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A low catch during the third day’s play of the Hamilton Test could create a controversy involving Sachin Tendulkar, who was “100% confident he had taken it.” Andy Moles, New Zealand’s coach, was of the view that the on-field umpires should have referred it to the third-umpire.In the first over of New Zealand’s second innings, Tim McIntosh edged low towards first slip, where Tendulkar fell forward, and claimed the catch to be clean. The replays were not conclusive, and could have resulted in the batsman getting the benefit of the doubt. But as is the case with such low catches, the on-field umpires tend to not go to the third umpire if they have seen it.”The guys thought they saw it as they did and they made a decision based on what they’d seen between them,” Moles said. “It’s disappointing but they gave a decision as they saw it and we get on with the game.”The most interesting aspect of the potential controversy is that the same replay could be seen differently by two people. Tendulkar said: “I have seen the replays, and I have also seen my fingers under the ball. If the umpires were in doubt, they would have definitely called for the third umpire. Sometimes on camera it looks different. But I was pretty much confident otherwise I wouldn’t have appealed.”Moles, on the other hand, had a different version: “You all saw the TV shots, and yes we’d be disappointed, but it’s part of the game unfortunately. Tim is trying to make his way in the game and he’s desperately disappointed.”Moles’ disappointment could have to do with an incident earlier in the day, when MS Dhoni was given not out after the referral of another low catch that New Zealand claimed. Dhoni had cut low to the right of Jesse Ryder at gully, where he seemed to have pulled off a blinder, but after initial celebrations he had indicated he was not sure. The replays showed the ball might not have carried, and the benefit of the doubt prevailed.

Aaron Bird, the New South Wales fast bowler, has been suspended for an illegal bowling action following tests at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. Bird, the leading wicket-taker in the Twenty20 competition, was reported three times by umpires during the season and his ban of at least three months started with Cricket Australia’s ruling on Wednesday.He was named for New South Wales’ crucial Sheffield Shield match against Queensland on Thursday, but has been replaced by Mitchell Starc, the left-arm fast bowler. Bird was tested on February 11 in the AIS biomechanics laboratory and not all of his deliveries were within the 15-degree range of allowable elbow extension.Bird was confident the suspension would be a “temporary setback”. “Although I am obviously disappointed with the result, the findings of the analysis showed that all but one of my deliveries complied with the elbow extension allowed,” Bird said. “I will now go away with the coaching staff and analyse the test findings and make any adjustments required to make sure that I am ready to go in 90 days’ time.”A Cricket Australia spokesman said Bird could challenge the results through a bowling review group hearing. “Any player found to have displayed an illegal action is suspended from interstate competitions until he is able to complete a biomechanical analysis that demonstrates his action is legal,” the spokesman said. That can occur “no earlier than 90 days after the date a suspension commences”.Bird, who had to change his action following similar concerns in 2006-07, collected 13 Twenty20 wickets at 14.07 and was third on the FR Cup list with 21 at 22.19. He was reported last month but was allowed to continue playing until the results were released, and dismissed three batsmen in the Blues’ innings defeat to Victoria last week.David Gilbert, the Cricket New South Wales chief executive, said the state would support Bird in his remedial work. “Aaron is an important member of our squad and we will provide all the assistance needed to help him over the 90-day period,” he said.

South African captain Graeme Smith is all set to make a comeback from injury by turning out for the Cape Cobras against the Dolphins at Newlands in the first leg of the Pro20 semi-finals. Smith joined his Cobras team-mates at the nets on Tuesday and remarked he was happy with his progress.Smith was hit on his left knuckle by Mitchell Johnson while batting in the third Test in Sydney and bravely batted at No. 11 in the second innings to save the game, but in vain. He subsequently missed the limited-overs leg of the tour.”The knuckle injury has healed nicely and feels pretty much 100%,” Smith told the . “Obviously taking another blow there would be rather sore. And I’ve just had a period getting over the bruising from a second (blood) injection in my elbow.”I did feel a little bit rusty, I guess. It was about getting confidence and movements back today. As the day’s gone on, I’ve felt more and more happy. This is probably the best preparation I’ve had in a long time.”Smith has also been battling a tennis elbow in his right arm, for which he will require surgery but only after the Test series against Australia at home.”From what the doctors say, you can’t really do long-term damage,” he said. “If I need the surgery, then it’s just about taking the required three months in a big enough break from cricket.”Cobras coach Shukri Conrad too was satisfied with Smith’s workout. Smith’s return was on expected lines after his South Africa coach Mickey Arthur noted last week that the fracture had mended perfectly.”In Graeme’s own words, he was slowly working on his shape again today, but I think he showed he’ll be fine come Friday,” Conrad said. “He’ll be hitting it sweetly again.”The good thing about having him around is that he immediately brings a hardness, a toughness to the practice. Apart from his playing ability, he just slots in and everybody knows what he expects, and what he is about, and it’s like he’s never been away.”

Match facts

Sunday, February 1
Start time 1.30pm (04.30 GMT)

The Big Picture

Australia lost the No. 1 ranking in one-day internationals on Friday night in Perth but have no time to mope about their summer of demotion. The crammed itinerary says that two days after finishing a five-game series against South Africa they must start another against New Zealand. Daniel Vettori’s team is the only one Australia have been able to beat comfortably since going to India, so there should be some relief on the way.In two Tests in November Australia outplayed their rivals, but the gap usually narrows for 50-over contests. Officially Australia are now No. 2 – a win on Sunday will push them back to first – while New Zealand are fourth, but guessing where the hosts really fit is as tricky as working out why the local middle order has been so unproductive at crucial times. The 4-1 defeat is so unfamiliar at home and Ricky Ponting’s men are determined to hit back quickly.While there is no better time for New Zealand to challenge Australia, their team is also undergoing a serious redevelopment under the new coach Andy Moles. They came from a game behind to beat West Indies in January, but lost their warm-up in Canberra to the Prime Minister’s XI.

ODI form guide

Australia – LLLWL
New Zealand – WNWLN

Team news

Shaun Tait should come back after being rested and could be a handful for the visiting batsmen, who won’t have much chance to adjust to the conditions. Tait experienced some cramps in Adelaide but is not suffering from the hamstring problems that have hampered him at times during the season. Michael Clarke failed on his return from a thumb injury, but the middle looks much stronger with the vice-captain in it.Australia (probable) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 David Warner, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 David Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Hopes, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Shaun Tait.Brendon McCullum’s hip is the big worry for the visitors, even though it won’t keep him out of the match. McCullum, who scored a century in Canberra on Thursday, was unable to take the gloves in that game, but Vettori is confident. “I’m not allowing him any other option,” Vettori told . “We need him to keep to provide us with as many options as possible.” Gareth Hopkins, the back-up gloveman, is on standby and New Zealand need a replacement for Jesse Ryder, who is out for a week with a shoulder problem. Kyle Mills will probably bat at No. 7 and Vettori has spoken of playing two spinners.New Zealand (possible) 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Peter Fulton, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 Grant Elliott, 7 Kyle Mills, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Daniel Vettori (capt), 10 Jeetan Patel, 11 Iain O’Brien.

Watch out for …

Michael Hussey showed a return to form in Perth after a disappointing season and Australia want him to purr following their mid-innings struggles. His 78 was carefully planned, coming from 96 balls, but his team needed some substance after a horror start. If he can find regular meaningful support it will strengthen Australia’s core significantly.Daniel Vettori is always a menace for Australia and they have already shown this summer that they struggle with tight, controlled slow bowling. Johan Botha posed regular problems during the South Africa series and Vettori should do the same. In 46 matches against Australia he limits his runs to 4.21 an over, which is an excellent return considering the batsmen involved in previous years, and averages slightly less than a wicket a match.

Pitch & conditions

The pitch was quite lively on Friday and while the bowlers had some fun it was the batsman who benefitted most from the true surface. It shouldn’t change too much in a couple of days so more high scores can be expected. There is a chance of a thunderstorm on Sunday and the temperature is expected to reach 35C.

Stats and trivia

• In 11 Chappell-Hadlee Series games both sides have five wins each, with one no-result
• Ricky Ponting leads the run-list in Australia-New Zealand contests with 1756 and Brendon McCullum is the best of the current touring squad with 669
• Australia have three wins at the WACA against their Trans-Tasman rivals, who had their sole victory against the hosts there in 1988
• It is the first time the series will be contested over five games

Quotes

“I know that there’s a lot of negativity going around about the way we’ve played and that’s fair enough because some of our performances in the last couple of games have been pretty ordinary.”
Ricky Ponting“I’d rather be involved in the series just as a batter than not play at all.”
Brendon McCullum

Match facts

January 4-7, 2009
Start time 9.30am (0400 GMT)

Big Picture

The battle lines for the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Nagpur couldn’t have been clearer – it’s Tamil Nadu’s batsmen against Uttar Pradesh’s bowlers. UP will be missing RP Singh, who is out with an injured shoulder, but Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will test the solid line-up of Abhinav Mukund, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Dinesh Karthik and S Suresh Kumar.Figures may suggest otherwise, but UP have been weak in batting and Tamil Nadu in bowling. Yet they have both been bailed out once each by their weaker discipline. When UP conceded 511 against Karnataka in their final league match, Tanmay Srivastava, Mohammad Kaif and Piyush Chawla took them to a first-innings lead that brought them into the quarter-finals.For Tamil Nadu’s bowlers, the moment of truth arrived when the batsmen under-performed to concede a first-innings lead against Bengal on a flat track. L Balaji answered the call then, taking five wickets for seven runs on the final morning to give the batsmen a second chance, which they grabbed with both hands.So while the teams know they have one part of their game in order, and also that the other can strike as well, there is one shadow looming over this match that demands much more of these teams: the other semi-final, where Mumbai are the favourites to beat Saurashtra.Mumbai have been the runaway favourites all season and, with Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan in the side, they are an ominous presence. Whoever wins in Nagpur must realise that playing Mumbai is an altogether different ball game.

Form guide

This is the second time these teams are playing each other this season. But it might not be wise to go by the embarrassment that Tamil Nadu handed to UP in Ghaziabad. UP have reinforcements this time; and Tamil Nadu are not patting themselves on the back for beating a UP side missing Kaif, Praveen, Suresh Raina and RP. “This will be a completely different game,” said Badrinath. “They were missing their important players then, so we are expecting a tough semi-final.”None of the teams has lost a game since, but Tamil Nadu carry more confidence going into the semi-final for after falling behind twice in the first innings, against Baroda and Bengal, they have come back to register outright wins. “The last result shows how strong and united we are right now as a team,” Badrinath said.It can be argued that UP are not as much a form team, and they are capable of surprises in big-match situations.Form guide (last five games, most recent first)
Uttar Pradesh: DDDWL
Tamil Nadu: WDWDW

Head to head

Praveen Kumar v M Vijay: When finally given the new ball, Praveen rocked Gujarat with 5 for 29 in the quarter-final, making sure UP didn’t miss RP. More of the same will be expected of him, especially to take Vijay out early. If he gets a start, Vijay is capable of hurting bowlers bad, and in quick time. After his 243 against Maharashtra took him to the Indian team, he came back and scored a quickfire 73 against Bengal to set up their chase. It could be a decisive contest.Mohammad Kaif v S Badrinath: Kaif is the captain and, but for his India call-up, Badrinath would have been too. They hold their respective middle orders together while being surrounded by flashier players.Suresh Raina v L Balaji: Like Vijay, Raina is capable of running away with a game. It hasn’t quite happened for him this season, but in the quarter-final he might have turned a corner. On a pitch on which their opponents managed 117, Raina scored 93 by himself. If he does well, the weak batting suddenly starts looking much stronger. Early in his innings though, he could be facing Balaji, who is making his way back to being the bowler he once was. In his first season back after injury he has taken 31 wickets at 16, and has looked better every game.Tanmay Srivastava v Abhinav Mukund: While all the focus might be on the India players, former India players, and India hopefuls, these two Under-19 World Cup winners could be the crucial players too. They have been so far. They are their sides’ leading run-getters – Srivastava with 653 at 59.36, and Mukund with 756 at 84. Srivastava turned 19 earlier this season, Mukund will during this game. If they manage to do well in this pressure situation, they might come of age.

Quotes

“We believe we can come back from any situation. The last result [a win from behind against Bengal] shows how strong and united we are.
Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath oozes confidence ahead of the semi-final“It’s unfortunate that RP Singh is not there, but PK [Praveen Kumar] is one of the smartest bowlers in domestic cricket, and is capable of getting any batsman out.
Gyanendra Pandey, UP coach, looks at the brighter side

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

What could have been an interesting final day at Dunedin’s University Oval turned out to be a damp squib. Heavy overnight rain and then persistent drizzle through the morning led to the match being abandoned at lunch, although such was the state of the outfield that decision had long been little more than a formality.This ground’s second Test has been blighted by poor weather, with two days completely washed out, and only one full day – the fourth – possible. Questions have been asked about the drainage and the ability of the staff to cope with the elements. Although the rain had stopped by lunch and the covers removed, it was the state of the outfield which led to the abandonment.Ross Dykes, the Otago Cricket Association chief executive, defended the set-up at the ground. “We had a huge amount of rainfall and I think we probably did everything we could,” he said. A report in the Herald on Sunday had slammed the venue and called it a “club ground”. Dykes said the story was insulting to Dunedin, the University Oval and the groundstaff.”It has to be appreciated that this ground is the old Pelichet Bay, so it is reclaimed land,” Dykes said. “When you get that amount of rainfall, you get to a point where you can clear off the surface moisture but by trying to get more out you only end up dragging more up.”The teams now fly to Napier to start preparations for Friday’s second Test. They are likely to be greeted by more rain there, but the forecast gets better as week goes on.

The Abu Dhabi Cricket Council has offered to step in as host for Pakistan’s home series against India scheduled early next year, if concerns over security in Pakistan persisted. Dilawar Mani, the council’s chief executive, said the council was ready to stage the matches if the situation arose.His statement comes in the wake of the Indian Government recently calling off its five-match junior hockey series away to Pakistan at the eleventh hour citing security concerns. The 2008 Champions Trophy originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan this September, was also deferred to September-October 2009 after a number of participating teams refused to visit the country due to similar reasons.”If Pakistan is not able to host the Indians for some reasons at home we would be willing to stage the matches free of cost,” Mani told Pakistan news channel .PCB CEO Saleem Altaf confirmed the offer from Abu Dhabi but was more in favour of holding the series at home. Pakistan’s chances of hosting the postponed Champions Trophy next year will be in jeopardy if India refuse to tour in January.”The ICC has kept the Indian tour to Pakistan as a benchmark for deciding on the relocation of the Champions Trophy because of the security situation in the country,” Altaf said. A neutral venue, Altaf said, will be the worst-case scenario. “When there is no other option available, we will switch over a home series to a neutral venue. To earn sufficient income through an alternative venue the PCB will discuss venues like Abu Dhabi, England or Sharjah. The venue which gives more money to the PCB will be selected.”However Altaf said security arrangements for India’s tour were already underway in Pakistan. “The publishing of [match] tickets is also set to start. Today, the PCB also received an email from the ICC President David Morgan asking to make arrangements for his visa as he is willing to watch the first [Pakistan-India] Test.”Our first priority remains to convince India and other foreign teams to fulfil their obligation of touring Pakistan and supporting Pakistan cricket. The Pakistan board as a policy wants teams to tour Pakistan but at same time needs to generate funds and can’t afford to become an isolated cricket nation,” he saidIndia are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international on the tour beginning January 6. However, Mani did not specify whether the council will be willing to host both the Tests and one-dayers.Mani also mentioned Dubai and Sharjah, apart from Abu Dhabi, as alternative venues for the series as they have grounds that match up to international standards. “The Dubai Sports City ground is also ready to be launched soon, so we have three venues right now,” he said.While the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is currently playing host to the three-match ODI series between Pakistan and West Indies, the last match at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium was a one-dayer between Pakistan and Zimbabwe back in April 2003.

Scorecard

The clash between tournament leaders Chennai Superstars and bottom-placed Mumbai Champs was a mismatch on paper and it translated into exactly that at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium. Chennai scored this season’s first total in excess of 200 and then restricted Mumbai to 130 for 5. The 75-run margin of victory was the league’s largest in terms of runs.Chennai rested Ian Harvey but their other opener G Vignesh made up for his absence by blasting 88 off 53 balls to lead his team to 205 for 7. Vignesh had two close calls in the first three overs but he hit the ball so hard that the catches were nearly impossible to take. Thereafter he laid into the Mumbai attack, hitting Michael Kasprowicz for a hat-trick of sixes: the first was pulled over midwicket off the final ball of the third over and the next two were carved over backward point off the first two balls of the fifth. In between those powerful strikes, Vignesh lofted Anupam Sanklecha over the long-on boundary and then drove him through extra cover.Vignesh had powered Chennai to 59 in 5.4 overs before he lost his opening partner C Hemanth Kumar for 12 to Johan van der Wath. Chennai lost Russel Arnold and Hemang Badani, to van der Wath again, in quick succession but Vignesh’s attitude didn’t change. He hit seven fours and five sixes in his 88 before he was bowled by Avinash Yadav in the 17th over.Chennai were only 148 when Vignesh fell and the propulsion towards 200 came from their captain Stuart Law who smashed 29 off 11 balls with three sixes. They took 24 runs off the final over which was bowled by Michael Kasprowicz.An asking-rate of more that ten an over was too much for Mumbai to achieve especially against experienced bowlers such as Shabbir Ahmed and Nantie Hayward. Both of them struck early for Chennai, dismissing Dheeraj Jadhav and Nikhil Mandale, and kept the run-rate under control.Nathan Astle, the Mumbai captain, played a steady innings but the situation required an exceptional display of hitting. None of the other batsmen gave Astle any support and he remained unbeaten on 68 off 61 balls. Mumbai finished their innings on 130 for 6 but the game was over as a contest long before the final ball was bowled.

Stuart Clark’s elbow injury continues to be a concern for Australia ahead of the second Test, which starts in Mohali on Friday. Clark will not bowl at Wednesday’s training session and Australia will make a decision on his fitness for the Test only after seeing him in action on Thursday.The inflamed right elbow joint troubled Clark during the first Test in Bangalore, where he regularly under-armed the ball in from the boundary and was restricted to 17 overs in the first innings. Although he did bowl during the second innings, the problem was still niggling Clark and Australia are keen to give him time to recover.”He’s not going to bowl at training tomorrow, just so we can maximise his recovery and give him the best chance to be able to play on Friday,” Alex Kountouris, the team physio, told the on Tuesday. “We will see how he pulls up and if he feels okay we will play him.”The loss of Clark would be a major setback on the Mohali pitch, which has assisted seamers in the past. Should Clark be unavailable Australia would likely hand a debut to Peter Siddle, the inexperienced Victoria fast bowler who has impressed the squad on his first tour, or Doug Bollinger, the left-arm fast man.

Scorecard
New Zealand A ensured their tour of India ended on a positive note with a crushing 133-run win over India A in Chennai. A declaration at 194 for 7 meant India needed 234 to take the series 2-0, but the hosts folded for just 100, meaning New Zealand took a slice of the contest.Overnight 107 for 3, New Zealand helped themselves along thanks to good innings from James Marshall (43) and BJ Watling (34 not out). Amit Mishra, who took six wickets in the first innings, made it nine for the match with figures of 3 for 65 in 22 overs.A sporting declaration left the match intriguingly poised but India’s second innings was a disaster. New Zealand international Iain O’Brien struck twice early to leave India 2 for 1, removing the in-form M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, promoted to No. 3, for ducks. Vijay, scored 98 in the first innings, top-edged to Peter Fulton at mid-off trying to pull from outside off stump and Pujara was caught in at second slip attempting to cut.Bradley Scott, the left-arm medium-pacer, dismissed Sourav Ganguly, cutting the first ball to Watling at gully, and Ravindra Jadeja cheaply and India had slipped to 25 for 5. Sahil Kukreja’s 31 was the highest score of the innings and when he went in the 46th over the end was near. O’Brien removed Wriddhiman Saha in the last over before tea. Nathan McCullum and Aaron Redmond, soon to depart for the senior side in Bangladesh, also picked up two wickets each.Dav Whatmore, India’s coach, blamed the top order. “They played too many shots too early,” he said. “The loss of early wickets put the pressure on the lower order batsmen.”Fulton, New Zealand’s captain, admitted he took a risk in declaring the innings. “I knew it was a bit risky. But down 0-1 we had to win to draw the series. Once India lost two wickets at lunch, I new we had a chance. And after the fall of Raina I realised India cannot go for the win.”After a poor one-day series and defeat in the first Test, New Zealand will leave India on a high.