Monday, December 6, 2010

Kiwi umpires threaten to go on strike over pay dispute: report

Tue, Dec 07 10 10:51 AM

Wellington, Dec 7 (PTI) As New Zealand''s national team continues to struggle in the ongoing ODI series against India, trouble is brewing in the country''s domestic cricket circuit here with umpires threatening to go on strike over a pay dispute. According to a report in ''The Dominion Post'', "New Zealand''s top umpires considered going on strike in the opening round of the domestic Twenty20 competition last week due to pay concerns." "The elite umpiring panel has run out of patience with New Zealand Cricket and discussed not standing in the HRV Cup last Thursday," the newspaper said. The umpires have since backed down a bit on their pay demands but New Zealand Cricket is in no mood to oblige. "The umpires have hired a professional negotiator to renegotiate their contracts with NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan." The elite panel comprises Gary Baxter, Barry Frost, Chris Gaffaney, Evan Gray, Phil Jones, Tim Parlane, Derek Walker, Evan Watkin and the international pair of Tony Hill and Brent Bowden. Baxter, Frost, Gaffaney, Gray, Jones, Parlane, Walker and Watkin earn around 40,000 dollars. New Zealand Cricket Players'' Association chief Heath Mills confirmed the umpires and NZC are on collision course. "I''m aware they are in discussions with NZC about their contracting environment and it''s important they are looked after given the role they have in the game," Mills said. "If they are talking about not umpiring that is not a good result for anyone and illustrates the relationship is not great and needs some work. "Hopefully, common sense prevails and NZC and the umpires get around the table and create some sort of contract or environment that everyone is happy with." PTI PM


Source: Published>

Lorgat''s comments on spot-fixing inappropriate: Mani

Tue, Dec 07 10 10:47 AM

Karachi, Dec 7 (PTI) ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat''s statement that he would be disappointed if Pakistani cricketers implicated in the spot-fixing scandal are found not guilty has miffed the governing body''s former President Ehsan Mani, who feels the remark was inappropriate. Mani said the case was yet to be heard by the ICC code of conduct tribunal and Lorgat''s statement was not required and unnecessary. "The three-member ICC tribunal will hold the hearing next month, therefore Lorgat should not have said anything on the issue, his (Lorgat''s) remarks were inappropriate and if I was the ICC president, I would surely take action against him", said Ehsan Mani told the ''News One'' channel. Lorgat has also upset the lawyers based for the three suspended players, Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir. The trio will attend a hearing from January 6 to 11 in Doha regarding the various charges levelled against them by the ICC anti-corruption and security unit. Mani also hit out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and said the way the PCB had given a cold shoulder to the trio was inexplicable. "I would think the PCB should have stood by the three players until they were proven guilty," he said. But Tafazzul Rizvi, the legal advisor of the PCB made it clear he didn''t believe Lorgat''s statement was uncalled for or inappropriate. "One must not forget that he is also the ICC chief executive and the ICC is the party pressing the charges against the player in this case so Lorgat has every right to say he would be disappointed if the players were not found guilty," Rizvi said. He also pointed out that the PCB would not have anything to do with the case since the ICC had charged the three players individually and they had to respond themselves. "The PCB is not a party in this case and cannot be seen as getting involved with the players or supporting them in any manner," he said. Mani, meanwhile, also questioned the PCB''s policy of quietly sidelining some senior players from the national team including Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria and Shoaib Malik. "To me it appears as if the PCB is dancing to the tune of others," he added. "The PCB first terminated their contracts and then pulled back the legal support too, no organisation does this to it''s employees. Also the manner in which a few more players were quietly sidelined is also dubious. I feel that the PCB has no control over the issue and it is only acting on external instructions", said Mani, who headed the ICC between 2003 and 2006.


Source: Published>

Pak players named by fixer Majeed threaten legal action

Tue, Dec 07 10 10:37 AM

Karachi, Dec 7 (PTI) The four Pakistani players, who were named by alleged bookmaker Mazhar Majeed as being part of a spot-fixing racket with him, have vowed to sue him but stopped short of saying when their lawyers would file the case. Pakistan''s discarded wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal joined the trio of younger brother Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Imran Farhat in stating that he has decided to sue Majeed who is in London. Majeed, in a new video leaked last week, named the four players as being involved with him along with the suspended trio of Salman Butt, Muhammad Aamir and Muhammad Asif in the spot-fixing racket. "Majeed was just my agent and nothing more and for him to try to taint my name and reputation is not acceptable to me. I have consulted with my family and friends and they all support a legal suit against Majeed," Kamran told the media. Earlier Umar, Wahab and Imran had also announced they would be soon sending legal notices to Majeed for defaming them and trying to damage their reputations. "It is the same with me I feel he has tried to damage my reputation which I have built over the years playing for Pakistan," Kamran said. "I have started consultations with my lawyers and pretty soon we will be sending him a notice. Either he has to apologise unconditionally and withdraw his statement or face a suit," Kamran said. The senior player, who has been ignored by the selectors for the coming tour to New Zealand after being sidelined for the recent series against South Africa, said Pakistan cricket has been rocked by baseless allegations. "Such statements by Majeed have already caused great damage to the image of Pakistan cricket and the players and we need to do something about it now," he said. However, none of the four players have given a definite time frame for when they would be sending notices to Majeed whose whereabouts remain a mystery after he told the News of the World newspaper in August that the trio of Butt, Aamir and Asif had been bribed to deliberately bowl no-balls in the fourth Test against England at Lord''s.


Source: Published>

Lorgat''s comments on spot-fixing inappropriate: Mani

Tue, Dec 07 10 10:21 AM

Karachi, Dec 7 (PTI) ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat''s statement that he would be disappointed if Pakistani cricketers implicated in the spot-fixing scandal are found not guilty has miffed the governing body''s former President Ehsan Mani, who feels the remark was inappropriate. Mani said the case was yet to be heard by the ICC code of conduct tribunal and Lorgat''s statement was not required and unnecessary. "The three-member ICC tribunal will hold the hearing next month, therefore Lorgat should not have said anything on the issue, his (Lorgat''s) remarks were inappropriate and if I was the ICC president, I would surely take action against him", said Ehsan Mani told the ''News One'' channel. Lorgat has also upset the lawyers based for the three suspended players, Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir. The trio will attend a hearing from January 6 to 11 in Doha regarding the various charges levelled against them by the ICC anti-corruption and security unit. Mani also hit out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and said the way the PCB had given a cold shoulder to the trio was inexplicable. "I would think the PCB should have stood by the three players until they were proven guilty," he said. But Tafazzul Rizvi, the legal advisor of the PCB made it clear he didn''t believe Lorgat''s statement was uncalled for or inappropriate. "One must not forget that he is also the ICC chief executive and the ICC is the party pressing the charges against the player in this case so Lorgat has every right to say he would be disappointed if the players were not found guilty," Rizvi said. He also pointed out that the PCB would not have anything to do with the case since the ICC had charged the three players individually and they had to respond themselves. "The PCB is not a party in this case and cannot be seen as getting involved with the players or supporting them in any manner," he said. Mani, meanwhile, also questioned the PCB''s policy of quietly sidelining some senior players from the national team including Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria and Shoaib Malik. "To me it appears as if the PCB is dancing to the tune of others," he added. "The PCB first terminated their contracts and then pulled back the legal support too, no organisation does this to it''s employees. Also the manner in which a few more players were quietly sidelined is also dubious. I feel that the PCB has no control over the issue and it is only acting on external instructions", said Mani, who headed the ICC between 2003 and 2006.


Source: Published>

England win second Ashes test to lead series

Published>Tue, Dec 07 10 09:47 AM

England won the second Ashes test by an innings and 71 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after dismissing Australia's last six batsmen for 66 runs in the first session of the final day on Tuesday.

Graeme Swann completed a five-wicket haul and James Anderson took two wickets in two balls as the tourists' took their first test victory on Australian soil since the 2002-03 tour and a first series lead in Australia since 1986-87.

"We never gave them a look in in the game," England captain Andrew Strauss told reporters.

"We need to enjoy this and savour it, because it was a special victory for us ... but it's important that we don't let the Australians back in the series now.

"We know the game of cricket and we know it has a way of biting you if you start patting yourself on the back too much."

Australia resumed on 238 for four, having lost the key wicket of Michael Clarke to part-time spinner Kevin Pietersen on the last ball of day four.

With Clarke, his team's best player of spin, back in the pavilion, the Australians were always going to struggle on a fifth-day pitch providing turn for Swann.

Any hopes of a gritty fight back to salvage a draw were extinguished quickly when Mike Hussey, who had been the pick of Australia's batsman in the series to date, attempted a rash pull shot off the bowling of England quick Steve Finn.

Anderson took the easiest of catches at mid-on to remove Hussey for 52, then struck with his own bowling, dispensing with Brad Haddin courtesy of an outside edge for 12.

Anderson then trapped Ryan Harris lbw for his second golden duck of the match on the next ball, though he was denied a hat-trick when Xavier Doherty fended off a short-pitched delivery on the first ball of his next over.

In between Swann had accounted for the out-of-form Marcus North with a plum lbw, although he was forced to call for the TV umpire after his appeal was refused, to give England three wickets in four deliveries.

The spinner then delivered the coup de grace, clinching a comprehensive victory by bowling both Doherty for five and Peter Siddle for six to finish with five for 91 and the Australians all out for 304.

The final dismissal prompted wild celebrations on the pitch as the players rushed to embrace as England's "Barmy Army" of cricket fans roared with delight.

"It's better this year for the English, I watched it on TV last time and it's nice to reverse fortunes," Swann said, referring to their match at Adelaide four years ago when the English batsmen were skittled for 129 runs in the second innings on the way to defeat.

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, who was dismissed for a golden duck and nine runs in his 150th test match, paid tribute to the quality of England's performance.

"No doubt it's a bad loss for us, there's no hiding that fact, an innings and 70 runs having won the toss on a good Adelaide wicket, probably just about says it all," he said.

"They've outbatted us, outbowled us, and outfielded us this entire game ... We're going to have to be at our very best if we're going to work our way back into this series."

England suffered a blow before play commenced with the news that fast bowler Stuart Broad had been ruled out of the rest of the series with a torn abdominal muscle.

"He's distraught and we're distraught that he's going to be leaving us because he's a big part of our team both on and off the field," Strauss said.

"He's been one of the mainstays of our bowling attack for quite a while now and he's got all the ingredients to bowl well in Australia. We're devastated for him."

Australian batsman Simon Katich is also likely out for the series with an Achilles injury, the Australian team said shortly before England wrapped up the victory.

"It's a big loss for us, no doubt," said Ponting. "He's been one of the leading openers in test cricket since he forced his way back into the team. He's an experienced player and a great character to have around the team."


Source: Web Search

Barca trio Iniesta, Messi, Xavi in race for Ballon d'Or award

Published>Tue, Dec 07 10 09:37 AM

Paris, Dec 7 (DPA) Spanish midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi and Argentina's Lionel Messi have been chosen as the candidates for the 2010 Ballon d'Or award as best player of the year.

The trio - all from Spanish champions Barcelona - were announced Monday at the headquarters of the sports daily L'Equipe in Paris after being selected from a shortlist of 23 chosen by football's world governing body FIFA and France Football.

The Ballon d'Or award will for the first time be a combination of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the France Football Ballon d'Or.

Messi is the current world player of the year after winning the award in late 2009.

The contenders for the women's world player of the year award are Germany's Fatmire Bajramaj and Birgit Prinz and the Brazilian Marta.

The candidates for men's coach of the year are Vicente del Bosque (Spain/Spanish national team), Pep Guardiola (Spain/Barcelona) and Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Inter Milan and Real Madrid).

In the women's coaching category, Maren Meinert (Germany/German U-20 national team) Silvia Neid (Germany/German national team) and Pia Sundhage (Sweden/US national team) are on the final shortlist.

The nominees were confirmed after a poll by the captains and head coaches of the men's and women's national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.

The winners will be announced at the first FIFA Ballon d'Or gala as part of a televised ceremony at the Zurich Kongresshaus Jan 10.


Source: Web Search

England win second Ashes test to lead series

Published>Tue, Dec 07 10 07:27 AM

England won the second Ashes test by an innings and 71 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after dismissing Australia's last six batsmen cheaply in the first session on Tuesday.

Graeme Swann completed a five-wicket haul and James Anderson took two wickets in two balls as the tourists' took their first test victory on Australian soil since the 2002-03 tour and a first series lead in Australia since 1986-87.

Mike Hussey, who has been Australia's best batsman in the series so far, was the first to go for 52 attempting a pull shot off the bowling of England quick Steve Finn and Anderson took the catch at mid-on.

Anderson then struck with his bowling, dispensing with Brad Haddin courtesy of an outside edge for 12 then trapping Ryan Harris lbw for his second golden duck of the match on the next ball.

He missed the hat-trick but Swann accounted for Marcus North after an appeal to the TV umpire when his lbw appeal was refused.

Swann then delivered the coup de grace, clinching a comprehensive victory by bowling both Xavier Doherty for five and Peter Siddle for six.

England suffered a blow before play commenced with the news that Stuart Broad had been ruled out of the rest of the series with a torn abdominal muscle.

Australian batsman Simon Katich is also likely out for the series with an Achilles injury, the Australian team said shortly before England wrapped up the victory.


Source: Web Search


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