Sri Lanka v India, 2nd Test : Teams unchanged as India bat

Much to India's relief, Sri Lanka didn't get their devastating three-step programme going - win the toss, bat big, and let Murali and Mendis loose - in the Galle Test. Anil Kumble won the toss on a pitch that looked drier than the one at the SSC, and as expected, chose to bat. One half of the pitch, at the Fort End, had a fair few cracks; the other looked and felt damp and didn't have any cracks, according to Waqar Younis.
India expected the batting performance to be a huge improvement over the one in the first Test, where they were under pressure from Sri Lanka's total from the off, and Sri Lanka never in any danger of losing. At any rate India had a huge task at hand: to recover from their third-heaviest defeat ever.
Both teams chose to go with the same personnel as in the first Test, which was no surprise. India's annihilation at the SSC was more down to Sri Lanka's superior performance in every aspect of the game, so it was not a question of who played but of application.

India: 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ishant Sharma.

Sri Lanka: 1 Michael Vandort, 2 Malinda Warnapura, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Nuwan Kulasekara.

Source : Cricinfo

Cricket Association of Bengal elections : Much work to do, says Dalmiya

Out in the wilderness for 18 months, former ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, elected as the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), has comeback parallel to those of the state's cricket icon Sourav Ganguly.
As counting of votes at the 77th Annual General Meeting of the CAB which continued past midnight, a beaming Dalmiya announced "Cricket in Bengal needs me. That's why I'm back".
"I will take a couple of days to sit down with colleagues and decide about our future plans," he said.
Dalmiya, lying low ever since he was ousted from the post of CAB President in December 2006, planned his comeback and ensured that his entire panel of office-bearers was elected comfortably.
The former ICC chief defeated the incumbent President and a senior IPS officer Prasun Mukherjee 71-47 for a decisive victory as 118 of the 121 voters cast their ballots at the Eden Gardens here.
Indirectly referring to cases instituted against him by the BCCI, Dalmiya said "Initially I wanted to make a comeback so that I could emerge without a blemish, but that changed once Bengal got relegated to the Plate Division of the Ranji Trophy. There's much work to do now".
Vanquished in the battle, which was being observed keenly on the BCCI radar, Mukherjee said "the members wanted Mr Dalmiya back and this mandate is overwhelmingly in his favour. I congratulate Dalmiya and wish him all the best".
Besides Dalmiya, the other members of his panel swept the polls cornerning all posts. Samar Kar, Shib Kumar Kalyani and Shibaji Dutta, belonging to Dalmiya's group, were elected Vice-Presidents along with Arijit Roy, who turned into a consensus candidate.

England v South Africa, 3rd npower Test : Nel sparks England collapse on Test return

Andre Nel took three wickets and sparked a collapse by England on the first day of the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
England crashed to 231 all out after winning the toss and batting on an easy-paced pitch. They were cruising at 68 for no wicket before Nel struck twice in two balls and they never recovered. South Africa were 38 for one at the close.
Having revealed his aggressive and sometimes impetuous alter ego during the build-up to the Test, Nel was predictably the target of verbal barbs from the crowd but his bowling backed up his claim that he liked to get the crowd going.
Nel took three for 47 and all-rounder Jacques Kallis three for 31 as England, trailing the four-match series 1-0, failed to post the imposing total sought by captain Michael Vaughan.
Making his return to the Test side in place of the injured Dale Steyn, Nel dismissed the first three men in the England batting order. He could have done even better because he twice induced edges from Ian Bell which fell just short of the slips. Bell went on to make 50.
Bell and Alastair Cook (76) made more than half their side's total. Nel made the breakthrough after Andrew Strauss and Cook had apparently drawn the sting from the South African bowling.
Strauss stepped on his stumps as he played Nel to the leg side to be out hit wicket for 20.
The out-of-form Vaughan pushed forward to the first ball he faced and was given out caught behind by umpire Aleem Dar in response to a frenzied appeal by Nel, even though wicketkeeper Mark Boucher did not join in. Vaughan looked surprised at the decision but replays indicated he might have got a faint edge to the ball.
Three overs later Kevin Pietersen tried to play Kallis to leg and the ball looped off his pad to Ashwell Prince at backward point. He was given out caught although the ball probably did not touch his bat. Ironically he could have been given out leg before wicket as replays showed the ball would have hit his stumps.
Cook made an impressive 76 off 125 balls before Essex county colleague Nel had him caught low down by a diving Kallis at second slip. The rest of the batting crumbled, apart from a cautious stand of 39 off 115 balls between Andrew Flintoff and Tim Ambrose.
The recall of Paul Collingwood at number six was unsuccessful with the batsman looking out of touch and making only four off 22 balls before edging Kallis to first slip.
Flintoff only showed his usual aggression after Ambrose and Ryan Sidebottom were out in quick succession but he had no soon hit Makhaya Ntini for six and four off successive balls than the innings ended with James Anderson and Monty Panesar were run out off successive balls. Both were trying to feed the strike to Flintoff.
Anderson fell to a direct hit from Prince at cover before Panesar turned the first ball he received to leg and attempted a suicidal second run because it was the last ball of the over.
The pitch lacked pace and the batsmen had plenty of time to put the ball away when the bowlers dropped the ball short. But both Nel and Kallis were able to get some swing in partly cloudy conditions.
South African captain Graeme Smith had to pass a fitness test on a sore back. He took his place but after spending most of the day on the field he was out for seven when he edged Flintoff to first slip.

Javed Miandad backs under-pressure Lawson

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has defended the current national coach Geoff Lawson, arguing that the Australian "should be allowed to complete his contract".
"Nowhere in the world are contracts treated with such contempt," Miandad told Geo TV. "In our [Pakistan] cricket system there is a proper contract system for coaches and players with relevant clauses. Yet despite repeated breaches no action is taken by the board.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is bound to adhere to the contractual terms. Nowhere is a coach or player allowed to give statements with board officials having a say on every issue, except in Pakistan. They should allow Lawson to complete his contract but if he wants out himself that is another issue."
He quoted his own experience as coach of the national side. "What example of discipline can you set by not honouring a valid contract? They (PCB) did the same with me. I had a legal contract with them and yet behind my back they were negotiating with another coach (Woolmer)."
Lawson was appointed coach in August last year for a two-year term, but has had a mixed run so far; under him Pakistan have lost series to South Africa and India and failed to qualify for the final of the Asia Cup, held at home.
Pakistan did, however, reach the final of the Twenty20 World Cup last year and win the Kitply Cup in Dhaka in June this year. However, speculation has been rife about his fate and though privately board officials are not thought to be impressed by him, officially he has the board's backing. Nasim Ashraf, the board chairman, said recently, after the Asia Cup, that both captain Shoaib Malik and Lawson would retain their jobs.
The team's next assignment is a likely three-match ODI series against New Zealand at home, ahead of the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan in September 2008.

Source : Cricinfo

Champions League : New Zealand excited by Champions League possibility

The participation of Central Districts, New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 champions, in the inaugural Champions League in India between September 29 and October 8 will, if it comes through, be a big boost to the domestic game in the country, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has said. The BCCI, the tournament hosts, confirmed that teams from Sri Lanka and West Indies will compete with Central Districts for one slot in the league, with England's participation highly unlikely.
"First up, it may well be off to India to participate in this competition, which is extraordinary," Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, told the Dominion Post. "It's still to be decided what money there'll be. I think there's a truckload of prize money, and traditionally that's gone to players.
"We need to accept the fact that our teams can compete on the global stage and it might seem extraordinary but that's what it's all about. And if this can become something that we regularly participate in, it obviously adds a significant edge to our domestic Twenty20 competition."
Central Districts have two high-profile New Zealand players, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram, in their ranks, both of whom played in the IPL. Since Taylor's IPL franchise, the Bangalore Royal Challengers, failed to qualify for the Champions League, he would be expected to turn out for his state side. Since Chennai Super Kings have qualified, Oram would have to decide which team to represent, and Vaughan said the decision rests entirely with the player.
The details of the Champions League will be finalised in Mumbai later tonight at a meeting to be attended by officials from the BCCI, Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia. A team from Pakistan has also been confirmed.

Source : Cricinfo

Champions League : League not in violation of ICC playing agreement - BCCI

The BCCI, which is hosting a Twenty20 Champions League for domestic teams from at least four countries immediately after the Champions Trophy in September, will inform the ICC that the proposed tournament does not violate any previous agreement signed by the governing body's members, Cricinfo has learnt.
The ICC had on Tuesday reminded its member countries through an email that holding a tournament within seven days of an ICC event violated a playing agreement signed by its members. Officials from BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa are meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday to finalise the Champions League to be held in three Indian venues from September 29, one day after the Champions Trophy ends in Pakistan.
"The BCCI will inform the ICC that the playing agreement clearly pertains only to bilateral series and international tournaments involving national sides," a senior BCCI official told Cricinfo. "The Champions League is a multi-club event for domestic teams and does not come under the jurisidiction of this agreement."
Apparently, the BCCI "understands" that the ICC email was "part of a mandatory procedure" followed by the governing body, acting on a letter it had received from ESPN-Star Sports, its official broadcaster. The broadcaster had expressed concerns over whether the Twenty20 tournament would devalue the Champions Trophy one-day tournament.
"The ICC has followed a process and we understand that. Our position is also clear and we will communicate that accordingly," the official said. The Champions League has already generated controversy, with the ECB planning to go ahead with its own tournament, slated for October in Sharjah, after disagreements with the BCCI over various rules and regulations, including the ban on players from the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL), the share-holding pattern and profit-sharing formula.
On the other hand, the Champions Trophy faces the threat of player pullouts after the ICC decided to go ahead with the tournament in Pakistan despite security concerns.

Source : Cricinfo

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza again on knee troubles

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza stayed in the dressing room while his teammates were involved in a practice match yesterday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur as part of their preparation for the three-match one-day series in Australia.The reason was nothing new. The pace spearhead has been having pain in his left knee, which was operated on, for the last three days.The injury remains a big problem in the career of the 'Narail Express', who has so far had operations on both knees to continue his international career.Since making his international debut in 2001, Mashrafe had been out of cricket several times in his torrid career and it was not only because of his knees but also for his persistent back pain. And the braveheart cricketer always made his comeback keeping his head and shoulders above everything.But the main problem is that everybody is kept in riddle whenever the paceman complains about injury. The main question remains on how serious his injury is?There was no exception this time. If you take it from the bowler himself, then things look serious ahead of a very tough series next month but different opinions come from the team management.National team physio Darryn Lifson could have been the right person to clear everything but he was not ready to comment anything on the issue."I would not say anything," was the response of Lifson.Chief selector Rafiqul Alam, who was present at the ground to watch the Tigers practice match, said that there was nothing serious with the leading paceman's injury."Our physio (Lifson) informed that there is nothing serious with the injury and the bowler (Mashrafe) just needs a few days rest," said Rafiq.Many of his teammates were always scrupulous about his injury complaints as he had earlier nitpicked several times of the back pain or anything like that but dramatically recovered the following day only to show his true character as a born fighter."There is pain in my left knee which I felt during practice three days back. I had MRI yesterday and will be doing another today (Tuesday). What my physician told me was that everything would depend on how much pain I can absorb to play international cricket because I will never be cured hundred per cent," said Mashrafe."The main problem is that it is my landing foot and the condition of the knee is not good after the operation (in 2003). Actually I am not sure about how long I can tolerate this pain to continue my international career," the dejected bowler added.Mashrafe also believe that the injury scare always slows down his progress."You must practice hard to stay alive in international cricket but it is not always easy for me because I have to consider my injury first," he observed.Whatever the fact was it would be painful for the team management if this injury ultimately proved to be a serious one because the bowling is most vulnerable department right now.The continuous injury of Syed Rasel already made things difficult and the newcomers' performance in the highest level hardly made anyone believe that they are ready to fill up any more vacuum.

Srilanka's luck extended

India's batting reputation will be at stake when they attempt to solve Sri Lanka's spin puzzle in the second Test starting here on Thursday.The tourists collapsed twice in the opening match of the three-Test series in Colombo, losing by an innings and 239 runs on Saturday.Sri Lankan spinners Muttiah Muralidaran and Ajantha Mendis did the damage, sharing 19 wickets.Muralidaran's wizardry has always shone especially bright at the Galle International Stadium, where he has taken 91 of his world-record 746 wickets in 12 Tests.This time out there will be no respite for the visitors as he has found an able partner in Mendis, an unorthodox spinner.Mendis made an impressive debut in Colombo, grabbing eight wickets, and the pair is expected to make merry again."The pitch here is basically spin-friendly," said curator and former Sri Lankan bowler Jayananda Warnaweera."Murali has always bowled well here and I think Mendis will also succeed because he has variations. It has always been a lucky ground for Sri Lanka."Sri Lanka have lost just one of their last nine Tests at Galle since July 2000, the lone defeat coming against Australia four years ago.While India have talented batsmen in Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Venkatsai Laxman, but failed to match Sri Lanka's batting prowess in the first match.Four Sri Lankan batsmen -- skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Malinda Warnapura, Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan -- scored centuries, while Laxman was India's top-scorer with 56.Opener Gautam Gambhir said India were confident of putting in an improved batting performance in the second Test."We will look to be more positive against Mendis and Murali as both of them are quality spinners. But we are going to put up a much better show as the guys are really positive," he said.Muralidaran troubled the Indian batsmen in the lone Test played between the two countries at Galle, taking eight wickets to fashion his team's 10-wicket win in 2001.He has bagged five or more wickets in a Test innings 10 times here and 10 or more in a match on four occasions, his best being 13-171 against South Africa eight years ago.No Test was held at this venue for nearly three years after it was devastated by the 2004 tsunami. Test cricket resumed in 2007 with a visit from England.

Source : Afp, Galle

Cricket Association of Bengal elections : Dalmiya elected CAB president

Jagmohan Dalmiya has been elected president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), a position from which he was unseated in December 2006 following charges of embezzlement. Dalmiya, a former president of both the ICC and the BCCI, defeated the incumbent, Prasun Mukherjee, to secure a seat on the Indian board.
Dalmiya won by 71 votes to 47, an overwhelming margin for someone virtually out of cricket for the past 18 months.
"Cricket in the state needs me, that's why I'm back," Dalmiya told the Telegraph, a Kolkata-based daily. "I'll require a couple of days to sit down with colleagues and then chalk out plans. Initially, I wanted to make a comeback so that I could emerge without a blemish, but that changed once Bengal got relegated to the Plate Division in the Ranji Trophy. Nothing personal is a priority. Today, there's much work to do."
The election has created interest far beyond Kolkata, because of Dalmiya's bitter and long-running rivalry with the current BCCI administration. The charges of embezzlement - relating to the 1996 World Cup, and for which he was arrested before being released on bail - were levelled by the BCCI after Sharad Pawar took over as president. Dalmiya had used his casting vote to help his nominee, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, defeat Pawar in the BCCI presidential election in 2004. On Tuesday night, Pawar said Dalmiya's win was an "internal matter".
Mukherjee - Dalmiya's opponent in this election - had been part of Pawar's camp within the board. The last time the two fought each other in an election, in 2006, Mukherjee had the backing of Pawar and the state's chief minister but lost to Dalmiya by one vote. The embezzlement charge led to Dalmiya being expelled from the BCCI and forced to resign from the CAB post, which then fell to Mukherjee.
Dalmiya challenged the expulsion in the Kolkata High Court and, in July 2007, the court stayed the decision and allowed him to contest elections. The stay came too late for last year's CAB elections but his return to the fray this year was always on the cards.
Dalmiya's campaign was helped by a general decline in Bengal cricket, of which the lowest point was the Ranji team's relegation from the Elite group. The Mukherjee administration had also seen several glitches, the most glaring and embarrassing being during the first IPL match at Eden Gardens, when the floodlights failed. Mukherjee had suffered a personal embarrassment too several months ago when he was forced to step down as the city's police chief following a controversial murder case.
Mukherjee, however, said the result was unexpected. "The members wanted Dalmiya back and this mandate is overwhelmingly in his favour," Mukherjee said. "I have nothing to say and I congratulate Dalmiya and wish him all the best.
"But this result is unexpected for me and I have not really understood why this happened. I don't want to go into the reasons."
Since his ouster from the CAB in 2006, Dalmiya spent time fighting various legal battles relating to cricket; apart from the embezzlement case, being heard in a Mumbai metropolitan court, he has filed perjury charges against Pawar, his successor Shashank Manohar and BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah. He has also been the subject of investigations by the state government over irregularities in his tannery business.

The Dalmiya panel: Jagmohan Dalmiya (president), Biswarup Dey, Arun Mitra (joint-secretaries), Samar Kar, Shib Kumar Kalyani, Shibaji Dutta (vice-presidents), Bablu Ganguly (treasurer).

Source : Cricinfo

England v South Africa, 3rd npower Test : South Africa wait on Smith fitness

South Africa's captain, Graeme Smith, has emerged as an injury concern ahead of the third Test against England at Edgbaston on Wednesday, after picking a back injury while batting against Bangladesh A during their drawn warm-up game at Worcester last Thursday.
Smith missed South Africa's training session on Monday, and was expecting to opt out of the indoor nets on Tuesday after heavy overnight rain forced the players to cancel their pre-match middle practice. He now faces a late fitness test on the morning of the Test to determine whether he will be able to take part.
"It's been niggling me a bit and I'm obviously in a little bit of pain, so it's just about taking precautions to make sure I'm ready for tomorrow," said Smith. "I don't want to do anything today that will affect tomorrow, but I'm taking treatment and improving every day, so tomorrow morning I see myself coming down early and putting in the work I need to."
Smith's absence would be a major blow to South Africa's hopes of sewing up their first series win in England since readmission. Dale Steyn has already been ruled out with a broken thumb. Edgbaston is a ground which harbours fond memories for Smith as well - it was here, as a 22-year-old rookie captain in 2003, that he racked up his career-best score of 277, the perfect riposte to his opposite number, Nasser Hussain, who had forgotten his name during the pre-match press conference. Hussain resigned immediately after the game as Michael Vaughan took over the reins.
When asked if he was 100% sure of being fit for the Test, Smith replied: "I would like to think I am" - a statement that did not sound flushed with confidence. Should he fail his fitness test, JP Duminy is standing by to partner Neil McKenzie in a match that South Africa need only to draw to ensure a share of the series. Ashwell Prince, their form batsman of the series, would take over as captain.
Nevertheless, Smith had not mislaid his sense of humour in spite of his fitness concerns. When asked how the injury had come about, he responded: "It was just something that I woke up with - maybe it's a change of beds" - a reference to the excuse that was offered by England's bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, when Ryan Sidebottom reported a stiff back during the Lord's Test.

South Africa :1 Graeme Smith/JP Duminy, 2 Neil McKenzie, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 AB de Villiers, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Andre Nel, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

Source : Cricinfo

India work on fielding lapses

Robin Singh, India's fielding coach, says India's close-in catching will improve in the next Test with the team working on it in the nets. Dropped catches affected India's performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
"There have been a few lapses in the past that won't be repeated," Robin said after a practice session ahead of the second Test in Galle, starting on Thursday. "Most of the people are aware of their responsibilities. I feel we had a bad day [in the last Test] but we will come back strongly in the [next] Test matches."
India lost the first Test by an innings and 239 runs and conceded 600 runs in the first innings where four Sri Lankans scored centuries. Mahela Jayawardene, the top scorer with 136, was dropped by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik on 55 and 96 while Thilan Samaraweera, the next highest scorer with 127, was dropped by Gautam Gambhir at short leg when he was on 53.
Robin said both players had put in time for fielding practice. "Gambhir is working hard on close catches. Dinesh Karthik had a bad match. He dropped a few catches but it's a part of the game. He is working hard in the nets. We hope to come back strongly."
Robin said the team was in a better mental shape than it was after losing in Colombo. "Everyone is trying to lift their game. Everyone is prepared in their own way. If each player plays well, if we are able to get a good start, the rest can follow."

Source : Cricinfo

Harmison misses out as Collingwood returns

Steve Harmison made it as far as the England squad, but won't be making his Test comeback just yet after he was left out of the final eleven to face South Africa at Edgbaston. Paul Collingwood, his Durham team-mate, is recalled after being dropped at Headingley while Ryan Sidebottom is fit again. As expected Stuart Broad has been left out after showing signs of fatigue in recent weeks.
The pitch at Edgbaston is not expected to be quick and bouncy but could assist the swing bowlers, a factor that will have swayed Michael Vaughan and Peter Moores's decision over the team. Even though the hot weather of recent days is forecast to break up during the Test there is still the possibility of the surface taking turn, therefore Monty Panesar becomes much more of an attacking option than he was in Leeds.
"It wasn't straightforward because we obviously had the option of going with five [bowlers]," said Vaughan. "But because of this ground, and where we were last week, we felt that the depth in batting would help. That's what we've gone with, it's obviously going to be tested over the next few days, but at the end of it I'm confident we can produce the performance that we all want this week."
So after one Test with a five-man attack, England are back to four frontline bowlers with Collingwood in support. Collingwood has scraped together 92 runs in nine first-class innings this season, and hasn't played in that format since the Lord's Test, but at least he has found some one-day form with Durham. His recall means Tim Ambrose will fall two places from No. 6 to No. 8 and Andrew Flintoff remains at No. 7.
"Colly's obviously struggled of late, but he averages over 40 in Test-match cricket with a double-hundred," said Vaughan. "His fielding, his energy, and his bowling on this type of wicket could be useful if it swings. He's just a good man to have around the team, because he's very mature and a good thinker of the game. He knows he needs to start scoring runs, as a few of us do, but it's good to have him back in among the ranks."
Vaughan is another man who could do with a big innings in this match. He has managed only 23 runs in three innings to date in this series, although the absence of his nemesis, Dale Steyn, will doubtless boost his confidence. "I don't feel under any extra pressure than I have done in the last two to three years," said Vaughan. "I've always had these blips in form and I'm confident I can come through them."
The break between Tests has given Vaughan the chance to spend some time at the National Academy at Loughborough and work on his technique, and he believes he'll come back stronger. "I always analyse my batting and I believe in this series I've had three decent balls, but there are a couple of them that I feel I could have done better with," he said. "I guess sometimes you do practice a bit harder when you don't get as many runs, but I'm hitting them well and I believe I can get a big score this week if I get off to a good start."
After the selectorial shennanigans that marred England's build-up to the Headingley Test, their eagerness to unveil the side 24 hours in advance of the match was a deliberate statement of intent. "It always creates clarity when you can announce the team to everyone, and that includes the eleven that play and the two that don't," said Vaughan. "It's nice to know the day before that you are playing so you can prepare your mind, rest up, and get yourself focused for the start tomorrow morning."
Flintoff and James Anderson had a lot of bowling at Headingley, so Sidebottom's return will be a huge boost for Vaughan. It'll be vital for England that he recovers the zip which was missing at Lord's. "Ryan's bowled all week, and he's confident he's back to being that snappy bowler he was in the winter and early on in the summer," said Vaughan. "The week will testify that, but he looks to have a bit more confidence back."
The team selection is tough on Broad, who has been England's most consistent batsman of the series so far, but as Vaughan conceded, it is his lack of wickets that has prompted the change. "He's been left out for his bowling," he said. "We've all seen what a good cricketer he is, and will be for England. His batting is very consistent - I've no doubt he'll climb the order eventually - but he's bowled a lot of overs and is starting to look a little jaded. It's a good time to get out of the firing line, go and play for his county, and I've no doubt he'll be back in the team sooner rather than later."
Harmison, meanwhile, remains in the background, and could yet feature in the series if England fail to make the most of Edgbaston's conditions. "He's very close, and that's why we brought him back into the squad," said Vaughan. "It's a sign for him that he's got a chance to get back in. He's obviously not in the eleven this week, but who's to say he won't be in the eleven at The Oval the week after."

England Team: 1 Andrew Strauss, 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Tim Ambrose (wk), 9 Ryan Sidebottom, 10 James Anderson, 11 Monty Panesar.

Coach backs Nel

South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has no doubts Andre Nel can fill the gap left by the injured Dale Steyn when the third Test against England starts at Edgbaston on Wednesday.Fast bowler Steyn is out of the match after breaking his thumb on the first day of the tour game against Bangladesh A which ended in a draw at New Road here Sunday.Steyn took seven wickets in the Proteas' 10-wicket second Test win at Headingley which put them 1-0 up in the four-match series with two to play after the drawn opener at Lord's.His loss is a blow to South Africa as they seek a first series win in England since their re-admission to international cricket.But in fellow quick Nel, someone who often attracts as much publicity for his verbal spats with opposing batsmen as he does his bowling, Arthur is confident the Proteas have an ideal stand-in."Any time Andre plays for South Africa he's fired up. I can't wait to see him bowl hard. I think he's going to do really well," Arthur told the BBC."We've backed Andre a huge amount over the last couple of months and I've got a feeling he is going to come through this one fantastically."It just shows that when you plan there has to be a queue and some succession in place."We have the ability now to lose one guy and be able to bring back a guy who is a hardened Test-match campaigner. So we are fortunate to do that, but that's how we structured our team."Nel, who has taken 119 wickets in his 34 Tests, had a comfortable warm-up for his return to centre stage with four wickets and the 31-year-old also weighed in with a maiden first-class fifty against Bangladesh A.South Africa, who didn't enforce the follow-on, saw AB de Villiers -- whose 174 at Headingley helped provided the platform for victory -- and squad batsman Robin Peterson both make hundreds against Bangladesh in a second innings total of 328 for four declared.All-rounder Jacques Kallis, 55 not out overnight, did not resume his innings Sunday after sustaining an injury to the fourth finger of his right hand while attempting to take a catch.However, he did field during Bangladesh's second innings and Arthur said Kallis was "100 percent fine" to face England.Bangladesh, bowled out for 121 first time around, were 97 for two at the conclusion of this three-day match.

Source : Afp, Worcester

Vaughan's lucky ground

England captain Michael Vaughan returns to the scene of one of the most significant events of his cricket career as his team seek to turn around their fortunes in the second Test against South Africa at Edgbaston starting on Wednesday.Vaughan is under pressure, with his team trailing 1-0 in the four-match series and his own batting form under scrutiny after he scored only 23 runs in three innings in the first two Tests.But it was at the same ground against the same opponents five years ago that Vaughan hit a masterly 156 and soon afterwards became England's Test captain when Nasser Hussain resigned after the match.The first Test of 2003 is remembered chiefly for a powerful batting performance by South African captain Graeme Smith, who made a South African record score of 277 after sharing a 338-run opening stand with Herschelle Gibbs.After South Africa's massive 594 for five declared, England needed at least one batsman to play a major innings to insure them against defeat in a rain-hit match. Vaughan provided it.It was also at Edgbaston that England snatched a two-run win over Australia in 2005, after losing the first Test, on the way to winning the Ashes.Further encouragement for Vaughan is that South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, who dismissed him for two in the first Test at Lord's and two in the second match at Headingley, has been ruled out because of a broken left thumb.Vaughan was held at least partly responsible for the selection debacle at Headingley where England opted for a five-man bowling attack which included the almost unknown England-born but Australian-raised Darren Pattinson, a move which Vaughan admitted had unsettled his team.Pattinson was not included when England named a 13-man squad for Edgbaston but England still face a selection dilemma.Left-arm swing bowler Ryan Sidebottom, whose injury-enforced absence led to Pattinson's call-up, is expected to return to the side but England have to decide whether to go in with four or five bowlers. If they opt for the latter it will again mean no place for Paul Collingwood.A more likely option seems to be a recall for Collingwood and a four-man attack, which would probably mean that fast bowler Steve Harmison, named in an England squad for the first time since being dropped in New Zealand in March, would not make the starting line-up.Another likely casualty is Stuart Broad, whose performances as a bowler have not matched his achievements as a lower-order batsman in the first two Tests.

Source : Afp, Birmingham

India are confident of overcoming Sri Lanka's spin challenge : Gautam Gambhir

Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has said India are confident of overcoming Sri Lanka's spin challenge in the second Test starting here on Thursday.Sri Lankan spinners Muttiah Muralidaran and Ajantha Mendis shared 19 wickets in the opening Test of the three-match series to help their side win by an innings and 239 runs in Colombo on Saturday."The guys have enough talent and they have played enough Tests. Everyone must have analysed his game and learned from mistakes. We are going to put up a much better show and try to win the Test," Gambhir told reporters on Monday."It was just one of those bad Test matches for us. There are two more matches to go and the guys are really positive. What has happened is history. You cannot do anything about it and we need to think we can beat Sri Lanka."With the kind of batting and bowling we have, we can win the series."Gambhir said the batsmen needed to be more positive against the Sri Lankan spin duo, who looked virtually unplayable in Colombo. India managed just 223 in the first innings and 138 in the second."Murali is a legend," said Gambhir, who has scored 774 runs in 15 Tests."Both are quality spinners and we need to bat more patiently. They were hardly giving you loose deliveries. It is a great challenge for us, but as we all know, Indians play spin bowling very well."I think he (Mendis) bowled pretty well, but it's not that he is unplayable. It's about what you want to do rather than what the opposition is doing. We will look to be more positive against Mendis and Murali."Mendis troubled India in the two matches he played so far against them, having taken six wickets in his team's victory in the Asia Cup final in Karachi early this month before his debut Test in Colombo.Gambhir said he was looking forward to playing a long innings after failing to capitalise on starts in the Colombo Test."In Tests, if you get starts you have to make it count. I will try to score big and help the team put pressure on the opposition," he said.Gambhir scored 39 in the first innings and 43 in the second.

Source : Afp

Canada T20s uncertain

Next month's four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada is uncertain as West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) expressed their unwillingness to play in the meet during this time. The Twenty20 tournament, featuring Bangladesh, hosts Canada, Pakistan and West Indies, was scheduled to be held from August 14 to 17."This tournament may be rescheduled because West Indies expressed their unavailability in August," informed Gazi Ashraf Hossain, chairman of the cricket operations committee of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday. It would however be difficult to get all the teams in a particular time because of different international commitments.It is scheduled that after the tournament Bangladesh would be off to Darwin for a three-match ODI series against Australia from August 31.

BCCI rejects ECB's rival league offer

The BCCI has rejected an offer from the ECB to join England's version of the Champions League to be held in Sharjah this October, Cricinfo has learnt.
It's understood that David Collier, the chief executive of the ECB, invited the Indian board to join the ECB's tournament. However, the BCCI replied on Monday saying that, though it "wished the ECB all the best" with its tournament, "unfortunately, we cannot accept" the invitation.
The BCCI's reply, sent on its behalf by Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, suggests its position is final. It wants "to avoid playing ping-pong over email" on this issue, reliable sources told Cricinfo. Modi is also understood to have "clearly informed" the eight IPL franchises that they can participate only in tournaments run and approved by the BCCI.
It would have been "very unusual" for the BCCI to accept the ECB's proposal to join another Champions League, the sources said, considering the Indian board had already announced the dates and venues of its own tournament. Significantly, the ECB's offer says the tournament will be held in Sharjah, which was blacklisted by the Indian government following the allegations of match-fixing. "No Indian team will be going there, at least not with the BCCI's permission", the sources said.
As far as the BCCI is concerned, it will now focus on its Champions League along with Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa, who are said to be on board. "Already, more teams are lined up for next year, including West Indies, which has confirmed its participation," the sources said.
On Sunday, Collier was quoted by BBC as saying, "I would be bitterly disappointed if all four nations aren't represented by their two top teams. We will be discussing with our counterparts in Australia, South Africa and India to try to iron out the last few items within the rules and regulations."
The BCCI-backed Champions League will be played this year in India from September 29 to October 8 at three venues - Jaipur, New Delhi and Mohali. The final details of tournament will be finalised in Mumbai on Wednesday at a meeting to be attended by officials from the BCCI, Cricket South Africa (CSA) and Cricket Australia (CA).
Modi had told Cricinfo on Sunday that the ECB would not be represented at the meeting and the tournament was also unlikely to include England, which "has been unreasonable" in continuing to object to various rules and regulations.
The BCCI's Champions League originally planned to include the top two Twenty20 domestic teams from India, Australia, South Africa and England. With the ECB's participation in doubt, Modi said a team from Pakistan was confirmed while the last slot may be filled by a team from New Zealand or even Sri Lanka.

Source : Cricinfo

ICL begins pre-season camp

Steve Rixon, the former Australian wicketkeeper and now an Indian Cricket League (ICL) coach, will coordinate a pre-season camp for ICL players in Bangalore starting today. While Rixon will focus on developing young domestic players, Jock Campbell, ICL's high performance director, will supervise the overall proceedings.
The two-week camp will include specialised training in throwing and sprinting for which the ICL hired international expeerts Zane Allan Campbell and Matthew James Buckley. Kiran More said the objective of the camp was to cover fitness and cricket skills.
"The camp will operate under the astute leadership of Jock Campbell & Steve Rixon, who in addition to conditioning the boys to the nuances of the game; will also acquaint them with the anti-doping guidelines," More said. "I assure the cricketing fraternity & fans of the game that the forthcoming ICL season will set new benchmarks for domestic Indian cricket."
Jock Campbell, Australia's former strength and conditioning coach, said players will be educated on the international doping policy and drug tests will be carried on players across the eight ICL teams.

Source : Cricinfo

Kallis passed fit for Edgbaston

South Africa's all-rounder, Jacques Kallis, will play in Wednesday's third Test against England at Edgbaston despite injuring his ring finger while batting against Bangladesh A during their one-sided warm-up game at New Road on Thursday.
Kallis is the only South African batsman to have missed out during the first two Tests, having managed only 24 runs in three innings. He made 55 against Bangladesh A before being forced to retire hurt, but he came through a full training session in Birmingham on Monday morning to allay fears about his fitness.
"Jacques is 100% fine," said a team spokesman. "He has been in the nets at Edgbaston and taken part in a full practice session."
The news means that South Africa are set to make a solitary change to the side that won the second Test at Headingley by ten wickets. Dale Steyn misses out with a broken thumb, which he sustained while fielding at Headingley, so Andre Nel is in line for his first Test call-up since the visit of West Indies in January.
"We've backed him a huge amount over the last couple of months and I've got a feeling he is going to come through this one fantastically," said South Africa's coach, Mickey Arthur. " We have the ability now to lose one guy and be able to bring back a guy who is a hardened Test-match campaigner."

Source : Cricinfo

'Lack of quality bowlers in the pipeline' - Ashraful

Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, has highlighted the paucity of quality bowlers emerging in the country. While the focus of late has generally been on the batting, Ashraful said that didn't mean the bowlers were equipped to deal with international cricket.
"During practice we mainly concentrate on our batting and there was no exception this time because it's our main problem in the international cricket but that doesn't mean we are in a comfortable position with our bowling," Ashraful told the Daily Star. The Bangladesh team have been preparing at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur for their upcoming international assignments - the four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Toronto and the three-ODI series in Australia.
"I think we have lack of quality bowlers in the pipeline," he said. "There are few names who many believe can be good in the international cricket but the performance of Dolar Mahmud simply gave us the impression how different the international cricket is." Dolar, who made his debut during the Kitply Cup in June, has struggled in his four ODI outings so far, conceding 165 runs in 17.1 overs for his three wickets.
Rafiqul Alam, Bangladesh's chief selector, admitted there was a problem. "I think this is the area where we need more attention," Alam said. "And that's why our specialist bowling coach is specially working with our two frontline pace bowlers [Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain]. Without any doubt we have lack of quality bowlers in the pipeline but we have to work with them who are now available. The absence of Shakib [Al Hasan] and Syed Rasel was felt in the last one-day tournaments."
Injuries have meant Rasel has been in and out of the Bangladesh team this year, and he was recently ruled out for at least another two months. The return of Shakib is definitely encouraging for us as his ten overs in the middle is very vital for us but the latest injury of Rasel was a setback."
Bangladesh's preliminary 21-man squad for their forthcoming assignments includes Nazmul Hossain, the 20-year-old fast bowler. "I think Nazmul is bowling well and he can be a good option for us," Alam said. Nazmul was part of the Bangladesh A team that toured England, and took 5 for 90 against Warwickshire.
Alam said the team will be named before August 4, but said the selectors were yet to decide whether to name one team for both the Twenty20 tournament and the Australia tour. The Twenty20 tournament, also featuring hosts Canada, Pakistan and West Indies, is from August 14 to 17, followed by the ODI series in Darwin between August 31 and September 6.

Source : Cricinfo

Afridi doubtful for Canada quadrangular

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, is likely to miss the four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada next month due to a wrist injury. He is also attending to his wife, who has been unwell for a while.
"We will consider Afridi for the tournament only when he is fit," Salahuddin Ahmed, the chief selector, said on Saturday. An MRI report on his wrist is expected on Monday.
He also missed Pakistan's eight-day training camp at the Army School of Physical Training in Kakul which concluded yesterday. His selection for the tournament will depend on his availability for a series of practice games in Lahore before the team leaves for Toronto.
Canada, West Indies and Bangladesh are the other teams in the series which runs between August 14 and 17, at the Maple Leaf North-West Ground in King City.

Source : Cricinfo

Gayle likely to quit captaincy

Chris Gayle is likely to step down as the West Indies captain, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reportedly indicated. The board however said it is yet to receive official word from him.
"I am aware he is considering not making himself available for the captaincy," Dr Donald Peters, the WICB chief executive officer, told Trinidad and Tobago Express on Saturday. West Indies' next assignment is the Champions Trophy in September.
West Indies were recently drubbed 5-0 in the one-day series against Australia at home, after losing the three-Test series 2-0. Gayle was apparently unhappy with the selection policy for the last two ODIs and also questioned the policy of experimenting with several youngsters against the Australians.
Gayle has had mixed results as captain, winning two Tests out of five and seven ODIs out of 17. He led West Indies to two series wins in one-dayers, including an away victory against England last year, and against the touring Sri Lankans recently. He presided over a surprise win in the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg but his side went on to lose the next two games and the series. His other Test win came against Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain to level the two match series.
Gayle has however struggled with injuries during his tenure, sometimes struggling to keep fit for an entire tour. He returned home from the tour of South Africa after suffering a thumb and hamstring injury and a groin niggle ruled him out of the Indian Premier League.

Source : Cricinfo

Ranatunga slams India's 'Twenty20' approach

After India's massive innnings and 239-run defeat in the first Test in Colombo, Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain, has criticised India's batsmen for playing in the Twenty20 mode and said they lacked focus.
"The way the Indians have played this Test is an eye-opener not just for us but for all cricket-playing countries," he told the Indian Express. "They dealt with this like a Twenty20 game. I think they were not prepared for Test cricket." He was speaking after India were bowled out twice in about four sessions of play, with the Sri Lankan spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis sharing 19 wickets.
Ranatunga wanted India to focus more on Tests than on Twenty20s. "If the Indians keep getting their priorities wrong, they will go down ranking-wise. Ultimately, it is the rank that is very important," he said. "And it is this performance that will determine the future of the game in your country. Focusing on the Twenty20 game is a short-term thing. If the game is not protected, we are in for a major disaster.
"The Indian batsmen aren't too focussed. That is something that can creep into our cricket. That is something I don't want to happen," he said. Ranatunga has repeatedly stressed that while Twenty20 generates much-needed money, playing Test cricket and representing your country should remain the priority .
India have four days to recover from the loss - their third heaviest - before the second Test starts in Galle.

'Major concerns' with Pakistan security - Smith

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, says his players have expressed major reservations about playing the Champions Trophy in Pakistan this September. His comments are the latest voicing player concern over security in Pakistan after the ICC confirmed on Thursday that the tournament would remain in that country.
South Africa toured Pakistan last October for a Test and ODI series and Smith said the security situation had worsened considerably since then, when a state of emergency was declared just days after their departure.
"From the players' point of view, we do have major concerns with security in Pakistan," Smith told Sapa . "A lot has happened in Pakistan, from a security point of view, since we were there and those are things that are worrying us. Generally, that's a full-player view. I don't know any players who don't have issues with regards to security in Pakistan.
"There were bombings taking place in Karachi and bombings are taking place in Lahore now. Within three days (of us returning home), there was a state of emergency so we have seen how quickly things can develop."
Smith echoed the views of Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South African Cricketers' Association, who said yesterday the players were disappointed with the ICC's decision and also hoped Cricket South Africa (CSA) would seriously consider whether to send a team to the Champions Trophy or not. Smith said he would leave the players association and Gerald Majola, CSA's chief executive, to take the final decision.
"We have people working on that whom we trust, Tony Irish from the players' association and Gerald," Smith said. "We are in constant communication with them on how we feel as players. We trust them to make the right decisions."
David Collier, the ECB's chief executive, said senior players in the England squad will be consulted and shown the security reports ahead of an ECB meeting on August 4.
"We will want to have a very robust review of that (security) plan," Collier said. "We're in very close touch, not only with the Professional Cricketers Association, but directly with all the players. It's very important that we are in very, very close contact over this period and clearly other boards around the world are in the same position."

Cricinfo

England have given an international lifeline to fast bowler Steve Harmison.

The Durham man has been named in a 13-man squad for the third npower Test against South Africa, which begins at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
He will provide extra pace to an attack which has toiled its way to just 13 wickets in the last 344.3 overs this series.
The 29-year-old had previously was sensationally dumped along with new-ball partner Matthew Hoggard following the heavy defeat to New Zealand in Hamilton in March.
But he has realigned pace and direction in county action this summer and hasconsistently clocked 90 miles per hour in Durham's televised matches.
National selector Geoff Miller said: "Steve Harmison has been bowling well for Durham this season and his inclusion in the Test squad gives us another option in terms of our bowling attack for the Edgbaston Test."
Paul Collingwood and Ryan Sidebottom are also in the squad, while Darren Pattinson and Chris Tremlett have been left out.
England are 1-0 down with two tests left to play. One of the games finished a draw.

The full squad is: Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Tim Ambrose (wkt), Stuart Broad, Stephen Harmison, James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Monty Panesar.

Surprised how India folded - Jayawardene

Sri Lanka won the first Test in a little over three days and Mahela Jayawardene said he was surprised by the way India folded up. Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis shared 19 wickets between them as India slumped to an innings-and-239-run defeat.
"When you see that [Indian] batting line-up you think these guys have a lot of experience, that they will buckle down and really give you a fight," Jayawardene said. "We were prepared for that. The way we managed to bowl them out in two sessions was a surprising factor. But the credit should go to Murali and Mendis because they bowled really well in tandem. We put a lot of pressure on their batsmen and kept asking questions all the time."
Sixteen wickets fell on day four as India collapsed to their third-heaviest defeat in Tests. At the start of the day, India were struggling to avoid the follow-on - at 159 for 6 in reply to Sri Lanka's 600 - and Jayawardene said his side was focussed on taking the four wickets early. "There was a little bit of resistance because [VVS] Laxman batted well. We had to be very patient. Once we enforced the follow-on we knew we had to be patient again because the wicket wasn't doing that much. We were a bit lucky with a couple of early wickets after that Murali bowled brilliantly and Mendis kept the pressure going and picked up a few wickets at the other end."
Jayawardene said that with Mendis. who picked up best figures - 8 for 132 - for a Sri Lankan debutant - maintaining pressure at one end, Murali was free to attack the Indians. "He [Murali] doesn't have to really control the runs as well as attack but now he can focus on just attacking and picking up wickets which we want. We kept the pressure on and blocked a few run-scoring opportunities. Credit should go to both these guys for it is not an easy batting line up to bowl at. They did a very good job."
Murali praised Mendis's efforts and said the younger bowler had more variation than he had when he started out. "[Chaminda] Vaas was a wonderful bowler," said Murali. "He did the same thing like what Mendis did today by keeping the runs down and taking wickets. We both have taken more than 1000 wickets in Test cricket and more than 900 wickets in ODIs. I think Mendis will be another bowler who will strengthen the bowling. He is not just another ordinary bowler."
Mendis said he hadn't been nervous before his Test debut. "I got from the senior players and having Murali bowling from the other end and giving me good advice," Mendis said. "I got a lot of support from my captain. He was not afraid to toss the ball to me. If the captain had so much of confidence in me how can I feel nervous? Of course I didn't expect to end up with such a haul of wickets in my first Test. There weren't any particular batsmen who struggled against my bowling everybody played well against me. I think I was rewarded because I bowled in the right places. Taking [Rahul] Dravid's wicket in the first innings gave me a lot of pleasure," he said.

Cricinfo

Asif trying to hire medicine expert

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif is trying to hire the services of Dr Graham Durgan, a sports medicine expert from England, to plead his case against the dope charges after he tested positive for a banned substance during the Indian Premier League."Nothing is final as yet," Shahid Karim, Asif's lawyer, told Dawn. "But we are holding talks to secure the services of Dr Durgan." Asif had also tried to hire Mark Gay, who is an anti-doping expert, but didn't receive a response from the British lawyer.Asif had asked for the B sample test, which was scheduled for July 28 at a World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory in Switzerland, to be postponed in order to give him time to prepare his case and make travel arrangements. Karim said that they had sent two requests for postponement to the IPL, who hadn't accepted or rejected the request.The IPL doping case is not the only cloud currently hovering over Asif. His 19-day detention in Dubai for allegedly carrying a banned substance is also the subject of a separate inquiry within the Pakistan board. Reports from Dubai authorities on the matter have finally been received by the PCB and Asif has been asked to attend a hearing in Lahore on Thursday."We have received reports from Dubai regarding Asif's detention there and will now be hearing the player's side of the story," PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi, one of the committee members, told The News. He said that the committee could take a decision on Asif after the hearing.Asif was in detention in Dubai from June 1 to 20 for suspected possession of an illegal substance. The case against him was dropped by the Dubai public prosecutor on the grounds of insignificance, though it was speculated that behind-the-scenes help had been provided by the Pakistan government and the board, who share close ties with the monarchy in the UAE.

Muralitharan leaves India in tatters

Muttiah Muralidaran triggered India's collapse with four quick wickets to boost Sri Lanka's hopes of enforcing a follow-on in the third Test here on Friday.The wily off-spinner grabbed 4-38 as India struggled to reach 159-6 in their first innings at stumps on the third day in reply to Sri Lanka's mammoth 600-6 declared.The tourists now require 242 more runs to make Sri Lanka bat again, with Venkatsai Laxman (19 not out) being the only specialist batsman left. Skipper Anil Kumble was unbeaten on one when bad light stopped play.Muralidaran was instrumental in denting India's batting reputation as he claimed four of the five wickets that fell in the closing session. Among his victims was ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar (27).He was brilliantly supported by debutant Ajantha Mendis, the latest spin sensation who took the important wicket of former India captain Rahul Dravid in his probing 18 overs.Sri Lanka's batting star was Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored an attractive 125 not out to become the fourth century-maker in the innings after skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Malinda Warnapura and Thilan Samaraweera.In contrast, India's batting failed to flourish as they lost wickets at regular intervals on an easy-paced track, with the Sri Lankan spin duo doing the maximum damage by keeping constant pressure on the batsmen.Virender Sehwag was the first to go, mistiming an attempted pull off seamer Nuwan Kulasekera to be caught by Warnapura at deep backward square-leg after smashing five fours in his 16-ball 25.There was no respite from spin for the tourists as both Muralidaran and Mendis kept testing the batsmen with clever variations.Muralidaran had Gautam Gambhir (39) caught driving by Samaraweera at short cover and Mendis bowled Dravid (14) with a delivery that turned slightly to hit the off-stump.Muralidaran struck again when he removed Tendulkar, who was bowled off an inside-edge. He then accounted for Sourav Ganguly (23) and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik (nine).Mendis, who wrecked India with a six-wicket haul in the Asia Cup final in Karachi early this month, was pressed into the attack after just 10 overs.Sri Lanka continued to show their batting might as they added 178 to their overnight total of 422-4 for the loss of just two wickets.Middle-order batsman Dilshan, 20 overnight, hogged the limelight as he completed his fifth Test hundred in the last over of the morning session with a four over mid-wicket off spinner Harbhajan Singh.Dilshan made the most of the reprieve he earned on Thursday under a new experimental rule allowing players to seek a second opinion on umpiring decisions.He was on one when given out caught behind off seamer Zaheer Khan by umpire Mark Benson of England, but asked the official to review the decision.Benson consulted TV umpire Rudi Koertzen of South Africa before changing his decision, as the ball had not made contact with the bat.India's first success came when Samaraweera (127) cut Zaheer straight to Laxman at gully. The batsman added 16 to his overnight score of 111, hitting 18 fours in his 224-ball knock.Dilshan gathered runs comfortably, playing handsome shots during his 170-ball knock containing one six and 12 fours.

Duminy takes his chance to shine

JP Duminy made the most of a rare outing on tour with 166 against Bangladesh A as the South African top order enjoyed a productive day at New Road. Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis also spent time in the middle as runs flowed throughout.
The major problem for South Africa came off the pitch with news that Dale Steyn will miss the third Test with a fractured thumb. It makes the second day of this match much more important as Andre Nel, the most likely replacement, and Monde Zondeki try to find some form.
Duminy has at least bagged himself a long innings in case South Africa need any batting replacements in the remaining Tests. He came into the line-up for Neil McKenzie, who has been rested following the back-to-back Tests, and took his chance. His century came off 166 balls as the Bangladesh A bowlers were put to the sword in friendly batting conditions. The attack couldn't dismiss him and it was eventually a run-out that ended his 234-ball innings, three short of his career-best first-class score.
"I realise that the top six are doing very well at the moment and I must just keep knocking on the door and be ready if the chance comes," Duminy said. "Opening the batting is not ideal but I must be ready to take any place in the top six that becomes available."
Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, was also impressed. "I'm hugely comfortable that our batting reserve strength is very, very well looked after," he said. "He's batted out of position. He normally bats at four so I'm happy that he has the ability to step up at any time if there is an injury or loss of form."
Duminy added 155 for the first wicket with Smith, who struck 87 off 88 balls, and a further 137 with Amla (55). Kallis, short of runs in the first two Tests, clocked up his own half-century during the final session and the South Africans have ten more overs to bat before the mandatory close of the innings after 100 overs.

Pakistan delighted at remaining hosts

Despite increasing concerns that big-name players from Australia, New Zealand and England could opt out of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, the PCB is elated at being given the go-ahead to host the second-most important ODI tournament in the ICC's roster.
"It is a huge thing for us," Shafqat Naghmi, the board's chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. "The decision has proved that Pakistan is safe to play cricket in."
The decision is a significant one. Pakistan has suffered from a number of tour pull-outs and venue shifts since 2001, most recently when Australia postponed their March-April tour this year over security fears. There were real concerns that shifting the Champions Trophy away would irreparably damage Pakistan's status as a venue for forthcoming bilateral series as well as, potentially, a co-host of the 2011 World Cup.
"Most concerns various boards had were based on perceptions rather than reality," Naghmi said. "We argued along these lines through all our meetings and talks. We kept saying that things look different when you sit and watch from a distance.
"Players who have toured have realised that in the past. Even a security advisor here for the Asia Cup said he had a hard time chasing down Indian and Sri Lankan players because they were always out and about somewhere."
Naghmi confirmed that the move to retain the venue had received "overwhelming support" at the teleconference held yesterday. "We had good support in there and at least one case where we were not expecting it at all. India of course played a big role in it as has been acknowledged."
The venue finally decided, the focus will now shift swiftly on to who will come and who will not. Players' associations from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England have expressed disappointment at the ICC's decision and it is feared a number of big names might not come. But Naghmi hoped that boycotts and pull-outs can be avoided.
"We believe it is the job of the various boards to talk to the players now," he said. "The task force will be very important. It is there to allay fears and correct wrong perceptions and even a member of FICA is there.
"Importantly, this is now a forum for information to be channelled and discussed. I am very hopeful that most of the big names will come. One or two might not, but most."

Steyn out of third Test

Dale Steyn has fractured his left thumb, but the injury is unlikely to keep him out of South Africa's bowling line-up for the third Test, at Edgbaston, starting on July 30.X-rays taken on Thursday revealed his injury, but the plan was always to rest him for the tour match against Bangladesh A, which started at New Road on Friday.Steyn took seven wickets in South Africa's ten-wicket win over England in Headingley after a sluggish start in the opening Test at Lord's. He has risen rapidly up the world rankings over the last 12 months and has become the spearhead of South Africa's attack.There were also injury concerns over Paul Harris, who hurt his right wrist after slipping in his hotel bathroom. However, he was passed fit for the three-day game against Bangladesh A as he aims to maintain his place in the Test eleven. He claimed three wickets a Lord's, but didn't make an impression at Headingley as the quick bowlers did the damage.

Dhoni proposal was on time

The Cricket Board today dismissed reports that it delayed in recommending Mahendra Singh Dhoni for country's highest sports award and said the application was sent well before the deadline."The BCCI had sent the following completed applications for the Government Awards by Speed Post from the Mumbai office on 27th May 2008," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement.The last date for submission of the forms was May 31.BCCI has recommended Dhoni for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, former captain Chandu Borde for Dhyan Chand award and VS Patil for Dronacharya award.Incidentally, BCCI did not recommend any player for the Arjuna award.

Pti

Dropping Kallis the worst moment - Strydom

Joubert Strydom, who recently resigned as South Africa's chairman of selectors, has said dropping Jacques Kallis from the squad for the World Twenty20 last year was the worst moment in his four-year tenure as a selector.
The many highlights South African cricket have achieved over the last few years have overwhelmed the furious selection struggles he was embroiled in with Norman Arendse, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) president. The squad for the World Twenty20 was Strydom's first at the helm of the panel after Haroon Lorgat, the current ICC chief executive, stepped down and he said it was at Arendse's insistence that Kallis was left out.
"The whole Kallis thing was the worst, much worse than even [Charl] Langeveldt and [Andre] Nel," Strydom said. Nel was controversially dropped in favour of Langeveldt for South Africa's tour to India earlier this year; the latter then opted out of the tour and went on to sign a two-year Kolpak contract with Derbyshire.
CSA announced on Wednesday that Strydom was stepping down as the convenor of selectors "for personal and business reasons". And while Strydom is not blind to the many controversies that blighted his fraught tenure, he said his departure was on "own his own terms".
"I've been thinking about it for a while and there's no controversy or pressure involved," he said. "It's time I began focusing on my business in these uncertain economic times and my son is just about to go to boarding school, so that means we will be travelling more.
"And there's the issue of continuity - whether to step down now or wait until after the Australian tour. I decided now was the appropriate time because I think one or two other selectors are going to step down after the Aussie tour."
The regular battles to have teams approved by Arendse must be partially to blame for Strydom's departure, however, simply because they no longer made the job fun. "I wouldn't say it was the easiest job, it was more energy-sapping that time-consuming," he said. "But I don't want to go out on a bad note, I have too much respect for the game.
There is no doubt South African cricket has been well-served by Strydom, who was willing to stand up to Arendse, and he said his memories of the job would not be tainted by the unhappy times. "There was never enough fighting to take away the wonderful memories. I think I had a good stint, the team achieved some wonderful things. We will be second on the Test table if we win the series in England and we've been one or two in one-day internationals during my time. There was the '438' game and our win against Pakistan in Mohali in the Champions Trophy when we came from behind."
A new selection panel will be elected at the CSA annual meeting on August 8.

Warnapura takes the honours on rain-hit day

Malinda Warnapura's brisk unbeaten 50 off 74 balls proved to be the difference between an emphatic session and a merely satisfactory one for India on a rain-hit opening day of the Test series. India's new-ball bowlers had Warnapura sorted out initially: seeing his penchant for front-foot play, they peppered him with bouncers, fooled him with slower ones, and got him to play ungainly shots, but by the end of the 22 overs possible in the day he managed to stay undefeated after watching Michael Vandort and Kumar Sangakkara depart early.
Heavy overnight rain, sporadic drizzles during the day and the resultant wet outfield had ruled out any play in the first two sessions. After Mahela Jayawardene won the toss, both teams came out suggesting they could hardly wait inside their dressing rooms. Vandort flicked the first ball off his legs before Gautam Gambhir's interception at short leg averted a certain boundary. In Zaheer Khan's next over, Warnapura planted his front foot down the wicket and drove him straight down the ground for the first boundary of the series.
That was cue enough for Zaheer, who made the bouncer into his stock ball, hitting Warnapura three times on his shoulder in the third over of the innings. At the other end, Ishant Sharma took advantage of the shackles imposed by Zaheer. He got one to kick off a short length and move away from the off-stump line, and Vandort followed it, only managing an edge to Dinesh Karthik.
Though Warnapura still looked ungainly, what stung India was the pace at which he scored his runs. The misses, the body blows and the edges didn't seem to have any effect on his mindset; the pitch didn't have much pace in it and he was happy driving off the front foot. Then, just when the two left-handed batsmen were settling into a partnership, Sangakkara got a vicious legcutter from Zaheer, just after the drinks break. It angled in towards the stumps, forcing Sangakkara to play at it, but straightened after pitching, and the edge went low to Rahul Dravid at first slip.
In the following nine overs, Jayawardene and Warnapura batted in contrasting styles. Warnapura, although more assured than before, still looked to press forward, but whenever forced into an uncomfortable territory, he got the bottom hand off the bat so that nothing flew off it. Jayawardene, unperturbed by the fading light, was more fluent, playing majestic cover-drives off a tired Zaheer and an innocuous Sourav Ganguly.
The players walked off at the first offer of light, 20 overs short of the scheduled 42. India missed a third specialist seamer in overcast conditions, but the true test for the bowlers will come later in the game, when the sun is out and also when they are bowling in the second innings.

umpiring decision is final

An experimental rule allowing players to seek a second opinion on umpiring decisions will not undermine the on-field officials' authority, a top cricket official said here on Wednesday.The rule, on trial in the current three-Test series between India and Sri Lanka, allows a batsman or fielding captain to request a review of any decision by referring it to the third official monitoring television replays."The umpire's word is still final," said Dave Richardson, general manager of the International Cricket Council (ICC)."The way I look at it is that it is an extension of the appeal. It doesn't undermine their roles. Their skill as umpires is still paramount. They have to make the decision (after consulting the TV umpire)."Each team will be allowed three unsuccessful review requests per innings and if one is successful they will get an additional appeal.So far, only the on-field umpires determine if a decision needs to be passed on to TV officials."In fact even when it goes for review, they (on-field umpires) have to make the final decision. So the decision-making starts and ends with them," said Richardson."We have given the players an opportunity to initiate a consultation process or as we like to call it, a review process as opposed to a challenge process."I know a lot of people will say that it is contrary to the spirit of the game and you are challenging the umpire's decision."But what is better for the game -- the umpires making mistakes and being accused of cheating and (cricket) boards criticising umpires or a system where the umpire is given an opportunity to review his decision?"The ICC decided to trial the review in March, but it was delayed after England and South Africa failed to reach an agreement on it for their ongoing series."We are relying on whatever technology is available," said Richardson, former South African wicketkeeper who played 42 Tests and 122 one-day internationals before retiring in 1998."Whatever help it can give the umpires is an additional bonus. If the worst comes to the worst, if the technology fails, the on-field umpires still make the decision. So we are no worse off."I am confident it will work quite well. We must not forget what the real objective of this process is and that is to avoid obvious and clear mistakes."Richardson said the experimental rule was different from the one applied in the English domestic one-day cricket last season, which was widely regarded as unsuccessful."In England, the TV umpire would actually over-rule the on-field umpire. In our case, it is a consultation between the on-field and the TV umpires and the on-field guy still makes the final decision," said Richardson."Also in England, the problem was they had very limited technology available. In this case, we have better technology."A player can make a request for a review by making a "T" sign with his hands.The rule will apply for all dismissals except "timed out" when an incoming batsman is out if he takes too long to arrive at the crease after the fall of the previous wicket.

Vaughan told to explain

England selector Geoff Miller demanded an explanation from skipper Michael Vaughan, who described selection for the disastrous second Test against South Africa as "confused" as a trio of former captains Wednesday spoke out.The selectors have come in for criticism, most particularly over the late call-up of Nottinghamshire debutant seamer Darren Pattinson, who had made just 11 previous first-class appearances.Following the 10-wicket thrashing which put South Africa 1-0 up in the four-Test series Miller told the Daily Telegraph: "The selectors are not here to make Michael's job harder, which is why I'd like him to clarify his comments."It's been made into a massive issue by the media and I want to hear his side of the story."Miller also told the Sun: "I'm the national selector, Michael is the captain -- we're both in this together."Three former England captains added their voices to the debate amid doubts as to who had the final say on the selection of 29-year-old Pattinson.Ian Botham said in his column for the Daily Mirror that the selectors had made "appalling, embarrassing and downright wrong" decisions.Botham said: "The England team selection on Friday knocked me sideways."I feel very sorry for Darren Pattinson, but I don't have any sympathy for the selectors who lost all sense of perspective and embarrassed English cricket."It was the most illogical, pathetic and diabolical piece of selecting I've seen."Pattinson was the first new cap awarded since Geoff Miller, James Whitaker and Ashley Giles took over on the selection panel.Geoff Boycott said it would be unfair to blame Pattinson for the debacle.Boycott wrote in the Daily Telegraph: "He bowled steadily and didn't let anyone down."But this was one of the first big decisions taken by England's new selection panel, and they got it badly wrong."They need to admit their mistake and realise that wild hunches are no way to build an international cricket team."Nasser Hussain told the Daily Mail the players, and Vaughan especially, had to look at themselves."Geoff Miller is in charge of selection but there has to be collective responsibility and we can't forget that it was the players who lost the match."The bottom line is that the selectors chose to bring Darren Pattinson into the squad but it was Michael Vaughan, as captain, and coach Peter Moores who decided he should be included in the side."And Hussain concluded: "Ultimately, as captain, you have to take the blame."

Afp, London