South Africa secure narrow win over Pakistan

South Africa won a rain interrupted first Twenty20 against Pakistan by four runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method at the Wanderers Stadium on Wednesday.

The visitors were chasing South Africa’s competitive total of 153-7 after their 20 overs, when heavy rain in Johannesburg halted Pakistan’s reply just short of halfway.

The two teams resumed hostilities less than a week after South Africa won both Twenty20 matches in the United Arab Emirates.

Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla gave South Africa a flying start, putting on 72 for the first wicket before Amla was bowled by Pakistan captain and off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez for 31 off 20 balls.

De Kock made 43 off 33 deliveries before he was well caught at long-on by Sohail Tanvir off Hafeez.

A third wicket fell to slow bowling in the space of 15 runs when Shahid Afridi bowled Henry Davids for three.

Hafeez and Afridi took three wickets between them for 39 in their combined eight overs as the South African innings lost momentum with JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis putting together a stand of 23.

Duminy’s mis-hit pull was brilliantly caught by the diving Hafeez at mid-wicket, before Du Plessis heaved Junaid Khan for four but chipped the next ball straight to mid-off.

Debutant Bilawal Bhatti’s difficult final over continued with a chest-high full toss to Wayne Parnell, who was run out next ball for six and a third excellent catch – this time from Abdur Rehman accounted for Dale Steyn but Morne Morkel hit back-to-back boundaries in the final over.

Heavy rain

Ahmed Shehzad fell for nine early in Pakistan’s reply, gloving a Lonwabo Tsotsobe delivery on to the stumps, but two boundaries from Nasir Jamshed in the sixth over got the tourists back on the right track at 40-1 following the power-play.

He then gave a return catch to Duminy, though, and Pakistan were 60-2 when heavy rain and nearby lightning stopped play with 9.1 overs bowled.

That left Pakistan four runs behind the Duckworth-Lewis par score, and with only a 10-minute window before a reduction in overs would be required.

With the rain still falling heavily and the outfield drenched, the two captains shook hands on the result well before the 10pm cut-off point.

The next game takes place in Cape Town on Friday, with three 50-over games to follow.

 

BCCI will not leave Kochi players in lurch: Srinivasan

New BCCI president N Srinivasan gave assurances that the players’ interests of the terminated IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be taken care of by the cricket board. The BCCI had terminated the Kochifranchise’s contract citing a breach of contractual terms – a move that had prompted the franchise to threaten legal action.

 

Kochi Tuskers Kerela

“What will be the consequences of the termination and the future of the players as well as whether to play with nine teams – all these will be decided by the IPL governing council. (But) players’ interest will be safeguarded. BCCI will not leave the players in the lurch. We will find an equitable solution that is viable for both, the players and the BCCI,” Srinivasan said.

Srinivasan elaborated on the question of the number of teams in the IPL, saying: “Whether it will be nine-team affair it’s for the IPL governing council to take a call at their next meeting, which I hope, is soon. I can’t decide that on my own its a decision of the IPL governing council and for BCCI as a whole to take.”

Srinivasan also brushed aside allegations of conflict of interest involved in him holding the top post in the BCCI and being the owner of the Chennai Super Kings at the same time, saying that the team was owned by India Cements Limited and not him.

“India Cements, the public limited company, owns Chennai Super Kings. I don’t own it. I don’t have any personal conflict of interest at all. All members take decisions in the BCCI at the AGM or the executive committee unanimously. In governing council if any matter on franchisee issue comes up I would excuse myself,” Srinivasan said.

“I don’t make up the governing council. There are eminent people and I will observe all propriety as far as the IPL franchisee is concerned,” he said.

Regarding the just-concluded England tour of India, Srinivasan, while backing the Indian team, reiterated that there would be no post-mortem of the side that failed to win a international single match.

“I agree that we lost badly and whoever watched the matches are aware about the reasons. We had far more injuries than we had in the past during a single tour. We did not have a full strength team to begin with and a little bad luck that England played well. It’s too early to write off the team or to criticise the team whom we praised to the sky two months ego,” he said.

While many attributed the team’s pathetic show in England to too much cricket, Srinivasan said the players can ask for rest whenever they wish to.

“Our team played a little bit more than other teams, but not the all players. Many of them played only 50-60 per cent of the total number of days. Senior players are professionals and they know their bodies best,” he said.

“If they feel the need to take rest the board would grant it and in the past (too), the board has granted them rest. Playing for Indiais more important and that will be the priority. IPL franchisees have been asked to inform the BCCI and the physio about the injury of any player.”

Asked about the controversial Decision Review System, Srinivasan said that the BCCI would take it up with ICC to reverse the decision taken in Hong Kong meeting in which India had agreed to use a modified version of the DRS.

“In the last ICC meeting in Hong Kong, India has agreed to use a minimum standard DRS, namely the use of hotspot. TheEngland tour has proved otherwise. We have to again take up with the ICC that the decision taken atHong Kong has to be reversed. We presently don’t believe in the accuracy of the technology on hot spot. We have to convince others about our viewpoint,” he told a television channel.

Kochi axing may cost BCCI Rs 2000 cr: Modi

Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has fired another salvo at his BCCI foes, ex-president Shashank Manohar and current president N. Srinivasanfor the “mess” created due to the termination of the IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Lalit Modi

The BCCI on Monday decided to terminate the IPL contract of Kochi franchise due to non-payment of a bank guarantee.

“Kochi now being terminated – a further loss of 1500 crores to BCCI. Compounded by reduction in Media Rights. My estimate 2000 crores. Who is responsible for this mess now? Current President and outgoing President for sure. Who will they blame now for this. Where is the accountability and who will take responsibility,” Modi wrote on his twitter page.

Modi proclaimed himself a whistle-blower on the shady dealings related to the Kochi franchise, while writing on his blog: “Now, 18 months later, the BCCI has terminated the Kochi contract on the basis of an unpaid bank guarantee which, according to new President, N. Srinivasan, ‘….is not capable of being remedied’.

“As a consequence, the BCCI now stands to lose more than US 300 million by virtue of reduced commercial revenue because Kochi’s suspension means fewer teams and therefore games – not to mention a loss of credibility for the IPL itself.”

Modi then stated that he now wants to know who will own up responsibility for this mess.

“It is a situation that could have been avoided but what it shows is that the unsubstantiated accusations made against me suggesting I imposed ‘onerous’ conditions purely to try and manipulate the bidding process towards my preferred bidders has been shot to pieces.

Commonwealth Games to push for Twenty20 cricket inclusion

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is to approach the International Cricket Council (ICC) again to push for Twenty20 cricket’s inclusion in future Games, the CGF said.
“It is fundamental that our sports programme continues to evolve in such a way as to sustain the Commonwealth Games as one of the world’s leading multi-sport events,” CGF sports review committee chairman Tunku Imran said in a statement.

“Given cricket’s strong association with the Commonwealth, the CGF will have further dialogue with the ICC as to the possibility of 20/20 cricket being included as an option for future editions of the Games,” the CGF vice-president said.

Organisers of last year’s Delhi Commonwealth Games were keen to include Twenty20 cricket but the powerful Indian cricket board rejected the idea, saying it did not want to further encourage this format of the game.

India had sent a second-string squad when cricket featured in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games.

The CGF said it would also ask its 71 member countries to vote on whether to include beach volleyball from the 2018 Games.

Yuvraj spurs India to victory

Birthday boy Yuvraj Singh gave a stunning all-round display to spur India to a record six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second and final Twenty20 international on Saturday.

India's Yuvraj Singh, left, reacts as he returns to the pavilion with teammate Dinesh Karthik after India won the second Twenty20 cricket match between India and Sri Lanka, in Mohali, India.

India reached the highest chasing total, amassing 211 for four in 19.1 overs after Sri Lanka had made a daunting 206 for seven. The series was drawn 1-1.

Yuvraj, who turned 28 on Saturday, smashed a 25-ball 60 not out after he had grabbed three for 23 bowling left-arm spin on his home ground.

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for the second game in a row, making 59 off 31 balls as a sloppy India dropped five catches.

Sangakkara hammered eight fours and two sixes after stroking a match-winning 78 in the opening game in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Sehwag hit 64 off 35 balls and added 58 runs with fellow opener Gautam Gambhir (21) and 50 for the next wicket with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (46).

Yuvraj took over, adding 80 runs with Dhoni for the third wicket, hammering five sixes and three fours, and finishing off with a six.

India surpassed the 208 for two South Africa made while beating West Indies at Johannesburg in 2007.

The teams play a five-match one-day series from Tuesday.

Mallya Desired England As IPL Venue

Liquor baron and owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, Vijay Mallya, has said that he would have preferred England to host the second season of the Indian Premier League.

Vija Mallya and Lalit Modi

The Twenty20 competition was moved out of India because of a clash of dates with general elections and the IPL organisers sealed a deal to organise the event in South Africa.

“To be honest, I would have preferred England to South Africa,” the Daily Express quoted Mallya, as saying.

Mallya agreed that there is a huge possibility of rain disruptions; but he believed the tournament would have drawn bigger crowds in England.

“You could have taken just one flight from five or six cities in India to England and it would have been cheaper. Besides, an average Englishman loves his cricket and the stands there would have been full of spectators. But, I guess the weather conditions clinched the issue for South Africa,” he said.

For Complete news visit : www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2468/Mallya-Desired-England-As-IPL-Venue.htm

Indian Fans Disappointed

The change in venue for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought disappointment to the Indians who were batting for the Twenty20 competition being played in India.

Fans Enjoying Cricket

“It is like imagining Wimbledon in England, Australian Open tennis, or the UFA cups being played abroad. The charm of an Indian event has gone. It has become a television event,” said Diana Edulji, former Indian women”s Test cricketer.

Jitender Kumar, a cricket coach, said: “It will send out a wrong message to the world that such a big country like ours could not provide security to a sporting event. I believe it would have been better if IPL would have been held in India.”

Disappointment was writ large on the faces of young cricket enthusiasts who felt that IPL should be hosted in India as very few matches are played on Indian soil.

For Complete news visit:www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2463/Indians-Disappointed.htm

TV Rights Not Weather, Took IPL Away

Television rights and not the weather, it appears convinced Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi to chose South Africa instead of England for the second edition of the twenty20 tournament.

Lalit Modi,chairman IPL and(CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola

According to The Independent, Modi did not bother going on to London as initially planned to hear a pitch from the England and Wales Cricket Board for staging the game’s most lucrative competition.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India became less enthusiastic about hosting the event in Britain when they realised that apart from the bad weather in April and May, there may also encounter problems with broadcasting rights and revenue.

For complete news visit:www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2446/TV-Rights-Not-Weather,-Took-IPL-Away.htm