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An unbeaten century by Andrew White and some lusty hitting from Trent Johnston has put Ireland into an excellent position on the second day of their Intercontinental Cup match at Deventer. White scored 152 not out, while Johnston slammed a run-a-ball 60 as Ireland amassed 388 for 8 declared. Netherlands made the worst possible start when they came out to bat, 188 behind, losing Feiko Kloppenburg for a four-ball duck.Earlier, Ireland made a positive start to their batting, although they lost Dominick Joyce early, bowled by Edgar Schiferli (38 for 1). Jeremy Bray and Andre Botha added 50 for the second wicket in quick time, before Bray became Schiferli’s second victim when he was caught by Darron Reekers for 29 (88 for 2). Botha fell soon after for a well-paced 42 (103 for 3), but Peter Gillespie (31) and Kyle McCallan (26) provided White with some good support as he raced towards his hundred.Johnston came to the crease with the fall of the fifth wicket at 235, and quickly set about the tired Netherlands bowlers. With White, he added 124, smashing six fours and three sixes before he tried one shot too many against Schiferli and was bowled (359 for 6). Schiferli bowled impressively, and was the pick of the Netherlands bowlers, taking 4 for 70 in 20 overs. John Mooney did not last long, trapped lbw by Schiferli, but Naseer Shaukat stayed with White until he brought up his 150, when the declaration came.Feiko Kloppenburg, unusually pushed up the order to open, fell in Shaukat’s first over and Netherlands closed at 0 for 1. They will have a lot of work to do tomorrow if they are to stop Ireland from securing a famous victory.

Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has warned Shoaib Akhtar that his international career could be over unless he improves his behaviour.

Zia, who rarely minces his words, left no-one in any doubt about his opinion of Shoaib, the world’s quickest bowler. “Let me make this clear,” he said. “If Shoaib does not improve his behaviour and general discipline, he has no place in the team … his cricket is finished.”Shoaib, 27, was one of eight players dropped after the World Cup, although he has since earned a reprieve, after being drafted into a preliminary squad of 21 for Pakistan’s one-day triangular series in Sri Lanka. During the World Cup match against England at Cape Town, he bowled one ball at Nick Knight that was clocked at more than 100mph, but the majority of his recent headlines have centred on irresponsible behaviour and indiscipline.Zia stressed there was no place in the Pakistan team for players not willing to give 100% commitment. “Regardless of whatever the selectors might think or plan, in my book, if Shoaib can’t improve his attitude and become more focused on cricket, his career is over. The Board and myself have supported him all along and spent a lot of money on his welfare, even when match officials reported his action.Shoaib, who was reported three times for throwing before it was discovered he has an abnormally flexible elbow, has a long history of clashes with team managers. “He was allowed a lot of latitude because we thought he was a genuine match-winner,” said Zia. “But he let the country down badly in the World Cup.”

Indian team manager Chetan Chauhan on Tuesday reacted sharply to anews magazine article that some Indian cricketers had used steroidsand cortisones to enhance their performance.”I can state categorically these players do not take drugs of anyperformance-enhancing type,” said Chauhan. “They may take boosts likeenergiser and other things but these were taken even in my time,” saidChauhan who represented India in 40 Tests from 1969 to 1981.”The team has been upset by the allegations which we deny completely,”he told a television network.Chauhan, who intends to issue a detailed statement on Wednesday, saidthe allegations were made by “somebody in some publication” and don’treflect a widespread charge against the members of the Indian team.The cover story of the latest issue of ‘Outlook’ alleged that someplayers, including Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar haveresorted to drug-taking in the past.The Indian team deliberated on the issue on Tuesday morning beforeentrusting to Chauhan the job of clearing the position.”We came to know about it last night,” said Chauhan. “Cricketers whohave done so well and enjoy a clean reputation, men like Dravid, werevery upset,” Chauhan said.Dravid himself refused to be drawn into the controversy, saying he hadcome to know bits and pieces of the article and added it was best forthe manager to clear the air.Reacting to the allegation, Agarkar expressed surprise and added “Meon drugs, no way!”Earlier, former Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad had denied the story andsaid he would take legal action against the magazine.”The interview I gave to the magazine was twisted and I have beenquoted out of context to justify the story,” Gaekwad said from Barodaon the phone.Meanwhile, ‘Outlook’ issued a statement from New Delhi expressingdismay over Gaekwad’s reaction that the magazine had falselyinterpreted his interview. “We stand by the interview,” the statementsaid.

Mashrafe Mortaza has said he will play Khulna Division in their next first-class match, against Rangpur on October 10, in the National Cricket League. While his fitness remains a constant worry, Mashrafe is optimistic that a return to Test cricket isn’t far away.His last Test was in July 2009 in which he had been captain as well. Mortaza had taken a tumble in his followthrough after bowling only 6.3 overs and the resulting knee injury kept him out for three months. Thereafter he struggled to meet fitness requirements to play five-day cricket but has been a regular fixture in shorter formats, especially over the last 18 months.”I will play from the NCL’s next round for Khulna against Rangpur from October 10,” Mashrafe said. “I will also play one more game but not two in a row. I will play the other one later. Now my fitness is quite good, so I am getting the courage to play. I am even thinking about Test cricket. Now I have to see how it goes in the NCL.”His last first-class appearances were in January 2014, when he played a game each for East Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League and for Khulna in the NCL. He usually turns up in first-class cricket to prove match fitness, but this time the urge to play was due to Bangladesh’s long lay-off from international cricket.Mashrafe will join a strong Khulna Division bowling attack that comprises of Abdur Razzak, Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. His last competitive match was the third ODI against South Africa on July 15 and after the NCL, his next assignment would be the BPL T20 competition in mid-November.

Shoaib Akhtar may face more action from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his alleged outburst at the board’s headquarters in Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, following the imposition of a fine of approximately US$5000.On Friday, Shoaib reportedly clashed with several board officials over the fine, and specifically because he felt he wasn’t provided a chance to clear his position. The board announced his punishment on Wednesday, after Shoaib did not turn up on Tuesday to clarify why he was absent from the national training camp in Karachi on August 4.Shoaib has reportedly insisted that he received the letter for the original disciplinary hearing on Friday, and not Tuesday as the board claims. Shafqat Naghmi, the board’s chief operating officer, however, contradicted this, telling that he had been in touch with Shoaib earlier.”Shoaib rang me up and admitted that it was wrong of him not to attend the camp in Karachi and the PCB had rightly imposed a fine on him,” said Naghmi. “He expressed annoyance over the manner in which one of the PCB officials had inquired of his whereabouts from his family.”Naghmi said he will be looking into the matter now personally. “I will be in Lahore on Monday and will inquire from the PCB staff about the actual incident which happened on Friday,” he said. “After that, we will then decide on a course of action.”

Bennett King, the West Indies coach, believes the DLF Cup against India and Australia in Malaysia provides ideal preparation for his side as they aim to defend the ICC Champions Trophy crown they won in England in 2004.”This tri-series is a good lead in to the Champions Trophy preliminary round, the quality of opposition is the strongest in the world so it is a good test against the best,” King said shortly before departure from the Caribbean.King, coach since late 2004, is looking forward to the team building on the progress of their suprising, and exhilirating, 4-1 series victory over India in the Caribbean in May. “In the last few games the team played as a team and we need to build on that learning experience to move forward.”The tri-series also marks the beginning of a lengthy three-and-a-half month tour of South Asia and the subcontinent; after Malaysia, West Indies will travel to India for the Champions Trophy before hopping next door to Pakistan for a series of three Tests and five ODIs immediately after. And King is looking forward eagerly to the sojourn.”What this whole combined tour will do is give us extended access to work with the players. It will be a test of the players’ durability and their ability to maintain quality and high levels of performance for a long period of time.”The 14-man squad is scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 9th and take on Australia in their first game on September 12th.

With just 36 hours to go until the second Test against West Indies, several of Sri Lanka’s cricketers are battling a flu virus that is hampering preparations. Four players – Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera – missed afternoon training because of the flu and Sanath Jayasuriya, a serial tonsillitis sufferer, is once again struggling with sore tonsils.Sri Lanka remain hopeful that all the affected players will have recovered sufficiently to play in the second Test in Kandy, the hill-country capital, but the coughing and sniffling condition of key players is a concern. “We don’t think it is too serious but many of us have been struggling with this flu and Muralitharan has been the latest victim,” Atapattu told Reuters. “But we are not too worried and tomorrow we want to have more of a serious training session.”Preparations have also been hampered by unsettled weather. No net sessions were possible in the afternoon because of occasional showers and the healthy players spent two hours fielding and knocking throw-downs against the advertising hoardings at Asgiriya International Stadium. The players then warmed down with a 45-minute walk back to the team hotel.

India A will embark on a two-month-long tour to Zimbabwe and Kenya in July and August.SK Nair, the Indian cricket board secretary, said that the team would play three four-day games against Zimbabwe, before taking part in a tri-nation series in Kenya involving the hosts and Pakistan A.Itinerary for the tri-series in Kenya
August 11 Kenya v Pakistan A
August 12 Kenya v India A
August 13 Pakistan A v India A
August 14 Kenya v India A
August 15 Kenya v Pakistan A
August 16 Pakistan A v India A
August 17 Kenya v India A
August 19 Pakistan A v India A
August 20 Kenya v Pakistan A
August 21 Final
August 22 Reserve day

Take guard again!The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) yesterday opened the way for resumption in negotiations with the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) after regional cricketers dramatically boycotted the opening day of the Carib Beer International Challenge semifinals.A full agreement is yet to be reached, but after the embarrassment of yesterday’s unprecedented strike in matches between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago at Kensington Oval and Guyana and Jamaica in Berbice, the parties agreed the matches would start today and negotiations recommence next Wednesday, with both sides being represented by industrial relations advisors.Veteran trade unionist Evelyn Greaves was instrumental in outlining a way forward that was accepted by both parties.Greaves, a former Barbados Workers’ Union assistant general secretary, was part of a 45-minute meeting that included WICB president Reverend Wes Hall, acting chief executive officer Roger Brathwaite, WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine, vice-president Phil Simmons and treasurer Wavell Hinds."I think we all should be embarrassed. Everyone who has been involved in this should have found a way of not letting it reach this stage," Brathwaite said."Sometimes, with all the best efforts in the world, some things just happen and you have to pick up the pieces. We have to trust that we’ll all come out of this stronger."WIPA, whose grouses stem from player fees for the Carib Beer Series, compensation for injury and loss of earnings for West Indies players from 1999 onwards and payment for Barbadian all-rounder Ryan Hinds for five matches of the Carib Beer series, expressed satisfaction the WICB had agreed to resume negations."Our goal is to improve our relationship with the board. We are in the process of putting these things in place," Ramnarine said. "Obviously, you don’t like to do things like this, but at some time we need to take a stand. This has been a step backward. With the steps we have put in place here now, it is going help us move forward."Both Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago turned up at Kensington about an hour-and-a-half before the scheduled 10 a.m. start yesterday.It was evident that the planned strike action promised on Thursday night by Ramnarine would materalise when neither team emerged from the pavilion for warm-up sessions.Ramnarine and Hinds held discussions with both teams before Hall, Brathwaite and Greaves arrived at the ground just after 1 p.m.Both Brathwaite and Ramnarine apologised to the sponsors for the turn of events and Carib Beer public relations manager Colin Murray expressed relief that the semifinals would start today. They remain as four-day matches and the final is still scheduled to start next Thursday."At one stage I was worried there would be no cricket," Murray said. "I’m relieved and happy that the board and WIPA are about to come to an agreement and good sense has prevailed."What has transpired has not been good for West Indies cricket. As sponsors, we are bitterly disappointed with what transpired."

Glamorgan beat Cardiff UCCE by 140 runs on the final afternoon of their three-day friendly at Sophia Gardens.The students were set 308 to win in four and a half hours but weredismissed for 167 with 19 overs left.However, Glamorgan had to work for their wickets and it was left toSimon Jones to break the back of the innings.Despite bowling off a shortened run up after jarring his left ankle inthe first innings Jones still generated enough pace to hurry theyoungsters.And it was Jones who helped reduce UCCE from 72-3 to 151-7 – still 106short of the winning line.After a long spell from the Cathedral End trialist Ali Bukhari wasrewarded with two wickets bowling Chris Yates and Ed Brown in the spaceof two overs.Jones deservedly wrapped up the innings to finish with figures of 5-35.Only Gareth Hopkins offered any real resistance at the top of theinnings until he was well caught by wicket-keeper Mark Wallace off DavidHarrison.Harrison followed up his 4-62 in the students first innings with anunbeaten 61 to help guide Glamorgan to what looked like aninsurmountable lead.Glamorgan had resumed their second innings this morning on 87-4, a leadof 224, with Alun Evans and Harrison looking for quick runs.The only setback was when Evans, who had scored 137 in the firstinnings, was well caught at square leg off the bowling of Nick Creed toleave the county 101-5.