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September 16, 2002
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News Roll
  ICC Champions Trophy
Pakistan's eight-wicket Champions Trophy defeat to hosts Sri Lanka is being investigated by the sport's anti-corruption unit, reports suggest.

According to the Times of India newspaper, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has requested TV tapes of the game, which was played last Thursday.

ICC spokesman Mark Harrison declined to comment on the matter, but TV commentator Tony Greig confirmed the tapes had already been handed over.

"Yes, the tapes were given a few days back," said Greig. "I don't know why the ICC is not willing to confirm that."

The newspaper reports that the run out of Yousuf Youhana for zero early in the innings is of particular interest to the anti-corruption unit (ACU).

The body, which has four officials supervising the tournament, is expected to review the tapes in Colombo later on Monday.


Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya says his side will play 'serious' cricket against the Netherlands in their group 4 Champions Trophy clash on Monday.

A victory for the 1996 World champions is regarded as a formality against the Dutch, who have lost all five one-day internationals they have played in.

The hosts are virtually assured of a semi-final place in the 12-team tournament, having thrashed their main group rival Pakistan by eight wickets on Thursday.

Their virtually unknown rivals qualified for next year's World Cup in South Africa by winning last year's ICC Trophy in Canada, but facing Sri Lanka will be a totally different experience.

"I don't want to take any chance," Jayasuriya said after a practice session on Sunday.

"It's one-day cricket. We have to play seriously. They may have just started playing, but we can't take such sides lightly."

Jayasuriya was barely back to full fitness after dislocating his shoulder when he hammered his 13th one-day hundred in the Pakistan win, and he said it still felt painful.

"I feel much better after using the ice-pack and working with the physio," he said.


Australia 296-7 beat New Zealand 132 (26.2 overs) by 164 runs

An entertaining final-wicket stand of 50 was unable to mask New Zealand's all-round deficiencies as Australia cruised to their first pool victory.

Glenn McGrath took five wickets, finding excellent late swing, while Brett Lee's pace was too much for the lower order, as he took three wickets.

The Australian batting effort was fired by an explosive start from the top order. The biggest innings was played by Damien Martyn, who hit 73 from 87 balls at number four.

But the total was really set up by Adam Gilchrist (44 from just 30 balls) and Matt Hayden (43), who put on 68 inside 10 overs for the first wicket.

Captain Ricky Ponting (37) also scored better than a run a ball to keep Hayden company in a second-wicket partnership of 61.

  • Scorecard | Match report | Images

  • Pakistan cricket is facing up to a double blow with coach Mudassar Nazar sent home from Colombo and Inzamam-ul-Haq requiring urgent surgery.

    The squad for the three Tests on October against Australia at neutral venues will now be missing Inzamam, plus Saeed Anwar and Wasim Akram.

    Saeed and Wasim are mulling over their long-term futures, while Inzamam's heel injury could force him to miss the World Cup.

    But it is the news that Mudassar is travelling back to Pakistan in the middle of the Champions Trophy which could have the most ramifications.

    Coach Mudassar believes both he and skipper Waqar Younis could lose their jobs.

    "I spoke to the General (PCB chairman Tauqir Zia) and he wanted me to take the first available flight out, to discuss something about team problems," Mudassar said on Sunday.


    Sri Lankan police said on Sunday that they have been called in to monitor the alarming number of female fans flocking to the hotel in Colombo to meet Champions Trophy cricketers.

    "We have a huge problem of tackling a large number of young women who chase cricketers and attempt to enter their rooms," a senior police official said.

    "We have recorded names and identities of all women who have visited the players' rooms at the hotel and the number is increasing daily."

    He declined to say which team was hosting the most visitors.


    Nasser Hussain has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to delay no further in giving coach Duncan Fletcher a new long-term contract.

    The England captain, in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, said that virtually all of England's improvement in the last few years had been due to the Fletcher factor.

    Hussain said: "A lot of the success, if not all the success of the England team, can be placed at one man's door and that's Duncan Fletcher.


    Eric Simons, the South African cricket coach, is still not happy with the intensity of his South African side, who are currently playing in the ICC Champions Trophy here.

    He is looking for a slick all-round performance to match the best one-day teams in the world.

    And he wants to stop making excuses that it's too early in the season and that his players require more time to get to grips with their game.

    Although South Africa scraped home by two wickets against the West Indies in their opening game - the winning runs coming off an extra ball after Mervyn Dillion bowled a wide - Simons says there's still a lot of work to do before he can admit to being happy with the team's performances.

    "I cannot imagine what state we would have been if we had lost the opener," he said. "That would have put us 10 steps back in our preparations for what we want to achieve by the end of the season - win the World Cup.

      Australia-Pakistan Test series
    Pakistan have been plunged into crisis as top players Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul Haq have opted out of next month's Test series against Australia.

    "It's shocking and disappointing and what I smell is there is something terribly wrong in the team which led to Wasim and Anwar's pull out," said former captain and coach Intikhab Alam.

    While Inzamam is out of the series due to a heel injury, Akram and Anwar have opted out to take some much needed rest from a team which has been plagued by a recent run of poor performances.

    "It's disappointing that some senior players have opted out of the series but it's their decision and we have to honour it," said Pakistan's chief selector Wasim Bari.

    Bari, while refusing to comment on the situation, tried to downplay the crisis saying the absence of the senior players would give Pakistan Cricket Board a chance to start the rebuilding process earlier than planned.

    "Wasim has been playing regular cricket but Anwar's decision looks strange but now the selection committee will sit down and consider the available options," Bari said.


    Waqar Younis will retain the Pakistan captaincy for the upcoming series against Australia but is under orders to improve his team's dismal recent record, the country's cricket chief said Monday.

    "We are retaining Waqar for the Australian series and will continue to monitor his performance as well as that of his team and maintain our policy of naming a captain series by series," said Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia.

    "We want him to motivate the boys and try to put the team back on their winning ways," he said.

    Design: Imran Shaikh


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