Butt ready to begin rehabilitation process

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has indicated his availability to the PCB to take part in an anti-corruption rehabilitation program, ESPNcricinfo has learned. Butt met with Pakistan board officials hours after Dave Richardson, the ICC's chief executive, urged him and Mohammad Asif to cooperate with the authorities over their involvement in spot-fixing.

The PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, had already hinted at a route back for the banned trio - Butt, Asif and Mohammad Amir - after they have served their bans. Butt met with PCB officials at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday and offered to complete the anti-corruption education programme, which he is required to participate in to avoid a further five-year suspended sentence becoming active.

Ashraf has given a clear indication that the players are free to try and rebuild their careers in the Pakistan domestic game - once their suspensions have been served - but warned against further transgressions.

Butt, 28, appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a reduction in his five-year (plus five suspended) ban but the plea was dismissed after the panel wasn't persuaded that the sanction imposed by the ICC's independent tribunal was disproportionate. Butt, however, is optimistic about his future in the game and believes he can make a return to professional cricket after serving the remaining two years and four months of his ban. He will be 30 when the suspension is complete in August 2015.

The independent anti-corruption tribunal, chaired by Michael Beloff QC, found Butt, Asif and Amir guilty of charges relating to spot-fixing at the Lord's Test match between England and Pakistan in August 2010. In addition, Butt was also found guilty of breaching the ICC's anti-corruption code by failing to report an approach made to him by Mazhar Majeed to engage in corrupt activity during The Oval Test match earlier in the same month.

All three were suspended in February 2011 and later given custodial sentences after being tried in the English courts. Butt served seven months of a 30-month prison sentence, Asif was released from prison after serving half of a year-long sentence, while Amir spent three months in a young offenders' institution after admitting his charge at a pre-trial hearing.

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Franchises need better support from IPL - KKR chief

"The financial viability of the franchises has to be uppermost on the mind of the league," says Venky Mysore, the Kolkata Knight Riders CEO

The IPL could carry out important changes next year with its auction conducted in rupees instead of dollars and for the first time including, in some manner, uncapped Indian players. These would be welcome changes, according to Venky Mysore, the Kolkata Knight Riders CEO, but he has voiced strong concerns about the conduct of the IPL and said the league's administrators need to be more open and responsive to the franchises and work hard closely with them.

Asked on ESPNcricinfo's daily video show The Huddle a wish he would like the IPL to fulfill, Mysore said it would be to make the franchises more profitable and help them stand on their legs. "The financial viability of the franchises has to be uppermost on the mind of the league. Sorry to be a bit blunt, but at times I have felt that is not necessarily the case," Mysore said. "The reason is stakeholders come into various businesses for passion. They have a vision and it fits into that, but you do not want them waking up one day and wondering what am I doing in this business. And that would happen if they are bleeding."

With player contracts expiring end of this season, franchises are getting ready for an overhaul with majority of the players - both capped and uncapped, including domestic Indian players - going to the auction. Mysore said the IPL would need to be transparent about the auction rules, especially on the point of retention. In 2011, the IPL had allowed every franchise to retain a maximum of four players with the rest returning to the auction. "Auction issue is big. While we really did not retain anyone in 2011, now we have an opportunity and we are certainly keen depending on what the rules are going to be. We are campaigning for saying retention is a must. If there is a precedence that says four, we are even happy to support more than four," he said.

With the salary cap increasing every year, Mysore warned the IPL needed to be more disciplined while deciding on the purse amount. At this year's auction, held in February, every franchise had a $12.5 million purse. Mysore also recommended the IPL to have the player salaries converted into Indian rupees instead of the prevalent dollar. "The reason for that is over the last two-and-a-half years the currency has depreciated almost 25-30%. So when you convert $12.5 million into rupees the salary cap has grown 500% (sic). No business can survive on that basis," Mysore said. According to him, the IPL has told him that 2014 auction would be rupee-based.

Another deterrent to an open auction has been the perception that the IPL rules are not set in stone and are flexible while favouring certain powerful franchises. Why then would they not operate as one while voicing their concerns? "That perception (of certain franchises taking advantage) does exist and as the saying goes, over a period of time perceptions do become reality. But there can be a spirit of co-operation. We are not a large league. We are nine teams. And everyone pretty much gets along with everybody from what I've seen. The recommendations that we make are certainly for the benefit of the entire league if not only the franchises. But somehow there is a certain sense of concern of quality or security on the part of the IPL," he said.

As an example, Mysore cited the case of asking the IPL permission to allow the franchise to play exhibition games overseas last year. "They got off the block a little bit and said yes, but what they also said was we go and play an Associate country," Mysore said. But according to him, playing in Ireland, Scotland, Canada was not economically feasible. As a solution he suggested to allow two franchises to play against each other in an Associate country, but the IPL showed reluctance once again. Mysore is still not losing hope. "I can see there is more openness, although not enough for our liking, but it is slowly coming in."

A grey area franchises have exploited in the past is signing an uncapped Indian domestic player, who has never been part of the auction unlike his overseas counterpart. Uncapped Indian players are paid a maximum of Rs 30 lakh ($55,300 approx) with the IPL reasoning that inflating the salary would corrupt the youngsters. However, according to Mysore it is another way of bending the rules. "There are ways in which you can control the value that is "thrown" at a player. Whenever you do price control, people always find ways to get around it and we are a very creative bunch," Mysore said.

Offering a solution, Mysore felt a good way out was to put the Indian uncapped domestic players as a group at the back-end of the auction. "Everyone who left the auction in 2011 had roughly between $400,000-500,000 (of the purse money) left to sign up Indian uncapped boys. Pretty much the same thing could happen next year. In the process there might be one or two players who might command a high fee. So be it. At least the market forces will be at work rather than the circuitous routes taken in 2011 (by franchises). There were allegations like someone paying someone's brother-in-law a car or a mother-in-law a house to overcome the rules. That is silly."

He remained confident though, having been assured by the IPL about plugging that loophole. "I am told that in the next auction Indian uncapped boys will also come into the auction."

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'Everything went right for me today' - Gayle

Chris Gayle's 175 that demolished Pune Warriors took only 66 deliveries, and included 17 sixes. While that may seem like the very definition of sustained hitting, and makes it hard to imagine a period where the batsman took it easy, Gayle spoke about how he paced his innings.

"I didn't want to just get the hundred and continue blasting and blasting and get out, you know how quickly this game can change," Gayle said after delivering a 130-run victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He reached his hundred off 30 deliveries in the ninth over, before taking it slightly easy for the next few overs.

"I wanted to stay there till the end, make sure I bat at least 18 overs, if not all, which I did, I look on that as a point of view, where I try and bat as many overs as possible, get the hundred, and then actually let Dilly [Tillakaratne Dilshan] take charge while I get a break and pick it up back in the end."

Having broken the record for the fastest T20 hundred, the highest individual score in T20 and the most sixes in an innings, Gayle said it was too soon for him to gauge the magnitude of his achievement. "Words can't explain how I feel, I think later on tonight when I am by myself I can look back and reflect on what I've done today," he said. "I'm grateful, overall from a team point of view, I'm really happy with the win, that put us on top of the table, just one of those innings, one of these days when you come out and things go according to how you want it to."

Aaron Finch, the Warriors captain, watched helplessly as his bowlers, and his own bowling, was ruthlessly taken apart by Gayle. There were no qualifiers in his praise for Gayle. "That was simply the best innings I've ever seen," Finch said. He later joked: "Maybe we should ban him from the game. Maybe he's too good, he hits it too far."

It wasn't just with the bat that Gayle did damage. Asked to bowl the final over of the match - his first chance with the ball this IPL season - he picked up two wickets, before celebrating with his famous Gangnam Style dance. "It was really good to finish off in that particular way, " he said. "Some people keep on asking, 'they have seen me do Gangnam Style in international cricket, why not in IPL?' I thought that was the perfect time to do it, you get a wicket, everything just worked for Chris Gayle today … I'm an entertainer, I try to entertain as much as possible."

With Warriors conceding a record 263 runs - the most in the history of Twenty20s - Gayle was asked whether he felt sorry for the bowler s. "Sometimes I get knocked over first ball, I would love to ask the bowler as well 'Do you feel sorry for me'. We're paid to be competitive out there, serious event the IPL, lot of money being spent, you want to put on your best performance at all times."

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Rogers and Faulkner in Ashes squad

Brad Haddin has been confirmed as Australia's vice-captain for the Ashes tour, while the veteran opener Chris Rogers has rocketed back into Test contention five years after his only match in the baggy green. Rogers has been named in the 16-man squad along with the Tasmanian fast-bowling allrounder James Faulkner, who was preferred ahead of the teenage spinner Ashton Agar for the final bowling position, leaving Nathan Lyon as the sole specialist spinner in the touring party.

Usman Khawaja has retained his place as a backup batsman ahead of Steven Smith, while Glenn Maxwell, Xavier Doherty and Moises Henriques have also been left out from the squad that toured India. Jackson Bird has returned to the group after leaving the Indian tour due to injury and Ryan Harris is also back having missed most of the Australian home summer due to injury.

The incumbent Test wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was named in the squad but the national selector, John Inverarity, said the intention was for the new vice-captain, Haddin, to be the first-choice gloveman.

"In regards to the vice-captaincy, we feel it's important to have a senior, seasoned player support Michael at this time," Inverarity said. "When Shane Watson advised of his decision to stand down, the NSP viewed Brad as the exceptional candidate to step into this leadership void.

"Matthew Wade is a very good cricketer and remains central to our plans for the future. New members to the group include Chris Rogers and James Faulkner, while Ryan Harris returns from a long absence from international cricket.

"Chris Rogers is a hardened first-class cricketer and has been given a deserved opportunity on the back of sustained run-scoring in both Australia and England over many seasons. He has vast experience in the UK and has performed outstandingly well over there; during the past four seasons in England, between 2009 and 2012, he has scored more than 5000 first-class runs at an average of 52.30, including 17 centuries and 21 fifties.

"James Faulkner has also been given an opportunity after impressing in recent months as an all-rounder. His performance in last month's Sheffield Shield final was compelling and he has now produced three consistently good seasons with the ball at Shield level for Tasmania. He is a player who is seldom out of the game for long. He takes wickets, forms partnerships and makes valuable runs.

"Ryan Harris has regained fitness and it is great to have such a very highly regarded and well-performed pace bowler back in the mix. Nathan Lyon is the only spin bowler selected but we will be keeping a close eye on others in case another spinner is required. We'll have approximately 30 players in England at the start of the northern summer and the NSP can add to the Ashes squad at any stage if the need arises."

The selectors also announced an Australia A squad to play in England ahead of the Ashes and including several of the team's frontline bowlers with the aim of giving them as much time as possible to adjust to the English conditions. Haddin will captain the A team, which includes Agar and Lyon as two spinners. Inverarity said the legspinner Fawad Ahmed, who is unlikely to be eligible to play for Australia until near the end of the Ashes series, was likely to be part of an Australia A tour in July.

"The bulk of our Ashes bowling attack - James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Jackson Bird and Nathan Lyon - will use the 'A' matches as important preparation for the Ashes," Inverarity said. "Brad Haddin will also get some valuable preparation for the Ashes in his leadership role captaining the side.

"In relation to Fawad Ahmed, we have selected only two spinners in the Australia A squad. Including three spinners would have upset team balance. We are planning a further Australia A tour to South Africa in mid-July and it is our intention to include Fawad in that squad."

Full report to follow

Ashes squad Michael Clarke (capt), Brad Haddin (vice-capt, wk), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Chris Rogers, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird.

Australia A squad Brad Haddin (capt), Steven Smith (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Ryan Harris, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, James Pattinson, Chadd Sayers, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk.

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Who will captain Pune Warriors?

Match facts

Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

Big Picture

Five of the nine franchises are captained by foreign players, leading to the debate about whether foreign captains are a liability when they don't perform well. Seven games into this tournament, Pune Warriors have already had three captains - Angelo Mathews, Ross Taylor and Aaron Finch (all foreigners). One was an enforced change, with Mathews forced to sit out a game in Chennai, leaving Taylor to lead. However, Mathews' poor form (5 matches, 52 runs, 1 wicket) has upset the team's plans and hence he was left out of Warriors' last game against Kings XI Punjab, handing the captaincy to the inexperienced Aaron Finch.

The leadership crisis hasn't helped Warriors as they stay at No.8 in the points table, above Delhi Daredevils. If Warriors decide to go with an Indian captain, the only logical option is Yuvraj Singh, who returned after missing two games to injury. Ross Taylor didn't feature against Kings XI, in order to accommodate Luke Wright. The questions remain - if not Mathews, who will walk out for the toss in Bangalore? Will they settle on an Indian captain once and for all?

They've been dogged by inconsistency all season. In Mohali, they had the upper hand at the start of the final over with 15 to defend, but Wright's horrid over handed the game to Kings XI. Warriors had positives to draw from the defeat, but against Royal Challengers Bangalore, their bowlers will have to step up.

Royal Challengers are the team with the best home record this season, having not conceded a single game at Chinnaswamy. Their match against Warriors will be their last at home before they embark on a six-matches tour. Their next home fixture is on May 14. Against Rajasthan Royals, their seamers did well to keep the total to an underwhelming 117. The chase was measured, with Chris Gayle scoring a patient 49. It may not have been the most entertaining chase, but Royal Challengers were determined to keep wickets in hand and not choke.

Form guide

(most recent first)

Pune Warriors LLWLW
Royal Challengers Bangalore WWLWW

Players to watch

Saurabh Tiwary was a regular in the Royal Challengers' line-up in 2012 but was missing at the start of this season due to injury. In his first game, against Royals, he scored an unbeaten 25 to steer the side home with Gayle. Gayle was unusually cautious towards the end, but Tiwary's flurry of boundaries hastened Royal Challengers' march. Tiwary could command a regular place going forward. When these teams met at Chinnaswamy last year, Warriors needed to defend 21 off the last over and yet managed to botch it, with Tiwary hitting the final ball for six with three needed.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is Warriors' leading wicket-taker with eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.29, only behind Rahul Sharma (6.03). Against Kings XI, he was the best of the lot, with figures of 4-0-31-1. With Ashok Dinda proving expensive, the burden on Bhuvneshwar to contain the opposition batsmen has only increased. His inswing to the right-handers has been a revelation.

Stats and trivia

• Aaron Finch has three fifties so far which, along with Michael Hussey, is the most by any foreigner.
• Virat Kohli needs 39 more for 2000 IPL runs.

Quotes

"All the four fast bowlers are doing well and Zaheer Khan is still not playing. When he comes back, it will be a plus."
Royal Challengers fast bowler and Purple Cap holder Vinay Kumar

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Pitch questions for back-to-back Tests

Others may have taken it as a rest day but neither Zimbabwe nor Bangladesh opted to put their feet up on what would have been the fifth day of the first Test with both camps were back at work on Sunday.

Grant Flower held a net with his players who had not featured in the Test while Bangladesh were engaged in a full session after they crushing 335-run defeat. But they were not the only ones getting ready. The Harare Sports Club groundstaff were also out in full force, grateful for the extra day to prepare for back-to-back Tests.

This is only the 13th occasion in Test history that the same venue is being used for two Tests in the space of eight days but it is the first time in 11 years that is happening. Sharjah was the most recent case, where Australia and Pakistan played in 2002 and Harare has hosted consecutive Tests once before, in 1999 against Sri Lanka.

While it is an advantage to the teams, who have already played once at the ground and will have had some time to get used to it, it is a scramble for the organisers; this time even more so because drizzle is dominating the build-up.

There was rain in the city on Sunday afternoon and early on Monday morning. After a few hours of sunshine, it came down again and more rain is forecast for both Tuesday and Wednesday, with clear skies for the start of the second Test on Thursday.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Zimbabwe would like to leave a similar amount of grass on the surface as was present for the first Test. Brendan Taylor was pleased with both the assistance it offered to the home quicks and that it "took the Bangladesh spinners, which we know is their strength, out of the equation."

The reverse applied too. Bangladesh's seamers, Robiul Islam in particular, also enjoyed the conditions and Zimbabwe's top-order battled. In the hope they will not face a similar early wobble, Zimbabwe have to be careful not to leave too much grass on it.

Their efforts in getting the balance right could all be washed away if wet weather persists for long enough to cause the surface to be underprepared. Batting could be even more difficult, which will not come as good news to either side.

An obvious question would be why the second Test is not played at Zimbabwe's other main venue, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo? Conspiracy theorists have brought up the history - Zimbabwe have only won one Test there compared to seven in Harare while Bangladesh have never won here and drew once in Bulawayo - and the idea that the hosts may not want to play on a slower surface that may take some turn, but the real reason lies in the finances.

The costs of travel for both teams to Bulawayo for a Test, back up to Harare for ODIs, and then to Bulawayo again for more limited-overs games was steeper than simply staying in one centre for an extended period. Money has also limited the number of television cameras at the matches.

The broadcasters, SuperSport, are using the same number they would use to cover a domestic game in South Africa, nine, which is significantly fewer than the 24 they use for an international, and there is no DRS.

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BCCI defers decision on playoff venue

The IPL governing council deferred the decision of shifting the two playoff games that were scheduled to be played in Chennai on May 21 and 22, respectively.

Following political pressure before the tournament, the BCCI asked franchises to refrain from fielding their Sri Lankan players in games played in Chennai. With Sri Lankans featuring in many teams, the franchises have been asking for the playoff games - the first qualifier and the eliminator - to be moved out of Chennai.

However, the IPL governing council, which met in Chennai on Monday, decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach. "If the political issue in Tamil Nadu subsides, the question of shifting the games won't arise," said a BCCI insider, who attended the meeting. "The playoffs are still a month away, so there is no need to rush into any decision."

If the political turmoil is not resolved, the games might be played in Bangalore or Mumbai. Sri Lankan cricketers have been an integral part of the IPL since its inception in 2008. In the current season, three teams - Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pune Warriors and Delhi Daredevils - are led by Sri Lankans. Though Sunrisers and Warriors have benched Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews, respectively, in a bid to improve their team balance, they remain key members of the side.

Thisara Perera, the Sri Lankan all-rounder, has emerged as the leading performer for Sunrisers, who have won five of their seven games so far. As the tournament moves towards the half-way mark, Sunrisers are among the favourites to make it to the top four, along with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan in their ranks.

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Super Kings batting might trumps Watson ton

Chennai Super Kings 186 for 5 (Hussey 88, Raina 51, Faulkner 3-20) beat Rajasthan Royals 185 for 4 (Watson 101, Binny 36*, Ashwin 2-20) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Chennai Super Kings have more match-turning batsmen than any other side in the tournament, and that was on display yet again as they hunted down 186 against Rajasthan Royals. Michael Hussey, who made the slowest 40-plus score in the IPL in the previous match, showed off his versatility with a boundary-filled 88, the out-of-form Suresh Raina powered his way to a half-century, MS Dhoni narrowed the gap to the target though he couldn't close out the game this time. It was left to Dwayne Bravo to pound a final-over six and deliver victory, before breaking out into a joyous chukka chukka dance.

The endless depth in Super Kings' batting meant that Shane Watson's typically power-packed century, the first hundred of the season, and James Faulkner's pinpoint death bowling was not enough for the perennial underdogs Rajasthan Royals to pull off another upset.

Royals have won all 15 matches in which they have had to defend more than 162, but once the Super Kings chase began, Royals never looked outright favourites. Ajit Chandila continued to have success with his seemingly harmless and variation-less offspin bowling, dismissing M Vijay cheaply, but Hussey began with a barrage of boundaries, including a six over midwicket to ensure Super Kings kept pace. It was a shot he used often and effectively as he shed his usual role of anchor, and turned into an aggressor.

Raina was no slouch either, playing two of his trademark strokes - the slog over midwicket and the inside-out lofted hit over extra cover - as the pair, helped by some erratic bowling, powered Super Kings past 100 in the 10th over.

Faulkner gave Royals some hope by getting Raina lbw, but with Cooper bowling too many wide deliveries that were easily guided by Hussey to behind backward point for four, and the finishing expert, Dhoni, in the middle, Super Kings were still ahead.

A spot-on direct-hit from Dravid to send back Hussey renewed Royals' fight, before Faulkner bowled two superb death overs, getting rid of Ravindra Jadeja for a duck, and then dismissing Dhoni caught at wide long-on. It was down to Bravo to score 11 off the final over, off Watson who has only recently re-started bowling. Watson missed the length on one and was drilled over sweeper cover for six to virtually kill off the contest.

It was a bittersweet match for Watson, who had been in imperious touch earlier. The carnage started in earnest from the third over, as he coolly launched Mohit Sharma's first delivery over the bowler's head for six. Chris Morris was helped over deep backward square leg for six, the giant West Indian fast bowler Jason Holder proved ineffective on debut and by the end of the seventh, Royals had whooshed to 71.

The over which defined the innings was the 17th, bowled by Jadeja. The first ball was a hit-me full toss that was clobbered over long-on for six. Jadeja, already taken for 27 in his first two overs, was flustered by the big hitting, and sprayed the next ball miles outside off stump. It was followed up by another full toss that was deposited for six, and another shocking wide, several metres outside off.

Watson ended that over on 99, and brought up the first hundred of the season with a gentle nudge behind square leg in the next over. With Stuart Binny regularly scything the ball over the off side, Royals ran up what seemed a terrific total of 185. Not against Super Kings.

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Davidson, Geldenhuys lead Namibia to 45-run win

Namibia 147 for 6 (Kotze 26, Rippon 2-24, Cooper 2-7) beat Netherlands 102 (De Grooth 22, Davidson 3-7, Geldenhuys 2-35) by 45 runs
Scorecard

Namibia moved to second place in the T20 Quadrangular lead with a 45-run victory over Netherlands.

Put in to bat, Namibia began well but lost regular wickets, with no batsman reaching a personal score of thirty. They were struggling at 98 for 5 in the 16th over, before a late charge by Sarel Burger and Jaen Kotze took them to 147 for 6.

In reply, Netherlands were in trouble after the fast bowling pair of Hendrik Geldenhuys and Jason Davidson struck to claim five wickets for 12 runs in the space of three overs, leaving Netherlands reeling at 36 for 5. Davidson, who took two wickets in his second over finished with figures of 3 for 7 off four overs. Michael Rippon and Tom de Grooth tried to revive the innings with a 32-run stand but once they were dismissed, Netherlands folded for 102.

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Batsmen guide Kenya to five-wicket win

Kenya 177 for 5 (Mishra 45, R Patel 37) beat South Africa Emerging Players 174 for 6 (Wiese 62*, Vallie 61, Variaya 3-35) by five wickets
Scorecard

Kenya continued their dominance in the T20 Quadrangular tournament, beating South Africa Emerging Players by five wickets on Sunday. The win puts them at the top of the table with two wins in two games.

Kenya, who won the toss, inserted South Africa Emerging Players and backed that decision by dismissing the openers quickly. A 56-run, third-wicket partnership between captain Jean Symes and Yaseen Vallie steadied the innings. Vallie added another 50 runs with David Wiese for the fourth wicket and once Vallie fell for 61, Wiese carried on, guiding the middle order to 174 for 6.

Kenya's top and middle order set up the chase. Opener Tanmay Mishra led the way with a 32-ball 45, before Morris Ouma, Collins Obuya and Rakep Patel struck useful 30s to guide Kenya to a close win, with two balls to spare.

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