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The PCB hopes the task force set up by the ICC would help revive its international cricketing reputation, which has been battered by security fears. Earlier this year, the ICC established the task force to ensure that Pakistan would host international cricket in the future, security conditions permitting. The PCB was initially reluctant to accept the help of the task force when the idea was floated in February, but was now pinning its hopes of recovery on the efforts of the game’s governing body.

“Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, will be apprising the task force about the issues being faced in our cricket and hopes that through the efforts of the task force, the best possible solutions can be worked out for Pakistan,” a release from the board said. “The efforts of David Morgan [the ICC president], Giles Clarke [the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman] and the other members are greatly appreciated by the PCB at a time when Pakistan cricket is facing its toughest challenges.”

The task force, which will convene in Dubai on Friday and Saturday, is headed by Clarke and includes former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja, former England captain Mike Brearley, and former Sri Lankan captain Ranjan Madugalle among its other members.

Several countries have refused to tour Pakistan due to security fears. Cricket in the country was dealt a severe blow when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore in March this year, killing eight people and injuring five visiting players. The 2009 Champions Trophy was moved out of Pakistan to South Africa, while the country lost its share of 2011 World Cup matches later.

Lanka Post 319 On Board To Put South Africa On Backfoot

The word is taboo in South African cricket. The cricketers take great pains to shelve the persistent queries, the fans live in denial, and for days now, the local media here has been steadily building up the Champions Trophy steam by portraying Graeme Smiths men as the favourites. Cover stories in magazines have harped on how this generation of South African cricketers are used to success when it matters most. On how the knack of faltering at crucial stages in the biggest events is no more an issue. The repeated emphasis is a pointer. Choke is never far away from South African cricketing minds.
On Tuesday, Graeme Smith and his men carved another opportunity for the naysayers to sharpen their knives as they found themselves having to chase down a mammoth 320 under lights as Tillekeratne Dilshan (106 off 92 balls; 16×4, 1×6), Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara dutifully refused to look the gift horse in the mouth and helped Sri Lanka pile on a massive total in the opener, after Graeme Smith opted to bowl first on a dryish wicket. At the time of going to press, SA were 34 for one in 8.2 overs, with Kallis and Smith holding fort.

Tilakratne dilshan

Even the pleasing turnout, which would have calmed organizers wary about the drawing power of One-day cricket, could not propel South Africa to shed the rust as they bowled badly and made their skippers decision seem farcical. It all began when the promising Wayne Parnell was carted around and even though Jayasuriya fell early, the first 10 overs had yielded 70 and South Africas best were running out of answers . Sangakkara and Jayawardene accumulated with ease as Dilshan took control , capitalizing on the wayward lengths and width offered to exhibit his full array of innovative strokeplay.
Morkel went for 16 in one over, Parnell ended as badly as he had begun, gifting away 15 in the batting Powerplay with six overs remaining and even spearhead Dale Steyn, who ended with 3/47 off his 10, will be looking to raise his game a notch as he gets into the groove. SA went in with two spinners but with Muralitharan and Mendis both playing, an extraordinary batting effort needed to be made by the hosts.
AB De Villiers had recently harped on how important it was for the South African team to finish well in big ICC events rather than just start off with a bang, and the team now has ample opportunity. Can they chase down the total and keep skeptics away for a while

India stumbled in pursuit of 156 under lights but MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina kept cool heads to steer them to a six-wicket win with 57 deliveries to spare and with it move to No. 1 in the ICC’s ODI rankings. New Zealand, after opting to bat, made a complete mess of things and ended up with 155, a total that briefly challenged India but eventually proved to be inadequate. With this loss, New Zealand crashed out of the tournament.

Inspired by their two most experienced bowlers, New Zealand refused to surrender without a scrap but their spirited effort on the field wasn’t enough to defend a modest target. Dinesh Karthik was removed early in the piece to bring Rahul Dravid to the crease but his comeback was a labored 45-ball 14, after which Sachin Tendulkar fell for 46. Raina joined Dhoni and finished off the chase with a calculated 72-run partnership.

Dravid endured a few testing moments as he adjusted himself to this format. Shane Bond was particularly quick and nasty in a hostile first spell, which included a fiery maiden sixth over, and repetitively tested Dravid with the short deliveries. Dravid negated Bond’s aggression with customary grit only to be trapped lbw by Jacob Oram.

Tendulkar came out full of intent and treated the sparse crowd to some stunning shots. He repeatedly whipped Mills across the line, deft of wrists, for boundaries and welcomed Ian Butler into the attack with a fierce cut behind point and the shot of the day – a stylish whip off the back foot to a ball that pitched back of a length. Daniel Vettori was hammered off the back foot as Tendulkar closed in on fifty, but a clever change of pace had him lobbing the simplest of chances to cover. The bowler, the batsman and the catcher couldn’t believe it.

Sixteen minutes later Yuvraj Singh moped off after he was beaten in flight to pop a catch when attempting to play another slog-sweep for four off Vettori. Raina eased the nerves a pinch by swinging Vettori for six and following up with three past midwicket, and continued to play with a perfect blend of aggression and smartness. His back-foot play was especially pleasing – he rocked back to pull anything even slightly off line – and backed himself to swing deliveries that had a bit of air. Dhoni was his composed self and put his head down to indulge in some good old-fashioned ones and twos. He helped steer the chase with a dependable innings, one devoid of any risks.

A cursory look at the New Zealand card would suggest an ordeal against pace on a juiced-up track in Australia or England, but the truth was they struggled against a tidy fast-bowling attack and failed to cope with Yuvraj. Having lost the toss, India turned in a committed display in the field to take to pieces a line-up woefully short on inspiration and effort. Once they had New Zealand at 19 for 3 they provided few escapes routes, and that was the deciding factor in the result.

India, led initially by Ashish Nehra before Yuvraj continued the carnage, were on top from the time the first wicket fell. Nehra set the tone for India’s domination with a lovely new-ball burst, in which he passed 100 ODI wickets. With his second ball, he beat Jesse Ryder’s loose shot across the line to hit him in front of leg stump and then removed Brendon McCullum with one that straightened and rapped the pads in front of middle.

Having watched an edge from Ross Taylor sneak through between slip and keeper, RP Singh held back the length and got Taylor nicking to Dhoni for 11. New Zealand’s worries against left-handers – Thilan Thushara has been a handful all tour – continued with a poor display. Such was their discomfiture against the left-arm variety that Yuvraj’s gentle slow turners soon looked like missiles.

Puttering along to 22 from 41 balls, helping put on 32 with Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill fell in Yuvraj’s first over. Barely settling in to see what Yuvraj could offer, or if the pitch would assist turn, Guptill stabbed at one and Dravid, at first slip, reminded all of his class as a catcher with his 194th pouch.

Elliott, who looked the only one capable of batting till the 45th over and beyond, was then incorrectly given out for 22 by Kumar Dharmasena down the leg side. Replays showed the ball brushed only his pads as he attempted to tickle it fine. New Zealand had reason to feel aggrieved, but their efforts at the start had been unforgivable. The rest of the New Zealand line-up made fleeting appearances and there was little let-up for them as Dhoni rotated his bowlers, with the top four providing the dividends. New Zealand will need to improve considerably if they are to live up to their No. 4 ranking and challenge teams in the Champions Trophy.

Legendary New Zealand allrounder Richard Hadlee has hit out at the ICC for betraying the game of cricket by protecting the interests of India, who are the largest generator of revenue.
Hadlee was also particularly worried for the future of Test cricket, saying the growth of T20 and the huge financial lures for players from the IPL meant the International Cricket Council needed to exercise its authority.
We are in grave danger of having the decision makers betraying the game of cricket, said Hadlee during a nationwide tour to promote his latest book Changing Pace, which summarises his last nine years of cricket research.
We all know now that Asia, and more particularly India, have a more powerful say (at ICC level) because they generate that much more a higher percentage of revenue, which other countries benefit from.
So, who protects the game The ICC have to try so all the games can co-exist , he said.

The Australian team management has filed a report with the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit after a player was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking. Cricinfo has learned the approach was made in the bar of the team’s London hotel, the Royal Kensington Garden, following Australia’s Ashes defeat at Lord’s in July.

The player alerted senior officials immediately and, following ICC protocol, team manager Steve Bernard filed a report with the ACSU. The matter is currently under investigation. The player is not suspected of wrongdoing, and has been praised by a senior ICC official for his prompt reporting of the approach in line with the ACSU’s player education programme.

Sources within the ICC and the Australian team, when contacted by Cricinfo, described the approach as “concerning” and part of a worrying resurgence in the presence of illegal bookmakers around major events. Sir Paul Condon, the chairman of the ACSU, told ICC meetings in Dubai and London over the past year that Twenty20 cricket posed the greatest corruption threat to the game since the dark days of Sharjah in the 1990s; a notion supported by recent media and anecdotal reports.

Cricinfo understands the ACSU is investigating additional approaches made to players by illegal bookmakers, or conduits acting on their behalf, during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England earlier this summer. One source said the ACSU was “well advanced” in several lines of inquiry, at least one of which also involved approaches made to players at a team hotel.

Senior officials are concerned that illegal bookmakers, emboldened by the new betting possibilities opened up by the Twenty20 game, are becoming increasingly prevalent around match venues and team hotels. After the inception of the ACSU in 2000 – in direct response to the match-fixing scandals involving international captains Hansie Cronje, Mohammed Azharuddin and Salim Malik – barriers were established to block bookmakers and their intermediaries from direct contact with players. But the approach to an Australian player during an Ashes series, coupled with those allegedly made to other international cricketers at the World Twenty20, have raised concerns that a new wave of corrupting influences is attempting to infiltrate the game.

A report in the Sunday Telegraph earlier this week, quoting an anonymous ICC source, warned that cricket was under renewed threat from illegal bookmakers. “Those in charge in the ICC understand that Twenty20 cricket has the danger of going back to the bad old days,” the source said.

The report suggested that the apparent resurgence in contact from illegal bookmakers was in part attributable to the second IPL, a tournament at which the ACSU was not in operation, reportedly due to its $1.2 million operational bill. Lalit Modi, the IPL’s commissioner, told Cricinfo last month the ACSU would be involved in future IPL tournaments, and an agreement in principle has been reached for the unit to police the Champions League Twenty20, scheduled to be played in India this October. “They have expanded their services and going ahead, all the tournaments, including Champions League and the IPL would have the presence of ICC’s anti-corruption unit,” Modi said, in a move welcomed by the ICC’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat.

Lorgat last week announced there was “absolutely no substance” to reports that Pakistan players had been approached by illegal bookmakers at their team hotel in Colombo during the recent series against Sri Lanka. The matter was investigated by the ACSU.

“The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our sport with its spirit is one of its greatest assets,” Lorgat said. “On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU. I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us – players, officials and supporters – must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption.”

Off-colour pacer Irfan Pathan conceded he hasnt performed well enough to merit selection in the Indian One-day team but vowed to make a comeback, saying he has age on his side.
Talking to reporters with elder brother Yusuf by his side at a promotional event here this afternoon, the 24-year-old junior Pathan said, I have been ignored purely on the basis of my drop in performance and I am working hard towards it.
Irfan, however, said it was disappointing to be ignored for next months Tri-series in Sri Lanka and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa. For the last six years, if I have done slightly bad, Im getting dropped. But I dont have any excuse. Im not a person who runs for an excuse .
Its very simple, if I am dropped then something is wrong somewhere . Reason is always performance … Obviously the selectors felt, Im not up to the mark so Ive to work hard and go to that level, Irfan said.
However, the pacer, who made it to the top earlier than his elder brother Yusuf, said he has age by his side. Not many people have achieved what Ive at at the age of 23-24 and I am very happy for that.
Irfan also rubbished suggestions that his increased focus on batting had affected his bowling. I dont think it has affected my bowling. At junior level for Baroda, I have batted at No. 3 and 4 positions, so I dont think it is an issue.
On the controversial whereabouts clause in WADA that has been rejected by the Indian cricketers and the board, Irfan said, I dont think anybody is against WADA… We (all the sportpersons) strongly condemn doping. The Board is sorting out the matter.
Asked whether he would like to take some tips from Wasim Akram, who has praised him in the past, Irfan said, Im really thankful to him. But we will remain busy with the domestic season beginning September . But when I get a chance, I would speak to him.

Australia has named Victorian leftarmer Dirk Nannes in its Twenty20 squad to play England only months after he represented the Netherlands at the world T20 tournament. The inclusion of 33-year-old Nannes and resting of captain Ricky Ponting are the main surprises in the national squads named on Tuesday for the seven one-day international matches and two T20 matches which follow the current Ashes series in England.
The Sydney Morning Herald quoted an AAP report, as saying that notable omissions from the T20 squad include Mike Hussey, Nathan Bracken and Peter Siddle all of whom are still in the ODI squad. Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch added a new name to the mix by employing Tasmanian wicketkeeper Tim Paine as Brad Haddins understudy for the ODI series.
Speaking about Nannes, Hilditch said his panel was looking at using a greater number of specialists ahead of next years World T20 following a disappointing result when eliminated early in this years event. We are using the two matches against England to look at different make ups to the squad and include players who we consider T20 specialists in preparation for the ICC World T20 next year, he said. We are keen to look at different players as specialist T20 players in these two matches and in this instance we have selected Dirk Nannes following his strong domestic performances in recent seasons to have a look at him in the Australian set up.
Pontings resting following the end of the Ashes series was described by Hilditch as the last chance to give him a break before 2010.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced that its anti-corruption officials have found no evidence of Pakistani cricketers being approached by bookies during their tour of Sri Lanka. The ICC confirmed that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) had investigated suggestions that Indian bookmakers contacted Pakistani players at their hotel in Colombo during the recent Test series against Sri Lanka. Following its investigations the ACSU is satisfied that there is absolutely no substance to the suggestions and that no evidence of any such contacts exists, an ICC statement said. 

Indian cricket team Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his deputy Yuvraj Singh retained the top two slots in batsmen’s list, while Team India managed to cling on to second position in the ICC ODI Rankings issued on Monday. Dhoni held on to his numero uno status with 828 rating points while left-handed Yuvraj, who had managed his career best ranking last month, had 784 points in his kitty. The Indian duo are followed by Australia’s Mike Hussey (767), West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul (759) and his skipper Chris Gayle (756) in the list. Virender Sehwag (seventh), Sachin Tendulkar (14th) and Gautam Gambhir (17th) stuck to their respective positions. Meanwhile, South Africa remained on top of ODI Championships table, followed by India and Australia at second and third. Among the bowlers, injured left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan continued to be the only Indian in top 20 at 16th. Sri Lankan Nuwan Kulasekara tops the bowlers’ list.