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Scorecard
Alastair Cook finished the day on an unbeaten 112•Associated Press

England’s batsmen had a good day out at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, replying strongly to India A’s 369 with captain Alastair Cook leading the way with a century. Jonathan Trott made a half-century and Samit Patel, promoted to bat at No.6, gave Cook good support, finishing the day unbeaten on 82.Patel has played in two Tests, both in Sri Lanka earlier this year, and his innings added weight to his case win a recall against India. He is likely to face competition from Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan, though Patel’s ability to provide support to Graeme Swann as the second spinner could give him the edge.”There’s a few more games to go yet. It’s obviously great to get a start and a good score in the first game and I feel great but there’s still a lot of work to do,” Patel said. “I thought Cookie played brilliant, out of his skin, to bat all day is a great effort. I’m getting better at my role and the more games I play the better I’ll be.”India A had done well on the opening day and their innings lasted just one delivery on the second, as R Vinay Kumar was trapped in front by James Anderson. England suffered an early blow in their response, with Nick Compton edging to the wicketkeeper off Ashok Dinda in the second over. Cook and Trott, though, built a steady stand before the part-time off-spin of Suresh Raina accounted for Trott, breaking a partnership of 95.A left-arm spinner, once again, brought about Kevin Pietersen’s downfall, as he was caught and bowled by Yuvraj Singh for a quick 23 that included three fours and a six. When Yuvraj dismissed Ian Bell for 5 in the 38th over, England were in a difficult situation at 133 for 4.Cook continued accumulating runs and Patel gave him good support, the pair batting 49 overs till the close to add 153. England finished the day on 286 for 4, just 83 adrift.After the close of play, Patel praised Cook’s effort and said that England’s plans for the tour would involve emulating the approach of their captain and keeping the opposition in the field for as long as possible. “Chef’s character and work ethic are outstanding and that shows in his batting,” he said. “One of our things is to grind and grind and grind and work hard as a unit and keep India in the dirt.”

The previous time New Zealand toured India, they lost the three-match Test series 0-1. Among their bowlers who sent down ten overs or more in the series, none could manage an average of below 34 – in fact, only Chris Martin and Daniel Vettori (who is out of this series with injury) averaged below 56. If they are to be more effective this time round, it will be important to get the ball to swing for as long as possible, according to pace-spearhead Martin.”If you can swing it for longer, with conventional swing, you feel in the game more,” Martin said ahead of the first Test, which begins in Hyderabad on Thursday. “You feel – even through long periods of not getting a wicket – that you are still in the game.”Especially against the Indian batsmen, who are used to batsmen-friendly tracks, a bit of swing would come in very handy, Martin said. “I suppose against guys who are used to batting on flat wickets, perhaps not using their feet as much, the swinging ball is still a valuable thing to have.”We are trying to get a pack mentality and a good set of plans going for each batsman. These are things you have to use on an ad-hoc kind of way in this part of the world, and be flexible. And the guys have enough skills to swing the ball and enough variety in the attack to feel competitive.”The conditions in Hyderabad, in the lead-up to the Test, have been encouraging, he said. “It [the pitch] had reasonable carry, a good batting surface but not your traditional Indian track. Enough bounce for us to challenge the edge. And it has been humid, not hot as normal but definitely cloudy. The ball has swung [in the nets], and I think it is a better one than the ball we used in the West Indies that tended to not swing for very long.”New Zealand are coming off a poor tour of the Caribbean, where they lost eight of nine matches, including both Tests. Martin was left out of the XI for the second Test, and that has raised his desire to do well, he said. “I’m always hungry and to get dropped, as a senior guy, is enough of a motivating factor to make you even hungrier. You either take it on your chin or run away with your tail between your legs. I’m not that kind of guy, so I am quite looking forward to preparing like I am getting another game.”New Zealand will not be intimidated by India, Martin said. “There are a lot of reputations on the other side we have to deal with. This young group doesn’t care about that stuff: it showed in Hobart, and at various stages through their careers, that they get in the fight and they match you quite well.”[Even on the 2010 tour] we competed pretty well. Generally, if you get the Indian side for a par score in their own conditions, you have done pretty well. And we were matching [India with] the bat up until the final game.”New Zealand had drawn the first two Tests in that series, after giving India a scare in the first, where it was left to Harbhajan Singh to dig India out of trouble in the second innings with a century. In the third though, two batting failures meant India won by an innings and took the series.VVS Laxman, typically, had played a role in helping India save that second Test, scoring 91 in a crucial partnership with Harbhajan. Laxman and Rahul Dravid’s absence – both having retired this year – could add a bit of pressure on India, Martin said. “I understand from past experience that when you lose people like that from your change room, you are looking around and trying to figure out [where the] your bulk of runs is going to come from. If you don’t have a Laxman or a Dravid, I’m sure it will play on your mind a little, make the pressure on your own game a little bit tougher. The experience side of things is something they will lack.”

Seamer Gurinder Sandhu and batsman Jimmy Peirson starred in Australia‘s 71-run win over Scotland in Brisbane. Australia put up 315 runs after Peirson smashed his way to a 123-ball 128. Scotland stayed in contention during the chase, courtesy Mathew Cross’ 104, but Sandhu’s five-wicket haul, which included a hat-trick, finished the contest.Sandhu’s effort overshadowed Scotland left-arm seamer Aman Bailwal’s 5 for 52; he ran through the Scotland’s middle and lower-order as the last six wickets fell for four runs to eliminate Scotland’s chances of an upset.In a last-over thriller, captain and opening batsman Chad Bowes’ 104 not out carried South Africa to a four-wicket win against Bangladesh. When the sixth wicket fell in the last ball of the 49th over, South Africa still needed 10 runs to win. But a nerveless No. 8 Prenelan Subrayen, who smashed a six in the last over, helped them reach home with a ball to spare. For Bangladesh, Al-Amin shone with both bat and ball; he scored a 73-ball 60 and later picked up a couple of crucial wickets.Naresh Budayair’s 114 wasn’t enough to help Nepal beat the target of 268 against New Zealand, as the team fell short by 19 runs. In a spirited chase, Nepal was well on course after opener Subash Khakurel, who scored 59, and Budayair added 129 for the second wicket. But only one other batsman made a double-figure score as New Zealand came back into the match by picking wickets regularly. With Budayair’s wicket in the 48th over with 37 runs to win, Nepal lost their chance to inflict an upset.New Zealand’s innings revolved around captain Will Young, who scored 97, and middle-order batsmen Henry Walsh, who scored a half-century, and wicketkeeper Cam Fletcher. Seamer Saurav Khanal took three wickets.Left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh’s five for 32 helped India dismiss Afghanistan for 219 to allow India to record a 52-run victory. India’s innings was based on three half-centuries by the top three batsmen – Prashant Chopra, captain Unmukt Chand and Baba Aparajith. Their innings faltered later with the last five wickets falling for 38 runs, as they ended up with 271 for 7.Afghanistan got off to a positive start with an opening stand of 42 runs, and half-centuries by captain Javed Ahmadi and Shabir Noori seemed to be guiding them towards victory. But a flurry of wickets, similar to the Indian collapse, with seven wickets falling for 56 runs as Harmeet ran through the middle and lower-order, put paid to their hopes.Zimbabwe collapsed for 89 against England to lose by 131 runs, with only three of their batsmen registering double-digit scores. They were in deep trouble at 31 for five before Campbell Light and Nyasha Mayawo briefly led a recovery with a 29-run stand, but the contest was over by then, with a target of 221 well out of reach. Seamer Brett Hutton took three for 28 in his nine overs; Shozair Ali, captain Adam Ball and Tom Knight were the other wicket-takers.Hutton also shone with the bat, with 55 off 66 balls, to rescue his side after they were eight down for 167 in the 42nd over.In a low-scoring match, a six-wicket haul by offspinner Tharindu Kaushal ripped apart Ireland‘s middle-order, allowing Sri Lanka to win by 50 runs. A 55 by Ireland opener Ryan Hunter, which was the highest any batsman had scored in the match, was the only contribution of note. Wickets fell regularly throughout the match but unlike Sri lanka, Ireland couldn’t string small partnerships together. Apart from a 65-run stand for the second wicket there was little the Ireland batsmen could offer.The highest scorer in Sri Lanka’s innings was 29 by opener Pabasara Waduge, but with four batsmen scoring in the 20s, and 32 extras, they reached 188.West Indies crushed Namibia under a weight of a commanding total of 328, limiting them to 182 to win by 146 runs, thanks to a century by Sunil Ambris, half-centuries by captain John Campbell and Anthony Alleyne, and contributions from fast bowlers Ronsford Beaton and Marquino Mindley.For Namibia, No. 3 Jano Coetzee put up a resistance with 89, but four wickets by Beaton and three by Mindley put paid to Namibia’s hopes. Beaton destroyed the top-order, reducing Namibia to 41 for 3, and Mindley took the final few wickets to complete the win.Pakistan opener Sami Aslam scored a 99-ball 132 to guide them to an eight-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea. Aslam’s century contained 22 fours and three sixes as Pakistan reached the target of 195 in the 33rd over. For Papua New Guinea, opener Lega Siaka, who scored a century in their previous warm-up game against Nepal, top-scored with 46, as middle-order batsmen Dogodo Bau and Nigel Boge struck a 91-run partnership to help them reach 194. Legspinner Usman Qadir took three wickets.

With Sri Lanka 1-0 up in the three-match series against Pakistan going into the second Test, the captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team will not adopt a defensive outlook as they chase their first Test series win in nearly three years. Jayawardene said it is not his style to play for a draw and that it is important to maintain the momentum gained from a comprehensive 209-run win in Galle.”I don’t play cricket like that. I play to win, including charity matches,” Jayawardene said after a practice session at the Sinhalese Sports Club. “I try and influence that into my team as well. Playing safe is not going to win you matches or series. You have to be create that positive atmosphere from ball one. That’s how you develop the culture of winning.”Sri Lanka clicked in all departments in Galle, shutting out Pakistan from the opening session, and building themselves a position from which they had the option of enforcing the follow-on. They have the chance to close out the series at the SSC, where they have not lost a Test since 2004, against Australia. Since then, the hosts have won six games and drawn five.Going by the number of high scores at the ground in recent years, Jayawardene cautioned that the bowlers will have to be at their top to take 20 wickets. “Getting 20 wickets on this is hard work. It’s a great place for a batsman to develop his game, but not so much for the bowlers,” Jayawardene said. “We know Pakistan will come hard at us.”Though nobody in the squad is nursing an injury, Sri Lanka are in a quandary whether to retain their fastest bowler, Nuwan Pradeep, after the chairman of selectors Ashantha de Mel cast doubts on whether Pradeep was fit enough to last consecutive Tests. Either Dilhara Fernando or Thisara Perera will replace him, should Sri Lanka force a change.”It’s not a bad headache to have. We need to think if we need to bring in an experienced bowler (Fernando),” Jayawardene said. “Thisara comes into the fold as well.”Sometimes, the unknown quantity can surprise. A guy who hasn’t played much may come in not overwhelmed by the occasion and have a great game. Those are factors you have to weigh in when you make a decision on the line-up.”Persistent injuries, particularly to the fast bowlers, have prevented Sri Lanka from fielding a settled bowling attack. While the batting line-up has plenty of experience, Jayawardene said there was still work to be done with the bowling.”We are trying to develop a bowling attack that will hunt in a pack. We don’t yet have the experience of a Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] or a [Chaminda] Vaas,” he said. “We have Rangana Herath who has taken over the mantle after being Murali’s understudy. Unfortunately, [Chanaka] Welegedera is injured.”Jayawardene had said at the start of the series that Sri Lanka’s success would depend on how well his batsmen fared against Pakistan’s bowlers. He said he was pleased with the progress so far, especially after their defeats in the Tests and ODIs in their previous encounter, in the UAE last year.”I’ve seen it mentioned in a lot of places that it’s their bowling versus our batting. We’ve probably won that battle until now. If we put runs on the board we will put their batting under pressure. In the UAE our batting didn’t perform to expectations and that’s why we lost.”

ScorecardDerbyshire spinner David Wainwright has had remarkable success since making the move from Yorkshire•Getty Images

What a difference a spinner makes. Last season Derbyshire had no specialist spinner to call on and won five matches; this season, after six games, they have won three. The contribution of slow left-armer David Wainwright in all three results has been significant. Here, his third five-wicket haul of the season has already set up the chance of a fourth victory.His impact was, by Wainwright’s own admission, unexpected. The pitch looked a well-mannered first-day surface but when Wainwright was handed the ball for the 26th over, his first delivery bounced and turned sharply on Owais Shah, who got a thin edge to Tom Poynton. A cracker.Umpire Martin Bodenham said Shah did very well to nick it, which seemed like a flawed compliment. This was Shah’s first innings of the season for Essex after playing for Rajasthan in the IPL, where he would have encountered high quality spin but perhaps played it in an entirely different manner. He probably didn’t practise simply trying to keep out such a vicious delivery.There were glimpses of IPL mode from Shah. He went at the ball very hard – a tactic that wouldn’t have worked for long a few weeks ago but, in the sunshine against minimal sideways movement, proved adequate. But no matter where anyone had been playing, Wainwright’s ball was too good.That delivery was the start of spell which dismissed Essex for a below-par score. There was movement to deal with, nervy moments, unplayable balls and the wicket of Paul Borrington for Derbyshire as they faced 15 overs before the close but they will expect plenty of runs from this pitch on this small ground. They would have also batted first given the option but it was Essex that wanted to make first use of the wicket and Essex who succumbed to a bowler reborn.Wainwright spent eight seasons at Yorkshire and got wound into fear: of being behind Adil Rashid; of rarely being picked; of going for runs when he did play. His move down the M1 in the winter lifted him away from those clouds which were preventing his talent being displayed: talent which has already helped Derbyshire to the top of Division Two. On debut, his second-innings 6 for 33 was his career-best return and bowled Derbyshire to victory against Northamptonshire. Last week against Glamorgan, 5 for 51 was the match-winning haul. Between his bowling successes came 51 not out in the reverse fixture against Glamorgan – an innings which set a target Derbyshire defended.”I’ve bowled more overs than I’ve ever bowled in a season already,” Wainwright said. “I got myself in a bubble at Yorkshire. Year after year I’d turn up to games and if it was cloudy, they’d only play one spinner and I’d miss out again. The move has given me a new outlook on the game. There’s less pressure. It’s a relief to turn up to a game and think I’ll be playing today.”I looked at the pitch and it looked good, I was gearing myself up for third, fourth day. But the first ball bounced and spun and I didn’t look back. I try to be on it from ball one, I give it a bit of a rip and see what happens.”What happened was Shah’s dismissal, part of a remarkable set of four new spells, three of which brought wickets with the first ball. His second spell saw Ben Foakes edge another spinning, bouncing ball behind. Three balls later, James Foster was edging a forward push to slip. Before tea, in the same spell, Greg Smith was superbly held low at short leg and after tea, another change of ends brought Mark Pettini’s wicket – driving back to Wainwright after an valuable 132-ball half-century.The changing of ends was out of necessity – the seamers held sway. “I was just the middle man,” Wainwright said. “I said I’ll bowl wherever – that’s generally what happens, the spinner doesn’t get a say until the second innings.” His preference may have been ignored but he benefitted from the changes, finding more spin from the Hayes Close End, where he first bowled, and more bounce from the River End, where three of his wickets came.

Jesse Ryder and NZC have agreed to avoid a national contract this year, but Ryder’s manager and friend, Aaron Klee, squashed any fears Ryder might be looking at becoming a free agent in the various Twenty20 leagues across the world. The decision was made at Ryder’s routine yearly review, a process every contracted New Zealand player goes through.Ryder, Klee, New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association chief Heath Mills, NZC’s director of cricket John Buchanan and manager Mike Sandle were present at the review. Outgoing coach John Wright was not. Ryder tweeted the review went on for three hours. He also tweeted, “Looking forward to playing for NZ again when The time is rite.”NZC CEO David White is in England for an ICC meeting, but he said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting. “All of the evidence shows that Jesse is on the right track, both on and off the field, but we’re aware that there are still steps to be made. While cricket remains an important part of his life, it is his health and well-being that need to be the primary focus.”Jesse wants to concentrate on his personal goals without the media pressures, commercial pressures and other demands associated with being a contracted player. This decision is fully endorsed by the NZCPA and NZC.”The outcome of the meeting was hardly unexpected, but there has been speculation around that the various Twenty20 leagues around the world could tempt Ryder into following several West Indies cricketers down the freelance route. Ryder’s manager, though, reassured he still wanted to get back to playing for New Zealand.”He is not playing any cricket at the moment,” Klee said. “He is at home. If there are cricket opportunities – it’s his job, it’s his living – he could look at them. Short, sharp opportunities, but certainly not looking at this as freelance. The IPL was great, it provided him an opportunity to get the wheels back on the track, but Jesse still wants to play for New Zealand. There are certain things he needs to do in the meantime, and if it takes a certain period of time now, it is important to take that opportunity to do that now.”Klee said Ryder didn’t yet feel ready to commit to a full-time contract. “If he had accepted a contract you are basically obliged to play,” Klee said. “You are basically in a breach of contract if you say, ‘No I can’t play a certain tour’. Eleven months of the year touring, spent playing, all that time playing cricket, we could end up being where we were a few months ago. We don’t want to do that.”Klee said Ryder had made good progress since his one-match suspension for breaking team protocol, and didn’t want to undo the good work by hurrying back. Ryder then took a break from all cricket, but has since made a comeback in the IPL. He has also taken professional help, travelling to India with his clinical psychiatrist Karen Nimmo.”We are on a good track,” Klee said. “We need to carry on this track. It was Jesse’s idea [to not seek a new contract]. He wants to continue what he is doing, and he has been doing very well. To be able to continue to do that, it’s too much of a commitment under the contract.”There is no time frame for Ryder’s comeback to national plans. Nor is he asked to come back with certain improvements before he is considered by New Zealand again. “There is nothing like that discussed today,” Klee said. “It’s very much in Jesse’s court. When he feels ready we will communicate that to NZC. The great thing is, they have given Jesse some space to do what he needs to do.”

The Champions League Twenty20 is set to have a team from Pakistan for the first time. The BCCI, the league’s largest stakeholder, has said it would inform the tournament’s governing council ahead of its May 28 meeting that it had no objection to the participation of a team from Pakistan.The decision was taken at the BCCI’s working committee meeting in Chennai today, where it was also decided to distribute approx $13m to ex-Indian players, set up a BCCI anti-corruption unit, and set up matches between IPL teams and Associate/Affiliate countries.BCCI president N Srinivasan said the CLT20 governing council had already decided to invite a Pakistani team for the next tournament, to be held in India in October; the BCCI was now concurring with that decision. “The CLT20 is owned by the BCCI, Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa, so we will recommend to the governing council that the BCCI has no objection and is prepared to invite a Pakistan team,” he said.The news was welcomed by the PCB, which saw it as the first step towards restoring cricketing ties with India. The PCB had been pushing for the inclusion of sides from Pakistan, the only major Test-playing nation to not have teams in either the qualifiers or the main round of the tournament since it got off the ground in 2009. Pakistan were among the countries included in the first tournament, in 2008, but that event was cancelled after the Mumbai terrorist attacks and Pakistani teams had been kept out of subsequent tournaments.The current champions are Sialkot Stallions – who, coincidentally, were also the representatives in the 2008 tournament that was never held. The Sialkot Regional Cricket Association had requested the PCB last month to make efforts to enable the participation of Sialkot in the Champions League. The PCB, in turn, had said that Sialkot’s participation was dependent on the restoration of bilateral ties between India and Pakistan.Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president and a minister in the Indian federal government, said there was no interference or green signal from the government. “Though PCB were asking us from the last three years, we did not consider that,” Shukla said. “But now we felt it was good time to invite them and have acceded to the PCB request.”It is understood that it was Srinivasan who proposed the matter during the discussion in Chennai. Everyone felt that the political climate was conducive to a team from Pakistan to come and play and the working committee members accepted the proposal unanimously.Pakistan players are currently excluded from the Indian Premier League as well. Shukla, also the IPL chairman, had said last month that their participation was also dependent on the resumption of India-Pakistan cricket ties.

Little more than two months after his successful return to Test cricket, Monty Panesar could find himself back on the sidelines as England try to balance their side in their attempt to level the series against Sri Lanka.The injury that has forced Stuart Broad to leave the tour ahead of the second Test in Colombo has created another selection dilemma because his likely replacement, Steven Finn, lacks his batting strength while Tim Bresnan, the other quick bowler in the squad, has not had enough cricket in recent months to be fielded as one of a two-man pace attack.Jonathan Trott admitted it would not be a simple decision for the selectors. “Finny has been working hard on his batting so we should give him some credit,” he said. “But obviously Stuart is very good as a bowling allrounder and adds that dynamic to the team.”Panesar bowled far from poorly in Galle but did not pose the same threat as he had done against Pakistan in the UAE. That was partly because the Sri Lankans, especially Mahela Jayawardene, made a conscious effort to lead with their bat rather than the pad so limiting the likelihood of lbws.In the first innings, Panesar did a good holding job – conceding less than two an over – but had to wait until midway through Sri Lanka’s second innings to claim a wicket and ended with 2 for 59.Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner, by comparison had career-best match figures of 12 for 171 and showed the value of variations in pace and flight whereas Panesar’s mode of attack was more predictable. Graeme Swann, meanwhile, starred in the second innings with 6 for 82 to cement his standing as England’s lead spinner.Panesar also did himself no favours with a poor fielding display when he dropped Jayawardene twice in consecutive overs during the latter stages of his 180. The first, a top-edged hook to fine leg, came out of a low sun and was less simple than it appeared but the second, which looped to him at mid-on, was an embarrassing drop. During training on Sunday, Panesar held the half-dozen catches given by Richard Halsall, the assistant coach, but nothing can replicate the pressure of a match situation.Samit Patel’s Test debut in Galle amounted to 11 runs and two wickets and the suggestion that he should retain his place ahead of the specialist bowler sounds at odds with the needs of England who must win to level the series therefore making 20 wickets a priority. However, taking 20 wickets has not been their problem this year; scoring runs has.If Patel was omitted in favour of Bresnan it would leave Graeme Swann at No. 8 followed by three bowlers – Finn, Panesar and James Anderson – who do not offer a huge amount with the bat. There is one other option which involves bringing in Ravi Bopara as a specialist batsman and playing four frontline bowlers if Bopara’s batting is viewed as substantially superior to Patel’s. But England’s need for a fifth bowler in these conditions has not disappeared.There were few clues during England’s net session on Sunday although Kevin Pietersen did bowl more than he often does on practice days.The P Sara Oval groundsman, NS Silva, has said he thinks the match will go five days but England have not achieved that on their recent travels. There have been 11 results from the 15 Tests played at the venue, the last of which was in August 2010, when India chased down 257. Suraj Randiv took nine wickets in that match and spin has a good record at the ground. That still might not be enough for Panesar.

All overseas cricketers who sign up for a stint in English county cricket will be required to complete the anti-corruption training that is now mandatory for domestic players in the wake of the prison sentence handed out to the former Essex seam bowler Mervyn Westfield for spot fixing.The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is working closely with the ECB to ensure that non-English players cannot bypass the corruption course, even if their contract with a county side is a short one.During the sentencing of Westfield at the Old Bailey last week it was alleged that Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan leg spinner, was the go-between in a deal where Westfield was given £6000 to concede a set number of runs off an over during a Pro40 match against Durham in 2009.The PCA is already at an advanced stage in implementing online tutorials for all domestic players that must be completed before the 2012 season begins on April 5.Details of how to ensure 100% compliance with the new regime are still being hammered out with the ECB, but the PCA is insistent that every player in county cricket should take the course.”We want all overseas players to go through this process and we need to decide how much time they have to complete the process,” Angus Porter, the PCA chief executive, said. “We are currently in discussions with the ECB about the mandatory element.”The involvement of all overseas players brings additional challenges. One part of the process that still needs to be developed is to have the course available in multi-lingual formats for players whose first language is not English, one of 11 recommendations made by the MCC’s anti-corruption working party which has sent its full report to the ICC on Wednesday.”The language point is a good one and something we don’t have yet but we are very aware that it is something we need to explore,” Porter said.Despite events of recent weeks, Porter remains adamant that English cricket has the best anti-corruption systems available. “I have to say I think the level of anti-corruption training on offer to our domestic and England players is superior to anything on offer worldwide.”The MCC working party praised the ECB’s decision to create an amnesty for players to report suspicions about corruption and said that other boards should follow their lead. It is an offence for a player not to report an approach but the ECB has given players until April 30 to make concerns known.Following its January meeting in Cape Town the MCC world cricket committee produced ten recommendations for tackling corruption and an eleventh has been included on the final report submitted to the ICC asking for the ECB’s approach to be mirrored worldwide.”National Cricket Boards should follow the example of England and Wales Cricket Board in offering a short-term amnesty to any player or other person involved in cricket who, within the designated period, reports an approach or other suspicions or knowledge of illegal activity of a corrupt kind,” the working party said.Other MCC recommendations made at a meeting of their world cricket committee in Cape Town last month included lifetime bans for any captain, vice-captain or coach found guilty of fixing and the removal of minimal sentences in the ICC’s anti-corruption code to allow disciplinary panels more flexibility in sentencing.Steve Waugh, who chaired the MCC anti-corruption working party, said: “Cricket’s administrators need to be bold in their actions and cannot be complacent in the fight against corruption. I have for some time advocated the idea of amnesties for players or officials so am particularly pleased to see the ECB’s stance on this issue. I now hope that ICC takes on board what our committee – and what players around the world – are saying and we can stamp out corruption in the sport.”Edited by David Hopps

Sahara India Parivar has cut its ties with the BCCI, withdrawing its sponsorship of the Indian team and ownership of the Pune Warriors IPL franchise. The decision was announced on Saturday morning, an hour before the IPL 2012 auction – which went ahead without any representation from Pune Warriors.In its formal statement, Sahara referred to several points of dispute with the BCCI, dating back to its first sponsorship deal in 2001 but largely relating to the IPL. It said it would “continue paying the sponsorship money” to the BCCI for a period of “2-4 months” it would take to find a new sponsor. The group had won the bid for the Indian team sponsorship most recently in May 2010.In its initial response, IPL governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla said that the BCCI had yet to receive anything in writing from Sahara about the withdrawal of sponsorship.The group, which has sponsored the Indian team for 11 years, had cited several reasons for its sudden pull-out, its most recent differences with the BCCI concerning its involvement in the IPL.The latest dispute arises around a request by Sahara to be allowed to add Yuvraj Singh’s price into its auction purse for the February 4 auction after it was learnt that Yuvraj could not take part in the IPL as he is undergoing medical treatment for a tumour in his lung. When the request was refused, Sahara said it was “yet again” a case of the BCCI denying them “natural justice.”The differences between Sahara and the IPL began in 2008 when Sahara’s bid for one of the first eight IPL franchises was “thwarted” following disqualification on what it calls, “a small technicality on the whims and fancies of BCCI.” In March 2010, the group had successfully bid $370m for the Pune franchise when the IPL had opened up the league to two new teams.Sahara had asked for a refund of what it called its “extra bid money” stating that its bid price had been calculated on the basis of 94 matches to be played in the IPL’s fourth season. It said it had been denied, “on the basis of strict rules.” Other requests, like opening up the auction to all players once again in order to to achieve a “level playing field” or allowing one extra foreign player for the two new teams were also turned down.”We are withdrawing from all cricket under BCCI,” the group stated. “However, we don’t want to give any problem to the BCCI and we also feel that the players should not suffer. BCCI will definitely take 2-4 months to get a new sponsor and we will continue paying the sponsorship money till then. All other IPL team players, coaches and other such associates will definitely get their due this year, in case they do not get a chance to play.”The sudden turn of events took the Indian cricket fraternity by surprise. It appears even players of the franchise were not aware of the developments, with several tweets expressing surprise.This Sahara pullout comes a day after Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the other team which made its IPL debut with Pune last year, announced it would take the BCCI to court for terminating its contract. The 2012 IPL was reduced to nine teams as a result. Another sponsor, Maxx Mobiles, has reportedly withdrawn as strategic time-out and official play-off sponsor of the IPL. It had signed a three-year contract for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasonsOver the past six months, the BCCI has terminated the Kochi franchise as well as its broadcast deal with Nimbus Communications, who were the rights holders for all cricket played in India.Conventional wisdom suggests Sahara India’s decision to end its ties with the BCCI, and the IPL, will have little material effect on the world’s richest cricketing body. There will be enough sponsors lining up to clamber on the gravy train that is Indian cricket. But these are not conventional times, and Saturday morning’s dramatic announcement – made an hour before the IPL auction was due to start – comes at a particularly awkward moment for the board. It is now without a TV rights holder, a main sponsor, an IPL franchise and a buyer for its internet rights. None of these on its own is an insurmountable problem but together they weaken the BCCI’s hitherto omnipotent position.They also reveal the inherent problems within the administration of the game in India that had been papered over by first the dazzling financial success of the IPL and then by the team’s rise to the top of the Test match rankings and its World Cup win. In the months since that heady evening in Mumbai in April, the game in India seems to have taken several steps back. The 2011 IPL returned the lowest TV ratings for any of the four seasons; not good news for a tournament whose revenues are based on eyeballs. A few months later the sight of empty stands in Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai during an ODI series in which India beat England 5-0 added to the sense of disquiet. That series also saw signs of tension between the BCCI and Nimbus, the TV rights holders, which eventually led to the contract being terminated.Saturday’s events will be particularly embarrassing for the BCCI as they impact the IPL, its flagship tournament and the basis for its global clout. Sahara’s reasons remain allegations for the moment but they emphasise the common perception – one that has existed since the days of Lalit Modi – that the IPL is run in an ad hoc manner. The tournament’s fifth season, already down to nine teams following Kochi’s contentious exit, is now in a state of confusion for players, for administrators and presumably the broadcasters too. When the BCCI sneezes, the cricket world catches cold; it must now act fast to restore credibility before the confusion goes viral.
Jayaditya Gupta