Herschelle Gibbs, the South Africa opener, will miss the opening game of the Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka on September 22 because of a rib injury but is likely to recover in time for the rest of the games.
Gibbs picked up the injury during the warm-up game against West Indies on Friday after he took evasive action at the non-striker's end to avoid a straight drive from Graeme Smith. He retired hurt after scoring a 40-ball 38.
"Herschelle suffered a minor rib and intercostal injury in the warm-up match against the West Indies at Potchefstroom on Friday," Brandon Jackson, the South African physiotherapist said.
"We will reassess his position after Tuesday's match with the aim of getting him back on the field either for the New Zealand match on Thursday or the one against England next Sunday."
Andrew Flintoff will help coach the UAE national team while he recovers from his latest operation in Dubai.
His agent, Andrew "Chubby" Chandler, told The Times the work was part of a deal struck with Dubai Sports City where Flintoff will undertake treatment in the coming months. The arrangement will be informal and he will not have an official role.
"A partnership has been agreed to use their gym and facilities as a base for his rehabilitation," Chandler said. "I believe he will be one of the first people to use them. In return he will be carrying out some coaching for the UAE national team over the next six months. There's been good growth in UAE cricket in the last few years and Andrew felt that he wanted to give something back."
Chandler also revealed Flintoff's children had already started at a local school and the family were on the hunt for permanent accommodation.
Flintoff's decision will come as a boost to the UAE, which is among the leading Associate sides and which will host the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers later this year.
The ICC's prestigious annual awards appears to have run into a controversy with several high-profile figures from South Africa, including Gerald Majola, the national cricket board's chief executive, criticising the final selection process for not including a single South African player. Majola questioned the credibility of the awards - which will be presented in Johannesburg on October 1 - and said it appeared to him that the only way to get on the shortlist was to play the Ashes.
Majola's views have been echoed by Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, who said the "very disappointing" nominations shortlist would motivate his players to perform better in the ICC Champions Trophy starting on September 22. Allan Donald, the former South Africa fast bowler and a member of the awards voting panel, admitted that he was surprised by the shortlist. Journalist Neil Manthorp, the only other South African on the 25-member panel, wrote that the honour of being on that jury had turned into an embarrassment. Cricinfo has also received angry emails from readers complaining about the omissions.
When contacted, an ICC spokesperson said that the awards nomination "is a completely independent process in which the ICC has no say whatsoever".
"To me, it looks like the only way to get on these nomination lists is to play the Ashes," Majola told Cricinfo. "Unfortunately, our players don't play for England or Australia. That seems to be the criteria to select these awards. I don't know what the criteria are for these nominations but I simply can't believe that this has happened to South African players. My personal opinion is that this doesn't lend credibility to this year's awards, for sure. To rub salt to our wounds, the awards ceremony is being held in our country.
"I am totally dismayed and disappointed. The last season was one of the best ever for South Africa and there were a lot of outstanding performances by our players. In my personal opinion, there were at least three South African players who should have figured on the shortlist. But I am not going to name them because I don't want to drag our players into this issue when they are preparing for the Champions Trophy. I haven't spoken to them about this either."
Donald revealed that he had nominated two South African players for the shortlist. "But I am surprised to see that there is no one from South Africa in the final list," he told Cricinfo.
The long list of nominations for the individual awards was prepared by a five-member ICC panel headed by Clive Lloyd, the ICC's cricket committee chairman, and including Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar, Bob Taylor and Stephen Fleming. The performance period taken into account was August 13, 2008 to August 24, 2009. This list was then sent to the ICC's independent panel of 25 members - including two South Africans, Allan Donald and Manthorp - to vote for the shortlist of the top four contenders in each category.
The independent panel included former players Ian Healy, Ramiz Raja, Athar Ali Khan, Allan Donald, Bob Willis, Sidath Wettimuny, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Ian Bishop, Jeremy Coney, Dave Houghton, Roland Lefebvre. The media was represented by Jim Maxwell (Aus), Osman Samiuddin (Cricinfo's Pakistan editor), Sayeed Uzzaman (Ban), Neil Manthorp (SA), Scyld Berry (Eng), Ramil Abeynaike (SL), Sharda Ugra (Ind), Fazeer Mohammed (WI), Richard Boock (NZ), Enock Nuchinjo (Zim) and Jon Coates (Associates). The officials were ICC referees elite panel representative: Alan Hurst; ICC umpires elite panel representative: Billy Bowden and chairman of the ICC cricket committee: Clive Lloyd.
While the shortlist was announced on Tuesday, the category winners will be known only on awards night. The votes have already been collated by Ernst and Young, who acted as independent auditors.
South Africa are currently the No. 1 Test and ODI team on the ICC rankings and the long list, reflecting this, featured four South African players. Graeme Smith, who led his team to their first Test series win ever in Australia, and AB deVilliers, who hit two match-winning centuries against Australia - one of them set up that historic away series win - were nominated for Cricketer of the Year and Test Player of the Year; Dale Steyn, who was ICC's Test Player of the Year in 2008, also featured on the long list for the best Test player; and Wayne Parnell, the left-arm fast bowler, was nominated for the best Twenty20 International Performance of the year.
None of them made it to the final four in their categories.
Writing on the SuperSport website, Manthorp said the fault lay not with the ICC but with the system used for determining the award winners. The 25-member panel has to select the final nominees from a dozen or more names on the long list, which, he said, was simply too time-consuming to be done thoroughly. There were "plenty of Proteas" on the long list, he said, but not having played for three months meant they were "out of sight and out of mind."
Andrew Strauss, the England captain, and Mitchell Johnson, the Australian fast bowler, figure in both the shortlists (of four players each) for Cricketer of the Year and Test Player of the Year. MS Dhoni, the India captain and Gautam Gambhir, the India opener, are the other shortlisted nominees for Cricketer of the Year; Gambhir and Thilan Samaraweera, the Sri Lankan batsman, are also in the race for the best Test player.
However, South African players can still be part of the awards night by featuring in the best Test and ODI teams for the last year that will be announced at the ceremony. Smith, for instance, was named captain of the best Test selection last time in a team that also featured Jacques Kallis and Steyn. Herchelle Gibbs was part of the best ODI selection last year.
Tim Paine's maiden one-day international century and two spectacular, direct-hit run-outs from Ricky Ponting sent England tumbling to their third heaviest all-time home defeat and a sixth consecutive loss to Australia. In a thoroughly dispiriting display, England were bundled out for 185 in pursuit of the tourists' 296 for 8, allowing the Australians a chance at an unprecedented seven-game series whitewash and moving them into a first-place tie with South Africa atop the ODI rankings.
England seemed resigned to another punishing outing when Paine and Michael Hussey combined for Australia's highest third-wicket partnership (163) in limited overs matches against England. That sentiment was mercilessly driven home when Ponting capitalised on the confused states of mind of England's middle order to gun down Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara during the fielding Powerplay; dismissals from which they would never rebound.
England's run-chase began disastrously when Andrew Strauss was incorrectly ruled out for the second successive match by Asad Rauf, but the hosts had only themselves to blame thereafter. Prior was caught off-guard at the non-striker's end by a sublime Ponting turn-and-throw at extra cover, while another mix-up from the combustible duo of Owais Shah and Bopara led to the latter's demise six balls later. Bopara's departure rounded out a depressing sequence in which England lost three top-order wicket for 15 runs in the space of 26 deliveries, and when Eoin Morgan fell with the England total on 100, another home defeat seemed assured.
The 111-run loss was England's heaviest home defeat in eight years, and 11th worst in their 517-game ODI history. It was, by some distance, the nadir of England's already lamentable series, and will prompt much soul-searching barely a week out from their Champions Trophy opener against Sri Lanka.
Earlier, Paine and Hussey posted Australia's highest third-wicket partnership against England to lead the tourists to a near run-a-ball total from their 50 overs. Paine notched his maiden one-day international century in just his seventh match, while Hussey blasted a brisk 65 as part of a 163-run stand that eclipsed the previous record set by David Boon and Allan Border in Sharjah 22 years ago.
Australia's prospects of a sixth consecutive victory over England were significantly boosted by the contributions of Paine and Hussey, although James Anderson (4 for 55) ensured the tourists did not have it all their own way. Anderson, clearly rejuvenated after his enforced two-match break, removed Shane Watson and Ponting early and bowled Callum Ferguson with the first delivery of his third spell to apply a degree of restraint to Australia's total.
But the afternoon belonged to Paine. Called in as a late replacement for the injured Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper-batsman displayed temperament far beyond that of a man playing just his third week of one-day international cricket during a 148-ball innings of 111. He batted methodically in the tense, early exchanges, relying on cover and square drives for the bulk of his runs before expanding his repertoire to include a deft reverse sweep off Graeme Swann and a series of well-struck cut-shots. Patience and placement were his major weapons, although Paine did dip into the power reserves on occasion, most notably when he dispatched a Dimitri Mascarenhas slower ball over the long-off rope.
Paine was ably supported by Hussey, who operated on a higher gear to his younger partner throughout his 69-ball stint in the middle. Hussey weathered a testing period early before hitting the accelerator to bring the previously subdued Trent Bridge crowd to life. Glides behind square were complemented by withering blows in front of the wicket - his sixes of Ryan Sidebottom and Mascarenhas a highlight - as Australia's third-wicket partnership swelled to 163.
Hussey's dismissal to Swann sparked a nervous period for the tourists during which they lost 3 for 17 in 24 deliveries. However, a late surge from James Hopes (38 off 22 balls) and Cameron White (35 off 23) allowed the Australians to take 54 runs from their final Powerplay. The pair combined for a sixth-wicket stand of 53 from 27 deliveries.
Ricky Ponting has already suffered the ignominy of surrendering the No. 1 Test ranking on this tour, but his final week in England may yet witness Australia's return to the summit of the 50-over game. Ponting produced his highest ever ODI total against England - a breathtaking innings of 126 from 109 deliveries - that provided the platform from which Australia launched a successful assault on England's intimidating first innings total of 299.
Nothing short of a 7-0 series whitewash will allow Australia to usurp the top-ranked South Africans entering the Champions Trophy, and Ponting's 27th career ODI century delivered them to within two wins of the feat. Australia's fifth consecutive victory over England was sealed when Mitchell Johnson blasted Ryan Sidebottom for a straight six with four wickets in hand and 10 balls remaining, however it was the imperious batting of Ponting that will be remembered as the tide-turner.
The designated rest period has clearly done Ponting no harm. From the outset, his was an innings of sublime timing and intimidating power that England's bowlers could do little to repel. At one point, Ponting cuffed a Sidebottom delivery over the press box, but his most entertaining sequence came when he pounded consecutive sixes off Adil Rashid, who had the dubious honour of taking the second ball.
Ponting's only moment of trepidation came on 35 when, facing Dimitri Mascarenhas, Matt Prior removed the bails with his foot in motion behind the crease. The third umpire, Nigel Llong, found in his favour, however, allowing Ponting to resume his third-wicket stand with Michael Clarke, which produced 123-runs.
The Australians suffered a pair of setbacks when Tim Bresnan removed Tim Paine and Shane Watson, the latter for a well-struck 36 from 34 deliveries. But their exits drew Ponting and Clarke to the centre, and both appeared in an ominous mood from the outset. While Ponting powered out of the blocks, Clarke began his innings watchfully before steadily accelerating as the evening progressed. His penchant for scoring runs this series has not been in question, although his ability to do so quickly has emerged as a discussion point, particularly with the Twenty20 captaincy up for grabs. A return of 52 from 64 balls might not have ended the debate, but it did represent a higher gear than those which he has operated on thus far in the series.
England were left to rue a poor fielding display that undid much of their earlier work with the bat. Australia's final pair of Cameron White (24 not out from 15 balls) and Johnson (18 not out from 12) were too often allowed charity runs in the closing overs, turning a potentially tense finale into a relatively docile stroll.
Earlier, Eoin Morgan's flashing blade propelled England to their highest total of the series, and with it their best chance yet of ending Australia's fortnight of dominance. Morgan's frenetic innings of 58 from 41 deliveries featured an array of dazzling strokes, including powerful sixes to bring up England's 200 and his own half-century.
England seemed set for another middle order stammer when Owais Shah departed in the 39th over with the total at 192 for 5, however Morgan's late-innings partnerships with Mascarenhas and Stuart Broad provided the hosts first with ballast, and later authority. The Dublin-born left-hander made his move between the 38th and 42nd overs during England's batting Powerplay, at which time the hosts advanced their total by 45 runs, then proceeded to frustrate the Australians with powerful and occasionally improvised strokeplay, such as his stunning reverse sweep to the boundary off Nathan Bracken.
Bracken exacted revenge with his next delivery, though not before Morgan, who was dropped on 38 by juggling Michael Hussey at deep square-leg, had accelerated to his highest one-day international score since shifting allegiances from Ireland. At the time of his departure in the 48th over, England were well on course for a competitive total, and when Rashid blasted three boundaries from Johnson's final over, a intimidating score was in the books.
England's middle-order resurgence may not have come in time to save the series, but it will provide team management with a sense of optimism ahead of the Champions Trophy. Too often England's batsmen have been contained and subsequently dismissed by Australia's bowlers over the past few weeks, but on an ideal batting surface the hosts managed a display befitting of an international-standard limited overs side.
The ghost of batting under the R Premadasa lights was almost buried tonight. Sachin Tendulkar's master class, an 86th international century which was not far from being his best, nearly became a footnote on a night of punches and counter-punches. Sri Lanka knew being ultra aggressive was the only way of going about this huge chase, and they counterattacked every time a wicket was lost. Thilina Kandamby, batting at No. 7, fell just short of pulling off a heist against India for the second time in his short career, as the early wickets had left him with too much to do.
Don't go by the 46-run margin. India's fielders and fast bowlers were rattled during the frenetic chase. It was their spinners, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh, who saved them the embarrassment. They took critical wickets at critical points and Raina's dismissal of Chamara Kapugedera in the 43rd over, with 68 runs and the batting Powerplay to go, proved to be the decisive blow. A pumped-up Harbhajan then finished off what he started, dismissing the last three batsmen in a hurry. He had earlier taken two wickets in the eighth and 10th over of the innings to rein in an explosive start to the chase.
When Harbhajan came in for his first spell, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya had jolted the Indian team out of a dream afternoon. Sixty runs were scored in seven overs and all three fast bowlers were clueless. Harbhajan's first over, then, was a masterpiece. With a slip and leg slip in place, and a strong on-side field, he invited Dilshan to take the risk and hit through the off side. Dilshan took the bait - he didn't have many choices - got one boundary through cover, and was bowled the next ball.
In his next over, Harbhajan got Mahela Jayawardene with a doosra, and India were on all-out attack. Three more bowlers took wickets in the first over of new spells, but failed to bring Sri Lanka's run-rate down, which was helped by Thilan Thushara's pinch-hitting. But after they lost the fifth wicket, Kumar Sangakkara and Kandamby settled in for longer innings.
Sangakkara was unfortunate when his bat slipped out of his hand and landed on the top of the stumps in the 28th over. With four wickets left, and 138 to get, it seemed over but Kandamby and Kapugedera had other ideas. They didn't panic, kept the singles and the odd boundaries coming, and were helped by sloppy fielding - India missed at least two run-outs and an easy catch.
With 80 required in the last 10 overs, five of which would be bowled under field restrictions, India relied on the spinners. Raina and Yuvraj gave nine runs in Nos. 41 and 42 and, in the 43rd, Raina got the ambitious shot out of Kapugedera, ending a 70-run stand in 15 overs. Harbhajan then came on to finish his third five-for in ODIs.
The beauty of the chase was that it overshadowed a classy knock by Tendulkar, who rolled back the years, and then some more. He stroked, ran and yearned for runs like it was the 1990s, but unlike those days he didn't need to take any risks on the way to setting what looked like a total safe beyond doubt.
This was Tendulkar's ninth international century since May 2007, to go with seven scores in the 90s. Judging by this form, 100 international hundreds have become a distinct possibility. A measure of the bowlers' helplessness lay in the fact that the first time he hit a ball in the air was to reach his fifty, that too off a free hit. With Tendulkar batting the way he was, who needed aerial shots?
He shared valuable partnerships with Rahul Dravid, Dhoni and Yuvraj, especially crucial being the one with Dravid. Tendulkar and Dravid, 73 years and 762 ODI caps (before this match) between them, took charge of what has looked a shaky batting line-up: their 95-run opening stand took them to No. 6 on the all-time partnership aggregates in ODIs. Tendulkar you simply couldn't take your eye off. Albeit on a flat track, Tendulkar and Dravid were prepared to work hard in sapping conditions, their shirts turning to dark blue with sweat even before the shine went off the white ball.
Nuwan Kulasekera and Thilan Thushara didn't serve up loose half-volleys or long hops; Tendulkar had to work for every forceful shot. The first ball he faced he punched sweetly off his toes, wide of mid-off for three. In the fourth over, he took a similar delivery and wristed it wide of mid-on for three. We were on to something.
A string of lovely boundaries followed, the best being the punches through a tight cover ring, and the late flicks from off and middle stump to midwicket and cow corner. After Dravid's dismissal, Tendulkar added 110 with Dhoni, who kept the tempo up.
By then Tendulkar had started taking the odd chance, stepping out, making room, and hitting Jayasuriya and Mendis over extra cover. One such shot off Mendis, in the 29th over, took him into his 90s and serenely, with ones and twos, came the hundred. After the hundred came the cramps, and when Tendulkar opted for a runner we were reminded for the first time it was in fact the year 2009.
Dravid came back to run, but Tendulkar did most of the calling. The bowlers showed no mercy, Malinga bowling a mix of bouncers and yorkers. Tendulkar's response was to hit Mendis for a six inside-out and reverse-sweep two boundaries in three balls. After he got out in the 46th over, trying one reverse-sweep too many, Yuvraj's big hitting got India 42 runs, which also proved crucial in the end.
Luke Wright is doubtful for the fifth one-day international against Australia after being injured by the bowling machine while practising at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.
Wright was struck on the left toe while batting and required stitches. He will be assessed ahead of Tuesday's match at Trent Bridge before a decision is made on his availability.
England are currently trailing 4-0 in the series and facing the prospect of a whitewash. Wright has been given the role of trying to inject some life into the middle order, but his results have been mixed so far with scores of 38, 20, 9 and 12. However, he has an all-round job in the side and has taken three wickets in the series so his absence would leave England needing to cover two bases.
The squad is already depleted after Paul Collingwood and James Anderson were rested. Graeme Swann was omitted for the fourth ODI at Lord's, while Graham Onions is still awaiting his first one-day cap having been called up earlier in the series.
Andrew Flintoff is giving serious consideration to becoming a freelancer cricketer according to his manager, Andrew Chandler, in a Sunday newspaper. Flintoff has already received a number of offers, but his recent knee surgery means he will be sidelined for at least six months. On Friday he was awarded an incremental contract by the ECB, but the option of lucrative Twenty20 deals will be very tempting.
Flintoff 's freelancing would have followed the route expected to be taken by Australian allrounder, Andrew Symonds, who is also eyeing several Twenty20 opportunities around the world after his national career stalled due to disciplinary issues.
"He'll play for Chennai [Super Kings in the IPL], he might play for an Australian team, a South African team, maybe one in the West Indies," Chandler told the Observer. "If he hadn't have been injured he would have probably played in December-January in Australia. And then at the end of January, early February in South Africa. I was already negotiating with them. We were negotiating with South Australia and the Durban team, the Nashua Dolphins. And there's been an offer from Northern Transvaal [Northerns] as well."
Flintoff is heading to Dubai for a three-month spell to aid his rehabilitation from a right knee surgery after was operated on a day after helping England regain the Ashes, his farewell Test series. He has targeted a return to full fitness before England's one-day leg on their tour of Bangladesh next February.
The ECB awarded an incremental contract to Flintoff as they hope will be key part of England's limited-over sides when fit and has stated he wants to play until the 2015 World Cup. But England coach Andy Flower had said his players could take part in only three weeks of the 45-day IPL next year if they toured Bangladesh. That means Flintoff, the joint highest-paid player in the IPL along with Kevin Pietersen, could stand to lose about half of his US$1.55m fee by going to Bangladesh.
Chandler said there was no clause in Flintoff's central contract preventing the allrounder from playing all IPL matches. "I'm not saying he's not going to play for England because he probably will do," Chandler said. "But he's definitely going to play for different teams during the year. The England contract does not state anything about not being able to play IPL or anything like that."
When the contract list was announced, Flower had warned that players' workload needs to be managed and that participation in lucrative leagues like the IPL will continue to be an issue over the next few years. The amount of time England players were available for the 2009 IPL season had been a major sticking point between the ECB and the Indian board earlier this year before a compromise was reached.
Victoria coach Greg Shipperd has said Australian batsman Cameron White should lead the national Twenty20 team following the retirement of Ricky Ponting from the format. White has led Victoria to all four finals of Australia's domestic Twenty20 Big Bash tournament, but he will face stiff competition from Michael Clarke, who is the favourite for the Australian captaincy and also has Ponting's support .
"Cameron has been captain of the Australia A team, he is captain of Victoria and he is an outstanding potential captain of Twenty20," Shipperd told the Herald on Sunday. "He has made his mark in the one-day series in England and he has an excellent record in Twenty20. With the World Cup coming up in April-May next year, it would be good to see him made captain for the Twenty20 games in Australia this season." White scored his maiden ODI century in the Rose Bowl match against England on Wednesday.
Clarke, the vice-captain, is tipped to take over the Test captaincy after Ponting quits the game for good. Shipperd added that it will be a good idea to start grooming White as a Twenty20 captain immediately, if Clarke too decides to relinquish at least one of the formats to prolong his career.
"With no disrespect to Ricky Ponting or Michael Clarke, the Twenty20 game is so different that it should have a specialist captain," Shipperd said. "Ricky has retired from this format to concentrate on Tests and one-day internationals, and Michael may face a similar decision in the near future.
"It can be difficult for a captain moving from one format to another to get his head around all the nuances of the various games, and the hectic schedule of all forms of the game also has an impact with possible burn-out."
White has an impressive Twenty20 record as a batsman, with a strike rate of 151.67 in 46 domestic Twenty20s. He has represented Australia in eight internationals, with an average of 41.40.
Cricket Australia is expected to announce Ponting's successor at the conclusion of its board meeting next month.
Pakistan captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam have said they will give Mohammad Asif time to settle into his groove after more than year out of international cricket, and have added they won't put any undue pressure on him on his return at the Champions Trophy. Asif last played in July last year; he was banned by the Pakistan board soon after in September, as he tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone at the inaugural IPL.
"We are not going to put pressure on Asif because he is coming after a one-year gap and I would also expect the fans not to expect much of him," Younis told reporters at a training camp in Karachi. "We will see how he copes and then decide whether to play him in the first match or not. I wish him the best, and hope that he gets five wickets against India [on September 26] and helps us win that game."
Asif's inclusion, Younis suggested, was a part of a long-term plan, for his experience would play a significant role in Pakistan's upcoming tours of Australia and New Zealand. "We had to bring him back as he is a quality bowler and even if he doesn't perform in this event, we would hope that he comes in better shape for our tours to New Zealand and Australia later this year," he said.
Alam was confident Asif will improve with each game and was positive about his fitness, coming in to this tournament. "Asif is one of the best new ball bowlers, but for this event we will have to give him time," he said. "He will perform with every match and I am confident that he is in a very good physical condition."
Asif is not allowed to be with the squad until the ban expires - on September 22 - and will therefore miss Pakistan's opening game of the tournament on the 23rd, the day he arrives in South Africa. "He is not available for the first game because of the ban," Alam said. "We will see if he plays the second game against India. He is very keen and is in a good mental state," he said.
Pakistan take on West Indies in their opening game of the competition but play two warm-up games before that, including one against Sri Lanka.
After seeing off New Zealand's timorous challenge, Sri Lanka and India will contest bragging rights in the Compaq Cup final. Sri Lanka hold the edge in the clash between two sides who generally don't do dull finals. The winners will go into the Champions Trophy in positive mood, leaving the loser to put salve on their injured pride.
Boosted by the return of Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka should be fielding their strongest side - Thilan Samaraweera remains a doubt - and an Indian team missing the experience of three big-match players will have its work cut out to be competitive. Sri Lanka trounced India in the dress rehearsal on Saturday and again proved that once they have a score on the board at the Premadasa, they defend it resolutely.
Sri Lanka have all the weapons they need in two brisk new-ball operators, a vicious slinger, and two spinners with an assortment of tricks. Each of those bowlers is capable, more so under lights, of denying batsmen the space and time to score. The support cast is no less impressive, with the ever-improving Angelo Mathews and India would do well to be wary of Sanath Jayasuriya, who sorted out a couple of New Zealand batsmen with his variations last week. On Monday, India could face the world's most potent spin attack, with Murali and Ajantha Mendis possibly back in tandem. There will be a few flashes of the Asia Cup final last year.
India's concern is the batting, particularly at the top. Dinesh Karthik may have just played his way out of the XI, despite MS Dhoni having twice spoken of how wary he is to stick young Virat Kohli in as opener. Sachin Tendulkar has got starts on two occasions, but most worrying is the form of Yuvraj Singh, who has struggled to start against pace and spin. He scratched around dreadfully in both matches. India's fielding was also rather shabby in the previous game.
India's only real hope is to put up a big total and then pressure Sri Lanka's batsmen into committing errors. Chasing against the likes of Murali, Mendis and Lasith Malinga is a difficult task at the best of times, and as India found out yesterday, the anaconda grip gets you eventually.
The ECB has got a big thumbs down from professional cricketers in the country after a poll conducted by the Sunday Telegraph revealed that only 11% of them had confidence in the Giles Clarke-led board. Many felt that the recent decisions and actions taken by the ECB, like its alliance with Sir Allen Stanford, were more commercially driven and not in the best interests of the game.
Vikram Solanki, the England batsman and chairman of the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), has said the organisation is planning to start a new wing known as the Professional Game Board, which will facilitate easier communication with the ECB.
Players are also reportedly unhappy with the ECB's move to scrap the domestic 50-over competition and replace it with a 40-over tournament for the sake of drawing crowds. A massive 83% want the Friends Provident Trophy to be restored, more so in the current scenario with England losing four consecutive ODIs and the series to Australia. Voices from across the globe have suggested measures to tweak the 50-over game, from reducing the volume of matches to splitting the game into four batches of 25 overs.
"It is obvious that the demands of trying to govern the whole gamut of our sport from the England team down to the smallest grassroots operation is too much for the current structure and personnel," Solanki told the Sunday Telegraph. "The PCA propose the formation of a powerful and genuinely representative Professional Game Board to act as the consultation body for all decisions affecting the professional game, so that confidence in the governance of our sport can be restored among all stakeholders.
"In the interim, the PCA would encourage the ECB to consult more widely and in good time and with an open mind about the vital issues facing our game and to swing the balance back towards cricket, rather than taking a purely commercial approach to every decision."
The PCA claims that the players were also not consulted about P20, England's answer to the IPL. The Twenty20 competition is planned for three weeks in June 2010 but it has run into rough weather due to funding issues and opposition from several counties.
The PCA has also termed the ECB's alliance with Stanford - now arrested on charges of fraud - as "ill-advised, embarrassing and damaging to English cricket".
"Without losing sight of the difficulty of finding the correct balance," Solanki said, "the PCA are concerned that recent decisions and processes have not been in the best long-term interest of English cricket, but have been made for short-term economic gain and to cover deficiencies in the ECB's ability to operate effectively at the top table at the ICC."
Brett Lee has wanted to prove a point in this series after missing the Ashes and did so in emphatic style as he claimed 5 for 49 to set up Australia's crushing seven-wicket victory, which gave them an unassailable 4-0 lead. After England folded to the pace of Lee for 220, Tim Paine made his first international half-century to set up the chase, then Michael Clarke helped himself to an unbeaten 62 as Australia cruised home with 38 balls to spare.
England were still handily placed on 146 for 3 when Lee, who removed Joe Denly in the fifth over, returned for a one-over spell before the mandatory ball change at 34 overs. His first delivery was a pinpoint yorker that was too much for Matt Prior, he finished with a wicket-maiden, and from there the innings nose-dived. However, it was Lee's last spell that was the most destructive as England's last five wickets fell for 20.
Lee was just too quick for four batsmen as he demolished the stumps with searing yorkers to complete the ninth five-wicket haul of his career. Nathan Hauritz also deserves huge credit for claiming two key wickets, including Strauss, and conceding just 23 runs from his 10 overs. In a pattern that has become eerily predictable, Andrew Strauss shone at the top with a neat 63, but once again his colleagues couldn't follow suit.
It was thrilling to watch Lee in full flow, an absent phenomenon during the Ashes series, as he uprooted the stumps of Luke Wright, Stuart Broad and Adil Rashid in the space of 15 balls. England's frustrations nearly boiled over when Owais Shah swung a full toss from Shane Watson to midwicket and stood his ground, believing the ball had been above waist height. Replays showed it was marginal, but England are far from a happy bunch.
There was barely a need for Australia to break sweat during their chase, although Watson's habit of falling lbw continued when he played across a delivery from Tim Bresnan. Paine cashed in on a couple of long hops from Rashid, who was introduced inside the Powerplays and struggled with his length to begin with, while Ricky Ponting eased back into his day job with two boundaries off Bresnan during a second-wicket stand of 57 in nine overs.
At times England's bowling was as ordinary as the batting, but to Rashid's credit he recovered somewhat from his loose start and removed Paine via a top-edged sweep. Ponting enjoyed what was little more than an extended net following his three-week lay-off - an ideal way to get himself back into the groove ahead of the Champions Trophy - until he drove Bresnan to cover, but Clarke eased to his half-century from 66 balls in the glorious late-summer sunshine.
Australia didn't bother to knock the runs off especially quickly on their last appearance at Lord's for the summer and the batting Powerplay was unused. The ground has brought mixed memories this year, but they will be back again in 2010 when they face Pakistan in a Test.
The pattern of England's efforts in this series has been uncanny - and not in a good way. Strauss dominated the scoring at The Rose Bowl, before he fell for 63 off 72 balls, and it was an almost identical situation here as he reached a 48-ball half century having won his fourth toss of the series. However, with Hauritz doing an impressive job in stifling the scoring rate - he had already removed Ravi Bopara - Strauss felt the need to try and increase the tempo, but only managed a thick outside-edge to short third man when England needed him to stay and score a hundred.
As he has done throughout the summer, Strauss looked in complete control. He took three fours in four balls off a wayward Nathan Bracken and had just the one awkward moment against Lee, when he got into a tangle against a short ball and gloved the delivery just wide of a diving Paine.
Bopara, demoted to No. 3 with Denly's recall, was also playing comfortably in a second-wicket stand of 67. However, Hauritz's introduction slowed England's progress and he made the breakthrough in his third over when Bopara was struck in line with off stump while sweeping to complete another unfulfilling innings.
England couldn't get Hauritz away - he conceded just a single boundary in his 10 overs - but again there was a lack of intent and the pressure told on Strauss as the run-rate dropped from over five to nearer four. In a smart piece of captaincy from Ponting, Hauritz was removed from the attack after nine overs to allow Lee a dart before the ball was changed at 34 overs with the result being Prior's demise.
Paine pulled off a swift leg-side stumping to remove Eoin Morgan and though ideally two batsmen need to set when the batting Powerplay is taken, England had little option to call theirs soon after Wright arrived as his role in the side is to hit boundaries. It started brightly as the first two overs brought 21, but Lee soon found his range and England were blown away. In every sense.
India's stay at No. 1 in the ICC rankings lasted all of 24 hours. Sri Lanka reasserted their superiority at home, scoring 307, and then strangled wickets at regular intervals to completely rout India in the dress rehearsal for Monday's final. Sanath Jayasuriya and Thilina Kandamby scored brilliant nineties after which the Premadasa reaffirmed its status as one of Sri Lanka's safe houses. Leading a canny display of seam bowling was Angelo Mathews, who picked out six wickets like plastic ducks in a shooting gallery. Blinded by the lights, India were steamrolled and suffered their biggest loss, in terms of runs, on Sri Lankan soil.
After Kumar Sangakkara had won the toss and chosen to bat, there was a welcome return to form for a key player. Jayasuriya, without a fifty-plus score since January, could have gone on 13 when he edged Ishant Sharma wide of slip, but was chanceless thereafter. He used the width on offer to judder boundaries and as Sri Lanka reached 34 in four overs, India had reason to fear the worst.
The loss of Tillakaratne Dilshan didn't cramp Jayasuriya's style and he continued to punish even the smallest indiscretion in line and length. With Jayasuriya pulling and driving RP Singh for three fours in an over, India's best option was to train their efforts at the other end. MS Dhoni gave them the breakthrough by stumping Mahela Jayawardene down the leg side. Sangakkara departed soon after, out lbw to a straight delivery from the impressive Harbhajan Singh, whose first six overs cost 13 as he struck a teasing line.
Jayasuriya had been slowed down due to a loss of strike. Incredibly, he spent 13 deliveries spread over 9. 1 overs in the forties. As the pop anthem of the year, the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling", blared across the thumping stadium Jayasuriya raised his half-century. The crowd cheered loudly. Those cheers turned to thunderous applause when Jayasuriya hammered Yuvraj Singh's short-pitched offerings over midwicket for consecutive fours. Jayasuriya's running between the wickets was superb and belied his age. Seven doubles - three of which came in one over - and three triples were just as punishing for India as the 13 boundaries Jayasuriya picked.
With the crowd rooting for his every run, Jayasuriya played to the gallery: Ashish Nehra was cleverly swatted wide of short fine leg, Yusuf Pathan was swept and paddled with power and precision. There was to be no century, however, as Nehra removed Jayasuriya for 98.
But there was something more deadly to come. Kandamby and Chamara Kapugedera put together an 83-run partnership that would all but seal the fate of the game. As is required when a pair must build on the excellent work of a player before them, they kept the scoring rate healthy. They weren't as belligerent as Jayasuriya but ran well, called loudly, and found the gaps.
Kandamby made sure to cut out any ambitious swings through the off side, opting to run hard for must of his initial runs and only backed himself to play aggressive shots when the run rate needed a boost. Anything that was too full or too loose disappeared and plenty in between was pushed away for ones and twos. The boundary patrollers were kept on attention as he swatted and deflected regularly.
A fabulous display of clean, crisp hitting - not slogging - helped Sri Lanka poach 53 off the batting Powerplay. A flurry of chips and biffs sailed over the square-leg region and extra cover, in between two awesome laps around the corner and one violent heave over midwicket. Aided by a drop at mid-on when he was 73, Kandamby added 18 more to his total and ensured Sri Lanka a winning score.
On tracks like this, against skilful bowlers who know more about choking than the average serial killer, successful pursuit of 308 needed something special. It wasn't to be. India again lost Dinesh Karthik early in the piece, gloving a short ball from Thilan Thushara down the leg side, and when Sachin Tendulkar turned a slower ball from Nuwan Kulasekara to mid-on, the warning sign was flashing.
With Tendulkar back in the hutch India shifted to the lowest gear. Yuvraj Singh survived a clear nick when on 9 but repeated the loose prod and nibbled one behind. Suresh Raina, one of the heroes of yesterday's run chase, nicked his first ball. Rahul Dravid was twice reprieved by Sri Lanka's fielders who missed the stumps, but his luck ran out on 47 when Mathews snuck one past the bat. The rest came and went without much impact against Mathews, who bowled nippy, stump-to-stump seam-up bowling. It literally was a procession: pitch it straight, get a bit of cut and nip, and thanks for coming.
Missing their lead spinner and hardly relying on Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka's latest masters of asphyxiation did it comfortably in the end.
New Zealand will host a record six Tests in the coming southern hemisphere summer during tours by Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia, officials said Monday.
In a busy international programme, New Zealand will also host eight one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches, New Zealand Cricket said.
"New Zealand has never before hosted more than five Tests in a season, so the six Test matches being played this summer is a tremendous programme," New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said.
Pakistan arrive in mid-November to play three Tests after a scheduled tour to Pakistan by New Zealand was cancelled for security reasons following the attack by gunmen against the Sri Lankan cricket team in March.
In February, Bangladesh arrive for a short tour including one Twenty20 international, three one-dayers and one Test.
Australia will tour from late February, playing two Twenty20 internationals, five one-day internationals and two Tests.
"This is shaping up as a very exciting season for cricket fans - and a really busy one for the Black Caps. New Zealand has never before hosted more than five Tests in a season, so the six Test matches being played this summer is a tremendous programme," Vaughan said.
Vaughan said the number of Tests against Australia had been cut from three because of the congested international calendar. "Playing Test cricket in New Zealand after the cessation of daylight-saving and deep into the second week of April is not realistic. Therefore our only option has been to limit the series to two Tests," he said.
"Trans-Tasman rivals Australia have only just vacated their long-held number one spot in world Test rankings, Bangladesh will look to continue their improvement after a series win against the West Indies - and the Blackcaps will be very keen to outdo Pakistan who sit one above us on the test rankings ladder."
"The Blackcaps will also have the opportunity to continue their good form in both 50-over and Twenty20 cricket - against some exciting sides - culminating in the chance to win back the Chappell-Hadlee series against the Australians," Vaughan mentioned
Ricky Ponting has endorsed Michael Clarke to succeed him as Australia's Twenty20 captain. Despite the strong cases presented by Cameron White and Brad Haddin to assume the 20-over captaincy, Ponting insisted his current vice-captain deserved the promotion and the opportunity to turn around Australia's fortunes in what is their weakest format.
Ponting announced his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket in the aftermath of Australia's Ashes defeat. An announcement on his successor will be made at the conclusion of Cricket Australia's board meeting next month but Ponting's public backing will be difficult to ignore.
Australia's selectors revealed their intended succession plan two years ago when they installed Clarke as Ponting's deputy in all three forms of the game. Clarke has excelled with the bat in the Test arena ever since but his declining strike-rate in the limited-overs formats has prompted questions over whether he is the man to lead the Twenty20 side.
White will presumably come under consideration, having led Victoria to all four finals of Australia's domestic Big Bash tournament, while Haddin has twice captained the Australian 20-over side this year. Ponting, though, was adamant Clarke follow him into the leadership role and seek to restore confidence to the side ahead of the World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean next year.
"Michael has done a terrific job in my absence, be it in Twenty20 or 50-over cricket," Ponting said. "He's continued to grow as a player and a leader. I know Cricket Australia said at my announcement they would wait until later in the year before they name the captain but Michael's done everything right and deserves the first crack at it."
Ponting reiterated his belief that standing down from Twenty20 internationals would enhance his prospects of playing through to the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Ashes. Should he achieve the latter goal, Ponting would join a select group of Australian players to have completed five Ashes tours.
"Not playing the World Twenty20 was the hardest thing to do; retiring knowing that was just around the corner and is such a big event," he said. "It wasn't that I wanted to get out of that tournament.
"[Retirement from Twenty20 internationals] is hopefully going to give me a better opportunity to be able to [play the 2013 Ashes series] and come back here. It was about me wanting to play at the level I feel I can play at in 50-over cricket and Test cricket. With 20-over international cricket there at the moment it was just making it harder to be physically fit and mentally sharp for every game that I was playing."
The ICC is considering a trial splitting of one-day matches into two innings of 25 overs for each team, Dave Richardson, the ICC's cricket manager, has said. The idea was mooted by Sachin Tendulkar last week.
"I quite like that idea, I believe South Africa may trial something along those lines," Richardson told BBC Sport. "This might work in day-night cricket where one team has to bat in day and the other at night. It provides something different and reduces the effects on the team who loses the toss and has to bat first on a damp wicket, for example."
Richardson believed the concept, discussed during the ICC's cricket committee annual meeting at Lord's in May, could breathe life into the 50-over format, which has been increasingly threatened by the rise in popularity of Twenty20 cricket.
Though two innings of 25 overs could lead to new strategies and even reduce the influence of winning the toss in favourable conditions, Richardson was eager to prevent results becoming predictable. His concern was that splitting the innings could take away scoring opportunities for the batsmen.
"I don't necessarily like the idea of playing two matches of 25 overs each with the openers batting again," he said. "The charm of one-day cricket is seeing someone batting at four and scoring a good hundred. If you bat in the middle order of a Twenty20 or a new 25-over innings, you're not to get much of an opportunity to hit three figures, one downside of the Twenty20 game."
The clamour for a fresh approach to the one-day game has grown considerably with players including Tendulkar 50-over games be played over two innings to provide similar overhead conditions for both teams. Tendulkar said the contests were becoming too predictable because results of "close to 75% of matches" could be predicted after the toss.
The England and Wales Cricket Board recently agreed to scrap the domestic Friends Provident Trophy, the only 50-over domestic cricket tournament, in favour of an expanded Twenty20 competition along with a 40-over format. Cricket South Africa are also likely to join the bandwagon as it considers changes to its 45-over competition.
However, Richardson said the experiment would have to be successful at the domestic level before changes could be made to the international game. "The bottomline is if we can come up with a product that is better than the existing one, then everyone would like to look at it," he said. "If it has been trialled successfully at domestic level, it may give the trial to give it the go-ahead at international level.
"The ICC has been proactive with ideas and innovations, like the powerplays. The idea of the 'super-sub' (scrapped in March 2006) wasn't as successful and got rid of quite quickly. One of the criticisms was that we trialled things at international as opposed to domestic level. Our tactics going forward are member countries trial changes first domestically and if they are successful, then we can take them on board at the international level."
The ICC's cricket committee is set to meet again in 2010 when the results of the experiment will be discussed.
A cursory look at the New Zealand card would suggest an ordeal against pace on a juiced-up track in Australia or England, but the truth was that they struggled against a tidy fast-bowling attack and failed to cope with Yuvraj Singh. Having lost the toss, India turned in a committed display in the field to take to pieces a line-up woefully short on inspiration and effort. Once they had New Zealand at 19 for 3 they provided few escapes routes, and that should the deciding factor in the outcome of this match.
The few hundred spectators that decided to turn up on Friday afternoon were treated to a one-sided innings. A strong Indian attack, led initially by Ashish Nehra before Yuvraj continued the carnage, was on top from the time the first wicket fell. Nehra set the tone for India's domination with a lovely new-ball burst, in which he passed 100 ODI wickets. Yuvraj complemented it with his left-arm spin as New Zealand's batting capitulated.
New Zealand's attempt to stay alive in this short four-game tournament began in the best possible way when Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat, but 14 balls into the innings told a different story. With his second ball, Nehra beat Jesse Ryder's loose shot across the line to hit him in front of leg stump. In his next over he removed Brendon McCullum with one that straightened and rapped the pads flush in front of middle.
Nehra's first spell, with figures of 6-0-19-2, was highlighted by his accuracy and ability to keep the right-handers tied down. He fed them a clever mixture of good-length deliveries and, while he didn't get a lot of swing back in, he was more than enough for this line-up. Having taken Ross Taylor's edge and watched the ball sneak through between slip and keeper, RP Singh held back the length and got Taylor nicking to MS Dhoni for 11. New Zealand's worries against left-handers - Thilan Thushara has been a handful all tour - continued with a poor display.
Such was their discomfiture against the left-arm variety that Yuvraj's gentle slow turners soon looked like missiles. Puttering along to 22 from 41 balls, helping put on 32 with Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill fell in Yuvraj's first over. Barely settling in to see what Yuvraj could offer, or if the pitch would assist turn, Guptill stabbed at one and Rahul Dravid, at first slip, reminded all of his class as a catcher with his 194th pouch.
Elliott, who looked the only one capable of batting till the 45th over and beyond, was then incorrectly given out for 22 by Kumar Dharmasena down the leg side. Replays showed the ball brushed only his pads as he attempted to tickle it fine. New Zealand had reason to feel aggrieved, but their efforts at the start had been unforgivable.
The rest of the New Zealand line-up made fleeting appearances. Determined not to be left out of the party, Ishant Sharma came back for a second spell and struck with his seventh ball, a good slower one, taking a return catch off Jacob Oram. Then Dhoni called back Yuvraj for the 33rd over, right after a drinks break, and Neil Broom proceeded to chip an innocuous delivery to midwicket. Kyle Mills was bowled for 6 when RP came back on, Ishant returned to bowl Vettori for 25, the top score of a dismal effort, and Nehra finished the innings with 21 deliveries remaining. There was little let-up for New Zealand as Dhoni rotated his bowlers, with the top four providing the dividends.
New Zealand made a fight of defending a small total, dismissing Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to dent India's chase under lights. Dinesh Karthik was removed early in the piece to bring Dravid to the crease but his comeback was a labored 45-ball 14, after which Tendulkar fell for 46. New Zealand didn't have many to defend to begin with and by dislodging two of the most successful batsmen in ODIs in successive overs, they gave themselves some lift.
Kyle Mills struck an early blow by getting Karthik lbw in the third over, cuing Dravid's entrance. He took five balls to get off the mark in his first ODI in two years, and endured a few testing moments as he adjusted himself to this format. Shane Bond was particularly quick and nasty in a hostile first spell, which included a fiery maiden sixth over, and repetitively tested Dravid with the short deliveries. Dravid negated Bond's aggression with customary grit only to be trapped lbw by Jacob Oram.
Tendulkar was fluent all innings, until he fell tamely. He came out full of intent and treated the sparse crowd to some stunning shots. He repeatedly whipped Mills across the line, deft of wrists, for boundaries and welcomed Ian Butler into the attack with a fierce cut behind point and the shot of the day - a stylish whip off the back foot to a ball that pitched back of a length. Vettori was hammered off the back foot as Tendulkar closed in on fifty, but a clever change of pace had him lobbing the simplest of chances to cover. The bowler, the batsman and the catcher couldn't believe it.
Sixteen minutes later Yuvraj moped off after he was beaten in flight to pop a catch when attempting to play another slog-sweep for four off Vettori. The infamous Premadasa wobble was on.
The international careers of Monty Panesar and Steve Harmison are at the crossroads after both were overlooked by the ECB for a central contract. Panesar is now rated behind Adil Rashid, who received an incremental contract for 2009-10, while Graeme Onions and Tim Bresnan were favoured ahead of Harmison on the 18-man list.
The omission of Panesar from the 18-man list is short of surprising, given Rashid's solid returns for Yorkshire and the England one-day teams this year and Panesar's own declining fortunes. Panesar, who plays for Northamptonshire, has claimed just 14 wickets at 85.00 in the County Championship this season, and was largely ineffective in his sole Ashes outing at Sophia Gardens.
Harmison, though, can feel hard done by. His 46 wickets at 19.91 have been instrumental in Durham's surge to the championship crown this season, and his performances against the Australians at Headingley and The Oval were spirited. Reports earlier in the season suggested Harmison was considering retiring from international cricket, and it remains to be see what impact, if any, his omission from England's central contract list will have on that decision.
"I am sure he is disappointed not to have one but Steve could still play a role for us in our stock of fast bowlers," said England's team director Andy Flower. "He could go to South Africa with the Test team, and play a very significant role. He has talked about retirement recently and that is a decision only he can make. When I spoke to him he was still quite keen to play but still had not made a decison. I would love him to carry on.
"Central contracts don't decide selection - performances do. I would like him to be available for England. He's still a very fine fast bowler and he's got a lot to offer. There's no reason why he cannot be a permanent fixture in our bowling unit."
Panesar and Harmison were joined by Samit Patel, Tim Ambrose and the retired Michael Vaughan in losing their contracts for 2009-10, while Andrew Flintoff received an incremental deal as he embarks on a limited-overs career. Onions, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann were awarded full 12-month contracts for the first time, and Rashid and Jonathan Trott were among those to secure incremental deals.
"Central contracts are designed to reward players who perform well consistently for England and all three have made a very significant contribution to the team's recent success in regaining the Ashes and beating West Indies at home in both Test and one-day series," said Geoff Miller, the national selector.
"Following his retirement from Test cricket, Andrew Flintoff is no longer eligible for a 12-month central contract. The decision to award an incremental contract to Andrew reflects our view that he will still have an important role to play in our one-day side going forward and we wish him well with his rehabilitation from injury. As we saw in this summer's Ashes Test series, he remains a world-class talent.
"Likewise, the award of incremental contracts to Tim Bresnan, Adil Rashid and Jonathan Trott for the first time is in recognition of the excellent start they have all made to their international careers and their potential to develop still further as cricketers over the next 12 months."
Despite finding out the morning before their first match that Gautam Gambhir had aggravated a groin injury and would take no part in the series, India's captain MS Dhoni was confident of the side's chances. He has reason to be.
This is India's third one-day series in Sri Lanka over the last 13 months. Where for decades India's record here had been nothing to crow over - they arrived for a tri-series in 2005 having won just nine of 33 matches - a strong one-day outfit has turned that record around dramatically.They have won seven of ten matches since then and in their last two series proved the past now counts for little, beating Sri Lanka 3-2 last August and 4-1 in February. In terms of rankings, there's plenty at stake for India in this series - if they go unbeaten into the final and win there, they will climb to No. 1 in the ICC's ODI rankings for the first time.
India strutted their stuff at the two practice sessions they had since arriving two days after the tournament began, and look confident. There were no traces of rust in how their batsmen and bowlers applied themselves. On the whole, the manner of their preparation has been calm and self-assured even though Virender Sehwag, a critical cog in the batting line-up, is missing. Plenty of responsibility will be on Rahul Dravid, recalled to the one-day team after two years. India's middle order has been shaky against fast, short-pitched bowling and if a wicket goes down early, expect Dravid to walk out first.
To beat a confident Indian outfit, New Zealand will have to shape up in disciplines that let them down in the first game. Their batting was rocked by a superb display from three bowlers of varying speeds and trajectories - Ian Bishop called it one of the best one-day efforts under lights he had seen - but the application was perhaps to blame. The top order seemed intent on attacking from the start. In the field, New Zealand failed to finish the job when Sri Lanka were 69 for 5 in 25.3 overs, and also gave them leeway with singles and doubles in the field. That was surprising given how efficient they were in the Twenty20s. A defeat tomorrow will see them crash out of the short tournament.
Former ICC president Ehsan Mani has accused the BCCI of trying to isolate Pakistan from the cricketing world and held it responsible for turning down the proposition of holding Pakistan's share of the 2011 World Cup matches at neutral venues.
Mani had, in May, told Cricinfo that India had engineered a split in the Asian bloc to deprive Pakistan of hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup in the fear of losing the tournament altogether following the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore.
"I can say this with conviction that no board is today able to stand up to the Indian board in the ICC," Mani was quoted as saying on PTI. "Unfortunately, it is all about making money these days and the Indians dominate."
The power wielded by the BCCI, Mani said, was crucial to the idea of Pakistan staging their matches at neutral venues being dumped. He revealed there had been an agreement to go ahead with the proposition but the Indian board's objection prevailed in the end. "I know for a fact that this was decided, but India turned it down at the cricket committee meeting and since Saleem Altaf was representing Pakistan in Ijaz Butt's absence things went wrong somewhere," he said. "India then insisted that the matches should only be held in the South Asian region.
"In a calculated manner, India is trying to isolate Pakistan from international cricket. No board is willing to support us and we have no inputs coming from other boards."
Mani also expressed his concerns over Pakistan's participation in the World Cup, given the current state of relations between India and Pakistan. "No one including the ICC is willing to answer the most important question: what happens if relations don't improve between India and Pakistan until 2011," he said. "Will Pakistan get permission to play its matches in India?
"Given the existing relations between the two countries, any untoward incident can trigger off more problems. Then is the ICC willing to organise the World Cup without Pakistan?"
Mani, who served as ICC president from 2003-06, is widely thought to be the man who prompted the PCB's move to initiate legal action against the ICC for moving matches in Pakistan after the attacks in Lahore. Last month, both parties reached an agreement where it was decided that the PCB would retain its hosting fee and be paid an additional compensation for losing its hosting rights for the tournament.
Mani, however, clarified that the ultimate decision to file a legal notice against the ICC was the PCB's. "I gave them my honest opinion but the PCB took the final decision," he said. "When I was ICC president I ensured no board was allowed to promote its self interest and every board was treated equally and fairly. That is not happening now."
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has agreed to the ECB's request to appear in the first-ever day-night Test during the team's tour of England in May-June next year. However, the ICC has not yet cleared the idea and its approval will be subject to suitable equipment being developed for the purpose.
The idea was first proposed by the MCC during its World Cricket Committee meeting at Lord's in July as a way of making the game's longest and oldest format more appealing. The other proposals included the use of pink balls and a World Test Championship.
The ICC has made it clear that though the concept of day-night Tests was discussed by its cricket committee, no decision has been taken yet. "The ICC cricket committee had last year agreed in principle that the notion of day-night Tests should be investigated," an ICC spokesperson said. "For now, we are happy for members to try this at the domestic level first and if it proves successful, the cricket committee would consider recommending this on a trial basis at the Test level."
Apparently, there are a number of key issues related to the concept that are still being discussed: the colour of players clothing, whether the suggested pink balls retains its colour or needs to be changed frequently due to discolouration or wear and tear, to what extent would batting, bowling and fielding conditions vary and so on.
An MCC spokesman confirmed to Cricinfo that the World Cricket Committee would meet with the ICC in November. The future of Test cricket is on the agenda, and within that floodlit Tests will be discussed. "We are very keen to help in any way we can," the spokesman said, "and have been continuing with our trials of coloured balls to see if it will work on television."
The MCC could have a dual role in this process: as well as being fully behind floodlit Tests.Lord's could be the ground to host the match. One of the Bangladesh Tests is currently allocated to Headingley; the other is part of the bidding process, with Lord's in the running to hosting it. "We we would like to host it and we have our brand new floodlights," said the spokesman.
The future of Test cricket has been the subject of debate within the ICC over the last year with the concept of a Test championship initially gaining ground. But the idea was opposed by the India and England cricket boards who did not find merit in sharing their substantial TV revenue that would have gone to a common pool.
India and England have subsequently backed the idea of day-night Test cricket as a way of taking the format forward amidst the rise of Twenty20 cricket. However, the ICC, which is finalising its Future Tours Programme post-2012, is yet to arrive at a decision on the matter. The ICC's executive board meets next in October, when the issue is likely to be discussed again.
India's coach Gary Kirsten has said being the best in the world is high on the team's list of targets for the next eight months. India go into the Compaq Cup on the back of five consecutive bilateral ODI series wins and a clean sweep in Sri Lanka will catapult them to the top of the ICC one-day rankings.
Kirsten has reason to be optimistic as three of those five recent series wins have come against their two opponents in the tri-series - Sri Lanka and New Zealand. India have defeated Sri Lanka away twice in the past two years and also won the ODI series in New Zealand earlier this year.
"We have set our goals," Kirsten said, ahead of the team's departure for Sri Lanka. "One of them is to be the best cricket team in the world. We are headed that way and we are very excited. We know we have to perform well as we continue the quest to be the best. We won the last two series in Sri Lanka and we are confident. But we think ahead and don't harp on the results of the past.
"We have got a good batting line-up which is quite flexible in the middle. We would like to mix it up during the series. We have got a very good run in one-day cricket. We have got good depth in the side and the younger players have proved themselves."
Kirsten said the team would have to deal with the "huge" loss of not having explosive opener Verinder Sehwag , who is still recovering from a shoulder injury. However, he was non-committal about who would partner Gautam Gambhir at the top of the order.
"We are not sure about the combination," he said. "We will decide on the day of the game. But obviously missing Sehwag is huge. He is a high quality player and any team would love to have him in the mix. But we have got a lot of depth in the team."
Kirsten was also excited about Rahul Dravid's return to the team after close to two years. "It's great to have him. With the sort of experience he brings, it's going to help the team. It's great."
The players enjoyed a welcome break after a gruelling first half of the year and Kirsten said having the BCCI Corporate Trophy just before the tri-series would ensure the players don't turn up rusty in Sri Lanka.
"I think it was great to have a six-week break followed by the Corporate Trophy," Kirsten said. "It gave the players games before a big series. We might have been a bit rusty but the Corporate Trophy has helped."
India play their first game of the Compaq Cup against New Zealand on Friday, and take on Sri Lanka on Saturday. The final is scheduled for Monday.
Mashrafe Mortaza has been reinstated as captain for Bangladesh's ODI series against Zimbabwe at home, scheduled for October this year. Shakib Al Hasan, who led Bangladesh to their maiden overseas Test series win in the absence of an injured Mortaza, will be his deputy.
Shakib had been appointed as stand-in captain in the absence of Mortaza, who had sustained a knee injury, and he led by example, scoring a match-winning 96 against West Indies at St George's to seal Bangladesh's first overseas Test series win. He followed that up with a 3-0 whitewash in the subsequent ODI series and a 4-1 defeat of Zimbabwe.
Jamie Siddons, who oversaw the recent run of successes as coach, has had his tenure extended in principle until the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) release stated that a three-member committee will be formed to negotiate the terms and conditions of the new contract.
Former West Indies allrounder Eldine Baptiste has been appointed the coach of Kenya and will be in charge of the team till June 2011.
"Eldine brings to the national team a wealth of cricketing experience having been a national player himself for West Indies and in recent years after retirement from international cricket has held several coaching positions," Cricket Kenya said in a statement.
Baptiste, 49, represented West Indies in 10 Tests and 43 ODIs in 1983-90. He was also the head coach of the Stanford Superstars, who went on to win US$20 million after beating England in the one-off Stanford 20/20 for 20 match last year. He held coaching positions in South Africa with the domestic side Dolphins, and as technical director for Fidentia in Port Elizabeth.
Kenya have a busy year-end calendar ahead - with a tour of Zimbabwe later this month followed by a tour of South Africa in November - and the board hoped that Baptiste would put the team "high on the international stage."
"The contract commences on September 15 and Baptiste's immediate role will be to prepare and train the Kenya national team by defining and setting out the performance programme for the team's training. He will be responsible for all direct coaching and management issues of the team," the board said.
