Melbourne: Champions League Twenty20 organisers have not paid the teams and players prize money to the tune of USD six million and the Indian Cricket Board was responsible for it, a report said on Monday. Federation of International Cricketers` Associations chief executive Tim May said that the Champions League Twenty20 organisers had failed to honour its commitments to pay prize money totalling USD six million. "Given that the 2010 event concluded in September, we are increasingly frustrated and disappointed that the prize money still has not been paid by the organisers to teams and players," May said. "Despite numerous requests for clarification of when the prize money is to be paid we continue to be met with a lack of certainty as to the timing of payment and a general lack of regard to the players` ...

MELBOURNE: England called up fast bowler Liam Plunkett to their one-day squad on Tuesday after injuries to Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad. Plunkett, 25, was traveling to Perth from the West Indies - where he was a member of the second tier England Lions squad - ahead of Sunday's seventh and final one-day match against Australia. Tremlett has a side strain and Shahzad a hamstring injury, and the seriousness of the injuries will be assessed, the England team said in a statement on Tuesday. "We are waiting for an update on the injuries to Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett, but with our preparations for the World Cup starting in less than a fortnight, we need to prioritize getting our World Cup squad members fit and ready for the start of the tournament," England coach Andy Flower said. "Liam Plunkett has been part of the England Performance Program and England Lions squad this winter so we are confident that he will be ready to play a role for England should t...

Disaster for England at the Cricket World Cup has become a convention. They invariably roll up at the competition with issues of form, fitness and fatigue, which is usually soon followed by another F-word as they leave early with tails between their legs.The pattern for the 2011 tournament, which begins in the Indian sub-continent in 18 days, is evolving with uncanny familiarity. All the batsmen seem to be out of form, all the bowlers seem to be unfit and everyone, while they claim otherwise, appears to be weary. At least, the team are playing weary cricket, shadows of the formidable individuals who had taken this country by storm until only three weeks ago. England are 4-1 down and the seven-match one-day series is already lost with two games left, a salutary rejoinder to those who think there is any merit in playing this almost interminable type of competition at the end of a Test series. Related articles England will face India in Bangalore Search the news archive for more s...

Emergency draft: Liam Plunkett has joined up with the England squad in Australia Photo: ACTION IMAGES By Simon Briggs 6:56PM GMT 31 Jan 2011 Simon's Twitter Comments Plunkett, who has always been a loyal servant for England , will thus fly two-thirds of the way across the globe to meet up with the main squad in Perth, only three days before the final match of this tour on Sunday. No doubt he will be glad to know that he still features in the pecking order. But you would have to feel for him if, as expected, he ends up carrying the drinks as 12th man at the WACA. Ajmal Shahzad was the latest seamer to pull up, feeling a hamstring twinge on Sunday night that will be assessed by a scan in Sydney on Tuesday. With Tim Bresnan already back home nursing his calf, and Chris Tremlett carrying a side strain, this leaves Andrew Strauss with only three fit seamers at his disposal. Such agonies are the lot of the fast bowler, the infantryman in crickets army. These are the p...

Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas feels that players representing the country in the upcoming World Cup will have to play out of their skin if they are to reach the last four stage of the mega event. "Given the problems and issues Pakistan cricket has faced in the last one year and also the fact that we have lost three of our top players, it is difficult to see Pakistan among the top four in this World Cup," Zaheer told reporters on the sidelines of an exhibition here today. "If Pakistan are to make the semi-finals it will have to play extraordinarily and consistently well because I personally believe India, England, Australia and South Africa are the starting top four teams of the World Cup," he said. The elegant batsman of the yesteryears said that Pakistan cricket had done well to sl...

MELBOURNE: Ricky Ponting is set to start training after a one-month injury lay-off while Nathan Hauritz is hoping to get back into action at the earliest after a radical blood injection treatment, giving some relief to Australia's injury-ridden lead-up to the World Cup. Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Ponting has been given the green light by his surgeon to resume light training, but his progress would become clearer next week, when he starts using a bat. Ponting, who fractured his finger during the fourth Ashes Test and had since undergone surgery, may even take to the SCG nets on Wednesday, 'Herald Sun' reported. Hauritz, who had arthroscopic surgery to clean up his joint of the bowling shoulder last Sunday, is planning to undergo the controversial blood injection treatment which was used by cricketers like Graeme Smith for quick recovery. The off-spinner is aiming to prove his fitness for Australia's World Cup opener on March 21, the rep...

COLOMBO: West Indies' Adrian Barath cracked a maiden century before the first one-day international against Sri Lanka was abandoned due to heavy rain in Colombo. Scorecard The 20-year-old opener limbered up for the World Cup with an impressive 113, which included two sixes and eight fours, to help the West Indies post a competitive 245-5. But a downpour during the interval drenched the Sinhalese Sports Club and prevented Sri Lanka from coming out to bat. Barath stabilised the innings after the tourists lost two wickets for 42 runs, including that of hard-hitting Chris Gayle, adding 165 for the third wicket with Ramnaresh Sarwan, who hit a solid 75. The West Indies were well set for a final onslaught after reaching 206-2 in 43 overs, but paceman Lasith Malinga (3-51) restricted the tourists with three quick wickets, including those of Sarwan and Barath in the same over. The World Cup, co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, starts on February 19. The West Indies ...