ICC CT-2013 NEWS: Aussies, Kiwis split points

First points for controversy-hit Australia as rain leads to abandonment.

Weather had the final say at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

EDGBASTON: When it rains, it pours. In this case, however, inclement weather assured Australia of a crucial point and allowed them to stay alive in the Champions Trophy following a rain-abandoned game against New Zealand on Wednesday.

New Zealand will not mind the solitary point either. They were placed at a decidedly insecure 51/2 in 15 overs, in pursuit of Australia’s 243/8, when the skies opened and curtailed further play.

A target of 193 in 35 overs against Australia's pace-heavy attack in wet conditions was never going to be easy. Thus, the Kiwis would be glad at the addition of point to their tally that takes them to three points overall in Group ‘A’. 

Australia, having lost their opener against England and reeling from David Warner’s recent ‘unprovoked attack’ in a bar on Joe Root, will be happy to finally get on board and stay in contention in the tournament.

Group ‘A’s two other members, England and Sri Lanka, will face off on Thursday to decide how close – or one-sided – the race into the semis from this cluster turns out.

Spin rules

New Zealand earlier tied Australia down after stand-in captain George Bailey elected to bat. The average score was largely due to the restraining orders imposed on the batters by Daniel Vettori, Nathan McCullum and Kane Williamson, who together formed a Kiwi record for the most overs – 30 – bowled by spinners in an ODI.

Vettori, battling his perpetual Achilles tendon injury, gave away as little as 23 in his ten, while Nathan McCullum’s off-spin fetched him the key wickets of Mathew Wade (29) and skipper George Bailey (55).

Bailey and Wade were two major contributors in an innings weaved around Adam Voges’ 71. Australia, in fact, would have settled for 243 after they lost their most experienced ODI batsman in the second over, Shane Watson becoming left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan’s first of four victims. 

Maxwell entertains

Phil Hughes’ run out left the Aussies at 10/2, at which point were initiated a series of partnerships: 64 between Wade and Bailey, 77 between Bailey and Voges, and 44 between Marsh and Voges.

But the batsmen fell at crucial junctures. Bailey took 91 balls for his 55 before he was bowled by Nathan McCullum just before the batting Powerplay. Voges hit a McClenaghan fulltoss straight to short cover.

Glenn Maxwell’s cameo injected the innings with much-needed impetus. The 24-year-old biffed sixes off Williamson as he raced to a 22-ball 29, carrying Australia over to a competitive total in what eventually turned into a damp squib.

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Pakistan's Asif loses match-fixing appeal

M Asif

London: Three Court of Appeal judges in London on Wednesday rejected an appeal by Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Asif against his conviction for spot-fixing.

In their ruling, the judges said they were "not persuaded that there are any grounds, arguable or otherwise, for attacking the safety of the convictions of this applicant (Asif)".

"The renewed applications are accordingly dismissed," they added.

Fast bowler Asif, 30, was released from jail in May last year after serving half of a 12-month sentence for his part in a plot to bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test match against England at Lord's in 2010.

Former captain Salman Butt was jailed for 30 months, while promising young bowler Mohammad Aamer was detained for six months in a young offenders' institution.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) governing body also banned the trio from cricket for five years.

Asif and Butt both challenged the ICC bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but the Lausanne-based body in April rejected their appeals. The spot-fixing plot, which was uncovered by the now-defunct News of the World newspaper, was one of the biggest scandals to hit cricket in years and also led to the conviction of their London-based agent.

The Court of Appeal rejected challenges by Butt and Aamer against their sentences in November 2011.

In his ruling Lord Chief Justice Igor Judge, the head of the judiciary in England and Wales, said the players had "betrayed the country which they had the honour to represent and betrayed the sport that had given them their distinction -- and of course betrayed all the very many followers of the game throughout the world".  

SOURCE:  API

IPL FIXING NEWS: BCCI mulling full-fledged probe on Kundra issue

Kolkata, June 9 -- The Board of Control for Cricket in India could initiate a separate probe against Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra on the betting allegations levelled against him by the Delhi Police. The BCCI was supposed to discuss the allegations in Monday's emergency working committee meeting in New Delhi but might change its mind and launch a full investigation.

Asked if a separate probe was in the offing, BCCI interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya told HT, "We are discussing that in our meetings right now. I can't give you any details. A final decision will be taken after Monday's meeting."

If the BCCI does declare a probe, it will be the second time it will be doing so, after the police had taken the initiative to bring similar charges against Chennai Super Kings team principal, Gurunath Meiyappan.

This raises the question: Why does the BCCI need to rely on police statements despite having an anti-corruption unit that was supposed to keep a close watch on all the matches in the Indian domestic Twenty20 league.
The existing BCCI rules of procedure in such cases however seem cryptic. Article 2.2.1 of 'offences under anti-corruption code' states that 'placing, accepting, laying or otherwise entering into any bet with any other party' amounts to an offence.
But Article 3.1 under 'standard of proof and evidence' says that 'unless otherwise described herein, the burden of proof shall be on the designated anti-corruption official (or his/her designee) and the standard of proof in all cases brought under this anti-corruption code shall be whether the BCCI disciplinary committee is comfortably satisfied, bearing in mind the seriousness of the allegation that is being made, that the alleged offence has been committed.'
However, article 3.2 says, 'The disciplinary committee shall not be bound by judicial rules governing the admissibility of evidence. Instead, facts relating to an offence may be established by any reliable means, including admissions.'


Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY: SL VS NZ -2013

New Zealand survived a hostile spell from sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga to carve out a tense one-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy on Sunday.

The Black Caps messed up a simple chase of Sri Lanka's 138 all out and were reduced to 122-8, before the last-wicket pair of Tim Southee and Mitchell McClenaghan saw them through in the 37th over.

Left-arm seamer McClenaghan set up the victory with 4-43 after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat, but Malinga stole the thunder with 4-34 that almost secured his team an improbable victory.

The dramatic win helped New Zealand end a six-match losing streak against the Sri Lankans and claim full points in their first match of the eight-nation tournament.

New Zealand were cruising at 48-1 when Sri Lanka hit back with three wickets for one run in the space of eight deliveries.

Malinga triggered the collapse with a full toss that crashed into Kane Williamson's pads. Umpire Rod Tucker upheld an appeal for leg-before.

Ross Taylor was leg-before to spinner Rangana Herath for zero, before Martin Guptill edged seamer Shaminda Eranga high to Mahela Jayawardene in the slips.

When James Franklin fell leg-before to Tillakaratne Dilshan in the 15th over, New Zealand had lost half their side for 70 runs.

Brothers Brendon and Nathan McCullum put on 35 for the seventh wicket to raise New Zealand's hopes before Malinga removed both batsmen in three balls to make it 122-8 in the 32nd over.

The ninth wicket of Kyle Mills fell when five runs were needed, and even though Malinga conceded just one run in the next over, Dilshan gave away four runs to seal the Black Caps' win.

Sri Lanka, who had won 10 of their last 11 completed 50-over games against New Zealand, let themselves down with a sloppy batting display in the first session.

Veteran Kumar Sangakkara played a lone hand for the Islanders with 68, his 75th one-day half-century, but five of the other six top-order batsmen failed to reach double figures as the team folded in 37.5 overs.

Sri Lanka never recovered after losing Kusal Perera off the first ball of the match when New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum flew to his left at second slip to pick up a brilliant catch off Mills.

NZ scoring winning run

Dilshan hit 20 off 18 balls when he was bowled by McClenaghan to make Sri Lanka 27-2.

It soon became 33-3 as veteran Daniel Vettori, playing his first one-dayer since the World Cup semi-final against the same opponents in Colombo two years ago, struck with his fourth delivery.

A slower, flighted ball caught star batsman Jayawardene on the back foot and umpire Bruce Oxenford upheld Vettori's loud appeal for leg-before.

Sangakkara fell in the 37th over, caught at point by Williamson off spinner Nathan McCullum, who finished with two wickets.

New Zealand next play Australia in Birmingham on Wednesday, a day before Sri Lanka clash with hosts England at the Oval in London. 

source: cricket.yahoo.com

ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY:SL VS NZ SCOREBOARD-2013

SL vs NZ

ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2013

NZ won by 1 Wicket.

SL : 138/10 Overs: 37.5 R:R: 3.64

Sangakkara 68(87) Dilshan 20(18) McClenaghan 43/4

NZ : 172/8 overs: 40.4 R:R : 4.22

McCullum 32(42)

Guptill 25(24) M.Irfan 32/3 Malinga 34/4 Player of the Match N McCullum