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New balls, please
Chris Gayle had already smashed five sixes before the tenth over gotunderway, but he saved his biggest of the evening for Albie Morkel. Seeingthe manner in which the short balls had been dismissed earlier, Morkeltried to pitch it up, lost the plot slightly, and sent down a full toss.Gayle needed no second invitation: the right leg moved outside leg as hegave himself room, and the result was a savage carve over backward point,well over the stands outside the ground. Normally, that would have held upplay for at least a minute, but here, umpire Darryl Harper, standing atsquare leg, scurried across even as the reserve umpire, Karl Hurter,rolled another ball onto the ground. The delay hardly lasted five seconds,and play was ready to resume even before you’d realised the ball had beenchanged.Wounded Polly
Everyone in South Africa loves Shaun Pollock – there were huge cheersevery time he hit the stump while bowling in practice just before playbegan – but not much went right for him when it was his turn to bowl inthe middle. Gayle took him apart completely, but his one little moment tosavour in that hopelessly one-sided battle came in over number 12: apainfully slow bouncer pitched in the middle of the track, climbed andthen looped down even as it was reaching the batsman, Gayle, and soflummoxed him that he could only watch transfixed as it lobbed past him tothe wicketkeeper. Pollock and the crowd loved that bit of deception.Unfortunately for them, the rest of the went decisively against good ol’Polly, who was left nursing rather embarrassing bowling figures by the endof the day.Butterfingers
A target of 206 should have been difficult, but West Indies decided toplay gracious guests. Dwayne Bravo started the rot, allowing the ball topop out from his hands to give Gibbs a reprieve at 20; the virus thenspread to Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who spilled an admittedly difficultchance from Gibbs; Marlon Samuels then capped a miserable day for WestIndies in the field by dropping a sitter off Justin Kemp. Add all thewides sent down, and it’s easy to see why they lost.Eyeball to eyeball
It might be all fun and music for the crowd, but a couple of incidents inthe match showed that Twenty20 is serious business. Daren Powell startedoff with a vicious short ball which caused Graeme Smith immensediscomfort, and then began a glaring contest with Gibbs, who is neverone to back away. Fidel Edwards then continued the eyeball confrontation,sometimes bowling with such searing pace that the ball was still climbingwhen it reached the wicketkeeper.Ramdin to the rescue
The game was all about bat hitting ball and ball disappearing beyond theboundary, but there was one other performance that stood out too. WestIndies’ bowlers, perhaps not satisfied with a format that only allowseach of them 24 deliveries, bowled wide after wide, and Denesh Ramdin dartedaround like a dervish, gathering most of them cleanly. In the fifth over,when Daren Powell lost control altogether, Ramdin saved four byes bymoving down leg side and then diving full length to make a clean gather. Afew overs later, standing up to Dwayne Smith, he was at it again, making a cleantake way down leg despite being blinded by the batsman. The catch he tookto dismiss AB de Villiers capped a fine night’s work for him. If only thesame could have been said of the rest of the West Indian performance inthe field.

Steve Bucknor, a member of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires, has complained that television production companies are misusing technology to make umpires look bad and key players look good.Bucknor has revealed he has encountered instances of TV personnel maneuvering images to influence the flow and outcome of matches. “It has been known to happen where the technology has been used to make umpires look bad,” he told reporters on Friday. “Mats [the line graphic used to adjudge lbw decisions] have been moved, balls have disappeared, ball hitting the bat and only coming up into the fielder’s hands, but between the bat and the hand, no ball is found and you are told, ‘Sorry, we don’t have that clip, we can’t show it’.Bucknor, who has stood in a world record 111 Tests and four World Cup finals, as well as officiated 139 one-day internationals, noted he was speaking from personal experience. “It has happened; I’ve been in a game when it has happened,” he said. “Sometimes nothing is shown because the batsman was a key batsman and getting out at that stage would have made life very difficult for that team. It all depends on who is operating the technology. I’ve been told that this ball is the one with which the batsman got out, but the one that is being shown is not the same one he got out with. It has been known to happen. When these things are happening, it makes life extremely difficult for the umpires. Who do you trust from there on you don’t know.”Although he admits that there is a place for technology in the game and would like to see “a little bit more”, Bucknor said the misuse of the technology is eroding the trust between umpires and players. “In the beginning of my career, umpires were trusted. When umpires said not out, the man was trusted, so they would say he is a good umpire and nobody questioned him. Today, the technology shows up his mistakes, and makes life a little bit difficult for umpires, especially when it has been known to happen that technology has been used to make umpires look bad.”Bucknor was also disappointed that umpires were not consulted about the ICC Cricket Committee’s recommendation to allow players a certain number of appeals per innings to the TV replay umpire, if they feel a decision made by the on-field umpire may be incorrect. “I’d been happy been to be part of this change, but these things happen and we know about them happening rather than for us to say this is what we want. We’ll have to live by them. Whatever they say, we’ll just have to live by.”The ability of players to appeal against decisons made by on-field umpires were the main recommendations made by the ICC’s cricket committee during its two-day meeting in Dubai.

ScorecardA 21-ball blitz from Phil Mustard put Durham on course for a five-wicket win against Middlesex, which was eventually achieved with three balls to spare, in a match reduced to 19 overs per side by rain. Mustard sped to 49 with nine boundaries and Durham’s middle order kept up the required rate.Michael di Venuto fell to the first ball of Durham’s chase, trapped lbw by Chaminda Vaas, but this didn’t put Mustard off. He and Kyle Coetzer added 73 to bring the requirement down to a run-a-ball. Further heavy showers scudded across the ground to make life tough for the fielders, but the umpires stayed on throughout.Murali Kartik produced a tight four-over spell, removing Mustard, and kept Middlesex in the hunt while Tim Murtagh’s three scalps made Durham think. However, Gordon Muchall and Dale Benkenstein took their side most of the way.Middlesex’s innings fell away after a rollicking start from Eoin Morgan and Ed Smith. Morgan, the Ireland batsman, held his team together with a 46-ball 52, but Durham held their nerve with the ball and produced some electric fielding. The highlight was a stunning, running catch from Gary Park at long off to remove Murtagh.

Australia 9 for 602 dec and 1 for 202 dec beat England 157 and 370 (Collingwood 96, Pietersen 92) by 277 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out – England

Australia needed just 19 overs on the final morning at Brisbane to wrap up the first Test by the whopping margin of 277 runs, as England’s final five wickets folded for the addition of 77. Their slim chances of saving the game effectively ended after four balls when Kevin Pietersen flicked Brett Lee to Damien Martyn at short midwicket. He failed to add to his overnight 92.Resuming on 293 for 7, England’s hopes depended largely on some conflicting weather forecasts, but the day dawned bright and heroics rather than hail were needed. Lee took the new ball after the first delivery, and three balls later Pietersen was on his way.Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles gave the vocal Barmy Army – sitting together for the first time in the match and relishing the freedom – some cheer with a few spirited blows, but Jones’s breezy 33 ended when one from Glenn McGrath kept low from a good length and shattered his stumps via an inside edge.Giles continued the resistance in partnership with Matthew Hoggard and peppered the off-side boundary with some effective cuts, but he too fell on the stroke of drinks, as Stuart Clark cramped him for room and Shane Warne at first slip took a comfortable catch from a thin deflection. The same combination dealt with Hoggard six overs later, and the end came swiftly when Harmison hooked Clark to McGrath at fine leg,Australia’s two injury worries – Ricky Ponting and McGrath – both took the field, but McGrath needed injections in his sore heel while Ponting’s back was clearly still an issue as he stood stiffly at mid-off rather than his more customary slip.

England’s injured spinner, Ashley Giles, is confident that he will be ready to take on Australia in the first Test at Brisbane next month, as he continues his rehabilitation from hip surgery.Giles is a non-playing member of England’s Champions Trophy squad, having not played a competitive game since the tour of Pakistan last winter. But he has been working hard in the nets at England’s base in Delhi, bowling up to 12 overs at a time and concentrating on his fitness.”I am here to finish off the end of my rehab, to bowl as much as I can and to make sure I am sharp when I arrive in Australia,” said Giles, 33, who was a valuable member of England’s Ashes-winning team in 2005. He took 10 wickets in the series, including all of Australia’s top eight, and scored valuable runs at crucial moments, particularly at Trent Bridge and The Oval.Giles has not been greatly missed this summer, however, with the emergence of Monty Panesar suggesting that England have found a multi-dimensional spinner capable of attack and defence in equal measure. But Giles is still sure he is worth his place in the side, and is convinced he can step straight back into the fray in Australia.”If I am happy with how I am bowling, even in net practice, I am willing to take on a Test match every time,” he told the BBC. “I could play any number of first-class games, feel like I’m bowling rubbish and not be confident. But if the ball is coming out well and I feel in good rhythm, that will be the sign to me.”As for the challenge posed by Panesar’s performances, Giles was phlegmatic. “He’s the guy who has done well, he’s in possession and it’s up to me to try to win that place back. If I don’t, I support. We showed last summer we play for each other and as a team. There can’t afford to be any divisions in our side.”

Tournament favourites Afghanistan, Nepal and USA recorded comfortable victories on the opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey.Afghanistan survived a middle-order collapse to beat Japan by 93 runs, Nepal defeated Germany by seven wickets and USA beat Mozambique by nine wickets. Jersey also enjoyed success on a bright and sunny day when they beat Singapore by 93 runs while Norway beat Vanuatu by 183 runs and Botswana saw off the Bahamas by 70 runs.At the Victoria College, Afghanistan suffered a sensational middle-order collapse against Japan when they were bowled out for 179 in 35.4 overs after being 137 for 3. Takuro Hagihara was the pick of Japan bowlers with 5 for 25 while for Afghanistan opener Karim Khan Sedeq top scored with 47. In turn, Japan were bowled out for 80 in 40.2 overs with Hasti Gul Abed bagging 3 for 22.Taj Malik, Afghanistan’s coach, was pleased with his side’s performance and said he never thought his team was in trouble despite posting a small total. “We discussed with the players during the innings break that the pitch was assisting the fast bowlers and if Japan could get us for 180 runs then we should be able to bowl them out for less than 100 runs.”Nepal had few problems against Germany. Set a modest target of 70 runs at the Les Quennevais 1, Nepal raced to victory in 20.2 overs with opener Mahesh Chhetri stroking an unbeaten 23. Earlier, 25-year-old spinner Basant Regmi took 3 for 4 and Mahaboob Alam 3 for 24 as Germany were bowled out in 39.4 overs. “I am happy for my team because it was important for us to get a good start in this tournament which we did,” Binod Kumar Das, Nepal’s captain, said. “We did well with the ball initially and though I think we could have batted better, a win is a win and I am happy it came so comfortably.”At the Farmers Field, USA crushed Mozambique. The feature of the match was a superb knock of 70 not out by Sushil Nadkarni as USA passed the 149-run target in 21.4 overs. Steve Messiah, USA’s captain, was pleased with his team’s performance in their first match in almost two years. “It’s the start we were looking for. We have been out of international cricket for a couple of years and we are now looking forward to moving from strength to strength. Every game will be a big game for us if we are going to qualify for the World … and this is where it all begins for us.”Opener Jersey’s Peter Gough picked up the Man-of-the-Match award for his 69, which included seven boundaries, in his team’s win over Singapore.Norway captain Shahid Ahmed was the only centurion of the day with a brilliant 133 not out to guide his team to 360 for 3 in 50 overs against Vanuatu. Ahmed then completed a fine all-round performance when he claimed 3 for 11 as Vanuatu, who needs wins against two Associate members in Jersey if their application for Associate membership is to be successful, were dismissed for 177.

Ashok Malhotra, the former Indian selector, has reacted to John Wright’s criticism of India’s selection policy by saying that he was a “spineless character”.In his book, , Wright had said, “The first six or seven selections were straightforward but when it got down to the marginal selections – those last three or four spots [which] determined the balance of our team and your ability to develop new players – the zonal factor kicked in and things would get interesting.”Malhotra said that Wright did not have his own opinion and would often tow the selectors’ line. “In the end we had to remind him that there were only 14 players and he had to suggest names,” Malhotra was quoted as saying by UNI . “Where do you think so many young players came from if the selectors were not doing their work? Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and their lot came in because of the selectors. He [Wright] knew 20 players but we knew 290 and so there would be a difference.””I am really sorry to say that these foreign coaches come to India to earn million dollars and go back to write books criticising the country. When they are here they tow the line, and only when they go back they find so many faults.”Pranab Roy, another former selector, said that if this was the situation then more than one player would have played from Bengal. “However, I would not like to comment anything regarding this matter further without reading the book.”

The BBC attempted to reach a deal with the ECB for live Test match coverage, on a “dip in dip out” basis before deciding not to bid for the contract which was awarded to Sky Sports.In an ongoing saga which refuses to die down, it was reported yesterday by Dominic Coles, the BBC director of sports rights and finance, that the BBC’s proposal was to “dip in and out” of the cricket by showing shortened portions of the day’s play – the odd two-hour session of a Test match, for example – allowing Sky to retain their ball-by-ball live coverage. The corporation held 15 meetings with the ECB in talks which Coles described as “fruitful” – but it will be another four years, though, until the BBC can bid again for the rights.Speaking to the , he said the discussions had included “all permutations” to reach a more flexible arrangement. But, as of next summer, the only cricket available on terrestrial television will be highlights on channel Five. Despite being outbid by Channel 4 in 1999, Roger Mosey, the BBC’s director of sport, confirmed the corporation’s pledge to bring cricket back to terrestrial free-to-air television. “We have an obligation to licence fee payers to secure some of the rights,” he told today. “We will look very hard at the schedules…Sky wants to drive subscriptions and pays a premium because it is pay-TV.”In response to their all encompassing coverage for the next four years, Sky today have offered several deals and discounts to members of first-class counties, minor counties and MCC. However, despite this offering, it remains to be seen whether members will be prepared for the increased cost of watching live Test cricket.MPs are to hold an enquiry into the ECB’s decision to sell the broadcasting rights to satellite television at Westminster on November 29.

New Zealand 215 (McMillan 54, McCullum49) beat India 164 (Yadav 69, Pathan 50, Bond 6-19)by 51 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Shane Bond blazed through India’s top order and later prised open a threatening partnership between Jai P Yadav and Irfan Pathan to take New Zealand to victory by 51 runs in the second match of the Videocon Cup in Bulawayo. The pair had put on 118 after Bond’s initial spell left India at 44 for 8 and, just as visions of an improbable victory arose, he returned to dash Indian hopes conclusively, ending with 6 for 19.In seven opening overs of super mayhem, Bond took 5 for 13, and demonstrated that for all the supersubs, powerplays and other hyperbolic terms added to rejuvenate the game, the sport – like other sports – is sustained by drama involving the participants; it should make for a good story. The first over was a tale by itself. Sourav Ganguly opened, and Bond had the new ball. The first ball, slanted across at great pace, looped up off a protective prod and fell between the two. The next, pitched short outside leg, climbed past Ganguly’s chest above off, barely giving him time to register the ball. The third, a similar delivery but pushed further up, was fended without conviction. The fourth, again short and cutting across, carried the threat of injury but Ganguly evaded it reflexively. Cricket at this pace had become all about adrenaline, bravery and instinct by the batsman. And one delivery after another, Bond was dissecting the batsman’s tools, laying him bare. Yet only four balls had gone by. The fifth was a repeat of the fourth. Even Bond’s run-up was intimidating now. The force with which he delivered the last ball was like a farewell explosion, aimed at the head, the edge, the batsman’s self-respect. Somehow Ganguly survived. His weaknesses were well-known; Bond hit all the right pressure points.The next over Bond picked him off with a short ball down leg which was gloved to the wicketkeeper. The next ball Venugopal Rao, the supersub, was late on a super-quick inswinging yorker that slammed into the stumps. Rahul Dravid then tried cutting a short incoming delivery and chopped it onto his stumps. Mohammad Kaif cut one as well, and it carried to the fielder at third man. Then Virender Sehwag, who had begun his innings with a pulled four, slashed one to point and found a sprawling Hamish Marshall in the way.For a while, when Yadav and Pathan batted, Bond’s effort could have been in danger. No other bowler appeared threatening; Andre Adam’s wickets came due to the pressure Bond applied as batsmen looked to lash out at the other end. Once Bond went off, Yadav and Pathan set about rebuilding and drawing India closer to 216. They crossed their fifties quickly, enjoying fair luck, but also striking calculated fours. Yadav swept Vettori powerfully and delicately, and swung him over midwicket for six, while Pathan preferred the lofts down the ground for his boundaries. On 50 he departed, flaying at a quick delivery from Bond that caught the edge and traveled to the keeper. That was more or less it for India. Three balls later, Yadav mis-hit one to mid-off to end it all.You wouldn’t have known it, but India started the day on top. Ashish Nehra stuck to a line outside off for the left-handers and slanted it across for the others. He curved the ball late and experimented with his length without offering room, and this had the effect of rooting the batsmen to the crease. Stephen Fleming nicked one. Nathan Astle, paralysed, was trapped lbw. Pathan trapped Lou Vincent in front and did Marshall and Scott Styris in as well. At 36 for 5, New Zealand were a few wickets away from a low total.But Agarkar was brought in and he provided width at a friendly pace. In three overs to Craig McMillan and Styris he conceded 17 runs and was taken off. The morning’s pressure slowly dissipated and just as gradually, the batsmen found their feet. Oram swung Harbhajan for large sixes over long-on and mid-off. McMillan took few risks after surviving an lbw shout on zero and then powerfully smote Yadav over long-on for six. After they parted Brendon McCullum and Cairns accelerated, combining deft touch with powerful blows over cover. But just as he got started, Cairns fell, lightly swinging a Yadav ball to Harbhajan at short fine-leg. However, McCullum went on, twice hitting Nehra through the off-side for fours in an over and taking two off Agarkar as well, before falling last man, to Agarkar, with seven overs remaining.India have been undone by quick bowlers before, but rarely have they been unable to place bat on ball this way. It was utterly demoralizing and, like Miandad’s last-ball six, could have lasting effects on a line-up unsure of itself.

ScorecardIndia A defeated India Seniors by six wickets in a thriller under lights at the Wankhede Stadium, but the result was secondary, for this was the first match of a series whose purpose is to bring India’s best together to provide a glimpse of the future. While the eventual result was given form by the old hands of Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, the new boys – Satyajit Parab, Dheeraj Jadhav and Venugopal Rao – gave their sides impetus with a calm that bodes well for the coming years.Dravid and Kaif came together with a mounting run-rate and four men gone. Not long ago, Kaif had admitted that he enjoyed batting with Dravid, and the understanding between them as they scampered between the wickets showed why. Kaif cracked 49 off only 32 balls and Dravid hit 45 off 44, sealing the match in the final over with a towering straight six. It was rivetting stuff on a pitch which assisted everyone.But the base from which the two launched was constructed by Parab and Jadhav, who put on 70 in 13.5 overs. With Lakshmipathy Balaji returning from injury and Gagandeep Singh striving for pace, the bowlers could not find the required length to trouble the openers consistently. Hence the score rattled along until the more aggressive Parab missed a sweep off Ramesh Pawar and was adjudged leg-before. Then Jadhav was joined by Mongia, who appeared so composed and displayed such little excitement, that applause for his fifty was greeted with three waves of the hand. His first attempt at adventure – a foray down the track right after his fifty – ended badly as the shot failed to clear the fence. That provided Anil Kumble with his first wicket of the day, and he was to claim one more later, but the moments in between, when Jadhav and Mongia squirted boundaries, would not have been treasured.Jadhav, a consistent performer at first-class level, made a composed 79, and played a vital hand in stands with Parab, Mongia and Dravid. His running was quick and his placement was spot-on. He fell in an effort to score quick runs, sweeping Pawar to Shikhar Dhawan at square leg (196 for 3).The Seniors owed much to Yuvraj and Rao, who came together after Zaheer Khan had reduced them to 52 for 3. The two steadied the nerves with their 116-run stand for the fourth wicket and helped the team to a commanding 280 for 9. Until then, the going had not been good, for the familiar failings were on show: swishes outside the off stump by Sourav Ganguly, and the sight of a fast bowler causing havoc on a green-tinged pitch.Zaheer glided in with the fluidity and economy of movement of his pre-injury days. Deliveries lifted past faces taken aback with the pace and bounce – in MS Dhoni’s case, between a loose bat and static feet with the second ball of the day. Ganguly edged to first slip after two pokes, and Shikhar Dhawan, who had played well for 23, walked across his stumps and nicked one to the wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik.It was then that Yuvraj and Rao, a tiny man possessing a savage cut and a demoralising pull stroke, set about rebuilding and imposing. They were helped by Ajit Agarkar’s inaccuracy – either too short or too wide, or both – and took regular boundaries off him. He was removed and replaced by Rudra Pratap Singh, a left-armer bearing more than a passing resemblance to Ashish Nehra. He troubled Yuvraj with deliveries that reared up and had him squaring up uncomfortably. Yuvraj, otherwise in imperious touch, decided to take charge after evading one particularly prickly delivery and lofted Singh to the cover fence and pulled him to midwicket. Singh, having bowled five overs, was taken off.Yuvraj’s approach to Murali Karthik and Yusuf Pathan – Irfan’s older brother – was just as destructive. He swatted them between fielders to midwicket, and pulled to square-leg over, around, between fielders. His and Agarkar’s day was summed up in one ball on the bowler’s return to the attack – a long-hop which was brutally hammered over mid-off’s head to the fence. His hundred was his second within a week. The last one had helped North Zone clinch the Deodhar Trophy, but this one could not win it. The help he had from Rao, who scored 55, was instrumental in the large total, but the bowlers were lacking. What made the deficiencies even more glaring is that, inexplicably, Irfan Pathan was rested from the side.