On Pakistan’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, Saeed Ajmal said, he will look to keep things ‘simple’

Umar Farooq19-May-2012Saeed Ajmal is known for his straight talk and has a tendency to make big, carefree declarations at press conferences. On Saturday though, which was the last day of Pakistan’s preparatory camp in Lahore, he was rather cautious while fielding the media’s questions. On the tour of Sri Lanka, he said, he will look to keep things ‘simple’.Does he have another new delivery to unveil, following the ‘teesra’ that he dished out against England in the UAE earlier this year? “There is no need to introduce any new delivery, let us keep things simple,” Ajmal said. “Mastering any new delivery takes time and a lot of work is involved in it. With more varieties, more complications are created [for the bowler]. So I would like to just take control of my conventional spin, which is giving me results.”For now, Ajmal said, he is focussing on just bowling at his best and displacing South Africa’s Dale Steyn as the world’s No. 1 Test bowler. “Presently my focus is to win the series [in Sri Lanka] for Pakistan. The goal is to archive the No. 1 spot [on the rankings], for that I am putting in a lot of hard work.”Ajmal did not have much of an impact the previous time Pakistan played in Sri Lanka, as the visitors went on to lose both the Tests and ODIs. This time, Ajmal is looking to compensate for that below-par showing. “Things are going in my way [recently], I will try to extend my recent form. I am ready to take on the Sri Lanka challenge once again.””My body is fully fit and ready to cope the heat [in Sri Lanka], and I know onus will be on the spinners. We[spinners] have to bowl more overs than the fast bowlers because of the heat. But I think we have fast bowlers who can provide a breakthrough even in shorter spells, and they will be equally important. [Abdur] Rehman I make a good pair, and we are ready to bowl longer spells.”While wary of the likes of Thilan Samaraweera and Kumar Sangakkara, Ajmal said Pakistan is quite confident. “We have been practicing assuming that we will be playing on batting [batsmen-friendly] pitches there. We have been doing well for quite a long time now, so I don’t think plans will be difficult for us to execute. They have got some good batsman like Sanga and Samaraweera, who had scored runs against us the last time in the UAE, but we still produced good results against them.”

David Sales hit a valuable half-century as Northamptonshire built a lead of 240 against Hampshire, with five second-innings wickets in hand

04-May-2012
ScorecardDavid Sales made the first half-century of the match as Northamptonshire went into the final day against Hampshire in control. Andrew Hall took 4 for 24 as Hampshire were skittled before tea for 154, 64 runs behind, with James Vince top-scoring with an unbeaten 46.Northants then extended their lead to 240 at the close, with Sales making 58. David Balcombe was the pick of the visitors’ bowling, taking 2 for 63.Hampshire began the day on 42 for 3 – after Thursday’s play was abandoned without a ball bowled – with their stand-in captain and former Australia international Simon Katich on 4 and Liam Dawson on 14. Dawson was to move on to 35 before he missed his attempted drive off David Willey in the 11th over of the day and his leg stump was sent tumbling.Hall brought himself on and took two wickets in three balls in the 33rd over. First Lee Daggett took a good low catch in front of him at short midwicket to dismiss Katich for 13 and then the same combination did for former Zimbabwe international Sean Ervine.Hampshire wicketkeeper Michael Bates was next to depart, for a nine-ball duck, when he edged Daggett to Stephen Peters at third slip to leave to visitors floundering on 84 for 7. The eighth-wicket pair of Vince and Chris Wood added 58 between them either side of lunch before Wood was trapped lbw by Willey for 26.Balcombe soon followed when his off stump was taken out by Jack Brooks before Willey bowled David Griffiths for a duck to end the Hampshire innings.Rob Newton went cheaply for 14 in the eighth over of Northants’ second innings when he edged Balcombe to Dawson at second slip. Peters then fell on 22 when he was pinned lbw by Ervine and Kyle Coetzer followed in the third over after tea for 25 when he was also taken by second slip off Balcombe.Dawson took his sixth catch of the match when he snared Alex Wakely (15) off the bowling of Wood but Sales went on to complete his half-century off 90 balls. He eventually perished late in the day when he was caught leg-before to give Dawson his first wicket.

22-Jun-2012Danish KANERIA & Mervyn WESTFIELD1. DETERMINATION2. A Disciplinary Panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission (Gerard Elias QC, Chair; David Gabbitass & Jamie Dalrymple) sat between 18th and 22nd June 2012, in the Hearing Room of Sport Resolutions UK, to consider Disciplinary Charges brought by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) against Danish Kaneria & Mervyn Westfield.Ian Mill QC & Nick de Marco represented ECB
Tim Moloney QC & Steven Hourigan represented DK.
M Milliken-Smith QC represented Mervyn Westfield3. Introduction4. These proceedings arise from charges brought in relation to events which occurred towards the end of the 2009 English domestic cricket season at a Pro40 Competition match played at Durham between Essex and Durham.
5. Danish Kaneria contested the two charges brought against him but, on the first day of the proceedings, Mervyn Westfield pleaded guilty to the single charge against him and his case was put back for later consideration of the appropriate penalty.6. ChargesDanish Kaneria1 Alleged a breach of 2009 Directive 3.8.5 in that Danish Kaneria induced or encouraged, or attempted to induce or encourage, Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits, that is, to deliberately concede a minimum number of runs in his first over of the match between Essex and Durham.2 Alleged a breach of 2009 Directive 3.3 in that Danish Kaneria conducted himself in such a manner as may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer into disrepute by inducing or encouraging Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits.Mervyn Westfield1 Alleged a breach of 2009 Directive 3.8.15 in that Mervyn Westfield received a reward, resulting from his conduct in the Durham Essex match, which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute.This charge reflected Westfield’s admission to the Crown Court (see para 9 below) that he had been paid £6000 for agreeing to deliberately concede a given minimum number of runs in his first over as a bowler in the Durham v Essex Pro 40 match on 5th September 2009.7. IngredientsIn essence, therefore, on the facts alleged, to establish the contested charges , the ECB was required to prove that:1 Danish Kaneria knowingly induced or encouraged Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits in the Durham match.2 Danish Kaneria conducted himself in such a manner as to bring cricket or a cricketer into disrepute – and the ECB put its case on this charge upon the same factual basis as Charge 1, namely that his conduct as shown in Charge 1 brought the game into disrepute.8. Burden & Standard of ProofThe burden of proving the charges falls on the ECB who bring them. We heard submissions in relation to the appropriate Standard of Proof.
We are satisfied that the appropriate standard of proof is proof on the balance of probabilities but, that having regard to the grave nature of the allegations and the consequences of any finding of guilt in relation to them that we should look for very cogent proof before making any adverse finding against Danish Kaneria. The Panel concluded that in reality this meant that we should be sure of any fact before we relied upon it as proving a case against Danish Kaneria.9. Background FactsDanish Kaneria is a Pakistani national and a professional international cricketer of great repute and experience. He played for Essex County Cricket Club for 6 seasons between 2004 -2010 as an overseas player. He signed annual undertakings to abide by the ECB’s Rules Regulations and Directives whilst registered at Essex.Mervyn Westfield was a professional cricketer with Essex from 2005 until 2010. In that time, he played 7 County Championship matches and 8 first team one day matches.
Westfield was charged by the CPS in November 2010 with accepting a corrupt payment (£6000) contrary to section 1(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and on January 12 2012 he pleaded guilty to that charge. On 17 February 2012, Westfield was sentenced to a term of 4 months imprisonment and the £6000 was confiscated.Arun or Anu Bhatt is an Indian businessman who, prior to November 2007, had come to the notice of the Anti Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) of the International Cricket Council as allegedly being heavily involved in illegal betting.10. Specific EvidenceAlan Peacock is a Senior Investigator in ACSU based in Dubai.
We accept his unchallenged evidence that in April 2008 he warned Danish Kaneria that Anu Bhatt was heavily involved in illegal betting and was therefore “highly inappropriate company” for Kaneria to be keeping.Danish Kaneria told him that he had known Anu Bhatt since mid 2005 and, with his wife, had visited his home in India in November 2007 for dinner. Kaneria told us that thereafter he regarded Bhatt as a “dangerous ” man with whom to be involved.Mervyn Westfield gave evidence to us. His account was obviously central and vital to the prosecution case.We remind ourselves that there are reasons to scrutinise his evidence with great care – he has admitted his own involvement and may have a reason to lie to implicate another or others, and minimise his own involvement or responsibility. We have borne this very much in mind in considering his evidence.We remind ourselves also that Westfield’s accounts have not been uniformly honest or consistent – putting it straightforwardly and shortly, in various ways and over a period of time, he sought to minimise his involvement and it was not until his final plea to the Crown Court or even, arguably, his evidence to us in these proceedings, that he accepted not only that he had received corrupt money but also that he had not performed on his merits.Of course, therefore, we must scrutinise his evidence with great care and look for independent support for his account before using any of it against Danish Kaneria.What did we make of him?In summary, we are satisfied that in September 2009 he was both vulnerable & naïve – relatively unworldly & unsophisticated. He may well have been going through a phase of self doubt and anxiety – whether objectively justified or not – about his cricketing future.The key parts of his evidence about events late in August and early September 2009 – essentially the core of the prosecution case – can be summarised as follows:

England Women completed their sterling comeback in the five-match ODI series, recording their third straight win against India Women, in Wormsley, to win 3-2

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2012
ScorecardThe fine weather didn’t last 100 overs at Wormsley, but it lasted long enough for England to convincingly seal the ODI series•Getty Images

England Women completed their sterling comeback in the five-match ODI series, recording their third straight win against India Women, in Wormsley, to win 3-2. Chasing 153, England were a rather comfortable 124 for 4 after 36 overs when the rain came down to end the match, and as per Duckworth-Lewis calculations they had won by 29 runs.England chose to bowl, and had India in trouble straightaway at 2 for 3. Harmanpreet Kaur made sure India got into triple digits with a hard-fought 40, before lower order cameos got them to 152 for 8. The most damage was inflicted by England’s opening bowlers, Georgia Elwiss and Katherine Brunt, who took five wickets between them while conceding only 36 runs in their 20. Later Elwiss, who claimed six wickets in the series, was named Player of the Series.India struck an early blow in the chase, Jhulan Goswami removing captain Charlotte Edwards, the double-digit cameos that followed from the rest of the top order were enough to give England the game. The most effective of the lot came from Sarah Taylor, who knocked off 21 at more than a run a ball. Lydia Greenway top scored with an unbeaten 37.

Graeme Smith was breathing a sigh of relief after South Africa secured a 51-run victory at Lord’s to rise to top the world Test rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2012Graeme Smith was breathing a sigh of relief after South Africa secured a 51-run victory at Lord’s to rise to top the world Test rankings. They were given a scare during the final session, as Matt Prior and Graeme Swann had a dart before the second new ball, but they held their nerve and Vernon Philander finished the series with two wickets in two balls.”It was a top Test match, the wicket played its part and both teams played well,” Smith said. “We really had to set up the game and work hard for that. There was some great batting from Matt Prior and Graeme Swann, some great shots, to put us under pressure and it was wonderful to come through.”I stayed with the belief. You do start to have nervous moments but you just have to stay focused and know that they would have to do something spectacular. Vernon got it perfect.”Andrew Strauss had admitted England were outplayed in all departments during the series and Smith pinpointed South Africa’s ability to post big totals – led by their 637 for 2 at The Oval – as a key part of their success.”We are able to post totals and build partnerships to get scores on the board which allowed out bowlers a little more freedom,” he said. “It allowed them to attack and get the rewards. We caught well, too. It’s a long time to stay focused and deal with the pressure. To have won 2-0 is a great feeling.”During the presentation Smith carried a hastily scribbled message to Mark Boucher on his shirt. ‘We miss u Bouch’ it simply read after the wicketkeeper had been forced to retire during the early days of the tour when he sustained an awful eye injury at Taunton.”I know that he is watching,” Smith said. “It’s a message from all of us. He’s been an integral part of Proteas for 147 games and this was meant to be his 150th Test. We just wanted to let him know he was with us here today.”Looking ahead, Smith acknowledged that it would not be easy to hold on to top spot, as England have spent the last year finding out, and wants South Africa to develop a strong squad of players.”We need to have a strong base so when the wind blows we can handle ourselves,” he said. “We need to increase our bowling depth in case we get injuries and have players who can come in and perform. These guys have built a formidable unit but we have Australia next and that will be an awesome challenge for us. Hopefully we can push forward and take control.”

Ron Tindall, who has died in Western Australia at the age of 76, won household fame as a footballer with Chelsea, but he was a very good cricketer as well

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2012Ron Tindall, who has died in Western Australia at the age of 76, won household fame as a footballer with Chelsea, scoring 69 goals in 174 appearances and forming a potent striking partnership with Jimmy Greaves. But he was a very good cricketer as well, playing for Surrey as an offspinning allrounder, scoring 5446 runs at 24.86 and taking 150 wickets at 32.38.As a professional footballer, Tindall had time to play cricket in the summer and he was on Surrey’s books from 1956 to 1966. He made his debut in 1956 but only played a handful of matches until 1960 when he broke into a side which was starting to rebuild after its domination in the 1950s. In 1961 he scored the first of his two first-class hundreds but his career really blossomed after he left Chelsea.Between 1962 and 1965 he was a regular in the side and in 1962, with Jim Laker and Alex Bedser both retired, he enjoyed his best summer with the ball, taking 66 wickets at 23.92 including his career-best figures of 5 for 41. The following summer he passed 1000 runs for the only time, finishing with 1063 at 27.25.He stopped playing at the end of 1966 by which time he was ensconced at Portsmouth FC where he finished his career as a player and moved into management. He emigrated to Australia in 1975 to become Western Australia’s director of football and stayed there for the rest of his life. In 2008 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to sport.Tindall’s footballing career had start in Chelsea’s youth team and he made his first-team debut in 1955. Although usually a centre forward, he was versatile enough to be used at full back and on occasions in goal. In 1960-61 he scored 16 goals and Greaves 43, their combined total still a club record for a striking partnership. But later that year he was sold to West Ham and then to Reading before he joined Portsmouth.

Round-up of the ICC World Cricket League Division Four matches in Kuala Lumpur

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2012Nepal maintained their unbeaten start with a massive 10-wicket victory against hosts Malaysia. Shakti Gauchan, the legspinner, claimed the extraordinary figures of 3 for 2 in 10 overs, a spell that included eight maidens after Amrit Bhattarai had set the ball rolling with two wickets in two balls. From 52 for 3 in the 12th over, Malaysia lost their remaining seven wickets for 17 runs in a painful 20 overs. In reply, Nepal needed little more than 12 overs to speed to their target and Anil Mandal ended unbeaten on 41.Reflecting on his mind-boggling figures, Gauchan said: “I didn’t think much about my performance before the game, but my objective was to bowl in the right area which I did during the game and it turned out to be my best bowling performance.”Captain Paras Khadka added: “It was another great bowling display from the team, especially from Gauchan and the other opening pairs. Although we had a small target to chase, I am happy with the batting performance of the openers as the batter and won the match for us convincingly. We still can’t relax after this win and will work hard to win the rest of our matches.”USA also crushed Tanzania with an incredible 246 balls to spare as they raced to a seven-wicket victory at Kinrara Academy Oval. USA’s bowlers shared around their success, with Usman Shuja taking three wickets, as Tanzania crumbled to 92 all out in the 30th over. The run chase did not even reach the tenth over. Opener Steven Taylor clubbed 46 off 22 balls, including four sixes, as USA needed less than half a Twenty20 innings to seal victory – and a handsome boost to their net run-rate.The USA captain, Steve Massiah, said: “It was professional approach today and things went according to the game plan and we executed brilliantly what we had planned. We knew how critical this match was going to be for us and winning it with a big margin will help us to boost out net run-rate.”In the most evenly contest target of the day, Singapore beat Denmark by four wickets to keep themselves in the mid-table battle. Chasing 174 they relied on contributions all through their top order with the first five batsmen making between 23 and 39. The innings was always under control and Munish Arora, the 41-year-old, guided the team home. Earlier, the Denmark innings had subsided from 128 for 3 and they ended up not using 21 deliveries. Shehzad Ahmed made 50 off 100 balls but when he fell they fell away swiftly as the last seven wickets fell for 45.