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Mahela Jayawardene has said it was the broadcaster’s choice of close-up replays that led Sri Lanka to raise concerns with the match referee that Australia’s players were allegedly tampering with the ball

Andrew Fernando at Bellerive Oval18-Dec-2012Mahela Jayawardene has said it was the television broadcaster’s choice of close-up replays that led Sri Lanka’s team management to raise concerns with the match referee that Australia’s players were allegedly tampering with the ball in Hobart.Australia’s players were since absolved by Broad. In a statement issued after the Test, Broad said that match officials had reviewed the footage and monitored the state of the ball, and had not found any evidence to suggest the condition of the ball had been changed.Jayawardene said Sri Lanka’s management simply reacted to close-up footage of Siddle’s grip on the ball from the broadcaster. “[The ball tampering concerns] weren’t from our management,” he said. “It was something that was shown on television and that was it. We just wanted to make sure that the officials saw what we saw on television. We never made any official complaint about it. We just moved on. It’s up to the officials to see if anything happened and if so, take action. If not, move on.”For the TV guys to zoom in and stop, obviously they saw something funny. Otherwise, we had five days of Test cricket and nothing else was shown. It’s up to the officials to find out, even from the TV guys, to see whether there was something funny happening, and if that is the reason that they showed it. Otherwise they don’t have to show something like that on national television where millions of people are watching this match. That’s what prompted us to find out what was going on. Like I said, we don’t have any proof. We didn’t see it happen.”After the match, Siddle was adamant the footage had been misinterpreted. Siddle took 9 for 104 in the Test and was the Man of the Match. “I wake up in the morning, I thought today if I ran out there and ball-tampered in front of 15 cameras and a lot of people watching the game I will get away with it?” Siddle said. “That is a ridiculous statement. Why would I want to jeopardise that when I know we can go out there and do everything in the spirit of the game and win. That’s how we play and we always play. There’s nothing to it at all.”Australia captain Michael Clarke backed Siddle and emphasised his team’s commitment to playing fairly. “At the end of the day, the ICC have made it very clear there was nothing there,” Clarke said. “I 100% believe we always play in the spirit of the game. I don’t think any of the Australian players would ever jeopardise that or do anything to ruin our reputation. We play hard on the field but we understand there is a line you can’t cross and we play the right way.”Jayawardene also said Sri Lanka would be dismayed if the match officials had not at least raised the issue with the Australian team. Broad’s statement said he had spoken with Australia coach Mickey Arthur during the tea interval of day three, soon after the close-up shots of Siddle’s grip had caused concern in the Sri Lanka camp.”The easiest thing for them to have done is to at least have a chat with the Aussie management or the captain and see what happened,” Jayawardene said. “If they haven’t done that, we’d be a bit sad about it. That’s the minimum requirement. Everyone saw on television, what they zoomed in on. It’s not that just we saw something, it was on television.”When told that match officials had not found any evidence upon which to lay charges, Jayawardene said he was fine with their findings and was happy to move on. “The teams will fight it out there in the field – there’s no love lost in that. Off the field we are pretty good friends and the players can have an unofficial chat about it. It’s not that big a deal. I think they’ve got the talent to win matches without doing those kinds of things.”

Shane Watson has declared himself ready to tour India as a non-bowling batsman after a single innings of 30 in Sydney grade cricket, but Moises Henriques’ immediate international prospects have clouded over due to a badly infected right index finger

Daniel Brettig26-Jan-2013Shane Watson has declared himself ready to tour India as a non-bowling batsman after a single innings of 30 in Sydney grade cricket, but Moises Henriques’ immediate international prospects have clouded over due to a badly infected right index finger.It was a contrasting tale for the two New South Wales cricketers on Sunday, Watson returning to the game following a calf strain and facing 50 balls for Sutherland against Campbelltown-Camden while Henriques was invalided out of the Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia at Blacktown Oval.If his innings was insubstantial, the sight of Watson merely playing the game will be a help to the national selectors as they sit down to finalise the squad for the subcontinent. While Watson will not play a first-class fixture before the squad is named, making do with a domestic limited-overs match for the Blues against Western Australia on Wednesday, he has continued to covet the opening spot currently occupied by Ed Cowan.”The opportunity to be able to take the first ball and take on the quicks with the new ball is something I do absolutely love,” Watson said, reiterating his desire to open. “A few balls were seaming around a bit [on Saturday] … which hopefully I’m going to have to get used to opening the batting in some form of games anyway.”Hopefully I can get back in the team as soon as I can. In a perfect world I do play in India as a batsman with an eye on slowly building up bowling to hopefully bowl some overs throughout the Ashes. But the world isn’t always perfect so we’ll see how we go.”Less encouraging was the news that Henriques’ finger was in such a bad way that he had to leave the Blues’ Shield match to have surgery on his finger, which had grown increasingly swollen and painful. Watson’s inability to bowl in India has opened the field for all-round options, with Henriques impressing recently during his ODI appearances for Australia against Sri Lanka, and making 71 at Blacktown.However his place in the ODI team to face the West Indies is now open to question, depending on his recovery from the finger problem, which is expected to stop him from playing or training for at least a week. The finger trouble was aggravated during his Shield innings by a couple of precisely-directed balls from Nathan Coulter-Nile, which struck Henriques on the gloves.”Due to concern over increasing swelling and infection Moises was reviewed by a Sydney hand specialist this afternoon and has undergone a minor surgical procedure,” New South Wales team physiotherapist Murray Ryan said. “Moises will be unable to play or train for at least one week. His availability for state and international cricket will be determined as the injury heals.”

Derbyshire have announced a profit of £23,310 for 2012, a further sign that the club is in good health ahead of their return to Division One of the Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2013Derbyshire have announced a profit of £23,310 for 2012, a further sign that the club is in good health ahead of their return to Division One of the Championship. The club have generated a surplus for the second year running – and the sixth in seven – despite a wet summer that caused financial headaches for several counties.Derbyshire recently revealed plans to redevelop their Derby ground, with a view to hosting games at the 2019 World Cup, as part of a six-point blueprint to develop and promote cricket in the county.”After a very challenging summer for English cricket, in which we were competing with both the weather and sporting spectacles such as the London Olympics and Euro 2012, our financial results for the year are very pleasing indeed,” the chief executive, Simon Storey, said. “The profit is testament to the hard work of everyone involved and it caps a special year for the county both on and off the field.”Derbyshire chairman, Chris Grant, added: “It has been a momentous year for Derbyshire County Cricket Club and – given the economic climate – posting a profit for the second successive year is an excellent achievement. Even more importantly we are embarking upon an exciting period both on and off the field with no debt and on a sound financial footing.”

Praveen Kumar, the India seamer, has expressed regret and guilt over the episode that resulted in him being suspended by the BCCI for all matches run by the board

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2013Praveen Kumar, the India seamer, has expressed regret and guilt over the episode that resulted in him being suspended by the BCCI for all matches run by the board. That suspension was revoked by the BCCI earlier this month after Praveen was given a stern warning.”It was wrong on my part,” Praveen told . “The episode should not have happened. I regret it now.”Praveen had breached the the players’ code of conduct in a Corporate Trophy match on February 4. Representing ONGC, Praveen had hurled abuses an opposition batsman, Ajitesh Argal, from Income Tax, which was followed by a suspension on February 10, a show cause-notice issued by the board, and a 100% penalty of his match fees.”I have learnt how to control my anger,” he said. “I need to be cautious while expressing my emotions on the field. It happens sometimes when things do not go your way. I have moved on from that incident as it’s history for me now. It won’t happen again.”Praveen said some of his Uttar Pradesh team-mates help him out from time to time. “I have with me four-five Uttar Pradesh team-mates who always advise me on what is right or wrong for me,” he said. “Sudeep Tyagi, Tanmay Srivastava and Suresh Raina create a homely environment for me and their advice has always helped me a lot.”After the suspension was revoked, Praveen represented Central Zone in the Deodhar Trophy semi-final in which he took 2 for 28 in seven overs, but in a losing cause. He is currently playing the domestic T20 tournament – the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – for Uttar Pradesh and picked up 3 for 22 against Railways on Sunday.

Jayantha Dharmadasa is set to become the next Sri Lanka Cricket president, after SLC’s executive committee rejected all three original candidates, and named Dharmadasa the sole nominee for the position on Thursday

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Mar-2013Jayantha Dharmadasa is set to become the next Sri Lanka Cricket president, after SLC’s executive committee rejected all three original candidates, and named Dharmadasa the sole nominee for the position on Thursday. He will run in the April 16 election uncontested, and if elected without incident, will hold the post for two years.He was SLC’s interim president from March 2005 to December 2007, and had expressed interest in contesting this year’s elections in February, but had opted out in the week before applications closed. He then renewed his expressions of interest after the possible complications with the other candidates appeared.MP Thilanga Sumathipala, current president Upali Dharmadasa, and Badureliya Sports Club president Sumith Perera have all had their nominations rejected for various reasons. Sumathipala had had his nomination rejected by the sports ministry earlier in the week due to business interests that were deemed to contravene the sports law.The nominations of Upali Dharmadasa, who is the brother of Jayantha, and Sumith Perera, were found to be in violation of SLC’s constitution, which states a supporting letter from the sports minister must be obtained if candidates for the presidency have not fulfilled specific criteria required of an SLC president. Among these criteria are the requirements that the president must have played first-class cricket, and that he must have sat on the SLC executive committee for at least two years. Upali Dharmadasa had not played first-class cricket, while Sumith Perera had never sat on the executive committee. Neither had obtained the supporting letter from the minister, and thus had their nominations rejected by the executive committee.Jayantha Dharmadasa did not play first-class cricket, nor had he sat on an executive committee, but he had earlier obtained the letter from the sports minister, before deciding not to contest the election, in February.Upali Dharmadasa, who sits on the current executive committee, said his brother was the only viable candidate to have put his name forward. “After my nomination and Mr Sumith Perera’s nomination was rejected, the executive committee decided to nominate Jayantha. He has got the special permission from the sports minister, so he will be appointed the president after the elections.”SLC’s constitution allows the executive committee to make its own nominations if no valid nominations have been received by SLC members.Jayantha Dharmadasa’s sole nomination effectively means uncontested candidates will be elected to the two most powerful positions in SLC for the second consecutive year. Current secretary Nishantha Ranatunga will run uncontested for his position in 2013, as he did in 2012, when Upali Dharmadasa was also elected president uncontested, amid claims of political interference. Last year’s board elections were the first in seven years, during which a series of interim committees administered cricket in the country.

Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan returns to the Bangladesh squad for Test series against Zimbabwe, which begins on April 17 in Harare

Mohammad Isam05-Apr-2013Bangladesh has been boosted by the return of Shakib Al Hasan in the 15-man squad that will take on Zimbabwe in two Tests later this month. The recall of Sajidul Islam after five years, and the persistence with Shahadat Hossain, are both due to the shortage of fit pace bowlers after Abul Hasan was ruled out of the tour with a back injury.Tamim Iqbal has been retained in the Test squad despite a right thumb injury. He has an outside chance of playing in the first game but is expected to recover in time for the second Test.Shakib missed Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka as he needed time to recover from surgery for a stress fracture in his right shin. Chief selector Akram Khan said the allrounder could be available for the first Test that starts on April 17, but only as a batsman.”Shakib [Al Hasan] will play as a batsman in the first Test,” Akram said in a press briefing. “Whether he will bowl or not is up to whether he recovers in time, but he will definitely be ready to bowl in the second Test match.”Shakib will bring much needed balance to the team, and it is clear that he is far more comfortable after the surgery in late February. He has begun batting in the nets.Sajidul is a left-arm swing bowler who made his Test debut in New Zealand in 2008, but was subsequently not picked again. He has taken 27 first-class wickets this season for Rangpur Division and North Zone. He makes up a four-man pace attack that also includes Shahadat, who took just one wicket in the Galle Test last month. Abul’s injury paved the way for his inclusion after he had a terrible Twenty20 outing last week against Sri Lanka.”Shahadat is a Test specialist so we want to continue with him. We are having a shortage of pace bowlers, so we need him to perform.”Sajidul has made a return after doing well in the Bangladesh Cricket League lately. He has been one of the pace bowlers training in the Academy over the last month while the senior side was in Sri Lanka,” Akram said.Shahriar Nafees and Enamul Haque have also been included in the side after both missed the Sri Lanka tour with injuries. Nafees cut his hand while shaving his bat, and Enamul suffering from a hamstring injury. There was no place for Naeem Islam, who also withdrew from the last tour with a right quadriceps tear. Mohammad Ashraful has taken control of the No. 3 position for now after a productive tour.There was no place for Elias Sunny and Marshall Ayub, while Anamul Haque misses out due to college exams, for which he has taken a short leave from cricket. Mashrafe Mortaza had sounded out his inclination to play Tests, but did not recover sufficiently from a heel contusion.Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Rubel Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Enamul Haque, Robiul Islam, Sajidul Islam.

Craig Kieswetter has been ruled out for up to six weeks after suffering a broken thumb in Somerset’s County Championship match against Warwickshire

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2013Craig Kieswetter has been ruled out for up to six weeks after suffering a broken thumb in Somerset’s County Championship match against Warwickshire.Kieswetter sustained the injury to his right thumb from the last ball before lunch on the final day, when he was stood up to Peter Trego, and after interval handed the wicketkeeping gloves to Jos Buttler for the remainder of the match.Dave Nosworthy, Somerset’s director of cricket said: “Obviously this is very disappointing for us at this stage of the campaign and it is also very disappointing for Craig.”This was a freak accident and with him in such good form and in a good frame of mind with the bat and gloves, it has come at a bad time. However, he goes about things in a very professional way and with a good rehabilitation programme already planned we will have him back as soon as possible.”Somerset are fortunate to have another international wicketkeeper in Buttler ready as a straight replacement behind the stumps and he will be available until England’s one-day series against New Zealand which precedes the Champions Trophy in June.Buttler and Kieswetter were set for split duties in the early weeks of the season after Buttler’s elevation to the England limited-overs role at the expense of his county team-mate. Now, Buttler will have an extended run with the gloves in order to work on his keeping ahead of England’s next one-day series.

Sreesanth protested his innocence on a day when he, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were remanded to another five days in police custody

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2013In his first public statement since his arrest last week, Sreesanth has denied any wrongdoing. Sreesanth and his two Rajasthan Royals team-mates, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, who were arrested on Thursday for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing, were remanded on Tuesday by a Delhi court to a further five days in police custody.They were charged by Delhi Police under three laws of the Indian Penal Code: Section 409, which deals with criminal breach of trust and is a non-bailable offence; Section 420 which deals with deal with fraud and cheating; and Section 120B, which deals with deals with criminal conspiracy. The Delhi Police had registered cases against the players under Sections 420 and 120B when they were arrested in the early hours of May 16. The charge under 409 was added to the list following Rajasthan Royals’ complaint against the three*.”I am innocent and have done no wrong,” Sreesanth said in a statement emailed by his lawyer, Rebecca John. “I have never indulged in any spot-fixing.” He said he was confident that his name would be cleared. “As a cricketer, I have learnt to take knocks along with accolades, in my stride. I recognise that I am going through a tough period in my life. I have utmost faith in our judicial process and I am confident that with time I will be proved innocent, and my honour and dignity will be vindicated and restored.”His statement came on a day when he was first sighted since his arrest, dressed in a blue T-shirt on his way to court.At the hearing, the police told the court that they were analysing the recorded conversations of players and bookies. Voice samples of the accused had been taken to match them with the recorded conversations. Additional Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan told the magistrate that during the investigation several new names had cropped up and their details would be submitted to the court in a sealed cover on Wednesday.Sreesanth’s advocate John opposed the plea for police remand saying no ground was made out for seeking his further custody. She said the agency had made all recoveries and confronted all the accused with one another for the past five days.The decision to charge the cricketers under Section 409, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, is seen as unusual as the law applies to a “criminal breach of trust” by anyone considered a “public servant” or “in the way of his business as a banker, merchant, factor, broker, attorney or agent.” There were, however, two possible lines of arguments that the law could be applied to cricketers, according to Vidushpat Singhania, sports law expert and principal associate, Lakshmi Kumaran and Sridharan. The first was that, “the player is acting as an agent, in this case of Rajasthan Royals – he has been entrusted with a property under the contract with Rajasthan Royals – and he has breached that trust.”The second argument that could be made was that a player could be considered a public servant because, “he has, in Sreesanth’s case for example, represented India and he has again, breached that trust they have in him.” In February 2011, the Supreme Court had, for example, upheld a Kerala High Court decision that the state’s cricket association officials could in any case, be considered “public servants”.Singhania said should this charge carry through and be upheld by the court, the punishment would be very stringent and could set a precedent in the future for cases involving fraud on the part of athletes, even without the introduction of a new law pertaining to fixing in sport. “There are provisions of criminal law that make it possible for it to be interpreted for the larger public good against a criminal offence.”However, it would appear that the first argument is the one being employed in this case. According to a report in the , Additional Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan said Section 409 was invoked because Sreesanth had violated the terms of his Royals’ contract. The contract and its financial benefits, he said, were decided upon as per Sreesanth’s “past experience and his match-winning abilities and it was an exclusive contract which granted him playing rights and performing rights, and the agreement did not allow performance for individual gain”.Sreesanth’s advocate John countered that he was not entrusted with any property, or with any dominion over property, to be charged under this offence.In a separate development, Mumbai Police announced it had made three fresh arrests, including that of Virendra Dara Singh Randhawa, also known as Vindoo, the son of famous Indian wrestler Dara Singh.”The first [arrest] is that of Alpesh Patel, who was a operator connected to these bookies. We have recovered Rs 1.28 crores (US$230,000) in cash from his premises,” Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime) in Mumbai, said.”[Vindoo] has also been arrested for links with bookies who have been arrested by us (on Saturday),” Roy said. “The third is Prem Taneja. There are in remand till May 24.”Meanwhile, reports that the government-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd suspended Sreesanth, who was employed as an assistant manager in its marketing division and posted at Irumpanam, near Kochi.04.15GMT, May 22: This article has been updated after details on the charges against the players emerged

West Indies’ stand-in captain Kieron Pollard praised his side for showing character in a tense one-wicket win over India at Sabina Park, despite the main batsmen failing to close out the game

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2013West Indies’ stand-in captain Kieron Pollard praised his side for showing character in a tense one-wicket win over India at Sabina Park, despite the main batsmen failing to close out the game. Chasing 230, West Indies lost their ninth wicket with ten needed, but Nos 9 and 11, Kemar Roach and Tino Best respectively, held their nerve to seal their second consecutive win in the tournament.”At the end, we got over the line and that’s what matters,” said Pollard, who stood-in for the injured Dwayne Bravo. “In the recent past, West Indies teams would have capitulated completely, so it shows we have a bit of fight and character in this side.”We are West Indian cricketers. We attack. If we get into our shell, we get out. That’s how we play cricket and it has worked for us. At the end of the day you have to back yourself. We have to be happy for victories. We cannot say we are not feeling so good because No. 10 (sic.9) and 11 got us over the line. They are batsmen in the team as well.”A modest target of 230 was made to look complicated by West Indies, who lost wickets due to extravagant strokes, despite being well ahead of the required rate. Johnson Charles, who set the platform with 97, was one of those who perished trying to clear the infield. In the end, it was a level-headed partnership of 10 runs between Roach and Best that ended India’s five-match unbeaten streak in ODIs.However, Pollard wanted his team to assess the reasons for such a tense finish. “It’s just a matter of us doing the things that we haven’t done so well, especially in the middle overs.” he said. “As middle-order batsmen, we just have to take it upon ourselves and finish it for the team rather than letting No.10 and 11 (win the match).”Charles anchored the innings and added 116 with Darren Bravo to give West Indies control after losing three early wickets. After a labored 29 off 58 balls in the first match against Sri Lanka, Charles was pleased to get his rhythm back, hitting eight fours and four sixes.”I felt nice and relaxed at the crease. I was told to go out and play my natural game and that is what I did.” Charles said. “In the last game I had no rhythm but this game I came out with a bit more intent and I knew exactly where I wanted to score. I played to my strengths and played shots according to the fields India set”.On a damp wicket, India lost Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli inside the first ten overs, before Rohit Sharma’s eighth half-century against West Indies anchored the innings. A wayward Best returned at the death to claim the important wicket of India captain MS Dhoni first and Ravindra Jadeja in his next over.”We bowled well against the Indians and reduced them to a score we knew we could chase down,” Charles said. “The pitch got a bit flatter and was more of a batting pitch. I would have liked to have reached three figures and carry my team to victory but I’m happy we made it two wins in a row.”Pollard said he felt little pressure on his captaincy debut. “At the start of the game, there wasn’t any pressure. It came later on when we were trying to win the game.” he said. “We have experienced guys in the side, who have captained West Indies before, who have played all over the world and their knowledge was always going to help me go about the task of trying to lead West Indies.”

Craig Meschede took his wicket tally in this season’s YB40 to 20 as Somerset retained the Group C leadership with a five-wicket against Leicestershire

16-Jun-2013
ScorecardCraig Meschede took his wicket tally in this season’s Yorkshire Bank 40 to 20 as Somerset retained the Group C leadership with a five-wicket victory over Leicestershire at Taunton.The 21-year-old all-rounder confirmed his position as the leading wicket-taker in the competition by claiming 4 for 5 from his five overs as the visitors were restricted to 124 all out after losing the toss in a match reduced to 25 overs per side by rain.Alfonso Thomas returned 3 for 30 on his return after a hamstring injury, while Michael Thornely played a lone hand with 49 not out.Somerset made hard work of their target, stuttering to 127 for 5 off 21.3 overs, Craig Kieswetter leading the way with 50 and Marcus Trescothick making 28. Nathan Buck was the pick of the visiting attack with 3 for 25. Leicestershire were never able to gain sufficient momentum after crashing to 49 for 7 by the 13th over.Steve Kirby and Thomas created pressure with tight opening overs, Thomas removing openers Niall O’Brien and Josh Cobb, the latter having gone into the game with an average of 104 in the competition this season.Meschede had Greg Smith caught at midwicket with his sharp medium-pace and then switched to the Old Pavilion End to rip the heart out of the middle order by sending back Joe Burns, followed by Shiv Thakor and Rob Taylor with successive balls.The only resistance came from Thornely, with a little support from Anthony Ireland, who contributed 27 to a ninth-wicket stand of 44.Somerset lost Peter Trego, the competition’s leading run-maker, to Ireland early in their reply, but had moved to 60 in the ninth over when Marcus Trescothick was bowled by a length ball from left-arm seamer Taylor for 28.Kieswetter, in his first innings since recovering from a thumb injury, looked in good form at No. 3. But he had started walking off when dropped on 32 by Matthew Boyce at deep midwicket off Thakor. He went on to his half-century off 41 balls, with six fours and a six and had put Somerset within 29 of victory when caught behind, edging a cross-batted shot off Buck.Dean Elgar and James Hildreth also perished to Buck to give Leicestershire a glimmer of hope. But Nick Compton and Alex Barrow batted cautiously to complete the job with plenty in hand, Compton securing victory with a six off Taylor.