Seniors deserved a break - Raina

Suresh Raina, who is India's captain for the limited-overs leg of the tour of West Indies, has admitted there will be huge expectations from his team despite the absence of some big names.

"[Being captain] is a great challenge to me and I'm really looking forward to that," Raina said on the team's arrival in the Caribbean. "We have good players who want to do well in this series. They have done well in first-class cricket and the IPL or in the World Cup team."

For the ODIs, India will be without regular captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, and Zaheer Khan, who have been rested, while Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag miss out through injury or illness. Dhoni and Zaheer are set to return for the Tests, but the other seniors are set to miss the entire series. The tour will also be Duncan Fletcher's first assignment with the Indian side.

Raina said the senior players "deserved a break" and was hopeful the youngsters in the squad would make the most of the opportunity. "We have a young team here and they are focussed on doing well for India and I am excited to see how they perform over the next few weeks."

West Indies lost their recent ODI series to Pakistan and will once again be without opener Chris Gayle, who was the top run-getter in the IPL, but has been left out for the first two ODIs. When India last played ODIs in the West Indies in 2006, they lost 1-4. The two teams subsequently met in the World Cup earlier this year when India won by 80 runs in Chennai, en route to their tournament triumph. Raina, however, said India would not be complacent. "The West Indies team has been playing good cricket for the past few months and we are not going to take them lightly," he said.

The only Twenty20 game will be played on Saturday at Port of Spain, while the five-match ODI series begins at the same venue on June 6.

Meanwhile West Indies beat the High Performance Centre (HPC) team by 11 runs in a practice Twenty20 game in Couva on Thursday. Batting first, West Indies were restricted to 145 in their 20 overs on what appeared to be a good batting pitch. Opener Lendl Simmons carried on his good form from the Pakistan series, top-scoring with a rapid 43, while Danza Hyatt made 22.

Uncapped left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie, who has been picked in the Twenty20 squad, and Christopher Barnwell shared two wickets apiece as HPC were restricted to 134 for 6. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich was their mainstay with 52 off 41 balls.

Afridi's legal counsel looks to resolve dispute

A legal firm acting on behalf of Shahid Afridi has sent the Pakistan Cricket Board a letter in a bid to resolve the on-going dispute between the two parties, sparked by his removal from the ODI captaincy, and his subsequent announcement of a "conditional" retirement.

The letter is not a legal notice, but attempts to expand on Afridi's contribution to Pakistan cricket and raises the issue of Hampshire, the county Afridi has been prevented from playing for after the board revoked his No-Objection Certificate (NOC), apart from suspending his central contract.

"A firm of lawyers acting on Afridi's behalf have sent the PCB a letter to try and resolve the issue," the player's manager Umran Khan told ESPNcricinfo. "The letter has gone into some depth in explaining the history of Afridi as a player, his contributions to Pakistan cricket and his global standing as a player. The Hampshire issue has also been raised. The club was terrific in organising the last ODI [between England and Pakistan] last summer."

The PCB confirmed receipt of the letter at their end. "We have received a letter from legal firm Mandviwalla and Zafar Associates on behalf of Afridi and as per the rules we forwarded it to the disciplinary committee," PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP.

According to a report in the Dawn, the letter argues that the showcause notice sent to Afridi is "malafide in law and facts and is an attempt to tarnish the image of the seasoned allrounder who is a patriotic, respected and honourable cricketer of Pakistan".

Afridi has been summoned to appear before a three-man disciplinary committee formed by the PCB on June 8 in Lahore, to face charges that he has breached two clauses of the code of conduct with his retirement announcement and subsequent criticism of the board. Afridi, in his first response to the show-cause notice, accepted that his comments were a violation of the code but Khan clarified that no apology had been made. "He accepted the violations, he did not offer an apology," Khan said. Khan did confirm that Afridi would be appearing before the committee.

The matter has ballooned into far more than just a dispute between player and board; Afridi's stature as successful ODI player and captain and his public popularity has raised the stakes against an administration that has sought zealously to quell player power over the last year and a half. Afridi has appealed directly to Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari, who is also patron of the PCB. On Thursday Rehman Malik, the country's interior minister, also tweeted he would try to resolve the dispute, and it is believed that pressure has been applied from his quarters on the board to do just that.

A handful of parliamentarians have expressed their ire at the handling of the situation. On Thursday Dawn reported that the sports ministry had been asked by the offices of the prime minister and president to submit an independent report on the dispute within a week.

Time to Check the Bench Strength

"Life is jokey but it's bloody serious. You got to plan. West Indies didn't do it." Ralph, an old caretaker of an inn, drawls as he lights up a cigarette. It's 11 pm and the small neighbourhood in Port of Spain is quiet. The glow from his cigarette lights up his grizzly beard. "We were too arrogant when we were winning and didn't plan for the future. Talent is all dried up now and we are watching the ego fights between the board and the players. It's all downhill. It's good to see India planning for the future by bringing in the younger players."

It's a puzzling series in many ways. The weaker team is ignoring its stars and testing its bench strength. The stronger team is being forced to test its bench strength while its stars choose to rest, some in fatigue, some following injury. The agenda is still pretty simple and straightforward: It's India's series to lose. They are the new world champions and will have to win this ODI series. Never mind that they are missing a couple of big players - a champion team can't have any excuses.

West Indies ran out of excuses for their decline a long time ago and are now scraping the bottom of the barrel of hope. It's a grim scenario. The evidence screamed out when the flight from London descended on Barbados. It was a breathtaking visual - a sparkling sea framing the houses like a jewel - but the question that immediately came to mind was, how on earth did such a tiny island produce a battery of world-class players? Now that same smallness offered another scary thought. How on earth will they find world-class players from such a small area? Trinidad is a much bigger place but big, of course, is relative.

Sometimes a win can just prove to be a setback. Is West Indies' recent Test win over Pakistan a boon or a bane? Will it make the hardliners in the WICB turn more adamant in their vision for a future that doesn't involve the bigger stars like Chris Gayle? Or does that win offer concrete proof of their new vision? This series against India can help decide it.

It was a series against India in 1976 that turned the corner for West Indies in many ways. That bloodbath in Sabina Park when Clive Lloyd, hurt after India chased down 403 in the previous Test, unleashed his fast men against the hapless visitors is a landmark event in West Indian cricket history. That victory made Lloyd, and by extension West Indies, realise that pace was the way to go and his gang of fast men went on to unleash such joyous violence - that still stirs the heart of cricket fans - around the world. Fire was raging in Babylon and Lloyd wasn't fiddling. Nostalgia is fun but not when the present is bleak.

If West Indies are to do well in this series, they can't reproduce tracks that were on offer in the series against Pakistan. If India has a weakness, it's against pace and bounce and West Indies, despite having a legspinner as their strike bowler, need to exploit it - like they did so successfully in the World Twenty20 held in the Caribbean region. Will they go for it?

For India, the absence of the seniors is the best thing that could have happened. This squad is perfect to test the bench strength. It's also the perfect setting for the new India coach, Duncan Fletcher, to ease himself in. He has been ostensibly roped in to help India prepare for a future sans the big names. Now he doesn't have to wait for the end of India's tour of Australia early next year to prepare for that eventuality. This series gives him a taste of things to come.

In the Tests, India are going with a new set of openers and in the ODIs, they will also be infusing fresh blood into the middle order. If West Indies are able to produce tracks that aid bounce, this Indian team can be tested by the likes of Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul and Andre Russell. It still won't be easy, but at least it will give them a chance.

If the tracks are flat, this could well turn out to be like the 1971 series between the two teams, when a debutant named Sunil Gavaskar gorged on a second-string attack to pile up the runs and launch himself into a calypso. This Indian team might not have anyone in the calibre of a Gavaskar but it's a team filled with ambitious young men, desperately seeking success and fighting for the few available spots when the bigger stars return for sterner tests. It's almost a fight for survival for many. Life is jokey but it's bloody serious.

England on course to reclaim second spot in ICC Test rating

England's stunning victory against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Cardiff has kept it on course to reclaim second position on the ICC Test Championship table for the first time in more than three years.

Although the Test Championship table will be updated only at the end of the series, a 3-0 series win will put England one ratings point ahead of South Africa. England last occupied the second position in November 2007.

England players Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, who engineered the stunning an innings and 14 runs victory over Sri Lanka, also achieved their career-best rankings in the list released today.

Swann, who bagged 4-16 in the second innings to finish with figures of 7-94, has strengthened his second position on the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, which is still headed by Dale Steyn of South Africa.

Tremlett, who claimed 4-40 in the second innings to earn match figures of 5-121, has gained seven places and is now on a career-best ranking of 27th.

Among the Test batsmen, man of the match Jonathan Trott, who scored 203, has moved up one place to join former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara in third position.

Ian Bell was also rewarded for his innings of 103 not out with a jump of three places to the 18th position for the first time in his career.

Skipper Alastair Cook also earned 15 ratings points for his innings of 133 which has put him on 818 ratings points and just 38 points behind the pair of Trott and Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka opener Tharanga Paranavithana and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardena moved up one place to 44th spot and six places to 51st position respectively.

I learned a Lot From my Captains : Raina

Stand-in India captain Suresh Raina feels that the absence of senior cricketers during the ODI series in the Caribbean will be an ideal opportunity for those who did well in domestic cricket to show their performance at the international level.

"It's a great opportunity for the youngsters who have done well in domestic cricket. I hope they will do well," said the 25-year-old Raina at the pre-departure media conference of the team on Tuesday sitting alongside newly-appointed chief coach Duncan Fletcher.

The Indian team will be playing in the ODIs without Gautam Gambhir, prolific opener Virender Sehwag, man-of-the-tournament in the World Cup Yuvraj Singh - all of whom are out with injuries. Regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and senior pacer Zaheer Khan have been rested keeping in mind the gruelling two and a half month tour of England that starts in July.
"I am really honoured to be leading the side. I am happy with the side as we have some very good batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan all of whom have done well in first-class cricket."

"Badrinath especially has done well in first-class cricket and deserves to be in the team. I hope we will do well in the West Indies," said Raina who will hand over the reins to Dhoni when he returns for the three-Test series to be held after the conclusion of the five ODIs.
The Indians start the tour with a lone T20 international at Port of Spain on June 4.
Coach Fletcher said he had followed the rotation system when he was the England coach and received criticism from the authorities.

The burly Zimbabwean wants to go slow about this supposed rotation policy.
"While I was in England, I started the rotation policy resting senior guys. I was heavily criticised by the English authorities. It's important to do that considering the heavy schedule. We need to look into the matter as we go into the future," said the Zimbabwe-born Fletcher for whom it will be his first assignment as the Indian team's coach after taking over from his protege Gary Kirsten after the World Cup.

"There is a lot of talent in India and my job is to prepare these youngsters. It's a pleasure to blood them in ODIs," said Fletcher.

Asked about the club-versus-country debate, Fletcher said it's not specific to cricket.
"That's the way it is in modern day sports. We have to ensure that all the players are fit enough," he said.

Raina said the Indian team had done very well over the last three years, having climbed to the top among Test nations and winning the World Cup after 28 years.

"There's always pressure and we have done well under pressure. We have done well over the last three years and have won the World Cup. It's for us as players to execute the plans of the coach well. We have to play our natural game," he said.

Fletcher did not see the trip as an easy outing though the West Indies are not the same force they were in 70's and 80's.

"Any team playing at home is difficult to beat. We should not be complacent," said the new coach who said he intended not to look too far ahead in his job.

Fletcher admitted that beating England and Australia in their den will be the biggest challenge but as of now the focus is on the Caribbean tour.

"Yes, we would like to beat England in England and Australia in Australia. But the first job is the tour of West Indies. It's very important not to look too far down the road. India have a plan to stay at the top. The young players have the potential and this tour will show the depth of talent we have," he said.

Raina said the West Indies had some good all-rounders in Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo.
Asked about the likely return of Chris Gayle after the first two ODIs for which he had been left out, the southpaw said his team has Ravichandran Ashwin to counter the threat from the West Indian opener.

"We have Ashwin. It's a good challenge for us," said Raina about his Chennai Super Kings teammate's success-rate in the just-concluded IPL against Gayle.

He credited Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni for learning the ropes of captaincy.
"I learnt a lot about captaincy from Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni. They have captained with a lot of honesty," he said.

Spot-fixing bans 'too lenient', players say

The three Pakistan players accused of spot-fixing in the Lord's Test got off lightly, according to the majority of players polled in a recent survey. The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) has revealed the results of its player survey, and 77% of respondents believed the penalties handed to the Pakistan trio were too lenient.

An ICC tribunal found Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif guilty of orchestrating deliberate pre-planned no-balls during the Test against England last August, and they received bans ranging from five to ten years. All three men could be free to play officially-sanctioned cricket again in five years, due to part of the penalties for Asif and Butt involving suspended sentences. None of the 45 players surveyed believed the penalties were too harsh, while 23% considered the bans "fair".

The process by which the three Pakistanis were punished was more complex than a simple ICC edict. Under the anti-corruption code, the decision must be deliberated over by an independent tribunal, with the verdict and penalties handed down from those arbiters. Provisions for far harsher punishments are included in the code.

Although the ICC has achieved its goal of making players aware of the Anti-Corruption Code - 100% of players said they were given education on the code before the World Cup - it's not all good news for the game's governing body. While 100% of players said they would report any suspicious approach they received, 20% did not have confidence in the ICC's anti-corruption unit treating that information confidentially.

Two-thirds of the players said they would be more comfortable reporting any approach to their team manager than to the anti-corruption unit, despite their obligation to do so. Tim May, the chief executive of FICA, said the responses from the players surveyed was an indication that they wanted a tougher stance on corruption.

"This sends a strong signal to stakeholders that the vast number of players want significant penalties to be invoked against those who are found guilty of serious corruption offences," May said.

FICA co-ordinates the activities of players' associations in seven countries: Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh. Notably, Pakistan and India are the two major Test-playing nations - along with Zimbabwe - who are not affiliated with FICA.

In addition to being found guilty of spot-fixing by the ICC, Butt, Asif and Amir are now facing criminal charges in the UK. Under Britain's Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, penalties of up to seven years in prison can be meted out for accepting corrupt payments. The trio also face charges under the Gambling Act 2005.

The players were questioned by Scotland Yard detectives after the News of the World tabloid newspaper made accusations that they had orchestrated deliberate no-balls in the Lord's Test.

BCCI too powerful, players believe

More than two-thirds of players polled in a recent survey believe the BCCI has an unfair influence on decision-making within the ICC. The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) has renewed its calls for a review of the game's governance after releasing the results of its 2011 player survey, which also revealed strong support for the decision review system and 50-over cricket.

Despite overwhelming approval for how this year's World Cup was run, the findings were not all positive for the ICC. Of the 45 players polled, only 6% believed that decisions at ICC board level were made "in the best interests of cricket", while 49% felt decisions were made according to "party lines or best interests of the country that they are representing". The remaining players were "unsure".

When asked if ICC decision-making was influenced unfairly by the power of the BCCI, 69% said 'yes', while 31% answered "don't know". None of the respondents gave a definitive 'no'. Despite those concerns, 63% said they had confidence in the ICC's ability to govern international cricket, although the FICA chief executive Tim May said the findings raised important issues, with 46% saying the structure and composition of the ICC executive board should be reviewed.

"Players have highlighted that the governance of the game is a serious issue," May said. "FICA have continually advocated for a review of the game's governance. Its present structure is outdated, full of conflicts, cronyism and far from best practice. FICA does believe though that the ICC day-to-day management has improved considerably and are unfairly tarnished as a result of decisions of the ICC Chief Executive and Board Committees."

The call for a review of the game's governance is not new. FICA have been pushing for change for several years, and the former ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed this year said he would be in favour of an independent commission running the game, although he also said the idea that countries always voted in geographical blocs was, based on his time at the organisation, not accurate.

The FICA survey did reveal some good news for the ICC, with 94% of players rating the recent World Cup as "good" or above, compared to only 11% giving the 2007 tournament that level of support. However, the event is still too long, according to 74% of those surveyed, while 72% backed the decision to reduce the number of teams in the next World Cup to 10, and 91% felt the Associate nations should have a chance to qualify.

The majority (82%) of players said the DRS made for better decision-making from umpires at the World Cup, and 97% thought the DRS should be compulsory in all Test matches. Notably, FICA is not affiliated with players from India - the BCCI being the major opponent of the DRS - or from Pakistan or Zimbabwe.

The survey also showed:

32% of players would retire prematurely from international cricket to play exclusively in the IPL and similar Twenty20 tournaments
40% said that given the magnitude of salaries being offered by the IPL, they could envisage a day where they would rank their obligations to IPL and other T20 events ahead of obligations to their home boards
94% believed that superior salaries offered by the IPL would motivate younger players to hone their skills principally to T20
40% said their board schedules too much international cricket
Only 24% of players favour a change in the format of ODIs
39% believe boards schedule too many ODIs, reducing the public's interest in the format

Tendulkar, Durani honoured at BCCI awards

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, has been named India's cricketer of the year at the BCCI awards in Mumbai, while former allrounder Salim Durani, who helped shape India's maiden Test win in the West Indies in 1971, received the lifetime achievement award.

Tendulkar scored 1,064 runs in ten Tests between October 2009 and September 2010 - the period for which the awards were presented - at an average of 82.00, besides scoring one-day cricket's first double-hundred.

Durani, a left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner who played 29 Tests between 1960 and 1973, was renowned for his six-hitting prowess. He bowled India to victory over England in 1961-62, picking up eight and ten wickets in wins in Calcutta and Madras. Almost a decade later he was instrumental in India's victory over West Indies in Port of Spain, claiming the big wickets of Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers.

India's World Cup-winning team and support staff were also honoured at the awards. Talking about the achievement, India captain MS Dhoni said his team did well to capitalise on the home advantage during the World Cup. "When you play for the country, the one thing you want to win is the World Cup," he said. "It is a proud moment for all of us. We exploited the conditions really well."

Karnataka's Manish Pandey picked up the best batsman in domestic cricket award, having scored 882 runs in nine Ranji Trophy matches, while fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun, who claimed 47 wickets in the competition, was named best bowler.

PCB suspends Afridi contract

The PCB has responded to Shahid Afridi's retirement by suspending his central contract and putting together a showcause notice detailing several breaches of the code of conduct, which he will be expected to respond to within a week.

Announcing his retirement to a TV channel, the board said in a press release, was in itself a breach of Clause 2.1.4 of the Central Contract dealing with Covenants of the Cricketer.

Afridi's criticism of the board officials in the same interview to Geo TV also constituted a breach. "In passing disparaging remarks about the board and its officials, Shahid Afridi is in breach of Clause 4.4 dealing with Media obligations.

"A showcause notice has been issued to him seeking his explanation on these comments. Afridi has been asked to respond to the letter within 7 days. His Central Contract has been suspended with immediate effect. Consequently, all NOCs granted to him have been revoked. All payments on account of Central Contract have been suspended."

A day after Afridi's outburst against the administration on TV, and his decision to not play international cricket under this board, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said he was "disappointed" by the remarks and that the "retirement" was not an issue at all.

"It was disappointing to hear what he said," Butt told ESPNcricinfo, "and it wasn't correct or true. It was wrong of him to do that. If he doesn't want to play under this administration, then he's welcome. We've detailed several instances where he has breached the code of conduct and will issue a showcause notice to him, which he has seven days to respond to."

Senior board officials spent much of the day in a budget meeting, but the issue of Afridi was a live one throughout. The board took legal advice before acting on the suspension of the contract, as well as the withdrawal of the NOCs given to him for a T20 stint with Hampshire, and one for his participation in the upcoming Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).

Afridi was sent a separate showcause notice earlier this month for comments he made on his return to Pakistan from the Caribbean about the team management, remarks which landed him in trouble in the first place. Disciplinary action, if any, is pending on that notice as well.

Trott named ECB's cricketer of the year

Trott, has been named England's cricketer of the year at the annual ECB awards function, held at Lord's on Tuesday. The award, voted for by the British cricket media, is given to the player with the greatest impact upon England's performances from the start of the 2010 international season until the end of the World Cup.

"I am both extremely humbled and proud to have been named England cricketer of the year after what has clearly been the most enjoyable year of my cricketing career so far," Trott said. "It is an honour to represent England and it has been a privilege to be involved in such a successful, hard-working team.

"I wouldn't have won this award without the commitment and support of my team-mates. This award really belongs to the entire England squad and management team that have provided such a supportive and professional environment that has allowed me to prosper as a cricketer and a person. There is still much hard work to be done and improvement to be made and I look forward to making further contributions to a successful England team for a long as possible."

During the assessment period, Trott played 32 matches for England across formats, scoring an astonishing 2246 runs at an average of 68.06. While his Test prowess has never been in doubt, Trott's success in ODIs came as a surprise to some who questioned his skills in the format. He aggregated 422 runs in the 2011 World Cup, averaging 60.29 with five half-centuries in seven games.

He has carried his good form into the new season, hitting a double-century in England's dramatic innings victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka, in Cardiff. That left him with a Test average of 66.67 - second only to that Donald Bradman's mark of 99.94 among batsmen who've played at least 20 Test innings.

Lydia Greenway was adjudged England women's cricketer of the year, while Umesh Valijee won the award for the best disabled cricketer.

A Chance for Peripheral Players - New Captain

The absence of several senior players for the upcoming tour of the West Indies provides an ideal platform for fringe players to shine on the international stage, Suresh Raina, India's captain for the limited-overs leg of the Caribbean tour, has said.

"It's a great opportunity for the youngsters who have done well in domestic cricket," Raina told the media ahead of the team's departure for the West Indies. "I am happy with the side, as we have some very good batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath and Shikhar Dhawan, all of whom have done well in first-class cricket."

Raina, has led a similarly second-string Indian side in the past, for a tri-series Zimbabwe in May-June 2010, though India performed poorly on that tour, losing both matches against the hosts and one against Sri Lanka.

This time, India are without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan, who have all been rested, in addition to the ill Yuvraj Singh, and the injured duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for the lone Twenty20 and the five ODIs that follow. MS Dhoni will take over the captaincy from Raina for the Tests, and Zaheer will return, but the other seniors will miss the Test leg as well.

Raina said he has learnt a lot about the art of captaincy from Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni, and was prepared for the challenge.

"West Indies have players like Gayle missing, but it will be a challenge for us," Raina said. "There's always pressure and we have done well under pressure. It's for us as players to execute the plans of the coach well. We have to play our natural game."

The tour will be the first assignment for India's newly-appointed coach Duncan Fletcher, who said he was a supporter of the rotation policy. "While I was in England [Fletcher coached England between 1999 and 2007], I started the rotation policy resting senior guys," Fletcher said. "I was heavily criticised by the English authorities. It's important to do that considering the heavy schedule. We need to look into the matter as we go into the future."

He said he looked forward to working with the youngsters, but cautioned against complacency. " Any team playing at home is difficult to beat. We should not be complacent. There is a lot of talent in India and my job is to prepare these youngsters.

"Yes, we would like to beat England in England and Australia in Australia. But the first job is the tour of the West Indies. It's very important not to look too far down the road. India have a plan to stay at the top. The young players have the potential and this tour will show the depth of talent we have."

He also said that the club versus country debate is something that just has to be dealt with. "That's the way it is in modern day sports. We have to ensure that all the players are fit enough."

India's tour of the West Indies kicks off with a T20 game on Friday in Port of Spain.

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Shahid Afridi 'quits' international cricket

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's recently axed one-day captain, has announced his "conditional" retirement from the international game, as a mark of protest against the way he has been "humiliated" by the PCB. However, Afridi said he was ready to reverse his decision if and when a new board came into power.

"There is nothing bigger than a man's respect, and the way the board has treated me, there is a limit to everything," Afridi was quoted as saying by Geo TV in Pakistan and by the Jang newspaper. "I will not play under this board. If a different board comes in, I will definitely return but I cannot play under this board. When you have been humiliated like this, by dishonourable people, what is the point in playing on?

"The way I've been treated ... the future doesn't look too good. I can't play under a board that doesn't respect its players. Because of this, under protest, this is a conditional retirement.

"I wasn't told anything when I was made captain, I wasn't given a tenure, I wasn't told what my squad would be, nothing. I took a broken team along with me. Maybe I have become a thorn in their throats. Its better that I step aside for now as I have respect for myself."

The retirement follows on the heels of Afridi's sacking as ODI captain despite Pakistan's 3-2 success against West Indies. Though the board did not give official reasons for the removal, it was believed to be the result of growing differences Afridi had with coach Waqar Younis, in particular over matters of selection.

"We had very solid reasons to remove Afridi and I will reveal them when the time is right," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had said. "We haven't taken this action without any reasons."

On his return from the Caribbean, Afridi referred to the situation with Waqar, saying, "Although the differences in team management are not such which could not be solved, I feel everyone should do his job and need not interfere in other's work". That led to the board issuing him a showcause notice to explain his remarks, and presumably formed part of the reasons for his removal. Subsequently Afridi decided to pull out of the two ODIs against Ireland; speculation was that he was unhappy over his ouster, though he said he had decided to miss the series due to his father's ill-health. Pakistan have since gone on to win that series 2-0, though they were stretched in the second match.

Afridi is not new to retirement. He first announced a temporary sabbatical from Test cricket in April 2006, in a bid to concentrate only on ODIs in the lead-up to the 2007 World Cup. But he then said that he would reconsider his 'retirement' after the World Cup. He later returned to the side, and even led Pakistan's Test side at the start of their tumultuous tour of England last summer. He, however, once again retired from the longest format, as soon as Pakistan lost the first Test against Australia at Lord's. Afridi was one of the culprits in Pakistan's spineless second-innings effort, holing out against part-timer Marcus North who ran through the line-up.

"With my temperament I can't play Test cricket," Afridi said then. "I wasn't interested in playing Test cricket but the board asked me to go and take a look as they didn't have a choice. But I wasn't really enjoying Test cricket but I tried. I wasn't good enough. A captain should lead by example which I did not."

Afridi was replaced by the then vice-captain Salman Butt, who held the reins until he was ousted following the spot-fixing scandal, at which stage Misbah took charge of the Test side. Afridi remained at the helm in the shorter versions, and led from the front as Pakistan outperformed in the lead-up to, and during, the 2011 World Cup.

Afridi is currently in England and is set to play for Hampshire in the Friends Provident t20. He will also be available for the inaugural edition of the Sri Lankan Premier League, and will participate in domestic cricket in Pakistan.

New Zealand players still waiting for CLT20 prize money

The New Zealand Players' Association chief, Heath Mills, has hit out at the organisers of the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 for not having paid the share of prize money due to the New Zealand franchise that participated in the tournament. While the Central Districts players, who failed to win a match during the tournament, received their participation fee, they have not yet received the prize money owed to them eight months after the tournament ended.

The amount owed is understood to be around $200,000 and the payment has apparently been held up due to red tape associated with making significant foreign currency payments out of India. However, Mills said there was no excuse for what had become "a disgraceful situation". He also warned that players would be reluctant to take part in future tournaments - including this year's, scheduled for October - if the pay issue wasn't addressed immediately.

"It's not acceptable when people complete a job and honour all their obligations under a contract to the person they are working for, yet they aren't compensated for completing that work," Mills told the Sunday Star-Times. "That wouldn't be accepted in any other workplace environment. Players now don't have a lot of faith or confidence in the boards running this event given their treatment of players so I expect there will be quite a few questions before guys want to commit to something this year."

Having won last season's HRV Cup, Auckland are eligible to play the Champions League, though with the tournament potentially adding a qualifier, it is not certain whether they will make it to the main event.

Mills cast aspersion on the excuse about government regulations blocking payments. "We hear a lot of excuses around government processes in India and the like but that doesn't seem to impact on similar payments from other events like the recent World Cup where all payments were made on time," he said. "I would be interested to see if the same delays have been encountered by the three boards who own the event when they distribute their profits to each other."

The last Champions League Twenty20 was played in South Africa and was run as a joint venture between the national cricket boards of Australia, South Africa and India. The South African franchises did in fact also experience a delay in receiving their prize money, and in January the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations' (FICA) chief Tim May had criticised the boards organising the tournament for paying the players on time. The South African players have been paid since, but the New Zealand players are still waiting.

May said FICA would advise players not to participate in the tournament in future without some assurances regarding remuneration.

New Zealand Cricket boss Justin Vaughan said payments out of India were often delayed but conceded the wait had been too long. "We've seen this in the past with sponsorship payments so it's not unexpected in a way," Vaughan said. "That said, it is dragging on too long and it's very hard to argue when the distribution of funds is being held up by a government process."

Sehwag pushed Warner to improve four-day game

David Warner, the Australia batsman who has developed a reputation as a Twenty20 specialist, has said he has the patience to be successful in the longest format of the game. Warner has found a place in the Australia A squad for their four-day matches in Zimbabwe, following three good games in the Sheffield Shield for New South Wales at the end of last season. He said it was Virender Sehwag, his captain at Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, who told him he could be a better four-day player.

"He [Sehwag] told me two years ago he saw me as a better four-day player than Twenty20 player,'' Warner told the Sydney Morning Herald. ''He said, 'If you play with your freedom, and your shot selection is correct and your decision-making's good, you're always going to score runs in that form of the game if conditions favour you.'''

Before the 2010-11 season, despite having played for Australia in Twenty20s and one-day internationals, Warner had played only four first-class games and had a highest score of 48. Against Victoria, at the beginning of this year he just missed out on a hundred, scoring 99, but then got the maiden first-class century in his next match, against Western Australia. Warner said he was happy to be recognised for that with the call-up to the Australia A four-day squad.

''I'm happy to be acknowledged for the last couple of games I played in the Shield season. It's recognition for myself that they're actually looking at me as a Test player. I can last the distance, and mentally I can be patient enough to tackle that format of the game. It's good I scored runs and showed some people. Everyone is about stats and numbers, and if you don't prove it you're never going to be that. It's good I can face 80 balls for 60 or 70 and not just try and score 100 off 50 balls.''

His captain at New South Wales, Stuart Clark, said Warner could change the perception people have of him as a short-format specialist by scoring plenty of runs in four-day cricket.

"He's got a reputation of being a Twenty20 player only because he's so good at the game,'' Clark said. ''David, whatever he chooses to do, needs to find a way to break that perception, that's his biggest challenge. If he gets runs, people are unfortunately going to keep remembering him as a Twenty20 player.

''Perception is reality with David. If he does things to benefit his four-day cricket, he can change that perception very quickly. There's no doubt that he can play the game.''

One thing working in favour of Warner's aspirations to play Test cricket for Australia is the fact that national selector Greg Chappell also believes he can improve his four-day cricket. Chappell had told Warner last December that if he adapted his game to four-day cricket it would help his form in the shorter formats too.

Top Producers worried about 'Black' ....!!

When the whole of industry is running out of cash due to the failure of many mega budgeted flicks, these producers are spending money like water. Their black money is now worrying many real time 'bada' producers of Tollywood.

Apparently, these two guys cannot be understood by anyone, regarding how they are investing decent amounts despite of losses. More than that, these big-wig black money guys are soon foraying into the business of Film Distribution, say sources. If this happens, there is no doubt that the big-four of Telugu Cinema Industry will be affected highly due to the magnitude of investment they are throwing in. The black producers are also in the process of building multiplex theatres across the state, as per a report. Doing business with clever tricks and false proof strategies is our 'bada' babus style and getting everything through money is this 'black' guys' style. Money will be the ultimate winner and there is no doubt that the news is creating tremors among our big-four.

Pace Off to Gayle was the Success

ASHWIN, who took three wickets for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL final, said taking pace off the ball was the key to dismissing Chris Gayle in the first over of Royal Challengers Bangalore's chase.

"He [Gayle] has been batting really well this year and has been extremely selective in his strokes, which to me was the real difference," Ashwin told the Hindustan Times. "My plan was not to give him any pace as everybody knows what Gayle can do with it. Lack of pace meant that he had to use his feet and mind."

Gayle was the leading run-getter in this IPL and single-handedly transformed Bangalore's fortunes in the tournament. But Ashwin, who had dismissed Gayle for eight in the first qualifier in Mumbai, said that he was always confident of getting him out. "You can't plan against someone like Gayle. If you think too much about him, you can get defensive. I was confident that I can get him and I did.

"I knew he won't step out to me at all. I had in mind that at Wankhede he had pulled me for a six. The plan was made in Bangalore that I'd spin a few past him and then slip in an arm ball to get him out lbw or bowled. But on Saturday it spun and bounced and I think Gayle was a little late for his shot."

Ashwin, who was often used used by his Chennai captain MS Dhoni, to bowl with the new ball, admitted he "liked" bowling early on in the match. "I like bowling with a new ball. Secondly, I bowl in the nets with it as well. I just like the feel of it, the seam and lacquer helps it to skid off the wicket."

Ashwin ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker for Chennai with 20 wickets and said that having Dhoni as a wicketkeeper had helped his bowling. "I rely a lot on the bounce, therefore a good wicketkeeper is extremely crucial," he said. "With Dhoni, the caught-behinds and stumpings have gone up many notches in my bowling. He understands the trajectory, the variation and the bounce that I get."

Chennai's victory, however, was set up by their batsmen, with a 159-run opening stand between M Vijay and Michael Hussey propelling them towards a total of 205. Vijay, who was declared Man of the Match for his 95 off 52 balls, said that his focus had been to ensure he picked up as many singles as possible. "I was missing a lot of singles in the previous matches," he said. "I was getting starts but not carrying on. So I worked consciously on running better, helping Hussey get the singles and rotating the strike."

Vijay said that the fact that Chennai had retained the nucleus of the side in the 2011 auction helped in the team's success. "There are a lot of known faces around since Chennai retained four players and bought back the core group of the squad during the auction, " Vijay told the Indian express. "Everyone knows what is expected and knows each others' game well. It has helped that MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming have been working together for a while. The sense of familiarity has put players in a comfort zone and brings the best out of them."

"There are a lot of quality players in this squad, those who have played Tests and ODIs for their countries. Since they are international stars they know what needs to be done to ensure that the winning momentum is carried forward from one game to another. "

DLF IPL season 4 does n't connect quiet well

Since its inception, the IPL has never been sold or bought in half-measures. Its approach has always been full-throttle, top-volume. Appropriately, then, an assessment of season four must avoid waffling around the half-empty or half-full. Is 2011 to be remembered for the fireworks on the final night at the Yellow Sea of Chepauk? Or the acreage of empty stands at the Wankhede three nights in a row, representative of the general spectator turnout of six weeks? The dazzle of Chris Gayle? Or the Shane Warne-Sanjay Dixit skirmish? Or even more, the dramatic drop in TV ratings from last season? Or should it be the clues sent out to the world by the BCCI and Indian players over next month's tour of the West Indies?

Regardless of what its own "stakeholders" choose as the flavour of their season - sagacity or smugness - 2011 will be regarded as the IPL's "Moving Season". If "moving day" in cricket and golf are about momentum swings and the emergence of contenders, IPL's Moving Season will dictate the future course of the event.

They can, of course, opt for the old "if it ain't broke...", and there's much about the IPL that ain't broke. It still remains cricket's golden goose, with generous salary packets for over 200 overseas and Indian players. The IPL's largest financial deals, starting with franchise ownerships and TV revenues, are tied in for another six years. It features the involvement of some of India's largest corporate houses, men and women with deep pockets and both a love of the limelight and a nose for profit. The IPL can still produce several moments of eye-catching cricket - individual blinders, crafty bowling plans, impossible catches, delicious UltraMotion replays of on-field action.

The IPL also spawned several copycat Twenty20 leagues in Indian state cricket (Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Orissa, to name a few). Its effect is also being felt overseas: Sri Lanka Cricket will launch its own Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) to take place this July-August, controlled entirely by its board. Australia's remodelled Big Bash League will feature an expansion of its field, from six to eight, adding two privately owned teams, one each in Sydney and Melbourne.

Yet 2011 will still be Moving Season because it also put under direct light the IPL's own flaws: that the existence of 10 teams has sucked out the talent pool to a level close to shallow. Even the trimmed number of games - 74, down from a gluttonous dream of 94 - are far too many. It has all led to too few close games, a certain distancing even by India's TV audience from its beloved "cricketainment", and most damningly, empty stands during the playoffs. Even Ravi Shastri found himself all hyped-out when, before the Mumbai-Bangalore qualifier game, he asked Sachin Tendulkar, "Your last game was a good, tight one against ... whom did you beat?"

It's not his fault. So much had happened during the 2011 IPL: helicopters landed in Osama Bin Laden's backyard, Indian parliamentarians and corporate honchos went to prison, and most European nations decided it was time their football seasons actually ended.

What happened inside the IPL, though, as Sanjay Manjrekar wrote on Sunday, was the arrival of Indian cricket's saturation point. We now know that, after a season of 11 Tests and 25 ODIs, including a euphoric World Cup, even the Indian cricket fan's seemingly inexhaustible appetite cannot swallow 74 Twenty20 matches. Reducing the number of matches or altering the format will infuriate franchises, who were promised 14 games each every season. To not do so, though, is to risk inviting a tipping point. The IPL's governors may well believe that the World Cup victory is the excuse for the 2011 IPL's flat line, but the businessmen are bound to start getting tetchy anyway. This fourth season of the IPL was to be the year the original eight teams had always believed they would at last begin making profits.

Whatever the post-season numbers indicate for the IPL's investors, the full impact of this season on Indian cricket itself will also begin to reveal itself within a month's time, at the ICC's annual conference in Hong Kong. The BCCI will formally reveal its hand in the post-IPL era at this meeting, because it is where the next round of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) will be decided.



Whatever the post-season numbers indicate for the IPL's investors, the full impact of this season on Indian cricket itself will also begin to reveal itself within a month's time, at the ICC's annual conference in Hong Kong

In an ideal world, the BCCI could draw up the IPL calendar according to the Indian team's itinerary. It could formulate a carefully balanced schedule, keeping in mind important international events and physical demands on the players. In the real world, though, already the BCCI has demonstrated that it is the IPL's calendar around which the Indian team will play. So the first tour of the new world champions and the world's No. 1 Test team sees the side go in without the majority of their ODI first XI, most of whom are either injured or fatigued. Not so much by the World Cup but surely by what followed it. The Test team will compete without Sachin Tendulkar.

Moving Season will also mark the direction the rest of world cricket must take with regard to the IPL. Already there is unrest between the West Indian board and its IPL-magnet players, which has enraged the team's fans. Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan have indicated that England's players actually have the power to keep all their options open. If English county circuit was once considered the world's best first-class cricket school, the IPL has now become the game's most lucrative freelance assignment. To players from the smaller cricketing nations, like the West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, the IPL has made club v country nothing but a debating society argument. Lasith Malinga has answered many questions. Yet the ten-team 2011 IPL has proved that the tournament needs its overseas players as much as those players believe they need IPL contracts.

The IPL, though, is not all that concerned about that whole "future of cricket" argument. It was built around bling and bottomline. Part of that bling comes from Bollywood stars, the other from its packed stands and manic fans. By season three, escalating ticket sales had turned grounds into heaving party venues, adding to returns off television, the oxygen tent of the event. All that bellowing on TV is actually the medium sending out a message: See! Movie stars! Cricket stars! Thousands! All packed in! Fours! Sixes! Dancing! This is where it's at! Keep watching! It's like being there!

Shahrukh Khan waving at Eden Gardens' empty stands doesn't send out that message. Nor does a live band or cheerleaders in a studio do that. Doubling the price of tickets, as was done for the better part at the Wankhede Stadium during playoffs, most certainly won't.

Another kind of message was sent to fans at that ground on playoffs nights: that a Rs 4000 ticket in the North Stand comes with a free constant drizzle of mud, dirt and cement pebbles from the tier. One spectator was clunked on the head with large, heavy chunks of cement not once but twice. In the US, he could have sued the stadium, the event, the franchise. In India, he will vote with his feet and not show up again.

The IPL will have to reinvent its vibrancy in season five and start with aiming to fill the stands up again. Franchise loyalty is still in its infancy. Two new teams have just got going, not very successfully. Spectator loyalty is what the fifth season of the IPL will have to generate afresh, with no half-measures. If the Indian spectator finally gets his due through the IPL, then enduring Navjot Sidhu on TV for 51 days would be worth it.

Tharanga tests positive during World Cup

Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opening batsman, will face an ICC inquiry after testing positive for a banned substance during the 2011 World Cup, we understands. The cricketer is reported to have tested positive for prednisolone, a drug that is used to treat asthma, a condition from which he is said to suffer.

Sri Lanka Cricket's Interim Committee secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, however, denied any knowledge of the incident. "Officially we know nothing about the case," he told Sunday Times, a Sri Lankan newspaper. "SLC has not received any complaints or reports about the use of the banned substance called prednisolone from any organisation or agency." The ICC refused to make an official comment about the case.

Farveez Maharoof, the Sri Lanka allrounder, said the allegations are not an issue to the team in England even though Tharanga is likely to be part of the one-day squad. "We haven't spoken about it as a team, so it hasn't been a distraction," he said after the fourth day's play in Cardiff. "We're here to do a job and here to play a good test match. We're planning to do well in this Test match and we're not bothered about what is outside."

"He's a nice guy, a quiet guy, he's come to the UK a few times and played pretty well, and in the World Cup he has done well," Maharoof added. "He's an established opening batsman in our team, and he's a genuine guy."

According to the ICC's anti-doping code, "It is each player's personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his/her body. A player is responsible for any prohibited substance found to be present in his or her sample. Accordingly, it is not necessary that intent, fault, negligence or knowing use on the player's part be demonstrated in order to establish an anti-doping violation under Article 2.1; nor is the player's lack of intent, fault, negligence or knowledge a defence to a charge that an anti-doping rule violation has been committed under Article 2.1."

However, if a player needs to take a drug that is on the World Anti-Doping Authority's (WADA's) banned list in order to treat an illness, he is required to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). The Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee (TUEC) evaluates all applications for TUEs received by ICC.

Under the dope-testing process, if a player's A sample is found to contain a banned substance, he will have the option of asking for his B sample to be tested as well. If his B sample is also found to be positive, then the player could face a provisional suspension until the ICC carries out its inquiry; if the B sample is negative, the investigation is discontinued. It is uncertain how far into the process the ICC is with regard to the Sri Lankan cricketer.

Gayle is not considered for the squad against India

Kieron Pollard is back in the West Indies side for the first two ODIs against India, but Chris Gayle remains out of favour after his controversial radio interview last month. Gayle has not been chosen in either the ODI squad or the 12-man group for Saturday's Twenty20 match against India in Trinidad, while the fast bowler Kemar Roach has been rested for the Trinidad leg of the series due to his heavy workload.

The uncapped left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie, of Jamaica, has been picked in the Twenty20 squad, which otherwise has no changes from the XI that beat Pakistan in St Lucia in April. Pollard and Dwayne Bravo could not be included in the Twenty20 outfit having not played in the most recent Caribbean Twenty20 tournament, which is part of the WICB selection criteria.

The selectors were also unwilling to choose Gayle, who slammed the West Indies board on radio after he was not picked in the squad to take on Pakistan last month. In a statement naming the squad to face India, the WICB explained the omission of Gayle, who has spent the past six weeks playing in the IPL with Bangalore and over the weekend was named as the Player of the Tournament.

"Chris Gayle will not be considered for selection to the West Indies team before an intended meeting with himself, the selection committee, the WICB management and the West Indies team management," the statement said. "The selection committee views this meeting as necessary as a result of Gayle's comments in a widely publicized radio interview in Jamaica."

There was also no room for Jerome Taylor, who like Gayle claimed the WICB failed to contact him about how he was recovering from an injury until after he had departed for the IPL. The selection committee said in the statement that Taylor must play a full season of regional cricket to prove his fitness for international level.

The opening batsman Adrian Barath has returned to low-intensity cricket in Trinidad but is still undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a serious hamstring injury before the World Cup, and it is expected he will be fit for the Tests against India. Following Saturday's Twenty20 in Trinidad, West Indies and India play two ODIs there, before heading to Antigua to continue the series.

Twenty20 squad: Lendl Simmons, Andre Fletcher (wk), Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Danza Hyatt, Darren Sammy (capt), Christopher Barnwell, Andre Russell, Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Ravi Rampaul, Krishmar Santokie.

Squad for first two ODIs: Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (capt), Carlton Baugh (wk), Andre Russell, Anthony Martin, Devendra Bishoo, Ravi Rampaul.