SL to ban players joining ICL

Sri Lankan cricket’s governing body on Friday threatened to ban any national player who took part in the breakaway multi-million dollar Indian Cricket League.
Sri Lankan players participating in any ‘tournament or league other than Sri Lanka Cricket-approved events shall not be eligible for selection to represent Sri Lanka,’ an SLC statement said.
SLC secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan added that players who played in the Indian Cricket League would also not be associated with any official cricket activity in the island nation.
‘They will not be considered for selection to play even domestic cricket, hold any position in the cricket administration or even officiate as umpires or commentators,’ Mathivanan told AFP.
Current players Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya and the recently retired Russel Arnold have been linked with the ICL.
But Arnold, who has just begun a career as a television commentator, was the only player to publicly acknowledge his desire to take part.
‘So far no current player has approached us with their intention to take part in the ICL,’ Mathivanan said.
He also ruled out anyone wanting to do so after the SLC’s latest decision.
Atapattu, a former captain and veteran of 88 Tests, was released by the SLC from his central contract last week. The move was widely seen as an expression of his intention to play in the ICL.
The Sri Lankan cricket administration in 1982 slapped a 25-year ban on 14 cricketers, led by then Test captain Bandula Warnapura, for playing in South Africa. They defied a government ban against any sporting contact with the then apartheid regime.
The ban was lifted in 1990 and some rebel players are currently involved in the game’s administration.
The SLC’s latest decision follows a similar move by the Indian cricket board to bar rebel players from official cricket.
The ICL, which is bankrolled by India’s largest listed media house, Zee Telefilms, plans to hold Twenty20 matches between six city teams in October and November.
Each squad is supposed to comprise four international players, two Indian stars and eight upcoming cricketers, according to an ICL announcement in May.
The Indian board’s tough stance has already made it difficult for the rival series to recruit current cricketers from both within and outside the country.
Retired West Indian captain Brian Lara, Test cricket’s highest run-getter, is the only top player to have confirmed his participation in the competition, which carries a winner’s purse of one million dollars.
Ex-Australian stars Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath have dismissed claims by the ICL that they have already signed up but the duo continue to be linked to the series.

Unfazed Bangladesh promise to fight

Under-performing Bangladesh go into Tuesday’s second Test against mighty Sri Lanka determined to lift their game and prove they deserve to play at the highest level.
The knives were out after Bangladesh crashed to their worst ever defeat against Sri Lanka in the first Test, losing by an innings and 234 runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club last week.
It was Bangladesh’s 41st defeat in 47 Tests and the 10th loss in the last 11 matches since beating a struggling Zimbabwe in 2005 for their lone Test win so far.
Only a rained-off match against India in Chittagong in May prevented a 0-11 sweep in recent times, prompting assistant coach Sarwar Imran to admit there had been no progress since the nation gained Test status in 2000.
‘Nothing has changed in our approach to Test cricket because we are making the same old mistakes,’ Imran told Bangladeshi journalists travelling with the team.
‘We have a bunch of talented cricketers but I think we are not mentally tough to sustain at this level.’
Former captain Habibul Bashar jumped to his team-mates’ defence, saying he was confident Bangladesh would perform better when the second Test starts at the P Sara Stadium.
‘I don’t agree with those who say that we made no improvement in the five-day game,’ said Bashar, who was replaced as captain for the tour by 22-year-old Mohammad Ashraful.
‘I am not frustrated with what happened at the SSC. We have two more Tests to go and this is a chance for us to show that we are not as bad as people are making us out to be.’
Bangladesh, who were shot out for 89 in the first innings at the SSC, cruised to 227-3 in the second knock when the last seven wickets slumped for 27 runs.
‘There is no shame in losing to such a strong team like Sri Lanka, but we have to learn from the mistakes and try and bat longer,’ said Bashar, who made two and 27 in the first Test.
Bangladesh, who have lost all their eight Tests against Sri Lanka, face an uphill task to prevent the hosts from taking a decisive 2-0 lead in the series.
Sri Lanka, finalists at the World Cup in the Caribbean in April where Bangladesh entered the second round for the first time, have been formidable at home in recent years.
Mahela Jayawardene’s men have won eight of their last 11 home Tests, mainly through solid top order batting and the genius of spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.
The 35-year-old, who grabbed nine wickets in the first Test and was named man of the match, has claimed an astonishing 59 victims in just seven Tests against Bangladesh.
The prolific off-spinner goes into the second Test with 683 Test wickets, just 25 away from equalling retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne’s world record of 708 wickets.
The third and final Test will be played in Kandy from July 11-15, followed by three one-day internationals.