All posts by csb10.top

The Indian government has said it has found signs of company law violations in the ownership structures of several IPL teams and has asked the Registrar of Companies (RoC) to take legal action.”The preliminary information/reports have indicated non-compliance with certain provisions of the Companies Act, 1956,” minister of state for corporate affairs Salman Khurshid said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament.Last month, Khurshid had told the that the government hadn’t uncovered any “serious” non-compliance issues the IPL franchises may have allegedly committed under the Companies Act.The RoC had written in April to all IPL teams seeking complete information, including ownership details and proof of filing tax returns.The government began investigating the IPL after its suspended chairman Lalit Modi questioned the shareholding pattern of the Kochi franchise on Twitter. The ensuing furore led to the resignation of Shashi Tharoor as minister of state for external affairs and the suspension of Modi from the BCCI. Since then the corporate affairs ministry has been gathering details from IPL team owners about their ownership structure and funding arrangements.

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf is ready to come out of retirement sooner rather than later, further broadening the possibility of an appearance at some point for Pakistan in the summer.Yousuf, who announced his sudden retirement after a win-less tour of Australia, had said recently he was targeting the tour of UAE later this year to make a return, but the team’s struggles in the first Test against Australia at Lord’s may have prompted him to change his mind.”I am available any time for my national team,” Yousuf said in Karachi. “If the team doesn’t need me I stand retired. But if I’m needed, I am ready and available to serve my country. If PCB invites me with respect I will definitely go and join the team.”Ijaz Ahmed, Pakistan’s assistant coach, hinted at Yousuf’s possible return. “He can replace Afridi but the management haven’t decided yet who will come. It could come out in a couple of days. Maybe later, somebody will come but not at the moment.Pakistan made scores of 148 and 289 with only one batsman, Salman Butt, managing to pass fifty. They lost 11 of their wickets to Shane Watson and the part-time spinner Marcus North.Though their bowlers competed well, the batsmen fell short mainly due to the lack of experience in the middle order, which was missing the pedigree of Yousuf and Younis Khan for differing reasons.In the immediate aftermath of the Lord’s loss speculation centred on the PCB sending out an SOS to Yousuf, but Ijaz Butt denied that was the case. The matter of Yousuf and Younis’s return was considered at a meeting the chairman held with team management to appoint a new captain, but was deferred until after the second Test against Australia, officials insisting they were happy with the performances of debutantes Azhar Ali and Umar Amin.”These are the only two players we are talking about, Younus Khan and Yousuf,” Ijaz Ahmed added. “Let’s see, it might be decided about Yousuf. Yousuf might be coming here.”Salman, 25, was appointed captain after Shahid Afridi announced another unexpected retirement from Tests. Afridi was named captain for the entire tour of England but quit after the Lord’s defeat saying he wasn’t enjoying Test cricket after all.”He was the vice-captain as well. I hope he can manage this,” Ijaz Ahmed said of Salman’s promotion. “We have done a lot of talking to him and he has played really well and is shaping up well. I think he is getting mature and now he has got the responsibility as well. I think he will come good for that.”Yousuf has had problems in the past with Shoaib Malik when he was captain but said he was willing to play under Salman. “It’s a PCB decision (appointing Salman) and everybody should respect it,” Yousuf said. “I can play under any captain and have never felt degraded playing under anyone.”Yousuf added that he was in touch with the PCB chairman, who was kept aware of his plans to return.Yousuf was the captain during Pakistan’s shambolic tour of Australia, where the team came under fire for their performances. The PCB responded by penalising seven players it believed were responsible for the defeats, Yousuf among them. He and Younis were banned indefinitely, and as a mark of protest, Yousuf announced he was quitting the game “for now.”He was the only one among the seven punished players not to appeal against the sanctions, despite the PCB leaving the door open for him to return. However, since Yousuf didn’t respond to those messages from the board the national selectors could not consider him for the tour of England.

The consortium that owns IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab is in discussions with a number of corporations to sell a stake in the team. “We are in talks with a lot of companies, but have not finalised anything yet,” Mohit Burman, one of the promoters of the franchise, told Cricinfo in an email.However, Burman refused on to confirm or deny a story in the on Friday, which reported the consortium had applied to the BCCI for permission to sell 93% of the team to a private equity firm in London. The paper claimed the remaining 7% would remain with Preity Zinta, who apparently wishes to stay on as brand ambassador.Zinta owns 23% of KPH Dream Private Limited, the company that owns the franchise. The remaining 77% is split between Bombay Dyeing’s Ness Wadia (23%), Colway Investments (23%), MB Finmart, owned by Mohit Burman (11.5%), Windy Investments, owned by Gaurav Burman (11.5%); Apeejay Surrendra’s Karan Paul (4%) and Roots Investment (4%).The consortium paid $76 million for the Punjab franchise in 2008. The report claimed the sale is in the region of $250 million, meaning the promoters would make a profit of over 200%. At the second team auction in March this year, the Kochi and Pune franchises were sold for $333.33 million and $370 million respectively.Punjab reached the semi-finals in the inaugural IPL season but struggled in the last two years, finishing fifth in 2009 and last in 2010, when they won just four games. The team was also dogged by controversy over its choice of captain, having replaced local hero Yuvraj Singh with Kumar Sangakkara.

Scorecard
Loots Bosman struck 94 from 50 balls•Getty Images

Yorkshire suffered a crushing 65-run defeat in their opening Friends Providentt20 clash with Derbyshire at Headingley. The visitors, who made it two wins out of two, dashed to 222 for 5 batting first – the biggest score conceded in Twenty20 cricket by Yorkshire – and they were always well in control after a rousing 141 stand in 12 overs between Loots Bosman and Chesney Hughes.Bosman was in a ferocious mood, smashing 94 off only 50 deliveries with ninefours and six sixes, while Hughes plundered 65 from 41 balls with five fours andfour big sixes.Yorkshire’s t20 Aussie signing, Clint McKay, claimed a wicket in his first overwhen Chris Rogers skied a legside catch to Andrew Gale, and he later claimedthree wickets in three legitimate balls, with a wide coming in between his firstand second victims.He finished with 4 for 33 off his four overs, including the wicket ofHughes, but by then the damage had been done with Bosman exacting a heavy tollagainst most of the bowlers, his half-century coming up off 31 balls. He looked set for his century but perished when he went for another big hit off Adil Rashid and sliced a catch to Jacques Rudolph at backward point.The only time that Yorkshire looked like making a realistic challenge was atthe start of their reply when Rudolph set off at a cracking pace, thrashing TimGroenewald for three fours and a six in an opening over which cost 20 runs.The South African then blasted two legside sixes off Steffan Jones to rush himto 30 off eight balls with three fours and three sixes, but four runs later hedrove Wes Durston straight into the hands of Hughes.Captain Gale was bowled by Groenewald for 10, and when Anthony McGrath wascaught on the boundary edge off Garry Park Yorkshire were struggling on 53 for3.Herschelle Gibbs, also making his Yorkshire debut, tried to repair some of thedamage with fellow South African Gerard Brophy and they took the score to 96before Brophy stepped out of his crease to Durston and was stumped.Gibbs reached a careful 36 from 28 balls with four boundaries but when he wasbowled by Greg Smith to make it 124 for 6, Yorkshire had run out of steam.Smith ending with three for 19 off 2.5 overs.

Surrey have suspended Andre Nel, the former South Africa fast bowler, for two matches following continued on-pitch controversies. He had already received a two-game ban from the ECB this season but his county have now felt the need to take their own action.Nel has always been a fiery character on the field and blames it on his alter-ego called ‘Gunter’. The latest incidents occurred during this week’s Championship victory against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road when he reportedly threw the ball towards Niall O’Brien.Nel appeared before an internal hearing on Friday where he was found guilty of a level two breach of the ECB code. He has also been fined £5,000 pounds with half of that suspended for the remainder of his Surrey contract.”The way we conduct ourselves on and off the field is of utmost importance to us and breaches like this can’t go unpunished,” said Gus Mackay, Surrey’s managing director. “We have to be firm and consistent in our stance regarding improper behaviour that can bring the club and game into disrepute.”Nel’s ban covers the County Championship matches against Glamorgan and Leicestershire.

South Africa’s tour to West Indies after the World Twenty20 faces changes after a general election was called in Trinidad and Tobago for May 24 when the teams are due to be playing their one-day series.Port of Spain was set to host two Twenty20 internationals on May 19 and 20 followed by the first two ODIs on May 23 and 25, but now these matches will be shifted to alternative islands to avoid a clash with the election.The West Indies board is currently in discussions with ICC, Cricket South Africa and the relevant island boards and will announce the adjusted schedule shortly.South Africa’s tour comprises the two match Twenty20 series, a five-match ODI contest followed by three Tests.

Close Ireland 23 for 1 (Stirling 10*, N O’Brien 11*) trail Jamaica 339 (Bernard 102, Connell 4-77) by 316 with nine wickets remainingDavid Bernard produced a workman-like 102 off 165 balls for Jamaica to leave the hosts in a competitive position against Ireland in the opening day of their three-day Jamaica Cricket Festival clash at Chedwin Park.Bernard struck 10 fours and a six in his knock that lasted 202 minutes while getting support from Tamar Lambert (68) and Danza Hyatt (55) against Peter Connell who bagged 4 for 77 off his 11.5 overs. It was an elegant innings but Bernard was lucky to survive when he was dropped off spinner Paul Stirling when on 34. He punished the tourists, completing his century in just over two hours. Earlier, captain Lambert secured his half century with a measured shot over long off after a patient build-up.Ireland were made to work hard in the field, on a pitch that offered little for the bowling team. The visitors did however experience early success with Brenton Parchment being the first to go for the Jamaicans after he was caught by Trent Johnston on 31 off the bowling of Kevin O’Brien with the score on 56.Donovan Pagon (21) and Hyatt pushed the score to 104 before the former fell to the bowling of Andre Botha; Johnston again providing the safe hands for the catch. The Jamaicans added 11 runs for their next two wickets with Hyatt and Horace Miller (4) falling in quick succession to leave the hosts precariously poised on 115 for 4 shortly after lunch.Lambert and Bernard then steadied the ship with a partnership of 139 for the fifth wicket, but Jamaica collapsed after Lambert’s departure; the batsman playing onto his own stumps, to trigger the slide that saw Jamaica lose their next five wickets for 84 runs.Connell was obviously the pick of the Irish bowlers, but received good support from Stirling who claimed 2-45 and the trio of Kevin O’Brien (1-29), Johnston (1-42) and Gary Kidd (1-44). Ireland will be buoyed by the fact that they managed to bowl out Jamaica and will be looking for an advantage when they resume on one wicket down on the second day.

Bangladesh’s highest-profile batsman, Mohammad Ashraful, has been dropped from a 13-man squad for the three-match one-day series against England, which gets underway on Sunday, after an extended run of poor form. His place in the squad has been taken by the uncapped allrounder, Mohammad Sohrawordhi, while the country’s leading strike bowler, Mashrafe Mortaza, comes back into the reckoning after an eight-month injury lay-off.Since scoring a century on debut as a 17-year-old, against Sri Lanka at Colombo in September 2001, Ashraful has gained a reputation as one of the most naturally gifted batsmen in the world game, and on rare occasions, such as his matchwinning century against Australia in June 2005, he has lived up to that star billing.But his respective Test and ODI averages of 22.78 and 23.72 do his talent no justice whatsoever, and the past 12 months have been particularly torrid. His last century came against Zimbabwe in August 2009, shortly after he was relieved of the captaincy to help him concentrate on run-scoring, but he managed just 62 runs in six innings, across all three forms of the game, on the recent tour of New Zealand.”Ashraful himself wanted a break and we also felt that the pressure on him had increased to the extent that his confidence was suffering,” said the Bangladesh chairman of selectors, Raqiful Alam. “We believe that a gap from international cricket would be beneficial for him and he will come back strongly soon and do justice to his calibre.”Ashraful’s replacement, Sohrawordhi, adds depth to the team, in the opinion of the selectors. “He is a very capable cricketer and is in the team as a specialist left-arm spinner,” said Alam. “He can also be a more than handy batsman in the middle and lower-order and he is a top fielder. He is someone who has progressed step-by-step through the development system and has been a consistent performer at Academy and A Team levels over the years.”The return of Mortaza is the big boost to the Bangladesh squad, following his latest bout of rehabilitation after suffering a knee injury in the Caribbean in July. Although he went wicketless in his appearance for the BCB XI in Fatullah on Thursday, the selectors are confident that he is ready to resume his role of strike bowler.”He has played in the practice match today [against England] and he has also been declared fit by his doctor,” said Alam. “Someone like Mortaza has got nothing to prove regarding his ability and we have confidence in him. He is a big-match player.”Roqibul Hasan, who toured New Zealand earlier this month but made just 9 in his solitary ODI at Napier, was not able to preserve his place in the squad when he fell for 14 in the Fatullah warm-up, while the selectors also omitted the pacemen Nazmul Hossain and Shahadat Hossain because of the balance of the side.Bangladesh squad Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Zunaed Siddique, Aftab Ahmed Chowdhury, Mahmud Ullah, Naeem Islam, Masrafe Bin Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Md. Sohrawordhi.

Brett Lee, Australia’s fourth-highest wicket-taker, has retired from Test cricket after admitting his body could no longer handle the demands of the five-day game. Lee has decided to focus on ODIs and Twenty20s as he aims to rejoin Australia’s team and collect a second World Cup trophy in 2011.”I’m not 21, I’m 33,” Lee told Seven. “Trying to bowl at 150kph for five days is very hard on the body.”Lee, who took 310 wickets in 76 Tests, said his most special achievement was playing for more than a decade in Australia’s top team. His final game in a baggy green was in Melbourne in 2008 and he limped off towards the end of the match with a fractured left foot, which required an operation and another long lay-off.An untimely side strain kept him out of the first three 2009 Ashes Tests and he was angry to miss the final two matches when the series was at stake. The selectors doubted he could last five days and were quickly proved right. Lee was approaching peak form again during the Champions Trophy, but was forced home from the one-day tour of India with an elbow problem.When the injury required surgery he took time out to decide whether he wanted to go through another extended recovery. Cutting his workload became the only option and the decision also keeps him closer to his young son Preston.During his time at the top Lee suffered career-threatening elbow and foot injuries, but was able to return to the Test team each time and regain his high speeds. While he spent much of his career behind Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie as a high-voltage weapon, he also proved he could lead the attack after McGrath retired.In series against Sri Lanka, India and West Indies in 2007 and 2008 he captured 58 wickets in nine matches but was unable to keep up the pace. He suffered with a serious stomach bug in India later that year, which robbed him of weight and impact in the Tests, and struggled in Australia’s home campaign. He picked up the tenth and final five-wicket haul of his career against New Zealand in Adelaide but took only one wicket in two matches against South Africa before hobbling away, ultimately forever.Lee will follow in the footsteps of Andrew Flintoff and Jacob Oram in becoming a limited-overs specialist. He has an IPL contract with Kings XI Punjab worth US$900,000 a season and strong business and music interests in India. There is also another World Cup trophy to hope for.

The possibility of a Pakistan domestic side participating in the Champions League Twenty20 this year – though bleak – has not been entirely written off yet, either by the league or the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).Pakistan did not have a representative in the inaugural tournament last year, the only Test-playing nation other than Bangladesh to not have a representative in the 12-team league. Sialkot Staliions – then Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions – had been invited to participate in the very first Champions League, but that was postponed because of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.Since then, as ties between the governments and cricket boards of India and Pakistan have become frostier not only have the two countries not had a bilateral series, Pakistan’s players have not participated in the IPL and not been invited to the Champions League.Relations have worsened further following the decision of the IPL franchises this year to not pick any Pakistani players, despite Pakistan being the World Twenty20 champions and having as many as 12 players up for auction. The PCB eventually decided to revoke all NOCs it had given to players hoping to participate in the IPL, but the door may remain open for participation in this year’s Champions League, which is a multi-board venture and may not be played in India.Discussion on a Pakistan representative was expected to take place in the last meeting of the league’s governing council between officials from the Indian board, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. But a senior league official said the number of teams in this year’s tournament – to be held in September – has not been finalised.”No final decision on participating countries/teams has been made for this year’s event,” Dean Kino, the league’s director of business and legal affairs and key member of the core management, told Cricinfo when asked specifically about the possibility of a Pakistan side being invited.No contact has yet been made with the PCB and though the IPL remains off-limits, the Champions League is a possibility. “Nothing has been discussed with us by any of the boards involved in the tournament as yet,” Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, told Cricinfo. “The IPL remains persona non grata for us, but if there is some contact about the Champions League we will consider the situation, where it is played and when. We would be amenable to sending a team should we get an invite and the situation is feasible.”Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament has not yet been held this season; it is scheduled to be played between late February and early March. Pakistan’s ODI series with England in September also clashes with the dates of the Champions League, which makes it unlikely that any domestic champion will be able to call on its best players should there even be an invite.