News from New Zealand and South Africa

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	last updated: Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:15:35 GMT

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:43:00 +0200 Nadal and Murray remain on collision course

If you blinked, you might have missed it but Rafa Nadal gave the tennis world another look at the weapon he hopes will help him win the US Open and complete his collection of grand slam titles.

The world number has been working hard on his serve in the belief that it holds the key to his chances of finally conquering New York. If his performance on Friday night was any guide, the wait may soon be over.

Playing his second round match against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, Nadal produced an extraordinary display of serving.

It was a high-quality match of power-hitting from both players but he never once lost his serve, which flew fastest across the net at 216km/h.

"For the moment, it's working really well," Nadal said without any sense of understatement. "I going to try keep playing like this."

Nadal's victory kept him on course for a semifinal showdown with Britain's Andy Murray but the top professionals never like to talk about possible match-ups. One match at a time is their mantra.

But both are in great form and are yet to drop a set in the tournament. If either was beaten before the semifinals it would be a surprise.

Murray's second-round opponent on Friday was an unorthodox Jamaican called Dustin Brown. The Briton knew little about him but was warned to expect the unexpected. It was good advice but not a great contest, the Scotsman winning easily, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0.

With his dreadlocked hair, sleeveless shirt and baggy shorts, Brown was an instant hit with the centre court crowd but apart from a few fleeting moments in the first set, he was blown away.

Murray, warned that Hurricane Earl was about to dump gallons of rain on the national tennis centre, was in such a hurry to beat the wild weather that never came, that he had to head back out to the practice courts again because he wanted another workout.

"[There were] probably two rallies in the match that went past eight, nine shots," Murray said. "So I just went out and hit for 45 minutes just to get a bit of a rhythm."

Friday was not a day for the underdogs. They gave the seeds moments of trouble but the big names in action all prevailed. It has been a tournament bereft of upsets but that has only set the stage for a crackerjack second week.

Venus Williams, wearing a sparkling evening dress that would not have been out of place at a Manhattan cocktail party, trounced qualifier Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-2, 6-1 before hamming it up with her sister Serena in a mock interview with the host television broadcaster.

Twelve on the trot
The defending women's champion Kim Clijsters reeled off 12 games in a row to win her match with Czech Petra Kvitova while French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and grand slam finalists Elena Dementieva and Samantha Stosur cruised to straight-set wins.

Clijsters lost the first three games against Kvitova but quickly turned it all around and won the next 12 on the trot in her 6-3, 6-0 win.

The Belgian, who also won here in 2005, struggled with her serve in the windy conditions but still proved too much for Kvitova, the 27th seed, to handle. She has not lost a set in this year's tournament and is steadily improving aspects of her game.

"I think it's only a matter of a few little details I think in my game that I just want to improve," she said. "I'm trying to achieve the perfect match but a match like today gives me more satisfaction because I beat a good player without even playing my best tennis."

Clijsters will play unseeded Serb Ana Ivanovic in the round of 16 with Stosur or Dementieva lurking in the quarterfinals.

Stosur, runner-up at the French Open in June and seeded fifth at Flushing Meadows, turned in an impressive display to defeat Italy's Sara Errani 6-2, 6-3 in one hour 20 minutes.

The Australian came into the tournament under an injury cloud but is slowly building momentum and confidence.

"Once you get to this point, you never know what can happen," she said. "So if you keep playing well, you can find maybe the semis or finals. If I've been there once, I definitely want to try to be there again."

Dementieva, a finalist at the US Open six years ago, booked her passage into the fourth round with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova.

The Russian won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing two years ago but has never won a grand slam singles title.

"I don't put any pressure on myself. I have had a very successful career so far," she said. "I'm definitely looking for the big title, but I'm just trying to work on my game." - Reuters

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:17:00 +0200 ICC defends decision to suspend Pakistan cricketers

The International Cricket Council on Friday defended its decision to charge the three Pakistan cricketers accused of being at the centre of an alleged betting scam.

The three men were today formally interviewed by police under caution for the first time. Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Test captain Salman Butt were interviewed separately throughout the day at Kilburn police station in north London.

While police decide whether there is enough evidence to charge the players with conspiracy to commit fraud, the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) is conducting its own parallel investigation. ICC investigators will not question the three players until they receive permission from the police and are finalising an "information sharing protocol" in order to be able to pool evidence where appropriate.

The police seized money and cellphones from the players last Sunday and are investigating any possible link between bank notes found in their possession and the money handed to a middle-man as part of the News of the World sting.

But one difficulty Scotland Yard would face in attempting to prosecute the players is proving any money they received from Mazhar Majeed was taken in return for deliberately bowling no-balls.

The Pakistani players have told friends they are prepared to tell detectives they did receive payments from Majeed, but this was entirely proper because he was their agent.

Majeed, arrested last weekend by police over the News of the World allegations, and by Customs over money-laundering allegations, is the agent for all three players and responsible for organising their sponsorship deals.

The players could claim that they believed any money he paid them was from sponsorship deals secured in his role as their agent.

At least one of the players did not have a UK bank account and Majeed has represented members of Pakistan's test side in this role for several years.

On Friday night, the ICC moved to provisionally suspend the trio after charging them with "various offences" under the governing body's code of conduct.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the recently appointed chairperson of ACSU, and ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat insisted the offences were not "the tip of the iceberg".

But Lorgat conceded that the sport faced its worst crisis since the Hansie Cronje match-fixing affair a decade ago.

Pakistan high commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan this morning accused the ICC of "playing to the public gallery" by suspending the three cricketers.

"They have done the wrong thing. When there's a live police inquiry, this takes precedence over both the ICC, civil or regulatory investigations and any disciplinary investigations," Hasan told the BBC.

"To take action now is unhelpful, premature and unnecessary considering the players had already voluntarily withdrawn from playing. The ICC had no business to take this action."

He said the ICC had "no authority" to intervene and has previously claimed the players were "set up" by the News of the World, which is expected to publish further revelations on Sunday. On the same day, England will face Pakistan in the first of two Twenty20 matches in Cardiff.

Lorgat insisted that the proper processes had been followed and denied Hasan's conspiracy

This particular incident with the three players is unrelated to the challenge that we've got in keeping Pakistan involved as a full member of the International Cricket Council," he said. The country has been unable to play at home since a terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore last year.

"So I wouldn't want to link the two, and claims." I certainly wouldn't subscribe to the view that there is some sort of conspiracy around Pakistan cricket." - guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2010

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:00:00 +0200 Pakistan fixing allegations 'worst since Cronje'

International Cricket Council (ICC) boss Haroon Lorgat said on Friday the betting-scam allegations involving three Pakistan players had the potential to be the worst corruption case in cricket since that of South Africa's Hansie Cronje.

But ICC chief executive Lorgat, himself a South African, insisted the suspension of the three players did not represent the "tip of an iceberg".

Lorgat, speaking at a news conference at Lord's on Friday, said: "In terms of corruption in the sport, this must rank as the next worst since the Hansie Cronje case."

A decade ago, former South Africa captain Cronje, who died in a plane crash in 2002, was revealed to have accepted money from bookmakers in a bid to influence the course of games as well as trying to corrupt his teammates.

Britain's News of the World newspaper alleged that it paid Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, £150 000 in return for advance knowledge of prearranged no-balls -- normally accidental -- which could then be bet upon, in last week's fourth Test against England at Lord's.

The tabloid named Test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif as the players involved and the trio were all provisionally suspended by the ICC on Thursday.

Lorgat, who insisted the ICC had not, to his knowledge, "buried" fixing cases involving past players, insisted ignorance would not be a defence for any of the trio, even the 18-year-old Amir.

He added they would have all received briefings from the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) about the dangers of match-fixing, some as many as "three or four times".

'Arguable case to answer'
ACSU head Ronnie Flanagan denied the fact players had been banned on the back of a press report represented a "failure" for his organisation.

"Absolutely not," Flanagan, sat alongside Lorgat, insisted.

"If the charges are proven, I congratulate the News of the World on what it's done, but it [sting operations] is not something the ICC want us to engage in. We can't be 100% fool-proof."

He added the ACSU had "prevented" many instances of possible corruption.

"The conclusion that we have come to is that there is a really arguable case to answer," the former Northern Ireland police chief explained.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, said on Friday the ICC had "no business" to suspend the players while the police investigation was ongoing.

But Lorgat insisted the ICC was not singling out Pakistan, saying it was trying to help the country remain fully involved in world cricket despite the fact it has become a no-go area for the international game since last year's armed attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore.

"I can assure you there is absolutely no truth there is a conspiracy against Pakistan cricket."

Meanwhile, Flanagan reiterated the ACSU had, as yet, no evidence that January's Test between Australia and Pakistan had been "fixed" after Australia overturned a huge first-innings deficit to complete a remarkable win.

"Our view is that it was a dysfunctional tour, things went on that were not in the spirit of the game but we have no evidence they were for financial gain."

However, he added: "The ACSU continuously looks at information we receive."

Earnings gap
There have been concerns the vast gap between the earnings of Pakistan players and their counterparts in wealthier nations made them particularly vulnerable to underhand approaches.

But Flanagan said: "I assume they are paid in terms of market forces, but whatever they are paid can be no excuse for corrupt or criminal behaviour."

The ICC has charged Butt, Aamer and Asif with "various offences" under its anti-corruption code and has suspended them pending a decision on those charges, which Flanagan declined to specify as part of his wish to ensure "scrupulous fairness" for the players.

He added this case might lead to a strengthening of the ACSU and, in a wider context, a more coordinated approach amongst all sports when it came to combating issues involving betting scams.

"I do not see this as tip of an iceberg. It's not a contagion widespread throughout cricket, we need to look wider than cricket," Flanagan said. -- AFP

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0200 SA cricket guards against graft

South Africa cricket has strict measures in place to protect cricketers from bookies, including the screening of phone calls and contact with players, top officials said this week in the wake of the betting scandal that has engulfed the Pakistani national squad.

Ten years after the Hansie Cronjé scandal, player involvement in "spot betting" -- on individual incidents during a game, such as when no-balls are bowled -- was again in the spotlight this week after an exposé by the British tabloid News of the World.

Pakistani captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been dropped from the squad touring England and face possible life bans and prosecution for fraud. The International Cricket Council and Scotland Yard are investigating.

Amir, a phenomenal player who has taken 50 Test wickets more quickly than anyone else in the history of the game, is just 18 years old.

South African officials said that since the Cronjé scandal, Proteas team managers have been particularly vigilant about protecting vulnerable young players.

Mohammad Moosajee, the South African team manager, said that to management's knowledge no approaches had been made to players in the past few years. But constant vigilance was needed, particularly during overseas tours.

One of the leading strategies in combating bookies, officials said, was to pay proper attention to the financial position of cricketers.

Pakistan's lack of structured contracts and poor pay make them prime targets for the bookies. It has been reported that the $4 000 Amir received as a Pakistan player in the series in England is three times the monthly retainer he receives from the Pakistan Cricket Board and half of what Indian fast-bowling star Ishant Sharma received for each ball he bowled in the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Obligation to report corruption
According to Tony Irish, head of South Africa's Cricketers' Association, a junior South African player can earn "several hundred thousand rands" a year, while the contractual earnings of South Africa's big guns, such as Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, stretch to several million rands.

Irish said proper contracts and education also gave South African players greater protection than their Pakistani counterparts, who do not have structured contracts.

"It is written into every South African player's contract that they are obliged to report corruption and attempts by bookies to contact them," Irish said.

Michael Owen-Smith, South African team spokesperson, said most provincial players in South Africa were paid more than Pakistan's stars. South African players also received 20% of Cricket South Africa's revenue stream.

Since the 2008 Mumbai bombings and last year's terror attack on the Sri Lankan side in Lahore, the Pakistan squad has been forced to play all its matches abroad. Owen-Smith estimated that this had drained up to 50% of the country's cricketing revenue, as it had lost both gate money and television deals.

In addition, India does not allow any Pakistanis to play in the IPL, a huge cash cow for top players.

Indian cricketers are thought to be the world's best-paid cricketers, followed by the Australians and Englishmen and, not far behind them, the South Africans.

Moosajee also said the ICC had mandatory anti-graft measures in place, including the establishment of a regional security manager -- responsible for South Africa and Zimbabwe in this region -- and corruption hotlines for players. It had also produced a video to be shown to all new players highlighting the dangers they face.

A retired police officer, Arrie de Beer, is Southern Africa's regional manager.

Moosajee agreed that young players could sometimes be naive about striking up friendships with people who had ulterior motives.

"If a new player comes into the team, we sit the player down and explain to him the threats of corruption," he said.

"The player also meets the ICC regional security manager officer and the video is played to him. Afterwards players are handed an ICC anti-corruption booklet, which has all the hotline numbers if they should be approached."

Moosajee said that when the team travelled abroad, calls to players' rooms were screened and only family members were allowed direct access. Management was constantly on the lookout for characters loitering at the hotels where the team was staying. "If we are suspicious, we call security," he said.

The ICC's regional security manager also stays with the team in the hotel to be on hand to deal with any incidents.

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:04:00 +0200 Gloves come off over racism in the ring

There was a lot of hype leading up to the fight between Jason "Badman" Bedeman and Bonani "Sweetie Pie" Dlamini in June, with the two pugilists almost coming to blows before the bout at a Box & Dine event at Emperors Palace. There was a lot of smack talk from Dlamini, determined to get his hands on Bedeman's belt.

"Sweetie Pie" had a lot of words at the ensuing press conference, while the "Badman" spoke intensely, voice crackling and fury emanating from his pores.

What was not so overt was that beyond the smack talk, Dlamini was hiding his anxiety by talking a good game. And what lurked behind both fighters' demeanour were racial undertones often dismissed and brushed aside in boxing circles.

The battle plan from Dlamini's camp was simple: "Don't get mixed up with the ferocious and gung-ho punching style of Bedeman." He just had to dance around the ring, keeping Bedeman at arm's length and simply out-boxing him. "Whatever you do, don't mix with him." (Meaning don't fight him at close quarters)

Loyiso Mtya, Boxing South Africa acting chief executive, said in the week before the fight that Dlamini would win the fight on sheer boxing class, but Bedeman could nick it because of his "unbridled fury".

On fight night Dlamini threw the play book out of the window and tangled with Bedeman, resulting in Bedeman sending him on several trips to the canvas before his camp threw in the towel.

Dlamini said after the fight that the stage was simply too big for him as he was used to tussling in smaller venues, in Mpumalanga and Bloemfontein.

"I fought the wrong fight. I was pressured and lost my strategy. When I got there, I lost control," he said at the time.

But what Dlamini did not disclose in post-fight interviews was the pain of losing to a white boxer, which he felt stayed longer on his mind.

"Losing to a white boxer hurts more than any other loss. I think it is because of our past and maybe as black boxers we want to set things right in the ring. Losing that fight was not easy and the pain lasts longer," Dlamini said.

'Even today the Wembley Arena is still a racial crowd'
The racial acrimony in boxing is not the sole preserve of the gladiators in the ring but exists in the audiences as well.

When Mikey Schultz squared up against Zimbabwe's Tineyi Maridzo last year, the Wembley Arena was filled to the brim mostly with white people supporting Schultz. The few black faces were in the little-known Maridzo's corner.

When Maridzo knocked Schultz out in the first round, the black sect jumped for joy while the other supporters picked up their jaws from the floor. As celebrations for Maridzo's victory ensued, some white members of the crowd told the jovial blacks to go back to Soweto.

Earlier this year at Emperors Palace an elderly lady, supporting Tommy "Tommy Gun" Oosthuizen when he took on Thomas Awinobo was not so subtle. She encouraged Oosthuizen to "moer the kaffir".

Golden Gloves Promotions, the organisers of the event, moved swiftly to remove the woman and issued a statement lamenting such behaviour.

Back in 1979 Mtya was a junior middleweight before rising to the lofty heights of chief CEO. At Wembley Arena he stood toe to toe for the first time with a white fighter after the ban against mixed-race bouts was lifted. While he was there Mtya came into contact for the first time with a crowd that was entirely white with not a single black person in sight. Mtya says not much has changed in terms of the make-up of support at the venue.

"Even today the Wembley Arena is still a racial crowd, in the sense that the crowd comes to watch white fighters. Their preference in boxers is very racial and they support them with passion. The boxer does not have to be very good. In fact he can be average and he will become a superstar. For a black boxer to become a draw card he has to be very good.

"The history of black versus white is still the biggest draw card. They don't even have to be especially good but because of the history of our country these are very big."

Golden Gloves promoter Rodney Berman is well aware of this trend and its appeal to the boxing public.

"It's not only a crowd thing," says Berman. "If you put two boxers from different race groups in the same ring, they both rise to the occasion in a way they usually wouldn't in a fight involving people from the same race. It also has huge box-office appeal. For some reason it matters a great deal to the audience."

Mtya sheds more light on why racial tensions simmer in boxing more than in any other sport: "Boxing is about physical superiority. It is a physical, mental and spiritual fight. It is competition at its highest level. That is why you will find that it goes beyond the man in the ring as he is subconsciously representing the superiority of his people. In the end it is man versus man and each man is representing a certain category of people, a certain category of attitudes and emotions."

While quotas in rugby and cricket dominate racial debates in sport, boxing is left out by the powers that be, even though racial discontent clearly rages on.