Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chairman of selectors feels the need to cut short the number of one- day games. He feels it to be important in order to tackle the issue of player burnout. Instead of cutting down on Tests per tour, Vengsarkar feels it is the high number of  ODI matches that has to be targeted.

“We play around five to seven ODI games on every tour,” says  Vengsarkar . “This takes away 14 to 20 days. Personally, these two-Test series do not make much sense to me. It should either be three or five.” The upcoming England’s tour of India in November includes seven ODIs and two Tests.

Vengsarkar wants the international schedule to be eased making it possible for the national players to participate in domestic cricket. He feels this will attract crowds to stadium. Otherwise it would become very hard to judge quality and temperament for Test cricket. But packed calendar makes things hard for international stars.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently decided to pull out of the Test series in Sri Lanka as he needed a break. The packed schedule is affecting test cricket which should be avoided, says Vengsarkar. Test cricket should not be suffered at any cost.

Vengsarkar  also dismissed the idea that the Indian Premier League had thrown up fresh talent to pick from. “Twenty20 is an exciting and popular format but tell me five cricketers from the IPL who can play for India? A lot of players got exposure but are they good enough to play for India. Only Manpreet Gony, you could say to a certain extent, was a find from the IPL. Players including Yusuf Pathan were in the frame even before the IPL.  He feels that test cricket will produce players for Twenty20, and is not the other way rounded.

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked Mohammad Asif to defend for himself over the fallout of his testing positive for a banned substance. The incident happened during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
This is Asif’s second drug offence and the board has warned of a life ban if he is found guilty. Asif has pleaded innocence. He claims that he had been extra careful in avoiding usage of any banned substance.

However, after completing his stint with the Delhi Daredevils, he was detained in Dubai for possession of contraband drugs in June for 19 days and he is already the subject of a board inquiry into those events.

As per Shafqat Naghmi,the PCB’s chief operating officer, “Our policy on dope offenders is very clear. The board will not provide any kind of help to Asif and he will have to fight his case himself.

Asif is now in deep trouble as a second drug offence means a life ban. If he is left to fight for himself this time, it simply means a change the board’s policy. In 2006, Asif and Shoaib Akhtar had their bans overturned after appealing successfully to an independent committee against the original puishments. Though they had a technical escape, it was widely speculated that the decision had the PCB’s complicit support.

Asif was again later detained at Dubai airport, and the board subsequently provided legal aid and behind-the-scenes help to secure his release. Naghmi said the board has demanded Asif to return those expenses.

The PCB’s reluctance to help Asif may also stem from the confusion over which body - from the ICC, BCCI, IPL or the PCB - has jurisdiction over this latest scandal. The ICC in a release stated yesterday that it was the responsibility of the BCCI to “deal with the process in a timely and fair manner” and Naghmi said it’s likely the BCCI would form a tribunal and the ICC’s anti-doping policy would apply.

The decision of PCB to distance itself from the Asif casehas invited lashings from  former Pakistan cricketers .  Aamer Sohail, a former captain, has blamed the board for not taking appropriate action against doping after Asif and Shoaib tested positive for a banned substance Nandrolone in 2006.

“My question is, what has the PCB done in this regard,” asks  Sohail . “What measures did the board take since Asif and Shoaib Akhtar tested positive for banned drugs in 2006? Had they introduced dope testing in domestic cricket? The board has totally failed to handle things.”

The last two years have been the worst for Pakistan cricket. The recent incidents show that the situation will get worsened if no action is taken.

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