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A Pakistani court has stayed, until June 2, the ICC’s decision to relocate the World Cup 2011 secretariat from Lahore to India. The World Cup Organising Committee had, on April 28, taken the decision on security grounds at a meeting held in Mumbai.The order was issued by Mohammad Younis Anees, the senior judge of a Lahore civil court, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said.”The fact raised by the petitioner [PCB] needs consideration,” the order said, according to a report on . “The World Cup tournament director is restrained from operating the secretariat from any other place in any other city/country till the next hearing.”The case was filed last week against the ICC, the IDI (the ICC’s commercial arm), the tournament director and the World Cup central organising committee.The PCB’s rationale, Rizvi said, was that until an ICC dispute committee or the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) resolves the primary case – shifting the matches out of Pakistan – the World Cup secretariat could not be moved out of Pakistan. “Pakistan can also claim relief on the relocation of the secretariat,” he said.Rizvi insisted the Lahore court has jurisdiction over the matter. “The secretariat was in Lahore so of course the court has jurisdiction over it,” he told Cricinfo. The court order notes that the tournament director is restrained from shifting offices from Lahore to Mumbai and also, significantly, operating the office from any city other than Lahore. Any move to do so, Rizvi said, may result in a contempt of court application.The ICC was represented by a legal firm from Karachi, Vellani & Vellani, and had asked for the hearing to be adjourned till it had prepared the case properly. The ICC’s legal cell had sent an email to the PCB requesting an adjournment. The next hearing is due on June 2. An ICC spokesperson told Cricinfo, “We don’t believe there is any substance to the PCB’s claims and we will vigorously defend this matter.”The PCB’s civil case against moving the World Cup’s head office is one of a series of protests Pakistan has made against the International Cricket Council (ICC) decision late last month to move the World Cup matches scheduled in Pakistan out of the country.Rizvi believes the PCB has a strong case as it fights the ICC over the decision. A legal notice has also been sent to the ICC over the decision and the PCB wants to refer the case to the Court of Arbitration, Sports, in Lausanne, Switzerland. A clause in the hosting agreement signed in 2006 apparently boosts the case further: clause 23.5 gives co-hosts the option of moving matches to a different city, or even a country should the need arise.Since the case was filed, the PCB has sought to open back-channel communications over the issue of the World Cup matches with the co-hosts and its chairman, Ijaz Butt, was in Sri Lanka over the weekend meeting his counterpart of the national board there. He is expected to meet Sharad Pawar in India before travelling to South Africa to watch the IPL final.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to give a three-month cooling period to its ICL contracted players before they can be accepted into the system, provided they cut off all ties with the unofficial Twenty20 league. The players include Mavan Atapattu, Upul Chandana, Avishka Gunawardene, Russel Arnold and Saman Jayantha.This decision was taken by the SLC’s interim committee on Thursday. Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said the verdict to allow the ICL contracted players to get back was taken with the intention of making full use of their experience in different capacities.”We have followed the line taken by the Indian board but we have decided to reduce the cooling period to three months so that we can have these players back as quickly as possible,” said Ranatunga.He also said that those players concerned will not be able to apply for the coaches post for the Sri Lanka A team, development team and Academy side because applications had already closed.”Even if they were eligible it would not have been ethical to bring them in straight away. We will make use of them in a different capacity once the cooling period is over,” Ranatunga said.

Fast bowler Daren Powell and allrounder Ryan Hinds have been dropped from the 17-man West Indies touring party for the Test series against England. Three uncapped players – Grenada fast bowler Nelon Pascal, Barbados batsman Dale Richards, and Jamaica medium-pacer Andrew Richardson – have been included in the squad.However, in a blow to West Indies’ hopes Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the two Tests after medical advice said he hadn’t recovered sufficiently from the ankle surgery that kept him out of the game for eight months. He returned with impressive results in the one-day series against England and was expected to make this tour but the management are taking a cautious approach.Powell was axed after a prolonged spell of poor form – he managed only 25 wickets at 60.80 in his previous 14 Tests – while Hinds was left out after a lacklustre showing in the final Test against England.Richardson was called up after playing a pivotal role in taking Jamaica to the domestic four-day title, bagging 33 wickets at 23.12. “This year Richardson has been bowling very well and deserves his selection,” Clyde Butts, the chairman of selectors, said. “He is tall, accurate and has the ability to get wickets at crucial stages in the game.”Pascal, 21, who has taken 20 wickets in his previous five first-class games, caught the selectors’ eye with his pace while the 32-year-old Richards regains a place after recovering from a foot injury that ruled him out of action in February.Guyana’s Narsingh Deonarine, who played four Tests in 2005, has been recalled after becoming the first West Indies batsman to make more than 1000 domestic runs this season. “We felt he needed to get scores and take his game to another level and he did just that,” Butts said. “He has been consistent and deserves this chance.”Another player who has been out of the national reckoning for a long time, allrounder David Bernard, makes a comeback while medium-pacer Darren Sammy, who burst onto the international scene with a seven-wicket haul on debut during the 2007 trip to England, also finds a place. The tour starts on April 21 and will include three warm-up matches and two Tests.West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Nelon Pascal, Dale Richards, Andrew Richardson, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor.

Kevin Stoute scored his second hundred of the season to put Barbados in a strong position, overshadowing a maiden century from Royston Crandon for Guyana at the Providence Stadium. Stoute was undefeated on 104 and Ryan Hinds unbeaten on 83 as Barbados reached 267 for 3, replying to Guyana’s 334, when bad light stopped play two overs early.Resuming on 208 for 6, Crandon anchored the Guyana innings even as wickets fell regularly. Esaun Crandon was trapped leg before by Stoute for 16, while Davendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul fell cheaply as well. Royston Crandon reached his hundred just before offspinner Shane Ramsay ended the innings, dismissing Brandon Bess shortly after lunch. Kraigg Braithwaite was the first to depart during the Barbados reply, run out for 16. The visitors began to wobble when captain Kirk Edwards fell for 40 and Sharmarh Brooks was out lbw for a first-ball duck to Bishoo on the stroke of tea with the score at 76. But Stoute and Hinds put on an unbeaten 191 for the fourth wicket as Barbados dominated the final session with attractive batting. Stoute, batting with a runner during the latter stages of his innings, brought up his hundred off 110 balls, hitting 15 boundaries and two sixes en route. The Guyanese fielders had only themselves to blame, dropping Hinds twice and Stoute once.Captain Rawl Lewis smashed a solid half-century and Shane Shillingford grabbed three late wickets to give Windward Islands firm control of their clash against Leeward Islands at St Thomas. After gaining a 28-run lead, the Windwards bowlers then ripped into the Leewards’ top order and left them reeling at 102 for 5 at stumps. Earlier, resuming at 66 for 2, Windwards profited from a 42-run third-wicket stand between Andre Fletcher and Mervyn Matthew before a middle-order slide revived Leewards’ hopes. Anthony Martin, who dislodged both openers on Saturday evening, struck again when he got rid of Matthew for 35. Tonito Willett then struck twice before lunch to remove Fletcher and Liam Sebastien as Windwards slipped to 132 for 5. It did not get better after lunch as Donwell Hector, Lyndon James and Shillingford all exited cheaply. But Lewis’ unbeaten 81, which included 12 fours and a six, propped up the innings. He found able support in Deighton Butler as they went past Leewards’ first-innings total of 243. Martin finished as Leewards’ most successful bowler with 4 for 54, while Willett and Bront Defreitas ended with two wickets apiece. Leewards lost Kieran Powell (10) early in the second innings. Montcin Hodge and Codville Rogers revived the innings with a 43-run third-wicket stand before Shane Shillingford swung things Windwards’ way. Shillingford bowled Rogers and then sent back Willett and captain Steve Liburd – both without scoring, finishing the day with 3 for 13.Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) grabbed a one-run lead against Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) and then restricted them to 116 for 4 at the close on a rain-hit second day at the Three Ws Oval. T&T resumed on 95 for 6 but rain allowed only half-an-hour of play in the morning session. On resumption, Sherwin Ganga was caught in the slips off Khismar Catlin for 26, while top-scorer Jason Mohammed fell to Ryan Austin for 30. At 140 for 8, it was up to Ravi Rampaul and Gibran Mohammed to take the visitors over the line. Catlin ended with three wickets, as did Ryan Austin and Shevron Penco. During CCC’s second innings, it was not until after tea that the breakthroughs arrived for T&T. Kieron Pollard had Omar Phillips hit wicket for 15 before offspinner Amit Jaggernauth trapped Nekoli Parris leg before for 17. Imran Khan had Jamal Smith caught at short leg for five before Ravi Rampaul bowled Floyd Reifer for 16. Only Kyle Corbin showed any fluency for CCC, stroking six fours during his unbeaten 56 from 158 balls.

The former South African fast bowler Shaun Pollock has signed a two-year contract with the Mumbai Indians to work as the team’s mentor-cum-advisor and aid the support staff along with coach Lalchand Rajput.Pollock’s return to the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise was under a cloud after he said last year that he would no longer be playing competitive cricket. But he revealed that the Mumbai Indians management offered a flexible job that he could accept.”I still love the game and the pioneering aspect of a new team and a new concept is a challenge I’ll enjoy. My role has evolved into that of an advisor and mentor after the management approached me with a flexible offer,” Pollock told .During the first season of the IPL, Pollock had told the captain Sachin Tendulkar that he might not return next year but the seniors, including Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya, convinced him to continue playing at the time. Pollock was believed to be kept in the loop by the highest officials of the management this time around.He said he was looking forward to passing on to the Mumbai team what he learnt as a cricketer though he would not consider himself as a coach. “I don’t see myself as a coach,” he said. “I just believe over the years I’ve experienced so many different approaches and methods in getting the best out of players and I think my role with the Mumbai Indians is an opportunity to pass on my skills and knowledge.”Last year, he led the franchise during the first half of the tournament after Tendulkar was injured and Harbhajan Singh was banned. He scored 147 runs in eight innings at a strike-rate of 132.43 and took 11 wickets in 13 matches at an economy-rate of 6.54.Though Mumbai failed to qualify for the semi-finals in the inaugural edition, Pollock was optimistic about their chances in the second season. “Obviously we’re aiming to win the tournament,” he said. “We can improve on last year’s performance and hopefully we can get the best out of our players. I believe the Mumbai Indians have the raw ingredients to be a highly successful franchise.”Pollock was happy with the new recruits, particularly the South African batsman JP Duminy. “It’s a very exciting mix of youth and experience,” he said. “There are legends in the team – and we know what to expect from them – and on the other hand we have guys with huge potential. I think we’ve got a great balance to the team. JP is having a phenomenal run and playing with confidence and hopefully he will serve the team for many years to come.”

Haidee Tiffen, the New Zealand captain, believes her team has the ability to win the Women’s World Cup, which starts next month in Australia. Tiffen had played a key role in the team’s triumph in the 2000 edition of the tournament, New Zealand’s only World Cup win, scoring 187 runs and taking eight wickets.”The victory in the 2000 World Cup is very special to me and is very close to my heart,” she said. “It was a privilege to be part of that extremely talented side. Now we again have a world-class side which has all the credentials to regain the World Cup.”Tiffen, 29, said it was “difficult and unfair” to compare the current side and the one lead by Emily Drumm at the World Cup in 2000. “That side was amazing and had world-class players in Catherine Campbell, Drumm, Hockley, Rebecca Rolls, Anna Smith, Katrina Keenan, Kathryn Ramel and others while in the present team we have outstanding young talent in Amy Satterthwaite, Nicola Browne, Suzie Bates, Beth McNeill, Aimee Mason and others.”Like any other player in the side, it’s my dream and wish to win the World Cup again. But for any dream to come true, it requires tremendous hard work and commitment which we have put in over the last couple of years,” she said. “It is any sportsperson’s dream to be crowned as world champion. I know how it feels and would love to taste it again also because I am now the captain.”New Zealand had a 2-2 result in their recent Rose Bowl series away in Australia, and Tiffen believed the experience against the defending champions would hold them in good stead. “It was an excellent opportunity to play against the world’s best side just before the World Cup. We can draw a lot of positives from that series, keep improving and learn to be more consistent.”One of the positives from the series was that we reshuffled our batting order in almost every match to provide a chance to each player to take the responsibility and show what she has to offer. I am glad that every player rose to the occasion and performed which gives me the confidence that our batting not only has depth but is very flexible with every player capable of batting at any position and in any situation.”Our bowling is decent and has shown it can not only contain batters but can also pick up wickets at regular intervals. However, we have to be more intelligent while bowling in PowerPlays and have to try to be as straight as possible.”New Zealand raced to a 2-0 lead in their quest to regain the Rose Bowl, but lost the next two games. The final ODI was washed out, enabling Australia retain the trophy. “We also need to be a bit more consistent as victory is always nice and gives you the much required confidence,” Tiffen said. “Such is the format of the tournament that if you are not consistent, you could be knocked out with one defeat. It is going to be a very tough tournament and consistency will be the key to success.”Tiffen said New Zealand’s tournament opener against Australia – South Africa and West Indies are the other teams in their group – will be a crucial game. “It is a very important match not only from a psychological point of view but also because of the carry-over points that the teams take to the Super Six stage,” she said. “We have a couple of warm-up matches in the lead up to the tournament opener in which we will try to give final shape to our side so that we are best prepared for the match against Australia.”In any tournament, you want to be in the best position and this tournament is no different as we would like to go in the Super Six stage with maximum carry-over points. But the task will not be easy as Australia is a tough team to beat and with the event being staged in its backyard, it definitely has an edge over its main rivals. I have been part of the team that won the tournament on its home turf and know what home advantage can do to your confidence and can bring the best out of you.”Tiffen said her team were expected to make it to the Super Six. “South Africa and the West Indies are the other sides in our pool and though we haven’t played them in the recent past, it would be a fair comment to say we should qualify for the Super Six stage.” The top three teams from the group qualify for the second stage.Tiffen felt four sides were in the reckoning to win the tournament. “I think Australia, New Zealand, England and India are of equal strength and any team can beat the other on its day. It is an open tournament with no clear-cut favourites. It boils down to the fact that the team which plays better on the match day will walk away the winner.”

IPL franchises will be allowed to sign on ‘unsold’ players at next month’s auction as replacements for contracted cricketers who won’t be available for the entire season this year. The IPL’s latest decision also allows franchises to sign uncapped players not part of the auction as replacements.Franchise officials said the move could particularly help overcome the uncertainty surrounding the availability of Pakistan players for the tournament following the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Players unsold during the February 6 auction will be available at a fee “equivalent to or greater than the reserve price”, the release said, though the amount spent on them would not count towards the US$2 million cap on player purchases for each franchise.”This would be particularly useful if problems arise regarding visas for Pakistani players,” a franchise official said. “It also opens up slots for more players from the auction and gives us some elbow room to operate.” Franchises are not allowed more than ten foreign players in a squad, and many of them have just one or two slots left after last year’s auction and the recent signing of uncapped players like David Warner (Delhi Daredevils), Ryan Harris (Deccan Chargers) and Graham Napier (Mumbai Indians).Teams will be able to sign replacements for this year from the day after the auction up to the eve of the second edition of the tournament which starts on April 10. However, the franchises must inform the IPL about their replacement requirements before the auction. “If the replacement player is an overseas player, then he would require an NOC from his domestic board,” the release said.The IPL has also extended by a day, to January 29, its deadline for franchises to notify interest in players who they wish to be put up for the auction.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will conduct an investigation into Mohammad Asif’s detention in Dubai last year for possessing a small amount of opium, agreeing to demands of senators and politicians after reports of the case became public two days ago. Having tried thus far to sidestep the issue in the face of a separate doping charge on the fast bowler, the PCB will now await the documents of the case before starting an internal inquiry.The previous administration, under whom the incident took place, had reportedly completed its own internal inquiry on the matter, in which they recommended a financial penalty and ban on Asif, but during the administrative changeover between August and September last year, the report seems to have disappeared.Asif was stopped at Dubai Airport on June 1 after being caught with 0.24 grams of opium on his way back to Pakistan after playing in the Indian Premier League. He was detained for 19 days before eventually being deported. Documents from the Dubai public prosecutor leaked to the press recently confirmed the identity of the substance Asif was found with and also that he admitted to using it, though he denied that it was opium. On the recommendation of the public prosecutor, the attorney general deported Asif, which means he can never return to the country.At a senate standing committee on sports meeting, senators grilled PCB officials over the case and their lack of action since taking over. “Youngsters will be encouraged to take drugs if Asif is not banned,” senator Enver Baig told board chairman Ijaz Butt. Senator Tahir Mashadi said Asif’s admission he took the substance would leave a bad impression on the Pakistani youth. “We have great expectations from our sportsmen, they are role models,” Mashadi said. “The PCB needs to take some strict action against Asif so that a clear-cut message be given to youngsters.”Butt said he had no knowledge of a report from the Dubai public prosecutor. “We didn’t have the copy of it because former chief operating officer of the PCB, Shafqat Naghmi, took it away with him when he left the PCB on October 18 last year,” Butt told the committee. He was asked to get the report within the next three days and start a probe into the matter.”The reports from Dubai which were in the press are not with us,” Saleem Altaf, chief operating officer PCB, told Cricinfo. “A journalist presented them to the committee and we have asked for a fax which we will get tomorrow. further we will also write to Shafqat Naghmi and ask him to provide us with the documents and the board report he says is completed. We will begin an internal probe into the matter based on the documents we receive.”Soon after the Dubai incident, Asif tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone while representing the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, the second time in his short career he has tested positive for that steroid. He currently stands suspended from playing domestic and international cricket by the PCB.He has filed an appeal with the IPL’s drug tribunal, which was first shifted to London but will now be held on Jan. 24 in Mumbai, India. “Asif’s appeal is lying pending with the IPL drug tribunal and we will see what their verdict is,” Butt said.Asif said the Dubai incident is now a “closed chapter” for him and had nothing to do with his IPL hearing. He has asked the PCB if he can travel to Mumbai to appear before the drug tribunal.”My (IPL) case is quite strong and I am hopeful of getting positive verdict,” Asif told . “I don’t know whether they will announce the decision on Jan. 24 or take some time in reaching their verdict.”

Hong Kong clinched the last semi-final berth after beating Qatar by 23 runs at the Prem Oval. Charlotte Chan, who picked up four wickets against Oman, took three more against Qatar, who were chasing 100. Rishika Reddy reduced Hong Kong to 17 for 3 before captain Keenu Gill and Manpreet Kaur revived the innings with a 30-run stand. Hong Kong are now likely meet Malaysia in the semi-final on Monday.Bhutan notched up their third win of the tournament beating Kuwait by 53 runs at the Chiang Mai Gymkhana. Yeshey Choden scored an unbeaten 40 and added 75 with Ugyen Dema to take Bhutan to 90. Then Anju Gurung took 4 for 3, including two in two overs twice, to skittle out Kuwait for 37. All her victims were dismissed for ducks. Captain Priyada Murali top scored for Kuwait with an unbeaten 16 off 46 balls.Singapore were no match for semi-finalists Malaysia, who restricted them to 57 for 8 in 25 overs to cinch a 46-run win at the Prem Oval. But despite the big margin of victory, Malaysia have a slim chance of topping group B for table leaders Nepal have a match in hand and a higher net run-rate. Thirty four extras and Nurhamamina Rajak’s 21 took Malaysia to 103 and they will be disappointed by their failure to bowl out Singapore. Apart from Priyanjali Jain (15) no Singapore batsman reached double figures.

England’s preparations for the first Test against India were limited to just half a training session at their camp in Abu Dhabi owing to poor weather.Heavy rain prevented the players from leaving their hotel until after lunch, curtailing their much-needed training and keenness to concentrate on cricket after a turbulent few weeks. With the first Test just five days away, there is precious little time for England to hone their skills.Not only have they been on and off long-haul flights in recent days but it is also more than three months since England last played a Test. With the warm-up match in Vadodara scrapped the squad will have to make do with nets and some middle practice between each other.Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, has flown to Chennai to assess security ahead of the Test on Thursday, and a decision is expected on Sunday over whether the tour party will get the go-ahead to return to India. Morris and his namesake, Sean, the Professional Cricketers’ Association chief executive, along with security advisor Reg Dickason, are due to report back to the team on Sunday evening. All being well, England will travel back to India on Monday.Dickason has already inspected Chennai and is due to visit Mohali, the venue of the second Test, on December 8. While the BCCI says it has responded to all the ECB’s requests for extra security measures, reports from India on Thursday about airport alerts means the situation remains fluid.An expanded England party of 38 – including 24 players – arrived in Dubai in the early hours of Friday morning before travelling to Abu Dhabi. They didn’t check into their hotel until 4.15am, but nine hours later headed to the Sheikh Zayed Stadium for a practice session.”Obviously, the situation being the way it is, we have got to make best use of the facilities,” Paul Collingwood told the Press Association on Friday. “Sunday is D-day, when we get the full security reports, and really, from a cricketing perspective, we have to be mentally right for starting on Thursday.”We need to get the physical side back into our bodies – batting for long periods of time, for example – which is what we will get for the next three days here,” he added. “What we’ve got to do as a group of players is be 100% mentally attuned to starting on Thursday, take all the distractions out of the way and when it comes to Sunday night, talk about it again and make a decision.”It is not an ideal situation, but the facilities in Abu Dhabi are excellent and, all being well, all of us should be on the plane to India on Monday morning,” Collingwood said. “We all have concerns for obvious reasons but we are leaving it in the hands of the people who know what is going on. We have to trust the guys at the top: Reg Dickason, the ECB and BCCI to come up with the right decisions to make it safe for us to go.”The Test party is light on bowling resources – Ryan Sidebottom is out of the series with a side injury and Stuart Broad ruled out of the first Test with the hamstring strain he picked up in the fifth ODI. Ten players from the Performance Squad have travelled to Abu Dhabi to help with preparations, including late addition Adil Rashid, the Yorkshire legspinner.However, it is more likely that England will need to take an extra seamer to Chennai as currently there are just three fit frontline quicks – Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and James Anderson. Sajid Mahmood and Amjad Khan were added to the one-day squad after the fifth ODI but never had a chance to join up before the tour was suspended. They probably head the queue if reinforcements are required next week.