Zimbabwe pull out of World Twenty20

Future of Zimbabwe cricket

Zimbabwe pull out of World Twenty20

July 4, 2008

	Presenting a united front: Peter Chingoka smiles for the camera after a fraught ICC annual conference © Getty Images

After weeks of backroom manoeuvring and two days of boardroom negotiations, the Zimbabwe issue was resolved with a compromise that sees them pulling out of the 2009 World Twenty20 in England yet retaining their Full Member status with access to full funding from the ICC.

Zimbabwe, whose decision to pull out from the World Twenty20 cleared the roadblock for the competition to be staged in England, will receive its full participation fee for the tournament. The scenario prompted Ray Mali, whose term as ICC president ended today, to call it a "win-win solution".

"We have decided to pull out in the larger interests of the game," Peter Chingoka, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, told Cricinfo. "We have been informed that the British government may not grant visas to our players, and that situation may prevail during the Twenty20 World Cup. We don't want to be gatecrashers; we will attend only those weddings to which we are invited."

Friday morning's meeting of the ICC executive board, which spilled over into an unscheduled third day, lasted barely 20 minutes and wound up with sighs of relief, smiles all around and a group photo session that featured Mali's successor David Morgan shaking hands warmly with Sharad Pawar, head of the Indian board and the ICC's president-elect.

The morning's session was brief only because the principal players had been working through the night on an agreement that would avert a feared split within the ICC with England and South Africa ranged against India and other Asian countries over the propriety of Zimbabwe's status as Full Member.

In the end, India is believed to have played a key role in the compromise, especially in convincing Zimbabwe that the issue was not about membership of the ICC but about getting back into world cricket.

"We have consulted and exchanged notes with everybody, including our Indian friends, last night," Chingoka said. "We are now looking forward to more tours and international cricket with our Asian friends, especially India."

2009 World Twenty20 Zimbabwe's place in the World Twenty20 may now be given to an Associate, thus bringing up the number of Associates who will take part in the tournament to three, a senior ICC official confirmed. Colin Gibson, the ECB spokesperson, told Cricinfo that tickets for the tournament "have almost entirely been sold out". "We are looking at an approximate revenue of somewhere between US$ 20-25 million already. The only matches for which tickets are still left are the two double-headers involving Zimbabwe," Gibson said. Samir Inamdar, the chairman of the ICC's Affiliates and Associates, said that it has been agreed upon that an extra associate would be invited for the tournament, instead of Zimbabwe. "The third associate will come through the qualifiers in August this year. I have had a conversation with Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, who has agreed that it is logical to replace Zimbabwe with an associate," Inamdar told Cricinfo.

Mali, it is learnt, also played his part last night in allaying Zimbabwean fears over their future. "Ray Mali, Dave Richardson, Haroon Lorgat and I decided on an adjournment yesterday to take the discussions forward. Mali took the lead (in resolving the issue)," Morgan said, before admitting "there were a number of private meetings after the adjournment."

Morgan said the issue of Zimbabwe's membership was never discussed at the board meeting, which "unanimously" accepted the country's "voluntary proposal" to pull out of the World Twenty20. There were different views on the issue during the hectic discussions, he acknowledged, but dismissed talk of the ICC being divided as a "mistake".

"It was a collective decision and I was a part of that decision," Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, confirmed to Cricinfo.

Zimbabwe's re-integration into mainstream cricket, and possibly the FTP, will be overseen by a three-member ICC sub-committee headed by Julian Hunte, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board, and including Arjuna Ranatunga, the president of Sri Lanka Cricket, and an ICC official yet to be confirmed. Hunte and Ranatunga are ICC board members and were part of the official discussions over Zimbabwe here in Dubai.

The sub-committee will advise the ICC board on all matters relating to Zimbabwe cricket; specific terms of reference for its operation have not yet been finalised but it's believed that it will report back to the ICC board in November.

The only window of uncertainty now is the one month that Chingoka has been given to get his board's approval for the arrangement, including the pullout from the World Twenty20. Chingoka calls the shots in ZC so this effectively gives him time to reassess his position, especially if he develops any second thoughts over the compromise.

West Indies v Australia, 4th ODI, St Kitts

Brutal Gayle guides strong chase

July 4, 2008

25 overs West Indies 140 for 2 (Gayle 64*, Sarwan 63) need another 143 runs to beat Australia 282 for 8 (Symonds 87, D Hussey 50)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

	Andrew Symonds top scored with 87 at better than a run a ball © AFP

Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan led the most positive batting display West Indies have produced in the series as they chased 283 for victory in St Kitts. At the halfway mark West Indies needed a further 143 as they had reached 140 for 2 with Gayle on 64 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 1.

Sarwan had just departed for 63, caught behind when Brett Lee returned for a second spell after West Indies' captain and vice-captain gave Australia's stand-in leader Michael Clarke some major headaches. Gayle's half-century came from 45 deliveries and featured some powerful strikes, including a ferocious six over long on from a Lee half-volley.

Gayle also took a particular liking to James Hopes, whom he clubbed flat and straight for six before clipping him for four through the leg side in an over that cost 14. Sarwan's half-century was slightly more restrained - it came from 69 balls - but he too enjoyed the short boundaries of Warner Park.

Sarwan pounded the part-time offspinner David Hussey straight over his head for six that left the debutant with a double-figure economy rate at the 25-over mark. Sarwan had started superbly with his first two deliveries driven straight and through cover four boundaries off Lee.

Sarwan was out there in the first over after West Indies lost Xavier Marshall to get their chase off to the worst possible start. Marshall could not get bat on a fast, straight ball from Lee and was lbw to leave the score at 1 for 1 before the recovery from Gayle and Sarwan.

50 overs Australia 282 for 8 (Symonds 87, D Hussey 50) v West Indies

A well paced 87 from Andrew Symonds guided Australia to a reasonable total of 282 for 8 after their top-order batsmen struggled to build any momentum having been sent in. Warner Park is a small ground with a lightning fast outfield so West Indies know their chase is gettable, but they will be frustrated to have let Australia off the hook after the visitors were 129 for 4.

It was Symonds and the debutant David Hussey who steadied Australia with an excellent 127-run partnership that ensured they would bat out their full allotment and allowed them to chase quick runs in the dying overs. Symonds fell short of his century when he slammed Fidel Edwards straight to mid off but his 78-ball innings had already provided plenty of entertainment.

He started sensibly and was happy to knock about singles and twos but when he began to lift his tempo there was trouble for the West Indies bowlers. Symonds lofted the debutant spinner Nikita Miller over long on for six - Symonds' 100th in ODIs - and sent an even bigger six straight down the ground off Daren Powell.

Symonds also showed off his version of the reverse sweep, an unconventional take on an already unusual stroke. When Miller pitched the ball on his pads, Symonds shaped as if to play a normal sweep, then ran the ball off the back of his bat down to the third-man boundary. It was nowhere near as gobsmacking as Kevin Pietersen's switch-hitting but it was innovative all the same.

After Symonds departed a few more wickets slowed Australia's run-rate, with James Hopes skying a catch to midwicket for a golden duck. Luke Ronchi, batting for the first time in an ODI, might have thought he had stumbled into a game of backyard cricket with a rule that batsmen cannot be out first delivery. His first ball was a free-hit after Edwards over-stepped the previous ball and Ronchi made use of the chance, driving a catch to Chris Gayle at cover and scampering through for a single.

Hussey also enjoyed his first one-day international innings and posted 50 from 51 deliveries before skying a catch to deep midwicket. Hussey initially nudged quick ones and twos before displaying his talents with a pair of sixes, one slogged over midwicket off Dwayne Bravo and another driven viciously over long off from Powell.

Edwards and his colleagues fought back well in the late overs, restricting Australia to 26 runs from the final four overs, a good result given that the previous over from Powell went for 19. Still, West Indies knew they could have kept the total even lower after Australia's top four all failed to capitalise on their starts. Clarke, captaining in an ODI for the first time in the absence of Ricky Ponting, looked like he would lead from the front until he was trapped lbw for 36 to give Miller his first international wicket.

Clarke and Michael Hussey (37) had put together a handy 60-run stand that ended when Hussey pulled Darren Sammy to deep midwicket. It gave West Indies their first moment of joy since some excellent new-ball bowling from Powell, who removed both the openers. Shane Watson started positively and had 20 from 22 deliveries when he got a corker from Powell, who nipped the ball back to collect the inside edge on the way through to Denesh Ramdin.

Shaun Marsh (16) fell to an even better ball as Powell pitched it on the stumps and jagged it away from the left-hander, who tried to clip through leg and got a thin edge behind. By the close, Powell's figures had ballooned to 2 for 66 and it was up to West Indies' batsmen to take advantage of the small boundaries.

Pakistan v Bangladesh, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Pakistan thrash sorry Bangladesh

July 4, 2008

Pakistan 116 for 0 (Butt 56*, Jamshed 52*) beat Bangladesh 115 (Rauf 3-24) by ten wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Abdur Rauf's picked up three top-order wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 115 © AFP

A clinical performance from Pakistan saw them coast to a ten-wicket win over Bangladesh in the inconsequential final Super Four match of the Asia Cup. In a refreshing change at the National Stadium in Karachi, the bowlers dominated the proceedings in the first session but for Bangladesh it was the same old story as their innings folded at 115 all out - the tournament's lowest total.

On a pitch offering sideways movement and extra bounce, Abdur Rauf sliced through the top order with three wickets and Iftikhar Anjum bowled an astonishing six maidens - equalling the record for a Pakistani - to put the hosts on course. Half-centuries from openers Nasir Jamshed and Salman Butt helped complete the formalities with more than 30 overs to spare.

The plethora of big scores that have been easily chased down hasn't dissuaded captains from choosing to bat first, and Mohammad Ashraful continued the trend. While Sohail Tanvir extracted significant lateral movement from the pitch initially, it was Rauf who got the early wickets.

On one of the cooler days of the tournament, on a difficult pitch, Bangladesh's batsmen compounded their troubles with some ill-advised shots. Opener Nazimuddin attempted to pull a short delivery in the second over from outside off and only managed to top-edge it to Shoaib Malik at cover.

Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal didn't bring out their strokes except when the bowlers erred, but their steady approach lifted Bangladesh to 41 for 2. Ashraful hadn't connected with an attempted hook in the ninth over but got hold of a short one from Rauf in the next to launch it over the midwicket boundary. Rauf's next ball was a fast bowler's classic reply: a snorter aimed at the body which forced Ashraful to give Misbah-ul-Haq a catch at point.

Raqibul Hasan has shown a heartening and - for a Bangladesh batsman - rare ability to stick it out in the middle but this time he went for an ambitious hook first ball off Tanvir to hole out at short fine leg.

With Bangladesh at a dicey 49 for 3, Rauf came up with the best over of the match. The first ball was a sharp bouncer which Tamim fended to slip, and Alok Kapali barely survived the next five torrid deliveries - a couple of well-directed bouncers, and a mixture of incoming and away-going deliveries.

Iftikhar Anjum followed the Rauf formula of throwing in a surprise bouncer while also testing the batsmen against the deliveries which seamed off a length. Kapali struck three boundaries in Anjum's first over but he was undone by the extra lift in the pitch as well. It was a superb comeback by Anjum, conceding only seven runs in his last nine overs and beating the bat on umpteen occasions. He finished with figures of 10-6-20-2 and was unlucky to not get more wickets.

Saeed Ajmal backed up the good work of the fast bowlers, picking up two late-order wickets off his doosra, which the batsmen struggled to pick as Bangladesh folded in the 39th over.

The flimsy total wasn't going to be much of a challenge for a Pakistan batting line-up that convincingly chased down 309 against India on Wednesday. Jamshed provided the early momentum, repeatedly carting the bowlers in the arc between long-on and midwicket as Pakistan went into the dinner break at 23 for no loss.

Shahadat Hossain extracted the same bounce which aided the Pakistan bowlers, and troubled both openers in the first over after the resumption but there were few alarms after that. Pakistan scored a boundary in virtually every over with a series of off drives off Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat.

There was a brief lull after spin was introduced at both ends before Butt carved Abdur Razzak through extra cover in the eighteenth over. That opened the floodgates as Jamshed pummelled Mahmudullah over long-on for six and brought up his fifty with a swept four to midwicket. Butt also completed his fifty with three sweeps to the boundary off Razzak before an authoritative cut put Bangladesh out of their misery.

Bangladesh are still without a win against challenging opposition since last year's World Cup and the poor showing at the Asia Cup isn't the sort of preparation they'd want ahead of a tough tour of Australia.