Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott carried England into a strong position on the opening day in Wellington

The Report by David Hopps13-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Trott had masterful control over his innings on the opening day in Wellington•Getty Images

When you blunder, as New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum surely did, by choosing to bowl in the second Test, you must at least hope to succumb gloriously to a feat of derring do. It must be the understated hundreds that are the worst to bear, the sort of hundreds that tell you quietly and repeatedly that you are being punished for your sins, the sort of hundreds delivered for England in Wellington by Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott.Compton now has back-to-back Test centuries, his labours on his debut tour in India bearing fruit in New Zealand, providing an assertion that he has talent to go along with an abundance of resolve. But it was Trott who made it through to the close, so methodical that he might have been a student of time and motion, breaking a complex task into such simple, logical steps in a manner that his efficiency could not be faulted.This was a day when the world was engrossed by white smoke rising from the Vatican to mark the election of a new Pope – they even burst into applause at Basin Reserve when a spectator appeared in a Pope fancy dress. After England lost only two wickets in the day, McCullum, like those in Rome, had reason to contemplate cardinal sins.Compton and Trott might not be the most extravagant double act in the world, in fact they might wear down a crowd as much as they wear down an opposing attack, but they progressed in an orderly fashion which encapsulated the discipline at the heart of this England set-up and New Zealand’s attack sensed from an early hour that they faced a day of hard labour. They were fortunate that the left-arm spinner, Bruce Martin, played a successful holding role, 27 overs rewarded with the wicket of Compton, who was still on 100 when he drove at a delivery that was not quite there and edged to Ross Taylor at first slip.

Smart stats

• The 210-run partnership between Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott is the seventh double-century stand for England in Tests in New Zealand. Three of them have come since 2000.

• For the first time ever against New Zealand, and the 16th time overall, England have had two double-century stands in a single series. The previous time they achieved it was in the series in India in 2012-13.

• Since the beginning of 2009, England have the highest (with Australia) number of double-century stands (13). India are next (12) followed by South Africa (11).

• Compton followed his century in the first Test with another in Wellington. He has now scored two centuries and a fifty at an average of 47.22.

• Trott’s century is his ninth overall and first against New Zealand. Five of his hundreds have come in away Tests.

• Compton is the 21st England batsman to be dismissed for exactly 100. Len Hutton has been dismissed on 100 four times and Kevin Pietersen twice.

McCullum had won the toss in Cape Town in January and chose to bat, a new captain eager to make a statement, and saw New Zealand dismissed for 45, demolished by Vernon Philander. In Wellington, it felt more like a concession, an acceptance that New Zealand’s batting dared not be risked on the first morning against England’s pace attack. Things tend to go awry most often for weaker sides, but his logic was faulty on both occasions.The skies became bluer by the minute, the breeze of the Cook Strait was light and northerly, and a drought in Wellington has left the city with only 20 days’ rain. It is going to pour down later in the match, apparently. The pitch had more bounce than Dunedin, but it was comfortably-paced and true, and not a ball deviated for the pace bowlers in the air or off the pitch. At one point a Paradise Duck waddled onto the square to take a look, and all the signs were that paradise belonged to England.Compton, in particular, looked in confident mood after his breakthrough hundred in Dunedin. There he had again displayed masses of resolution, a batsman of character trying to prove his mettle. Here he revealed a more expansive side of his batting character. New Zealand want sedate batting surfaces to protect their batting and their bowlers must suffer the consequences.Such perceptions, though, are often unfair to Trott. He reached his century 50 balls faster than Compton – 174 compared to 224 – but because he played so methodically, and because his innings had less importance for an already-established career, he passed almost unnoticed. His hundred came up with such a supremely controlled pull against Neil Wagner, a shot of a batsman ticking over with absolute certainty, that it summed up the understated nature of his innings.Compton’s hundred, by contrast, was reached flamboyantly as he took two boundaries off Wagner in three balls, a square cut on one knee followed by an equally bracing drive on the up through extra cover.He pulled well against the new ball and relaxed into some pleasing drives, attacking wide deliveries from Wagner and Trent Boult that he would have left in Dunedin. But he was not quite as sound as Trott, surviving a few fierce forays over gully and, on 65, he escaping an lbw appeal from Martin by dint of an inside edge. His most worried look came at 119 for 1, when New Zealand managed a ball change and he briefly worried that it might swing.England rattled up 40 from six overs immediately after lunch, but then, one suspects, Trott had a word and any over-excitability disappeared. As England slowed in mid-afternoon, most activity came from Trott’s facial expressions, furious chewing and rictus grins. Martin turned one past Trott’s outside edge, just once, and that was enough to win him deep respect for the rest of the session, 16 overs for 23 by tea.Alastair Cook had been hailed by McCullum as second only to Don Bradman ahead of the Wellington Test, which historians will scoff was another misjudgement, and Cook was the only England batsman to miss out, out for 17. There was a suggestion that a fullish delivery from Wagner stopped in the pitch a little, but Cook’s balance was awry, a failing of old, as he pushed a simple catch to short mid-on. He looked askance at the pitch and later could also be expected to look askance at the laptop replay.New Zealand’s quicks, thwarted by England after leading by 293 in the first Test, would have been forgiven for a secret sigh of anguish that they were back in the field so quickly after bowling 114 overs in the second innings in Dunedin in a forlorn attempt to force victory. It is already hard to imagine them forcing victory here.

Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen is confident that his team is well prepared for the Zimbabwe challenge

Firdose Moonda in Harare15-Apr-2013For the first time in their cricket history, Bangladesh enter a series as favourites. Usually, they are underdogs, occasionally they spring surprises, and when they play Zimbabwe it is considered an even match. Not this time, though.Zimbabwe have had months of no competitive cricket, they were recently blanked in the West Indies, and various financial problems resulted in a threatened player boycott in the lead up to this series. Bangladesh had a satisfying tour of Sri Lanka, where they celebrated a maiden double-century and their highest Test total. It’s obvious which team is in better shape.It’s also clear that the expectation Bangladesh constantly operate under is now realistic. That prospect is as exciting as it is scary and Bangladesh coach Shane Jurgensen’s biggest task over the next two weeks is managing it.”We’re going to try keeping things really simple,” Jurgensen said. “In each series we want to improve, whoever we are playing against. With that attitude in mind, we try to take away the expectations but yes, we’ve also come here to win.”Bravado was a quality Bangladesh usually struggled with and even their attempts at it were mostly seen as manufactured rather than authentic. Now, they have reason to consider their belief genuine because of the strides they have made.”In 2012, we had a good year in one-day cricket. That confidence is starting to move into other formats,” Jurgensen said. “What has been encouraging is the consistency in approach. We’ve got a group of guys hitting their mid-20s, and some slightly older guys. [They have] hit the prime of their career, when experience and physical strength all come into one. Since I’ve been with the team, they have really improved their whole team attitude as well. Everything we do is for the team.”An example of someone who has done that is Mohammad Ashraful. Known as a talent who thorws his wicket away, he showed real grit in Sri Lanka. “He is looking to become the new Ash, to be more patient,” Jurgensen said, “The mental toughness that he had there is a sign that he has improved a lot. There was a hardly a false shot in that innings. His change of approach and attitude is really a reflection of the whole team.”With maturity growing in the batting group, Jurgensen expects that to be their strength, even under stern examination in foreign conditions. Although Zimbabwe will hope for a lively surface for their seamers, it is unlikely given the time of year.All they will get is a strip with good carry and is probably quite flat. Bangladesh already had practice on pitches like those in Sri Lanka, according to Jurgensen. “The wickets in Sri Lanka were very good cricket wickets. They had good pace and a bit of bounce – basically what we are going to see here. So that series in SL was the best preparation we could have had.”Jurgensen expects his batsmen to hold their own so the anxiety is more over his bowlers. “It is an area that we do want to improve. Our main strength has been around the spinners and although we have some very good holding fast bowlers, what we lack at times is experience in tough situations,” he said. “For the guys to have a little bit more ownership, there’s a bit of honesty, that’s going to take a little bit of time. I am asking the bowlers to step up.”But more than that, Jurgensen is asking the team to continue employing the philosophy that brought to Harare in a more advantageous position than ever before, because that is what he believes will see them live up to the expectation that has been created. “One of my mottoes is: let’s work hard and have fun at the same time. The team has run with it and with that, we’ve had success.”Everyone wants success. What a lot of people forget sometimes is that we want success as well. When we have a bad day, we don’t mean to. Some people forget the boys are human beings and they are all very young and they have been learning about their games and their individual craft. We’ve done a lot of different things that will help them step up.”

Harmanpreet Kaur extended her good form from the first game, scoring a century and taking two wickets to lead India to a 46-run victory over Bangladesh in the second ODI in Ahmedabad

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2013
ScorecardHarmanpreet Kaur scored a century and took two wickets to set up India’s 46-run win over Bangladesh in the second ODI in Ahmedabad. India are 2-0 up in the three-match series.India got off to a cautious start after choosing to bat first and were a steady 75 for 2 in the 20th over when Harmanpreet came to the crease. Opener Poonam Raut was still at the crease and the duo went on to add 109 runs off 126 balls to set the stage for a strong first-innings total. Harmanpreet added another 52 runs with Anagha Deshpande after Raut fell for a score of 80. Harmanpreet was dismissed in the 48th over by Salma Khatun, soon after bringing up her second ODI hundred, and India eventually finished the innings at 256 for 6. Harmanpreet’s 103 came off 100 balls and included 11 fours and two sixes. She also became the sixth Indian batter to score more than 1000 runs in ODIs.With such a strong total, Bangladesh needed to score at around five runs an over. However, the Indian bowlers kept the run rate under control and picked up wickets at regular intervals. The only substantial partnership for Bangladesh was a 76-run stand between Rumana Ahmed and Lata Mondal. Ahmed’s dismissal in the 35th over, with 114 needed off 15 overs, triggered off a collapse and Bangladesh lost the next seven wickets for 56. She top-scored for Bangladesh with a 94-ball 75, which included eight fours. Ekta Bisht was the leading wicket-taker for India, picking up her second consecutive three-wicket haul to finish with figures of 3 for 34 in 10 overs. Harmanpreet also picked up two wickets for 30 runs off her six overs.

James Harris, the Middlesex seamer, has aggravated the hamstring injury he picked up during the opening Championship match of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2013James Harris, the Middlesex seamer, has aggravated the hamstring injury he picked up during the opening Championship match of the season and has been ruled out for another two weeks starting with the local derby against Surrey this week.He picked up the original problem against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge during his first-class debut for Middlesex, but had been passed fit to return against Cambridge MCCU last week where he took four wickets in the game and struck an unbeaten 43.He then played in a friendly 40-over match against the Unicorns, the team made up of players without professional deals that will compete in the YB40, during which he felt further problems with his left hamstringAngus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director, said: “Everybody at the club feels sorry for James who is desperate to get his time at Middlesex off and running. But we are all confident that this is just a minor setback and that he will have a major role to play in our season as it develops.”At the moment we have the fast bowling resources to cope with James’ injury and it will be great to get him back fully fit for when Steven Finn departs for England duty.”Although Middlesex will be able to call on Finn, Toby Roland-Jones and Tim Murtagh for the Championship match against Surrey the following four-day fixture against Warwickshire could be more of a challenge if Harris is still sidelined because Roland-Jones has been named in the England Lions side to face New Zealand.

India’s sports minister Jitendra Singh, who is “embarrassed and sad” about the alleged spot-fixing in the IPL, has said the sports bill that is currently being drafted should be ready in full by June 30

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2013India’s sports minister Jitendra Singh, who is “embarrassed and sad” about the alleged spot-fixing in the IPL, has said the sports bill that is currently being drafted should be ready in full by June 30. Speaking to television channel CNN IBN, Singh said: “I feel it’s very important for a very strict law, that processes are implemented not only in cricket but in other sports also. Cricket has just been exposed, but there might be things happening in other sports too. I think it is very important to put in safeguards against these.”The International Olympic Committee (IOC), Singh said, had been roped in to help draft the bill. “The biggest achievement we have done is we have got IOC on board to help us draft the sports bill. The sports bill is being drafted, Justice Mudgal is drafting it.”For the first time we’ve brought in sportspersons, we’ve brought in lawyers who fight for sport, we’ve brought in people from all walks of life into the committee to draft the sports bill. And we’ve given them a deadline – June 30 – to draft the sports bill.”In wake of the alleged fixing, India’s law minister Kapil Sibal had met Singh earlier in the week to discuss the bill. Then, Sibal had said past instances of fixing in sports in India, where attempts to prosecute the perpetrators failed due to lack of legislation dealing solely with the issue, proved it was necessary to work on such a law.The three Rajasthan Royals cricketers currently in custody – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – have been charged under three sections of the Indian Penal Code that deal with cheating, criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.In other developments, the income tax department of India has reportedly initiated a probe into the and illegal cash transactions involved in the alleged spot-fixing, and will interrogate the cricketers and bookies being detained about the same.

Umar Akmal, who was named as Pakistan’s wicketkeeper for their tour of West Indies, said it would be tough balancing batting and wicketkeeping, but he was prepared to do it for the team

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2013Umar Akmal has returned to the Pakistan side, possibly in the role of a wicketkeeper-batsman, for their tour of West Indies later this month after being dropped for the Champions Trophy. Having donned the gloves in only seven of his 71 ODI matches, he is aware of the difficulty ahead of him.”I’ve played a lot of cricket for Pakistan as a batsman and to be handed the responsibility of having to also keep wicket is a tough ask,” Akmal said in an interview with . “But sometimes you have to do things outside your comfort zone in sport and, if the selectors, captain and coach want me to keep wicket then I am prepared to do that and to give it my best shot.””I’ve always enjoyed batting and fielding,” he said. “(But) Bowling and wicketkeeping have never really been in my plans. We had enough wicketkeepers in our household and I was never needed as a keeper when we (Umar, Kamran and Adnan Akmal) practised as youngsters.”Pakistan came away from the Champions Trophy without a single win and their batting, except for Misbah-ul-Haq, was consistently brittle. To deal with this, the selectors dropped out-of-form batsmen Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Kamran Akmal from the 16-man squad bound for the Caribbean. In Kamran’s absence, Umar has been slotted in as a wicketkeeper-batsman, with Mohammad Rizwan as backup.”Everybody had an opinion that to pick a side that can explore opportunities, we would need a wicketkeeper who is also a full-time batsman,” Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore said. “We will be working with Umar to ensure he gets as much practice as he can to become a player who can fulfill both roles. We have seen this with South Africa, this is also what Rahul Dravid did for India years ago. So we need to understand what we are trying to achieve with this and we have to be patient after giving him a chance.”Akmal, who has been criticised for his needless aggression, considered his exclusion from the Champions Trophy as a “strange and surprising decision”. His last match-winning contribution was in the World Twenty20 last year, when he played finisher during a chase of 136 against South Africa. He fared poorly in Pakistan’s domestic season as well, struggling to 79 runs in six List A matches, which limited his appearance in the national side to only two international matches in 2013.”It was very disappointing to miss out playing in such a prestigious tournament,” he said. “I admit that at times I’ve played some reckless shots that I didn’t need to play, but when you are out in the middle, in front of thousands of fans at the ground and millions watching on television, you want to do your best and entertain, and that sometimes leads to mistakes.”Akmal took his exclusion from the side as a lesson and plans to make the necessary changes to ensure he becomes a permanent fixture in the Pakistan team.”The Champions Trophy snub was a kick in the groin. Whilst it was a setback, it also made me think about my approach to batting and the changes I needed to make as a batsman,” he said. “I think you’ll see a more mature Umar Akmal at the crease on the tour of the Caribbean and in the future. I don’t think there will be a total overhaul of my approach, style and shot selection, but there will be some changes.”

The four-team provincial Twenty20 tournament that replaces this year’s cancelled Sri Lanka Premier League, will run from August 10 to 17

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Aug-2013The four-team provincial Twenty20 tournament that replaces this year’s Sri Lanka Premier League will run from August 10 to 17, Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed. All seven matches in the league will take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and the winning side will earn a trip to India for the Champions League qualifiers in September.The tournament will also give Sri Lanka’s young batting group further leadership experience. Angelo Mathews will captain the Basnahira Greens, Dinesh Chandimal the Uthura Yellows, Lahiru Thirimanne the Kandurata Maroons and Lasith Malinga will lead the Ruhuna Reds. Each team plays each other once, before the two top sides qualify for the final.The selectors have chosen preliminary squads of 17-18 players for each team, with the final 15-man squads to be named in the next two days.The SLPL had been scheduled to be played from August 10 to September 7, but was called off after all eight franchises refused to pay their tournament fee, and also failed to guarantee player payments.Preliminary Squads
Basnahira Greens: Angelo Mathews (capt), Udara Jayasundara, Dilshan Munaweera, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Sachithra Senanayake, Chaturanga de Silva, Kosala Kulasekara, Kanishka Alvitigala, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Isuru Udana, Janaka Gunaratne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sameera Soyza, Gihan Rupasinghe, Kaushal Silva

Coach: Marvan Atapattu
Uthura Yellows: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Kapugedera, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Jayawardene, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Shaminda Eranga, Vimukthi Perera, Ramith Rambukwella, Rangana Herath, Akila Dananjaya, Rumesh Buddika, Chathura Peiris, Alankara Asanka, Madushanka Ekanayake, Chaminda Vidanapathirana

Coach: Ruwan Kalpage
Kandurata Maroons: Lahiru Thirimanne (capt), Upul Tharanga, Shehan Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, Milinda Siriwardene, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Dhammika Prasad, Lahiru Jayaratne, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Dananjaya de Silva, Dasun Chanaka, Malinga Bandara

Coach: Chaminda Vaas
Ruhuna Reds: Lasith Malinga (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Angelo Perera, Jehan Mubarak, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ishan Jayaratne, Farveez Maharoof, Madura Lakmal, Binara Fernando, Yashoda Lanka, Sadun Weerakkody, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Thilina Thushara

Coach: Romesh Kaluwitharana

A cavalier 113 from Jason Roy was the highlight of a crushing 100-run win for Surrey in a Yorkshire Bank 40 Group B match against an outclassed Scotland at The Oval

04-Aug-2013
ScorecardJason Roy scored 113 as Surrey swept past Scotland•PA Photos

A cavalier 113 from Jason Roy was the highlight of a crushing 100-run win for Surrey in a Yorkshire Bank 40 Group B match against an outclassed Scotland at The Oval. The 23-year-old Roy completed his fourth List A hundred from just 77 balls and overall hit two sixes and 16 fours in his 86-ball innings as Surrey reached 303 all out from 39.1 overs before bowling Scotland out for 203.Tom Curran finished with 5 for 34 from 6.1 overs and Zafar Ansari 4 for 42 as Scotland, given a decent start as openers Hamish Gardiner and Freddie Coleman put on 94 inside 18 overs, lost wickets in quick succession in a vain attempt to get close to Surrey’s huge total.Coleman made 53 before he was fourth out at 123, leg-before to seamer Curran, the 18-year-old son of former Zimbabwe allrounder Kevin Curran. It was Curran’s maiden senior wicket, in his second YB40 appearance, and he soon added the scalp of Moneeb Iqbal who was bowled for 16 as Scotland’s slide continued apace.Later Curran returned to bowl Majid Haq, Craig Wallace for a 20-ball 35 and Calvin Burnett to return the best List A bowling figures for Surrey for four years.Left arm spinner Ansari’s victims were Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod stumped for 7, Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen and Gordon Goudie for a duck. Both Berrington and Mommsen were caught by Curran, who thoroughly enjoyed his afternoon in a game that will have no bearing on qualification for the YB40 semi-finals.Surrey, indeed, were more interested in getting meaningful match practice ahead of Tuesday’s important Friends Life t20 quarter-final against Somerset and after winning the toss they saw Roy, Steven Davies and Vikram Solanki take full advantage of an unthreatening Scotland attack.Davies pulled Haq’s off-spin for two sixes in the sixth over and there was also an early maximum for Roy as he raced to fifty from 39 balls. The pair had put on 91 for Surrey’s first wicket inside 11 overs when Davies was caught off fast bowler Goudie for 31. Solanki then hit a six and eight fours in his 63 from 47 balls, adding a further 126 in 14 overs for the second wicket with Roy, who completed his hundred in the 23rd over.Both Roy and Solanki were caught at long-on attempting to hit seamer Burnett into a sparse crowd and the rest of the Surrey innings fell away somewhat, with only Jon Lewis’s 20-ball 25, a late six by Gareth Batty and a six-run penalty against Scotland for not bowing their 40 overs within a time limit taking them past 300.Gardiner, a 22-year-old on his List A debut, pulled Lewis for six and also drove Batty over extra cover for one of his five fours in a promising 48 from 56 balls before being bowled heaving across the line at Batty, and Coleman also batted well for his 53 off 71 balls with six fours. Some late blows from Wallace and Burnett, though, were all that Scotland could offer as Curran and Ansari carved through the rest of their batting order, and the end came in the 36th over of their reply.

The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League’s lottery-based player transfer will be held on Sunday

Mohammad Isam24-Aug-2013The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League’s lottery-based player transfer will be held on Sunday. The complex method devised by the BCB is called “players by choice”, and will end a six-month wait for Bangladesh’s professional cricketers who can now look forward to a September 3 start to the 2012-13 league.The first-time system, however, is complicated, and some clubs are still confused about certain rules after a demonstration on Friday. It has been formulated after many of them demanded a level playing field, faced with exorbitant salary demands from the players. Each club will pay the players for one season, the period of their contract.The 12 Premier League clubs will pick their choice of players from the 189 divided into seven categories – A+ (fixed salary of Tk 22 lakh), A (Tk 15 lakh), B+ (Tk 10 lakh), B (Tk 8 lakh), C (Tk 5 lakh), D (Tk 2.5 lakh) and E (Tk 1 lakh) [US$1 = 77 taka, 1 million = 10 lakh].The clubs will first have to take part in a lottery to determine their calling number in each of the 15 rounds for categories A to E. In each round, the club which drew first in the lottery will have first choice of players. Each round will have a separate lottery.For the topmost category, A+, the draw will see the interested clubs taking part only until the four players – Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Nasir Hossain – are recruited. “For example, if six clubs take part in the A+ category’s calling, two will miss out,” said Jalal Yunus, chairman of the Dhaka metropolis cricket committee, the BCB sub-committee which runs the Dhaka leagues.Once the top bracket is taken care of, the clubs will have to pick 11 players from the next five categories (A, B+, B, C and D). Each club can recruit a maximum of two players from category A, three from B+, four from B, three from C, four from D and four from E. At least one player has to be picked from category E.Clubs won’t be allowed to pass on their calls in categories A to D, but it is allowed for category E. The BCB didn’t clarify if passing is allowed for category A+ players.Listed players who are not called will be considered as “free”, and can be registered by any club. The same is applicable for unlisted players.The system is styled after the draft in American sports, except for a few details. Usually, the players in the Dhaka Premier League change club allegiances every year through an exchange which lasts two to three days. The BCB has confirmed this will be the only season when they will use the “players by choice” method, and from 2013-14, the transfer season will return to its normal ways.

Asad Rauf has maintained his innocence and called for proof regarding the allegations of corruption against him

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2013Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has maintained his innocence and called for proof regarding the allegations of corruption against him, after being named as a “wanted accused” in the Mumbai Police’s chargesheet for the betting scandal in IPL 2013. Rauf had been umpiring in the IPL but left India during the tournament, even as it emerged that Mumbai Police wanted him for questioning.When asked if he knew Vindoo Dara Singh, who was also named in the chargesheet, Rauf was defiant: “I have thousands of friends but that doesn’t mean that if my friends do something, then I have anything to do with that. Let them prove something. If it was the case that I have taken a favour or a gift, or money was given to me, you got to prove allegations.After leaving India in May, Rauf returned to Pakistan where he held a press conference and stressed that he had not engaged in any corrupt activities. When news had emerged that Rauf was wanted for questioning by police, the ICC issued a release saying that the umpire had been stood down from his duties in the Champions Trophy in England. Rauf was later dropped from the Elite Panel of Umpires but the ICC clarified that the situation was not a factor in his exclusion.Rauf said he would explain his current position to the ICC’s Anti-Corrpution and Security Unit. “I have been an employee of ICC. Like police, they [ACSU] also investigate. When they call me, I will answer them through my legal adviser. I have done five IPLs and my decisions have been 100% correct. I will answer to ICC regarding these allegations.”