Birmingham, May 30
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday refused to cast off the gag the BCCI has clamped on him in all matters pertaining to the spot-fixing scandal, except to say that some players are “slightly mentally weak” compared to others.

Addressing a press conference in Birmingham ahead of the Champions Trophy, he made it clear that he would not answer questions relating to the recent controversies, but said he would definitely speak at the “right time.”

An ICC official reminded the journalists that the interaction should be limited to the Champions Trophy, much like the Indian team media manager’s intervention during the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Dhoni had come under severe attack from the media and commentators for refusing to answer questions at the Mumbai interaction. “If I have not answered Indian journalists, there is no reason why I should answer you. At the right time (I will speak),” he answered to a question on the spot-fixing scandal.

Asked if the Champions Trophy is an opportunity to “restore the reputation” of Indian cricket, Dhoni said, “It is not that the reputation has gone. If I go ahead to explain that I would rather answer his question also. When the right time comes, I will answer it. As of now, I don’t think we have lost the opportunity because whatever the set up is thought out in the world or any sport, still you have some people who would be slightly mentally weak as compared to some of the others. I would have loved to elaborate but at the right time I will do it,” he said.

When pressed further on the issue, Dhoni said “well, you are just forcing me to answer but definitely when the time comes I will answer.” On being asked if India won the Champions Cup, would that restore the faith of Indian fans, Dhoni replied, “Well, I know one thing I am a person who lives in the present, I don’t really believe in imagining. I believe in doing the stuff right.” When pressed to expand on the above, the Indian skipper stated, “You are just forcing me to answer a few things but definitely when the time comes I will answer that. Just want to keep our side away from everything as of now.”

The Indian skipper also added that the new ODI rules and the conditions in England will force India to go in with five specialist bowlers in the upcoming Champions Cup. Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckons all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will play a key role.

“Conditions are very different compared to sub-continent. We have to look at the composition of the side and see what kind of bowlers we use but the conditions and the new rule forces us to play with five bowlers”, Dhoni said. “Jadeja gives us the balance that we really need. He is a great asset to have with his 10 overs of spin bowling and batting down the order,” Dhoni said.

“We are hoping Jadeja fires or else we have a few others,” he added. Rohit Sharma was promoted to open the innings during the ODI series against England at home but the skipper indicated that Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan will start off in the tournament.

“It’s good to have Shikhar and Vijay back in the side. They both scored runs in Test matches against a good side. Vijay had a decent T20-League whereas Shikhar did well after coming back from injury. It’s always better to start off with two proper openers. Rohit will be the back-up option while I consider Dinesh as a specialist middle-order batsman,” he explained. — PTI

Mumbai, May 30
BCCI Treasurer Ajay Shirke on Thursday said that he would quit if he were in Srinivasan's position. Shirke is mulling resigning his post because of the manner in which the board has handled the situation. “I will wait and see for the time being. If the board continues to ignore what I consider is primary responsibility, I will find it difficult for myself to be associated with it," Shirke said. “It is an evolving situation, so I will wait and see.

“A few days, maybe within a week, I will make up my mind. If there's going to be more and more room for fingers to be pointed away, I will have to take a call. That doesn't mean I will run away from fulfilling my responsibilities, but and I cannot let my personal reputation and credibility be tarnished. That for me stands above everything else." “I am not satisfied. Normally whenever there's a crisis we call for a (working committee) meeting," Shirke said. "And we have had many such crises - of sponsors pulling out, or of an IPL franchise being disbanded. On every such occasion, the president calls for a meeting, and the issue is discussed in great detail by every member of the working committee. That has been the prevalent way.

“Even when the players were arrested, there was an emergent meeting. Then we had a follow-up meeting in Chennai. Then the president came up to the media and explained all the measures that had been taken. After this, there hasn't been anything on this issue. “If I was Srinivasan and my son-in-law was arrested, I would have stepped aside till the internal probe was over." — Agencies

New Delhi, May 30
Ridiculing the IPL for turning cricketers into a bunch of avaricious people, World Cup winning Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga today said that the cash-rich T20 league has given Indian cricket nothing but disrepute.

“I am not surprised with the current spot-fixing and betting scandal in IPL. It has been happening from the beginning. Each and every season had issues like betting, fixing, alcohol, drugs. I think IPL never gave anything to Indian cricket. Indian cricket has never got such bad name in world cricket,” Ranatunga said from Colombo.

Ranatunga said it pained him to see that some of the former greats are backing the event just because they too are getting monetary benefits out of it.

“I feel hurt that past greats are trying to cover up as they are earning money through it. There are only a few like Erapalli Prasanna who have criticised it,” he said without naming the greats. He also said not only Indian but world cricket is getting affected by it.

“It is making cricketers greedy. Everyone wants to play IPL now and the focus has been shifted. I don’t understand that what is the need of such a league. What has Indian cricket gained from it. It is spoiling players. I don’t remember any world class player produced from IPL,” he said.

“India will not get Tendulkars, Dravids or Gavaskars from IPL. BCCI’s domestic structure is good enough to produce good cricketers, so what is the need of this league,” he said. Ranatunga also said that the IPL was always under radar for corruption and former ICC Anti Corruption chief sir Paul Condon had indicated this in the first season itself. “Paul Condon had given a document to the ICC Board regarding fixing in IPL in 2008 in which he had warned that the IPL pose a great threat of corruption,” said the former captain. He said the BCCI should have acted at that time only If they were keen to stop corruption. “It should have acted then only. It has formed its own Anti Corruption Unit and we have seen issues in each season of IPL,” he said. When asked about the reports that some Indian bookies are benami owners of franchises in the Sri Lanka Premier League, he said that there should be a proper probe. “I have seen such reports. I was totally against having such a league which brings unwanted things in cricket. If there are any proof in these reports, there should be a proper probe.” — PTI

Kolkata, May 30
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is unlikely to join the anti-N Srinivasan camp in the BCCI if Sharad Pawar is the leader of the opposition faction, informed senior influential office-bearers.

The Jagmohan Dalmiya-led association is in no mood to call for the controversial Board president’s head as the association’s long-standing differences with Pawar are stopping it from joining any alliance.

“There is still a strong feeling in CAB that Pawar as ICC president didn’t do enough to ensure that CAB could retain the India versus England game at Eden Gardens in 2011 World Cup. There was one association whose work was also incomplete but they got an extension. That was a blow for CAB and we still hold Pawar responsible for that,” an office bearer informed.

In fact, the CAB’s acrimonious relationship with Pawar dates back to 2004-05 when Dalmiya and Pawar fought two of the most bitter elections in the history of BCCI. In 2004, Dalmiya’s casting vote helped his candidate Ranbir Mahendra beat Pawar by a solitary vote. Pawar came back with vengeance and beat Mahendra 21-10 the very next year and also played an active role in dethroning Dalmiya from the state association.

“Obviously Dalmiya hasn’t forgotten the humiliation meted out to him post 2005 AGM. If Shashank Manohar leads a like-minded bunch, the CAB top brass might contemplate thinking otherwise. As long as Pawar is the face of anti-Srinivasan campaign, we are not a part of it,” the official added. — Agencies

Vadodra, May 30
BCCI President N Srinivasan will eventually have to step down as the choice before him is to go out honourably or exit unceremoniously in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scandal, former Board Secretary Jaywant Lele said today.

“Mr Srinivasan has no option except to resign on moral grounds. It’s his responsibility to resign. He has no right to continue,” Lele said from Vadodara.

Though the BCCI chief has dug in his heels, saying repeatedly that he personally has done nothing wrong and the entire Board supports him, pressure has been mounting on him to quit from within and outside, including the Sports Ministry. “If he resigns he will go out honourably and if he does not he will have to go out unceremoniously,” said Lele. The ex-Secretary said all BCCI needs is that 10 full members of the Board should make a written submission to convene a Special General Meeting with one point agenda (removal of Srinivasan). “As per the BCCI constitution, at least ten full members have to requisition it and he would then have no option but to convene it (the meeting),” said Lele, when it was pointed out that the President seems to possess the powers to stall such a meet. To impeach the BCCI chief, a 3/4th majority of the full members present and voting is needed.

The BCCI has 30 full members comprising 7 units from North Zone, 6 each from South, East and West and 5 from Central. The Board also has three associate and as many affiliate members, but they have no voting power. The Chairman of the meeting has one casting vote at his disposal. — PTI 

New Delhi, May 30
The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the central government, the Indian cricket board and Sony entertainment channel on a petition alleging that the IPL platform was being used for “promoting liquor brands” and blatantly aired by the TV channel.

A division bench of Chief Justice D. Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath sought response in this regard from the union home ministry, the BCCI and Sony entertainment channel and also asked the Delhi government’s excise department to file a response by Aug 14.

The PIL, filed by advocate Asif Khan Wednesday, said the central government had allowed airing of the cricket event wherein a blatant abuse of the platform is being adopted to promote liquor of various brands and companies in complete violation of the Cable Television Networks Act and the Rules.

The central government has failed to discharge its duties to ensure that such violations are curbed, it said. Sony, which had the exclusive rights to telecast all the IPL matches has “violated the provisions of the law by telecasting such matches which promote or advertise directly, indirectly or by surrogate manner various brands of alcohol”, the plea submitted.

The PIL alleged that the promotion of liquor brands were being promoted under the garb of cricket and various evils in the society are being allowed to survive openly. “Even the jerseys of players, umpires coats and caps, hoardings, back screens and boundary walls, all bear a clear and unambiguous promotion and advertisement of brands of alcohol and it is surprising that such open advertisements has gone unnoticed.” — IANS

Dhaka, May 30
The International Cricket Council is probing allegations of match-fixing in Bangladeshi cricket with former national captain Mohammad Ashraful among those being questioned, local officials said on Thursday.

ICC anti-corruption inspectors were investigating allegations of wrongdoing during a match in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a spokesman for the Bangladesh Cricket Board said.

“The allegations involve a match between Dhaka Gladiators and Chittagong Kings in the second edition of the BPL,” spokesman Jalal Yunus told AFP. The allegations are the latest to hit Bangladeshi cricket including the BPL, which was launched in 2012 in emulation of India’s lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

Indian cricket is embroiled in its own scandal involving alleged betting and spot-fixing during the just-finished Indian T20 League season, with the arrest this month of three players and scores of bookmakers. Cricket’s world governing body confirmed that a probe by its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) was under way in Bangladesh. “The ACSU is looking into allegations about the Bangladesh Premier League,” an ICC spokesman told AFP. “As the investigations are ongoing and to ensure the process is not jeopardised, we cannot share any further details at this stage,” he said.

Local media reported that 28-year-old Gladiators star Ashraful was allegedly paid about one million taka ($12,800) to lose the February 2 match, but the cheque he was given later bounced.

The big-hitting batsman was also allegedly involved in fixing another match 10 days later, against the Barisal Burners, which his team lost by seven wickets, the reports by English-language daily New Age and several Bengali newspapers said. Ashraful, who became the country’s youngest Test centurion in 2001 at the age of 17 and captained Bangladesh between 2007 and 2009, confirmed, in brief comments to one local newspaper, that he had spoken with investigators.

“The matter is under ACSU investigation. They called me. I answered what they wanted to know,” the talented right-hander, who carried his country’s hopes in its early years after gaining Test status, was quoted in the Samakal newspaper as saying. Ashraful could not be reached for comment by AFP. The owner of the club, Salim Chowdhury, has strongly denied any wrongdoing. ACSU inspectors were expected to submit a report on their investigation to the BCB “very shortly”, Yunus said. “After receiving the report from ACSU we’ll act in line with the BCB’s anti-corruption code of conduct,” he said. The BCB hired the ICC officials at a cost of 20 million taka ($255,000) to monitor the second edition of the BPL that concluded in February, Ismail Haider Mallick, the BPL secretary and a BCB official, told AFP. The probe in Bangladesh comes after the BCB banned indefinitely ex-international spinner Shariful Haque in September after an inquiry found him guilty of spot-fixing during the first edition of the BPL.

A Pakistani national was also arrested on separate spot-fixing charges last year. In March the BCB banned international umpire Nadir Shah for 10 years after a sting operation by an Indian TV channel found him apparently willing to fix matches for cash. — Agencies

Johannesburg, May 30
The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee has warned cricket-playing countries that they could risk losing their Test status unless they played a ‘minimum number of Test matches over a four-year period’.

According to a statement, the committee, chaired by former India captain Anil Kumble and featuring former England skipper Andrew Strauss, was concerned by several recent examples of Test matches being postponed to make way for one-day games.

The statement further said that the committee recommended that all Test playing members should be required to play a minimum number of Test matches over a four-year period in order to maintain their Test status.

Although the committee approved of all the three formats of the game, the statement said that it repeated its support for the strategy of ensuring an optimum balance and a clear differentiation between the three formats, and stressed for the need to ensure that Test cricket, needed support if it was to retain its place at the pinnacle.

The committee also stated that it supported proposals for a World Test Championship, saying that it also backed the concept of a Test play-off to determine the qualifiers for this event.

The report further said that although Test encounters such as the Ashes between England and Australia remain popular with spectators, other five-day games remain a difficult sell with many fans unable or unwilling to attend. ICC’s cricket committee recently hit the headlines when Australia’s Tim May, chief executive of The FICA, was replaced as a players’ representative on the ICC cricket committee by India’s Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, the report added. — ANI

Paris, May 30
Grigor Dimitrov geared up for his third-round clash with world number one Novak Djokovic with a 6-1 7-6 (4) 6-1 dismissal of French teenager Lucas Pouille in the French Open second round on Thursday.

The Bulgarian 26th seed, who beat Djokovic in the second round of the Madrid claycourt Masters earlier this month, had too much in store for his opponent, who bowed out after sending a forehand into the net. Dimitrov, 22, had done most of the job before the first of two rain interruptions. He finished it off in ruthless style, moving Pouille left and right with great authority.

Novak Djokovic himself was in supreme form as he whipped Aregentina’s Guido Pella 6-2 6-0 6-2 in the second round later in the day.

The world number one had the stronger weapons and pushed his opponent on to the back foot with his superior courtcraft in a match that lasted just one hour and 26 minutes after being delayed by rain and then halted again when the downpours returned. After the players traded blows at the start of the match, Djokovic won 11 games in a row, taking the first and second sets.

The crowd rose in unison to applaud the 101st-ranked Pella when he won a game in the second game of the third set but it was a short-lived reprieve as the Serb closed the match out.

China’s only grand slam singles champion Li Na was bundled out of the French Open by American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, losing a rain-interrupted match 5-7 6-3 6-2.

Sixth seed Li, who became a flagbearer for Asian tennis in 2011 when she won the French Open, edged the first set but after two lengthy rain breaks her game fell apart.

Mattek-Sands, wearing knee-high black socks, resumed after the second interruption 4-3 ahead in the second set and then reeled off seven games in a row. With rain still falling and play stopped on many other courts the 66th-ranked American held her nerve and sealed victory when her opponent netted a forehand. Former women’s runner-up Samantha Stosur reached the third round with a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic. The Australian next faces 18th seed Jelena Jankovic in a repeat of their 2010 semifinal. — Reuters

Madrid, May 30
Popular former France defender Eric Abidal fought back tears on Thursday as he announced he would be ending his six-year spell with Barcelona when his contract expires at the end of the season.

“I would have liked to have stayed and played on at Barcelona but the club saw it differently and I have to respect their decision,” he told a news conference. “I am going but I will surely return.”

The 33-year-old left back, who fought his way back into the squad after having a liver transplant last year, was joined by club president Sandro Rosell and sports director Andoni Zubizarreta who praised him for his bravery in adversity. “He has won our hearts because you can never write him off. He has had the strength to overcome all types of difficulties; he has taught us life lessons we will never forget. We are not saying goodbye, only ‘until we meet again’. When he wants to hang up his boots Barca will open their doors for him to come back and be technical director of the youth academy,” Rosell said. Abidal joined Barca from Olympique Lyon in 2007 and during that time they won four La Liga titles, two Champions League crowns and two King’s Cups. — Reuters

Paris, May 30
Roger Federer, after beating India’s Somdev Devvarman in less than 90 minutes, said that he’s “playing OK”. Which is something of an understatement, for Federer has dropped 11 games in six sets so far. “I think I’m playing OK,” Federer said, and added: “Definitely think the next match is going to be sort of the big test for me, to see exactly where I stand.”

Devvarman said he felt quite helpless against the world No. 2. “I felt like I was playing wheelchair tennis and he was just playing on a PlayStation,” he said.

“You obviously know he’s capable of doing certain things, and you try and make life as tough for him as possible,” said Devvarman. “In my case today, I didn’t execute. And sometimes even when I did, I feel like he came up with the better shot.”

“Nobody out there is excited to see Roger on the other side of the net,” Devvarman added. “You feel like he can really hurt you from any part of the court.”

“Whenever I felt I was ahead in the point, he hit a big slice or a forehand that you don’t see coming and the next thing you know you are back on neutral terms,” India’s top singles player added.

“Then the guy’s offense is probably the best in the game and he has no holes. His record speaks for itself and I don’t think I have to boast for him,” he added. — Agencies

BRIEFLY

Ritu Rani to lead at World League hockey
New Delhi: Mid-fielder and ace scorer Ritu Rani, with 150 international caps to her credit, will lead the women’s team in the FIH Women’s Hockey World League Round-3 (semi-finals), to be played at Rotterdam (Holland), from June 13 to 23. Another midfielder, Chanchan Devi, will be the vice-captain.Hockey India selectors Col. Balbir Singh, B P Govinda, Director of High Performance Roelant Oltmans and chief coach Neil Hawgood, along with Government observer Harbinder Singh, selected the 18-member team after trials on May 17. The senior women team camp is currently underway at NIS, Patiala as the final preparations for the World League. The team will depart for Rotterdam on June 5, with India playing their opening match against New Zealand on June 13.The Indian eves qualified for the FIH Women World League Round-3 in February this year by winning the World League Round-2 tournament in Delhi. The FIH World League is a qualification tournament for the FIH Women’s World Cup 2014, to be played in The Hague (Holland), from May 31 May to June 14.

Lifters bag 7 more medals
New Delhi: Indian weightlifters continued to shine at the 15th Asian youth championships by bagging seven medals, including two golds, on the third day in Doha on Thursday. Sambo Lapung clinched two gold medals and one silver in the boys’ 69kg category.He bagged the silver in snatch (119kg) before winning a gold each in clean and jerk (114kg) and total lift (263kg). In the girls’ 53kg category, Joti Mal clinched a bronze each in snatch (66kg) and total lift (153kg). She also won the silver in clean and jerk (87kg). In the girls’ 58kg category, Sagolsem Thasana Chanu won a bronze in snatch (66kg). India now has 24 medals — 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze — after the third day of the Championship. — PTI