CAS to hear Asif and Butt appeal next February

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) will hear, next February, the appeals of banned Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif against the ICC's bans for spot-fixing. Asif's case will be heard between February 5-7, and Butt's on the 8th, it was confirmed on Monday.

The CAS, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, is recognised as the world's highest judicial body for sportsmen and cases involving sport.

Asif, along with Butt, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court in November 2011, on charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments over deliberate no-balls bowled during the Lord's Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010. Mohammad Amir, the third player accused by the Crown Prosecution Service, had pleaded guilty to the charges. Butt served seven months of a 30-month jail sentence, Asif six months of a year-long term, while Amir spent three months in a young offenders' institute.

However, the three players had already been found guilty by an ICC tribunal on February 5, 2011, and were banned for various durations. Butt's ban was for 10 years and Asif's for seven. That punishment was announced a day after the CPS levied its charges against the players.

Butt had also wanted to lodge an appeal with the International Criminal Court, but decided against it due to the expense involved and the lengthy duration of the proceedings.

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Sehwag ton cannot avoid Delhi defeat

Uttar Pradesh 403 (Dagar 116, Kaif 91, Raina 55, Praveen 51*, Narwal 4-71) and 158 for 4 (Dagar 37, Raina 37) beat Delhi 235 (Bisht 52, Imtiaz 5-59) and 322 (Sehwag 107, Manhas 65, Bhuvneshwar 4-94, Imtiaz 4-112) by six wickets
Scorecard

Uttar Pradesh wrestled an outright win in a tight tussle with Delhi's ability to kill time, the fading light and a target that oscillated between reach and just out of grasp.

An aggressive but controlled century from Virender Sehwag, batting with an injured finger, gave Delhi a decent chance of grabbing some points from their Ranji Trophy season opener.

Sehwag's calculated belligerence this morning ended up being the only passage of play in which Delhi looked in charge in the four-day match. He added 85 with Pradeep Sangwan for the seventh wicket over the session at a crowd-pleasing clip, and took Delhi to 322 to set UP a target of 155.

It was a gettable total, but it would be a test of the composure of the UP batsmen, their response to the threat of the experienced Delhi bowlers, and the ability of the light to hold out till the target was reached. Again, UP came through as they had in every phase of the match.

The openers set up the start, scoring 54 in 15 overs, and Raina came in at No.3 (instead of at No. 5 as in the first innings) to take UP to 117.

Mohammed Kaif had been injured in the first innings, hit on the middle finger of his right hand, and had to sit out during Delhi's second innings. It was said later that Kaif would have come out to bat had the situation got dire. At one stage it did, with Parvinder Singh and Arish Alam getting tied down by Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma.

Delhi took their chances in the field to slow the game down. They had shin pads and helmets brought on, and the quick bowlers took slow trundles back from their extended followthroughs to the top of their run.

Parvinder struck clean boundaries off Ishant and Nehra, and the new man Ali Murtaza, who took over almost seamlessly, followed him. Ten runs off Ishant's last over of the match then melted UP's anxiety away and two overs later, when Murtaza creamed a sizzling square drive off Sumit Narwal, the scores were even. Alam hit a late cut off Vikas Mishra to clinch victory.

UP were feted and rewarded by the Ghaziabad organisers in a lengthy prize distribution ceremony, and Delhi's star players melted into the background. Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya said his team had been completely outplayed by UP in every department "and in patience and consistency." The sudden rush of heavyweight names did bring, he said, "to the back of your mind the thought that these guys will come and deliver. But it's not about them and what they are expected to do. Eventually, it's about the guy in the middle taking responsibility."

That guy in the middle today turned out to be Sehwag, who paced his innings as if his runs were in perfect sync with the clock. He may have hit 16 fours in the morning, but did not look like playing to either turn up in the highlights or offer the bowlers a chance. All but 31 of his runs came in boundaries; he was particularly severe on Imtiaz Ahmed.

If Sehwag had given Delhi a narrow opening to grab some points and wrest out a draw, his innings should also have given the Indian selectors and the core of the team management some breathing space going into the Ahmedabad Test against England. It was Sehwag's first Ranji century for Delhi in almost six years, out of a total of eight, the last coming against Haryana in January 2007. It was also his first three-figure score in any match since December 2011 after his double-hundred against West Indies in Indore.

It has been a while, and Sehwag knows it, but he was neither hurried nor hasty and for the better, like he has always been, a man in control of his destiny. When he reached his century with a brisk two to cover, the noisiest stands to the east, packed in on a Monday, made themselves heard to "Veeru."

Before he pointed his bat at the dressing room, Sehwag turned and acknowledged this audience. To crowded, chaotic Ghaziabad, Sehwag's innings was what they had been waiting for from the day the glamour boys came to town - a generous sprinkle of stardust.

It looked like a perfect Ranji game played in a small venue on a fair, result-oriented wicket. Six points to the home team and a century from Veeru. It was as if Diwali had turned up early.

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Worcestershire stalwart George Chesterton dies

George Chesterton, a right-arm seam bowler who played 47 times for Worcestershire between 1950 and 1957, has died at the age of 90.

Chesterton represented Oxford University in 1948 and 1949, winning his Blue in the second year, and then switched to Worcestershire where as an amateur he played when time permitted. His first-class career extended until 1966 with appearances for MCC.

His best bowling came in his final full season when he took 7 for 14 for MCC in Ireland, and in the Championship he best came at New Road that same year when he took 6 for 56 against Middlesex. In 72 first-class matches he captured 263 wickets at 22.78 and scored 598 runs at 8.79.

He remained closely involved with the county and was the president between 1990 and 1993. A keen backer of youth cricket, in 1991 he founded the Chesterton Cup which involved schools across the Midlands.

Chesterton worked at Malvern College, where he had also been a pupil, becoming deputy head and he also wrote a history of the school.

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Umar Akmal joins Sydney Sixers

Sydney Sixers, the reigning Champions League and Big Bash League trophy holders, have bolstered their squad for this summer by signing the Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal.

Like his national team-mate Shahid Afridi at Sydney Thunder, Akmal will be available for the Sixers' first three BBL matches, offering the kind of aggressive batting he has exhibited for Pakistan since his debut as a 19-year-old in 2009.

"I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Big Bash League when the Sixers approached me," Akmal said.

"I'm looking forward to spending December in Australia and will be aiming to assist them to go back to back and win the tournament again."

The Sixers have also signed the New South Wales rookie-contracted batsman Daniel Hughes, an opening batsman for the North Sydney grade club.

Hughes can be expected to slot into the Sixers' top order once David Warner departs for his expected national duty.

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Tanvir Ahmed's 12 wickets in vain as NBP clinch close game

A crucial half-century by No. 8 Qaiser Abbas took National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a two-wicket win against Port Qasim Authority (PQA) at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Chasing 211, NBP were in trouble at 122 for 6 when seamer Tanvir Ahmed, who took 12 wickets in the match, ran through the top order. But a defiant seventh wicket partnership of 84, led by Abbas, revived the chase and helped them secure victory.

Neither team dominated the low-scoring game but NBP were at a slight disadvantage after the first innings, when a seven-wicket haul by Ahmed bowled them out for 117, leaving them 33 behind. The last six wickets fell for 16 runs.

As PQA looked to consolidate on the lead and set their opponents a stiff target, fast bowler Umaid Asif took 5 for 55 to peg them back in their second innings. Umar Amin and No. 7 Daniyal Ahsan scored 42 and 45 respectively to help them reach 177 before being bowled out. Yet, a target of 211 meant NBP has to score the highest total in the match to win it.

After the early loss of opener Nasir Jamshed, NBP were given a platform by Sami Aslam and Umair Khan, and later Wahab Riaz. But three wickets for two runs changed the complexion of the game, with 129 runs still needed. Abbas sealed the chase with his 52 off 66 deliveries.

Despite the game being dominated by bowlers, fast bowler Riaz went wicketless in the game, and Mohammad Sami, who had taken seven wickets against Pakistan International Airlines a fortnight ago, took two wickets. Opener Jamshed managed only 11 runs across both innings.

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Cobras, Knights fashion contrasting wins

Cobras 225 for 8 (Puttick 48, van Zyl 24*) beat Dolphins 253 for 6 (Miller 68*, Smit 64, Hendricks 3-50) by 2 wickets by D/L method
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An unbeaten 51-run stand for the eighth wicket helped defending champions Cobras sneak a two-wicket win against Dolphins in a rain-affected match in Pietermaritzburg. Dane Piedt and Charl Langeveldt came together in the middle with 47 runs required off 38 balls, but with only two wickets remaining, Dolphins were the clear favourites. Dolphins' bowlers, however, bowled two lose overs which turned the equation in cobras favour from 42 off 30 to 14 off 18. Langeveldt finished the match with two consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over giving Cobras their first points.

Cobras made a solid start in chase of 254 as they got to 76 for 2 after 18 overs. But the rains came to hold up play for 40 minutes at the stage and the target was readjusted as per D/L method to 222 off 40 overs. Batsmen Andrew Puttick and Stiaan van Zyl responded to the sudden jump in the required rate with aggressive shots but didn't last long enough and were both out to seamer Prenelan Subrayen. The incoming batsmen crumbled under pressure as four more wickets fell for 30 runs before the eight-wicket pair's late burst.

Dolphins chose to bat under blue skies but lost their openers within first six overs. Captain Daryn Smit and Vaughn van Jaarsveld then took a cautious approach to knit together a 121-run stand, both batsmen completing slow half-centuries in the process. Dolphins needed a late surge and the cameo came through David Miller's bat. Miller scored 68 off 45 balls and hit nine boundaries and a six to bring some urgency and take the total past 250.

Knights 325 for 9 (Elgar 76, Rossouw 56) beat Warriors 234 (Ingram 70, McLaren 5-38) by 91 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Knights joined Lions at the top of the table with a bonus point win over Warriors in their first domestic one-day cup match in Kimberley. Allrounder Ryan McLaren was the chief architect of the win with a five-wicket haul in addition to the 47 he scored while batting.

Put in to bat, Knights were setback in the first over when Ryan Bailey was caught behind off Andrew Birch without scoring. However, Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw set about building their 66-run partnership with a flurry of boundaries. Hendricks was out soon after getting to his half-century but Rossouw continued to build a strong platform in the company of captain Dean Elgar. Rossouw scored the second half-century of the innings but it was Elgar who increased the pace with his innings and brought up his half-century too.

After a 95-run stand between the two, wickets fell at regular intervals. However, the batsmen who followed didn't let the scoring rate to fall and 84 runs came off the last 10 overs.

Chasing a big total, a lot depended on the opening pair of brother JJ and Kelly Smuts but both were out within the first four overs putting early pressure on the middle order. Colin Ingram and Davy Jacobs responded with half-centuries but the two lacked support from the rest. As the required rate started shooting up, the batsmen started faltering and McLaren ran through the tail to complete a big win.

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New Zealand blueprint cheated by rain

New Zealand have been frustrated by the rain since they arrived in Sri Lanka, but having lost the second ODI to Sri Lanka by 14 runs via Duckworth-Lewis, they will now feel somewhat cheated by it.

Sri Lanka were not struggling by any means - in fact for most of their innings, they were cruising - but the pitch had begun to slow down markedly, and New Zealand were two wickets away from exposing a middle order that has at times proven brittle.

They will feel particularly aggrieved by the weather because they had batted so well, and in doing so, had charted out a blueprint for success, not only to break out of their present rut, but also for an ODI future which allows only four men in the deep at any point.

The visitors' batting has become almost synonymous with collapse in recent times, but their approach in Pallekele was untouched by the impetuosity that has often been their downfall.

Rob Nicol began with uncharacteristic caution, resisting the urge to counter-attack during a fearsome Lasith Malinga opening spell, and opting instead to weather it out behind a series of defensive prods - most of which were unsuccessful in their ambitions of making contact with the ball. Still, despite edging past slip on four and almost being run out soon after, Nicol parried panic with patience, and was content to concede the early exchanges to the fast men.

BJ Watling batted at No. 3 as a stop-gap for Brendon McCullum, who sat out with back stiffness, and proceeded with as much caution as Nicol, unflustered by a run rate that was well below three at his arrival. Sri Lanka's bowlers were not darting the ball about as viciously as they had done in the Twenty20 on Tuesday, but New Zealand were not tempted to take them on. In the first 15 overs of their partnership, Nicol and Watling hit only five fours between them, defended well and often, and made most of their runs in risk-free singles. Their 83-run stand for the second wicket provided the middle order with the kind of platform they have not often been afforded.

When Ross Taylor arrived at the crease, the top order had blunted the worst of the movement, and he was clear to capitalise on their defence with a belligerent innings that exploited the stricter rules on field placings. Mahela Jayawardene used his extra man in the circle as a catcher for much of the innings, and was rewarded with the wicket of Watling who was caught at short midwicket, but he rarely placed more than one deep fielder square on either side, opting instead to give his bowlers cover at third man and down the ground. This meant Taylor could target the square boundaries with little fear. Sixty of his 72 runs came square of the wicket, including all but one of seven fours, and both sixes.

With the two new balls ensuring swing bowlers remain a threat for longer in the innings, and fewer fielders outside the circle during the middle overs, New Zealand have seemingly deduced that the new laws have tilted the game towards top order conservatism, particularly on a seaming pitch. If strokemakers can remain at the crease until the new balls have lost their venom, slow starts can quickly become rapid progress towards large totals.

"250 was above par," New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said afterwards. "It is the highest score New Zealand have got against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, and I think a par score would have been 230 or 240. BJ Watling and Rob Nicol played really nicely for us after losing a wicket early, and with the ball swinging for about 20 to 23 overs, they hung in there really well and set the game up for us."

Sri Lanka's innings was more evenly paced, as they stayed around 5 runs an over throughout, perhaps faced with less testing new-ball bowling - though they did also lose more wickets. With Jayawardene batting beautifully at 42 from 46 balls, the hosts deserved a victory more than New Zealand did when the rains came, but it was far from a certain win if the match had been allowed to continue.

"Sri Lanka are pretty top heavy. We got rid of two out of three of their big guns in the first 20 overs so we were pretty confident we were going to have a good crack at it," Hesson said.

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Hazlewood replaces Cummins in squad

Pat Cummins' loss is Josh Hazlewood's gain. The back stress fracture that will keep Cummins out of the home summer has in turn elevated Hazlewood to Australia's mandatory five-man pace battery ahead of the Gabba Test against South Africa, and may yet see him make his debut in Perth.

Already in Brisbane for New South Wales' Sheffield Shield match against Queensland, Hazlewood was told to remain in town instead of flying home with the rest of the Blues' non-Test players on Sunday evening.

Australia's hierarchy have been keen to have five fast bowlers on hand at each Test match this summer, not only in case of injury but also to allow the youngest paceman the chance to learn from the others.

Though his week with the squad in Brisbane is likely to be largely developmental in purpose, Hazlewood is likely to play for NSW in their Shield encounter with Victoria in Sydney from November 13 to 16, and may then be a chance to debut for Australia in the third Test against South Africa in Perth.

This possibility will be enhanced further should the selectors elect to choose a four-man pace attack for the Gabba, a tactic that has become more likely now that Shane Watson is in severe doubt for the match, and almost certainly unable to bowl in it.

Hazlewood's probable schedule was that originally intended for Cummins, mapped out some weeks ago before the glut of Twenty20 matches for country and club that ended with the 19-year-old nursing a major injury in November for the second time in as many summers.

First glimpsed in Australian colours in 2010 when he played a single ODI against England at Southampton as a teenager, Hazlewood has wrestled with a series of injuries since, but at 21 appears to be maturing into the sort of dependable seam and bounce merchant who could balance the speed of James Pattinson and the swing of Mitchell Starc in a future bowling attack.

He was consistently the most impressive Sydney Sixers bowler during the Champions League, plucking seven wickets at 16.17 while conceding a miserly 4.70 run an over.

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Radio Sport pulls out of SL Tests over high costs

New Zealand's Radio Sport will not be broadcasting live commentary from the ground for New Zealand's two Tests in Sri Lanka after the radio station failed to come to an agreement over the cost of broadcasting rights with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Terming the deal as "expensive," Dallas Gurney, the radio's general manager of talk, said the price SLC asked wasn't cost-effective for the network.

NZC chief executive David White said the money being asked was "way above anything they'd [Radio Sport] done before."

"My understanding is what they were being requested to pay was significantly more than they've ever had to pay before. It was very challenging for them commercially," White was quoted as saying in Fairfax NZ News. "Our tour just recently to India was reasonable and not an issue, and it was covered. I don't know why in this instance it's so expensive and, hopefully, it's just a one-off."

The episode, which has parallels to the recent standoff between the BCCI and the BBC over the cost of radio broadcast rights, will not affect the stations' plans to broadcast live from New Zealand's tour of South Africa that starts in December and the tour of England next year.

"We've still got South Africa to come [in December-January] and Bryan Waddle [the radio's commentator] will be going to South Africa. We've pretty much got the rights sorted for that. And England after that, we'll have ball-by-ball coverage of that tour as well."

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Batting spot 'totally open' - Cook

Alastair Cook has welcomed the competition for places in the England team ahead of selection for the first Test against India on November 15. England have question marks in several areas, the most pressing of those being who will open the batting with Cook in Ahmedabad.

By being picked for the opening tour match, it was felt Nick Compton was the preferred choice but his two single figure scores have eroded his advantage. Joe Root, although making only 28 in the first innings of the second tour match, at least spent time at the crease and demonstrated patience and solidity.

Cook said there is no possibility of Jonathan Trott moving up to open the batting, therefore the three tour matches have become a shoot-out between Compton and Root.

"It's a cut-throat business and they both have an opportunity to score runs and push their claim," Cook said. "They're at different stages of their career. One's far more experienced and has got more runs behind him. The other one's a lot younger and has impressed everyone at every stage of his career. We're still waiting to see so these are important days.

"It was totally open when we picked the squad. Andy Flower and I haven't seen a huge amount of either. I've played against Nick a couple of times, and I played in Joe Root's first ever game in 2009. It was important we came here with a clear mind and I think we've done that."

Cook's debut came as a 21-year-old on England's 2006 tour of India; he therefore knows the value of giving youth an opportunity. "Joe wouldn't be in the squad if we didn't think he was ready to play," Cook said. "My own situation was helped by the fact I'd been in Pakistan the tour before with the team as cover for somebody and got to know the England system better. Without that I'd have felt very uncomfortable turning up in Nagpur where I made my debut. But Joe's been here since the start of the tour and has got to know the lads."

With England choosing to add a debutant opener, they will retain their experienced middle order for the first Test of Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen, whose reintegration into the England squad was described by Graeme Swann as a "seamless progress".

"It needed to happen," Swann said. "Everyone was wondering how it would go and whether it would be as easy as it has been, but a lot of credit has to be given to Kevin for the way he has come in. It's just business as usual and the dressing room is a very happy place this week."

Pietersen was rested for the second tour match after making 23 against India A before falling to the left-arm spin of Yuvraj Singh. But his place in the Test side is assured and Swann said Pietersen's place among the team jokes has also returned. "In the changing room, no one is safe," Swann said. "KP's the butt of as many jokes as anyone else. He takes it fine, so it's great."

Pietersen's return leaves one batting spot available at No. 6 if England maintain their favoured four-man bowling attack. Samit Patel's form with the bat, a century against India A and an unbeaten 59 on day one at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, has all but cemented that spot.

Day two against Mumbai A will see the battle for a place in the bowling attack for the first Test take centre stage. An opening could be created if Steven Finn does not recover. Graeme Onions will look to stake his claim and Monty Panesar will hope to convince the selectors to revert to two specialist spinners, a policy England last employed in the UAE against Pakistan in January.

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