SL govt denies heavy cricket funding

Sri Lanka's sports ministry has denied that it is preparing to disburse Rs. 389 million to Sri Lanka Cricket for development of cricket facilities outside the main centres. The figure (approx US$ 2.96 million) was first reported in the Sunday Times and confirmed to ESPNcricinfo by SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, but the sports ministry's spokesperson told this reporter that the sum is actually closer to Rs. 30 million (approx US 228,000).

"The sports ministry can't give that kind of money to just one sport," Harsha Abeykoon, the sports ministry spokesperson, said. "The amount is more likely to be around 30 million. We are currently in the process of giving away Rs 100 million to sports, particularly to those representing us in the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and cricket will get a portion of that. That money will go towards developing facilities and providing equipment to schools."

Ranatunga, however, said that SLC made a special request to the ministry for a grant amounting to Rs 389 million, and that the sports minister "was quite keen" to grant the sum, although it had not yet been officially confirmed. He said the funds would be directed towards building turf pitches, which are almost non-existent outside major cities. New matting pitches and improvements to practice facilities in rural schools would also be covered by the grant.

Ranatunga had told the Sunday Times that the prospect of drawing foreign teams to Sri Lanka during their off seasons also featured in the board's decision to apply for the grant. "We are very fortunate that in the Indian sub-continent, there is an opportunity of playing the game right through year barring rain. As a result of the time restrictions in these [foreign] countries, there is a huge influx of teams arriving in the island to indulge in the game during their off seasons.

"So if we could offer better facilities in the outstations, it would be a boon to the economies even in those areas. When a team arrives to play cricket in Sri Lanka there is a big contingent of tourists that arrive and they spend for their hotel bookings."

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Walton cautious about Test return

Chadwick Walton has played two Tests for West Indies, but you probably don't know. When he did play those Tests, you either didn't care or were too disgusted with the way things were going in West Indies cricket. It was in 2009 when the first-choice West Indies players went on a strike, and a host of lesser players lost two Tests against Bangladesh. The crowds stayed away; at worst the team was seen as an establishment eleven, at best they were lambs to the slaughter. When the pay dispute was resolved, out went most of the replacement players, Walton being one of them, with 10 catches and 13 runs to his name.

Four years on, Walton is back, not as a there-is-no-alternative. "I didn't realise it was four years," Walton says. "It's always a good feeling. I have been doing a lot of work to come back to international level. I hope this time I can put up a better show."

Walton is a man of a few words. He doesn't want to talk too much about those troubled days. He sees it as a case of selectors' calling him up and his answering the call. He says it was all normal: the team atmosphere, and the relationship with players who had struck work. He admits to one thing, though - he probably wasn't ready back then. And it wasn't his age; he was 24. But it was the timing of the call.

"It came as a surprise," he says. "It was sudden. It was very shocking." Was he ready for the Test debut then? "I would tend to lean to the no side."

Now Walton has enough time to be ready to be part of a normal Test squad. What do you mean normal, he asks. "I can't compare with any other. I haven't been there since. I have nothing to compare it with."

That Test series was an eye opener, Walton says. Now he can joke about it, though. "The most challenging cricket I have played? Has to be playing with my niece. She get me out all the time because she makes the rules as she goes."

Apart from trying to become more consistent with the bat, Walton has spent the last four years trying to add a masters in sports science and marketing to his undergraduate degree in accounting. If he doesn't want to talk about if others were bitter towards him when he agreed to play for West Indies during the strike, he doesn't betray a sense of hurt at being left out either. "I always support what the selectors put out. If the selectors say we want to go with the same players, I support what they put out."

Walton, now the understudy to Denesh Ramdin on the tour of India, clearly supports what the selectors have put out, but is he ready? "You never know if you are ready," he says.

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The best I've bowled in three months - Harbhajan

Mumbai Indians offspinner Harbhajan Singh, whose figures of 4 for 32 won him the Man-of-the-Match award and helped Mumbai claim their second Champions League title, said the over in which he took three wickets was the best spell he had bowled in recent months.

Harbhajan came into the tournament with little practice, having not played a competitive match since the IPL. He was not included in any of India A's recent squads. In a high-scoring final against Rajasthan Royals in Delhi, Harbhajan came on to bowl his final over with Royals requiring 48 off the last four overs with seven wickets in hand. Harbhajan struck with the first ball, removing the set Ajinkya Rahane for 65, caught at deep midwicket. Three balls later, with the pressure mounting on Royals for boundaries, Stuart Binny looked to slog a quicker one from Harbhajan and lost his leg stump.

After conceding a boundary the following ball to Kevon Cooper, Harbhajan hit back off the final ball, beating Cooper who looked to play across the line but failed to spot the straighter one. Cooper didn't to drag his back foot behind the line and Dinesh Karthik completed a sharp stumping. Three wickets went down for just four runs in the space of six balls and the match had turned firmly in Mumbai's favour.

"I'm happy with the way I finished, although I didn't practice at all," Harbhajan said at the post-match presentation. "I was travelling to the US but I didn't practice much before this but I'm really happy with the way I have finished this tournament. I think that over where I took three wickets was probably the best over I've bowled in the last three months."

Chasing 203, the Royals were in the hunt via a second-wicket stand of 109 between Sanju Samson and Rahane, who both scored 60s. Royals captain Rahul Dravid too felt that Harbhajan's spell had turned the match.

"We saw some really great batting and we saw some good skills with the ball as well, from the spinners and it was a close game right till the end," Dravid said. "I thought the couple of overs when Harbhajan Singh got four wickets for eight or nine runs probably turned the game on its head."

Incidentally, Harbhajan had starred in Mumbai's previous title win in 2011 as well, his 3 for 20 winning him the Man-of-the-Match award against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai.

"This is probably the second time and I am getting the Man of the Match in the final," he said. "Hopefully few more. I'm looking forward to the Duleep Trophy and the long season up ahead for India."

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Rohit praises Mumbai's character

Mumbai Indians secured their second trophy in a year as they beat Rajasthan Royals in the final of the Champions League T20. However, a much fancied side, considering the talent on hand, only had one trophy to their credit prior to winning the Indian Premier League this year and captain Rohit Sharma admitted they were feeling the pinch.

"It wasn't easy, there was a lot of pressure when we started the IPL and again when we started the Champions League," he said. "There were a lot of expectations and I think we held our nerve well. We showed a lot of character in the tournament and in the end the results favoured what we wanted."

Mumbai posted a daunting total courtesy a solid start from Dwayne Smith, who has been one of their most dependable players throughout the CLT20, and a blistering finish from Glenn Maxwell, who had come in for this game in place of Mitchell Johnson, and slammed 37 in 14 balls. Royals' chase was looking promising with Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane motoring along, but Harbhajan Singh rewrote the script, just as he had done in Mumbai's successful 2011 Champions League, picking up three wickets in the 17th over to seal Royals' fate.

"It was a really great start by Smithy and then Maxy finished off pretty well and everybody chipped in," Rohit said. "And from their side Samson and Ajju [Rahane] really played very well. It was a nail-biting game and that was what we were expecting in the final. We always love playing Champions League. As the name suggests, every team here is a champion and winning this is like the icing on the cake."

Rahul Dravid, the Royals captain, was also highly impressed with the mettle shown by Samson and Rahane, whose 109-run partnership off only 67 balls gave Royals a chance.

"How good were Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson in that partnership?" he said. "All credit to Mumbai Indians, I think they were the deserving winners tonight. They played better cricket in the crunch situations towards the last five-six overs in both the innings but a terrific effort from the team. Everyone really fought hard and specially Sanju and Ajinkya today were excellent along with PT [Pravin Tambe] in the bowling department.

Taking the field for the last time in limited-overs cricket, Dravid was overwhelmed by the adulation he received, both from the Delhi crowd and from the two sides. "I'd just like to thank the players of both teams today, Mumbai Indians and my team and this fantastic crowd here for the ovation they gave me. It was really touching and I'm really grateful for the way they came out and supported me, stood up and cheered and it was really emotional."

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CCS, KCA record wins in rain-affected round

Cricket Coaching School finally got a win under their belt in the Dhaka Premier League. They beat by 45 runs on Saturday, a day after the match began and due to rain interruptions at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra on Friday.

Batting first on Friday, CCS made 213 for 9 in 40 overs, with Farveez Maharoof scoring 57 off 35 balls after having endured four breaks in play due to bad weather.

Maharoof struck six fours and three sixes, having arrived at the crease with his team in usual trouble at 85 for 5. He added 44 for the sixth wicket with Asif Ahmed and another 65 for the seventh wicket with Nazmul Hossain Milon. Khelaghar captain Faisal Hossain took four wickets with his left-arm spin.

In reply, Khelaghar were held to 172 for 7, with Amit Kumar taking three wickets and Asif, two. Faisal's 31 was the highest score of the innings. They are now the only team not to win a single game.

Kalabagan Cricket Academy picked up their third win in the competition, defeating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by six wickets. It was another two-day affair after rain halted play on Friday at the BSKP-3 ground.

Batting first, Dhanmondi made 205 for 8 after the game was reduced to 34 overs a side. Gulbadin Naib blasted an unbeaten 99 off 68 balls with six fours and eight sixes. He was batting on 79 when Talha Jubair came in to bowl the last over. He hammered a four and two sixes, but got only two off the last two deliveries to miss out on a second List A hundred.

But KCA's Hamilton Masakadza upended his effort, with another match-winning effort. The Zimbabwean batsman struck seven sixes and six boundaries in his 93 off 71 balls. He was well supported by Abdul Majid, who was unbeaten on 59.

The match between Brothers Union and Kalabagan Krira Chakra was abandoned at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. After rain completely scuppered played on Friday, KKC made 148 for 5 in 25 overs after play started at 1:00pm on Saturday.

Brothers Union were set 154 to win under the Duckworth/Lewis method. They were 86 for 2 at the end of the 16th over when a final bout of rain marred the proceedings.

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Williamson frustrated after warm-up game abandoned

Kane Williamson expressed his and New Zealand's disappointment after the practice match between New Zealanders and Bangladesh Cricket Board XI was abandoned due to a very wet outfield.

"It is very frustrating," Williamson said. "The boys have come off quite a bit of cricket, they have played a bit in Sri Lanka previously. It would have been really nice to play the match but it wasn't to be."

The umpires made the decision to call of play at 9.45am local time, 15 minutes after play was scheduled to start on Saturday at the MA Aziz Stadium, after bouts of overnight and early morning rain had submerged parts of the ground. The BCB XI squad left a few hours later, while the visitors had to shift base to the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium's indoor facilities once again.

"It is not ideal. It is a shame not to get a practice match, but we have a few days to train and prepare accordingly. You get thrown these curve balls at times, but you have to deal with them. It is no excuse for us. We have to prepare well in the next few days."

Williamson, who scored for 403 at an average for 50.37 for Yorkshire in the County Championship's First Division, is one of the three members of the New Zealand ODI side that lost 4-0 to Bangladesh in 2010. He was one of their better performers, scoring his first international century during the series.

"It was nice to spend some time in the middle there. But having said that, I haven't played a Test series here and neither have a lot of the boys. So it will be a good experience.

"We have been doing a lot of talking, particularly about the opposition and conditions over here. We are trying to simulate all those things and move our game forward.

"It is a tough place to bat, and something that I have to get used to. I am touring the world, playing in all different types of conditions. Bangladesh is certainly different than what we are used to."

That difference in playing conditions will take a little more time to adjust as it is likely that they will continue to train indoors for another day. The relayed surface at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is undergoing last-minute work, and as a result, they have been given just a short period of time to warm-up at the first Test venue.

Head curator Zahid Reza Babu has prepared two wickets for the Test, and both haven't had a ball bowled on them after the relay. The previous Test played here was in December 2011, after which the ground went for a complete overhaul of its outfield and playing square.

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Smith puts Mumbai in all-IPL final

Mumbai Indians 157 for 4 (Smith 59, Narine 3-17) beat Trinidad & Tobago 153 for 5 (Lewis 62, Ottley 41*) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar provided the searing start that set Mumbai Indians on course for a second Champions League T20 final in three years, a final which will now be an all-IPL affair. Smith bludgeoned 59 from 38 as the pair made 90 together in 11 overs, in pursuit of T&T's middling 153 for 5. Though the openers' demise in the space of an over comprised a stutter, they had done enough to ensure the middle order could see out the dangerous Sunil Narine, and complete a straightforward victory, made easier by the injury to Rayad Emrit, who hurt his shoulder in the first over.

Nathan Coulter-Nile had earlier been instrumental in subduing T&T, who had their own blazing start courtesy Evin Lewis' 46-ball 62. Coulter-Nile conceded only 20 in his four overs, in which he also took one wicket, while both Kieron Pollard and Pragyan Ojha also took one apiece and gave away less than a run a ball in their three-over spells.

Smith bludgeoned one back past the bowler and struck one sweetly in front of point to begin his onslaught, in the second over, and then, having ambled to three off seven balls, Tendulkar found form for the first time in the tournament. A crisp straight drive on the up off Rampaul was a throwback to his heyday, but the slog over long-on and a back-away inside-out drive that yielded consecutive sixes soon after were more a product of the present age than a bygone one.

The pair took 49 runs from the Powerplay, but even the onset of spin only brought a slight dip in the run rate, as they were only made to deal with one over from Sunil Narine, even as they took the game away from T&T. Tendulkar crossed the 50,000-run aggregate for recognised cricket across all formats in the eighth over, to the crowd's delight, while Smith doled out boundaries fashioned from power and touch in equal measure.

Tendulkar was caught behind for 35 from 31, before Narine struck twice in the following over, to give rise to T&T hopes, but Mumbai needed only 58 runs from the last eight overs, and Dinesh Karthik's unbeaten 33 ensured not even Narine would derail the chase. A six over extra cover off Lendl Simmons off the first ball of the 20th over sealed the victory.

Lewis' first boundary in T&T's innings was off a Mitchell Johnson edge through second slip, but he slapped the next one over the third-man boundary and rarely erred again until his demise. Lewis took a liking to Johnson's next over as well, carving two off side boundaries off it, but though Darren Bravo's early strokeplay suggested he too had the Mumbai attack's measure, he walked past Pragyan Ojha's legside wide to have himself stumped for 14.

Having hit 61 off the first eight overs, T&T slowed significantly against Ojha, Coulter-Nile and Pollard, who bowled tight lines and mixed up their pace to good effect on a dry Delhi surface. Yannick Ottley's unbeaten 41 off 30 pushed T&T beyond 150, which seemed a competitive total despite the mediocre returns from the middle overs, but with one bowler down and the remaining quicks far from their best on the night, T&T could not deny the IPL champions.

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SLC seeks funds from expatriates in Europe

Sri Lanka Cricket is looking to the expatriate community in Europe for development funds, SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said, after the board appointed a representative in the region on Friday.

United Kingdom resident and textile tycoon Sarath Abeysundara was tasked with raising money for district and school cricket in Europe, and SLC is hopeful he will ease the burden on SLC's stretched domestic budget.

"Mr. Abeysundara's job is to try and help the board build relationships with the Sri Lankans living in Europe and to raise funds for developments in districts and schools," Ranatunga said. "We've told him to come up with a few options on how he would raise funds for SLC, which he was very keen to do. He has raised funds for SLC before, which we were aware of."

Ranatunga said Abeysundara had links to county team Leicestershire and served on SLC's foreign committee in the UK - one of several of the board's outposts abroad. He is also an elected member of SLC's sponsorship committee, under whose purview the assignment falls.

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Chandila's lawyer criticises BCCI procedure

A day after Ajit Chandila was interrogated in New Delhi on Wednesday by the BCCI Anti-Corruption and Security Unit chief Ravi Sawani, his lawyer has criticised the BCCI's procedure, alleging that the Sawani report has relied on police documents rather than original investigation.

"The BCCI's procedure in itself is faulty," Rakesh Kumar, Chandila's counsel, said. "They have appointed a commissioner for inquiry who is not conducting any investigation on his own. He is just relying on the police documents which are submitted to the court."

Kumar, who accompanied Chandila for the questioning that lasted nearly three hours, added that his client wasn't even "issued a show-cause notice". "I am not aware what are the charges against my client and they are simply holding him guilty. In case they go ahead and take severe action against my client, we will certainly challenge it in the court of law."

While the BCCI on September 13 announced the verdict on all the other five Royals cricketers who were allegedly involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, banning Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan for life, suspending Amit Singh for five years, Siddharth Trivedi for a year and clearing Harmeet Singh of all the charges, Chandila's case has been pending for long.

Since Chandila received bail on September 9, Sawani, who had been appointed to hand over a report to the BCCI disciplinary committee, couldn't meet the him earlier. As a result, the disciplinary committee of the BCCI had proceeded based on Sawani's finding on all the other players except Chandila.

"More than 10 days' notice had been served to Chandila before Sawani questioned him. Once his findings are forwarded to the disciplinary committee, the committee will then summon the player before pronouncing its verdict," a BCCI insider said.

That is unlikely to happen soon since Chandila has sought "seven to ten days' time" for submitting his written statement. Sawani can only finalise his findings once he receives the statement.

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Duminy set to make a Test comeback

JP Duminy is set to regain his Test place after 11 months as South Africa embark on a two-Test series against Pakistan. Duminy spent six months recovering from a ruptured Achilles' tendon and after a successful one-day return, has been given a vote of confidence from the national coach to make a Test comeback as well.

"How we've worked is that when a player has a spot and he gets injured, once he is fit again, he will regain his spot. I think that's only fair," Russell Domingo, South Africa's coach said ahead of the squad's departure. "I very much see JP being in the starting XI."

Duminy had previously spent two years out of the Test team following a loss of form after creating a stir with a 50 and unbeaten 166 against Australia in his first two matches. He returned against New Zealand in March 2012 and scored a century and also played an important role in South Africa's win against England at Lord's last June which gave them the Test mace.

He could play no part in their victory over Australia because of his injury. Faf du Plessis took his spot and impressed with a match-saving century in Adelaide. That would mean the likely loser from Duminy's return would be Dean Elgar, who replaced Jacques Rudolph and, apart from a century against New Zealand, has not made the spot his own.

Following an extensive rehabilitation period, Duminy returned to action during the Champions Trophy in June this year. He scored an unbeaten 150 before the tournament during a warm-up against the Netherlands, had a lean run through the competition but had one innings of 97 in the ODI series in Sri Lanka, which South Africa lost 4-1. He has also become a significant contributor with the ball, sending down 36.2 overs of offspin in the five matches.

Duminy's potential as an allrounder is what South Africa are hoping to use to their advantage in the UAE. "With JP back in the mix, whether we need to play a second spinner still needs to be debated," Domingo said.

Conditions are expected to be conducive to turn - given that was how Pakistan got the better of the last No.1 side to tour the UAE, England - and South Africa have included two specialist spinners in their squad. Robin Peterson is the incumbent but they have also brought back Pakistani-born legspinner Imran Tahir, who played 11 Tests but was dropped after conceding 260 runs without taking a wicket in Adelaide.

Peterson has had some success, most notably with five wickets in a match against Pakistan in Cape Town, but Tahir's attacking ability were thought to create a tough contest between the two for a spot. Domingo confirmed he would allow Peterson to start before turning to Tahir. "At the moment, I still feel Robbie is the guy. He has made some contributions," he said. "You are always going to take two spinners to the subcontinent but Imran has to do something special to knock the door down."

The rest of the line-up will retain its familiar look with Graeme Smith fully recovered from ankle surgery to lead the team and open the batting. Domingo indicated he would continue with the seven batsmen and three seamers strategy that was used under Gary Kirsten. "I would be a fool to go in there and make drastic changes," he said. "There might be one change in terms of personnel but the balance of the side will stay pretty much the same."

That one change would be Duminy's return but Elgar need not despair yet. There is a chance he will feature in the series after all because South Africa may have to do without Hashim Amla for the second Test. The No.3 batsman and his wife, Sumayya, are expecting their second child to be born "some time after the first Test" according to team manager Mohammad Moosajee.

Amla will leave Dubai as soon as the match is done and "depending on when the baby arrives", a decision will be made on his availability for the second match. There is a four-day turnaround between games and if Amla does not make it back in time, Elgar, who has batted in the top-order for most of his career, could assume the spot.

Everyone else in the South African squad is fit. Dale Steyn has recovered from the assortment of injuries that plagued him at the Champions Trophy. Rory Kleinveldt's toe laceration has healed and Wayne Parnell's heart issue has also been sorted out.

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