Dawood in Karachi and you expect us to play cricket: Thakur
new delhi: BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur on Saturday made it clear that there will be no cricketing ties with Pakistan until they stop giving shelter to mafia Don Dawood Ibrahim and not make attempts to indulge in dialogue with separatist leaders. “Dawood in Karachi. NSA wants to meet separatists here. Are you really serious about peace and you expect we’ll play cricket with youIJ” Thakur said in a twitter message. The BCCI was scheduled to have a series with Pakistan in UAE in December but Thakur has made it clear that no cricketing ties will resume until cross border terrorism stops
Aussie ‘Invincible’ Morris dies
sydney: Former Australian opener Arthur Morris, a member of Don Bradman’s 1948 ‘Invincibles’ team, has died aged 93, Cricket Australia said on Saturday. The death of Morris, who had been the country’s oldest living former Test player, meant “a cherished link with our past” had been lost, said the governing body’s chairman Wally Edwards.
“Arthur Morris was a great man and one of the true greats of Australian cricket who until now had been a treasured connection to an extraordinary era of the game,” Edwards said.
“When Australia’s best openers are discussed his name will always be one of the first mentioned.” Edwards said Morris was an “elegant, complete batsman” and noted he ended up being the most successful run-scorer during the 1948 series in England. The left-hander amassed 696 runs during that campaign — including a 182 and a 196. Born in Sydney’s Bondi suburb in 1922, Morris made his Test debut against England during their tour of Australia in 1946-47 when he overcame a slow start to make three consecutive centuries. At his retirement, aged 34, the occasional Test captain had scored 3,533 runs at 46.48 in 46 Tests, with a highest score of 206 against England in Adelaide in 1951.
ECB open to Olympic cricket, says chief executive
london: English cricket chiefs are no longer implacably hostile to the idea of Twenty20 featuring in a future Olympic Games, one of the country’s top administrators said. England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison’s comments came on the same day as a protest outside The Oval ahead of the start of the fifth Ashes Test slammed global cricket bosses for, among other things, turning their back on the Olympics. But cricket officials have so turned their back on Olympic involvement, with England often seen as the major stumbling block given the Games traditionally cut across their own season. “At a time when every other sport wants to expand, the ICC (International Cricket Council) is actually shrinking the Cricket World Cup and doesn’t want to participate in the Olympics,” said Oval protest organiser Sam Collins of the #changecricket campaign. But Harrison insisted the ECB were open to Olympic cricket.
Justice Qayyum in favour of giving chance to tainted trio
karachi: The judge who headed the biggest cricket corruption judicial inquiry in Pakistan has backed the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer to be given a second chance. Justice (Retd) Malik Qayyum said from lahore that since the three players had been punished for their spot- fixing crime and the ICC had also cleared them to play domestic or international cricket they deserved a second chance. “I know there is a strong opinion that to set the right example against corruption in cricket the Pakistan cricket Board should never select these three in the national side again,” Qayyum said.
Kumar’s double ton puts Mumbai on top
chennai: Opening batsman Surya Kumar Yadav struck a belligerent double ton to help Mumbai CA Colts post 457 for five against Assam in Round 3 of the of the Buchi Babu Cricket Invitation tournament here on Saturday. Hitting a 209-ball 243, laced with 18 fours and 14 sixes, Surya Kumar flattened the Assam bowling in the stipulated 90 overs. He put on 259 runs for the third wicket in 56.2 overs with Mangela (91) and then added another 127 runs with Nikhil Patel (56) for the fourth-wicket in only 18.2 overs. In another match, opener D Nishal made a strokeful 144 to help Karnataka post 398 for six against Baroda.