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India ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday chosen for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2007-08 given for the most outstanding performance in a year. The awards would be presented on August 25, 2008.

The current Indian captain of the ODI (one day international) and T-20 teams became the only second cricketer after master blaster Sachin Tendulkar to be honored with the Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest honor given for an achievement in sports. .

Dhoni on Monday offered prayers at the famous Deori temple after being conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.

The President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sharad Pawar said, “We are very happy. He has represented the country with distinction, and deserves the honor. His exemplary leadership and demeanor under pressure, especially in the ICC World Twenty20 and the tri-series in Australia, mark him out as the ideal role-model for millions of young Indians, who want to make a mark in life.”

Dhoni is the model icon among youth. He scored 148 against Pakistan in his fifth ODI in 2005 - then the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper. Later in the year, he broke his own record as well as set the current world record for the highest score in the second innings in ODI matches as he scored 183 not out against Sri Lanka.

Tags: Award, BCCI, Dhoni, ICC, Indian Captain, Mahender Singh Dhoni, MS Dhoni, ODI, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Sachin, Sachin Tendulkar, T20, Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar moves to second rank in the latest ICC ODI batsmen ranking list by stepping one move ahead while M S Dhoni is no on 4th place. Yuvraj Singh at rank 14 is another Indian batsman in top 20 ranks while Gautam Gambhir snatches 20th spot.

Tendulkar, who was suffering from groin injury for a long time, has scored 758 points after 792 points by South African captain Graeme Smith. 135 runs made by Dhoni in Asia cup scored 750 points and shares his place with Australians Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey at number four.

In the ICC championship table, India remains at fourth, one point adrift of New Zealand (115). However, if India wins its next super four matches in the ongoing Asia Cup India can reach at position three.

Australia with 128 points at the top is giving neck to neck competition to South Africa with 127 points. Sri Lanka is at sixth spot followed by England at seven and West Indies at eighth position.

Tags: Cricket, Dhoni, Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir, Hussey, ICC, Mahender Singh Dhoni, MS Dhoni, Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Tendulkar

With the recent rise in the row over misjudged matches falling in the less deserving side, the ICC introduced a new rule wherein the players could seek for a second opinion by the third umpire if they are not satisfied of the on field umpire.

In the coming test series between India and Sri Lanka which is starting on the 23rd of July, the BCCI announced early this week that this ICC’s new experimental rule would be applied

The new rule allows the batsman or the fielding captain, to make an appeal to the TV umpire for a review of the on field umpire in the case of an unsatisfactory decision. Each team has been allowed three unsuccessful appeals per an inning. If a batsman has been given out by the on field umpire but the batsman is not satisfied with his decision, the batsman appeals to the TV umpire. In case if the reviewal is in favour of the decision of the umpire, it is calculated as unsuccessful, the team being allowed only 3 unsuccessful appeals.

The rule is applicable for all dismissal ways excepting the case when the batsman arrives late on the field. In such a case, the batsman is not applicable to make an appeal to the third umpire.

This system can be compared to a similar system used in tennis but only for simple line calls. Being accepted by the ICC in March, the rule was first to be tested in the comin England-South Africa series, but there was a problem regarding the non agreement of the respective boards.

The actions involved for the appeal are:

• The batsman has to make a T sign with his hands if he is not satisfied of the decision taken by the on field umpire. In such a case, the decision is transferred to the TV umpire.
• If TV umpire is upholding the appeal made, the umpire would cross his hands thrice, each team having three unsuccessful appeals per inning.

The new system has once been tried at the English domestic scene in friend’s provident trophy but a huge criticism had to be faced with it due to no verdict being given in the favor of the appeal made by the TV umpire

Another threat to the system is that the on field umpires could start feeling their decision making abilities being questioned.

Tags: Cricket, ICC, India, Sports, Sri Lanka, Test Matches, Test Series, Umpires

Indian former batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar has resigned from the post of the Chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday. He decided to quit from the post after being asked to choose between the twin role of his position with the ICC and his job as a TV commentator-cum-media columnist.

“Mr Gavaskar confirmed his decision to the ICC on Wednesday, a day after chairing this year’s meeting in Dubai,” an ICC statement said.

The former India captain, who was holding the post for eight years, had faced a lot of criticism during the recently concluded India-Australia series after he publicly questioned the sportsman spirit of the Aussie cricketers for their conduct in the Sydney Test.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight years I have held the role (of ICC cricket committee chairman), which is an honorary position, and it has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game through that role,” Gavaskar said about his decision.

“However, with more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs, the chairmanship of the ICC cricket committee and my media commitments.” He added.

Tags: BCCI, Cricket, Gavaskar, ICC, Suni Gavaskar

International Cricket Council on Friday asked the chief Executive Malcolm Speed to go on paid leave from April 30 till July following rumors of his reported rift with President Ray Mali.

“The ICC president, Ray Mali, and the CEO Speed have agreed that Malcolm Speed will be on paid leave from April 30 until the end of his contract term on July 4 2008,” an ICC statement from its president-elect David Morgan said.

According to Morgan, “This … is the result of a fundamental breakdown in the relationship between the CEO and a number of board members, including the President, over a variety of issues that include Zimbabwe.”

David Richardson, the ICC General Manager will be the interim CEO until Speed`s replacement while Haroon Lorgat will assume the role of full time CEO at the ICC`s annual conference at the beginning of July.

Speed has served as the ICC`s CEO since July 2001 and is only the second person to have filled the role in the organization`s 99-year history. He succeeded David Richards, who was CEO from 1993 to 2001.

Speed was also involved in some strained issues involving India when he criticized the track prepared for the third and final cricket Test between India and South Africa at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur. He had sought an explanation from the BCCI and made his relations sour with some top officials of BCCI regarding the issue.

No further comments on this issue are expected from ICC till the ICC president-elect David Morgan addresses a press conference on Saturday.

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Tags: CEO, ICC, President, Speed

The great cricket bowler and Pakistan former Cricket Captain Wasim Akram warned on Monday that the Indian Premiere League could seriously damage the international crocket if not intervened by ICC (International Cricket Council).

“I fear the IPL can be a serious distraction and destruction if the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t intervene because it involves huge money and players are ready to abandon international cricket,” Akram said.

IPL which is going to start from April 17 has already stirred controversy with high profile players willing to retire to feature in the multi-million dollar bonanza. This will be the first time in cricket history when international players will together play forgetting national boundaries for privately owned and city based teams. The Twenty20 competition lines up eight teams bought by franchises which selected their players via auction last month.

“The ICC should have foreseen the danger 10 years ago because the ICC and cricket boards of countries earn billions of dollars with players getting a small percentage, so such a thing was bound to happen,” Akram said.

Now there has come a stage where players are willing to opt out of international cricket, which is dangerous.”

Akram, who played 104 Tests and 356 one-day matches during an illustrious career for Pakistan, said he hoped new ICC chief Haroon Lorgat, who will replace Malcolm Speed in June, would tackle the problem.

Akram also said that huge interest in Twenty20 was a potential danger for 50-over one-day cricket. Akram said that to maintain a continuous interest along 50 long hours, ICC will have to do some strong efforts.

“Overs 20 to 40 are starting to prove boring for fans — even I would not watch the middle overs if players like Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi aren’t batting,” he said.

Akram further has shown his concern over boycott of international media agencies to cover IPL. “I see these restrictions as odd, unwise and hope they relent because people want to see pictures and coverage in print.”

He said that no event can get off without media coverage in this culture.

Tags: Akram, Cricket, ICC, IPL, Wasim Akram

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) told on Wednesday that Sunil Gavaskar will not be removed from the chairmanship of the ICC Cricket Committee.

“The ICC has confirmed to the Indian Board that there has been no discussion to remove Gavaskar. The media speculation about removal of Gavaskar was based on a report in a London based paper is totally incorrect,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Earlier it was informed that the 58-year-old former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was asked to step down by the ICC because of conflicts in his twin role of commentator and columnist in the paper.

Gavaskar described England and Australia as “dinosaurs, still trying to voice their prejudiced opinions in the media, and may not open their eyes and see the reality” in a syndicated column at the weekend.

He is due to meet ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed to discuss the issue and the controversies.

The report said Gavaskar was defending his criticism of match referee Mike Procter, after he ruled against India’s Harbhajan Singh for alleged racial abuse of Andrew Symonds in a Test match in Sydney in January.

Gavaskar had reportedly claimed that white South African match referee Procter was biased against Indian players because of the color of their skin.

Tags: BCCI, Cricket, Gavaskar, ICC

Former ICC and BCCI Chief Jagmohan Dalmiya is bailed immediately after being arrested by the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police in Mumbai today.

EOW claimed over Jagmohan of misusing BCCI funds to the tune of Rs 2.96 crore during the 1996 World Cup.

Earlier, the Crime Branch had filed a charge sheet against Dalmiya in the Sessions Court, holding him guilty of cheating (Section 420 of Indian Penal Code), criminal breach of trust (Section 408 of IPC), and conspiracy (Section 120B of IPC).

His secretary K M Choudhary and one Gautam Dutta were also charged of being involved in the case.

Earlier Dalmiya had refuted the allegations as an “old game played by his adversaries” and was also expelled from BCCI following the accusations.

The case includes account number 1223 at the Bhowanipore (West Bengal) branch of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka jointly hosted the 1996 World Cup.Dalmiya operated this account along with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Tags: BCCI. Jagmohan Dalmiya, Dalmiya, ICC, Police

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked Sunil Gavaskar to explain an apparent conflict of interests between his roles as a cricket commentator and as a columnist in paper.

This incident happened after Gavaskar’s controversial statement in a column in which he said England and Australia as those ‘dinosaurs’ which are unable to digest the rising position of India in ICC’s matters.

There are doubts of the suspension of former Indian opener batsman Sunil Gavaskar from ICC’s cricket committee after the incident.

The matter is provoked last week in an official meeting of ICC in Dubai when members asked Gavaskar to select one post as both are contradictory. ICC didn’t decide to remove Gavaskar but is thinking of giving a choice between the twin roles.

Gavaskar will finalize the issue after meeting with the CEO Malcolm Speed in this week in Dubai’s headquarter

Gavaskar is earning pretty good money as a TV commentator and columnist in newspaper and this fact cannot be neglected while deciding to retain him at his chairmanship in cricket committee.

Sources of BCCI said that ICC still wants to retain Gavaskar even after this statement. Gavaskar had made more than 10,000 runs in test cricket and hold the chairmanship in ICC Cricket Committee in June 2000. After this, there is continues increment in his working but his irritation towards member countries like England and Australia is not tolerable to ICC officials.

ICC’s new President David Morgan has also shown his concern over the matter.

Tags: BCCI, Commentator, Cricket, Gavaskar, ICC, Paper

International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday approved cash-rich BCCI supported Indian Premier League (IPL) while the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is rejected.

Though there can be some risk to play because of privatization in IPL but it is a good concept and can be proved beneficial.

Following a two-day meeting of the ICC Executive Board, President-elect David Morgan said IPL was official cricket just like the County Championship in England whereas ICL was unofficial as it was not approved by the BCCI.

“Since ICL is not approved by BCCI so it is unofficial cricket,” he said.

Morgan said that BCCI being the owner of IPL will have to follow certain rules. ICC board though stressed that International Cricket will always be preferred and to maintain it BCCI would sign a standard contract with all ICC members.

“Each ICC Member will have an unfettered right in its absolute discretion to lodge an objection to a player from its country playing in the IPL, and this objection can be lodged up to two years after that player’s retirement”.

The Executive Board, however, stressed that “the concept of nation-versus-nation cricket was the life blood of Members and this must always be given the highest possible priority.”

ICC asked IPL to introduce a code of Conduct, an anti-corruption code and an anti-doping code. Morgan said that ICC will monitor the progress for next few years for harmonious working with international cricket.

Morgan announced South African Imtiaz Patel as Potential candidate of ICC for the position of Chief Executive.

The ICC Board also repeated that “as of now” the Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan as planned earlier from September 11 to 28 and a full independent security assessment of the situation there will be conducted in June.

Tags: Cricket, ICC, ICL, IPL, Money