ACB registers disproportionate assets case against Karnataka Cong MLA
Zameer Ahmed Khan
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Bengaluru, July 05: Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials are conducting
raids on the properties belonging to Chamarajpet MLA and Congress leader B
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Karachi (SAT): The chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Shaharyar Khan has said that the PCB would no longer ask India to play the bilateral series planned in the UAE in December.
"I think we have said enough about the series and we are not going to ask them anymore. The ball is in their court now and they now have to decide and inform us about the fate of the series," Khan told reporters.
The former diplomat, in his most strong statement on the coming series and relations with India, said the PCB had done enough on its part to show its keenness to play the series and revive bilateral ties.
"I don't want to say anything more on the series. But what is causing us concern is that from what we know the letter we sent to the Indian board about the series has not gone to their government as yet," he said.
The PCB chief said if the Indian board backed out of the series which Pakistan is supposed to host it would approach the ICC and other member boards.
"The series is part of a proper MOU signed between the two boards and we will pursue this matter if required," he added.
Khan said that Pakistan's stance remained clear that cricket and politics shouldn't be mixed.
"Relations between the two countries have been tense in the past as well but we still played cricket. But since 2007 India has not played a test against us. We will not run after them now it is their turn to decide and realise the importance of reviving bilateral cricket ties."
Khan said that Pakistan had already started work on a Plan B but had not met with success as yet since they were only two teams free in December.
"One is Zimbabwe whom we have already played twice this year and the other is Bangladesh who will be busy in their (domestic) Premier League. But we are looking at other options as well," Khan said.
Pakistan's enigmatic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar also weighed in with his take on Indo-Pak cricket when he said it was not just Pakistan which needed to play India but also India which needed to play Pakistan.
"It is not just about us wanting to play them. I think it is also important for India to play us. And the fact is the financial rewards from a Indo-Pak series is immense for both boards and the positive is that money will eventually trickle down to the players and in helping the grass roots cricket," he said on Geo Super channel.
"India might be a financial powerhouse but even they know they can earn a lot more from playing Pakistan. There are benefits for both boards."
Akhtar also said that his statement that Pakistan should not play India until the conditions improve was misquoted.
"I just said that Pakistan and India should avoid giving too many statements including cricketers, officials and politicians as doesn't help the relations and there is a need to have Indo-Pak cricket matches."
Akhtar said regardless of what anyone might say, to him Pakistan and India matches remained the pinnacle of international cricket and regular matches would only help in the development of players as well.
(with agency inputs)
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has said that he would like to reclaim the tag of being the fastest to score a ton in One-Day International (ODI) cricket. The 34-year-old’s record for the fastest ODI hundred was overtaken by Corey Anderson last January when the New Zealand left-hander smashed a 36-ball century against the West Indies in Queenstown. That record was once again beaten by a breathtaking display by AB de Villiers last Sunday when the Proteas captain blasted a hundred off 31 balls versus the same opposition at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
Afridi, who is set to retire from the 50-over format of the game after World Cup, further said that one can't plan too much while setting these records and if it's your day, they will happen. He also praised de Villiers for his spectacular knock on Sunday.
“He played like a champion to get the record and it was his special day,” Afridi said in an interview.
"You never plan out to set such records. It just happens when you have a very special day and your confidence is sky high. If everything works out for me and it is my special day then I will try to improve the record set by Ab de Villiers in New Zealand or in the World Cup,” he added.
It was my day at Nairobi: Afridi
Talking about his own hundred against Kenya in Nairobi in 1996, Afridi said that everything he did on the day came off spectacularly and that he hopes to play a similar kind of innings despite batting at No.6 in the batting order before he retires.
"It just happened that day it was my special day and everything clicked. I hope I get another special day in the coming World Cup if it can happen I will try to get back the record of which I was always proud.
"But realistically speaking I know that at the number I come to bat at these days one can score a half century but it is really difficult to get a hundred but you never know it could my special day," he said.
ODI rules heavily loaded in the favour of batsmen: Afridi
The Pakistani also felt that with the rules in the limited-overs format being heavily loaded in favour of the batsmen, the day isn’t far when totals in the range of 350-400 will be chased down by the team batting second.
"After the rule changes in 50 overs cricket and with the popularity of T20 cricket things are now tilted in the favor of batsmen and in coming days we could see even totals of 400 go down easily,” he said.
"Limited overs cricket has really changed dramatically in the last couple of years."
Originally published on Sportskeeda.com here
Colombo, May 30 (IANS) The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board is ready to assist investigation that Indian bookies may have been involved with a tournament held in the island nation last year.
Indian media reports said some bookies were involved with the franchises in the Sri Lanka Premier League.
SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga told Xinhua that the board was ready to help the probe as the board had a "zero tolerance" policy for corruption.
The revelation by the Indian media is part of a major corruption scandal surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Three cricketers of the Rajasthan Royals, one of the teams in the just ended tournament, were arrested after it was found they had fixed part of the matches in return for money from bookies.
Vindoo Dara Singh, a Hindi film actor who was also arrested as part of the probe, has revealed that many Indian bookies were in fact "benami" owners of franchises in the Sri Lanka Premier League, the Indian media reported.
Courtsy by Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited
New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Sacked Rajasthan Royals player S. Sreesanth spent a sleepless first night in a small cell in Tihar jail, but ate "dal-chawal" with other prisoners, jail officials said here Wednesday.
Sreesanth, who was arrested May 16 from Mumbai alongwith two other teammates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, shared the cell with two other undertrials, an official told IANS.
"He looked fine when he came. He did not talk much. At night, he just sat or walked around the cell. He hardly slept," the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Sreesanth was sent to judicial custody by a city court May 28. He was in police custody ever since his arrest for spot fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"At dinner, he lined up like others for food. He took dal and chawal," the official added. "In the morning, he had tea and some biscuits."
The official added that he has been lodged in Tihar Jail No.1. Chandila, who was also sent to jail Tuesday, has been warded in another jail. Chavan is already in jail since May 24. All the three are in judicial custody till June 4.
"All the three players are sharing their cells with at least two undertrials," another official added.
"We gave them mattresses and bedsheets," the official added.
(Courtsy By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited)
Mumbai/New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) The government Wednesday called for the resignation of N. Srinivasan on "moral grounds" but the BCCI chief remained adamant even as as his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's police custody was extended till Friday.
Despite growing demands for his exit, Board of Control for Cricket in India president Srinivasan, whose son-in-law faces charges of betting in Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, remained defiant.
The sports ministry said it had "observed with considerable disquiet" reports about match and spot fixing since the controversy broke out May 16 with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royal players for spot fixing.
It said in view of conflict of interest, Srinivasan should step aside pending the enquiry ordered by the BCCI against Meiyappan, chief executive of Chennai Super Kings, owned by Srinivasan's India Cements company.
"As there is a conflict of interest, the BCCI president should tender his resignation on moral grounds," a ministry statement said.
A Mumbai court extended till Friday the police custody of Meiyappan after police said they needed to confront him and arrested Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh, another accused, with Chennai hotelier Vikram Agarwal.
The prosecution said they used to communicate on telephone in "coded language" regarding matches, players and bets, and that further remand was necessary to decipher the codes.
IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and Board of Control for Cricket in India vice president Arun Jaitley betrayed the disquiet in the board when they asked Srinivasan to "step away" till the charges against Meiyappan were probed.
"In our opinion, he should stay away till the probe against his son-in-law is on," Shukla told the media in New Delhi.
"We are concerned about the image of the board. We have requested him to step down till the probe is over, it is up to him to decide. He says he has done no wrong. It is his view."
BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, retired judge T. Jayaram Chouta of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu high courts and former judge R. Balasubramanian of the Tamil Nadu High Court will investigate the spot fixing scandal.
The panel will look into the allegations against Meiyappan, Chennai Super Kings owner India Cements Ltd as well as Rajasthan Royals owner Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd.
On Tuesday, Jyotiraditya Scinda, chairman of BCCI's finance committee, asked for Srinivasan's resignation, a demand earlier made by former board president Inderjit Singh Bindra.
Ravi Savant of the Mumbai Cricket Association also wants Srinivasan to exit.
But despite the mounting calls, Srinivasan remained adamant. He says he has done no wrong.
He insisted that Shukla's comments were a mere reiteration of what he (Srinivasan) himself had stated earlier in Kolkata.
"It is very clear that he has said that I should disassociate with the procedure (of the commission). In Kolkata I said the same - I will have nothing to do with the commission, its appointment and its probe.
"This is what Shukla said. He has reiterated what I said."
Asked about the views of Scindia, Srinivasan said: "I don't respond to individual comments."
Scindia's remarks punctured Srinivasan's claims that the board was united over his continuing as the BCCI president.
Former BCCI president Sharad Pawar concurred with his successor Shashank Manohar and demanded an inquiry by the home ministry into all the 75 matches of the IPL.
Pawar, also a former International Cricket Council (ICC) president, said if he had been in power at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) the scam wouldn't have taken place.
"If the BCCI gives in writing to the Home Minister and requests to investigate all the matches, the government can then investigate all the matches. They can interrogate anybody. They have legal sanction," Pawar said.
"If, however, the board does not accept it and says its own anti-corruption will do the job, I feel the board is not serious in dealing with the wrongdoings," he added.
Meanwhile, the sports ministry rejected the law ministry's first draft of the Dishonest Practice in Sporting Event (Prevention) Bill and has sent it back for revision with as many as 18 recommendations.
Sports ministry officials told IANS that the draft bill was done in a hurry and left out some important points. The re-draft is likely to be ready in another nine weeks.
"The draft bill had 10 points and we had sent it back with as many as 18 recommendations. It was done in a hurry with several glaring loopholes," a top sports ministry official told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
The draft covered all inter-state and international tournaments and in the event left out IPL or football's I-League, which are franchise-based club tournaments.
The IPL spot fixing and betting row, which has led to the arrest of three players, Srinivasan's son-in-law and several bookies across the country, has enveloped the BCCI in one of its worst crisis since the 2000 match fixing case.
(Courtsy By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited)
Many of my readers have raised eyebrows after I have ‘liked‘ the Pakistani Cricket team on Facebook. I do not feel the need to justify myself, since it is but obvious that cricket is a display of skills and temperament and has nothing to do with one’s patriotic feelings. I have ceased to remain a cricket fan, after they started covering half of the TV screen with ads, and cheerleaders took over dada’s enthusiasm. However, I do find it an interesting idea for an article; why someone – who has the least interest in cricket, would go all the way and like the cricket team of a ‘rival’ country?
Well, Pakistan is not just a country like any other. It is a cohesion of multiple forces living together. The Pakistani establishment can be broadly divided into three forces – the jihadi groups, the military establishment and the people. While the other establishments may have different interests, and we may have our reasons to hate and accuse them, a major part of Pakistan is people. Hardworking and simple people like you and me – who struggle for the daily bread and butter on their tables, who don’t care for hatred or wars. All they want is to live in peace.
While India and Pakistan, at a political level are at on-and-off-war since partition, rarely think of how wonderful life would have been, had the partition not happened! Within decades, we have become so unrecognizable, so aloof of each other’s concerns. What makes the Indo-Pakistani conflict even more dangerous is that both sides contain nuclear weapons. With the possibility that Pakistan might become a failed state, there is a good chance of a major genocide erupting in the twenty-first century. The ‘people of Pakistan’ is our only hope of establishing peace within and outside the country.
Very much like India, Pakistan’s religion is also cricket. Their cricket has suffered badly in recent times due to the political unrest. Pakistani people seriously need a moral boost to keep the country rolling. I was thinking about this for long and arrived to a conclusion – that a big win of Pakistan in the next world cup will get the people on their front foot. It will give them the moral boost to stand up and run. I know the thought might be stupid and naive. But rarely do we think that India has gone way ahead, at-least in cricket, with billions of rupees being spent on infrastructural and talent hunt. Where does Pakistani cricket stand? Even if we keep the political reasons aside, won’t a strong Pakistani cricket team bring back the age old thrill of watching an Indo-Pak cricket match?
By : sourav roy
Well, I am a poet and a dreamer, but also a realist and an optimist. I value simple living and high thinking. I try to give my best I can, in everything I do. I am an idealist but circumstances have always tried to convince that life doesn’t work out the way I wish for or predict. But for me it’s too early to give up. And its’ never too late!
My ultimate passion lies in writing poems in Hindi, and I have authored three books - ’अनभ्र रात्रि की अनुपमा‘, ‘उत्थिष्ठ भारत‘ and ‘यायावर‘.
Mumbai: Duncan Fletcher's contract as India's cricket coach was on Friday extended by one more year despite a below-par track record, setting to rest the intense speculation on his future.
The decision to renew the 64-year-old Fletcher's two-year contract, which was due to end at the end of this month, was taken by the BCCI's Working Committee which met on Friday.
"The Board has decided to extend his contract. But we have to discuss the terms. I can't tell you the deliberations of the Board. All I can tell you is what is the decision. We have decided to extend it," BCCI president N Srinivasan told reporters after the meeting.
Speculation was rife about Fletcher's future after India lost 10 Test matches including a home series against England recently apart from 'whitewashes' in England and Australia.
A senior BCCI official told PTI that continuing with Fletcher made sense, keeping in mind the Test series in South Africa.
"Since he has been with the team for two years, we don't want to take a knee-jerk reaction considering the next big Test series is in South Africa. It will be risky and unfair on a new coach to give him charge in South Africa and expect good results from him," the official said.
Under Fletcher, India had lost 10 out of the 22 Test matches before the ongoing match in Mohali having won only eight. The only away Test win was against West Indies nearly two years back just when Fletcher had taken charge.
In the 44 ODI matches played by India post their World Cup triumph, the 'Men in Blue' have won 25 matches losing 16. Two were tied and one match did not yield any result.
In T20s, India won nine of the 17 matches losing the other eight. India did not qualify for the Asia Cup final and also couldn't make it to the last four in the ICC World T20.
Legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar questioned Fletcher's extension but said he should get the backing since he has now been re-appointed.
"I wonder whether an Indian coach would have survived after 10 Test defeats," Gavaskar quipped on NDTV.
Incidentally, Fletcher was roped in on recommendations of highly successful former India coach Gary Kirsten. The Indian players have had high regards for him as a person with a great technical acumen but as far as strategy is concerned, he has been more of a backroom character.
