Strauss issues Twitter warning to England squad

England captain Andrew Strauss issued a warning to his squad on Thursday regarding the dangers of Twitter after Kevin Pietersen's latest spat on the social networking site.

Pietersen, one of England's leading batsmen, was fined an undisclosed sum on Wednesday by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for going on to Twitter to question the credentials of former England international Nick Knight as a Test match commentator of Sky Sports.

Strauss, speaking on the eve of the second Test against the West Indies here at Trent Bridge, said that Twitter was a double-edged sword.

"I'm far too boring to use it!," he joked. "There are always shades of grey with Twitter. It does a really good job of publicising the game but players can find themselves in hot water occasionally.

"There is a line they need to tread with regards to their conditions of employment. We have our own code of conduct and it is manageable.

"You will get occasions when people step out of line and they will be dealt with accordingly," he said.

Pietersen reacted to being fined an undisclosed sum, part suspended for 12 months, by insisting he had nothing against Sky, whose commentary team includes several former England captains.

"Just so as you know, (Michael) Atherton, (Nasser) Hussain, (David) Gower and (Ian) Botham, legends," Pietersen said as he walked into the pavilion after net practice here on Thursday.

Pietersen took to Twitter last week to question the credentials of Knight, who averaged just 23.96 in 17 Tests with one hundred, as a broadcaster.

"Can someone please tell me how Nick Knight has worked his way into the commentary box for the Tests? Ridiculous," said Pietersen, who has 20 Test hundreds to his credit.

Pietersen's comments about Knight were especially sensitive, as Sky agreed in January a new four-year deal to show live international and county cricket believed to be worth at least £260 million ($408 million) - the ECB's main source of income.

An ECB statement issued Wednesday said Pietersen had been fined for comments considered to be "prejudicial to the interests of the ECB and a breach of the England player conditions of employment in relation to clauses regarding public statements."

ECB managing director Hugh Morris, himself a former international batsman, is wary of Twitter, once labelling its use by England players as "like giving a machine gun to a monkey".

The 31-year-old Pietersen, 31, had previously taken to Twitter to accuse Knight of "stealing a living" from Sky last year and had also run into trouble after using the site to announce his omission from an England one-day squad.

Knight, who has questioned Pietersen's place in that one-day team, said, in comments reported by the Daily Mail on Thursday: "He (Pietersen) has his opinions and I have had my say about him on a professional basis.

"A lot of it has been full of admiration for the way he plays and I don't see this as a big issue."

The second Test - in which Pietersen is expected to play - starts on Friday with England 1-0 up in the three-match series following a five-wicket win over the West Indies at Lord's.

Source:http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/item/190601-strauss-issues-twitter-warning-to-england-squad

BCB clears payment due to Pak players after legal threat

Karachi: Pakistan players have finally received their outstanding dues from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after a legal action threat issued by the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) to the BCB over non-payment of dues to the players who took part in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). 

"I got my full dues two days back from the BPL," the Daily Times quoted former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, as saying.

Afridi was one of the most expensive players purchased in the players bid for the tournament. 

FICA chief executive Tim May had sent a letter to BCB president Mustafa Kamal a few days ago, asking him to clear the dues of all overseas and local players who took part in the BPL within five days or face legal action. 

Afridi, who only played in the semi-final and final for Dhaka and had a price of around 700,000 dollars in the bid, said he had enjoyed his experience of playing in the BPL. 

The FICA stepped in after several overseas players, including Australians, who played in the BPL claimed that the franchises had not fulfilled their promise of clearing their full payments within 45 days after the last match of the BPL. 

Source:http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/bcb-clears-payment-due-to-pak-players-after-legal-threat_742721.html

People who are raving about IPL are mad: Bishan Singh Bedi

New Delhi: Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi lashed out at the Indian Premier League and asked the youngsters ‘don`t fall for this trap’ as the Twenty20 extravaganza make them ‘go astray’.

“Players like Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist have finished with the game. Michael Clarke does not want to play T20 cricket for Australia; Sachin Tendulkar doesn`t want to play T20s for India. This is just an outing for them to have some fun and in the process, make a quick buck. Youngsters should not take it as a role model activity, but unfortunately, they will,” he told Mid-Day.

“People who are raving about IPL are mad. They are raving about IPL because of the money. This nonsense is all about money, money and more money. The base of the entire IPL is very, very fragile. It is a business proposition and any business must have the base of ‘principles first, profits afterwards’. But, here, there are no principles, only profits and that too, only for the players and BCCI,” he added. 

Source:http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2012/people-who-are-raving-about-ipl-are-mad-bishan-singh-bedi_742728.html

Michael Clarke to quit cricket before his late 30s

Melbourne: Just-married Australia captain Michael Clarke has said that he will quit cricket before he passed his mid-30s, unlike many of his predecessors.

Clarke said he won`t continue to play on into his late 30s like former Australian captains Steve Waugh who played till 38, and Ricky Ponting who, at 37, is still there in the fray.

The 31-year-old said he has been `blessed` by cricket and marriage to Kyly Boldy and would be settling down within a few years.

"I am enjoying playing now but in time I won`t be the guy playing at 38, 39, 40," Clarke was quoted as saying by the Australian media.

"I hope I can have my impact in a short space of time and then be finished. I would love to see the team have success, achieve what it can achieve," he added.

Clarke said that he will draw curtains to his career the moment he finished as Australia skipper, unlike Ponting who has continued to play under his successor for 10 months.

But before that Clarke said toppling South Africa this summer and then top-ranked ranked England were his priorities.

"I have so many goals I want to see this team achieve and when my time is up, it is up," he said.

Clarke will lead Australia in a five-match ODI series against England from June 29. 

Source:http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/michael-clarke-to-quit-cricket-before-his-late-30s_742729.html

Yousuf hopeful of making a comeback to Test cricket

Lahore—Despite being ignored once again by the selectors for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammad Yousuf has said that he has not given up hope on making a comeback to Test cricket.

“I want to complete the milestone of playing 100 Tests. There are so many players still active on the international circuit who have played 100 Tests. I have just played 90. I am not disappointed nor have I given up,” Yousuf told reporters here.

Yousuf, 37, who has scored 7530 Test runs at an average of 52, has not been picked since his last appearance for Pakistan against South Africa in the UAE in November, 2010.

From Pakistan only Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Salim Malik have played 100 or more Tests.
Source:http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=157039

Absence of int’l cricket in Pakistan affecting youngsters

 

LAHORE  - The absence of any international cricket in Pakistan for the last three years has started to have its effect on Pakistan cricket with the biggest losers being the budding talents at the domestic circuit.A senior cricket board official told PTI in an interview that the biggest setback for the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has been its inability to organise regular tours for the national under-19 and ‘A’ teams. “It is a fact that in this area we have suffered a lot because such tours are only organised on reciprocal basis. The problem is with no team willing to tour Pakistan at the moment we can’t organise any under-19 or ‘A’ team tours,” the official said.He also pointed out that financially it was just not possible to have series of the ‘A’ team at the neutral venues like it was being done in the case of the national team. “The under-19 and ‘A’ team tours are supposed to be an opportunity to give exposure to the upcoming players. In the past we discovered top talent mainly from the under-19 and A team matches,” the official said. Former Test selector, Salahuddin Ahmed agreed that in the past the under-19 and ‘A’ team tours had helped the selectors find talents like Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Moin Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq to name a few.Although the board official said that the other boards were keen to have exchange of ‘A’ team tours with Pakistan, he said “these tours are done on reciprocal basis and while our team can go abroad no team is willing to play in Pakistan and that is a big setback for us”. Since militants attacked the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore in March 2009, killing six Pakistani policemen and a van driver and wounding some of the visiting players, no foreign Test team is willing to play in Pakistan due to security concerns.Even as the PCB is making efforts to revive international cricket in the country but the security situation has been a big stumbling stone. In April, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after agreeing to play a ODI and a T20 match in Lahore backed out at the last moment following the Dhaka High Court issuing an injunction on sending the Bangladesh team to Pakistan because of security concerns expressed in a petition filed with the court.Only Afghanistan has sent its team to play in Pakistan in the last three years against the Pakistan ‘A’ team but the board official admitted that series against non-Test playing nations didn’t help tap or groom the young talent.“There is no doubt that on one hand while the absence of international matches is hurting us financially it is also making it difficult for us to spot the right talent from the domestic circuit.” To make matters worse, the Indian Cricket Board ( BCCI) has also continued to resist the resumption of the bilateral ties after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.“Not having bilateral ties with India is also hurting us in many ways. We have just managed to earn some money from the home series of the national team we have been forced to organise at neutral venues,” the official said. With a heavy workforce and increasing expenses the PCB is now preparing to cut down administrative and other expenses to keep itself financially viable. “We are fortunate that since 2009 we have received handsome amounts as part of our share from the ICC events, including the T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and 2011 World Cup and that has helped us keep moving ahead,” the official said.The PCB, besides its administrative expenses with a workforce of around 500 people all over the country also heavily subsidises the domestic cricket circuit with earning avenues scarce. “The Board pays monthly retainers, match fees and allowances to players of affiliated regional associations for at least six months in a year while we also have to subsidise ground development projects and other expenses of our affiliated units,” another official said.Chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed said that the main purpose of trying to launch a premier league T20 tournament in Pakistan was not only to pave the way for international players to return to Pakistan but also turn it into a profitable venture for the board since T20 cricket was the most popular form of cricket these days.“As far as the proposed premier league is concerned we have got good presentations from Nimbus sports, Ten sports and are expecting another one from TWI as well. But one thing is definite whether we launch it on a small or big scale, the PPL will be held in October,” he said. He also made it clear that the PPL would be launched from Pakistan.
 Source:http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/sports/25-May-2012/absence-of-int-l-cricket-in-pakistan-affecting-youngsters

Survey shows UK under 'no threat' as Alex Salmond launches separatist campaign

The United Kingdom is under no threat of breaking up, according to a survey published to coincide with today’s official launch of the Scottish separatists’ referendum campaign.

Alistair Darling said the opinion poll shows Alex Salmond, pictured, has failed in persuading Scots about separation 

A YouGov opinion poll commissioned by Alistair Darling, the former Chancellor, showed only 33 per cent of voters in Scotland want independence and 57 per cent are opposed.

In his first intervention since becoming leader of the pro-UK campaign, Mr Darling said the poll showed Alex Salmond “doesn’t speak for Scotland” and support for independence has barely shifted over the last four decades.

Mr Salmond will be joined in Edinburgh this morning by celebrities and the leaders of minor left-wing parties to formally start his bid to end the 305-year-old Union between England and Scotland.

Sir Sean Connery is expected to be among the stars who will encourage the Scottish people to vote for separation in the referendum, due in autumn 2014. Those present will all sign a symbolic declaration backing independence.

However, a major division emerged in the separatists’ campaign after Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Green Party co-leader, accused the First Minister of pursuing a “strategy for failure” by promising to keep the Queen and sterling.

The SNP said last night they remained “extremely confident” of winning the referendum but the poll results threatened to overshadow their campaign launch, which will feature a slogan promising to place the future in “Scotland’s hands”.
Mr Darling, the Edinburgh South West MP, said: “Alex Salmond may be the First Minister of Scotland but, as these new figures confirm, on the issue of independence he doesn’t speak for Scotland.
“The nationalists will go to great lengths to try and prove there is a groundswell towards leaving the UK but the truth is their campaign has stalled. Independence is an unpopular as it has ever been.”
The former Chancellor said Mr Salmond has failed to increase support for separation after deploying the “full resources” of Scottish Executive’s civil service, the SNP’s landslide Holyrood election victory last year and raising a war chest of millions.
His survey asked 1,004 Scots if they agreed Scotland “should become a country independent of the rest of the UK”. Only 27 per cent of women agreed with this statement.
Although the separatists have to make up a 24-point deficit, the poll showed only ten per cent did not know how they would vote.
In another blow to Mr Salmond, only 58 per cent of people who voted SNP last year said they would back independence, while 28 per cent were opposed.
Nearly half of respondents (47 per cent) said they thought Scotland would be financially worse off after separation compared to only 27 per cent who said it would be wealthier. Thirteen per cent said independence would make no difference.
Mr Darling was initially reluctant to assume leadership of the pro-UK campaign but has since agreed to coordinate efforts by Labour, the Tories and Liberal Democrats, all of which welcomed the YouGov poll.
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, said: “Alex Salmond is expected to pull out the stops for his big launch, but all the razzamatazz in the world can’t hide the fact that the majority of Scots have no wish to be separated from the rest of the UK.
“The First Minister knows he is in trouble when more than a quarter of his own voters don’t share his vision for a separate Scottish state.”
Angus Robertson, the SNP’s campaign director, said the survey should have used the SNP’s preferred question, despite polling and elections experts confirming that it is biased towards a ‘yes’ response.
“The referendum isn’t happening tomorrow, as the poll tries to pretend. Today is the start of the biggest community-based campaign in Scotland’s history,” he said.
“We are extremely confident of winning the trust of the people and achieving a ‘yes’ vote in autumn 2014.”
Meanwhile, the Advocate General for Scotland last night urged Mr Salmond to come back to the negotiating table over the referendum’s rules and wording to ensure it cannot be blocked by the courts.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness, the former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy First Minister, emphasised only the UK Government can stage a legal vote and power needs to be transferred to the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Salmond wants a second question on the ballot paper asking Scots if they want more powers, in case they reject full separation, but UK ministers want a single, straight proposition as soon as possible.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9288436/Survey-shows-UK-under-no-threat-as-Alex-Salmond-launches-separatist-campaign.html