All posts by h716a5.icu

Bukayo Saka hailed Arsenal fans' after they mocked Burnley supporters with brutal chants as the Gunners sailed to a 5-0 trouncing at Turf Moor.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Saka scored a brace in Arsenal's 5-0 winFans humiliated home support with chantForward loving their songsGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Saka continued his remarkable form with another Premier League brace, marking the second consecutive weekend where he showcased his prowess on the road. Following his two goals against West Ham last Sunday, Saka replicated his performance with another double in Arsenal's emphatic victory over Burnley.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The atmosphere was electric as Arsenal fans revelled in the team's success. In a moment of jubilation and to taunt the Burnley supporters, Arsenal fans unveiled a new chant that resonated throughout the stadium: "Who put the ball in the Burnley net, half our f*cking team did."

WHAT SAKA SAID

Saka was elated to hear the Gooners taking a dig at the opposition fans and said: "Yeah it was a lot of fun out there. I really enjoyed it and it's nice to see the fans coming up with new chants and stuff. I just loved it, so I enjoyed it."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

SAKA CAN'T CALM BEFORE UCL

Arsenal will be competing in Europe's marquee club competition when they take on Porto in the Champions League. After a strong start to the domestic season, Saka can't wait to replicate that form against the Portuguese outfit on Wednesday night.

"The boss has told us we’re the first Arsenal team to win five in a row at the start of the year, so it's a nice achievement and we'll definitely build momentum going forward," he said. "Definitely now that, not only that I'm playing well, the team's playing well, we're scoring a lot of goals because we've got some really important fixtures coming up, starting on Wednesday and I can't wait to go there. I'm really excited. So yeah, looking forward to it and hopefully we can take this form into that game as well.”

Hampshire moved to the top of the NatWest T20 Blast’s South Group last night by overpowering Middlesex by 21 runs in front of a crowd of around 18,000 at Lord’s

ECB/PA18-Jun-2015
ScorecardMichael Carberry, seen here in Big Bash action, played a vintage knock•Getty ImagesHampshire moved to the top of the NatWest T20 Blast’s South Group last night by overpowering Middlesex by 21 runs in front of a crowd of around 18,000 at Lord’s. Michael Carberry’s 72 not out from 44 balls, and an equally fine innings of 64 from 45 balls by Owais Shah, underpinned Hampshire’s impressive 199 for 5, and Middlesex could only reply with 178 for 9.Paul Stirling smashed a six and nine fours in an explosive 27-ball 54, but when he was caught and bowled by Yasir Arafat in the 11th over, to leave Middlesex 107 for 4, they never looked like chasing down their victory target. It is Hampshire’s fifth win in seven South Group games, while Middlesex have won only two of their seven matches and remain at the bottom of the group.Stirling was joined in an explosive third wicket stand of 88 in 7.5 overs by John Simpson, who also impressed with 35 from 24 balls, featuring a six and three fours, before he perished to a catch at long-on to give Will Smith a second scalp with his innocuous-looking off breaks. Smith had also struck in the first over of Middlesex’s reply, having Nick Compton caught and bowled for a third ball duck, and the home side were 9 for 2 when Nick Gubbins was leg-before to Jackson Bird.But Stirling revived the innings by taking 24 off the fifth over, bowled by the unfortunate Chris Wood. The left-arm seamer was swung high over midwicket for six and, with a wide thrown in, was also taken for four offside fours by the Irishman – the first two punched through the covers and the last two angled away to third man.Insights

Although Kent, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and even at times Middlesex have played scintillating cricket this season, no team in the South Group has matched the consistency or winning nous of Hampshire. While they have registered regularly strong scores their innings have been far from faultless and on more than a couple of occasions they’ve had to work hard for their wins. Having selected just 15 players in their eight squads so far this season Hampshire are one of the most settled teams in the country and such stability is engendering success. Concerns still linger over the fast bowling however, which remains sporadic and profligate.
Freddie Wilde

Simpson hit Danny Briggs for a successive six and four, and it was only when he and Stirling departed in the 10th and 11th overs that Middlesex’s challenge faded away.James Franklin did his best with some defiant blows, but Andrew Balbirnie and Neil Dexter were both dismissed cheaply by Danny Briggs’s left-arm spin and when Ollie Rayner was run out and Franklin adjudged lbw for a 24-ball 35 in the 17th over, all that remained was for Middlesex’s lower order to bat out the remaining overs.Hampshire’s total was built upon a superb third wicket partnership of 118 in 12.1 overs between Carberry and Shah. The two veteran batsmen – Shah is 36 and Carberry 34 – constructed their stand along classical lines, at first predominantly pushing singles and rotating the strike but later hitting boundaries with great power as they set about the Middlesex attack.Shah was visibly annoyed when he got himself out by stepping back into his own stumps when swinging a ball from Kyle Abbott high over deep square leg for what would have been his third six. As it was, as umpire Graham Lloyd raised his arms high to signal the six to the scorers, Shah was stomping off swishing his bat in anger at his clumsiness.They came together at 27 for 2, after James Vince and Jimmy Adams fell trying to take full advantage of the initial six-over Powerplay. Vince was bowled by Abbott for 14 aiming something violent soon after he had marked his call-up to England’s Twenty20 international squad by taking three fours from the second over of the game, bowled by Harry Podmore, and Adams was leg-before to offspinner Rayner as he attempted to reverse sweep.Carberry and Shah had only just started to accelerate when Hampshire reached the halfway point of the innings at 71 for 2, but 60 runs came from the next five overs as Shah hit Rayner for four, six, four from successive balls in a 14th over costing 17. The 12th over had brought 13 runs, too, with Carberry mainly responsible for that, and Shah took a cheeky two for a free hit at James Harris which he launched high into the hands of long off for a “catch” that didn’t count.Towards the end of his innings, there was one flashing cover drive from Shah, off Podmore, which beat a boundary fielder in front of the Grand Stand even though the ball hit the ropes just ten yards from where he had been positioned.Sean Ervine, replacing Shah, took fours from the first three balls he faced – including a brilliant ramp shot from his first delivery from Abbott – and then smashed Harris straight for six soon after Carberry had swung the same bowler over midwicket for a maximum. Ervine’s 20, which was ended by a magnificent diving catch by Balbirnie, who sprinted in from long-on before throwing himself forward, took only seven balls and, in all, Hampshire plundered 68 from the last five overs.Carberry carved Abbott for two final fours in a 20th over in which the South African fast bowler was punished for 20 runs and contained two no balls.

A round-up of matches in the Under-19 Asia Cup that took place on Thursday, January 2

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2014
ScorecardFile photo: Sami Aslam struck eight fours and two sixes during his 75•Getty ImagesA hat-trick from the legspinner Karamat Ali, followed by Sami Aslam’s 75, powered Pakistan Under-19s into the final of the Under-19s Asia Cup after they edged Afghanistan Under-19s by two wickets in Sharjah.Karamat dismissed Mohammad Mujtaba, Hashmatullah Shaidi and Sayed Shirzad off successive deliveries in the 46th over to finish with 5 for 33 and bundle Afghanistan out for 196. Afghanistan, choosing to bat, had made a solid start as the openers Shahidullah and Ihsanullah hit 43 inside nine overs, but four wickets in the space of 10 overs left them stranded at 70 for 4.Shaidi and Waheedullah Shafaq led the recovery with a fifth-wicket stand of 87, but once Shafaq was removed for 48, the team again crumbled. Afghanistan entered the 46th over at 182 for 6 and with Mujtaba and Shaidi at the crease, they would have looked to push on towards a competitive total.However, Mujtaba’s attempt to clear the infield off the third ball of the over could only find Saud Shakeel at the midwicket fence. Shaidi had crossed over during the wicket to take the strike, but he too failed to go the distance, hitting Karamat straight to Imam-ul-Haq at the deep square leg boundary. Karamat then completed his hat-trick with a googly to bowl Shirzad out for a duck.Set a paltry target, Pakistan lost Shayan Jahangir in the second over, but Aslam marshaled the innings by striking eight fours and two sixes, and adding 107 for the second wicket with Imam. However, Aslam’s wicket in the 24th over led to Pakistan slipping from 111 for 1 to 133 for 4. Hasan Raza and Hussain Talat chipped in with crucial contributions to stop the slide, but both of them were dismissed in the 45th over and Pakistan were soon left precariously placed at 195 for 8 with 13 balls remaining.Kamran Ghulam, however, held his nerve and took the team over the line with a backfoot punch through the covers for four.
ScorecardIndia Under-19s overcame a tense chase thanks to a half-century from Ankush Bains to beat Sri Lanka Under 19s by three wickets and progress to the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup.Bains had retired hurt in the first over but walked out to bat in the 34th with India still 97 runs adrift with five wickets in hand. He struck his first ball back for a four and continued finding the boundary with the regularity needed to tackle a required rate which had reached 5.75. India’s tail was exposed, with none of the top-order batsmen able to convert their starts, but Bains balanced run-scoring along with shielding the lesser batsmen, ensuring the asking rate did not rise past seven.No. 9 Kuldeep Yadav, who had been instrumental in keeping Sri Lanka to a modest 223, gave Bains company in a 58-run, seventh-wicket stand which took India to the threshold of victory. Bains fell to a run-out, but Yadav struck the winning runs in the final over and remained unbeaten on 22 off 26 balls, with three fours.Sri Lanka’s batting effort revolved around half-centuries from Hashan Dumindu and Kusal Mendis. Their 94-run, second-wicket stand, accumulated at a sedate pace, promised a better total but the middle order failed to capitalise. Five of their batsmen could not get past single figures as left-arm chinaman Yadav picked up three wickets and Deepak Hooda and Sarfaraz Khan chipped in two each. Anuk Fernando ushered Sri Lanka to the full quota of overs with an unbeaten cameo, but the target proved just a touch too little.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2012The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has lodged a formal police complaint against Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders and Bollywood superstar, over an alleged skirmish with security guards following Knight Riders’ victory over the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. The MCA will meet to discuss what action is to be taken against Shah Rukh, who has denied being drunk and disorderly.Late last night, MCA officials went to the Marine Drive Police Station to lodge a police complaint against him. Shah Rukh is being accused of trying to walk on to the field of play after the game. MCA treasurer Ravi Savant told PTI that Shah Rukh had “misbehaved and abused security personnel as well as MCA officials, including our president Vilasrao Deshmukh, after the IPL match. We have decided to ban him for life from entering the stadium in future.”Savant’s statements about a life ban for Shah Rukh could not be corroborated with the IPL governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla telling reporters, “I will take the version of the MCA, Shah Rukh Khan and the police before talking about the issue. The decision on the ban is taken by the Working Committee so I will speak to MCA president Vilasrao Deshmukh on this. I have to take the version of all the parties involved and then speak.”Shah Rukh, who spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon, denied he had misbehaved or was drunk but said he was reacting to the “obnoxious” and “unpardonable” behaviour of officials at the stadium. He said he had not been present at the match but had gone there after it was over to pick up a large group of his children and their friends.He said he saw security guards manhandling the children and when he objected a group of officials came over and the altercation started. “I said a few things in anger. I was one and they were 20-25 officials and they were extremely rude. When I tried to answer them, they hid behind others,” the actor said. “There was nothing illegal, I was not on the pitch. I know the rules.”Asked about the possibility of a ban by the MCA, Shah Rukh said, “If this is the kind of behaviour meted out to people then I would not go there. There were people rushing at me aggressively. I think it’s unpardonable that you manhandle kids in the name of security.”Savant told the news channel that Shah Rukh had tried to enter the stadium “after everything was over” and when asked to leave by the security guard Shah Rukh had “manhandled” him. It was alleged that Shah Rukh was “continuously using foul, filthy language towards officials who tried to pacify him and make him understand.” An MCA member who also happened to be an assistant commissioner of police, was also seen trying to silence Shah Rukh.Savant said all that was left at the moment was to put the proposed ban on paper and get its formalities completed, with a majority support with the MCA. He said that Shah Rukh had come to the ground well after the presentation ceremony and without any accreditation. “He had flouted all the rules”, Savant said.”Some unprovoked incident that took place, and foul language was used,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said. “MCA officials are angry. We will try to find out what has happened. Definitely, the BCCI will look at what the MCA has to say.”

The Sydney Sixers began the Big Bash League as one of the least fancied sides but they won the tournament after Moises Henriques set up their chase in the final against the Perth Scorchers

Thr Report by Brydon Coverdale28-Jan-2012
ScorecardBrett Lee picked up two wickets in the first over of the match•Getty ImagesThe Sydney Sixers began the Big Bash League as one of the least fancied sides but they won the tournament after Moises Henriques set up their chase in the final against the Perth Scorchers. In front of a WACA crowd desperate to see the state’s first silverware – albeit not for the Warriors – in nearly a decade, the Sixers spoiled the party and won by seven wickets.Mitchell Marsh had excited the Perth fans with a powerful innings of 77 after Marcus North chose to bat, but Brett Lee helped contain the Scorchers to 5 for 156, which was a gettable, though challenging target. Henriques and Steve O’Keefe put together a 110-run opening stand in the chase and it was a start the home side was unable to pull back.A pair of wickets from Ben Edmondson late in the game gave the Scorchers a sniff, as the Sixers needed 22 from the final three overs. But the Sixers captain Steven Smith procured three boundaries and 15 in total from the next over, a poor one from Nathan Rimmington, and from there it was all very straightforward for the visitors.They reached their target with seven balls to spare, Smith striking the winning boundary down the ground off Ben Edmondson to finish unbeaten on 21 with Ben Rohrer on 3. Led by the 40-year-old Stuart MacGill and fellow veteran Brett Lee, the Sixers players streamed on to the field to celebrate their triumph, which came with no international imports in the final.Instead, it was two local allrounders who set the chase on the right path. O’Keefe struggled early, swinging wildly and missing plenty of deliveries as he battled to find his rhythm, but gradually he started to find the middle of the bat. O’Keefe drew confidence from a flat pull for six off Marsh’s medium pace, although he was still well behind the tempo of his partner Henriques, who brought up his half-century when O’Keefe had only 21.Henriques was especially brutal against the spin of Michael Beer, striking a pair of consecutive sixes over long-on and long-off, and he found gaps all around the ground. On 70 from 41 deliveries, Henriques was tricked by the 40-year-old spinner Brad Hogg, who saw Henriques advancing and sent the ball down the leg side for Luke Ronchi to complete the stumping.O’Keefe kept the chase going well until, on 48, he scooped a catch to short fine leg off Edmondson, two balls after Nic Maddinson (10) had also skied a catch. But Smith and Rohrer ensured the win for the Sixers, a victory that was also due to the bowling of Lee, whose 2 for 21 from four overs helped restrict the Scorchers to a manageable total.Lee began in the perfect way, with two wickets from the first over of the match. Herschelle Gibbs pulled the first ball of the game straight into the hands of deep square leg and later in the over, Ronchi took a big swipe and was caught behind to leave the Scorchers at 2 for 2. Marcus North steadied the home side until he top-edged a sweep off MacGill on 22.However, Marsh and Paul Collingwood formed a useful 62-run partnership, Collingwood paddling sweeps and reverse sweeps to cleverly find the gaps while Marsh used his strength to clear the boundary four times. Marsh took 12 off an Henriques over and launched a monster six over long-on off the bowling of O’Keefe.O’Keefe gave Marsh a life on 55 when he put down a chance at midwicket and in the next over, Marsh made the Sixers pay with a pair of sixes off Mitchell Starc. But Starc grabbed two wickets, Collingwood for 32 and Simon Katich for 12, and Marsh’s 77 not out from 57 deliveries was comfortably the standout performance.In the end, it wasn’t enough, as Henriques and O’Keefe made up for their lapses with the ball and in the field. Henriques was named Man of the Match.

Australia coach Mickey Arthur has said Ricky Ponting is “not going anywhere” and remains firmly in Australia’s plans for the next Ashes tour of England in just over a year’s time

Brydon Coverdale01-May-2012Australia coach Mickey Arthur has said Ricky Ponting is “not going anywhere” and remains firmly in Australia’s plans for the next Ashes tour of England in just over a year’s time. Arthur has returned to Australia after Michael Clarke’s men completed a 2-0 Test series win over West Indies, a series in which Ponting made starts and finished with a half-century but was the least prolific scorer of Australia’s top seven.However, Ponting was coming off an outstanding home series against India, in which his 544 runs at 108.80 was second only to Clarke. As a Test-only player, Ponting now has no cricket on his schedule until the domestic summer begins in October, and he must then find his form ahead of home campaigns against South Africa and Sri Lanka ahead of the 2013 Ashes.”I know there was a lot of media pressure and talk around Ricky [in the West Indies], but Ricky’s not going anywhere,” Arthur told reporters in Perth on Tuesday. “We hope Ricky’s scoring enough runs to go to the Ashes, most certainly, in England. Ricky’s still got a lot of Test runs still in him, there’s no doubt about that.”I thought Ricky was very unlucky [in the Caribbean]. He was always bubbling away. His form was always good, so no worries about Ricky Ponting at all. Ricky is definitely no way considering retiring, I wouldn’t have thought from my conversations with him and he’ll be fit and ready to go against South Africa … I think if we win the Ashes, then maybe he’ll go out on the top of his game.”While Ponting has a decade and a half’s worth of Test cricket experience to call on, a less experienced pair will also be aiming to regain their best touch at the start of the home summer. The openers David Warner and Ed Cowan were Australia’s fifth and sixth best scorers in the West Indies and each managed only one half-century, but Arthur believes they are on the improve.”I think Warner and Cowan will get better and better,” Arthur said. “Ed Cowan came on through the summer … he got better and better at playing spin bowling. We want Dave to get more consistent but it’s not his style. We certainly don’t want Dave to lose his character, because that’s what made him special.”Some of the Australians have headed to India to take part in the remainder of the IPL and the limited-overs players have series against England and Pakistan during the off season, followed by the ICC World Twenty20. For others like Ponting and Cowan, a long winter at home has just begun.

Under bright sunshine the Palam Air Force ground had no play for the first two sessions on day four of the Ranji Trophy semi-final with much doubt and deliberation whether play could begin at all on Saturday

The Report by Sharda Ugra in Delhi19-Jan-2013Under bright sunshine and bracing breeze from the east, the Palam Air Force ground had no play on day four of the Ranji Trophy semi-final; there was also an element of uncertainity as to whether it would be possible to begin play on time on Sunday.The fourth day was called off without a ball being bowled, at around 3:50pm, after umpires Subroto Das and Adrian Holdstock scheduled numerous inspections of the pitch that had been completely soaked by Friday’s hailstorms and rainfall over Delhi.So far only 143 overs have been held over the first four days of the semi-final, with a lot of play lost to bad light and rain. Mumbai, who won the toss and batted, scored 380 for 6 and with a day’s play left, they would need the Services first innings to be completed for less than that on Sunday for the match to come to an end tomorrow. Should the Services first innings not be completed tomorrow either way, the match can go into an extra sixth day on Monday.Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni said his team’s approach on Sunday would depend on the time the match eventually got underway and the weather conditions at the start of play. There were he said for Mumbai, “potentially 196 overs” still left in the game, based on an ideal 90 overs each being bowled on Sunday and Monday, plus an extra 16 overs, eight from each of the two weather-affected days.In this match though, the ideal has stayed away at an arms length, particularly on Saturday when the sun was blindingly bright enough well into the late afternoon. Given the quality of the light over the Palam Air Force ground today, play could have continued until 5pm, but the dampness of the pitch meant that an entire day went by without a ball being bowled. At the ground, the outfield has a sand base and the pitch is made of clay and has black soil in it that absorbs much greater moisture than the outfield does.The match pitch is at the extreme right side of the cordoned-off playing square, and had three layers of cover along with six iron pipes laid across it. During the hailstorm and heavy winds all through Friday night and Saturday morning, the wind ripped out the clamps of the cover and sent the pipes rolling along. With the pitch covers blown off, the rain soaked into the match pitch. It has led to a situation with no cricket, despite no signs of fog or rain.Services Sports Control Board secretary, Air Commodore Wing Commander M Baladitya said, “We had impressed upon the BCCI that they had the expertise and besides, we did not want to get into the money aspect of refurbishing the ground. We said if this ground developed it will be an asset for cricket.”The BCCI agreed to get involved in a project as it would have full control of it, starting with visits by the BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, CAO Ratnakar Shetty and the issuing of tenders to chosen vendors along with the involvement of its pitch committee members like Sundaram and Daljit Singh. In June this year, the entire ground was excavated, fresh soil brought in to replace Palam’s nutrient-deprived earth, and a machine using laser to develop a proper gradient between the playing square and boundary. The entire center square was relaid and a plant set up for water purification along with a mechanised irrigation system.Baladitya said the paradox of bright sunshine and no play had taken place due to unprecedented rain. “We usually don’t have a drainage problem here because water drains very quickly,” he said. When a match wicket gets soaked though, what transpires is a peculiar state of events.

Some of the most serious documented instances of litigation in the IPL or investigation involving the BCCI and/or its officials

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2013Lalit Modi was suspended by the BCCI in 2010 over ‘alleged acts of individual misdemeanours’. The Enforcement Directorate also issued him with a showcause notice in 2011•Associated PressApril 2010: The BCCI suspends Lalit Modi following ‘alleged acts of individual misdemeanours’, including the the bidding process for IPL franchises, mid-over ad breaks, and the sale of theatrical rights. The issue of an $80-million facilitation fee agreement between Lalit Modi and Multi Screen Media also influences the BCCI’s decision.April 2010: Former BCCI president AC Muthiah files a petition in the Supreme Court of India challenging the BCCI’s rules – tweaked in 2008 – that allow N Srinivasan to hold a post in the board and own an IPL team.September 2010: Modi files a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to remove IPL commissioner Chirayu Amin and BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley from the an independent inquiry into his ouster from the BCCI. The petition is dismissed a year later.October 2010: Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab sue BCCI for unfair termination of contract. The BCCI alleges that both franchises have violated their franchise agreements, while the franchises deny the allegations. The Bombay High Court directs the cases to arbitration. An interim order allows Royals and Kings XI to participate in the 2011 auction, subject to certain conditions, such as retaining its shareholder pattern, fulfilling pending player payments and paying the BCCI guarantee money in case the final judgement goes against them. In 2012, the BCCI finally settles all pending legal issues with Kings XI . There is no definitive outcome in their issues against Rajasthan Royals.January 2011: Senior members of the BCCI appear before a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance on alleged foreign exchange violations during IPL 2009, held in South Africa.April 2011: A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court delivers a split verdict on Muthiah’s petition challenging Srinivasan’s right to hold a position in the board while also holding a stake in an IPL franchise. At this point, Srinivasan is the BCCI’s secretary. The split verdict means the petition is to be referred to the Chief Justice for allocating it to a larger bench.July 2011: India’s Enforcement Directorate issues 19 showcause notices to the BCCI and Lalit Modi after conducting year-long investigations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The Directorate probes the alleged transfer of funds to domestic and offshore locations, and the violations total Rs 1077.43 crores (approx. US$ 207.52 million).September 2011: The Supreme Court clears N Srinivasan’s election as BCCI president, but the decision is subject to the outcome of Muthiah’s petition against his election. The court rules that their decision to stop Srinivasan from being president could affect the outcome of a pending trial. However, there has been no final settlement on the matter.February 2012: Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, owners of the annulled Kochi Tuskers franchise, approach court to save the franchise after BCCI terminates the franchise. The court rejects their plea and the franchise is terminated.August 2012: Enforcement Directorate issues fresh showcase notice to BCCI for committing FEMA contraventions in acceptance of performance deposits amounting to Rs 60 crores (approx. US$ 10.8 million) for awarding of contracts for the conduct of Indian Premier League (IPL).September 2012: The BCCI terminates Deccan Chargers franchise. After a legal battle, the Supreme Court of India upholds Chargers’ termination.February 2013: Competition Commission of India finds the BCCI guilty of indulging in anti-competitive practices relating to the grant of IPL franchise, sponsorship and media rights, and slaps it with a penalty of Rs. 52.24 crore (approx. US$10 million). The Commission observed that BCCI had abused its dominant position and ordered it to ‘cease and desist’ from denying potential competitors market – the ICL is mentioned here – access in the future.February 2013: Rajasthan Royals are fined Rs 100 crore (approx. US$18.8 million) by Enforcement Directorate for FEMA violations.

Somerset are likely to be without Alviro Petersen for the first game of the Championship season

George Dobell08-Apr-2013Somerset are likely to be without Alviro Petersen for the first game of the Championship season.Petersen, who has signed as club’s overseas player for the first part of the season, has been detained in South Africa to complete fitness tests for the national board. He will fly on Tuesday night and arrive in London on Wednesday morning, leaving little time to complete the necessary formalities and travel to Chester-le-Street for the match against Durham.”He will arrive in London on Wednesday morning,” Dave Nosworthy, Somerset’s new director of cricket told ESPNcricinfo, “so it’s unlikely we can get him through customs and up to Durham in time.”Petersen’s absence is a blow to Somerset. They are already without Nick Compton, who is being rested on the order of England following his impressive efforts for England over the winter, and hoped that Petersen could help plug the gap.They do welcome back the seamer Alfonso Thomas, however, who had an agreement with the club to prioritise the Championship over any potential IPL contract. Somerset were second in the Championship in 2012, equalling their best-ever finish.Warwickshire, last season’s champions, are also set to be missing a key player, with Chris Woakes rested on the orders of the ECB. The allrounder is suffering from fatigue, so will not be available again Derbyshire. Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin are also out, with Dougie Brown, Warwickshire’s new coach, confirming that Oliver Hannon-Dalby and 20-year-old Tom Milns will form the bowling attack alongside Chris Wright.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former BCCI president who will carry out the day-to-day administration of the Indian board following N Srinivasan’s decision to step aside temporarily, has said he is keen to restore Indian cricket’s “good name”

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2013Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former BCCI president who will carry out the day-to-day administration of the Indian board following N Srinivasan’s decision to step aside temporarily while the investigation into corruption in the IPL is on, has said he is keen to restore Indian cricket’s “good name”, but did not promise “instant results”.Speaking a day after his appointment as temporary BCCI head, Dalmiya said he did not have “any medicine [with which] you get an instant result. We don’t have any such kind of a magic. We will try our best … [to see that] the good name of cricket is retained.”Dalmiya remained noncommittal on whether he will represent India at the ICC while at the BCCI’s helm. “I may or may not represent BCCI at ICC, no decision has been taken yet,” he said. “I am entitled, it is my choice.”He confirmed that Sanjay Jagdale, who tendered his resignation as BCCI secretary on Friday in wake of the scandal, will not return to his post. However, Ajay Shirke, who stepped down as board treasurer, had still not confirmed his exit, Dalmiya said: “As far as Jagdale is concerned, he has told us that he does not want to continue as secretary. But we have not been able to communicate with Shirke so far. We are hoping that we would be able to get a reply [on whether he has reconsidered his decision] from him by tomorrow. We will wait till tomorrow.”When asked about the process by which Jagdale would be replaced, Dalmiya was again noncommittal: “Whether [the power to appoint a new secretary is] available [to me] or not, you will come know tomorrow. I think I have been given adequate powers by the board. But I am not concerned about whether I have powers or not. My concern is that I want to do my duty.”BCCI aside, Dalmiya has headed the ICC previously, and is widely credited to be one of the chief architects who laid the foundation for Indian cricket to become the financial powerhouse it is. This time though, 73-year-old Dalmiya said he would not be looking to call the shots for too long. “I will be happy if I can serve cricket. That is enough for me. I don’t have any wishful thinking.”