Mumbai: Police said on Friday that they were investigating all the angles in the Indian spot-fixing scandal but refused to confirm if they were targeting top Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf. Rauf was withdrawn from next month's Champions Trophy in England amid media reports that he is under police investigation for spot-fixing, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Thursday.
Mumbai Police would not confirm whether the umpire was being investigated as part of the probe which has led to the arrests of three Indian cricketers, including Test player Sreesanth, and 11 bookmakers.
A police official said "we are investigating all the angles", adding that Rauf "has not been called in for interrogation". The ICC said the decision to withdraw Rauf was made after media reports on Wednesday "that the Mumbai police are conducting an investigation" into the umpire's activities.
"We feel that it is in Asad's best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the Champions Trophy," the ICC said in a statement. "At this stage, the ICC has no further comment to make."...
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10:29 AM, May 25, 2013
Cape Town: Understanding the fragility of the world's top players and the human element of the game have been the cornerstone of Gary Kirsten's approach to coaching international cricket teams. The 45-year-old heads off on his last assignment with South Africa on Saturday to the Champions Trophy in England after deciding to quit the post to spend more time with his young family. It will leave the world's top-ranked test...
08:56 PM, May 24, 2013
Karachi: Pakistan cricket head coach Dav Whatmore does not believe that the Test drubbing his team got in South Africa early this year will impact their performance in next month's ICC Champions Trophy in UK. Pakistan were whitewashed in the three-match series with no Test going into the fifth day and since Whatmore took over as coach in March last year, the team has not been able to win any...
10:02 PM, May 23, 2013
New Delhi: In a fresh twist to the ongoing IPL spot-fixing scandal, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday withdrew Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf from officiating in the Champions Trophy in England next month. Explaining the decision, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: "In the wake of reports that the Mumbai Police are conducting an investigation into Asad Rauf's activities, we feel that it is in Asad's best interests as...
06:31 PM, May 23, 2013
Colombo: Sri Lanka medium pacer Chanaka Welegedara has been ruled out of the team's Champions Trophy campaign in England next month. The 32-year-old Welegedara, who has not played ODI cricket in three years, injured his foot during a domestic fixture earlier this month. He will be replaced by allrounder Dilhara Lokuhettige, who played his last one day international way back in 2005. Lokuhettige, however, has been in fine form with...
04:53 PM, May 22, 2013
Karachi: Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez is all geared up for the upcoming Champions Trophy clash against India, and said any encounter between the traditional rivals on the cricketing field is "always very special". Hafeez told Pakistani reporters in Ireland, where the team is preparing for a One-Day series against the hosts, that the players were eagerly awaiting the match against India as it would also determine their chances of qualifying...
10:58 AM, May 21, 2013
Bridgetown: The West Indies will kick off preparations for next month's Champions Trophy in England when they embark on a five-day camp at the High Performance Centre (HPC) at the 3Ws Oval starting here on Monday. The sessions will be overseen by West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson with assistant coach Tony Radford and the HPC's Andre Coley, also involved in the squad's preparation. The players are expected to begin...
01:15 PM, May 20, 2013
New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is unlikely to probe the election of former India legspinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan as the players' representative on the ICC Cricket Committee, sources told CNN-IBN on Thursday. Siva, as he is popularly known as an expert commentator, last week replaced Australia's Tim May on the committee in a voting process that involved votes of the 10 Test captains; however, May raised doubts over the...
02:17 PM, May 15, 2013
Mumbai: India might have left out seasoned campaigners Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir from their ICC Champions Trophy squad, but South African speedster Dale Steyn feels even without the trio, skipper Mahendera Singh Dhoni has a strong side at his disposal. "India have got a great side. If you look at the IPL, the highest run getters, the highest wicket takers are all Indian players and all of...
12:59 PM, May 15, 2013
Karachi: Pakistan's former captain, Shoaib Malik and the vigilance officer Major (retd) Asghar could not leave with the national team for Ireland early Tuesday morning due to visa problems. While the rest of the squad departed as per schedule from Lahore airport, Malik and Asghar were left behind and will now join the team in a couple of days in Ireland or Scotland. Sources in the board said that both...
11:23 PM, May 14, 2013
Karachi: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq feels missing the IPL could be a blessing in disguise for his team's players as they would enter the upcoming Champions Trophy relatively fresh compared to those who are participating in the T20 league. "The IPL is a long event and the travelling can be taxing for players. We go to England fresh after a short break. The good thing is that we play one-day matches...
10:37 AM, May 14, 2013
Lahore: Pakistan's squad fly to Britain early on Tuesday, seeking to win next month's Champions Trophy and avoid any repetition of the scandal that marred their last British tour in 2010. The spot-fixing scandal, disclosed by the now defunct News of the World, was related to the deliberate bowling of no-balls in return for money during the Lord's Test against England. It resulted in bans on then-captain Salman Butt, Mohammad...
09:03 AM, May 14, 2013
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09:57 PM, May 13, 2013
FICA chief executive Tim May told CNN-IBN that there are enough evidence to proof that captains have been influenced and not allowed to vote according to their choice. ...
12:07 PM, May 13, 2013
Dubai: The ICC has announced the schedule of warm-up matches to be played in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, to be staged at Cardiff Wales Stadium, Edgbaston and The Oval from June 6 to 23. The warm-up matches will be played from May 30 to June 4 at the three tournament venues. In line with previous ICC events, none of these matches will carry official ODI status. On May...
11:35 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: To force their way back into the national side, the axed trio of Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag should keep the fighting spirit alive and get back through good performances in domestic cricket, former captain and chairman of selector Kris Srikkanth on Thursday. Srikkanth said not losing self belief was key to any struggling player looking for a comeback. "They are young players with lot of...
06:07 PM, May 09, 2013
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02:37 PM, May 09, 2013
Johannesburg: A recurring ankle injury could rule star South Africa batsman Graeme Smith out of June's Champions Trophy, a national squad official admitted on Wednesday. He confirmed that Smith is expected to return home this week from English county cricket duties at Surrey and an operation may sideline him for several months. Losing Smith for the one-day international championship in England and Wales would be a massive blow for perennial...
08:45 AM, May 09, 2013
Dubai: South Africa will have to make a strong start against India in their opening match of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy if they want to lay hands on a piece of ICC silverware, a feat the country has not achieved since 1998, South Africa captain AB de Villiers said. De Villiers feels that the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy is a golden opportunity for South Africa to shed their tag...
06:42 PM, May 08, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes his team is mentally stronger after defeats in South Africa and ready for next month's Champions Trophy in England. South Africa swept Pakistan 3-0 in the Test series but Misbah's team proved tougher opposition in the one-day series before losing it 3-2. Misbah says his players benefited from "playing tough cricket in tough South African conditions as you mentally get more focused" for difficult conditions....
05:30 PM, May 08, 2013
