Banned players can still appeal to courts

LONDON: Any player banned for life under the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption code can still attempt to have the sanction overturned by a civil court, according to a leading British sports lawyer. Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been suspended by the ICC following an investigation into corruption allegations. The charges carry a maximum sanction of a life ban if upheld by an independent tribunal. Adam Morallee, a partner in the London law firm Mishcon de Reya, said there were still several options open to any player faced with an ICC ban. In a telephone interview with a British news agency, Morallee said the first non-ICC avenue of appeal for any cricketer charged with an anti-corruption offence was the independent Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). He could also attempt to appeal to a court in the country in which the alleged offence was committed, or to a court in his home country. "These governing bodies are subject to the laws of the various countries. They are just the same as any company or organisation, subject to the same rules and regulations as everyone else," Morallee said. "Other entities try their best to close their world in and tell everyone only we can make decisions about us. That's just not the case." In 1997 the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was forced to cut its four-year doping ban for first offenders in half after a series of costly legal battles in European courts which took the view that the longer ban constituted restraint of trade. Two German track and field athletes successfully applied for reinstatement halfway through four-year bans. The ICC's anti-corruption code stipulates that players must submit to the authority of the world governing body, its judicial commission and to CAS. Furthermore, it says players cannot initiate proceedings "in any court or other forum that are inconsistent with the foregoing submissions to the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption Tribunal and the CAS". However, Morallee said that in practice players could appeal to whomever they liked. "The ICC will have some very good defences in proceedings if a player tries to challenge their decision in the courts. They will say a player has effectively signed away his life to this tribunal, and therefore is barred from bringing proceedings in another court. In effect, he has lost and he can't do anything about it," he said. "But a national court could theoretically grant jurisdiction and then, if the punishment was grave, rule that a life ban was an unjustifiable restraint of trade, the punishment was far too harsh and, therefore, disproportionate." Under this scenario, Morallee said, any national cricket board would be "between a rock and a hard place". "The ICC will say he is banned from international cricket and a court will say he should be allowed to play," he said. "It will not be easy for a national association to reconcile those differences.

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Shoaib Akhtar tampered with ball in final ODI

LONDON: A British newspaper claims Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar tampered with the ball in the final one-day international against England on Tuesday.

The pictures shows Akhtar running his left thumb along the ball's seam before dropping the ball on the ground and standing on it with his spiked right boot.

The pictures were taken in the 41st over of England's innings in Southampton as Shoaib prepared to bowl to Paul Collingwood.

It is not the first time Shoaib, 35, has come under the spotlight at the Rose Bowl.

Four years ago, he was filmed by Sky cameras flicking at the ball with his thumb during a one-day international here against England.

On that occasion Shoaib was cleared but was warned about his behaviour after being accused of tampering with the ball during a Test match in Zimbabwe in late 2002.

The following year he was banned for two ODIs and fined 75 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of the same crime against New Zealand in Sri Lanka. Monitoring Desk

ECB demand PCB full apology for fixing allegations

SOUTHAMPTON: The England and Wales Cricket Board demanded on Thursday a ‘full and unreserved apology’ from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt for his allegations that England players had engaged in match-fixing. "Mr Butt has been advised that if a satisfactory response is not received, legal proceedings will be commenced against him without further notice," an ECB statement said. The threat follows an interview given by Butt to a private television channel after England lost the third one-day international against Pakistan at the Oval last Friday. Butt said there had been “loud and clear talk in bookies' circles that some English players were paid enormous amounts of money to lose (Friday's) match". In a BBC radio interview before Monday's fourth match at Lord's, Butt said he had been merely repeating information he had received from bookmakers. His comments came after the International Cricket Council said it was launching an inquiry into Pakistan's scoring pattern at the Oval after receiving information from a British newspaper. Thursday's ECB statement said a letter from the board and the Professional Cricketers' Association had been sent to Butt. "The letter seeks a full and unreserved apology," the statement said. Pakistan's acrimonious tour of England and Wales concluded on Wednesday when England clinched the five-match 50 overs series at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and his team mates Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif had been suspended after an investigation into a newspaper report that they had arranged for no-balls to be deliberately delivered in the fourth test at Lord's.

Chennai sneak into semi-finals

Dhoni clears the ropes on Wednesday.

Chennai Super Kings set up an all-Indian Premier League semi-final against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Champions League Twenty20 after a tense 10-run victory over the Warriors.
The Warriors, the South African Pro20 champions, also qualified for the final four but will be disappointed not to have won a low-scoring encounter in Port Elizabeth.
After losing the toss and being sent in to field, the Warriors managed to restrict the visitors to 136 for six, thanks largely to Justin Kreusch (three for 19). Michael Hussey (50) top-scored for Chennai.
But the Warriors failed to close out the victory on a sluggish pitch where captain Davey Jacobs top-scored in a losing cause.
Batting first, the IPL champions made a promising start with Murali Vijay and Hussey putting on 63 for the first wicket inside nine overs.
The breakthrough came when Kreusch went straight through the defences of the India opener for 35.
Another promising Indian batsman, the in-form Suresh Raina (six), seemed to be struggling and Colin Ingram put him out of his misery with a spectacular forward diving catch on the boundary.
Two more quick wickets then fell, including that of Hussey shortly after he brought up his 50 from 38 balls, as the Super Kings stuttered to 99 for four with five overs remaining.
Thanks largely to the batting of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (31 not out), Chennai went on to set a victory target of 137.
Ashwell Prince (nine) fell early in the Warriors' run chase thanks to Justin Kemp's good reflexes at slip.
Jacobs and Ingram kept the hosts in the hunt until the skipper went for 32, while Ingram (17) quickly followed as the Warriors slipped to 63 for three.
Kreusch and Mark Boucher ensured the Warriors would safely pass the 109-run mark that guaranteed qualification for the semi-final by putting on a 44-run stand.
They each fell on 25 in the 18th over bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin (three for 24) as the hosts came up short, but did at least claim the consolation of a clash with South Australia in the next stage.

England v Pakistan 5th ODI Commentary

England v Pakistan 5th ODI Commentary
Over 29 Bresnan 1-0-0-0-0-1: 106-6 - Every dot ball sends the required rate rocketing, and there are far too many of those coming now for Pakistan's liking. Bresnan's managed to drag his figures back quite well here after that expensive start. He's back down to five an over now.

live score pakistan vs england

104/6 after 28 - Pakistan
Toss: England won the toss and elected to bat first
Venue: Southampton - Rose Bowl
Fifth and final ODI

Pakistan - 1st Innings
Batting
Batsman	How Out	Runs	Balls
Kamran Akmal	lbw Wright	41	53
Mohammad Hafeez	c Collingwood b Broad	29	42
Asad Shafiq	c Davies b Broad	0	1
Mohammad Yousuf	b Swann	20	43
Fawad Alam	b Swann	1	5
Umar Akmal	not out	9	22
Shahid Afridi	b Swann	0	1
Abdul Razzaq	not out	0	1
Extras		2lb 2wd
Total	(28 overs)	104/6

England
Bowling	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
Tim Bresnan	5	0	27	0
James Anderson	6	1	26	0
Stuart Broad	6	1	21	2
Luke Wright	6	0	16	1
Graeme Swann	5	0	12	3

  FOW: 63/1 (Hafeez), 63/2 (Shafiq), 80/3 (K Akmal), 83/4 (Alam), 104/5 (Yousuf), 104/6 (Afridi)

England - 1st Innings
Batting
Batsman	How Out	Runs	Balls
Andrew Strauss	c K Akmal b Akhtar	25	35
Steven Davies	st K Akmal b Hafeez	17	19
Jonathan Trott	b Akhtar	3	6
Ian Bell	b Afridi	28	52
Paul Collingwood	b Gul	46	71
Eoin Morgan	not out	107	101
Luke Wright	b Akhtar	1	4
Tim Bresnan	not out	18	12
Extras		5wd 5lb
Total	(50 overs)	256/6

Pakistan
Bowling	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
Shoaib Akhtar	10	0	40	3
Abdul Razzaq	3	0	26	0
Mohammad Hafeez	9	1	40	1
Umar Gul	10	1	54	1
Saeed Ajmal	8	0	50	0
Shahid Afridi	10	0	40	1

  FOW: 31/1 (Davies), 46/2 (Trott), 47/3 (Strauss), 106/4 (Bell), 199/5 (Collingwood), 202/6 (Wright)

South Africa call up Ingram to one-day squad

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa named batsman Colin Ingram in their squad on Tuesday for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan next month. The 25-year-old Ingram has shone for Eastern Cape Warriors in domestic one-day competitions to earn his first taste of international cricket. Slow left-arm spinner Robin Peterson was recalled but there was no place in the 15-man squad for opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs, left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe or experienced wicketkeeper Mark Boucher Boucher was named in the test squad to play Pakistan, along with left-arm pace bowler Wayne Parnell who returns from injury in place of all-rounder Ryan McLaren. "The next ICC World Twenty20 is 18 months away and this also provides us the opportunity to look at several younger players," convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson said in a statement. "We only have a relatively small number of ODIs before the World Cup and it is our intention to go in with our strongest combination in all these matches." South Africa host Zimbabwe for two T20 matches and three one-day internationals between Oct. 8-22 and then play Pakistan in a T20 game, five one-dayers and two tests in the United Arab Emirates from Oct. 27-Nov. 24. Squads Test squad to play Pakistan: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe. ODI squad to play Zimbabwe and Pakistan: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Pro20 squad to play Zimbabwe: Johan Botha (capt), Loots Bosman, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Heino Kuhn, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Juan Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Pro20 squad to play Pakistan: Johan Botha (capt), Loots Bosman, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Juan Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Sania out of Tashkent Open first round

TASHKENT: India's Sania Mirza blew two match points to go down 1-6, 6-4, 5-7 against the 175th-ranked Russia's Ekaterina Bychkova in the first round of the Tashkent Open tennis here Tuesday. Sania, partnering Marai Elena Camerin of Italy, will start her doubles campaign here Wednesday. Sania, ranked 125, and fresh from her doubles win at Guangzhou, arrived here late Monday night. Watched by husband Shoaib Malik, the 23-year-old Indian looked rusty in the first set, going down in less than 30 minutes. She found her rhythm in the second set and rallied from 2-4 down to make it a set all. Bychkova also helped her cause by committing five double faults. In the decider, Sania swiftly moved to a 5-2 lead. She had two match points in the 11th game despite dropping serve in the eighth but failed to take advantage of this. Bychkova then broke Sania in 10th and the 12th games to take the set and the match. In in the 12th game, Sania had an oppurtunity to force a tiebreak but instead she served two double faults. Bychkova had earlier defeated Sania at Bali in 2005

Match-fixing: Proteas concerned about Pakistan series

LONDON: South Africa's cricketers have such deep reservations about playing against Pakistan in their scheduled series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month that several senior players are considering whether to make themselves unavailable for selection. The Proteas are due to play five ODIs and three test matches as well as a brace of T20s, the second of which was agreed to by Cricket South Africa to help with flood relief in the stricken nation. "To say we are reluctant is an understatement," one senior player told Telegraph Sport. "Nobody knows what the hell is going in Pakistani cricket and we feel that playing such a high profile series right now - especially in the middle east - is asking for trouble. "Maybe it's time for the ICC to step in, or for Pakistan to withdraw from the international game for a year until the mess can be cleaned up and people can start to believe in the game and develop a bit of trust," the player said. The SA Cricketers Association chief executive, Tony Irish, admitted that "many players" had expressed their concerns to him about the tour but was, for the moment, stoically maintaining a diplomatic stance. "The fact that there are now further incidents under investigation is not good news. This all needs to be dealt with urgently in order to ensure that a heavy cloud of suspicion and doubt doesn't hang over our series against Pakistan," Irish said. Asked whether he was aware that some senior players were extremely reluctant to participate in the tour, Irish said: "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Pakistan's 'withdrawal' from international cricket may, of course, happen involuntarily anyway. With the ECB having ruled itself out of acting as a 'home' venue in the immediate future and the UAE financially unsustainable, the PCB is rapidly running out of options - not to mention willing opponents. Last week Zimbabwe was even considering offering Harare and Bulawayo as venues for Pakistan to stage 'home' games with ZC cricket committee chairman and former national captain Alistair Campbell suggesting that staging international cricket in the country before the country's scheduled return to test cricket in May next year was "a good idea." Zimbabwe is still scheduled to tour Pakistan for a five-match series of one-dayers to raise money for flood relief in January. After Saturday's allegations concerning the third one-dayer at The Oval, however, he was forced to admit that even Zimbabwe Cricket, as desperate as it is to shed its pariah status and reacquaint itself with all of the major cricket playing nations, was being forced to "think again" about its offer. Monitoring Desk

PCB criticizes response to match-fixing row

LONDON: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) accused the world governing body on Saturday of mishandling fresh corruption allegations levelled against the national team following the third one-day international against England.

It called for further details after International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said Friday's match was being investigated following information from a British newspaper alleging a suspicious scoring pattern in Pakistan's innings.

"The PCB is extremely perturbed by the recent allegations of corruption in the third ODI between England and Pakistan," a PCB statement said.

"PCB regrets the way these allegations have been handled as being a full member of ICC it only came to know through media that investigations will be conducted by ICC. PCB feels that ICC should repose more confidence in its members."

The PCB said it had asked the ICC to provide more details about allegations in The Sun newspaper that bookmakers knew details about Pakistan's innings before the match began.

Pakistan won the third game in the five-match series by 23 runs.

An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement said chairman Giles Clarke had written to the ICC seeking assurances it had no evidence which could result in charges or suspensions to players in the current series.

The series concludes with matches at Lord's on Monday and Southampton on Wednesday.

"No substantive evidence has been shared with ECB or PCB at this stage," the statement said after a board meeting on Saturday.

"The ECB board noted the ICC is not stating as fact that anything untoward has occurred nor has yet been proven in relation to the third ODI between England and Pakistan."

"Until ICC substantiate that any allegations are correct no further action can be taken."

The latest controversy follows provisional ICC suspensions for Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and opening bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

The trio returned home after newspaper reports of premeditated no-balls in the fourth test against England at Lord's last month. They have said they are innocent.

British police, who are also investigating the spot-fixing allegations, questioned a fourth player, Wahab Riaz, last week.

Lorgat said a source had told The Sun "a certain scoring pattern would emerge during certain stages of the match".

"Broadly speaking, that information appeared to be correct," Lorgat said in a statement.

"We therefore feel it is incumbent upon us to launch a full inquiry into this particular game, although it is worth pointing out at this stage that we are not stating as fact that anything untoward has occurred."

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi told a Pakistani sports channel that he was surprised by the reports.

"I just get this feeling there is an attempt to bring the team under pressure." Afridi said.

"If anyone has any evidence that there was anything wrong in the match it should be presented first before allegations are made. It adds to the pressure on the players." Iqbal Mohammad, chairman of the National Assembly standing committee on sports, asked why the ICC had not reacted once it had prior information that there would be spot-fixing.

"I get this feeling now there is a definite conspiracy to damage and isolate Pakistan cricket," he told Reuters.

"Without anything being proven first I don't understand what prompted the ICC to issue a press release."

Pakistan Sports Minister Aijaz Jakhrani said the government would not take action unless there was clear evidence against a player.

"The ICC has the power and an anti-corruption unit and they should go ahead and use that," Jakhrani told the Indian news channel CNN-IBN. "If they get any proof then we will definitely look into it.