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The debate over the selection of the Zimbabwe A side to play Bangladesh rumbles on with reports of rows within Zimbabwe Cricket over some of those named. The squad is made up of mostly inexperienced players from the substandard National League.”Anyone can score run in that league,” said a leading cricket personality in Zimbabwe. “It can’t be used as basis for selection into international cricket.”He cited the inclusion of Bradley Staddon, the son of ZC interim committee member Stan Staddon, as an example of the issues. The younger Staddon has not played in Zimbabwe for a lengthy spell, and many are far from happy at his selection when there appears to be little to justify it. Some sources within Zimbabwe cricket have also claimed that the team’s racial composition was deliberately unrepresentative of the pool of players in the country.Andy Pycroft, who is coaching the side, was said by sources to have flagged his disapproval with selectors over the make-up of the team.”We have to stop this politics and chose the best team,” a ZC insider said. “Clearly this team has been picked to represent the so-called new set-up in Zimbabwe cricket following the disbandment of old provinces and setting up of new ones. With a team like this, Bangladesh A are going to hammer us. ZC might have won the political battle for cricket in Zimbabwe, but they are not concentrating on the broader picture. That broader picture includes winning games and restoring confidence in Zimbabwe cricket. That is not happening.”At least ZC has managed to hire back two former critics. Givemore Makoni, the former Mashonaland Cricket Association general manager, has been appointed Zimbabwe A manager, while Steven Mangongo, who was a few months back sacked as the A-side assistant coach, was this week named as the new general manager of the National Academy.

John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, has been awarded a new two-year contract by Cricket Australia (CA). He will remain Australia’s coach until October 2005, and will be in charge when Australia chase their ninth successive Ashes victory in the winter of that year.Buchanan had taken over from Geoff Marsh in October 1999, and was at the helm during Australia’s most fertile phase in Test cricket. Under his charge, Australia consolidated their position as the world’s No. 1 Test team, winning a record 16 Tests in a row at one point (15 of them came after Buchanan took over). They thrashed South Africa 5-1 in what was billed as the unofficial world championship of Test cricket, and went on to win the one-day World Cup in 2003 without dropping a single game.Speaking after being awarded this new contract, Buchanan said: “The last four years have been a wonderful experience for me and I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to be associated with the Australian team for another two years. We have had a great deal of success so far but now the challenge is to raise the bar again and we will be trying to do just that. As well as looking to maintain the high levels of performance we have achieved at times over the past four years, we have also got tangible targets to aim for.”James Sutherland, CA’s chief executive, said, “We are very pleased to have been able to extend John’s contract. Since his appointment John has played a major role in Australia’s international success. The Australian Test and one-day international sides are now regarded as the best in the world and one of the reasons for that is because we have a world-class support team. In aiming to maintain this success, Cricket Australia has identified the importance of continuity in the team management structure.”

Close India 23 for 1 (Patel 13*, Dravid 9*) trail Pakistan 224 (Sami 49, Balaji 4-63) by 201 runs
Scorecard

In a dramatic day’s play, India, after taking charge of the match, let the advantage slip a bit. First, after the bowlers had reduced Pakistan to 137 for 8, a gutsy 49 by Mohammad Sami helped them to a respectable 224. Then, Virender Sehwag was out off the first ball of the innings, though the Indians avoided further loss, ending the day on 23 for 1.Sami’s calm innings might well prove to be of decisive importance when the game is done. The pitch had enough green on it to persuade Sourav Ganguly to bowl first after winning the toss, and his bowlers, after an erratic start, delivered what he expected of them. By the middle of the day, Pakistan were eight down and struggling, but the Indian bowlers appeared to relax a little.A calm Sami and a bumbling Fazl-e-Akbar added 70 runs as the bowlers kept bowling wide to them. Akbar, in particular, looked so much at sea that he appeared likely to get out every time a ball was directed at the stumps. But Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan, who had both bowled with accuracy and hostility until then, kept bowling outside off stump – allowing the batsmen to leave the ball – or on Sami’s pads, quite often, which gave him easy runs. Even Akbar freed his arms and got a few lusty slogs away, while Sami benefited when a top-edged skyer off an attempted pull was dropped by Parthiv Patel.Even Anil Kumble was not his usual accurate self to begin with, though he finally did get the breakthrough, trapping Akbar in front for 25 (207 for 9). Sami was run out 17 runs later, trying to steal the sharp single that would have brought him his maiden Test half-century. But 224 was around 80 runs more than India should have conceded, on a pitch that seems unlikely to yield high totals.India began their reply in the worst way possible, as Sehwag played too early at Shoaib Akhtar’s first ball, which flew off the back of his bat to gully, where Yasir Hameed, after juggling the ball twice, held on to a one-handed catch. Rahul Dravid, along with makeshift opener Patel, kept the innings together till the close of play.In the morning, the Indian bowlers, perhaps under pressure after Ganguly’s decision to field, were erratic in the first 45 minutes, with Lakshmipathy Balaji consistently bowling wide of the stumps, unable to control the substantial amount of swing he was getting. Pathan was more accurate, but virtually every ball he bowled in his first spell had the same shape – swinging away from the two left-handed openers. The predictability made him easy to gauge, as Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar left a lot of balls outside off, confident that the ball would move in just one direction.Farhat and Taufeeq added 34, but just as they seemed to have settled in, the bowlers struck. First, Balaji trapped Taufeeq lbw for 9 with a ball that pitched on middle and straightened. An over later, Nehra trapped Farhat for 16 in front of the wicket with an inswinger (34 for 2).Hameed and Inzamam-ul-Haq then added 43. Inzamam displayed the same composure as during his Lahore century, solid and judicious in playing and in leaving the ball. Hameed, meanwhile, played some lovely strokes, driving the ball with assurance and a textbook technique. But, as so often in this series, his impetuosity did him in. Pathan, in his second spell, tempted him with a wide ball outside off, which Hameed slashed at, only managing to edge it through to VVS Laxman in the slips (77 for 3). Hameed had made 26, one more start left unconverted.

Nehra then removed Inzamam (15) with a brilliant set-up. First, he rapped him on the pads with a ball that pitched on off and straightened – Hawk-Eye said it was plumb, but David Shepherd disagreed. Nehra was unperturbed. The next ball pitched around the same area, but left Inzamam, who had to play at it, but only edged it behind to Patel (77 for 4).Yousuf Youhana and Asim Kamal now added 33, but they were never comfortable during their partnership. Youhana was troubled by Pathan, who had dismissed him four times in this series before this innings, and survived a few narrow appeals to balls that pitched on the stumps and straightened. Kamal, meanwhile, was a mess: his feet were stuck to the crease, he kept flailing at wide balls outside the off stump, and was lucky to survive long enough to make 21. An inside edge went for four, an outside edge fell short of the slips, and he played and missed time and again.But the Indians, bowling with far more control in the afternoon session than in the morning, stuck to their task, and were rewarded. First, Youhana, on 13, played on to an incoming ball from Pathan (110 for 5). Ten runs later Balaji, back to his metronomically accurate ways, trapped Kamal lbw with one that pitched on middle and straightened, and would have hit middle stump (120 for 6).Sami and Kamran Akmal then added 17, but just as Akmal started counter-attacking, hoisting Balaji over midwicket for four, he was out. An attempt at an expansive drive resulted in a low chance to second slip, and Laxman took a difficult catch with clinical ease (137 for 7). Two balls later Shoaib, who had earlier pontificated that this Test would be over in three days, was bowled by a jaffa from Balaji: a full-length ball that pitched on middle, squared the batsman up, and jagged away to take off stump (137 for 8).It seemed then that India would be batting before tea, and could even take a decisive advantage on the first day itself. But Sami battled feistily, and Pakistan recovered to post a competitive total. India could still count the first day as belonging to them, but Pakistan had done enough to keep the game wide open as a contest.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

The happiest man after a week of friendly pre-season cricket at The Rose Bowl, must have been head groundsman Nigel Gray. Each of the matches included a glut of runs, and seemed a far distant cry from the problems of the 2002 season.Hampshire and Surrey completed a two day encounter that saw 787 runs scored, with Surrey running out victors in the one innings per side match by 4 wickets.The format was that each side would bat for 100 overs each. Hampshire 60, and Surrey 40 on the first day. Then both sides to complete their innings on the second day with Hampshire receiving 40 overs and Surrey 60.James Hamblin opened the innings for the second time this week, a sign that Hampshire may be looking to use him in this roll. On both occasions he was successful. On Thursday he struck 53, not in his usual pinch-hitting style he has become know for, but more a sensible opening batsman roll. He shared with Derek Kenway a partnership of 132, Kenway hitting a belligerent 71 with 13 fours.Robin Smith, free of the shackles of captaincy then took over with a sparkling 80, smitting some vintage boundaries on the way before charging the persistent Salisbury. Alex Morris who struggled with injury all last season then took the innings to it’s conclusion on the second day with 100*. He tempered aggression with sound defence. Nick Saker was the pick of the Surrey bowlers taking 4 wickets, and Alex Tudor showed some accuracy.Surrey’s array of batsmen showed why they start the season favorites to retain their Frizzell Championship title, particularly the England pair of Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe. The Hampshire attack without their new overseas signing Wasim Akram looked bewildered, as the pair struck the ball to all parts of the outfield and beyond, taking particular interest in the short boundary into the groundsman’s area.James Hamblin finally found the edge of Thorpe’s bat, but it was no respite to the bowlers as Ali Brown then took the mantle scoring a quick fire 75 in 51 balls. Ramprakash felt he had enough, being dropped by Mullally when on 100, he decided to retire at 130, to give some of the lower order a chance to take some practise.Nadim Shahid and Ali Brown then took the opportunity to pass Hampshire’s score with some 15 overs spare.Surrey continued on beyond the result to gain another century of runs but against Hampshire’s lesser bowlers in a futile exercise.

One of Barbados’ promising teenage cricketers has been offered a trialwith English county Nottinghamshire.Rohan Nurse, the newly-appointed Barbados youth team captain, has beengiven the opportunity, along with South African Carol Fourie,following amazing performances for Kings School and Grantham Clubduring the past few months.We have been offered two trial days to prove ourselves and if we dowell we can play for the second (Nottinghamshire) team until theydecide to give us a full contract to play professionally, the 18-year-old Nurse told NATIONSPORT yesterday.It is a big opportunity, he said, adding that he reckoned he stood agood chance of landing a stint for the club’s second XI.Nurse, who returned home on Friday after completing the first year ofAdvanced Level studies in computer studies, business studies andphysical education, feels his chances of gaining a contract withNottinghamshire will be enhanced if he performs impressively in nextmonth’s regional Under-19 Championships.I think I can do it as long as I put myself up to the task. If I dowell in the tournament and make the West Indies Under-19 side, itwould be a lot easier for me to land the contract, he said.I’ve played against a lot of the guys. They are okay, but they are notup to our standard in the West Indies.They are a bit more innovative, but there is not much strokeplay andflair.The former Combermere schoolboy enjoyed a prolific season, scoring 1225 runs in 25 matches at an average of 83.He enjoyed a purple patch in which he reeled off five successivecenturies.His hundred against an MCC XI was watched by the managing director ofGunn & Moore, which is linked to Nottinghamshire. He relayed detailsof Nurse’s performances to the management of the club and they madethe offer.Nurse described his English experience of the last ten months as alearning one.The pitches were different. The ball swung a little more than inBarbados, and overall my whole professional approach to the game hasimproved, he said.I wouldn’t say the standard was the best, but it wasn’t mediocreeither.It was good competition, but most teams would usually have about threegood bowlers and you just have to wait for the bad bowlers to comealong.

Eighty-two players, including 19 overseas players, were allocated through a lottery during the BPL draft in Dhaka on Thursday. Out of the 63 local players, the selection of the six icons came at the end of the draft. Rangpur, which had the first pick, chose Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal was selected by Chittagong, Mashrafe Mortaza by Comilla, Mushfiqur Rahim by Sylhet, Mahmudullah by Barisal, and Nasir Hossain by Dhaka.According to BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick, the list of foreign cricketers signed outside the draft includes Shahid Afridi (Sylhet), Chris Gayle (Barisal) and Kumar Sangakkara (Dhaka) as well as Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir (Chittagong), who recently returned to cricket after serving out a suspension for spot-fixing. There is a dispute over Tillakaratne Dilshan after both the Rangpur and Chittagong franchises claimed they had signed him. Mallick said that the BPL governing council will investigate the documents from the two franchises before taking a decision on the matter.Chris Jordan was the first foreign player to be chosen in the draft, by Sylhet, while three other English players – Darren Stevens, Josh Cobb and Dawid Malan – were also picked. Jordan, however, is unlikely to be available for the entire duration of the BPL, which is scheduled between November 22 and December 15. The England fast bowler will be with the Test squad in the UAE until November 30 and is due to be a part of the Performance Camp training squad in Dubai. He may also be picked for England’s tour of South Africa, which starts with a tour match in Potchefstroom on December 15.Seven Pakistan players, including Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Sami, were selected, while five Sri Lanka players and a cricketer each from South Africa (Robin Peterson), West Indies (Andre Russell) and Afghanistan (Mohammad Nabi) were chosen in the draft.After the draft started at around 11.20am on Thursday, Rangpur got four first picks in all, including the icon pick. Chittagong and Comilla got two first picks, while Dhaka and Sylhet got one each in the normal round of the draft.Mahbubul Anam, the BCB vice-president, moderated the draft and had to explain the rules of the draft a number of times, but the process appeared to be a smarter way of allocating players compared to the auctions that had been held for the previous editions of the BPL. Those auctions had seen a lull in the middle and end periods, when franchises did not show an interest in the players lined up.There were no excess calls for players from the commissioner as many of the teams opted to quit calling after picking the minimum number of foreign and local players required. They have the option of calling up more players within the next seven days if needed.Barisal: Mahmudullah (icon), Chris Gayle, Brendan Taylor, Kevon Cooper, Evin Lewis, Seekkuge Prasanna, Mohammad Sami, Imad Wasim, Sabbir Rahman, Sohag Gazi, Taijul Islam, Rony Talukdar, Al-Amin Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Mehedi Maruf, Nadif Chowdhury, Mohammad Sharifullah, Sajidul Islam.Chittagong: Tamim Iqbal (icon), Umar Akmal, Chamara Kapugedera, Mohammad Amir, Elton Chigumbura, Kamran Akmal, Robin Peterson, Saeed Ajmal, Jeevan Mendis, Anamul Haque, Taskin Ahmed, Ziaur Rahman, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque jnr, Shafiul Islam, Nafees Iqbal, Elias Sunny, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Asif Ahmed.Comilla: Mashrafe Mortaza (icon), Sunil Narine, Shoaib Malik, Marlon Samuels, Ahmed Shehzad, Krishmar Santokie, Andre Russell, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Darren Stevens, Liton Das, Imrul Kayes, Shuvagata Hom, Sanjamul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Ariful Haque, Mahmudul Hasan, Naeem Islam jnr, Abu Hider, Dhiman Ghosh.Dhaka: Nasir Hossain (icon), Kumar Sangakkara, Ryan ten Doeschate, Mohammad Irfan, Yasir Shah, Nasir Jamshed, Sohail Khan, Dawid Malan, Shahzaib Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Mosharraf Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Shamsur Rahman, Saikat Ali, Farhad Reza, Nabil Samad, Abul Hasan, Irfan Shukkur.Rangpur: Shakib Al Hasan (icon), Lendl Simmons, Darren Sammy, Thisara Perera, Wahab Riaz, Sachithra Senanayake, Mohammad Nabi, Soumya Sarkar, Arafat Sunny, Mohammad Mithun, Muktar Ali, Saqlain Sajib, Jahurul Islam, Abu Jayed Chowdhury, Murad Khan, Rasel Al Mamun.Sylhet: Mushfiqur Rahim (icon), Shahid Afridi, Ravi Bopara, Brad Hodge, Ajantha Mendis, Chris Jordan, Sohail Tanvir, Joshua Cobb, Rubel Hossain, Mominul Haque, Abdur Razzak, Nurul Hasan, Mohammad Shahid, Najmul Islam, Junaid Siddique, Nazmul Hossain Milon, Abu Sayem.

Sri Lankan umpire Ranmor Martinesz has been banned from officiating at any matches sanctioned by Sri Lanka Cricket, after he joined the unofficial Indian Cricket League.Martinesz had requested for leave from officiating at matches conducted by SLC, sources in the board said. However the SLC refused to grant him a break.Martinesz, 40, was a fast bowling allrounder who represented St Peter’s College. He was to go on to play for Sri Lanka Under-19 and U-23 before turning out for SSC, Negombo CC and Sebastianites.A recurring back injury forced him into umpiring in 1996. He was promoted to the Premier division in 2000 and for the past three years had played the role of third umpire at Test matches and ODIs at home.This news comes in the wake of the England board tightened up regulation to prevent county players from signing up the ICL.

As there might be with a blind date, there is both excitement andtrepidation at the announcement of Shoaib Malik as the 25th man to captainPakistan.At 25, he is still young in years and in that sense, it is a progressiveappointment. Seniority and hierarchy matter in Pakistan, and choosingcaptains is generally a pragmatic decision based on the best ormost-established player in the side, rather than the best leader. Fewrecent captains have been young.The World Cup brought to an end one dark, jaded mini-period, so startingagain, with a new, fresh-faced captain has a good feel about it. SouthAfrica did something similar four years ago, and on balance of where theyare now, probably don’t regret it. Youth will anyway have its day so whynot now?Gauging a leader of men is not simple. Weight of runs, wickets orall-round performances, as Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham among othersdiscovered, does not a captain make. Something more is needed, somethingnot easily seen, something that is properly visible only after a captaincaptains.That much-loved phrase ‘the best captain that never was’ is actually anempty one; unless a player is or has been one, nobody can ever know howgood a captain he can be. Until Malik leads his men out, makes a bowlingchange, a slight fielding adjustment, a testing declaration, or battlesthrough poor form, through on-field crises, or rallies ten wildlydifferent personalities around him, the jury will be out.That the appointment of the second Malik to captain Pakistan is not asbold as it may initially appear is key. He hasn’t been discussed bythis administration alone as an option, but by the one before it as well.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan – albeit cautiously – haverepeatedly cited his sharp cricketing brain and selfless attitude as signsof potential leadership, as did Bob Woolmer. You have to think, betweenall of them, they must know something.But, as ever, history tugs at optimism. On the rare occasions Pakistanhave flirted with young captains, especially in a team of seniors, disasterhas been the result. Malik is not as young as were Javed Miandad (22) andJaved Burki (24) when they became captains but is close enough.Both had miserable experiences: Burki oversaw, in a 4-0 loss in England in1962, one of Pakistan’s worst tours in their early years. Miandad, madecaptain in 1980, fell to a revolt by his own players two years and 13Tests later. Wasim Akram was 26 when he first took on the captaincy, yetfive Tests later, his own players had forced him out.Even considerable experience couldn’t save Akram and Miandad. The former’sfirst Test as captain was his 46th overall, while the latter’s was his28th Test. Crucially, both were established players already.Malik’s first Test as captain will only be his 19th (over five years).Though lately, he has become a regular of sorts, nobody would argue thathe is an established indispensable, as he is in the shorter form of thegame. And in neither form of the game do we know his ideal position in theorder. Captaincy can make a player or break him and Malik is no exception.As with Akram and Miandad, there is also a fear that senior players – anominous phrase only in this context – might not take so readily to Malik.Intikhab Alam voiced these very concerns and the signs are alreadypresent; when asked publicly, a number of players said they were willingto accept the captaincy offered. Privately, many are believed tohave it to be offered to them. Will they be entirely happywith a younger, less established player in charge?How he handles his men off the field, in the dressing rooms and in hotels,may well be the key to what happens on the field. It initially escaped menof Akram and Miandad’s stature, though both came back to become two of themost successful captains Pakistan had.There is not much that Malik has not done on a cricket field. He hasremarkable adaptability; Test opener one day to middle-order battler next;one-down ODI organiser today, lower-order slogger tomorrow; he has beenre-invented many times. Most of it he has done with minimum fuss and dueefficiency, some of it outstandingly well. He now has another role tofill. It is, by a country mile, the most challenging one yet.

Simon Jones has flown to Colorado to consult with Richard Steadman, a world-renowned surgeon, about his knee injury.Jones has been battling to recover from a knee injury he sustained during England’s tour of India in February, and a comeback for Glamorgan lasted three matches. He has not played for England since he broke down with an ankle injury before the final Ashes Test last September.After undergoing a scan last week, his specialist in Sheffield advised him to undergo an arthroscopy, but Jones wants Steadman, who has treated Darren Gough among other leading sportsmen, to give him a second opinion.If that concurs with the original recommendation, Jones is likely to be operated on in the USA and will face another lengthy spell on the sidelines, raising doubts as to whether he will be fit in time for the Ashes in November.”Simon will probably require keyhole surgery, although we don’t yet know the extent of the damage,” said an ECB spokesman, who also confirmed that Jones was in the USA and that “the report is due back in the next couple of days.”

Charl Langeveldt has signed for Somerset, as a replacement for Sanath Jayasuriya who has return to Sri Lanka in preparation for their series against West Indies.Langeveldt, 30, has played four Tests and 16 ODIs, making an early mark on Test cricket by taking a five-wicket haul on his Test debut against England at Cape Town. During South Africa’s tour of West Indies he took a hat-trick in the third ODI at Barbados to clinch a one-run win and with it the series.He will arrive at Somerset once he has received clearance from the South Africa Cricket Board and joins Graeme Smith, his national captain, at Taunton. Langeveldt’s sharp outswing will add an additional cutting edge to Somerset’s attack, which has recently lost Nixon McLean.