All posts by csb10.top

The preliminary hearing into the alleged match-fixing and spot-fixing scandal in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League began in Dhaka on Sunday. Legal representatives of eight of the nine people charged participated in the proceedings; the next hearing is scheduled for January 19, 2014.Noorus Sadik, the legal representative of Mosharraf Hossain and Mahbubul Alam, said he had put forward a statement on the players’ behalf and pleaded not guilty. Dhaka Gladiators’ legal advisor Aminuddin said the team had asked the tribunal to stop its proceedings because it had already filed a case in the civil court. “We asked them to stop the proceedings as they failed to form the tribunal in 40 days and we had filed a case in the civil court,” Aminuddin said. “As the case is pending in the court, we want it to end before the tribunal starts its proceeding.”ICC legal head Ian Higgins, Shelly Clarke and Jonathan Taylor were present at the hearing that was convened by Justice Khademul Islam along with panel members Azmalul Haque and Shakil Kashem.According to the BCB’s anti-corruption code, the purpose of the preliminary hearing was to “allow the convenor of the anti-corruption tribunal to address any issues that need to be resolved prior to the hearing date”.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:00

Polite Enquiries: The end for Flower?

It has been a while since an Australian captain has looked as serene during an Ashes Test as Michael Clarke did at the Adelaide Oval.During a period of England domination, the uncomprehending exasperation of Ricky Ponting has been followed by Clarke’s lurking fear that his own Ashes story could be debilitated by injury.Yet here Clarke was, the second day into the second Test, continuing his love affair with this ground with an unflustered century which with every graceful moment stated his intent to become the Australian captain who regained the Ashes. The blissful manner in which he dealt with the England attack, with his vice-captain Brad Haddin offering sterling support, will only quicken the belief in Australia that the balance is shifting irrevocably in their favour.That sensation also resides in the figure of Mitchell Johnson, only more violently. Nothing England contrived came close to his immediate threat. He sand-blasted Alastair Cook aside with his 10th delivery, every ball above 148kph until the kill was applied, the ball searing past Cook’s outside edge to strike off stump.Michael Carberry and Joe Root stabilised England for the rest of the 20 overs they had to survive, but they were distinctly fortunate to survive some high jinks in the final over. Root’s eagerness to see out the day drew him into an inexcusable off-side single which would have run out Carberry had Chris Rogers hit the stumps. Then Australia opted not to review the final ball of the day when replays showed Carberry would have been out lbw. Root had reason to be as relieved as Carberry.Australia had hammered home their authority by the time they declared 10 overs into the final session. Clarke reached 148 in five and three quarter hours when he became the first Test victim for Ben Stokes, seeking to work him through square leg and chipping a gentle catch to short midwicket off a leading edge.Clarke’s stand with Haddin was worth 200 in 51 overs, a new record for the sixth wicket for any team in Adelaide. Haddin fell for 118 to Stuart Broad in the third over after tea, his fourth Test century reaffirming in aggressive fashion that he has turned the back-to-back Ashes series into one of the most productive periods in his Test career. England had designs upon dismissing Australia, 5 for 273 at the close of the first day, for around 350, only to become increasingly bereft as they gave up another 297 runs in 68 overs. England conceded 12 sixes, five to Haddin, a tally assisted by Adelaide’s short square boundaries.Australia’s total was their highest in Ashes cricket since they amassed 674 for 6 declared against England in Cardiff in 2009, a match in which England also combined the spin of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar with little reward. England had fielded two spinners in Australia for the first time for 33 years, but the gamble demanded that they remained in touch in the first innings in the hope of dividends later in the game.By the time England followed up Clarke’s dismissal with more consolatory wickets, a victory to tie the series at 1-1 looked an increasingly unlikely proposition. Mitchell Johnson hoicked Swann’s offspin to mid-on and Stokes, occasionally revealing an ability to leave the right-hander off the pitch, had Peter Siddle caught at the wicket. But Ryan Harris deposited Swann for two successive slog sweeps into the members to keep Australian spirits high and after tea became the eighth Australian to pass 50 in a series that is not quite two Tests old. That statistic, above all, should trouble England.Michael Clarke brought up his sixth Test century at Adelaide at a higher average than even Don Bradman•PA Photos

Clarke’s sixth Adelaide hundred in nine Tests, and his 26th of all, was his second in succession, following his century in Brisbane when Australia’s domination was assured. This one was a perfectly-constructed affair with the Test in the balance, made all the more noteworthy because of occasional suggestions that first his back and then his ankle were troubling him more than the England attack. When he was dismissed, his average in Adelaide Tests was 104.75, a standard that even The Don – Adelaide’s most revered figure – could not quite match.Virtually everything that could go wrong for England in the morning did as Clarke and Haddin batted through the morning session with commendable enterprise. Stokes missed out on a first Test wicket because of a no-ball and the list of half chances to elude England grew as they failed to press home their hard-won position of equality from the first day. They were in a rush to take wickets with the new ball 10 overs old at start of play, but their threat softened even before the Kookaburra ball did.England will reflect that the morning might have turned out differently. Clarke’s determination to dominate the left-arm spin of Panesar from the outset almost went awry as he skipped down the pitch to his first ball of the morning and spooned it over extra cover, marking his fifty with relief as the ball evaded Stokes. But by the time Panesar was withdrawn after four overs, the mood was set.England also had a glimmer of a chance to dismiss him when he was 91. Again Clarke’s foot movement was ambitious, this time to the offspin of Swann, and his glance thudded through the hands and into the ankle of Ian Bell at backward short leg. A tough catch missed, Bell, and the wicketkeeper Matt Prior, then failed to gather cleanly to pull off a run out as Clarke dived back into his crease and rose with the sense that fortune was favouring the brave.Haddin was an impressive accomplice, but he, too, had one or two moments which fell his way. James Anderson, with no swing to sustain him, looked listless, but when he produced a good bouncer to Haddin, on 30, the hook shot fell short of Panesar, who reacted cumbersomely at fine leg as the ball sailed out of the unfinished stand. It was barely a catch, although in keeping with the ground works, Panesar also seemed to be wearing concrete boots.Stokes imagined that his first Test wicket had come in his third over of the day when he produced an excellent delivery to have Haddin, on 51, caught at the wicket. He had already fielded congratulations from his team-mates for his first Test wicket when replays showed he had overstepped.Haddin could not resist a jokey congratulation to Stokes at the end of the over about his first Test wicket that wasn’t, and as Stokes’ manner suggested an appetite for continuing the conversation, the umpire Marais Erasmus intervened to calm the situation. As the afternoon wore on, the calm became increasingly hard for England to stomach; on a sunlit evening, as Johnson burned in, calm was something they could only dream of.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Along with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat•Associated Press

On a surreal night when New Zealand kept swinging between the spectacular and the silly, they just couldn’t conjure enough to close the deal against a resilient Indian lower middle order, which snuck a tie to keep the series alive. New Zealand had the game won when they brought together R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja with India still needing 131 in less than 15 overs. After that they had opportunities to kill the game off, but dropped a catch, missed a stumping, and couldn’t hit the stumps.When it became really desperate, Martin Guptill, who had scored a century earlier and taken a blinder earlier in the match, pulled off a sensational catch at the boundary to bring New Zealand right back. And then came the wides, another drop, another missed run-out. They just couldn’t put it past Jadeja, who with No. 11 for company, took 17 off the last over, bowled by Corey Anderson, who had taken five wickets. They might even have something to say to the umpires who denied them the wickets of Jadeja and Suresh Raina, and twice wided them unfairly. India faced the brunt of poor judgement of wides once themselves.It was a difficult night to explain. New Zealand could have scored 350. They could have been bowled out for 289. They could have won by 50 runs. They could have easily lost. Hamish Bennett, with all the titanium in his reassembled back, made a superb return to international cricket with back-to-back maidens to Virat Kohli, and then the timely wickets of Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and figures of 2 for 41 in 10 overs. His last act of the night was to drop Jadeja in the 49th over, and with that a 21-run win. Ashwin dived to complete threes, Jadeja turned down singles, umpires forgot the wide law, didn’t hear edges, and in the final act of disbelief, Jadeja didn’t even try the second when two were required off the last ball.Tim Southee took the fumbling New Zealand past 300 with 27, went for a few, took a swerving blinder off MS Dhoni’s bat in the outfield, but couldn’t quite get to another offering from Jadeja when India still needed 64. Luke Ronchi played his part with 38 off 20, but missed a regulation stumping chance a ball after Southee had reprieved Jadeja.What of Bhuvneshwar Kumar then? He got the rampaging Jesse Ryder out, kept India in it with just 48 off his nine overs, but when he had a chance to catch Southee at third man, he parried it for a six. Against a team that would turn a six into a catch later. India themselves missed at least four run-out opportunities during the 155-run second-wicket stand. Raina dropped a sitter from Williamson, who scored his third fifty in three matches.When Williamson eventually fell, in the 33rd over with the score 189, he had set New Zealand up beautifully. This is about the time when New Zealand have been going berserk this series. You can look back at the period harshly, but New Zealand looked to set a target that was India-proof and small-boundaries-proof. Except that this time many of their shots resulted in wickets, the running went awry, and seven wickets fell for 90.There was no momentum to be carried into the second innings. New Zealand were underwhelming after the 35th over, but they also had that bonus of 25 runs thanks to the drop by Bhuvneshwar. India came with all the momentum, though. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan came out attacking, and took India to 64 in nine overs. That’s when Bennett and Anderson intervened. Bennett took an over to warm up, but bowled serious pace and to his field. Anderson was wily with his bouncers and changes of pace. Twenty runs and four wickets, including Kohli’s, came in the next nine overs.The game looked over then, but in a remarkable show of tenacity, for the first time in India’s ODI history, their Nos 6, 7 and 8 all scored half-centuries. Dhoni kept India alive with his, Ashwin made them dream, and Jadeja was the man standing.With Dhoni and Ashwin at least, there was no slogging involved. However, the 55-ball 85-run partnership between Ashwin and Jadeja began to became a serious problem only after the 40th over when New Zealand were forced to go back to Nathan McCullum after having attacked with the quicks for long. He should have had both the batsmen in successive deliveries, but you can’t take away from the stylish shots of Ashwin that made New Zealand desperate.In Nathan McCullum’s next, when Ashwin went for a second six, Guptill intercepted it, took it over his shoulder and in the air space beyond the boundary, before leaving the ball, stepping out and coolly coming back to complete the catch. India still needed 46, and Bhuvneshwar was to soon get out to a sharp bouncer from Bennett.Now it was only Jadeja, who has so often been meek with the bat. So often a helpless part of batting collapses. Grudgingly respected for his bowling and still ridiculed for the mismatch between his three triple-centuries in Ranji Trophy and his ability with the bat. In his redemption, he played calmly, kept pinging the short straight boundary, didn’t panic when he saw the asking rate climb when he refused singles. It was still New Zealand’s game to lose when the last over began with 18 required.Anderson had been the hero thus far, and he was given the responsibility of closing out the game after he and Bennett had troubled Jadeja with the bouncers. In this over, though, Jadeja was a step ahead of the game, and set himself back to pull the first one for four. The other tactic had been to cramp Jadeja when he backed away, but to the second delivery Jadeja shrewdly moved back in to earn a wide. With the second and third balls, he couldn’t do anything, but didn’t give the strike to No. 11 Varun Aaron, who has quite the penchant for ending up in these last-over situations with the bat. It was down to fours required off each of the balls left.The next ball Jadeja flicked off the rib for four. The difference here was he was expecting the short ball. The next one was even better: a flat six pulled over midwicket. Now with two required, New Zealand needed to cut their losses. They spread the leg-side field, put every one up on the off side, and Anderson bowled outside off. Jadeja failed to beat cover, finished the single comfortably, but for some reason didn’t go for the second. The second was not on, but you never know what fielders are liable to do under such pressure situations. Jadeja and Aaron had nothing to lose with the second, but they didn’t go for it. It was a difficult night to explain.

A crestfallen Shane Watson is out of the first Test against South Africa and under a cloud for the whole series after a calf strain proved more stubborn than first thought.The injury is a major blow to Australia’s hopes of unseating South Africa at home, particularly after James Faulkner was also ruled out due to knee surgery. It leaves the tourists weighing up the inclusion of Moises Henriques as an allrounder or the promotion of Phillip Hughes and a resulting reliance upon a four-man bowling attack.Having complained of calf soreness during an early training session on tour, Watson had tried to build up his workload over the past two days as Australian trained in Johannesburg, but recurring pain has seen him ruled out of the match at Centurion Park by the team physio Alex Kountouris. He will now have a few days of light duties before attempting to recover in time for the second Test at Port Elizabeth.”We thought ‘He’s had this before, let’s just nurse it’,” Kountouris said of the injury. “He batted yesterday and was fine, and we’ve been building up his intensity. Today we were trying to get him up to match level . . . and he struggled with that today. He could feel it. We just don’t think he he’s going to be right for the first Test. We need a few more days now to let him recover and start up again.”Hopefully he gets to the point where he’s able to train unrestricted by two or three days’ out from the second Test, which is what we were planning to do here, and then being able to reproduce that two or three times and be confident he can get through a game.”Watson’s plight is such that he is presently unfit to bat as well as bowl, as even the simple task of running has proven too difficult. He is thus facing a brief time frame to be fit as a batsman in the series, while his chances of bowling appear slim due to the greater amount of time required to build up strength and confidence in the calf – a muscle that can be notoriously slow to improve.”There is usually a bit of a lag, because running is generally a bit easier than bowling,” Kountouris said. “Our first priority is to try and get him back as a batter, give the selectors that option.”He was very disappointed obviously, as we all are. We were very happy we got everyone through the past Ashes, and Watto himself hasn’t missed a game through injury for a very long time. It’s disappointing, but it’s part of the game.”Though he has one of the more pockmarked injury records of all cricketers, Watson has in recent times improved in his ability to shrug off the muscle strains that had so disrupted his earlier career. In England last year he twice kept playing despite the emergence of niggles, and he likewise battled past hamstring and groin troubles to contribute to the victory at home.Watson’s convalescence is another setback for the tourists following the major disruption caused by heavy rain in Potchefstroom that forced the abandonment of the only planned warm-up fixture. While the confidence imbued by an Ashes sweep of England at home is still evident, teammates were taken aback by the news that Watson would not be available for the start of the South Africa series.Australia’s resilience is being tested considerably by events at the back-end of a long summer, from injuries to Faulkner, Shaun Marsh and Watson to the aforementioned showers in South Africa. Their response will say much about how the coach Darren Lehmann has developed the team, for whom he has set the goal of winning consistently away from home.

Australia and South Africa are in talks to expand the size of their future Test series meetings from three matches to four, following the dramatic and high quality series completed at Newlands last week.As part of the range of FTP agreements being negotiated between ICC Full Member nations following the approval of a series of resolutions that will bring fundamental changes to the way the game is run, Cricket Australia’s chairman Wally Edwards said there was a desire to recognise highly competitive match-ups by playing them over a longer duration.Australia’s 2-1 victory remained in doubt until the final half-hour of the series following an encounter of many fluctuations. Edwards is strong in his desire to see such contests become more frequent in world cricket, not only among the presently strong nations but also those looking to improve.”We’re talking to them at the moment about more,” Edwards told ESPNcricinfo during the Cape Town Test, during discussions with Cricket South Africa. “They deserve more, and you’ve got to recognise the quality of the cricket I think. I think it’s not a bad stepping stone to have recognised quality by another Test or two. That principle might come out.”Australia and South Africa have played Test series of three matches in every meeting but one since the latter’s readmission to international cricket in 1992. The previous series in South Africa in 2011 was shortened to two matches, a decision CA expressed some disappointment about at the time.Under the commitments made by Australia and England to play each of the top eight nations at home and away over an eight-year period, the boards will also work to find additional windows for fixtures against lower-ranked nations, which had been increasingly marginalised in recent years.Edwards acknowledged that Australia may consequently return to the scheduling of international matches in the Northern Territory and Queensland during the winter months in order to better accommodate their new obligations.”Half the challenge is fitting this in,” Edwards said. “But Test series have been getting quicker, more compressed because that’s life. It’s the way the world is, faster, closer and quicker. I think you always want a warm-up game or two, because one might be washed out, that’s why you’d want two. [But] this has been a very good series.”It is also believed that South Africa’s future series with India may also be played over four Tests, rather than the two their most recent encounter was shrunk down to following a period of considerable doubt about the BCCI consenting to tour at all.That stand-off was emblematic of the troubles Edwards had witnessed at the ICC since his arrival on the executive board as a reform-minded CA chairman in 2012.He has spoken to ESPNcricinfo about the pathway from the rejection of the Woolf Report to the current resolutions, and about the difficulty of achieving meaningful change at the ICC following his successful campaign to streamline Australian cricket’s governance and add independent voices to the CA board table.The full interview will be published later this week.