Chappell to be given extra security in Kolkata

Greg Chappell will get full support to keep angry detractors at bay in Kolkata © AFP

India’s coach Greg Chappell will be provided special security when he arrives in Kolkata for Thursday’s opening one-day match against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.Officials in Kolkata are clearly not taking a chance with regard to Chappell, who was confronted by an unruly fan during the recent home series against the West Indies. Chappell, 58, was pushed and hit on the back when the Indian team arrived at Bhubaneswar airport in the state of Orissa on January 22. Chappell, who was rushed into the team bus stationed outside the airport gate, escaped unhurt.Kolkata police official PK Chatterjee said his force will not allow such an incident to happen again when the Indian team arrives over the next 24 hours. “Special security has been planned for Chappell,” Chatterjee told AFP. “We will not allow Bhubaneswar to be repeated. We will throw a ring around Chappell during his stay in the city.”If Chappell travels by car from the airport, police vans will escort the vehicle till the hotel. If he goes by the team bus, at least five senior police officials will be deployed inside.” Thousands of security men will frisk each spectator at the entrance of the 100,000-seater Eden Gardens on match day, Chatterjee added.Kolkata police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee also heads the Cricket Association of Bengal, which is organising the match. Chappell, who took over as Indian coach in June 2005 for a two-year term, has faced close scrutiny in a cricket-mad nation desperate to see its team succeed on the international scene.

ECB cracks down on ICL recruits

David Collier: ‘The board stands ready to discuss the detail and impact of these steps with counties and individual players potentially affected’ © Getty Images
 

England players face missing an entire summer if they choose to play for the Indian Cricket League, after the England Cricket Board tightened up regulation to prevent county players from signing up the unauthorised Indian Cricket League.The board said that while any action would not be retrospective, any players who turn out in the ICL would be refused registration for a year. “A cricketer who has played in an unauthorised event in the 12 months leading up to 1 April in any given year will not qualify for registration,” a spokesman said. Although the ECB did not mention the ICL by name, referring to “events which are not authorised by the ICC and its members” the implication is clear.”Counties and the Professional Cricketers’ Association have sought clarity concerning this complex situation,” said the ECB chief executive, David Collier. “The [legal] advice received has informed the steps that the board has taken and the board stands ready to discuss the detail and impact of these steps with counties and individual players potentially affected.”The position with overseas players remains as before. The ECB maintains that such cricketers need a No Objection Certificate from the board of the country they are qualified to play Test cricket for, as per ICC instructions. “Without an NOC a cricketer is not entitled to registration,” the spokesman said. “The ECB will not exercise its discretion in favour of a cricketer who has contracted with an unauthorised event, save in the most exceptional circumstances.”That means that players such as Mushtaq Ahmed (Sussex), Jason Gillespie (Glamorgan) and Shane Bond (Hampshire), who have all signed with the ICL, will be prevented from taking up their positions with their counties. Although the ECB statement implied that no action would be taken against such players “who are already registered with the ECB, and who have already contracted with an unauthorised event,” without the NOC from their respective boards, they will be unable to proceed.But what seems apparent is that Kolpak players fall through the net. They do not need registration as with England players, but nor do they need NOCs from their home boards. “Kolpaks still have to abide by the regulations as set out by ECB, same as any other cricketer,” said an ECB spokesman. What that appears to mean is that it is relying on the counties to fall into line with the overall policy.

Mushfiqur wanted a change in captaincy – Sylhet coach

Sarwar Imran, the Sylhet Super Stars coach, confirmed that Mushfiqur Rahim resigned as captain on his own terms ahead of the team’s clash against Barisal Bulls on Sunday. Shahid Afridi’s appearance at the toss merely confirmed rumours that had been going around for close to 48 hours of a change in Sylhet’s captaincy.Imran also revealed plenty of discussion involving the team owner and Afridi, who tried to persuade Mushfiqur to change his decision on the eve of the match. “As far as I know, Mushfiqur said that he wanted to see a change in the captaincy,” Imran said after Sylhet’s nine-wicket win. “There’s a lot of pressure on him. He has to bat, keep wickets and on top of that we have lost two matches by one run and one by six runs. He wanted some relief. I heard about it from the team owner. Shahid Afridi had asked Mushfiqur to remain as captain but Mushfiqur handed it over to him.I spoke to him during the team meeting. He doesn’t want to be captain for the remaining matches in the BPL. We held a few small meetings afterwards. We decided last night that Mushfiqur and Ravi Bopara will help Shahid Afridi in the field, and that’s how it was in the middle today. Three of them will captain in the field, and officially the captain will be Shahid Afridi.”Imran said he wasn’t open to a change at the top, given the team just won one of their first six matches, but said even Mushfiqur was on the same page as far as the change was concerned.Mahmudullah, Barisal’s captain and Mushfiqur’s brother-in-law, said that the resignation surprised him. “It was unexpected. I didn’t know that Mushfiqur won’t be the captain. But of course it is their decision.”This isn’t the first time that Mushfiqur has resigned from the captaincy. In 2013, he quit the Bangladesh captaincy after they lost the ODI series against Zimbabwe but was later convinced by the BCB to continue in the role.

Washout dampens South Africa U-19's prospects


ScorecardA washed out game at the Sinovich Park in Sinoville, Pretoria meant hosts South Africa Under-19 need to win their final encounter against India Under-19 on Saturday to have a chance of qualifying for the final of the triangular tournament.After rain affected Thursday’s game between India and Bangladesh, it ruined the match between South Africa and Bangladesh, with even the toss not having taken place. South Africa had lost their earlier match against Bangladesh and with only two matches remaining before the final, the hosts must win against India, and hope India beat Bangladesh, which most likely will see South Africa qualify on a better net run-rate.South Africa, though, face a tough ask, as India have won both their matches thus far in the tournament.

Pakistan coast to victory despite Shakib

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Shakib Al Hasan scored more than half his team’s runs, but it still wasn’t enough © AFP
 

Shakib Al Hasan tried his best to lift Bangladesh, but his single-handed efforts – 108 and 1 for 34 – couldn’t inspire an otherwise woeful team as Pakistan equalled their most successful streak in ODIs, winning their tenth in a row to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series. Shakib’s innings lifted Bangladesh from a dire 109 for 8 to a respectable 210, but Pakistan’s top order barely broke a bead of sweat in knocking off the runs, achieving the target with seven wickets and 5.3 overs to spare.Shakib gave Bangladesh a fighting chance, but the game was settled when Butt and Akmal blitzed 97 for the first wicket in less than 17 overs. Both had scored hundreds in the previous game, and the good form showed as both oozed confidence, caressing fours through the off side and flicking wristily to the midwicket and square-leg boundaries whenever the bowlers erred even marginally.Bangladesh had one opportunity to break the stand before it had reached dangerous proportions, but Mahmudullah made a mess of a chance at extra cover when Butt drove airily at Shahadat Hossain. Butt had made 16 in a total of 25, and he made Bangladesh – and Hossain – pay dearly in his next over, creaming three glorious drives through the off side, two of which found the boundary. Akmal then joined the party, flicking the last ball of that over – which leaked 15 – for four, and then belting Mashrafe Mortaza for two more fours. Fifteen more came off that over, and after nine, Pakistan had sped to 65.Mohammad Ashraful was forced to turn to spin in the tenth over, and while the slow bowlers reduced the boundaries, both openers milked singles and twos, with the occasional boundary ensuring that the run-rate stayed above a run a ball. Akmal lofted Shakib over long-on for the first six of the match in the 13th over, but fell while trying to repeat the stroke four overs later.The arrival of Bazid Khan significantly slowed the scoring-rate, as he struggled to get the ball off the square against the slow bowlers, giving Bangladesh a chance to regroup. His first 23 deliveries fetched just two runs, and also led to Butt losing his patience and his wicket, dashing down the pitch for a non-existent single.The excitement for the crowd dried up as Mohammad Yousuf joined Bazid – there was a 67-ball boundary-drought at one stage – but Bazid finally broke the shackles in emphatic fashion, blasting Mahmudullah over midwicket for six, and gradually grew in confidence thereafter. Yousuf, meanwhile, played a typically fluent innings, guiding the ball into the gaps, cutting and flicking with characteristic elegance, and scoring at a fair clip despite the lack of fours and sixes. The asking-rate was always within control, and the result was a foregone conclusion long before Yousuf swept Abdur Razzak to seal the deal.That Pakistan required 44.3 overs with the bat was itself a surprise, for at one stage it appeared the game would be over before the artificial lights came into play. After winning the toss on a hot and sunny afternoon, and on what looked like a flat pitch, Bangladesh made a complete hash of ideal batting conditions. Umar Gul struck twice in his first over, inducing edges from Junaid Siddique and Aftab Ahmed, while Mohammad Asif – playing his first international match in nearly six months – had Tamim Iqbal cutting straight to point. Ten for 3 became an even more depressing 16 for 4 soon after Shakib walked in, as Mohammad Ashraful became another victim of Gul’s nagging line around off.Shakib, coming off a fine 75 in the third ODI in Lahore, continued from where he had left off, gauging the pace of the pitch in a trice. Gul was cut and pulled for two fours in three balls while Asif was creamed through the covers.Through the early part of his innings, though, it seemed his resistance would just be a minor irritant for a marauding Pakistan, as they knifed through the rest of the batting. Sohail Khan helped himself to a couple of wickets, while Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik took a wicket apiece as well.Mortaza, though, turned out to be an excellent foil for Shakib. Where other top-order batsmen had thrown it away, Mortaza showed fine temperament, turning the strike over and allowing Shakib the luxury of a solid partner. The first signs of a significant partnership came when Gul returned for a second spell. Shakib pulled him crisply and then struck him through extra cover in the same over – the 33rd – scoring 12 off it, the most expensive of the innings. Fawad Alam’s harmless left-arm spin was milked away for ones and twos, while Malik’s offspin met a similar fate as well. Never hurried in attack or defence, Shakib finally got to a richly deserved hundred in the 47th over, and the 97 he added with Mortaza was the highest ninth-wicket stand for Bangladesh in ODIs. That incredible rearguard effort gave Bangladesh some hope; sadly for them, though, Pakistan’s top order showed just how badly Bangladesh had bungled earlier in the afternoon.

Punjab complete emphatic win over Haryana

Punjab U-14 humiliated Haryana U-14 by 323 runs in their North Zoneleague tournament at the Maharaja Aggarsain Stadium, Rohtak. Punjab,put into bat, made 198 in 77.3 overs in their first innings withopener K Goel being the top scorer with 91. For Haryana Pratik was themost successful bowler, and he scalped 4 wickets. In response Haryanawere dismissed for 81 in 47.2 overs in their first innings. Onlyskipper D Saini lasted for a long time at the crease by making anunbeaten 31.In the second innings Punjab declared at 295 for 8 in 80.1 overs withgood scores from opener A Vinayak (68), M Bhatia (82) and skipper TGupta (84). Needing 413 runs to win, Haryana in their final inningsmade 89 in 34.4 overs with only D Saini (28) and S Kumar (18) reachingdouble figures. New ball bowler Hardavinder Singh claimed threewickets for Punjab.In completing their victory, Punjab notched up 8 points.

UAE's first women's side takes shape

In four weeks’ time, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will hold their first women’s tournament in Malaysia. While Malaysia will have both the home advantage and the benefit of fitness – as many of their players are in the Air Force – plans are also taking shape in the UAE.Two former India players are on board to mould the first UAE women’s team. Pramila Bhat Sarangan and Smitha Harikrishna have a hard task – women’s cricket is a new sport to the country – so they are instilling such disciplines as practice at 6am and even just teaching the basics. “A flush of too much technique may be too much for them to handle,” Sarangan told . “We will be working hard on their physical fitness.”Most of the team are from the subcontinent, mainly from South India. Sarangan would like to see more representation from South Africans and English ex-pats.On a developmental level, she says: “If women’s cricket is to become popular in UAE, the game should be promoted at the schools level. Clubs should also be formed and matches should be organised regularly.”In the meantime, the two players to look out for Natasha Michael, a batsman, and the fast bowler Charvi Bhatt. They will be taking part in the week-long ACC tournament, which comprises 25-over matches, starts on July 11.

Multan win a thriller

Multan defeated Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in a thriller by a three wickets margin, on the final day of their fifth-round match, at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.Multan required a mere 116 to win but they made heavy weather of the task at hand. They lost seven wickets before they got home. The first four wickets fell with just 23 on the board, then the total was taken to 94 but three more wickets were lost. Naved Yasin, with an unbeaten 27, was joined by skipper Rauf, who made 20 not out and the two took their team to an exciting win.SSGC medium-fast bowler Shakeel-ur-Rehman from Peshawar had meanwhile bowled his heart out in bringing his team near a difficult triumph. Shakeel took five for 64 yesterday, that gave him a match haul of 10 for 162. In the end, though, his was a futile effort.Multan with 18 points from five matches have now jumped up to sixth place in the 11-team ranking, from their previous eighth spot. SSGC are down to number seven from the fifth positon, with 18 points from four appearances.Wasim Khan took five wickets and offspinner Irfanuddin chipped in with three to power National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a eight-wicket win against Karachi Whites at the NBP Sports Complex Stadium on Friday.Resuming at their overnight 97 for 3, still 29 runs behind their opponents, Karachi Whites managed only a modest 202 in their second innings. That left National Bank a small target of 78 runs, which they achieved with ease.The only Karachi batsman to show some defiance yesterday was Daniyal Ahsan. He batted just over four hours and faced 156 balls in scoring 63 runs that included five fours. For National Bank, first innings centurion Nasir Jamshed was again in good form in the second, making an unbeaten 40 off 57 balls with six fours and two sixes.In five matches, National Bank have now taken their points tally to 36, but remain at second place behind Habib Bank in the 11-team Group A ranking. Habib Bank too have 36 points to their credit, but in only four appearances, and they also have a superior net run-rate. After five matches, of which they have won two and lost two, Karachi Whites remain stuck at 21 points.Islamabad returned to the top of the Group B ranking after registering an emphatic nine-wicket win over Karachi Blues at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground on Friday.Having resumed at 87 for one, requiring only a further 59 runs, the second-wicket pair took the score to 149 for one as Islamabad emerged victorious comfortably. The unbroken partnership was worth 140 runs: Umair Khan hit 68 not out off 93 with 13 fours while Farrukh Hayat achieved the first half-century of his first-class career, making an unbeaten 51 off 107 deliveries.Islamabad, who had slipped to number three in the 11-team Group B table following a defeat at the hands of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in the fourth round, are now back on the top. They have won all their other matches for a tally of 36 points.
At the Bugti Stadium Quetta, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) went from eighth place to sixth when they beat Quetta by five wickets. They had needed only 144 runs to win and they did so for the loss of five wickets. KRL, however, collected only six points as they had earlier surrendered a nine-run first innings lead to Quetta..

Kolkata monitoring Hodge's next move

Kolkata not sweating over Hodge
The Kolkata Knight Riders are not looking for any replacement yet for Brad Hodge, who is leaving to join the Australian squad for the West Indies tour. Hodge was asked by Cricket Australia to join the squad as a shadow replacement for Michael Clarke, who left the team camp in Brisbane to attend to an ailing family member.Joy Bhattacharya, Kolkata’s team director, said they were monitoring the development and hope Hodge can still re-join the squad if Clarke returns soon. “We already have other international players like Salman Butt so we are not yet looking at any replacement for Hodge,” Bhattacharya said. Hodge, one of the prolific run-getters in Twenty20 cricket, played three games for Kolkata.Prasad calls for ‘patience and trust’
With two wins from eight matches, the Bangalore Royals Challengers are struggling at the bottom of the points table. Recently, Charu Sharma, the team’s chief executive, was sacked, and Venkatesh Prasad, the coach, has called upon the team owners to have patience and trust in the side. Prasad termed Sharma’s dismissal as “unfortunate” and feared it could send the wrong signal.Nanavati ends probe into Harbhajan-Sreesanth row
Sudhir Nanavati, the BCCI-appointed commissioner, has said he is satisfied by Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth’s statements regarding their on-field altercation and is scheduled to submit his report to the board on Monday.”The investigation is over and now I don’t need to talk to any player or official in this case,” Nanavati said after meeting both the players on Friday. “I’m satisfied with the answers of both Sreesanth and Harbhajan. I’ve all the evidence that I need to prepare the report.Slow going
The IPL has fined the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Kolkata Knight Riders US$1000 and $500 respectively for a slow over rate in their match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The action was taken by the match referee, Farokh Engineer, under accordance of the ICC Playing Conditions and Rules.

Bravo misses Ireland trip

Dwayne Bravo played a vital hand against England despite carrying an ankle injury © Getty Images

Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the quadrangular series in Ireland with the ankle injury he picked up against England. He was patched up and played a decisive role in West Indies’ 2-1 win, but hasn’t been risked for the matches against Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland in Dublin.Following West Indies’ victory at Trent Bridge to seal the series Bravo stayed behind in London, while his team-mates flew to Ireland, to have the ankle examined and treated then will return to the Caribbean.West Indies have decided not to call up a replacement for the short tour, instead offering chances to the players who didn’t appear against England.”We are going to miss Dwayne but we decided against replacement because it is a short trip with only three games,” said coach David Moore. “We’ve had some good performers in England who did not get a chance in the one-day internationals in England.”Darren Sammy did well but unfortunately missed out in the ODIs and Austin (Richards Jr) and Lendl (Simmons) will also have a chance to stake their claims.”West Indies open their tournament against Netherlands, at Clontarf, on Tuesday.