Slow over rates: time for ICC to get cracking

In the First Investec Test match between Sri Lanka and England at the Lord's Cricket Ground it was a sad sight to watch both teams not observing the stipulated 90 overs in the three sessions of play.

The normal playing time was pre lunch session 11 am to 1 p.m. Lunch 1 p.m. to 1.40 p.m. Lunch to tea 1.40. p.m.to 3.40 p.m. and the final session 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

In the three sessions which totals 6 hours or 360 minutes each side is expected to bowl 90 overs - 30 over a session. But if they bowl a few overs short in a session, they must however catch up and complete 90 overs.

Allowing for change of gloves, injury, Umpire Decision Review System and any other urgent matter extra 30 minutes is granted for play to continue and the 90 overs completed.

But with the extra time allowed both teams bowled some overs short each day and at the end of the fourth day had bowled 17 overs short. Now this is inexplicable and unacceptable.

The question that arises is: What is the International Cricket Council doing or will do about this? The ICC has long been known and called a toothless tiger. Former Australian Captain Richie Benaud once said that other than for meeting to decide when to meet again, the ICC does little for the game.

Listening to former England opening batsman Geoffrey Boycott on BBC Sports Special, he was annoyed and pitched in to the ICC and was consistently questioning as why the ICC was not stepping in and taking some action on this slow play by both teams.

Boycott knows what he is talking about. 17 overs lost at the end of the fourth day cannot be tolerated and even on the final day play went beyond the closing time of play.

It is time for the ICC to on pads and bat and hit the Captains and teams that don't play to the rules fine, suspend and slap some other harsh penalty that would serve as a deterrent. We'll be watching.

England's three new caps

England smarting and wriggling to do well and forget the calamity that was the 5-nil bashing by Australia in the recent Ashes series are digging deep to ressurect their lost pride and prestige.

That England will to anything to be the top dogs of cricket once again was noticed when they pinched Sri Lanka's cricket coach Paul Farbrace who helped Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup and the Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh recently.

Now those in charge of England cricket are frantically searching for talented cricketers who could help them come out of the quicksand that their cricket is in. But sad to say not much cricketing talent is emerging if the poor talent in the county scene is a yardstick.

The consensus here is that former South African born and England Captain Kevin Pietersen should not have been dumped from the squad. Pietersen would have added the aggressiveness that the middle order is lacking they reckon.

But now Pietersen is history now and England in their push to regain their lost fortunes fronted up three players against Sri Lanka in the First Test at Lord's who they think can deliver. The three were Moeen Ali, Sam Robson and Chris Jordan. But if from what we saw there is nothing exciting or promising in these three cricketers. Jordan is good material and shows he has a future. England boasted that in offie Mooen Ali they have another Saqlan Mustaq and Saeed Ajmal who can bowl a doosra and give the Sri Lakan batmen a dose of their own medicine and torment the Sri Lankan batsmen. But watching Ali bowl he is far, far second to the above mentioned who were masters in the delivering the well disguised doosra that fooled the best of batsmen in world cricket during their reign.

Here's how the three new caps are described in the official souvenir put out by the England Cricket Board to mark the Two Test series against Sri Lanka.

MOEEN ALI: Once a batsman who bowled, he is now a fully-fledged all-rounder. His off spin has developed dramatically in recent years and should continue to do so. He has been working on a doosra and learning the intriguing secrets of mystery spin with Saeed Ajmal at Worcestershire. Now how England can allow Ali to learn from Ajmal is intriguing considering that England complained about his action in the Gulf during a Test series where England lost badly. Any bowler delivering a doosra will have a questionable action and it should be no different with Ali.

SAM ROBSON: Was born in Australia to an English mother, moved to England six years ago.

A classical opener, Robson specialises in the dying art of batting time. He's technically sound and deals in hundreds - he made five in six matches last winter for England lions/EPP. His father Jim played for Worcestershire 2nd and his younger brother Angus plays for Leicestershire. CHRIS JORDAN: Everything about Jordan looks natural, muscular pace bowling, clean lower-order hitting and athletic fielding. He has already established himself with three man-of-the-match awards in his short England career. One of those came in Barbados, where Jordan grew up. He returned to smash 27 from nine balls and take 3 for 39.

World Cup football in full swing

The World Cup 2014 is in full swing in Brazil and here in England they were boasting that England will bring home the Cup that has eluded them since 1966 when they won when it was conducted in England.

But they had a bad beginning when Italy former champions slapped a 2-1 defeat and bust their bubble. At the time of writing England must win their remaining games to qualify for round two. England will give the economy a 1.3 billion pounds boost if they get to the knockout stages of the finals as 23 million Brits will spend at shops, pubs and restaurants according to a study.

Every goal the team scores will be worth 198.5 million pound because fans are likely to celebrate by buying more booze, food and souvenirs.

If the team makes it to the quarter-finals, TV upgrades will bring in 225 million pounds and replica kits 249 million, according to predictions. Each supporter is expected to spend 56 pounds but this will double to 112 if England reach the final. The World Cup will be the biggest retail event. Hundreds of Argentinian football yobs are planning to attack England fans. More than 650 violent 'ultras' are believed to be travelling to the competition in Brazil.

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