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Sunil Gavaskar, the chairman of the ICC cricket committee, has questioned the role of umpires and the match referee in diffusing on-field confrontations between players.The recently-concluded one-day series between India and Australia saw ill-tempered exchanges between the players on the pitch and through the media. Gavaskar said while the blame rested on the management of the teams for letting the situation deteriorate, the umpires and match referee were no less culpable.”One is not privy to the report the match referee may have sent to ICC but the fact that not even one player from both sides has been reported and reprimanded shows the referee and the umpires did not do the job assigned to them and that was to see that the game was not brought into disrepute and the spirit of cricket maintained,” Gavaskar wrote in his column in the tabloid.Gavaskar questioned the need of a match referee if he could act only when the umpires had made a report. “He [match referee] is there not just to protect the umpires from the players but to see that the game goes on without any untoward incidents and what happened between the two players was definitely not cricket. By abdicating their responsibility, match officials let the game down big time and have raised a big question mark on their ability to control the game and players.”It would be sad if the ICC turns a blind eye to what happened during the series, for even while accepting that the game has changed and become far more aggressive than yesteryears, what was seen on the cricket field did not do any good to the image of the game nor enhance the quality by any stretch of imagination.”

Bennett King, the West Indies coach, said his side had only themselves toblame for not forcing a result during the second Test at Multan. MohammadYousuf and Abdul Razzaq eventually steered Pakistan to safety on the finalday, after they began their second innings 234 runs behind but it mighthave been different had Yousuf not been dropped at second slip when on108. He went on to make 191.King told reporters at the National Stadium in Karachi, ahead of the finalTest, “We certainly had our opportunities and were in a strong position, Iwouldn’t say it was disappointing but we only have ourselves to blame forthe result and we need to raise our fielding standards. Certainly the halfchances we have to make sure we take them. On these types of wickets youdon’t get a lot of opportunities so when they come your way you need tomake sure you take them.”Yousuf has been a regular beneficiary of West Indian lapses through theseries, being dropped four times in three innings. He has 439 runs in theseries so far. “I think our bowling has been not too bad overall but wehaven’t taken our opportunities. We dropped him on 40-odd in the firstTest and let him off the hook in the second Test as well. He is certainlya good player and in form and we will certainly take care this time. If wetake our opportunities we can be in a strong position again.”The Multan pitch was criticised by seemingly anyone who came within a mileof it, but particularly so by both captains and Danish Kaneria. Itoverlooked the fact that this was the first drawn Test from five matches on atraditionally high-scoring ground and King at least was happy that hisbowlers managed to create enough chances from the surface.”I think the pitch we just played on, we created enough opportunities andwent past the bat enough to get edges. Collymore bowled exceptionally welland had people edged the ball instead of missing it as often as they didthe result would have been different,” King said.He added, “I certainly think we extracted as much as we can out of thewickets and we have to make sure we maintain our line and disciplines andnot just get frustrated that we are beating the bat or catches are goingdown.”More help should be on offer in Karachi. The last two Tests here haveproduced outstanding cricket, where bowlers and batsmen have tussledevenly. As ever, there is grass now, though whether it will be asplentiful in two days’ time is uncertain. King said, “There is grass butwe expect that it will be taken off in a couple of days. It looks like apretty good batting track, slow, but probably taking spin as it goesalong.”His side has been on the road for some time now, ever since the DLF cup inMalaysia in September but that hasn’t led to a tailing off inperformances, a trait that has pleased King. “We are very determined. Wehave been on the road for three months and the boys played some of thebest cricket on the fifth day when most sides would probably start to feelthe effects of a long tour. But these boys have shown mental fortitude andI am very encouraged by the performance of the last game. We expect to gofrom strength to strength.”

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball
How they were out

You don’t get champagne cricket like this year’s Ashes every Test match. But England’s bowlers injected enough fizz on a defiantly docile pitch to turn a flat day into a sparkling one and peg back Pakistan to 244 for 6 by the close after the home side had bossed the opening exchanges.Pakistan lost just one wicket in the morning, but England brought themselves back into contention with four wickets in nine overs either side of tea: among them Shaun Udal’s first Test scalp. The loss of Kamran Akmal just before stumps sealed a good day for England and, of Pakistan’s frontline batsmen only Inzamam-ul-Haq, unbeaten on 41, remains.Pakistan worked hard throughout the day but too many of their players hit the thirties and failed to move on. Only Salman Butt seized the initiative in confident fashion, with 74 – his second Test fifty – but he will be disappointed not to have progressed after he was well settled on a benign pitch. While he was at the crease, Pakistan were in control.Every Test of late seems to bring another opening combination for Pakistan. This time Butt and Malik got the call, and they immediately had the chance to prove their worth when Inzamam won the toss. Unsurprisingly, he batted – more surprising was the omission of Shahid Afridi. Yet the left-hand, right-hand combination of Butt and Malik repaid the selectors’ faith by putting on 80 for the first wicket, with only the odd murmur of alarm.The pair played watchfully, but also aggressively, and grew in confidence with every stroke as they got the measure of the friendly bounce. Malik struggled to find his feet in the early stages but, after negotiating the early swing, he soon found his groove with a series of fours and was rarely troubled. An appeal for lbw from Harmison when he was on 18, but which was climbing too high, was the nearest England came to a chance early on.Then Flintoff got the breakthrough, trapping Malik with one which jagged back and hit him on the knee roll. Before lunch, Harmison had found Butt’s outside edge, but the ball hardly got up and bounced tamely in front of second slip.Patience was the name of the game for both teams throughout. Slowly, surely England began to apply the pressure with some containing bowling, but Pakistan’s batsmen held off their challenge well.One man who knows a thing or two about patience is Udal. After years without a Test call-up, he had a further delay in store on his big day; going without a bowl in the morning session.But time does wait for one man, it seems. Finally, finally his chance came after lunch, and he seized it, as patience finally deserted Butt. A wild slash bounced off Trescothick’s forehead at first slip only for Geraint Jones to spin round and dive low to take the parry. Cue celebrations.It wasn’t the only time Trescothick used his head. He had an excellent day as Michael Vaughan’s stand-in, rallying his troops well after losing the toss. The bowlers backed him up – mixing it up well – as did the fielders whose ferocious energy belied the cruel heat.Soon after Udal’s breakthrough, Flintoff dismissed Yousuf with an inswinging yorker – one of a series dedicated to combating the paceless pitch – which pushed back offstump and suddenly the smiles were back on England’s faces. Inzamam did his best to wipe them off again, though, smearing Udal for an insouciant six and four in the last over before tea, at which stage the day was in the balance.Udal continued undaunted, though: only Inzamam managed to get the better of him, manoeuvring the field beautifully. Otherwise the veteran debutant waltzed in with guile, mixing it up: slow, slow, quick, quick, slow. A career on Strictly Come Dancing beckons. But that’s some time down the line yet; his Test career has only just begun.The pace of Harmison also proved effective and, in the first over after tea, he grabbed two wickets in a hostile six balls. His first ball nipped back sharply and Younis Khan – who couldn’t react quickly enough – was trapped in front. Khan’s replacement Hasan Raza was struck nastily on the shoulder – putting the batsman on the back foot, but more importantly roughing Raza up. Just two balls later a full, inswinging delivery was too quick and straight for him and he was clean-bowled for a duck.The new ball was due soon after, but Trescothick wisely delayed taking it. As soon as he did, Hoggard edged out Kamran Akmal to seal a good day for England.

Shoaib Malik lbw Flintoff 39 (80 for 1)
Salman Butt c Jones b Udal 74 (161 for 2)
Mohammad Yousuf b Flintoff 5 (166 for 3)
Younis Khan lbw Harmison 39 (181 for 4)
Hasan Raza b Harmison 0 (183 for 5)
Kamran Akmal c Trescothick b Hoggard 28 (238 for 6)
Useful first-slip catch as the ball was dying

For the second time in a year, an India-Bangladesh series has been postponed. Bangladesh were due to tour India in April 2005, but the tour was delayed until later in the year because India will be hosting Pakistan at that time. Earlier this year, India were to tour Bangladesh but postponed their trip until December so they could visit Pakistan instead.”I have had talks with the officials of the BCCI yesterday,” Ali Asghar, the president of the Bangladesh Board, told , “and it has been decided that we will not tour India in April. It is mainly because both the sides [were] pressed for time. But the BCCI has assured me that they will host us later next year.”Bangladesh are scheduled to tour England in May. The trips to England and India will be their first since they achieved Test status.

Sourav Ganguly has expressed his desire to be one of Kent’s overseas professionals next season. Rahul Dravid had an exceptional season with Kent in 2000, the same year that Ganguly earned more brickbats than bouquets for his Lancashire stint.Ganguly said that a return to the county treadmill was very much on the cards, given India’s less-than-hectic schedule next summer. “I wish to turn out for Kent next season,” he said. “A player can improve a lot by playing county cricket in England. Playing on different pitches there is really tough and it steels one’s nerves. The international calendar is not that crowded next year. I’ll get some time and I want to utilise it by playing in England.”His Lancashire experience may have been marked by headlines about blue shoes and aloofness, but clearly, the postcards from Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh – all playing the county circuit this summer – have convinced him that the English summer is worth another try.

South African Cricket has announced a unique homegrown ticketing system that is considered good enough to be used at future international showpieces including Olympic Games.The ICB-Didate Ticketing System has been designed specifically for the eighth Cricket World Cup to be staged in South Africa in February-March 2003. The system will, however, be used in future for all international and inter-provincial cricket matches in South Africa and will be “Live” in time for the tour early next year by Australia.For the past year, 19 full-time staff at information technology company Dimension Data (Didata) have been working under project manager Graham Cook on a system master-minded on behalf of the United Cricket board of South Africa (UCB) by Ian Smith, commercial director of the 2003 Cricket World Cup (2003 CWC).Ticket packages for 2003 CWC will go on sale to the general public on July 1, 2002, via the Internet, Call Centre and at the 12 World Cup venues in South Africa.In keeping with current international ticketing practice, tickets will be sold in packages. There will be Two basic varieties viz. Stadium Packages for all the games at particular venue, excluding matches hosting by Zimbabwe, and Follow-the Team Packages for all Pool games involving a particular team.Dr. Ali Bacher, executive director of 2003 CWC, said today”. “It is projected that at least 800000 tickets will be sold for the 54 matches of the tournament. To achieve that objective in accordance with worldwide trends, it has been decided to offer tickets for the sale in packages. On the basis that ticket prices will be affordable, I anticipate that the South African public across the broadest spectrum will enthusiastically support the concept and the tournament”.Dr. Bacher said the system has been highly commended by Michael Eyers, deputy CEO of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, who said it was far more efficient than that in place for the last year’s Olympic games. “Mr. Eyers has informed me that what we have is a system that can support the largest and most complex of events – and that includes the Olympic Games.”The ticketing system is a generic one that can be used by all forms of entertainment.For the first time is South African sport, all tickets will be barcoded. They will be scanned and verified through a sophisticated venue access control system, which will also generate a customer database holding valuable information on all tickets purchases.The system is designed to ensure maximum security and stadium safety for the paying customer.The system has already been installed at Super sport Park Centurion, the North West Stadium in Potchefstroom and at Kings mead in Durban and will go “Live” at these venues for all matches from the start of the coming season. By the time of the Australian tour to South Africa in April next year, all of South Africa’s World Cup venues will be “Live”.How 2003 CWC ticketing process will work:

• Ticket prices will be finalized by the end of December 2001 after proposals have been received from the UCB affiliates hosting World Cup matches and these have been considered by the respective finance committees of 2003 CWC and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
• By mid-January 2002, letters will be sent to (a) SA cricket’s current national and provincial sponsors, (b) season ticket holders, (c) suite owners, (d) the cricket boards of the 14 participating countries and (e) the official suppliers to the UCB for 2003 CWC in order to establish their requirements for the purchases of tickets for the tournament.

These requests must be submitted by the end of February 2002 after which, by the end of March 2002, the above parties will be notifies as to what extent their ticket purchase requirements can be met.

• Season ticket holders for this season (2001/2002) and next (2002/2003) and owners of suites covering the 2003 CWC lease period will all be entitled to purchase seats.
• Packages to the general public will go on sale on July 1, 2002, and these tickets will be available from November 1, 2002 for either collection at the World Cup venues or by door-to-door courier delivery. Purchasers of tickets via the Internet and Call Centre will be given a reference number for collection/delivery purposes.
• Of the packages available to the general public on July 1, 2002, 60% will go on sale at the venues and 20% each via the Internet and Call Centre. This is being done in order to allow as many local supporters as possible to attend World Cup games at their home venues.
• Follow-the-Team packages will only be available for the Pool or first round matches. Followers of team reaching the Super 6s, Semi-finals and Final will be able to purchase a limited number of tickets prior to those matches on a first-come-first-served basis.
• In addition, those supporters who have purchases a Stadium package (where the stadium hosts three or more games or a Follow-the-Team Package will have the opportunity on a first-come-first-served basis to purchase a limit number of tickets – which number has still to be determined – for the four prime games of the tournament viz) the opening Game, the two Semi-finals and the Final.
• In order to accommodate as many spectators as possible at World Cup games, a maximum of five packages per person may be purchased from July 1, 2002.
• The Opening Ceremony in Cape Town on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, will be treated as a separate event and not part of a package.
• On December 1, 2002, individual match tickets will go on sale depending on availability.
• In Zimbabwe, from July 1, tickets for the games in Zimbabwe will go on sale at their two venues – Harare and Bulawayo.

For further information contact:

Ian Smith, Commercial Director, 2003 Cricket World Cup
Phone #: 0027-11-4463600
Fax #: 0027-11-4463600

Issued by Rodney Hartman
Communications Manager, 2003 World Cup
Phone #: 0027-11-4463604
Fax #: 0027-11-4463622
Mobile: 083-389-0904

Donkey drop, and a wicket
It was possibly the worst ball you could bowl to Virender Sehwag, slow, short and wide outside off stump. But the Gods must have been smiling on P Vijaykumar because Sehwag’s angry slash went straight into the hands of RP Singh at third man. Buy the man a lottery ticket.Try it once, try it twice
By his second over, RP was working up serious pace. When he bounced Gautam Gambhir with one timed at just 140 kph, the ball was nearly in the batsman’s face before a whiplash of a hook sent the ball soaring over square leg for six. The next ball was just as fast, and short, and this time Gambhir slammed it in front of square for another six. When you’re wearing the orange cap, pace isn’t a problem.Smart as you like
It takes a lot to get Gambhir out in this format of the game, but the Pragyan Ojha-Adam Gilchrist combination executed their plan perfectly. Ojha pushed one well down the leg side, and Gambhir sallied forth. Once he realised he had no shot to play, he tried frantically to get back, but Gilchrist’s left hand was far too deft.Brothers in arms
When the Hyderabad innings started, you had two intriguing match-ups. Adam Gilchrist, the ultimate big-match opener of his generation, against Glenn McGrath, old mate and prototype for the miserly pace bowler. At the other end, Mohammad Asif ran in to bowl to his fellow Pakistani, Shahid Afridi. McGrath won the battle of the Aussies, but it was Afridi who had the Pakistani bragging rights, with a massive six over square leg.Terminator 3
With his elbow protected by a brace that ran from bicep to forearm, Asif looked like he’d walked off the set of some futuristic movie. In his final over, he ambled in off five paces, with Dinesh Karthik standing up to the stumps. His four overs cost 51, another sure sign he’s nowhere near being fully fit.The perfect squirt
Rohit Sharma has carved out quite a reputation for classical strokeplay, even in this format. But the best shot he played today was a masterpiece of improvisation. When Rajat Bhatia pitched one full outside off stump, Rohit gave himself room, reached for the ball and tapped it with the toe end. It sped away, neatly bisecting the men at gully and point. Perfect.

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

It wasn’t a one-sided drubbing like the Kochi game, but the Australians won all the key moments in the contest to sweep to a 47-run win in Hyderabad. The visitors now have a 2-0 lead after three games of the seven-match series. Following a coruscating 67-ball 89 by Andrew Symonds which powered them to 290, Australia survived an equally brilliant 121 by Yuvraj Singh and restricted the Indian run-chase to 243.In a series so far punctuated by verbal skirmishes, this match was surprisingly incident-free, but the cricket was often scintillating. First Symonds provided the sparkle with a stunning assault on the bowlers, scoring 66 from his last 35 balls and combining in a 123-run fourth-wicket stand with Michael Clarke (59) – a record for the wicket for Australia versus India. When India lost three early wickets to slump to 13 for 3 within five overs, it seemed like another pasting was in store, but Yuvraj, who had been in glorious form in the ICC World Twenty20, carried on from where he had left off in South Africa.With three top batsmen – including Rahul Dravid – already back in the hutch, Yuvraj’s start was understandably slow. He added 95 in 20 overs with Sachin Tendulkar. And though Tendulkar was mostly circumspect, he unveiled a couple of glorious drives down the ground before falling against the run of play seven short of his half-century.Yuvraj, though, was unstoppable. He started off by targeting Brad Hogg, dancing down the pitch, slog-sweeping and cover-driving fours, and pulling one fractionally short high into the stands for six. Completely assured in footwork and shot-selection, he made room to carve boundaries to the off side, or moved across to pull to leg, all with consummate ease. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni matching him in aggression, the pair gave India a real shot at victory.Australia, though, were not to be denied. Brett Lee, who had bowled with much fire to nail two early blows, struck again in his first over of a new spell. After being clubbed over his head for four by Dhoni, Lee shortened his length and forced an edge caught easily by Adam Gilchrist. The contest was effectively over.Yuvraj still had a few individual battles to win, however. Stuart Clark, who had suffered at his hands in the World Twenty20, was at the receiving end here too, being creamed over extra-cover for six and then driven through the same area for four more in successive balls. Mitchell Johnson, who bowled with pace, swing and accuracy in yet another thoroughly impressive performance, ended the fun with a scorching yorker that swung in and plucked out middle stump. It was a worthy delivery to end a worthy knock, and the rest was a mere formality.It was a day to savour for the No. 5 batsmen of either side. Symonds came in to bat after India had undone much of the damage they had suffered early in the innings with a tight spell by the slower bowlers. The opening partnership between Matthew Hayden and Gilchrist yielded a frenetic 76 in less than 14 overs, but thereafter, with the pitch losing pace and the bowling getting more accurate, only 35 came in a 12-over period in which Ricky Ponting – back in the team at the expense of the luckless Brad Haddin, and leading Australia for the 150th time in ODIs – struggled to come to terms with the slow surface.

After 30 overs Australia only had 140 on the board, with Harbhajan Singh especially outstanding with his accuracy and control over length. However, Symonds and Clarke had spent that time usefully, nudging the singles and familiarising themselves with the pace of the pitch. When the time came for the assault, both batsmen – especially Symonds – were ready, and the results were spectacular.Two thick edges by Clarke off Irfan Pathan were the early signs, before Symonds stamped his authority on the game. Pathan’s change of pace had troubled some of the batsmen earlier, but Symonds was quick to spot it and deposit a pull over long-on; Yuvraj, so niggardly in his first spell, then felt the heat in the 44th, as Symonds slapped a six over long-on, another over midwicket, and then pulled fours off successive deliveries. The timing, which had been a problem early on, was suddenly silken, and the runs came in a deluge – 83 in the last ten, and 150 in the last 20. Yuvraj tried his best to neutralise the damage later in the afternoon, but one man’s brilliance wasn’t enough to stop the sustained excellence of an entire team.

A nationwide siege programme has caused havoc in Bangladesh’s National Cricket league, with Dhaka’s match against Barisal being postponed for “an indefinite period” and Chittagong’s clash with Sylhet also under threat.A non-stop countrywide blockade has been enforced by a 14-party alliance headed by the opposition Awami League, and according to Dhaka’s Daily Star newspaper, the police have been directed to fire gunshots if the demonstrators attack them.The demonstration means that Dhaka will have to wait to take their five remaining Barisal wickets at the Fatullah Stadium, after Mohammad Rafique’s three-wicket burst gave them the upper hand on the third day’s play. Needing 247 to win, Barisal were shakily placed at 78 for 5.At the Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Sylhet were forced to follow-on after being bowled out for just 100 in their first innings, and though they reached 130 for 2 second-time around, the security situation is such that the match could be shifted to Monday, according to the match referee Rafiqul Alam.The entire day’s play at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium was called off due to rain and later, bad light. The hosts were leading by nine runs on the second day.

In a fresh eruption of dissent in the Indian board, Sharad Pawar resigned from its marketing committee, a move which could destabilise the recent uneasy truce worked out among rival factions over the membership of the high-powered committee that handles television rights and other marketing matters.The resignation of Pawar, union agriculture minister and a candidate for BCCI presidency, came barely two days ahead of the committee’s crucial meeting to decide on the issue of television rights. Meanwhile, there were reports that N Srinivasan, another member of the committee, had also put in his papers, though this news could not be confirmed.There were conflicting reports on why Pawar, who is also the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, resigned from the post. While a source in the Mumbai Cricket Association said that Pawar, who alsoheads the Union Government’s Disaster Management Committee, resigned as he could not devote time in view of the earthquake relief work, a key dissident faction leader Raj Singh Dungarpur claimed that Pawar had quit because the BCCI accounts were not in order.”Mr Pawar has resigned from the BCCI marketing committee and has sent a letter to this effect. He has said in the letter that because of his busy schedule in the government’s disaster management cell he would not be able to devote time to the committee’s matters,” a source in the MCA told PTI.Dungarpur said Pawar and Srinivasan chose to quit as they were not shown all the papers and because of a lack of transparency in the functioning of the committee.Pawar was not in the original marketing committee of the BCCI but was inducted into the high-profile panel at the last AGM of the board in Kolkata which was adjourned last month. Pawar will thus not be attending the committee’s sitting on Sunday to be chaired by Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the BCCI president.The committee is expected to open the sealed technical bids received by it for the telecast rights for the next fours years, but has been directed by the Delhi High Court not to disclose the outcome of the meeting following the filing of a petition on the telecast rights issue. The BCCI has been told told to inform the outcome to the court on October 19, when the matter comes up for further hearing.Srinivasan is currently in Geneva on a private visit and will return only on October 17, which means he will also miss the committee’s meeting on Sunday.