Kashif Siddiq banned for failing dope test

Kashif Siddiq, the captain of State Bank of Pakistan, has been banned for two years after failing a dope test. He was initially provisionally suspended from playing any form of cricket in January, but the tribunal hearing the batsman found him guilty of violating the PCB's Anti-Doping code. The ban is effective from January 8, 2014.

Siddiq, 32, a veteran of 131 first-class matches, underwent a random dope test during the Faysal Bank T20 Cup for Departments in November 2013. The report suggested a breach of the anti-doping code and the PCB formed a three-man committee comprising Shahid Karim (Advocate, Supreme Court), former wicketkeeper Wasim Bari, and Dr Ucksy Mallick to hear Siddiq. It was found that he used the substances Nandralone and Stanozolol.

"In accordance with its Anti-Doping Rules, the Pakistan Cricket Board conducted random dope testing during the Faysal Bank T20 Cup held at Lahore in November 2013 in order to detect use of Prohibited Substances," the PCB stated in a release. "An adverse analytical finding was reported by the National Dope Testing Laboratory (WADA-accredited laboratory) in New Delhi, India, against the sample collected from Kashif Sadique, a player of State Bank of Pakistan.

"Accordingly, Kashif Sadique was issued a notice of charge by the PCB in January 2014 wherein he was provisionally suspended from participating in any form of cricket pending the proceedings of the Anti-Doping Tribunal, who after conducting detailed personal hearings found Kashif Sadique (presence of a prohibited substance or its Metabolites or Markers in a Cricketer's Sample) and imposed a ban of 2 years."

Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @kalson

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Risk-free Ireland need panache

Big Picture

Lovely as the Clontarf ground is, it was clear on Tuesday, Sri Lanka would rather have been playing somewhere else. The pre-game talk was a little short of pep. The batting was lackadaisical at times (several players probably wore more layers than the number of minutes they spent at the crease). The yapping that normally welcomes opposition batsmen to the crease was muted, and though the fielding was sharp, there was stiffness in the performance. Still, despite the cold and the absence of six top players, Sri Lanka were unblinkingly professional; winning the crucial moments to put the opposition away. There is little to fault in that.

Ireland will know Tuesday was their best opportunity to scalp a top-eight team at Clontarf for the first time. With a win in the bag, Sri Lanka are likely to be a stiffer opposition this time, but vulnerabilities remain. Sri Lanka's batting remains unsteady. Often one of the three seniors would lead a recovery if early wickets are lost, but in this team, that responsibility may largely fall to Angelo Mathews, who is a swiftly improving player, but one who is still coming to terms with his numerous roles in the side. Much also depends on the accuracy of Sri Lanka's reading of the kind of conditions almost every man in the dressing room is unfamiliar with.

But the hosts would do well to unearth panache in their own game, to throw Sri Lanka off kilter. On Tuesday, Ireland largely played steady, risk-free cricket, and still lost by 79 runs. The bowlers hit good lines, but did not snuff out enough Sri Lanka wickets to ensure there would be no resurgence. The batsmen played sensibly, but were undone by Sri Lanka's superior craft and skill. A bold new bowling plan or a fearless outlook with the bat may be their best chance to upset a team, that this year, has seemed allergic to losing limited overs matches.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka: WWWWW
Ireland: LLWWL

In the spotlight

Tim Murtagh was Ireland's star with the ball on Tuesday, consistently beating the left-handers' outside edge with his angle and a little bit of away-seam. With four left-handers in Sri Lanka's top six, Murtagh may consider bowling a fuller, more aggressive length. He may travel for runs that way, but Ireland need an out-and-out strike bowler if they are to topple Sri Lanka, and on Tuesday's evidence, Murtagh could be that man.

A week after Sri Lanka's chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya said Sri Lanka would need fast-bowling allrounders for their World Cup campaign, Nuwan Kulasekara outlined his continued progress toward that role with a vital 42 not out in the first match. Already perhaps the most reliable bowler in the attack, Kulasekara is becoming one of the team's most indispensable assets.

Teams news

Offspinner Andy McBrine sits in reserve for Ireland, but it is unlikely he will play. The hosts have a settled batting order, which means Andrew Poynter may miss out again.

Ireland (probable): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O'Brien, 5 Gary Wilson (wk), 6 Kevin O'Brien, 7 Alex Cusack, 8 Stuart Thompson, 9 Max Sorensen, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Tim Murtagh

Sri Lanka are unlikely to tinker either.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Kusal Perera, 2. Upul Tharanga, 3. Lahiru Thirimanne, 4. Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5. Angelo Mathews (capt) 6. Kithuruwan Vithanage, 7. Ashan Priyanjan, 8. Nuwan Kulasekara, 9. Sachithra Senanayake, 10. Ajantha Mendis, 11. Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

There was some dampness in the pitch on Tuesday, and scoring appeared difficult off both seamers and spin bowlers. Word is, a different surface will be used for this match, but expect more of the same.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland have not defeated a full-member nation at Clontarf in 17 attempts
• Sri Lanka have now won 16 out of 17 limited-overs internationals played this year

Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @andrewffernando

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Pakistan to host NZ in the UAE

Warm-up game New Zealand v Pakistan A, Sharjah, November 5-7 First Test , Abu Dhabi, November 11-15 Second Test , Dubai, November 19-23 Third Test , Sharjah, November 27-December 1 Only T20I , Dubai, December 5 First ODI , Dubai, December 8 Second ODI , Sharjah, December 12 Third ODI , Sharjah, December 14 Fourth ODI , Abu Dhabi, December 17 Fifth ODI , Abu Dhabi, December 19

Pakistan will host New Zealand in the UAE for three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international in November and December, the PCB confirmed on Wednesday.

New Zealand will kickstart their tour with a three-day warm-up game in Sharjah against Pakistan A on November 5. Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will host two ODIs and a Test each, while Dubai will be the venue for the second Test, one-off T20I, and the first ODI.

New Zealand haven't toured Pakistan since 2003-04. In 2002, an explosion outside the teams' hotel killed 14 people and brought the Karachi Test as well as the series to an abrupt halt. International teams have not travelled to Pakistan since March 2009, when a bus transporting the Sri Lankan team to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore came under gunfire.

The teams last played a bilateral series in 2010-11, when New Zealand hosted Pakistan for three T20Is, two Tests and six ODIs. New Zealand won the T20 series 2-1, but Pakistan clinched the Tests 1-0 with a ten-wicket win in Hamilton, and took the ODIs 3-2.

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All-round Afghanistan cruise to title win

An all-round display from Afghanistan helped them steamroll Nepal and claim the ACC Premier League title with a 108 run (D/L method) win in their last league game. As the top two teams in the Premier League, both Afghanistan and Nepal have qualified for the Asian Cricket Council Championship to be played later this year.

The top-order set the foundation for the win, with fifties from Usman Ghani (51) and Hashmatullah Shaidi (51). A brisk 25-ball 34 from captain Mohammad Nabi lifted them after quick wickets, as Afghanistan eventually finished at a strong 262.

Nepal's reply was nearly decimated at the start as Dawlat Zadran ran through the top order to leave them at 40 for 4. From thereon, the chase was always going to be a difficult one and Nepal's chances of salvaging some pride were dealt another blow when rain interrupted the game. After the rain delay extended for more than hour, Nepal resumed their chase at 56 for 5 needing 181 to win from 15 overs.

They lost Aarif Sheikh in the first over after resumption but Paras Khadka tried to stall Afghanistan's charge with a 51-ball 33. Once he was out, the ninth-wicket pair of Shakti Gauchan and Sompal Kami played off most of the remaining overs as Afghanistan coasted to the win. Dawlat Zadran was named Man of the Match for his 4 for 26.

UAE overtook Oman to finish third in the points table, by virtue of a better net run-rate, with a 57-run win in their last match of the competition. In spite of the result, both teams qualified for the Asian Cricket Council Championship, which is to be held later in the year.

UAE were asked to bat and got off to a solid start as the openers put up 41 runs. Mohammad Shahzad top-scored with 50 but UAE lost regular wickets which halted the momentum. They were eventually bowled out for 162 with more than 11 overs to go. Medium-pacer Munis Ansari picked up four wickets in his nine overs, giving away 43 runs.

In the chase, Oman had recovered from a shaky start and had reached 75 for 3 but they lost seven wickets for 30 runs and were shot out for 103. Vaibhav Wategaonkar (34) was the only one who provided any resistance. Fayyaz Ahmed and Kamran Shazad picked up three wickets each.

Hong Kong beat Malaysia by four wickets at Selangor Turf Club, to pick up their first points of the tournament. Malaysia, who were put in to bat, were struggling to put up a competitive total after they lost half their side for 79 in the 17th over. Khizar Hayat (37) and Hammadullah Khan (38) revived the side with a 66-run, sixth-wicket stand, but Malaysia could only manage 184 runs as they were bowled out in the 47th over. Left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed finished with figures of 3 for 28 in 8.5 overs.

In reply, Hong Kong were in a commanding position at 93 for 1 but lost two wickets in four balls, which evened the game out. Babar Hayat scored a 76-ball 45 to guide Hong Kong to a win, with 47 balls to spare. Hayat and Shahrulnizam Yusof shared four wickets among them.

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Confusion prevails over IPL qualifier venue

There is confusion over the venue for the second qualifier of the IPL playoffs, with a likelihood that the match could be shifted to the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai from the Wankhede Stadium. Qualifier 2 will be played between the winner of the Eliminator against the loser of the first qualifier on May 30.

"Yes, the second qualifier has been moved [to CCI]," Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. Biswal did not give any specific reason for the switch and was also non-committal when asked if the final, which is slotted to be played at the Wankhede, was in danger of being moved. He said: "no decision had been taken yet".

Biswal's confirmation was news to Ravi Savant, the Mumbai Cricket Association [MCA] vice-president, who said he was unaware about the development. "The IPL has not told MCA anything like that," Savant said.

According to Savant, Sundar Raman, the IPL chief operating officer, was also unaware of the change in venue. "I spoke with the IPL chief operating officer who told me it was news to his ears also," Savant, who is also a BCCI vice-president, said.

Savant indicated that a situation over security on May 3 could be the possible reason for the shift. On that day, a few BCCI members who were attending the IPL governing council meeting at the board's office in Wankhede Stadium were denied parking space by the Mumbai police, who were handling security for the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.

"The issue was about car pass. Being a match day the security is taken over by the Mumbai Police," Savant said. "And it was not MCA's fault because we cannot issue passes to everybody."

Savant, who was not in Mumbai on May 3, said that the association had written to Sunil Gavaskar, the interim BCCI president for the IPL. "We have officially written to Sunil Gavaskar, president-IPL, about the said difficulty. They said the issue was closed," Savant said.

Savant also pointed out that even if CCI would host the match Mumbai Indians would need to inform the MCA: "Mumbai Indians have signed a contract with MCA and if there is a shift of venue, thenn there can be a problem."

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Sri Lanka leave Ireland bereft

Sri Lanka 219-8 (Kulasekara 43, Chandimal 39) beat Ireland 140 (Porterfield 37, N O'Brien 33, Mendis 3-27, Lakmal 3-29) by 79 runs
Scorecard

	Nuwan Kulasekara's late bout of hitting was vital for Sri Lanka © AFP Enlarge

Ireland cricket fans have enjoyed the team's golden age of success, but they still take nothing for granted when they come to Clontarf. For 50 years they have been coming to watch Ireland at the Dublin club ground, and have yet to see them beat a full member. This was the 17th game since India first visited in 1967, and last year's tie against Pakistan and a 1980 draw against West Indies are still their best results.

Several times in recent years - especially early in the tepid Irish summer - William Porterfield's team has been in dominant positions only to find victory slip away from them, and this game followed that almost inevitable path.

Chasing 220 to beat Sri Lanka, the Irish batsmen found that the visitors' high-class bowlers enjoyed the seaming conditions just as much as their own attack had, and despite a couple of battling innings they went down by 79 runs, extending the Sri Lankans' winning run to ten ODIs.

Ireland's total of 140 was their lowest in an ODI on the ground.

The Irish seamers are well versed in using the local conditions, and kept Ireland on top until some late hitting from Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis hoisted the total over the 200 mark, which looked distant with ten overs to go and the score on 139 for 6.

The sky overhead provided its own narrative, with bright blue skies at the start giving over to a typically Dublin slate grey background, before the innings closed with angry clouds hovering as if a scene from Game of Thrones was about to be staged. Rain visited briefly, but not enough to drive the players from the battlefield.

William Porterfield called correctly and had no hesitation in asking Angelo Mathews to bat, and within four balls had reason for satisfaction. With the ball wobbling around, a good shout for leg before from Tim Murtagh was followed by an acrobatic diving catch by Kevin O'Brien at second slip as the ball left Kusal Perera.

Murtagh was almost unplayable as the Sri Lankans battled with the conditions to stay in the game. It took until the seventh over for the first boundary to be hit, and Lahiru Thirimanne was uncomfortable before Alex Cusack found his edge.

Before the game, Porterfield had called for his bowlers to keep the pressure on, pointing to the need to take wickets throughout the innings and not just at the start. His bowlers responded to the call, all bar Max Sorensen contributing to the wickets column.

O'Brien came up with another bit of gymnastic genius, this time off his own bowling, to dismiss Dinesh Chandimal just as he was looking dangerous. The Sri Lankan pushed an innocuous looking delivery wide of O'Brien, who dived wide to his left and clung on with one-hand. Next over Paul Stirling found Kithruwan Vithanage's edge with his second ball of the day, which went straight to Ed Joyce at slip and left the visitors on 95 for 5.

Ashan Priyanjan joined his captain to repair the innings but they were unable to find any fluency through the powerplay overs, which yielded just 20. Mathews was lucky to just clear Joyce at third man, but in the next over he pushed his luck once too often. Priyanjan tucked the ball around the corner and Mathews came half way down before being sent back. From fine leg, almost 40 metres away, Niall O'Brien threw the stumps down at the bowler's end and the Irish fielders erupted.

Kulasekara came in and smashed the only sixes of the day, sharing a sparkling stand with Mendis, but with Porterfield managing his bowling changes with skill, Murtagh returned to claim another scalp and finish with 2 for 21 off his ten overs.

The Irish innings started in rain, but there were soon more than drops of water falling. Paul Stirling edged Kulasekera onto his stumps, before Ed Joyce's deep purple patch ended when he wafted Suranga Lakmal to the keeper. At 5 for 2 Ireland's reply was in trouble, but Niall O'Brien counter-attacked and passed 1,500 runs in ODIs with his second scoring shot.

He and Porterfield played contrasting roles as they battled with the bowling. They had put on 58 - the only fifty stand of the day - when O'Brien nicked off. Clouds had gathered anew and D/L sheets were a'flapping when a flurry of wickets made them redundant.

First Porterfield called Gary Wilson for a tight run which was rejected. Porterfield continued his run towards the pavilion before the umpires called him back as he had overtaken Wilson. Two overs later Kevin O'Brien horribly mistimed a pull of Lakmal off the first ball he faced, watching in disgust as it fell in slow-motion into the hands of Senanayake at mid-wicket. The next over saw Stuart Thompson all at sea to Mendis, only using his feet to keep the ball from hitting the stumps, said the umpire.

That was 74 for 6 and all thoughts of that first win in Clontarf was gone. Porterfield battled on to make 37 off 87 balls and the tail clumped a few before Kulasekara was summoned to finish it off.

Any concerns that Mendis's fingers might seize up in the single digit temperatures were proved wrong with a man-of-the-match winning 10-1-26-3. The teams return to the same venue on Thursday with Ireland itching to level the series.

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Rohit, Pollard set up win in heated contest

Mumbai Indians 187 for 5 (Rohit 59*, Pollard 43) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 168 for 8 (Gayle 38, Kohli 35, Bumrah 2-22, Malinga 2-29, Harbhajan 2-33) by 19 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A calculated charge from Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard amid indisciplined bowling from Royal Challengers Bangalore set up Mumbai Indians' victory. Rohit and Pollard came together at 84 for 4 in the tenth over and accelerated late to add 97 in the next ten. Combined with 25 extras, including 12 wides, it was well beyond Royal Challengers' reach, though they had reached 94 for 1 in the tenth over. Harbhajan Singh then claimed Chris Gayle for 38, and Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers went within an over of each other as the visitors' challenge melted away.
With one side of the ground smaller than the other, and a furiously quick outfield, both sides wanted to chase, and Royal Challengers did. Mumbai Indians' top order of Ben Dunk, CM Gautam and Ambati Rayudu could not really get going on a pitch with pace and bounce, but the numerous extras served up by the Royal Challengers quick bowlers ensured the run-rate stayed reasonably high. The visitors hit back with quick wickets as the halfway mark of the innings approached, when Pollard joined Rohit.
With only Aditya Tare and the bowlers to come, the pair was forced to play cautiously for some time. The first five overs of the partnership produced only 29, despite some poor fielding. With about six overs left, Rohit and Pollard gradually opened up. Amid throwing his bat at Mitchell Starc in an ugly flare-up, Pollard contributed 43 off 31.
Rohit cut loose in the penultimate over bowled by Varun Aaron. A couple of top-edges flew fine for six, there was a straight hit for four and a sliced six over deep cover as 24 came off the over. Rohit lofted Starc for four over extra cover off the last ball of the innings to surge to 59 off 35 as Mumbai Indians ended on 187 for 5.
Gayle and Parthiv Patel responded with an opening stand of 53 in five overs. Parthiv did the early running before Gayle took Pawan Suyal for four successive boundaries in the third over. Rohit turned to Harbhajan, and after a quiet opening over, the offspinner had Parthiv bowled on the slog-sweep off the first ball of his second.
Gayle wasn't done yet. He swung Harbhajan for consecutive boundaries in the same over. Rohit persisted with Harbhajan, who sent down a tight third over. Harbhajan was given a fourth on the trot, the first four balls of which went for 12. Gayle attempted a slog-sweep off the fifth, missed and was bowled for 38 off 24.
In walked AB de Villiers and calmly reverse-paddled Harbhajan first ball for four. When Mumbai Indians reprieved both batsmen in the space of four deliveries, it seemed the chances could cost them. Royal Challengers needed 72 off the last eight with Kohli and de Villiers looking good.
However, de Villiers was bowled in the 14th over, missing after having backed too far across to Jasprit Bumrah. Kohli swatted Suyal stright to long-off in the next over. The asking-rate climbed rapidly now. Pollard ran out Yuvraj Singh, and though Rilee Rossouw tried, Royal Challengers had ceded too much ground with all those extras.

Abhishek Purohit is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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