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A day after Ottis Gibson said he would like a batting coach to be part of his staff, West Indies proved they need the guidance of one by crashing to 157 all out

Cricinfo staff30-May-2010A day after Ottis Gibson said he would like a batting coach to be part of his staff, West Indies proved they need the guidance of one by crashing to 157 all out in 38 overs in Dominica, surrendering the series 3-0 to South Africa with two ODIs to play. Gibson said the dismal performance was because the batsmen were neither taking responsibility nor playing with common sense.”It boils down to the batsmen taking responsibility, which they are not doing, and it is also going to take a large amount of common sense, which they are not displaying,” Gibson said. “As a coach, you can talk as much as you like, and the guys are working hard at their skills, but cricket also requires some thought and a lot of commonsense and that’s where, as a batting group, we are falling down.”The West Indies bowlers had done their bit to help fight back in the series by restricting South Africa to 224 in the third one-dayer. However, the batting collapsed and the hosts lost eight wickets for 89 to slump to 118 for 8. Similar batting failures have led to West Indies losing all five chases against South Africa – two in the Twenty20 internationals and three in the ODIs.”I keep saying that, in order to win, we have to create the opportunity first. We created the opportunity, we bowled out (South Africa) for 224, we can’t ask for more than that in a game you have to win,” Gibson said. “All it required was some common sense batting and we’re not displaying any common sense when we walk out.”Gibson also defended Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s performance in the third one-dayer. Chanderpaul, playing his first match of the series after recovering from a hand injury, took 49 balls to score 24 at No.3. “Shiv is still our best player; chasing 224, we didn’t need any heroics, we just needed some sensible batting, but, as we have seen in most of the games so far, we’ve been let down badly by our batting,” Gibson said. “We’ve seen in the past Shiv take 40 balls to get 20 runs but, if he bats 50 overs, he will make up. If the other guys bat around him, we will get to 224.”West Indies have included batsman Travis Dowlin, the A team’s captain, in the squad for the fourth ODI and Gibson said it was likely that he would play. “Travis Dowlin – who has had a reasonable (West Indies A Team) tour of Bangladesh – is joining us so we could see another change in the batting order.”Ramnaresh Sarwan, who picked up a hamstring injury in the second ODI, is still on the sidelines.

Four wickets for Adil Rashid, bowling with a self-assurance that can only encourage both Yorkshire and England, helped the Championship leaders reach a position from which they might take a clear lead at the top of the First Division

Jon Culley at Headingley06-Jul-2010

ScorecardFour wickets for Adil Rashid, bowling with a self-assurance that can only encourage both Yorkshire and England, helped the Championship leaders reach a position from which they might take a clear lead at the top of the First Division.Warwickshire’s position at the close – delayed until almost seven o’clock after a 30-minute stoppage for rain – leaves them needing 55 more to avoid the follow-on, although they at least had the consolation of a batting bonus point – only their second in six matches in an increasingly grim season.That was made possible for the most part by their first opening partnership in three figures for more than a year as Ian Westwood and Darren Maddy put on 102.Rashid’s current status is difficult to assess. Largely a passenger on England’s winter tour of South Africa, he has not played any international cricket since he bowled three overs in the second one-day international at Centurion Park on November 22nd. He was overlooked for the World Twenty20 and both series, home and away, against Bangladesh.But while some may judge that to be insensitive treatment by the selectors, it may actually be just what he needs. Armed with some knowledge, at least, of the standards he must attain to be successful at the top level, a period giving his undivided attention to county cricket should make him a better bowler. If a snub by design is taking place, the selectors may yet congratulate themselves on their wisdom.Yorkshire will not mind if he does not get a look-in for the rest of the season. He is their leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket with 37 successes and has been their most effective weapon in Twenty20 thus far for good measure. What’s more, he looks as though he is enjoying every minute, particularly with the support of a captain, in Andrew Gale, who encourages self-expression.Rashid was Yorkshire’s trump card in the evening session. In the morning, it was wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy’s turn to enjoy an overdue moment in the sun. Under pressure from Jonathan Bairstow for the gloves, he did his cause no harm by completing his seventh first-class century – his second for Yorkshire – off 168 balls with 15 fours.Unfortunately, though, he did not extend it by much, giving his wicket away somewhat with a loose stroke as Warwickshire mounted a fightback that, for two sessions, went well.After Rashid had been leg before to Neil Carter off the second ball of the day, Brophy aimed to cut Rikki Clarke but steered the ball straight to point. Azeem Rafiq was then taken at gully off Clarke before a fine throw by Steffan Piolet – a direct hit from short third man – ran out Steve Patterson at the non-striker’s end.A brave effort from Rich Pyrah, suffering a bout of sickness and clearly under the weather, gained Yorkshire a fourth batting point. He finished unbeaten on 45, despite being stopped in his tracks several times by an irresistible urge to retch. Tino Best showed rather less resolve. He was caught at gully fending off a short ball from Boyd Rankin, and with Oliver Hannon-Dalby caught at short leg soon after lunch, Warwickshire could claim to have dominated the day to that point, having claimed six Yorkshire wickets for 100.They were still on top at tea. Captain Westwood, with Maddy in the supporting role, led a partnership that took them past 100 without the loss of a wicket for the first time since June 2008. Most of this season’s efforts have been broken in single figures.Missing Ian Ball and Jonathan Trott, Warwickshire’s form with the bat had been woeful coming into this match. Topping 150 has often proved beyond them, which explains why relegation looks a strong possibility. Westwood’s 95-ball 66, therefore, represented rare riches.But after both he and Maddy fell leg before in consecutive overs, the innings began to lose its way. Westwood was a first victim for Rashid, playing back to a delivery that shot through with a low trajectory, as Warwickshire found themselves 104-2. They should have been 111-3 at tea but Ant Botha was missed by Anthony McGrath at slip on six off Rashid with the last ball of the afternoon session.That reprieve allowed Botha and Jim Troughton to build a recovery of sorts but three wickets in the space of 10 balls shifted the balance back in Yorkshire’s favour as the visitors slipped from 148 for 2 to 153 for 5.Rashid, looking confident and making the ball turn and bounce, claimed his second success when Troughton popped the ball obligingly to Adam Lyth at forward short leg and dismissed Botha in much the same fashion. In between, 18-year-old Atiq Javid was leg before to an arrow-straight delivery from Steve Patterson.Tim Ambrose, who had been short of his best with the gloves, would have been out without scoring had an edge off Patterson not flashed past a motionless Jacques Rudolph at slip, after which the former England wicketkeeper had another piece of luck on 17 when he squirted a ball from Rashid onto his stumps without dislodging the bails.After the rain, Warwickshire lost two more wickets. A straight and fast ball from Best left Ambrose looking helpless, then Rashid had Piolet leg before, although the first impression, which the batsman seemed to share, was that he had put bat on ball first, although fourth-floor level at third man is possibly not the best place from which to make an accurate judgment.Warwickshire will want Clarke and Carter to dig in on day three and lose some more time rain. But even that might not be enough.

Nottinghamshire lost their unbeaten home record in this season’s Friends Provident t20 with a 23-run defeat under the Duckworth-Lewis method at the hands of Leicestershire

16-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Nottinghamshire lost their unbeaten home record in this season’s Friends Provident t20 with a 23-run defeat under the Duckworth-Lewis method at the hands of Leicestershire, but still secured a home quarter-final thanks to results elsewhere.The Foxes overseas all-rounder Andrew McDonald hit an unbeaten 59 and claimed a career-best five for 13 as the visitors upset the North Group leaders to climb off the bottom of the table and keep alive their own hopes of qualifying for the last-eight.The Australian’s 44-ball innings included four fours and a six to cement the Leicestershire total of 145 for 5 on a slow wicket at Trent Bridge, with former Nottinghamshire batsman Will Jefferson contributing 33.Despite some lusty blows from Steven Mullaney, McDonald’s medium-pace destroyed the home batting line-up on his way to the best bowling figures in this year’s competition.Boundaries proved rare for the visitors with both openers falling early, although Jefferson pulled Ryan Sidebottom for six and hit left-arm spinner Graeme White for two successive fours, one with an orthodox sweep and the second a reverse.McDonald hit Dirk Nannes for four and six in the 19th over to reach his 50 off 39 balls, adding another boundary in the final over as Leicestershire closed on what appeared to be a par total.With rain threatening to fall throughout the match, Nottinghamshire did just enough to stay ahead of the required Duckworth-Lewis total early on, despite losing Ali Brown, Alex Hales and Matt Wood in the space of four overs.But Samit Patel the injudiciously drove McDonald to deep cover and once the Australian removed his Victoria team-mate Hussey in his next over, Nottinghamshire never looked likely to overhaul their target.The players went off once for rain before resuming, with the target revised to 141 off 19 overs, but McDonald carried on in the same vein to dismiss Chris Read, White and Sidebottom, with Darren Pattinson bowled by Nadeem Malik before more rain finished off the match.Nevertheless, Nottinghamshire secured a home tie in the quarter-finals thanks to Lancashire failing to beat Northamptonshire.

Iqbal Mohammad Ali, a leading Pakistan parliamentarian, has appealed to the country’s president and patron PCB, Asif Ali Zardari, to remove chairman of the cricket board Ijaz Butt

Cricinfo staff11-Aug-2010Iqbal Mohammad Ali, a leading Pakistan parliamentarian, has appealed to the country’s president and patron PCB, Asif Ali Zardari, to remove chairman of the cricket board Ijaz Butt, who he felt was responsible for the continued deterioration of the national side.” In a scathing two-page letter written to the President, Ali argues that Butt’s administration has seen the team reduced to the status of “minnows.”The last year has been a particularly torrid one for Pakistan, their win in the ICC World Twenty20 last year followed by a disastrous tour of Australia. Several senior players were either fined or banned by the PCB in the aftermath of that tour, though most of the punishments were overturned soon after. Currently, after beating Australia in the Headingley Test in their ongoing tour of England, they capitulated to scores of 80 and 72 in their two Tests against England which they lost comprehensively.”The chairman and his close aides have shoddily let down your confidence in them by making a mockery of management ethics at the board,” wrote Ali, who also heads the national assembly’s standing committee on sports. The standing committees of the upper and lower houses cannot take direct action against any organization, but they can pass on suggestions to the government.”It is therefore recommended that a very dynamic and energetic administrator be made the chairman of the board so that the affairs of cricket in Pakistan are run professionally. (The) incompetence of Mr. Ijaz Butt has already brought enough shame for our country at international level.”Former players like Aamer Sohail, Abdul Qadir and Iqbal Qasim held senior positions in the PCB but resigned and Ali blamed Butt for their departure. He said they quit “due to egocentric and autocratic attitude of Mr. Ijaz Butt.”The board has also seen through five different Test captains in just over a year – Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammed Yousuf, Shahid Afridi and Salman Butt – and Ali said Butt and the management were responsible for such a “comedy of errors.”Ali also alleged that the present team manager Yawar Saeed, whom he said was close to Butt, was supporting certain “groups of players in the team which is destroying the unity.” However, he didn’t elaborate on the players involved.Butt took over as chairman from Nasim Ashraf in October 2008.

Desperation ripped both ways at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Tuesday

Telford Vice21-Sep-2010In some hearts, desperation is the engine that does not know how to die. In others, it is the knife that stabs deep and deadly. That’s the double trouble with desperation, and it ripped both ways at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Tuesday.A place in the semi-finals of the Champions League T20 was at stake, and either the Highveld Lions or the Royal Challengers Bangalore would grab hold of it.On the night, Bangalore’s heart held firm like it hadn’t done before in this tournament. “Once we restricted them to that 159 for six, and once we got a solid foundation on the board in reply I knew we could do it,” said their captain, Anil Kumble.Batting at number three, Virat Kohli decided the issue with a feisty 49 not out off 29 balls. “I was waiting for one big over, and that was the 17th,” Kohli said. “It was very satisfying.”That over, which was bowled by Ethan O’Reilly, went for 19 runs and took Bangalore to within 24 runs of victory. Kohli made light of a shot he called the “short flick”, a snappy dab to the off side that earned a significant share of his runs.”No, I haven’t worked hard on it,” he said. “It just comes naturally; I don’t know how.”The Lions’ heart, alas for them and their fans, who had just begun to believe in them again after years of disappointment, failed.”We want to leave a legacy of champions,” said their visibly downcast skipper, Alviro Petersen. “Hopefully we’ve won the hearts of other fans who weren’t Lions supporters to begin with.”Glum or not, Peterson was proud of his team, who came into the event as no-hopers and shocked the Mumbai Indians in the opening match before going on to beat Guyana.”We fought all the way,” he said. “We went in with a mindset of disbelief, but it wasn’t good enough. The better team won.”We’ve given everything in this tournament; we’ve left nothing on the field. We’ve come up against phenomenal opposition, and it never really bothered us.”Bangalore’s reward is a trip back to Kingsmead in Durban for their semi-final.The fact that this venue was the scene of both of their defeats in the CLT20, at the hands of the South Australia Redbacks and the Mumbai Indians, didn’t seem to bother Kumble.
“I don’t think we need to look at Durban as two losses,” he said. “There were a lot of positives to take out of the game against Mumbai.It was a case of just a few runs and we would have won that game.” The night wouldn’t have been complete if someone didn’t ask if Kevin Pietersen, who is due to return to his native South Africa soon to play two SuperSport Series matches for the Dolphins next month, would replace the injured Jacques Kallis in the Bangalore squad.”It’s a bit tough to say now,” Kumble said. “We have to go back and figure out who we can get.”And did he care who his team came up against in the semis?”No. It doesn’t matter.”If Kumble’s heart was beating any faster as he tossed those words into the mix carelessly, no one knew.

England’s Twenty20 cricketers were barely forced to break sweat as they sauntered to a crushing six-wicket victory in Cardiff, against a Pakistan side whose off-field woes appeared to have seeped out into the middle with them

The Bulletin by Andrew Miller in Cardiff07-Sep-2010England 90 for 4 (Collingwood 21) beat Pakistan 89 (Bresnan 3-10) by six wickets

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPakistan were dismissed for their lowest total in Twenty20 internationals•PA Photos

England’s Twenty20 cricketers were barely forced to break a sweat as they sauntered to a crushing six-wicket victory in Cardiff against a Pakistan side whose off-field woes appeared to have seeped out into the middle with them. Despite another slight wobble with the bat as England closed in on a record-equalling seventh T20I victory in a row, a dismal target of 90 never looked like being a challenge, as Eoin Morgan and Michael Yardy once again eased them over the line with six overs to spare.The victory wrapped up a 2-0 clean sweep of the Twenty20 series, and completed a subdued sojourn in South Wales for Pakistan, which started with further newspaper allegations ahead of Sunday’s opening fixture, and concluded this evening with their lowest ever total in the format, as Tim Bresnan led an excellent attacking bowling performance with 3 for 10 in 3.4 overs. In front of a county-standard attendance of 5,821, it was an anticlimactic spectacle in every sense. But at least the sunset was pretty.Although Pakistan this time batted first of their own volition, their innings started in an uncannily familiar fashion to Sunday’s first fixture. A loose first over from Ryan Sidebottom was swatted for 11 useful runs (one fewer than had been the case two days earlier), before Bresnan dismissed Kamran Akmal via a rash pull for the second game running. He struck with his second ball on Sunday, and his fourth today, but at 11 for 1, Pakistan’s innings had once again been robbed of its early momentum.The situation got steadily worse for Pakistan. Bresnan claimed his second wicket in five balls when Mohammad Yousuf flapped a well-directed bouncer to Bopara at deep square leg, and six balls later, Shahzaib Hasan was also suckered by the short ball, this time courtesy of Stuart Broad, who beat him for pace as he swished airily and snicked the thinnest of edges through to the keeper, Steven Davies.Broad then made it two in an over, as an anxious Shahid Afridi poked nervously at his first ball before top-edging his fourth to Morgan at midwicket. At 22 for 4 after five overs, Pakistan were already dealing with damage limitation.Mohammad Hafeez’s response was to drop anchor as if he was battling to save a Test match. He faced 19 of the next 21 deliveries of the innings, picking off five singles while Umar Akmal ticked impatiently at the other end of the pitch, and it came as little surprise when Umar beat that tally in one blow by mowing Graeme Swann straight back over his head for the first six of the series. He produced an identical blow in Swann’s next over, only to fall one delivery later, as Swann gave the ball extra air outside off stump, and a clueless Umar threw back his head to be bowled through the gate for 17.Hafeez’s torturous innings was ended by a sharp run-out as Sidebottom shied at the non-striker’s end from short fine leg, and two balls and a single later, Fawad Alam’s grim series was concluded by a first-ball duck, as he attempted to cut Swann off the back foot and edged instead to the keeper.Umar Gul produced the shot of the innings when he lifted a Broad slower ball over the fine leg boundary for six, but Razzaq was unable to find his range in a fitful performance. He finally struck his first boundary from his 19th delivery, as Sidebottom offered too much width from a low-toss, only for both men to fall from his next two deliveries. First to go was Razzaq, who top-edged a slower-ball bouncer to Yardy at slip, before Gul pumped a similar delivery to Bopara, running in from deep square leg.Shoaib Akhtar creamed Bresnan through the covers for a handsome four, but before the over was out, Bresnan had been rewarded for an impressive performance with his third and final wicket of the innings. A well-directed yorker took out the base of middle stump to leave England chasing a meagre 90 for victory.Their desire for a swift kill was showcased by Craig Kieswetter, who unfurled an audacious back-foot drive over extra cover for six as Umar Gul’s first over was clattered for 19. However, both he and Steven Davies fell in consecutive deliveries in Shoaib’s subsequent over, and thereafter England opted for a safety-first approach to their run-chase.The spin of Saeed Ajmal and Afridi claimed a wicket apiece after Paul Collingwood and Bopara had knocked off a third of the target in seven overs, but it was once again Morgan’s matchless repertoire that put the contest beyond doubt. Three fours in 14 balls, all of them from the spinners, injected some late oomph to the innings, before Yardy sealed the deal with an all-run four to deep cover

A round-up of the first round of games from the Bangladesh National Cricket League

Rabeed Imam09-Oct-2010Considering the odds the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had to overcome to get the 12th version of the National Cricket League going, the first week of the tournament was a classic anticlimax. First, there was the issue of the availability of venues and with renovation and development for World Cup 2011 going on at the main grounds, the home-and-away format was sacrificed for neutral grounds and the duration of the event shortened. Then the New Zealand series put paid to the chances of the international stars participating in the league. As if that wasn’t enough, a late monsoon pushed the NCL’s start back by a week. When it finally kicked off, the three matches had a total of five completed innings as rain, courtesy a depression in the Bay of Bengal, forced an indefinite postponement of the tournament. Dhaka Division, however, weren’t complaining after making good use of the three days of reasonable weather up north in Rajshahi against Khulna Division but the rains held sway in the other venues.Despite having players of quality, Dhaka have not had the desired results in recent past. All that could change this year with a batting line-up boasting the class of Mohammad Ashraful, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Shamsur Rahman and the exciting talent of Rony Talukder, Shuvagoto Hom and Anamul Haque. Khulna on the other hand remain a shadow of their 2007-08 ‘dream team’ without Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Abdur Razzak, Imrul Kayes and now retired Habibul Bashar, and they were under pressure from the start after putting Dhaka in on a true surface.Having lost his place in the Bangladesh side, captain Ashraful hit a fluent 113 to revive his World Cup hopes. With the ball coming on to the bat nicely, Ashraful was unstoppable and after his exit, Hom, a stand-by for the New Zealand series, and the Bangladesh Under 19 wicketkeeper Anamul went after the Khulna attack to reach their maiden first-class tons as Dhaka surged to 496. At 191 for 6, Khulna were staring at the prospect of following on after Tushar Imran’s promising 54 was neutralised by an Ashraful delivery. Khulna captain Saghir Hossain (65) tried to lift the spirits on day three, a tough ask with Dolar Mahmud and Syed Rasel already headed for Dhaka on emergency call-up to the national team. Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny polished off the tail to finish with 5 for 77 as Khulna folded for 277 giving Dhaka the batting bonus. Ashraful did not enforce the follow-on and when Dhaka batted again Shamsur punished the severely-weakened Khulna bowling on way to a rapid 102. Closing at 170 for 5 with a lead of 489, Dhaka must have fancied full points with a clinical last-day effort. The elements however, had other plans.On a dodgy outfield battered by continuous showers in Jessore, champions Rajshahi Division were frustrated when just 15 overs could be bowled on a dry first day against Sylhet Division. On day two they found Enamul Haque Jnr (4 for 43) using all his experience and guile under a murky sky and on a sluggish pitch. Khaled Mashud’s side were dismissed for 160 and the Sylhet openers were at the crease for around five minutes and two balls before the skies opened up. Not another ball was bowled as the game was washed out.In Bogra, the towering Barisal Division left-arm seamer Shafaq Al Zabir impressed with an inspired new-ball burst that had Chittagong Division gasping at 3 for 16. Zabir was once considered the next great hope after Mortaza but could never live up to that billing. Here, however, he was in his element and had openers Gazi Salahuddin and Nafees Iqbal lbw by bringing the ball back in menacingly. Nazimuddin (91) steadied the innings but Barisal continued to take wickets at the other end. Chittagong were all out for 202 and Barisal closed the first day on 55 for 2. They limped to 119 for 6 in the 37 overs of play on the second day, but rain scuppered what was turning into an interesting tussle.Player of the week – Mohammad AshrafulKnowing that every innings matters if he wants to return to the Bangladesh side, Ashraful batted like a man possessed against Khulna. His timing, which had deserted him even in the Bangladesh nets, was back and there was a calmness and assurance about him that has not been on view recently. Dhaka had three centurions in the first innings but only one of them actually showed the way. Ashraful’s captaincy was also imaginative and he was not shy in taking the ball in his hand when others couldn’t make inroads.

Xavier Doherty’s sudden elevation to the Test squad will only turn into a trip to Brisbane if he can out-bowl Nathan Hauritz at the SCG

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2010Xavier Doherty’s sudden elevation to the Test squad will only turn into a trip to Brisbane if he can out-bowl Nathan Hauritz at the SCG this week. Doherty, the left-arm spinner, will go head-to-head with the incumbent Hauritz when Tasmania play New South Wales from Wednesday.Having gained a full-time spot in the Tigers’ line-up this season, Doherty jumped into a one-day debut two weeks ago. He is on the verge of another big leap after being picked in the huge 17-man squad for the opening Test, but has to make the final cut when the outfit is trimmed to 12 or 13.”I guess it’s probably come down to that given the fact that they will cut it back by the end of the week,” Doherty said in Sydney. “They are obviously looking at something this week, I guess this week’s performances probably won’t hurt too much.”Like most people, Doherty, 27, was surprised by the elevation. “I guess it wasn’t that long ago that I was not even carrying the drinks for Tassie,” he said. “It comes as a bit of a shock and it’s a nice shock.”Usman Khawaja was on the tour to England for the Pakistan Tests during the winter but didn’t get a game. It has made him even more desperate to play.”Just getting a baggy green one day would be a dream,” he said in Hobart. “I never try to put too much pressure on myself. If it is meant to happen it happens.”Khawaja will be jostling with Callum Ferguson and Steven Smith in Australia A’s match against England, although the tourists will have their four best bowlers preparing in Brisbane. Ferguson, who is back after a knee reconstruction, is in his first ODI squad after impressing in 26 ODIs.”After 11-and-a-half months of rehab, I really didn’t expect to be here right now,” Ferguson said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty when you hurt your knee like I did. I’m just thrilled to be back playing cricket.”Ryan Harris is battling a persistent knee injury and doesn’t expect to play at the Gabba, but he insists he’ll be ready when needed. “In all honesty I don’t think I’ll be included in that first Test,” he told AAP. “But if someone goes down and things change, I will be ready to go. That’s going to be my role – to be ready if anything goes wrong.”Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said Phillip Hughes was disappointed to miss out, but the team did not need cover for the openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson. “We would consider him in a middle-order position,” Hilditch said, “but at the moment we think the two young players from Australia A we picked are in a bit better form and ready to go.”

Imran Farhat, the Pakistan opener, is considering legal action against Mazhar Majeed, the player agent allegedly at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal engulfing the Pakistan team

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2010Imran Farhat, the Pakistan opener, is considering legal action against Mazhar Majeed, the player agent allegedly at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal engulfing the Pakistan team. Farhat was named by Majeed on Tuesday in fresh video footage as one of seven players he has working with him.”Instructions have been given to our lawyer in London to send a notice to Mazhar Majeed,” a source close to Farhat told ESPNcricinfo. “We want Majeed to clarify and prove what he has said, or at least admit that what he has said was unintentional and incorrect. Otherwise we will take legal action for defamation against him.”The possibility that Majeed took Farhat’s name mistakenly, the source said, is being considered. “He might have been talking about someone else and Farhat’s name came up by accident but this has to be clarified by him.”, a Pakistani TV channel, broadcasted previously unseen video footage in which Majeed takes the names of four more Pakistani players who, he claimed, work with him. The footage was shown as an exhibit in the ICC’s provisional suspension hearings of Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir, held in October in Dubai, and was part of the evidence submitted by ICC against the three suspended players linked to the spot-fixing scandal.Farhat was part of Pakistan’s squad in the series against South Africa but was dropped for the tour of New Zealand. His axing is likelier to be the result of poor performances, however, and the relative success of a new opening pair in Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez.

The ICC has announced the final squads for the six-team ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, which will be played from January 22 to 29 in Hong Kong

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2010The ICC has announced the final squads for the six-team ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, which will be played from January 22 to 29, 2011 in Hong Kong.Teams from Denmark, Italy, USA, Oman and Papua New Guinea will join hosts Hong Kong for the tournament. The top two sides will win promotion to Division 2, which will be staged in the United Arab Emirates in April 2011.The matches will be hosted at three grounds in Hong Kong – Kowloon CC, Hong Kong CC and Mission Road.The teams will arrive in Hong Kong on January 20 and have one day to practice before the matches start.Denmark: Michael Pedersen (capt), Aftab Ahmed, Rizwan Mahmood, Raja Javed, Martin Pedersen, Jacob Larsen, Bashir Shah, Troels Thøgersen, Bobby Chawla, Yasir Iqbal, Frederik Klokker, Carsten Pedersen, David Borchersen, Naveed MugfalHong Kong: Najeeb Amar (capt), Nadeem Ahmed, Irfan Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Tabarak Dar, Khalid Butt, Asif Khan, Courtney Kruger; Roy Lansam, Mark Chapman, Nizakat Mohammad, Moner Muhammad, Adil Mehmood, Mohammad Aizaz KhanItaly: Alessandro Bonora (capt), Roshendra Abewickrama, Din Alaud, Damian Crowley, Gayashan Munasinghe, Dilan Fernando, Thushara Kurukulasuriya, Damian Fernando, Andrew Northcote, Hayden Patrizi, Peter Petricola, Michael Raso, Hemantha Jayasena, Vincenzo PennazzaOman: Hemal Mehta (capt), Qais bin Khalid al Said, Sufyan Mehmood, Sultan Ahmed, Hemin Pratap Desai, Vaibhav Wategaonkar, Jatinder Singh, Deep Trivedi, Rajeshkumar Ranpura, Awal Khan, Syed Amir Ali, Adnan Ilyas, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Khalid RasheedPapua New Guinea: Rarua Dikana Boge (capt), Chris Amini, Assadollah Vala, Kila Pala, Loa Nou, Pipi Raho, Mahuru Dai, Raymond Haoda Jnr, Chris Kent, Jack Vare-Kevera, Tony Ura, Kapena Arua, Hitolo Areni, Jason KilaUSA: Steve Massiah (capt), Muhammed Ghous, Lennox Cush, Usman Shuja, Rashard Marshall, Sushil Nadkarni, Ritesh Kadu, Orlando Baker, Carl Wright, Aditya Thyagarajan, Kevin Darlington, Durale Forrest, Asif Mehmood Khan, Ryan Corns