All posts by csb10.top

Pakistan raced to an easy ten-wicket victory over Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo soon after lunch on the fourth day of the match. Left 57 to win, they took only 8.3 overs to get there without losing a wicket.Zimbabwe got off to the worst possible start to the fourth day, losing Andy Flower to the fourth ball of the morning without addition to their overnight score of 171 for five. A ball from Waqar Younis jagged back viciously from the pitch to trap him plumb lbw inside the crease. Flower was out for 13 to complete what for him was a disappointing series, with only one fifty to his credit. All hopes of setting Pakistan any sort of belated challenge or achieving a draw, with no rain at all likely, were crushed.Andy Blignaut began confidently, but had an escape when on 7 as slip Inzamam was slow to react to an edge that flew to his left. He continued to live dangerously, but the impression was that his approach was more `let’s have a bash’ rather than `let’s make a fight of it’. Waqar tried to trap him with a few bouncers, and Blignaut pulled him for two fine sixes, and was then dropped near the boundary attempting a third. Waqar may still bowl with tremendous skill, but his once feared pace has gone, especially on this slow pitch.Tatenda Taibu did his part well, and the fifty partnership came up off only 59 balls – of which Blignaut scored 37. Shortly afterwards Zimbabwe saved the innings defeat and went into credit with four wickets remaining. Blignaut immediately threw his wicket away, leaping extravagantly down the pitch, head in the air, to Saqlain and was easily stumped. His 41 came off 32 balls and included two sixes and four fours.Mluleki Nkala continued the fight with Taibu, but was surprised to be given out by umpire Venkat, caught at the wicket for 14, trying to hit Saqlain out of the ground, possibly the first really dubious dismissal of the match. Raymond Price, usually dour in Tests, experimented with the long handle and reached double figures for the first time in Tests before being bowled for 12 by a superb leg-cutter from Mohammad Sami.Henry Olonga held out with Taibu until lunch, after which Pakistan took the second new ball. The last pair did not survive long, as Taibu chipped an easy catch to mid-on for 57, leaving Olonga unbeaten with 3 and Pakistan with 57 to win.A wide and two fours by Taufeeq Umar off the first over, bowled by Olonga, suggested a canter. Price opened from the other end and was hit for four and six by Saleem Elahi, following which Olonga dropped a return catch from Taufeeq. The batsmen dealt mainly in boundaries; the batsmen did not need to run until they scored the 39th run of the innings.When Saleem turned Olonga to leg for the winning run, he had 30 (four fours, two sixes) and Taufeeq 21 (five fours). Pakistan thus deservedly completed a two-nil victory in the series.

Key Ventnor all-rounder Andy Whyte will miss the entire coming cricket season after fracturing his left knee in a freak accident while holidaying in South Africa.Whyte, a middle-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, underwent a three-hour operation in a Cape Town hospital last week after tripping into a drainage gully and fracturing his knee in six places.”It really was bizarre,” said Whyte, who had originally gone to Cape Town to watch the South Africa-Australia Test Match at Newlands.”One moment I was simply walking along, the next my foot gave way and I crashed on to the concrete base of a pretty deep watery gully.”I’m going to be in plaster for six weeks and there’s no chance at all of me playing this season,” he added.Whyte’s injury is a bitter blow for the Southern Electric Premier League new boys, who will be without al least four of last season’s unbeaten Hampshire League championship winning side when the new season begins on May 11.Mark Garaway, Walter Masimula, Lord’s-bound Steven Snell, Ian Hilsum and now Whyte will all be significant absentees.

Hampshire’s inability to remove tail end batsmen surfaced for a second time in the space of a fortnight as Yorkshire batted for two sessions on the fourth day to prevent any other result but a tame draw.Steadfastly defying any attempts to make a positive result possible, Yorkshire, the reigning County Champions who have lost all three of their previous Frizzell Division One games this season, settled for a morale-boosting draw.The only day of the four to start on time saw Richard Dawson and Chris Silverwood lose their wickets to Shaun Udal to send the hosts to 275-8 and some way adrift of Hampshire’s first innings total of 354.But, with veteran wicket-keeper/batsman Richard Blakey still in and playing a controlled innings, he was joined by Steve Kirby in a tenth wicket stand of 91 to frustrate the visitors and gain an unlikely first innings lead for their side.Blakey (83), who smashed Udal straight over his head for six, fell when he edged Chris Tremlett to Neil Johnson in the sole slip.Hampshire were left to rue Nic Pothas’ drop off Neil Johnson when Kirby was on only 3 as the England Academy quickie surpassed his miserly previous highest score of 15* to record a maiden first-class half century.He found an allay in Matthew Hoggard with whom he added a further 57 for the tenth wicket, with the fiery redhead smiting two huge sixes over the members pavilion before he became Dimi Mascarenhas’ fifth scalp for a fine 57, leaving Hoggard on 21.Mascarenhas closed with 5-87 from one ball short of 30 overs, his best figures of the season so far in Yorkshire’ 423 all out, their surprisingly highest score against Hampshire at Headingley in the 148-match history.It left Hampshire 18 overs to bat out with the draw declared at 5.30pm. Will Kendall was trapped leg before in the only blemish of the Hampshire second innings, as Derek Kenway (30) and John Crawley (19) ensured no further loss at 62-1.Crawley now departs for Edgbaston to join the England party while the rest of the squad take the long journey on Tuesday to deepest Kent for the first round of the C&G Trophy against Kent Cricket Board at Folkestone.

A pair of Otago attackers, Warren McSkimming and Andrew Hore, have proved to be the difference between the potentially top and almost certainly bottom team going into round seven of the Shell Trophy.Remarkably, all six Canterbury men out today failed to score. McSkimming removed five of them.The delighted all-rounder took a career best 6-39 with his right arm fast medium attacking bowling to dismiss Canterbury for 207 all out this morning. They added just nine runs losing four wickets, three to the Ranfurly-born 21-year-old, at the cost of just one run.He added the wickets of Canterbury’s Gary Stead and Jarrod Englefield before the close to complete a great day for him, but a miserable one for Canterbury.Otago had declared earlier shortly after tea at 255/6, 377 ahead.Hore batted just as his captain, Matt Horne, who got a golden duck, would have liked, smacking 77 in 89 balls, with 15 fours, before being bowled by a big turner from Aaron Redmond.Chris Gaffaney also did the job for Otago, scoring 63 before retiring hurt with a pinched nerve in his hip. He added 135 off 210 balls for the fourth wicket with the dominating Hore to put Otago out of sight.McSkimming, a second season Otago player, looked a class prospect. He leads Otago’s wicket taking charts with 19, and at one stage had 5-2 off 43 balls in the day. He finished with 2-15 off six overs, or, more impressively, 5-16 off 11.5 overall.”Wozza”, is fluent in what coach Dennis Aberhart calls “farmer talk,” and indeed comes from a close farming family. His father has played for Otago ‘B’. McSkimming may be unavailable for Otago’s potentially crucial match against Northern Districts starting on February 17th as he is due to be best man at his brother’s wedding.Now Dunedin based, but from the coldest place in New Zealand, Oturehua near Ranfurly, McSkimming told CricInfo, “I was rapped to get a five for. I wouldn’t say my pace has increased, but I’ve been working on a couple of things in the last couple of games and they’re coming right for me now.””The pitch is pretty flat, but a couple of them have popped and kept low. Tomorrow we’ve just got to bowl them out. We’re going to bowl our guts out.””It’s really dry and Paul (Wiseman’s) a pretty good bowler as you know and it probably will turn into a turner.”He bowls off a long run, with a slight stutter near the end, but has a fast arm action and has got quicker as the season has gone on.Coach Aberhart felt Canterbury batted too negatively yesterday, but believes Otago are in position for a win, although “we’ve got a bit of work to do.”The Auckland team popped by to the 1974 Commonwealth Games QEII Stadium, for a swim and to watch their next opponents, Otago, who they meet at Carisbrook on Tuesday.Former New Zealand captain, Lee Germon, was also in attendance, talking to Otago coach Dennis Aberhart, possibly about next season’s Shell Cup campaign.However, it is the new strike bowler (McSkimming) and ‘new’ leading batsman (Hore) that will be congratulated most warmly by new Otago coach Aberhart, as his team head for the victory tomorrow that will take them to the top of the Shell Trophy table.A pair of Otago attackers, Warren McSkimming and Andrew Hore, have proved to be the difference between the potentially top and almost certainly bottom team going into round seven of the Shell Trophy.Remarkably, all six Canterbury men out today failed to score. McSkimming removed five of them.The delighted all-rounder took a career best 6-39 with his right arm fast medium attacking bowling to dismiss Canterbury for 207 all out this morning. They added just nine runs losing four wickets, three to the Ranfurly-born 21-year-old, at the cost of just one run.He added the wickets of Canterbury’s Gary Stead and Jarrod Englefield before the close to complete a great day for him, but a miserable one for Canterbury.Otago had declared earlier shortly after tea at 255/6, 377 ahead.Hore batted just as his captain, Matt Horne, who got a golden duck, would have liked, smacking 77 in 89 balls, with 15 fours, before being bowled by a big turner from Aaron Redmond.Chris Gaffaney also did the job for Otago, scoring 63 before retiring hurt with a pinched nerve in his hip. He added 135 off 210 balls for the fourth wicket with the dominating Hore to put Otago out of sight.McSkimming, a second season Otago player, looked a class prospect. He leads Otago’s wicket taking charts with 19, and at one stage had 5-2 off 43 balls in the day. He finished with 2-15 off six overs, or, more impressively, 5-16 off 11.5 overall.”Wozza”, is fluent in what coach Dennis Aberhart calls “farmer talk,” and indeed comes from a close farming family. His father has played for Otago ‘B’. McSkimming may be unavailable for Otago’s potentially crucial match against Northern Districts starting on February 17th as he is due to be best man at his brother’s wedding.Now Dunedin based, but from the coldest place in New Zealand, Oturehua near Ranfurly, McSkimming told CricInfo, “I was wrapped to get a five for. I wouldn’t say my pace has increased, but I’ve been working on a couple of things in the last couple of games and they’re coming right for me now.””The pitch is pretty flat, but a couple of them have popped and kept low. Tomorrow we’ve just got to bowl them out. We’re going to bowl our guts out.””It’s really dry and Paul (Wiseman’s) a pretty good bowler as you know and it probably will turn into a turner.”He bowls off a long run, with a slight stutter near the end, but has a fast arm action and has got quicker as the season has gone on.Coach Aberhart felt Canterbury batted too negatively yesterday, but believes Otago are in position for a win, although “we’ve got a bit of work to do.”The Auckland team popped by to the 1974 Commonwealth Games QEII Stadium, for a swim and to watch their next opponents, Otago, who they meet at Carisbrook on Tuesday.Former New Zealand captain, Lee Germon, was also in attendance, talking to Otago coach Dennis Aberhart, possibly about next season’s Shell Cup campaign.However, it is the new strike bowler (McSkimming) and ‘new’ leading batsman (Hore) that will be congratulated most warmly by new Otago coach Aberhart, as his team head for the victory tomorrow that will take them to the top of the Shell Trophy table.

Former Zimbabwean Test batsman Murray Goodwin has been recalled to boost the West Australian top order for its vital Pura Cup match against South Australia starting Wednesday.The 29-year-old takes the place of youngster Scott Meuleman while left-arm spinner Brad Oldroyd is expected to carry the drinks instead of Kade Harvey against the new-look Redbacks.The Warriors and Redbacks are just two of the four teams still in the mix for final berths heading into the final round of matches.And while Queensland is still in the driving spot to make the final on 30 points, it needs two points against Victoria this week to ensure its third home final in a row.Meanwhile Western Australia and Tasmania are locked on 24 points and need large outright victories to give themselves their best shot at making the final.The Redbacks (20) though have an outside chance of playing next week but need an outright victory over the Warriors and for results to fall their way.”There’s a few combinations, I think everyone will be pulling out their calculators on Saturday to work out the quotients,” said Warriors coach Mike Veletta.Veletta hoped that the Redbacks’ desire for a result would help the Warriors gain the valuable six points.”They will have to be aggressive, there is no point finishing mid-table when you can make the final,” Veletta said.”And with Greg Blewett as captain, he’s a pretty aggressive player.”The South Australian selectors have made four changes to the Redbacks team which has been on the slide since Darren Lehmann’s recall to the national team thissummer.The team has lost its last two four-day matches at home in the left-hander’s absence.Selectors have brought in batsmen Shane Deitz and Daniel Harris, all-rounder Ryan Harris and fast bowler Paul Wilson for the match.But it will be the Warriors who will have the chance to bring back Test opener Justin Langer into their line-up if they make the final.Langer’s national duties on the South African tour finish next Tuesday giving him ample time to return to Australia for the match.The Warriors also enter Wednesday’s clash full of confidence coming off their remarkable come-from-behind victory against Victoria in Melbourne this month.”We have got some momentum going our way, we did not play well against Victoria, but we fought back and showed some character,” Veletta said.Western Australia: Simon Katich (c), Jo Angel, Ryan Campbell, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Matthew Nicholson, MarcusNorth, Brad Oldroyd, Chris Rogers, Brad Williams.South Australia: Greg Blewett (c), Nathan Adcock, Chris Davies, Shane Deitz, David Fitzgerald, Daniel Harris, Ryan Harris, Ben Johnson, Paul Rofe, Mike Smith, Paul Wilson, Bradley Young.

Sri Lanka are still unsure whether their key spinner Ajantha Mendis will be fit to play their first Super Eights match against New Zealand on September 27. Mendis, who is suffering from a side strain, is scheduled to practice with the team today, and a call on his participation will be taken before the game.Mendis picked up the injury in Sri Lanka’s opening game against Zimbabwe on September 18, but completed his overs after being treated on the field. He has since then been under treatment and was left out of Sri Lanka’s final group match against South Africa on September 22; Sri Lanka lost that rain-curtailed game by 32 runs. Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, had said Mendis’ omission from the South Africa match on Saturday had simply been precautionary but, despite having eight days to recover, Mendis is yet to regain full fitness.”We are monitoring his progress carefully. We took an MRI scan on his left side and it showed a slight tear,” Charith Senanayake, the Sri Lanka manager, said on Tuesday. “These injuries are quite common with fast bowlers, but because Mendis bowls at a fast pace may have strained himself,” he said. “Mendis bowled a few overs at the nets today, but we will monitor him carefully and take a call whether he is fit enough to play against New Zealand.”Mendis marked his return to international cricket after a back injury had kept him out for eight months in Zimbabwe game with the best bowling figures by a bowler in T20 cricket with six wickets for eight runs.

Ray Price and Mark Mbophana held their nerves in the last two over to guide Eagles to a narrow one-wicket win over Tuskers in the one-day competition in Harare. Ten runs were required off 10 balls when the last pair came together, but they went past Tuskers’ score off 237 with two balls to spare. The foundation of the chase, however, was set up by useful contributions by the top order. Opener Regis Chakabva scored 41 in a slow start and was the second wicket to fall with the score on 100 in the 28th over after a 70-run stand with Sikandar Raza. Raza carried on and scored an attacking 73-ball 63 that helped raise the tempo of the chase. Tuskers’ bowlers, though, kept chipping away with wickets to keep the game in the balance, but failed to get that one last wicket.Eagles put Tuskers into bat and removed the openers cheaply, but Sean Ervine held one end together and shared a 92-run stand with Charles Coventry (34). Ervine was out six runs short of his century in the 44th over after which Glen Querl scored late runs to put up a competitive total. Mbofana and Kyle Jarvis were the pick of the bowlers, sharing three wickets each.Rhinos‘ bowlers dished out a pasting to Mountaineers to set up an eight-wicket win and helped them move to the top of the table in Kwekwe. Mountaineers, put into bat, were immediately under pressure when they lost their opener Kevin Kasuza in the first over. The opening bowlers – Ed Rainsford and Michael Chinouya – shared two wickets each by the eighth over as Mountaineers were reduced to 10 for 4. There was a brief period of 8.4 overs where Mountaineers resisted, but wickets fell in a heap again as from 29 for 4, they went to 30 for 8. They were eventually bowled out for 66 in the 27th over, with Graeme Cremer picking up three wickets.Rhinos didn’t waste much time in the chase as they quickly completed the chase in the 13th over. Vusi Sibanda scored a quick 31 but was out eight runs short of the target.

ScorecardSimon Kerrigan stopped Murray Goodwin short of his double-ton on the way to a seven-wicket haul•PA Photos

Even in his 41st year Murray Goodwin is a batsman whose thirst for runs remains gloriously unslaked. Angular, compact and resolutely well-organised, the Zimbabwean gives the impression that scoring a century merely lays the foundation of his innings.Goodwin’s demeanour also suggests that he is, in the best sense of the word, a most combative cricketer. It is little wonder that one strays into the semantic field of boxing to describe the technique of this chunky, square-jawed batsman, who mixes a very tight defence with the cuts and punches that earn him his runs.Yet on the second afternoon of this game – and having added 56 runs to his overnight 138 – Goodwin was eventually removed by Simon Kerrigan, a young spinner whose desire for success is no less keen than the man who is more than 16 years his senior. When just six runs short of passing 200 for the tenth time in his career, Glamorgan’s close-season recruit from Sussex carelessly slapped a short ball from the slow left- armer straight to square leg where Andrea Agathangelou pocketed a low two-handed catch with his customary aplomb.That Goodwin was plainly annoyed with himself as he stalked off the field reflected well on his professionalism; all the same, it was unfortunate that his disgruntlement prevented him fully acknowledging the generous applause that came from all the open stands at Old Trafford.In truth, Goodwin’s dismissal – he was eighth out after batting for 458 minutes and facing 354 deliveries – concluded a period in which Kerrigan effected a partial restoration of Lancashire’s fortunes in this game.At 408 for 4 and having lost only Jim Allenby on the second day, lbw to a Glen Chapple shooter for 92, Glamorgan had seemed set to build a total which would have left Lancashire with little but a draw to play for. Instead, Kerrigan had Mark Wallace caught at slip, probably off inside edge and pad, for 37 and then took three wickets for seven runs in 18 balls as the Welsh team declined to 474 all out, a total which is still very formidable without being quite the riches they hoped for.Kerrigan’s performance offered further proof that he possesses the tough character which is the sine qua non of any successful spinner. Having been at less than his impressive best on the first day of this game, Kerrigan took 5 for 48 in 13.1 overs on Tuesday and finished with 7 for 162 from 49.1 overs.The 24-year-old has now taken 39 wickets in nine County Championship games and he is now comfortably the most successful spinner in the country. If Monty Panesar is still the favourite to make the winter tour to Australia as Graeme Swann’s understudy, Kerrigan cannot be too far behind him and it would be only natural for the Lancastrian to cast an eye over the massive stands being erected for the Ashes Test and wonder when his chance might come.For the moment though – which is what the professionals are so often encouraged to experience and enjoy – Kerrigan’s efforts have given Lancashire a sniff of a chance of overhauling Glamorgan’s total and maybe pressing for an unlikely victory in this game. That impression was confirmed when Karl Brown and Luis Reece, Lancashire’s fifth opening partnership in seven games, added an untroubled 93 runs in 40 overs in the evening session.

The BCCI working committee, which will meet in Chennai on Sunday, is unlikely to impose a life ban on the four cricketers allegedly involved in spot-fixing. The emergent working committee was called to discuss the implications of the involvement of Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Amit Singh in the spot-fixing controversy.While some may perceive it as inaction, the working committee’s decision is influenced by a constitutional clause. According to the board’s constitution, a life ban cannot be imposed on a cricketer, who breaches the players’ code, for 30 days after an internal inquiry committee is constituted. “Taking that into account, it would be unjust to ban the players for life before the formal and internal investigations are completed,” a BCCI functionary told ESPNcricinfo, preferring anonymity. “That doesn’t mean the BCCI is taking the matter lightly. Immediately after Delhi Police arrested these cricketers, the Board suspended all of them pending inquiry.”If the BCCI acts in haste and bans players against the provisions of their constitution, the decision can be challenged in court.Apart from briefing all the working committee members on the information passed on by Delhi Police, one of the key matters on the agenda will be to ratify the appointment of Ravi Sawani to lead the one-man inquiry commission. Sawani, head of BCCI’s newly formed anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), had been appointed to investigate the matter, IPL chairman, Rajeev Shukla said on Friday. The BCCI constitution gives its president the right to appoint an inquiry committee, provided the working committee ratifies it within 48 hours.Sawani has been invited to attend the meeting along with the ICC’s ACSU chief, YP Singh. Since the BCCI’s ACSU is in its nascent stages, IPL’s anti-corruption activities have been outsourced to ICC’s ACSU for an annual fee of approximately US$1.2 million. The BCCI top brass is inclined to review ACSU’s mechanism. It is learned that the board officials will attempt to identify the loopholes in IPL’s security and discuss means to improve mechanisms that prevent players from being approached by bookies.With the BCCI facing criticism from all corners for ignoring the player-bookie nexus and allowing the fixing syndrome to grow rapidly, their decision to discuss the issue in detail with the ICC ACSU, and not question them, may be viewed as an exercise to pass the buck. But a BCCI source clarified that it was a “genuine attempt” to make the system as foolproof as possible to restore the credibility of the game.Hours after the Royals players were arrested in Mumbai in the wee hours of Thursday, a day after their match against Mumbai Indians, the BCCI suspended all three cricketers pending inquiry. The decision came even before the Delhi Police publicly revealed the evidence collected against the cricketers. On Friday, after realising that former Royals and Gujarat cricketer, Amit Singh was arrested as a bookie, the BCCI suspended him as well.

Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise and son-in-law of the BCCI president N Srinivasan, has been formally arrested by Mumbai Police on charges of cheating, forgery and fraud. The development, late on Friday night, is the most serious setback to the IPL in its six-year history and has serious implications for the BCCI as well given the names involved.As of early Saturday morning there was no news of an emergency BCCI meeting but it is expected that events will move fast through the day, to discuss the issue of leadership – though Srinivasan insisted he would not step down – and also Chennai Super Kings’ participation in the IPL final on Sunday.Gurunath had been summoned to Mumbai for questioning over betting and links to bookies and flew in on Friday evening.”We have interrogated Mr Gurunath after he arrived here at the crime branch headquarters,” Himanshu Roy, the joint commissioner of Mumbai Police, said. “We have gone through questioning with him in detail and after due deliberation, we have arrived at the conclusion there is evidence of involvement in offence we are investigating and therefore he has been placed under arrest. He will be produced in court within 24 hours as per law.”Reports suggest Gurunath’s interrogation in Mumbai will continue through Friday night, and he will also be confronted with Virender “Vindoo” Dara Singh, the actor arrested earlier this week for alleged contact with bookies. Police investigations suggested that Vindoo and Gurunath were in frequent telephonic contact. Vindoo was also seen in the CSK box at IPL matches.Gurunath’s lawyer PS Raman said: “We are exploring all legal possibilities. We are waiting for the remand report before reading the charges against him.”Srinivasan had not commented in public since the reports first emerged on Wednesday that his son-in-law was linked to the IPL scandal, but after the arrest he maintained he would not resign as BCCI president. “I have done nothing wrong,” he told NDTV. “I am not resigning, the board is largely supportive of me.”Gurunath’s connection to Super Kings was the subject of dispute through the day. He was the public face of the franchise, his Twitter handle said he was the “team principal”, he was seen as Super Kings’ representative at auctions and at IPL owners’ meetings. Yet on Friday evening India Cements, the owners of the franchise and of which Srinivasan is the managing director, said Gurunath was only an honorary member of the team management.The implications of Gurunath’s arrest involve both Super Kings, who have qualified for the final to be played on May 26, and Srinivasan.His arrest brings into question Super Kings’ participation in the final – under IPL rules, the BCCI-IPL can terminate a franchise agreement “with immediate effect if: c) The Franchise, any Franchise Group Company and/ or any owner acts in any way which has a material adverse effect upon the reputation or standing of the League, BCCI-IPL, BCCI, the Franchise, the team (or any other team in the League) and/ or the game of cricket.”More importantly, and with wider implication, Srinivasan’s position within the BCCI is likely to be under serious threat – not only because Meiyappan happens to be his son-in-law but because Srinivasan heads India Cements, who are owners of the Super Kings. The conflict of interest that arises from Srinivasan’s dual position as BCCI president and de facto owner of an IPL franchise now has a serious immediate implication: he will, as board president, have to oversee any disciplinary action against either Gurunath or the franchise.An IPL insider clarified that Meiyappan’s change of designation was not likely to have any impact on the action that needs to be taken. “The moment you’re a team management member, irrespective of the designation, the Anti-Corruption code applies to you. And nobody can deny the fact that he is a part of the ownership group and team management.”Jayaditya Gupta
Over the past week the image of Indian cricket has taken a fearsome battering. It started with the arrest of three cricketers on allegations of spot-fixing and continued as various bookmakers and bit players who flock to the sport were also arrested and details of their “confessions” were leaked. Through it all N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, maintained that there were a few “rotten eggs” in Indian cricket, and the game was in overall rude health. On Friday night his assertions came crashing down with the arrest of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, the de facto head of the Chennai Super Kings franchise.Gurunath’s arrest – and it is safe to say the Mumbai Police would not have taken that step, given the implications, without very strong evidence – is a far more serious issue than the arrest of three players. As the “team principal” – the style on his Twitter handle – he sat in on player auctions, attended IPL meetings as his franchise’s representative and had free access to the players at most times. He is, without much doubt, the team’s most important person – his players referred to him as “boss”. Under the IPL’s rules, therefore, his arrest leaves Super Kings’ franchise agreement liable to be terminated with immediate effect. Where that leaves the team, which has qualified for Sunday’s IPL final, is still anyone’s guess.Any decision on Gurunath will have to be taken by the IPL and the BCCI, which begs this question: how can Srinivasan, father-in-law of the man arrested and managing director of the company that owns the franchise, also be at the head of the organisation that will decide on the punishment? Srinivasan has so long played the conflict-of-interest game to his advantage, watching his Super Kings team become the most successful IPL franchise. The time has now come for him to step down, if only to enable a free and fair inquiry and to allow Indian cricket and its governing body the opportunity to retrieve some of the ground it has lost. Srinivasan has long called himself a cricket fan. To use a cricketing analogy, he needs to walk before he is given out.