PCB again asks Miandad to respond to show cause notice

Karachi: Javed Miandad is refusing to respond but that has not stopped the Pakistan Cricket Board from setting a fresh deadline for the former captain to reply to a show cause notice accusing him of breaching his employment contract with the PCB.

A PCB official confirmed that Miandad has been told to respond by Monday as he had yet to send his reply to the show cause notice sent to him earlier.

"We have told him that he should respond by the Monday to the notice as per the process. If he does not respond than we will see the next course of action," the official said.

The board issued the show cause notice to Miandad earlier this month for criticising its policies which was a violation of his employment contract with the PCB.

Miandad, who is employed as Director General (Cricket) since 2008 on a lucrative package, had said that after closely watching the working of the board he was convinced 90 per cent decisions were erroneous.

Relations between the PCB and Miandad are said to have got more tense after a meeting the Board`s chief patron Asif Zardari held with the sports fraternity in Karachi this week to discuss efforts to raise funds for the flood victims in Sindh.

"The board Chairman, Ejaz Butt is obviously not happy that Miandad during the meeting went against the policy of the board to have the National Twenty20 championship in Lahore and suggested that it be shifted to Karachi," one source said.

He said even after the meeting Miandad spoke to the media and repeated his demand that the Board move the tournament to Karachi which it was eventually done on the directives of the President.

Cricket analysts believe that Miandad fired his salvo against the PCB and its Chairman as he feels that Butt will not get an extension when his three-year tenure expires on October 8.

PTI

View the original article here

Bradley and Dufner once again flourish in Atlanta surrounds

Atlanta: Something in the Atlanta air certainly suits Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner as the two Americans surged into contention for the Tour Championship on Thursday a month after vying for the PGA Championship.

Bradley, who claimed his first major title at nearby Atlanta Athletic Club, took control of the PGA Tour`s final FedExCup playoff event by shooting a sparkling six-under-par 64 in the opening round at East Lake Golf Club.

Journeyman Dufner, beaten by Bradley after three extra holes at last month`s PGA Championship, opened with a 66 to share second place at East Lake with fellow American Chez Reavie and British world number one Luke Donald.

"It`s really cool," a beaming Bradley told reporters after charging to the top of the leaderboard with seven birdies and a lone bogey at the par-four eighth. "Jason was playing right in front of me today, and I hope I get to play with him (this week). He`s a good guy and it would be a lot of fun."

Dufner, who has yet to win on the PGA Tour, agreed.

"Hopefully we`ll be paired together tomorrow," said the 34-year-old from Cleveland, whose career highlights include two wins on the second-tier Nationwide Tour.

"That would be a little interesting, I guess. Maybe some thoughts here or there will come back and forth (from the PGA Championship).

Bradley, who won his first PGA Tour title in a playoff at the Byron Nelson Championship in May, could not pinpoint exactly why the Atlanta area seemed to ignite his game.

"I don`t know," the slender 25-year-old said. "I really like the golf courses here and I also really like the grass that we play on.

"These courses are very similar ... but it`s the exact same grass and on the greens. I grew up on bentgrass, but it seems like I`m way more comfortable out here for whatever reason.

"The greens here are immaculate, and they`re identical to Atlanta Athletic Club. We both liked the look of that course."

Regardless of how cool it would be to play together this week at East Lake, Dufner said he and Bradley were much more concerned with trying to win the tournament and clinch the season-long FedExCup with its $10 million bonus.

"Both of us are more focused on what in the future is going on," Dufner added. "He`s got a chance to possibly play in the Presidents Cup (team competition) and he`s got a chance to obviously win this tournament.

"I`m kind of in the same boat. Both of us will be more focused on tomorrow`s round than on what happened a month or five weeks ago."

Bureau Report

View the original article here

Two-goal Sam plays it again to put Leverkusen top

Berlin: Bayer Leverkusen climbed to the top of the Bundesliga on Friday, a 4-1 demolition of promoted Augsburg boosting their confidence for the Champions League opener at Chelsea in midweek.

Sidney Sam struck twice and Stefan Kiessling and Eren Derdiyok were also on target while former Chelsea player Michael Ballack looked sharp.

"I am very satisfied with Michael but I don`t yet know whether he will start against Chelsea. We will not reveal our lineup today," coach Robin Dutt told reporters.

"Augsburg kept us very busy so it is important to recover quickly from this match."

Leverkusen, who meet the Londoners in Champions League Group E on Tuesday, now have 10 points from five Bundesliga matches.

With Ballack partnering Simon Rolfes in midfield for the first time this season, the game got off to a frantic start.

The hosts took a fifth-minute lead through Japanese Hajime Hosogai but last year`s Bundesliga runners-up Leverkusen levelled seconds later thanks to Sam.

Augsburg, looking for their maiden Bundesliga win, twice went close before the visitors struck again when Germany forward Kiessling was left completely unmarked in the 23rd minute and slotted the ball in from 10 metres.

Leverkusen were then lucky not to have Daniel Schwaab sent off when he brought down the charging Sascha Moelders just outside the box.

Sam sealed their win with a clever left-foot shot against the run of play on 72 minutes before substitute Derdiyok completed the rout.

Bayern Munich, on nine points, can reclaim top spot with a win against Freiburg on Saturday while Schalke 04, also on nine, travel to VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Werder Bremen, the third team on nine points, host bottom club Hamburg SV on Saturday.

Bureau Report

First Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011, 10:23

Thank for your comment. Your comment will be seen by our moderator..!

View the original article here

Hellickson stymied the Mariners, again

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Hellickson stymied the Seattle Mariners, again.

Hellickson allowed six hits over eight sharp innings, Evan Longoria hit his 20th homer of the season and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Mariners 8-0 on Saturday night.

The Rays' rookie has won all three of his starts against Seattle, allowing just two earned runs over 22 1-3 innings.

"He's been really good," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "He just keeps the ball down. The only time he comes up is when he wants to. Yeah, he's a good looking young pitcher."

Mariners starter Charlie Furbush (3-5) gave up five runs and eight hits in three innings. The left-hander has allowed 12 runs over seven innings in his last two road starts.

"I just wasn't throwing good enough pitches," Furbush said. "I was leaving some balls up in the zone and just wasn't executing."

Furbush has dropped all four career road starts, giving up 28 runs in 21 2-3 innings.

Seattle has lost four in a row. The Mariners, who entered hitting a major league-low .231, didn't advance a runner past second base until one-out in the eighth.

Longoria finished with four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the first. He joined Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews as the only major league third basemen to have 20 or more homers in each of their first four seasons.

Hellickson (11-8) was coming off the shortest start of his 32-game career, a 9-2 loss last Saturday to the New York Yankees in which the rookie gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings.

Joel Peralta pitched the ninth and completed a seven-hitter for the Rays, who have won nine of 11 and improved to a season-high 12-games over .500 (68-56).

After Johnny Damon tripled, Longoria put the Rays ahead 2-0 on a two-run shot off Furbush during the first. Longoria has 59 RBIs over his last 60 games.

"It was a fastball," Furbush said. "I was kind of hoping he wasn't going to swing, you got to tip your hat to him. On a 3-0 pitch he is going after the ball."

Damon and Sean Rodriguez each had run-scoring singles, and Casey Kotchman hit a sacrifice fly in the third to put Tampa Bay ahead 5-0.

Elliot Johnson had an RBI single and Longoria drove in a pair with a single that made it 8-0 in the eighth.

Ichiro Suzuki had been hitless in nine at-bats, including his first three plate appearances Saturday, against Hellickson before getting an eighth-inning single off the right-hander.

"I have no idea," Hellickson said about his success against Suzuki. "I just locate well, I guess. I think he gets himself out more than I've got him out."

Seattle first baseman Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a single in the fourth.

Mariners shortstop Luis Rodriguez got hit on the right elbow by Hellickson's pitch in the second and left the game after running the bases. Wedge said the infielder is day to day.

NOTES: The Mariners have been shutout 11 times this year.. ... Seattle SS Brendan Ryan, who returned Friday after being out with a sprained left shoulder joint, could be back in the starting lineup in the next couple days. ... Tampa Bay RHP James Shields (11-10) will look to increase his major league-best nine complete games this season on Sunday. .... Mariners RHP Michael Pineda (9-7), Sunday's scheduled starter, leads all AL rookies with 143 strikeouts. Opposing batters are hitting just .209 against him. ... Kotchman was credited with a seventh-inning infield single in Friday night's game as part of a scoring change. Mariners 3B Adam Kennedy had originally been charged with an error for misplaying Kotchman's grounder.

View the original article here