All posts by h716a5.icu

Mohammad Amir has appeared in an educational video on behalf of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit

Umar Farooq05-Apr-2012Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan fast-bowler banned from competitive cricket for five years for his part in the spot-fixing scandal of the 2010 Lord’s Test, has appeared in an educational video on behalf of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).In the five-minute video, Amir speaks about his life after being trapped by the illegal betting mafia, his embarrassment at lying to the ICC during its Qatar hearings and his three months in a British prison. Amir recounts his career, coming into the Pakistan team, and the Lord’s Test, of which he says, “I took six wickets but I did something very bad… after a couple of hours, my life is changed, my life is ruined because of two no balls.” It is understood the Amir video has also been shown to players from the various IPL teams in the lead-up to the event, which began on Wednesday.Amir said he had wanted to confess to the ICC anti-corruption tribunal during their hearings in Qatar last January, but had been unable to do so. In the video, he says, “I always knew this was cheating cricket but I was under pressure. But I accept my mistake. When I was in the ICC hearing, I knew I was totally embarrassed because I knew I am lying. I wanted to tell the truth but I didn’t have courage.”He said had bowled the no-balls at Lord’s because, “some senior players put me under pressure. I didn’t want to. One day I was on the top and the next day everyone was calling me cheater and fixer. You don’t have words to explain that.” The spot-fixing episode, he said, had been an act of entrapment but accepted his mistake of becoming a part of it. He said he was tricked into spot-fixing and he was not aware of the the player-agent Mazhar Majeed’s intentions.When he found himself facing a criminal trial, Amir said he had decided to tell the truth. The spot-fixing exercise was exposed by a sting operation arranged by the now defunct UK Sunday tabloid, the . Amir who will turn 20 on April 13, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling and did not stand trial in London. He was sentenced to six months in jail and in the video says, “When the police put me in handcuffs I was literally crying and I was thinking I am not going to play cricket ever again.”His parting message in the video is, “Prison is a bad place for everyone. Don’t make the mistakes which I did. I was stupid I didn’t tell anybody because I didn’t have coverage…If someone comes to you and asks you to do those kind of things, go straight to ICC team and team management they can help you.”Since his release after serving half of his six-month custodial sentence in England, Amir has been in contact with the ICC and PCB for an educational and rehabilitation program, which “remains confidential”.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat had suggested the idea of Amir featuring in videos to point out the perils of corruption as part of educating young cricketers. “If Mohammad Amir stands up and delivers a message of caution about this murky world, people are going to sit up and listen. That is one example of rehabilitation,’ Lorgat said.In a televised interview with former England captain Michael Atherton last month, Aamer said his friendship with former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt was betrayed as it was Butt who had lured him into spot-fixing. Amir is currently living in Lahore, and serving his five-year ban which will run till 2015. There is no suggestion that Amir’s appearance in the ACSU video will lead to a reduction of his ban.There has been a lot of sympathy for Amir largely due to his age. Former captain Ramiz Raja met the bowler last week said, “the lad is obviously shaken badly by the gravity of events.” The PCB at the moment is keen to take care of the bowler but is yet to launch any rehabilitation program officially; it is understood the ICC is supporting the PCB in the process. An ICC spokesman told ESPNcricinfo: “The ICC has been in contact with Amir and the PCB about appropriate education and rehabilitation at an appropriate time, the details of which remain confidential.”

Brendon McCullum helped Otago finish off their HRV Cup engagements on a high with a dominating victory over the Northern Districts by nine wickets at Seddon Park in Hamilton

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2012
ScorecardBrendon McCullum helped Otago finish off their HRV Cup engagements on a high with a dominating victory over the Northern Districts by nine wickets at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The contest was inconsequential since Auckland and Canterbury have already qualified for the final on January 22.ND got off to a poor start after opting to bat, with both the openers dismissed with just 9 runs on the board. Debutant JA Duffy took three wickets to shatter the ND top order, before the middle order took charge to rescue the innings. Hamish Marshall bashed four sixes and eight fours for his 45-ball 86 while Scott Syris anchored proceedngs with his 45 off 24. They shared a 93-run stand for the fifth wicket to power the total to 187 for 5.Otago’s chase was dented early with the run-out of Hamish Rutherford for nought in the first over, but Neil Broom and McCullum rapidly took the game out of ND’s grasp. Their unbroken 188-run stand spanned just 98 balls of blistering hitting, including 12 sixes and 15 fours. McCullum hammered 103 off 54 balls, making Broom’s 79 off 50 seem almost sedate. Otago roared home with 16 balls remaining – their third win of the season.

South Africa took an unassailable 3-0 lead, with the result settled in anti-climatic fashion by the Duckworth-Lewis method after thundershowers interrupted play

The Report by Siddhartha Talya17-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Faf du Plessis’ fluent innings helped South Africa recover after they lost three wickets cheaply•Getty ImagesSouth Africa took an unassailable 3-0 lead after the most closely fought game of the five-match series thus far, with the result settled in anticlimactic fashion by the Duckworth-Lewis method. Thundershowers interrupted play at the end of 34 overs of South Africa’s chase, at which time the teams were on even terms but the hosts just four runs ahead mathematically. In that context, captain AB de Villiers’ counterattacking, unbeaten 39 and his brief partnership with Albie Morkel, which included a retrospectively decisive 26 runs in the last three overs, settled the game for South Africa.Batting down the order, at No.6, and promoting Faf du Plessis to No.4 proved a masterstroke from de Villiers, who showed excellent adaptability to a tricky situation posed by the weather. A light drizzle infused a sense of urgency in his approach, and by the time it had developed into pouring rain, he had taken his team past the required target. His efforts, together with du Plessis’ fluent half-century earlier in the innings, undermined a spirited performance from Sri Lanka in the field and a much-improved show with the bat.Three fours in an over against Kosala Kulasekara signalled the acceleration South Africa needed to get their noses ahead. de Villiers, in the 32nd over, smashed two deliveries through extra cover and walked across to clip one through square leg. The next over fetched five and what turned out to be the final over of the match yielded eight, including a wide and at least a run scored off every other ball. de Villiers and Albie Morkel had got together when their opponents held the advantage, following the run-outs of du Plessis and JP Duminy.du Plessis revived South African hopes after an early double-strike from Lasith Malinga, and an irresponsible shot from a set Alviro Petersen, jolted the hosts, who were missing the services of two key batsmen – Jacques Kallis was rested and Hashim Amla out on paternal duties. du Plessis was fluent throughout. He timed the ball well, punching it firmly through the off side, subtly working the ball and opening the face on either side behind the stumps and crashing deliveries past the covers for a couple of boundaries. Duminy moved along steadily at the other end, picking up the singles and twos comfortably as the field spread, and collecting boundaries himself with some expert placement.But just as it seemed South Africa were going to inch ahead due to that 61-run stand, Duminy, racing to the non-striker’s end in the 24th over for a single, was given run-out by the third umpire Billy Doctrove. Nuwan Kulasekara scored a direct hit but the side angle showed Duminy to just have made it as the bails were knocked off, while the front-on angle showed the bat just on the line. As the big screen flashed “Out” there was disbelief on Duminy’s face and in the South African dressing-room, where Gary Kirsten had his arms up in the air. It took an age for Duminy to walk off, and the pressure was back on the hosts again. A little more than five overs later, a cramping du Plessis departed, struggling to complete a quick single and found short as Kumar Sangakkara took off the bails. But as it turned out, he’d done enough for his captain to complete the job in time.Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka vice-captain, had aimed for a target of 250 in this game and his team exceeded expectations. The openers, led by Upul Tharanga, with Tillakaratne Dilshan uncharacteristically playing second fiddle while recovering from two consecutive ducks, approached their innings methodically, forging a 94-run stand. The focus was on settling down and batting long, illustrated by only two boundaries being struck in the first 10 overs, both from Tharanga.Both improvised, Tharanga smashing two sixes in the first over of spin and Dilshan pulling off his trademark scoop. But they kicked off a trend of batsmen being dismissed after getting starts and not converting them to something substantial, top-edging sweeps.Sangakkara struck three delectable boundaries through different parts of the ground, including his favourite cover drive, but both he and Mahela Jayawardene were run out, thanks to brilliant pieces of fielding from du Plessis and Colin Ingram. Nuwan Kulasekara made a handy 40 down the order, and Dinesh Chandimal and Mathews chipped in.But despite a collective effort with the bat, more energy and fight in the field, and the fact that the match was evenly poised when rain interrupted, Sri Lanka hadn’t done enough.

A career-best 6 for 32 from offspinner Majid Haq, a century by Preston Mommsen and a second fifty of the match for Kyle Coetzer helped Scotland build an almost impenetrable 347-run lead on the third day of their Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2011
Scorecard
A career-best 6 for 32 from offspinner Majid Haq, a century by Preston Mommsen and a second fifty of the match for Kyle Coetzer helped Scotland build an almost impenetrable 347-run lead with six wickets remaining after the third day of their Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia.Scotland had reached 260 for 4 at stumps, with two partnerships of 102 and 103 for the second and third wickets having underpinned their innings against a deflated Namibian bowling attack after Haq had spun through the lower middle order and tail to bowl the opposition out for 263.Namibia had begun the day in the reasonably steady position of 230 for 6, but Haq ensured there would be no rally from the tail as he dismissed Nicholaas Scholtz and Louis Klazinga before he wrapped up the innings by having Kola Burger caught by Calum Macleod with the first ball of his 28th over.The early dismissal of Ryan Flannigan may well have raised Namibia’s flagging hopes of achieving a positive result in this match, but Haq continued his stellar performance with a 104-ball 59 in Mommsen’s company. Once he had been dismissed, trapped lbw by Pikky Ya France, Coetzer and Mommsen continued their steady work, and Scotland hold the upper hand heading into the final day.

Ajmal Shahzad, the England pace bowler, has been reprimand and warned about his future conduct

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2011Ajmal Shahzad, the England pace bowler, has been reprimand and warned about his future conduct after admitting deliberately scuffing up the pitch during Yorkshire’s Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.Although the incident wasn’t spotted at the time by the umpires, Shahzad was caught by the recording software, Cricstat, used by all counties to analyse matches and a complaint was lodged.Shahzad admitted the incident and that, along with his apology and a previously clean record, were taken into consideration by the ECB disciplinary panel headed by Edward Slinger. Along with the reprimand Shahzad, who last played for England during the World Cup, was ordered to pay £750 costs.The panel also considered a charge against Jon Lewis, the former Gloucestershire seamer who has joined Surrey for next season, of making deliberate contact with an opposition player during Gloucestershire’s match against Essex in August.Lewis pleaded guilty and as three penalty points had already been awarded along with action by Gloucestershire the panel decided no further action was required.

Ross Taylor’s prolific run-scoring during his time as New Zealand’s stand-in captain was a major factor in him beating Brendon McCullum for the full-time job

Brydon Coverdale20-Jun-2011Ross Taylor’s prolific run-scoring during his time as New Zealand’s stand-in captain was a major factor in him beating Brendon McCullum for the full-time job. Taylor has been named as the captain in all three formats and the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) hierarchy believes he will operate in a similar style to his predecessor Daniel Vettori, who led by example, with minimal fuss.Taylor, 27, was preferred over McCullum after being interviewed by a three-man panel consisting of the coach John Wright, the director of cricket John Buchanan and the acting national selection manager Mark Greatbatch. The decision took nearly three months following the side’s return from the World Cup, where Vettori stepped down after the semi-final loss to Sri Lanka, and a vice-captain is unlikely to be named until the squad to tour Zimbabwe in September is announced.Greatbatch said Taylor had won out in part due to his success in as captain, having led the side to six victories from 14 ODIs and Twenty20s, compared to McCullum’s two wins from nine games in charge. Taylor has also batted well while at the helm, averaging 46.45 across both formats, while McCullum’s mark as captain is 26.22.”They’re both great Kiwis and good lads who have played for their country for a long time now,” Greatbatch told . “We had to make a tough decision and we’ve done that. I’m sure Ross will lead his country well. They were both very good candidiates. They’ve both had experience as vice-captain under Dan.”Both by nature are very good tactically and aggressive characters. Brendon might show it a bit more than Ross, but Ross is very competitive. He’s had the recent experience. He beat Australia and Pakistan recently as captain of New Zealand. He’s a good listener. His own game has improved as captain. He’s got a better record as captain than as a player. Those sorts of things were taken into consideration.”It will be a tough ask following the popular Vettori, who at one point was a selector as well as captain and the team’s best player. However, Greatbatch said Taylor was likely to lead in a similar manner to Vettori – from the front, with more emphasis on leading by example than delivering fire-and-brimstone motivational speeches.”He wasn’t that forceful to the players,” Greatbatch said of Vettori. “From his own form himself as a player he demanded excellence, because he was a pretty useful performer worldwide for us. I think Ross will be similar. He’ll be looking for his own game to be tip-top as often as he can, to be consistent. That to me is the biggest way to lead. If a captain can lead from the front with his own performance, then a lot of people follow.”Taylor conceded that he was “very quiet” and preferred to speak with individuals rather than larger groups, but said he was confident he could steer the side in the right direction. Taylor led the New Zealanders twice at the World Cup, where they went within one victory of making the final, and he said his challenge was to help them perform to a similar level in Test cricket.”I was very happy with the way we played in the World Cup and the fighting spirit we showed,” Taylor said. “We’ve been very inconsistent in the Test arena and we probably haven’t played as well as we would have liked. Each individual has to step up and commit to training hard and working hard as a team. We need to bat long periods of time with the bat and get 20 wickets. If we don’t do those two things very well then we’re going to struggle.”Test cricket is still the ultimate for me. I look forward to playing Test cricket. Some other people may differ, but for me Test cricket is still the ultimate and where I want to get the most out of myself and the team. Once that happens, one-day cricket and Twenty20 is also in there as well.”Taylor learnt of NZC’s decision while he was making preparations for his upcoming wedding, and he described it as “a great honour” to be installed as the captain. He said he was also hoping that his promotion might encourage more young players from Polynesian and Maori backgrounds to take up cricket.”I missed the phone call from John Buchanan,” he said. “I was trying to pick wedding songs for this coming Saturday. I had the music going a bit too loud. When it came through my partner was very happy and the first phone call was to Mum and Dad.”I’m very proud of my Samoan heritage,” he added. “With this role, not only playing for New Zealand but captaining, hopefully I can inspire some more Polynesians and Maoris to this game of cricket. They’re very talented athletes and I’m sure it’s an untapped market. You never know, in ten years’ time there could be a few more.”

Somerset have continued to cement their reputation as one of the best run, and financially secure, county set-ups after they announced a record profit

Andrew McGlashan06-Dec-2012Somerset have continued to cement their reputation as one of the best run, and financially secure, counties after they announced a record profit of £409,000 up to September 2012, a marginal increase on the previous year.It is a considerable achievement by Somerset considering last season was one of the wettest on record with the weather impacting all counties.Somerset’s position was strengthened by their second-place finish in the County Championship as well as being able to stage a home quarter-final in the Friends Life t20. There was also the impact of their successful Champions League T20 run in 2011 when they reached the semi-finals.Chief executive Guy Lavender told the club’s website: “This has been a very tough year and whilst we have seen some weather-related reductions in match receipts, we have been able to drive the club’s business forward in a number of different areas. It is of credit to both our playing and non-playing staff who have worked hard to make sure that we have thrived again this year.”Somerset are also producing a regular supply of cricketers for England. Nick Compton, whose career has been transformed since moving from Middlesex, is currently opening the batting in India while both Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler are involved in various parts of the limited-overs set-up.Andy Nash, the chairman, added that there remain two major targets for the club. “Our twin ambitions are to win the County Championship and to bring one day international cricket to the County Ground. We are well placed to begin preparatory work on the next phase of ground development and having consolidated and strengthened our cricketing squad for next season, we are in good shape for the 2013 campaign.”The club are in the process of recruiting a new director of cricket after Brian Rose stepped down at the end of last season. Dave Nosworthy, the former Highveld Lions coach, is understood to be the leading candidate for the position.Alviro Petersen, the South Africa opening batsman, has been signed as an overseas player for the first part of the season.

Mohammed Asif was “sucked in” to fixing by his former captain Salman Butt and agent Mazhar Majeed, the prosecution told a London court on Thursday, as Asif stood in the witness stand

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court20-Oct-2011Mohammed Asif was “sucked in” to fixing by his former captain Salman Butt and agent Mazhar Majeed, the prosecution told a London court on Thursday, as Asif stood in the witness stand.Asif took the witness box at about 10.30am and will continue most likely for Friday morning. He denied having much of a relationship with tainted agent Majeed and also said he had no knowledge of any corruption going on in the Pakistan team or even just in relation to the alleged pre-determined no-balls at Lord’s.”The sad truth is that you were sucked in to a web of corruption and there were two people responsible for this situation,” Jafferjee said. “They are Mazhar Majeed and Salman Butt. You also knew how young Amir had been sucked in.” Asif replied: “No.”Jafferjee spent time ascertaining whether Mazhar Majeed was Asif’s agent or not. Asif maintained he was not and said he had never signed a contract with him. Jafferjee re-read the police interview from the initial investigation and asked why he never said at any stage that Majeed was not his agent.”They didn’t ask me so how can I say whether he is my agent or not,” Asif responded.Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments following the Lord’s Test last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenager Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.Meantime, Asif was asked about his thoughts on Amir and what kind of personality he was, and whether he was an innocent, respectful young man.Asif, who said he was Amir’s friend only inside the ground, revealed that the youngster was not exactly intimidated by his seniors and told of an incident on tour in New Zealand.”Amir had a fight with Umar Gul in a Test match in New Zealand,” Asif said. “Gul had finished his over and went to take a position in the field where Amir wanted to field and they had some disagreement and a fight in the dressing room.”The case continues.

The ICC Tribunal’s statement on the spot-fixing sanctions

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2011The ICC tribunal announced a sanction of ten years’ ineligibility for Salman Butt (with five years suspended); seven years for Mohammad Asif (with two years suspended) and five years’ ineligibility for Mohammad Amir. The sanctions follow investigations of their role in spot-fixing, along with Mazhar Majeed, a players’ agent, during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010.The tribunal released a statement after announcing the decision. The full text is reproduced below:’The independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal which has been hearing the cases of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif under the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel had adjourned on Tuesday 11th January 2011 after a six day hearing. ‘The Tribunal reconvened today for further submissions and thereafter announced the following decisions.’The Tribunal found that the charge under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that Mr Butt agreed to bat out a maiden over in the Oval Test match played between Pakistan and England from 18 to 21 August 2010 was dismissed, whereas the charge under Article 2.4.2 that Mr Butt failed to disclose to the ICC’s ACSU the approach by Mr Majeed that Mr Butt should bat a maiden over in the Oval Test was proved.’The Tribunal found that the charges under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that (respectively) Mr Asif agreed to bowl and did bowl a deliberate no ball in the Lord’s Test match played between Pakistan and England from 26 to 29 August 2010, Mr Amir agreed to bowl and did bowl two deliberate no balls in the same Test, and Mr Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate no balls, were proved.’We impose the following sanctions:’On Mr Butt a sanction of ten years ineligibility, five years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education.’On Mr Asif a sanction of seven years ineligibility two years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of Anti-Corruption education.’On Mr Amir sanction of five years of ineligibility.’No further sanctions are imposed on any player and no orders are made as to costs. ‘The Tribunal has recommended to the ICC certain changes to the Code with a view to providing flexibility in relation to minimum sentences in exceptional circumstances.’The Tribunal note that it is for the ICC, whether and if so when, the fully reasoned decision in respect of the breaches of the Code and of the sanctions imposed in consequence should be published.’It is our strong and unanimous view that it is in the interests of all concerned in the world of cricket that publication should take place as soon as possible.’

Usman Khawaja’s maiden one-day century set up a dramatic three-run victory for New South Wales over South Australia at North Sydney Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2010
Scorecard
Usman Khawaja finished with 121, his first one-day century•Getty ImagesUsman Khawaja’s maiden one-day century set up a dramatic three-run victory for New South Wales over South Australia at North Sydney Oval. Michael Klinger’s century and a late blitz from Daniel Christian looked set to ensure the Redbacks would pass their target of 318, but the Blues held on thanks to a terrific final over bowled by Brett Lee.South Australia needed eight from the last over, and it began with the key wicket of Aaron O’Brien, who was caught behind for 52. With the established man gone, Tim Ludeman and Gary Putland couldn’t manufacture a win for the visitors, who had also had to contend with Doug Bollinger (3 for 59), fired up by his axing from the Test team.The narrow victory almost mirrored the difference at the halfway mark, when the Redbacks at 3 for 105 fell just short of claiming one point, taken by New South Wales, who had made 1 for 110. The star was Khawaja, who missed out on a Test call-up on Friday but made sure he will remain in the selectors’ thoughts with 121 from 105 deliveries.It was only Khawaja’s eighth one-day match, as he has mainly been used in the longer formats by the Blues. He was ably supported by another young batting star on the rise, Nic Maddinson, who made 65 from 56 balls to help New South Wales to their strong total of 6 for 317.Klinger’s patient 103 set up South Australia’s chase, which was given a monstrous boost by the in-form Christian, who enjoyed the small dimensions of the ground and slammed 85 from 40 balls, including six sixes. But in the end it wasn’t enough, and New South Wales have jumped to the top of the Ryobi Cup table.