West Indies-Australia Tests to clash with IPL

Australia will tour West Indies for a full series in March and April next year. The Tests coincide with the first half of the fifth IPL season and may result in some players missing out for their respective franchises. Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, David Warner, Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin are among those in the current Test squad who are contracted with IPL teams.

The tour kicks off with a five-match ODI series on March 16, the games shared between St Vincent and St Lucia. The teams then play two Twenty20 internationals followed by a three-day warm-up match involving the visitors. The three-Test series begins on April 11, a week after the start of the IPL, and ends on April 27. Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana will host the three Tests.

The ODI series clashes with the Sheffield Shield final in Australia, which is scheduled between March 16-20.

Roebuck committed suicide, say police

Peter Roebuck was questioned in his room by police
about an alleged sexual assault - reports

Peter Roebuck fell to his death from his Cape Town hotel room while being questioned by police about an alleged sexual assault, it has been reported. A police statement said the circumstances surrounding Roebuck's suicide were being investigated.

Western Cape provincial police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk was quoted by Reuters as saying that "a cricket commentator committed suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of his hotel." He died on impact.

A report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Roebuck's employers, said he was questioned in his room at the Southern Sun Hotel by a Cape Town detective and a uniformed police officer from the sexual crimes unit from around 9 pm.

Roebuck, who the report said was agitated, asked a fellow cricket journalist for help. ''Can you come down to my room quickly? I've got a problem,'' he said. He asked for help to find a lawyer and for contact to be made with the students he helped to house in Pietermaritzburg, near Durban.

Minutes later, the Herald reported, Roebuck fell to his death from a window. It is believed only the uniformed officer was in the room. Paramedics rushed to the hotel but Roebuck was pronounced dead.

Police established a crime scene and took personal items from the room, including a laptop.

Colonel Vishnu Naidoo of the South African Police Services, told ESPNcricinfo that they suspect no foul play and that it was a suicide. He said there would be an inquest, after which the SAPS would make a statement; he said he expected that to be "next month".

In 2001 Roebuck received a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to common assault for caning three young South African cricketers he had been coaching. ''Obviously I misjudged the mood and that was my mistake and my responsibility, and I accept that,'' he'd said at the time.

Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel to join selection panel

Andy Bichel retired from first-class cricket in 2009

Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel have been chosen as the two part-time members of the reconfigured Cricket Australia national selection panel. Their appointments leave that of the new head coach as the only role still to be filled ahead of the home summer.

Marsh, 64, and Bichel, 41, will bring sharp eyes and widespread respect to their roles as selectors focused on domestic cricket, on a panel led by the national selector John Inverarity and the Australia captain Michael Clarke. The national coach, yet to be named, will also be a selector.

As a relatively recent retiree from the game, Bichel brings a fresher outlook and also the perspective of a pace bowler to the panel, widely considered to be lacking in a diversity of viewpoints last summer when it was comprised of former top order batsmen in the chairman Andrew Hilditch, Jamie Cox, Greg Chappell and David Boon.

He has also taken a range of coaching positions since his exit from the game as a bowler, coaching Papua New Guinea and also serving as Chennai's bowling coach in the IPL.

"I'm looking forward to making a real contribution to game I love," Bichel said. "Over the last 20 years of international, state and county cricket, I've developed knowledge of the game that will assist me in this role. I've stayed close to the game and have been bowling coach to the Chennai Super Kings recently and have seen a lot of developing Australian talent perform in that competition.

"I'm really looking forward to working with John, Rod, Michael, Cameron and the incoming head coach as we continue to take Australian cricket in the right direction. I think over the last little period we've been on the right pathway and we'll be looking to identify the talent that will allow Australia to rise back up the rankings."

Marsh's inclusion on the panel in a part-time capacity is a logical conclusion to discussions with CA that began in mid-year, as he expressed a willingness to take part in the regeneration of the national team.

In addition to his long tenure behind the stumps for Australia, Marsh was much acclaimed for his work at the Cricket Academy in the 1990s, and also oversaw England's revival as a force in world cricket leading up to the 2005 Ashes series. He has since held positions with South Australia and also the ICC global academy in Dubai.

"I'm excited to be back working for Cricket Australia," Marsh said. "It's been a decade since I last worked for CA. Certainly, the most rewarding time I ever had was working with CA at the Academy in Adelaide. This is an important role and I'm looking forward to watching young Australian cricketers develop and to our established cricketers continuing to improve."

Importantly, Marsh and Inverarity have a strong and long-lasting cricketing association that dates back to the West Australian state teams of the 1970s.

Inverarity was Marsh's predecessor as captain of the state during a highly successful era, and will again serve as the senior man four decades later on a panel that will need to make plenty of strong decisions over the next few summers, starting with the composition of the team for the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba from December 1-5.

Inverarity is due to start his new role as national selector on November 14. His first act will be to fly to South Africa.

Blues pressing for outright

South Australia 1 for 59 and 266 (Cooper 98, Klinger 49, Katich 3-29) v New South Wales 6 for 474 declared

New South Wales were pressing for outright points against South Australia having enforced the follow-on when rain brought another early finish on day three of the Sheffield Shield match at Bankstown Oval in Sydney.

The Redbacks were bowled out for 266 on day three, as Tom Cooper's stroke-laden 98 was not accompanied by enough support on a pitch that had started to deteriorate.

Simon Katich was again a stand-out for NSW with the ball, claiming 3-29 while the rest of the wickets were shared by the rest. Josh Hazlewood bowled well to return 2-21 from 11 overs,

Falling 208 short of the home side's total, SA were sent in again and reached 1 for 59 when rain brought the early close, Ben Dougall completing a nondescript debut when he was out for 14 to the bowling of Mitchell Starc.

Team management failed Amir, says mentor

	Asif Bajwa: "It's a challenge to remove a stigma, as our society is very cruel, but I believe he [Mohammad Amir] will be back." © Associated Press

Mohamamd Amir was a victim of Pakistan's cricketing culture and, specifically, the team management that failed to protect him, his mentor Asif Bajwa has said. Bajwa runs an academy in Rawalpindi that became Amir's second home from the age of 11, where he would live for long stretches with Bajwa looking after him.

"It was the team management's responsibility to take care of him," Bajwa told ESPNcricinfo. "They should have taken a strict stance but the culture is very lenient and unprofessional. Why couldn't they shut out those elements that tempted our cricketers?

"I brought up him up but he was distracted only after entering the international arena, where he didn't find the right people around him. They [the PCB] wanted a cricketer to represent Pakistan - we gave them one. But now who is responsible? Who is to be blame? He was a player with extraordinary cricketing skills but he was very naïve ... the board should have taken care of the other elements."

Bajwa said he had been in contact with Amir during the spot-fixing trial. "My interaction with Amir until Wednesday was very emotional, he sounded helpless and insisted that he wanted one more chance - everyone deserves a second chance. He apologised to me, and I promised him that I'd help him to eventually return to the game. It's a challenge for me to rebuild his reputation, but I will be doing that. It's a challenge to remove a stigma, as our society is very cruel, but I believe he will be back."

On Thursday, Amir was sentenced to six months in a young offenders' detention centre for his role in the spot-fixing case; the rules suggest he can be out in three months' time on good behaviour. His former team-mates Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, and their agent Mazhar Majeed, were sent to jail for terms ranging from a year to 32 months.

In his remarks while handing out the sentence, Justice Cooke noted Amir's background - he comes from a village near Islamabad where his father was a watchman in a government school. Compared to his fellow convicts, he was found to be unsophisticated, uneducated and impressionable.

"An 18-year-old from a poverty-stricken village background, very different to your own privileged one, who, whilst a very talented bowler, would be inclined to do what his senior players and particularly his captain told him, especially when told there was money in it for him and this was part of the common culture. For an impressionable youngster, not long in the team to stand out against the blandishments of his captain would have been hard," the judge said.

Mohammad Asif to be moved to an 'open' prison

	An open prison should come as some respite for Mohammad Asif © AFP

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif will this week be moved to an open prison, according to a close friend, which will allow him more freedom and privileges than at a closed prison where more dangerous criminals are housed.

The friend of former world No.2-ranked bowler Asif, who was sentenced to a year in prison on Thursday for his part in the spot-fixing conspiracy, revealed to ESPNcricinfo that Asif is likely to be moved by the end of next week. A call was made to the solicitors of Salman Butt but they did not confirm or deny whether this was also true for their client.

Asif is currently being imprisoned at the high-security jail in Wandsworth, along with his former captain and co-conspirator Butt. It could not be confirmed if agent Mazhar Majeed was also at the same prison. Teenager Mohammad Amir is thought to be at Feltham Young Offenders Institution, which has a reputation for being a harsh environment for inmates.

"I have only spoken to Asif a couple of times on the phone, I haven't been able to visit him just yet, but he has been told he will be moved to an open prison and that should happen within the next five to seven days," the friend told ESPNcricinfo.

The British prison system is divided into four categories A-D, with A being for criminals who are considered a danger to the public or national security. D category is for prisoners who are not considered a risk to society and not expected to attempt escape. They are also likely to have more privileges like being able to wander around the grounds when they wish and have free access to the internet and other leisure options.

India can use WI series to regain confidence: Akram

New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels the upcoming Test series against West Indies will help India "regain confidence" and finalise a settled squad for the more challenging Australia tour next month.

"Ashwin and Ojha are good no doubt, but they should be used to complement Harbhajan. Given his vast experience, India can't do without Bhajji's class," Akram said. © AFP

India take on the Caribbean side in the first of the three Tests from Sunday in Delhi - their first five-day assignment after the 0-4 thrashing at the hands of England in July-August.
"India can use this series to come up with the right combination and balance. This tour will help them regain the lost confidence after the thrashing in England. The team can possibly blood in new players, who could be used Down Under," Akram told a website.
However, Akram sees no reason why off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been left out of the side for the first Test.
"I can't understand why Harbhajan is out. Players should be picked in the squad keeping long-term plans in mind and Bhajji certainly fits the bill. He has been dropped after just one bad series in England, which I think is unfair because he is only 31," said Akram.
"Ashwin and Ojha are good no doubt, but they should be used to complement Harbhajan. Given his vast experience, India can't do without Bhajji's class," he quipped.
Speaking on the composition of the visitors, Akram felt Chris Gayle's axing would prove to be very costly for the West Indies.
"There is clearly a communication gap and a clash of egos between both parties. It should be solved for the good and Gayle should give priority to his country. West Indies is certainly bigger than Chris Gayle," he said.

PTI

Husain wonders if he was part of 'fixed' games

London: Former England captain Nasser Hussain said the conviction of three Pakistan cricketers in the spot-fixing scam has made him wonder if he had been part of any dodgy games during his career.

Nasser Hussain said the spot-fixing scam has made him wonder if he had been part of any dodgy games. © AFP

Recollecting the infamous Centurion Test between South Africa and England in 1999-2000 series, in which Cronje is said to have accepted money from a bookmaker for making an early declaration, Hussain said he was naive at that time to have thought that he'd set up a historic run-chase.
"It's common knowledge now that Hansie Cronje needed to ensure a positive result on the last day of the Centurion Test in 1999-2000, when I was captain of England. I might have been a bit naive back then, when I thought I'd helped set up a historic run-chase that was for the good of the game.
"But I'm not naive enough to have spent the last few years with my head in the clouds believing that everything else during my time was completely clean," Hussain wrote in his column in Daily Mail.
The Centurion Test was ruined by rain. Entering the final day only 45 overs had been possible, with South Africa on 155/6. On the final morning as they batted on, news came in that the captains had met and were going to "make a game of it."
A target of 250 from 70 overs was agreed. When the Proteas reached 248/8, Cronje declared, and both teams then forfeited an innings that left England a target of 249 to win.
They did it with two wickets and five balls remaining.
England's victory ended South Africa's 14-game unbeaten streak in Test cricket.
Citing the Karachi Test when England knocked off the runs in dark to beat Pakistan 1-0, Hussain recollected, "Of course, you look at the scorecard and Pakistan's collapse on the last afternoon of a Test that appeared to be heading for a draw does not look too clever. But if they threw that match, then they must have been sensational actors."
"I can still remember the way the Pakistanis tried to slow down the over-rate in the hope that bad light would come to their rescue as we chased 176 in 44 overs."

PTI

ICC did not have enough power: Ex-chief Speed

Melbourne: Former ICC chief Malcolm Speed has rued the lack of power for the game's Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) during his tenure as a major hurdle in unearthing the match-fixers.

Former ICC chief Malcolm Speed revealed that anti-corruption officers did not have the power to tap phones, scrutinise financial records or enact any kind of sting when he was at the helm, which at times might have helped the offenders go scot free. © Getty Images

The veteran administrator said that though the ASCU was adequately resourced in his time, they had to work in accordance with the legal system of each country.
The investigators had to pass on tip-offs about corrupt activity to local police, who had more wide-ranging powers, the 63-year-old said.
Speed revealed that anti-corruption officers did not have the power to tap phones, scrutinise financial records or enact any kind of sting when he was at the helm, which at times might have helped the offenders go scot free.
Interestingly, it was the sting orchestrated by the now defunct News of the World journalist Mazhar Mehmood which resulted in the three disgraced Pakistan cricketers going to prison.
"Comment has been made that the anti-corruption unit couldn't catch these guys - it was up to the (News of the World) journalist to do that - but I think in this area you take what is given to you, the journalist was able to spring this trap, cricket has been able to take hold of that and impose lengthy bans on these players," Speed was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The former world cricket boss believes the jail term for former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir will act as a deterrent for others.
Speed has long advocated prison terms as part of consistent laws dealing with sports betting and match-fixing in Australia.
Earlier, while sentencing the tainted cricketers, Justice Jeremy Cooke had said it was up to the governing body to discover how far the rot had spread.

PTI

BCCI writes to Sports Ministry on Sports Bill

New Delhi: The BCCI, which had rejected the revised Sports Bill last week on Friday wrote a letter to the Sports Ministry, conveying their strong reservations on various aspects of the controversial bill.

"While the BCCI is all for good governance and transparency in sports bodies, certain aspects of the Bill seek to destroy the autonomy of the Board and dilute the rights of its members," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said. © BCCI

The Cricket Board had rejected the bill at its Working Committee meeting in Kolkata on October 29, saying certain aspects of the bill are meant to "destroy the autonomy" of the board.
"While the BCCI is all for good governance and transparency in sports bodies, certain aspects of the Bill seek to destroy the autonomy of the Board and dilute the rights of its members," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale had said in a statement after the Board's Working Committee meeting.
"Therefore the Board is totally opposed to this Bill and will be communicating its objections to the Ministry of Youth Affairs & shortly."
The BCCI on Friday shot off a 29-page letter to the sports minister Ajay Maken, giving in detail their reasons for objecting the bill which seeks to regulate the functioning of sports bodies.
According to sources, the strongly-worded letter takes a dig at the Sports Ministry for trying to bring cricket under its ambit.
The letter points out that the BCCI was not required to be brought under RTI as it was transparent and its accounts were put up on its website. It also followed the tenure and age restrictions as envisaged in the bill with all the office bearers having limited tenures.
"It has to be borne in mind that "Sports" is a State subject and the legislative competence of Central Government is limited. The bill tends to encroach upon fundamental rights of Sports bodies," Jagdale had said.
Relations between the BCCI and sports ministry have been strained over the contentious issue.
BCCI, which is an autonomous body, and some other sports organisations such as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have opposed the legislation. The IOA had in fact termed the revised bill a "cruel joke".
The bill was revised after the cabinet did not give its approval.
The proposed bill wants to give BCCI the status of a National Sports Federation and therefore bring it under the purview of the RTI Act.

PTI

Wadekar condemns Pak cricketers for spot-fixing

Kolkata: Former India captain Ajit Wadekar on Friday condemned the three jailed Pakistani cricketers, saying the punishment meted out to the tainted trio for their involvement in spot-fixing was "necessary" to make the game corruption free.

Wadekar condemned the three jailed Pakistani cricketers, saying the punishment meted out to the tainted trio for their involvement in spot-fixing was "necessary" to make the game corruption free. © AFP

"This punishment was necessary to purge cricket of corruption," Wadekar said while inaugurating a tournament organised by Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy.
"Even if there are a few dishonest players, cricket is still a game of gentlemen," he said.
A criminal court in London on Thursday, sentenced jail terms to former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir after finding them guilty of spot-fixing a Test at Lord's last year.
Asked Wadekar to comment between cricket legend Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar, he said "There cannot be any comparison between the two. Both were great during their own time."
About Tendulkar's impending 100th international century, Wadekar said, "Sachin will reach the 100th international century during the West Indies series. And I will be happy if he gets it in Mumbai."
Meanwhile, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Friday removed the jersey of Butt which was kept inside its indoor coaching centre near Dr BC Roy club house, a CAB source said.

PTI

Cricketers jailed over spot fixing

Salman Butt, his former team-mates and their
agent have all been handed jail terms

A London court has handed out jail terms to the three players and their agent found guilty in the spot-fixing case, drawing the curtains on one of cricket's most sordid and shameful sagas. Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has been sentenced to two years and six months; Mohammad Asif has got a one-year jail sentence and his fellow fast bowler Mohammad Amir six months. Mazhar Majeed, the players' agent, has been sentenced to two years and eight months.

They will serve half the time in custody and then be released on licence, with conditions which, if broken, would see them back in detention for the remainder of their term.

The four men had been charged with conspiracy to accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat in regard to the Lord's Test against England in August 2010, when the three pre-determined no-balls were bowled - two by Amir and one by Asif, orchestrated by Butt and arranged by Majeed. While Amir and Majeed had pleaded guilty before the trial began, Butt and Asif denied the charges and were found guilty by a jury on Tuesday.

The sentences were handed down in Southwark Crown Court on Thursday morning - the 22nd day of the trial - by Justice Cooke, who prefaced the quantum of punishment with some stinging remarks on the four convicted men and a sobering reminder on the legacy of their actions on the sport itself. He also made clear to Majeed and Amir that their sentences had been reduced - from four years and nine months, respectively - because they had pleaded guilty, and told all the players that the bans imposed by the ICC had also had a mitigating effect.

The incarceration began immediately, with the players - who had all come to court with bags - driven away in prison vans after leaving a courtroom packed beyond capacity. Amir will not be sent to jail but to a young offenders' detention centre.

In the aftermath of the sentencing process, while TV crews hovered outside the courthouse, the one main area of debate was what would happen with regards to appeals. Butt's solicitor Paul Harris confirmed on the entrance steps of the courthouse that his team would be lodging an appeal "in the next 24 hours".

Amir's team met with the judge behind closed doors immediately, and grounds for appeal were rejected then, which is apparently normal practice as the sentencing judge is hardly going to admit his punishment was incorrect minutes after meting it out. They are, though, awaiting further clearance, probably in the next 24 hours, which will allow them to lodge an appeal.

Majeed and Asif's legal representatives are yet to announce appeal plans though these are expected soon. There is no suggestion that any of the quartet are seeking bail, while awaiting appeals.

The PCB called it a "sad day" for Pakistan cricket. "Instead of having pride in playing for their country, these players chose to disappoint their supporters, damage the image of their country and bring the noble game of cricket into disrepute. There is little sympathy in Pakistan for the sorry pass they have come to."

In Lahore, the families of the convicted players were stunned by the sentences. Amir's father said the Pakistan government should have helped his son. His brother Saleem said: "He is a kid, he can't understand things. These six months are a lot for a boy who is immature."

Butt's father Zulfiqar was more aggressive, saying his son was innocent. "Our own friends conspired against us," he said. "You can check our bank balance, we haven't even been able to build our own house."

The judge began the day's proceedings proceedings with his summation of the case of each of the four found guilty, reading out their sentences one at a time, and his initial words suggested jail terms for all four guilty.

"Now, when people look back at a surprising event in a game or a surprising result or ever in the future there are surprising results, followers of the game who have paid to watch cricket or who have watched cricket on TV will wonder whether there has been a fix or what they have watched was natural."

Cooke had harsh words for Butt, whom he called "the orchestrator of these matters...you had to be to make sure these two bowlers were bowling at the time of the fix." Butt's leadership status, he said, made him more culpable than his bowlers.

He specifically mentioned Butt's role in involving Amir in the corruption. "An 18 year old from a poverty stricken village background, very different to your own privileged one, who, whilst a very talented bowler, would be inclined to do what his senior players and particularly his captain told him, especially when told there was money in it for him and this was part of the common culture. For an impressionable youngster, not long in the team to stand out against the blandishments of his captain would have been hard."

To Asif he said: "Whilst no money was found in your possession, it's clear that you conspired to bowl a no-ball. There's no evidence on your part of prior fixing but it's hard to see that this could have been an isolated incident."

For Amir there was praise for accepting his guilt and a re-assertion of Butt's influence on Amir but a refusal to accept the basis of his plea, that his only involvement in spot fixing was at Lord's on August 26 and 27 and that he only became involved as a result of pressure and threats to his career.

In this regard he referred to evidence, in the shape of texts and telephone calls with a Pakistani number, of Amir's involvement in discussions about fixing brackets at The Oval during the period of the indictment, though there was no evidence that such fixing actually occurred. That discussion, Justice Cooke noted, did not relate to Majeed.

Warne to sign with Melbourne Stars, Hogg a Scorcher

Shane Warne will return to what he does best at the MCG

Shane Warne is expected to announce his signing with the Melbourne Stars in this summer's Twenty20 Big Bash League.

After a period of doubt about what part Warne would play in the BBL, The Age has reported that Warne will be unveiled as a signing with the Stars next week. It is understood he will be available for all seven games.

While the Stars are at pains to suggest that no official deal has yet been struck, Warne's return to the Australian summer at the age of 42 was always likely to be for the team that will play its home matches at the MCG.

"We understand through Shane Warne's Management that he is still considering offers from several teams, including the Melbourne Stars," the Stars chief executive Clint Cooper said in a statement. "We anticipate a decision as to which team Shane will play for after detailed consideration of all offers within the next week."

Warne's manager, James Erskine, has said that there were plenty of considerations for any decision.

"He went out on the ultimate high in Australia, taking 700 wickets, winning the Ashes. He's as fit as he's ever been and he believes he is still one of the top spin bowlers in the world but he is 42 and realises if he plays there is a certain amount of hype and media attention that comes with that," Erskine told The Age.

"One of the advantages would be that his kids are now old enough to watch him play which they might not have been before. There is a plethora of things to weigh up."

Another former Australia spinner, Brad Hogg, has announced his participation in the BBL, signing on with the Perth Scorchers at the age of 40. Hogg retired from cricket in February 2008.

"I'm a WA boy and really looking forward to being part of the very first Perth Scorchers side for the KFC T20 Big Bash League," Hogg said. "I've been training hard and playing a bit of District cricket the past few years, and I would not be taking on this challenge if I didn't believe that I could have an impact for the Scorchers.

The Scorchers' coach, Mickey Arthur, described Hogg as a "three-in-one" player.

"Hoggy is another of what I would term a three-in-one cricketer as he offers us outstanding skills with the bat, the ball, and in the field," Arthur said. "Even though he turned 40 this year he has still been playing regularly and performing well at WACA District level, and the manner in which he plays and trains belies his age."

Fixing to be illegal in Australia in 2012

Former ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed has been at the
forefront of a push towards anti-fixing legislation in Australia

Fixing matches or elements within them will be illegal in Australia in 2012, perhaps as soon as March, as the federal and state governments push ahead with specialised legislation.

The legislation, which is set to include penalties of up to 10 years' jail for those found to be involved in match-fixing, was encouraged and informed by cricket administrators, via the Coalition of Major Participation and Professional Sports (COMPPS), following the game's long and pained history of shady dealings between players and illegal bookmakers.

State attorneys-general are scheduled to meet in Hobart later this month to discuss the legislation, which was agreed to by the federal and state sports ministers at a Council of Australian Governments meeting in Brisbane June. Support for the legislation on both sides of politics should hasten its speedy progress into law.

There is a desire to have the legislation, which will need to pass through each state parliament, in place by the time football seasons commence for AFL and rugby league, well in advance of Cricket Austrlaia's preference for it to be in place in time for the 2015 World Cup.

In addition to the criminal legislation, proposed measures to outlaw the manipulation of matches include the introduction of formal integrity agreements between sporting bodies and betting firms, while the federal government will oversee the formation of a national sports integrity office.

The office will be responsible for formulating integrity agreements and codes of conduct for a wide range of sports. Any electing not to co-operate will face the loss of government funding.

Pakistan's government is also considering the introduction of similar legislation, and the ICC's chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said sporting bodies needed the help of legislative oversight.

"A regulatory framework with appropriate laws to deal specifically with sports corruption is better than no legislation and is something that we would support," he said in June. "As a sporting body, our code - and our mandate - covers only players, officials and other support personnel. We are not a law-enforcement agency, so if there are ways in which nations' legislative framework can help us to maintain cricket's integrity then naturally we would encourage and support that."

New Zealand domestic one-day competition renamed

New Zealand's domestic one-day competition has been renamed the Ford Trophy, New Zealand Cricket announced today. Ford is currently the official sponsors of the six major domestic teams and the official vehicle supplier to New Zealand Cricket, the men's and women's senior teams.

The tournament was earlier called the New Zealand Cricket One Day Competition. "Cricket has already benefited from the investment Ford has made in the sport at both domestic and international levels," Justin Vaughan, NZC chief executive, said. "To be able to link the highly regarded Ford name to our one-day competition - which has a rich tradition of developing our best players - further strengthens that partnership."

The first match of the Ford Trophy for the 2011-12 season will be played on November 25, with the final scheduled for February 12, 2012.

Butt, Asif found guilty on both charges

Salman Butt: guilty

The jury in the spot-fixing trial has found Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif guilty, by a unanimous verdict, on the charge of 'conspiracy to cheat' and guilty by a 10-2 majority decision on the charge of 'conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments'.

The sentences will be pronounced by the judge, Justice Cooke, on Wednesday and Thursday; both players will remain on bail until then. The convictions - reached by the jury of the Southwark Crown Court in London after 16 hours and 56 minutes of debate - carry jail terms - a maximum prison sentence for the acceptance of corrupt payments is seven years in jail, while 'conspiracy to cheat' carries a maximum two-year sentence.

On a historic day for cricket, the world also learnt that Mohammad Amir, the teenage Pakistani fast bowler, had pleaded guilty to the same two charges before the trial began; he will now be given a "Newton Hearing" to decide the quantum of punishment, during which there will be no jury officially present, although they have been given permission to sit in and watch if they wish.

It also emerged that the ACSU was set to investigate more matches on Pakistan's tour of England in 2010, when the incidents central to this case took place.

This particular case focussed on the Lord's Test in August 2010, when Butt and Asif conspired with Majeed, Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls during England's innings. They were exposed by the now defunct British tabloid the News of the World in an undercover sting operation. Majeed was filmed revealing when no-balls would be delivered by the bowlers, footage which was played to the jury early in the trial.

The verdicts were handed in almost four weeks after the trial started, on October 4. Butt, wearing a velvet jacket and shirt without a tie, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out and stared at the jury stony-faced. An hour earlier, in a bitter twist of fate, his wife Gul Hassan was understood to have given birth to a second son back in Pakistan. Asif, wearing a grey winter coat in the dock, was equally unmoved and neither player said a word or made any obvious facial expression.

The jury were unable to reach a verdict on the "accepting corrupt payments" charge against Asif, and Justice Cooke immediately retired them to deliberate some more in case they could reach a verdict on that fourth charge, which they did after more than three hours.

The unambiguous nature of the verdict was welcomed by the Metropolitan Police. "All I want to say that this is cheating pure and simple," said Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Horne. "They let down everyone that bought a ticket and they let down children when they were role models to those very children who are playing such a special game. I think we all look forward to this game being played in its truest spirit as we go forward from these types of issues. I also acknowledge the role that investigative journalism has played in this case."

Sally Walsh, Senior Lawyer in the Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif deliberately and knowingly perverted the course of a cricket match for financial gain... This prosecution shows that match fixing is not just unsportsmanlike but is a serious criminal act.

"People who had paid good money to see a professional and exciting game of cricket on the famous ground at Lord's had no idea that what they were watching was not a true game but one where part of the game had been pre-determined for cash...the jury has decided after hearing all the evidence that what happened on the crease that day was criminal in the true sense of the word."

The players have already been punished by the ICC after a disciplinary hearing in Doha, Qatar, earlier this year. Each was banned from the sport for at least five years. Butt received a further suspended five-year ban and Asif was handed a further two-year suspended sanction.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said after the London verdicts were announced that the jury's decisions, as well as Mohammad Amir's own guilty plea, will "have no impact" on the length of the suspensions its own tribunal handed out.

All three players have filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Yuvraj wants to resurrect Test career

Yuvraj Singh scored a half-century in his last Test

Yuvraj Singh, the India batsman, has said this is the right time to focus on his Test career as he is finally injury-free after a three-month break following the broken finger he sustained in England. He has played just two competitive games since he was hit on the left index finger by Tim Bresnan during the Nottingham Test, and returns to the India squad for the home Test series against West Indies. Yuvraj, who has not enjoyed the same success in the longer format as he has in ODIs, said he wanted to rejuvenate his Test career.

"It's the right time to focus on my Test career," he told PTI. "I want to be remembered as a good batsman in the longer format of the game. I have always tried to give my best shot whenever on the field but unfortunately injury issues were there. In the upcoming series against West Indies and Australia, I want to score big and make a mark in the Test format. I want to restructure my Test career and I'll raise the bar this time."

The 35 Tests Yuvraj has featured in have been played over eight years. For a large part of his career, he was kept out of the Test side by a strong middle order that included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Once Ganguly retired, he was given an extended run in the side but couldn't cement his place. He fell ill before the second Test in Sri Lanka in 2010, and a century from Suresh Raina on debut in that game meant Yuvraj was once again relegated to the sidelines. His Man-of-the-Series performance in the 2011 World Cup put him back in contention for a Test place, but an injury kept him out of the tour to the West Indies and his series in England was cut short by the finger injury.

Yuvraj said his Test career had been blighted by the number of injuries he has had but he still had time to change things. "My best years are yet to come. After a long injury layoff, I am fully fit and raring to go. My career has been marred by a lot of injury issues but I think it's on the right path now. After coming back from England, I trained hard. My body has taken a beating in the past year but there are no more injuries now."

The first Test between India and West Indies starts on November 6 in Delhi, and Yuvraj could be in a contest with Virat Kohli for a place in India's middle order.

Sri Lanka players may be paid after Pakistan series

Upali Dharmadasa, the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee, has said he is hopeful that his country's national cricketers will be paid their salaries when they return home after the series against Pakistan currently being played in the UAE. SLC is expecting to receive the remaining payments of around US$ 4.3 million from the ICC for hosting the 2011 World Cup shortly.

"We are awaiting the money from the ICC soon after they have finalized their audit of the World Cup which we believe have been completed," Dharmadasa told ESPNcricinfo.

Dharmadasa stated that SLC requires around 32 million Sri Lankan rupees (approx $290,540) a month to pay the salaries of its 230 employees and 100 contracted cricketers. He admitted to BBC Sinhala that the national cricketers had not been paid their salaries since the World Cup which ended in April because of SLC exceeded their budget building cricket stadiums for the tournament.

Dharmadasa was critical of the previous interim committee, headed by former Sri Lanka leg-spinner DS de Silva, for spending SLC money expansively to build a new stadium at Hambantota, renovating the Pallakele Stadium in Kandy and the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for the World Cup.

"We are struggling financially today because of such unnecessary expenditure," Dharmadasa said.

Katich to face CA hearing for Clarke comments

Simon Katich has continued to speak his mind
about being left out of the Australia side

Simon Katich, the Australia batsman, will face a Cricket Australia (CA) hearing over the recent comments he made about Australia captain Michael Clarke having a hand in keeping him out of the national side. Katich was reported under the CA code of behaviour provisions covering detrimental public comment.

Details of the hearing will be released in the next few days, but arrangements will be similar to those of past instances of CA reports for detrimental public comment, including Matthew Hayden's 2008 criticism of Harbhajan Singh and Adam Gilchrist's query of Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action in 2002. It is expected to be held in Melbourne and presided over by CA's senior code of conduct commissioner Gordon Lewis.

James Sutherland, the chief executive of CA, said he was surprised and disappointed with Katich's comments, especially considering that new full-time national selector John Inverarity had said the selection door was still open for him. Katich had said on Friday that he took little joy in Inverarity's appointment because Clarke would not countenance his recall to the team.

"CA emphatically refutes any suggestion that Michael Clarke influenced the independent selection panel's recommendations for the 2011-12 CA contract players' list, a list that did not include Katich," Sutherland said in a statement.

"The National Selection Panel made its recommendations based on its independent assessment of Australian cricket's player needs for the next 12 months and the suggestions made by Katich are completely erroneous, inappropriate and unfair to Clarke, the selectors and to CA.

"Without compromising my confidential understanding of the selectors' confidential thinking, I can state their recommendations were completely independent of outside influence. I was particularly disappointed at the comments yesterday after the discussions we had with Katich in mid-2011 on inappropriate public comments he had made then."

Sutherland said that CA had followed its normal process when someone is dropped in Katich's case. The process involves the chairman of selectors talking with the player, for the player's state association to be advised before a public announcement so it can provide support if needed, and a subsequent CA follow up. In Katich's case, this included a follow-up discussion with Michael Brown, according to the statement.

Katich is expected to dispute the view that his axing was dealt with adequately by CA, though he is understood to have engaged in two conversations with the then chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch at the time of his removal, followed by a lengthier dialogue with Brown.

Having led Australia to an ODI series win in South Africa, Clarke responded to Katich's words by saying they had been hurtful to the team's morale. Clarke said Katich's words would not help him get back into the team, and may also affect team morale.

"Look when Simon wasn't selected I wasn't a selector at the time," Clarke said. "Since becoming a selector I've made it clear in plenty of press conferences that I've done that the door's certainly not closed on anyone, but in saying that I don't think his comments are certainly helping him get back into this team at the moment.

"The team morale is such an important part of having success and it's been a great thing for the Australian team in both forms of the game of late. I think the team morale is outstanding and we're enjoying seeing a bit of success as well."

Sri Lankan players unpaid since World Cup - reports

About 100 cricketers contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), including national players, have not been paid their salaries since the 2011 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, BBC Sinhala has reported.

There were also doubts over whether the SLC would be able to pay salaries in the next two months. "There is a truth in those media reports to a certain extent," SLC chairman Upali Dharmadasa was quoted as telling BBC Sinhala.

Dharmadasa said efforts were being made to pay the players as soon as the SLC received the remaining payments from the ICC for staging the World Cup. "The ICC still owes us $4-5 million," he said.

The board had revamped the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and built two new grounds in Pallekele and Hambantota for the tournament in February and March, and the capital expenditure incurred is reported to have left it in debt.

Rudolph recalled to Test side after five years

Jacques Rudolph's recall was widely expected
following his impressive run of recent form

Opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who played the last of his 35 Tests in August 2006, has been recalled to the South Africa Test squad for the two-match series against Australia. Legspinner Imran Tahir and allrounder Vernon Philander also got their first call-ups to the Test squad.

Rudolph came in for opener Alviro Petersen. Also missing were seaming allrounders Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren who were both in the squad for South Africa's last Test, in January against India. Graeme Smith will lead the 14-member squad, and AB de Villiers, who missed the limited-overs leg of the series with a hand fracture sustained during the Champions League, will be his deputy if he clears a fitness examination ahead of the first Test from November 9.

Rudolph went into a self-imposed exile in 2007 when he signed a Kolpak contract with Yorkshire with the aim of developing himself into a more complete cricketer. His recall was widely expected following an impressive return to South African domestic cricket. He scored four centuries and made more than 900 first-class runs last season, before leading a successful South Africa A tour to Zimbabwe. This year, he came into the South African season after scoring centuries for Yorkshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the County Championship. He has since been prolific in the SuperSport Series, where he leads the run-charts with 568 runs from six innings, including a match tally of 297 against Lions in his most recent outing.

"Jacques [Rudolph] will open the batting with Graeme Smith," selection convener Andrew Hudson said. "His experience and current form make him an asset to South Africa and at the age of 30 he has plenty of good years of cricket ahead of him. Jacques has underlined once again the importance of good domestic form and the fact that it is the gateway to national selection."

Petersen might consider his axing harsh, as the Lions captain also started the season well. In four matches so far, he has scored 369 runs, including a knock of 186 against the Dolphins in the first match of the SuperSport Series campaign. He spent the winter at Glamorgam, where he passed the 2000 runs mark and felt he had done enough to keep his place in the Test side. He will get a chance to stake his claim for a recall when he leads the South Africa A side in a four-day tour game against the Australians from November 1. JP Duminy and Philander feature in both squads, while Parnell and McLaren were also included in the A team.

"The A side must be seen as a mix of players challenging for places in the South Africa squad as well as others we have identified as having the potential for the future and whom we now need to test at a higher level than franchise cricket," Hudson said. "We have to explore our options for the future."

Philander previously played for South Africa in seven ODIs and the same number of T20s between 2007 and 2008. He has performed consistently in the first-class competition for the last two seasons. In the 2010-11 season, he was the fourth highest wicket-taker with 35 wickets at an average of 16.11. He is unlikely to play, with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the squad, but has been earmarked as a possibility for the future. While he is not an express paceman, he has become noted for his variations, much like Tsotsobe.

Someone who is expected to play is Tahir. The Pakistani-born legspinner became eligible for South Africa in January and was immediately selected for their ODI squad to play India. He made his debut at the World Cup but was initially selected for South Africa's Test squad to play England in the 2009-10 season, when he had not yet qualified. He has been talked up as the missing piece in South Africa's attack, which has not had an attacking spinner since Paul Adams.

Tahir's anticipated inclusion was thought to be the final nail in Harris' coffin, after the left-arm spinner was labelled nothing more than a holding bowler. However, Harris has fought back with impressive showings in his first two SuperSport Series games. His 13 wickets have come at an average of 15.38. On a spin-friendly Newlands pitch, South Africa could field two frontline spinners in a Test match - a rarity for the country that traditionally relies on pace.

South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

South Africa A squad: Alviro Petersen (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Pumelela Matshikwe, Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Stiaan van Zyl

Butt has 'been caught' court told

Salman Butt ended a long spell in the witness
box with further tough questioning

Salman Butt, in an often fraught exchange with the prosecution headed by Aftab Jafferjee QC, was told he had "been caught" and was "controlling" the players through the no-balls. Butt's three-day vigil in the witness box ended on Wednesday - the eleventh day of the trial in London - with Butt accepting no part in the alleged spot-fixing.

Former Pakistan captain Butt and fast bowler Mohammad 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, teenage pace bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

The jury was walked through the detail of the frantic phone traffic between Butt, Majeed, Asif and Amir on the night before the Lord's Test commenced, after Majeed had been caught on a secret camera pocketing £140,000 for pre-planned no-balls to be bowled plus future fixes. A previous amount of £10,000 had already been paid.

There were 20 calls or texts between Butt and Majeed, 25 between Amir and Majeed and four between Butt, Asif and Amir. Some of these calls or text messages were made in the early hours.

"The Lord's fix was on, Mr Butt, in the early hours of the morning and you know it don't you," Jafferjee said.

Butt replied: "No."

"It's all going on behind your back, is it?" Jafferjee asked sarcastically.

Butt: "Yes."

"It's the three of you who are all (planning) the no-balls, Mr Butt," Jafferjee continued. "You are all saying what is going to go on, isn't it?

Butt: "I'm not part of it."

"But we agree, don't we, Mr Butt," Jafferjee went on, "that if Amir and Asif were involved they would have to have spoken to you?"

Butt: "Okay, I'll take that from you." (with a wry grin)

"Everything suggests that Amir was in on the fix, doesn't it Mr Butt?"

Butt: "Yes."

Jafferjee then talked about what he has repeatedly called "the performance" that followed Amir's first no-ball, as Amir checked his spikes, examined the crease and Butt then arrived to sprinkle sawdust on the crease.

Jafferjee: "You would agree it was a performance wouldn't you Mr Butt?"

Butt: "I didn't bring the sawdust with me from the hotel. It is always there on the ground when the weather is damp."

"Yes no-balls are bowled accidentally, sawdust is there out on the ground and batsmen do tap the pitch," Jafferjee hit back. "But what you and Majeed and Amir and Asif did was exploit things what normally happen out on the cricket pitch."

The prosecutor then reminded the jury of the text message that Majeed sent to the undercover News of the World reporter just before the third pre-planned no-ball was delivered. Because Amir was bowling beautifully and eventually reduced England to 47 for 5 in that first innings, Majeed texted to warn the journalist that the captain might tell Amir not to bowl that no-ball now because of the form he was in.

Jafferjee concluded: "He (Majeed) was talking about you because you are in there controlling the players and particularly the youngest player out there - the impressionable Amir, Mr Butt. And you have been caught."

Although Butt defended himself consistently and stoically, he was forced to concede on several occasions that Majeed's fixing-related messages to him were "annoying". Jafferjee pressed him hard on why he never - in the messages before the court anyway - told Majeed that he would not tolerate it anymore.

The night before he allegedly agreed to bat out a maiden at The Oval in the third Test - the night before they eventually won the match - was such an episode that Jafferjee focused on. On how when Majeed called him, unknowingly on speakerphone so the journalist could hear, to say: 'You know the maiden over yeah?' To which Butt went 'Yeah'. Majeed continued, 'Do one more'. It was then that Butt said, 'No mate, just leave it.' Butt did not bat out the maiden. Majeed contacted Butt again on the same subject the following morning, a Saturday, before Butt left for the ground.

Jafferjee continually pressed Butt on why he did not respond more angrily to Majeed. "You were on the verge of a great win and you didn't tell Majeed how annoyed you were by these messages?" Butt reasoned that he was focusing on the game and didn't want to get into an awkward conversation at that time. Butt also said in the subsequent celebration dinner that Majeed attended along with "seven or eight" of the players he never mentioned the messages.

Jafferjee was unimpressed by the answers he was receiving on the issue and at one point said: "You are lying your head off to this jury aren't you Mr Butt?"

Before the day ended, Butt's lawyer Ali Bajwa QC told the court that some Pakistan numbers in the phone records during this time corresponded to calls Butt made to family, friends and former players including Imran Khan, who Butt admitted he would call for advice.

The case continues.

Afridi withdraws retirement

Shahid Afridi is ready to return to international cricket

Shahid Afridi has withdrawn his international retirement and says he is available for selection for Pakistan in the limited-over formats. Afridi had announced a 'conditional' retirement from international cricket in May, after having been stripped of the ODI captaincy, saying he would return if there were changes in the PCB and the team management.

Since then, Waqar Younis has quit as coach of the national team, and Ijaz Butt has been replaced as PCB chairman by Zaka Ashraf. Afridi said he had not really retired but had only said he wouldn't play under the previous (Ijaz Butt-led) board.

"I didn't as such retire," Afridi told reporters in Karachi. "I only said I will not play under the previous board but now people are changed - exactly what I wanted - so I am available for selection for the country."

His return to the team may not be immediate though, as Pakistan's interim chief selector Mohammad Illyas said there would be protocols to follow for the PCB to clear Afridi for selection. "He [Afridi] is good enough to play for Pakistan," Illyas told ESPNcricinfo. "But there are protocols to follow as he needs to have clearance from the PCB before being available for selection. Once the PCB clears him then we will seriously consider his selection for the team.

"I can't say that he is an automatic selection for the team but at the same time we never questioned his abilities as he has played an ample amount of cricket for Pakistan. We know that he still has cricket left in him. For the PCB, he was a retired player and wasn't available for selection. Today I learned through the media that he has withdrawn his retirement but as a selector I will have to check his status."

Pakistan will select their ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE after the second Test.

Afridi made the announcement at the Karachi University Sports ceremony, where he was the chief guest, and was in a pleasant mood. He said he had remained match-fit, and was ready to return under whoever was captain. "I am fit and have continued my individual practice to maintain both the form and fitness required for international cricket. As far as captaincy is concerned I never ran after it and I am ready to play under any captain."

Zaka Ashraf, the new PCB chairman, is a reputed banker in Pakistan, and Afridi said he was looking forward to a professional regime. "I took the decision not to play under the previous board on principle and still stand by it. Now, the management has changed. I learned that the new PCB chairman is very professional and I believe he can handle the PCB's functioning in a similar fashion to the way he has worked in the cooperate sector."

Afridi's issues with the previous board began during Pakistan's tour of the West Indies in May when he was involved in a spat with then coach Waqar Younis. Afridi spoke publicly about the feud, and was charged with a violation of the code of conduct by the PCB. Subsequently, Afridi was replaced as captain in the limited-over formats by Test captain Misbah-ul-haq, with Ijaz Butt saying the board had "solid reasons" to sack Afridi, which he would reveal when the time was right.

Afridi quit international cricket but played for Hampshire in the Friends Life t20 in England. He had maintained throughout that he wanted to play for Pakistan and would make himself available should there be changes in the board.

Marsh to replace Lee

Allrounder Mitchell Marsh will remain in South
Africa for the one-day leg of the tour

Cricket Australia has named allrounder Mitchell Marsh as a replacement for Brett Lee in Australia's ODI squad for the series against South Africa. Marsh is a part of Australia's Twenty20 squad in South Africa and will remain with the team for the one-day leg of the tour, as Lee underwent a surgery for appendicitis on Monday that ruled him out of the tour's limited-overs games.

The one-day squad, even without Lee, has four fast bowlers, so chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said it was not necessary to pick another quick. "The one-day squad already has four specialist fast bowlers in Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Patrick Cummins, so the national selection panel did not consider it necessary to replace Brett with a specialist fast bowler.

"Mitchell was very close to selection in the one-day squad when it was initially picked. He played extremely well during the recent Australia A tour of Zimbabwe and is a pace bowler who has the ability to bat in the top six, providing great balance and flexibility to the squad."

Marsh picked up 12 wickets in six matches on the Australia A tour, and contributed with the bat as well in the one-dayers. In 19 List A matches, he has claimed 13 wickets at 25.00 apiece and has four half-centuries with a highest score of 92.

Court hears million-dollar plan to fix Oval Test

Salman Butt's name was again mentioned
in recordings played to the jury

Mazhar Majeed, the agent of several Pakistan players, was offered US$1 million by an Indian bookmaker to ensure the team lost the third Test at The Oval against England, which they eventually won, a court heard in London on Tuesday.

On the fifth morning of the alleged spot-fixing trial involving former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif, the jury was played recordings captured by undercover journalist and the prosecution's key witness Mazhar Mahmood, who stood behind a screen in the witness box at Southwark Crown Court.

It was Mahmood's covert sting operation, while working then for the News of the World, which that sparked one of cricket's biggest controversies. Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following that Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

One of the recordings related to the match at The Oval and was actually taken before the fourth day of that match started, when England were 221 for 9 overnight in their second innings. On that Saturday morning they subsequently lost their tenth wicket and Pakistan went on to reach their target of 148 with six wickets down to secure victory.

But that result might have been different had Majeed taken up the huge offer from his unnamed contact in India. The undercover journalist was sitting in the lounge of Majeed's luxurious house in Croydon, while watching footage of Pakistan matches, Majeed was explaining how 'brackets' - a fixed segment in a match - work. Then Majeed called a number in India.

The conversation proceeded as follows, according to the transcript that was played to the court from an audio visual recording:

(Majeed): "Boss, you know what we spoke about last night, what offer can you give me for today's game? Tell me, just give me a figure now, we haven't got long.

(an Asian male) "For the game?

(Majeed) "Yeah exactly.

(Asian) "If you tell me what you want.

(Majeed) "Okay there's a possibility, I'm just telling you now yeah?

(Asian) "Yeah

(Majeed) "But they're talking, they're talking at least 1.2, at least.

(Asian) "1.2, that's 1.2 dollars.

(Majeed) "In dollars yeah.

(Asian) inaudible

(Majeed) "Boss you know how many we've got, you know that they do it, so of course that's not a problem. But you just give me the figure and I'm gonna get back to you. Then I, we haven't got much time.

(Asian) "I give you one.

(Majeed) "One million yeah?

(Asian) "One, one I give you, but has to be a definite game score.

(Majeed) "Okay, okay fine, okay boss I'll call you back. Let me get, give me ten minutes and I'll call you back?

(Asian) "Okay, okay."

After the phone rings off, Majeed said to the undercover journalist: "See what I mean?" He added: "There's big, big money in results boss I tell you. You can see that."

The journalist went on to quiz Majeed at how he would collect his million dollars, to which Majeed explained that he would be given the money in cash from Pakistan, and "some in Dubai"…"some in England".

Journalist Mahmood asked Majeed how he moved the money for the players and he said, 'the only reason I bought the football club (Croydon Athletic) was to move the money'. Majeed had earlier boasted in that conversation, relating to general fixing, that "the three boys who are very, very clever at this (were)…Salman (Butt), Kamran (Akmal) and xxx (a name that was blanked out from transcript)."

Majeed added, when the journalist pointed at the replays on television, that they were investigated for the defeats in Australia in 2010: "Boss they get bloody investigated, they have been talking about investigating the players for the last 50 years."

Within the recording played to the court, Mahmood urged Majeed to phone Kamran Akmal, though why he was calling him was not made clear from the transcript. Majeed did, though, call Akmal first on his mobile, getting his voicemail and then tried him unsuccessfully at the team hotel room at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington.

The case continues.

No evidence of Australia fixing, says ACSU officer

The court heard there was no evidence to back up
Mazhar Majeed's claims about Australia

A senior anti-corruption officer for the ICC told a court on Tuesday that his department had no evidence of any match-fixing carried out by the Australia team.

Alan Peacock, who has been with the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit since its inception in September 2000, was asked a question by Salman Butt's legal team as to whether he had evidence that Australia fix matches or parts of matches. "We have no evidence," he replied.

The line of questioning came from Butt's lawyers as they were seeking to discredit agent Mazhar Majeed, who is at the centre of spot-fixing allegations involving Butt and who claimed in secret recordings played in Southwark Crown Court that Australia are the biggest match-fixers and fix ten "brackets" a day. The claim caused an angry backlash in Australia overnight as players and officials leapt to the defence of the team.

That allegation by Majeed was one of several outlandish ones heard in court on Monday that included being "very good friends" with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and tennis champion Roger Federer.

Ali Bajwa QC attacked the credibility of Majeed as Butt sat in the dock next to former team-mate Mohammed Asif.

Both face charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

Huge odds of exact no-balls - expert

The court was shown footage of Mohammad
Asif's no-ball at Lord's

The likelihood of three no-balls occurring at pre-determined times in a Test match had a "one in a 1.5 million chance" of happening, a court was told on Monday during the alleged spot-fixing trial of two Pakistan cricketers.


Sky Sports statistician Benedict Bermange, appearing as a prosecution witness late in the afternoon, made the claim at Southwark Crown Court where former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif are defending themselves against allegations of conspiring to bowl pre-planned no-balls in the Lord's Test last year. Both players deny the charges.


The jury has already heard the background of how two no-balls from Mohammad Amir and one from Mohammad Asif were bowled at exactly the same time in the match that had been predicted on a secretly-filmed tape by agent Mazhar Majeed, who was exposed in a sting operation by an undercover News of the World journalist.


"According to my calculations, there is a one in a million chance (of three no-balls being bowled at pre-determined times)," Bermange said, "but for these two bowlers that becomes a one in a 1.5 million chance," presumably because of their expertise and usual accuracy at not overstepping.


In Bermange's statement he revealed that Pakistan bowl 23 percent more no-balls than any other country, but also said that Asif's 58 career no-balls - or just under two per Test - was low in comparison to his contemporaries. That number included 24 in one match against South Africa.


Asif's legal representative Alexander Milne questioned Bermange on his results and agreed the rate for bowling pre-determined no-balls without corrupt intervention would be "far-fetched" but did also gain a valuable concession from Bermange as to his client.


When Milne pointed to a printed graphic illustrating Asif's front foot for his no-ball and suggested to Bermange it was a no-ball by just a fraction, the Sky Sports statistician replied: "Yes".


Although Bermange was revealed to have a science degree at Durham University, he did admit to having a maths 'A' level and had taken a statistics course. He also stated that by some quirk (maybe to do with the slope), Lord's has a 20 percent higher no-ball rate than any other ground around the world.


But that was of little consolation for the teenage Amir who, according to Bermange, overstepped by some distance.


"I have attended 50 Test matches within my current position and these two (bowled by Amir) were the largest no-balls in terms of the front foot being over the crease that I have seen."


Reporter Mazhar Mahmood will again appear in the witness stand on Tuesday and there will soon be an appearance from statistician David Kendix, who devised the world rankings for the ICC. The case continues.

SLC gets official warning for Galle pitch

"Whilst we do not wish to see a pitch that is too heavily weighted in
favour of the batsmen, in this instance, the balance was
just too much in favour of the bowler"

Sri Lanka Cricket has been given an official ICC warning for preparing a "poor" pitch in Galle for the first Test against Australia that was played from August 31-September 3. The ICC's pitch consultant Andy Atkinson will inspect the pitch at the end of this month and make recommendations about any corrective action required. SLC, for its part, will need to submit a report confirming the recommended corrective action, if any, has been taken prior to staging its next international match in Galle.

The Galle Test, won by Australia, lasted four days, with the home team being dismissed for 105 and 253 in its 125-run defeat. The match referee for the game Chris Broad had expressed his concern about the pitch to the ICC. Richardson and the ICC's chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle, relying on Broad's report, the SLC's response and video footage from the game, then made their decision.

"We have come to a decision that the pitch prepared for the match should be rated as 'poor'," David Richardson, the ICC's general manager for cricket, said in a statement. "It was clear from the video footage of the match that the amount of turn, especially early in the match, was excessive and there were occasions (even on the first day) where the ball went through the surface of the pitch, bouncing unusually steeply from a good length.

"Whilst it is understandable and acceptable for a pitch to deteriorate over the course of the match, for a pitch to exhibit this type of behavior at relatively early stages of the match was not acceptable. Whilst we do not wish to see a pitch that is too heavily weighted in favour of the batsmen, in this instance, the balance was just too much in favour of the bowler."

Richardson said that since this is the first time the Galle pitch has come up for such scrutiny, the penalty was confined to a warning. "Taking into account that it was the first time that a pitch at Galle has been rated as "poor" and given the intention of the curator to prepare a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball, we have decided to impose a warning as the sanction," he said.

"We have also directed that ICC's pitch consultant Any Atkinson carry out an inspection of the square with a view to making recommendations to ensure that in future the manner of preparation is in line with what is required to ensure that a better balance between bat and ball is achieved."

The ICC has imposed harsher penalties in the past. The Ferozshah Kotla ground in Delhi was banned from hosting any international matches in 2010 after an India-Sri Lanka ODI in January that year had to be abandoned due to a "dangerous" pitch.

We haven't tampered with the ball - Cook

Alastair Cook came out in defence of his bowlers at Heathrow

England's one-day captain Alastair Cook has rubbished claims by Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul that James Anderson and Stuart Broad were involved in ball tampering. Cook said if Gul did have any concerns he should have gone through the proper channels.

Gul hit the headlines after giving an interview in Karachi, where he suggested he had seen examples of ball tampering and mentioned seeing Anderson and Broad using various techniques. However, he later tried to step back from controversy by saying he was only talking about the England pair in relation to natural wear that develops on a ball by throwing it across the outfield.

"We certainly haven't tampered with the ball and if he did have any complaints he should have gone to the ICC over that," Cook said at Heathrow airport ahead of England's departure for their one-day series in India. "I think he has almost said himself that it has been a bit of a mountain out of a molehill."

In a statement to Pakpassion.net, where Gul's original comments first appeared, he clarified his remarks. "I was explaining that the ball gets scratched when it is thrown against the rough surface or hits the advertisement boards along the boundary rope. In this manner, I said, every bowler can be accused of doing it."

Gul made his earlier comments in an interview where he talked about the art of reverse swing and how various elements of ball tampering shouldn't be included with the laws. "Leave cricket with its traditional ways rather than making changes that would take all the charm out of it," he said.

The recent change to using a separate ball from either end during one-day internationals, which will be implemented for the first time when Bangladesh play West Indies, could impact the role of reverse swing during 50-over matches. Under the previous regulations the ball was changed after 34 overs and the period shortly before the switch was when the fast bowlers would sometimes start to get the ball to reverse. However, with neither ball having no more than 25 overs of wear it will be harder for the natural deterioration to take place.

Spot-fixing trial set to begin

Mohammad Asif will appear in court
with Salman Butt on Tuesday 

Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif begin their trial at a criminal court in London on Tuesday, more than a year on from the spot-fixing allegations that engulfed the cricket world during Pakistan's troubled tour of England.

The former Pakistan Test captain Butt, 27 on Friday, and fast bowler Asif, 28, will appear at Southwark Crown Court with the possibility of a custodial sentence awaiting them if deemed guilty. Both players are pleading not guilty. Reporting restrictions are in place on this event.

The players are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired to bowl pre-determined no-balls.

Butt and Asif, along with teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir, were exposed by the now defunct British tabloid the News of the World in an undercover sting operation. Their former agent Mazher Majeed was recorded by a secret camera, saying when no-balls would be delivered by the bowlers.

The fact the case is being heard at a crown court shows the seriousness of the allegations facing the defendants, with crown court being the more senior of the criminal courts.

One of the complexities of this trial surrounds its high-profile nature. Because the issue was so well reported globally at the time, after it was revealed in the News of the World, it is likely to be difficult to find a jury that has not in some way heard of the case or information about it and therefore inherited some amount of bias.

A re-trial could therefore occur, though how any future jury would also have no previous knowledge of the story is also difficult to quantify.

The players have already been punished by the ICC after a disciplinary hearing in Doha, Qatar. There, the three players were each banned from the sport for at least five years. Butt received a further suspended five-year ban and Asif was handed a further two-year suspended sanction.

All three players have filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Pakistan team has admirably set about recovering from a controversy that shocked the sport, after the key players were suspended. Asif, the right-arm swing bowler, and left-armer Amir quickly became one of the most potent new-ball attacks in world cricket. Butt, meanwhile, was a respected opening batsman and was seen as an articulate, diplomatic captain by the British media on that tour last year, prior to the allegations.

The most important aspect at stake during the trial is for cricket as a whole and its integrity, honesty and transparency, according to sports lawyer Max Eppel of McFadden's LLP, who has worked on cases involving cricket and football among others.

"The most important thing for any fan of sports is to know the teams are going out there on a level playing field," he said. "If there is any hint of corruption, the sport could be destroyed. Ultimately, any kind of hype about a criminal court trial is bad publicity for a sport, but if there are good things to come out of it, it is that the sport will get a chance to see any ramifications there are for ever getting involved in this sort of stuff."

Umar Akmal dropped from Test squad

Umar Akmal was dropped from the Test squad
and asked to work on playing long innings

Umar Akmal has been dropped from the Pakistan Test squad for their series against Sri Lanka in the UAE starting later this month. Shoaib Malik, who was on Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe after gaining clearance from the PCB, finds a place in the 15-man squad.

Several of the first-choice bowlers who were rested for the Zimbabwe tour return. Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz come back and are joined by Aizaz Cheema and Junaid Khan in the fast-bowling department, with no place for Sohail Tanvir or Tanvir Ahmed. Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman is also back in the squad while Imran Farhat has been retained as a third opener along with Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar.

Umar Akmal has not scored a Test century since his hugely impressive debut in 2009. After a poor year in 2010, when he averaged just 24.33, he was left out of the XI for the two Tests in New Zealand. He returned to the side for the Tests in the West Indies, but after scoring just one Test half-century this year, and struggling to play long innings in ODIs as well, he has been left out of the Test squad.

"Umar is a talented cricketer but he was not justifying his place in Test cricket," Mohsin Khan, Pakistan's chief selector, said explaining the decision. "This was the reason our middle order was facing problems during the recent tour [of Zimbabwe]. He may be good in limited-over cricket but Tests and ODIs are contrasting games.

"In Tests, Umar is required to play long innings so we have advised him to play domestic cricket and learn to bat for long."

Umar Akmal's exclusion means Asad Shafiq and Shoaib Malik will be fighting for a middle-order spot. After a year out of the Pakistan setup, Malik gained clearance from the PCB's integrity committee just in time to go to Zimbabwe. He did not play the Test there and did not make an impact in the ODIs and Twenty20 internationals. He has been consistently performing on the domestic circuit, finishing as the second-highest run-getter in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One last season, with 799 runs at an average of 73.57. Shafiq, meanwhile, has struggled in Tests since getting half-centuries in each of his first two innings.

Malik's inclusion in the squad comes on the same day he led Sialkot to a win in the final of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup, after getting them there with an unbeaten 88 in the semi-final. Mohsin, though, said his Twenty20 performances were not a factor when deciding the Test squad. "Shoaib is not selected on the basis of the ongoing Twenty20 Cup but what inspired us was his fitness and the form he is currently in."

The other notable exclusion from the squad is Tanvir Ahmed, who has taken 16 wickets in the four Tests he has played since debuting against South Africa in November last year. He was not on the tour of Zimbabwe, though, and Cheema, who took eight wickets on debut in the Bulawayo Test and another eight wickets in the three-match one-day series, keeps his place.

Cheema was one of several fringe players given a chance on the Zimbabwe tour, but not all have retained their places. "There might be players dropped following the recent Zimbabwe tour but that was a chance taken on youngsters," Mohsin said. "We actually had to try new players and now we have a picture of who stands where."

Junaid Khan also made his Test debut in Bulawayo, and though he was not as successful as Cheema, he was selected, Mohsin said, because of his ability to bowl fast. "If Junaid was retained despite his unimpressive form it is because we need to have a genuine fast bowler."

The first of three Tests starts on October 18 in Abu Dhabi.

Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Wahab Raiz, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan

Standby players: Tanvir Ahmed, Mohammad Talha, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah