John Wright, the coach of the Rest of the World team in the Super Series in October, has urged the ICC to reconsider Zimbabwe’s current status as a Test and one-day team as they continue a downward spiral in both forms of the game.”I’m not as much interested in the results as the strength of the game’s infrastructure in Zimbabwe,” Wright, the former Indian coach, told Press Trust of India. “The crux of the matter is whether Zimbabwe have the development programmes and the resources to sustain their international presence.”Wright said that there was no point in promoting Zimbabwe, a team where the players are becoming accustomed to failure. “I don’t think it’s any good for any cricket team to be beaten so badly and so often as Zimbabwe have been lately. Tthe confidence of the individuals has to be affected, and there comes a time where it almost becomes cruel,” Wright continued. “Having said that, the results are just the tip of the iceberg. The real issues involve Zimbabwe’s capacity to improve and progress as a cricket nation, and maybe that’s where the ICC should be playing a role.”It can’t be just allowed to carry on regardless, because failure will breed failure – it won’t help with development.” Wright also compared Zimbabwe’s situation to Bangladesh and added that Bangladesh were in a better position.Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Cricket is also reported to be reviewing the player contracts in response to the team’s abject performance. The board is considering reducing the number of contracted players from September 1.

Clare Taylor has called time on her international career after 17 eventful years. Taylor, 40, bows out on a high following the England team’s Ashes success.”All good things come to an end,” said Taylor. “For me it was a case of having a couple of injuries that were hard to shake off,” she added.Popularly called “Romper”, she is a medium-pace bowler who played 16 Tests and 105 ODIs since 1988. In a career of many highlights – she was made a Member of the British Empire in 2000 for services to cricket, and became the first woman to take 100 ODI wickets – her outstanding moment was winning the World Cup in 1993.She is a talented footballer too, having represented Liverpool Ladies and playing in the football World Cup.Her county side is Yorkshire. She has revealed that she will continue playing cricket, as well as coach, when she goes to New Zealand this November to pitch in for the Otago Sparks.She believes her decision to retire now has come at exactly the right time.”Looking around at the current squad, there are many promising youngsters coming through,” she added, “with the likes of Katherine Brunt, Isa Guha and Arran Brindle. I therefore feel that now is a good time to go, leaving the game on a high, having just won the Ashes for the first time in 42 years.”

Scorecard

Martin Love’s counterattacking hundred helped Queensland escape with a draw against the touring West Indians at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, despite Marlon Samuels’s five-wicket haul. Queensland appeared to have done enough when Love (108) and Andrew Symonds (77) added 175 for the fourth wicket to take them to a comfortable 262. However, Samuels spun a web with his offbreaks, scuttling out Symonds and James Hopes in the space of 13 balls, and along with Gayle, who removed Love soon after, reduced Queensland to 6 for 272.Samuels removed Chris Simpson and West Indians went to tea needing only three more wickets to wrap it up. But they were thwarted by Chris Hartley, who made an enterprising 60 not out, including three sixes, with one mighty hit landing on the roof of the Queensland Cricket building. He was ably assisted by Michael Kasprowicz, who joined Hartley with the score on 9 for 343 and hung around for 39 valuable minutes as the duo denied the West Indians a morale-boosting win ahead of the first Test at the Gabba.The West Indians, though, will be heartened by the form of some of their batsmen, especially Samuels, and will begin the Test with some positive signals. However, the Gabba remains an Australian fortress – they haven’t lost a single Test there since 1988 – and West Indies will face a far more daunting task when they stride out on November 3.

The West Indies will target Australia’s inexperienced players in the second Test at Hobart beginning November 17, according to a determined Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the opposing captain.Australia are likely to play Brad Hodge, the uncapped middle order batsman, Michael Hussey, the makeshift opener who debuted in the first Test, and Andrew Symonds, the hard-hitting allrounder who has only played two Tests. Speaking to , Chanderpaul maintained that his side will look to exploit this weak link in the second Test. “Obviously you have guys who are now coming into the side and they’re looking to make a name for themselves,” Chanderpaul said. “They don’t have as much experience as the other guys and will probably be a bit shaky in the beginning. Hopefully we can get it right come next game and sort these things out early.”Hodge, who recently stated that he was the most deserving Australian batsman in line for Test cricket, scored a fantastic 177 on day one of the drawn tour match at the Junction Oval and looked at ease against the West Indian attack.Chanderpaul, who scored 59 in the same match, took some positives from the rain-curtailed match. “As a batter obviously you would want to spend some time in the middle and I am happy that I got to spend some time out there,” Chanderpaul said. “We played two games, one before the Test match and in the Test match and not much happened for me and for some of the other guys. This was one of those games where you want to make sure you spend time in the middle and I think it has done some good for us.”His main advice to his batsmen was to be more patient. “It’s a Test match, so you need to go out there and settle,” he said. “We came off a one-day tournament. You need to get the balance right and go out there and put your head down and bat instead of going in and playing all these shots that can get you out.” His team-mates need not look further than Chanderpaul himself, who grafted a patient innings – he was at the crease for over four hours and faced just one ball less than what Hodge needed for his 177 on day one – even as wickets fell around him.Absent from the match against Victoria was Brian Lara, who struggled for runs in the West Indies’ 379-run loss at Brisbane. Commenting on Lara’s form, Chanderpaul was supportive of his team-mate. “Brian, I don’t think he’s struggling. I just think he needs some more time in the middle and he is stroking the ball well and it’s just one of those things. He could go out there tomorrow and just get runs on the board for us.”Chanderpaul also stated that Wavell Hinds, who was sidelined from the first Test owing to a hairline fracture of his finger sustained in a warm-up match against Queensland, would be considered for the Hobart Test, as would Dwayne Bravo, the allrounder.

The six-nation Asia Cup due to take place in Pakistan in February has been postponed after India complained that their players faced a gruelling schedule.The Pakistan Cricket Board agreed to requests from new Indian board chief Sharad Pawar who pointed out that the tournament was sandwiched in between major series against Pakistan and England and that it would allow India’s players no time to rest.”Our players felt they needed some rest because of the back-to-back itinerary,” BCCI executive secretary Ratnakar Shetty told reporters.

Scorecard
India made short work of England’s total of 215 for 7 in the third one-dayer at Guwahati, cruising to victory by 8 wickets to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Karu Jain starred with 64 at the top of the innings, and Mithali Raj ended unbeaten on 65 to take the home side through to a comprehensive win. Anjum Chopra also continued her good form, partnering Raj in a stand worth 68.The home side were assisted in their run chase with a disappointing bowling performance by England: only Charlotte Edwards, the captain, could apply the brakes to the rampant Indians, conceding 43 from her ten overs.It was Edwards who led from the front, again, when England won the toss and chose to bat. Together with Laura Newton, the pair put on 102 for the first wicket – but when Newton fell, bowled by Reema Malhotra’s legbreak, the doors were swung wide open; one became two, two became three and, but for some plucky lower-order boundaries from Beth Morgan and Nicki Shaw, the innings subsided quickly. On what was a flat pitch, their eventual total of 215 – albeit their highest of the tour so far – was a little less than they anticipated, a sentiment Richard Bates, England’s coach, agreed with.”Yes, the pitch was flatter than we expected – certainly flatter than in previous games,” he told Cricinfo today. “In hindsight, I suppose we were 20 or so short – but even if we had managed another 20 runs, I don’t think that bowling performance merited a victory.”Injury scares further limited England’s options. “It wasn’t the balance we were looking for; only 12 players were at the ground, so we were forced into selection,” Bates said. “That’s no excuse, though. We didn’t bowl very well today and we weren’t able to put any pressure on the batsmen.”India’s run chase got off to a rollicking start – “we simply didn’t put the ball in the right areas. They got away from us and got the runs with ease” Bates added – with Jain, who deservedly won the Player-of-the-Match award, smiting ten fours in her 88-ball innings. Despite Arran Brindle dismissing Jain, and Watts removing the wicketkeeper Jaya Sharma, India weren’t troubled in the slightest, coasting to 216 with more than 9 overs to spare.

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

Brett Lee secured a career-best return and Phil Jaques enjoyed a record-breaking one-day entry as Australia easily accounted for South Africa at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome. The match was played with the roof closed, but while the tourists were protected from the rain they could do little to escape the power of Jaques, who fell six short of a century, and Lee as he charged Australia to a 59-run victory.The breathless arrival of Jaques, which included 14 fours from 112 balls, pushed Australia’s first innings, but it faltered on his departure and they lost 7 for 73 against testing bowling and scrambled to 245. Lee, who finished with 5 for 22 from ten overs and the Man-of-the-Match award, proved it was enough on a pitch with variable bounce in two devastating spells that rocked the top order and rolled the middle.South Africa recovered from the Lee-inflicted early damage of 2 for 16 with Boeta Dippenaar’s cautious 41, but they were drifting helplessly again after Ricky Ponting recalled Lee in the 32nd over and he fired three more blows. Dippenaar, Ashwell Prince and Justin Kemp were bowled in a 10-ball sequence that ended South Africa’s chances as they spluttered to 6 for 123.Brag Hogg returned for this match as Supersub and showed there was another way to break through vulnerable defences by claming 3 for 32, but nothing could match Lee’s speed and accuracy. The opener Graeme Smith’s wretched tour continued when he edged Lee to Brad Haddin for 9 and Andrew Hall, who was promoted to No. 3, was beaten for pace as the ball seared between his bat and pad.Lee gave up 13 runs in his first five overs and received crucial support from Glenn McGrath as he went for 15 from his opening six. South Africa were battling with only 27 from ten overs and 34 off 15, allowing the inexperienced duo of James Hopes and Brett Dorey, who claimed a wicket on debut when he ended Shaun Pollock’s late spray of four sixes in a 31-ball 46, to settle in. Dippenaar blunted the early assault and made useful contributions with Herschelle Gibbs (39) and Prince (21) before the gains were ruined by Lee and they were dismissed for 186.The South Africans suffered similar experiences when they bowled: they added regular wickets, but their hopes of a small target were upset by Jaques. In steamy conditions, Jaques was drenched with sweat and made sure the bowlers also felt the heat as he became the country’s highest scorer on debut, passing Kepler Wessels’s 23-year-old mark of 79 against New Zealand. It was a good day for the first-gamers, with Johan van der Wath picking up Jaques and Michael Clarke after being brought in as a Supersub in the 18th over for Dale Steyn, who went for 56 in five overs.Jaques’s highlight was four consecutive boundaries from Steyn – the over eventually cost 24 and included the dismissal of Andrew Symonds – and he brought up his fifty with a thick-edged boundary from 55 balls. He was particularly strong square of the wicket and grabbed his opportunity after coming in as a late replacement for the injured Simon Katich. Aiming to be the fifth player to post a century in his first ODI, his introduction was ended by a doubtful caught-behind dismissal in the 33rd over that may have hit his bat, but definitely brushed his shoulder.”I just wanted to back myself and play the way I played, and I was a little unfortunate to get out six runs short,” Jaques said at the innings break. “I’m probably in the form of my life at the moment and to get the opportunity to play for your country like that is really good.”Australia were 5 for 177 when Jaques left and Hall did well to restrict the total with 4 for 35 as a storm hit the outside of the stadium. When the players returned from dinner Lee responded with a thundering performance to give his side a bonus point with their second win of the competition.

South AfricaGraeme Smith c Haddin b Lee 9 (1 for 12)
Andrew Hall b Lee 1 (2 for 16)
Herschelle Gibbs lbw Hogg 39 (3 for 84)
Boeta Dippenaar b Lee 41 (4 for 114)
Ashwell Prince b Lee 21 (5 for 119)
Justin Kemp b Lee 3 (6 for 123)
Mark Boucher lbw Hogg 5 (7 for 123)
Johan van der Wath c Haddin b Hogg 0 (8 for 124)
Shaun Pollock c Haddin b Dorey 46 (9 for 185)
Garnett Kruger c Symonds b McGrath 0 (186)
AustraliaDamien Martyn b Pollock 11 (1 for 17)
Andrew Symonds c Prince b Steyn 7 (3 for 85)
Michael Clarke c Boucher b van der Wath 34 (4 for 172)
Phil Jaques c Boucher b van der Wath 94 (5 for 177)
Brad Haddin b Pollock 1 (6 for 181)
Michael Hussey c Kruger b Hall 18 (7 for 208)
Brett Lee b Smith 6 (8 for 221)
Brett Dorey c Kemp b Hall 2 (9 for 238)
James Hopes c Botha b Hall 38 (245)

As the senior sides from England and India prepare to face each other in amuch anticipated series, the Under-19 versions offer an enticing prospectin the first of the day/night World Cup semi-finals at the PremadasaStadium. The two teams have arrived at the last four in contrastingstyles; India have had few problems winning four out of four in the pastweek, whereas England were tested by Ireland, and lost to Zimbabwe, beforepulling out all the stops against Bangladesh.That win against Bangladesh was a vital result for a side that was stilltrying to bury the memories of their horror tour before Christmas, wherethey lost every match. The team had been far from convincing, finishingsecond in Group D, and the two-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe suggestedthey hadn’t conquered their demons against spin. However, the batsmensuccessfully combated the Bangladesh attack – consisting of four left-armspinners – to chase down 155.It is the England spinners who have been their trump cards. Theleft-armers, Graeme White and Nick James, have been a revelation withWhite completing figures of 10-5-11-1 against Bangladesh. With Moeen Aliproviding a useful option with his offspin, and the medium pace of StevenMullaney having been a vital source of wickets, batsmen can’t takeliberties.In their first warm-up match in Sri Lanka, England bowled out India for158. But with the World Cup now at stake, and India in their stride, it isa very different challenge. How they perform against the powerful line-up,that can bat against spin in their sleep, will be a major factor. ButMullaney believes they are now a match for anyone: “We were saying afterthe Bangladesh win that if we bowl like that again there aren’t many sideswho could touch us.”However, India’s top order has been in fine form, especially Gaurav Dhimanand Cheteshwar Pujara. Dhiman has produced some of the most flamboyantbatting of the tournament – including a 71-ball 90 against Namibia and 74off 56 balls against West Indies in the quarter-final. It was also againstWest Indies that Pujara came to the fore with 97. But the downside of theprolific form from the openers means the middle order has had limited timeat the crease. This was evident in the quarter-final when Dhiman, Pujaraand Rohit Sharma carried the score to 209 for 1 after 35 overs, only forthe remaining batsmen to struggle with India finishing on 284 for 9.Batting has become harder as the ball has grown softer, so the lesson forboth teams will be to make the most of the fielding restrictions, asforcing the pace in the closing overs is not an easy task. However, evenrestricting India to a getable total is no guarantee of success.They have a balanced attack, Dhiman also staring with the ballagainst West Indies, while Piyush Chawla is a highly promising legspinner;picking holes in this line-up is difficult. India will also be familiarwith conditions at the Premadasa, having played all their group matches,and the quarter-final, at the ground. But this is the first day/nightmatch for any team so they will need to adapt to playing under the lightsDespite their impressive form Venkatesh Prasad, India’s coach, has calledon his team to be even more ruthless. “What we are saying is why give theopposition a chance. We don’t want even the thought of coming back intothe match to cross the opposition’s minds.” England played one of theirbest matches of recent times to beat Bangladesh, but are going to have toproduce the same again to stop a red-hot India.

Sourav Ganguly has been left out of India’s 15-man squad for the first Test against England, while VRV Singh, the Punjab fast bowler, and Piyush Chawla, the young legspinner from Uttar Pradesh, have been included. Wasim Jaffer, who produced an impressive 48 for the Indian Board President’s XI at Vadodara today, retained his place in the squad.”Sourav’s exclusion was a decision based on performance and keeping in mind the future of the team,” Kiran More, the chairman of the selection committee, told the media. “He has been a good performer for India, but we are trying to bring in youth.”The 17-year-old Chawla has played in just nine first-class games but his sparkling performances in the Under-19 World Cup, 13 wickets at 12.15, would have strengthened his case. The selectors decided to pick four fast bowlers – Irfan Pathan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Sreesanth and VRV Singh. “We have to look to the future. We have four very good fast bowlers who have performed well, but injuries can happen at any time, so having good back-up is essential,” More said when summing up the selectors’ decision. “Sreesanth has done well in Pakistan, and so he was included, and Irfan and RP have done well, as you have seen. Vikram is a good prospect.””Wasim is a fine batsman, he has done well for India and on the domestic circuit,” More added. “It was hard to leave him out.”Commenting on the absence of Munaf Patel, who impressed against the England XI with 5 for 59 today, More maintained that he would get plenty of chances in the coming year. “Munaf bowled very well, but we decided on Vikram,” More said. “Munaf will get more chances in the coming year, as will Gautam Gambhir. The India A team has important tours coming up, and all will get their chances.”As expected, Yuvraj Singh was unavailable due to an thigh injury sustained in the final one-day international in Pakistan.Team
Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid (capt) Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh, VRV Singh

Rod Marsh has ruled himself out of contention for the Australian selector’s job which is soon to be vacated by Trevor Hohns. Marsh, the former England selector, said he would be too busy with his two jobs – heading the ICC’s new Global Cricket Academy in Dubai and reviewing the operations of cricket in South Australia – to even contemplate the role.Steve Rixon, the former Test wicketkeeper and New Zealand and Surrey coach, has emerged as a frontrunner to join the four-man panel alongside David Boon, Andrew Hilditch and Merv Hughes and has confirmed his interest in the role. Hohns vacates the chairman’s role after seven years because of increasing business commitments, meaning a likely elevation for one of the current trio.”It does appeal to me,” Rixon told the . “I’m still fresh, still involved in the game and still keen and passionate to make a difference. I have given this a lot of thought. In 2007 there will obviously be a lot of coaching jobs coming up, but the only one that would interest me would be the Aussie job. But selecting is something I would really like to get my teeth into.”Media speculation has also linked Ray Bright, the former slow left-armer, and Dean Jones to the job, while Steve Waugh ruled himself out of contention owing to business commitments. Waugh, though, believes that Jones could be a suitable candidate, although Jones has extensive media obligations.