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This Test will be the final opportunity for Sri Lanka to win a Test this year, after series losses to England, Australia and Pakistan and their only chance to save the series

Firdose Moonda23-Dec-2011There are very few places in South Africa that Sri Lanka have pleasant memories of but Durban is one of them. It was at Kingsmead where, 11 years ago, Sri Lanka managed to stave off defeat in a Test match – the only time they have done so in this country – and salvage a draw. It was also at Kingsmead where they knocked South Africa out of the 2003 World Cup, in a rain-affected encounter that saw the host crash out of the tournament in the first-round.Sri Lanka will need more than just stories of times gone by to mount a suitable challenge for a dangerous South African side. Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan admitted as much. “We batted for a few overs to save the game, Russel [Arnold] and I. But that’s few years ago and things have changed,” he said. “We need to be ready to face this challenge.”This Test will be the final opportunity for Sri Lanka to win a Test this year, after series losses to England, Australia and Pakistan and their only chance to save the series. After being hit by a spate of injuries, most of them to the fast-bowlers, Sri Lanka called up Dhammika Prasad and the uncapped Kanishka Alvitigala. Prasad is likely to play on Monday, possibly replacing Thisara Perera and it’s expected that he will be able to make good use of a seamer-friendly pitch.Another change to the starting XI could come behind the stumps, as Dinesh Chandimal is tipped to make his Test debut. Kaushal Silva, who played in Sri Lanka’s last three Tests without much success, may have to watch from the sidelines as Sri Lanka hope Chandimal can take his good form this year – which has included a ODI century at Lord’s – into the Test arena.”He [Chandimal] is one of the brightest prospects we have got,” Dilshan said. “He has scored a couple of hundreds in ODI cricket. It will be a good test and experience for him to play against such an opposition and in such conditions. Personally I feel good that we have been able to groom another young cricketer.”At 22, there has been some concern over the responsibility that will be placed on Chandimal’s young shoulders, but Dilshan brushed them off, saying Chandimal’s role in the middle-order will not cripple him. “It’s not a case of him batting at No.3 and keeping wicket,” Dilshan said. “He will be batting at No.6 or seven and that’s okay.”Sri Lanka’s batting was a major weakness after they were crushed by an innings in Centurion, managing scores of just 180 and 150. The batsmen were unable to contend with the pace and bounce of South African pitches and were stunned by the SuperSport Park strip. “In my entire career I have not played on a track like that,” Dilshan said, indicating that conditions got the better of the batting group.Still, with two players, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, close to 10,000 Test runs each, and a fair amount of experience in their ranks, Dilshan expects more of his top six. “Our batting unit needs to stand out and get runs. We have experience, we need to apply,” he said. “We are preparing extremely hard and we need to produce results. We are not asking for big totals, but 250 or 300 could be a good total if we are playing on green tops.”Sri Lanka used the two days that they should have been playing Test cricket in Centurion, to train and took a break on reaching Durban, on Tuesday. “We gave our players rest to recharge their batteries,” Dilshan said. They resumed training on Friday but were unable to have a net session because of wet weather.”There are still two days before the Test match and if we can have one net session, it will be good,” Dilshan said. History will remind Sri Lanka that eight years ago, when the heavens opened in Durban, it served them well. This time, they may not get so lucky.

Auckland maintained their six-point lead over second-placed Canterbury at the top of the table with an eight-wicket demolition of Otago in Dunedin

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2012Auckland maintained their six-point lead over second-placed Canterbury at the top of the table with a eight-wicket demolition of Otago in Dunedin. Martin Guptill and Azhar Mahmood breezed to half-centuries as Auckland knocked off the target of 151 with over two overs to spare. Lou Vincent had given Auckland the start they needed, smashing 31 off 17 deliveries. Guptill and Mahmood took over from there and added 97 to almost see Auckland through. While Mahmood fell for 51 off 39, Guptill was around to hit the winning runs and remained unbeaten on 68 off 47. Otago had earlier managed a start similar to the one Auckland got, but their top order got stuck after getting starts. They were 98 for 1 after 12 overs with Brendon McCullum and Craig Cumming having put on a sedate 54 but McCullum’s dismissal for 35 led to a clutch of batsmen falling in the pursuit of quick runs. Kyle Mills and Mahmood picked up two wickets each for Auckland.Canterbury put in a dominating performance as well, brushing aside Wellington by 70 runs in Christchurch. George Worker anchored the innings with an unbeaten fifty at the top of the order, Rob Nicol did the early running with 48 off 30 and Dean Brownlie provided the finishing touch with 24 off 12. The target of 194 was always going to be stiff for Wellington and they made it tougher for themselves by losing their first three wickets for 29. James Franklin and Grant Elliott brought Wellington back with a 79-run partnership that came off only eight overs but the duo’s dismissals in consecutive overs sealed the game in Canterbury’s favour. Franklin fell to Nicol 28 while Elliott was run out for 51 after having hit four sixes. Wellington then collapsed from 108 for 3 to be dismissed for 123 in 17 overs. Mitchell Claydon and Yasir Arafat ended with three wickets apiece.

A career-best match haul from Jon Holland helped Victoria cruise to victory on the fourth day at Adelaide Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2012
ScorecardA career-best match haul from Jon Holland helped Victoria cruise to victory on the fourth day at Adelaide Oval. Holland picked up 4 for 74 in the second innings and seven wickets for the match as Victoria jumped to third on the Sheffield Shield table with their 186-run win over South Australia.The Redbacks began the day at 3 for 113 chasing 445, with Tom Cooper and Callum Ferguson at the crease. Ferguson, hoping for a century to show the national selectors that he should still be in their thoughts, made 79 before he was brilliantly caught in the slips by a diving Cameron White off the bowling of Will Sheridan.Cooper made 93, missing his opportunity for his second hundred of the Shield campaign when he was caught and bowled by Holland. There wasn’t much resistance from the rest of the South Australian order and the result was confirmed when Cameron Williams was caught behind off Holland with the Redbacks on 258.

Four members of the England ODI squad in the United Arab Emirates were fortunate to escape injury when the taxi in which they were travelling was involved in an incident

George Dobell in Abu Dhabi11-Feb-2012Four members of the England ODI squad in the United Arab Emirates were fortunate to escape injury when the taxi in which they were travelling was involved in an incident.Stuart Broad, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Monty Panesar were travelling at around 100kph when the taxi’s bonnet suddenly flew up and into the car’s windscreen, obscuring the driver’s vision.The driver was able to stop the car safely, however and the players were able to take a full part in training on Saturday evening.There was some irony in the timing of the incident. The England team management recently declined an invite from officials at Yas Marina Circuit, the venue of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, for the team to be taken around the circuit at speed in Formula One style cars. ECB officials felt such an event was outside the terms of the squad’s insurance cover.The squad trained under the lights of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the venue of Monday’s opening ODI against Pakistan. Although Jos Buttler batted in the nets, his involvement in Monday’s game is looking increasingly unlikely. Buttler required stitches in the webbing of his left hand, after sustaining an injury in Sri Lanka while on England Lions duty. Those stitches remain in place and the injury was due to be inspected by a doctor on Sunday morning.Ravi Bopara, the 26-year-old Essex batsman, who was excluded for all three Tests, is the most likely beneficiary of Buttler’s mishap. Bopara has impressed in the nets and also offers the option of his medium-pace bowling. Alex Hales, the Nottinghamshire batsman who was part of the Lions team, has remained with the senior squad as he is part of the forthcoming Twenty20 unit, but he was not considered for ODI selection.Kevin Pietersen looked far from his best during the net session and was particularly troubled by the spin of Monty Panesar, Danny Briggs and the former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, who is now England’s spin bowling coach. Panesar has remained with the squad in recognition of the frailties against slow bowling that were startlingly evident in a 3-0 Test whitewash against Pakistan.It was also interesting to note that Dr Mark Bawden, the England team psychologist, had rejoined the squad. Bawden flew home on the eve of the second Test but, perhaps understandably given England’s struggles since, the decision was made that he should be recalled.Tim Bresnan is also back with the squad. Bresnan was forced to fly home before the first Test when it became clear that his right elbow required more treatment following surgery at the start of December. He returned towards the end of the Test series and played his first game for three months on Friday when he was part of the England side that brushed aside the Lions.Bresnan admitted he was still searching for rhythm, but said he was back up to full pace with the ball and was only wearing padding on his elbow to ensure there was no unnecessary damage should he scrape it in fielding practice.”It’s been a long road back to fitness but I’m available for selection now,” Bresnan said. “It’s tough watching when you’re injured and it was hard to watch the lads trying so hard in the Test series, but things not going their way. It’s no fun sitting on the sidelines watching them lose.”The spirit is still good. They are as strong and together as a team as ever. You win as a team and lose as a team. We’re all in the same boat, but now we just have to paddle a little harder.”We have some fresh faces in this side, but with fresh faces you also have a bit of inexperience so the more they play international cricket, they more they will learn and start churning out performances. They are a talented bunch.”Pakistan, who defeated Afghanistan in an ODI on Friday night, cancelled their training session on Sunday and gave the players a day off. The victory was Pakistan’s seventh in succession in ODI cricket and their 13th in 14 ODIs. England, by contrast, have lost five in succession and 14 of their last 20 played outside the UK.

Chris Hartley’s sixth first-class century and a strong performance from the Queensland bowlers gave the Bulls the upper hand in the battle for the Sheffield Shield

The Report by Brydon Coverdale18-Mar-2012
Scorecard
Chris Hartley celebrates his century•Getty ImagesChris Hartley’s sixth first-class century and a strong performance from the Queensland bowlers gave the Bulls the upper hand in the battle for the Sheffield Shield. But at the close of the third day at the Gabba, Ed Cowan was still standing firm for Tasmania and Queensland needed another four wickets before they would know what target they would be chasing in the fourth innings.Tasmania were 101 runs in front at stumps, with Cowan on 59 and Luke Butterworth on 11. Jason Krejza, Brendan Drew and Jackson Bird were the batsmen still to come for Tasmania, who were 6 for 136, and if the Tigers could push their advantage up towards 200 their bowlers would have something to defend in their push for back-to-back titles.Cowan had been cautious but if the fast bowlers dropped short he was especially strong when cutting, and he had struck five boundaries. However, there hadn’t been any top-order support for Cowan as the Queensland fast bowlers reduced the Tigers to 4 for 36 before Tom Triffitt (35) combined with Cowan for a stabilising 51-run stand.Steve Magoffin had angled a ball across Steve Cazzulino, who was caught in the slips for 4, and Nick Kruger was also taken in the cordon for a 12-ball duck off the bowling of Ryan Harris. The big wicket came when the Queensland captain James Hopes brought himself on and struck first ball, nipping a ball back in between bat and pad to bowl Ricky Ponting for 6.The edges kept coming as James Faulkner was caught at slip for 3 off Hopes, before the Cowan-Triffitt stand. Triffitt was bowled by Harris, who was impressive in collecting 2 for 35. The final wicket for the day was the batsman Alex Doolan, who was batting down at No.7 due to a back injury and hooked a catch to fine leg off the bowling of Alister McDermott for 15.The day had started well for Tasmania, when Hopes added only four to his overnight score and was lbw to Jackson Bird for 58. Harris was caught behind off Luke Butterworth for 18 but then came the partnership that could yet prove to be the difference, a 97-run stand between Hartley and Magoffin that took Queensland from a shaky position to well past Tasmania’s total.Hartley’s experience at the Gabba showed as he took few risks but latched on to anything full enough to drive through the off side, and his shots from cover to mid-off were outstanding. He also pulled occasionally and struck the ball down the ground and brought up his century from his 151st delivery with a pull for four off Krejza.It was Hartley’s first Shield hundred in two seasons and it came at the perfect time, as the Bulls aim to improve their conversion rate having made six of the past nine Shield finals for just one title. Hartley had excellent support from Magoffin, who didn’t throw his wicket away and made a valuable 31 from 74 balls before he edged behind off Butterworth, who finished with 4 for 54.Bird collected 4 for 56 as he had Cameron Boyce caught behind for a duck and then ended the innings with the wicket of Hartley, who on 111 left a ball that swung back into him and was trapped in front. It was the end of a fine innings, and one that could be the difference in a challenging match for the batsmen.

Ajmal Shahzad is free to leave by Yorkshire because of his reluctance to accept team discipline, according to Colin Graves and Martyn Moxon

David Hopps03-May-2012Ajmal Shahzad is free to leave by Yorkshire because he is a strong-willed individual whose reluctance to accept team discipline has caused an irrevocable breakdown in relations, according to Yorkshire’s chairman, Colin Graves, and director of cricket, Martyn Moxon.”Cricket is a team game and Yorkshire is bigger than everybody,” Graves said as he acted to counter criticism of Yorkshire’s ability to lose an England fast bowler only one month into a new season. “I am not prepared to have somebody playing for Yorkshire who does not want to be part of the team. All the comments I have heard from Ajmal are about him, not about the team. And as far as I am concerned, cricket is a team game. There is no point having a player where he doesn’t want to be.”As first reported on ESPNcricinfo, Shahzad’s stormy relationship with Yorkshire had been a prolonged one, with the disagreement over his bowling tactics leaving the county and player increasingly at loggerheads.Shahzad saw himself as a free spirit, who should be allowed to bring his attacking inclinations to the fore with a rich diet of bouncers, yorkers and slower balls. Yorkshire, much in the manner of England, wanted a more disciplined fast bowler dedicated to building pressure. The new coach, Jason Gillespie, was unable to win Shahzad over.Whichever county signs Shahzad, or takes him on loan until the end of the season, should be aware that they have an attacking bowler on their hands who will not easily be regimented. Perhaps some suitors will accept that quite happily.Graves called a clear-the-air meeting with Shahzad, his agent Neil Fairbrother and Yorkshire’s coaching staff at Headingley on Tuesday after receiving reports of Shahzad’s discontent during a Championship match against Kent at Canterbury and that he had voiced his intention to leave at the end of the season.”I decided the best thing to do was to bring this to a head,” he said. “I listened to everybody – I sat quietly for 40 minutes which is unusual for me – and at the end of the day I turned round and said there was no way forward. We were back where we were last season, everybody else was wrong and Ajmal had his own ideas. This is a team game. I am not prepared to have someone playing for Yorkshire who does not want to be part of the team.”He was unhappy with the situation last year on the coaching side and we are three matches into this year, with a new set-up, and we still have a problem. We decided it was the best thing, if he didn’t want to be around next year, and he was unhappy this year, that he should leave. We don’t want ongoing management problems with one person.”Moxon is offended by implications that Yorkshire’s approach has been insensitive. Insensitive perhaps not: abrupt definitely. “I am absolutely gutted that we are losing somebody with Ajmal’s potential,” Moxon said. “I have told him how highly I rate him many times. We have tried to do everything we can do to accommodate him and make him happy playing his cricket at Yorkshire. However we feel that the issue has gone beyond repairable.”We would not be letting him go if we did not feel it was better for both parties to part. What we do want is an amicable separation. We do not want to be slagging each other off in the media.”This is all about Ajmal’s cricket and where he wants to pursue his career. The club and the staff have bent over backwards for several years now to try to satisfy Ajmal and how he wants to play his cricket but it has become clear that we will not get the best out of him at Yorkshire.”Obviously when there is a parting of the ways then something is not right. It is about how he sees himself as a bowler. How we see him as a cricketer is exactly the same as the England management see him. Sometimes Ajmal doesn’t agree with that. He has very strong views on how he sees himself. He wants to be doing lots of stuff. The last thing that a team needs is a player who is unhappy.”Jason Gillespie has very strong ideas about what he wants the bowlers to do. If one bowler strays away from that plan, that bowler is not a team player. That is what we can’t afford. There is no one person bigger than the team. We saw in 2010 when we were a tight unit we did well. When you have one or two people not singing from the same hymn sheet you have a problem. I was hoping that Jason would be able to come in and give Ajmal the backing, the encouragement, the advice and the nous that he wants, but he is a strong character and he has his own views.”The fact remains, however, that Yorkshire have false-started in their efforts to return to Division One at the first attempt. The Australia quick Mitchell Starc is due to arrive within the next few days and, if Shahzad finds a new county, more funds will be available. Will that money finance Headingley’s debts or go on another bowling reinforcement? “We haven’t even discussed it,” Graves said.Graves dismissed suggestions that Shahzad’s departure will play badly in Yorkshire’s Asian communities, where so much work has been done in the past decade to forge relationships. “As far as I am concerned I have worked with the Asian community for 40-odd years. I know the Asian community better than anybody. At the end of the day that community will be as disappointed as we are.”I feel sorry for Martyn and for Andrew Gale who have worked strenuously for the past 12 months to try to make him part of the time. I really hope it works out for him. But how many matches has he won for Yorkshire?”

West Indies’ captain Darren Sammy did nothing to quash talk after defeat at Lord’s that Chris Gayle should be invited to strengthen his side in the rest of the Test series against England

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2012West Indies’ captain Darren Sammy did nothing to quash the theory after his side’s defeat at Lord’s that Chris Gayle should be invited to strengthen his side in the rest of the Test series against England, as well as the one-day matches that follow.Gayle’s involvement in IPL is over after Royal Challengers Bangalore were eliminated from the tournament and such has been his troubled relationship with the WICB that any emergency dash to the UK in time to play in one or both of the remaining two Tests seems hard to imagine.But Sammy refused to close the door on the possibility after West Indies’ five-wicket defeat against England at Lord’s put them 1-0 down in the series, suggesting that both he and the coach, Ottis Gibson, would be content to accommodate Gayle’s late arrival.”Whatever happens outside this squad takes its own course,” Sammy told Sky Sports. “Whoever comes in we will welcome them into the team and hopefully they will help. It is up to the selectors to select the team.”I think Chris has said he is available for Test cricket, one-day cricket and T20 so it is up to the selectors. We have been having some difficulties at the top of the order and if he comes in we would all welcome him, myself, Ottis and all the guys.”One change West Indies will consider for the second Test at Trent Bridge on Friday, and one which needs no political machinations, is the inclusion of Shane Shillingford, the Dominican who took ten wickets in his last Test, against Australia on his home ground in Roseau in April.Shillingford, according to Sammy, had been omitted at Lord’s partly because he could not cope with the cold weather – and with higher temperatures forecast in the build-up to Trent Bridge that could change.”Shane was experiencing a bit of difficulty gripping the ball but in the course of this Test match he has done some work and hopefully his fingers will be warm enough and ready for him to play for us in the next match,” Sammy said. “He played a crucial role in the last series and once he is ready to master the cold we will have him in.”

Sri Lanka Cricket is set to tighten up on players’ interaction with the media

Sa'adi Thawfeeq26-May-2012Sri Lanka Cricket is set to tighten up on players’ interaction with the media. From now on, Sri Lanka players will have to obtain prior permission from SLC CEO Ajith Jayasekera before speaking with any media personnel. A letter to this effect is to be drafted by Jayasekera, in consultation with SLC lawyer Harsha Amarasekera, and sent to all the contracted players.A spokesman for SLC said that this regulation may also be included as a clause in the players’ contracts. The players are expected to sign their new contracts before the start of the series against Pakistan, which begins on June 1.The executive committee of SLC had also decided to write a “mild” letter to former captain Kumar Sangakkara, regarding an interview he had given to a newspaper, “reminding him of his obligations” and stressing “that such actions will not be tolerated in future”. Sangakkara had previously come under the scrutiny of the cricket administration in Sri Lanka, when he had delivered the MCC’s Spirit of Cricket Lecture in England, in which he has said that the establishment was run by “partisan cronies”.The SLC, meanwhile, it is understood, has to pay the players the remainder of their outstanding salaries, along with the dues from the Commonwealth Bank Series (played in Australia in February-March) and the Asia Cup (played in Bangladesh in March).

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke believes the upcoming one-day tour of England will be valuable preparation for next year’s Ashes

Brydon Coverdale14-Jun-2012Australia’s captain Michael Clarke believes the upcoming one-day tour of England will be valuable preparation for next year’s Ashes, but he maintains his men are not yet thinking about regaining the urn. The ODI squad flew out on Thursday for a five-match series against England and one in Ireland. Australia A will also follow the national team to England in July and August to play two three-day and two four-day matches.The result is that the vast majority of Australia’s likely Ashes squad will have the chance to acquaint – or reacquaint – themselves with English conditions a year out from the Test series. For young men like Pat Cummins and James Pattinson the experience will be especially valuable as they aim to become familiar with the Duke ball, the difference in swing and seam movement and the venues they will see come Ashes time.”It is important they get some cricket in English conditions, whether that’s with the one-day team or they stay on with the Australia A team and play a couple of those games,” Clarke said of his young bowlers. “But I think just being in England, seeing what conditions are like, if they get an opportunity [they should] grab it with both hands.”The Ashes is a long way from my mind right now. But any opportunity you get to play in the same conditions as you’re going to play in 12 or 15 months’ time can only be good for a team. I think a lot of guys involved in this one-day squad have a big chance of being part of the Ashes team in 12 months’ time. I think it’s really important we get as accustomed to those conditions as we can and have some success over there.”This week, the Australians were presented with the ICC’s ODI shield after finishing the season as the No.1-ranked one-day side, despite their struggle at the World Cup last year. In the past 12 months, Clarke’s men have won just over half of their ODI matches and while they haven’t lost a series during that time, they have had some close calls, including a 2-2 draw with West Indies in March.”We’ve been the No.1 one-day team in the world for a while now,” Clarke said. “But we need to continue to raise the bar. I think our cricket in the shorter form of the game of late hasn’t been as consistent as we would like. Once we get on a plane today it’s probably the start of a two-year journey for this Australian team, whether it be the one-day team, the Test team or the T20 team, to have a lot of success and get back to being the No.1 team in all three forms of the game.”Australia will need to find their peak one-day form without one of their best players, after Michael Hussey withdrew from the tour. Peter Forrest has been drafted into the squad to replace Hussey but he might not initially find a place in the starting line-up, with Clarke, George Bailey, David Hussey and Steven Smith all available for middle-order positions. Clarke said there was no doubt in his mind who would take the Michael Hussey role of steering the middle-order towards the end of tricky chases.”Fortunately God gave us a brother to Michael Hussey,” Clarke said. “We’re very lucky we’ve got David. Last summer I think he got to show the country that he cannot just play at the highest level but can be very successful. I’m pretty sure while Mike Hussey is away, Dave Hussey will be there to fill those boots.”Australia won’t be the only ones missing a key senior batsman during the series, which will be England’s second since the retirement of Kevin Pietersen from the format. The Australians will keep an eye on how England perform without Pietersen during the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, but Clarke said he was pleased the Australians would not have to worry about countering him this year.”I’m surprised that he retired from the shorter form of the game, because of how good he is,” Clarke said. “And he’s only 31 years of age. Obviously the ECB has different rules to Australian players in regards to our contracts – I’m not part of the T20 team but I’m still eligible to play one-day cricket and vice-versa.”As an opposition player to Kevin Pietersen, I’m thrilled I don’t have to play against him in one-day cricket because he’s such a good player. He’s had a lot of success and he’s match-winner. But England have a lot of good players in their team, they enjoy the shorter form of the game, they’ve got some good talent coming through and they’re running high with confidence after just beating West Indies [in the Tests].”

The BCCI is likely to tread lightly on the Rahul Sharma drugs case, given the ambiguity in its rules and confusion over the specifics of what he is alleged to have consumed, and in what quantity

Sharda Ugra21-Jul-2012The BCCI is likely to tread lightly on the Rahul Sharma drugs case, given the ambiguity in its rules and confusion over the specifics of what he is alleged to have consumed, and in what quantity. Rahul is currently with the India squad in Sri Lanka and, though he didn’t play the first ODI on Saturday, he was seen practising with the team before the game.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the Indian board has contacted the police to ask for the specific test reports on the two cricketers – the other being South Africa’s Wayne Parnell – but was unsure of how quickly it would receive them. Rahul, an official said, would be eligible to play for India and not be recalled from the five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka until the board had more detailed information.Rahul and Parnell, both part of the Pune Warriors IPL franchise, are alleged to have tested positive or banned substances following a raid by the Mumbai police at a rave party on May 20. They were tested for cannabis and methylenedioxy/methylamphetamine (MDMA) or Ecstasy, but the police have not specified which of the drugs they tested positive for.Legal experts say they can be charged under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985. The penalty for the consumption of cannabis or MDMA is six months in jail or a Rs10,000 fine or both. However, this would be under the Indian legal system – a formal charging, indictment and conviction – and hence subject to delays and the possibility, if convicted, of an appeal.The two drugs are on the list of prohibited substances in the BCCI’s anti-doping code; cannabis is under a category called Cannabinoids and MDMA, under stimulants. However, they fall under the category of ‘in-competition prohibited substances’ and on the day of the raid Rahul and Parnell were both out of competition, their team having already ended its IPL campaign. Parnell was due to leave India the following day and Rahul due to return home to Chandigarh soon after.The BCCI official said the board was waiting for details of the quantity and precise nature of the drugs the players tested positive for, to see if the positive tests could have come from “passive smoking” in an environment where cannabis was being smoked. “That is why the quantity of the consumption is important in this case,” the official explained.A Pune Warriors team-mate said he was “very surprised” to hear of the positive test reports as both Rahul and Parnell were not seen drinking or smoking during the seven weeks of the IPL. “Ecstasy is consumed in a pill form and it is easy to spike drinks with them,” he said.Rahul’s Punjab coach Vikram Rathour told : “It is hard for me to believe knowing Rahul, who doesn’t even drink beer … it is surprising.”The Pune Warriors management said both players had been “released” from the team and would contemplate any action following the positive tests based on the direction of the BCCI.Mumbai deputy police commissioner Pratap Dighaokar told on Friday that the two cricketers had belonged to a group of 44 people who tested positive out of the 92 detained following the raid.There have been mixed reactions to the news that Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell tested positive for recreational drugs while at a rave party in Mumbai on May 20. As with almost anything dealing with Indian cricket, the reactions occupy extreme positions on either side. As of now, the only facts that are known are that the two players have – according to the police – returned positive results when tested for cannabis and MDMA or ecstasy, both recreational drugs; the alleged offence came at a time when they were not in competition (their IPL involvement was over) and the charges are yet to be formally pressed and will then run the full gamut of Indian law. Including, if convicted, the right of appeal. Those are the facts of the case at this point but there are several missing elements, which could reduce or remove culpability even in the face of a positive sample. For example, the quantity of the substance found is not yet known; a small quantity can be explained by passive smoking (in the case of cannabis). Nor is it clear whether they have tested positive for MDMA, which can be mixed in drinks.In this context, the reactions of the BCCI and of Pune Warriors – the IPL franchise that employs both players – have been temperate and rational. In essence, their stand is this: let the law take its course, let us get the facts and then act. How they will act is also flexible: though both drugs fall under the BCCI’s list of prohibited substances, they relate only to in-competition offences. For reference, it can look at England’s Football Association, which hands out a minimum of a warning and a maximum of six months’ suspension for a first offence of this nature. At the moment, the Mumbai incident is a potential violation of the law of the land and so the case must rest with the police. Both players have maintained their innocence from the day the story broke, and in any case are innocent till proven otherwise. The BCCI’s next step will be important, and will be watched by the rest of the cricket world: never the most dexterous of organisations, it must balance its stealth with full application of the law if the charges are proved. Till then, the waiting game is the best option.
Jayaditya Gupta