Twenty20 international confirmed for 2005 Ashes

As expected, England and Australia will contest the world’s first Twenty20 international next summer, as part of the 2005 Ashes tour. (The first by men, anyway. England’s women are playing one against New Zealand later this summer.) The match will take place at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl on June 13, as a curtain-raiser to the NatWest Series, which will also feature Bangladesh, whose maiden Test in England will start at Lord’s on May 26.The ten-match one-day NatWest Series will be followed a further three one-day fixtures, also against Australia, before the main event of the summer gets under way. The five-Test Ashes campaign starts at Lord’s on July 21, and, happily for the players involved, there will be plenty of breathing space between the matches.The second and third Tests at Edgbaston and Old Trafford will be back-to-back affairs, but the other games all have a ten-day break between them. With England and Australia set for their most evenly contested series in years, this should reduce the danger of player burnout.

npower Test series


May 26-30 1st Test v Bangladesh, Lord’s
June 3-7 2nd Test v Bangladesh, Chester-le-Street

NatWest Twenty20 International


June 13 v Australia, Rose Bowl

NatWest Series


June 16 England v Bangladesh, The Oval
June 18 Australia v Bangladesh, Cardiff
June 19 England v Australia, Bristol
June 21 England v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge (D/N)
June 23 England v Australia, Chester-le-Street (D/N)
June 25 Australia v Bangladesh, Old Trafford
June 26 England v Bangladesh, Headingley
June 28England v Australia, Edgbaston (D/N)
June 30 Australia v Bangladesh, Canterbury
July 2 Final, Lord’s

NatWest Challenge


July 7 v Australia, Headingley
July 10 v Australia, Lord’s
July 12 v Australia, The Oval

npower Test series


July 21-25 1st Test v Australia, Lord’s
August 4-8 2nd Test v Australia, Edgbaston
August 11-15 3rd Test v Australia, Old Trafford
August 25-29 4th Test v Australia, Trent Bridge
September 8-12 5th Test v Australia, The Oval

The highest Test total

Sanath Jayasuriya is congratulated on his 300 © WCM
 

It looked like being one of those sleepy subcontinental Tests, where the side batting first runs up a big score and the other team tries to match their total.And the first two days on a docile pitch at Colombo’s R Premadasa (formerly Khetterama) Stadium followed that template. India made 537 for 8, with centuries from Sidhu (his eighth in Tests), Tendulkar (12th) and Azharuddin (18th). India declared shortly before the end of the second day, and Tendulkar promised his bowlers would “attack for three days”. They claimed a wicket in the last over. It went to Nilesh Kulkarni, 24, a left-arm spinner from Bombay, who became only the 12th bowler to take a wicket with his first ball in Tests. But his dream start was to turn into a nightmare: he sent down 419 more balls without taking another wicket, and conceded 195 runs.Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama, team-mates with Colombo’s Bloomfield club, batted throughout the third day (the 12th instance in Testhistory) and on through the fourth. No pair had survived two full days’ play before, although Garry Sobers and Frank Worrell almost managed it against England at Bridgetown in 1959-60: they also batted through two days, but an hour was lost to rain on the second of them.Jayasuriya had reached 326, Sri Lanka’s first Test triple-century, by the fourth-day close. He was within sight of Brian Lara’s Test-record 375, and in anticipation of a new mark the gates were thrown open on the final day. Over 30,000 crowded in, but many were still trying to find a perch when Jayasuriya, two balls after losing his partner for 225, was surprised by one that bounced from offspinner Chauhan and popped a simple catch to Ganguly at silly point. The Indian fielders all ran to congratulate the batsman, and clapped him off the field. Jayasuriya had made 340, from 578 balls in 799 minutes, with 36 fours and two sixes. He banished once and for all any notion that he is only a one-day hitter. Only three higher scores have been made in Tests – Lara’s 375, Garry Sobers’s 365 not out, and Len Hutton’s 364.Jayasuriya’s first task had been to ensure that Sri Lanka avoided the follow-on. “I was happy to go all that way,” he said. “I wasn’t going after the record – at least not until the end of the fourth day, when someone told me I was only 50 short. I felt a great pressure on me when I came out to bat [on the fifth morning], and obviously I am disappointed now – but at least my country has made a great achievement.”His partnership with Mahanama, who scored his first Test double-century, set several more records. They eventually put on 576 in 753 minutes, the longest stand in Test history and only one run shy of the highest in first-class cricket (577 by Vijay Hazare and Gul Mahomed in India in 1946-47). They cruised past the previous-highest Test partnership, the 467 of Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones at Wellington in 1990-91. This record was taken with some relish, as the suffering bowlers on that occasion were Sri Lanka’s.The record breaking did not stop when the epic partnership was ended. Aravinda de Silva showed little sign that he had been padded up for the best part of 13 hours, compiling a neat 12th Test century of his own, while skipper Ranatunga made 86, becoming the first Sri Lankan to pass 4000 Test runs during his innings. Mahela Jayawardene, 19, also chipped in on his debut.England’s 903 for 7 at The Oval in 1938, the highest Test total, was the next big target: eventually that too was surpassed. A score of 1000 seemed a possibility, but as there was no chance of a result a halt was called with seven of the last 20 overs bowled. Sri Lanka’s 952 for 6 is the third-highest total in all first-class cricket, exceeded only by Victoria’s two four-figure totals in Australia in the 1920s.Ona dead pitch India stuck well enough to their task, at least on the third and fourth days. Not surprisingly, the bowlers and fielders wilted on the final day as Sri Lanka piled on the runs with all prospect of a result long gone. Opening bowler Kuruvilla, who picked up a leg injury, was spared much of the punishment, but Chauhan, on his return to Test cricket after doubts about his bowling action, and Kumble both conceded over 200 runs.Tendulkar said the pitch was “unfit for Test cricket”, adding: “If we had lost the toss and batted second, we could also have played a massive innings. We only lost wickets because we took chances and looked for runs.”

Bucknor will stand at Perth: ICC

If the Indian team management had its way, Steve Bucknor would not stand in the third Test in Perth © AFP
 

The under-fire umpire Steve Bucknor will not be replaced for the third Test between Australia and India in Perth, despite an official protest from the Indian board following his controversial performance in Sydney.The Indian board demanded that Bucknor be stood down for the third Test, which gets underway on January 16, after a string of errors contributed to India’s thrilling last-ditch defeat in Sydney. But an ICC spokesman invoked the playing conditions that both teams signed up to before the series, saying: “Neither team has a right to object to an umpire’s appointment.”Bucknor’s colleague in Sydney, Mark Benson, is not due to stand in Perth – the Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf is earmarked to replace him. The only way Bucknor could have been removed from the for that Test would have been if the executive board took up the issue and a majority voted in favour of removing him.That has not, however, happened, and Bucknor, 61, is instead preparing to stand in his 121st Test, which is more than any other official in history.

Australia clinch thriller to equal record

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Michael Clarke’s 3 for 5 turned what looked like a draw for India into Australia’s 16th consecutive Test win © Getty Images
 

Ricky Ponting’s Australia emulated Steve Waugh’s run of 16 consecutive Test wins as they took a 2-0 lead in the series against India in a thriller of a game that went right down to the wire at the SCG. With only six minutes to spare as the shadows lengthened Michael Clarke picked up the last three wickets from only five balls as Australia sneaked home. India will be gutted, not merely because they had resisted stoutly but because once again they were at the receiving end of some umpiring decisions that will be talked about for some time to come.At the end of a very long day it seemed as though India had hung in there for the draw that left the series open heading into Perth when Clarke was thrown the ball in the 69th over of the day. Anil Kumble, who had resisted admirably, negotiated it with little trouble. But it was the next Clarke over that knocked the last nails into India’s coffin.Off the first ball, a brute that reared and took the outside edge to be smartly caught by Michael Hussey, Harbhajan Singh was dismissed. RP Singh planted his foot down the pitch to the next one but only interrupted the ball’s onward journey to the stumps and was lbw for a first-ball duck. Ishant Sharma negotiated the hat-trick ball, another straight one, and dabbed the next to the on side but the fifth ball did for him. Tossed up and outside the off, the ball gripped the surface and went via outside edge straight to slip, and Australia had the result they wanted.The knock of the innings came from Kumble, and you had to feel for him when he was left stranded on 45 off 111 balls as the last wicket fell. Kumble was a picture of concentration and determination, and if there was any anger at the decisions that went against India it was channelled into a batting effort that would have done many top-order batsmen proud. Although more comfortable playing off the back foot Kumble ensured that he came forward to the spinners when he could, taking the lbw out of play as much as possible.At the end of the day Australia won a dramatic Test but it was not entirely without some help from the umpires. When you pick up a pack of Benson & Hedges you get a statutory warning: “Smoking cigarettes is injurious to health.” From this day on, the firm of Benson & Bucknor may well have to come with some sort of warning. It’s a shame when you have to spend more time talking about the umpiring than the wickets taken or the runs scored, but when the errors umpires make play a big role in deciding the course of a game, there’s little choice.The first bad decision of the final day went against Rahul Dravid, who was a key component in India’s stonewalling after Australia had set them 333 from a possible 72 overs and shut them out of the game. Dravid’s dour approach at the top of the order has raised a good many eyebrows and elicited ironic jeers and cheers from Australian crowds, but it was just what India needed.Dravid was positive in his judgment of what to play and what to leave, confident in defence and when the occasion presented itself, willing to drive safely. He had consumed 103 balls for his 38 when he tucked his bat completely behind pad with all the safety of a Swiss banker and padded Andrew Symonds away. Even with no part of blade visible, Steve Bucknor upheld a spirited appeal for the catch behind when the ball had come off the knee roll. Dravid has copped his fair share of debatable decisions as he has tried to bat his way out a lean patch, but this one took the cake, and he shook his head in disbelief all the way back to the dressing room.When Dravid fell, India were 4 for 115 and precariously poised. Already Wasim Jaffer had gone for a duck, edging Brett Lee to Adam Gilchrist, VVS Laxman had been trapped plumb in front by a clever bit of bowling from Stuart Clark and Sachin Tendulkar had dragged one back onto his stumps.Sourav Ganguly batted as though he was under no pressure, bringing a refreshing confidence and positive mindset to the middle. Just as Dravid’s defensive approach was best for him, Ganguly had found a way to launch his own resistance and it was certainly more pretty to watch. Planting his foot well down the ground and driving superbly through the off side, Ganguly was scoring at a run-a-ball when none of the Indian batsmen before him had come close to doing so.

 
 
It’s a shame when you have to spend more time talking about the umpiring than the wickets taken or the runs scored, but when the errors umpires make play a big role in deciding the course of a game, there’s little choice.
 

Andrew Symonds was the one to suffer the most against Ganguly, being taken for three consecutive boundaries through cover in one over, as well as having him dropped at slip off his bowling. The fast men did not trouble Ganguly much either, that is until the ball that terminated his innings. Having raced to a half-century Ganguly slashed one to Clarke in the slips cordon. Clarke went low to take the catch and it was not clear if he had got his fingers under the ball, but that should have proved to be irrelevant as he subsequently grounded the ball, tumbling to his left in the process of completing the catch. Mark Benson, called upon to rule on this one, chose not to ask his partner at square-leg, or go to the third umpire, and instead was satisfied by a word from Ricky Ponting, also stationed at slip. Only a few minutes before this Ponting had claimed a bat-pad catch after clearly grounding the ball in the process. Why Benson chose to take Ponting’s word for it, after all that had happened, is something only he knows the answer to. Either way it was time for Ganguly to go, on a well-made 51 and India were 6 for 137.Then a fresh rearguard began, with two new protagonists in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumble. Dhoni has not been a force with the bat in the Tests so far and it was not his brute force but his mental strength that was called upon. Dhoni left his big shots back in the pavilion and defended stoically, albeit in somewhat unorthodox fashion. He was fidgety outside the off stump but ensured he did not nick the ball.The Dhoni-Kumble stand had pushed on to 48, and more importantly eaten up precious time – 21 overs to be exact – before an error of judgment from Dhoni, when he padded up to an offbreak from Symonds and was plumb in front, separated the two. Then came the Clarke special that sealed the deal. He’d endured a poor match with the bat, picking up more wickets than scoring runs, but playing such a big part in the win, he’ll take it.And Clarke’s wickets could not have been more timely. When Ponting prolonged the Australian second innings till they reached 401, thanks mainly to an unbeaten 145 from Hussey, there was just the thought that he hadn’t the time to bowl out the Indians. At the end of the day, 72 overs proved to be enough, albeit by the thinnest of slivers.

Digicel rejects arbitration process

Lara: at the centre of the dispute© Getty Images

The feud between Digicel, the sponsors of the West Indies cricket team, and their rival telecommunications company, Cable & Wireless, was no closer to a resolution last night, after an attempt by Dr Keith Mitchell, the prime minister of Grenada, to instigate an arbitration process was blanked. As a consequence, the prospect of Brian Lara and six of his team-mates being selected for next month’s Test series against South Africa is receding. They have signed personal endorsement contracts with C&W that are in direct competition to Digicel, and were last week dropped from the team pending a resolution to the dispute.According to a report in The Trinidad Express, the two companies met last Monday with representatives of the West Indies Cricket Board and the Players’ Association, in an effort to salvage a situation that is fast becoming the most divisive yet to affect the troubled fortunes of cricket in the Caribbean. In a radio address on Friday evening, Dr Mitchell appealed for the recall of the seven key players – Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Smith – but according to Digicel, this is not acceptable in the current climate.In his address, Mitchell had indicated that a possible formula to end the impasse has been reached, claiming that the players’ contracts had been scrutinised by WICB lawyers and that concerns had been dealt with. “In light of the above,” said Mitchell, “the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket hope that the West Indies Cricket Board will no longer exclude the seven players with Cable & Wireless contracts from the squad selected to prepare for the impending tours.”This, however, has cut no ice with Digicel, who released a media statement to make plain their displeasure with C&W, who had been West Indies’ principle sponsors for nearly 18 years, until they chose to withdraw their support last year. “[C&W] decided not to match the unprecedented five-year US$20m sponsorship package which Digicel was prepared to undertake,” read the statement, “and while negotiations were taking place, [they] deliberately signed six players to personal sponsorship contracts coinciding with Digicel taking over as title sponsor of West Indies cricket team. C&W did this in the full knowledge that their actions would create great difficulty for the WICB, the six players and the title sponsor, Digicel.”Digicel added that, with regard to Lara and his special status in terms of endorsement deals, they had attempted to offer an enhanced personal contract to replace his existing one with C&W that was due to expire in September 2005. “This approach to representatives of Mr Lara was made in an effort to solve the contract issue and in the interests of West Indies cricket,” read the statement. “Unfortunately these efforts were not responded to and in 2004 Mr. Lara extended his C&W contract to a period beyond 2005.”Consequently, Digicel have rejected outright all attempts at arbitration, accusing C&W of jeopardising the future of West Indies cricket by investing US$500,000 on a select group of individual players. Nevertheless, with the Test series against South Africa – Digicel’s first as title sponsor – fast approaching, they remain hopeful that a resolution can be reached. “[The series] promises to be a rewarding, fun and memorable experience for the team and fans and our commitment to the entire team is unwavering.”

UP-Railways encounter ends in a draw

The Central Zone Cooch Behar Under-19 Trophy match between Uttar Pradeshand Railways at the Kamala Club ground in Kanpur ended in a draw on Mondaywith Railways gaining 5 points out of the match since they took the firstinnings lead. Uttar Pradesh had to be satisfied with three.Railways who started their second innings on the final day got to score 152runs in 81 overs, while losing 7 wickets in the bargain. Manoj Srivastava(42) was the top scorer for Railways while the top order chipped in withsome sedate performances.Earlier on the second day Railways managed to take a slender 6 run lead,when the bundled out UP for 179 in their first innings. Apart from theopeners Faizan Khan (42) and A Kapoor (56), who added 86 in 37.5 overs,none of the others stayed long enough to forge significant partnerships.Raza Ali with 3 for 26 was the pick of the Railways’ bowlers.Railways who elected to bat on the opening day, were reduced to 185 after afine 84 run second wicket partnership between Surinder Singh (46) and MSSrivastava (43) which took the score to 101 in 39.2 overs. N Choudhary (3for 46) was the best bowler for UP.

Campbell strokes Western Australia to big score

Western Australia 512 (Campbell 144, Rogers 95, North 70, Wates 53) lead Queensland 2 for 195 by 317 runs
Scorecard

Ryan Campbell smashes one over the top on the way to his century © Getty Images

Ryan Campbell clattered 144 and took Western Australia to a mammoth 512 all out in their Pura Cup match against Queensland at the WACA ground in Perth. In response, Queensland totted up 2 for 195, thanks mainly to a quickfire 76 from Jimmy Maher.Campbell, the star of the day, was severe on all the bowlers and Nathan Hauritz, the recently-capped offspinner, came in for special tap, as he was hit for three sixes in one over. Brad Hogg (44) and Darren Wates (53) ensured that Campbell had good support and Western Australia breezed past 500.Campbell’s innings included eight sixes and included a century in a session: in the morning passage he rattled up 112. Campbell shared in a huge 184-run partnership for the eighth wicket, with Wates.When Queensland replied, they were able to post a healthy 2 for 195 at the end of the day. Maher, the Queensland captain, made an invaluable 76 at the top of the order before skying Hogg to Wates. Clinton Perren, the other opener, made 41 before dragging a Wates delivery back on to his stumps. After the fall of Maher’s wicket, Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson consolidated to ensure that no further wickets were lost on the day.

Long-time flaws exposed in New Zealand's campaign

Stephen Fleming and Shane Bond: New Zealand’s two success stories of the tournament

A World Cup record low score against Australia did nothing to harden New Zealand’s batting resolve in their last-chance Super Six match with India at Centurion yesterday and summed up the failings of this side not only at the World Cup but in recent One-Day International history.At a time when it might normally have been expected that circumstances demanded extra vigilance, New Zealand collectively showed the attention span of an American diplomat listening to opponents of their plans for Iraq.The result was just as explosive as far as New Zealand was concerned.This collective failing was an unmitigated disaster which sadly has been all too symptomatic of New Zealand’s preparation for this tournament.New Zealand’s effort lacked for basic intelligence at times. Surely the situation for the New Zealanders attempting to come back from their record-low effort in the Australian match demanded that at least a look be taken at the bowling before launching into shots.Craig McMillan went into the match with the selection chairman Sir Richard Hadlee stating that McMillan had been asked to take more time in establishing his innings. A second-ball dismissal did nothing to suggest the request had registered.That preparation for South Africa started after the last tour of England in 1999, where New Zealand had made the semi-finals.It was apparent even then that New Zealand needed to establish an opening partnership.Nothing has worked.The situation got so bad that Craig McMillan and Daniel Vettori were press-ganged into opening during this tournament. Yet Mathew Sinclair was never given a chance.Has there been a clearer admittance of failure in New Zealand’s one-day history?The whole campaign has smacked of an ad hoc policy in regard to the vital opening role. Opening the batting is the most crucial area of influence in the one-day game. That is why Australia have Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, why India have Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and Sri Lanka have Sanath Jayarsuriya.The opening game which saw McMillan opening, Lou Vincent ‘keeping and Nathan Astle at No 3 for the first time this summer, seemed a strange place to be trying something so radical. That’s not to forget the decision not to play Daniel Vettori.This was more worrying given the job confronting New Zealand in their pool which demanded they win as many games as possible, knowing they were going to lose four points to Kenya.Stephen Fleming addressed the shortcomings of his game to be the dominant batsman in the side in South Africa, and all credit to him for doing that.But why was it necessary to “protect” Astle by having a makeshift opener in McMillan fill a role where Astle had developed into an opener regarded as one of the world’s leading one-day batsmen? What suddenly changed?And if there was a compelling reason, why was it not tried in New Zealand beforehand?Against the West Indies and South Africa, New Zealand seemed to get it right. They were under pressure and responded. It was a team batting performance in the West Indies game, and the superb effort of Stephen Fleming in the South African match, that spelled the difference.McMillan did score 75 against Bangladesh, but the opposition had to be put into context while Astle paced himself well to a century against Zimbabwe.But the fact of the matter is that the only two players who scored anything like the number of runs New Zealand needed during the tournament were Fleming and Scott Styris, who achieved his century in the first round loss to Sri Lanka.Chris Cairns never produced when it was required. His scoreline read: 32, 37, 33no, 31, 54, 16 and 20 – hardly the sort of return that could be expected of a player of his stature.What was most infuriating about his return was the number of times he got himself out to soft options. It was typified by his dismissal to Harbhajan Singh against India and that against Andy Bichel in the earlier match against Australia.Cairns also had an unfortunate tendency to be quoted before the last two matches especially about what was possibly going to happen.The words were not matched by actions and, quite frankly, they were embarrassing.That word probably best sums up New Zealand’s campaign, embarrassing.The claims before the Australian game that McMillan was being dropped because he was out of form came back to haunt chairman Sir Richard Hadlee, and the team, when Lou Vincent’s inability to produce the form expected of him at the World Cup, required McMillan to be tried again against India.He lasted two balls.That’s embarrassing.Too often in the early stages of the tournament, New Zealand’s bowling was indisciplined with wides and no-balls too prevalent.These are fundamental requirements that should have been ingrained into players long before they landed on South African soil.Shane Bond was outstanding. He was one of the tournament’s personalities and a rare asset. The quality of the batsmen he removed at the top of the order was testimony to his touch.But in reviewing the bowling options New Zealand again had a fatal flaw as bad as that which has developed over the opening batting position – their bowling at the death.New Zealand consistently have failed to bowl sides out. It is not a new problem and even the player selected with the idea of bowling at the death, Andre Adams, was rarely in a position where his skills could be put to the test.And that was because he was suddenly drafted into being an opening bowler. That was surely the role for which Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills were selected. The haste with which Tuffey was discarded after the first game was embarrassing, a point he at least reacted to by bowling 10 overs in the final game against India for 41 runs, a more than reasonable effort given the 12 runs taken in the three balls before he dismissed Tendulkar.It says something too, that for all the pre-series talk about pitches with pace and bounce from which New Zealand’s big men, Tuffey, Mills and Jacob Oram would benefit, the opposite was more the case. Matches were more like those from New Zealand in the early 1990s which allowed Chris Harris to revive a career that looked to be on the ropes.Having at least had the good sense to have selected him was one thing in the selectors’ favour in the final outcome of it all.Upon reflection it was probably New Zealand’s worst World Cup since 1987. At least when the 1996 campaign foundered in the quarter-final stages, the side went down fighting with an outstanding effort against Australia.Similar qualities were far from evident in the capitulations to Australia and India at the business end of this tournament.Still, in Bond, Styris, Oram, Vincent (when his role is finally decided upon), Vettori, Adams, McCullum, Mills, Tuffey there is a core around which a side can start to be developed with the West Indies in 2007 in mind.Whether McMillan is part of that will depend on how he responds to the clear problems he has had this summer, a similar situation for Sinclair, while longevity of service and avoiding the ravages of time will determine the fates of Fleming, Cairns, Harris and Astle.

Bernard and Perry put Jamaica in control

Windward Islands 121 for 4 (Smith 51; Perry 2-29) trail Jamaica 338 (Bernard 120; Butler 3-78) by 217 runs
ScorecardJamaica took charge of their Carib Beer Cup semi-final against the Windward Islands at Alpart, thanks to a superb century from David Bernard, and two quick wickets from Nehemiah Perry. At the close of play on the second day, the Windward Islands were 121 for 4, still 217 behind Jamaica’s score of 338.Devon Smith made 51 before becoming one of Perry’s victims, and the Windwards would have to rely on the lower order to have any chance of taking a first innings lead. When Smith, who has four centuries in the series, was at the crease, with Craig Emmanuel (28) also batting well, the Windward Islands appeared to be in with a shout, reaching 85 for 1 before Perry struck.Smith had just got to his half-century when he drove powerfully at Perry, only to see Tamar Lambert take a magnificent diving catch at short extra-cover.Moments later, Kenroy Martin popped back and return catch to Perry, and it became 86 for 4 when Bernard trapped Emmanuel leg before with one that moved back in sharply.Earlier, Jamaica had added 123 to their overnight score of 215 for 6, with Odean Brown (32), Perry (27) and Daren Powell (24) buttressing Bernard’s fine 120. It was Bernard’s second first-class century, after his 109 against Guyana at Albion last year.

Ponting warms to ICC crackdown

Ponting wants those beyond the boundary pulled up© Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has expressed his appreciation of the International Cricket Council’s efforts to root out illegal bowling actions from the game. Ponting made his comments after the match between Pakistan and West Indies in Brisbane, where Mohammad Hafeez was reported by the umpires and the match referee.According to , Ponting was happy that the ICC were no longer taking the soft option. “They’ve spent a lot of money on it, technology at different times to be able to I guess get a closer look at some of the suspect actions around the world,” he was quoted as saying. "It is good to see now that they are patrolling it very closely and I’m sure that anyone that’s outside those boundaries will be pulled up pretty quickly.”Ponting was also insistent that the ongoing wrangle with Cricket Australia over a pay deal wouldn’t result in his team losing focus. Cricket Australia has proposed a new payment scheme which has yet to be accepted by the players’ representatives.”Hopefully this whole thing can be sorted out, and obviously what we want is nice smooth negotiations to occur,” said Ponting. "It doesn’t look like that’s the way right now but it’s not always the way in any sort of business negotiations, so I’m sure it will sort itself out.”As I said, we as a player group have got other things to worry about, and that’s to perform well tomorrow.”

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