TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015 SPORTS Taylor calls for four-day Test matches SYDNEY: Pink-ball day-night Test why are we surprised when people go “You’ve got to look at the game as a scoring system to football, where three changes happening too quickly. He matches, which make their debut this to one-day cricket and T20 cricket more whole. Where is cricket going? The points are awarded for a victory and said that while players should be given week in Adelaide, should only be the than they do a Test match, when we put younger generation generally want one given for a draw. credit for allowing this week’s Adelaide beginning of a cricket revolution, for- all the one-dayers and T20s on in more instant gratification and I think Australia face New Zealand in the Test to go ahead, it should be seen as mer Australian captain Mark Taylor said school holidays and at night,” he told over five days to keep them interested first-ever day-night Test in Adelaide an experiment. “This match needs to yesterday. Taylor, a Cricket Australia the Sydney Daily Telegraph. in the game is not so easy,” he said. from Friday and Cricket Australia has be seen strictly as an experiment. If board member, is advocating the intro- “And we put Test matches on during “People are more about who is the best reportedly already contacted the there’s one thing that everyone agrees duction of four-day, 100-over Test the week outside of school holidays.” in the world at the moment. They like Pakistan Cricket Board about securing a on, it’s that the pink ball in Test cricket matches and a clearly defined Test Taylor said he had discussed his ideas at watching World Cup finals if you’re similar game in Australia for the next is a big unknown,” Irish told Fairfax championship. He wants all Tests to an International Cricket Council level always working towards who is the best southern summer. Media. begin on Thursdays, allowing them to and they were now gathering some Test team in the world, that can only The chief of the Federation of “The views of the players following build to a Sunday evening climax. momentum with different options help the game.” Taylor said a Test cham- International Cricketers’ Association, the Test match have to be central to any “As someone said to me years ago, being brought forward. pionship would likely include a similar Tony Irish, warned against significant future decisions.” —AFP Pakistan’s Amir in Dhaka on redemption road DHAKA: Mohammad Amir’s last appear- Chowdury told AFP. ance on a cricket pitch outside his native Pakistan led to a six-month sentence in a ‘Soft targets’ British prison for corruption. Five years on, Sayeed Uzzaman, the journalist who the paceman was the headline act in the broke the scandal, said the BCB deserved opening match as Bangladesh’s Twenty20 praise for bringing crooks to justice but league staged its own comeback after a fix- feared the game remained vulnerable. ing scandal. “The players are soft targets,” said But as Amir and the Bangladesh Premier Uzzaman, of Dhaka’s Kaler Kantho daily. League look to turn over a new leaf, one of “The bookies offer them a thousand times cricket’s most respected figures, Kumar more (than they are paid by their teams).” Sangakkara, says the game could “die” if While Amir is back playing in front of spectators are not convinced matches are packed crowds, Ashraful keeps fit with nets clean. in his backyard, still dreaming of an eventu- Amir, playing for the Chittagong Vikings al international recall. against the Rangpur Riders, took four for 30 Neighbours are happy to bowl at the 31- on Sunday, delighted to be competing year-old who set the record for the once more against stars such as Pakistan’s youngest player to hit a Test century but Test skipper Misbah ul-Haq whom he Ashraful is full of regrets. “I’ve lost almost bowled with a perfect yorker at Dhaka’s everything I worked for ... I hope young national stadium. cricketers will look at me and learn a les- Amir, now 23, was jailed in 2011 after son,” the one-time golden boy told AFP. The admitting bowling no balls the previous local underworld was thought to have got summer against England at Lord’s in its hooks into Ashraful long before he was exchange for cash. His captain Salman Butt caught and made a tearful confession. and fellow bowler Mohammad Asif were Now he urges players against falling into jailed for similar offences. the same trap. “My advice to any young Their hopes of returning for Pakistan cricketer would be say, very clearly, no.” look bleak, given they are in the autumn of their careers. But Amir, who has been play- ‘Just say no’ ing Pakistan domestic cricket since earlier His view is echoed by Sangakkara, Sri this year, told AFP recently he saw the BPL Lanka’s former captain who recently retired NAGPUR: India’s captain Virat Kohli (2R) dribbles a football past teammates during a training session ahead of the third Test cricket match as “the first step towards reviving my inter- from international cricket. “It’s very simple between India and South Africa at The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur yesterday. — AFP national career” as he eyes next year’s advice that I have for anyone, it’s basically World T20 in India. just say no and once you’ve said no you Although Amir has refused to talk to the report every single approach,” he told AFP media in Bangladesh, he said before his while training for his BPL team, the Dhaka Amla key as S Africa departure from Pakistan that he was “really Dynamites. thankful to the team for choosing me and I “It’s the responsibility of players as well will try my best to give them my 100 per- to ensure the game stays clean. “Cricket, or cent.” any sport for that matter, has to uphold the eye comeback in India His comeback remains controversial, public trust because if the crowds don’t with Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez come to watch, if they feel cheated, cricket refusing to sign for the Vikings with Amir in will die.” NAGPUR: Hashim Amla returns to the scene of a its ranks. As Amir struggles to rebuild trust, Gambling is illegal in Bangladesh but, as personal triumph looking to revive both his and the BPL faces a similar challenge after its in most of South Asia, bookmakers routine- South Africa’s fortunes when the third Test 2013 edition was blighted by a scandal ly operate from backstreets-often con- against India starts in Nagpur tomorrow. involving players and a team owner. trolled by crime syndicates. The Proteas captain hit an unbeaten 253, the Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Every country has its tale of fallen second highest of his 23 three-figure knocks in Ashraful, New Zealander Lou Vincent and heroes, including South Africa whose late Test cricket, at the same VCA stadium on the out- Sri Lankan Kaushal Lokuarachchi were captain Hansie Cronje was exposed as in skirts in Nagpur in 2010. Fiery pace bowler Dale handed lengthy bans. And Shihab Jishan the pay of bookies. The cash-rich Indian Steyn then picked up a 10-wicket haul in the Chowdhury was also convicted of trying to Premier League was hit by a fixing scandal same match, including a career-best 7-51 in the fix the outcome of a match involving his involving the son-in-law of the then head first innings, to fashion South Africa’s emphatic Dhaka Gladiators team. of the board in 2013. win by an innings and six runs. An embarrassed Bangladesh Cricket While authorities say the punishments The top-ranked tourists, down 1-0 in the cur- Board cancelled last year’s edition but now of players such as Amir and Ashraful have rent four-match series, will hope to recreate the believes its house is in order. Chief execu- been a deterrent, few believe the corrup- same magic as they battle to preserve their nine- tive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the BCB tion beast has been slain. Only last week, year unbeaten series record on foreign soil. always had “zero tolerance” of corruption Pakistan coach Waqar Younis had to insist a The usually prolific Amla has endured a lean but felt compelled to do more after 2013. defeat against England in an ODI was not series so far, making 43 and 0 in the first Test in It now has its own anti-corruption unit fixed after claims the match was under Mohali and seven in the rain-ruined second and runs an extensive education pro- investigation by the International Cricket match in Bangalore. The scores are a far cry from gramme for players which includes Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). Amla’s amazing record in India where in six previ- addresses by police. In a recent in-house interview, the ACU’s ous Tests before the current series he had scored “A lot of things happened because of a head acknowledged fixing could never be 823 runs at an average of 102.87 with four cen- lack of education, players not being aware wiped out. “I think the frank answer has to turies. of the consequences, not only for them- be never totally and absolutely eradicated,” Steyn’s availability remains uncertain due to selves but for the nation as a whole,” said Ronnie Flanagan. —AFP his slow recovery from a groin strain that he suf- fered in the first Test which forced him to miss the Bangalore match.