Pakistan’s injury concerns surrounding their pace attack have not eased in time for the third Test against England, but the trio of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan could return before the end of the tour.Asif is the closest to playing again, while Shoaib is aiming to continue his rehabilitation with a match for Birmingham League side Berkswell this weekend. The Pakistani camp is also hopeful that Naved-ul-Hasan will have recovered from his groin injury in time for the five-match one-day series which follow the Tests.Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, said: “Asif went through a fitness test yesterday [Wednesday]. He bowled eight overs pain free. Shoaib plays his first game in the Birmingham League on Saturday and we’ll see how he comes through that. And Naved-ul-Hasan is due to start bowling again in the next couple of days.”There is a thought he [Naved-ul-Hasan] might return to Sussex and work under the Sussex team and see if we can get him fit there. They did bring this up through Mushy [Mushtaq Ahmed] and suggested that might be the case. We will certainly look at that. But he definitely won’t make the fourth Test match – and nor should he because he hasn’t bowled for some time”Woolmer stressed that Shoaib won’t be rushed back before he has proved his fitness: “We want him to bowl at least eight full days of cricket before we can make any sort of statement about whether he will be fit for the last Test .”Turning to Asif, Woolmer added that he was on target to take part in Pakistan’s last tour match ahead of the final Test: “He’s got another test today [Thursday] and if he comes through that he’ll play against West Indies A at Shenley.”

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.”

Sharad Pawar and Niranjan Shah have retained their posts as President and Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). No opposing candidate was named before the deadline for filing of nominations on Tuesday evening, a day before the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai.Shah announced that N Srinivasan, the treasurer, and MP Pandove, the joint secretary, have also been re-elected. This means that no elections will take place in the AGM, which will be attended by representatives of the various state associations.”All the four have been elected unopposed,” Shah told PTI. “The five vice-presidents (one each from the five zones constituting the BCCI) would be elected on the floor of the house tomorrow as per the practice.”According to the amended constitution of the BCCI, it is the turn of the West Zone to nominate a candidate to oppose Pawar for the post of president. However, since Pawar belongs to the Mumbai Cricket Association in the West Zone, it was widely predicted that he would win unopposed.The composition of the national selection panel will also be decided in the meeting, with Dilip Vengsarkar set to take over as the chairman, and the other members – Bhupinder Singh Sr (North Zone), Ranjib Biswal (East) and Sanjay Jagdale (Central) set to retain their posts. VB Chandrasekhar, the South Zone selector, will be replaced as his term comes to an end.

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.

Mombasa will stage its first one-day international next month when the Mombasa Sports Club hosts three matches between Kenya and Bermuda. The games will take place on November 11, 12 and 14.The venue was given full ODI status in August following an inspection by ICC officials including Mike Procter.Cricket Kenya received another welcome boost with news that Petro Kenya Limited had been signed up as a series sponsor. The income from the deal – believed to be around 400,000 Kenya Shillings (US$ 5,500) – will be used to cover the costs of staging the matches.Prior to their visit to Mombasa, Bermuda play Kenya in an Intercontinental Cup fixture at Nairobi Gymkhana starting on November 5.

Venkatapathy Raju, the former Indian left-arm spinner who’s currently the south zone representative in the national selection committee, has said that the eight matches to be played early in 2007 will hold the key to selecting the World Cup squad. He also confirmed that VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly were in the scheme of things as far as one-dayers were concerned.India are scheduled to play two home series in early 2007, against West Indies in January and Sri Lanka the next month. “Those eight games will be a blessing in disguise for them [players] and also for us [selectors],” Raju said in Mysore during the Ranji Trophy match between Karnataka and Haryana. “We can see actual form before selecting the team for the World Cup. We would play the core for the World Cup team there.”Raju didn’t rule out the possibility of Laxman and Ganguly being part of the World Cup squad, adding that performance remained the only criterion. “They have three Test matches, let’s see how they go about that,” he said. “We have still not picked any probables for the World Cup. So if they perform well, they will be in the scheme of things.”India’s line-up, he agreed, was far from settled, and the selectors and team management needed to sort out the issue. “Expectations are high but judging them on the performance in South Africa won’t be right,” he continued. “Players like Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif have been playing more one-day games. There was not much time to work on their technique of for them to run in to form as we have so many non-stop ODI games. We can’t be harsh on them. Now they have a chance to play in domestic cricket and to prove their form in those eight games early next year.”The case of Subramaniam Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu batsman who’d managed to score consistently yet missed out on the Test side to South Africa, was one of inexperience, Raju said. “It won’t be fair to put someone like Badri straightaway into a tough tour like South Africa,” he said. “There is only one side game; the main players will play them. If one of them gets injured then Badrinath will have to straightaway play in a Test and I don’t think we would be doing justice to him. There is so much cricket coming up after World Cup. We will monitor the performances of the domestic players closely.”Raju believed a bowling coach could assist in the development of India’s young fast bowlers. “It might be helpful as there are a few young fast bowlers in the team. Someone like Sreesanth can benefit a lot. The talent is there and it can be guided and moulded well. The team benefited by a bowling coach when they toured Australia [Bruce Reid was the coach then].”

Raju also said he believed that the Indian board was very keen on improving domestic cricket, including revamping the Duleep Trophy. “We had a very good meeting with Sharad Pawar. He was asking about domestic pitches. The focus was on producing sporting wickets and teams playing on neutral venues which would stop the tampering of the pitches. So we plan to revamp the pitches right from the Under-19 level.””It was suggested [in the meeting] that the Duleep Trophy can be advanced and played in South India, where the season starts early. We can play them on good wickets prepared by good curators. We are looking at forming a pitch committee with the likes of Daljit Singh. They can go around the country and help improve the quality of the pitches. The problem with the pitches in India is that we either prepare really spinning tracks or those that are too seamer-friendly. Neither is good. We need a wicket with bounce which will aid both spin and seam. Like the one in Mohali in the Australia v India in Champions Trophy.”

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.

Lou Vincent struck a quick hundred to lead Auckland to a 38-run victory against Canterbury at the Village Green in Christchurch. Vincent’s 129 was well supported by aggressive fifties from Richard Jones and Kyle Mills as Auckland piled up 303 for 6. Canterbury were restricted to 265 for 7 in reply.After being asked to bat, Auckland’s openers – Paul Hitchcock and Vincent – added 58 for the first wicket. Hitchcock’s contributed only 7 to that partnership before being caught off Leighton Burtt. Jones joined Vincent in a 106-run partnership for the second wicket which steadily built the momentum. Jones struck 69 off 66 balls with seven fours and two sixes.Wickets began to fall at regular intervals after Jones was dismissed by Iain Robertson, but Vincent held up one end. He struck 19 boundaries, and when he was dismissed with the score on 254 for 5, Kyle Mills took on the responsibility of taking Auckland past 300. Mills crashed six fours and two sixes and raced to 52 off 29 balls.Canterbury’s chase started poorly as they lost their first four wickets for 69 by the 17th over. Chris Harris, who scored 71, and Kruger van Wyk revived the chase with gritty half-centuries but the asking-rate kept increasing. Hitchcock’s vital middle-order strikes ensured that Canterbury ran out of steam in spite of van Wyk’s unbeaten 63 off 56 balls. Hitchcock was the pick of Auckland’s bowlers, finishing with figures of 3 for 56.

India’s fine start to the one-day series, where they amassed 338 and held on for a 14-run win, shouldn’t mask some of the problem areas. A key concern facing them, especially with the World Cup around the corner, is the middle overs – both in the batting and bowling departments.Interestingly, the problems in both areas are interlinked. Added to that is a fielding malady where there aren’t any easy solutions. The squad for the last two matches of the series is to be selected on January 25 and tomorrow’s game becomes paramount for more than a few players.In the absence of Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, the bowling options are severely restricted. Suresh Raina doesn’t offer much while Dinesh Karthik is a wicketkeeper. Raina has already been left out of tomorrow’s clash, replaced with the genuine offspinner Ramesh Powar who is handy with the bat as well.Powar has the flight and the guile to tease the batsmen but he’s only been used sparingly, with Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble jostling for the sole spot. Kumble is expected to return for the last two matches and Powar will have to turn in a special performance tomorrow to retain his place. Ditto for Karthik, who might find it difficult to hold his place if Yuvraj or Sehwag returns.The other concern is the batting in the middle overs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni muscled and Rahul Dravid innovated on Sunday, as 112 runs flowed in the last 10 over, but one shouldn’t ignore the problems that India have had in that area recently. Is Joginder Sharma the answer to the vital allrounder’s slot? We might get an early indication tomorrow in what promises to be a make-or-break game for him. He’s had a great domestic season with both bat and ball but will he be able to bridge the vast gap between the first-class and international levels?In case he isn’t up to scratch, India would do well to fall back on Sehwag. Of course, of late Sehwag has been more vulnerable to phantoms in his psyche than demons on the pitch. But even during that miserable phase in South Africa, he managed a 50-ball 40, with six fours and a six, from the middle order. That pitch, at Cape Town, was taking some spin and that’s what India are likely to encounter in the World Cup. And he can bowl. With Irfan Pathan still struggling to get back his bowling touch, Sehwag and Yuvraj, along with Tendulkar and Ganguly, could handle the allrounder’s duties.Compounding India’s worries is their fielding. They dropped four catches in the first game and Dravid is, understandably, concerned. “We are not natural athletes, especially the senior guys,” Dravid said. “So we have to find that balance between the younger and the senior guys and the seniors have to work on their fielding. We have to still try and get to as good a level as we can. There are some guys in this side who obviously cannot become brilliant. But we have to try and improve and obviously hold all our catches.”We are working very hard on our fielding and we are looking to improvingevery day. But we need to find the balance between picking the youngsters andthe experienced guys. When we pick a lot of youngsters, the criticism was thatthere are not enough experienced players, so when you pick the experiencedplayers you have to accept that the fielding is not going to be brilliant.That’s a fact and you just have to accept it. So we have to look at thepluses and the minuses and we have to get the right balance. Thatis a situation we are faced with and we have to deal with it.”India will grapple with all this and more as they head into the second one-dayer. They will be hoping that Cuttack provides them with some, if not all, of the answers.

Silver League final
Fading light curtailed play on the second day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Silver League final at at the Gaddafi Stadium but not before Multan had taken their overnight 326 for 4 against Islamabad to 514 for 9 declared.Islamabad’s hopes of winning the Silver League final and getting promoted to next season’s Gold League circuit had already been dented, as their captain Rao Iftikhar and allrounder Azhar Mahmood left for South Africa for the one-day international series. Their pace attack had thus been weakened considerably.The result was obvious from Multan’s 500 plus first-innings score. After their overnight batsman Bilal Khilji added only five more runs to be dismissed for 137 off 274 balls with 23 fours and a six, the lower-order batsmen continued in the same relentless manner.Allrounder Kamran Hussain hit an exact 50 off 130 balls with eight fours and with Abdul Rauf helped add 61 runs for the eighth wicket. Rauf made 57 runs off just 83 balls with seven fours and two sixes.Every Multan batsman got into double-figures, except Yasir Arafat, who faced nine balls before getting out for a duck.At 21 for no wicket at stumps, Islamabad still have a mountain to climb. They need another 294 runs to avoid the ignominy of being forced to follow-on. Multan are hoping to return to the Gold League section next season. In 2005-06, they had finished at the bottom of the circuit’s points table and were demoted to the Silver League.Gold League
Faisalabad made a strong reply to Karachi Harbour’s first-innings score of 366 with 287 for 3 on the second day of their sixth-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold League match, at the National Stadium on Thursday.Faisalabad middle-order batsman Naved Latif struck top form as he blasted a quick fire 105 off 130 balls with 15 fours and three sixes. He posted his first-class career’s 11th hundred. With captain Misbah-ul-Haq, his third-wicket partnership of 181 runs came in a mere 170 minutes.Earlier, the opening stand was worth 58 runs and the second wicket fell on 102. Imran Ali contributed 46 off 71 balls with six fours and a six while Asif Hussain took just 39 balls to score 33 runs with six fours.The last four Karachi Harbour wickets fell cheaply yesterday morning, colappsing from 323 for 6 to 366 all out. Faisalabad fast bowler Asad Ali finished with figures of 5 for 122 while Ahmed Hayat took 3 for 59. Danish Kaneria, who recently returned from South Africa, conceded 80 runs in his 23 overs without any success.Faisalabad managed to lift themselves from the bottom position in the table and thus may have averted the ignominy of being demoted to next season’s Silver League circuit. They are now only 79 runs behind Karachi with seven wickets in hand.Karachi Harbour are currently placed at number five in the seven-team Gold League table with a tally of just 12 points, through a win, two defeats and a draw from their four previous appearances. Like Rawalpindi and Peshawar above them, they don’t appear to have any chance left to make it to the final.Defending champions Sialkot appear ready to displace Karachi Urban from the top of the Gold League points table as they bagged a 166-run first-innings lead on the second day at the Jinnah Stadium on Thursday.Aiming to overhaul Karachi Urban’s first-innings total of 164, Sialkot responded strongly with a score of 330 that gave them the advantage. By the close of play, Karachi had made 76 in their second innings for the loss of three wickets. They were still 90 runs in deficit.Having resumed at their overnight 53 for 0, Sialkot were rattled by Urban pace bowler Rajesh Ramesh who claimed all six wickets as the home side slumped to just 130 for 6, still 34 runs behind. A 132-run seventh-wicket stand then changed the entire complexion of the match.Middle-order batsman Ayub Dogar scored his maiden first-class century in his 21st match, his 127 combined with a rollicking knock of 77 by wicketkeeper Haafiz Khalid took Sialkot well beyond Karachi’s total.Rajesh didn’t take any more wickets and returned figures of 6 for 145 in 22 overs and took a battering from Ayub and Khalid. The tail was polished off by Asif Zakir, who took all the remaining four wickets for 40 runs in 8.5 overs with his off-breaks.Having lifted themselves from the fifth position in the Gold League table to occupy the second spot last week, Sialkot with 21 points are now looking towards retaining their national cricket title that they won last season. They have assured for themselves a spot in the final from February 19 to 23.Karachi Urban, with 24 points from their four previous matches, would still remain with a chance to make the final even if they are beaten here by Sialkot. But they will have to defeat Faisalabad in their seventh and last round match starting next week.Salman Butt played a captain’s knock as Lahore Shalimar made 291 for 5 in reply to Rawalpindi’s 330 runs at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground .Butt scored the ninth century of his first-class career and lifted his team’s morale with a knock of 166. He was involved in two fruitful partnerships on the way and hit 12 fours and a six. From 38 for 2, he and Imran Farhat, who played in the recent Test series in South Africa, boosted Lahore with an 85-run third-wicket stand.Farhat scored 42 off 82 balls with nine fours. Butt was then joined by Aamer Sajjad in a fourth-wicket stand that produced 155 runs. Sajjad remained unbeaten on 49 off 111 balls with six fours.Lahore Shalimar were only 39 runs behind Rawalpindi with five wickets intact. Of their five wickets to fall, fast bowler Yasir Arafat took 3 for 60.Rawalpindi, who for a while occupied the top spot in the Gold League table, are playing their last match of the competition. They now appear to have lost the battle to make it to the final of the tournament. They have 21 points and are third in the ranking. Lahore Shalimar are already at rock bottom in the table. In case they stay there, they will be demoted to the Silver League circuit of the next season.