ICL matches

Badshahs scamper home by 7 runs

2008-04-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Lance Klusener declared man of the match

Mumbai, April 03, 2008: The 2nd semi-final of the Edelweiss 20s Challenge featured the world no-3 side Lahore Badshahs (as per the Barter Card Power Rankings) take on the spirited Kolkata Tigers, at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Sector-3, Panchkula. The big question for everybody was - If the Tigers had it in them to derail the Badshahs juggernaut? However, in the end it turned out to be a classic encounter where the Badshahs won by a narrow margin of 7 runs. Lance Klusener declared man of the match.

Inzamam won the toss and elected to bat on a track that looked flat and full of runs. Nerves were playing a part in the big match & got the better of the inform Imran Farhat, who was sent back to the Badshahs dugout without troubling the scorers. At the end of the 5th over it was the other Imran. Nazir who got into the repair act for the Badshahs, taking the score to 35/1. Humayun & Nazir soon got into the groove playing some wonderful strokes, brining the 50 of the innings in the 6th over.

The partnership was growing in strength and by the 8th over, Badshahs were placed handsomely 70/1. Just when the partnership was taking dangerous proportions Zulu got into the act sending back Humayun in the10th over for a well made 39. At the half way mark of their innings the Badshahs were placed at 86/2. Shiv Sagar got the big break in form of Hasan Raza's wicket brining the Tigers right backing the match in the 11th over. Sagar got into the act again getting Nazir in the 13th over leaving the Badshahs in a bit of a bother at 94/4.

By the end of the 15th over, the match was turning out to be a fascinating contest with the Badshahs placed at 112/4. However, the cool composure of Inzi was what the Badshahs needed and in the company of Latif, he was working up a good partnership of over 50 runs setting the Badshahs for a big onslaught in the final overs. Azhar Mahmood came in with 2overs to spare and a lovely cameo of 24 off only 8 balls helped Badshahs set a formidable target of 183.

In reply, the Tigers came out with positive intent getting 21 for no loss at the end of the first three overs. The openers were gaining in confidence especially Dasgupta, who was taking on the formidable opening bowling attack. At the end of the 4th over, the Tigers were set on the target at 39 for no loss.

The Tigers got their 50 in style at the end of the 5th over scoring at over 10 runs per over. The wonderful opening partnership of 62 was brought to an end by Nazir who castled Dasgupta for a well made 22 in the 7th over. At the half way mark it was turning out to be a fascinating match with the Tigers needing 102 off 60 balls at 10 runs per over with 9 wickets in hand. Shahid Nazir was bowling some tight overs in the middle with the wily Mushtaq building the pressure on the Tigers. Two big hits from the bat of Zulu kept the hopes alive for the Tigers in the 14th over.

With 5 overs to go the match was fascinatingly poised with the Tigers needing 63 off 30balls at 12.6 runs per over with Zulu looking in ominous touch. Klusener was making a match out of it & in company of Gavaskar was taking the daunting target chase right down to the wire. In the last over , the Tigers were posed with the daunting task off scoring 18 runs. In the end Zulu's valiant was not enough and the Badshahs prevailed by 7 runs.

Brief Scores: Lahore Badshahs 182/7in20 overs (Nazir 42, Humayun 39, Sagar 2/19) win by 7 runs Kolkata Tigers 175/4 (Klusener 93, Gavaskar 23, Nazir2/12)

resource:www.indiancricketleague.in

Lahore Badshahs score second consecutive victory!

2008-03-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

Azhar Mahmood & Imran Nazir jointly declared Man of the Match

The fifth match of the Edelweiss 20s Challenge featured the dominant Lahore Badshahs taking on the Hyderabad Heroes at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Sector-3, Panchkula. In a one sided affair the Badshahs overwhelmed the Hyderabad Heroes, defeating them by 9 wickets. Azhar Mahmood & Imran Nazir were declared as joint winners for Man of the Match.

The grounds men had worked hard on the pitch & a light shower just before the start of the match had freshened up the pitch. It was expected to produce true bounce conducive to stroke play from the rich batting line up of both the sides. Heroes captain Chris Harris, won the toss and elected to bat. The Heroes opened the batting with international Jimmy Maher & promising domestic player Anirudh Singh. Azhar Mahmood got the Badshahs their first breakthrough castling Jimmy Maher for 5 in the first over.

A horrible mix up between the promising Anirudh & Rayudu resulted in the formers run out leaving the Heroes innings reeling at 13/2 in the second over. Badshahs inform bowler Rana Naved, got into the act getting Rayudu nick one to the slip cordon into the safe hands of Inzamam. By the fifth over the Badshahs bowling was showing its might leaving the Heroes innings struggle at 21/4.

Justin Kemp & Heroes captain Harris did not trouble the scorers much & were packed back by the magnificent Badshahs bowling , leaving the Heroes innings in absolute tatters at 31/6 in the in the 7th over. The halfway mark of the Heroes innings read a dismal 44/6 with Boje & Razzaq battling it out in the middle. The end of the 15th over had the heroes at 67/6 with Boje trying hard to resurrect the innings. Razzaq unsuccessfully tried to increase the scoring rate, bowled by the quick MD Sami for only 10.

The bowling was right from the top drawer. Boundaries were far & between in the Heroes innings. Tight overs from international stalwarts like Saqlain, Sami ably supported by medium pacer Shahid Nazir kept a tight leash on the scoring rate. Azhar Mahmood was too good for the tail-enders bundling the Heroes innings for only 86.

In reply the Badshahs opened the innings with the two attacking openers Farhat & Nazir. Abdul Razzaq who opened the bowling for the Heroes got an early breakthrough sending back the dangerous Farhat for 4 in the very first over. Lady luck too was not smiling upon the Heroes with an eventful 4th over from Reddy seeing a catch of a no ball followed with a boundary and a dropped chance in the slips. The boundaries started coming fast & thick from the Badshahs bat with Nazir severe on the young Reddy taking him for 21 runs in the 6thover.

At the end of the 6th over the Badshahs were handsomely placed at 55 for the loss of only one wicket. Nazir was dealing in boundaries and his partnership with Farhat was worth 70 runs in only 46 balls taking the total to 74/1 in the 8th over. Two big sixes of spinner IS Reddy by the mercurial Imran Nazir took the Badshahs home to a comprehensive victory!

Brief Scores: (Hyderabad heroes 86 /10, N. Boje 39, A Mahmood 5/13 Rana Naved 2/19) lost by 9 wickets (Lahore Badshahs 87/1 Imran Nazir 62, H Farhat 18 , Abdul Razzaq 1/15)

resource: www.indiancricketleague.in

ICL signs up Damien Martyn

2008-03-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

According to Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper (09/02/07). Damien Martyn, has signed up with Indian Cricket League.

Rumors had linked Damien Martyn, with the ICL for last two weeks but his manager initially gave the statement that the league is not for him. An agreement was finalized between the ICL bosses and Martyn on Friday. According to the newspaper, he is excited about playing with former and current cricket stars such as Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar respectively.

He told the Dialy Telegraph; "Imagine walking out to bat alongside either of those guys, it's a chance just too good to miss. It's a chance also to play in a team captained by Warnie.''

Martyn had shocked Australia last December when he retired from all forms of cricket midway through the Ashes series. He finally revealed his reason for retirement in the beginning of this year, after almost four weeks of silence. He said, “He had never been comfortable with the whole celebrity stuff that comes with the game. I found [it] hard to deal with," while adding that he can "now go and live life and enjoy it".

He insisted that the ICL would have minimal impact on his personal life. "It's only six weeks each summer," he said, "which wouldn't have the same burdens of playing for long periods of time away from home."

Rumor mill has it that ICL in the near future will have two more shinning stars - Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath; even though both have yet to sign on dotted line with the league. Shane and Glenn, like Martyn, have retired from international cricket.

Resource: /www.indiancricketleague.com

ICL announces eventful season for 2008

2008-03-04T20:58:00.001-08:00

Subhash Chandra’s Indian Cricket League (ICL) which kick started its first season in November, will host 5 tournaments in 2008. The announcement was made today by Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra and Kapil Dev, chairman of the executive board, ICL.

The second season of ICL will roll-out in February and will include 50-over matches as well.

” It is indeed heartening to see the response Indian Cricket League (ICL) has been able to generate in India and across the globe. After a successful launch in keeping with the promise made, ICL is proud to announce its cricket calendar for the coming season.” ICL conducted its first 20-20 championship at the Tau Devilal cricket stadium at Panchkula, Chandigarh from November 30 to December 16, Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel Group said.

ICL’s 2008 event calender will begin in February with a 50-over tournament featuring domestic cricketers, to be followed by a Twenty20 triangular series. In March-April, ICL will organise the ICL Grand Championship in which 8 teams will participate in a Twenty20 tournament. By April- May, the league will open academies across cities. September-October will witness the ICL Invitation Cup (a 20 over a side tournament in which 8 teams will participate). The season will conclude in November-December with the second edition of ICL Twenty20 Indian Championship.

Resource: www.aboutindiancricketleague.com

Bond poised to sign one-year deal

2008-02-12T01:46:00.000-08:00

REPORTS in New Zealand suggest that former Black Caps' spearhead Shane Bond is on the brink of signing a one-year contract as Worcestershire's 2008 overseas player.

The 32-year-old injury-plagued fast bowler has an outstanding record in international cricket - 79 Test wickets at 22.39 and 125 one-day international wickets at 19.32 - but chronic stress fractures of the back and feet have curtailed his New Zealand career.

However, Bond's international career was brought to a premature close last month after he signed a three-year contract to play in the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) which is not recognised by the game's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC).

This leaves him free to play for Worcestershire without the added pressures of Test cricket on his body.

Bond, who missed out on a spell with Warwickshire through injury in 2003, stopped short of confirming his move to New Road over the weekend but an announcement is expected early next week. "I haven't decided yet," said Bond.

Bond's impending capture would make him the latest in a line of former New Zealand players who have graced New Road.

Former Kiwi captain Glenn Turner remains Worcestershire's greatest Black Caps signing, but Bond is also hoping to make his mark in what would be a maiden season of county cricket this summer.

Pakistan legend and former Lancashire all-rounder Wasim Akram paid tribute to Bond's wicket-taking ability but recommended he is bowled in short spells at Worcestershire to safeguard his body from further injury problems.

"Bond was New Zealand's best bowler in the last few years because he swings the ball and he's got the ability to bowl very fast but injuries have stalled his career," said Akram.

"If he can stay fit he could take a lot of wickets."

Source : http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/

Shoaib might dump IPL to join ICL: Sources

2008-02-09T02:40:00.000-08:00

Pakistan's controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar could dump the BCCI-backed Indian Premier League to sign up for the rebel Indian Cricket League as his relations with the national board continue to deteriorate by the day.

Sources close to Akhtar say that the speedster has only signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the IPL which is backed by the Pakistan board as well.

Source : http://sify.com/

'Ridiculous, short-sighted' to ban those joining ICL: Warne

2008-02-09T02:38:00.000-08:00

Indian Premier League's star attraction Shane Warne has voiced his support for the rival Indian Cricket League, saying it was "ridiculous" and "short-sighted" to ban players like Shane Bond for associating with the Essel Group-backed venture.

"I think of the IPL and ICL together in promoting and expanding the game. With that in mind, it is ridiculous that Shane Bond should be banned for taking part in the ICL," Warne said.

"It just strikes me as short-sighted that one of the most exciting bowlers in the world is no longer allowed to play for New Zealand. He is one of their best players," he wrote in his column for 'The Times'.

Source : http://www.hindu.com/

For Shane Bond, success and unfulfillment

2008-02-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

John Greenleaf Whittier was not thinking of sport when we wrote that "of all sad words of tongue and pen / The saddest are these, 'It might have been.' "

His words, though, are highly applicable to sport. It is a world in which failure to fulfill potential is peculiarly palpable. We can all think of the "can't-miss kids" who did precisely that, or teams who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

A sense of just such disappointment attaches to Shane Bond, the cricketer whose international career may have ended with the cancellation of his contract this week by the New Zealand Cricket Board.

Bond, 32, is certainly not a sporting failure. He played in 17 five-day test matches and 67 one-day internationals for New Zealand, also appearing in the pioneering Twenty20 World Cup last year. He took 79 test wickets and 125 in one-dayers. He is currently rated seventh in world rankings for test bowlers - he has been as high as third - and second in one-dayers.

Yet there could have been so much more. Bond has missed more matches than he played for New Zealand. It played 44 tests and 148 one-day internationals between his first and last appearances.

He was not let down by character or intelligence, but his body - at once the greatest asset and the great enemy of the top-class sportsman. The physique that gave him the rare gift of propelling a cricket ball accurately at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour was unable to sustain this ability over long periods, and he suffered injury after injury.

It was a profound frustration to New Zealand. With the narrowest playing base of the 10 test-playing nations other than currently suspended Zimbabwe, it overachieves by competing successfully in the middle ranks in tests and regularly reaching the semifinals in one-day World Cups.

Bond offered New Zealand the chance of being something more. If he had been available regularly, he could have transformed it from competitor to contender. Given the spearhead represented by a truly high-class paceman, its bowling would have been formidable. Without him, finger-spinner Daniel Vettori and a clutch of competent fast-medium bowlers represent a group to respect rather than fear.

With Bond on the team, New Zealand won 9 tests out of 17 and drew 6 of the others, a success rate of more than 70 percent. His only defeats came in his last two matches for New Zealand. Without him it won 8 matches, drew 7 and lost 13, a success rate barely above 40 percent.

If the contrast is not quite so spectacular in one-dayers, it is still clear Bond made a difference. New Zealand won 38 out of 67 matches when he was playing, but only 35 out of 81 when he was not there. Where some good players shrivel against the Australians, the world's most dangerous opponents and winners of the last three World Cups, Bond blossomed. In 11 one-dayers against them, he took 34 wickets at an average of fewer than 14 runs apiece, including a spell of 6 wickets for 23 in a World Cup match at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 2003.

That history of injuries also explains why Bond opted to sign a contract with the rebel Indian Cricket League. At nearly 33 he is old for a paceman, and the ICL offered a chance to make serious money from his talents before it is too late.

In cricket, opportunities to make money depend heavily on your nationality. If you want to be a multimillionaire, you pretty much have to be Indian. Rewards for New Zealanders are commensurate with what you would expect from a nation of four million people where rugby is all-powerful.

Bond's ICL contract is reported to be three times what he is paid by the New Zealand Cricket Board, with a clause guaranteeing his income even if he is injured. The board was eager to retain his services, but it is committed with other cricket ruling bodies to supporting its Indian counterpart in its battle against the rebel competition.

Given Bond's history and age, it is hard to blame him for seizing what must have looked like a late one-off chance. The New Zealand board has been at pains to stress that it is not ruling out a return. One suspects, though, that both he and his nation's officials will watch next month's three-test series against England - against whom Bond has never played a test - with regrets over what might have been.

Source : http://www.iht.com/

Cricket-Bond axed from New Zealand team after signing with ICL

2008-01-28T03:06:00.001-08:00

Fast bowler Shane Bond has had his contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) terminated after the player signed for the rebel Twenty20 Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The two parties cancelled the contract by mutual consent, New Zealand Cricket said in a statement on Monday, adding that the door had been left open for Bond to represent his country again in the future.

NZC was forced to comply with International Cricket Council regulations which prevented contracted players from taking part in the non-sanctioned ICL, chief executive Justin Vaughan said.

"At some stage in the future we may be able to welcome Shane back into the Black Caps; either when he is no longer playing for the ICL or when that competition does not exist," Vaughan said.

The 32-year-old Bond has taken 79 wickets in 17 tests at an average of 22.39 in an injury-plagued career.

An automatic selection for the team when fit, Bond is regarded as New Zealand's best fast bowler since the retirement of Richard Hadlee.

Bond said in a statement he was sympathetic to NZC's efforts to retain his services and hoped to represent his country again in the future.

Rumours had swirled in the local media for weeks that Bond had signed with the ICL and Vaughan had previously said he was hopeful the bowler would be available for the home series against England beginning on Feb. 5.

After penning a three-year contract, Bond becomes the seventh New Zealand cricketer to sign with the ICL.

All-rounders Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Craig McMillan have all retired from international cricket while batsman Hamish Marshall and bowler Daryl Tuffey have been overlooked by selectors in recent times.

Source : http://uk.reuters.com/

Lalit Modi warns Kiwi cricketers joining ICL

2008-01-24T03:26:00.000-08:00

A top Indian cricket board official has warned overseas players joining the breakaway tournaments like the Indian Cricket League (ICL) of serious repercussions, raising the question whether they have “safeguards to protect against match-fixing”.”To have a credible tournament one must not just look at the money but, more importantly, whether the competition is sanctioned, whether it’s going to have the (necessary) infrastructure, whether it’s going to be around for a while, and whether it’s investing in the growth of the game - or just profiting from it,” Lalit Modi, a vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told Sun Herald.

“Do they have enough safeguards to protect against match-fixing? Do they have the right officials - such as match referees and umpires - and do they have the appropriate rules involving anti-doping policies and playing guidelines?” asked Modi, who is also chairman and commissioner of the BCCI-sanctioned Indian Premier League (ICL), a Twenty20 competition created to challenge the ICL.

Modi, also head of the BCCI’s marketing sub-committee, was speaking on the ongoing fight between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the New Zealand players association over the contractual dispute. Seven Kiwi players - Shane Bond, Daryl Tuffey, Hamish Marshall, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns and Chris Harris - have signed for ICL and some of them still want to play for New Zealand.

NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan has already directed his selectors to overlook the rebels who have signed with the ICL.

Modi defended the launch of IPL.

“We have all decided that in the interests of development … we will try as far as legally possible to discourage our players from joining any rebel league that is organised just for self-profit,” he said.

“The BCCI and the other Test-playing nations are non-profit organisations. They invest 100 percent of their earnings back into the game. This is essential to ensure we build the best infrastructure for the players and fans alike.”

Eight franchisees will play 59 matches in 44 days in the maiden IPL tournament from April 18.

The teams will play against each other on a home-and-away basis with seven matches being played at home. The top four franchisees in the league will contest the semi-finals and the victorious semi finalists will meet in the final. All matches will be played over the weekends.

Many top overseas players, like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Stephen Fleming, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Graeme Smith, Daniel Vettori, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammed Yousuf, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chaminda Vaas, Shaun Pollock, Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan will be seen in action in the IPL.

Source : http://www.cricket247.in/

Andre would love to be an Indian rebel

2008-01-15T02:49:00.000-08:00

Snubbed Black Cap Andre Adams says he has no loyalty to New Zealand Cricket and has revealed he would accept an offer from the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Despite taking 29 wickets at an average of 8.3 during the opening four matches of the State Championship, Adams has been overlooked for the test team playing against Bangladesh.

Rather than pin his hopes on a return, Adams says he would scrap his international aspirations at the drop of a hat if an offer to join the ICL came his way.

“My phone is on and it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that if someone came knocking on my door with a large amount of cash I would sign up,’’ Adams told Sunday News last night.

“If they rang and offered me a contract, I would go.

“I don’t have any loyalty to New Zealand Cricket. I have done my bit for them and if it means I had to knock my aspirations of playing test cricket for New Zealand on the head, so be it.

“At this stage, I would love to go and play in the ICL.’’

Auckland team-mate Daryl Tuffey who plays in the ICL for the Chandigarh Lions has also been in talks with Adams about the competition.

"It sounds like an absolute blast. I haven't actually been to India yet so I would love to go," said Adams.

"There are a lot of people putting their hands up to go there so if it happens it happens."

The ICL has come under heavy fire in recent weeks with cricket boards throughout the world making moves to blackball players involved from playing international cricket again.

And Adams said that sort of attitude would do nothing but cheapen cricket at the highest level.

"The fact the ICL is a rebel competition doesn't concern me and it doesn't concern too many people for that matter," he said.

"I think the cricket authorities in every country need to have a good, hard look at themselves and see that they are going to lose the majority of their decent players.

"It's probably even more the case in New Zealand because we just don't get paid very well.

"You can't expect someone like Shane Bond to turn down $US800,000 just to play test cricket and then get injured and be out for three months of the year.

"I'm not going to get offered $800,000 but if someone came along and offered me $250,000, why would you turn that down?

"You'd have absolutely no reason because New Zealand Cricket is not going to guarantee you that sort of money.

"People can say what they want about turning on your mates and that kind of stuff but it's a job and you should be looking to earn as much money in it while you can."

Although his focus remains on succeeding in four-day cricket, Adams said he would have no concerns about playing Twenty20 cricket for a living.

"I don't doubt that I can play one-dayers and Twenty20 cricket well, I just prefer the longer version of the game," he said. "I quite like Twenty20 cricket and I thoroughly enjoyed playing for Auckland. I had a couple of goes for Essex and loved it.

"If I got the chance I would go and I think my wife would slap me if I turned down $250,000."

Meanwhile, Adams said he wasn't shocked to hear he hadn't made the Caps test squad for the series against Bangladesh. But rather than slam the selectors' choices, he admitted he agreed with most of their decisions.

"It wasn't really a surprise," he said.

"If I was Michael Mason or Iain O'Brien and I had been sitting on the sidelines I'd have been very disappointed if I had been dropped for someone who hasn't played test cricket in a while.

"Whether I get a chance will depend on selectors, form and injury."

Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/

PCB may send Yousuf to Mumbai

2008-01-12T03:16:00.000-08:00

Pakistan cricket Board is likely to send senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf and their legal advisor to appear before an arbitration panel in Mumbai on January 24 to discuss a petition moved by the rebel Indian Cricket League against the batsman.

The Chairman of the board said on Friday that a representative of the board would certainly attend the arbitration hearing in Mumbai, but if possible Yousuf might also be sent to defend himself.

The arbitration panel headed by a retired judge has declared Yousuf ineligible to play for the official Indian Premier League of the Indian cricket Board as the ICL claims the batsman first signed a contract with them and also took an advance fee before going back on his contract and commitment.

It went to the arbitration panel to get a ruling but neither Yousuf nor the PCB representative attended the panel's initial hearing in which it gave a ruling against the batsman.

Ashraf said the arbitration panel had given its decision without hearing out Yousuf as such their ruling didn't hold much ground.

"As it is, an arbitration panel is not a court of law," he said.

But the PCB chief said Pakistan had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court asking that the ICL case against Yousuf could only be heard in Pakistan.

"We feel if there is a case against him it must be heard by a Pakistani court as he is a Pakistani player and if he signed any contract it was in Pakistan," Ashraf said.

But Ashraf in the same breath said the board was not on any confrontation path with the Pakistani players who had signed up for the ICL which is not recognised by the ICC or its member boards.

"Look we have nothing against these players. The first thing is we want any confrontation with them. But the bottom line is they signed to play for the ICL because they are getting good money by the ICL.

"They knew what they were doing when they signed their contracts. Our position is that the ICC does not recognize the ICL tournaments and we can't have different policies on it."

Ashraf said the day the ICC had no problems with the ICL the Pakistan board would also change its stance which had nothing to do with the Indian board.

He said the future of the ICL players would be discussed at a governing body meeting of the board on January 25.

Two of the ICL players, Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umar decided to go to court against the PCB decision to ban them from domestic cricket. But have decided to hold their petition till the governing body meeting although Ashraf claimed that the Lahore High Court had dismissed their petitions.

Source : http://inhome.rediff.com/

Bond's ICL move holds fears for cricket minnows

2008-01-11T02:51:00.000-08:00

While former Australian batsman Dean Jones, the ICL's operations manager, yesterday insisted the unsanctioned Twenty20 league was not asking international players to break contracts, he also said it was not the ICL's problem if boards could not match the money it was offering.

Unless New Zealand Cricket can coax Bond back to the fold, he will reportedly receive about $600,000 to play in the ICL, which is close to three times the value of his national contract.

For a 32-year-old with an injury-prone body and a young family, the appeal of bowling four overs a game for such an inflated sum is understandable.

"It's not our responsibility what countries pay their players," Jones said. "Our brief is to give young, talented players in India an opportunity and try and put them in an environment where they can play against some international stars.

"We are not asking players to break contracts. We want them to play for their countries. But if someone wants to say, 'That's it, I want to play for the ICL for the next three or four years,' that's their choice. They can wait for their current contracts to expire or retire."

Bond is the most significant current player to choose the rebel competition over representing his country, since prolific Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf accepted the olive branch extended by his board.

Retired players Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan and Daryl Tuffey have all signed with the ICL, which is in direct competition with the Board of Control for Cricket in India's own Indian Premier League, to which many of Australia's elite players are aligned.

Although international commitments are likely to keep the Australians from representing Indian Twenty20 franchises for the next two years, Cricket Australia might have to decide whether to allow them to play this April if the tour of Pakistan is cancelled for security reasons.

The three rebel Kiwis have been told by the BCCI that they cannot appear in a board-approved Bollywood movie being filmed in Australia this summer.

New Zealand are already struggling, having recently lost Test and one-day series to South Africa and been beaten 2-0 by Australia in the Chappell-Hadlee series.

The Black Caps are scheduled to visit in November for two Tests and five one-day internationals, and now appear highly unlikely to have their best paceman, who has a superb record against Australia, at their disposal.

While New Zealand Cricket has not said it will ban the rebel players, they are unlikely to represent their country again.

"It would be fair to say if he has signed we would prefer he didn't play in the [forthcoming] England series," chief executive Justin Vaughan told The Dominion Post.

"Even if he has signed with the ICL, we'd love to see if there was a way to get him out of that contract and we'll fund all the support to get him out of it, similar to what Pakistan has done with Mohammad Yousuf."

Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/

Bond`s Future Still Unclear

2008-01-07T03:53:00.000-08:00

New Zealand Cricket are continuing talks with Shane Bond over his future with the New Zealand national team.

The fast bowler is reportedly committed to a three-year deal with the Indian Cricket League, but remains tied to his existing NZC deal until May.

NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan has gone on record stating any player contracted to the ICL will not be called up for the Kiwi national team.

He said in a statement: "I shall be meeting with Shane and his representatives during the week as we move through a process.

"During the past week Shane has respected a request by NZC that he not discuss the issue publicly.

"We are in a process with Shane and there will be no comment by either party until that process has been completed."

The 32-year-old had already stated he was refusing to comment, although would not deny he had signed with the rebel competition.

Source : http://www.cricket365.com/

Bond might have joined ICL - report

2008-01-01T03:40:00.000-08:00

Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, says the rights of cricketers must be weighed against the importance of retaining strong Test teams as speculation mounts that Shane Bond might join the Indian Cricket League (ICL). New Zealand Cricket is already encouraging its selectors not to choose players who have already taken part in the league and now a report in the Australian suggests Bond has agreed to play in the ICL in 2008.

"With New Zealand and these other poorly paid countries, it's incredibly enticing at the end of their career, or even in the middle of their career, to look after themselves," May told the paper. "It's their job and they're trying to do the best for their families.

"You may well see more ICL contracted players signed up. So what are we going to do, have a New Zealand second XI out there? Is it in New Zealand's national interest to put out a half-baked team?

"Is it in world cricket's interest? These are the questions people really need to sit down and think about. And there is also the rights of the players to ply their trade. We want to encourage people to play cricket professionally, don't we? It's not necessarily a bad thing, this ICL."

New Zealand Cricket has told its selectors that when they choose national and representative squads they should consider other players ahead of those who have taken part in the ICL. Daryl Tuffey was the only one of the six affected players who was realistically in the frame for further Test and ODI action.

However, if Bond joined the ICL it would provide a major crisis for cricket in New Zealand. The Australian reported that if NZC tried to stop Bond, or any other player, signing up with the ICL it could face legal action for restraint of trade.

Source : http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/

No mercy for ICL rebels, asserts PCB

2007-12-28T03:17:00.000-08:00

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf has ruled out the possibility of giving a general amnesty to players who were banned for participating in the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

“Well it is something that can be discussed by our governing body members and they have the authority to take a decision on this. But I must emphasise that the players knew what they were doing and the consequences of playing in the ICL when they signed their contracts, he said when asked whether the players would be pardoned.

Ashraf said the decision to ban the players was not unilateral and was agreed upon in an ICC meeting.

“I don’t know why this impression is being given that only the PCB has taken this decision. The fact is this was a policy decision discussed by all member boards of the ICC and also agreed upon. So we have done nothing new or unilateral,” he explained.

Pakistani Test discards Imran Farhat, Shabbir Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood and former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq appeared in the ICL in its inaugural edition last month.

And on returning home they were told by their departments that the board has instructed them not to select them as they had appeared in an unauthorised foreign league.

Ashraf said the players were aware of the problems they could face when they signed up to play in a event which is not recognised by the ICC or any of its member boards.

“We have nothing personal against these players. They can go and play in the ICL and earn good money. But when they were available we tried to talk sense into them and they didn’t listen. The PCB as a governing body of the sport in Pakistan has to follow certain regulations,” he said.

New Zealand look to counter ICL threat

2007-12-24T03:45:00.000-08:00

Radical measures could be taken to prevent their players from signing lucrative contracts with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and turning their backs on their country, Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket's chief executive, has said. These measures include increasing the number of centrally contracted players to 25 as well as increasing the value of player retainers.

The inaugural edition of the ICL included retired players from New Zealand like Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan and Chris Harris. While New Zealand lost just two current players to the league - Daryll Tuffey and Hamish Marshall - Vaughan fears that the number could increase, with the ICL organisers announcing plans for four new tournaments next season and also increasing the number of teams from six to eight. ICL-contracted players are allowed to play domestic cricket in New Zealand but are not eligible for selection for national or A teams.

"We have a shallow player pool and we can't afford to lose players," Vaughan told the New Zealand's Herald on Sunday. "But we are keeping an eye on it and maybe there are things that we can look at in the structure of our contracts."

The Indian board has also lured New Zealand's premier players like Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram and Scott Styris, to sign up for its officially-sanctioned, cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), set to commence in April next year. While these players have agreed to honour their country ahead of their franchise teams and that the IPL is not viewed as a threat unlike the ICL, Vaughan felt that the board will have to ensure they aren't tempted by the financial incentives being offered by the BCCI to participate.

"The process of picking these players is the BCCI's business and we've put forward our best players for consideration and they choose who they want," Vaughan said.

Vaughan said the matter was being discussed with the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association to work out a new structure for the contracts. Retaining elite players would, in all probability, be given more importance than increasing the pool of untried contracted players.

"We don't know how we might structure that but we will be working very closely with the [New Zealand] Players' Association on this one," Vaughan said. "We are starting to talk to Heath Mills, [Players' Association head] about what might be possible. It's this balance - yes we'd like to lock up as many players as possible but, you can either pay fewer people more or more people basically what they're getting now."

Source : http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/

PCB seeks BCCI's help on Yousuf's ICL case

2007-12-21T04:03:00.000-08:00

PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf has urged the BCCI to take necessay action, after an Indian arbitration court issued a stay order against ace batsman Mohammad Yousuf not to play for the Indian Premier League (IPL) for breaching a similar agreement with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

''Although I have no latest information about Yousuf's case, but hopefully the IPL will take up the case, if there is any such decision,'' the PCB chief told 'The Dawn'.

Yousuf joined ICL after being dropped from the inaugural World Twenty20 squad earlier this year. He however changed his mind after being pursuaded by the PCB and joined the BCCI backed IPL.

ICL management, after sending a legal notice to the ace Pakistani batsman later, moved to the Indian arbitration court.

Earlier, reterating the same thought, PCB's Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi said, ''Legal experts will be consulted to finalise a strategy to help Yousuf who initially signed up for the rebel ICL.'' The ICL management had claimed that Yousuf accepted 25 per cent advance payment from them while signing the contract. However, Yousuf claims he had returned the payment.

Several players including former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq have signed up with ICL.

Meanwhile, Dr Nasim said the sub-committee of the newly formed governing board of the PCB would be announced in the next couple of days.

''The process to make nominations for different sub-committees has almost been completed and the names will be announced in the next two days,'' he said.

The decision to form sub-committees to run the affairs of the Governing Board was taken at its first meeting held in Lahore on November 9

Source : http://thatscricket.oneindia.in/

ICL is all about cricket and nothing else

2007-12-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

When the first ball was bowled at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, there were apprehensions about the pitch and the conduct of the competition. Spectator response remained a challenge because we had little time to convince our friends that this was a venture aimed at promoting and grooming cricketers across the country. I am glad we have managed to make such an enormous impact as the Indian Cricket League 20-20 Indian Championship enters its final phase.

Believe me, it was a struggle. It was tough to find grounds and support. But I thank the Haryana Government from the core of my heart for the wonderful encouragement they gave us in our difficult times. The cricketing fraternity shall remain indebted for this gesture from a state that is known to have a special place in its heart for sportsmen.

When we began the ICL, we knew the expectations from the spectators would be high. It was something unique in Indian cricket. It was a tournament that was being conducted by the players. In ICL, the administration is in the hands of cricketers and I am so happy we have managed to have a tournament that has had its share of glorious moments.

he ICL is all about cricket and nothing else. The selections are made on merit and I must appreciate the efforts of the Essel Group for keeping its faith in cricketers. Doubts had been raised about the abilities of the players to stage a competition of this magnitude. The results are there for you to see.

On the cricketing front, we saw some splendid fare right through the tournament. The young lads, with dreams in their eyes, rubbed shoulders with some legends of the game. For them this was the biggest gain from the tournament. True, there was big money to be made but the incentive was to play and learn in the company of stars like Brian Lara, Inzamam ul Haq, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan. I know the youngsters have performed and shown promise for an even bigger tournament next year.

Personally I am very happy with the way the matches were contested. There was intensity on the field. The commitment from the foreign players was exemplary and they contributed immensely in making this tournament so popular. I know from experience what a youngster can gain in terms of cricketing riches by sharing the dressing room with some greats of the game. I look forward eagerly to see who will come out on top in todays final

Source : http://sify.com/

Calendar Year 2008

2007-12-18T03:03:00.001-08:00

S.No Month Tournament Particulars
1. February 08 Domestic Championship 50 Over tournament Indian players to play
2. February – March 08 Triangular Series to field ICL XI. 20 20 Over Tournament
3. March – April 08 ICL Grand Championship 20 20 Over Tournament 8 Teams to participate in the tournament. Increase of 2 Teams.
4. April – May 08 ICL to Open Academies in prominent cities.
5. September – October 08 ICL Invitation Cup 20 20 Over Tournament 8 Teams to participate in the tournament
6. November – December 08 ICL 20 20 Indian Championships 2nd Edition. 20 20 Over Tournament 8 Teams to participate in the tournament.

Tigers batter Heroes to clinch final semis berth

2007-12-14T03:47:00.000-08:00

Craig McMillan led from the front to steer the Kolkata Tigers past the Hyderabad Heroes to clinch the fourth and final place in the semi-finals of the championship. The 53-run victory catapulted the Tigers to the top of the final points tally.
Chasing a reasonable target of 169 for victory, the Hyderabad Heroes stumbled to 115 all out, under lights amidst an electric atmosphere, here at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Chandigarh. The loss meant that both Inzamam and Lara would not feature in the semi-final stages of the tournament. Tigers’ paceman Sujoy Tarafdar was adjudged the player of the match for his match-winning spell. The youngster snapped three crucial wickets of Shashang Nag (2) and Ambati Rayudu (14), Chris Harris (0) and moreover, conceded only twenty runs from his four-over spell.
Tarafdar was the chief tormentor taking three wickets in his very first over. Boje was brilliantly caught by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala at point and off the very next ball Harris too was trapped plump in front of the stumps. A late recovery from all-rounders Abdul Razzaq (37) and Azhar Mahmood (24) provided a glimmer of hope for the Heroes, but there was way too much for the tailenders to do following the duo’s dismissals. Lance Klusener (3/26), Nantie Hayward (2/15) and Upul Chandana (1/19) played able supporting acts for the star of the night – Sujoy Tarafdar. Inzamam-ul-Haq was dismissed LBW to Nantie Hayward, a decision that obviously didn’t please the batsman. He shrugged off, looking agitated and in stress as his team was in absolute totters at 23/5 when he walked off the park. Inzamam’s brigade got off to the worst possible start when his team staggered to 7/4 at one stage. Ibrahim Khaleel (1) was the first to be dismissed to a quick Nantie Hayward delivery – the off stump was uprooted to the extent that it had to be changed!It was a virtual quarter final and there was a calling for the experienced pros to step up the gas and so they did! Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss and inserted Tigers into bat, primarily due to teams finding it easier to chase down totals over the last couple of days. Earlier, Tigers’ English opener Darren Maddy (32) got the team off to a stead start but not a scintillating one. He laid the perfect platform for Abishek Jhunjhunwala (33) and Craig McMillan (50) to give the team the much needed thrust during the middle overs. The duo added 71 runs for the third-wicket and spoilt Inzy’s plans, especially after the Heroes had the Tigers on the ropes on 57/2 at a meager run-rate of 6. The Kolkata-based team needed to desperately accelerate the pace and the Jhunjhunwala-McMillan pair came to the party for them!
McMillan continued his tremendous striking form by sending four more out of the park to give the crowd a lot to cheer about. The Kiwi took his tally of sixes in the tournament to a whopping 11 – which is also the highest by any player so far. Lance Klusener provided the Tigers with the finishing blitz courtesy of a 15-ball knock of 24 runs to ensure the team posted a respectable total of 165/5. The Heroes lost heaps of wickets and could bat out only 16.2 overs – indicating that they could have been closer to the winning target, if their batsmen would have enforced some application. The Kolkata Tigers will collide against the Chennai Superstars on Friday, December 14. The Chandigarh Lions, on the other hand, will take on the Delhi Jets on Saturday, December 15. In a 5/6 classification match, Lara and Inzamam will square off against each other on the same day.

Source : http://www.indiancricketleague.in/

BCCI banning ICL unfortunate, says Lara

2007-12-12T03:13:00.000-08:00

Brian Lara on Tuesday said that Indian Cricket League is an excellent platform for upcoming players and BCCI closing the door of national team for ICL players was unfortunate.
“I feel this (restraining players) is unfortunate. Individuals must be given options and doors should not be closed on them. For any cricketer the ultimate dream is to represent ones country,” Lara said.

“Many of those playing in ICL have been on national squads earlier. However, I am optimistic that this is just an aberration and the Boards will allow players the option to play for their country,” he said.

Lara, captain of Mumbai Champs, one of the six teams featuring in ICL’s Twenty20 tournament, said youngsters have learnt a lot in the company of former international players.

“The confidence and motivation of some of the Indian players playing in this tournament is something to watch for. It is great to see these players learn valuable things here and I am sure four or five years from now they will be playing international cricket,” 37-year-old Lara said.

Besides Lara, former international stars like Marvan Atapattu, Chris Cairns,, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Stuart Law and Craig Macmillan are captaining other teams taking part in the 17-day long tournament, finals of which will be played on Sunday.

Lara’s Mumbai Champs were ousted as they lost four consecutive matches and the West Indian himself in poor touch.

“I feel I am still adapting to the Twenty20 cricket. It has been the first tournament and I hope things will not be the same next time,” he said.

Source : http://www.cricket247.in/

Indian Cricket League 2007 Season Results

2007-12-11T03:33:00.000-08:00

Chandigarh Lions vs Delhi Jets
Nov 30, 2007
Chandigarh Lions beat Delhi Jets by 9 runs

Chennai superstars vs Kolkata Tigers
Dec 01, 2007
Chennai superstars beat Kolkata Tigers by 6 runs

Hyderabad Heroes vs Mumbai Champs
Dec 01, 2007
Hyderabad Heroes beat Mumbai Champs by 33 runs

Delhi Jets vs Hyderabad Heroes
Dec 02, 2007
Delhi Jets beat Hyderabad Heroes by 5 wickets

Chandigarh Lions vs Kolkata Tigers
Dec 02, 2007
Kolkata Tigers beat Chandigarh Lions by 43 runs

Chennai Superstars vs Mumbai Champs
Dec 03, 2007
Chennai Superstars beat Mumbai Champs by 38 runs

Chandigarh Lions vs Hyderabad Heroes
Dec 05, 2007
Chandigarh Lions beat Hyderabad Heroes by 6 wickets

Delhi Jets vs Mumbai Champs
Dec 07, 2007
Delhi Jets beat Mumbai Champs by 24 runs

Chandigarh Lions vs Chennai Superstars
Dec 08, 2007
Chennai Superstars beat Chandigarh Lions by 4 wickets

Delhi Jets vs Kolkata Tigers
Dec 08, 2007
Kolkata Tigers beat Delhi Jets by 4 wickets

Chennai Superstars vs Hyderabad Heroes
Dec 09, 2007
Hyderabad Heroes beat Chennai Superstars by 6 wickets

Chandigarh Lions vs Mumbai Champs
Dec 09, 2007
Chandigarh Lions beat Mumbai Champs by 38 runs

Mumbai Champs vs Kolkata Tigers
Dec 10, 2007
Mumbai Champs beat Kolkata Tigers by 7 runs

Source : http://www.indian-cricket-league.com/

Lara's Champs earn ICL win

2007-12-11T03:31:00.000-08:00

Brian Lara's Mumbai Champs grabbed their first win of the Indian Cricket League with a narrow seven-run victory against the Kolkata Tigers at the Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh, in yesterday's day/night 20/20 encounter.

Lara was not needed at the crease in his team's innings of 187 that cost them just three wickets, Man-of-the-Match Shreyas Khanolkar registering one of two half-centuries for the Champs in their 20 overs.

The consolation win came as they then skittled the Tigers' lower order to restrict them to 180 for nine when the overs ran out.

Former New Zealand all-rounder Nathan Astle led the bowling with three for 26 in his four overs.

The Champs, skippered by Lara, lost their previous encounter on Sunday against the Chandigarh Lions by 38 runs, after Astle's countryman Chris Cairns blasted 70 in just 26 balls.

In his team's chase of the Lions' total of 219, Lara opened in a losing effort after scoring just nine runs, the Champs being out for 181.

Source : http://www.trinidadexpress.com/

The tempo intensifies, bigger scores expected

2007-12-07T02:40:00.000-08:00

Only one team, Chennai Superstars, has managed to cross the 150 runs mark – scoring 157 runs in their allotted 20 overs against Mumbai Champs in Game 6 of the ICL Indian 20:20 Championship.

One thing is clear after almost a week’s cricket – the pitch is bearing out to be a beauty for fast bowlers to bowl on. But the batsmen are faring a lot better over the last two matches and the pace is expected to pick up over the next few games.

Today, the Mumbai Champs will go up against the Delhi Jets and hope to pull one back after their two consecutive losses.

When Inzamam-ul-Haq was clean bowled by a delivery he wanted to hit out of the ground on Sunday, the exasperated look on his face said it all. The ball shot through right under his bat and hit the base of the stumps, virtually kissing the pitch.

Everyone is learning here – the organisers, the players, fans and even the pitch curators. The Indian Cricket League’s inaugural tournament is expected to pick up the pace as it heads into its second week.

So far, only four teams have been able to cross the 140 runs mark in the matches involving all six teams so far. Nine more matches remain to be played in the league round before the semi-finals.

The pitches offered at the Tau Devi Lal sports complex cricket stadium by ICL are definitely not letting the batsmen set the stands on fire. But for the Russian cheerleaders and the starry performances by Bollywood actors and singers, there was little to cheer the spectators as they are yet to see the big names of international cricket come out with all guns blazing.

Only one team, Delhi Jets has been able to chase a 140-plus score, scoring 143 runs in less than 18 overs to beat Hyderabad Heroes by five wickets. All other teams batting second have lost their matches here.

Local team Chandigarh Lions has recorded the lowest score of 81 runs while the much-hyped Mumbai Champs led by Brian Lara have been bundled out for 88 runs here.

So far, 33 sixes have been hit in the championship, leaving spectators yearning for more. The only flurry of sixes came from Australian Ian Harvey who hit four sixes in his 63 runs from 41 balls -- the highest score of the championship so far.

Craig McMillan, who holds the reputation of being a big hitter, has so far been able to hit only one six here. The positive aspect of it all is that the best is yet to come.

Lara has a total score of four runs to his name in two matches – getting out for a duck in his first appearance here.

"We cannot depend on individual performances alone. We will have to fire as a team," said Lara after the back-to-back defeats his team suffered.

But Inzamam has fared better, being the highest scorer in the tournament so far with 76 from two matches.

If the batsmen are finding conditions tough here, both due to the pitch and the cold north Indian winter, the bowlers are not complaining. Certainly not Thiru Kumaran, who earned himself the Rs 375,000 player of the match reward for getting six Mumbai Champs wickets for 21 runs Monday.

Darren Maddy returned with bowling figures of four wickets for just six runs in another match. Daryl Tuffey was miserly, giving just 8 runs in his four overs in a match.

The most expensive bowler was Andrew Hall who conceded 37 runs in his four overs. Nathan Astle gave him company there, giving away 36 runs in four overs.

Source : http://www.indiancricketleague.in/

Imran Farhat takes the game away from Hyderabad Heroes

2007-12-06T04:06:00.000-08:00

Even as Hyderabad Heroes and Chandigarh Lions battled it out in the middle, Kapil Dev pitched in for Robin Singh, Venkatesh Prasad and Lalchand Rajput for the job of India’s cricket coach.

“Why not Robin (Singh), Venkatesh (Prasad) or (Lalchand) Rajput (cricket manager) I am disappointed for them,” he said in response to the Board appointing a foreign coach (Gary Kirsten).

On the field, former Pakistan opener Imran Farhat, who played 27 Tests and 33 ODIs, produced the innings of the Indian Cricket League thus far, slaughtering the bowlers to smash an unbeaten 74 off 48 balls, making a mockery of the target of 135 as Chandigarh Lions won by six wickets.

Former Test all-rounder and coach Madan Lal agreed with Kapil. “One thing is clear that the Board is not going to appoint anyone from within the country despite so many experienced and qualified people available. If they have made it a policy matter, they are free to pick anyone they like,” said Madan.

But Kapil was pleased that the foreigners involved in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) had adopted a professional approach towards their responsibilities.

“They have been interacting with the local players a lot and guiding them. It is this seriousness from the foreigners that has been an important point in the matches being competitive.

“On the whole, we have come close to what we had aimed for, which is to provide good platform to budding domestic cricketers. It is good to see the commitment of the players who are taking part in this tournament,” added Kapil.

Adding value to Kapil’s observations, Farhat applied himself well and belted the ball into the stands. The crowd relished it, for big hits had been a rarity in most matches.
Blistering knock

Farhat’s blistering knock was studded with five sixes and seven fours.

In what was a crucial match for them, Hyderabad Heroes and Chandigarh Lions played some intense cricket.

After losing S. Shahabuddin to the fifth ball of the innings, Hyderabad Heroes, electing to bat, recovered through a racy partnership between Anirudh Singh (39 off 39 balls with five fours and a six) and Ambati Rayudu (22 off 18 balls with three fours).

In the closing overs, Chris Harris and Nicky Boje added some useful runs.

The job was accomplished in style as Chandigarh Lions won their second match in three to lead the table.

The encouraging response from the audience was the most striking feature of the day. “Even on a working day the galleries are full. That means we are gradually gaining recognition. I know it’s a great thing to play for one’s country. That is the dream of every cricketer, — recognise them (BCCI), what can we do if they don’t recognise us (ICL),” concluded Kapil.

The scores:

Hyderabad Heroes 134 for nine in 20 overs (Anirudh Singh 39, Andrew Hall three for 17) lost to Chandigarh Lions 137 for four in 16.2 overs (Imran Farhat 74 not out).

Source : http://www.hindu.com/

Scrapping of Indian Cricket League matches just rumours

2007-12-05T01:07:00.000-08:00

The newly formed Indian Cricket League has not even started a match as of yet, however a number of new rumours are doing the rounds. In connection to the new rumours, officials from http://www.iclinformation.net today said that all these rumours are just speculations and not some news which are true. True information on the dates and venues on the matches of ICL will only be available on the official website of Indian Cricket League.

Speaking to a number of newspersons, Mr. D. Sharma, Chief Information Officer of ICL Information said, “The rumours on ICL are not something new to us. May be, by spreading rumours, some people with vested interest are trying to bring bad name for ICL. However, we belief cricket lovers in India will not fall for the rumours circulated by such individuals. To contain such rumours, we are here to provide you accurate information on inside happenings of Indian Cricket League.”

Mr. Sharma also spoke of other issues related to the dates and schedules of various matches to be held in near future. He said, “As a newly formed body, ICL is certainly facing early hiccups, however, it is not going to scrap any of its commitments towards cricket players. The cricket lovers of India will certainly have their share of entertainment in due course. For the time being, cricket lovers have to support the ICL in making its first step.”

The announcement from Mr. Sharma, may give some solace to the thousands of eager cricket enthusiasts in India waiting for ICL to start its matches. But, his silence on the likely start of the matches by ICL may give a chance for the critics of cricket to start another round of new rumours.

Source : http://www.i-newswire.com/

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2007-12-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

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Lara's Champs lose again

2007-12-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

Trinidadian world batting record-holder Brian Lara endured his second consecutive batting failure yesterday as his Mumbai Champs slumped to another defeat in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) Twenty20 Championship.

Lara, who quit international cricket for West Indies after the World Cup in April, scored only four as Mumbai unsuccessfully chased 158 to win the day/night fixture at the Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium.

Electing to bat, Chennai posted 157 for eight off their 20 overs and Mumbai replied with 119 all out in 18.5 overs.

Australian 35-year-old Ian Harvey opened the batting and carved out Chennai's win with an attacking knock of 63 off 41 balls.

Harvey, who played 73 One-Day International (ODI) matches for Australia between 1997 and 2004, belted six fours and four sixes in his innings and added 78 for the second wicket with Chris Read (34) as Chennai posted the highest total of the controversial new series.

Bowling for Lara's Mumbai, ex-West Indies pacer Mervyn Dillon picked up one for 31 off four overs and Nathan Astle grabbed three for 36.

Mumbai, who were beaten by Hyderabad Heroes on Saturday when captain Lara fell for a first-ball duck, hardly threatened the target.

South African Johan van der Wath top-scored for Mumbai with 31 and Dheeraj Jadhav got 30, but after a middle and lower order slide, they plunged to their heavy defeat.

Indian medium pacer Thirunavukkarasu Kumaran was the chief wicket-taker for Chennai, grabbing six for 21 off four overs.

Kumaran dislodged the 38-year-old Lara, Shreyas Khanolkar (0) and Subhojit Paul (6) in the same over.

Dillon was trapped leg before wicket for one, and while Chennai surged to a handsome win, the Mumbai Champs are the only side to remain pointless this far into the tournament.

Source : http://www.trinidadexpress.com/

Kumaran shines as Superstars dismantle Champs

2007-12-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

An outstanding spell of bowling from Thiru Kumaran, allied with a medley of some lofty strokes from Ian Harvey, handed Chennai Superstars a 38-run victory over Mumbai Champs in their league encounter of the Indian Cricket League played at Tau Devi Lal Stadium on Sunday. The precedent to Chennai Superstars’ successful defence of 157, which was compiled largely thanks to Ian Havey’s brilliant knock of 63, came from T Kumaran who picked up six wickets. The 31-year old player from Kerala bowled a tight off-stump line and caused Mumbai Champs’ batsmen no end of difficulty. Gaining sharp bounce-more than any other bowler from either side- his four overs cost just 21 runs.

Brian Lara, the Mumbai Champs’ skipper, was particularly unsettled by the lift Kumaran produced and soon departed after making four runs coming down at number five spot. The tone was set in the fourth over of the Champs’ innings, when opener Robin Morris while attempting for the drive off the bowling of Shabbir Ahmed, gave a simple catch to Russell Arnold at mid-off. Mumbai Champs were pushed to the back foot and, with only Johan Van Der Wath and Dheeraj Yadav really comfortable playing the pull shots, they were subdued from early on. After the powerplay period, Superstars’s skipper Stuart Law kept on an aggressive field which did not allow Mumbai Champs to break free. Dhheraj Yadav scooped a catch to long on to give Kumaran his first wicket. Astle and Van Der Wath kept dealing in singles and twos during the middle overs. However, the reintroduction of Kumaran in the sixteenth over pegged Mumbai Champs back as he sent back Astle and Van Der Wath in quick succession. Harvey then scalped the wicket of Khirid in the next over to make it 103 for 5 with Mumbai Champs still needing 55 runs from 22 balls. Kumaran then picked up the prized wicket of Brian Lara in the next over who top edged a heave to deep square leg to make the matters worse for Champs. Kumaran again struck twice in that over to end up with the first six-wicket haul in the Championship. Tamil Kumaran then sent Vikram Solanki and Mervyn Dillon to end Champs’ chances of pulling off their first win of the Championship.

Earlier during the Chennai Superstars’ innings, Ian Harvey, promoted as an opener, batted with tremendous vigour and adaptablilty, hitting the fast bowlers and spinners with great power. Harvey and Chris Read who made a cultured 34 from 28 balls, put on a vital 78 for the second wicket, laying into the new-ball attack of Dillon and Van Der Wath whose control and length was lacking. Harvey was more severe on the slow bowlers, smotting Nathan Astle for two successive sixes in the thirteenth over before giving a top edge to Khirid at fine leg in the same over.

“I knew we had to come out hard,” Kumaran said after the match, “and I looked to hit the deck hard. We are gelling as a team and we always knew 157 was a decent score.”

Brief scores : Chennai Superstars : 157 for 8 in 20 overs ( Ian Harvey 63, Chris Read 34, Nathan Astle 3 for 36, A Yadav 2 for 24): Mumbai Champs : 119 all out in 18.5 overs (van Der Wath 31, Dheeraj Yadav 30, Thiru Kumaran 6 for 21, Tamil Kumaran 2 for 27).

Source : http://www.expressindia.com/

Brian Lara flops as Indian rebel league begins

2007-12-03T01:41:00.001-08:00

Paymasters of the breakaway Indian Cricket League say they expect to run at a loss for the first two years of their initial three-year £48 million innovation, but are bullish when asked if they will pull the plug should the project fail.

The ICL, which began on Friday, features a number of county players among the six teams, including Chris Read, Paul Nixon, Darren Maddy and Vikram Solanki.

Yesterday, in two matches at Panchkula, Maddy scored just eight as Kolkata Tigers lost to Chennai Superstars by six runs, while captain Brian Lara made a golden duck and Solanki only five as Mumbai Champs lost to Hyderabad Heroes. The tournament is not yet rocking cricket as Kerry Packer’s World Series did in the Seventies, but it is causing a stir.

“I would not call it a ‘loss’, it’s an investment,” said Himanshu Modi, business head of the ICL for parent company Essel Group. “Efforts are fully behind it to make sure it works and I don’t see a reason why it cannot work, in one shape or form, even if we have to change course.”

Plans are already afoot for a second ICL in March as well as extending to eight teams and building grounds and infrastructure in all participating cities.

The Essel Group, who conceived the ICL after their Zee network failed to land the broadcast rights for India’s home matches, have signed 85 Indian players, 30 internationals, fitness trainers and a world-class production crew, not to mention ground leasing and building costs.

Against an aggressive rival in the shape of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, who have turned the global cricket establishment against ICL and banned participating Indian players from domestic cricket for three years, ICL is surviving.

The BCCI have attempted to undermine ICL with their own, grander Indian Premier League to be played over six weeks from mid-April. Modi believes this to be unworkable because of the international cricket schedule.

Modi, a namesake of his BCCI adversary Lalit Modi, has been with Essel for eight years after taking a Masters degree in finance at Strathclyde University.

“The ICL is here forever - why only three years?” said Kapil Dev, the figurehead of the tournament. “We don’t want to spoil a youngster’s life by giving them a job for three years and after that say, ‘Goodbye’.”

Source : http://www.cricket247.in/

Chennai superstars beat Kolkata Tigers by six runs

2007-12-03T01:38:00.000-08:00

Chennai Superstars defeated Kolkata Tigers by six runs in a Twenty20 match of the Indian Cricket League in Panchkula on Saturday.

Put into bat, the Superstars set a target for 141 and restricted Kolkata Tigers to 134 for seven.

The Superstars lost two quick wickets with the scoreboard reading 13. Iklak Ahmed removed Ian Harvey (3) and C Hemanth Kumar (5) before Law (33) and Arnold (38) took control and put on a 76-run stand.

R Sathish (23) and S V Sarvanan (22) scored some quick runs at the end, setting the opponents a target of 141.

The Tigers started the chase badly with Lance Klusener (0) and D L Maddy (8) falling to Shabeer Ahmed.

Shabeer, Harvey and T Kumaran took two wickets each. The Tigers, who required 19 runs in the final over, ended their innings on 134/7.

For Tigers, captain Craig Macmillan (25) and promising talent Abhishek Jhunjhuwala (30) were among the run getters.

Ahmed was declared man-of-the-match, giving away just 22 runs in four overs. The superstars earned two points from the win.

Source : http://www.cricket247.in/

Kolkata Tigers beat Chandigarh Lions

2007-12-03T01:37:00.000-08:00

Chasing a modest target of 125, Chandigarh Lions surrendered meekly handing a 43-run win victory to Kolkata Tigers in the fifth match of the Indian Cricket League’s Twenty20 tournament in Panchkula on Sunday night.

The Lions collapsed like a pack of cards and were bundled out for 81 in 17.3 overs.

They kept losing wickets at regular intervals, with their top order batsmen, including Hamish Marshall (7), Sarabjit Singh (8), Chetan Sharma (0) and skipper former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns (7) failing to make an impact.

Englishman Darren Maddy wrecked the Lions’ innings by claiming four scalps, including that of opener Imran Farhat (23) and was declared Man of the Match. The Tigers also showed some brilliance in the field effecting three run outs.

Electing to bat first, the Tigers were bowled out for 124 in 19.3 overs. Openers Maddy (19) and Lance Klusener (12) did not make much of an impact while Abhishek Jhunjhuwala (11) and SG Das (0) also did not have luck going their way.

Tigers’ skipper Craig Mcmillan was looking in good form but was run out by some exceptional fielding by TP Singh. Rajesh Sharma took three wickets for the Lions while the team’s Kiwi import Daryl Tuffey took two.

Both teams have two points each from the two matches they have played so far.

Source : http://www.cricket247.in/

Glitzy ceremony launches India's rebel Twenty20 cricket league

2007-11-30T20:21:00.001-08:00

A glitzy ceremony Friday marked the start of India's breakaway Twenty20 cricket league in the northern town of Panchkula.

The Indian Cricket League (ICL) has been dubbed a rebel league as it was not sanctioned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which has retaliated by planning its own Indian Premier League (IPL) to be launched in April.

The six-team ICL, promoted by a television company, offers prize money of US$3.85 million.

The inaugural match of the league Friday featured Delhi Jets, captained by former Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu, and Chanidgarh Lions, which is being led by ex-New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns.

Ex-West Indies captain Brian Lara and former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq are the biggest stars featuring in the tournament for which several young Indian players have signed up, despite the risk of in future being barred from matches sanctioned by the BCCI.

Lara is leading Mumbai Champs, while Inzamam is the captain of Hyderabad Heroes.

Other teams have been named Kolata Tigers and Chennai Superstars.

A new rule has been introduced in the ICL which disallows any overthrows if the fielder's throw hits the stumps.

Four top teams from the round-robin league spread over two weeks will advance to the knockout semifinals.

The ICL's executive board is headed by India's 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev.

Dev's decision to join the breakaway league prompted the cricket board to remove him from the honourary position of chairman of the National Cricket Academy

Sandip Patil, Madan Lal and Balwinder Sandhu, all members of the 1983 World Cup champion team, have followed Dev and signed up with the ICL. They have taken up coaching assignments for ICL teams that feature some top foreign stars and Indian youngsters.

Lal and Sandhu had opened India's attack during the triumphant 1983 World Cup campaign.

India's cricket board tried to block the ICL's progress by making it difficult for the unofficial league's promoters to hire cricket grounds.

The rebel league is being compared with Kerry Packer's World Cricket Series that split world cricket in the 1970s.

Packer's World Cricket Series signed up top international players from several countries in an era when players were not well remunerated and had no endorsements.

While Packer got the cream of world cricket, the Indian league seems to be attracting only the retired stars.

ICL matches will be telecast on 25 channels

2007-11-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

Terming it a landmark decision in cricket history, the Zee television network Tuesday announced the Twenty20 cricket tournament matches of the newly formed rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) will be telecast live on 25 of its channels for some duration.

A Zee network spokesman said here that the decision had been taken to telecast the first 30 minutes of ICL matches live on 25 channels owned by the network. These will include national and regional channels. The matches will, however, not be telecast on the Zee Cinema and Zee Studio channels.

The full matches will be telecast on the Zee Sports channel.

Describing the decision as monumental, the spokesman added that it was for the first time in the history of world cricket that this kind of platform was being offered to domestic cricket.

The Zee network claims to reach out to 550 million homes worldwide.

ICL, which has been promoted by the Essel Group that also owns the Zee network, will be played at the Tau Devi Lal sports complex at Panchkula, 15 km from here, from Nov 30 to Dec 16.

Over two dozen international players, including Brian Lara, Nathan Astle, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Chris Cairns and Marvan Attapatu will play in the tournament featuring six club sides. Each team has been given five international players while the remaining will be Indian cricketers.

This is the first event by ICL, a parallel league to the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which selects the Indian national squad.

The BCCI has already declared ICL as a rebel league.

Source: http://www.indiaenews.com/

Indian Cricket League ICL 2007 - Coaches

2007-11-29T00:54:00.000-08:00

The coach is seen as an important cog in the functioning of modern cricket. At the junior level, a good coach will crucially instill in his pupils a good work ethic; he will also correct potentially crippling flaws in technique. However, technique usually needs only fine-tuning, so the coach's main job is to methodically analyze and interpret data obtained from actual match situations.

So on one hand he may draw a bowler's attention to his shortcomings and advise a batsman on specific tactics to upset the rhythm of a particular opposition bowler. The coaches will also have access to state of the art video recording software to assist them perform on their duties.

Balwinder Sandhu
Coach, Chandigarh Lions

Daryll Cullinan
Coach, Kolkata Tigers

Madan Lal
Coach, Delhi Jets

Michael Bevan
Coach, Chennai Superstars

Moin Khan
Coach, Hyderabad Heroes

Sandeep Patil
Coach, Mumbai Champs

Indian Cricket League - ICL 2007 Teams

2007-11-28T23:01:00.000-08:00

Chennai Superstars
Team Members : Stuart Law (Australia), Ian Harvey (Australia), V. Devendran (Chennai), R. Sathish (Chennai), Hemang Badani (Chennai), Chris Read (England), Tamil Kumaran (Chennai), Hemant Kumar (Chennai), Russel Arnold (Sri Lanka), Sriram Sridharan (Chennai) Syed Mohammed (Chennai), Shabbir Ahmed (Pakistan), Thiru Kumaran (Chennai), J. Hareish (Chennai), Vasanth Sarvanan (Tamil Nadu), R. Jesuraj (Tamil Nadu), Sanjeev Martin, Vignesh (Chennai), P. Vivek
Coach : Michael Bevan

Hyderabad Heroes
Team Members : Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan), Anirudh Singh (Hyderabad), Ambati Rayudu (Hyderabad), Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan), Azhar Mahmood (Pakistan), Syed Shahubuddin (Hyderabad), Chris Harris (New Zealand), Nicky Boje (South Africa), Stuart Binny (Karnataka), Inder Shekhar Reddy (Hyderabad), Vinay Kumar (Hyderabad), Ibrahim Khaleel (Hyderabad), Kaushik Reddy (Hyderabad), Bheema Rao, Alfred Absolom (Hyderabad), Shashank Nag (Hyderabad), P.S. Niranjan (Hyderabad), Baburao Yadav, Zakaria Zuffri (Assam/Railways)
Coach : Moin Khan

Kolkata Tigers
Team Members : Craig McMillan (New Zealand), Parviz Aziz (Assam), Darren Maddy (England), Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (Kolkata), Lance Klusener (South Africa), Rohan Gavaskar (Bengal), Upul Chandana (Sri Lanka), Deep Dasgupta (Bengal), Abu Nechim (Assam), Shiv Sagar Singh (Bengal), Boyd Rankin (Ireland), Mihir Diwakar (Jharkhand), Rajiv Kumar (Kolkata), Sayed Akhlakh Ahmed (Kolkata), Subhomoy Das (Kolkata), Sujay Tarafdar (Assam), Pritam Das (Assam), Anshu Jain, Ali H. Zaidi
Coach : Darryl Cullinan

Delhi Jets
Team Members : Marvan Atapattu (Sri Lanka), Niall O'Brien (Ireland), Mohnish Mishra (Madhya Pradesh), Taufeeq Umar (Pakistan), Abbas Ali (Madhya Pradesh), Paul Nixon (England), Dale Benkenstein (South Africa), J.P. Yadav (Railways), Ali Murtaza (Uttar Pradesh), T. Sudhindra (Madhya Pradesh), Abid Nabi Ahanger (Jammu and Kashmir), Sachin Dholpure (Madhya Pradesh), Abhishek Tamrakar (Madhya Pradesh), Shalabh Srivastav (Uttar Pradesh), Abhishek Sharma (Uttar Pradesh), Dishant Yagnik (Udaipur), Dhruv Mahajan (Jammu and Kashmir), Abhinav Bali, Raghav Sachdev
Coach : Madan Lal

Mumbai Champs
Team Members : Brian Lara (West Indies), Vikram Solanki (England), Robin Morris (Mumbai), Nathan Astle (New Zealand), Kiran Powar (Mumbai), Shreyas Khanolkar (Mumbai), J. Van der Wath (South Africa), Rakesh Patel (Gujarat), Avinash Yadav (Mumbai), Nantie Hayward (South Africa), Subhojit Paul (Kolkata), Dheeraj Jadhav (Pune), Anupam Sanklecha (Mumbai), Ranjeet Kirid (Pune), Pushkaraj Joshi (Pune), Suyash Burkul (Maharashtra), Raviraj Patil (Maharashtra), Nikhil Mandale (Mumbai), Sridher Iyer
Coach : Sandip Patil

Chandigarh Lions
Team Members : Chris Cairns (New Zealand), Sarabjeet Singh (Punjab), Imran Farhat (Pakistan), Dinesh Mongia (Punjab), Hamish Marshall (New Zealand), T.P. Singh (Punjab), Andrew Hall (South Africa), Reetinder Singh Sodhi (Punjab), Rajesh Sharma (Punjab), Ishan Malhotra (Punjab), Daryl Tuffey (New Zealand), Sumit Kalia (Punjab), Chetan Sharma (Punjab), Manish Sharma (Punjab), Love Ablish (Punjab), Bipul Sharma (Punjab), Karanveer Singh (Punjab), Amit Uniyal (Punjab), Gaurav Gupta (Jammu and Kashmir), Harpreet Singh (Punjab)
Coach : Balwinder Sandhu

Indian Cricket League 2007 Season Schedule

2007-11-28T22:53:00.000-08:00

Date Match Time (IST)

Friday
30 November 2007 Chandigarh Lions vs Delhi Jets 18:00
Saturday
01 December, 2007 Chennai Superstars vs Kolkata Tigers 12:30
Saturday
01 December, 2007 Mumbai Champs vs Hyderabad Heroes 18:00
Sunday
02 December, 2007 Chandigarh Lions vs Kolkata Tigers 18:00
Sunday
02 December, 2007 Delhi Jets vs Hyderabad Heroes 12:30
Monday
03 December, 2007 Chennai Superstars vs Mumbai Champs 12:30
Wednesday
05 December, 2007 Chandigarh Lions vs Hyderabad Heroes 18:00
Friday
07 December, 2007 Delhi Jets vs Mumbai Champs 18:00
Saturday
08 December, 2007 Chandigarh Lions vs Chennai Superstars 12:30
Saturday
08 December, 2007 Delhi Jets vs Kolkata Tigers 18:00
Sunday
09 December, 2007 Chandigarh Lions vs Mumbai Champs 18:00
Sunday
09 December, 2007 Chennai Superstars vs Hyderabad Heroes 12:30
Monday
10 December, 2007 Mumbai Champs vs Kolkata Tigers 18:00
Wednesday
12 December, 2007 Chennai Superstars vs Delhi Jets 12:30
Wednesday
12 December, 2007 Hyderabad Heroes vs Kolkata Tigers 18:00
Friday
14 December, 2007 First Semi Final - TBC vs TBC 12:30
Saturday
15 December, 2007 5th Place Play-off - TBC vs TBC 12:30
Saturday
15 December, 2007 Second Semi Final - TBC vs TBC 18:00
Sunday
16 December, 2007 3rd Place Play-off - TBC vs TBC 12:30
Sunday
16 December, 2007 Final - TBC vs TBC 18:00