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Icc Clears Hasan Raza Others Of Match Fixing Allegations Calls Out Al Jazeeras Programme

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 vs 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.

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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.

Lasith Malinga's participation in T20 World Cup highly unlikely

The return of legendary Lasith Malinga into international cricket has become a comedy of errors. After chief selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe’s remarking that Malinga was in their scheme of things for the premier tournament, the legendary fast bowler himself kept himself away from furthering any hopes of his return. The chief selector of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and the former fast bowler said that they have not received any clear reply from the former captain of the national team but contradicted himself soon after, “I spoke with Lasith Malinga and asked him if he is hoping to play in the T20 World Cup this year. He told me that he hasn’t played competitive cricket in about one and a half years.” Despite Wickramasinghe reckoning Malinga as the best T20 player, chances of Malinga making the cut looks pretty bleak especially after the new guidelines set for players in order to be eligible for national selection. Amongst various other tests, Sri Lanka players need to run 2 kms in 8 minutes and 30 seconds to pass a fitness test. Wickramasinghe said that he had a chat with Malinga informing him about the new selection policies. “We know he is the best T20 player and his services are always very important. But all players are equal for us and we apply the same guidelines in selections,” Wickramasinghe was quoted as saying by Sri Lanka’s Daily News. The new selection criterias laid down by the Sri Lanka Cricket makes a player eligible for national selection only if he passes the new fitness tests besides playing in domestic cricket. “I also told him that one should also be playing domestic cricket to be eligible for national selection. If Malinga can fulfill all these requirements, we will consider him for selection at that time,” Wickramasinghe said. The star fast bowler who has already retired from franchise cricket had expressed his willingness to lead the side for the T2o World Cup back in November 2019. Back then, the T20 World Cup was originally slated to be played in Australia in October 2020. However the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the postponement of the marquee event which has jolted his chances of playing one last World Cup. While Malinga has indicated that his body might not permit him to take part in the World Cup, Wickramsinghe said that his answers lacked clarity. “Malinga appreciated our selection policies and asked me to continue with them. However, Malinga did not give a clear response whether he intends playing in the T20 World Cup or not,” he said.

Hampshire rope in D'Arcy Short for Vitality T20 Blast

Hampshire have roped in the services of hard-hitting Australian opening batsman D’Arcy Short for the upcoming Vitality T20 Blast which is slated to kick off on 9th June. Short is not only a big hitter of the ball but lends balance to the squad with his useful left-arm spin. Short can chip in with some crucial overs in the middle and has the ability to break partnerships. Short who is yet to establish himself in the international circuit has been in and around the core group for quite some time now. The southpaw has donned the national colours on 31 occasions so far across the two white-ball formats. Short has plied his trade in several T20 tournaments across the world and has impressive returns so far in his career so far. The southpaw have scored nearly 4000 T20 runs besides bagging 48 wickets with his chinaman. "I am so excited to join a club with as much history as Hampshire Hawks! I can't wait to get to The Ageas Bowl and hopefully we can have a strong season and win our first title since 2012," Short was quoted by Cricbuzz. This won't be the first time that Short will be plying his trade in the T20 Blast. Earlier he had a stint with Durham in 2019. He had a wonderful time with the bat amassing 483 runs at an impressive average of 43.90. Meanwhile, Director of Cricket, Hampshire, Giles White was quite thrilled to sign Short as he felt that the dashing left-hander’s inclusion will “add spark” to the team dynamics for the 2021 edition of the T20 Blast. "We are delighted to secure the signing of D'Arcy for this summer's Vitality Blast competition. He is a high-class performer who has consistently shown his ability to score a high volume of runs at the top of the order, both for Australia and in a number of the world's best T20 competitions,” White said. "Alongside his skill with the bat, he also gives us another spin bowling option with the ball so we're excited about what he brings to the side and are looking forward to having him with us," he further added.

Nick Hockley expresses gratitude to BCCI for safe and quick return of Australian players

The IPL bound Australian cricketers who had jetted off to the Maldives after the suspension of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League returned home safely after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) arranged a chartered flight for the Australian players to make them reach home safe and sound. Cricket Australia’s interim CEO Nick Hockley on Monday expressed his gratitude to the BCCI for ensuring that the Australian players reached their homes safely and quickly from the island nation. The 14th edition of the cash-rich league had to be suspended indefinitely on May 4 after several COVID cases were reported inside respective bio-bubbles. The entire Australian contingent had flown off to the Maldives after borders were shut for passengers coming from India. The thirty-eight members of the Australian contingent which included players, support staffs and commentators were stranded in the Maldives owing to the travel ban. Meanwhile, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey who had contracted COVID is expected to reach Australia via a separate flight on Monday. "We're delighted. We're really grateful to the BCCI for getting them home quickly and safely. I haven't spoken to them since they've landed, but obviously, we've been in text exchange and I'm sure they'll be very relieved and very appreciative to be home," Nick Hockley was quoted as saying by tbe Sydney Morning Herald. Cricket Australia named a 23 member preliminary squad for the limited-overs series on the Caribbean shores in July. Australia will tour West Indies for a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series in July and Hockley is optimistic of their chances against the world champions in the shortest format. "We plan each tour as we go. We've got a bit of time now before West Indies. International cricket will need to support each other, we've seen last summer, with India coming here, what a great series that was, and we're committed to supporting other cricketing nations around the world," said Hockley.