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Cricket News on Monday, June 30, 2008

Zimbabwe gathers ICC vote support

The UK government wants cricket to take a hard line against Zimbabwe
Support for Zimbabwe appears to be growing in the sub-continent ahead of this week's International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has already stated it will not host a tour by Zimbabwe next year.
And Cricket South Africa has also cut its ties with Zimbabwe because of the political situation in the country.
But India and Pakistan have indicated they will not support any move to expel Zimbabwe from the ICC.
"There is no reason to remove Zimbabwe," said Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
"We understand England's position because their government wants Zimbabwe out but we will back Zimbabwe to stay in the ICC."

The Pakistan Cricket Board, meanwhile, has made it clear that it will send its A team on a tour to Zimbabwe in August as scheduled, irrespective of any action taken by the ICC, who have a board meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
And the Press Trust of India has quoted a PCB spokesman as saying: "We don't think Zimbabwe cricket should face penalties because of political issues in that country. We will not support any sanctions."
Seven of the 10 full ICC members would have to vote in favour of expulsion for such a proposal to go through - and Zimbabwe itself is one of the 10.
If India and Pakistan line up alongside them, it would only require one more vote in Zimbabwe's favour for the proposal to be defeated.
If, however, Zimbabwe Cricket retains its full member status, England's hopes of hosting next year's ICC World Twenty20 tournament could be put in jeopardy.
Although the ICC would not take punitive action against the ECB for preventing Zimbabwe touring in the light of a formal government instruction, refusal to allow a full member to take part in the World Twenty20 could result in the tournament being moved elsewhere.
Such a move would be a huge financial blow to the ECB, with huge crowds expected at the three grounds chosen to host matches. The tournament schedule has already been published and tickets went on sale at 1000 BST on Monday.
The UK government will reassess the situation if the ICC insists that Zimbabwe play in the World Twenty20 but is holding a firm line in its calls for a boycott because of the close links between Zimbabwe Cricket and the regime of president Robert Mugabe.
Culture secretary Andy Burnham told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek: "The first step is we'll meet the ECB, listen to their report back of the meeting and consider the arguments.
"If we haven't held sway we would listen to the arguments of the other ICC members but our position is completely clear.
"We think, in the current circumstances in Zimbabwe, it isn't right for any tour to take place."
However, he added: "I would not want to be in a position of overruling a governing body in sport. I vigorously defend the independence of our sporting bodies and will always to that."


Cricket News on Tuesday, April 29, 2008

ECB chief opposes franchise plans

Giles Clarke feels the 18 first-class counties should remain
ECB chairman Giles Clarke has revealed he is strongly opposed to any plans to merge the 18 first-class counties into a smaller number of "city franchises".
The option has been put forward by the Professional Cricketers' Association as an answer to the Indian Premier League.
But Clarke said: "Franchise sport has simply never worked in the UK.
"Tradition and history rather than Bollywood stars and glitz are what persuade supporters to return week in, week out, to our grounds."
Speaking at the ECB's AGM on Wednesday, Clarke said his vision of an English Premier League would be based on the traditional model rather than new teams.
PCA chief executive Sean Morris said in an interview last Friday: "When you look at the broadcasting deal that will drive it, and for sponsorship partners and for fans, does playing 18 teams really stack up?"
I hope to give more details in the days and weeks ahead, but I can guarantee that everyone in the game - from playground to Test arena - will benefit
Giles Clarke
But Clarke refuted the concept of a slimmer league structure along the lines of the IPL, which features eight teams.
He said "Some of the ideas spouted in the media have been frankly ludicrous.
"Can you, I was asked by a leading television executive, imagine cricket lovers rushing down St John's Wood Road to see a franchise called Vodafone Team London owned by an ageing rock star?
"There has never yet been a successful Team London in any sport and nor is there likely to be any support for a Team Manchester or Team Leeds from traditional areas of rivalry such as Liverpool or Sheffield.
"When ECB launched their own Twenty20 Cup it was on the back of extensive spectator research and financial analysis.
"This is an exercise we will repeat before launching any new competition because we have said this tournament must be robust, spectator-friendly and economically sustainable."

Some of the individual counties' chief executives and chairmen favour a smaller number of teams, while others agree with Clarke.
American billionaire Sir Allen Stanford told BBC Sport last Thursday he was ready to invest heavily in an English version of the IPL, which he felt could be worth as much as £500m.
Clarke said: "I thank Sir Allen for his interest in cricket in England and Wales, and most of all I thank him for believing the ECB is the right vehicle through which to expand his patronage in cricket.
"I hope to give more details in the days and weeks ahead, but I can guarantee that everyone in the game - from playground to Test arena - will benefit from this deal."
The issue of sledging in modern-day cricket was also addressed by Clarke, who warned Test players must be role models.
He did not rule out the use of yellow cards "for repeat offences of sledges" in amateur cricket.


Cricket News on Sunday, September 02, 2007

Flintoff hit by fresh ankle worry

Flintoff has only just returned to action after a knee problemEngland all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is to see a specialist after suffering fresh problems with his left ankle.
He missed Sunday's one-day game against India at Headingley, but England hope he will rejoin the squad in time for the match at The Oval on Wednesday.
Flintoff underwent a third operation earlier this year.
But he experienced further discomfort following last Thursday's win over India at Old Trafford, having missed the previous game with a sore knee.
A team spokesman insisted on Saturday, however, that the two problems were unrelated.


Cricket News on Friday, July 13, 2007

India thwarted by Bresnan century

Bresnan played a variety of shots in his chanceless centuryA superb unbeaten 116 from Yorkshire all-rounder Tim Bresnan guided England Lions to 379-8 after the opening day of the tour game with India at Chelmsford.
The 22-year-old hit 15 fours and a six in his second first-class century.
He shared 129 in 31 overs with Stuart Broad, who added 50 to halt a slide in which three wickets fell for 11 runs.
After skipper Andrew Strauss was clean bowled for one by Zaheer Khan in the fifth over, Kent opener Joe Denly made an impressive 83 containing 16 fours.
Strauss won the toss and elected to bat in cloudy conditions, on a ground where Essex and Nottinghamshire accumulated almost 1500 runs in two innings in the last match.
India were led by Sachin Tendulkar with Test captain Rahul Dravid rested due to a calf injury.
Strauss looked out of sorts from the start, however, and just a single from 17 balls before his off-stump was sent spiralling out of the ground did little for his confidence ahead of the first Test against the tourists starting at Lord's on 19 July.
Shah, who enjoyed a successful return to England's one-day side against the West Indies, hit two fours in his 11, but he went at a short ball from Shantha Sreesanth and found the hands of Zaheer running around at fine-leg.

Strauss failed to shake off his poor run of form
Playing in just his 13th first-class match, Denly caught the eye with some attractive drives, smashing five boundaries in a single over from Zaheer.
The 21-year-old Kent opener took just 49 balls to reach his half-century and continued to make hay with 76 runs in the morning session.
South-African born Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott, who made his England debut against the West Indies in the recent Twenty20 series, played a more reserved innings in support and reached 25 by lunch.
Denly was not so fluent after the interval, with the introduction of Ramesh Powar's spin, and a charge down the wicket saw him comfortably stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Zaheer then found his rhythm and tempted Trott into driving at a ball outside off-stump, the edge caught at waist height by Sourav Ganguly at first slip.
Two wickets then fell in six deliveries as India looked to wrap up the innings.
First wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose (4) got a feather of a top-edge trying to drive Zaheer square, the catch taken by Dhoni, then Yorkshire teenager Adil Rashid offered Powar an easy return catch without scoring.
Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara helped to rescue the situation with Bresnan, who launched Powar for the only six of the day over mid-wicket.
Bopara shared 40 in 10 overs with Bresnan before his attractive innings of 29 containing four fours was ended in the final over before tea.
Tendulkar brought himself into the attack and with his fifth ball tempted 22-year-old Bopara to push a sharp catch off the face of the bat to short-leg.

Denly's growing reputation was further enhanced by a fine knock
Broad took advantage of two reprieves early in his innings to justify his promise as a batsman with some clean hitting until spooing a low catch to point. Having moved into the 90s with two fours in three balls, Bresnan passed three figures with three boundaries in an over from Zaheer.
India's cause was not helped by rangy teenage seamer Ishant Sharma, who sent down a total of 15 no-balls in a troublesome 12-over spell.
England captain Strauss was delighted his young batsmen had got the team out of an awkward situation on the opening day.
"I thought we showed a lot of character in that final session, hopefully we can build on that," he said.
Of centurion Bresnan he said: "He has made some useful scores for Yorkshire and he got stuck in."
Strauss was also delighted with opening partner Denly, aged only 21.
"He really took the game to them and it's good to see a guy who hasn't played at this level before play with no fear," the skipper said. "This is a showcase even under a little bit more pressure than you have in a normal county game. Joe took it to them and has come out of it with a great deal of credit."
Strauss, who made only one half century in the Test series against the West Indies, admitted that his form was a concern, but was confident he would soon be back in the runs.
"The more runs I can get before the Test match the better and another low score wouldn't be ideal," he said.
"It's hard work trying to grind out runs when you're not in the form you'd like to be but it only takes one innings or a couple of shots even to turn things around."