KARACHI, JULY 26: Pakistani cricket players will be officially ``watch dogged'' on home and away tours to keep them in check, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Gen Tauqir Zia said on Wednesday.The extraordinary step of planting a mole among the National side follows a spate of match-fixing allegations and off-field discipline problems which has tarnished the reputation of Pakistani cricket.It is part of a range of drastic measures PCB plans to introduce to ``make the players' image clean and clear,'' Zia said. ``As per Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum's report we have decided to keep players under tight control and an official will keep a tight check on their activities on and off the field,'' Zia said.He said a `one-man commission' would also be set up to check the players' assets, and tough clauses would be introduced into their contracts banning them from unauthorised phone calls and liaisons in hotel rooms.``The notable thing is that players will not be able to know who the man watching them is and he will accompany the team during home and away series,'' Zia said. The secret observer will report to PCB after every series, he said. The agent is expected to start monitoring the team during a triangular series late in August in Singapore involving New Zealand and South Africa, The Dawn newspaper reported. India meet Kenya in openerNAIROBI: Hosts Kenya will get the two-week International Cricket Cricket Knock-Out 2000 tournament underway with a game against India.All 10 Test playing countries will be represented at the tournament in October, the draw for which was announced here on Tuesday by ICC Chief Executive David Richards. Kenya, India, England, India, West Indies and Sri Lanka will be involved in the opening qualifying rounds between October 3 and 5, of which three winners will proceed to the quarter-finals, joining the seeded countries Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.``As a means of producing the schedule, a seeding system has been introduced whereby a country is positioned according to its performance in the 1999 World Cup played in Britain,'' Richards said.The schedule Oct 3: India v Kenya, Oct 4: Sri Lanka v West Indies, Oct 5: England v Bangladesh, Oct 7: Australia v India or Kenya, Oct 8: Pakistan v Sri Lanka or West Indies, 0ct 9: New Zealand v Zimbabwe, 0ct 10: South Africa V England or Bangladesh.Tribute to MarshallLONDON: Some of the most famous names in world cricket will be taking part in a special charity match here on Thursday in memory of Malcolm Marshall.The former West Indies' fast bowler died of cancer last November aged 41 and all proceeds from the match at the Honorurable Artillery Company ground in the city of London will go into a trust set up to support Marshall's seven-year-old son Mali.An International Professional Cricketers Association XI, captained by Robin Smith, a long-time colleague of Marshall's at Hampshire, and a Malcolm Marshall XI led by Vivian Richards will be involved in a 40-over duel.Sri Lankan lads triumphKARACHI: Sri Lanka lifted the inaugural International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-17 cricket tournament on Tuesday beating hosts Pakistan by 57 runs in the final. The 10-nation event was held from July 15-25 under the ICC development programme.Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 229 in 44.3 overs (Ishan Mutalip 72, Harish Ratnayake 80; Munir Ansari 4-54) bt Pakistan 173 in 40 overs (Salman Butt 73, Khalid Latif 39; Ishara Dilshan 3-25) by 57 runs.
