Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

Kapil Dev inducted into Hall of Fame


Former India captain Kapil Dev has been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. The 51-year-old played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs across a 16-year career, and is best remembered for leading India to victory in the 1983 World Cup.

Kapil made his international debut in a one-dayer against Pakistan in Quetta in October 1978. His Test debut followed two weeks later in Faisalabad against the same opponents.

One of the greatest fast bowlers that India has produced and its finest bowling allrounder, he ended with a remarkable 434 Test wickets and 253 ODI wickets.

In 1994, he became the leading wicket-taker in Tests when he overtook Richard Hadlee, a record that was eventually broken by West Indies pacer Courtney Walsh. Also, in 1988 he leapfrogged another West Indies fast bowler, Joel Garner, to become the most successful bowler in ODIs, a record he held until 1994 when his tally of 253 wickets was passed by Wasim Akram.

Kapil's best bowling figures in a Test were 11 for 146 against Pakistan in Chennai in 1980, while in ODIs his best figures came in the group stages of the 1983 World Cup when he took 5 for 43 against Australia in Nottingham.

With the bat, he scored 5248 Test runs, including eight centuries and 27 fifties, at an average of 31.05. He also made 3783 ODI runs, including a highest of 175 not out against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells during the 1983 World Cup.

At a ceremony at the ICC headquarters in Dubai on Monday, ICC president David Morgan, alongside former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd presented Kapil with a commemorative cap.

Speaking on the occassion, Kapil said, "I am proud and happy to have been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and it's amazing to think that I have been picked as one of the greats of Indian cricket.

"I am delighted to have been named alongside so many great players of the game but for me, when I was growing up, the man I always looked up to was Sunil Gavaskar from the moment I started playing cricket. Now to be named also alongside greats of the game such as Clive Lloyd, Richard Hadlee and Wasim Akram it truly fantastic," he said.

Morgan said Kapil was an all-time great player. "He did everything. He batted, bowled and he was a fine fielder. I remember the great catch he took to dismiss Viv Richards in the 1983 World Cup final - he was on the run and the ball came over his shoulder, possibly the most difficult of catches."

Lloyd, who was Kapil's opposing number in the 1983 World Cup final, said he was a thoroughly deserving induction into the Hall of Fame. "He was a fantastic cricketer and he was a great asset for Indian cricket during his time at the helm," Lloyd said. "He set the pace for them early on and he came to the fore and did wonderfully well - he played like a true champion and was a brilliant leader."

Daryl Harper won't stand at World Twenty20


Daryl Harper has not been chosen to officiate at the World Twenty20 in West Indies although the ICC insist the decision has nothing to do with his controversial role in the fourth Test between England and South Africa, at the Wanderers in January, and is based on "general performance reasons".

Harper came under the spotlight when he was the third umpire in control of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) in Johannesburg. He gave Graeme Smith not out under the review procedure when he was unable to hear a clear noise as the ball passed the edge.

It was suggested at the time that Harper hadn't had the volume level turned up when listening to the replay, although there were counter-claims that it was a problem with the original feed from the host broadcaster which they denied.

"It will be noted that Daryl Harper…has not been selected for this event," the ICC said. "This decision was taken by the selection panel for a number of general performance reasons. It must be categorically stated, however, that none of these reasons is related to his role as third umpire in the fourth Test between South Africa and England in Johannesburg earlier this year."

It wasn't the first time that Harper had been involved in controversy either in the TV umpire's chair or out in the middle and the ICC's statement that his omission from the World Twenty20 is for general performance suggests it has been a build-up of errors.

Harper isn't the first umpire to miss a high-profile tournament. In 2007, Aleem Dar, Steve Bucknor, Billy Bowden and Rudi Koertzen were stood down from the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa - along with match referee Jeff Crowe - following their part in the chaotic conclusion to the 2007 World Cup final in Barbados. The game ended in virtual darkness when the umpires didn't realise enough overs had been completed to register a match.

While Harper won't be in the West Indies, three international panel umpires - Marais Erasmus from South Africa, Australia's Rod Tucker and Shavir Tarapore from India - will join their elite colleagues.

The decision on the umpiring appointments was taken by a four man committee comprising of Dave Richardson, the ICC general manager, Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC chief match referee, David Lloyd the former England coach and now TV commentator and Srinivas Venkataraghavan the former elite umpire from India.

Umpires Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Billy Doctrove, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Rudi Koertzen, Asoka de Silva, Simon Taufel, Asad Rauf (all from the elite panel of ICC umpires), Marais Erasmus, Shavir Tarapore and Rod Tucker (from the international panel of ICC umpires).

Match referees Ranjan Madugalle, Alan Hurst and Jeff Crowe

ICC mulls umpire reviews for World Cup


The ICC is considering implementing the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) for the World Cup in the subcontinent next year. The system, meant to reduce umpiring errors, has been used in Tests but never officially in a one-day international. The ICC's Chief Executives' Committee met in Dubai to review the implementation of the system in 14 Tests over the last four months.

It also hosted a UDRS workshop which was attended by representatives of Channel Nine (Australia), Sky Sports (UK), Ten Sports and Sky New Zealand and of technology suppliers Hawkeye, Virtual Eye and Hotspot.

"The scope of the discussion covered the protocols for broadcasters and umpires as well as the playing conditions around DRS," David Richardson, the ICC general manager - cricket, said. "We also looked at the preferred technology, whether there was a need for standardisation for all Tests around the world and the cost of providing equipment at all Test matches. There was also constructive discussions on whether DRS should be used for the ICC Cricket World Cup."

The system, introduced in July 2008 and used in select Test series, has received mixed reviews from players and umpires. It landed in controversy during the Johannesburg Test between England and South Africa in January, when a caught behind appeal was turned down by the third umpire Daryl Harper. It later transpired that Harper may not have adjusted the volume on his equipment from the preset level of 4 out of 10, although the absence of Hotspot and Snickometer technology from the broadcasting package provided by the hosts, SABC, meant that he might still have felt that the evidence was insufficient to overturn the decision of the onfield umpire, Tony Hill.

In a bid to eliminate such inconsistencies in the future, the ICC decided that they had to meet with all broadcasting companies in a bid to standardise the use of technology.