Lancashire lose Junaid's services

Lancashire have suffered a blow ahead of their Friends Life t20 campaign after they confirmed Junaid Khan, the Pakistan left-arm quick bowler, would not take up his deal with the club due to international commitments.

Junaid has been named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against Sri Lanka which coincides with the FLt20 and will now not link up with countryman Yasir Arafat who is Lancashire's other overseas player for the tournament.

Junaid made a positive impression with Lancashire last season where he took 12 wickets in eight t20 matches with an economy rate of six per over, although was not available for Finals Day when Lancashire went out in a semi-final super over against Leicestershire.

He is one of a number of international players who have had to withdraw from county contracts in recent weeks including Peter Siddle, Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Johnso

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England finally shift Chanderpaul

Six minutes before tea on the fourth day, Shivnarine Chanderpaul finally cracked. Another Test innings of monumental patience ended when he swept at Graeme Swann and Marais Erasmus raised his finger for the lbw decision that England begged. Even then he made them wait, and the Lord's crowd with them, as he called for a review, but technology granted no clemency: the ball was shown to be striking leg stump.

It had been an innings so introspective that it turned all those who watched it into introverts, increasingly wrapped up in their own thoughts as they respectfully observed an innings of rare discipline. The afternoon session leaked only 53 runs in 28 overs, grim fare indeed. At tea, it looked unlikely to spare the West Indies: they led by 110 runs with only four wickets remaining. But in a situation where saving the game was the only thing on their mind his dedication had commanded respect.

Chanderpaul has batted for nearly ten-and-a-half hours in this match, his progress so painstaking that his 26th Test century still eluded him. He followed an unbeaten 87 in the first innings with 91 second time around before his laborious resistance, characterised by furtive flicks into the leg side, was finally broken.

It was not solely about Chanderpaul because alongside him Marlon Samuels summoned one of his most disciplined Test displays, 86 from 172 balls, as West Indies resisted with great dedication. Chanderpaul's placid refusal to quit seemed to have influenced his partner, who produced what flashes of entertainment there were for a patient crowd and who can rarely have batted so judiciously for his country.

It was a monotonous day, decidedly chilly, too, with a brisk northerly wind. If this abysmal weather continues much longer egg-and-bacon overcoats will be de rigueur in London NW8. As for the West Indies players, those who ventured onto the balcony to convey their support for an immensely worthy innings wore white towels over their heads. If Shiv had batted much longer England's bowlers would soon have been looking for white flags.

The second new ball, due one over into the afternoon session, was not the panacea for which England had hoped - but it did account for Samuels. They took it gratefully at 212 for 4, after suffering a wicketless morning, and it was into its sixth over when Stuart Broad had Samuels caught at second slip. It ended a fifth-wicket stand of 157 runs in 54 overs and Broad puffed out his cheeks in relief.

Tim Bresnan, previously an economical but unthreatening third seamer, then produced his most insistent spell of the match, without reward. Broad occasionally flogged life from a sedate surface and with James Anderson also passing the edge at regular intervals without reward, England's frustration became increasingly evident. It was left to Swann to summon a random bit of magic.

At the start of play, West Indies trailed by 35 and forecasts abounded that the game would be up by lunchtime. But the pitch remained slow, it was too cold to swing, and England were again faced with the problem of how on earth to rid themselves of Chanderpaul's silent resistance. Shiv was Shiv, engaged in an extensive exercise in problem solving. His fifty came in 151 balls and three-and-threequarter hours as he inside-edged Bresnan past leg stump. It was one of his few errors. He raised his bat as if disgusted with himself.

They began by bowling wide at him, as they had on Saturday, the repetitive cricket causing spectators to bury themselves dejectedly into their overcoats. When they were driven into bowling straighter, Chanderpaul routinely worked them behind square. England might have been better posting a leg gully, anything to suggest that the shot had an element of risk.

Broad found Samuels' edge; Anderson found Chanderpaul's, but on both occasions the ball fell short of slip. They were reluctant to bowl fuller because there was no movement but as Chanderpaul was as likely to sing a song as drive down the ground their reluctance was hard to fathom. They spent much of the morning trying to get the ball changed, to no avail.

There was always the chance of a run out because Chanderpaul is so immersed in his own game that he is often oblivious to the needs of his partner. He might have been run out by Kevin Pietersen's underarm flick from short mid wicket on 38 when Samuels wanted a single. On another time he ambled halfway down the pitch on the assumption of a single to mid-off and had to retreat as his thought processes were not shared by Samuels. He looked hurt by the thought that he might have been run out and his glare at least found some use for the anti-reflective war paint below his eyes. He did not say anything: like most introverts, he deals in non verbal cues.

Alongside Chanderpaul, Samuels grew in authority. The lesson about how to construct a Test innings, and fight for your team, was seeping in. He was struck on the shoulder by a short ball from Broad and concluded that it was time to adopt a more aggressive approach, pulling him thunderously through midwicket. England will remain convinced that he is shaky on the short ball. Swann's introduction was even more to his liking

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PCB chief invited to IPL final

The BCCI has invited Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf to watch the IPL final to be played in Chennai on May 27. Ashraf confirmed that he received the invitation from the Indian board a few days ago.

"I see the invitation as another positive step forward in further normalising bilateral cricket ties between the two countries," Ashraf said. "The invitation will allow me to undertake a two-day visit to India and I plan to use this visit to have informal discussions with the Indian board officials regarding enhancing chances of restoring bilateral cricket ties."

Recently, the BCCI had announced that it had no objection to the participation of Pakistan T20 title-holders Sialkot Stallions in this year's Champions League Twenty20 tournament, a move welcomed by the PCB.

"We want to play India regularly in bilateral matches and we are willing to talk to them at every level to achieve this," Ashraf said. "I will be speaking to them on this when I go to India."

The PCB had been pushing for the inclusion of a side from Pakistan, the only major Test-playing nation to not have had teams in the CLT20 since its inception. Sialkot were invited to the inaugural edition of the tournament towards the end of 2008, but it was put off after the terror attacks in Mumbai in November that year.

Those attacks strained political relations between India and Pakistan and, subsequently, bilateral cricketing ties between the two countries were severed. Pakistan players - with the exception of Azhar Mahmood (who also has a British passport) this year - have not been a part of the IPL since. 

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RCB crash out, Chennai through Play offs

Dale Steyn's first three overs and Virat Kohli's rush of blood, to name a few. Steyn was unplayable with figures of 4-0-8-3, but crucially, he found support from the slower bowlers. Amit Mishra took two in an over to set Royal Challengers back and Ashish Reddy frustrated the batsmen with slower balls in the final stages.  Gayle tried to make room by moving towards leg and bottom edged another fast short ball on to his stumps. Steyn then had Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw in his next over, and Royal Challengers were 40 for 2 when Saurabh Tiwary retired hurt after straining a hamstring in the sixth.

An overthrow that cost six runs was the only major blip on an unusually good day in the field for Chargers. Duminy's leaping catch at short cover to get rid of AB de Villiers was an example of their improvement. The tension was palpable in the Royal Challengers camp as de Villiers walked back, because their tail began at No.7.

Tiwary returned in the tenth over after Mishra's double-strike. He and Kohli kept Royal Challengers in the hunt during their brisk stand of 46, which came at 7.45 runs an over. The plan seemed to be to knock off as many as possible before Steyn returned for his final over. Kohli swung Ashish Reddy over long-on but a repeat of that shot the following ball found the fielder. A furious Kohli swung his bat at thin air in frustration.

Only two boundaries were scored in the Powerplay overs, which produced just 23 runs. By the end of the tenth over, the score was an underwhelming 47 for 3. Duminy, who began watchfully, hit the first of his five sixes when he heaved R Vinay Kumar over long-on in the 16th over. He hit three more in a single over from Muttiah Muralitharan, which cost 20. His knock was valuable in getting Chargers to a middling total on a slow pitch. It turned out to be enough 

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Steyn, Duminy help Deccan knock out RCB

Royal Challengers Bangalore imploded in their most crucial match of the season and failed to qualify for the playoffs after choking in a low-scoring chase. Their defeat in Hyderabad allowed Chennai Super Kings to hang on to fourth spot at the end of the league stage.

Deccan Chargers scratched to 132 on a slow pitch, but their bowlers and fielders lifted the gloom of their campaign with a performance that brought the tournament's most intimidating batting line-up to its knees. Chargers, who spent most of the season languishing at the bottom, left Pune Warriors holding the wooden spoon and moved to eighth spot.

The game was Royal Challengers' to lose. A target of 133 should not have been too daunting for their top heavy batting line-up. The chase had several turning points - Chris Gayle's dismissal, Dale Steyn's first three overs and Virat Kohli's rush of blood, to name a few. Steyn was unplayable with figures of 4-0-8-3, but crucially, he found support from the slower bowlers. Amit Mishra took two in an over to set Royal Challengers back and Ashish Reddy frustrated the batsmen with slower balls in the final stages.

Gayle has largely determined Royal Challengers' fortunes this season, by combining big hits with longevity at the crease. He has, on occasion, started sedately before embarking on a boundary barrage. Today Gayle batted as though he was determined to finish in ten overs, pounding 24 in Manpreet Gony's first over, the second of the innings.

In the third, Gayle had to face Steyn, bowling at serious pace. After ducking under a short ball aimed at his head, Gayle tried to make room by moving towards leg and bottom edged another fast short ball on to his stumps. Steyn then had Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw in his next over, and Royal Challengers were 40 for 2 when Saurabh Tiwary retired hurt after straining a hamstring in the sixth.

An overthrow that cost six runs was the only major blip on an unusually good day in the field for Chargers. Duminy's leaping catch at short cover to get rid of AB de Villiers was an example of their improvement. The tension was palpable in the Royal Challengers camp as de Villiers walked back, because their tail began at No.7.

Tiwary returned in the tenth over after Mishra's double-strike. He and Kohli kept Royal Challengers in the hunt during their brisk stand of 46, which came at 7.45 runs an over. The plan seemed to be to knock off as many as possible before Steyn returned for his final over. Kohli swung Ashish Reddy over long-on but a repeat of that shot the following ball found the fielder. A furious Kohli swung his bat at thin air in frustration.

Steyn returned to knock down Zaheer Khan's middle stump to round off another dream spell. The game was all but sealed for Chargers as the asking rate proved too demanding for Royal Challengers' tail. Kohli sat at the dug out with his pads on, hands on his face, wondering what could have been.

Besides Steyn, Chargers had another South African to thank - JP Duminy. The two-paced pitch produced attritional cricket and Chargers struggled to score at six an over. Duminy did his best to compensate for the failures of his other overseas colleagues with a late surge, pounding five sixes in an aggressive half-century.

Only two boundaries were scored in the Powerplay overs, which produced just 23 runs. By the end of the tenth over, the score was an underwhelming 47 for 3. Duminy, who began watchfully, hit the first of his five sixes when he heaved R Vinay Kumar over long-on in the 16th over. He hit three more in a single over from Muttiah Muralitharan, which cost 20. His knock was valuable in getting Chargers to a middling total on a slow pitch. It turned out to be enough. 

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PCB to confirm Australia series venue next week

 

Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are among the countries Pakistan are considering as options to host their limited-overs series against Australia in August. The series was set to be held in Sri Lanka, but SLC pulled out last week due to a clash in the series schedule with the first season of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL). The PCB said that a final decision on the venue will be taken within a week.

"It was indeed a setback to our plans when Sri Lanka pulled out," Intikhab Alam, PCB director international cricket, told reporters in Lahore. "But they have their own reasons and we have no problem with it however and have been searching for alternatives. Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are the options we have marked. A decision will be taken within next one week."

In March this year, the SLC had agreed in principle to host the series. At that time, there had been no decision on the SLPL. The proposed first season of the league had been cancelled last year and it was only earlier this month that a new deal was signed by the Sri Lanka board to hold the SLPL this August.

Pakistan and Australia are due to play five ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals against each other. The original plan was to play just one Twenty20, but with the World T20 immediately after the series, the countries' boards have agreed to play two extra matches.

Pakistan have had to play their home series in neutral venues since the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. While the United Arab Emirates has been Pakistan's usual "home" venue since then, the venue was ruled out due to the extreme heat and the month of Ramzan.

Pakistan's last home series against Australia was played in England, in the summer of 2010, after which they have hosted all their home series, including one against Sri Lanka and England, in the UAE

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West Indies stumble after bowling fightback

 

West Indies, already widely dismissed as no-hopers after the first two days of a three-match series, lost three top-order wickets for no runs in nine balls on the verge of tea to contemplate the possibility of defeat inside three days as England's first-innings lead of 155 looked more impregnable by the minute.

England's pace attack fired in more short balls than has become their habit and it paid dividends. Adrian Barath fell to some disciplined top-of-off bowling from Tim Bresnan, who found slight movement to have him caught at the wicket, Kieron Powell fell to a sucker punch as skipper Andrew Strauss pushed Ian Bell back to deep square and Powell obligingly hooked Stuart Broad into his hands.

Then Darren Bravo was involved in his second run-out incident of the match, only this time unlike the first innings when Shivnarine Chanderpaul pulled rank, Bravo pulled rank on Kirk Edwards. Bravo squirted Bresnan in front of square on the offside then belatedly turned down the run with Edwards halfway down the pitch, whereupon Jonny Bairstow ran him out with a direct hit.

Earlier, it was a new day, a new ball and a new feel to the first Test. A West Indies bowling attack that had failed to swing or seam the ball the previous day suddenly proved itself a different proposition. England, after sedately building a position of strength on the second day, had to work much harder to extend their advantage as they were dismissed 45 minutes into the afternoon session, losing their last seven wickets while adding another 139 runs.

Bell, another England batsman seeking to recover from a tormented winter, played resourcefully in more demanding circumstances before he was last out for 61, hooking Shannon Gabriel to deep square. His ninth-wicket stand of 55 in seven overs with the ebullient Graeme Swann was a useful bonus for England after a period where West Indies could claim to have dominated.

Fidel Edwards swung it most noticeably and there was a bit off seam about too, with Gabriel picking up his first three Test wickets. The cloud cover was the same and so, as near as made no difference, were the lengths West Indies bowled, the technique they displayed the purpose of their approach. It could only be the ball.

Such are the glorious random aspects of cricket. Weather, pitches and even cricket balls can change from day to day. In some sports, and some parts of the world, the lack of uniformity would be viewed as a weakness; in Test cricket it is rightly seen as a strength. But it must have been galling for West Indies.

On the second day, West Indies laboured, England reached 259 for 3, a lead of 16, and Strauss accepted a wonderful opportunity to restate that his place as England captain was impregnable, and did so too at the ground he loves so much. Presented with more responsive conditions, West Indies' pace attack was more of a challenge, not that it perked up their over rate which was less than 12 an hour.

Strauss himself added only a single to his overnight 121 before West Indies successfully turned to DRS to win a wicket for Kemar Roach. It was a successful choice by the captain, Darren Sammy, who received lukewarm support at best from his bowler and wicketkeeper after umpire Marais Erasmus had turned down the appeal. Hot Spot showed a light inside edge as well as contact with his trousers after the ball had nipped back. Strauss must have been grateful that he had played the bulk of his innings the previous day.

Hot Spot is of higher quality this year, according to the host broadcaster, and now able to pick up the light edges that too often have failed to show up. It was another reminder that the best equipment is essential worldwide if DRS is ever to achieve uniformity. That is one aspect of cricket at least where uniformity might be deemed to be a good thing.

Bairstow, seen yawning on the balcony occasionally the previous day as he watched England make guarded progress, suddenly found himself with a more onerous batting debut than he might have expected. He looked settled for a debutant, made his first Test run with a push to cover and produced three fine boundaries - two leg-side clips and a cover drive - before Roach brought one back to have him lbw. Bell's advice not to review was sound.

England were anxious to push on positively with rain forecast later in the game and Matt Prior took nine runs off Sammy in his first over at the crease. But among recognised batsmen his stumps are hit more than most and, as he imagined he might whip a straight one through the leg side, they were hit once more to bring Gabriel his first Test wicket. The following over, Bresnan, fell for nought, dangling his bat at a delivery from Sammy that seamed away a tad to be caught at the wicket.

England reached lunch at 341 for 7 and Broad faced only one delivery afterwards as he was late on a delivery from Edwards that skimmed his off bail. Swann fell in similar fashion to Prior, bowled by Gabriel as he aimed through midwicket, but not before he had exacted some damage, making 30 from 25 balls as he feasted on several wide, fullish deliveries. He had been welcomed with a stomach-high beamer from Edwards, accidental, but worthy nevertheless of a formal first warning by the umpires for intimidatory bowling.

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Recent record gives Pakistan edge over Sri Lanka - Misbah

 

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's Test and ODI captain, has said that his team's recent record against Sri Lanka gives it the edge leading into the tour slated for June and July.

"Sri Lanka is always a difficult team to play against, especially in their back yard," Misbah said on the sidelines of Pakistan's preparatory camp in Lahore. "Obviously we have to be at our best in all departments, because they always come hard at the opposition. But our record against them gives us the upper hand, and our confidence level is high."

In their last series against Sri Lanka, in the UAE in October-November 2011, Pakistan won in all three formats. In the three-Test series, they won 1-0, took the ODIs 4-1 and won the one-off Twenty20. They also beat Sri Lanka in the one game the teams played against each other in the Asia Cup in March. However, the previous time the two teams played in Sri Lanka, Pakistan lost the Tests 2-0 and the one-dayers 3-2.

Misbah said Pakistan's improvements on the fielding and fitness fronts would help them this time around. "I think we have shown a lot of improvement in fielding and fitness in last couple of years," he said. "Every coach in the past, whether it was Waqar Younis and Ijaz Ahmed, everyone did a good job [with those disciplines] and now Julien [Fountain, the fielding coach] is doing a great job."

For the Sri Lanka tour, Pakistan have picked specialist players in each format, meaning Misbah has missed out in the Twenty20 squad, and the captaincy was handed over to Mohammad Hafeez. Misbah reiterated that he will be available in the shortest format, should Pakistan require him.

"It [Twenty20] is a format that is widely played in the world and I will keep on playing it," he said. "As far as [ending] my international career is concerned, I think that decision has to be taken by the PCB."

"Obviously the burden on me has been eased, and I can now focus on two formats. But if you are enjoying playing cricket, you can easily cope with it [playing all three formats too].

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Delhi knock out Punjab and take top spot

 

Delhi Daredevils confirmed their standing as the team to beat with a fearsome opening burst from their fast bowlers, Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav, before a typically brutal David Warner innings pretty much guaranteed top spot. Kings XI Punjab, one of the lower-profile teams in the tournament, managed to stay alive till the final weekend of the league phase but couldn't make it to the playoffs as a power-packed Daredevils line-up dismantled them with ease on a spicy pitch in Dharamsala. The result also meant that Mumbai Indians became the third team to qualify for the playoffs.

On one of the best tracks for fast bowlers in the IPL this season, Daredevils stacked their team with five quicks, four of whom could nudge the 90-mph mark. Morkel and Yadav were virtually unplayable with the new ball, and by the end of the Powerplay overs, Kings XI were reduced to 20 for 4 and their campaign was seemingly over.

Mandeep Singh has been Kings XI's most prolific batsman this season, but he fell for a golden duck as he was drawn into nibbling an away-cutter from Yadav to the keeper. Adam Gilchrist has a century and two fifties in his last three innings in Dharamsala but he was dismissed cheaply this time, top-edging a pull, in what might well be his final competitive innings.

Paul Valthaty's disastrous season continued, as he flailed about in his comeback game against some high-quality pace from Yadav and Morkel before finally holing out for a ten-ball 2. The biggest blow, though, was in the sixth over, when Yadav got Hussey to mishit a shortish ball to mid-on. Yadav finished his first spell with the figures of 3-1-4-3.

Kings XI have been written off before, only to repeatedly show they were no pushovers. They proved it again as Azhar Mahmood, who has been instrumental to Kings XI's fight this season, stabilised the innings with a 57-run stand with Siddharth Chitnis. Both struggled to time the ball early on, but some freebies from Andre Russell helped them find their feet.

There has been a clamour for Russell's inclusion this season, especially given Ross Taylor's horror run with the bat but the allrounder had a day to forget, leaking 51 runs on a day when no one else in his team went at more than 6.25. His worst over was the 17th, which was taken for 22 runs with Gurkeerat powering three boundaries, before Mahmood rounded it off with two more. That lifted the run-rate above six for the first time in the innings.

Kings XI finished with 141, which seemed enough to challenge a Daredevils side missing both Virender Sehwag and Taylor. Those hopes were dashed once Warner unleashed those familiar hits over long-on and midwicket, again highlighting the number of match-winners Daredevils have in their squad.

It wasn't a flawless innings from Warner, who was hit by a bouncer from Ryan Harris early on, edged plenty and was put down at midwicket by Mandeep. That drop came at the end of an over in which Warner had muscled three sixes and a four off Parvinder Awana. Twenty-three came off that over as Awana, who went for only 12 in his four overs last game, watched helplessly.

Warner chopped the first ball of the next over to bring up his 50 off 25 balls on a pitch where most batsmen struggled. He couldn't add to his collection of T20 centuries, though, as he slapped Harris to Mandeep at point in the 13th over. There was a brief lull in the scoring after that, but with the required-rate just above four Daredevils were never really in trouble of losing

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Shah Rukh Khan gets five-year ban from Wankhede

 

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has banned Shah Rukh Khan, the Kolkata Knight Riders owner, from entering Wankhede Stadium for five years as a result of his scuffle with security guards after the game between Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians on May 16. The IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, however, said the ban was not final until the BCCI had its say on the matter.

"The MCA managing committee is forced to ban Shah Rukh Khan from entering Wankhede Stadium for a period of five years," Vilasrao Deshmukh, the MCA president, said in Mumbai. "It was a unanimous decision. It applies to any match whether domestic or international at the Wankhede. We have taken a decision to protect the dignity of our association. BCCI is our parent body and we have written to them informing what had happened. We have no control over BCCI's decision. We are also an independent body with the Wankhede being our property.

"If rules are violated, action will be taken. It does not depend who the individual is. It's a message to everyone, whosoever he or she may be, that stern action will be taken if there is any misbehavior. How can he go inside the ground without proper accreditation? Even I can't go inside the ground if not invited for presentation ceremony."

Shukla said only the Indian board could make the final decision. "State bodies can only recommend but a final decision has to be taken by the BCCI. When the matter comes to BCCI, the board will decide [on the ban]."

The incident took place after Knight Riders had beaten Mumbai Indians. Shah Rukh was accused of trying to walk on to the field of play after the game and MCA officials lodged a complaint against him the Marine Drive police station. They also said he had been drunk and abused officials.

Shah Rukh, however, denied being drunk and said he was reacting to the "obnoxious" and "unpardonable" behaviour of officials at the stadium. He said he had not been present at the match but had gone there after it was over to pick up a large group of his children and their friends. Shah Rukh said he saw security guards manhandling the children and when he objected a group of officials came over and the altercation started.

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IPL 2012 Points Table

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Daredevils	15	10	5	0	0	20	+0.599
KKR	15	9	5	0	1	19	+0.478
Mum Indians	15	9	6	0	0	18	-0.160
Super Kings	16	8	7	0	1	17	+0.100
RCB	15	8	6	0	1	17	+0.010
Kings XI	15	8	7	0	0	16	-0.172
Royals	14	7	7	0	0	14	+0.335
Warriors	15	4	11	0	0	8	-0.477
Chargers	14	2	11	0	1	5	-0.680

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Broad completes career-best haul

 

England's allrounder Stuart Broad claimed his Test-best figures of 7 for 72 as it took only one ball for the home side to wrap up West Indies first innings on the second morning at Lord's.

The West Indies resumed on 243 for 9 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 87 not out overnight, hoping that the last man Shannon Gabriel would hang around long enough for him to reach his 26th Test century. But Gabriel, on debut, lasted only one ball, as Broad immediately found a perfect line around off stump and Gabriel edged to Graeme Swann at second slip.

It meant Broad will be on a hat-trick when he bowls for a second time in the match and his figures were the best by an England bowler since James Anderson took 7 for 43 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 2008.

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Kenya matches postponed due to security fears

The ICC has confirmed that next month's matches between Kenya and Namibia in Nairobi have been postponed until September 2012 due to security concerns.

Nairobi Gymkhana was to host the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match between the two sides from June 6, followed by two 50-over ICC World Cricket League Championship matches on June 11 and 13.

The ICC considered holding the match at an alternate venue but decided against it due to logistical difficulties. The final dates and venue are yet to be announced.

There have been no international matches in Kenya since Ireland's tour in February.

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Vusi Sibanda makes a comeback in Zimbabwe squad

 

Vusi Sibanda has made a return to Zimbabwe's national squad and was included in the 24-man training group to play South Africa in five Twenty20 matches in June. Sibanda was not considered for Zimbabwe's January tour of New Zealand after he chose to play grade cricket in Australia instead of fulfilling domestic commitments in Zimbabwe.

Although Sibanda returned home after a five-week stint for Eastern Suburbs in Sydney before the New Zealand tour, Zimbabwe Cricket's (ZC) cricket committee decided not to select him on principle. At the time, Sibanda was told that if he renewed his commitment to ZC, he would be considered again.

Sibanda finished the 2011-12 season with his local franchise, the Mid West Rhinos, for whom he played four first-class and five limited-overs matches, including a 162 against Mountaineers. Zimbabwe do not have any international assignment through the winter, but Sibanda's path back to the national team appears to be clear as he was included in the preliminary squad for the practice matches against South Africa.

"I am very pleased that the issues are done and dusted," Alan Butcher, Zimbabwe coach, told ESPNcricinfo. "Now, Vusi can move forward and put it out of his mind."

The training squad is a strong group, including many of the faces who steered Zimbabwe to a successful Test comeback in August last year. Brendan Taylor will lead the team propped up by the experience of Hamilton Masakadza, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Elton Chigumbura and Tatenda Taibu. Experienced seamer Chris Mpofu also makes a comeback after missing the New Zealand series with a lower back injury.

Some of the newer faces include under-19 wicketkeeper batsman Kevin Kasuza and medium-pacer Richard Muzhange. Zimbabwe have packed the training squad with bowlers as seamers Tendai Chatara and Njabula Ncube as well as legspinner Natsai Mushangwe been given the opportunity to work with the national team.

"I am very happy with the group we've got," Butcher said. "We've decided that in T20s, we should try and look more at allrounders for the side." Chigumbura, Waller, Meth and Shingi Masakadza are the four premier allrounders in the squad.

The five matches, which will take place in Harare from June 20-24, have not been given international status because they will take place outside of the FTP. They will also not be broadcast on television, given ZC's financial crunch. South Africa are hoping to use the matches as preparation for the World T20 in September and Butcher said Zimbabwe will do the same. "It gives us a chance to work on a few things and see the make up of the side," he said. "I was quite happy with the way we played T20 cricket in New Zealand and hopefully we can build on that."

Zimbabwe lost all the matches they played on the New Zealand trip, but gave the best account of themselves in the Twenty20s. "It will be good for us to play against another top side and that's exactly what South Africa are," Butcher said. "We've got a great bunch of guys who have been working hard so we're excited about what's to come." 

Zimbabwe squad: Brendan Taylor (capt), Tatenda Taibu, Elton Chigumbura, Malcolm Waller, Charles Coventry, Forster Mutizwa, Graeme Cremer, Raymond Price, Tendai Chatara, Prosper Utseya, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu, Brian Vitori, Keegan Meth, Njabulo Ncube, Kevin Kasuza, Chamu Chibhabha, , Hamilton Masakadza, Shingi Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Richard Muzhange, Vusi Sibanda, Craig Ervine

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Ajantha Mendis named in Sri Lanka provisional squad

Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis and fast bowler Dilhara Fernando have been named in the 30-man provisional squad for the upcoming tours by Pakistan and India. The squad has no new faces.

Mendis and Fernando last played for Sri Lanka during the tour of South Africa last year. Mendis, who suffered a back injury, hasn't played a competitive match since January. Nuwan Pradeep, the fast bowler, is also returning from injury. Pradeep suffered a hamstring tear in the tour match against the South African Invitation XI in Benoni and had to return home. He has since played just one first-class match for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, picking up four wickets.

Another notable inclusion is the legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi, who last played for Sri Lanka in 2007.

Pakistan arrive at the end of this month for a series of two T20Is, five ODIs and three Tests in June-July. India are expected to play a shorter series, comprising five ODIs and one T20, starting July 22

Sri Lanka provisional squad

• Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Thilan Samaraweera, Prasanna Jayawardene, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Chanaka Welegedera, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Shaminda Eranga, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Sachitra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Kaushal Lokuarachchi

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Lorgat eyes top CSA role

 

Haroon Lorgat, outgoing chief executive of the ICC, has confirmed he would be open to an offer from CSA subject to a complete restructure of the board. The organisation may soon have to search for a new boss following the suspension of Gerald Majola in March and Lorgat, along with current acting CEO Jacques Faul, are among the top candidates.

Majola's suspension after ministerial inquiry chaired by judge Chris Nicholson found that he had breached the Companies' Act when R4.7 million (US $ 671, 428) was paid to staff in bonuses following the successful hosting of the IPL. Nicholson found that CSA lacked sufficient corporate governance and recommended a complete overhaul of the composition of the CSA board, something Lorgat sees as crucial to whether he will consider a role at CSA.

"I thought I would initially take some time out from cricket after leaving the ICC but I have been heartened by the early progress I see at CSA," Lorgat told ESPNcricinfo. "With their Board now committed to restructure, I would be happy to consider a formal approach."

Nicholson studied the Woolf report and Australia's Crawford and Carter report to learn about the latest governance issues in sport. The central tenet he took from both was the principle of independent directorship. "Both [reports] are emphatic that the role of the independent directors is crucial in areas of high risk to the ethics and governance of the game," Nicholson's report read. "Similar sentiments are applicable to CSA."

Lorgat was in charge of the ICC when the Woolf report was compiled and is in favour of greater independence at board level. "With the huge growth experienced in all sports over the last decade and the potential for much more, it is imperative that sports governance models keep pace with the expectations of all stakeholders," he said. "The playing and commercial aspects of the game have transformed enormously but sadly the same cannot be said about the governance and administration standards."

CSA's board comprises 22 members, 11 of whom are the presidents of the provincial affiliates. A further three are black African representatives while the eight others are directors, four of whom are independent. Nicholson recommended a smaller board with more outsiders. The Woolf report suggested a 14-member board for the ICC while Crawford and Carter said Cricket Australia's Board should have a maximum of nine non-executive directors. "A larger board according to them wastes time with procedure, inhibits proper discussion and allows individual directors to shirk their responsibilities without being noticed," Nicholson said.

Nicholson said the advantages of using "outsiders" instead of people who become administrators through the cricketing ranks (starting from club level) will benefit a professional body like CSA. "Lord Woolf and Crawford and Carter emphasise the importance of the Board consisting of competent persons with skills that can contribute to the overall vision of cricket," he said. "They suggest that an analysis of cricket administrations round the world might suggest a predominance of ex-players, accountants or some other category with an insufficient mix of expertise to guide the complex business of cricket administration."

The recommendation for CSA was to form a 12-member board with nine independent directors. "The advantages include a disinclination to favour any province out of proportion to its deserts and a tendency to advance a more national perspective," Nicolson said. The recommendation also included a clause that for a director to be appointed, voted off or any major cricketing decision to be taken at least two-thirds of the provincial affiliates should be in favour.

In accepting the recommendations of the Nicholson report, CSA agreed, in principle, to restructure its board. An eight-person steering committee, consisting of four current board members and four people who have had previous experience in cricket, was named in March to discuss the restructure, which is expected to take place at the next AGM in September. If a new CEO is to be appointed, it would also happen in September, even though Majola's disciplinary hearing is scheduled to be complete by May 31.

The current board have held on to their positions after their most recent meeting with the country's sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, on April 26, despite speculation they may have been asked to resign en masse. Mbalula said he was impressed that they had shown commitment to the Nicholson report's recommendations and had taken steps, such as putting together the steering committee and launching a transformation fund for development, to implement Nicholson's recommendation

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Multiple coaches a possibility for New Zealand - White

 

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has said that the possibility of multiple coaches for the national team, for the game's different formats, is being looked into. This, he said, could be an option to help New Zealand get through a hectic international schedule more effectively.

"Whilst the team is touring and playing one form of the game, you must ensure other specialists are preparing [for other assignments] as well. South Africa do that, England do that and it is something we need to look at," White told the New Zealand Herald.

The demanding nature of the Future Tours Programme until 2020, he said, meant that the workload of support staff needed to be considered before making any decision. Apart from the tour of the West Indies, in the coming year New Zealand have tours of India, Sri Lanka and South Africa, the World Twenty20, back-to-back series with England, home and away, and then the Champions Trophy.

"It's tough enough for the players, but for the coaches and support staff it is tremendously challenging for them to be away from home, on the road that long, and to have just one role when you've got three distinct forms of the game."

Earlier this week, the current New Zealand coach, John Wright, confirmed that he will not be signing a new contract following the team's tour of the Caribbean. Wright cited differences with New Zealand's director of cricket, John Buchanan, as a factor that influenced his decision not to extend his contract

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McDermott's legacy must be maintained

 

Among the more succinct lines uttered by John Buchanan in his time as Australia's head coach was a stated desire to ultimately make himself redundant. Buchanan argued that if he was doing his job successfully, then the players under him would soon learn to make their own decisions, leaving the coach to concentrate on more strategic matters.

In less than 12 months as Australia's bowling coach, Craig McDermott has gone close to achieving this goal. He adopted a mantra simple enough to be quickly taken in by the bowlers in Australia's pace battery. It read a little something like this: be as fit as you can possibly be, pitch the ball up to allow it to swing, tempt batsmen into driving, and so open up the possibility of catches in the slips, or bowled and LBW dismissals. At the same time McDermott counselled the captain Michael Clarke to not be afraid of a few cover drives whizzing through the field, for in those runs came the promise of wickets should a batsman miscalculate.

Now that McDermott has left the job, far more quickly than many in Cricket Australia would have liked though they understand his family-oriented reasoning, his message is simple enough for it to be carried on by those same bowlers in his absence. Likewise Clarke should not need too many reminders that the drive is far from a dirty word in the field.

McDermott's exit is unfortunately timed in some respects. Most of the other outstanding candidates for such a role are now safely locked away by other national teams, England's David Saker and New Zealand's Damien Wright among them. Allan Donald is at home with South Africa, and another past applicant, Andy Bichel, is happily employed part-time as a selector with little inclination to take on the punishing schedule dictated by the job of bowling mentor.

Of the next tier, Jason Gillespie is in his first season as the coach of Yorkshire, Shane Jurgensen is coaching Bangladesh, and Joe Dawes has gone from Queensland to India via South Australia. Allister de Winter, Tasmania's bowling coach and a rival candidate to McDermott last time, has been promoted in his state to coach the Hurricanes Big Bash League team. Damien Fleming, another with the right kind of experience and approach, has carved out a career juggling media, coaching and all-round joviality that would be somewhat curtailed by full-time touring duty.

Australian newspapers will today carry an advertisement for the position of bowling coach, emphasising the role's importance and the characteristics required by anyone wishing to apply. If there is anything the new man can add to the mix it is a more varied approach to the challenges of bowling in limited-overs matches: McDermott's methods proved to be just the thing Australia needed in Test matches, but in ODIs and Twenty20s a certain inconsistency remains. That task will likely be handled by staff rotated through the Centre of Excellence on Australia's next tour, to Ireland and England for six one-day matches.

The major requirement of McDermott's successor will be to ensure that his predecessor's basic tenets are kept close to the minds and training patterns of the bowlers. Peter Siddle and James Pattinson must be reminded of the success they enjoyed by bowling full and swinging it, Ben Hilfenhaus kept committed to the strong body action and subtle variations at the crease that make his outswinger doubly dangerous, Ryan Harris reminded that it is just fine to be pushed down the ground every now and then. Younger bucks like Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins will need a mentor to take them through the butterflies and doubts of their early steps in the international game, and in this area another coach with a Test match past would help.

McDermott, of course, will not be lost entirely to the Australian set-up. He will still work as a consultant at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, giving him the chance to influence the development of Australia's younger quicks, much as he did before assuming the more senior role. In this he will be able to continue imbuing the young with the same simple lessons he brought with refreshing directness to the national team. Even though McDermott will no longer be able to perch himself watchfully at the long on fence, as he commonly did during the past year, his influence will remain

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Jurgensen named Bangladesh's interim head coach

 

Bangladesh have named Shane Jurgensen - their bowling coach - as their interim head coach. The decision was made at the board's cricket operations committee meeting during which the national team's proposed tours of Zimbabwe and Europe in the next two months and playing a Twenty20 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago later in the year were also discussed.

"Our bowling coach Shane Jurgensen will look after the national team as interim head coach until we appoint our next head coach," Enayet Hossain Siraj, chairman of the cricket operations committee, said.

Jurgensen, 36, a former Queensland fast bowler, joined Bangladesh as their bowling coach in October last year. The Bangladesh Cricket Board, though, hopes Richard Pybus joins the team as the full-time head coach; Pybus returned to Cape Town on Friday after a short visit to Bangladesh. "Now we will wait for his (Richard Pybus) confirmation. We will invite the other candidates in the shortlist, if only we ultimately fail to sign the agreement with Pybus," the BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunis said.

Pybus said his visit was a "fact-finding" mission and that he will make his final decision after speaking with his family.

The board has also organised a training camp from May 20 to prepare for a tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa starting in Harare in late June. At the end of July, Bangladesh are likely to travel to Ireland and Scotland to play some limited-overs matches before to the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.

"We have also decided to give our proposal regarding the Zimbabwe and Ireland trips to the board for their approval," Siraj said. "We are desperately trying to arrange some international matches for our national team."

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Bangladesh included in Zimbabwe tri-series

 

Bangladesh have been included in a Twenty20 tri-series in Zimbabwe, which will also feature South Africa, in June. Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) managing director, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Bangladesh will take part, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said they only needed the ratification of their board before regarding the matter as finalised.

"We have put forward such a request [to play in Zimbabwe] and as far as we are concerned, we have received positive feedback. We are awaiting an approval from our board," BCB cricket operations manager, Sabbir Khan said.

The assignment will be Stuart Law's final one in charge of the national team. Law announced his resignation last month but said he would see out his contract, which runs until the end of June. Bangladesh are already in the process of interviewing a replacement, with Richard Pybus considered the frontrunner.

The series will come as welcome relief to Bangladesh who have suffered two setbacks in their quest to play more cricket recently and were not due to play any international matches before the World T20 in September. Their August series against Zimbabwe, which was due to consist of two Test matches, was postponed because of maintenance work in Harare and Bulawayo.

Bangladesh's proposal to Cricket South Africa (CSA) for a limited-overs series in May was turned down. South Africa's busy schedule and the logistical problems in finding a place to host the matches were the chief reasons for CSA declining Bangladesh's offer. CSA did not have a problem with Bangladesh's participation in Zimbabwe in June though, provided it did not alter their initial plans.

"We said we would not have an issue if Bangladesh joins us as long as it does not disrupt our schedule," South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee said. "We cannot spend longer than a week in Zimbabwe because we leave for England after that."

Gary Kirsten, South Africa head coach, requested five Twenty20s in five days against Zimbabwe as part of his preparations for the World T20. South Africa arrive in Zimbabwe on June 18 and are scheduled to play the five fixtures from June 20 to 24. Although, the dates for their trip will not change, itinerary of matches might change to accommodate Bangladesh. "We might have a rest day in between or something like that but as long as we play the number of matches we wanted to, that's fine with us," Moosajee said.

Despite the addition of Bangladesh, the series will remain an unofficial one with the matches classed as practice matches only. It is also unlikely to be televised as per ZC's financial considerations. Bangladesh are likely to head to Europe in July to play five ODIs.

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IPL can't duck the F-word Penalising players is not enough; it's time to pull up and rein in the franchises

On Wednesday night, Lalit Modi complained about how the TV channel that showed the sting operation and put certain information "in the public domain" was "totally misleading". He felt for the viewers, the fans and the sporting fraternity, he said, because the sting had no proof.

Quite the contrary. What India TV's "Operation IPL" proved beyond doubt was that India's young domestic cricketers, those who drift away from centrestage, are quite happy to pocket any extra cash that the delusional or foolish may want to shell out.

If caught they will either be reprimanded - like Ravindra Jadeja or Manish Pandey - or be consigned to the some outer darkness like the suspended five players will possibly be. And that will be that.

What the India TV programme did not prove on camera was that any of the players stung on tape had either willingly accepted cash on camera and then bowled a no-ball, or "spot-fixed" as promised. That is not to say that does not happen - it just didn't show up on tape.

The IPL, set up to imitate the franchise model of American sport, is actually a very cosy family business. The owners are, for the majority, in this largely for individual and corporate mileage. They owe their original loyalty to the BCCI, which continues to play patriarch. It is why they are protected and if players are caught being invited to break rules, they are the ones who get punished. This is not to say that players are poor lambs being seduced by cash but everyone knows the difference between being the guy receiving the pay cheque and the guy actually signing it.

In leagues where rules matter, teams are punished - however powerful they may be. In 2006, Juventus of Turin, historically one of the richest and most powerful football clubs in Europe, were found guilty of rigging games with four other teams and stripped of back-to-back Serie A titles, relegated to Serie B, booted out of the UEFA Champions League and forced to play three home matches without any fans.

The National Rugby League in Australia has fined four teams more than US$165,000 for breaching the salary cap in 2012. A fifth team has just lost an appeal over a US$185,000 salary cap fine from 2010.

Sometimes it's not what the club itself does; earlier this month, football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan had to pay 20,000 euros and 10,000 euros for insulting banners seen among their fans during a local derby as well as one that racially abused a player.

During a 2011 NFL lockout, three teams including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers received six figure fines - $250,000 was found to be the Buccaneers' fine - for breaking the rule that no players could be contacted during the lockout period. By this yardstick, Mumbai Indians should have been fined along with Jadeja but weren't. Over the last few years the players get flung the rule-books and the franchises offering extra frills are treated with respect.

If Ravi Sawani discovers that the black money being talked of casually by the suspended five was actually paid out, will any of the teams be punished? A sports law expert, Vidushpat Singhania, has said that for any code or investigation to actually matter, it had to be completely spelt out and it needed to have teeth. That is how the partnership between the ICC and Interpol is said to work. It is how the US anti-doping agency was able to ensure that Balco went to court and Marion Jones went to jail. If the BCCI is serious about its anti-corruption code, it must have the government, the cops and the courts on its side. The first problem with this, though, is that the BCCI has long avoided public scrutiny.

Modi, in that interview, spoke warmly of his "close", "great" and "best friends" who had "supported" his league in its early days, buying up franchises, and with whom he said was always "impartial".

Everyone involved with the league knows there are some franchises who can be a bit bendy with the rules because they are allowed to be, and there is another that is not required to bend rules because it cannot be argued with.

	Rules have been changed as the IPL has gone along: without warning, the retention clause was brought in, as opposed to all players going back into a public auction

It is why the addition of two teams in 2010 became so problematic - the new entrants came from outside the circle of friends and the flexibility of the IPL's rules was not about to be explained to them.

Rules have been changed as the IPL has gone along: without warning, the retention clause was brought in, as opposed to all players going back into a public auction. This helped some of the key "icons" stay with teams that could offer them rich pickings.

Then came the "secret" bid to help solve dead-heat tie-breaks during an auction. The most public secret of that new rule was the fact that whoever had the most cash would get the player they wanted and anything beyond $2m would remain unmentioned and be given to the BCCI as a bit of a sweetener.

Franchises will always talk about what it actually costs to get the best domestic talent into their side. There are many stories about offers that players couldn't refuse: extra cash or "jobs" as euphemistic extras, cars, owners criss-crossing the country in chartered planes to speak to the most desirable domestic players …

The Rs 30 lakh salary cap for non-India players began with noble intentions. It was the BCCI's attempt to try to keep domestic cricketers interested in playing all formats, to ensure that Twenty20 cricket does not become what it has - the one form of cricket that every kid wants to play - and the IPL contract the one legal but still flexible document everyone wants to grab.

Now Rs 30 lakhs in India is a more than decent income in itself - and more so for someone in his 20s. It puts the player in the top 1% of the Indian salary bracket, alongside the Ambani brothers, Sonia Gandhi and Shah Rukh Khan. According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research, any household earning an annual income of Rs 12.5 lakh (1% or less than 1% of the population) are India's "affluent or rich."

Yet the figure is a victim of its environment - and of the messages cricketers get. Some franchises are willing to offer more to ensure that they have at least four half-good domestic players once they have filled their quota of four foreigners and local "stars" in the playing XI.

The IPL's ecosystem grumbles that 'market forces' should come into play over salary caps. It will imply that market forces will put in more cash with the overseas buys and less with the Indian players, which would be fine if this were not an event that required teams have seven Indians in their playing XI.

The India TV sting operation will end up being misleading only if the IPL allows it to be. What the sting operation has revealed again is that some of the IPL's most influential stakeholders are willing to go the extra mile to get players they believe they need. The players, who cannot understand what the word 'enough' means, are just willing to bargain long and hard.

If the franchises are not pulled up or reined in, another sting operation in a few years' time will just offer up another round of suspensions.

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No pay for players following Toronto All Star T20

Top international players who participated in an 'All Star Twenty20' event in Toronto last weekend, some of them travelling from as far as South Africa and Sri Lanka, have been left in the lurch over their appearance money and in some cases reimbursement for air travel. Events company Kat Rose, who organised the event, said they incurred substantial losses when six Pakistan players including Shahid Afridi pulled out at the last minute. The company is in contact with their lawyers and accountants to resolve the issue, but has not put a time-frame on when monies will be distributed.

The match, which was played in Toronto on Saturday, was billed as a high-quality encounter between the best Asian and international players in the game, and was marketed primarily with the city's Asian population as the target. It featured several internationals such as Mark Boucher and Sanath Jayasuriya, who were left without their fees.

Boucher told ESPNcricinfo that he has not been paid, but said he "enjoyed the experience of playing in Canada". He added that he had delivered all receipts on monies spent, including an internal flight in Canada, to his agents and they will try to recover the money. Boucher posted a message from Toronto on Twitter which read, "Absolute shambles at the @T20AllStar2012 in Canada. No players been paid. No organisers here to explain! Disgrace for Canadian cricket! So sad!", followed by "doubt any international cricketers will be back here in Canada after this".

mark boucher @markb46

Absolute shambles at @T20AllStar2012 in Canada.no players been paid.no organisers here to explain!disgrace for Canadian cricket!so sad!

14 May 12

Jayasuriya told Canada's CBC news that he has "been playing for the last 20 years and never gone through this kind of thing before", and that he is owed $15,000 for his flights and appearance in the event. And the former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq said those who took part wanted to help the cause of cricket in Canada but needed their basic requirements met. ""The cricketers went to Canada with their best intentions to support the event and we delivered our side of the deal," he told PakPassion. "We flew out there from all parts of the world, played to the best of our ability, so we have done what was required from us. I would urge the organisers to deliver their side of the deal and what was promised to all of the cricketers and pay us our dues."

Herb Choga, president of Kat Rose, denied some of those claims. "There are lot of rumours [around] that are difficult to justify," Choga said. "Everything has happened in such a rush and everything is a bit upside-down." Choga denied that Boucher had to take an internal flight. He also said that Jayasuriya was not owed as much as $15,000, although Choga would not say how much exactly was due to him. Boucher said it was not a "great deal of money, but money is money, after all".

Kat Rose's financial troubles came to a head in the week leading up to the match. The PCB refused to release its star players for the event. "We heard on the Tuesday before the match that the players may not come but, through Cricket Canada, we engaged in further negotiation. We even spoke to the Pakistani consulate in Canada. Up until Thursday we were hopeful that they would be there," Choga said. "When the players pulled out, we were in a very difficult position. We had a totally different concept to what was advertised. We had to refund tickets and investors pulled out. We had a choice of either cancelling the match or continuing."

Choga said he asked the players who had made it to Toronto whether they wanted to go ahead with the game but was upfront with them about the circumstances under which they would be playing. "I made it clear to them what situation we were in," Choga said, referring to the fact that Kat Rose no longer had the money to make payments immediately. "I gave them a choice [whether to play or not] and Brian Lara, for example, said he was not willing to play but he would come to the match." Lara's omission from the International XI was widely questioned on the day, with no explanation offered.

Various Canada players made up the rest of the Asian contingent and the result was a much lower-profile event, played in front of an estimated crowd of 12,000 in the Rogers Centre, which can hold over 50,000. Both Kat Rose and Cricket Canada made a loss and the players involved have not received any remuneration. "We've got our accountants and lawyers involved to see what we can do but nothing is certain right now," Choga said. "We owe banks money and we owe sponsors explanations."

Cricket Canada, meanwhile, has also not been paid its share of the monies either and has expressed regret over the matter. While Choga said Cricket Canada was paid certain instalments in the planning phases, he admitted they were not given any of the ticket proceeds. Doug Hannum, the Cricket Canada chief executive, said they also suffered financially and although they are not directly responsible for player payment, they "will not take a penny until the players have been paid".

Hannum said Cricket Canada had noted a few important lessons from the botched arrangements of the event. "What we have learnt is that is it not easy to host these kinds of events and it requires the co-operation of multiple cricket boards. We will not enter into an agreement like this again unless we are absolutely sure that the people we make the agreement with have made proper arrangements."

Still, Hannum believes the match was "a great success and quite well attended given the circumstances". He acknowledged that Cricket Canada's reputation would have suffered as a result of the failed organisation. "It doesn't help our cause at all and it will make it more challenging for us to try and hosts events like this in future," he said.

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Gayle ton delivers crucial win for Bangalore

 

Royal Challengers Bangalore needed to win at the Kotla, to draw level with Chennai Super Kings on 17 points, to move one ahead of Kings XI Punjab, and to pull further away from Rajasthan Royals, their closest competitors. Defeat against league leaders Delhi Daredevils, who had already secured a playoff spot, would have been debilitating to their campaign. So the time and place Chris Gayle chose to score his season's first century - 128 off 62 balls with 13 sixes - was perfect. He and Virat Kohli took 204 runs, the second best Twenty20 partnership, off a Morne Morkel-less attack to lead Royal Challengers to the highest total of 2012, one that was ultimately a match-winning one.

In the end, Royal Challengers were glad Gayle and Kohli gave them 215, because their profligate bowlers needed that many. Daredevils were without Virender Sehwag, who was unwell, but their batsmen were aggressive from the outset and sustained the attack for a considerable period. Several batsmen made small but explosive contributions but it was Ross Taylor, the one Daredevils wanted desperately to find form, who led the chase. His 55, scored at a strike-rate 211, kept the home side abreast with the asking-rate. Taylor, however, was dismissed in the 17th over. Gayle had stayed for all 20, and that made the difference.

Believe it or not, Gayle had started slowly. He played out a maiden against Umesh Yadav, was scoreless for eight consecutive balls, and was one off nine deliveries. He let Kohli provide the initial propulsion after Tillakaratne Dilshan fell early. Royal Challengers were only 42 for 1 after six overs, when the fielding restrictions were lifted. Gayle had hit no sixes by then. At the end of the ninth over, both Gayle and Kohli were on 27, off 25 and 23 balls respectively. Kohli had been far more fluent than his partner, with his flicks through midwicket and drives off the back foot. Gayle was biding his time.

In the 13th over Gayle decided it was time, heaving left-arm spinner Pawan Negi over the midwicket boundary before driving to long-off, where Yadav mis-fielded and allowed the four. Yadav and Daredevils' fielding wasn't as sharp as it had been against Kings XI Punjab.

Thereafter, there was no respite. Gayle passed 50 off his 37th delivery and began to score through sixes. He hit three in the 14th over, from Irfan Pathan. The first just cleared long-off, where Negi leaped on the boundary but parried the ball over; the next two, off a long-hop and a full toss, went more than 100 metres over the leg side. Gayle hit three more, in a row this time, in the 16th over from Negi. While his favoured region was down the ground and over midwicket, Gayle also sliced Yadav and Varun Aaron over the point boundary. He got to his century, his third in the IPL, off 53 deliveries.

Kohli was no slouch either, finishing with 73 off 53 balls. He had provided the initial thrust and raised the run-rate while Gayle settled in. He hit only one six, though, and eventually the show was only about Gayle.

Faced with an asking-rate of over 10 from the start, Daredevils approached the chase in top gear. At the end of the 11th over, they were 105 for 3; Royal Challengers had been 83 for 1. Freed of pressure and with only one obvious way to play, Taylor slog-swept with abandon and made clean connection more often than not. He brought up his half-century, off 22 deliveries, by blitzing Muttiah Muralitharan over deep midwicket.

The shot of the day, however, came from Andre Russell. He was facing his first delivery of the season, and Zaheer Khan had just bowled three tight deliveries in the 16th over before dismissing Naman Ojha with the fourth. The fifth crashed into the second tier behind the bowler's head, more than 100 metres from the centre. Russell even held his front-foot pose with a straight bat for the cameras.

Daredevils then needed 58 off 24 balls but Taylor was dismissed soon after, holing out to deep midwicket. And with runs coming from only Russell's end, Daredevils quickly fell behind the asking-rate, never to recover.

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Pomersbach detained over alleged assault

 

Luke Pomersbach, the Western Australia batsman who is part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, has been detained by Delhi police following allegations that he assaulted a US national and her fiance at a hotel on Thursday night. The alleged incident took place after the match against Delhi Daredevils.

"A US national, staying at Hotel Maurya, was molested by Luke Pomersbach, an Australian player of RCB, when they were partying in her room," the Delhi police said in a statement. "When her fiancé Sahil intervened he too was boxed by Luke. A case under Sections 354, 323, 454 and 511 IPC [Indian Penal Code] registered at the Chanakyapuri police station."

Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers, said the franchise would co-operate fully with the authorities. "Royal Challengers Bangalore regrets the incident involving Luke Pomersbach. We will ensure full co-operation with the concerned authorities so that a fair investigation takes place and the issue is disposed off in accordance with law," Vijay Mallya said in Delhi. "Pending disposal of this matter Luke Pomersbach will not take the field for The Royal Challengers Bangalore."

The IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said the league was "not responsible" for the alleged incident. "There was no official party hosted by the IPL. It's the behaviour of an individual, let the police handle it. We will wait for the report from the police and then react."

Both foreign nationals were reportedly injured and have been admitted to the Primus hospital. Pomersbach, who has not played a game for Royal Challengers this season, was reportedly taken to hospital for a medical test.

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IPL 'missed opportunity' for Pakistan players - Hafeez

 

Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan's newly appointed Twenty20 captain, has said that his side has missed out on the opportunity to enhance their skills by not being part of the IPL. They will have to face up to Sri Lanka short on match practice, he said, but the team is focussed on their task and optimistic about putting in a strong showing.

"For about two months we have not been playing international matches, not even Twenty20," Hafeez said on the sidelines of the team's preparatory camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. "If you compare the whole world with us, everyone is there [at the IPL] getting practice in intense scenarios and enhancing their skills, but our players are missing out on that opportunity. We set up this training [camp] to give the boys a chance to quickly get themselves in shape."

While some of Sri Lanka's key players, like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga, are at the IPL, Pakistan's last series was in the UAE against England in February, and there they lost the three-match Twenty20 series 2-1. Since then however, the squad has taken on a new look, with the selectors picking specialist players for each format of the game and appointing Hafeez Twenty20 captain.

Hafeez said his squad will miss the experience of players like Misbah and Younis Khan, but has enough potential to produce a favourable result. "Most of our new players and the ones who are recalled are doing well on various platforms," he said. "Younis and Misbah are great players, but ultimately we have to move forward. It's not about individuals, we all trust each other, especially after Misbah has settled the atmosphere in the team.

"You will see that on this tour we will be very positive. I will try to maintain a good environment for them in the dressing room, and as a captain I am trying to give my players full confidence. Khalid [Latif], Ahmed [Shahzad] and Shoaib [Malik] have already played for Pakistan, and I am trying to create an atmosphere in which they do not feel that they are making a comeback of sorts to the Pakistan team."

His team, Hafeez said, will be wary of the demanding conditions in Sri Lanka and will not make any decisions on their playing combination beforehand. "Playing in Sri Lanka at home is always tough. We are wary about the conditions there, but we are optimistic about the result. The whole team is focussed, practice sessions are going well and we are trying to get ourselves into shape for international cricket."

"I think it's difficult to predict [the playing XI] beforehand, we have to look the conditions and the players will be used accordingly. It will depend on selectors, I don't want to predict things, there's a chance for everyone to do well."

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Chanderpaul defiant despite Broad sweep

 

That Shivnarine Chanderpaul values his wicket like few others is not a matter for debate. His team-mate Darren Bravo felt it, the umpire Marius Erasmus felt it and, most painfully of all, the England bowlers felt it. All three found at the start of an international summer that getting him to leave the crease is no easy matter.

More than 18 years since he made his Test debut, Chanderpaul is ranked the No. 1 Test batsman in the world, which is proof enough that, at 37, his appetite for batting has not diminished. He finished the opening day of the first Test unbeaten on 87 from 175 balls, with his average against England in England climbing beyond 69.

That England could claim nevertheless to have got the job done was down to the competitive zeal of Stuart Broad, who became stronger as the day progressed and who took all five wickets in the final session, with old ball and new, as West Indies faltered from 181 for 4. But as well as he bowled in a session that Chanderpaul was threatening to flatten, and as fulfilled as he looked as he acknowledged the applause, it still felt like a coda to a Guyanese day.

Chanderpaul's innings was not without collateral damage as he played a central role in the run out of his team-mate Darren Bravo in mid-afternoon. He was guilty of ball watching when he clipped Graeme Swann backward of square, took a couple of paces forward, enough to lure Bravo into attempting a rash single, whereupon he made a timely return to his crease shortly before Bravo arrived alongside him. Matt Prior's transfer of Ian Bell's throw to the bowler's end was inaccurate enough for Swann to have to dive to his left to retrieve and complete the run out with a measure of relief.

England came close to dismissing Chanderpaul on three occasions. Three overs after the run-out of Bravo, umpire Erasmus upheld James Anderson's appeal for lbw, around the wicket, after Chanderpaul raised arms and was hit on the pad. But Chanderpaul reviewed it with the calm demeanour of a batsman who knew his angles and Hawk-Eye suggested the ball was comfortably missing off stump.

Swann could have had him lbw on 63, but England failed to review. By the time he was on 74, England's captain, Andrew Strauss, gambled on Stuart Broad's conviction that he had him lbw - never a wise move - and the ball was shown to have pitched outside leg stump.

England's seam bowlers bowled wide of off stump at Chanderpaul until tea, often to 7-2 fields, respectful of his strength through the legside. They attacked the stumps more in the final session. Graeme Swann invited the sweep and his offspinners went for 14 in an over. Through it all, Chanderpaul's river rolled along, not as rapid as the Demerara in his native Guyana, more a languid plotting of the safest route through the mangroves. He bats to his own moods, at No. 5, because he is comfortable doing so; to question that, as has Brian Lara among others, is to invite his failure.

A cool, inhospitable English spring was a daunting challenge for the West Indies and when Anderson, England's player of the year, has a Dukes ball in his hand, the task is all the more challenging. He predictably made inroads in what for him were near-perfect bowling conditions with two wickets by lunch, bowling Kieran Powell with a superb delivery that snaked back to take the top of off stump and disorientating Kirk Edwards first up with an inswinger out of the Harry Potter school of wizardry before removing him with a full and straight one. Anderson even gave the on-field pep talk before play began. He is a man of few words and has probably found that an equally difficult skill to master.

Smart stats Shivnarine Chanderpaul continued his great run in England. He has now scored 1044 runs in his last ten Tests in England at an average of 80.30. It is also his ninth fifty-plus score in the ten matches. Chanderpaul's half-century is his 60th in Tests. Only Sachin Tendulkar, Allan Border, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting are above him on the list of batsmen with the most half-centuries. Stuart Broad picked up his first five-wicket haul at Lord's. It is also the eighth five-wicket haul for an England bowler at the venue since the beginning of 2007. Broad's five-wicket haul is his fifth in Tests and second against West Indies. The performance is the fifth-best bowling performance by an England bowler against West Indies at Lord's. James Anderson is now level fourth with Brian Statham on the list of England bowlers with the most wickets at Lord's (45 wickets). Ian Botham is on top with 69 wickets. The 81-run stand between Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels is the fifth-highest fifth-wicket stand for West Indies at Lord's. Chanderpaul was also involved in the highest (125 runs) with Dwayne Bravo in 2004. It is now 24 years since a West Indian opener scored a century at Lord's. Gordon Greenidge did so on that occasion as West Indies won by 134 runs.

It was no surprise that England chose to bowl. The pitch was white and gleaming but it was what lay above and below that mattered. The groundsman, Mick Hunt, regarded underlying moisture as inevitable and up above the cloud cover added to the sense that batting would be difficult. As it turned out, there was more swing - and mostly for Anderson - than seam and the surface was slow. Anderson was outstanding as he swung the ball lavishly before lunch; Bresnan was steadfast and economical. But Broad's final-session flourish salvaged a more difficult day than they might have imagined.

But West Indies' recent history also made Strauss' decision a logical one. West Indies sides coming to England used to invite a sense of awe. These days, for many they bring a sense of regret, a regret at their inability to stand alongside the first-tier nations, illustrated by their record of two wins in their past 30 Tests.

The great West Indian sides could strut their stuff in midsummer in conditions that were more in their favour, but weaker West Indies sides have become the English season's support act and so must play their Test cricket earlier when conditions are stacked against them. It makes their task of recovery doubly difficult. They often came close to having a good day, particularly at 181 for 4, at which point Marlon Samuels, who had added 81 with Chanderpaul for the fifth wicket, drove uncertainly at a fullish, wide one from Broad and edged to backward point.

England followed their two wickets before lunch with two more in the afternoon. Adrian Barath, who had included some cultured cover drives in his 42 - nine boundaries in all - fell to a gully catch by Anderson, who fell backwards as he parried, but caught at the second attempt. England had failed with an lbw review against Barath earlier in the over, but retained their two reviews because Broad had overstepped.

Bravo had fortunate moments even before his run-out. There was reason for England supporters to rue Andrew Strauss' conservatism when Bravo edged his first ball, from Anderson, at catchable height through a vacant fourth slip. Swann should also have caught him at second slip off James Anderson in the previous over, the ball rebounding off his chest. There is something about catching the ball out of the egg-and-bacon backdrop in the Lord's pavilion that can defeat the best of slip catchers.

But England's catching sparked up in the final session as Broad picked off Chanderpaul's unreliable allies at regular intervals. Denesh Ramdin was undone by extra bounce. Then came three wickets with the new ball: Darren Sammy, working too square on the leg side and caught off a leading edge; Kemar Roach, chipping a return catch; and Fidel Edwards, caught at the wicket to end the day after Chanderpaul had got off strike from the first ball of the final over.

Broad walked off to the flattery of a contented crowd. But there, somewhere in the corner of his eye, was a batsman of immense durability. He remained not out, and is still England's unsolved challenge for the Test series that lies ahead.

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Gilchrist pushes Chennai to the brink

 

Kings XI Punjab kept themselves in contention for a place in the playoffs with a comfortable victory set up by their seamers in Dharamsala. In conditions conducive to swing and movement, Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Awana stymied Chennai Super Kings, who finished their league campaign on a disappointing note, though are still hanging by a thread in this IPL, and are at the mercy of other results.

Kings XI's decision to go in with a four-pronged pace attack paid off and despite a Super Kings fightback led by Dwayne Bravo, a target of 121 proved easy to scale down. Adam Gilchrist, returning to lead his side after a lay-off of nearly a month due to a hamstring injury, smashed an unbeaten half-century to see his team home in front of a full house at the picturesque HPCA Stadium.

Gilchrist, after winning the toss, had no doubts about putting Super Kings in and Praveen went about justifying that decision. Several IPL venues around the country have supported movement off the pitch but here there was genuine swing on offer, giving the seamers much to smile about in a format designed for big hits. The Super Kings openers were confident when the ball was pitched up but indecisive when the length was just held back a touch. Praveen sensed that early and beat M Vijay, before having him caught behind when he tried to play an expansive shot.

Michael Hussey faced a tough time against Ryan Harris, pushing and prodding at away-going deliveries before nicking one to the keeper off Praveen. Suresh Raina was dropped on 2 at slip by Piyush Chawla and he went on to strike two sixes off Azhar Mahmood - one launched over long-off, the other top-edged over fine leg. But Raina chased a wide one that same over, and was snapped up by Gilchrist. Super Kings were in trouble when a nippy Parvinder Awana, who also got excellent carry, dismissed MS Dhoni to make it 46 for 4, but Bravo fought back.

Bravo waited for an opening, provided by the spin of Piyush Chawla, dispatching a long hop over midwicket and creaming him through point. He then went after David Hussey, smashing his offspinners for consecutive sixes towards cow-corner. Though Awana continued to be miserly, going for just 12 in his four-over spell and picking up two wickets, Mahmood faced an assault at the death. Albie Morkel hammered him for a six and a four, and Bravo was able to put together stands of 32 and 34 with Ravindra Jadeja and Morkel. His 48 gave Super Kings something to defend but Kings XI were the happier bunch at the halfway mark.

Gilchrist ensured the advantage remained with Kings XI. Though Ben Hilfenhaus and Albie Morkel found some assistance under overcast skies, it wasn't as much as the first innings. Kings XI approached the chase positively and an early burst prevented Super Kings from applying any serious pressure. Mandeep Singh, albeit a little fortuitously, slashed Hilfenhaus for a couple of boundaries in the first over and Gilchrist drove Morkel powerfully twice in the second. When R Ashwin was brought on in the sixth, he was pulled and swept by Gilchrist for two boundaries.

Mandeep fell after a half-century stand, and Nitin Saini and David Hussey lost their wickets playing avoidable shots but Kings XI were always on track while Gilchrist stayed in the middle. He was determined to see his team through, was cautious when the need arose and ruthless when an opportunity came. He slashed Bravo over point, and then tore into Yo Mahesh, whose generous dose of short balls and length deliveries promptly dealt with. He was thrashed for two sixes over square leg and two more fours in an over that fetched 22, and the win from there on was a foregone conclusion.

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