Pakistan trio's date through London Court

Three Pakistan cricketers and a sports agent at the centre of spot-fixing allegation are due to become visible in a London Court today.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, 26, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 18, are emotional with cheating and plot to obtain and accept corrupt payments.

Agent Mazhar Majeed, 35, of Oaks Road, Croydon, south London, is accused of accepting £150,000 to arrange for the players to bowl "no balls" during three dates in Pakistan's Test series at Lord's Cricket Ground in London last August.

The four will come into view before London's Southwark Crown Court. Earlier this year they were decided bail after appear before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

During that trial, District Judge Howard Riddle heard the confirmation came from an examination by the News of the World's in secret reporter Mazher Mahmood. The cricketers were before funded by the Pakistan Cricket Board but their lawyer established exterior court that has ended.

Accepting dishonest payments is an offence under the avoidance of dishonesty Act 1906 and carries a maximum judgment of seven years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Corrupt is an offence under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005. It carry a maximum sentence of two years custody and an limitless fine.

Read more »

PCB update Abbottabad competition moved

Pakistan has shifted the venue of the third and final one-day international between their 'A' team and Afghanistan from Abbottabad to Faisalabad.

This was announcing on Thursday evening. The Pakistan Cricket Board announce on May 9, just a week after American armed forces killed Al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, the idyllic garrison town would host the May 29 match.

But that conclusion was upturned, with no bureaucrat reason given for the switch.
A PCB representative affirmed at the time that higher elevation conditions were the reason for choose Abbottabad, which had been planned to play host after games in Islamabad (May 25) and Rawalpindi (May 27).

Afghanistan will be the first foreign team to play on Pakistani soil as the March 2009 terror assault on a Sri Lankan team bus.

Read more »

Modi says Srinivasan serving Chennai

Sacked Indian Premier League officer Lalit Modi has once yet again accuse the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan of departing out of his way to favor his franchise Chennai.

Modi said the Chennai Super Kings are such a good side that they can succeed the IPL without Srinivasan prop them up.

"It's a disappointment Srinivasan is resorting to all that. Chennai are a powerful team and can win exclusive of any such help," Modi wrote on Twitter.

Modi, who in his respond to the IPL chargesheet last year had accused Srinivasan of picking and choose umpires for Chennai team's matches, said the president-elect of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is brazenly supporting the side.

"Not indirectly, but very directly. Fixing the auction umpires and now pitches. Just give the damn crown to the Super Kings, Modi had tweeted.

Modi also touch upon the IPL's falling TRP ratings, achievement an all-time low in the fourth edition.

"Just learnt that the ratings for IPL have reached an average of 3.84, which is the lowly it has ever achieved. Sorry to hear the same."

Australian fable and Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne, who was fine US$ 50,000 by the IPL, said the Twenty20 league is not the similar without Modi.

Read more »

Warne ranks Tendulkar on top of all

Australia spin fable Shane Warne has praise long-time tormentor Sachin Tendulkar, declaring the iconic India batsman as the most cricketer he has ever played next to. Rajasthan Royals skipper Warne, who will play his last Indian Premier League match next to the Mumbai Indians on Friday, said it was only suitable to end his IPL stint as a player alongside Tendulkar.

"Sachin is the most players I have played against. It's suitable that my last game is versus Sachin," Warne said.

"Sachin has been my friend for a long period of time. We have bit of express amusement with each other, crack jokes. I hope Sachin do not shatter me all approximately the park on Friday," he said.

Warne was fine a hefty USD 50,000 next his public fight with Rajasthan Cricket relationship desk Sanjay Dixit and the the 41-year-old Australian said that he unsuccessful to appreciate why not anything happened to the RCA secretary.

"Unfair that I get fine while Sanjay Dixit get away with saying whatever he feel like," Warne told in an interview. "My fight with Dixit was undeveloped on both our parts," he added.

Warne runaway a ban but was fined heavily by the IPL's corrective panel for calling Dixit a "liar and selfish" after an IPL match in Jaipur, forcing RR owner Shilpa Shetty to interfere and apologies for the event.

Dixit, who is also an IAS officer, had irritating Warne and Tendulkar on Twitter and in a mess Warne in a website article. "I had to face the penalty but he gone simply. I don't think it's fair. It is supposed to be amazing same for both of us. But the story is this way and one can't do much.

"I had 7 days to make a decision on a resist claim but I did not anything. It was a silly occurrence and pity that it got way too much attention," he said. Despite his fight with the RCA desk, Warne remain positive about being linked with the Rajasthan team in the future.

Read more »

Win keeps Kolkata in chase for semi final

Kolkata Knight Riders 119 for 3 (Gambhir 54*) strike Pune Warriors 118 for 7 (Yuvraj 24, Balaji 2-7, Shakib 2-16) by seven wickets

Kolkata Knight Riders reserved up their shove for an Indian Premier League top mark with a seven-wicket succeed over Pune Warriors in Mumbai.

Playing their last but one group game, the Knight Riders knock off the necessary total of 119 in 16.4 overs. Captain Gautam Gambhir led them home with 54 off 46 balls, with Manoj Tiwary adding 24 and Yusuf Pathan 29.

Kolkata had previous spun the ball to maximum result to limit Pune to 118 for seven from their 20 overs. Pathan, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Lakshmipathy Balaji take two wickets each.

England batsman Eoin Morgan was on the counter for Kolkata, who won the toss and unspecified control early on as Pathan and Iqbal Abdulla dismiss openers Jesse Ryder (one) and Manish Pandey (16) correspondingly.

Spin sustained to anguish Pune, as Shakib detached Callum Ferguson (16) and Sourav Ganguly (18) approximately the halfway mark.

Pune were reel at 79 for five when Pathan got his second, Robin Uthappa wedged by Brett Lee for 12.

Yuvraj Singh (24) help mount a late recovery - in a 34-run stand with Sachin Rana (18) - before he was trapped following by Shreevats Goswami off Balaji.

The Warriors then attempt a fight back with the ball, Alfonso Thomas dismiss Goswami (six) in the first over, but member opener Gambhir put paid to Pune's hopes.

Tiwary common a 46-run second-wicket stand with Gambhir before unfortunately playing onto his leg base off the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but Pathan was on hand to turn Kolkata closer to conquest with his usual slog style.

Gambhir ambled away to a half-century in 43 balls - final with seven boundaries to his name - and oversaw a at ease victory in spite of Pathan's late removal from office to Wayne Parnell.

Read more »