Five IPL players suspended for match fixing

NEW DELHI — The Indian cricket board on Tuesday suspended five players for illegal activities following a sting operation by a TV news channel that showed them either agreeing to spot-fixing in domestic games or to negotiate Indian Premier League contracts, which is not allowed as per tournament rules.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced provisional suspensions on T.P. Sudhindra, Shalabh Srivastava, Mohnish Mishra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali after watching footage provided to it by the news channel.

The cricket board also named ICC’s former head of anti-corruption unit, Ravi Sawani to hold an inquiry that will look into "the involvement of players in illegal activities or activities against the interests of the BCCI and the game."

The TV sting involved reporters posing as agents of a sports management firm offering players money to perform in a certain way at specific times in the match.

The channel showed Sudhindra, who plays for Deccan Chargers in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League, allegedly bowling a no-ball in a local T20 game in the central Indian city of Indore for $1,000.

Pictures captured by a hidden camera appeared to show Sudhindra agreeing to bowl a no-ball with his second delivery of the game. Broadcaster India TV then showed clippings of the game in which Sudhindra bowls a no-ball by well over a foot at the pre-determined time.

Though the video does not show Sudhindra agreeing to fix an IPL game, the channel did play out a purported telephone conversation with Srivastava of the Kings XI Punjab team agreeing to bowl a no-ball in the IPL.

Srivastava, who did not get to play in the IPL this season, denied the allegations.

"This is a false allegation and I will definitely file a case against them (India TV)," Srivastava told the NDTV news channel. "They have video clippings of me in other conversations, but why is it that they don’t have a video of me demanding money for spot fixing in IPL? Why is that only an audio clipping?"

The India TV also showed some players claiming IPL teams lure players by offering them more money than allowed under tournament rules with undeclared transactions.

Pune Warriors player Mishra and Kings XI Punjab’s Yadav were shown apparently agreeing to negotiate with other teams in the IPL, which is not allowed under tournament rules. Delhi player Bali, who does not play in the IPL, was shown in the sting operation as claiming that such negotiations are common practice.

The allegations come within days of the BCCI announcing plans to set up its own anti-corruption unit.

A similar undercover sting by the British newspaper The News of the World led to prison sentences last year for Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir after they conspired to bowl no-balls at pre-determined times in a test at England in 2010.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/cricket/ipl-...ers-suspended/

Asad Rauf out of Champions Trophy umpires panel

NEW DELHI: Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf has been withdrawn from next month's Champions Trophy tournament in England amid media reports he is under Indian police investigation for spot-fixing, the ICC said Thursday.
The announcement comes a week after police arrested three cricketers, including Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, accusing them of deliberately bowling badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said the decision was made after media reports on Wednesday "that the Mumbai police are conducting an investigation" into Rauf's activities.
" ... we feel that it is in Asad's best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the Champions Trophy," the ICC said in the statement.
"At this stage, the ICC has no further comment to make."
Rauf, 57, has stood in 48 Tests and 98 one-day internationals.
There was no immediate comment available from the Mumbai police or Rauf but the Press Trust of India and other domestic media said the umpire was under investigation by the police as part of its spot-fixing probe.
Spot-fixing is an illegal activity where a specific part of a game, but not the outcome, is fixed. (AFP)

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-10...-umpires-panel

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

IPL and the degradation of cricket
By Seema Mustafa

The hullabaloo raised over the Indian Premier League (IPL) scandal is to be expected, but certain questions raised by cricket buffs ever since cricket was twisted into these high voltage Twenty20 games remain unanswered. Each day, new names and new links of the sleaze underlying the IPL teams, the individuals and the game itself, are revealed as television anchors churn out a slew of exclamation marks, almost hysterical at every revelation. The latest link connects the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to the sleaze, which are sufficient to make the exclamation marks jump up and down on television screens.
There was something wrong when ‘privatisation’ hit cricket to the point where cricketers were sold to the highest bidders and persons with little knowledge, or for that matter, even interest in cricket, made mind-blowing bids for cricket teams and emerged as their proud owners. In fact, the owners — many being movie stars and celebrities in their own right — dominated the sport, with several younger and relatively new cricketers being pushed to the sidelines insofar as the world of publicity was concerned. The media could not get over the list of celebrities that had taken over the sport and the IPL soon became a household name with sports lovers, giving way to Bollywood fans. In fact, to the casual observer, there was less of cricket and more of women, money, fashion and parties and all the rest that goes with it.
The cricketers were introduced to a new lifestyle that clearly took them to levels they did not know existed. Most of them from humble backgrounds took to the IPL and what it stood for like pigeons to water and all would have been well except that proximity to money fuelled at least two of those seven deadly sins: greed and lust. And here we are, with daily stories about the antics of those supposedly playing cricket, our noses wrinkled up in disdain, our eyebrows raised in dismay, our voices laced with disbelief: “how can they do this, how can they sell us and our country out”. We all act as if we had not heard it before, but just after the spot-fixing story broke, this columnist pulled out past clippings of news surrounding the IPL and it was all there. Women, money, parties, politics, nastiness, along with fixing matches for a sum that has hit the IPL a little harder this time around. In other words, the soup was being cooked, only the last ingredient has now been added. And this was so potent that the pressure cooker has burst, staining all those involved in the league.
Memory is short, but new records are being set today with many having conveniently forgotten that the BCCI had taken control of the IPL in India. Big ticket deals were struck, money started pouring in with the BCCI worthies too star and money-struck to restore some level of decorum and decency. All the names associated with the cricketing world would make sad comments about rave parties, or sexual escapades, knowing fully well that they would do nothing to check the dirt that had attached itself to the IPL.
The financiers and the ruthless bookies played the cricketers like a song. Cricket was dressed up to resemble a Bollywood set with the players being treated as successful actors. The IPL was no longer just cricket; it was entertainment with Bollywood stars, models, music, drugs, parties all rolled into one. And no one, repeat no one, seemed to want to do anything about this.
Serious cricketers, long retired, were critical as were many sports writers. But such is the atmosphere of wealth in Delhi, that they were dismissed by the majority — including media houses as their owners/editors were part of the select glittering classes — as being too cynical, or just losers who were critical because they could not get the spoils. The result is that good advice from cricket commentators were ignored and those who dared agree with them dubbed ‘old-fashioned’. The sport is evolving, was the argument, and people have the patience only to sit through the IPL’sTwenty20s.
The crassness surrounding the IPL has finally exploded, and at the moment, everyone is rushing for cover. The Delhi police claims that it has uncovered only part of the grime and this has certainly acted as a dampener. It remains to be seen whether the investigation will be fair and free, and whether all involved (including the politicians) will be held accountable. Somehow, in Delhi, investigations die out after the first flush of success and publicity, as vested interests and linkages come into play to ensure that just the tip of the iceberg is revealed. A second round of deals are then struck at levels not visible to the naked eye and the story disappears as suddenly as it had emerged. The media, of course, does not believe in follow-ups, and all in the spotlight today know that it is just a question of hunkering down and waiting for the storm to pass.
This is because there is no interest in ensuring that the system is institutionalised to a point where scamsters are not able to avoid the law. And not just this, that along with the police and legal work, the system is made accountable and a cleansing operation takes place so that such scams do not occur again. The BCCI, which seems to be compromised too, will have to critically examine the IPL, tear down the edifice of glitz and restore cricket as a respectable sport. It is a tall order and it does seem that after its first meeting following the spot-fixing details coming to light, the BCCI does not seem to be particularly interested in taking drastic action to stem the rot. Homilies cannot be a substitute for action, and at the moment, there seems to be no indication that anyone in authority is actually interested in restoring cricket as a sport and not as a money, women, drugs spinner that it seems to have become.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2013.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

Ireland would be willing to tour Pakistan if security assurances were met, Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom has said.
Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009 and Deutrom believes it is important that “the door remains open” for countries to tour Pakistan.
He said Ireland would consider an invitation and has talked to their players about the possibility.
“The PCB needs to hear that the lines of communication are open and that we want to play cricket in their country,” Deutrom told the Press Association. “What we are saying is that we are willing to contemplate any invitation.”
Ireland were invited to tour Pakistan earlier this year after Bangladesh withdrew from a scheduled series in January. Concerns over security led them to decline the invitation but Deutrom has denied his comments are merely empty rhetoric.
“The reason I say that is because we are probably the nation that has an instinctive sympathy for Pakistan’s position. We spent the 1970s, 80s and 90s trying to get other teams to play in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
“We have an understanding of what they are going through and we feel we are in a position where we could possibly help. We know the damage that this has to the profile of the sport in the country. Pakistan is obviously a cricket-mad country and not having tours affects the fans and revenues.”
Ireland are currently hosting Pakistan in a two-match ODI series and they are keen to build their fixture list and are hopeful of securing future matches against Pakistan, if only in the UAE.
“We are aware that Pakistan are playing in the UAE in January of next year,” Deutrom said. “If nothing else there may be an opportunity for Ireland to play some matches there and that could in turn open the doors for further discussions on touring Pakistan.”
Ireland’s last bi-lateral tour was to Zimbabwe in 2010, when government assurances were required - the same would be needed for a tour of Pakistan.
“If Pakistan do invite us, and we welcome that, we would go through a three-step process. One would be to get the views of the Governments both north and south of the border regarding safety. Secondly we would need an independent risk assessment of the dangers and then finally we would need to speak to the players.”

http://e.thenews.com.pk/5-26-2013/page21.asp#;

Pakistan tennis ace Aisam-ul-Haq has followed up his men’s doubles win at the French Open in Paris with a comfortable victory against the top-seeded pair of India’s Sania Mirza of India and Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt.
Partnered by Zimbabwe’s Cara Black, Aisam was in full flow during the opening round match of the mixed doubles event. He and Cara cruised to victory against the fancied duo of Sania and Lindstedt 6-2, 6-3.
Lindstedt is regarded among the best doubles players in the world and is currently ranked number three in the international doubles rankings. Sania, too, is regarded among the leading doubles players having won an Australian Open and a French Open mixed doubles titles with fellow Indian player Mahesh Bhupati.
According to information, Aisam and Cara broke their opponents three times in the first set and wrapped it up 6-2 in 26 minutes. They continued to serve strongly in the second set and saved the only break point that they faced to take the second set 6-3 in 32 minutes to cause a major upset in less than an hour.
On Saturday, Aisam and his men’s doubles partner Jean-Julien Roger beat Slovakian pair of Aljaz Bedene and Grega Zemlja 7-5 6-1 in their second round encounter.

http://e.thenews.com.pk/6-2-2013/page21.asp#;

Pakistan win CT warm-up against South Africa

LONDON: Pakistan beat South Africa by six wickets in a Champions Trophy warm-up match here at The Oval on Monday.

Chasing an easy target of 203, Pakistan completed the victory with 27 balls to spare.

Opener Imran Farhat and one-down batsman Mohammad Hafeez hit half centuries to pave the way for Pakistan win.

Imran made 56 with five fours and Hafeez retired out after scoring 54 with eight fours. Both added 85 runs for the second wicket partnership.

Later, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and young batsman Umar Amin added 51 for an unbeaten fifth wicket stand to see Pakistan reach the winning target in 45.3 overs.
Misbah remained not out on 24 while Umar was 27 not out.

Earlier, Pakistan seamers restricted South Africa to 202-9 after putting them into bat.

The Proteas were in immense pressure losing seven wickets for only 83 runs before lower-order batsmen Jean-Paul Duminy (43) and Ryan McLaren (55) saved them from an embarrassed situation with a 94-run eighth wicket partnership.

For Pakistan, Asad Ali and Wahab Riaz both captured three for 30 each while Junaid Khan claimed two wickets.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-10...-South-Africa-

__________________
"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

05 ‎June ‎2013
PARIS: By Roger Federer's standards, defeat came early in the French Open. And it came quickly. The 17-time Grand Slam champion lost Tuesday in the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.

Federer was eliminated before the semifinals for the second time in past three Grand Slam tournaments, but only the fifth time in the past nine years at a major event.

Tsonga was responsible for two of the losses, he also beat Federer in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2011.

''I'm pretty sad about the match and the way I played,'' Federer said. ''He was in all areas better than me today. That's why the result was pretty clean.''

Serena Williams narrowly averted Federer's fate. She came from behind in the third set and advanced to the French Open semifinals for the first time since 2003 when she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

Williams had been beaten the last four times she reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals, most recently in 2010. The 15-time Grand Slam champion, who is ranked No. 1, won her only French Open title in 2002.

''I just got tired of losing in the quarters,'' she said. ''I was so determined to get through that, and I really, really, really, really wanted it more than I think anyone. So I think that kind of helped.''

Tsonga earned his first berth in the Roland Garros semifinals and is trying to become the first Frenchman to win the tournament since Yannick Noah in 1983. He's the first Frenchman to reach the semifinals since Gael Monfils in 2008.

''I can't have better a dream,'' Tsonga told the center court crowd. ''So far I play very well. I played against a champion today, a guy who has won everything. Today it's my turn.''

On Friday he'll play No. 4-seeded David Ferrer, who beat fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.

Tsonga was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2008 Australian Open, his best Grand Slam result. Ranked No. 8, he dominated Federer with his blend of power and athleticism.

''Give some credit to the old Jo-Willy Tsonga, please,'' Federer said. Federer took a 4-2 lead but played like a mere mortal after that as the match rapidly slipped away.

He blew three overheads, missed several easy volleys, hit no aces, dropped serve six times and took a shot to the body on the point that put Tsonga ahead to stay in the final set.

Facing a break point, Federer sliced a drop shot, and Tsonga raced forward to scoop it up. He whacked a backhand that clipped the net cord and then drilled Federer under his right arm.

That made it 4-3, and Tsonga quickly won the final two games. When he closed out the victory, Federer greeted him with a gracious smile and a congratulatory pat on the stomach.

A jubilant Tsonga then went spinning across the court, waving his arms as the partisan crowd roared. Federer, long a fan favorite in Paris, also earned a lusty cheer as he headed to the exit. He responded by applauding the crowd.

''I should have won the first set,'' Federer said. ''Unfortunately I couldn't regroup.''

The last time Federer lost to a player ranked so low in a major tournament was at Wimbledon two years ago, when the No. 19-ranked Tsonga overcame a two-set deficit to beat him.

The French Open has always been the most difficult major event for Federer. He won his lone Roland Garros title in 2009 to complete a career Grand Slam and tie Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles.

Now 31, he has yet to win any tournament in 2013, his longest drought to start a year since 2000.

Williams is also 31 but playing at her peak _ although that wasn't the case for a long stretch against Kuznetsova.

Williams overcame an inconsistent serve, erratic groundstrokes and a 2-love deficit in the final set, winning five consecutive games and then closing the victory with a forehand winner and a scream.

''Yes!'' she hollered. It was the first real test of the tournament for Williams, who lost 10 games after losing a total of 10 games in her four earlier matches.

She laughed at herself, screamed at herself, violently shook her uncooperative racket and cocked it over her head, threatening to fling it before she changed her mind.

Williams finally found a way out of her funk _ and into the semifinals. She extended her career-best winning streak to 29 consecutive matches.

In a post-match on-court interview, Williams seemed spent.

''I'm very happy to have won this quarterfinal because the whole night I was afraid of my quarterfinal match,'' she told the crowd in French. ''It was a very tough match today, but it's good for me because, I don't know, but it's very good. I am exhausted.''

Kuznetsova said strained an abdominal muscle early in the tournament, which hampered her serve, but her aggressive returns kept pressure on Williams.

''I did push her to the limit I think today, even without my serve,'' Kuznetsova said. ''I was serving like, I don't know, a grandmother.''

Williams is the first American woman to reach the French Open semifinals since Jennifer Capriati in 2004.

__________________
Its not the time of triumph that matters rather its the time of trial that matters.

DHAKA: Former Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammad Ashraful on Tuesday admitted match-fixing and apologised for the latest damaging scandal to hit the sport.

“I should have not done this injustice to the nation. I feel guilty,” he told the Independent TV channel in a televised interview.

“I would only say 'Please all forgive me, my conduct was improper',” he added.

His apology came shortly after the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan announced the right-handed batsman had been suspended pending the full report of an investigation by the International Cricket Council.

The ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has been probing allegations of match-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a Twenty20 competition.

“I felt that I have done an injustice, so I have told them (the ACSU team) the truth at the first chance. I tried to help the ICC as much as I could for the welfare of our cricket,” Ashraful said.

“You all know me, I have been playing international cricket for 12 years. I did not tell them a single lie,” he added.

Ashraful became the country's youngest Test centurion in 2001 at the age of 17 and captained Bangladesh between 2007 and 2009.

The alleged fixing involves a match between the Dhaka Gladiators and the Chittagong Kings teams during the second edition of the BPL.

Local media have reported that 28-year-old Gladiators star Ashraful was allegedly paid about one million taka ($12,800) to lose the February 2 match.

__________________
Its not the time of triumph that matters rather its the time of trial that matters.

CARDIFF: India hammered Australia by 243 runs in a Champions Trophy warm-up match after skittling out the defending champions for just 65 in Cardiff on Tuesday.

Umesh Yadav did the bulk of the damage, taking the first five wickets to fall in a stunning return of five for 18 in just five overs.

Meanwhile fellow paceman Ishant Sharma bagged three for 11 against an Australia side where Shane Watson was given a rest from batting following his hundred in a warm-up match against the West Indies.

Only two Australia batsmen Adam Voges (23) and Phil Hughes (14) made it into double figures, with the innings all wrapped up in the 24th over.

“It was a disappointing game, I'm not sure how we'll react to it,” said George Bailey, captaining Australia in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke.

“It was certainly not the way we wanted to play but if you are going to have a game like that, you may as well have it in a practice game.”

Earlier, world champions India collapsed to 55 for five before Dinesh Karthik revived the innings with a superb 146 not out, adding 211 for the fifth wicket with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91) to get the side to a total of 308 for six.

“It was really well batted by Dinesh and MS, we couldn't quite get the sixth and seventh wickets to really nail that innings off,” Bailey said.

“Two new balls is challenging, you saw that with both sides losing their top-order cheaply, in English conditions.”

Dhoni was delighted by the form of Karthik, his understudy as wicket-keeper, and said he was now set to play as a batsman only when India open the tournament proper against South Africa in Cardiff on Thursday.

“Well, to start off Dinesh batted really well. That partnership between me and him got us to a respectable score and then the bowling was up to the mark.

“I think he has earned his place in the side and we'll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa. I'd like him to play at the top of the order but we'll see,” Dhoni added before turning to his attack.

“We used five bowlers and all of them got wickets. Umesh is one of the quickest bowlers we have and with the two paced pitch here, the ball was holding up, not much, but just enough which was why there were so many inside edges.”

This was Karthik's second century, albeit in warm-up matches, after his unbeaten 106 against Sri Lanka on June 1.

“I've been hitting the ball really well,” Karthik said at the innings break. “When you come in at six, it's important to assess the situation. When you have Dhoni around it's important to rotate the strike.

“It was a good bowling attack, and it feels good to get some runs. I have had a good IPL and it's important to keep the same momentum from that.”

Australia were without Clarke because of a recurrence of a longstanding back injury which has made him doubtful for the side's tournament opener against England at Edgbaston on Saturday.

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Its not the time of triumph that matters rather its the time of trial that matters.

SYDNEY: Tim May on Wednesday quit as head of cricket's international players' union after eight years, lashing out at the sport's powerbrokers and their alleged “threats, intimidation and backroom deals”.

May, who was last month controversially ousted from an International Cricket Council players' committee amid allegations of pressure from India, said he was tired of battling the governing body.

“More and more we see allegations of corruption and malpractice on and off the field dominating headlines,” he said, stepping down as the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) chief.

“As stakeholders in the game we look to leadership from the ICC to address these and other issues.

“A vital ingredient of any organisation is the ability of its leaders to set the moral and principled example to others, and to police its organisation from top to bottom to ensure adherence to those principles.

“Yet cricket increasingly seems to be pushing aside the principles of transparency, accountability, independence, and upholding the best interests of the global game, in favour of a system that appears to operate through threats, intimidation and backroom deals.”

When the Australian former Test off spinner was replaced as a players' representative on the ICC cricket committee by India's Laxman Sivaramakrishnan last month, FICA suggested there had been ballot “fixing”.

It claimed a run-off between May and Sivaramakrishnan was not conducted fairly, with some national boards exerting undue pressure on their captains to back the Indian.

The ICC cricket committee makes recommendations on issues including the umpire Decision Review System (DRS), which May has pushed to be used in all international series.

Opposition from the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) means it is not used in contests involving India.

May has previously challenged all national cricket boards on issues ranging from tour scheduling to the Woolf report, which tried to revamp ICC governance but was rejected by India.

His decision to stand down was greeted with sadness by Australian captain Michael Clarke and former skipper Ricky Ponting, who hailed his crucial role in improving player conditions worldwide.

“From a player's perspective, his influence on the game should never be forgotten. It's difficult to imagine where the players of today would be without Tim May's contribution,” said Clarke.

Ponting called him “a pioneer in every way”.

“Thanks to him, players are now receiving a fair share of the game's revenues and have a great peace of mind knowing that the various Player Associations around the world have the expertise, support and leadership that Tim has created,” he said.

May said it had been a privilege working on behalf of players but “over the past 18 months or so, I came to the realisation that I was tiring of working in a sport that was increasingly at odds with the principles I respect”.

“Increasingly the administrators of the game seek to force out or alienate those who question its alleged misuse of power, or those who seek greater transparency, or provide rational argument against the ills of the administration,” he said.

“It appears that some administrators just don't want to be held to account to the standards that are expected of them.”

He added: “I trust that my successor will enjoy a climate where those on the ICC Executive Board who are strong and principled, will push for change and remember the primary responsibilities of an ICC director - to serve the best interests of the global game.”

__________________
Its not the time of triumph that matters rather its the time of trial that matters.