Briefly cricket

WADA sets time limit for ICC
New Delhi: The WADA on Tuesday gave ICC time till November 2011 to convince its member boards to accept the vexed 'whereabouts' clause. WADA director general David Howman also served a veiled warning to BCCI when he
indicated that India could be barred from participating in this year's Asian Games in Guangzhou, where cricket in the form of Twenty20 would make its debut in the multi-sport extravaganza if the stand-off continues. "It will be Olympic Council of Asia's decision," he said.

SA win despite Sammy's knock
Antigua: South Africa withstood a late West Indies fightback led by Darren Sammy's 58 from 24 balls to prevail by 17 runs in the second one-day international on Monday and take a 2-0 lead in the five match series.
Brief scores: South Africa 300 for 5 in 50 overs (G. Smith 37, H. Amla 92, J Kallis 85, AB de Villiers 41;Taylor 2/50, Pollard 2/39) vs West Indies 283 all out in 48.1 overs (D. Richards 51, D Bravo 74, D Sammy not out 58; Morkel 3/58).

ICC gives Sydney Test clean chit
Melbourne: The ICC has stopped investigating the Australia-Pakistan Sydney Test after finding no evidence of match-fixing, a Cricket Australia spokesman said. "The ICC has replied, saying it has seen no evidence of match-fixing and that there is no current investigation of match-fixing," CA spokesman Peter Young was quoted as saying by The Australian. "Haroon Lorgat has assured James Sutherland that Australia won the match on its merits," Young added.

Afridi to lead in all formats
Lahore: Pakistan on Tuesday named Shahid Afridi captain for next month's Asia Cup and the subsequent full tour of England, opting for a single skipper for all three formats of the game. "Afridi will lead Pakistan in one-day and Test cricket and is our best choice," Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt told reporters.

Swann voted best English player
London: Off-spinner Graeme Swann beat competition from his skipper Paul Collingwood among others to clinch the 'England Cricket of the Year' award at Lord's. Selected by the British media, Swann claimed the award beating the likes of Stuart Broad, Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and James Anderson. Swann played 45 matches in all formats of the game, taking 99 wickets at an average of 26.26.

Afridi named captain for Asia Cup, tour of England

Lahore, May 25(ANI): Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been named the captain of the national team for the Asia Cup and the tour of England.
Announcing the decision, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt said that Afridi had the confidence of all players during the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, and that was the reason behind him getting the captaincy.
"It is a quality of a captain that he fosters cooperation and good relations among the players while following the rules and regulations of the game. Afridi has done all that," The News quoted Butt, as saying.
Butt further said that the names of the 30 players for the England tour will be announced after the upcoming meeting.
The Asia Cup will be played in Sri Lanka from June 15 to 25, while the series against Australia and England will be played between July and August. (ANI)

Marsh back for ODIs, Clarke captain of Twenty20

Opener Shaun Marsh has been selected in the Australia one-day international squad after recovering from injury while Michael Clarke will continue as captain of the Twenty20 side in matches against England and Pakistan over the next two months.
Marsh replaced fellow Western Australian Adam Voges while Clarke is in a 14-man squad which is the same, minus second wicketkeeper Tim Paine, as the one which lost the world Twenty20 title to England in the West Indies this month.
Australia is playing two tests and two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan in England due to security concerns in Pakistan. That series will be preceded by five one-day matches against England.
"Australia has made great progress in Twenty20 cricket in the last 12 months, winning an extremely high percentage of our games and of course being the only undefeated side in the tournament until the final," Australia selectors' chairman Andrew Hilditch said Monday.
Australia opens its tour on June 17 with a limited-overs match against Ireland at Clontarf. It then plays English county side Middlesex at Lord's on June 19 in a one-day tour match, followed by five one-day matches against England _ June 22 at the Rose Bowl, June 24 at Cardiff, June 27 at Old Trafford, June 30 at The Oval and July 3 at Lord's.
The Pakistan series begins with Twenty20 matches on July 5 and 6 at Edgbaston, followed by a two-day tour match July 8-9 against Derbyshire. Australia plays tests against Pakistan beginning July 13 at Lord's and July 21 at Headingley.
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One-day squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice captain), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, James Hopes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
Twenty20 squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Cameron White (vice captain), Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Shane Watson.

'New look' England squad has potential to defend Ashes Down Under: Pietersen

London, May 22(ANI): England batsman Kevin Pietersen has said that the new look Three Lions squad has the potential to defend the Ashes in Australia under coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss.

England's last series Down Under had resulted in an embarrassing 5-0 whitewash, but Pietersen claims that the current team has the potential to give a tough fight to the Aussies in their own back yard.

"Words can't describe how I feel right now after the fortnight I've had. It's always good to beat Australia [Twenty20 World Cup final]. To do it away from England and on a flat wicket is something the boys can take a lot of positives from. I can't say we will do this or do that, win the Ashes and all, but I can say this team will keep improving all the time," The Sun quoted Pietersen, as saying.

"The team spirit in 2005 was special. We had an incredible side and the way the guys enjoyed each other's success was the key. And I can see that in this team. Everyone in this side is now dovetailing much like that great Australian side of a few years ago," he added.

The 29-year-old also dismissed reports emerging in the Australian press that branded the Twenty20 World Cup winning England squad as a team of 'imports'.

"People are entitled to their opinions of course, but I think it's time to move on from all that. It's the kind of heckling we're going to get at the end of the year in Australia though I guess. We get it here too, but to see England winning is the best thing," Pietersen said.

"I don't think there should be any negatives about what we've achieved over the last few weeks - it's all down to the year we've had under Flower and Strauss," he added.

Beaten Bangladesh desperate for Shakib recovery

DERBY: Bangladesh were desperately hoping captain Shakib Al Hasan makes a speedy recovery from chickenpox after his side lost by seven wickets to England Lions on Friday.
Only Jahural Islam showed the necessary application required on a Derby pitch that helped the seamer to score an unbeaten 58 off 153 balls and was the only Bangladeshi batsman to pass 50 in the game.
Bangladesh face England at Lord's in the first Test starting on Thursday, but this match was really decided on Thursday afternoon when the tourists lost wickets to a rash of ill-judged shots to collapse to 139 for nine, a lead of just 63.
Rubel Hossain dug in to see him to his half-century and made the Lions bowlers work for the last wicket on a hot, humid morning on Friday.
Jahural and Rubel continued the stand which had rescued their side from a two-day defeat and batted for another 11 overs before Ravi Bopara, pushing for an England Test recall, struck.
Bopara finished with four for 14 in the innings and seven for 23 in the match.
Lions skipper and England opener Alastair Cook then made an unbeaten 42 from 55 balls as his team easily chased down a target of 86.
Bangladesh's Australian coach Jamie Siddons said he was hopeful that Shakib would be fit for Lord's.
"He's much better. He bowled and batted today and walked some laps. I'm pretty confident he's pacing himself well and will definitely be putting his hand up to play," said Siddons.
"That's good news for us because he's an integral part of our line-up and balances our team out nicely."
On the Lord's Test, Siddons added: "We are hoping for a really good performance.
"We've played good Test cricket over the last six months and pushed England in Bangladesh and hopefully, all things being even, we will play really well at Lord's."

Bangladesh collapse against England Lions

Derby: Bangladesh's preparations for next week's first Test at Lord's suffered a blow when they collapsed against England Lions at Derby on Wednesday.
The tourists, playing their final tour match before the Lord's clash with England, slipped from 109 for one to be bowled out for 220 on the first day, with Steve Kirby taking three wickets in 18 balls for the Lions.
Ravi Bopara returned from England's ICC World Twenty20 triumph to run through the Bangladesh tail, finishing with three for nine, but he made only 12 with the bat as the Lions reached 125 for three at the close.
Bangladesh had batted well after they were put in against a Lions attack which struggled for the right length, but the innings was undermined by some rash shots.
Tamim Iqbal drove and glanced Kirby for three consecutive fours and Imrul Kayes brought up the 50 in the 11th over when he off-drove Chris Woakes to the ropes.
Kayes was dropped on 20 when he drove James Harris low to Woakes in the covers but Iqbal's attacking instincts betrayed him when he top-edged a hook at Liam Plunkett and was caught at fine leg for 36.
Kayes looked well set until he flashed at Woakes and was caught behind for 42, and the tourists' decline gathered pace after lunch as the seamers found a more consistent line.
Junaid Siddique was taken by a juggling Moeen Ali at second slip for 30 and Mohammad Ashraful suffered his first failure of the tour when he edged a big drive at Kirby.
The Gloucestershire paceman then found some extra bounce to have Mushfiqur Rahim caught by Ali for a single and Plunkett struck with his first ball back when Jahurul Islam mistimed a pull to mid on.
The tourists were in deep trouble at 158 for seven after Abdur Razzak edged Woakes to first slip but Mahmudullah responded by hooking Plunkett for two consecutive sixes before he pulled Bopara to Monty Panesar at fine leg.
Bopara then failed with the bat, taken at second slip by Robiul Islam, and Moeen Ali went first ball when he edged low to Kayes.
Alastair Cook and Gale had some uncomfortable moments against the tourists' seamers but were rebuilding the innings until the skipper pulled Rubel Hossain to mid-on.
Gale completed his half-century from 71 balls and shared an unbroken stand of 50 with James Taylor to leave the Lions 95 behind at the close.