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A hike in monthly pensions for former players, plans to boost support to other sports, and venues for the 2006 Champions Trophy were some of the issues discussed in the BCCI’s working committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday.Showing the money
Players who have figured in 25 Tests or more will receive up to Rs35,000 as pension amount while those who have played in less than 25 will get Rs25,000. The widows of Test cricketers will also receive the same amount. Former cricketers who played for India in Tests and ODIs after December 31, 1993 and all international umpires will receive a sum of Rs10,000 per month.Sharing the booty
Sports other than cricket will also benefit from the BCCI’s largesse, after they decided to set up a corpus fund worth Rs50 crore (approx US$11 million) to boost budding talents in the under-15 age group in various sports. “It’s the responsibility of the BCCI to support young talent in sports that figure in the Asian Games and Olympics,” Sharad Pawar, the president of the BCCI, said about this initiative. “The BCCI will pick the No.1 in the under-15 age group and help them in training in India and abroad. The modalities have to be worked out and the BCCI constitution has to be amended for this purpose. We will set aside Rs50 crores and add the proceeds of one off-shore match every year [around Rs40 crores] to build the corpus.”Ground work
The board, after negotiations with the ICC, confirmed four venues — Cricket Club of India, Mumbai, Jaipur, Mohali and Ahmedabad — for the Champions Trophy to be held in October-November this year. “The ICC has agreed to reduce the compensation money from US$1 million to under 200,000 dollars for the fourth venue,” informed Pawar. “The ICC rejected Chennai and Bangalore because of the threat of rain and the Cricket Association of Bengal informed the BCCI that it was not in a position to conduct the Champions Trophy games.”Pawar will choose eight venues in India for the 2011 World Cup and the “eight centres will have to send the compliance letter soon,” reported BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan. Also, a special committee headed by Chirayu Amin, the vice president, and comprising Arun Jaitley of the Delhi District Cricket Association, Lalit Modi, Bindra and Ajay Shirke, Maharashtra Cricket Association president, had been formed to come up with proposals to develop the 30 acres of land given by the Delhi Development Authority to the board.To cap it all
Agreeing with Sunil Gavaskar’s views on the India cap, Pawar announced that only the national players will wear the cap with the BCCI’s crest on it, while the support staff will not be allowed to wear it.Searching for talent
A special committee headed by former chief IS Bindra will give suggestions about optimum usage of the board’s funds, and will also offer recommendations on the Talent Research Development Wing (TRDW). “The committee will submit a preliminary report on all the related issues, including the scraping of the TRDW and the change in the format of the national selection panel [from five members to three],” said Pawar. Gavaskar had earlier criticised the proposed move to scrap the TRDW, asserting that the increase in the number of players from smaller towns was due to this system. He felt it would be a “big mistake” to scrap such a successful system.

Ramnaresh Sarwan led from the front to add some respectability to the total© Getty Images

After a fighting knock that stabilised the West Indian innings against South Africa in the second Test in Trinidad, Ramnaresh Sarwan, unbeaten on 93, said that his team would be looking to add another 100 runs to their lead of 119.West Indies were struggling on 92 for 5, before Sarwan and Bravo stitched together a vital 78-run partnership to end the day on 170 for 5. “Tomorrow we will have to start all over again,” Sarwan was quoted in Reuters. “If we can get close to 219 runs ahead that should set South Africa a good challenge. We needed someone to take responsibility and bat through the day, and that became my responsibility. It was important for me and Dwayne to pick up any singles that were on offer, and to rotate the strike as much as possible on a pitch that was not the best.”Sarwan also blamed the pitch for the mini-collapse, as they lost four wickets for just 13 runs. “I don’t think it’s a lack of application,” he explained. “Obviously the pitch has not been playing that well, it has been of variable bounce but, of course, you gotta apply yourself and stuff but I don’t think it’s lack of anything from our batsmen.”He defended his batsmen, though, and added: “It’s just one of those days when things didn’t go our way It will be very hard for me to say the guys are not applying themselves because everyone going out there wants to perform. Obviously if I get a hundred I will be very happy but I think if I get beyond a hundred it will be very good for us and put us in a good position.”

Kapil Dev: coming out strongly in favour of Kale © AFP

Kapil Dev and Arun Lal have voiced their displeasure over the manner in which the Indian board has dealt with Abhijit Kale in the bribery scandal. Kale has been suspended pending an investigation for allegedly offering money to two selectors for a place in the Indian team.Kapil said: “If he is not proven guilty, I wonder how the BCCI will compensate him.” The BCCI has ordered a probe into the cash-to-play scandal and will meet in an emergency session in New Delhi on Sunday to discuss the case.Kapil questioned the decision to ban Kale from playing before the investigation was complete. He added, “I feel for the young man. I’ve been through all this and support Kale completely.”Arun Lal, now secretary of the Indian Cricket Players Association, hoped that Kale would get adequate legal support.Lal said,”He is an integral part of Indian cricket and therefore it’s only fair the BCCI appoint a lawyer for the accused as well.”

A change in attitude – not the end of selection rotation – was the key factor in Australia’s form reversal in the cricket tri series, batsman Mark Waugh said today.Australia’s comprehensive victory over South Africa in Sydney last night, its second in three days, came from an improved mental approach, not the change inplaying personnel, Waugh told reporters in Adelaide today.”We didn’t lost the first three games because of the rotation, we lost because our attitude wasn’t quite right,” Waugh said.”We didn’t do the basics right, rotation or not, you’ve got to do the basics right.”Selectors opted to go with Australia’s best batting line-up for last night’s match after deciding to end the system of rotating the squad of 14 players through the side for the first four matches of the series.Waugh said Australia’s one-day side had rotated regularly and without any problems for the past 26 matches.But he said the turnaround in attitude should be enough for Australia to carry its improved form through to the tri-series finals after climbing past South Africa (8 points) with a bonus point last night to be on nine points, behind New Zealand (12).”I think we’ve turned the corner, our attitude’s been spot-on the last couple of games, guys have got a bit more confidence back and hopefully we can keep thatgoing,” he said.”We can’t afford too many slip-ups or we won’t be in the finals but I’m confident that we’ll keep winning now.”Waugh said his own improvement in making 55 not out last night was more to do with a change in luck than a return to form.”I wouldn’t say I’m in great form, I had a bit of luck last night, I haven’t had much luck all summer, so it was nice to get a few chances and post a 50,” he said.Waugh had made scores of one, nought and 15 in his three previous innings in the series and there was speculation he would be dropped from the side with theprolific Darren Lehmann touted as a replacement.But the 36-year-old veteran said he had not felt any added pressure.”I suppose when you get older people don’t want to give you as many chances,” he said.”Every time there’s a couple of failures there’s always pressure on but I’m pretty used to it now, I’ve got to keep scoring runs, that’s the name of the game, so that’s what I hope to keep doing.”

Islamabad, Nov 22: Out of favour Test batsman Mohammad Wasim announcedhis return to form with a valiant 112 (133 balls) studded with 15boundaries to help Rawalpindi reach respectability in their firstinnings total of 283 for 7 against Gujranwala here on the first day ofQuaid-i-Azam Trophy fixture at Pindi Cricket Stadium.The top order batsman saved Rawalpindi from complete dire straits asthe hosts were perilously placed at 134 for 6. For the seventh wicketWasim and wicket-keeper Nadeem Abbasi (59 not out 89 balls 8×4, 1×6)added 149 runs 113 minutes to raise the total to 283.Wasim who slammed his first ton of the first class season againstBahawalpur ten days ago, was in punishing form to reach his secondhundred. The right-hander however, had one life when at 21 a thickedge was dropped by the slip fielder off pacer Mubashir Nazir.Afterwards Wasim batted effortlessly. Trying to glace pacer Basit Butthe was caught off Khalid at 112, he consumed 189 minutes during stayat the crease.Put into bat, the hosts found themselves in deep waters with threebatsman back in the pavilion at the total of 43. Opener Asif Mahmoodfailed to open his account on nine balls whereas all rounder YasirArafat sent up fell for 5 to leave Rawalpindi tottering at 16 for 2.The hosts struggling to stabilize their innings received another joltwhen debutant pacer Adnan Farooq struck for the second time dismissingwell set opener Naveed Qureshi at 23 (42 balls, 3×4).

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte could be on his way out of north London at the end of the season.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claimed that, despite having only been appointed at Spurs last November, the 52-year-old could be in line for a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, with the Ligue 1 leaders seemingly set to part ways with current manager Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the campaign.

The report added that, even if the former Inter Milan manager doesn’t go on to join PSG, he could still move on to pastures new prior to the end of his current deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a return to his homeland said to always be on the cards for the Italian.

Partici must avoid Conte disaster

While it is true that life at Tottenham has not exactly got off to the best of starts for Conte, the argument that losing the 52-year-old at the end of the season would be a disaster for Fabio Paratici and Spurs is nevertheless an easy one to make.

Indeed, having won 15, drawn three and lost nine of the 27 games he has managed at Tottenham, the club’s form under the Italian can certainly be improved. It seems to have done in recent weeks, with Spurs having picked up 12 from a possible 15 points in their last five Premier League outings.

The longer that Conte remains in north London, the more accustomed the Tottenham players will become to the tactical instruction of the former Italy manager, which considering his impressive trophy haul can only be good for the club.

Furthermore, Paratici brought in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in the January transfer window, both of whom are quite clearly Conte-style signings. Therefore, should the 52-year-old ultimately leave Spurs after just seven months, the club’s next manager would more than likely have his own targets, potentially making Tottenham’s considerable outlay on the former Juventus duo redundant.

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As such, it is clear to see that losing the £15m-per-year (£288k-per-week) coach who Pep Guardiola dubbed a “master” would be a devastating blow to everyone involved with Tottenham – and something Paratici must do all he can to avoid.

AND in other news: Conte can unearth his next 243-goal talent in THFC prodigy who “runs over every blade”

Lalman Kowlessar, an executive member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), has called the recent strike by the West Indies Umpires’ Association (WICUA) during the sixth round of the Carib Beer Series a “total failure”.Kowlessar also praised the six umpires belonging to the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Umpires and Scorers Council (TTCUSC), which was not a part of the strike, and who were drafted in to fill in the void created by the WICUA’s boycott. “The games went on and the umpires did a great job,” he said.The WICUA had withdrawn its services for the last two rounds of the 2007-08 Carib Beer Series to protest against the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) decision to remove Trinidadian umpires Hayden Bruce and Kaso Dowlath from the list of officials for the tournament’s sixth round. The duo are linked to the newly-formed Association of Cricket Umpires of Trinidad and Tobago, a body which is not aligned with the Trinidad board.But Kowlessar said Bruce and Dowlath were not on the list of umpires recommended by the TTCUSC to the Trinidad board, though their names appeared on the list approved by the West Indies board’s sub-committee for umpires. “This was noticed by the TTCB, which informed the WICB, pointing out the perceived error. The WICB then removed those two names.”

Ed Joyce hopes to stay in form against his old team, Ireland, on Friday © Getty Images

Ed Joyce, who starred for Ireland when they qualified for the World Cup, hopes his inside knowledge of the team will give England an edge when they meet Ireland on Friday. Joyce said Ireland were a better all-round unit than some people gave them credit for but England should win by “keeping it simple”.Joyce made two centuries for Ireland in the 2005 ICC Trophy, ensuring the team’s place in the Caribbean. He is now in strong form for England, having made 66 and 75 in the last two group matches against Canada and Kenya.Joyce said his familiarity with England’s next opponents could come in handy. “I have told team analyst Mark Garaway a little bit,” he said on . “I know 11 or 12 of the Irish guys pretty well but there are couple who have come in who I haven’t seen very much of.”I will be able to help out with a few tips but you have to keep things pretty basic against most teams whether you are playing against Australia or against Ireland so I think we’re going to be keeping it pretty simple. Ireland play as a unit very well, they field very well, they bowl as a unit and they’ve got a lot of medium-pacers and spinners who bowl very straight. They bat all the way down to number 10.”Joyce was pleased at Ireland’s success – they made it to the Super Eights with a win over Pakistan and a tie with Zimbabwe – but hoped any further progress would not be at England’s expense. “You want to peak at the right time in these tournaments and we’d like to think we are getting there after the first match,” Joyce said.Adrian Birrell, the Ireland coach, said Joyce had been a great servant of Irish cricket but his history with the two teams would not give England too large an advantage. “We owe a big thank to Joyce for helping us through to the World Cup and look forward to playing against him,” Birrell said.”I am sure he knows all our players, but we also know their players and other players from all the countries. I think with a lot of video available on all teams it’s not a huge advantage, it certainly does help.”Birrell said his side had nothing to lose now they had reaching the Super Eights. “We know all the pressure is on England, they need to beat us to get to the semis,” he said. “They are not carrying any points and if they don’t pick two against us then they are under pressure.”

The selectors have backed their captain Graeme Smith … again © Getty Images

South Africa have announced their squads for the Twenty20 match and the one-day series against Australia – and they also took the step of announcing yet another vote of confidence in captain Graeme Smith following a disappointing tour of Australia. In his last eight one-dayers and eight Tests, Smith has averaged just over 20 in both forms of the game.”We wish to state that we have absolute confidence in Graeme Smith’s leadership and batting abilities,” Gerald Majola, the CEO of Cricket South Africa, said in a statement. “We believe that Graeme and the Proteas can turn the tables in South Africa.”It’s the second time in two weeks that Majola has come out in support of the captain. On February 7th, the day when the central contracts were announced, Majola insisted “Cricket South Africa has the fullest confidence in Graeme Smith as captain of the Proteas.”To this end Vince van der Bijl, the board’s manager, said that South Africa were going to adopt a more determined approach. “Both Graeme and Mickey [Arthur] are confident that the team effort will be more rutheless and that fielding errors have been eradicated.”Loots Bosman, Roger Telemachus and Neil McKenzie have all been selected in the Pro20 side, as part of the selectors’ aim to rest and rotate players before next year’s World Cup. The spinners Thadi Tshablala and Robin Peterson have also earned a call-up, with Peterson also making a return to the one-day squad.AB de Villiers has earned a recall to both squads after he was dropped for the VB Series in order to rediscover his touch in the shortened version of the game at domestic level. “No one doubts AB’s talents,” the chairman of selectors, Haroon Lorgat, said in a statement, “and the way he responded to our request to play in the domestic Pro20 games was outstanding.”Justin Kemp is in both squads, but his participation will be subject to passing a medical. Andre Nel will also undergo a fitness test this week, but is hoping to play in the ODIs. But Jacques Kallis has been excluded from both squads as he continues to recover from an elbow injury.Makhaya Ntini returns after injury, which will be a fillip to a South African side who followed up a disappointing 2-0 Test defeat to Australia by winning just three of eight one-day matches.South Africa Pro20 squad Graeme Smith (capt), Loots Bosman, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Roger Telemachus, Thandi Tshablala, Johan van der Wath.One-day squad Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Johan van der Wath.

John Wright: ‘If you want to be a top side, you have to get the job done’© Getty Images

India’s coach, John Wright, has criticised his team for not delivering the final blow in the first Test at Mohali against Pakistan, and has advised them to be more hungry for success if they are to attain to the highest levels of international cricket.”We could not get the killer blow in,” said Wright after India failed to take the last four wickets to win the Test. “That result has to make us more hungry. It’s disappointing not to get the result we wanted, after the situation the opposition was in.” India can overtake England at No. 2 in the world Test rankings if they win the three-Test series 2-0.”If you want to be a top side, you have to get the job done. This is an area where we are still learning. If we want to climb the list we’ll have to have the killer instinct. This is what I look for and want from the team.”Pakistan were struggling at the start of the fifth day with just a 53-run lead and only four wickets in hand. However, a record 184-run partnership between Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq saved the Test for Pakistan. “In India-Pakistan contests, players always seem to find that little bit extra, but it came on the last day from the Pakistani batsmen.”When asked whether Harbhajan Singh would be selected for the Kolkata Test, Wright said: “Conditions suit us here and he [Harbhajan] has a good chance of making the side. Harbhajan has done well at the Eden Gardens and likes bowling here. I don’t think we’ll go with five bowlers. Traditionally we have always played two seamers and two spinners here and it has worked for us.”