It came in a matter of a little more than four hours. First came the ban, and then the volte-face. After spelling out a life ban on former captain Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt did a U-turn saying that no such action has been taken at all.

The PCB, on Wednesday morning, almost put an end to international careers of former captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, besides imposing a one-year ban on Shoaib Malik as a follow up measure to Pak squad’s disastrous tour Down Under.  The action came as a corrective measure after Pakistan were swept away by the Aussie cricketer’s drubbing of the Asian team in all three formats of the game. An enquiry into the defeats by a panel headed by Wasim Bari had mooted bans to former captain Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. The panel also recommended that Yousuf and Younis should no longer be part of the national team. Levy of penalties were also recommended.  Strong disciplinary action also mean that Akmal brothers Kamran and Umar, as well as Afridi would be put under a six-month probation and also fined around Rs 2-3 million for indiscipline during the tour.

All these had brought forth an unprecedented stance from the part of the PCB for the first time ever in its history. So many players, most of them proven ones, were being punished at one go.

However, hours later, the PCB top boss did a volte-face, saying no action has been recommended against former skippers Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf.  What becomes clear is that the PCB has decided to opt for a softer stance against Khan and Yousuf. The blame was put on the media for having “misinterpreted” the action as a life ban. According to a statement issued to the media, PCB clarified that there was no specified term in the recommendation for Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf and that these players will be considered for selection for the national team as and when the PCB deems appropriate.

The U-turn by the PCB may be seen in the context of the upcoming World Twenty20 Championships. Team composition for the tourney is indeed a matter of concern. If the senior players were banned for life, team selection would result in disaster, it is being felt. Ijaz Butt seems to have contemplated seriously on this, and taking into account the people’s reaction that was to come if the ban was made real, the volte-face may be seen as something that was sure to have happened sooner or later.

However, the ministry has reiterated that the players’ security would be their own and respective IPL team’s responsibility. According to the ministry it has already sent its recommendations on a note moved by the Pakistan Cricket Board to the President’s Secretariat, said reports.

It may be recalled that the Pakistan Cricket Board had earlier moved a note seeking to know whether the ministry would allow Pak players to take part in the IPL this year. The nod from the ministry has clarified that the players can individually decide what they want to do and that the minitsry had no qualms abot their participation in the IPL. The ministry also said that it has stated its no objection reagrding this. The note has been sent to the President’s Secretariat for further action.

According to norms, the President’s Secretariat is authorised to issue a guideline or policy for the players to participate in the IPL. Earlier reports had said that the PCB had moved the note to the ministry seeking its opinion after the IPL authorities asked it to confirm if Pakistani players were allowed by their government to take part in the IPL.

It may be noted that the IPL top bosses had conveyed to the PCB that if Pakistani players were stopped by their government from playing in the Twenty20 tournament they would not be paid anything but if they couldn’t take part in the league because of Indian government’s decision that they would be fully compensated.

In the meantime, the ministry has also added that it had earlier decided not to send its national hockey and squash teams to India owing to the fact the relations between India and Pakistan were not very bright. Post-Mubai terror attacks the two nations are not seeing eye to eye taking into account the not so good relations between the two.

The reason: Sri Lanka has finalized a deal that will commit the future of their international players to the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the expense of Test cricket.

The latest news follows a series of happenings where Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been pushing to make its star performers to be available for the IPL matches, This meant that the scheduled tour of England is off. The SLC  is said to have been categorically decided that the IPL will be the Sri Lankan Board’s top priority for the next decade.

The SLC deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in this regard has come about so soon. The deal is in fact a money spinner, compared to the Test commitments. It has been reported that in return for committing its contracted players to play in both the IPL and the Champions League for the next 10 years, SLC would bag close to $70m from the BCCI. Besides, the SLC has also been offered yet another carrot. According to the BCCI, Sri Lanka will be included in two tri-series tournaments that would get underway in 2009 and 2010. This means that added financial gains are on the anvil for SLC.

The English tour is the one that would suffer with all the goings on in this part of the world. As if in consolation, the SLC is said to have offered the English Cricket Board a three-match one day international series to be played around May 25, in the place of next summer’s Test series against England. It remains to be seen if ECB is okay with the plan.

The meeting seems to have completely altered Darren Gough’s attitude towards the extremely shorter version of the game. He had earlier this year said that he would only consider a short-term stint at Twenty20 cricket in 2009 if he knew his body could cope with the stress. He had also opined then that he might effect a return with Yorkshire rather than with one of the IPL sides. However, at the moment, he speaks a totally different language. He feels that IPL would be worth a try.

The BBC had recently quoted Darren Gough as saying that the IPL has always been an interest for him. “I can still bowl, I’ve proved that this season, I still get a buzz from cricket and it would be nice to test myself at that level again. The 38 year old performer with the ball is the only player to bag 200 wickets for England in one-day internationals. He feels that the IPL would be a great buzz for him.

Darren Gough is expected to play at least s a replacement for some other player in one of the teams. However, that may not be what the former England skipper wants. In his own words, “every single cricketer wants to play in the IPL and there’s not so many places available this year. I could have gone last year on a short-term deal. Now I’m retired it would be an ideal thing.”

Now that Darren Gough has made up his mind, it just remains to be seen whose place he would take in one of the famed line ups who look to create T20 history in 2009.

Chennai Super Kings will be the biggest losers as their top stars Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey will depart on April 29.

The already battered Kings XI Punjab will not have the services of fast bowler Brett Lee and Simon Katich, while another struggling team, Deccan Chargers, would have to bid adieu to Andrew Symonds.
Kolkata Knight Riders would loose Ricky Ponting.

The players are leaving to take part in a team training programme ahead of the Carribean tour.
New Zealand stars Jacob Oram would also leave the Chennai Super Kings camp early next month, to be followed by his team mates Daniel Vettori (Delhi Daredevils), and big hitter Brendan McCullum (Kolkata Knight Riders)

With these departures there would be a perceived changes in the fortunes of the teams. South African big hitter Herschelle Gibbs would join the Deccan Chargers, while his skipper Graeme Smith will strengthen the ranks of the resurgent Rajasthan Royals.

Shane Warne will also have the services of Pakistan’s Younis Khan and Sohail Tanvir.

Chennai Superkings can take consolation from the fact that their bowling department will be strengthened with the arrival of Makaya Ntini this week.

Albie Morkel is also slated to join the Chennai Superkings. Will these changes affect the fortunes of the team? Only time will tell.

Matthew Hayden is now playing in the The Chennai Super Kings IPL team, under Indian captain MS Dhoni is is captaining th Chennai side.

The veteran batsman said IPL was the start of an incredible journey and the initial matches of the DLF IPL tournament has set very high standards for the rest of the tournament.

DLF IPL has so far seen some high scoring matches, except the one match that was played at Kolkata’s Eden gardens between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Hyderabad Deccan Chargers.

Chennai Super Kings in its inaugural match defeated the Kings X1 Punjab, captained by Yuvraj Singh, for 33 runs.

Matthew Hayden, who was involved in some ugly on-field chats with Indian spinner harbhajan Singh during India’s tour down-under, said he always maintained a “soft corner for India”.  “I first visited Chennai in 1997 with the A team. Walking out to bat, I looked around at this stadium and dreamt of the day I will play for the Australian team. I have always had a soft corner for India and now, playing for Chennai Super Kings, my life has come a full circle as this city will be my base during the IPL.’

When asked about his bitter rival Harbhajan Singh and their ongoing rivalry, hayden said, “We have had a few fantastic battles in Australia, and now I am looking forward to renewing my rivalry with Harbhajan.’

Matthew Hayden described Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Superkings, as a fine thinker and a confident individual.

Reports said that two Australian players have not received payment after the first IPL auction held in February. Considering complaints from different corners, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations chief executive Tim May has begun an enquiry into the complaints. May has reportedly said that players, who haven’t received the payments could walk away from their contracts, if the problem is widespread.

A major concern for the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations is the absence of crucial documents and financial transfer associated with the contract. High competitions for the players had created a situation had led to mar transparency of the incidence in the sector. “There is a worry that some players have not been paid nor received their signed copies of contracts,” May has been quoted as saying. The association has not yet fully documented about the depth of the problem. They have only received a limited number of complaints till now.

David Hussey, who sold for US$625,000 in February, is one of the Australians who have not received the 15% payment of the auction price. He was expected to get the price before April 1, 2008. “It’s been an absolute nightmare in terms of the paperwork required to get the players there,” Hussey’s manager Rick Olarenshaw said. It is said that payment is delayed due to enormous paperwork associated with contract.

And Afridi is keen to outsmart Brendon McCullum’s 73-ball 158 in IPL. McCullum took 53 balls to score his hundred against Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Shahid Afridi admits that it is not going to be an easy task but doesn’t hide the fact that he wants to give it a try. His skipper Shoiab Malik would play against him when Delhi Daredevils takes on Deccan Chargers.

But you know that cricket has a way of destroying such plans. Twenty20 can be exciting to watch, but the extra risks batsmen take make it tough for them to live long. We have to see how Afridi handles the pressure.

Hayden said he has had serious run-ins with Harbhajan and such a contest on the field would be electrifying for the whole world.

Matthew Hayden also said the IPL Twenty20 format brings back memories of Kerry Packer’s breakaway league which threatened to split cricketing fraternity, but said cricket as a game would benefit immensely from IPL.

But what happens as the Australians are to pack their bags from IPL in the first week of May for their training camp against West Indies?

Hayden does not seem perturbed. He says the big hitting Albie Morkel from South Africa can replace him in the Chennai squad.

Hayden is also all praise for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying the Ranchi-lad has a fine cricketing brain.
Matthew Hayden also said big scores would be the order of the day in IPL.

Dhoni seems to be comfortable in his own skin with the Chennai team – especially if you see the Tamil ads he features in for Sonata Watches. Despite initial apprehensions, having foreign players in city teams have not seemed to matter much at all – except that they are much mroe consistent tan our local players and take away the shine.

Obviously, Deccan Chargers captain VVS Laxman is impressed with the batting performance of Brendon McCullum. Laxman said when they get to the field today to lock horns with Knight Riders in Kolkata today with the home team, they would have a plan in hand to contain the explosive McCullum.

Laxman said, “I think it was an amazing innings. One of the best innings I have seen in this format of the game. The way he played he took away the game from the Bangalore Royal Challengers.”

Laxman and his team would keep in mind the Aussie’s performances, but they would mainly concentrate on the match situation, he said.

The Indian test batsman said, “We’ve got our plans worked out for him. But one has to keep in mind the fast-changing situations in Twenty20 cricket. You may have a plan one or plan two. But you have to keep judging by the situation you are in.”

Laxman seemed too impressed with the explosive Aussie. “I’m sure you will see more and more contributions from McCullum as the tourney progresses. The game became one-sided because of his brilliance.”