doping scandal: akhtar & asif won't play the world cup

Just saw this new flash, Pakistan Cricket Board hands out punishments to the doping accused. Akhtar 2 yrs & Asif 1 yr.

So all of us who were thinking that PCB had acted smartly and would ensure that Akhtar would be around for the world cup have been belied. Bad news for Pak cricket fans and everyone else too...

Darrell's Hairy Episode: Not all black and white!

I am not a fan of Mr Darrell Hair, the umpire or the person. I loved it when Ranatunga won that infamous match in Australia, when another Hairy episode had taken place. I am not a racist either, but I do believe that browns and blacks have been victimised and not everything was hunky-dory with the early Australian umpiring when the countries from the sub-continent went visiting.

But, in the current imbroglio I am not Championing Asia's case at all - if Hair was wrong and Inzy right, then that would be a much better case for removing Darrell but this is plain arm-twisting by BCCI & PCB. The reason put forward by ICC for not taking the umpire on board is as ridiculous as it gets: "For safety and security reasons". This (BCCI) is the same board which is ready to guarantee the entire Pakistan team complete security. Is the threat perception here even a small portion of that?

I am sorry to say, but the ICC keeps sinking further and further...
( Am actually surprised how when Ganguly was captain and Dalmiya the king of the world, could a Ashoka D'Silva survive !! )

Click here to read the transcripts of Hair's correpsondence with ICC