vindicated and restored". The two other players and 11 bookies, who are also in custody, have not commented on the allegations.
The Indian cricket board (BCCI), which runs the IPL, has set up its own inquiry into the scandal.
The BCCI and the IPL did not return calls from Reuters for comment on the case, but N. Srinivasan, the BCCI president, told reporters after the arrests: "Three players have allegedly indulged in something.
"We do not believe that the whole of IPL is wrong. Actually, we are very grateful to the public who filled the stadiums (even) after this news came out."
On Friday, Srinivasan's son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, was also arrested by police probing illegal betting in the IPL. Meiyappan, who is among the management of one of the teams in the tournament, remains in custody and unreachable for comment.
His team is playing in the final of this year's IPL on Sunday.
"We've come to the conclusion that there is evidence of his involvement in this offence that we are investigating..." joint commissioner of Mumbai Police Himanshu Roy told reporters after the arrest.
Srinivasan, Meiyappan's father-in-law, told local television the law would take its course. "Whatever he has to defend, I'm sure he would defend adequately," he said.
GENTLEMAN'S GAME
Cricket, the "gentleman's game" of the British Empire nations, has been hit by a series of gambling-related scandals in international matches in recent years and several players have been convicted of throwing games.
But Sreesanth's case is the first time allegations of "fixing" in the IPL are being heard in a court of law, despite a huge, illegal betting industry that has grown up around the tournament. Local media has estimated wagers on IPL games reached $427 million in 2009, although gambling on sport remains illegal in India, except for horse-racing.
Srinivasan says the BCCI "cannot police and control every bookie in town - We do not have the resources."
"Cricket is a gentleman's game. We will put in place all measures to the maximum extent possible to monitor players' behavior ... so that such things do not recur," he said.
Bets are laid on results, but also on the total number of runs scored in matches, the number of "no-balls" or foul deliveries by bowlers, and the number of runs scored per six-delivery "over".
Enormous sums of money can be won if players can be bribed or coerced to manipulate outcomes.
"I'm not shocked at what has happened. I'm shocked so little came out," Rahul Mehra, a lawyer who has filed cases against the BCCI and other sports associations in India seeking more transparency in their operations, told Reuters.
In the IPL's two-month season, nine franchises play each other in a shortened three-hour version of the game, with cheerleaders, blanket television coverage and celebrity owners including India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Players are bought for millions of dollars at auctions - in 2011, Indian national team star Gautam Gambhir was engaged at $2.4 million by one of the franchises. And in cricket-mad India, the first 16 of this year's fixtures attracted 140 million TV viewers.
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
For decades, cricket was a sleepy, laid-back pastime, but the shorter, television-friendly forms of the sport have brought an influx of money, especially in India.
Experts on cricket say the large sums at stake and easy access to cricketers by bookies are clouding the future of the game. Also, the absence of any law to deal specifically with fixing in sport is a problem.
Law Minister Kapil Sibal has said the charges of cheating and fraud, being used by police against Sreesanth and the others, do not "adequately deal" with the offence.
Sreesanth and the others were arrested after police tapped telephone conversations between two of the cricketers and the bookies. New Delhi's police commissioner says the case has put a rare spotlight on the nexus between players, bookmakers and the underworld in India.
The three players are accused of "spot-fixing", which refers to the manipulation by players of specific moments within a match, for example how a ball is bowled, and not the result itself.
Police said the taped conversations revealed details of spot-fixing plans, the signals players would make to the bookies and the amount of money they would get in return. They allege Sreesanth and the two other players agreed to take money from bookmakers to concede a certain number of runs in an over, a set of six balls bowled during a match.
Police alleged that Sreesanth tucked a towel into his waistband during one game to signal to the bookie, giving him enough time to take bets before he resumed bowling.
The spot-fixing did not always go smoothly, Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar said. Of the other two arrested cricketers, one, Ajit Chandila, is alleged to have had to return 2 million rupees ($36,000) to the bookie he had struck a deal with, Kumar said. Despite conceding the pre-determined number of runs, he forgot to signal to the bookie that he was about to do it, the police chief said.
In another match, the third cricketer in custody, Ankeet Chavan, rotated his wristband to give the go-ahead to the bookies to take bets and was paid 6 million rupees ($110,000) in return, Kumar said.
Chavan's lawyer Rajiv Dwivedi told Reuters his client was innocent and was being falsely implicated. Chandila's lawyer could not be reached despite repeated phone calls.
ANTI-CORRUPTION WATCHDOG
The Indian cricket board employs the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) to oversee the IPL games, including monitoring teams at their hotels and in the stadium where the match is being played to make sure they are not approached by bookies.
The ACSU however has no power to arrest any player and if it spots any wrongdoing in the IPL, it would have to report to the BCCI.
"This incident emphasizes the threats all players face and need for the anti-corruption units of the International Cricket Council and its members to work even closer with the various law enforcement agencies around the world who have the necessary investigatory authority and resources," ACSU chief Y.P. Singh said in a statement.
The IPL tournament takes place in April and May. For players from modest backgrounds, it means two months of city-hopping and luxurious living in five-star hotels as media stars. At the end of the tournament, they return to their home states, where they earn much less playing for state teams.
"IPL is paying them so much and I'm happy for that. But easy money on offer is making them vulnerable," Madan Lal, a member of the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup, told Reuters, referring to the temptations for players to fall in with the bookies.
Some former and current cricketers say a few players could be enticed into illegal money-making ventures because they are unsure if they will be selected the following season and want to cash in on their current status.
"We want to weed out these elements," said Rajeev Shukla, a government minister and chairman of the IPL's governing council.
"After all, so much money is being paid to these players and if they are (still) doing it, it's the height of greed," he said in a recent television interview.
($1 = 55.5612 Indian rupees)
(Additional reporting by Anurag Kotoky and Suchitra Mohanty; Editing by Ross Colvin and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Gurunath Meiyappan suspended by BCCI from all cricket-related activities

  Board of Cricket for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced that Gurunath Meiyappan, the BCCI chief's son-in-law who has been arrested for betting, has been suspended from any association with cricket pending a probe. Meanwhile, a four-member Mumbai Police team is in Chennai to conduct searches at Mr Meiyappan's residence.

Spot fixing in cricket: Ficci for legalising betting in India

"In the wake of latest controversies related to spot fixing case in cricket and revelations of role of underworld in leveraging ban in sports betting, Ficci has once again reinitiated its call for regulating sports betting in India," the chamber said in a statement.

It said that despite several attempts to ban it, betting is continuing in an underground way and substantial resources have been invested into enforcing such a ban.

"Thus middle way out is, it should be regulated in a way which reduces this to an acceptable level. Hence, the Government should think of legalizing and regulating betting. India is continuing to lose billions of dollars in taxable revenue (an estimated Rs 12-20,000 crore annually) through black marketing operations in sports betting," it added.

Ficci said that the big advantage of regulating sports betting is going to be the accountability for the large amounts of money transferred through illegal channels and reduction in cases of match fixing, money laundering and crimes.

"If gaming and betting is regulated in India, it will benefit exchequer and could potentially fund sports development, social protection or welfare schemes and infrastructure development plans," it said.

In a representation to government, it has highlighted how blanket ban on sports betting has been impossible to be sustained without a proper regulation.

"A system which seeks simply to prohibit rather than control gambling is turning its back on the problem," it said adding ban cannot be implemented but sports betting can be controlled with proper regulation to prevent further deterioration of conduct of sports in country.

Raising the question regarding how to tax the money involved in gambling, it said that there is a need to devise a system which encourages betting operators to function openly.

"We also need to devise systems for protection for the young and vulnerable against the dangers of unwise betting behaviour but these can be addressed only if we spot the victim and which is possible only through proper regulation.

"Active regulation is the only real solution ? whether the underlying philosophy is to permit or restrict," it added.

Spot fixing allegations in the T-20 cricket tournament came to the fore again after the Delhi Police arrested three IPL cricketers and number of bookies on these charges. Few other police departments like Mumbai Police have also begun similar probes in their jurisdictions.  

ICC News: Sivaramakrishnan elected to ICC panel

 

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, the former India legspinner, has joined Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara as a players' representative on the ICC cricket committee, replacing the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) chief executive, Tim May*. Sivaramakrishnan, currently a commentator on Indian television, is learnt to have beaten May in a fiercely contested election that saw intense lobbying by both sides.

The ICC confirmed Sivaramakrishnan's appointment in a release on Monday, saying: "Sangakkara and Sivaramakrishnan were recently elected by a vote of the 10 Test captains, and will serve on the Cricket Committee for a three-year term from 2013-15." Former England captain Andrew Strauss has replaced Ian Bishop as 'Past Player representative', the release said. "Strauss is one of the two Past Player representatives (replacing Ian Bishop), while Sivaramakrishnan is one of the two Current Player representatives (replacing Tim May). The other Current Player representative is former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who has been on the committee since 2007."

Based on nominations received by it, the ICC board had proposed three names - those of Sangakkara, May and Sivaramakrishnan - for the two players' representative positions. Sangakkara, sole current player, is expected to be elected unanimously while Sivaramakrishnan is believed to have received six of the ten votes in the other slot, for former players. The representatives are elected by the captains of the ten Test-playing countries, who cast their votes in a secret online ballot.

Sivaramakrishnan had been backed by the BCCI, which, ESPNcricinfo has confirmed, contacted at least one other member country "requesting" support. He is also believed to have been backed by one more country, independent of the BCCI. Incidentally, though he has been elected as a players' representative, India has no recognised players' association.

May, the former Australia offspinner, has been the public voice of players' concerns globally since establishing FICA in 1998. He was, however, handicapped by the fact that FICA is recognised by only five Full Members of the ICC: Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies, the first four of whom are understood to have supported his nomination.

Apart from FICA's limited global influence, one factor that is believed to have gone against May was his sustained criticism of the running of Twenty20 tournaments including the IPL, Sri Lankan Premier League and the Bangladesh Premier League. It is believed that this won him few friends on the Asian boards.

Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South African players association, criticised the BCCI's interventionist approach to the election process. "It's a sad day for the governance of cricket when players aren't allowed to freely elect their representatives," Irish was quoted as saying. "Cricket is a global game and the decisions that are made should be global decisions for the benefit of the global game, not for the benefit of one country, whichever country that is."

However, a member of a board that voted for Sivaramakrishnan contested that view. "It is disingenuous for FICA or its supporters to protest because in an election, candidates canvas votes and FICA did the same thing on Tim May's behalf. The fact is that May didn't have the support of many captains and that showed in the votes. Suggestions that May had the support of nine captains to start with are completely baseless."

The ICC cricket committee is a leading decision-maker for the game's governing body in on-field matters, including playing conditions such as the use of the DRS to review umpiring decisions. It is headed by Anil Kumble, the former Indian captain, and includes Andrew Strauss and Mark Taylor (past players), Gary Kirsten (Full Member team coach representative), David White (Member board representative), Steve Davis (umpires' representative), Ranjan Madugalle (match referees' representative), John Stephenson (MCC representative), David Kendix (statistician), Trent Johnston (Associate representative), Ravi Shastri (media representative) and Clare Connor (women's representative).

Case against MS Dhoni for 'hurting' religious sentiments

A case has been registered in a local court against Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for allegedly "denigrating" a Hindu god and "hurting" the religious sentiments.

The 6th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Choori Khan registered a case under section 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) along with 34 of the Indian Penal Code against Dhoni on a complaint filed by social activist Jayakumar Hiremath.

In his complaint, Hiremath alleges that Dhoni is seen on the cover of a business magazine as Lord Vishnu, holding several things including a shoe in his hands. Hiremath claims Dhoni had denigrated the Hindu god and hurt religious feelings.

Taking cognisance of the offence and registering the case, the court posted it to May 12 for recording of the statement of the complainant.

Jesse Ryder starts recovery process, hits the gym

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder took a huge leap towards complete recovery on Friday when he turned up for a full workout session in a gym in Wellington, after suffering serious injuries in a brutal assault in March.

Ryder wrote on his Twitter page that he has a lot of work to do in terms to retain fitness after the attack.
''Back at gym 2day finally pity I almost died. #GottaWork,'' he tweeted.

Ryder was rushed to hospital with a fractured skull following a bar brawl, police and media said.

The attack came just days before the talented Ryder was to join the lucrative (IPL) sixth edition, for the Pune Warriors India.

Ryder had been drinking with his Wellington team-mates after a season-ending loss to Canterbury, but police said alcohol was not a factor in the beating he sustained. Witnesses said the attack appeared unprovoked, AFP reported.

But drink has frequently been at the centre of Ryder's troubles and the player has in the past sought psychological help to help get his career back on track.
 

Hope to maintain ‘away’ momentum: de Villiers

Royal Challengers Bangalore won away from home for the first time in the Pepsi Indian Premier League 2013, beating Pune Warriors India by 17 runs at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Friday (May 3). AB de Villiers, who scored an unbeaten 23-ball 50 to help Bangalore cross the line, said two more wins would assure Bangalore of a place in the knockouts.

“We’ve been playing really good cricket, and have been unlucky not to win away games so far,” said de Villiers. “It’s good for us to get off the mark with a win. Hopefully we can maintain that momentum in Mohali in our next game and so forth. We need one or two more wins to secure that spot in the knockout rounds, which will be great for us. We’ll make sure we’ll arrive at the next game and put as much pressure as possible against Kings XI.”
Bangalore put up 187 for 3, courtesy of some innovative batting from de Villiers in the death overs. He hammered Ashok Dinda in the final over for 26 runs, and displayed some typically unorthodox shots. “He (Dinda) is a good bowler, he bowls really good yorkers,” said de Villiers. “I had to do something different, and that’s why I played the left shots. I knew if I tried to hit him out of the ground, he would get his yorkers right. So I tried to read his mind, play him from the first ball and put the pressure on him. And then he had to change his game plan.”
However, Robin Uthappa, one of Pune’s few bright spots on the day with a 45-ball 75, believed Dinda would bounce back. “In the IPL this year, the teams are scoring about 50-60 runs in the last five overs,” said Uthappa. “Dinda’s one of those better bowlers who bowls well in the death. Unfortunately for him, it hasn’t come off this season, probably because his confidence has been dented after being hit a couple of times. But he has a lot of character and will come back strong.”
Uthappa was glad with his own form, though. “I’ve got a lot of starts this season,” he said. “This is a wicket where you can’t play with a lot of freedom. You have to really work for your runs and spend time and adapt to the pace of the wicket constantly. It’s not like you are set at any time, you need to be there and estimate how it is going to play and then take a chance. I’ve been situations where I’ve got in, got settled and got out couple of times this season. Today I’m glad I was able to play the role of an anchor because I’ve been working on it the whole season.”

Jacques Kallis skipping Champions Trophy

One of the world's best cricketers will miss next month's ICC Champions Trophy in England.
South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has asked to skip the tournament for personal reasons.
The 37-year-old has starred for the Proteas for nearly two decades, but head selector Andrew Hudson says it's too early to speculate on the future of his ODI career.
Kallis is currently playing in the Indian Premier League.

Bangladesh crush Zimbabwe by 121 runs in 1st ODI

Bangladesh defeated Zimbabwe by 121 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series at Bulawayo on Friday. Medium pacer Ziaur Rahman’s five-wicket haul ensured a comfortable victory after they posted a target of 270 for the hosts.

Zimbabwe never looked like making a match of it right from the start. Regis Chakabva was dismissed in the second over by Shafiul Islam, who removed Sikandar Raza as well in his next over. Hamilton Masakadza and skipper Brendon Taylor tried to revive some hopes but the dismissal of Taylor (33) first, followed by Masakadza (38) virtually sealed the fate of the game in the visitor’s favour.

Taylor was beaten by an arm ball from Abdur Razzaq, while Masakadza was caught plumb in front off  Rahman.

At 93 for five, after the fall of Masakadza’s wicket, it seemed the Zimbabwe innings would fold up quickly. However, his brother, Shingi Masakadza who picked up four wickets earlier in the day, put up a strong resistance along with Malcolm Waller to delay the visitor’s victory. Rahman eventually went through the defence of Waller who managed to score a rusty 19 fron 38 balls. Robiul Islam completed the formalities with the wicket of Shingi Masakadza who scored 33 runs.

Earlier in the day, skipper Brendon Taylor won the toss and invited Bangladesh to bat. The visitors put up a decent performance on a batting-friendly wicket. Their middle-order though put them in a spot of bother but a solid innings of 68 runs from Nasir Hossain along with useful contributions from Monimul Haque (38) and Tamim Iqbal (31) at the top followed by a Mahmudullah’s 36 runs down the order helped them reach the eventual total.

The two teams will play the remaining two ODI’s at the same venue on May 5 and May 8 respectively.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh 269 for 7 in 50 overs (Nasir Hossain 68, Mominul Haque 38; Shingi Mazakadza 4 for 51) beat Zimbabwe 148 all-out in 32.1 overs (Hamilton Masakadza 38, Shingi Masakadza 33; Ziaur Rahman 5 for 30) by 121 runs

Jonty Rhodes finds surfing cooler than cricket

South African cricketing icon Jonty Rhodes says surfing has something that gentleman's game does not have — the "cool" factor.

The world's best fielder was in the famed tourist location at Kovalam to inaugurate the country's first National Surfing and Stand up Paddle (SUP) competition that got underway on Friday.

Interacting with the media, Rhodes said everything about surfing is cool, from the outfits to the style.

"This is a chance for India to get its youngsters interested in a sport that is thrilling and is fun, and keeps you healthy and fit," said the 43-year-old Rhodes, who is currently the fielding coach of the Mumbai Indians Ipl team.

He also pointed out that he finds surfing a welcome break from the stress of cricket.

"Cricket today is more of a career, it's serious business and hard work, but surfing as a sport has yet to reach those levels of competitiveness so it lets you chill and loosen up," said Rhodes, the avid surfer that he is.

The competition has been organized by the Surfing Federation of India (SFI), the governing body for the sport in the country, with the support of Kerala's Department of Tourism.

The three-day event has surfing competitions and SUP races in the under 16, under 21, under 28 and over 29 categories.

International surfers take part in the open category and there are separate competitions for girls.

More than 100 participants from state surfing associations, clubs, surf schools and enthusiasts from around the country and abroad are taking part in the event.

Kishore Kumar, president of the Mangalore-based SFI, said they hope to make the competition much bigger next year with more participants from all over the country.

"Despite having an extensive coastline, excellent beaches and young talent, surfing is yet to catch on as an adventure sport in India, as it has done in surfing powerhouses such as Australia, South Africa, the US and Brazil," Kishore Kumar added.

ICC Champions Trophy 2013: Yuvraj Singh’s axing is most surprising

 A new-look Indian side is set to travel to England for the ICC Champions Trophy, 2013 and the big news is that Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh won’t feature on that trip. The Indian selectors have announced the 15-member squad for the tournament and it has a different make-up when compared to side that took on England during the home One-Day International (ODI) series earlier this year.

Here is India’s squad for the Champions Trophy: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c and wk), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, R Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma.

Along with Gambhir and Yuvraj, Ashok Dinda, Chetesawr Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Shami Ahmed have been given the boot (when compared to the squad for the England series). If the exclusion of Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan from the 30-man probables was surprising, the axing of Gambhir and Yuvraj from the final squad was unexpected.

Gambhir has been in patchy form for some time and people might say the call is fifty-fifty. Shikhar Dhawan’s cricketing stocks have soared tremendously since his brilliant hundred on Test debut. An injury ruled him out of a few games at the Indian Premier League (IPL), 2013 but has looked good since his return. He seems to be the replacement for Gambhir in the squad. However, Vijay’s call-up is a bit surprising although he was in fantastic touch during the Test series

During the series against England, India promoted Rohit to the opening slot and that move worked well. He had opened the batting for India during the ICC World T20 2009 in England and should be India’s choice for the role. As a result, Rahane lost out and finds himself on the bench yet again.

Yuvraj hasn’t enjoyed a very successful run since his return to the ODI setup late last year. However, he is a talismanic player and axing him from a big tournament is a huge gamble. He is one player who can rally the side single-handedly and inspire them with all-round performances. If one looks at India’s major successes in one-day cricket in the last decade, Yuvraj has the key to those victories. He deserved a longer run in the side as it isn’t that he hasn’t been in bad form. Even during the ongoing IPL, he has looked in touch and is striking the ball well.

Although India have Jadeja as the all-rounder and the extra bowling option, Yuvraj can also be handy with ball. He doesn’t turn the ball and looks innocuous, but can trouble the batsmen with a nagging length. They also succumb to the temptation of hitting him out of the park and he uses that aspect very well to trap his victims.

A very pertinent question is: If a Rohit can be given a long run despite repeated failures, why can’t a Yuvraj be persisted with? After all, he has a good one-day record and has won India numerous tournaments. Perhaps, the selectors wanted a back-up wicket-keeping option and named the in-form Karthik in the side.  

Amit Mishra's call-up is a very positive move. The leg-spinner has been in fantastic form in the IPL and hasn’t got his due at the highest level. This is a reward for his consistency. However, Ashwin would be the preferred spinner in the eleven, with Jadeja being the all-rounder. Teams wouldn’t be keen to play too many spinners in their line-ups in England.

A lot of the focus would be on fast-bowling as that department can exploit the conditions in England. Bhuvneshwar gets a chance to bowl in a setting that aids his strengths. Even on unhelpful tracks in India, he gets copious movement and one waits to watch him bowl in England. He would be India’s trump-card for the tournament. Irfan makes a comeback and he is the second swing-bowler in the side.

The return of Yadav is a huge boost as it adds a new dimension to the attack. His pace would be a handful and would be a sea change when compared to the other military medium options in the team. Vinay Kumaralso makes a comeback and would be eager to carry his IPL form into that tournament. This is an opportunity for the seamers to impress as that has been a major Achilles Heel for India since the last World Cup.

On a whole, the squad seems to have balance and it has been picked with an eye on the next World Cup. The only problem would be picking the right combination as it is a completely different squad. Dhoni would hope that it doesn’t cause instability and that they are able to zero in on the perfect make-up ahead of their opening encounter.

No chance of Sehwag's surprise selection for Champions Trophy: Gavaskar

Virender Sehwag was dropped from the list of probables for Champions Trophy last month. While the selectors will name the final team for the tournament on Saturday, Sunil Gavaskar told NDTV a day earlier that there is no chance of his surprise selection.

While form has been unkind to Sehwag in the recent past, Gavaskar says fitness issues continue to persist too and selectors will not gamble with Sehwag in the side for the tournament starting June 6. "In the case of Sehwag, there is no chance (of a surprise selection). He has not really been a 100 per cent fit right throughout and doesn't look a cent per cent fit as far as the back is concerned. So I don't think they will take a chance with Sehwag," he said.

While Champions Trophy is a 50-over format, Sehwag's showing in Indian Premier League too has not been sensational enough to make a case for his inclusion in the national team. Apart from an unbeaten 95, the Delhi Daredevils player has struggled. " I think he needs to score double and triple hundreds in domestic cricket to force his way back in the Indian cricket team. I don't think 20s and 30s will work and has to get in there by the sheer weight of performance," said Gavaskar. Former India cricketer Farokh Engineer though also added that the foreign teams would be happy to not bowl to Sehwag. "He is still a manacing batsman on his day."

In fact, asked to pick a 15-member squad, Gavaskar and Engineer had largely similar names in their lists, as follows:

Sunil Gavaskar's Team India for Champions Trophy: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar and Amit Mishra

Gautam Gambhir: I respect Rahul Dravid

His image taking a bit of beating after verbal duel with Rahul Dravid during Friday's IPL game,Gautam Gambhir today sought to clear the air by saying that he never exchanged any harsh words with the legendary batsman, who remains a respected figure for him.

This is the second time time that Gambhir is involved in such an altercation. In an earlier IPL match, he and Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli were involved in an ugly on-field spat.

Last night in the fifth over of the KKR innings, first Manvindra Bisla and Shane Watson started a verbal duel when the latter threaten to throw a ball back the batsman. Dravid tried to calm down Bisla but the stumper wanted him to cool off Watson first. Gambhir who was batting at the other end, also joined the heated discussion.

In the next over, when Gambhir was stumped by Dinesh Yagnik off Watson, it looked that the batsman again exchanged some words with Dravid before walking off.

However, Gambhir early this morning clarified that there no such altercation happened.

"Guys, u have got it all wrong. No harsh words exchanged between me n Rahul bhai. He was n will always be a respected teammate. No fuss plz," he wrote on his twitter page.

Gambhir actually ridiculed the way last night's incident is being circulated.

"Guess we are always obsessed wid some drama or spice.Sorry none existed between me and rahul. Always respect him," read his second tweet.

 Before Gambhir took the social networking site to clear his stand, his India teammate Ravindra Jadeja castigated him for not respecting the legend.

"Gambhir you might have won the game, but you lost all the respect of Blue Billion and you'll never get it back," Jadeja wrote in a series of tweets.

Comparing Gambhir with hot-headed Kohli, in the backdrop of the spat between the two, Jadeja rated the Bangalore skipper better.

"Kohli is way better than #Gambhir, at least he respects the legends."

Jadeja also did not spare Bisla, writing, "Awkward moment when a guy who can't even catch a ball, #Bisla, sledges the Gentleman of Cricket, #Dravid."

"If Cricket is a gentleman's game,Rahul Dravid is that Gentleman."

Not only Jadeja, but also Australian spin legend Shane Warne, who led the Rajasthan Royals to IPL title in 2008, railed the Indian opener.

"Question cricket followers - is Ghambir in the top 3 annoying cricketers on the planet ???," Warne wrote on his twitter page.

Shahid Afridi irks PCB, could face disciplinary action

Shahid Afridi has irked the Pakistan Cricket Board for giving an interview to the media after his omission from the 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in England, following which the Board is contemplating a disciplinary action against the flamboyant all-rounder.

Afridi told the 'Jang' newspaper that it was captain Misbah-ul-Haq who didn't want him in the team. "It's the captain's decision to drop me," he told the newspaper.

"It's no big deal for me if a captain doesn't want a certain player in the team," he added.

Under the PCB code of conduct, players are not allowed to comment on selection matters and last year experienced all-rounder Abdul Razzaq faced a disciplinary action by the Board after blaming the national T20 captain Mohammad Hafeez for dropping him for the semifinal in the ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka.

A PCB source told PTI that Afridi's interview would be reviewed on Thursday after which it would be seen whether he has violated the players' code of conduct or not.

Afridi, one of Pakistan's most experienced all-rounders with 7,201 runs and 348 wickets in one-day internationals, said he would soon make a comeback into the side.

"I am still better than most and I have not given up on playing cricket. I know I still have a few years of cricket left in me so I am confident I can make a comeback," Afridi said.

The national selectors dropped Afridi after he went wicketless in his last 10 one-day internationals.

But in the interview, Afridi said poor form hit every player and he was not worried about it. "When I was not getting runs they talked about my batting now I have started to score runs and similarly I will also get back my bowling form as well."

Captain must be transparent with the players: Sourav Ganguly

Leading a cricket team is no different from running a family where the members would end up playing for themselves if the captain loses their faith, feels former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.

"As a leader, if you want a good team, you have to be transparent with your players. The biggest quality of the leader is to get the trust of his players," Ganguly said at the 'FedEx Master of Deliveries' event where he discussed leadership with Australian great Adam Gilchrist in Mumbai on Tuesday night.

"We are in an environment where we drop people and as soon as you are left out, as a player you have so many questions on your mind. It is easier to drop a person but you have to speak to him. This is where you stand, this is where we feel you can go but we want you back in the squad and he goes back happy," he explained.

"And when he comes back he knows the leader has kept his word, he delivers 100 per cent. If that transparency or trust doesn't generate, at some stage, in a team sport, you find players playing for themselves. And that is when things start going down. You need to avoid getting in those situations," he stressed.

Elaborating on other challenges of captaincy, Ganguly said identifying and managing talent is no small task for a leader. Having people with different personalities in the same dressing room can also be a problem but Ganguly said "you need them to be who they are".

"Like in families you have certain people going the other way, you have to deal with it. I think that is where leadership comes into picture. You have to handle every individual differently. With all due respects, you had a Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to deal with, who are completely different personalities," the Kolkatan said.

"If you asked Yuvraj Singh to read the book he wouldn't hit the cricket ball the next day. The other way, if you asked Rahul Dravid to go for a party in the night, he wouldn't wake up the next morning," he quipped.

"These are two different personalities and you have to let them lead their lives. As a leader you have to make sure that their efforts are at the right time. Adam had Shane Warne at one end and Steve Waugh at the other. They are different personalities and at the end of the day, they delivered for Australian cricket," Ganguly added.

Talking about the game in general, Ganguly said the players should just focus on performance when they step on the field and not even think about the rest of the issues.

"I have always believed that once you walk on the cricket field as a player, whoever it maybe 100 Test matches or first game, it is about the cricket ball you should worry. The rest of the thought processes shouldn't be on your mind," he said.

"What is the selector thinking, what is the captain thinking, what the coach thinks about you, whether it is the last opportunity or the first opportunity. We as players go through that. Different players can take different pressures.

All you should worry about is the cricket ball and not about place," he added.

Regarded as India's most successful captain, Ganguly said that sometimes things don't go to plan.

"I was on the wrong side but I was fortunate to watch Adam's 100 in Mumbai on an absolute square turf. We had prepared everything before the start of the series. After four or five overs, I looked at John Wright who was standing at the balcony because all I did was exactly opposite of what we spoke the previous night," he said.

"Fifty per cent of the times you can decide something and it happens the other way. In that era, they were such a great side, you had (Matthew) Hayden and (Justin) Langer, as captain you brought in a left-arm seamer, tried to bring him back take it away from Langer or bowl the short ball," he said.