Friday, September 17, 2010

ICC unhappy with Tony Hill's comments

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rebuked New Zealand umpire Tony Hill for publicly airing his belief that Pakistan players deliberately bowled no-balls, a report said Friday.

Hill and compatriot Billy Bowden officiated in Pakistan's Test against England at Lord's last month, which is at the centre of newspaper allegations of a betting scam in which no-balls were bowled to order.

Hill told Wellington's Dominion Post this week that he suspected Pakistan bowlers sent down no-balls on purpose against England last month but did not link the tactic to corruption.

Radio New Zealand on Friday said the ICC had reprimanded Hill over his comments and told him not to discuss the matter further until investigations were complete.

The ICC has suspended Pakistan captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer as it investigates the corruption claims, first published in Britain's News of the World newspaper.

Hill told the Dominion Post that during the match he and Bowden discussed the possibility that Aamer and Asif were deliberately bowling no-balls by overstepping the crease.

But he said they thought it was simply a tactic to unsettle in-form England batsman Jonathan Trott, rather than anything to do with betting.

AFP

BCCI admits Pathan approached by a stranger

NEW DELHI: The Cricket Board on Friday admitted that Irfan Pathan was approached by a "stranger" a few years back and said the discarded pacer had done the right thing by informing it to the team manager.

Pathan did not disclose when exactly the incident happened and which team he was playing against at that time but said expensive gifts were sent to his hotel room during a series, reportedly in Pakistan in 2006, and he brought the matter to the team manager's notice.

"I was in a team hotel when a stranger approached me. He sent three expensive gifts to my room. He later sent me two more expensive gifts. I thought it was wrong as I didn't know this person. I reported to the team manager who then alerted the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit Officer," Pathan said.

BCCI Finance and Media Committee Chairman Rajiv Shukla said Pathan had done the right thing by informing the matter to the team management.

"That's the normal procedure. What he (Pathan) had done was a normal procedure," Shukla said when asked about this.

"If any stranger approaches any player they should be very careful. I think Irfan has done the right thing (by reporting to the team management," he added.

Shukla said that Indian players have been given awareness sessions by the ICC ACSU on how to go about it if they are approached by strangers.

"We keep on organising sessions by ICC Anti-Corruption Unit for the benefit of players. There they are taught that they should be away from such things ... if any stranger approaches them to offer some consideration ... they should maintain a distance from that person and report it (to the team management)," said Shukla.

"Players worldwide can be approached but it is the players job to maintain distance from these people," he said.

Pathan said he never saw the "stranger" again and is proud to have reported the matter to the concerned authorities promptly.

"I haven't seen the stranger since then. I think I have done the right thing and I am proud of it. As a player you are expected to report any such thing as per the code of conduct," said the 25-year-old, whose last Test appearance for India was in April 2008 against South Africa.

Pathan's disclosures came amid the raging spot-fixing controversy which has led to the suspension of the Pakistani trio of Test skipper Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

The three players were provisionally suspended by the ICC for allegedly conspiring to bowl no balls to order during the Lord's Test against England last month.

TOI

Bopanna loses thrilling five-setter to Bellucci

CHENNAI: Rohan Bopanna let slip a famous win out of his hands as he squandered three match points to lose the marathon first singles to world number 27 Thomaz Bellucci on the opening day of the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie on Friday.

Coming into the tie after his amazing run at the US Open, Bopanna almost had the match in his pocket but nerves got the better of him as he lost 7-6 (2), 6-7 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 after slogging for four-and-a-half hours.

With Bopanna's defeat, India have conceded a 1-0 lead and now Somdev Devvarman will have to win the second singles against Ricardo Melo to save the day for the hosts.

Bellucci, who struggled with his first serve throughout, braved cramps and turned it around amazingly for Brazil, justifying his top-30 rank and also saving himself from an embarrassing defeat against a player, who is ranked 479.

With a comfortable 5-2 lead in the final set, Bopanna had three match points in game eight but squandered all as the big moment overwhelmed him.

Bopanna was egged on by his teammates and little crowd in attendance but never recovered from the setback and dropped his serve in the next game.

His confidence, with which he dominated his superior ranked early on, gradually waned away and another break of serve in the 17th game ended all his hopes.

Before that Bopanna was comfortably placed to win the second set tie-break as he was up 5-2 but allowed Bellucci to make a comeback and lost the set.

At the start, Bopanna used his lethal serve and big strokes quite effectively and was also aided by some erratic shot-making by lean-built Bellucci.

Left-handed Bellucci was erratic with his serve and paid a big price, as it had a bearing on the outcome of the first set.

Bopanna, mostly playing from the baseline and approaching the net occasionally, did not concede much points on his serve which was too hot to handle for the Brazilian.

Bopanna created two break opportunities in the first set - second and sixth games - but could not convert any as he tried too hard, looking over-anxious on those big points.

Bellucci got into the groove gradually but there was hardly a long rally as both the players fetched points with their serve game.

With no player able to garner a break, the first set was stretched to a tie break in which the Indian shot to a comfortable 5-1 lead when Bellucci committed two double faults. Those were unpardonable errors and Bopanna latched on the opportunity to take lead.

The second set could not have started in a better way for Bopanna as he cashed in on the second breakpoint to get the first break of the match.

However, a string of unforced errors by Bopanna gave Bellucci a chance to break back and the Brazilian accepted the offer gleefully.

Bopanna, down 4-5, saved a set-point in the 10th game but failed to convert any of the three chances in the next game, forcing another tie-break to break the deadlock.

It was a seesaw tie-break as Bopanna was all over Bellucci with a comfortable 5-2 lead but the Brazilian turned it around amazingly by saving three set points and went on to win it, bringing the match to level terms.

Having made a comeback, Bellucci grew in confidence and got a mini-break by breaking Bopanna in the first game of the third set and held his serve in the next.

Two silly mistakes almost cost Belluci the set when he failed to put ball in an open court on his first set-point and then fumbled on an attempted drop shot.

Another unforced error handed Bopanna the crucial break, making the scoreline 5-5 but the Indian dropped the next game to trail again.

Having escaped the turnaround, Bellucci wrapped up the set on his serve to take a 2-1 lead.

Another feeble attempt by Bellucci to play a drop shot handed Bopanna all important breakpoint in the 10th game in the fourth set and the Indian hit a stunning backhand winner to make it two-set all.

Bopanna rode on a double break to create a 4-1 lead in the decisive set but still ended on the wrong side of the result.

TOI