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Ed Giddins, the former England fast bowler, has been fined £5000, plus £1000 costs, and banned from playing in any match under the jurisdiction of the ECB for five years.Giddins, 32, was found guilty by an ECB disciplinary panel of breaching a directive while a contracted county player, by placing a bet of around £7000 on Surrey (his county at the time) to lose to Northamptonshire in a National League game in August 2002. Giddins pleaded not guilty to the charge, but did not dispute any of the facts brought before the panel, which was chaired by His Honour Judge Slinger, and also included David Gabbitass and Richard Bevan.The five-year suspension was the maximum available to the panel, and, according to the ECB, “reflects the seriousness with which the discipline committee views any attempt by a registered cricketer to bet on the result of any match under ECB jurisdiction”.The ban won’t affect Giddins unduly, since he retired at the end of last season after a subdued year with Hampshire, his fourth county. He parted company with Sussex, his first club, after a drug offence in 1996. He also played for Warwickshire and Surrey, and won four Test caps, taking 12 wickets at 20.00, including 5 for 15 against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2000.

The deadline for submission of the 2007 World Cup bids passed yesterday evening with two surprises. Firstly, the Trinidad and Tobago government announced that although it had complied with the requirements of the Bid Book, it was submitting itself only as being able and willing to host matches, and would not compete with territorial neighbours.Patrick Manning, the Prime Minister, said he did not want Trinidad to seem to be grabbing for everything, given its better economic standing in the region. "What T&T did not want to do was to compete against those very countries that support us, as the benefits that could accrue from these matches would be more needed in those countries than in T&T."Manning added that the government would be willing to host whatever matches were left over after the bids were sorted. The understanding is that the most costly affair, the opening, will be outside the reach of most territories, and will more likely than not end up on Trinidad’s door.Meanwhile, Barbados and St Lucia have submitted a joint bid proposal. Stephen Alleyne, head of Barbados’s World Cup programme, said that their joint effort will have "the resources of half a million people" behind them. The driving force behind the St. Lucia committee, Desmond Skeete, died while preparing for the weekend of one-dayers against England at Beausejour Stadium. In all, 12 countries have indicated their intention to bid for matches. The allocations are to be announced on July 12.

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Jai Prakash Yadav continued his dream season and propelled Railways to an emphatic five-wicket win over Delhi in the pre-quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament. Yadav’s two early wickets pegged Delhi back in the morning before his thrilling 60 off 65 balls, including three sixes, ensured that Railways cruised home with 8.5 overs to spare. Sanjay Bangar also contributed a composed 55 and shared a vital 106-run partnership with Yadav in the middle overs. Ajay Jadeja managed a steady 98 for Delhi but 213 proved too small a total in the end.
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Despite making a formidable 284 in their first innings, Karnataka were shunted out of the tournament largely due to some fantastic hitting from the Orissa batsmen. BBCC Mohapatra began the carnage with a 26-ball 52, including 4 sixes and five fours, before Shiv Sundar Das and Rashmi Ranjan Parida raced to a 91-run partnership in quick time. Das anchored the innings with a rapid 82 as Orissa reached the target with more than four overs to spare. Earlier, Karnataka rode on Barrington Rowland’s century to post a competetive total. Sujit Somasundar, the captain, also chipped in with 77.

Kim Hughes, the former Australian captain, has said lack of match practice against world-class bowling is one of the main reasons for Australia’s batting problems on the current Ashes tour. Hughes felt the Australian batsmen had fattened their averages thanks to some ordinary bowling on the international scene and their tecniques were exposed when confronted with a quality attack.”Once you get to 32 or 33, the only time you’re exposed is against pace,” Hughes said in . “Our blokes could go back and play the rest of the Test countries over the next two or three years and still average 55, and they’d do that standing on their head, because there is no other decent attack. They [England] have exposed a lack of footwork and technique. The rest of the series will be a real test for them.”Hughes, who captained Australia in 28 Tests, said the pace of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff, who consistently bowled at speeds of 150 kmh, highlighted an ageing Australian side with only three players below 30 – Michael Clarke (24), Lee (28) and Simon Katich (29). “Our batting has looked very, very ordinary,” he said. “Spear-headed by Harmison and Flintoff they’re a good attack but you certainly wouldn’t say they’re the West Indies of 20 years ago – far from it.”Hughes also pointed out that the general standard of world bowling over the past decade or so was “pathetic”. “Honestly, the standard of world cricket has been very, very ordinary for a number of years,” Hughes said. “As a former player you never want to say that because it always looks like sour grapes.”The West Indies are pathetic, Pakistan had half a bowler last season. The two sides out here last season [New Zealand and Pakistan] wouldn’t have won our Sheffield Shield.” Both New Zealand and Pakistan suffered humiliating whitewashes at the hands of the Australians last season and New Zealand received another thrashing in the home series that followed.The Australians have a one-day match against Scotland on Thursday and a two-day game against Northamptonshire beginning on Saturday before the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.

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A defiant Phil Jaques hundred was not enough to stop Queensland from romping to an eight-wicket victory over New South Wales on the third day’s play at Brisbane.Jaques was the dominant partner in a 75-run stand with Matthew Phelps as he marched on to his 19th first-class century. Resuming on 1 for 63, NSW added 89 for the loss of Phelps (28) – caught at slip by Jimmy Maher off Mitchell Johnson – during the first session. Jaques and Dominic Thornely then guided their side to 2 for 152 at lunch before both succumbed to the quicks after the interval. Thornely went first, lbw to Johnson for 9, while Jaques was caught by Brendan Nash off Michael Kasprowicz after facing 165 deliveries and hitting 19 fours and a six.Aaron O’Brien (64) and Brad Haddin (76) overcame the setback by adding 130 for the fifth wicket as the Blues forged a fightback. Haddin was in fine form, smashing nine fours and two sixes in his 72-ball knock before hitting one straight to Maher off Daniel Doran’s legspin (5 for 323). Kasprowicz (4 for 96) then swung the momentum Queensland’s way by snapping up two more wickets as NSW finished on 378.Set 91 to win, Queensland knocked off the runs in 17 overs with Martin Love, who had hit a first-innings hundred, scoring a quick 46.

Points Table
January 15
Tamil Nadu 212 for 3 (Badrinath 67, Vidyut 59) beat Kerala 207 for 8 (Jagadeesh 73) by 7 wickets
ScorecardTamil Nadu maintained an unbeaten record in the South zone league, notching up their fifth consecutive win with a seven-wicket defeat of Kerala. Requiring 208 for victory, TN powered to victory thanks to S Badrinath (68) and Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut (59). Tamil Nadu had already regained the Subbiah Pillai Trophy for the zonal champions after winning their first four matches.Andhra Pradesh 148 for 6 (Prasad 68) beat Hyderabad 146 (Venugopal 5-20) by 4 wickets
ScorecardAndhra Pradesh rode on a superb bowling performance by Venugopal Rao to clinch a low-scoring match by four wickets. Venugopal took 5 for 20 in 8.3 overs as Hyderabad were bundled out for 146. Andhra had a few hiccups along the way, but MSK Prasad made 68 as an opener to see the team through.Karnataka 133 for 3 (Rowland 53*) beat Goa 129 by 7 wickets
ScorecardKarnataka thrashed Goa by seven wickets to finish second in the league, behind Tamil Nadu. In their last match, in Margao, they bundled out Goa for just 129 and then coasted past the target with more than 13 overs to spare. Barrington Rowland rop-scored for Karnataka with an unbeaten 53.January 13

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Tamil Nadu regained the Subbiah Pillai Trophy and emerged as champions in the league phase of the South zone Ranji one-day tournament after recording their fourth successive victory. Though one round of matches still remained, Tamil Nadu had got enough points and gained an unassailable lead. Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan led the Tamil Nadu batting brigade as they piled on 342 and cruised to a 149-run win over Andhra in Margao. Vidyut clattered 123 in only 115 balls before Dinesh Karthik’s manic 80 off 43 balls rocketed the score towards 350. Andhra were never in the hunt and MSK Prasad’s 56 was only a consolation.
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A blistering 160 from Robin Uthappa helped Karnataka post a mammoth total and then wrap up a comfortable 113-run win over Kerala in Margao. Uthappa hammered 18 fours and a six in his sizzling 129-ball knock and nearly carried his bat through the innings. Kerala didn’t threaten at any stage and they struggled against the medium pace of Chandrashekar Raghu and NC Aiyappa before folding for 193.
ScorecardAmbati Rayudu steered Hyderabad to a comfortable 78-run victory over Goa in the league phase of the South zone Ranji one-day tournament in Panjim. Rayudu steadied the innings before stringing together useful partnerships with the lower order and take Hyderabad past the 250-mark. Mandar Phadke gave Goa a faint chance of reaching the target but all the Hyderabad bowlers chipped in and wrapped the game up with plenty to spare.January 12

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Sreedharan Sharath’s led the way with a composed 103 not out as Tamil Nadu wrapped up their third consecutive victory in the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament in Margao. Sharath was supported by Subranamium Badrinath, who chipped in with 81, as Tamil Nadu easily chased down a daunting target of 289.Earlier, Hyderabad had got to 288 thanks to a fine hundred by Abhinav Kumar and a quickfire 68 from Anirudh Singh.
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An excellent allround batting effort from Karnataka helped them to an emphatic victory over Andhra in the Ranji one-day tournament in Panjim. Barrington Rowland and Sujit Somasundar cracked fifties but everyone in the top order played their part to boost the total to 287 for 7. Andhra were never in the hunt and folded for a mere 154.
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Raiphi Gomez’s composed 90 not out steered Kerala to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Goa in the Ranji one-day tournament in Margao. Kerala had little trouble in chasing down a modest total of 182 and Gomez shared a crucial 122-run stand with Vasudevan Jagadeesh (44) for the second wicket. Earlier, Sree Santh and Tinu Yohanan had snared seven wickets between them as Goa were kept down to 181 in their first innings.January 10

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A fine allround batting performance gave Tamil Nadu the advantage before their bowlers applied the pressure and wrapped up a crushing 82 run victory over Karnataka at Panjim. Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan set up a solid launching pad with his steady 56 before Sreedharan Sharath and Dinesh Karthik plundered the bowling in the late assault. Karthik smacked six fours and three sixes in his blistering knock as Tamil Nadu finished on a commanding 278 for 4. Karnataka didn’t get the rapid start in the early over and were soon reduced to 44 for 3 as their top-order batsmen tried to up the tempo. The rest of the line-up didn’t keep the fight going and Karnataka folded for 196. The big win gave Tamil Nadu an additional bonus point.
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An attacking unbeaten 120 by Shami Asnodkar paved the way for a Goa victory over Andhra by 14 runs at Margo. He put on 96 more runs than the next-highest scorer, and more than half the side’s runs came off his bat. His innings contained eight hits to the fence and seven over it. Goa struggled to 217 for 9, with most of the damage done by Bala Reddy, who ended with 5 for 16 in only his fourth one-dayer. Andhra then began confidently, with Fayaz Ahmed (42) and MSK Prasad putting on 60. Prasad went on to score 75, but wickets fell around him often. However, once he was dismissed (193 for 7), Andhra’s last reasonable chance of victory was lost. Shortly after, they folded up for 203, falling short by 14 runs.
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A patient unbeaten 60 by Sreekumar Nair gave Kerala a five-wicket victory over Hyderabad at Goa. Chasing a low target of 167, Kerala went past in less than 40 overs in the 42-over-an-innings game. Nair’s knock steadied the innings after his team was wobbling at 65 for 3, but he found minor support from the middle order, which was enough for him to go about his work. Earlier, Ambati Rayudu had blasted 50 off 35 balls and put on 51 with Anirudh Singh, who scored a more sedate 61 not out. But runs were hard to find for the others, and only these two, of the top eight managed double-figures.January 9

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Tamil Nadu’s medium pacers ran through the Goa batting order, shooting them out for a paltry 116, and their batsmen cantered to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory in the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament in Panjim. MR Shrinivas and Rajamani Jesuraj justified their captain’s decision to field first, snaring seven wickets between, as the Goa batsmen floundered. Only Mandar Phadke managed to cross 20 and Goa were bundled out in 36.1 overs. Tamil Nadu were never in any sort of trouble and Hemant Kumar steered them home with a composed 40.
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Arjun Yadav’s fighting 80 wasn’t enough as Hyderabad fell 15 runs short in their game against Karnataka in Margao. Yadav shared two big partnerships, first with Daniel Manohar (51) and then with Ambati Rayudu (60), but Karnataka kept the pressure on and choked the runs in the slog overs. Earlier, despite no standout performer, most of the Karnataka batsmen chipped in to help post a competetive total.
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Vasudhevan Jagadeesh piloted the Kerala batting and helped them register a 21-run victory over Andhra in Margao. Kerala were inserted after losing the toss and Jagadeesh (104) played the lone hand while partners fell around him. He cracked eight fours in his 148-ball innings and was the last to fall as Kerala finished on 212. Tinu Yohannan and Prasanth chandran, their opening bowlers, then went about denting the Andhra batting line-up and the rest sustained the pressure right till the end. Gnaneswara Rao (58) and Hemanl Watekar (40) gave Andhra a whiff of a chance but they couldn’t keep it going till the end.

Dilip Vengsarkar, the former India captain, has given his green signal to the Indian board for his name being proposed as match referee to the ICC.”I was first given an offer in 2002 but could not accept it. I would be free from the post of the chairman of the talent research development wing of the board at the end of this month and that’s why I have said yes to the board when they approached me,” Vengsarkar said.Vengsarkar, whose specially done portrait is set to adorn the Lord’s pavilion for his feat of scoring three Test centuries on the trot at the Mecca of cricket, said as per his information, ICC would decide on the panel of match referees in April.”I have received a letter from the MCC seeking my permission to pose for a specially made portrait which would be put up at the Lord’s pavilion.”It’s a big honour and I have said yes to the MCC proposal who are to send a painter to Mumbai for doing my portrait sometime in January 2007,” Vengsarkar said.

Mohammad Azharuddin, the legendary Indian batsman, has said he has given up hopes of playing for India but was fighting his case in the court of law to get his name cleared from match-fixing.”I have no hopes of playing for India. But I want to get my name cleared,” Azharuddin was quoted as saying in Press Trust of India. “I am expecting that the final hearing of my case will be in May before the judgment is announced.”Azhar was slapped with a life ban while Manoj Prabhakar, the former Indian fast bowler also involved in the scandal, was banned for five years in 2000. The court exonerated Ajay Jadeja who was earlier banned for life by the Indian board.Azhar however, refused to comment on whether he was made a scapegoat by the BCCI. “The matter is sub-judice and I cannot comment on that,” Azhar said. “But I firmly believe that the whole issue was blown out of proportion. I was destined to play 99 Tests, that’s the way I look at it. If I can play 99 Tests, I could have played one more,” he said when asked if he was deliberately prevented by the BCCI from achieving a personal milestone.However, Azhar, 43, said he cannot be banned from cricketing activities. “I don’t need any permission from anyone to play charity or veteran’s cricket. I cannot play in BCCI or ICC approved or sanctioned tournaments. Veterans’ cricket is a different body that is neither controlled nor governed by the BCCI or ICC.”Meanwhile the Pakistan Senior Cricket Board (PSCB) gave a new twist to the Veteran Cup controversy, claiming it was the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which allowed Azharuddin and Manoj Prabhakar to play in Pakistan. Fawad Ijaz, the PSCB president and chief executive, told a news conference that the “Pakistan High Commission granted visas to the entire Indian cricket team, including Azharuddin and Prabakar, to travel to Pakistan for the one-day matches on the advice of the PCB.”When we applied for the no-objection certificate with the PCB, the names of the Indian team were clearly stated. The PCB issued us the NOC on the basis of which the Indians were issued visas in New Delhi,” Ijaz said. “Issuing of the NOC, followed up New Delhi granting visas clarifies that the entire Indian team is here with the permission and knowledge of the PCB.”Ijaz’s remark came in the wake of Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, disassociating his establishment from Azharuddin and Prabhakar’s visit. “The senior cricket board is operating on their own and they have invited Azharuddin and Prabhakar,” Shaharyar had said. “The senior board is not affiliated with the PCB so they are holding this series on their own.”The veterans’ cricket board of India today came out in support of Azharuddin and Prabhakar, saying both were technically eligible to take part in the veterans’ tournament against Pakistan.Chetan Chauhan, former cricketer and President of Board for Veteran Cricket in India, said: “Prabhakar’s five-year ban is over and Azharuddin is banned from playing Test and first class cricket. Veterans’ cricket does not fall under any of these two categories. So both are eligible to play.”The veterans’ series is more of a friendly one to improve relationship between the two countries. Since Azharuddin is playing all sorts of festival cricket, there is no harm in his participation in it,”However, Chauhan refused to draw any comparison between Malik, who was prevented from taking part in the series, and the two Indian players. “Salim Malik’s case is different, “he said. “In their country, Justice Qayoom Commission has banned him from all forms of cricket. So he is not eligible to play veterans’ cricket.”

The Kent paceman Amjad Khan has been ruled out of the England tour of Bangladesh, leaving just 12 players available for selection ahead of the opening match.Khan arrived in Dhaka with a swollen knee after attending the MRF pace academy in Chennai and the management took the decision to send him back to England as a precaution ahead of the new season. The tour was going to be Khan’s first representative action for England – he was born in Denmark – having completed his qualification period.His withdrawal, along with Ravi Bopara’s selection for the World Cup squad, means Peter Moores, the coach, is down to the bare bones of a party. Two replacements will be named shortly, with Glen Chapple touted as one possibility. Ryan Sidebottom, the Nottinghamshire left-armer, might also come into the equation.With the options reduced, England are likely to name all their specialist batsmen for the first Test against Bangladesh A which starts on Thursday. That will hand an opportunity to the likes of Will Jefferson, Michael Carberry and Nick Compton who were preferred on the tour to the Test-capped pair of Robert Key and Owais Shah.

Simon Katich, who was dropped from the Australia squad for the second Test against West Indies, will lead the top-of-the-table New South Wales in their crucial ING Cup match against Queensland at the SCG on Sunday. The squad also includes Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath, who will all play the match before flying to Hobart for the Test.Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper, has been ruled out due to a finger injury he suffered in Perth. A further assessment on the injury will be made next week but Haddin is hopeful of being fit to play in the Pura Cup match against Tasmania starting next Friday.Matthew Hayden is the only change to the Queensland team that lost to South Australia on Friday night, replacing the injured James Hopes. Hopes hurt his shoulder during the match and expects to be fit in time for Australia’s Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series against New Zealand in December.Queensland squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley (wk), Nathan Hauritz, Andy Bichel, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Kasprowicz, Chris Simpson.New South Wales squad: Simon Katich (capt), Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Phil Jaques, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath, Aaron O’Brien, Corey Richards, Daniel Smith, Dominic Thornely.