Calcutta: Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has called for a ban on syndicated columns by current international cricketers because he feels it allows them to reveal what should best be kept within the confines of the dressing room, says A Staff Reporter.
“After a week dominated by the tawdry so-called “revelations”, I have become more convinced than ever that players in major sports teams should not be allowed to spill the beans on what goes on in the dressing-room as soon as they finish a tournament or Test series,” the former opener wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph. Boycott feels the “revelations” benefit no one.
“Who benefits from these hostile exchanges? All they do is create bitterness and conflict, making it twice as hard to achieve a unified team spirit,” he wrote.
Calcutta: Former CAB joint secretary and current Board of Trustees member Goutam Das Gupta has written to chairman Chandi Ganguly to convince his son and current assistant secretary Snehasish to quit the assistant secretary’s post following his involvement with Ashok Todi. Snehasish is a director in Todi’s company. Das Gupta also cited the example of former president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who quit CAB after BCCI had expelled him last year.
Melbourne: Cricket Australia (CA) has decided to crack the whip on drug cheats with a stringent illicit substances policy which may lead to dope offenders losing their contracts and be banned for up to three years. CA chief executive officer James Sutherland and Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) chief executive officer Paul Marsh outlined the new policy on Friday. First drug violation will lead to players losing five per cent of their nett retainer and a suspended match ban of 20 days from international, domestic or club cricket.
Colombo: Confident that Muttiah Muralidharan will overtake Shane Warne as the highest Test wicket-taker during the two-match series against Australia, Sri Lankans are set to celebrate the spin wizard’s feat with a song, which would go on air after he achieves the record.
Johannesburg: South Africa’s leading wicket-taker Shaun Pollock has been recalled for the first Test against New Zealand starting in Johannesburg next Thursday. Pollock, who has taken 416 wickets in 107 Tests, has been added to the list of 11 who clinched a series win in Pakistan last month.
Kingston: Five witnesses testified at Bob Woolmer’s hearing as the inquest into the death of the former Pakistan coach reached its 13th day. Jamaican detective Devon Harris spent three-and-a-half hours on the stand answering questions from prosecutor Kent Pantry on Thursday.
