Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has, through his lawyer, denied the allegations made against him by Mumbai Police in its chargesheet on the IPL betting scandal

Umar Farooq27-Sep-2013Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has, through his lawyer, denied the allegations made against him by Mumbai Police in its chargesheet on the IPL betting scandal. Rauf’s counsel said though his client respected the Indian judicial system, he didn’t trust the Mumbai Police and would not travel to India to contest any trial.”All the allegations reported in media are baseless,” Rauf’s lawyer, Syed Ali Zafar, said in Lahore. “We don’t have any chargesheet and only have the press reports that have no legal value or importance at the moment.”So we think it is just a conspiracy by Mumbai Police to defame his [Rauf] and the country’s name. We think Mumbai Police is indulging in character assassination. He is a well-known, professional, competent Pakistani umpire. Whatever is being reported in press is all false and I strongly deny it on behalf of Asad Rauf.”Zafar said Rauf’s camp would respond to the allegations only if approached by the ICC or Pakistani authorities about the same. “Asad Rauf has full confidence in Indian courts but he has no faith in Mumbai Police and at the moment we are not confident going to India. For Asad Rauf the situation is not right in India – they could detain him, they can frame other charges. But if Mumbai Police goes to the ICC’s anti-corruption unit or approaches [the concerned] authorities in Pakistan, we will then provide witnesses and give our point of view.”Rauf, who was listed as a “wanted accused” in the chargesheet, was allegedly given gifts by bookies, passed on match-related information to them, and placed bets on matches himself while officiating in the tournament. The police made their case on the evidence of transcripts of recorded phone conversations that Rauf allegedly had with other people accused in the chargesheet, and a large portion of it concerns the period before and after Delhi Police arrested three Rajasthan Royals players following their match against Mumbai Indians on May 15, which Rauf umpired.”Mumbai police has given general statement that Asad Rauf has done betting in collaboration with bookies,” Zafar, who was seated beside Rauf said. “First of all, Asad Rauf has not done any gambling in any sport ever. Mumbai police has not provided any specific incident in its chargesheet. There’s some conversation of Asad Rauf and there was some doubt. We don’t have tapes and we don’t know in which context the conversation was held, so I can’t comment on it.The chargesheet also contains details of alleged gifts Rauf may have received from bookies and evidence indicating he met with others accused in the case. Two bags according to the chargesheet reportedly were to be delivered to Asad Rauf were taken into custody from Air India cargo department at the Mumbai airport. The bags reportedly included gifted apparels, shoes and other accessories, shopping bills at Diesel showroom, Asad Rauf’s pass and bills in the name of Asad Rauf Malik.Rauf said the bags mostly contained religious items, and there was nothing wrong with “exchanging gifts”. “I challenge Mumbai Police, that they should open the bag in the court and produce lavish watches and gold and show it to the whole world,” he said. “There are some religious things in them, which are most important to me. I can confirm with full confidence that there wasn’t any expensive jewelry in my bags, they contained (cotton sheets) brought from different shrines from Baghdad and various other holy cities. We have written to the authorities to reclaim my stuff.”As far as exchanging gifts is concerned, it’s not a crime. Mumbai Police should have realised that the subcontinent has its culture and we give gifts. It’s a tradition in Pakistan and even in India. There are lots of instances when people do come from India [to Pakistan], go to shops and the shopkeepers don’t take the money from the guests.”Rauf also denied allegations that he left bags behind while “escaping” from India. “I had requested Vindoo Dara Singh [a Indian actor who was arrested in connection with the betting scandal] to send those bags to the Delhi airport, but due to some miscommunication I missed them.”Rauf said that the ICC had investigated the allegations and given him a clean-chit. “The ICC has investigated the whole thing, it also has its anti-corruption unit, it didn’t find me involved in any corruption,” he said. “I have provided all my bank accounts, my property details and my SIM card details to them.”Rauf was withdrawn, by the ICC, from officiating in the Champions Trophy in June following the media reports of him being investigated by the police. He was later dropped from the ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires, though the governing body confirmed that had nothing to do with the allegations but was a decision taken after the umpire’s annual review.

Neeraj Kumar, the former Delhi Police commissioner, has been appointed as a consultant for the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit (ACU).

Amol Karhadkar20-Apr-2015Neeraj Kumar, the former Delhi Police commissioner, has been appointed as a consultant for the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit (ACU). Kumar was appointed by the IPL governing council, which met in New Delhi on Monday. Mumbai and Pune were also confirmed as venues for the first two IPL playoff games.”Neeraj Kumar has been appointed for one year as a consultant to the ACU. He will be involved in improving ACU’s operations and awareness programmes,” Rajiv Shukla, IPL governing council chairman, told ESPNcricinfo.

Working committee to discuss CLT20 on April 26

The fate of the Champions League Twenty20 will be decided by the BCCI’s working committee during its meeting on April 26.
The IPL governing council was expected to discuss the proposal of scrapping the tournament but the matter wasn’t taken up. Instead, the governing council members were told that the working committee will decide on whether to scrap the tournament or persist with it for another year.

While Shukla didn’t elaborate on Kumar’s role, it is understood that the former commissioner will set in motion an improved system to prevent players from being trapped by bookies. BCCI officials also believe that Kumar’s vast experience in cracking cricket corruption-related cases during his tenure with the police will aid the BCCI.Kumar had led the investigations during the 2013 IPL corruption scandal that saw the arrests of several players and bookies. He had also played a large role in the 2000 match-fixing investigation, the first major fixing scandal in the game. Kumar is expected to work closely with ACU chief Ravi Sawani, who was present at Monday’s meeting.During the 2013 corruption scandal investigation, Kumar had been dissatisfied with the BCCI’s vigilance against corruption. “They should maintain better vigil. Most of this stuff happens quite openly: people are seen sitting with undesirable people and people do come to know about some strangers meeting somebody. So they have the list of the suspects, they should go after them,” Kumar had said in an interview to ESPNcricinfo in July 2013. “It would not be fair to say corruption is a rule and honesty an exception. There are a few rotten eggs, which should be spotted and be weeded out.”Meanwhile, the Supreme Court approved the request of the RM Lodha committee to replace IPS officer BB Mishra with CBI officer Vivek Priyadarshi. The committee was formed by the Supreme Court to decide on punishment for Raj Kundra and Gurunath Meiyappan – both of whom were found guilty of match-fixing by the Supreme Court – and to make recommendations and suggest amendments to the procedures followed by the board.Shukla also confirmed that the governing council allotted two of the four IPL knockout matches to Mumbai Cricket Association and Maharashtra Cricket Association. “The decision over the venue for the first qualifier on May 19 will be taken later,” he said.It is understood that Kolkata and Dharamsala, home venues of BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur respectively, are frontrunners to stage the first qualifier. While the second qualifier will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 22, Pune will stage the eliminator on May 20. Eden Gardens in Kolkata has already been announced as the venue for the final, scheduled for May 24.

Kyle Coetzer, the Scotland batsman and former captain, has been added to the squad for the 2016 World T20 qualifier starting next month, following batsman Freddie Coleman’s withdrawal

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2015Kyle Coetzer, the Scotland batsman and former captain, has been added to the squad for the 2016 World T20 qualifier starting next month, following batsman Freddie Coleman’s withdrawal due to personal circumstances. Coetzer was not a part of the 15-member squad announced on Monday and, on Wednesday, Cricket Scotland sought to clarify his earlier omission, stating the board initially believed the decision was in the player’s “best interest”, to allow him to concentrate on securing his future in county cricket.According to Cricket Scotland, the board had spoken with Coetzer before the squad was submitted to the ICC last Friday. The board said that Coetzer believed he would be a part of the squad if he was unable to secure a county deal through July. Coetzer has scored 31 runs in three first-class matches for Northamptonshire this season in Division 2 of the County Championship.”The organisation initially believed it was acting in Kyle Coetzer’s best interest by not selecting him for the WT20Q and allowing him to concentrate on securing his future in county cricket,” Cricket Scotland said in a release. “This was based on a number of conversations that were had with the player before the squad was submitted to Dubai last Friday, as to meet the ICC deadline requirements.”Having since discussed this with the Kyle, he clearly believed that if he was unable to secure a county loan deal through July, he would be included in the squad for the competition. Cricket Scotland has met with Kyle in the last 24 hours and clarified the situation. Both parties will now move forward and wish to state that there is no rift between the player and the organisation.”Coetzer, 31, was part of the World Cup earlier this year and finished as Scotland’s leading run-scorer with 253 runs at 42.16 including 156 against Bangladesh in Nelson. In 20 T20Is he has scored 442 runs at 23.26 with a strike-rate of 101.14.The World T20 qualifier begins on July 9, with co-hosts Scotland scheduled to play their opening game against UAE in Edinburgh. The top six sides from the 14-team tournament will join the 10 Full Members for the 2016 World Twenty20, to be held in India from March 11 to April 3.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between England and New Zealand in a series where runs have come at an astonishing rate

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan13-Jun-2015

Match facts

June 14, 2015
Start time 10.30am local (0930GMT)3:14

Can lightning strike three times in a row?

Big Picture

Two matches, 1369 runs at 7.72 an over, three hundreds – the slowest off 87 balls – and 42 sixes. Who’d be a bowler? Only one of them, Trent Boult, is currently going at under a run-a-ball after two ODIs of mayhem from the batsmen.The (expensive) bottom line is that the series is all square with three to play after New Zealand clung on to secure victory at The Oval in the third-highest scoring ODI of all time. For a while, as Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler added 96 in 10.3 overs, then Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett refused to yield before the rain, England were make a terrific fist of what would have been the second highest successful chase after the Johannesburg gluttony of 2006.Both batting line-ups, with just the occasional exception, have kept up the charge from the start to the end and almost damn the consequences. In many ways, given the records of trying to chase vast ODI totals, England’s pursuit in the second match was the most impressive of the four innings even though they fell short.If the contests are to return to something of an even balance – and those enjoying the entertainment may not be bothered in the slightest at the dominance of bat over ball – then the bowlers need to find some answers. Boult has been head-and-shoulders above the other quicks, although Steven Finn has had his moments. New Zealand’s attack is very different without the calming presence of Daniel Vettori while England’s inexperienced bowlers are learning the hard way. And, if the trend continues, it is unlikely to get any easier.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWWLL
New Zealand WLLWW

In the spotlight

The bowlers are having it tough so they need as much help as they can get from the fielders. It does not matter how big the scores get, the odd boundary saved here or there, or the extra run out pulled off could be the difference. Boult and Tim Southee combined for a piece of brilliance on the boundary edge to remove Rashid which finally ended England’s charge; relay catches, palming the ball back from the boundary, are now a regular part of practice. Incidences like that show why.Whither the yorker? This is, of course, not a new debate, but two matches like we have just witnessed brings the debate firmly back into focus. It is a mighty difficult delivery to bowl accurately, a smidgen wrong either away and it is a half volley or a full toss – both of which go the distance these days. But what has a bowler got to lose by trying a few more? When Chris Jordan nailed one at The Oval he had Grant Elliott lbw; the flip side is that batsmen of the ilk of Buttler have perfected the scoop. Also, if a captain knows his bowler is trying for full and straight he can at least set a field accordingly.

Teams news

Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett have been ruled out of the series with side and thigh injury respectively. Craig Overton had been drafted into the squad early on Saturday, while David Willey and Mark Wood are the other seam-bowling options in the squad.* The batting order is likely to remain the same unless England decide to swap out Sam Billings for an additional bowling option.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Billings, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 David Willey/Craig Overton, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Steven FinnWith Corey Anderson having been ruled out of the series – and no decision taken on a replacement – New Zealand’s options are a little restricted except for juggling their pace-bowling pack. Mitchell McClenaghan has gone at more than eight an over in the two matches and there may be a temptation to give a debut to fellow left-armer Ben Wheeler.New Zealand (possible) 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

Sorry, bowlers, but you are unlikely to get much relief at the Ageas Bowl. It has become a ground renowned for batting-friendly conditions in one-day cricket. However, the forecast is for a cloudy day which may offer the hope of some swing.

Stats and trivia

• Just in case in the batsmen needed any further confidence boosting, last time New Zealand played at this ground they racked up 359 for 3 with Martin Guptill making an unbeaten 189 which was his country’s individual record until he broke it himself with 237 not out in the World Cup quarter-final against West Indies.
• Among ODI venues in England and Wales (to have staged a decent sample size of matches), the Ageas Bowl has the second highest run rate – marginally behind Cardiff.
• New Zealand’s victory at The Oval was their 300th in ODIs. They are the eighth team to achieve this milestone. They’ve taken 684 games to get there, which is the most among these eight teams. South Africa got to 300 ODI wins the fastest – in only 483 matches, while Australia (519) and West Indies (540) are next.

Quotes

“We’re enjoying this brand of cricket and certainly having the guys in the changing room to play in that way naturally – not making it such a big deal.”
Eoin Morgan wants England to keep going with the flow“It’s been a difficult series for the bowlers so far, I think they’re looking forward to a pitch with a little bit more help at some stage. But it is something we need to keep working on, I think we made improvements from Edgbaston. England came very hard at us last night, harder than at Edgbaston but the boys got the job done.”
*9.10pmBST: the story was updated with news of Plunkett’s injury

Any England supporter with the vaguest sense of Ashes history would have felt mild trepidation as they defended a first-innings score of 430 on a sunny Cardiff day

The Report by David Hopps09-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAny England supporter with the vaguest sense of Ashes history would have felt mild trepidation as they defended a first-innings score of 430 on a sunny Cardiff day. The last time an Ashes Test ventured into Wales, England made pretty much the same score, only to concede 674 for 6 and need some heroic resistance from James Anderson and Monty Panesar to escape with a draw.That being so, England, even while believing the total was a par score, will have been relieved to prise out five Australian batsmen by the close of the second day with a largely disciplined bowling performance. They lead by 166 and will hope to cut deep into the tail with the second new ball, which is 10 overs away.Six years on, the Land of Song has produced another placid Ashes surface – when the ball goes soft, it is less Tom Jones’ Green, Green Grass of Home than the Manic Street Preachers’ Some Kind of Nothingness, slow enough on occasions to crush any happiness you know. That this first Investec Test has generally been so fascinating is testimony to the attacking resolve of both sides.The businesslike figure of Chris Rogers fashioned Australia’s response. A prolonged career in English county cricket before Australia finally came calling has made such slow, low pitches his natural habitat.His wicket carries slightly less kudos than some, outside a dressing room at any rate, but his 95 was the innings of a solid citizen, replete with watchful off-side drives: he pushed the ball into the covers as if emerging warily from a T-junction on the lookout for oncoming traffic. It sounds unfair to term him careful when he feels, with justification, that he is careering along, but his squat deflections and placements are shots of calculation.He fell five runs short of what would have been his fourth Ashes hundred, cutting a ball quite tight to him from Mark Wood and edging to Jos Buttler. From 180 for 3, gambolling along at more than four in over, in keeping with England’s progress, Australia dried, with James Anderson to the fore, and the rate slipped to three an over against a softening ball, for the loss of Michael Clarke and Adam Voges, before the close.Rogers did have a world record to ponder. His feat of seven successive Test fifties had been achieved only by Everton Weekes, Andy Flower, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kumar Sangakkara. Perhaps not surprisingly for a record that reveals consistency rather than grandeur, all of them, with the exception of Weekes, the domineering West Indian, have often been described in the same workmanlike terms befitting Rogers.That sequence was interrupted by the concussion that forced him out of a recent Test series in the West Indies and Stuart Broad might have exposed one or two leftover signs with the short ball. Rogers, though, did achieve his first Test six – a sort of coming of age in his 21st Test – when he hooked a bouncer to long leg, brushing the fingertips of the leaping Moeen Ali who crossed the line in a vain attempt to fashion a catch.Rogers also survived a review. There was swing initially for England’s new-ball attack and Broad came close to removing Rogers, on 2, only for England’s review – encouraged as ever by Broad, his ravenous desire for wickets colouring his conclusion – to be rejected as Rogers was saved by a thin inside edge.David Warner was the first Australian batsman to fall, driving Anderson on the up and well taken by Alastair Cook at first slip. It was Warner at his least aggressive (in Walkabout bar terms, 8pm at the latest) and he also needed to overturn an lbw decision on 13 when Anderson struck his back pad but replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump.As Australia hurtled ahead, England were grateful for the resilience of Moeen, who cut down Steven Smith and Clarke with their innings established. That Australia would target him was inevitable, just as they had targeted Graeme Swann so successfully on their own pitches two years earlier. Smith seemed to have his measure, one assertive over bringing three boundaries in four balls: stylish straight drive, dragged straight drive and a resounding dance down the pitch to loft him gloriously over mid-off.But Cook persisted with Moeen and he was rewarded with a prize wicket – a reward, too, for a carefully-plotted field position. Smith, on 33, advanced down the pitch, but Moeen floated the ball down leg, a little turn taking the ball further away from the batsman, who became entirely squared up and toppled over to the off side as he chipped the ball to short mid-on.Clarke also came down the wicket with intent and, if his shot was more balanced than Smith’s, the outcome was equally ill-fated as he drove back a firm return catch. Voges’ dismissal owed much to England’s ability to create pressure with the old ball, Ben Stokes being rewarded for one of his most disciplined England spells by having Voges caught at short extra as the ball took a puff of dust from the pitch.Moeen’s graceful batting, sprinkled with occasional fortune, had also been to the fore in the morning before England succumbed for 430, adding another 97 in only 14.1 overs. Moeen played with delightful freedom in extending his innings to 77 from 88 balls before he edged Mitchell Starc to Shane Watson at slip. He also edged Starc to the keeper on 34, but Australia, strangely introverted, did not appeal as they were fooled by the bat scraping the ground.Starc then bowled Anderson to return 5 for 114 but he has ankle trouble and, although he will hope to get through the Test unscathed, he must be doubtful for the second Test at Lord’s which follows so soon afterwards.As for Mitchell Johnson’s Reign of Terror, the first signs were that it may not be fit for export as he returned his worst Test figures. Johnson remained wicketless, he doffed his cap to the crowd as his bowler’s century was cheered ironically and he had the misfortune to have to pedal back at long-off in a futile attempt to try to catch a lofted drive from Moeen as he toe-ended Nathan Lyon’s offspin down the ground.Take Broad, add an Ashes series, and the result is invariably some hoo-ha or other. On this occasion he was the potential victim as Voges claimed a dubious catch at short leg. For the only time, Broad tried to stand tall to a bouncer from Johnson, squirmed the ball into the leg side and Voges was entangled between the batsman’s feet by the time he claimed the catch.The review showed that the ball dragged along the ground and boos predictably resounded, but Broad and Voges, former team-mates at Nottinghamshire, just had a quick chat and got on with it, Broad soon falling trying to slog sweep Lyon’s first ball.

Paul Stirling’s incisive spell was followed by a John Mooney hat-trick at the end of the first innings as Ireland quelled a Jersey threat in a seven-wicket win at Malahide

The Reprt by Peter Della Penna in Malahide19-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPaul Stirling’s incisive spell was followed by a John Mooney hat-trick at the end of the first innings as Ireland quelled a Jersey threat to seal their spot in the 2016 World T20. Ireland’s qualification was also helped by losses to Papua New Guinea and Namibia. PNG, Namibia and Hong Kong finished on seven points to confirm their place in the playoffs next week.Stirling claimed 3 for 16 before bashing a swift half-century in the chase, which was sealed with 20 balls to spare, while Jersey’s knockout stage hopes were extinguished with the loss.Jersey were 88 for 1 in 13 overs after being sent in as captain Peter Gough and Sussex academy batsman Jonty Jenner put on a 46-run stand before Stirling sparked the visitors’ slide with the wicket of Jenner. However, replays showed that Jenner was struck outside the line of off stump on his attempted sweep.Jersey were still in with a chance though at 102 for 2 in 15 overs with Gough still at the crease, but Stirling and Alex Cusack continued to keep Jersey off balance and the last eight wickets fell for just 16 runs. Stirling hadn’t bowled since the tournament opener against Namibia, but his spell shifted momentum back in favour of Ireland as he induced Cornelis Bodenstein to loft to long-off before another ill-advised sweep accounted for Anthony Kay.Cusack opened the bowling and was hit hard in his first two overs – going for 18 runs, but came back in the 17th to end Gough’s scratchy innings for 42 as he mistimed a slog over midwicket that was well taken by Stuart Poynter backpedaling from edge of the circle. He struck again four balls later, teaming up with Poynter at cover to get the right-handed Nat Watkins for 1 before snatching his third in the 19th over as Corey Bisson lofted to Stuart Thompson at long-off.Mooney reinforced his position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, moving to 14 in six games by wiping out the tail with a series of slower balls in the final over. Charles Perchard was done in by a yorker out of the back of the hand off an attempted paddle scoop. Kevin O’Brien claimed a skier on the next ball to remove Ben Kynman before George Dockrell settled at deep square leg to catch Ben Stevens and give Mooney his hat-trick.With Niall O’Brien still nursing a knee injury and unlikely to take any further part in the tournament, William Porterfield moved himself back up to open with Stirling for the first time in the tournament. The previous five opening partnerships – a mix of Stirling, O’Brien and Andy Balbirnie – amounted to a total of 27 runs, but the reunification of Ireland’s prolific opening duo from the last few years had its desired effect, adding 44 runs in just 4.5 overs.Jersey’s fielding, which had been impressive all tournament, let them down as Porterfield did survive a straightforward chance at slip in the first over. Stirling also could have been caught off a slash to third man on 35, but Nat Watkins opted to let the ball fall in front of him to prevent a boundary which left the bowler Kynman bemused.Porterfield added 17 to his tournament tally of 186, including a huge six that clanged off an oak tree beyond the deep square leg boundary but fell trying to repeat the shot off the following ball from Kay and was caught by Bodenstein running in from deep midwicket. Stirling added another 47 for the second wicket with Balbirnie and brought up his fifty off 34 balls, his first of the tournament, before being caught in the deep by Jenner off Stevens’ left-arm spin.The only other wicket to fall was Kevin O’Brien, leg before after missing a sweep to Stevens. Balbirnie and Gary Wilson took Ireland the rest of the way in an unbeaten 21-run stand. Balbirnie hit the winning single through the off side on the fourth ball of the 17th over to finish 32 not out while Wilson ended unbeaten on 11.

Mominul Haque will captain a 15-man Bangladesh A team, 14 of whom have played international cricket, on their tour of India later in September

Mohammad Isam08-Sep-20151:42

Isam: A-team tour a chance to prepare for Australia series

Mominul Haque will lead a strong Bangladesh A team for their tour to India later this month. The 15-member squad consists of 14 internationals including Al-Amin Hossain, who has been out of representative cricket since the World Cup.”Its my first tour abroad as a captain so looking ahead to make it memorable,” Mominul said. “It wont be easy considering we will be playing against the Indians at their own backyard but I am confident that we can put up a good show considering our strength. I think we have got an experienced squad and it will be good for our preparation ahead of the series against Australia.”Saqlain Sajib, the left-arm spinner, is the only uncapped player in the squad and it is learned that he was picked as cover for Taijul Islam, who has been given two weeks’ rest to recover from jaundice.

Bangladesh A tour of India

• Sept 16 – 1st one-dayer v India A, Bangalore

• Sept 18 – 2nd one-dayer v India A, Bangalore

• Sept 20 – 3rd one-dayer v India A, Bangalore

• Sept 22-24 – Three-day match v Karnataka, Mysore

• Sept 27-29 – Three day match v India A, Bangalore

Al-Amin, who was sent home from Australia in February after a disciplinary breach, is one of four seamers in the team. Taskin Ahmed has been passed fit and will likely play multi-day cricket for the first time in over two years when Bangladesh A meet India A and Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka in Bangalore and Mysore. Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam complete the quartet.Anamul Haque, who lost his place in the senior side after injuring his shoulder in the World Cup, has been included in the A team while Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Sabbir Rahman are some of the other upcoming batsmen who have played international cricket in this team.Nasir Hossain and Mominul are the senior batsmen in the side, and Shuvagata Hom, who last played the solitary Test against India, is one of the batting allrounders in the side.Bangladesh A squad: Anamul Haque, Rony Talukdar, Liton Das, Sabbir Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque (capt), Nasir Hossain, Saqlain Sajib, Arafat Sunny, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shuvagata Hom, Jubair Hossain.

Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar will captain opposing teams in a three-match T20 exhibition tour of the USA in November

Peter Della Penna06-Oct-20152:14

‘High ticket prices could keep fans away’

Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar will captain opposing teams in a three-match T20 exhibition tour of the USA next month. The matches will be played in New York, Houston and Los Angeles and the event, titled “Cricket All-Stars Series 2015″, will feature more than two dozen retired internationals from other Test nations.The matches will take place on November 7 at New York’s Citi Field, November 11 at Houston’s Minute Maid Park and November 14 at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. The first two games are slated to be played in the daytime while the final game at Dodger Stadium is scheduled to be played under the lights at the 56,000 capacity facility.”To make history in America playing these cricket games, myself and Sachin walking out and tossing the coin in New York at Citi Field, will be a pretty epic moment,” Warne told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. Warne had said in June that Chicago’s Wrigley Field would also be a venue during the tour, but those plans were scrapped while an earlier proposal to play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx had also been ditched in favor of Citi Field located in the New York City borough of Queens.

List of participating players

India – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar
Australia – Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Brad Haddin
South Africa – Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, Jonty Rhodes, Allan Donald
England – Graeme Swann, Michael Vaughan
West Indies – Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Carl Hooper
Sri Lanka– Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene
Pakistan– Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Moin Khan
New Zealand– Daniel Vettori

All three facilities are baseball stadiums – occupied by the NY Mets, Houston Astros and LA Dodgers – and according to sources, drop-in pitches will be used with the strips being laid from second base extending out toward the centre field wall.Apart from the captains whose teams are named “Sachin’s Blasters” and “Warne’s Warriors”, the event website lists 26 other players who are set to take part including Brian Lara and Wasim Akram. Besides Tendulkar, three former Indian team-mates join him on the exhibition roster: Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar. Four other Australians are also listed to join Warne: Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Brad Haddin.According to a list obtained by ESPNcricinfo, nine other players were also tentatively included to take part: Anil Kumble, Andy Flower, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shahid Afridi, Waqar Younis, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey. However, Younis will be coaching Pakistan against England in the UAE throughout November while Mahela Jayawardene, one of the players included in the main list of 26, is also in the UAE in a consultant role with England but is understood to be leaving after the first Test ends on October 17.This is the first attempt at a revenue-generating cricket foray in the USA since a pair of Twenty20 matches were played between West Indies and New Zealand in June 2012 at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. The 15,000 capacity facility is the only ICC ODI-certified cricket specific stadium in the USA, but will not be used for any of the T20 exhibition matches.

Alastair Cook was dismissed cheaply for the second time in the match as Essex and Lancashire settled for a draw at Chelmsford

ECB/PA25-Sep-2015
ScorecardRavi Bopara added three wickets to his twin scores of 99 and 52 not out•Getty Images

Alastair Cook was dismissed cheaply for the second time in the match as Essex and Lancashire settled for a draw at Chelmsford in their final LV= County Championship Division Two clash of the summer.After Essex had earned a first-innings lead of 84, they resisted the temptation to set Lancashire a target, instead shaking hands on a stalemate with the score at 138 for 3.Cook made only 1 in the first innings and his hopes of an extensive “net” before embarking on the series against Pakistan ended when he was dismissed for 6 in his second trip to the middle. He had been trapped leg before wicket by Anderson first time around and the England fast bowler again had a hand in Cook’s demise, completing a catch in the slips when Glenn Chapple found the edge of the opener’s bat.Cook had faced just 16 balls and only 23 in the match. Anderson had already got rid of Nick Browne with the help of a Karl Brown slip catch to give the bowler his eighth wicket in the match and leave the home side 10 for 2 in the sixth over.Tom Westley fell for 34 but this paved the way for Ravi Bopara to record a half-century for the second time in the match. This time, he needed only 63 balls to reach the milestone as he went on to finish with 52 not out from 65 balls that included five fours and two sixes.Jesse Ryder also provided an entertaining cameo striking 38 from 23 balls with the assistance of two sixes and four fours to reach 38 not out when the captains shook hands on the draw.Lancashire had reached lunch on 274 for 4 before the innings disintegrated. The last six wickets crashed for 29 in the space of 11 overs and it was the medium-paced Bopara who was chiefly responsible as he wrapped up the visitors reply on 310 to finish with 3 for 40.Before then Luis Reece and Ashwell Prince provided the cornerstone of the Lancashire response to Essex’s total of 394. Prince, in his final appearance, lit up the stage with a powerfully struck 51 from 38 deliveries, an effort containing eight boundaries, before he drove Graham Napier into the hands of Bopara in the covers.Reece went on to make 82, containing eight fours and one six, Jamie Porter removing him when he was caught behind attempting to paddle the ball down the leg side. This wicket gave the fast bowler his 50th Championship wicket for the season, a day after he had been awarded his county cap.Lancashire take 11 points from the match and finish runners-up in Division Two while Essex take 12 points and complete the season in third place.

David Warner and his new opening partner Joe Burns set the perfect platform for Australia to enjoy a dominant day at the Gabba

Daniel Brettig04-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:38

Nicholas: NZ bit too dependent on Southee, Boult

How friendly is too friendly? New Zealand’s cricketers were derided by Australia as “the politest”,”nice guy” team ahead of this match, and on day one the touring bowlers allowed an untried home batting line-up the opportunity to dominate and thus set-up the Gabba Test in the same fashion as so many before them.So much did they dominate that this was Australia’s most fruitful of all opening days at the Gabba, better even than the 2 for 364 run up by Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting when invited to bat by Nasser Hussain in 2002. David Warner’s stand with his new partner Joe Burns set the scene, before Usman Khawaja glided to his first Test hundred with all the class he had promised on his debut against England five summers ago.For an Australian team still carrying the scars of being routed for 60 at Trent Bridge earlier in 2015, this was a day that began in a blissfully uneventful manner and grew increasingly dominant. For a New Zealand side harbouring genuine ambitions of winning a series down under for the first time since 1985, it was a shock to the system – and a reminder of how hurtful their abandoned warm-up fixture at Blacktown had been.Batting first after the captain Steven Smith won the toss, Warner and Burns weathered the new ball spells of Tim Southee and Trent Boult before accelerating to a union of 161 that went a long way towards setting up the match and series for the hosts. Khawaja then capitalised with an innings of fluency right around the ground. Their runs allowed Smith the luxury of walking to the wicket at 2 for 311, and he was soon making merry too.Warner’s 13th Test hundred was his first since he made 101 in Australia’s opening match of the year against India in Sydney, and was clearly informed by a few of the lessons he learned during the unsuccessful Ashes campaign in England. While there was still the odd flourish, Warner kept well and truly in control of his instincts and emotions, barely playing and missing until he made one failed swish at a Mark Craig delivery on 99. Ultimately he would face 200 balls for the first time in Tests, a credit to his powers of concentration.Burns’ Brisbane experience served him well. He showed tremendous patience to leave the ball well but also play the line when balls moved, not chancing an edge by trying to adjust too much. Burns waited until his 20th delivery to get off zero with a sturdy square drive, and later pushed his score along by showing fleetness of foot against the spin of Craig. He looked increasingly secure until dropping his guard briefly to follow a Southee delivery tailing away and paid for the error with his wicket.That delivery aside, the visitors were unable to keep the Kookaburra ball swerving as consistently as they had hoped, and only a handful of deliveries beat the bat. Southee and Boult were a tad short in the early overs before Warner and Burns had set themselves, a common failing of pacemen visiting the Gabba. The support bowlers Doug Bracewell and Craig showed very little ability to control the scoreboard, their days summed up when Bracewell took a heavy fall on the hard Gabba turf when in delivery stride first ball after tea.Warner’s innings carried on from the composed visage he took on in the dead fifth Test of the Ashes series at The Oval, when he excelled in his final opening stand with the now retired Chris Rogers. He waited until the eighth over of the morning for his first boundary, but rotated strike cleverly to ensure the New Zealand bowlers had to keep changing their lines.Later in the session he opened his shoulders, firing one straight driven six off Bracewell. Growing New Zealand anxiety about their lack of inroads was betrayed by an lbw referral against Warner for a ball that was pitching clearly outside leg stump.Boult and Southee found a modicum of swing when play resumed, but neither was able to land the ball consistently enough to pose problems. Burns and Warner grew increasingly confident, the former nailing one hook shot to a prancing Southee short ball that might easily have resulted in a top edge. The stand of 161 was the best by a new Australian opening combination since Bill Lawry and Ian Redpath over 50 years ago, and it was a surprise when Burns snicked a Southee ball delivered from wide on the crease.McCullum brought Boult straight back into the bowling attack to try to defeat Khawaja, but the left-armer’s motley assortment of short and straight deliveries did not trouble the new batsman. Nor did a selection of balls dragged down by Craig pose Khawaja any problems. Within a few overs Warner and Khawaja were rolling along as though Burns’ wicket had been of little consequence, and this most inventive of New Zealand sides were starting to look short of ideas.Few could be found in the evening session, and it was more fatigue than anything else that did for Warner. A tired-looking edge off the bowling of Jimmy Neesham was wonderfully caught by Ross Taylor, but that only served to bring Smith to the crease. In the run up to stumps he and Khawaja motored along against old ball and new, the latter leaping into the air upon reaching his century when pulling another short ball from Boult. For Khawaja and Australia’s selectors, this was the stuff of dreams.