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Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal given World Cup deadline


Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal have until December 30 to provide the PCB with the necessary documents to clear their names for World Cup selection.
"The PCB has asked them to submit the documents about their assets and bank accounts by December 30 to be considered in the list of probables for the World Cup," Subhan Ahmad, the board's COO, told APP.
The ICC had extended Pakistan's deadline for the submission of its preliminary 30-member squad for the tournament to January 5, after receiving a request from the board. Kamran and Malik have not played for Pakistan since their controversial tour of England in August and were left out of the tour to the United Arab Emirates. They have also been denied permission to play league cricket in Bangladesh. The PCB has remained fairly tight-lipped about the reasons for their exclusion.
Running out of time: Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal

Kamran and Malik had both questioned the board's decision to not clear them for the New Zealand tour. Kamran had written to the ICC asking if he was under investigation and got a clean chit from them. The ICC had sent him and Salman Butt notices during Pakistan's tour of England in August, seeking information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in May.
Legspinner Danish Kaneria, who has not figured in Pakistan's one-day plans in recent times, was also earlier given until the end of the year to submit his replies to the board's integrity committee's queries, in order to gain clearance to play for the country.

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India at full strength for South Africa ODIs


Piyush Chawla, who last played an ODI in 2008, is back

India have named a full-strength squad for the ODI and Twenty20 series in South Africa, which is their last international limited-overs assignment before the 2011 World Cup begins in February. Piyush Chawla, the legspinner, is the only new name in the 16-man list, having played an ODI last in 2008. Ravindra Jadeja has been left out of the team while Yusuf Pathan, who impressed during the home series against New Zealand, has been retained.
The squad comprises six batsmen, wicketkeeper MS Dhoni, allrounder Yusuf and eight bowlers - five quicks and three spinners, including R Ashwin, who's followed up his success in the IPL and the Champions League with strong performances in ODIs. Ishant Sharma, who hasn't played ODIs since the trip to Sri Lanka in August, was also left out of the mix.
Sachin Tendulkar, who has opted out of one-day matches since his 200 against South Africa in Gwalior this February, will return to the format and partner Virender Sehwag at the top in order to get match practice in the lead-up to the World Cup.
The other players who've featured in ODIs for India in the recent past but haven't been picked, following the return of the big names, are batsmen Rohit Sharma and Saurabh Tiwary.
Squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth.

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Harris takes six to level Ashes series

Australia 268 (Johnson 62, Hussey 61) and 309 (Hussey 116, Watson 95, Tremlett 5-87) beat England 187 (Bell 53, Strauss 52, Johnson 6-38) and 123 (Harris 6-47) by 267 runs

Ryan Harris collected his first five-wicket haul in Tests to seal a massive win for Australia



Australia wasted no time in levelling the Ashes series with a crushing 267-run victory at the WACA as Ryan Harris tore out the remaining resistance with a Test-best 6 for 47 to humble England. He finished off the visitors in a hurry as they were blown away in 10 overs on the fourth morning to set up a potentially thrilling conclusion to this series over the Christmas and New Year period.
Harris collected the rewards that eluded him in Adelaide as he finished with nine in the match, while Mitchell Johnson claimed the other wicket to fall as he, too, picked up nine. Johnson's revival in this match reflects Australia's upward curve, leaving England with much to ponder before the MCG Test starts on Boxing Day.
This was Australia's first Test victory in six matches since beating Pakistan at Lord's. It gave Ricky Ponting, who didn't take the field due to a broken little finger, the perfect 36th birthday present and will ease the pressure on him for the time being although he faces a race to be fit for Melbourne.

Smart Stats

  • England's total of 123 is the seventh-lowest ever at the WACA, and the second-lowest by England. Their lowest at the ground is 112 in 1998, while they also scored 123 in 1995.
  • Perth remains easily England's worst Test venue - their win-loss ratio and batting average is the lowest among grounds where they've played at least ten Tests. It's Australia's fourth-best ground in terms of win-loss ratio.
  • Mitchell Johnson has taken 30 wickets in four Tests at the WACA at an average of 18.13, which is the fourth-best among bowlers who've taken at least 15 wickets at this ground.
  • Australia's 267-run win is their sixth by a margin of 200-plus runs in Perth. Three of those wins have come against England.
  • The match average of 22.17 is the fifth-lowest in a Test in Perth, and the lowest since 1998. Three of the top five have been in Tests involving England.
James Anderson was the first to depart when he played back to Harris, lost his off stump and will have left with Australian chirping ringing in his ears. Ian Bell and Matt Prior were England's last chance of extending the context, but after a few more elegant cover drives Bell tried to work a straight ball through the leg side and was trapped straight in front. He asked for a review, but it was a hollow gesture.
Two deliveries later Harris had his five when Prior could only fend the ball towards gully where Michael Hussey, another who has enjoyed an outstanding Test, dived to his right to hold a sharp chance. The roars of the Australians, both the players and supporters, were deafening as the momentum of this series continued to swing towards the hosts in dramatic fashion.
Graeme Swann predictably had a swing but it didn't last long when he inside-edged a drive at Johnson and the final wicket went to Harris when Steven Finn fended to third slip. It was a clinical conclusion, a reminder of how Australia used to finish off Test matches and they were unrecognisable from the Test thrashed in Adelaide.
From being 5 for 69 on the first day this has been one of finest Test turnarounds in recent times and they'll take a huge surge of confidence into the next clash. However, both teams will remember that a similar momentum-shift occurred in 2009 when Australia won at Headingley before England secured the Ashes at The Oval. Despite the margin of victory in this, and the previous match, these two teams are closely matched and the series could turn into a classic.

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Top-of-table clash too tight to call


How Virender Sehwag fares could determine the fate of the series © Associated Press
It's there in the rarefied air of the Highveld. It's on the radio, it's being talked about in pubs even during a Manchester United-Arsenal game, it's on the streets, it will soon be seen from the grass banks. The No. 1 Test side in the world is here for a three-Test series, no longer the miserable tourists of the past, still with history against them. South Africa are ready, they are going to spice the pitches up a bit, they are going to try and make a move towards the ranking that was theirs before India took it away. It is a series that could define both the teams, but with two days to go the prudent thing to do is to sit on the fence and not call any favourites, as the following breakdown shows.
Top orders
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are arguably the best opening combination going around today, but they haven't been tested in seamer-friendly conditions consistently by bowlers of the calibre of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Still it would need a very good combination to hold an edge over Sehwag and Gambhir. Graeme Smith is as tough as they come, and Alviro Petersen scored a century on debut against India. However, if Sehwag and Gambhir have to face a test of conditions, Zaheer Khan holds a mental edge over Smith. As it often happens, and as it might happen for the series overall, this one might just come down to Sehwag.
Following the openers we have one of the best Nos 3 ever, and another who is in the form of his life. Rahul Dravid is usually just the man for overcast and seamer-friendly conditions, but he last faced such a test in Australia in 2007-08. Since then he has had dips in form, he has been hit by a bouncer that made him miss a Test for only the second time in his career, and there have been calls for younger blood. That there was no question about his selection is testimony to his value to the team, and he is coming off a 191 against New Zealand. Hashim Amla is the most Indian of batsmen you will get to see out of India, and he has serenely and surely been scoring runs by the truckloads. Since he came to India earlier this year, he has averaged 88 in Tests and 76 in ODIs. It is tough to argue against such a No. 3.
Between awe and toughness, reputation and form, it is difficult to stick a neck out here.
Middle orders The Nos 4 of the two teams are absolute legends and have been around forever. In the last series, both of them scored centuries, and nothing much is expected to change there. Sachin Tendulkar is having one of his best years with the bat, Jacques Kallis is not out of form either. Has he ever been? Tendulkar knows the conditions as well as any batsman not South African. You wouldn't bet against Kallis either, who has already scored four centuries this year, and can also bowl pretty mean bouncers and outswingers if needed.
VVS Laxman at No. 5 carries bundles of class and a first-class degree in crisis management with him, AB de Villiers the confidence from having just scored the highest individual score for a South African. However, like Dravid, Laxman hasn't put his fire-fighting skills to test on spicy pitches under overcast skies for a long time. Does that make de Villiers more reliable? Still hard to tell.
Ashwell Prince and Suresh Raina are relative weak links, but Prince's experience and knowledge of home conditions edge out Raina. South Africa might hold a slight edge here, but Tendulkar and Laxman are not batsmen to be written off.
Wicketkeepers
Mark Boucher is more likely to score important lower-order runs than MS Dhoni, if only because the conditions suit his game better. Behind the stumps, there isn't much between them. If Dhoni is flashy with stumpings, he has been a touch slow going for the catches to his right. South Africa hold a slight advantage here, but in the final equation it might not count for a lot.
Spinners
India hold an edge here, but the conditions might negate the spinners as attacking options. Harbhajan, though, will love the bounce on offer after a long season on slow Indian tracks. Don't forget what Lord Harris did to India in the deciding Test on the last tour.
Fast bowlers
Tight. Very tight. You would want to back South Africa with Steyn and Morkel arguably being the most dangerous opening bowling combination. It's the third seamer's slot where India level the scales. Zaheer, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth are all aggressive bowlers, all three capable of utilising helpful conditions. There is a rider, though. Except for Zaheer, you are never quite sure what you will get from the Indian seamers. Ishant and Sreesanth can be very good on their days, but on an off day they can be very bad. With Steyn and Morkel, you are assured of a degree of control.
Zaheer's fitness remains dodgy. He did bowl in the nets today, making the Indian camp feel better, but they were still not completely certain that Zaheer will make it for the first Test. If he doesn't, South Africa will have a clear advantage.
Slip catching
In seaming conditions, there will be quite a few coming the slippers way. If there is such a thing called catching form, Dravid hasn't been in it. He also injured his finger while dropping one against New Zealand, and is not even sure if he will be standing in the slips. Tendulkar has been out of slips for some time now, with an injured finger, and Laxman's back doesn't let him stay there for long durations. Expect to see a lot of Sehwag and Raina there.
South Africa are not sure of Smith's presence there he recently fractured a finger but Kallis and de Villiers provide their cordon a more stable look.
Final equation
On paper, nothing gives. It could come down to what kind of mental state the Indian batsmen are in. Collectively and individually, South Africa is the only country where they have failed to compete consistently. Tendulkar's average falls from 57 overall to 40 in South Africa, Dravid's from 53 to 34, Sehwag's from 55 to 26, and Laxman's from 48 to 41. Consequently, just one win in 12 attempts. They all know they need to correct it, but how much does that play on their minds? It might not matter much if India get off to a good start, but history which says something about India's dislike for the conditions here gives South Africa the slight advantage.
Equally South Africa have a relatively modern history to correct after having failed to close out two Tests against England last season. They have not won either of their last two home series, both against top opposition. That just makes their advantage even slighter. If this is not dead even, it is the closest thing to it.
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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Hapless New Zealand swept away again

India 107 for 2 (Parthiv 56, Yuvraj 42) beat New Zealand 103 (Styris 24, Ashwin, 3-24, Yuvraj 2-5, Nehra 2-34) by eight wickets



Only Brendon McCullum showed any intent, but Ashish Nehra nipped him out before he could inflict serious damage

New Zealand were at the receiving end of another humiliation as a hapless batting performance led to their lowest score against India and sealed a 0-5 whitewash. On a dry pitch susceptible to the influence of the overcast weather, New Zealand were keen to make the most of initially favourable batting conditions. But their edginess against pace at the start of the innings, and capitulation to spin later on, ensured their misery in ODIs continued.
The pitch offered limited assistance to the bowlers and was not responsible for the domination that India showed; New Zealand's inability to survive perhaps was. The seamers were crafty enough to make use of the hint of swing and movement available early on, the spinners, led by R Ashwin, varied their lengths, pace and worked the angles well to prove more than a handful against the middle and lower orders.
Praveen Kumar's control and Ashish Nehra's quick recovery from a Brendon McCullum onslaught in his first over set up India. Praveen earned his prize straight away, beginning with three straight-ish deliveries before getting one to nip away and prompt a fatal poke from Martin Guptill. Nehra had a contrasting start, struggling for line and length, dragging one short to be dispatched over square leg and providing width to be slammed through the off side for two boundaries. McCullum's aggressive posture, characterized by his advances down the wicket as well as moving well across to look for scoring opportunities, promised an entertaining counterattack. It caused his downfall instead, as he shuffled across to Nehra and was done in by the inswing to be caught on the pads, leaving New Zealand 14 for 2.

The pitch largely behaved itself for the duration of the innings and the Indian bowlers, for their part, provided reasonable opportunities to ease the pressure. Ross Taylor looked confident, piercing the field with some delicious drives past mid-off, but his stay ended with an instinctive attempt at a pull against Nehra, and the ball scraped the glove on the way to Parthiv Patel. Jamie How appeared on course to lend some respectability to what's been a miserable series with some lovely flicks off his pads and Scott Styris seemed determined to get the innings back on track, but the steadiness that they had painstakingly brought to the innings was obliterated by spin.
The slow bowlers were expected to play a prominent role as the day wore on and it didn't take long for Yuvraj Singh to step into the act. In the 17th over, after having built a stand of 43 with Styris, How tried to play across the line and was bowled as the ball straightened. Styris misread the length and played the sweep, almost as an afterthought, against Ashwin in the next over to be caught plumb. And Grant Elliott, included in the line-up to strengthen the batting, made no impact, failing to read the straighter one from Yuvraj to be lbw.
Three wickets in three overs, and the departure of Daniel Vettori to a catch at slip not long after indicated New Zealand were in a hurry to finish the game even before the weather, overcast and ominous, was given a chance to intervene. Sure enough, Kyle Mills' inability to read Ashwin's carrom ball and Tim Southee's gifting a catch to short leg marked a sorry end to a line-up that bats deep.
The early wickets of the in-form Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were the only consolation as New Zealand succumbed to a 0-5 battering, with their World Cup preparations in disarray following a bitter experience in two recent assignments in the subcontinent. India, for their part, have been boosted by the successful return of Yusuf Pathan and the consistency of Ashwin, while consecutive fifties from Parthiv Patel have further spiced up the selection race for the World Cup.
Siddhartha Talya is a sub editor at Cricinfo

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Razzak's four secures comfortable win

Bangladesh 246 for 7 (Shakib 73, Mushfiqur 63, Utseya 4-38) beat Zimbabwe 181 (Utseya 67, Razzak 4-14, Shafiul 4-43) by 65 runs



Abdur Razzak's rapid strikes ensured Bangladesh were always in control of their defence of 246



Mid-way through an overcast morning, Bangladesh were in a familiar predicament: the top-order had failed and Shakib Al Hasan, the reluctant captain, was saddled with the responsibility of achieving a target his spinners could defend on a pitch that assisted turn. Having had ample practice at this challenge, Shakib went about it manfully, but he also had an able ally. His risk-free batting was at odds with Mushfiqur Rahim's impish stroke play but their 116-run stand was the bedrock of the highest total of the series. It proved more than enough.
Shakib waited only three overs before entrusting the defence of 246 to a spinner. He had to wait only three balls to see that decision yield results. Abdur Razzak continued his torment of Zimbabwe in this series: his quick strikes decapitated the chase, his economy brought it to a standstill and Bangladesh were assured of a 2-1 lead by the time the mandatory Powerplay was over.
The heart of the victory lay in the way Bangladesh, for the second time in succession, batted satisfactorily. They didn't begin in that manner, though, and were 71 for 4 in the 20th over, when Shakib and Mushfiqur began their alliance. The Zimbabwe spinners had tightened the tourniquet on the run-flow and Shakib had been watchful - a back-foot cut through point would be his only boundary for 54 balls. Little Mushfiqur, in contrast, was anything but watchful at the start of his innings, slicing Prosper Utseya just wide of the fielder at point before dispatching the next ball to the midwicket boundary with a dismissive swat.
The partnership would not have reached the proportions it did, had Tatenda Taibu stumped Mushfiqur on 14, when the batsman advanced and missed an on-drive. Mushfiqur, undeterred, attempted a flamboyant cut next ball and edged over the short third man. Thereafter, he too reduced the risk.
Utseya made so many bowling changes during the middle overs that it was hard to keep count, but Shakib and Mushfiqur played them all adeptly. When Shakib reached his fifty in the 38th over, Bangladesh were in control. Mushfiqur's cutting was the highlight of his innings and one off the stumps against Ray Price brought up his half-century. Shortly after, Mushfiqur swung Graeme Cremer over midwicket for the innings' only six in the 42nd over.
Bangladesh kept the batting Powerplay for the last five overs, the intention being for Shakib and Mushfiqur to surge. Those plans were undone by Utseya, standing in as captain for the injured Elton Chigumbura. He had Mushfiqur caught at deep backward square just before the Powerplay, and trapped Shakib lbw while attempting a reverse-scoop soon after. Bangladesh's set batsmen were gone, but wayward bowling yielded 30 runs from the final two overs of the innings.
Three overs into the chase, Shakib had seen enough of seam from both ends and gave Razzak the ball. Moments later, Chamu Chibhabha went back into his crease to play a ball. Mistake. Razzak skidded the arm ball through and it would have hit leg stump had the pad not been in the way
Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza made an effort to play Razzak off the front foot. Masakadza took the ploy too far, though. His charge and heave against the spin connected with nothing, and Mushfiqur stumped him. At the other end, Taylor continued pressing forward and nearly survived the mandatory Powerplay. To its final ball, he was unsure whether to move forward or not. Razzak got the ball to turn, kick, and take the edge towards first slip. Zimbabwe were 29 for 3.
Shakib gave Razzak a break after that and brought back Shafiul Islam, who induced an edge from Craig Ervine that went to the third-man boundary in the 12th over - only the second four of the innings. In his next over, Shafiul drew another edge from Ervine, this time to Mushfiqur.
While wickets tumbled at one end, none had fallen from the other where Mortaza was bowling, even though he found movement at a brisk pace. In the 15th over he also found the top of Tatenda Taibu's off stump after the batsman shouldered arms. At 40 for 5, Zimbabwe were finished, and Shakib hadn't bowled a ball. By the time Shakib brought himself on, Razzak had already taken a wicket in his second spell, trapping Regis Chakabva lbw.
Razzak did not bowl again until the 44th over, which allowed Zimbabwe to reach 181 and Utseya to make a half-century, which he celebrated with a smile. Utseya's 67 was one short of a career best, his 4 for 38 in Bangladesh's innings was a career best. He will aim to reprise the performance in the next game and hope his team-mates lift too.

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Rajasthan, Punjab cases intensify

A lifeline for Rajasthan, not much luck for Punjab 


The cases against the expulsion of the two IPL franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, have intensified further, leading to more uncertainty over the build up to its fourth season. The BCCI, as it had intended earlier, moved the Bombay High Court against the stay given to Rajasthan by arbitrator Justice Srikrishna, which has effectively allowed it to continue as a franchise for the next six weeks. The date for the court's hearing over the BCCI's appeal against the stay will be announced on Friday.
The case of the King's XI has, however, been further complicated with the franchise alleging that the BCCI had "deliberately" delayed its object to Srikrishna's role in the proceedings. The Kings XI hearings were due to begin on Thursday, but the decision by the arbitrator to stand down has led to further postponements in the case.
In the Bombay high court, Punjab's lawyer Darius Khambata said the BCCI had deliberately raised an objection to Srikrishna, their own candidate of choice as arbitrator, just before the December 6 deadline for franchises to retain their star players.
Srikrishna had opted out after disclosing he had represented the Wadia Group, co-owners of the Punjab franchise in the past. Khambata however, claimed that disclosure was made on November 23, well before the BCCI expressed a "reservation" that ultimately led to Srikrishna's withdrawal.
"BCCI kept silent deliberately... They strung us along for one week as the deadline for negotiating with 'marquee players' is to expire on December 6," the PTI news agency quoted Khambata as saying.
Srikrishna's replacement as arbitrator is yet to be named, though the judge adjudicating the Punjab case, Justice SJ Vazifdar, said Srikrishna "ought not to have recused."
Khambata has asked the BCCI to postpone the December 6 deadline, following which the players are free to sign up with other franchises. Instead, the BCCI's legal representative CA Sundaram said the board would consider extending the December 10 deadline meant for franchises to retain the other, remaining players. Each team is entitled retain four before the auction in January.

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Arbitrator in BCCI, Punjab case stands down

Ness Wadia is part owner of the Kings' XI Punjab, who are in arbitration with the BCCI over their expulsion from the IPL

The arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings' XI Punjab, Justice BN Srikrishna, has withdrawn from the case after disclosing to both parties that he represented the Wadia Group, part owners of the KXIP, in many of their cases, in the past.
"I disclosed to the BCCI today that I was defence counsel for the Wadia Group," Justice Srikrishna told ESPNcricinfo. "They said I couldn't continue, I said that was fine with me."
The news comes a day after Srikrishna delivered an interim order in another case involving the BCCI, granting a stay on the expulsion of Rajasthan Royals. He said today's development would not have any bearing on the Rajasthan case. "I will carry on because my association with the Wadias in the past does not concern that case."
Justice Srikrishna was scheduled to begin hearing the Punjab case today, with the hearing set to last three days with provisions for a reserve day. But the board's objection - made before the day's proceedings started - has stalled things.
The irony is that Justice Srikrishna was the BCCI's own choice as arbitrator when both the issues went into arbitration. BCCI president Shashank Manohar told ESPNcricinfo that "he was chosen as we have all our faith in him."
Manohar said they would be challenging Srikrishna's order staying the Rajasthan Royals' termination in the Bombay High Court tomorrow, but said there was a possibility to include more teams in the fourth IPL.
"Honestly speaking, we have nothing against any teams or any of the franchises," Manohar said. "We have just acted based on the advice we have taken from our lawyers over certain matters."
The BCCI chief said the Board was "not at all worried" about the turn of events in the IPL arbitration cases. "We will work it out ... even if there are eight teams or ten teams in the next IPL, that's fine. If we get an order from the court tomorrow that we cannot terminate the teams and they will have to be included in the IPL, that will happen."
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo, Sharda Ugra is senior editor at Cricinfo

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Arbitrator stays Rajasthan Royals expulsion

Another twist to the IPL mess: Rajasthan Royals have been permitted to function as part of the IPL for a six-week period

The judge hearing the arbitration case between Rajasthan Royals and the BCCI has issued a six-week stay on the franchise's expulsion from the IPL, effectively allowing it to continue to function as a part of the league for that period of time, ESPNcricinfo has learnt. The six-week duration also suggests the team could take part in the players' auction, which is scheduled for January 8 and 9 next year, casting a potentially devastating cloud over the IPL's fourth season.
While the stay order is in place, the BCCI is also prevented from doing anything that might prejudice Rajasthan, for example changing any of the league's rules. "There will be no interference with them [Rajasthan] exercising rights under the franchise agreement," Justice BN Srikrishna, the designated arbitrator, told ESPNcricinfo. "They will be allowed to participate in the auction."
The BCCI, however, will contest the decision by moving court - possibly as early as Wednesday - as a cautionary step. A top board official told spoke of how the BCCI already feared the worst. "This is a major and significant development," the official said. "This could go anywhere now."
The arbitrator's order is an interim relief order, which is often granted to allow the party claiming it has been wronged - in this case Rajasthan - the opportunity to keep doing business while the case is heard. There is also a provision for such an order to be challenged in the High Court, and Justice Srikrishna said the BCCI would probably appeal to the High Court and the matter could even reach the Supreme Court based on appeals and judgements. These appeals are independent of the arbitration hearings, which will continue under the judge.
Rajasthan welcomed the latest development. "We have received the interim order passed by Justice BN Srikrishna, the learned arbitrator who has been appointed by the both parties. We are extremely grateful for the speed and urgency shown by him, and we are reviewing the order and assessing it's full implications," Raghu Iyer, the franchise's spokesperson, said.
The BCCI decided, on October 10, to end the franchise's IPL affiliation on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms that threatened to "shake the very foundation of the tender process", as the notice put it. The two sides then decided to settle their dispute over the termination through arbitration on November 15 after Rajasthan had filed a case in the High Court challenging the board's decision to take the step unilaterally.
Both parties argued their case before Srikrishna, the agreed-upon arbitrator for the case, for three-and-a-half days.
The arbitration hearing of the Kings XI Punjab franchise, the second team in the IPL to be summarily terminated along with Rajasthan, will begin tomorrow, also being presided by Justice Srikrishna. A Punjab spokesman said the Rajasthan development could benefit their hearing. "This is a good piece of news for us," he said. "It is probably what may be the outcome of our abritration hearing as well."
The Rajasthan hearing began on November 24 and given that Srikrishna announced his stay within a week, Punjab were expecting a result "within four working days". This, the official said, meant that the BCCI could have nine, if not all ten teams participating in the player auction on January 8-9. "What will happen to the players if teams that sign them up are suddenly out of the IPL? Then they could well go to court and the IPL could just sink into court battles."
This had happened he said, due to the BCCI's "mismanagement" of the IPL's internal difficulties.
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo; Tariq Engineer is a senior sub-edito

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No UDRS in South Africa-India Tests


The UDRS was used in South Africa when England visited in 2009-10
The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) will not be a part of India's upcoming Test tour of South Africa. Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo saying, "[We] will definitely not be using it."
Majola who was in Dubai for the ICC Chief Executives Conference did not explain what had led to the decision but a CSA official said the main reason was, "India are not keen to use it".
Corrie van Zyl, the South Africa coach, said his team had been expecting this development, given India's stance on the issue. South Africa have used the UDRS in other home series, most recently against England in 2009-10. "We are not going to use it and thats the end of it," he said. "I like UDRS and it does eradicate a lot of decisions that are wrong, which can only be good for the game.
"I'm not disappointed, I almost knew it was not going to happen in any case, so it's not a major disappointment, and it will still be a very good series without it."
Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, had said in October that the UDRS needed to be implemented consistently and that technology was the way forward in cricket. "I think if the UDRS is going to be successful it needs to be implemented properly by the ICC and not on a 50-50 basis like we have seen so far," he had said. "It must be used all of the time and not for selective series' like we see now."
India have played a series in which the UDRS was used only once - in Sri Lanka in 2008. They struggled with their referrals on that tour, getting only one review right, while Sri Lanka successfully challenged 11 decisions. Since then the UDRS has been used in Australia, South Africa, England, New Zealand and West Indies and has found favour with several captains and players. The Indians and the BCCI, however, are firmly opposed to the system, even though the ICC have approved its use in principle during the 2011 World Cup.
MS Dhoni, the India captain, reiterated his reluctance to accept the system during the recent home series against New Zealand, calling for the standard of on-field umpiring to be improved instead.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

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BCCI defers decision on Kochi to December 5


The IPL governing council has deferred its final decision on Kochi franchise to December 5. Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said that the Kochi owners had submitted their reply on Saturday evening to the board's termination notice asking them to resolve their differences. He said the council did not have enough time to review Kochi's response at its meeting in Nagpur on Sunday morning, and will seek the board's lawyers' opinion before taking any decision.
"They submitted a new ownership pattern yesterday," Manohar said at a media conference, immediately after the hour-long meeting. "We had no time to examine it. All of you are aware that everyday we are in court in a legal battle and hence we would like to have the opinion of our legal experts before we take any decision."
As part of the new agreement Rendezvous Sports, the promoters of the franchise, have agreed to shrink their ownership stake to allow the rival investors group to have a bigger say in running of the company, which will be now called Kochi IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd. "They have entered into an MoU whereby the stakes of Rendezvous is diluted from 26% to 10%," Manohar said. "They have also given various affidavits which all need to be looked into."
A BCCI insider told ESPNcricinfo that the board was being cautious with Kochi because they had received conflicting letters over the last three days. "If we [the BCCI] had gone ahead based on the document today and if we had found something missing later it wouldn't have looked good. A problem which could not be solved for months together suddenly seemed resolved. It would look very foolish if we were to re-visit this issue couple of days later. So, as part of any good administrative practice we have decided to verify everything."
He also said that the one-week extension did not mean the board was thinking of getting a replacement team through a fresh auction process."We can't just throw them out for no reason. If we are convinced their reasoning is healthy and they have put a good company structure in place, they will stay on board."
This latest patch-up among the owners is a fresh twist to the long-running saga at the Kochi franchise which has been riven with differences right from its day of inception. The biggest problem has been the ownership pattern with the investors unhappy about the promoters holding 26% of sweat equity. The investors in the consortium - Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Rosy Blue and Film Wave -hold 74% of the equity. The remaining 26% has been given to the Gaikwad family - Shailendra, his brother Ravi and their parents plus a few others, all part of Rendezvous Sports World - as free equity for services rendered in successfully bidding for the franchise.
The league's governing council, at its emergency meeting on October 27, felt Kochi was far from resolving those issues and issued a notice asking both factions to explain why the franchise should not be scrapped.
The chances of both factions reaching a compromise seemed bleak when the investors sent a letter on Wednesday to Manohar, stating that they were withdrawing support to the franchise because of the inability to resolve the problems with the promoters

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Kirsten to depart early for SA


Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni will leave for South Africa togethe
Gary Kirsten, India's coach, will accompany the players who are to leave early for South Africa so they can acclimatise for the upcoming tour. Eric Simons, India's bowling coach, will take over the coaching duties for the final two one-dayers against New Zealand as Kirsten heads home.
"He [Kirsten] will leave early along with first bunch 8-10 players," a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. Among the players departing are captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat. It is also likely that Suresh Raina will be rested for the final two one-day games of the New Zealand series, and will join the players who are departing early, after Dhoni publicly expressed concern about his workload during the third Test against New Zealand.
Kirsten and seven of the players will leave on December 6, while Dhoni and Harbhajan will join them two days later, with Raina also likely to leave on the same flight.
The players will initially train at Kirsten' cricket academy in Cape Town before moving to Johannesburg to join the rest of the squad, which will arrive in South Africa on December 12, two days after the New Zealand ODI series ends. The three-Test series begins at Centurion on December 16.
The Indian board had recently granted permission for some of the players to leave a week in advance, after Kirsten made a request for them to do so. The coach felt that in the absence of India not playing any warm-up matches before the first Test, it was imperative players be sent early to get used to the conditions. Kirsten had sent in his request earlier this year, stressing to the board that the players needed time to acclimatise and also adjust to the pitch conditions in South Africa. However, the board took months to consider the request, mostly because of any potential objections the broadcaster might raise about devaluing the New Zealand ODI series, before giving permission earlier this month.
"We have a lot of work still to do on the specifics of technique prior to the Test series. The players will need time to adjust their techniques to get comfortable with the conditions," Kirsten said. "The BCCI has approved the early departure of some our players to South Africa to have sufficient time to prepare properly for a very important series."
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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India need a settled side to win World Cup - Kapil

Kapil Dev has said MS Dhoni's team has the ability to win the World Cup in 2011 but will have to ensure that it finds a settled combination and keep its bowlers free of injuries. In an exclusive interview with ESPNcricinfo, Kapil, who was captain when India won the World Cup in 1983, said too many changes taking place before the World Cup could harm the team's thinking.
"They have ruthlessness, they have talent and ability," he said of the team, but added, "too many injuries are taking place." Their key focus, he said, should be on improving fielding and running between wickets.
One reason for the bowlers' frequent injuries was, he felt, that their training was not suited for their skill. Kapil said he spent time through his 15-year career working on his legs. "The gym is good enough for batsmen and other kinds of bowlers. But for the fast bowler, someone who has to bowl day in and day out , around 10 to 20 overs, you need strong legs.
"These boys should spend a lot of time on running, like a marathon. Your body should be tuned to that." Injuries to fast bowlers, Kapil said, happen "when you have more muscle on top and your legs cannot support them."
Kapil, India's most successful fast bowler with 434 Test wickets, said he focussed on his running during the off-season - then pointed out that nowadays there is barely an off season for cricketers. It was the BCCI's responsibility, he said, to prevent cricketers from burning out - cricketers themselves were unlikely to take that call due to the financial benefits of a career in the game. "The boys walk into the team and they perform well in the first year. Then they play all kinds of cricket. They have Test cricket, they have Twenty20, they have one-day cricket … the pressure is so much, and the young boys don't want to lose the money because they have struggled so much, almost 6-7 years to come to this level.
"They don't want to miss a penny wherever they get a chance, so they don't want to miss matches... If you tell a fast bowler 'you take rest and don't make money', I think mentally no sportsman will be ready for that. So it's up to the administration to see how much cricket our boys play."
The recent increase in an Indian cricketer's workload has come from the IPL. Kapil, who was associated with the rival, unauthorised Indian Cricket League, said cricketers need to have more control over the IPL. "Definitely, without any doubt [there is a need for cricketers to have more control]. And not just be there on the board, but cricketers have to take the front seat." That, he said, was how he saw his role in the ICL.
He said he did not regret being a part of the ICL. "No, I think it was absolutely correct because the ICL has given the cricketers a push. If the IPL has come today, it's a compliment to the ICL, so it's not something wrong."
One of the biggest advantages of the new leagues was the financial benefits they gave to players. "Earlier there were only 10-12 cricketers in India who used to make money; today 300-500 cricketers can make a living out of cricket. I am happy something new began and those types of leagues are going to come up in the country."
In the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy, Kapil said one way of preventing the rise of the player-bookie nexus was to ensure younger players were mentored and advised by their seniors. "You need good people to handle them (young players) and keep talking to them... They need more advice about becoming true cricketers, basically from senior cricketers who take pride to play for the country."
Kapil Dev was in Jodhpur for the IndiAbility Games, a sporting event featuring athletes of mixed abilities, organised by IMAGE (Indian Mixed Ability Group Events), an NGO backed by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation that encourages physically challenged athletes to compete alongside athletes of other abilities. The former India captain travelled to Sarechcha village, 25kms outside the city, one afternoon to watch a cricket match between two such teams from the neighbouring villages where he met with the extraordinary Janak Singh, a 19-year-old polio-afflicted ambidexterous cricketer.
Sharda Ugra is senior editor at Cricinfo

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