Tag Futebol

Just one week after raising the issue of “fancy fixing” in a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), exclusively published on Wisden Cricinfo, Rashid Latif has apologised to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his action. Samiul Hasan, the PCB spokesman, said: “He [Latif] has written to the PCB saying he committed a mistake by writing that letter without consulting the Board. He regretted his decision and said he would not do any such thing in future without prior clearance from the board.”Hasan clarified that despite the apology, the board might yet take disciplinary action against Latif. “We have asked the ICC to explain if any procedures were violated. If the ICC says yes, then the matter would be referred to the PCB disciplinary committee, which comprises two judges, one legal advisor and a former Test cricketer.”While admitting that the letter had put the board in a “very awkward position”, Hasan was quick to point out that the PCB fully understood Latif’s concern over matchfixing. “He has been a front-runner in exposing matchfixing activities and has even put his career at stake,” said Hasan. “He has not named any cricketer in his letter. Also, nowhere in his letter does he say that matchfixing was still taking place. So whatever he has written are his personal views. He has a right to his views as captain of the team.”In his letter to the ICC, Latif had raised concerns about the occurrence of “fancy fixing” – a form of matchfixing where bets are placed on various smaller aspects of the match. According to a report in The Independent, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit had noted this phenomenon too – Lord Condon, head of the ACU, had listed nine specific aspects in his draft report two years ago, terming them “occurrence fixing”.The ICC is likely to ask Latif to raise his concerns at the annual international captains’ meet, which takes place in September.

Charl Langeveldt has been released from the South African squad for the first Castle Lager/MTN Test match against India in Bloemfontein starting on Saturday and will be available to play for Boland in their Western Cape derby against Western Province at the weekend.According to a United Cricket Board media release, Langevedlt would not have been among the 11 playing in the Test. Selection convener Rushdi Magiet is quoted as saying: “It is important for South African cricket that he play as much cricket as possibleand this would not be the case were he to act as 12th man in Bloemfontein.”Members of the Free State team who have a bye this weekend will do duty as 12th man.The South African Test team is: Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Boeta Dippenaar, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock (capt), Mark Boucher, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Nantie Hayward.

The former Gloucestershire wicketkeeper, international umpire and professional footballer Barrie Meyer has died in Durban aged 83.Meyer stood in 26 Tests and 23 ODIs, including the 1979 and 1983 World Cup finals, following a career where he played 406 first-class matches and 44 List A games. He stood in the famous 1981 Ashes Test at Headingley where Ian Botham and Bob Willis turned the match on its head.He was an all-round sportsman having played football for Bristol Rovers, Plymouth, Newport County and Bristol City. For Bristol Rovers he scored 60 goals in 139 league matches and scored against Manchester United in the 4-0 FA Cup victory in 1951.Meyer umpired his first international in 1977, an ODI against Australia at Old Trafford, and his final match was also against Australia, a Test at The Oval, in 1993.

Umaid Asif picked four wickets in two overs•PSL

Pace trio Waqas Maqsood, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Umaid Asif took nine wickets between them to skittle New Zealand A for 65, before the batsmen shrugged off the paltry target with more than seven overs to spare, as Pakistan A romped to an eight-wicket win in the first unofficial T20I in Dubai.New Zealand lost three early wickets to the opening combination of Maqsood and Afridi, finding themselves at 11 for 3, with the latter on a hat-trick at one stage. First-change Asif then tightened the noose, snaffling five in quick time to finish as the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 20, his best T20 figures. Only captain Corey Anderson and wicketkeeper Tim Seifert offered a modicum of resistance. But once they were separated by Asif, with a slower ball that Anderson dragged on to his stumps, the innings went into a steep nosedive again. Despite Seifert’s 26, which included five fours, the visitors folded up inside 13 overs.In response Pakistan lost their openers early, Sahibzada Farhan run out for 1 and Umar Amir hit wicket for 20 off Kyle Jamieson. But there were no hiccups thereafter as the third-wicket pair of Iftikhar Ahmed and Hussain Tallat stitched together a partnership of 44 off 51 balls to see the hosts home.

Scorecard

Mumbai’s bowlers, led by Ramesh Powar, dominated the opening day of the Ranji season after Karnataka won an important toss and chose to bat on a turning wicket. Ajit Agarkar prised out the Karnataka openers cheaply before Powar removed Rahul Dravid, who led a mini recovery act. Powar then ran through the tail to leave Karnataka struggling at 189 for 9. B Akhil led a rearguard effort with a gritty unbeaten 119-ball 53, an innings whose importance will be known after Mumbai bat on this wearing track.The first session featured some fine seam bowling from Agarkar, but Powar dominated the next two. He had delivered the sucker punch ten minutes before lunch when he removed Dravid with a flighted delivery that spun and bounced to produce an edge off a jab. Karnataka’s defences had been breached and it would have been even worse had the short-leg fielder, Sahil Kukreja, held on to sharp chance offered by C Raghu in the same over.Undaunted, Powar struck almost immediately after lunch. Slip, silly point, short leg and backward short leg watched in glee as Powar began to tease the batsmen with variations in flight and turn. In the fourth over he deceived Yere Goud with a lovely flighted delivery that dipped rapidly on the lunging batsman and spun to leave him desperately swishing in the air.The runs came in a trickle in the post-lunch session – 58 runs in 34 overs – as the batsmen struggled to come to terms with the turning ball. Raghu, with a patient 138-ball 31, fought hard while Akhil showed rare glimpses of aggression as he drove and cut the spinners on a few occasions. Using his height, he stretched well forward to drive Powar and Iqbal Abdulla, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner making his Ranji debut. He even attempted a couple of reverse-sweeps against Powar as he began to run out of partners.Abdulla got sharp bounce, with Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, collecting some deliveries in front of his face. All indications were that Anil Kumble would have plenty to look forward to later in the game.Powar certainly enjoyed the wicket. In the last session, he grabbed three wickets in four overs as the tail succumbed pushing and prodding. Sunil Joshi was struck on the pad while stretching forward, Kumble stabbed a turning delivery and Vinay Kumar jabbed at a floater.The first hour of the day belonged to Agarkar, who kept the ball full, got late movement and strangled the batsman. Barring an elegant cover drive from Dravid, hardly any shot pierced the infield as Agarkar ended his first spell with figures of 8-3-9-2. He was on the job right from the start, teasing the outside edge with his second ball before striking two balls later when Barrington Rowland, on nought, lunged at a good-length delivery that shaped away.That brought in Dravid, with another semi-crisis to tackle. The first ball was patted to the off side and he soon got off the mark with a dab to cover. Dravid played cautiously, constantly looking to get forward to kill the movement but the same could not be said of the other batsmen. KB Pawan, brought in for Robin Uthappa, was edgy throughout his 31-ball stay. He was caught at the crease, unsure of his off stump and was constantly pushing tentatively away from his body. Agarkar beat him repeatedly but what would have pleased Pravin Amre, Mumbai’s coach, the most, was the effort from Rajesh Verma.Verma was rewarded for his five-for (“a pleasant surprise” according to Amre) in the Irani Trophy with a place in the playing XI. He repaid that faith with a fine spell, bowling just marginally short of good length and cutting the ball both ways with a whippy action. He beat Pawan three times in his first over and continued to harass him subsequently.Dravid was cautious against Verma and Agarkar but was beaten only three times: the first prompted an lbw appeal as Agarkar brought one in to rap him high on the pads; the second missed the outside edge as Verma cut it away; and the third, half an hour before the break, saw Dravid play a rare stroke away from the body off Agarkar. The rest met the middle of the bat as Dravid proceeded to settle the nerves in the dressing room.Spin was introduced in the 17th over, and Dravid immediately hit Powar for successive fours, an elegant off drive followed by a cut against the turn, while Raghu, who grew in confidence as the innings progressed, dabbed the ball around in the gaps to rotate the strike.The first signs of alarming spin came off the fifth ball of the 23rd over. Powar got it to turn sharply and bounce, forcing a surprised Dravid to hurriedly pull out of an intended cut. Soon Powar took over to have a stranglehold over Karnataka.

What wouldn’t Pakistan give for Shahid Afridi to regain his mojo? It’sbeen over 17 months, and 21 innings, since he’s manageda fifty. In between he’s retired from Test cricket, reversed hisdecision and turned into a more-than-handy operator with the ball.Recently, as Bob Woolmer revealed yesterday, he’s made it clear that hewants to bat at No.5 – a strange choice because it’s a position thatrequires a calmness to get through the middle overs.He’s capable of the lightning innings but can Pakistan afford to keepstaring at the skies and waiting? “It certainly would be frustrating for him,” Woolmer admitted, “but we still see him as a positive force in one-day cricket for Pakistan. We will try and support him through this period and hope he produces the goods when it counts.”Younis echoed his views. “Everyone wants to see Shahid play and perform,”he said, “but there is no guarantee that every player will score in every tournament. I have always maintained that this is a team game. If we play as a team and have the energy that we showed in the Sri Lanka game, we can beat South Africa comfortably.”But is batting him at No.5 the option? “We want to utilise Shahid to the hilt,” he continued. “As an opener, if he falls early, there is pressure on him and on us. If he comes low down the order, he doesn’t have much time. We are trying to give him every chance so that he can settle down. Shahid is the kind of player who can win matches single-handedly. It hasn’t paid off till now; it’s part of the game.What that’s also meant is that Shoaib Malik, arguably Pakistan’s mostvaluable player over the last two years, gets a chance only at No.6.Younis, though, didn’t want that to change. “It’s working for the team,”he justified. “He has made almost 100 runs in the first two matches, and he played a matchwinning knock in the first match. It’s good for the team too. Before the tournament, he was out of form, and now is back in the runs. He is happy with his spot in the batting order.”Afridi at No. 5 and Malik at No. 6 meant that Younis needed to shoulder the burden at No. 3. He hardly made an impression in the first two games, managing scores of 7 and 2, but he insisted that it had nothing to do with the pressures of captaincy. “My form has nothing to do with captaincy,” he asserted. “I am not the captain for the first time. Last year, in Karachi [against India], I led and performed and we won the game too. There is so much cricket that you can’t maintain the same level every time. Ricky Ponting too hasn’t made runs in two matches. But yes, as captain, your attention is divided. I am thinking for everyone now. I need to carry the youngsters. Maybe my focus has shifted a little away from my cricket. I need to start to get the focus back. I am constantly learning, I want to keep learning.”

Andrew Flintoff was named the Professional Cricketers’ Association Player of the Year at a glitzy dinner at London’s Royal Albert Hall.Flintoff won the award, which is voted for by all professional cricketers, for the second year in succession. The previous player to win it back-to-back was John Lever in 1978 and 1979.”It’s been massive,” Flintoff said. “You have to pinch yourself sometimes. It’s been a roller-coaster of emotions. It’s been enjoyable, it’s been tense, it’s been nervy and to come out with the Ashes has been amazing – but at the end I just wished there was another Test to play the following week.”But Flintoff, along with other England cricketers, was keen to let the PCA awards mark the end of English celebrations of a wildly successful summer. He told Sky Sports he was looking forward to the challenge of playing in the subcontinent, against Pakistan and then India, in conditions vastly different from home.”Pakistan is going to hold new challenges. Having played against Australia, it was hard, and I’m sure Pakistan is going to be equally hard. We’re going out to the subcontinent, playing under different conditions foreign to ourselves, and I feel I’ve got something to prove on the subcontinent. I went out to India a few years ago and I’ve been to Sri Lanka, and did alright. But I’d like to do well in other parts of the world, not just England.”Flintoff wasn’t alone in turning thoughts away from celebrating and towards the challenges that lie ahead. Ashley Giles, who had such a successful series in Pakistan in 2000-01, is expected to play a key role again on pitches that are likely to offer turn. “They’ve been great but it’s the last hurrah. We’re back in the gym after this,” Giles explained. “I’ve got an important role to play in the subcontinent, so I have to be ready. I have to be fit and firing. So, the next four weeks are important preparation.”

England arrive in Pakistan on October 26 for a tour that includes three Tests and five one-day internationals. They also visit India in February before hosting Sri Lanka and Pakistan next summer. The side then travels to Australia at the end of 2006 where they will attempt to retain the Ashes.Marcus Trescothick, the vice-captain, said, “There’s a lot of cricket to play before then. We are not going to get too far ahead of ourselves. We will take a break, go to Pakistan and move on. We are looking forward to it but we are going to have to work very hard. To beat them in their own countries will be tough.”Matthew Hoggard was similarly wary. “We have got to beat Pakistan and India before we think about going to Australia. They are two very hard sides to beat in their own countries and we are going to have to play well. We have got the capabilities to achieve what we want but we know we have still got to improve in some areas.”With the exceptions of Michael Vaughan, the England captain, Kevin Pietersen and Simon Jones, the majority of the English side were present for the ceremony. And the occasion held enough glitter and glamour for Trescothick, reveling in his new-found status as national hero, to mutter to reporters, “It’s the first time I’ve seen the red carpet out here.”Essex batsman Alastair Cook, 20, who earlier in the month was named the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Player of the Year, added the PCA’s Young Player of the Year award to his collection.Ian Botham was named the greatest England cricketer of the last 25 years, while David Shepherd, who retired from umpiring at the weekend, received the England and Wales Cricket Board Special Award.

Jogesh Khattar, a member of the Bhopal Cricket Association, has served a petition in the Bhopal High Court alleging that the BCCI has committed contempt of court by electing Jagmohan Dalmiya as its patron-in-chief.Khattar had filed a petition last week asking the court to prevent the BCCI from making the appointment, on the grounds that there was no provision for it in their constitution, and the court had accordingly directed the board to refrain from any activity that was not in accordance with their constitution.The crux of the matter lies in the interpretation of that order. Professor Ratnakar Shetty, joint secretary of the board, told Wisden Cricinfo, “There is a provision in the constitution. We have taken a decision and it is within the rules.”Khattar’s contention, meanwhile, is that the board’s constitution allows only for an outsider to be made chief patron, and not an incumbent president. The court had accepted that argument had prima facie merit, but they have yet to rule on it.

All Today’s Yesterdays – July 4 down the years 1918
The quintessential English seamer is born. Surrey’s AlecBedser was simply one of England’s greatest post-war bowlers, a disciple of line and length, seam and swing. He began his Test career with a staggering 22 wickets in his first two Tests, against India in 1946. Indeed, throughout his career Bedser’s wickets came in clusters: 23 in three Tests against South Africa in 1951, 36 in four against Australia two years later, including match figures of 14 for 99 at Trent Bridge, the greatest in Test history by a bowler not on the winning side. He was later an England selector for a record 23 years, and was knighted in 1996. His twin brother Eric was also a fine allrounder for Surrey.1981
Put in on a moist pitch in the County Championship match atBournemouth, Nottinghamshire were dispatched for 143 by Hampshire. Nothing unusual in that, but while batsman after batsman laboured at one end, Clive Rice batted as if it was a Johannesburg shirtfront. He made a superb 105 not out; the next-highest score was Tim Robinson’s 10. The Wisden Almanack report, presumably written by David Coleman, called his performance "remarkable".1959
Birth of the highest runscorer in women’s Test cricket history. Nobody can match Jan Brittin’s 1935 runs, made in 27 Tests for England between 1979 and 1996. Her five hundreds are also a record.1931
A prankster is born. England’s Peter Richardson had a fondness for sending false cricket records to EW Swanton, for publication in theDaily Telegraph. Oh and he batted too, extremely successfully in 34 Tests between 1956 and 1963. A diligent left-handed opener, he made five hundreds in his first 16 Tests, including 104 against Australia inLaker’s Match at Old Trafford in 1956. He played for Worcestershire and Kent, and in 1957, he played alongside his brother Dick in the Trent Bridge Test of 1957. They were the last brothers to do so for England until the Hollioakes.1986
A burly 183 not out from Mike Gatting, in his second game as captain, was the highlight of England’s drawn third Test against India atEdgbaston. It was a result not to be sneezed at – England had lost seven in a row going into this. This was also the debut of Mark Benson, the Kent opener. He faced his first ball with England at 0 for 2, made 21 and 30 in good style – and was never picked again.1922
Birth of Ghulam Ahmed, one of India’s premier spinners in their formative years of Test cricket. He was at his best on helpful wickets, where he could be lethal. Three of his four five-fors came in defeat though, including his best figures – 7 for 49 against Australia at Calcutta in 1956-57. He was an aggressive but essentially hopeless tailender – in 22 completed Test innings he made nine ducks, but he somehow made 50 against Pakistan at Delhi in 1952-53. He was secretary of the BCCI between 1975 and 1980, and died in his native Hyderabad in 1998.1984
A complete mismatch at Edgbaston, where Warwickshire thumpedOxfordshire by 227 runs in a NatWest Trophy match. Alvin Kallicharran flayed 206 … and then took 6 for 32 with his gentle offspinners. His was the first double-hundred in a one-day match in England, although it looks piddling compared to Ally Brown’s butchery in the 2002 season.1972
Craig Spearman, the New Zealand opener who turns 31 today, has never quite done justice to his explosive talent in 19 Tests. He slashed aquickfire 40 on debut, in a lowscoring match against Pakistan atChristchurch in 1995-96, and later that winter made his only hundred, against Zimbabwe at Auckland. His nature should have made him suited to the one-day game, but in 51 appearances he averaged only 18. He is now playing for Gloucestershire as a non-overseas player, qualifying by virtue of his Welsh mother.

New Zealand Cricket will look to Australia for assistance in match play for the CLEAR Black Caps if the tour of Pakistan is not able to be undertaken in any form next month.NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said today he would approach Australia, probably on Monday, to see if it was possible to organise at least two more State games for the New Zealand team before the first Test.”I haven’t spoken to them yet but I am sure they would see it being in their own best interests for us to be as well prepared as possible,” he said.Snedden said he was more inclined to look for cricket in Australia for the side than to try and organise games, possibly between the Black Caps and the NZ A team, in New Zealand.Pakistan was still an option, although it was unlikely, he said.The Black Caps arrived back in New Zealand this morning after they had been placed on hold in Singapore when events in the United States on Wednesday caused NZC to consider its options for the side.