ICC clears Samuels to bowl again

DUBAI: The West Indies were given a boost on Thursday ahead of their Bangladesh tour when all-rounder Marlon Samuels was cleared to bowl by the sport's world governing body.

The off-spinner, a key member of the West Indies Test, one-day and Twenty20 squads for the tour, had been suspended from bowling after being reported for a suspect action in 2008.The International Cricket Council (ICC) said an independent test had found Samuels' action to be legal following significant remedial work, and he could resume bowling.
"A comprehensive analysis revealed that his mean elbow extension was now comfortably within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the relevant regulations," the ICC said in a statement.
The independent analysis was performed by Bruce Elliott, a member of the ICC's panel of human movement specialists, at the University of Western Australia, Perth, this month.
The spinner's action, however, will continue to be scrutinised by match officials to ensure it remained legal, the ICC statement added.
Samuels, currently in Dubai with the West Indies team for a one-week camp ahead of the Bangladesh tour, said he was pleased to know he could resume bowling in international cricket.
"I have been waiting for this moment for a while now," a West Indies Cricket Board statement quoted Samuels as saying.
"I am mainly a batsman in the team but it feels good to know that I can again contribute to the team in another area -- with the ball. I am the kind of player who likes to be always involved in the game."
Part-time spinner Samuels, 30, has so far bagged 57 wickets in one-day internationals and seven in Tests.
The West Indies, who arrive in Dhaka on October 4, will play two Tests, three one-day internationals and a one-off Twenty 20 match in Bangladesh. AGENCIES

Harbhajan axed for first two England ODIs

  

NEW DELHI: India axed spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday and drafted in the uncapped Sreenath Aravind and Rahul Sharma for the first two one-day internationals against England next month.Senior players Sachin Tendulkar (toe), Virender Sehwag (shoulder) and Yuvraj Singh (finger) have not recovered from injuries and were left out of the 15-man squad for the matches on Oct. 14 (Hyderabad) and Oct. 17 (Delhi). 
"A number of senior players are not fit...it provides a great opportunity for the youngsters to prove themselves," chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth told reporters in Chennai. 
India's batting received a boost with opener Gautam Gambhir, who suffered concussion in England, returning to the side. 
Harbhajan struggled in England, managing just two wickets in the first two tests before an abdominal strain cut short his tour. 
The 31-year-old with over 400 test wickets declared himself fit for the series against England but the selectors persisted with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. 
The slow bowling department will also include Punjab leg-spinner Sharma, who has been consistently among the wickets in the Indian Premier League. 
Karnataka left-arm pacer Sreenath Aravind will also hope to make his international debut against England. 
India and England will play three more one-dayers in Mohali (Oct. 20), Mumbai (Oct. 23) and Kolkata (Oct. 25). 
Kolkata will host a one-off Twenty20 international on Oct. 29. 
India failed to win a single match against England on their recent tour. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team lost the test series 4-0 and were knocked off the top of the world rankings by their hosts. 
"We are confident we will do well in home conditions," Srikkanth said. 
"It is a very good combination and we did not compromise on quality. We thoroughly scrutinised the players' fitness and I'm sure they will deliver." 
Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Sreenath Aravind, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Praveen Kumar. AGENCIES

India's PM leads tribute to cricket's Tiger Pataudi

NEW DEHLI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led India on Friday in paying rich tribute to the country's charismatic former cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who has died aged 70 following a lung disease."He was a dashing and daring captain, who brought a new confidence to the Indian cricket scene," Singh said in a condolence message a day after his death."Even after his playing days were over, he remained an iconic figure, an embodiment of poise and polish and a great advocate of sportsmanship."Pataudi, nicknamed "The Tiger" for his superb fielding, played 46 Tests between 1961 and 1975, scoring 2,793 runs at an average of 34.91 with six centuries despite losing his right eye in a car accident in England."Tiger Pataudi was the most charismatic cricketer of his generation," said legendary former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar."To bat with almost zero vision in one eye and still to score nearly 3,000 runs and half-a-dozen centuries in Test cricket tells you what a genius he was."International Cricket Council chief Sharad Pawar, a federal Indian minister, said Pataudi was "one of India’s greatest, most charismatic and flamboyant captains.""He was a man of exceptional talent who turned out to be an inspiration to millions of cricketers, not only in India but across the globe," said Pawar. "It was an honour and privilege to have known him."Pataudi was always credited with making India competitive and respected in world cricket during his illustrious career.He did not have genuine pacemen at his disposal but shrewdly used the renowned spin quartet of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan to put the opposition on the back foot."To my mind, Tiger Pataudi was the best thing that happened to Indian cricket from the time India got Test status. He was the first Indian captain to drill 'Indian-ness' into the Indian dressing-room," said Bedi."He was the best captain the spin quartet played under. He got the best out of all of us at various stages of our respective careers."Sachin Tendulkar, the world's leading run-getter in both Test and one-day cricket, described Pataudi as a "hero" while prolific Indian batsman Rahul Dravid described him as an "inspiration.""It's a terrible loss to the cricketing world. I had the privilege of meeting him on a few occasions. World cricket will miss a hero like him. I really respected him," said Tendulkar.Pataudi became India's youngest captain at the age of 21 during a tour of the West Indies in 1962 when the then skipper Nari Contractor was injured after being hit on the head by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith.He led India in 40 of his 46 Tests, winning nine and securing the country's first series win abroad on the 1967-68 tour of New Zealand.Former off-spinner Prasanna said Pataudi was a "dream captain" for a spinner."He changed the complexion of Indian cricket. He was the one captain who understood the strength (spin) of the Indian side and nurtured it," he said.

Australian Marsh named Sri Lanka coach

COLOMBO: Former Australian batsman Geoff Marsh has been named Sri Lanka's coach on a two-year contract, the country's cricket board said Friday.
"He (Marsh) takes up his new assignment on September 27," Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.
"With his vast coaching and playing experience at the highest level, Sri Lanka Cricket is confident that he would be an ideal choice."
The former Australian opener, 52, scored 2,854 runs in 50 Tests and 4,357 in 117 one-dayers before he quit international cricket in 1992.
Sri Lanka have been without a regular coach since Australian Trevor Bayliss stepped down after guiding the team to the World Cup final in April.
Sri Lanka appointed Stuart Law as an interim coach for the England tour and then former paceman Rumesh Ratnayake for the recent home series against Australia. Law quit in July to coach Bangladesh.
Marsh, part of the 1987 World Cup-winning squad, coached Australia from 1995 to 1999 and then Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2004.
He became the only cricketer to win the World Cup as player and coach when he guided Australia to victory in the 1999 edition.
Marsh is the current coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Pune Warriors and it is not immediately clear whether he will continue with his IPL job.

Fast bowler Akhtar blames Wasim Akram for career ruin

NEW DELHI: Former Fast Bowler of Pakistan Shoaib Akhtar, issuing a juggernaut of accusations, said former Pakistani cricket team captain Wasim Akram was behind ruination of his career and Bollywood actor Shahrukha Khan deceived him.
In his autobiography, he said ball tampering was nothing new in cricket world.
Accusing Wasim Akram of his career ruin, Akhtar stressed the former captain was afraid of him and unwilling to take him in the team; accordingly, he dropped him frequently from the team, dealing a blow to his confidence.
According to pacer Akhtar, it was due to encouragement by former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Tauqir Zia that he could gain success in the international cricket.
Giving his viewpoint on ball-tampering, the former cricketer said this was nothing new, as all fast bowlers had this practice.
He said Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were not match winners for their team, as they played the game for their personal record.
Commenting on his inclusion in Indian Premier League (IPL), Shoaib Akhtar said actor Shahurkh Khan, former Commissioner Lalit Modi deceived him with regard to his joining Kolkata Knight Riders.
Launching ceremony for Akhtar’s book will be held in Mumbai on Sunday.

Pakistan moves Twenty20 over dengue outbreak

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket authorities were Wednesday forced to shift the national Twenty20 tournament to Karachi after an outbreak of dengue fever in Lahore, the tournament's original venue.
President Asif Zardari, who is also the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said the tournament should also be
used as a fund-raising event for the flood victims in the southwestern Sindh province.
"As desired by the president of Pakistan, the venue of the tournament has been shifted from Lahore to Karachi," a PCB statement said.
The dengue fever outbreak in Lahore, which has so far claimed several lives, prompted concerns among various teams, including Afghanistan, which is also competing.
And PCB director general Javed Miandad said the decision would help players take to the field without worry.
"There was a suggestion that because of the dengue virus we should transfer the event from Lahore and after president's directives we took this decision," Miandad told reporters.
He added that the tournament will help raise funds for millions of displaced flood victims in Sindh.
International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since the March 2009 terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, after which foreign teams refused to tour the troubled country.
Deprived of international cricket, fans in Pakistan take a keen interest in domestic Twenty20 events, filling the stadiums to capacity.

Best ICC umpire Dar reaches home amid warm welcome

LAHORE: Pakistan’s national hero in cricket umpiring reached homeland after receiving International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy as the best umpire for third consecutive year, SAMAA reported Wednesday.
People in large number received the national hero at Allama Iqbal Airport amidst showers of flower petals, as he arrived here from Sri Lanka.
Talking to media, Dar said the award was a result of prayers of the nation, demanding central contract for umpires as well like players.
“Umpiring is never easy amongst technology paraphernalia,” Aleem Dar stressed vowing however, he will continue to perform well in future as well.
It is unfortunate of Pakistani that no international team is coming to Pakistan, the best ICC umpire said underscoring the need to give more heed to domestic cricket.
Earlier dedicating to Pakistan his David Shepherd Trophy after he was named as the ICC Umpire for the year 2011 for the third time, Aleem said that Pakistan has won the honor, saying, “It is a great honor for me to get the award for my country and I shall try to maintain my performance to win more awards for my country. I try to carry out my job with utmost honesty and it is the only secret behind the success.”
It should be mentioned here that he served as umpire in 67 tests, 146 one-dayers and 18 Twenty20 matches