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The ICC has declared Pakistan women’s offspinner Javeria Khan’s action as illegal and suspended her from bowling in international cricket

Cricinfo staff06-Jul-2010The ICC has suspended Javeria Khan, the Pakistan offspinner, from bowling in international cricket after her action was found to be over the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted for bending of the elbow.Javeria had earlier been reported during a match against Sri Lanka in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in St Kitts.The independent test was performed by Bruce Elliott, a member of the ICC Panel of Human Movement Specialists, at the University of Western Australia in Perth on June 16. The analysis showed the mean elbow extension in Javeria’s bowling action for the offbreak was 29.3 degrees, and increased to 40.7 degrees when she began to tire.She can apply for re-assessment of her action after she has modified it in accordance with clause 2.4 of the regulations for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal bowling actions. She also has the right to appeal against UWA’s conclusions to the Bowling Review Group. Should she choose to appeal, she must lodge written notification with the ICC within 14 days of receiving the report.The Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement that it would work on the matter internally by supervising the remedial work on her action.

Amjad Ali struck a fifty and a century as UAE beat Bermuda in the two Twenty20 matches at the National Stadium

Cricinfo staff13-Jul-2010
ScorecardUAE were stretched by a robust batting performance from Bermuda chasing 179, but prevailed by 21 runs in the first of two Twenty20 games in Hamilton. Amjad Ali was aggressive at the top after UAE elected to bat, and smashed three fours and as many sixes in his 53 to launch his side to a big total. Saqib Shah kept things rolling from the other end as the opening stand raised 67 in under eight overs. Offspinner Rodney Trott and seamer Kevin Tucker brought Bermuda back into the game during the end overs, but UAE had enough momentum to reach 178, with Saqib Ali and Arshad Ali making crucial contributions.Bermuda began their chase positively, with Chris Foggo striking a six before being stumped off Shadeep Silva. David Hemp and Steven Outerbridge gave their side a strong chance at victory, adding 57 in 53 balls before Arshad Ali brought UAE back in the game. He finished with 2 for 22, as Bermuda lost too many wickets and fell out of the reckoning. Outerbridge remained unbeaten on 43, and despite Jordan DeSilva’s 18 off 12 balls, UAE prevailed easily in the end.
ScorecardWhile UAE had to earn their win in the first game, the second match was a walk in the park once again masterminded by Amjad. He went one better than his fifty earlier in the day and finished with a fluent 105 off 61 balls with eleven fours and five sixes. The bulk of UAE’s runs came during Amjad’s second-wicket stand with Swapnil Patil – 117 runs in 12 overs. Bermuda recovered towards the end of the innings, with Outerbridge taking three wickets including that of Amjad’s to deny UAE a score in excess of 200, but sufficient damage had already been done.Bermuda were never in the hunt after losing Hemp in the first over. Fiqre Crockwell and Outerbridge kept attacking during their second-wicket stand of 53, but the innings unraveled once the left-arm spinning duo of Shadeep Silva and Ahmed Raza came on. Their seven overs yielded only 29 runs while accounting for five wickets as Bermuda suffered a resounding defeat.

Lalit Modi’s fight against the BCCI has hit another roadblock after his request to remove specific members of the board’s disciplinary committee was rejected

Cricinfo staff11-Aug-2010The BCCI has rejected a request by Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, for specific members of the board’s disciplinary committee, investigating charges against him, to recuse themselves from the proceedings. A brief statement by the board didn’t outline any reasons but stated that the next hearing of the committee will be on Wednesday, August 18, in New Delhi.Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, had sought the removal of interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin and BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley from the committee on grounds that they were biased against him. The committee met on August 1 to discuss the recusal issue but adjourned the meeting without a ruling. Modi did not attend the meeting via video conferencing despite saying he was willing to do so.This disciplinary committee has met thrice to investigate the allegations against Modi. The committee has until October 26 to submit its recommendations to the board. The BCCI suspended Modi immediately following the conclusion of IPL 3 in April and charged him with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England.Modi has repeatedly sought Amin’s recusal, claiming he was biased because Modi revealed he was part of a failed bid for one of the two new IPL franchises. Modi’s lawyers have also argued Jaitley should not be on the panel either because he had voted to ratify the charges against Modi at the board’s special general body meeting on July 3.

A responsible yet attacking 93 from Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas, and a surprise four-wicket haul from Hemang Badani gave India Cements a 25-run victory against Air India in the first semi-final of the Corporate Trophy

Cricinfo staff06-Sep-2010
ScorecardAn unbeaten century from Uttar Pradesh batsman Ravikant Shukla, a stunning lower-order assault from Amit Dani, and an all-round bowling effort helped Indian Oil Corporation overcome Income Tax to enter the final against India Cements. Ameya Shrikhande scored a run-a-ball 114 to keep Income Tax in the hunt, but his team-mates could not provide adequate support as they were bowled out 67 runs short.IOC’s decision to bat was vindicated by their openers who added 61 in 11.3 overs and set the stage for a big score. Wasim Jaffer was in an aggressive mood, striking seven fours and a six in his 38 off 35 balls, while Paresh Patel was watchful at the other end. Though both were guilty of not making their starts count, Shukla who came in at one-drop was determined to cash in. The young middle-order duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Harpreet Singh did the needful, turning the strike over as Shukla settled into a big innings.Harpreet departed at 211 for 4 in the 42nd over, but by then Shukla had worked himself into top gear. Dani who came in at No. 6 hit the ground running and Income Tax came in for some punishment. Shukla, who came into this game with a solitary first-class 100 and none at the List A level, smashed eight fours and three sixes as he finished with 123. Dani clouted four sixes and three fours, and finished one short of a fifty as the stand realized 93 in eight overs.Income Tax’s reply got off to a horror start when opener Hiken Shah fell for a duck in the first over. They tried to counter-attack, going after IOC’s opening bowlers, but the pressure of chasing a 300-plus score began to show on the running between the wickets. Amor Ubarhande and Jay Desai succumbed to run outs before Bhavik Thaker settled down with Shrikhande to rebuild the innings. During this phase, seamers Dani and Murtuza Hussain combined with left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar to keep Income Tax quiet.Thaker could not reach the boundary during his 45 off 62 balls and when he fell in the 37th over, Income Tax needed 120 off 13.3 overs. Shrikhande kept fighting, but the lower order did not have the nous to stay with him. His innings was ended by Pawar who castled him from over-the-wickets for a run-a-ball 114. Thereafter it was only a matter of time, and Income Tax eventually folded for 241 in the 46th over.

Half-centuries from Ewaid Steenkamp, Craig Williams and Sarel Burger took Namibia to 320 for 4 on the second day of their ICC Intercontinental Shield match against Uganda in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2010
ScorecardCraig Williams has turned in a fine allround performance for Namibia•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Half-centuries from Ewaid Steenkamp, Craig Williams and Sarel Burger took Namibia to 320 for 4 on the second day of their ICC Intercontinental Shield match against Uganda in Windhoek.Steenkamp and Raymond Van Schoor got Namibia off to a flying start, putting on 55 for the first wicket at a run-a-ball before Van Schoor was bowled by Emmanuel Isaneez for 31 off just 32 deliveries. Steenkamp and Burger then made sure the early momentum would not be squandered with a 124-run partnership. Steenkamp’s 87 came off 120 deliveries and contained 14 fours, while Burger played the anchor role, taking 161 balls for his 68, with nine fours.Williams continued to build on the foundation provided by the top three, finishing the day unbeaten on 78 from 193 deliveries, a day after picking up five wickets.Uganda got through 109 overs in the day, with offspinner Frank Nsubuga bearing the brunt of the load, bowling 35 overs and finishing with figures of 1 for 69.Wicketkeeper Lawrence Sematimba’s maiden first-class hundred lifted Uganda to a first-innings score of 329 on the first day.

Openers Tim McIntosh and Peter Ingram led New Zealand A to a comfortable nine-wicket win against Zimbabwe A on the third day of the final unofficial Test in Harare.

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2010
Scorecard
Openers Tim McIntosh and Peter Ingram led New Zealand A to a comfortable nine-wicket win against Zimbabwe A on the third day of the final unofficial Test in Harare. With this victory, New Zealand took the three-match series 2-0.Given the small target of 168, the only hope for Zimbabwe A was to try and get early wickets, but McIntosh and Ingram had other ideas. The pair shut Zimbabwe out of the game with a busy 122-run opening stand. Ingram, who has not been among the runs recently, finally found some form, hitting seven fours in his brisk 63. By the time he fell to medium-pacer Michael Chinouya, New Zealand needed only 46 more. Martin Guptill came in and smashed a quick 25 as New Zealand raced to the target. McIntosh remained unbeaten on 76, having hit 11 fours and a six.New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin, who took 5 for 72, was named Player of the Match. Wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins was Player of the Series for top scoring with 292 runs in four innings, including one hundred and three half-centuries.

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said the current spot-fixing investigation has diverted resources away from organising tours to Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2010Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said the current spot-fixing investigation has diverted resources away from organising tours to Pakistan, and that there is now no space left in the calendar to accommodate a visiting team.”The ICC Task Force was well on its way to bringing a MCC XI team to Pakistan in which two players of each cricket board were to be included,” Butt said. “Moreover, Zimbabwe were also interested in sending their national team to Pakistan. The current spot-fixing scam, however, has diverted attention to other issues as work of inviting some teams to Pakistan could not be materialised, and there is no appropriate time left for such activities due to hectic schedule of Pakistan till the World Cup.”Giles Clarke, chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Force, had called for Pakistan to resume hosting international matches back in August and suggested that an ICC World XI would tour the country “in due course”. Following the floods that devastated the country earlier this year, Zimbabwe offered to tour Pakistan to help raise money for the relief effort, and their visit was tentatively scheduled for November and early December. No international cricket has been played in Pakistan since the March 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team.Last month the ICC decided to closely monitor the running of the game in Pakistan. After a two-day board meeting in Dubai, the message of the world governing body to one of its leading members was clear: sort out the game’s administration or face the consequences, potentially in the form of sanctions. The PCB was told “it must act and be seen to be acting to uphold the zero-tolerance attitude to corruption in sport.”

The ICC has announced that the ICC Intercontinental Cup will return to being a single-division, biennial eight-team, first-class tournament.

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2010The ICC has announced that the ICC Intercontinental Cup will return to being a single-division, biennial eight-team, first-class tournament, and at the same time has scrapped the less-than-popular Intercontinental Shield.The sixth staging of the tournament is scheduled to run from May 2011 until December 2012 with the top six Associate and Affiliate teams with ODI status from 2009-2012 automatically included, namely Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland.The remaining two places will be determined by the ICC Development Committee from the top four teams of the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 event which is scheduled for April 2011 in Dubai.WCL Division 2 is currently made up of Bermuda, Namibia, UAE and Uganda with two qualifiers to proceed from WCL Division 3 (scheduled for 22-29 January 2011). The Cup will again be played on a round-robin basis with the top two teams progressing towards the final.ICC Global Development Manager Matthew Kennedy said: “Due to the Zimbabwe XI no longer participating, it has been decided to revert to the previous Intercontinental Cup structure of eight teams with more guaranteed games for all. In making this decision, consideration was given to the international cricket opportunities now provided to all 95 Associate and Affiliate Members across all three formats of the game.”With balancing these formats in mind, it is important to offer the best non-Test-playing nations the opportunity to compete in meaningful multi-day cricket. And as a result of this expanded I Cup, the second division that was the ICC Intercontinental Shield is no longer required.”In addition, the ICC Development Committee has allocated the staging of two Pepsi ICC WCL events to Malaysia (Division 6 in September 2011) and Singapore (Division 5 in February 2012).It has also been decided that the first 16-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, which will determine the six teams to join the ten Full Members at the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September 2012, will be staged in the UAE in the early part of 2012.Following the conclusion of WCL Division 4 in Italy in August and the subsequent global rankings, the Development Committee has confirmed that the regional Twenty20 qualification systems through 2011 will provide the ten teams that will join the six ODI nations in the WT20 Qualifier. The teams would be drawn from Asia (3), Europe (2), Africa (2), Americas (2) and East Asia – Pacific (1).

Khawaja is a run-maker who will be the first Muslim to wear a baggy green, instantly becoming a poster boy for a significant chunk of a country which has always had to watch a mono-culture team

Peter English in Sydney02-Jan-2011Usman Khawaja will bring so much more than his bat to the SCG for his Test debut on Monday. Khawaja, 24, is a run-maker who will be the first Muslim to wear a baggy green, instantly becoming a poster boy for a significant chunk of a country which has always had to watch a mono-culture team.Jason Gillespie was Australia’s only Test cricketer with acknowledged Aboriginal heritage and there have been a heavy sprinkling of players with eastern European heritage, such as Katich, Kasprowicz and Krejza. But despite the country having welcomed a huge immigrant population from Asia, it has taken the rise of Khawaja, an assured left-hander born in Pakistan, to break the mould.And Khawaja, who doesn’t drink and is a qualified pilot, fits in perfectly with his new team-mates. He is already the most popular guy in the New South Wales squad and has settled in well over the summer with the Test outfit in Brisbane, Melbourne and now Sydney.Khawaja, who moved to Australia when he was three, will bat three in the fifth Test after replacing Ricky Ponting. It is a massive job but nothing seems to faze him. Not the extra attention because of his religion, his upbringing, his flying or his batting. Not even the size of the queue for his autograph outside the SCG nets today.”Ussie is pretty chilled out, a pretty laid-back sort of guy,” Michael Clarke said. “He’s going fine. He’s really excited about being part of this Australian team and receiving his baggy green and playing his first Test match.”Like most people who have watched Khawaja, Clarke is impressed by his composed play and wristy shots. In 27 first-class matches Khawaja averages 51.70 and after 30 first-class innings for New South Wales was the state’s sixth-most prolific run-scorer. Only Don Bradman, Arthur Morris, Norm O’Neill, Phillip Hughes and Stan McCabe had done more.”I have no doubt Usman will play a lot more than one Test match for Australia,” Clarke said. “It’s important when he walks out on the field he’s doing nothing different to what he’s done the last two years for New South Wales. Get out there, play his way, be himself, be confident. I guarantee you, if he gets out there and plays the way he’s played for New South Wales, we all know he’ll have success over a long career.”There will be two new caps handed out before the toss, with the spinner Michael Beer also getting one, but Clarke won’t be delivering them like Ricky Ponting has done. Clarke’s first change as captain comes with a return to former Australian Test players presenting the baggy greens, a ceremony started under Steve Waugh.”The players don’t know who they are [getting the caps from] so it’s a bit of a surprise,” Clarke said. Shane Warne is likely to be there for Beer, a left-arm spinner, who used to play at his St Kilda club in Melbourne. Beer has since moved to Western Australia and leap-frogged from fringe state player to Test specialist in seven first-class games.Beer, 26, is more a traditional Australian player, with long vowels, short words and light-coloured, spiky hair. He has never played at the SCG and is the latest slow bowler to have shot from the selectors’ test-tube. The panel has preferred Beer to Doug Bollinger, with Ben Hilfenhaus holding on to his spot.Clarke is not worried by Beer’s lack of experience at the ground and expects him to have a big impact from the third day, when the pitch is expected to offer significant turn. “I made my debut in Bangalore and I’d never been to Bangalore before, never seen that change room, never played a game on that wicket,” Clarke said. “It’s no different. He’s lucky enough to make his Test debut at the SCG in front of a full house.”

After spending December trapped in by now and bad weather Pubudu Dassanayake, the Canada coach, is thrilled that his team are playing in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament just prior to the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2011After spending December trapped in by snow and bad weather, Pubudu Dassanayake, the Canada coach, is thrilled that his team are playing in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament just prior to the World Cup.Canada completed a training camp on Wednesday and will play the tournament, which will be between January 10 and 23. With the World Cup just over a month away Dassanayake is thankful that the team will get some valuable match practice.”When I thought about it, here [in Toronto], there’s snow and you have to be indoors, and, if you go to the Caribbean, you’re going to face all the top quality bowlers, you’re going to play on good grounds and facilities,” Dassanayake told CBC.ca.Ravin Moorthy, Canada’s high performance manager, echoed the sentiment and reassured that the change in format won’t affect his side’s preparations. “It’s a slightly different format than what we’ll face in the World Cup [with its 50 overs], but it’s an opportunity to play against good quality cricketers in a well-organised tournament with good facilities,” said Moorthy.”It’s a good opportunity for guys to get outside, play some cricket outdoors and dust off some of the cobwebs.”Canada are in Group B at the Caribbean T20, along with Barbados, Hampshire Royals, Leeward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago and play their opening game against Hampshire on January 11.”What we want to achieve, of course, is to win,” Dassanayake said. “But at the same time, it’s all about going with the same plans we’re going to have in the World Cup. Having the same batting order, trying to improve our fielding as a group and the variations of how we use our bowlers, is all of the stuff we’re going to work on this tour as a preparation towards the World Cup.”Moorthy felt being together for nearly a year has done the team plenty of good and he hopes they will be ready to play their best cricket by the time the World Cup comes around. “At this stage, it’s not so much technical remediation; it’s learning how to bring your best performance onto the top stage.”It has not all been plain sailing however, with Canada’s all-time leading run scorer John Davison deciding last month to withdraw from the squad until further explanation was given for the omission of batsmen Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff from the World Cup squad.The turmoil is sure to have rocked the camp but Moorthy is confident the bond between the team is strong enough to overcome the loss and Dassanayake backed the youngsters to make up for Davison’s absence.”It’s a group that has very little challenges as everybody seems to enjoy each other’s company so, from that perspective, it’s a pleasure to be a part of,” said Moorthy. “Everybody’s on the same page and everyone is really focused towards doing something.”The youngsters that we have, especially Nitish Kumar, Hiral Patel, Ruvindu Gunasekera and Parth Desai, have the talent to be at that level,” Dassanayake said. “Even though they’re young, you can see that these guys came a long way and they do things like senior players. I’m expecting them to perform in the World Cup and put on a good show.”