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The shortlists for the ICC Awards has been narrowed down, with the top Indian players falling out of the race. Rahul Dravid, who won the inaugural award for Test Player and Player of the Year last season, fell out of the reckoning.Also slipping out of the running are Dravid’s team-mates Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who were all nominated in the Test Player of the Year category. Dinesh Karthik remained the lone Indian hope in the Emerging Player of Year section after the ICC pruned the list of nominations.”Of course I am disappointed. But then we have not had many matches this season, obviously performance matters,” Kumble told a media conference to announce the shortlist. “Personally I can do only what I can do, selection is not in my control.”Andrew Flintoff remains in contention for the ODI Player of the Year award, which he won last year, while also being nominated for the Player of the Year award. Adam Gilchrist still features in three categories while Shane Warne, Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker, remains in the running for Test Player award.Besides the players’ awards, there would also be team awards for Test and ODI teams of the year and Spirit of Cricket Award. The ICC Awards will be announced in Sydney on October 11 in between the Super Series ODIs and Test match.Kumble denied the upcoming Super Series would have lost a bit of sheen following Australia’s defeat in the Ashes series. “I don’t think so. Playing Australia in Australia is a tough proposition, they are still a good side. All the matches in Ashes were close, they will come back stronger.”Kumble said matches involving multi-national teams had their value. “It is an occasion to celebrate cricket itself. A player won’t get another opportunity to play in a World XI. You are playing the very best and it is an opportunity to showcase your talent. It is also a totally different feeling to have those you have played against in the same dressing room.”The shortlist of nominations for ICC AwardsPlayer of the Year Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Inzamam-ul Haq and Jacques KallisTest Player Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Inzamam-ul Haq, Jacques KallisODI Player Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Andrew SymondsEmerging Player Aftab Ahmed, Ian Bell, Dinesh Karthik, Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers

The 15-man side for Sri Lanka’s President’s XI, which will take on the South Africans in a three-day game, has been announced. Six players with international playing experience have been named in the team to give it a more competetive appearance; Thilan Samaraweera, who captains the side, Michael Vandort, Russel Arnold, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Rangana Herath and Dilhara Fernando.The match, to be played at the CCC grounds from July 30-August 1, will kick of the five-week long tour, which includes two Tests and five one-dayers.Sri Lanka President’s XI Thilan Samaraweera (capt), Michael Vandort, Tharanga Paranavithana, Russel Arnold, Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), Chamara Silva, Chanaka Wijesinghe, Rangana Herath, Umesh Wijesiriwardene, Dilhara Fernando, Tharanga Lakshitha, Reserves: Chanaka Welagedera, Gihan de Silva, Dinuk Hettiarachchi, Hasantha Fernando.

A sterling effort by the groundsmen, administrators and a willing Netherlands team saw Australia run out winners in a rain-affected match at the North West Stadium in Potchefstroom.Continuous rain in the area and water that had seeped under the covers of thepitch had at one stage thrown any thoughts of play out of the window. Using anymeans at their disposal the ground staff used sacking under the rollers, power blowers and even the police helicopter to help dry the wet patches on one side of the pitch.The Netherlands team held meetings and would have been quite happy with the two points for a no-result had it not been for the fact that they had come to the World Cup to play cricket and learn from the opposition. As captain Roland Lefebvre commented: “We cannot learn anything from sitting in the changing rooms.”The match started an hour late, with the Netherlands winning the toss and askingAustralia to bat first in a reduced 47-over innings.Two further breaks, in which three and then eight overs were lost, made itdifficult for both the fielding and batting sides, with the ball having to bedried and batsmen having to re-focus.Some excellent bowling, especially from Lefebvre, 0/19 in eight overs, and Jacob-Jan Esmeijer, 0/16 in five overs, saw the Dutch restrict Australia to 170/2 in the 36 overs.The four Australian batsmen spent good time in the middle but were never in a position of dominance. Apart from the first over they were pinned back to below five runs per over for the whole innings.Matthew Hayden played a subdued knock before being caught at deep mid-wicket for 33, after Jimmy Maher was caught behind for 26. Their 50-run partnership had come up in 68 balls.Hayden was also involved in a 50-run partnership with Damien Martyn, who went on to make an undefeated 67 after giving a caught and bowled chance early in his innings.”I had a bit of luck out there but in the end it was good to spend some time in the middle after it appeared as if we would not play at all today,” Martyn said after receiving the Man-of-the-Match award.Martyn was involved in the third 50-run partnership, the quickest of the innings (57 balls), with Darren Lehmann who ended not out on 29.In the final eight overs the Australians seemed to misinterpret the Duckworth-Lewis system by trying not to lose any wickets, not knowing that wickets lost at that stage of the game would not have a major impact on the final target.The recalculation meant that Netherlands would require 198 to win in the 36-over allocation.Losing wickets at regular intervals, the Netherlands never made any serious attack on the target, and with the introduction of Andy Bichel and Ian Harvey into the attack, any thoughts of a win were wiped away.Both mixed up their pace well to be rewarded with three wickets each as they mopped up the tail. Bichel finished with 3/13 and Harvey with 3/25 as the Dutch were bowled out for 122 in 30.2 overs.Luuk van Troost tried to go after the bowling, scoring 23 before splicing Lehmann to Bichel at deep mid-off, and Tim de Leede scored 24 fluent runs,including the first six of the game off Lehmann.The total of 122 may have been the lowest at the ground, and it may also have been Netherlands’ lowest in their World Cup history, but they were not disgraced by the number one team in the world.”We played well and it was most enjoyable. We had all looked forward to playing against and learning from the best, and are proud that we managed to restrict Australia to 170,” Lefebvre said after the match.Ricky Ponting was very happy with four points, which he never thought they would take after arriving in the rain.

Australia have been boosted by the return to fitness of their first choice team ahead of Thursday’s Second npower Test at Lord’s.Brett Lee, Michael Slater and Matthew Hayden all came through a challenging two hour fitness session and have declared themselves available for selection”Everybody’s come through with flying colours,” coach John Buchanan revealed. “At this stage all are available for selection.”Lee should be 100% by the time the game comes around. Hayden was probably the one causing a little bit of concern. He seems to have come through it pretty well.”It’s important that we have got all players fit and available, which has made the selectors’ job a little bit easier.”Australia’s main consideration will be whether to replace Lee, who may still lack match practise as he returns from a lengthy lay-off, with Damien Fleming. Fleming looks to be ideally suited to English conditions, as demonstrated by his eight wickets in the tourists’ victory over Somerset.”Fleming is in good form as he showed at Somerset, as are one or two batsmen, notably Justin Langer," agreed Buchanan. “So it’s important they keep pushing hard for selection in case of injury of loss of form.”We are happy to maintain a winning momentum, as we were able to do at Somerset. We are treating this as a special game and it’s a Lord’s Test match, which Australia traditionally looks forward to. “Australia expect a more determined England to meet them at Lord’s, and Buchanan admitted that the hosts’ team would be strengthened by the return from injury of several players.”I would expect England will be playing probably better cricket than what they played at Edgbaston,” he continued.”With Ramprakash and potentially Thorpe in, and Silverwood being included, I see a more resilient sort of England side and obviously one-down in the series it’s very important for them to make it 1-1.”Thorpe is a left-hander so potentially he has the capacity to play our bowlers a little more comfortably than some. He’s got a good record. The only down side for him obviously is lack of playing.”Not only is it a step up just to play in first-class cricket, but it is a step up into playing Test match cricket when you haven’t played for a while. “Thorpe declared himself happy with his fitness, however, and stressed his desire to return to action.”I’m quite happy with my state of mind to say ‘let’s get on with it, let’s get back in there’. That’s my way of thinking.”I don’t really want to worry too much about the fact I haven’t played because if you do think about it too much, you tie yourself in knots and that’s not really the way I’ve approached my cricket, not over the last year anyway. I’m looking forward and I’m going to enjoy the game.”It’s responded [his calf] very well, that’s good and positive from my point of view. It feels fine, the workload I’ve put on it hasn’t hindered me at all. I’m at the stage where I’m not even thinking about it, and that’s a good sign.”I don’t feel under any pressure at all. From my personal point of view getting the injury right was the most important thing.”But Thorpe was keen not to be portrayed as the saviour of the England team and reiterated the view that the team as a whole will have to improve markedly on the Edgbaston performance if they are to come back in the series.”I’m certainly not the saviour, the whole performance has to be a lot better for us to challenge these guys.”It’s frustrating when the team is not winning, but I’m not putting any pressure on myself,” he continued. “I’ll just try to come back and contribute well for the side and enjoy the game.”We’ve got to try to find the level of consistency which we did have for 18 months. We wouldn’t have won those four series without playing good consistent cricket. That’s what the England team want to re-discover.”

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan T20 captain, has said the Pakistan Super League (PSL) should be held within the country, with or without overseas players. The PCB had announced recently that the inaugural edition of the league would be held in Doha, Qatar in February 2016.”It would be great if PSL could have been held in Pakistan,” Afridi said. “As we were talking about the revival of cricket in Pakistan after the Zimbabwe tour to Pakistan, we started to hope that cricket would continue to be played here. Our cricket should be played within our own territory. It looks good if our grounds get revived, filled with crowds and our own players get the maximum benefit out of it.”The PSL, ESPNcricinfo understands, had initially contacted top agencies handling over 100 international players to consider playing in Pakistan. The response was overwhelmingly negative, which forced the PSL to be held outside Pakistan.The Zimbabwe tour in May was widely propagated as heralding the revival of international cricket in Pakistan, but a suicide attack near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore during the second ODI meant the rest of the cricket world remained unconvinced. Though Zimbabwe stayed on to play the third and final ODI, the incident ruined the efforts made to revive international cricket in Pakistan.

PCB in talks with UAE about hosting Pakistan Super League

The Pakistan Cricket Board is in talks with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) over the possibility of hosting the inaugural Pakistan Super League in the UAE, despite confirming earlier this week that Doha, Qatar would serve as a venue for the tournament.
The PCB had originally wanted to conduct the PSL in the UAE, but was forced to look for an alternative venue after being told by the ECB that it was hosting the Masters Champions league (T20 tournament featuring retired cricketers) on same dates.
Both boards, however, have revived negotiations to look into hosting the PSL in the UAE if an appropriate scheduling window is available for the tournament. The official launch of the event will be held on Sunday, September 20.

Last month, the PCB finally zeroed in on Doha as the venue for the PSL, for which prominent T20 players such as Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo have signed up. Afridi, however, said that what mattered more than overseas signings was that young Pakistan cricketers should get the chance to play at home.”I am not worried if foreign players come or not, but what is important is the revival of cricket in Pakistan and (that) our youngsters get opportunity to play in front of big crowds,” Afridi said. “It isn’t possible that we invite foreigners and (they) do not come. I spoke to some players and they are ready to come. If we give good offers to foreign players I don’t see any reason why they won’t come. The circumstances of our country are getting better and better.”When asked about the prospect of Pakistan playing India, Afridi said it would be “bigger than the Ashes” but added that Pakistan should move on if India does not want to play.Cricketing ties between the countries have been snapped by border and political tension. Despite an agreement between the PCB and the BCCI, the chances of the series slated for December going ahead appear bleak. The BCCI had signed an MOU to play Pakistan in six series between 2015 and 2023, with the first to be hosted by the PCB in the UAE in December. The series, however, was always subject to government approval.”I don’t know why we are pushing for India series,” Afridi said. “There are other teams as well so we should be focusing on reviving our own home grounds. We have to work on the basic things and making them strong. Why insist on playing with India? I don’t see any need to play if they don’t want to play. We have invited them and if they do not want to play then it shouldn’t be a worry. We are still happy.”Pakistan has always welcomed India, last time when India toured Pakistan nobody has seen such a welcome to any team in the world. We have always supported India in tough times but it’s their government decision. But I understand people from both countries want to see their teams play each other. If we play each other it would be a bigger series than the Ashes.”The Pakistan limited-overs squads are presently undergoing a conditioning camp at Gaddafi Stadium. Pakistan are set to play two T20s and three ODIs against Zimbabwe from September 27 to October 5. The trip is meant to reciprocate the Zimbabwe tour to Pakistan earlier this year.Afridi said Pakistan were not underestimating their opponents. “Obviously no doubt they are a fine side. I never underestimate any team especially in T20 format as once the game slips out of your hand it’s really hard to fight back. They are playing so well and I have seen their recent performances. They are in form as a team. Playing at their home ground in their own conditions is always tough. Even the matches here in Pakistan, in our home series, we never won them with ease.”We are preparing and the series is allowing us to try many new faces ahead of the World T20. There are many players who impressed me in this (domestic) T20 cup but we can’t afford to make many changes at once. We are going to make a settled side ahead of the World T20.”Pakistan will depart from Lahore for Harare on September 23.

India A 354 for 4 (Chopra 137*, Patel 110, Badrinath 77*) v South Africa A
Scorecard

Contrasting hundreds from Parthiv Patel and Aakash Chopra rounded off a dominant first day for India A against their South African counterparts at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. South Africa’s pace attack was lively and made early inroads, but as Patel, in the course of a 118-ball 110, grew in confidence and took on the spinners the initiative swung back India’s way. Chopra, another batsman eyeing a recall, shrugged off some early nerves to remain unbeaten on 137 from 286 deliveries as India finished the day firmly placed on 354 for 4.Mohammad Kaif’s decision to bat first on a very green surface took an initial hiccup as South Africa grabbed two quick wickets, the captain himself falling for a second-ball duck. The two openers, Cheteshwar Pujara and Chopra, looked defensive from the word go. There were no positive shots and the feet just weren’t moving. Friedel de Wet, a bustling right-arm fast-medium bowler who plays for Lions in South Africa, drew a nick from Pujara to the wicketkeeper in the eighth over. Two balls later, he trapped Kaif plumb in front with a lovely inswinger. This series is a major opportunity for Kaif to try and get back into the national side, and it got off to the worst possible start.India were 13 for 2 when the diminutive Patel strode in to bat. His talent with the bat has never been in doubt – it remains to be seen how keeps in this match, and series – and from the moment he walked to the crease he was innovative. He moved his feet exceptionally well against the spinner. When Justin Ontong, an orthodox bowler if ever there was, came on with the mid-off and mid-on in and a deep-cover point waiting, Patel danced down and converted fullish deliveries into full tosses.And when Werner Coetsee, an offspinning allrounder, gave him even the faintest bit of room Patel was right over the ball, cutting late and through the arc backward of square. There was also a firm straight drive for four off Rory Kleinveldt before Patel raised his half-century from 51 deliveries. Kleinveldt, a Cape Cobras allrounder who bowls with a classical round-arm action, was also impressive with his ability to hit the deck but as Patel opened up, even his threat was negated. Patel’s cutting remained his strongest asset.He continued in the same vein after the lunch break – his back-foot play being a treat to watch – reaching his fourth first-class hundred in as many matches. Soon after, he cut Coetsee to backward point but a fumble from the fielder led to a mix-up with Chopra, and Patel was run out.Chopra, who last played for India in October 2004, survived a close shout for caught behind early in his innings, the ball brushing his forearm, and ten minutes before lunch he was let off twice. First Thami Tsolekile, the wicketkeeper, let Chopra off against Ontong as he tried to dab him down to third man and the next ball he was dropped by Hashim Amla at long-on as he miscued a slog. By lunch, Chopra had plodded along to 27 from 94 balls but with Patel for inspiration he opened up as the day progressed.His driving and flicking were impressive as Chopra moved to an 18th first-class hundred. With the in-form Subramanian Badrinath for company, Chopra added 176 in 42 overs after another comeback kid, Manoj Tiwary, came and went for 2. Badrinath was unbeaten on 77 from 107 balls at the close.

ICC president Percy Sonn’s comments on South Africa’s pull out from the tri-series in Sri Lanka citing security risks have left Gerald Majola, the Cricket South Africa CEO, confused. As South Africa departed from Colombo last week, Sonn expressed his disappointment at their decision and that their return “was not in the spirit of the game”.Majola, though, felt otherwise. “If he is so disappointed, he should speak to his own consultants, because they are the ones who found that the situation was unsafe,” Majola told News24.com “I especially spoke to him [Sonn] and also sent the report to him in advance. He said nothing then about being disappointed because we had decided to come home. He was completely aware of the whole situation but did not indicate at all to me or anyone at Cricket SA that he was dissatisfied with our decision.”Two weeks after Sonn was made an honorary life member of Cricket South Africa, Majola mocked the move by saying that “he probably had to make a few noises” since he was now ICC president.At the time of the abandonment of the tri-series in Sri Lanka, Sonn was of the opinion that cricketers should simply play the game and provide entertainment to viewers.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might soon appoint a paid selection committee in order to professionalise the process of finding, nurturing and selecting talent throughout the country.Abbas Zaidi, the PCB director, told Cricinfo that the proposal had been mooted at a meeting of the board’s ad-hoc committee last month and was now under serious consideration. “Nothing concrete has come of it yet but it is definitely under consideration. We have no idea yet of how much time it will take to happen but it will happen.”Traditionally, the Board’s selection committee works on an honorary basis with unpaid selectors, who often have professional commitments elsewhere and thus little time to go and watch domestic matches to scour talent. Currently, chief selector Wasim Bari is employed as a senior manager at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and fellow selector Iqbal Qasim at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).Zaidi explained the rationale behind the idea: “Selectors need to watch as many matches as possible to get an idea of which players need to be kept under watch, who is performing well on the circuit. They have to rely on more than just plain statistics and at the moment, as good as our selectors are and as good a job as they have done, some of them just don’t have the time to be able to travel the country and watch players.”What this means for the current selection committee is not entirely clear. There have been persistent rumours since the tour to India earlier this year that the PCB have been keen to replace the long-serving Bari as chief selector, and also his committee, although Zaidi was quick to dispel these. “We have no problems with any of the current selectors. They have done a good job and are exceptionally good at what they do. In fact, we would like to hang on to them. There is a strong possibility that we could keep them and hire them as full-time selectors but this also depends on their current employers and status. We have to work something out there.”Bari has been involved with the selection committee in a number of capacities since 1998. He was briefly replaced as chief selector by Aamir Sohail after the 2003 World Cup, only to find himself back at the helm in January 2004, soon after Shaharyar Khan took over as chairman.There is still speculation, however, that change within the selection committee is inevitable. , a leading Karachi-based daily, reported today that, among others, Zaheer Abbas was in the running to replace Bari as chief selector. A source within the board told the paper, “Zaheer is a popular choice with the Chairman and other senior officials of the board and is also well known to the ad-hoc committee members. He is seen as a cool and decent person with a strong cricketing background. The only issue with him is whether he would be based in Karachi (where he currently resides) or Lahore. And obviously he is keen to have his own choice of members.”At a recent meeting between board officials and President General Pervez Musharraf to discuss the progress of the national team for the 2007 World Cup, the former batsman was among a select group of ex-players invited. This meeting fuelled speculation that he was being lined up for the role of chief selector.Bari and his committee, meanwhile, are set to meet on September 1 to finalise squads for the upcoming series against Australia A, as well as for a series of practice matches between the leading players of the country.

India will tour Bangladesh in December to play a Test series, as well as a one-day series. The tour has been scheduled from December 13 to January 12, in which time two Tests and three one-day internationals will be played.According to Ali Asghar, the Bangladesh cricket board president, there was also a proposed triangular series, involving Zimbabwe, in the pipeline.Bangladesh last played India in 2000-01, when they made their international debut. While Bangladesh lost the Test, they scored 400 in their very first innings and then conceded only a 29-run lead, before collapsing for 91 in the next innings. But this time around, Bangladesh, who have improved dramatically in the last year, could give India a tough time. They put up high scores consistently in Australia last year, and then posed major problems for the home team during their tour of the West Indies.India were originally scheduled to tour Bangladesh in April this year, but postponed the clash due to the series against Pakistan, reported. The Indian and Bangladesh boards then agreed to defer the series until December.This series adds to India’s cluttered itinerary, which takes off with the Sri Lankan edition of the Asia Cup, beginning on July 16. India then play Australia and Pakistan in a one-day tournament in Holland, which is followed by more one-dayers against England. The ICC Champions Trophy comes next, after which India host Australia and South Africa in October and November.Schedule

First Test December 15-19

Second Test December 23-27

First one-dayer December 30

Second one-dayer January 1

Third one-dayer January 2

NEW DELHI, Feb 18 AFP – The Indian parliament today called for security for the country’s cricket team which is facing the ire of fans after a poor showing at the World Cup.The subject came up for discussion in the lower house after disgruntled fans threw oil and paint at the house of batsman Mohammad Kaif on Sunday in the northern town of Allahabad.Members of his family, who were asleep during the incident, have requested security.The protest came after India lost to world champions Australia on Saturday and are now struggling to keep their place in the tournament.Security has also been stepped up around captain Sourav Ganguly’s sprawling residence in Kolkata, with pedestrians barred from walking on the pavement in front of it, witnesses said.Opposition Congress MP Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi demanded full security for top cricketers and their relatives.He said instead of fans deriding the team, “we should collectively pray for victory in the remaining matches.”Speaker Manohar Joshi agreed.”They should be given fullest protection so that their minds are free and they do better. We wish them good luck,” Joshi said.”We should send a message from this house telling them ‘cheer up boys’,” said communist party MP Roopchand Pal.Former cricketer and ruling BJP MP Kirti Azad said the heated debate on whether batsman Virendra Sehwag should open with Sachin Tendulkar instead of Ganguly who appears out of form, should be left to the cricketers.”Nothing should be done to put players under pressure,” Azad said. “The issue of who should open the innings and who should bat lower down should be left to the team management.”On Monday, President Abdul Kalam, in his session-opening speech to parliament, wished the cricket team every success – a comment which was met with derisive laughter from some MPs.