Spot Fixing Scandal - Troubled times for Cricket

Cricket - the most popular sport of India - is going through a rough time. All the news of spot fixing is compromising the credibility of the sport.

First the news about the alleged financial irregularities against Lalit Modi - the man who single-handedly took Indian Premier League to its dizzy heights of popularity - followed by his suspension as Commissioner of Indian Premier League.

And now, all the media attention on news of spot fixing at the Lord's Test between England and Pakistan.

The names of three international players from Pakistan

• Mohammed Amir
• Mohammed Asif
• Salman Butt

has been doing the rounds regularly in the media for their alleged involvement in spot fixing.

The Chief Executives Committee (CEC) which met in Cape Town has reaffirmed the cricketing body's zero tolerance stance against any form of corruption.

As fans of the game, we can only hope that prompt and strict action is taken against the defaulters.

The action should be such that it sets an example for those who even dare to think of walking down the forbidden paths that damage the reputation of this great sport.

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa from 22 Sep 2009

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 (CT 2009) - a One Day International (ODI) competition is all set to start in Johannesburg from tomorrow (22-Sep-2009) with the inaugural match that will be played South Africa (SA) versus Sri Lanka (SL).

The CT 2009 is a 15 game tournament in which teams of eight countries will play. Two groups A and B have been setup with 4 teams in each group...

Group A - Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies
Group B - England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka

Each team will 3 games to qualify for the semi-finals, ie. 12 (6 each group) qualifying matches to decide the top 2 teams. These 12 match of the 2 groups in CT 2009 will be played between 22-Sep-2009 to 30-Sep-2009.

The top 4 teams - (2 from each group) will play the semi-finals on 2-Oct-2009 and 3-Oct-2009 and the winner of the semi finals will play the finals on 5-Oct-2009.

ICC World Twenty20 starts today at South Africa

ICC World Twenty20 - South Africa 2007 starts today at South Africa. The first game of the World Cup tournament will be played between South Africa and West Indies at Johannesburg.

The Twenty20 tournament at South Africa is set to usher a new era in the life of the game of Cricket. Each match in this tournament is expected to last about 3 hours, during which each side will face one inning each of maximum of 20 overs.

Some of the major differences in the rules from convention cricket are as follows...

• Each no ball will cost the bowler 2 runs and the next ball shall be a free hit ball. The rules for a no-ball will apply for this ball, ie The batsman can be dismissed only by a run-out, hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field or handling the ball.


• Each bowler gets maximum 4 overs.


• Umpires can penalize either side with 5-run penalties for wasting time.


• At the most there can be 5 fielders on the leg side at any time.


• Maximum 2 fielders outside the 30 yard circle for the first 6 overs.


• Maximum 5 fielders outside the 30 yard circle after the first 6 overs.


• 20th over must start by the 75th minute. 6 penalty runs per over will be added to the score for the overs bowled after the 75th minute.


• In case of a tie there will be a bowl-out to decide the winner.

The popularity of the present tournament will decide the fate of the Twenty20 format. The first international game in this format was first played on 13 June 2005 between England and Australia in Hampshire.