KARACHI, Sept 30: `Joyride’ fast bowler Mohammad Akram faces a threeyear suspension after he deserted the Pakistan team for the Asian TestChampionship match against Bangladesh played at Multan last month.According to sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cricketoperations, the suspension was recommended by a four-memberdisciplinary committee which met Thursday. The committee is headed byKhalid Hassan with Sirajul Islam Bukhari, Maazullah Khan and AbdurRaqeeb as other members.Ironically, Akram’s case was referred to the disciplinary committee bythe PCB officials despite the fact that Pakistan team manager YawarSaeed had claimed that the paceman had left for England after securingpermission from the chairman of the board.Akram, who has played nine Tests in six years, was named in a 16-mansquad for the Multan match. But the Allied Bank bowler proceeded toEngland just two days before the team was to assemble at the venue.The director of the PCB, Brig Munawar Rana, as always refused toconfirm or deny the report. “I can’t confirm the story,” he toldreporters.Interestingly, Akram’s case was forwarded to the disciplinarycommittee though Shoaib Akhtar had been let off the hook despitecommitting the same offence in England in June.Shoaib had preferred England Club Lashings over Pakistan team whichhad led to a strong reaction from Yawar Saeed who was also the manageron the tour to England.Akram, who has yet to return to appear in the Patron’s Trophy for hisparent organization, is said to have joined British MetropolitanPolice. However, Allied Bank officials refused to confirm the report.

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) announced today that their three-year television, radio and sponsorship deal with WSG Nimbus had been terminated.An official BCCSL release issued this afternoon from Colombo states: "The Master Rights Agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) and WSG Nimbus Pte. Ltd. has ceased to exist.""The BCCSL has called for expressions of interest for the television rights, radio rights, title sponsorship and ground runners from the companies which were short-listed by the pervious administration."According to a BCCSL spokesman, WSG Nimbus had paid for the England and Indian tours to Sri Lanka earlier this year, but had "repeatedly delayed payments" to the extent that the board was being put in a "serious financial situation."They claim that WSG Nimbus’s failure to meet payment deadlines in the run-up to the scheduled West Indies tour of Sri Lanka forced them into taking action.The BCCSL sought the advice of the Attorney General last week and, according to the BCCSL, he was in agreement that the "terms of contract had been breached" and that the agreement therefore "ceased to operate."The BCCSL then sought and received an injunction from the Commercial High Court in Sri Lanka, which prevents WSG Nimbus in interfering in negotiations with other rights brokers and broadcasters.Earlier in the year, just before England’s tour, the BCCSL had also taken action in the courts against WSG Nimbus. On that occasion the dispute was settled amicably, but BCCSL now maintains that the terms of that settlement were not fully adhered to.The BCCSL has called for fresh tenders for a three-year period, starting November 2001, which includes tours by West Indies, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Pakistan, England, Australia and South Africa.Despite the potentially devastating effects of America’s war against Afganisation on tours to the Asian region the BCCSL remained upbeat about the future negotiations."Sri Lanka has steadily risen up the Test and One-Day ratings," said the board spokesman. "We have some high profile and very exciting players and with a number of top teams coming to Sri Lanka over the coming three-years we are optimistic of reaching an excellent deal for Sri Lankan cricket."Trans World International (TWI) narrowly lost out on the original deal, reputed to be USD 27.1 million, and are now believed to be favourites to secure the rights.WSG Nimbus had also been negotiating a new three-year team sponsorship deal in recent weeks. The BCCSL claimed today that this would not be affected, saying that the successful company, believed to be Dilmah Tea, was now dealing directly with the board and was expected to formally sign on Friday.

The sun finally shone in Kandy, but that did not brighten the mood of theWestIndian players, who suffered yet another batting collapse; a capitulationthat squashed any faint hopes of squaring this Janashkathi National Testseries and leaves them with a desperate fight for survival tomorrow.This morning a draw appeared a near certainty after two rain-ruined days,but Sri Lanka dominated the day to such extent that they now have a goodchance to finish off the Kandy jinx.Sri Lanka bowled out West Indies for 191 and then added 128 for one in theirsecond innings to finish the day with a healthy 225 run lead on a pitch thatis offering both the pace bowlers and spinners encouragement.With Brian Lara waiting in the wings, setting totals is a dangerous businessand no easy targets will be offered tomorrow. Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmoresaid afterwards that they were looking at 300-odd in 80 overs (105 overs arescheduled tomorrow) depending on how quickly they are able to score.In normal circumstances, the West Indies would be expected to salvage adraw. But so meekly did the batsmen play today that a further calamitousperformance cannot be ruled out.After three innings so far in the tour, there is the widespread belief thatthe West Indies fifth wicket signals the eminent innings close. In Galle thelast five wickets yielded just 25 and 13 runs respectively. Here, theyrealised 24 runs.One dare not wonder their plight had Brian Lara not been batting somewherenear his regal best. He followed scores of 178 and 44 in Galle with abrilliant 74 before he was last man out today.West Indies, starting the fourth day on 39 for one, lost regular wicketsthroughout their 66.5 over innings. The early damage was inflicted byMuttiah Muralitharan, who took three wickets in the morning and four in all,but the most eye-catching performance came from Chaminda Vaas.Vaas, normally the team’s journeyman, has been working hard during the last12 months to try to master the art of reverse swing. Today he showed he hadgone a long way towards learning that devastating skill, as the old ballbent all over the place in a final six over burst that yielded four wickets(6-3-12-4).He was pulled into the attack by acting captain Marvan Atapattu after afrustrating 41 stand between Lara and Ridley Jacobs, who had swept his wayto 24. Second ball, though, he dragged the ball onto his stumps.Mervyn Dillon, back in good health after his mystery chest injury, thenplayed and missed four times before edging a low catch to Kumar Sangakkarabehind the stumps.Vaas’s next ball veered into Dinanath Ramnarine’s pads at the last momentand umpire John Hampshire upheld the appeal. Pedro Collins averted ahat-trick but was also trapped lbw for a 21-minute duck.Vaas should also have been awarded the wicket of Lara, with another sharpinswinger, but it did not prove expensive. Lara left high and dry by hiscolleagues, tried to farm the strike, but was eventually trapped lbw byMuralitharan.Earlier in the day, Ramnaresh Sarwan started the Caribbean procession inMuralitharan’s second over of the morning, as he lost his balance and wasbowled through the gate for 17.Chris Gayle had looked in prime form last night, hitting the ball withtremendous power. This morning he started more cautiously, but havingfinally opened his boundary count with two rollicking drives off Vaas andthen Muralitharan, he flailed wildly at an inswinger from Nuwan Zoysa andlost his middle stump.Three wickets down for 72, the onus once again fell up captain Carl Hooperand Brian Lara. They battled hard in the opening stages, as both Zoysa andMuralitharan bowled good spells, but runs started to flow freely whenleft-arm spinner Niroshan Banadaratillake was brought on to bowl.Muralitharan was reintroduced from the opposite end and he finally won abattle of pad play with Hooper, who was caught stranded on his crease andadjudged lbw by umpire Gamini Silva.Marlon Samuels has looked totally at sea against Muralitharan and he quicklyedged a catch behind for a duck.In a long evening session Sri Lanka’s openers started the second inningscautiously, mindful of collapses in previous situations in Kandy.Jayasuriya went onto score 53, his first half-century of the tour, before hedrove straight into the covers. Marvan Atapattu batted out the day and was58 at the close.

How long will it be before there is a full-blown transfer system in English county cricket? The answer to that question might be that there is one already in place; it is just that no money changes hands between counties.The topic has returned as a current issue with the news that James Ormond, who opened the bowling for England in the Test that has just finished in India, has signed a three-year contract with Surrey. The 24 year-old had been with Leicestershire since he was 17, and has been building up an impressive track record.Ormond played for England Under-19s and England A before making his full Test debut at The Oval last summer against Australia. He made his county debut for Leicestershire in 1995, since when he took 225 wickets at an average of 25.67 in first-class cricket and 101 wickets at 22.57 in one-day cricket.As is all too common in the modern game, however, a small county club – or a county club perceived to be small – does not have the allure or financial clout of a large, metropolitan county that has a Test match ground as its headquarters. It says much for Leicestershire that despite this handicap they won the championship in 1996 and 1998 and reached the final of the C & G Trophy last season.Leicestershire will not be amused to see photographs of Ormond kitted out in his new Surrey garb holding up a shirt with “Ormond 13” emblazoned upon it, just as if he was a footballer signing for, say, Manchester United. In cricketing terms, that is a fair analogy.Surrey now have 15 players with international experience on their books. That might appear excessive, but with such playing strength comes obligations to honour Test calls, and they will argue that they need a large pool of proven talent to withstand absences on international duty and injury. Sir Alex Ferguson frequently sings from the same hymn sheet.It could have been Fergie, but was in fact the Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon, who said: “This is a tremendous signing for the club and will give us the strength in depth to challenge for all four major competitions next season.” Or it could have been Wenger, O’Leary or Houllier.The player himself is quoted as saying: “I am extremely excited about signing for such an ambitious club. To be playing in a side with so many talented and experienced players I hope that I can improve my game as well as help Surrey win more silverware in the future.” It could have been Fowler….ad nauseam.Nobody can attach any blame for this to Surrey or Ormond. The club’s purpose is to be as successful as possible. It is an admirable objective and to achieve it there is a need to have the strongest possible playing staff.Certainly no blame should be apportioned to Ormond. A promising cricketer with abundant talent and a very friendly, open personality, he has every right to run his career as he sees will be most beneficial for him.While feeling sympathy for Leicestershire at losing a fine prospect that they had nurtured so carefully over the years, and while feeling certain misgivings that it is not an altogether desirable trend in the game, there is no avoiding the facts.The cosy, amateurish way of English cricket in the 20th century has gone for good. It is now a fully professional sporting business. The time will come when there will be one group of counties producing players and another buying them in. Some will not survive because they will not have the financial muscle, which is why there is such jockeying for position now.The main danger is that the great sympathy that the English public has for cricket might well be dissipated. Unless there is something tangible to replace the old-fashioned charm of cricket, the appeal might just prove to be an illusion.

Hyderabad chased down a high target to register a close two-wicket win in their Ranji one-day match against Kerala at Visakhapatnam on Saturday.Winning the toss, Kerala batted first and racked up 273/8 in their allotted 50 overs. The stars of the innings were VT Suresh, AN Kudva and Sunil Oasis. Suresh and Kudva put on 124 runs for the second wicket, with the former scoring 63 and the latter making 70.Further down the order, Oasis made a brisk 47 off 49 balls. For Hyderabad, JS Yadav took 4-34, and was easily the best of the bowlers on view.Hyderabad opener GA Shetty made a sedate 59 at the top of the order, proving the anchor role in a well-planned innings. His partner A Nand Kishore scored 32, but it was Anirudh Singh who really provided the impetus, making an unbeaten 86 off 80 balls.AS Yadav, giving good company to Anirudh Singh, made 41 off as many balls. Hyderabad squeaked in to victory in 49.3 overs, making 274 for eight.

WELL, it’s back to the sun, and back to `work’ out in Perth, as I flew back with the newest local recruit for the Auscricket Management scheme, James Hamblin.It is the first time that `Hambo’ has travelled to Australia, although he spent last winter in Johannesburg, South Africa, with Hampshire coach Jimmy Cook.After last season’s success with the first team, particularly in the one-day game, Hambo is looking to get stronger and fitter than before.Hopefully a bit of extra strength and flexibility will add a touch more pace to a man with a prodigious ability to swing the ball, and a fantastic eye when batting.His three innings opening the batting last season really showed his potential as an all-rounder, and three months under the watchful eye of Paul Terry will surely be of huge benefit.During my time back in the England, I caught up with a few of the other Hampshire players.Both Derek Kenway and Chris Tremlett are looking fit, and if they carry on at their current rate with the National Academy, then they can both be confident of bumper seasons.Jimmy Adams and John Francis are attending Loughborough University, a fine institution with an excellent reputation for cricket.In fact, the university has recently become one of the six `Centre’s of Excellence’ for student cricketer’s, so the boys will be starting their own regimes, in between studies, to prepare for the upcoming season.Giles White and Will Kendall are both working away from the game of cricket, but will get a bit of pre-season practise when they go to Kenya on the MCC Tour in a couple of months.This tour is being captained by Will, and will no doubt be a fantastic experience, and a great deal of fun.So, back in Perth, the numbers on the scheme are up even further as we embark on our second term. Several lads have come out for a three-month period, and this takes our `Aus-Team’ total to 16.Joe Tucker and Matthew Bulbeck are here from Somerset, and `Tucks’ is playing with me at Perth CC.Ian Painter and David Coverdale are from Northants, Andy McGarry from Essex, and Kabir Ali from Worcestershire.With this amount of players, we could almost field an Aussie Rules Football side!This may not be particularly beneficial to our health, though, having seen a couple of the local games live, there are some big blokes kicking around in a game which looks half the time like an all-in ruck!If we get a bit of practise in, though, we might offer them a game a bit later in the season – but probably a non-contact version!

Rahul Dravid may not have been the most positive batsman in the world during his tenure at the crease yesterday, but declaring the Board President’s XI innings closed on the overnight total of 361/3 was a move that promised to transform the tour opener from plain-and-simple batting practice into a more competitive fixture.Zimbabwe’s openers, however, reacted as if they were not quite sure what to make of this move. As he had mentioned in an interview, captain Stuart Carlisle promoted himself to the top of the order. But he proved shaky in that position, poking tentatively at many deliveries from left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra and confident only when the ball was short enough to be seen early and played comfortably.Nehra posed many problems for the batsmen, maintaining an impeccable line just outside the off-stump and returning first-spell figures of 6-2-5-0. Tinu Yohannan too was tight, barring one over that the batsmen pounced on for 15 runs. But neither of them had any success, and spin was duly introduced into the attack; it had the desired effect almost immediately. Carlisle, who had looked better against the slow bowlers, misread a Sarandeep Singh delivery, inside-edging the ball for MSK Prasad to take the catch.Giving the tourists a foretaste of what probably awaits them throughout their tour, Dravid was quick to bring on spin from both ends, Haryana leg-spinner Amit Mishra bowling in tandem with Sarandeep. Both spinners proceeded to bowl with misery, conceding only the rare boundary, flighting the ball and turning it enough to cause problems for Trevor Gripper and Gavin Rennie.To their credit, however, the visiting batsmen set their jaws and hung in there, gradually learning to read the spin and play their shots. Gripper reached his fifty with a confident stroke, using his feet to get to the pitch of a Sarandeep Singh delivery and lofting it over mid-on for his seventh boundary. In a similar attempt, however, he did not get the elevation needed, playing it tanely to Yohannan at mid-on and departing for 52.Rennie seemed in particularly good touch, and his occupation of the crucial number three position means that Zimbabwe will look to him greatly for pivotal knocks. He got to 50 off 107 balls with four fours, but his innings was much more notable for the manner in which he sensibly rotated the strike, easing the ball into the gaps and running hard.His dismissal, then, came against the run of play. Brought on for a fresh spell, Mishra had Rennie (52, 136 b, 4×4) top-edging a sweep to Pravanjan Mullick at short fine leg. Four runs later, Misha struck again. Tatenda Taibu, trying to force the ball on the back foot through the covers, played the ball in the air, and Abhijit Kale took a fine catch diving to his right.With Alistair Campbell inexplicably still in the pavilion, Heath Streak walked out to bat, only to depart three balls later. Launching into a predetermined slog-sweep, he hit Mishra straight into the hands of Gagan Khoda at square leg. Three wickets had fallen for four runs, and Zimbabwe went in to tea foundering on 180/5.But Zimbabwe still had their Old Reliable at the crease, and Andy Flower, after tea, proceeded to live up to his reputation. His side’s numerous collapses over the past year have seen Flower play many lone hands, but he does not seem to have become fed up of constantly holding fort at one end. Flower’s innings today will no doubt give some Indian players flashback nightmares about his Bradmanesque tour of India just over a year ago. Then, as now, he was at absolute ease against the spinners, and his lean patch in Sri Lanka, a stark contrast to his recent prolific run, seems to be behind him.His presence at the other end acted as palpable inspiration for Travis Friend, as was borne out by an incident that occurred towards the end of the day. Bogged down by the spin of Sarandeep Singh, Amit Mishra and Y Venugopal Rao, Friend repeatedly tried the lofted drive, each time mis-hitting it just wide of a catching fieldsman. After a few reruns of such strokes, Flower took Friend aside at the end of an over and took him through the motions of the lofted drive.The next over, from Venugopal Rao, saw Friend finally connect with the ball. Using his feet beautifully, and in the manner just prescribed Dr Flower, he hit the off-spinner for consecutive boundaries.With Friend also getting into his stride, the efficacy of the spin attack started to wane. A Flower sweep-pull off Mishra to the mid-wicket fence seemed to be the final straw, and Dravid asked for the new ball after 87 overs.Both speedsters had bowled well but without luck in this match, and Yohannan finally broke the drought with the new ball. Shortly after Friend reached his fifty, he became the third batsman in the innings to be dismissed on 52. Ending a partnership of 110 runs for the sixth wicket, he flicked a delivery full and on the pads into Gautam Gambhir’s hands at square leg.Flower took Zimbabwe through to stumps without further mishap, ending the day on 89 off 138 balls, his team having made 292 for the loss of six wickets in the day. The Old Reliable was in evidently superb nick, his demeanour that of a man grimly determined to reprise his role in a one-man show. If it turns out that he can rustle up a supporting cast this time around, India will have to come up with a few star attractions of their own in this series.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday decided not to send left-handed opening batsman Saeed Anwar to South Africa for the two-Test series which gets under way from next week but offered him fresh hopes of playing in the World Cup.The Pakistan team management in Cape Town on Wednesday had requested that Saeed be flown out as a reinforcement while sending back the perennial unfit fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.Their contention was that an experienced man was required to beef up Pakistan batting.Bari said that since the selectors were unsure of Saeed’s current form and match fitness, it was agreed unanimously not to risk him on the unfamiliar tracks at Durban and Cape Town where the Tests will be played.”We discussed at length and finally reached the conclusion that Saeed Anwar should not be sent to South Africa for the Tests because he has not played any competitive cricket for over two months. We are not sure of his match fitness and form,” Bari said.Saeed who hit a match-winning century in the Durban Test almost four years had been one of the few batting successes for Pakistan on previous tours of South Africa. Therefore, the selectors’ reluctance to send him now to reinforce the brittle top-order is rather strange.Bari believes that the selectors have taken the right decision because Saeed’s confidence was likely to suffer. “We have reasons to believe that pitches for the Test series would be difficult and different as to what would be in the World Cup.”Instead of taking the risk of sending Saeed now and shattering his confidence, we have decided that since he is now a near certainty for the World Cup, he be allowed to play in the domestic circuit so that he can regain the form, fitness and confidence,” Bari explained.”Of course, it has been a hard decision to make and a lot of thought has gone into it.I believe we have taken the right decision that is in the interest of the player, team and the country.”The chief selector said that Saeed has the chance of reclaiming his touch in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship, which starts from Saturday, when he dons the pads for National Bank.The PCB on Thursday made an official request to National Bank sports department to include the left-hander in their squad as a guest player.Pakistan in recent times have tried a number of opening combinations but none of them managed to inspire confidence as the best stand in five matches against South Africa produced 54 in the fourth game at Paarl when Salim Elahi was partnered by Kamran Akmal.Salim played in all 10 one-dayers in Zimbabwe and South Africa with some success, although he was out first ball in the last match in Cape Town on Wednesday.Taufiq Umar was put in cold storage after the opening one-dayer in Durban. But he is now favourite to regain his place for the Tests.

Sri Lanka’s selectors have recalled veteran left-hander Hashan Tillakaratne to their 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup next February.Tillakaratne, now 35, one will be Sri Lanka’s reserve wicket-keeper, replacing the popular gloveman Romesh Kaluwithrana.Kaluwitharana, 33, was not included in Sri Lanka’s provisional 30-man World Cup but had been rushed back for the Australia after his prolific run scoring in domestic cricket.But the naturally aggressive right-hander failed to convince the three-man selection panel, scoring six and 35 in matches against England and Australia.With Sri Lanka desperate for greater solidity in middle order after losing seven of their last eight games, the selectors have plumped instead for Tillakaratne who has only played two one-day games since the 1999 World Cup in England.But the left-hander has scored prolifically since returning to the Test side in 2001 and became the first Sri Lankan to score a Test century on South African soil during the recent tour.Hard-hitting opener Avishka Gunawardene also makes the cut despite not playing an international game since July.Seam bowler Buddika Fernando, who last played in the Morocco Cup, is the final addition to the squad, taking the place of pace bowler Nuwan Zoysa, who failed to play a game in the ongoing tri-series after a lackluster performance against Australia A.Zoysa, Kaluwitharana, left-arm seamer Sujeewa de Silva and off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera, who acted as cover for the injured Muttiah Muralitharan in the first part of the Australia tour, will now leave Australia.Tillakaratne and Gunwardene will join the squad in Australia for the second leg of the VB Series that re-starts on January 8 after the final Ashes Test.Aravinda de Silva, who missed Sri Lanka’s first three games because of personal reasons, will also be joining the squad, which will be bidding to regain form and confidence before the 14-nation tournament in South Africa.Sri Lanka’s squad includes nine frontline batsmen (two of whom also keep wicket), one specialist spinner and five fast bowlers.The absence of an all-rounder is final recognition of the dearth of genuine all-rounders in Sri Lankan cricket at the present. That means that Sri Lanka will be forced to play seven batsmen and four specialist bowlers in their final eleven.Part-time bowlers Sanath Jayasuriya, Russel Arnold and De Silva will fill provide support, contributing a minimum of ten overs between them.The squad is yet to be ratified by the sports ministry but the players are expected to depart shortly for Australia as Sri Lanka play a practice match at Melbourne on New Years Day.Sri Lanka’s players are still to sign mandatory commercial contracts for the World Cup after the Sri Lankan cricket board refused a demand for an 18 per cent revenue share for forgoing the right to personal endorsements with products that conflict with the official World Cup sponsors.Full squad:Sanath Jayasuriya (Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Aravinda de Silva, Russel Arnold, Jehan Mubarak, Avishka Gunawardene, Hashan Tillakaratne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Prabath Nissanka, Charitha Buddika Fernando