High Court slams PCB on Akhtar case

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board today came under scathing criticism from Lahore High Court for failing to file a reply on fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's petition against the ban imposed on him on disciplinary charges.

Shoaib Akhtar had challenged the 18-month ban and the seven million rupees fine that was imposed on him some two years ago on disciplinary grounds. © AFP

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed lambasted the working of the Board for its failure to file a reply on a writ petition by Akhtar against the 18-month ban and fine of seven million rupees imposed on him by the appellate tribunal of the Board.
"The board is destroying cricket. I don't know how the board is operating I am surprised at the failure to file their reply," the Justice remarked.
Akhtar had challenged the ban and fine that was imposed on him some two years ago. The Lahore High Court had suspended the ban and allowed Akhtar to play cricket but the Board has already deducted the fine of seven million rupees from the fast bowler's earnings with them.
Akhtar announced his retirement from international cricket during the recent World Cup and also pulled out of the Sri Lankan Premier League Twenty20 tournament owing to his personal and business commitments.
The High Court set the next date of hearing for September 27 while directing the PCB legal advisor to file his reply before that date at any cost.
PCB's legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi, however, claimed that the Judge had passed the remarks in a light mood.
"I told the Judge during recession that his remarks would be played up and give a negative portrayal of the board in the media," Rizvi said.
He said he had outlined the policy of the Board on the Akhtar case clearly.
"I told the honourable court that the Supreme Court had already ruled in another case in our favour that is similar to this one the writ filed by Shoaib should be dismissed," he said.

PTI

Sachin loses top spot to Kallis in Tests

Dubai: Sachin Tendulkar on Friday lost the coveted number one spot in the ICC Test rankings to South Africa's Jacques Kallis but Rahul Dravid, adjudged man-of -the-match for scoring a century in the first Test against West Indies, returned to the top-20 after jumping nine places.

Sachin Tendulkar lost the coveted number one spot in the ICC Test rankings to South Africa's Jacques Kallis. © AFP

According to an ICC media release, left-hander Suresh Raina, too, moved up 26 places to be placed 61st after his after his useful knock of 82 in the first innings against West Indies at Kingston.
Tendulkar lost the top after the iconic batsman decided to skip the series against West Indies. He is currently placed second.
As a player loses one per cent of his rating points for every Test he misses, Tendulkar will lose more points as he will not figure in the remaining two Tests.
However, the Mumbaikar will still enter next month's Test series against England as the number two batsman.
Dravid, who notched up a patient 112 on a difficult Sabina Park pitch, earned 45 rating points for his effort and is placed at the 20th spot.
This is Dravid's best position since November 2010 when he slipped out of the top 20 following the Nagpur Test against New Zealand.
The veteran batsman's seven-hour vigil at the crease set the platform for India's 63-run victory, and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Dravid had won the ICC Cricketer and ICC Test Player of the Year awards in 2004.

PTI

Sachin Tendulkar sells his Ferrari

Surat: The 360 Modena Ferrari, which once occupied the pride of place in batting icon Sachin Tendulkar's fleet of premium cars, is now a prized possession of a Surat businessman.

Ferrari's Formula One driver Schumacher had presented the car on behalf of FIAT to Tendulkar when the two met in 2002 at Silverstone, England. © AFP

Jayesh Desai, Chairman of Raj Hans group, said he purchased the car a fortnight ago.
"I have bought the 360 Modena Ferrari car directly from Sachin Tendulkar with all legal documents," Desai told PTI, but declined to reveal the price.
"It was my dream to drive a Ferrari and now my dream has come true," Desai, who has a passion for driving luxury cars, said.
The Ferrari, which was presented to Tendulkar by racing legend Michael Schumacher, will be the first racing car in his fleet of luxury vehicles, Desai said, adding that his latest acquisition was a prized possession as it was owned by the batting great.
"Kindly ask me only about the car and nothing about Sachin," he said when asked if he and Tendulkar were friends or had known each other.
The Ferrari had got mired in a controversy in 2003 after it was reported that Tendulkar had requested for a customs duty waiver despite getting it as a gift and not winning it as a prize in a tournament.
In August 2003, the finance ministry had exempted Tendulkar from paying around Rs 1.13 crore (approximately $245,000) towards import duty for the vehicle, valued at Rs 75 lakh (approximately $162,600).
The car was gifted to him by FIAT, which manufactures the premium Ferrari cars and endorsed by Tendulkar, after the Indian batting legend equalled Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries.
Ferrari's Formula One driver Schumacher presented the car on behalf of the company to Tendulkar when the two met in 2002 at Silverstone, England.
Tendulkar has taken a break from cricket after playing in IPL and is away on a vacation in England with family.

PTI

ICC to discuss DRS and end of rotation policy

Dubai: The usage of controversial Decision Review System in all Test and ODI matches and the proposal to end the rotational policy in the appointment of ICC presidents post 2015 will top the agenda in the annual conference of the world body beginning on Sunday in Hong Kong.

The ICC said the usage of the DRS in Test matches, ODI and Twenty20 series, has got unanimous approval from its Cricket Committee. © AFP

The five-day annual conference, which is expected to be a stormy affair, will begin with the meeting of ICC Chief Executives' Committee (June 26 & 27) followed by ICC Executive Board (June 28 & 29) and Full Council (June 30).
The ICC said the usage of the DRS in Test matches, ODI and Twenty20 series, has got unanimous approval from its Cricket Committee of which former Indian captain Ravi Shastri is a member.
"While acknowledging the broadcast contracts that currently exist, the ICC Cricket Committee was unanimous in its recommendation that DRS should be used in all Test matches and also unanimously recommended that DRS should be used in ODI and T20I series with each side allowed one unsuccessful review per innings," the ICC said in a statement.
"The suggestions were made following detailed technical analysis and supported by what the committee agreed was a successful application during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011," it said.
Another controversial topic in the agenda would the proposal to bring in a constitutional amendment to end the rotational policy in the appointment of ICC president once the term of Sharad Pawar's successor Alan Issac (New Zealand) is over in 2015.
The move is likely to face vehement opposition from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Under the existing policy, the two countries are to present their nominees for the post of ICC president and vice-president.
"The Full Council will also consider a further constitutional change to the process for the nomination and election of the ICC President. Under the new proposal, the Executive Board will decide the process and term of office from time to time, subject to certain qualifying criteria," the ICC statement said.
"This would remove the current rotational system of nomination and the fixed term of appointment as set out in the ICC Articles of Association," it said.
The ICC will also revisit its earlier decision to restrict 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to only 10 Full Members, following protests from Associate Members and former cricketers. It said a Test play-off for the top four teams has been approved to take place in England in 2013.
"At its meeting in Mumbai on 4 April 2011, after having previously agreed a 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the ICC Executive Board agreed that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 would comprise of 10 ICC Full Members. The Board also confirmed its decision taken in October 2010 that ICC World Twenty20 should be a 16-team event and that promotion and relegation would be introduced from 2019.
"These decisions were part of the package of strategic restructuring of bilateral cricket and ICC events aimed at providing greater context and content for international cricket. As part of this, a Test play-off for the top four teams was also approved to take place in England in 2013.
"Following decisions and responding to representations from various quarters, ICC President Sharad Pawar will ask the ICC Executive Board to revisit its decision to restrict the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to the 10 Full Members."
Other important matters to be taken up first by the CEC before going to ICC Board include a study by Cricket Committee into day/night Test matches and amendments on the current code of conduct regulations to allow suspension of a captain after two offences for slow over-rate breaches.
The CEC will consider the recommendations of the Cricket Committee to use two balls in each ODI innings -- one from each end. The step is aimed at improving the balance between bat and ball and to give 50-over cricket a distinct identity.
"Currently the ball is replaced after 34 overs. It also recommended that teams should only be allowed to take the batting and bowling powerplays between overs 16 and 40," the ICC said.
"The committee also suggested that trials of the following playing conditions be conducted in domestic cricket before being considered for international cricket -- removal of the restriction on the maximum number of overs each bowler could deliver; no compulsory close-catchers; a maximum of four fielders outside the 30-yard fielding circle during non-powerplay overs; the number of bouncers that can be delivered per over to be increased from one to two."
The CEC will seek to confirm and recommend the Future Tours Programme to ICC Executive Board for its consideration.
The Full Council of the ICC will consider another constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring free elections of Member boards and avoiding undue government interference in the administration of cricket, in line with the regulations of other major sporting bodies.
The ICC Executive Board and CEC will receive a detailed post-event report on the successful staging of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. Although the event was universally regarded as a success and one of the best cricket events in history, the report will highlight shortcomings around ticketing and stadia construction.
The report acknowledged the high standard of cricket and praises the excellent pitches and outfields. It also noted that the three host countries now have a legacy of excellent cricket facilities following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
The ICC Board will also consider recommendations from the CEC, the ICC Security Task Force on introducing mandatory safety and security regulations and a final report from the Pakistan Task Team.

PTI

New Zealand to host Zimbabwe, South Africa

New Zealand will host Zimbabwe for the first time in 11 years as part of a home international schedule early next year that also features South Africa, according to officials.

"It will be a very challenging summer of international cricket and we are looking forward to taking on South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in front of our fans," Black Caps captain Ross Taylor said. © AFP

New Zealand has long-standing travel sanctions on sports teams from Zimbabwe due to alleged human rights abuses by Robert Mugabe's government but agreed to waive them this month provided the political situation did not deteriorate.
New Zealand Cricket said Friday the Zimbabwe tour would take place from January 26 to February 14. It will include one Test, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.
South Africa will tour from February 17 to March 27, playing three Tests, three one-dayers and three Twenty20s.
"It will be a very challenging summer of international cricket and we are looking forward to taking on South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in front of our fans," Black Caps captain Ross Taylor said.
"South Africa are currently ranked second in the world Test rankings so the three-Test series against them will be an excellent gauge of our progress."
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said no matches had been scheduled for Christchurch, where the city's AMI Stadium has been closed since February's devastating earthquake that killed 181 people.
He said the venue's operators had been unable to guarantee the stadium would be ready to host international cricket early next year because of the impact of ongoing aftershocks.

AFP