Pakistan eyes legal action over ICC rule change

The PCB and ICC could be on a collision course again in a high-stakes case that potentially involves Pakistan's suspension from cricket's governing body. The Pakistan board has sent a legal notice to the ICC raising questions - and threatening legal action - about a proposed amendment to the ICC's constitution, which would allow the governing body to suspend a member in case of government interference in the running of a national cricket board.


Ironically the amendment - which also requires that a member board's executive body include elected officials - is said by some accounts to have been proposed at an ICC executive board meeting in February by the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt himself. What is clear is that he didn't object to the matter at the time.


The PCB is one of the boards directly affected by the amendment. Its constitution states that the President of the country - invariably but not always a political figure - is the Patron of the board and the sole authority in hiring or firing the chairman. Nor are elections of any kind held. A number of members of the governing board - the executive body - are appointed by the chairman and all must be approved by the President. This, the PCB argues in its legal notice, could result in its suspension, even permanent expulsion, for the changes are tantamount to asking the board to throw the Patron out of the constitution.

Afridi's lawyer wants transparent hearing

Shahid Afridi's legal counsel has said the PCB's disciplinary proceeding against Afridi is "a sham" and has called for a transparent hearing for its client, in which he "be given the opportunity to properly defend himself through counsel." The latest in a brief flurry of legal communication between Mandviwalla & Zafar Associates and the Pakistan board has upped the stakes of an individual player-board dispute, swiftly becoming the most significant of recent years.

As ESPNcricinfo had reported, Afridi had employed lawyers in a bid to resolve the dispute on June 2 (reported on June 3). The PCB replied on June 4, again outlining the violations Afridi committed, as well as raising serious concern about his accusations of a Punjab-Lahore "lobby" being behind his ouster.

Pakistan in Ireland 2011

Ireland have nothing to prove to ICC - Phil Simmons

The stakes are high for Ireland as they prepare for their first international assignment - a two-match ODI series against Pakistan - since the 2011 World Cup, an opportunity to restate their credentials as worthy participants in 2015. The ICC had axed the Associates from the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but will reassess the tournament's composition at its annual conference in June, following criticism of the decision to limit participation to the ten Full Members.

Pakistan news

Ijaz Butt defends sacking of Afridi

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said that there were "solid reasons" for the removal of Shahid Afridi as ODI captain but that he will reveal those reasons at a later date.

Afridi was replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq last week, after leading Pakistan in back-to-back ODI series against New Zealand and West Indies, and to a last-four finish in the World Cup. The board has not given an official reason for the removal, though it is believed to be the result of growing differences Afridi had with coach Waqar Younis, in particular over matters of selection.

India tour of West Indies 2011

We'll be better prepared against spin - Gibson

West Indies will be better prepared to combat India's spin threat in the upcoming ODI and Test series, coach Ottis Gibson has said. The West Indies batsmen proved vulnerable against spin during the drawn Test series against Pakistan, losing 32 of their 40 wickets in the two games to slow bowlers. They face a spin-heavy Indian one-day squad, which includes offspinners Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin, legspinner Amit Mishra, and part-timers Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma.

"It is not a lot of time but we have got a lot of players that have played spin and made runs against spin before," Gibson told theTrinidad and Tobago Express. "People just have to be clear what their game plan is against spin and back themselves and their ability."

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Cardiff, 1st day

Sri Lanka fight on shortened opening day

Sri Lanka 133 for 2 (Paranavitana 58*, M Jayawardene 4*) v England

Sri Lanka's openers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana, gave their team a solid start to the first Test in Cardiff before England's bowlers hit back on a truncated day. The pair added 93 for the first wicket after play was delayed until mid-afternoon by regular showers, but Dilshan couldn't build on his half-century and Kumar Sangakkara also departed in somewhat controversial circumstances when the DRS became involved.
Graeme Swann provided the first breakthrough and James Anderson was in the middle of a testing spell when England appealed for a Sangakkara edge behind but Aleem Dar turned down the shout and Andrew Strauss was quick to use the DRS. The decision rested on a combination of a noise and a faint mark halfway up the bat as the ball scooted past the edge. Rod Tucker, the third umpire, relayed that information and Dar overturned his decision.

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd Test, St Kitts, 4th day

Misbah, bowlers put Pakistan on top

West Indies 223 and 130 for 5 (Bravo 50, Rehman 3-26) need 297 runs to beat Pakistan 272 and 377 for 6 dec (Umar 135, Misbah 102*)

Having scored only two Test hundreds since January 2010, Pakistan scored two in one innings in setting themselves up perfectly for a series-levelling win in the second Test against West Indies in Basseterre. Taufeeq Umar's fifth Test hundred - nearly eight years after his last - and Misbah-ul-Haq's third set a dispirited West Indies 427 to win.

It was never remotely realistic and by the close Abdur Rehman had depleted spirits further with a relentless spell. Rehman took three wickets to leave West Indies down, almost out at 130 for 5; Darren Bravo's 50 was solitary defiance.