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Mohammad Asif, the banned Pakistan fast bowler, has lost an appeal against his conviction in the spot-fixing case that marred Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010.In their ruling, three Court of Appeal judges in London said they were “not persuaded that there are any grounds, arguable or otherwise, for attacking the safety of the convictions of this applicant [Asif]. The renewed applications are accordingly dismissed.”According to Ravi Sukul, Asif’s legal counsel in London, the main reason for approaching the Court of Appeal was that a successful appeal could have influenced the ICC to reconsider the ban imposed on Asif in 2011.”The appeal was against the two convictions he had in 2011,” Sukul said. “The two convictions to me did not accord with the legal principles of that particular case. When I read the case papers I came to the conclusion that the judge who was trying the case may have made some legal technical errors and because of that I took the case to the Court of Appeal. But the three judges who were listening to the arguments this morning did not agree with me.”Asif, along with his team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir, had been found guilty of conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test. Butt was given a 30-month sentence, while Asif got 12 months and Amir six. Asif was released from jail in May 2012, after serving half his sentence.Even before their convictions by the Southwark Crown Court, the ICC had already banned the players from any sort of recognised cricket. Asif’s ban was for five years.Asif and Butt challenged their ICC bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, but their appeals were rejected in April.

Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy and could face a race to be fit in time for the Ashes as he continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury. The ECB said on Wednesday that it expected Pietersen to resume full training in mid-June, less than four weeks before the first Test against Australia at Trent Bridge on July 10.Pietersen missed the third Test of England’s tour of New Zealand after suffering bruising to his right knee and it had already been announced that the batsman would not be considered for the return series, starting next month. Playing in the Champions Trophy was the next target but it has been deemed that he will not be ready for the tournament, which runs from June 6-23.An ECB statement read: “Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy following a repeat MRI scan on his right knee earlier today. The scan has shown some improvement in the bruising to the bone that occurred in the build up to the Test Series against New Zealand in February. However Pietersen will not have recovered sufficiently in time for the NatWest one-day series against New Zealand beginning May 31 and the Champions Trophy which follows. Pietersen will now start a graduated rehabilitation program with a view to resuming full training by the middle of June.”The news is not altogether unexpected, with England taking a cautious approach to managing Pietersen’s knee problem ahead of back-to-back Ashes series, and comes shortly after the announcement of Australia’s touring squad. Pietersen has been wearing a brace to aid his recovery, although there is currently no suggestion that surgery will be required.When he flew home from New Zealand, where he was injured in a warm-up match at Queenstown, a timeframe of eight weeks was given, forcing his withdrawal from the entire IPL. The two home Tests against New Zealand, beginning on May 16, would also have come too soon but his absence for the Champions Trophy is a blow to England’s hopes of winning a global 50-over competition for the first time.Should his recovery progress as the ECB hopes, Pietersen could play for Surrey in the Championship against Yorkshire starting on June 21. England then have a four-day game against Essex starting on June 30 to prepare for the Ashes although even that schedule would only leave him a maximum eight days of first-class cricket since the middle of March.Pietersen returned to England’s ODI team for the first time in almost a year against India in January after his temporary retirement from limited-overs internationals in 2012. England’s rotation policy meant Jonathan Trott was rested for that series, with Joe Root making an immediate impression in the middle order and when Pietersen sat out the ODIs in New Zealand, Root improved his record to 326 runs at 81.50.With Trott, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell all expected to bat at the top of the order, England will now be heavily reliant on Eoin Morgan to provide the sort of impetus that Pietersen is capable of in one-day cricket. The priority of retaining the Ashes, however, is clearly of greater concern.

ScorecardLuke Wells made his highest first-class score•Getty Images

Sussex haven’t won at The Oval since 1994 but have a chance to break that run after building up a good lead and asking Surrey to bat out the final day for a draw.Graeme Smith, Surrey’s captain, led an excellent riposte as his side faced 17 overs before the close with an unbeaten 43 in 46 balls. He will be relieved after failing in his first two innings for his new club but will know tomorrow’s biggest challenge may well be against Monty Panesar on a wearing wicket.Panesar may be the only hope for a positive result on a surface that appears to be getting slower and lower. Sussex would have liked more than their solitary success by the close, Steve Magoffin swinging a full ball into Rory Burns who drove and edged behind, but the reality is the wicket is not competitive enough.Panesar’s initial burst on the third evening did not suggest he can win the match on day four. Smith biffed his first over for 14, putting a full toss past mid-off, a half-volley past mid-on and a short ball through square leg. Smith has already negated a much-vaunted English spinner on this ground in the past 12 months – Graeme Swann finding no joy in the Test match last July – and Smith will undoubtedly seek to unsettle Panesar tomorrow en route to a morale-boosting draw.His side have been on the back foot for the past two days, having failed to take advantage of being 247 for 3 in their first innings. They crumbled to the second new ball, whereas Sussex thrived against it on the third morning and picked up the scoring rate.Luke Wells predicted a fresh ball would be easier to score against and so it proved as he and Ed Joyce extended their partnership to exactly 200 before Joyce, like he did in the season opener at Headingley, failed to move through the 90s and was bowled by a Gareth Batty slider. It was the high point in Batty’s day. He recorded an undesirable career record, with the most expensive innings figures he has sent down in the Championship.Matt Prior played around with him in a typically jaunty half-century in 36 balls. Batty tossed it up just outside off stump and went over extra-cover; he bowled straighter and went past fine leg; he bowled flatter and went past backward point. Prior was a breath of fresh air that broke up what was an uninspiring day as the contest between bat and ball that thrived on the second afternoon was totally lost.Luke Well was the beneficiary, going through to a career-best 208. The way he plays suggests that he is not one to waste opportunities. He took full advantage to become only the fourth Sussex batsman, after CB Fry, Murray Goodwin and Ranjitsinhji to make a double century against Surrey. It was also the highest individual score by anyone in a first-class match involving these two teams and the first Sussex double-hundred at The Oval since 1903.His century was completed off Vikram Solanki on Thursday and it was the same bowler that allowed Wells to flick to deep point to bring up his double hundred as he emulated his father, Alan – whose sole Test cap came at The Oval – and uncle, Colin, in scoring double centuries in the County Championship.”Luke was brilliant,” Sussex captain Ed Joyce said, “200 from a young man is an incredible achievement. It’s great that he’s got runs because he failed in the first game and didn’t look in great nick but it’s good to know that everyone’s now got a few.”He loves batting. When he got his hundred he was talking straight away about getting 150 and then 200. He just keeps going and it’s great to see because even if he’s in bad form, if he does get that score he’ll make it a big one. He’s got a bright future for sure.”

Much of West Indies’ control over Zimbabwe in the Test series so far has come through Shane Shillingford. With a five-wicket haul on the first day in Roseau, the offspinner has already taken his tally to 14 for the series. The support shown by his team-mates and the management, he said, was indicative of his good work.”(I’m) looking forward to even getting 12 in this match. Once I get the support from the captain, and the players as well, the coach and everybody, I know I’m doing a good job,” he said.Shillingford said that he changed his approach to bowling a little wide outside off stump to counter the sweep which was being employed by the right-handed batsmen.”For the right-handers, when they tried to sweep I tried not to bowl too straight but to bowl a little wider of the off-stump. I noticed they then changed their game plan. I felt our change of tactics worked quite well and we held them very tight. They had to look for other ways to score their runs.”His spell of 5 for 59 helped his side bowl Zimbabwe out for 175, 20 minutes after tea. In the only other Test he played here, against Australia last year, he took ten wickets.”Absolutely feels good, especially coming back home and performing. Coming straight from the first-class season, getting the first match and now the second match. It’s always a pleasure playing with home support and everything.”To be honest, every time West Indies come here, the guys are happy. Because they know the type of crowd they’re going to get. What I really appreciate is that Dominican people support good cricket.”But unlike Shillingford’s last Test here, the crowd is likely to see a West Indies victory this time round.

ScorecardBJ Watling played two crucial knocks to down the England XI in Queenstown•AFP

England’s bowlers will know plenty about BJ Watling going into the first Test, after the wicketkeeper guided New Zealand XI to an excellent three-wicket victory with eight balls to spare in Queenstown, to leave the visitors in far from perfect form heading into the series.It was England’s first defeat in a first-class warm-up match on tour since they lost by eight wickets against an India Board President’s XI in Vadodara in February 2006. The attack, except for Graeme Swann, struggled for consistency on a surface that, while offering a hint of turn, remained true for batting throughout.At tea, England were favourites with New Zealand XI 167 for 5. Watling and Corey Anderson, who together bludgeoned a 105-run stand in the first innings, produced a repeat performance in the second innings by adding 89 runs in 19 overs. Graham Onions again came in for punishment, as a two-over spell went for 23, on another dispiriting day for him. He claimed forgettable match figures of 1 for 213.Joe Root was given an extended bowling spell during the evening session, partly because Swann was off the field for a few overs, and also probably with a view to have him filling in for a few overs during the Tests. Root struck twice to keep England in the hunt. Anderson advanced down the pitch to Root and ended up yorking himself. After a 46-run stand for the seventh wicket, Jimmy Neesham picked out Stuart Broad at deep square-leg.However, Watling, who was dropped in the gully on 47 by Swann, shortly after he came back on the field, provided a calm head as the home side ended up winning with time to spare. Neil Wagner, after being added to New Zealand’s squad for the first Test earlier in the day, did not need to be shielded from the strike and played some handsome strokes, including a top-edged hook for six off Broad, and a boundary that leveled the scores, to ease the pressure on Watling in their match-sealing stand of 52England declared overnight, leaving the New Zealand XI a full day to chase the target. As in the first innings they made a solid start, seeing off the new ball through an opening stand of 56. Hamish Rutherford showed his intent by upper-cutting Broad over point for six, before departing playing a similar shot off Chris Woakes, which was taken by Nick Compton at point. Broad returned for a second spell and pitched the ball a touch fuller, which brought reward when Carl Cachopa was caught on the crease and lost his off stump.For the next 23 overs either side of lunch, Tom Latham and Neil Broom resisted solidly and kept the score ticking over. Onions was given another extended chance to bowl himself into form, but never suggested he would find his groove.Swann broke the partnership when he removed Latham while playing the sweep, and there was a touch through to Matt Prior who held on while in the process of appeal for lbw. Broad, who again maintained his pace throughout each spell, removed Broom offering no shot and when Dean Brownlie fenced to second slip the game looked to be England’s. Instead, they will travel to Dunedin on Sunday with another reminder of the fighting qualities of New Zealand cricketers.

Franchises not seeking replacements

By Nagraj Gollapudi
Kolkata Knight Riders, the franchise that Shakib represents in the IPL, remain hopeful that the player will be available for the sixth season.
“It is slightly unclear at the moment. We will have to wait and see,” Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders’ chief executive said.
However, he pointed out that franchises were always prepared for such scenarios. When the player signs the contract, the NOC clearly mentions that the player’s availability is subject to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme or any last-minute tours arranged by their country’s board.
Mysore also ruled out the option of KKR seeking a replacement for Shakib in case he missed out due to the Zimbabwe tour or if he failed to recover from his shin injury.
Pune Warriors, Tamim’s franchise, have also decided to monitor the situation before they make a final decision. “We are aware that he might miss a good part of the tournament. But, at the moment, we will have to just wait,” a Warriors official said. The official did not rule out the team seeking a replacement for Tamim.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will take a call on Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal’s participation in the Indian Premier League after discussion with the team management as the tournament clashes with Bangladesh’s tour to Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe tour commences on April 13 and ends on May 12, while the IPL is scheduled between April 3 and May 26.Shakib and Tamim, who play for Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors respectively, will have two windows before and after the Zimbabwe tour during which they can play four matches for their franchise. However, the players need a No Objection Certificate from the board to participate in the IPL.”We are yet to take a decision on it (issuing the NOC),” BCB’s acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo. “The board will take a call after speaking to the team management.”The duo were among the Bangladesh players who signed a central contract with the BCB before the Sri Lanka tour after the board president approved of changes to the contract.Bangladesh will play two Twenty20s on April 13 and April 14 before a three-match ODI series between April 17 and 21. The teams will then play two Test matches in Harare from April 30. The tour was originally scheduled for mid-2012 but was postponed after Zimbabwe Cricket decided to re-lay the pitches in Harare and Bulawayo.

Owais Shah will not take any further part in this season’s Bangladesh Premier League due to personal reasons.Shah, currently in the UK, was supposed to return to Dhaka sometime around February 9 but after a relative died, he decided not to come back.”I will not be able to fly back to Dhaka to take further part in the BPL due to a family emergency. I have to stay at home and support my family in this difficult time. I would like to wish the Dhaka gladiators all the best in the rest of the tournament,” Shah communicated in a statement.He has played seven matches for the Dhaka Gladiators but left the country on February 3. He will miss the Gladiators’ last four games.”He [Owais Shah] was due to return to Dhaka around the 9th but due to a death in the family, this will no longer be possible,” the statement said.”The death in Owais’ family was unrelated to the reasons why he was returning home initially.”Shah was embroiled in a pay dispute with the Bangladesh Cricket Board days before he left. After it transpired that there was an error in the bank details he had provided to the BCB, which caused the delay in payment, Shah had admitted his mistake. But it was made clear in the statement that his pull-out was due to other reasons.”Owais would like to make clear that the reasons for his return home were family related and had been accepted by Dhaka Gladiator’s team management around two weeks before he left.”

The fall-out of Bangladesh’s reluctance to tour Pakistan could be costly for the forthcoming second season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is confident that cricketers from Pakistan will be made available. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf’s use of the word “might” in the case of the Pakistan players’ availability has eased fears of a complete pull-out.”I still believe that a large number of Pakistani players will play in the BPL,” Nazmul Hassan, the BCB president, said on Tuesday. “He [Zaka Ashraf] didn’t directly say that the players won’t play in the BPL. He said that they will have their own league at that point of time, something which might not allow their players to come to Bangladesh. All I can do is hope for their availability.”The BPL is scheduled to begin on January 18, clashing with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s domestic first-class tournament. The PCB is unlikely to let some of the top Pakistan players take part in the BPL, though more than 50 cricketers were bought by the franchises in the auction.The seven franchises will begin their training camps from the second week of January, with foreign players expected to start arriving from January 4. If the PCB is to give NOCs (No-Objection Certificate) for the BPL, the BCB would prefer them soon because a pull-out would require the governing council and Game On Sports, BPL’s event management firm, to host a closed-door auction. In that case, it would throw the tournament into chaos, a scenario that is a major concern for the owners.”We did not receive any information of the Pakistan players not attending this year’s BPL yet. Of course it’s a concern as all the franchises had plans with the Pakistani cricketers that they bought from the auction. If they (Pakistani cricketers) are not available we (the franchisees) will have to look for other options,” Shihab Chowdhury, Dhaka Gladiators’managing director, said.Another owner, Sylhet Royals’ Nafeesa Kamal, believed that in the event of a pull-out, the franchises will not have enough players to fill those vacant spots. “Not having Pakistanplayers is definitely a concern and I think we should be informed soonabout their status. If the BPL plans to hold a closed-door auction in theevent of their unavailability, we will be left with very few good options.”The overall reaction to Bangladesh’s deferment has been of relief in manyquarters as the general perception in the country has been negative aboutthe proposed tour. But the BCB is not ready to give up on their bilateralrelations with their Pakistan counterparts, and the man having to answerall the questions at this stage, Hassan, has had to resort todiplomacy. “I haven’t spoken to them [the PCB] officially regarding thisissue. We haven’t received the reply to our letter which we sent to themfour days back.”I am not blaming Pakistan, I understand their sentiment but this is notintentional. There is no politics in it. It’s the situation that hascompelled us not to tour Pakistan at this point of time,” said Hassan.There still remains a sense of confidence among those who run the BPLdirectly, but if the PCB announces a pull-out of the top players, newplayers have to be recruited at short notice. The BCB would start the new year ona bad note, off the field, if their money-spinning T20 tournament runs into problems.

ScorecardFile photo: Parthiv Patel went to the top of this season’s run charts during the course of his century•K Sivaraman

Zaheer Khan had a fruitful first day as captain of a first-class side, as Mumbai bowled out Gujarat for 244 in what is a virtual pre-quarter-final. Had hosts Mumbai not lost opener Kaustubh Pawar in the last over of the day, the smile on Zaheer’s face at stumps would have been even wider.It didn’t come as a surprise when Zaheer, leading the team in the absence of regular captain Ajit Agarkar who was ruled out with a groin injury, opted to bowl on a sporting track with a sprinkling of live grass at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium. And when Zaheer trapped Smit Patel, one of the stars of India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign, in front of wickets, Mumbai would have hoped to run through the Gujarat top order.However, rookies Samit Gohel and Bhargav Merai frustrated them for more than an hour. Not only did both the right-hand batsmen scored freely at the start of their innings, but they defended well, leaving balls outside off stump with relative ease. As a result, by the time Dhawal Kulkarni forced Gohel into a false shot, Mumbai had used as five bowlers.At 89 for 2, captain Parthiv Patel took guard. And by the time he was dismissed as the penultimate Gujarat wicket, the seasoned batsman had scored 101 off the 154 runs that Gujarat added since his arrival at the crease. Had Merai not attempted a risky single and fallen short of the crease at the non-striker’s end when Kulkarni’s direct hit shattered the woodwork in the last over before lunch, Gujarat would have had the advantage going into the break.However, once Mumbai had got an opening, they lived up to their tag of domestic powerhouse by breaking through at regular intervals. As a result, the 64-run association for the second wicket between Gohel and Merai turned out to be the only noteworthy partnership of the innings.While wickets were tumbling at the other end, Parthiv appeared to be playing a completely different match. En route his third century of the season, and the top of this season’s run charts, the left-hand batsman displayed his cutting and driving abilities in abundance. His standout stroke was a straight driven boundary off Kulkarni soon after his arrival at the crease.Once Mumbai had broken into the longish tail of Gujarat batting, Parthiv switched gears and targeted left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan, who was flighting the ball on the opening day for the first time in the season. He first charged down the pitch to hit him for a boundary over mid-off, and in his next over, drove him through the covers for the same result.The only blemish during Parthiv’s knock came when he was on 64. Having surpassed Ravindra Jadeja’s tally of 794 runs to emerge as the leading run-getter, Parthiv nicked Kulkarni but Hiken Shah dropped a regulation catch at first slip. Nevertheless, with little support from the other end, it was a commendable effort from the Gujarat captain.”Obviously the additional motivation is to return to the Indian team, so I try and score big. Thankfully, it has been paying off all through the season,” Parthiv said after stumps. “It is a challenging wicket but I think we were about 100 runs short of what would have been an ideal first-innings score here.”