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An inquiry into alleged match fixing in Pakistan cricket has been announced. Hon’ble Mr Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari of the Lahore High Court has been appointed Commission of Inquiry and has issued the following terms of reference:Inquiry – World Cup 1999

Before Hon’ble Mr Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari, Commission of Inquiry, Lahore High Court, Lahore.

1. Whereas the Federal Government of Pakistan in pursuance of the power conferred by Section 3 of Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956 and sub Section (1) of Section 5 thereof has appointed Hon’ble Mr. Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari, Judge Lahore High Court, Lahore as commission of Inquiry to inquire into the allegations of match fixing attributed to Pakistan Cricket Team.
2. The Terms of reference of commissions of Inquiry are as under:
1. To Probe and ascertain whether there was match fixing between Pakistan and Bangladesh (World Cup-1999).
2. The probe and ascertain whether there was match fixing between Pakistan and India (World Cup-1999).
3. To determine whether some persons were involved and responsible for match fixing and betting.
4. To recommend appropriate action and measures that in future this episode is not repeated in case of an affirmative finding.
5. To inquire into the conduct of Umpire Javed Akhtar in the match between South Africa and England during South Africa tour to England in 1998.
3. The public-at-large is informed that the Commission of Inquiry has decided to hold the inquiry at Lahore w.e.f. 22.9.2001 in the premises of the Lahore High Court, Lahore. Those having some information or evidence about the points in issue may get their names registered as witnesses with the Registrar. Commission of Inquiry by or before 20.9.2001. Statement of only those will be recorded during the inquiry, who have their names registered by or before the target date. Such registered witnesses will be separately summoned.

(sgd)
(Kazim Ali Malik)
Registrar,
Commission of Inquiry,
Lahore High Court,
Lahore.

Phone No: +92-42-9212418
Fax No: +92-42-9212281

Central Districts 165 for 9 (Bruce 54, Worker 30, Verma 4-27) beat Wellington 132 (Pollard 44, Ronchi 42, Milne 2-18) by 33 runs
ScorecardFile photo – Adam Milne returned figures of 2 for 18 off his four overs•Getty Images

Tom Bruce’s blitz followed by an all-round bowling display provided Central Districts with their fourth win of the season, by 33 runs against Wellington in Napier.Central Districts were given a strong start after choosing to bat. Captain George Worker and Mahela Jayawardena smashed 48 in 35 balls before Anurag Verma had Jayawardena caught behind for 23 – his first score of less than 50 in three innings in the season. A few quick wickets ensued leaving Central Districts at 66 for 3 in the 10th over. Bruce, batting at No. 4, then combined with 18-year-old Josh Clarkson for a match-changing 53-run partnership in just 35 balls.Bruce struck two sixes and seven fours in his 31-ball 54 and took Central Districts past 150 before Wellington clawed their way back by restricting the hosts to 11 off the last two overs, as they finished with 165. Verma ended with career-best figures of 4 for 27 in his four overs.Wellington lost all that momentum as they were quickly reduced to 17 for 3 in the fourth over of the chase, with Seth Rance picking up two of those wickets. The match swung again as Luke Ronchi (42 off 22) and Michael Pollard (44 off 34), who were the only batsmen to reach double-digit scores, formed a 59-run stand off 38 balls to bring Wellington back into the contest.With Wellington requiring 90 off the last 10 overs, the match looked set for a thrilling finish, but a clump of wickets turned the match in Central Districts’ favour. Wellington were eventually bowled out for 132 in 19 overs, with Adam Milne being the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2 for 18.

First Division

Alfonso Thomas took a timely five-wicket haul to give the Championship pacemakers, Somerset, an outside chance of victory against Yorkshire at Taunton. Having been up against it since the first innings of the match, in which Yorkshire racked up 372, Somerset took complete control of the third day, first by extending their overnight 220 for 9 to a competitive 258, thanks largely to Craig Kieswetter’s unbeaten 67, then by dismissing Yorkshire for 208 in their second innings. Charl Willoughby and Andrew Caddick gave Somerset a dream start by claiming both openers for ducks, then Thomas got stuck into the middle order. Andrew Gale was the lone survivor in the top-order with 58, while Rich Pyrah made 51 from No. 8 to rescue Yorkshire from 104 for 6, but Somerset’s eventual target of 323 is by no means unobtainable – with ten wickets in hand and with Marcus Trescothick at the crease, unbeaten on 11 at the close.Dimitri Mascarenhas produced a captain’s innings of 74 to lift Hampshire into the ascendancy against Durham at Chester-le-Street. The game had been finely balanced on the third morning, not least when Sean Ervine fell for the addition of only three runs to his overnight 46, to leave Hampshire leading by 226 with three wickets standing. But then Mascarenhas got into his stride, striking 13 fours and a six in a 110-ball innings, to add 67 priceless runs. Durham, in reply, stuttered just as they had done in their first innings. Chasing a sizeable 294, they lost wickets at regular intervals, with Shane Bond and Chris Tremlett among the wickets, to close on 186 for 6. Neil McKenzie made 48 and Dale Benkenstein was still there on 46 not out, but with only the tail for company, defeat is looming on Monday.Justin Kemp put to one side the frustrations of two rain-affected days at Canterbury, and struck his first first-class century of the season to boost Kent’s morale against the champions, Sussex. Kemp made 102, having had to strap his pads on in a hurry following three wickets in seven balls for Ragheb Aga. Robert Key fell for 30, then Martin van Jaarsveld and Darren Stevens followed for ducks to reduce Kent to 76 for 4, but James Tredwell continued his allround form with 68, as the pair added 167 for the fifth wicket. They were eventually all out for a healthy 350, with Aga finishing with 4 for 63, and by the close Sussex were well placed for the draw on 57 for 1.Click here to read John Ward’s report on the third day between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford.

Second Division

Derbyshire stormed to an innings-and-95-run victory against a feeble Worcestershire at Chesterfield as Graham Wagg and Rikki Clarke shared seven wickets. The match was over before lunch, with the visitors dispatched for 110 in less than 36 overs. Already one down overnight, it was a procession by Worcestershire from the moment Graham Wagg trapped Steven Moore – who is being chased by Derbyshire – lbw for 9. Wagg continued an outstanding match when he had Graeme Hick caught behind off a flat-footed push, soon followed by Steven Davies. Meanwhile, Clarke, back to bowling action in this match after recovering from a broken thumb, snapped up three cheap wickets, including Vikram Solanki bowled by one that nipped back. The final dismissal of Steve Magoffin, heaving across the line, summed up Worcestershire’s capitulation.Glamorgan were made to follow on at Cardiff after being bowled out for 248 in reply to Warwickshire’s 421, but by the close of the third day they were battling hard for survival on 228 for 4. Their lead was a slender 48, and they might have been better placed had they not lost three wickets for 28 runs after a healthy opening partnership of 71 between Gareth Rees and Matthew Wood. Instead it was left to the captain, David Hemp, and Jamie Dalrymple to rally the rearguard with a fourth-wicket stand of 107. Hemp fell before the close for 56, but Dalrymple remained, unbeaten on 52, to carry the fight into the final day.Stephen Peters guided Northamptonshire past the follow-on at Wantage Road with his first first-class century of the season. He batted for five-and-a-half hours and struck 16 fours in his 122, and without him his team would have been in dire straits. As it is they conceded a sizeable enough first-innings lead of 146, although by the close they had struck back with determination, reducing Gloucestershire to 115 for 4 in their second innings. David Lucas claimed both openers and Johann Louw added Marcus North for a duck, as Gloucs slumped to 58 for 4. But they were bailed out by Hamish Marshall and Chris Taylor, who were unbeaten at stumps in a 57-run stand.Click here for Jamie Alter’s take on the third day at Lord’s between Middlesex and Essex.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is safe after being involved in a road-rage shooting incident in Karachi. He was on his way to the National Stadium for a fast-bowling camp when the attack occurred.Akram told , a Pakistan television channel, that was he was “in shock” and that he had noted the car number and given it to the police.”Wasim was driving himself, and the car next to him tried to jam his car to one side and opened fire. He did not get hit, he is now at the National Stadium, dealing with police formalities,” Arsalan Hyder, Akram’s manager, told ESPNcricinfo.Deputy Inspector General of Karachi East, Munir Sheikh, said it was a case of road rage. “According to preliminary investigation, the incident appears to be a case of road rage. But we cannot say clearly what the motive behind the attack on Wasim Akram was,” Sheikh told reporters outside the National Stadium. “We have identified the car from CCTV footage and will have the suspect in custody in a couple of hours.”

Varun Aaron said that his six-wicket haul on the opening day of the Irani Cup has soothed some of his disappointment at missing out on India’s World Cup squad.”Domestic-wise, I rank it as my best performance” Aaron said. “I have been really cross with myself at not making it into the World Cup and this is the only way I could make myself feel a bit better.”Aaron revealed that he had spent some time working on his bowling with Dennis Lillee in Perth before returning home from India’s tour of Australia.”I had a lot of free time so I spoke to Dennis Lillee and spent around a week to ten days with him in Perth,” Aaron said. “He was very helpful. A few pieces were missing and the time I spent with him did a lot of good to me.”Aaron didn’t divulge too many details when asked to elaborate on what exactly these missing pieces were.”We worked on a few things on my bowling. He just remodelled a few things which are working for me now.”Rest of India opened their bowling with Shardul Thakur and Rishi Dhawan, and Aaron said he was happy coming on as a first-change bowler if the team wanted him to play that role.”I was asked to bowl one-change today,” Aaron said. “Rishi Dhawan is more of a swing bowler. Manoj Tiwary said to bowl him for three overs, because once the ball gets old it’s a little more difficult for him. He is a great bowler nevertheless. Whatever suits the team I am happy with it.”The last of Aaron’s six wickets came via a back-of-the-hand slower ball that trapped Abhimanyu Mithun lbw and wrapped up Karnataka’s innings. Aaron said he was pleased that the change-up came off, and said it was important the Rest of India bowlers thought outside the box to make a dent in a Karnataka line-up high on confidence.”I was satisfied with that,” he said. “I changed a few things here and there, because these guys have been doing well throughout the season. If we stuck to simple things, I doubt if it would have worked because Karun Nair just came back after a brilliant 300 in the Ranji Trophy final, and everybody is on a high at the moment. I think it was important for us to deliver as a team and get them all out as early as possible.”

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said that the side’s quarter-final finish in the 2015 World Cup was largely due to the fact that the players bought into the changes he suggested. He stated he was “amazed” to have gained the trust of the team in a short span, since his appointment in May 2014.”It is not just about believing that you will win but also believing that what you are going to do will work,” Hathurusingha told reporters in Sydney. “If I tell a player to do something, he has to believe me and himself. If you notice I have changed a lot of things after I came in. You [the media] criticised it a lot but I knew what I was doing. The players trusted that, which is the key for me. I was amazed by how quickly they started to trust me. It usually takes a year, or one-and-a-half years; these boys took three to four months. A lot of credit goes to the players.”Hathurusingha insisted that the 15-man group was not the best Bangladesh could offer and said the composition of the playing XI, particularly in the game against New Zealand, could have been different if he had more options available. Soon after Bangladesh’s World Cup squad was announced in January, Hathurusingha voiced his displeasure over the omission of rookie legspinner, Jubair Hossain.”It is a known fact that this was not our best squad,” he said. “I was not happy with a few of the selections. If we have our best team available, going forward we can correct a few things.”I am not talking about the 11, but the 15. We could have had more options, which would have meant a different story. Against New Zealand we could have won the game … It is better I talk about what we need to do to going forward rather than what happened. We need to get our combination right.”Hathurusingha also revealed the plan behind Bangladesh’s batting order at the World Cup, particularly Mahmudullah’s elevation to No. 4 and Mushfiqur Rahim’s slot at No. 6. He explained that Mahmudullah’s approach as a batsman made him a difficult choice down the order. At the same time, the middle order needed more cushion in Australia and New Zealand where a top-order collapse can cost the match. He mentioned how the use of three openers in the top order was criticised during the West Indies tour last year, but stated it was a move to “protect” the middle-order.”Mahmudullah is not a guy who can start scoring straightaway. He needs a bit of time. He was batting at No. 7 and 8, where we were wasting his ability,” Hathurusingha said. “Mushfiqur was batting at No. 4, he is my best player. For me he is the unsung hero of the World Cup. His strike rate was over 100 and average was 50. His 89 against England was a turning point.”Mushfiqur was a key player in Australia where the game would be gone if we lost three wickets in the first ten overs. You can’t come back. In West Indies, when I started with three openers in the top three, a lot of people said it won’t work. I knew that if we want to win, we need to protect our middle order. I told the players and I don’t know if they believed or reluctantly agreed, but they knew it would work.””For me, Mushfiqur is the unsung hero of the World Cup”•Getty Images

Hathurusingha said that a team-first mentality from everyone in the squad was the key to their success in the World Cup and added that the players’ attitude of giving excuses, by insisting on their natural game, is now on the wane. He stressed that the batting order is of little importance as long as the team is winning, and stated he would not resist more changes, if they were needed.”Number one is the team, then it is the players,” he said. “There’s no point in having the world’s No. 1 allrounder when we are No. 10 in the rankings. We all have to play as a team.”I am not reluctant to change things. It depends on the opposition and where we play. I might do something different against Pakistan. The mentality and approach in the team have changed. The players used to give excuses before; they used to say this is the way I am used to playing. Everyone. I am not complaining. It doesn’t matter what he is averaging if we are not winning matches.”Hathurusingha also said that cricket coaches should have a larger role in squad selection, particularly for the limited-overs formats. He cited the examples of Australia and New Zealand where the coaches are also part of the selection committee. Currently the BCB employs three full-time selectors who pick the squads, while the team management decides the playing XI. Hathurusingha hoped to be more involved in picking the squad in the future.”It won’t happen to the extent of soccer. In cricket, a captain has to lead in the middle. If the coach is responsible for outcome, he should have a role in selection,” he said. “If somebody else is selecting, you are trying to win matches. You need to have the same vision as the person. It makes sense in T20 and ODI cricket, coaches should have a lot more say.”It depends on the board. Some boards already have given that role. Darren Lehmann and Mike Hesson are selectors. You only have to look at their results. That is easy to develop a culture as well. It is beyond my control.”

Group A
Ireland, Nepal, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, USA, Jersey
Group B
Afghanistan, UAE, Netherlands, Scotland, Canada, Kenya, Oman

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 will be staged across eight venues in Ireland and Scotland from July 9 to 26. The top six sides from the 14-team and 51-game tournament will join the 10 Full Members for the ICC World Twenty20 2016, to be held in India from March 11 to April 3.The sides that top the two groups will automatically qualify for the World Twenty20 2016. The sides that finish second and third in each of the groups will play cross-over matches with the two winners joining the table-toppers for the India tournament.The losing sides of the two play-off matches will then play the fourth-placed sides from each of the two groups in cross-over matches with the winners completing the 16-team line-up for the World Twenty20 2016.There will be two rounds of warm-up games on July 6 and 7 before Scotland meet UAE in the opening game of the tournament on July 9, followed by Netherlands taking on Afghanistan later in the afternoon. Malahide in Dublin and The Grange in Edinburgh will be the two broadcast venues.The six sides that joined the 10 Full Members for the World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh were Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands and the UAE.

The Pakistan board has dismissed concerns from several international players regarding security arrangements in the country for the Champions Trophy in September. The ICC had declared itself happy with the security situation in Pakistan “at this time” but many Australian and New Zealand players remain uneasy about the tournament.”We’ve been hearing though the media that there may be concerns among some of the players about the Champions Trophy,” Zakir Khan, the PCB’s director of cricket operations, told the Karachi-based . “But we are not taking any of it seriously unless there is an official confirmation from the boards of those countries.”Zakir said since the ICC was satisfied with the security measures, there was no need for other countries’ boards to be worried. “I don’t think there is a need for any security consultant from Australia to come here,” Zakir said regarding reports that an Australian official was headed to Pakistan next week to review the situation. “The ICC [security] officials are already here and monitoring the situation. I believe that should be enough.”But while Ponting and other Australian players expressed their concern over the tournament, Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, said he would feel it was safe to tour if the level of security was the same as when his side toured Pakistan in 2003. “I was there when the bomb went off outside our hotel in [2002] and I went back a year later on tour and the security they put forward that time was immense and overwhelming,” Vettori said. “So if they could promise that level of security it would appease a lot of guys.” Earlier Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder who was part of the 2003 tour to Pakistan, had said he would sit with his family and take a decision on whether or not to tour the country this year.Peter Moores, the England coach, said his side hadn’t discussed the situation yet. “We’ll wait and see what is said and if that’s where we’re going and we’ll take our advice from the ECB.”

Dynamic all-rounder Ian Hewett and rookie fast bowler Rob Cassell have been included in the Bushrangers squad to take on the Queensland Bulls in Friday’s Pura Cup clash at the MCG. Prahran leg-spinner Bryce McGain was also included, whilst Mathew Inness has been left out after sustaining a torn hamstring against Tasmania.A squad of 15 has been named as precautionary measure, due to the injury concerns of pace trio Shane Harwood, Ian Harvey and Mick Lewis. Harwood suffered back soreness following last week’s Pura Cup match against Tasmania, whilst Harvey reported lower back and hamstring soreness after the ING Cup match against the same side. Lewis strained his groin in the opening Pura Cup match against the Southern Redbacks.Hewett 26, has played three matches previously in the Pura Cup, whilst Cassell 19, will make his first-class debut if selected.Bushrangers Coach David Hookes said the selectors would cull the squad after tomorrow’s final training session. “We’ll have a light session tomorrow and talk to the boys that pulled up sore from last weekend’s matches and assess their condition accordingly. At this stage I’m confident that they will be ok, but if not I think that Ian Hewett and Rob Cassell are two promising young players that will acquit themselves very well”.BUSHRANGERS
Darren Berry (c), Jason Arnberger, Will Carr, Rob Cassell, Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Shane Harwood, Ian Hewett, Brad Hodge, Nick Jewell, Mick Lewis, Bryce McGain, Jon Moss, Graeme Rummans, Cameron WhiteMATCH DETAILS
Victorian Bushrangers v Queensland Bulls
Date: Friday, November 8 – Monday November 11
Time: 11.00am – 6.00pm

ScorecardDebuts don’t come much better than Peter Connell’s against Netherlands. He wrapped up Ireland’s innings-and-67-run victory with a hat-trick, in the process completing a 10-wicket haul. He becomes the 16th player to take a hat-trick on first-class debut and the first in an international match.Connell had a taste of success in the first innings when his four wickets helped Ireland set-up their final-day victory charge. Second time around Netherlands again found him too much to handle as they fell to 206 all out. The end came in a hurry with Connell collected his hat-trick by bowling Jeron Smits and Pieter Seelaar, then trapping last man Edgar Schiferli lbw.Only Peter Borren (53) and Mudassar Bukhari (59 not out) put up any resistance for the Netherlands on the final day as the home side struggled in vain to save the match. They weren’t helped by some poor shot selection from the top order as Eric Szwarczynski and Daan van Bunge both fell loosely with just five runs added to the overnight total.Despite Connell’s 10 wickets, the Man of the Match went to Andre Botha for his vital 172 in Ireland’s innings. With Ireland claiming maximum points, this victory moves them up one spot to second place, leap-frogging Kenya in the process. They now lie just 13 points adrift of Namibia but with a game in hand.