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India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to send its team to London to find evidence on the cricket telecast rights case and issues relating to match fixing. There are many cases pending relating to the alleged misappropriate handling of telecast rights during the 1996 World Cup jointly hosted by India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka, 1997 Indian Independence Cup and the 1998 ICC Knock-out tournament played in Bangladesh. There are cases pending against World Tel and Stracon India for their dishonest enhancement of the bids for the telecast rights of these two events. The chief of World Tel, Mark Mascarenhas, has been already questioned by the CBI in this regard.
After 15 years of toil, India has finally achieved a win outside the subcontinent when they beat Zimbabwe rather easily by eight wickets just after tea on the fourth day at Bulawayo. An unbeaten 84 by opener SS Das was the highlight of the chase that India went about in a systematic manner. Zimbabwe were earlier dismissed for 328 thus setting India 184 runs for a win.
Indian left arm pace bowler Ashish Nehra who was banned from bowling in the Zimbabwe second innings said he was disappointed with what happened. However he felt he has come out stronger from the experience and will be working hard on his action in the next few days, so as to be ready for the Harare Test beginning next Friday, on June 15. Meanwhile team manager Chetan Chauhan said he was very disappointed with the Nehra incident while adding he was India's main bowler during the Bulawayo Test and had bowled very well throughout the game. However Chauhan said he respected the umpire's decision. Meanwhile match referee South African Dennis Lindsay, clarified that no further action will be taken against Nehra, since the umpires have already taken sufficient action against the bowler, by not allowing him to bowl any further in the match. However he hoped that Nehra would make efforts to rectify his bowling action, specially his follow through, so that such incidents are avoided in the future.
A cool-headed Steve Waugh, the skipper of Australia, took his side to a final over victory against arch rivals England, in the third match of the NatWest triangular series in Bristol. England who had earlier made a commanding score of 268, bowled remarkably well to pin the Aussies down. However a six by all-rounder Ian Harvey in the penultimate over reduced the equation and Australia were left to get just five runs in the final over, which they did with ease. The English Cricket Board has issued a warning to fans that any one who runs on to the pitch at the end of the match and willfully tries to steal the stumps and bails or tries to damage the pitch will be caught and prosecuted. This is probably the first step the ECB has taken to try and curb the pitch invasions that are a part of English cricket tradition. This step was taken after the first match of the series between England and Pakistan at Birmingham had to be nearly called off because of the crowd invasions even before the match was completed.
The pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore will be re-laid, nearly 30 years after it was first made. The new pitch is likely to be a hard and firm wicket. Eleven strips will be made in all, with one in the center and five on either side. The entire procedure, under the supervision of G Kasturirangan, the chairman of the pitches committee of the BCCI, would take about 50 days and would cost around Rs.10 lakhs (US$ 21, 000). Pace bowlers Rakesh Patel from Baroda and Mumbai's Swapnil Hazare have joined the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. Patel who was among the probables training prior to the Zimbabwe tour was out of action for a while due to an injury, while Hazare was in the midst of his college exams. Meanwhile, an inter-zonal Academy tournament will be held this month end. India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to send its team to London to find evidence on the cricket telecast rights case and issues relating to match fixing. There are many cases pending relating to the alleged misappropriate handling of telecast rights during the 1996 World Cup jointly hosted by India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka, 1997 Indian Independence Cup and the 1998 ICC Knock-out tournament played in Bangladesh. There are cases pending against World Tel and Stracon India for their dishonest enhancement of the bids for the telecast rights of these two events. The chief of World Tel, Mark Mascarenhas, has been already questioned by the CBI in this regard. After their earlier petition was refused in ad-interim order, the Mumbai based company Gayatri Arts has now filed an another appeal with the Mumbai High Court against the decision of the BCCI to award the sponsorship rights to the TWI-IMG combine. The company had claimed that they had made the highest bid and the awarding of rights to TWI-IMG was improper. Sham Dhumatkar of Gayatri Arts had produced a letter from the BCCI on May 3 offering them the contract. The BCCI however claimed that its letter to Gayatri Arts was just for seeking certain clarifications regarding their bid. The interim committee that has been set up in Sri Lanka to run the affairs of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has hired former South African batsman Barry Richards and former Australian leg-spinner Peter Philpott to coach the Sri Lankan batsmen and spinners. Present coach Dave Whatmore will however remain overall in-charge. The meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will be held in London on June 20, which will be chaired by the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Lt Gen Tauqir Zia. During the meet he will have another round of talks with the BCCI president AC Muthiah regarding India's tour to Pakistan for the Asian Test Championships and the Asia Cup. A double wicket cricket tournament will be held next month at an unlikely venue - Lincoln Park, New Jersey, USA. The tournament sponsored by Zee TV will feature Indians Sunil Joshi, Robin Singh, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Vinod Kambli, besides players from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The competition is being organised by Sports World Inc. The tournament will be televised live.
SCORES AT A GLANCE
India in Zimbabwe (1st Test)
Australia vs England Played at Royal & Sun Alliance County Ground, Bristol Toss: England England: 268-4 in 50 overs (M Trescothik 69, NV Knight 84, B Hollioake 37 not out, B Lee 2-55) Australia: 272-5 in 49.3 overs (M Waugh 46, R Ponting 102, D Martyn 46; D Gough 2-44) Result: Australia won by 5 wickets. Man of the match:RT Ponting (Aus)
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Compiled by: Mohandas Menon
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