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Andrew Symonds, the former Australia allrounder, has spoken out about the hurt and anger he felt at what he perceived as administrative mishandling in the aftermath of the 2008 Sydney Test – where an on-field altercation with Harbhajan Singh blew up into a race row.”If truth, honesty and common sense had prevailed, then there would have been a punishment for the player,” Symonds said, speaking to Harsha Bhogle on ESPNcricinfo’s Opening Up. “It would have been dealt with, and it would have set a precedent for the future. But I don’t think it has done that”.Harbhajan had an exchange with Symonds on day three of the Test, during which he allegedly called Symonds a “monkey”. He was handed a three-match ban, which was later overturned on appeal.Symonds alleged that the BCCI had flexed its muscle to get Harbhajan off, and said he and his team-mates “were made to look idiots” when the ban was reversed. “I think Cricket Australia was intimidated by the Indian cricket board.”The thing, I think, that was grinding on me the most was the lying. Because the allegation was that this hadn’t happened, and it had. Then the lies started, and then it became political. The captain [Ricky Ponting] was made to look like a fool, and that should have never happened, and the other players too.”If truth, honesty and common sense had prevailed then there would have been a punishment for the player. It would have been dealt with and it would have set a precedent for the future.”Harbhajan’s appeal was presided over by Justice John Hansen, a former New Zealand high court judge, who said there was insufficient evidence for a racism charge to stick. The offence was changed to a Level 2.8 one according to the ICC’s Code of Conduct – abuse and insult not amounting to racism – to which Harbhajan pleaded guilty and was fined 50% of his match fees. Two days later the ICC admitted the judge hadn’t been given enough material, especially on Harbhajan’s past offences, and apologised for the punishment, which many considered not severe enough for a repeat offender.Symonds said Australia’s case wasn’t presented well. “It was really like a courtroom slugfest in the end. And I think the way our side was put across, it wasn’t as accurate as it needed to be. We probably missed a couple of points, which in the end cost our side dearly.”Symonds said he was angry at first and then completely disillusioned. He also felt embarrassed because his team-mates had been dragged into it. “If it had been just me, then I would have just kept going forward,” he said.”I was with these blokes day after day, and there were people still writing about it in the paper. You think about their wives, their mothers and fathers, that sort of thing. I think it was, as I said, something that was handled poorly.”Symonds, who effectively retired from international cricket last year after his Cricket Australia contract was cancelled following a string of disciplinary breaches, said of his decision to quit: “I woke up one day and I thought, ‘You know what – this isn’t originally what I was enjoying.'”Symonds’ last couple of major infractions were a scuffle in a pub following the win in the first Test against New Zealand late in 2008, and a radio interview early the next year, where he called Brendon McCullum a “lump of s***”, which led to him being banned for the tour of South Africa.Symonds said that the change in the atmosphere of the team was among the factors that contributed to his decision to leave. “There was conflict, there was politics, there were rules that have been broken, there were side contracts, and there were lots of other things involved. The whole sort of feeling in that side was changing. Compared to what I was used to.”For me, life is not all about cricket, cricket and cricket. I was finding it difficult to enjoy myself in that environment, which was leading me to drink and then not make sensible decisions. It got to the point where I did not want to be in the side.”

Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan players provisionally suspended by the ICC following spot-fixing allegations, have been selected as reserves by their regional sides for a domestic Twenty20 tournament likely to be staged in October. Rawalpindi picked Amir, Lahore selected Butt, and Asif was included by the defending champion Sialkot.The ICC suspended the trio following an undercover operation by the , during which Mazhar Majeed – allegedly a player agent – claimed Asif and Amir had bowled deliberate no-balls against England at Lord’s, and that Butt was also involved. The trio is currently awaiting the dates for their ICC hearing as well as a decision by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service as to whether a criminal case will go ahead against them.It is unlikely, however, that any of them will actually take part in the tournament. According to the anti-corruption code of conduct, the trio will not be able to play unless the ICC clears them; the tournament is due to begin mid-October.”No player or player support personnel who is the subject of any provisional suspension may, during the period of any provisional suspension, play, coach or otherwise participate or be involved in any capacity in any international match or (any other kind of match, function, event or activity, other than authorised anti-corruption education or rehabilitation programs) that is authorised, organised, sanctioned, recognised or supported in any way by the ICC, a National Cricket Federation or any member of a National Cricket Federation,” the code reads.Rawalpindi chief Naeem Akhtar admitted Amir playing is unlikely. He told the , “If Amir gets cleared before the Twenty20 tournament and we do not submit his name to the PCB for it, we could not play him in the tournament,” he said.

ScorecardDarren Stevens top-scored for Kent with an unbeaten 49•Getty Images

Eye catching allround performances by Azhar Mahmood and Darren Stevens eased Kent to a 42-run victory over Nottinghamshire in a Clydesdale Bank 40 game reduced to 16 overs a side.Heavy rain delayed the start for three-and-a-half hours, but it was Kent who appeared sharper with bat and ball when play finally got under way in front of a small Canterbury crowd at 5.15pm.Batting first having lost the toss, Kent posted 45 through openers Rob Key and Joe Denly, who each scored 22 before running themselves out. At the start of the 10th over Martin van Jaarsveld then missed an attempted sweep against Samit Patel to have leg stump pegged back and, at 63 for 3, Kent appeared unlikely to post a competitive score.Kent’s fourth-wicket partners had other ideas, however, as they tucked into the Nottinghamshire attack to add 72 from 35 balls to set the Outlaws a testing asking rate of 8.5 an over for victory. They took 22 from one over from Paul Franks as Stevens dashed to 49 from 35 balls – including three fours and as many sixes, one of which landed in the new St Lawrence lime tree.Mahmood chipped in with 29 off 15 deliveries and cleared the ropes twice as Franks conceded 33 off his three wicketless overs. Seemingly shell-shocked at the punishment their bowlers had received, Nottinghamshire got off to a poor start to their run chase and, once behind theasking rate, never really recovered their composure.The visitors lost Ali Brown in the second over, the right-hander missed an expansive drive to have off stump plucked out by his former Surrey team-mate Mahmood. To the next delivery Matthew Wood sliced a cover drive straight into the hands of Matt Coles at point and though Samit Patel survived the hat-trick ball he soon holed out in the deep off Simon Cook.Top-scorer Alex Hales missed a slog sweep against James Tredwell to go for 21 from 17 balls and Cook struck again by having Chris Read superbly caught late cutting by Geraint Jones when stood up to the stumps. With the light fading faster than Nottinghamshire’s victory hopes, Coles put the result beyond doubt by taking three wickets for three runs in the space of five balls.Franks was yorked, Graeme White heaved across the line to lose off stump then Steven Mullaney waltzed across his stumps to be pinned leg before wicket as Nottinghamshire slid to only their second defeat in nine starts. Coles finished with 3 for 7, while Cook and Mahmood bagged two wickets apiece to secure Kent’s fourth win of the group stages.

ScorecardJames Vince played stylishly until he was dismissed by Steven Croft for 33•PA Photos

Jimmy Adams and Sean Ervine made half-centuries as Hampshire gained the upper hand at the Rose Bowl where Lancashire are seeking to remain the only unbeaten team in the County Championship.Lancashire began the second day at 262 for 8 and added another 21 runs but when bad light brought a premature end, Hampshire were four runs ahead at 287 for 6. Simon Kerrigan was out at 267 when Lancashire resumed their first innings and 16 runs later Gary Keedy was bowled by former Lancashire all-rounder Dominic Cork.Cork finished with figures for 4 for 57 and there were two wickets each for David Balcombe and spinner Danny Briggs. Hampshire made a dismal start to their reply with England candidate Michael Carberry bowled by Glen Chapple without scoring from the third ball of the innings.Adams was dropped at the wicket by Luke Sutton off the bowling of Tom Smith when on 18, and Lancashire paid the penalty as he and Michael Lumb put on 117 for the second wicket. Lumb, out of form after England’s Twenty20 success in the Caribbean, began to show signs of returning to his best by hitting eight fours in his 48 before he lofted Sajid Mahmood to fine leg where Kerrigan held the catch.Adams went on to make 72 before he was third out at 160 when he edged Keedy to wicketkeeper Sutton after hitting 11 fours in his 158-ball innings. Neil McKenzie was fourth out at 179 and James Vince was in prime form until he was lbw to Steven Croft for 33 at 255.But big-hitting Ervine was not to be denied and he smashed his way to a rapid 56 in an innings which included five fours and a six before he gave Chapple his second success of the innings. Cork and Michael Bates, making his debut, took the score past the Lancashire total before bad light intruded.Chapple finished the day with two for 48 and Keedy’s 19 overs brought figures of 2 for 45. Ervine’s 56 came from 77 balls but there was little in the wicket to encourage the Lancashire bowlers in the way that it had helped Hampshire on the first day. Adams’ half-century was his seventh of the season and put Hampshire in a powerful position at the end of the second day.

When Shahid Afridi was asked after the Lord’s Test what he thought of Marcus North’s bowling, he screwed up his face, looked away and tried not to laugh. As compliments go, it could have been more convincing. North doesn’t care. He described it as one of the highlights of his career to help Australia win a Test and earn a place on the bowling honour board at Lord’s, alongside his batting colleague Shane Watson.If that wasn’t proof enough that the natural order had been turned upside-down, North’s 6 for 55 was the best bowling by an Australian spinner in a Test innings at the home of cricket. Shane Warne couldn’t match it, nor Clarrie Grimmett, nor Arthur Mailey, although none of them had the luxury of bowling to Pakistan at Lord’s.”I don’t feel like I deserve that, to be honest,” North said. “There have been some amazing bowlers over the years who have had some great bowling performances at Lord’s. I certainly would like to have that six-for against England. But it was a great occasion to play at a neutral venue against Pakistan at Lord’s.”Afridi’s wicket was the ultimate bonus for a bowler – from his fourth delivery he tried to launch North onto Cavendish Avenue, only to find the fielder at deep midwicket. It wasn’t all luck for North and his dismissal of Umar Akmal, who cut to slip when he was surprised by turn and extra bounce from the rough outside off stump, was memorable.Things went North’s way as soon as Ricky Ponting handed him the ball ahead of Steven Smith on the fourth day. With two left-handers at the crease, Ponting wanted the ball turning away from them, but with his first delivery North drifted the ball down leg side and had Salman Butt stumped thanks to an excellent piece of glovework from Tim Paine.”I’m as surprised as you guys,” North said. “It felt like the ball was coming out okay. There are times it has come out better, but I haven’t had too many opportunities at this level. An opportunity to contribute with the ball is something that I love to do. Getting the ball thrown to me and having the opportunity to help win a Test match for Australia is certainly one of the highlights of my career.”North’s first six-for in first-class cricket helped him forget about a disappointing match with the bat, after he was bowled for a duck in the first innings and caught behind for 20 in the second. North is coming off a century and a 90 in Australia’s last series, on their tour of New Zealand, but his tendency to make triple or single figures, with not a lot in between, is a slight concern.”In general with batters the first 20 or 30 balls are pretty important,” he said. “My record shows it’s very important for me. It’s something that I’m very aware of. I don’t think it’s a nervous thing. I’m no more nervous than anyone else. It’s something that I’ve been trying to work on my whole career, it’s not just since I’ve been playing for Australia.”It’s a habit that means he is constantly under the microscope, for even if he has scored recent hundreds a string of very low scores is not a good look for a No. 6 batsman. Speculation over his place in the team intensified during the Australian home season, but his efforts in New Zealand eased the pressure.”That’s something I’ve learnt a lot during the Australian summer, where there is that scrutiny,” North said of dealing with media criticism. “I’ve learnt ways and techniques to filter that. But in New Zealand it was rewarding for me not just to get through that scrutiny but as a mental challenge as well, dealing with that side of things for the first time is rewarding for me.”At least the next Test is being played at a venue with happy memories for North. At Headingley last year, his 110 helped Australia to an innings victory over England and earned him the Man of the Match award. He’d love to remind people he’s a batsman first, bowler second.

ScorecardUmar Gul got some miles in his legs as the game meandered to a draw•PA Photos

Crease occupation was the order of the day for Pakistan’s top-order players as the tourists took time for essential batting practice on an excellent Canterbury pitch prepared for a three-day game that was always destined to end in a draw.Though their talismanic skipper Shahid Afridi was unable to take advantage of ideal batting conditions – he failed to arrive at the St Lawrence Ground after travelling to London for scans on a niggling rib injury – the majority of his side filled their boots in posting 264 for 3 declared for an overall lead of 365.In Afridi’s absence, acting captain Salman Butt called time on the visitor’s innings just after 2.15pm, leaving his bowlers 43 overs either side of tea for a gentle work-out.Butt allowed the pacemen to stretch their limbs and his spinners some time to exercise their spinning fingers, but the sublime playing surface offered them little or no assistance. The overall result was an inevitable stalemate, but at least Kent’s makeshift openers Chris Piesley and Joe Denly posted the county’s maiden century first-wicket stand this season to lead their side to parity at 150 for 3 when the teams shook hands on a draw.Both home openers fell in the final throws, Denly for 69 to an ill advised sweep against a quicker delivery from Abdul Rehman then Piesley, seven short of a maiden first-class 50, to a fumbled catch at wicket from another sweep shot. At least the excellent weather throughout the game coupled with young, combative opposition allowed Pakistan to garner almost everything they would have wanted to from this tour warm-up fixture; their only concern of course; Afridi’s side strain.Coach Waqar Younis was quick to play down the injury, saying: “Our physiotherapist has just arrived back from London with Shahid Afridi and the scan showed a small muscle rupture in his side. He has been asked to rest for two days and have some treatment, then we will reassess things, but we’re hopeful he will be fine.”The final day started with a near faultless batting performance from Fawad Alam, who cantered through the opening session to reach an unbeaten 68 with Umar Amin as the second-wicket partners added 141 in36.4 overs.After posting an attractive 72-ball half-century, Amin finally went after 170 minutes for 73. Leaning back to pull a top-spinner from Mark Lawson, the left-handed top-edged gently to deep mid-wicket.Alam’s 50 came in a shade over two hours from 101 balls and with seven fours as Lawson, bowling in tandem with off-spinner James Hockley, started to restrict scoring opportunities and cause a few problems.Alam retired out during the lunch interval and Kamran Akmal (2) went soon after the resumption when edging an attempted push-drive off Lawson to Azhar Mahmood stationed at slip.It was plain-sailing for the visitors thereafter as Shoaib Malik enjoyed ‘centre practice’ to score 48 from 58 balls without breaking sweat, while Mohammad Aamer showed his potential as an all-rounder by hitting 44 from 49. The teenager finished the innings in style, hitting Hockley for two successive sixes before striding off for the declaration.

Scorecard
South African Herschelle Gibbs and captain Andrew Gale sent Yorkshire Carnegie storming to their first Friends Provident t20 win of the season with a crushing nine-wicket victory over Durham Dynamos at Headingley. The second-wicket pair dashed up an unbeaten 137 together in only 11.5 overs as Yorkshire chased down a target of 157 with four overs to spare.Gale finished on 60 off 42 balls with five fours and three sixes while Gibbs blasted 76 from 39 deliveries with seven fours and four sixes. It was a record Yorkshire stand in Twenty20 cricket, overhauling the unbroken 129 between Gale and Michael Vaughan against Nottinghamshire on the same ground last year.Having suffered heavy defeats in their opening two matches, Yorkshire were anxious to get off the mark but they lost their first wicket at 23 in the fifth over when Steve Harmison sent Jacques Rudolph’s off stump flying with his first delivery.But it was the only success that came Durham’s way because Gale and Gibbs were soon striking the ball to all parts of the field with great vigour, Gale hurrying Yorkshire to the 50 mark with a six over square leg off Liam Plunkett.Yorkshire still seemed to have plenty to do with 100 required from 12 overs but Gibbs then slammed Harmison for three powerful fours in one over and when Ian Blackwell joined the attack Gibbs pulled his first two balls for carbon-copy sixes over midwicket.Will Smith conceded 20 in an over as both batsmen flogged him for six before racing to their half-centuries and Plunkett was struck for six and four by Gibbs to end the match.Put in to bat, Durham were never able to break entirely free from some economical bowling led by legspinner Adil Rashid who finished with 3 for 23 from his four overs while England’s latest Test recruit, Ajmal Shahzad, conceded only 21 runs after seeing Phil Mustard edge into his stumps in the first over.Clint McKay ended a threatening second-wicket stand between Blackwell and Ross Taylor by bowling Blackwell but Taylor then drove McKay into the football stand where he was well caught by a spectator.Taylor, having moved to 31, fell to a catch by Jonny Bairstow at midwicket off Richard Pyrah after striking two fours and three sixes from 16 balls, and Ben Stokes and Albie Morkel also made it into the 30s before Stokes holed out to McGrath on the boundary edge and Morkel lost his off stump to Pyrah.Plunkett managed an unbeaten 21 from 14 balls but Durham were unable to make the sort of progress they would have liked.

Chairman of selectors, Clyde Butts, has said that Jamaica batsman Marlon Samuels, who has finished serving his two-year ban, will be considered for West Indies selection if he performs at the domestic level.”We all know Marlon Samuels can play cricket,’ Butts told . “Certainly, for a man who has been out of cricket for two years, youwould allow him to play some cricket, develop his game again and get back into form and, of course, he will be available to West Indies then.”Marlon needs to come out and start playing some cricket, [and] we will probably see that in the regional T20 and the one-day series and who knows. If Marlon certainly shows that he still has it, I think he will be considered.”Samuels returned to action recently for Jamaica, playing in a 50-overs match and two Twenty20 games against USA in Florida. He had missed two seasons after he was banned in 2008 for breaching rules, relating to “receiving money, benefit or otherreward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute”. Samuels was punished by a West Indies Cricket Board disciplinary committee for discussing team information with Mukesh Kochar and later approaching him to pay a hotel bill.Samuels has played 29 Tests and 107 one-day internationals for West Indies since making his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2000.

The BCCI has pushed back its working committee meeting to look into the controversies surrounding the Kochi franchise, to May 2. The meeting was initially scheduled for April 23, but has been deferred till the end of the IPL and a meeting of the tournament’s governing council.”Working committee meeting has been postponed because all things have to be discussed in the governing council meeting first. There is no point in having a working committee meeting before that,” Rajiv Shukla, BCCI’s media and finance committee chairman told PTI. “All the allegations [against Modi] and other issues would be discussed in the governing council. The date would be announced soon,” he said.The BCCI’s first official response to the controversy, which broke last weekend when Lalit Modi disclosed the details of the Kochi franchise ownership, was a statement on April 13 that a meeting of the IPL Governing Council would be convened “within 10 days to discuss all the issues and take a decision”. It is now clear that deadline will not be met, though no explanation has been given for the delay.The controversy was triggered by an update on Lalit Modi’s twitter account that questioned the ownership structure of the Kochi consortium, particularly the nature of equity owned by Sunanda Pushkar, who is a friend of Shashi Tharoor, a cabinet minister in the Indian government. Ms. Pushkar has since given up her stake in the franchise, while Tharoor was forced to resign from his office, over allegations of conflict of interest in his mentoring of the consortium.One fallout of Modi’s Twitter revelation was to swing the spotlight on the IPL’s financial dealings, and on Sunday the BCCI said it had received a summons from the income-tax department to furnish complete details of all eight original Indian Premier League franchises, who were successful bidders for the city-based teams in January 2008, on April 23. The taxmen have already carried out inspections of the IPL’s offices and Modi’s residence in Mumbai and also the Kings XI Punjab franchise office in Mohali.”Day before yesterday they had asked for details only about the two new franchises – their shareholding patterns, addresses, player auction and bidding process. Now they want us to furnish all the details about the eight other franchises too,” the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty had said.

The Umpire Decision Review System can’t win this week. It’s not being used in Dhaka, which has angered Bangladesh’s captain, while in Wellington the New Zealanders have been unhappy with what they believed was inconsistent application of the technology in their loss to Australia.The problems began when New Zealand’s first innings ended with the caught-behind of Tim Southee, who swung wildly at Mitchell Johnson and immediately appealed the umpire’s out decision. The replays showed no indication that Southee had hit the ball, but nor was there any hard evidence that he had missed it, and the upholding of the decision prompted Daniel Vettori to visit the match referee Javagal Srinath soon afterwards.”I don’t want it to be seen as sour grapes, because it wasn’t the reason we lost the game, but it has been a tough week for technology,” Vettori said after the match. “The caught behind of Tim Southee, I just needed some clarification. I thought there was clear daylight between bat and ball and wondered why the decision was given.”Srinath told me that unless there’s absolutely conclusive evidence to say that it’s not out they’ll go with the on-field umpires’ decision. We had a discussion around that. It’s your take on what’s conclusive and what’s not. For us, being on the emotional side of it, we felt that it was conclusive one way. I understand the logic of the umpires, but it makes it difficult to take at times.”The review process was played out on the big screen at the Basin Reserve, which Vettori believes might put extra pressure on the umpires. The UDRS was in the thick of the action again on the fourth day when the extreme wind meant the hi-tech cameras were too unstable to be relied upon, but despite the issues Vettori said he still supported the system.”This is the first time we’ve had a bad run with it in terms of the inconsistency of the decision-making,” he said. “It worked badly for both teams. Yesterday Australia weren’t able to use the referral system because the technology wasn’t ready. So it’s been a tough week and it shows there’s still a lot of work to do. But I think generally I support it.”Ricky Ponting had long and protracted discussions with the umpires while the wind situation was explained to him after Australia appealed for an lbw only to be told the tracking system was unavailable. He said while nothing could be done about the conditions, the communication from the match officials could have been better, although he was mostly only worried about whether he would lose his review for being unsuccessful.”I could understand if it wasn’t working,” Ponting said. “The only thing that disappointed me was that I didn’t know about it, I didn’t know it was off at one end and being used at the other. I’d spoken to the referee at lunchtime and he told me it was still working fine but it was going to take a little bit longer to get the information through.”All the discussions I had with the umpires yesterday was about making sure we didn’t lose a review. I didn’t want to lose one if there was no technology to be had. I’m not disappointed at all in the system. They are getting more decisions right and it has to be good for the game.”