All posts by csb10.top

The ICC has clarified that the benefit of doubt will be granted to the fielder in cases of inconclusive evidence over contact with the boundary rope while completing a catch or effecting a run-out. The clarification follows controversy surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s dismissal on the fourth day of the Antigua Test recently.According to the protocol, if the on-field umpires are uncertain, they can refer the decision to the third umpire, whose sole responsibility is to decide whether the boundary was scored. However, if the replays are inconclusive, the benefit of the doubt will be given to the fielder, which means that no boundary will be awarded due to lack of evidence. As no boundary has been scored, the only decision left would be for the on-field umpire to give the batsman out caught.The action was necessitated after Daren Ganga claimed Dhoni’s catch at the edge of the mid-wicket boundary but the batsman stood his ground, as there was doubt whether the fielder was touching the boundary rope while taking the catch. However, the TV replays were inconclusive, leading to utter confusion among the players and on-field umpires. Ultimately, Dhoni walked off after Brian Lara told him to take the fielder’s word that the dismissal was effected legitimately.The same rule would apply to inconclusive run-outs, where it is uncertain if the fielder was touching the rope in the pick-and-throw process. Once the third umpire’s decision is conveyed to the on-field umpires, they will have to decide whether to refer the run-out as well. In this case, the third umpire could be called to make two separate decisions.Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, explained the reasons for issuing the protocol. “The confusion in Antigua arose over what the third umpire was required to adjudicate on – a boundary or a dismissal”, he said. “That confusion created understandable frustration among players and spectators and the clarification of this protocol should ensure a similar situation does not arise in the future.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has been cleared of major injury after going for an X-ray but is still suffering from pain in the right side of his chest. Inzamam did not take the field for the first hour and did not come back out after lunch on the fourth day of the third Test against England at Headingley.While trying to sweep Monty Panesar, Inzamam stumbled and fell on to his stumps and was seen rubbing his chest as he walked off the field.However, Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, said that the injury was unrelated to his dismissal. “The X-ray is clear but he [Inzamam] has some internal problems and complained of pain in the right side of his chest,” Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, told . “He was not hit by a ball or hurt during his dismissal.”

Shahrayar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has launched a scathing attack on the Australian umpire, Darrell Hair, accusing him of intransigence and insensitivity, and has requested to the International Cricket Council that he never officiates in a Test involving Pakistan again.Speaking to the media at the Marriott Hotel in North West London, Shahrayar described the incidents that led to the forfeiture of yesterday’s fourth Test at The Oval as “a grievous blow to the spirit of cricket,” adding that the team was “deeply indignant” at the manner in which the ball-tampering issue arose.”Darrell Hair has trained his guns on the team,” said Shahrayar. “It is a slur on the players and a slur to Pakistan itself. The team has had problems with him before, and have lost confidence in him as an umpire. They are deeply offended by his attitude. Ask the Sri Lankans, ask the Indians about the same man.”The ICC, however, has told Cricinfo that they will not be dictated to by their member nations when it comes to appointing umpires for specific series, citing the problems recently encountered in Italian football when certain referees are assigned to certain games.”We are not dictating to the ICC,” insisted Shahrayar. “When we have previously raised this issue, they have said that they have very few umpires, and that it is not always possible to suit every country. If every country were to say, “I don’t want A, B, C, I want X, Y, Z, that would be wrong.”But I think our case is somewhat different. It is not the fact that Darrell Hair is a bad umpire, Darrell Hair is a good umpire. Our team has a problem with his attitude on the field. That attitude has upset our team more than once. If the ICC is sensitive to countries and to boards, it will take due cogniscence. We have not raised this issue about any other umpire. Billy Doctrove, we welcome.”Shahrayar reiterated that Hair was the single bone of contention for the Pakistanis, adding that the spirit between the two teams had not been remotely affected by the issue, and that both sides had been ready and willing to take the field in yesterday’s final session, and get the game back underway.”Cricket is a bridge of peace,” he added. “In these days of tension outside the cricket ground, what a wonderful sight it is to see cricket between a Muslim country and Muslim people, and England, the majority Christians. Why destroy this bridge of peace? Why go on and on with intransigence, saying ‘No, no, no, we will not resume [the match] I find that very difficult.”Hair however was doing nothing more than following the letter of the law, and in that respect the Pakistanis have been hoisted by their own petard, after refusing to take the field after tea in protest. “I don’t regret the protest at all,” insisted Shahrayar. “It was entirely justified.”Even so, there seemed to be some confusion about the events of the afternoon, with Shahrayar claiming that the ball – 56 overs old – had been damaged by a spate of sixes from Kevin Pietersen that had bounced off the concrete. In fact, Pietersen only started hitting sixes after the ball had been changed.For all his positive noises, Shahrayar stopped short of offering a full assurance that the remainder of the tour would go ahead as planned. “I don’t want to answer hypothetical questions,” he stated. “Our decision is that we should play the five one-day matches, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”Everything rests on Inzamam-ul-Haq’s Code of Conduct hearing, which takes place on Friday. He faces a ban of up to eight one-day internationals after being charged with a Level 3 Code of Conduct offence for bringing the game into disrepute. However, as Inzamam told Cricinfo this morning, it is the lesser charge of ball-tampering, a Level 2 offence, on which this entire issue hinges.Consequently, the PCB have taken a somewhat contradictory stance on the Level 3 offence, insisting that they will challenge the forfeiture, but will not be seeking to alter the result of the match. “The England team were willing to play,” commented Abbas Zaidi, the PCB’s director of board operations. “That is a great tribute to the spirit between the teams.”

England’s Champions Trophy preparations, already weakened by injuries, has received another blow with news that Marcus Trescothick will miss the tournament after receiving specialist medical advice.A statement from the ECB said: “The selectors have been pleased to learn that the treatment Marcus has been receiving throughout the summer has resulted in very positive progress and that he is expected to be fit to resume playing for England prior to the Ashes tour.”A spokesman from Performance Healthcare, the specialists treating Trescothick, said: “After his return from the tour of India in March, Marcus sought specialist help for his ongoing symptoms. In addition to the deleterious effects of the acquired gastrointestinal infection on his health, it later became evident that he was also suffering from an underlying stress-related illness.”He has been receiving specialist treatment, which has allowed him to resume his position in the England team. However, we believe that it would be premature for him to tour India in October. Rest is an important part of his treatment and he will need recovery time before the Ashes tour of Australia which begins in November.”Trescothick, a lynchpin of the side, had been in poor form lately and managed just 22 runs in the three ODIs against Pakistan. Despite the positive tone of the ECB statement, this must raise doubts whether Trescothick will be in a state to participate in the Ashes.To add further weight behind the theory that Trescothick’s future is in doubt, Duncan Fletcher has issued a warning about players missing tours. Fletcher, who is due to meet with fellow selectors David Graveney and Geoff Miller said: “I’ve said all along we’ve just got to come up with a method of making sure players don’t pick [and chose] these tours. I would want my players available for all tours that are played.”But, despite England’s seventh ODI defeat of the season, Fletcher insists that if they can play a full-strength team they can still compete. “When we had our full side, close to our Test side, we got to the Champions Trophy final [against West Indies at The Oval in 2004] and we competed very well with [world champions] Australia.”Since then we haven’t had that side. Continuity is important but you can’t have continuity if people keep coming in the side because of injuries.”England’s selectors meet in Leicester today to pick the Champions Trophy squad, although it will not be named until Sunday. Trescothick’s opt-out will cause them yet another headache.

Indian fans have seen plenty of Sachin Tendulkar’s hundreds, long Rahul Dravid innings, more of Ricky Ponting than they would have liked, but so little of Brian Lara, that it’s a crying shame. Although he has played 128 Tests and 275 one-day internationals – a massive number by any reckoning – it is more than ten years since he last played an international game on Indian soil. Sure, he has been here ever so often, but that has been for commercial endorsements and celebrity appearances. The last time the high back-lift and flashing blade were in action in an ODI was in the 1996 World Cup semi-final, against Australia at Mohali. The last time he played a Test in India was even before that, in December 1994, at Chandigarh.If there is some hope that the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad will get some sort of a crowd in for this qualifying match in the ICC Champions Trophy, it is that people will take this rare chance to catch Lara in action. The fact that the ground is quite far from the city – about 10 kilometres from the city centre – will be a deterrent, as will the dry heat, but it is a Sunday. And people have long said that the one batsman they would pay good money to watch, and travel far to watch, is Lara. Time will tell if they can walk the talk.But for Lara, crowds or no crowds, India, and playing here, certainly holds some charm. “Unfortunately the time the West Indies came here I was not well and I couldn’t make the tour a few years back,” he said at a pre-match press conference, when asked about the long gap since he last played here. “To me the passion that is shown for cricket in India, and the way the public receives cricketers – not just the Indian team – is just tremendous.””They talk about Lord’s being the home of cricket in terms of a cricket ground, but in terms of the actual game, cricket is definitely at home here in India. It’s unfortunate that it’s been a pretty long time, but there’s no better time to make up for that than now. I’m hoping to put my best foot forward and entertain the Indian crowd.”The crowds will be hoping that he doesn’t just put his first foot forward, but that he bats high up in the order. People would not have forgotten the one time when he slipped down the order to No. 9, in the recent DLF Cup, to give some of his team-mates the chance to show some responsibility. They failed utterly, however, falling short of a small target of 162. But Lara was clear that there would be no more experimenting for the moment. The West Indies’ first task was to qualify for the main draw of the Champions Trophy.To do so, they need their top-order, led by Lara, to fire. This means that Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul are crucial to their fortunes. The likes of Runako Morton and Wavell Hinds – in whom Lara has shown tremendous faith – need to pick their games up. Fortunately for them, though, the bowling is coming through nicely, with Ian Bradshaw developing into the quintessential one-day performer, backed up ably by the two Dwaynes – Smith and Bravo, leaving the genuinely quick Fidel Edwards to express himself fully.Zimbabwe should not really pose West Indies any serious problems, but those following West Indian cricket in recent times won’t take anything for granted. They’ve managed to turn just-about invincible positions into losing ones at the least prompting. For now, though, it’s all eyes on Lara, and the magic he can produce with his bat. It’s unlikely that he’ll get a crowd as large as his artistry deserves, but who knows, one day, that might happen. Like he said, “My dream is to play a Test match at Eden Gardens. Hopefully I can last that long.”

Stuart MacGill may be unavailable for selection for next month’s first Ashes Test after a clash with an umpire in a Sydney club match earned him a two-week ban. MacGill has been suspended until November 2, which will rule him out of crucial domestic matches against Queensland at the Gabba this week and could affect the selectors’ decisions for the first Test starting on November 23.Cricket NSW has put together a judicial panel for MacGill to appeal the ban, which he is contesting on the severity of the sentence. The matter is expected to heard on Monday night. Time is running out with the NSW team scheduled to leave for Brisbane on Tuesday morning.MacGill pleaded guilty to disorderly and improper conduct after being charged for breaching the code of conduct while playing for Sydney University last weekend. It’s unlikely that Australia will take two legspinners into the opening Ashes Test at Brisbane, with Shane Warne locking up the fourth bowling spot on a pitch normally conducive to swing bowling. However, MacGill lists the ground as one of his favourites due to the extra bounce the surface provides.

Sourav Ganguly’s departure for South Africa has been delayed owing to passport hassles and he would now join the Indian team a day late. Ganguly’s passport could not reach Delhi in time for completing visa formalities.Ganguly, who was recalled to the Indian Test team after a ten-month lay-off, would now leave for Johannesburg early on Tuesday. He was originally scheduled to leave for South Africa in the wee hours of December 4.”He will now leave for South Africa at 2 am on Tuesday,” Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, told Cricinfo. “Ganguly’s visa formalities could not be completed as due to the bandh in Bengal last Friday his passport reached Delhi on Friday evening.”With Saturday and Sunday being holidays, the earliest Ganguly’s visa can be processed is tomorrow. “He will be in Johannesburg on Tuesday [December 5] morning, in time for the four-day warm-up game.”

Three relieved and tired men briefly came down from their retirement highs to speak for the final time as players in the same cream-coloured basement where Steve Waugh bowed out three years ago. After the adulation came some answers before they returned to the dressing room and reflected on their playing lives.Still damp from the exploding champagne, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer grabbed a soft drink from the fridge before covering topics from the next generation to comebacks and spotlight withdrawal. Warne wore a casual cap in the middle while McGrath and Langer spoke under their baggy greens. McGrath’s was in good shape and ready for more wear. Langer’s had faded and ripped. He sniffed it and grimaced to convince everybody of how bad it smelt.”It’s going to have to be behind some thick glass,” Langer said when asked where he’d put it. McGrath said it would be disappointing that Langer would have to find something else to wear to bed every night.They were exhausted but found energy for teasing before an afternoon of toasting in the bottom of the members’ stand. Each man had played a small part as the final five wickets fell and the 46 runs were taken for the 5-0 Ashes victory. “It was nice that Pigeon finally got one right,” Warne said. McGrath’s pre-series predictions will not be missed as much as his bowling and he signed off with 3 for 38, including the innings-ending wicket of James Anderson.”Obviously seeing offstump cartwheel back 10 to 15 metres is probably the perfect scenario,” McGrath said as Warne interrupted with “20 years ago, maybe”. “But a slower ball caught at mid-on, I guess I’ll take that. When I saw that ball go up and Michael Hussey was underneath it I was pretty happy, a perfect way to finish.”Shane Warne is ready for a rest – from cricket and the spotlight•Getty Images

Langer scored 20 as he took his career tally to 7696 runs and earned a few “badges of honour” after being struck a couple of times by Steve Harmison. It was Langer’s long-term partner Matthew Hayden who sealed the victory with a push in front of point that followed a six over midwicket. They hugged for the last time as partners and there may have been a kiss. From the dressing room the rest of the team surged out for celebrations and presentations lasting at least half an hour.The retiring dads sat on the outfield with their children in a scene that would have been like a Sunday picnic if the SCG was not almost full. Gold glitter was blown from machines, the crystal Ashes trophy was handed over and Ricky Ponting lifted the prize. He had stayed away from the flashing cameras in the immediate aftermath of the victory as the thought of the three senior players departing made him cry.”I shed a bit of the tear out on the ground,” Ponting said. “I tried to stay away from the cameramen and the photographers for about ten minutes. Even when we took the last wicket [it was emotional], thinking that would be the last time we’d be walking off with Glenn and Shane. I was hoping to get a chance to bat with Lang, so I was a bit dirty on Matty for not getting out.” It had been the best seven weeks of his life.Adam Gilchrist wore sunglasses to cover his eyes and Hayden hugged John Buchanan, the out-going coach, like a father, burying his face in his shoulder. Men at Work’s Down Under blared from the stadium speakers and Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Michael Clarke made scarves out of Australian flags. McGrath walked around the outfield with two thumbs up while Warne scuffed around with his shirt out. Langer wiped his eyes with his sleeve before giving a farewell message to the crowd.One final innings with Matthew Hayden was the perfect way for Justin Langer to bow out•Getty Images

“The baggy green cap means a lot to a lot of people,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing and it’s been a privilege to wear it 105 times.” Langer said later he was relieved it was all over. “That’s probably the perfect script,” he said, “to be put there when the winning runs are scored with my opening partner, 5-0 up in a Test series.”McGrath has been part of the Australian team for 124 Tests and his 563 wickets are the most by any fast bowler. “The way we’ve played since the last Ashes has been some of the most outstanding cricket I’ve been involved in,” McGrath said. He will stay on until after the World Cup and has already ruled out a Test return on any terms.”We’re retired from Test cricket, there will be no comebacks,” he said as Warne shook his head like a pantomime villain. “It’s the last time I’ll be wearing white pants. It’s time for the young guys to step forward now. Australia’s in a very healthy position so there won’t be any calls next year for us to come back.”Warne’s body aches after 708 wickets in 145 Tests. He is ready for a rest – from cricket and the spotlight – and does not expect any withdrawal symptoms after 15 years as a globetrotter. “I doubt it,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll keep people off my front lawn for a while, following me around in cars, all those types of things. Hopefully that will die down. I won’t miss that at all. Maybe I can get my gear off and dance on top of a bar if I want to.” It will have to wait a couple of days. They were all too weary for any more exertions.

Northern Districts were in a strong position after two days play against their neighbours as Auckland collapsed to 136 all out . Northern were 60 for 1, a lead of 230, with Hamish Marshall not out 17 and Bradley-John Watling 24. Earlier Brent Arnel played a leading role in ripping through a disappointing Auckland line up. Only captain Richard Jones (50) passed 20, although Rob Nicol was typically stonewall-ish, scoring his unbeaten 12 off 49 deliveries. Arnel took 4 for 31 off 12 overs.Michael Papps and Craig McMillan would be regretting the fact New Zealand’s test season is only two matches long after both posted centuries on day two of this match. Replying to Central Districts’ disappointing 264, Canterbury were in a strong position after Papps (121) and McMillan (117) laid the foundation for a massive total. Greg Hegglun with 3 for 68 was the best of the Central bowlers.Wellington’s stunning collapse was matched only by their equally dramatic fightback against Otago. At one point Wellington were 21 for 7 in their first innings. A late revival still took them some way short of respectability. Otago, despite having the benefit of time, decided to re-insert the visitors, a move they could live to regret. Matthew Bell (103 not out) notched his second century in as many matches, while Michael Parlane will start tomorrow on 85 not out. Bradley Scott with 4 for 13 off 10 overs was the main destroyer.

ScorecardA storm put paid to South Africa’s chances of winning this series 5-0. Nevertheless, they still had time to reach 200 for the fourth time in four matches batting first – today’s effort was 216 for 6. Daleen Terblanche made her second fifty of the series, and Mignon du Preez boosted them late on with an unbeaten 55.A rare failure for Cri-Zelda Brits (8) couldn’t wipe the smile off her face; she finished the series with 183 runs and will settle for the 4-0 cleansweep, and a job well done as stand-in captain. Pakistan showed some encouraging signs, reaching 38 without loss from 11 overs. It was shaping up to be the highest opening stand of the series – the highest being 40 – when lightning forced the players off the field and ultimately ended the match.The series victory will give South Africa the boost they needed after missing out on automatic qualification for the 2009 World Cup after being pipped on home soil by the West Indies in the 2005 tournament. That means they now face qualification and will have to attend the qualifying tournament later this year.South Africa have only played three one-dayers since the World Cup – against West Indies immediately after that competition in a hastily arranged ODI series. Their morale dented after unexpectedly losing out on qualification, they lost 2-1 at home.This series against Pakistan provided them with the opportunity to get their confidence back and on the evidence, a 4-0 drubbing without three players including their captain, they’re on course to gain a place at the 2009 World Cup in Australia.