WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016 SPORTS India Test threat lifted after funds released

NEW DELHI: India’s cash-rich board ment reforms of what is world cricket’s yesterday lifted a threat to cancel the start wealthiest and most powerful board. of its Test series against England after In its submission challenging Tuesday’s judges eased banking restrictions which petition, the panel said the BCCI was in had triggered a funding crisis. contempt of court by not implementing its Less than 24 hours before the high-pro- recommendations, which include age limits file series was due to begin in Rajkot, the for office-holders. cash-rich board dropped a bombshell by The BCCI had earlier complained that telling the Supreme Court it would not be the funding freeze was hampering organi- able to cover the running costs of the first sation for a series last month against New match. The Supreme Court last month Zealand, but the three Tests went ahead as ruled that the board would have to seek scheduled in the end. prior approval from a special panel investi- gating its governance in order to release IPL SCANDAL funds to state associations which host Test The BCCI has insisted it is not “running matches. away” from implementing the reforms after In a petition filed on Tuesday to the scandals including accusations of corrup- court, the Board of Control for Cricket in tion and match-fixing that tarnished the India (BCCI) said that “unless money is dis- Indian Premier League (IPL). bursed to the board, the match between Cricket’s massive popularity in India has India and England can’t take place”. helped the BCCI become by far the wealthi- After considering the petition for several est of all of cricket’s national boards, net- hours, the court set aside its previous order ting massive money from sponsorship and and gave the board immediate access to TV deals. the $90,000 (5.8 million rupees) the BCCI The BCCI has put the value of the IPL said it needed to host the match in Rajkot. brand at $4.5 billion and its current spon- It further allowed the board to incur sorship deal for the tournament with the expenses for hosting the remaining four mobile phone company Vivo is worth $60 Tests in the series against England but million dollars. Its last television rights deal asked it to maintain accounts for scrutiny with the Star network was worth a reported by the panel. $750 million. “We are fine with the supreme court But despite its rude financial health, the order because we wanted money for board has regularly found itself embroiled organising the India-England test series in scandal in recent years, ultimately lead- and that has been allowed,” a lawyer repre- ing to the formation of the Lodha commit- senting the board told AFP on condition of tee. A corruption and match-fixing scandal anonymity. in the sixth edition of the IPL in 2013 The court had slapped the restrictions brought about the downfall of the board’s on the BCCI’s accounts after the board, president Narayanaswami Srinivasan after which is one of the world’s wealthiest his son-in-law was accused of betting on sports bodies, failed to implement a series matches. of reforms recommended by a panel head- Two of the eight franchises in the IPL ed by a former top judge, Rajendra Mal were suspended as a result of the scandal, Lodha. The Lodha panel has accused BCCI including the Chennai Super Kings which officials of “behaving like lords” after they was owned by Srinivasan’s India Cements repeatedly ignored the deadlines to imple- company. —AFP

HARARE: bowler is in action on the third day of the second cricket test match between Sri Lanka and at Sports Club, yesterday. — AFP S Lanka’s Herath joins five- Test elite

HARARE: Rangana Herath became just the third bowler to pick up five-wicket hauls against all SCOREBOARD RAJKOT: India’s cricket coach (L) inspects the pitch with Virat nine Test opponents to earn Sri Lanka a big first- HARARE: Scoreboard at stumps on the third day of the second Test between Zimbabwe and Sri Kohli and (R) during a training session at the Saurashtra crick- innings lead before Zimbabwe bounced back on Lanka on yesterday. et Association stadium in Rajkot on the eve of the first test match against England the third day of the third Test at Harare Sports yesterday. — AFP Club yesterday. Herath recorded figures of 5 for : Lakmal 21.1-5-55-2, Herath 26-4-89-5, 89 — his first five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka first innings 504 all out (D. de Silva Kumara 14-0-60-0, D. Perera 18-2-51-3, Zimbabwe-to bowl the home side out for 272 127, A. Gunaratne 116, Tiripano 3-91, Cremer Gunaratne 2-0-5-0, De Silva 1-0-4-0. and give Sri Lanka a 232-run lead in the first 3-136) innings. Cook, Haseeb ready Zimbabwe first innings Sri Lanka second innings But after the tourists opted not to enforce the T. Mawoyo lbw b Herath 3 D. Karunaratne 54 follow-on, fast bowler picked up B. Chari b Herath 80 K. Silva c Waller b Mumba 6 for India series three to reduce Sri Lanka to 84 for four. H. Masakadza c de Silva b Herath 0 K. Mendis c Mpofu b Mumba 0 With opener scoring an C. Ervine c Karunaratne b Lakmal 64 U. Tharanga lbw b Cremer 17 unbeaten 54 — his third fifty-plus score in four RAJKOT: Opener Alastair Cook is not impress. S. Williams lbw b D. Perera 58 D. de Silva c Chari b Mumba 9 approaching a test record as England cap- The bowling attack will also be over- innings-Sri Lanka went to stumps on 102 for M. Waller c Silva b Herath 18 A. Gunaratne not out 6 tain while fellow opener Haseeb Hameed is hauled. James Anderson has re-joined the four, giving them an overall lead of 334 with two P. Moor lbw b Perera 33 Extras (6b, 4lb) 10 on the verge of a test debut as the tourists England squad but is unavailable for selec- days to play. G. Cremer c Karunaratne b D. Perera 3 seek to strengthen their top order for a tion. That leaves and Chris Although Herath had come into the series D. Tiripano c Herath b Lakmal 3 Total (4 wkts, 40 overs) 102 testing series against India. Woakes to lead the pace attack, while with 26 five-wicket hauls in , he had C. Mumba lbw b Herath 2 Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Silva), 2-16 (Mendis), 3-44 The England tour of India was cleared to Moeen Ali could share the spin duties with never played against Zimbabwe in a 17-year C. Mpofu not out 0 (Tharanga), 4-84 (de Silva). take place at the last minute yesterday - 24 recalled Gareth Batty and Adil Rashid. career. On Tuesday he joined countryman Extras (2b, 6lb) 8 Still to bat: K. Perera, D. Perera, R. Herath, S. hours before the first test toss - when the England is the only foreign team to win and South Africa’s Dale Total (all out, 82.1 overs) 272 Lakmal, L. Kumara. country’s supreme court and the Board of a test series on Indian soil - in 2012-13 - Steyn among an elite group of bowlers with five- Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Mawoyo), 2-17 Bowling: Mpofu 9-2-17-0, Mumba 11-3-31-3, Control for Cricket in India settled a finan- since Australia in 2004-05, and has beaten (Masakadza), 3-134 (Ervine), 4-173 (Chari), 5- wicket hauls against all of the other nine Test- Cremer 8-1-21-1, Tiripano 6-3-4-0, Williams 5-0- cial dispute. India in three consecutive series. 210 (Waller), 6-253 (Williams), 7-265 (Cremer), playing nations. “If you take my career until 16-0, Chari 1-0-3-0. The BCCI filed a late plea in the Supreme “We can only look forward to what we 2009, I had only taken about 40 wickets with no 8-268 (Moor), 9-272 (Mumba), 10-272 Series: Sri Lanka leads two-match series 1-0. Court to release funds for hosting the five- can do in the future,” India skipper Virat five-wicket hauls,” said Herath. (Tiripano). test series. The supreme court agreed to Kohli said. “We want to win series, and we “So if you take the last seven or eight years, allow the BCCI to withdraw 5.87 million want to win test matches.” The Indian skip- I’ve done a consistent job for the national team. rupees to fund the series. per didn’t reveal his playing XI, though he It’s a different sort of achievement, which makes England is coming off an embarrassing doesn’t have many tough decisions to loss in Bangladesh, but skipper Cook is aim- make. Gautam Gambhir is expected to me very happy.” Although Zimbabwe reached Lehmann warns Aussies ing for yet another record. Already the open with Murali Vijay, while the only diffi- 134 for two on the third morning in reply to Sri most capped player for England, with 135, cult choice would be over the make-up of Lanka’s first innings total of 504, they ultimately and the leading test scorer with 10,688 the bowling attack. succumbed to spin, with offspinner Dilruwan after Perth capitulation runs, he will break the record he shares is fit for selection, while Perera picking up 3 for 51 as the hosts lost their with Mike Atherton as England test captain Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and last five wickets for just 19 runs. PERTH: Australia coach Darren Lehmann trumpeted “Un-Australian: Sorry decline of when he leads the team for the 55th time. Mohammed Shami are back after being However, it was fast bowler warned his wounded squad “every spot is Smith’s team is shocking”, while The He has already said 19-year-old Hameed rested for the ODIs against New Zealand. who set Sri Lanka on their way in the morning under pressure” for the second Test this Australian broadsheet said: “Hot breath of will make his debut at the expense of Gary India opted for a four-bowler attack dur- session, which saw Zimbabwe resume on 126 for weekend after their capitulation to South discontent on captain Smith’s neck.” Ballance, making him the youngest open- ing the New Zealand test series, and could two, when he had Craig Ervine caught at slip for Africa in Perth. The Proteas won the open- “Darren Lehmann and Steve Smith are ing partner Cook has ever had. aim to do the same again. If that’s the case, 64 in the eighth over of the day. ing Test by 177 runs after poor and now under unprecedented pressure as the “It is time to give a young guy his oppor- Karun Nair could make his debut and bat at Herath got in on the action when he bowled string of dropped catches consigned heads of Australian cricket following the tunity,” Cook said Tuesday. “Haseeb hasn’t No. 6. One of the most significant selections Brian Chari for a career-best 80 with a quicker Australia to a fourth successive Test defeat. humilation at the WACA,” said Sydney’s been overawed during his time so far with of the series will be the use of DRS for the , and then dismissed for They lost all three Tests on their July-August Daily Telegraph cricket writer Ben Horne. this squad. He is a natural run-scorer and first time in a test series on Indian soil. The 18 on the stroke of lunch. tour of Sri Lanka. Opener Shaun Marsh has “Australia have now slumped to four looks to be more experienced than his age adoption of the Decision Review System, Zimbabwe had been rescued by their lower already been ruled out of the second Test in straight Test defeats and history suggests suggests.” using technology to review umpiring deci- order in the first Test, but after the interval Hobart from Saturday with a broken finger, that when the Test side has entered this The inclusion of Hameed would push sions, marks a new chapter of harmony in Perera ensured there would be no such recovery with Joe Burns expected to take his place. kind of losing red zone in the past, the men Ben Duckett down to No. 4. Duckett scored test cricket across the world. India had pre- as he grabbed three wickets in three overs, The uncapped Callum Ferguson has also in charge cop the full extent of the fallout.” a half century against Bangladesh but did viously refused to accept DRS. — AP including Sean Williams for 58 and been drafted into the squad with Adam Both teams are nursing some tired bowlers, for 33. All that was left was for the stand-in cap- Voges under an injury cloud, while pace- with Australia’s , Josh tain to pick up a record fifth wicket, as he man Joe Mennie, 12th man in Perth, could Hazlewood, Siddle and Mitchell Marsh all trapped Carl Mumba lbw. get his chance with Peter Siddle struggling “pretty sore”. “I would imagine the South Sri Lanka then tumbled to 44 for three in their with a sore back. Depending on the Hobart African boys would be the two bowlers that second innings, as Zimbabwe’s bowlers were conditions, spinner could be a bowled the whole game for them (Kagiso rewarded for greater consistency. Mumba had casualty after he failed to take a wicket in Rabada and Vernon Philander),” said and Kusal Mendis caught in front South Africa’s second innings at a cost of Lehmann. of the wicket, while Cremer trapped Upul 146 runs. “I would say every spot is under “All bowlers are going to be pretty sore Tharanga lbw. pressure,” said Lehmann, who is aware that and tight. We’ll just have to see how they First-innings centurion Dhananjaya de Silva the last time Australia lost four in a row, pull up and make a call from there. They attempted to rebuild with Karunaratne, but then coach Mickey Arthur got the chop. (South Africa) will have the same issues.” scooped a low full toss straight to extra cover in “That’s the nature of the beast if you The South Africans have called up the final half-hour of the day. don’t have success,” he added. Captain uncapped all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius for Nevertheless, Zimbabwe faced a serious Steve Smith is also under heavy scrutiny the final two Tests as cover for injured strike deficit as they look to level the two-match series. with Australian media blasting the team as bowler . Steyn is set to spend at “Let’s be honest, if they put another 100 on it will a shadow of its former self with the skipper least six months on the sidelines after RAJKOT: England’s captain Alastair Cook (R) looks on as teammate Stuart Broad be a lot,” said batting coach Lance Klusener. taking plenty of flak. breaking his shoulder while bowling in makes a throw during a training session at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadi- “But at the same time we’d like to finish this The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday Perth.— AFP um in Rajkot on the eve of the first test match against England yesterday. — AFP Test match on our terms.” —AFP