FRANKSTON Peninsula Cricket Club has assembled a coaching panel it believes is the envy of all other Premier Cricket clubs.

Experienced Heat all-rounder Matt Chasemore steps up to be senior coach and will continue as First XI captain.

His key responsibilities will be to manage and select a senior group of players and co-ordinate training sessions.

Heat president Dennis Prendergast said Chasemore, who finished runner-up in the Ryder Medal last season, was the ideal man for the job.

“He’s just so passionate about his cricket and he’s grown since he’s been at our club,” Prendergast said.

“He’s excited about it and it’s an area he wants to grow in.

“And his work ethic is so high that all the players admire what he gets out of himself.”

Former Heat coach Nick Jewell will be the club’s high performance manager, responsible for the development of the emerging playing group.

“His focus will be to provide a cricket education … and provide support for players to achieve first-class cricket honours more quickly,” Prendergast said.

Cricket Victoria operations general manager Shaun Graf will again have a role, moving from consulting bowling coach to consulting batting coach, “to try and strengthen that defined weakness that the club has identified”, according to Prendergast.

Ian Brayshaw will work solely with the Heat (he also worked with Footscray-Edgewater last season) as technical bowling coach, while Peter Buchanan will be technical batting coach, Dave McClean continues as development co-ordinator and Chris Hall continues as spin bowling coach.

The panel would allow Frankston Peninsula to “fast-track” players towards success and higher honours, Prendergast said.

“It’s a second-to-none coaching panel in Premier Cricket and brings together vast first-class experience and knowledge.”

Source: http://frankston-leader.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/the-heat-is-rising-for-frankston-cricket-club/

Shivnarine Chanderpaul carried
West Indies hopes on his shoulders yet again as the touring side
battled to avoid defeat by England in the first test at Lord’s
on Saturday.

West Indies bowled England out for 398 in their first
innings to trail the hosts by 155 runs but they lost three
wickets in nine balls just before tea to undo the good work.

Chanderpaul, who made 87 not out in the first innings, and
Marlon Samuels dug in, however, and they reached the close on
the third day on 120 for four, 35 runs behind.

The world’s top-ranked batsman Chanderpaul, at the heart of
another rearguard action, was unbeaten on 34 with Samuels on 26.

England resumed on an overcast morning on 259 for three and
captain Andrew Strauss added just a single to his overnight 121
before nicking pace bowler Kemar Roach through to wicketkeeper
Denesh Ramdin.

Jonny Bairstow struck three fluent fours on his test debut
but his bright innings ended on 16 when Roach jagged a ball
sharply back to trap him lbw.

Matt Prior also looked confident in his knock of 19 but he
became Shannon Gabriel’s first test victim, playing an airy shot
at the young fast bowler to be bowled through the gate.

Bresnan edged Darren Sammy to Ramdin for a duck and England
had slumped to 323 for seven.

Ian Bell batted through the morning session to reach lunch
on 38 not out but he lost Stuart Broad soon after the interval,
bowled by a superb delivery from Fidel Edwards that hit the top
of his off stump.

Graeme Swann played a forceful innings, striking six clean
fours in his 30 from just 25 balls.

Bell reached a patient fifty before Gabriel bowled Swann.
Bell was last man out for 61, well caught at deep square leg by
the diving Powell off Gabriel who finished with figures of three
for 60 on his debut.

Barath and Powell withstood a fierce examination from James
Anderson and Broad, surviving 12 overs of high quality fast
bowling surrounded by a ring of close fielders.

But with tea looming, Barath edged a catch to Prior off
Bresnan, and Powell and Edwards soon joined him back in the
pavilion after two inexplicable rushes of blood.

Powell foolishly pulled a short ball from Broad straight to
Bell at deep square leg and Kirk Edwards was brilliantly run out
by a direct hit from Bairstow attempting a non-existent single.

Darren Bravo joined Chanderpaul and made a fluent 21 before
Swann bowled him with a clever delivery which the deceived the
left-hander into offering no shot.

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19052012/2/cricket-chanderpaul-primed-dogfight.html

Breaking Five people have been rescued and two are still missing after a dinghy capsized near Auckland’s Mangere Bridge this afternoon, police say. According to witness reports, a father and children were among those on the boat.

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10807109&ref=rss

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek voters are returning to the establishment parties that negotiated its bailout, a poll showed on Thursday, offering potential salvation for European leaders who say a snap Greek election next month will decide whether it must quit the euro. The poll, the first conducted since talks to form a government …

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bollywood-star-gets-cricket-stadium-ban-row-134411385.html

The head of Guernsey’s Cricket Board hopes upgrading the King George V Fields result in first-class cricket being staged on the island.

A £3.5 million plan to

redevelop the KGV

has been unveiled by the Guernsey Sports Commission.

“Grass nets facilities will really bring the ground up a level,” said GCB chief executive Mark Latter.

“We’ve got links with Sussex, we know they’re keen to try and host a first-class game over here.”

Latter believes improved practice and changing facilities are the key to encouraging bigger games to the island.

“We can seriously talk about hosting games for Sussex and maybe even get to the stage where we can even consider one-day international status,” he told

BBC Guernsey.

Because of the board’s ties with county side Sussex, the island’s side

will play a one-day match against Canada at Hove

on Friday.

Latter added: “We’ve already hosted a World Cricket League tournament, the next stage is to try and host countries who are high above us in the ICC system.

“We’re playing Canada at Hove, why can’t we play that in Guernsey in the future?”

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/18100516

Shivnarine Chanderpaul prevented another complete West Indies collapse on the first day of the first Test here on Thursday as England‘s Stuart Broad enjoyed yet more success at Lord’s.

Chanderpaul’s 87 not out, his latest rescue mission for his beleaguered side, was the cornerstone of a total of 243 for nine in an innings where no other batsman has so far made more than opener Adrian Barath‘s 42.

Paceman Broad took six wickets for 72 in 24.4 overs — his first five-wicket Test innings haul at Lord’s.

It secured him a place on the Lord’s bowling honours board to set alongside his Test-best 169 against Pakistan at the ground in 2010.

And that meant Broad had become only the seventh player in history — and fifth Englishman — to have scored a hundred and taken five or more wickets in an innings in a Test at the ‘home of cricket’.

“It’s a very proud day for me and more importantly we’re in a great position in the Test match,” Broad told Sky Sports.

“No one was expecting 100 all out, we knew it was going to be a long day’s cricket, so we had to be patient and we thought seven down at night would be a really good day, so to have them nine down is really pleasing.

“It swung for us but it was a slow wicket to start with. It was hard to get the right length, but the wicket quickened up a bit in that last session,” added Broad, the son of former England opening batsman Chris.

That Chanderpaul, who came in with West Indies struggling after an all too familiar top order collapse left them 86 for three, led many to wonder why the left-hander, now officially the world’s best Test batsman, had not been promoted from his favoured number five spot.

Without taking undue risks the ever-gritty Guyanese, whose wide open stance confounds purists and opponents alike, completed a relatively brisk fifty in 102 balls featuring seven fours.

However, the fact that Thursday also saw former West Indies captain and proven Test opener Chris Gayle, who only recently ended his stand off with Caribbean cricket chiefs, smash 128 not out off just 62 balls in the lucrative Indian Premier League was a reminder of the firepower the tourists were missing.

England did not have things all their own way after captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and fielded in overcast, bowler-friendly conditions.

Barath’s bold cover-driving saw to that but James Anderson still took two wickets for nine runs to clean bowl opener Kieran Powell and have Kirk Edwards leg before.

Unfortunately for the West Indies, Barath — who struck 36 in boundaries alone — had added just one run to his lunch score of 41 when the diminutive opener drove loosely outside off stump against Broad and third slip Anderson held a sharp catch at the second attempt.

Darren Bravo, missed on 29 by second slip Graeme Swann, was run out for that score after a dreadful mix-up with Chanderpaul.

Anderson, bowling round the wicket to Chanderpaul, then saw South African umpire Marais Erasmus raise his finger in answer to an lbw appeal.

Unsurprisingly, Chanderpaul, on 15, called for a review and tracking technology indicated the ball would have missed off-stump.

Marlon Samuels (31) helped Chanderpaul add 81 before he sliced Broad to backward point where debutant Jonathan Bairstow took his first Test catch.

And 181 for five quickly became 187 for six when wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin edged Broad to Strauss at first slip.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy, trying to turn a Broad outswinger with the new ball legside, was caught in the gully by Tim Bresnan.

Broad then completed his five-wicket haul all by himself when he caught and bowled Kemar Roach to leave the tourists on 231 for eight.

And the 25-year-old Nottinghamshire all-rounder ended proceedings two balls short of the day’s full 90 overs when he had tailender Fidel Edwards brilliantly caught by diving wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

At that stage, Broad had taken three wickets for 12 runs in 23 balls.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/cricket-chanderpaul-resists-broads-six-appeal-182020465.html

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan faced a police probe and a lifetime ban from Mumbai‘s main cricket stadium on Thursday following a furious late-night row with staff at the ground, officials said.

The actor, who co-owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders, took a group of youngsters including his daughter Suhana onto the Wankhede Stadium pitch after a match on Wednesday night.

A security guard tried to stop the children from playing, leading the multi-millionaire actor to argue angrily for 10-15 minutes before finally giving up and leaving the premises, an AFP photographer witnessed.

“Security officials told him to leave, but Shah Rukh Khan started the brawl,” Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) secretary Nitin Dalal told NDTV news.

“He entered the ground half an hour after the game. The officers told him that this was not the right time. He misbehaved and he used foul language.”

Dalal said the MCA had filed a police complaint and would ban the 46-year-old cricket-crazy star from future attendance at the Wankhede Stadium.

Speaking outside his Mumbai home on Thursday, Khan denied accusations that he was drunk or behaving illegally, saying he had become angry when officials at the stadium abused him and “physically manhandled” the children.

“They were being aggressive and I became aggressive back,” he told reporters, saying the MCA owed him an apology.

MCA treasurer Ravi Savant said the stadium ban on Khan would be “for life”.

“He’ll not be allowed for any match — Test match, one-day international or any T20 or IPL matches hereafter. That is what we have decided,” he said.

Khan is one of the Bollywood film industry’s most popular stars, but his sweaty and dishevelled appearance during the incident was a far cry from the carefully managed image presented through his advertising and acting roles.

The actor was embroiled in another ugly row in January after a female director accused him of assaulting her husband at a late-night party.

Khan has also been summoned to appear before a court in Jaipur later this month after he was seen smoking at that city’s main cricket stadium, in violation of anti-smoking laws.

Balbir Punj, a senior leader of India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, told NDTV that Khan was an icon and public figure who “should know how to behave in public”.

He referred to an incident last month that saw Khan detained for questioning by US immigration authorities when he arrival at a New York airport.

“When he was humiliated in America, the entire country stood by him. He should respect others and the law must take its course,” Punj said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bollywood-star-faces-police-probe-over-cricket-row-074551819.html

NEW DELHI (AP) — An official with an Indian cricket league says the group has filed a police complaint against Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan after a scuffle at a stadium in the city.

Mumbai Cricket Association official Nitin Dalal said Thursday that the association has also demanded that Khan be banned from the stadium after he abused security guards.

Dalal says Khan was drunk when he went to the stadium to pick up his children Wednesday evening.

Khan says he was angry but not drunk. He says he lost his cool when he saw that his children were being pushed around.

Last month, Khan was in the news when he was stopped at a suburban New York airport for an hour and a half by Homeland Security agents. The U.S. later apologized to Khan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bollywood-superstar-scuffle-cricket-group-140133288.html

Kings XI Punjab acting captain David Hussey on Wednesday defended his team’s integrity after two players from his side were suspended amid allegations of corruption in the Indian Premier League.

Amit Yadav and Shalabh Srivastava, two of five players suspended by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) following a television sting, are contracted to the Punjab IPL team, but have not played in the ongoing tournament.

“Everyone in my team, everyone in Kings XI Punjab as a brand, plays with utmost integrity and if any print or TV media tries to write differently or say something differently about my team, then I will be very disappointed,” said Hussey.

Reporters from the Hindi-language India TV, posing as sports agents, recorded the low-profile players as saying that spot-fixing and illegal money was prevalent in the Twenty20 IPL.

T. P. Sudhindra, Mohnish Mishra and Abhinav Bali were the other first-class cricketers suspended from the game on Tuesday by the BCCI until preliminary investigations were completed.

The probe will be carried out by former police officer Ravi Sawani, who has previously served on the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.

Federal sports minister Ajay Maken said: “Suspending five players is not enough. The BCCI should go into the root cause of the problem.

“The IPL should not be run by the BCCI so that there is no overlapping of interests.

“If you look at the English Premier League (football) and other leagues the world over, they keep a distance from the parent sports federations.”

BCCI president Narayanaswami Srinivasan is often accused of conflict of interest because he also owns the Chennai Super Kings IPL team.

Sudhindra has played in three IPL matches for the Deccan Chargers this year and Mishra played one game for Pune Warriors. Bali has not featured in the tournament.

India TV showed Sudhindra allegedly agreeing to bowl pre-arranged no-balls in a local amateur match, while Srivastava was reportedly heard boasting he could do the same in the IPL.

Mishra was filmed as saying he was paid a major part of his IPL salary by Pune Warriors in “black” (illegal) money, while Yadav and Bali alleged spot-fixing existed in the tournament.

Srivastava has denied that the voice in the audio was his, and Mishra apologised, saying he made the comment “casually for personal gain.”

The Hindu newspaper said corruption rumours had swirled around the IPL for a long time.

“Since millions ride on IPL, this ‘domestic’ tournament has not escaped the talk of fixed matches,” the paper said.

The IPL, a mix of glamour, rich purses for world-class players and the excitement of T20 cricket, has endured a difficult ride over the past four years.

The tournament is already being investigated for alleged fraud and foreign exchange violations.

Its founder Lalit Modi, who was suspended in 2010, is living in London facing Indian government and BCCI charges of misappropriation of funds.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/cricket-david-hussey-defends-ipl-fixing-claims-160012932.html

May 16 (Reuters) – Australia cricket captain Michael Clarke

will get the chance to put his driving skills to the test when

he gets behind the wheel at the International Rally of

Queensland later this month, organisers said on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old will join the BP Ultimate team and drive in

two stages of the rally on the Sunshine Coast from May 25-27.

“It’s pretty well known that I have a passion for driving,

but a part of me has always wondered what it would be like to go

up against the best in the business,” Clarke said in a

statement.

“There’s no doubt that rally driving is one of the most

exhilarating sports around and, as someone who puts my heart

into everything I do, this is a great opportunity to mix it with

some of the world’s best drivers!”

The right-handed batsman will drive alongside the

experienced Mark Stacey, who has competed at international level

for two decades.

The rally, in its 44th year, is the longest-running round in

the Australian Rally Championship, and will attract more than

100 cars from Australia and around the world, organisers said.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Peter

Rutherford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cricket-australia-captain-clarke-tests-driving-ambition-075107860--spt.html

SAN DIEGO, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Cricket Communications, a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services, today announced that its Muve Music service has signed an agreement with CD Baby, the world’s largest online distributor of independent music. The agreement will bring up to four million new tracks to the Muve Music catalog and CD Baby artists will now have access to over 600,000 Muve Music customers. A phased rollout of the CD Baby catalog will start immediately and is expected to be complete within Muve Music by the end of 2012.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120202/LA46949LOGO)

“CD Baby and Muve Music are aligned in connecting artists with fans and generating revenue for artists at the same time. We are excited about the CD Baby relationship and the millions of tracks it will bring to our Muve Music customers,” said John Bolton, senior director of product marketing for Muve Music. “We’re looking forward to working with CD Baby to expand artists’ access to Muve Music’s customer base and provide solutions to satisfy fans’ appetite for unlimited mobile music consumption.”  

As a premier distributor of independent music, CD Baby brings Muve Music customers more than 850 genres of music to discover from over 300,000 plus artists, including top performers Ingrid Michaelson, Gregory Alan Isakov and Joe Purdy. The company is run by artists and it takes a grass roots approach to independent music, supporting musicians who have remained independent.  

For the first time, artists and Muve Music subscribers will have the ability to download their own music to the Muve Music service and in one move be heard by their friends and fans on the network they belong to without the need for 3rd party label involvement.  Independent artists will be able to upload tracks they have recorded themselves to CD Baby’s online platform. Tracks will be directly downloaded into the Muve Music catalog.

“I’ve been impressed with Muve Music’s rapid subscriber growth and how they have bundled music seamlessly into Cricket Wireless mobile rate plans,” says CD Baby president, Brian Felsen.  “I think our partnership will provide CD Baby artists with an expansive new audience that is eager to consume music immediately available to them on their mobile devices.  I’m delighted to see Muve Music become the latest addition to our partner network, which fulfills our mission of providing our artists with the best opportunity to have their music accessible by their fans and to earn revenue on each listen.”

How to get Muve Music

Muve Music is available on the Huawei Mercury, named the best prepaid smartphone in America by PC Magazine, January 3, 2012, as well as on the Huawei Ascend II, Samsung Vitality, ZTE Score and the ZTE Chorus at Cricket company-owned stores, online at www.mycricket.com and through select partner retail outlets. Additional accessories are available for purchase including premium headphones, an audio jack and Bluetooth adapter to connect to home and car stereos, either wired or wirelessly.

With the ever-growing Muve Music song catalog, customers can choose from millions of songs featuring the hottest artists from thousands of record labels, which are distributed through Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and global rights agency Merlin, as well as independents IODA, and INgrooves.

About Cricket

Cricket is the pioneer and leader in delivering innovative value-rich prepaid wireless services with no long-term contracts serving more than 6 million customers. Cricket offers wireless voice and mobile data services over the latest, high-quality, all-digital 4G (LTE) and 3G CDMA wireless networks. In 2011, Cricket launched its award-winning Muve Music® product, the first music service designed for a wireless phone that now has approximately 600,000 customers. Cricket’s innovative products and services are available at Cricket branded retail stores, dealers, national retailers and at www.mycricket.com. For more information about Cricket, please visit www.mycricket.com.

About CD Baby

CD Baby is the largest digital distributor of independent music in the world, distributing over 4 million tracks to major music retailers and streaming services. Over the last 12 years, CD Baby has paid their artists over $200 million, with checks going out weekly. From their Portland, OR headquarters, CD Baby warehouses and ships over 360,000 independent CD titles to a customer base that spans the entire globe. The company also offers other services to musicians such as the ability to accept credit cards at shows, web hosting through their sister company HostBaby, and eBook distribution through BookBaby.

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/crickets-muve-music-strikes-deal-040000182.html

“The Taliban Cricket Club” (Ecco), by Timeri N. Murari: Writing a novel about Afghanistan can be a difficult, unenviable undertaking.

Ideally, the result will be well-informed, nuanced, stylishly written, surprising and free of cliches. At worst, the book will simply perpetuate stereotypes, even “good” stereotypes that to this day frustrate and confound Afghanistan’s relations with the world.

Timeri N. Murari‘s attempt at the Afghan novel genre falls somewhere in the middle. It strives to teach the world about the lives of Afghans under Taliban rule — pre-9/11 — and has a clever, even intriguing premise. But it ends up trying too hard: The various characters and plotlines are almost too perfect, too convenient, as if a bunch of Aesop’s fables were bundled together.

The narrator of “The Taliban Cricket Club” is Rukhsana, a headstrong young Afghan woman who works secretly as a journalist — secretly because the Taliban ban women from working (and are not that fond of journalists, either). Rukhsana is engaged to an Afghan who is living overseas, but that is due to a family arrangement. Her real love is a young man in India, where she lived for a while, attending school, and learning to play cricket.

The last bit is especially convenient. The Taliban, who have banned sports along with other forms of entertainment due to their severe interpretation of Islam, have decided to try to seek some world acceptance via cricket. They announce they will host a cricket tournament, and that the winning team will then get a chance to play in neighboring Pakistan. Rukhsana and several of her male relatives see this as a ticket out of hell.

Murari is a writer, filmmaker and playwright living in India. “The Taliban Cricket Club” is billed as his first novel to be published in the United States, and he says he got the initial idea for the novel in 2000 after reading that the Taliban had decided to make cricket an exception to their “no sports” rule.

The book follows Rukhsana as she tries to teach her band of not-so-merry men to play cricket well enough so that they can win the initial matches in Afghanistan. All while trying to hide the fact that she’s a woman. And while taking care of her dying mother. And while waiting for her arranged fiance to send for her, and pining away for her gentleman admirer in India. Oh, and did we mention that a top Taliban official has decided he wants to marry her?

Every few pages in the book, the reader is treated to an anecdote or a character that in ways almost too obvious lay out the strengths, but mostly weaknesses, of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The plucky Afghan woman who once worked as a beautician, and who still puts on makeup in defiance of a government that shrouds her in a burqa, for example. Or the noble household servant whose loyalty includes displaying discretion.

For a reader completely unfamiliar with Afghanistan, this approach may be enlightening. But at a certain point, especially for anyone who knows a bit about how complex Afghans and their history truly are, it borders on condescending. “Afghanistan” does not consist of the neat and tidy concepts and characters that make up “The Taliban Cricket Club.”

The novel’s saving grace is that you will want to know what happens to Rukhsana and her cricket team. There is a twist in the tale (of course) — and it is a clever one. In the end, you may even wish it was a true story.

___

Follow Nahal Toosi at twitter.com/nahaltoosi.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-cricket-club-novel-twist-174826217.html

Pakistan on Saturday welcomed India‘s invitation to compete in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament this year, saying it could lead to a “revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which met earlier in the day in Chennai, approved Pakistan’s participation in the tournament which features leading domestic Twenty20 teams from around the world.

“We feel it’s a significant and positive development,” Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed, told AFP.

“We had been in touch with the BCCI over the participation of a Pakistan team and hope that this step could lead to a revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties.”

The news was also welcomed by Shoaib Malik, captain of Pakistan’s Twenty20 champions Sialkot Stallions, who told AFP: “It’s great news and I am happy to hear this.”

“We eat the same food and wear same clothes and when we play cricket people of both countries come closer,” he said.

The invite to the tournament, to be held in October in India, came a month after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari urged Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to consider reviving cricket ties, during a private visit to New Delhi.

The Sialkot Stallions were meant to compete in the inaugural Champions League in 2009 but the plan fell through after the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, blamed on Pakistan-based militants, strained relations.

Malik, whose marriage to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza in 2010 bridged the two nations’ bitter sporting and political divide, added: “I think its a small step towards reviving Indo-Pak cricket and I pray this continues at all level.”

“We reach Delhi from Lahore in 45 minutes and it takes more time to fly to Karachi, so Pakistan and India are that close,” he said, speaking from Dubai.

Malik led the last Pakistan team to India in 2007. India’s last tour to Pakistan was in 2008 when they featured in the Asia Cup.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/cricket-pakistan-welcomes-india-invitation-150503102.html

The Bangkok Cricket League reaches its climax today as four teams battle it out in the bid to be crowned the kings of local cricket.

In the Premier Division, Bangkok Cricket Club make a welcome return to the Grand Final after an undefeated six-game season including last week’s semi-final victory over AIT.

Bangkok Cricket Club have been one of the strongest sides in the competition over the years and they will be confident ahead of today’s clash with Thailand Cricket Club _ another side with plenty of talent from both Thailand and overseas.

The club contains three Thai-born stars originating from Khon Kaen as well as a host of up-and-coming youngsters who all help underline that cricket is growing quickly in the kingdom.

They were too good for the Asian Stars from Pattaya in last week’s other semi-final and a classic encounter is guaranteed at the impressive Therd Thai Cricket Ground today.

In the Bangkok Cricket League Indorama T20 A Division Cup Grand Final, Fortune Cricket Club will take on Bangkok Stars.

In last weekend’s semi-finals, Southerners reached a total of 5-139 with Madankumar Janakiraman top scoring with a solid 43 but Fortune, led by Sanjay Naheta with an unbeaten 50, chased the score down comfortably while Bangkok Stars proved too strong for Punjab Cricket Club in the second semi-final.

The action starts today at 9.30am.

League organiser Vaughan McClear said: “I am especially excited about the contest between the two teams in the Premier Division Grand Final.

“Some of the best cricketers in Bangkok are on show which will make this one of the most thrilling finals yet in the BCL.”

Did you know?

You can introduce your kids to edutainment reading with our Student Weekly magazine: Thailand’s only all-English entertainment and education magazine for teens and all ages.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/293044/bangkok-cricket-league-finals-today

Pakistan cricket officials were
hopeful of renewing bilateral ties with India after the Indian
governing board (BCCI) invited their neigbours to send a team
for this year’s Champions League T20 tournament.

The Champions League is an offshoot of the lucrative Indian
Premier League and is contested by the domestic T20 champions of
test-playing nations.

Pakistan had not been invited to the first three editions of
the event by the BCCI due to strained relations between the two
countries.

“We are happy that the BCCI decided our national champions
should take part in the Champions League,” Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told Reuters.

“Hopefully this would be the first step towards reviving
bilateral cricket ties between the two countries.”

BCCI president Narayanaswami Srinivasan said Pakistani team
Sialkot Stallions’ participation in the T20 tournament will have
to be approved by the governing council of the Champions League
that includes Australia and South Africa.

“We are delighted that finally some ice has been broken.
Hopefully we can now move forward from here,” he said.

India have frozen all bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan
since 166 people were killed during a three-day siege in Mumbai
in 2008. The only gunman arrested following the attacks was a
Pakistani national.

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/12052012/2/cricket-pakistan-keen-renew-india-ties-t20-league-offer.html

GEORGE TOWN: CRICKET was the biggest beneficiary at the recent Penang Sports Club Patrons Night, winning three of the four sports awards — the 2011 Sportsman of the Year and two outstanding juniors awards, while the fourth was won by tennis.

Cricket players Keithan Goonasegaran (second from left) and Varun Nadesh (fourth from left) were announced Most Promising Athletes 2011 while Shahul Hameed (sixth from left) was named Sportsman of the Year 2011 during the Patron’s Night hosted by Penang Sports Club (PSC) recently. With them are the Yang diPertua Negeri Pulau Pinang Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas and several PSC officials. Pic by Michael Ong

Shahul Hameed was crowned Sportsman of the Year for his contribution to the club and the state through cricket.

He represented PSC in the Penang Cricket Association (PCA) 20-20, 25 Overs and 30 Overs leagues, Inter-port Series of RBSC, Royal Selangor Club, Singapore Cricket Club and Manza (Kelawar) Cricket Club, and the Jakarta and RBSC International Series.

Shahul Hameed also represented the state at the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) Open League and has been its skipper since 2010. He has served as coach for the past three years and has been a committee member of PCA since 2008.

Cricket’s Keithan Goonasagaran and Varun Nadesh, and tennis player Michelle Khoo Li Sha were named as the Penang Sports Club’s Most Outstanding Juniors for 2011.

The four received their awards from the club’s patron, the Yang Di Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas during the club’s Patron Night celebration gala.

Present were Abdul Rahman’s consort Toh Puan Majimor Shariff, Consul-General of Japan Tetsuro Kai and his wife Miya Kai, Royal Thai Consul-General Khun Voradet Viravakin and the Indonesian Consul-General Chilman Arisman and his wife Ratnawati Arisman.

In his speech, club president Dr S. Shankar said the Sportsman of the Year award is a common noun rather than being gender specific so a woman can also be awarded the title.

“Although so far no woman has been awarded the title, it does not mean that it should always be a man who receives the honour.

“The main criteria of the award is that the recipient has to be an outstanding sportsperson and an ordinary member of the club

“So I look forward to seeing a woman ordinary member who meets our strict criteria of achievements to be nominated and win in the near future,” said Dr Shankar.

Abdul Rahman also presented mementos, in the form of wristwatches, to the 2010-2011 PSC general committee members, sports section captains, vice captains and conveynors.

It was a great achievement for Keithan in winning the outstanding junior award for the second consecutive year and the fourth time overall. Keithan is the first athlete to have won the award for a fourth time, having won in 2005, 2008 and 2011.

Keithan gained the honour of being the youngest cricketer to captain the national team at various age-group levels since he was 12 years old, including the Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-18 age groups since 2004.

The 18-year-old has won numerous awards — both at the national and international level competitions and in 2008, at the age of 15, he was given the distinction of leading the national Under-15 team to the West Indies where the national team finished fourth behind Test Playing nations West Indies, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

He was also the youngest cricketer, at the age of 15, to be in the national Under-23 team which played in the Carl Schubert Trophy and presently is a member of the national Under-19 squad.

Among Keithan’s achievements last year were — vice-captain ACC Under-19 Cricket Tournament in Thailand, the MCA Premier League Penang Team, a member of the Malaysian national team pool and captain of the state Under-19 team.

The Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia under-graduate also skippered the state team to the 2011 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Games. He also captained the Penang Stick Tigers team which won the T20 Championship 2011

Varun is another budding cricketer who has brought name and fame to the club, state and the nation. The 16-year-old Penang Free School student also won the Promising Junior Award in 2009.

His achievements last year were, representing the state at the MCA Premier League, PCA T20 league (champions), PSC International 6′s, Sri Lanka Under-19 Murali Cup (third), Penang Schools Under-18 champions, national schools Under-18 (third) and the 2011 Malaysia Games.

Fourteen-year-old Li Sha is the latest darling of Penang junior tennis and has been creating waves at the Under-14 age-group junior circuit the past couple of years. She represented the country at the ITF Under-14 Asian Championship, and the Penang and Malacca Asian Under-14 Series championships.

She won the state closed singles and doubles, Penang Schools singles and doubles, LTAM SportExcel doubles, Milo LTAM National Junior Championship singles and doubles and the Perlis Open International Junior Age-Group singles and doubles.

The St Georges Girls School Form Two student also represented the state at the 2011 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Games and the ECM Libra Foundation-LTAM Junior Championship.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/streets/northern/cricket-the-big-winners-1.82929

Otago Cricket has asked the Dunedin City Council to bring
forward the removal of a row of trees at Logan Park, which it
says threaten to cause Dunedin to miss out hosting
international cricket matches.

It is also seeking the support in principle of the council
for the installation of 1000 extra permanent seats at the
University Oval cricket ground.

Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes asked
that the council remove the trees alongside Logan Park Dr as
they cast shadows across the ground that force umpires to cut
short some games because of the safety issues posed by the
mixture of good and bad light on the pitch.

Otago Cricket’s submission to the council on the draft annual
and long-term budgets, to which Mr Dykes spoke, said the
trees were causing disruption to first-class cricket, had the
potential to negatively impact on scheduling of international
fixtures at University Oval and were a hazard to both the
public and vehicles due to falling branches.

Because umpires had to apply safety standards evenly, there
was even one “quite bizarre” occurrence this year, when Otago
was denied certain victory despite the Otago batsmen being
the ones at risk, the submission said.

Otago Cricket had understood the trees were to be cut down
last year, and that they were past their best and presented
safety issues.

Cr John Bezett pointed out the removal of the trees was one
of the projects put back several years in the draft long-term
plan, and councillors could consider whether to bring the
work forward. Mr Dykes said Otago Cricket would like to see
the trees go sooner rather than later.

In a second submission, Otago Cricket sought the support in
principle of the council to build a new stand with 1000 seats
at the University Oval.

Otago Cricket would pay for the seats, and was exploring
sourcing a block of unused seats from Carisbrook, but as it
was not in the business of owning infrastructure, would
expect the council would take over ownership of the stand at
some point, Mr Dykes told councillors.

NZ Cricket required the Oval to have 5000 seats if it wanted
to hold a five-day England test match in Dunedin in March
next year, and Otago Cricket had committed to do that.

It had initially sought $90,000 from the council to cover the
cost of installing 2000 temporary seats at the ground to
bring capacity up to 5000; however Mr Dykes said Otago
Cricket accepted that amount was unlikely to be forthcoming
and would raise the funds itself so the test match, and
future ones, could be secured.

It would, however, like to have the council’s support in
principle before it went ahead.

Otago Cricket was strongly in favour of putting in the extra
permanent seats, he said.

“If we are to have an international venue, it seems silly to
keep asking for temporary seating.”

A council report on the submission said the council had
invested $2.7 million in the University Oval since 2006 to
bring it up to a full international standard facility, and
noted annual maintenance costs had also increased
correspondingly.

– debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz

Source: http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/cricket/209015/trees-threaten-international-cricket-fixtures-council-told

A toe injury that kept
Mitchell Johnson out of cricket for the entire Australian summer
might have saved his career, the paceman said on Friday.

Johnson, who tore ligaments in his big toe during
Australia’s test victory over South Africa in Johannesburg in
November, said he had lost passion for the game last year and
was unsure if he could continue to perform at the highest level.

“Going into that test in Joburg, I was unsure if I could
perform to be honest,” the 30-year-old told reporters in Perth.

“It was at that point where I really just wanted to get away
from the game and step back from it.

“The injury did come at the right time. I’d probably lost a
bit of interest in playing the game.

“If I didn’t get the injury, if I kept going, I could have
got dropped and that could have been it.

“That (retirement) could have been on the cards for sure.”

Johnson was named on Thursday in Australia’s one-day squad
for next month’s tour of Ireland and England, with selectors
hoping the enigmatic quick can regain top form in time for the
Twenty20 World Cup in September.

The moody Johnson has previously admitted to suffering a
crisis of confidence after an infamous spell of wayward bowling
during Australia’s Ashes tour of England in 2009.

The left-armer’s wavering form, mixing erratic spells with
occasionally devastating salvoes of swing bowling, has proved a
constant source of frustration for Australian cricket fans and
media.

Johnson, the ICC’s cricketer-of-the-year in 2009, said he
had been glad to be away from the spotlight while his toe
recovered from surgery.

“I guess being away from the media helped a little bit, not
copping it day in, day out,” he said. “So that’s been a bit of a
relief.”

Johnson’s injury lay-off has coincided with the rise of
young fast bowler James Pattinson and the resurgence of Peter
Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus into a potent bowling combination in
tests.

With Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc and teenager Pat Cummins
all pressing for selection, Johnson faces a battle to win his
test spot back, but will have a chance to impress selectors
having been named in an Australia A squad for two four-day games
against the England Lions in August.

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11052012/2/cricket-recalled-johnson-says-verge-quitting.html

Australia cricket suffered a
major blow on Friday when Craig McDermott decided to step down
as bowling coach after just a year in the job because of the
demands of touring with the side.

McDermott has overseen a transformation in Australian pace
bowling in the last year, rejuvenating seasoned campaigners like
Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle and introducing exciting new
talents like Pat Cummins and James Pattinson.

“It has been a very difficult decision to leave my position
as the bowling coach of the Australian cricket team, a job I
have thoroughly enjoyed since beginning 12 months ago,” he said
in a Cricket Australia media release.

“However, the team’s schedule is a particularly busy one and
after looking at the upcoming touring demands, I felt this to be
the right decision from a personal and professional point of
view.”

McDermott took over last year after the humiliating home
Ashes defeat and set about revitalising a bowling unit which had
been ruthlessly put to the sword by the English batsmen.

Bowling with much more discipline and clear strategies for
individual batsmen, Australia’s seamers succeeded in suffocating
India’s celebrated batting line-up and were instrumental in the
4-0 test whitewash around the turn of this year.

“Craig has done outstanding job since taking over the role
and without doubt will be very difficult to replace,” coach
Mickey Arthur said.

“As the Australian public and cricket world has seen, Craig
has taken our fast bowlers to another level and his skills and
experience will be sorely missed around the group.

“However, we completely understand and respect Craig’s
decision. The international schedule is a particularly busy one
and family must always come first.”

McDermott, who in his career as a quick bowler took 291
wickets in 71 tests for Australia in the late 1980s and early
1990s, said he would continue to “provide input” through Cricket
Australia’s Centre of Excellence.

“It has been a great honour to work with our most exciting
bowlers over this period and we have achieved much success,” he
said.

“The progression of particular players and the improvement
of depth in Australian bowling stocks has been the result of
much hard work from both sides and is something I am
particularly proud of.”

(For
the sports blog Left Field go to: http://blogs.reuters.com/sport))

Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11052012/2/cricket-weary-mcdermott-quits-australia-bowling-coach.html

Retired judge Chris Nicholson releases findings for Cricket South Africa during a news conference in Pretoria. (Werner Beukes, Sapa)

Having suffered the pain and travails of a regime change recently (though nothing as traumatic as South Africa’s), they experienced the utterly miserable disdain with which minor nations can be treated by the bigger ones as they approached their biggest day of the year.

Determined to raise the profile of the game in the country by building on the huge and enthusiastic support of a large Asian population in Toronto, Cricket Canada eagerly embraced the backing of a local sponsor five months ago and set about organising a high-profile, one-off T20 match between a worldwide “Asian XI” and a “Rest of the World XI”.

Planning and player recruitment began five months ago — necessary, given the constraints of the ongoing Indian Premier League and the delicate balance to be struck between hiring “big names” to attract an audience and those who might ensure a competitive game. With respect to the veteran captains of the respective sides, Sanath Jayasuriya and Brian Lara, only a few could provide both.

Click here

Mark Boucher is a happy exception.

Cricket South Africa was happy to sign a contract “release” for their soon-to-retire Test gloveman, as were New Zealand Cricket for their trio of all-rounders: Jake Oram, Tim Southee and Kyle Mills. Cricket Australia and Zimbabwe Cricket did so gladly for Stuart MacGill and Brendan Taylor and the Bangladesh Cricket Board were eager for their rapidly rising young allrounder, Nasir Hossain, to get as much experience as possible.

But the star players — and those central to attracting the greatest attention in Toronto — were the Pakistanis, led by Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq. Protracted negotiations with voracious agents were concluded finally a month before this Saturday’s match.

Own interests
All was in order — finally. A $1-million dollar outlay had been largely secured. The Pakistani community thought nothing of paying between R500 and R2 000 a ticket. Cricket Canada’s new leaders were beaming at the thought of a new dawn. Then, seven days before the match, the Pakistan Cricket Board objected to the participation of their players and refused to release them from their contracts. The International Cricket Council (ICC) was powerless.

It is merely the latest example of how polarised each of the major nations is in looking after its own interests and how fanciful and ambitious notions such as the Test championship are. England and Australia are fixated by the Ashes, India’s cricket board is content to maximise its vast revenue by playing as many one-day international matches as possible and the rest of the world’s major (and minor) nations are left fighting for scraps.

The Woolf report suggested an overhaul to the way the game is structured and outgoing ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said things were changing — despite the dubious probability that the executive committee comprising representatives from the 10 Test-playing nations and a smattering of others would adopt the proposal that independent directors had to join the board and therefore limit their ability to seek what was in their own best interests.

“The ICC now has an independent financial operation, so that is the key to greater change,” Lorgat said this week. “The structure of our income and expenditure is not governed by one country any longer — and if the ICC can achieve that, then there must be hope that independent directors on the board is a reality.”

Dave Richardson’s name on the four-man list of interviewees for Lorgat’s replacement this week is both heartening and gloomy. The rest of the world may cheer and would benefit from his appointment, but South Africa would mourn the potential loss of his services as chief executive of Cricket South Africa in the wake of Gerald Majola.

Conditions
The former long-serving national wicketkeeper would jump at the chance to return to his homeland  after six years in Dubai, but the years of experience in the country make him the frontrunner to take Lorgat’s position when his term ends in June. Lorgat, ironically, would be happy to step from one high-profile position into another in taking the Cricket South Africa job (and it has been offered) — on one condition.

Just as the Woolf report recommended a radical restructuring of the ICC’s board of directors, the Nicholson report strongly suggested similar remedial measures to the board of Cricket South Africa. Although neither Lorgat nor Richardson would confirm it, it is blatantly obvious than neither man would accept the job unless radical changes are implemented. They are the best two candidates for the job  and change must happen to ensure one of them is appointed.

Source: http://mg.co.za/article/2012-05-10-cricket-once-again-undermined-by-self-interest/