Akram nails two in two

'Wasim's World Cup ripper of rippers came with a sequel hot on its heels'
Melbourne, 25 March 1992


The first World Cup final to be played under lights, the only one to take place in Australia, and the last one not to feature the Australian team. The two finalists are the team that did best in the group stage - England, astonishingly - and the one that came roaring into form just in time - Pakistan.

The game ebbs and flows nicely. Derek Pringle's tidy outswing puts England on top before two grizzled maestros, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, fight back with a stand of 139. With a fluent 40 from their latest discovery Inzamam-ul-Haq, and a buccaneering 33 from Wasim Akram, Pakistan set a target of 250.

England stumble to 69 for 4 in the twilight, but then Neil Fairbrother and Allan Lamb drag them back into it. They put on 72 and Imran is forced to turn to his sole spearhead, Wasim (Imran himself is bowling with a bad shoulder, and Waqar Younis has missed the whole tournament). Wasim has to find something special. It helps that his speciality is reverse swing at high pace. He ambles in to Lamb, round the wicket, and fires one in towards his pads. It shapes in, then darts away, beating Lamb's baffled prod and taking out the off stump.

Chris Lewis comes in at No.7. Wasim goes wider on the crease and greets him with what appears to be an off-side wide, but it curls back wickedly late and takes out the off stump again. Wasim went on to play one-day international cricket for longer than any other bowler - 18 years, 356 games, 502 wickets - but he never bettered those two balls.

'The battle is not over' - Greig

Tony Greig: "I always thought that a compromise would resolve the issues and I am still of the view that the BCCI are missing an opportunity with Zee." © Getty Images


Related Links News: BCCI amnesty for 79 players
News: Gillespie saddened by exodus from ICL
News: Kemp terminates ICL contract
News: The loyal blues
News: We've shortlisted ICL players for Knight Riders - Buchanan
Analysis: Where do we go from here?
Analysis: Will the ICL survive?
In Focus: ICL vs BCCI
Player/Officials: Subhash Chandra | Tony Greig
Series/Tournaments: ICL 20-20 Indian Championship
Teams: England | India


Though the ICL has received a major setback with the mass exodus of 79 of its Indian cricketers, Tony Greig, a senior member of the ICL board, has said though the time is not right for the league to fight the situation, it did not mean that the battle is over for them.

"If the players are seeking reinstatement in order to play first-class cricket in India and are also trying to break into the IPL then it's natural that there will be a view that the ICL is winding down," Greig told Cricinfo. "(But) I don't think Subhash Chandra (who owns the ICL) sees it that way. He is being realistic, the financial crisis has hit the media industry hard and cash is tight. He has obligations to the ICL players which he is working through. This is not the time to be fighting but that does not mean the battle is over."

Greig, who played a key role in setting up the league in 2007, also said that the players' decision to leave was "perfectly understandable" and added that the league will now have to recruit replacements if it plans to hold a "meaningful" event in the near future.

"This all seemed to me to be perfectly understandable but the ICL will now have to face the prospect of recruiting other players or there is no prospect in the short term of a meaningful tournament," he said. "There is however one other important point that needs to be made and that is the issue of the 'restraint of trade' and 'inducement to breach contract' court actions being brought by the ICL against the BCCI and the ICC. These actions need to run their course and until they have its not appropriate to speculate on what will happen to the ICL."

The ICL plans to restart its international schedule in October after cancelling its March tournament due to the global financial crisis that left the players with little cricket, leading to the mass exodus.

"The ICL has encouraged the players to go down this path," he said. "When the financial crises hit it was decided to cancel the planned March tournament and as a result the short term prospect of cricket for many of the ICL players diminished. At this point it became difficult for the ICL to insist that players stayed. This particularly applied to the ICL Indian players. As a result the ICL have encouraged its players to take advantage of the situation and try and get themselves back into the establishment game."

Greig also claimed that the Indian board's amnesty scheme was a bit of a compromise, considering that they had originally banned the ICL players "forever". "The BCCI has been pushed by the ICC to resolve the ICL issue," he said. "There have been meetings between the BCCI, the ICC and the ICL but they didn't resolve the issue. In fact, it got to a point where someone had to do something and so the BCCI set a date. This move was a bit of compromise, as there was a time when they were saying that the ICL players would be banned forever."

He pointed out that the BCCI was missing an opportunity by not arriving at an understanding with Zee, the media group that owns the ICL, and hoped that the situation will change "in the best interests of all cricketers".

"I always thought that a compromise would resolve the issues and I am still of the view that the BCCI are missing an opportunity with Zee," he said. "There is always a chance that there will be a change in attitude because one should always remember that cricket administrators move on far more quickly than those who run big businesses. Who knows what will happen in the next year or two. Hopefully, whatever it is in the best interests of all cricketers."

Kemp terminates ICL contract

Justin Kemp, the South Africa allrounder, has become eligible to participate in official cricket after terminating his contract with the ICL. Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO, Gerald Majola, said Kemp - who represented Hyderabad Heroes - complied with the amnesty offer by the board, where the players associated with the unauthorised league were given till May 31 to end their contracts.

"Justin Kemp is the first ICL player to meet these conditions and he is now eligible to play South African franchise cricket after the six-month cooling off period," Majola said. "We are very happy to welcome Justin back into the fold, and wish him all the best for the future".

Kemp last played in the ICL in November 2008, and will be available for selection when the South African cricketing season begins in September this year.

Kemp's decision comes after CSA unveiled an amnesty offer for ICL players in May, after the BCCI had started the trend, offering its players a chance to return to the official fold on April 29.

Other South African players who had joined the ICL include Nicky Boje, Dale Benkenstein, Andrew Hall and Johan van der Wath.

Meanwhile, senior England officials have confirmed the vast majority of the nation's ICL-contracted players have severed ties with the unsanctioned league. Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, told the Telegraph "pretty much everyone has cut links with the ICL," while Giles Clarke, the ECB's chairman, predicted the demise of the tournament could bolster the county game.

"If ICL is shown to be at an end then this is good news for international cricket," Clarke told the Guardian. "I have been vehemently against unauthorised cricket from the outset. It causes great problems for the game. The collapse of ICL might well increase the number of international players available for English counties"

Gillespie saddened by exodus from ICL

Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler, has been saddened by the mass exodus of players from the ICL and believes the unofficial Twenty20 league will continue to struggle for traction in the mainstream cricketing market until it is officially recognised by the ICC. He does not expect the cash-strapped ICL to conduct a tournament in 2009, but remains hopeful that a successful legal challenge to the ICC could pave the way for a return the following year.

"It's incredibly sad but it all comes down to that issue of recognition," Gillespie told Cricinfo. "With my team, the [Ahmedabad] Rockets, we have already lost quite a few young Indian players back to official cricket. I don't begrudge them that. They have to make a living and they don't want to be ostracised anymore.

"What is killing the ICL is that the ICC refuses to give it recognition. They are being squeezed by the BCCI, so the ICC's fall-back position is to label it a domestic tournament. That's their get-out-of-jail-free card. The ICL is going to struggle until it is recognised by the ICC. The players involved in the ICL just want to play cricket. That has been quite hard for some of them, especially the younger guys, when they've had their status taken away."

Gillespie, like many of the ICL's high-profile players, has yet to be paid in full for his two seasons of service to the ICL. But while younger cricketers have rushed to take up the BCCI's amnesty offer, Gillespie, who has retired from first-class cricket, has pledged to remain loyal to the Zee Telefilms-backed league.

"I'm not giving up hope on the ICL," he said. "If I'm to be completely honest, I'm not convinced that there will be a tournament this year, but hopefully they'll get it back together for 2010. There's still a chance. I know the ICL is keen to explore the legal route, the restraint of trade argument. They've been advised that legally they have a pretty strong case. But at the end of the day, until we get recognition it will be an uphill battle.

"It's no secret that they've fallen a bit behind in their payments. The ICL management have been in contact with me and they have reassured me that they will settle their dues as soon as they can. I trust in that correspondence. I have a contract with them, and I would like to see it out."

We've shortlisted ICL players for Knight Riders - Buchanan

Kolkata Knight Riders have been actively scouting ICL batsmen and John Buchanan, the franchise coach, believes an influx of players from the unsanctioned Twenty20 league could solve many of his team's problems. While it's not yet clear how or when ICL players will be incorporated into the league, Buchanan said KKR were ready to snap up a number of batsmen whom they have been monitoring for several seasons.

"I said right from the outset that we were short of quality Indian top-order batsmen and that is still the case," Buchanan told Cricinfo. "The ICL has released quite a few players in the last little while. There are quite a lot of good, young Indian batsmen among them and I think that is a situation that could work well for KKR.

"We've shortlisted about half a dozen Indian batsmen in the ICL. Now we're just waiting to hear back from the IPL as to how they will approach this issue of letting players in - if there will be a draft or an open market."

Whether Buchanan is around to oversee the purchase of ICL players remains a matter of conjecture, with recent media reports in India suggesting the former Australian coach is facing the sack in the wake of KKR's last-placed finish in 2009. When asked whether he expected to return with Kolkata next season, Buchanan offered a qualified answer - "I do at the moment" - but admitted to uncertainty over his future.

"It's all under review at the moment," he said. "There's lots of conjecture out there at the moment, but it will come down to what the team wants and how the owners feel. Nothing is finalised. Shah Rukh was not over there for the final stages of the tournament. I have spoken with Jai Mehta, but he said he had been finding it difficult to get in touch with Shah Rukh."

van der Wath, Hayward back in South African fold

South African fast bowlers Nantie Hayward and Johan van der Wath will be available to play under the auspices of CSA again after having terminated their ICL contracts. "Hayward, Van der Wath and Kemp are all high-level products of CSA's system, and we are glad that they have decided to rejoin," Gerald Majola, the South African board's chief executive, said.

Hayward, who played for Chennai Superstars and Royal Bengal Tigers, and Mumbai Champs' van der Wath join Justin Kemp among those who have complied with CSA's newly announced amnesty conditions for players associated with the unofficial league. The amnesty followed a ruling by the ICC that it would accept those players and officials who terminated their ICL contracts back into their fold.

The ICC also proposed a "cooling off" period between the termination of the ICL contracts and the resumption of official cricket, and has left it to the member countries to decide on the appropriate timeline.

Majola said CSA had introduced a six-month period from the time of the player's last appearance in the ICL provided he has terminated his contract, and franchises would be able to contract players under the terms of the current Memorandum of Understanding or on a pay-for-play basis. "Players must terminate their contracts by May 31, 2009 if they wish to be eligible to play in next year's Champions League or IPL," Majola said.

Both Hayward and van der Wath have met the conditions and are now eligible to play under the CSA after the six-month cooling off period.

Wright and Bopara crush West Indies

England have comfortably had the better of West Indies throughout their early-season exchanges and the theme continued at Lord's. They raced to a nine-wicket win with 32 balls remaining on the back of an electric opening stand of 119 between Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara. Wright finished with 75 from 38 deliveries after giving the stands a peppering, and confirming his position for the tournament opener, against Netherlands, on Friday.

England's opening combination has never been settled in Twenty20s, but after this effort it's difficult to see these two being separated in the next couple of weeks. The team performance against Scotland was far from convincing, but here England hit their stride with the bowlers and fielders also doing their jobs to hold West Indies to 144.

As the openers did against Scotland they played themselves in for a couple of overs, but the difference was this time they kicked on. Wright struggled initially and the pressure was building, but he found his range as he tucked into Lionel Baker, then Bopara opened up as he took four crunching boundaries off Dwayne Bravo's opening over.

West Indies' fielding again let them down when Sulieman Benn dropped a regulation chance at midwicket when Bopara was on 29 and the match was soon out of reach. England are often criticised for not clearing the boundary often enough, but Wright unleashed three consecutive leg-side sixes in Kieron Pollard's first over which cost 22 with a show of brutal strength and moved to fifty off 36 balls. It was the style of batting that he produces at county level but hasn't been consistently able to translate to the next level. He won't always be successful, but the England management appear ready to trust his ability.

Bopara's talent is already clear and some of his boundary-striking was a joy as he played with uninhibited ease. His half century took 31 deliveries and it was looking as though England would cross the winning line without loss until Bopara picked out deep midwicket against Shivnarine Chanderpaul's occasional spinners.

Wright hurried the game to a conclusion in style as he crunched Chanderpaul for another six and showed that he could hit proper pace as well by creaming Fidel Edwards down the ground. It was a highly satisfactory outing throughout by England, who were also sharp in the field and consistent with the ball.

Chris Gayle handed the captaincy to Denesh Ramdin and didn't bother to bat despite being named in the 13 and West Indies struggled for any real momentum. Only Ramnaresh Sarwan's unbeaten 46 from No. 6 lifted them over 140 as England fielded their three main quicks, with Stuart Broad the most economical as he went through his variations, and Adil Rashid conceding just five-an-over during his four overs.

The only blot on England's evening was the opening-over drop by Graeme Swann at second slip that reprieved Xavier Marshall. West Indies' opening partnership was beginning to increase the tempo, with Andre Fletcher launching James Anderson over mid-off for six, before the first horrendous misunderstanding left Fletcher stranded as he tried to come back for a second.

Fletcher's wicket came in an over that encapsulated Twenty20 cricket with 16 runs being traded for two wickets. Two balls later Chanderpaul was brilliantly held at third man by Ryan Sidebottom, who sprinted around to hold the top-edged pull, and showed that his fitness concerns are well behind him. West Indies didn't help themselves with some of their running when Pollard was the second to fall to poor calling as he sprinted up the pitch only to find Marshall hadn't moved an inch.

Rashid was given a bowl ahead of Swann, while Wright was also handed his turn and provided the next breakthrough when Marshall gloved his pull to James Foster. Rashid had looked understandably nervous against Scotland, but after a big first ball wide was more settled in this innings. Helped by the fact West Indies had lost wickets he conceded just a single boundary in his four overs and picked up Bravo who carved down to long-off.

Lendl Simmons should have gone when he had 3 but Asoka de Silva failed to pick up the outside edge off Broad, however he could only add four more before picking out deep-square leg against Swann. Sarwan ran hard towards the end of the innings, but boundaries were difficult to come by throughout the innings. That wasn't a problem England experienced.