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Jonty Rhodes is one of the favourites to become England’s fielding coach as the new management team continues to expand the back room staff. It is hoped the position will be filled by the time the one-day squad meets up again for the seven-match series against India in the second half of August.England dropped three catches during the deciding one-dayer at Trent Bridge on Sunday – two in the outfield by Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, plus one by wicketkeeper Matt Prior – while the ground fielding was caught out by aggressive West Indies running. The boundary sweepers often struggled to collect the ball cleanly while those inside the circle rarely managed any direct hits.”As with the rest of the support team we want the right person to do that job,” said England coach Peter Moores. “When we’ve got the right bloke we can look to bring him in and see how he goes. We have seen that in other specialist positions for coaches.”We are talking about people who could make a genuine difference to international performances – and they don’t always grow on trees. If we get a fielding coach we want him to influence fielding in England not just at England level.”Rhodes, who was famous for his work at backward point in his career, has previously held a similar post with South Africa and Pakistan. His former team-mate Allan Donald is currently England’s bowling coach until the end of the Twenty20 World Championships.

ScorecardA four-wicket haul by allrounder Darren Sammy guided West Indies A to a convincing 59-run win over Sri Lanka A in the decisive match of their five-match limited overs series yesterday at St Lucia, winning the series 2-1.Electing to bat, the West Indians were dismissed for 215 in 49.4 overs and they then restricted the Sri Lankans to 156 in 41.3 overs, with Sammy registering figures of four for 16 off 7.3 overs. Pacer Gavin Tonge supported him with 2 for 31 off eight overs, as the home side clinched a 2-1 victory in the series.Earlier, opener Austin Richards plundered 68 with nine fours and a six off 99 balls to guide West Indies A to their total. Omari Banks made a useful contribution of 40 late in the innings and Wavell Hinds chipped in with 29.The West Indies were at one stage 124 for two, but lost captain Joseph driving too early at Ishara Amarasinghe, giving a return catch. Richards was caught behind by Kaushal Silva off Amerasinghe, who also accounted for Narsingh Deonarine caught behind for six. Amerasinghe finished with 4 for 34 and Bandara 3 for 41.In reply, the Sri Lankans were in all sorts of trouble at 87 for 8, before Bandara and Dammika Prasad resisted for a while. Bandara remained undefeated on 47.The result finished a competitive series that saw the Sri Lankans winning the first game and the West Indians rebounding to capture the second game last weekend in St Kitts. The third game on Wednesday was abandoned because of rain and Friday’s day/night fixture finished in a tie.

Wasim Jaffer and MS Dhoni speak to the press
Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAThe fourth day of the Antigua Test was marked out by two innings: Wasim Jaffer’s 212 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s belligerent 69. Both these men spoke to the press after the day’s play.Jaffer spoke about how getting dropped from the Indian team made him a more mature player, and how Rahul Dravid’s advice helped him on his way to this double-century. Dhoni, meanwhile, explained the sequence of events that led to his controversial dismissal, including Brian Lara’s plea to him to walk. Listen in.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

The Indian board (BCCI) has told Cricinfo that it will be lodging a complaint with the ECB following confirmation that the PCB has issued No Objection Certificates to Mushtaq Ahmed and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, allowing them to play county cricket in 2008.The two players are involved with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League and Niranjan Shah, the BCCI’s secretary, told Cricinfo that “we have an understanding with the other countries’ boards that they can’t allow players who are associated with the ICL to be allowed to play at any level, regardless of the reason the player has a contract with his board or not.”If the news is true that the two players have been given NOCs by the PCB then we will take up the issue with the ECB since the two counties – Sussex and Yorkshire – come under the jurisdiction of the England board.”The ECB, however, is legally powerless to take any action in the light of the NOCs being granted and is likely to pass the matter back to the Indian board to sort out directly with its Pakistan counterparts.The situation is further muddied by confusion within the PCB about the issuing of an NOC to Naved-ul-Hasan. On Thursday, Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told Reuters that “the factual position is that some counties had asked the PCB to issue NOC’s for these players. But we’ve now informed them very clearly that since these players are not contracted to us nor eligible to play in Pakistan we don’t come anywhere into this issue at all.”But less than a day later, Naghmi gave Cricinfo an altogether different picture. “Our board’s policy on the ICL remains as it has always been and these players cannot play in Pakistan,” he said. “But the board also felt that there is no legal or moral reason in stopping someone from playing cricket in another country. That is subject to their laws. So, on this basis, we have sent an NOC, which maybe wasn’t as well-worded as planned, but the intention was made clear.”Stewart Regan, the Yorkshire chief executive, told Cricinfo that the NOC had in fact been received last week and was dated March 17. “We have a signed letter that is very clear in confirming they [the PCB] have no objection,” he said. This was then sent to the ECB, along with the player’s registration form, and was accepted by the board.Today’s news follows the revelations last week that the ECB had refused registrations for five players because of their participation in the ICL. But with Pakistan approving Mushtaq and Naved-ul-Hasan, and in so doing leaving the England board with no room for manoeuvre, there are certain to be some terse exchanges between the PCB and the BCCI in the coming days.

West Indies went into the DLF Cup final against Australia feeling good about their chances, but they should have known that Australia can get quite ruthless when the stakes get high. They have a history of thrashing opponents in finals, and West Indies themselves have been at the receiving end earlier: in the first final of the Carlton & United Series in 2001, West Indies were humbled by 134 runs, their biggest defeat against Australia in terms of runs. The 127-run defeat in the DLF Cup final slots in second place. (Click here for a list of Australia’s most convincing ODI wins against West Indies when batting first.)West Indies’ score of 113 was their third-lowest in all ODIs against Australia. Their lowest – 87 – came in a bizarre match during the Benson & Hedges World Series in 1992-93, after they had earlier dismissed Australia for 101.The West Indians put in a terrible display with the bat, but the worst of them all was Runako Morton, who played out 30 dot balls before being dismissed off the 31st. It was the slowest duck ever scored in one-day internationals, beating the earlier record which also belonged to a West Indian – Phil Simmons made one off 23 balls against New Zealand in Goa in 1994-95. The table below lists the eight longest ducks in ODIs, in terms of balls faced.

Ajay Jadeja and Sairaj Bahutule are high on Maharashtra’s shopping list as the side, after appointing Darren Holder as their coach, began to scout for stars from out of town. Both Jadeja and Bahutule captained their respective state sides – Delhi and Mumbai – in last season’s domestic competitions but the duo might just be part of Maharashtra’s plans to revive their flagging fortunes.The management committee of the Maharashtra Cricket Association has authorised a Rupees 1 million salary for Jadeja to play the next season for them as captain, a source told Cricinfo. Jadeja, who returned to first-class cricket last season after serving a three-year ban for involvement in matchfixing, had a good return last year with 452 runs in seven games, including two hundreds and two fifties.”It’s not possible to make an official comment at the moment because the selection committee has not met yet,” the same source revealed. “But the management committee has given the go-ahead to recruit three cricketers from outside the state to play as professional cricketers.” Maharashtra has managed to rope in sponsors for their Ranji team, and felt it best to spend the money on cricketers’ salaries.Maharashtra were promoted to the Elite Group last year, after they clinched the Plate Championship in 2003, but they struggled throughout the year and just managed to avoid relegation.When Bahutule, who is currently back in Mumbai briefly on a break from playing league cricket in England for the birth of his daughter, was contacted he refused to confirm or deny the move. “I would not like to make any comment on this,” he said. Bahutule has contributed tremendously to the Mumbai side with both bat and ball and been an integral part of a team that won two successive Ranji Trophy championships in 2003 and 2004.

Renovation work at Eden Park has meant that Auckland Cricket will have to shift from its home base for the first time in 103 years. The stadium, which hosts international cricket and rugby matches, is set to undergo a NZ$320 million facelift in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.Traditionally, Auckland play their domestic games at the Eden Park Outer Oval adjacent to the main stadium. However, the Oval will not be in a position to host any matches, with the construction work likely to affect the surrounding areas. International cricket will continue to be played at Eden Park, despite the renovation.According to a report in , Auckland are close to formalising an arrangement with the Eden Park Trust Board (EPTB) – which manages the venue – regarding the shift, but the search for a suitable alternative venue is proving to be difficult, as each has its share of merits and demerits. The possible venues include the University grounds at the Merton Road campus, Melville Park behind the Teachers’ College in Epsom, Western Springs and North Harbour Stadium at Albany.”We are in negotiations with the Eden Park Trust Board,” Brent King, Cricket Auckland’s chairman said. “We’re seeking a way in which we can continue to work with the EPTB and have a ground that’s appropriate for Auckland Cricket.”We are looking at a number of grounds and like anything in life they have benefits and detriments. Some of them are perfect grounds but poorly located. All these things are incredibly testing for everybody. Everyone has their opinions on what is most important.”North Shore City, another likely venue, has indicated that it would be keen to host games. “We have been in a dialogue with Auckland Cricket for the greater part of the year,” Brendan O’Connor, the stadium’s chief executive said. “They’re not just talking to us, they’re talking to other potential venues as well. It hasn’t got to the formal negotiation point yet.”

The Pakistan team are to give hands-on help to areas devastated by last Saturday’s earthquake, by taking part in relief work.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, told a private television channel of his side’s commitment in helping the area recover from the tragedy: “The entire cricket team will travel to quake-stricken areas and will take part in relief operations. Although we might not stay there during the entire operation, we’ll definitely make our presence felt in the areas that have been devastated by the earthquake,” he said.Inzamam, who is playing for the World XI in the ICC Super Test in Sydney, added: “My heart goes out for the people of Muzaffarabad and adjoining areas who lost everything in seconds. There are people in need and it’s our national and moral duty to help them and make them realise that at this time of difficulty, we are with them.”

When the recent competition winner’s name was announced as Maddy Ferrari, Somerset Cricket Development Officer Andrew Moulding contacted the club website to say that he knew the winner and he felt that reader’s of the site would be interested to hear it.In his office at the Centre of Excellence at the County Ground Andrew Moulding told me at, “Maddy Ferrari made contact with me in my official capacity, from her home at Witham Friary last summer to say that she had a group of youngsters who wanted to play cricket.”Andrew continued, “I went up to meet her and half a dozen Mums in the village which is in the north east of the county not far from Frome.They told me that they were determined to set something up.”The Cricket Development Officer went on, “The local parish has given them some ground, and we are trying to get a new Flicx pitch to help them out and give them a start. We have also put them in touch with the Lord’s Taverner’s who will hopefully be able to help them.”Well done Maddy on winning the prize, and well done to all the Mums in Witham Friary. If any of you read this please contact the site so that we can report any progress that has been made in recent months.

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

A match that swung from one side to the other was decided by two exceptional overs from L Balaji, the India international: he first picked up two crucial wickets in the 13th over to seize the initiative for his side, then picked up the IPL’s first hat-trick in the final over to finish the match. Balaji’s performance, in front of an ecstatic home crowd, pushed Chennai Super Kings to second place in the points table and ended Kings XI Punjab’s streak of five successive wins.Chasing a stiff 182, Punjab lost two early wickets but Shaun Marsh stayed calm at the other end, working the Chennai bowlers into the gaps for runs while picking up the odd boundaries. As the asking-rate escalated to over ten, Marsh decided to step it up, punishing Palani Amarnath for two sixes over the straight boundary and bringing up his fifty with another clean straight hit, off Balaji.If Marsh appeared as if he’d just arrived after a stint at a driving range, Ramnaresh Sarwan, with whom he put on 66, was a touch slow with 20 off 22 balls and his inability to hit a boundary suggested why his Twenty20 strike-rate is less than a run-a-ball.Their partnership was looking threatening, though, before both fell in one match-turning over from Balaji. Ambling in from a shortened run and putting in the effort in his final stride, he varied his deliveries, mixing up slower balls with shorter ones, with some surprising the batsmen. He got Sarwan with the first ball, the batsman bowled while giving the charge. Four balls later Marsh followed, top-edging to Amarnath on the square-leg boundary.Amarnath tightened the screws in the next over, having Yuvraj Singh caught by Stephen Fleming at point, and the match was almost over as a contest. Not as a spectacle, though.The 15th over saw a mini-battle between Muttiah Muralitharan and his Sri Lanka team-mate Mahela Jayawardene, who got down on his knees and dispatched him over deep midwicket. Two balls later, though, a repeat effort resulted in a top edge to S Vidyut at short third man, and Jayawardene, normally accustomed to running to congratulate his leading bowler, had to head back to the dugout.And then there was the hat-trick, in the last over of the match. There were four balls to go and 19 runs to get when Balaji bowled to Irfan Pathan, who’d already hit him for a six off the first ball. This time, he holed out to a slower ball to deep square leg. Next, Piyush Chawla lofted one towards long-off for an easy catch, and the hat-trick was completed when VRV Singh managed to back away and top-edge one straight to Mahendra Singh Dhoni.Badrinath, a local boy like Balaji, and Dhoni had earlier threatened to take the game away as Michael Hussey had done in the previous encounter between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab, but Punjab’s bowlers did well to restrict the flow of runs in the final five overs of the innings.Dhoni, Chennai’s adopted hero and captain, sent the crowd into raptures soon after his arrival by clobbering Chawla for three sixes; the first two sailed into the leg-side stands, while the third was hit flat over the bowler’s head. Yuvraj soon went in for damage control, bringing on Pathan, his side’s leading wicket-taker, for his second spell as early as the 13th over. Badrinath took two sixes off Pathan and brought up his fifty off 37 deliveries. The two had added 80 off 49 deliveries, and a final flourish was on the cards.Punjab came back well to rein in the rampaging batsmen. Sreesanth had bowled a good first spell in which he removed Chennai’s openers and his final one – the 16th of the innings – went for just five, James Hopes and VRV took the cue and targeted the blockhole, and the run-scoring abated. Chennai got 181, but would be disappointed at not having been able to go past the 200-run mark, which looked likely at one stage.