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ipl mess
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Well, it’s Max again!
Fabrace resigns as Sri Lanka coach, set for England role
Man United show Moyes the door
Solanki loses, but gets another shot to qualify for Youth Olympics
Barcelona Open: Som loses in first round
Somdev Devvarman lost 2-6 4-6 to Martin Klizan in the first round of Barcelona Open on Tuesday. File photo
Schumi sued over pre-coma road accident in Spain
Walker Neena improves her national youth record
Sonnet chase down 306 runs to stun RCA
champions league
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SC wants Mudgal panel back on IPL trail
Legal Correspondent
new delhi, April 22 A Bench headed by Justice AK Patnaik said the three-member panel, which included Additional Solicitor General L Nageswara Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, would be assisted by investigating agencies, if Justice Mudgal was willing to accept its offer. According to reports, Justice Mudgal is said to have told a TV channel that he was ready to take up the responsibility. It was the Mudgal panel which had suggested further probe into the matter in its report to the Supreme Coutr in February. The panel had given a confidential report to the Supreme Court after talking to several players and officials. In the report it had suggested that a further inquiry was required against 13 players and officials, including Srinivasan, to ascertain their role in the scandal. With the Supreme Court wanting the Mudgal panel back on the job, the BCCI probe panel, comprising Ravi Shastri, former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice JN Patel and ex-CBI Director RK Raghavan, won’t see the light of the day. The Supreme Court would hear the case again on April 29 and appoint the probe panel, subject to the consent of Justice Mudgal. The Bench, however, accepted the plea of Srinivasan and the BCCI for hearing the audio-recording of the statements given by him, MS Dhoni and Sundar Raman, IPL’s Chief Operating Officer, to the Mudgal panel. The court, however, said that the contents of the tapes should not be shared with others in the interest of the game. In its report, the panel had suggested the setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the CBI or the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and enactment of a national law to deal with match fixing, particularly in the IPL, by terrorists and hawala operators and the threat to national security arising from it. The Bench, however, expressed its reservation against handing over the case to the CBI or the police in order protect the BCCI’s institutional integrity.
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It’s about interests, no matter how conflicting
New Delhi, April 22 Conflict of interest is typically defined thus: "A situation that has the potential to undermine the impartiality of a person because of the possibility of a clash between the person's self-interest and professional interest or public interest." Cricketers who finish playing the game, typically in the mid to late 30s, gravitate towards the sport they've played and loved. Most commonly, they become commentators, match officials (umpires, referees), officials in state associations or the BCCI, or coaches. In all these roles, for their professional — and, consequently, economical — advancement, they can't afford to antagonise the bigwigs of the BCCI. You think of any big player of the recent past and you find that they're ineligible to be impartial about the BCCI or its officials because they directly or indirectly benefit monetarily from the BCCI or its offshoots like the IPL. Sachin Tendulkar works with an IPL team, Mumbai Indians; Rahul Dravid does the same with Rajasthan Royals. Anil Kumble is with Mumbai Indians, and also runs a player management company, and has been the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. VVS Laxman is the mentor of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sourav Ganguly is a commentator. These are the all-time greats belonging to India's golden generation of the 1990s-2000s. Going further back, you find that Sunil Gavaskar is a commentator who depends on the BCCI's goodwill to survive in that role. Kapil Dev has become a commentator. Dilip Vengsarkar was a paid selector, as was Mohinder Amarnath. Ravi Shastri is a paid employee of the BCCI. Sandeep Patil was the chief selector, and a coach at one point of time. Roger Binny is a selector. K Srikkanth was the chief selector and, unforgivably, also the brand ambassador of Chennai Super Kings, whose team members were available for India selection. All these greatest, great, and not so great players are busy making money. Only a hypocrite would blame them for doing it. But the point is that they no longer remain impartial observers of the game. Then there are numerous cricketers who are elected officials in the BCCI/state associations. Some are part of different committees, some are given sops like touring across the world as the manager of the Indian team. In the capital on Tuesday, a question was put to former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad (who was himself contracted with Royal Challengers Bangalore) as to why someone like Sachin Tendulkar should not be part of the probe panel to investigate the IPL match-fixing and betting scandal. "I would be fantastic if it happens because if there is Sachin, or for that matter Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble in the panel, these are real men of steel," Prasad said. "They have played cricket for close to two decades and that's not easy. It needs a lot of integrity and passion. It's good for everyone if they are taken on board (by the BCCI). But, then it's up to the board and the committee." But then, would these all-time greats give up their contracts with different IPL teams, exit the system and then make efforts to clean up the system? Exactly what is the value of their comments when they say that they are "giving something back to the game" when, in fact, they're only getting fabulously richer? Even a current player like India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is under a cloud for he's a vice-president of India Cements, of which N Srinivasan is the majority stake-holder. Last year, it was reported that Dhoni had owned a 15 per cent stake in a sports marketing firm — Rhiti Sports — that managed him and four other cricketers. Then there's another conflict of interest which no former cricketer who has played at least a certain number of first-class matches can escape. All of them are paid post-retirement pensions by the BCCI, apart from occasional bonus funds. These bonuses can be very big. For instance, in 2012 the BCCI paid out Rs 70 crore to 160 former players. The payments ranged from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore per player. This is serious money. No one will want to risk losing this sort of money by being too forthright in his criticism of the BCCI. Thus hope lies in the Supreme Court, to ensure that a clean-up ensues. Modi grins on Mudgal panel probe
Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi today welcomed Supreme Court's decision, hoping that it will “blow the lid” on corruption.”Good to see the honourable Supreme Court taking the right direction by appointing Justice Mudgal to go forward and finish the investigation,” Modi tweeted. “Let’s know Justice Mudgal is thorough in his work. I am sure he will blow the lid on this farce. Justice at last,” read his next tweet.”If the BCCI has nothing to hide then why didn't they propose a fair and unbiased panel. The BCCI has made no effort to clean up the mess; all members backing Srinivasan are also guilty by association,” his series of tweets read. |
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dubai, April 22 After scoring 95 and 89 in his last two innings, Maxwell once again produced a devastating knock, which was studded with nine sixes and five fours as Punjab posted an imposing 193 for six in their stipulated 20 overs. George Bailey's men then came up with a clinical bowling display to dismiss Hyderabad for 121 with four balls to spare. This is Punjab’s third straight win in the tournament. Maxwell, who was dropped by David Warner off Karn Sharma in the 10th over before Darren Sammy had him caught off a no-ball in the 15th over, shared a 68-run stand off 27 balls with David Miller for the third wicket. He also added 35 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara and 25 runs with skipper Bailey. Seam bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji returned with incredible figures of 4-0-13-4, while Mitchell Johnson (2 for 26) and Akshar Patel (2/20) snapped two wickets each. Chasing 194 to win, Hyderabad found the going tough as they were reduced to 33/3 in 4.5 overs. While Mitchell Johnson struck the first blow dismissing skipper Shikhar Dhawan (1) in his second ball, it was Balaji's twin strike in his opening over which derailed their run chase. Scoreboard Kings XI Punjab Bowling Sunrisers Hyderabad Bowling Today’s match
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Pietersen hopes to be back for next game
dUBAI, April 22 “I don’t know if they are missing me. This is a long tournament; we’ve played three matches and won one…As for me, I’m going to hopefully be back in the next game,” Pietersen, who had been nursing a finger injury, said. Delhi will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match on April 25. Pietersen also spoke about his experience of working under coach Gary Kirsten. “Gary is people’s person. He’s fantastic to be around. He’s one of those guys with whom you want to hang around; he’s infectious. He’s got such a calming influence, it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, you get the same positive vibes from him. “I think that’s really important for the players and especially for the youngsters. You don’t want a coach who gets jittery and goes up, down and all over the place,” said the batsman. On his expectations from the team, Pietersen said he wants the players to play their best without feeling under pressure. “I want all the guys in the team to know that there is no pressure. I want all the players to relax and play to the best of their ability. Another important thing for me as a leader is that the guys train well. According to me, the training should be so thorough and intense that the game-day becomes easier,” he said. “If you prepare well, you cannot ask for anything more off yourself; there will be no pressure. If you go into the game knowing that you’ve done all the correct things off the field, who are we to complain about what happens on the field?” he added. “I have trained a couple of days, but it hasn’t been an ideal start going into this tournament. I had good practice for a couple of weeks in London, but then hurt myself and have had three weeks off,” the attacking batsman said. Delhi were quite literally thrashed by Chennai Super Kings last night, losing by 93 runs in a lopsided game. Even though he has not been able to play, Pietersen said he has tried to keep the team motivated in the dugout. “It’s imperative for me to play a significant role as a senior figure in the dressing room. You need to reach out to the players and help them out. Yes, I have handed the reigns of the team to DK (Dinesh Karthik) but I’ve also got to help him. — PTI
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Fabrace resigns as Sri Lanka coach, set for England role
new delhi, April 22 He had served only four months of his two-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket during which time he led them to the World T20 title in Bangladesh. “We had talks with Paul and tried to convince him to stay because of the valuable contribution he has made to Sri Lanka cricket during his short tenure,” Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said. “Paul wanted time till today to reach a final decision and he has tended his resignation.” Farbrace’s name was linked to Moores when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) began interviewing a list of candidates to succeed Andy Flower. He had returned to England for the Easter weekend after Sri Lanka’s success in the World T20 and although not among the candidates was subsequently interviewed by ECB. “The (executive committee) will have to sit down and discuss how best we can find a suitable replacement for Farbrace for the tour to England which starts on the first week of May,” said Ranatunga. Current batting coach Marvan Atapattu, who applied for the head coach’s job with Farbrace, seems the likely choice. — Reuters
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Man United show Moyes the door
London, April 22 Announcing his departure in a terse, two line statement, the Premier League giants thanked Moyes for “the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role” at Old Trafford. Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, 40, was appointed to take interim charge of the team for the final four games of the season with United mired in seventh place, 23 points behind league leaders Liverpool. Newspapers had earlier reported that Moyes would be sacked, trumpeting the ‘End of an Error’ after the American owners, the Glazer family, lost patience and decided the manager had to go in the wake of a tame 2-0 defeat at his former club Everton on Sunday. The defeat at Goodison Park also ensured that United will miss out on Champions League football next season, failing to qualify for Europe’s big money competition for the first time since 1995-96. Moyes, who turns 51 on Friday, was appointed on the recommendation of fellow-Scot Ferguson, who retired at the end of last season after 26 years in the job. Gaal bookmakers’ favourite Speculation immediately turned to who might take over at Old Trafford, with Dutchman Louis van Gaal quickly installed as the bookmakers’ favourite. The former Barcelona, Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich boss is coach of the Netherlands but has already said he will stand down after the World Cup in Brazil and has talked of a move to the Premier League. Ferguson had steered United to the title last season for the 13th time and the club’s 20th overall but the self-belief and confidence that had characterised his years in charge evaporated abruptly under Moyes. Former United stalwart Gary Neville suggested Moyes should have been given more time to make his mark and said the fault was not his alone. “The idea of giving people three and four and six year contracts and then getting rid of them after 10 months is something that is foreign to me,” he said. “However, there is no disguising that the football this season has been poor, the results have been poor. As a fan, I’ve not enjoyed watching it. I’m sure David Moyes himself hasn’t enjoyed watching it. I’ve played with a lot of those players, they love the club and are desperate to do well for the club but they’ve just completely lost confidence and belief. That’s ultimately what’s cost David Moyes,” he added. Moyes’s sudden departure evoked memories of the traumatic spell the Old Trafford club suffered between 1969 and 1971 when Matt Busby retired after 24 years as boss. His hand-picked successor Wilf McGuinness only lasted 18 months before Busby took over the reins again. Ferguson will not be returning to the dugout, but the comparisons between his time and Moyes brief stint did not help the new man. “People say they’re not a sacking club, Man Utd don’t sack managers. Well, there’s one reason why they’ve not sacked a manager for the last 26 years. It’s because they had the best,” said former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp. “They’ve never needed to. Otherwise they’d have just been like everybody else and probably had nine or 10 managers.” Moyes, who was previously in charge of Everton for 11 seasons without winning a trophy, was given a six-year contract by United, but they have lurched from one crisis to another. A shockingly lame performance in Merseyside on Sunday - which completed their first league double defeat to Everton in 44 years — was the final straw for the Glazers. — Reuters More lows than highs * Man U’s 57 points is their lowest total after 34 league fixtures since 1990-1991 (56). * Moyes’s seventh-placed side won only one league game against the Premier League’s top six teams in 12 matches this season, a 1-0 home win against Arsenal in November. * Their six home defeats in the league this season are more than the previous three seasons combined. * This is the first time United will have finished outside the Premier League’s top four; it is also the first in 18 seasons that they failed to qualify for the Champions League. * The 11 league defeats that Moyes oversaw this season is their most in a season since 1989-90, when they lost 16 and Liverpool last won the title.
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Solanki loses, but gets another shot to qualify for Youth Olympics
New Delhi, April 22 Solanki lost to home favourite Daniel Asenov 0-3 in the first box-off for the Youth Olympics quota place today. The Indian had initially lost in the quarterfinals of the ongoing championships, where the boxers have to make at least the semifinals to get direct qualification for the Youth Olympics. Two quota places are being decided by box-offs between four losing quarterfinalists. It is Solanki’s good luck that only three of the four in his category turned up for the mandatory weigh-in this morning. Owing to today’s situation, the Indian will get to fight it out once again for a place in the Youth Olympics, scheduled to be held in Nanjing, China from August 16 to 28. Solanki will face Brazil’s Carlos Silva, who was lucky to get a bye in the box-off draw this morning. “It was a tough bout for Solanki but he fought well. It is obviously disappointing but he still has another chance of making the Youth Olympics,” the team’s coach Ramanand said. India’s only medal hope in the event is Shyam Kakara (49kg), who booked a ticket to the Youth Olympics by entering the semifinals yesterday. Shyam, who defeated Venezuela’s Yoel Finol 2-1 in a thrilling contest, will face Kazakhstan’s Shalkar Aikhynbay in the last-four stage tomorrow. — PTI
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Barcelona Open: Som loses in first round
Barcelona, April 22 Somdev, on the edge of the top-100, lost 2-6 4-6 to his Slovakian rival, ranked 108, in one hour and 18 minutes. Since winning Delhi Open Challenger tournament, Somdev has won only one match on the Tour and that too when Juan del Potro had retired mid-way in the Dubai event. Somdev did win two matches in the Davis Cup early this month but even in those victories the Indian was stretched by the lower-ranked Korea players. It was a bad start for the Indian in the clay court ATP 500 tournament, as he was broken in the very first game of the match. He did put up a fight in the second set but the day just did not belong to him. Meanwhile, Japan’s Kei Nishikori won his first clay match of the season returning from a three-week absence due to a groin injury with a 6-1 4-6 6-3 victory over Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the third round. The fourth-seeded Nishikori, who hadn’t played since pulling out of his Miami Masters semifinal with Novak Djokovic on March 28th, said he had felt no pain during the match which he won in just under two hours against the 45th-ranked Spaniard. Nishikori, ranked 17th in the world, next faces Andrey Golubev after the Kazakh won when French 16th seed Benoit Paire quit late in their match trailing 6-4 5-1. Nadal low on confidence after Monte Carlo exit Top-ranked Rafael Nadal gets an immediate chance to shake off his surprisingly early exit at the Monte Carlo Masters by going for his ninth Barcelona Open title. The Spaniard is hoping to recover his clay-court form after a quarterfinal loss to David Ferrer in Monaco, where the eight-time champion made his earliest exit since 2003. Nadal acknowledged that his confidence is shaken following the Australian Open final loss to Stanislas Wawrinka. “I started the season OK except for some lack of confidence and competitiveness in important moments of certain matches,” Nadal said. He added, “I’ve faced adversities throughout my career, and this is just another one.” — Agencies
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Schumi sued over pre-coma road accident in Spain
Madrid, April 22 The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is accused of not respecting right of way at a roundabout, knocking the motorcyclist, Francisco M.A. off his bike and causing him to break his wrist as well as damaging his motorbike. Schumacher, who was on a private visit to Spain, was driving a rented Audi A4 at the time of the accident and poor lighting on the road has also been mooted as helping to contribute to the collision. A trial will only take place if insurers contest the claim and the 45-year-old German would not have to attend any court hearing. Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma, although a week ago his manager confirmed that he is “showing small signs of progress”. — IANS
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Walker Neena improves her national youth record
Panaji, April 22 The third and final day of the championships also witnessed two meet marks being bettered. Long distance runner, Nandini Gupta of Uttar Pradesh covered the girls’ 2000m steeplechase in 7 minutes and 35.71 seconds, while Haryana boys improved their own record by five-hundredth of a second as they timed 1:57.42 to win the medley relay. Kerala retained the overall title with a whooping 198 points, while Uttar Pradesh finished runners-up with 115.5 points. — PTI
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Sonnet chase down 306 runs to stun RCA
New Delhi, April 22 Yashpal, who represents Services in Ranji Trophy, blasted two sixers and 13 fours in his 67-ball 98. He was adjudged the man of the match. Earlier, right arm medium pacer Neel Mani Jha (4/50) helped Sonnet keep the target in check. Arjit Gupta scored 136 runs for RCA, and his 11 sixers were the highest in the history of the event. Brief Scores: RCA 306/10 in 39.1 overs (Gupta 136; Jha 4/50); SCC 312/4 in 38.1 overs (Yashpal 98*, Samarth 64, Dagar 63). — TNS
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Familiar foe Pep blocking Real path to glory
Madrid, April 22
Pep Guardiola, whose Bayern side play their last four, first leg at the Bernabeu, was appointed as coach of the German champions at the end of last season after taking a year out to recover from a trophy-laden but draining four years in charge of Real’s arch-rivals Barcelona. During his time as a Barca player and coach, Guardiola seldom tasted defeat against the Madrid club and his all-conquering team dispatched Real in the last four of Europe’s elite club competition in 2010-11 before going on to win the final against Manchester United. His coaching record against Real was an impressive nine wins, four draws and two defeats, while as a player in 14 La Liga meetings he won six, drew five and lost only three. Despite having the statistics firmly on his side, Guardiola is too wily to take Real lightly and he will know how desperate the Spaniards are to win the record-extending 10th European crown they have been chasing since their last continental triumph in 2002. They will also be itching to avenge their last-four reverse to Bayern in the 2011-12 season, when the German side went through on penalties after the tie ended 3-3 on aggregate but lost to Chelsea in the final. “Every time I have gone to the Bernabeu, as a player and as a coach, I have never in my head gone there as the favourite,” Guardiola said. “I have too much respect for them,” added the 43-year-old, whose Bayern side have already wrapped up another Bundesliga title and are still in with a chance of repeating last season’s treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup. “Madrid deserve a lot of respect for all their history. They are always a strong team whoever is the coach because they have a lot behind them: great players, fans and a great history.” Certain advantage Guardiola conceded that his players had gone off the boil in the Bundesliga since winning the title last month. Real, fresh from beating Barca in Wednesday’s King’s Cup final and still in the fight for La Liga, may have something of an edge, he added. “Yes Madrid have a certain advantage in that respect,” Guardiola, whose side have lost twice and drawn once in four outings since securing the Bundesliga, said. “We won the league much earlier and that meant our rhythm dropped a little but we will try to get back to our level as soon as possible.” Guardiola’s Real counterpart Carlo Ancelotti, in his first season in charge, is waiting on the fitness of top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, who has missed the last four matches due to knee and muscle problems in his left leg. The Portugal captain, the leading marksman also in La Liga this term, has been training hard this week, suggesting he should be able to play a part on Wednesday. — Reuters Live on Ten Sports, 12.15 am
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The Supreme Court today suggested further probe by Justice Mukul Mudgal panel into the allegations of betting and spot fixing against N Srinivasan and 12 others, including top cricket players involved in the Indian Premier League
(IPL).
Glenn Maxwell produced yet another blistering knock, a 43-ball 95, before Lakshmipathy Balaji returned with a four-wicket haul as Kings XI Punjab notched up a crushing 72-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their third match today.
After scoring 95 and 89 in his last two innings, Maxwell once again produced a devastating knock, which was studded with nine sixes and five fours as Punjab posted an imposing 193 for six in their stipulated 20
overs.
David Moyes’s troubled reign at Manchester United came to an abrupt end on Tuesday when the Scot was sacked after a hugely disappointing 10-month spell as manager after replacing Alex Ferguson last July.
Somdev Devvarman’s lean patch extended as the top singles player of the country lost his fifth straight first-round match on the ATP tour when he bowed out of Barcelona Open following a defeat against Martin
Klizan.
Ryder signs up with English county Essex