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Cricket Buzz: SL spinner Senanayake banned over action
Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake has been banned from international cricket for an illegal bowling action, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Saturday.
Senanayake, 29, was reported during his side's five-match one-day international series in England in June and his action underwent assessment in Cardiff.
Tests revealed he exceeded the allowed 15-degree flex in four deliveries considered to be suspect during the fourth match at Lord's.
"The report concludes that Sachithra bowled with an illegal bowling action and consequently he is banned from bowling in international cricket, effective immediately," a statement on the SLC website (www.srilankacricket.lk) said.
"This matter will be referred to the SLC Cricket Committee for their recommendation."
Senanayake, who has played one test, 37 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 matches for Sri Lanka, was allowed to continue playing while under investigation and appeared in all three of his country's recent 50-over matches against South Africa.
The match officials' decision to report Senanayake caused friction between Sri Lanka and England, tension that was further increased when the bowler controversially ran out non-striker Jos Buttler in the final match in Birmingham.
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Ashwin's ouster from Team India a mystery: Crowe
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has lashed out at the Indian team management's decision to drop Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI comparing the treatment meted out to the off-spinner to a "wheelie bin dumped on the side of the road".
"Someone please explain why R Ashwin is now a spectator? Frankly, he would be my fourth automatic pick after Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in this Indian Test team. He is a banker, yet he is being treated like a robber. He is being treated like a wheelie bin, dumped on the side of the road. Instead, Stuart Binny is deemed the better Test player," Crowe wrote in his column for ESPN Cricinfo.
Crowe didn't mince words in his column stating Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin as "nothing short of ordinary".
"India have a tremendous opportunity to topple this shaky England unit. To do so they need every department covered. Normally, spin would be India's sure thing. No longer is that case if Ravindra Jadeja is deemed your best spinner," the 51-year-old veteran of 77 Tests and 143 ODIs said.
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'Jadeja's left-arm spin is nothing short of ordinary'
He went to the extent of saying that Jadeja's inclusion in the playing XI "smacks of something extremely odd".
"It smacks of something extremely odd. Jadeja can bat, often flamboyantly and recklessly, and as a leftie at No. 7 he can do some damage. But his left-arm spin is nothing short of ordinary. At best he is a third-choice spinner in Indian conditions, where three are often needed.
"In England, you just need your one best spinner -- something England would kill for -- and Ashwin has proven that he should be first choice and should bat at No. 8," Crowe said.
He was even less charitable on Stuart Binny, who has been handed a Test cap.
"To bank on Binny's bowling is only going to stir Geoffrey Boycott into referring to his grandmother again and again," Crowe sarcastically wrote about the Karnataka all-rounder.
For Crowe, the Indian team should pick specialists rather than bits and pieces players in order to harbour hopes of a series win against England.
"India have a massive chance to do what Sri Lanka have just done. Somehow they have been swayed to think a bits-and-pieces player is going to do some damage. In the meantime, Ashwin, with one of the most impressive all-round records in Indian Test history, sits in the corner twiddling his thumbs. A mystery indeed," Crowe said.
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Katich retires from T20s, not to play CLT20
Already retired from Tests and ODIs, veteran Australian opener Simon Katich on Saturday called time of his Twenty20 career as well ruling himself out from the Champions League T20 in India.
The 38-year-old, who quit first-class cricket in 2012, had captained Perth Scorchers to KFC Twenty20 Big Bash League title earlier this year, making the team eligible to play in the CLT20, scheduled from September 8 to 30 in India.
Katich played 118 T20 games and scored 2483 runs at an average of 30.28 and a strike-rate of 126.61. Of these, only three appearances came for Australia.
"It's always difficult when it comes to making these sorts of decisions," Katich said.
"I've obviously been in a similar situation when I made the decision to retire from first-class cricket in Australia a few years ago. Having been through that before, it helped me understand the process a bit better and the more I thought about it, I felt the time was right.
"I have a young family, I've had a great run and for my last game at the WACA, my home ground, to be a win in a successful (BBL) campaign; it's the stuff you dream of. I'll finish on a high and that was a big part of the reason I decided to pull up stumps," he added.
Katich said he made decision after much deliberation.
"My decision certainly wasn't for any other reason other than I felt I'd had my time and now it's the boys' turn. The past three years have been outstanding at the Scorchers; we've been really consistent and getting to three finals, then getting over the line last year was very rewarding for everyone involved," he said.
"Justin, the coaching and support staff and all the players made the end of my playing years very memorable and very special. That's something I'll always be grateful for; to have finished at my home ground and in front of family and friends, with a great bunch of lads."
Katich played 56 Tests for Australia, averaging 45.03 for his 4188 runs. His 45 ODI appearances yielded 1324 runs for the country at an average of 35.78.