Kaneria hire lawyers for ECB inquiry

Karachi, April 9: previous Pakistan leg-spin bowler Danish Kaneria said on Monday he has hired a legal team for an English cricket board corrective hearing over a spot-fixing case that sent his former Essex team-mate to prison.

Mervyn Westfield was jailed for 4 months in February after admit that he customary money to under-perform during a Pro40 match between Essex and Durham in 2009.The 23-year-old seamer named Kaneria - arrested with him in 2010 but released with no charge - as the link among bookmakers and players.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said last week that Westfield and Kaneria would face a corrective hearing in May. Kaneria has hired 3 lawyers, 2 from the UK and one from Pakistan to stand for him before the England and Wales Cricket Board, said a report from the player's lawyer Farogh Naseem.Naseem said Kaneria, who took 276 international wickets in 61 Tests and 18 ODI match for Pakistan, denied the allegation.

Kaneria pleads not culpable to the charges. And also objects to any authorize being inflicted on him; the lawyer said.Kaneria's legal team has asked the ECB to delay the hearing waiting at least May 10 to give them time to study a 400-page proof bundle. In February, London's Old Bailey court was told Westfield was paid nearly $10,000 to bowl so that an exact number of runs would be chalked up in the 1st over of a match flanked by Durham and Essex in September 2009.

The 31-year-old Kaneria faces a life ban from the match if found culpable at the hearing, where a number of Essex players are predictable to give evidence. He has not played for Pakistan since the Nottingham Test against England in August 2010 - the same tour that saw the legendary spot-fixing episode in the Lord's Test, which led to then-captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer being jailed on bribery charges.

Smith surgery on his left ankle. He Wills miss the IPL-5

South Africa Test captain Graeme Smith will be forced to miss the coming 5th season of the Indian Premier League as he has to suffer surgery on his left ankle. Smith plays for Pune Warriors team

I'm very upset to be missing out on the IPL this year. I was look forward to my 2nd season IPL Pune Warriors, especially after my knees set me back last season, Smith was quoted as saying by media. Smith was unable to play the full season of IPL last year (2011) as well. He was able to play only 4 matches in IPL-4 as he injured his right knee after collide with his team-mate Rahul Sharma in a match against the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala; Smith afterward had to have surgery for that injury.

The decision to have the surgery was full after consulting with Cricket South Africa's ankle expert, who detected an impingement syndrome of the ankle, South Africa team manager Mohammad Moosajee said. The recovery period after such a surgery usually takes 8 to 10weeks, and he will afterward not be able to represent Pune Warriors at the 2012 edition of the IPL in India, Moosajee said in a CSA release. The surgery will be perform next Tuesday, which we will give Smith enough time to return to full condition in time for South Africa's tour of England in July. Smith said the ankle had been worrying him for a while, adding it will be a aid to have it repaired.

Smith recently led Mohammad Moosajee to a series win in New Zealand last month where he scored 282 runs with a highest score of 115 in the 3-Test series at an average of 56.40.Smith is on the verge of 2 career landmarks: he's set to play his 100th Test in the series-opener in England and is on route to match Australian Allan Border's record of 93 Tests as captain during the tour. He also needs only 6 match more wins to reach the world-record for most Test victory as captain.

Muralitharan look forward to his RCB period

Former Sri Lanka player and spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, he was retired from international cricket after his team lost the 2011 World Cup final to India.

In the last year, Muralitharan has played in special leagues around the world, and feels the experience will grasp him in good stead for the 5th season IPL he will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

I retired from international cricket; I played a little bit of cricket in the last IPL with Kochi. I then went back to Gloucestershire, played about 16 enT20 matches and travelled to New Zealand played 5 and then go to Bangladesh for the BPL but I could not play many because after I played 5 I got sick. I played a small bit of cricket but not as much as further international cricketers, Muralitharan, who has taken 1347 wickets in international cricket, told Times of India.

Muralitharan is also excited at the being there of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli in the RCB squad, but feels players will have to battle it out to feature in the franchise playing 11. We have 11 overseas players and prosperity of local players so it will be a large fight for the players to get an opportunity to play. Some players are lasting players and some are on and off, he said.

The Sri Lankan fable played for Chennai Super Kings in the 1st 3 edition of the IPL; and was buying by the now obsolete Kochi Tuskers Kerala for the 4th season of the cash-rich match, where he didn't have the most excellent of times.

Muralitharan also told congratulated Sachin Tendulkar on his first-time feat of scoring 100international centuries. And the recently-retired Rahul Dravid. Rahul is always been in the shade of Sachin. If you take his record it’s as good as Sachin's but you cannot contrast both as they are different kind of players. Rahul is a full cricketer. So I want to congratulate him and wish him all the best.

S A picks three novices to face India

Johannesburg: Three uncapped players were on Friday named in the SA squad to face India in a 1T20 international in Johannesburg on March 30. All-rounder Jacques Kallis is the only player at present in South Africa's Test squad in New Zealand who has been selected.

The match has been billed as a tribute to him.

Titan’s batsman Farhaan Behardien and Cape Cobras wicketkeeper Dane Vilas gained their 1st call-ups at international level, while FAF du Plessis, a usual member of the ODI international side, will be making his T20 international debut. The result to rest the Test players means that AB de Villiers, in his 1st season as South African ODI and T20 captain, will be omitted, in concert with Vice-captain Hashim Amla. Former captain Johan Botha will guide the side.

We are send-off all the players out who are concerned in the present Test match against New Zealand with the leaving out of Jacques Kallis, for whom there are particular situation, said assortment convener Andrew Hudson. They will arrive back home 2 days before the start of the match, having travelled middle across the world, and we don't think they will be in any situation to play an international game of cricket.

We still have a very strong squad for this important match, counting the size of the players who win the T20 international series in New Zealand.

South African squad: Johan Botha (caption), Farhaan Behardien, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Richard Levi, Albie Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Rusty Theron, Lowboy Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk (WK), Dane Vilas (WK)

Chamara Silva recall Test against England

March 20: Chamara Silva belted a superb century against England on Tuesday to chance a claim in Sri Lanka's line-up for the upcoming Test series next to the tourists.

The right-hander made 163 off 180 balls to lift Sri Lanka improvement XI to 376-5 by stumps on the opening day of the three-day tour match at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo.The 32-year-old Chamara Silva, who played the last of his 11 Tests in April, 2008, smashed 25 four and 1 six in a timely memento to the selectors ahead of next week's 2-Test series.

Silva and skipper Thilina Kandamby (64) put on 151 for the 3rd wicket after pace bowler Stuart Broad two took early wickets to reduce the hosts to 38-2 in the 9th over Broad, who missed the before practice match due to a sprained ankle, showed he was back to full form by removing openers Dilshan Munaweera and Malinda Warnapura in his 1st spell.

Broad finished with 3-55, but the other England bowlers toiled in repressive heat and humidity on a wicket that obtainable them little assistance. Off-spinner Graeme Swann's 21 wicket less over’s cost 102 runs, while left-arm spinner Samit Patel went for 1-83 in his 18 overs.Steven Finn claim 1-64 and fellow-seamer Tim Bresnan finished the day at 0-47.

The tourist had won the 1st practice match against the Cricket Board XI by an innings and 15 runs. The 1st Test opens in the southern coastal town of Galle on March 26, follow by the 2nd match at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo from April 3.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka Development XI 1st innings: 376-5 (Chamara Silva 163, Thilina Kandamby 64, Angelo Perera 61 not out, Stuart Broad 3-55, Steven Finn 1-64, Samit Patel 1-83).

Gayle meets to officials from the WICricket Board

The West Indies batsman Chris Gayle is to meet officials from the West Indies Cricket Board and CARICOM in St Vincent on Monday to talk about his future with the West Indies team. The Jamaica Gleaner has report that Gayle is likely to either present an apology or retract his comments made next to the board and the coach Otis Gibson in a radio meeting.

A meeting has been set for tomorrow morning (today) between Chris Gayle, the WICB and a few heads of government in a bid to arrive at a friendly solution that could result in Gayle returning to the team, Fritz Harris, the Jamaica Cricket Association secretary, was quoted as say in the paper.

As we are all aware, there have been hard work to have the matter resolved in recent weeks, include all the workings coming out of CARICOM etc, and I guess that this meeting is a sort of culmination of the efforts.

October last year, the WICB had said that Gayle could return to the West Indies team if he retracts his critical statement about the board. Gayle had at first said the board was playing mind games with him by not specify exactly what he needed to apology for. That meant the before now ancient impasse between Gayle and the board nonstop, with even the Jamaican prime minister becoming complicated by coming out in support of Gayle.

February this year(2012), the WICB chief executive Ernest Hillarie said he required Gayle to make his priority clear, saying that Gayle could not ask for unrestricted no-objection certificate to play domestic Twenty20 tournament around the world and all together make him available for West Indies selection Board.

Gayle last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, and has as taken part in Twenty20 league around the world, include the IPL, the Big Bash League in Australia and the BPL in Bangladesh. He has twisted out for Jamaica in the domestic one-day and four-day competitions. He was left out of the WICB's 30-man squad for a fitness and training camp in advance of the home series against Australia. Though, he was spotted in the stand during the second one-dayer against Australia on Sunday, in St Vincent.

Anderson, Panesar shine in tour starter

Colombo: James Anderson and Monty Panesar warmed up for England's 2-Test series against Sri Lanka with rich hauls in the tour opening in Colombo on Thursday.

Left-armer bowler Panesar claimed 5-37 and Anderson take 4-19 as England bowled out the Sri Lanka Board XI for 169 on the 1st day of the 3-day practice match at the Premadasa ground. The tourists were 6 for no loss off 7 balls before bad light ended play early. Skipper Andrew Strauss was on 6 and Alastair Cook had yet to score.

Anderson pick up the 1st four wickets before Panesar clean up the tail as the home team, led by Test wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayewardene, unsuccessful to settle in after elect to take 1st strike.Ashen Silva, a 21-year-old left-handed starter, was the batsman to defy the tourists, making 66 with 8 boundaries before he was 7th out at the stroke of tea.

Graeme Swann went wicket less in 18th over of off-spin in which he conceded 47 runs. England received a score before the start when pace bowler Stuart Broad, who was at first due to play, withdrawn from the match after spraining his left ankle during training. Broad, who was replace by Steven Finn, is predictable to be fit for the next 3-day game from March 20.

The first Test will be played in Galle from March 26 and the second at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo from April 3.