Unknown cricketer to lead Windies, as talks fail to resolve dispute

October 10th, 2009 MEERUT - An under-19 national-level cricketer Gagandeep was shot dead in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh late Friday. Police Saturday claimed to have arrested the main accused in the shooting in which another person also died.

September 23rd, 2009 SYDNEY - Skipper Ricky Ponting is worried at the prospect of facing an under strength West Indies side during the opening game of the Champions Trophy, which would be followed by the start of the Australian cricket season against the same team. The Australians' opening pool game of the Champions Trophy is against a Windies line-up severely weakened by a contract dispute, which will give the world champions a look at what side could arrive this November.

September 17th, 2009 LONDON - All-rounder Andrew Flintoff could earn an astonishing 18 million pounds in the next five years as a globetrotting all-rounder for hire. He will make almost 1.5 million pounds a year from playing cricket and also rake in at least two million pounds a year on top of that from sponsorship and off-field activities.

September 14th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan vice-captain Shahid Afridi has denied reports of quitting the game in case he fails to perform in the forthcoming Champions Trophy event, scheduled to commence from the September 23. Categorically denying reports appearing in the press which quoted him as saying that he may quit the game if he flopped during the mega event in South Africa, Afridi said he had no such plans and was determined to do well in the Trophy matches.

September 2nd, 2009 PORT OF SPAIN - Talks have broken down between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) over the controversial players' contracts and both parties have opted for arbitration to resolve the issue. WICB vice president Dave Cameron said 10 days of tough negotiations under mediator Shridath Ramphal had failed to find a solution to the dispute.

August 27th, 2009 DUBAI - The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have reached a settlement to the dispute relating to the staging of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The resolution was reached during a meeting between ICC President David Morgan and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt at the ICC office in Dubai.

August 25th, 2009 LONDON - Brit cricketer Stuart Broad has revealed that he does not have the body like footie ace David Beckham to appear in underwear ads, even though they might make him famous. Broad, 23, who cares more for his game than about the money that he can make, wants to focus only on how to perfect his bowling.

August 14th, 2009 PORT OF SPAIN - Australian John Dyson has been axed as the West Indies head cricket coach. Assistant coach David Williams will fill the vacant head coach role for the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa.

August 6th, 2009 DUBAI - The International Cricket Council (ICC) has constituted an International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) working group to resolve the concerns the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the implementation of the 'whereabouts' clause incorporated in World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations. An ICC media release said that ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat had appointed the group, which will report back to the ICC Board at the earliest possible opportunity.

July 28th, 2009 DUBAI - International Cricket Council (ICC) president David Morgan Tuesday met Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt to resolve the dispute between the two sides over the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The meeting was part of an ongoing process to resolve the disagreement over the location of the 14 matches originally scheduled to be played in Pakistan, as well as the venue for the tournament secretariat, which was shifted to Mumbai from Lahore.

July 28th, 2009 DUBAI - International Cricket Council (ICC) President David Morgan and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt reported "good progress" in a meeting to resolve the ongoing dispute between the two sides over the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The two men met at the ICC's headquarters in Dubai on Tuesday, part of an ongoing process to resolve the disagreement over the location of the 14 matches originally scheduled to be played in Pakistan, as well as the venue for the tournament secretariat, which was set to be in Lahore.

July 24th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - Amid growing anger among fans, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has asked the Minister of Sport and Recreation to appoint a mediator to resolve its dispute with the provincial Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) which may see no international games at the Wanderers stadium here. The spat began when GCB, owners of the historic Wanderers, asked questions around the Indian Premier League (IPL) contract with CSA, which the latter refused to provide.

July 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani all rounder Shahid Afridi, who is on a new high after helping his team win the Twenty20 World Cup, has said that he wants to be remembered as the country's craziest cricketer. In an interview with DawnNews, Afridi said: "I would like them to remember me as the craziest cricketer that ever played for Pakistan," Afridi said.

July 13th, 2009 KARACHI - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to appoint former Test cricketer Iqbal Qasim as the chairman of the national cricket team's selection committee. According to sources, PCB chief Ijaz Butt will hold talks with Qasim today (Monday) to discuss various issues, including his (Qasim's) appointment to the post, The News reports.

June 18th, 2009 LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hoping that its mutual understanding with the Board of Cricket Control in India's former chief, Sharad Pawar, would help it resolve the 2011 World Cup hosting rights issues with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Sources privy to the PCB chief Ijaz Butt said that he is banking on the understandings reached with Pawar to resolve the hosting rights issues with the ICC, when all the top officials of major cricket playing nations meet in London on June 19.