Cricket Australia reaches out to Cameron Bancroft, seeks 'new information' on Cape Town Test

Comments made by Cameron Bancroft about having wider knowledge pertaining to the ball-tampering affair in the Cape Town Test of 2018 has created quite a bit of buzz in the Australian cricket ranks. And now, Cricket Australia's head of national teams, Ben Oliver, has confirmed that the integrity unit headed by Rebecca Murray has reached out to Bancroft to ask if he knows something more than he told at the time of investigation and that if he has something more to add.

Oliver said that as it has been said often that Cricket Australia is willing to listen to more and more ‘new information' and hence Cameron Bancroft has been contacted by the integrity unit. He said that the unit will wait for his response before coming to any conclusion.

"I think we've maintained all the way through that if anyone had any new information relating to that incident that we've encouraged people to come forward and discuss that with our integrity unit. In this particular case, our integrity team have reached out to Cam again extending that invitation to him if he does have any, any new information. We'll wait to see his response on that, we haven't had had a response. But in saying that we're operating on different time zones," Oliver said on Monday, May 17.

Oliver also dismissed allegations that Cricket Australia tried to sweep sandpaper gate under the carpet and did not launch a comprehensive investigation for an issue that many former cricketers say has embarrassed the culture and legacy of the country.

"There was obviously a thorough investigation into that, to that incident. There were actions taken on the back of that and then since that time, everyone who's been involved in the team has worked incredibly hard to rebuild confidence and to ultimately sort of aspiring to make Australians proud of the Australian cricket team. So from that point of view that processes have taken place,” Olliver added.

Former players such as Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist have voiced their opinions on reopening the sandpaper gate following Bancroft’s assertion that bowlers must have been aware of the ball conditions in the Cape Town Test.

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Danish Kaneria dismisses Mohammad Amir's concerns as 'blackmail'

Former Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria has slammed Mohammed Amir for ‘blackmailing’ Pakistan Cricket Board by making statements such as the option of moving out of the country and applying for British citizenship. Kaneria added that people can get an idea about Amir’s headspace as to why he wants to move to Britain as a citizen as it will make him eligible for playing in the Indian Premier League. “I am taking nothing away from Mohammad Amir. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I feel he is trying to blackmail others with his statements so that he can make a return to the side. From his comments on moving to England and getting citizenship and playing the IPL, you can understand his headspace,” Kaneria said. Kaneria said that Amir has been going on with a thankless approach towards the PCB that brought him back after he served a prison term for spot-fixing. He said that Amir’s performances have dipped significantly after the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 and hence he deserves to be axed from the side. “Mohammad Amir should realize that Pakistan were really kind to bring him back after his spot-fixing scandal. But his performance over the last 1.5 years has been absolutely zero. Agreed he bowled really well in the ICC Champions Trophy, but since then he has been on a steep decline," the former spinner added. Mohammed Amir had said that he has got indefinite leave to stay in Pakistan and that he is intending to play cricket for six or seven years more which led to speculation over his willingness to play in the IPL.

There was no bonding between the girls on my first tour says ex India women's coach Tushar Arothe

After Purnima Rau, another former India women’s team coach Tushar Arothe has come forward and bashed the team culture which has resulted in a chaotic situation in women’s cricket. Ramesh Powar was re-appointed as the national coach after WV Raman’s contract was not extended due to unknown reasons. It has resulted in several ex-coaches coming forward and describing the brittle camaraderie between the members of the women’s team. Speaking about his tenure as the coach of the Indian team, Arothe disclosed the fact that the girls didn’t gel along well and that was the reason behind a lot of team gelling sessions and bonding exercises which did help during his reign. “I can’t really talk about the current scenario, but can certainly talk about my time as the coach. In my first assignment as a coach, in South Africa, I didn’t see a great bond in the girls. We used to focus a lot on team gelling and team-building exercises. So it did reap benefits for the team then,” Arothe was quoted as saying during an exclusive interview with news 18. Internal rifts has been quite prevalent in the women’s circuit. During Ramesh Powar’s previous tenure with the Indian time, his relation soured with Mithali Raj after she was dropped from the playing XI in the 2018 T20 World Cup semi-final. While Raj bashed Powar publicly, junior members Smiriti Mandhana and the then T20 Harmanpreet Kaur wrote a letter to BCCI asking them to continue with Powar as the coach of the national team. Arothe felt that it’s now up to the girls to make sure that they display a good camaraderie on the field. “I think for the common good of the team, the girls will have to display that camaraderie every time they step on the field. Senior players again have a big role to play, they need to lift the team up now,” Arothe said.

ICC clears Hasan Raza & others of match-fixing allegations, calls out Al Jazeera's programme

The International Cricket Council has investigated claims made in a documentary titled ‘Cricket’s Match Fixers’ broadcasted by Al Jazeera network on 27 May 2018 and concluded that none of the participants of the programme including former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza will be charged for breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code after its Integrity Unit found no ‘credible and reliable evidence’ after interviewing all of them. The council in its media release stated that it investigated all aspects of the case such as the claims made by the programme, the suspects who were part of the programme and how did the Al Jazeera network gathered evidence for the programme. The ICC said that the passage of plays in two games—India v England in Chennai in 2016 and India v Australia in Ranchi in 2017 which were claimed to be fixed by the Al Jazeera programme turned out to be ‘entirely predictable’ which subsequently rules out of them being fixed by corruptors. “We welcome the reporting of alleged corrupt activity within cricket as there is no place for such conduct in our sport, but we also need to be satisfied there is sufficient evidence to sustain charges against Participants. In the case of the claims aired in this programme, there are fundamental weaknesses in each of the areas we have investigated that make the claims unlikely and lacking in credibility, a viewpoint that has been corroborated by four independent experts,” ICC Integrity Unit General Manager, Alex Marshall, said in a statement. He also added that the ICC is willing to reexamine the matter and if new ‘substantial’ evidence comes to light in future but the council is satisfied with the investigation for now based on current circumstances and evidence. “Should any new substantial evidence come to light I will re-examine the case. But at present, I am comfortable with the conclusion of the investigation and the thoroughness with which it was undertaken,” the statement said further. The Al Jazeera network has run a series of programme claiming to expose the dirty games within the game of cricket. As many as 15 games including three World T20I games have been claimed to be fixed by the media network.

Umesh Yadav does not worry for 'out of control' injuries; stays motivated over place in playing XI

The absence of Ishant Sharma on the tour of Australia could well have been the most perfect opportunity for Umesh Yadav to reclaim his place as one of the three frontline quicks of the Virat Kohli-led team. However, midway through the series, Umesh Yadav hurt his calf muscle and missed the latter half of the series in a frustrating series of events. Now, as Umesh has recovered from the calf injury and has made it into the squad for the tour of England where India will play as many as six Tests but it is more than likely he had slipped behind Mohammed Siraj in the pecking order among pace bowlers. Umesh though does not want to focus where he stands in the team in terms of the captain’s preference and the injury setback. He has said that the Melbourne injury when he had to walk off the field was the first such instance in his 10-year long career and was out of his control. Instead, he focussing more on aspects that are under his control such as staying in a positive frame of mind and training hard so as to perform when the team needs the most. “Look, we can’t have any control over injuries. But that kind of injury (calf muscle) happened to me for the first time in my 10 years at this level. It has never happened in the past that I had to leave the ground due to an injury. “Now, being in the XI or not being included is another part of the game. You play some, you miss some. But I have kept backing myself and also motivate myself during training so that my mind and body stay positive… That helps me feel strong. It’s just about keeping yourself fit with a positive mindset, which is in your control,” Umesh said in an interview with The Telegraph. Umesh Yadav played on the last tour of England as well but was not fruitful with the duke ball before making way for Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI. Given it’s a lengthy tour and of six Test matches, Umesh is likely to get his chances somewhere down the line.