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Chris Gayle's absence haunts West Indies

The glaring absence of Chris Gayle stood out as the West Indies prepared to open its Bangladesh tour with a Twenty20 international in Dhaka on Tuesday.

The explosive left-hander was omitted for the tour, which also includes three one-dayers and two Tests, following a breakdown in his relationship with the West Indies Cricket Board following the World Cup earlier this year.

As his compatriots warmed up in Bangladesh, Gayle emerged as the second highest scorer in the Twenty20 Champions League in India with 257 runs in six matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Gayle, 32, has played 91 Tests, 228 one-dayers and 20 Twenty20 matches for the West Indies and has two triple-centuries in Test cricket to his name. But coach Ottis Gibson played down the absence of both the star batsman and leading all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, preferring to bank on his young players to deliver in Bangladesh.

“Do we need our senior players? I think we need everybody who is committed to us,” Gibson had said at the start of the tour.

“Some people will think we need them. We are building a team and, of course, we need senior players that are committed to mix with the youngsters. The youngsters have taken the opportunity and done very well for us. As we are looking at the future, we will build a team around the younger guys.”

Bravo, who was also not considered for selection despite being fit, turned out for the Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League which ended in Chennai on Sunday.
Newspaper: The Hindu, 11th Oct

 

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RE: Cricket In Daily Newspapers

Australia denies match-fixing claims

Cricket Australia on Tuesday said that it was not aware of any evidence implicating Australian players in match-fixing and slammed the credibility of the man who made the claims in a London court.

The details emerged as Mazher Mahmood, the former investigations editor for Rupert
Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid, gave evidence at the trial of ex-Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif.

In recordings played to Southwark Crown Court, an agent, Mazhar Majeed, alleged that Australians, as well as some of the biggest names in Pakistani cricket, were prepared to fix parts of matches.

"We were very surprised to hear the report this morning," said Cricket Australia (CA) general manager of public affairs Peter Young.

"We are aware that some very outlandish claims have been made by a person of very dubious repute and they've apparently been replayed to the court."

He said CA was conscious of respecting the judicial process and not saying anything that might compromise the trial, but denied ever seeing any proof of match-fixing by Australian players.

"What we can say is that we are not aware of any evidence," he said.

"Our long-standing formal view for well over a decade has been that any credible evidence needs to be pursued and investigated with vigour by the International Cricket Council, and that is our position today."

During the trial, a video secretly filmed in a car was played showing the agent and Mahmood - posing as an Indian frontman for a gambling syndicate - meeting during the first day of Pakistan's Test against England on August 18 last year.

In it, Majeed alleged that Australian players would fix "brackets", a set period of a match on which punters bet.

"The Australians, they are the biggest. They have 10 brackets a game," he said.

Arranging a "bracket" could cost between £50,000 and £80,000, he said.

"For a result, Twenty20 is about £400,000 and Test matches, depending on the situation, is about £1 million," he added.

Young said CA would be talking with the International Cricket Council on Tuesday "to understand any advice they might have".

"We do note that the ICC has had an anti-corruption expert scrutinising every single ball that we've bowled and every single ball that we've faced for well over a decade," he added.

"There has been no suggestion of any concerns about Australian cricket."
Newspaper: Hindustan Times, 11th Oct

 

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Ponting's manager dismisses Majeed's claim of 'access'

Ricky Ponting's manager has dismissed alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed's claims of having access to the former Australian captain, while pacer Nathan Bracken has threatened legal action after his name also cropped up in the spot-fixing trial in London.

Majeed, who was caught in a sting operation conducted by the now-closed 'News of the World', has claimed that he knew several international players and that the Australians were 'the biggest'.

The claims have led to angry reactions from Australian players with Bracken's manager, Rob Horton saying, "What a load of garbage, we have never heard of this guy. We have never met him.

“Nathan would never ever be involved in anything like that at all. He's thinking of taking legal action in London to protect his reputation,” Horton told 'The Daily Telegraph'.

Ponting's manager, James Henderson, also dismissed Majeed's claim.
Newspaper: Indian Express,11th Oct

 

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ICC's ACSU officer gives clean chit to Australian players

MELBOURNE: An ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officer has rubbished alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed's claim that Australian cricketers were involved in match-fixing, saying the world body had "no evidence" of any wrongdoings carried out by the Aussies.

According to a report in 'The Australian', former Scotland Yard police officer, Alan Peacock, who has been with the ICC's ACSU since its inception in September 2000, insited at the Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, that there was no evidence of corruption against Australian cricketers.

"We have no evidence that the Australians have committed 10 brackets a day, or any brackets," Peacock said when Salman Butt's legal team asked a question as to whether he had evidence that Australian players fix matches or parts of matches.

"Presumably the brackets he (Majeed) is talking about is what we call session betting. That involved betting on the runs and wickets scored within a single session of play or a specific number of overs," he said.

Majeed, a players' agent who was caught in a sting operation for allegedly orgainising corruption in cricket matches, has claimed that he knew several international players and that Australians were "the biggest" offenders of match-fixing.

The allegations have led to angry reactions from Australian players with Nathan Bracken and former captain Ricky Ponting bluntly denying Majeed's claim that he had access to both the players.

Cricket Australia also strongly reacted to the allegations and termed the claims as "outlandish".

Majeed made that claims to an undercover reporter of the now-closed 'News of the World', and these came to light after the taped conversation was played during the corruption trial of former Pakistan captain Butt and fast bowler Mohammed Asif.
Newspaper: Times Of India, 12th Oct

 

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Steve Waugh asks accused Oz players to undergo lie detector tests

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has said players accused of match-fixing should voluntarily submit themselves to lie-detector tests to prove their innocence.

Although Waugh said last night that he was unaware of the full details of the claim that Australian and Pakistan players were involved in match fixing, he insisted that a polygraph test could help to clear a player's name.

"I don't know what's happening in London, I have only heard various reports, but one of the benefits of a polygraph test is it provides a piece of the puzzle," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Waugh, as saying.

"I don't think it provides all the answers but it does give players opportunities – if they are wrongly accused – to clear their names via that means. It's definitely a viable option.

They have a 98 per cent degree of accuracy and if you have nothing to hide it''s a good way to prove your innocence," he added.
Newspaper: Indian Express, 12th Oct

 

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Match-fixing: Watson urges Ponting, Bracken to clear their names

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has urged Ricky Ponting and Nathan Bracken to quickly clear their names over the match-fixing allegations after alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed had claimed that he had access to both the players.

Majeed, a players' agent who was caught in a sting operation for allegedly orgainising corruption in cricket matches, has claimed that he knew several international players, including former captain Ponting and Bracken and that Australians were "the biggest" offenders of match-fixing.

The allegations have led to angry reactions from Australian players with Bracken and Ponting bluntly denying Majeed's claim.

But Watson said such claims unfairly questions the characters of players who take pride from their performances.

"Absolutely it does (question integrity) and it's unbelievably disappointing. There's no doubt that if my name came up in that as well, especially when you know exactly how much you give every time you play and you're only there to get
Newspaper: Indian Express,12th Oct

 

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Tough to dive around on Indian grounds: Jonty

Jonty Rhodes, the undisputed king of fielding, said Indian grounds need to be better to improve fielding standards. "Some grounds are quite dangerous and the conditions needs to improve. That's probably the reason why young players are hesitant to dive around.

Obviously, if the grounds were in bad shape, then even I wouldn't have dived either. A proper place is required to learn all this," Rhodes said during the launch of Omtex Jonty's Way at the Cricket Club of India yesterday.
The South African great emphasised on learning the right fielding techniques.

"Most youngsters fall on their knees while diving, which is dangerous. You have to be fully committed and go flat out while diving because then, the chances of getting injured are less," the 42-year-old said. Rhodes has committed to devote 45-60 days in India with the academy.

He will train the coaches who will impart skills to the players. A nominal training fee will be charged to aspiring coaches and cricketers. The Mumbai Indians fielding coach aims to make fielding fun. "It is important that players learn the right fielding techniques at an early age as it is difficult to change them later.

The youngsters focus a lot on their batting and bowling, but ignore fielding. I have to literally fetch them for fielding drills. My idea is to make fielding fun. I am not expecting them to be like me, but I am hoping they become the best," he said.

He related his own example to explain its importance. "I was an average batsman, but my selection in the 1992 World Cup team was purely on my fielding exploits. Fielding can help tremendously in your selection. I used all the sports that I played to help my fielding."
Newspaper:Mid Day,12th Oct

 

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Bracken takes Cricket Australia to court over injury

Former Australian paceman Nathan Bracken has dragged Cricket Australia to court, claiming that he did not get enough support from the Board when he was struggling with a career—threatening knee injury.

Bracken had retired in January after missing the entire 2010 season due an injury to his right knee, needing three operations.

Bracken has demanded close to USD one million in wages, medical expenses and damages from Cricket Australia, a report in the Daily Telegraph said.

According to the report, the former swing bowler will argue that CA was negligent in allowing him to play with the injury, including two doctors and a physiotherapist who examined him on the claim.

Bracken was not in the Supreme Court as the case was briefly mentioned on Tuesday.

His barrister Richard O’Keefe asked the case be adjourned because CA had not complied with previous court orders to provide “medical records relating to the plaintiff“.

CA has been given more time to produce the documents as the court set the next hearing on November 30.
Newspaper: The Hindu, 13th Oct

 

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'That's the only way I play cricket'

"I am an instinctive player. When I feel like going for a shot, I back myself to do it." The moment you hear these words, you are reminded of Virender Sehwag, the hotshot India opener. On Tuesday night, it wasn't the Delhi Dazzler speaking the "instinctive truth". It was Robin Uthappa,
the Karnataka batsman who has been trying to regain his place in the national squad he lost over three years back.

When he spoke about his instinctive trait, it was in response to a query regarding his atrocious shot-selection against India Red in the Challenger Series, which resulted in his throwing away a splendid start for the umpteenth time.

But the Indian Green opener soon realised he needs to do more than score an aggressive fifty to attract the selectors' attention. "Need to focus a little more and not give it away," he told HT.

On Wednesday, the Bangalorean turned out in his best avatar, keeping faith in his aggressive style of batting. The whirlwind 132 off just 103 balls against India Blue in a virtual semifinal not only set up his team's victory but also made the selectors realise that he was not a spent force.

An on-song Uthappa is a treat for any cricket lover - the burly batsman is one of the most fluent exponents of straight drive on the domestic circuit. And, he played his favourite stroke at will.

It didn't matter whether the bowler was Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha or Amit Mishra, he kept hitting them straight till he retired at the end of the 23rd over after raising his bat for a memorable century, his third in the Challenger Series.

On Tuesday, when HT had asked him whether it was difficult to curb his instinct in an important tournament like the Challenger Series, he had said, "I have played cricket only one way all my life. It's better for me to continue playing the way I have been playing. If I play like (Rahul) Dravid or (S) Badrinath, I won't be very successful."

At that point, it appeared as if the 25-year-old was overconfident about his abilities. Wednesday's knock put the confusion to rest.
Newspaper: The Hindu, 13th Oct

 

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Ramiz for random lie-detector tests
- ‘NEED FOR THE ICC, BOARDS TO EDUCATE PLAYERS’

Calcutta: Neither the International Cricket Council (ICC) nor the Boards have shown interest in Steve Waugh’s lie-detector test suggestion, but Ramiz Raja has come out in its support.

In fact, speaking to The Telegraph from Lahore on Wednesday afternoon, shortly before flying out to Bangkok for a commercial shoot with Shahid Afridi, Ramiz said: “The ICC must introduce random lie-detector tests, on the lines of the random dope tests...

“We hardly get to know who all have been subjected to dope-testing and that script can be followed for the lie-detector tests... It’s only when someone fails, that the world need be told about him... Lie-detector tests may appear to be out of the ordinary at this point in time, but we have to go forward.”

A former captain and chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz added: “There’s an obligation on the part of those running the game to ensure that it’s clean.”

“There’s a need for the ICC and the Boards to educate the players, as has been done on the Wada issue, and impress upon them that there’s no shame in undergoing a lie-detector test. Remember, the cricket-loving public needs to be convinced that it is not being cheated,” Ramiz pointed out.

The revelations in a Crown court in London have, of course, left Ramiz devastated.

“I’ve never felt more low in my life... And, on an impulse, one feels it’s best not to be associated with cricket in any capacity... Fixing seems to be an epidemic... Pakistanis... Then, the names of Indians, Australians and a West Indies player have also been taken...

“Clearly, some of our present generation haven’t learnt from the misdemeanours of some in the past... They ought not to have repeated the mistakes, should not have disgraced Pakistan... The revelations have crushed those of us who did everything to play the game as it ought to be played,” Ramiz stated.

Kamran Akmal’s name keeps surfacing, but according to Ramiz, he has “sworn” on his children that he’s “clean,” that he hasn’t dealt with bookies/fixers.

Ramiz made the point that the PCB, in particular, must take a stand against those whose names keep cropping up in fixing scandals. “They should be kept miles away from the present-day cricketers, not be given any position of authority or be invited to lecture at our Academy (in Lahore)... Be totally ruthless, if required....”

The PCB’s track record, however, hasn’t been encouraging and looks like it’s going to be baptism by fire for Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf, its new chairman.
Newspaper: The Telegraph, 13th Oct