TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Bills hire Nix as general manager The awaited overhaul of the Buffalo Bills football operation won't wait until 2010 as the franchise announced Dec. 31 that Buddy Nix would become the team's general manager. bizjournals.com |
South Africa raise concerns over alleged England ball tampering England were stunned last night after being accused of ball tampering by South Africa, who have compiled a dossier of what they believe to be suspicious actions by the touring team’s fielders during the Test series. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
ICC promise a full investigation into England's referral issues • ICC will look into the ECB's complaints• ECB chairman calls system counter-productiveThe International Cricket Council's chief executive Haroon Lorgat has guaranteed a "full and comprehensive investigation" into England's concerns about the decision review system and its use in the Wanderers Test.The England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke has voiced his "grave concerns" about the process which led to the South Africa captain, Graeme Smith, being given not out caught behind on his way to a century – adding that he was intent on raising the issue "at the highest level" with the ICC. The world governing body responded, Lorgat issuing a statement confirming the matter will be reviewed in detail.Smith survived on day two of the final Test when the third umpire, Daryl Harper, detected no reason, from the footage at his disposal, to overturn the onfield official Tony Hill's not out verdict.The ICC's statement read: "The chief executive of the International Cricket Council will ensure a full and comprehensive investigation is carried out of issues involving technology and the decision review system (DRS) as applied during the fourth Test between South Africa and England in Johannesburg following controversy and receipt of an official complaint from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)."Lorgat added: "We have received a letter of complaint from the ECB and we will launch a formal investigation into the exact circumstances surrounding the application of the decision review system after completion of the Johannesburg Test match."There is a large amount of controversy, speculation and potentially unfair criticism circulating at present – so it is important to establish the exact facts before reaching any final conclusions."This is early days for the DRS, and so far we are pleased with its effectiveness and the value it can add to the game in support of umpires. However, we have always acknowledged there is room for further improvement in the available technology and this investigation will be conducted in that light, so the system becomes even more reliable."Clarke claimed the DRS as a whole was proving counter-productive, undermining umpires rather than assisting them in their decision-making process."We are better off with the old system," he said. "If the umpire is as blind as a bat and deaf as a post, at least it is the same for both sides."He had earlier told BBC Radio's Test Match Special during the lunch break: "What we are doing is destroying the authority of our umpires – at the speed of light. It attacks the root of cricket: that the umpire's decision is final. If you are giving them technology and it is not used, how can you say it is final?"The idea of the referral system was to deter excessive appealing, which has been a problem for the game. It worked in Cape Town but here, where the technology was meant to assist, it is destroying the umpires."What are we going to see in recreational games, and games where referrals are not available, and we have consistently seen people questioning umpires' decisions? We have all got to realise that we have created, in rather a hurry, a system which attacks one of the basic principles of the game – and it is a damned dangerous thing."The ECB had filed a formal complaint to the ICC over the Smith decision and demanded the reinstatement of the referral they lost as a consequence – which later proved costly as AB de Villiers escaped after an edge to Matt Prior.Clarke said: "The shambles of the last days' implementation (of the DRS), and the previous implementation, shows there is much to be done. We were told it was not possible to have Hot Spot or [the Snickometer] – so that leaves the problem of how do you deal with the extreme difficulty of determining edges?"We were told that the stump microphone would be turned up, and the third umpire would be actively encouraged to give the batsman out if there is a noise and the bat is well away from the body, even if no deflection can be seen."The issue is that we have been punished twice. We lost a referral on a matter we shouldn't have lost on, and this then prevented further referrals, as we had one less available."England Cricket TeamEngland in South Africa 2009-2010South Africa cricket teamCricketguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
George Weiss gives another $20M to his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania said Tuesday it has received a $20 million gift for faculty support from money manager George A. Weiss, the Penn alumnus and trustee who chairs Penn’s capital campaign. feeds.bizjournals.com |
Borthwick keeps captaincy • Speculation about a change proven to be unfounded• Two replacement props called up to cover for injuriesSteve Borthwick has been retained as England captain for the Six Nations Championship.England's manager Martin Johnson confirmed Borthwick's appointment after the squad arrived in Portugal today for a pre-tournament training camp.Borthwick, the Saracens lock, has captained England in every Test since Johnson took charge of the national team ahead of the 2008 autumn internationals.Johnson's decision to delay the announcement of his captain had prompted speculation there could be a change both in the leadership and the balance of the second row.Worcester loose-head prop Matt Mullen and Leicester tight-head Dan Cole have been called into the squad for the tournament in place of injured front-row pair Andrew Sheridan and Julian White.Leicester scrum-half Ben Youngs and the loose-forward pair of Wasps No8 Dan Ward-Smith and Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw have also been promoted.Steve BorthwickMartin JohnsonRugby unionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |