Month: February 2011

Doha, February 04: Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt has dismissed claims he will receive a life ban for his role in cricket’s alleged spot-fixing scandal.

Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and teenage quick Mohammad Aamer are all accused of conspiring in the bowling of deliberate no-balls on last year’s tour of England — claims they all deny.

Some reports have claimed that Butt and Asif could be banned for life while Aamer may be handed a five-year suspension by the anti-corruption tribunal which will announce its decision on Saturday.

London, February 04: The three Pakistan players at the centre of spot-fixing allegations that could end their cricket careers are set to discover Friday if they will be prosecuted by English legal authorities.

Salman Butt, who was Pakistan’s Test captain, and seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer have been accused of conspiring in the bowling of deliberate no-balls on last year’s tour of England — claims they all deny.

The trio could be banned for life when an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal announces its conclusions in Doha on Saturday.

St Johns, February 04: Egos to the left of him, record-setters to the right: Darren Sammy, unheralded captain of the West Indies, faces mission impossible at the World Cup.

In a squad which features four former captains, three of whom can boast over 20,000 ODI runs between them, and a host of players who went on strike two years ago, Sammy has a disparate bunch to unite.

If he feels like an outsider, rubbing shoulders with ex-captains Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, then it’s hardly surprising.

Nairobi, February 04: For a man who has known no other passion than to play cricket, Jimmy Kamande’s rise to the Kenyan captaincy has not been all smooth sailing.

Ten years ago, his promising career was nearly nipped in the bud after he was accused of throwing during the 1999 World Cup in England.

And on his return home, things went from bad to worse for the young seamer when he was discarded by the national association.

“I felt very discouraged that I considered quitting. I did not bowl for two years,” said Kamande.

Amsterdam, February 04: Netherlands skipper Peter Borren, who started his cricket career in his native New Zealand, leads the Dutch into their fourth World Cup campaign.

The 27-year-old all-rounder, who played for New Zealand at under-19 level alongside the likes of Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor, made his one-day international debut for the Dutch in 2006 against Sri Lanka.

It was an inauspicious start for Borren, pummelled by the Sri Lankan bowlers as he went for 1-94 from his 10 overs against the 1996 World Cup winners.

Mumbai, February 04: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram on Thursday backed Shahid Afridi to lead the side in the World Cup and hit out at the Cricket Board (PCB) for delaying the appointment.

Akram said Pakistan has the potential do well in the mega event but the side need to know leader as soon as possible.

“Pakistan can be a dangerous team. No one can altogether write off Pakistan’s chances in the World Cup. They have the capability to do well, but first and foremost the captain has to be named,” said Akram, among the finest left-arm pace bowlers in the history of the game.

New Delhi, February 04: Talented batsman Virat Kohli feels that it would be the best gift to Sachin Tendulkar if the Indian team can win the cricket World Cup which will start in another two weeks time.

“What he (Sachin) has achieved in his entire career, I don’t think anyone else will be able to achieve that. So it will be a great thing if we can win the World Cup not only for our fans but also for Sachin who is a special person,” the youngster commented during an interaction with the media at a promotional event here today.

London, February 04: English cricket chiefs have been told to return millions of dollars they received from controversial businessman Allen Stanford or face legal action.

Texan financier Stanford, whose business empire has collapsed, has been charged with running a seven billion dollar ‘Ponzi’ fraud by US authorities.

According to lawyers working for Stanford receiver Ralph Janvey, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could be taken to court if it does not return to creditors millions of dollars it received from Stanford.

Vishakhapatnam, February 04: South Zone produced solid batting to take control of the final against North, reaching 298 for three on the second day of the Duleep trophy match in Vishakhapatnam on Thursday.

Three South Zone batsmen — Robin Uthappa (66), S Badrinath (97 not out) and Manish Pandey (74) — smashed individual half-centuries as they posted a solid reply to North’s first innings total of 337 in 70 overs.

Badrinath and B Sumanth (21) were at the crease when stumps were drawn at the Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.

Mumbai, February 04: The IPL Governing Council will take a decision on the three unsold Indian players, including former captain Sourav Ganguly, at its meeting here on Friday.

No franchise showed interest in buying Ganguly at his base price of USD 400,000 during the auction on January 8 and 9. Wasim Jaffer and V R V Singh also went unsold.

New Delhi, February 04: Much more will be at stake on Saturday than just three careers when lawyer Michael Beloff reads the verdict of an independent anti-corruption tribunal in Doha on cheating allegations facing three Pakistan cricketers.

The three-member tribunal heard the case against Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif last month for more than 45 hours spread over six days, poring over oral and written testimonies, watching video recordings and listening to tapes and forensic submissions.

New Delhi, February 04: Former women’s cricket team captain Anjum Chopra feels self-belief coupled with consistent performance over the past four years give Team India a real chance of bagging the Cricket World Cup.

“I feel India have a fantastic chance and it is not just me but the players themselves believe in it. They themselves feel from within that they can do it,”said Anjum, a veteran of six World Cups.