Indian Cricket team gets new Nike ODI kit

Nike, the official apparel sponsor for BCCI, today unveiled the new ODI Team kit. To showcase the brighter, bolder and new technologically advanced ODI kit, India's Men in Blue - Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Oza and Gautam Gambhir - were present at Nike's launch event today at Chandigarh. Team India will first appearance this new ODI kit in the forth coming India – Australia three match ODI series and will also be available for fans at Nike retail in October 2010.

The event saw Nike's introduction of its worldwide acclaimed considered design ethos - one that combines sustainability principles and innovative performance products for athletes - in India in the sport of cricket. The new brighter bolder blue jersey showcased at the launch event is made entirely from recycled polyester, each one produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles. The national team kits represent an important step in the process to make all Nike products more sustainable and the New Year will see Team India debut the recycled version on pitch as well as be made available at Nike retail for fans.

Ravi Bopara to play for the Dolphins in South Africa

England batsman Ravi Bopara has signed to play for the Dolphins in South Africa, the team said on Tuesday.

Ravi Bopara, 25, will play in 2 first-class matches and South Africa's home limited-overs series, which runs from Oct. 29 to Dec. 10.

The right-handed batsman was left out of England's squad for the Ashes series but will hope to feature in the limited-overs matches against Australia after playing in the recent series against Pakistan.

South Africa born England star batsman Kevin Pietersen will also play two first-class matches for the Dolphins to get match practice before the Ashes series 2010-11.

England Cricket Board wants apology from Ijaz Butt

England Cricket Board has threatened to take legal action against Ijaz Butt, unless he makes a public apology for alleging that England players had fixed 3rd ODI.

"We are looking for an apology. If it does not come we'll look at other decisions," ECB chief executive David Collier told the BBC. "You can't charge someone's integrity without having proper evidence.

"To date I can say that we have received zero proof of anything having influenced any English player. Clearly we will seek advice but there are quite strong laws of defamation."

Ijaz Butt had earlier said, "There is loud and clear talk in bookie circles that some England players have taken huge amounts of money to lose the match [the 3rd ODI]. No wonder there was such a collapse." He had also mentioned that there were a few cricketing bodies that were conspiring to defraud Pakistan and its cricket.

Butt's extraordinary comments ensued in a meeting between the ECB and the English team with Collier, ECB chairman Giles Clarke, the managing director of England Cricket, Hugh Morris, Skipper Andrew Strauss and Andrew Flower all present.

They went on to strongly reject Butt's allegations and Collier said that they had decided to proceed playing the final two ODIs "in the best interests of world cricket, England cricket, the ICC and the world game."

Gul takes 6 wickets as Pakistan beat England by 23 runs

Umar Gul took 6 wickets in a demoralizing display of quick bowling as Pakistan reserved the one-day cricket series alive with a 23-run victory over England at the Oval on Friday.

Fawad Alam made 64 as Pakistan set England a seemingly average total of 242 for victory.

The hosts began their run chase in confident fashion with opener Skipper Andrew Strauss making 57 from 54 balls, but they lost five wickets for 68 runs as Pakistan tightened the twist.

Eoin Morgan, in tandem with Luke Wright, steadied the England ship but Gul, who had earlier claimed the wickets of Strauss and Michael Yardy, tore through England's lower order.

He dismissed Morgan and Tim Bresnan in the same over, before taking the wickets of Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann to leave the tourists on the brink of victory.

Abdul Razzaq finished off the job with the wicket of James Anderson to leave the five-match series poised at 2-1 in England's favour.

"Chasing 242 you would back yourself to win at the Oval but Umar Gul in particular was outstanding," England captain Strauss told Sky Sports.

"Any time a bowler gets six wickets for 42, generally he is going to be in the winning side.

"To be fair to Umar, he got the ball reversing both ways and that is always tough to contend with."

Openers Strauss and Steven Davies put 35 on the board before Abdul Razzaq up-rooted Davies's off stump and Shoaib Akhtar ensured Jonathan Trott quickly followed him back to the pavilion with a difficult, inswinging yorker.

England collapsed to 103-5 before Morgan and Wright brought some stability, adding 98 runs without loss.

Then Gul, who finished with figures of 6-42, took control as England's last four wickets fell for just 18 runs.

"I think we are capable of beating any good team," Pakistan Skipper Shahid Afridi said.

England cricket bosses to crack down on tweeters

ECB (England Cricket Board) chiefs have vowed to get tough with players who "overstep the mark" on micro-blogging site Twitter following a thread of controversies in recent weeks.

ECB managing director Hugh Morris told the BBC that officials were drawing up rules aimed at preventing a repeat of the kind of incidents that landed Kevin Pietersen and Dimitri Mascarenhas in hot water.

England star Pietersen was fined an undisclosed sum after posting a tirade on Twitter in response to his omission from England's one-day squad.

Hampshire captain Mascarenhas was ordered to pay 1,000 pounds by his county after lambasting national selector Geoff Miller on the site.

Morris said the ECB would seek to include rules about the use of Twitter in future player contracts.

"Twitter is potentially a really good medium for players to get closer to supporters, fans of the England team, people who look at them as role models, but with that freedom of speech comes responsibility and it needs to be used in that way," Morris told BBC's 5 Live's Sportsweek programme.

"Those two players in particular overstepped the mark and they've been punished for it," he added.

Pietersen could play for South Africa

South Africa born England batsman Kevin Pietersen could play for South African franchise kwaZulu-Natal Dolphins next month as he seeks a return to form ahead of the Ashes series this year.

Reports here said the out of form South Africa-born star, who began his first class career with the Durban outfit 13 years ago, hopes to play two SuperSport Series national four-day championship matches.

Kevin Pietersen has reportedly received clearance from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) but needs a “green signal” from Cricket South Africa, who must authorise international players appearing for local franchises.

The batsman is experiencing a difficult time on and off the pitch with a solitary half century for England this season and his last ton came against the West Indies more than a year ago.

England selectors axed him from the Twenty20 and ODI series against Pakistan this month, claiming he wanted to play as much cricket as possible ahead of the showdown with Australia.