Thursday, May 15, 2008

Warne, Kumble playing in Dubai by next year

Dubai Sports City could host cricket's iSixes World Series as early as 2009, the city's chief executive ArabianBusiness.com on Wednesday.

U. Balasubramaniam said discussions were still underway as to whether the city's 25,000-seater stadium would host the lucrative new six-a-side tournament, which will include stars such as Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, but expressed confidence that a deal would finalised next year.

“The tournament organisers have come and seen our stadium and were impressed, but the details still have to be worked out," Balasubramaniam said in an interview.He said Dubai Sports City would make an announcement once organisers’ plans were finalised and the tournament format clarified, which he expected to happen next year.

The first iSixes World Series event will take place in Singapore in July and feature teams from all nine Test playing nations, plus one team from the host country, all competing for a grand prize of $1 million. Further stops are expected in Shanghai, Dubai and another city that has yet to be decided.

Organisers are currently in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have the tournament officially recognised.The six-man format places a lot of emphasis on attacking play and is expected to draw huge crowds and television audiences.Balasubramaniam said also anticipated Dubai Sports City would host of English Premier League football matches in the future, but not for another two years.

“There is a huge following [of football] in the region. Imagine our 60,000-capacity stadium with Arsenal and Manchester United playing [in it] - that would be great,” he said.England's Football Association (FA) has proposed the idea that from the 2010/11 season teams would play a number of games abroad, aimed at increasing the popularity of the league internationally.

However, the proposal has come under fire both at home and abroad.Dubai Sports City is set on 50 million square feet of land within the Dubailand development. The city will feature four stadiums: a 60,000-seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium; a 25,000 capacity cricket stadium; a 10,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena; and a field hockey venue for 5,000 spectators.

It will also feature Ernie Els’ first golf course design in the Middle East: an 18-hole championship course named The Dunes that will be the centrepiece of a luxury golf residential community called Victory Heights. Dubai Sports City will host a Manchester United Soccer School, the ICC's Global Cricket Academy, a David Lloyd Tennis Academy and the first Butch Harmon School of Golf outside the US.

Khalid Abdulrahim Al Zarooni, president of Dubai Sports City, said the project was well-advanced, with the Manchester United soccer academy, ICC cricket academy, and swimming and field hockey stadiums to be ready by 2010.Victory Heights is to be handed over at the end of this year, he said.

Source: http://www.arabianbusiness.com
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Samuels banned over bookie links

West Indian batsman Marlon Samuels has been banned from cricket for two years for passing on team information to a bookmaker during a one-day series in India in January 2007.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said yesterday that Samuels had brought the game into disrepute, breaching the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Rules of Conduct.

Rule four states that a two-year ban was appropriate, after he "received money, benefit or other reward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute".

The ICC has imposed the ban, which will keep Samuels out of all cricket until May 2011.

The ICC will review the ban at its board meeting in July.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Samuels facing two-year ban - Found guilty of violating ICC rules

Jamaica and West Indies middle order batsman Marlon Samuels is facing at least a two-year ban from all cricket.

In a release yesterday the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said its disciplinary committee found by "majority opinion" at a hearing last Friday that Samuels was guilty of violating the ICC Rules of Conduct 4 (ix) in that he "received money, benefit or other reward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute."Under the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, Samuels' violation carries a minimum two-year ban which is effective from May 9, 2008, the date of the hearing.

The decision has been forwarded to the ICC.According to spokesman Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC will decide if the two-year ban recommended is satisfactory."It would go to an enquiry, which is headed by the chairman of the ICC's code of conduct commission Michael Beloff Q.C. and a few of the members who are a part of the commission who are not related to the WICB ...

"All they do is assess the penalty if it's appropriate, whether it's too lenient or whatever it may be," he said while pointing out that in this particular instance, the minimum ban is two years.

"I cannot speculate on what the official enquiry will say, but obviously it doesn't have the power to reduce the punishment," he added while saying the final decision on the ban will be known when the ICC board meets on July 2.Murgatroyd added that Samuels would not be able to play in any cricket "official or unofficial" during the period of suspension.

In February 2007, Nagpur police claimed that they had tapes of Samuels passing on information to an alleged bookie on the eve of the West Indies' first one day international against India in the city on January 21, 2007.In a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, vice-president Shashank Manohar and the International Cricket Council, Nagpur police chief S. P. S. Yadav gave details about the telephone conversation.

Samuels who has played 29 Test matches, scoring 1408 runs at an average of 28.73, was allowed to play in the last year's World Cup while investigations continued, but was subsequently charged by the WICB disciplinary committee.

The 27-year-old right-handed batsman, has denied any wrongdoing. At Friday's hearing the disciplinary committee dismissed a second charge which alleged that Samuels engaged in conduct which is prejudicial to the interests of the game of cricket.

Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com
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Monday, May 12, 2008

Champions Trophy 2008 in Pakistan: ICC to share security responsibility with PCB: Nasim

ISLAMABAD: International Cricket Council (ICC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will jointly make the security arrangements for the upcoming Champions Trophy to be held in major cities of Pakistan in September this year, PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf told reporters here on Sunday after arriving back from Dubai where he attended an important meeting of the ICC executives.

“The ICC security delegation will visit Pakistan in the end of current month and will visit the venues for the Champions Trophy,” he added.

Nasim said the Asia Cup would be held in Pakistan from June 24 to July 6 and heads of all major cricket boards including the ICC top brass would witness its final in Karachi. “Neither ICC nor Asian Cricket Council (ACC) have any reservations over security in Pakistan and the coming season will be full of cricket.”

To a question, he said the PCB was trying hard to get former Pakistan captain Majid Khan appointed as the chief of ICC cricket committee in place of Indian Sunil Gavasker. “Hopefully, Majid will win this honour. I have talked to chiefs of various boards and signs are bright for Majid,” he said.

He said the PCB governing board would discuss a thirteen-point agenda including development plan, financial statement and the approval of budget for new financial year in its meeting on May 13. The PCB chief said a summary had been sent to the Prime Minister for construction of a state of the art cricket stadium in Islamabad.

Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk
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Saturday, May 10, 2008

ICC warns Indian board over Kanpur pitch

The ICC has given an official warning to the Indian board for the substandard pitch prepared for the third Test between India and South Africa in Kanpur, which India won by eight wickets in three days. It has asked the BCCI to take steps to ensure that pitches for future home Tests are prepared better.

Talking about the decision, Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager, said: "We have come to a decision that the pitch prepared for the match should be rated as 'poor'. We have taken into consideration the explanations offered by the BCCI as to the reasons for the dryness of the pitch and we have noted that there is no previous record of a substandard pitch being prepared in Kanpur.

"However, taking all the evidence into account and, in accordance with clause 4.2 of the regulation, we have decided to impose an official warning as the sanction.

"It would appear that the poor quality of the pitch prepared for this Test was due to inadequate preparation procedures. We have recommended that the BCCI pitch consultant, Daljit Singh, be requested to investigate and to ensure that in future the manner of preparation is in line with what is required to ensure that a better balance between bat and ball is achieved."

The BCCI has accepted the warning, and has promised to ensure better pitches in future. "I thank the ICC for its input and decision in relation to this and I can assure everyone that we will take all steps necessary to ensure this does not happen in the future," said Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI.

The pitch came in for plenty of criticism during and after the Test, as deliveries kicked sharply or kept low. The spinners got it to turn and jump from the first session, while on the third day they were virtually unplayable: Virender Sehwag returning figures of 3 for 12 from 8.5 overs as South Africa were bundled out for 121 in their second innings.

After the match, Roshan Mahanama, the match referee, wrote to the ICC complaining about the quality of the track. "My considered view is that the pitch was poor as it was too dry and had considerable turn and variable bounce from the first day... The pitch was not up to Test match standards."

Source: http://content-usa.cricinfo.com
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Friday, May 09, 2008

Gavaskar steps down as chairman of ICC's cricket committee

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Sunil Gavaskar has stepped down as chairman of the ICC's cricket committee.

Gavaskar, the first player to score 10,000 test runs, was chairman for eight years. The former India opener said he could not continue in the post due to media commitments."It is clear I cannot combine both roles and therefore I am relinquishing the chair," Gavaskar said in a statement released by the International Cricket Council on Thursday.

The 58-year-old Indian had confirmed his decision on Wednesday, the statement said, one day after chairing the annual meeting of the committee which advises on cricket rules and makes recommendations."With more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs," Gavaskar said.

Reports said the meeting had discussed a potential conflict of interest for Gavaskar in holding both jobs.The ICC said a decision on Gavaskar's successor will be made in due course.

Source: http://canadianpress.google.com

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Thursday, May 08, 2008

CRICKET: Tikolo speaks for associate countries in Dubai ICC meeting

Kenya’s prolific batsman and national cricket team skipper Steve Tikolo has returned from Dubai, where he represented associate members of the International Cricket Council in a two-day meeting that ended on Tuesday.“I attending such a meeting for the first time and I was well received. Everybody made me feel at home. It was a privilege for me and Kenya as a country,” said Tikolo.

According to a  press release by the ICC, the  cricket committee held a lengthy debate about the current changing cricket landscape.There are now three viable forms of the game at international level, Tests, one day internationals and Twenty20.

The committee agreed that there was a strong need to identify and maintain a balance between the three formats so that all of them could continue to thrive.The committee identified Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport and expressed the need for the best available participants — players, umpires, and referees — to be involved in international cricket.

While accepting the need for a minimum requirement in numbers of ODIs, Twenty20 Internationals and Tests between all teams, the committee stressed the need to protect icon series.The committee also recommended that further thought be given to the introduction of a Test league or periodic play-off for the top two sides in the Reliance Mobile Test Championship table.

The meeting was chaired by former India captain and the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar, and included former Australia captain Mark Taylor, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur and Michael Holding, the ex-West Indies fast bowler.It also featured Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel, chief ICC match referee and former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle,  Pakistan great Majid Khan and Tim May, former Australia off-spinner and the chief executive officer of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations.

The ICC Cricket Committee is empowered to make recommendations that then go forward to the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) for approval. If that approval is forthcoming then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board.Any recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee will not take effect unless they are ratified and/or approved by CEC and the Board.

Both CEC and the ICC Board are scheduled to meet in Dubai from June 29.

Source: http://www.nationmedia.com
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Wednesday, May 07, 2008

ICC Cricket Committee wants balance among 3 formats

DUBAI: With Twenty20 posing a serious threat to the popularity of both Test and one dayers, the ICC Cricket Committee on Tuesday stressed on the need to strike the right balance among the three formats of the game.

After the conclusion of its two-day meeting here today, the ICC said in a statement that the Committee held an in-depth debate about the current cricket landscape in light of the fact that there are now three viable forms of the game at international level, Tests, ODIs and Twenty20.

"The committee agreed that there was a strong need to identify and maintain a balance between the three formats so that all of them could continue to thrive," the statement said."It identified Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport and expressed the need for the best available participants (players, umpires, referees etc) to be involved in international cricket.

" While accepting the need for a minimum requirement in terms of numbers of ODIs, Twenty20 Internationals and Tests between all teams, the committee stressed the need to protect icon series," it added.The group was chaired by former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and included former Australia captain Mark Taylor, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur and Michael Holding, the ex-West Indies fast bowler.

The committee is empowered to make recommendations which then go forward to the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) for approval. If that approval is forthcoming then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board.Both CEC and the ICC Board are scheduled to meet in Dubai from 29 June.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
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Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Gavaskar remains ICC cricket chairman

Dubai: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar continues to head the Cricket Committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He is taking part in the deliberations at the two-day meeting that started here on Monday, the ICC said.

Gavaskar's position became a topic of hot debate after top ICC officials publicly said that the master opening batsman's responsibilities as the panel head were conflicting with his role as a newspaper columnist and television commentator.

ICC president-elect David Morgan as well as CEO Malcolm Speed said that the Indian would have to choose between the two roles. Gavaskar was even summoned to the ICC headquarters here recently to explain some of his comments in the media that did not go down well with the game's global governing body.

After that meeting, the details of which were not released to the media, it was understood that Gavaskar was on his way out even before the ICC annual meetings, to be held here from June 29 to July 4.

But an ICC statement Monday changed the picture.

Gavaskar remains the chairman of the panel that also comprises, among others, Majid Khan (he is standing in for the unavailable Ian Bishop of the West Indies), former Australia captain Mark Taylor, Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, Tim May, a former Australia Test spinner and now the CEO of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur, top umpire Simon Taufel and chief ICC referees Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka.

The remit of the Cricket Committee is to discuss and consult on any cricket-playing matters and to formulate recommendations to the ICC Chief Executives' Committee and the ICC Board for approval.

Source: http://sify.com
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Monday, May 05, 2008

ICL players get go ahead for county cricket

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was forced to climb down from its earlier stand of not allowing Wavell Hinds, Johannes van der Wath, Andrew Hall and Justin Kemp from playing for their respective counties. The ECB had taken this stand after the four concerned players decided to participate in the Essel Group backed Indian Cricket League.

However, on Wednesday, a three-man appellate tribunal set up to hear the pleas of the respective counties of the concerned players, ruled in favour of the players. The cricketers can now take up their original contracts, Hall and Van Der Wath with Northamptonshire and Kemp with Kent.

Van der Wath, Andrew Hall and Justin Kemp were cleared under the Kolpak ruling, whereby they can play as local players and not overseas players. However, Jamaican Wavell Hinds, who was also banned by the ECB but did not appeal, has subsequently been signed by Derbyshire as an overseas player for the Twenty20 Cup.

The ruling, though, does not mention Kiwi players Hamish Marshall and Shane Bond. While Marshall has signed up for Gloucestershire and Bond, who had penned the deal with Hampshire, were not in the list of players whose registrations were rejected by the ECB owing to their association with the ICL.

Things, however, would not be so easy for Bond as he would have to procure a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from New Zealand Cricket (NZC), before being able to play a county match. But with this ruling, chances are that he and Marshall might just be able wriggle out of darkness.

ICC which currently does not recognise ICL, is also reviewing the latter`s position, as disclosed by the outgoing ICC CEO Malcom Speed.

Source: http://cricket.zeenews.com
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