Pakistan’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, has claimed that the ICC was “playing to the public gallery” when it provisionally suspended Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir, the three players linked to the spot-fixing scandal, on charges of irregular behaviour under the ICC’s Anti Corruption Code.

The day after the suspension was announced, Hasan said the ICC had made a “mistake” and that it had “no business taking this action.” He told the BBC that cricket’s governing body had, “made an assurance to us when it said it would wait until Scotland Yard’s investigations were over.”

Hasan said the ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, was “very sympathetic and supportive” when the two had met at the Pakistan High Commission in London on Thursday. “Whatever evidence we had collected, and whatever information we knew, indicated that the players had not been charged by Scotland Yard. Rather the other party, Mazhar Majeed, was.”

During the meeting, Hasan said, Lorgat had received a call from ICC president Sharad Pawar. “He talked to him and went out. Suddenly a document was prepared and was pushed under the doors of the players.”

Hasan’s remarks, which reiterated his earlier belief that the players had been “set up”, are at the centre of what appears to be the Pakistan camp’s discontent with the suspension. Though the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt remains silent on the matter – despite attempts to contact him – another official close to the investigation also questioned the development.

The official said that no evidence had yet been shared with the PCB. “We’re very surprised the ICC has done this because to my knowledge there had been no indication of this,” the official said on Thursday night, after the suspensions were announced.

“This is a bit inappropriate doing it now because the Scotland Yard investigations are ongoing and they could have waited till the end of that,” the official said. “What if they clear the players of any wrongdoing now?”

Pakistan are thought to be unhappy at the number of investigations currently being carried out in the case. “The ICC and ACSU are doing their investigation and helping the police, Scotland Yard are carrying out their criminal investigation and the board is also doing its own internal inquiry,” the official said. “This can cause overlapping and confusion and it would’ve been better to let things happen one at a time.”

The ICC’s move to suspend Butt, Asif and Amir came on the same day Pakistan announced that the players had opted to voluntarily withdraw from the forthcoming limited-overs series in England. An ICC press release said that the three players had been charged with “various offences under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel relating to alleged irregular behavior during, and in relation to, the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s last month”.

The England womens selectors have today named a 15-strong squad for the tour of Sri Lanka in November.

England will play two one-day internationals and an Twenty20 international series in Colombo from November 14-22.

Essex left-arm pace bowler Beth MacGregor has been called into the squad, along with wicketkeeper Lauren Griffiths (Cheshire), Fran Wilson (Somerset) and Susie Rowe (Kent) from the England womens Academy.

Katherine Brunt and Holly Colvin will remain in England to complete a strength and conditioning programme and to focus on university studies respectively, to ensure they are both available for the Ashes tour to Australia in January.

Sarah Taylor has opted to take some time off from international cricket.

Clare Connor, head of womens cricket, said: The selectors have named a dynamic England women’s squad for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

Without three influential players, opportunities are being given to Academy graduates Fran Wilson, Susie Rowe and Lauren Griffiths.

All three players have had excellent seasons for their counties. They also impressed for the Academy in India earlier this year and against New Zealand in July.

It is essential that we always have a keen eye on player succession planning. Blooding some of our Academy talent on the full international stage in Sri Lanka will show exactly where we are in terms of the journey towards the World Cup in 2013.

England women’s squad

Charlotte Edwards (captain, Kent)
Jenny Gunn (Nottinghamshire)
Lydia Greenway (Kent)
Lauren Griffiths (Cheshire)
Isa Guha (Berkshire)
Danielle Hazell (Yorkshire)
Heather Knight (Berkshire)
Beth MacGregor (Essex)
Laura Marsh (Sussex)
Beth Morgan (Middlesex)
Susie Rowe (Kent)
Anya Shrubsole (Somerset)
Claire Taylor (Berkshire)
Fran Wilson (Somerset)
Danielle Wyatt (Staffordshire)

Tour schedule

Nov 14: 1st ODI, P Sara Oval, Colombo, 9.30am
Nov 16: 2nd ODI, P Sara Oval, Colombo, 9.30am

Nov 19: 1st T20, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Colombo, 10am
Nov 21: 2nd T20, NCC, Colombo, 10am
Nov 22: 3rd T20, NCC, Colombo, 10am

NEW DELHI: Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said the International Cricket Council should thoroughly investigate the ’spot-fixing’ scandal that has plunged the game into a crisis and take action against players who are found guilty.

” ICC should make a thorough probe in the ’spot-fixing’ scandal and take appropriate action if the players are found guilty,” Tendulkar told reporters here.

“If the allegations are true, they will certainly bring disrepute to the game,” he added.

The furore follows a British tabloid’s sting operation on a bookie who allegedly paid money to Pakistani trio of Test skipper Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir for bowling no balls during the Lord’s Test against England last week.

The three players in question have been suspended by the ICC pending an inquiry and have also been left out of the Pakistan team for the Twenty20 and ODI series against England starting on Sunday.

The players are also facing a Scotland Yard investigation and on Thursday met Pakistan’s High Commissioner in England to present their case.

Speaking about the scandal, Tendulkar said he has not come across any instance of Indian players being contacted by a bookie in his playing career.

“In my 21 year of international cricket, I have never heard of an Indian player being approached by bookies,” Tendulkar asserted.

The National Final of the Lady Taverners Club U13 and U15 competition was disappointingly affected by rain – but Wirksworth and Burton Latimer topped the U13 and U15 tables.

Ten teams from around the country travelled to Ellesmere College in Shropshire to contest the U13 and U15 National Finals.

The U13 competition had teams from Lancashire,Derbyshire,Buckinghamshire, Sussex and Gwent.

The venue for the day was moved to Lakeland Sports College due to the constant rain. To allow the teams to play each other the overs were reduced to accommodate all of the games.

Winning all of their games Wirksworth and Middleton CC from Derbyshire proved too strong for the other teams. The team from Sussex (Bells Yew Green) finished a commendable second in the competition and scored more runs than the winning team.

Burnely girls finished in third place which was a great achievement as this is their first year playing in competitions. Finally the teams of Buckingham Town Maidens and Newport finished fourth and fifth respectively, but not without providing some competitive opposition for the rest of the teams.

Jenny Gunn, England Vice Captain, and Katherine Brunt, England fast bowler, spent the day at the competition and spoke to the girls when they were not playing about how they became involved in cricket and what they have to do to play for England.

Both were involved in the presentation ceremony along with Rachel Heyhoe-Flint (President of The Lady Taverners).

The U15 Club competition stayed at Ellesmere College but again had to be taken indoors due to the constant rain.

The overs for each match were reduced to allow all of the teams to play each other and establish an overall winner.

Teams from Durham, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Kent and Pembrokeshire attended the finals.

The competition has proved to be getting stronger each year and this was no exception. Three teams St Lawrence (Kent), Burton Latimer (Northants) and Willington (Durham) all finished on the same number of points having won three games each.

The rules of the competition state the winner will be the team that has scored the most runs throughout the day. All of the teams had scored well in their games and the difference between the three teams was 20 runs.

Burton Latimer topped the table by scoring 16 runs more than Willington during the day.

There were two outstanding performances during the day and these were rewarded with the new pink incrediballs that are used in the indoor Lady Taverners competition.

Carly Odell from Burton Latimer took a hat trick and Olivis Price from St Lawrence retired not out three times in her four games.

Gunn and Brunt were again present, and joined in at the presentation ceremony with Rachel Heyhoe-Flint

West Indies have left out experienced allrounder Pamela Lavine from the squad for the ICC Women’s Challenge to be played at Potchefstroom in South Africa this October. Two new players, Subrina Munroe and Pearl Etienne, have been selected on the strength of their performances in the recent WICB Women’s tournament.

“The two new players are both very good seam bowlers,” Chairman of selectors, Clyde Butts, said. “Both can also bat and they can be expected to make good contributions in the lower order.”

Butts said that he expected the young but experienced side to do well in South Africa. “We have the nucleus of the team, which has been playing together for the last couple of years. Most of the players have done well at the international level,” he said. “There is a good balance in the squad and we have a lot of allrounders.

“This series is being seen as part of the ultimate build-up to the next ICC Women’s World Cup. We are looking to build with the future in mind. This trip will be a chance to gain more experience in foreign conditions.”

Butts said that Lavine, despite her omission, was still part of the selectors’ plans. “Her general fitness worked against her on this occasion and for this tour we decided to look at some other options. Not making the team for this tour does not mean she has been discarded nor has she been retired.”

West Indies play their first 50-over match on October 6 against Netherlands and take on South Africa in the first Twenty20 on October 14.

West Indies Women
Merissa Aguilleira (capt & wk), Anisa Mohammed (vc), Shemaine Campbell (wk), Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Pearl Etienne, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Subrina Munroe, Juliana Nero, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt, Stafanie Taylor.

The ICC’s suspension of the three Pakistan players linked to the spot-fixing scandal is the first time cricket’s governing body has suspended cricketers under its anti-corruption code. The clause for provisional suspension was included in the code less than a year ago.

The Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel was updated and came into force on October 6, 2009 after unanimous approval from all ICC member nations. The updated code has also instituted an independent panel to investigate the matter, which cannot include the member country involved – in this instance, Pakistan.

On Thursday, the ICC took the unprecedented decision to suspend Pakistan’s captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who are at the centre of the allegations concerning the Lord’s Test. They announced the decision hours after the PCB said that the players had decided to “opt out” of the remainder of the series against England, and added that they had not been suspended by the board.

An ICC press release, however, said the three players had been charged with “various offences under Article 2″ of the code “relating to alleged irregular behavior during, and in relation to, the fourth Test”. ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat announced that the players would have 14 days to respond to the charges.

The players can contest their suspensions under the system of a provisional hearing. The burden will rest on the ACSU to establish a “strong, arguable case” for the charges made against the players, which in the circumstances could have “seriously undermined the integrity of the sport”.

Under Article 4.6 of the anti-corruption code, relating to provisional suspension, the three Pakistan players cannot play any cricket. They will also be prevented from participating or being involved in any “other kind of function, event or activity (other than authorised anti-corruption education or rehabilitation programmes) that is authorised, organised, sanctioned, recognised or supported in any way by the ICC, a national cricket federation or any member ofa national cricket federation”.

According to the code, a charge is laid and a suspension decided upon only after the ACSU’s general manager consults with the ICC’s chief executive and the head of the legal department.Any player ultimately found to be guilty of committing an offence under the code would be subject to the sanctions described in Article 6. In this case, the alleged offences, if proved, would involve the imposition of a ban. There is also a possibility, at the discretion of the independent tribunal, that a fine would be imposed in addition to a ban.

Ireland 261 and 124 for 4 (Botha 61, Osinde 2-20) need another 52 runs to beat Canada 120 and 316 (Bagai 90, Surkari 72, O’ Brien 5-39)
Scorecard

A fighting 121-run stand for the ninth wicket between Ashish Bagai and Khurram Chohan, a probing opening spell from Henry Osinde and a late run-out helped Canada dominate much of the third day in a game in which the advantage has swung from one side to the other. Set a tricky target of 176, Ireland were in control at 117 for 3 but Andre Botha’s dismissal for 61 brought Canada back into the game.

The day started with Canada 49 runs ahead and only Osinde to come, and Ireland would have hoped to chase a target below 100. But Bagai and Chohan had other ideas. The duo played patiently during the highest partnership of the match, adding 121 runs in 46.2 overs. Both scored 59 runs today and hit seven fours each.

Chohan was given out caught and bowled off Kevin O’Brien after making 59 off 177 deliveries. The innings ended a couple of overs later with Bagai mis-timing a pull off O’Brien to mid-on. He was unlucky to miss out on a hundred, scoring 90 off 157.

O’Brien finished with 5 for 39 in 17.5 overs, responding brilliantly after first-innings hero Trent Johnston was unable to take the field, having retired hurt on the second day after being hit by an Osinde bouncer.

Osinde troubled Ireland further, getting Rory McCann to edge behind in his first over and luring Paul Stirling into the bouncer trap in his fifth. Osinde’s figures at that moment read 5-2-13-2.

Botha counter-attacked, hitting nine fours in his 61 off 84 deliveries. Though Rizwan Cheema trapped O’Brien leg-before, Botha’s presence gave Ireland hope. However, with 59 runs still needed, Botha was run out off Cheema’s bowling. Rain intervened thereafter and no further play was possible. The game is evenly poised with Ireland requiring another 52 runs with six wickets intact.

LONDON: Pakistan High Commissioner to Britain Wajid S Hassan on Friday gave a new twist to the spot-fixing scandal involving the Pakistan cricket team, saying the three accused players were “innocent” and Indian bookmakers were involved in the whole murky episode.

“I found that all these three players were absolutely innocent. They were not involved, they have been taken for a ride and the agent ( Mazhar Majeed) was the culprit, in the sense that he was responsible for defrauding some Asian bookies,” Hassan said.

“The British press says Asian but if they were from Pakistan they (British media) would have called Pakistanis, which means some Indian bookies were involved in it. This Majeed allegedly defrauded these Indian bookies and so the newspaper investigated this sort of sting operation through their sources here,” he told a TV cannel.

Hassan’s statement came even as the International Cricket Council had charged the three players — Test captain Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — with corruption offences and provisionally suspended them from all forms of the game pending a decision on the charges.

Succumbing to all round pressure, Pakistan had on Thursday dropped the tainted trio from the ODI series against England scandal but strongly defended them and vowed full support.

Refusing to accept that the three players were dropped in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal, the Pakistan High Commissioner had said the trio had opted out.

“They are extremely disturbed with what has happened in the past one week. They have maintained that they are innocent and on account of the mental torture that has hugely affected them, they are not in the right frame of mind to play any further,” Hassan had said.

“Therefore, they have requested the Pakistan Cricket Board not to consider them for the rest of the matches until their names are cleared,” he added.

Hassan had also raised serious doubts on the authenticity of the News of the World’s expose, saying, “What is the reputation of those people who have brought us this story?”

In an interview on BBC television, Hassan had said, “We are not seeing on the video what the date is or what the time is.”

“Do you have answers to these questions? The video wasn’t timed or dated. It could have been filmed before or after the match, or at a different time.”

Josh Hazlewood, the 19-year-old fast bowler, is in a position to hope for an Ashes Test after being picked in Australia’s squad to face India next month. While Hazlewood and Peter George are the young, uncapped quicks in the unit, they are growing in status and will be ready to stand up if one of the main men breaks down over the next four months.

“I hadn’t thought too far ahead but definitely [I'm thinking about the Ashes] now I’m in the Test squad,” Hazlewood said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “Obviously there’s quicks coming back but if I get a chance I’ll put my name forward.”

Mitchell Johnson will lead the attack in the two Tests in India and the first-choice support will be Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus, who came back from a knee injury against Pakistan. Peter Siddle (back) and Ryan Harris (knee) are close to returning and could figure in the one-day series after the games in Mohali and Bangalore.

“A lot of the other quicks are getting on, so definitely Georgie and I are the younger group coming through with a couple of the other guys,” Hazlewood said. “You do get the sense it could be not too far away.”

Things have happened quickly for Hazlewood over the past two years and he is so fresh he has only played six first-class matches. It did not stop him from being picked on the limited-overs tour of the United Kingdom during the winter and he collected 1 for 41 on debut against England. He has never been to India but hopes he will be comfortable bowling on the unfriendly surfaces.

“I don’t think you know until you’re in that position but taking the new ball in Sheffield Shield cricket is just one step below,” he said. ”I had not too bad a season last year, playing five games, so there’s a lot of experience there. Hopefully if given a chance, I feel ready.”

The International Cricket Council has charged and provisionally suspended three Pakistan players with various offences under Article Two of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

The charges against Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer relate to alleged irregular behaviour during, and in relation to, the fourth npower Test between England and Pakistan at Lords.

The three players have been officially notified of the offences they are alleged to have committed and have been provisionally suspended pending a decision on those charges.

In the meantime, they are immediately barred from participating in all cricket and related activities until the case has been concluded.

The players have a right to contest this provisional suspension and a further opportunity to defend these charges at a full hearing before an independent anti-corruption tribunal, in accordance with Article Five of the code.

The players have 14 days from their receipt of the charge sheet to indicate their desire for a hearing.

Any player ultimately found to be guilty of committing an offence under the code would be subject to the sanctions described in Article Six of the code.

The alleged offences, if proved, would involve the imposition of a ban. There is also a possibility, at the discretion of the independent tribunal, that a fine would be imposed in addition to a ban.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: We will not tolerate corruption in cricket simple as that.

We must be decisive with such matters and if proven, these offences carry serious penalties up to a life ban.

The ICC will do everything possible to keep such conduct out of the game and we will stop at nothing to protect the sports integrity. While we believe the problem is not widespread, we must always be vigilant.

It is important, however, that we do not pre-judge the guilt of these three players. That is for the independent tribunal alone to decide.

Details of the date and location of the tribunal hearing, as well as its composition, will be finalised by the ICC in due course.