Hughes’ death to be reviewed
Melbourne: Cricket Australia will commission an independent review into the death of batsman Phillip Hughes in an attempt to prevent such on-field accidents from occurring in the future. Hughes died on November 27, two days after being struck in the neck by a ball from a short-pitched delivery in a Sheffield Shield first-class match. “When this tragedy happened, I said that it was a freak accident, but it was one freak accident too many,” Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said on Thursday. “Never again do we want to see something like that happen on a cricket field. We have a deep responsibility and obligation to look into the events of that awful day.” Sutherland said the review, to be conducted by lawyer David Curtain, will not attempt to blame anyone for the fatal accident. Sutherland said he expected the review would be completed by the end of the year.
Aussies relish England chaos
Sydney: Australian cricketers are in shock over Kevin Pietersen’s banishment from the international game and delighted they won’t have to face him in this year’s Ashes series. Pietersen has been told by new director of cricket Andrew Strauss that he was “not part of our plans for the summer”, despite smashing a triple century for Surrey. Strauss cited a “massive trust issue” between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the controversial batsman. Australian players are bemused by the saga, while relishing the ongoing drama distracting their arch-enemy ahead of the Ashes, beginning in July. “I know that Strauss and him probably don’t get on, (but) I’m not going to believe it until we get over there and they pick their squad,” paceman Ryan Harris told Cricket Australia’s website on Thursday. Harris’s fellow quick Peter Siddle was also rejoicing at his absence from the coming series. “You can’t find someone to replace him,” Siddle said. “I think those players are once in a lifetime, with their confidence and aggression. A bloke that averages 50 in Test cricket I’m happy enough to have out of the side.”
Zim abandon, then rethink Tour
Harare: Zimbabwe cricket authorities on Thursday abandoned a planned tour to Pakistan citing poor security — before retracting their decision within 20 minutes and saying discussions were still ongoing. Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) released an official statement saying the tour would not go ahead following recent militant violence that has revived fears after a deadly attack on the Sri lankan team bus in 2009. But the ZC spokesman lovemore Banda then issued a rapid apology, saying the abandonment was not confirmed. “The executive and the board are in a meeting right now and we are waiting for their decision,” Banda said. The tour would be the first by a Test-playing nation since militants attacked the Sri lankan bus in lahore.
BCCI thinking of new Test venues
Chandigarh: Admitting that drawing spectators to the ground to watch Test matches now-a-days has become a “great challenge”, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur on Thursday said the Cricket Board was open to the idea of hosting five-day games in smaller centres in future. Thakur said the BCCI was taking steps to promote Test cricket, including taking the traditional format of the game to the country’s second tier cities. “I think we need to think about whether to take Test matches to smaller centres. We need to have a good mix of big and small centres,” he said.