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IPL terminates contracts of six Pakistan players

	Shoaib Akhtar’s contract is among the six terminated by the IPL franchises © Sohail Abbas

There are 50 hopefuls, but only 17 will be smiling come Friday evening. Six Pakistanis - Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt and Mohammed Hafeez - already have a reason to feel aggrieved, after their franchises opted to terminate their contracts. With players from across the border being denied permission to play in the IPL, four other contracts - Umar Gul, (Kolkata), Misbah-ul-Haq (Bangalore), Kamran Akmal and Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan) - have been “suspended”, with the affected teams allowed to sign replacements outside of the auction.

Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, set the stage for the auction at the Fort Aguada resort, and also spoke of the possibility of games eventually being staged outside the franchise’s home city, in imitation of America’s National Football League and Major League Baseball.

There were 43 names on the list, but with the Pakistan players unavailable, the franchisees got together and extended the wish-list to 51. With Michael Clarke pulling out, the number is now an even 50. Australia has the greatest representation, with 18 players, though no dates are yet available for how long the national team members - with games against South Africa and Pakistan pencilled in - will be able to play the second season.

“A player can pull out only if he is injured or has an FTP [Future Tours Programme] commitment,” Modi said. “Regarding the Pakistan players, franchisees have the option of either terminating their contract or suspending it. If they terminate the contract, the player becomes a free agent and the team gets a slot [in the auction].”

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Pakistan is ready to face Mendis

	The mystery man is ready to add another country to his list of befuddled opposition © AFP

Already the name is on everyone’s lips and in everyone’s minds. It is inevitable as the freak-bowler show that is Ajantha Mendis tours countries of the cricket world. Already he is a dream for headline writers and reporters; Mission Mendis, Solving the Mendis Mystery; how do you tackle him? how good is he? Do you read him from the hand or off the pitch? How many videos of him have you seen?

Ninety percent of the questions Pakistan’s coach Intikhab Alam was asked were on Mendis, as a short preparation camp got underway at Karachi’s National Stadium a day before Sri Lanka’s arrival for a three-match ODI series. The other pretty handy spinner they have, a bloke by the name of Murali, didn’t even get a look in.

Such has been Mendis’s impact that he has to loom large over every encounter. Pakistan, said Intikhab time and again, have analysed him; they have a strategy, but that was between him and the team.

“We have plans for each individual, for each player. We have collected information and all of them and have a plan in place. But that is not for public consumption,” said Intikhab, a mischievous grin in tow.

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Warner called back for ODI debut

January 17, 2009

	David Warner’s swift rise will continue in Hobart on Sunday © PA Photos

David Warner will play his first one-day international on Sunday after being picked to replace Michael Clarke, who was ruled out of the South Africa series with a thumb injury. Warner starred with a breathtakin89 in the opening Twenty20 and was kept as cover for Clarke before being sent home to Sydney on Thursday when the vice-captain appeared to recover from a problem sustained during the Perth Test.

Clarke played in the 3 wicket loos to South Africa at the MCG, but the injury got worse and was told to rest for two weeks. Alex Kountouris, the team physio, said Clarke experienced pain while making 19 and it was the first time since hurting his right thumb that he had performed without an injection.

“While Michael could continue to play with pain-relieving injections, this will ultimately slow his recovery,” Kountouris said. Clarke will now look towards the five-game series against New Zealand starting next month.

While Warner’s promotion for the second match in Hobart is a personal highlight, it means he will not be able to help New South Wales, who are in contention for a spot at the lucrative Champions League Twenty20, in their match against Victoria in Sydney on Saturday night. “It presents an exciting opportunity for David to follow his spectacular Twenty20 debut in the 50-over format for Australia,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said.

Warner will provide a quick solution to Australia’s opening situation after Michael Hussey was promoted to partner Shaun Marsh in Melbourne. Marsh compiled a cautious 79 off 97 balls while Hussey, who has become used to life in the middle order, was out for 6 in the third over.

AUSTRAILIA VS SOUTH AFRICA

Match facts

	Albie Morkel showed in Melbourne he is a man capable of champagne moments © Getty Images

Sunday, January 18
Start time 10.00am (23.00 GMT)

The Big Picture

A committed South African chase provided serious excitement at the start of the five-game series as the visitors sneaked to a 3 wicket success in Melbourne on Friday. After Australia posted a confident 8 for 271, Johan Botha’s men recovered from being 3 for 90 and 7 for 221 to end their sequence of three defeats in a row.

If South Africa win in Hobart on Sunday it will leave Australia needing to take the final matches to claim the series. Australia have threatened their opponents regularly during the home summer, but the number of times they have let them escape has become a major concern. Ricky Ponting’s men have to eliminate those crucial lapses if they want to be a high-performing outfit.

ODI form guide

Australia - LWWWW
South Africa - WWWWW

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