Kaneria launches another appeal

 Danish Kaneria has filed an appeal against his lifetime ban in the Commercial Court in the United Kingdom and has sought for a publicly open proceeding against his sentence.

Kaneria, 32, was banned by an ECB disciplinary panel in June last year after he was found guilty of corruption while playing with Essex in 2009. The ECB handed down a lifetime ban and costs of £100,000 were imposed on Kaneria. He subsequently appealed against the conviction but that was dismissed while the appeal against the sanction and costs is still pending.

The Commercial Court deals with complex cases arising out of business disputes, both national and international.

"I have launched my appeal today before the UK's commercial court," Kaneria told ESPNcricinfo. "I want to be heard by an independent judiciary and want all the proceedings open in public. I have nothing to hide and want everything to be open. I have suffered a lot and my case never was heard fairly by the ECB."

ESPNcricinfo understands that the ECB remains very confident in the strength of their case.

Kaneria, who played for Essex for six seasons between 2004-2010, was convicted of "cajoling and pressurising" team-mate Mervyn Westfield into accepting cash to concede a set number of runs in a Pro40 match against Durham in 2009.

Westfield was later charged by police and found guilty of spot fixing. He was given a four-month prison term and the same day Kaneria was named as the go-between who had also approached other players about fixing.

However, the police took no action against him and it was left to the ECB to lay disciplinary charges with their case depending heavily on the evidence provided by Westfield as a witness. The ECB went to the High Court to get a summons which forced Westfield to give evidence at Kaneria's initial appeal in April after it emerged he was reluctant to do so.

Kaneria is currently banned from the game internationally because the ICC's anti-corruption code states that decisions based on a domestic board's regulations should be upheld by boards around the world. He has repeatedly denied all involvement.

Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain, has been one of the most vocal supporters for Kaneria and has made some strong claims about how the ECB handled the case. "Right from the onset I had my doubts on the approach adapted by the ECB in the spot-fixing case against Kaneria and the more I dug into it, the more I realised that there is a deeper truth behind all that have been presented before the general public.

"Since it was a jolt for the English cricket structure as one of their own players got in a fix they went all out to bail their own player [Mervyn Westfield] out, and in the process made Kaneria the scapegoat with a sole purpose to safeguard their own ego.

Pietersen undergoes scan on knee

 Kevin Pietersen has had a precautionary scan on his troublesome right knee but remains available for selection for the final Ashes Test at The Oval.

The ECB said the scan was part of the "ongoing monitoring process" Pietersen has been undergoing since the batsman returned from the tour of New Zealand with bone bruising in his knee. The problem ruled him out of the final Test in Auckland and the return series against New Zealand as well as the Champions Trophy.

The ECB statement added: "Kevin remains available for selection for the fifth Investec Ashes Test and will continue to receive treatment on his right knee as part of his rehabilitation programme over the course of remainder of the series and beyond."

With England 3-0 up in the Ashes there could be an opportunity to rest Pietersen even if, under other circumstances, he would be able to get through a Test, although Andy Flower, the team director, has already said he will be "fine". Flower previously confirmed that Pietersen would not be available to Surrey for the Friends Life t20 finals day on Saturday.

"He will be rested because of a couple of the niggles he has," Flower said on Tuesday. "I have spoken with [Surrey's interim coach] Alec Stewart about that. It would have been nice to have made him available but injuries have meant that he can't be. We're just resting his knee and calf.

"He has played four Test matches now and this is an opportunity to rest. We try to be as fair to the counties as possible and you might have noticed over the last couple of years that we do try and get them back with their counties where we can. It possibly happens more often than it used to six or seven years go. But in this instance we can't because of injury. He'll be fine for The Oval."

Pietersen was an injury doubt for the third Test at Old Trafford having picked up a calf strain at Lord's, but was passed fit and made a crucial 113 to help England avoid the follow-on and subsequently retain the Ashes in a rain-hit draw.

Speaking after his innings, Pietersen said he was an "old man" now and, following the Test, Flower said that the batsman would have to take extra care about looking after himself during the latter stage of his career. "He's in his early 30s - everything seems to hurt a bit more after long days and big innings," Flower said.

England will name their squad for the final Test on Saturday with the major decision being whether to rest James Anderson who has appeared jaded during the last couple of Tests. Graham Onions has suffered a broken finger which rules him out of contention but there could be a chance of Chris Tremlett, who has been part of the squad for the previous two Tests, being recalled on his home ground.

Not about selection but love for the game - Srinath

Javagal Srinath, former India fast bowler, believes young cricketers should play for the love of the game, and not focus as much on getting selected in various age-group teams. Srinath was speaking, along with former India captain Rahul Dravid, at a discussion on club cricket as part of the Karnataka State Cricket Association's (KSCA) platinum jubilee celebrations.

Srinath, currently the KSCA secretary, spoke fondly of his time in club cricket, playing for Sunny Side club in Mysore. "If I missed one session of practice, I was very hard on myself. I resolved to stick to the club. The loyalty factor was very high, and with that loyalty I gave a lot. I cherished every second and gained a lot in terms of dedication and commitment."

His resolve, however, was shaken when he couldn't crack the Karnataka Under-15 squad. "I remember coming here to Bangalore in 1985 or so for an U-15 trial and not being picked in the side. I went back to Mysore and refused to bat or bowl. My coach told me not to come back for training again: 'You are here to play this game and develop a sporting habit. That is more important to me.' This changed my mindset towards selection and put less pressure on me to perform."

Srinath's notion proved a recurring theme throughout the talk as Dravid weighed in. "What are the aspirations of the player?" Dravid said. "Is it only to get selected into the state U-19 team? Only fifteen boys get selected, so there will be a lot of young, disappointed kids, and people will start giving up the game. There is a huge amount of pressure from schools and parents. You have to play it for the enjoyment factor; making friends, getting physically fit, and learning about life through sport."

The coup behind David Johnson's selection

    "I [Dravid] was captaining the U-19 Karnataka team, when David Johnson did not turn up for selection one day. We all knew he was a very good bowler at that level. I went up to Dr Krishnamurty [the Karnataka U-19s head selector], asking if he would select him. He said that I should bring him in during the next practice. I made a pact with the other batsmen that when Johnson bowled we all get out and look like we are struggling. But Dr Krishnamurthy saw that he was good, and picked him. It was a good selection as it showed he wanted the best players in his team."

Dravid spoke of his experiences growing up. "One of my great memories was playing with the likes of Roger Binny, Carlton Saldhana and Sadanand Viswanath. To play against GR Viswanath, who was still playing for State Bank of India and Raghuram Bhatt on a matting wicket, you knew these were great cricketers. It was a great opportunity for a 16-year-old boy to learn and play with these great cricketers."

Dravid also mentioned that long train journeys with the likes of Viswanath and Binny contributed a lot to the development of him and Srinath as players, as it allowed them special insight and access to their wealth of knowledge. These journeys also helped forge a special bond between the players, he said, one which ultimately transcended into the Indian team, which at the time boasted a significant contingent of Karnataka players.

One other point, which was touched upon by each member of the panel, which included N Doraiswamy, club secretary of Friends Union Cricket Club, and Dr S Krishnamurthy, former administrator, was the growing need for facilities and open spaces for cricket to continue to thrive in and around Bangalore. With the advent of urban sprawl and the coinciding population boom, commute times have lengthened and the competition for club spaces have increased. The KSCA have attempted to rectify this to an extent this with the introduction of their summer coaching camps, which allow aspiring cricketers access to qualified coaches and a robust infrastructure. Private academies have also shot up, but the costs may prove a deterrent to impoverished players.

'Need form nearly every innings these days' - Hughes

    Phillip Hughes turns back to see his stumps splayed, Worcestershire v Australians, Tour match, New Road, 3rd day, July 4, 2013
Phillip Hughes made a fighting 81 at Trent Bridge, but was dropped following scores of 0, 1 and 1 in his next three innings © Getty Images
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Phillip Hughes knows a thing or two about being dropped and, as a result, he feels better about his current exile than his previous omissions. Hughes was left out after two Ashes Tests in 2009 when he struggled against the short ball, and again after the home series against New Zealand in 2011, when he became the bunny of bowler Chris Martin and slip fielder Martin Guptill. This time, though, Hughes has been shuffled out at a time when he is confident in his own game.

Making way for the Old Trafford Test was a harsh blow for Hughes, who at the time was Australia's leading run scorer in the first-class matches on this Ashes tour. Even now, after two more Tests, he sits behind only Test centurions Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers on that list. His fighting 81 not out in the first innings at Trent Bridge was followed by 0, 1 and 1. But Hughes believes that despite the low scores, he is in a much better place than he was after his 2011 axing.

"It's never easy to be dropped but I feel that one was tougher than this one, and I'm being really honest about that," Hughes said. "I feel this one, it was only three bats before I got dropped. I probably scored one of my better Test innings so it's something I'm not overly concerned about. I feel my game is in a really good place.

"Also I got runs in Sussex [in a tour game] as well and I suppose the games that have been on tour in Worcester, Somerset and Sussex, I feel like I'm hitting the ball well. But I did miss out and had a real poor game at Lord's. I suppose they're trying to find the best combination and I wasn't in that for the last two games and I respect that. But hopefully I can get back in the side sooner rather than later. I feel like my confidence isn't shot at all.

"There is always pressure. I have always felt pressure at this level. When you lose there is more pressure. In my short career in the past couple of years we haven't won enough Test matches. You feel you are only in the team for a couple of games. That comes with losing. You need form nearly every innings these days to hold your spot and until we start winning that's going to continue."

Hughes will have a chance to remind the selectors of his tour form during Australia's two-day match against the England Lions in Northampton starting on Friday. Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin have already traveled to London ahead of The Oval Test but the rest of the squad is in Northampton and there are a number of men who will be searching for batting form, including the Test No.3 Usman Khawaja and the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

"When you do play games there's an opportunity," Hughes said. "Whoever plays will have an opportunity and that's a good thing. I haven't had an opportunity since I got dropped - or got left out the side - so I've really been looking forward to going out and playing some cricket and hopefully push my claims forward with a big score. It is always disappointing to get dropped, but it's about moving on and I'm not one to dwell on what's happened."

Hughes said he had been given feedback by the coach Darren Lehmann and the on-duty selector Rod Marsh after being dropped, and knew that one of his areas for improvement was to ensure he gets a start. That Hughes fell so early in his three innings following the 81 at Lord's hurt his chances of retaining his place in the side when David Warner returned from South Africa.

"You have to take your chances. That is something I didn't do at Lord's. What hurt was scoring three very low scores after that 80," he said. "I missed out twice. I feel that in my career I've got a lot of low scores but when I get in, I go on with it. I have to start and get my scores up to 20s and 30s and get more starts. My record would say if I do that I go on with it. I have to get better at getting through the first 20 or 30 balls."

Essex sign Gautam Gambhir

 India batsman Gautam Gambhir has been signed by Essex for the remainder of the county season. He will replace New Zealand's Hamish Rutherford, who will be heading home to prepare for New Zealand's domestic and international season, as the county's overseas player. Gambhir is expected to join the team ahead of the LV County Championship match against Northamptonshire in Colchester, which begins on August 20.

"We are delighted with the signing of Gautam Gambhir who is a player with pedigree, which has been showcased on the biggest stages in cricket," Paul Grayson, the Essex head coach, said. "He will no doubt bring his experience to the squad during an important stage of the season for us in the LV County Championship and Yorkshire Bank 40 competition."

Gambhir, who had been India's first-choice opener in all forms of cricket over the past few seasons, was dropped from both Test and limited-overs teams earlier this year. He was left out of the squad for the home Tests against Australia and was also not included for the Champions Trophy and the tri-series in the West Indies. He has played 54 Tests for India and scored 4021 runs at an average of 44.18.

Gambhir is the first Indian player to sign for a county this season. In 2012, Harbhajan Singh represented Essex for the second half of the season.

Kent player Darren Stevens reveals ICC charge in corruption case

English cricketer Darren Stevens revealed Wednesday he is one of two people charged by the International Cricket Council for failing to report a corrupt approach made to them during this year's Bangladesh Premier League.

In the latest scandal to hit cricket, the ICC said Tuesday that nine individuals have been charged in relation to an alleged conspiracy within the Dhaka Gladiators franchise — seven with fixing-related offenses and two with failing to comply with their obligation to report corrupt approaches that were made to them.

The ICC didn't disclose the identities of those charged, but Stevens went public with his involvement in the case in a statement released on his behalf by his English county side, Kent.

"I confirm that I have been charged by the ICC with a failure to report a corrupt approach made to me during BPL2 in February this year," Stevens said.

"I have not been involved in any corrupt activity and have not been charged with any and I am cooperating with the ICC and ACSU (Anti-Corruption and Security Unit) in their investigation and prosecution of the corruption charges in matters relating to the BPL."

Stevens added that he is "totally against any corruption in cricket and would never do anything other than perform to the best of my ability in any game."

While the seven charged with fixing-related offense have been provisionally suspended by the ICC and are barred from participating in all cricket activities, Stevens and the other individual are free to continue playing until the results of disciplinary proceedings are known.

"I remain willing and able to play for Kent in all fixtures if selected," said the 37-year-old allrounder, who has never played for England in any form of cricket.