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This press release from the ICC regarding Sunday’s Contretemps at Kennington arrived in my inbox in the last half-hour. It might be the final word on the Test, but I think there’s still some blood-letting to come. I wonder if the ECB’s insurance covers this type of cancellation:

What the…. ?

How long before we see the ICC issue an emergency playing condition abolishing the five-run penalty in Test matches? Or will we finally see DB Hair despatched to an early retirement?
It will be Monday night before I get the chance to look into Sunday’s festivities at The Oval a little more deeply, but for now, here’s some background reading:

• Obo of the mid-afternoon session (Guardian);
• Obo of the post-tea non-session (Guardian);
• Aggers’ column for BBC Online;
• Cricket 24×7’s comment on events thus far.

Does a minimum number of overs have to be bowled before Sunny Gavaskar does his daily podcast in this series? Podcasts for days two and four of the Lahore Test are now out, following from his debut on Day One, but it seems the fifteen overs of play produced on Monday was insufficient.

I suppose it was pointless having high hopes for this latest platform for Gavaskar’s bland platitudes. Not a word of criticism for the Pakistani bowlers, even the pitch is called a “beauty” after Sunny invites the curator to fix up all the potholes on Indian roads, so immaculate is the roadway he has constructed at the Gaddafi Stadium.

But Gav the Gab really should learn the meaning of some of the cliches he makes use of. He says that the final day’s play will not merely be of academic interest - there’s the record for the opening partnership to be broken, Sehwag going for his triple century and maybe Lara’s world record, there’s the question of how far Dravid can go, how many India can score before stumps… Sorry mate, but that all fits neatly under the banner of “academic interest” in a match which, as a contest, will die the moment India notches up 480.

Ravi Shastri is also doing voice reports on this Test, which can be called up by mobile phone users in India. Save your dough and listen to them on CricInfo (when it’s not overloaded) like the rest of us. The Ravicasts are, however, not technically podcasts as they can only be streamed, and not downloaded for future reference.

Not that the Ravicasts are rivetting listening either, and his voice gets drowned out by that bloody background muzak. At least he acknowledged the existence of the Pakistani bowlers. A legendary ex-cricketer does not necessarily an interesting commentator make. Where’s Navjot Sidhu when you need him?

The first edition of Sunil Gavaskar’s podcast “My Own Pitch” is up on Yahoo! India. It’s a fairly dry summary of the first day’s play of the Lahore Test. The podcast’s web page is here if you want to download or subscribe. (If you’re a Juice or Ipodder user, then this link should handle the subscription for you.)

The first edition runs for 2 minutes 43 seconds, but beware, it contains a loud background hum and seems to end abruptly.

The First Test between Pakistan and India is now hours away and, as usual, the broadcast arrangements within India have only just been finalised this week. And there are winners and losers, as usual.

The losers, surprise surprise, are the Indian population, at least everyone with access to a television or radio but not cable TV or internet (let’s not even go near 3G mobile). DD Sports will be permitted to carry ninety minutes of highlights on delay each evening as a result of Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling. There’ll be no radio broadcast of the Test in India at all, AIR having refused rights holder ARY Digital’s unprecedented asking price of $US 400,000.

There’s an interesting collection of winners out of this deal, including those struggling small businesses the Sony Corporation and the Discovery Channel. Indiantelevision.com did an analysis of the financial benefits arising from the Supreme Court decision.

Some more news on cricket’s involvement in the campaign to provide urgent relief for victims of the October 8 earthquake in Pakistan:

Members of the England cricket team visited the Institute of Medical Science in Islamabad on Friday, where more than 1500 children are being treated for injuries. BBC Online has a report.

Adam Gilchrist, who is an ambassador for World Vision, appealed on Friday for Australians to give more money for victims of the earthquake. The Age is reporting that the Australian team, who will commence the First Test against the West Indies on Thursday, will discuss on Monday how they can help earthquake victims.

The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced their teams to take part in the Pakistan versus Rest of Pakistan twenty-over-per-side match being held at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday to raise funds for the earthquake relief appeal.

The World Food Programme meanwhile has issued the following press release on Friday.

Devastation in Pakistan worse than expected - survey

Muzaffarabad, 28 October 2005 - WFP has said that losses and devastation from this month’s earthquake in northern Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir were far worse than had first been thought, and that 2.3 million people may now require food aid to get through winter.

These conclusions were based on the preliminary findings of an assessment in the quake-hit region, carried out by WFP with support from the UN Children�s Fund (UNICEF) and the British based non-government organization, Oxfam.

It found that 2.5 million people had lost their homes, most of them in rural areas, and were living in tents or makeshift shelters.

�These people were already poor before the earthquake hit. In a matter of just a few minutes everything they had � their homes and livelihoods � disappeared.

“Now they are completely desperate. We have to reach them before winter does � and that means within the next three weeks,� warned Anette Haller, a WFP Programme Adviser, who headed the assessment team.

In the immediate aftermath of the crisis, WFP appealed for US$56 million to provide emergency food relief for one million of the worst affected people for six months.

However, it gave a warning earlier this week that this figure could well be revised now on the basis of the assessment. It is also appealing for US$100 million to provide air support for aid operations for all agencies.

The assessment results come amid growing concern that donors were contributing too little money to emergency relief efforts by the UN and other aid organizationson the ground and concentrating instead on supporting longer-term reconstruction projects.

WFP warned on 27 October that with winter approaching, a window of hope for survivors was slamming shut.

Six out of the nine districts affected by the earthquake were already in the most food insecure parts of Pakistan, where people depend on subsistence farming, livestock and wage labour during the lean season.

According to the findings, more than half of rural households surveyed lost all or most of their grain stocks and one fourth of the livestock was killed.

Large numbers of children were found to be suffering from diarrhoea or respiratory illnesses, suggesting that a rapid increase in cases of acute malnutrition could be imminent.

About 20 percent of mothers with children under two years old had stopped breastfeeding, either because of illness or inadequate breast milk.

According to the survey, priority should be given to the estimated 200,000 people living in the most difficult to reach areas in Neelum, Jhelum, Kaghan and Naran valley as well as upper parts of Alai which will soon be cut off by snow for months.

The survey noted that less than ten percent of the affected population had left their communities for safer areas, the majority preferring to stay close to their lands and livestock. While larger movements of people are expected to move into camps as winter sets in, this is seen as a last resort.

�These are people traditionally very attached to their land and livestock which up to now have been their sole means of survival. They are not ready to leave them behind to move into camps,� Haller said.

Markets have also not recovered in three of the hardest hit areas, with trading coming to a virtual halt in many areas. And where markets are functioning, prices have soared. In addition, banks are closed, restricting cash and credit flow.

�The local economy has collapsed. Even if the survivors had money to buy food, supplies are extremely limited. Many people are coming down from the mountains only to go back up empty handed,� stressed Haller.

The assessment mission recommended assistance to urban areas for the next two months and in rural areas until the end of February.

World Food Programme � 2005

Wikipedia has links to organisations around the world who are raising funds to assist in the relief. Please give generously to a reputable agency of your choice.

The reports of the devastation caused by the October 8 earthquake are very distressing, and we may not yet know the full extent of the tragedy. At this stage at least 54000 people have died in Pakistan and 1400 in Indian-administered Kashmir. But there is a monumental humanitarian crisis unfolding, with about three million people homeless, many in remote locations, and winter approaching rapidly.

What really sickens me is the apathy on display, here in Australia at least, from the self-styled agenda-setters - the media and the pollies. It seems that unless a disaster hits a tourist resort full of Western holiday-goers, it’s not news. Just look at the A Current Affair website to see what Ray Martin’s priorities are these days.

The ICC was quick off the mark to announce a donation of half a million US dollars on October 11 to the Red Cross. This was laudable, but there hasn’t been much follow-up since. Day two of the ICC “super test” at the SCG was designated as a fund-raising day for the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal. The match, as we know now, was a big flop, and not very conducive to running charity appeals. According to ICC president Ehsan Mani, about $1.5 million AUD was raised.

Well short of the 14 million dollars raised during the Tsunami relief one-day game at the MCG in January.

There has been criticism directed at the ICC for failing to arrange a special charity game along the lines of the January tsunami relief match, notably from Shoaib Akhtar. There have been suggestions from the Asian Cricket Council that they would organise a fund-raiser. Nothing definite has been announced to date, and after the fiasco of announcing, then being forced to cancel, a second tsunami relief game mooted for Eden Gardens in February, I’m not too confident of anything from them this time.

I note that PCB chairman Shahryar Khan told reporters in Lahore last week that the ICC’s “logistical reasons” for not staging a special match were that players from the South African and New Zealand teams would not have been available, and that sponsors could not be organised in time.

Err, hello? What happened to that enormous spirit that was on display in January to move heaven and earth in the name of humanity?

Still, there is some progress being made within the cricketing fraternity. The PCB announced on Tuesday that they will stage a televised twenty-overs game between Pakistan and a Rest of Pakistan XI at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Sunday.

Thursday there came an announcement that the England touring team, now in Pakistan, will hold a golf day at the Royal Palm Beach golf course in Lahore on December 4 to raise funds for earthquake relief. Hmm.

I also note that there was a hockey game played in Rotterdam on Wednesday between the Dutch team and a rest of the world selection. Holland won 7-4, and the event raised 21 million Euros for the earthquake relief appeal. That’s more than 25 million dollars US.

The situation is dire for many many people in northern Pakistan. If it weren’t for the tsunami, this would be the world’s biggest natural disaster in years. Please read the latest report from the UN’s World Food Programme, issued a few hours ago, which sets out the current status of the relief effort. In particular, I’d like to highlight these comments from WFP Regional Director Amir Abdulla:

“The next three weeks are crucial. Hundreds of villages that are remote today will become impossible to reach in a few weeks. People have lost their homes and their winter food stocks have been largely destroyed.

“It�s quite simple: if we can�t get to them before winter, they are going to die. More than 50,000 died of injuries from the quake � a further 50,000 could now die of exposure.”

I’ve made a donation to Oxfam Australia’s South Asian Earthquake Appeal, and I’d strongly recommend to anyone who hasn’t yet given to any of the aid agencies at work in the region, please do so.

There’s a long list of charitable aid agencies listed in the bottom half of Wikipedia’s page on the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake.

If anyone knows of any cricketing activities in aid of the earthquake relief effort not mentioned here, please add a comment or drop me a message. I’ll give this a mention also in a future podcast.

It was heartening to hear Ehsan Mani announce at the awards night on Tuesday that the ICC had decided to donate $US 500,000 to the Red Cross to assist in relief for victims of Saturday’s devastating earthquake in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. There was also a moment’s silence observed during the evening’s function in respect for those affected by the disaster.

The second day of the SCG supertest - this coming Saturday - has been designated by the ICC as a fundraising day for the relief appeal. While they have ruled out, for logistical reasons, a repeat of the one-dayer arranged for the tsunami victims in January, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the BCCI and PCB organise a special match of their own.

Here is the text of the ICC press release issued yesterday:

Day two of Johnnie Walker Super Series Test dedicated to helping victims of Asian earthquake.

ICC to provide $US500 000 to Red Cross

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Australian Red Cross, on behalf of the international relief agency Red Cross/Red Crescent, today announced that Saturday, 15 October 2005, day two of the Johnnie Walker Super Series Test match will be dedicated to helping the victims of the Asian earthquake.

The ICC, the Australian Red Cross, the global Red Cross/Red Crescent and the Host Broadcaster, Channel 9 will join forces to help raise funds for the relief efforts in the region during the day.

To kick start the appeal the ICC Executive Board will make an immediate donation of US$500,000 from the proceeds of the Super Series to Australian Red Cross to assist in its relief efforts through the Red Cross/Red Crescent.

On 15 October, the ICC and the Australian Red Cross with the support of the event Host Broadcaster, Channel 9, will also run a number of activities at the ground and through the telecast to help encourage people to donate to the Appeal.

A toll free number for Australian residents � 1800 811 700 - will be displayed during the telecast to allow donations to be made to the Australian Red Cross while overseas viewers will be able to make a donation by going to the Australian Red Cross website � www.redcross.org.au - which will link to a number of Red Cross/Red Crescent websites around the world for donations to be made in a specific country.

At the venue, activities on the Replay Screen, the Public Address system and on-field activities will be used to help encourage people at the venue to make a donation.

ICC President Ehsan Mani, who hails from Rawalpindi, one of the areas affected by the earthquake, said: �All of us at the ICC are shocked and saddened by this tragedy and the impact it has had in my country and I send my prayers and condolences to all those affected by it.

�In matters such as this, where our member countries have been so directly and critically affected, it is vital that the ICC and cricket uses its influence to be a force for good.

�The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Sharayar Khan, and the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Indian, Mr Ranbir Singh Mahendra, played a leading role in helping the Board to understand the impact of this tragedy and all countries were unanimous in their support of this initiative.�

Dale Cleaver, Acting CEO of Australian Red Cross expressed gratitude to the ICC for their generous contribution and urged the public to get behind the Asia Quake Appeal.

�The ICC is showing the way for all of us. This is a massive disaster affecting millions, and the US$ 500,000 injection will go a long way towards the relief effort. But the needs are indeed much greater than initially anticipated and I urge the public to show their compassion yet again and make their own contribution,� said Mr Cleaver.

The measures and proposals were agreed at the ICC�s Board meeting in Sydney, which concluded on Tuesday, to help alleviate suffering caused by the earthquake, with Pakistan and India among the worst affected countries.

The confirmed death toll from the earthquake, which struck on Saturday morning, 8 October, is already in the tens of thousands with fears it could rise to far higher.

Up to 60,000 people are believed to have been injured by the earthquake that measured 7.6 in magnitude with an estimated two million people made homeless as a result of its impact.

The earthquake�s epicentre was in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, itself only 96 kilometres north-east of the Pakistan capital of Islamabad.

The earthquake was felt in Islamabad, Lahore and India�s capital, New Delhi.

The Executive Board considered the proposal to play a charity match in Australia in support of the relief effort but it became clear that the operational and logistical barriers would be impossible to overcome and the Board believe that these initiatives provide the quickest and most effective way of providing the assistance required.

It was a difficult enough decision for the ECB to agree to permit their touring team to stay in Karachi during England’s coming tour. But now they’re being asked to show solidarity with staff of the Karachi Pearl Continental by boycotting that hotel during their time in the city.

According to the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF):

For four years, the Karachi Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel Trade Union has been struggling against violence, intimidation and mass dismissals to defend basic trade union rights. What began as a union campaign to defend the rights of casual hotel employees escalated quickly into an all-out management attack on the existence of the union and the physical well-being and safety of its members and officers. Management has used threats, police violence, arbitrary detention, firings and the threat of dismissal in an effort to intimidate the hotel employees and pressure them to abandon their union. But the union refuses to give in.

There is more information on the website of the IUF’s Asian secretariat, which also links to a form letter to the heads of the England & Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers Association requesting that they boycott the Pearl Continental while visiting Karachi.

Here is a copy of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Committee of Freedom of Association Report from January 2002 concerning the long-running conflict between staff and management at the hotel.

The following media release from the United Nations last Friday:

Pakistan and India national cricket teams appointed United Nations Spokespersons for the International Year of Sport and Physical Education (IYSPE 2005)

The national cricket teams of Pakistan and India are appointed Spokespersons for the International Year of Sport and Physical Education (IYSPE 2005) in recognition of the outstanding example both teams have set in overcoming regional tension and encouraging peaceful relations.

United Nations, New York, 27 September 2005 - The national cricket teams of Pakistan and India have accepted the appointments as United Nations Spokespersons for the International Year of Sport and Physical Education (IYSPE 2005), announced Adolf Ogi, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace.

The cricket teams have been recognized for serving as catalysts of peace in early 2004, when the India team traveled to Pakistan for the first time in over 14 years to compete in a cricket series amidst thawing relations between the two countries. In reciprocal action earlier this year, Pakistan�s cricket team traveled to India for competition and Pakistan�s President Pervez Musharraf used the opportunity to visit India after several years to engage in peaceful dialogue with India�s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The two national teams, both passionately supported by their respective countries, have pledged to cooperate with the United Nations to use the power of sport to bridge cultural and ethnic divides and encourage peaceful relations. Marathon champion Margaret Okayo and tennis star Roger Federer were the first to accept the roles of Spokespersons for IYSPE 2005.

The International Year of Sport and Physical Education 2005 provides the United Nations and organizations with the opportunity to highlight the power of sport to contribute to the Millennium Development Goals, as well as promote the use of sport to defuse political tension and facilitate post-conflict reconciliation.

IYSPE 2005 seeks to encourage the use of sport to promote education, health, development and peace. �Sport can play a role in improving the lives of whole communities�, said UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan. �I am convinced that the time is right to build on that understanding, to encourage governments, development agencies and communities to think how sport can be included more systematically in the plans to help children, particularly those living in the midst of poverty, disease and conflict.�

�Our goal, together with the India and Pakistan national cricket teams, is to ensure that the contribution by sport towards peace is recognized by society and encouraged by governments, media, and civil society,� said Adolf Ogi. �I believe that both national cricket teams are pioneers in the quest for peace and stability in South Asia and can serve as role models for other countries and regions around the world.�

The United Nations has long acknowledged the importance of sport in society and has established strong ties to the sports world. Its agencies, funds and programmes have undertaken a wide variety of sports-related activities both to help improve the lives of poor or marginalized people and to call attention to pressing challenges, such as environmental degradation.

Initiatives range from projects to ensure that children in refugee camps have access to vital play and recreaction activities, to programmes to promote education by linking sports participation to school attendance and academic performance, to activities designed to create jobs at newly-developed recreational zones at sports facilities where the unemployed can receive vocational training.

In November 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 58/5 recognizing the power of sport as a means to promote education, health, development and peace and proclaiming 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education.

For more information on the International Year of Sport and Physical Education (IYSPE 2005) and on the United Nations work in the area of sport for development and peace, please visit: http://www.un.org/sport2005