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Chris Cairns’ suspension from the ICL prompted New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to carry out a review of its anti-corruption measures, Justin Vaughan, the board’s chief executive, said. Cairns, along with left-hand batsman Dinesh Mongia, was suspended “on disciplinary grounds” from the league on October 27 last year, and his contract was terminated at the start of this year.The ICL had stated that Cairns didn’t report his ankle injury before participating in the tournament, and Mongia, despite knowing of the injury, did not share the information with the league’s officials. However, the move did fuel rumours of match-fixing, which Mongia, and Cairns’ lawyer promptly denied.Andrew Fitch-Holland, who is representing Cairns, reiterated the denial in the . He described the claims as “unfounded allegations” and said questions over Cairns’ “reputation and probity” were taken seriously.He said that Cairns was a “dedicated competitor” who had decided to “agree a termination of his contract” as a result of the “uncertainty over the league’s future and Chris’ ongoing struggle with injury”. “He has other important activities to focus on, not least his foundation and its active work on rail safety.”Vaughan, though, said the review was confined to NZC’s internal processes rather than a study of past games. “There was some checking of our internal controls,” he told the paper. “I wanted to check around what are the protocols and that we were completely comfortable those protocols were followed [within NZC] – to make sure our own house is in order.”The review also comes in the wake of a realisation that Twenty20 cricket is more vulnerable to match-fixing, given its enormous popularity and the increasing frequency with which it’s being played. Several New Zealand players participated in the ICL and the IPL. Vaughan said “sanctioned and unsanctioned” leagues operated largely outside the ICC’s sphere of control, and had raised the issue of Twenty20 cricket being a “particular risk area.”NZC also runs an ICC-led education programme on corruption for players with each contract clearly stating what was expected of them. “It is important to remind players to be vigilant, especially when they are on their own outside the team environment,” Vaughan said.Heath Mills, manager of the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, stressed that corruption and security were cricket’s greatest concerns. “The game is at risk of problems occurring around the development of these Twenty20 competitions,” he said. But he had “complete confidence” in New Zealand’s players. “In this country they understand issues around match-fixing.”

Phil Jaques will continue to fight to regain his national spot despite suffering a setback in his recovery from a severe back problem when he was dropped from Australia’s contract list on Thursday. Jaques has opened in 11 Tests for the team and scored 108 in his last match 11 months ago, but he was cut from the XI in India and returned home for surgery.His comeback began towards the end of the season and did not go well, with him requiring a second operation on his back and Phillip Hughes capturing the vacancy created by Matthew Hayden’s retirement. “It is obviously very disappointing,” he said in the Sydney Morning Herald.”I suppose I have lost my contract because I’ve had injuries this past year. All I want to do is get back on the park. When I am fit and healthy I will put scores on the board, I know that.”Shaun Tait also missed out due to his battle with his body. A long-term hamstring injury kept him out for much of the season and he was passed by a young group of bowlers including Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus.Despite his omission, Tait has been told by Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, that he remains in Australia’s plans. “Shaun’s been quite clearly told he’s very much in the mix for one-day cricket in particular and he’ll be closely considered once he’s back to full fitness,” Hilditch told AAP. “We hope he’s going to play cricket for us in the next 12 months but it’s still a bit uncertain when he’s still not back to full fitness and training, so we’ll just monitor that, how he progresses.”Australia have a hectic schedule over the next year and Hilditch said Tait could return via Australia A. “He took it extremely well, probably because he’s such a great bloke,” Hilditch said. “But underneath all that I’m sure he’s hurting, but I’m also sure he’ll come back strong.”One player who remains in the group is the 34-year-old Brad Hodge, a regular reserve who has played one Test in three years. “As he’d point out, the last opportunity he got, which was in the West Indies he scored 60-odd runs and played a good role,” Hilditch said in the .”He’s one player if he got the chance, we are pretty sure he’d do really well but we’ve got other young players around the country that would also grab the chance, so it’s a tight call.” The Ashes squad, which will contain 15 or 16 players, will be named on Wednesday.

All-round efforts from Raymond Price and Graeme Cremer helped Northerns crush Westerns by 269 runs at the Alexandra Sports Club. Half centuries by in-form Cremer (74) and captain Elton Chigumbura (53) saw Northerns score 300 after electing to bat. Cremer was in a valiant mood, hitting 10 boundaries during his 96-ball stay. Admire Manyumwa then tore into the batsmen during Westerns’ reply, picking up 5 for 15 as they folded for 158. Despite having Northerns tottering on the brink of collapse at 96 for 7 during the second innings, Westerns failed to capitalize as gritty knocks from Chigumbura (94) and Price (77) lifted Northerns to 267. Chigumbura’s 160-ball innings comprised 12 boundaries and three sixes. There was no way back for Westerns, while chasing 410, after losing six wickets in the afternoon session on day three. Ray Price completed the formalities in the 72nd over, ending with 6 for 69 with Cremer providing good support with 4 for 36.Centrals and Easterns had to be content with split points after their clash at the Old Hararians. Easterns were expected to remain in the runs against a Centrals side that was beaten within three days by Northerns in the previous round. But it was a disappointing effort from Easterns in the first innings, after they chose to bat. It was largely Forster Mutizwa’s composed 60 that pushed them to 255. But a five-for from Douglas Hondo ensured the lead stayed with Easterns. Apart from opener Bothwell Chapungu, who scored 85, hitting 13 fours and a six, none of the batsmen looked confident as Centrals ended three runs short. Brighton Muguchi’s 5 for 115 during Easterns’ second-innings looked to have swung the momentum towards Centrals, but a 111-run stand for the eighth wicket between Mutizwa (52) and Timycen Maruma (66) helped Easterns declare on 331. The target of 335 proved to be too tall an ask for Centrals who finally finished on 176 for 4, anchored by Malcolm Waller’s patient 68.

Ray Jennings, the coach of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, has said he isn’t too bothered about Kevin Pietersen’s recent history with the England team and the events surrounding his quitting the captaincy, following a fractious relationship with the then coach Peter Moores. Pietersen will join the franchise in South Africa for the IPL, which begins on April 18.Jennings said he could relate to Pietersen’s personality, which, he said, was very similar to his own. A former coach of the South African senior and Under-19 team, he is known for his aggressive coaching style but was confident of a sound working relationship with Pietersen.”I don’t care a damn what happened with the England job. Kevin and I are on the same wavelength – that’s all that matters and I just don’t believe he will behave like people believe he can behave,” Jennings told the . “The important thing is Kev’s the type who likes to prove people wrong. He’s like me – he likes to push fingers up people’s noses. I understand the guy and where he’s coming from. Whatever his so-called personality weaknesses are, I back him 100%.”People have to understand that there is a different set of permutations out here from what happened with England. I’ve clashed with some of my cricketers before, too, but that’s my style. It doesn’t concern me who he’s clashed with. I believe there absolutely has to be tension within any relationship. If there’s no tension, there’s a lack of respect. I respect Kevin and he respects me. It will be a whole new relationship.”Pietersen, for whom this is the first IPL season, was bought by the franchise for a record US$ 1.55 million. In order to familiarise himself with the team, Pietersen asked for photos of all his team-mates and Jennings was impressed with that attitude.”Small things like that convince me he’s going to do well,” Jennings said. “He’s a top professional who plays to win. I like that kind of guy. He also understands South African conditions. It will be tough in that environment but he’s a fighter. He’s got a personality that’s got him to where he is now and he’s not going to change it.”Pietersen will captain the franchise in the first two weeks before heading home to face the West Indians for a Test series.

It’s catching
Brad Haddin’s gloves haven’t been the safest place during this match.He put down a chance on the fifth morning and fluffed a sitter on thefourth day, when the Australians were convinced there had been an edgebehind. As tea approached he discovered there was perhaps a better wayto take catches. Morne Morkel inside-edged onto his pad off SimonKatich and the ball flew low to Haddin, who managed to trap it betweenhis thighs. As he threw his hands up in a successful appeal, the ballremained nestled safely between his legs.Umpire love-in
As the Australian team huddled during the drinks break in the middlesession, planning their afternoon, the umpires had a conference oftheir own. Asad Rauf has been active all Test and this time he andBilly Bowden and the fourth umpire Ian Howell had a big group huddle -or was it a hug? – before they embarked on the remainder of the game.The referral system has the ability to turn umpires against each otherif decisions are overturned but in Durban it was all about the love.Generous Harris
Paul Harris isn’t the world’s worst lower-order batsman but he appearsto have one specific flaw. When occasional bowlers come on, the skillthat he actually has and the ability that he believes he possessesdrift further apart. At the MCG in December, Harris became the firstman in Test cricket to fall to the gentle medium-pace of MichaelHussey when he tried to clear long-on and was caught in the deep.Simon Katich is a more proven bowler than Hussey but rarely trundlesat the top level these days and it took him only two balls on thefinal day to entice a similarly adventurous shot from Harris, whotried to clear mid-on and was taken by Peter Siddle running back withthe flight. For the record, Harris also became part-timer MarcusNorth’s first Test victim a week ago in Johannesburg.Just in case…
It’s not easy for the public to see what’s going on in the Kingsmeadnets, where the players are largely shielded by high walls anddiligent security guards. But it is possible to peer into the netsfrom outside the ground and before play on the fifth morning the mostnotable activity was a warm-up session for South Africa’s captainGraeme Smith. His right hand was still bandaged and he wasn’t gettingpadded up but Smith was doing some jogging up and down a vacant pitchwhile his team-mates bowled and batted. After his heroic comeback witha broken hand in Sydney nobody was prepared to write him off in Durbanand he was warming up, just in case. But as the wickets tumbled earlythe chances of him batting became slimmer and his green shirt andshorts remained in place. There was no SCG encore.

A grilling was expected and a grilling was what the PCB got at the hands of the senate’s standing committee on sports. A tense, fractious, near-six-hour session in the senate in Islamabad saw the board being taken to task on matters ranging from Javed Miandad’s resignation, the team’s performances, and above all, their supposed incompetence on a number of financial, administrative and development issues.Senators Tahir Mashadi, Enver Baig and Haroon Khan – impassioned, articulate and well-informed all – led what seemed more like an interrogation of the board chairman Ijaz Butt and chief operating officer Saleem Altaf. A succession of ill-informed and often evasive answers, though bluntly delivered, culminated with the three senators requesting the patron of the board, Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, dissolve the PCB because it was “incapable” of running cricket.The senate committee can only make these recommendations – and has been doing so for nearly six years – but they are rarely acted upon. That will not deter, however, from the worrying administrative lapses they brought to light during the session. The Miandad tiff and Shoaib Malik assessments drew the headlines, but the real nuggets came out during discussions into the financial health of the board, the contentious renovation of Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and a five-year audit of the board, to be conducted by the government’s auditor-general.The problems emerged after Miandad’s resignation had been dissected. A budget of the board’s finances had been prepared, though the man responsible for it wasn’t at the meet. Thus, to the senators’ consternation, nobody was able to answer their queries: at one stage, the ex-chief financial officer tried to, followed by the board’s current financial advisor (but not strangely the acting chief financial officer).The main point of contention was over the board’s bank balance. Last month, Butt described the financial position to senators as “terrible” and claimed the PCB’s reserves had been halved over the last two years, in thinly-veiled digs at the administration of Nasim Ashraf, from whom he took over in October last year. He had claimed then that the board was facing bankruptcy.At first, nobody in the board could tell the committee what their level of reserves were currently. One senator called the state of affairs “absolutely pathetic”, another accused the board of mismanagement. After much delay, a figure of Rs 2.7 billion ( approximately US$34.15 million) was given: senator Haroon Khan concluded that talk of the PCB going bankrupt was “false.”Similarly, the PCB’s recent claims that a renovation project at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore had been stopped because its costs had spiralled was ripped apart by senators, an architect, constructors and Shafqat Naghmi, the board’s ex-chief operating officer who was handling the project. The board claimed in a press release the estimated cost of the project had gone up from Rs 180 million to Rs 471 million.But starting with the architect in charge, Nespak (the construction firm) and Naghmi, the revised cost of the project was repeatedly shown to be no more than Rs 312 million. The subsequent question, also put repeatedly to the board, was how they had arrived at the figure of Rs 471 million. No convincing explanation was provided and the matter, as others, was deferred to a next hearing.It was also revealed thereafter that the board had provided a legal observation to the government’s auditor-general that suggested there might be issues of jurisdiction in carrying out an audit, since the PCB was not dependent on government funding. Though the board claimed in the letter they welcomed a five-year audit, the legal observation from their lawyer suggested it wasn’t entirely legal.The implication, believed the senators, was the board did not welcome the audit as much as they said they did. If it seems a suspicious initial stance, it shouldn’t be a surprise: the whole issue was sparked off at the behest of Enver Baig, who asked the chairman whether he knew of such a letter sent from the board. Butt said he didn’t, upon which Baig produced the very letter.Unsurprisingly, Baig concluded to reporters later, “Financial mismanagement has been there for a long time now but the current set-up of the PCB is incapable and, if they remain in charge, cricket will be completely destroyed. I request the president to reconsider the appointment of Ijaz Butt as chairman. Good cricketers cannot be good administrators and so it’s proved.”

Ricky Ponting believes one-day cricket will have to take the strain of Australia’s packed schedule with full-strength sides unlikely to turn out for all the contests over the next 18 months. Injury woes have compounded the team’s recent reversals in the Test arena, and Ponting feels rotation is the way for the future.”I think the players, Cricket Australia and the players’ association need to start prioritising which of the tournaments that we want to have the team as fit and raring to go as best we possibly can,” Ponting told the . “As we know there are lot of one-off little one-day tournaments and and some big Test series around those with South Africa over there and then the Ashes.”The important thing for me is prioritising that and making sure we have all the players that are taking part in those big Test series as fit and ready to go for those.”Australia have three ODIs remaining against South Africa, with the series currently level at 1-1, followed by five more against New Zealand. They will play three Tests and five ODIs in South Africa before the proposed ODI series against Pakistan, and then head to England for the World Twenty20 followed by the Ashes.The postponed Champions Trophy and Tests against Pakistan are due later in the year followed by another full home season in Australia. The team’s resources have been stretched this season, especially in the bowling department, which has lost the services of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark for significant periods while allrounders Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson are also on the sidelines.The team management is conscious of player workload and rested Mitchell Johnson for recent one-day games, while Brad Haddin missed the Twenty20 internationals against South Africa. However, Ponting believes that part of Australia’s run with injuries is just plain bad luck.”Does it just come down to workload?” Ponting said. “I think we pay so much attention to workload … that sometimes it is just the run that you have. But that is why this next phase is so important for us because we can’t afford to be going into the Ashes with eight Cricket Australia [contracted] players out injured.”As well as all the international cricket there is also the IPL to fit in along the way, but Ponting said the main concern should be over Australia’s matches. Ponting is one of a number of Australians who have IPL deals, including the recently-capped David Warner, but at the moment it isn’t at the forefront of his mind.”There has been a lot made about that [the IPL] and we might have one week after Pakistan in Abu Dhabi or wherever it may be,” he said. “I think we need to worry about the international programme before we worry about the IPL.”

Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire underwriting much of West Indies cricket, has denied reports that he is set to pull the plug on his investment in the game, although his future involvement with the Caribbean remains up in the air. As a consequence of the contractual disputes between the West Indies Cricket Board and its main sponsors, Digicel, that threatened to derail the recent Stanford 20/20 for 20 series in Antigua, Stanford has announced a full review of his 2008 programme in January, although that process began on Monday with the dissolution of his 12-man board of ‘Stanford Legends’.Back in October, Digicel won their case at the High Court in London after it was argued successfully that the “Stanford Superstars” who went on to win the US$20million jackpot on November 1 were a West Indies representative side in all but name, and therefore ought to have been bound by the same lucrative contract that had been signed between Digicel and the WICB. A last-minute compromise was reached between Stanford and Denis O’Brien, the head of Digicel, which involved – among other things – Digicel being given their prominent positioning on the team’s shirts. Initially they had demanded this for the full five-year term of the Stanford deal, though it was agreed as one-off measure to ensure the show went ahead.Stanford signed a five-year deal worth $100 million with the ECB last summer for the Stanford 20/20 for 20, an annual match where each member of the winning XI is guaranteed $1m. But according to a report in the Daily Mail, the inaugural tournament made a loss of more than US$40 million, and also failed to break into the lucrative US television market, which had been one of the core objectives of the enterprise. Should he now choose to walk away, the impact could be devastating for the ECB and in particular its chairman, Giles Clarke, and chief executive, David Collier, whose reputations now hinge on his continued involvement.However, a press release from Stanford 20/20 read: “Contrary to some recent negative press speculation, in relation to Stanford’s broader involvement with cricket and specifically the future of the Stanford 20/20 for 20, the Quadrangular Tournament at Lord’s and the English Premier League, Sir Allen reaffirmed his desire to continue to work with the England & Wales Cricket Board and discussions are currently ongoing between Stanford 20/20 LLC and the ECB.”On the other hand, the mood at the WICB will be less cheery, for Stanford’s continued involvement in the Caribbean has not yet been explicitly stated. “Stanford 20/20 and the efforts of its board have reinvigorated widespread interest in the game throughout the Caribbean and have enhanced the image of West Indies cricket globally,” said Stanford himself in a press release. “The board has been instrumental in developing a whole new fan base in the region.”Whether Stanford sees West Indies cricket as an ongoing concern remains to be seen, however, especially now that the more prominent ECB, facing the loss of their major sponsor, Vodafone, could provide him with a much more desirable entry-point into the world game. Most of the Caribbean’s islands have been boosted by Stanford’s investment – with Antigua, the venue for the Stanford Super Series, the largest beneficiary – and the cash-strapped WICB is increasingly reliant on his money to stay afloat. The dismissal of the 12-man board of legends, which includes Sir Viv Richards and Sir Garfield Sobers, may be seen by some as the writing on the wall.”The Stanford 20/20 Board was dissolved on Monday December 15th pending the review,” read a statement, “and Sir Allen Stanford personally thanked each of the legends of West Indies cricket for their involvement, guidance and counsel over the past three years. The Board has been integral to Stanford 20/20’s commitment to the development of West Indies cricket and the board members continue to play an important role in the review process.However, the former West Indies fast bowler, Colin Croft, said he would be surprised if Stanford pulled out of Caribbean cricket altogether. “The man has lived in Antigua and Barbados for about 20 years, he is as much a West Indian as many people,” Croft told the BBC. “It would be strange if he invested all of that money and then at the drop of a hat decided he is going to remove himself.”I would be surprised, I would be disappointed. West Indies cricket needs Sir Allen Stanford. He has contributed to each of the individual territories, giving as much as $200,000 each year for the last two or three years, so everybody is going to lose if he is removed from the equation.”However, the former England captain, Michael Atherton – a strident critic of the Stanford 20/20 for 20 – told The Times that he would not be surprised if Stanford cut his ties. “From the start he said he wasn’t a fan of Test cricket and so his involvement has always been a business decision, designed to exploit his brand,” said Atherton. “When business deals go bad, businessmen will just up sticks, there is no emotional attachment to the game, so in that sense I’m not surprised.”Stanford’s high-profile relationship with English cricket – he sealed the deal after landing at Lord’s in a helicopter, and with a trunk full of $20m in banknotes – hit a rocky patch in the first of the week-long Super Series – including the inaugural Stanford 20/20 for 20 – which was held in Antigua in October-November. He was caught on camera in the stands with several of the England players’ wives and girlfriends, which only heightened the off-field tensions. The ECB subsequently said it would be holding its own review of the Stanford Series but the process has been delayed by the complications over touring India.On Thursday, Matt Prior – whose wife, Emily, was one of those filmed with Stanford – was philosophical about the prospects of the deal falling through. “If it carries on then fantastic, but if not there’ll be other things,” Prior said in Mohali. “There’s a huge amount of money going into cricket at the moment, but maybe because I’ve been out of it and come back you realise it’s not just the cash, it’s the huge amount of pride you get from playing for your country.”

England’s cricketers could be poised to sign their central contracts before the Test squad sets off for the tour of the Caribbean on January 21, after a 15-day window for IPL participation was agreed between the Professional Cricketers’ Association and the ECB. The decision could give England’s star players, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, the chance to earn up to £300,000 for a fortnight’s work.The opportunity to participate in the IPL has been a major stumbling block in the contract negotiations with the ECB, which have been ongoing ever since the 12-man list was unveiled back in September. Now, however, with an auction for new IPL signings set to take place on February 6, the players are set to be available to the franchises for a limited period between April 10 and 25.The agreed dates mean that any selected players will be able to take part in the first two weeks of the competition (which runs until May 29) before returning to England for a round of four-day Championship matches that start on April 28 and 29, ahead of the first Test against West Indies which begins at Lord’s on May 6.”We think this is realistic and sensible,” Sean Morris, the PCA chief executive, told The Times. “There was some pressure to get back for a four-day game before the Test. The guys understand that and I think they are happy. I would say we are now 99 per cent there.”In addition to the 12 full contracts, the ECB have seven players on incremental contracts – among them Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah – and should any of those players be offered contracts during the auction, they may be permitted to play in India for an extra week, assuming they are not required for the Test series.Realistically, however, only Flintoff and Pietersen are in line for big-money contracts. Both men could come close to matching the valuation of the highest-earning player in the IPL, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who commanded a fee of close to £1 million for the 2008 tournament, although their actual earnings would be nearer £300,000 on a pro-rata basis.The squad limit for non-Indian players has been increased from eight to ten, although a total salary cap of US$2 million for new additions might deter the franchises from the sort of big spending that became a feature of the first season.

Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president, has said India could go Pakistan’s way in losing out on international series if terrorist attacks continue. In 2008 India has witnessed blasts in Jaipur (during the IPL), Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Guwahati (during Australia’s tour), and now Wednesday’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai.”It [India’s chances of holding international cricket] is something we need to think about seriously because becoming sidelined like Pakistan due to security threats is something that is logical,” Modi told the . “We have to ensure that the security measures we take are the best. As I said, we shouldn’t allow such attacks to disrupt our determination.”Modi, who is also the Champions League chairman, felt the terrorist attacks should not discourage India. “At the end of the day we have a problem and it is of a magnitude never seen before. To deal with it, the government and the Indian Army are working together. On the other hand, we cannot allow anybody to deter us,” he said. “The safety of players is paramount and keeping that in mind, the England team left. In the past we have had a blast in Jaipur during the IPL but cricket continued. That’s because the security forces understood the situation and gave us the go-ahead.”The BCCI has shifted the second Test between India and England to Chennai, following the Mumbai strikes, with Modi firm the series would go ahead. “In a conversation with our board secretary they [the ECB] discussed the issue and themselves said they would like to come back. Again, the memories of the Taj for an English cricketer can make them sentimental but let’s keep sentimental issues aside here,” he said.”In fact, we spoke about rescheduling the remaining two one-dayers because now the Champions League has been postponed. Their only request was to move the Test match out of Mumbai. We said we would examine that and as chairman of tournament and fixtures committee, I was given the task of looking at another venue. They asked us if it could be somewhere down south. Looking into the interest of the ECB, keeping in mind what is logistically possible, we moved the game to Chennai.”However, Kevin Pietersen, England’s captain, refused to place pressure on any player who wants to opt out of the series.