Atherton slams troika as 'arrogant'

LONDON: Michael Atherton, the former England captain, has condemned proposals to put power to run international cricket in the hands of India, England and Australia as the end of an idealistic notion that the game can be run for the benefit of all nations.

 

Atherton writes in the Times that the plan represents “the end of the notion that a fair and principled and just body can govern cricket in the interests of all.“It is an ideal, of course, that has never been grounded in any kind of reality under the guise of the ICC, but if you cannot be idealistic about sport, what can you be idealistic about?”

 

Atherton gives some credence, if reluctantly, to the view that England and Australia feel they have no choice but to grant India power in a way that will encourage them to run the world game responsibly - and even suggests India has now been affected with the arrogance of old colonialism.“The tone of the proposal is so arrogant and high-handed as to recall an earlier age when the organisation began as the Imperial Cricket Conference,” he writes.

 

Atherton is scathing about governance in world cricket. “No one doubts that the status quo, as far as the ICC is concerned, is unacceptable: two full-member countries are thought to be corrupt; four are essentially broke; most rely on India’s largesse to keep going, while the BCCI is disgruntled that the distribution of revenues does not reflect its provenance.

 

“Politics, race and personalities interfere with decision-making at every turn. Incompetence is a given; at a recent ICC meeting, I was told of one director who took to snoring through an anti-corruption presentation.”

 

Atherton said that the recommendations of the Woolf report to place power in the hands of an independent executive - a solution championed by the former ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, who was soon removed from office - would have been the most idealistic solution.

 

“The best that can be said for this deal, indeed the only thing that can be said for this deal, is that India become a fully engaged and interested party to world cricket. Inside the tent and happy for the moment, rather than prowling outside and angry.”

Silva ton deflates Bangladesh

Tea Sri Lanka 237 for 1 (Silva 111*, Sangakkara 59*) lead Bangladesh 232 by five runs
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	Kaushal Silva was let off thrice on his way to a maiden Test hundred © AFP  Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Kaushal Silva Matches: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Dhaka Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh Teams: Bangladesh | Sri Lanka

If three let-offs were hard enough for Bangladesh to take, watching the beneficiary of those lapses, Kaushal Silva, go on to score a century must have been utterly deflating. Sri Lanka tightened their hold over the hosts for yet another session, though they looked more in control after lunch compared to the relatively wobbly morning session. Silva reached his first Test ton and Kumar Sangakkara built on his commanding record against Bangladesh with a steady fifty.

Bangladesh picked up only one wicket over two sessions, that of Dimuth Karunaratne, but they ought to have seen the back of the other opener as well. To Bangladesh's credit though, they created opportunities in an overcast morning session that assisted their seamers. As the sun came out in the afternoon, there wasn't as much seam movement and there was little their spinners could do.

The unluckiest bowler of the morning was the seamer Al-Amin Hossain, who was let down by a combination of poor catching - his captain one of the culprits - and the misfortune of his back foot hitting the stump on his delivery stride. Silva had his first life on 39 when he was squared up by Al-Amin's probing line outside off and edged to the keeper Mushfiqur Rahim who grassed a straightforward take. Silva added one more to his score when he edged Al-Amin again to Rahim, who took it cleanly. The batsman, who had started walking, was asked to wait by the umpires who referred the verdict to the third umpire. Al-Amin's front foot was behind the popping crease but unfortunately, his back foot knocked the bail down before delivery and as per the recent amendment to the laws, it was declared a no-ball.

Silva escaped again, on 42, when he drove Al-Amin away from the body and edged low to Shamsur Rehman, who failed to catch it to his right at gully. Aside from those let-offs, Silva played some attractive shots, like when he lofted the offspinner Sohag Gazi down the ground and brought up his fifty with a boundary off a paddle sweep in the same over.

Sri Lanka consolidated their position in the morning session with periods of watchful play, but after lunch, they added 98 without any further loss of wickets. Sangakkara warmed up with two boundaries through the off side off Rubel Hossain. There were more overs of spin post lunch, but Gazi and Shakib were, at times, guilty of dropping the ball too short. Shakib got away with one when Karunaratne punched a short one straight to cover, against the run of play, but Sangakkara ensured he found the gaps at cover.

Sangakkara brought up the fifty stand with Rubel with a glorious cover drive off Rubel but perhaps his most effortless shot of the day was a defensive push off Robiul Islam that sneaked past the stumps at the other end and beat two fielders chasing.

Silva's knock post lunch was relatively chanceless, though he had a close call on 98 when a ripper from Shakib turned, bounced and beat the edge and the stumps. He pulled a couple of freebies from Shakib down the leg side to head into the 90s and he reached the landmark with a similar pull off Shakib to the fine leg boundary. Silva punched the air as soon as he found the gap and the relief was palpable, considering he failed to achieve three-figures after making 95 and 81 recently against Pakistan. Take away the let-offs, it was a knock that displayed one of his biggest strengths - patience.

Sangakkara reached his 45th Test fifty with a single and the pair helped Sri Lanka take the lead. Another testing session loomed for the hosts.

Taylor ton delivers series triumph

New Zealand 280 for 3 (Taylor 112* Williamson 60, B McCullum 49*) beat India 278 for 5 (Dhoni 79*, Rohit 79, Jadeja 62*) by seven wickets
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	Ross the Boss: Taylor scored his ninth century © Getty Images  Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Rohit Sharma | MS Dhoni | Ravindra Jadeja Matches: New Zealand v India at Hamilton Series/Tournaments: India tour of New Zealand Teams: India | New Zealand

It took its time coming, it tested a few nerves, but New Zealand finally sealed their first series win at home in five years, not counting the ones against Zimbabwe and Bangaldesh. They should have won it three nights ago, they should probably have won it more comfortably tonight after having reduced India to 278 and then reached 54 for 0 in seven overs and 182 for 2 in 33. They will be thankful that they had their two most consistent batsmen - Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson - in the middle when Ravindra Jadeja started to turn the ball square after he himself gave India a fighting total with 62 off 54, a much more assured innings than the one that tied the previous match to keep India alive.

Williamson now has four half-centuries in four matches in this series, and Taylor made up for missing out on one in Auckland by turning this into a big one once he crossed 50. Taylor's innings was exceptional in its discipline: he didn't try his favourite slog-sweep, in fact he scored just 10 runs in his midwicket arc. Most of his runs came behind and in front of square on the off side. India couldn't be accused of showing similar discipline when they batted, but they were also put under pressure by a superbly disciplined start by Kyle Mills and Tim Southee, which led to their repetition of the shot that has been getting them out. Between them Southee and Mills bowled three maidens, took three wickets, and conceded just 78.

India surprised everyone by not only getting rid of their stubbornness but going to the other end. Not only did they drop Suresh Raina, which was long overdue, they also left out Shikhar Dhawan for Ambati Rayudu, and decided to bat first after having invited the opposition 20 straight times outside Asia. With no specialist opener in the side, India moved everyone up by one spot, which meant India's best batsman was now opening.

However, the opening spells that Mills and Southee bowled would have frustrated the best of openers. There was nothing to drive or cut, forget getting too straight, and India would have had to take a risk if they were going to score. The first risk was taken to the first short ball bowled, and all Kohli managed was a top edge off Southee. Soon Mills got a similar response from Ajinkya Rahane. In between the two dismissals, Rohit became desperate, somehow hit the first boundary of the innings, enjoyed a drop from Taylor, and India still reached only 28 in 10 overs.

More good luck, and some classy Rohit shots, followed, and a 79-run partnership shored India up. However, the luck soon ran out. Rayudu top-edged Hamish Bennett, and in an ironical turn of events Rohit edged Kane Williamson for a catch down the leg side. Of all the bowlers, of all the manners. From 151 for 5, India came back remarkably with two batsmen who applied themselves before taking 100 off the last 10 overs. Say what you will about the strategy, Dhoni proved his batting worth with a third fifty in a row. Jadeja, at the other end, showed Auckland was no fluke, and played the cleanest knock of the three fifties in the Indian innings.

It was a good comeback if you look at the way India began: two boundaries and 28 runs in 10 overs. New Zealand hit two fours in the first over, reached 28 in the fourth, and were well on their way to hammer India when Jesse Ryder paid once again for his tendency to stay leg side of the ball in order to create room for his off-side hits. That played-on dismissal was followed by Martin Guptill's lbw - the first such dismissal of the series - and India now had an opening.

The opening began to look wider when Jadeja turned the first ball he bowled across Williamson. He beat the bat three times in the first over. R Ashwin provided good support from the other end. The second 10 overs of New Zealand's innings were the most crucial period of the match. Both Williamson and Taylor played with utmost caution, scored just the 30 runs, saw the asking rate reach 6.13, but didn't give the spinners a wicket.

You would have expected Dhoni to take one of the spinners off and continue attacking with one, but he completely took the pressure off by removing both Jadeja and Ashwin. Suddenly all the pressure was eased, and Taylor and Williamson - 24 off 37 and 17 off 38 respectively - cashed in. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron and Rayudu all conceded boundaries as 63 runs came in the nine overs before Ashwin was brought back.

By that time, you would have thought, the game was over, but Jadeja turned it around with a run-out off his own bowling. Another nervous period followed as Brendon McCullum, searching for form, on a hat-trick of ducks, fumbled around a little and the asking rate went past six again. Taylor, though, stood firm at the other end, and guided his captain through hitting timely fours to keep the requirement within reach.

The next call of duty was to play out the two remaining overs of Jadeja. That done, the two finished their highest-successful chase against India in style, turning what had looked nervous into a comfortable win with 11 balls to spare.

India win toss, bat first against New Zealand

HAMILTON: India won the toss and opted to bat first in a change of strategy in the fourth one-day international against New Zealand in Hamilton on Tuesday.

 

The tourists, who trail 2-0 in the five-match series, chose to bowl in the first three matches, resulting in two defeats and a dramatic tie in Auckland.

 

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he believed his side had only been playing at "60 percent of potential" and needed a lift in the crucial fourth match. They have made two changes, with Ambati Rayudu and Stuart Binny coming in for Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan. It will be Binny´s one-day international debut.

 

New Zealand have also made two changes, with Kyle Mills and Jimmy Neesham replacing frontline bowler Mitchell McClenaghan and all-rounder Corey Anderson.

 

Teams:

 

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum (captain), James Neeshan, Luke Ronchi, Nathan McCullum, Tim Southee, Kyle Mills, Hamish Bennett.

 

India: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron, Mohammed Shami, Stuart Binny, Ambati Rayudu. 

Perry, Osborne shatter England's hopes in women series

HOBART: An incredible display of batting by Ellyse Perry and Erin Osborne saw England's hopes of an early victory in the Ashes series denied here on Sunday.

 

With the seventh-wicket pair coming to the crease in the 43rd over, as the required run rate rose to above eight, their quickfire partnership of 70 off 45 balls won the game for Australia with three balls to spare, as they clobbered the shocked English bowlers all around the park.

 

On a pitch that looked an excellent batting deck, Australia had got off to a flying start in pursuit of 269. Meg Lanning looked in beautiful touch, punishing the short, loose deliveries in Kate Cross' opening over, which went for 10, and hitting Jenny Gunn for a glorious six over backward square leg. Australia raced their way to 50 in just 58 balls.

Sri Lanka 60-0 in reply to Bangladesh´s 232

DHAKA: Seamers Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal shared seven Bangladesh wickets as Sri Lanka dominated the opening day of the first Test in Dhaka on Monday.

 

Eranga finished with 4-49 and Lakmal claimed 3-66 to help bowl out Bangladesh for 232 after the tourists won the toss and chose to field at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (61) and Shakib Al Hasan (55) were the only batsmen to resist the accurate Sri Lankan attack on an even-paced pitch.

Sri Lanka made 60 for no loss in reply by stumps, with Dimuth Karunaratne unbeaten on 28 and Kaushal Silva on 30. They are now 172 runs behind with all 10 wickets in hand.

 

Eranga, who had taken 33 wickets in 10 previous Tests, said the plan to bounce out Bangladesh worked well.

 

The tourists justified skipper Angelo Mathews´ decision to bowl first by grabbing four wickets with just 59 runs on the board.

 

Shakib and Rahim joined hands at that stage to stitch together a fifth-wicket stand of 86, before the hosts suffered two quick blows to slip to 150-6 midway through the afternoon session.

 

Shakib fell leg-before to veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, before Eranga had new batsman Nasir Hossain caught behind in the next over to claim his third wicket in the innings.

 

Rahim then added 53 for the seventh wicket with all-rounder Sohag Gazi before he fell leg-before to Lakmal soon after the tea break.

 

Gazi boosted the total with 42 off 56 balls that contained six boundaries and a six, but found little support at the other end.

 

Debutant opening batsman Shamsur Rahman smashed 33 of the first 59 runs with the help of seven boundaries, but failed to build on the fluent start in the morning session.

 

Bangladesh lost three wickets in successive overs to slide from 35-0 to 40-3 as Eranga removed Tamim Iqbal and Rahman, and Mathews trapped Marshall Ayub leg-before.

 

Lakmal dismissed Mominul Haque before Shakib and Rahim settled in to retrieve the situation.Bangladesh left out Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mahmudullah and Abdur Razzak from their initial squad, and went in with three quick bowlers in Rubel Hossain, Robiul Islam and Al-Amin Hossain.

 

Sri Lanka took the field without Test wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene, who flew home early on Friday for family reasons. A Sri Lanka Cricket statement later in the day announced the death of his father. Dinesh Chandimal donned the gloves in Prasanna´s absence.

 

The tourists omitted unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis and preferred all-rounder Dilruwan Perera in the first of two Test matches.

 

Sri Lanka will also play three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games during the tour that ends on February 22.

England restrict Australia to 217-9 in 5th ODI

ADELAIDE: Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes shared six wickets as England restricted Australia to 217-9 after they won the toss and batted Sunday in the fifth and final one-day international.

 

Broad bowled opener Aaron Finch (7) and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade (31) and dismissed all rounder Shane Watson for a duck to finish with 3-31 from 10 overs. Stokes removed opener Shaun March (36), George Bailey for the innings´ top score of 56 and Glenn Maxwell for 22, severely denting Australia´s batting effort and finishing with 3-43.

 

Tim Bresnan bowled returning captain Michael Clarke for 8 and Chris Jordan claimed the late wickets of James Faulkner for 27 and Nathan Coulter-Nile (15) with consecutive deliveries in the last over but was denied a hat-trick by Xavier Doherty.Bailey´s 56, which included a half century from 60 balls, gave some stability to a flimsy Australian innings.

He put on 58 for the fifth wicket with Maxwell in the innings´ most productive partnership, helping Australia recover from 64-4.

 

Bailey and Wade then put on 55 for the sixth wicket, lifting Australia to 167-6 in the 40th over. But disciplined late bowling helped England regain the upper hand and after Bailey was out, Australia lost four wicket for 48 runs.

 

The strained nature of Australia´s batting performance called into question Clarke´s decision to bat after winning the toss on what transpired to be a sluggish pitch at the Adelaide Oval. Stroke-making was difficult and the Australian tally included no sixes and only 14 fours, four of those hit by Bailey.

 

Broad and Jordan placed Australia under early pressure with aggressive and accurate opening spells. Finch was twice dropped — once by England captain Alastair Cook at slip — before he was bowled by Broad in the fifth over.

 

Broad then enticed a loose shot from Watson, who seems to be settling deeper into a form slump, for a duck, leaving Australia 22-2.

 

Bresnan bowled Clarke with a gentle inswinger which glanced off the bottom edge of the Australian captain´s bat, then Stokes removed Marsh, who provided the only resistance among the top order, and Australia was in trouble at 64-4. Marsh faced 52 balls for his 36 but was confounded by the pace of the pitch and chipped a simple catch to Cook at short-midwicket.

 

Bailey and Maxwell settled the innings and batted for 10 overs before Maxwell committed one of the errors of judgment which have recently plagued his game and edged a catch of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

 

When Bailey fell in the 41st over, after a batting powerplay which yielded only 35 runs, Australia may have had to readjust its target score to something in the mid-200s.

 

Wade batted well before he was bowled by Broad in the 43rd over and James Faulkner tried to give Australia late momentum, making 27 from 27 balls before he fell to Jordan. Nathan Coulter-Nile fell next ball, creating the exciting late prospect of a hat-trick but Doherty scrambled the hat-trick ball away for a single.

 

Australia hold a winning 3-1 lead in the five match series and hopes to finish the series on a high note on the Australia Day holiday. 

Australia’s thrilling 5-run win over England in 5th ODI

ADELAIDE: Clint McKay took three wickets, including a bizarre stumping to dismiss Ravi Bopara, as Australia beat England by five runs in the fifth and final one-day international on Sunday to win the five-match series 4-1.

 

Australia made 217-9 in their 50 overs after choosing to bat on a sluggish pitch at the Adelaide Oval and England lost their last wicket at 212 with three balls remaining in a match marking the Australia Day national holiday.

 

England seemed to be coasting to victory when Joe Root made 55 and Eion Morgan 39 in a 64-run partnership for the fourth wicket that had it 154-4 in the 36th over.

But it lost vital wickets quickly in a chaotic run chase and Bopara was left as their last specialist batsman and the last hope of ending the series with a win.

 

Bopara saw a succession of partners come and go as England stumbled towards a winning total and did everything in his power to marshal the resources of the England tail.

He was on 25 and seemed in command of an anxious situation when McKay, bowling at pace to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who was skillfully and courageously standing up to the stumps, beat his outside off. The ball struck Wade´s gloves, dislodged and fell forward onto the stumps just as Bopara lifted his back foot an inch above the ground.

 

Australia appealed, more in hope than confidence, and the television umpire studied a long series of slow motion replays before deciding that Bopara´s foot had come up just as the bail had been removed. He was out and with him went England´s last chance of victory.

His departure left England´s last pair at the crease, needing nine runs with eight balls remaining. Chris Jordan and James Tredwell reached the last over with eight runs still required and reduced the target with a single and a leg bye before Tredwell was caught by Wade off Shane Watson to end the innings.

 

McKay finished with 3-36, including the wickets of Bopara, Ben Stokes (0) and Stuart Broad (7). Nathan Coulter-Nile took 3-34 and James Faulkner 2-37 in an outstanding Australian bowling performance.

 

George Bailey top-scored with 56 and Shaun Marsh made 36 in the Australian innings while Alastair Cook gave England a sound start with a careful 39.

 

England´s run chase still seemed relatively undemanding but the only point at which they seemed in command was when Root and Morgan were together.

 

However, Morgan, Root and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler all threw away their wickets as they fell to catches while trying to accelerate the scoring.

Bopara and Tim Bresnan (13) nudged England a little close to victory before Bresnan was wastefully run out with 24 runs still needed. Broad was then bowled by McKay for 7, becoming the eighth man out with 14 runs required from 18 balls.

 

Earlier, Broad and Stokes shared six wickets as England restricted Australia to 217-9 in 50 overs.Broad bowled opener Aaron Finch (7) and Wade (31) and dismissed allrounder Watson for a duck to finish with 3-31 from 10 overs.

Stokes removed March, Bailey for the innings´ top score of 56 and Glenn Maxwell for 22, severely denting Australia´s batting effort and finishing with 3-43.Bresnan bowled returning captain Clarke for 8 and Jordan claimed the late wickets of Faulkner for 27 and Coulter-Nile with consecutive deliveries in the last over but was denied a hat-trick by Doherty.

 

Bailey´s 56, which included a half century from 60 balls, gave stability to a flimsy Australian innings. He put on 58 for the fifth wicket with Maxwell in the innings´ most productive partnership, helping Australia recover from 64-4.

Bailey and Wade then put on 55 for the sixth wicket, lifting Australia to 167-6 in the 40th over but sound late bowling helped England regain the upper hand. After Bailey was out, Australia lost four wicket for 48 runs.

 

Faulkner was later named man of the match for his outstanding bowling at the death and opener Finch was named man of the series. 

New Zealand add Ryder to Test squad for India

WELLINGTON: Jesse Ryder was on the verge of completing a remarkable return to international cricket Sunday when he was named on the fringe of the New Zealand squad for next month´s two Tests against India.

 

New Zealand have kept the same 12 players who won the second and third Tests against the West Indies last month with Ryder added as cover for Ross Taylor whose wife is expecting their second child.

 

The 29-year-old Ryder´s first step back into the international arena after a turbulent two years on the sidelines came last month when he was named in the New Zealand one-day international side.

 

Although loathe to tinker with a winning Test unit, chief selector Bruce Edgar said Ryder was one of a number of players in the ODI squad -- including Martin Guptill, Hamish Bennett and Jimmy Neesham -- pushing for Test selection.

While New Zealand have kept the same frontline 12 Test players as a reward for how they have played, coach Mike Hesson said they realised India posed a much tougher prospect than an under-strength West Indies.

"We were thrilled the way we played to beat the West Indies 2-0, but realise we´ll have to step it up another gear when playing India. It´s an exciting challenge," he said.

 

Ryder, a self-confessed "bad boy" who is regarded by many in New Zealand as a cult hero, went into a self-imposed exile 22 months ago to sort out personal issues following several alcohol-related incidents.

In March last year, he suffered a fractured skull and was placed in an induced coma in hospital after being beaten up outside a bar. He also received a six-month ban last year after testing positive to a performance-enhancing drug found in weight-loss pills he was taking.

 

The burly left-hander is a prodigiously talented batsman, averaging 40.93 from 33 Test innings and 34.00 in ODIs, from 40 innings.

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Peter Fulton, Hamish Rutherford, Jesse Ryder, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

Test openers Fulton and Rutherford will also play in the New Zealand XI side in a two day warm-up match against India beginning on February 2.

The first Test starts in Auckland on February 6 and the second is in Wellington starting on February 14.

Former cricket chiefs attack ICC´s ´big three´ plan

PARIS: Former cricket chiefs on Sunday attacked the International Cricket Council´s (ICC) proposal for greater decision-making powers for a three-strong group of the Board of Control for Cricket.

 

The trio concerned are India, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board -- who between them represent the game´s wealthiest nations.

 

The ICC are due to discuss the controversial plan -- which has been drafted because of an apparent threat by India to withdraw from major global events unless there is radical reform of the ICC -- in Dubai on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

However, a growing number of respected former cricket chiefs have expressed their alarm at such moves -- which would also include a two tier test league with Australia, India and England being protected from relegation owing to their financial weight.

 

Pakistan´s former ICC president Ehsan Mani has written a letter to the ICC -- which significantly has been co-signed by Malcolm Speed and Malcolm Gray formerly high up in the Australian cricket administration and then respectively chief executive and president of the ICCe -- saying the paper needed to be withdrawn.

 

Instead he and the other signatories -- which also include former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd -- agreed the ICC needed to re-examine the conclusions of the 2012 Woolf Report into ICC governance, which recommended, among other things, an improvement in governance standards, the appointment of independent board directors and greater transparency.

 

Mani estimated that if the draft was given the thumbs up the loss in projected revenue to Associate and Affiliate Members would be more than $312million, an amount that would instead be redistributed largely to the boards of India, Australia and England.

 

"The biggest gainers are BCCI, ECB and CA," Mani wrote."In addition, ICC events for the period 2015-2023 will be held only in India, England and Australia."

 

These Boards will receive hosting fees for the events in addition to the ICC Distributions they propose. "A point that also needs to be addressed is; why does BCCI need more money at the expense of other countries?"

 

The domestic and international media fees that BCCI receives from playing with other members are massive and underpin BCCI´s financial position.

 

"It is the richest cricket board in the world." If cricket is to grow and develop around the world more investment is required in the Associate & Affiliate countries, not less."

 

The Associate & Affiliate countries represent some of the biggest economies in the world.

 

"If cricket could be established properly in the United States of America and China and become an Olympic sport, the ICC could double its revenues in real terms over the next 10-15 years.

 

"This requires vision and a less parochial approach."Ali Bacher, who was managing director of the then United Cricket Board (now Cricket South Africa) from 1991 to 2001 and tournament director of the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, added his powerful voice to those of Mani and Speed in arguing for a more prudent approach to be taken.

 

The 71-year-old former South African Test captain wrote a letter to present ICC president Alan Isaac saying that cricket risked being torn apart if the proposal went through.

 

"The Position Paper put forward by BCCI, ECB and CA if accepted would lead to division and strife in world cricket as never seen before," he wrote.

 

"ICC member countries should never forget the animosity that existed particularly in the Sub-continent and the Caribbean when England and Australia had veto rights prior to 1993.

 

"I am therefore associating myself with the sentiments expressed by former ICC President Mr Ehsan Mani in his critique of the Position Paper where he espoused the recommendations of the Woolf Review."

 

Bacher told AFP that Mani had left no stone unturned in his perusal of the proposal."A lot has happened in the last 24 hours. I have got enormous respect for Ehsan Mani and he has made a thorough assessment of the position paper." (AFP)

Australia gains 1st position in ODI Ranking

Zaka to take stand on issue of big three in interest of Pak, cricket

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman on Saturday said his stance on the ‘big three’ would be beneficial for Pakistan and cricket.

 

The issue of ‘big three’ is said to be a proposal to place control of the sport largely in the hands of India, Australia and England.

 

Talking to media here before his departure for Dubai to attend the crucial ICC meeting, Zaka Ashraf said that he had been in constant touch with the Indian Cricket Board president on the issue of ‘big three’ and made contact with the England Cricket Board also. While taking any stance on the issue of ‘big three’ Pakistan’s interest would be on top, he said.

 

Zaka Ashraf said that some positive headway could be made on the issue of Mohammad Amir, however it would take some time.

 

As regards government’s appeal against his reinstatement by the court, he said that all of us should work together.

 

Zaka Ashraf said that the committee would decide as to whether the coach would be local or foreign.