Cricket Up: August 2008

Coach bats for Yuvraj ahead of their 'biggest game'

A low average score in the Indian Premier League so far did not mean that Punjab Kings XI captain and icon player Yuvraj Singh was out of form, coach Tom Moody said on Tuesday.

"There has been a lot of pressure on Yuvraj that he is not in form, as far as I am concerned he is in form. So far Sangakara and Marsh have done work up front and he has not had many overs to bat in the matches so far," Moody said here.

An analysis of all the batting innings of Kings XI matches would reveal that Singh did not have too many overs to bat to get to high scores, he said.

After nine innings in the tournament so far, Yuvraj has scored 195 runs at an average of 24.37, with a highest score of 57.

After a dismal start to the tournament the Kings XI have picked up form, but the game against the Mumbai Indians on May 21 would be among the most crucial in ensuring a place in the semi-finals, the coach said.

"I would say this is our biggest game so far in tournament," Moody said.

However, he refused to predict whether the team would find itself in the top four teams of the league.

"Only Rajasthan Royals are in box seat while we still have some hard work to do. I know it's a cliche but we will be just concentrating on the next game, which is against Mumbai and is a big game," Moody said.

The Kings XI are in second place in the league presently with 14 points while Mumbai trail by two points.

Trouble brewing in Sri Lanka ahead of India tour

Sri Lanka Cricket is engulfed in a bitter war among administrators, with a cartel led by former captain and current board chief Arjuna Ranatunga reportedly baying for the ouster of Don Anurasiri and selection chief Asantha de Mel.

Local newspaper Daily Mirror has learnt of a "fear of dictatorship in the country's cricket board" after SLC advertised for new selectors despite the fact that sports minister Gamini Lokuge had extended the term of the current four-man selection panel by two months, which was to expire this month.

In fact, sources close to the Australian and West Indies cricket boards, where Sri Lanka recently toured, have also complained about lack of cooperation from SLC.

Board members have been issued a gag order to not speak with the media of the brewing turmoil within the board.

India, who are set to tour Sri Lanka for a three-Test and five-ODI series in July, will be watching with keen interest with a large section of the media flocking to the country.

The paper adds the growing discontent between De Mel and Anurasiri, both appointed by the government, and Ranatunga's men is primarily for their outspoken ways.

Sri Lanka's coaching staff is also reportedly under the scanner. Coach Trevor Bayliss, who was appointed after Tom Moody's stint, is allegedly filling up the hours before he sets off for his next assignment at home in Australia.

Lasith Malinga, one of the country's premier bowlers who didn't tour the West Indies and then missed the lucrative Indian Premier League because of injury, has also not been looked after well by the coaching staff, it is learnt.

There are also reports of a rift between De Mel and Sri Lanka's A team coach, Chandika Hathurusinghe, also a former Test player, after the chief selector noticed the team's low performances.

De Mel also countered the coach about the quality of players being promoted from the domestic circles to which he went mum. Now, it is learnt, Hathurusinghe is also part of the cartel hell-bent on De Mel's ouster.

Warne rubbishes speculation over comeback

Leg-spin legend Shane Warne on Tuesday rubbished reports that he was open to the possibility of staging a comeback to Test cricket if Australia needed him for the next Ashes series.

"I am very happily retired. I am looking forward to spend my time with my children and work for charity," Warne told newspersons here after leading the Rajasthan Royals to their ninth win in the Indian Premier League.

Warne's comments effectively put the lid on speculation that he was mulling a comeback into the longer version of the game.

Earlier, media reports had quoted Warne as saying, "If Australia really needed me and there was no one else around, and (skipper) Ricky Ponting thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options.

"If Stuart MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around, and Ricky came out and said, 'Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour? We need you', that is something I would weigh up."

The report also quoted Warne as saying that he decided to hang his boots as he was sick of touring and other commitments.

"If you could just turn up and play Test cricket, that would be cool. I would definitely consider that," the report in the Australian media said.

Yusuf thrashes knights, rides out with shining armour

Yusuf Pathan produced a blistering knock that doused Kolkata’s enthusiasm as well as their chances of a surprise win in a grudge match against Jaipur in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.
The Baroda batsman blasted an unbeaten 48 off just 18 deliveries and added 81 with Mohammad Kaif (34) for the unbroken fifth wicket stand, snatching the game away after his team was struggling at 69-4 in the 10th over, chasing a target of 148.
The Jaipur team was virtually assured of a semifinal berth before this match while Kolkata had to win in order to have a realistic chance. Kolkata skipper Ganguly, who had a spat with Shane Warne after their last match, had reason enough to hope for a resurgence from his boys. But that was not to be, as Pathan and Kaif sealed a six-wicket win with 21 balls to spare.
Pathan came close to bettering the fastest fifty of the tournament, which he had registered against Hyderabad off 21 deliveries, once again showing his stature in this form of the game. The Baroda batsman smashed three sixes and five fours, finishing the game with a heave over mid-wicket and then breaking into a big smile.
‘Man of the match’ Pathan and experienced campaigner Kaif came together when the team seemed to be slipping. Gul had produced a twin-wicket maiden during which he got rid of pinch-hitter Sohail Tanvir and Graeme Smith. Ishant Sharma had struck early on and with Sourav Ganguly removing Shane Watson a fight looked on the cards.
But the complexion of the game changed once again as Ganguly went for 17 runs in his next over, Pathan clobbering him for two huge sixes. A couple of inside-edged boundaries made things easier for the Baroda batsman, who reached 24 off just eight deliveries and then steadied himself up by running some quick doubles with his sprightly partner, who too opened up and smashed Ashoke Dinda for three consecutive fours on one occasion.
Earlier, Kolkata could never gain the kind of momentum needed to put up a challenging total. They were rattled early on as Munaf Patel removed the Pakistani opening pair of Mohammad Hafeez (four) and Salman Butt (24). Patel had Hafeez caught at mid-on in his first over after having just failed to take a return catch, and then trapped Butt lbw with a delivery that came in sharply at the left-hander.
David Hussey and Ganguly fell in trying to force the pace and the team was reduced to 95-4 in the 15th over. The other batsmen threw their bats around but could not get the better of an attack that has slowly but surely proved to be one of the best on view.
If Patel did the trick early on, left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir ensured there was no fight-back from the home side to finish with 3-26 including the important scalps of Laxmi Rattan Shukla and Debabrata Das.
In their previous encounter at Jaipur, the home side had scored an easy 45-run victory. The match was followed by a war of words between skippers Ganguly and Warne following a contentious decision when Ganguly forced the umpires to refer it to the third umpire after Graeme Smith had claimed he had taken a clean catch.
Teams:
Kolkata: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, David Hussey, Laxmi Rattan Shukla, Dababrata Das, Wriddhiman Saha, Ajit Agarkar, Umar Gul, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda.
Jaipur: Shane Warne (captain), Swapnil Asnodkar, Graeme Smith, Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Kaif, Ravindra Jadeja, Mahesh Rawat, Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Munaf Patel.

England v New Zealand 1st Test

Captain Michael Vaughan said England needed to improve after being held to a draw by New Zealand in the first Test.

New Zealand were in trouble at 120-4 but Jacob Oram's century and more bad light kept the three-match series level going into the next Test on Friday.

"We knew we'd have to hold our chances, we created a few opportunities but weren't quite good enough," he said.

"But there were lots of good things and if we improve a little bit more then the next Test should be good."

England had a scent of victory when dynamic New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum retired hurt with his team 120-4 - only 78 ahead - with around 60 overs left.

"That was the moment where we created the chance to go on and win the game but it didn't go quite to hand," Vaughan said.

"Full credit to New Zealand, they played a good game but the real winner was probably the weather which spoilt a good cricket wicket."

"Certainly we would have liked more cricket as you can't force results in Test matches losing that many overs."

A major plus point for England was the revised top three, with openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook recording a century partnership, and Vaughan himself answering his critics with 106 back in his preferred number three role.

"They gave us a real good platform and looked very solid at the top of the order," the skipper observed.

"I found a decent rhythm and it's nice to get a few runs. That must continue."

England have called up Hampshire seamer Chris Tremlett to their 12-man squad for the second Test at Old Trafford after Matthew Hoggard had his thumb broken by Steve Harmison in Yorkshire's Championship match against Durham.

Vaughan's team, having won four of their last five Tests in Manchester, will go into the match in confident mood.

"We usually play well there, it suits our style of play," he added.

Wizard Warne may make a comeback

Just 16 months after retiring from Test cricket, Australia's greatest leg-spinner Shane Warne has said he would consider making a comeback against arch-rivals England in next year's Ashes series.

"If Australia really needed me and there was no one else around, and (captain) Ricky (Ponting) thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options," said Warne, who will turn 40 during the Ashes series.

Warne, who has 708 wickets in 145 Tests, retired from international cricket after Australia won the Ashes in January 2007 and is now working miracles leading the Rajasthan Royals to the top of the Indian Premier League table. Warne has also taken 14 wickets at 18.78 runs so far in the IPL

Warne said he would return should injury again cut down Stuart MacGill.

"If Stuey MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around, and Ricky came out and said, 'Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour? We need you', that is something I would weigh up," he was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun.

"I would still love to be playing international cricket, and miss it because I devoted 20 years to first-class cricket. It is a big part of my life," he said.

"The reason I retired was to spend time with my kids. I was also sick of international touring here there and everywhere, other commitments, and team meetings.

"If you could just turn up and play Test cricket, that would be cool. I would definitely consider that. At this stage, it is a fairytale."

Royal storm to hit Eden Gardens

The Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly knows the time to deliver is now when his team clashes against Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday at the Eden Gardens. Ganguly, who was felicitated at a function in the city by his first captain Mohammad Azharuddin, knows the emotion will have to be left behind now for the task at hand.

"We have three matches to win, only then can we seal a place in the semis," said Ganguly.

The game promises to be a spicy contest. The last time the teams met, Warne and Ganguly had a much publicised spat over the legality of a catch. It ended with both men being fined and plenty of bad blood. So not unexpectedly the verbal volleys were back ahead of the game.

"We will have to play well and do what we have been doing right. Hopefully we will be able to knock them out of the tournament. There will about 10, 000 people behind them but hopefully the people of Kolkata will support us also a little bit," said Warne.

The knight riders have more than warne's verbal jibes to deal with. Shoaib akhtar hobbled off the field on Sunday after a couple of overs and will almost certainly miss out but their tactician-in-chief is looking beyond the concerns.

"We are the underdogs even though it is at home. What I'm looking for is for our boys to be ready physically and mentally," said John Buchanan, coach of Kolkata.

It is a do or die situation for the most glamrous team in the competition and the their clash with the Royals will decide whether they can survive in the tournament or not. The Royals are confident of knocking out the Knight Riders. Now, the only option Ganguly's men have is to perform or perish.

Oram century secures draw at Lord's

Jacob Oram's 101 secured a draw for New Zealand on the fifth and final day of the first Test against England at Lord's here on Monday.
Oram's fifth Test hundred, and first against England, was the centrepiece of New Zealand's second innings 269 for six - 227 ahead.
When Oram came to the crease, after wicket-keeper and leading batsman Brendon McCullum had retired hurt on 11, New Zealand were only 78 runs ahead at 120 for four. But by the time he was out, New Zealand had made the game ahead of the start of the second Test of this three-match series at Old Trafford on Friday.
Oram, 55 not out at tea, sped through the 90s with three boundaries after England had taken the new ball with the tall left-hander on 89.
He cut the first delivery with the new ball, from Ryan Sidebottom for four to go to 93, drove the left-arm quick down the ground to reach 97 and reached his hundred with a forcing shot through the offside against the same bowler.
But one ball after completing a 120-ball hundred with two sixes and 15 fours that got him onto the Lord's honours board, he was bowled having dominated a stand of 132 with Daniel Flynn in which the Test debutant made just 22.
There was still time for McCullum, who made a run-a-ball 97 in the first innings, to resume before he was caught behind for 24.
Flynn finished on 29 not out with New Zealand captain, man-of-the-match for his first innings five for 69, unbeaten on nought.
New Zealand resumed after lunch on 113 for three, just 71 runs ahead. And 16 balls later that became 115 for four when Jamie How, trying to turn fast bowler Stuart Broad legside, was well caught for 68 by Alastair Cook at third slip.
Opener How, celebrating his 27th birthday on Monday, batted for over three hours facing 131 balls with nine fours for his second Test fifty.
McCullum then had to retire hurt after a short ball from Broad hit his unprotected left forearm. Fortunately for New Zealand an X-ray subsequently revealed McCullum had not suffered a break.
Oram then pulled left-arm spinner Monty Panesar for the first six of the match before a square-cut boundary off fast bowler James Anderson saw the tall him to a 67-ball fifty.

ICC takes U-turn, denies stopping SRK

ICC on Monday appeared surprised at film star Shah Rukh Khan's statement that its anti-corruption unit had asked him not to be with the team on the playing field, saying that the IPL tournament was being played under BCCI's rules and regulations.
The ICC said the IPL was a domestic tournament and the game's governing body did not have any role in formulating the rules.
"The reported incident has nothing to do with the ICC as IPL is a domestic tournament which is being held under the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI," an ICC spokesman told PTI from Dubai.
"Furthermore, the ICC Board in its meeting held in Dubai on 17-18 March had decided that IPL will introduce a code of conduct, an anti-corruption code and an anti-doping code that complies with ICC regulations," he said.
Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan last night expressed disappointment, claiming he had been barred by the ICC anti-corruption unit from going to the team dug out and dressing room in the remaining IPL matches.

Knight Riders CEO Joy Bhattacharya played down the event and said Shah Rukh was actually stopped by security personnel for not carrying a visitors' pass.
"Look there is nothing like that. It was a gentleman from the security who stopped Shah Rukh Khan. He said Shah Rukh didn't have a valid visitor's pass. I don't think there is any controversy or issue," he said.
He said the ICC rules were to make sure that bookies didn't enter the dressing room.
"When these rules were framed, the concept of franchisee owners' domestic tournament didn't even come, the law was not framed to stop people like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Mukesh Ambani or Vijay Mallya from walking into the dressing room," he said.
"According to even ICC regulations, there is a system of visitor's pass, the manager and team management sign it. The person can be allowed in the dressing room as long as it is signed by. So there is no way to stop Shah Rukh from entering the dressing room," Bhattacharya added.
"I like to hang around with the boys. I am very energetic. I am very disappointed that the ICC has stopped me," he said.
"I don't know the ICC rules. I'll tell only one thing. Nobody dare stop me from coming to Kolkata. I'll be here whenever my team plays a match at the Eden," Khan said.
Asked whether Shah Rukh needed an accreditation for the IPL matches, the ICC spokesman said, "Everybody needs an accreditation and these are in line with anti-corruption code. BCCI is following anti-corruption code. Now I don't know what modifications they have made to the code."

Sehwag, Gambhir help Delhi bulldoze their way to victory

An opening partnership of 90 runs is a good beginning. Getting those runs in just seven overs is more than half the work done, especially when the target is a mere 155.
That was how things panned out as the flamboyant-resolute pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir got Delhi off to a brisk start in their chase against Bangalore in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.
Sehwag thumped his way to 47 off 19 deliveries and left-handed Gambhir notched 39 as the home side were left with little chance of improving their disastrous run in the tournament and lost by five wickets.
Sehwag enjoyed playing the pull shot in particular as Delhi made most of the early field restrictions. He struck one six and nine fours and was out playing a cut shot straight to point after taking 19 runs off the preceding five deliveries of a Praveen Kumar over.
Gambhir fell a little later, run out, after having hit five fours in his 31-ball innings. Delhi were pegged back a little as the score read 100-2 and veteran Anil Kumble did pick a couple of wickets as the Bangalore outfit’s spirits picked up, but a fight was not in the offing as the match was decided with 10 balls still to go.
It was the sixth win in 12 matches for Delhi, who are in with a chance of making the semifinals, while no-hopers Bangalore crashed to their ninth defeat in 11 matches.
Earlier, Shreevats Goswami celebrated his birthday a day late with an impressive knock on his IPL debut. The diminutive left-hander, who was part of the India under-19 squad that won the World Cup not too long ago, struck a 42-ball 52 as Bangalore scored 154-7.
'Man of the match' Goswami became the youngest to score a fifty in the tournament, striking one six and seven fours during his cameo. But with Misbah-ul Haq the only other batsman able to clobber the ball around, Bangalore could not get a challenging score on the board.

Misbah produced a quick-fire 47 off 25 balls with four sixes and two fours. The Pakistan batsman boosted the total towards the end, striking 24 in the last over bowled by Rajat Bhatia, which went for three sixes.
Delhi bowled a tight line through the innings, except for that last over by Bhatia and Pradeep Sangwan earlier in the day.
Sangwan, an under-19 player who hails from Delhi, let down Sehwag after the captain elected to field. Aussie great Glenn McGrath started the match with a miserly over in which the only run conceded was an overthrow, but Sangwan sprayed the ball over. The left-armer conceded 19 runs with the new ball and 18 when he was brought back during the mid innings and eventually went for 51 off three.
Bangalore, languishing at the bottom of the table and virtually out of the race for the semi-finals, left out Virat Kohli, opener J Arunkumar and Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzaq while Goswami, India's under-19 wicketkeeper, was included in place of the indisposed Mark Boucher. Dale Steyn, Bharat Chipli and Balachandra Akhil were also drafted in.
Delhi, who lost their previous match against Mohali at home in a rain-truncated fixture, made two changes, bringing in AB de Villiers and Yo Mahesh in place of Shoaib Malik and Amit Mishra.
Teams:
Delhi: Virender Sehwag (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, AB de Villiers, Dinesh Karthik, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Farveez Maharoof, Rajat Bhatia, Yo Mahesh, Pradeep Sangwan, Glenn McGrath.
Bangalore: Rahul Dravid (captain), Bharat Chipli, Misbah-ul-Haq, Cameron White, Jacques Kallis, Shreevats Goswami, Praveen Kumar, Anil Kumble, Balachandra Akhil, Zaheer Khan, Dale Steyn.

Clarke to miss first Windies Test

Batsman Michael Clarke will join Australia's touring party in the West Indies on 23 May, on the second day of the first Test in Jamaica.

Clarke was in Sydney on Friday for the funeral of Graham Bingle, his fiancee's father, and he will remain with her family for a few more days.

Cricket Australia said Clarke had its "absolute support" at a difficult time.

It is expected that Simon Katich will take Clarke's spot for the first Test after a tremendous domestic season.

Brad Hodge, meanwhile, who was called to the Caribbean as cover for Clarke after playing in the Indian Premier League, will be released unless he is picked in the squad for Kingston.

Clarke said: "It has been a tough week for Lara and her family and I am glad I have been here.

"We are grateful for the numerous cards of condolence over the past week and the kind words from friends, family and the public.

"I will miss the first Test and am sure the boys will serve Australia well. I am looking forward to catching up with the team and being ready to go for the second Test in Antigua."

Test squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Beau Casson, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mike Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Ashley Noffke, Andrew Symonds.

ODI squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, James Hopes, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew Symonds, Cameron White.

Injured Gayle to miss first Test

West Indies captain Chris Gayle has been forced out of the first Test against Australia with a groin injury.

The left-hander has been struggling with the problem since the final game of the three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka last month.

Gayle will be replaced as skipper by Ramnaresh Sarwan for the clash at Sabina Park starting on 22 May.

Opener Sewnarine Chattergoon is recovering from a shoulder injury and is also unavailable for selection.

Dwayne Bravo, who has been playing in the Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians, has been named vice-captain while Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will also fly in from India having been involved in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

The West Indies attack in Jamaica will be led by paceman Jerome Taylor, who bowled impressively against Sri Lanka, supported by Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards.

Meanwhile, Stuart MacGill gave evidence he could pose a serious challenge to the Windies when he helped Australia take control of their three-day tour match against Jamaica on Friday.

MacGill was the most successful Australian bowler with 4-79 but was overshadowed by Carlton Baugh Junior, whose undefeated 111 was the backbone of Jamaica's first-innings total of 279.

MacGill is eyeing a return to the Test side following recent wrist surgery and his confidence would have been boosted after removing Lorenzo Ingram for 10, Shawn Findlay for six, and Xavier Marshall for 30 in a 12-over spell, as Jamaica slumped to 135 for five at lunch.

Baugh struck nine fours and two sixes from 112 balls, and added 89 for the ninth wicket with tail-ender Gavin Wallace, after the Jamaicans subsided to 205 for eight.

MacGill then made the breakthrough when he had Wallace caught behind for 22 before Brett Lee brought the innings to a close.

Openers Phil Jaques (44 not out) and Simon Katich (35 not out) then took the tourists to 89 without loss when stumps were drawn on the opening day.

This is Australia's only practice match prior to the opening Test in Kingston. They have not lost a series in the Caribbean since 1991.

The second Test starts on 30 May in Antigua with the third Test at the Kensington Oval in Barbados from 12 June.

West Indies squad for first Test v Australia, Sabina Park

Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Ryan Hinds, Amit Jaggernauth, Runako Morton, Darren Sammy, Devon Smith, Brenton Parchment, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Jerome Taylor.

'Nobody dare stop me,' SRK tells ICC

Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan on Sunday expressed disappointment at the ICC Anti Corruption Unit barring him from going to the team dug out and dressing room in the remaining matches.

"I like to hang around with the boys. I am very energetic. I am very disappointed that the ICC has stopped me. I don't know the ICC rules. I'll tell only one thing. Nobody dare stop me from coming to Kolkata. I'll be here whenever my team plays a match at the Eden," Khan said.

Earlier in the day, the Anti Corruption Unit officials had cautioned the actor about going into the dressing room and the team dug out during the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings.

Sources said later they directed the matinee idol to stay away from these areas in the remaining matches of his team.

Asked about the Knight Riders' defeat against the Chennai side, he said, "You play the game to win. We feel sad when the boys lose. But such things happen.

"I work hard. I want them to work harder. I would have liked the Kolkata Knight Riders to reach the final," he said.

On the Knight Riders's success as a brand, SRK said "With the help of colleagues we've done something for this. Still there is a long way to go before it becomes the number one sporting brand".

Khan said he was overwhelmed by the response of the Kolkata public and conceded the gate sales had fetched him twice the amount he had expected.

Vaughan and Vettori lead from the front

England captain Michael Vaughan and New Zealand counterpart Daniel Vettori starred on the fourth day of the first Test at Lord's here on Sunday.

Vaughan's 106 was the cornerstone of England's 319 all out. But left-arm spinner Vettori kept the hosts in check with five wickets for 69 runs in 22.3 overs, the 14th time he'd taken five or more wickets in an innings in 81 Tests.
And by having Vaughan hole out to James Marshall to end the innings, Vettori became only the second New Zealand cricketer, after Sir Richard Hadlee, to take 250 Test wickets.
Vettori's haul on Sunday also included two wickets in two balls after impressive seamer Chris Martin had made the initial breakthrough.
New Zealand in their second innings were 40 without loss at stumps, a deficit of two runs, with the bad weather which had taken more than 150 overs out of the game not expected to disrupt Monday's final day.
Jamie How was 26 not out and fellow opener Aaron Redmond, who'd avoided a pair on his Test debut by cutting Ryan Sidebottom for four, unbeaten on 14. Before the close Redmond, on four, survived a close lbw appeal from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.
Vaughan, who'd dropped down from opening to No 3 in a straight swop with Andrew Strauss, hadn't scored a Test century in 15 innings since making 124 against India at Trent Bridge in July.
The 33-year-old Yorkshire batsman, who'd barely averaged over 20 during England's 2-1 series win in New Zealand in March, took nearly five hours and 204 balls for his 18th Test hundred.
But his innings featured some trademark, stylish, cover-drives. Vaughan's first century against New Zealand, achieved when he struck his 11th four, off Vettori, saw him equal former England captain Graham Gooch's record of six Test hundreds at Lord's.
England were making serene progress as Strauss (63) and fellow left-handed opener Alastair Cook (61) compiled a stand of 121, their first century partnership in 23 Test innings at the top of the order.

But after they were both out when well-set the rest of England's batsmen, Vaughan excepted, failed to offer much in the way of runs or resistance as the scoring rate slowed to under three an over.
Similar slumps had been a feature of the New Zealand series until the third Test in Napier.
England's plight would have been worse had not Redmond dropped a diving second slip catch off teenage quick Tim Southee when Vaughan was on 64.
Stuart Broad and Sidebottom showed what was possible with sound support of Vaughan in seventh-wicket and eighth-wicket stands of 61 and 48 respectively.
England resumed after lunch on 160 for three, having also lost star batsman Kevin Pietersen, lbw for three playing down the wrong line to Vettori.
Martin ended England's opening stand when, bowling from around the wicket, he had Cook edging to diving wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum.
Strauss and Cook's previous Test-best as a first-wicket pair was the 95 they shared against India in Nagpur in 2005-06.
After lunch, the intelligent Martin drew Ian Bell into playing a lifting delivery outside off-stump and McCullum, whose 97 was the centrepiece of his team's first innings 277, made no mistake. Martin was then unfortunate not to have Vaughan lbw for 30.
Vettori took the next wickets to fall, Paul Collingwood edging to first slip Ross Taylor before, a ball later, wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose, was lbw after bizarrely not playing a shot.
Broad survived the hat-trick, the ball just beating his outside edge.

Australian players yet to receive their wages from IPL

The cash-rich IPL though has been flaunting huge sums since day one of its inception but when it came to paying its contracted players, it has failed to do so till now, with a number of Australian players still waiting to be get their wages for their short stints despite repeated reminders to their respective franchise owners.
Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh confirmed that a number of the Aussie players were yet to receive their payments.
And although, he claimed that they were not too worried but cautioned that if there has been no breakthrough soon, the player's body might just take firm action against the IPL.
The Sun-Herald reported that one of the players, who played in the IPL, told the newspaper that he was informed thrice by the organisers that his wages were on the way.
"First, I was told it would be in two weeks. That passed by and I was told it would be in the following week. Then I was told it would be in the next few days. I just said, 'I'll believe it when I see it'," the player said.
Another Aussie recruit in the mega event accused that he has been trying to get an instalment through because he needed it to meet mortgage repayments. While a third player confirmed that he had finally been paid on Wednesday.
"It's something we're aware of. There's still a few that haven't been paid," Marsh said.
"It's certainly something we've got our eye on but it's not something that we're panicking about. We just want to get a result as soon as we can. I don't want to blow this up into something that it's not, but I also do want to sort it out as quickly as possible," he added.
Although, Marsh was confident that the problem would be resolved and if it still continues the ACA's only recourse will be through the BCCI.
"The bad PR that would eventuate if the players weren't paid would be so bad that none of the players would go back and the whole thing would fall over," he said.
"You're talking about some billion-dollar corporations so you just can't see how they wouldn't pay their players. They know they have to pay their players and that's why we're not panicking. It's something we'll go a bit harder on in the not too distant future if it doesn't get sorted out," Marsh added.

Bravo Mumbai! One more victory

Dwayne Bravo played his last match in the current Indian Premier League season, but left his team Mumbai Indians with some moments to cherish, not least his three-wicket haul and 30 useful runs as he was one of the stars of their 25-run victory over Hyderabad Deccan Chargers.
For the losers, its a nightmare that gets longer with every match as they are yet to post a win at home, and after being pushed out of the race for top positions, they are now being made to look pedestrian, a sad situation for a team with so much talent.
But Mumbai would be looking at their successes, and Sachin Tendulkar got a lot of help from a lot of people as they posted their sixth straight win in the tournament, and are beginning to look like one of the hottest teams in the race. Sanath Jayasuriya, Tendulkar, Bravo and Abhishek Nayar did a great a job with the bat, and then Ashish Nehra, Dilhara Fernando, Bravo and Nayar came to the party again, and made sure there were no hiccups.
On Sunday, almost every trick tried by Tendulkar seemed to work, as Fernando got rid of the dangerous pair of Adam Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma in one over, while Bravo came in later to remove Venugopal Rao and Ravi Teja, who were looking promising.
One would feel a bit sad for Gilchrist and players like Sharma and Venugopal Rao, who have tried desperately, but not been able to do anything to make their wide do anything worthwhile.
At the same time, the likes of Afridi are surely playing themselves out of favour for any future tournaments, though he did bowl well.
Earlier, Afridi, Venugopal Rao and Pragyan Ojha displayed some quality slow bowling as Hyderabad Deccan Chargers ensured that Mumbai Indians did not get a huge total. However, the visitors still got enough contributions to finish at 178-7.
Venugopal got rid of the rampaging Sanath Jayasuriya and Robin Uthappa, while Afridi claimed Sachin Tendulkar and Dominic Thornely.

Towards the end of the innings, RP Singh picked up three wickets.
But for the Mumbai team, Jayasuriya (36), Tendulkar (23), Abhishek Nayar (38) and Dwayne Bravo (30) ensured that Mumbai had a big enough total to make this a tight contest.
Earlier, Adam Gilchrist won the toss and opted to field.
Hyderabad, who registered one of their two wins against the Mumbai outfit and are theoretically out of the race for the semi-finals, made three changes to the side, bringing in Nuwan Zoysa, Haladhar Das and Chamara Silva, the latter two getting their first game of the IPL.
Herschelle Gibbs, Scott Styris and Sarvesh Kumar were left out.
Mumbai, who have seen a dramatic turnaround to their fortunes, too, were dealt a blow to their team with Shaun Pollock deemed unfit for the tie.
Dilhara Fernando, the Sri Lankan pacer, replaced him, while Rajesh Pawar, the left-arm spinner who didn't get to bowl during their win over Kolkata, was also benched while Pinal Shah was included.
Teams:
Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Uthappa, Dominic Thornely, Dwayne Bravo, Abhishek Nayar, Yogesh Takawale, Pinal Shah, Rohan Raje, Dilhara Fernando, Ashish Nehra.
Hyderabad: Adam Gilchrist (captain), Shahid Afridi, Haladhar Das, Rohit Sharma, Ravi Teja, Venugopal Rao, Chamara Silva, Nuwan Zoysa, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh, P Vijaykumar.

Butt, Das step on the gas

Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first against Chennai here on Sunday.

In this must-win match, Kolkata have left out Aakash Chopra, bringing in Debabrata Das. Chennai made two changes, replacing Chamara Kapugedera and Joginder Sharma with Parthiv Patel and Makhaya Ntini.

Both Kolkata and Chennai came into the game after humiliating defeats at the hands of Mumbai.

Teams:

Kolkata: Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Sourav Ganguly , David Hussey, Debabrata Das, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Ajit Agarkar, Ishant Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Shoaib Akhtar.

Chennai: S Vidyut, Stephen Fleming, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Albie Morkel, Manpreet Gony, Laxmipathy Balaji, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini.

Pietersen may be offered $4 million for IPL

Kevin Pietersen has been offered a record three-year deal in excess of US $4 million, more than what Mahendra Singh Dhoni gets, to play in next year's Indian Premier League and ECB will not object to the explosive England batsman turning out for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament, a report claimed.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Pietersen will be given the green light by the England and Wales Cricket Board to ink the most lucrative deal yet offered in IPL though it has not till now allowed its centrally contracted players to play in the BCCI-backed Twenty20 venture.

"The ECB is resigned to allowing Pietersen to accept the three-year contract which has been offered by one of IPL franchises, which want England's best batsman 'at any price' and are prepared to better the US $1.5 million a year given to Dhoni," the newspaper said.

This comes as a blow to the ECB, who had hoped to prevent their players from being lured to India ahead of an important 2009 summer that includes the ICC World Twenty20 and, of course, the Ashes.

The newspaper claimed that the head coach Peter Moores would have the final say on which contracted players would be permitted to join the IPL, but in Pietersen's case, they were already resigned to making an exception.

That means the Hampshire batsman is likely to head to India virtually as soon as England return from their tour of the West Indies at the start of next April and play in the IPL for three weeks to a month before returning to prepare for the World Twenty20 tournament in England and the Ashes.

Weather frustrates England

Only 40 minutes of play was possible on a frustrating third day of the first Test between England and New Zealand.

The opening to the day's play at Lord's was delayed for 25 minutes as drizzle forced the umpires to keep the two sets of players in the pavilion.

When play did eventually get underway, England made steady progress, moving on from their overnight total of 68-0 to add 21 runs before the weather deteriorated and forced the players to take an early lunch.

Persistent drizzle ensured there would be no more play but at least Alastair Cook was able to complete his 17th half-century in Test cricket and was unbeaten on 53 at the close, while Andrew Strauss moved on to 31.

On Friday, four Ryan Sidebottom wickets led to the Black Caps being dismissed for 277.

Be careful, gentlemen, of JCA, WICB

MARLON SAMUELS has been banned from cricket for the next two years and, despite his failure to deliver consistently, to all those who enjoy watching a talented batsman in action, to all those who do not enjoy seeing, for whatever reason, a young man's career destroyed, it will be a disappointment.

That is especially so as not even the members of the disciplinary committee which found him guilty seem to believe that he is really guilty - at least enough to warrant the International Cricket Council's (ICC) minimum ban.

Not enough proof

According to the committee, corruption has not been proven and, if it was left to the committee members, they would have bound him over for good behaviour for a period not exceeding two years.

According to the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit (ACU), Samuels indulged in "inappropriate activity". He behaved in a manner that was "prejudicial to the interests of the game of cricket".

And, after receiving a report from ACU, the ICC asked the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to investigate the matter. The investigation showed that Samuels had something to answer to.

This was passed to the board and the board asked its disciplinary committee to deal with the matter.

Two Fridays ago, the committee found Samuels guilty of breaching the ICC's Code of Conduct: for "receiving money, or benefit, or other reward that could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute".

"In terms of the punishment handed down, minimum penalties were agreed by the ICC board, including all full members, and they reflect the seriousness of the issues at hand," said Dave Richardson, acting CEO of the ICC. "Corruption is a serious matter, dealing with it effectively is fundamental to the integrity of our sport, and this matter is a demon-stration that its threat has not gone away."

Richardson went on to say that "It is never pleasant when a player is banned, but the process in arriving at this point has been an extremely thorough one, and we hope the case serves as a reminder to players and officials to remain vigilant."

Say what he did wrong

In the interest of cricket, Richardson, obviously, is right. The question, however, is this: Has anyone, in the interest of Samuels, proved beyond a doubt that he did anything wrong - that he benefited financially from any dealings with any bookmaker?

If Samuels, who has been around for some time, is guilty of breaking the ICC's Code of Conduct, then he should pay the price.

If, however, he is not guilty, then instead of producing nice-sounding phrases in press releases, somebody in the ICC, or even in the WICB, should say what he did that was so wrong that he has been banished for two years.

That would be fair to the game, to the public and, most important, to the man himself.

People have always condemned others while attempting to protect their own. Right now, West Indians, definitely and more so Jamaicans, including those who had no sympathy for people like the Australians, South Africans, Indians and Pakistanis when they were similarly charged, believe that Samuels is being sacrificed and, naturally if not morally, nothing is wrong with that.

Action from JCA

What is wrong, however, what could be construed as supporting wrong, is if the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) - the governing body for cricket in Jamaica, a member of the WICB - without knowing that Samuels was wrongfully accused, without knowing, therefore, that he is definitely not guilty, should do anything that would suggest that it does not believe that he is guilty.

"I find it very disappointing and unfortunate, but that's the ruling of the committee and there's nothing much we can do about it," said Jackie Hendriks, president of the JCA and member of the WICB.

That sounds as if Hendriks would have done something about it if he could have done anything about it. And, unless he believed and had some proof that Samuels was not guilty as charged, he should neither say nor do anything about it.

According to Hendriks, as has been reported, the JCA is thinking of assisting Samuels during the ban. While under normal circum-stances that would be a good move by the JCA, it is something the national association should think seriously about.

It could be misinterpreted by some, if not all, the territorial boards as the JCA saying to them, 'You all can go to hell, this is my man, and regardless of what, I am defending him.'

What could be even worse, however, is the WICB doing anything to let Samuels believe that he is innocent and to offend its own disciplinary committee - to appear to be condoning a wrong.

According to Dr Donald Peters, the CEO of the board, the board is looking at providing all the help it can for Samuels to get his life in order, and that sounds good.

Price to pay

Like the JCA, however, Peters and the board should be careful what they do lest they send the wrong signal.

They should remember, as Peters himself has said, that the players knew what they could talk about and what they could not. That the players knew what the penalties were and, most important, they should also remember that the WICB is a part of the ICC, and that it had given its word to uphold the Code of Ethics.

Samuels may not be guilty of any kind of corruption, and it does seem that he is not guilty.

There is no question, however, that he broke that section of the code of ethics for which he was found guilty and, according to the ICC and its members, there is a price to pay.

Mohali edge out Delhi by D/L method

The Ferozshah Kotla saw something almost unheard of in May, as the match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab was delayed by rain.
But when the game resumed utimately, an 11-overs-a-side affair, Delhi ended at 118-4, with Sehwag contributing a smart 51 not out.
The initial delay then became longer as the rain came down again with Delhi going great guns, having scored 94 runs for the loss of Gautam Gambhir's wicket, off just 8.1 overs.
The match was then scheduled to resume at 10.40 p.m. local time, and be a 13-overs-a-side affair. But just as the game was to begin, the rain came again, and the start was then delayed to 11 p.m., with each side playing 11 overs.
While Delhi were batting, Gambhir and Virender Sehwag began the fireworks. Gambhir departed with his score at 40, while Sehwag kept hammering away to get 41 not out when the rain came.
Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Shoaib Malik, Pradeep Sangwan, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Faraveez Maharoof, Dinesh Karthik, Amit Mishra, Rajat Bhatia, Glenn McGrath.
Kings XI Punjab: Yuvraj Singh, Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Mahela Jayawardene, Luke Pomersbach, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Piyush Chawla, Uday Kaul, S Sreesanth, VRV Singh.

Sidebottom puts England in charge

Ryan Sidebottom took 4-55 on day two of the first Test as England established a strong position from which to push for victory against New Zealand at Lord's.

Sidebottom had Jacob Oram caught at slip and then bowled Kyle Mills with the second new ball just before lunch.

He then skittled Tim Southee and Daniel Vettori (48) to finish with 4-5 for the day as the Kiwis were 277 all out.

Alastair Cook (43) and Andrew Strauss (24) guided England to 68-0 when bad light brought play to a premature end.

Trailing New Zealand's first innings total by 209 runs, England will hope to chase down their target and then build a healthy lead on Saturday.

The weather forecast is not promising, however, and another day disrupted by poor light and rain would leave both sides struggling to force a result.

England, nonetheless, are likely to be buoyed by a day that saw little go against them.

Indeed, Michael Vaughan's men will have been delighted that play was able to start on time because, but for the welcome absence of rainfall and a sharper chill in the air, conditions were similar to those from which they profited on day one.

A fairly thick covering of cloud, allied to a cold, moist track under foot, suggested that both swing and seam were likely, hence Sidebottom and James Anderson opening the bowling.

And, although the low temperatures and lack of humidity ensured movement was not as forthcoming as the pair would have expected, Sidebottom's patient first spell was soon rewarded.

He tempted Oram to drive at one that seamed marginally away from the left-hander, coaxing an edge that flew straight to Andrew Strauss at first slip for his first wicket of the match.

But the morning session was by no means straightforward for England, who would have been keen to quickly wrap up New Zealand's innings.

The hosts were frustrated by Vettori and Mills, yet they produced a disciplined effort with the ball and limited the Black Caps to just 52 pre-lunch runs.

Vettori and Mills enjoyed some success off Stuart Broad and Monty Panesar, guiding New Zealand past 250, but the second new ball was taken two overs before the break and Sidebottom duly struck with a delivery that swung into Mills and clattered his stumps.

Only two deliveries had been sent down after the re-start when bad light stopped play but Sidebottom's first ball after the resumption knocked back Tim Southee's middle stump - the 19-year-old playing across the line to a full-pitch ball that swung back at him a touch.

After the light was taken for a second time, Vettori continued to battle valiantly, swatting James Anderson for a hat-trick of boundaries through point in the 84th over.

But, two runs short of his half-century, the New Zealand skipper offered no shot to a straight Sidebottom delivery that handed the Nottinghamshire seamer - out of sorts and wickless on Thursday - his remarkable figures.

In weather not overly different to that which New Zealand suffered in on day one, England made a far more accomplished start with the bat.

Despite concerns over their effectiveness as a partnership, Cook and Strauss appeared anything but uncomfortable together and were seldom troubled either side of the day's third stoppage for light, which arrived with England 26-0.

When the evening session finally got underway the pair opened their shoulders and Cook in particular looked in fine fettle, pushing Southee past point and flicking him through square leg for consecutive boundaries, before running four off a drive through the covers.

Strauss returned to form and rediscovered his confidence with an unbeaten 173 in the decisive third Test against New Zealand in March, and he picked up where he left off against the same Kiwi bowling unit he faced in Napier.

Free of the indecision that lead to him being dropped before the Sri Lanka series last winter, the Middlesex batsman oozed confidence on his home ground and drove Oram for a stunning four and then pulled Martin to the same effect.

Cook was fortunate to survive when he edged Martin wide of the two slips and, while their ability to punish the bad balls was impressive, the openers came to rely more on singles and swift running between the wickets than boundaries.

They gave England the ideal start but, as is so often the case with the start of the international season in England, this Test match might well be decided by the weather.

Flintoff set to miss New Zealand series

Andrew Flintoff's long-awaited return to Test cricket could have to wait until the visit of South Africa in July, after Lancashire's cricket manager, Mike Watkinson, suggested he would not be fit enough to return to county cricket ahead of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge next month.

Flintoff, who hasn't played in a Test for England since the Ashes tour of Australia in January 2007, had been pencilled in for a recall at Lord's this week, after bowling with extreme pace and accuracy during his comeback for Lancashire this season. He had shrugged off the effects of a fourth bout of ankle surgery, but then sustained a side strain while playing against Durham that ruled him out of the first two Tests of the summer.

In order to play a part in the third Test against New Zealand, which starts on June 5, Flintoff would have to line up for Lancashire against their arch-rivals Yorkshire, during their Championship clash at Headingley on May 28. But Watkinson told The Guardian: "I don't think he'll be back for the Roses match.''

Watkinson doesn't envisage Flintoff playing a four-day fixture until their home match against Nottinghamshire on June 6, which also happens to be the last full-length game before the start of the Twenty20 Cup later that month. That being the case, England might be forced to wait a while longer before allowing Flintoff to resume his 67-Test career.

Watkinson, however, believes that caution is of utmost importance, and said that Lancashire's swift response to his side strain had given Flintoff the best possible chance of coming back to full fitness.

"We nipped what could have been a serious injury in the bud,'' he said. "By acting so quickly, two or three weeks' rest should be enough to cure it. Maybe Fred will be back against Notts, but it is early days. He is taking it easy this week. He needs resting and reassessing.''

Australia to stage their own version of IPL

Lured by the success of the Indian Premier League, Cricket Australia has started the ground work for staging its own version of the Twenty20 tournament within two to three years.

The CA would retain some facets of the USD two billion rich IPL but also bring in some fresh ideas in the tournament, which may be spanning over three to four weeks.

The competition is likely to be staged during the Australian summer when home Test stars are available, and also it would not clash with the IPL.

CA spokesman Peter Young said an investigation to stage an IPL-like tournament was underway and they have already started to lay down their ideas.

"In reality we have taken a blank sheet of paper and say, 'what might a domestic Twenty20 competition look like?" Young told The Advertiser.

Australian players' union boss Paul Marsh had made a call last month for CA to look into hosting its own international Twenty20 tournament.

"It could be like soccer. The Indian league will be the Indian Premier League, and then you have the Australian league as the second league, or the English league or whatever it may be," Marsh said.

Australia has been the lastest country to join the Twenty20 bandwagon with Pakistan and England already in the fray to host similar Twenty20 tournament.

Shaun, Sanath walk all over Kolkata

Sanath Jayasuriya played like the champion he is, while Shaun Pollock said it for the seniors, as the veterans combined to make the big match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knoght Riders a ridiculously one-sided affair, the hosts winning by eight wickets off just 5.3 overs.

What has been touted as Sachin Tedndulkar's comeback over the past two matches, has essentially ended up being a Jayasuriya show, as the veteran has clobbered anything that has come his way, while the captain has struggled.

Mumbai were chasing only 67 runs, and even if they had been chasing a 100 more, they would have won.

While there was a fair amount of bounce and movement for the seamers in the track on Friday, but the Kolkata bowlers were given nothing to bowl with, and whatever little hope they had of creating inroads, after removing Tendulkar, were scotched by Jayasuriya, who continued in the same vein as in the match against Chennai Super Kings.

The margin could have been wider, had Robin Uthappa not fallen to a rather unnecessary shot off Ishant Sharma.

The 38-year-old Sri Lankan was unstoppable, and Shoaib, hoping to add to the success of removing Tendulkar, saw the left-hander crack two sixes on one over, decidedly settling the question of who would come out looking better.

Earlier, Shaun Pollock bowled a match-winning opening spell as Mumbai Indians sent Kolkata Knight Riders back to the dressing room for 67, the lowest-ever total in T-20 cricket, in just 15.1 overs.

Pollock returned figures of 3-12 off four overs, and was ably supported by Dwayne Bravo (2-13), Rohan Raje (2-16) and Dominic Thornely (2-7).

For Kolkata, skipper Sourav Ganguly could only watch as wicket after wicket fall from the other end, before he too departed, for just 15 runs. Ajit Agarkar also contributed 15, while Salman Butt scored 13, in a pathetic batting display.

Sachin Tendulkar, after having called correctly at the toss, grabbed four catches.

Mumbai Indians: Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa, Dominic Thornely, Dwayne Bravo, Shaun Pollock, Abhishek Nayar, Yogesh Takawale , Rajesh Pawar, Rohan Raje, Ashish Nehra.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Salman Butt, Aakash Chopra, Sourav Ganguly, David Hussey, Mohammad Hafeez, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Shoaib Akhtar, Ishant Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Ashoke Dinda.

Ponting wary of improved Windies

Australian captain Ricky Ponting doesn't believe his team will win the three Test series against the West Indies without a fight. The Australian team, which trained in Kingston, Jamaica ahead of their opening three-day match against a Jamaica XI on Friday, is keen to put aside views suggesting that it will be a one-sided contest in favour of Australia when the Test series begins from next week.

The first Test begins at Sabina Park on Thursday, May 22.

Ponting said he expected a more improved West Indian outfit this time than the one swept 3-0 in Australia in 2005-06.

"I don't think we'll lose the series, I think we'll win. But I expect it to be a pretty good tussle between two good teams," The Age quoted Ponting, as saying.

"It is always [tough] whenever you play an opposing team in their own country. You always expect them to lift ... they play in the conditions well. Besides that we know what we have to do, we know we have to play good cricket," he added.

"I think one of the things that has changed is their bowling. They're a lot better now ... certainly than the last time we played them," Ponting said.

Ponting pointed to the Windies performance in South Africa a few months ago as a guide to their improvement. The West Indies won the opening Test, their first win against a leading cricket nation on foreign soil for more than seven years - before losing a tight series 2-1.

Kevin Pietersen up for Proteas clashes

England batsman Kevin Pietersen believes that this summer's series against South Africa will prove to be serious test of his side's abilities.

Pietersen and co first take on New Zealand, but the powerful right-hander already has one eye on the meeting with the country of his birth.

He told reporters: "We are going to have to move on to the next level if we are going to beat South Africa.

"That's going to be the toughest series we have had for a long time, apart from Australia.

"I know how South Africa play their cricket. I play like South Africa play their cricket - tough, in your face, will do anything to win and really knuckle down.

"It's going to be a hard series. That's the series we're looking at targeting to see where we are at, because it's going to be a pretty important summer next summer."

Shoaib's carnage conquers Kolkata

The Rawalpindi Express signalled his arrival in the DLF Indian Premier League with a four-wicket blitz that left Delhi gasping. More than this win, Shoaib's arrival has given a lot of hope to Kolkata as they look ahead to a semi-final berth.

It was an emotional moment for Shoaib Akhtar, one he had been waiting for a long time. After waiting in the sidelines for more than four months, Shoaib Akhtar was out to prove a point, and he couldn't have done it in a more spectacular style as he brought Delhi down with an inspired spell.

"I just wanted to win the game. I have no points to make to anybody," Shoaib said after his sensational debut in the IPL.

Kolkata captain Sourav Ganguly also heaped rich praise on the tearaway fast bowler. "He came to the country with lots (of things) happening behind him. But he showed a lot of character."

Akhtar is no stranger to Kolkata or to the Eden Gardens. He came into the limelight here with a sensation burst when he removed Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar with consecutive balls in a Test in 1999. This time he played as one of their own and the Kolkata crowd embraced him with open arms.

"For me, my team is the most important thing. Kolkata is my home team. Eden Gardens is my home ground," he gushed.

The win takes Kolkata to fourth place on the leader board with 10 points from five wins in nine matches. But more importantly, Shoaib's performance has meant that Shah Rukh Khan's team suddenly has a weapon to instill fear in the opposition camps over the next few weeks.

ICC lays down strict anti-racism code

The International Cricket Council has laid down elaborate guidelines in its anti-racism code and any breach of the code, introduced in March this year, will invite punitive action.

The action ranges from ejection from the ground to imposition of life ban on the errant spectator, who indulges in racist comments, taunts and similar despicable actions, from entering that cricket ground.

In addition, the spectator's image would also be captured on photos and video cameras to assist in criminally prosecuting the person and the ICC has instructed the match staging centres to implement these measures.

"ICC and all its members shall ensure that ground officials and stewards at all international match ground venues are trained to take action against racist chanting and abuse," the code states.

"In this regard the member, hosting the relevant fixture will liase with the Chief Executive Officers of the participating member teams to ensure that the host member is made fully aware of specific terms and phrases which are particularly offensive to the participating members."

In the last rubber held in India against Australia, the visiting team's all rounder Andrew Symonds was taunted by "monkey" chants from a section of the crowd at Vadodara and Mumbai which was objected to by the Australian team.

The two member boards' chiefs then prepared a joint statement against racism in cricket.

Additional measures put in place through the anti-racism code includes printing of messages to convey the ICC's policy on members' passes and match tickets, signs displayed prominently inside the ground and on electronic scoreboard etc.

Members who host international ties and do not implement all of the relevant portions of the anti-racism code may be "reported in accordance with the ICC Disciplinary Code", it stated.

Under the ICC's Disciplinary process, a range of penalties may be imposed including warning, fine (on the home cricket board) on the individual found to be culpable for the breach and withdrawal or suspension for a period of time of

international match status from the relevant venue for repeated offences.

Each member country has also been asked to dedicate a senior member of its staff to lead its anti-racism policies.

Moores: Fred close to a recall

Peter Moores has confirmed that Andrew Flintoff was close to earning a recall for the first Test against New Zealand.

Lancashire all-rounder Flintoff has shown up well in the early weeks of the new domestic season, having undergone a fourth ankle operation several months ago.

However, he has now suffered a side strain which has put him back on the sidelines for a few weeks.

Coach Moores confirmed: "Fred would have been in the squad.

"It would have given us a chance to assess exactly where he is, firsthand, but the process of his rehabilitation has been going on for a long time.

"How many overs he's bowled and what he's done in practice has been logged by the performance centre.

"Whether he would have been fit enough to play in that Test would have been a decision to make, but in the end it was taken out of our hands.

"The most promising thing is that it's the ankle that has been troubling him over the last two three years that, touch wood, has gone away.

"They've made some repairs, got it stable and he's pain-free, which is the ultimate thing for a bowler.

"Everyone likes bowlers who bowl 90mph, but they are a rare breed. Fred's very quick, but he's also very accurate and has a natural pace and a natural line. No-one likes facing 90mph bowlers."

Harbhajan banned for five ODIs

The BCCI on Wednesday banned spinner Harbhajan Singh for five One-Day Internationals following his slapping row with India teammate S Sreesanth.

Harbhajan appeared before the BCCI's three-member Disciplinary Panel comprising President Sharad Pawar, Shashank Manohar, the president in waiting, and vice-president Chirayu Amin who arrived at their verdict after looking into the report prepared by Appeals Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati.

The 27-year-old, playing for Mumbai in the IPL, was charged with a Level 4 offence after his run-in with Sreesanth who was turning out for Mohali on April 25.

"The Committee invoked Rule 3.2.1 of the BCCI Regulations for players, team officials, managers, umpires and administrators. Under this provision, the maximum punishment that can be meted out to a player is a ban up to a maximum of five ODIs and/or three Test matches," BCCI President Sharad Pawar told reporters here.

The ban will see Habhajan, India's third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, miss the tri-series in Bangladesh featuring the hosts and Pakistan, as well as two matches of the Asia Cup that follows.

The BCCI President explained the BCCI had acted as per the rules, but maintained that another act of indiscipline could cost Harbhajan dear.

"The BCCI has also observed that any further instance of indiscipline will invoke a life ban for Harbhajan," Pawar added.

The BCCI had been divided over deciding the punishment for Harbhajan, especially after he was shown the door from the Indian Premier League with a ban of 11 games.

However, it was on the insistence of the board President that the off-spinner was assured of a slap on the wrists. It is learnt that Pawar was miffed after the BCCI backed Harbhajan throughout the racism row during India's Test series in Australia in January.

"The BCCI arrived at its decision after having a careful look at the inquiry carried out by Commissioner Nanavati, and the report prepared by him. It was only after considering everything that the board decided to ban Harbhajan," board secretary Niranjan Shah told CNN-IBN on Wednesday.

He also said that Harbhajan had accepted the decision. "He is okay. He knows he was guilty," Shah added.

The BCCI, however, chose to let Sreesanth go but with a warning. "The Disciplinary Committee also discussed about Sreesanth. He has to improve his conduct on the field."

Simply Sanath; Chennai massacred

Sanath Jayasuriya is one of those batsmen who have destroyed many a bowling attack, and his pride must have been hurt with his pretty sedate show in the Indian Premier League so far.

He repaired all that tellingly against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, as he blasted 114 not out off just 48 balls to guide Mumbai Indians to a sensational nine-wicket win.

The Sri Lankan veteran hammered 11 sixes and nine fours, and scored at an astounding strike rate of 237.5.

Sachin Tendulkar's debut in the IPL was sedate, as the Mumbai skipper was dismissed for just 12 runs.

Earlier, S. Badrinath and Mahendra Singh Dhoni brought Chennai back from the edge of almost certain defeat to pose a teaser for Mumbai, as they reached 156-6.

Dhoni and Badrinath were involved in 95-run partnership which carried Chennai to a pretty decent total, which looked impossible at one stage. Badrinath scored a fine 53, while Dhoni scored 43 not out.

Shaun Pollock bowled four overs for just nine runs.

Sachin Tendulkar returned to serious cricket, and won the toss against Chennai Super Kings, deciding to field first.

Teams: Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Uthappa, Dominic Thornley, Dwayne Bravo, Shaun Pollock, Abhishek Nayar, Yogesh Takawale, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rohan Raje, Ashish Nehra.

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Stephen Fleming, S Vidyut, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Chamara Kapugedera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Manpreet Gony, Joginder Sharma, Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Five Kolkata Knight Riders Players Told "Politely" To Leave Team Hotel

The Kolkata Knight Riders team management on Monday asked five of their fringe players to "politely" leave the team hotel.

Sources said coach John Buchanan had a settled 14 players in mind and that the management was looking at cost-cutting.

The players who were asked to leave the hotel are Ranadeb Bose, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sourasish Lahiri, Yashpal Singh and Hokkaido.

"It was clear what the team management wants. Apparently coach John Buchanan feels that he has found his set combination and had no need for the fringe players," one of the players was quoted as saying to PTI.

I had no point to prove, says Shoaib

After demolishing Delhi with a tornado-like opening spell in his maiden Indian Premier League appearance, Shoaib Akhtar on Tuesday said that he had "no points to make to anybody".

"I just wanted to win the game. I have no points to make to anybody," the Rawalpindi Express said, minutes after finishing with amazing figures of 3-0-11-4 that wiped out

the Delhi top-order and ensured a 23-run victory for Kolkata.

Akhtar thanked his teammates, coach Buchanan, skipper Sourav Ganguly and owner Shah Rukh Khan for their constant backing.

In an oblique reference to the controversy that dogged him for the last few months, Shoaib said "I was stressed but put everything behind me".

The tearaway thanked his teammates, coach John Buchanan, captain Sourav Ganguly and team owner Shah Rukh Khan.

"Sharing the dressing room with SRK and Sourav was fantastic. They backed me. And I am really happy to perform. They put faith in me. And I am happy to deliver."

Visibly elated after his stupendous performance, Akhtar said, "For me, my team is the most important thing. Kolkata is my home team. Eden Gardens is my home ground."

Akhtar first played at the Eden in 1999, and has turned in a number of memorable performances on the hallowed turf.

Criticised often for his attitude problems, Akhtar said "Whenever I play I give 100 per cent."

Praising Akhtar, Ganguly said "He came to the country with lots (of things) happening behind him. But he showed a lot of character."

Delhi captain Virender Sehwag, who became Akhtar's first victim, also paid tributes to the fast bowler.

"This is the best spell of Twenty20 bowling I have seen. He is a great bowler."

He, however, denied that the Delhi side was done in by Shoaib's pace. "We are used to pace. We are all international players. I, Gautam (Gambhir), and (Manoj) Tiwary."

Asked to spell out the reasons for the team's battering in the hands of Akhtar, Sehwag said, "Actually we batted too positively against Shoaib."

Meanwhile, asked about his youthful exuberance in the field during the day, Akhtar replied tongue-in-cheek: "I hope the national selectors are watching."

Many buyers for PPL teams, claims PCB

The Pakistan Cricket Board has got a tremendous response to buy franchise rights/sponsor teams in the planned Pakistan Premier League Twenty20 competition.

A senior official of the Board Tuesday said the only thing holding up the organisation of the Pakistan edition of the successful Indian Premier League was finding a slot in the packed Future Tours Programme of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"I can tell you this much the response from companies and organisations and even individuals to buy franchise rights or sponsor teams in the PPL have been beyond our expectations," the official said.

"We are trying to find a suitable slot in 2009 when teams are free and most players are available because we also want the involvement of overseas players in the PPL," he stated.

The official said the Board had studied closely the model for the IPL and was confident of repeating the same success in the PPL.

"We want to follow the same concept of selling franchise and sponsorship rights of the participating city teams and selling the title and broadcast rights separately," he said.

"The companies and organisations we have given a presentation too have shown great interest and want the involvement of some foreign players not on the scale of the IPL but to a big extent to make the PPL attractive and competitive for the people," he added.

The PCB official said Twenty20 cricket even at the domestic level had been a great success in Pakistan and in fact it was Pakistan who were among the first countries to launch a

domestic twenty20 tournament.

"The people are attracted to this form of the sport and we have had big crowds for our domestic Twenty20 event. But we want to hold the PPL on a bigger scale with more glitz and

glamour," he said.

"The companies, organisations and individuals are willing but first we have to find a suitable time slot to launch our product in a proper manner," he said.

He said the PPL would feature in the talks with prospective bidders for the media rights of Pakistan cricket for the next five years.

"Obviously, the IPL is on a much bigger scale as India has a big commercial and marketing market. But we think the PPL can also be done successfully."

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