Category Uncategorized

Though the results of the B sample have yet to be confirmed, Shoaib Akhtarand Mohammad Asif testing positive for Nandrolone is just another peek atthe dirty subterranean world of professional sport. With cricket onlyrecently getting tough on drugs, you can rest assured that they won’t bethe last big names to be hauled up.What, though, is Nandrolone, and why have so many elite athletes testedpositive for it in recent years? According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) system of nomenclature, the anabolic steroid has the name17b-hydroxy-19-nor-4-andro-sten-3-one, and can occur naturally in thebody, albeit in minute quantities. Structurally, it’s very similar toTestosterone, the male hormone that was recently the buzz word in sportsbulletins after Floyd Landis, the Tour de France winner, tested positivefor excessive levels.Like Testosterone and Creatine, the amino acid that Juventus’s footballteam were alleged to use regularly in the 1990s, Nandrolone too increasesmuscle mass. It can also produce the same side-effects, like overly aggressive behaviour, as testosterone. Clinical experiments have been conducted in the past to see itsefficacy in the treatment of HIV-affected men and also for other diseasesthat cause muscle wastage.The tests for Nandrolone, which involve urine samples, are consideredpositive if the level exceeds 2 nano grams per ml, the limit set by theInternational Olympic Committee which is considered the maximum possiblein natural cases. Most positive tests have involved athletes with levelshundreds of times above normal.Those caught in the past have included Linford Christie, Olympic 100mchampion in 1996, and Petr Korda, the Czech tennis player. Football,though, has had to endure the most scandal, with Jaap Stam, Edgar Davids,Frank de Boer (The Netherlands), Fernando Couto (Portugal) and JosepGuardiola (Spain) all having served bans for nandrolone use.The testing procedures have not been without controversy though. Athleteswho have been caught have often cited the use of Creatine and theconsumption of protein shakes as the reason for positive tests. AnAberdeen University study suggests that they may have a point. Accordingto that, consumption of dietary supplements in conjunction with heavyphysical training can result in the athlete returning a positive test forNandrolone. As with many drugs, including THG that was involved in theinfamous BALCO case, our knowledge is far from comprehensive. And as longas that remains the case, the protestations of innocence from those caughtmay just have a ring of truth to them.

Sourav Ganguly has revealed he was asked to step down as captain before this current Test against Zimbabwe, on a day in which he scored his first hundred for nearly two years. Ganguly, who made 101 – his 12th Test century – also reached a personal landmark of 5,000 Test runs when he passed 50. It was a timely century for him, after he went into the series with many in India demanding he be replaced by Rahul Dravid as captain.”I can tell you that before this match I was asked to step down as captain,” Ganguly told reporters. “So it was an extra determination that I found.” He wouldn’t, however, commit to revealing who called for him to step down.”I have been disappointed over the last six months so the century today was a great relief,” he added. “I accept that I have not batted well over that period. But this century has made my entire outlook change now. I am now hoping that it will make all the difference for me. It was not a great innings, but I was well satisfied with it under the circumstances.”India began the day leading Zimbabwe’s by 46 runs, with plenty of wickets in hand. And by the lunch break they reached 396 for 6. VVS Laxman resumed on 125 and Ganguly on 23. But things did not go to plan. Laxman was run out for 140 in a mixup with his captain, Yuvraj Singh managed to score only 12 and Dinesh Karthik only one.”Yes, [Zimbabwe are] not the best side of the world, but it has meant a lot to me,” he said. “I was happy for myself, as I had a bad time with the bat in both forms of the game. Lost [out] on a few centuries in the series against Pakistan.”Playing consistently at this level is important. I am happy that I fought it out,” he added.When asked about his detractors crying for his head, he said: “it has been fair. I struggled against Pakistan and the last year has been a disappointing one for me. It is not for me to prove anything, because the criticism has been fair. I have got the ability to play for the team.”Yesterday, Laxman hit out at critics while also mentioning the negative vibes in the team. Responding to this, Ganguly said: “I have always believed in his ability and I told him yesterday that he doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone. As far as I am concerned, I have always been a big supporter of Laxman and will always be.”But then there are people other than me who are deciding about Indian cricket. As far as I am concerned, Laxman is one of the best players India has produced.”

Just a couple of days after hogging the headlines at the ICC awards, Rahul Dravid insisted that he was ready to continue with his dual role – key batsman and wicketkeeper – in the Indian one-day side. “I’m extremely delighted at these awards but it hasn’t really sunk in, to be honest,” he said. “As for my cricket, there is a lot more I can still do.”A report in the quoted Dravid as saying that he would be willing to do whatever the team required, brushing aside speculation that he was unhappy with donning the wicketkeeping gloves. “It is not for others to presume that I like it or don’t like it,” he said. “Sure, it puts extra physical effort but I have been able to cope with it because of my improved fitness. To be honest, it is not so difficult to do it in these conditions compared to say Sri Lanka where the conditions can be hot and oppressive.”But according to a report in Kolkata’s , Dinesh Karthik was back in the wicketkeeping frame despite earlier hints from Sourav Ganguly that his appearance at Lord’s against England had been a one-off. Karthik missed the first 45 minutes of India’s training session on Thursday after getting the departure time wrong, but it’s unlikely to cost him in the run-up to India’s first match against Kenya.

In glorious summer sunshine, Hampshire Hawks lost their first ECB National League Division II clash for 5 games when they were defeated in the last over by Nottinghamshire Outlaws. Failure to post a decent score after being asked to bat first was the crux of the situation on a slow wicket at The Rose Bowl.Robin Smith missed the match after pulling a hamstring the previous Sunday, but the Hawks welcomed back Chris Tremlett after a month off injured, with Ed Giddins being left out of the side.Hampshire struggled early on, using the same strip that three days earlier had been used for the NWS One-Day International, their first run off the bat came in the fourth over. Kenway and Katich toiled against the acurate seam of Smith and Logan, before the former edged to wicket-keeper Read.Hamblin sent in as pinch-hitter managed just 4 in 14 balls. Skipper Crawley joined the Australian in a 61 run partnership, but both fell in quick succession. John Francis was joined by Nic Pothas as they upped the tempo,Francis hitting a hugh six off New Zealander Daniel Vettori, before the bowler gained his revenge next ball by bowling him. Pothas batted throughout the remainder of the innings for a run a ball 45, but the total of 208 seemed woefully short.A 51 opening stand set the tone for the outlaws, and despite a mid innings mini collapse, they seemed to be always in charge, and a flurry at the end by Chris Cairns and Chris Read saw the visitors home with two balls to spare.Chris Tremlett proved how much Hampshire had missed him recently, bowling economically in his 9 overs spell. Prittipaul and Udal took two wickets apiece.

Indian selectors on Tuesday named the 16-man squad for the three-match Test series against South Africa. Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, who were both found to be fit in the morning, were included. So also were Baroda opener Connor Williams and wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe.Deep Dasgupta, the young wicket-keeper whose performance in the one-dayers had reportedly not pleased the team-management , has also been surprisingly retained. Virender Sehwag was the other player making it to an Indian Test squad for the first time.The squad:Saurav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid (vice-captain), Shiv Sunder Das, Connor Williams, Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Sameer Dighe and Deep Dasgupta (wicket-keepers), Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Javagal Srinath

Yorkshire’s captain, Andrew Gale, has criticised England’s decision to omit Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance from the Test squad for the UAE. Four players from the Championship-winning county were included but Gale said Ballance in particular had been “harshly treated” after being overlooked by the selectors.Ballance became the third-fastest England batsman to score 1000 Test runs earlier this year but was dropped after the second Ashes Test, with Ian Bell moving up to No. 3 and Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow earning a recall. He has now slipped further down the pecking order, with James Taylor included at Ballance’s expense after impressing during the ODIs with Australia.While Ballance has produced scores of 165 and 91 in the Championship in recent weeks, he made a pair against Middlesex as Yorkshire claimed the title at Lord’s. Concerns have been expressed about his back-foot technique – in Yorkshire’s current fixture against Hampshire, being televised on Sky, Ballance was dropped in the gully playing tentatively at Fidel Edwards before being dismissed for 30 – although that may have been less of an issue on the slow surfaces of the UAE.There was no room for Ballance in either the Lions squad to play a T20 series with Pakistan A in the UAE this winter – although the format is not his strongest suit – or the England Performance Programme, which were announced on Wednesday.”I’m gutted for the lads,” Gale said. “I’m so disappointed for Gaz. He’s got an unbelievable record. I think he’s been harshly treated, and I’m really disappointed with the ECB for that.”I strongly disagree with the decision they’ve made. He’s got a proven record at that level, and yet they’ve picked James Taylor ahead of him. As much as I love ‘Titch’, I think Gaz deserves a chance to get back in that squad and prove again what he did before.”He’s a mentally strong lad is Gaz and a pretty level-headed guy. Knowing him as I do, he’ll take it in his stride and come back much stronger.”Lyth scored a century in his second Test but his position as Alastair Cook’s opening partner came under increasing threat during the Ashes, as he averaged just 12.77 with a highest score of 37. Lyth was the leading first-class run-scorer in 2014, with 1619 at 70.39, but only passed 50 once in 13 Test innings against New Zealand and Australia as bowlers targeted a noticeable fragility outside off stump.Alex Hales was the beneficiary, having passed 1000 runs in first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire this season, although England could pursue other options within the squad to open in three Tests against Pakistan.”In terms of Lythy, I thought Michael Carberry summed it up well in a Sky interview when he said someone deserves a really good run in that opener’s spot,” Gale said.”I’m not a fan of chopping and changing. You’ll see with our Yorkshire team this year that I’m a big believer in continuity and backing guys for a certain amount of time. Lythy’s shown that he can perform at that level, and it’s not as if opening batters are falling out of trees and churning runs out week after week like Lythy did last year.”With Lyth and Ballance left out, the number of Yorkshire representatives in the touring squad fell, after six were taken to the Caribbean at the start of the season. Joe Root, England’s highest-ranked batsmen, is a guaranteed starter in the middle order, while Bairstow, Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett retained their places.

Scott Weenink will be stepping down as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive. He has cited differences with “several member association” and the players’ association when it comes to “future priorities of NZC and long-term direction of the game” for his decision. Weenink will step away from the position on January 30, 2026 after a two-and-a-half-year stint.”After careful consideration,” Weenink said in a media statement, “it has become clear that I hold a different view from several member associations, and the NZCPA [New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association], on the future priorities for NZC, including the long-term direction of the game and the best role for T20 cricket in New Zealand. Given these differences, I believe it is in the best interests of the organisation that new leadership takes NZC forward from here.”While I am saddened to leave after such a successful period, I do not wish to create ongoing instability by continuing without the support of some key stakeholders. I depart with pride in the excellent progress made by NZC during my time as CEO, and confidence in the people in NZC who will carry the game forward.Related

• Plans being developed for NZ20 league in January 2027

“I will return to the role of executive chair of Xceda Group, subject to regulatory approvals, in the new year. I will take with me great memories of my time with NZC.”Weenink was appointed chief executive of NZC in August 2023, and under him, New Zealand won the women’s T20 World Cup and a men’s Test series in India in 2024 and made the final of the men’s Champions Trophy in 2025.His announcement came in the wake of new that plans were being put in place to launch the NZ20, a franchise-based T20 league in the country, by January 2027.The league’s operating model would be similar to that of the Caribbean Premier League, with the tournament receiving the license from NZC but being managed independently. That tournament, once it’s in place, will replace the men’s and women’s Super Smash.The league requires approval from NZC. Don MacKinnon, who heads the NZ20 establishment committee, wishes to have clarity over that call, ideally by January 2026.

Paul ‘Sachin’ Harris
He’s tormented Pakistan enough with the ball, but it was now Paul Harris’ turn to do so with the bat. He arrived early this morning and took a crunching blow to the head to begin with. But the more he hung around, the better he got. Having survived a barrage of bouncers and frustrating Danish Kaneria with the sweep, he pulled out the day’s glory off Mohammad Asif: a drive on the up, straight enough past the stumps, elbow high, Sachin Tendulkar’s trademark stroke. It was, for Pakistan, the most dispiriting moment of the day.Are we in Johannesburg? – III
Perhaps learning from Pakistan’s mistakes earlier, Dale Steyn kept it full in his first over and Kamran Akmal duly played-and-missed on several occasions. However, reverting to the shorter length, Steyn was edged over the slips for a four, straight-driven for another, pulled past mid-on for a third, driven to cover for three and finally driven to the backward point boundary to end a 19-run over.Guard of honour
As Inzamam-ul-Haq strode out of ODIs in Jamaica, he was given a guard of honour by his team-mates. A repeat of that, with the South African team lining up near the pitch and welcoming the local hero as he ambled in at the fall of Akmal’s wicket, for what could very well be his last outing. As suggested by our very own Cricinfo journalist, it might well have been a tactic employed for a flow of emotions which, in turn, could lead to an early dismissal.Nel kneels to pray
Pakistan’s openers were tearing into South Africa’s attack, Andre Nel was tearing into Pakistan and something had to give. In the 14th over of the innings, Butt left a ball from Nel that angled in and missed the stumps by a few inches. Nel’s follow-through is one of cricket’s great sights; this time he curved round, off the pitch and knelt down cursing his luck. Anywhere else, that would’ve been that. In Pakistan, during Ramadan, and on a ground where Mohammad Yousuf first knelt down in a prayer of thanks (for his double century), the gesture was significant, as the crowd’s roars of approval proved.Rattled yet again
Younis Khan, with an aggressive century in his previous Test outing a few days ago, was welcomed by a loud Lahore crowd, hoping for a repeat of aggression right from the start. Clipping his second delivery to midwicket for three, Younis was on his way. Well, until a quick delivery, prompting a rash drive, sneaked in between bat and pad to peg back Younis’ off stump. A reckless shot to be dismissed cheaply again, this was the third time Younis had his stumps rattled in three consecutive innings.Marathon man
Pakistan are in the midst of a fitness makeover and Kamran Akmal appears to be one of the beneficiaries. He told David Dwyer, the new fitness trainer, that he felt the freshest he has ever been after keeping for 90 overs under the Karachi sun. He kept here for 125 overs before calmly trotting out to open Pakistan’s innings. A flurry of boundaries and a second half-century, off only 56 balls, suggests he wasn’t kidding about how fresh he feels. If only he could hold on to the catches.

Tom Moody has insisted that he will honour his contract as Sri Lanka’s coach despite security concerns for foreign nationals in the volatile region. Escalating violence in Sri Lanka, where a three-decade-old separatist ethnic conflict has claimed more then 60,000 lives, forced Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s website to issue warnings of kidnapping for ransom.”It has not got to the point where it has stopped me from thinking about doing my job,” Moody told . “When you’re out of the country it probably appears a bigger deal and more of an issue than it is to the people who are here. The Sri Lankan people have grown relatively immune to these kind of things. It’s not as though the people are daring not to venture outside. There has been a significant increase in the military and police presence, which is comforting. In a way, I’m becoming immune, too.”South Africa’s withdrawal from a tri-series last month following a bomb blast in a Colombo marketplace was another indication of the fragility of the situation. Moody, though, felt that no cricketer was safe from danger: “I think there has to be a realisation that in this day and age, no matter whether you’re in London, Sydney or Colombo, you have to be mindful of the unpleasant possibility of terrorist action”.Already tipped as a strong candidate to succeed John Buchanan as coach of Australia after the World Cup, Moody looked back at Sri Lanka’s recent success. “Things had been very good. We took a lot of confidence out of the England series,” he said. “From a team and an individual point of view, the build-up over the last six months has been really pleasing. This is something we have worked hard at. It’s certainly not something that happened overnight.”This has been 14 months in the making. South Africa’s withdrawal was frustrating from the viewpoint of momentum. The more wins we could have got under the belt, the better. But with the bad comes the good. It has given us the opportunity to rest our guys, and gives those with a few niggles time to recover.”

Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, said Thursday he would quit only when he feels he is not doing his best to improve the Test minnows’ fortunes in international cricket.Bangladesh’s cricketing image suffered yet another blow when they lost the second and final Test against Sri Lanka by an innings and 69 runs on the third day at the P. Saravanamuttu stadium to surrender the series 2-0.It was Bangladesh’s 35th defeat – and 24th by an innings margin – in 40 matches since gaining Test status in 2000. They have won just one Test, against a depleted Zimbabwean side at home early this year.Whatmore, who was named Bangladesh coach in 2003, said, “As soon as I feel that I am not wanted or not doing a good job I will go, like I did with Sri Lanka in 1996 before my contract expired.”The Australian coach was referring to his quitting the Sri Lankan coaching post soon after helping them win the 1996 World Cup.”I will continue to push the cause of Bangladesh cricket,” said Whatmore, whose contract lasts up until the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.Under Whatmore, Bangladesh have sprung a few major surprises in one-day cricket. They beat India at home last year and then beat World Cup winners Australia in a triangular series match in England in June.Whatmore said his team had a chance of putting pressure on Sri Lanka before losing both the Tests by an innings margin inside three days.”We gained advantage on the first days of both the Tests but handed it over to the opposition.”Don’t forget they were 48 for four here. If the catch of (Tillakaratne) Dilshan had been taken it would have been 60-5,” he said of the dropped catch before the Sri Lankan batsman had reached double-figures.Dilshan went on to make a career-best 168 to help his side post a massive 457-9 declared in the first innings.Bangladesh managed just 191 and 197 to end their tour on a disappointing note. They were also beaten in three one-dayers before the Tests.