ICC president quits over World Cup trophy snub

Mustafa Kamal resigned as president of the International Cricket Council on Wednesday with an outspoken attack on the world governing body after he was prevented from presenting the World Cup trophy. Kamal accused the ICC of behaving "unlawfully" after he was barred from making the presentation. He said he was blocked because he refused to withdraw an incendiary allegation of match-fixing.

Quarter-final was 'pre-arranged' in India's favour: ICC president

“I cannot represent the Indian Cricket Council,” ICC president Mustafa Kamal said. — Reuters

DHAKA: The International Cricket Council's Bangladeshi president has threatened to quit over the umpiring in his country's World Cup quarter-final defeat to India, suggesting the match appeared to have been fixed.

Mustafa Kamal told Bangladeshi reporters in Melbourne after Thursday's match at the MCG that he would raise the issue at the ICC's next meeting, saying the umpires' decisions seemed to have been “pre-arranged”.

“As the ICC president, whatever I have to say I will say it in next meeting. It could happen that maybe I will resign,” Kamal said in comments aired on Bangladeshi television.

“There was no quality in the umpiring. It looked like they took the field after it (the outcome) was pre-arranged,” he alleged.

His comments came as protests erupted in Bangladesh after the cricketing minnows suffered a 109-run defeat by holders India, due in large part to a blistering knock by Rohit Sharma who top-scored with 137.

Sharma was caught at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Rubel Hossain when he was on 90, only for the umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould to signal a no-ball for what appeared to be a legitimate waist-high delivery.

Bangladeshi fans were also furious at the dismissal of star batsman Mohammad Mahmudullah who was caught close to the boundary rope.

The match was the biggest in the history of the cricket-mad nation, marking the first time that Bangladesh had made the World Cup quarter-finals.

Many fans wept only after the defeat while protestors also burned an effigy of Dar, who hails from Bangladesh's great rival Pakistan.

Kamal, whose position has been largely ceremonial since India's Narayanaswami Srinivasan became the body's chairman last year, said the ICC's acronym seemed to stand for the Indian Cricket Council.

“I cannot represent the Indian Cricket Council. If someone has imposed a result on us, in that case no one can accept it,” added Kamal who is a minister in the Bangladeshi government.

Bangladesh's exit dominated the front-page headlines on Friday with, many commentators blaming shoddy umpiring for the defeat.

“Tigers fall to controversial calls,” read the lead in the Dhaka Tribune while the the headline of the mass-circulation Bengali daily Kaler Kantha read:

“The dream run ends in umpiring scandal.”

JP Duminy becomes first South African to take World Cup hat-trick in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

JP Duminy scripts history against Sri Lanka at Sydney © Getty Images

With the wickets of Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, and debutant Tharindu Kaushal, JP Duminy in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-final against Sri Lanka at Sydney Cricket Ground, JP Duminy became the eighth bowler to take a hat-trick in World Cup cricket. It was also the ninth hat-trick in World Cup cricket, since Lasith Malinga has claimed two World Cup cricket hat-tricks, including a four-in-four in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

Duminy also became the first South Africa to take a World Cup hat-trick; the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the knock-out stages of World Cup cricket; and the first bowler to take a World Cup cricket hat-trick against Sri Lanka.

Mathews, trying to flick the last ball of Duminy’s eighth over (33rd of the Sri Lankan innings), gave a simple catch to Faf du Plessis at mid-wicket. At the other end, Thisara Perera fell to Imran Tahir. Duminy started the new over by having Nuwan Kulasekara caught-behind (the batsman walked), and when Kaushal was trapped leg-before, he was mobbed by the men in green and yellow.
Hat-tricks in World Cup cricket

Players	Team	Against	Venue	Year	Batsmen	How out
Chetan Sharma	India	New Zealand	Nagpur	1987	Ken Rutherford	bowled
					Ian Smith	bowled
					Ewen Chatfield	bowled
Saqlain Mushtaq	Pakistan	Zimbabwe	The Oval	1999	Henry Olonga	stumped Moin Khan
					Adam Huckle	stumped Moin Khan
					Mpumelelo Mbangwa	LBW
Chaminda Vaas	Sri Lanka	Bangladesh	Pietermaritzburg	2003	Hannan Sarkar	bowled
					Mohammad Ashraful	caught and bowled
					Ehsanul Haque	caught Mahela Jayawardene
Brett Lee	Australia	Kenya	Kingsmead	2003	Kennedy Otieno	bowled
					Brijal Patel	caught Ricky Ponting
					David Obuya	bowled
Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka	South Africa	Providence	2007	Shaun Pollock	bowled
					Andrew Hall	caught Upul Tharanga
					Jacques Kallis	caught Kumar Sangakkara
					Makhaya Ntini	bowled
Kemar Roach	West Indies	Netherlands	Kotla	2011	Pieter Seelaar	LBW
					Bernard Loots	LBW
					Berend Westdijk	bowled
Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka	Kenya	Premadasa		Tanmay Mishra	LBW
					Peter Ongondo	bowled
					Shem Ngoche	bowled
Steven Finn	England	Australia	MCG	2015	Brad Haddin	caught Stuart Broad
					Glenn Maxwell	caught Joe Root
					Mitchell Johnson	caught James Anderson
JP Duminy	South Africa	Sri Lanka	SCG	2015	Angelo Mathews	caught Faf du Plessis
					Nuwan Kulasekara	caught Quinton de Kock
					Tharindu Kaushal	LBW

Chetan Sharma was the first to take a hat-trick in World Cup cricket, following which there has been a 12-year wait. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is the third two witness two separate hat-tricks (Steven Finn had earlier taken one against Australia). Chaminda Vaas and Brett Lee had taken hat-tricks in ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, and Kemar Roach and Lasith Malinga in 2015.

ورلڈ کپ کوارٹر فائنل، قومی شاہینوں نے کینگروز پر جھپٹنے کی تیاری شروع کر دی

ایڈیلیڈ(دنیا نیوز)عالمی کرکٹ کی جنگ میں میں کوارٹر فائنل میں قومی شاہینوں نے آسٹریلوی کینگروز پر جھپٹنے کی تیاریاں شروع کر دیں ، مختصر کیمپ میں گرین شرٹس نے اپنی صلاحیتوں کو خوب نکھارا۔ 

قومی ٹیم نے ایک دن آرام کے بعد ایڈیلیڈ کرکٹ گراؤنڈ میں اڑھائی گھنٹے کے مختصر کیمپ میں حصہ لیا ۔ پریکٹس سیشن میں کوچز کی زیر نگرانی کھلاڑیوں نے فزیکل ٹریننگ سمیت اپنی بیٹنگ ، بولنگ اور فیلڈنگ پر توجہ دی ۔ انجری کا شکار فاسٹ بولر محمد عرفان نے کیمپ میں حصہ لینے کی بجائے آرام کو ترجیح دی ۔ ٹیم مینجمنٹ کے مطابق محمد عرفان کی اہم میچ میں شرکت کا فیصلہ ان کی فٹنس سے مشروط ہوگا ۔ قومی ٹیم کے کپتان مصباح الحق کوارٹر فائنل میں آسٹریلیا کو شکست دے کر ایونٹ میں آگے بڑھنے کے لیے پرعزم ہیں ۔ دوسری جانب کینگرو ٹیم بھی گرین شرٹس کے خلاف فتح سمیٹ کر سیمی فائنل کھیلنے کے لیے پرامید ہے ۔ کرکٹ کے سپر میگا ایونٹ میں پاکستانی ٹیم کا تیسرے کوارٹر فائنل میں 20 مارچ کو آسٹریلیا سے مقابلہ شیڈول ہے۔

Injured Muhammad Irfan out of World Cup: PCB

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ADELAIDE (Web Desk) – In another blow to Pakistan before the knockout stage, Muhammad Irfan is out of the World Cup 2015 due to hip injury, the PCB confirmed in a press release on Tuesday.

According to report, Muhammad Irfan will be sent back to Pakistan.

The injury is a major blow to the 1992 champions` chances of defeating four-time winners Australia in the quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Pakistan pacer has been experiencing pain in his right hip region. Consequently, he was rested during the match against Ireland.

“Irfan underwent an MRI scan on Monday afternoon and the radiologist s report showed a stress injury of the pelvis but was inconclusive,” said a PCB release.

Brad Robinson, the Pakistan team s physiotherapist, ordered a more detailed scan, which was carried out Tuesday afternoon, and it reconfirmed a stress fracture in the pelvis.

“This injury rules Irfan out of the World Cup,” said Robinson.

Pakistan team management will not immediately ask the selection committee back home for a replacement player, but will wait until the result of Friday s quarter-final.

Pakistan`s bowling attack has already been severely hampered with the absence of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, pacers Umar Gul and Junaid Khan. Opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez, who usually bowls accurate off-spinners, was also ruled out following a late injury.

In Irfan`s absence against Australia, the bowling would heavily rely on the experienced Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi.

Misbah, Irfan Challenge Batsmen As Pakistan Team Starts Training For Next Cricket Encounter

'We're the best team in the tournament' - de Villiers

 Four days after AB de Villiers questioned whether South Africa had an inflated sense of self after they lost a second group game, the captain has u-turned on that sentiment. Instead of asking if his men are as good as they think they are, de Villiers has rubber-stamped his initial analysis that his team are made of champion material.

"I 100% believe we are the best team in the tournament here," de Villiers said. "Those two losses in the group stage did hurt us a bit but we are past that now. We know where we could have won those games and we weren't that far off. We know we are very close... three games away from taking that World Cup home. The most important game is tomorrow but we know we are not far off so it's important to be positive and still believe we are the best."

De Villiers had expressed similar strong feelings about South Africa after they lost 1-4 in Australia last November on a recce trip for this tournament. Despite the margin of defeat, de Villiers called his team "the better side" and was pleased that they remained competitive throughout that series.

Two of the five games were decided in the final and penultimate overs, both times with South Africa batting first. That put the spotlight on their death bowling - an area most teams have struggled with at this tournament - rather than chasing problems, which appear to have reared their head again, although de Villiers denied that.

"It's not an issue. I believe we can chase down any total," he said. "There is no special strategy. You have to do the basics well. We've done it in the last year a few times under pressure. We didn't get it right the last couple of chases and that's alright. I am still confident in the batting unit. I believe there are a few guys due for big runs and it's going to happen soon at the right time."

Quinton de Kock, who has got into double figures only once in the tournament, is one of the players de Villiers was referring to but his lack of form should be less of a concern than overall shot selection under pressure. Both de Villiers and JP Duminy were dismissed trying to clear the boundary against Pakistan, even though the required run-rate was under control, but big-hitting seems to be something South Africa are intent on getting right. Vernon Philander, who is on track to play after a three-match absence with a hamstring strain, was practising it with such gusto, he broke a window at the New Zealand cricket museum at the Basin Reserve.

While that approach could help them at the Cake Tin, and if they return to New Zealand to contest a semi-final, South Africa may want to be cautioned by Michael Clarke. After Australia's overly aggressive approach saw them collapse against New Zealand, Clarke pointed to a deficiency in proper preparation and some in the South African camp have hinted at the same.

On Tuesday, Morne Morkel suggested South Africa "should have maybe worked on facing new balls a little bit more" to properly prepare for Pakistan at Eden Park but de Villiers did not think that played a role in the collapse. "It's an individual thing. I can't tell certain senior players what to do and what not to do in their preparation. We are each very particular about what we do and how we prepare," he said. "I've got a certain way. I don't face a lot of new balls but I still believe in my skill to bat on the day. I don't go into net sessions and face new balls all the time. I focus on what I believe will get me into the best space for the game."

The pre-match mindset was another talking point after South Africa's defeat to Pakistan, especially after de Villiers revealed he did not feel an "electric vibe" in the team that day. Now, he said the "energy is back," and hoped it stays but maybe only for the UAE game before it gets reined in for the knockouts.

"As a captain you sometimes get a feel going into a game in the warm-up. Sometimes, guys are over-intense, or guys need space or guys are too relaxed and those things change every single game we play and that's what I was referring to," de Villiers said. "The intensity will have to be pulled back if we do make the quarters and the semis because the guys could get over-eager again. You've got to get that balance right at tournaments like this."

South Africa's immediate focus though, is the balance of the team. Their preference for seven specialist batsmen has left them making up a fifth bowler from part-timers but playing five frontline bowlers will leave the line-up one short. What to do?

"That's the difficult decision most teams have to make at this World Cup - an extra batter or an extra bowler. The last few games we have gone for the extra batter, against India we went for the extra bowler. Both times we lost so it's a difficult one."

South Africa will try to solve the conundrum against the UAE but de Villiers promised they will be careful not to "mess around too much with your best possible XI" because they want to finish the group strongly to challenge for the ultimate prize.

"If you look at the standings, if we win the last game we will be in a good position to go into the quarters with a lot of confidence. We would have liked to win the two big games against India and Pakistan but it didn't happen that way and there's no point sulking now," de Villiers said. "It's a very important stage of our World Cup now. It's important to be confident and I still want the boys to believe we are the best, which we are. We are going to go into tomorrow's game with that attitude."

Sri Lanka bat, Kusal Perera included

Angelo Mathews won the toss and Sri Lanka will bat first against Scotland at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. The teams made three changes each for what is Sri Lanka's last match of the pool stage and Scotland's penultimate fixture.

Sri Lanka brought in Dushmantha Chameera for his second ODI and Nuwan Kulasekara for his second game of the tournament, and Kusal Perera was also included having been added to the squad to replace the injured Dinesh Chandimal. Upul Tharanga and Sachithra Senanayake were also left out.
Scotland brought in Freddie Coleman, Rob Taylor and Michael Leask, and left out Majid Haq, Hamish Gardiner and Iain Wardlaw. The match was set to begin in slightly cloudy weather, although the forecast for the day was good.
 
Scotland 1 Kyle Coetzer, 2 Calum MacLeod, 3 Matt Machan, 4 Preston Mommsen (capt), 5 Freddie Coleman, 6 Richie Berrington, 7 Matt Cross (wk), 8 Josh Davey, 9 Rob Taylor, 10 Michael Leask, 11 Alasdair Evans.
 
Sri Lanka 1 Lahiru Thirimanne, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Kusal Perera, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Seekkuge Prasanna, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Australia news March 10, 2015

Cowan to leave Tasmania for Sydney

 

Ed Cowan has called time on his six-season stint with Tasmania and will move back to Sydney to focus on his family, leaving his first-class future uncertain.

"I told Dan Marsh and my teammates on Sunday that I won't be playing cricket for Tasmania next year and it's with a very, very heavy heart that I told them," Cowan said. "It's time to be a family man who plays cricket rather than a cricketer with a family.

"And that's a very hard decision to make when cricket has been your number one priority for 15 years. But times change I guess and it's for a purely personal reason that we're going to be moving back to Sydney. I'm very sad but I'm confident it's the right thing to do."

Last winter Cowan signed a one-year deal with the Tigers on the condition he and his family were allowed to relocate partly to Sydney for personal reasons. He had also been in talks with New South Wales about returning as a contracted player with his home state, but chose ultimately to stay with Tasmania after they accepted his unusual terms.

Cowan is the third-highest run-getter this Shield season, with 815 from nine games at an average of 47.94 and four centuries. He has spoken of a reinvigorated game and demonstrated a more aggressive style of play than had become his custom, but the pressures of spreading cricket and home life across two states have led him to leave the place where he was able to make the most of his ability.

Cowan debuted for his home state New South Wales in January 2005 but could not hold down a regular spot. It was the move to Tasmania in 2009-10 that brought him success and eventually an international run that lasted 18 Tests. Cowan represented Tasmania in 53 first-class matches and scored 4085 runs at 44.40, with 13 centuries.

Table Points ICC World Cup 2015

POOL A

TEAMS	MAT	WON	LOST	TIED	N/R	PTS	NET RR	FOR	AGAINST
New Zealand	4	4	0	0	0	8	+3.589	754/110.2	649/200.0	>
Sri Lanka	4	3	1	0	0	6	+0.128	1113/195.4	1112/200.0	>
Australia	4	2	1	0	1	5	+1.804	910/150.0	525/123.1	>
Bangladesh	4	2	1	0	1	5	+0.182	829/148.1	812/150.0	>
England	4	1	3	0	0	2	-1.201	966/200.0	963/159.4	>
Afghanistan	4	1	3	0	0	2	-1.953	747/199.3	1130/198.2	>
Scotland	4	0	4	0	0	0	-1.423	854/200.0	982/172.3	>

POOL B

TEAMS	MAT	WON	LOST	TIED	N/R	PTS	NET RR	FOR	AGAINST
India	4	4	0	0	0	8	+2.246	896/158.0	685/200.0	>
South Africa	5	3	2	0	0	6	+1.462	1537/247.0	1176/247.0	>
Pakistan	5	3	2	0	0	6	-0.194	1189/247.0	1237/247.0	>
West Indies	5	2	3	0	0	4	-0.511	1309/248.0	1349/233.0	>
Ireland	3	2	1	0	0	4	-1.137	796/145.1	993/150.0	>
Zimbabwe	4	1	3	0	0	2	-0.723	1067/196.0	1221/198.0	>
United Arab Emirates	4	0	4	0	0	0	-1.691	875/200.0	1008/166.1	>