Butt receives dressing down for ‘irresponsible’ comments

LAHORE: Pakistan vice-captain Salman Butt has got a dressing down from the team management for criticising the bowlers at a press conference during the second cricket Test against South Africa last week.

Sources in the team said that Butt was forced to apologise to the bowlers and other teammates who rounded on him for his critical comments.

“Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria as well as the pacers were not happy when they read Butt’s comments and confronted him,” sources said.

“One bowler told Butt on his face that being the vice-captain did not give him a license to blame the bowlers publicly and if the team did not do well it was everyone’s responsibility,” he said.

“He also told Butt that by making such statements he should not spoil the spirit in the dressing room.”

Butt had tried to play down the issue by blaming the media for blowing up his comments and claiming that he had been misquoted.

“But when the team management also pulled him up and warned him to be careful with his choice of words, Butt apologised to other players,” he said.

“The team manager and captain advised him that he would only create problems in the side if he was not careful with his words and attitude,” the source said.

The left-hander was also fined 50 per cent of his fees by match referee Alan Hurst for criticising some umpiring decisions in the Test.

Butt was a surprise choice for vice-captaincy before the Twenty20 World Cup and many felt that his appointment was because of the fact that he was one of the few players in the side who were well versed in English.

Butt did not click in the Twenty20 World Cup and was also castigated by the team management during the tournament when he gave a statement on the Shoaib Akhtar-Mohammad Asif brawl.

McMillan draws stumps on career

Craig McMillan announced his retirement from cricket today for health and personal reasons.

He said he wanted to spend more time with his family and had issues with his diabetes.

He has played over 50 tests and nearly 200 one-day internationals for the Black Caps. He has also quit the domestic scene.

Rumours of McMillan’s plans to retire surfaced a couple of weeks ago after an email was leaked to the media, where he informed close friends and team mates of his intentions to end his career.

England win series but miss chance for big jump in ICC ODI Championship table

England’s 3-2 series win in Sri Lanka is certainly something for Paul Collingwood and his team-mates to celebrate. After all, it included the side’s first ODI win in the country for 25 years and is England’s first series win in a ODI rubber in the Asian sub-continent since 1987, when Mike Gatting’s team beat Pakistan 3-0 in the aftermath of the ICC Cricket World Cup. And as it follows a 4-3 series win over India in August and September, it can be viewed as further progress for a side that has often under-achieved in one-day cricket, said a media release of the ICC on Tuesday.

But after crashing to defeat by 107 runs in the final match in Colombo on Saturday evening, Collingwood could be forgiven for thinking what might have been, even as he held aloft the series trophy. Victory in that final match would have secured fourth spot in the ICC ODI Championship table and England’s highest placing since January 2005 ahead of a series in South Africa. Instead England remain in seventh position, the same spot they occupied at the start of the series.

It is a clear illustration of how tightly packed the teams are in the middle section of the ladder with just one rating point separating four teams, but there is a plus side for Collingwood and company. His line-up have still gained two rating points over the course of the series and are now just one point behind those three sides directly above them, Sri Lanka (fourth), Pakistan (fifth) and India (sixth). That trio is separated only when the ratings are calculated to three decimal places but there is plenty of scope for the situation to change over the coming days and weeks. That is because India are in the midst of a series against table-toppers Australia while Pakistan are about to go head-to-head with South Africa in a five-match series that starts on Thursday (tomorrow).

Sri Lanka have lost three rating points during their series against England but that win on Saturday night, with Dilhara Fernando capturing a career-best 6-27, has seen them stay put in fourth spot, although they are now six points behind New Zealand, in third position.

Saturday’s match was England’s last in this form of the game in 2007, a year in which they have had plenty of highs and lows. They shocked the cricket world by beating hosts Australia and New Zealand to lift a tri-series in January and February but could not replicate that form to make a significant impact at the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. A series loss against the West Indies at home followed, but since then those successes against India and Sri Lanka have given cause for optimism.

CORRECTED – CORRECTED-Cricket-Shoaib eligible to play final one-dayer v Sout

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will be eligible to play in the fifth and final one-day international against South Africa on Oct. 29, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday.The board’s disciplinary committee on Thursday imposed a 13-match ban and 3.4 million rupees ($56,000) fine on Shoaib for four misconduct charges, including hitting team mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, clarified that the ban period had started the day after the incident on Sept. 7 when team manager Talat Ali sent Shoaib home.

“Since his ban period started immediately it covers seven matches of the Twenty20 World Cup and also the two tests against South Africa,” Naghmi told Reuters.

“This means he will have completed his 13-match ban by the fourth one-dayer and will be eligible for selection for the final game in Karachi,” he said.

Shoaib has played 43 tests and 133 one-dayers but has not taken part in any competitive cricket since he limped out of the second test against South Africa in January with a hamstring injury.

The 32-year-old has played just one test and four one-dayers since February 2006 due to fitness and other problems.

He was suspended for two years in 2006 after testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone but was later cleared of doping offences.

Big three rested for Challenger series : Selectors

India’s top three cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid – will not take part in the upcoming NKP Salve Challenger Trophy with the selectors deciding to rest them in view of the busy schedule ahead. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan have also been rested from the tournament to be held in Ahmedabad from October 25 to 28.

Virender Sehwag, who was not part of India’s one-day team, will lead the India Blue team while Mohammad Kaif was named captain of India Red. Wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel will captain India Green.

All the players who have joined the Indian Cricket League were not named in any of the three teams announced by BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah through a press release. Although the release did not specify why the senior players were left out, a BCCI source said it was done only to give them some rest ahead of the series against Pakistan and Australia.

Pakistan were scheduled to visit India in November and December for three Tests and five one-dayers which would be followed by India’s tour of Australia.

The tournament will provide a chance for Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina and others who are looking to cement their place in the Indian team. Murali Kartik, who got a surprise recall to the senior side after a long gap midway through the ongoing series against Australia, has found a place in the Green team.

Each team will play once against each other to decide the finalists.

Teams:

India Red: Mohammad Kaif (capt), Karan Goel, Gautam Gambhir, Subramaniam Badrinath, Virat Kohli, Ravneet Ricky, Praveen Kumar, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Pragyan Ojha, Sidharth Trivedi, Ishant Sharma, Pinal Shah, Srikant Munde, Paresh Patel.

India Blue: Virender Sehwag (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suresh Raina, Neeraj Patel, Arjun Yadav, Joginder Sharma, Ramesh Powar, Amit Mishra, Yo Mahesh, Randeb Bose, Swapnil Asnodkar, Rakesh V Dhruv, Saurav Bandekar

India Green: Parthiv Patel (capt/wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Murali Kartik, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Niranjan Behra, Iqbal Abdullah, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Gagandeep Singh, Anirudh Srikant, Satyajeet Parab.

Symonds racially abused in India say Australian cricket officials

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was racially abused with monkey chants during his side’s one-day win over India in Vadodara, Cricket Australia said Friday.Cricket Australia said the national side’s only black player complained about the noises made by some sections of the crowd as he fielded near the boundary during Thursday’s victory.

A Cricket Australia spokesman said the organisation would not be seeking further action over the incident.

“The matter will be left in the hands of the local authorities,” he told AFP.

The abuse was widely reported in Australian newspapers, with the Sydney Morning Herald saying the monkey chants were similar to those that have plagued European football for years.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph said thousands of spectators were involved in the abuse, prompting ground authorities to flash the International Cricket Council’s anti-racism code on the replay screen.

The Australian newspaper quoted Baroda Cricket Association chief executive Makarand Waingankar as saying he was disappointed with the Vadodara crowd’s behaviour.

“Like any cricket centre we cannot tolerate this sort of behaviour; racism should not exist in India,” Waingankar said.

Symonds has been involved in a running feud with Indian paceman Shantha Sreesanth during the tour of the subcontinent.

The Indian series has been clouded by ill temper, stemming in part from discontent within the Australian camp at the way India’s players celebrated their semi-final win over Australia in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

Symonds racially abused in India say Australian cricket officials

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was racially abused with monkey chants during his side’s one-day win over India in Vadodara, Cricket Australia said Friday.Cricket Australia said the national side’s only black player complained about the noises made by some sections of the crowd as he fielded near the boundary during Thursday’s victory.

A Cricket Australia spokesman said the organisation would not be seeking further action over the incident.

“The matter will be left in the hands of the local authorities,” he told AFP.

The abuse was widely reported in Australian newspapers, with the Sydney Morning Herald saying the monkey chants were similar to those that have plagued European football for years.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph said thousands of spectators were involved in the abuse, prompting ground authorities to flash the International Cricket Council’s anti-racism code on the replay screen.

The Australian newspaper quoted Baroda Cricket Association chief executive Makarand Waingankar as saying he was disappointed with the Vadodara crowd’s behaviour.

“Like any cricket centre we cannot tolerate this sort of behaviour; racism should not exist in India,” Waingankar said.

Symonds has been involved in a running feud with Indian paceman Shantha Sreesanth during the tour of the subcontinent.

The Indian series has been clouded by ill temper, stemming in part from discontent within the Australian camp at the way India’s players celebrated their semi-final win over Australia in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

Arlan Konwar quits ICL, returns to BCCI fold

Assam spinner Arlan Konwar, who had signed for rebel Indian Cricket League, on Thursday announced his return to the fold of BCCI.

“I had signed up for Rs 60 lakh for two years with the ICL with a hope that I will get a chance to play alongside greats such as Shane Warne and Glen Mcgrath, but since they have not joined I decided to return,” Konwar told reporters here.

Konwar and five other players from the state had signed for the ICL alleging that they were not given a chance by the Assam Cricket Association to play at national level.

Konwar claimed that it was not money that had lured him into the rebel league, but a ‘genuine intention’ of playing alongside cricketing greats.

The player alleged that the ICL itinerary was yet to be fixed and even the grounds had not been finalised.

“One cannot continue in such uncertainty,” he said.

ACA secretary, Bikash Baruah, denied the allegations of the five top players, saying that the body had patronised them to play in national level tournaments but due to their poor performance they were denied chance.

Kevin Pietersen is desperate for a break in play

The morning after what Kevin Pietersen described as the best one-day performance since he joined the squad three years ago seemed a strange time to be talking about a rest from international duty. But this thorniest of issues has been thrust back on to the agenda by Hugh Morris only a week into his new job as managing director of England cricket.

With the ECB targeting the Ashes series and global ICC one-day events as the priorities, Morris is open to the idea that leading players such as Pietersen should be excused from duty in less significant matches to ensure that they are fit and fresh for those that matter most.

Pietersen hinted at something similar in July when he explained away a run of poor scores against West Indies by citing the fatigue of a never-ending schedule. The fact that he was speaking at a sponsor’s event when he could have been getting the rest he needed made for an easy riposte, but without fully undermining the point.

He believes that the England hierarchy, centred on Morris and Peter Moores, the head coach, should determine the balance between playing, preparing and resting. “When I came out and said what I said in the summer, nobody backed me at all,” Pietersen said. “It would be nice to have decisions taken out of our hands.

“This is always a very, very tricky question. In terms of what I have always said in the past I would find it very hard to miss a tour because I love playing cricket. When I broke a rib in the winter and had to go home, I got really frustrated watching the one-day games on television because I wanted to be out in Australia playing.

“I want to play for another nine or ten years and the schedule we have got is tricky. I have not missed a Test match since I made my debut [in 2005]. I am not sure about missing whole tours, but I do believe there is scope for certain players to be looked after and certain players need to be looked after.”

Although the Schofield report, drawn up in the wake of the 5-0 Ashes defeat and focusing on managerial restructuring, recommended a reduction in the amount of cricket, the ECB seems to be to adding to it, with extra five-match one-day series against Australia and India on the schedule. Domestically, too, the season is expanding, with additional Twenty20 commitments for county players.

The twin goals of regaining the Ashes and winning an ICC event – which could be the World Cup, Champions Trophy or World Twenty20 – are lower than those set under the chairmanship of Lord MacLaurin of Knebworth in 2001, when England sought to reach No 1 in the ICC Test and one-day rankings.

However, targeting specific contests can affect selection for the rest. “Resting players is on the table, for sure,” Morris said. “I want to discuss it with the management team and the players. There is a serious amount of international cricket being played and we need to ensure that our best players are fit and raring to go.”

It would be a bold step for England to weaken their team, which is what this amounts to. And whatever they say in public, players are highly pragmatic. Matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are opportunities to boost averages and stepping down would allow others the chance to steal their positions.

There are parallels with the need to take a long-term view on the fitness of players such as Andrew Flintoff. This is easily said when Flintoff is fit and at the top of his game. But when a niggle occurs, the temptation to think short term and reach for the cortisone can be irresistible.

At least Morris, who watched England take an unassailable 3-1 series lead against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, sounds prepared to offer strong direction. “I will not tell the selectors who to pick, but I am keen to make sure that selection policy will be absolutely critical to the goals of regaining the Ashes and winning an ICC global event,” he said.

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Mills: Players told don’t sign IPL contracts

Heath Mills has slammed the Indian Premier League contracts placed under the noses of Daniel Vettori and Scott Styris as “the worst contracts I’ve seen in professional sport”.

The New Zealand pair were announced by the IPL as new signings this week but Mills, the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association boss, revealed yesterday that only Styris has put pen to paper and it was against Mills’ recommendation.

Mills claims the pair were subjected to considerable pressure by the IPL and New Zealand Cricket to sign otherwise the lucrative three-year offers would have been withdrawn.

“We recommended they didn’t sign the contract put in front of them and I’m not sure Daniel has signed,” Mills said.

“The contracts put in front of the players are the worst contract I’ve seen in professional sport. It is 1½ pages long, it is a MOU (memorandum of understanding), and players around the world have been signing it and they have no idea what they are signing away.

“It does not stipulate the rights they are giving away to Indian cricket. I’m concerned our guys signing it will put them in breach of their New Zealand Cricket contracts as well but we (NZCPA) and New Zealand Cricket do not agree on that.”

Mills confirmed Vettori was uncomfortable with a particular clause in the contract that stipulates that “the player is not allowed to play for any other team that may at any point in time qualify for the Champions League”.

The IPL is a domestic Twenty20 competition to be held in India in April next year, offering US$3 million (NZ$4.26 million) in prizemoney.

The Champions League is an extension of that and the plan is for the top two teams from each of the four domestic competitions in Australia, South Africa, England and India to play in a football-style Champions Trophy tournament in October next year.

New Zealand Cricket supports the sanctioned tournaments – which are in direct competition to the outlawed rebel league in India – and they hope to get two New Zealand domestic teams into the Australian Twenty20 qualifying competition.

But Mills said NZC is overlooking the fact that if Vettori signs his current IPL contract then he would not be able to play for Northern Districts if they qualified for the Champions League.

“I know Daniel is concerned about the contract put in front of him and is trying to get some late changes to it,” Mills said.

“Those guys were under pressure to sign otherwise the deal would be taken away and our advice to the players was don’t sign the MOU.

“I don’t think it is a very good contract at all. It is a 1½ page document. Our contracts are 100 pages long and people are very aware of their obligations and restrictions.

“New Zealand Cricket endorsed and supported it (IPL) and encouraged players to join it but the contract could potentially put them in breach.”

NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan is aware Mills is concerned about the contracts but he did not share those concerns. Vaughan supports the IPL and has little time for the rebel league.

Vaughan’s priority is getting a resolution to talks with Craig McMillan, who wants to accept an offer to play in the rebel league despite having signed a New Zealand Cricket contract.

Vaughan said talks with McMillan were not possible this week due to the Canterbury batsman being unwell. But the issue is now pressing because the national selectors need to know whether McMillan is available for the one-day team to tour South Africa next month.

“Talks have to start again next week because we’ll need to know Craig’s situation by the end of next week,” Vaughan said.