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Scorecard

Jacques Kallis: scored 25 not out as the game ended in a draw© AFP

Graeme Smith played a captain’s innings of 85 not out as the South Africans secured a draw in their tour match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in Colombo. After Michael Vandort had scored 129, and Russel Arnold 83, in their total of 286 for 3 declared, Smith ensured his side didn’t make a losing start to their tour of Sri Lanka.Resuming at 123 for 1, the President’s XI made steady progress, with Vandort and Arnold taking advantage of some rusty bowling as Smith used nine bowlers in all. A total of 14 players were allowed to be played in the match, and all the South African bowlers in the squad had a chance to impress, but not with much success.Vandort, who has played two Tests for Sri Lanka, and Arnold added 187 in all before both were out caught by Andrew Puttick off Nicky Boje. In between their dismissals, Romesh Kaluwitharana punched a quickfire 54 not out to boost the total before Thilan Samaraweera declared the innings leaving the South Africans needing an academic 312 to win.Puttick completed a disappointing match when he was bowled by Asanka Welegedara for 12, and Martin van Jaarsveld was shortly out, caught and bowled by Rangana Herath and the South Africans were teetering a touch at 66 for 2. However, Smith knuckled down to spend a little over two hours at the crease and hit 12 fours to deny the attack. Jacques Kallis also got in some good batting practice with 25 not out from 42 balls.

Geoffrey Boycott has said Andrew Flintoff could be an even more effective one-day international player if he was promoted to open the innings.Writing in , Boycott said: “For me Andrew Flintoff has been a revelation and shown he is England’s most valuable player.”Personally, I feel we need to experiment to find his best battingposition. He can do so much damage so quickly that I would like to see himtried as an opener.”He continued: “Adam Gilchrist of Australia moved from Test middle-order to one-day opener with amazing results. Like Gilchrist, Flintoff could soon put the bowling side on the defensive and wondering what the hell has hit them.”England beat Pakistan 2-1 in the NatWest Challenge and defeated South Africa byseven wickets in the NatWest Series final at Lord’s last week. These were two large steps forward for a new-look side which the England selectors hope will form the nucleus of the 2007 World Cup team.Boycott added: “I think they played splendidly, fielded athletically and looked as if they were enjoying themselves.”Even more surprising than his generally wide-ranging endorsement ofEngland’s players was his praise for the selectors, whose decisions he hasoften criticised. He said: “Our selectors have done well and our team has done even better.”But any thoughts that the usually hard-hitting Boycott had gone soft were dashed with his comments about Vikram Solanki: “He gets out cheaply too often, playing extravagant shots that are not on.”This was Boycott’s first major article since he revealed last month that hewas optimistic about winning his battle against throat cancer. He aims to return to television broadcasting when given the go-ahead from his doctors.Click here to read the article in full

Anuradha Dutt, secretary of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), received the news of New Zealand’s cancellation of their tour to India with regret. Having lost to New Zealand in the semi-final of the last CricInfo Women’s World Cup, India were keen to play the Kiwis at home and salvage some lost pride. New Zealand Cricket, the controlling body of the game in that country, has pulled the team out of the tour citing security concerns following the developments in Afghanistan.”The CEO of NZC told us earlier that he would make the decision after considering security implications. And we received a letter today informing us that they were canceling the tour. Although India was not directly related to the problems in Afghanistan, NZC felt that there was enough of a risk to players,” said Dutt.Dutt, however, did not agree completely with the views of NZC CEO Martin Snedden. “I can’t really imagine the New Zealand women being in any real danger in India. If you ask me, they’d be much safer here than in many western countries. But it’s their psychological perception that matters, and I can’t really make a decision for them.”After India’s semi-final showing in the CricInfo World Cup, interest in the game has been sufficiently piqued. “As you know, we are already preparing for the next World Cup. When we lost to New Zealand in the semi-final recently, what really handicapped us was the lack of match practice. We would have liked to get more international match experience before the next tour. This cancellation means one tour less for India and that’s obviously regrettable,” said Dutt.The WCAI has been doing its best to organise international cricket for the Indian team, and Dutt made it a point to enumerate the various tours lined up.”We have tried to line up as much international cricket as possible. That’s what keeps the players on their toes. We have England coming here in February, then we go to South Africa in March and on to England in July,” she said.Talking about the impact that the cancellation of the tour would have on the development of the game, Dutt was hopeful that something could still be salvaged from the situation.”It Is obviously a setback for the development of the game in India. We’re speaking to NZC and trying to reschedule the tour for a later date, when things settle down a bit. If we’re able to do that then it doesn’t make a difference in the larger perspective,” she said.The cancellation is also likely to put a spanner in the works when it comes to garnering sponsorship for women’s cricket. The fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not done anything to encourage the development of the game is also proving to be an obstacle.”The BCCI still hasn’t responded in the favourable manner that we would have liked. After the World Cup, there has been an increase in interest. Sponsors are now willing to invest in the game if there’s television coverage, and that is a step in the right direction,” said Dutt.Dutt is maintaining an optimistic outlook as ever, but the cancellation of the tour is a fairly serious setback to Indian women’s cricket and might even influence the English when they think about their own forthcoming tour of India.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard concluded some excellent business in the January transfer window, having bought Lucas Digne and loaned Philippe Coutinho to help steer the club away from a potential relegation battle.

However, one signing which went under the radar and has represented great value for money is Calum Chambers, who arrived on a free transfer from Arsenal after a difficult time in north London where he was once described as “an accident waiting to happen,” by pundit Tony Cascarino.

During Villa’s 4-0 home win over Southampton, he made an impressive eight clearances, as well as winning all three of his aerial duels against his former club, on his way to earning a 7.3 SofaScore match rating and clean sheet.

He also played a big part in Douglas Luiz’ goal by playing a fantastic long ball forward to Coutinho, and former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock believed not many passes will top it this year.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here, this is a centre-back passing the ball in Chambers,” Warnock said.

“This is arguably the pass of the season. We’ve seen [Kevin] De Bruyne, [Mohamed] Salah, [Jordan] Henderson, some of the passes we have seen with the outside of the foot.”This is a centre-half, it was an outrageous pass. Just look where his [Coutinho] run starts from, to see that run and execute the pass, what a ball.”And then to be unselfish and play that, that is just brilliant, all-round outstanding goal.”

Chambers on average wins over three duels per game, as well as making one tackle and just under five clearances, with him approaching his prime at 27-years-old, it could be now or never for the centre-back.

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But with Gerrard “not convinced” by Ezri Konsa, Chambers is likely to receive plenty of game time as we approach the end of the season, making him a particularly ideal addition to the squad.

In other news: “To be honest..” – Insider drops AVFC summer claim that’ll have many Villans delighted

The Telstra Dome is primarily an Australian football ground but it has hosted 12 ODIs © Getty Images

The chief executive of Melbourne’s second-largest stadium wants to poach international cricket from the MCG and has not ruled out bidding for the Boxing Day Test. Ian Collins, who is in charge of the Telstra Dome at Melbourne’s Docklands, believes the ground should stage more than just the occasional limited-overs fixture.The right to host Melbourne’s international matches could be put to tender unless Cricket Victoria reaches a better commercial deal with the Melbourne Cricket Club. “The contract is up with the MCG in 2009,” Collins told the . “Hopefully, we will be talking to cricket and hopefully, they will be talking to us about some or all of it.”Telstra Dome has held 12 one-day internationals on its drop-in pitches since 2000 – including the Super Series matches – and is an attractive option in the off-season because of its retractable roof. It was also used when the MCG was unavailable due to Commonwealth Games commitments but it is primarily an Australian rules football ground and has a capacity of about 50,000 – half the size of the MCG.Collins said it would be more difficult to extend the Docklands ground’s hosting rights to Test matches but it was not out of the question. “I think it would be hard to justify playing a Test away from the MCG, especially Boxing Day, but it’s a changing market,” he said. “We are running a business and when the contract is up we would be very happy to talk to cricket for some or all.”The reported that one possibility was for the MCG to retain the Boxing Day Test while Telstra Dome would stage Melbourne’s ODIs. In 2004, Cricket New South Wales put its international games to tender but in the end gave all the rights to the SCG ahead of Telstra Stadium at Homebush.

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

Lara was in a mood that was nothing short of majestic © AFP

Two contrasting half-centuries put Michael Hussey’s maiden one-day century in the shade as West Indies scampered to a nervy three-wicket win in the fourth match of the DLF Cup and secured a place in the final. Brian Lara’s artistry was complemented by Chris Gayle’s fury and their whirlwind partnership, rattling off 151 at a rate of close to 7.8 runs per over, set the stage for the chase, which was eventually achieved after several heart-stopping moments.The West Indian bowlers played their part as well, turning in an improved performance to reduce Australia to 104 for 5 at the halfway stage. They couldn’t finish the job off – Hussey, leading the side in Ricky Ponting’s absence, and Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper, engineered a comeback with a record sixth-wicket stand – but their batsmen, after threatening to collapse yet again, reached the finish line with close to three overs to spare. The result means West Indies are through to the final with Australia’s game against India on Friday turning into a virtual semi-final.It was by no means a walk in the park. Chasing 273 under lights is never easy and it was imperative that West Indies reprised the scorching starts they’ve got in the tournament so far. For ten overs they were patient, laboured to 30 for 1, preserved wickets and waited for the opening. Then, like a giant awakening from a slumber, they blitzed their way to 139 for 2 after 25 overs. Ramnaresh Sarwan triggered the acceleration before Gayle instigated mayhem.A Gayle innings has no set pattern – absolutely anything is possible. At the end of the 12th over, he had 13 off 31 balls with just one four. A clattered six over midwicket, in the 13th over, whet the appetite before Stuart Clark began his third over, on a day that will probably remain his most forgettable one. The first ball was swung over mid-on; ditto the second except it nearly decapitated Clark on the way to the fence; the third was steered for a double, almost a calm interlude; the fourth, a no-ball, was upper-cut for a fantastic six over third man; and the next screamed past mid-off, with the fielder having absolutely no chance. Clark’s two overs had gone for 38 and he eventually finished with none for 87 off seven overs.At the other end Lara was in a mood that was nothing short of majestic. The gorgeous straight-drives and samurai-like whiplashes were out in full force. There was also a masterclass in ‘how to toy with spin’ as Dan Cullen, all of five ODIs old, watched some good bowling being treated as if it was tripe. It must be quite unnerving to watch a batsman stand a good foot outside leg stump – moving forward and diagonally towards midwicket – watching the ball onto his bat and steering it past the keeper to the third man fence.When Lara was beaten in the flight after waltzing down the pitch, he still managed to crash the ball into the sight-screen. The faster bowlers did all they could to keep it full and on off, but when a batsman walks across the crease and whips you through midwicket, there is nothing they can do. He was out in a curious manner – the ball ricocheting off the back of the bat as he got too early on a pull – and it was only after his dismissal that Australia had any chance. Four wickets fell for 13 runs, raising visions of another “calypso collapse”, but Dwayne Bravo held his nerve, lofted a six in the dying stages and steered them home.

Michael Hussey’s 109 in only 90 deliveries was a magnificent effort © AFP

It was a victory to savour, especially after the two Hs – Hussey and Haddin – had threatened to undo all the good work the West Indian bowlers had done in the opening stages. Hussey went about rebuilding the innings in a manner that has made him an ODI master over the last year – eliminating the dots, running the fielders ragged, picking off the odd boundary and setting them up for the slog. Amid all this were reverse-paddles, slog sweeps, short-arm jabs and crisp swats. To rip a controlled 109 in just 90 deliveries, with the team stuttering, was a magnificent effort.At the other end, there was Haddin, continuing a long tradition of Australian wicketkeeper-batsmen who’ve more often than not thwarted the opposition’s plans just when everything seems to be going their way. Merging some of Ian Healy’s combativeness with a tinge of Adam Gilchrist’s aggressiveness, Haddin drilled four fantastic sixes enroute to his highest ODI score. It was the partnership of the day until Gayle and Lara combined.

AustraliaSimon Katich run-out 22 (41 for 1)
Shane Watson c Lara b Taylor 0 (42 for 2)
Andrew Symonds c Smith b Bradshaw 8 (57 for 2)
Michael Clarke c Gayle b Bradshaw 1 (64 for 4)
Matthew Hayden c Taylor b Bravo 49 (104 for 5)
Brad Haddin c Taylor b Bravo 70 (270 for 6)
West Indies
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Haddin b Lee 0 (12 for 1)
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Haddin b Bracken 25 (44 for 2)
Chris Gayle c Hussey b Watson 79 (195 for 3)
Brian Lara c Hussey b Lee 88 (242 for 4)
Wavell Hinds c Haddin b Lee 1 (249 for 5)
Marlon Samuels run out 0 (249 for 6)
Dwayne Smith b Symonds 4 (255 for 7)

Martin Snedden is committed to the tour © Getty Images

A bill to make New Zealand’s tour to Zimbabwe illegal was rejected by the country’s Parliament in Wellington today. However, a Labour Government motion calling on New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to cancel the trip and asking the ICC to stop all international tours to Zimbabwe “while gross human rights abuses continue” was passed 110 votes to 10.The team departed yesterday and the parliamentary action was a symbolic one as the ICC has made it clear that NZC can only escape a US$2million penalty for not playing if the government makes it illegal to tour. The Green Party tried to submit the appropriate bill but it was blocked and the move was quashed by the prime minister Helen Clark.”Abrogating these rights is not an option for us,” Clark was quoted by . “Freedom of passage to and from this country is a basic right enjoyed by New Zealanders.”However, security issues could force the tour to be aborted and Clark told Parliament the team would face potential problems in Zimbabwe. “One cannot rule out a country in such crisis being a danger to people who visit, like cricketers, who can end up in the wrong place at the wrong time or in a place where there are violent demonstrations,” she said. “I consider it personally unwise to go.”Martin Snedden, the NZC chief executive, said they have a contractual obligation to tour under the ICC Future Tours Programme. “The Parliamentary motion does not change this,” he said. “The consequences of not touring are open ended and would be disastrous to all levels of the game of cricket in New Zealand.”Rob Donald, the Green Party co-leader, said the players would become pawns in the Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s power game. “Unless the tour is called off,” Donald said, “this will be seen as nothing more than waving a wet bus ticket at Mugabe.”New Zealand are scheduled to play a two-Test series against Zimbabwe and they arrive on August 4 after a training camp in Namibia. A triangular one-day tournament involving India is also planned.

Thilanga Sumathipala, Sri Lanka’s embattled former cricket chief, has been released from police custody after being granted bail by Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal on Friday. The three-judge bench asked him to post a Rs 250,000 (US$ 2500) bond and retained his passport as a security.Sumathipala, a high-profile businessman who recently resigned as chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom, was arrested in January after police investigations into allegations that he helped a suspected underworld criminal, Dammika Amarasinghe, travel to England to watch the 1999 World Cup on a forged passport. Amarasinghe, a man implicated in 28 murder cases, was later shot dead by a gunman dressed as a lawyer while attending court for another case.Sumathipala spent over 150 days in police custody but avoided a prison stay, spending the entire spell in hospital after complaining of chronic back pain and other ailments. He did not stand for re-election as cricket board president in the annual elections in March, but the new cricket board wants him to be an international envoy and their ICC representative.

A bilateral series between Indian and Pakistan seems unlikely, but another high-pressure one-day match between the two sides looms as both have been drawn in the same group for the Champions Trophy tournament, to be held in England between September 9 and 26 next year. The two teams will clash in a pool D match on September 20.According to a report in the Times of India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to make a formal announcement of the tournament schedule later this week, following its annual meeting.Pool A comprises Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, while South Africa, West Indies and Kenya are placed in pool B. England have been slotted along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in pool C, while the third team in pool D is Holland.The format of the tournament remains the same – the three teams in each group play one another with the top side from each pool qualifying for the semi-finals. However, unlike in the previous edition, there could be a reserve day for all 15 matches in the tournament. Also, three venues are likely to be used for the competition, one more than the number used in Sri Lanka in 2002.

Seven current or former international players will appear for New South Wales when it takes on Victoria in the opening match of the Australian domestic season at Bankstown on Sunday.Despite losing captain Steve Waugh (DVT) and pacemen Brett Lee (ribcage) and Nathan Bracken (shoulder) to injury, the Blues will be boosted by the appearance of Test stars Mark Waugh and Glenn McGrath in the state’s colours. It is the first time that McGrath will participate in a limited-overs match for the Blues since November, while Waugh has also appeared only fleetingly in recent years around a hectic schedule of international commitments.McGrath has been chosen to spearhead a well-balanced attack that also includes fellow pacemen Don Nash and Stuart Clark and leg spinner Stuart MacGill.Even in the national captain’s absence, the Blues’ batting looks similarly strong. Brad Haddin and Michael Slater are strong candidates for the opening positions, and will be followed by the likes of Michael Bevan, Mark Waugh and Michael Clarke as well as hard-hitting all-rounders Mark Higgs and Shane Lee.Continuing in the role in which he functioned for much of last season, Lee will captain the line-up and Bevan will be his deputy.Victoria is expected to name its team for the season-opening ING Cup clash later today.The full New South Wales side is: Shane Lee (c), Brad Haddin, Michael Slater, Michael Bevan, Mark Waugh, Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Shawn Bradstreet, Don Nash, Stuart Clark, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath.