BCB Hoping To Confirm Pakistan Tour Soon

The Bangladesh Cricket Board hopes to soon have government approval to reschedule its limited overs series against Pakistan, which was postponed earlier this month due to security reasons.
"A favourable slot would be March 26 to April 9, but it is subject to clearance from the government," BCB's spokesman Mohammad Jalal Yunus said Tuesday.
The revised scheduled has been sent to the Sports Ministry, who are discussing it with the Home Ministry and other authorities in charge of security.
Pakistan has agreed to the new schedule, which would include two Twenty20 matches and five one-day internationals as originally planned.
State Minister for Youth and Sports Ahad Ali Sarkar, meanwhile, said the government will decide on the series after discussions with authorities.
"Our country has suffered a tragic incident and things are getting back to normal slowly," Sarkar said.
"Still, we have to talk with all concerned. When the Home Ministry and others give us a clear picture of the law and order situation, we can take a decision."
Pakistan's March 10-22 tour was postponed suddenly after a mutiny by border guards cost the lives of more than 70 people in Dhaka, days after a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
The BCB was due to announce its cricket squad on March 5, but instead announced that the series was being deferred on government advice, following security concerns. Pakistan was due to arrive on March 7.
Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and his deputy Mashrafe Mortaza are committed to play in the Indian Premier League starting April 10. The national team also has a busy international schedule soon after, with the Twenty20 World Cup in England followed by tours of the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Soapbox

Good Week, Bad Week
March 13 2009

Sri Lanka have had to give up the 2009 Champions Trophy because they couldn't guarantee it won't rain in September. Some would say the ICC look a bit silly trying to control nature's elements, that Haroon Lorgat is less a Cnut than a.....well, you get the idea.
Did no-one else greet this news by thinking, 'thank f*ck for that: we can have two weeks with the kids at Pontins'?
It seems not as they've now simply shifted the world's most irrelevant sporting event to South Africa. Meanwhile the 2010 Champions Trophy, which was changed a while ago to a T20, is going ahead in the West Indies next year. So, that's three 'world events' in 17 months and not one of them a World Cup, which comes a year later again?
Finally, with 12 months to go the 2010 T20 is being rescheduled again to accommodate the IPL, which goes to show how seriously we ought to take the whole thing.
West Indies
They own the Wisden Trophy for the first time this century. Better still they may be able to hold onto it in a two-Test series starting in May. For one thing, Lord's can be expected to produce a fourth successive Test of anodyne, income-maximising cricket; certainly Giles Clarke is banking on it. For another, the West Indies may be stronger than originally expected if the IPL crowd are available after all.
However, these are very much short-term gains. With a second Stanford series looking rather unlikely, the unbranded West Indies with their boring old wood-coloured bats remain the best hope for cricket in the region.
If the Caribbean islanders have to sit through many more series like this one then there is more chance of Sir Allen opening the batting with Gayle than there is of a true Windian revival. The Texan's maxim that Test cricket is tedious has looked disturbingly accurate in the last fortnight.
Australia's Ashes chances
England haven't won a live Test against a top-six nation since Pakistan at Headingley in 2006, a shocking indictment of their delusion in itself. Since they have survived almost exclusively on beating the West Indies and now cannot even do that. Not even New Zealand have lost to the WI in the last five years.
Whilst Owais Shah gets so nervous he gives himself cramp, Philip Hughes bats the best attack in the world off the park in South Africa. While Amjad Khan shows you why Denmark win even more infrequently than England, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus make you forget who Brett Lee and Stuart Clark are (and then worry even more when you remember them).
They have reversed the Christmas horror show against the Proteas and are well suited to a strong showing in the world championship this summer before another Ashes formality. It was nice while it lasted, but they're back.
Bad week for...
Ijaz Butt
This item might also have featured under 'Good week' for Daryll Hair, but we prefer to do it this way.
"I'd expect teams will tour here again as soon as possible. I'd give it six to nine months to get things organised," declared the PCB chief in one of the fledgling century's more optimistic announcements.
"I'd want us to get security to a level that would be a guarantee from my government that no such incident like this could happen again, or I will not invite anybody.
"Once I have this assurance I may then invite people to come here. But this can happen anywhere. I cannot give that guarantee, but my government can. If they cannot then we'll not have cricket in Pakistan at all. I definitely think that we'll stage part of the World Cup in 2011."
If the man really believes this then he is as qualified for the job as predecessors who managed Mohammad Asif's swift and seamless return from a failed drugs test in early 2007.

Hughes and Ponting punish South Africa

Hughes and Ponting punish South Africa
The Bulletin by Moeed Ahmed
March 8, 2009

Australia 352 and 292 for 3 (Hughes 136*, Ponting 81) lead South Africa 138 (Duminy 73*, Johnson 3-25) by 506 runsScorecard and ball by ball details

Hughes has positioned Australia for victory and himself for celebrity. Just 11 days removed from posting a fourth-ball duck in his maiden Test innings, Hughes broke George Headley's 79-year-old record to become the youngest batsman in history to score centuries in each innings of a Test. His unbeaten 136 in the second innings at Kingsmead led Australia to 292 for 3 at stumps, and an impregnable lead of 506.
Fittingly, Hughes raised his second century in three days with an upper-cut boundary off the bowling of Morne Morkel. It was that stroke that brought about his early demise at the Wanderers last week, and prompted the likes of AB de Villiers and Mickey Arthur to publicly declare it a weakness in his armoury. Undeterred by the criticism, Hughes has continued to play the cut shot with frequency and potency. He has now scored 326 runs for the series - 128 clear of the second-placed Ricky Ponting - at the astonishing average of 108.66, and shows no sign of easing the pace.
The South Africans have thrown everything at Hughes - bouncers, yorkers, abuse - but to no avail. At 20 years and 98 days, and in only his second full season of first class cricket, Hughes has displayed a temperament and poise far beyond his age and experience, and provided Australia with the top-order spark that eluded Matthew Hayden in his twilight series.
Hughes' offside technique might not be to everyone's taste - particularly his penchant for backing away to short-pitched bowling - but it has yet to be proven flawed at the junior, first-class or international level. Eighty of his 136 runs in the second innings were scored between first slip and extra cover, and South Africa's stand-in captain, Mark Boucher, appeared powerless to stem the flow.
It was said prior to this series that Ponting was presiding over a crumbling empire, but his band of willing reinforcements are ensuring the walls of Rome are holding fast. The captain, himself, went far to ensuring a series-clinching Australian victory with an imperious innings of 81 and together with Hughes added 164 runs for the second wicket. The once marauding South Africans were in full retreat.
As in their golden age, the Australians were merciless in their pursuit of an ailing opponent. Hughes and Ponting propelled the Australian second innings at a spirited pace throughout the middle session, and experienced few problems in negating a surface that, just a day prior, had completely confounded the host team.
Hughes revealed Australia's ruthless intent in the over after lunch. The left-hander blasted a pair of boundaries that took him past 50 for the third time in as many innings, and Ponting promptly followed with a near-even time half-century. Soon after, Ponting moved past Steve Waugh to claim fourth place on the Test run-scorers' list with a pull stroke that, for well over a decade, has been his signature stroke. Frenetic and poetic.
The only blemish on an otherwise dominant day for Australia were the losses of Simon Katich, Ponting and Michael Hussey, but it mattered little. With a comprehensive win in Johannesburg and a 500-plus lead after three days in Durban, Australia have effectively discounted South Africa as an immediate threat to their Test crown.
Australia's batting fortunes contrasted sharply with those of the South Africans. The hosts began the day hopeful of adding the 14 runs required to pass the follow-on target, after JP Duminy (73) and Steyn survived the closing stages of what, for the South Africans, was a cataclysmic day two.
But they would add no further runs to their overnight total of 138, with Steyn and Makhaya Ntini falling in consecutive balls to Siddle, who will commence the second innings on a hat-trick. Ponting, as has become custom, opted against enforcing the follow-on to allow his bowlers some respite and his batsmen the opportunity to compound their opponents' misery. Judging by the South Africans' body language at stumps, Ponting has at least proven successful in the latter regard.
Seldom has a modern South African batting card read so poorly. In all, nine batsmen were dismissed for single figures - combining for 20 runs in total - and three failed to trouble the scorers at all. Extras (23) were second only to Duminy in terms of runs contributed to the team cause, while Steyn was the third highest-scorer among the batsmen with eight.
The last time the South Africans posted a total this modest, Arthur accused the Kanpur curator of "hijacking" his team's bid to win the 2008 series against India. And not since January, 2007 - when a rampant Shoaib Akhtar flexed his considerable muscles in Port Elizabeth - has a South African side combined for such a low innings score at home.

Smart Stats

.Phillip Hughes' century in both innings is the 19th instance of an Australian scoring a hundred in each innings of a Test, and the seventh by an Australian opener. The two previous occasions of an Australian opener achieving this feat were both by Matthew Hayden.
.The first-wicket partnership put together 55 in the second innings, which followed the 184-run stand in the first. It was only the ninth time since 2000 that an Australian opening pair had a century and half-century partnership in the same match.
·On the first day, both Australian openers scored hundreds, which was only the 11th instance of both Australian openers scoring centuries in the first innings of a Test.
·South Africa's first-innings total of 138 is their third-lowest in Durban, and their worst since their readmission to Test cricket.
·The highest fourth-innings total in a victory at Kingsmead is 340 for 5, by Australia in 2002. In all fourth innings it's 654 for 5, by England way back in 1939.

Chanderpaul and Nash restore Windies faith

West Indies 349 for 4 (Nash 70*, Chanderpaul 52*)

trail England 546 for 6 (Collingwood 161, Strauss 142, Prior 131*) by 197 runs

Chanderpaul and Nash Overcame the potentially devastating loss of their captain, Chris Gayle, to a hamstring tear, as they batted clean through the final 51.5 overs of the third day in Trinidad to leave West Indies tantalisingly placed to secure the draw that will give them their first series victory since 2004.By the close, they had added 146 for the fifth wicket in a typically obdurate alliance, as England's five-man attack was worn down after an energetic performance in the first half of the day.
Though the small matter of 14 years and 112 Tests separate the careers of Chanderpaul and Nash, the similarities between the two are striking. Both left-handed, and both possessing temperaments that could freeze the Caribbean Sea, they nudged and prodded England's bowlers to distraction for three sapping hours, having come together midway through the afternoon session with the scoreline an unflattering 203 for 4, and with Gayle already lined up for an MRI scan after pulling up lame moments after completing his 10th Test century with a rash single to midwicket.
Chanderpaul himself is not in the rudest of health - he tweaked his groin while fielding on the second day, and hobbled to the middle as Gayle departed in the other direction. But he made light of his injury by setting himself to occupy the crease first and foremost, and run as an afterthought - 29 jogged singles formed the backbone of his innings, although he did rack up a rare two to fine leg to bring up his 73rd score of fifty or more in Test cricket.
Relatively speaking, Nash was more expansive, cracking 12 fours in 167 balls, including an expert uppercut over third man off Amjad Khan, to bring up his fifty in the third over against the new ball. All but the last of those boundaries came in the arc from third man to cover, as he dealt exclusively in width, flailing with precision as England over-reached in search of that killer delivery. He had one massive let-off on 24, when Monty Panesar rapped him on the pads as he sized up a pull, but with both of England's referrals wasted on the second evening, there was no recourse to video evidence. Not was there much likelihood of any favours from the umpire, Russell Tiffin, who was driven to distraction by Panesar's at times idiotic appeals.
Though there was very little turn on offer, Panesar was undoubtedly the pick of England's bowlers on his return to the side. He showed confidence and variety in equal measures, regularly tossing the ball up and even unveiling a rare arm-ball. Having dismissed Devon Smith in his first over of the innings, Panesar claimed his second scalp in the afternoon when the debutant Lendl Simmons fell lbw for a diligent 24 from 79 balls, and he ought to have had the prize scalp of Ramnaresh Sarwan as well, only for Paul Collingwood at slip to shell a sitter when Sarwan - who passed 600 runs for the series with his first scoring stroke - had managed only 12 from 28 balls.
Instead the honour of Sarwan's wicket went to the debutant Amjad. His four-over burst on the second evening had displayed raw pace and nerves in equal measure, but this time he got his line right straightaway, and Sarwan was pinned in front of middle by a fourth-ball outswinger, a decision so plumb that Gayle at the non-striker's end advised his team-mate not to waste a referral.
For half an hour, Amjad's approach could not be faulted, as he pushed 90mph on occasions while maintaining a willingness to experiment on an infamously unresponsive pitch, and he forced Simmons, who made 282 against England's bowlers in St Kitts last month, to wait for 23 deliveries for his first run in Test cricket. But then, almost without warning, Amjad's accuracy deserted him. No-balls and leg-side full-tosses flooded into his repertoire, as Matt Prior behind the stumps was made to leap one way then the next. By the close, England had conceded an extraordinary 61 extras, the most ever gifted to West Indies in an innings. Among these were 30 byes, including four in the penultimate over of the day that took them past the follow-on mark. Prior, to his embarrassment, is the only keeper to have conceded that tally twice.
The ease of West Indies' late-evening progress was a vindication for Gayle, who had much to prove after his controversial tactics in the field on the first two days. By rights he should still have been out there himself, for up until the moment of his injury, he was once again reprising the frill-free side of his game that surfaced to such match-changing effect in Jamaica last month. Having blazed along to 49 from 65 balls overnight, he was a transformed character upon the resumption, waiting a further 11 deliveries to reach his fifty, and a full 18 overs before adding to his eight boundaries. His innings was a masterclass of subdued diligence, but then came his injury, and suddenly West Indies were looking vulnerable.
The injury occurred during in a hectic passage of play which began with a casual clip off the pads against Stuart Broad. Owais Shah at midwicket misfielded badly, and Gayle, on 99, attempted to take advantage. Within seconds he knew he had made a bad error of judgement and had Shah's subsequent shy hit the stumps, it would have beaten his stretch for the crease by a matter of inches. But though he survived, his celebrations were muted in the extreme, as he slumped to his knees and beckoned for help. After lengthy treatment on the outfield he was helped back to the pavilion, having led from the front with 10 fours and two sixes in a 161-ball innings.
But West Indies have not and surely will not buckle in this series. There is too much at stake for them after 15 barren series, and the discipline shown by Chanderpaul and his acolyte Nash sapped every ounce of energy from England's fielders. James Anderson, suffering from a stomach upset, was below-par, while Graeme Swann was comfortably outbowled by Panesar, as doubts once again surfaced about his troublesome elbow. By the close West Indies were well set to emulate their game-breaking performance at Bridgetown last month, as England found themselves in a familiarly futile situation, and still searching for a combination that can deliver 10 wickets in an innings, let alone 20 wickets in a match.

SL cricketers injured in terror attack

Stewart Returns To Surrey

Former England and Surrey captain Alec Stewart is to take up a coaching position with the county.
Stewart, who retired from the game six years ago, will return to The Oval dressing room on a part-time basis to work under new professional cricket manager Chris Adams.
The 45-year-old has undertaken ambassadorial duties for the county since ending his playing career but will now expand his remit to include coaching, mentoring and consultancy.
He will join another former Surrey and England batsman, Graham Thorpe, on Adams' cricket management team.
Stewart, who played 133 Tests and 170 one-day internationals, said: "I have been a Surrey man all my life and am relishing the opportunity to get back involved in a cricketing role at the club.
"We have some bright young talent on the staff and I hope I can help them wring out every drop of their ability to secure success for both Surrey and England over years to come."
Stewart, who will specialise in batting and wicketkeeping coaching, played 587 times for Surrey in all competitions, scoring 24,683 runs and taking 665 catches.
He will combine the new role with his business and media commitments.
Adams said: "A true great such as Alec Stewart should always be involved at his club and I could not be happier to welcome him onto our coaching staff.
"I saw Alec do some coaching when I was at Sussex last year and getting him involved in the first-team set-up was one of my key goals when I started at Surrey.
"He is still a model professional and utterly exemplifies the excellence I want my players to aspire to."

New Yorks Deal For McGrath

Yorkshire captain Anthony McGrath has signed a new three-year contract taking him through until September 2011.
McGrath was the White Rose county's leading run scorer in Twenty20 cricket last year, scoring 400 runs and will captain the first XI this season in his benefit year.
The 33-year-old said: "I'm delighted to stay at the Club for the next three years. I have enjoyed a fantastic career here so far and I think the next three years will be an exciting time for the club and for me, especially in my new role as captain."
Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan said: "It's great news that one of our most senior players and our captain has chosen to commit himself to the club for another three years.
"Under Anthony's leadership I'm confident that 2009 will be a successful year for the team and Yorkshire County Cricket Club."

Notts Announce Profit

Nottinghamshire have announced pre-tax profits of £148,426 for the year ending September 30, 2008 the club's members have been told.
The county are forging ahead with improvements at Trent Bridge ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 games to be staged there this summer.
Ray Dawson, chairman of the commercial and financial sub-committee, told the annual general meeting at County Hall: "We saw the benefits of significant investments in the venue and the team in 2008 and it is pleasing to have recorded a pre-tax surplus.
"Like any business, we won't be immune from the economic downturn but I firmly believe that we have laid sufficient foundations to emerge strongly when recovery comes."
Director of cricket, Mick Newell, added: "The bowlers were superb throughout the season and we'll be looking for our top order batsmen to show an improvement to help the middle order.
"Planning for 2009 has been challenging because of the uncertainty surrounding the availability of our England players. We should treat any appearance by Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad as a bonus and we also expect Samit Patel and Graeme Swann to be away for long periods."

Warner Off To Durham

Durham have signed Australia one-day batsman David Warner as their overseas player for this year's Twenty20 Cup.
The left-hander will arrive in the north east towards the end of May after playing for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League.
Warner has played six one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches for his country after a dramatic rise to prominence with New South Wales.
He smashed 89 from 43 balls against South Africa in his Twenty20 debut but was dropped for the final two matches of the Chappell-Hadlee Series with New Zealand.
"I've heard great things about Durham and I'm delighted to be joining them later this year," Warner said.
"The team has done really well recently and I want to be able to play a major role in making sure that success continues.
"I enjoy playing Twenty20 cricket and to be brought in especially to play in the UK's domestic competition is a real honour and challenge."
Warner will play in the domestic competition before making way for Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who will arrive in June after completing his international commitments with the West Indies.

Fourth Test Preview - West Indies Vs England

By all accounts Sir Allen Stanford has made a howler or two recently, but has he ever been wider of the mark than in calling Test cricket 'tedious'? At times the Wisden Trophy 2008/9 has been atrociously umpired, embarrassingly played and incompetently managed, but - with the FBI's words 'fraud of shocking magnitude' providing an outrageous sub-plot - no-one is saying it has been dull.
After the third Test at St John's we might yet get some cricket out of the whole thing. As they did against India three years ago, the West Indies fought to the very final ball to salvage a draw in one of the outstanding recent Tests and hopefully the series is now on track. The anger with the referrals system, the England batting collapse and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium debacle has subsided; cricket will move on easily enough from the Stanford embarrassment even if the legacy for Antigua is far more serious.
England will be feeling the pressure at 1-0 down with two to play, but the remaining Tests are at Bridgetown and Port of Spain. Neither of these grounds has produced a draw since April 2001, a run of 12 matches encouraging the tourists to believe that all three series results are still possible.
More difficult to spin is the reality of team selection. England admitted that the third Test draw felt like a defeat and now the engine room has gone kaput, Andrew Flintoff ruled out with a hip problem and Matt Prior playing peek-a-book in a Hove-area BUPA. Andrew Strauss must therefore choose between six batsmen or five bowlers for a Test he's desperate to win on a green, bouncy track prepared to help fast bowlers.
Given the pitch reports and England's conservative selection there can only be one serious option. Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara are head-to-head for Flintoff's spot with the decision likely hanging on a selector's hunch. Both scored runs against the BCA President's XI, Bopara a century and Bell 72, but the opposition was marginal. The question is whether they want to shake things up with the volatile Bopara or stick with the devil they know in Bell. The opportunities afforded to the Warwickshire batsman in that tour match suggest he has the advantage.
Tim Ambrose is restored to wicketkeeping duty. The Warwickshire man first took over from Prior in 2008 after 10 Tests and played 10 himself before losing the gloves in India. Prior had re-established himself since Chennai, batting well and cutting out the costly drops so Ambrose will have to do something special to keep his place. We might even argue that this is a missed opportunity to blood a serious rival to the incumbent.
If Strauss hits the Carib Beer hard he might be tempted to restore Ambrose to six, where he was so dreadfully exposed against South Africa last year, and pick five bowlers including Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Adil Rashid, all of whom can bat. Already an uncharacteristic gamble, doubts over Swann's fitness - he is rated at 85% with a piece of floating bone in his elbow - and a seamer's track surely rule this out.
Instead the choices will be much more straightforward. Swann plays if fit, Broad plays if breathing and then perm two from James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Steve Harmison and new arrival Amjad Khan. Harmison, like Rashid, is a dubious option as one of four bowlers though for very different reasons. He and Anderson are the men in possession and after the toothlessness in St John's it will be tempting to shake up the seam attack for a fast, grassy surface. If Sidebottom is carrying an injury, and there are times when it looks that way, then Khan is in contention for a debut after his tour match five-fer; if Swann is ruled out Strauss may prefer a fourth fast bowler to the down-on-his-luck Monty Panesar.
No such trials and tribulations for the West Indies, who retain the same 13 from the second and third Tests on Antigua. However there must be a temptation to replace two of the great underachievers in this generation.
Devon Smith has made six, 38 and 21 in the series so far and though he showed better patience at St John's - a constant gripe against the left-hander - he is under severe pressure from Lendl Simmons, compiler of 282 for West Indies A in a tour match that now seems some months ago.
Daren Powell was under even greater scrutiny after a poor display last week: wayward in the first innings, he only picked up two wickets in the second as England suffered collective insanity, but he played two doughty knocks, one as nightwatchman, that effectively saved the game. If the selectors are unmoved by his courage then the young Montserrat bowler Lionel Baker will add to a forgettable first cap at Dunedin late last year.
When back-to-back Test matches first became a regular feature a few years ago, much store was put by the momentum gathered by winning the first but now they are so regular that this is hardly mentioned. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium abandonment did the home side few favours after the first Test annihilation of England but Chris Gayle will look at a weakened visiting team and fancy his chances if Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards can replicate their best spells from St John's and Suleiman Benn accepts that Test cricket is not always as easy as Sabina Park suggested.
After all of the off-field chaos, the ICC seems almost determined to undermine the event. Russell Tiffin of Zimbabwe becomes the latest non-elite official to stand in the series alongside Aleem Dar. Daryl Harper is restored to the television referral box where the hapless match referee Alan Hurst is retained to defend his every obtuse verdict.
Key Players
West Indies: Shiv Chanderpaul has a fine record in Bridgetown and the last man Strauss will want to hang around as he seeks 20 wickets from a ragged attack.
England: Stuart Broad has improved considerably in recent months without looking capable of a Test-winning performance on his own. On a bouncy track, that will need to change though his fellow seamers have room for improvement too.
Prediction
West Indies seem to have done the hard part in St John's. England have struggled for 20 wickets with five bowlers so are really up against it now.
Last Five Head-to-Head:
2009: 3rd Test: Match drawn at the Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's.
2009: 2nd Test: Match abandoned at Sir Vivan Richards Stadium, North Sound.
2009: 1st Test: West Indies won by an innings and 23 runs at Sabina Park, Kingston.
2007: 4th Test: England won by seven wickets at Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham.
2007: 3rd Test: England won by 60 runs at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Likely Teams:
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ryan Hinds, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards.
England: Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Owais Shah, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Tim Ambrose, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steve Harmison, James Anderson.
Dates: 26th-2nd March, 10.00-12.00 (14.00-16.00GMT), 12.40-14.40 (16.40-18.40GMT), 15.00-17.00 (19.00-21.00GMT).
Match Referee: Alan Hurst.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Russell Tiffin and Daryl Harper (third).

Prior Engagement Leaves England Short

When Michael Vaughan left the field at Headingley in 2004 to witness the birth of his son he was described as 'summing up everything wrong with English cricket', which seemed a little unfair. Martin Saggers picked up a second cap - and two for 91 - in the same Test.
Vaughan was a sort of Emmeline Pankhurst of his day though and five years later the stigma has passed. We now live in more enlightened times, and a post-Mary Poppins paternal attitude to children is no longer considered mental weakness. Players are more or less encouraged to skip a tricky morning session when the ball's nipping around to instead attend a childbirth.
Matt Prior is the latest England man to take advantage of his central contract paternity clause, and doing so without a word of protest from the press. Rather than manning up to face the West Indies on Thursday he is back in Blighty with wife Emily, until now most famous for bouncing on Sir Allen Stanford's knee in November. There is no confirmation yet that the big man has got the nod as godfather, but he has been incommunicado recently.
Although this is all totally reasonable, I can't help clacking my tongue in irritation. Vaughan left for an hour against opposition featuring Michael Papps and Daryl Tuffey; Prior was England's best hope of fielding five bowlers in the fourth Test at Bridgetown. If childbirth were truly a miracle, surely it could leave the outcome of an important series unaffected.
In an unsettling twist England now turn to Tim Ambrose, whose small, bald, rounded face makes him look like a newborn - at least, until he pops a Marlboro light in there. The circle of wicketkeeping life is complete.
The spectre of Headingley '08 surely forbids playing the Warwickshire gloveman at number six, where Prior likely would have batted after Andrew Flintoff's injury. A recall for Ian Bell would be widely derided but Ravi Bopara has been overhyped by England's underachievement: he is certainly a talented player and a potential one-day performer, but with a lot more to prove than those demanding all-out change want to accept.
Forget ye not Galle in 2007 when England won the toss and inserted Sri Lanka, who promptly racked up 499 for eight declared before bowling out the tourists for 81. Only the rain saved England from defeat, and their new number six from much greater ridicule. A 'pair' is two ducks and a 'king pair' is two golden ducks, but there really should be a name for a seven-ball duck out of 81 followed by running yourself out first ball when the team is trying to bat for a draw.
Bell v Bopara comes down not to runs in the recent tour match but a hunch: do England want to shake up things up or settle them down? Probably most people now favour the former option, and understandably so. But let's not expect miracles from the Essex man.
A more interesting case is that of Amjad Khan, another who has enjoyed himself against the BCA President's XI. He gets sharp pace and reverse swing, and England need 20 wickets without their best bowler. Ryan Sidebottom's attractions are obvious as part of a four-man attack since he will send down a lot of overs in a day. But the memories of the speed gun clocking him in the late 80s in Sri Lanka now seem like a hoax and he still doesn't look match fit. Steve Harmison and James Anderson together in a four-man attack is a suicide note so if Sidebottom is not fit, or no more likely to start taking wickets, then Khan must have strong claims.
Regrettably a third way to shake things up - the inclusion of Adil Rashid - is now off the table unless England want to expose their young legspinner as one of four bowlers. Against a top six that had four left-handers in St John's, that seems less a gamble than desperation.

Oz Turn To Pacemen

Australia have named three potential debutants in their 12-man squad for the first Test of the return series against South Africa, which starts at the Wanderers on Thursday.
Opening batsman Phillip Hughes, all-rounder Marcus North and swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus are all included as Ricky Ponting's troops seek to avenge their home series defeat to the same opponents at the turn of the year.
Spinners Nathan Hauritz and Bryce McGain have been omitted - Australia's bowling attack will be led by rookie seamers Peter Siddle and Doug Bollinger, supplemented by two of Hilfenhaus, medium pacer Andrew McDonald and part-time off-spinner North.
"It's going to be a great challenge, in particular for the younger guys," Ponting said. "We played some very good cricket at times in Australia but not enough to put a very good South African side away."
Ponting is expecting the wicket at the Wanderers to aid his inexperienced seamers and remains upbeat despite the recent 2-1 reverse on home soil.
"It's pretty much all for the faster bowlers here, particularly swing bowlers, given the pitch is a bit soft and the (cloudy) skies that are around," added the Tasmanian.
"Spin bowlers don't have a very good record here.
"In the two Test matches that we lost in Australia we played very good cricket and dominated at certain times.
"But unfortunately we weren't good enough to put a very good South African team away."
South Africa appear certain to stick with the same starting XI that played all three Tests in Australia.
Vice captain Ashwell Prince was left out of a 12-man squad despite having recovered from his broken hand, meaning JP Duminy - who averaged 61.50 in Australia - will continue at number six.
Uncapped left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe is set to carry the drinks.
"It would be a good, satisfying feeling to be number one and it would be a sign of our success," said Proteas skipper Graeme Smith, whose side can overtake Australia at the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings during the three-Test series.
"We've taken a lot of confidence out of (winning in) Australia but there's definitely a feeling of feet on the ground and wanting to achieve more.
"If we can beat them at home that will be a comprehensive beating of Australia home and away - and that's something we really want to achieve."

Warne Joins Sky Sports Elite

Australian legend Shane Warne will be part of Sky Sports' esteemed commentary team for this summer's Ashes.
The leg-spinner bagged 708 Test victims in a prolific career, including 195 against England, but will now line-up alongside former rivals Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain when Sky Sports covers the five-Test series ball-by-ball.
"I can't wait to join the Sky Sports team," said Warne, who burst onto the Ashes scene by bowling Mike Gatting with the 'ball of the century' at Old Trafford in 1993.
"I loved playing in the Ashes, I love watching cricket and I love talking about it. If I'm not playing, the best place to be is in the Sky Sports commentary box and I look forward to working alongside the guys throughout the series."
This year's Ashes will also be screened on Sky Sports HD, offering Sky+HD customers high definition images and Dolby 5.1 surround sound, while there will also be extended highlights each evening.
Warne was just 11 when the heroics of Ian Botham - now Sir Ian - inspired England to a famous victory at Headingley in 1981, a win that is etched into cricketing folklore.
Welcoming Warne onto the team, fellow Sky Sports commentator Sir Ian said: "Warney is special - full stop. It's going to be terrific for the viewers, and great for the commentators, to have him with us in the box for the Ashes.
"He has been a great friend over the years and I'm sure there'll be some good banter between us on-air. He has some really original thoughts and ideas on the game and he will bring another dimension to the Sky Sports coverage."
Warne, 39, played in eight Ashes series in total and ended up on the winning side seven times but he was unable to prevent Michael Vaughan's side reclaiming the urn in 2005 despite weighing in with 40 wickets at just 19.92 runs apiece.
The spinner gained swift revenge as part of the Australian side that whitewashed England 5-0 in 2006/07 - a series in which he became the first bowler in Test history to claim 700 wickets and also claimed the 1,000th scalp of his 15-year international career.
As well as playing domestic cricket for his home state of Victoria, Warne captained Hampshire for three seasons after making his debut for the county in 2000.
After deciding to leave the Rose Bowl in 2008, Warne switched to the IPL and captained the Rajasthan Royals to victory in the inaugural year of the 20-over tournament.

IPL Auction Minute-By-Minute

07:45 GMT: In summation then - Flintoff and Pietersen, as expected, fetched the biggest price tags, respectively going to Chennai and Bangalore for $US1.55 million a pop. Mumbai snapped up Duminy for $950,000, while the Rajasthan Royals signed Tyron Henderson for $650,000. Mortaza went to Kolkata for $600,000 but Bangladesh team-mate Al Hasan went nowhere, while Englishmen Luke Wright and Samit Patel were not signed. Shah and Collingwood were, but a host of other hopefuls were not. That's pretty much the nutshell, but do scroll down and see how the glitzy event in Goa panned out.
07:40 GMT: The final sale of the day belongs to the Kings XI Punjab, who beef up their bowling attack with the purchase of Jerome Taylor for his base price - $150,000.
07:37 GMT: The auction is entering its final stages, with only the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab able to bid for overseas players. The other six franchises have maxed out their 10-player limit. The leftovers - Kapugedera, Sarwan, Patel, et al - will go under the hammer again.
07:34 GMT: Tasmanian batter George Bailey does himself proud, going to Chennai for $50,000.
07:30 GMT: Yusuf Abdullah, Daniel Harris, Kemar Roach, Aaron Bird, Michael Dighton, Michael Hill and Brett Geeves step up... and step down. No sale for any of 'em.
07:26 GMT: Shame. Samit Patel can't emulate Collingwood, Shah and other Englishmen, failing to fetch a bid from any of the franchises.
07:16 GMT: Kolkata and the Kings XI Punjab bid and bid and bid for Mashrafe Mortaza, with the former eventually bagging him for $600,000. His base price was $50,000. Wow, that's a biggie and the paeman becomes the first Bangaldeshi to officially join the IPL ranks. There's plenty of 'em in the ICL, of course.
07:16 GMT: South African opener Gulam Bodi and West Indies fast bowler Daren Powell go unbid for.
07:08 GMT: The Mumbai Indians don't want Dominic Thornely (Remember him? The Shaun Pollock lookalike) again this year. They don't put in a bid and the Aussie remains on offer.
07:03 GMT: Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), Bryce McGain, Jon Moss, Aiden Blizzard, Michael Klinger (Australia), James Franklin (New Zealand), Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies), Kaushalya Weeraratne and Prasanna Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) all go under the hammer but all remain unsold.
06:55 GMT: After a string of non-bids, Windies all-rounder breaks the shackles, going to the Deccan Chargers for $100,000.
06:50 GMT: Tigers captain Mohammad Ashraful can't even fetch his lowly base price of $75,000. His willow-wielding antics clearly are not on any bidder's agenda for now.
06:45 GMT: Al Hasan and van Wyk aren't alone, Aussie duo Steven Smith and Ashley Noffke remain untouched, as well as West Indian fast bowler Jerome Taylor. Shame.
06:40 GMT: Surprisingly, there are no bids for Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan. He has had a superb past couple of months, resulting in his rise to the top of the ICC all-rounder rankings. South African wicketkeeper-batsman Morne van Wyk can't crack a bid either. It's off to the pile of leftovers for the two of 'em.
06:33 GMT: Jesse Ryder almost joins the leftovers but Bangalore bag him for $160,000.
06:30 GMT: New Zealand's bunch enter the fray, with Kyle Mills shipped off to the Mumbai Indians for $150,000.
06:27 GMT: Sri Lankan pace ace Thilan Thushara will play for the Chennai Super Kings, they've garnered his prowess for a cool $140,000.
06:26 GMT: As with Wright, Kapugedera and Haddin, nobody wants to purchase Nuwan Kulasekara just yet... or ever(?).
06:25 GMT: The Kings XI Punjab enter the bidding, fetching the services of Ravi Bopara for a sumptuous $450,00, staving off the threatening bids of Chennai and Bangalore.
06:20 GMT: No franchise wants Luke Wright for the time being, he'll have to join Kapugedera and Haddin in the leftovers bid later.
06:15 GMT: The Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals endure a humdinger bid for Tyron Henderson, with the big-hitting all-rounder eventually going to the Royals for quite a pretty penny - $650,000, to be exact.
06:06 GMT: Delhi bring in Paul Collingwood to join England team-mate Shah in their ranks, buying the former captain for $275,000 as well.
06:05 GMT: Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata bid ferociously for Owais Shah, with Delhi winning in the end. They've snapped the England star up for $275,000, $125,000 more than his base price.
06:05 GMT: Sri Lanka's Chamara Kapugedera and Aussie wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin go on sale, but nobody wants to touch them yet. They'll have to re-enter the auction a bit later.
06:00 GMT: The Deccan Chargers reckon Windies paceman Fidel Edwards is worth his base price, snapping him up for $150,000.
05:55 GMT: Kevin Pietersen matches his England team-mate's price, going to Bangalore for $US1.55 million.
05:50 GMT: Chennai gain the services of Andrew Flintoff for whopping $US1.55 million.
05:45 GMT: Mumbai Indians buy JP Duminy for $950,000. Duminy's base price was set at $US300,000.
05:40 GMT: Rajasthan Royals purchase Shaun Tait for $US375,000, keen to find an able replacement for barred Pakistan star Sohail Tanvir.
Who's Up For Grabs today. (Base price in USD in brackets)AUSTRALIA: Aaron Bird (45,000), Brett Geeves (45,000), Bryce McGain (50,000), Daniel Harris (50,000), Dominic Thornely (50,000), George Bailey (50,000), Jonathan Moss (50,000), Michael Dighton (85,000), Michael Hill (50,000), Phil Jaques (100,000), Shane Harwood (75,000), Shaun Tait (250,000), Steven Smith (75,000), Stuart Clark (250,000).BANGLADESH: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (50,000), Mohammad Ashraful (75,000), Shakib Al Hasan (75,000), Tamim Iqbal (50,000).ENGLAND: Andrew Flintoff (950,000), Kevin Pietersen (1,350,000), Luke Wright (150,000), Owais Shah (150,000), Paul Collingwood (250,000), Ravi Bopara (150,000), Samit Patel (100,000).NEW ZEALAND: James Franklin (50,000), Jesse Ryder (100,000), Kyle Mills (150,000).SOUTH AFRICA: Gulam Bodi (100,000), JP Duminy (300,000), Morne van Wyk (100,000), Tyron Henderson (100,000), Yusuf Abdullah (25,000).SRI LANKA: Chamara Kapugadera (150,000), Kaushalya Weeraratne (50,000), Nuwan Kulasekera (100,000), Thilan Thushara (100,000).WEST INDIES: Dwayne Smith (TBC), Fidel Edwards (150,000), Jerome Taylor (TBC), Kemar Roach (50,000), Kieron Pollard (60,000).

Dubai Tri-Series Cancelled

Pakistan cricket has received a further blow with the cancellation of a tri-series in Dubai scheduled for late March due to the unavailability of the Sri Lankan team, according to a top official.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating officer Salim Altaf told AFP that the event would be scrapped.
"We have been told by organisers that the tri-series has been cancelled because, I believe, the Sri Lankan team is unavailable," said Altaf. The third team was to be Bangladesh.
Altaf said he did not know why Sri Lanka could not participate.
The event was part of a nine-million dollar deal with Dubai Sports City last year, which was to provide Pakistan with cricket at a neutral venue after foreign teams refused to tour the country over security fears.
Pakistan did not play a single Test last year after Australia postponed a tour in March citing security risks. They rescheduled the tour in two visits - for one-dayers in 2009 and Tests in 2010.
But the proposed tour of Pakistan was cancelled again after Canberra refused permission over fear that players could be targeted because the Australian army is among international troops deployed in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The series will be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from April 24 to May 7.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) also withdrew the eight-nation Champions trophy from Pakistan after three teams refused to tour.
The ICC will decide the new venue in April.
Pakistan cricket suffered another setback when India refused to send its team across the border following heightened tension in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistan have admitted that part of the planning for the attacks, which killed 165 people, was conducted within their borders.

Lorgat: Pakistan Must Be Monitored

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has asked for the 2011 World Cup organising committee to keep their options open in case the political situation in Pakistan worsens.
With Pakistan one of four countries due to host the tournament - India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the others - Lorgat said the climate needs to be monitored.
Last year the ICC was forced to postpone the Champions Trophy due to continual security problems in Pakistan, and they recently confirmed that the tournament will be moved elsewhere when it takes place later this year.
With this in mind, Lorgat wants the 2011 organising committee to consider alternative venues.
"It [alternate venues] is a consideration that we have to give attention to," he said at a meeting in New Delhi to discuss preparations for the tournament.
"This is not something we discussed today, except to ask the organisers to consider alternate host city venues within the country as well as alternate country venues in the event something is not favourable in one of the particular host countries."
India cancelled their scheduled tour of Pakistan, which was due to take place in January, as relations between the two countries continued to break down in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. However Lorgat does not feel that the current tension between the two countries is something to be alarmed about.
"This issue must be approached with an optimistic viewpoint, certainly because we still have some time in our hand. I think it's way too early to be presumptuous and assume that things won't work," he said.
"When we come close to the event, obviously we have to pay much more attention to the issues like safety, security and relation between the countries. But I can assure you at this stage we are planning a World Cup for all four countries."
Lorgat confirmed that the tournament will be shortened to six weeks in duration and said a number of groups had been created to produce "a successful, world class event."
Salim Butt has been appointed by the planning committee to take up the position of managing director for the tournament.
It was also decided that subject to final ICC Board approval, the opening ceremony for the event would take place in Bangladesh on 19 February 2011.

Bangladesh Claim Series In Dhaka

Shakib Al Hasan put in a match-winning performance with both bat and ball to steer Bangladesh to a 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe in the third one-day international in Mirpur.
In a match reduced to 37 overs per side due to heavy fog, Shakib took the spotlight in both knocks as the Tigers chased down their opponents' 119 with six wickets in hand.
Shakib turned in a miserly spell of eight overs for 15 in the first innings, collecting three wickets along the way.
Amazingly, four of the 24-year-old's overs were maidens as the tourists struggled to establish any rhythm at the crease.
He was at it again in the Bangladesh reply, putting together a measured 33 not out to see his side home.
The day started poorly for Zimbabwe after play belatedly got under way with the impressive Mashrafe Mortaza trapping Vusi Sibanda leg before without a run on the scoreboard.
Mortaza, impressing with the new ball, quickly removed Hamilton Masakadza and Stuart Matsikenyeri for 10 apiece to leave the batting side wobbling at 31 for three.
Sean Williams weighed in with 38 valuable runs, including five boundaries, in a productive partnership with Keith Dabengwa, who finished undefeated on 21.
Tamim Iqbal got the chase off to a good start, hitting five fours on his way to a 49-ball 34, but an early run out and danger man Mohammad Ashraful's dismissal for just three gave Zimbabwe hope.
Spinner Ray Price was responsible for that wicket, one of two he claimed in a remarkable spell of 7-2-9-2.
But even that level of economy was not enough to hold off Bangladesh as Shakib (33 not out off 36 balls) and Mushfiqur Rahim (20 not out off 31 balls) secured the six-wicket victory.

New Zealand Postpone Tour To Zim

New Zealand's scheduled tour to Zimbabwe in July has been postponed until June 2010 because of Prime Minister John Key's opposition to the trip.
Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket (NZC), said the two boards agreed at an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Johannesburg to put back the three one-day matches due to the New Zealand government's lack of support.
"This is a pragmatic solution that allows the situation in Zimbabwe to be monitored over the next year," Vaughan said in a statement.
"Given Zimbabwe remains a full member of ICC we have continuing obligations to play them on a reciprocal basis, therefore this agreement is an acceptable outcome."
The centre-right National-led government, like the Labour-led administration it ousted last year, previously said it did not favour the tour to Zimbabwe.
"I'm pretty reluctant for the Black Caps to travel," Key told Television New Zealand on Monday.
"There are very real, genuine security risks for our players."
Zimbabwe has agreed to miss the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June to end a deadlock over demands for its suspension from international cricket because of Robert Mugabe's government.
The African country has not played Tests since January 2006 after the team were left depleted following disputes between senior players and the administrators.

Sketchy Triumph For West Indies

The West Indies beat Bermuda by six wickets in game two of the Scotiabank Series in King City on Wednesday.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, the Windies restricted the Bermudans to 158 for nine in their allotted 50 overs. Chris Douglas top scored for the minnows with 53, while Dwayne Leverock pitched in with 20 down the order.
Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller was the pick of the bowlers with three for 19, and debutant medium-pacer Kemar Roach nabbed two for 29.
The West Indies made a slight meal of their reply, losing openers Xavier Marshall and Sewnarine Chattergoon for nought and seven respectively.
But Shawn Findlay (41) and Leon Johnson (27) steadied ship, before captain Ramnaresh Sarwan (49 not out) and Australia-born Brendan Nash (27 not out) led their team to victory with 18.1 overs to spare.
Game three of the triangular series sees hosts Canada take on the West Indies on Friday.

Morgan Back For Ireland

There were no surprises in the Ireland squad of 15 announced today for the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa.
The return of Eoin Morgan, currently on tour with England Lions in New Zealand, at the expense of Strabane bowler Phil Eaglestone is the only change from the squad which won the Intercontinental Cup in last November.
Ten of the squad played for Ireland in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
Coach Phil Simmons said: "The players have all worked hard and they all know what it means to play on the world stage.
"They've had a taste of it and they want to embrace it again. It's also good to have a few newer faces like Regan West and Peter Connell coming in to keep it fresh and add something new.
"With so much at stake in terms of qualification, and the associated financial rewards, there's bound to be a lot of pressure games, and I think the squad that's been selected is better placed than most to handle it.
"They've been in a lot of tough games over the years and acquitted themselves superbly. There's a good balance to the squad and having so many quality all-rounders gives us lots of options."
Ireland have been drawn in Group A, along with Scotland , Canada , Namibia , Oman and Uganda .
Squad: W Porterfield (Gloucestershire), A Botha (North County), P Connell (North Down), A Cusack (Clontarf), T Johnston (Railway Union), K McCallan (Waringstown), J Mooney (North County), E Morgan (Middlesex), K O'Brien (Railway Union), N O'Brien (Northants), A Poynter (Clontarf), B Rankin (Warwickshire), R West (CSNI), A White (Instonians), G Wilson (Surrey)
Reserves: P Eaglestone (Strabane), P Stirling (Cliftonville), R Strydom (North County).

Dhoni Bemoans Poor Batting

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was left to rue a costly middle-order collapse as New Zealand drew first blood in the opening Twenty20 international at Christchurch.
After losing the toss, Virender Sehwag gave India a near perfect start by smashing youngster Tim Southee for three consecutive sixes in the opening over.
But, having reached 32 for one after just three overs, a mixture of tight bowling and inept batting saw the tourists slump to 61 for five.
Sehwag (26 off 10), Rohit Sharma (seven), Yuvraj Singh (1) and captain Dhoni (two) joined Gautam Gambhir (six) in suffering quick dismissals.
It took a 61-run partnership between Suresh Raina, who top-scored with 61, and Harbhajan Singh (21) to propel the tourists to a competitive total of 162-8.
"We got off to a good start but there was nobody who took the responsibility of staying there in the middle," Dhoni said.
"It's very important to have wickets in hand so you can capitalise on maybe the last four of five overs."
The Indian skipper was happy with his bowlers, particularly Harbhajan, who finished with one for 19 off his four overs.
Zaheer Khan (one for 20) also impressed and Ishant Sharma (one for 35) was unlucky not to have finished with two wickets after striking Martin Guptill leg before with the very first ball he faced.
"I'm quite happy with the way the bowlers bowled. It was a tough wicket, good for batting, so I'm happy with the bowlers," Dhoni told Sky Sports.
"It was nice to see Harbhajan in a good rhythm.
"In a Twenty20 game you don't really want to give them too many runs by giving them too many loose deliveries. If they score off a good ball then fair enough, especially when the ground is so short."
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori was delighted to start the series, which includes one further Twenty20 match, five ODIs and three Tests, with a win, especially after the agony of missing out by one run in the previous game against Australia.
Brendon McCullum batted through, hitting a patient 56 off 49 balls, and forming valuable partnerships with Guptill (54), Ross Taylor (50) and Jacob Oram (60) to steer the Kiwis home.
"It's nice to go 1-0 up, particularly with our record, it hasn't been that great of late," said Vettori.
"We still think we're a decent Twenty20 side but you've got to put results on the board. Hopefully this is the start of something."
Man-of-the-match McCullum was pleased with the way the batsmen constructed the run-chase after a below-par showing saw them score just 149 against Australia in Sydney.
"There was a bit more emphasis put on the singles. We knew that we chased in Australia 90 per cent well and that we probably missed out in key areas," he said.
"We learned from that. To beat a very strong India team, the world champions in Twenty20, is pretty satisfying."

Pakistan Call For Reinforcements

Pakistan have called up five players as reserves for the second Test against Sri Lanka, which starts on Saturday in Lahore.
The same 15-man squad on duty for the drawn series opener in Karachi has been retained by the hosts.
All-rounder Shahid Afridi, pace bowlers Sohail Tanvir and Abdur Rauf, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and opening batsman Nasir Jamshed are the additional five players put on stand-by.
"These reserves will not be part of the squad but depending on the pitch and if the need arises, the team management can play anyone from the reserves," Pakistan's chief selector Abdul Qadir said.
Pakistan: Younis Khan (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Khurrum Manzoor, Shoaib Malik, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Asim Kamal, Umar Gul, Sohail Khan, Yasir Arafat, Danish Kaneria, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad TalhaReserves: Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rauf, Nasir Jamshed

COLUMN

Australia's long lead-up to this summer's Ashes defence continues in Johannesburg this week and Ricky Ponting's side must be going into South Africa's backyard with a fair amount of trepidation.
The Australians will have learnt a lot about the Proteas' resilience during their 2-1 Test series defeat at the turn of the year when the performances of Hashim Amla and JP Duminy in particular seemed to take them completely by surprise.
Graeme Smith has a competent, high-powered bowling attack at his disposal and his team now has the top of the ICC's Test rankings in its sights; now is not the time for Australia to underestimate their opponents.
No-one deserves the Australians' respect more than Jacques Kallis, who will need just 12 when he walks to the wicket to become only the eighth batsman to rack up 10,000 Test runs.
I never think Kallis gets the credit he deserves, not least because Smith is still asking him to bowl a fair amount of overs.
We say Andrew Flintoff's an indispensable member of England's team but compare Kallis' record with bat and ball (9,988 runs at 54.57, 252 wickets at 31) to Flintoff's (3,645 runs at 31.69 and 218 wickets at 32) and there is only winner.
Kallis has been short of runs recently but he will come back to form; this is a milestone he thoroughly deserves; I'm sure he'll have his eye on getting up towards 12,000 runs.
South Africa have had some tough series recently, Bangladesh aside, having drawn in India and beaten both England and Australia. You can't underestimate their pedigree and since Shaun Pollock retired Kallis has stepped up and become the main player for them.
I can see Smith's side winning this series by a single Test which will leave Australia with something of an inferiority complex going into the Ashes.
Defeat will, of course, intensify the pressure on Ponting but I can't see him being sacked as captain before the summer.
The Australian way - unlike the English - is to ditch a player once he's lost the captaincy but Ponting is still clearly one of the leading batsmen in the world so I think his position is safe until after the Ashes should Australia lose.
He's now finding out what it's like to skipper a moderate bowling attack - one that let him down badly in the home series against South Africa.
Whether you are Don Bradman, Clive Lloyd or Mike Brearley you are only as good a captain as the bowlers you have at your disposal.
I'm sure that the Australian selectors are rather keeping their fingers crossed that one or two of the emerging players - Ben Hilfenhaus, Marcus North and Bryce McGain - will flourish because the bowling really did look threadbare at times during the home series.
Australia are going to have to hope that Mitchell Johnson can be the mainstay of the attack and the others develop around him.
One player I'll be keeping a close eye on in particular is opener Phil Hughes, who has surprised many by leapfrogging above other guys who have had international experience.
The last generation of Australian players - the likes of Justin Langer and Michael Hussey - did a very long apprenticeship before they got a chance in the side.
That isn't the case with this new broom that has swept through Aussie cricket and it remains to be seen what the tourists can make of a clean slate.

Cricket Photos Gallery

Cook, Bell And Amjad Khan Impress In Barbados

New Zealand Tour Of Zimbabwe Postponed To 2010

Waugh and Hayden Support Charity T20

Cricket Equipment

Gunn & Moore Makes Major Investment In UK Bat-Making
2 February 2009

In the current economic environment of doom and gloom, UK cricket manufacturer Gunn & Moore is pleased to announce the completion of a major investment in excess of £500,000 in its bat-making process at its factory in Nottingham following a 4-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) sponsored by the DTi.GM entered into this arrangement to look specifically at process, technology and manufacturing improvements into its cricket bat manufacture undertaken in Nottingham since 1885.

The project highlighted improvements that could be made into the whole process of bat manufacturing from sourcing and selection of willow trees, through to use by players from the grass roots to the test arena, as follows:• improving the storage of both willow and cane to ensure optimum moisture content before machining• improve the performance of each blade by changes to the pressing process and • improve the weight distribution and therefore pick-up by the use of a 5 axis CNC machine which combined with state of the art CAM/CAD software would give significant design options and improved feel.
This investment has made a quantum leap in the manufacturing consistency and level of performance of cricket bats, which will benefit cricketers of all levels to maximise their skills and enable cricket retailers to stock and sell these bats with increased confidence. It puts Gunn & Moore in a unique position in the world of bat-making.Gunn & Moore managing director Peter Wright says:
“Although Gunn & Moore could, like its major competitors, have moved production to India or Pakistan, the 4 years of research pointed to a more long lasting and cost effective way of sourcing and converting English willow into cricket bats.“By using a perfect blend of tradition and technology, the company has been able to develop even further the art of bat-making developed in Nottingham by a long line of Gunn & Moore master craftsmen for over 120 years.”

ICC Women's World Cup 2009

Pakistan Women Have Mountain To Climb In Australia
24 February 2009

Young and inexperienced but ambitious, the Pakistan team is taking inspiration from its performance in Stellenbosch, South Africa, 12 months ago as it prepares to go head to head with the best in next month’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 in Australia.Last February in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier, Pakistan put up series of strong performances to spring a surprise on eighth-ranked Ireland by 57 runs, Scotland by 252 runs and Zimbabwe by 94 runs before upsetting 10th-ranked Netherlands in the semi-final by 94 runs which won it a place in the main round for just the second time in its history.“We can take a lot of heart from our performance in South Africa where not many people gave us any chance. But we showed we were second best in that group and won the right to play against the best,” said Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz.“There are a lot of expectations on us in the World Cup but we have to be realistic. And the reality is we are the eighth-ranked team in the world, we are short of international experience and exposure, and we’ll be competing against teams who we have either never beaten or never played.“It leaves us with the task of scaling a mountain. But if we can turn the tables in Stellenbosch, I have no reasons why we can’t do again in Australia. It needs the same passion, dedication and commitment, and I am happy to say we are not short of those qualities.“The bottom line is we have got nothing to lose and everything to gain from the World Cup. We will give our best shot, try to learn and achieve as much as we can so that it could help us become a better team for future tournaments and series. The learning process has to continue.“We have short and long-term plans in place and no matter what anybody thinks, we know we are heading in the right direction. The players are gaining experience and learning with every match what it requires to excel at the highest level,” said the veteran of 30 ODIs.“Our objective in the World Cup is to improve our current eighth-ranking. We have never beaten Sri Lanka but we sense an opportunity against them as we feel we are not too far behind them. If a couple of our players fire on that day, we could end our win drought against them.“A victory against Sri Lanka will ensure we improve our ranking, it will enhance our chances of a place in the Super Six stage which would be a massive boost to the team and women’s cricket in Pakistan,” said Urooj.If Pakistan finishes at the bottom on Group B, it will still have a chance to achieve its objective when it will play the bottom-placed team from Group A in the seventh and eighth-position play-off match at North Sydney Oval No. 2 on Saturday 14 March.Urooj said it was a lifetime opportunity for her team to play in the World Cup. “Many of us never thought we would ever get this far. But now that we are here, we want to stay.“We are taking it as a massive opportunity to learn what it feels to play at the highest level and what it requires to consistently perform at that stage. With ESPN STAR Sports covering the matches at North Sydney Oval, we have, at least, one opportunity (against England on 12 March) to give a good account of ourselves on a global stage and let the world know that women’s cricket in Pakistan has come of age and is on the rise.“Our opening match is against India and though many think it will be a match between arch-rivals, frankly speaking there is nothing like this in women’s cricket. We have played quite a few times against each other but those were just games of cricket. We respect India because of what it has achieved in women’s cricket.“When we play our opening match, we will try to forget it’s a World Cup match because that thought can unsettle you, make you nervous and prevent you from giving your best. I don’t think cricket is a difficult game if you stick to basics.“I think the word ‘ICC’ makes this event prestigious and I feel honoured and privileged to not only wear the green blazer but to also lead my country at the highest level which is a dream for any sportsperson.“My team is not different. It is also looking forward to the tournament and is keen to make the nation proud. It is a tough task but not impossible,” said Urooj.Pakistan will play two warm-up matches in the lead up to the World Cup. It plays New Zealand at Manly on Tuesday 3 March and South Africa at Village Green on Wednesday 4 March.PAKISTAN – Urooj Mumtaz (captain), Sana Mir (vice-captain), Almas Akram, Asmavia Iqbal, Armaan Khan, Batool Fatima, Bismah Maroof, Javeria Khan, Nain Abidi, Nahida Khan, Naila Nazir, Qanita Jalil, Sajida Shah, Sania Khan, Sukhan Faiz.

Cricket Magazine

We are offering a special subscription offer - one year's worth (4 bumper issues) of the official Cricket World® magazine for only £15.95 for the UK and Eire or £24.95 for the rest of the world.

The latest edition is now on sale including:

International Review

County Season ReviewClub &

Ground Feature Cricket World Awards

Win A Holiday To Jamaica

ECB NewsCricket World® magazine is available from WHSmith, John Menzies and all good newsagents
Click here to subscribe using our secure server system

International Cricket Council

ICC Learns That Anti-Doping Code Is WADA Compliant

24 February 2009

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed that the International Cricket Council's (ICC) revised anti-doping code is WADA-compliant.
On day one of the ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) meeting in Johannesburg, members heard that WADA had approved the code, which allows cricketers to be tested out of competition. Member boards continue to be educated about the new code.
Talks on the development of the Future Tours Programme, promotion of Test cricket and the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit were also held while discussions over the abandoned Test match in Antigua will continue into a second day.
The CEC comprises the chief executives of the ten Test-playing nations and three representatives from ICC Associate members and is chaired by Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive.

Twenty20 Cricket

Stalemate After BCCI, ICC And ICL Discussion
23 February 2009


No agreement to end an ongoing dispute was reached despite three hours of talks between the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Cricket League (ICL) in Johannesburg.
The three parties had come together to discuss the ICL's application to be recognised by the ICC as unofficial cricket and that proposition will now go back before the ICC Board meeting in Dubai in April.
In attendance were David Morgan and Haroon Lorgat (ICC), N. Srinivasan (BCCI), Subhash Chandra and Himanshu Mody (Essel Group, which runs the ICL).
“I am grateful to all parties for coming together with the best of intentions and the discussions took place in a friendly and cordial manner but, unfortunately, we were not able to come to a successful conclusion in our discussions," ICC President Morgan said in a statement.“The ICL’s application for approval as unofficial cricket will now go before the ICC Board at its April meeting in Dubai," he confirmed.