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The PCB has responded to charges in a local newspaper of nepotism and cronyism among journalists while asserting that Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the board, remains committed to the reorganization of the administration of cricket on modern lines.A column in , a Karachi-based daily, by Saad Shafqat, a local writer, claimed that the current chairman had appointed relatives to key positions in the organization, as well as allegedly currying favour among journalists by sending them, at the board’s expense, to the tour in South Africa.But in a response published in today, Ahsan Malik, PCB director communications and media, categorically denied the charges. “Recently there were some untrue assertions reported in an article in dated January 10. For the record, let me categorically state that there is no relative of the chairman employed in the Board, as erroneously reported in that article.”Second, it is totally false that any journalist was sent to South Africa by the PCB at its expense. As a matter of fact, we are developing an open and transparent policy where sport journalists would be asked to cover international tours on rotation basis with cost sharing by their respective Newspapers/organizations.”Malik also expanded on Ashraf’s tenure as chairman so far, detailing a number of achievements since he took over in October last year. “The long-standing issue of ad-hocism is now finally set to get resolved as the board constitution is expected to be implemented this month. Also, a complete audit of the organization has also been carried out by reputable firms like Fergusson Associates and KPMG.”Ashraf has had to face a number of controversies in this period and Malik insisted they had been handled as openly and efficiently as possible. The doping scandal, which saw Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif banned and then reinstated within a month, was one such. “Pakistan is one of the four countries carrying out internal voluntary drug screening since 2003.”We recalled Shoaib and Asif rather than sweeping the issue under the carpet. The management then followed the laid down procedure and appointed an independent commission to deal with the doping case which was overturned by an Appellant Tribunal on technical/legal grounds. But whatever the final outcome, the PCB handled the issue in a transparent and an open manner.”There has been progress on the domestic front as well, says Malik. New corporate sponsor partnerships have been created, a benefit not lost on this year’s Quaid-e-Azam trophy and the Twenty20 tournament. “Prize money for the Quaid-e-Azam and Patron’s Trophy has been increased significantly, junior level tours are being increased to provide experience to the youngsters while women’s cricket has also been given special attention. Pakistan has now earned the right to host women world cup qualifying rounds this year.”New coaches have been hired at the academy and an Under-15 talent hunt was launched. The organisation of a national school championship will eventually see 25 youngsters undergoing a month’s training at the academy with subsequent tours to South Africa or Sri Lanka.”The board has also set up a pension scheme for former Test players, while regional associations have been given a degree of financial autonomy, a policy in direct contrast to the last administration. “A decision has been taken to plough all revenue from gate-money back to the local associations.”

The ICC women’s World Cup qualifiers gets underway in South Africa on Monday and by the end of the week two teams will have secured themselves spots in the World Cup in Australia next year. But what about the other six? What will they take back from a tournament where they get to play a maximum of four games, apart from the warm-ups scheduled prior to the qualifiers?The teams placed third and fourth will get ranked among the top ten countries for the next four years which means their matches are then deemed as official Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 internationals. But that doesn’t mean they will automatically play more games every year. What plagues women’s cricket the most is how little each team plays, apart from England, Australia and New Zealand. While the World Cup qualifiers cannot ensure more matches per team over the next four years, it can throw up at least two or three quality sides who can then take their game forward by competing more regularly with the top four – Australia, India, New Zealand and England.So for South Africa, Ireland, Netherlands and Pakistan this is an opportunity to move to the bigger leagues, while for Bermuda, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe and Scotland the qualifiers is a tournament to gain experience, play in different conditions and meet new opposition. How different the conditions will be for them is revealed by what Papua New Guinea’s captain, Kune Amini, said regarding the pitches they will be playing on. “We’ve never played on turf so that will be different for our girls,” she told the ICC website. “I think it’s too soon to qualify for the World Cup as our standard of play is not similar to other countries as we play on concrete.”As hosts, South Africa may have the best chance of winning the tournament and getting a higher seed at the World Cup. But they will badly miss Johmari Logtenberg and Mignon du Preez. Logtenberg, their star batsman, quit the game last month, while du Preez withdrew from the tournament for personal reasons. There isn’t a more emphatic reason to play more often than the danger of losing players. In the last 12 months South Africa played eight ODIs, one Test and two Twenty20 internationals. In the same period Australia have played 16 ODIs, one Twenty20 and a Test. Unless given more opportunities, other players will follow Logtenberg out of cricket to more lucrative sports like golf.

The postponement of the tournament, scheduled for last November in Pakistan, following political unrest in the country gave all the sides a chance to get in some more practice, but injuries and for some, no leave from work, have depleted the squads of their first-choice players. Scotland’s Vari Maxwell, part of the original squad, was unable to make it to South Africa because she is a Royal Navy employee and her ship is still at sea. The amateur nature of their game may allow players to pursue interests outside cricket and of course the costs of touring, taking leave from schools, universities, and regular jobs come in the way of most women players turning in to full-time professionals, but their teams won’t be taken seriously unless they turn out for matches with competitive squads.In the end it is the bilateral series – or at the very least quadrangulars – that will allow teams to improve their game. But it is tournaments like the qualifiers that will identify the competition and get talented players noticed. In last year’s Asian Cricket Council tournament, Bangladesh’s victory, without dropping a game, which included ten-wicket wins against Singapore and UAE, prompted the board to organise a women’s cricket league in the country. The national players were given cash awards, a full-time coach and trainer were appointed, and regular training camps were started. The board also promised to provide cricket gear for the women’s league as well as for the school girls’ division. Runners-up Nepal were also given cash prizes by their association.That should be enough incentive for the players in South Africa to make a mark at the qualifiers this week. Of course there is the World Cup as well.

by 182 runs
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Rumeli Dhar slammed a career-best 92 and the bowlers backed her up with a superb performance as India crushed Pakistan by 182 runs. This was India’s third successive win in the tournament while Pakistan have lost all three of their games.After choosing to bat, India lost two early wickets but recovered through a 50-run stand between Asha Rawat (69) and Priyanka Roy and then moved into a position of strength as Dhar and Rawat put on 89 runs. Rawat remained unbeaten scoring at nearly a run a ball and with the help of some lower-order hitting from Amita Sharma and Jhulan Goswami took India to 275 – the highest total of the tournament.The Pakistan batting never got going and they lost their openers with the score on 5. Only two of their batsmen got into double digits as they laboured to 93 in their quota of overs with even that meagre total reached with the assistance of 33 extras. Three of the Indian bowlers sent down their ten overs with an economy-rate below one and Gouher Sultana bagged the Man-of-the Match award on debut with figures of 10-7-9-3.
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It was a day of one-sided encounters as Sri Lanka trounced Bangladesh by eight wickets after restricting them to 94. Bangladesh, fresh from their memorable triumph over Pakistan two days ago, were unable to repeat their performance as only two batmen, Shathira Jakir and Ayesha Akhter , managed to cross 20. Left-arm spinner Suwini de Alwis was the most successful bowler and she sparked a collapse, starting with the dismissal of Ayesha, as four wickets fell for one run and Bangladesh slid to 68 for 9. The last pair resisted for more than 14 overs and added 26 runs but Sri Lanka chased down the target with eight wickets and more than 30 overs to spare with the help of de Alwis and opener Chamari Polgampola.

The immediate fate of Zimbabwe’s tour to Pakistan hangs in delicate balance following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, an incident that has sparked violence throughout the country.Zimbabwe are due to arrive in Pakistan on January 12 and are scheduled to play two warm-up matches as well as a series of five ODIs, beginning January 26. But that schedule was thrown into doubt following yesterday’s suicide attack which killed Bhutto shortly after an election campaign rally in Rawalpindi. Since then, the main urban centres of Pakistan – including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad – have witnessed heavy rioting and violence.Understandably, given the proximity of the incident, no decision has been taken yet. The nation is in official mourning for three days, a stance echoed by Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “This is a huge national tragedy and a time of mourning for the whole country. I feel it is not appropriate to talk about cricket just now. We will look at the situation in 2-3 days,” Ashraf told Cricinfo.Another senior board official said the Zimbabwe board had not been in touch yet. “Nobody from the Zimbabwe board has yet got in touch with us about the situation,” the official told Cricinfo. When asked specifically whether the tour would go ahead, he said, “As of this immediate moment, it is on. But ultimately your guess is as good as mine.”Zimbabwe play their first ODI in Hyderabad, another city particularly badly hit by a night of rioting; they are also scheduled to spend considerable time in Karachi, before playing in Multan, Faisalabad and Sheikhupura.Clouding the matter further is the fate of the general elections, which were scheduled to be held on January 8, days before the tourists arrive. In the aftermath of the assassination, there are suggestions they may be postponed. In either case, however, reports are warning that further violence in coming days may be inevitable, extending a year of already tremendous political tumult in the country.Australia, who are due to tour Pakistan in March, have adopted a wait-and-see policy. They are due to send a security delegation to the country in February, after which they will decide on the tour.

Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, has given an upbeat interview to the Sydney Morning Herald, although he refused to be drawn on some of the more contentious issues affecting his country.In a week when the ICC cleared the Zimbabwe board of financial wrongdoing, although still accused it of “serious financial irregularities”, Chingoka was understandably bullish, further buoyed by his own position within the ICC hierarchy.”Your company does its books, and sometimes money gets sent to the wrong places,” Chingoka told the newspaper’s Alex Brown. “We have adopted a new accounting protocol. KPMG [the independent auditors appointed by the ICC] found that there was no misappropriation from any individuals. The audit showed no single individual benefited from this. I am happy.”Asked about the many accusations from within Zimbabwe accusing him of mismanagement, Chingoka was equally dismissive. “If players have these opinions, then they must produce evidence. Our books are clean in that respect. Ask the players what the problem is, not me. There is always going to be criticism. I am not going to run around with a flag saying I’m innocent.”But on other issues, he was less forthcoming. He refused to discuss Australia’s refusal to tour in 2007 or on the ongoing problems he is having obtaining a visa to enter the UK or on his arrest in 2006 on charges of breaching Zimbabwe’s draconian foreign exchange regulations.

Mathew Dowman and Dominic Cork at last gave Derbyshire supporters a dayto savour when they transformed the match at the County Ground with arecord breaking partnership.The unbroken seventh wicket stand of 225 was the highest for Derbyshireagainst Durham and at the close, Dowman and Cork had taken their sideinto a lead of 369.It was a totally different story shortly after lunch when Durham had thehome side on the ropes at 121-6, only 143 runs in front, and there wasevery chance the game would finish inside two days.But the pitch had by now flattened out, the ball did not swing andDowman and Cork plundered bowling which became increasingly ragged on ahot afternoon.This was Dowman’s best innings for Derbyshire and, after spending 18balls on 99, he reached his eighth first-class century which wasapplauded by all the Durham team.Cork scored his fourth hundred and his unbeaten 105 was his highestscore while Dowman’s 129 not out was his best for Derbyshire.The stand was the highest against Durham this season and has seriouslydamaged their chances of avoiding relegation to the Second Divisionwhile Derbyshire now have an excellent chance of winning their firstgame since late June although they already look doomed to lose theirDivision One status.

Victoria have signed Matthew Wade, the Tasmanian wicketkeeper-batsman, in a move Wade hopes will increase his chances of playing state cricket next season. Wade, 19, made his limited-overs debut for the Tigers in 2006-07 as a specialist batsman but managed only one match.With Sean Clingeleffer re-establishing his place in the Tasmania Pura Cup team and Tim Paine looking settled behind the stumps in the one-day competition, Wade believed his opportunities in his home state would be limited. “Tasmania has a strong squad and I’m really grateful for the time I spent there, but the reality for me was that I was third in line as far as the keeping position was concerned,” Wade said.”I’m hoping that with a fresh start with Victoria and more hard work, I can create greater opportunities to play state cricket. I’m really looking forward to joining the Bushrangers.” Wade, a left-hand batsman and former Australia Under-19 representative, could pose a serious threat to Adam Crosthwaite, who has established himself as Victoria’s first-choice wicketkeeper over the past two seasons.Greg Shipperd, the Victoria coach who has also led Tasmania, saw Wade’s development as a young player and was thoroughly impressed. “He’s a pocket rocket,” Shipperd told the . “What he does do is score hundreds, and he has consistently done that since his junior days. He’s got a good technique, really solid. He could really challenge as a batter and a keeper. And it will present Adam with a serious challenge with healthy competition for a place in the side coming into the group.”Tim Coyle, the Tasmania coach, said Wade was a talented player and the Tigers had offered him a two-year senior contract to entice him to stay. “We understand that Victoria guaranteed him selection in its Pura Cup team to win his signature,” Coyle said.”We are not in a position to guarantee any player a game of first-class cricket as we prefer to see people earn the right to represent Tasmania at this level. But in saying this, we wish Matthew all the best for the future.” Wade, who was named Tasmania’s Young Player of the Year in March for the second consecutive season, is part of the 16-man Australian Institute of Sport intake for this year.

Graeme Smith has voiced concerns about the exodus of leading players from South African cricket. Several cricketers including Jacques Rudolph and Vaughn van Jaarsveld have signed Kolpak contracts while others such as Andrew Hall have recently quit international cricket.”The main concern is that players who can still mean a lot to the national team are turning their back on South African cricket,” Smith told news24.com, a South African news website. “Those are the ones we have to keep and whom the administrators should think about.”Guys of 21 and 22 years are leaving because they just do not have the patience to play their way into the national team,” Smith said. “Some players who are near the end of their career are also taking that route.”It is hard to stop them because the money they will earn in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is a major consideration. But it does prove that there are other problems in our cricket that have to be solved. The administrators have a major task and I just hope they take it seriously.”Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje have signed with the ICL while Hall is almost certain to join once his contract with Cricket South Africa comes to an end in April next year.Though Jacques Kallis, who resigned from the vice-captaincy after being dropped for the ICC World Twenty20, is back in the side for the Pakistan tour, his replacement as vice-captain has not been announced. “I wish I knew. I’ll let you know when I find out,” said Smith. “But it seems that sort of information is not meant for me.”The South African team is currently in Pakistan on a two-Test and five-ODI tour.

Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher, South Africa’s top stars in the Indian Premier League, feel that age and their reputation as Test players will not be a barrier when they enter the field for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Twenty20 tournament starting April 18.”We have done it throughout our career, adjusting to Test cricket, one-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket,” the 32-year-old Kallis said in Bangalore three days ahead of their inaugural home game against Kolkata Knight Riders. “So the players are used to it, it is a different mindset. It is probably easier to go from Test cricket to one-day cricket than it is the other way around. We are looking forward to some exciting cricket.”Shaun Pollock, a former team-mate of Boucher and Kallis playing for the Mumbai Indians, also indicated age was not a barrier by stating the IPL had come as a boon for players close to retirement. “It does give another avenue for the older guys who can just get through the shorter version of the game to continue and extend their career,” the allrounder, who recently retired from international cricket, pointed out.”We have got a few tricks up our sleeve,” Boucher, 31, said. “We have got a side that on paper has a lot of good Test players but that’s a bonus. If you can play Test cricket, you can play any form of the game. It’s just a matter of mindset. If you look at those players called Test players, they have also played some unbelievable innings in one day cricket for their countries. I would rather have a couple of guys who can see off the new ball and post a competitive total than have guys who can smack the ball out of the park and also get out.”The Royal Challengers had bought Kallis for US$ 900,000 and Boucher for US$450,000 during the players’ auction in February. Both played the three-Test series in India that ended on Sunday and were cleared to play for the IPL after they were dropped from their domestic teams for the Standard Bank Pro20 tournament in South Africa.”Obviously, it was a tough couple of weeks playing Test matches, and then we were told that we were going home and now we are staying,” Kallis said. “Eventually, the board [Cricket South Africa] released us from our franchises back home. Probably there are six to seven guys who play for our franchise back home, the Cape Cobras. And instead of keeping all the internationals back home, they have released Mark and myself. Therefore we are now part of the IPL contract which allows us to play here.”When asked whether the ICC should find space for the IPL in the international calendar, Boucher said, “We do play a lot of cricket these days. May be the way forward is to go ahead with the IPL and cut down the number of one-dayers we play every year. But ultimately the fans will decide and Twenty20 does create the finance for the ICC.”Boucher and Kallis have had discussions on the 44-day-long tournament with Rahul Dravid, their IPL captain, and said they were excited by the opportunity.”We spoke to Venkatesh Prasad [the coach of Royal Challengers] the other day and spoke to Rahul last night,” Boucher said. “It is difficult to discuss things when we guys are competing with each other in a Test series. So we kept it formal on the field but now the chats are going on and it is exciting.”Boucher is also looking forward to meeting Virat Kohli, his team-mate and captain of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning team. “It would be nice to talk to him and may be share a few whispers about his success against South Africa in the Under-19 World Cup.”

The 12 members of New South Wales’ team of the past 150 years will be the first inductees of the state’s Hall of Fame when it is opened on Friday night. Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson, Steve Waugh and Bob Simpson will attend the event, which coincides with the Steve Waugh Medal, and the concept will be extended with two men and one woman being added each year.”Cricket NSW is delighted to introduce its own Hall of Fame,” David Gilbert, the chief executive, said. “We feel this is a fitting way to acknowledge the contributions of the great cricketers that have represented New South Wales and to recognise their achievements wearing the famous baggy blue cap.”The state’s team of the past 150 years was named in 2007 and players had to have made their first-class debut for the Blues. Only their performances for New South Wales counted so there were no spot for Glenn McGrath, who spent most of his career on international duty.The team Arthur Morris, Bob Simpson, Don Bradman, Victor Trumper, Charlie Macartney, Steve Waugh, Billy Murdoch (wk), Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson, Ray Lindwall, Charles Turner, Bill O’Reilly.