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Lou Vincent expects more corruption charges to be laid against him in the near future after the ECB took action in relation to alleged fixing in county cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2014Lou Vincent expects more corruption charges to be laid against him in the near future after the ECB took action in relation to alleged fixing in county cricket.However, Vincent has denied that he has made any plea-bargins with the ICC in connection with his recently exposed testimony which has implicated games played in a number of countries.Vincent faces 14 charges from the ECB alone in relation to a CB40 match between Sussex and Kent in 2011 and a Twenty20 match between Sussex and Lancashire in the same year.”He will work through these and the process for dealing with the charges as required by the ECB,” a statement issued by Vincent’s lawyer, Chris Morris, said. “He further confirms the charges arise from the matters he has disclosed to the authorities, and he remains accountable for his actions of the past.”The fact of the charges, and more are likely, dispel any notions of a plea bargain having been done as unfortunately appears to be wrongly suggested by others.”Sussex also released a statement about the charges on Friday.”Sussex County Cricket Club is naturally extremely disappointed with the allegations surrounding the actions of Lou Vincent and Naveed Arif Gondal,” they said. “Sussex have worked very closely and co-operated with the ECB Anti-Corruption unit to help establish the facts of what occurred in the two limited-overs matches during 2011 and will continue to do so.”We believe that the education available to players and staff and the controls that have been put in place by the ECB and the Professional Cricketers’ Association put our game in a good position as we move forward.”The CB40 match in question was previously cleared by the ICC’s Anti Corruption Unit before the ECB reopened the investigation in 2012.On Thursday, Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket, said that five county matches are under investigation but believes the problem is not engulfing the game.”It’s an enormous concern – match-fixing is potentially a cancer for any sport,” he told BBC’s . “I don’t think it’s as widespread as the recent press coverage has led us to believe. I understand five matches in England in the last six years are being investigated. It is something the ECB takes extremely seriously.”Currently there have been no charges laid against the 2008 Twenty20 match between Lancashire and Durham, which involved Vincent and during which Mal Loye, the former England batsman, has confirmed he was approach by him about fixing.

Graeme Swann has insisted there was no bullying culture within the England dressing room as claimed by Kevin Pietersen

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2014Graeme Swann has insisted there was no bullying culture within the England dressing room, as claimed by Kevin Pietersen in his autobiography, saying that the emotion shown on the field was because the players were involved in “international sport, not the Under-11s”.In his column for the , Swann said he never shouted at one of his own team-mates over a dropped catch. He acknowledged there was some truth to Pietersen’s claims that Jonathan Trott had reacted angrily during a match in Bangladesh on the 2010 tour although said Pietersen had “misinterpreted” the incident.Swann had already called Pietersen’s book a “work of fiction” and the various claims “codswallop” and did not hold back in further criticism.”There was absolutely no bullying. Sure, bowlers shout at fielders if they are out of position or not concentrating,” he said. “A bowler or wicketkeeper delivers a bit of a kick up the backside – just like a goalkeeper shouts at his centre-half. This is international sport, not the Under-11s.”If Kevin or other players can’t take a bollocking for being unprofessional, for being out of position or seemingly not trying, they are in the wrong business.”However, another version of events over how errors in the field were treated came from Ajmal Shahzad, the Nottinghamshire seamer, who played for England in 2010 and 2011 and recalled feeling under pressure to apologise for errors.”There were times when I misfielded balls, in the World Cup I dived over a ball [and] there were some senior players you just didn’t want to look at,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “You knew they were disappointed and [thought it was] a bit of a disgrace … what you’d done was really bad.”If you did something wrong it wasn’t looked kindly upon. It did feel quite bad. I remember misfielding [in Bangladesh] and didn’t want to look up because you knew you were going to get these hard looks, stern looks – and it did feel a little uncomfortable.”Time to move on – Giles

The former England coach Ashley Giles has said “everyone has to move on” amid the fallout from Kevin Pietersen’s autobiography.

Giles was close with Pietersen as a player – he gets a brief mention in the book when Pietersen writes about England’s buddy system in 2004: “My buddy was Ashley Giles. Again, still a mate.”

After the Ashes whitewash, with rumours swirling about Pietersen’s future, Giles called Pietersen a “million pound asset” although he would never have the chance to work alongside him again as coach.

“I played in the dressing room with Kev and got on very well with him, but similarly with those other guys as well,” Giles said in his first press conference as Lancashire’s new head coach. “I coached them, and I never had any major issues with any of them.

“He’d still consider himself a multi-million pound asset, I’m sure. He’s that sort of player, he’s the big show if you like. Things have unfolded, and he’s not going to play for England, by the looks of it, again. I’m sure it’s disappointing for him, and everyone has to move on.”

About the Trott incident in Bangladesh, Swann said it stemmed from a field placement and that Trott had misunderstood a signal from Matt Prior over whether he was able to dive for a ball. “So Trotty started screaming from the boundary, ‘F*** off, f*** off.’ There’s a bit of truth in the story Kevin tells but, really, he has misinterpreted it,” Swann said.Shahzad, meanwhile, added that there was often only one route to dealing with mistakes, and encouragement when things went wrong was in short supply. “There weren’t many times when someone would come up to you and say ‘don’t worry about it – that’s sport, you have ups and downs’. It was a tough environment.”Swann was also strong in condemning Pietersen’s comments about Prior, who came in for a sustained campaign in the book over his perceived role in causing dressing-room splits.”Matt is the most passionate bloke about protecting the team environment. He was the voice of the dressing room … Now Kevin has written a whole chapter assassinating him, even having a pop at him for taking his bike to New Zealand. Kevin’s attack on Matt is, dare I say it, a bit like bullying.”One of the more cryptic responses to the claims in Pietersen’s book has come from Chris Tremlett, who was part of the successful 2010-11 Ashes tour as well as the more recent whitewash. “Glad @KP24 has finally been able to give his side of the story. People can now make an informed opinion of what went on in the dressing room,” he posted on Twitter.

The World Cup has thrown up its share of embarrassing moments for the men between the posts. Here, Goal takes a look at some of the best, or worst!

Getty ImagesBarbosa | Brazil 1-2 Uruguay | 1950 Final

“Everywhere has its irremediable national catastrophe, something like a Hiroshima. Our catastrophe, our Hiroshima, was the defeat by Uruguay in 1950,” wrote renowned Brazilian author Nelson Rodrigues.

Playing in their own country, Brazil needed just to draw their final match of the final group stage to win the 1950 World Cup. Entertaining Uruguay, who had to win to steal the trophy from their South American rivals, the whole of Brazil were already in celebratory mood and expected nothing less than a comfortable victory at the Maracana.

Even the press took victory for granted, with O Mundo printing a picture of the squad with the words: ‘These are the world champions’. Brazil did start well and went ahead when Friaca scored on 46 minutes. But midway through the second half future Milan legend Juan Schiaffino equalised and what followed has since gone down in football history.

As it stood, Brazil were still set to be world champions for the first time until disaster struck and Urugauy scored again in the 79th minute. Alcides Ghiggia dribbled past Bigode before catching Barbosa out at his near post, the goalkeeper having anticipated a cross into the middle. Uruguay were World Cup winners, and the whole country of Brazil went into mourning over what became known as the Maracanazo (‘the Maracana blow’). 

Goalkeeper Barbosa became the main scapegoat for their country’s failings and was never forgiven up until his passing in 2000. “Under Brazilian law the maximum sentence is 30 years. But my imprisonment has been for 50,” he said before he passed away. Seven years earlier Barbosa had attempted to visit the Brazilian squad in training, only to be turned away for fear that he was a ‘jinx’.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesNery Pumpido | Argentina 0-1 Cameroon | 1990 Group Stages

The 1990 World Cup can only be described as a nightmare for Argentina's No.1 Nery Pumpido. In the tournament opener against outsiders Cameroon, the World Cup holders fell to a shock 1-0 defeat in Milan.

Francois Omam-Biyik towered above his man to head towards goal, but would not have expected his weak and central effort to go in. Pumpido somehow let the ball squirm through and under him as the Africans triumphed.

To make matters worse, in the next game against USSR, Pumpido broke his leg. His replacement Sergio Goycochea would go on to become a national hero after his miracles in penalty shootout wins over Yugoslavia and hosts Italy.

GettyRene Higuita | Colombia 1-2 Cameroon | 1990 Second Round

As eccentric goalkeepers go, Rene Higuita surely goes down as the most eccentric World Cup goalkeeper of all time. The Colombian became infamous during Italia ’90 for coming off his line and taking risks.

Higuita would sweep up miles outside his area, dribble past attackers, and regularly attempt nutmegs and flicks. During the second-round clash with Cameroon, this would prove to be his and Colombia’s downfall.

Deep into extra time, with the score still goalless, Higuita attempted to turn past the legendary Roger Milla close to the halfway line. The 38-year-old tackled him, though, and then dispatched the ball into an open net. Cameroon progressed to the next round, and Higuita was the villain.

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GettyPat Bonner | Republic of Ireland 0-2 Netherlands | 1994 Second Round

Ireland had scraped through from that tournament's ‘Group of Death’ mainly thanks to their now famous opening victory over Arrigo Sacchi’s eventual runners-up Italy.

In the second round Jack Charlton’s men faced Holland in Orlando, but two big defensive errors would cost them as the Dutch ran out 2-0 winners. For their second, goalkeeper Pat Bonner allowed a 30-yard strike from Wim Jonk to go through his hands and into the net.

Shane Jurgensen has said that his resignation as Bangladesh coach was well thought out, and not an emotional one

Mohammad Isam01-May-2014Shane Jurgensen has said that his resignation as Bangladesh coach was well thought out, and not an emotional one. He arrived in Dhaka on Thursday, three days after informing the BCB of his decision to quit.”I won’t be able to comment since I want to talk to the BCB first in a couple of days’ time. But it was not an emotional decision. A serious decision like that is not emotional at all,” Jurgensen told reporters at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.”The people who know me quite well will know it will have to be a build of a number of things over a period of time. I have looked at my life in general, with my wife and kids. I took a step back, and have a think about a lot of different things.”In his letter to the BCB, Jurgensen said he was irked by recent comments in the media by some board directors who have talked about looking for a batting-oriented coach. He has set his sights on the upcoming ODI series against India, scheduled for June, after he has discussed the resignation with BCB officials over the next few days. But he refused to comment on ending his role with Bangladesh.”What is important now is to meet some people I have worked with. I want to talk through the issues. For me the priority is to sort out the ODI series against India, so that’s what I am looking at,” he said.BCB’s cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan had termed Jurgensen’s decision an emotional one. Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim hoped that Jurgensen would reverse his decision.

David Warner will miss Australia’s one-day tour of Zimbabwe in August and September as he and fiancée Candice Falzon prepare for the birth of their first child

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2014David Warner will miss Australia’s one-day tour of Zimbabwe in August and September as he and fiancée Candice Falzon prepare for the birth of their first child.Warner is currently in India for the IPL and after a home Ashes series, a tour of South Africa and a World T20 in Bangladesh, he wrote in a column for his website that his “batteries are slowly draining”. As a result, Warner will enjoy the extra time at home when the team flies out for the tri-series with Zimbabwe and South Africa, although it will be a busy time as he prepares to become a father.”Candice and I have our baby coming in September, so it’s fantastic to be able to have that time off,” Warner wrote. “Since Darren Lehmann came on board as coach he’s told us all that family comes first, and that’s a big thing because we’re on the road for a long time. So that any time a major personal matter crops up – whether it’s a family member being sick, getting married or having a baby – the exemption is there for you.”With the World Cup coming up next year and the fact that it’s an ODI tri-series in Zimbabwe, I would normally immediately put my hand up for selection. That’s because playing for Australia is what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a youngster and you never want to miss an opportunity.But that’s what happens in life – you settle down, you get married and you have children.”Lehmann said Cricket Australia backed Warner’s decision to skip the tour. “We are 100% supportive of David choosing to stay home and await the birth of his first baby,” Lehmann said. “It is an important time in anyone’s life and I am a firm believer that family comes first.”The tri-series is Australia’s first international engagement after a rare winter without touring duties. Their series begins with a match against Zimbabwe in Harare on August 25 and ends in early September. Warner’s focus will be to be ready for Australia’s series against Pakistan in the UAE in October.

Hashmatullah Shaidi contributed with bat and in the field to help Afghanistan Under-19s put in an improved performance against Pakistan Under-19s, in the second youth ODI in Lahore

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHashmatullah Shaidi contributed with bat and in the field to help Afghanistan Under-19s put in an improved performance against Pakistan Under-19s, in the second youth ODI in Lahore. However, it was not enough to prevent Afghanistan from falling to a 17-run loss in the 45-overs-a-side game and Pakistan from sealing the three-match series 2-0 with one to play.Afghanistan chose to bowl and Pakistan were anchored early on, once again, by captain Sami Aslam. Aslam scored 71 – his sixth score of over 70 in ten youth limited-overs games – off 86 balls, with six fours and three sixes. He eventually fell to the offspin of Shaidi, but had set the platform for Pakistan to push on to a commanding score – they were 199 for 4 after 40. However, left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman struck twice in the 41st over and medium-pacer Abdullah Adil did the same in the 42nd to ensure Pakistan were kept to 238 for 9.That Afghanistan got so close to their target was down to a half-century from Shaidi. Like Aslam, he anchored the innings, with 82 off 112 balls. Usman Ghani and captain Nasir Ahmadzai played the supporting roles with brisk 40s, ensuring Afghanistan were in the game till the last couple of overs. It wasn’t enough in the end though.

The 3-0 win was just reward for their ability to turn corners, even in the direst situations as they showed in the first two ODIs

The Report by Mohammad Isam22-Feb-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kusal Perera made sure Sri Lanka didn’t feel the absence of their three most experienced batsmen•AFPWith Sri Lanka missing their three senior batsmen, the dead rubber was supposed to be a big test for the younger set. They came through, with Kusal Perera hitting his maiden international century and Dinesh Chandimal finding form to guide Sri Lanka home and complete the 3-0 whitewash.There was disbelief at Kusal’s strike-rate when he reached his third ODI fifty at the end of the 25th over. Sri Lanka still needed 138 runs at the halfway mark and Kusal was hitting at 62.50, when his career strike-rate is 86.15. But it didn’t take long for him to pick up the pace. He found two bowlers, Sohag Gazi and Shafiul Islam, to attack whenever the required run-rate needed a lift and raced to his maiden century.His strike-rate was at a healthy 84.74, having blasted his last 56 runs off 44 balls. His increased scoring rate coincided with Sri Lanka turning the corner in their 241-run chase. The 3-0 win was just reward for their ability to turn corners, even in the direst situations as they showed in the first two ODIs.Kusal dictated the course of the chase, batting with circumspection when Sri Lanka needed. He saw Lahiru Thirimanne fall in the eleventh over to a soft dismissal, before Kithuruwan Vithanage, promoted to No 3 in place of Kumar Sangakkara, missed a slog-sweep in the 17th over.Kusal’s partnership for the fourth wicket was worth 138 and effectively decided the fate of the game. Chandimal worked his way through singles and twos to reach his fifty in the 36th over, and soon, Kusal moved from 93 to 99 with a six off Sohag Gazi, and immediately reached three figures with a single.The change in momentum perhaps came in the 32nd over when the pair took 13 runs off Gazi, and followed it up with 14 off Shafiul. The required run-rate dropped well below five and by the time Rubel Hossain removed both batsmen in consecutive overs, it was far too late.This has been the theme of the series for the home side, not taking wickets when most required and dropping catches. They dropped one today. With the bat too, there was hardly any extra pressure applied on the Sri Lankan bowlers.Apart from Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah, the other five Bangladesh batsmen failed to get going after starting off well. Shamsur Rahman gave a simple catch to deep square leg, falling to Dhammika Prasad’s short-ball trap after making 25 off 44.Mominul Haque was run out after batting impressively to reach 60, his maiden ODI fifty. There was definite two in that tap from Mushfiqur Rahim towards the leg-side field but Kithuruwan Vithanage’s direct hit caught him short after turning slowly for the second run.Mushfiqur gave an easy catch to point, after which Naeem holed out to mid-off, Mahmudullah to long-on and Nasir Hossain at midwicket (off a full-toss). Sohag Gazi blasted three sixes, which helped the score to move to 240.Prasad, playing his first ODI in nearly two years, and Suranga Lakmal were the pick of the bowlers, taking three and two wickets respectively. Prasad used his bounce well, accounting for Anamul behind the wicket and later Shamsur and Mushfiqur. Lakmal removed Mahmudullah and Nasir in the 45th over, after two tight spells, ending up conceding just 24 off 10 overs.Bangladesh had to function without regular runs from both openers in the same match, while Mahmudullah continued his terrible run by getting out for five, after making a duck and one in the last two games. Nasir, Mushfiqur, Shamsur and Mominul also couldn’t kick on, giving the team management a selection headache ahead of the Asia Cup.Sri Lanka have a few things to worry about, and will be expected to be on top of conditions and pitches here in Bangladesh, having won five matches in a row since February 12.

Warwickshire have stepped up their efforts to strengthen their fast-bowling resources by signing Richard Jones from Worcestershire on a one-year contract.

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2013Warwickshire have stepped up their efforts to strengthen their fast-bowling resources by signing Richard Jones from Worcestershire on a one-year contract.Jones joined Warwickshire on loan in August last season, but suffered the misfortune of getting injured in his first net session at Edgbaston.He made his debut for Worcestershire in 2007 and has gone on to make 41 first-class, nine List A and six T20 appearances for his home county. He has strong West Midlands connections: born in Stourbridge, he has also played for Old Hill in the Birmingham League.Dougie Brown, Warwickshire’s coach, has seen enough to believe that his bowling coach Graeme Welch can draw from Jones the same sort of improvement he has gained from the likes of Chris Wright, who was transformed after his move from Essex. The signing of Oliver Hannon-Dalby from Yorkshire before the start of last season proved less successful.Brown said: “Richard is an exciting prospect and is a very good addition to our squad. His arrival will create even more competition for places amongst a very strong bowling line-up. He settled in to the squad very well when he joined on trial in August, and Graeme Welch and I are looking forward to working with him ahead of the new season.”

Afsar Zazai, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman, and 18-year-old batsman Usman Ghani have been picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2015 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2014Afsar Zazai, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman, and 18-year-old batsman Usman Ghani have been picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2015 World Cup, the side’s maiden appearance at the tournament. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shafiqullah has been named among the four standbys for the squad, which will be led by captain Mohammad Nabi.Zazai had made his ODI debut for Afganistan in the recent four-match series against UAE where he kept wicket in all games, even with Shafiqullah in the XI. Ghani, who also made his debut earlier this year, has scored 316 ODI runs, including a century against Zimbabwe in July, one of two Afghanistan batsmen to score ODI centuries in 2014.Mohammad Shahzad, the experienced keeper-batsman, is not part of the squad. Shahzad has not played an ODI since the Asia Cup in March.Afghanistan’s World Cup squad

Mohammad Nabi (captain), Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani
Standby: Shafiqullah (wk),Sharafuddin Ashraf,Izatullah Dawlatzai, Hashmatullah Shaidi.

Afghanistan have opted for four pacers in the 15-member squad, with Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam and Hamid Hassan. The main squad has no specialist spinners and part-timers Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari and Javed Ahmadi will be expected to pitch in. Apart from Shafiqullah, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Izatullah Dawlatzai and Hashmatullah Shaidi have been named as standbys.The selection meeting of the Afghanistan Cricket Board was conducted over two days and coach Andy Moles said there had been long discussions over the final 15.Moles said that the players who had missed out on selection had been given reasons for the decision: “For the players who are not part of the list, the committee has already given them strong reasons for that. They are also given suggestions to work on the areas where they lack or struggle.”

Former India bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath stressed that Zaheer Khan’s form will be crucial to India’s chances of doing well in the Test series against South Africa, which starts on December 18

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2013Former India bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath stressed that Zaheer Khan’s form will be crucial to India’s chances of doing well in the Test series against South Africa, which starts on December 18. Zaheer, who last played a Test for India against England in December 2012, was picked for the tour of South Africa and is the most experienced bowler in a pace attack comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.”Zaheer will be the leader,” Kumble told . “He will get reverse (swing) as well. [I] Just hope he bowls at his usual speed. He shouldn’t drop his pace, shouldn’t bowl within himself. It would be good if he can knock a few wickets upfront.”According to Srinath, Zaheer’s effectiveness would depend on him bowling the right spells. “Strength and energy will be critical to Zaheer. As for line, length and strategies, he is a master at that,” Srinath said to the newspaper. “It boils down to his core strength and [about] him coming in for the right spells and sustaining that energy. Another core area for Zaheer is the way he guides the other bowlers.”Zaheer is fourth on the list of leading wicket-takers in South Africa, behind Kumble, Srinath and Sreesanth. In six Tests, Zaheer has 23 wickets at an average of 32.52.Kumble, the most successful Indian bowler in South Africa – with 45 wickets in 12 games – said that the spinners would have to deal with the challenge of additional bounce on the pitches and a softer, used ball.”It does not spin much but you do get bounce from the surface,” Kumble said. “The spinners have to take that into account when they set the field. The ball tends to get soft after 20 overs, so the spinners need to handle that in the middle overs. Between the grounds, there is not much at Johannesburg but Durban does a bit more. And if the game goes to the fourth and fifth day, the spinners will have a role.”Kumble added that R Ashwin, India’s frontline spinner on his first tour to South Africa, could exploit the rough patches created by the follow-throughs of the pacers: “I enjoyed bowling there, bowling into the rough especially against a left-handed batsman. With Zaheer and hopefully (Lonwabo) Tsotsobe bowling (both being left-arm seamers), there will be a rough that Ashwin can exploit.”Both bowlers stressed that the Indian attack would have to get their lengths right, instead of merely relying on the bounce.”The length has to be neither forward nor backward,” Kumble said. “It has to be a length where after pitching, the height of the ball should be able to hit the knee roll of the pad and if the batsman snicks it, there is enough carry for the catch to be taken. You can’t just release the ball, even if there is swing you need to hit the deck hard.”