'Slow' pitch used for India-NZ semifinal slammed

Agencies
July 10, 2019

Manchester, Jul 10: Former cricketers have come down heavily on the pitch used for the first World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand here at Old Trafford.

New Zealand found it tough to score runs after opting to bat on what seemed to be a slow and two-paced surface here on Tuesday. The Kiwis managed to reach 211 for five in 46.1 overs before rain pushed the match to the reserve day.

Former Australia batsman Mark Waugh took to twitter to slam the pitch.

"Doesn't look a great pitch at Old Trafford. Very much on the slow side and offering some turn. If NZ can somehow get to 240 they will be in the game," Waugh wrote.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson took 97 balls for his 67 while veteran Ross Taylor was unbeaten on 67 off 85 deliveries.

Former England Test cricketer Mark Butcher went to the extent of terming the pitches at the ongoing World Cup as "garbage".

"Sorry, but pitches have been garbage this tournament," Butcher tweeted.

"Uneven, two-paced...MIGHT give you an exciting 5 overs at the end of a run chase, but you've scared everybody off in the previous 95."

Another ex England cricketer Graeme Fowler, who has played a lot matches during his first-class career with Old Trafford-based Lancashire, said the wicket for the first semifinal was "awful".

"What an awful wicket for (a) World Cup semi-final," his Twitter account said.

"I feel sorry for the spectators who have travelled and paid hefty prices having to watch this lottery on a very substandard pitch. It's a disgrace," Flower added.

Low scores have been a trait of this World Cup with pitches playing exactly opposite to what is usually seen in One-day Internationals in England in recent years.

Another Ex-English cricketer Paul Newman tweeted: "Old Trafford usually a terrific pitch. What has happened to pitches at this World Cup?? Has to be ICC instructions, surely?"

The International Cricket Council (ICC), however, have denied accusations of instructing the groundsmen to prepare slow pitches and said it had only told them to make sporting tracks.

"The guidance we give any host of an ICC event is to prepare the best possible pitches for the conditions in that country -- so in this case the best possible ODI pitch for typical English conditions and we would also look for even bounce and good carry," ICC said a statement.

"The ICC does not instruct groundsmen to prepare pitches in a certain way to advantage, or disadvantage, any team."

Earlier, England batsman Jonny Bairstow had criticised the surfaces on offer, saying these have been totally different from those they normally play on.

"The pitches we've been playing on the last two years are surely the pitches we would be playing on in a World Cup? I don't know why they've changed," Bairstow said.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

New Delhi Jul 30: After Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal's ban was reduced to 18 months, Danish Kaneria criticised Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) policies and said that the 'zero tolerance policy' applies only to him.

"Zero Tolerance policy only apply on Danish Kaneria not on others, can anybody answer the reason why I get life ban not others, Are policy applies only on cast, colour, and powerful background. I am Hindu and proud of it that's my background and my dharma," Kaneria tweeted.

Earlier on Wednesday, Akmal's three-year suspension was reduced to 18 months by an independent adjudicator, former Pakistan Supreme Court judge, Faqir Mohammad Khokhar.

On April 27, the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel, Justice (retd) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, had banned the wicketkeeper-batsman for three years after finding him guilty of breaching the PCB's Anti-Corruption Code in two separate incidents.

Akmal, on May 19, filed an appeal against the three-year ban imposed on him, seeking a reduction in the duration of the sanction. He will remain suspended effectively from February 2020 till August 2021.

The batsman said he might appeal again to get the ban "reduced further".

"I am thankful to the judge for listening to my lawyers properly. I will decide about the remaining sentence and try to get it reduced further. For now I am not satisfied and will consult my lawyers and family how to take this ahead," ESPNcricinfo had quoted Akmal as saying.

"There are many players before me who made mistakes and just look at what they got and what I got. So all I say right now is thank you very much," he had added.

On the other hand, Kaneria was found guilty of spot-fixing while playing for English club Essex and was banned from the sport.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's cricket governing body 'advised' Kaneria to approach England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) if he wants to play domestic cricket after the cricketer had appealed to the PCB, seeking permission to play domestic cricket. 

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News Network
June 24,2020

New Delhi, Jun 24: Star Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan deeply regrets his "silly mistake" of not reporting a corrupt approach by an Indian bookie to the ICC, leading to his one year suspension from the game.

Shakib was banned for two years, one year of it suspended, for failing to report corrupt approaches during an IPL edition by an alleged Indian bookie named Deepak Aggarwal.

"I took the approaches too casually When I met the anti-corruption guy and told them and they knew everything. Gave them all the evidence and they knew everything that happened," Shakib told Harsha Bhogle on 'Cricbuzz in Conversation'.

"To be honest, that's the only reason I was banned for a year, otherwise I'd have been banned for five or 10 years," he added on the ICC's investigation.

The 33-year-old, who was in brilliant form before the ban, amassing 606 runs in the 2019 World Cup in the UK, said he regrets how he went about the situation.

"But I think that was a silly mistake I made. Because with my experience and the amount of international matches I've played and the amount of ICC's anti-corruption code of conduct classes I took, I shouldn't have made that decision, to be honest."

Lesson learnt, Shakib's advice to all young criceters is to never take any such message lightly.

"I regret that. No one should take such messages or calls (from bookies) lightly or leave it away. We must inform the ICC ACSU guy to be on the safe side and that's the lesson I learnt, and I think I learnt a big lesson," he added.

The all-rounder, whose ban ends on October 29, said he became a bit arrogant and never felt he was doing anything wrong by not reporting the bookie's approach immediately.

"Because you do most things right in your life, you tend to get arrogant with some decisions. You may not realise but you're doing wrong by the books. It never came to my mind that I am doing something wrong

"It was just a feeling of 'okay, what's going to happen, leave it' and I continued with my life. But that's the mistake I made. And that happens," Shakib said.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Mar 4: The BCCI has decided to implement strict cost cutting measures with the notable decision being IPL 2020 champions' prize money will be halved as compared to 2019. In a circular sent to all IPL franchises, the BCCI has notified that instead of a whopping Rs 20 crore, the IPL champion team will now receive Rs 10 crore only. "The financial rewards have been reworked as a part of the cost cutting measures. The champions will get Rs 10 crore instead of Rs 20 crore. The runners-up will get Rs 6.25 crore from earlier Rs 12.5 crore," a BCCI notification, in possession of news agency, read.

The two losing qualifiers will now get Rs 4.375 crore each.

"The franchises are all in good health. They also have multiple ways like sponsorships to bolster their income. Hence the decision on prize money taken," a senior BCCI source said.

However, a state association hosting IPL games will get Rs 1 crore each with franchises and BCCI contributing Rs 50 lakh each.

It has also been learnt that mid-level BCCI employees won't be allowed to avail business class flights like earlier times for flying to the Asian countries (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE) where the flying time is less than eight hours.

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