Robert Griffiths QC, Darrell Hair’s barrister, has told a tribunal in London that the ICC bowed to pressure from a bloc of Asian countries when it, in effect, sacked his client in the aftermath of the abandonment of the Oval Test last year.Speaking on the first day of Hair’s claim at the London Central Employment Tribunal that he suffered racial discrimination at the hands of the ICC, Griffiths maintained that the Indian and Pakistan boards heavily influenced the ICC.”Darrell Hair’s case is that he was treated the way he was because the ICC bowed to the racially discriminatory pressure that was brought to bear on it by the Asian bloc and ICC board member supporters,” Griffiths said. “The Asian bloc is dominant in cricket sometimes it uses that dominance inappropriately. Everyone knows it, but most are afraid to say so.”Griffith asked why the ICC’s three-man panel who looked into Hair’s future included Pakistan board chairman Nasim Ashraf – who had earlier called for sanctions against Hair – Sir John Anderson, the New Zealand board chairman who supported action against Hair, and Zimbabwe Cricket president Peter Chingoka. “As the world knows only too well, Zimbabwe Cricket has not historically selected teams on merit,” he said. “It has selected its players on the basis of their race and colour.”An environment has been created for him that is any or all of intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive. His feelings have been most significantly injured. He has suffered both personally and financially.”

Opening for the defence, Michael Beloff QC denied the allegations. “[Hair] was not a victim of race discrimination,” he said. “He was the author of his own misfortune. In cricketing terms, Mr Hair ran himself out.”His case on the question of discrimination has been changeable, evasive and, to a degree, reckless. He was immeasurably the more experienced and senior of the two umpires and in respect of every action during the fourth Test which has excited adverse comment, Mr Hair took the initiative and Mr [Billy] Doctrove’s role was only to agree.”Critically, it was Mr Hair who baled out of the crucial meeting when an attempt was made by all interested parties to broker a restart to the match,” Beloff continued. “The fact that a majority of those who supported the so-called resolution were Black or Asian does not of itself establish or even give rise to the inference that they took their decision on grounds of Mr Hair’s race as distinct from his behaviour.”When he took the stand after lunch Hair accused Anderson of brokering a secret deal to end his career during a private lunch during an ICC meeting. That conversation was not previously disclosed and Hair’s lawyers maintain that crucial discussions were left out of official transcripts in what was described as a “Watergate-style cover-up”.Hair explained why he accused Pakistan of ball-tampering, claiming that he felt the rough state of the ball “had been accelerated by human intervention”. He stressed he had taken joint decisions throughout the Test with Doctrove. “I was surprised by how much roughing up of the ball there had been,” Hair told the tribunal. “There were quite a few scratch marks on it.”He said that at the conclusion of the game “Doctrove called time and I removed the bails at my end,” indicating the decision was taken in unison. He also said that “the abuse I received from Pakistan players continued unchecked by the ICC”.Arriving at the hearing, Ray Mali, the ICC president, told reporters: “We are here today because we are an organisation that believes in fairness, justice and equality. We have come here to prove that we have been fair throughout this process. We believe racism was never an issue in this matter.”

Drawn – ScorecardThere was virtually no play on the first day owing to rain, Tasmania making 13 for two wickets. On the Saturday the pitch was in such a had condition that serious cricket was out of the question. Lumps of mud flew off the pitch whenever a ball was bowled, and a towel was eventually used to wipe the ball after every delivery.

Shoaib Akhtar has been taken to hospital complaining of fatigue caused by a fever after Pakistan arrived in Kolkata ahead of the second Test against India which starts on Friday.”He was suffering from fever and got very tired after arriving here from New Delhi,” a team official told . “So he has been taken to hospital, probably to be put on a drip.” However, he isn’t expected to stay more than a couple of days and the management are confident he will recover in time for the Test.Shoaib impressed during the first Test with six wickets, including four in the second innings, but couldn’t prevent India taking the opening contest. He isn’t the only fitness concern for Pakistan as they aim to bounce back with Shoaib Malik, the captain, trying to shake off an ankle injury he picked during a game of football after the match.There is better news about Umar Gul who has overcome the back problem which kept him out of the New Delhi Test. “Gul will be available for selection,” said the official. “His scan report was seen by the Pakistan medical board and it has cleared him.” Gul will put pressure on Mohammad Sami who was expensive and wicketless last week.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored a stylish 84 on his return to the Sri Lankan team, said he was under no pressure while crafting a 149-run partnership for the fifth wicket alongside Mahela Jayawardene.”I have been in good form these past three months both domestically and for the A-team and I was under no pressure when I was recalled to the team,” Dilshan said at the end of the second day’s play. “I played my natural game and was successful. I had been waiting for the past few weeks for an opportunity to get back into the side and when I did, I took full advantage of it.”Dilshan was run out while trying to help Jayawardene get his hundred before the tea break. “It would have been nice if I got a hundred. But that’s cricket.”Brimming with confidence when it came to his batting, he said: “I undertake any challenge that is thrown to me. Two and a half years ago when I received a similar recall to the team, also against England, I scored 60 and 100. If you score runs only you can remain in the team.”He also felt England’s negative attitude has given Sri Lanka a chance to win the third and final Test at Galle. “After one-and-a-half hour [of Sri Lanka] batting, England got into a negative mood and the fielders were down. Mahela and I took the advantage and while looking for singles, we hit the loose balls for four.”We were looking at something like 300-plus when play began today. To finish at 384 for 6 by the end of the day is a big bonus,” he said. “If we score around 450, we can close the door on an England victory. We hold the advantage and with Murali [Muralitharan] I think we can swing the game our way and win.”Dilshan admitted he received good advice from his captain while in the middle which helped him get to his score. “Mahela told me that I was scoring a bit too fast, had to control myself and to bat straight. I used the crease and stepped down a bit to cut down the swing and that made it easy for me to bat.”It’s not an easy wicket to bat. It’s a 50-50 wicket. The bowlers had the opportunity when they bowl in good areas as the ball is still moving a little bit and there is uneven bounce. With all that, all our batsmen put up a very good effort to get us to 384.”On the catches England dropped during the day, Dilshan said it could happen to any team. Dilshan was let off on seven and 54 and was given a reprieve on 64 when umpire Darryl Harper turned down an appeal for a catch with replays showing that Dilshan had gloved the ball to Matt Prior off Matthew Hoggard.

Khulna started the final round of matches with a one-point lead over Rajshahi. The key game was in Dhaka where Rajshahi appeared to be on course for a draw until dramatically collapsing on the third afternoon as Dhaka’s left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain took 6 for 13 to bowl them out for 77. Dhaka, chasing 130, had problems of their own as they slid to 91 for 7 before Mahmudullah Riyad and stand-in skipper Mohammad Sharif guided them to a three-wicket win on the stroke of tea. Sharif ended the match in emphatic style, launching two massive sixes over long-off.Bizarrely, at the end of the game Khaled Mashud, Rajshahi’s captain, led his team’s celebrations, telling bemused reporters that they were happy as they had secured the one-day title with a week to spare.As news of that result filtered through to Khulna, where the home side had surrendered a small first-innings lead, the tension mounted as Barisal reached 187 for 5 in pursuit of a target of 302. Anything other than a win would still have handed the title to Rajshahi, but the bowlers kept their nerve and the last five wickets fell for 51 runs.”We were confident because it was difficult to score near 300 on the fourth-day pitch,” stand-in Khulna skipper Nahidul Haque told The Daily Star. “We were hardly bothered about what happened in Dhaka rather our main target was to win the match.”The third match was one played in almost complete anonymity as Chittagong beat Sylhet by seven wickets at the Fatullah Stadium. Nazimuddin, who finished the top scorer in the league with 720 runs, led Chittagong’s chase of a target of 237The only downer on the season finale was the absence of national players, on duty in New Zealand. “There had been too much talking about our strength without the national players but we have proved it all rubbish,” Haque told the paper. “We proved that we have a number of good players in the team.”

Scorecard
Bangladesh Under-19 helped themselves to some batting practice as their three-day match against South Africa Under-19 meandered to a draw at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom. After conceding a 140-run first-innings lead, the Bangladeshis reached 208 for 2, courtesy half-centuries from Mithun Ali and Nadimuddin, before the match was called off.Opener Rony Talukder hit a couple of boundaries before falling to medium-pacer Dwaine Pretorius. Nadimuddin then joined Ali and the two added 105 runs for the second wicket. Ali was the more aggressive one in the partnership, picking off eleven boundaries as he top scored with 80. After Ali’s dismissal, Nadimuddin and Nasir Hossain added an unbroken 73 runs as the South African bowlers were made to toil. Nadimuddin, who had fallen for nought in the first innings, redeemed himself with a sedate unbeaten 72.Earlier, the hosts resuming on 393 for 4, crumbled to 434 all out. Reeza Hendricks moved to 156 before being bowled by Dolar Mahmud, who was Bangladesh’s most successful bowler. Mahmud ended with five while Rubel Hossain took three as the last six South African wickets fell for 23.The three-day match is followed by a triangular one-day tournament, scheduled to start on Tuesday, that also features India U-19.

Michael Dighton has been dumped from Tasmania’s Pura Cup side as the Tigers search for a way out of second-last spot. David Dawson, who has not played a state match since 2005-06, has been recalled to the top of the order.Tasmania, the defending champions, have only won one match this season and they have decided to shake up their regular opening partnership for the bottom-of-the-table clash against Queensland starting on Monday at the Gabba. Michael Di Venuto, who announced during the week that this would be his final summer with Tasmania, is set to partner Dawson.Dighton has averaged 20.50 from his six matches this campaign and has had the least productive season of all Tasmania’s specialist batsmen. Dawson was a standout in the Tasmania Second XI side this week, scoring 105 and 53 against the Western Australia Second XI in Hobart.Tasmania squad Michael Di Venuto, David Dawson, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Daniel Marsh (capt), Dane Anderson, Tim Paine (wk), Luke Butterworth, Jason Krejza, Brett Geeves, Chris Duval, Ben Hilfenhaus.

Andrew Symonds says the loyalty of Australia’s best players will be tested over the next couple of years as they weigh up representing their country with accepting huge payments to join Twenty20 competitions. Symonds said in his Sunday Mail column the baggy green was still the “jewel in Australian cricket’s crown”, but admitted the big money would be tempting.”The way things are heading loyalty is really going to become a major issue, particularly when you can make more money in six or eight weeks than what you can in a whole season,” Symonds said. “Loyalty versus money always makes for an interesting debate. Who wouldn’t be tempted to take a job offering more money for less work?”Symonds warned the game’s administrators to be careful about the “serious threat” caused by it being more financially rewarding to retire from Tests and ODIs and appear in the Indian Premier League or the Indian Cricket League. “They need to find a way to be able to work with the IPL so everyone’s available,” Symonds said. “Otherwise you’re going to have blokes retiring early or just saying: ‘Look, it’s not worth the heartache. I can earn more in a very short period of time.”Last Sunday Symonds was gagged by Cricket Australia over his column when the board felt the allrounder did not understand the complicated nature of the issues. Protecting sponsors is one of Cricket Australia’s main concerns, but other problems surround a rule where only two Australians can appear in overseas domestic teams.A decision is still to be made on whether Australia goes to Pakistan next month – the players are not keen to go and the trip isn’t mentioned in Symonds’ column – and if they are given permission to appear in the IPL the time is limited. The squad is due to depart on May 10 for the West Indies while the IPL runs until June.”Right now you’d have to be nervous if you’re a cricket administrator of any of the big cricket-playing countries,” Symonds said. “I’m talking the likes of Australia, South Africa and England.”The pressure’s on big time to really look after the players, especially at the peak and then coming down the back end of their careers. The bottom line is the money on offer in India is not going away and it may even get more and more tempting.”

1984
The first edition of the Asia Cup, called the Rothmans Asia Cup and conceived in 1983 with the creation of the Asian Cricket Council, was held in Sharjah, then home to the council. The tournament was a round-robin tournament; India won the title on the back of a ten-wicket win over minnows Sri Lanka and a 54-run win over archrivals Pakistan. Wicketkeeper-batsman Surinder Khanna scored fifties in both low-scoring games and emerged as the unexpected star by taking the Man-of-the-Series award. Sri Lanka came in second while Pakistan lost both their matches.1986
Now termed the John Player Gold Leaf Trophy, the second edition was held in Sri Lanka, the first such multi-nation tournament to be held there. The defending champions were not present, however, owing to a controversial series against the hosts the year before – one during which the umpires allegedly made incorrect decisions in favour off Sri Lanka – and so Bangladesh entered as the third team. Sri Lanka proceeded to lift the trophy with a five-wicket win over Pakistan after losing their first match to the same opponents. Arjuna Ranatunga was named Man of the Series.1988
Bangladesh hosted the Wills Asia Cup but failed to win any of its three games. Sri Lanka cruised into the final with three wins in a row but were brushed aside by India, thanks to Man-of-the-Series Navjot Sidhu’s rapid 76. Sidhu’s six-hitting exploits – he scored 50* and 50 going into the final – were a continuation from his form in the World Cup the previous year.1990-91
India hosted the fourth edition and won it for the third time, defeating Sri Lanka in the final in Calcutta. Pakistan had pulled out of the tournament, which helped India’s cause. Bangladesh again failed to click and were downed by another Sidhu hundred and a clinical Sri Lankan outfit. Four wickets from Kapil Dev restricted Sri Lanka to 204 in the final, and a powerful middle order knocked off the runs in 42.1 overs.1995
With the 1993 tournament cancelled due to political tensions, the official fifth edition returned to Sharjah after 11 years. India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were tied on points after the preliminary round but the former two teams went in by virtue of a better run rate. For the third successive time India defeated Sri Lanka in the final. Led by a magnificent third-wicket stand of 175 off 184 balls by Sidhu and Mohammad Azharuddin, India cruised to an eight -wicket victory. This win took India’s overall win tally to four, the most for the Asia Cup.

1997
Sri Lanka lifted the 1997 Pepsi Asia Cup by defeating India by eight wickets at home. Sri Lanka, having lifted the World Cup the year before, were a force to be reckoned with. The world champions made use of a slow surface to defeat Pakistan by 15 runs in the tournament opener, brushed aside India thanks to a brilliant Ranatunga century, and demolished Bangladesh courtesy Sanath Jayasuriya’s 83-ball 108. Ranatunga and Jayasuriya starred in the final in Colombo as well, a triumph that followed their success in the Singer Akai Cup and Independence Cup in India earlier in the year.2000
Pakistan remained unbeaten all tournament and rightfully lifted the title for the first time. Bangladesh lost all their matches and India only beat the hosts. Pakistan were well-rounded; Bangladesh were thumped by 223 runs, Yousuf Youhana and Abdul Razzaq combined to down India by 44 runs, and Sri Lanka were beaten by seven wickets, with Youhana again the star. Come the final, at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu National Stadium, and another all-round effort under lights earned Pakistan a 39-run win.2004
Sri Lanka shrugged off an indifferent season with a 25-run win over India in Colombo in the finals, after losing just one match all tournament. Hong Kong and the UAE also participated but did little of note; Bangladesh beat Hong Kong by 116 runs to open up their account in the tournament history. Pakistan began well only to crash out due to an error in net run rate calculation and India came through despite a couple sluggish displays. But Sri Lanka once again proved dominant at home, defending a total of 228 with some tigerish fielding and top-class spin bowling from Jayasuriya and Upul Chandana.2008
The tournament where Ajantha Mendis and his befuddling brand of spin announced itself. His 6 for 13 bamboozled India in the final after Virender Sehwag had jump-started the chase with a boundary-filled blast. Mendis was named Man of the Match, though there had been another equally remarkable performance in the final – a 39-year-old Sanath Jayasuriya bludgeoning 125 off 114 after the rest of the top order folded. Most matches of the tournament featured dead pitches in Karachi, where the summer heat and a series of mismatches kept the crowds away.2010
A series where the conditions hugely favoured the team batting first. India pulled off a nail-biter against Pakistan, and Shahid Afridi nearly orchestrated a heist against Sri Lanka, but in general, once the floodlights came on in Dambulla, the ball jagged around copiously making it a win-toss-and-bat tournament. India’s quicks benefitted from having to bowl second in the final, and led by Ashish Nehra, they dismantled Sri Lanka to lift the trophy for the fifth time, and the first time since 1994-95. While the previous two editions had included smaller teams like Hong Kong and the UAE, this year only the four Test-playing Asian nations were involved.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

If an Indian team with ambitions to world dominance found the openingday at the Sardar Patel Stadium humiliating, day two was soul-destroying, with aclassy AB de Villiers double-century and a dogged Jacques Kallis hundredunderpinning a relentless South African charge to victory. By the time therain came down to wash away Indian tears, they had rampaged to 494 for 7,with de Villiers still going strong on 217, the highest score by a SouthAfrican against India.In the 77.2 overs bowled in the day, India managed just three wickets, twoof them when the batsmen were in the quest for quick runs after tea. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh picked up one apiece, with Mark Boucher and Morne Morkel trapped leg before, but by then the only question being posed was just how imposingthe lead would be.de Villiers needed just 146 balls for his second hundred, and played somestupendous strokes in the final session. A huge six off Harbhajan landedon the roof at what is a massive venue, and when he was later gifted afull toss that he creamed through cover, the celebrations could begin.That stroke also brought up the 400-run lead, and de Villiers put the sealon an impressive day’s work with a mighty heave off Kumble that soaredinto the empty stand at deep midwicket. As a weary Indian side trudgedoff, a defeat of mammoth proportions beckoned unless they could bat with agreat deal more application at the second time of asking.Kumble and his men could reflect on opportunities that came their wayearly in the proceedings. Harbhajan, the pick of the bowlers, wasdesperately unlucky against both batsmen. Kallis had made just 61 when hefended one awkwardly off the glove, only to see it roll back and strikethe stumps. The bails stayed on, Harbhajan held his head, and the chancehad gone. In his very next over, an offbreak went right through deVilliers, missing the stumps by a whisker.Irfan Pathan was insipid with the old ball, and Kumble soon replaced himat the other end, but the runs slowly started to mount as the pitch showedfew signs of menace. de Villiers cut Harbhajan for four, and Kumble wasthen far from thrilled as a Kallis cover-drive was fumbled over the ropeby Sourav Ganguly.Despite slightly overcast conditions, Kumble didn’t call on Sreesanth. Bythe time the new ball was taken after 81.2 overs, whatever little moisturethat might have been in the pitch was long gone. Sreesanth soon made animpact too, striking Kallis on the shoulder with a bouncer and then havingan excellent leg-before shout turned down.Once the initial threat posed by the new ball passed, the runs camefreely. de Villiers flicked RP Singh for four and then glanced Sreesanthfine, before Kallis highlighted his power with two contemptuous pulls forfour. On the stroke of lunch, Ganguly came on, and a paddle down to fineleg saw de Villiers reach his fifth Test century.Kallis was on 97 at the time, and the 30th century that took him past SirDonald Bradman arrived soon after the interval, with a magnificentcover-drive for four off Ganguly. It had been a stolid and at timesfortuitous effort, spanning 228 balls, but vital in the context of thematch after Harbhajan’s three quick wickets on the first afternoon.The 200-run partnership came from 401 balls, and the runs were milked withease after that. Pathan was pedestrian at best and Kumble merelyrestrictive. Both men played the sweep with increasing confidence and itwas quite bizarre that Sreesanth, the most effective Indian pace bowler onview, was called on only an hour and ten minutes after lunch.Kallis swatted the first ball for four, and when an edge then streakedpast slip, Sreesanth’s frustration boiled over. But instead ofself-destructing, he used the anger to produce a gem of a delivery thatlifted from outside off stump and caught Kallis in two minds. By the timehe tried to arc the bat away, it was too late and the inside edge cannonedinto the stumps. He had batted six hours, and the partnership of 256 wasSouth Africa’s highest against India, surpassing the 236 that GaryKirsten, currently India’s coach, and Andrew Hudson added at the EdenGardens in 1996-97.A sparse crowd watched it all with a mixture of frustration and reluctantadmiration, and there was something forlorn about the few Indian flagsbeing waved in the stands on a day when dreams of global conquestevaporated in egg-frying heat.