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Shivnarine Chanderpaul has claimed the West Indies selectors asked him to quit at the conclusion of the World Cup and that he was dropped from the West Indies team when he refused to comply. Chanderpaul’s allegation forms part of a letter he’s written to WICB chief Ernest Hilaire – the second such communication over the past few days – in which he’s sought explanations for various issues that are at the centre of the current controversy in West Indian cricket.The controversy was kicked off by comments made by Hilaire on April 25. Two days later, Chanderpaul reacted to that with a letter addressed to Hilaire seeking a few clarifications. Hilaire responded on April 29, stating that his comments on cricketers did not name individual players and were based on reports and public comments made by previous coaches.Hilaire also stated that Chanderpaul “has been and remains a valued member of the West Indies first team squad”.It was in response to that April 29 letter, that Chanderpaul has once again questioned why he was then dropped for the series against Pakistan. “As far as you are concerned I was dropped from the team not for lack of performance, age, fitness and/or discipline but it is the new direction WICB is going in. What direction is that, when three of the four best batsmen are dropped from the team?”In that letter, also dated April 29, Chanderpaul also expressed his displeasure with Hilaire’s statement that he was acting on the “ill advice” of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA). Hilaire said, “The WICB has informed Chanderpaul that he has been and remains a valued member of the West Indies first team squad and looks forward to his continued involvement with West Indies cricket,” Hilaire wrote. “The WICB expresses disappointment that WIPA appears to be intent using every opportunity to cause disaffection in West Indies cricket and is not averse to offering ill advice to players to achieve this end.”Chanderpaul’s retort was acerbic: “I may not be Dr Chanderpaul, but I have been a top-ranked international batsman and we have to be able to think critically under the most intense and stressful situations.”It is therefore distressing that you blame WIPA by implication, if not overtly, for my letter saying that WIPA was offering me “ill advice”. You may not be aware but I have faced the best bowlers in the world in my career and I know how to counter-attack. Furthermore, I am my own man and would ask that you respect that!”In this latest letter, Chanderpaul also raised several other issues that include claims of faulty injury management by the WICB.- “The treatment towards me after the last Australian tour where, after diving for a ball, I got injured and my treatment from the WICB physio was ineffective. I had to look after myself on my return home, including paying for all my medical expenses. The WI team physio advised that what I required was rest when in fact the doctors decided that I needed to have a cast because of the seriousness of the injury.- “That the WICB selectors asked me to retire and were upset when I refused to do so;- “That one of the selectors further told me that I would need to go to Regional Cricket and do exceptionally well and then they might consider me for future selection, despite me having the 3rd best average in the recently concluded World Cup for the WI cricket team, of anyone with more than two innings;- “That the Coach said that I did not do anything for the team in the last 12 months and hence the reason for me being dropped.”

Ricky Ponting’s team-mates have leapt to his defence amid reports he could be stripped of the captaincy ahead of next month’s one-day series in Bangladesh. The on Tuesday claimed that Cricket Australia would discuss Ponting’s future as leader of the side, even if the selectors named him captain for the Bangladesh series.The paper quoted an unnamed Cricket Australia official as saying that the time was approaching to look to the future, and that “we’re waiting for the next thing to blow up”. Over the past month, Ponting has created headlines for damaging a TV set in the dressing room, showing his anger at Steven Smith when they collided while going for a catch and for not walking when he got a thick edge to the wicketkeeper against Pakistan.Perhaps more importantly, Ponting has also been struggling for runs and Australia need him to fire during their quarter-final against India in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Michael Hussey said the team was right behind the captain, and that Ponting had not been any different in his approach over the past few weeks.”Ricky’s got our 100% support,” Hussey said. “He’s such a class player. It’s amazing, it seems like he’s been copping criticism over very minor things. Things have been blown way out of proportion from our point of view.”I’ve been watching Ricky in the nets and the way he has been preparing. It’s just amazing sometimes how champions just rise to the occasion at the right time. Against India on Thursday in the World Cup is one of those times where I think we’ll see the best of Ricky Ponting.”Ponting is searching for his fourth World Cup title and although he has signalled his intentions to play on in the limited-overs format, at 36 his long-term future in the one-day game must be in doubt. Mitchell Johnson said Ponting had retained his focus ahead of the India clash, in which a loss would mean the end of Australia’s 12-year hold on the World Cup.”He’s a very important player in this tournament. He’s been in a few World Cups now, so to have his experience is vital for us and he’s a guy we all look up to,” Johnson said. “He’s copped a fair bit [of criticism] lately and he’s dealing with it in his own way.”He has got the experience needed to be able to deal with it. I don’t think he’s thinking about it too much, he’s just worried about this next game. The guys are there to support him, everyone needs support at times and he is getting it from everyone. He is a tough character but he enjoys that support.”Ponting hasn’t made an international hundred in 13 months, and his best score at this World Cup has been 36 – against Kenya in Bangalore last week. He has given no signal that he intends to retire in the near future, and last week said that he would be playing in the Bangladesh series, which begins on April 9.

Brett Dorey, the fast bowler who played four one-day internationals for Australia back in 2006, has announced his retirement. Dorey, 33, has been one of the senior members of the Western Australia attack in the past few seasons but a new generation of bowlers, including Ryan Duffield and Nathan Coulter-Nile, are being groomed under the coach Mickey Arthur.Dorey is the second Warriors seamer to give the game away this summer, after Ashley Noffke retired early in the season. He leaves the game having taken 163 first-class wickets at 26.16 from 44 outings, but this season he has played only four of a possible nine Sheffield Shield matches, for 12 wickets at 30.91.”The writing has been on the wall for a while now,” Dorey told reporters in Perth. “I’m pretty happy with my career. If you had said that I would play seven seasons of first-class cricket and play for Australia, I would not have believed it.”Dorey won his surprise call-up to the Australia ODI side in the 2005-06 summer, but in his four appearances he managed only two wickets at an average of 73. It was a rapid rise for Dorey, who had worked as a bodyguard for a Russian millionaire in London before really making his mark on the Perth cricket scene.Although injuries have kept Dorey out of action at times over the past couple of years, including an Achilles tendon problem and an ankle issue that he sustained this year, he said that had not played any part in his decision.”It wasn’t any injuries, my body’s feeling pretty good,” he said. “But the way we’re going as a young group, for me it just felt right. If I play another year it felt like it might be hindering a young guy to go forward. I don’t really need to achieve anything else. The fact I haven’t won anything [titles] is the only thing I really regret.”The Western Australia captain Marcus North said: “Brett has always led by example on and off the field with his professionalism and outlook on the game. He is one of the characters in our dressing room and his presence will be greatly missed, and I hope the players that follow him benefit from the example that he set.”

England and Australia will play each other in ten consecutive Tests across two series home and away in 2013-14, and that could be followed by a further five-match series in 2015, after it was confirmed that the dates of the next Ashes series Down Under have been brought forward by a year.The situation, which last occurred in 1974-75, has been forced upon the two boards by the competing demands of the 2015 World Cup, which is also scheduled to be held in Australia and which, had the 2014-15 Ashes gone ahead as planned, would have required England’s cricketers to remain in the country for five months.A proposal to bring England’s next home series, in 2013, forward by a year was thwarted by the competing demands of the London Olympics. England’s subsequent home Ashes summer is now expected to take place in 2015, a year earlier than the 2016 date originally proposed, with the traditional four-year home-and-away rotation expected to kick in from then on.”It’s always been our aim to break that cycle of two huge events in the same winter,” Steve Elworthy, the ECB’s marketing director, told ESPNcricinfo. “To ensure that the teams have better preparation time for the World Cup, this is the only solution, but I also think it’s absolutely manageable. I believe the brand is strong enough, as we’ve seen this year. The home series is critical from our perspective to make sure our grounds are full, but when England head Down Under, they will be trying to replicate the performance that they’ve just produced.”Although the new dates have yet to be included into the Future Tours Programme, the proposed shift of England’s home series to 2015 is potentially significant, as it takes the series away from the competing interests of football’s Euro 2016 tournament, which would overshadow the build-up in June and July. Instead, the only other major sporting event in 2015 is the Rugby World Cup, set to take place in England at the end of the cricket season in October.A major consideration for CA was the prospect of a new round of TV rights negotiations, as the current deal is set to expire in May 2013. With India due to tour in 2011-12, followed by South Africa, England and the World Cup, the board is anticipating four consecutive seasons of high-quality international cricket.”The Ashes have an x-factor element that excites the Australian public,” CA’s spokesman Peter Young told The Sydney Morning Herald. “The Ashes make turnstiles spin and they drive the ratings up. In terms of the next media contract, it’s an ideal starting point because it’s a lucrative blue chip series and all the networks would give their eye teeth to get hold of it.”

Sanjay Manjrekar: “He has got it finally! and judging from his reaction..meant a lot to him…the 50th test ton..this is one record that is there to stay.”
Harsha Bhogle: “All great players redefine their profession.50 Test hundreds was considered unthinkable. Sachin has done it.”Yuvraj Singh: “Greatest achievement by a bats man ever! His name is sachinnnnnnn tendulkarrrrrrrrrr!! Wooohooooooooo.”Iain O’Brien: “Congrats you little massive legend!”

Pakistan’s domestic players who are currently representing city cricket associations in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy have asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to resume the regional central contracts system, in order to ensure their livelihood through the off season.This year’s QEA Trophy features 22 teams – 9 departmental and 13 regional – divided into two leagues. During former PCB chairman Nasim Ahsraf’s reign, players in the regional sides were given central contracts, a practice that has been done away with in recent years, along with a reduction in the match fees.”The top players from the associations leave their regional sides in order to play for departments so how can you expect the regions to maintain their level of performances every year?” asked a president of one of the leading associations. “The standard of associations can only be gauged if there are different leagues for associations and departments. You cannot expect a region to defeat departmental sides in every match. There is a big difference of quality.”The earlier contracts system had three categories, with the top level getting Rs 20,000 ($ 233) per month, and the next grades earning Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. The monetary motivation, according to Karachi Blues player Tabish Nawab, encouraged players to pursue cricket in Pakistan instead of looking for more lucrative options abroad.”There has been a trend in Pakistan that most of our cricketers aim to play just five matches anyhow, in order to be eligible to play in Britain,” Nawab told the News. “Subconsciously, they neglect the main priority of performing well to represent the country. The feeling of nationalism dies once money becomes the first priority.”While the players are abroad they have to do job five days a week, and the remaining two days they have to play for their respective clubs. Thus their fitness level does not remain the same and players get injured. Cricket has become a profession and the board needs to understand that there is a dire need to invest in the game for domestic players as well. In today’s world money has become a necessity. In such lowly pay structure, you cannot expect that a player can have top quality cricket gear, a healthy diet to maintain his fitness at the same time. We need to end the financial uncertainty surrounding our players so that they only think about cricket which will eventually help Pakistan.”

The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) will not be a part of India’s upcoming Test tour of South Africa.Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa confirmed the news to ESPNcricinfo saying, “[We] will definitely not be using it.”Majola who was in Dubai for the ICC Chief Executives Conference did not explain what had led to the decision but a CSA official said the main reason was, “India are not keen to use it”.Corrie van Zyl, the South Africa coach, said his team had been expecting this development, given India’s stance on the issue. South Africa have used the UDRS in other home series, most recently against England in 2009-10. “We are not going to use it and thats the end of it,” he said. “I like UDRS and it does eradicate a lot of decisions that are wrong, which can only be good for the game.”I’m not disappointed, I almost knew it was not going to happen in any case, so it’s not a major disappointment, and it will still be a very good series without it.”Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, had said in October that the UDRS needed to be implemented consistently and that technology was the way forward in cricket. “I think if the UDRS is going to be successful it needs to be implemented properly by the ICC and not on a 50-50 basis like we have seen so far,” he had said. “It must be used all of the time and not for selective series’ like we see now.”Smith’s team-mate AB de Villiers has also come out in support of the UDRS. “I’d love to see the referral system used,” he said. “It’s necessary to get some of the really poor decisions out of the game. It frustrates everyone. I’ve spoken to some umpires, who also back the system and really want it in place. It’s something that we all have to get used to, and it’s taken us a while to get used to it. I’d like to see it being used in all cricket.”India have played a series in which the UDRS was used only once – in Sri Lanka in 2008. They struggled with their referrals on that tour, getting only one review right, while Sri Lanka successfully challenged 11 decisions. Since then the UDRS has been used in Australia, South Africa, England, New Zealand and West Indies and has found favour with several captains and players. The Indians and the BCCI, however, are firmly opposed to the system, even though the ICC have approved its use in principle during the 2011 World Cup.MS Dhoni, the India captain, reiterated his reluctance to accept the system during the recent home series against New Zealand, calling for the standard of on-field umpiring to be improved instead.

The PCB has barred Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir from using the National Cricket Academy in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium for training. A board spokesman told ESPNcricinfo that the trio had been sent letters notifying them they can’t use the facilities until the resolution of the spot-fixing scandal, for which the three were provisionally suspended by the ICC.Amir and Asif are not believed to have used the facilities, though former captain Butt had done so. He spoke to reporters last week from the NCA which is situated next to the Gaddafi Stadium. Though the ICC has not commented, local reports indicated that the PCB had sent the letters over the weekend after the ICC took notice of the comments Butt had made and that he was using the facility.Last week, the ICC clamped down hard on Pakistan, asking the board to put its house in order, especially with regards to implementing domestic anti-corruption measures. Pakistan had 30 days to conduct a thorough and far-reaching review of their player integrity issues and report back to the ICC’s task force. Apart from showing that it has introduced a domestic anti-corruption code, in line with the ICC’s own code, the PCB also has to implement an education programme for players and a process to deter and detect corrupt elements within the game, among other measures.Asif, Amir and Butt have lodged appeals against the ICC’s suspension and the hearings will take place in Qatar on October 30 and 31.

Barsby’s reward

Trevor Barsby will be in charge of Queensland until at least 2011-12 after gaining a contract extension. Barsby replaced Terry Oliver in 2008 and since then his simple philosophy has guided the side to two Sheffield Shield finals and a one-day trophy.
“From my own experience as a player, when things were made complicated all it did was confuse me,” Barsby said. “When dealing with a group of players and support staff, you’ve just to keep it as simple as possible.”

The day before the new domestic split-innings tournament is due to start and Queensland’s players are still waiting for their uniforms. Out on the Gabba turf there are no sponsors’ logos and the competition stumps haven’t arrived for Wednesday’s day-nighter between Queensland and Tasmania. On the eve of the revolution of the cumbersomely named National One-Day Cup, the local officials admit to holding their collective breath.And that’s before the major issues of how the players and spectators react to the 45-over format, which will be contested over two innings of 20 overs before concluding with two 25-over segments. The change of structure has been designed by Cricket Australia to reinvigorate one-day cricket, with the hope of it being adopted internationally.First it has to be embraced by the mostly sceptical players, who have grown to understand the need to perform whether they like the idea or not. Privately some are scathing, yet publicly they are more pragmatic. When the Twenty20 Big Bash began in 2005-06 there was general enthusiasm, especially from the young players, but this time the mood is one of confusion.Chris Hartley, Queensland’s wicketkeeper, said he has an open mind about the event. “The fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter what they’re playing, there are 22 guys out there and the competitive juices will start flowing and everyone will be going at it hard,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The biggest thing that has led to the confusion was not having played the format. A lot of players didn’t see how the change of structure would increase interest in the game, but we’re yet to play it at a full-scale level.”The Bulls have a difficult start running into Tasmania, who are well known for trialling unorthodox methods, including opening the bowling with their spinner Xavier Doherty. “They’re a good team when it comes down to these tactics, and are led by George Bailey,” Hartley said. “But in the first couple of games it will be really worrying about what we do. And we’ll have to learn pretty quickly.”Hartley would like to think Chris Simpson, who stood down as captain last month, is Queensland’s version of Doherty after an off-season spent tinkering with his off-spin. “He’s an excellent slow bowler in the shorter versions of the game,” Hartley said. “From behind the stumps, I think he’s bowling better than he has ever.”How the local players look is still to be determined. Queensland’s uniforms are due to arrive on the morning of the game and their 2009-10 kit is on standby.Queensland James Hopes (capt), Ryan Broad, Lee Carseldine, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Chris Hartley (wk), Chris Lynn, Craig Philipson, Nathan Reardon, Nathan Rimmington, Chris Simpson, Chris Swan.Tasmania George Bailey (capt), Travis Birt, Luke Butterworth, Mark Cosgrove, Ed Cowan, Xavier Doherty, Alex Doolan, Brendan Drew, James Faulkner, Brett Geeves, Jason Krejza, Rhett Lockyear, Jonathan Wells.

Scorecard
Harry Gurney claimed career-best figures of 5 for 24 as the Leicestershire Foxes closed their Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign with a 14-run victory over Hampshire Hawks at Grace Road – their first win at home in the competition since the opening match of the season.James Benning and Jacques Du Toit laid foundations for the Foxes’ win by posting a season’s best opening stand of 114 as Leicestershire totalled a challenging 241 for 3. Both batsmen hit half-centuries and despite an excellent innings of 62 from James Vince, Hampshire’s victory hopes were shattered by 23-year-old left-arm seamer Gurney, who took four wickets for three runs in nine balls as the Hawks slumped to 227 for nine.Hampshire’s cause was not helped either when seam bowler Chris Wood limped off injured after being struck on the foot by a hard-hit straight drive by Benning in his third over. With no Dominic Cork in the side, it left Hampshire’s attack short on firepower and the Foxes batsmen cashed in.They were given the perfect start as Benning reached his half-century off 50 balls while Du Toit went to 50 off 69 balls. The two of them picked up plenty of boundaries, with a straight six by Benning off Liam Dawson bringing up the hundred in the 18th over.But Benning was brilliantly stumped by Michael Bates having made 62 off 58 balls, with six fours and a six, out of the opening partnership of 114 in 20 overs. Du Toit top-scored with 84 off 109 balls before skying a catch to the long-on boundary off the bowling of Benny Howell and Hampshire’s only other success was James Taylor, who was caught off Sean Ervine for 34.Josh Cobb hit a brisk 43 off 27 balls to boost Leicestershire’s total and it was then left to the home attack to take centre stage. Gurney was the star, claiming the wicket of opener Phil Hughes with a superb delivery in his first over and then clinching victory for the Foxes with a sensational nine-ball spell that brought him the four wickets at the end of the innings.Vince top-scored with 62 before being brilliantly stumped by Tom New off Matthew Hoggard but from 202 for four, the Hawks slumped to 227 for 9 in the final five overs.