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The refusal of Rod Marsh, the former Australia wicketkeeper, to sign a cricket bat which already carried Chris Cairns’ autograph was an early sign that players had been “warned off” him by the ICC, the jury at Southwark Crown Court heard today.The crown prosecutor, Sasha Wass, QC, cited that incident during her cross-examination of Andrew Fitch-Holland, Cairns’ former attorney and co-defendant, who is the final witness to be called in the four-week trial.”Rod Marsh said I’m not having anything to do with Mr Cairns, he wouldn’t sign a cricket bat,” Wass said to Fitch-Holland.Rumours about Cairns’ involvement in match-fixing had circulated ever since he was removed from the Indian Cricket League in October 2008, under the pretext of an injury.Following Marsh’s action, Fitch-Holland had asked the ICC whether it had any evidence that Cairns was a match-fixer. It turned out that the governing body was not investigating him as the ICL was an unsanctioned tournament.”It seemed that someone was saying something, because of the Rod Marsh incident, and we just thought ‘this can’t be allowed to continue’,” Fitch-Holland told the court.”I took that to be confirmation from the ICC that they weren’t sniffing around Chris,” he added.Marsh’s snub had occurred in 2009, one year before Lalit Modi, the founder of the Indian Premier League, had tweeted about Cairns’ alleged activities, an event which formed the basis of Cairns’ successful libel action against Modi in 2012.Cairns, who denies two counts of perjury and perverting the course of justice, stands accused of having lied under oath to secure that court victory. Fitch-Holland denies one count of perverting the course of justice, after allegedly persuading Lou Vincent, Cairns’ former team-mate, to provide a false witness statement.Wass wanted to know if Fitch-Holland knew any reason why Modi would make a false accusation against Cairns.”I assumed at the time he had misspoken, and he would correct it,” Fitch-Holland said.At the libel trial in 2012, Cairns confirmed that he had “had it out” with Marsh over a drink at his house following the bat-signing incident.Fitch-Holland, whom Ms Wass tried to paint as a “cricket groupie”, admitted to having been “very pissed off” with Cairns in an email exchange in April 2013 following a lengthy delay in payment for his role as “lead adviser” during the legal action.During a heated cross-examination, which involved an intervention from the judge, Fitch-Holland was also asked about an incident in which he had told a group, including Chris Harris: “Oh, he’s guilty, Cairnsy’s guilty”.”I’m not for one second suggesting that Chris Harris is lying, and you know perfectly well that I’m not,” Fitch-Holland told Ms Wass.”It cannot have been about match-fixing, because quite simply that was not in my mind.”Fitch-Holland is expected to continue giving evidence on Tuesday.

ScorecardThe Dolphins might have been tempted to call the police while Loots Bosman and Jacques Rudolph went about bludgeoning the Eagles to a 10-wicket win in their Standard Bank Pro 20 match in Durban on Friday.The Dolphins totalled what looked like a reasonable 126 for 7, but the Eagles hardly flicked a tail feather in replying with 128 without loss to win with 6.3 overs to spare.Bosman blasted 58 not out off 38 balls with four fours and five sixes, while Rudolph clipped his unbeaten 57 off 43 deliveries and hit six fours and a six. The Eagles openers batted with criminal intent, and their only real victim on the night was Brian Jerling, the umpire.Jerling was minding his own business at square leg when Rudolph launched a full-blooded pull shot that smacked the umpire on the zipper of his trousers. Every male eye in the stadium watered while Jerling writhed on the ground – a stretcher was even brought onto the ground – but happily he was able to continue with his duties.Pierre de Bruyn and Daryn Smit shared a half-century stand to boost the Nashua Dolphins to their total. De Bruyn scored 44 and Smit made an unbeaten 32 after the Dolphins had dwindled to 53 for 5 in the 11th over. Their six-wicket partnership was worth 73.Roger Telemachus struck twice to help reduce the home side to 37 for four in the eighth over. And when Ryan McLaren removed Martin Bekker for four to claim the fifth wicket, the Dolphins seemed to be sinking. But De Bruyn and Smit raised their team’s hopes with intelligent strokeplay rather than booming hitting. The partnership was ended with the penultimate ball of the innings when Dillon du Preez bowled De Bruyn.The Dolphins might have fancied their chances after that, but Bosman and Rudolph took the game away from them in uncompromising style. Poor discipline in the field and some ordinary bowling also played into the Eagles’ hands.

Australia captain Steven Smith and New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult have been included in both the ICC’s Test and ODI teams of the year.Alastair Cook, who led England to a 3-2 Ashes victory during the summer, was named the Test captain of the year. South Africa’s AB de Villiers was selected as the ODI captain, having scored the format’s fastest fifty and hundred during the qualification period from September 18, 2014 to September 13 2015. The teams were chosen by a specially appointed selection panel, chaired by the ICC’s cricket committee chairman Anil Kumble.Smith was one of three Australia players to make the Test team, along with opener David Warner and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood. Pakistan were the other team to have three representatives in the Test side, with Yasir Shah, the leading wicket-taker in the qualification period, Younis Khan and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed all rewarded for their consistent performances. Stuart Broad, who was the most successful bowler in the Ashes with 21 wickets, was included in the Test XI for the fifth time since 2009. So was his countryman Joe Root.Kane Williamson found a place in the Test team, but was surprisingly left out of the ODI side, despite being the leading run-scorer in the concerned period. The other major surprises in the Test side were the omissions of Azhar Ali, who had four hundreds and five fifties from 10 matches, and R Ashwin, who could only find a place in the squad as the 12th man.Mustafizur Rahman became the first Bangladesh cricketer to be included in the ICC’s ODI team of the year, thanks to a barnstorming 11 wickets in his first two matches. He along with Boult, Mohammed Shami and Mitchell Starc, the Player of the Tournament during the 2015 World Cup, made up the ODI team’s pace attack, while Imran Tahir was selected as the sole spinner. Kumar Sangakkara, who recently retired from international cricket, was picked as the ODI team’s wicketkeeper, marking the fourth time he made the side.”I would like to congratulate all the players for their selection in the Test and ODI teams of the year,” Kumble said. “It is an achievement for each of them to be proud of and a recognition for their good performances in the qualifying period.”Testament to the quality of cricket played is the calibre of players to have missed out on selection. While selecting these squads, the selectors considered various combinations and took into account several factors in overall performances. Congratulations to all of the players on their selections.”Test team of the year: David Warner, Alastair Cook (captain), Kane Williamson, Younis Khan, Steven Smith, Joe Root, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Stuart Broad, Trent Boult, Yasir Shah, Josh Hazlewood, R Ashwin (12th man)ODI team of the year: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Hashim Amla, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), AB de Villiers (capt), Steven Smith, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami, Mitchell Starc, Mustafizur Rahman, Imran Tahir, Joe Root (12th man)

There has been much talk of the huge wages in the Indian Premier League but Shane Warne will certainly earn his money after being named both captain and coach of the Rajasthan Royals, the Jaipur team. Kepler Wessels, the former South African captain, will coach the Chennai Super Kings.Warne’s franchise is owned by Emerging Media who paid $US67million and their chief executive Fraser Castellino was pleased with snaring him. “We were looking for a legendary cricketer whom all players will look up to,” said Castellino. “Shane’s commitment and astute cricketing brain makes him one of the most respected cricketers in the history of the game.”Warne will be assisted by a strong support staff, which will include former Indian team physiotherapist John Gloster. “Shane Warne’s extraordinary achievements on and off the field, combined with his unique understanding of the game, has made him a living sporting legend,” Gloster said. “It is this leadership and experience that will develop the success and spirit of the Rajasthan Royals. All the players will look up to Shane’s commitment and astute cricketing brain.”The Chennai management were also happy with their choice of Wessels. “We wanted somebody who would keep the focus on cricket, be a good task master, and help us win the tournament,” VB Chandrasekhar, who is part of the management, told Cricinfo.It is understood that L Sivaramakrishnan, the former India player and currently, a commentator, had mooted the idea of roping in Wessels. Sivaramakrishnan and Wessels are part of the commentary team in Bangladesh for the home series against South Africa.Wessels and Warne join a high-profile list of names of IPL coaches, which includes Martin Crowe (Bangalore), John Buchanan (Kolkata) and Tom Moody (Mohali). Robin Singh is the coach of the Hyderabad outfit while Delhi had named Victoria’s Greg Shipperd as their coach. Mumbai is yet to select a coach.Team huntThe Chennai franchise have roped in Aniruddha Srikkanth, R Ashwin and Sudeep Tyagi, the UP fast bowler. Though they have 15 players in the roll and theoretically need just one more but they are looking to sign up six more players as they fear some of the international stars might not be available for the full tournament.The Mohali team has signed up VRV Singh and two under-22 players in Karan Goel and Uday Kaul, which mean they have 13 players and need three more players to complete the squad.Mumbai have picked Ajinkya Rahane and Abhishek Nayar from Mumbai and Maharashtra’ wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale and Baroda’s glovesman Pinal Shah.Hyderabad have already 16 players on their rolls. VVS Laxman (C), Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, Shahid Afridi, Chaminda Vaas, Chamara Silva, Nuwan Zoysa, RP Singh, Rohit Sharma, N Arjun Yadav, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Pragyan Ojha, D Kalyankrishna, P Vijay Kumar, Y Venugopala Rao, Haladhar Das (wk). Head coach: Robin Singh. Assistant coach: Kanwaljit Singh. Manager: Vijay Mohan Raj.

On the face of it, there is plenty of spice that has been lent to the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy with the presence of a number of India internationals like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin in the mix. Apart from the format which has been changed from the zonal system to four random groups picked through a draw, giving even the unfancied sides an opportunity to brush shoulders with the best, another talking point has been the use of the Kookaburra Turf ball, which is used in ODIs and T20s, instead of the Kookabura Regulation ball that is generally used in grade cricket.While the regulation ball has a more pronounced seam that can sometimes make even part-time medium pacers look threatening, the flip side has been the fact that the ball gets very soft as the game progresses. In comparison, the turf ball settles down to allow a better balance between bat and ball. Taking the argument a step further, Ashwin, who is leading Tamil Nadu in the domestic 50-over competition where the ball change has been effected for the first time, felt the Kookaburra ensured a level-playing field.”The fact that we are using the Kookaburra Turf ball is welcome because it is a far better option in these conditions than the Kookaburra Regulation ball,” Ashwin explained. “Some kind of balance has been restored, one can say, and for us to play with this ball before we play in Australia means we are using the same ball in a match environment too.”Ball apart, the early-morning starts have given the tournament a predictable feel, with captains having no hesitation in sending the opposition in. While the chasing team has come out trumps most times, Ashwin, who lauded the quality of cricket, said there was a case of either pushing back the start time to take the toss out of the equation or tweak the format slightly to ensure the team batting first was not at a disadvantage even before a ball was bowled.”One of the most standout features of the league phase was the quality of the cricket, which was fairly high. Having said that, because of the 9.00 am starts, there wasn’t too much planning that could go into the matches,” Ashwin explained. “It was a simple strategy of winning the toss and putting the opposition in because it was far easier batting second. Apart from a few games where the teams made big runs, totals were generally in the range of 230-240, which took some of the sheen off the competition.”These are not the kind of totals you get in international cricket. I suppose we have two options in front of us. Either we have a slightly later start, or the teams bat 10 overs each at the start of the day and then the team that batted first plays out its remaining 40 overs. But if this is how it is, then as players we are fine with that too.”Format and tweaks apart, Ashwin also delved into his role as captain and the challenges he faced in order to bring the best out of a young team on an upward curve. “One of the things I felt was required was to have ideas as a bowling unit,” he said. “As captain, I am trying to put systems in place, trying to show the way towards excellence. Along the way, I am ticking a few boxes personally as well.”I am trying to bowl in pressure situations, at the death, or I am batting either when we need to get a move on or when we have lost early wickets and we need to grind our way out of trouble. It might sound clichéd, but we want to play fearless cricket. We want to go out and express ourselves. Most of all, we want to inflict some serious scars on some good teams, and we want to last the distance.”2:13

WATCH – Ashwin’s concerns with the SG ball

Imtiaz Patel, the South African of Indian extraction who has been chosen as the new CEO of the ICC, is the type of man to see things from both sides. He exudes a calmness and a phlegmatic air, but all that disappears when things aren’t done right.Patel is the chief executive of SuperSport International, who own the television rights to practically all South African sport of any consequence, and have stakes in professional franchises in cricket, rugby and football. He joined SuperSport in 1999 having risen steadily through the ranks of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) to become the director of professional cricket. Patel looked a shoo-in to succeed Ali Bacher as the CEO of the cricketing body, but fled the coop when Gerald Majola succeeded Bacher instead.While he always exudes polite charm in public, Patel is known to have a scathing tongue in the privacy of the boardroom and even hardened former cricketers who work as commentators for SuperSport are known to slink into the corners when he lets fly.Patel showed his hard, no-nonsense style last year when he hooked the television rights for South Africa’s Premier Soccer League from under the noses of the state broadcaster, the SABC, which caused much anguish in government. A five-year contract for over £70 million puts the PSL into the top 15 in terms of worldwide broadcast deals.Surprisingly, Patel began his professional career as a teacher, in Soweto, but he was also a more than handy club cricketer for Lenasia. His passion for cricket extends not only to making multimillion dollar deals, but also to the grass roots development of the game.Before his angry departure from the UCBSA, he had worked initially as the development director and had also been on the transformation monitoring committee. “He is steeped in cricket, and he is passionate about the game,” Bacher himself said on Monday. “He has energy and enthusiasm for cricket, and he comes with no cricket baggage. He comes in fresh.”A forthright man, Patel has never been afraid to express his frank viewpoints on where cricket should be heading. Coming from a television background, he has intimate knowledge of how cricket’s paymasters work.And being a South African of Indian heritage means he satisfies both the sub-continental and western camps that currently characterise world cricket. Which is no doubt why the ICC want him.But his capabilities also mean SuperSport are not keen on letting him go.

Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya were brought into the Indian T20 side to address the lack of big hitters, but there is a good chance they might come back from Australia having contributed only with the ball and in the field. If what MS Dhoni says is to be gone by, another good start by the top three in the final T20 international could mean no batting for Yuvraj and Pandya. Dhoni said he was against experimentation even though India wrapped up the series win in Melbourne, but then again Dhoni also ruled out playing Rishi Dhawan precisely two days before he was picked in the ODI XI.The final T20I in Sydney on Sunday will be a dead rubber, and Dhoni was asked if India would go out of the way to see what potential Pandya held and what kind of form Yuvraj was in. “It is a difficult one,” Dhoni said. “Experiment word is never there with the Indian team. It is never there. Yes we want to see what Yuvraj will do in the batting, we want to see what Hardik can do, but where is the opportunity? That also we have to see.”We can’t make them open. Virat [Kohli] is batting very well at No. 3. If the partnership goes on, and if it is the 15th or the 16th over, then it is my time to come in and play the big shots. It will be difficult for them, but with a few of the games coming up maybe they will get better chances. But as I said there won’t be any experimentation. If an opportunity arises definitely they will get a chance to bat.”Yuvraj and Pandya, though, have freed Dhoni up to play around with his bowling options. After Australia got off to a good start in their chase, R Ashwin picked up a wicket to give India a sniff, but by that time India’s four main bowlers had exhausted 10 of their overs. This was a crucial period with Australia past half of their target at the halfway mark. The next two overs were bowled by Pandya and Yuvraj, and both brought a wicket each.”The strength of the piechucker [Yuvraj] is his bowling,” Dhoni joked. “He bowled really well. You need more individuals who can do more than one job in the field. Especially if all of them are good fielders, and if they can contribute with bat and ball if needed. Just adds to the strength of the side. Sometimes in T20 you need to bowl only one over, and once the captain has given you that one over, irrespective of whether it is good or bad that one over is out of the equation. That actually helps you. That one over. By the time the batsman figures out what you are trying to do you get rid of one over.”It helps us because Pandya also bowled decently well (1 for 17 in two overs). Both of them together will be very good. Not to forget we have [Suresh] Raina too. If needed he can also bowl if there are many left-handers in the opposition. Yuvi bowled really well, hit the areas, and with time he will get better and better because he is that sort of player.”Pandya has really impressed Dhoni, and might leapfrog Rishi and Stuart Binny as the seaming allrounder in ODIs too. While counting the positives from the tour, Dhoni said: “Also the performance of Hardik as a bowler. Still it will be tough for him to bowl 10 overs in an ODI game but if others are contributing a few overs here and there then we can look to have him in the side. That can strengthen our batting also and at the same time put pressure on the opposition.”It is in foreign conditions that India really need that extra seamer because the spinners become less effective, and this is where Dhoni wants the ICC, too, to stop experimenting. When asked about the luxury his spinners provide him, Dhoni said: “All of a sudden the spinners are bowling well. Not like they were bowling badly but we have to see the rule changes also. I think it is quite against the spinners. I feel they will have to do something with the rules [in ODIs]. In T20 you have the five fielders outside throughout. You have that extra fielder [as opposed to ODIs where only four fielders are allowed outside the circle until the start of the 41st over]. Let’s see how it goes.”

After a day in which both sides battled hard to seize the initiative, Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene was unhappy with his side’s total but praised the bowlers for ensuring that honours were even after the second day.Resuming on 217 with five wickets in hand, Sri Lanka could only muster 278 in their first innings. “It was not easy batting on that pitch (on the first day), but we fought well, and I think that sixth-wicket partnership (of 105 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chamara Silva) was crucial for us,” he said. “It showed a lot of character, but I am disappointed with the way a few of our guys were dismissed. We should probably have scored between 300 and 325.”West Indies started their innings confidently, with captain Chris Gayle showing the way with a typically aggressive 45, but slipped to 268 for 7 by stumps. “West Indies batted really well, and played a few shots, and it paid off for them,” he said. “But it’s an even game I reckon, we just need to make sure that we work harder next innings.”It’s going to be like a one-innings match now, and with them batting last on that pitch, we have to make sure that we put some runs on the board and put some pressure on them.”Jayawardene, though, felt that Sri Lanka had the edge. “I think the advantage is with us. If we bat well in the second innings and score anything in excess of 250-275, it will be a tough ask for them to bat last against Muralitharan and the rest of the guys.”

Tendulkar returns
Sachin Tendulkar missed the first seven matches of the Mumbai Indians’ campaign due to a groin injury, but the side’s captain has confirmed he is fit and will lead the Mumbai Indians in their next game on Wednesday against the Chennai Super Kings. The news comes as a shot in the arm for Mumbai, who have won three straight games after losing their first four matches of the tournament.Time running out for Deccan?
Adam Gilchrist, the Deccan Chargers’ stand-in captain, has conceded that his team is out of contention for a semi-final spot after they slumped to a 23-run defeat to the Kolkata Knight Riders, their seventh loss in nine matches. “I guess we are pretty much out of semi-finals. It is disappointing but we can’t change anything,” Gilchrist told , as his team remained on the second-last place in the team standings.Purple cap
After announcing the orange cap for the leading run-scorer of the tournament, the IPL organisers have now introduced a purple one for the highest wicket-taker as well. Zaheer Khan is currently leading the list with 13 wickets from eight games.Kolkata fined for slow over-rate
Kolkata were fined US$1000 by match referee Talat Ali for bowling two overs behind schedule in their match against Deccan. According to the IPL’s regulations, a team will be fined $500 for each slow over. This is the second consecutive match where Kolkata were rapped for the offense, having previously been fined $500 in their home match against the Bangalore Royal Challengers.Mallya speaks out
Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, has regretted not being involved in the squad’s selection during the auction and that he went by the judgment of Charu Sharma, the franchise CEO, and Rahul Dravid, the captain. Mallya said he had other players in mind and was responsible for selecting Misbah-ul-Haq. He said, “Unfortunately in cricket, unlike in any other sport, the captain is the boss.”

Displaying exemplary grit and determination, Hamish Marshall and JamesFranklin rescued the New Zealand Cricket Academy from a tight spot onthe opening day of their three day MRF Buchi Babu all India invitationtournament semifinal against Oil and Natural Gas Commission at the MAChidambaram stadium on Monday.Shortly before lunch, the New Zealand team lost their fifth wicketwith the total on 92. But for the rest of the day, Marshall andFranklin batted in commendable fashion in a rescue act that won theadmiration of the sparse crowd present. Not until shortly before closewas the partnership broken with Marshall being held by wicketkeeperSandeep Dogra off Amit Bhandari. But by that time he had got a welldeserved hundred and the New Zealand Academy were able to end the daywith the cushion of having made 252 for six off 95 overs.And yet if the afternoon and the evening belonged to the New Zealandside and Marshall and Franklin in particular, the morning’s honourswere claimed by ONGC and Bhandari in particular. Winning the toss, theNew Zealand Academy soon ran into trouble. Off the last ball of thefifth over, JAH Marshall was caught at point by Mithun Minhas offBhandari for ten in a total of 16. In the eleventh over – his sixth -Bhandari struck again. The other opening batsman MHW Papps who hadstruggled for 52 minutes and 27 balls to score five was leg before.That made the Kiwi team 20 for two.L Vincent who came next tried to counter attack but at 37, he hitRahul Sanghvi to substitute Amit Sharma at mid on and departed for 11.AJ Redmond and skipper JDP Oram seemed to have steadied the boat a bitby adding 38 runs for the fourth wicket off 11.2 overs. But Oram whohad dominated the partnership was then bowled by Sanghvi for 20.Bhandari then came back and had the obdurate Redmond caught at slip byGagan Khoda for 25, compiled off 92 balls and inclusive of five hitsto the ropes.At 92 for five, the back of the New Zealand team’s innings seemed tobe well and truly broken. But then followed the partnership betweenMarshall and Franklin which came as a blood transfusion for a sidesinking fast. Battling both the accurate bowling and the intense heat,the right handed Marshall and the left handed Franklin batted withassurance. They nursed the innings through the afternoon sessionadding just 64 runs but more important coming through unbroken. In thepost tea session the pair applied the pressure on the now wiltingbowlers.In the first round game against Districts XI, the 21-year-old Marshallfrom Northern Districts had scored an unbeaten 155. He then missed histeam’s quarterfinal match against Hyderabad. Carrying on from where heleft off against the Districts XI, Marshall played a number ofpleasing strokes. His batting was a blend of power, elegance andtiming. He was very much the dominant partner in the partnership butthe role of Franklin was no less important.Taking three boundaries off one over from Sanghvi, Marshall made hisintentions clear. The 20-year-old Franklin from Wellington too pressedon the accelerator and under pressure, the bowling became wayward.Showing no signs of nerves even in the 90s, Marshall raced to his 100shortly before close. He did not add another run though, the new ball,taken after 90 overs, getting rid of him. Marshall batted almost fivehours, faced 195 balls and hit 12 of them to the ropes. The sixthwicket partnership, which added 158 runs off 57.2 overs, has broughtthe New Zealand side right back into the game.Franklin however could not be dislodged and came in unbeaten with 64invaluable runs when stumps were drawn for the day. He has so farplayed 174 balls and has hit eight fours. But the chief honours of theday were still with Marshall. So impressed was manager Richard Hadleeby his performance that he got the entire team out of the dressingroom to enthusiastically cheer Marshall when he got to his hundred.His gesture, besides symbolising teamwork, was also a handsome tributeto a batsman who had done the most to revive the New Zealand side’shopes in the match.It must have been galling for ONGC to come out second best in a daywhich they had dominated for the first half. Bhandari however put in afine performance, borne out by his figures – 15-8-23-4. Unfortunatelynot much can be said in favour of the other bowlers. Both Sanghvi andVirendra Shewag, in particular were expensive and wilted under therelentless pressure put on them by the Franklin-Marshall association.